Thursday, August 9
Whitehorse, YT to Beaver Creek, YT
277 miles; overcast, clouds and rain; temps 42 to 55
The Alaska Highway from Haines Junction to Beaver Creek in the southwest Yukon skirts the eastern edge of the St. Elias mountains, Canada’s tallest. So the scenery was spectacular all day, even though the mountain tops were hidden by the clouds. These mountains are full of glaciers that feed the streams on this side of the range that flow into the Yukon River and eventually empty into the Bering Sea.
Well, today was the day I left Paul in Whitehorse to ride his bike up to Fairbanks, and although he’s a good sport about it all you can tell that he’s very disappointed in the way his ride ended. There’s always a risk of something happening, but you don’t really believe it will, but it did this time. We’ll make the best of it.
So I get on Paul’s F700GS, set my inReach to track my ride, and leave for Fairbanks.
Not more than 30 miles up the road I turned off onto a section of the old Alaska Highway. This picture was taken near milepost 932, and although the road looks much as it did in 1958 it was gravel then, not paved. But with shorter sight lines, narrower roadway and shoulder, and shorter setbacks, it was a slower drive than the current road by quite a bit.
I pulled into Haines Junction to fill up with gas and upon leaving I see what looks like an Ohio license plate, so of course I have to investigate. It turns out these folks, Doris and Matt Gobec are from Mentor, Ohio, just 20 miles from me in Shaker Heights, and what is more, they are new members of our Cleveland BMW club. Great folks and avid motorcyclists, and I hope to see them soon in Cleveland at some of our club events.
The day started out with a very light rain and in the low 50s, but then it clouded up more and began to rain more steadily. The temperature dropped to 42 degrees and with the dampness I was cold. I had forgotten to bring along my warmer layers but I managed to make it through the day without shivering. It helped to recall how the early explorers in the area must have managed, going days at a time without being really dry and warm, so I told myself to just suck it up. But I did find a nice vest this evening at the restaurant so I’ll be warmer tomorrow.
And then after an hour or so of rain and wet roads the sun peeked out and the rain stopped. The sky was a beautiful azure blue with snowy white cumulus clouds, and the fireweed wildflowers along the road were a deep magenta. The clean air and diffused light that comes after a rain saturates the natural colors and shows flora at its best.
My first moose of the trip, and this guy was a big one! I was a little cautious because moose are known to charge vehicles if they take a notion, but this guy let me be.
I was chilly all day and was very happy to finally arrive at Beaver Creek a little after 5, where I stayed over night in the 1202 motel. This is very typical of the little communities along the Alaska Highway – rustic accommodations, large gravel parking lot, and gas pumps out front (out of view). I had leftover chicken curry from lunch for supper and walked down to the next establishment to have cherry pie and ice cream for dessert. A nice way to end the day. Tomorrow to Fairbanks.
Friday, August 10
Beaver Creek, YT to Fairbanks, AK
311 miles; sun and clouds; temps 50s and 60s
I hadn’t expected to ride the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks on this trip but here I was, riding the final leg today.
I managed to escape the rain today – at one point it looked like I was at the leading edge of some kind of weather but I kept going and out ran it. That’s Paul’s F700GS in the picture. It’s the same basic bike as mine but with different tires, windscreen, and seat, and I have the upgraded rear shock on mine and a fueling gizmo that makes the engine run a little richer and gives it more get up and go.
These are the Wrangell Mountains on my south as I ride northwest on the Alaska Highway. Everywhere you are in Alaska you can see mountains.
A little further along the Alaska Range came into view. This stream is fed from the snow melt in the mountains and is crystal clear. I never tire of the mountains in Alaska – the scale and grandeur are stunning. So I had another good ride today.
And I arrived at Trails End BMW in Fairbanks around 4 pm to drop off Paul’s bike for shipping back to Maine. They will crate the bike, get estimates on shipping costs, and then contact Paul to decide which shipper and to get his credit card number. Everything went smoothly and a young man at the shop dropped me off at my motel around the corner. I had some great ribs at a nearby pub then came back and packed my riding gear into a duffel I had picked up at RKA, showered, and got everything ready to leave in the morning.
Saturday, August 11
Fly from Fairbanks, AK to Whitehorse, YT
I got up at 4 AM Alaska time today to make my flight from Fairbanks to Seattle. I lugged my big, heavy duffel and another bag with personal stuff with me on the plane because I didn’t want to get to Whitehorse and not have everything I needed for the ride tomorrow.
In Seattle I got a flight to Vancouver with a 1.5 hour layover to catch my plane to Whitehorse. To make a long story short,and leave out all the crap let’s just say that with customs, security, and running from one end of the airport to the other I missed my flight and waited another 4 hours to get the next one which got me back to Whitehorse at 10 PM. I could have driven from Fairbanks to Whitehorse in less time! But I was back and ready to resume my ride, but without Paul.