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North to Alaska, go north the rush is on.... (or meeting 'jdrocks' at D2D 2013!)

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#1 · (Edited)
Well - I threatened I was gonna do this, and starting on the 14th June I DID! :yeahsmile:

Several days before then I had installed new Tourance rubber (130/80 rear on the front and 150/70 rear on the rear), changed oil and filter, cleaned the air-filter and used my Hg (mercury) carb-stix to balance the TBs. A pal from WY arrived afternoon of the 13th, so after a good rest we pulled out of Kelowna Friday AM, headed north, our rain-gear on, as it was cloudy, light to occasionally moderate rainshowers following us north till a HUGE thunderstorm caught us, ending a half hour south of Prince George, BC, and we found a not-too-flooded campground for the night.:clap:

But it DID have moderate to heavy concentrations of caterpillars, so you needed to be pretty careful HOW you ate supper, where you sat, where you walked....:rolleyes: The first day had added 674.8 kms (418 miles).

Next morning we got up to a foggy start, but it burned off as we ate breakfast. Broke camp, loaded the KLR and GREEN HORNET, and after gassing in Prince George we were westbound on the "Yellowhead Hwy", Hwy 16, thru more thunderstorms, but finally sunny as we turned north onto the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy - BC37 - which ultimately joins the Alcan Hwy near Watson Lake, YT. :cool:

Heading north 157 kms on 37 gets you to the Metziadin Junction where 37A (the Glacier Hwy) goes west to Stewart and Hyder, but also where the Metziadin Provincial Park campground is. Another large t'storm showed north and east, so into the Park for the night. :clap:

The skies were clear and sunny (everywhere BUT N and NE!), a relief, but BOY were there ever mosquitoes! You MIGHT notice one in the picture of the lake :huh: on the next post from the morning....

We got the tents up PDQ, then heated and ate dinner before retreating to shelter as the thunder/ lightning show started. :yeahsmile:
Today added another 634 kms to our total.

The pics show us in my garage "suiting-up", half-way to Prince George on a 'rare' dry moment, then making camp at Metziadin Lake.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Day 3 - up the Stewart-Cassiar to Watson Lake...

After being "lullabyed" to sleep by the gentle sounds of the happy 'skeeters' :(, VERY close lightning strikes:eek:, then distant rumbling as it got more miles away :), it was GREAT to open the tent-fly to SUNNY...! :thumb:(Be sure to note the lake picture with 'fighter-escort'.:thumbdown:)

After breakfast it was a pleasure breaking camp sans rain gear, and soon we were back headed N on 37. After gassing up at Bell 2 ($1.64/l for gas...!) we stopped at Kinaskin Lake to enjoy the warm sun while we ate. Leaving there it was a very nice ride, including the steep, gravel descent via switchbacks to the Stikine River bridge, from where the pavement commenced - the WHOLE of BC37 except for that hill.:yeahsmile:

Gassed at Dease Lake, then N again, this time having to go into 'threshold-breaking' twice where a couple of brain-dead idiots had stopped, blocking BOTH lanes, so they could take pics of Mama bears with cubs in the ditch. (I'm pretty sure that the bears 'left' as I rode thru HARD on the button for the Stebel horns...:goodidea:).

Got to the Alcan at the Junction, then turned east for my usual campground at the east end, only to find it had closed down, but the Yukon had one back toward the Junction, so we reversed course only to see, once we got to it, a BIG "BOIL WATER 10 MINUTES" sign.:thumbdown:

That wouldn't do, so west to the 37 Junction which had a campground with showers. Soon into our site, set-up, then over for a shower. :thumb:

Funny, but no matter what I did the water was cold, but I "got'er-done", then told my buddy, for HIS. He talked with the owner - "People must be doing laundry..." so decided to use it early the next morning so it'd be hot.:p

Pic 1 shows a "dive-bomber" at Metziadin Lake; 2 & 3 are Kinaskin Lake at lunch; 4 is Dease Lake; 5 & 6 are BC37; and 7 is our Junction campsite. Mileage (kilometer-age...?) for today was 650 kms.
 

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#3 ·
Day 4 - Watson to Whitehorse

Altho' it rained overnight and we left in rain-gear, soon after heading west the clouds broke up and we enjoyed sunshine again, tho' VERY windy all day. After gassing at Tesla and chatting with other adventure riders, we again hit the Alcan, this time traveling at 110 to 115 kph (68 to 72 mph) - NOT conducive to good gas mileage, which was a big concern to me as we hoped to ride the Dempster to Inuvik, about 364 kms between gas stations.

Turned out I was getting roughly 15 km/l (34 mpg) which would run my tank dry in about 300 kms!!!:badidea: Even with my extra gas-can with 4l or so, it'd still be VERY close to running out on those stretches, so I told my riding partner that we HAD to slow down till I found a speed that gave reasonable mileage (pretty sure the two dry-bags on my rack, tho' not too heavy - maybe 50# for both - were acting as a sail, adding huge drag, killing mileage :nono:).

Takhini Hot Springs - just north of Whitehorse - were 'calling' to us, so after provisioning-up at Superstore we rode the 20 kms, setting up our tents mere yards from the entrance to the Springs. :)

Tents up, chains lubed, then grabbed our swim suits and soaked for half an hour... BLISS!:eek:penarms:

Seems the gusty winds were coming from a cold-front, so luckily we could zip up in our full mummy bags for the night as it cooled down.:thanx:

Pics 1 & 2 show parts of the Alcan; and 3 is our camp at Takhini Hot Springs.
This was a 440 km day.
 

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#4 ·
Day 5 - Takhini to Dawson..., and D2D!!!

The 18th June dawned with clear skies, so after 'working on our tans' while we ate, then breaking camp, rain-gear packed away, we headed, first east to the "Klondike Hwy" - 2 - then north when we reached it. :thumb:

About an hour north on 2 the Braemore Lodge beckons, MOTORCYCLE FRIENDLY, and home to the BEST (IMHO) cinnamon buns anywhere.... $10 apiece, and almost a full meal for TWO...!:goodidea: Dave (jdrocks) told me he'd stopped and agreed they're PDG.;)

After washing the remaining sugar off our hands (at least the PART we couldn't lick off...) Greg and I headed north again, this time maintaining 90 to 95 kph for what looked like good enough gas mileage for the Dempster's distances between fuel stops.:thumb:

Dawson was sunny (and HOT) when we rolled in at 4:30, then into the down-town campground in the 'shadow' of the "Moose Pelt" - a land-slide named by the Indians many years back - just north of our site.

Luckily (because we did NOT have reservations, as MOST other D2Ders had done) they could sell us a site for two nights, then we had to move to a 'serviced' site for the last two. I tried really hard to get my aluminum pegs into the rocky ground to anchor my tent, then rode to the hardwear store for some 6" Ardox nails - at least THEY could be pounded into the ground.... :exactly:

Once the tents were up and supper done we walked downtown for a couple of "cold ones":cheers:, then back for the relaxation of NOT pulling up camp for a few days.

Pic 1 is the Braemore Lodge; 2 shows several DINNER-PLATE sized cinnamon buns; 3 & 4 the Five Finger Rapids (imagine going thru them on a raft as many gold-seekers did!); and 5 is our site, backed by the "Moose Pelt".

Today had added 617 kms.:yeahsmile:
 

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#19 · (Edited)
...About an hour north on 2 the Braemore Lodge beckons, MOTORCYCLE FRIENDLY, and home to the BEST (IMHO) cinnamon buns anywhere.... $10 apiece, and almost a full meal for TWO...!:goodidea: Dave (jdrocks) told me he'd stopped and agreed they're PDG.;)...
It has been "brought to my attention" that I have made an error: it's the "Braeburn Lodge" - NOT Braemore..., as per the following pic - my BAD.... Change is for the "18th June...".

:eek:


:cool:
 

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#5 ·
Very Nice. Those cinnamon buns made me drool.:)
 
#6 ·
Joseph - see whether you can get jdrocks to comment on them. (Dave - I take back any remark that might have been miss-construed as indicating you MIGHT be...
large...;).) They ARE bloody good!

:grinangel:
 
#7 · (Edited)
18th to 21st June in Dawsn - D2D!!!

Maybe I failed to mention it, but I wasn't exactly SURE which days D2D was happening on, so we'd arrived in Dawson on Tuesday night, the 18th, found a campsite and set-up, planning to take in some "local color"....:thumb: Mentioned doing a couple of beers in a local bistro - the "Midnight Sun Hotel" it was - so when NEXT day came up sunny, it was again on our list (NOT at the top tho' - breakfast was gonna be FIRST!).:D

First we walked-about (after showering and making our laundry ALMOST nice enough for polite company...:yeahsmile:), had an ice cream bar and checked out where the events would happen. Met Dick (the fellow putting up the D2D poster on the host hotel in one of the pics) "Who you callin' a "dick"...?" :rolleyes: and asked if jdrocks was in town. "Who the hell is THAT?" he said.

Guess maybe he was a LITTLE stressed....:confused:

In our tour we saw the skulls of two GINORMOUS moose who'd 'locked-horns' in a fight..., and died like that, as well as the obligatory houses built on perma-frost... and gently slipping away.:badidea:

By now LOTS of adventure bikes were slipping into Dawson, so back to the "Midnight Sun Hotel" for a few ales (Yukon Gold - hm-m-m GOOD! :yeahsmile:), and watching game 4 of the Stanley Cup. Then returned to the tent, and a chat with a fellow from the "American Truck Historical Society" who had to have the LONGEST rig I've ever seen.

:cool:
 

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#8 · (Edited)
18th to 21st June in Dawsn - D2D!!! continued...

Another glorious day, the 20th, started out by "walking our tents" from one end of the campground to the other for the next two nights. Followed that with a 'provisioning' run to the grocery store, then to the D2D hotel to buy BBQ steak tickets for Friday night, and the 'official' tees :clap: .

Tickets in hand I walked outside to the sunny street, only to see a poor little red Versys dwarfed by this ENORMOUS guy...! ;) Could THIS be the famous, legendary "jdrocks"? :huh:

So I walked up, tapped his shoulder and said "Dave? I'm FEC..." to which he answered "Huh?" :stickpoke:

"Fast Eddie" I replied, and he stuck out his hand in greeting. :welcome: We chatted a bit, then he mentioned a bit of a maintenance issue so I invited him to our campground to use my tools and some "holy water" on his chain.:usa:

Once the adjustments had been completed we sat and shared stories w/ a few of the other riders there (one from Belgium who had flown over, bought a KLR in Calgary, and was now doing his "dream ride" - he's the one in a blue tee facing Dave), had a coffee, then Dave suited-up and headed for the ferry for the "Top of the World" Hwy, then Chicken and Anchorage to deliver Versystole's bike.:D

Greg and I chatted w/ some other riders (that's a REAL Africa Twin Honda in the pic!), then walked up the hill to look at the historic cemetery, a LONG walk away. :thumb:

On the return hike it started raining, so, OF COURSE, we looked for refuge in the "Midnight Sun Hotel", and more Yukon Gold Ale...!:topsecret:

During a discussion on world politics a fellow got up, limped over to the piano (he kinda looked like he was down-on-his-luck), sat down and started playing like an angel.:clap: What a surprise, and WHAT a concert!:thanx: He played quite awhile, and showed up again the next day - 21 June.:clap:

By now there were TWO other Vs in town, an Alaskan '08 and a Yukon '07 - chatted w/ the Alaskan who USED to visit this forum, but never got to meet the Yukoner, tho' I BELIEVE I sold him (fdale) my H-B crash bars from down in AZ over the winter. :feedback:

Believe it - a Goldwing was there, an H-D 'bagger', a couple of Victories as well as the Can-Am and a dirt-modded Ducati.... :D

A GOOD day...! :cool:
 

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#57 ·
So I walked up, tapped his shoulder and said "Dave? I'm FEC..." to which he answered "Huh?" :stickpoke:

"Fast Eddie" I replied, and he stuck out his hand in greeting. :welcome: We chatted a bit, then he mentioned a bit of a maintenance issue so I invited him to our campground to use my tools and some "holy water" on his chain.:usa:
so get your lazy Canuck butt over here, my chain needs adjusting...bring some holy water too.
 
#9 · (Edited)
18th to 21st June in Dawsn - D2D!!! continued... RAIN!!!

I like to read (and re-read...;)) "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" on my long rides, so when I got back from the hotel and finished chatting w/ neighboring riders, I read 3 chapters, then :sleeping:. Didn't have any idea that it was raining all night till I got up, stuck my head out - oh NO! The "Moose Pelt" was obscured by low clouds and fog.:nono:

After cooking my camp breakfast I phoned my wife, only to learn that Alberta was declaring a state of emergency due HUGE dumps of rain that had flooded a large part of downtown Calgary, washed out various roads including the Trans Canada Hwy between there and Banff, put a town called "High River" UNDER WATER, as well as other problems, so I hurried to the D2D sign-in place and made sure that the "powers-that-be" would check into it and make announcements at that night's BBQ supper for those whose plans included southern Alberta!:badidea:

Later when the heavy rain moderated to merely light showers, we rode our bikes to the street in front of the host hotel to park w/ everyone else, and prepare for the "poker-run". Decided NOT to ride it due to the mud, plus the fact that some roads included in it were 'gnarly' at the best of times.:thumbdown: Returned to our tents to change out of our gear, then back to the Midnight Sun Hotel for a few ales with a bunch of riders.:thumb:

To our good fortune the same fellow went to the piano, playing his heart out! :eek:penarms: to much applause from us.

The dinner was at 6PM, and to our surprise it was sunny again when we left the bar - yippee! - to walk the 2 blocks to the arena where it was being held (catered by the Dawson City volunteer fire department who did one helluva GREAT job - steaks, spuds, several salads - mmm good!:exactly:).

After that GREAT supper there were a few speeches, then the flood announcement, followed by awards. One couple was there from Key West, but they didn't get the 'Long Haul' award:confused:, and the young fellow (shirtless, standing behind the Africa Twin - first pic in the post BEFORE this one) who won the 'Hard Luck' award for going swimming on his GS800 when he failed to negotiate a curve at 'spirited' speed on the Campbell Hwy between Ross River and Carmacks talked about his 'crash' to cries of "Up periscope..." (Some people can be so cruel...:rolleyes:!)

A passel of door-prizes were handed out, and I "won" one donated by a Harley dealer.

Twisted Throttle donated enough 'neat-o tees' for everyone to get at least one, then downtown for the 'games' (slow drags - there's an antique DKW in one pic; pylon race; blindfold race; and water-balloon race) which went on till near midnight - the equinox (OFFICIALLY anyway) at which time photos were taken for ADV forum, and the official "DUST TO DAWSON 2013" stickers were handed out to everyone with his bike on the street.:thumb:

As far as the Dempster was concerned, we had decided NOT to ride it if it wasn't dry, and today's rain had pretty much ended that idea, so tomorrow we would take the ferry across the Yukon River onto the "Top of the World Hwy" to Chicken!:sorry: Luckily my '09 trip had included the Dempster over four GREAT sunny days, tho' Greg and Nick hadn't been so lucky on last year's ride where the mud got to them, and they turned back after fighting it for 160 miles. :thumbdown:

Parked the GREEN HORNET by the tent, then :sleeping:.
 

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#11 · (Edited)
22nd June - Dawson to Tok, AK via Top of the World

Seemed a BIT early, but 'up-and-out' at 7:30. What the hell...? FOG!:eek:

Starting the stove, getting breakfast happening, then breaking camp....:yeahsmile: Slowly as the coffee warmed me the fog started to burn-off :thumb:, and at 8:30 the sky was poking thru. Finished loading our bikes and BS'ing w/ other riders, filled up w/ gas, then down to the ferry, watching a paddle-wheeler tourist boat 'steam' past as we waited. A few minutes, and we rode off on the west side of the Yukon River, onto Top of the World. LOTS of bikes, seemed like a race, so away we went. Because of the pace I didn't get many photo-ops, and were soon at the US AK border crossing where my passport was stamped "Poker Creek, Alaska". :usa:

To both the north and NW large thunderheads poked up, and the highway which had been a 'little' rough on the Canuck side deteriorated into wet, slimy mud as the skies opened up, many lightning strikes evident, and I was NOT taking my camera out in THAT! :forgetit: Compare the GREEN HORNET in the pic by the "Welcome..." sign, with its condition at Chicken where most of us stopped for an ice cream bar (in the SUN!).:rolleyes:

A fellow riding a KLR came over and asked if he could photograph me and my V - saying he thought it was VERY cool. (Watch for my "star" on Hollywood Blvd....:cool:)

Soon headed west again, still at too high a speed to get pics, and we arrived in Tok at 4PM, got a campsite and set-up camp (joined by Mr. High-Speed-into-the-swamp-near-Ross-River, and his partner). :thumb:

A vote was taken and we headed to the lounge to wash the dust outta our throats, then into "Fast Eddy's Restaurant" for a PDG supper, most of us choosing the "Incredible Burger" for $11 (plus $ for more beer:clap: OF COURSE!). After dinner I went to the local RC church for Mass. The priest was quite knowledgeable about the V, revealing that HE rides a V-Strom 1000, and hopes to 'do' D2D in 2014. COOL. :yeahsmile:

Back to camp, now joined by a New Zealander who lives in New Jersey and camped near us in Dawson, and we put away several more...:cheers:.

Only 300 kms on the odo today, but we're all getting used to sleeping while it's still light out.
 

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#14 · (Edited)
23rd June, Tok to Cantwell via the Denali Hwy

After good-byes to all our D2D chums we hit the road by 9AM, gassed-up and west to Delta Junction, the end of the Alcan. From there it's S on AK4 to Paxson, the eastern start of the Denali Hwy (the old approach to visit Mt McKinley - Denali) via a LITTLE pavement, then 114 miles of rough, DUSTY, but EXTREMELY SCENIC road, west to the "George Hwy - AK3 " and Cantwell.

Lunch was by a stream near Paxson, then W, mountains on every horizon. The pavement ran out, the rough began. Last time I rode this road in '09 there'd been so much forest fire smoke that you could "sense" mountains, but couldn't see them :thumbdown: , but now it was glorious, clear with 100 miles visibility at least..., so the 'rough' was NOT as much a chore as in '09!:thumb:

Dusty tho', so, often we'd stop to let someone get further ahead then continue in relatively clear conditions. :clap: Lots of photo-ops today, but you needed to "be on your toes" because the road crews would fill a hole by just pouring in some 'pit-run' gravel (probably fairly deep), and after the first 'excitement' hitting one of those I tended to stand on the 'pegs for control. :cool: At one point I pulled into a 'pull-off' spot only to discover that it was 6 to 8" of soft sand, and luckily the Tourance tires and standing on the 'pegs got me thru without a face-plant!!!:eek:

A lot of Alaskans will slow right down, reducing the dust, which certainly helped us. :thanx:

At Cantwell we pulled into the same campground I'd used in '09, however my memory of fitting two tents into a site was a bit 'off'. ONE site would accept two easily, but our site took some squeezing to pull it off. Then our New Zealand buddy pulled in, camping on the verge. We asked, but the nearest 'package store' was 28 miles away, so this was a dry camp....:sorry:

Greg wanted to change his oil in Fairbanks, so that determined which direction in the morning.

Today had added 520 kms, but still haven't needed to add ANY oil.
 

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#20 · (Edited)
24 June - Cantwell to Tok, via Fairbanks

Morning arrived, clear, sunny - NICE! Did my usual morning routine (involving my stove, water, etc, then packing up the HORNET), walked around camp. Tried Clinton's (the New Zealand fellow) "Leatt neck-brace" on - gonna get one FER SURE...! :goodidea:

LAST time here, in '09, we turned S leaving Cantwell, and I got some pics of a "BIG hill" obscured by smoke. This time I guess my memory failed me, so I kept looking W as we headed N, expecting Denali to "pop" into view... :huh: . It DIDN'T, but we saw a hotel WAY-Y-Y up a hill on our right (the Grande Denali Lodge) and figured MAYBE Denali was visible from up there (it's NOT!), so turned in. It's about 500' UP, with a VERY twisty road and some incredibly ORIGINAL signs along it - check the pic of my GPS of the hill, and those pics of the signs...!
:D

As we continued N the construction began, so it took us probably an hour to go 20 miles, but, eventually we got back up to "Mach", headed N, just scattered clouds and around 85F. Nice view of the Alaska and Wrangell Ranges to our S. :thumb: The higher speeds we were traveling at were DEFINITELY impacting my mileage :thumbdown: , so I vowed to slow down for THAT, and for taking more pics :goodidea: .

Hit Fairbanks, Greg phoned the Kawi shop which WAS open Mondays :)clap:) so I put their address into the GPS, arriving in 10 minutes. Half an hour there, his oil now 'fresh and vibrant', Greg threw his leg over and we turned E, first to Delta Junction (gas and groceries), then Tok - home of the WORLD FAMOUS "Fast Eddy's Restaurant" at Young's Motel and Campground, where we got the same site as we'd had two nights before. Kinda felt like Alaska was goin' by WAY-Y-Y too fast...! :huh:

Tents up, then over to Fast Eddy's for another pretty descent supper (washed down OF COURSE :cheers: ), followed by running water thru our rads to help the cooling... :thumb: , and a shower to help MY cooling! VERY nice washroom facilities at the campground, showers FREE :thanx: !

Today added another 573 kms to the total.
:yeahsmile:
 

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#21 · (Edited)
25th June - Tok to Whitehorse, YT

Sunny skies again when we got up, so after the morning routine of cooking and packing-up camp, gassed-up, heading east on the Alcan, Greg wanting FAST, me - not so much - so we parted ways. (Added some pics of the washroom facilities here for any of the rest of you "long-distance crazies" who might get up to Tok.:yeahsmile:) RECOMMENDED.... :clap:

From Tok to the Canadian Border the speed limit is 55 mph, so that's the speed I settled on (BETWEEN pics, of course! :thumb: ), stopping LOTS! :yeahsmile:

Once I crossed into Canada the road deteriorated to CRAPPY - frost heaves, dips, patches, LONG-G-G repair sections involving waits for a pilot truck to lead us, and in fact thru one section, no traffic coming towards us and MUCH water to keep dust down turning it to mud, I 'stepped-left' to get out of the pilot-truck's mud-splatter (followed there by ALL the RVs following), followed by hand-signals from the pilot's driver to come back right to behind it. :thumbdown:

I didn't - there was already more-than-enough mud clogging my rad :( - , and the GREEN HORNET soon got thru the construction and back up to 90 kph (55 mph up here!). :goodidea:

About half way is Kluane Lake, huge, with a good gas stop (NOW I was getting way-y-y better gas mileage - increasing from a low of 33 mpgUS earlier-on to a now-acceptable 50 mpgUS = 62+ Imperial!!!) in its mid-point at Destruction Bay, with lots of photo-ops as it's REALLY beautiful there! At the eastern end I saw an old log home off the OLD road to my right, so took a side-trip and some pics. :cool:

Stopped in Haines Junction to search for a phone to call my wife (found one in the "Visitors' Centre"), tell her I was still alive but now riding solo (and got MORE news of the devastation in Calgary and southern Alberta from the flooding), then continued east, large thunderstorms appearing on the horizon, getting bigger, finally filling the skies as I stopped for provisions in Whitehorse. :thumb:

The blackness was more pronounced north :thumbdown: , so I decided to ride the Alcan towards the south rather than N on the Klondike Hwy to Takhini Hot Springs, hoping to avoid those storms (or at least prolong my time till they hit...). Saw the same campground I'd used back in '07, close to the turn for Hwy 2 to Carcross and Skagway, pulled in and ended up in the SAME site again. :thumb: Can we say "Karma"...?

Several neighboring campers came over to chat, but looking at the darkening skies, I excused myself saying getting under cover was MORE important than talking, at least right then. :thumb: Tent up, gear inside, stove burning on the sturdy campsite table, heating a can of chili - all that was missing was a beer....:eek: Oh well.... :rolleyes:

That sound...? Sure enough rain's starting, so into the tent w/ the warm chili, stove OFF, listening to peals of thunder as I ate the chili, then reading a few chapters of "Zen...", serenaded by Thor's hammer, :yeahsmile: before :sleeping: .

That day had added another 633 kms to the total. (And ONLY FOUR more days of riding to add to this report!!! :stickpoke: )
 

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#23 ·
Phil - my AVERAGE daily co$t (camping and cooking MOST of my meals) was around $67. Start 'motel-ing' it (which IS possible!), and I bet you add $100/ day (MORE if you're solo).

Does NOT take long to pay for a PDG camping outfit....
 
#24 · (Edited)
26th June - Whotehorse to Carcross, Jakes Corner, Teslin, then Boya Lake down 37....

Woke up early - 5AM - rain had stopped and blue-sky was coming thru 'gaps' in the clouds, so over to 'do' my laundry, but didn't have any extra loonies for the drier (office closed till...?), so - hung it behind camp while breakfast was fixed and downed. Nice quiet time, so 'broke' camp and packed up my trusty mule again, not even whistling, but smilin'!:clap:

Round about 8 o'clock I threw a leg over, thumbed the starter, then turned onto the Alcan, S for about a mile to the junction w/ YT 2 (to Carcross and Skagway), and south. Stopped for pics of Emerald Lake along w/ a tour-bus full of Japanese or Korean tourists, then on to the Carcross Desert - remains of an ancient lake - and into town for an obligatory ice cream cone at the Mathew Watson General Store. Nice relaxing spot, tho' looking at a memorial to a B-17 that ditched here in 1942 in Bennett Lake (10 of the 17 man crew died of exposure in the near freezing water) emphasized the dangers the 'gold-rush' miners had faced coming down the lake 'way-back-when'.
:goodluck:

From there it's about 55 kms along YT 8 to Jakes Corner, then back onto the Alcan, where it was around 10 or 11AM when I noticed a cycle's headlight coming from behind, and as he passed I saw it was Greg. :confused: How did I get ahead of him considering my lower speed and extra mileage route...? :huh:

He motioned to chat (in Teslin I figured - home to a VERY long bridge across Teslin Lake - half an hour further on), and when I pulled in for gas, there he was, so inside for a coffee.

Seemed he'd had to wait till 9:30 for a bank to open in Whitehorse (where he had hotelled it), which is how I was ahead, and he asked my plans. Ride to the Hwy 37 Junction then ride S to the FIRST campground on 37, I told him. and we agreed to continue riding separately but meet there. (I've put a pic looking back at that long-g-g bridge among the photos.) :yeahsmile:

By Swift River the storm clouds I'd been watching grow bigger up ahead were making their presence known, so I stopped to put rain-gear on, glad to've done so when the skies 'opened-up' a few miles later. Rained on-and-off till I took the gear off just short of the Junction, gassed up there and headed south. :goodidea:

Roughly 90 kms, then the sign for a BC Provincial Campground at Boya Lake indicated a left turn, so I signalled left, turned, and rode thru a very nice campground, paved roads, NICE sites backing on Boya Lake - looking for Greg's KLR, then once around again in case he'd come in while I did my first 'tour'. :type:

Didn't see him so I stopped at a great site next to one with a Wee-Strom parked near a green tent. Went over and introduced myself to Randy (from MSP area) who'd also been at D2D, then got busy putting up my tent. :yeahsmile:

Randy and I were chatting about roads in Alberta that would give good views w/out getting into the 'disaster' area, when we heard the sound of a KLR, Greg riding into view, soon joining the conversation once his tent was up. BTW - we had had BUGS before, but THIS place had the WORST mosquitoes, and MOST!!! When I'd zipped my tent it looked like millions of the little buggars were in there. Oh well, it'll give me something to do once I 'turn-in'....:huh:

Dinner finished, clouds rolling in, got into my tent, re-zipped it, got out my "Zen..." paperback and started killing mosquitoes. Pretty soon I couldn't see ANY, even when I moved my gear, so figured i was 'home-free'....:goodluck:

Today added about 539 kms to the trip.:thumb:
 

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#25 ·
Apologies to Robert Service...

There are strange things done 'neath the midnight sun
By the men who [ride Versii bold.]
The arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold.
The northern lights have seen queer sights
But the queerest they ever did see,
Was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge
When I [met another Versys forum member.]

It is a cool story, but my version doesn't do justice to the original.
 
#26 ·
Well done Eddie! :thumb:

The pictures and the mosquitoes you talked about reminded me of my summer gold mining in the YT. :thumb:

Mosquitoes and other bugs as never seen before! LOL :thumb: My little friends! :thumb:

Some of the best fishing I have ever had! :D 65 miles into the back country. :eek:
 
#29 · (Edited)
27th June - Boya Lake to Stewart, BC

When I went to bed last night (AFTER killing "zillions" of 'Skeeters inside my tent, till there were NONE left... apparently...:goodluck:) the temp was dropping, so I 'mummied-up' in my bag so JUST my nose was barely showing, then :sleeping: .

Woke up to CLOUDS of mosquitoes inside my tent - looked like they'd been hiding in my gear last night after I killed their sisters and shook the gear - so I grabbed my hat, started hitting them against the tent's sides. :mad:

Wasn't working, so I grabbed my book - "Zen..." and used it. :goodidea: When I hit the first one and 'splatted' it against a white panel, I saw that it had 'filled-up' during the night, as had the others, and once they were all dead I surveyed the damage - my tent looked like a scene from one of the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre..." movies, blood EVERYWHERE...! Oh well. :rolleyes:

Outside it was evident that the weather was changing, as it was overcast, cool, so breakfast and packing was done w/out pics, rain starting as we joined BC 37 a mile away from our site. Soon it was HEAVY rain, and I rued my decision to NOT put my heated jacket liner on. We put our heads down, continuing S. Gas at Dease Lake (in the rain), and back onto 37. Greg pulled into a cafe south of there for a warming bowl of soup. I asked the owner if I could roll into his welding shop to change into warmer gear out of the rain.

He said yes :D - :clap:- ! Soon I was DRIER and much warmer. :thanx:

The rain continued till S of Kinaskin Lake, and we gassed again at Bell 2 (NOT in rain!!! :D ) where I told Greg that I didn't feel safe stopping for pics - todays FIRST was taken AFTER bell 2! - when he was close behind, so we split, deciding to meet at Metziadin Junction later for further. He left, then I did. Awesome photo-ops, :eek:penarms: then I decided I would ride the "Glacier Hwy" to Stewart, 37A, for more pics, probably camping there.

At the Junction I spoke w/ Greg who didn't particularly wish to go there, so I said that we should continue separately. He turned S, I turned W. :cool:

The views along 37A (ALWAYS great!) were even better than the last time I rode here in '09, so it seemed I stopped every half mile, camera hanging around my neck for convenience. (37A pics start w/ DSC00666....)

An hour and a half to cover 62 kms says it all....:p

At Stewart I stopped at the BC Liquor Store for a 6-pack to 'wash-down' my supper (NOT the whole 6-pack...;)), then got a site at the Rainey Creek Campground (VERY well named..., as it started to shower just after my tent was up).

Next site soon had a pair of Super Teneres from Alberta that I'd seen at D2D, and we headed down town for a few beers after their tents were up. Some enjoyable chats at the bar including four other motorcyclists, :cheers: then excusing myself - I headed back to my tent, showered, read a few chapters of "Zen...", then :sleeping: .

BTW - only FEW mosquitoes around... :) , and today had been 549 kms, MOSTLY rain, but GORGEOUS once that ended :thanx: .
 

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#30 ·
28th June - Stewart to Hixon, BC (S of Prince George)

Got up to a SPECTACULAR morning, the evening rains over, clouds masking bits of the hills around. :thumb: Enjoying the view waiting for water to boil for breakfast, puddles all around, so the tent was put away wet. George and Rod (S-10s) now up too. Chatted some more, then packed up and out at 8AM, gassing in town. Again - AWESOME scenery - so it took an hour and a half to ride the 62 kms back to Metziadin Junction :goodidea: !

Turned S on 37, so an hour and '20' later thought it might be a good idea to put the gallon of gas I've been carrying (FOREVER) into the tank. I pulled over onto a 'pullout', got off, started pouring the gas in. Looked up to my right :eek:... there was a black bear about 15 yards away 'ambling' out of MY ditch, then across 37 to eat dandelions on the other side...! :clap:

Leaving the gas-can in the tank opening I grabbed the camera from around my neck and started snapping pics. :yeahsmile: Soon he was out of view on the eastern verge, so I continued, removing the gas-can then strapping it back onto the HORNET. Tires squealing... I looked up as cars were stopping for ANOTHER bear, about 75 yards up MY ditch, again ambling over to the east side.

:cool:

Soon I was at the bottom of 37, at the intersection w/ Hwy 16 - the Yellowhead - now also called the "Highway of Tears" for the many woman who've gone missing between here and Alberta, presumed murdered. :sorry:

Now E on 16, lunch beckoned as I approached Smithers, so into a store for provisions (ONE more night on the road :yeahsmile:), then ate in a little park in the sun.:clap:

Now headed E again, ominous clouds gathered over Burns Lake, and in danger of "nodding-off", I pulled into a town rest area, sat and rested maybe 15 minutes, got back into rain-gear and east on 16 again in light rain showers till they ended, just short of Hixon on Hwy 97 an hour south of Prince George, :thumb: , which ended a 13 hour day. :rolleyes:

I turned into my "usual" campground in Hixon (TOTALLY forgetting that THIS was a long-weekend - Canada Day being the 1st of July - and I did NOT have a reservation! :confused:), and after MUCH begging was directed to the LAST tent site, but ONLY for one night :yeahsmile: ! Notice the Canada Day decoration in my pics...:thumb: !

The rain held off till 8:30, after the tent was up, supper was down (washed down w/ the LAST of that 6-pack...:yeahsmile:), I'd phoned my wife (at a bar across the road), and I was lying in the tent writing my journal. The last pic is of the HORNET getting wet again, from inside the tent.

Despite the long day on a stock V saddle (raised 9/16" at the front), my butt felt OK...:rolleyes:.

This was a 748 km day!
:cool:
 

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#31 ·
29th June - Hixon to home in Kelowna!

Up to a sunny morning, breakfast down, tent stuff packed away, I quietly departed the campground by 8AM, turning S on 97 again. :yeahsmile:

I stopped to gas-up at Williams Lake (roughly 100 miles S), then as I neared the southern outskirts in a 60 kph (35 mph) zone, two-lanes, following a Ford F-150 in the right lane maybe 10 yards ahead, me in the left, I saw a 'velvet' buck deer running up the embankment to my right.:eek:

I immediately straightened-up the bike, hard on the brakes, hoping the deer wasn't coming at me! :goodluck:

He ran at the F-150 going JUST in front of it and got SMOKED (NO brake lights, so the driver had NOT seen it till the crash!), spinning and bouncing into my lane. (I heard tires squealing behind, but the deer and on-coming vehicles were the immediate threat...:censored:...!)

In my "mind's-eye" I can still see 'smoke' (dust???) coming from its left shoulder as it slid thru my lane into the opposing one, trying vainly to regain its feet or make sense of what had just happened, trying to "scrabble" up, obviously badly injured....

I passed slowly between the now-stopped truck, its flashers ON, and the dying buck, knowing I could do nothing... then almost broke into tears, surely an emotional reaction to having come so close to being "creamed" :eek: !

The remainder of the day went pretty well. Just past Clinton I turned W off 97 onto 99 to Lillooet - a GREAT road - then followed up w/ 12 to Lytton, 1 to Spences Bridge and 8 to Merritt - ALL fabulous MOTORCYLE ROADS tho' they DO allow cars on them... ;) ... with very FEW straight sections :yeahsmile: - :thumb: - :thumb: - :clap: ! In fact - ALL worth riding, then turning around and re-riding the other way :clap: .

From Merritt Hwy 97C connects to Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley via passes that rise to 5,700' ASL. Sunny, beautiful. Life is GOOD! :clap:

Arrived home at 5:20PM after 762 kms - about 11 hours of riding. (Again my butt was fine, tho' I WAS happy to get off! :stickpoke: )

NEXT post will be the conclusions I draw from these 16 days....
:clap:
 

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