Well, we made it, end of trip for 2010!!! We left Carcross early and headed for the summit of White Pass. We could see a storm approaching and there was no outrunning it. We opted for riding all 68 miles up and over the pass and into Skagway rather than camping along the way. We didn't want to camp in the middle of the storm and then try to ride into Skagway wet and cold the next day. So we made it a long hard day, but it was worth it.
THE END!!!
We catch the ferry on Monday and will arrive in Bellingham, WA on Friday.
Thanks for following our trip. We will let you all know when we get another one planned.
Friday, August 6, 2010
DAY 52, August 4, 2010
Left Whitehorse very early to avoid the heat forecast for today. We got to Caribou Crossing about noon -- just in time to avoid riding in the 90 degree weather. We spent the afternoon enjoying the museum and mushing dog demonstrations. The whole place closed up by 5:00 p.m. and we had the place to ourselves -- except for 2 RV's and the barking of lots of mushing dogs. We were told that it might be possible to see the northern lights tonight, so we kept checking, but saw nothing but lots of stars.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
DAY 51, August 3, 2010
We spent some time unpacking the rental car and repacking our trikes. Then it was time for showers and laundry. We also did a little more shopping for last minute items we need for the final three day push to Skagway. We spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing. Cal will return the rental car tonight and we will make our final preparations for an early departure on the trikes tomorrow morning.
DAY 50, August 2, 2010
Got up early and headed out in the rental car for Carcross for breakfast. Then we drove on to Tagish and then Atlin. We were soooooo glad we didn't try to ride our trikes up the Atlin road. It was miles of construction and loose gravel and HILLS. We rested and relaxed and spent the day being tourists. We ended up back in Whitehorse watching kids (in their 20's) jumping off the cliffs at Miles Canyon. Our camping neighbors joined us for some nice conversation and we agreed to meet again for more camping fun.
DAY 49, August 1, 2010
We got a neighbor here at the campground to drive us to the airport so we could pick up our rental car. We immediately drove to Walmart for supplies and then had lunch and headed out for some sightseeing. We drove back north to Lake LaBerge and then spent the rest of the day soaking our old, tired bodies at Takhini Hot Springs. We had dinner there and drove back to our campground in Whitehorse were a 49th birthday party was in progress for our camping neighbor. Hit the sack just as "quite time" arrive at 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
DAY 48, July 31, 2010
We woke to lots of clouds and ate a quick breakfast of misc items left in our bags. We are running out of food -- but Whitehorse is just down the road. We met 19 bikers heading from Vancouver, BC north to Inuvik, Northwest Territory. They had a support vehicle so weren't carrying anything but water and small packs on their bikes. The oldest lady in the group was celebrating her 75th birthday today. I hope we can still ride at that age. We intended to ride to Takhini Hot Springs for the night (only 36 miles), but by the time we got to the turnoff, it was still not even lunch time, so we decided to ride on into Whitehorse. We got here just as it started raining, so we made the right decision. We have rented a car for tomorrow and the next couple days, so we will be doing some touring around the area the easy way, minus trikes.
DAY 47, July 30, 2010
We decided on another short ride today -- only 37 miles from Twin Lakes to Fox Lake. Cal got up in the middle of the night and covered the trikes, because it looked like rain, but it stayed dry. It is finally getting dark enough to see stars in the night. Pretty soon we will have to dig out the flashlight for nighttime potty calls. We had first breakfast at camp at Twin Lakes and then road a quick 17 miles for second breakfast at Braeburn Roadhouse. They served huge portions so we didn't have room for the gigantic cinnamon bun that they are famous for. We took one for the road and shared it later at our camp at Fox Lake. We haven't mentioned wind much this year -- because we haven't had any to speak of. We are just now starting to encounter some headwinds, but not too bad so far. Fox Lake was really crowded -- we didn't realize it was a 3 day weekend for Canadians, but we managed to find a shady spot to pitch the tent near the lake.
DAY 46, July 29, 2010
We had a "quickie" breakfast at our campground before riding into downtown Carmacks for a stop at the General Store for supplies, including OJ and muffins and the most expensive bananas I've ever purchased ($3.00 per pound). We decided to take it easy and only ride 30 miles to our next camp at Twin Lakes. On the way we encountered some road construction where they got a little carried away with the water truck (to keep the dust down) and we road through 2 1/2 miles of mud. We arrived at the campground early afternoon and spent some time reading and napping -- nice and relaxing in the shade of the picnic shelter out of the heat.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
DAY 45, July 28, 2010
It rained overnight, so we packed up our wet weedy camp and headed out into the fog. It soon warmed up and we were battling the hills and heat. We stopped at Five Finger Rapids and did the tourist overlook of the Yukon. We pulled into the Coal Mine Campground and Cantina at Carmacks and found a beautiful campsite on the banks of the Yukon. We have already had 2 burgers, onion rings and ice cream. Cal did the laundry and we both took nice, long, hot showers. Now we are just about finished updating the blog and ready for more ice cream before crawling into the sleeping bags.
DAY 44, July 27, 2010
Heavy dew over night so we packed up a wet tent even though it didn't rain. We headed out dirty and cold (40 degrees) this morning. We had been told by the little store manager that there was nothing in Pelly Crossing, so we felt destined to stay dirty for another couple days. UGH!!! We pulled into Pelly Crossing after 45 miles and, surprise, we found a $1.00 shower at the little gas station and just down the road we found a cafe where we spent a couple hours in the shade. Yes, after 6 weeks of cold and rain, it has warmed up and we are suffering from the heat. After it cooled a little, we decided to put a few more miles behind us and make tomorrow's ride to Carmacks (65 miles) a little shorter. After 10 miles, we ended up in a 5 mile chip and seal project. We couldn't stop in that mess, so we kept going about 25 miles until we found a nice weed field to pitch the tent in -- just before the next rain storm hit.
DAY 43, July 26, 2010
Got up early and left our camp at Gravel Lake so we could get to Stewart Crossing (57 miles) early enough to take needed showers and post our blog and check our email at the well advertised RV park. We stopped at Moose Crossing for second breakfast and refilled our water bottles and took a shade break. This was our first HOT, DRY riding day (83 degrees) and after several rests in the shade along the road, we finally made it to Stewart Crossing only to discover the RV park was closed and the only thing there is a TINY gas station selling only sodas and candy and some juices. We stocked up on 6 bottles of OJ and 4 Frescas and headed down the little road to another wild camp by the river and NO SHOWERS!!!!! The highlight of the day was when Cal sat on a bee and got stung you know where.
DAY 42, July 25, 2010
Well, we finally made it out of Dawson. However, it was one of those rain gear on and then off and repeat days. Overall it was a good 57 miles to our wild camp at Gravel Lake. We enjoyed watching the beavers and swans on the lake, as well as lots of birds and ducks. We stopped at the turn off to the Dempster Highway and found out it is also closed because of mud and rock slides -- way too much rain up here this year.
DAY 41, July 24, 2010
We got up ready to ride this morning, but it rained all night and began raining again right after our big pre-ride breakfast. Riding didn't seem like a good idea so we decided to see what else we could find to do in Dawson for one more day. We hiked up to the loocal cemeteries and then took part in a silent auction fundraiser downtown. I managed to be the high bidder on a nice pair on indian earings made by a local girl. We had our usual big ice cream cones for lunch and then joined our neighbors from the RV park for pizza for dinner. The sun came out for exactly 15 minutes this afternoon, so let's hope that is a good sign for riding tomorrow.
DAY 41, July 24, 2010
The Northwest Mounted Police Cemetery -- one of five on the hill above Dawson City.
Friday, July 23, 2010
DAY 40, July 23, 2010
It rained all night and let up some this morning. Another day of no riding. We spent the morning at the museum and then read most of the afternoon while it continued to rain. Cal bought a can of Camp Dry to spray on our saturated rain fly, but it hasn't gotten dry enough to spray it yet. We just heard that the road between Chicken and the Canadian border is completely washed out again from all these rains. I'm glad we are on this side of that road. Hopefully, we will be on our way south towards Whitehorse tomorrow. The forecast is for only 40% chance of rain tomorrow so wish us luck.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
DAY 39, July 22, 2010
We spent the day trying to shop for gifts for the people back home, but ended up running from shop to shop in the rain. We also toured the paddleboat, Keno. Then it was time to do laundry again and start packing so we can leave this nice but wet place tomorrow. However, there could be a sudden change of plans if it is raining again tomorrow. We may just read in the tent all day and wait to ride when it is warm and dry.
DAY 38, July 21, 2010
We had a nice day of rest and relaxation. No riding today but we walked and hiked all day. We had more rain off and on, including a downpour to remember. At least we weren't riding through it and were able to duck into stores and restaurants during the showers. We have decided to stay an extra day and see all there is to see here because we may never be back this way.
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