Yukon and Beyond: A mostly solo journey

[LilGreenBooger]

Nice. Boya Lake is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

[selkins]

Originally Posted by LilGreenBooger

awesome! You're really making me homesick here!

Well, Nova Scotia is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to beautiful places! But yes, nothing like the wilderness of the far north. Learning how to swim in Boya Lake, sheesh, some folks have all the luck! Glad you're enjoying the RR.

Originally Posted by THX_337

This RR is awesome. Yukon, solo, GS... does life get any better? Maybe, but I don't think so.

Thanks again, THX_337. The Yukon isn't going anywhere, but there's no time like the present...or, well maybe seven or eight months from the present when it comes to riding up there.

[hipnotik]

Great report, thank you for sharing.
We did NYC- Yukon/AK three years ago two up on our 12GS.
Your pictures and narration brings up nice memories.

[Blixa]

Originally Posted by selkins

Originally Posted by selkins

Looking to the West, Mount Monolith in the distance



More from Tombstone Territorial Park

Phenomenal photos!

[LavaBull]

Splendid landscape photography; Alaska truly rocks ....

More reason for me to revisit my 'secret' Lair as soon as I winterize my ride .... ...







.....

[selkins]

Originally Posted by hipnotik

Great report, thank you for sharing.
We did NYC- Yukon/AK three years ago two up on our 12GS.
Your pictures and narration brings up nice memories.

Thanks, hipnotik. The privilege of carrying the memories is a great reason for travel.

Originally Posted by Blixa

Phenomenal photos!

I'm proof positive that a good camera makes the difference. I've always used point-and-shoot, but borrowed a Nikon D5000 for a family trip last year and was blown away by how much better the shots looked, even on full-auto. So I bought one for myself and while I took about 10 shots for every one that I felt was good enough for this RR, it still makes a world of difference for an amateur-at-best photographer, like me.

Originally Posted by LavaBull

Splendid landscape photography; Alaska truly rocks ....

More reason for me to revisit my 'secret' Lair as soon as I winterize my ride .... ...



.....

Happy to help inspire your next adventure, LavaBull. And thanks for checking out my RR!

[Cliff-77]

Thanks for sharing,great photos,i went to Alaska&back this summer,11,129mi.22days on the road,truely beautiful,will go back for more.Rode the Alaska Hwy from Dawson City to Fairbanks.Canada was great also,expensive tho,have more great trips&post more pics.

[selkins]

Originally Posted by Cliff-77

Thanks for sharing,great photos,i went to Alaska&back this summer,11,129mi.22days on the road,truely beautiful,will go back for more.Rode the Alaska Hwy from Dawson City to Fairbanks.Canada was great also,expensive tho,have more great trips&post more pics.

Thanks, Cliff 77. Canada isn't cheap. My crappy guide (Moon's Western Canada guide, published in 2011) was typically undershooting costs by 25 - 30%. Plus, some of the basic info was obsolete by years. I saw that the author lived in Banff, and I fantasized running into him when I was in town, and giving him a piece of my mind about putting out such a poor guide. Meh. In any event, memories are priceless and I don't begrudge a dollar spent.

Just two posts left to go, I think. Next one tomorrow.

[Klay]

Originally Posted by selkins

Just two posts left to go, I think. Next one tomorrow.

It's been a great report.

[Andrew]

[selkins]

August 31 – I saw Doron and Kornelius again as I checked out of the campground. Kornelius was thinking of heading down the Stewart-Cassiar today, while Doron and I were going south on the Alaska Highway.

“Liard Hot Springs!” Exclaimed Doron. “A world rider deserves to relax in a hot springs when he gets a chance. We should meet there tonight.“

It sounded like a good idea, and we agreed that whoever arrived first would peg down any open tent site. But as I rode by some hours later, the campground sign said “full” and I passed by. I had ridden 400 scenically unimpressive miles from Whitehorse at that point, and I wasn’t interested in spending the night in a campground already packed full with RVs.

The scenery picked up very shortly after the park, as the highway wound up into the mountains at the north end of Muncho Lake Provincial Park, and for the next 100 miles I was treated to twisty roads, views, and mountain lakes. It was late in the day as I pulled in to Summit Lake campground in Stone Mountain Provincial Park. This was the place I was looking for – sparsely occupied, a mirrored lake and mountains surrounding. That night I enjoyed a campfire as the near-to-full moon rose over the mountains.

Bison alongside the Alaska Highway





Plenty of shuttered road houses along the way



Some scenery in Muncho Lake Provincial Park



Evening camp at Summit Lake



September 1 – The night had a humid chill, and I woke up to a clear sky and a rainfly that was soaking with condensation. It was a bit before dawn, so I climbed out of the tent and took a short hike up a nearby hillside that gave me a panorama of Summit Lake as the sun rose.

Today I had a goal in mind, and its name was Prince George. That meant roughly 600 miles of two-lane highway, which for me constitutes a long day of riding. Still, I lingered on the hillside to both enjoy the tranquility and give my tent some time to dry a bit.

As I’ve mentioned, the Alaska Highway has some good stretches, but overall I found it more of a slog than a pleasure to ride. After thirty or so miles of mountainous twisties, it returned to form. The 200 miles after Fort Nelson were particularly monotonous.

I shouldn’t complain. The Alaska Highway was constructed at a blinding pace, all 1,700 miles in the course of just eight months, seventy years ago. The stories about its construction by seven military engineer regiments are many and remarkable, but better told by a history buff. In any event, with speed of the essence in its construction, I can’t very well blame them for an emphasis on straight lines.

North of Saint John I peeled off to follow a more scenic route down BC-29, and then turned on to the John Hart Highway in late afternoon. By that point, it already felt like a long day in the saddle, and I had close to 200 miles yet to go. I had eaten two packs of instant oatmeal in the morning and a power bar in the early afternoon, but the imperative of one…more…mile had a hold on my mind. Time started to slow and the miles barely crept by. After a time the road started winding up to a mountain pass and the temperature dropped. I started shivering and I could feel my torso clenching up. My focus drifted and the curves seemed suddenly unpredictable and edgy.

I’m happy to say that I finally grasped the situation and pulled over. I downed another power bar, drank a liter of water, added another layer of clothing, and when I got back on the bike it was as though I was a different person.

About 30 miles out of Prince George I stopped to fill up the tank. A minivan with California plates pulls up as well, and the driver gets out and comes over to me. "How far have you come today?" "Where have you been?" "How far do you usually ride each day?" More questions. I'm tired. I'm covered in road grime and bug guts. I answer his questions one by one. Finally, he looks me up and down and with sincerity in his voice and face says, "Wow, you're a real man." I have no idea how to respond, so I mutter a low "thanks," and ride off.

Two weeks prior, on the ferry to Prince Rupert, Kelly and Brandi had offered me tent space at their home in town, but by the time I rolled in I was spent. With as much efficiency as I could muster I bought a six-pack, checked into a hotel, ordered a pizza delivery, and after gorging myself and downing a few preventative antacid pills, fell asleep.

Moonset over Summit Lake



Approaching Prince George



Time to recoup after two days of hard riding



Whitehorse to Prince George

[selkins]

Originally Posted by Klay

It's been a great report.

Thanks, Klay, it's a pleasure to have you along for the ride.

Originally Posted by Andrew

And thanks to you, too, Andrew. It's an honor to have an old-timer checking up on my report.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by selkins

Thanks, Klay, it's a pleasure to have you along for the ride.

And thanks to you, too, Andrew. It's an honor to have an old-timer checking up on my report.

You kidding? Your ride to the Yukon just shows how urgently I need to get out for a long excursion of my own. It was fun talking to you about riding today, and your report here has definitely lit a spark under my ass to get out and ride. I may not make it all the way to the Yukon, or even the MidWest, but I'm gonna get out there, you bet.

[phplemel]

It was a wonderfull day in Whitehorse today +18c , sunny no wind. Leaves mostly off the trees but still vibrant & colorfull on the ground. Scenery just screaming to be ridden thru.
I have the honor of living, working & riding here and try not to take the Yukon for granted and reading your RR just makes sure that will NEVER happen
So I did what any of would do, I went for a ride on my Tenere
Thanks for this

BTW, I don't wish to mess with your flow, but since I own the bicycle shop where Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters resides, I must correct you on the owner's name. That lovely lady is Katya (her brother is Micha) and Yes she does make the best coffee on earth!
Keep up the great RR & thanks
Pat

[tvbh40a]

[QUOTE]"I’m happy to say that I finally grasped the situation and pulled over. I downed another power bar, drank a liter of water, added another layer of clothing, and when I got back on the bike it was as though I was a different person. "/QUOTE]

Good job, easy to push when everything is so far away in the great white north.

Tok to Haines, AK in the rain really gassed me pushing to make the ferry on my way home. Caught some air on some frost heaves that snuck up on me late in the day, not good on a GSA.

Loving the Report.