MCML
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
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When CFR ended on Sunday morning 21 June 2009, Bluestreak, Sacramento Mike, Highlander (two up) and I left Nakusp, BC and headed for Hyder, Alaska on an overcast morning that promised much worse weather than it delivered. We had planned to ride to Prince George but, because the weather was clear and the evening so delightful for riding, ended up spending the night in Vanderhoof, BC. The next day we rode on to Stewart, BC, checked into the Ripley Creek Inn/Bayview Hotel and settled in for a two-night stay.
I rode across the border to the Hyder side with Bluestreak and Mike. We rode out onto the pier together and I then returned to the hotel to relax while the others took a tour of Hyder. Everyone got together for a nice dinner at the Bitter Creek Inn.
Late the next morning, four of us ate a wonderful breakfast at the Silverado (I think it was called) and then rode in the rain out to the Fish Creek Observation Site to hold a brief ceremony for TWN and to scatter a small but precious cargo to the winds, the waters and the bears. Photos of that are posted elsewhere here on the Forum (Meetings, CFR, Tim Returns to Alaska).
After a brief shopping spree in the Hyder suburbs (the Central Business District was mostly boarded up), we rode back to the hotel, relaxed, shared some Guinness and headed to dinner again at the Bitter Creek. After dinner, we said good-bye to Mike who was sleeping in the next morning, and turned in.
At eight the next morning (no longer raining), four people on three bikes headed east past the glacier to Meziadin Junction where, amid the swarming mosquitoes, hugs were exchanged along with see-you-soons. Dave and Diane turned south toward home and Steve and I headed north up the Stewart Cassiar Highway.
When I had first read about Highway 37 I was, quite frankly, intimidated. On Wednesday 24 June 2009, however, the weather was clear and the ride was delightful. We saw a mother bear with two cubs, we rode past snow capped mountains and we saw lakes and forests. The road south of Iskut is all paved and in pretty good shape except for a couple of sports where repairs were being done. North of Iskut there were some stretches of gavel, and a bit of mud, but nothing too trying.
The night was spent in Watson Lake, where, after a visit to Andrew Knight's sign at the Signpost Forest, we checked into the Air Force Lodge which was originally built to house pilots shuttling airplanes to Russia during World War Two (remember learning about the Lend Lease Act in history class?). A long walk to dinner ensued (a bus tour had taken over a nearer restaurant until closing). We shared the meal, and information, with a couple of Brits who were staying at the lodge and who had just ridden south.
The next morning (clear again, our luck was holding) we headed west and ended up riding all the way to Beaver Creek on the Yukon Territory/Alaska border. The next morning, Friday 26 June, greeted us with rain. Oh well, nothing we cannot deal with. Gear up. Gas up. Head out. Luck runs out.
Twenty miles later, cold and wet in places, we crossed back into the USA. Fifty miles later, after rain, hail and, yes, snow (at about the 2,000 foot level and higher). Things were definitely uncomfortable. Let's face it, although we are well prepared we are cold. If the guy who gave the speech about the "one-eighty back to the airport" can barely squeeze the clutch lever maybe he should heed his own advice. My '04 is showing a single bar on the temperature gague. Where is that infamous Gen I heat when you need it? Steve, who has been riding for forty-five years, says he was as miserable and as cold as he has been in a long, long while. We stopped for lunch in Tok, a hundred miles from Beaver Creek. Feeling began to return to the hands which were wrapped around cup after cup of coffee/decaf. At the next table sat a couple of veteran locals who told us that it was undoubtedly snowing in the mountain passes en route to Valdez and likely not much better on the way to Fairbanks.
So, here we sit at the Snowshoe Motel in Tok. Warm, dry, and typing this report. The forecast looks better for the next couple of days so we are headed for Valdez tomorrow. Or, if the weather reports look really good (unlikely) we might head for Fairbanks and points north (it was 1degree celcius in Deadhorse a few days agao). So, the plan is for some mix of Valdez, Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, and Deadhorse before heading south via Dawson (perhaps for the 4th of July bash there, which is odd because Dawson is in the Yukon not the U.S.).
The connection here is extremely slow but I think that I can post some photos. More down the road when this thread is updated.
Barbarus and DCarver at CFR
Kitwanga Juntion (Canada 16 and 37) - Ready to Head North
The Highlanders Head for Hyder
Meziadin Junction - 37A West to Stewart/Hyder 37 Cassiar Highway North to Watson Lake
The Bear Glacier Outside of Stewart/Hyder
Mike and Steve Reach Hyder, Alaska!
The "Bear Walk" outside Hyder, Alaska
The Bears Walking - Steve Was Able to Take This Shot While Moving
Gasing Up in Iskut
North of Iskut - What's So Tough About This Road (at least today)
One of the Mandatory Construction Delays
Welcom To The Yukon Territory
Now, Behave Yourselves
The Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
When CFR ended on Sunday morning 21 June 2009, Bluestreak, Sacramento Mike, Highlander (two up) and I left Nakusp, BC and headed for Hyder, Alaska on an overcast morning that promised much worse weather than it delivered. We had planned to ride to Prince George but, because the weather was clear and the evening so delightful for riding, ended up spending the night in Vanderhoof, BC. The next day we rode on to Stewart, BC, checked into the Ripley Creek Inn/Bayview Hotel and settled in for a two-night stay.
I rode across the border to the Hyder side with Bluestreak and Mike. We rode out onto the pier together and I then returned to the hotel to relax while the others took a tour of Hyder. Everyone got together for a nice dinner at the Bitter Creek Inn.
Late the next morning, four of us ate a wonderful breakfast at the Silverado (I think it was called) and then rode in the rain out to the Fish Creek Observation Site to hold a brief ceremony for TWN and to scatter a small but precious cargo to the winds, the waters and the bears. Photos of that are posted elsewhere here on the Forum (Meetings, CFR, Tim Returns to Alaska).
After a brief shopping spree in the Hyder suburbs (the Central Business District was mostly boarded up), we rode back to the hotel, relaxed, shared some Guinness and headed to dinner again at the Bitter Creek. After dinner, we said good-bye to Mike who was sleeping in the next morning, and turned in.
At eight the next morning (no longer raining), four people on three bikes headed east past the glacier to Meziadin Junction where, amid the swarming mosquitoes, hugs were exchanged along with see-you-soons. Dave and Diane turned south toward home and Steve and I headed north up the Stewart Cassiar Highway.
When I had first read about Highway 37 I was, quite frankly, intimidated. On Wednesday 24 June 2009, however, the weather was clear and the ride was delightful. We saw a mother bear with two cubs, we rode past snow capped mountains and we saw lakes and forests. The road south of Iskut is all paved and in pretty good shape except for a couple of sports where repairs were being done. North of Iskut there were some stretches of gavel, and a bit of mud, but nothing too trying.
The night was spent in Watson Lake, where, after a visit to Andrew Knight's sign at the Signpost Forest, we checked into the Air Force Lodge which was originally built to house pilots shuttling airplanes to Russia during World War Two (remember learning about the Lend Lease Act in history class?). A long walk to dinner ensued (a bus tour had taken over a nearer restaurant until closing). We shared the meal, and information, with a couple of Brits who were staying at the lodge and who had just ridden south.
The next morning (clear again, our luck was holding) we headed west and ended up riding all the way to Beaver Creek on the Yukon Territory/Alaska border. The next morning, Friday 26 June, greeted us with rain. Oh well, nothing we cannot deal with. Gear up. Gas up. Head out. Luck runs out.
Twenty miles later, cold and wet in places, we crossed back into the USA. Fifty miles later, after rain, hail and, yes, snow (at about the 2,000 foot level and higher). Things were definitely uncomfortable. Let's face it, although we are well prepared we are cold. If the guy who gave the speech about the "one-eighty back to the airport" can barely squeeze the clutch lever maybe he should heed his own advice. My '04 is showing a single bar on the temperature gague. Where is that infamous Gen I heat when you need it? Steve, who has been riding for forty-five years, says he was as miserable and as cold as he has been in a long, long while. We stopped for lunch in Tok, a hundred miles from Beaver Creek. Feeling began to return to the hands which were wrapped around cup after cup of coffee/decaf. At the next table sat a couple of veteran locals who told us that it was undoubtedly snowing in the mountain passes en route to Valdez and likely not much better on the way to Fairbanks.
So, here we sit at the Snowshoe Motel in Tok. Warm, dry, and typing this report. The forecast looks better for the next couple of days so we are headed for Valdez tomorrow. Or, if the weather reports look really good (unlikely) we might head for Fairbanks and points north (it was 1degree celcius in Deadhorse a few days agao). So, the plan is for some mix of Valdez, Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, and Deadhorse before heading south via Dawson (perhaps for the 4th of July bash there, which is odd because Dawson is in the Yukon not the U.S.).
The connection here is extremely slow but I think that I can post some photos. More down the road when this thread is updated.
Barbarus and DCarver at CFR
Kitwanga Juntion (Canada 16 and 37) - Ready to Head North
The Highlanders Head for Hyder
Meziadin Junction - 37A West to Stewart/Hyder 37 Cassiar Highway North to Watson Lake
The Bear Glacier Outside of Stewart/Hyder
Mike and Steve Reach Hyder, Alaska!
The "Bear Walk" outside Hyder, Alaska
The Bears Walking - Steve Was Able to Take This Shot While Moving
Gasing Up in Iskut
North of Iskut - What's So Tough About This Road (at least today)
One of the Mandatory Construction Delays
Welcom To The Yukon Territory
Now, Behave Yourselves
The Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
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