Avoiding another disaster

Today we left Toad River and found that the Alaska highway has some great stretches of twisties.


We really had fun until after Fort Nelson when I pulled over to find out what the racket was. My chain was so loose it was banging on the swing arm...or so I thought. I tried to move to a safe spot when my clutch lever became limp. It turned out the master link broke on one side and broke the clutch actuator shaft in half...Oh nooo! After much stress on the shoulder of the Alaska highway, we managed to install the spare master link when a bus load of hippies stopped and loaned us some tools. Ian used electrical tape to tape the shaft together and we decided to forge ahead. Using the clutch only when absolutely required we went another 350km before stopping in Ft. St. John for the night in a hotel with actual hot water.

Tomorrow might find more trouble but I think we might make it home for Saturday.

Sorry no pics of this event as we were literally on the shoulder of the highway doing the repair as fast as we could. Amazing how so many people fly by without slowing down or moving over.

Dawson Peaks to Toad River

After a fantastic breakfast we continued our eastward ride. Watson Lake was the first main stop with the huge signpost forest.

Other than the forest Watson lake is not much. On to British Columbia and the 60th parallel.

Some Buffalo and great twisty roads.

Liard Hot springs was a stop well worth it after all the cold air we've ben riding through.



Stopped for the night in Toad River.

Photo Update

On our way again

Sorry about the lack of photos folks. Internet connections have been slow and uploading has been a challenge but we carry on... (check the previuos post for photo updates as we can add them)

We will be leaving Yukon today again in the rain but at least we had a dry room last night. It was the last one available in the area. Thankfully, Ian suggested calling ahead from Whitehorse to book a room. This place we are in is called Dawson Peaks and is about 11km east of Teslin. If anyone comes this way it's a great little spot to stop.

An overdue update

July 24
We woke up at 6:00am today to catch the ferry to Whittier. Again it was raining and cold. We waited at the terminal for all the other R.V.s to load then boarded the Aurora. The boat ride was amazing. We saw sea lions, sea otters and a humpback whale.

Visibility was pretty good considering the weather so we did sea some glaciers and floating ice too.


We decided to skip the Kenai peninsula because of the weather and headed into Anchorage. The zipper on Ian's jacket had broken the day before so we tried to find a shop to fix it. Eventually we found Alaska Leather and Val promised to fix it by noon the next day. As we were leaving to find a camp for the night she ran out with a loaner jacket for Ian to wear. What great service!
Eventually we found the Harley shop where they had free camping for motorcycles. We met a fellow there from Liverpool named Martin. He was on a 1 year trip around the world, his second such trip. A very interesting guy with some amazing stories. The three of us ended up at the pub and...well lets just say I had a headache the next morning.
July 25
After finding a car wash and then retrieving the jacket we set out of town. Anchorage is much like any other big city with lots of traffic. I couldn't wait to get out. The weather was hot (15 degrees) and sunny so we actually put away the rain gear. We rode north through Denali park but didn't camp because they were full. Denali surprised both of us, very busy touristy place. On we went to stop at a campgound south of Fairbanks in a town called Nenana. We set up our tents in the picnic shelter and stayed dry all night as the clouds again decided to rain on Alaska. Tomorrow some sightseeing in Fairbanks.
July 26
The ride to Fairbanks was a short 90km. We had some lunch and rode out to dredge #8 but decided not to go in to the park. Instead we rode back to Fairbanks on the Old Steese hwy which was really fun. From Fairbanks the rest of the trip is heading east which means the tour is more than half over but still lots to see and do. Tonight we camped at moon lake campground, a really nice secluded spot. This was the first night we got quite wet, my tent had a small puddle in it. No problem, we'll dry everything out tomorrow in Dawson City.
July 27
Here we sit in Chicken, Alaska on our way to Dawson City. An excellent day all around with a fantastic road to Chicken. From Chicken the pavement ends and it's gravel to the border. Fortunately the rain had stopped and there was no mud. As a bonus the road was still a little damp so the dust was not a big problem either. We arrived in Dawson City and found a room at The Bunkhouse. Dawson is a very interesting place with authentic original gold rush structures everywhere. We went to Klondike Kates for dinner then to Golden tooth Gertie's for some entertainment, a high energy variety show. From there we found the local night spot where a live funk band was playing. A positive place full of people from all over.
July 28
After sleeping in a bit we went for lunch and some sightseeing in Dawson City.





Eventually we had to say goodbye to Dawson and hit the road. The Klondike highway is a mixture of some gravel and chip seal pavement. About 130km from Dawson we had a close call. The rear tire on Ian's bike blew out while we were on a gravel stretch at about 90kmh. He managed to get it stopped safely in the right side ditch but we were in the middle of the Yukon with no spare! I hopped on my bike to see if I could find help. About 10km down the road I found a little place that used to be a RV campsite. The landowner and his helper (a lad from Vancouver who was prospecting for gold nearby) were able to follow me back to Ian and we loaded his bike into their pick up truck.

So here we sit in McQuesten, Yukon waiting for tomorrow to see if we can find a tire in Whitehorse. It's Monday now and getting a tire on Wednesday is a best case. Who knows what the next few days will bring.
July 29
This morning we contacted the Yamaha dealer in Whitehorse to ordered a tire and tube. The phone at Dan's place is a satellite phone and costs alot to use so we had to make the calls count. After confirming the tire we phoned a trucking company to arrange shipment. Kluane trucking runs between Whitehorse and Dawson every night. Drew was kind enough to agree to stopping in front of Dan's place as they passed through that night. We had the day to kill and we needed provisions so I saddled up to head into Stewart Crossing. Once there I found the restaurant closed so I went into Mayo, a 100km trip from Dan's. In Mayo I found groceries, beer, and a bank. A nice little town. I arrived back at McQuesten about 4:00pm to find Ian reading a stack of old Yukon magazines and history books. I started to read them too and have become fascinated with Yukon Gold Rush history.
We built a fire and waited for the Kluane truck to come by. Sure enough at 12:30 we heard a truck gearing down and blast from his horn. The next morning Dan helped us install it, and we got the bike back together by 11:00. Of course it started to rain and our tents got put away soaking wet. Finally we said farewell to Dan and hit the road in the rain....again.
Today we rode 580km and are spending the night in Dawson Peaks.

July 23
We slept in this morning and got started at 11:00am after we had lunch at Fast Eddies in Tok. From there we rode the Tok cut off to Valdez. An extremely cold day today as we climbed the Thomson pass riding past glaciers and beautiful waterfalls.

Only 400km but a long day just the same due to the cold and rain. We arrived in Valdez with the temp at 8 degrees. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Whittier and a day of respite from the cold. Hopefully the weather improves as we head west.

Sunday July 20th, 2008.
The opportunities for posting to the blog have been few so I'll try and give an update of the last couple of days.
Since Prince George we have been riding in steady rain. The Temperatures have been cold but we have proper gear to brave the elements.
We started out on Saturdy from Purden lake about 10:00am and had a good breakfast in Prince George. The rain slowed us down and we got as far as Seely Lake provincial campground where we found a great spot for the tents under some trees. Even though it rained during the night we stayed dry.
Sunday morning a stop in Kitwanga for breakfast before heading north on the Cassiar highway.



While we were there we met a fellow from Mississippi who was on his way to Prudoe Bay, from there he was headed to Key West Florida to do an Ironbutt feat.
We rode into Stewart and Hyder Alaska. A nice ride with the Bear Glacier on the way in.

This was probably the coldest part of the day but worth the trip for sure.
HYDER, AK


Back on the Cassiar we saw more bears than we could keep track of including one dead guy.

The highway has been much better than I expected with a few frost heaves and the odd rough spot. Tonight we are in Kinaskin prov park.
Margaret..our saviour


A fantastic spot and only a sprinkle of rain. We are watching the trout jump as the sun is going down ending another memorable day.
July 21
A long day today, quite cold and windy. We got away from the campground at about 11:00am and finished off at Teslin Yukon. We encountered a 30km stretch of gravel/mud that was really slippery and made a mess of the bikes.


The variety of road conditions made it a fun ride today but slow going as we found many gravel sections and some construction stops.

Once in the Yukon the wind was fierce and our fuel economy went way down. Ian had to go on reserve at 205km (80km earlier than normal).
We met a fellow from Austin Texas riding solo to Alaska, I didn't catch his name but he was riding a big Shadow loaded for a long haul.


Teslin is our stop tonight, at the Yukon Motel. We are now only behind schedule by about 200km. Tommorow we go through Whitehorse and spend the night in Alaska.