Today started out cold and then slowly became cool. Never warm, but it was a great day as I completed the first part of my trip.
Before leaving Whitehorse I visited the Klondike, an original paddle wheeler that is on display by Parks Canada .
Then I rode west on the Alaska Highway looking for a place for breakfast and I came across a small restaurant surrounded by trucks, a very good sign for fine food. It was the Casa Loma located in a motel, bar, dining room business. And the food was excellent.
I then turned North onto Highway 2, known as the Klondike Highway towards Dawson City.
After a few minutes I came upon this rather odd looking building. Is it a Martian home, a 1960's modernistic design, or just bad architecture?
Further along there is evidence of the 1998 forest fire that destroyed thousands of acres of trees. It is overwhelming to see the size of this burnt area. One mystery of nature is how the fireweed plant suddenly appears and brigs some beautiful colour to a very bleak blackened forest. Maybe Phil, my genius horticulturist friend, can describe why this happens. There is also a lot of Fox Tail which apparently cats can choke on if they decide to eat it.
One of my absolute stop points is the Braeburn Lodge known for its cinnamon buns and large sandwiches . See that picture I have included, with the lime beside it to show its relative size. The person who owns this place is a biker and welcomes all riders. He has an airplane landing strip right beside his place and the runway is called the Cinnamon Bun Strip. The 1998 fire that I talked about earlier came within two Km of their place. As the fire approached it came upon the remains of a 1958 fire so there was less to burn, and the firefighters were able to get it under control.
The next town was Carmacks where I filled up with gas and made a new little friend who was in her dad's truck watching every move I made. This town is a major drop in point for canoeists who will travel the Yukon River to Dawson City.
An interesting campground is the Coal River Campground which has tent sites, trailer hook-ups and is directly on the Yukon River, so people doing the Whitehorse to Dawson City tour have a place to stop off, have a shower, and food at the small restaurant. A cute joke was posted on the wall of the restaurant. I have attached a photo of the joke . I hope you enjoy.
One of the places to stop for a break is at Five Finger Rapids, where there is a view of the Yukon River where paddle wheelers had a real challenge being sure they picked the correct route between some islands. A mistake could have been disastrous as the water is moving so quickly there was no recovery time. There is a log stairway and pathway to the rivers edge for those with the desire and energy. Along the stairway are several information boards and one I found most interesting describes how butterflies exist this far north. Some load their bodies with a sugar alcohol antifreeze which allow their bodies to survive -40 degrees Celcius.
I met some Germans who were cooking their lunch in the parking lot. I told one gentleman that he looked like Colonel Saunders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Check the moustache and goatee. All in good fun.
Forty one Kms before Dawson is the turnoff for the Dempster Highway that runs north to Inuvik in the North West Territories. Once you cross the bridge over the Klondike River you are in truly no mans land . The first gas station, motel, restaurant, or help is 390 Kms. It is a gorgeous road to take.
A few minutes later I arrive at the real reason I am in Dawson City...I arrive at my daughters little bit of heaven in the north. Sara's log house is so great with its woodstove heat, two cats, Burton and Marcel, her partner Natahan, great food and best of all, just being in her presence. We had dinner, and then I was introduced to Play Station Rock Band.
Before I left Whitehorse I asked some bikers who had ridden the road I was about to travel and they said the construction was brutal. So with some concern I started the ride and there were a couple of sections that were gravel, but in very good shape. It is so hard to believe all the information about road conditions.
I will be in Dawson City until August 1st, and the blog might become a bit erratic over the next week or so.
Distance travelled: 536 Km