Thursday August 15
Frost on the bikes again this morning. We set off this morning with the temperature a balmy 6 degrees. After half an hour or so we stopped and Dad’s hands were freezing again. He always has problems with cold hands, but this has been exacerbated by the wind on the bikes. I suggested that instead of his motorcycle gloves, that he put two socks on each hand. This worked like a charm and he had warm hands for the first time in over a week.
Today we had the absolute pleasure of travelling along the St Elias Mountain Range. This area is home to the top ten highest peaks in Canada. The highway upon which we travelled was very smooth and fun to ride and followed the mountain range all the way to Haines, The surprising thing was that there were virtually no cars. I don’t understand it. The weather was sunny and the blue skies were dotted by fluffy white clouds It was arguably the most impressive sights so far with massive mountains that never stop, forests forever, rivers of rushing aqua blue waters. This should have been a tourist hotspot, but instead, it was as if the highway was ours. We probably only saw a dozen other vehicles in 3 hours.
After wriggling our way in and out of Alaska and Yukon for the past two day, we made our way to Haines Alaska, where we loaded our bikes onto the ferry and headed to Skagway, another noteworthy town of the Goldrush era. Upon arrival in Skagway, we secured tickets on the White Pass and Yukon Scenic Railway. It follows the same tracks used during the Goldrush after gold was discovered in the Yukon. It was a spectacularly informational trip and made me respect the courage and determination of those men and women who stampeded to Skagway to make their way up this pass to get a chance to find gold.
From the train, I also got a glimpse of the road that we will be travelling along tomorrow, terrifying!
To help deal with the crazy prices of everything here, David has started booking us into rooms that can accommodate all of us. Today was the smallest. But it was cute, clean and suited our needs. Dad and David fought over who would get the top bunk and David won. Phew!
Friday August 16
Today was another beautiful day. While we have thoroughly enjoyed our rides, I don’t want to bore you with more details since it is so much of the same, but it doesn’t feel that way when you are surrounded by it.
We travelled from Haines Alaska back to Watson Lake, Yukon where we retrieved Dad’s hearing aids from a cabin we stayed at last week. We stopped in Carcross which was a fishing and hunting village dating back 4500 years, but the modern village began in 1896, during the Klondike Gold Rush. I took a picture in front of the oldest general store in Yukon (circa 1906) where I had ice cream for breakfast and as long as Dad gets his soup for lunch, all is well.
As the elected Safety and Fire Warden, I do the wildfire and air quality assessment and tonight we collectively decided that tomorrow we would venture down the Cassiar Highway with the hopes that we can get to the Icefields Parkway in a few days.
Saturday August 17
For the entire trip we have been on small highways by Toronto standards, with all of them being one lane each way with a passing lane every so often. The Cassiar, that we travelled on today was even narrower. The views started out stark as a result of forest fires from over 10 years ago. That seems like a very long time, but in the grand scale of things, forest fires are necessary to give the land an opportunity to regenerate itself and to get rid of old, unhealthy growth and make way for healthier, younger and stronger growth. After that was past us, the lush forests returned and all was again was beautiful and twisty with ups and downs to keep us enjoying it every kilometre of the way. It’s something to behold to have a mountain rising up beside you on your left and then falling away on your right.
We did see one bear today so at our first rest stop, we decided to open up and prepare the bear spray so that we don’t have to figure that out with a bear running at us.
Next we stopped at Jade City because they offered free coffee. Also it was interesting, I did not know that British Columbia has the largest deposits of Jade in the world. I bought a new keyring for my motorcycle key as a souvenir.
We rode so close to the glaciers that the runoff coming down the cervices right beside the road and into the streams and lakes is like a blast from an air conditioner.
Finally, we ventured off the Cassiar highway and into Stewart for the night. Little did we know that tonight is ribfest, so we participated in the event and had a couple great conversations with both locals and tourists (Germany).
Today was our longest riding day for the trip - 650 km. There was no other logical place for accommodations.
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Your epic Bridger trip is showing so many of good qualities of this Bridger band of adventurers, explorers, partners, travelers. Your epic trip reminds me how Sharon & I discovered the beauty & awe of mountains late in life. Our cruise from Vancouver to Seward & our Rocky Mountaineer vacation opened our eyes to the natural beauty of Alaska, BC & Alberta. Our trips cannot compare to what you have seen & discovered & to your mode of travel. Your trip is indeed epic. Your log gives just a hint as to the what, where, why, when, who & how of your adventure. Heather, we are looking forward to reading your book when it is published & attending your presentation at Roy Thompson Hall to hear you speak & see all your pictures. Continue to be safe, well & happy on your return trip to civilization. Heather, your presence on this trip has been a blessing in disguise. Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" must be your theme song, eh!
Loving following along on your trip using your great descriptions and gmaps! Hope the nice weather keeps up for you! Keep safe! Xxoo
I am amazed at this epic journey you are taking! What an adventure. You took one adventure in Skagway that I was able to take a few years ago, the train ride. The views were amazing. I was out on the platform while my niece was cowering inside. She has a deathly fear of heights. I was happy she didn’t remember that when we booked the trip. Enjoy!