A very good day.
We were up late last night cleaning the bikes and getting the website current with the text and uploading all the pictures, so we didn't get a very early start. We managed to remove the first six out of 10 layers of mud from the bikes.
Our room was pretty hot, and I called the lady at the front desk to find out how to adjust the air conditioner. She told me to open the window and move the fan in front of it so it would pull the air from outside into the room. Sure enough, after a while, it worked.
My trusted Sony digital camera, which I got at one of the GT partner meetings, stopped working. It wasn't designed to be mounted on the handlebars of a bike traveling at 65-70 miles per hour. However, we still believe this is a good idea and went to Walmart to see if we could find one with the features Mark mentioned in his comments. We purchased a (pink) Kodak AF. We used it today for several of the pictures in today's list — those with Jared and Josh on their bikes. It really worked well at this point.
I ran into a guy this morning from Macon, Georgia — not too far from Statesboro. He was a pecan farmer with an orchard of about 500 trees. He was in Whitehorse to go sheep hunting. Small world.
We left Whitehorse around 11:15 am. The weather was clear and a little warmer than yesterday. However, our record to date for this trip is that we have not been able to ride more than 100 miles without running into some rain. Our record remains intact; however, the rain was not as extensive as yesterday, and the roads were in good condition.
From Whitehorse, we rode along the shores of Tagish Lake for about 15 miles. The road was right along the lake bank, had enough curves to be fun but not much that slowed you down, and was in the middle of two ranges that really made for outstanding scenery.
Leaving Tagish, we encounter another series of showers. It's amazing how it would be clear until you topped one of the ranges, and there would be ominous-looking clouds over the hill.
We then rode along Teslin Lake for about 30 miles under conditions similar to those at Tagish. Ideal riding conditions.
The bikes are running great and are handling great. No soreness or discomfort has set in yet. The jackets we are wearing have a built-in "kidney belt" which is similar to a weight lifter's belt. This provides support to your midsection and absorbs some of the vibration of the bike. This has made this trip much more comfortable than earlier ones.
Our route briefly dipped down into British Columbia from the Yukon before reaching Watson Lake. We stopped for a few pictures at the border.
We arrived in Watson Lake around 6:00 p.m. We decided to end our riding day here. Watson Lake bills itself as the Gateway to the Yukon. It is the first city you reach in the Yukon when traveling north on the Alaska highway. The best-known attraction is the Sign Post Forest. The forest was started in 1942 by a homesick US Army GI, Carl K Lindley of Danville, Illinois. It has 20,000 signs and has been imitated in numerous other locations around the world.
We stayed at the Belvedere Motor Hotel in Watson Lake. It's adequate, but a little rough. Not a place Cindy would like.
Comments
WOW...
What a great trip. Sitting outside writing this in 90 degree heat makes the snow in your pictures look very appealing right now. Take care and be safe.
Brad
