July 6: A Real Northern Adventure!
What a northern adventure! Today I dodged bear, buffalo, and a moose, navigated treacherous roads, and outran a wildfire. I have a lot of respect for motorcyclists in Alaska, the Yukon, and northern BC. They overcome extreme temperatures, hazardous road conditions, flooding, wildfires, limited gas supplies, and wildlife in the road, all while paying higher than average prices to keep their bikes maintained.
I was woken up several times last night by the guests next door and left Haines Junction this morning a little tired. The road construction just a few miles out of town woke me up quickly as the gravel was extremely loose and my rear tire kept fishtailing back and forth, even in second gear. It was especially tricky to stop in the middle when the pilot car directed us to do so. Even more tricky when the pilot car left me in the dust (literally) and returned with more cars coming the other direction before I had gotten back on pavement.
At my first gas stop in Whitehorse I discovered that the Yukon was experiencing a loss of internet and cell service, apparently due land erosion that affected a fiber line near the Alaska Highway. Fortunately, I had enough cash with me to buy gas then and the rest of the day. I heard one motorist down the road joking about how he had to steal money from his daughter’s piggy bank to keep his car running.
There was a heavy layer of smoke in the air most of the day and shortly after I left Watson Lake, I could see streams of fire running down a hill next to me. As I drove through the orange-tinted smoke I could see the flames reflected in my rear-view mirror. Little did I know that the worst was not behind me.
About 50 miles south of Watson Lake, I came to the detour set up to direct traffic around a washed-out part of the road that had shut down the highway for several days. When I called earlier and was told the road was open, I had assumed they had repaired the road. In fact, as the pilot car driver told me, they had made an alternate road out of “gravel, dirt, sand, and a little bit of everything.”
Unfortunately, the road was wet from rain turning the dirt part of the mixture to mud in places. If I didn’t already have a deep personal faith, I think I would have developed one on the spot as this was definitely a time for prayer! The almost two-mile road went up and down hills and around corners. When I looked over a rise at a downhill portion of the muddy road I said a fervent prayer, shifted down to first gear, and hoped for the best.
Shortly after safely navigating the hazardous road I came face to face with a number of wild animals in the road. I braked as a large black bear ambled across the road right in front of me and skirted around him only to find another black bear a short distance down the road cleaning his paws. In both cases I tried to move as quietly and quickly as I could around the bears, hoping I was not triggering their prey drive.
In several instances there were buffalo in the road and on one occasion there was a very large one standing right in the middle of the road looking directly at me. On another occasion there was a huge buffalo running down the side of the road next to me. I found it fascinating that even the semis skirted around these huge beasts.
Just a few minutes before making it to my destination, a young moose came bolting out of the bushes, ran across the road in front of me, danced in circles for a minute, and ran back the way he came. On this occasion I elected to stop and watch, figuring that it would be more dangerous to try and pass him than to stay put.
I was exhausted when I reached my destination in Muncho Lake for the night and relieved to pull up to my lodge’s gas pump. However, the establishment did not put any solid ground around their pump and my bike tipped perilously far over with the kick stand down. Fortunately, the guys in the truck next to me had a spare piece of wood and I put that under the stand while I was filling up and when I parked a few yards away in front of the lodge. I can’t wait to see a gas station with an asphalt parking lot sometime in the future!
Despite all the challenges, I must say that the scenery in this area is consistently spectacular, and the people are especially friendly. I lost track of how many beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, and valleys I passed today. Muncho Lake, where my lodge is located, is colored a particularly bright, vivid shade of jade. Everyone I turn there is another friendly person willing to provide information, lend a word of encouragement, or provide assistance.
Speaking of kindness, a generous Facebook friend who wishes to remain anonymous graciously offered to pay for today’s lodging, meals, and gas. Today was especially challenging and it was such a treat to be able to buy a double hamburger with dessert, sleep in such a nice bed in a clean, warm hotel, and not wince every time I signed the gas receipt. What a blessing!
