July 5: Happy To Be In Haines Junction
I am so happy to be in Haines Junction. Today I had a number of obstacles to overcome – over 500 miles of potholes, dirt and gravel, cross winds, and inclement weather. I’m not sure what was more intimidating – heading into a dark valley blanketed with rain and flashes of lightening, knowing I had three hours left to ride on what might end up being mud roads or being held up by border patrol for almost an hour.
The day started off bright and clear with blue skies and crisp fresh air. As I headed north on highway 4, I passed one beautiful rocky riverbed after another, framed by abundant purple wildflowers and towering glacier-topped mountains glistening with waterfalls. One waterfall in particular captured my attention, as it curved several times cascading down the mountainside. I stopped to get several pictures before my first gas stop in Glennallen.
Soon after leaving Glennallen and heading north on highway 1, the air became thick with smoke and continued to stay that way for rest of my ride. In a way, I was grateful for the smoke as I was less tempted to look at the scenery and more likely to pay attention to the road. I again felt like an Avatar in a video game, dodging one significant pothole after another and learning to shift down quickly when patched up pavement switched to gravel or dirt with little or no notice.
The last thirty miles before the Canadian border were rather arduous as they were almost all dirt and thick, loose gravel. I arrived at the checkpoint rather tired and looking forward to gassing up and having a snack just a couple miles down the road at the last known place for gas before my final destination for the evening.
Unfortunately, it turns out the bike and I were randomly selected to be searched. I knew I had nothing to hide and decided to be as detailed as possible in my responses, hoping to demonstrate my cooperation. The guard didn’t end up looking at all of my luggage, perhaps because he didn’t want to know more about the color-coding system for my compression bags! He was very kind, but during the 45 minutes we were interacting, I started to worry that there might not be gas left at the station by the time I got there, a not unheard-of problem in this area.
Luckily, I was able to continue down the road and gas up. However, shortly afterwards I looked into the horizon and noticed that the entire valley for as far as I could see was covered with thick, dark, black clouds punctuated by bolts of lightning. Having narrowly survived the muddy roads of the Dalton, my main concern at that point was that the roads remain navigable. Although it was rainy and cold for most of the rest of my ride the roads themselves did not become overly muddy and the bike handled reasonably well. I am grateful for the experience I am getting with harsh road conditions but can honestly say I will welcome dry pavement in a few days.
