June 30th, Day 9 Alaska Trip

Cheers,
Sorry about the delay in posting yesterday’s blog. It is a little like being in the Twilight Zone here, my cell phone makes an interesting paper weight since I can’t place a call on it after crossing into Canada. Internet connections only work sometimes… BTW, since we are in the boonies and can't always communicate via normal channels, the Technology Age has come to the Rescue! Leroy has one of those coolio Spot Trackers that works off Satellites, updating where we are every 15 minutes. This way, if you haven't heard from us, at least if the tracker has moved you know we are still above ground and not yet turned into Coyote Kibble! Check it out: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=06MjI3tySEAkKTUCOUla4yNM4EX9hnQWZ You Lucky People get two blogs today, how about that!??! I would rather get kicked in the head by a horse than ride my bike all day in the cold rain… Sadly, we didn’t get a choice. The morning started out a balmy 48 degrees with drizzle and went downhill from there. By the time we climbed up to Summit Lake, it was 34 degrees and snowing – Brrrr! We stopped on the road for breakfast at one of the little outpost/gas pump/diners spaced 50-100 miles apart on the Alaskan Highway. While we slurped hot coffee and inhaled breakfast, a man, his wife, and teenage boy pulled in on a Triumph dual sport 950 with a Russian-made sidecar attached. They had all their camping gear tied on in every conceivable fashion – it reminded me of Malaysia, where all their family members pile on to one bike and off they go for a Sunday ride! After we pretty much talked to everyone holed up in the diner, we had to go back out in the cold rain. The forest creatures didn’t seem to mind the weather -- they were all roadside, scattered about hither and thither - just as happy as clams! We saw about 40 bison, 5 bear, 5 moose, and a cow elk with calf crossing the road in front of us. All these critters were no more that 50 yards from us. We got some snaps of bison, but we didn’t want to stop for the bears for fear of becoming “Meals on Wheels”! One Bull Moose got almost just close enough to blow snot on me! Liard River Hot Springs is located just across from a herd of about 30 bison… You can’t miss it! There were people bathing in the clear 107 degree waters, I took some snaps there but didn’t want to bother taking off my 5 layers of clothing to actually dive in myself. I knowed it was waaaay uncool, but I had plastic bags held on with rubber bands over my leather gloves to keep them dry because yesterday they got so wet my fingers were numb – even with heated grips. It worked out great and I will most definitely be looking for some waterproof and windproof glove protectors once we hit civilization again. Leaving Alberta Province and heading into Yukon, the Alaskan Highway meanders through low mountains covered in dense woods. Rivers and streams are everywhere. It kinda reminds me of the Smoky Mountains, but on a much grander scale. …And with a lot less people to boot. That is what I really like about the Yukon Territory. This is country too wild to tame -- We wouldn’t want to be stuck out here overnight, broke down beside the road. We pulled into Watson Lake and got a room in the old Officers Quarters, built back in 1942 for the Americans building the Highway. It is exceptionally clean, run by a fastidious German guy who is a very gracious host. He is letting us put our wet clothes and boots in his boiler room where they will be dry by tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t get as wet tomorrow, we rode the whole 325 miles in rain today. Tomorrow July 1st is Canada Day – Woo Hoo!