Day 13 - The Takhini River

Day 13 was going to be more of day 12 as far as the weather was concerned.  Our plan was to meet at the Yukon Yamaha tent and then decide what to do for the day.  It was raining when I got there, I take shelter inside the dealership and practice my knee dragging technique.

Outside my bike was being washed by the rain, it needed a wash badly but by the end of the day it was going to be much dirtier.

As soon as the rain stopped, a few of us left and headed downtown to Whitehorse settling down for breakfast at the Ricky's All Day Grill.  A fine restaurant, food was great and the waitresses were friendly.

During breakfast, one of the local guys mentioned the Takhini River and the dirt road alongside it.  Someone said it would be a fun road specially with the rain that had fallen down, it was certainly going to be a nice playground for the five of us that took the challenge.  Five of us left Whitehorse and headed north along the Alaska Highway for about 65Km (40 miles) and then took a left at Mendenhall Landing.

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We pass the sign and follow the river for about another 30km before taking a break.  The gravel was still wet and a little slippery but we are all experienced bikers and are able to do good time.

If you are a person that maintains a motorcycle spotless and worry about the chrome, don't bother going to Alaska, dirt will get into places that you will never be able to get it out.  I bought my Super Tenere with the intention of making a trip to Alaska and knew it was going to get dirty but now I cringe every time I look at it, I know eventually I will have to clean it.

We chat for a while and then one of the guys and I decide to have fun playing in the mud, a little too much fun as you will see when I post a video.  The single track of a spinning tire heading straight for the boulders is mine, I made it out okay, the bottom of the pit was loose sand and made for an interesting exit.  In the photo the pit doesn't appear deep but the bottom was about 10 feet below the road.

Here's my friend Paul taking a photo of me taking a photo of him.  You can see the pit on the left of the picture and the river about 15 feet down on the right side.

We continue following the river until the end of the road where we find a little campsite and a boat ramp.  Time for the group shot, we all turn our baseball caps backwards to show the Yukon Yamaha logo, the hats were part of a free gift package given to all of us by the Yukon Yamaha guys.

Someone said my bike was dirty and I should wash it or maybe it was a challenge to see who would get the bike in the water then another suggests I should spin the rear tire and leave a rooster as I come out of the lake, one way or another I'm always ready to accept a challenge and so it was, I back my bike into the lake until water is going over the top of my boots and the rear tire is deep in the water.  One problem though, no one mentioned that my keys were hanging from one of the panniers, the one on the back.  In the haste I had backed the bike and completely forgotten about the key.  I had to put the bike on the kickstand, step out and walk to the back to get the keys out, oh well, what's a little water in my boots.

You can see by my face I was having fun and so were the guys when they saw me dismount to go get the keys.  Luckily there was a cement slab and I was able to support the bike on the kick stand otherwise it could have been a problem.  I couldn't really leave a big rooster behind as the rest of the bikes were parked right in front of me as you will see on my next video.  Here I am emptying my boots of all the water.

We get back on the road and return to the Alaska Highway riding in a very spirited way.  We arrive at the junction and after a little discussion the other four guys decide to continue north to Haines Junction.  I knew I would have to go through Haines Junction on my way north in a couple of days, I decide to go back down the same road and take a few pictures before returning to Whitehorse.  I pull out my tripod and pose for a few self shots.  I needed a background picture for my computer desktop.

And of course one of the bike to show how dirty it is.

I ride back about 10 miles and find a clearing to take a few pictures of the Takhini River.  It dawned on me I hadn't seen a car on this road all day and now I was about to go off the road about hundred yards, if I crashed or broke down I would be in trouble.

I pull out the kickstand, find a rock to sit and lean back against the bike relaxing and taking in the beautiful view of the slow moving river. I sat there thinking about where I was, 4000 miles away from my family, all alone, not another soul in sight, doing what I had dreamed about for a long time.  I was having the time of my life.

Two panoramas of the location

I return back to the Alaska Highway and head towards Whitehorse, not a single car on this amazing road.  I stop a few times just to take the scenery in, the absence of noise is truly amazing, the moment you turn the engine off it's complete silence except for the crackling of the exhaust from the heat as the metal quickly cools down in the cold Yukon air.

A few more miles and I stop again, this time to eat a snack bar I had in my trunk.  It had dawned on me it was already mid afternoon and I hadn't eaten anything.  As I open the trunk I take a look at Darth Vader and notice he's in need of a good shower.  He's keeping an eye on the road behind me.

I arrive back in Whitehorse and stop at the airport, right next to the Alaska Highway, where I had seen a few interesting things on the way out.  Not exactly sure why the Mammoths, maybe they found a few in this area.

Nearby was a famous plane, a Douglas DC-3, also known as the Model T of the skies. I have always loved planes and wanted to be a pilot when I was a kid.  My dad was an aircraft mechanic and I remember being at the airport and seeing these beautiful planes taking off, their radial piston roaring into the sky.
My bike looks tiny next to the DC-3
Wiki

A rusty and old train engine, not sure what this little thing could be used for.

Nearby is an old Overland Train, a beast that could travel over any terrain.  These trains were used by the US and Canada during the development of the DEW line and could haul 150 tons, cross rivers up to 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, cut through snow drifts and operate at temperatures as low as -68 degrees F.  I'm sure this beast could go over my bike with one of its tires and wouldn't even slow it down.
Wiki

All these are part of a Transportation Museum but it was late in the afternoon and the museum was already closed.  With nothing else to do I return to the motel and make my own dinner, a big can of soup and crackers followed by a cup of fruit and a cup of hot coffee.

For tomorrow the group has a planned ride to Skagway, Alaska, to celebrate the 4th of July in US territory.  We will have to cross the border, gotta make sure I don't forget my passport.

Day 12 - An idle day in Whitehorse, Yukon

July 2nd turned out to be an idle day on account of the weather, cold and rain for most of the day.   The group decided to cancel the planned ride and everybody went their own way.  I went downtown and parked myself at the Starbucks where I knew I would get free Wi-Fi and Internet access as well as strong coffee.

The rain came down on and off throughout the day, it was a rather miserable day but it gave me a chance to walk around and see the small town of Whitehorse.  I love the architecture of the buildings, they remind me of western movies I watched as a kid, it felt like I had been transported to early last century.

"98" Hotel looked a little shady, a few of the characters I saw walking out looked like they were up to no good.  I didn't even want to point the camera at anyone walking out, I was afraid one of them would chase after me.

The Whitehorse Star is one of two newspapers in Whitehorse, Yukon. The Whitehorse Star was founded in 1900.  The building does look like it was built in 1900.

I walked over to the train station next.  I believe trains still run tours from Whitehorse to Skagway, Alaska.  They have one of the train cars on display, there was no one around while I was there so I decided to sit in the car and take a break to reflect on my trip so far, it was quite, not many tourist around.

The Trappers Cache had beautiful things made by various local artists and artisans but very expensive.  I looked around for something for my daughter but couldn't find anything within a decent price and size to fit in my bike.  They had a cute little car parked outside.

One thing you will notice as soon as you enter Whitehorse are all the murals, they are colorful, huge and cover the sides of buildings.  They mostly depict Klondike Gold Rush and nature scenes.

You know the area gets lots of snow and cold weather when you see wires and plugs hanging out the front of cars. Most cars had at least two plugs but I found one with three wires coming out the front.

My next stop was a few blocks away at the Klondike paddle steamer.  Steamers like the Klondike carried would-be gold prospectors between 1897 and 1899 to the area during the Klondike gold rush.   An estimated 100.000 people traveled to the Yukon area in search of gold.
Klondike Gold Rush wiki

I watched a short movie outside and then went inside the bowls of the ship.  The steamer is well preserved, I really enjoyed going through all the rooms and examining in detail how life must have been then.

The dining rooms were beautifully setup with everything from the time including the can of evaporated milk.  As a kid I used to drink evaporated milk directly from the can, I have always had a very sweet tooth.

I imagined myself sitting on one of the beautiful wicker chairs looking out the windows as the steamer went up the river with the click-clack sound of the typewriter being used nearby to log the trip.

Quaker Corn Flakes, Puffed Wheat "Sparkies" and Libby's Tomato Juice.

A well equipped kitchen

I took one last walk upstairs and then headed back to the bike parked outside.

This had been a day to relax and enjoy a break from riding.  I was more than caffeinated by the time I returned to the motel, all I had eaten all day was sweet pastries at Starbucks and lots of coffee.  I was able to Skype with my wife, take care of e-mails and be by myself all day, it felt good.
This post is also the only one so far without a single picture of my Super Tenere.

Tomorrow will be a different story, lots of dirt, gravel, mud and even some water fun.

Day 11 video

A video of my day trip to Atlin, British Columbia from Whitehorse, Yukon, during my trip to Alaska.
High speed riding on dirt and gravel roads, lots of smiles, endless memories.

Having lots of fun

More to come.....