2017 Motorcycle Adventure to Alaska (Day thirteen)

I guess that I have been blessed so far with good weather except for the first two days after leaving Muskoka. This morning was another gorgeous sunny day. The camp ground I had stayed at did not have any internet so after packing up I made a beeline for Starbucks to post my blog. Their wifi is free but often times you get what you pay for. I couldn't understand why uploading seven photos would take an hour until I ran a speed test and found that their download speed was less than half what I get at home in Muskoka. 

Before leaving Whitehorse I wanted to photograph the Klondike II, a giant sternwheeler that navigated the Yukon River carrying silver and lead ore and freight from 1929 to 1950. It has been carefully restored and is permanently docked in Whitehorse.

People who live in these parts say they have two seasons, winter and construction. Others tell me it's their rainy season. Today I experienced both.
Here I am again stopped waiting while road crews lay down "top seal" which consists of a tar base with dirt and gravel layered on and then compacted with vibrating rollers. It's cheap and pretty effective but makes for a real dusty mess especially if you're on a bike.

When I pulled into Haines Junction the skies were looking rather angry. I found this great spot for lunch and ordered a big serving of fish and chips. While enjoying my lunch I took this shot of the junction where I turned right and headed west toward Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.

The weather was menacing but the scenery was incredible.

Here's a photo I took heading off in the direction I was going. It looked like I might actually not get rained upon.

Here's a shot from the same spot only looking back the way I'd come from. This storm was following me.

All along the sides of the road were acres and acres of these weird "Dr. Seuss" trees. That's my name for them but they are just stunted evergreens that are struggling to survive in this harsh climate.

I finally did hit some rain in the late afternoon as I negotiated the horrendous road conditions. Every winter the ground frost heaves the road up and creates this kind of roller coaster effect. There seems to be no permanent fix thus the constant road construction every summer. I am certain that my bike and trailer were actually airborne over some of these obstacles that seemed to suddenly appear giving no warning. I actually felt sorry for the people hauling travel trailers or driving big motorhomes because their suspension just couldn't cope the way my bike did and they were forced to crawl along.

I reached Beaver Creek located just east of the Alaska border by late afternoon and decided to call it a day at this little RV Park. To my total surprise their wifi is awesome, probably the best since leaving home so I am able to finish my blog and now I am totally up to date.

Tomorrow I will cross into Alaska and make my way up to Fairbanks.