Been really meaning to finish this trip story but somehow never managed to continue until now. The return home took me through beautiful Icefields parkway ..where I learned about how serious speed limits are enforced in Canada and made my tourist contribution to road safety funds ;( Then all the way to the US border with Montana near Glacier National Park.
Some images from the Icefields
These guys were not afraid of traffic
Last stop in Alberta
To be continued..
I slept very late and awoke rested in the Vanderhoof motel. The parking lot was empty and owner doing the administrative chores was probably anxious of me leaving so he can also clean my room. And it is Canada day! Setting off for the trip south I committed to avoid Edmonton and the Saskatchewan prairies. The only alternative – taking through the Jasper – Banff parks and Ice fields parkway with which I was already familiar from having travelled through it last year.
I made the decision and set course to arrive in Jasper hoping to find a room for the night.
Arriving in Prince George it was time for lunch.
Continuing towards Jasper
I get a free pass being that it’s Canada day
And ride on to Jasper
But as the town is full , I find no accommodations, hence I continue on the Ice fields parkway pursuing the less desirable to me at the time, camping alternative
Turns out even campgrounds were fully booked, but thanks to a friendly Canadian park ranger they find and reserve me to only spot left some way down the parkway.
After some U turns and several tries I eventually find the campground and my reserved spot, where I am welcomed by a group of young guys having beers and fun. I stay late into the night with them exchanging life stories and thoroughly celebrating Canada’s national day.
Morning came and I saw my drinking buddy was long gone with his truck, probably already in Stewart BC. As I was loading the luggage on the bike, a black Labrador came out of nowhere and really messed with my departure timeline. It was carrying a small piece of a branch and kept poking me with it until I realized it really wanted to play! I tossed his branch few times and he cheerfully kept retrieving it and bringing it back asking for more. Finally I told him in Romanian “That’s a pitiful piece of wood, not even worth throwing” After several minutes the dog came back with the biggest piece of wood I ever saw a dog carrying. I could not believe my eyes, it was as if he actually understood what I had said,and am sure that was the first and maybe even last time that dog would ever hear that language, let alone understand the message.
I suddenly felt that I really didn't’ want to leave the place and this dog, just as inexplicably as I had seen the elusive black wolf the night before. I will never know what would have happened if I actually went to Hyder following the person I spoke with last night, but all these events seemed somehow to have something in common. Maybe it was just my road weary mind dreaming, but I was certain of living a real fairy tale.
I made eventually a real effort and departed with heavy heart, to enjoy more forested scenery and solitude of the Cassiar.
Here I am at a rest stop where I met a handful of travelers. The man with the green bike is from Florida.
I really wanted to make it to Prince George, BC. But soon I realized that night fall was now an issue as I no longer was in the northern territories and by 10 PM was getting actually dark.
As I was riding behind a truck after dark, a large deer came out of the left side of the road and dropped dead after having collided with his left door, no way he could have avoided it. But I was allot more concerned what would happen to me in a similar encounter, so I pulled into the very next motel I found in Vanderhoof, tired and still shaken after seeing the accident happening right in front of my eyes.
From Whitehorse my route headed further South.
After riding in freezing rain all the morning, river crossing at Yukon Motel in Teslin allowed refueling both myself and my motorcycle. Here I met an interesting couple, husband and wife each riding their BMW GS motorcycle from Georgia, they too were a long way from home and had gone as far as the Arctic circle and Deadhorse.
Many riders stop here
At Beaver Post where Alaska highway continues to Watson lake I took the turn onto Cassiar (route 37). This road is so remote and very little traveled that by comparison, the lonely Alcan seems a major populated highway. It is a narrower two lane surrounded by close forest and bush, does not have the wide open clear road sides of Alaska highway. For hundreds of miles, there are a lot more tighter twists and turns and sharp elevation changes instead of the previous lazy sweepers. As such, although enjoyable spirited riding can be had, the danger of animals or other surprises in the road was omnipresent in my mind and I resolved to keep the speed in check as I knew a crash here would have been a lot more difficult to recover from, without any vehicles passing by to ask (and hope for) assistance for many hours.
As you will see in these videos, there were no human beings encountered for long time along this road but the views more than make up for the lack of human civilization. The feeling of solitude and wilderness is overwhelming.
This woman and her kids keep the gas station running and I was lucky to get there before she closed
Here I came upon a black bear who was leisurely walking along the road and got startled by my presence, but am sure not as much as I was by its presence.
But the most odd event happened when I came to a place where I clearly thought saw a black creature in the road that upon my arrival climbed the road side ledge and sat there looking at me as I slowed down to catch it on camera. It appeared as a big black dog like animal who was staring at me with intense fiery eyes and I could not think of it being anything else but a black wolf. Yet I watched this video over and over and nothing shows up in the recording. I cannot explain this until today except as my mind may may have been playing tricks to me or something really was there that did not want to get in the movie.
I ended the day in Dease Lake grabbing one of the last rooms in the only lodge in town.
Before going to bed, I went to the bar and tried to get some food, where I met a very interesting character who was working his own diamond drilling equipment business being away from his home and family in Stewart BC, for many months in the wilderness. After many beers it was really difficult to tell him that I really had to be back in New York while he adamantly insisted I should go to his house and then to Hyder to show me the bears feeding on salmon. A very nice gentleman indeed, but I had to pass as I did with many other places I could not afford the time to visit in this trip.
Leaving Tok and continuing down the part of Alaska highway which I have not seen during my North trip was the beautiful shore of Kluane lake.
Much of the afternoon turned into rain and only cleared towards the Haines junction
The clearing sky view was simply magnificent and made me all but forget all the rain endured
Eventually stopping for the night in Whitehorse in same campground I used on the leg up of the trip, I met none other than the two Texas riders I was acquainted with earlier.
We all spent an evening of conversations and drinks around the campfire and went to sleep rather late.
An interesting observation was seeing same persons’ campsite exactly where it was over a week ago, as I saw it last, same, with no tent just a tarp held in place by boulders, covering his sleeping place. The girl administering the camp site told me he had to repeatedly repair his shelter since foxes kept coming into it and messing it up.
After speaking with few travelers, I had already decided to follow the Cassiar highway rather than go back same route I came up, even though I now was really short on time, I wanted to experience as much as I could in the remaining time.
As I had ordered a tire from Alaska leather, part of the day was dedicated to have it replaced. Also after 6,000 hard miles the engine oil was due for a change. I rode the few hundred yards to their shop next to the Motel 6 where I had spent the night. I pulled the rear wheel off and got it back shortly wearing a brand new Metzeler Tourance, my tire of choice since I purchased this motorcycle. The old one may have lasted another thousand miles perhaps, but for sure not the distance I needed to get me back home. The heavy camping load I carried and road surface in Alaska and Northern Canada had a lot to do with reducing rear tire life by 30 percent according to a seat of the pants measurement. Front however is still on the bike as I am typing, although not for much longer I reckon.
Next, I located the BMW dealer who were really busy. After buying the oil, they were very accommodating in lending me tools and drain pan, and letting me change it in the adjacent gravel lot.
With the sad realization that what goes up must come down, and listening to Supertramp's song “Take the long way home” I started the return leg of my trip, regretfully leaving a sunny Anchorage late afternoon. It wasn't long before rain clouds built up ahead, and I was once more immersed in my usual by now rain riding environment.
I met two Texas riders at this overlook; for the next two days we would keep meeting again and again.
Glenn Highway views must be allot prettier without rain and fog
The road twists and turns with nice elevation changes and there are even glaciers seen from the road
As altitude climbed, rain got harder and temperature dropped to 40’ish. I sure was glad I had fixed my heated jacked connection, but soon realized forgot to plug it in!
After a good freezing ride, I catch up with Texas guys at next gas stop, where we all warmed up with a hot chocolate and pie.
Finally the clouds break off and I ride into a beautiful view
.. but rain will return again later, along with even colder temperatures
Cold!!! I ride in NY winter but here it seemed far worse at similar temps. Probably due to being tired.
A magic view
More of this deserted, beautiful road
Catching up again with the Texans
Even though we caught up with each other, when we reached Tok we each went our own ways.
I’ve ended the day setting camp in a nice forested area campground next to two BMW riders from Washington that appeared to be father and son, but we didn't talk other than saying hello in the morning as they were on a mission to get going early while I was enjoining my morning Turkish coffee.
Seward is beautifully located at the feet of the mountains in the Gulf of Alaska, it has a port where cruise ships often come, fishing and pleasure boats abound. There is a large affluence of tourists who are all on a mission to soak in as much as possible of the beauty of these surroundings.
My plan was to be a tourist for next day and take a boat tour to see the fjords. Waking up rested after previous night arrival when I was quite cold for the last few hours I wondered why my heated clothing on which I relied so much stopped working. Since it was noon time by now and rain was still doing it’s thing, I had already missed the boats leaving at 11:45 , I decided to see what went wrong with the electrics of my heated Gerbing jacket. I pulled the bike under the hotel’s covered entrance and in short order replaced the heat controller and it’s wiring with a spare I had. Turns out some dedicated hard wired connection I installed years ago finally corroded from water and ceased, taking the inline fuse with it in the process, so I repaired it unfolding my full tool kit to the delight of some hotel guests probably wondering if they didn't stumble in the wrong establishment.
The motel front desk folks already knew me by now and were chatting about my plans to depart next day sans boat tour if the weather didn't cooperate. They strongly advised me to go see the whales and glaciers even if it rained.
Although I wasn't so sure I wanted do do so, next day proved a miraculous break in the clouds and rain stopped, so I hoped on the next ship that sailed.
Whales don't actually jump out like dolphins but they are cool to watch.
Sea Otters are funny spinning around
Puffins are also in their habitat here
And many other birds
Colonies of sea lions live here
I had the stupid urge to drink this ocean water, it looked so pristine
Approaching a glacier
What better way to celebrate than holding a block of glacier ice
Time to leave glacier behind and head back to port
Where a salmon dinner is welcome
Then making the return trip to Anchorage following same scenic route going North this time
Stumbled upon this place, probably one of the local’s frequent ride destinations
But it wasn't mean to be my day stop since they apparently weren't offering any rooms, so it was going to be Anchorage and Motel 6 for me that night.
