90 miles or so later, after all of us surviving the really bad road conditions in the stretch of 20 miles between the US and Canadian Customs checkpoints, we were in Canada with no fuss.
The initially overcast skies would turn into bright blue ones with lots of sun and warmth.
Gary and Deb, paying the first $6/gallon tank of gas.....I had
tanked up just before leaving Alaska so was able to delay this cost till
I got to Destruction Bay.
The road to Haines Junction was as bad as I remembered it, lots of frost heaves, potholes, badly repaired/patched sections of road.....you really have to pay attention or risk losing a wheel to a big pothole!
Saw several motorcycles heading towards Alaska, doubtlessly starting their own Alaskan adventure as mine was winding down. I found the scenery not as magical as when I transited this same stretch of road last month when there was more snow on the mountains. LINK to last month's post.
Still, though the mountains only wore the tattered remnants of what used to be glorious coats of snow, there was scenery to be had when the light was right.
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April 21
May 26
After tanking up at Destruction Bay, I tried to shoot pictures from the same spots where I had posed Valencia before when there was more snow on the nearby mountain peaks. I didn't find the area as beautiful as when clad with snow, what can I say, I guess I am bent that way! :)
That's not dust, that was like a cold fog being blown from one of the inlets
April 21
May 26
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April 21
May 26
View of Destruction Bay
Haines Junction is about 108 Kilometers south of Destruction Bay. The road is quite nice at this point and as one gets closer to Haines Junction, a new set of mountains present themselves for one's viewing enjoyment, below are parts of the Saint Elias Mountain Range I think.
I would end up getting to Haines Junction a bit later than Gary and Deb did. They found the Parkside Hotel and I got myself a room next to them. It's a small hotel, with luxury suites. Very nice, a bit pricey, but very nice.
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon in town, hardly anyone on the streets. The first place we tried for dinner though had been pretty much cleaned out by customers who'd just come from a beer fest. Not much in the way of choices so we wandered over to the town's "fast food" joint: Frosty's. Burgers were ordered all around and they were pretty good!
Back to the hotel we went, a late start is planned for tomorrow as we've plenty of time to cover the 156 miles to Haines, Alaska. The hotel owners recommended a couple of spots to check out along the way, we'll see what we find I guess.
Good day of riding, Valencia did great, even when being hit by strong headwinds starting at Destruction Bay and almost all the way to Haines Junction!
6 comments:
I think I like the snow covered mountains more to my liking as well. I heard that the road to Haines is in beautiful shape though I haven't been on it since 1976. It took a while to get through the border. We must have either looked suspicious or the guy was really bored.
Hi Richard
yeah, that's what the hotel owners said as well, that the road is in beautiful condition. I'll let you know tomorrow sometime.
The snow covered snapshots from before are definitely more picturesque, although I feel that Valencia's Orange looks good with any background (but I am heavily biased now that I also ride an orange vehicle.)
Dom:
I think you're right. Snow covered mountains and landscape are 'Mo Better
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Well...if we hadn't seen a before and after shot, I would think the sans snow images would be quite beautiful. However, since we have the snow shots, they just have more texture. :)
It made me sad to read the words of your adventure winding down while others are beginning. I was in awe of the "last month" reference, to realize that you are correct, your allowed time away from home is nearing. Bummer. Next year? Repeat adventure? hehe
Whoa! The snow melts fast up there! That's fascinating!
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