The Ultimate CC (Coast to Coast) Part II
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Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, is a short trip off the highway that
I elect not to take now. Further down the road, I enter into a valley where temperatures
are significantly higher than the surrounding areas and the vegetation is different. There
are many flowers and the forest changes from pine to hardwoods. In Haines Junction the
Elias Mountains dominate the sky. In this range is the second highest peak in North
America. The mountains are still covered with snow and I just had to stop for the night to
take in this scenery. |
Oh, that motel is full, so is that one, and that one. No, there aren't any Holiday
Inns, Super 8s or Motel 6s here. I end up sleeping above a bar. Sleeping is a relative
term as I felt like I was at Bike Week in Daytona, FL.
| t's morning and I could give you a weather report, but why
bother. You know the story by now. The mountains are still beautiful and I'll be in Alaska
today. I've been listening to a tape on the construction of the Alaska Hwy. which states
that Tok is the place to buy authentic Alaska souvenirs. The best souvenir is hitting the
border. Wow, I'm here. The place is huge and, amazingly, there are only about a dozen
state routes. If you're looking for I-10 or I-95, you're in the wrong state. The
Interstate Highway System presupposes that there is another state nearby. |
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Ok, I'm in Alaska, but where are the mountains? I'm in a prairie type
environment with gently rolling hills. Immediately the roads are better. There's another
difference between Alaska and Canada. In Canada you'll see signs like, "Construction
Zone Ahead, Slow Down, Construction Next 10 Km, Gravel Roads," etc. In Alaska you
see, "Oops, we forgot to tell you about that last gravel section you just went
through." |
In Tok I discover that the tape I'd been listening to must have been made by the Tok
Chamber of Commerce. Sure, you can get a t-shirt and the typical tourist fare, but that's
about it. Man, this is disappointing and the people at the visitor's center are just plain
surely. All in all I'd rather be on the road in the rain. Fortunately the weather
cooperates.
| In Delta Junction the Alaska Hwy. ends. I thought it ended in
Fairbanks, but there's the sign. What's the deal? No wonder the mileage is confusing and
my Street Pilot is no help since it doesn't do Alaska, or the Yukon, or the Northwest
Territory for that matter. I do meet a neat guy who's been working on the oil rigs. He's
driving back to the lower 48 with a pristine 1978 Honda 750 in the back of his pickup.
With the recent oil company mergers he's lost his job. Unemployment is high in Alaska. |
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Finally, I'm in Fairbanks and search out a motel for some laundry and R&R.
Fairbanks doesn't impress me nor does the local BMW dealer. He's got to be the reason BMW
has started closing dealers across Canada. Having a dealer tell me first, that he thinks
ABS is a mistake and second, that he will look at my front wheel only after he runs out of
excuses not to, isn't worth my time or the BMW name. I need a front tire and I'm not going
to get it here. However, at a local Honda dealer, they will mount the tire if I pull the
wheel. $185 later I've got a tire. Man, things are expensive up here! Yikes. With visions
of the Dalton Hwy. and Prudhoe Bay in my head I head back to the motel.
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