Yukon Do It!

Sorry about the title but this is our last night in the Yukon. I had to check the map to see where we are. This is the stretch of the Alaska Highway that enters and exits the Yukon and British Columbia. We are spending the night in Watson Lake. We left Haines Junction at 7:30 this morning and drove 360 miles for an 8 hour trip. It's not like we are driving slowly but we stop for gas every 80-100 miles and stretch our legs and visit with whomever wants to visit.

I have to give a shout out to the young, energetic couple we met today at Johnson Crossing. She is from Lithuania and he is from England. They are riding from Anchorage to Panama on bicycles. We have admired all of the bicyclists that we have passed on our trip. We watch them pedaling up steep grades and want to offer to tow them up but we know they don't want help; they want an accomplishment. What's not to admire?

While stretching our legs at the Continental Divide, we met Bruno, the Polish Guy, as he told us to refer to him. Bruno is a truck driver from Chicago and traveling with 2 other guys. Bruno told us he owns 6 motorcycles but brought his oldest with 282,000 miles. Bruno and his buddies are traveling up to Prudhoe Bay on the Dalton Highway. Bruno is the type of man that will not drive by someone stranded on the side of the road. He had just helped a man from Michigan on the side of the road with his 95 Goldwing and his grandson. Bruno, great attitude! May more people be like Bruno, and may their means of transportation make it as far as Bruno's BMW.

 

We met the friendliest flag person this morning. In the Yukon and in BC, when they work on the roads and stop traffic, they always wave the bikers to the front of the line. This is so once traffic can go again, bikers are not buried in dust and prevents gravel from kicking up onto us and our bikes. She visited with us while we waited for our turn and then sent us off with a beautiful smile!

We continue to enjoy the beautiful scenery all around us.

We took a break along a river and saw this branch buried in this shed. We were grateful we were not on the highway on this windy day.

One thing we were taken by both going to Alaska and now returning; there are miles and miles of rock graffiti on hills adjacent to the road. There are hundreds upon hundreds of such graffiti for hundreds of miles. It is about impossible to read any of them traveling at regular speed, so I don't know the reasoning for doing this. It has to take a significant amount time to do, yet we have yet to see someone doing this. It just seems a bit off the wall and weird enough that it got our attention. I guess if there has to be graffiti, I prefer this to the alternatives in the cities.

And one thing totally absent along the Alaska Highway is litter. It is wonderful to see just nature when you look out. Perhaps this simple sign is the answer?

And we enjoyed seeing this guy snacking on grasses along the road. Notice I am not in the proper lane while we slowed to get his picture.

Till Tomorrow!