Whitehorse
Robert Service Campground is located just outside Whitehorse right along the Yukon river, a great spot if you’re riding a bike. First, it is just a tent campground so no RV’s here. Also because we were on a bike, we were allowed to ride in to our site. Anyone in a car has to park in the parking lot and walk in. Something to consider if you have to haul your entire camping set up to one of the spots along the extremity of the campground.
Having made the decision to skip the Dempster
we decided to take a day off here. We’re both getting a little tired of the daily grind and need a break. Ultimately I think we need a vacation but a day off is a good start.
The decision to skip the Dempster was a tough one. I really wanted to get up to the Arctic Circle and had this on my bucket list for some time. It came down to weather and timing for us. The weather was supposed to be really crappy everywhere from Dawson to Inuvik and Chicken. Wet and cold. No matter how much we liked Newfoundland, both of these aren't very appealing. Another thing I wasn’t looking forward to is the peanut butter like substance the Dempster turns into when wet. Had I been riding solo, I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought and just gone. Being loaded and 2 up, I had to ask myself how badly I wanted to get up there, and why. Going just to say that we went isn’t really all that important to be honest.
Riding up the Dempster also meant we would have to ride every day till we met the ferry in Haines 10 days from now, without a break. We were both tired as it was, and another 10 days without a stop was not all that super appealing. Not to mention if we had any sort of issues along the way. It left us with little room for error.
Skipping the Dempster also opened up our schedule a bit. We could take a day off here in Whitehorse and another day in Anchorage. It also meant we’d stay with nicer weather for a bit longer. We might also be able to get down to Valdez or Homer, although they are currently having some very significant rainfall…
The other issue we were having with rain is that our tent was leaking. At first we thought it was all the excess condensation but turns out that the seam tape used on the tent is flaking off and the tent is no longer waterproof. In fact, it hasn't been for some time. Good thing we've seen a little of the wet stuff. Considering the tent was bought new only a few months before, I didn’t think overuse was to blame.
To make a long story short, when we stopped in Fort Collins we had eyed another tent at REI that was actually bigger but somehow managed to pack smaller than ours, at a small weight gain. At the time, we decided against it due to cost. A few days later I looked in my inbox to find REI sent me a 25% discount code for a single item, it was hard to pass up. Only hitch was that the tent was now out of stock and on back-order. We took a chance and ordered it to be picked up in Anchorage, hoping that it would not only be back in stock but also shipped by then.
The good news is that it's shipped. The bad news is that it's scheduled to get there the day after we leave Anchorage. Hmmm, should be interesting.
We walked into Whitehorse along the scenic Millenium trail that runs follows the Yukon river, both conveniently located right behind our campsite. Had breakfast at the Burnt Toast Cafe, food was great, service on the other hand, let’s just say it was abrupt. What the “please let us seat you” sign actually meant was “let us yell across the room and point to where we want you to go”. I realize that service expectations might be somewhat different up in these parts but it was almost comical watching the staff. They must not be hurting for business, even though we watched some folks leave before ordering anything.
We also managed to kill several hours at Starbucks uploading pics and blog posts, free re-fills and free wifi always draws us in.
Dinner was great...wait...what? Is that a backless shirt? Why yes it is. The dude wearing it was a Rod Stewart look alike.
Oooh, I think I want one of those…
What would you do for a Klondike...boat?
After a nice 2 day break we left for Tok.
On the way, Destruction Bay was quite a treat. Spectacular scenery and perfect weather. We also took a break here for some lunch. I wouldn’t recommend the burger(like product), although the poutine was decent. Diet is so important when travelling after all.
Massive moose head hung up on the wall of the place, ads for air tours of the glaciers and they were even hiring. Seems everywhere we go, places are hiring.
Lots of construction along the ALCAN. Lots!
We stopped for some obligatory pics at the Welcome to Alaska signs just before crossing the border.
Tigger posing for a pic.
Speaking of which, we crossed the Canadian border entry point about 30km’s before the US border. Weird. We wondered what was in this no-mans land, although the speed limit signs in KM/H give it away. Of course we’ve also crossed another time zone entering Alaska. Cool.
