August 1, 2007
To Haines Junction: Kluane RV Camp
The rain starts just as we get up about 7am, the sky actually doesn't look all that bad, but then there are rainclouds and the one of them is directly above us.
The light on the mountains is very nice. Rachel packs up the inside of the tent, then we have coffee and breakfast first in the kitchen building, hoping the rain will move on. When that doesn't happen, Patrick packs his rear panniers under the vestibule, then Rachel does hers. The rain slows to a drizzle so we take down the tent.
Of course with the wet rainfly and groundsheet, the tent also gets damp, so we'll need some sun later today to dry out again. This has been the story ever since Fairbanks and even though we've had rain just about every day, we have been lucky to also have had sun to dry things out again.
We say goodbye to Emanuel the Frenchman from Lyon who owns this place and cycle the 1km dirt road, actually the original Alaska Highway, back to the pavement of the new one. We gradually climb to the first "summit" today, behind us nice views of Kluane Lake, to our west the Kluane Mountain Range. The rain stops and there is some nice light between the clouds. We don't see any animals though. Patrick had been expecting to see a lot more animals on our ride through Alaska and Yukon than we have so far, but the lynx last night was special.
We stop to eat after about 20km and Patrick finishes the last of the two jars of Nutella we brought from Putte, Netherlands. After Bear Creek Summit the road descends most of the way to Haines Junction where the road splits, the Alaska Highway continues to Whitehorse, the other way goes to Haines Alaska on the coast. We set up in an RV park just before town. Again the sky is opening up and we get some nice sunshine to dry out the tent. After a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich to still our hunger, we walk to town.
First order of business is to cash some checks at the bank, we visit the Kluane visitor center, then buy groceries for the next two days at the general store. Stuff is expensive! Back at our tent we eat our treat of potato chips and a pepsi, Rachel does laundry, then back to town to dinner.
We go to a Chinese Restaurant and have Shrimp Foo Young and Spicy Kung Pao Chicken, washed down with a pitcher of Yukon red, a nice amber ale. It hasn't taken long to tire of the much desired hamburger when we were in Asia, and now started to long for the rice and Chinese food we tired of. Dinner was very good, yet expensive. We miss the Asian prices as well.
As we leave the restaurant we see 3 people walking, 2 have cycling tops. We ask the third person if he is cycling and talk for awhile. Originally from around Detroit MI, and just finished grad school and now doing a fundraising ride for Cancer. Out of Austin Texas June 1st to arrive in Anchorage Aug 10th. He says each morning meeting the 39 riders dedicate the days ride to someone... he will dedicate tomorrow's ride to Rachel's dad, Woodrow Wilson Lorton who died of lung cancer in 1977.
A nice ending to a tough day of riding.
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Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 11,642 km (7,230 miles)
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