Thursday, June 12. Whitehorse to Dawson City Yukon. Skies are clear and the temperature is in the mid-sixties. Ideal riding conditions! Clutch out at 7:30 a.m. and on to the Alcan for a short distance. A rider signals for me to pull over and we talk about the ride north on the Klondike Highway and the Top of The World Highway. He is on a Goldwing and he is apprehensive about the Top of the World route. He says that he spoke to another rider last night who told him it is impassable when wet.   Seems the rider tried to ride it a few days ago and failed. We both decide that since we have come this far we will give it a shot.  We  take off together with him in the lead. After a few miles he signals for me to pass.  He follows me for a few more miles then falls back. I never see him again and I suspect he reconsidered the route and doubled back to the Alcan and the alternate route into Alaska. Further up the road I speak with a Goldwing rider that crossed the Top of the World the day before. Too bad the first rider did not wait a few more miles before turning back. I am sure that talking with another Goldwing rider would have given him the confidence he needed.

 About fifty miles north on the Klondike Highway I can see the damage from a 1998 forest fire that destroyed everything for as far as the eye can see. A careless camper  left his campfire unattended and started the fire. I learn that the locals know who is responsible for the fire but can’t take any action. The road is a fast mountain raceway with the elevation rising above two thousand feet. The temperature drops into the fifties and the heated grips are most appreciated. Some of the ride runs along the Yukon River and I recognized many of the small towns from a book entitled “Coming into the Country” by John McPhee. The book describes the hardships of life in the region and a sled-dog race that is run through the area. It is good reading and I highly recommend it.  Now seeing the terrain and realizing the distance raced, I can only sit in awe at the toughness and endurance of the mushers and their dogs. You have to see the terrain to believe it. [pic]  If ever I begin to think of myself as a tough guy for riding my bike up here, I only have to think of the dog sled teams to realize who is the real BIG DOG in this part of the world. [pic]  Highway #2 is really fast until Steward Crossing. After Steward Crossing I encounter gravel and difficult riding. Too bad, because I am really enjoying the race-like road conditions up to that point. I am still seeing brown bears but I have not seen a grizzly bear. [pic]

 I met a GS rider on the road into Dawson City today. Jason Noah is an Iron Butt rider from Florida .He was out for a casual Iron Butt ride of 15,000 miles!  Nice guy but he looked a little tired.     

 Lots of road construction into Dawson City. Scenery is great but the road is a mess. Now the road crews are soaking the dirt with massive amounts of water to keep the dust down. It is real slippery and I am all over the road.  I tell myself to see this as a training exercise to prepare for the ride up the Dempster Highway and the Arctic Circle.  I slip and slide into Dawson City and check into the Downtown Hotel. I get a nice room, a good meal and good nights sleep. [pic]

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