Sunday, August 12, 2007

Day 5 - 12 Aug 2007

What a beautiful morning!!! Nothing but blue skies - no rain. Butch didn't want to start to early due to the cold and the "critters" that are still out crossing the highways. We had the bikes loaded and we were ready to go at 9am. The temperature was 40 degrees, the skies blue, and the riders rested. But........Butch's bike wouldn't start. But.....at 9:15am, he got it started and we hit the road. A beautiful day all day. We had 525 miles to ride, which should have been done in 10 hrs, but the Canadian roads LOVE to have loose gravel placed on them for whatever reason. So we would have to slow down to 15 mph time and time again. But the scenery was magificent. I love the Yukon....one of the prettiest places in the world.If it didn't get down to -50 degrees in the winter for a month at a time, I might consider retiring there. The Yukon is almost the size of Texas, but only has about 30,000 people, with about 22,000 in Whitehorse. Amazing.
We crossed the border into Alaska at 4pm. It was the easiest crossing thus far........I showed the officer my drivers license, he asked where I was from and where I was going, and that was about it. Amazing.
I had mixed feelings on leaving the Yukon....sadness mixed with gladness. Sad to leave such a beautiful and hospitable country with its warm and friendly people, but glad to arrive in Alaska knowing that in one more day we would arrive at our destination.

While riding a bike for hours on end, one tends to ponder different things in detail. The lessons that I learned in the Yukon hopefully will stay with me for some time. I learned a tremendous amount about serving others, and putting someone elses needs before my own. I learned the there are wonderful people everywhere-no matter what color they are or what religion. But I'm rambling..........

We arrived in Glennallen at 8:15 this evening with 522 miles and 11 hours in the saddle. We are now about 386 miles to our destination.....our shortest ride thus far in a day.

Butch just told me that he never dreamed that we would ever ride motorcycles together to Alaska....but here we are........we did it!

Things we learned today:

1. We have been blessed tremendously on this little adventure.

2. Canada's roads don't even compare in quality with the good ole US of A's!

3. We miss the Yukon......but we have to go back through there again. Yes!

4. I really wanted to ask the Customs Agent just what did he do to upset his old boss so much that he was sent to the lonely border crossing at the Yukon. He must have really screwed up big time. ;-) But I learned to keep my big mouth shut since I didn't feel like going through the full body cavity search. But I was tempted.

5. We learned that we miss our spouses more with each passing day.

6. We learned that two old brothers CAN still ride like the wind and make it all the way to Alaska.

Tomorrow.........Butch's son Luke's home - our final destination.

Butch and Jim

3 comments:

george & clarine review said...

Our day to White's Pass by bus was cool, foggy and overcast. We did get to see some things - spectacular. There is still a lot of territory in this old world that is not settled by human creatures hardly at all.

Anonymous said...

Glad you guys made it ~ the pix are spectacular!!!

eltee Harry said...

While I tend to agree that that Customs agent probably did someting he shouldn't have- he might just like it there, too. either he is from Alaska, or always wanted to be there for the hunting and fishing, and the thought of a guv'ment job, working 1/10 as had as say, the San Ysidrio crossing, means he loves it there. Probably one of the hardest postings to get in Customs outside Puerto Rico.

-Re