Start of Leg 2. Dawson, Campbell hwy, Liard, Rain.

I know Shannon from Montana State. Her and I were on the 4^th floor of north hedges together freshman year. She (her roommate owns the house) let me stay in a spare room while I worked on my bike and messed around in Anchorage. Thanks Shannon. You rock. But you already knew that.

New Rubber. New Oil. New Leg of the trip. 

Friday June 1. Anchorage, AK To Tok, AK. 318 miles/511 km

The ride on Friday took me up the Glen Highway past some Glaciers, lakes, rivers and mountains. Sounds like the rest of Alaska right? You would think I would be sick of it after driving almost every major road in the state. Not yet. I will have to return because there is still a lot more to explore.

A trout 

A glacier 

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I met a kid named Nick while gassing up in Glennallen. Grew up in Tok AK and was an engineer until he quit his job to travel the world. Go figure right? Who is spreading these ideas? :D He invited me to stay the night at his dad's place in Tok. His dad has a great place. Wood heats the house and the water. Wood also heats the green house and he keeps bees to make honey. Here is a link to Nick's blog: alternatepriorities.blogspot.com

Bees!

A true Alaskan badass. 

With a sweet greenhouse

Saturday June 2. Tok, AK to Dawson, Yukon. 185 Miles/ 298km

I forgot what real honey on toast tastes like! I ate well in Toke then headed toward Dawson via Chicken Ak and the Top of the world Highway. The Top of the World Hwy was gravel and paved. Lots of snow on the side still. Once I got to Dawson, I stayed at the Dawson River Hostel. This town is crazy and it can suck you in. So many fun times and good people. I ended up staying 2 nights and I definitely could have stayed more.

(I didn't really)

This road is what dreams are made of.

Boarder Crossing. The US side and the Canada side share a building and a Generator. I wonder who pays for fuel?

2nd time crossing into the Yukon

Had to play in the snow just one last time.. 

View from the "top of the world" highway

Dawson river hostel

Even a place to put my bike!

Dawson from across the river

Good people

"Taxi" to the bars

View from the Ferry

The Band

I wish I knew the name of these guys. They reminded me of Gogol Bordello. 

Getting McGyver to charge camera batteries with no 120v outlet

This guy rode from Argentina to AK in 2 months. I plan on take way way way longer.  

Am I in Portland? Hipsters everywhere. 

Around Midnight...

Dance party!

"Whats my mutha F$*@#n name.... Snooooop doggy dooooog"

From the Hostel

From the Hostel

From the hostel

Rom Dyrdek in Dawson?

A fog rolls in..

Finally found a Yukoner to sign my bike. 

Tuesday June 4. Dawson Yukon to Frenchman Lake Yukon. 350 km

Leaving Dawson was tough. That's probably why it didn't happen until 3 in the afternoon. On the way out of town I saw some very cool old rally cars that were doing a road rally across north America. I have never seen a old rear wheel drive Ford Escort in person. These were a European thing and we never got them. Then I was driving out of town and I noticed the utility generation plant/substation so I decided to stop and see it. The plant manager was more then happy to give me a tour. This would not happen in the US. Up until 6 years ago, Dawson was totaly disconnected from the grid and was powered by 4 diesel generators. Now it is connected to a hydro plant about 100km south. They still keep the generators for emergencies to power Dawson or send power south if the hydro plant trips out or something. Ok, enough nerding for one day. I also met this girl named Anna who is riding an old Yamaha from the east coast to AK. She has been traveling for 2 weeks and is kicking butt. Keep it up! I rode south and took some gravel to Frenchman Lake to camp. When I pulled up I met some crazy Israeli dudes who were traveling on rented BMWs. They fed me and there were some great convos by the fire. No fishies were caught to pay them back for the spare ribs and pasta they gave me unfortunately.

It will be mine... oh yes.. it will be mine!

Anna and her Iron steed. 

the Yukon

The Israeli guys

Here fishi fishi fishi..

June 5^th. Frenchman Lake Yukon to Frances Lake. 391 km.

June 5^th officially marks 2 months on the road! I started out the day with some couscous and had plans of riding with the Israeli guys. As fate would have it, I broke my chain leaving the camp site. Such is life. I ended up running into them later down the road just before they went south on Canol rd and I continued on the Campbell highway to Frances lake. By this time I am feeling like crap. I have a sinus cold and my ears will not pop with the changing elevation. I have to breath through my mouth and it hurts to swallow. I have to stop to make chicken soup far prior to camping and once I get to Frances Lake I go to bed. No pictures. No fishing. No fire. It starts to rain in the evening and rains through the night.

The last Israeli leaving

Broken chain. 

Countershaft protection didn't really keep the shape it was supposed to. This will be changed out in MN

Sigutech clutch slave took some hit when the chain went. Not what was supposed to happen. Luckily it still works like a dream. 

Cut your chain to the correct length before you actually need it. 

All done. 

This is north side of the road about 100m east of the Frenchman campground driveway. Go find it. 

When the pavement ends near Faro

Water across the road and it hasn't even started raining.

June 6^th Frances lake Yukon to Liard Hotsprings. 381 km

It rained all day. The road was shit. And I was sick and not having fun. Watson lake has a grocery store so I stocked up on chicken soup, sinus meds, cayenne pepper, and tea. Another couple hundred kilometers and I was at the Liard hot springs. Every person I have met that has done the Alaskan Hwy says to stop at the Liard hot springs. I now say the same thing. I spent 2 days soaking in the hot tubs and getting rained on.. eating as much cayenne pepper on in my soup as I can possibly stand.

This is a Yukon "highway"

This water fell in just an hour. 

This tent does pretty well in the rain. 

But a tent can only do some much in so much rain.. day after day.. night after night.. 

 June 8^th Liard BC to Fort Nelson BC. 308 km

By 11 the sun came out. By 1 my stuff was kind of dry and I was on the road. The Alaskan Hwy was washed out in multiple places north of where I was. Luckily by Muncho lake, only one lane was washed out. My timing was perfect to get out of the Yukon because as of now, the Alaskan highway is still closed north of Watson lake. The Campbell highway I came down is also closed because of mud and washouts. I camped in Fort Nelson and did some laundry.

Muncho Lake

June 9^th Fort Nelson BC to Grand Prairie Alberta. 587 km

I woke up at 5 in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep. So by 7:30 I was on the road. 587 boring km later I end up in Grand Prairie. I didn't realise what day it is so I will spend another day here wading for the KTM dealer to open tomorrow. It seems I have blown my fork seals. Hopefully I can get those replaced tomorrow and head down toward Jasper and Banff. By Friday I plan on being in Bozeman Montana.

This is so much better then waking up to rain.