I left Tok about 8am and was heading for Watson Lake. This I would normally do in 2 days but there wasn’t a room available anywhere in Whitehorse for the night and it had just snowed 8 inches the day before so I decided to plod on. Too cold for the tent!
The stretch of the Alaskan Highway from Tok to Haines Junction in the Yukon is a lonely and lousy piece of highway. It is being worked on but there are continuous frost heaves that just jar you as you ride along. It makes it difficult to make good time. In addition, the construction is all over the place and when wet, as it was now, can be slippery and difficult on a bike. I was about to cross from Alaska into the Yukon and was riding through a construction site when I hit deep gravel. I was going about 35-40 at the time and the patch I hit was about a foot deep and loose. The fork twisted and I was pitched sideways so hard I was thrown off the bike. I was quite pleased that my muscle memory of skydiving took over, tuck and roll, and I came out OK. Just a little bruised and sore. My bike faired OK too receiving some scratches, a couple of broken fairings, a broken headlight and a broken windshield support. I collected myself and after inspecting the bike and fixing what I could, I got back on and proceeded towards Watson Lake.
By the time I was about 450 miles from my destination I was ready to quit. I was approaching Teslin in the Yukon and stopped there for the night at the Dawson Peaks Campground. Dave, the owner, was just finishing his Dinner service but kept it open for me. He served a wonderful Chicken Cordon bleu that was the best I have ever had. He did this on a wood burning stove mind you. Good food, a good night’s sleep and I was ready for the next leg in the morning, stiff and pretty sore, but ready.
The stretch of the Alaskan Highway from Tok to Haines Junction in the Yukon is a lonely and lousy piece of highway. It is being worked on but there are continuous frost heaves that just jar you as you ride along. It makes it difficult to make good time. In addition, the construction is all over the place and when wet, as it was now, can be slippery and difficult on a bike. I was about to cross from Alaska into the Yukon and was riding through a construction site when I hit deep gravel. I was going about 35-40 at the time and the patch I hit was about a foot deep and loose. The fork twisted and I was pitched sideways so hard I was thrown off the bike. I was quite pleased that my muscle memory of skydiving took over, tuck and roll, and I came out OK. Just a little bruised and sore. My bike faired OK too receiving some scratches, a couple of broken fairings, a broken headlight and a broken windshield support. I collected myself and after inspecting the bike and fixing what I could, I got back on and proceeded towards Watson Lake.
By the time I was about 450 miles from my destination I was ready to quit. I was approaching Teslin in the Yukon and stopped there for the night at the Dawson Peaks Campground. Dave, the owner, was just finishing his Dinner service but kept it open for me. He served a wonderful Chicken Cordon bleu that was the best I have ever had. He did this on a wood burning stove mind you. Good food, a good night’s sleep and I was ready for the next leg in the morning, stiff and pretty sore, but ready.
1 comment:
Ouch! I'm glad to learn that you know how to handle yourself in a crash, Jay. No more crashing, please. I hope you feel better soon! I'm sure it won't keep you down for long, tough guy. Love, Val
Post a Comment