Day 16 Meetings and Greetings

It was a good thing that Bryan had ridden last night so that we could skip the construction zone gravel today.  His return mileage to Johnson’s Crossing was almost exactly that of the disruption. From there, it was clear sailing in ever more cloudy skies. He surprised me with quick arrivals at both our arranged stops.

At the Marsh Lake Dam rest area, overlooking the Yukon River Bridge, I took advantage of the trails and intermittent sunshine to stretch out. It is ironic that on this physical challenge for Bryan, I am getting less activity that ever!  However, I enjoyed a phone chat with Brenda Petriw, a former colleague from Outlook living with her husband Doug who was also a teacher at LCBI, now in Whitehorse. We will certainly visit them in person on our return trip when school is out.  Bryan’s highlight of that part of the ride was an amazing rainbow that radiated from the lake surface to the sky with layers of colour. He’d never seen such a display. I was glad that he had missed the rain that I went through.

All morning, the appearance of power lines, garbage in the ditches, and then school bus stop signs indicated increasing population density. Our arrival into Whitehorse was greeted by miles of advertising of the services there.  I understand that the capital of Yukon is 35 km long, with many outlying residential areas. The downtown is certainly well laid out along the riverbank, with the architecture reminiscent of the gold rush days.

To our delight, we were also able to connect with shirttail relatives, Karen and Wayne Vallevand.  They both work downtown at CBC, just minutes from where we parked. Karen is the area manager for CBC North while her brother, Wayne, is on the TV side of the operations.  Their dad, Lloyd, working on the new Alcan Highway in the early years, met and won Virginia, a local woman. They married and raised their family in the Whitehorse area.  How fun to hear about the northern branch of the Demaine area Vallevand family, on Bryan’s grandmother Signe’s side. We had a good visit and a warm welcome….Northern hospitality at its finest!

We also found more Inuvik connections in Whitehorse. The attendant at the visitor information, Joyce, knows both my former student and Cid, our Prince George RV host. As well, Cathy, the CBC receptionist, grew up in Inuvik and was able to give first-hand advice on the Dempster Highway.

As we left the Junction of the Alaska Highway #1 and our new #2 route to Dawson City, the landscape quickly changed into poplar bluffs and ranch land, with a surprise sod farm irrigating in the rain. We could see that it had been very dry earlier, so as Prairie people, we understand the joy that a downpour can bring. Even though Bryan also heard the hail on his helmet and felt the wet, he remained positive. He has never complained, but instead, keeps me upbeat with his energy and determination. Still, enough with the rain!

Bryan noted that the roads are in good shape, with the few potholes filled and the shoulders smooth if narrow. As we settled in for the night in the beautiful Fox Lake Government Campground, we roasted hotdogs on the fire beside a musical stream. We even had a canopy of pine that kept us dry as the rain started again. Today’s mileage on the bike…..153 km. Today’s final thoughts…..a week from now, we just might be in Inuvik…..about 1200 km to go!