A little scenery from our day. More photos on Facebook.

A beautiful morning, leaving Fort Nelson.


Entering the Yukon. The first mile is totally gravel just to keep you guessing.


800 kilometers from mile 0 at Dawsons Creek. We ended the day at 1400+.


The Watson Lake Sign Forest's newest addition... Thanks Rick! I'm sure Eskimo Joe's will appreciate the advertisement.


I'm sure this is actually a mis-spelled tribute to Ricky-Chuck...

In Which Rivers are Crossed

Assume this posted yesterday, the 21st (didn't have a connection at Ft. Nelson).

We finished early today, rolling into our stop early in the afternoon. It was beautiful this morning in Dawson's Creek, cool but sunny. The town is actually mile 0 of the Alaskan Highway, which we'll ride all the way to Fairbanks. We climbed out of town into the wooded ridges of BC. The Rockies made an appearance again, pulling into view like an old friend. The peaks weren't as high as the ones we'd seen back in the States, the snowy crags were softened by lush forest, the last of the snow; gleaming in the high ridges.

We rode the low foothills of the peaks along avenues cut through the woodland. At times we would dip into valleys cut by huge rivers. We crossed the Peace River early in the day, sweeping along the curve of the valley, over the long steel bridge, then back up into the hills.

The dichotomy between the old forest and the new growth planted after the loggers had passed through is striking. Like a bad shave, the grassland ends in sudden woods a hundred feet high.

A few hours into our ride the sky clouded up again. We spent the rest of the day running in and out of the rain.

My weak American rain gear is insufficient against the might of Canadian socialised weather. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse about my boots, the rain, et al. So from now on understand that if I mention rain then, I probably got wet on the road. Not that it makes a huge difference, I've got electric pants.

We're staying at the Woodlands Inn & Suites, which seems a little schizophrenic, but really nice. The halls are all painted cinderblock, I can only assume it's to keep everything from getting mildew in the winter. The rooms are all very nice, and the restaurant is very posh!

The Alaska Highway, Mile Marker 0

Dawson Creek, British Columbia - June 21, 2011


The Alaska Highway is nearly 1,400 miles long and was originally constructed by the US Army using 30,000 men over a nine-month period in 1942.

Riders on the Storm

Edmonton flooded today. I know because I drove through it. Today was probably the wettest day of our trip so far, although it lacked the mind-boggling fury of Friday. It rained on us the first few hours of the day, and I discovered a flaw in my rain gear. If you throw enough water at my shoes the moisture will creep around the tongue and flood the boot. So I spent the day with a squishy step. C'est la vie! I deserve a merit badge or something.

We quickly got away from the fields around Edmonton and up into the wooded hills that formed the backdrop for most of the day. The highways we took were cut through the Canadian forest, and while there were many signs warning of moose crossing I never caught sight of any of the hairy beasts. The weather let up shortly before lunch, so I took a moment when we stopped at Whitecourt for lunch to empty as much water as I could from my shoes. Our food options weren't very good. It was mostly chains, but we found a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese buffet on our way out of town. It was mostly edible. We were happy just to have some time to dry off, so the food almost didn't matter! As we rode up the ridges we would catch glimpses of the forest stretching out around us. It was really quite beautiful, and love the chance to explore these forests again.

We reached British Columbia by early afternoon, and entered the Pacific time zone. Dawson's Creek was only half an hour over the border. I was very glad to get my wet boots off! This town is mile zero for the Alaskan Highway, which we'll be following all the way back to the US.

The Charm

Northern Montana is, ultimately, kind of a boring place to ride through. Outside Great Falls the prairie stretches all the way to Alberta, with barely more than a hill to break the monotony. The morning broke grey and somber. I saw a mountain lion, but it broke my heart when I caught sight of its tawny form. It had been hit sometime in the night, and lay in a ruin on the shoulder.

Time doesn't mean much on a long rides, even more so the farther north we get. Minutes and hours are replaced with tanks of gas. It was a four tank day today, which was easier than yesterday's grand tour.

I've never been to our northern neighbor, but crossing the border into Canada was easy enough. Easiest customs I've ever gone through, the line was longer than the interview. The suit at the window was peasant, and chatty. "How's the economy down there?" "Is Oklahoma a native reservation?" Bad and no, but thanks for asking!

Alberta continued the rolling fields, although the prairie gave way to farmland as we continued north. Some of the culture in Alberta reminds me of home. It feels a little like the Bible Belt and the people here seem damn proud to live in the province. Across from every Walmart is a "100% Real Canadian" big box store, which is both precious and a little defensive.

Also! I was happy to see the "Devils Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum" on our route. It's so nice to see a government inclusive-enough to include it's scalier citizens.

Good food though, Yakisoba for lunch in Lethbridge, where all women wear slip-on shoes, and Buffalo Wings in Edmonton for dinner!

We drove through rain several times, but by now that's become old hat. Here's to you, Canada! Hopefully your terrain will be a little exciting tomorrow.

Ft. Collins to Edmonton

We headed north the next morning from Ft. Collins. We dressed for the cold and rode toward Wyoming. The mountains rose up on our left, gleaming in the morning light, and for a moment I wished we weren't headed for the Arctic Circle, but instead riding to the top of the Rockies. Ascending to the uttermost pinnacle then looking out on the mottled country stretching as far as the eye can see. We made good time, the roads were nearly empty, and the Colorado farmland slowly gave way to the rugged outcroppings of Wyoming. Near the border, set way up on a steep hill was a huge buffalo cameo. Huge, untamed, and a little sad, it marked the spiritual border between the states.

We passed a Budget truck not far into Wyoming, and as I got closer I noticed that the warning labels on the outside were unusual. Instead of flammability signage or compressed air, this truck was radioactive. Who carries nuclear fuel rods in a rental truck?

We passed through endless, rolling, rocky fields populated with cattle and sheep and solitary pronghorn. The mountains faded out of sight to the west as we shot past them, we wouldn't see them again till we turned west in Montana. The terrain softened as we approached, dark outcroppings turning to peaked green waves.

We passed a sign for South Fork Crazy Woman. I was worried for a moment, would we have to drive around her? Would she have an pitchfork? Or an axe? I was less worried when we crossed the bridge for Middle Fork Crazy Woman. There was no North Fork, I hope she's not lost. Mental illness is no joke.

Montana sets an easy rhythm, ascending the high green hills then roaring down again. It started to cloud up around Billings, so we pulled over to get our rain gear. Part of the city is built several hundred feet over the rest on a Mesa, and we road up it to continue our journey. It was an astonishing sight, the view from the right was grey rain-washed prairie, to the left was a sheer drop over the city below.

We were lucky, this storm never got us, but north of the city the prairie turned it an inland sea. The grassland had been converted to endless shallows. Motana is incredibly flooded, rivers running fast and brown have jumped their banks and in places it had obviously been over the road. I was happy to be out of the lands after a few hours. We approached another storm, and this time we weren't so lucky. It didn't have a quarter of the force of the last day's weather, but we still got some rain. Our gear kept us dry and comfortable this time!

The last leg of our journey took us through the valley of Otter Creek. It was beautiful green country, and the serpentine route made for a pleasant end as we approached Great Falls.

First Day Videos

Here are two links to videos from the first day of our ride. Thanks to Rick and Nita for assembling and locating these!

Departure: http://rushingaround.net/Alaska/Trip%20Pics/Cycle-Circle_day1_Quicktime.html

Hail Storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9lrS9nrH58