Dwagenheim

I was up for an early start. My muscles ached but the day was looking great – very welcoming. I headed to a stop called Boundary, were I thought the border crossing was. It turned out customs was another 4 miles and 1000 ft in elevation up. It was a long 4 miles, the sun was beamin'! Finally the buildings were in sight. Off to my left there were beautiful views of the mountain range. Going through customs was easy. Unfortunately, the cute officer didn't frisk me but she almost took away my small pepper spray on account that its not permitted in Canada unless it's labeled specifically for use against animals. As soon as I entered the Yukon, the road improved from gravel to chip seal. One more incline and then a spectacular sight unfolded before me. I was on the Top of the World Highway and the views certainly made me feel I was on top of the world. I had a nice downhill with the mountains in the distance to my left and the tree covered valleys and rounded mountains to my right. Unfortunately, the decline didn't last long. For the next 30 or so miles, I had some tough inclines, but none were too steep. I came across 2 cyclists from Holland and we just chatted briefly about the roads ahead of us. They informed me I'd be happy to know there was a nice downhill into Dawson City. But that was a ways to go. After 40 miles on the day, I was on my last sip of water and my legs were feeling sore. I waved down the next RV with an empty water bottle and some nice people from Oregon filled me up and even gave me a couple of granola bars. It was just what I needed to give me my second wind and the next 20 miles seemed to go by pretty easily. As I got closer to Dawson, the mountain range to the North became even more spectacular. Large rain clouds had been looming about throughout the day but luckily I managed to miss them all. I was getting ready for those last 10 miles of downhill into Dawson. It sounded too good to be true, but sure enough it happened. It was an awesome ride. I was in my highest gear most of the time but didn't even have to pedal much at all. I saw a big porcupine scurry off into the bush as I cruised past. I could se the mighty Yukon River, a great sight. Shortly after, I approached Dawson City. I could see the whole city below me as I was still high up on the road. I snapped some photos and finished my nice cruise right up to the river. It is necessary to take a ferry across the Yukon to get to Dawson City, but the Hostel was on my side of the river so I checked in with Deiter, who has cycled throughout most of the world. We didn't talk too much about cycling, as it was clear he has switched gears and has become quite the businessman. Eleven bucks to pitch my tent. A little pricey, but I was excited about this bathhouse on the premises. I set up my tent and promptly headed to the bathhouse to wash away 3 days of cycling funk. It was a glorious experience. I mixed in a little cold water with the wood stove heated water to get just the right temperature. I sat on my little bench and poured on the warm water. It felt so good, I was letting out moans of satisfaction. Later on I met a few folks, Dan, Jason, and Gutz around the tent sight and we made a fire and talked. I had some soup and enjoyed the mosquito-less night. Before long it was 2am and I hit the sack anticipating the big day in town tomorrow. (79 miles)

Peace

Dave

Dwagenheim

Pic: Beautiful scenery of the mountains just North of the US/Canada border near Boundary, Alaska.

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Pic: More mountain views

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Pic: Top of the World Highway, Yukon Territory

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Pic: A view of the Yukon River on the Top of the World Highway, Yukon Territory.

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Pic: A view of Dawson City coming in from the West.

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Pic: The view just East of Dawson City from the West side of the Yukon River.

aerobat

Welcome to Canada, Dave!