As there’s snow in Denali Nationalpark, I decide to go further to Yukon and say “good bye” to Alaska.
Probably I should have made that decision earlier as the weather turns even better than the day before as it would try to convince me to stay longer. But I’m already on my way, now in golden sun light, to the former capital of the gold fever: Dawson City.
Coincidentally I arrive exactly at the event of the year of this small town: Discovery Days. It’s the weekend when the discovery of gold in the region is celebrated, which was the birth of the city,. Besides the 1300 inhabitants there are hundreds of tourists to attend the different events. I’m happy walking through the streets and looking in a few local pubs to get an impression how the life might have looked like in former days. It’s really a very nice place where the houses are kept in the design of the boom time, more than 100 years ago. In my spontaneous study about the former times I decide to have a glimpse in the old Casino where the old form of entertainment is shown: Cancan. It wasn’t bad at all…
As my fortune isn’t stuck to gold, I hit the road again and find it in the great scenery of this beautiful country. The sun is my (nearly) permanent companion from now on. Only short rain showers happen which creates a perfect scene for my little unicorn…uhm beast: My motorcycle under two rainbows. Amazing
As there shouldn’t be any rain the following night, I decide to build up my tent which provided perfect service during my around the world trip.
Why do I mention it? Because it will be the last time I’ll be able to sleep in it. For whatever reasons the next day one of the straps which holds the whole package of my camping equipment on my motorcycle get loose and the package drops in front of the outlet of the muffler. It only takes a few minutes and the heat burns a huge hole into the package and it contents. So, no camping on this trip any more. Plus the rear of the motorcycle is now decorated by some feathers of my sleeping bag. It looks now as the Beast ran through a herd of chickens…
But that was the only downside of those days since Fairbanks. I met great people, have nice talks, wonderful rides and perfect scenery. When I stop at one lake to see if I can take some nice pictures, I meet Sophie and Greg from Belgium who are on a working holiday in Canada and travel with their camper. Spontaneously they invited me to a fantastic old school european coffee. Didn’t have that for a long time…and it tasted so good! Thank you, Sophie and Greg! Enjoy your time in Canada!
In Watson Lake I realize that I wasn’t prepared enough for this little place: I didn’t bring a sign of my home village. My bad. 33,000 people did. Now you can spend hours to search for the sign of your origin.
The last days were really exhausting with all those long rides, so I take the hint of Sophie and Greg and make a stop at the Liard Hot Spring. It’s hot! And relaxing…too relaxing…so, I replan the next days. But this day will be my day off…more or less.
Quite relaxed I head the next day to Yellowknife…
It’ll be a long day as I take the whole way at once…I didn’t plan it like that but the places in between weren’t really too pleasing to stay. The first few hundred miles were quite lonely … only two black bears, a few mooses and some bisons were on the road.
No surprise that one of the very few gas station on the way closed some time ago (but is still shown as available on many road maps)…and I nearly ran out of gas. It happened already twice on that trip in Alaska and always someone came by and brought some gas…but here’s no one on the road, luckily there’s a small camp site close to an amazing waterfall and the ranger offers me the last liters of his spare gas. …besides of this amazing support, I’m surprised by something else… the first minutes I ignore it completely but finally I realize that it’s hot! I’m sweating and have to take off the rain-layer of my motor-bike suit. I guess I did that the last time in New Mexico.
The last few hundred miles aren’t that lonely any more…although not too many wild animals on the road but one truck passing by every half an hour…crowded!
I arrive close to midnight in Yellowknife and will be surprised by an Aurora on the deck of the apartment I’ll stay the next two days. Fascinated by that I’ll head out the next night into the wild to watch it in complete darkness.