TOP OF THE WORLD WITH TRACEY

I had one goal today – to be on the Top of the World highway on Tracey’s birthday and spread some ashes and shed some tears.  It seemed to me the most special place I could be for the occasion.   So, Happy Birthday, Tracey, and welcome to the Top of the World! 

The top of the world highway is reached by getting on a little ferry that goes across the Yukon River and drops you on the other side.  On a street bike, the “highway” is a bit of a catch-22.  It is jaw-dropping in it’s beauty, but the road demands all of one’s attention as it is loose gravel after the first 10 kms or so.  It was slow going and I had to keep pulling over to gawk. I rode about half-way before turning around, deciding I didn't want to put any excessive wear on my tires, or find out why the acronym for the highway is T.O.W.   But it was so very worth it to be there on Tracey’s birthday and it felt so good to achieve that goal.  Nothing else would have satisfied me.

Coming back down was just as lovely and I stopped at a rest stop that I had passed on the way up.  It had a sign that said Fortymile Herd.  This is an area where the caribou have been successfully re-established.  It also had a beautiful view of the mountains and the river.   You can see that I also stopped at the blacksmith shop at this location but he said they didn’t have the right kind of shoes for steel horses.   😊

Skipping back across the river on the ferry, I continued past downtown to Dome Road.  This road ends at the top of a mountain with a panoramic view of the city and surrounding landscape.  It’s easy to see how people get charmed by Dawson City.  In the summer, anyway – not sure it would be so charming in the winter.

After that, I strolled around town a bit, which I will tell stories about tomorrow and probably post about a billion photos.  When I returned to the Bunkhouse, some of my fellow riders were sitting out on the verandah having a chat, so I joined them for awhile before going for dinner.  Most of them are up here to do the Inuvik – Tuktoyaktuk road.  From the stories of snow and mud and broken limbs they saw along the way, it does not sound like a road for my bike!  There are folks from all over the world that come here to ride that road and the Alaska highway.  I’ve met people from England, Italy, BC, Germany and the US so far.  The gentleman from the UK has a motorcycle touring company.  Next adventure?

I went for dinner and met a couple from Fort Steele, BC.  They are making a journey through Alaska, Yukon and BC with an RV.  Really nice folks and I’m glad I invited them to join me. 

Time for bed now – lots to see tomorrow on my last day in Dawson City.  ​