Week 2 - slowing down a little...Sunday 11 June, Speedo KM 19,352, Glacier National Park , U.S.
Left Moose Jaw today to head towards Montana to Glacier National Park to link up with Mark (who will do the Road of Bones section with me on his modified Kawasaki KLR, while simultaneously pushing me on my super-comfy GS !!). Covered over 900 KM of boring Saskatchewan prairie roads to the Montana border before the Glacier came into view...

where I got a ticking for taking photos of a local family reimporting their 5 handguns and rifles from their little holiday trip...

couple of nice pitstops

I've heard of the Montanabahn with no speed limits so I'll take them at their word... this is all she'll do loaded !

Magnificent drive in and through the Glacier over to the west side

before camping up beside Mark in Praigue National Park...

Monday June 12, Speedo KM 19,753, Radium Hot Springs
We decided to head north towards Canada again, towards Anchorage so we can at least explore options - avoiding Calgary and heading for Bannff and Jasper, magnificent Rocky Mountain drives.

Saw 2 black bears today !! Mark drives real slllooowww, not me on these roads, so we'll have to match our styles a little...

Stopped in Radium Hot Springs, Mark's paranoid about the bears so he's bought himself a bear spray, I just lock up all food in the bike boxes and sleep easy.

Tuesday June 13, Speedo KM 20,168, Jasper
Big thunderstorm last night, the tent held up great. Dried up this morning and fantastic drives and weather to Jasper, B.C. Great camp ground with 7 foot ELK, some Carabou and Deer just brushing past your tent - until you go for a camera that is ! Jasper is a great town, but a huge American tourist trap.

Drove the Icefield Parkway past the Glaciers

and through some maginificent mountain drives

with a little rain thrown in - you get plenty of warning though !!

Wednesday 14 June, Speedo KM 20,748, Lake Fraser
Spotted these wild mountain sheep en route, well camoflaged
.

Also saw a mother and cub black bear. Couldn't turn in time for a photo though...

Lots of logs too...

And lots of old Forest fires line the Highway - acres of it...

Trying to make it further North to meet up with Laurence Mc Laughlin from Wexford (via Belfast) who is on his way down from Anchorage. Laurence drove the Siberian Highway to Vladivostok last year then over to Korea and shipped his bike from there to San Francisco and then on to Anchorage where it met him last week. We've been talking since last year so it's great to finally meet. We didn't get to meet up but tomorrow we will for lunch... he tells us the road ahead - the Cassiar Highway is closed at times for bridge repair so we need to time our run tomorrow.
Stayed up late to ring Mia and wish her a happy birthday - really miss you guys !

Thursday 15 June, campsite, start of Cassiar, Speedo KM 21,109
Happy Birthday Mia !!
Met laurence for a long lunch in Smithers,

good day and beautiful scenery, saw a wolf and several fox en route. Laurence wrecked his rear end on the Pan European last year and replaced it but seems to have a seal leak - hope it holds up Laurence !!

Camped in a TeePee last night, which was warm and comfy,

only after a dirt ride up the back of the campsite...

Need to start early to make the the bridge before it closes for the day at 10.00

Local employer is all logging - so I guess they take the company car home...

"

Friday 16 June, Lake Dease, Speedo KM 21,619
Long chat with the girls at home this morning - glad they're enjoying themselves. Made the bridge !

Metal bridges all the way, which make unsure riding, but great views down...

Lot of gravel and dirt sections but easy riding and little traffic.

That's 2 weeks done and KM 8,000 done so far. Motel tonight for some comfort and laundry

Saturday June 17, Teslin, Yukon, Speedo KM 22,117
Beautiful campsite by the Yukon, by the bridge - damn cold though, down to 1 degree celsius, but a beautiful morning

River still rising due to the melted snow, will park further next time !

Next 2 days will be up the Klondike Highway which fed the Gold Rush masses - on we go.... north !!

Sunday 18 June, Pelly Crossing, Yukon, Speedo KM 22,607
On and into the Yukon. Most dramatic scenery since the Icefield Parkway in B.C. - beautiful Canyons and purple sweet pea flowers line the highway.
Stopped in Whitehorse and bought a couple of Cubans to be smoked (after smuggling through Alaska - oh the titillation of it !!) if we successfully cross the Road of Bones. (and if we don't we'll smoke them as a consolation...)

Ate at a super shck run by Penny and Faren from Munich in Pelly Crossing (actually the shack is Pelly Crossing)

- real dusty too...

The truck waters down the dust 5 times a day...

Blending in with the locals...

Had the full camping experience (including the marshmallows) in the woods across from the Shack

and heard the local Indian (First Nation) population was a bit hard on the drink so they made it a dry community - they had kicked in every window in the bank, post office and grocery Store the previous weekend...

Fantastic weather and long long days since we've been heading north every day for 4 days, down to 3 hours partial darkness

Met John from B.C. who's a retired trucker who sold up the house, kept the truck and bought this to pull... been on the road with his wife a year now - you've got to admire these guys !

Monday 19 June, Dawson City, Yukon, Speedo KM 22,878
Dawson City used to be the largest settlement north of San Francisco a hundred years back during the Gold Rush. Gold and tourism are the only industries now. Beautiful old Wild West Town with original wooden sidewalks,

Saloon doors and dirt streets

and off course street hockey...

Met Hans (he's 68 and from Holland) flew his 1989 R 100 over from Holland and is touring for 3 months. He's put up 250,000 on the bike from new - servicing ? A little oil now and then...

Are you branching out Paddy ??

Here comes our ferry to take us over the Yukon to our campsite - runs 24 hours and is the only link to the "Top of the World Highway"

First on first off !

Met Andy (originally Wasington D.C.) and Kate (originally Newfoundland) and both now live in Eagle, Alaska. Eagle is 100km off the "Top of the World Highway" which is a summer only road over to Alaska. That is them and their 18 Huskies and 6 pups. Kate sounds just like an Irish girl though she's never been there. They crew a tourist boat up the yukon for 4 months and just live off the land trapping and eating for the other 8 months. They've invited us up for Salmon and Carabou (if we can fish them and shoot them !!) for the 21st (the longest day of the year since they're just 100 miles short of the Arctic Circle.

Best go to bed so at 2am there's only an hour's twilight before sunrise