Picto Diary - 12 June 2016 - Bear
Day 5. Alaska Highway. Liard River, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon. 460 miles. 2012 BMW F800 GS motorcycle.
Above: Prepping to leave in Coal River, BC. Mile 539. 12 June 2016.
We had just had breakfast in the Coal River cafe, 50 miles or so up the highway from our hotel in Liard River, where there was no food.
Inside the cafe was the highway line painting crew that manned the trucks beyond the bikes and riders in the image.
Above: Coal River cafe. Coal River, BC. 12 June 2016.
In the rear of the image is seated a couple who had ridden their Indian motorcycle from Anchorage. They were headed home to Calgary, AB.
Two line painting guys are in the reflector jackets.
One line painting guy, from Vancouver, BC... the guy on the right... explained to us the technology of highway line painting. He said TV's and lasers were used to insure highway line painting accuracy.
When his supervisor came in a few minutes after this image was captured, he said. "That's my supervisor. He watches TV all day. Same show... over and over." And, then, he broke out laughing.
Above: Brown bear cub alongside the Alaska highway. Circa 9:30 AM. Circa mile 560.
I was riding sweep when I saw this bear. The cub was on the opposite side of the road, so I was over 60 feet away from the bear, with the roadway separating us.
I was a bit fearful.... I shut down the motorcycle engine. I hustled to get my camera out... pointed it and zoomed a bit... put the camera away and then got out of there.
My companions had slowed, allowing me to catch up. Galt, Earp, and Cal Poly are very attentive riders in tracking riders behind them. Sometimes, in a group, if you're riding sweep, you wonder if anyone will ever come back for you if you disappear from their rear view mirrors. Not these guys. Kudos.
Later, when I described my bear photo shoot to Galt, he said, "well Steve, you used up one of your nine lives. He went on to say that where there was a cub brown bear, there was a mama grizzlie near by. Had the cub showed the least bit of anxiety, the mama grizzlie would have been all over me in seconds.
Its one thing stopping to see a bear in a car... another, on a motorcycle.... I guess.
Above: Motorcycle tourer futzes with BMW R1200 GS motorcycle. Johnson's Crossing. Mile 837 Alaska Highway. 12 June 2016.
Bike is outfitted for hard core touring. These riders are campers. They carry tents, sleeping bags and other camping paraphernalia.
This rider, and his female companion, riding pillion, had met up with us at Teslin Lake, some 70 miles back. He need gas at Teslin lake and the pumps there wouldn't work because of a power outage. He was able to buy a gallon of gas from another rider, but was unsure of his ability to make to Johnson's Crossing. He asked if he could ride with our group to Johnson's crossing. In the event he ran out of gas... we would be able to help...perhaps by siphoning some of our own gas... or by riding to the gas pump and returning him some gas.
In these far wilderness areas... there is an unwritten rule that calls for people helping one another out when possible. Sometimes, its hard to help people who are unprepared for the rigors of hard core motorcycle touring, but, this guy was legitimately stymied by a gas shortage due to power outage.
On the other hand, most riders you see up in this area, carry auxiliary gas supplements. I carry a half gallon. Also, I bought a gallon insurance in Teslin Lake from a kind Tennessee Harley rider... who seeing my anguish about not being able to fill up, offered the assistance. He didn't want money. I paid, though.
I take back my long voiced criticism of Harley riders as mostly using their bikes as garage jewelry. There are quite a few hard core Harley motorcycle touring riders riding the Alaska highway.... including Cal Poly, who is riding with our group.
Above: Yuri, Helga and the Bishop. Motorcycle tourers. Miles Canyon. Mile 894. Alaska Highway. 12 June 2016.
Yuri, from Serbia and Helga, from Lithuania, are now residents of Toronto. They are riding the Alaska Highway pillion on a Kawasaki KLR.
Seeing my Utah tag, Yuri asked if I'd been to Provo. "It's my home town," I said, surprised at his question.
Yuri said he used to work for Novell and was frequently at Novell's Provo facility.... fifteen years ago.
Meeting fellow motorcycle tourers along the road!
Above: Bishop. Miles Canyon. Yukon River. Whitehorse, Yukon.
sung to the tune of.....
Bishop rode to Touchet in the year of naught 16.
Joined Galt and Cal Poly, with Wyatt Earp riding in between.
They reached the Yukon River on the great Alaska Road.
Below that old white mountain, quite a bit northwest of Toad.
Where the road, she is windin', big scenes they are findin',
North... to Alaska, the moto rush is on.
North... to Alaska, the moto rush is on.
Way up north...
North to Alaska...
Way up North...
North to Alaska...
North to Alaska, the moto rush is on.
Above: John Galt approves of message in barbershop window. Whitehorse, Yukon. 12 June 2016. Mile 898 Alaska Highway.
We had not pre-booked a room in Whitehorse. We almost didn't find one. It appears that a 300 full plane load of German tourists had just flown in on a direct flight from Frankfurt.
We learned that Lufthansa flies twice a week to Whitehorse during the summer.
See what I mean about the intrepid German tourists?
Above: Cal Poly, serverToddy, and John Galt. Wheelhouse Restaurant. Whitehorse, Yukon. 12 June 2016.
Give this tattooed millenial server credit. She out bantered us all and rendered superior service to boot. Came to Whitehorse from Ontario as a nanny 4 years ago. Loves it in Whitehorse.
Really good fine dining... Malbec in Yukon? Who'd a thunk?
Wheelhouse. Go!
North to Alaska. The moto rush is on.
On King. On you huskies.