Blogs from Yukon, Canada, North America - page 7

We had a lazy day. Walked downtown for a late breakfast,then wandered around the shops & bought some supplies.This whole town including houses has been kept as authentic as possible to retain an 1800s feeling. It has all been done very well including keeping all the roads as dirt roads. Elevated board walks (necessary in winter) complete the picture. Many museums etc give the whole place a great feel. Back to our miners tent and we shifted rooms (due to our last minute decision to stay an extra night) a few domestic duties (washing etc) then we walked up the road to watch 4wd mud racing. This consisted of racing in 2 dug out trenches around 100m long, both filled with slippery watery mud. Quite entertaining with the sound of V8s revving to unbelievable levels - ... read more

We seem to be waking early, probably because it's light at about 4.40am and will get lighter as we move north. So, we moved off from Dease Lake through the mist at around 7am and stopped at Jade City - which is actually just a tiny dot of a village - for a bite to eat and stretch our legs. There were huge boulders of jade everywhere. I found a small bit but Trev wouldn't carry it (too heavy). From there we pushed on for another half hour and ran into String and then Jack (from our group). We then road together and crossed the British Columbia/Yukon border before stopping at Teslin for a buffalo burger and some coffee. Once fueled we made the final push to Whitehorse where we'll settle for the night. Now you ... read more

Day 7 (Non riding rest day) Spent in Watson Lake. Small town of around 1500 people. Stayed at Airforce Lodge (now privately owned by a German, Mike- who has been there for 19 years & now regards himself as a Canadian). Did some maintenance on the bikes including oil and filter change. Checked out the towns sign board display (started by a homesick GI during WW2), then lunch at B Js truck stop and later dinner at the the Dragons Den (Chinese of course) followed by a film session at the Northern Lights Experience - all about the Aurora Borealis. Very spectacular film & domed ceiling screen but incomprehensible explanation about black holes & the Aurora - maybe Steven Hawkins would have got but it was over our head (pun intended) Riding Day 8. Leaving Watson ... read more

Stage 5 HARTS D RANCH to TOK. Destination: TOKDistance: 104 Kms Total Dist to Date 533km Road Condition: v good Weather: Mostly good and a little warmer. Time in Saddle: 4..5 hours Speed: av 228 kph. Av Cadence 62 rpm Elevation: 586 m up; Total up to Date 4600 m; 730 m down. Total down to date 3590 m. After yesterdays' rain it was good to wake to cloudy skies only! Rode all morning and no rain. Tonight is start of a rest day in a motel. On arrival put tent gear out to dry, amazing how much larger wet gear is in your bag. Then off to the laundry- clean clothes. Knees and hips aching. Will need to adjust seat and perhaps pedals tomorrow. Voltaren Tabs a necessity this afternoon, will apply Voltaren cream to ... read more

English version follows: Du 19 juin au 25 juin 2015 Jour 17 - vendredi, le 19 juin Journée de préparation pour les cyclistes qui vont participer à la course demain ! Les deux amies québécoises s'acclimatent avec le vélo de Jeannette qui ne fera pas le relais et leur a laissé sa place (son étape). Pour ma part, je marche environ 5 km aller-retour pour aller au Walmart acheter des verres à eau. Et oui, hier soir, j'ai cassé trois verres en même temps. Voilà ce qui arrive quand on veut trop en apporter à la fois. Jeannette, même après avoir couru une heure dans la matinée, m'accompagne. Puis, en soirée, nous partons, à cinq, faire une belle marche de 90 minutes le long de la Millennium Trail qui longe le fleuve (http://www.ehcanadatravel.com/yukon/whitehorse/parks/millennium.htm... read more