the yukon

Now, 2 weeks & 3 days after we began, we're in the Haines Junction, Yukon. My friend from the library, Sally, owns a home in Haines Junction where we've been able to sleep, shower, and do laundry. After living outside for 17 days with almost no extra clothing we were all in need of a good scrub and our wardrobes certainly needed the laundering. After all the rain that we've had (almost every day!) we were all really looking forward to sleeping someplace dry and warm. Sally and Trevor, thanks again! Anyway, here's what's been happening:

Wednesday: Kelly drove back to Anchorage, I hitched to Tok. After thumbing on the highway for almost two hours I was picked up by some older southern folks driving a pickup and towing a camper. We fit my bike in the truck bed and there was room for me in the cab. As soon as we were on the rode the matriarch announced it was time for lunch and soon we had parked at a rest stop and we sat around a table in their camper eating eating sandwiches. Over lunch I learned that two of them, Georgia and Rodney, were from Oklahoma but wintered in Texas, and Clifford, Rodney's brother, still lived in Oklahoma. They were all retired and spent their time traveling and visiting their many children and grandchildren that had spread across the continent. I was, Rodney told me, the first hitchhiker he'd picked up since 1975. I'm kind of a lucky guy.

Once in Tok I found Kayla almost immediately. She was pitching a tent in the big, gravel lot behind the grocery store, gas station, and diner that line the southern side of the Alaska Highway as it runs east out of Tok. This was the only place they had found to camp for free in town, and so was the best choice financially. It was also conveniently near everything. In Tok though, everyplace is near everything. After reuniting to hugs and happiness Ben and Kayla decided that they would like to ride out the next day. We decided that we would meet up in one week in Haines Junction.

Thursday: Ben and Kayla left town early, I stayed in Tok for a litte rest and reading. The hotel across the road had a computer in the lobby for guests to use and a few times I sneaked in to make blog posts and reply to emails. That evening I met an interesting couple who told me of their plans for an unsupported summit of Denali. Their hope was to avoid the expense of flying in to the west buttress route, and  instead to take the tour bus out of the Denali visitor center to Wonder Lake, and from there to hike/climb their entire way to the summit. They estimated a travel time of 20 days round trip. Though much shorter, that's a much more adventurous trip than this bike trip. I wish them luck.

more soon.....