Friday the 13^th.

As we leave Takhini, the wind is blowing toward us instead of with us as it has been for the entire trip up until today.  We press on into heavy clouds and overcast skies over Whitehorse.  This turns to sprinkles near downtown Whitehorse, and the headwinds are continuing, and getting brisk.  Jim suggests that we go to a place near the airport named the Chalet for lunch.  Jim’s overall navigation and estimates of achievable distances and good places to shoot for is always good, so we press on.

At the Chalet, we pig out once again.  The waitress is kind enough to make me a chocolate milk shake.  The specialty of the house is a huge cinnamon bun.  We each get one, and put it away.  While eating, we keep an eye on a windsock across the road near the entrance to the airport.  It is blowing straight out toward the north, and we are going south.  A straight out windsock means at least a 20 miles per hour wind.  The road ahead will not be fun.

135th Meridian - 850 miles West of LA

Harley with Umbrella and Motorcycle Panda

At Carcross Corners there is a patch of sun and calm near the post office, and we sit for awhile in it.  Gasoline is selling here at 85.9 cents per liter.  After fighting the headwind all day, we are almost too tired to notice the Harley-Davidson motorcycle with the umbrella and a stuffed panda dressed in motorcycle garb.  As we begin to realize just how ridiculous this looks, the guy takes off.  I’m sorry to say that this is the best photo we have of it.

The wind is still fighting us as we start down the Klondike highway to Carcross.  (Carcross, by the way, is short for Caribou Crossing).  While pushing the pedals, I speculate on the nature of weather, and how important it all is when you are on a bike.  

Some speculations: Are the clouds and rain you see ahead coming toward you or going away; is that patch of blue in the overcast going to open up and turn into blue sky, or close up and turn into rain; is that steady breeze pushing you along going to continue, or go away, or worse, turn against you, like today.

Whitehorse is at the center of the headwaters for two major river systems; the Takhini, and the Yukon.  I check the wind direction, and watch the clouds roll around in these valleys and the other valleys which surround us.  Some of the valleys are socked in with dark, threatening clouds, some are full of fluffy cumulous, and some are clear with sun shining down.  I am constantly trying to guess which valley has the winning combination for me, and I am constantly measuring the wind direction to try to figure out whether I am heading into good weather or bad.

Fahrtlich and Gear Shifting technique

Fahrtlich is a German word meaning, I think, a series of upgrades and downgrades.  These are more typical of our trip than any other type of road.  Jim tells me that cross-country ski coaches like to have their skiers train on Fahrtlich.  On a ride on a loaded bike, however, fahrtlich is a butt buster.  To deal with it when the bike weighs  a total of 250 pounds, and there is a headwind, good gear shifting technique is essential.  

At the beginning of the trip, mine is not, and on a lot of hills I have had to dismount and walk the bike because I could not shift into my lowest gear range.  Even worse, I have had occasionally been unable to shift into the upper gear on a downgrade, thus loosing momentum unnecessarily.  I think I have tried every trick for improving my shifting, but it is getting worse instead of better by this time. 

Finally I ask Jim what to do, because I fear I will have to try to adjust the shifting mechanism myself, or risk busting a chain, or spend a lot more time walking the bike as we get closer to the White Pass.  Jim says I should shift the gear, then pause without pedaling, then pedal forward slowly while the chain engages the sprocket in the new gear.  I focus on this technique, and finally get it right.  Shifting is no problem from then on so long as I anticipate my gear changes while the bike still has momentum..

Robinson, YT

Old Stove at Robinson, YT

Robinson, YT was once a booming mining town run by “Stikine Bill” Robinson.  Bill Robinson was a mover and shaker in this mining community that grew up next to the then new White Pass and Yukon Rail Road.  

One of the stories about Stikine Bill is the flyer he gave to people who chartered his sled for winter trips between the small communities in the area.  Any northerner knows that trails that go over iced-over waterways, and iced-over water bodies of any kind, are pretty tricky any time of the year, but especially so in the spring and fall.  Bill's flyer said: "When the sled sinks through the ice, all passengers will remain in their seats until the sled hits the bottom, then they must walk ashore."

According to one news paper report, Stikine Bill made short work of the many "indolent toilers" that he came across in the north, and who sometimes ended up on one of his work crews.

This was a pleasant little stop, and we take an hour or so to check out the old buildings.

Attempt at Renovation of an Old Building at Robinson

A Sturdy Structure - Once upon a time

Blue Flowers at Robinson

As we push off from Robinson, we note that the wind is still fighting us, but we hope it will calm down in the evening.  It doesn’t calm down.  The farther south we go, the stronger the head wind.  It seems like it is at least a steady 35 miles per hour.  We are both pedaling in first gear as hard as we can, but we are not making much headway.

It is tempting to pull off the road and try to find a place out of the wind to pitch our tent, but Jim says there is a good campground at Spirit Lake several more miles up the road.  I am very discouraged about pedaling any further, but Jim’s navigation and recommendations about places to stay has always been good.  We press on, and finally, at 10:00pm arrive at the Spirit Lake Campground.

New Log Cabin at Spirit Lake Campground

The cabin is nicely constructed and wind proof.  Sleep is somewhat irregular for both of us.  I wake up about 2:00am in the pitch dark, and am sure there is some kind of critter crawling on me.  I shake it off, and scramble around looking for my flashlight.  Jim wakes up and says he is having a lot of weird dreams.  After searching in vain for the critter, I decide that I have had a weird dream too, and go back to sleep.

Saturday, 9:15am

After a hot shower in a new shower facility at the campground, and a BIG breakfast of Eggs, bacon, pancakes, coffee and OJ (less than $12.00 canadian), Jim and I start out for Carcross.  We still have headwinds, but not as bad.  The temperature is cool, but the skies are clear, and we expect a fairly good day.  We will try to get at least 30 miles today, then finish the trip into Skagway on Sunday.