Alaska Highway: from Delta Junction to Whitehorse
After the Denali Highway and a night in a real bed, we continued on the Alaska Highway, heading southeast towards Canada 🇨🇦. At times monotonous, but not boring.
Alaska Highway in Alaska
After a night in our lodge, we were well-rested, but my legs still ached from the exertions of the previous days. The next opportunity to buy supplies after Delta Junction wouldn't be until Tok, 180 km away, so we stocked up.
Cycling Basti
Shortly after Delta Junction, the straightest stretch of road so far began: 60 km straight ahead with hardly any elevation gain. But with music in my ears, it was a welcome change.
Furthermore, truck traffic from the gold mine, transporting its ore from just beyond Tok to North Fairbanks, began, consisting of 52 x 16-axle 24x7 trucks ( manhchoh.com ). With oncoming traffic, it did get a bit tight at times. It wasn't exactly quiet next to the highway at night either.
Since there was no gas station or anything like that, I ran out of water, so we asked a camper at a rest stop. He filled it all up for us, showing great interest in our journey once again.
Unfortunately, the next day started with rain. The rain radar showed that it would ease off after 11 a.m., so we waited in the tent and were able to pack up during the break in the rain. Sadly, the rain caught up with us again. By about halfway through the day's hike, the temperature had dropped to only 9°C, and our rain jackets were soaked through.
Till started to get really cold. It would have been another 1-2°C colder inside, but luckily we came across a bed and breakfast in the middle of the woods. We asked if we could warm up somewhere and then took a break in the men's restroom. By evening, the sun was shining again, and we went to an RV/campsite in Tok for a hot shower.
After Tok, we had the option of taking a detour to Dawson to see the gold rush. (TV series: Gold Rush) Unfortunately, my legs were too tired to handle the bad road and the three to four times greater elevation gain compared to going directly to Whitehorse. Before the border, we spent a night at a free campground, Dead Man Lake. They offered free canoes for rent. We were also able to sleep in a shelter with mosquito nets.
Our border day, my 26th, began with clouds, followed by patches of blue sky, and rain in the evening. There was no way to leave the country…
Canada's Welcome
The Canadian border post was still 35 km away. Dark clouds suddenly rolled in across no man's land. We first encountered a brief hailstorm, but after that it was a race against the rain to the border. At every bend, I glanced back, and the previous one was already engulfed in the downpour.
Crossing the border was no problem. As a pedestrian, you don't even need an ETA. In the village just across the border, we restocked our supplies and then cycled another 20 km to the campsite. But on the way, we were caught in a real downpour. The rain was coming sideways, there wasn't a single car in sight, and it was as dark as I'd experienced at night in Germany.
Soaked to the bone, we pitched our tent in the campground's kitchen hut, where there was a stove. A camper gave us a burning log to help get it going. We were also able to dry our clothes with the stove. Even though sleeping in the hut is forbidden, probably because of the kitchen smells that might attract bears, we didn't care in the heavy rain.
The following day only offered one lodge stop, where we enjoyed a Mountain Dew and a Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Otherwise, it was forest, mountains, and a hilly road. The other highlight was a construction site just before the campsite, which we were once again not allowed to cycle through. So this time we got to ride in the back of the pilot car and thus didn't cycle for 10 km. This boosted our average speed for the day to over 23 km/h. Even though it didn't rain, we stayed in the kitchen cabin again that night, but we didn't need a fire.
On our third day in the Yukon, the country's motto slowly began to sink in: larger than life. The closer we got to Kluane Lake, the stronger the headwind became. By the end, my average speed was quite slow. But we reached it and the gas station there, exhausted. Since it was the first place with internet since crossing the border, we stayed for over two hours and had some good burgers.
We had breakfast again at the gas station and met Naomi there, who is also on her way to Patagonia. She started in Deadhorse on June 10th and had beautiful weather 🙄. That made me a little envious. The three of us then cycled for the next four days until we reached Whitehorse.
On the way, we saw a grizzly bear and a black bear by the roadside. The latter was only 1-2 km from our campsite. There were no other options, so we sat by the roadside to cook, putting as much distance as possible between our food and our tents. Till and I were also handed a beer by a couple from their car who had cycled the same route a few years earlier. They wanted to give something back for what they had received back then.
On the 30th day of my trip, we reached Haines Junction around midday and found a good bakery for brunch. For lunch, we went around the corner to a Chinese restaurant to watch the Germany-Paraguay football match. After all that eating, we didn't feel like cycling much anymore, so we took another break at the bakery. Before sharing a campsite with another couple of cyclists, we bought enough food for three days.
If you'd like to hear a little more before the next post.
Even though only having half a day helped, my legs were starting to feel really worn out. The drive to Whitehorse was incredibly long. The only highlights of those two days were the deer that visited us in the morning and reaching the 2000 km mark just before the city limits 🥳.
In Whitehorse, we treated ourselves to a bottomless iced tea at a dinner. Afterward, we watched the entertainment program for Canada Day (100 years of Canada). Unfortunately, we missed the parade. So, Naomi and I parted ways for the time being, heading to our accommodations. Till and I needed a hotel room with two nice big beds and a washing machine.
On my first rest day in Whitehorse, it rained at 4°C and there was fresh snow on the hills around the city 🥶. I also changed accommodations where I was to meet Ulli and Richard and checked my bike. The rim was cracked again between the spokes.
Many thanks to all my supporters ❤️ Jamil, Johannes, Lucas, Peter and Carmen, Helga, Michael The pizza that led to the creation of this blog post can be found at the end of the blog entry.
On the second day, Ulli and Richard assembled their bicycles, I took mine to the workshop for a new one, and Till disassembled his and packed it for his flight home. There was also a little time left to explore the city and enjoy a dinner together.
After that, the journey will continue on the Alaska Highway to Watson Lake and then south on the Stewart-Cassier Highway.
This area will again be very lonely with few amenities. But that will be the topic of the next blog post.
Conclusion
After the highlights of Denali National Park and the Denali Highway, this part was rather boring, even though the scenery was beautiful. With sore legs and rain, the start of my time in Canada wasn't exactly thrilling, but I still have another 1.5-2 months ahead of me.
And now, visible only to my sponsors, a picture of my pizza, Return of the Mac, from Whitehorse. Thank you all so much 😊