Burwash, YT to Tok, AK: Through Yukon to Alaska

Later start today: 10:30 AM, we needed the rest. The scenery remains just as spectacular, even more so when we reached the inland plateau around Beaver Creek, YT and into Alaska where all notion of distance disappear and everything opens out yet remains crisp visually.

The road is trickier because the respective highway departments are patching the bad areas. We had been warned to keep a sharp eye for the frost heaves but these are not a problem on a bike (actually some are rather fun: like a roller coaster) but they sure give fits to large vehicles especially those with trailers. The spots that were difficult for us were either the stretches of raw dirt being flattened: this dirt when wet is very slippery and the bikes take on a mind of their own. The others are the stretches where new gravel has been laid. These come in various degrees of difficulties depending on how thick the gravel is, on whether or not the road has a lateral slant to it or not and whether the road climbs or descends. We learned new skills today. You should see Julia’s bike this evening; you would not believe that underneath the mud there still is a shiny metallic cherry red body!