Chuck:
Last night after I finished my journal notes, our light rain turned into a downpour. Almost simultaneously, Betty and I said we have to tell Doerte and Marty to come back and stay here for the night. I grabbed my rain jacket and ran to catch them before they opened their gear bag to retrieve their tent. When I invited them, Marty said he thought they would be fine, however, Doerte was vigorously shaking her head “Yes”. They arrived minutes later. We had more great conversation: the current troubles within the European Union, how bright young people are leaving former East Germany for the West or going to countries outside the EU. Marty and Doerte are both school teachers and have good jobs, but there are many others who must either live on government programs or move elsewhere. Sometimes this means leaving an area that has been home to their families for maybe hundreds of years.
We pulled out the sofa-bed and offered them fresh sheets & blankets, but, they insisted on using their sleeping bags. It was their first night in an RV, these world travelers called it “a new adventure”. This morning, all went smoothly: dressing, rotating through the single bathroom, breakfast, etc. They are both very flexible and adapt easily. We said good-bye and hoped to meet again on down the Alaska Highway. Betty and I needed to top off the tanks in both the RV and the Honda before entering Canada. Before leaving, Betty made certain that I had my passport and a second picture ID and I pedaled off to the border. The border crossing went smoothly for both of us. Minutes later, I saw our two German friends taking pictures in front of a “Welcome To The Yukon” sign.
Beaver Creek is only a few miles into the Yukon. We stopped for lunch and checked out the Visitors Center, they had lots of interesting information about the local area and especially the building of the Alcan Highway in 1942. They displayed a large Engineer flag that belonged to the 18th Engineer Battalion. I biked on while Betty found a place with Internet access and logged on for the first time in nearly a week. The biking was good, the hills are getting higher, steeper and more numerous, but, still good. The mostly asphalt road is full of ruts, pot holes and frost heaves and tough on vehicles driving 30 miles per hour. However, on a bike at less than 15 mph it is not so bad. Betty was waiting for me at the scenic Rest Stop, Mile Marker 1148, which has a sign saying “No Camping or Overnight Parking”. She was the only one here, then, others came and some went, but now at 9 pm there are six rigs that clearly intend to spend the night. While having wine and chips in front of the RV, others joined us; we all decided that it is a Rest Stop and we are “resting” when no longer in need of “rest” we will depart. The view here is great; the sun is setting in the west behind multiple peaks, some still snow-capped. Also, it is quiet, very still, considering we have 6 RVs in a rather small parking area beside the Alaska Highway.
Betty: I was feeling a bit guilty driving 30 to 35 mph on the road yesterday, but when I went faster I couldn’t stop in time for the huge holes and ruts or frost heaves in the highway. Then last night in our outside get-together with other RVers they all talked about driving 30 to 35 and expressed my feeling “if someone wants to go faster they can go around”.