Chuck:
It was a cool morning and partly cloudy, good day for riding. Betty met me for lunch at the entrance to Big Creek, a Yukon Provincial Park. We had lots of hills in the morning and more in the afternoon. Of course, there is always much higher terrain in all directions; mountains on all horizons. It is amazing that this road, which is nearly 1400 miles long, was constructed in one year (1942). As I climb steep inclines, I remind myself, that they selected a route that made road construction as easy as possible. I am on the mountain bike again today because we expected a lot of gravel. What we are finding is that the loose gravel we experienced last June has now mostly merged with a tar-like coating resulting in a rough surface. Loose gravel is now mostly limited to the shoulders on both sides. A mountain bike is still the best choice because the rough, rocky surface makes for a constantly jarring ride on a road bike. My road bike has no shock absorbers and the mountain bike has two on the front and one on the back. The smoother ride is easier on both bike and rider; worth the extra weight and slower speed.
Two bike riders are coming over a hill in front of me. I meet Pauline and Sean from southern British Columbia on their way to Anchorage then a cruise ship back to Vancouver. Pauline had a sudden look of relief and a slight smile as she said the words “cruise ship”. Like almost all the bikers we have met, they are probably in their 30’s or early 40’s. I tell them that they can expect the rest of the trip to be “down hill” because it seemed to be uphill all the way for me. Sean said I could expect the same??? We go our opposite ways and soon I reach the Baby Nugget Campground. Betty is just about finished with several loads of laundry. It is a very pleasant campground, nestled in a spruce forest. We take a short walk and return for some wine & cheese.