Additional comments from the present (Oct. 22, 2019): The last entry had a partial post from July 6. It was partial so I could tell you all about Dawson City, and tell you I did. We thought maybe leaving Dawson would see a return to normalcy (or at least what passes for normalcy in our lives), but we were wrong. Not insanely wrong, but wrong.
I’ll elaborate on some stuff below, because it needs to be elaborated on. Alaska must have the same something in the water…
July 6, 2019 (originally on Facebook)
Grabbed the ferry out of Dawson City, and onto the Top of the World Highway. Quite fun riding with more amazing views. Crossed into Alaska(!) at Poker Creek. So rad to make it here. This is the most northerly land border port in the USA. Pretty neat.
Additional comments from the present (Oct. 22, 2019): We actually didn’t leave Dawson City until nearly 2pm. At one point we debated just staying another night, but in the end pushing on won out. Before we went we did some local exploring, heading up Midnight Dome for an epic view of Dawson City, and the Yukon river. Even snuck a nap in on top of the dome.
The views along the Top of the World Highway are simply incredible. You’re super high up, on gravel, with no guardrails, looking down into some of the most pristine wilderness in the world. There are plenty of opportunities to mess things up if you pay too much attention to the view, and not the road. It was breathtaking all around.
The border crossing was really neat as well. Population of 3, and those are the border agents. Super friendly guys. Collected a really rad stamp as well. The agent asked Drew if he was sure he didn’t want to get his passport, and Drew wasn’t sure why until he saw our stamps. He immediately dug his out for one as well. Worth it. The border crossing is only open during the summer if you’re looking to collect your own.
Alaska is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It’s amazing how different it is from Yukon. Amazing.
We stopped in Chicken, so named because the founders couldn’t spell ptarmigan. That’s a local bird they used for food back in the mining days. Pretty odd spot, but neat to check out.
Additional comments from the present (Oct. 22, 2019): Before we got to Chicken there was some sort of accident on the road. I nearly got run off the cliff so kept going because I was annoyed. Eventually, I realized Drew & Matt were nowhere to be found, and the car I flagged down hadn’t seen them. So back I went to find them, fearing the worst. Luckily they had just stopped to help clean up a mess. That was a relief, and made me feel a bit like a jerk for not stopping. In all fairness, I stop quite often for stranded folks.
Chicken was intersting. We had reindeer sausage in our pasta. We bought souvenirs. We saw both the ‘new’ Chicken, and the ‘OG’ Chicken. We didn’t stick around too long.
After that we took a nap about half way down the road, which was much needed.
The rest of the day was spent booking to Fairbanks, so not many images. So many rivers, and lakes, and trees, and… all excellent. Rad bridges as well. Also, saw the Alaska pipeline. Pretty dang cool.
We arrived late, at about 1:30 by the time we’d had dinner, and that is where this should all end. However… we’d booked an air bnb, and things were weird at best. Walked in and the owner’s stuff was everywhere like they’d just disappeared. A few bags of groceries were even by the door. So, needless to say, we left to find a hotel. One of the guys is dealing with AirBnB, I’m gonna get some shuteye.
Additional comments from the present (Oct. 22, 2019): As usual, the story above is really only part of it all. I’m going to tell an expanded version of our initiation into Fairbanks.
We didn’t get into Fairbanks at an insanely late hour, but one of those times where it’s late enough that food is hard to find. Some internetting pointed us to a bar (I think it was a bar) that was a bit shady looking, and had an interesting group going in & out. Turns out, the restaurant is in the bar, which is in a nightclub, which has a cover, and… none of it was too appealing, so we decided to push off and find somewhere else. Actually, a guy in that parking lot told us of an all-night diner. Thanks, random stranger! The diner was even good.
After we ate, we headed out to find our airbnb, which wasn’t as straightforward as it should have been. Even so, we eventually located it in a block of condos in an area that gave off a bit of an odd vibe just riding through. No matter, we just came out of the wilderness… we’d be fine.
Upon arrival I needed to use the restroom stat (sorry, but it’s true), so I wasted zero time unpacking, and all the time making my way for the front door. A door I was the first to enter, therefore the first to see the inside of our airbnb. I nearly immediately turned back the way I came. You might think that a strange thing to do, and I might agree with you normally. This time, though… not so strange. What could have caused me to nope on out nearly immediately? Let me tell you what I saw.
Just inside the door were two grocery bags, neither fully unpacked. As I looked to my left I noticed a giant duffel bag stuffed full with extra items on top. Almost as if someone forgot to grab their travel bag on the way out the door. The couch had piles of mail on it. There was a glass of water on the kitchen table. It truly felt like I was about to walk in on someone. Either that or I was entering a crime scene. Something was off.
Being the great guys we are, Matt & I elected Drew to lead an expedition further into the condo. We armed him with bear spray, gave some advice, and aimed him up the stairs towards the second story. I’m not a wuss, but I was creeped out… enough that I didn’t want to lead the way.
The good news is Drew lived, and didn’t have to fight anyone. The weird news is what he found. No, not any people, at least not physically. The signs of them were all over, though. In the bedroom was a half-packed bag. In the bathroom it looked like someone had just stepped out of the shower, complete with clothes on the floor where they’d been discarded. Nothing about it felt comfortable.
Did we interrupt someone? Was someone coming back? Were we going to become victims? The only thing we did know is that we didn’t want to stay there. It just wasn’t comfortable in the slightest. So, we called some hotels, and headed towards ‘safer’ waters.
Drew called airbnb, who wasn’t sure what to make of things. Nobody could get in touch with the owner. It didn’t look good. In fact, it looked bad enough for a non-emergency call to the local police just in case.
Oh yeah, our hotel wasn’t without a slightly creepy situation of it’s own… one of the rooms on our floor had the door open, but in a super creepy way. I can’t describe it, but I didn’t like it. So yeah, Fairbanks started off with a definite impression.
Lots to do tomorrow. Bike needs tires, maintenance, etc.
Night everyone.
Odo Start: 18,974
Odo End: 19,394
Daily Miles: 420
Cum. Miles: 4,831
Ryan Cavalier 