Alaska-Canada Adventure Ride
Day 8 - Faro, Yukon to Dawson City, Yukon (330 miles)
After waking up to the sound of loons on the lake, we made breakfast, broke camp and continued west on the Campbell Highway towards the famed Dawson City of the Yukon.
Shortly before reaching the Klondike Highway (2), the road becomes paved again. Along the way there are some good views of the rather large Yukon River that originates near Whitehorse and runs all the way to the western point of Alaska at the Bering Sea almost 2000 miles later, making this the largest river in the northwest.
While on the Klondike Highway, we were also able to get some glimpses of a few of the wildfires burning in the area, and the cause for much of the smoke. Apparently there were dozens of these burning throughout the northwest, most induced by lightening.
That afternoon as we got close to Dawson City, we stopped at the junction of the Dempster Highway to get gas and to gather some intel on the road conditions from some riders that apparently were just returning. On rider was eager to share his stories about his difficulties and the woes of another rider who had to be airlifted out due to injuries. The main challenges he outlined were:
- Stay away from the shoulders as they can be soft and unstable. This can be a challenge as large trucks tend to brush you to the side, so it is important to hold your position to a reasonable level.
- Road construction at various points can make matters a lot worse. Sometimes they drop fresh material without compacting, or create large berms on the boundary of this material that can be hazardous when crossing to change lane position. We experienced some of this already the previous day on the Campbell Highway.
- There are a few sections that can be extremely difficult or impassable when muddy. The worst tend to be between Eagle Plains and Inuvik. It is important to try to time your travel when it is not raining hard or has in the last 24 hours. The good news is that the roads tend to dry out fairly quickly after that. Apparently most problems on the Dempster arise from the mud under these wet conditions.
- Visibility can be a problem on the mountain passes, especially near the border between the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Due to the more typical weather, clouds can bunch up on the passes, creating a misty rain type of condition.
With that ominous knowledge in our head, we then headed into Dawson City and decided to get a motel for the first time on the trip, clean-up, have a good meal, and some beer. The town is quite interesting and worth a visit. Being at the hub of the Klondike Gold Rush at the turn of the last century, they have tried to do a reasonable job in preserving the look and feel of this historic city. There is also a certain younger hipster flair to some of the people that have taken up residence here. I was also surprised to find a reasonably well stocked more organically oriented grocery store. The streets are still dirt with wooded plank sidewalks at the core. To cross to the other side of the Yukon River, one must take a ferry, as no bridge exists. This place had more authentic character of any city I have visited on the trip and one that I would recommend to others traveling through this area.
Images (cl(click to select the larger view at bottom)
All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2019 - 2020. Last updated: 1/10/2020