Call this a holiday?

The morning started slowly with Isi insisting I didn’t overdo it by carrying too much stuff. Problem is, we have a lot of stuff and it needs carrying! My knee nearly gave way on the step out of the apartment, so I quickly learned to lead with the right leg. Bikes loaded and away we went - I was more comfortable on the bike and the roads were empty (or rush hour, it’s hard to tell the difference!).

The road to Skagway started with stunning vistas and the views just got better and better. The road condition was good tarmac, so the tyres hummed along nicely. A few miles down the road, we came across Emerald Lake, with waters of differing shades of green and blue. It was stunning. However, the car park was not so inviting. A downward, angled slope of gravel and we just couldn’t find a place to get the side-stand down. The only place to desert the bikes was in the middle of the lay-by, pointing in the direction we had come, on the edge of the tarmac road. This meant a U-turn and a climb up the lip of the tarmac at very slow speed. Isi was already talking, thinking, worrying about how to do the U-turn on the way out, that she lost control of her bike turning it round and over it went, trapping the same foot she had broken 18 months before. With her foot trapped for what seemed a long while (but was probably only twenty seconds or so) her voice was filled with dread and more expletives, as she pulled it from under the bike.

By the time I had managed to park my bike and dismount as fast as my leg would allow, a German man was already starting to pick up Isi’s fully loaded bike. With a little help from Isi, they had it upright before I could make an appearance - this German guy was strong! My only contribution was to apologise for the expletives in the hope the young children did not understand the universally known words that had been shouted - no chance, so profuse apologies were offered time over. Now that we were both off the bikes, we took a few photos but both feeling a little worse for wear, we decided to carry on.

I did say to Isi, that if either of us dropped our bikes, we would want that German guy to be nearby!

The 60 miles from Carcross to Skagway was a sensory overload of Geography lessons remembered, as we saw all the stages of how glaciers had shaped the surroundings. Lakes gave way to boulder fields, that gave way to more lakes, as we climbed the pass beyond the tree line and still further we climbed.. We slowly drove through the Canadian border, not needing to stop. For the next 10 miles or so, we still continued to climb to the head of the pass and then drop off the other side - far steeper than the ascent with glimpses of a railroad track that hugged the side of the valley beside us, far less direct than the road that carved its way down the one side.

Then we came across the US border and joined the queue of around 6 vehicles. Eventually it came our turn and as we ventured forward the immigration officer shouted “Guys, one at a time!”, by which time I had reached the window and said “That’s my wife and I’m not allowed to go anywhere on my own”. This broke the ice and whilst the officer asked lots of questions, we did have time for a bit of banter that continued when it came to be Isi’s turn at the window. So, we were back in the US and dropping from dizzy heights in to Skagway, at sea level.

Skagway was the sea-port that provided the early gold prospectors with access to the interior and where the gold would exit from the likes of Dawson City and other gold rich places in the area. The road pass we had just travelled was the pass that engineers had used for the railway and, later, road traffic. The original access was one valley across and called the golden staircase that crossed at the Chilkoot Pass, starting from Dyea. This remains a trail that can only be walked and is a multi-day hike for those so inclined. Whilst I have absolutely no doubt the views would be stunning, I would be happier taking the views from the train, had I felt able.

Skagway is now a favourite docking place, and had 2 large cruise ships docked in the harbour. The main street of Skagway is a tourist honey-pot, maintained in a similar fashion to Dawson City - keeping the feel of authenticity with the looks and the trades similar to how it would have been during the gold rush, appealing to the thousands of tourists that were given shore passes for the few hours their cruise ship would be docked. It really wasn’t the natural place we wanted to see but we had to experience it in just the same way, as we too were tourists but with different transport. Isi wanted to send a postcard to the grand-children and went in search of a stamp. I stayed with the bikes, parked along the main road, and became a tourist attraction in my own right. People would see the licence plates, ask where we were from, what we were doing and what we intended to do. Once again, imposter syndrome was high as we had been on the road for less than three weeks and did not deserve the oohs and aahs passed our way. Our QR code stickers were doing overtime! ;-)

Finally, postcard sent, we went in search of the campsite we had found on iOverlander. The Dyea campsite was in the next valley North and as we traversed the dirt road over the headland, we were greeted with magnificent views of the river, forests and the wall of snow-capped mountains channelling us up the valley. We thought we saw Sea Eagles but have little evidence to base this on except the keen interest of other people with binoculars looking at the same birds.

We found our campground and chose a pitch close to the bear-boxes. Tent up and time to eat. As the next pitch was not being used, we moved to the other table to prepare food - we always try to cook away from the tent and keep all foodstuff away from where we sleep. After I had made a very poor attempt at getting a fire going in the fire-pits provided, we loaded the bear-box with all our food and smellies and went to bed. We were both nursing injuries and needed to sleep.

At around 3am, Isi woke me as she was sure she heard footsteps outside. I did not appreciate being woken and said it was nothing and went back to my own bear defence strategy - snoring. However, I had heard footsteps but thought nothing of it. I had very little sleep thereafter, as pains in my leg kept me in a state of half-sleep. As the daylight started, I got out of the tent and hobbled to the bench, unable to walk any further. It was too cold to remain still for too long, so I grabbed my sleeping bag, opened the tent-porch and tried the warm up and sleep sat in the chair Isi had put up the night before. I didn’t sleep. It was cold on my back and buttocks, where the sleeping bag was compressed by my weight. It was miserable….

When Isi woke, she was in pain and worried about me. As Isi disappeared off to the toilet, I picked up a camera and poured my heart out about how I felt and what I feared. I can’t remember exactly what I said but, I suspect, Isi will find the clip, scold me for not telling her and then include it in one of the upcoming YouTube videos. I’m happy for Isi to use some or all of it, as it was how I felt at the time and this journey is about sharing. Pop over to YouTube and check it out!

I struggled to walk the 20 yards to the bear-box, taking a rest before the return trip with all the goodies. Then followed the 50 yards to the toilet and back - I was done…. As we packed the tent and loaded the bikes, the Park Ranger came past and asked if we had seen any bear activity. Talking to him, he said that a bear had taken a Thermarest sleeping mat from a tent, just the previous morning. When Isi mentioned the footsteps during the night, the Ranger agreed it was near certain to have been a bear -WOW!

The subject turned to my inability to walk and the cramps/pain I was getting overnight - possible depletion of body-salts and electrolytes, and how the Ranger swears by Gatorade - this was to be our next purchase when we got back to Skagway. The road back to Skagway was soft dirt and we weaved our way in the tracks of the road-grader who was levelling the road - great for 4 wheels but an added complication we could do without. In to Skagway and on the hunt for water - a precious commodity in these parts and tends to be sold in single-use plastic bottles with a high price-tag. On the advice of the earlier Park Ranger, we visited the RV park in the middle of the town and found a tap. The Park Ranger said, if you find a tap, the water will be good as it is glacier fed - we filled up for free!

As we had the day before, we parked up just off the main road but outside the store recommended by the Park Ranger. Isi was unable to get electrolyte powders but did appear with Gatorade - I gladly drank mine and finished off Isi’s as she went on a further search for the powders. Whilst off the main road, we were still in the honey-pot area and, just as the day before, I was quite an attraction and I tried to hide my pain as I answered questions and posed for photos! Isi finally found some electrolyte tablets from the store right next to the first store she had tried and it was time to leave.

Just as the day before, it was less painful to ride and we retraced our tracks back up the mountain with the views . The US were not interested to see us leave and once over the pass we joined a short queue at the Canadian border, next to the railway and the train that was being inspected, just as we were. Better banter from the Canadians and a more relaxed affair. They wanted to know if we had firearms, pepper spray or any gifts to be left in Canada when we leave. No to all of those and we were free to go. Free to follow back through the amazing scenery but this time, a different destination in mind.

That morning, we had discussed me seeing a doctor and I was near agreement but wanted to see how the day went. I was fine all the while I was on the bike, but a mess when off it. Isi found a log cabin with a wood burning hot tub, just outside Carcross, that was about 60 miles outside of Whitehorse. The cabin was along the cut-off road we would be taking to move on and South. The hot tub was great but, once again, the nights sleep brought extreme pain and more so than the night before. Sleep would only come if I was sat upright, so the sofa became my bed for that night and more to come. The one night booked turned in to four as Isi texted the hosts to extend the stay and say I needed to visit a hospital.

At this point, I’ll gloss over the detail as I have already written a blog providing detail of the visits to the Carcross Medical Centre and Whitehorse General Hospital, and finding ourselves in the new Airbnb apartment within (Isi’s) walking distance of the shops.

Suffice to say, we are now near our end of the stay in this wonderful apartment and beautiful garden. It has been the rest I have needed and given us both the chance to catch up with blogs and videos. During this time, we have reached out to the Overlanding community to find out what options we have if I am unable to ride out on Monday. The response has been overwhelming with offers of help from complete strangers and friends of friends of friends. We have even considered storing the bikes in Whitehorse and flying to Mexico for the winter - cheaper, warmer and a completely new culture and language to immerse ourselves in. The plan would result in a flight back to Whitehorse in the Spring, to continue the journey 6 months later.

However, having had a test ride to Miles Canyon (I stayed with the bikes while Isi took photos) and finding the most comfortable place to be is on the bike (albeit with some twinges), we are more than likely to head South on the bikes on Monday as Plan A. There is a lot of trepidation in this decision, not least of which is “turning down” the fantastic help the community has offered and not listening to strong voices that say “don’t move”. We are aware we could open ourselves up to “I told you so”, if Plan A does not happen entirely. Having said that, Plan A can easily evolve in to Plan B or C as some of the offers are along our way South and, actually, it would be nice to meet these total strangers who have become our heroes.

During this week, we have gone from sitting in a comfy garden chair in the blazing sun, watching the leaves of the Silver Birch turn yellow and fall, to walking the block in the crisp cool air, looking at the snow on the surrounding mountains, desperate to head South but with a huge amount of anxiety that this decision is the right one. Yesterday we indulged in a few hours R&R at the ‘local’ hot springs for some hot/cold treatment - a great distraction and further healing for my bulging discs.

Not really thinking about how far it was to the hot springs, we booked a taxi and $60CAD later, we arrived at a new development for adults only that was more like a posh resort in Guildford than a natural hot spring in the Yukon territories. It was truly blissful but not the natural hot spring environment I would have preferred and, according to a couple we met, how it was just a few years previous. There was a lot of construction still going on to make it into a health complex. Trust me, I’m not complaining, just would have preferred something less clinical.

Having enjoyed the various pools, saunas and cafe, we needed to head home. I said to Isi, shall I be real cheeky and see if we can get a ride? Not like me at all! There were not many people leaving, so we sat for 10 minutes or so, waiting. I asked the first lady we saw leaving if we could have a ride to Whitehorse. “Sure”, she said, “but I have to pick up some outdoor stuff first, I'll be about 45 minutes". Full of gratitude, I said thank you but said we may not be here as I may gain a ride from someone else. "no problem and good luck!".

When the second lady came out, I umm'd and ahh'd as it really isn't like me. "Excuse me, please say no, but just wondering if we can get a ride to Whitehorse?" "Sure, happy to" with smiles all round. As we were putting our shoes on, Caroline introduced herself and we quickly realised it was Caroline that we had been in touch with through Scott and Sam! A friend of a friend who we had spoken with, online, in our search for options should we not be able to ride out. We marvelled at the odds of meeting in such a random place as we chatted all the way back to our apartment.

As Caroline dropped us off, I suggested she should pop in for a coffee before we left and to our utmost delight, the next day, we received a message asking if she could pop in for a short visit (on the way home). Of course! Find us as we are! Love to. And so Caroline popped in and stayed longer than just a cup of tea. I love the friends we make along the way. xxx

I’m writing this blog on the night before we leave to continue our journey South. The drugs have worked near miracles and I am a different man to what I was a week ago. I’m not silly enough to think I’m healed and I know the continued use of the drugs are designed to mask the pain and allow time to heal, so I know I must be careful. You’ll know just HOW careful, when you read the NEXT blog!

This apartment has been a pause but the journey must continue as the snow has fallen…

We were being evicted!

The reality of my age comes crashing in…