Day 18: Hyder, AK / Stewart, BC to Terrace

August 17/2010: Sigh, another day another flat tire. Poor Hailey! Seems that puncture just won't hold the plug, or rather the plugs aren't keeping the air in. The answer? A bigger plug!

But no, the big plug doesn't do the job either. So Hailey resorts to using slime--fluorescent green goo/sealant-- considered the final solution when it comes to a job like this.

Unfortunately, all this fixing and inflating the rear tire with our little compression pump has worn out Sparkle's battery. Here you can see her getting lots of helpful advice. In the end we had to bump-start her bike by pushing her along Main Street.

We rode another 200 kms with Wayne and then said our goodbyes. He's such an awesome guy. We hope to run into him again soon.

Sigh. Another day, another grated bridge. (The Johnson Street bridge at home is going to be a snap compared to all of these northern bridges.) This is the Skeena Bridge in Terrace and not only is it grated. It has curves!

Anyway, long story short we're in Terrace tonight updating our blog in an Internet cafe. To date we've ridden 7,300 kms. Tomorrow we're heading to Prince Rupert where we'll catch the ferry home to Port Hardy.

Stay tuned...

Day 17: Iskut to Hyder, AK & Stewart, BC

August 16/ 2010: So the three of us are off to Hyder, Alaska--which is located right across the border from   Stewart, BC.

Bear Glacier on the way to Stewart.

The scenery is fantastic and there are some very nice curvy roads.

Main Street, Hyder

 But with 100 people and two bars, one of the things that Hyder is best known for is the tradition of getting "hyderized."

At the Glacier Inn in Hyder, innkeeper Judy sells the highest proof alcohol that anyone can legally buy (150 proof), serves it to you in a shot glass and explains the rules. "No sipping, no smelling, just slamming."

Of course, we had to do it.

Once we became sober again, we took a little trip down a dusty gravel road to the park where you could watch grizzly bears fishing. It was all lots of fun until Hailey got another flat tire...

Day 16: The fire barrier to Iskut

Morning on the Highway.

August 15/2010: After a fun night on the pavement, we were joined by nine other motorcyclists.

Including Wayne, who we met in Tok a few days back.

Of course, the barricade didn't open at 9 o'clock. So we had breakfast at Sally's Cafe with  Linda and Clint from Texas, and Wayne from Vancouver.

This sign in Sally's washroom gave us a giggle.

A few hours later we rode through the fire--77 kms of smoke. We don't have any photos of that ride because, hey, we were concentrating on getting through it. But I snapped this photo of Wayne and Hailey 40 kms south of the fire. As you can see, the smoke was still pretty thick.

Sparkle's first flat tire

Wayne decided to hang out with us for awhile so we rode to Dease Lake together, where Hailey got her first flat tire. (Note the foreshadowing.)

Turns out Hailey has hidden mechanical talents.

Day 15: Destruction Bay to the fire barrier (junction of Highway 37N and the Alaska Highway)

Maria catching some zzzzzzzzs.

August 14/2010:  We've discovered that the forest fire that we rode through earlier in our trip has actually spread, and Highway 37 is closed again. This is a problem for us as it is the ONLY route that we can take to get home in time. Vehicles are being escorted through the fire on an irregular basis. We've got to get a move on and grab opportunity we can get--it's 680 kms away!

Junction to Highway 37.

When we got to the fire barrier, we were greeted with this confidence-inspiring signage. However, the guys guarding the barricade said that there might be a crossing at 9 the next morning.

Getting ready for bed.

So we decided to make the most of it and camp on the pavement. We had cup-o-noodle soup, cheezies, chocolate and red wine for dinner. Party on!

Day 14: Tok to Destruction Bay

August 13/2010: Today's theme is road construction. Lots of it.

While waiting for the pilot car to lead us through the freshly graded deep loose gravel, this flagperson entertained us with tales of bikers having accidents and hitting bears. His delivery was deadpan so I'm still not sure if he was teasing us or just being a bastard.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that we saw a moose. We were just rounding a corner when he came across him. He had one foot on the road and only turned back once he saw us. He was huge! I hear it's a good idea not to hit moose, they hurt. Actually,we have a whole lot of gruesome moose stories to impart but we'll wait until we get home and can trade them for beers.

Our tents at Destruction Bay.

Upon arrival in Destruction Bay, we bogarted the Internet work station at the Talbot Arms. We're travelling sans computer and it's been pretty hard to find one to use. Hence the delay in posting our blogs. We had a yummy meal at the Talbot Arms, tried to wash last night's fuel out of my clothes (unsuccessfully), and slept in the parking lot.

Day 13: Valdez to Tok

Keystone Canyon

Keystone Canyon

Horsetail Falls

Break time on the way out of Valdez

Remember to check the rear view mirror for awesome views!

August 12/2010: Another late start today and it took us forever to make the trip from Valdez to Tok (pronounced "toke") as we both kept falling asleep and had to stop for rest breaks.

We saw two bears, and spent some time investigating an ominous sound from coming from Bitchy Linda's rear brake.

Downtown Tok

You don't want to break down in Tok.

Tok auto repair. You can check in anytime you want, but you can never leave.

My white breakfast: I only ordered this Musher's Omelet because the waitress told me they were out of the accompanying gravy. She was all smiles when she located a secret stash of the gravy, smothered my breakfast in it and then proudly presented the dish at our table.  It was....interesting.

Once we arrived in Tok, we visited Fast Eddie's again for dinner. We actually had a salad! Let's just say that our "on the road" diet hasn't been exactly balanced. We've had chips for breakfast and cookies for dinner. This Fast Eddie's salad is actually just the second portion of vegetables we've had on our trip. (Or do french fries count as a veg?) In 13 days my riding gear has become so tight that I'm going to have to diet just so I can make the trip home. So, sadly, there is no Fast Eddie's dessert for me. Bummer, because they had four kinds of pie!  Mmmmm....pie.

The pilfered creamers.

Hailey stole some flavoured creamer from the restaurant, which subsequently burst and made a mess of her tank bag. That's karma for you. Then later, I discovered that the butane stove AND the gasoline water remover had spilled all over the safety gear, sleeping bags and my clothes. We spent a fun evening watching Jay Leno and wiping off our stuff. Of course the room ended up smelling like a garage as did my clothes. Hmm, I wonder if this will keep the bugs at bay?