Day 10...We're coming to America.....Hello Tok, Alaska!

Day 10…Whitehorse, YT to Tok, Alaska…We are back in AMERICA!!

Home sweet home, the land of the red, white, and blue, WE ARE BACK IN THE UNITE STATES OF AMERICA!  Once again, I am writing from beside a campfire, now in Tok, Alaska.

This photo was taken by Dan.  It's myself, Rick, and our new friend Sergio.  Sergio has been riding this Yamaha 125cc....YES, REALLY...all the way from Brazil since April. 

Today started out in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, waking up in our comfy hotel room.  I am not sure how detailed Dan will be in his entry of Day 9, so I will add that we were pretty happy to roll into our nice, clean, hotel room and take a nice hot shower before walking over to Klondike Rib and Salmon for some kick-ass dinner and Yukon Brewing Co. beer.  Our waitress, Talula is a local of the YT and has some priceless advice for traveling the YT.  I know I have said this before, but we love meeting new people and hearing about their lives and experiences. She has some great recommendations for the boys when they get to Dawson City, and for how to not get eaten by a grizzly bear! I digress….after waking up and getting our crap together for the 10^th morning in a row and packing up the motorcycles, we headed down the street to Tim Horton’s for some breakfast.  Tim Horton’s is the Canadian version of Dunkin Donuts….YES!!! After some coffee and donuts, Dan attempted to score a new rear tire for his bike to no avail.  So we said a little prayer to the tire gods and took off for Alaska. 

The scenery today was again….you guessed it….AMAZING! I need to put the thesaurus to use so that I can learn some synonyms for amazing.  Anyways…we spent a lot of hours gazing at some seriously lush forests that made their ways up a chain of really tall mountains.  Today was one of those days that we each were taken aback by the shear beauty of the surroundings that we have been so lucky to experience.  I know it’s not the beaches of Costa Rica, but I am feeling so fortunate to be piled on the back of this Ducati, behind the guy that I love, swatting at mosquitos while taking this trip of a lifetime!! Ok….enough of the sappy business…sorry Dan!

These blue waters of the lakes in Destruction Bay can rival the Caribbean! 

 Miles and miles of gorgeous mountain ranges

 Mama bear and her three baby cubs! 

 Some of the road construction that we encountered today

 AMERICA!! 

Our frist breath-taking moment from Alaska! These mountains seemed as if they were erupting with big fluffy white clouds. 

We had some rough and bumpy roads to navigate today as we made our way towards the American border.  Talula told us last night that these roads often get repaved due to the potholes caused by the permafrost.  While the roads are waiting to be repaved, they are either ridden with potholes or a hard packed gravel.  So this makes for an interesting ride for Dan and Rick, and a roller coaster day for me.  I just held on tight and enjoyed my 5^th audio book.  Come to think of it, I think that I have spent as much money on audiobooks as Dan has spent on gas.  Highlight of the ride today was a mama black bear with three of her baby cubs as they crossed the highway.  We kept our distance as we watched the sweet clumsy cubs fall over each other as they trailed behind their mama.

After smoothly crossing the border, we made our way into Tok, grabbed some booze and groceries, and made our ways to the coolest campground ever! Tonight we are staying at Thompson’s Eagle Claw Campground.  This campground, run by Vanessa, is curtailed to motorcycle riders and all of our needs.  There are tent sites, wooden cabins, and even an old ambulance outfitted as a bunk to sleep in. Vanessa has equipped this campground into a summer camp for motorcycle enthusiasts with communal fire pits, horseshoes, a sauna, a motorcycle shop, and a community kitchen stocked with a propane burner to heat water.  Tonight we will stay in a 4-bunk cabin with an old minivan bench seat that serves as a sofa.  As I write this, Vanessa is hanging out with us around the fire telling us tails of the campground and how it came to be. I would HIGHLY recommend staying here if you ever find yourselves passing through, and say hello to Vanessa. Dan and rick are planning to return to Thompson's on their way back through the area on the way to Dust to Dawson Motorcycle Rally, along with 50 other reservations thus far...Vanessa won't turn away a rider, and says she will take $5.00 per tent as long as there is property for tents to be pitched!! 

Tomorrow we make our way into Anchorage!