Day’s distance: 272 miles
Total trip distance: 2,167 miles

The day started in the mid 50s and finished in the mid 60s. It was dry all day. Clouds moved in as I approached Whitehorse but the morning was pretty sunny.

I encountered the two longest stretches of gravel road so far. One patch was very dusty so I hung back until I was the last one through. While waiting, I spoke with the flagger. She said that in these situations, it is acceptable for bikers to ride to the front of the line.

The road conditions in Yukon were not as consistently good as in British Columbia. There was a stretch of 100 miles or so where the road surface repairs were obvious and only temporarily effective. I had to watch for fresh potholes, choosing my line around some of the bigger ones.

I didn’t see any wildlife along the roadside the entire day. Guess the animals get a day off now and then, too.  🙂

As I approached Teslin, I stopped at a viewpoint above town for a short break. I met a woman from Smithers who was out traveling and we had a great conversation. She had many questions about traveling by motorcycle.

Many of the bridges along the Alcan have surfaces of bare metal grates. This was the longest encountered so far.

The Pilot Road 4 tires like to shimmy quite a lot on these and it makes for some excitement, especially when sharing the narrow bridge with oncoming trucks.

I refueled with premium at Teslin, about halfway to Whitehorse. One station had premium while the other didn’t. Glad I asked. The price of fuel has remained incredibly consistent along my entire ride. So far anyway, there isn’t a lot of price gouging in either gas or food.

While in Teslin, I grabbed lunch at the Yukon Motel & Restaurant.

I ordered the buffalo burger, the lunch special. It was tasty and came quickly. I ran into the group of riders I saw from Argentina the evening before.

My next stop was about 30 miles later at Johnson’s Crossing where I grabbed a cherry turnover and some coffee. I had a chance to meet a bicyclists I had passed a few minutes earlier. Tobias was German and on a very long bicycle ride that originated in Panama!

With the two longer conversations, here and at Teslin, I arrived in Whitehorse at about 5pm, just in time for the rush hour in Whitehorse (kidding!). I got checked in and took my time getting ready for dinner.

I planned to eat at a well considered restaurant called Antoinette’s, just two blocks away. Covered by the TV show You Gotta Eat Here, twice, the place was packed. I had to return an hour later when my table was ready.

I had the Carribean Salad, the day’s appetizer special, and the Halibut TnT,  served in a light coconut-tomato curry on coo coo (polenta) with fresh spinach and float (fried sweet bread).

Both were so very good I made reservations for the following week when I would be coming through Whitehorse on my return leg.

Despite being busy, the staff was super friendly and calm under pressure. Antoinette was in the restaurant, eating dinner with some friends. It was a great experience.

Tomorrow I enter Alaska. Rain is predicted for the morning. Tok, my destination, shows increasing clouds and some wind, but no rain. It will be my longest day so far at 386 miles, and I’ll be camping, so expect my next blog entry to be from Fairbanks in two days.