June 23, mileage start 8,530
Woke up freezing to pouring rain. One of my throttle fingers was cramped. Must have been because the night before had been so beautiful and warm I'd left windows open … and then it cooled right down. But I don't have to wash my windshield this morning.

I decided to get a cup of coffee from the office and wait a bit to see if it slows down. Supposedly there were to be “showers” and I'm hoping the weather folks are right. In looking around outside, though, it's not looking good. Low, gray clouds everywhere I look.
Bikers pulled in here last evening, so there are several of us. The ones in the room next to me are pulling a trailer and are from Washington state. I haven't met them. There's another at the end of the building, but haven't looked at that license plate. Those folks all back in, where I'm just kind of parallel parked next to the building. Gravel, the kind my feet slip in. Any parking upright is good parking.
I'm wearing my riding earrings, Texas stars from my friend Slider (Jgayle). She gave them to me many years ago and I always take them to wear on my trips. Love you, Slider. And thanks again … the earrings ALWAYS remind me of you.

So my next deep question is, what will the official run food be? Last night I had a BLT. I often eat one kind of food many times and across the country on a trip. One time it was Caesar salads, another it was chicken fried steak. Of course, how hard is it to mess up a BLT?

Today, I may start letting Vern out of the tour pack. Vern is one of the chickens I carry. The story is each time I go to Chicken, Alaska, I get one of those silly, plastic chickens and into the tour pack it goes. Vern is a chicken of a different type. He was given to me by fellow biker chick … Ann. He's one tough chicken and sports tattoos and a haircut reminiscent of Elvis.

Jaz is carrying one of the original chickens Stacey (Daizy Korn) gave us, and that little chick has made many trips and been photographed hundreds of times. I took a woodpecker once that I found in the land of the redwoods, and gave the Flight of the Woodpecker story and photos of that woodpecker to our friend Ken, who hates them. Was pretty funny. And I could tell you some stories about that, but that's another time and day. This trip is all about the travels, unless I get sidetracked like I so often do … and ramble and ramble and ramble.

So the chickens will appear in photos from time to time. In fact, if you check out Jaz's blog, you'll find one there already. I need to find out what her chicken's name is.

Just met the folks from next store. They're pulling a trailer and usually camp, but last night hoteled it. They're going to Homer. They crashed yesterday this side of Beaver Creek in the construction. The bike threw them off and then it and the trailer righted itself and kept going until it went over the side of a hill into a ditch. WOW!! A couple of dual-sports they'd met in Destruction Bay helped them get it out, and it started right up. It's got plenty of road rash on it, but it runs, the trailer pulls and the couple is okay. Very nice folks, Jan and Gordon (Scrappy and Flash). He actually is a member of the Viet Nam Vets, I guess, as he's gone to some of their meetings and has met Bulldog from the Anchorage chapter. The dual-sport folks will meet them here in Tok to have breakfast and help them make repairs. They said people in motor homes and all stopped and offered them a seat into town. They warned me … and I'd already heard about it from Wilfred in Beaver Creek. So must be very, very careful.

Talked to the folks from Vermont for a few minutes. He builds bikes. I also met Jeff Foster from Albuquerque, NM. So did my queenly duties in meeting and greeting.

I've finished my coffee and had a granola-type bar, and it's still raining at 7:30 a.m. So, time to suck it up, put on my big girl snow pants and helmet (yes, Carol, my helmet and I'm not even in Canada yet) and hit the road.

More of the queen rambles later.

It's after 11 p.m. It's been a very eventful day. I took off just as it was raining the hardest, but it actually got better as I went along. I was traveling the Purple Heart Trail, a highway that honors veterans. I would like to thank the veterans, too, for all they've done for us … freedom of speech, freedom of religion. Many of them gave life or limbs, and they deserve our gratitude and respect.

At the Tanana River, 11 miles out of Tok, there was a flag person, and we had to wait for a pilot car as they are building a new bridge and have lots of trucks going back and forth. A bicyclist chose to ignore the flag person and went on. She had motioned me to the front and said she hoped he went to jail. Several minutes later, here came a bicycle. It was him. One of the workers had turned him back. They put bikes in the back of pickups and haul the bike and cyclist in vehicles for safety. I heard him arguing with the worker but couldn't hear what was said. He was pretty hot, though. Guess the rules didn't apply to him, he thought.

As I was just running along, a boxer bike came flying by me, then another at a little more sedate speed. A little further on there was another flag person and pilot car. She motioned me forward, and there were the two boxer bikes. One of the guys came to talk to me. Turns out they're from near Banff. Then I heard him up ahead speaking loudly (must have been because he had a helmet on) and he was talking about me. She's going all the way to Vermont. That's pretty ambitious.

Later on at Border City I ran into the two boxer bikes again. The one guy then told me it was pretty ambitious to ride to Vermont. I just said I was an ambitious rider. Nuff said. They left.

Stopped just short of the border to dig out my driver's license and passport. The lady at the crossing asked where I was from, where I was going, if I had any drugs or alcohol. Then we joked a little and I went on my way. She was very pleasant. Mileage on the bike was 8,641 at the border.

Blew through Beaver Creek as I really don't much care for the place anymore. Seems dirty and really not like it used to be. But did stop to take a photo of a church ... always like the architecture.  Was happy to stay in Tok and ride the extra 90 miles today, even though Beaver Creek had been my destination for night one.

The little church at Beaver Creek ... the best part of that town except for Buckshot Betty's.

Lots of gravel patches, packed dirt, frost heaves, several sections of construction with pilot cars and waits. It took a long time to go from Beaver Creek to Destruction Bay. I may have been able to do it a little quicker but I was staying pretty much at speed limit or 5 over, sometimes less, and was being cautious since I would go long without seeing much of anyone else. There were also loads of potholes. The good thing about the rain is that it fills them up and makes them easier for me to see. I still hit a few … a couple of which were perfect 10s.
I was really glad to get to Destruction, though, as I was beyond STARVING! I stopped there for a cup of soup, a cup of hot tea and a BLT. Needed the break after being on the road for six hours and barely going 250 miles. Met two couples on trikes from Arizona, and they had been to our rally. They enjoyed themselves. Neither had done the Kenai 500.

I've determined one of my butt cheeks must be larger than the other. It seems that one side always gets a bit sore, like it's hanging over the edge of the seat. So, does this bike make my butt look big? It must if it's hanging over. The trials of riding … and the things you think of. But there's a lot of time for thinking.

Finally ran out of the rain, but it continued to follow me off and on … then I'd see a little blue sky … just enough to tease me, then sprinkles. Can't seem to get ahead of the front.
Just after I left Destruction, a golden-colored grizzly bear walked across the road in front of me. I stopped, and debated parking the bike, getting off and going to get the camera. Chose not to and just watched the bear. He ambled along, went toward the trees and through a few of them. Then he stopped and turned and looked at me. Was very cool. There was a motor home coming behind me and I signaled them. They thought I was waving, waved at me, and never even slowed down. Their loss. After that I took my camera out of the tour pack and put it around my neck, just in case I see another. I don't mind to stop, but don't want to get off the bike and put myself out there as lunch.
It was a decent day for wildlife, though. I saw the bear, one moose and probably a couple dozen swans. Love to see them. I'd like to see another bear, too, one I could get a photo of.

I wasn't really close at this point.  I'd ridden by and had to turn around and go back. 
By then they had gotten way back in the pond.

After I got around the end of Kluane Lake, which is so beautiful, I got hit with wind, and some pretty good gusts. Kept it up for quite sometime. But gotta keep on going. There's also still construction at the bridge at the end of the lake, and some gravel patches.

Along Kluane Lake, where the water is two different colors.

Made it to Whitehorse around 8 p.m., only to find out there were no rooms to be had. So I had to gas up, eat a granola bar, make a quick call to Hobbs to let him know what was happening and I just kept moving. Iron Butt training pays off sometimes. Just ride.

Started raining again, hard this time, but kept pushing on because there was nowhere to stop. I got myself positioned between a couple of vehicles thinking if something happened at least someone would know about it.

Arrived just before 11 p.m. At Teslin, to find out there were no rooms there either, and a young couple said there was nothing at the other places either. I asked what was going on. Apparently some big conference in Whitehorse had booked that town up. I had stopped at a little store in Teslin. The lady behind the counter told me to wait a minute. She asked if I was traveling by myself, and I told her yes. She said she had a room the truckers use to take showers, but the bed was clean, and I could have it if I liked. You bet. All in for the night. I did have phone service and gave a quick call to Hobbs, who was still up and tracking me. I treated myself to an apple and peanut butter. My stash of apples, peanut butter, nuts and granola bars has come in handy.