Leaving Alaska too soon, we headed toward the Canadian border. The day was bittersweet because even though we would be done at the end with this majestic state, a ride under warm sun and clear skies awaited.
The road to Tok, the final leg of our Alaskan loop, proved to be most interesting. An undulated, frost heaved surface tested our spines. I felt like my hang time got close to a record five seconds as my butt left the seat for an air ride. Several encounters with entrances to Wrangell-Elias Park proved the reality of its massive size as an encounter with a moose too close to the road gave validation to its enormity.
It seems like everything in Alaska is colossal. Thousands of miles of roads wind past countless mountains unsurpassed in height and breadth. Rivers, lakes and waterfalls occur with abundance and large animals, bear, moose and caribou, roam the forests. Even the ravens are the size of small children!
After reaching Tok, we were back on the Alaska highway, heading for the border, familiar territory with a fresh perspective. Coming into Alaska, we rode in clouds and rain. Today the sun lit up the mountains that we never knew were there. Last week we skittered carefully over wet gravel with our heads down to the road. Today we ate the gravel like candy, our eyes to the mountains and the skies.
Earlier, at a stop to stock up on picnic supplies and wine, I overheard a woman lamenting the fact that she was depressed because it was dark at 1 AM now. The portion of daylight allotted to the people of the Far North is rapidly shrinking at about 9 minutes a day. They hold onto every second of precious daylight and dread the long nights to come. We have seen changes in the few weeks we have ridden here. The sunrise is later, the fireweed is ending its bloom and we saw our first sunset tonight.
We have left the USA and Alaska behind and entered Canada and the Pacific Time Zone. In a few days we will be back in the lower 48, but it is questionable when or if we will visit the 49th again. So remote, so beautiful, so wild, this state has become our "Last Frontier". From the four points of the compass, we touched all the boundaries of this country on two wheels. But there are still many rides ahead, many unridden trails to blaze and new ventures around the bend.
And we are still 4000 miles away from home!
Good morning Copper Center
Who lives here?
A fur cache
The embers of the fireweed
To build a fire
Our last picnic in Alaska
Yes, there are mountains
Sun blessed us today
Our first sunset in weeks
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