It was light when I checked the clock at 4:30 a.m. I quickly retreated into my sleeping bag and went back to sleep for awhile. Since I was camped near the laundry, I decided to do my laundry and dry the fly of the tent. It rained a bit in the middle of the night. I had breakfast at the Teslin Lodge and then packed everything back on the bike.

My original intention was to ride directly to Haines, AK, but a couple of miles down the road I decided to make a side trip to Skagway, AK. I’m glad I did. The mountains were different from others I’ve seen on this trip. They are very tall, but rounded from erosion. Also, they are a different color. They are a yellowish-tan.

The first overlook I stopped at had a great view of a mountain, a lake, and an island.

Farther down the highway near the border at Fraser, the train from Skagway was stopped at the station and about to return.

This train is one of the excursions that the cruise ships offer their passengers. In addition to the train, I saw a dozen busses, a group of bicyclists, and a group of jeeps. There were two ships in port, so most of the passengers were shopping in town.

I checked at the ferry terminal about a ferry to Haines, but they only run to Juneau on the weekends.

On the way back to my bike after taking pictures, I talked with two BMW riders from Oregon. I had seen them earlier in the day at a gas station. They enjoyed the scenery as much as I did. They were riding BWM K-1200s and in the course of our conversation they said they couldn’t ride farther than about 300 miles in a day. The bikes were sport-touring models, but not comfortable for touring. They said, “You have a Harley. You can ride all day on that.” I was very surprised because I thought BMWs were supposed to be great for touring. I told them about Air-Hawk seat cushions. Perhaps Revzilla will get a couple of orders.

I headed back up Highway 2 to Whitehorse and the Alaska Highway. At Haines Junction I made a left and rode down to Haines. The mountains were even more spectacular. They are high with jagged peaks and lots of snow.

The river that flows down to the bay runs gray from the rocks and sand that wash down the mountains. It looks like watery cement.

My friend, Joe recommended the Oceanside RV park and the fish and chips at the Harbor Inn next door. I’m camped at the edge of a small cliff above the bay and the fish and chips was great.

Yesterday I forgot to mention that I was surrounded at a gas stop by a group riding Goldwing trikes and pulling campers. They appeared to be in their early 70s. They were from Wisconsin and Ohio and had bee on the road about a month. They expected to be out another month before returning home. They said they covered 250-300 miles a day.

Tomorrow I’ll retrace my steps and make a final push up the Alcan to Alaska.