Nick Showered, I Showered, the Bikes Showered

Due to the Little Gold border crossing still being closed for the season, we had to swing down through Whitehorse to get to Dawson City: an important stop on our trip because of the much-talked-about Sourtoe Cocktail (more legend than it's worth, in my opinion). (For those who are friends with Nick on Facebook, a video of the Sourtoe Cocktail consumption: https://www.facebook.com/nick.civitello/videos/2140945372601919/)

The most obvious route thereafter would've been to backtrack to Whitehorse, then head east. However, I had heard of an interesting road called the South Canol Road that would bring us from Ross River to Johnson's Crossing through beautiful scenery and via some interesting-but-not-too-tricky off-road sections. It would also mean we would only backtrack as far as Carmacks before heading east rather than passing through Whitehorse again.

It was yet another beautiful ride through mountains and overlooking wide river valleys. When we got to Faro, though, and set camp, we discovered not only that the South Canol Road was still closed for the season, but also that the trek from Ross River -- the last gas stop -- to Watson Lake was about 240 miles: more than either of our bikes were forecasted to travel on a single tank. It was also all gravel until the last 60 km or so.

After some deliberation, though, that's the route we opted to take.

We met a fellow named Neil in Ross River. He offered his lovely cabin (Itzi Mountain Lodging) with a gorgeous view for our future adventures.

Then: 240 miles of gravel. Nothing too serious, but a nice break from asphalt. Toward the end, there were a couple construction zones, one of which gave us several patches of loose sand: tricky on these big bikes. Nick was killing it, though:

We arrived in Watson Lake incredibly dusty (especially me since I had been eating Nick's dust all day), but pretty daggum satisfied with an excellent day's ride.

Just off of the Cambell Highway, our dusty bikes pose at the Signpost Forest.

We found lodging in the historic, barracks-style <a link>Air Force Lodge</a>. Our gregarious and friendly host showed us to our room: two beds, a TV, and a desk. Cheap and clean, perfect for our needs. Shower room and toilet room were common for all lodgers. It was a treat to be back in actual beds with showers handy after several nights in the tents. Especially after a day of dusty riding, we each eagerly enjoyed getting cleaned up.

The bikes, though: they had endured the same dust, but didn't fit in the shower. We marveled at the places we found dust as we packed the next morning, but hit the road without looking for a car wash. We were bound for Fort Nelson, on the other side of the mountains.

Excellent views, again, and some new wildlife: mountain goats!

And just as we were heading over the last range, thunder, lightning, and a cold downpour. The bikes got their shower after all!