Day 2: Taking it Easy and the Scenic Route
After logging a pile of miles the first day, Greg and I were ahead of schedule. We slept in and leisurely planned our next leg of the trip over breakfast.
Instead of pressing on and taking the most direct route up the Cassiar Highway 37, Greg gushed about the opportunity to ride to the west coast and reach the Pacific Ocean if we sidetrack to Kitimat. The roads are fun motorcycle ones on the way there and additionally, we could visit the photogenic towns of Kitwanga, Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska.
That area can only be described as picture postcard in its natural beauty and somewhat mimics scenery from New Zealand with its tall, rocky peaks, brilliant-colored water, and lush green vegetation. It also features abundant wildlife and glaciers.
It was a no-brainer! Adding a second ocean visit and popping into Alaska on a whim is just the kind of impulsive move I love to make. Let’s go!
Day 2 Ride to Dawson City: Waterlogged and Dazzled
Today was a wild one for Greg and I. I’m so glad he talked me into taking the long way to Dawson City with a trip west to Kitimat.
Kitimat is a port city of about 5000 inhabitants who apparently value motorcycle parking at fast food establishments.
The town itself is quaint but nothing too special, however, the road there was a series of lovely S curves bordered by sky-scraping towers of grey, black, red, and purple granite. The whole way we were stunned by the greenery and tall mountains framing it all.
It POURED rain on us and visibility was awful at times. It reminded me that riding smooth is how it’s done in rain. The Ninja was totally up to the challenge and we arrived safely in Kitimat then found our way to Hospital Beach.
The view was breathtaking. The lush greenery of the area is a stark contrast to Calgary. I felt happy we were able to stand in the Pacific Ocean (well, an inlet of it anyway) and ponder mimicking this moment In the Arctic Ocean next week.
Interestingly, the water here was fresh. Not even briny tasting. I guess there’s so much runoff flowing into the bay that it pushes the salt water backward.
I’ve been to the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean already and can’t wait to add the Arctic to my “collection” of ocean visits.
After Kitimat, we backtracked and stopped in to visit some totem poles in Kitwanga. The faces in the carvings are nicely detailed and I’m a big fan of the red, white and black artwork of the native people from this part of Canada.
We finally started up highway 37 known as the Cassiar Highway. This road is rough but bordered by a solid wall of lush forest on both sides. The road is like a scar running through a thick canopy of near jungle proportions of poplar and pine trees.
After Greg nearly ran out of gas we made it to the gas station at Meziadin Junction and swallowed hard before paying nearly $2 per liter for premium grade fuel. Up here, you just have to accept that added cost. It’s only going to get worse in that way.
If my math is correct that would be like paying over $7 per gallon in the US.
Premium Concerns: The Problem with Supercharged Bikes
The Ninja only drinks high octane gas. There’s a warning label on the gas tank about it leading to serious problems if you don’t meet that demand.
It’s similar to what I imagine touring the country with a woman like Courtney Love might be like. Only high-priced champagne will do for this hard-charging bombshell too.
Photo: WhyFame
I suspected before leaving home finding premium would be challenging while in the north. I picked up a bottle of octane booster at one gas station early along the way and used it to dope the regular octane gas when there wasn’t a high-test option available.
Overall, I would say I only used about half the bottle over maybe 8 to 10 fill-ups during the trip up and back home.
Even better, my trip coincided with a refinery supply problem for regular gas in BC, forcing many gas stations to sell their premium at regular gas prices. That saved me some money over the trip.
As a last resort I filled up a RotoPax gas can with the highest octane I could find and kept it on the bike as an emergency supply. I never needed it as it turned out, but I love the priceless peace of mind. You can see it strapped to my tour pack in most of the photos.
The Cassiar rewarded us with several bear sightings, including a mother bear with two cubs and one young grizzly who stood on his hind legs to look at us before crossing the road and on his merry way.
We are most definitely in bear country. Greg got some great photos of them. I’m not sure I would attempt to take photos while riding a bike, but he really has perfected the “look ma, no hands on the bars” technique.
The mountains on the Cassiar are more impressive to me than the ones back near Calgary. They seem taller, covered in glaciers with their eerie blue ice and have low hanging clouds impaled on most of their peaks. The tree line climbs high on the sides and the contrast of green, white, brown and other colors really takes your breath away.
I wish the photos really showed the details better so that all of you could share in what I saw today, but they don’t. There’s something intangibly different about taking in the presence of these ancient mounds of rock and earth in person. It’s a special gift to those who come up here that can’t be granted any other way. You just gotta be here.
The day ended in the quaint town of Stewart, BC which has a slight, hundred years ago vibe to it. It’s a touristy area that caters to bikers and has a curious feature of bordering a town called Hyder that is actually across the US border in Alaska! Better yet, the border is unprotected by the US, but there is a Canadian side for some reason. No one tell Donald Trump or there’ll be a wall built there right now… a YYYUUUUUUUUGE one I bet.
Tomorrow we’ll cross over the invisible border and I’ll enter Alaska for the first time in my life.
We goofed around too much today and are running behind schedule, so tomorrow stands to be a high mile day.
It sure would be nice if the rain would stop to let me see more of the countryside without a water covered visor. It would also allow me to get some GoPro footage to share.