D2D +1 (6/15/23 Thu)

In the week I've been in Dawson City it has not ever been dark. During this mornings bathroom trip I was suprised to see the town in this light. Aparently the darkest it ever gets is around 0700 when the Midnight Dome casts a shadow over the town. A discovery so significant it warranted this picture. When is the last time you took a picture to capture the darkest moment? That would have been my answer too, before this morning.

So the big reveal today came late in the day. Afterattending a one hour poetry reading of Robert Service prose. My return path was planned to confirm the location of the 3J hotel, so I could get there by midnight tonight. Expectiing to get in the photo and collect my attendance sticker. Then quickly retire to the Bunkhouse for as much sleep as possible beffore an early start towards Fairbanks Friday morning.

Well there was a tent and tables setup at the 3J Hotel and it contained Tee Shirts and stickers, which I bought. I thought stickers only got handed out at midnight. They confirmed the attendence sticker is only given out at midnight, but then they also noted it was midnight end of Friday, not start of Friday. Oops. I guess I'm staying one more day. Good thing this lodgings daily rate is about 30% of what my stay in Deadhorse, AK will cost. Back at the Bunkhouse I bought another day in room #26. The second time they've moved guests around so I could have a room for so long.

Honestly this works out better because both my Sprockets and the chain tool should arrive by the time I reach Fairbanks. I also learned about a motorcycle stop in Tok that has tools. So if I get stuck half way, that its an option.

I also get another day to see the last few things left in Dawson City. Today I watched the last two of the four video loops in the info center, toured the sturn wheeler boat S.S. Keno, and visited the Robert Service cabin and reading. Even made my own dinner on the grill. Met a number of australians and many more newly arrived bikers.

One great story that I had heard about was a guy on a BMW who hit a masive pot hole on his way in from Alaska. It broke his rear rim. He went online to the forums and someone in Alaska had a rim, knew a pilot making runs to Dawson and sent him a rim to be dropped off here by someone from the airport. I was sitting with the group around the grill when the airport pickup arrived with the rim. Kind of nice to see the conclusion of the story.

Also a bit sobering to hear how bad some of the roads are in Alaska. I had figured once I cleared the dirt of the Top of the World Highway it would be an easy ride to Fairbanks. Road reports from those arriving say the paved section is far worse than the gravel portion from here to Tok. I've also learned some other nice routes and have a partial plan for my ride out of Alaska and back towards the US boarder. But reports of many Alaska roads only increase my trepidation of the road ahead.

It does appear that I have been traveling longer days the most. Which is good because I intend to ease up more for this second chain and sprockets. And do more chain maintenance.

So tomorrow will be yet another day in Dawson City. I'm not yet tired of this place, so that's fine with me. Saturday I'll be heading for and hopfully arriving in Fairbanks. That means my work day will fall on a Sunday.

Once the bike work is complete I will use the weather to select the next leg: Deadhorse or Denali. By all accounts I do not want rain on the four days requried to ride up and back from Deadhorse. So bitter cold or rain predictions would push me to Denali. And the hope of better weather to follow.