Y2AK

By focusing on the geography and not the events I was surprised to find we nearly made it for the Yukon River Quest. I spotted a voyager canoe at the visitor’s center and struck up a conversation with a paddler from New York. His team came in sixth in the 400+ mile race from Whitehorse to Dawson City on the Yukon River. Clearly this was a good finish for him and he was driving home tired, but satisfied. Paddle events are hard to observe most of the time. This one was no exception. Echoes of the race continue. Several days later we met a couple who were the support team for another voyager canoe. It all sounded exciting.

On Moon Lake I paddled in stillness before and after the motor jocks were on the water foaming up the tannin stained waters. I floated along the shore looking in the sedges and reeds looking for moose. Baby teal on their mom’s back and lone loons and golden eye ducks floated calmly after the vortex-making boats were gone. A single adolescent moose startled me the next morning as we motored back to Tok a few miles from the lake.

We celebrated both the birthdays of Canada (July 1) and the 4th of July. The Sourdough RV park entertained and feed us as our welcome back to the States. We could I suppose take Bastille Day by flying off to Paris or probably find a contingent to celebrate with in Quebec in North America and there take in the 400th anniversary of the city. Mostly we’ll stay with the truck on the ground until August.

A rare combination of fire and water visited us this past week. Our house, and we thought possibly our family, in Santa Barbara was threatened by fire. Most of you know that has passed and our family and houses survived. Thanks for all your well wishing and good thoughts. Ironically, we were sitting in the rain about this same time. At the end of a rainy day we parked along a creek at the Wilderness RV Park just south of Glennallen. The rear of the trailer hung over a creek that kept rising all night long. By morning we made a safe retreat and were glad to be gone while the bridge still held. Most likely it was no threat at all, but it seemed wise to move on.

At the Mantanuska Glacier we were rewarded with spectacular views after a day of riding along the Wrangle-St Elias National Park in the rain with clouds obscuring some of what promises to be most promising mountain viewing. Twenty-two years ago I drove this route and recall what it should look like, but that’s not the same as seeing it for real once again. Fortunately, we’ll ride past here again before leaving the state.