Haines Junction, YT to Haines, AK

Day 21 - June 20, 2010
Mileage Today: 165
Total Trip Mileage: 6,816

This morning we woke up to find that everything was covered in tree sap. I kind of knew that the trees were leaking the night before, but was too lazy to move camp sites. I think it is safe to say that we will be bringing back some sap to Texas.

So, today we have a short ride over to Haines, AK. To get there we will cross back into British Columbia, then have another border crossing to re-enter the U.S.

Heading out of Haines Junction:



Spectacular scenery:
(Bandwidth killing pic section)









Proposal to Suzuki - Do you want to buy this pic for your advertising purposes?



Bye, bye kilometers…



An explanation on the pictures... You may notice that some of the pics are a bit washed out looking, and some pics (of the same area) will be stunning and vivid. This is because we are carrying 2 cameras, one we are willing to drop and one we are not. The one we are not willing to drop is a bit of an arduous task to remove from it's box, so it is not used all the time. - Clarification over.

Once we passed through the border we took proper pictures at the "Alaska" sign.



After we took our pics, we started our descent into Haines. Allow me to set the scene...

Imagine the most perfect weather you can recall. Mild, but still warm, sunny sky with wisps of white clouds. Kinda like that guy from the PBS art show (the one with the afro-hair) used to make in his paintings. You are in an ecosystem that doesn't quite make sense. You have deciduous trees and evergreens. You have snow capped peaks and boggy marshes. You are in a Bob Ross painting.





The cottonwood floats through the air. As you zoom past it it appears quite similar to entering warp speed on the Starship Enterprise. You continue descending, winding along the road, allowing the sun to heat you. Finally you are warm in Alaska. You have 12 hours to go 30 miles, and you also realize that if nothing more, you will at least make it back to the lower 48 under your own steam because you board a ferry tomorrow that will deliver you to Washington. A perfect day for us.

^----^----^----^ allowing mental image to soak in....

Returning to ride report...

As we cruised down to Haines, we spotted a good picture opportunity - old bridge:



Then off to find camp. We had to raise our game tonight. No tent in the trees, we need waterfront property.



Now some groceries...



And a really big hammer!



Now the day is complete, and we can relax and watch the tide roll in.

jordan


p.s. - thanks for the comments. its nice to know people are watching and reading.