Watson Lake to Dawson, YT (Dan)

This is just a quick update – I mentioned in the last post it was going to be a long day at 600+ miles. We made the trip in 12.5 hours, and I felt great the whole way. Steve already mentioned that we’re starting to see wildlife, but we’re also starting to see wildfires. I was able to get an Insta360 video of this one between Carmacks and Dawson.

Besides wildlife and wild fires, we also experienced our first section of major road construction with a pilot car. Thankfully our turn can just a few minutes after arriving at the stop point. After the pilot car stepped outside his vehicle to take a leak on the side of the road, we were off following for what seemed like 20 miles.

Further up the road there was another section of roadway that was recently constructed. It was about 20 miles of freshly poured gravel. The road surfaces was very wide, very smooth, and very flat, but the loose gravel made for an uncomfortable riding experience. With my lighter bike and a bit of time on it, I made the best time and pulled away from the rest of the group (with Alf keeping me in sight and on the radios). The others were just a few minutes behind us – far enough that we just started to get worried after we stopped. Everyone arrived unscathed and we considered that our practice for the dirt and gravel roads that we will be experiencing again on this trip, including the Top of the World Highway today.