There was a strong wind this morning but it was out of the south and I was headed north. It’s not too often I have a tailwind, so Minnie climbed up over the pass with ease. I stopped at a few overlooks that I missed on the way down but didn’t linger very long in the cold, biting wind. Even people on tour busses jumped out to take pictures and scurried back aboard in a hurry.
There were two areas of construction. The first one I came to had signs up that the road was closed. That was rather discouraging until some of us talked to the girl with a walkie talkie and found out they were doing some blasting up ahead and the road would only be closed another 15 minutes. On another stretch of gravel road construction I met a SUV that threw a stone that hit my windshield with a smack. I thought I had escaped damage until I stopped and noticed the dime-size star of cracked glass. Bummer!
When I was 20 miles from Whitehorse, I stopped at a place called Robinson Siding. It was built back during the gold rush days to let two trains pass on their way to and from Skagway. I was walking back looking at the junk laying around and a big black bear came walking down the tracks. He/she stopped and looked at me for a moment then slowly walked into the woods. I didn’t see any cubs around but I lost all interest in walking any further back into the woods where some old buildings stood.
I found a laundromat not far from the Walmart in Whitehorse, ate at McDonald’s, filled Minnie’s propane, water, and gas tank, and stocked up on groceries at Walmart. This Walmart has a terrible selection of groceries. Everyone says to go down to the supermarket to buy food but I found enough here. And besides, they are nice enough to let us park for free so I did my part to buy in their store.
I noticed a home and hardware store a short block from Walmart on my way back from the laundromat, so after I parked I walked back to see if they had the parts I was looking for. I found the brackets, bolts, and glue I need to mount my solar panels on top of Minnie, so all I need now is a nice place to do it and some warm weather.
Vinegar on fries? Yuck!
Darn! about the windshield, but I suppose it may not be your last crack this summer. The Alaska Highway is famous for taking that toll on it’s users. Hope the star doesn’t spread for the rest of the summer, and then you can get it fixed when you get back to the lower 48.
I bet you could find a shop that will do the windshield repair to prevent it from growing. It always leaves a small mark, but it then won’t get any worse.
Canadians like vinegar on their fish, but I hadn’t heard of putting on french fries too. Dale, you’re going native!
I just had a star crack on my windshield repaired in Flagstaff – only $35. I was surprised it was so cheap. Wow, bear sightings would be exciting! And I wouldn’t go further into the woods, either. Discretion is the better part, and all that! I’ve heard of vinegar on fish and chips, but haven’t tried it.
I LOVE vinegar on fries! Malt vinegar, and the fries should be very crisp but it’s so good!