Is that Water Safe to Drink?

So we are drinking tonight. We are watching the floaties in the drinks,… and talking about giardia. The “Rustic” B and B.. woman said we could safely drink the water… but still… will the vodka kill everything in the floaties? Will we be stopping the bikes every mile to hit the lou.. Alaskan style tomorrow? Beaver Fever in Beaver?

 That is a clear glass... can you see the lamp behind it?

We got cool pastries in the Village Bakery in Haines Junction.. must do! Cherry strudel.. giardia or not!

We pulled out of Haines this morning after having breakfast at the Bamboo Room.. a local heart attack on a plate kinda joint (they even had an AED – Automatic External Defibrillator on the wall). We wandered around subdivision streets for a bit before we recognized we were lost… yes I know.. in Haines… but nonetheless… it took us a bit to get righted. Once on the road the scenery changed to the Chilkat River. Thousands of eagles congregate on this river every fall/winter to feed of the dead fish (from spawning). Of course, this time of year is not the time to see that, but we happened on a couple of local Alaskan fisherman that were going for sockeye… they spent some time explaining to me that there was a Canadian bar code stamped on the Canadian fish swimming upstream… as opposed to the amerikan fish that were more natural. Listen in.. covert filming.

(By the way, in the time that it took me to type this much of my blog, the floaties have become sediment in my drink… much easier to handle).

B and B woman warned us of a bear in the area last night.  All day I thought about my motorcycle being trashed by a bear on the account that it could smell the protein bars buried deep in my panniers.  Should I take the protein bars into the “rustic” cabin made of flimsy screens and plywood? I think not! I will call a tow truck to recover the bite/slash job to my tires and cables… should that occur.  We are staying right on the beach of Kluane Lake in the middle of a ghost town… Silver City. Although the place is rustic (this meant we slept in the equivalent of Jaz’s plywood shed last night), and the water is questionable, the view was absolutely amazing! I would stay here again.

 Does this not look like a shed?

In the evening we wandered on the beach which is covered with an impressive field of dwarf fireweed before the sand, and then of course there is the teal colored water. I got stuck in the silty clay mud on the beach and nearly had to dig for my shoe (no laughing family members). We walked the entire beach and ghost town area and only came across one pile of bear scat.. as opposed to what Jaz was calling the “Shit Highway” on account of all the bear poop we saw from Haines to the summit. We explored the ruins of Silver City, many of which are on their final leg before they collapse. We didn’t dare go any of the structures but one.

 Me shooting the dwarf fireweed just outside my door on the banks of Kluane Lake.

The ride over the top on the Haines Highway was impressive, although not as impressive as the Klondike… if you can only do one.. do the Klondike. I tried filming the ride, but I forgot to turn the camera on. Keeping up with the Go Pro is more complicated than one would think.

 At the top of Haines Summit - Haines Highway

Here are the things that passed through my crooked mind as I enjoyed this spectacular scenery:

• My Ipod blew out on the trip. Equipment failure! Unrecoverable.
• I think it is a good thing to keep the little plastic deodorant protector in place for motor cycle trips… the vibration destroys deodorants.
• The last hotel (Hisingsomething or rather)had plenty of outlets in it’s rooms.. a first! I could charge everything and not feel guilty for steeling the plugs.
• It doesn’t take much to make us happy: sunny days, lots of outlets, good coffee, and safe water.
• I smashed my hand on the ferry… I hope I can drive.. it was my throttle hand. Worse case scenario – I will cut off two fingers on my gloves to accommodate a make shift splint. (Note* My two fingers are stiff and painful, but I can drive – no splint needed).
• While near Dawson, we stopped for gas. I opened my tank lid and had just finished filling the gas. The level was very high. I was putting the nozzle back and had not closed the tank lid yet, when a big fat fly flew into the open lid. It fell in a stunned stupor.. into the tank. I’m watching it struggle in the deadly fuel,. It dies. My Buddhist mind takes a back seat as I worried what impacts this will have on my motor. I decided that the impact would be great on my motor if I don’t get that fly out soon. I search for a stick (always a first option for women).. I find no suitable stick.. I decide to reach in with my fingers and grab the sucker… this is a big step for me… I grab the fly.. and then throw it out on  the sidewalk,, and don’t look back. My Buddhist tendencies to try to save the fly do not kick in.. my logical self tells me it is too late for the fly…  I move on.

I am sipping my drink down to the sediment line…

This morning we are contemplating a small flight over Kluane Glacier. Kluaine and Wrangell St. Ellias together make the largest park/natural area in the world.  If the weather holds we are going to do it.