prised to find I wasn't met with jokes
or condemnation for dropping the
bike, instead came a big smile, a pat
on the back, and a handshake. In
that moment Dan had welcomed me
into the life of an adventure rider, a
family of bikers.
Dan and I spent the next few days
riding south down the Klondike and
Cassiar highway together. The Cas-
siar Highway is a real gem for motor-
cycle riders, once you get past a RV
here and there the road opens to you.
Aside from the patchwork pavement,
the road offers all the best attributes
that gorgeous British Columbia has.
A 550 mile, (885km), stretch that
passes mountains, glaciers, lakes,
rivers, and all the wildlife you could
dream of.
At the end of the Cassiar Highway
we’d detoured to the small town of
Hyder, Alaska. Hyder’s a small port
town surrounded by Canada and is a
must stop for any traveller headed to
or from Alaska.
Dan had decided to stay there a
few extra days to take a break from
the constant riding we’d been do-
ing. We parted ways and I’d contin-
TRAVERSE 94
ued onward. We’d planned to meet
up months later in his home town
in Washington. Dan also gave me a
contact for a machinist shop along
my route that he knew would repair
my broken clutch.
I loaded up the bike and embarked
eastbound, alone again. I began to
have a feeling of being alone, a feel-
ing to me that is both mixed with sad-
ness and excitement; a real two-sided
coin.
I rode east on the Yellowhead High-
way looking to find a road south. I’d
originally planned on making it to