Day 19 Mile 1225 Alaskan Highway

WE MADE IT !!! Greetings from Alaska. Yes, we are back on U.S. soil and we are just settling in for the night, at mile1225 of the Alaskan Highway. Were at the Border City Lodge. We decided to change the game plan and take advantage of a late check out at the hotel. We woke around 9:00a.m. and had some coffee. The clouds were in the sky and the temperature was 43 degrees. We decided to leave around noon and ride in the extended daylight. It was a good idea, the temperature had raised and the clouds didn't look as threatening. As we were loading the bike an attractive blond approached us and introduced herself. She was from Biker T.V. Canada. She had a camera man with her and they asked if we would interview. They are having a bike rally in Whitehorse this weekend and thats why they were there. We answered her questions and chatted with them for around twenty minutes. We said our good byes and headed out. It was cold but not as cold as yesterday. There was snow on the ground and clouds lingered in the air. It rained every now and then but not enough to make things miserable. We raised in elevation again and it got colder. Tracy and I stopped to take a picture with a snowman. We thought it was appropriate. We were riding through the mountains and not over them. The view was overwhelming. Each mountain was larger than the next. Covered with snow and steep. We were happy that we were not riding over the tops. We rode along side several lakes, and as with the others, they were as blue as a clear sky. The towns were still far apart and when you arrived at some of them there was nothing there. Closed, for sale, or just abandoned. We fueled up at Destruction Bay, YT and headed for the border. We were about to head over and through the last mountain pass before Alaska. True to form, it turned out to be a long ride due to the road conditions. For around 100 miles we rode over dirt, gravel, heaved pavement and wavy blacktop. Our speed averaged 45m.p.h. and then came the rain. We would ride in the rain for two or three minutes then it would stop. I would pull over, dry my glasses, ride a little while, and it would start all over again. Just a few miles before the last town before the border it started to hail. It was like being hit with shards of glass at high speed. Even though we came to a crawl it was coming down with force. Talk about a facial. I thought I was going to bleed. It eased up and our speed increased. We stopped in Beaver Creek, YT (last town in YT) and headed for the border. The border guard was polite and suggested The Border City Lodge for the night. It's raining pretty good now and we pray it will stop by morning. Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming. Were going to try to make it to Anchorage tomorrow.