Canada Alaska 2008 Motorcycle trip Day 19

Day 19 -
View Larger MapWe woke in our bunks to low clouds and fog, but no visible rain at about 06:00. We dressed and packed up as quickly as possible, checked out and were on the road by about 07:00. We stopped to top-off our gas on the way back into Dawson City. It was starting to lightly rain in Dawson. We had to hurry! We caught the ferry across the Yukon River and started our journey to ride the "Top of the World Hwy."
The ferry in Dawson is very interesting. It runs 24/7 whenever enough people are lined-up to cross the river from either side. A lot of townspeople live across the river in remote homes or at mining operations. The ferry is also free. They don't have a permanent dock for loading or unloading on either side of the river. They just have front-loaders that they use to pile-up the river gravel at the riverbank contact point each time the ferry crosses. The river washes the bank away so quickly that the ferry docks slightly different each time. They also hit the shore/gravel hard each time to get good contact for vehicles to roll safely across the ramps. They warn you before reaching shore to "brace yourself - We are going to hit hard". There was still a very light rain. There was also dense fog that caused us to have to wipe our face shields constantly to see clearly. The road was almost puddle-free. We rode to the top of the incline to what was truly the top of the world. It was absolutely beautiful, we could look out and see the tops of the clouds and the surrounding mountains. We had beat the rain to the top! The road was wet and slippery but only mud in a few spots. It was OK riding. The few RVs we passed were going very slow on the road. The road was really in quite good condition.
At 09:45 Alaska time (new time zone) we reached the border in Poker Creek Alaska. They brag that they are the most northerly land border point in the USA. (I guess that would be for Canada going the other way also!) At a rest stop a mile into Alaska we stopped.We saw 2 guys in a ridiculously packed/loaded ancient early 50’s VW Beetle. They were apparently sponsored by a parts company for old VWs .
We got to Chicken, AK and enjoyed lunch at the Chicken Cafe. We had sandwiches and cherry pie. There was a couple there from Princeton California (a small town 30miles outside Chico, CA). They had a little 3,000 acre farm that their son is running for them now. The husband said that one of their daughters used to ride a Harley. Their farm grows walnuts, prunes, etc. They were heading opposite us to Dawson. He said that they went fishing with a friend and he said he caught a 75# salmon in the "bay". He wasn't sure which bay. He also said that the road to Valdez was one of his favorite drives on the trip and should not be missed!
Right before we got to Chicken the fog turned to a slight rain, but we kept moving and made it to Teslin at the Taylor/Alaska Hwy junction and then on to TOK without any incidents. We checked into the Golden Bear Hotel, did laundry, and then walked to the local "3 Bears" grocery/general store and bought some fruit, chips, salsa, and chocolate milk for dinner.