There is something to be said when life seems to have a plan of its own and you are no longer a slave to time and the mere days of the week. My time on the road has rid me of these shackles and I have since found myself flying with the wind and feeling as though no matter what I choose, ultimately the universe will drive me in the direction that it chooses. As a result of my vulnerability and willingness to go where the wind bloweth, I have neglected to update you on my recent, most epic adventures.
I left Whitehorse feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to embrace the next leg of my journey. I was facing a difficult choice of whether to ride the Cassiar road or take the Ferry from Skagway, Alaska all the way down the inside passage to the tip of Vancouver island. At that moment I knew in my heart of hearts that it was absolutely absurd to try riding the very remote Hwy. at this time of year on my own and so I made the decision to experiment with another form of transportation and ride the ferry. The only challenge facing me was the small, minuscule problem of $. After spending some quality time busking in Whitehorse I was feeling hopeful and excited about the prospect of continuing to play music and make my way down to Skagway. The morning of my planned departure I woke up to a lovely 2 inch. layer of snow on the ground and it was still coming down. My spirits were still soaring and I ended up covering a good 80 km. all the way to Carcross. After spending 8 hours on the bike, I was cold, wet and pretty tired and darkness was quickly approaching. I figured I'd just camp along the road, but as I am one of the most blessed people alive, a kind, friendly stranger stopped to ask me if I was ok and whether I had a place to stay for the night. He was an older, native artist in the community nearby, and he offered to drive slowly so I could follow him back to his house. He lived on the Tagish lake reservation in a beautiful section of forest. I was so happy to be in a warm place for the night. It's funny how the simplest things, can make you feel so incredibly content. I was in this beautiful place, with an intriguing and kind stranger, who lived very simply. He had spent most of his adult life living out of a van, until very recently where he was able to obtain a house close to family and friends. He had very little in the way of belongings, just a bed on the floor, a small television without cable and some carving tools for his art projects. His artwork was exquisite, and was made out of moose antlers carved into intricate eagle heads. I'd never seen anything like it. He spoke for a while about his childhood and the lost traditions of his people. He taught me a lot about the history of the area, and how his Native reserve were one of the first to attain a self government. I was fascinated and learned so much from this kind man. The following morning I bid my dear friend adieu and headed out on the road. This time around a thick blanket of snow muffled all sound around me and I felt like this time winter was here to stay.
That particular day of riding burns brightly in my mind, because it was one of the longest most challenging days thus far but I conquered it with ease thanks to another wonderful cyclist who happened to join me right before reaching the crux (a huge and extremely snowy mountain pass). Needless to say, my arrival into Skagway was exceptionally rewarding, albeit very cold and wet. I spent six incredible days, exploring Skagway and spending my time in a cozy nook, eating well and catching up on much needed sleep. I met the most wonderful couchsurfing host who was happy to show me around all the little gems in the area.
As I have neglected my blog for far too long, it is with great reservation that I skip ahead and simply summarize my time in Juneau and the ferry ride down the inside passage. Every where I go, even when I am confined to a boat, I still manage to meet more inspiring and amazing people. After four amazing days in Juneau, filled with dumpster diving, musical madness in the form of a very late and lively jam until four in the morning, and riding to catch the ferry at 3:00am in the pitch black, wind and rain. The crew on the ferry all came to know me as the crazy cyclist who made a noisy entrance (since I just made it to the ferry with two minutes to spare) before departure. They helped advertise my journey, because at this point I was still $89 short for the ferry from Prince Rupert down to Port Hardy and they encouraged me to play in the bar on the ship where I ended up making enough moula, with the generous help of one individual. You know who you are, and THANKS AGAIN!!!
For now, I have safely made it to Port McNeill where I will remain for the next couple of days and then I'm off to visit a floating fishing lodge in Echo bay. Hopefully it won't be as long before I update you all again!
I left Whitehorse feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to embrace the next leg of my journey. I was facing a difficult choice of whether to ride the Cassiar road or take the Ferry from Skagway, Alaska all the way down the inside passage to the tip of Vancouver island. At that moment I knew in my heart of hearts that it was absolutely absurd to try riding the very remote Hwy. at this time of year on my own and so I made the decision to experiment with another form of transportation and ride the ferry. The only challenge facing me was the small, minuscule problem of $. After spending some quality time busking in Whitehorse I was feeling hopeful and excited about the prospect of continuing to play music and make my way down to Skagway. The morning of my planned departure I woke up to a lovely 2 inch. layer of snow on the ground and it was still coming down. My spirits were still soaring and I ended up covering a good 80 km. all the way to Carcross. After spending 8 hours on the bike, I was cold, wet and pretty tired and darkness was quickly approaching. I figured I'd just camp along the road, but as I am one of the most blessed people alive, a kind, friendly stranger stopped to ask me if I was ok and whether I had a place to stay for the night. He was an older, native artist in the community nearby, and he offered to drive slowly so I could follow him back to his house. He lived on the Tagish lake reservation in a beautiful section of forest. I was so happy to be in a warm place for the night. It's funny how the simplest things, can make you feel so incredibly content. I was in this beautiful place, with an intriguing and kind stranger, who lived very simply. He had spent most of his adult life living out of a van, until very recently where he was able to obtain a house close to family and friends. He had very little in the way of belongings, just a bed on the floor, a small television without cable and some carving tools for his art projects. His artwork was exquisite, and was made out of moose antlers carved into intricate eagle heads. I'd never seen anything like it. He spoke for a while about his childhood and the lost traditions of his people. He taught me a lot about the history of the area, and how his Native reserve were one of the first to attain a self government. I was fascinated and learned so much from this kind man. The following morning I bid my dear friend adieu and headed out on the road. This time around a thick blanket of snow muffled all sound around me and I felt like this time winter was here to stay.
That particular day of riding burns brightly in my mind, because it was one of the longest most challenging days thus far but I conquered it with ease thanks to another wonderful cyclist who happened to join me right before reaching the crux (a huge and extremely snowy mountain pass). Needless to say, my arrival into Skagway was exceptionally rewarding, albeit very cold and wet. I spent six incredible days, exploring Skagway and spending my time in a cozy nook, eating well and catching up on much needed sleep. I met the most wonderful couchsurfing host who was happy to show me around all the little gems in the area.
As I have neglected my blog for far too long, it is with great reservation that I skip ahead and simply summarize my time in Juneau and the ferry ride down the inside passage. Every where I go, even when I am confined to a boat, I still manage to meet more inspiring and amazing people. After four amazing days in Juneau, filled with dumpster diving, musical madness in the form of a very late and lively jam until four in the morning, and riding to catch the ferry at 3:00am in the pitch black, wind and rain. The crew on the ferry all came to know me as the crazy cyclist who made a noisy entrance (since I just made it to the ferry with two minutes to spare) before departure. They helped advertise my journey, because at this point I was still $89 short for the ferry from Prince Rupert down to Port Hardy and they encouraged me to play in the bar on the ship where I ended up making enough moula, with the generous help of one individual. You know who you are, and THANKS AGAIN!!!
For now, I have safely made it to Port McNeill where I will remain for the next couple of days and then I'm off to visit a floating fishing lodge in Echo bay. Hopefully it won't be as long before I update you all again!
Great to hear how you're doing!
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