Kluane Lake looking west
scanned aerial photo
The first 11 miles today was under construction, but those of
us who got going early, did quite well; there was a 3' strip of pavement
along the left edge of the roadway and the pilot truck driver told us to
ride there. Later riders were forced to ride in the pilot truck through
that section because heavy equipment tore up the strip of pavement. Riding
was okay. The weather was gorgeous and warming up all day.
Then we started getting increasingly beautiful glimpses of Kluane Lake and
the mountains.
At Burwash Landing we stopped for lunch and some of us visited a small museum. I stayed out in the sun.
This was probably the BEST single day of bicycle riding I've ever experienced. I think it beat the Tunnel of Trees between Harbor Springs and Cross Village, Michigan for shear natural beauty. We rode all day along Kluane Lake -- a huge lake surrounded by mountains and full of icebergs, but my computer (still working for time and temperature) showed it to be 88 degrees. There was NO wind at all. It was glorious. We all kept stopping and commenting how truly incredible it was. We took a lot of pictures. The lake was like a mirror.
According to those who have visited Lake Louise and sights in Europe, Kluane rivals the best.
We camped out right on the lake shore.
Two of us actually put on our swim suits and jumped into the lake
with the icebergs. Nobody bothered to take my picture; Carol looked a lot
better.
The water was "painfully" cold, but we camped out at a private campground that had a hot tub.
Life is really tough in the north country.
End: 54 miles
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997