First motorcycle ride of the season
I finally got out on a real ride today, way later than usual. Just too much going on. Well, I actually was out on the bike for an hour or so the day before we went Haines over Easter, but an hour doesn’t real count 🙂
The plan today was to spend 3-4 hours doing the Tagish-Carcross loop, with lunch at the new Jake’s Diner, an hour down the Alaska Highway, to start the ride off right, then some time with some of the thousands of migrating swans at the Tagish Bridge before finishing the ride home.
A few minutes from home, I stopped to shoot a selfie at the Yukon River Bridge rest area on the Alaska Highway.
Not much has changed yet at Jake’s Diner, which just re-opened after being closed for 2, maybe 3 years. I know the woman who now runs it, Lisa Armstrong, from when she was cooking in Carcross – her baking in particular is exceptional.
Bob the Moose announces the daily special, which today was grilled cheese sandwich and salmon chowder. The bowl of chowder was both huge and excellent, and with coffee the entire bill was $9.92 – excellent value! Jake’s is definitely back on my list of regular stops 🙂
The diner has a really funny design that only lets 4 people (2 tables) enjoy this spectacular view. As you can see from the first inside photo, there are no other windows. Maybe Lisa will add an outside patio (hint, hint!) 🙂
A fellow about my age in a pickup had pulled up to the diner beside me when I arrived, and commented that it was pretty early to be on a bike. We got chatting, and he agreed that if you’re dressed like I was, there was no reason to not be out. It was 4°C (39°F) when I left home, and I hadn’t been even slightly cold.
As I got near the Tagish River Bridge, the wind which had been pounding me all the way greatly increased, and the only swans visible from the bridge were 60-70 barely visible in a sheltered bay to the north. What a disappointment!
It was a great day to be on the bike even without swans, though – this was the view along the Tagish Road as I neared Carcross.
I checked a couple of possible swan locations near Carcross, but the wind had driven them from both places.
I’m hoping for an early Spring, though the warming seems to have stalled at the moment. The breakup of the ice on Emerald Lake, though, does seem to be a bit further advanced than normal for mid-April.
One final photo looking back to Brute Mountain at Carcross. It’s certainly still Winter up there!
After a great day, I’m hoping for an even better night. The forecast is for a very strong aurora tonight, so I’ll be back on the road in about 3 hours 🙂
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