Minneapolis, MN to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

After a few days of planning, blog updating, resting, eating, and bike fixing at Rich's place in the Roseville suburb of Minneapolis, the time arrived to hit the road for the ~1,600 mile homestretch.  There were a few route options through the Great Lakes, but I long (since Wyoming?) had it in my head to go through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Manitoulin Island, Ontario,  places I heard are beautiful and both looked interesting on a map.  The route turned out not to have the best roads for riding, but I discovered some beautiful places indeed.

My last night in Minneapolis Rich invited me to join him at a friend's annual block party, somewhere on the south end of the city.  The live band,  dancing in the streets and happy people left me with the impression Minneapolis is a good place to live.

Moran, WY to Minneapolis, MN

I didn't have high expectations for good riding once out of the Tetons.  My impression of WY away from the Tetons was based on driving across the southern part of the state on I-80, which is a barren and boring landscape.  So I am still surprised that central and northern WY turned out to be awesome riding, and made WY one of my favorite states.  Nearly every road I was on had huge shoulders and low traffic (WY is the least populated US state).  People were extraordinarily friendly and I discovered previously unknown mountain ranges in my final two big mountain crossings.  

From Moran I rode southeast on route 26 toward Dubois for my actual final crossing of the Continental Divide, via Togwotee Pass (the W is silent) through the Absaroka Mts. They are part of the Rockies. I had never heard of them, but I think they were higher than any other mountain crossing I have done. I did a few thousand feet of climbing over 20 miles.  The climb seemed to drag on as it would flatten out and then go up again.  

Looking back at the Tetons in the clouds on the way up Togwotee Pass.  

The National Parks- Jasper to Tetons

Some of the most beautiful places on the planet deserve a lot of pictures, and so there are a lot of pictures in this post. A much needed change after the Ft Nelson to Grande Cache stretch of riding.   

I made a stop in Jasper for food and WiFi and left quickly.  After a couple days of long remote rides and a mediocre night's sleep the tourist crowds seemed overwhelming.  I felt both tired and excited as I pedaled down the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic roads in the world.  Just outside of town a black wolf ran across the road ahead of me.  Awesome.
   

Darren and Darren, the Professors.

AK Highway Roller Coaster Part 2 Ft Nelson, BC to Grande Cache, AB

I left Ft. Nelson feeling good after a day of rest, updating my blog, and receiving a used can of bear spray from my host, Geoff.   I had gotten some warnings that truck traffic would be bad, but I had no idea the next week of riding would be the worst riding of my life.  The Alaska Highway in northeast BC has been taken over by the oil and gas industry, and is now essentially a service road for their business operations, with some RVers and tourists mixed in.  The recent boom is the result of fracking, and there doesn't seem to be any signs of slowing down.

My first day riding south out of Ft Nelson was mostly very good though more remote than I expected.  Low traffic, lots of bears along the road, and plenty of sunshine.  The town of Prophet River is no longer, and the motel/restaurant/RV Park is closed.  The river and creek water ran muddy brown so I was reluctant to try to filter the water with my pump.  A truck driver gave me a bottle of water to get me further down the road.  So the stretch from Ft Nelson to Buckinghorse River would be about 180KM with no services.   

AK Highway Roller Coaster Part 1 Skagway, AK to Ft Nelson, BC

The ride from Skagway, AK to Dawson Creek, BC, the start of the AK Highway, and south through Jasper and Banff National Park has been challenging, rewarding, beautiful and ugly.  The first part from Skagway to Ft Nelson was exciting, and with the exception of some dusty roads and hot temperatures, a wonderful stretch of riding.  

From Skagway I rode up the Klondike Highway over White Pass back into Canada. Above is the lookout near the top of White Pass on the Klondike Highway.  Lots of tourists and buses driving up from Skagway giving me beeps and hand gestures of encouragement on my way up.