July 9

Woke up at 4 ... the sun is just coming up. Called Clem from the parking lot (8 am in Raleigh.) The first call in several days--good to talk and hear her voice. After the call it was back to the room, everyone else was sleeping so the blogmeister added to the blog.

We left Tok around 9 headed for Fairbanks. We completed the Alaska Highway and congratulated each other for accomplishing one more goal! Seems like a long time since we started in Dawson Creek. Many miles riding behind Jeff and many good memories.

En route to Fairbanks we stopped at a scenic overlook for photos. Olivia documented the majestic valley with her excellent photographic skills.
















We also stopped at the North Pole. Santa Claus was just sitting around with Ms. Claus. I put in a good word for everyone, but especially for Alex, Katie, and Ben. In the photo you can see the postcard that Santa gave me to send to each of you, so check the mailbox.

We're staying at the 7 Gables Inn in Fairbanks. Its near the river and they have canoes and kayaks to loan. The good news is we had a great time paddleing down river to a restaurant. The bad news is that we had to paddle back ... upstream. We all learned that its harder to paddle upstream! Today it was sunny, blue skies, and hot. A welcome change--hope the good weather continues. Tomorrow is a non-riding day as we do maintenance in preparation for the ride to Prudhoe Bay.