Still 7/19 Fairbanks to Tok

By now you should have guessed that I am posting these from home. Life on the road doing the mileage that we were each day is not conducive to keeping a regular blog, so these additional details are coming to you from my home pc. At the North Pole we met up with two riders from Pennsylvania. Very friendly guys; one on a Road Glide like mine, the other on an early model soft tail. The soft tail rider was a farmer who had fabricated aluminum trays to be attached to his rear footboards. The trays were specifically sized and shaped to carry two 2.5 gallon gas cans. Running out of Fairbanks to Tok we saw our first and only sandhill crane. Graduallywe left Fairbanks behind and began to get into much wilder sections of road. To our right was the back (northerly) side of Wrangell-St.Elias and although many miles away the huge mountains stood out as if we could reach out and touch them. The air was clear and the sun bright. Visibility was incredibly far and in the distance we could see storm clouds and rain falling. Conferring on the intercoms we decided to drive bit further before putting on rainsuits. Our mistake! Suddenly we began to get wet even though in bright sun. We pulled u-turns and blew back north out of the rain and suited up. Turning again to the south we entered the storm. Still in incredibly bright light, huge rain drops begin to fall as if in slow motion. We could see the impact on the bikes and almost hear the splash. With the light reflecting off the oncoming rain drops and the farground smooth dark blue-gray, it seemed that we were riding into a school of tiny silver-sided fish that flashed ahead of us and swirled away on wind currents. And then we were in heavy water. Running in rain is always a necessary evil for a motorcyclist; it happens, you have to keep moving forward to get to your destination, you have no choice. A good rainsuit, a good attitude and good tires are the most important tools when dealing with rain. We made it to Tok and found that the motels were full. We were referred to a B&B called the "Off The Road B&B" and it turned out to be one of many delightful surprises on the trip. It had a one mile dirt road that was flat thankfully. The proprietor was an artist named Helga Wagenleiter. Although she had a cabin we opted to stay in the bedroom in her house. The buildings were all designed and constructed by Helgo over the last 20 years. This was a place that we did not expect to find in the backwoods of Alaska. There was a rustic elegance about the place, and, I think speaking for Eric and Lou, we felt a certain peace as if we were truly isolated from the entire outside world. Of course, we kind of were. But what I mean is that Helga welcomed us as if we were long lost brothers and some of that reticence that those of us who aren't used to living with others such as in a B&B situation, melted away and we were made to feel very comfortable. The down quilts on the beds were also quite luxurious. Helga is a photographer and stained glass artist. Her house was full of little details such as stained glass and mirror pieces around the bathroom sink that were unique. Breakfast is "of your choice or my surprise". We chose "my surprise" and Helga made a "Dutch Baby", flour, eggs and milk baked in a cast iron dutch oven, with homemade blueberry preserves and bacon. Wow! But beyond the place and food, Helga was a treasure. She is a native of Germany, fluent in several languages, world travelled, Alaskan homesteaded, a business woman and an artist who clearly has thought through Many of the issues of our day and addresses them all with compassion, intelligence and practicality. Check out her website: http://offtheroadhouse.com/helga.html. I think we could have stayed a few more days but headed out to Canada.