There, I Fixed It.

We were halfway through the Yukon Adventure Challenge and about halfway down the Ibex Road when my teammate had an accident.

Fortunately, she was fine - but her bike was not. Her front wheel had come loose, likely because of the nut that should have been there, holding on one side of the quick-release system that keeps the wheel on the forks.

"Oh, this isn't good..."

We scoured the area for the missing piece to no avail.

We had two options:

1. Walk for ~13 km (8 miles) to the closest transition area and drop out of the race, or
2. Find a way to fix the bike.

I ride an old-school bike. Some people shake their heads at that ("What?!?! No suspension?!!? Side-pull caliper brakes?!?!  You're CRAZY!!!), but it works for me. Nearly everything is held on with nuts and those nuts come in only two sizes. I can fix almost everything on my bike with a small, adjustable wrench. If I lose a nut, I can poach one from elsewhere on the bike (ex. take the nut that controls the height of my seat and use it to replace a missing nut from a wheel). That's not the case with these new-fangled bikes; there was absolutely nothing on any other part of the bike that would properly fit onto the tiny rod of metal that held the tire onto the forks.

Without parts poaching as an option, it was time to get creative. I took an inventory of the equipment we had on-hand. For the most part, the bike-repair tools were useless - but I had my adjustable wrench. Maybe I could use that for something...

Oh, and I have some duct tape! Argh! but I don't have enough for it to be very useful (more on that in another entry). No wire, no string, no rope, no twine. Do I have anything else that...

Aha! Surgical tape! It's a lucky thing that surgical tape was on the mandatory list of race equipment. Sure, it's for the First-Aid kit but that's exactly what we're doing, right? First-Aid on the bike!

Things were coming together...

Things were coming together and, with a little extra reinforcement from some velcro straps, the repair was complete.

"There, I fixed it!"

I was worried about subjecting my teammate to my kludge, so we traded bikes for a bit. From time-to-time, I stopped to inspect the repair. Things hadn't budged. We swapped bikes again, stopping here-and-there to check on things. The repair still hadn't budged. So we raced for the finish (taking some modicum of care to avoid roots and rocks and other obstacles).

Racing for the finish!

It held the entire way.

Stay tuned for more Yukon Adventure Challenge adventures!

It must make sense to him.

Last night I was at the Takhini Hotsprings where the following conversation took place.

Me: One adult swim pass, please. Oh, and I'll need a lock.
Attendant: OK. For the lock I'll need either $10 or a car key as a security deposit.
Me: Oh, great! I only need the lock to lock up my car key, so how about I just give you my car key and you can give it back to me when I'm done swimming!
Attendant: No, we can't do that.
Me (confused): But... I only need the lock to lock up my car key. If I give it to you for the deposit I don't need the lock.
Attendant (sympathetically): I'm sorry, I can't hang on to your car key for you. We don't do that.
Me (scratching my head): OK, then... I'll take the lock and give you my car key for the deposit.
Attendant: Alright.

This...

... is a very, very tall mountain.

... is where I plan on sailing next summer.

... is Atlin and the entrance to the Torres Channel on Atlin Lake.

... is the Llewellyn Glacier.

... is what the curvature of the earth and a valley filled with forest fire smoke look like on the flight from Whitehorse to Vancouver.

Livingston Trail, I Presume?

Ever since I flew over the area on a Ross River-bound flight, I've wanted to hike into Lime Peak and Thomas "Tommy" Lake. Thar be caves in that thar limestone mountain!


View Larger Map
On a hot, hot, calm day while my parents were visiting, we motored the sailboat across Lake Laberge to do a bit of hiking and exploring in that general direction.


Fawn lugged Halia around and I carried Jade. Both children were very happy with this arrangement.

Did I mention that it was very hot?

Just a short time into our hike, we paused near a shallow pond where little frogs were scrambling to get off of the trail. I caught one and gave it to Jade to hold. It makes me so proud that she took it without a moment's hesitation and handled it carefully before we returned it to the trail. Frogs feel so cool! I just can't understand why some people get all squeamish at the idea of touching one.


Our path soon connected with the Livingston Trail. Livingston was a gold mining community, now abandoned, and the Livingston Trail was the overland route that people used to get there. We followed the trail toward my hoped-for destination.



Really, we didn't get very far down the trail. It was hot (did I mention that already?) and we underestimated our water requirements. The trees, also experiencing water supply problems, are pre-maturely yellow this year.

Mount Laurier

We ended our hike near a nice little beaver pond. While drinking water from a beaver pond is not recommended, paddling in the water to cool off is just fine.

I saw this cool, tiny plant at the beaver pond. What the heck is it?!

With supper time rapidly approaching, it was time to get the kids back to the boat.


Jade and I charged on ahead, with Jade giggling her head off as I bounced down the hills. She spotted these tracks (as did I) and knew exactly what they were.

These ones were a little harder for her to identify.


We never came close to Lime Peak or Tommy Lake, but it was still a nice hike for such a hot afternoon. I was pleased to see that a light wind had picked up on Lake Laberge and, when we finally made it to the shore, I gave myself a thorough rinse in the clear, refreshing lake water.



As we fed the kids their meals and prepared to head back to the other side of the lake, we were greeted by someone who could get to Lime Peak with the greatest of ease.



But I'll save the flying for my next blog entry...

Fawn in the Park

Summer in Whitehorse just wouldn't be summer without Arts in the Park. Every workday during the lunch hour, live performers play at Lepage Park while office workers, daycare attendees, random passersby, tourists, and anyone else who appreciates music get to listen - for free. In addition to the music, there is always an art demonstration where onlookers can learn more about an artist and their craft.

This summer's final performance was broadcast live on CBC radio and my dear wife, Fawn, was asked to sing a couple of songs. I'm sure she'll post some videos from the show on her own blog, eventually. Until then, here are a few shots from the event.

The paparazzi get ready.

The fans eagerly await.

And here she is (somewhere behind that microphone), ready to wow the crowd! (I'm so proud.)

Do contrails have shadows?

Yes. Yes they do.

An Evening Sail

Wow, am I ever behind on my blog entries! I'm just taking too many pictures, I guess!

Here are some shots from an evening sail with Jason on Lake Laberge. The wind was perfect for a reach across the lake followed by a downwind run.










The nights are definitely getting shorter so it's going to get harder and harder to do these evening sails. Weekend and moonlight sails will have to do! :D

Sailing Atlin Lake - Day Four (Sloko Island to Teresa Island Campsite) and Day Five (Back to Atlin)

Like some sort of crazy time warp, the morning dawned calm, warm, and still. My dad, who spent a small fortune on a fishing license, took the rod down the inlet and started casting. He figures he spent a dollar a cast, catching breakfast on the last of those casts.

Fishing in the still of the morning.

Taking my dad's catch to be cleaned.

Poached fish for breakfast.

As we packed up camp, Jade and Halia (and I) hiked over to the next bay. There, we watched birds and squirrels and threw rocks into the water.

Later, we took the canoe for a little paddle.  It was our first canoe trip as a whole family.


Mid-morning by the time we were ready to go, I was excited to see that the wind was already picking up.  Finally, we'd get some good sailing in!

See the low-lying rocks in the water?  I wouldn't ever suspect that those were there in higher water.  No wonder Atlin Lake has a reputation for surprises!

The wind teased and taunted, freshening one moment and dying off the next. I motored slowly under sail, hoping to reach an area with a steady breeze. When we found wind I was was always elated, but it would always die off almost as quickly as we found it.


Eventually, the wind died off completely - at least where we were. Looking to the far Eastern side of the lake, I could see large waves and whitecaps. There was nary a ripple of water where we were (where the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction).

We dropped our sails and began motoring, in search of a nice spot for a shore lunch.

Cathedral Mountain.

A look back at the glacier.

Finding a nice bay, we pulled in and feasted on a spaghetti lunch.



While we ate, the wind picked up again and this time it was committed to blowing. Coming from the south, it was perfect for a run up the lake - which is exactly where we wanted to go.




The wind was strong and we made good time, averaging between 10-11 km/h. Fawn took over the helm and I crawled into the V-berth for a little nap with Jade. As the afternoon wore on, the wind got stronger and gustier and the waves larger and larger. Although exciting, it was with some relief when we pulled into the sheltered bay on Teresa Island.


The long, sandy beach was just about perfect with its ample supply of driftwood for cooking in the firebox, shelter from the wind, and lovely evening sum. I cooked dinner with some assistance from Halia.  After supper, it was time for a little exploring.






It was an early start the next morning. I had to get back to Whitehorse for an afternoon meeting. After a very full day, we all crawled into bed.



The next morning was wet and rainy. We packed quickly, planning to eat our breakfast onboard. We had to wake Jade up. For some reason, she woke up several times through the night. It might have been because of this fellow, who we found under the tent near where Jade had been sleeping.


The trip from the bay to Atlin went by quickly, with just enough time for me to eat my breakfast. We unloaded the boat and loaded the van, took the boat out of the water and prepped it for trailering back to Whitehorse.





It's true what they say about Atlin Lake when you ask those who know what you should see. "How much time have you got?" is the appropriate response.

And the appropriate answer to that question isn't "How much time do I need?" The appropriate answer to that question is "Never enough."