Before arriving in Teslin we received a very special visit!
Marie and Rocky Aitken, who lent us the motorhome we are using as a support vehicle, rode their motorcycle 2000 kms to see us.
“How was the trip,” I asked Marie after we shared a strong hug.
“It was great, we are so excited to see you two,” she said, her bright smile and braids making her look like a teen.
We found a place to tie the horses and shared a warm cup of coffee next to the Alaska Highway. While we enjoyed our warm drinks, Marie told me about how she had met a Kentucky man traveling on his motorcycle towards Alaska, who just finished reading my book!
“We met at the hotel last night and when I told him why we were traveling, he couldn’t believe the coincidence… ‘I just finished reading his book,’ he told us,” Marie said.
Well before we even finished our cups of coffee, the Kentucky man arrived with his brother in law. We spent a few minutes chatting and after taking a photo together they took off headed for Alaska.
For the next few days Rocky and Marie made regular visits bearing many gifts from giant cookies to warm soup to cold beer… It was like having my mom and dad for a few days and I loved it. Their guidance and love made me feel at home in the middle of the Yukon.
But, having a mom and dad around, also meant I had to hear a lot of “we are worried about you.”
“Filipe this bridge is dangerous, why don’t you trailer the horses across,” Rocky said to me while we discussed the colossal bridge I would have to cross to leave Teslin, my next major hurdle.
I explained to Rocky and Marie, who were right to be worried, that I was in the middle of an adventure. This was my day-to-day. I loved the adrenaline and I planned for these moments. Being cautious and as safe as possible.
Truth is, I too was worried about the bridge. At 584 meters, the Nisutlin Bay Bridge is the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway—and it has a metal mesh deck.
Since driving over its metal mesh months earlier on our journey to Alaska, I feared riding over this monster with my horses. Fact is, I feared not even being able to get them to step onto the bridge! But like many times before on these journeys, I decided to worry about the bridge when I came to it.
Still a few days out of Teslin, I enjoyed Marie and Rocky’s company. A real treat.