07/24 Smooth sailing today. The bad weather finally gave way to partly cloudy skies and a brisk wind that was fortunately at my side most of the time. It’s not nearly as mountainous in this area but there were a few good-sized hills that provided some great views of the very long Teslin Lake (86 miles and “Teslin” meaning “long, narrow water” in Indian). Right before Teslin Village, which sits on the lake, I rode over the Nisutlin Bay bridge. It’s the longest water span bridge on the highway and it freaked me out just a little more than any of the other bridges I’ve crossed so far. The bridge is metal grated which makes it very slippery on a bike. Of more concern was the fact that the rails along the side were only waist high so it wouldn’t have taken much for me to tip over into the lake below. Needless to say I was happy to get across.
Riding on my very grippy new front tire was a huge weight off my chest. I’m looking forward to getting into Whitehorse and having my new touring tires put on. I think I’m going to put the currently mounted rear tire back on the front since it’s the same one I left Florida with. The other Schwalbe tire can be my spare. I’m almost tempted to get another cheap tire for a 2nd spare. My derailleurs need adjusting badly so it should be in good riding condition after Philippe gets done with it.
I ended the day a little early so I could wash my clothes and get some other things cleaned up that I haven’t had time to do or couldn’t do because it was raining. Looks like I’ll be in Whitehorse Monday now.
Met Paul on the road this afternoon. He’s heading down from Deadhorse to Argentina. His site is here. He’s also an ex-IT guy so his stress level has dropped significantly since starting his trip. 
I emailed him about raising my seat and how much of a difference that made for my knee (his is bugging him too). Maybe that will do the trick for him too.
Just overheard something funny/crazy: A pack of cigarettes up here cost $14!
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