 |
| Dean Philpott & Wayne Henderson |
Yukon Motorcycle Centre is the OLD Harley shop once owned by
Dick Watt and the Wilds out of Calgary.
Dick is an optometrist and close to retiring, and Jim and
Diane Wild divorced a while back, putting the shop in Whitehorse in a
precarious position. Greg Irvine and his partner Dean Philpott bought the
dealership and turned it into an all makes all models shop.
They can service and repair just about anything and they sell Cleveland Cycle Werks bikes and are looking seriously at becoming a Johnny Pag dealer. They have a decent selection of gear, clothing and tee shirts not to mention that you can rent one of their used bikes, so flying in and riding is also an option.
 |
| Greg Irvine |
The gang at this shop is super friendly and very eager and willing to do whatever they can to make a riders stop a pleasant one.
I got in around 2pm and was taken up to the Bed & Breakfast I was going to be staying at to drop off my gear.
I have to admit that when I first got to the Bluejay Suites B & B I was a bit taken aback as I was greeted by a diminutive Japanese lady in a Kimono. The home is a lovely Victorian with a wrap around deck and a huge entry.
Dean took me back to the dealership where preparations were under way for a group ride & BBQ.
 |
| Miles Canyon |
Lots of riders stopped in on their way to or way home from work – they bought hotdogs by donation and many donated to the cause. In all we raised $200 for our causes and had 6 riders join me. The reason for low attendance was two fold – a lot of riders had already headed to Dawson City for the Dust to Dawson Gathering and it was raining.
Never the less, we had a great ride up to Miles Canyon. It is a fascinating place with a ton of history connected to the paddle wheelers that used to navigate this rugged passageway. The color of the water is a rich emerald green and it carves the most amazing route through the dense forest. After riding up to the lookout, we then rode down to the suspension bridge where we got an up close view of how fast flowing and how full of deep eddy’s the water is.
I can't thank these generous spirited people enough for taking me to Miles Canyon, spending time with me and helping us to raise funds for our 3 causes - VETS, Military Police Relay Ride for Blind Children and The Long Walk to Sanity - 50 dogs in 50 days for 50 veterans.
After a good gab we headed back to the shop where everyone said their goodbyes and I headed up to Porter Creek and my room for the night.
Yukon Motorcycle Centre –
Rider Friendly Business Association Member
49 Waterfront Pl, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 6V1
867-633-1903
http://yukonmotorcycle.com
 |
| Miles Canyon |
 |
| Miles Canyon |
 |
| A Ranger |
 |
| The Ranger hat I was gifted! |
 |
| The gang that stayed to ride with me. |
Reiko Tanaka, the owner of the Bluejay B & B took me to my room after showing me where the TV room and fridge were, and she explained what time breakfast was available from.
When the door opened to the bedroom I was speechless – easily big enough to through a party for about 40 people, the room was equipped with a king sized bed, a fireplace, sitting room, generous closets and a bathroom that was to die for.
The huge soaker tub was the first thing I checked out after unpacking my gear.
I woke up on Friday morning and jumped into the multi headed shower and let the jets pound on my body and then I got dressed, packed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
I had given Reiko free hand to make whatever she wanted for breakfast and was treated to a home made Belgian waffle piled high with fruit, whipped cream and real maple syrup were provided to round that out.
Coffee and juice were also provided along with yogurt.
I asked Reiko if I could please use the message chair and she graciously showed me how it operated and made sure I was set up well. This chair was utterly fabulous and I enjoyed having it beat some of the tension out of my low back and legs.
Afterwards I was treated to the use of a foot machine that massaged my broken feet and made me feel like I was walking on clouds. Reiko and I spoke about how it was a Japanese lady came to live in the Yukon. She explained that she had moved to Edmonton where she met her partner who is German. They decided to move to the Yukon and she has never looked back. She loves this place. I hear that all of the time from the imports that call this place home and I truly see why. The summers in the Yukon care lovely and the scenery is stunning.I headed back to the Yukon Motorcycle Centre to grab my bike - which they were fixing some loose wires on only to be greeted by a spotless bike that was ready for the road.
I used the office for a few hours to tag photos and organize my videos. At 3pm young Benny - a 21 year old tech from the shop and I headed out for the next leg of my Yukon adventure - the Dust to Dawson Gathering.
Bluejay
Suites Bed & Breakfast –
Yukon Tourism Recommended Accommodations
56 Almond
Place
Whitehorse,
YT, Y1A 5K5
Email:
info@bluejay-suites.com
Phone: 867.333.9456
No comments:
Post a Comment