We were flummoxed; how do you even start to plan to be gone for three months? We had our work cut out for us; automate monthly bills, switch to electronic delivery as much as we can, like newspapers! And, packing for three months, to fit everything you think you will need in a camper van that holds about a week's worth of clothes and food. So, in parallel to planning our route and destinations, we had our work cut out for us in planning logistics of this road trip.
Firstly, we needed to gadgetize. With relying on electronics for all our communictions, we ramped up our cell ears and got a WeBoost cellphone booster. Although it will not boost a signal if there is nothing there, it should turn a thread of cell service into a decent conduit. If this note got through, then we have the WeBoost to thank for it!
Next, we downsized. In particular, we downsized Phil's Big Red Chair.
I have been looking forward to the day when Phil would be okay with this, because this doggone Big Red Chair takes up SO.MUCH.SPACE. It was always in the way, heavy and ackward to set up and take down, and took up nearly the entire space in the rv garage under the bench seat (well, maybe not ALL the space, but WAY too much!). So it was with glee that we set out to shop for a comfy but lightweight replacement for the Big Red Chair. Additionally, we added a spare tire rack on the outside of the back door so that really opened up the garage space. I can't believe what we can fit in there now! Then, we upgraded to a fancy swivel Lagun table in the "lounge area", added mud flaps, and in the kitchen cabinet we added some drawers and a shelf for our big frying pan. Much better!
Next, planning for three months of supplies. Getting three months supply of medications was not as hard as I expected, but counting out three months worth of our vitamen supplements was quite the chore.
Granted, some of these we can replenish on the way, but some I'm more paricular about. So we stocked up. And counted.
Then, one other decision, which was the hardest for me to make, was to not include Porthos on this journey. He doesn't particularly like riding in the car, and many of the places we were going don't allow dogs on the trails.
It hurts to think he would spend most of this trip cooped up inside the RV. So, we needed to find a dog and house sitter for him. And, then we found Tony! With a robust character and stellar references, and paws-up from Porthos, we have the best setup for our puppy. And we've made a great new friend. Tony is a world traveler and photographer, and we could talk for days about travels and people and wonders of the world! But I do miss Porthos already, even though I know he's probably enjoying a puppacino and biscuit with Tony at our local coffee shop right now.
So, with new gadgets, new chair, our Alaska Milepost book, bathing suits, shorts, long-johns and parkas packed, we are finally on our way....to Alaska!
5/20/22 - Heading out I-80, we got caught in a little of the Bay Area Friday Escape traffic but once we passed Route 89 exits for Tahoe and then east of Reno, the road opened wide up. Basin and Range, Baby!! I love this terrain.
We hit a road-trip favorite, having dinner at In 'n Out in Sparks, and drove until sunset, landing at Rye Patch Reservoir State Recreation Area. This was nice, but it was a quick stop-over. Next time we're in the area, we'll drive around the reservoir.
5/21/22 We were up early, and headed to Winnemucca for breakfast.
Givens Hot Springs has been in the Givens family for generations.
5/22/22
Off early for a short drive to Boise, by way of Map Rock. To get to Map Rock, we drove south 10 miles to the nearest bridge crossing the Snake River, and then back up the riverside along the scenic drive, until we were at the blue house directly across the river, which was right next to where we were camped.
Map Rock is just sitting right there on the side of the road. There is a sign board next to it that is now just a blank piece of wood; I think the locals are trying to let this historic artifact stay incognito.
The rock is amazing though! It's clear that the author knew the Snake River, and most likely there were multiple authors over a span of years.
We then scurried up the hill behind Map Rock, because our Google map said that Map Rock was up at the top of the hill. Could there be more up there?
We did not find any more petroglyphs, but there was a huge rock outcrop that would have stood out like a flag, marking the place where just below, the Map Rock was located. If we were coming up the river, we would have seen that outcrop as a land mark for sure.
What an incredible find! This was so serendipitous that cartography came up in conversation, just a stone's throw away from this important artifact. Score!
Now, on our way to Boise. And, score again! Phil's cousin Tim is actually IN Boise this weekend, so not only do we get to visit, but he invited us to stay at his bungalow in Hyde Park with him. We had lunch together at a place just two blocks from his house, and then Tim took us on a walking tour around downtown.
There are great walking areas with the streets blocked off to traffic in the Capitol Building area, and lots of great restaurants and shops.
We also enjoyed some of the artwork built into the architecture around downtown.
I had to chuckle, as we posed for pics in the alley behind Tim's house. Fancy! Love Tim's great sense of humor through the whole duration of our visit. Love you Tim!!
5/23/22 Monday morning. We've been anticipating this day for awhile, as we have an appointment with the Dennis Dillan RV Service Center at 9am. Anxious to share our whole long list of things we'd like them to attend to, we had to limit it to just the plumbing and the fridge issue. Otherwise, they would tell us they need the rv for a week, and wouldn't try to fix our main issues today. So, we drove over and got there a little early, in hopes to get ahead on the roster. We were prepared to stay in Boise for as long as was needed to do all the fixes, up to about 10 days, so we felt in good shape for the wait. We took an Uber back to Tim's house, and did some sorting and chores, and then got the call from the shop that our RV was ready by 11am. WHAT!?! They said that they did the maintenance on the fridge propane burner and it was working fine. And, they investigated our waste tank, and discovered a number of cracks in it. They would have to pull it out of the RV from the inside of the bathroom to do any repair, and it might be so shot that we'd need a new one anyway, and that might take 2 months to receive when they placed the order for it. Ugh. We said we were willing to chance that they could fix it, and to go ahead and pull it from the bathroom floor, but they refused because they didn't have time to do the repairs, as they were so busy and they thought we wanted the rv intact to continue our road trip. Intact? Without any plumbing? Hmmm. So we Uber'ed back to pick up the rv, and ponder what we were going to do. We weren't crazy about the idea of traveling to Alaska without the bathroom functionality. Should we just head home and plan for this trip next summer? We could still visit our friends Jolie and Scott in Walla Walla, and Anne and Bill in Coeur D'Alene, and then head home. After lamenting over a bottle of wine at Tim's place, we decided to carry on with our plan. After all, we are traveling in a very luxurious apartment even if it didn't have plumbing. It's still nicer than a tent! We would be limited on our camping choices, as dispersed camping would be unfeasible without a bathroom. But we could persevere.
5/24/22 We had decided to commit to staying in Boise at least through Wednesday morning, as we had an appointment to have a windshield cowl drain tube installed at the Dennis Dillan Dodge dealer in Boise. Who was this Dennis Dillan guy? He seemed to own every business in Boise that had to do with cars, trucks, RV's, boats, or motorcycles. Anyway, I had ordered this part ahead of time, and it was in. All set for a repair to be done tomorrow. So, today is free for some sight-seeing!
We headed into downtown Boise, and had breakfast at Goldys Breakfast Bistro, an extraordinary morning treat!
The Capitol inside was opulant, just gorgeous.
This will be the stairway in my dreams, to saunter down at some fluffy foo-foo event.
We met Rev. Sean Wall at the entrance, as he was preparing for a 10am service. He showed us around the sanctuary.
It was so fortunate that Rev. Sean came just when we were on the steps, otherwise we would have been locked out. He gave us his blessing on our trip to Alaska, and we pass along his blessing to all our Episcopal friends back at St. Paul's in Walnut Creek as well!
We then went to the Boise Art Museum.
They did not allow photographs to be taken, but I snuck one or two of the sculpture garden, and one indoor clay sculpture piece that I just couldn't stop thinking about. You know how an art piece sometimes hits you? Yep!
The sculpture garden was small, but this piece grabbed my attention.
On the west side of town, there is a controlled flow on the Boise River that is set to make surf waves and set again the next day for kayacking. On the day of our bike ride, the waves were set up for surfers.
We got off our bikes and watched for awhile. We learned that this sport was called "River Surfing", and it was pretty popular around Boise.
We rode back toward downtown, and found a funky food truck park. Perfect! We split one Omission GF Ale, and it tasted GOOD!
5/25/22 We're up, and tidying ourselves to leave Tim's, and head over to the Dennis Dillan Dodge shop for a cowl-drain tube installation. They were able to pop on the tubing in no time; we had just gotten comfy in the waiting room when they came out and said it's all done! One blessing for the day. As happens sometimes when you are traveling, you don't always check in with the news for days at a time. On that comfy sofa, we were sitting just long enough to hear of the school shooting in Texas, where 19 people, mostly 3rd and 4th graders lost their lives. Our hearts fell to the floor with the news. We somberly pray for their families and loved ones. Don't ask my opinion about guns in the wrong hands and I won't preach. But.......🖤
Leaving Boise behind, we head northwest, to Walla Walla WA, to visit Jolie and Scott. The drive is beautiful, starting with wide-open grassy peaks,
And, Jolie has always been and will always be an inspiration to me for everything that has to do with health and happiness. What a shot in the arm; we are again thrilled to continue this road-trip.
5/17/22 Sad to leave Walla Walla, we launched forward on our route, and headed for Coeur D'Alene; our next stop was to visit with Anne and Bill. They moved up to Rathdrum, just north of Coeur D'Alene about 2 years ago and built their dream house in the forest.
Bill and Anne are artists, and their talents around their house are displayed and impressive! With their two dogs, Ginnie (German Shepherd) and Gabby (Newfoundland), they have such a nice home and garden!
and went out to the Lake House Bar & Grill in Bayview on Lake Pend Oreille for lunch. Yummm! And, we checked out the docks. What do you make of this artistic houseboat?
I love just looking at it!
5/29/22-We bid our good-bye's to Anne and Bill after a lovely visit, and headed north. We felt like we were starting this northward trek for real now; we were excited and anxious because today was the day we got to the border. Canada, here we come!
We decided to check into a KOA near Cranbrook, so we could get organized, and get back into our routine in the RV. Also, having just crossed the border, we experienced that disorienting feeling that we were strangers in a foriegn land. Yes, the US and Canada are close cousins, and so it caught us by surprise that we felt a little anxious about the newness of being in a foreign country. Staying at a familiar place like KOA helped us get settled in this new land. KOA campgrounds are rarely the most scenic, but they have always covered all our necessities quite well. This KOA was the exception though, as it had pretty impressive views, and the accommodations were stellar.
How absolutely scenic and majestic these mountains are!
Driving north on Route 95, the road was clear, and our thoughts were empty from all except the grandeur and glory of these majestic peaks in this new and beautiful landscape.
Along the way, we saw many of the local inhabitants, seemingly hitch-hiking on the side of the road....
As we pull into the town of Banff, we are snapped out of our dreamy state by the sheer number of people here! Where did they all come from? There was no one on the highway, and all of a sudden, smack! Parking lots and tour buses and rivers of pedestrians; we fell into culture shock. We drove up and down a few streets in downtown, saw the shops and restaurants and people everywhere, and decided that we just were not into exploring this beautiful crowded alpine town. Not today. We headed to the campgrounds on the outskirts of town and got a spot for the night. One highlight for us was walking around the campground and co-mingling with a few elk that were grazing just outside of camp. We all kept a respectful distance, but kept a periheral eye on each other. All was understood, and all was copacetic.
5/31/22 Today we are headed for Lake Louise. We prepare ourselves mentally for a similar condition, where gobs of people will join us at this breath-takingly beautiful place. We are prepared.
The drive was again spectacular, as Banff and Lake Louise are somewhat adjacent, with less than two hours' drive separating them.
Fancy!
In the space next to us, we met Grace and Alex from Niagra Falls. They had the coolest Retro trailer. They are both teachers and now avid travelers. They invited us to their home in Niagra Falls. We might just take the up on their invitation.
6/1/22 We're now heading for Jasper. Still deep in the Canadian Rockies, this drive between these two places is, without a doubt, the most breathtakingly gorgeous scenic drive I have ever been on.
I started to worry that I would be underwelmed at Alaska's scenic beauty after experiencing today's splendor.
And, for a night-cap, one more magestic view of the mountains adjacent to the campground. This is at about 9pm. The daylight hours are starting to get really long!
6/2/22 We're up early, on account that we've got a long drive to Dawson Creek planned for today. But, just after hitting the road, we drive through Jasper, on account that the Wapiti campground was just shy of the town. So, here we are, the roads are relatively clear on account of the hour of day, and we pass by a breakfast cafe that's already open. Let's indulge in a cup of coffee at least!
Okay, now we're off, with a destination of Dawson Creek, which for us had the siginificance of being the starting point of the Al-Can Highway. Historic point here: During WWII, the US needed a strategic supply route connecting the lower 48 states to the Alaskan Territory. The existing roadways were reliably traversable as far north as Dawson Creek. So, the US government worked with Canada to build the stretch of road from Dawson Creek into Alaska, connecting with the existing roadways just south of Fairbanks. This 1500-mile stretch of road was named the Al-Can Highway. It started as gravel and over time, most of it has now been paved, although there are short sections where old pavement has been removed and replaced with gravel again, awaiting to be repaved. As you travel northward, the seasaonal swells from the ground freezing and thawing are hard on paved surfaces, so there's a lot of regular road maintenance on this trek. Also, the pavement is not always a standard tar surface, but something called "chip-seal", which is compressed gravel pressed into a layer of emulsified asphalt. Easier to lay, and I guess, easier to repair when the seasons batter up the roadway every year. But, on the negative side, there is loose gravel that breaks away from the road surface, and trucks (and cars too) do a good job of launching these little stones into the air as they drive along. It's no wonder why there are so many windshield repair businesses in Whitehorse.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Here we are in Jasper, just having finished a delicious breakfast as we head east on Route 16, then north on Route 40 to Grand Prairie, then 43/2 west to Dawson Creek. About a 6-hour drive, 325 miles for today!
Barely out of the town proper, and we pass a number of elk catching some morning sun.
And, finally! Mid-afternoon, we roll into town, and take a lap around the town center to get our bearings. We made it to Mile Zero, the starting point of the Al-Can Highway!
and Phil picks up a copy of just about every publication laid out on the counter, and talks at length with the guides there.
6/3/22 Today is not a quick-start day, intentionally. I want to install our screen door on the van before we get into mosquito and horsefly territory. I'm a little anxious about this because we have to pull down the weatherstripping to install these mostly-velcro fabric screens, and I know it's going to be challenging to get the weatherstripping back up. But, with a bottle of glue as our back-up, and after a nice breakfast that Phil fixed, we're ready to give this a try. With a great deal of grunting and huffing and puffing the velcro strips that hold the screen doors are installed under the weatherstripping, and the weatherstripping seems to be intact and staying up. YAY!!! This took a few hours, and Phil is anxious to hit the road. So, with the task only half-finished, we head north, our first day driving the Alaska Highway!
The forests seem endless!
We saw what looked lik a forest fire in the ditance. It came closer as we drove north, but it was most likely still 100 miles away. Smoke makes me nervous.
We stop for the day at Sikanni Campground, right at the bridge across the Chief Sikanni River. We got a spot right on the river, yay! This place is a little funky, but they had power. That's all we needed.
Now, the mosquitos are starting to come out, so we are determined to finish the screen door installation. There was some pre-work getting the magnet strips all aligned, but I finally got that done. I don't know if you've ever had to construct anything using long velcro straps, but trust me, it's like trying to get ten little baby kittens to sit down for a photo shoot. Every time you get nine of them down, one climbs up your arm and sticks to you with their little claws. Holding these doggone velcro strips in place, just like baby kittens! But, with perseverence, the magnet strips are installed, and I velcro-stick the screen doors up, and Voila!
6/4/22 We hit the road early, heading for Fort Nelson by noon and then possibly to Muncho Lake to camp. Phil had struck up a converation with Bob, a retired mining engineer who was in a nearby campsite. Bob had traveled this road before, so he recommended staying at Muncho Lake, because it was so beautiful. Sounds like a plan! We'll see if we can get that far in one day.
The terrain is similar still, with rolling hills and lots of trees.
Alas, after a few hours driving, we arrive at Fort Nelson.
They even had a huge garage with a dozen classic cars, all of them operational. On Canada Day, the museum curator was proud to have most of them driven in the parade in town. Even a Packard, amongst other notable models!
Okay, enough fun, we gotta make tracks to get to Muncho Lake by dinner!
One more important stop though: We HAVE TO stop at the Testa Lodge and Campground. Why? Because the little cafe in this lodge is renowned for its cinnamon buns.
We arrived in time to make a late dinner. I can't really say we arrived by nightfall, because it's light out now until about 10:45pm, and we arrived hours before then. But it would have been nightfall if we had been down around the 34th parallel back home (tonight we are camped at about the 60th parallel). Anyway, Muncho Lake was everything that Bob had described. The weather was currently overcast with light rain, and there is even still some ice floating on the lake, and yet it is still the bluest blue with slight shades of turquoise. Even at dusk, this lake was gorgeous.
6/4/22 In the morning, the lake still had such an enchanted feeling about it. The sun was still low at 6am, so it its hue was slightly diminished. But, it beckoned us one last view.
We chatted for some time with the park attendant, Tyler before rolling out of our campsite for today's journey. He said that the water from the hand-pump in the campground was the best water in all of British Columbia, so we had to get our water bottles out to fill up. The first one was clear plastic, and when we filled it with water from the pump, it had a very light blue-green color to it. Hmmm. It was coming out of a very deep well, so we wondered what minerals were in this water reservoir. No wonder the lake was so gorgeous, if the water already had the color of sky in it! It didn't need the blues from above to give it the azure look. We decided not to fill our water bottles, even though it was clear that the water was good (Tyler had been drinking it all his life, and he was a tall strapping young man, it didn't hurt him any).
On the road, we were seeing buffalo regularly, grazing on the side of the road. Tyler mentioned to watch out for them, because they move slowly and don't care where the trajectory of your path was, they will stick with their path, and even lie down for a nap in the middle of the road. He said his dad once saw a driver in a relatively small car try to nudge a buffalo off the road by slowly encroaching into his nap space and honking the horn. The buffalo slowly got up, turned his rump to the car and sat on the hood. Crunch! Car totalled. Tyler giggled when he said, "crunch". I giggle at it now, whenever I think about it.
The hot springs is a must-stop, and nice for us, it is now a provincial park with a campground. We were lucky enough to get one of the few spots they keep open for first-come-first-serve; timing is critical. You have to be there when people are leaving from the last night. And we did it! 10am seems to be a good time for this.
We settled into our spot, and immediately went up to the springs for a dip. And, we saw Mark and Elizabeth there, and got to chat with them more. The springs are back into the woods, and they have built a raised boardwalk, 1/2 mile long, to get there. This is cool!!!
They had built stairs to get to these falls.
6/5/22 We're of for a long trek again today. Stopping at the Coal Mountan Service stop, we refueled and bought a cup of coffee to go. This seems like a sweet place. If we hadn't stayed at Liard, this would have been a good second.
We pass an area that was recovering from a fire. My guess from the growth of the new foliage is that the fire was about 5 years ago. The trees are all at a height of about 15 feet, and the tall sticks remaining from the burned fir trees stuck up like needles out of the new lower canopy.
The Alaska Highway turns westward just north of Coal Mountain, and waves slightly north and south, so we cross between BC and the Yukon Territory a half-dozen times. We stopped for a pic of the first border crossing.
We head north now for a campspot at the Continental Divide service center and campground. They had power until 9pm, and had spots available. Nice campground, but a little on the funky side. There were two canoes stored in the laundry room, taking up so much space that you couldn't even go in the laundry room, and the bathrooms were in a portable trailer unit that looked and smelled like it had been under water at some time. Although the washroom was very tidy, the floor and ceiling tiles were all water-damaged and then there was that smell like someone had tried to rinse mold out of the walls. Quick one-night stop, we weren't looking for a polished spa. But I loved our campsite!
She had us all up to date on all the happenings in town, and with all the highway construction crews throughout the territory.
We pulled into the Visitor's Center in Whitehorse, and oh my gosh the interpreter had so much information for us! She firstly said that we should absolutely go up to Dawson City, and although the Top of the World Highway was steep and mostly gravel, she was confident that our Lexy could make the trip just fine. So it was decided then, we were going up to Dawson City and crossing into Alaska on the Top of the World Highway! Suddenly, we felt the level of adventure go up a notch.
Back to Whitehorse, this is a HUGE town! After Fort Nelson and Watson Lake, I was expecting just a few downtown blocks. Not! It is the capitol seat of the Yukon Territory. The population of Whitehorse is only about 25,000, but it houses more than half the population of the entire Yukon Territory, and it serves as the center of commerce, and a jump-off point for adventure tourists and RVers like us. On a summer's day, there are closer to 100,000 people in town.
The Visitor's Center is a stop not to be missed. This, and all the visitor centers we've been in throughout BC, Alberta, and Yukon have been absolutely stellar, with information, local cultural exhibits, and helpful interpreters. These stops make a road trip so much more rich and engaging; we have seen so much more than we would have, had we not stopped and asked questions, and learned about the local area.
With our new plan to turn due north, we set out for Dawson City. From Whitehorse, that is a 6-hour drive, and we've already been driving for 5 hours. So, we drove a little over 2 hours and camped at Carmacks. Back to tiny little towns! There were two restaurants and one food truck in town, so we picked the restaurant that was closest to the laundromat; yes, it was time again on our trip to do laundry. Woohoo! At least it was a treat to not cook dinner today!
And holy cow! refueling was painful. We paid through the nose, as much as $2.55/liter! Also, note that gas stations in these boreal regions store gas in above-ground tanks. I'm going to guess that's due to the frost-heaves with the seasonal freeze-thaw.
6/7/22 The drive up to Dawson City seemed endless. We hit the road early so that we'd have time to kick around in Dawson City before bedtime. The landscape did not change one bit for over 100 miles.
At one rest stop, we saw a Social-Distancing sign, Canada-style:
This was also a little bit taxing. But, to pass the time, we guessed where the cars and trucks were going that we were anonymously traveling with, and wondered who they were, etc.. We traveled with the big blue truck the entire length of road from Carmacks to Dawson City, spending 5 hours with him/her, and yet we know nothing about them. I wish we got out our cb radio, as we had time and common experience to connect with a handful of people on this long stretch.
Every building in town is a wood structure, many are still original structures from over 100 years ago Many have been restored, some are waiting for their chance to come back to life.
Here is the old Episcopal church, boarded up after an ice dam caused a bad flood through downtown in 1997, and moved the chuch off its foundation.
We went to the Downtown Hotel, where we were instructed back in Whitehorse by Cam Beamer, a passer-by who noticed our California licence plates and struck up a conversation with us. He said, "when you go to Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, ask for a Sour-Toe Cocktail, they are famous for this drink." Okay, sounds good.
For dinner, we walked over to Sourdough Joe's and had the best seafood chowder that either of us have ever had. Then, we drove up to Midnight Dome, a 3 mile drive up the nearby hill that offered an incredible view of the area.
Mike and Elizabeth are staying right in town at the rv park, and we were camping on the other side of the river from town. They were turning in early, so we bid them farewell until our paths crossed again. Then, we headed for the casino in town, "Diamond Tooth Gertie", because we heard they had can-can shows every night, and we were ready to take in a show.
But guess what! They cut down on shows, and take Wednesdays off! Bummer. So, we meandered over to the Downtown Hotel, to see what "entertainment" we could catch in the bar. It was 8:45, and packed full! Half the patrons were from a tour bus (Holland America has a popular bus tour that goes to Dawson City), and the other half were either RVers like us, or gold miners, or just local folk out for a mid-week imbibment. We got a table right next to two young men who were gold miners They were not "panners", but worked for a mining company that uses dredging and other high-volume processing. Today was their day off. One mentiond that he had a dozen sour-toe cocktail certificates at home (yes, if you drink this specialty of the house, you get a certificate!), but he now only signs up for one when he has friends visiting. H said, he doesn't need any more certificates, he's not papering the bathroom with them or anything, so he was just going to watch for tonight.
Then there was Jimmy sitting one table over. Jimmy knew all the locals in the bar, and greeted all the out-of-towners, and even helped us snag an empty chair from across the way so Phil and I didn't have to share (lol!). Jimmy was more than tipsy, but holding it together just fine! The locals called him The Ambassador.
Now, the clock struck 9pm, and The Captain arrived. A tall, slender man with a trim beard, a slight limp, and a Captain's hat on his head. He spoke with a thick Canadian accent, which almost sounded British, except for his sentences all ending with that upflip of a question, "eh?"
As I was taking my observations in, Phil slipped up to the bar and put his name on the evening's contestant list for the main attraction. What!!?! He comes back to the table with a shot of Southern Comfort in a small lowball glass, and says, "I'm number 12. Want to do this too?" Not in a million years! He then explains that the drink base has to be 40% alchohol, and if you don't pick your poison quick enough, they give you the Southern Comfort. Yikes. Okay. As the contestants went through the numbers, a cheering committee for each one rose from their seats and whooped it up for their buddy in their moment of limelight. Then, the Captain called Phil, and it was my turn to whoop it up, and record the whole 30-second event.
First, the rules of the game.
Certificate acquired! That was enough for me to watch, yuck!
As we were leaving the hotel, we saw our group of women from the picnic up at the Midnight Dome. Phil flashed his certificate, and they all let out a howl of praise. Scolding me for not participating, that's okay, someone has to keep their sense in this room, and drive down to the ferry to cross the river to our campground for the night. We said our good-byes and off we went to the ferry launch.
It's 10:30 now, and not only is it still light out, but the sun hasn't even set yet. Thank goodnss we insulated our curtains with light-blocking liners. Getting on the ferry, one of the boat flag crew directed us on, and then Phil rolled his window down and started chatting with her. Her name was Maureen, and she was from Ontario. She insisted that, before we leave the Yukon Territory, that we need to visit Tombstone. We asked, "what else should we see?", and she bluntly said, "Tombstone". We jokingly asked again, and she said, "Tombstone".
We continued across the river,
The river water was very high, and some of the campsites on the river's edge were closed off due to high waters. we picked a high and dry spot so that I wouldn't dream about floating down the river in our sleep.
Around midnight, some campers came in and set up right across from our site. They were yacking it up while they put up their tent, and then started chopping wood. And, by 12:30, they started a nice big fire in their fire pit and stood around it chattering away. There was still light in the sky; I got the feeling that these folks didn't use a watch to tell the time, but just stayed up until the sun set. It's easy to do; you get this mood lift when you know it's late and the sun is still out. But Phil and I need our beauty sleep, for gosh sakes! Finally, they settled in around 2:30am when it was actually almost dark. I hope they don't mind our getting up at 8am; hmm we will "try" not to make any noise so they can sleep in!
6/8/22 Well, shall we go to Tombstone? It might be an 8-hour trip; we know the road is not paved. Okay, let's do it!
We went back across the river via ferry and headed to the Dempster Highway turnoff, just 20 miles south of Dawson City.
On the way, we saw two fox, one was carrying its breakfast.
Tombstone National Landmark is located about 80 miles north off the main Route 2 from Dawson City. It is in the transition betwen the birch forest and boreal uplands, with high peaks and a deep basin between, where two glaciers came together and carved the terrain to make it remarkable. It is located on the Klondike Trail, famous during the gold rush of 1897, and it is also on the Dempster Highway, a gravel road that runs 546 miles (880km) from Dawson City directly north to the Arctic Ocean.
The road crossed a one-lane bridge, and immediately switched from chip-seal to gravel and dirt.
I talked with a couple from Italy who were setting out for their adventure northward. They had their rig shipped from Belgium, special for this event.
Interestingly, we have seen this one super-land-rover rv model three times in the last 3 days. The model is "MAN".
It seems to be the rv-du-jour around Alaska, if you want to look like a serious trekker! Anyway, back to Tombstone. We drove a mile up above the center and had an incredible view of the peaks and basin. Serene, majestic, silent, and emmense. Phil saw a moose across the basin. I caught just a glimpse of it in the binoculars before it disappeared into the brush. The basin was again returned to silent, empty and yet all-knowing, eternal majesty.
We met a bicyclist up here at our scenic overlook. Jeremy, from Vancouver was pausing for a moment to take in this view. He was cycling from his home, up the Dempster Highway. True Grit!
We had to cross the ferry one last time, so we got in line. At the front of the line, we saw, guess who? Mark and Elizabeth! They had been waiting for four hours to cross. There was a wait for the fuel tank truck, and then they had to let the locals go first to get on with work and other necessities, so campers were parked to wait til the ferry caught up. Also, the river was especially high right now, so the crossing took more than double the time as normal. But Mark & Elizabeth got on the next ferry and were headed for Tok, Alaska. We waited for two more crosses before being shuttled across the river.
Knowing that we were going to take the drive slow, we figured we'd get just to Chicken, Alaska. The Top of the World highway was known for being a challenging road to drive, being mostly a dirt road with steep hills and vertical drop-offs with no shoulder. But, its views are supposed to be spectacular. And...they were!
There were points that caused slight anxiety, but really, the road was in such good shape, and we had such clear weather, it was a delight.
Now that we've arrived in Alaska, I will transition this journal to Chapter II: In Alaska. You can continue following our Alaska adventure by picking it from the pull-down list on the right of the screen.
Happy Trails!
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