DAY 28, JUNE 26: I will only have this day in Whitehorse since
I could not extend the campsite stay, so will make the best of it. I spent some of the day at the Provincial
Visitor Center getting the blog update published—they have good WIFI there for
internet connectivity. The WIFI at the
park is not good at all—I could not send several messages I had written, much less
upload photos to the blog. Some of the
day was spent getting ready for travel.
I also met the Ford dealership owner briefly—we had communicated by
email prior to the Women’s March in January which she and her college-age
daughter also went to. We both felt very
inspired by that experience. I told her
I would be back through in late August and we plan a longer get-together
then. I really enjoyed meeting her—she’s
a real sparkplug!
I have spent several days in Whitehorse on the two
previous trips, so was comfortable with not revisiting some of the places that
I found were very interesting on those trips.
I will refer readers of the blog to my 2007 Alaska trip blog (same
address used for this trip) for information on Whitehorse—read the June 10-21,
2007 post for the town’s highlights. I had
hoped to go to the Beringia Centre today to find out what is new since I was
last there in 2008 but didn’t make it.
That place is really fascinating!
I saw a few changes in Whitehorse—new buildings going up, other older
buildings still being used by businesses.
The town appears to be holding its own or better. One thing that hasn’t changed is the traffic
at 5 p.m.! You don’t go anywhere very
quickly when all the businesses and government offices close and employees head
for their cars.
DAY 29, JUNE 27: As Willie Nelson would say: On the road again… This day’s drive was to Haines, AK--a drive I
have not made before. I had been through
Haines Junction before, but I had never made the turn south to Haines. What a spectacular drive with incredibly
spectacular scenery! The total mileage
was 249 miles/401 km.
 |
| HEADED WEST OUT OF WHITEHORSE, YT |
 |
STARTING TO SEE THE KLUANE RANGE
I AM GOING INTO "KLUANE COUNTRY" & I LOVE IT! |
I drove through
valleys carved by glaciers, along fast-flowing rivers as well as one “braided”
river stretch, with towering mountains on each side of the Haines Highway. It really is an awesome drive skirting the
south side of Kluane National Park (a
UNESCO world heritage site) and the St. Elias Range. Clouds obscured many views of the glaciers
and the ice fields above me along the way.
The
land mass to my right as I drove to Haines is the largest internationally protected
land mass on earth. It includes Glacier Bay
and Wrangell-St.Elias National Parks, The Kluane National Park, and Tatshenshini-Alsek
Provincial Park.
A "BRAIDED" RIVER. NOTE THE CHARACTERISTIC WIDE, FLAT VALLEY.
While driving in the highest elevations (only about 3300 ft/1006 meters
above sea level), I was reminded of the Hardanger Plateau (aka Hardangervidda) in Norway. It, too, is not very high in elevation
(averages 3500 ft); however, the frequent severe weather conditions in both
areas cause the terrain to be quite barren with alpine tundra-like character.
 |
| A REMINDER OF THE HARDANGER PLATEAU IN NORWAY |
Soon after crossing the summit at Chilkat
Pass (with high head winds) I dropped down into the valley leading into
Haines. The trees are much larger here
since the area is essentially a coastal rain forest. Very different from up in “the interior”.
 |
| DROPPING DOWN INTO THE COASTAL RAIN FOREST--HEADED TOWARDS HAINES, AK |
The 150 mi/241 km drive from Haines Junction takes you
from the Yukon, through a small part of British Columbia, and finally into the
state of Alaska. I crossed the border
into Alaska about 40 miles north of Haines.
Since there wasn’t a lineup, I took the time to ask the agent if the
scat I was seeing on the road was bear scat.
He assured me that it was and added, “Why would a bear “go” in the woods
when it can “go” on the highway?” That
definitely drew a chuckle from me!
Shortly after leaving the border checkpoint, I got a quick look at two
brown bears in the brush alongside the road.
 |
THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF WILDFLOWERS LIKE
THESE ALONG THE ROADS SINCE I ENTERED CANADA
|
I HAVE ALSO SEEN QUITE A FEW SNOWSHOE HARES ALONG THE ROAD SINCE ENTERING THE YUKON TERRITORY. NOTE THE LARGE FEET IN THE TOP PHOTO. IT CAN TAKE 10 WEEKS FOR THEM TO CHANGE THEIR COATS TO WHITE FOR WINTER AND AGAIN TO BROWN FOR THE SUMMER.
I pulled into Oceanview RV Park and was greeted by a sign
saying Dungeness crab potluck tonight.
Now, what luck is that! The crab
was very good (and very large) as was the food furnished by the other
campers. The campground is undergoing
prep work for expansion and it should be very nice when it is completed. The view here is awesome, looking across the
Lynn Canal (think fjord).
 |
| THE VIEW OUT MY FRONT WINDOW IN HAINES! |
After dinner
several of us sat by a campfire watching bald eagles circling overhead and
occasionally doing their mating dance.
(It is mating season for them according to the park manager.)
 |
| ONE OF SEVERAL BALD EAGLES OVERHEAD |
Around 9:30-10:00 p.m. a couple of cruise
ships were observed in the distance sailing south from Skagway. All in all, the end to a perfect day.
Wildlife Count: 1
black bear, 2 brown bears (grizzly bears are called brown bears up here,
although they are the same species), several bald eagles
Road Report: The
roads were in very good condition all the way with the exception of an 8-10
mile area of construction that begins about 10 mi. west of Whitehorse. The construction area was being watered down
in places where it was just plain muddy.
Where it was dry, the visibility was occasionally down to 100-200 feet
because of the dust. Signs are up
cautioning drivers to beware of extreme dusty conditions—the signs need to be
heeded! There were one or two other
similar dust warning areas between Whitehorse and Haines Junction. The road gets a little narrower and rougher
after crossing the U.S. border, but it is still in good condition.
DAY 30, JUNE 28: I woke up this morning and looked out the
front window only to see a large cruise ship docked in the harbor. Yes, the cruise lines have found Haines
too—for one day a week! With all the
ships I have seen leave Skagway in the evenings, I am thinking it must be
getting too crowded for them there so they are seeking other harbors to take
their passengers???
I spent much of the day driving along the river between
town and Chilkoot Lake in search of eagles and bear. I didn’t any of the latter but I did see a
few eagles, including one nest with two bald eagles on it.
I also saw a pair of eagles perched on what
appeared to be some kind of crane. These
two were really busy talking to each other—I could hear them well while in my
car on the road and managed to get some pictures of them with their beaks open
as they vocalized. What a neat
show! The bald eagles are such
magnificent birds that I never tire of watching them—and they are one of the
main reasons I love coming to Alaska!
 |
| WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THEY ARE SAYING? |
I
didn’t see a bear, but I did get a picture of some scat on the road.
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| THAT BROWN BEAR SCAT IS BIG! (THE PICTURE DOESN'T DO IT JUSTICE.) |
The salmon count at the counting station is
very low, so the bears are not yet coming to the river to fish.
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| SALMON COUNTING STATION ON THE RIVER |
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| COMMON MERGANSERS IN THE RIVER |
The state campground at the Chilkoot Lake looks like
it would be a nice place to stay when in the Haines area.
 |
CHILKOOT LAKE
TWO VIEWS ACROSS THE LYNN CANAL
|
I spent a few hours at the
Sheldon Museum in town and really enjoyed my time there. They have excellent displays related to the
local area, the First Nations culture and activities in the area, etc. While on this subject, I will post a quote I
copied from a Canada Government informational posting that discusses First
Nations people. It explains the concept
better than I can, so here goes.
“Who are the First Nations people in Canada?
First Nations people are descendants of the original inhabitants of Canada who
lived here for many thousands of years before explorers arrived from Europe.
First Nations people in Canada
are the people who used to be called "Indians," but this term is now
considered incorrect by some. Early European explorers thought they were in
India when they landed in North America, so they called the original
inhabitants "Indians." Many people who were misnamed
"Indians" now prefer to be called First Nations. First Nations people
identify themselves by the nation to which they belong, for example, Mohawk,
Cree, Oneida, and so on.
"Aboriginal" is a term
that includes First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples…”
The Tlingit Indians were the first to arrive in the
Chilkat Valley going back approximately 11,000 years. In 1741 the first known meeting with white
men was made when a Russian ship anchored in the area. And, as the saying goes, the rest is
history. By the 1890s three canaries
were operating in the Haines area.
I closed out the day with halibut fish and chips at the
Lighthouse Restaurant. Their reputation
for the fish and chips meal is well-earned—the food was delicious.
 |
| TIME FOR THE CRUISE SHIPS TO SAIL AWAY FROM SKAGWAY & HAINES |
Wildlife Count:
Probably a dozen bald eagles
DAY 31, JUNE 29: I drove south to the end of the road out of
town—which wasn’t far. So, I turned
around and drove back out to Lake Chilkoot in search of more bald eagles and
bears. The weather was drizzling which
really seemed to bring the eagles down by the Chilkoot River—there were quite a
few along the road. I didn’t keep a
count—there were too many to keep track of.
However, I did see the two back on the nest that I saw yesterday and there
were two back on the piece of machinery by the ferry terminal where I saw two
yesterday. I was able to get some photos
again today. However, in spite of seeing
lots of bear scat in the same areas as yesterday, there were no bears to be
seen when I drove through the area. The
salmon are just beginning to run here so I am really too early to see the bears
down by the river.
I solved my water pump issue (I think) using a procedure
I had read about several years ago. I
will know tomorrow when I start the next leg of the trip. The troubleshooting directions that came with
the pump installed in the rig were worthless!
I also got the satellite radio receiving Sirius again. Had to get the manual out for that one, too,
but it was a case of not being familiar enough with the radio.
I did some paperwork and started getting ready to move on
tomorrow. We have had drizzle and light
rain most of the day. After stopping at
a couple of shops in town, I visited historic Fort Wiliiam H. Seward which was
established in 1903 when the U.S. was having border disputes with Canada. The fort was never heavily used and was
decommissioned at the end of World War II when it was sold to five veterans.
I had a good dinner at the Fireweed Restaurant in town
this evening.
One thing I haven’t mentioned are the murals that are
painted around town. There are quite a
few of them and they really add character and a touch of the arts to the
community. In fact, the community has
had a thriving native arts program for many years and it really shows. In addition to the murals on the streets,
there are some nice locally-made artistic products sold in various shops. A booklet about Haines says the town has more
artists per capita than any other town in Southeast AK. It also says art and the artists are the
lifeblood of the town. Take a drive down
nearly any street and this information is borne out.
Well, a bald eagle just flew in front of the coach and
landed on a piling where I can see it out my front window. Maybe it is telling me I need to call it a
day since it is already past bedtime.
DAY 32, JUNE 30: A group of 8-10 bald eagles were circling
over the docks in front of the coach as
I started the engine to depart from Haines.
Do you suppose they came to bid me good-bye as I leave the Valley of the
Eagles? Maybe not, but it was a pleasant
thought anyway.
I passed a couple of fishwheels in the river along the
road just north of Haines and was able to get some photos of them.
I continued on up the road through the bald eagle
preserve (approximately 3500 gather here in the fall and winter) to the border crossing—which
turned out to be (for me) a unique experience.
I was going back into Canada, so had to clear their
customs/immigration. The young man who
met me just couldn’t seem to get it through his head that I was not traveling
with “personal protection”—his term used many times over the course of the next
hour. He asked the normal questions
about firearms, tasers, pepper spray, etc.
Then he asked if I own any guns and I said I do. He wanted to know what they were and where
they were at, which I told him. He
wanted to know if I had a safe onboard and where it was—I told him I did and
where it was. (By the way, he never did
ask me for the key to the safe, although it had been moved around. Go figure.)
Then he told me to pull ahead and to the right—at that point I knew this
was going to much longer than a perfunctory 3 minute stop. Frankly, at this point still, I wasn’t sure
if I was their “quota” RV for the day to inspect or what. He had me go into the office where I had to
empty all my pockets, he asked about my “personal protection” again—and I told
him the only thing I have on board are two canisters of bear spray which are
legal to carry. He then had me return to
the coach and put all the slides out and he and the female agent on duty
proceeded to go through everything in the coach and in the car. To tell this story in person, takes more time
and there is more to it than I can write here but, suffice it to say, they
didn’t find anything—which I knew they wouldn’t. I was more disgusted at the delay than with
anything else because I knew I was “clean”.
I made sure of that before I left AZ and again before I crossed the
border initially several weeks ago.
Eventually, they were done with their work and I set about getting
everything back together to move on up the road—about one hour and 15 minutes
or so after arriving there. Another of
life’s adventures, I guess…
The drive on up to Haines Junction was uneventful and I
had a nice tailwind as I crossed over the pass.
The clouds began breaking up, too, as I went further into the
interior.
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| FINAL LEG TO HAINES JUNCTION, YUKON |
After refueling at Haines
Junction, I was back on the Alaska Highway and headed northwest.
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| BACK ON THE ALASKA HIGHWAY--KLUANE RANGE AHEAD |
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| MORE WILDFLOWERS ALL ALONG THE ROADSIDE |
There aren’t many stops to make on this
stretch other than photo ops and, since I was still feeling pretty fresh, I decided
to make the approximate 300 mile/483 km drive on up to Tok. I had
also checked the weather before my departure and factored in an unfavorable forecast
for the next several days into my decision—and I wanted to see the beautiful countryside
along this part of the trip. I had some views of the Kluane Range which
was covered with clouds much of the time along the way and soon Kluane Lake, Yukon's largest lake,
came into view. That is a beautiful lake
and you follow it’s southern and western shoreline for quite a few miles with
lots of good pullouts for large vehicles.
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| KLUANE LAKE, SHEEP MOUNTAIN ACROSS THE LAKE |
 |
| KLUANE LAKE |
I really like this part of the trip—the Kluane Country is wild country
and I gained a wonderful sense of freedom just being here! Even just passing through as I did this
day. I passed up stopping at Sheep
Mountain (now renamed to it’s First Nation name) because I had been there
before and it wasn’t a good time to see the Dall sheep there. The road in that area is wonderful now! It was all under construction when I came
through there in 2007 and 2008.
After
passing by Destruction Bay Lodge I began what was the hardest part of the whole
trip in 2007/08—and it still is.
One travel guide describes this section of road (Destruction Bay to Tok) as good to very poor. However, the road is in MUCH better shape now than it was a decade
ago! There are a lot of sizeable frost
heaves—some marked, many aren’t. I was
able to drive 50-55 mph for stretches at a time, but there were still areas
where I slowed to 25-35 mph to go through the frost heaves.
 |
| A LOT OF BLACK SPRUCE TREES ALONG THIS PART OF THE ROUTE |
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| A GRIZZLY BID ME ADIEU SHORTLY BEFORE I LEFT CANADA |
I stopped at the border to take some pictures
and then drove on to clear U.S. customs.
 |
NOTE THE BORDER CLEARING BEHIND THE MARKER.
IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, IT IS ABOUT 10 METERS/33 FEET WIDE.
I USED TO MAKE A TURN SOUTH OVER SIMILAR CLEARINGS WHILE FLYING FIRE PATROLS OVER IDAHO AND MONTANA FORESTS. |
 |
YES, YOU CAN STAND IN TWO COUNTRIES HERE!
|
 |
MARKER ERECTED BY KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL, MAY
31, 1982. IT READS: "THIS UNFORTIFIED BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN THE DOMINION OF CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SHOULD QUICKEN
THE REMEMBRANCE OFTHE MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THESE COUNTRIES, A LESSON OF PEACE TO ALL NATIONS."
(TO THIS I CAN ONLY ADD AN "AMEN"!)
THE FINAL LEG INTO TOK, AK |
Finally, I pulled into the Sourdough Campground in Tok, AK after 13
hours on the road—including the long stop getting back into Canada. The total mileage for the day was 438 mi/705
km.
Wildlife Count: 2
brown bears, 1 porcupine, 4 trumpeter swans
Road Report: See
Day 33 for why this report is pretty incomplete. The Haines Highway report is in Day 29. I had a complete log of all the major areas
of concern for the Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction which was lost, so I
will do a short summary. Basically, the
road from Haines Jct. to Destruction Bay Lodge is in good condition with a few
frost heaves along the way. The “work”
for a driver begins about ¾ mile west of Destruction Bay Lodge where a series
of sizeable frost heaves go on for perhaps a couple of miles. This will be a good initiation for the
first-time drivers up the road. Ha! Frost heaves continue off and on to the
border—some are marked, some you can spot by watching the white lines, some you
just have to keep a good look out for. I
don’t recall any particular heavy construction areas; however, culverts were
being replaced in a few places resulting in a very short dip and detour in each
place. All in all, the road is in much
better condition than when I travelled it a decade ago. The engineers are doing a good job figuring
out how to deal with permafrost. The
road from the border to Tok was in good condition with the usual frost heaves. (I drove through its reconstruction in
2007/08—what a difference now!)
DAY 33, JULY 1: Here’s wishing my Canadian friends Happy
Canada Day as you celebrate your country’s 150th Anniversary!
My first full day in Tok, AK. Most of you who have not driven the Alaska
Highway probably have not heard of Tok.
The town calls itself the main street of Alaska because anyone driving
in OR out is going to go through Tok. It
is a small town of about 1300 residents situated approximately 90 mi/145 km
from the Canadian border crossing in east central Alaska. The town began as a construction camp in 1942
for construction and maintenance of the Alaska Highway. Tourism forms the economic basis for the town
today. Tok is also known as the “Sled
Dog Capitol of Alaska” and there are kennels all over town.
I spent much of the day washing the motorhome and the
Jeep. That is a right of passage for
anyone coming up the Highway! Right
behind me was a 45’ Prevost and another coach about the same size, but I didn’t
get the make on that one. Fortunately, I
finished with that task about 45 minutes before it began raining—we had showers
throughout the rest of the day and into the night. The wash job wasn’t nearly as difficult as on
the two previous trips because the road is much improved. (More about that when I get to the end of the
road, but suffice it to say here that the road is nothing like it was 10 years
ago! Overall, it is so much better!)
I paid a visit to the Visitor Center this afternoon—that
is always a “must stop” for people driving into Alaska. They have information available on all areas
of Alaska and the attendants are always ready to answer questions. From there I went to a local establishment
that has been around a long time and is stocked with gifts, trinkets, and some
nice crafts from people in this part of the world. And they still have the best fudge of
anywhere I have had it! Of course, I
bought some…
Now for my sad tale.
I use a digital voice recorder when I am on the road to note
construction areas, keep count of wildlife, note thoughts about the areas I am
driving through or general thoughts that I believe people might be interested
in. This morning while deleting a couple
of entries that I no longer needed, I ended up wiping out all of the 90+
entries that I had accumulated to use to update the past 3 days for the
blog—entries such as accurate wildlife counts, areas of road construction,
etc. The major parts for the blog have
been written for those days; however, what was on the recorder was the
“frosting on the cake so to speak” and it is lost. I will have to do some serious thinking to
reconstruct some of the information needed to finish out those days. I don’t have any instructions for the
recorder, so I’m not sure which buttons I pushed to delete everything. Oh well, such is life…
DAY 34, JULY 2: I slept in this morning which felt good—I
needed some additional sleep. This was a
“down day” to do errands such as laundry, catch up on some paperwork, work on
the blog, make some phone calls, etc. I
met another single woman traveler while doing laundry who said she left her
caravan at Destruction Bay and came ahead so that she could have some time
alone and do things on her own schedule.
The rest of her caravan came in today.
Also, while waiting on clothes to be finished, I found a geocache here
in the park. The park changed hands
about 3 years ago and the woman who is an owner with her husband, also
geocaches. She put the cache out here and I left a couple of trackables in it.
 |
| SOURDOUGH CAMPGROUND |
THERE IS A GEOCACHE HERE!
I had dinner at Fast Eddies (still pretty good food at a
decent price) and drove by the airport to see if much had changed out there (it
hadn’t). There was a mean looking storm
up north and it looked like it was coming this way, so I went back to the coach
and hooked the car up for tomorrow’s trip.
The rain began just as I was finishing that job. And it is still raining4 ½ hours later. Sound familiar David and Nancy H.? (They were parkers for me on the 2008 caravan
to Alaska—and it was a wet one.)
DAY 35, JULY 3: I was off to Fairbanks today—a leisurely 205
mile/330 km drive. There was light
drizzle the first part of the drive but as the day went on there were breaks in
the low overcast and occasional bits of blue sky showing through. I just kept thinking about how much fabulous
scenery the folks coming up this part of the highway were missing today because
of the low clouds. I will post a couple
of pictures from my 2007 trip that show the vast mountains of the Alaska Range
that were off to my left (south) and ahead.
 |
| THE ALASKA RANGE ON A CLEAR DAY |
I made the requisite stop at Delta Junction, which is the
end of the Alaska Highway at Mile 1422.
The picture certifying I truly made it was taken and I picked up a
certificate that also certified I had gotten there. Personnel at the visitor center told me the
Alaska state parks in that area are closed due to budget issues; however, they
are open for camping. There just aren’t
any services available such as water, garbage pickup, toilets, etc. You camp at your own risk the sign said.
 |
| THE END OF THE ROAD! |
From Delta Junction I went another few miles up The
Highway to one of my favorite stops along the way—Rika’s Roadhouse. This is a very peaceful setting along the
Tanana River where one can see artifacts from Alaska’s earlier history as well
as current history; i.e. a close-up view of the Alaska Pipeline. The restaurant on the grounds serves very
good strawberry-rhubarb pie ala mode, too!
I noticed several RVs from a caravan parked there who were also in the
Tok campground the night before.
 |
| RIKA'S ROADHOUSE |
 |
CROSSING THE TANANA RIVER AFTER LEAVING RIKA'S.
THAT IS THE ALASKA PIPELINE ON THE RIGHT. |
Soon it was time to head on to Fairbanks. Traffic became heavier as I approached the
town of 31,500 population located near the geographical center of the
state. I had hoped to be able to park at
the Elks Lodge on the bank of the Chena River and, fortunately, I got the last
available spot. The lodge employees are
very personable and helpful and I enjoyed happy hour with my neighboring
campers. The rain began (again) about 6
p.m. and continued through the evening hours.
Wildlife Count: 1
immature bald eagle
Road Report: The
road to Delta Junction was a good Alaska highway with some frost heaves. After leaving Delta Junction, there were
several short areas of loose gravel where some construction has been done. These extend across both lanes and are
approximately the same size as areas that have been overlaid with
pavement. Perhaps these areas will be
paved by summer’s end? People just need
to look for the wavy white lines indicating frost heaves on this leg and
evaluate paved areas that aren’t marked with road markings as they approach the
areas.
DAY 36, JULY 4:
This was a lazy day. I did some work on the blog and went to Pioneer
Park to see some of the festivities there. Pioneer Park is an interesting park in which several
historical buildings have been moved to and furnished so a visitor can see how life
used to be up here. They also have an interesting
air museum which I will visit on another day. All in all, the park is much like it was 10 years
ago. Oh, yes, and you can dry camp in their
parking lot for a very nominal fee.
 |
| PIONEER PARK |
After
an extended happy hour with other campers, I retired to the coach to do some more
work on the blog and to watch the Capitol 4th concert from Washington,
DC—an annual tradition for me. I used to
go to the concerts when I lived back there, now I have to be satisfied with watching
them on TV.
To recap my mileage: I have driven 4,018 mi/6466 km in the coach from
Anthem, AZ to Fairbanks, AK! This is the northern-most point on the drive for me.
