Day 64 - Friday July 21/17

(Posted on Saturday July 29th, at TrailerCraft in Anchorage AK, while waiting for a new tire to be installed on the trailer)

An alarm started our day today. We needed to be up and at it early as we had an appointment for truck servicing in Whitehorse at 10 am and it was an hour away from our base in Carcross.  

We arrived with time to spare. The location of the Chrysler Dealership couldn’t have been better as a McDonalds was less than half a km away along the same street. We walked to the restaurant carrying our laptops, used another frequent customer loyalty card to get a free coffee and started to blog. We spent almost 4 hours hard at it, writing, editing, adding photos and posting several days of blog, while the truck was in for servicing. We only interrupted our work briefly to get some value menu hamburgers for lunch. We returned to the dealership at 2 pm to find the Ram ready and waiting for us. It had fresh oil and after a thorough examination the only extra bit of service needed was a new air filter. If Chrysler ever needs an endorsement for the Ram 1500 Hemi we will be happy to give it!

We took advantage of the facilities in Whitehorse to buy some cards, get gas and do grocery shopping. We then found a TD Canada Trust branch. We realized we had been outside Ontario for more than the limits of our extended health plans and we wanted to arrange extra medical coverage for the rest of our trip. We had a wonderfully helpful staff member at the branch who tried his best to find the right coverage for us. On a busy Friday afternoon he finally asked if he could call us back with the info when he’d had time to investigate more thoroughly. We got the call from him before we got back to Rocinante in Carcross.

On the return trip down the South Klondike Hwy from Whitehorse to Carcross we took the time to explore some of the places we had sped by this morning. We stopped at the historic site of Robinson’s Crossing – a stop on the rail line from Skagway to Whitehorse (photo). 

What a lot of money and effort was spent on development in the Klondike. Many projects took longer to complete than the rush lasted which was only two years. The railway is actually still in use today, mainly as a tourist attraction.

We also took a brief stroll through the Carcross Desert which is billed as the smallest desert in the world. Needless to say our walk was brief.  Carcross Desert is commonly referred to as a desert, but is actually a series of northern sand dunes. The area's climate is too humid to be considered a true desert. The sand was formed during the last glacial period, when large glacial lakes formed and deposited silt. When the lakes dried, the dunes were left behind. Today, sand comes mainly from nearby Bennett Lake, carried by wind. The dunes contain a wide variety of plants, including unusual varieties such as Baikal sedge and Yukon Lupine, among others. (photos)

With our campsite most closely resembling a parking lot, we had a low key dinner in the trailer and headed to bed early.

Day 63 - Thursday July 20/17

(Written on Monday July 24, at Eagle Creek Campground, Alaska, in front of the campfire!) 

(Posted on Saturday July 29/17, in Anchorage, while having a new trailer tire installed)

We left Boya Lake Campground at 10am; temp 16 degr.; cloudy to partly sunny; heading to Carcross. (map)

We had made a reservation yesterday, via landline pay telephone, as there was no cell service, for Carcross General Store RV Camp (also known as Montana Services, as it had been the base for supplying mining operations on Montana Mountain).

We stopped at Beaver Dam Rest Stop, and read forest fire information boards. Showing areas that had experienced forest fires in recent years, and explaining the need for and benefits of periodic burn-off by forest fire. (photos)

We have become aware that a part of the reason that the fires have been so widespread and severe in the central interior of BC this year has been due to the cancellation of controlled burn programs in recent years. Complaints from residents about smoke and air quality were the reason the planned burns were cancelled.

We saw a porcupine dead on the road, and we remarked that we have not seen very much roadkill on this trip at all.

Today we crossed out of B.C. and into the Yukon Territory (photos)

Stopped at a Rest Stop at the Rancheria River. We followed this river for some time along the Alaska Highway. We took a lunch break at the Rancheria Falls Recreation Site, and walked on the trail to the falls. (photos)

Stopped at the Continental Divide, which divides two of the largest drainage systems in North America, the Yukon River Watershed and the Mackenzie River Watershed. Waters draining west from this point form the Swift River, which drains into the Yukon River, and continues northwest 3,680km to the Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean). Water drains east from this point form the Rancheria River, which flows into the Liard River, and then into the Mackenzie River, flowing northward into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean), after 4,200km (photos)

Gassed up in Teslin, and had coffee and home-made blueberry and strawberry-rhubarb pie with ice cream!

Stopped for photos at Johnson Crossing (pgotos)

Arrived at Carcross at 6:30pm. Set up trailer; had salads supper with ham. Showered, and went to bed after a long day of driving (474km).

Day 62 - Wednesday July 19/17

(Posted on Saturday July 29/17)

Can you believe it? Day 62 – the half-way point in our 124 day adventure and two months to the day since we left London. The total distance travelled to date, which includes travel mileage and touring mileage, is 13,330 km. Very little of it has been in rain or bad road conditons. We both remain healthy and happy. We seem to be ideal travelling companions! We feel blessed by all of this.

Unfortunately the weather was less than celebratory today, with a cloudy 10 degrees as we left our almost private campground (2 other campers had found this delightful spot during the evening). Today we continued north on Hwy #37 with a goal in mind – Boya Lake Provincial Park. This park has been recommended in several publications and by fellow travellors we’ve met along the way. As it is quite small and does not accept reservations we wanted to arrive early enough to grab a site, hence the early departure of 9:00 am. (map)

During a rest stop we met a young couple from Belgium who are on a 9 month working Visa in Canada. They finished 3 months of work in Montreal and then 3 more months in Calgary and are currently taking the opportunity of seeing the Canadian north before heading to Asia. Interesting folks with remarkable English.  

We got to Boya Lake at 12:30 and snagged a campsite at the lake’s edge. (photo)

We had lunch, time to read and a nap before we ventured out to enjoy the lake.  We decided to rent a canoe (at the remarkably cheap rate of $15 for 2 hours). The lake has a unique aqua-green hue with incredibly clear waters, and a white marl clay bottom. The many bays and islands made it a wonderful place to explore via canoe. As this was the first time we had ventured into a canoe together we were very pleased to discover that our canoeing styles meshed very well. (photos)

We spent an easy two hours following loons, gulls and swallows and discovering beaver-gnawed logs and interesting water plants along the shore. 

Water plant in Boya Lake

To celebrate our half way mark in travels we had steak, baked potatoe and broccoli. Eaten by this clear, quiet lake it was a feast to remember.  Just as we were finishing our meal, the park operator came by to warn us she had just seen a bear in the campground. We stowed the barbeque in the truck and packed away in the trailer anything that might smell appealing to a bear. Then retreated to the inside of the trailer. Michael read for a while but Nancy headed to bed. Both were asleep by 9:30 – the fresh lake air had done us in. (BTW neither of us had achy arms as a result of the canoeing. Could this be a sign of good form? Or just that we weren’t working very hard?)

Early the next morning lakeside view from our campsite 

Day 61 - Tuesday July 18/17

(Posted Friday July 28/17)

321 kilometres of travel northward today. The drive continues scenic with forest and hills in a seemingly neverending continuum. The sun and breeze added to the easy enjoyment of the route. (see map)

We started the day at Meziadin Lake. Having stayed in a park that has no showers for three nights we started today by washing each other’s hair in the kitchen sink and then having sponge baths. We hit the road (with a refilled water tank) by 11 am. We stopped for lunch of prepacked turkey sandwiches (lacking cranberry sauce we mixed some blueberry jam with the mayonnaise – very tasty) around 1:30. No rushing. A great way to travel.

There are few services on Hwy #37 and the distance to the next gas is posted just as you are passing the previous station. Camping spots are also limited. Today we didn’t have a reservation. To Nancy this feels risky and brave. To Michael it feels like the way he prefers to travel. As we were coming to the village of Dease Lake around 4:30 in the afternoon we spotted a sign for the campground operated by the local Lions Club. (photos)

 We drove in over a bridge specifically constructed for the camp. We discovered a charming campground of about 15 spaces half of which were right beside the Manzilla Creek. We had the place to ourselves so we chose a marvelous location right beside the creek. (photos)

Our 'riparian' campsite

We self-registered and paid the $10.00 fee. This was the cheapest price for a campsite we’ve paid to date. A good thing too as the gas we got this afternoon at Iskut was $1.34/litre – the most we’ve paid. A balancing perhaps?

We enjoyed a nap and time to read our books. A relaxing glass of wine and supper were taken at our picnic table where the roaring of the creek almost drowned out our conversation. It was great!!!

Sunset over the river

Sunset over the river

We wrote some blogs, but of course were unable to post them. It will be good to catch up.

Day 60 - Monday July 17/17

(Posted Friday July 21)

We remained based at Meziadin Lake Provincial Park for a second day of touring in the area. But we had to switch campsites before we left the park to explore. Nancy endeavoured to catch up on some writing for the blog while Michael organized the trailer for the move. (Another day of blog was completed but can’t be posted because there is no internet available.) All preparations were completed and we were on our way for 65 km of exploration by 10:30 am.

We drove the Stewart-Hyder Highway (#37A). Travel guides described the drive as “dramatic” and “breathtaking” and it certainly was! The day started out mostly sunny with some high cloud which was perfect to enjoy the scenic mountain route. The road was very good with just one stretch of the obligatory construction. Traffic was light and that meant we could slow down (and even stop) to enjoy the views. In write-ups it said there are 20 glaciers along this 65 km stretch of highway and we saw most of them. The most striking was the Bear Glacier (photo). It was larger than the Athabasca Glacier we toured in Japser National Park and it certainly was less developed.

We reached Stewart BC at noon. A very helpful woman at the Information Centre loaded us up with info not only for today’s travels but for the next leg of our journey in Yukon and Alaska. She also pointed us to the Ice Cream Parlour where we got some delicious cones. We bumped into the couple from Quadra we had chatted with in Haida Gwaii – it seems this northern travel attracts like-minded folks. By 12:30 we were at the Alaska border. We needed to check with Canadian Customs about the three boxes of wine we had in the pickup. We didn’t want them to be seized when we returned to Canada in a few hours. The agent said it wouldn’t be a problem so we headed into the USA. The Americans do not have a border agent here so we just drove on through. Hyder AK is billed as “Alaska’s Friendliest Little Ghost Town”.  

Both Stewart and Hyder had their heydays in the 1920’s with mineral exploration and development. Now they are both mere shadows of those days.

With a brochure for The Glacier Highway and Salmon Glacier Self Guided Auto Tour firmly in hand we began our afternoon. We stopped at the US Forest Service’s Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area where most years at this time the salmon would have been spawning and both grizzly and black bears would be seen dining on the salmon. Unfortunately this year the fish are late and therefore the bears are also absent. 

We passed a couple of abandoned mines and noted the border cairn and line of tree clearing denoting the US-Canada border. (photos)

We were once again back in Canada. No border station here on this gravel road!

Descriptive adjectives are beginning to fail us. Majestic, awe inspiring, breathtaking have all been used often in our blog and are becoming worn out. But the drive this afternoon was all of that and more. We wound our way up towards the head of the Salmon Glacier on a narrow gravel road, clinging to the mountainside with shear drop offs to the river valley or glacier below. We stopped for lunch at a look out with a picnic table and trash bin. The view of the toe of the glacier made us feel so close. 

We drove on to the final stop on the auto tour a look out over the head of the glacier. We did make a stop by a piece of icy snow that lay beside the road and we had a snowball fight! 

When we reached the final outlook we were overcome by the reality of the sight - the shear size of the glacier spread out before us. We had seen glaciers before and even walked on one In Jasper, but this was nature in its pure, uncivilized form right in front of us. It was humbling and incredibly beautiful. We felt closer to the force and majesty of nature than we did in the busy national parks- lovely as they were. This was the real thing.

Interestingly at the glacier summit we met a young couple we had seen yesterday at the Nisga’a Museum. They are taking two months to travel north and explore. It was a joy to see two young people undertaking this lengthy trip. The fellow had saved several years of vacation to be able to do this. 

The drive back to our trailer at Meziadin Lake took much less time than the trip out. Pasta at our site by the lake ended another wonderful day of exploration.