Day 89 - Tuesday August 15/17 (Written, formatted with photos inserted, and posted on Monday September 4th at Prince Albert, SK) 

Woke up in Watson lake in time to hear the 8 am CBC news as we drank our first cup of coffee. The showers at this campgrounds were quite grungy with no seating area for changing. But we did get washed up before having protein shakes and toast with peanut butter. We then gave the truck and trailer quick rinses to get rid of some of the dust that has accumulated over the past few days. 

A relatively short travel day today, from Watson Lake in the Yukon to Muncho Lake Provincial Park in BC, with a stop at the Liard River Hot Springs (map)

We set off at 10:30. The temperature was 9C. We are once again travelling on the Alaska Highway. We are about to dip south into B.C. for a little while, on our way to Yellowknife in the NWT. There are lovely broad vistas to the south. Before long we spotted a moose feeding at the side of the road. We stopped and happily the moose stayed grazing but kept its eye on us. It was another good opportunity to observe these large, ungainly but beautiful and fascinating creatures up close in their natural surroundings. Photos)

Shortly after leaving the moose we came across a group of bison more than 25 strong.  They were feeding on both sides of the road and crossing as they liked. This was the first time we’ve seen bison "in the wild” (that is not in a park or protected area). We slowed down not only for photo purposes but also so we wouldn’t hit one. (photos)

Nursing calf

We took a few minutes to take note of our progress from the Yukon in BC

and stopped at Contact Creek just south of the border to learn that this is where highway construction crews working from opposite directions on this segment of the Alaska Highway met up. 

We decided to stop at an historic Alaska Highway property at Coal River for lunch. We had some bison burgers which we found to be very tender, lean and tasty.

We got to Liard River Provincial Park around 2 pm. Our plan here was to enjoy the hot springs for a couple of hours before driving on to another park for the night. We bought a $5.00 per person day pass and walked the 250 m boardwalk to the springs. (photos)

We were impressed to see some relatively new change facilities that smelled like a cedar chest. All very clean. The two hot springs’ ponds were completely natural surrounded by forest. (photos)

The top pond was hot and it got even hotter at the end where the water enters the ponds. By the end of 20 minutes we were cooked so we took a little break to sit in the fresh air and drink some cool water. We then entered the second pond which was a little cooler. Nancy enjoyed floating on “pool noodles” that were actually real logs! (photos)

A final quick dip in the hot pool and we were totally relaxed and ready to go. 

It was 4 pm as we drove further south in the Liard Valley. 

See actual photo below, of features depicted above

See depiction above of features in this photo

We passed a group of 4- 5 horses that appeared to be wild at the side of the road as we approached the Macdonald Campground on Muncho Lake. We got a beautiful site right on the lake. We quickly got out the chairs, poured some wine, grabbed our books and headed to the beach to sit and relax in the incredible grandeur. (photos)

Views from the beach right at our campsite at Muncho Lake

Nancy proceeded to have a nap while Michael fixed the propane furnace which had come loose from its mountings – a source of some of the screws found on the floor.

Dinner was the crock pot chicken dinner that had been prepared last night. The rest of the evening was spent doing email and writing letters. A good night’s sleep followed. The hot springs and the surrounding beauty were undoubtedly the source of our restful night.

Day 88 - Monday August 14/17 (Written, formatted with photos, and posted on Monday September 4th at Prince Albert, SK)

Following a breakfast of oatmeal we started south on the Campbell Hwy around 11 am, heading toward Watson Lake from the Frances Lake Campground. (map)

It was a grey, cloudy, very windy day at 13C. Very shortly the road condition was even worse than the weather. This morning we encountered the worst – bumpiest, roughest, most poorly signed section of construction on our trip – and that’s saying something. To give you a sense of the bouncing we did, we found three screws on the floor of the trailer that had been shaken loose from the stove and the cutlery drawer. We also encountered a light dusting of snow along the road not far north of our destination for the day – Watson Lake. On a colourful note, we saw some intriguing pink vegetation – some sort of grass – covering the roadside. A most pleasant sight on a very dull day. Lunch at a pullout was soup. This was a perfect choice for chilly, grey day.

Our campsite for the night in Watson Lake was a parking lot with a few trees – not attractive or very relaxing but the best in the area and we did have electricity and water hookup. We did some laundry and grocery shopping and had a delicious meal of baked potatoes, salad and pan fried steak with mushrooms and onions. 

One of the biggest ‘tourist’ features of Watson Lake, which is a sort of ‘gateway’ to the north, is their ‘signpost forest’, which has many thousands of place name signs and roadsigns from all around the world (photos)

Michael settled in for an evening of posting blogs and Nancy prepared a crockpot meal of chicken and vegetables to simmer overnight. Then she spent over an hour doing dishes. Nancy can’t decide which is the biggest drawback to the RV lifestyle – insects or lack of a dishwasher!

Fortunately the day ended on a happier note. Nancy’s stepdaughter Donna Kucera and her family are visiting her son Jamie and his family in Seattle. Around 11 pm she was able to Skype with the whole gang. It was a rowdy, noisy family time! So good to enjoy the laughter and feel connected.

Day 87 - Sunday August 13/17 (Written at Battleford, SK on August 31/17  Formatted with photos, and posted, at Prince Albert, SK on September 04/17)

A travel day today - on the Campbell Highway, from Little Salmon Lake to Frances Lake Campground (map)

Warm temperatures and a private wooded campsite facilitated our alfresco showers this morning. It was such a relaxing morning with bacon and eggs for breakfast that we didn’t leave the campsite until noon. 

We passed yet another ‘Johnson’ place name – this time for Johnson Lake Campground, so of course we had to stop for the photo op. (photo) 

Our lunch stop near the turn off for Ross River marked the end of the paved road. Now the highway became a dusty, bouncing, rattling trail. 

The views were less dramatic than the beginning of our travels on the Campbell Highway last night, but still the wildness and sense of isolation was enjoyable. We followed our progress in the road log found in The Milepost. We got laughing as we passed location after location named by Robert Campbell, the first white man to penetrate what is now known as the Yukon. For example we saw Finlayson Creek “This creek was named by Robert Campbell in 1840 for Chief Factor Duncan Finlayson who later became director of the Hudson’s Bay Co.” There was also Big Campbell creek (we can only guess who he named this creek after) and Pelly River “named after Hudson’s Bay Governor Sir John Henry Pelly”. We made some wonderful photo stops – one at the Hoole River Rapids, another at Lapie Canyon.(photos)

We stopped for the evening in deepening cloud at Frances Lake Campground. The lake and its associated river were “named by [guess who????] Robert Campbell for the wife of Sir George Simpson governor of the Hudson’s Bay Co.” Unfortunately the air was thick with blackflies – the first real problem with insects we’ve had in months. Nancy donned her bug hat. (Remember the picture from our first day?

May 19th bug hat photo

When we opened the door to the trailer things got even worse. We found everything was covered with a thick layer of dust from the gravel roadbed. We swept, wiped and washed, just to create a small semblance of order. It seemed a good idea to simplify our dinner plans so we had wieners, beans and coleslaw eaten inside the trailer. Bed followed shortly thereafter.

Day 86 - Saturday August 12/17(Written in Battleford, SK on August 31st; Formatted and posted in Prince Albert, SK on Monday September 04/17)

Although August 12 was actually a travel day for us, before we left Dawson we started the day with a visit to the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people of the Han language group. It is housed in an interesting building with an indigenous feel on the main street of Dawson. This First Nation group shared a few similarities in culture with the West Coast Nations we had been visiting but was distinct in many ways. For one thing the Han stayed in their main camp near Dawson in the summer to fish and travelled in the winter to hunt. This seems to be the opposite of the other First Nations we have visited. Certainty the impact of the Gold Rush with its influx of stampeders and displacement of the indigenous people was disastrous for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Fortunately a final treaty settlement was reached in 1998 and the culture and language are being strengthened. We found it refreshing that all children in the local public school regardless of racial heritage are required to learn the Han language starting in Kindergarten.(photos)

The displays included a very moving exhibit about the experiences of local people in the Residential Schools

With some fresh hot lattés to go we headed south around noon, heading toward Whitehorse. (map)

We stopped briefly at the site of some tailing piles and ponds. These ponds and their surrounding piles of stones were created by the huge dredging barges used by serious gold miners after the "easy pickings" of panning had stopped being productive. The tailing piles have now started to support some plant life. We were disturbed by these ugly remnants of mining but heard yesterday from our Tour Guide that locals find the tailings are not toxic in any way, and actually both attract and create new habitat for wildlife. Its always good to hear two sides of a story.(photos)

There has been an application made to make Dawson City and area a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is not a welcome prospect for some of the more independent-minded prospectors in the area, who see it as just one more layer of interfering governing bodies!(photos)

We stopped for lunch at Grand Lake and continued south following the Yukon River. We cooked our supper at a roadside turnout overlooking the confluence of the Yukon and Stewart Rivers. 

With the days being so long we have found that we have more energy to continue travelling later in the day. So we drove on after supper. Near another scenic overlook we encountered a truly frightening moment. A truck going in the opposite direction stirred up a dust storm that totally blinded us. It was like the worst snow storm we’ve ever encountered. Michael simply had to stop on the road, wait for the dust to clear, and hope no one else was coming up behind us. When we finally could see we were shocked to find a steel barrier only a few feet in front of us. A near miss indeed.

Our afternoon drive has been rich in wild life viewing. We saw a calico-like fox, a white tailed deer and an eagle sitting in a nest.

When we came to Carmacks and the junction of the Campbell Highway we made a spontaneous decisions to skip Whitehorse and continue on our way via this alternative route. It felt good to be casting aside plans once again and taking the road less travelled. We enjoyed some marvelous views of the Big Salmon and Pelly Mountains before we came to a Territorial Campground at Little Salmon Lake. 

Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon - A very difficult spot for paddle-wheelers,
especially when travelling upstream!

The cost for the self-registration site was $12.00. Good value. (A point of interest – Little Salmon Lake is beside the more famous Lake Laberge – made famous with an altered spelling by Robert Service.)  We slept well in a lakeside site "on the marge of Lake Little Salmon". (Sorry that isn’t more poetic!)