Travelogue August 23 thru August 29

This week began with us finishing up the Cassiar Hwy. and then working southward through British Columbia on our way back to Washington. It also marks the end of our great adventure to the far north. This is the last travelogue post for the trip.


Sunday, August 23 - Meziadin Lake CG to Smithers (day 78)
Meziadin Lake Provincial CG

Campsite at Meziadin Lake

Hey, sunshine this morning. Nice to see. Perused campsite when I got out of camper and saw no additional evidence of the bear that the campground host said had wandered around our campsite before we got here yesterday. We kept looking for him/her as we prepared to leave, but nothing.  Probably found a better berry patch further up the hill.

Just a short drive south to Kitwanga at the southern terminus of the Cassiar where we spent a little time checking out the historic church and totem poles referred to in the Milepost guide. A local native walked over and gave us a more detailed history and a little of the story depicted on the poles.

Hwy 16 runs from Prince Rupert on the coast to Prince George and then eastward from there. It’s a modern highway with painted lines, useable shoulders, and a good pavement… things we haven’t had an abundance of lately. But apparently good roads bring more traffic and we were beginning to feel the end of our trip to the far north. Much more traffic and crazy hustle-bustle… something else we haven’t had much of in the past couple months.

We stopped and watched native Indians net fishing near Moricetown.

We got as far as Smithers where we decided to stop for a beer and some local flavor at the Alpenhorn Bistro, Bar and Grill. We found a couple seats at the bar and fell in with a lively bartender and a few friendly locals. Needless to say we had a blast. One of them, a fellow named Stanley, offered to sponsor us if we decided to move to Smithers and become Canadians. If by some unexplained cosmic flash of stupidity makes Trump the next President, we will most assuredly take him up on his offer.

Our new friends at the Alpenhorn all decided that we needed to camp tonight at the Smithers City Park and Campground… which we did. Right on the banks of the Bulkley River, it was a convenient solution to our immediate housing need.

Monday, August 24 - Smithers to Fraser Lake (day 79)
Smithers City Park CG

More agriculture going on around here.

Had a good night at Smithers City Park CG. I mean, how can you go wrong? Right along the banks of the Bulkley River, full-hookup site for $24 Canadian, free WIFI that actually worked, and free hot (hot!!) showers to boot. Slept like an old man… a clean old man.

After our normal morning routine, the wheels were turning and the truck was heading southeast. Oh... but wait, we had to stop for a few items at the local Safeway. Then we were back on busy Hwy 16. Dar had scoped out another provincial park near Fraser Lake and that was our goal.

We’re on the Interior Plateau up here and a sign of that is a lot more agricultural activity. It looked and felt like Wisconsin most of the time. Found a good roadside park on the eastern end of Burns Lake for a picnic lunch.

Before long, after just 150 miles, we pulled into Beaumont Provincial Park and found a site for the night. The park is on the grounds once occupied by historic Fort Fraser, built about 1806. It was an outpost of the old Northwest Company until absorbed by the Hudson Bay Company about 1824. There is a substantial old log barn on the site which post dated the old Fort by quite a few years.

It’s really starting to get dark at night. The calendar is inching toward equinox and we’re further south every day. Dar commented that she’s having a little trouble sleeping now that it actually gets dark at night. I don’t seem to suffer from that particular affliction.


Tuesday, August 25 - Fraser Lake to Lac le Hache (day 80)
Beaumont Provincial Park CG

Another mostly sunny morning. Back on the road about 9:30am. Easterly, mostly, to Prince George where we bend mostly southward on Hwy 97. Stopped at visitor center in Quesnel (french pronunciation… no “s” sound) to make a phone call and check email. Continued through the “lake district” to Lac le Hache (french for lake of the hatchet) where we made camp at the eponymous provincial campground.

Inviting display of flowers at Quesnel Visitor Center.

It’s not uncommon to run into people you’ve seen in previous days or weeks as one travels through the far north. And tonight we ran into a solo traveler and fellow truck-camper we knew from our stay in Smithers. David lives on Vancouver Island and is slowly meandering back home. We shared happy hour and a campfire before retiring for the evening.


Wednesday, August 26 - Lac le Hache to Emory Creek CG (Yale, BC) (day 81)
Lac le Hache CG

Mostly sunny drive today with an increasing amount of smoky haze from wildfires east of here. We’re dropping almost due south through an area with a concentration of large log home and building manufacturers. Identified by the big cranes needed to lift the logs into place, each home is completely put together here, then disassembled and transported to it’s ultimate location where it’s all put back together once again… hopefully for the final time. It’s an expensive proposition, but these log buildings look marvelous.

The highlight of the drive today was a side-trip over a historic route used by early settlers and gold-rushers coming north. They’d follow the Fraser River canyon to Lillooet via riverboat and then transition to an overland route further north to towns still named 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, and 150 Mile House. Those town names refer to the distance from Lillooet.

Not more than two feet to the edge of the road.

We, of course, were taking the route southbound. We left Hwy 97 at Clinton and headed southwestward. For a few miles the road is paved but in poor condition. Near Downing Provincial Park, the road becomes dirt and quickly changes into a very steep one lane road that was more challenging than I thought it might be. With confidence that we were on the right path provided by an occasional sign, we continued through what can best be described as an “E” ticket ride of thrills and chills on a road that often was, at times, nothing more than a narrow trail dozed out of the side of a steep hillside. No guardrails and only a couple feet between our wheels and a “Thelma and Louise” 1000 foot drop to oblivion… gave the navigatress heart palpitations. Eventually we reached the top and slowly eased down the other side… through a private ranch and on a less steep trail that eventually came out at the town of Pavillion. That 90 minute ordeal was enough to feed our adventurelust and fill the exhilaration banks for a while. What a hoot!

Excuse me... is this the road to Pavillion?

Then it was down to Lillooet on Hwy 99 through our first introduction to the Fraser River Canyon… another Wow on it’s own merits. At Lillooet we transitioned to Hwy 12, also following the Fraser to Lytton. That section of road included a couple gasps on the Yikes-meter too. From beginning to end, from Clinton to Lytton can’t be more than 70 miles by crow, but the route we took had to be far more exciting than the Hwy 97 route most people take through Cache Creek.

High above Fraser River Canyon

One lane through here... and no traffic control. You're on your
own to keep an eye out for oncoming logging trucks.

At Lytton we got on Hwy 1 and drove as far as Yale, just a few miles north of Hope. We found a campground that, apparently, used to be a provincial park but is now a privately run affair. Called Emory Creek CG, it looked and felt like all the other provincial park campgrounds we’ve stayed at. Why it’s private, we never did figure out. A good place to stop for the night.

Just a tad over 200 miles for the day.


Thursday, August 27 - Emory Creek CG (Yale, BC) to Bay View SP CG (Mt. Vernon, WA) (day 82)
Emory Creek CG

Broke camp and on the road again by 9:30. The air was very smokey as we neared the Vancouver area… probably from wildfires east of here. High pressure has been holding the smoke in the valleys.

The closer to Vancouver the crazier the traffic and hub-bub became. I’m not a slow driver, preferring to drive the speed limit on roads like this if possible. But 90% of the other vehicles on the road had a need to go considerably faster than that… including loaded logging trucks, school busses, and little old gray haired women driving their canasta club to the ice cream shop for dish of soft-serve.

Broke off Hwy 1 at the Sumas cutoff. Just a few short miles to the border crossing. An informative sign said the wait was approx. 20 minutes to make the crossing. Once in line with what had to be hundreds of other vehicles, the line inched along. After 20 minutes we’d moved about two blocks, with much further to yet go to get to the quizmaster. After an hour of idling and inching we were close. I held my tongue… my comments and suggestions that may have made me feel better for a moment but surely would have resulted in fines and a prison term.

“Where are you coming from?” “Canada” (where I’m sitting at, there is no possible other place I could be coming from.)

“Do you have anything to declare that you bought while in Canada?” “No” (prices in Canada do not make it advantageous to do so.)

“Any fruits or vegetables?” “One apple”

“Any liquor?” “Two cans of beer and a little wine sloshing around the bottom of a carboard box” (again, liquor prices in Canada are amazingly high, so why would anyone do this?)

“Any firearms?” “No” (Canada is concerned about bringing firearms across… didn’t know the USA is too.)

So we got through with a minimum of pain… other than some tongue spasms from trying to keep it under control. Drove south into Washington looking for a state park for the night. First one we checked out was Larabee, which we eliminated after some considerable time because it was fairly busy, had few level campsites, and just wasn’t up to the standards of the parks we’d stayed at in Canada.

We moved on to Bay View State Park which we found much more agreeable. Found a site and made camp for the night.

Friday, August 28 - Bay View SP CG to Kirkland, WA (day 83)
Bay View SP CG

Woke. Broke camp. Drove to our Son and Daughter-In-Law’s home in the Seattle area. Time to reconnect with family and see what homebase life is like for a few months.

I’ve said it before… there’s no feeling like “coming home” after a trip… unless it’s the feeling of getting ready to go exploring again.

The end of our trip to the Far North.

Thanks for following our trip to the Far North.

Travelogue August 16 thru August 22

We began this week in Whitehorse, the Capital City of the Yukon, where we lingered for a few days. From there, back on the Alaska Highway, the Alcan, through Carcross and down to the junction with the Cassiar Highway. As we dropped south on the Cassiar, we took a side trip to Stewart/Hyder.

This old DC-3 found a new life as a wind sock.

Sunday, August 16 - Whitehorse Local (day 71)
Wolf Creek CG

The campground is max'd out this weekend. Discovered the reason why: it's a three day weekend here in the Yukon called Discovery Day. Has to do with remembering the day they found gold on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike near Dawson City. So, like folks anywhere, they're taking advantage of a summer three day weekend... one of the last, if not the last, of the warm season this far north.

We ran into town for a much needed internet fix and a laundromat. Managed to get a bunch of photos uploaded as well as my post for last week. Another reason we're lingering here another day was to exchange some money at a bank. Our Canadian funds are getting low. However, with Monday being a Holiday, that's going to have to wait until Tuesday.

Back at camp Dar prepared a sausage and vegetable hobo dinner that I cooked on the campfire. After an hour it was cooked to perfection. A great team effort.


Monday, August 17 - Whitehorse Local (day 72)
Discovery Day Holiday in the Yukon
Wolf Creek CG

Campsite at Wolf Creek CG near Whitehorse.

On the way into town this morning we visited a few RV parks and campgrounds for future reference. Had a few more supplies to pick up and had a light lunch at Tim Hortons (including absolutely no donuts despite Dar's plea to the contrary).

I've written in the past about food prices here in Canada (they're high), but I've also had trouble finding some specific items at any price. No-stir peanut butter made without hydrogenated oil is one. Haven't been able to find it outside of the US. Wonder why it's not sold in Canada.

Just like yesterday, the day started out sunny but quickly changed to all clouds. This afternoon, on our way back to camp, a light rain began. Kinda puts a damper on my outdoor cooking plans. Been thinking we need to begin tarping our campsite when staying for more than a day or two. Would expand our living space to include a little of the outdoors as well as some dry space for outdoor cooking.


Tuesday, August 18 - Whitehorse to near Teslin (day 73)
Wolf Creek CG

Broke camp and headed for town. Got a couple more items for the supply bin, stopped at the bank for a little plastic Canadian money, and we bid Whitehorse a fond farewell. Time to move on.

Dar wanted to run down to Carcross, a short side trip off the Alcan. She'd read about some first nation woodcarvers and really wanted to stop by to see what was being worked on these days. So we went to Carcross.

Originally known as Caribou Crossing, the name was changed... contraction-ated... to Carcross because the Canadian Postal Service often confused it with other communities with similar names. On the way into town we stopped at a sandy area known as the worlds smallest desert. It's not really a desert, just an ancient lake bottom that local weather conditions seem to keep around, but when you're mining for tourist dollars you'll try anything to keep 'em coming.

Carcross isn't much. The central attraction is the train station... it's the northern terminus of the famed White Pass and Yukon Railroad that runs between Skagway and here through some pretty rugged geography. The NPYR used to run all the way to Whitehorse and the narrow gauge tracks are still in place where they cross the Alcan just south of town. Any way you look at it, the narrow gauge railroad is kept afloat by tourism, principally tourist from the many cruise ships that stop in Skagway.

For you railroad enthusiasts out there, the YPYR track gauge is 914mm… or just a hair or two shy of 3 feet. Compare that to the standard gauge all other regular railroads us in North America of 1435mm or 4 feet 8-½ inches.

Besides the railroad station, there's the oldest general store in Alaska, a mini-mall of gift and craft shops, a restaurant, and the skeletal remains of a stern-wheeler riverboat that used to ply the waters of the area lakes. The old girl was set afire by vandals some years ago and the State of Alaska kicked in a million bucks to turn what was left into a museum of sorts.

We stopped in the restaurant, The Bistro, to have lunch, being famished from the 40 mile drive down here from Whitehorse. And, as often do in joints like this, we had a great time chatting with the staff and some of the few customers they had that day. It's late August and business has already dropped way off from the peak. I think they're kinda punch-drunk from a busy tourist season.

Keith Wolfe Smarch, famed Tlingit Carver

Right across the tracks from The Bistro, was the carving studio of Keith Wolfe Smarch... the place Dar really wanted to see. He's native Tlingit and has made a real name for himself in the carving world. His current project is a 70 foot high totem pole that will be a permanent part of the new heritage center being built on the edge of town. Made of red cedar, as are most totem poles in this part of the world, it's a massive job just to get the huge log made ready for carving... and then the year or more of detailed carving to finish the project. Very impressive indeed. He also shared with us some of his secrets and smaller masks and hats he's done recently. An enjoyable and informative stop.

About that time the train made an appearance. That's right... the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon tourist train from Skagway. It kept me entertained as I watched it perform a turn around maneuver on the Y track maintained for that purpose. They like to keep the locomotive at the front of the train regardless which way it's going. Gives the passengers a more authentic experience and the engineer a better view of the track ahead. Would hate to bump into a bear or moose (or squirrel).

When we left, the wind was picking up briskly. It blew us all the way down the shortcut to Jakes Corners... back on the Alcan. From there we droned to Teslin Lake, and to a very nice government campground of the same name where we called it a day.

Campsite at Teslin Lake CG

Wednesday, August 19 - Teslin (on Alcan) to Cassiar Jct. near Watson Lake (day 74)
Teslin Lake CG

Cloudy this morning, with intermittent dribbles of rain. Left our lakeside campsite a little after 10am and the truck was barely warm when we stopped just a couple miles up the road at the Tlingit Heritage Center in Teslin. On the way north a couple months ago (when we were in more of a hurry) she noted in The Milepost book that she wanted to stop on the return drive. So we did. It's an excellent resource for the last 200 years of history of the Tlingit people native to this area. The noted wood carver we saw yesterday, Keith Wolfe Smarch, has many of his pieces here and used to work from Teslin up until a few years ago when he moved to Carcross.

A real mixed bag today weather-wise. Rain and a heavy low cloud deck kept mountain views limited. At higher elevations the temp dipped into the upper 40s and we even thought we could see hardened precipitation mixed in with raindrops… in another word, ice. Not sure about this as the evidence quickly dissipated.

Otherwise, it was an uneventful drive. After 150 miles or so, we were near the junction with the Cassiar and we decided to pull into “Nugget City” to consider our options for the rest of the day. Lunch in the Nugget City restaurant, Wolf It Down, can be described as meager portions for a high price. But it filled a void and gave us a place to pause. While Dar checked out the gift shop I wandered over to the RV park/campground to see what they had. We decided to toss out the anchor and spend the night. That way we’d be fresh and ready for our first leg on the Cassiar. Perhaps the weather will improve too.

Sign near start of Cassiar...  yes, you can drive south
to Alaska from the Cassiar Hwy.

Thursday, August 20 - Cassiar Jct (Nugget City) near Watson Lake to Boya Lake (day 75)
Baby Nugget RV Park

We're clearly in a rainy spell. Check of the weather last night indicated mostly rain the next few days. Past experience has taught us the weather forecasts up here are notoriously unreliable. But a multi-day trend (like a general propensity for precipitation) is often fairly accurate. I'm sure there'll be sun-breaks, but we'll have to deal with more rain than we'd prefer.

We're staged just a mile or two from the junction with the Cassiar Highway. Since we don't know how far we'll go today, we let the showers come and go this morning while enjoying coffee in our snug little camper. Finally got on the road about 11am during a weather break.

Just about the nicest campsite we've had all trip.

The Cassiar Highway is about 450 miles long, aligned north-south between here and the town of Kitwanga, on Hwy 16… The Yellowhead Highway, that runs from Prince Rupert on the coast and Prince George. Reports indicate it's a decent paved road, but clearly below the standards of the Alcan. The northern end in particular is narrow and has no shoulders or center-line stripes. I found a pace of around 45 to 50 mph to be about right most of the time. There's a fair amount of traffic and some large trucks that use it to shave off some miles between southern BC and the Alcan. Generally, it was a relaxing and very enjoyable drive.

But we didn't get far today. Stopped to check out Boya Lake CG. Once Dar saw the emerald green clear lake illuminated under a brief sunbreak together with an open campsite right on the shoreline, she "called an audible" and we stopped right then and there after just 56 miles. It is probably the most scenic campsite we've had during this trip. A real gem.


Friday, August 21 - Boya Lake to Kinaskan Lake (day 76)
Boya Lake CG

Woke to blue sky and broken clouds. Looks like a good driving day. On the road about 10am. First stop was at Jade City, a tourist-trap but of some notable interest when one learns that about 90% of the world's jade comes from the immediately surrounding Cassiar Mountains. Jade is almost literally everywhere. I’m sure I saw raw chunks of jade mixed in the gravel covering the parking lot. Dar picked up a few gift items for people back home.

It seems everyone driving by Jade City stops in. We observed a wide range of campers during our visit… from van conversions, to an Earthroamer, to a very interesting little 5th wheel made by Escape Campers. We met the folks with the Escape and they volunteered to show us the interior layout. Hmmm. There’s a lot to like about the little unit, but we’re not in a trailer mode right now. File the info away for future reference.

Through the Cassiar Mountains on a southward bearing, we wandered through Dease Lake, 40 Mile Flats, Iskut, and Tatogga. At some point along the way, the painted centerline appeared again… an indication we’re making progress toward civilization. Decided to make camp for the night at Kinaskan Lake CG.

The human condition causes us to seek out similarities and like-mindedness in others in order to combine into groups… probably for safety, survival, and sanity purposes. During our trip we’d often run into people multiple times as there’s only a limited number of routes to take and many of us are going the same places at the same rate of travel. And a bond of common purpose and destination would occur, sparking a personal contact that made life on the road a little more fun. At Kinaskan Lake we ran into an adventurous and interesting couple from Whitehorse that we had first met in Inuvik… almost two months ago. The common bond here is the 4 Wheel Camper each of us have. We do find we have a soft spot in our hearts for others that like and use these little rigs. In this case, direction and rate of travel had nothing to do with this serendipitous meeting. They recognized our rig as they happened into the campground on their way back to Whitehorse after visiting friends near the Smithers area. We had a long and rich conversation with them and hope for more path-crossings with them in the future.


Saturday, August 22 - Kinaskan Lake to Meziadin Lake CG (both along the Cassiar) (day 77)
Kinaskan Lake CG

Started raining about 4am, and continued light and steady until much later in the day. We've had our battles with the rain gods the last couple months, but not many all day rains. Today was nearly a total washout, as you'll see below.

We got the show on the road at our usual time... about 10am. Started the wipers when I started the truck and didn't shut them off until later in the day in Stewart. Back on the Cassiar, I'm sure the drive through the middle portion of it is gorgeous... but we couldn't testify to it. At times a bright spot would raise our hopes, only to be dashed on the rocky shoals of low ceilings and renewed rain. Just another sucker hole.

On the slow drive south, we did see a total of 5 black bear today. A couple of them were little more than fleeting glances... too fast for Dar's camera trigger finger. But the best sighting was of a sow and her little cub eating god knows what right at the edge of the road. They were totally unconcerned about us despite our stopped truck, in the lane of traffic, and the two of us snapping pics as fast as we could. They were literally just 15 or 20 feet away.

At the junction with Hwy 37A, we took it toward Stewart and Hyder. Glad we did too. The biggest tourist attraction here is bear watching along Fish Creek just outside Hyder. And being the good little tourists, we headed directly to the creek in the midst of yet another downpour. We found a few visitors, mostly huddled around shelters and peering longingly, hopefully, into the surrounding hills... trying their darnedest to will a bear into the open for that perfect iphone bear wildlife portrait.

We found a forlorn ranger on patrol, complete with umbrella and faint look of sadness on his boyish face, who said they had one bear early that morning, and another late the night before. But other than that, it's been pretty quiet. A local I talked to later said they're hopeful more fish and more bears show up next month.

Hyder bills itself as the friendliest ghost town in Alaska. I can't say much about the friendliest part, but the ghost town part is spot on. What a sad place that time left way back there in the dust. I can't help but think they're just missing some vision, some creativity, and some energetic people to clean things up and turn it around. I hope they do.

When a traveler goes from Stewart, which is in Canada, to Hyder, Alaska, one can do so without going through a border checkpoint. They probably figure that most people who go into Hyder are going to come right back out again, quickly. And since there are no roads that lead anywhere except back to Canada on the exact same road you went in on, there is little functional reason to maintain a staffed border presence. But good old Canada has their border check point right there under the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag, ever ready to snag folks who bought liquor in Hyder... or bought a gun... or picked up a terrorist to smuggle back into Canada. Never mind that there is no place to buy liquor or firearms that I could see in Hyder... they're ready in case one opens. I had to chuckle to myself at how serious this young border guard was taking his job. I'm sure in his mind the good folks of Canada are sleeping better tonight because he's on the job.

Here's a few more pics from our side-trip to Stewart and Hyder.

News from the North - August 9 thru August 15

The first half of this week we were in Haines. Thursday we left, and felt the melancholic divide that separates being on a trip from heading home. It's true, there's still much new territory to explore, but there's no way around the fact that we're closer to home with each day's drive.


Sunday, August 9 - Kathleen Lake on the Haines Highway to Haines (day 64)
Kathleen Lake CG

Broke camp and headed south to Haines. Along the way we checked most of the campgrounds for future reference. This is another out-of-this-world drive that words can't adequately convey. At times you find yourself taking it all for granted. Then, when you stop and think about what you're seeing, it's like your seeing it for the first time. One of the great views (I know... there are so many) here in Alaska is to see Chilkoot Lake from the State Park. Encircled by mountains, it Alaska at its best, geographically speaking.

Between Haines Junction in Canada and Haines in the USA, we crossed two borders on the short 150 mile drive. First, from Yukon Territories into British Columbia and then from BC into Alaska in the US. Keeping all these border and customs facilities open must be a real task.

Nearing Haines, the road closely follows the very wide, silty, and braided Chilkat River. Most of these glacier-fed rivers are full and flowing hard... the result of long warm days melting the mountain ice. This is also a bald eagle sanctuary as thousands of the big birds stop here for salmon snacks on their way south in October.

In Haines we made quick work of a few sequential tasks. First, was to see if we could book passage on the fast day cruise down to Juneau. Not cheap, but not sure when we'll be in a position again to see Juneau and one more state capitol. We got that booked for Tuesday.

Then, we made reservations at the Oceanside RV park for Monday and Tuesday nights. Time again for some laundry, showers, and a good battery charging. It also places us within a block of the boat dock for our Tuesday outing. No need to break camp for our cruise.

And on our way out to Chilkoot Lake State Park campground, stopped at the ferry terminal to see about the ferry to Skagway. Didn't book anything, but did confirm they have room for us if we choose to go that way.

On the way out to the State Park, we follow the Chilkoot River for a ways. It was very busy with people fishing and watching for bear. Very busy. Made us a little concerned that the campground might be full too. But there was no reason to fear... the campground had space for us. We made camp and called it a day.

black bear lunching on roadside fodder

our camp at Chilkoot St. Park outside of Haines

Monday, August 10 - Haines area (day 65)
Chilkoot Lake SRA CG

Rained overnight and into the morning. Moving to the RV park for a couple days for the usual reasons, and to be parked close to the city docks for our boat cruise to Juneau on Tuesday.

Was noon by the time we broke camp. On the 9 mile drive back to Haines, Dar kept a lookout for brown bear feeding on salmon in the river. And she spotted one, actually three... a large sow with two cubs. Just had to stop for that show. Got some good picks too.

According to a local, this is a familiar bear to the residents of Haines. Her nickname is Speedy. She recently was tranquilized so a large fish hook could be removed from her nose. Guess the two little ones also got a trip to la la land while their mom was worked on. She probably got the hook in the process of fishing herself, but it made me smile to fantasize that some unlucky fisherman hooked her while fishing... and got much more than he bargained for.

We stopped at the Rusty Compass for lunch... a small local cafe. Had a splendid time talking with the two brothers who own the joint, as well as other customers who wandered in. As far as I'm concerned they've also got the best WIFI in town.

Then it was out to the fairgrounds where we visited Dalton City, the movie set where the movie White Fang was shot. It also just so happened that the current home of Haines Brewing Company is located in one of the movie set buildings. We joined a steady stream of fellow beer connoisseurs eager to sample their concoctions. It's a lean efficient operation evidenced by the fact the owner and head brew master, Paul, was the one who waited on us. He was enjoyable and a wealth of knowledge on beer history.

We also ran into a couple that's going to be on the cruise to Juneau with us tomorrow.


Tuesday, August 11 - Haines area (day 66)
Oceanside RV Park

On the road to Juneau.

Wait! There are no roads that go to Juneau from anywhere else. The only way in or out is by plane or boat. Literally everything there, everything, had to be brought in from outside.

Set an alarm last night to insure we'd be up for the boat, but didn't need it. Out the door and into a seemingly persistent, perhaps permanent, light rain for the short walk to the dock. Walked right onto the boat and took seats near the front on the starboard side.

The Fjordland is a one-of-a-kind boat. She has no sisters. Glen, the owner commissioned it's design and construction about 15 years ago. With a true catamaran hull, it sits low in the water drawing 5 feet, and cuts through the chop and roughness of the inner-passage waters like a hot knife through butter. A much smoother ride than we were expecting. She can do close to 30 knots and today we were running at 26 knots. Has two 600hp Lugger diesels. Passenger capacity of about 50. We covered the 70 miles to the Juneau area in two and a half hours.

The geographic area of Juneau is immense... the second largest city in square miles in the entire USA. Of course, most of that area is wild and undeveloped... annexed by the city for some control over mineral rights. The population is only 32,000. The people of Juneau are used to rain... don't even notice it... as on average it precipitates 320 days per year. It gets, on average, 8 feet of rain plus 8 feet of snow.

A bus met us at the dock about 30 miles north of the city center (but still within the borders of Juneau), and we enjoyed the ride with a knowledgeable and humorous bus driver of English descent from Utah. We had about 3 hours to explore once off the bus.

First up was lunch. With 4 (that's right, four!!!) huge cruise ships in town, the place was crawling with tourists. We found a mildly busy fish joint called the Twisted Fish and had a lunch of local halibut fish and chips, washed down with some tasty craft beer.

The Alaska State Capitol

Then, on to the Capitol building... one of our main reasons for making the trip down here. Nothing is very far away in Juneau and it's a walkable distance even in the rain. Unfortunately, most of the building was off limits due to a large reconstruction project that won't be completed until 2017. We did meet our own requirements for having visited another state capitol, got a few pics, and left. It's not a very impressive building... a 4 or 5 story block office building with a little ornateness here and there on the exterior. The bus driver joked that this Capitol consistently ranks 50th among capitol buildings of the USA. We beg to differ. Florida's is still the ugliest Capitol that we've ever seen.

To kill a little time we stopped at the Alaskan Hotel pub.

Mendenhall Glacier (left) and Nugget Falls (right)

Soon we were back on the bus for a drive out to Mendenhall Glacier. On the way into the park we got a little show from a mama black bear and her cub. They crossed the road right in front of us.

During the hour we spent at the Glacier, we hiked out to Nugget Falls... about a mile each way. Recent heavier than normal rains had the falls roaring. In an effort to get closer we took a path through a creek, complete with randomly placed rocks on which to hop across without soaking your boots. Always one striving to provide entertainment and make people laugh, I was successful at this at least, if not staying dry, by loosing my balance on a tippy rock and doing a backwards ass-dunk in the creek. No injury except to my pride.

A humpback giving us a show

On the boat trip back we had a little more time to look for whales. And find them we did. We'd seen humpbacks in Prince William Sound while aboard the Lu-lu Belle, but we happened upon a group today that gave us a real show. They'd lay on their sides and slap the water with their huge pectoral fins. They'd breach, sometimes almost completely out of the water, not once but dozens of times. Big ones, small ones... they looked like they were having a party. What a treat.

We met a young woman today named Sionaid. But in her 20s, she's taking a few years to travel and see the world. If we ever seriously think we're living an adventurous life on the road... with our motorhome and truck camper, thoughts of Sionaid will snap us back to reality. She's been living now for a year out of her backpack and taking advantage of public transportation and serendipity to move from place to place. It's really all about attitude, isn't it? OK, maybe youth plays a role too. But when you're coming from a paradigm of a mini-mansion house hooked completely to the grid, automatically climate controlled, entertainment systems, multiple refrigerators, walk in closets, and so much space for all your stuff... all the comforts so many of us have come to expect, it's hard to understand the freedom and enjoyment of traveling light.


Wednesday, August 12 - Haines (day 67)
Oceanside RVP

Surprised somewhat that it hadn't rained overnight. But the dry spell didn't last. Most of the day it dribbled.

Kind of a chore day today. Not planning anything much. The RV park is hosting a crab potluck tonight. We did walk up to town for a few vitals, a "dish to pass" for tonight's potluck, and a dose if internet at the Rusty Compass.

The crab boil turned out very nice. Met more travelers with whom to share stories. This is the end of crab season up here, so this'll be the last crab feast of the year.


Thursday, August 13 - Haines to Dezadeash Lake (day 68)
Oceanside RVP

A more rushed morning than usual for us. We're leaving today and taking Sionaid to ferry terminal on the way out of town. My new little Nikon camera turned up missing this morning. Assume it was picked up by someone after the potluck dinner last night... hopefully a case of mistaken identity and not outright theft. Regardless, we're moving on without it. (Correction: Saturday night Dar unrolled her camp chair/sleeping pad and out rolled the camera. Lost is found. Sorry for the negative thoughts and assumptions about fellow travelers)

The day broke bright and clear. The sun felt so good. Best weather day during our stay. The surrounding mountains were stunning. Visibility must have been a thousand miles. Can't express how clear and distinct it was. Southeast Alaska gets very few days like this during the typical year. We're happy we could share one of them.

Drove north out of Haines, crossed the border into BC, and short while later, into the Yukon.

Stopped and lingered at a wayside not far from Haines Summit. Had lunch and soaked in the views. As we drove along Dezadeash Lake decided to go in and check out the campground. Even though it was early, decided to drop anchor and enjoy the bright warm day.

Camp on Dezadeash Lake

Friday, August 14 - Dezadeash Lake to Whitehorse YT (day 69)
Dezadeash CG

Of all the travelers who stay one night in a campground during their trip to somewhere else, we're usually the last to leave. What's the rush? About 30 miles north to Haines Junction where we pick up the Alcan again.

This, the road from Haines Jct. to Whitehorse, is the last section of the Alaska Highway that we've yet to drive. An easy road with a generally good surface and minimal grades and curves that traverses a wooded landscape backed by distant mountains. The highway route is cleared of trees and brush for a wide margin on both sides. For much of the way an earlier alignment of Alcan is clearly visible to the south.

We stopped at the junction with the Klondike Hwy to toast our completion of the Alcan... the Alaska Highway. From Dawson Creek to this point we did northbound. From Delta Junction to here we did southbound. The section from here to the Casiar we will have done both ways. It was a major bucket list item... and now it's finished. Mixed feelings about that. Glad we did it, but hate seeing the bucket list getting shorter. We must find some new things to add.

Since we stayed there on the way north, we knew the closest government campground to Whitehorse so we headed directly there. The other options are RV parks or Walmart. Wolf Creek CG is used a lot by locals and with this being a friday, we knew sites might be hard to come by. We arrived about 2pm and snagged the last open site. And not a bad site at all... sorta away from the large family groups and partiers. Lit a fire, savored happy hour, cooked dinner on the coals.


Saturday, August 15 - Whitehorse YT local (day 70)
Wolf Creek CG

Decided to extend our stay here for another three nights. Would like to see more of Whitehorse. That'll have us leaving on Tuesday. After scrounging together the correct change for the campground self-pay envelope, we drove into town. Stopped first at Yukon Brewing. Liquor laws in the Yukon are not conducive to a proper and satisfying craft brewery visit, but we made do with the tiny samples they had available and bought a few cans for the supply room. We're huge fans of craft beer in cans. It fits our system much better than bottles. More volume can be kept refrigerated in a smaller space, empty cans are much easier to deal with while traveling or out on a trail, and, really, cans are a superior package for beer.

The grocery store was next. This is our best bet for a full-size grocery for the next week or more, so we loaded up. Prices up here are high. How high? A guess, based on a few items I know we regularly buy in the US, is maybe 30 to 50 percent higher. The current exchange rate moderates that a bit, but it's still a penalty that must be paid to live in the far north.

Decided to do a hobo dinner on the campfire tonight. One hour of effort to keep the heat about right with fast-burning wood that didn't want to cooperate resulted in near perfection. Dar made the right amount and we ate the entire thing up with nary a scrap left over.

First Days on the Alaska Highway

The Alaska Highway, the "Alcan" as it's also known, was built in 8 months during 1942. Those were tense days. Pearl Harbor had been attacked the previous December and there was great fear of Japan invading North America... first the Aleutian Islands (just 700 miles from Japan), and then, after they gained a foothold in Alaska, who knows? It was imperative to have a land route to Alaska for military mobilization as soon as possible. Ten thousand army engineers were hurridly rushed to various spots along the proposed route, along with equipment and supplies, and given orders to punch through a military grade road before the winter of 42-43. They did it. All 1500 miles of it... stretching from Dawson Creek BC to Delta Junction AK. It wasn't the prettiest road, as a matter of fact it was pretty damn ugly in spots. But they did it. The building of this road through forest, swampy bogs, mountains, and frozen tundra still stands as one of the great engineering accomplishments of all time.

Since that time, the road has been almost continually upgraded. It's been straightened, re-aligned, and improved. All the original bridges across streams and rivers... just timber bridges built with the trees and materials at hand... were replaced. In some places you can see, and often drive on, the original road which closely follows the alignment of the current upgraded highway. We visited the Kiskatinaw bridge, the last remaining wooden bridge on the Alcan. It was built by a private contractor in 1943, replacing the crude original structure. The unique thing about this bridge is the 9 degree curve from one end to the other of it's more than 500 foot length. No longer on the alignment of the current Alaska Highway, it's a valued artifact from more than 70 years ago... and a monument of engineering in a pre-computer age. Wonderful.

Thursday, June 18

Left Dawson Creek full of excitement and anticipation. But for the first couple hours today... until we got some distance north of Fort St. John... I was, frankly, disappointed. My expectations were one thing, reality was another. There is so much resource extraction in this part of Canada, the resultant truck traffic and general hubbub, busy-ness, was overwhelming to me. Huge oil transporters, larger oil field equipment haulers, logging trucks, and rock, gravel, sand hauling trucks were everywhere. There were far more of them than RVs and travelers heading north. My romantic expectation of the road leaving Dawson Creek and punching immediately into a wildlife filled wilderness was clearly unrealistic. But that's why I'm here... to experience the "real McCoy", the genuine article. To see for myself what this Alaska experience is actually all about. Isn't that what travel is all about anyway? I got over my disappointment.

We've been keeping careful watch for wildlife. Haven't seen much yet. Our big coup for the drive today was a bear... our first black bear. Spotted alongside the highway in the Profit River area. Don't think we'll keep a scorecard on wildlife sightings or we'll go nuts.

Stayed tonight at Tetsa River Regional Park... 25 of the prettiest rustic riverside campsites you'd ever want to see. We snagged a site and paid our $20C. Sounds of nearby flowing water will assure a good nights sleep tonight.

General thoughts:

Made it north of 58 degrees latitude today... the latitude with an attitude. By some folk's standards, this is the line where the "far north" begins.

The road is generally in very good shape. Like roads everywhere, there are some spots where it might be considered "fair" or "poor", but for the mostpart the quality of the road surface is better than some interstate highways we've been on in the good old USA.

Fuel: As I mentioned in an earlier post, 1.149 per liter seemed common up to and including Dawson Creek. That price calculates to the equivalent of about $3.50 per US dollar considering the favorable exchange rate. But the further north one travels, the higher the price. We paid 1.429 in Fort Nelson this afternoon. It's common to find diesel for a few cents less than regular gas.

Friday, June 19

The drive through the northern Canadian Rockies today rivaled the "Banff to Jasper" route for scenery and visual wow-ness. Much of the road through here is narrow and twisting... more like my pre-conceived notion of what the Alaska Highway "should" look like. But it won't be that way much longer as projects are underway to straighten, level, and widen the road to a much higher standard. If you're looking for that authentic experience before heading up this way, I wouldn't wait much longer.

Saw a couple more bear today... just busily munching away on something alongside the road. Also slowed for a group of bison that were likewise more interested in eating than in traffic just a few feet away.

Again, I can't begin to convey the beauty of these mountains and the path through them. I'll include a selection of photos with this post for you to see some of what we experienced today. As always, there are more photos in our online photo albums. They're only a click away from the tab at the top of this website.

Because we prefer staying at more rustic provincial parks, internet access is hard to come by. I'm trying to keep the journal up to date by writing offline and will "publish" when I find WIFI.

We stopped and snagged a campsite in the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park. One of the "must do's" along the Alcan is a stop at the Liard Hot Springs for a soak, and having the hot springs just a short walk from our campsite is quite convenient. The weather today took a turn for the better. It was actually over 70 degrees with a bright clear sky. Couldn't have planned a better day for a stress relieving soak.

And up to this point we're not having any problems sleeping during these very short nights. Even in Dawson Creek, the sun didn't set until almost 10pm and was poking up again by just after 4am. Considering we're just a day or two away from solstice, and our planned route to take us north of the Arctic Circle, this is just training for much brighter nights to come.

Before retiring tonight we decided to extend our stay here another night. Another day of warm sun, soaking in the hot springs, and enjoying another non-travel day couldn't hurt, could it? We have no set schedule so when we find a comfortable spot, we'll often "call an audible", and linger a while longer.

Saturday, June 20

Good weather day that made our day of rest even more enjoyable. Another soak in the springs was in order and then the rest of the day to relax, read, and work on things. Ordered up wood for another campfire, our second in as many days.

Sunday, June 21 Solstice

The sun's direct rays on earth reached their furthest annual northern point today, and areas above the Arctic Circle are experiencing 24 hours of daylight. We're not there yet, but in the next week or so, that's our plan: to be in the land of all day sunlight.

About 8am this morning we left our campsite at Liard River Hot Springs Prov. Park, and headed northwest, toward Alaska. However, we only rolled about 4 tenths of a mile before a force beyond our control reached out, grabbed the steering wheel, and turned the truck into the Hot Springs Lodge, where we enjoyed a much needed hot breakfast.

Only 130 miles today but still saw a good collection of wildlife: a couple bears and a bunch of bison were most noteable. Our goal was to make it to Watson Lake where we checked into the Downtown RV Park. We're not going to make RV parks a habit, but in some cases, like today, there's a reason. In this case the reason involves "washing"... the truck and camper, some laundry, and ourselves, a hot shower.

Watson Lake is the location of the famous Alaska Highway Sign Post Forest. The whole thing started when some homesick GI made a sign with the name of his hometown and it's distance from Watson Lake. Since that time more than 75,000 signs (at last count in 2013) have been put up on a literal forest of signposts that cover the better part of a block. Just goes to show you can overdo a good thing.

Here are a few pics from these days.  The rest are in our photo albums... [here]

Kiskatinaw Bridge - built 1943. The last wooden bridge on the Alcan.

Note the curves.

Too many oil tankers

Nice campsite along the Tetsa River

Liard Hot Springs

Happy Hour

A bear alongside the road

The Toad River Lodge has a bunch of hats. Didn't get one of mine.