THE HAINES, KLONDIKE, TOP OF THE WORLD, & TAYLOR HIGHWAYS

Day 61 – 2015-06-20

It’s the summer solstice today – 19 hours of daylight here in Haines Junction, YT.  Solstice is supposed to be some kind of big deal up here.  There was a “well attended” bike race between Haines Junction, YT and Haines, AK today.  Even so, our campground was only half full last night and we only saw three riders practicing yesterday.  Since there are only 37,000 people in the entire Yukon Territory, and 27,000 of them live in Whitehorse, we figure that any event that draws a dozen is “well attended”.  I think this one qualified.

We took the day to drive out to Otter Falls, less than impressive, and Aishihit Lake.  It was pretty, but not so much as Kathleen Lake. 

We stopped to see the old Canyon Creek Bridge on our way back, thankfully, no longer in use.

And we checked out the campground and picnic areas at Pine Lake.  This lake had a nice beach area, but was not so enticing as to make us take down the kayaks, although there were several out on the lake.  We did learn from the roadside signs that the mountain range we see from our campground is the Kluane Ice Fields, the largest non-polar ice fields in the world.  On a clear day, it said you can see two of the highest peaks in the Yukon Territory, but today the smoke from fires to the north of us moved in and obscured our vision – that means no pictures.

As we headed back toward town, Bettie spotted our first Brown Bear.  

It turned out to be a brown Black Bear, not a grizzly, so we are still in search of that spotting. 85 (8,218)

Day 62 – 2015-06-21

We left Haines Junction, YT this morning bound for somewhere between Whitehorse and Carmacks, YT.  Some days are not as spectacular as the day before, and this was one of them.  We awoke to a very hazy sky, then hit YT 1 toward Whitehorse (the largest city in the Yukon Territory).  The road was pretty boring until we encountered many miles of gravel.

We have noticed almost all the traffic is RVs.  We estimate something over 85% of the vehicles we encounter up here are some kind of RV.  Since the Gold Rush is obviously over, we think this is the new economy.

We followed YT 1 to the intersection of YT 2 just west of Whitehorse, and turned north on the Klondike Highway that will take us to Dawson City, the next “Big Town” on our way to Fairbanks.  This is an alternate route to the Al-Can, but it will allow us to travel the Top of the World Highway and the Taylor Highway, both of which are supposed to be once-in-a-lifetime drives.  I’ll let you know what we think when we are done.

An hour or so up the Klondike Highway we stopped at Fox Lake YT Campground.  You are probably noticing a pattern.  It seems all of our off grid camping is on a lake, maybe because the provincial campgrounds are generally next to lakes.  In any case, we took a nice site right on Fox Lake for the night.  The Yukon Government supplies free firewood for all its campgrounds, so at C$12.00 for the night, we enjoyed a roaring fire on the lake.  Of course, that came at the expense of a deep cut across one of my knuckles while chopping firewood.  A piece I just cut rebounded off the chopping block and caught me with the sharp edge of the wood.  At home, this would have probably gotten a couple of stitches.  Out here, we splinted it so it wouldn’t open up again (Sharyn W, you would be proud, we used a popsicle stick).  In a few days I’ll be good as new. The weather is perfect, about 65 degrees, and the bugs are better than at home.  We have a campfire and a view of the lake.  Hard to beat that deal. 121 (8,339)

Day 63 – 2015-06-22

We had considered staying an extra night at Fox Lake, but this morning was flat light and an increasing breeze.  It didn’t look good for kayaking, so we decided to take our chances up the road.  We headed north on YT 2 (the Klondike Highway).  We passed of couple of possible camping sites, but decided to move on.  Shortly after, we came to Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River.

This rapids was a major impediment to both the steam powered stern wheelers that supplied Dawson City and to the intrepid souls who tried it on a rickety wooden raft with all their supplies on board.  Needless to say, not all of either type of vessel made it.

The road today was in “not bad” shape, some stretches of gravel, paved for the most part, but even on the paved sections, there were frost heaves that ranged from Class 1 to about Class 3.  I have learned to heed the warning signs.  We saw some pretty lakes and enjoyed good scenery in general along the way.  The fireweed that lines the highway is vivid.

We continued on to Pelly Crossing, which used to be a Yukon River ferry crossing until the bridge was built.  Our campsite is just below the bridge.  You can see a bit of the blue bridge in the background.  132 (8,471)

Day 64 – 2015-06-23

Today provided much of what we expected to find on this trip.  We slept late since we didn’t have far to go today.  61 (8,532).  We went to the local “store” (the one and only stop for all things in Pelly Crossing, YT).  The guide books said we got free use of the dump station with a fill-up.  We pulled up and the diesel pump said “Out of Service”.  Swell.  I went inside and, well, yeah, one side of the pump worked and, yes, I could fill up, but no, we don’t have a dump station, and no, we don’t have a water fill you can use.  That put a bit of a damper on things since we had planned a dump and really needed one, and we needed to re-fill our water tank.  I got diesel and we hit the road, hoping for the best.  At the next waypoint, Stewart Crossing, I decided to ask at the Petro 60 station if they had a dump.  No, and no I won’t sell you any water, but you can go down the hill and ask the guy there if he can help you.  Down the hill to the Whispering Willows RV Park.  It was a true and total dump.  The place was in complete disrepair and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.  I opened the only unmarked door that looked like it might be an office and found the owner asleep on the couch.  He said I could use the dump station for C$10 and he would sell me some water from his new filtration system (which he was proud to show me) for C$5. After a short conversation, we settled on C$10 for both.  I learned he was the sixth owner of the park – that might be a clue as to its previous success and why it looked like it did.  I went to the dump station, a pipe in the ground with a trash can upside down on top of it, and encountered the most ferocious storm of mosquitoes I have battled since we were in the Amazon jungle.  I hurried back to the truck to get my hat and mosquito netting so I could take care of business.  With empty holding and full water tanks, I wished him the best of luck (he’ll need it) and we took off on Highway 2 bound for Moose Creek Campground. 

Along the way we encountered our first “Pilot Car, Water Truck” experience.  We had seen other RV’s that had had gone through similar conditions and talked to the owners, so we knew what was ahead.  In this case, only about five miles of muddy, wet gravel.  The truck and camper suffered for it, but there is more ahead on the Top of The World Highway, so washing will have to wait.

We arrived at Moose Creek Campground to find an excellent place to camp.  We set up, gathered wood, and then took a half hour trail through the woods along Moose Creek.

This is a really nice setting with widely spaced campsites and plenty of privacy for each site.  Unfortunately, the mosquitoes like this place, too.  For the first time, we set up our screen room, which worked well.  Then came a thunder storm, so we moved the screen room under the canopy to keep us both dry and mosquito free.  Worked like a charm.  Sometimes, planning pays dividends.

Day 65 – 2015-06-24

While it’s still amazing to us that we are this far north in Canada, the views today were hampered by smoke.  There are fires to the east and west and no wind from the other directions.  It looked like there were mountains in the distance, but they could have just as easily been mirages.  After 100 (8,632) miles we arrived at Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada.  We secured a site in a dusty, gravel lot called the Dawson City RV Park and set up camp.  

Fortunately, we got full hookups, so we can close the windows, turn on the A/C (yes, it was a bout 80* today), and keep the camper reasonably clean on the inside.  The outside is a different story as we had more fun on wet gravel today.  Oh well, the Top of the World Highway is mostly muddy, so we are “seasoned” for the upcoming trip. 

Dawson City has been restored to resemble its Gold Rush days.  The streets are dirt (read that dusty), with boardwalks on both sides, and almost all the buildings have been restored or constructed to resemble period architecture.  What with all the vehicles on the streets it’s not exactly like it was in the old days, but one can imagine.

We were more favorably impressed with this than we expected.  Not nearly as “cheesy” as we thought it would be.  Being in town, we ate halibut and salmon for dinner tonight.  Yukon Brewing Gold for Bettie and Ice Fog IPA for me.

Day 66 – 2015-06-25

Dawson City is enshrouded in smoke from nearby forest fires.  We drove up the Dome Road to an overlook above the confluence of the Stewart and Yukon Rivers, which form the delta where Dawson City is located.  You can see how smoky it is in the photo.

We are waiting to drive the Top of the World Highway in hopes that it clears before we go.  The scenery is supposed to be spectacular, but the road is advertised as narrow, high, gravel, slick when wet, and generally “dicey”, so we won’t know our plans until we leave here – could be another day or two.  It’s nice to have a few extra days, but frustrating to spend downtime.  Oh well, the travails of the traveler.

We spent today touring Dawson City.  First stop was the paddle wheeler Keno which is dry docked on Front Street.  This was the last boat in operation on the Yukon and is in remarkably good shape, especially the mechanicals.  I found it very interesting.

We took a historical walking tour with a VERY good guide from the Visitor’s Center.  She gave us a lot of great information.  We were given access to several of the old buildings that are generally off limits to the public.

The Bank of British North America (BNA) was one of two banks to compete for deposits, and eventually became the only bank in the area.  This was the beginning of what is now the Bank of Montreal.

The Red Feather Saloon was the “working class” saloon in town.  Based on historical pictures, it has been extremely well restored to its original look and feel.

Nearby was the Red Light District, known politely as Paradise Alley, not quite so politely as Louseville.  This is one of the original brothels in the district.

As it developed, Dawson City eventually earned a daily newspaper

And an official Post Office.  In the old days it took 4 days to send mail to Eagle AK, now it takes two weeks.

The crowning glory for Dawson was when it received a Commissioner, Canada’s statement that Dawson had “arrived”.  This is his residence.

If you are any kind of fan of old buildings, this is an amazing place.  We learned today that the city By-Laws include provisions that maintain its “heyday” appearance, for both restorations and new construction. They have done what seems to me to be a very good job of keeping the historical feel while allowing for modern traffic and community needs.  A late lunch in town included Yukon Brewing Chilkoot Lager for Bettie and Bonanza Brown for me.  Both will be ordered again.  17 (8,649).

Day 67 – 2015-06-26

Last night, we met an older couple from Onalaska, TX.  We recognized the accent and Bettie asked them “What part of Texas are you from?”  Three hours later we were able to get away and go to bed.  Really nice folks who reminded us of our upbringing.  That kept us up later than we planned, so we were late getting started this morning.  We barely made it to the 11:00 tour of Dredge No. 4, the largest of the gold dredges to work the Yukon area.  This was a pretty impressive piece of depression-era machinery.  Built of wood, much of it solid timbers of douglass fir at least 18 inches square, this thing was a monster. 

Fortunately, for its investors, it made a monstrous return. Unfortunately, for Canada, it obliterated miles of beautiful creek bed and turned it into ugly piles of tailings.  But I guess that’s just how history plays out.

After the tour, we left Dawson City to cross the Yukon River by ferry. 

The visitor center reported 3 hour waits in the morning, but we hit it just right and were loaded in under 15 minutes.  We had intended to stay the night just across the river at a YT Park, but because we made such a quick crossing and the weather looked tolerable, we decided to drive the Top of the World Highway today.

This road is presented in the guide books as a steep, narrow, unpredictable, scary road, especially if the conditions are wet.  We are here to tell you, that’s a lot more hype than horror.  Even Bettie made it with her eyes open.  There are MILES of gravel road, much like most of the gravel roads we have traveled for the last several days.  

Some of it we did in driving rain and hail, but never did it present any kind of a problem for the truck or the camper.  The views were good, maybe could have been exceptional, but with the limited visibility due to mist and smoke, we did not get to experience this on the best of days. 

Our take away is this:  Don’t believe everything you read. 

We crossed the border into Alaska without incident and made camp tonight at Walker Fork BLM Campground about 16 miles before Chicken, AK.  After a couple of nights in the hubbub of Dawson City, a nice quiet campsite in the middle of the woods by a running stream is a welcome change of pace.  110 (8,759).

Day 68 – 2015-06-27

Rained in!  It rained all night last night and is showing no sign of letting up this morning.  Not a hard rain, just steady.  We thought about moving into Chicken today, but those plans are on hold until we see what happens with the weather.  When you have 21 hours of daylight, you have plenty of time to wait before you commit.  We tried to get weather information on FM, AM and on the WX channels on our CB radio. Guess what?  Nothing on any of them.  This is truly “the boonies”.

This is the first time on the trip that we are trapped in the trailer by rain.  We have both commented on how nice it is to have a dry place with running water, cold drinks in the frig, a toilet, a shower, and a heater.  If you have to be stranded, this is not a bad way to do it.

After a few hours, the rain stopped and we broke camp, headed for Chicken.  The last 16 miles of the Top of the World Highway from Walker Fork to Chicken, where we picked up the Taylor Highway, lives up to its reputation more than all those that came before.  There were a few narrow places with a drop off on one side, but still plenty of room for two vehicles to oppose each other without a problem.  There were a few switchbacks, which were interesting more because they were muddy than because they were difficult.  The views were much better than yesterday. 

The weather cleared a lot after the rain and we were able to see much more detail than we did yesterday.  BUT, very little wildlife.  Everyone we have talked to has said the same thing, no animals except in the parks.

When we got to Chicken, we checked into an RV park and went to the dump station.  UH-OH, the gray water tank valve wasn’t working.  It was raining and wet and muddy, so I was not inclined to climb under the camper to check it out.  

Instead, we checked out of the RV park and headed to Tok, AK, the next town that has RV repair facilities.  When we arrived, the weather was dry so I spread a tarp out under the camper and took a look.  After a bit of fiddling, we were back in business, no RV repair facility required.  Too bad Chicken was too wet to take care of this.  It was a pretty cool place and we would have liked to spend the night there.

By the time we got off the Top of the World Highway, we had picked up a good deal of grunge.

 

Fortunately, Tok, AK is the unofficial “RV Washing Capitol of the World”.  We took care of business and are set for the next leg of our journey to Fairbanks.

A word about the “highway” we just drove.  This was a combination of gravel, ruts, bumps, runoff channels, decent pavement, and frost heaves ranging from small and insignificant to damn I’m glad I slowed down to 15mph.  We averaged about 40mph on these two roads and it took constant vigilance to keep from hitting huge pot holes or flying over frost heaves.  I thought it was interesting that some of the best driving was on the gravel and some of the worst frost heaves and potholes were on the pavement.  I spent a good deal of time in the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid the road damage in our lane, but oncoming traffic was pretty much non-existent, so that did not present much of a problem.  101 (8,860).