This has been a long and eventful day... Yukon highways lived up to their billing in the "The Milepost" and offered an interesting day of driving. After the events of the day, I felt I deserved one of the famous sweet rolls and a good rest, so stopped at Johnson's Corner.
It was a restful stay at the park last night, even after a car with two women from Fort Nelson pulled in next to me, placed their boom box on the picnic table, cranked it up, and pitched tent. They lit a fire and were up late talking and laughing, but I was tired enough to sleep through it. Without electricity, my batteries were running low on the computer and camera, so I knew I had to find a camp site with electric hookup tonight. Running the gas furnace with the thermostat set to 60 worked fine, as it cycled on and off during the night keeping the chill off. The camp rangers came around late and collected $15 for the stay. The time spent in the hotspring was worth it.
Without a clock (no electricity for my clock radio) I was not on the road until 7:00, but as before, I seemed to be the only one there for miles. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature in the low 30's. Heading north I saw my first buffalo graising along the road and stopped and took a picture. The road followed the Liard River, weaving in and out with it, and giving some spectacular scenic views of water, valleys, and mountains. Finally I spotted my first black bear feeding along the road and took some pictures but did not get a good angle. Later I found another black bear closer to the road, stopped and took a couple of pictures out the window. I plan to start a category of Photos called "Alcan Critters" under Photos on my web site where I will place samples of what I saw.
As I passed through Watson Lake I saw the main tourist attraction which is a huge park full of wooden signs brought by tourists and placed there with their name and home town listed. One person in the previous camp told me he had been to Alaska 6 times and brought a new sign to put up there on each trip. Watson Lake is just across the border into the Yukon Territory so this must be where Alaskan travelers leave their mark (ala the "kilroy was here"). About 15 miles past Watson Lake, the hills on the side of the road for several miles were covered with names created with stone arrangements... not as permanent, but for those that forgot to bring a sign I guess.
The Yukon highways got progressively worse. The stone and asphalt was bumpier, and immediately out of Watson Lake there was 5 miles of loose gravel. Here I was initiated to the roads of the north... as a stone from a passing pickup caught the corner of my windshield and caused a 5 inch crack. I was going slow and pulling to the right as the "book" tells you to do, but guess it was fate... so will have a date with State Farm when I return. Along the road I saw a number of tires in the ditch which spoke to the roughness. Actually the gravel was well graded and wide, but the speed of the "locals" in their trucks could not be avoided. Watering trucks were out trying to keep the dust down which resulted in the Trailer being completely covered with brown "gook" in the front and sides.
About halfway through the trip today I came upon a car with a flat tire stranded out in the middle of nowhere with an old man, who looked much like I would expect a "Yukon Pete" with full beard and scraggly hair. His car jack would not work with his car so he had been attempting to drive on the flat. I got out my jack and a couple of the stabilizer boards and we managed to get it under a part of the frame that would support and lift the blown tire. The car he was driving already had a headlight out from hitting a bear the previous night coming up the Cassiar. The tires were very weathered and I was surprised he made it this far. This was his second and last spare, so I suggested he stop at the first place he could find to get it fixed. He thanked me profusely, gave me two grapefruit from a basket he had gotten while in California, and was on his way, pushing his car to get it started (the starter was broken). He was from someplace in Alaska. So... that was my good deed for the day and hope someone does one for me if I get in a similar circumstance.
One of the highlights was passing over the Continental Divide that splits the water shed in North America between the Yukon and MacKenzie rivers that run to the Bering Sea northwest and the Beufort Sea north respectively. Spectacular views of the rivers and valleys from this point.
I pulled into camp at about 3:30 after a longer day than I had planned. They have a 30 amp service here and a RV wash, so it would allow me to get "recharged". While washing the RV, I noticed that the sand or rocks have been chipping away at the ornamental stripe in the front of the Aliner, and I lost a strip.. Also there was similar chips along the side on the tape it seemed. The roads are rough on any type of vehicle, and the trailer is showing the wear. Then to top things off, I was trying to unlock the front storage compartment and broke off the key. I got the pliers and pulled it out, then got my spare key and will be "much more careful" until I get a copy made.
So it has been a day of events... but last night I met a young man from Minneapolis in the campground that was driving his Honda Accord to Alaska, and was planning on going up the Dalton (maybe)... just tent camping. Then I saw a man driving a restored 39 chevy pickup pulling a very large 5th wheel trailer... obviously it only "looked" like it was stock. The big tires and mean roar when he started it gave him away. I have heard that you can see anything headed this way and it is the truth... hitchhikers, bicycles, motorcyclists, modified vans, to the big diesel pushers just to mention a few that I have seen so far on this trip. But when you get here you can see what it is that draws people this way. A sense of adventure and appreciation of nature. And as the roads fill up going to Alaska, you start to hear more people talking about alternative destinations further north in the Yukon and into Northwest Territory.
The camp manager said that they have not had luck uploading through their telephone lines because they go through a sattelite. I may try the payphone to test that as others may have been having data speed problems. But if not, you may not see this for a few days.
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ontheroad@bhoffcomp.com