Along the Klondike River, Bear prints and more

Sat. 8-12-12

The trip to the Arctic Circle was a real neat experience and did we take the photos to document our visit. We clicked away for over an hour and the official photogaphers did some very cool shots of all of us. Each separate vehicle and their driver and codriver were also taken by the photo crew.

Then began the process of retracing our journey of Friday to almost the beginning of the Dempster Hwy, again. We stopped 60 miles outside of Dawson City for a camping night by the Klondike River at an auxillary camping spot with only porta potties, so it was a bit of a dirty overnight. The bonus was the river and many had  fun trying their hand at fishing;  we found fresh bear tracks along the sand near our ambulance, too! David took a photo to prove that bears were in the vicinity if not in our sight lines. It seems that the convoy beginning unit is loud enough to spoil the chances of the back units from actually viewing too much wildlife during the driving day.

We made it to the Arctic circle and it was nippy, high 30's !

Lanny Moore, a friend from VA.

Proof of our visit!

Leadership team for the MVPA Alaskan Hwy. Adventure!

Camping by the Klondike River, breakfast for dinner, bear tracks on river bed!

S

To the Top of the World or nearly: Eagle Plains YT

What an unbelievable road we drove up today.  Called the Dempster Highway, the road is all dirt and goes straight North into North West Territory.  We are stopped at the edge in Eagle Plains YT which is a combination hotel, restaurant, RV park, gas station.  Nothing is cheap here, the 25 gallons of gas we bought at the end of the day, was $158.  BUT, the views have been spectacular and hard to imagine.  Panoramic might be another word, with mountain ranges inculding the Tombstone and the Ogilvie beyond mountain ranges, beautiful rivers, and the trees keep getting smaller and smaller for lack of growing season and the temperatures.  The bar here is filled with heads of all the animals that hide from big, loud trucks so I used my camera to capture them anyway!

Most of our vehicles made it up the continuous rising road and everyone was happy to eat the roast beef and chicken stir fried dinneer with dessert and salad.  How the food arrives here is a mystery to me.  The salad was even NOT iceberg lettuce!

We are getting anxious to get to Alaska now, which we will reach by a free ferry ride across the Yukon River in Dawson City, YT on Tuesday.  Our first town to visit will be Chicken, Alaska, but I don't think we will have Chicken!  I am told that it was named after the common variety of grouse here called the ptamagin.

I am almost sure I have no internet tomorrow night.  We were surprised that we had internet and electric and showers here, since we are staying here for only $10.  Glad we found that bargain.  We have been eating sandwiches along the road and breakfast in the cab of the ambulance while we wait for the nine units to form up and depart.  The like weights vehicles are in the same units because they can run at similar speeds.  The pre-bought meals are heavenly after a full day of driving!

Beautiful lake on way up dirt road.

Spectacular mountains but don't miss vehicles

How do the flowers grow?

Eagle Plains was ready for us; liked our gas consumption

Caribou but call it the Polar Express reindeer.

Sunset at 10:30 p.m. and then it stayed dusk 20 miles from the Arctic Circle

Thanks to all who are following the blog and hope to give you more on Monday night!

Almost and R & R day at Klondike River Lodge

Marc from France feeds some R.I Red chickens at Moose Creek Lodge

Unique decorations at Moose Creek Lodge

They had hot coffee and homemade snacks ready for us for our mid-morning break.  Restrooms were a bonus!

Today, August 10 was such and easy day, it seemed almost like and R&R day.  We were into Klondike River Lodge/campgrounds by 1 p.m.  We left Pelly Crossing this morning at 7 a.m. as usual and David and I had slept in until 6:25 so we hustled only to wait in line as the convoy units left.  We are in the fifth unit so we had time to eat our bowls of cereal, even with bananas while in line.  The  Klondike river was soon seen and we followed it for part of our journey today.  Later, we were lucky to have a rest stop at Moose River Lodge and they had coffee and pastries, even sausage rolls, so it was a good morning not to have time to eat much.  We t raveled in fog for several hours before the sun broke through and it has been a beautiful day since. We pulled into our overnight spot by 1 p.m. after a quick lunch by beautiful wetland's lake called Gravel Lake. I spent sometime searching the lake for some rare birds, American coot, Ruddy Duck, and others mentioned in the Bird Guide.  I think I saw the American coot.  It is in the migration path for some species, but it is a little early.   Right now we  are sitting, doing WiFi outside the Lodge here in shirtsleeves.  But it is getting cooler as we get into late afternoon.  We have a catered dinner tonight here at the lodge but are camping out back so breakfast will be quick again. 

Klondike River at beginning of journey to Arctic Circle

Tomorrow and the next day we will be on the Dempster Hwy. that goes to Eagle Plains, YT and Tombstone Provincial park.  We will cross the Arctic circle and then turn around and head back and join the Klondike Hwy. into Dawson City for Sunday and Monday.  Then we will finally head into Alaska, first stop Chicken where the book Tisha was set.  Will not probably be back on WiFi for next two days.

A Day of Dust, a Day of Rain

Long hill, tall mountain YT

Two cute boys treating us to muffins & smiles

New friends, welcome unannounced lunch

More smiles & welcomes

Two days worth of YT in one short post tonight.  I need to be done with blogging by 9 p.m. because the grocery store/motel/gas station, in their lunch room is where the WiFi is available tonight.  We are staying next to a community center for the town of Pelly Crossing, YT tonight.  We had to setup the camp table and stove to make our dinner, since only a small walk-up eatery is available.  We made an acceptable penne pasta with chunks of chicken and had canned fruit.  The community of 300 folks are mostly First Nation Native Americans.
Yesterday was a bit brutal, since we drove 225 miles on dirt roads and the dust was unbelievable.  We had to shake out bedding and dust out everything in the ambulance/camper.  There were some gorgeous views but lots of narrow roads with pines and birches right up to the side of the road.  Today, it rained the entire day, and the mountains were cloaked in clouds, but views were magnificent of huge lakes, Little Salmon River, and finally the mighty Yukon!  Pelly River, too, is not a small river.  We even went by an unusual salt lake when we were almost to Pelly Crossing.

 The highlight of the day was when some of the citizens with little boys from Faro met us at a rest stop outside their town and provided homemade muffins, for a welcome stop.  It was a double hit, since the ladies even got rest room facilities, albeit, pit toilets.

Watson Lake , YT small but Welcoming

Sign Post Forest where over 78,000  signs i.d. hometowns.

Old equipment near Visitors' Center and Sign Post Forest

Log cabin church in Watson Lake

This was a day of rest for the Convoy to Alaska and it was wonderful to sleep in until 8 a.m.  We were into Watson Lake within the hour to enjoy all the sights and for David to install a radio for one of the repair teams.  During the day, we put up the sign that 17 year old Mark Toland carved for us for Sign Post Forest, visited the Welcome Center which had a good display of Alaskan Hwy. construction plus a movie and many free brochures.  One on the wildflowers is impressive.  We had a vehicle display and the town's historical society sold burgers and hot dogs while it was happening so many of the town's folks were in attendance.  The Northern Light Museum had interesting displays and a planetarium where they showed two different Avmovies on rounded ceiling on space exploration and Northern Lights.  The local grocery was good for a quick lunch and a take out dinner.  Finally a quick thunderstorm in the evening will quiet the dust as we are going to be on dirt/gravel roads for the next two days.

Seven times into Yukon Territory!

Muncho Lake in B.C,

Only remaining suspension bridge built in 1943

Bison were on both side of the road

Overlook of Liard River

Dedicated to the engineers and surveyors of ALCAN

Old hanger at Watson Lake built in 1942

Unbelievable but true, when one enters YT via the ALCAN Highway, your vehicle goes back and forth across the border.  Watson Lake is the official entry point where we are staying tonight.  This is the home of the Signpost Forest and we attend to put our town up in the Forest tomorrow.  I have a young 17 year old boy  who was carving his address, so I enlisted him to make one for us.  We are also going to have a static vehicle show for all those who want to participate.  It gives time for laundry, grocery shopping, and visiting the Northern Lights planetarium as well as the Watson Lake Airport which was on the NW staging route to Russia for lend lease airplanes during WWII.  Over 7000 planes passed through this small airport.  David and I went out there this evening since tomorrow will be busy.  He is installing a radio for the maintenance truck.  He will also check his fluids on his vehicle and the brakes.

Today was chock full of wildlife for many of the convoy, but being in about the middle marching unit, by the time we got to where the animals were spotted, they had departed.  We did see a herd of buffalo/bison and two moose on the far side of cabin by the lake in Toad River.

Tonight, we are staying in one of the WWII air corps officers' barracks built in 1942.  It is a strange place, but clean.  The manager makes everyone take their shoes off in the entry way and you have to go in your socks to your room which contains only a TV and a bed and night stands.  Their are communal showers and toilet rooms, a set for the men and a set for the women.  The town has three beautiful lakes but this building is neither by those or the airport.  We gave up on dinner out tonight when we had waited 1/2 an hour to get the menu and drinks.  We plugged in the microwave and had some quick one container meals with applesauce and a cookie for dessert.  I did sneak a cup of wine while David was talking radios with the fellow communication officer on the trip.  It was my decision to walk out of the restaurant.  Dad was about to fall asleep!  No fast food or any recognizable brand names in the town, neither grocery stores, gas stations, nothing, so it is beginning to feel like we are in another country, which, as a matter of fact, we are!

What an adventure we're having, and most of it enjoyable!

Beautiful British Columbia

Tonight, I am writing at the base of some lovely mountains and our cabin faces a peaceful lake.  We went up and down and around some fairly significant mountains today near the northern border of BC and will by in Yukon Territory tomorrow night, I believe.  The wildlife also cooperated and provided viewing of two bears, two moose, including a very large dead one, and two rock sheep.  We were at the lowest point of the ALCAN outside of Fort Nelson this a.m., had a sack lunch provided  by the Elks and IGA of Fort Nelson, time at a wonderful antique vehicle museum, and just enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather and magnificent vistas of mountain ranges. 

I am making this short tonight since the WiFi doesn't work in our cabin so I am trying to stay seated on the picnic table where it does work, and not be carried off by the significant amount of mosquitoes.  Enjoy the photos and I will be back online again in several days. 

Emergency Air field parking

Trying to get a rock sheep photo

Sunday night in Toad River and cabin by the river

David loves early brdiges.

Rest stop at a golf course

John Deere D was a bonus at lunch spot! 

River at our Provincial dry camping August 4