Day 18
Saturday, June 25
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Another beautiful day in the Yukon!. It is 55 degrees at wake-up and we are expecting upper 70's this afternoon.
Today, the Adventure Caravan Staff fixed breakfast for us. We had saugage gravy and biscuits, fruit and orange juice. A great way to begin the day - no cooking!!

After breakfast we caravaned to Lake Schwatka for a river cruise on the Yukon River. The Yukon River is the 3rd longest river in North America and it flows north into the Bearing Sea. It isn't a very deep river in many areas and is also quite narrow in places. Our cruise was on the Lake Schwatka River Cruise boat. About 30 of us went on the charterd cruise. We started out in of all places - Lake Schwatka! The Yukon River is dammed south of Whitehorse by a hydro-electric dam. The result is a large mirror smooth lake. There were several airplanes with pontoons on the lake in the area where our cruise began. One was loading for takeoff, but we didn't see it take off. The boat allowed 15 people to be upstairs and outside while the remainder were downstairs in the cabin. You could see just as well downstairs, but we still traded places 1/2 way through the cruise. We could also go out on the little deck in front of the captain's deck. That's where Jenna and I spent a lot of time. It was beautiful!

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After crossing the lake we entered 10 mile canyon. 10 mile canyon is a canyon that is 10 miles long - duh!, but only 70 ft. wide in most places. This was the scene of many shipwrecks during the gold rush days. Whirlpools and swift rapids make it an especially dangerous place. A Bald Eagle posed for pictures and flew from tree to tree on both legs of the trip. We were able to get some good pictures.
After the trip we went to town to the Klondike Rib and Salmon Bake. It is a neat little place to eat in Whitehorse. They are only open from Mother's Day until Labor Day, but they do a landoffice buisiness during that time. We had fish and chips (halibut) and sourdough bread pudding with ice-cream and caramel sauce - YUM!! After lunch we caught the trolly by the river and rode it from one end of town to the other and back. It wasn't the best trolly ride, but we had as driver and conductor two college students on summer break who were very talkative and informative about Whitehorse and the trolly. We enjoyed the short respite.

Bruce and Roni asked us to go to dinner with them before the Frantic Follies. We went to a pub in downtown Whitehorse and had nachos and beer. After the lunch we had neither Jenna nor I was hungry.

The Follies was a good show. I would imagine that 300 people were wedged into the theater for an entertaining performance. There were singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, and of course Can-Can girls! We thoroughly enjoyed the program.

After the show we planned to go have a drink with a group who were celebrating one couple's anniversary. Unfortunately everything was closed! We were all confused because it appeared to be about 8:00. It was however almost 11:00. It's daylight here 20 hours every day this time of year!

We returned to the trailer and I started getting things outside ready to leave. We planned to leave at 7:15 in the morning so I wanted to get a headstart. When I reached under the trailer to pull the galley tank release, it came off in my hand. Nothing to do but get under the trailer and fix it - at 11:30 P.M. Fortunately, it was still daylight so I could see what I was doing.

Tomorrow we leave for Dawson City - 328 miles Northwest. We need to get an early start because we are leaving the Alaska Highway for the Klondike Highway and it is not as good a road - lots of frost heaves and construction.
I;ll let you know how it goes in tomorrow's report. Till then - Happy Trails!

 

 




Day 17
Friday, June 24
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Today was a beautiful day in Whitehorse. We started our day with a travel briefing. We usually have our briefings the day before we travel; however, Ken wanted to have it early since we would have an unusually busy day and night on Saturday.

Following the briefing, Robert, Bet, Jenna and I took the truck and went to the S.S. Klondike. Actually, we got in line with about a dozen other cars from Adventure Caravan people and convoyed to the S.S. Klondike. I'm sure the people in Whitehorse were annoyed by the long line of cars blocking their way to their destination. The S.S. Klondike was built in 1932, replacing the original S.S. Klondike that sank in the Yukon River. The S.S. Klondike is 242' long and is 50' wide. It was used to take cargo, passengers, liquor and sourdoughs to Dawson City - a distance of 338 miles by road that didn't exist at the time. The trip took 36 hours going to Dawson City. Its return trip took 4 days, and it carried passengers, cargo, gold bars, and silver iron ore which was sent to Utah for processing. There were over 200 riverboats on the Yukon River during the late 1800 and early 1900. The Klondike and most others were designed using plans for Mississippi Riverboats with one major modification. They had a flat bottom and were designed to draugh less than 42" when fully loaded. The Yukon river is not very deep in many places. The Klondike was used until 1955 when the Alaska highway finally made it obsolete. Most riverboats were burned for firewood but the city fathers of Whitehorse wanted to save the Klondike. They purchased the boat and had land donated for a park. The only problem was that a bridge crossed the river at a point between its location and the park where they wanted to put it. The solution to the problems was to hoist the Klondike out of the river and onto the main street in town. Butterboards were placed in the street and they were covered with tons of Ivory soap. The Klondike was then pulled (or slid) down mainstreet to the park. It took 3 weeks to move the Klondike one kilometer - a little over a 1/2 mile. The Klondike is now a National Park treasure belonging to Canada.



 
 
 
 
 

After our tour we went to the Visitor Center and watched a movie about the Yukon Territory. The Yukon is about the size of Texas in area and has 36,000 residents. 27,000 of those live in Whitehorse which is the capital of the Yukon Territory. (Imagine the population of Texas being only 36,000) After lunch at a deli and took Robert and Bet back to the RV Park.

Jenna and I went to the Yukon Brewery for a tour. As far as tours go, this one was a bust. They were cleaning up and preparing for the weekend, so we saw no actual beermaking. We did however get to sample about 10 of their different brews. They make 15 different brands for sale in Yukon, British Columbia, ALberta and Northwest Territories. They had cases of Coors, Budweiser and many other brands sitting around. I asked if they just changed the label and sold the other beer. Of course not! They, and all other beer brewers, use the same brown bottles. Consequently, they recycle bottles, take off the label, wash them and fill them with their brand of beer. I didn't know they did that! The samples were OK = some better than others.

We returned to the RV park and I did laundry, washed the truck and helped Jenna give Lucy a bath. She was actually pretty good about the bath. Usually she fights us when we give her a bath in the sink. I put a small talbe beside the trailer and we used the outside shower to wash her down.

Our Onstar phone isn't workining. The Chevy (GM MAN) said it was probably the phone service here and not our Onstar equipment. He said lots of people up here have trouble with Onstar and especially with the phone company up here. Consequently, we won't be making many phone calls until we get to Alaska or more civilization. Also, the internet service in Whitehorse is horrible. Consequently, Posts will be late.

Tomorrow we go on a river cruise and see the Frantic Follies. I'll report on those things tomorrow. Till then, Happy Trails.

 

 



Many mirrored lakes were along our route today. Some, like this one, were very small while others were extremely large. One we drove by was several miles long.
 





Rancheria Falls was about 1/3 mile back from the road. It provided a nice hike and a needed break.
 





How do you "Bear Proof" a campsite if your on a bicycle or motorcycle?
 






The road corssed the Yukon River at Teslin - a very scenic vista. This is the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway. It had a metal deck that sounded funny and made you feel as if you were slipping sideways.

Day 15
Thursday, June 23, 2011
On the road to Whitehorse

I didn't get much sleep last night. Don't know why, other than I drank some coffee with dinner and maybe that did it. 2:30 A.M. is not my idea of a time to get up, so I tossed and turned until 5:30. Of course when I came down the steps Lucy began to get rambunctious in her house, letting me know she needed to be taken out. I quietly put her leash on her and opened the door to the outside. 5:30 A.M. in Watson Lake is like 9:00 in Texas - bright sunshine, birds singing, the whole bit. I stepped in front on our neighbor's motor home and Lucy stopped to take care of her business. George and Winnie, our neighbors yesterday, suddenly burst from their door yelling "GOOD MORNING!" Lucy proceeded to bark repeatedly with her shrillest bark. I'm sure everyone in the park was thrilled to hear her so early.


We got things packed up once again and I started the motor to raise the front legs. Once again, one leg came up as it was supposed to while the other did not. Again I was left with the trailer perched on one leg. The hitch was in place so it was in no danger of falling. Spence, the tailgunner, came by to see if I needed help. I took the mechanism that works the lift apart hoping that I would be able to make that stubborn leg come up. Apparently the gear is so stripped that it didn't work. Robert came with his 20 tone jack and in moments we had the leg up and we were on our way.

Our journey today was to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The town is named Whitehorse because some old prospector thought the rushing water in the river looked like the flowing white mane of a horse. The rivers in these parts do run swiftly. We once again headed up highway 97 or the Alaska Highway. People will tell you that the Alaska Highway is not a good road, that it is very rough, that it is covered with gravel, etc. Our experience so far is that the Alaska Highway is a very good road. Yes, it is steep in places, there are some rough spots (frost heaves), and there are stretches of gravel where they are resurfacing the road, but you will find those things on almost every road in Corsicana ( except for the steep part). We were easily able to drive 60 - 65 mph.

The scenery was not as great as many days in the past, but the dry weather and partly cloudy skies made it a nice drive. We did see lots of rivers and streams and many beautiful mirror smooth lakes. I was never able to get a picture of the lakes as there was no where to pull over safely. I guess I could have stopped in the middle of the road - we drove 68 miles this morning before another car passed us going in the same direction. We went at least 40 miles before we met a vehicle coming toward us. Trucks are another thing you don't see too much of. It sure is a lot more pleasant to drive than it I-45 or 7th Ave. in Corsicana.

We stopped an Rancheria Falls and took a 1/4 mile path back to the falls. It was so quiet back there and we might have stayed longer if not for the mosquitoes. Those little buggers will bug you to death. No wildlife today either - I guess they had the day off.

We arrived in Whitehorse around 4:00 and set up the trailer for our three days here. At 6:00 the Adventure Caravan staff served nachos and margaritas - really good. It was supposed to be a game night, but no one was in the mood for games. I think everyone was just tired.

Tomorrow we will have a travel briefing and then take a tour of the S.S. Klondike. The rest of the day is a free day so we'll see what we can get into. Till then, Happy Trails.

Day 14
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
On the Road to Watson Lake
Mel, Dot, Robert, Bet, Jenna and I left Laird Hot Springs about 9:30 for a short 126 mile trip to Watson Lake. We all planned to stop at Cold River Lodge for breakfast. Cold River Lodge, like Testa Lodge, didn't meet my expectations of what a lodge should be. Here, there was a concrete block building that served as the gas station and a converted trailer that was the motel and restaurant. I purchased $50 worth of diesel at $1.82 per liter - that comes to $6.88 per gallon. I could have put it more, but I heard it was cheaper up the road so I got enough to get me there. Meanwhile, the others went in and ordered breakfast. Again, shortly after I got in, 8-10 other rigs from our caravan arrived, and we took every seat in the house. The man who helped me get my diesel came to our table and asked me to come to his shop when I finished. Mel was certain that I had done something wrong and delighted in telling me I was in trouble. When I went into the shop, the man gave me a hat pin marking their location on the Alaska Highway. He apparently noticed my collection of pins and thought I needed one from his place of business. Sorry Mel. I bought $50 worth of diesel and you bought $180, but I got the pin.

The drive on in to Watson Lake was spectacular. Beautiful green mountains and majestic valleys and vistas were everywhere. We saw a couple of buffalo, and a motorcyclist going the other way pointed out a black bear up ahead.

We arrived in Watson Lake about 1:15 and got into our spot. Only then did we find out that there was no water in this part of the park due to freezing ground from the winter. I finally found a site that had water and filled our fresh water tank. I returned to our assigned site and got set up pretty quickly. Setting up and tearing down every couple of days or more often gets you pretty adept at it. I did some laundry while Jenna cleaned inside the trailer.


 

Next we went to the Signpost Forest. Karl Lindley of Danville, Il. was a U.S. Army soldier working on the Alaska Highway in 1942. He placed a sign on post in Watson Lake with his name, hometown, and the number of miles it was to his home there. With that sign, the signpost forest was born. Today there are over 70,000 signs posted in the forest, and more are added each day. It is said to contain the greatest number of stolen objects of anywhere since many of the signs have been stolen from hometowns across the world and posted here. Our tailgunner's wife made a sign for out group, and several of us posted our own signs as well. There are signs everywhere on poles about 12 ft. tall. We found one from many places in Texas including Waxahachie; however, we didn't find one from Corsicana, but there is one from Corsicana now.

We had our travel briefing tonight, fixed a little supper, and I started on the blog. Tomorrow we go to Whitehorse, a distance of 268 miles, so it will be a long day. I'll report on tomorrow's drive tomorrow. Till then - Happy Trails!!

 






Welcome to Watson Lake
 






I posted our sign on the top of a pole in the Signpost Village
 






There is now at least 1 sign from Corsicana in the Signpost Village
 









We even found a sing for Waxahachie and the mileage is about right.
 














There are thousands of signs in the Signpost Village. It contains more stolen merchandise than anyplace on earth - mostly stolen town and street signs.
 
 

 




The road to Laird Hot Springs was steep and winding. The rain and fog didn't help much. At some points we were fogged in on the high mountain roads.
 







The area around Stone Mountain was littered with huge rocks.
 







Muncho Lake was a beautiful turquoise blue. We should have seen rock sheep in this area but instead we only saw large rocks on the road from landslides.
 






Me, Dot, George, Winnie, Mel, Jill and Art enjoying the Hot Springs.
 






A 1/4 mile walkway over a marsh led back to the hot springs. Lush vegetation grew there including orchids, ferns, and many wildflowers. Moose often come to this area in the mornings to graze on the aquatic plants.
 






The hat collection at the Toad River Lodge.
 






We hosted a cookout at our campsite after our "soak."
 





The campfire did a good job of keeping the mosquitoes away, and it made a nice place to sit and visit.

Day 13
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
On the Road to Laird Hot Springs

We awoke this morning greatly anticipating what was to be the most beautiful scenic drive with tons of wildlife on this portion of the trip. Unfortunately it was raining and a heavy fog blanketed the mountains. In case you didn't know, wildlife is too smart to stand out in the rain. We didn't see anything except one bear as we approached Laird Springs.

Robert, Bet, Jenna and I set out a little early with plans for stopping at the Testa River Lodge and Campground. Word was that they had the best warm buttery cinnamon buns " in the center of the galactic cluster." Now, when I think of a lodge hidden away in the woods, I think of a large log facility with a massive fireplace containing a roaring fire, with animal heads mounted over the mantle, and a beautiful view of the mountains and forest. The Testa River Lodge was a small clapboard shack with a wood burning stove without the burning wood, a moosehead and elk head hanging on the wall and a wolf in the corner, and a beautiful view of the gas pump. However, the cinammon buns lived up to their reputation. I put in $30 worth of diesel at $1.58 a liter while the others went in and ordered cinammon buns. Before I could get parked 8-9 other rigs from our caravan pulled in and came into the "lodge." One lone guy was running the store, making the coffee and baking the cinammon buns. Before everyone had been served he ran out of cinnamon buns. I do think everyone finally did get at least one since those who had purchased 1-2 for the road sold them to those who were shut out. Each day we receive a report of where to buy cinammon buns on our way to the next destination.

The drive would have been beautiful as there were high mountains and lots of raging rivers and streams. We crossed the Rocky Mountains for the 3rd time on this trip. The point of crossing was called "Stone Mountain," and that was an appropriate name. It was 4,250 ft. and the summit of Stone Mountain. From 1/4 the way up the mountain, there was nothing but solid rock as high as you could see. The rain was causing a lot of rock slides and the road was littered with rock as small as a pebble to as large as a basketball or even larger. It was a little scary dodging the rocks and avoiding cars coming from the other direction.

We did stop at the Toad River Lodge (similar to Test River) to view their collection of hats. In stead of having patrons pin a $1 to the ceiling, they have them donate their hat. To date they have 7967 hats pinned to the ceiling. Several members of our group made a donation and received a card telling them what # there were.


We saw our first moose today. He was huge!! We weren't able to get a picture because we just caught a quick glimpse of him as we drove by. We also saw a couple of bears and several buffalo.

We arrived at Laird Hot Springs about 2:30 and after parking the trailer, many of us went to the springs for a much needed soak. Jenna chose not to soak because we had no power; hence, no hairdryer or curling iron. She doesn't know how great it was and what she missed. The spring was 20-25 ft. wide and 100' feet or more long. Steps took you down into the water. One end was very hot - probably about 120 degrees. The center section was a little cooler, and the far end was much cooler - not cold by any means, but like nice warm bathwater.

After my soak we returned to the trailer and I started the charcoal grill. Mel, Dot, Robert, Bet, Bruce and Roni all brought something to cook and I cooked the meat. They also brought veggies, soup, condiments, etc. and we had a nice dinner. The campground manager came by and I asked him where I could get firewood. He said he would bring me a bundle. Shortly he returned with a large plastic tub full of logs and kindling. The grill and the campfire did an excellent job of driving off the mosquitoes. Bruce kept leaving the area and returning with others from our group and before long we had 12-15 people sitting around the campfire. It doesn't get dark here until 11:30 - 12:00, and before we knew it, it was 9:30. We all new we had a travel briefing at 8:00 A.M. so we called it a night, but not before we had a great time visiting, swapping lies, and having a good time.

Tomorrow we drive to Watson Lake in the Yukon. I'll report in about our journey tomorrow. Hope we have sunshine, clear skies and dry weather. Until tomorrow, Happy Trails!!