Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Post #5 lots of pictures

I had trouble adding more pics to the last post so here goes with a new post

First bear seen next to the road
Signpost forest, Watson Lake


Our addition to the forest


This is only a tiny portion of it


The Onion Cart somewhere on the Alaska Highway


One of many


Near Teslin Lake, BC


Typical Yukon Provincial Park setting




Where is the birdie? This one came very close as we sat at the CG pictured above



A bit easier to see in these


Touchdown! A grey jay coming in for leftovers.


Wild flowers on the road to Dawson City, YK


Found this coyote jogging along the road near Whitehorse, YK. Offered him a ride. Declined.
Streamside camping in another YK Provincial Park: $10 per night & free firewood provided.


How's this for a table with a view?


A year old cub


Got right in front of the truck eating dead bugs off the front


Then came around to the side & left his mark


Retreating ice on a lake


Pigs may not fly but trucks can


Dawson City, Yukon from the top of the Dome


This red fox was right outside of the trailer in Dawson City CG looking for handouts. Got close enough to almost touch.





Dawson City architecture.





Yukon river vehicular  ferry at Dawson City. Free. Runs 24/7


Dawson City from west bank of the Yukon river


Dawson City above the west bank of the Yukon. The Dome above town.


Thursday, June 2, 2011

The serious part begins



5/11, Day 44: Once one get clear of Edmonton suburbs headed northwest the character of the road changes dramatically. there is far less traffic. The roads themselves are better without the heavy use. Settlements gradually get further and further apart. Gradually the land is used less and less for farming and more and more is covered with trees. First stop is Grande Prairie, a town of 50,000 that earns most of its living from the gas fields in the area.
Mile 4274

A wooden trestle RR bridge N of Edmonton

5/12, Day 45: Grand Prairie was supposed to be a one night stop but there was a crack in the frame of our trailer that I had been watching since halfway across the US. It was getting longer so better deal with it in a large town with facilities than have a catastrophic failure miles from help. Once again we got almost imediate service. The first truck/trailor shop we saw could not fit us in but went well beyond just giving a name of another to help us out. After two who could not help the third took us in first thing in the morning and had the job done, as promised and much stronger than original, later in the afternoon.  I can't imagine ANYWHERE in Bermuda stepping up to the wicket like this. The net result was two nights in the Grand Prairie WalMart carpark. It was just as well that we had the repair day because Ronnie was down with a stomach bug and was in no condition to travel anyway.

5/13, Day 46: Alberta is a big place. Next stop just north of Fort St John, BC. The eyes are on the lookout more and more for wildlife. The major stop of the day is Dawson Creek, the site of mile zero of the Alaska Highway. Not much of the original road remains. Over the years since 1942 there have been many improvements to the highway. These days most of it can be covered at 60mph. There are a few original sections remaining and we did do a detour onto one of these sections which has a still useable curving wooden bridge.
Mile 4407


                                   The tourist sign for the begining of the Alaska Highway


Dawson Creek Hotel
Mural on a Dawson Creek wall
Original wooden bridge on Alaska Highway

5/14, Day 47: You just never know where you are going to wind up at the end of the day. Today we spent the night at  a commercial campground which was powered by its own generator. The sounds of dueling banjos could almost be heard through the trees. It was that kind of place.
Mile 4636

Old equipment can be seen everywhere
A wolf mix: look at me but do NOT touch

 5/15, Day 48: The Alaska Highway does not cross any particularly high mountain passes but today we went up and over some high ground which must have been extremely difficult to build the road through with the equipment of 70 years ago. Stop for the night is Liard Hot Springs, a very popular spot for a swim or soak in the 96 degree water. There were no Bermudian takers today. We are such spoiled people.
Mile 4830




5/16, Day 49: More gentle up and down twisting tree covered terrain with eyes peeled for anything furry with four legs. So far the score is one black bear, elk, caribou, Dal sheep, Pronghorn sheep but despite many calls Bullwinkle the moose has not been seen. The stop for the day is Watson Lake, not much of place but the big attraction is the signpost forest. The first sign was nailed to a tree in 1942 by a homesick highway worker. Others followed. Today there are over 70,000 signs, license plates and other assorted stuff nailed to posts there. We made a sign, painted in Bermuda pink, of course, and put it up. It is visible from the road.
Mile 4957



5/17, Day 50: More roadside critter hunting with cameras. Another free night. This one with the bonus of free firewood too. The Yukon government, when possible, opens their campgrounds before the end of May but does not charge till June. A great park next to Teslin Lake.
Mile 5131



5/18,19,20, Day 51,52,53: Whitehorse, the largest town in The Yukon with a population less than 30,000. A chance to stock up and reconnect with the outside world. It is also Ronnie's turn to enhance the financial standing of a mechanic. His Ford (Found On Road Dead) has been having trouble keeping up with our Chevy for quite some time having an intermittent fuel problem. The next week will cover some very remote roads so best to start with everything working properly.
Mile 5234

5/21, Day 54: Whitehorse to near Carmacks. The day did not start out well. Barely a mile out of Whitehorse Ronnie & Sallys truck virtually died with an intermittent fuel delivery problem. Best decision for them was to go back to Whitehorse, get the truck fixed & catch up with us later. The Klondike Highway to Dawson in a very quiet road. Eyes were peeled for wildlife but not much luck today. We got very lucky with the campsite for the night. It was a spot RV promotional photographs are made of. Literally only feet from stream.
Mile 5346

5/22, Day 55: 180 miles onward to Dawson City, Yukon. This time we get especially lucky with the wildlife spotting. A small bear, maybe a year old, right next to the road. We stopped right next to it. It approached the truck, the passenger side first, went around the front & licked some dead bugs off the front, then around to the driver side & stood up right at the door.  Cool...face to face, less than 2 feet from a bear. We have paw prints on the side of the truck to prove the visit.
Mile 5550

5/23, Day 56: A little local sightseeing around Dawson City. We have been here before. Gold built Dawson. It is a shadow of its former self but residents are doing their best to preserve it. No fast food places. The riverside front street looks as it did 100 years ago. These days Dawson mines the tourism dollar.