July 19, 2006 (Day 56)

We left the campground at 8:30 a.m. It was 56 degrees and sunny. The nights keep getting shorter. It is nothing for it to be daylight at midnight. It’s not sunlight, but rather like a night with a bright full moon. Everyone finds it hard to go to bed at a decent time.

We traveled today with our St. Louis friends, the Waters and Steurer’s. We stopped a short ways up the road at Nugget City. They have good value souvenirs and Canadian-made gifts. I bought a beautiful jade necklace.

We saw a lot of rock formations along the road. They are names and messages made out of white rocks are spelled out in the banks along the highway. They were started in the summer of 1990 by a traveling swim team and people continue to make them today. Again, the views were beautiful. There were forest-covered mountains with valleys and bubbling rivers running along the road. Every curve in the road produces a new, breath-taking view. The mountain range before us is the Cassiar Mountains.

We stopped at Rancheria Falls Recreation Area and walked a half mile to two beautiful falls, took pictures and then were back on the road. (I kept my eyes and ears open for bears!)

We arrived around 2:20 p.m. It was 63 degrees. We had a very unlevel spot and had to jack up the trailer on one side 5 blocks. We rode with friends to view the Yukon Wildlife Gallery and an Indian (Tlingit) Heritage Museum. The locals seem to be of Eskimo heritage. They have dark hair and eyes and are beautiful people. One thing we have noticed is that most of the shops and museums are taken care of by children (junior high age and up). We don’t always see an adult around.

We traveled to Teslin, Y.T. (Yukon Territory) today and are at the Yukon Motel and RV Park. Elevation here is 2,266 ft. and miles traveled were 162 miles. Teslin is a very small town.

A fact to know: Akutag, better known as Eskimo Ice Cream, is a traditional snack made of whipped seal oil, berries, and sugar. I think this just cured Dan’s desire for ice cream!



July 17-18, 2006 (Days 54-55)

We awoke to cloudy skies and 54 degrees. Today we were deparkers with Bob and Carol Luther, a nice couple about our age from Massachusetts. We had to get up early to be on duty by 6:45 a.m.

The duties of deparkers are to check everyone’s rigs as they depart the campground. We check their lights, turn signals, hitches, tires, doors to make sure they are locked, antennas down and steps up and if they have seatbelts and headlights on. When each unit is found to be in compliance, they are released to hit the road. We were on duty until 9:20 a.m. It took half an hour to get our own rigs checked and check the grounds to make sure no one left anything before we could leave. We had 164 miles ahead of us, so we didn’t feel in any hurry.

Just after leaving the campground, we came upon a pack of stone sheep on and by the road. We took several pictures. On up the road, I spotted a baby black bear on the opposite side of the road. We stopped to watch him “eat breakfast”, took some pictures and went on our way. By now the sun was shining and the temp was up to 64 degrees. We passed a couple traveling in their car in a pull out by the rushing river. They had their lawn chairs out and a small grill going cooking their breakfast. Ah, what a life!

Next thing we came upon was a pack of wild horses, probably 10-12. They didn’t seem too wild, and after pictures, we went around them without them hardly moving out of the way. They were beautifully colored and very big and strong-looking horses.

The next stopping point was when we came upon a herd of buffalo. There were several young ones still nursing their mamas. Shortly, another curve in the road produced a still bigger herd of buffalo. One huge buffalo was walking along the roadside and we were able to get great pictures. He didn’t seem to be bothered that we were there.

It seems as though we were driving through a wild animal refuge viewing the wildlife. Instead, we are the ones inside the fence (car) and the wildlife is viewing us!

A recommended stop from our leaders was at the Fireside Lodge for breakfast. When we got there, we saw a lot of Airstreamers parked. When we got up on the porch, an elderly gentleman inside the established flipped over the “Closed” sign on the door. There were lots of people inside eating and Dan asked if they were closed, and the gentlemen gruffly said “Yes. Too many people. Worn out. Must clean up kitchen.” Well, as you guessed it, we went on our way and only heard about the good breakfast there from the others that got in while the restaurant was still “open”. I guess an elderly gentleman and his wife ran the café, Dora’s Café.

On up the road, we saw three RV’s sitting along the roadside. (We have learned that this is a good sign that someone is seeing something!) We stopped, and sure enough, there were two grizzly bears, around one year old, frolicking in the grasses off the road. They were fun to watch. This was our first sighting of grizzlies. You can see why it takes us so long to travel a short distance. We make a lot of stops!

We came upon a lookout point that overlooked the Liard River and decided to stop and eat something in the trailer. It was a pretty view. We read that this was a favorite spot for outlaws, back in pioneer days, to watch for and rob riverboats traveling the river.

Shortly after arriving in Watson Lake at the Downtown RV Park, we had another potlatch and met some more people on the caravan. It turned cooler and clouded over, and we had some sprinkles of rain. The temperature changes that day caused me to change clothes four times!

At 7 p.m., we all met at the Sign Forest for a ceremony to nail our caravan sign to a post. The Signpost Forest was started back in 1942 by a homesick U.S. soldier working on the Alaska Highway. Ever since, travelers had added signs with their names or hometowns and dates on to the posts in the “forest”. (I hope Dan can add a picture of it in the blog.) Today there are over 60,000 signs there. Some of the Airstreamers added their own personal signs. A good rain came up and everyone scurried back to their trailers.

The next day we were free for sightseeing or shopping. We slept in late and then did laundry at the campground laundromat. It was very busy, as I think all the Airstreamers were there at one time or the other that day. They were waiting in line three-deep at one time. It took me two hours and $12.00. Afterwards, we drove around town and saw some of the attractions which included the Northern Lights Center and Planetarium and a former WWII Watson Lake Airport. At 5:30 p.m., we met at the Belvedere Hotel for social hour and a wonderful buffet dinner with prime rib, barbecued chicken, roast pork, Caesar salad, fresh green beans, baby new potatoes and mashed potatoes, rice, rolls, and a variety of desserts. It was a very nice meal and part of our fee. We had our driver’s meeting there following dinner.

Watson Lake was a nice town. Population is 1,794. Elevation is 2,265 ft. Average temperature here in July is 59 degrees. It has been a little warmer than that and is perfect! We are at the 60° parallel. The North Pole is at 90º. Groceries (one grocery store) were very expensive. We needed milk and bread.

The rivers and streams are all fast-moving and so clear. You can see to the bottom sometimes. The fish that are caught here are: grayling, steelhead, trout, salmon, northern pike and Dolly Varden.

Till tomorrow…..