July 22, 2006 (Day 59)

We left Whitehorse wishing we had more time there, but we were reminded that on our way back, we will be staying in Whitehorse again. That’s good.

Our departure time with the Kolley’s and Ed was at 8:30 a.m. That’s becoming a good norm for us. There are always the early risers that leave early and those who wish to sleep in later. It’s nice that we can always leave when we want, as long as it is after the leaders and early parkers. They don’t care when we leave or how long we take to get to the next stop, as long as we don’t enter the campground before they do. That allows them time to look over the place and get rigs assigned to a specific spot before everyone comes in. Unfortunately, we have some that refuse to honor that rule. Why is that?

This morning it was a cool 48 degrees when we got up and ready to leave, but it was sunny and that alone promises a warm day. I think this is Saturday, but hard to believe because every day is Saturday! It is easy to lose all track of day and date.

Just west of Whitehorse, we left the Alaska Highway and turned north on Highway 2, the Klondike Highway, heading for Minto. We saw acres and acres of remnants of burned forests from fires in 1998, 1958 and 1995. The hills still had burned tree trunks, but the green foliage was coming back and some new trees 4-6 feet in heighth already. It was a sad sight, but the promise of rejuvenation was evident.

We stopped at Braeburn Lodge where their specialty is large cinnamon rolls. They were actually baked in small cake pans. Dan and I couldn’t even eat one! Needless to say, that roll has lasted us for three breakfasts!

Our miles per hour averages 50-60 mph on good roads. The speed limit signs say 100 km/h. They call it 100 klicks. We saw a wolf today. We also passed a reindeer farm. Well, I guess we are getting close to the north pole!

We arrived at our next stop at 2:35 p.m., having gone 167 miles to Minto Resort and RV Park. We drove off the main road through a wooded thicket and ended up on a plateau above the Yukon River. It was so secluded and peaceful. The only problem was that the campground was double-booked with another caravan. So we had to share space and divide the usage of the large gazebo which provided room for meals and meetings.

Minto has no utilities, so we were dry camped. The mosquitoes were waiting for us. We enjoyed sitting in our lawn chairs by the river (Yukon). It was on the very edge of the river and was about a 50’ drop to the water. We saw some local fishermen, mostly young boys, bring home their catch of the day, three river king salmon. One filled the outstretched arms of a teenager. They sure were proud and enjoyed having our people take their pictures. They next day we saw them fixing the salmon over an open fire and there were several local neighbors there to share in the eating.

Minto is not a town, and there certainly weren’t any sights to see. We enjoyed the peacefulness of the river.

The cook-out committee served us a supper of soft tacos with all the trimmings. They were sure good.

Gas today at Carmacks was $1.29/liter, or around $5.20/gal. The farther north we travel, the higher the price of gas.

We continue driving north, as long as we can pay for the gas. (We can, can’t we, Renae?)

Till tomorrow…..