Day 32 - Jul 15 Carcross YK to Watson Lake BC

Day 32 - Jul 15 - Carcross YK to Watson Lake BC

Last night we camped in a government site which was primitive. Any of you who worried that we'd be camping in the wilderness and I assured you we wouldn't be - well, I was wrong. There were only about five people in the entire campground. Although our site was close to a main road, trust me, this was a cedar swamp-like wilderness. We slept with the bear spray, and I kept the camera close just in case there was an altercation during the night. Fortunately, our sleep was undisturbed. This morning, while we ate breakfast, a female moose and her twins crossed the road right near our campsite. I quickly grabbed the camera and got a picture of the twins. 

We're still looking for the elusive bears.

Overall, the day was uneventful, if you call outstanding scenery uneventful. Even though we've seen this road going in the other direction, still it looks different from this perspective. It is interesting to watch the landscape change. Going south and east, we have progressed from the stately majestic rocky mountains with sharply defined peaks and ridges to the shorter more rounded mountain formations of the YK and BC boarder. 

We went as far as Watson Lake and spent the night in an RV park. Since we are tenters, RV parks often reserve the most out-of-the-way spaces for our likes. This particular site was not happy to rent us as space, but was willing to do so as long as we listened to his list of reasons why he did not like renting to tenters. But we wanted his shower facilities and were willing to overlook his attitude. We were thankful that his "out of the way" spot was grassy, albeit treeless. 

Day 31 - July 14 Haines, Skaguay, Carcross (YK)

Day 31 - July 14 Haines, Skagway, Carcross

We went for another look for bears before we left Haines. No joy. Then we boarded the ferry for Skagway which was a pleasant 1 hour float up the inlet. Einstein was very excited about his first boat ride. He trembled with excitement as we boarded, but soon was disappointed because he was confined to the hold below deck. Meanwhile, we enjoyed ourselves in the open air at the front of the ferry for the majority of the journey. We saw another humpback whale blow, surface, and then retreat back into the water.

Skagway AK; cruise ships stop there 3-4 times each week.
We were told Princess Cruises has a financial interest
in the town and its various tours. 

The town of Skagway is cute, like a Disney reproduction. Two intersecting streets make up the main part of town. Lots and lots of shops where we could  spend money. But that was it. We really weren't particularly impressed with the town or the people, so we decided to skeedaddle on our way and head for Whitehorse YK. 

We didn't make it to Whitehorse this evening. There was so much scenery that begged for our attention and posed for photos that the journey was longer that we expected as we stopped to capture large and small mountain lakes and streams of various hues of blues and green. The mountains seemed higher, the colors even more vibrant than what we'd already seen over the last month. And, as the Canadian border guard told us, we'd pass five (5) different types of terrain on our way to Whitehorse. Incedible!!

Of the five types of terrain, we definitely recognized three: arctic tundra, boreal forests, and high desert/sand dunes.  And of course, in all of this, mountains, mountains, mountains.

Carcross YK - portion of main street

We decided to stop in Carcross YK for the night. A little speck of a place, which belongs to the Tagish Indians, and which is remaking itself as a tourist stop for the train from Skagway to White Mountain (a gold prospecting town) and the bus tours from the cruise lines that stop in Skagway. Population at Carcross is about 350, mostly Indians and weekenders from Skagway. We took a walking tour of the town, saw two dozen log cabins and homes from the early 1900's, and learned a little of the history in the process. A number of the current shop owners are European: French, Swiss, and German. Not sure how that came about.

Day 30 & 31 - July 13 & 14 Haines

Day 30/31 - July 13 & 14 - Haines

Sea Wolf Gallery
Original works of Tlingit Indian artist.

Today began with a visit to a local art gallery of Tlinget Art. Tlinget is one of the local Indian tribes in the area. Such beautiful work. We spent a long time talking to the artist about his work and the materials he used. He makes totem poles, fine art, jewelry, and wood carvings. All materials are native to the region.

Next, we stopped at Inside Passage Quliting. This store specializes in Alaska fabrics that are primarily found only in Alsaka. Many of the patterns are designed by Alaskans. Fabulous designs, colors, and quilt designs. A visual feast.  

We had bear-rittos for lunch at The Bear Den. Yummy! Would recommend this place to anyone who visits Haines. It's near the waterfront downtown.

Sherman Museum and Cultural Center was our next stop, across the street from the restaurant. This museum contained a large collection of artifacts from the early days of Haines' inception, including a number of military items from the original fort, as well as items from the various Indian tribes.

There's always a need to have clean clothes. Laundry was on the agenda. Nuff said.

Fr Perry blesses Einstein for
the continuation of our journey ahead.

We went to Saturday night Mass at Sacred Heart Church. The church probably held 100 people - about 30-50 were actually there; it was a service without music or singing. Fr. Perry, the celebrant, had all the visitors introduce themselves. And after Mass, he blessed all of us who were traveling and our vehicles.

Dinner was at Big Al's Fish & Chips. Deep fried Salmon and Halibut with fries. A real treat!

Then for the next few hours we went "Driving for Bear" up the Lutak Inlet above Haines on the northeast coast. A beautiful body of water, spectacular mountains, and a peaceful dive. The locals said the salmon were running. We didn't see any bear, but we did spy several eagles, a variety of duck we did not recognize, the usual ravens abundant in this area, and lots of fishermen and campers. But no salmon.

Tomorrow Einstein goes aquatic: his first boat ride.

Day 29 - Jul 12 Tok to Haines

Day 29 - Jul 12 Tok to Haines

It's a treat to "go backwards", so to speak, and see the same scenery in reverse. Keith and I commented many times to each other that we didn't remember seeing all these same sites before, even tho we did pass this way a few weeks ago. The road seemed rougher, the construction sites longer, but the scenery more beautiful. 

We ventured all the way to Haines - what a charming hamlet on the water. Because we travelled further that expected, we arrived later in the evening. So we are set up and now ready for bed - if we can get our fellow campers to knock off for the night. It's right out of something called "Wild Alaska", the arguing, name calling, and general discontent. Picture reality TV with a bunch of drunks and you've got a good idea of what's playing out next door to our campsite. Including an episode of the cops bringing mom, baby and grandpa to the campsite.

Oh well . . . every now and then we should have a little humor. 

Day 28 - Jul 11 Valdez to Tok

Day 28 - Jul 11 Valdez to Tok

Bridal Veil Falls
Wrangle-St Elias National Park

This morning we woke to the first totally blue-sky morning we've seen since we arrived in AK. What a surprise to see all those beautiful mountains without their white shrouds. After breakfast, we packed up and moved on going north to Tok. We travelled again those beautiful highways with the ever-chaging scenery. Even though we travelled half of today's distance yesterday, it was coming at it us from the opposite direction and took on a familiar but different perspective. This state has the most incredible scenery - the best we've seen anywhere on any of our other journeys. If you like to bike, walk, hike, swim, hunt, fish, fly, prospect, camp, you name it, this state has it in the extreme.

Damn! Dishpan hands!

Is this real?

On our way by Tiekle River, we stopped at a diner where we'd stopped yesterday. Keith had made plans for the proprietor to show him how to pan for gold. The guy had a set-up on his property where he'd pan as a hobby. So Keith spent about an hour sloshing rocks and muddy water in a miner's pan. He's always wanted to try panning (bucket list again), and here was the opportunity. We don't think the real '49ers used plastic panning equipment. Maybe that was his downfall. Suffice to say we're still counting on Social Security to carry us through our old age.     

On our way out of Vadez, we stopped at a local cemetery looking for anything interesting. Here's a few headstones that made us laugh.

We are "en-camped" at Tok this evening, and will move on to Haines Junction in BC tomorrow. We will be retracing our drive on the Alaska Highway, with a detour to Haines and Skagway on Sat & Sun this weekend. We have some very interesting exploits planned.

Day 27 - July 10 - Glennellen to Valdez

Day 27 - Jul 10 - Glennellen to Valdez

We left our B&B about 9 AM and headed south through the western edge of the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park - our nation's largest national park. It is hard to imagine that we would see any scenery more magnificent that what Alaska has already provided for us, but that was a misconception. By far this corner of the state is the prettiest, most majestic and awe-inspiring.



At almost every bend in the road the lush forest and stately elegance of the mountains never ceases to amaze us. These mountain majesties are taller here and grew taller as the day progressed. We moved from boreal forests dense with tall pines, poplars and birches, to the shorter forests of the tundra. And the expanse of green velvet plush carpeting up the mountainsides was immense. And the glaciers! Everywhere! We had the opportunity to stop and see the Worthington Glacier at Thompson Pass (the highest point on our travels today). We had no idea of the immensity of the glacier until we had the opportunity to look through a spotting scope and could see the pinpoints (people) climbing the glacier.







Then came Valdez - a small hamlet of about 4100 people on the western short of Prince William Sound, which is surrounded by these magnificent, immense purple mountain majesties. We did a driving tour of the Sound and spotted four eagles, two eaglets, a few unrecognized species of birds (to be researched later), and lots of seagulls.

For dinner we tasted the local seafood cuisine which consisted of a skewer of shrimp, salmon, halibut, and scallops, along with a side-dish of garlic sautéed fresh garden vegetables, and red potatoes. Very tasty. 

Shortly, we may go bear spotting, as the locals tell us there are a number to be seen. (It's a bucket list item for Keith).

Day 26 - Jul 9 Seward to Glennallen

DAY 26 - JUL 9 - SEWARD TO GLENNALLEN

This was a travel day. We left Seward around 9 AM and since there aren't many roads in this state, when we started for Valdez we had to backtrack through Anchorage, then continue north to the Palmer exit and turn northeast toward Glennallen. 

Of course the scenery was a visual feast. Once we had turned on to the Glenn Highway outside of Palmer, we moved from pine forests to the tundra. We climbed to what seemed incredible heights, with rushing rivers in the valleys and snow-capped, glacier laced mountains above. The permafrost heaves on the road were evident again as we bobbed along like a roller coster in some areas. 

Fireweed - a wildflower that grows along the highways 

Finally, we pulled into Glennallen, where a fair amount of road construction is underway, but it was really the first we encountered all day. There's not much to the town, except for the end of the Glenn Highway where it "T's" into the Valdez and Tok highways. One going south, one going north. 

We're spending the night in a lovely home which has been converted into a B&B and is tucked away in the woods. We chanced upon this place when we stopped at the Visitors Centers and asked about lodging. The volunteer told us of several hotels and campsites, and then suggested some B&B's - one of which she owned. At this place, Antler's Rest B&B - there are only two other B&B'ers, along with the homeowners and us. One of the guys mentioned he'd heard this morning that a grizzly was spotted on the road nearby. It wouldn't be surprising since this is a fairly remote town, and everyone is somewhat isolated from one another. We can't see any neighbors from this house, but they are nearby, just hidden by the forest. 

The view from our bedroom window. Also, it looks about
the same from the living room window.

Meanwhile I think I'll check out and head for bed. It'll be nice to be dry for a change, and tp get a decent shower. On top of that, the owner has made a batter of sourdough waffles for tomorrow's breakfast. The sourdough is from an 1898 starter that was passed down to her. 

Also, point of trivia: originally (as a nickname) sourdough was used to identify an experienced gold miner. We've seen it on all kinds of souvenir items: coffee cups, towels, bags, etc. referring to someone from Alaska.

Cheers, and it's raining again.