Alaska, 2.2

Prince George, Dawson Creek, Beginning Alaska Hwy

I remember how long it took for me last time to get in a groove with living in the trailer. At some point, you go from a mindset of “camping” to a mindset of “living”. This time has been a little more difficult, for reasons I can only attribute to just being older and being firmly attached to my daily routine at home. Kathy was working everyday which left me at home free to live my day as I pleased. Get the chores done and then do what I want. I’ve had to work a bit harder to make this adjustment this time, but I finally feel like a balance has been achieved, on day 17.

After departing Jasper on time, we had a wonderful drive over to Prince George. We left Alberta and entered British Columbia. Mount Robson Visitor Centre was our first stop. They accommodate larger RV’s with a very large parking lot. We spent some time in the gift shop, didn’t buy anything but I think I managed to get a good shot of Mount Robson. I love the clouds covering the summit. It leaves a mystery for another time. We arrived in Prince George mid afternoon and then started some utility duties like filling propane tanks, filling pickups with diesel, laundry, and more food shopping. Prince George is a wonderful city. Everyone we met and talked to were just as nice as possible. Kathy and Monika wanted to go get their nails done and I wanted to get a workout in somewhere. So they found a nail shop and I found an Anytime Fitness to do my workout. I felt so good after doing a workout, it had been more than two weeks since my last one. I brought along some resistance bands, but have not done a planned exercise routine with them yet. Hopefully I can make that happen some time soon. Monika’s and Kathy’s nails were quite beautiful too. They said they had a good time, a break from the regular routine.

With Prince George in our rear view mirror, on time again, we were greeted with an excellent day of sights. Passing through flower filled country sides and then back to thick evergreens and mountains. Two bears were spotted which was a real treat. We saw many moose warning signs, but not a single moose. Kathy is always on high alert for moose. We passed many natural lakes and rivers. The land here is as natural and untouched as seems reasonable. There are wide electrical high tension line easements that cross the region as does a railroad line. Carrying electricity and cargo to and from the larger cities.

I always see possible images to take when I am driving, but 95% of the time, there is no where to pull over. The road shoulder is only about 3-4 feet wide and does not allow for our rig size. So, we very reluctantly have to keep driving. I can only imagine what the images would be if only I could spend 5 minutes there.

Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson

We were blessed with a strong tail wind pretty much the entire drive from Prince George to Dawson Creek. When we arrived at D.C., the wind was blowing a steady 25 to 30 MPH. After setting up and going to town for a few things, we settled in for the evening. The town of Dawson Creek is the start of the Alaska Hwy, so we did our traditional group photo at the legendary sign. Just our luck it was just starting to rain, so we stood in the rain for a few photos. Then we reset our trip odometers and hit the road. Rain was falling for most of the day, raining very hard at times. The road looked to be resurfaced not that long ago, so it was a good day for driving, minus the rain. I made on error on choosing a lunch location. There are not very many good locations to stop and rest on the Alcan Hwy. So when you come across a paved parking lot, one should consider fast and hard about stopping for it. Especially if it’s time for some lunch. It was a great spot, plenty of space for parking, all paved, great views, and then, I drive right past it. I’ve regretted that quick decision all day. Since we had plenty of time in our schedule today, I should have stopped! Lesson learned on this one. Next time, stop and take a break, take some pics, stretch, and enjoy our time more.

Once we arrived at Fort Nelson for the night, it had stopped raining long enough for us to set up, have lunch, and then go for a tour of the local Historical Society establishment, which was occupying the property right next to the RV campground. What a treat that was to spend an hour or so there. There was so much history of the town and of the Alaska Hwy. We were fortunate enough to have been given an impromptu personal tour of the grounds by a very nice young man named Lucas who told us he had lived in Fort Nelson his whole life. He took us around and opened doors to historical buildings, literally, he had keys and unlocked them for us to walk through. All these buildings had significant historical value to the town or area. They were set up with all the furniture and belongings of the people that had lived in them. So many fascinating facts on this tour by Lucas. Had he not offered to show us these things, we would not have been the wiser.

Monika commented to me today that she thinks it has rained at least a little each day on this trip. I also believe that to be true. We have had some very hard rain storms, continuous soft rain, and everything in-between. We do enjoy the sunlight when we do see it. I’m sure we will get our share of everything during the 12 weeks of the trip.

Our drive from Fort Nelson to Liard Hot Springs began a little earlier than other days since we needed to get to the campground to try to get a first come first served site. We left at 7:30 and it was 30 minutes before we had our first sighting of other traffic. No rush hour on the Alaskan Hwy! The road became less straight and more curvy with rolling hills and some steep grades. One of the best places to stop on the hwy to get cinnamon rolls is Tetsa River Resort. Kathy and I stayed there over night last time but we didn’t get any rolls. So, this time we made a point of stopping to get rolls and coffee. They were still hot from the oven and too good to be real! I also bought a home made loaf of 12 grain bread.

The rest of the drive was filled with views of beautiful mountains and lakes and streams. We did succeed at getting a great site at the Liard Hot Springs campground. The campsite gods were on our side today. We managed to snag a double site, which means we can put both rigs in the same site. They aren’t that common, so when we find one we try to get one. After all the infrastructure was in place, swimming suits and towels were donned as we made our way down the wooden walkway toward the hot springs. Kathy once again had an eagle eye with finding flowers and things along the boardwalk. The hot springs were just as we left them last time. These are natural hot springs, so the temperature of the water varies greatly from one end to the other. A very slight smell of sulfur is present, but the wind carries it away nicely.

On the way to Liard Hot Springs is Muncho Lake Provincial Park. This is one gorgeous area! We wanted to get to our First Come First Served campground so we didn’t want to stop. But I went back the next morning to spend a couple hours with the camera. These images are from that morning. The bridge crossing Liard River is the last remaining suspension bridge on the Alaska Hwy. It’s very narrow but it’s still looking like its in good shape. The rest of the day was pretty casual, with Kathy and Monika taking one more dip in the hot springs and me getting a little extra rest after lunch, and Al reading and taking a walk. We then played a game of Setback (card game) with Monika and I as the winners! The Starlink system that both parties have is not so steady working where we are now. Al got his to connect but it was also disconnecting every few minutes, and we have not been successful at making a connection with Kathy’s at all. We think the trees surrounding the campsite may be the issue. None of us have much experience with Starlink, so we are all learning as we go.

The sun rises at 4:17am and sets at 10:40pm. The night, instead of being a dark time, is more like a perpetual dusk time. Black out curtains and an eye mask are the only things helping to get a good nights sleep. We find that we are eating dinner later and later each day. Certainly not part of our normal days living in Colorado. But, Happy Hour seems to be coming a little earlier each day! Still working on figuring that one out. Happy Birthday to the United States today. We certainly do not miss the neighborhood fire crackers and bottle rockets.

The trip from Liard Hot Springs to Whitehorse, Yukon was an uneventful drive, with the exception of seeing 6 black bears along the road. We stopped for one night at Teslin Lake campground, which is a Yukon Province campground. No photos really along this stretch, just a lot of driving.

Once we arrived in Whitehorse, Kathy’s first mission was to park at the downtown visitor center and then visit the quilting store that is located just across the street, then meet Al and I for lunch at our favorite restaurant, the Klondike. Al and I went to an outdoors store that to our amazement, took up a whole downtown block and had all the things we were seeking. Our meeting time at the Klondike was noon. On our slow walk around downtown, we came upon what looked to be a homeless couple sitting on a bench. Without any sense of desperation, they asked me for a few dollars. I obliged them, and then asked for a portrait, which they gladly agreed to, as you can see in the photo. We met Kathy and Monika at the Klondike on time, only to find it is closed on Saturdays! Argh! So we regrouped and went to the place right next door and had a fantastic lunch anyway.

After our shopping and lunch we headed for the overnight RV park on the south side of town. Al and I were chomping at the bit to get our rigs clean again. After 3500 miles and rain everyday so far, they were looking very, very bad. He opted for a car wash downtown where some school kids were working a Saturday car wash and earning some extra money. I decided to try the car wash that was located just across the street from our RV park. After about $40 Canadian, and an hour of hard physical labor, it barely looked like I had done anything. I was so frustrated, this episode hit me hard the stayed with me for a few hours. So, I decided then, that I was not going to wash the rig until I go home again. For what it’s worth, Al’s rig didn’t look too much different than mine. I guess the road grime was just too stubborn for the young and for the older.

The final leg of the chapter was from Whitehorse down to Skagway, AK. This is a relatively short drive but has lots of places to pull over the see the sights. We saw our first grizzly today along the road. Kathy wanted me to “TURN AROUND”! But there is just no easy place to do that. So we slowly meandered forward. The first real sight to see is Emerald Lake. This is a beautiful lake with emerald colors as you can see. We spent about an hour here taking photos and just enjoying the time. The next spot was just 2 km down the road, which is a sandy desert spot. This area is similar to our National Sand Dunes Park in Colorado, where over eons of time, sand has accumulated due to wind directions and erosion of the surrounding mountains. Then, we spent an hour in Carcross. There are little shops and a couple places to eat and a few hundred residents. I can’t go deeper with the history, but I know this community has been around for many generations, well before any roads were built here.

From Carcross, we then made our way over the border back into the USA and found our campground in Skagway. The digs here are, let me say, adequate, but nothing fancy. No bells or whistles here. Which is fine, because we will soon be heading to Juneau and then Gustavus Island for a 3 day adventure/excursion without the rigs. Stay tuned!

Alaska, 2.3

Alaska, 2.1