Chicken to Hyder & 60 day check-up

60 Day Checkup

Well actually about 70 days out now with the following observations:

• We are in our last Alaska stop now and will be departing this area tomorrow.
• 10,975 miles on the road since leaving home and we are currently 3,285 miles from home
• Camper damage - one slide not working correctly and no heat - Ed and Kay had a weld break on their spare tire holder and had a flat tire repaired
• We are doing well and still having fun but Kathy is getting a little homesick and ready to be home. I think she is looking forward to the heat and humidity of home.

After we re-enter the lower 48 we think that Ed and Kay, who are not in a hurry to get home, may go a different direction than us (at some point) making some additional stops on the way home....but we do not have a solid plan for either of us yet.

17 July

     On the road to Tok, Alaska. The trip from Valdez was pretty uneventful....no problems encountered. We did stop in Copper Center in order for Ed to have his flat tire plugged. On from there we later learned that we were pretty lucky to pass by an area where they were fighting a fire that had consumed about 750 acres and was only a mile and a half from the highway we were traveling.

     At the Tok RV park (we also stayed there on the way up)  Ed picked up the fax he was looking for with the title of his new truck registration in Georgia. He is feeling more comfortable now about crossing the border and not having a temporary tag. He gets the oil changed and we fuel up ready to head out.

18 July - Top of the World Highway

     Did I mention that they use the word "highway" rather loosely here? Well, we had been warned that it was a little rough but we needed to find out for ourselves. We headed out for Dawson City via the Top of the World Highway which is 185 miles and about 120 miles of that is dirt/gravel roads.
The first part of the trip was paved and not so bad but it soon turned into a dirt road that left a lot to be desired before making our way to the small town of Chicken, Alaska. The story goes that they wanted to name the town after the Alaska state bird (ptarmigan - pronounced with a silent "P") but none in attendance could agree on the spelling so they just decided to call the town Chicken. I am sure there was no alcohol involved in that town meeting :-)

Top of the World Highway - heading to Chicken

Top of the World scenic view

     The milepost trip guide says there are 23 residents and 7 who live in Chicken permanently (through the winter) so you get the idea of how small it is. We enjoyed lunch there and picked up a few souvenirs before heading out. The gift shop advertised having the only flushing toilets in town....they were proud!

     While there we met a couple from Mexico City that were traveling on a motorcycle...both on the same bike. They left Mexico City and had gone to Washington D.C. and then on to Alaska. Pretty amazing we thought as it is pretty cold to be traveling via motorcycle....never mind that far. When I asked them about the weather, they both had plugs on their riding suits to the battery so they could keep warm.

Moose on roadside in early part of Top of the World Highway

     After leaving Chicken the road only got worse for the longest time until about 10 miles before we crossed the Canadian border back into the Yukon. The last 10 miles on the U.S. side was the newest, best highway we've been on yet. But it didn't last long....entering Canada it turns back to gravel road but overall in pretty good shape with some rough spots along the way. I am happy to report that the Culpeppers made this border crossing without any incidents....Ed was driving!

Border Crossing

     The drive across the Top of the World looked like it would be spectacular views except it turned into a pretty rainy and foggy day as we traveled it. At times we could barely see the vehicle in front of us. At least the rain was not a down pour but just a steady misty drizzle all day with a few breaks in the clouds. Wish it would have been better but don't think I'd do that road again. Our friends Jim and Sheila recommended against it but we had to see for ourselves.....plus it was the best way to Dawson City

Fog getting thick on Top of the World

     When we stopped at the Yukon river crossing we got to see just how nasty and dirty our trucks and trailers were.....it was caked on like cement.

Dirty Rigs

     In order to cross the Yukon River at Dawson City we must use a ferry...it was quite interesting as the flow of the river was strong. The ferry, although small, was capable of holding both of our campers and a couple of other vehicles too. Just before arriving at the ferry landing Kathy and I saw a black bear scamper across the highway....he was in a pretty big hurry!

Yukon River Ferry

     When we arrive at the campground and secure a site for the night we decide we need to try to wash some of the mud off the trucks and campers before it dries like cement on the rigs. We find a place with a pressure washer that takes looney's (one dollar Canadian coins)......about 12-13 dollars later the biggest part of the mud is off but the rigs are still plenty dirty.

19 July - Dawson City

     Dawson City is a cool town with a lot of history from the Klondike Gold rush days in the 1898 timeframe. A lot of the buildings in the town are still standing and the streets are unpaved wide dirt/gravel roads. The visitors center has many folks dressed in the 1898 era clothing and doing tours.
Kathy and I headed out for a self guided walking tour in the morning...we walked a long distance and stopped for lunch at a local bistro. After lunch we rode to a gold dredge and the midnight dome (mountain top) where you get a great view of the town of Dawson City and the Yukon River valley.

View of Dawson from midnight dome

Dawson City Street

     Ed and Kay did some hiking in the afternoon while Kathy and I took a guided tour of the town. After that we met for a cool drink before dinner. Dinner was pretty good for three of us but Ed ordered ribs.....the waitress warned him they may not be what you're thinking but that couldn't change his mind. They were boneless and looked like chicken nuggets....he was not happy.

          

     After dinner we headed over to the downtown hotel for a little sourtoe action. Read about it here: http://dawsoncity.ca/attraction/sourtoe-cocktail-club/
This is where you drink a shot of whiskey with a human toe in the glass....you let the toe touch your lips but do not swallow the toe ($2500 fine if you do). For that you get logged into the Sourtoe Cocktail Club and earn a card and certificate saying so.  My plan was to go and watch but Ed immediately ordered a shot of whiskey and got in line....I was the photographer, right?  After that he wouldn't quit giving me the stink eye until I did it too. You cannot make this stuff up!

Ed getting instructions on joining the Sourtoe Cocktail Club

Down the hatch - Hey, what's that in my drink?

     Then on to Diamond Tooth Gerties for their show....it was similar to the show we saw in Whitehorse except not quite as good in my opinion. We had a beer there and played some slots before calling it a night.

Dawson City was a pretty good stop!

20 July - Travel Day - Fox Lake

     We left Dawson City headed in the direction of Whitehorse. We are ultimately headed for the Stewart/Hyder area but will require a couple of overnight stops on the way.

     Not too far out of Dawson City a black bear nearly runs into Ed and Kay but stops near the side of the road and since Kathy and I were following we were able to stop and Kathy got a few fairly close shots from the safety of the passenger seat with the motor still running. He stayed there and posed for a short time before running off.

Roadside black bear outside Dawson City

     A rest stop and short hike are in order at a roadside stop in an area of the Yukon River called the Five Fingers Rapids.....this is an area well known for being treacherous to navigate during the gold rush days and early riverboat travel. A good break from the highway

Five Fingers Rapids - Yukon River

    
     We stopped tonight at a provincial park called Fox Lake that is not too far from Whitehorse.....a beautiful park right on the lake.

Fox Lake Provincial Park

     We grilled some of our halibut for dinner and after dinner Ed and I visited with some folks camping nearby from Sacramento California. We had a good stop/rest and learned a bit from them about the road we are headed for...Cassiar Highway. They were traveling the opposite direction of us and recommended a park or two to stay in on that route.

     The big attraction to the Hyder area is seeing bears feeding on Salmon in a stream from an observation deck....unfortunately we haven't talked to anyone yet coming from there that has seen any bears.

21 July - Travel Day to Boya Lake

     We have been a couple days without internet or phone service for the most part. This day we leave Fox Lake Campground headed into Whitehorse for some supplies on the way to the Cassiar Highway. In Whitehorse we get fresh water in the campers (continuing to boondock camp) and go to Walmart (not a very good one) and also a Canadian Superstore which is a very nice grocery store. At least in Whitehorse we were able to check email and texts and get caught up. No time to post to the blog yet and I am falling behind.

     We have our sights set for a provincial park called Boya Lake that our friends from Sacramento mentioned to us. With the shopping stop in Whitehorse it made for a very long travel day....about 300 miles - partially on the Alaska Highway (backtracking roads already traveled) and ultimately turning right on the Cassiar Highway (route 37) and leaving the Yukon and entering British Columbia.

     The Cassiar so far is a pleasant surprise....the first several miles the scenery was somewhat spoiled from a fairly recent forest fire but after that it became really nice with many lakes and ponds to see and the road condition is pretty good. Because it is narrow and windy our speed is limited to about 45 mph though.

     Around 7:00 P.M. we manage to get settled into our campsites at Boya Lake and we were not disappointed with that campground....very nice and on a beautiful lake. We are still feeling chilled as the temps in the mornings around upper 40's and daytime max is low 60's and a lot of high 50's but as we walked around the campground there is a family there from Calgary and their young son is swimming....we could not believe it but he was having a ball.

Boya Lake

     At this campground we met a couple traveling on bicycles....they were from New Zealand. They said they were traveling from the northern tip of Alaska to South America.....yes, you read that right. I asked how long they expected that to take and they said they were not sure but guessed two years. A lot of interesting people out here!

     Before leaving the campground the next morning Ed took a hike that he said led him to a huge beaver damn. He said they had chewed through some trees that were 12-14 inches in diameter.

22 July - Travel Day to Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park

     After being so tired from the previous day we decided to keep this a short day. We targeted another provincial park, Kinaskan Lake that was only about 170 miles away and would put us about half way to Hyder which we could make the next day. Between a late departure, slow travel and road construction we were still around 4:00 getting set up at the new campsite. But we were early enough to get campsites right on a really pretty lake....again boon docking and no cell or internet.

Cassiar Highway Scenery

     The weather was pretty rainy off an on the trip today and during the rainy times the temp dropped from 59 down to 45.....a cold wet day. After setting up and doing a little camp maintenance we grilled some pork chops and corn on the cobb and followed that by a friendly card game....the guys won this one by a rather large margin :-)

23 & 24 July - Stewart/Hyder

     Leaving the Kinaskan Lake area headed for Hyder....this was the worst weather day we've had since leaving home...it rained all day and visibility was not good. It looked as though the scenery would be spectacular under better conditions, especially through the last forty miles into Stewart, British Columbia. At least we will have another shot at that part when we back track on the way out of this area.

Canyon into Stewart/Hyder area

     We arrived at the Bear Creek RV park in Stewart which has full hook-ups, cable TV and cell/internet service....a nice treat :-) so two nights here are in order. After getting settled in we drive over to Hyder for dinner. They too have a drinking challenge called "Getting Hyderized" but we manage to resist the temptations this time....I was driving. After dinner, on to the bear viewing platform at Fish Creek. It is raining and crowded and not a bear in sight.

     The town of Stewart is a small town that borders a portion of Alaska with an even smaller town- Hyder. Leaving Canada into Alaska there is not even a U.S. customs agent there because you cannot go anywhere else from Hyder...but there IS a Canadian customs on the return trip.

Stewart Harbor

     Sunday morning (24 July) the girls sleep in and Ed and I head back to Fish Creek to see if we can see bears....three hours there and no bears yet. We did get to see and learn a bit about the Chum Salmon that are coming into that creek to spawn and die.....there are a lot of them there and many dead in the water so sea gulls and some eagles around.

     Back at camp mid morning Kathy opened the barber shop and Ed and I both get a much needed haircut. After a nap and a hot lunch we decided to take a ride to another glacier in Hyder....it is called the Salmon River Glacier. We've seen plenty of glaciers on this trip and hesitated to go to this one but we were glad we did. We traveled a gravel mountain road (about 18 miles) up to about 3700 feet elevation where we had a great/different view of the glacier....this time looking down on it. At one point we heard a helicopter and looked up for it but it was actually flying to/near the glacier well below where we were. That gave us a unique perspective on just how large the glacier was.

Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier

     After dinner we gave the fish creek bears another try but struck out again. It seems that the lone bear was there about an hour and a half before we got there and no others visited before time to go. Tomorrow is moving day - heading farther south and expect to be back in the lower 48 within several days.