Sunday, August 10, Day 69
Travel miles this day 314
We were now headed back the way we had come. On the way into Alaska we saw the front of this sign. Now from the truck camper we saw the back side.
 |
| "Welcome to Alaska" for northbound and "Welcome to the Yukon" for southbound vehicles |
 |
| Dust and gravel |
And then...
 |
| Silver dollar sizes |
 |
| Return to the Yukon. A favorite. |
At Customs they only asked how long we would be in Canada, where we were coming from, an whether we had any firearms and anything besides food and clothing on board.
 |
| I was always expecting them to make us unload. They never did. |
I responded with a pleasant smile (remember I just had our windshield marked for replacement) and gave the right responses, including “2 bottles of liquor and 4 beers.” He said “OK, and have a nice trip.”
We stopped at the Beaver Creek Visitor Center, realizing that the sign that says “Construction Ends” does not mean that road conditions are good. The posted speed limit is 72 kph (42 mph), but more often we were doing far less in these sections of the highway.
 |
| East and West ALCan road dozers met here in 1942. One was driven by an African American. |
 |
| Commemoration for Black engineers in 1942 construction |
 |
| Largest gold pan in the Yukon |
 |
| The most photographed spot at Haines Junction--the "Village" monument. |
At 5:30 pm Pacific time, we stopped at the Kluane Visitor Center and
Haines Junction for a fuel and restroom break, then we spent the night east of
the Haines Junction. Monday, August 11, Day 70
2,231 ft. elevation, sunny then cloudy, 60°
Travel miles this day 333
At 8:58 am we left the campground. At 9:33 am a big porcupine crossed in front of us, then turned around and recrossed just as I neared him. He missed me.
At 8:58 am we left the campground. At 9:33 am a big porcupine crossed in front of us, then turned around and recrossed just as I neared him. He missed me.
We lunched at the Yukon Motel and Restaurant and arrived at our stop for the night at 4:30 pm—the Baby Nugget RV Park, which is just west of Watson Lake.
 |
| Community Center at the RV Park with laundry and restrooms in the rear. Notice the name! |
There were very nice shower facilities at the campground for $2 Canadian. There was also a good WiFi connection in the laundry room, which we both used.
Since Tok we had been traveling on roads we had traveled on the trip toward Alaska. The next day, we would be turning off the major Alaska Highway and taking the Cassiar Highway south back to the US. The Cassiar is a designated as a “remote highway” that travels through some of the most beautiful scenery in British Columbia.
There was a major gift shop at the Baby Nugget RV Park, and while Daisy shopped, I visited with the attractive shop owner, who had an interesting bearing about her. Not only did she make much of the jade jewelry on display, she also mined the jade out of her family’s own mines. During the winter she drove ore trucks and trapped. She was about my age and her skin showed the hue of an outdoor person. At one time she prospected for gold, and she and her husband both hunted in the fall for food and chopped wood for heat. She said in this country you learn to do what is necessary for survival. I should have asked her to take her picture, but I was afraid to offend. She might be carrying!
Tuesday, August 12, Day 71
198 miles to Iskut, BC
At the junction of Cassiar and Alaska Highways we turned south to Hyder, Alaska. We would be crossing back in British Columbia and eventually into Washington State. This was a new road for us.
 |
| Crossing from Yukon back to British Columbia |
At the junction of Cassiar and Alaska Highways we turned south to Hyder, Alaska. We would be crossing back in British Columbia and eventually into Washington State. This was a new road for us.
We had only repeated 2 1/2 days of our original incoming route.
 |
| The roads were narrow. All travelers took their share of the middle. |
The gift shop owner had informed me that it was a narrow mining road, mostly chipped sealed surface but graveled at times.
 |
| Spruce beetles did this destructive damage. Fire danger is high. |
Unlike the road we had been on, she said that there would be no shoulders, no center or side line markings, but other than that a great road she said.
 |
| Jade Mountain range ahead |
Once we got to Jade City the road would improve. I was looking forward to Jade City.
About 90% of the jade in the world is mined from the Cassiar Mountains in BC. Jade City is in the heart of that range.
 |
| You moistened these to see what the true colors would be. |
 |
| No Daisy...to big |
Well, we brought some neat rocks at Jade City, which has a population of about 20 people.
 |
| All shapes and sizes |
 |
| This is for a bathroom sink. |
 |
| Grizzly and salmon carvings |
Inukshuk (pronounced In-ook-shook) means “in the image of
man” and the figures are erected in stone by the Inuit people. They were originally used as markers or
guides. It is said that the ancient ones used the figures, made with stones from this area, to safety guide them
to hunting grounds and back home again.We were in Jade City about one hour in one of the two jade stores; the other was closed.
We arrived at
Mountain Shadow Campground in Iskut, BC about 3:20 pm. The temperature was a pleasant 70° and we
decided to call it a day and take out the grill for our evening steak meal.  |
| We do get to have temporary homes in beautiful places. |
 |
| Fuel tank here is for the owner's float plane. |
We walked down to the lake with the warning from our host to be sure and make noise in the process. It seemed that berries are out and people and bears are using the same trails.
Wednesday, August 13, Day 72
We saw black bears at four separate times.
The fireweed plants along the highway were beginning to show fluffy seed pods with blooms. The locals had told us at the beginning our Alaskan journey that once the fireweed pods pop open, winter weather will be close behind, so it would be time to get out of the north country. We were doing just that!
 |
| The road to Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska |
We stopped at Bear Glacier on our way to Seward, BC, and
then drove back across the Alaskan border to Hyder, Alaska.  |
| Bear Glacier |
Hyder was a silver
mining town and now focuses on tourism and forestry. Hyder is a small funky town
and there is no US Customs Office when you enter Alaska. Hyder uses both US and
Canadian currency, Canadian schools in Stewart for the kids, the Pacific instead
of Alaska time zone, the Canadian telephone area code, and the RCMP “mountie” services.
Scenes from Hyder
We went directly to Camp Run-a-Muck, got our site and were directed to a Seafood Express Bus for lunch.
Yes, it was in a converted school bus. We had fried oysters and baked salmon.
We shared a table with an 87-year-old Texan. He was a former county judge and was there with his three sons to fish chum salmon for a week. This was a family tradition for him and his “boys” (as he called them).
They had been there for several days and had lots of fun stories to share. It was catch and release fishing, but their arms were tired from playing these large fish. Their afternoon plan was to take naps and then go back and fish some more.
We liked the idea and went back to the campground, put down
the jacks on the truck camper, and had a nap ourselves—an afternoon delight.
 |
| Yep, they are serious! Stay off the road. |
 |
| 20 minutes after we got there, we had a diner. |
The key is to be there at the right time. We were!
 |
| The deck is to keep the people in. |
 |
| It is elevated. |
 |
| There is also an emergency gate that can be opened if the bears want to use the deck. |
 |
| Top Dog |
We saw a large male grizzly that had an ear that had been torn up in a fight. He had been named Dog by the rangers. It seems that Dog was the dominant alpha bear, and when he was present all other bears stayed away.
According to the US Forest Service biologist who was on the platform with us, some will weigh 30-40 pounds and be over 40 inches long.
While we were watching, Dog caught and ate 4 salmon. He took them to shore behind some bushes to devour. I guess he had bad table manners and did not want us to watch him eating.
 |
| We are happy campers! |
At 7:30, Dog was through fishing and left,
so we decided it was time for our dinner. We went to the Glacier Inn in downtown Hyder.
We had beers, halibut, and mussels and ran into the Texas judge and his boys.
It seems that this bar and restaurant is the town hangout. All the local characters would be there at one time or another. The judge invited us to come see him in Texas and he would take us to the local fishing holes. Who knows, maybe we’ll take him up on his offer.
so we decided it was time for our dinner. We went to the Glacier Inn in downtown Hyder.
We had beers, halibut, and mussels and ran into the Texas judge and his boys.
It seems that this bar and restaurant is the town hangout. All the local characters would be there at one time or another. The judge invited us to come see him in Texas and he would take us to the local fishing holes. Who knows, maybe we’ll take him up on his offer.
Thursday, August 14, Day 73
Elevation 52 ft., temperature 55°
Travel miles this day 389
When we left the campground, we were told that we could stop in the parking lot just outside the local library (which was closed) and we would be able to use the WiFi. We took advantage of this opportunity.
 |
| Signage as we left Hyder |
Then we stopped at the Canadian Customs border station to cross one last time on this trip from Alaska back into Canada.
 |
| We briefly stopped at Bear Glacier on the way out. |
We then took the Yellowhead Highway east to Prince George, British Columbia. From there we would head south and cross the US border into Washington State.
We had one more bear sighting this day. A black bear suddenly came from the left across the 4-lane road and made contact with the RV in the rear. I felt a slight wobble. In the rear view mirror on her side, Daisy saw him reach the safety of the brush on the roadside. I decided to not stop and look for him in the timber. I could see the headlines now: “Stupid US tourist looks for injured bear in woods and finds it.”
 |
| Before |
We made a stop in a town on our route to wash the road dirt off our rig.
 |
| During |
 |
| After |
Remember the bear encounter I mentioned earlier? I discovered this while washing the rig.
 |
| A minor wound I figure. |
When we examined the back driver’s side corner of the camper, we found a small amount of blood and bear hair. He left his mark!
 |
| Now we knew we were back in domestic wildlife country too. |
As we traveled, it was becoming more
noticeable that the Aspen leaves were turning yellow. It was time to head home.
Continuing on our way, we began to notice and smell the smoke of a forest and grassland fire. It got thicker as we traveled southeast toward Prince George. We decided to continue traveling until it cleared and put in a longer day than we normally would have.
Daisy had the opportunity to see something I had seen many times: a helicopter bucket operation getting water from a lake south of the highway to dump on the fire.
When we arrived at Dave’s RV Park near Vanderhoof, BC, we decided it was time to stop for the evening.
 |
| A natural turf putt putt golf course in the campground, including flowers |
Tomorrow would be a big push toward Washington State, a special memory and time in my history.
No comments:
Post a Comment