We left Haines Junction, YT, today around 8:15 and continued on our migration towards Alaska on the Alaska Hwy. We again see snow covered mountains and frozen lakes and snow among the trees. That said, the farther west we go the more frost heaves we encounter in the road. In fact today's road condition is the worst we've encountered yet on our trip. Many orange flags and triple triangle signs forewarn to slow down, fool!
Our goal is Tok, Ak., a distance of 290 miles. However, as recommended to us by the docent at the Haines Junction NP Visitors Center, we will make a stop at the Kluane NP Visitors Center as there should be Dall Sheep to be seen.
Kluane Lake is BIG, the largest in the Yukon. The highway follows its southern shoreline. We come to the Visitors Center and as we get out of the truck, you can see these little white dots up on the slope of Sheep Mt. We get out our new Nikon binoculars with zoom feature, and you can clearly see ewes with lamps, and off by themselves are some rams.
I change from my peewee camera lens to my larger zoom lens only to find that the white dots are detectable as Dall Sheep if you use your imagination. I lament this fact to my CFO who gives me little sympathy as there is nothing to be done...until my birthday in June? Maybe a trip to a camera store is in order when we get to Anchorage?? Or, how 'bout this...Hey Peggy, wanna new bigger zoom camera lens for our anniversary?? Brrrrr...I think I would feel the temperature drop!!
But these sheep are fascinating to watch. They have to be very nimble to be able to move about on the steepness of this mountain.
We also visit with a docent at this center. She takes us inside and hands us a partial ram's skull and curved horns. The weight is very impressive!! This particular ram was about 8 years old according to how she showed us to count the annual growth rings on the horns.
We left the Visitors Center and continued the slow down, bounce, bounce, bounce, speed up; orange flags, slow down fool, bounce, bounce, bounce, routine pretty much the rest of the way to the Canada/USA border.
As we stopped at the US Port of Entry, we had to use the commercial buses and semi truck lane because the canopies on the other lanes were labeled as 12' 8". Our trailer is 13' 6" tall so we only had one choice of lanes. There was a Class A motorhome ahead of us in this lane. We waited and waited, and waited some more. We figured border agents must be inside inspecting. There was an officer outside the motorhome talking to the driver. After what seemed a long time, he let the motorhome enter the US.
Our turn. The same agent that was outside the motorhome asked us the typical questions- where you from? where you going? any firearms, any alcohol? what did you purchase in Canada? let me see your passports. After all this, he just started talking to us. And he talked and talked and talked. A very friendly sort, but I found out more about him, buying groceries, caribou meat, freezing milk, home schooling, wife is a former elementary teacher, the weather, shipping goods into Alaska, high cost of living, seeing the northern lights, growing vegetables in the Matsu Valley. Wow. I will say Officer Roper was a really nice, friendly guy who...just seems lonesome with his assignment at a remote Port of Entry outpost.
As we traveled today and would make fuel stops we kept running into people who we met in the campground in Haines Junction. And, sure enough, we see some them again in a liquor store here in Tok. But, when there is only 1 highway into Alaska, I guess the chances of seeing others who are traveling the same direction as you on the Alaska Highway are increased.
And, maybe it is US engineering, or maybe the economy in the Yukon, or maybe both, but the condition of the Alaska Highway is significantly better in Alaska, way better in fact, than the last 100 miles of the highway in the Yukon. I don't know if you watch The Discovery channel, but I had (Peggy watched it, too) seen a program where the Canadians were testing ways to improve highway construction over the permafrost. On the show they showed how they were using vent tubes under the highway to help prevent frost heaves. We saw those road test areas with these vents on the AK Hwy. And, the road was in the worst condition where these vents were!
As we made our way towards Alaska we could see off to the SE the Wrangell Mts. And gee, they are covered with snow, too! When we got to Tok we went to our selected campground, The Sourdough. They advertised wifi, and it seems very fast and reliable. But, they also advertised sourdough pancakes for breakfast! And best of all, they deliver the pancakes to your camper. All you do is tell them what time and Viola' - pancakes arrive!
There is still snow on the ground in the camp. They did have the RV pads cleared off, though it is still a bit muddy. When my CFO/navigator went into the office, the gal there welcomed her and said we were the first campers of the season. And guess what...shortly after we arrived, so did a couple from Florida. They remarked about how hard is was to get used to the cold nights in Alaska. And camped next to us are 2 RVs of people from Germany who were also at Haines Junction. And here is were I break out into, "It's a small world after all".
We are now on Alaska time which is 3 hours ahead of Omaha. But with a sun that barely sets this time of year, I guess it really doesn't matter what the time is. Eat when you're hungry and go to bed when you're tired as it really doesn't get very dark. A person with vim and vigor could be on the go 18 hours a day in the light.
1 comment:
Thanks again Tom. I did get a map made up that crudely shows your trip to this point. Wow! Are you up there!!
I shared the map on my Facebook account, with a reference to your blog. If you don't approve, I will take it down!! Just excited about your progress and the great journaling of your activities. You have a great writing style - much better then Lewis and Clark!! D
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