Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Drove 178 miles to a roadside pull-off on the way from Tok to Valdez, AK.  First thing this morning, we picked up our pills at the Tok post office, and then went into a couple of gift shops, one of which had two lawn mowers on its roof.

On the way, we kept seeing different views of Mounts Sanford and Jarvis in the Wrangell mountains.  However, the sun on the snow, and the clouds precluded clear pictures.

We saw a moose, but could not stop in time to take a picture.  We would have had to walk too far back.  At one pull-off, we took pictures of mountain reflections on the lake, along with a trumpeter swan.

We can see the Alaskan Oil Pipeline from our front window.

Type at you later.

Monday, May 30, 2011

We finished driving the Top of The World Highway by driving from Chicken, AK to Tok, AK, a total distance of about 70 miles.  There was more pavement, some dirt and gravel, but we were able to drive most of it at 35 to 45 mph instead of 20 to 30.  The only animal we saw was a jack rabbit, and the scenery did not lend itself to Kodak moments.  We did take a couple of pictures at a rest stop of the highest point on this section of the Taylor Highway (the peak at 5200ft, but the road only reached 3200.

The campground we are staying at, Tundra Lodge and RV Park, has an rv and car wash for $15.  We took advantage of the wash, but I only remembered the camera in time to take a picture of the dirt under the hood of the Jeep.

After our 4:00 social hour we all went to Fast Eddy’s for dinner.  I had a Halibut burger on a homemade hero roll, and Marilyn had Halibut fingers.  The fish was fried, but absolutely delicious.  I did take some pictures of friends at the table.  The three pictures are of Mary and Carol, Carol’s husband Dennis, and finally a picture of Mary with her husband Gary.

As usual, I try to obtain pictures that are not posed.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Today was another moving day.  We left Bonanza Gold RV Park just after 10am, crossed the river by ferry, and were hitched and moving on at 11:15am.  We drove the Top of The World Highway, arriving in Chicken, AK just after 3pm.  Part of the way, on the Canadian side was paved, but mostly dirt road.  On the Alaskan side of the highway, it was all dirt.  Of course, the time changed when we went through Customs into Alaska.  There was a sign in the Chicken Café that said we might get cell phone service at mile post 32 (we are at MP 69).

I downloaded the pictures from both cameras this evening, and found a picture of our whole group taken by our waitress at the Bonanza Saloon in Skagway.

Marilyn took pictures of our motorhome getting on and off of the ferry this morning.  Note that she went across on the ferry before I did.  (We said “See you on the other side”.

Here is the US Customs house on the Top of the World Highway and the welcome to Alaska sign.

Then of course we have to have pictures of the Chicken, AK signs, the Mercantile store where we bought Chicken shirts, and the café where we ate dinner.

Finally, they really do have chickens in Chicken, they are between the saloon and the café.

Friday and Saturday, May 27 & 28, 2011

We left Whitehorse, YT and drove 330 miles, leaving on the Alaska Highway and ending on the Klondike Highway in order to get to Dawson City, YT.  We arrived about 4pm.  The only wildlife we saw along the way was one black bear that ran into the bushes before we could get a picture.  We did meet Wallace and Wanda Lewis, and 4 friends and relatives.  They are staying in the same rv park, so we spent time talking with them as well as our own group’s happy hour.

Along the way, we passed the Montague Roadhouse built in early 1900s, and the Five Finger Rapids where Carol can be seen climbing the steps up from the river. 

We crossed this bridge over the Pelly River.

Today, the 28th, we started by Marilyn doing wash while I updated the bills we will have to pay so I could transfer funds to the right bank.  Then after lunch, we drove up to the Dawson Dome (from 1100ft to 3000ft) to take pictures of the town of Dawson City.

Downtown, we went to the Dawson City Museum, which is housed in what was the City administrative building.  Dennis played Judge in the courtroom.

Here are pictures of the Dawson main street business section, a Klondike river tour boat, and the Keno (a stern wheeler that once plied the Klondike and Yukon rivers).

Here is a picture of the free ferry that we will put the motorhome on tomorrow to get to the Top of The World Highway.  The ferry is landing on the far side of the river.

And finally pictures of the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, and the courthouse built in 1901.

Thursday, May 27, 2011

It is 6 am Friday morning and I am writing Thursday’s blog because it was after 10pm when we got in last night.  The day started out with Dennis making pancakes for everyone, and they were good.  Then Marilyn and I tried taking the washing machine out of the cabinet to see if there were any clogs – it had over-flowed the day before.  No simple fixes, so it is back to laundromats for now.  After lunch, we headed  for the Dawson airport to see a large weather vane, and yes, it is a DC-3.

Then it was off to the bank to convert some more US$ into C$, followed by a tour and tasting at the Yukon Brewing Company.

Dinner was at the Klondike Rib & Salmon BBQ, where Marilyn and I shared fish and chiips – 3 large halibut filets that were delicious – note the Customers Only Parking sign.

For entertainment, we went to the Frantic Follies for another great vaudeville show.

There was wonderful singing and dancing, classical (Pacheble Canon in D), and not so classical music.

Then, once again, I was picked to go up on stage.  This time I received a garter and a kiss.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

We left Skagway, AK this morning.  We did stop to top off with fuel since we could use our credit card without an international fee.  It was a nice drive up to White Pass at 3,269 feet (Skagway is at sea level) in about 14 miles.  We cruised most of it at 25 mph in 2nd gear.  During our 103 mile drive to Whitehorse, YT we saw 2 black bear and 2 moose.

The baby moose was so young it had trouble making its legs go up the embankment following its mother.  We also stopped at CarrCross (Caribou Crossing) museum to where we saw stuffed animals from the Yukon and dogs used to run the Idtarod.

Now for some older pictures that I just downloaded from the camera to the computer.  On the 22nd, Marilyn and I stopped at Rancheria Falls for a 1/3 mile walk.

The ride from White Pass down to Skagway, from the Yukon Territory to Alaska, on the 23rd presented us with rain drops, and lots of snow on the peaks. Since we were driving from Canada back into the US, we had to go through US customs.