ROAD TO SKAGWAY, AK.  What could have been one of the most beautiful drives of the trip was again spoiled by smoke and dust haze in the air.  Anything over 100 feet away was not worth photographing.  It was plain, however, that in good light, this would have been a wonderful time to get landscape photos.

There were lakes just before Carcross Desert in Yukon Territory that could not be successfully photographed due to poor lighting.  Carcross Desert is another desert like the one in Oregon that is produced by strong winds that drive sand from the west into a conifer forest.

Betty Poses Beside Carcross Desert Sign

Carcross Desert

 Moving into Alaska the road borders waterways and mountains that would make outstanding photos in good light.  Betty got this one from her seat that is pretty nice.

Betty Took This Shot Along the Road to Skagway

Pitchfork Falls Along Highway

Skagway is a tourist town now.  There is a large harbor that can dock as many as five huge cruise ships at once.  When the ships release their passengers, the town is mobbed with a herd of humanity. 

Skagway was first famous for dropping off fools from around the world who wanted to go to the gold fields in the Yukon to get rich quick.  The Canadian Mounties required them to bring a year's supply of food and equipment, so most had to take several trips hauling freight many miles up to Dawson City, then returning for the next load, mostly on foot.  That pathway was littered with the carcasses of dead animals and humans, along with discarded supplies that could no longer be carried.

The town of Skagway has its own Gold Rush Cemetery outside town.  Below is an image of the sign out front of it.

Skagway Gold Rush Cemetery

A commemorative stamp of this gold rush was created by the U. S. Post Office, and a large exhibit of it is displayed in the Skagway Post Office (see below).

Commemorative Klondike Gold Rush Stamp

Skagway was the first taste of Alaska we had, but had absolutely no phone or internet connectivity. They would sell you some WIFI downtown for a high price, as if it were gold, which so much of Alaska historically has been all about. Gold rush this and Klondike that. We visited the only grocery store in Skagway, and it had no produce to sell. They complained that the barge did not have anything when it arrived that week. Little else to sell us. A couple days later we walked in to get something else and they had bananas and some sorry looking strawberries that another barge had brought in. But there were very many crowded stores downtown, all 6 or 7 blocks of it, all selling things to tourists. The sounds of horns from cruise ships in the harbor and White Pass railway trains taking tourists on the gold rush train route can be heard all the time. A town for tourists. Would not want to live there.

State Street in Skagway

Skagway, Tourist Town

Outside of town many bald eagles can be seen.

Bald Eagle in Flight

Bald Eagle on Perch

Bald Eagles Eating Along River Bank

WHITEHORSE, YT.  Got an access key from the park office that I am trying for WIFI.  Seems to be working better than the Verison jetpack.

On the 5th we went to a place where they keep 130 sled dogs for tourists to pet.  The owner takes tourists on sled dog rides in the winter and on canoe rides in the summer.  He used to race dogs, but has given that up for the tourist trade.  We also were served a dinner of tough bison steak and elk sausage.  Not that great, but the owner spoke for 1 1/2 hours with a well-honed monologue that was quite entertaining about dog racing and all the racers he has known.

Betty Holds a Racing Dog Puppy

Stage on Which Owner Delivered His Monologue

WHITEHORSE, YT.  It is late morning on Saturday in the Yukon.  This is the first time in days that we have been able to connect on the internet via WIFI using our Version Jetpack.  I have no idea why I have access today, but hope to make good use of it while I am on.

This part of Canada is a frontier.  There are very few roads once you are 100 miles north of the lower 48.  The main road is the Alaskan Highway, which is a portion of Highway 97 that leads northward and westward from near the US/Canada border.  Few places have internet or cell phone services.  Some places have no electricity unless they have a generator or are "off the grid" with solar panels.  Some places truck their water in and store it in large containers.  The roads are often gravel and very dusty, with large pot holes.  Slow bumpy travel, taking a lot longer to get anywhere than you would expect.  If you have ever seen TV shows about Alaska and how desolate much of it is, you have a good idea of mid to upper BC and the Yukon.

I had read that most Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border; I now see what this means in terms of civilization.  I have no idea why anyone would want to live up here except to work mines, oil, or hunt fish and game.  All this surprises me, since we have seen Alberta to the east, and it is much better, even farther north.  Once this tour is over, I do not think we shall ever drive anything here again, especially our motorhome.  If you want to see Alaska, I recommend flying in and renting your transportation.

All of the aforesaid notwithstanding, there are indeed beautiful scenes (in good weather and good light), and one can see wildlife in large quantity, especially if you get up early enough.

We are in an RV park that has got to be among the worst in the world.  We are parked so close together that we had to be careful how to open our slide-outs.  Very dirty and full of loose gravel.  Not a good place for a motorhome.  30 amps maximum, which is typical in this part of Canada.  We actually had only 20 amps a few nights ago.

Pioneer RV Park

We got the car washed last night while it was still light around 10 pm.  Very light.  Like mid-afternoon.  I hear the sun sets at 3 am, though I have not sat up to see for myself.  It was a dollar for 3 minutes of wash time, do it yourself with a spray gun.  You insert a "loonie" coin (one Canadian dollar).  Even two dollars are in coin form (a "toonie").  Much of the change you get is in coins as a result.  Thus, I have a pocket full of Canadian coins.

We ventured into Whitehorse, the largest city in the Yukon, to see the sites there.  We stopped to see The Klondike, a preserved river boat from the gold rush era, ventured into town to see historic sites, then made our way to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.  

The Klondike River Boat

Old Log Church Downtown Whitehorse

Inside Old Log Church

Ram Skull Inside Preserve Office

Elk Cow at Preserve

Bull Moose at Preserve

Distant Musk Ox at Preserve

Mountain Goat at Preserve

Female Dall Sheep

Ram Dall Sheep

  

Reindeer Shedding Winter Coat

ALASKA HIGHWAY, YT.  Traveling along the Alaska Highway and/or Highway 97 in British Columbia or Yukon Territory, one finds road signs proudly announcing a grand Canadian motel a few kilometers down the road.  The signs are pretty nice and offer the weary traveler hope of a good night's sleep in comfort.  What one eventually finds is shown below.

WATSON LAKE, YT.  Made it to the Yukon Territory.  I am using a free computer at a Northern Lights theatre to access the internet, since even though I can make occasional phone calls with Verison, I still cannot use it to access the internet via WIFI. Hard to believe how difficult it is to do anything electronically in this part of Canada unless you use a land line, as I am doing now.  I am limited in how much time I can use, so I shall keep this short.

Betty and I am doing fine.  Will be glad to reach Alaska and the USA again.  May just kiss the ground.

Just below BC's border with Yukon Territory, we saw a herd of wood buffalo alongside the road.  We pulled over and got some good shots.

Wood Buffalo Herd

It is in Watson Lake that a GI long ago planted a road sign pointing to his home town with the mileage to get there. People from the world over have since added signs with mileage to their hometown. It is the tourist cool thing to do to add a sign. The tour master will had a group sign for our group after we have our photo taken there.

Replica of Original Signpost Made by GI

How the Sign Post Forest Has Grown

Closeup Of One Section of Sign Post Forest

DAWSON CREEK, YT (Day 2).  Posed for group photo at Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway.

We later went to see local sites of interest.  One was Kiskatinaw Bridge, a wooden bridge with 11 degree pitch built with wood by U. S. Army as part of original Alaskan Highway.  Another was a wooden railway trestle near Pouce Coupe, BC that was built in the 1930s.  Both the bridge and railway are closed to traffic now.

Kiskatinaw Bridge Panorama

Kistakinaw Bridge Showing Its Age

Abandoned Railway Leading to Wooden Trestle

 

Queen Anne's Lace Along Railway

Wooden Railway Trestle Built in 1930s

DAWSON CREEK, BC.  Drove through more hard rain, arriving here at the Mile Zero Campground covered in mud.  First the water, then wind-driven dirt, equals mud-covered motorhome and (especially) Jeep.  Same happened when we arrived at the north rim of the Grand Canyon two years ago.  It seems to be a Fantasy RV Tours specialty.

Mud-covered Jeep

We saw one deer crossing the road, but nothing else, but others have seen multiple moose and bears.  Tomorrow we shall get some Canadian money to visit the nearby car wash to clean up the Jeep.  I hear it is a waste of time to clean the motorhome in this neck of the woods.  It will be filthy again very soon.  They call the color Yukon mud.  After the tour we shall have everything thoroughly cleaned.

The RV campground that we are in is named after its nearby location for the beginning of the Alaska Highway, which begins in BC and continues into Alaska.  It was begun during World War II when the country feared an invasion of Alaska by the Japanese.  It was built in record time by the army.  It has been repeatedly upgraded so that tourism is accommodated. 

Tomorrow we have a group photo taken at the Mile Zero point, where the Alaska (or ALCAN) Highway begins. 

The campground is also beside a pioneer village, much like the 1884 Town we visited last year in South Dakota.  Old buildings have been moved here to recreate a pioneer town as it was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  If the internet connection would allow it, we would add more on this.

Cafe Offering.  Special is Chili and Bannock

Original Trapper's Cabin

Story of Cabin

"Comboose" Rail Car Used While Alaska Highway Was Built

Sign Inside Comboose

Betty Reading Old Signs in Comboose

Story of Comboose

Barber Shop & Salon

School