Note: A recent comment on the blog Days 51 &52 was by Ron Lavery. He and wife Joyce originally planned this trip and put a lot of time and effort into organizing, researching, and talking to people who expressed interest. As you may recall from earlier in the blog, Ron suffered a serious head injury and on Easter Sunday Joyce called to say they had to cancel. It is great that he is now back home in Florida and keeping up with us on the blog. It’s thanks to Ron and Joyce that Judy and I are here enjoying this phenomenal part of the world. We owe you a huge debt of gratitude and wish you continued healing!
Day 53 Miles 212 Tok RV Village, Tok, AK The day began with sunshine but I was a bit weary. It was so warm when I went to bed that I wasn’t prepared for the cold after 1:30 a.m. and had to rouse myself for more layers as well as retrieve my sleep mask. Sum total was lack of sleep. I suspect I was also a bit anxious with the knowledge that new roads were to be traveled the day ahead.
We left around 9:30 with Judy heading out for gas. We travel at our own pace and select places from the Milepost Book to rendezvous along the way. If we are a mile apart., the walkie talkie works. Our phones work depending on the signal.
The route away from Fairbanks is #2 called the Richardson Highway. It travels through the town of North Pole and heads primarily southeast toward Delta Junction. Eielson Air Force Base can be seen to the east with very large planes. Milepost warns no stopping or photographing. Tours can be arranged however. This base served during WWII as part of the system of ferrying planes to Siberia. There is a monument to this service in Fairbanks. It is an interesting and I suspect little known part of the war and illustrates the closeness of our relationship at that time. The air base occupies a very flat area which also seems to be the case for this section of the road. In the distance though, the peaks of the Alaska Range with their snow form a stunning backdrop to the west which I pull over to view several times. The road has unannounced gravel sections. It is heavily traveled by trucks and RV’s so one must stay alert. A lot of dust is raised in those gravel areas. The Tanana riverbed follows along though often seems devoid of water
As I approached a bridge I see a huge cable held structure that I first think is a railroad bridge. Instead it is supporting the pipeline bringing that oil down from Prudhome Bay. I stopped to take photos. It jogs here and then goes underground again near our meeting point Rika’s Roadhouse and Landing, a state historical park. This roadhouse was begun in the days when travel was limited to 15-20 miles a day by dogsled or horse and there was a ferry here to cross the river which is wide and swift at this point.
A lot of tour groups were going through but fortunately the café was not busy and we were able to get some soup and rhubarb pie. However the pie was a disappointment after those wonderful homemade ones by Judy and Shirley. The tables are surrounded by gift shop items and the original roadhouse building is part museum and part gift shop with impressive fur coats. I wasn’t tempted.
Soon after we reached Delta Junction, which was the end of the Alaska highway. Fairbanks also claims that distinction but that road was built earlier. We took photographs of the signpost at the Visitors Center. We both felt tired and having learned of some local ice cream, Northern Lights, went off in search of coffee and ice cream which was found at the local IGA. Both were very tasty and prepared us for the ride to to Tok which included more gravel sections, but these were better marked. The mountains were closer. These are the Wrangell Elias I think which head down toward Valdez.
We went through Tok in the early part of the month so at least the interchanges and gas stations were familiar. A quick dinner at Fast Eddies, walking distance from the RV Park, we hurried back to catch the 7 p.m. nightly show by a local singer/guitar player accompanied by a young fiddle player. This entertainment and RV park were suggested by Jane and Dave, met in Fairbanks, and we enjoyed the performance which was woven with stories of life in the interior of Alaska.
Day 54 Miles 78 Goldpanner/Chicken Creek RV Park, Chicken AK From Tetlin Junction you turn left onto the Taylor Highway. There are no services or buildings for the most part for the 60 miles to Chicken. Stretches are gravel, often with little shoulder area. The road climbs with sharp grade descents but for the most part is straight. Some sections are like a washboard so the total trip took a couple of hours with a stop or two to read about the gold miners who settled the area and the caribou who still live here.
There was a bit of confusion in finding the RV Park. A town of 15 people in the winter, there are 2 or 3 RV parks highly competitive with each other. This one is on the highway and offers a walking tour of the original town of Chicken. Judy and I had both read the book Tisha, about a young woman who came here to teach school in the 20’s. The original buildings are now being overgrown with foliage but we were able to go into what had been the General Store as well as the school house and Tisha’s dwelling. They hope to preserve the old log cabin buildings. The young man who led the tour is from Maine and in addition to working for this establishment is also a fireman/policeman/ EMT for the area.
I seemed to need to catch up on sleep and for the first time on the trip took an hour’s nap. We then walked to see the areas where the two competitor operators were located. At one we visited a couple from Kansas traveling in a small Winnebago. That area had a gift shop and small café. The third area has the General Mercantile, a café, liquor store and saloon. Our sites back up to the creek and have electricity due to a 24 hour generator. The Taylor highway continues on across the creek from us. Tomorrow we’ll head that way for Dawson City. The highway is known there as Top of the World partly because it is above the tree line. We’ve been warned the road is very rough, with steep stretches and curves. It is not advised to drive on a rainy day. We’ll be crossing into Canada as well.
We had another of Judy’s wonderful grilled dinners with vegetables and caribou burgers, from the meat bought Saturday day the farmers market. I said no restaurant we’ve visited has provided a better meal.
Day 55 Miles 110 Gold Rush Camp Ground, Dawson City Yukon Territory Back in Canada again having come via the “Top of the World Highway”. There are a lot of cautions given for the road which is for the most part gravel. Areas have numerous potholes and there are steep assents and descents as well as blind curves. Pretty steep drop-offs and no guard rails. Fortunately it was a beautiful clear, dry day and with light traffic both ways. I took it slow primarily between 15-25 mph and usually in 3rd or 2nd gear. We stopped frequently as well which resulted in a long day. The scenery was magnificent with tremendous vistas of distant mountains. The road name derives from the highways location at the top of the tree line. Yet the highest point is around 4500 feet. Shortly after a “town” called Boundary comes the border crossing. The US sign says the farthest north US border crossing. Basically there is little sign of habitation along the road. The road ends at the Yukon River where you must board a small free ferry to cross the strong currents of the Yukon to Dawson City. In addition to the slow driving we lost an hour. Canada is one hour later. Alaska originally had 4 different time zones but settled on one called Alaska time which is four hours earlier than the US East Coast.
We choose the only campground in the town on the advice of Jane and David. It’s a good walking town and we tested that out a couple of times before days end. There are several other campgrounds south of town. Much of the central area is under the auspices of Parks Canada Historic division. They have done some major renovations of buildings taking most back to the Klondike gold rush era of 18897-98. Dawson was the center of the activity. Gold is still being mined here and small claims are spread throughout the area.
Another claim to fame for Dawson is 3 writers, Jack London, who wrote about the area, and Robert Service, mainly known for his rhyming lengthy poems often featuring the gold miners and people of the area and Pierre Burton, a novelist. After dinner we walked up to Robert Services cabin on the edge of town and enjoyed hearing about his life and listening to some lesser known works. The young man an interpreter from Parks Canada who made the presentation was superb and really knew his subject. Judy is a big fan of the poet and she is one of many.
Day 55 Gold Rush Campgound, Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada We headed over to the rebuilt Palace Theatre for the 9:30 walking tour. Again the Parks Canada interpreter did an excellent job telling of the history and lives of the people of Dawson city. It was one of the first cities on the North American Continent to have electricity. The river was filled with paddlewheel boats bringing goods in and sometimes people out. Thirty thousand hopeful miner descended on the town after word of the Gold Rush was out making Dawson City the largest north of Seattle and west of Manitoba. Many buildings of that era are still standing which is remarkable with the many floods and the heaves of the permafrost. The town now has about 1800 year round residents but has an art academy, the theatre with year round performances, museums and a number of residents. Yet it is a step back in time but more authentic then many of the recreated historic towns.
After the tour we saw a film on the gold rush followed by another interpreter playing the part of Martha Black a leading Dawson figure for many years. Our morning guide also led the afternoon tour through the Commissioners house which has been brought back to its 1914 era when Martha Black was in residence with her Commissioner husband.
We then headed for the Westmark hotel where every afternoon at 3 p.m. an Irish actor Tom Bryne tells stories of Robert Service and recites his poems. He’s been doing this for 30 summers in Dawson. The weather went from hot to cold during the presentation which caused some Canadians dressed in shorts to be uncomfortable and for me to add layers. By dinner time it was warm again. It all depends on the sun and clouds. At bedtime it is warm and cozy but around 2 a.m. it must be in the 40’s outside and I have to add some layers.
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