Days 53 & 54

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 will be following the highway off and on to the other end at Dawson City Yukon Territory. 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.