On To Alaska

Fort Nelson to Toad River

We left Fort Nelson on June 14,  heading for Toad River, BC.  We had a good road surface the entire trip and traffic was light.

We pulled into Toad River around 11:30 AM.  No one seems to know for sure why it is called Toad River.  One version is the river in that area is difficult to cross, requiring that boats be towed across.  Since spelling was flexible in the early days, the name was translated to "Toad" River.

The Toad River RV Park is on Reflection Lake.  Power is provided for the community by BC Hydro, with a 2 X 200 KW generator.  Although the generator was only forty feet or so from our rig, it was so quiet that we didn't notice it.  The quality of the power wasn't stable.  Voltage frequently dropped below 105 volts, so we kept our eye on the meter.

The school in Toad River is attended by students who live as far as fifty miles away.  Some students walk to school, others ride on horseback, others drive to school and at least one flies in by airplane landing on an airstrip near the school.

In the afternoon we photographed a moose feeding on the far side of the lake.  Margie used her 500mm lens, while I used a 600mm lens.  Not sure why we didn't pull out our tripods.  I think we were excited at the prospect of watching  and photographing the moose.  We were surprised at how long he held his head under water looking for food. 

 

 
 
  We also photographed an American Widgeon...

 
 
 and a pair of Ring Neck Ducks. 

 

Great fun.  But hand holding these heavy lenses without a tripod was something else.  The tripods were stowed under the bed, awkward to access quickly.  We've  moved them to the truck so they are more readily available when needed.

After spending the afternoon taking photographs we had dinner at the local diner.  I think the cook was Ukrainian, because there was a Ukrainian plate on the menu.  When asked what was included on the plate, the waitress said it was "something stuffed with cheese."  We ordered it despite her appetizing description.  It was sausage, pierogis (some of which were stuffed with cheese) and stuffed cabbage.  A great meal. Apart from their fine fare, the lodge is famous for their collection of hats.  There are more than 7,000 pinned to the ceiling. 

Toad River to Watson Lake

We left Toad River early Tuesday, heading for Watson Lake.

Along the Alaska Highway vegetation has been cut back over a hundred feet on either side of  the road.  This provides a fire break and also opens up vegetation so that motorists will see any animals trying to cross the road.  This works well during the daytime, but isn't much help at night.  We came across a dead Wood Bison that had been hit two nights before.  The F-350 truck that hit the Bison went off the road, avoiding a culvert and several large trees and running into brush that helped slow the truck down.  The driver survived with serious injuries but the bison was killed.

We saw several Wood Bison along the road.  A Wood Bison, aka Mountain Bison, aka  Buffalo, is a cousin of the American Plains Bison or Buffalo.  Heavier than the Plains Bison, the male Wood Bison when fully grown weighs over 2,000 pounds. It is the largest land based mammal in North America.  In the early 1900's the herd was estimated at only 200 as a result of over hunting and disease.  Efforts to save the Wood Bison have been successful. The herd has now been built back up to roughly 5,000.  They are a magnificent animal, for sure.

We saw this fellow trotting along the highway.

I'm afraid we woke this Bison up.  He doesn't looked all that pleased with us.

After watching him for a few minutes, he finally stood up.

There was a young Inuit controlling traffic at a construction zone a few miles before we got to Watson Lake.  She explained she had just been told there was a mama bear with a cub nearby, so she was staying close to her truck in case she "needed to bail".  Three motor cyclists came up behind us.  With her can of "Bear Attack" on her hip, she suggested they move in front of us so they would be closer to her truck, should they also "need to bail." We had our cameras at the ready, but didn't see any bears.

 Watson Lake is famous for a their Signpost Forest started by Carl Lindley, a GI working on the Alaska Highway in 1942. Over the years travelers have added their own personal signs, with the sign count now over 61,000.  

Here is one from Person County, NC, where Margie was born.

Across the road from the RV park is Wye Lake.  While hiking around the lake in the evening we saw another pair of Ring Neck Ducks.

and a Red Neck Grebe, although we weren't able to get a decent photo of the Grebe.

Along the trail we met three school teachers from Beaver Creek, YT, near the Alaskan border.  One, who taught art and photography, was fascinated with our cameras and peppered us with questions.  She mentioned that she often went hunting and fishing up on the Nahanni Range, north of Watson Lake.  As in other communities, the folks here are very friendly and eager to visit.

Watson Lake to Teslin

Wednesday morning we left Watson Lake for the Dawson Peaks RV Park, a great spot on the banks of a beautiful lake and a short distance from Teslin. Since leaving Calgary what seems like a lifetime ago, the beauty continues at every turn in the road.

The restaurant at Dawson Peaks is famous for the owner's rhubarb pie. Deciding to stop there  was an easy choice.  And the pie was excellent.

I  doubt the owners of the lodge knew that one of their guests that evening was the 1965 Sixth Army Ladies Horseshoe Champion.

The following morning we drove through Teslin, a beautiful little town on the banks of Teslin Lake. Approaching Teslin from the east we crossed the Nisutlin Bay Bridge, the longest water span on the Alaska Highway.  According to the Milepost, "Teslin has one of the largest native populations in the Yukon Territory and much of the community's livelihood revolves around traditional hunting, trapping and fishing."  We made a note to spend a night here on our return south.

Teslin to Whitehorse

During the drive to Whitehorse  on Thursday we saw a large number of blue, purple and yellow wildflowers and clumps of pink wild roses.   In fact, much of the highway this time of year is lined with wildflowers. Unlike the roadside in British Columbia which was well maintained, in the Yukon we found the roadside often over grown, so it was more difficult to see animals grazing near the road.  We arrived in Whitehorse shortly after mid-day on Thursday.  We stayed two nights to do a few chores as well as explore Whitehorse.  With a population of 26,000, Whitehorse is the Capital of the Yukon Territory and has always been an important transportation hub for the northwest.  Shortly after the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, steam boats were introduced to move cargo and people up and down the river, particularly between Dawson City and Whitehorse.  The main cargo was ore, mined in the Dawson City area.  The ore was then sent by train from Whitehorse to Skagway, where it was loaded on board freighters.  The steam boats provided an important mode of transportation for almost one hundred years.

While wandering around Whitehorse we came across the Whitehorse skyscraper. Apart from being well known in these parts for its architectural uniqueness, it is also rumored to be a great party pad. Or so we were told by a little old lady we met on the street in front of the skyscraper.

If you are a young lad in Whitehorse  on  a warm 58 degree Friday afternoon with  time on your hands, what else to do but get into a water fight.

We saw similar parks in other Yukon communities.   Note the faces on the water spouts.  The one on the left is an eagle.  In the middle, on the yellow pole, are buckets filled with water that turn over from time to time, dumping their contents on anyone below.

At the local Visitor Center, we found this beautiful lead glass window.

Around the corner under a bridge, we found another expression of art.

Whitehorse to Lake Kluane

After two days in Whitehorse, on Saturday morning we left for the Cottonwood RV Park on Destruction Bay at Lake Kluane.   We had our first exposure to the dreaded "frost heaves."   A result of permafrost and the freezing and thawing of water in the gravel underlying the pavement,  frost heaves quickly got our attention, causing us to slow down. Other than a few RV's, passenger cars and an occasional truck, traffic continues to be light.

Cottonwood RV Park is a beautiful spot on the lake...

 with mountains on all sides.

Although we didn't have a visit from the resident grizzly family that lives nearby, we did see lots of swallows and sparrows. And lots of mosquitos.

Here is a barn swallow we photographed on the beach near our campsite, gathering material to make a nest.

 
 
 And here is a Chipping Sparrow.

Here is a very shy Tree Sparrow Margie photographed.

Best of all is this Violet-Green Sparrow Margie captured with her camera.

Lake Kluane to Border City, Alaska

Sunday morning we headed for the Alaska border and the Border City Motel and RV Park.

 And finally...we made it to Alaska, 5,264 miles from home! Via Kansas, of course.

The RV park in Border City is a staging area for road construction crews and equipment. The RV's are parked in a large field that will get muddy if it rains much.  It started raining during the evening and continued most of the night.  Although there were large puddles of water (almost small lakes) and the ground was very muddy, we put the truck in  4-wheel drive and pulled the rig out without any problem.

 The "frost heaves" between Lake Kluane and Border City were much more severe than yesterday, so we kept our speed down.  Despite our best efforts we failed to see one or two frost heaves and were bounced around a bit.

Along the road we saw this little church, characteristic of many churches we've seen in the past couple of days. 

I haven't found the roads to be all that difficult to drive.  Margie has a different perspective as captured in this photo.

 

The geology along the highway is interesting and constantly changing.

From Border City we headed for Tok.  This section of the road from Lake Kluane to the border was rough, with one frost heave after another. After the first ten miles of gravel, we understand the road to Tok improves.  We are looking forward to Tok. I wonder if there is also a Tic?

 

Comments

[Ellen]

Your Canada and Entering Alaska Blog was sure worth waiting for !!! Loved the photos, and commentary on all the wonderful interesting sights along the way. Snow capped mountains, wildlife, unique one of kind houses and churches. We are so delighted with your blog. You sound like you are both in high spirits and really enjoying your adventure. Thank you so much for sharing it with the folks at home !

[Mike and Shaorn Williams]

Thanks for your blog entries. It reminds us so much of our trip last year although I must say that your pictures are much more spectacular than ours were. We absolutely loved being at Toad River, got snowed in there for two days beyond what we had planned. Having the long lenses gives you the chance for some images that otherwise a photographer just dreams of. The moose is quite nice even if you had to hand-hold your cameras. I wonder if you saw any of the beaver that were especially in the pond to the east of the campground? We will be looking forward to the rest of your journey and your posts, with pictures.

[Chris K]

The electrical outlets you see are for plugging in Block Heaters, transmission heater,and oil pan heaters during the winter., I had all three on my truck. It is either plug them in or leave them running.

It is too bad you did not take the time to stop at the Liard Hot Springs, which I think are the best that I have ever been too, and a nice place to spend a night. The are just past the Liard River Bridge, and are about half way up the highway to Delta.