DELTA JUNCTION, ALASKA

We woke up to a beautiful day in Chicken, Alaska.  We knew the roads were supposed to be remarkably better on the day’s travel so we weren’t in any hurry.  Only 186 miles to travel on decent roads and no arrival time (or so we thought). We decided to revisit a couple of the gift shops and fill up with gas.  Also had to try one of the camp owner’s wife’s cinnamon scones.  He vowed that she made the best scones of anyone he knew.  She had made a wonderful blueberry dessert the night before for the group.  Bill ate mine also – after all it was not chocolate (or cinnamon) so not worth the calories as far as I’m concerned.  LOL

Our first stop was at the Mount Fairplay Wayside.  Terrific view of the Fortymile River and Mount Fairplay.  Great Viewpoint. 

Also along the way we passed through a large “burn” area that was ravaged by the 2004 Taylor Complex Fire.  This fire burned 1.3 million acres.  Wildfires are common in Alaska, with lightning being the major cause.  They had a total of 707 fires in 2004 with a total of 6,385,496 acres burned that year, the largest area recorded in Alaska history.  In areas recently destroyed by fire, vegetation can flourish with willows and birch springing up across this area in response.  Also I have posted many pictures of the flower, Fireweed.  It is named for it’s ability to flourish in burn areas ---- this bright pink flower shines brilliantly amongst the charred and blackened trees and brush.  Another way that God continues to bring glory and beauty to even tragic events and situations.  He is Amazing!!  I hope these pictures give you a taste of this special flower.

We have shared with you our sightings of the wildlife along the way.  We had seen three moose (1 bull moose and 2 teenage females).  Bill kept saying that the best picture of a moose is one of him/her standing in a pond eating, with water and vegetation hanging from his mouth.  Well…..here we go, we finally spotted her!  He was able to pull over to the side of the road up ahead, we got out of the RV and walked back about ¼ mile to the pond.  We were a little distance from her but she was undisturbed by us and continued to feed.  Thanks to the zoom on the camera I think we got some good pictures.  A guy on a motorcycle had stopped before us and as he drove away he said with this huge smile, “Pretty cool, huh?”  Yes, it was pretty cool, I’d say it was AWESOME!  Megan told us that Jackson especially likes the animal pictures on the blog….so Jackson, this moose is for you!  About ½ hour later we came across another female moose on the side of the road, really close.  Bill gave it everything he had to stop on the side of the road, and he did, but the noise of the motor home scared her into the woods.  No picture of that one.  That’s ok --- very exciting to see two in that short of time.

THIS MOOSE IS FOR YOU, JACKSON!

OUR MASCOTS FOR THE TRIP -- OUR TWO FAVORITE ANIMALS SIGHTED SO FAR --- MORRIS THE MOOSE & BORIS THE BEAR!!

We stopped at Fast Eddies’ for lunch – it was actually the first like “real” restaurant we had been in for some time.  It was almost like eating out at home, but then again we were back in civilization, the USA!  We enjoyed the meal very much and then stopped at a neat gift shop, “All Alaska Gifts” for a little souvenir shopping.  After that we thought we better cut down on the stops and get to the campground. 

We arrived at “Smith’s Green Acres RV Park & Campground.  Very nice – it is one we would stay at again if the opportunity arises.   And yes, they had internet and cell phones.  At this point we aren’t as excited about water, sewer & electricity hookups --- we want to be able to communicate with family and friends!! Oh Yeah!  But on top of that they had an RV & Car wash --- now it was only a low powered pressure washer, water, brush & soap – but Bill was excited.  (There was a charge of course!) It took us about 1-1/2 hours to get the worst of the dirt, rocks, bugs & grime off the RV & tow car.  It wasn’t perfect but it was so much better! 

Oh yeah --- we missed the briefing meeting that was at 4PM (we didn’t arrive until about 5:30PM).  But, a lot of the group missed this one, seems they forgot to tell us about it.  LOL.

It started raining shortly after that and we did not feel like going back out to see what Delta Junction had to offer --- saved that for the morning.  I cooked dinner (yes, I did!)!  As Bill had so much setting up to do, I figured it was the least I could do!)  We relaxed, worked on the blog, talked on the phone and started our new DVD series – Band of Brothers!! 

Next morning on to North Pole, Alaska – just a few miles outside of Fairbanks, AK. Only 87 miles for this travel day and we are going to camp there 3 nights – something we haven’t done since we left Michigan – stay in one place 3 nights!!  LOL

CHICKEN, ALASKA, POPULATION 26, BUT ONLY 4 IN THE WINTER

Everyone wanted to be up early and in line for the Ferry to take us across to the other side of the Yukon River so we could begin our ascent of the “Top of the World Highway”.  The George Black Ferry carries passengers and vehicles but can only take at the most 2 large RVs and 2 cars (and some passengers) on one trip.  There is no other transportation from Dawson City to cross the river to this road.  Since Dawson City is on the main path for tourists with RV’s heading to Alaska, the line can get pretty long while you wait your turn.  Bill got me up at 6:45 to throw on some clothes, brush my teeth, run my fingers through my hair, grab some coffee and follow him in the tow car to the “line”.  After we took our place on the road, Bill hooked up the tow car and I went into the RV to take a shower, dry my hair and the whole bit.  Yes I did this all while parked in line on the street.  Aren’t Class A motor homes wonderful??!!  He inched us up every time the ferry reloaded.  We had breakfast, Bill washed the windshield, you name it….we kept really busy while we waited for our turn.  The time really went fast --- we were only in line for about 1 hr & 15 minutes.  It was an event.  There are two ladies traveling together that did not want to wait in line that morning so they crossed the night before and rented a site at a camp ground on the other side. 
LOL,

THE VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AS WE TRAVELED ACROSS THE YUKON RIVER ON THE FERRY.  THE SIGN TELLS DRIVERS NOT TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE.  PASSENGERS CAN THOUGH, ON OUR TRIAL RUN WITH THE CAR, THE GUY TOLD ME TO GET OUT AND TAKE PICTURES. I DID.

THIS IS THE VIEW THAT MORNING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW OF THE RV AS WE CROSSED.  THE YUKON RIVER AND MOUNTAINS.

THIS IS THE VIEW OF DAWSON CITY, YUKON, CANADA, FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE YUKON RIVER ONCE WE CROSSED OVER.

Okay, the “Ferry” ordeal was over ---- it was pretty funny but I thought it went smoothly.  But….now this road that we traveled after that was another matter all together.  Most of the way is just a graded, dusty, dirt road, very, very narrow, very bumpy and teeth shattering.  It winds up and down, around and around, right on the edge of the cliff.  I have to admit I was very nervous – Bill was doing a great job and I know he had it under control but I have never been a fan of heights.  Especially when you are that close to the edge and there is nothing, I mean nothing, between you and a couple thousand feet to the bottom of the mountains.  There is barely room for two vehicles to pass and the “Milepost” book warns you not to pull over to the shoulder as it is very soft and you take the chance of flipping over (into what or where might I ask??)  We were only able to drive between 5-20 miles an hour.  Once in a while there would be about 100 feet of paved highway but that was worse because the potholes were so bad.  Bill testifies that it is quite a bit better than 4 yrs ago when they traveled it.  For me --- next time I plan to find an alternate route.  It may be a few hundred miles longer but I’m pretty sure the time will be quicker and my nerves will be a lot better.  Bill was exhausted at the end of the day --- we arrived at about 5:30PM in Chicken, Alaska.  I was exhausted as well from hanging on to the edge of my seat, the window, the dash and too much adrenalin.  There is no way to describe all the beauty --- it was incredible (once I had the nerve to look).  Nothing in sight but raw, unspoiled nature, every direction for miles and miles and miles!!!  It was worth it….I’m glad we survived the “Top of the World Highway”!   (But I’m not going to do it again – once is enough!)

CAN YOU SEE THE MOTOR HOME ON THE ROAD AT THE TOP OF THIS PICTURE AND THE ONE BELOW?  SEE THE THE WAY THIS DIRT ROAD CURVES AND WINDS?

WHERE ARE THE GUARD RAILS...LOOK AT THE EDGE OF THIS ONE.  CAN YOU SEE HOW CLOSE THE ROAD IS TO THE EDGE?  YIKES!!

WE ARE ON THE ROAD IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THIS PICTURE BUT THIS ROAD WINDS AROUND TO JUST BELOW THAT MOUNTAIN AT THE TOP LEFT.  CRAZY HUH?

YES, THAT IS SNOW --- WE WERE SO HIGH UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS THAT THERE WAS SNOW RIGHT BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD....AND YES TO THE RIGHT IS THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN...

ON THIS ONE I REALLY DID THINK WE WERE GOING OVER THE CLIFF...VIRTUALLY INCHES OFF THE ROAD IS THE "EDGE" STRAIGHT DOWN!!












DID BILL MENTION DIRT?  WE WOULD STOP AND WAIT FOR THE DUST TO CLEAR BEFORE WE TOOK OFF AGAIN WHEN SOMEONE PASSED US.

Oh yeah, as Bill mentioned in his “Damage” blog….we have three windshields cracked and the PT Cruiser (tow car) is peppered from the stones.  The RV has a split windshield (both need replaced) and the PT has cracks and bulls-eyes in 3 places in the windshield so that needs replaced.  So you may say that it’s kinda like “closing the gate after the horse has gotten out” but we didn’t want the PT’s windshield to crack all the way --- no sense in replacing it until we get home but we don’t want the damage to get any worse.  So for those of you that did not buy a protective guard for your windshield/front of your tow car ---- we took a “picnic” tablecloth, (you know the ones that have a soft side and a vinyl side), folded it over and placed it on the windshield of the PT under the wiper blades and shut the door on the ends to hold it in place.  We put this on while waiting in line for the ferry.  And…it worked so far, and I think if it survived the drive on the “Top of the World Highway” it must be good for just about anywhere.  (I had suggested duck tape but Bill said that would not work --- I was disappointed, I thought Duck Tape would fix anything!!)

BUT SOME BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL SCENERY ON THE WAY....YOU CAN SEE FOR 100'S OF MILES ALL AROUND YOU.  NO TELEPHONE OR POWER LINES, NO HOUSES, NO SHACKS, NO SIGNS!!  JUST GLORIOUS NATURE!!

WE HAD MADE IT TO ALASKA –-- See we have the picture to prove it!! We passed through customs and made it back into the USA – back to American money, miles instead of kilometers and hopefully better cell phone & internet service.  Bad news was the rest of the way to Chicken, the roads were even worse! Help!!  We set out on June 18^th heading to Alaska and finally on July 9th we arrived there.  Now we had a lot of fun on the way and enjoyed some amazing scenery and interesting sights.  We have had fun….but now we are in Alaska!! Yippee!!

THE VIEW BEHIND THE "WELCOME TO ALASKA" SIGN --- YES, SO VERY BEAUTIFUL!

Now as for Chicken….not much there.  As mentioned in the heading for this blog, the recorded number of residents in Chicken is about 26, but there are only 4 who remain there the full year, including the winter months.  These four stay here to keep the airport and the post office open.  They receive mail by plane two days a week, Tues & Thurs, all year round.  I hope these 4 receive a lot of mail during those long, winter days with little or no daylight, let alone sun.  Maybe we should get their names and everyone can send them a note.  I wonder if they get as much junk mail as we do in the lower 48! 

We had a walking tour at 4PM by Nate, who lives in Eagle, about 80 miles farther north.  He comes to Chicken for a couple months in the summer to do tours and help with the tourist trade.  He spends the rest of his year trapping and living off the land.  I’d say he was in his mid to late 20’s and lives alone in a little cabin there.  He is now working with some sled dogs and wants to enter the Iditarod some day.  The tour was of some totally derelict buildings that had been there since the mid 1950’s – I’m not sure why they are trying to preserve them – they should just tear them down.  If you have read the book, “Tisha’s House”, one of the buildings was hers.  She was a schoolteacher for one year in Chicken and wrote this book.  We wished we had passed on this tour – besides the mosquitos were about to eat us alive!  Have we mentioned how vicious the mosquitoes are in these parts??  And huge??  I actually think they like “Off”.

At 7PM we had a group meeting for dessert and information provided by the camp owner and his wife.  They made their money mining and still do today but run this campground with cafe, gift shop, etc.  We spent some time at the gift shops and watched the final episodes of Season One, “24”!!  Bill still is trying to figure out what could possibly happen next season.

That was it for our day in Chicken – the next morning off to Delta Junction, Alaska, 186 miles, on much better roads – think it’s going to be a good day!!  

DAWSON CITY, YUKON, CANADA

We had planned to leave Minto early for Dawson City as we were expecting over a 6 hour drive to travel the 176 miles.  However, the RV directly in front of us had us blocked in and we couldn’t leave until about 8:30.  Sometimes we are parked in these campsites like sardines – not the way I would choose to camp normally.  I like a little space and a few trees or grass you know.  But it is all good.  We had to be in Dawson City by 4PM for a group briefing and an informative talk by the Goldrush RV Park Manager about Dawson City and all there was to do and see there.  That only left us 1-1/2 hours of stops.  LOL.  We were challenged!

We made our first stop at Stewart River, which is a major tributary to the Yukon River. Another beautiful sight.  Next stop was Moose Creek Lodge and Moose Creek Bridge.  Now this little lodge was not very big but it offered a dining room (consisting of about 4 tables), a gift shop and some lodging.  Very quaint and it was good to stretch our legs but we got back on the road rather quickly.  The Tintina Trench Rest Area was our best stop.  This trench, which extends hundreds of miles across Yukon and Alaska is the largest fault in North America and 1 of 2 major bird migration corridors in the Yukon.  Fantastic views.  

We finally arrived in Dawson City (last as usual).  After set up we rushed over for the meeting and the ice cream social.  With that out of the way we were free for the next day and a half.  We walked around this very small town to get an idea what we were interested in doing the next day.  Checked out the visitor center to get times and tour information.

The next morning we would be taking the motorhome and tow car on this ferry across the Yukon River to the Top of the World Highway.  The Wagon Master said we had to drive the two over separately (could not have the tow car attached).  That meant I would have to drive the tow car (stick shift) onto the ferry.  I wasn’t sure about that so Bill decided we would take the PT over so I could see what it was like.  In the process we saw a motorhome cross over with their tow car attached.  Bill asked the guy at the ferry and he said of course, they go over attached all the time.  Glad we checked it out because I didn’t have to drive it. LOL  

THE FERRY CROSSING THE YUKON RIVER -- THE FERRY WE WOULD BE DRIVING THE MOTORHOME AND TOW CAR ON THE NEXT MORNING TO CROSS THE YUKON RIVER.

Went back to the RV to make a plan, make dinner, work on the blog and watch 24.We took a break between “24” episodes at 11PM to head to Midnight Dome.  We traveled up this steep dirt road to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset.  The drive up the mountain had me a little nervous – no guardrails, road very near to the edge and curvy.   (2,900 feet elevation).  Met another couple from the group up there and we took turns taking our pictures holding a paper plate – 12:01 AM 7/8/10 – can you see the sun shining on us at that time of night?  The sun did not actually set until after 12:30 AM and then it was still light.  I understand it got kinda dark for about 2 hours from 2-4AM.  Weird, but really cool.  Neat, neat experience!  Oh yeah, on the way down Bill spotted this beautiful (he thought it was ugly—NOT!) fox – it reminded me of a calico cat in coloring.  Sad to say I failed to get a good picture, Bill took one but it was in the trees by then.  We are posting a fake one from the internet.

YUKON RIVER & DAWSON CITY BELOW AROUND 11:30 PM

YES, THE SUN STILL HAS NOT SET AT 12:01 AM

THESE TWO PICTURES WERE TAKEN AROUND 12:30 AM -- STILL WASN'T QUITE SET BUT WE HEADED BACK DOWN TO THE RV ANYWAY.

THE FOX WE SAW ON THE WAY DOWN FROM THE MIDNIGHT DOME.  THE CROSS FOX IS A TYPE OF RED FOX FOUND IN NORTHWESTERN CANADA AND ALASKA.

After we stayed up half the night I did not rise too early the next morning.  We packed some water/propel on ice and the bug spray and headed to the “Yukon Order of Pioneers” Cemetery.  We had noticed it the night before coming down the mountain after sunset.  It looked really old and interesting so we thought it was worth a look.  It turned out to be a disappointment but I had noticed the “Crocus Recreational Site” (I love these Recreational Sites!!) and we stopped there for a little hike for a view of the Yukon River and Dawson City below.  We decided to check out the small grocery store, a couple souvenir shops and have lunch at the Jack London Grill.  Bill wanted to tour the “Palace Grand Theater” that dated back to the Gold Rush days, 1898.  Well we did not make it back there in time for the tour but we did get to see an episode of “Sergeant Preston of the Yukon” (and his faithful dog and sidekick, King).   Now I do not remember this show at all, I am anxious to ask my brothers, Stan & Steve, if they do.  Bill was totally excited --- it was really cheesy but rather fun.  

OKAY SO I WANT TO KNOW WHO REMEMBERS THIS SHOW???  IT DEFINITELY IS A CLASSIC.  

Back to the RV to try skype with our kids/grandkids and to cool off and relax.  It had reached 76 that day, a real heat wave for us.  (Know it has been in the 90’s and 100’s back home --- sorry).  Loved having the chance to see them.  Jackson had run a fever and was sleeping when Bill called them.  We are happy to know that he was doing fine when he woke up from his nap.  Glad we had gotten a few minutes with Jackson a day or so earlier.  Blair was adorable and reading to her little sister, Brynn, who has grown so much in the three weeks we have been gone.  Grayden was totally excited that Dad had gone to get pizza.  Blair tried to share her grapes with us and Grayden wanted “Meemaw” to have some pizza.  Priceless!!  Thanks Skype & I Chat!!  Pictures below of our precious little ones!!

 GRAYDEN CAN PLAY FOOTBALL 24/7 -- HE ACTUALLY ACTS OUT THE WHOLE GAME .... POSSIBLY TOO MUCH PLAYSTATION 3 (WATCHING --- DAD)

 JACKSON'S FIRST HAIR CUT --- HE DID GREAT BUT LOOKS A LITTLE DISTRESSED IN THIS SHOT

BLAIR'S PORTRAIT, AGE 2

BRYNN, AGE 3 MONTHS

  We had scheduled a walking tour of the town at 6:30 --- a young man named Fred, dressed in period costume, (I think he was a dealer for the saloon), took us for a 1-1/2 hour of this town that basically came about because of the Gold Rush in 1898. The Gold Rush brought about 20,000 people (mostly single males) to the Yukon River to strike it rich.  Now, in 2010 the town population is 1,879.  There biggest trade then was saloons, brothels and gambling.  This is where the miners came when they needed company other than their own.  Now mining and tourism are their main source of occupation..but this town unlike many others withstood the time.  They have tried to preserve  the town pretty much as it was then.  Interesting tour, interesting character.

We decided to take it easy the rest of the evening, grab supper and watch some “24”.  Bill is pretty much addicted to this show right now.  We are almost done with the first season but when in a quandary he will now say, “What would Jack Bauer do?”  Help!!

The next morning we would be headed to ALASKA!  Really we are almost there.  We are looking forward to that but not the drive on the “Top of the World Highway”.  Roads are not good --- it will take most of the day to go the 108 miles to Chicken, Alaska!!