Alaska, Tok to Fairbanks

Is this not the definition of "isolation"?

I left Tok on a lovely day - no "white stuff" and about 45 degrees.  This is what I imagined it would be like in April when I arrived, but alas, Mother Nature picked this year to throw her hissy-fit across the North American continent and left everyone shaking their heads.  I even had some bugs on the windshield, making me think Spring is coming.  And Mother Nature just keeps laughing at me .....

I did see my first Moose along side the road, but he wasn't very big and way too fast for a picture while driving.  I'm sure the next one will pose properly.  So, so far I've seen bison (buffalo), deer, caribou and a moose.  A bear?  I hope not!

There is a really nice rest stop between Delta Junction and North Pole.  I think it is Lost Lake, because of the street sign, but not sure.



Delta Junction is the end of the Alcon (Alaska) Highway and then the road becomes Alaska 2.  The visitor center in Delta Junction gives out certificates for completeing the journey and I intend to get one, but it wasn't open for the season yet when I passed through.  I have to go back that way to drive the Richardson Highway to Valdez, so I'll stop then.

So, remember a couple of paragraphs up when I said Mothere Nature keeps laughing at me?
This is now my drive.  The temperature dropped 10 degrees over the past 100 miles.



The sky here is different from what I've seen before.  The entire sky is white with clouds, then there are like clouds on top of those, and some on top of those .... it's really different ... like something artificial.

I arrived in Fairbanks without incident and made myself comfortable for the night at the local Walmart.  It was a nice Walmart, open 24 hours with plenty of RV parking for those passing through.  There were half a dozen of us parked for the night.

Tok, Alaska

Sitting in Tok waiting for my mail to arrive before I move onto Fairbanks.

Rented a movie from the “red box” and had dinner at Fast Eddy’s, the only restaurant (but a good one) in town.  Stopped at the library for wifi … easy days.   I'm physically in my car in the parking lot of the library using their wifi to send this . I’m so far out in the “boonies” even the satellite radio in my Jeep can’t find a signal, but ….

Am I actually in Wonderland?  I saw the largest white rabbit imaginable in my campsite.  Too bad it ran off before I could get the camera aimed, because it was THIS BIG. ha.  I have seen several rabbits since, mostly a "dirty white" color, but none as big as that pure white one

The squirrels must be hungry because they made short work of a half loaf of bread I threw out.  They are stealth as well because the bread was gone in a nanosecond and I only saw one squirrel.  I know, don’t feed the wild life but it is such a waste to put it in the trash ….

If you’re keeping track, I had the second worse haircut (in Junction City, Oregon at a salon) I’ve received in the last almost three years on the road.

Tok School (K - 12)

The snow is melting and the nights are staying a little warmer.  The wind continues to be cold and strong, but even the locals complain about the wind …  Apparently I’m starting to look like a lumberjack because the question is “local or passing through?” not “where are you from?”  Since that includes bad hair, flannel shirts and muddy pants and boots, I’m not sure it’s a complement.  :)

I went into town to return the movie I rented (I had to wait in line – apparently it is the only source of entertainment) and there were several RVs in town – at the grocery store, the restaurant and at the campground on the highway (apparently it is now open).  The license plates were from Alaska (coming home or leaving?) and California.  I’m still alone at the Sourdough Campground.

Sourdough has several meanings in Alaska.   A sourdough is soneone who has weathered some time in Alaska.  For example, one's sourdough status might be 1 year, which means they have survived a single year.  The length of time one must live in Alaska to actually be considered a sourdough is debatable.

View of Tok as you leave town toward heading to Fairbanks ....

(PS.  I can barely see my screne in the car, so if there are errors, I didn't see them :))

I made it! I’m in beautiful Alaska!

 

Pictures from Kluane National Park and Kluane Lake (which is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world – unfortunately it is frozen solid) from the drive between Haines Junction, Yukon and Tok, Alaska.  I had intended to do a flight-seeing trip over the park while I was here, but it was never clear enough.  Hopefully, I can do it the next time I’m in the area.

Although the highway has been rebuilt and straightened several times, this remains one of the more challenging sections of road to encounter on this trip.  From Haines Junction to Destruction Bay the road is in good condition. From Destruction Bay to the US Border, not so much.  I drove on the wrong side of the road often trying to avoid some of the ruts.

Destruction Bay is a small community located near the shores of Kluane Lake.  It was one of the several camps built to supply the army during the construction of the Alaska Highway.  It got is name when an extremely violent storm destroyed building and much of the highway construction material that was stored here.

Burwash Landing is the traditional home of the Southern Tutchone people of the Kluane First Nation. The present location was first used as a summer camp by the Tutchone until a trading post was built in the early 1900s by the Jacquot brothers.  This enabled many of the First Nation to build more permanent homes in the area.  The site became the administrative center for the Kluane First Nations.  Burwash Landing celebrates 114 years this year.

I LOVE how Canadians call their original citizens First Nation instead of “Indians.”  It is so much more respectful.

Beaver Creek is the most westerly community in Canada, and is actually further west than Vancouver, BC.  Beaver Creek has been inhabited for 10,000 years.  It is the home of the White River First Nation.  There is an abundance of copper in the area and this became valuable as a trade commodity.

When I was staying at the truck stop near Haines Junction, I was lucky to have a couple of really nice green salads.  I asked where they got the fresh produce and learned that it is brought up to Vancouver, shipped to Anchorage, put on a barge to Whitehorse and then trucked to Haines Junction.  Since the salad cost me $11, I didn’t ask what they paid for the romaine or the tomatoes.  I also learned they charge $20/pack for cigarettes; $135 for an 8/pack carton.  So glad I don’t smoke!

I was the only vehicle crossing the border into Alaska – surprise – but the border patrol officer said they had had more RVs crossing early than ever before.  I was told the same thing when I arrived at Tok.  Maybe they will start to open things earlier if people keep coming …

The biggest problem I have had, besides the weather, has been finding water.  Apparently it is in short supply when everything freezes.  If you don’t have a well, you are begging water from those who do have one.  Finding a place to empty my tanks has been a challenge as well.

Tok (Tok is pronounced with a long “0” - like there is an “e” on the end) is often called the “Gateway to Alaska” because it is the first major community in Alaska you come to when heading north.  The town has a population of approximately 1,250.  Its economy is based on tourism and for its size, Tok offers more hotel rooms and campsites than any other town in the state.  It is also known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska” which is apparent from the number of kennels in town.  I’ve been “greeted” (translate body slammed) by a couple of huskies since I arrived and I was surprised at their lack of weight.  They are not nearly as heavy or strong as Zoey, my son and daughter-in-law’s young boxer.

At Haines Junction and the drive to Tok there was a nasty wind.  Apparently there is nothing to stop it …. It is strong and cold.  I stopped at a rest stop and tried to get out of the coach to check the Jeep.  The wind was so strong I could hardly open the door and I was afraid the wind would take it out of my control and cause damage, so I closed it and stayed inside until the next stop.  There was a wind warning here last night, but nothing like the winds I had in Haines Junction.

So here is a conversation I had …. I mentioned how dry my skin and lips and everything is and was told they have a very dry cold …. When you’re out walking in -40 degrees it actually feels more like -20 degrees because it is a dry cold.  Arizona – sound familiar?  J  My response was “who is out WALKING in -40 degrees?!”

Other conversations involved our military.  For instance, did you know that it is considered and over-seas posting to be stationed in Alaska?  That’s significate because the pay is higher, but also because it does not require Congress approval to send the solders anywhere in the world from here. A lot of the military has been transferred recently and have been moving their families back to the lower 48. 

Russia just completed a heavily armed instillation just across the Strait, supposedly a “science research center” and that China is building ice cutters?  Just some things to keep you awake at night.

I finally saw my first Caribou crossing the road.  There were two, pretty small.  Still looking for that moose!

In one of my blogs I mentioned the housing for the annual employees.  I took this picture ... one of a unit not being used and one of three in use.  This is the back of the three with the orange stipe.  I didn't want to get closer as I didn't want to invade anyones privacy.

 Heading to Fairbanks next for a couple of weeks, and then down to Valdez.....

Watson Lake to Haines Junction

The drive is getting better and signs of spring are starting to appear.  Unfortunately, it is still too early in the year and nothing is open …. So all the things on my spreadsheet – the reason I needed the extra time to see it “all” – aren’t happening and now I’m about 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  I would just sit and wait it out, but my tanks are full and there is nowhere to dump.

I am currently staying at a truck stop about 20 miles east of Haines Junction.  The restaurant food is good; they told me that if it wasn’t the truckers wouldn’t keep stopping.  I had a burger and salad yesterday so I could use the wifi.  I also washed my bedding ($11).  It is $10 for a shower …..

There are a few (very few) places along the highway that are open all year, this being one of them.  I have been seeing these “cargo containers” with doors and windows cut out of the sides. Well, apparently the employees live in these in the winter and then move to their personal RV or trailer in the summer.  I would love to look inside one. They must be well insulated to withstand the winters here.

I drove into Haines Junction yesterday morning, thinking it was a town.  It is a gas station, church and a small grocery store.  They have about 800 people living in the area.  At the store I bought a loaf of raisin/cranberry bread (homemade) that is really good, a small tube of Neosporin, some cheese and a small container of oatmeal ($30 total).  Nothing had a price tag and I didn’t ask the price of the produce.  When I mentioned to the clerk that I image it cost an arm and leg, her response was “well we have to bring it up from California.”  Jeez, I could have brought her some.  

Haines Junction was once a base camp for the US Army engineers who in 1942 built much of the Alcan Highway (now known as the Alaska Highway) that links Fairbanks in Alaska to the south of Canada.

But, chronologically, I’m ahead of myself.

The road from Watson Lake to Whitehorse was sketchy in places (ice and potholes), but all-in-all it was an improvement over the iced roads I’ve been driving on.  It was snowing, but nothing alarming.  I was so concerned about protecting my Jeep windshield and its front end …. The Jeep is fine but I have two chips in my coach windshield so far.  Lots of semis heading south ….

I intended to spend some time in Whitehorse, but there wasn’t a campground open, so I had nowhere to stay.  I did spend the night in the rest stop, so here is how my two days in Whitehorse went …

I wanted to stop at the Visitor’s Center for information and to see what was open.  The available RV parking was full of cars, so after I drove around town looking for someplace to park I finally found three meters together that were clear and parked there.  Luckily, I have some Canadian money with me from my prior trip, so I could feed the meters and walk over to the visitor center.  The lady at the counter said the only open campground was at Takhini Hot Springs, about 20 miles up the road.  She called to be sure they were open and off I went.  When I got there (the road into the campground wasn’t plowed and I was concerned about getting stuck), they were full and I had to back out to leave … which meant unhooking the Jeep, turning around and then re-connecting the Jeep.  While turning around I found a large rock/boulder in the snowbank.  Why do campgrounds have decorative boulders at the turn points?  I have read so many comments in the RV groups of getting dents from these rocks.  So I finally get back to the road and head to Whitehorse and the rest stop. 

The next morning I had cell service, so I made some calls and found an RV dealer in town that was willing to run a hose and give me water (my water tank was empty).  He couldn’t let me dump, however, but the water helped.  I also found a do-it-yourself truck wash and an open gas station.  Great.

The first stop was the truck wash:  The bay wasn’t long enough for both vehicles, so I disconnect the Jeep, drive into the bay, wash what muddy ice I can off the coach (by the minute again)… while I pay the attendant to wash my Jeep; and then I back out and reconnect the Jeep.  $45 well spent.

The next stop is the RV dealer.  I filled my holding tank with water, thank them and start to drive around the back of the building to leave.  What RV dealer doesn’t have a turn-around?  I again unhook the Jeep, back out of the lot, and reconnect the Jeep.  If someone thinks I need the practice hooking up the Jeep, I assure you I don’t.

I was told Diesel would get cheaper in the Yukon because there is less tax.  They lied.  It’s up to $1.36/liter (4 liters to a gallon).  I'm curious to see what prive Alaska has.

So, because there is no place to stay, the few things that are open in Whitehorse and the day trip to Skagway are off the table.  Off to Haines Junction ….

I now have a long list of things to see “on the way back” but I don’t think I have enough time on the way back to stop.  Unfortunate, but I can at least repeat this part of the trip another year, maybe add it to the end of a summer trip to the Northwest.

I hope I’m able to do this lifestyle for many, many years because I keep adding additional trips/years onto my spreadsheet and am currently up to 10 years of “travel” before I slow down to smaller “circuits” with friends.

When I was in Quebec/Gaspe the summer before last, I had some trouble finding DEF for my coach and ended up driving 400 miles in my Jeep to a NAPA to get some.  So this trip I picked up a bottle at NAPA in Junction City, just so I have some with me.  I paid $5 for the 2 ½ gallon bottle.  Well, DEF is pretty easy to find (always in the bottles, not at the pump like Flying J), but I’m paying $20 or $25 for the 2 ½ gallon bottle.  Between that and the price of Diet Coke, my next trip to Canada will have my car packed with both!

So …. I’m currently staying at the truck stop.  My holding tanks are full so I can’t stay here much longer.  It is about 500 miles to Fairbanks, with nothing I can find open between here and there.  If I could find someplace to dump, get some more water and have wifi, I could just sit for a couple weeks and enjoy nature.  I’m frustrated with myself for the poor planning, but it has also been a good experience …. Mostly though I’m embarrassed; I expect more from myself.  I just can’t seem to get my brain around this “weather” stuff!