Haines Junction, Yukon Territory

We left our cool little campground in Watson Lake on Thursday and drove to Whitehorse. 

We saw a lot of people camping in cars the last night in Watson Lake.

These people slept in the bed of their truck

The roads were pretty much the same as we’ve seen the whole trip.  No worse than the roads in the States with some repaired potholes, dips and ongoing construction.  We had planned on staying a few days in Whitehorse but really didn’t like the campground we stayed in.  It was pretty much a gravel parking lot and our slides almost touched the slides of our neighbors on either side.  To top it off there were two caravans here.  For those that don’t know, a caravan is a group of RVs that travel together from place to place with a pre-assigned itinerary.  These caravans were pretty small compared to others out there.  There were only 12 RVs in one and 15 in the other.  If the campground is small they can pretty much take up the whole campground.

We went into town to eat at the famous salmon and rib place but found it WAY too crowded and they only accepted Canadian cash or Canadian debit cards.  We didn’t have that much cash with us so we went to the Edgewater Hotel and ate halibut & chips in the bar with some local beer.  Rod had the Yukon Red and I had Cranberry wheat.  We both really liked the beers.

We crossed over some grated bridges along the way

There was other smaller bridge construction

Beautiful scenery

Made it to Whitehorse

Today we drove 100 miles to Haines Junction.  Again, the roads were okay with some dips and repairs that was so new that it hadn’t yet been settled by vehicles so it made for some bumps.  Nothing major because Rod slowed WAY down when we saw them.

We’ve seen no wildlife these last two days and are disappointed in that.  Hopefully we’ll see some tomorrow.

There was a sign for elk but we didn’t see any

We’re staying in another gravel parking lot here with the sites REALLY close.  The people on either side of us don’t have slides so we have a tiny bit more room.  LOL  There’s really nothing to do here in this town either and we’ll be moving on tomorrow.  We did find a restaurant that serves Chinese food.  It was amazingly good!  Some of the best I’ve had.  Rod had curry chicken and I had Kung Pao Chicken.  Who would have thought you could get Chinese food this good in the tiny little town of Haines Junction??

This is supposedly the most photographed site in Haines Junction

This is the amazing view out our door

Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to Beaver Creek, 185 miles from here, still in the Yukon.  We thought about driving all the way to Tok, Alaska but it would have been another LONG day of  6 hours in the truck provided we didn’t have construction delays or wildlife sightings.  We don’t like traveling that way.

Watson Lake, Yukon

We arrived in Watson Lake, Yukon yesterday really early in the day.  I’m talking like noon.  When we first got into town we noticed a RV park on our right that looked pretty nice.  It had trees and looked like a State Park.  That wasn’t the place we were looking for though.  We were looking for the Downtowner because of the location and had read some reviews that it was an okay park.  Well, when we got there it looked to us like an asphalt parking lot.  We decided to go back to the one we passed earlier and I’m SO glad we did.  We don’t have TV here but we do have wifi and this is more like our kind of park.  Come to find out from some people we met it was cheaper too.  Speaking of people we met, we have met so many so far on the way to Alaska.  We met Ed and Mary Jo in Ft Nelson but found out they were parked right behind us in Dawson Creek.  We saw them again at the Visitor’s Center here and they came over to visit yesterday afternoon (They’re staying at the Downtowner).  We met another couple (didn’t get their names) at Muncho Lake and then saw them here while we were ordering our lunch so we had them join us.  We’re hoping to see Richard & Sarah again somewhere down (up?) the road too.

A lot of people have been asking about the road conditions.  So far in Canada the roads have been fine.  Somebody told us the road from Coal River to Watson Lake was really bad and to allow plenty of time.  Well, really the only reason WE need plenty of time is because we keep stopping for wildlife.  Although, we did see plenty of wildlife yesterday in the way of bears we couldn’t stop in time for photos.  We don’t drive fast and we pull over frequently to let those that are in a hurry pass by.

We did encounter our first major road construction though.  Traffic was down to one lane with a pilot car and we did have to wait about 20 minutes for our turn to go.

The road was really dusty

Today the plan was to visit the Northern Lights Centre.  They have 2 movies that they show in the theater there.  The first was kind of boring just showing various northern lights (Aurora Borealis) and why they think they occur.  The second was about space and the planets.  It was more interesting, to me anyway.

After that we went down to the Signpost Forest.  The signpost forest was started by Karl Lindley in 1942 as a U. S. Army Engineer, 341 company "D" who was building the Alaska Highway. When building many signs in the area, he added a sign to a sign post which stated, "Danville, Illinois, 2835 miles".   Some people say he was homesick.  This tradition has continued over the years from travelers passing through Watson Lake.  It’s amazing how many signs are there.  At last count in Sept 2009 there were over 67,000 signs!  We knew about this place beforehand so we came prepared with our license plate from Florida.  The Visitor’s Center even gives you nails or screws and a hammer or screw driver.

Rod is looking for an empty spot somewhere

He found a spot!!

And there it is!!

Some are pretty elaborate

And others just aren’t going to last

Here’s one we found for my Sissy

And one for my brothers

Even found one for Mac & Netters!

I want to find out where THIS is!!

We could have stayed here all day but with over 67,000 signs we would have been here for a week.

So, tomorrow we’re heading out early (???) to Whitehorse.  I don’t know if we’ll make it all the way there.  It’s a 6 hour drive from here.  We may stop before that.  We made reservations on the Kenai Peninsula for the 1st two weeks in July so we’re covered for the 4th of July.  That’s the only place we have to be so we’ve got a few weeks to get there.

Powerless in Coal River, BC

Our intentions today were to travel to Muncho Lake to the Northern Rockies Lodge and RV Park.  It took us just over 3 hours because there were frequent stops for wildlife.  It seems we travel for a few hours without seeing any wildlife and then all of the sudden it’s everywhere.

We saw a moose that was being very skittish.  In fact, as soon as he saw (or maybe heard) our rig he took off at a full gallop.  When he realized we were just going to keep following him he stopped, gave us a look and started chomping on the leaves of a tree.  Then he turned as if to take off again but gave us another look and ate from another tree.  As soon as we were finished taking pictures and started leaving he quickly crossed the road behind us.

He looked pretty beat up with huge scars all over him

Soon after that we saw signs warning us of buffalo on the roadway.  Although we didn’t see any on the road we did spot some along the side.  Apparently there are only 100 of these Wood Buffalo left in this area so we felt pretty fortunate to see them.

We pulled into the RV park and drove to our site and found it was way too small.  We walked back up to the office to tell them we were moving to a more suitable site.  We got parked in the new site, hooked up the electric to find it wasn’t working.  Back up to the office where somebody said they’d take a look at it.  After about 30 minutes somebody came down, reset the breaker and asked if it was working.  Nope, no power.  She said she’d try to find the maintenance guy but didn’t know how long that would take.  We asked for a refund and drove on down the road where we knew there was another park.  We didn’t feel like paying $50 for water.  They also had no internet and no TV.  It’s too bad too because this had a beautiful setting.

After leaving Muncho Lake we saw a bear with her two cubs sitting on a hillside beside the road.  Then we saw what she was waiting for.  A buffalo had been hit by a car and was dead right alongside the road.  She waited until she realized we weren’t a threat and couldn’t wait any longer, came down from the hill and started eating it.  Soon her cubs joined along in the feast.  I thought the babies were really cute until I saw them tearing into the buffalo.  I know it’s part of nature but I almost threw up watching it.  I asked Rod to just leave.  I couldn’t watch anymore.

Just a warning that the pics are pretty graphic so if you have  a weak stomach I’d suggest not looking at them.

Aren’t the babies just the cutest little things??

Then they ALL had a feast!

After leaving the bears we saw signs warning of caribou in the area but we never saw any.

We are parked now at Coal River Motel & RV Park.  It’s also 15 amp service but we couldn’t get anything to work.  So, Rod hooked up our 2 Honda 2,000 generators so at least we can keep the freezer going.  There is no internet or TV here either but it’s only $22 for the night and we’ll be leaving in the morning for Watson Lake where hopefully we’ll get phone service or internet or something.

The scenery today was absolutely amazing with mountains and rivers everywhere.  The only mountain pass we had to go over was about 4,000 feet so not too bad.  It rained off and on and the roads were bad in spots but we’ve learned what to expect by the road signs.

Whenever we see this road sign we slow WAY down

This is what it means

So, tonight it’s early to bed and up early (???) tomorrow.  I’m writing this tonight (Tuesday) but won’t be able to publish it until tomorrow (Wednesday).