Thoughts On Our Alaska Trip, Costs

When we first thought of going to Alaska we had  many preconceived notions, some fears of animals and the trip itself, and so much that we thought we would do. We bought The Milepost and Church's book on the Alaska Highway, talked with friends who had already made the journey, and spent a lot of time on the Internet preparing for the trip. The main concern however was what would it cost.

So here are some numbers and costs of the trip. I would like to add the that many of the costs are about what it would cost us, as fulltime rvers, to travel across the lower forty eight.
For example, lets start with camping fees. We spent nine nights boondocking, other nights in provincial and state parks, but most of the nights in private campgrounds. We wanted to do a lot of boondocking but we had problems with our water system and later wanted to have electricity for the freezers full of salmon.

So our total camping cost was $2682 for an average of  $29 a night. This was the one cost that we could have saved a lot on as our cost for camping the last year, as we traveled in the lower forty eight, was $15.42 per night. Basically the private parks are more expensive and there is no Passport America. There are numerous turnouts and places to boondock but we kind of got in a rut.
Food costs were also a little higher as we spent $2791, or $930 a month. This is about 30 dollars a day and includes paper towels, sundries, soap and other things that we lump into out grocery category. At one place, Healy, Alaska we saw eggs for seven dollars a dozen and potato chip for seven dollars a bag.
We did stockpile a lot before we crossed the border and we did refill our supplies at Anchorage and Fairbanks so the food costs weren't much different then our normal budget down south,(we usually spend $830 a month in this budget category).We only ate out twice and if we had more the food costs would have gone astronomical as fish and chips usually cost over fifty bucks for two people.
Our biggest expense was of course diesel fuel and totaled $3515. The highest price we paid was $7.70 a gallon, at Pink Mountain in Canada, and the lowest was 3.92 a gallon in Fairbanks,(we used our Safeway card and got thirty cents off per gallon).
The total mileage for our trip was 8048 miles with the average cost being 43.6 cents a mile. This compares with 30.4 cents a mile which is what it cost us to travel from Texas to Wyoming, before we headed north. Again with better planning I could have avoided topping my tanks at Pink Mountain but fuel still averaged over $ 5.90 a gallon crossing Canada.

If you do go north be sure to buy the Tour Saver Book as it will save you money. We only used three items in the book but they still saved us about two hundred and seventy dollars. Granted they were things that we normally don't do but how often do you travel to Alaska?
There is one last cost and its one I hadn't prepared for, the cost of repairs. Do plan on things breaking as you drive the frost heaves and pass construction trucks. We had water line and pump problems but luckily didn't break our windshield. We also had a slide that jammed and a water pump on the truck that gave out, but I don't think those should be added to the cost as it could have happened anywhere.
We did talk two two people who had their towed vehicle hitches fail and one lost their jeep without even knowing it as their brake system didn't work. I do think that a lot of this could be avoided as people go way to fast, but that's just me and we were some of the slowest drivers on the Alaskan Highway,(we wanted to see and enjoy the drive, not simply race north, oh and the roads are good till you reach Whitehorse).
Finally, the total cost of the trip was 8991 dollars,(three months), or about $90 bucks a day. This compares with the month of May where we had costs of $2020 or sixty five dollars per day. These totals do not include our prescriptions, or mad money or repairs so what did it really cost us to go to Alaska? As fulltime rvers it cost us about twenty five dollars a day above our normal traveling budget, and that's not bad.
Clear skies


ps I carried two extra tires and never had a single problem but I did put new tires on the fifth wheel before we started. Our suspension held up but we did meet friends who had theirs fail and Good Sams came to their rescue,(ours failed last January in Texas and was rebuilt then). We did shut our phones off, in Canada, and most of Alaska as there are miles and miles of no service. If you depend on a phone buy a satellite phone. Oh and we did stop our satellite tv subscription as you can't connect to the low angle and due to the blocking trees and mountains.
I am also not including fishing liscenses, $145 each, tour cruises, or other entertainment as all were optional.

August 24, 2012: Decision at Cache Creek

So the decision was should we go east from Cache Creek or should we head down Fraser Canyon. Milepost suggested/warned that the Fraser Canyon drive had curvey and narrow roads. So we just about decided to take the easier but longer route east on Highyway 1 to Kamloops and then down the four lane highway to Hope.
Luckily we decided to head down the canyon and if you ever come this way drive the canyon. Milepost should add the following caveat, "If you have driven on the Top of the World Highway go where ever you want to, it will be easier".

So we headed down the beautiful canyon and marveled at the white water rapids. A bighorn sheep appeared alongside the road and the tunnels added their charm to the delightful drive. Renita finally filled her memory card, her total for Alaska is now about four thousand images, and so she grabbed another new one and finally got it in the camera's slot.
I tried to view as much as I could and so I slowed down. It was ok as the road has numerous passing lane segments and no one seemed too concerned. It was busy but still the traffic was pretty light compared to what waited for us at Hope.

The drive was mostly a long long downhill, amybe the longest I have ever been on but it was managable by downshifting and using our good brakes.The tunnels were all named and Renita snapped each ones image as I reminded her to take off her sunglasses.
Soon we reached Hope and then merged onto Trans Canada One West and the joy of the dirve left me. So much traffic and so many trucks and they all took any further fun from traveling down the Gold Rush Road.

Still I would drive the drive again, and I would never drive this way north up the long long pull. Crossing the border we got into an hour long jam that wasn't helped when a waiting car caught on fire. Once we reached the Border Guard he quickly passed us through and Renita found a really nice campground in Lynden.
The plan is to rest here. a couple of days and then head east for Wyoming. Then its time to renew my liscense and make our last doctors appointment for this year. We are both glad to back in the lower forty eight and its time to make our route and how to dodge the forest fires as we head back. Clear skies

August 22, 2012: Brake Repairs and the Drive to Prince George

August 22, 2012: Brake Repairs and the Drive to Prince George

See I know I had the brakes checked before we left Texas so as we were traveling down the Cassier I couldn’t believe it when the trailer brakes stopped working. I mean it didn’t matter if I tried the slide or the pedal, the lights all were apparently working but the trailer brakes weren’t there.

So I drove the rest of the Cassier slowly and used manual gear so I could have help with the engine brake. It was ok, but not great. The closest help was in a city of Smithers where there was a mobile rv repair service. Of course it turned out it was closed and so we drove to a truck repair shop called Truck Pro, hoping for results.

Tim called Robert over to meet us and Robert carefully listened to all I had tried and all that hadn’t worked. It was really nice to be in the hands of an expert and he methodically attacked the problem. He also explained everything he was doing, so if I ever had to work on them again, I would have a better idea.

Three hours later, we pulled out of town with brakes working like brand new and it cost a lot less than we expected. So if you are ever in that part of the world, and need repairs, Truck Pro people are definitely the good guys!

The Yellow head highway is busy, far busier than anything we have driven in the past three months. We had a steep hill to climb and of course the truck heated up but it was ok and we were able to continue on. Houston, Fort Fraser, Vanderhoof all and came and went and we reached Prince George.

Arriving at Prince George, we pulled into an rv park and it was time to rest and relax after a full day of repairs and driving. Tomorrow is the anniversary of when we started full timing and it doesn’t seem possible that we have been at it for five full years. Tomorrow we hope to reach Cache Creek and maybe cross the border on Friday or Saturday, so knock on wood…… Clear skies

August 20, 2012:From Stewart to Smithers

We woke up to clouds and a light rain and we knew it was time to head south. By eight thirty we were on the road and driving up the gentle slope to Merziadan Junction. Of all the roads this is the easiest as it follows an old railroad grade and so is a gentle pull.

Turning south we didn't get far before a car was stopped for a black bear. We actually had some traffic and so I couldn't stop but Renita, ever the resourceful one managed to snap a few images. Further south the Seven Sisters Mountians showed up and we knew we were near the end of the Cassier Highway.
As soon as we turned onto the Yellowhead Highway traffic picked up and two semis were on our rear end. I pulled over and let them pass but soon another convoy formed and so it went. The easy driving of our journey was over and so we fought traffic for the next seventy miles until we reached Smithers.

There we checked into an rv park and tried to get the fifth wheel in for service. No, luck as the one person here who works on rv's is injured and unable to crawl under so I am trying to locate the problem  myself. Bob the rv mechanic, did give me quite a few suggestions so I hope to locate the short in the brake line tomorrow. Clear skies

August 19, 2012:An Extra Day in Hyder and Stewart

When I mentioned to Renita that I would like to spend another day in Hyder and Stewart, she readily agreed. So of course we had to visit the shops, see the bears, and check out the Stewart museum.
Returning that evening, to Fish Creek, it didn't take long before the sow appeared. She waded down the creek, stopping to eat a dead salmon now and then, and even tried fishing. It was obvious she didn't know how to catch them and she only succeeded in chasing them around so she soon gave up and came onshore to eat leaves.
She stayed there quite a while, until Renita noticed the boar approaching far upstream. Huffing he hurried down the stream and she quickly took flight. She watched him fish for a while and then neared him, grabbing a dead salmon and running back into the forest.

The next day we decided to stop and shop a bit in the local stores, and if you visit no other shop, be sure to stop at the Boundary Store in Hyder. When you do, ask Caroline really nice, she will even play you a tune on the dulcimers she sells there. She also makes jewelry and we complimented her on the artistry she displays in wire wrapping.
Oh, and don't speed through Hyder as Caroline sits on her front porch and uses a radar gun to catch speeders. She doesn't ticket them but instead shoots them with her paintball gun and then calls the speeders company to report their reckless behavior.
Finally, Renita suggested we visit the local museum, and its really one of the places we should have visited first. Located in the old fire station on Stewart, the curator, Donna, will entertain you with stories and will offer to show you movies on the towns history and on bear behavior.

The bear behavior movie is one everyone should see. It shows the difference between defensive attacks and predatory ones and explains what you should and shouldn't do. It tells you when to play dead and when to fight back and when we return up north I believe I will buy some bear spray.
So we have had a good time in the area and I really recommend Hyder and Stewart to all who are heading down the Cassier. About the only thing we didn't do here is visit the Salmon Glacier but we didn't want to travel the bumpy four wheel drive road,(we talked with a person from Wyoming who blew two tires as he hit potholes at too high a rate a speed). May you be blessed with bears. Clear skies

August 17, 2012: Claws

August 17, 2012: Claws

It wasn’t just his size that amazed me, and that was impressive enough, nor was it the size of his head as he grabbed a chum salmon in his huge jaws and teeth. No what really impressed me and will always be in my memory is the size of his claws. While you could see them even as he walked but it was when he held a large chum salmon that the claws really became prominent.

It was the second time today that we were at the Fish Creek Boardwalk. Its located three miles out of Hyder, Alaska, and it is owned and maintained by the US Forest Service. It’s an elevated boardwalk that gives all a birdseye view of feeding Brown and Black Bears.

Arriving at a little after six am the first parking lot was full and so we had to park a little further down the road. The boardwalk had just opened and already there was a crowd of people hoping to catch a glimpse of bears feeding.

Below you could see chum, (dog), and humpies, (pink), salmon and it was the first time we have seen chum. They are quite a bit larger then pinks and they put on their own show as they jostled around the females. The larger males would push each other attempting to get a better position as the female turned sideways to dig her redd.

Many were talking, rather loudly I thought, and several were smoking cigarettes. One even lit up a pipe and I thought, do these people think they are in a zoo? It was obvious that they had never sat in a blind/stand and hunted or bird watched. Soon the road construction started and the road became busy as water trucks passed back and forth.

No bears showed up and so we drove back to camp, (we later learned that several bears showed up at 8:30 am). A couple with two kayaks told us of a lake where they had watched two grizzlies playing for over an hour. We drove up to Clements Lake but didn’t see any bears.

Returning to town we stopped at the visitor center and walked the boardwalk that extends out into the tidal marshes. After dinner we decided to head back to Fish Creek and hope to see a bear. Waiting patiently again I seethed as several women begin an animated and loud discussion in a different language. Finally they shut up and wandered away.

The forest service volunteer suddenly said bear and we watched as a large boar brown wadded out into the creek. It fished a bit before slowly wading up missing salmon. One ear was scarred from a previous fight and the same person said the bear was about eight hundred pound in size.

Cameras clicked and a crowd crammed around as he caught a salmon and gripped it with his teeth. Carrying it to a small rock island, it held the fish with its paws as it ate the skin and head of the fish. It seemed to have a taste for the skin as it left most of the carcass for the mew gulls.

Grabbing another salmon, he again would just eat the skin and maybe a bite or two of the rest. We watched it as it slowly fished the entire length of the boardwalk. The volunteers yelled at people to turn off their flash and several cars topped along the road.

One person even got out of his car and walked over to the edge of the road, having no idea how close he was to the huge set of teeth and claws. The Forest Service person yelled at the idiot to get back in your car!

The bear fed for an hour before going upstream and waded under a bridge before walking into the parking lot. Suddenly people begin pointing into the brush and a much smaller female brown appeared. She fed on some  leaves and then headed downstream, stopping to feed on left over fish.

Meanwhile the big boar returned and started wading downstream, smelling the air. The sow, picking up his scent, grabbed a salmon and ran into the brush. She knew better to tempt her fate! We continued to watch until the light became too low and so we returned to camp.

This is why we came to Alaska, to see bears feeding. It’s why we took the long and narrow Cassier Highway and it was worth the price of admission. I will never forget the claws and oh by the way children, monsters do exist. Clear skies

August 16, 2012: From Dease Lake to Stewart, A Stunning Drive

You almost get inured to the beauty that surrounds you here. The mountains line both sides of the road and you pass into the boreal forest. Kettle lakes and beautiful rivers are everywhere but you have seen so much beauty that its almost anticlimactic. Then a bear wanders onto the road and you brake hoping that you can stop in time.
Of course we were going slow and so we didn't have any problem and that's what was good about this segment of our travels. It was a three bear day as the black bears were in the ditches eating berries. Added to this a moose and all in all a good days drive for animals.
The road was so so for the first bit. Its pretty typical here to have steep ditches with no shoulders and so the driver must concentrate on the road and not the scenery. When we get parked for the night I upload Renitas images and get to see things I have missed.

We drove through four construction areas, one of which involved helicopter lumbering. There we had to wait about thirty minutes, and it would have been longer, but the crew shut down for lunch. Huge slash piles were all along the road waiting for winters snow and the wet to keep their burning under control.
The bridges are really different as they use planks here for the roadway surface and the layout is not the usual one you see for wooden decking down south. On one bridge the surface was being replaced and several others were only one lane. The use of wood seems so normal however as you are surrounded by forests.

Turning down to Stewart and Hyder the road descends gradually and hanging glaciers appear. Stopping is prohibited as there is danger of ice fall and avalanche even in the summertime. A huge avalanche was along one side of the road and I have never seen such giant slabs! We pulled over for Bear Glacier,(a legal turnout) and again admired the blue ice and the river appearing from its snout.
This drive could arguably be the prettiest one we have been on although the approach to Valdez is also filled with waterfalls. My favorite waterfall here was one in which the water actually poured off from the surface of ice and then descended into a series of plunges each rivaling any waterfall I have ever seen before.

We crossed a long single lane wooden bridge and entered Stewart, parking in the very first campground. There we met Paula and Norm, a couple we had first met on our trip up the Alaska Highway. You might recall Rick and Karen and the Escapee group that traveled in a small and unofficial caravan.

Regardless we are here for three days and hope to see the bears feeding on pinks and silvers. The campground has warnings as bears and wolves wander in and out of it and it is highly recommended that you stay inside during the night. Its a warning we plan on obeying! Clear skies

August 15, 2012: The Cassier Highway, Jade City, Dease Lake

August 15, 2012: The Cassier Highway, Jade City, Dease Lake

We left Watson Lake, (well not really Watson Lake but the junction of the Cassier and the Alaskan Highway), and headed south for Jade City and Hyder. Our goal for the first day was to make it to Dease Lake, after first stopping at Jade City and hopefully adding to our jade collection.

The highway itself started out as a narrow version of the Alaskan Highway. It was really pretty good and we averaged thirty five miles per hour. It actually got a little better and the scenery is simply spectacular as the Cassier Mountains rose in their entire splendor. The road itself follows the Dease River for quite a while and so we enjoyed the river and numerous quiet lakes.

Ruffled grouse all seemed to be feeding on gravel along the route and I thought we were going to catch a few in our grill but they all flushed as we neared. We got passed by everyone but that’s ok as who knows if we will ever travel this road again and so it’s our time to smell the roses.

Seventy miles south we neared Jade City and so we stopped to look for some free jade. The road cut was full of green rocks and we actually picked up some BC jade and some emerald snowflake jade rough. When we arrived at Jade City we saw huge boulders of jade and tables filled with sliced pieces and slabs.

We were both like little children as we posed besides the mammoth rocks. Emerald greens, mutton jade layers and black speckled greens were all in abundance. Walking to the tables we started to wet pieces and soon one of the miners arrived and sprayed the blocks with water allowing us to grade the jade ourselves.

I asked her where the highest grade was and she said that it all was purchased by Chinese buyers and sure enough a buyer was inside the store. WE did manage to find and purchase some rough that will make some beautiful cabochons including some that had inclusions of bright green chromium, chromium diopside I believe).

We put our purchases in the truck and went back just to see all of the beautiful rock. One of the miners showed us some stunning, what I would call a turtleback translucent jade, and he took our card promising us he would contact us when he had sliced more.

See they have an outcrop of the jade and they can’t blast it as it will fracture so they have to slice pieces in the mine and then bring them to the store to further slice, grade and sell. All of the miners did admire Renita’s Wyoming Jade pendant and complimented us on our work.

So we left Jade City and continued our drive. The road was really good for about forty miles and then the frost heaves and gravel breaks came out to play, Slowing down again I took it easy and so it took us about five hours to travel one hundred and fifty miles to Dease Lake and the private campground.

There are lots of places to boon dock along the road, but we wanted electricity for our freezers as they are filled with salmon. We did find diesel and filled up so we are good to go for Stewart and Hyder tomorrow. Clear skies

June 20th, 2012: Driving the Top Of the World Highway

June 20^th, 2012: Driving the Top Of the World Highway

We got a late start for the ferry this morning, as we both overslept. As we drove up to the ferry it was almost 9:30 am and the line was five rv’s deep so it took a little over an hour to board and finally cross. It’s by far the smallest ferry we have ever taken with the house and it was a bit intimidating as they crowed us next to a second fifth wheel.

However, the crossing was uneventful and we started the climb up to the Top of the World Highway. It was a pretty easy drive as we took it slow and watched for animals. Unfortunately the Forty Mile Caribou herd was somewhere else, but it was still a spectacular drive.

The road, on the Canadian side was really quite good. Sure there were the occasional frost heaves  and narrow spots but it was ok. It was mostly gravel with a combination of some chip seal and pavement. We did have a spot where graders were working the road and we got some mud, but that was about it.

Crossing the border at Poker Creek we entered Alaska and as everyone knows it’s always great to be back in the USA after weeks in another country,(All though the people of Canada were all warm and friendly). I wish I could say the same for the conditions of the roads.

The Border Guard was really nice and we were quickly allowed to drive on. Immediately the road worsened but it was still ok. The farther we got the worse it became and we had a thrilling moment as we met another fifth wheel whose driver refused to move over….

Most were quite nice about it and we kind of took turns stopping or slowing to allow each other by as the road became worse and worse. It was still ok, except for one really steep grade, but I wouldn’t want to drive it if it were wet and soft.

We reached our destination for the night, Walker Fort BlM Campground and were pleasantly surprised at the large pull through. I tried to take a nap but visions of gold nuggets were dancing in my head. When I got up I found Renita sitting in the living room area working on her metal detector. I could see she was as ready as I was to hit gold claim.

We drove up the creek and stopped at several areas. Digging out rock and sand we would pan and then try another spot. There is a lot of mica which glitters and we did find some very small gold flecks but not enough to write home about. It looks like the area has already been mined and now the BLM has saved what’s left as a place for public panning.

We met the neighbors, all from Sitka, who were on a gold mining trip themselves and Greg, a retired logging engineer from there,  even came over and gave us a location on a place to pan. They said they had found some nuggets about the size of a sunflower seed and that’s really quite large! So it’s daylight now and 1:45 am and of course I am wide awake. There really isn’t any night right now and that’s as it should be as it’s early on June 21^st, about one hundred and fifty miles below the Arctic Circle.  Clear skies.

June 18th 2012, A Day in the Goldfields of Dawson City

June 18^th 2012, A Day in the Goldfields of Dawson City

I stepped down into the water and regretted my decision. It was muddy and I hoped I wouldn’t get stuck. I dug my shovel into the sidewall of the hole and felt the clay and rock. I was able to gather some on the blade and scraped it into the bucket. I realized I now knew what the “muck” was referred to by the old time miners.

Arriving at Dawson we had decided that we wanted to spend a day in the goldfields of Bonanza Creek. There we would take the tour of the Dredge Number 4 and then drive further up the valley and do some panning at Claim Number Six,(Claim Six is owned by the Klondike Visitor Center and offers free panning for tourists).

Arriving just in time for the first tour we bought tickets and waited outside for the guide. She soon showed up and started off with a question, “How many miners did it take to run the dredge? “ Now it’s a huge dredge and so we all guessed too high a number so when she told us just four, it seemed to low.

There were others of course. A team would use steam to melt the permafrost and another team would drill test holes to plan the path the dredge would take. However it only took four people to actually operate the earth moving monstrosity.

The machine was really something akin to a monster that ate the earth and spilled out worm trails in its path. It actually worked its way up the valley and was finally abandoned where it now rests. It made millions of dollars for its investors, the Guggenheim's, and on a positive note it was one of the mining machines that kept Dawson City alive

After finishing the tour we talked with the park guide who said that going up to Claim Number Six was a good way to connect with the early miners. She told us that some of the mines had actually donated ore for the free panning area and suggested we work that material if we wanted to find some gold.

Of course we first heeded her suggestion and I found a small flake of gold in my second pan. We both panned the rest of the bucket, to no avail, and so I dug some new material from another hole.  No more gold and so I crossed the creek and dug in the large hole that had been worked by others.

It didn’t surprise me that I didn’t find any gold there, the tour had a picture of the pay zone and showed it below the permafrost. Still I had to try and so I returned to the original pile. Renita sat patiently in her spot working her pan and looking for nuggets. Unfortunately, nuggets were seldom found here as it was mostly fine gold. We certainly didn’t find any, but again that was no surprise.

Now the gold we found was barely visible but we were both happy we had found some. We really had no illusions but still we are the eternal optimists, and why not? Later we talked about our day and both of us agreed that we would find more gold, once we got to Chicken!  Clear skies

June 17th, 2012, On the Way To Dawson

June 17^th, 2012, On the Way To Dawson

We really didn’t decide which way to go until this morning. I checked out the weather forecasts and the road reports for the Top of the world highway. It looked like the weather would be nice next week and the delays and construction on the Top of The World Highway said that delays would be less then twenty minutes.

So we turned north, onto the Klondike Highway. Our plan wasn’t to make it to Dawson but to drive at least to Carmack or maybe even Selkirk Landing on the Pelly River. The Carmack area is reported to have agate trails and the Selkirk area has a Native Hude Arts and Craft center so they both seemed like a good bet.

Soon after driving up the road we saw two tundra swans, a mated pair, serenely gliding across a small lake. It’s really not a good road for wildlife viewing, the road has no shoulders and a steep drop off. It also has the dreaded frost heaves and I only hit one badly before I gave them the respect they deserve.

Before long we reached mile ninety three. There a sign talks about the plume agates and geodes found there an so we backed the rig, yup all fifty five feet of it, onto a cobble side road. Locking the dog into the fifth wheel we headed up the trail. Soon Renita and I were grabbing rocks and occasionally stopping to examine the wolf scat.

Renita suggested we talk loudly so as not to startle a grizzly bear and you knew she was right. I had forgotten all about bears as we hiked up the heavily forested trail. The trail ended in a small turnaround and you could see where others had camped and then looked for the beautiful plume agate.

Now the problem is that we really didn’t know what the local plume looks like on the outside or rind. We do know what Rio Grande plume looks like but perhaps it was different. It wasn’t until our hands and pockets were full that Renita let out a shriek and grabbed a probably true Yukon plume agate.

Returning to the truck we loaded the rocks into the back end and headed north to Carmack. After filling up with diesel we talked with a shop owner who told of the beautiful blue agate found by some and then showed us the one piece of geode she had. It looked like Iris agate, found in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming and so left for Selkirk Landing.

The frost heaves got worse but the scenery was fantastic as we drove across and along the Yukon River. We stopped for lunch at the Five Fingers rapids, where the paddle wheels had winched their way through the five up thrust fingers of rock.

Too soon the drive was over and we found a great free campground at Pelly Crossing. After setting up we walked to the arts and crafts center and admired the beautiful moose skin and beaded clothes. They also had a list of rules for the Hude, the First Nation People their and I admired the main theme, called Dooli. It’s a creed based on respect, respect for the animals, respect for each other, and a respect for nature. It gave examples of behaving badly and stressed the importance of honoring the elders.

June 16th. Whitehorse to Pelly Crossing

Note the internet service limits us to 40mb a day is so I may can't post images till we get to Alaska, so bear with us.

We spent the night at Pelly Crossing Campground. It’s a former Yukon government campground that has been pretty much abandoned but is still open and so it’s a popular spot for boondockers. The sites are large, covered with good gravel drives, and free.

The next morning we left for Dawson City. We were in no hurry and we hoped to see some wildlife so we drove slowly. The frost heaves were few and far between and the main challenge was to keep the rig from hooking the sharp drop off of the roads edge. There’s not really any shoulder and if you hook the edge you are well don’t hook the edge.

We stopped at the scenic turnoffs and even did some birding at Gravel Lake. While we didn’t see any black scoter or new birds we did have close encounters with some mosquitoes that were almost as large as hummingbirds.

Crossing at Stewart’s Landing the road connected with the Silver Trail. IT takes you to Mayo where the silver mines out shone the gold. That wasn’t our route however and so we turned left to Dawson and continued along the Stewart, its channel filled with all the rain. Later we met a native who told us the Yukon was the highest she has ever seen it and so the rains we have encountered must be unusual.

The road became noticeably bad from all the frost heaves and I had to slow down. Other rv and motor homes passed me but I think they must have a deadline to go so fast. They probably have not had their suspension fail as we have and so are blithely unaware of the damage the bumps and roller coaster frost heaves can do.

We passed a moose feeding in a shallow pond, and not too much later the worm trails of the dredges showed the trail of past mining. I thought about the town of Dawson, with much of it built on old tailings and the danger of liquefaction from an earthquake. (The ground turns into quicksand and buildings literally sink into the mud, hopefully while we are not here).

June 15th, 2012, A Day in Whitehorse

Decisions, decisions, should we go to Dawson City and the Top of the World Highway, or should we go to Destruction Bay and then cross the border to Tok? The guidebook tells you to go to the Visitor Center at Whitehorse and get the current conditions, so off we went.
Now we did have some repairs to make, our water pump has quit working and a pin fell out of the slide mechanism and the slide jammed so we first stopped at a rv repair shop where I almost fell over at the one hundred and fifty dollar price for the pump. I mean its only sixty five bucks online so I decided we could dry camp for a bit till we got to Alaska,(we do have water jugs and showers are not that important).

As to the slide, I found a cotter pin that allowed us to open and close it and we didn't seem to damage anything so that too was taken care of for the present. The next place should have been the Visitor Center but there is a rock shop here, so we made it our next stop.
The Yukon Rock shop is located in the downstairs level of a house and is filled with beautiful mineral specimens, including many from the now closed area copper mines. We had a nice visit with the owner but he deals with mineral specimens and doesn't have much workable rough or slabs. We actually left without buying any and actually drove into town to the Visitor Center.

Now the first thing you see of Whitehorse is the Klondike River Steamer, which carried passengers and freight to Dawson City. It would then head back down river and pick up silver ore bags which were then shipped to Kellogg, Idaho for smelting.
The Klondike has a forty inch draft and is an amazing piece of steamship and paddle wheel technology. Because it has no keel it would have broke in half, loaded, so it was built with a reverse suspension bridge design and the weight was actually supported by the wires which ran on masts above the ship. As it was loaded with ore the crew would turn steel buckles to adjust the new weight of the ship.
We enjoyed the tour, took lots of pictures, and next headed to the Visitor Center. We did take a slight detour and stopped downtown to look at some of the local jewelry and ivory carving. I was disappointed in that much of the jade was carved overseas and no one could answer me when I asked the grade of the jade and whether or not it was treated.

So we finally arrived at the Visitor Center. After looking at the displays, we approached the desk and asked about the road conditions on the Top of the World Highway. The attendant simply said it was fine and I didn't get much information in that answer. I then asked as to the availability of fuel, driving to Dawson City and the attendant said, "There are people living along the Highway and they need fuel too", and did not go into any further detail.
Now there are nice displays at the Visitor and there is a ton of information but the information you get there is only as good as they information they have, plus I think I met the only Canadian, on our trip, that was having a bad day, hmmmm.
Luckily we have free Internet at the rv park and so I was able to access the 511alaska and 511Canada road conditions, where I basically learned that they would be some delays as road construction was going on in a few places on the roads. So the question still is which route should we take, and more important, is the weather forecast predicting rain? Clear skies


ps its not really dark here at this hour and so sleeping is difficult and as the sun rise is at 3:47 am.....