After a restful sleep our first night back in the Yukon, we got on the road a little earlier on the chance that we would see more wildlife today. We were just getting started when we spotted a coyote trotting along the roadside. We stopped as quick as we could, scrambling for the cameras lest he dash off. We didn’t need to worry, as he trotted right up to the truck and starred at us with his golden eyes as though he were the family dog begging for a treat. We surmised that he must have been fed by humans as he didn’t seem to have any fear of us. When we didn’t give him anything he trotted to the car that had stopped behind us and sat down at their door waiting for a hand-out. Very sad to see as most animals if fed by humans will either get hit by vehicles or die in the winters as they lose the ability to hunt and survive.
On down the road 3 moose were spotted in Reflective Lake. At least one of them was a young bull with small antlers. We’ve been hoping to see a BIG bull, so this was a bit of a tease since the antlers were small and they were very far away. We’ll keep looking.
As you can see, once one person stops there will always be others that stop to see what you are stopped for.
The stretch of road between Tok and Haines Junction is quite a roller-coaster of frost heaves. Today seemed more rolly than yesterday, but if we kept the speed about 35-45 it wasn’t bad…plus it gave us more time to take in the view. You see these red flags on the side of the road up here. It means slow down there is a dip or frost heave. We do but some are in a hurry.It is fairly smoky in the distance today, so the mountains are hidden from view, but right along the road we didn’t really smell smoke. We stopped briefly to look around at Burwash Landing and of course to photograph the world’s largest gold pan. We also stopped at Destruction Bay where the visitor’s kiosk has excellent panels of the history of the Alaska Highway through this area as well as information on Kluane Lake, local wildlife etc. However, you have to climb over the weeds to get into the kiosk as it appears no one is maintaining the grounds around it. picture of the construction of the Hwy.
The stretch of road between Tok and Haines Junction is quite a roller-coaster of frost heaves. Today seemed more rolly than yesterday, but if we kept the speed about 35-45 it wasn’t bad…plus it gave us more time to take in the view. You see these red flags on the side of the road up here. It means slow down there is a dip or frost heave. We do but some are in a hurry.It is fairly smoky in the distance today, so the mountains are hidden from view, but right along the road we didn’t really smell smoke. We stopped briefly to look around at Burwash Landing and of course to photograph the world’s largest gold pan. We also stopped at Destruction Bay where the visitor’s kiosk has excellent panels of the history of the Alaska Highway through this area as well as information on Kluane Lake, local wildlife etc. However, you have to climb over the weeds to get into the kiosk as it appears no one is maintaining the grounds around it. picture of the construction of the Hwy.
It is located behind the historic milepost 1083. This town was one of the relay stations spaced at 100-mile intervals for truck drivers carrying supplies for building the Alaskan Highway. There were also phone and telegraph services here. Presently there is a highway maintenance camp located here and the population has diminished from several hundred to only 55 residents. It got its name when a storm destroyed buildings and materials here.
At a rest stop we met a most interesting family from England. She is a school teacher and he is a mechanic for Mercedes. They have two elementary-aged children and are traveling around the world in a Mercedes Sprint Class C motor home for 18 months.
At a rest stop we met a most interesting family from England. She is a school teacher and he is a mechanic for Mercedes. They have two elementary-aged children and are traveling around the world in a Mercedes Sprint Class C motor home for 18 months.
We were talking about RV's and he said that theirs is considered very big in Europe. I think some here would disagree. But it does get 25 mpg he said. Now that would be nice. So far they have traveled 26000 miles. They’ve received sponsorship to help with their travels (shipping an RV from one country to another can’t be cheap), and they have a website we are excited to look at http://www.macswayround.com/
We had planned on stopping at the Congdon Creek Campground on Kluane Lake, but prior to arriving there we begin to notice roads leading off the highway down to the lake. We walked down one of these roads and found a wonderful place to camp right on the lake in a somewhat sheltered cove. It is an RVers dream spot.
After setting up (we get perfect Satellite Internet and Direct TV with the larger dish], we took a walk along the lakeshore. We had read that the Congdon Campground sometimes closes to tents and non-hard-shelled RVs, but were a little uneasy when we came across grizzly tracks in the sand and water. Later in the afternoon some other RVers walked by and told us that the campground is closed because of bears in the area so they were going to camp around the bend from us. Perhaps it isn’t a good idea not to wander too far from the RV.
However, we just made a point to talk and make noise so that we wouldn’t sneak up and surprise a bear, and I’m happy to report we are back at the RV safe and sound. We are hoping some bears wander by where we can observe them from the safety from our home.
We had planned on stopping at the Congdon Creek Campground on Kluane Lake, but prior to arriving there we begin to notice roads leading off the highway down to the lake. We walked down one of these roads and found a wonderful place to camp right on the lake in a somewhat sheltered cove. It is an RVers dream spot.
After setting up (we get perfect Satellite Internet and Direct TV with the larger dish], we took a walk along the lakeshore. We had read that the Congdon Campground sometimes closes to tents and non-hard-shelled RVs, but were a little uneasy when we came across grizzly tracks in the sand and water. Later in the afternoon some other RVers walked by and told us that the campground is closed because of bears in the area so they were going to camp around the bend from us. Perhaps it isn’t a good idea not to wander too far from the RV.
However, we just made a point to talk and make noise so that we wouldn’t sneak up and surprise a bear, and I’m happy to report we are back at the RV safe and sound. We are hoping some bears wander by where we can observe them from the safety from our home.
We’ll stay here and enjoy the scenery a couple of days before going on to Haines.
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