Day 106 Saturday August 13, 2022 We departed at 8AM and headed to Tok, Alaska. If you drive to Alaska you have to go through Tok coming in to Alaska and going out as there is no other land route. And Tok is not officially a town, it is a community.
On the way we stopped at Rika's Roadhouse to walk the grounds and the inside of the roadhouse. We visited here in 2015 and it is an interesting look into the life of the pioneer life of early Alaska. It is located in a beautiful setting on the banks of a river and right beside an early pioneer trail through the area. Some of the buildings are in need of repairs and it was closed to the public a few weeks ago but they reopened it just a few days ago. There are collecting donations to do the repairs and have a contractor hired so we made a small donation.
Then about 8 miles down the road we stopped at the Delta Junction Visitor Center which is the end
of the Alaskan Highway. This is a must do if you have traveled the entire Alaskan Highway for bragging rights. We took some photos and then walked across the street to the Sullivan Roadhouse to tour it. There is also an authentic pioneer roadhouse that was moved to this location in order to save it and open it to the public. These roadhouses were the hotels/restaurants of the pioneer days and were welcome rest places for weary travelers. We talked to the lady that worked there and she told us about the harsh 2021 Winter in Alaska. She said they got a lot more snow than normal. They got about two feet of snow then a layer of ice then a lot more snow. So much that when the road maintenance crew pushed the snow off the road it was like driving in a tunnel. The roof on the only grocery store in town caved in and they have been working out of a tent since then. She also said the wild animals suffered also because when they walked their legs would break through the ice and cut their legs up on the ice and also they had a hard time digging down to the grasses under the ice for food. There were several pieces of the old equipment used during the construction of the Alaskan Highway setting by the roadhouse. Our next stop was a few miles out of town at the Delta Meat Company. They are one of the only meat processing companies in Alaska and it is family owned/operated. We stopped here also in 2015 and remember how good their summer sausage was.
We fueled up in Tok and then set up in site 703 at Tok RV Village, the same site we were in when we came through Tok many days ago. Later we had a drivers meeting and a social with champagne to celebrate the completion of the 1422 mile Alaskan Highway. We have completed it twice and have no desire to do it again.
Day 107 Sunday August 14, 2022 Everyone dreads the drive today back to Destruction Bay through the terrible roads we have to travel. About 100 miles of the 225 miles was like “The Road from H*ll”. We have never driven on any roads as bad as these. We had an easy border crossing back into the Yukon Province of Canada. It took us 7 hours to drive our route today only averaging 32 MPH for the entire trip. We could only drive about 10-20 MPH in the bad areas and sometimes it was just a slow crawl to keep from tearing up our motorhomes. But we all made it through without any damage. Some people don't drive as slow as they should and break things on their RVs.
After everyone arrived and got settled in at Destruction Bay RV Park the WMs/TGs served us a meal of Walking Tacos with all the trimmings and Banana Pudding and whipped cream with a cherry on top in a waffle cone. They were as tired as we were I am sure but they still prepared the meal for us and we really appreciated it.
Day 108 Monday August 15, 2022 We departed at 8AM which seems to be a pattern for us for the last several travel days and headed for Haines Alaska. We try not to get our RVs bunched up on the road because it causes a problem passing for other drivers. One of our group seems to like to drive only about 45MPH even when on good roads and they left earlier than us and several others in our group today so it wasn't long before we had a string of 7 of our RVs bunched up like a convoy. In order to break up the convoy we decided to stop in Haines Junction at the Village Bakery and take a break and get a cinnamon bun and a sticky maple walnut bun and a Latte. Tom and Gloria and one other couple in our group stopped also. Others stopped for fuel so we got the convoy broke up.
The scenery from Haines Junction Canada to Haines Alaska is breathtaking. We crossed from Yukon Province into British Columbia Province and then back into Alaska. We had another easy border crossing. Sure hope that trend continues as we have to cross borders several more times.
Before we got into Haines we stopped for a break at a pullout in the Bald Eagle Preserve but no eagles were there. Based on information we have there are several thousand that come here from late September into early January to feed on salmon in the river here since the river that runs along the highway does not freeze in the Winter.
They are doing some major highway improvements before getting into Haines so we had to wait for a pilot car to lead us through for several miles. We setup in site 65 at Haines Hitch Up RV Park, which is just down from site 68 where we were in 2015 when we visited Haines.
Tom and Gloria and us went into town and got a good Halibut and Chips late lunch at the Bamboo Room Restaurant. We had a quick meeting when we got back to the RV Park about out plans for our 3 hour boat trip to Juneau tomorrow. I hope it doesn't turn out like the 3 hour boat trip on the S.S. Minnow on Gillagan's Island TV Show.
At 7:30PM several in the group drove down to watch for bears along Laytuk Inlet. We got a tip that low tide would be around 8PM and that is when the bears like to come out and fish for salmon. We were not disappointed as we saw a mama black bear and her two cubs and a grizzly bear and her three cubs fishing. The black bears came right under the bridge where we were standing. They weren't even concerned with us they were just interested in finding fish. Of course the cubs were playing more than fishing, expecting mama to find fish for them. We left the bridge and drove on down the road to the fish weir and that is where the grizzly bear and her cubs were. They had caught some fish up against the fish weir and were having a good meal.
Day 109 Tuesday August 16, 2022 We had to meet the boat at the boat dock at 7:45AM for our trip to Juneau. Juneau is the state capital of Alaska and you can only get to it by boat or airplane. There are no roads going to Juneau and the longest road in Juneau is only 33 miles long. Our boat was the Fjordland, a 65' catamaran. A catamaran is a fast very comfortable cruising boat. We were served hot coffee, a blueberry muffin and apple for a breakfast snack by Deck Hand Lexia. Along the way Captain Katch narrated the trip, naming the waterfalls and glaciers and other interesting tidbits as we cruised along. Before we got to Juneau we came up on several Humpback Whales feeding on the fish. The Captain shut down the engines and we watched and photographed the whales as they breached the water to breath and then dove to gather up the fish. As we got closer into the Juneau boat harbor there were some stellar sea lions laying on the channel marker enjoying the sunshine.
A bus was waiting for us when we got off the boat to take us downtown for lunch. Several in the group went to The Hanger for lunch. Lena and I got the shrimp basket and fries. It was very good, I would of liked more shrimp and less fries but oh well. The restaurant sets right on the edge of the water and we could see some of the 5 cruise ships that had arrived. One was slowly inching their way to the dock to tie up and it looked like it was going to run right into the restaurant.
One lady in our group is allergic to shrimp. After eating some of her salad with chicken she asked the waitress if the chicken had been cooked in the same oil as the shrimp and when the waitress checked it had been. So the lady in our group left and went to a local drug store to get some benadryl. She didn't have a bad reaction and was okay.
Then we met the rest of the group and boarded another bus for a trip out to the Mendenhall Glacier. With the 5 cruise ships in town it was a mad house of tourists and buses running around. About the time we boarded the bus it began to rain and by the time we got off it was raining much harder. We had worn warm jackets that had a rain hood so we didn't get wet but the rain sure put a damper on the experience. The glacier is huge but like most glaciers it is receding and has been for hundreds of years. There was also a massive water fall near the glacier but it was over a mile hike to the base of the fall and we only had an hour before the bus was to pick us up to return us to the boat harbor to meet our boat. We toured the visitor center and got a good view of the glacier and water fall and then watched a 20 minute movie about the glacier.
It rained the entire time on our way back to Haines on the boat and is predicted to rain until late tomorrow afternoon. On the way back to Haines we were served a very good seafood chowder, sourdough bread and a big chocolate cookie. We got back to Haines about 7PM. It was a very good trip but I think we were all tired.
Day 110 Wednesday August 17, 2022 Today was a free day so we slept in until almost 8AM. We needed a couple of items from the grocery store so Lena and I went to the Rusty Compass Coffeehouse to get a Latte and muffin and use their WiFi. They have WiFi but we were told they had to quit providing public WiFi because some people were downloading illegal stuff. After looking around at all the local people using laptops, iPads, etc. I wondered if the no public WiFi rule was only for us tourists. Oh well, we were able to get enough cell signal to do what we wanted. The WiFi in the RV Park is like most parks, it is very slow.
We got our items from one of the two grocery stores in town and returned to the motorhome to catch up on chores. The rain stopped about 4PM and the sun came out so we rode around some of the back road around Haines.
At 7:30PM we went bear watching again and saw the same mama Grizzly and her 4 cubs we had seen before. This time they were near the bridge and were feeding on the marsh grass and digging in the grass for something. When they got tired of that they began making there way back and started to come out on the road right where Lena and I were standing but turned and went out on the highway a little father up so we got in the Jeep when they moved away. Then they went up a driveway almost to a house before coming back down onto the highway right in front of the Jeep. Then they walked down the fish weir for a salmon snack before moving off into the woods on the other side of the water. The view in this area are beautiful with the water, the mountains all around and the evening sun setting on the mountain.
Day 111 Thursday August 18, 2022 We boarded a bus at the campground at 10:45AM for a short trip down to the fast ferry dock for a 45 minute ride to Skagway. Captain Katch was also the Captain on the boat this morning. The narrator pointed out lots of waterfalls and glaciers along the way.
We walked from the ferry dock to the small town of Skagway. There were three cruise ships in dock today. A Disney ship, a Princess ship and a Holland America ship so there were lots of tourists in town beside us. We ate a Halibut and Chips lunch and then stopped for a waffle ice cream cone. One large scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone was a little over $7.00. This was the first ice cream we have bought so I guess it was okay. The narrator on the ferry boat told us that Skagway has about 800 full time residents but about three times that are here in the Summer to handle all the tourists trade. People come here to work Summer jobs and then return to their homes elsewhere.
At 2PM we boarded the White Pass Yukon Train for a 2.5 hours trip into the mountains all the way to the Yukon border. Due to border crossing restrictions right now the train turned around at the border. We could see parts of the original 1898 walking path the sourdough gold miners took on their way over the mountain to find their fortune in gold during the Alaskan Gold Rush. The narrator said of all the thousands that came only about 200 actually got rich from their gold mining experience. Gold mining at that time was very labor intensive but today the gold mining techniques are much better and they are able to catch the fine gold not just the nuggets the early miners were after.
We got back to the RV Park about an hour later than planned, since the ferry was about 15 minutes late picking us up in Skagway and the bus was about 30 minutes late picking us up at the ferry dock in Haines.
Day 112 Friday August 19, 2022 We departed Haines about 8AM and headed to Caribou RV Park outside Whitehorse. We had to cross back into Canada so we had to go through a border crossing about 40 miles from Haines. The agent must have asked 50 questions but he cleared us to continue on our way. Tom and Gloria was right behind us and they got selected for a random search of their motorhome after answering a long list of questions. The agents only stayed in the motorhome a few minutes and didn't check his storage bays or his truck. When the agents stepped out of their motorhome one agent told them he like the Newmar motorhomes (the brand they have) and they had a really nice motorhome. Tom thinks the only reason they search them was so the agents could get a look at his motorhome on the inside.
We stopped in Haines Junction to fuel up and then went to the Village Bakery and Cafe for a Latte and pastries. This is our third stop at this Bakery. If you drive to Alaska and go to Tok and Haines you will drive through Haines Junction three times. Haines Alaska is land locked by Canada. You can only get to Haines via road by going through Haines Junction Canada.
We had good road today and got to Caribou RV Park outside Whitehorse about 3:15PM. We were the first to arrive except the WM. We set up in site 6. Later Tom and Gloria and us walked over to the Wolf Den Restaurant which is just on the edge of the RV Park. When we stayed in this RV Park in 2015 the restaurant served German food but it has changed hands as has the RV Park and the only German type food on the menu is Currywurst. We like it in Germany so we ordered it. The wurst was good but their sauce was so spicy we could not eat it so we used ketchup instead.
The couple that own the RV park now bought it in 2018 and are from Luxembourg. Their road side sign states they can greet you in five languages. We learned when we lived in Germany and visited Luxembourg that the school students are required to take at least 3 foreign languages in school. Luxembourg is an International Banking Center and they have to deal with people from many countries.
Lena and I joined some others in our group on the patio beside the park office for some conversation and popcorn. The park serves popcorn on Friday evening on the patio. The park owner said it was movie theater popcorn and he had to pretend to be a theater in order to buy it over the internet. Finally some good weather to be able to set outside and socialize some in the evening. We have had so many cool, rainy and windy evenings that the group has not done much socializing in the evening after our scheduled activities.
Day 113 Saturday August 20, 2022 Fantasy RV Tours had arranged for the Wolf Den Restaurant to serve us breakfast this morning so we walked over at 8:30 for breakfast. They gave us two options so we chose the scrambled eggs and bacon option and when the meal came the eggs were “looking” at us with two yellow runny eyes. We told the waitress to take them back and finish cooking them and scramble them.
After breakfast we loaded up in Tom's truck and drove to Whitehorse to Canadian Tire and Walmart. Lena was disappointed because this Walmart did not sell any produce and we have heard a lot of Walmarts in Canada do not sell any produce.
Then we drove to Carcross about 30 miles away. Tom and Gloria did not get to go there when we were in the Whitehorse area a few weeks ago because Gloria was not feeling good. We got a sandwich at the coffee shop, went to the old General Store again and toured the little town before returning to the RV Park to prepare for our departure tomorrow. I had to wash bugs off the windshield again. I have lost track of how many times I have washed bugs off the windshield on this trip.
Day 114 Sunday August 21, 2022 We have learned a few things about the Fireweed we see along the road and up in the open forest. After a forest fire it is the first thing to reappear, when the blooms go all the way to the top snow is due in a few weeks and there is a saying that when the fireweed turns to cotton Summer is soon forgotten. When the fireweed is almost fully bloomed to the top the lower blooms turn to what looks like cotton lint.
We had a 246 mile trip to Baby Nugget RV Park in Nugget City today. We stopped in Teslin for a break and a snack. Lena and I had coffee and shared a 6” blueberry pie that was very good.
We fueled up before going to the RV Park and setting up in site 10. It was bug washing windshield kind of day again. I have lost track of how many times I have washed the windshield. The motorhome needs a serious bath but will probably wait until we are back in the lower 48 states. After everyone got setup we had a drivers meeting then at 6PM we walked over to the RV Park restaurant where they had prepared a spaghetti supper for us.
The park owners have owned the park 28 years. They only have the park open for the “magic 100 days of the season”. They live in British Columbia North of Washington state during the off season. They have had the park and all the buildings for sale for three years. They are 71 and want to retire. As others in Canada have told us the Winter of 2021 was really bad. Record breaking snowfall. He said they got around 25' and when it slid off the roof it damaged his deck and an out building. It also costs him $5,000 to get his fuel pumps fixed because of the severe Winter.
He told us his wife killed a moose in 2013 that weighted 2,200 pounds. She killed it with one shot from a rifle from 400 yards and hand held the rifle. That is a great shot.
He opened the gift shop for the group. He had some really nice things in his gift shop but we didn't buy anything. The mounted moose head was hanging on the wall in the gift shop. It was huge.
Not sure how Nugget City got the name City on it because all we saw was the campground and a place that sold fuel just down from the RV Park.
Day 115 Monday August 22, 2022 We only had 147 miles to drive to Dease Lake RV Park today so we didn't leave until 10:30AM. We stopped at Jade City where 85% of the worlds jade is mined. The mine foreman was there so he did a quick demonstration on sawing the jade with a diamond tooth blade with constant running water. He said if the water stops the blade will be ruined in just minutes. The piece of jade he was cutting was about 6' thick and he said it would take 2 hours to cut through it due to the hardness of the jade.
Most of their customers are from Vietnam, Japan, China and Korea. They sold two big pieces to someone in Vietnam to make Buddas from. They made a 6' Budda from one and used the other for a stand to set the Budda on. It was 10' tall when finished and was worth 40 million dollars. They sold the jade for ½ million and it cost the buyers 1.5 million to get it shipped.
When we departed the steps to the motorhome will not retract. After I got to the campground I checked all I know to check and they will not come in. I guess the motor is bad. I removed the lower step so it will not stick out so far. Not a problem to drive with it out as long as I stay away from curbs, etc.
The WM and TG prepared a bake potato with pulled pork with all the trimmings followed by desert for our supper.
Day 116 Tuesday August 23, 2022 Again we departed at 8AM for our 246 mile drive to Bear River RV Park Stewart British Columbia. We drove about 70 miles on fairly rough roads but it got better after that. We stopped at Bell 2 Lodge to eat but the restaurant was closed down so we got a cup of coffee and went outside and watched a helicopter take off and lift a large bundle and fly away with it. Helicopters are used a lot in these remote areas to deliver materials to construction sites, etc.
About 33 miles from our destination of Stewart a bear ran out of the bushes right beside the road and ran right it front of us. I tried to stop but didn't have time and hit it on the drivers side just at the headlight. It broke that whole section off into a couple of pieces and also broke the windshield washer fluid tank. Tom and Gloria were right behind us and they said the bear rolled over twice on the pavement and got up and ran into the woods on the other side of the road.
When we got to the RV Park we set up in site 8A. Then Tom helped me reassemble the pieces as best we could and used wire ties and duck tape to try and secure it in place. Several men in our group came over and offered more duck tape. We didn't get hurt and nothing was damaged that will prevent us from continuing on our journey so we are thankful for that.
Day 117 Wednesday August 24, 2022 After breakfast us and Tom and Gloria got in our Jeep and drove to the adjoined little town of Hyder Alaska of all things go bear watching. Hyder is another land locked Alaska town. No way to get to Hyder by road except through Canada. We stayed in Hyder in 2015 when we came to Alaska. There is a raised board walk with railings along a flowing stream where the salmon come to spawn. Salmon is one of the bears favorite foods. It puts a lot of fat on them before they hibernate for the Winter. There were several people on the boardwalk and there was one grizzly bear feeding on the salmon. He must have got his fill because he started playing with the salmon. He would grab one bite on it and drop it back into the water. Then he would chase the fish around and not try to grab one to eat.
After watching for awhile we drove 16 miles up a gravel, rocky, dirt road to the Salmon Glacier. We did this in 2015 also. It is a huge glacier.
Then we returned to Hyder and went to The Bus for some fish and chips. The lady that runs it was cooking in an old school bus in 2015 when we came. I asked her when did she retire the bus and she said when COVID hit she just closed the business because no one could come to Hyder. After COVID restrictions were over people asked her to open back up. So she got a log cabin mounted on a trailer and is working out of that beside the bus and her house. She works right by herself and was very busy today at lunch time. She told us in 2015 that her husband was a fisherman and he provided her fresh Halibut. It was very good and two big pieces. Much more than the two other places we have ordered it.
Day 118 Thursday August 25, 2022 We had 212 mile drive to Fort Telkwa RV Park in Telkwa British Columbia today. We had an eagle swoop down in front of our windshield in almost the same place as the bear incident two days ago. We stopped for fuel about 140 miles down the road just as we got on the Yellowhead Highway (#16). I talked to a trucker that was fueling up and found out he is from Gros Morne Newfoundland Canada. We went there on our 2019 Maritimes trip. He said he made the trip from there to British Columbia ever week. That is a lot of driving.
A few miles down the road another black bear ran across the road and she had two cubs following her. One cub got across but the other was lagging behind and ran back in the bushes. But thankfully this time I had time to react and slow down and the bushes were not right up to the edge of the pavement.
We got set up in the RV Park and rode back into the town of Smithers for something to eat. We were all tired and didn't want to cook or eat leftovers. Most restaurants were closed and the two that we found open were Oriental and Indian food and we didn't want that so we went to Boston Pizza and got some really good pizza and a great waitress. Then it was back to the RV Park to rest.
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