M&D's Big Adventure

Yes there was a moose while we had breakfast. We dry camped (no power, sewerage or water available) in Denali National Park on the night of 29 May. The word 'night' refers to the time on the clock. As an experience, there was no night. The camp located each van in a little nook in the forest. We could see other vans but we were separate. We were breakfasting at our table in the motorhome when Merryn suddenly exclaimed, "Moose!"  Sure enough a moose was in a slow jog across the road and into the forest right in front of our van, followed by another slightly smaller one. They appear to be ungainly creatures  with their shoulders and hips pumping up and down as they run.  It seems possible that they were designed by Dr. Seuss. We only saw them for a few seconds so we didn't have time to take a photo but it was a thrill. Later we saw other moose meander across the road. Backing up, we got to Denaili on May 29, driving through more spectacular country.  Unfortuna...

The main activity today was a trip on a stern wheeled steamer, the Discovery 3.  It was a great trip with a very carefully scheduled set of calls and activities, choreographed by an MC, an old radio man.  We learned a lot about Fairbanks, it's history, the boat and the family that set it up, etc. etc. First, the boat: Charles Binkley came to Fairbanks as a gold prospector in 1898. He found more money to be made in shipping other people and their possessions and so he built and operated boats. His son Jim followed in his father’s footsteps and eventually began a river excursion business in the 1950s. Five generations of Binkleys have worked in the business and today we were captained by a fifth generation member, Madison. As the commentator said, if you can do the job, Alaskans don't care which way you put your pants on. Once underway we had a demonstration of float plane landing and taking off in this Piper. Although they haven't been built for over 2...

Today's trip was uneventful, 330 km on a fast road (65 mph). We were alone on the road for the first 2/3 so we could travel quickly. The only animal we saw was a rabbit. We crossed a wide frozen river. Another river revealed the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline.  Eventually the countryside changed and there were even a few meadows - no stock though.  As we approached Fairbanks we saw this surprising sign:   We drove in to find Santa's house. We entered and Santa was indeed inside but there were no elves. Perhaps they'd gone to the pub. Fairbanks is 64੦50'37"N, as far north as we go on this trip. However it is also only about 130 meters altitude and we are sitting in 17०C at 5.30 with a mere 5 hours of daylight ahead of us.

There wasn't as much climbing today although there was too much up and down for efficient use of the cruise control. Most of this trip was through mountain valleys with boreal forests between them and us. We saw a moose walking across a shallow pond. Braked, reversed, and Merryn got the camera out by which time he was near the bank and not posing. Still, it's evidence. He's just left of centre. We saw another moose much closer as he wandered across the highway but he was in the forest before we could react. We stopped at the TeSlin Visitor Centre on the edge of Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. Not a lot of information on display but questioning revealed that the scruffy little boreal trees we see may well be over 100 years old. They have permafrost beneath them. Brrr. Another border today - back in the USA. We've got 9 nights before we cross back into Canada. Each crossing also means our watches going backwards or forward.

The name "Destruction Bay" has a sense of drama. It's on the edge of Lake Kluane, the largest lake in Yukon, and apparently the township was destroyed in a storm. They rebuilt the township but we're puzzled to know why. From Haines we drove past the USA border and then stopped at the Canadian border where we were greeted as beings from the Land of the Long White Cloud. We quickly ascended into cloud drove past frozen lakes   more frozen highways and tundra Eventually, after 237 km, we reached Haines Junction, the first navigational choice since Haines.  We looked at a cultural centre there and had some lunch before heading to Destruction Bay, another 100km. There we parked in a hotel carpark where they provided electricity but no water or sewer connections. We had a group dinner in the hotel, prepared and served by a Phillipino family; an even bigger contrast for them than Kansas. This is a raven, Yukon's official bird. They ar...

First task today was to deliver the keys to Fred.  Having done that, a shuttle collected us at 7.55 and we went to the jetty to board the MV Fiordlander. It had collected some passengers in Skagway and then our 24 plus another half dozen. We set off down the fiord in good conditions. We were lucky to have good conditions all day, even some occasional sun. While some of the passengers were travelling to Juneau where they would go to the airport, this trip is mostly a tourist excursion and the majority are booked for a return trip.  The skipper, Glenn Jackson, was from Kansas; a lot of Alaskans are from somewhere else, but the plains of Kansas to the fiords of Eastern Alaska seems a big contrast. Glen meandered the boat to show us stuff he knew would be there. First up were the Steller Sealions:  On the way back we saw some others who may have been at their bachelor pad. They are all gray and there were only a few gray ones (males) at the colony so we suspect that...

Today we crossed the border into the USA and wound our clocks back an hour. A 25 hour day. This journey was interesting. We turned off the Alaska Highway and headed south. We saw Tlingit villages, often trailer homes, in the forest and by the lakes and streams. The roads were roughish so the going was slower; not a bad thing. We continued the drive past spectacular mountains, amazing forests, lakes - some frozen - but no animals today.  As we climbed, the trees became shorter and almost disappeared. The foliage cover was mostly low bushes, some just clinging to rocks. We are told this is tundra, a generic term for plants that grow alongside, and sometimes on top of, permafrost. Near the top of a pass we saw Canadian Customs. Those entering from the USA had to stop but we, who were leaving Canada just drove through. We crossed the pass and drove several more miles down a pretty valley with the Skagway railway line visible on the other side. On reaching ...

We drove from Watson Lake to Teslin. The countryside didn't change much and we saw nothing new or remarkable. A little critter crossed the road in front of us. Merryn thought it was a rabbit; I thought it was a hare. But it was quite small so probably a rabbit. Teslin is a small village located on Teslin Lake in Yukon Territory and is the base for many of the Tlingit people whose economy is based on traditional hunting trapping and fishing as well as tourism, such as operating a trading post and RV camp. They don't appear to be spending much on the RV camp so their fees will mostly be profit. Their kitchen makes a lovely pinwheel pecan bun.

Bison. Saw them as individuals and in groups of a couple of dozen. They are part of a large herd of what they call wood bison - we'd always thought they were exclusively plains animals.  The roads have a very large berm and the bison come out to graze on the grass and remain safe because of the space provided.  As we drove along we could see where they had been - big lumps of pooh, more like that of a horse or elephant than the wetter cowpat. It's currently calving season; most of their calves are born in May. Watson Lake is just another service town but it has a Northern Lights Centre (closed because of a public holiday) and a place where people leave signs pointing to their home, a remnant of the construction of the highway. The campground is basic but there isn't a choice. We were among the first to arrive and it seems we are popular as everyone else has parked cheek to jowl beside us instead of spreading out.

Once upon a time ... We saw three bears. The first bear was scared off by a following motorhome that stopped right beside it. We saw the second bear on the other side of the road and it wouldn't pose for us. Then we came across this fellow.  It was munching on grass and other soft food, possibly a marmalade sandwich, unaffected by an audience. Of course, we also continued to see long roads, interesting lakes, and mountains. Lake Muncho is very blue, more blue even than Tekapo. In the evening it froze at the edge into a lot of individual ice sticks about 6-8 cm long and 1 cm wide. The wind moved the water beneath them and bunched them up. They tinkled as they moved. In the morning it was all gone, either melted or blown elsewhere on the lake.