Glennallen to Valdez!!

This time change thing is really a pain.  Every day we seem to cross some kind of line that means I don't know what time it is.  I'm not sure if we are forward or backward ... all I know is Cooper gets up early!!!  The running joke now is whether we will get Satellite TV.  We both have Dish Network, and on several occasions have been told we CAN'T get service.  But it worked in Skagway and even though Dan thought we probably would lose service soon, we just keep hitting the "on" button and it keeps working, in Whitehorse and in Border City and in Glennallen.

We left Glennallen to make the short 120 or so miles to Valdez.   But first .....

Patty wanted to make a quick stop at Cooper Creek to check on Native crafts in some of the local shops.  We passed by this great cabin ... I could live here ... before getting to the 3-building town.  Dan pulled over in a wide spot, I pulled over in front of a junk yard (actually a "native's" house) while we tried to find out if any of the stores were open.  About that time, this "lady" and I use that word loosely, walked in front of my rig and headed to the bookstore.  I slid open my window, asking if it was open.  I quote here ... "yer gittin exhaust in my front door ... you need to git outta here".  I should have just told her to shut the door ... but instead we left.  The Copper Creek welcoming committee didn't want any of our cash ... and after that, we didn't want to leave any. 

Unlike the Yukon where half the trees are dying from a beetle infestation, Alaska trees are green and gorgeous!!  Yesterday it was very hazy and (cough cough) smoky from a huge fire we could see in the distance.

                                      

Heading toward Worthington Glacier here ... I wanted to stop every few miles, but alas, the roads are not wide enough for the photographer.

We came upon the Glacier and stopped for a few photos.  This is the closest I've ever been to a Glacier.  The sign said that 20,000 years ago, we would be under 4000 feet of ice.  The brown spot, middle left, is also glacier, just covered with dirt the wind has blown over.  Even with temperatures warming, this glacier won't melt.  It is so high that snow will continue to fall and keep it intact.

They tell me you can determine whether it's a glacier or just snow, by the blue color.

Up close and personal!!!

Crossing over Thompson pass at only 2,678 feet, we drove down the mountain, through Keystone Canyon into waterfall country.

There were falls every few hundred feet or so ... this was Bridal Veil Falls.  

When we stopped for this pic, my rig needed washing so I just drove underneath!!  Okay, not really!!!

As we drove the road to Valdez between these mountains and Lowe River, I just kept snapping away.  They had a pretty hard winter this year and the snow didn't even start to melt off until the middle of May.  Good for us because the rivers are full to overflowing and the mountains spectacular!

Finally into Valdez proper, we are staying at a full-hookup park with 50 amp service called Eagles Rest, about $42 per night.  You can even wash your rig at your site, but please put a shutoff or sprayer on the end of your hose.  My neighbor didn't, leaving me with no water while he was washing.  

Guess what ... we've STILL got satellite TV!!  Just in case yours doesn't work, this park has cable TV AND wifi!!

Lunch/Dinner consisted of a burger for Dan ... how did you guess? and fish tacos for Patty and I.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, but I think this burger will give them a run for their money.

Along with a pile of fries that all three of us ate ... and there were still some left over.

First thing today we are off on a cruise around Prince William Sound in a rather small boat.  Try as I might to get "the patch" for seasickness, I could only get a dramamine-type product.  I'm hoping I'll have some nice pictures for you instead of feeding the fish.  Wish me luck!!!

Whitehorse to Glennallen ... This is GRIZZ Country!!

But we didn't see any!!!  Sorry, this is the best I could come up with.  They weren't picknicking on the road yesterday or today ... :(

Leaving Whitehorse, the roads were okay and the trees just plain weird.  They are very short, spindley, and most have very few if any needles.  Coming around the mountain, we saw Kluane Lake ... and she's just beautiful.  The funny part is that it took us hours to drive around the outside edge.  From here, we headed west, around the lake, then East and finally north again headed for Tok.

I think I mentioned before that the roads were so much better than I expected.  Boy was I wrong!!!  Road construction is killer ... 30 mph on the gravel while everyone around you goes 50.  The dust is horrible, but much better than the alternative ... the water trucks that pour too much water on the road, making mud!!  

We made it to the border where a really nice guy gave my puppies biscuits!!  He told me he confiscated an orange from my friends from Skagway ... I thought he was trying to trick me into giving up any citrus I might have ... but I fooled him, I didn't have any.  Turns out, truthful Patty DID give up an orange!!!  

About here is where the worst road in the world is located!  It took us almost 8 hours to go 300 miles ... because most of it was 25-35 miles per hour.  You better put on your bronc riding undies if you drive here, because you are going to ride your rig like I ride my bronky horse.  Frost heaves is an understatement!!!  When Dan said he saw my front wheels come off the ground, I thought he was kidding ... until I saw him become airborne.  The creaking and groaning of my rig just made me cringe!!  In most places I was down to 15 mph.    Then a good straight stretch of 10-15 miles, following by the devils road again.  It wasn't even the roller coaster part ... it was the twisting sideways that got me.  Past Burwash Landing, we held out for Border City where we thought we would spend the night. I hate it when I see these "No Fuel" signs!!

Yay!!  FUEL at Border City, which was closed last year by the way!!  I was getting below a quarter tank and was happy to see the fuel station here.  Diesel was $4.899 ... but cheaper than Whitehorse and who cares when your tank is getting low.

Too bad I wouldn't recommend this place to stay.  The sites are really big, level, 30 amp (although Dan's wasn't up to snuff and he couldn't run his microwave) ... great place for the doggies to run.  However ... the owner is rude - rude - rude!!  We didn't hook up to water, but I did use about 3 gallons (maybe) to wash my bug encrusted windshield.  I left the hose for Dan, who washed his a little later.  All of a sudden some guy comes screaming up on a four-wheeler, yelling at Dan to QUIT washing his rig.   Not the least bit nice ... Dan later got his windows washed and his radiator rinsed off.  Other than that, it was a good place to stay for $27, although the advertised wifi is non-existent!!

This map shows about half of our trip.  I've been marking every road and will mark fuel stops also.

Today, we headed off again to Tok and Glennallen, where we will spend the night at Northern Nights RV Park.  Being springtime, the flowers are in bloom everywhere.  

If you enlarge this image, you can see one of the dips in the road ... just look at the yellow line.  This is actually a mild one!!  I'm definitely getting a schooling for being a novice Alaska driver!!  Most of them you can't even see until it's too late.

Heading West out of Tok, there is very little snow left on the mountains.  

And then Dan came to a screeching halt!!!  He had seen a mama moose earlier, but must have made an ugly face when he went by, because when I got there I didn't even see a butt!!  Further along though, here beside the road was this handsome bull having lunch!!  I could just watch these guys for hours.

Further along still, Mama Moose was doing the same.  For this one, I hit the brakes, ran in back tripping over the dogs, jumped on the bed and grabbed my big camera and lens from the closet.  It's a little better ... she was quite some distance away.  

We pulled into Glennallen to Northern Nights RV Park, but of course their wifi isn't working either.  Immediately, we loaded into Dan's car and headed to the library.  Seems to be the best way to get on-line.  After two days of no phone service, I received 4 messages, 3 phone calls and 33 emails.  Our next destination is Valdez, which should have good service.  

Whitehorse, Yukon and Paddlewheels!!

First off, the mosquitos have now all hatched from their steroid based nurseries ... and they are huge!!!  The good news is that they are usually easy to whack before they start eating.   On to playing tourist .....

Whitehorse history is all about the gold rush also ... when the stampeders got to Lake Bennett, they built boats and headed down the Yukon river toward Dawson City.  Below is part of the route they took.  At this point in the river, the channel narrowed, making for rapids and dangerous water.

At Miles Canyon, a small town named Canyon City developed where boaters would unload their supplies to have them moved several miles over a wooden tramway, while their boat was piloted by a specialist hired to navigate the narrows and rapids.  Because of the dam built downriver for power, the water level here is about 6-8 feet higher than it was when the stampeders were coming through.

Here's an old picture of the tramway workers, ready to unload the hundreds of boats.

The trams were pulled by horses along the rivers edge over wooden pole tracks.  Once around the rapids, assuming their boat made it, they would repack and sail off again.

Then it was off to the Yukon Transportation Museum, highlighting different types of vehicles used in the Yukon/Alaska area, from dog sleds to paddlewheels to float planes.

The White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad used to travel right down the center of Skagway's main street, as pictured here.  The tracks have since been moved off Broadway a couple of blocks.

Other types of White Pass and Yukon transportation included supply wagons ...

and sleds during the winter.  Buffalo blankets and foot warmers were used to keep the passengers from freezing in the 40 below temperature for the 20 some miles to the Road House where they would stop for the night.  If the pain killer medicine in the bottle froze when placed outside, the mail and passengers were delayed until the temperature rose.

One of the best sites in Whitehorse is this paddlewheel, the Klondike.  It has been fully restored and is a beauty.  It's a MUST see!!  This year there is no charge ... apparently the Canadian government used to give tours and charged in order to pay the guide's salaries.  Since they aren't giving tours any more, the entire ship is free to wander.

This is the paddlewheel ... and it's BIG!!!  The draft on this ship is only one meter due to the shallow rivers it traveled.

Steaming down the river ...

There was freight of every kind ... wood for the steam boiler, sacks of ore (ore was placed in gunny sacks for ease of loading and transport), furniture, shortening, beer, powdered milk, everything imaginable .. and passengers.

The upper deck is quite plush considering the freight stored below.  A large pantry provided food for the chef to prepare for passengers and crew on a wood stove.

The main salon was twice this size with chairs facing out for the view.  

While the tourists ate on beautiful china, the Captain piloted the boat from this small wheelhouse.  Apparently he didn't leave this area often, as his bed was in the corner.  I'm assuming the colors kept him awake however .....

If you were standing on the deck, this would be the view you had as you headed up or down the river.  

There are so many more pictures, but not enough space.  We ate lunch again at the Klondike Rib and Salmon ... why mess with a good thing.  Today however, I had hot bumbleberry pie with ice cream.  It was DELICIOUS!!!  

A quick stop at the quilt store was followed by dinner with Patty and Dan's Skagway friends Bev and Charlie, who live here in Whitehorse ... with the 40 below weather!!  

Today we are off on another adventure .... heading to Tok.

Goodbye Skagway ... Hello Whitehorse ...

Sadly we had to leave Skagway and the Chance family friends.  They are an amazing group of people, from Trader Corrington to his wonderful charismatic daughter Sherry to Mark and his family getting ready to live off the grid to Maggie with her great sense of humor and wonderful friendly Lisa who hikes every night!!  I'll never forget them ... and hope I can return soon!!

We fueled up before we left at $4.799 a gallon.  Good thing because going up the hill out of Skagway, I watched a quarter of a tank disappear before my eyes!!!

Before we hit the Alaska Highway, we stopped at magnificent Emerald Lake.  You can see how it got it's name.  The color comes from the sun reflecting on the rock flour, called marl (calcium carbonate) that settles on the bottom of the lake.

Once out of the canyon, the wind came up ... I hate driving when it's windy!!  We arrived shortly thereafter in Whitehorse ... it's not a very far drive.  Funny how the weather can change.  We went in the visitors center for ten minutes ... when we came out, it was overcast and C O L D!!!  By the way, I highly recommend checking out the Visitors Center ... in every town you stop.  They have an amazing amount of good information, from the best place to eat, the nicest place to stay and available activities.  They also know where the quilt shops are!!!

As usual, Lunch was immediately at the top of the list.  Dan said he had a great place in mind ... the Klondike Rib and Salmon.  Being one of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse, you had to enter through part of the kitchen ... the inside looks like a trappers cabin.  

The favorite on the menu was halibut fish and chips ... with the biggest pieces I've ever seen.  However, when I saw halibut chowder, I just had to try it.  It was worth every penny of the $7.95 price.

It came with this HUGE piece of foccaccia bread ... everything is bigger in the Klondike!!!

I also couldn't turn down the halibut fish and chips.  You can have as many pieces as you want, but I went for one.  Here's what's left of Dan's order.  He was right ... it was amazing.  The best I've ever had.  My lunch came to $25 ... not cheap, by any means, but this place goes to the top of my all time best restaurant list ... and was so much food, I won't eat dinner!!

We are parked in the Pioneer RV Park here, full hookups for $30 per night, including WiFi.  Since Dan and I have become so addicted to writing the blogs, we won't stay if internet isn't available.  My Sprint MiFi doesn't reach this far north, and if it did, I couldn't afford the price.  When we got to town yesterday, I was saying how great it was ... I had a good phone signal.  I was posting on Facebook, checking my mail and sending pictures to friends.  THEN came the realization that we were roaming in CANADA!!!  Eeeeek!!!  I quickly shut off the cellular data before I got a $700 bill!!!

As I said, the weather changes quickly.  Last night at 9:30 pm I took this picture.  See how sunny it is??  At 9:30!!!!  The sun goes down around 11:30 ... well kind of.  It actually stays light all night long.  By morning, it was cold, rainy and ugly with lots of black clouds.  The old saying "if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes", seems to be the truth up here.  Not sure what's on the agenda today.  I'll let you know tomorrow morning.