July24-28 Haines Junction, Kluane National Park, Destruction, Burwash Landing, Beaver Creek, Toq, Chicken, Dawson City

Monday, July 24

First stop was Haines Junction at their Da Ku cultural centre. WOW, a multi million dollar showcase of their past and present, a very impressive meeting hall with an all stainless kitchen attached. The designer for this structure did a bang up job.

Great views to start the day

Very interesting art showing the first encounters

Next stop, a Catholic church, housed in a converted quonset hut which the American army used while building the Alaska highway. Apparently this is the most photographed church in the Yukon.

 Then the giant muffin at the junction, 24 feet high is an animal cupcake.

Kluane National Park has unsurpassable beauty, we found a lovely campground on Kluane Lake called Congdon. Set up but too windy on the lake to launch the kayaks in the evening but a lovely morning paddle was awesome.

Interpretative Centre at the research station, Tachal Dahl, expecting to see mountain sheep but the ranger said they had gone over the mountain when it got warmer in the day, better vegetation on the south side.

While we were there, a hiker came in to report his sightings of six bears in total. He was asked to fill out sighting forms, one for each location. That information is sent to their biologist. Some of these areas had been closed to hikers because of the bears.

I see this Kluane Park as a haven for serious hikers.

After dinner we did a good bike ride through the trails to a platform lookout where we saw the difference in the two mountain ranges, the old and the new, the Kluane and the ?

Tuesday, July 25

First site, Destruction, so named because of a huge wind storm that destroyed many buildings and the supplies for the building of the Alaska highway.

Burwash Landing, another Wildlife Museum and the World's largest gold pan. This place was hit with fire in 1999. A small fire at the dump was fuelled by strong winds off the glacier, homes lost but the museum was spared, note the burned trees right up to the doorstep of the museum.

everything except the museum burned

a grizzly came to greet us

then went back to his breakfast

I'll just fish while lunch is being made

One fuel stop option, Kluane Energy with a payment terminal, small shed between the tanks. I was thinking of winter drivers here.

Buckshot Betty's next stop in Beaver Creek, the most westerly point in Canada, of course Dave bought a cinnie bun.but.....Carcross still the winner!

that licence says Jalisco, Mexico

Buckshot Betty has a classy place!

She built the bar herself.

Off to US border, turned back to Canada because of the flare gun, drove 20 kms before we found someone to give it to .The road construction guy was delighted to receive such a gift!! 

Back to the border, stopped at 141st Meridian to see the 20 foot swath cut all the way through the forest on that international border, better than a wall, I guess! 

a 20 foot swath cut on the Canadian American border at the 141st meridian

Deadman Lake State Park

Had planned to stay at Border RV but all closed down so drove on to Deadman Lake State Park, what a find! Warm enough for Doreen to have a shower and shampoo. 

 Calm enough for Dave and I to paddle after dinner for two hours, making close connection to Sandhill cranes, a beaver lodge and a family of mergansers, amongst lily pads, just beginning to bloom. Awesome spot with big parking spots, free firewood, no bugs and it was free for the night!

Wednesday, July 26

Off to Toq for laundromat and liquor store then across the Road to the Top of the World, not my idea!! Gravel, twisty, bumpy, construction, one section of wash board.

All the clothes were off the hangers, the dishes from the cupboard had fallen in the sink and the olive oil hit the floor giving it a very shiny appearance! Bedside tables no longer had our libraries and hats on them, also on the floor.

Highway construction was interesting as they try to battle perm frost. New experiment, 4 by 8 sheets of styrofoam layered then covered with gravel. Will it work?

But we did see the tail end of a moose as he crossed the road in front of the RV ahead of us.

Tomorrow is another 90 miles of this road so everything will be strapped down for the trip, sure will be happy to be back in the Yukon at Dawson City.

The memorable stop on the way was the community of Chicken, so named because they couldn't spell ptarmigan! 

I had the best chicken pot pie ever cooked in the Chicken Cafe by Susan. We had one of her killer brownies at the campground for dessert . That gal can cook!

The community has a population of 7 in the winter but 5 shops and 2 campgrounds keep folks busy through the four summer months.

Our stop for the night is another BLM site, $10 this time.

Gold panning here so Dave and Bob set off after dinner to find their fortune.

We still need to depend on our CPP and OAP!

Thursday, July 27

And so that road continues! Today, fog was added to the mix! We could hardly see the customs officer at his post at the border, truly at the Top of the World!

Had no view until 60 kms before Dawson. Fireweed for miles.

The old mine site of Boundary

Rolled into Dawson City by noon, set up at Yukon River Campground then took the truck across the Yukon River on a free ferry, found the guided walking tour and enjoyed insider stories for the next ninety minutes. What a history! 

After dinner we enjoyed the 10 o'clock and midnight shows at Diamond Tooth Gerties, whew, those gals can sing and dance.

Ferry home after midnight!

 Friday, July 28

Little later setting out but got to the golf course at opening time to find Dave's pickle ball buddy from Melaque.

The golf course is on top of the mountain, up 5 kms of dirt road but what a view! Yukon and Klondike Rivers converge right below the golf course.

Went to the river to see the paddle boat graveyard

someone is squatting on the Yukon River

with their special tanning bed!

small community  across the river, accessible only by boat.

happy boy, fishing again!

Bike ride on the ferry and downtown for a 60 minute tour Behind the Scenes, artifacts the general public cannot see.

Our friends chose the paddle wheeler ride at this time .

tools of the trade for who?

right!! for Willard Mackay, Ed Hamilton and Byron Ronalds!!

Biked all through town with stops at the Museum, Jack London cabin, Robert Service cabin and the home of Pierre Burton.

Dinner at the campground and a quiet evening.