June: Alaska, “land of the midnight sun”

One of the “current events” of the long history of Alaska has been the building and maintaining of the Alcan Highway, built in the 1940’s. More recent is the “haul road”, the Dalton Highway built for the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline in the 70’s, In June we complete the Alcan Hwy.to Delta Junction and later in the month, drive a portion of the mostly unpaved haul road (in the Jeeps) to the Artic circle. As our journey continues north the days are getting longer.

                                                        

                                                                                                                                      

Started the month in Toad River, BC. resting a few days by the pond. Washed the RV and it rained the next day. An overnight stop at Liard Hot Springs and then cross into Yukon Territory for a stop in Watson Lake. Tomorrow we’ll tag our sign in the “sign post forest” with a date stamp for 2012. Linda walked right to the sign (put up in 2008) out of 65,000 signs, amazing! Soon my sister and brother in law will be in Skagway on a cruise, we’ll try to meet them for dinner. After a stop in Rancheria Falls Recreation area, the rivers and streams are swollen with snow melt and rain. South with a side trip to Atlin, BC. checking out the still active mining town and electrical problems in Donny’s rig. Four days by Como Lake was great even with light rain for two days. While in town at the visitors center we learn the roads are washed out behind us at Rancheria, and just north of Whitehorse at Klune Lake, also south on the road into Skagway. This 100 mile triangle has Whitehorse (and us) trapped in the middle and Whitehorse store shelves are emptied in one day. Luckily they repaired the washout to Skagway the next day and the drive down is cold and rainy, but beautiful. Dinner for 8 turned out to be 5, Donny and Jill, Linda and I, and sister Linda. Ed was quarantined in the stateroom with the flu and their neighbor couple got lost. We leave the restaurant and the sun is still out. The next morning it’s on to Whitehorse for housekeeping and supplies, the grocery shelves are just now being restocked. A rest area on beautiful Klune Lake, at the mud slide, is our next stop before entering Alaska, the skies are clearing and the Dahl Sheep are on the mountain. It’s a easy drive to Tetlin Junction, were back in the USA, camp near the Tanana River and have breakfast in Tok. A day later the Gerstle river crosses the Alcan Hwy, we camp under the 8 span bridge along its bank. It’s sunny, the wind has calmed, we stay for two days. It’s summer solstice, barely dusk at midnight. In the morning a moose walks through camp.

                                          

                                          

Fairbanks!  We finish the Alaska-Canada highway in Delta Junction and turn north to Fairbanks to look up Rod and Joni. We met them in Yuma, Az. two winters ago flying the Alaska state flag. They just returned from Salmon fishing on the Copper River and had 2 large filets on the BBQ grille. It was a feast. We now have 22 hours of daylight (with sun) and 2 hours of dusk. One day around noon we leave for the Artic Circle and returned at 9PM, more driving than were used to but a good ride. Changed one flat tire for a research group from UA Fairbanks but had no trouble ourselves.

                                         

                                         

After returning to Fairbanks a side trip to Chena Hot Spring brings us to the end of the month. We camp 4 days by a lake and enjoy some good weather and moose in the lake. Next month Denali National park and the mountain.

April: On the move NORTH!

It’s time to make our way to Alaska. Still a lot to see in Arizona, so we’ll take a couple of months and enjoy the journey. We spend Easter week at Theodor Roosevelt Lake in Az. We make camp early, enjoy local trails and geology, and the Tonto National Monument, a place set aside to preserve the culture of Indian tribes who settled the area. We hike up to the lower cliff houses built around 900 to 1150, it’s amazing how they lived, and prospered here! Soon our quiet spot on the lake is invaded by holiday partiers from Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Tempe and all the rest of central Arizona for the Easter weekend. They surround us! The weather is good and it’s families and friends spring break Arizona style. Jet boat, jet ski, pontoon boat, canoe, fishing boat, kayak, and row boat fill the lake and campers line the shore. We’re ready to move on the next week and find some quiet again.

                                    

.We worked our way toward the Colorado state line with a overnight stop In Winslow, Arizona and had to “stand on the corner in Winslow, Az.” for a picture. Then to the Hopi and Navajo reservation area of Canyon de Chelly (d’shey). There is evidence of people living in these canyons for nearly 5000 years, the last 1250 years, Pueblo, Hopi, then Navajo who stay summers here still. 2-3 days were spent exploring the area from the rim above, then it required a Navajo guide to enter the canyon floor and share their culture and history on a 4 hour 4WD drive tour. We finished Arizona this year with a stop at Four Corners monument where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico all meet in one point.

                                           

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The weather is changing while in Canyon de Chelly and it turned windy, cool, with rain and snow flurries. It’s easy to tell we’re moving North into Colorado, the mornings are cooler, 30’s and the days in the low 70’s. Wolf Creek Pass at 10,850 feet still has 4+ ft. of snow in the middle of April. On into Wyoming with stops at Hattie’s Lake near Laramie, Casper, Shoshone, and Cody, with a visit to Buffalo Bill Museum. Linda and I went in 1988, it was a world class museum then and even more spectacular now. We drove 1500+ miles in April and moved through 4 states into Montana, stopping often and enjoying this fantastic country and still averaged only 50 miles a day.