Telegraph Creek

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Drat!! I really considered hard whether or not to head to Telegraph Creek. I thought it would be interesting and I would get to see an old gold rush town. It didn't turn out that way...



I got up early and departed the campground without ever seeing the people who run the place. I wanted to get a good early start, since I still thought I would be able to get to Whitehorse that day as well. As I was leaving, I noticed the lake by the campground. It looked quite smooth, so I wandered down for a look. And it was in a mirror lake state. I was happy and took some photos of the mirror before heading off.



I got on the road headed for Telegraph Creek. It started quite nicely and it seemed the 112 kilometers might pass quite well. But then the paved road ended and the gravel road began. This even wasn't all that bad. It was straight and well-cared for. And then that, too ended. It was still well-cared for, but it began winding and going up and down the mountain. I realized that this 112 kilometer round trip was going to eat up a lot of time. And then it occurred to me that because the road was so difficult and it was such a long way, I might find the town in a truly ruined state that would make it one of those ghost towns that I have always wanted to see. But I was having a difficult time figuring out why the town was highlighted so prominently in the Milepost guidebook for the Alaska area.



I was so focussed on getting to the town that I didn't really pay attention to what was passing outside the car. I did notice that it seemed quite scenic. But I was intent on getting there.



When I got to Telegraph Creek, I was quite disappointed. It was a bunch of buildings that were in mainly disarray at the bottom of a gully containing the creek of the name, but there was nothing in the way of interpretation. There was a nice church from the time of the heyday of the town, but little else of note. I wandered around and took some photos and then I looked in the guidebook to see if it offered any insight. And it was then that I realized that I really should have read it carefully before I set out. The highlights of the trip to the town is the scenic beauty along the way. Ah...



So on the way back I stopped at all the spots where the Milepost noted something nice to see or do and did all of them. It was incredibly scenic. I was amazed at some of the vistas and things that I saw. There were steep grades to the road and steep canyons. I was really happy to be stopping along the way. And I was mindful that, if I had it to do again, I probably would have foregone the side trip and just headed towards Whitehorse. But I had done the trip, so there was no point in lamenting the matter any longer.



I stopped in Dease Lake and had some lunch in the early afternoon before heading up the road to the Yukon. The was continued to be amazing. I really enjoyed the scenery of highway 37 and I was soooo glad that I had come that way. I saw more animals along the way. Actually I saw most of them on the side trip to Telegraph Creek. But I saw a moose, a rabbit, some “wild” horses, and a mink. (I think it was a mink. I've never seen one, so I don't know for sure.) There were more bears, of course.



There were lots of scenic overlooks. And water. I didn't expect to see so many really big lakes up in this area. I suppose I expected mountains and lots of waterfalls, but it didn't occur to me there would be so many places where the water collected. And these are some very large lakes. I don't know how deep they all are, but they are long and narrow.



Towards the end of the highway, I suddenly passed through a burned forest. It was a forest fire area that couldn't have been more than a year or two old at the most. It was eerie passing through this see of blackened and dead tree trunks. And the forest floor was alive with greenery. Even only a year or two after the fire, life was reclaiming the area.



The other thing that surprised me about the forest was the number of people who were camping there. They were everywhere, or so it seemed. And the tents were sometimes deep into the dead trees. I couldn't figure out what the attraction was for so many people. I could see wanting to camp there myself, but it seemed almost that there was another purpose for their being there.



After the burnt forest, I came to the Yukon. A new place where I have never been. Yea!!!



The landscape didn't change much, of course. Things change over a long distance, but not all at once, but the people were a lot different.



I got to the junction with the Alaska Highway and stopped for gas, that was considerably cheaper. I was chatting with the woman in the store. She was obviously a smoker, from the smell in the store. No public place smoking bans are here, I guess. Or at least, they aren't adhered to. She was very nice and gave me lots of information. And she didn't sweat the “pay before you fill up” policy that is taking hold so many other places. “Where are you gonna go?” she asked me. “I will just take your licence plate number and call the guy at the next gas station. We'd get ya.” Hilarious. And so practical.



Then I headed on towards Whitehorse. I hadn't gone all that much farther north than the day before, but the day is so much longer already. By the time I reached Whitehorse it was about 8:30. But the sun made it seem, to me, like it was about 5. I found a place to stay and set up my tent, but the sun was still up nearing midnight. And I woke up a couple of times through the “night” and it was still light out. It's one thing to read about it or to know about such things, but it's quite different to experience it.

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Photos

Dease Lake
Early in the morning, the lake was a mirror.

Ghost Town House
It wasn't much of a ghost town, but there were some abandoned buildings in the small place known as Telegraph Creek.

Telegraph Creek House
This is another abandoned building in Telegraph Creek.

Scenic View
Telegraph Creek itself was a bit disappointing, but the views along the way more than made up for it.

Scenic View
The views along the river through the area were quite spectacular.

Scenic View
The mountain views were equally stunning.

Burnt Forest
Back on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, I passed through an area of forest that had burned in the past couple of years.

Welcome to the Yukon
The sign welcoming me to the Yukon marked the line to an area I had never visited before.

Yukon Vista
The Yukon greeted with this stunning vista along the Alaska Highway.