The Yukon

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Shortly after leaving Watson Lake we crossed the continental divide, a milepost of sorts. From this point, water flows westward to the Yukon River and eventually into the Bering Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. East of here water makes its way into the Mackenzie River and then into the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon and our next stop, is the transportation, cultural and economic center of the region. It has a population of 25,000, and sits on the banks of the beautiful deep blue Yukon River. While the Yukon is one of the longest rivers in North America (2,000 miles), there are only four automobile bridges that cross it. One of them is in Whitehorse. We liked everything about Whitehorse. It’s a modern town, but seems to have the feel of a frontier boomtown. We’ll spend a few days here on our way back home.
About 150 miles after leaving Whitehorse we ran into the first really bad road we had encountered. For the next 200 miles or so the pavement was like a roller coaster, scrambling everything in the RV. There were also stretches of gravel, which, though smoother than the pavement, was very dry and dusty. We were very glad to stop for the night in Beaver Creek, only 20 miles from the border. Tomorrow, Alaska!!

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Photos

Highway in Southeast Yukon
More spruce trees.

Teslin, YT
This bridge is the longest on the Alaska Highway at almost 2,000 feet.

Watch out Behind You
Jan and friend in general store in Jake's Corner, YT.

Teslin River
Another scenic river.

Tourists? Not us!
Thats the Yukon River behind the sign.

Bald Eagle
This eagle had a nest about 50 feet from the "Welcome to Whitehorse" sign.

The S.S. Klondike
Grand old stern-wheeler from the early 1900's is been restored and sits on the bank of the Yukon River in Whitehorse. It is one of Canada's National Historic Sites.

Yukon River at Whitehorse
This river was a major means of transportation during the Klondike gold rush days.

Statue in Downtown Whitehorse
There was a craft fair going on in the white tent. Guess where Jan was while I was taking this picture.

Wal Mart Parking Lot in Whitehorse
This was taken at 6AM. I counted 36 RV's parked overnight -- more than most campgrounds had.

First Glimpse of Kluane Lake
This scenic lake is the largest in the Yukon. The highway followed the lake's edge for about 40 miles.

Lakeside Picnic Spot
We pulled over here for a lunch break. We had it all to ourselves.

Scenic Drive
The highway was sandwiched between the mountains and Lake Kluane for quite a ways.

Photo Op Ahead
Another beautiful lake looms ahead in the western part of the Yukon.