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Published: July 31st 2016
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We are now in Whitehorse, Canada, in the Yukon Territory. Yes, we are headed home and I am catching up with our last week in Alaska but before I do you have to indulge me for a few minutes……. from Tok to the Canadian border is 90 miles, our last 90 miles of Alaska, and from the moment we made the turn on to the Alaska Highway, poured some fresh coffee from the thermos and began to roll east, it was a very quiet in the truck cab. Neither of us were talking much as we internalized our personal feelings about leaving. A sadness overtook us as we rolled farther east, we both could have stayed longer but the tug of our home and our family is very strong so this was not an easy time for either of us as we watched the final miles of the Alaska that we had come to know and love roll by outside the window. We were lost in our own thoughts about where we had been, what we had seen, and what we had accomplished. No more Alaskan Adventures, no more wilderness back roads to explore, no more fantastic mountain and glacier views,
no more Alaska. We have the photos, the memories, the pins and the tee-shirts, and yes, we have done what we set out to do, but spending this much time in Alaska will change you. It has changed us in a way that is impossible to describe. I am envious of those who are heading west and have just arrived and when we stopped at the border for one last photo I didn’t want to look at the Welcome to Alaska side of the sign but I did glance misty eyed at it in the side mirror as we rolled into Canada thinking, don’t change the sign, we will be back. For those of you that have shared our Alaskan Adventure with us through the stories and the photos I hope you enjoyed the ride and have been inspired to make such a trip yourselves someday. It has been a pleasure to have you along. .....OK, thanks for listening-------We moved up the road from Glennallen to Tok, our first and our last Alaska RV Park, were wanted to drive the Taylor Highway to Chicken, get some more of those great Sourdough Pancakes with Reindeer Sausage, do the wash and wash
the truck. We had heard a lot about Chicken and just had to see it for ourselves. The Taylor Highway turnoff is 15 miles from Tok and Chicken was 63 miles farther down the that road so we packed a little lunch and took off in what was to be our final adventure in some sunny weather. It was a great drive on a surprisingly good wilderness road that did cut through the regrown forest that was leveled by the 198,000 acre Chicken Fire in 2004. Miles and miles of burned trees still remain but the forest floor is coming back and it looks like matchsticks sticking up through a vast green shag carpet. When we reached the 3200 ft. summit we could again see the immense amount of wilderness that we have grown accustomed to in Alaska. The drive was worth the views and of course we are always amazed when we get to these little towns like Chicken at the hospitality and the food. Here, 78 miles from the nearest grocery store, we find some of the best homemade pies you have ever tasted, warmed up and topped with vanilla ice cream. Chicken is also the Alaska end
of the Top-Of-The-World Highway that runs from Dawson City. We didn’t need another 80 miles of dirt road but we did drive over the first few hills just to see the view. It was hard to believe that so many people tow or drive their RV’s through this rocky dusty mess, I’m just glad we didn’t. After a pretty long day we made it back to Sourdough Campground, caught a good night’s sleep, washed the truck and got ready for the big push south. We are spending an extra day here in Whitehorse to see the sights and tomorrow we tackle the Northern Rockies again, this time in the sun and not the snow. As of today our schedule has us arriving back in California, MD on 30 August, getting off the road before the Labor Day traffic sets in. We have been pretty good at staying on or ahead of schedule so barring any mechanical difficulties we should be home in about a month.
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Diane
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:)
:) You will be home before you know it....