Arrived in Yukon Territory

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We've driven 605 miles from Milepost 0 to reach the Yukon! WOW! Shortly thereafter we found Dawson Creek, home of the Signpost Forrest. The town was named for gold seeker Frank Watson who settled here in 1898. The town became an important point for refueling during construction of the AK Highway. We stopped for the night at the Downtown RV Park and actually got to check our email with free wi-fi,! We have not had phone reception or satellite TV since leaving Fort St. John many miles ago, luxuries of the past.

We found an excellent AK Highway Interpretive Center and saw a video on Yukon history and the AK Highway. The famous Signpost Forrest was started by a lonely Army soldier working on the AK Highway. Visitors are invited to add a sign (one was made from a toilet seat cover), and over 60,000 visitors have done so. We saw one with the name of Melvin from Martin, MI. We must investigate which Melvin that was.

On we go past the Continental Divide and a few cross overs into BC and back with lots of small hills and a few stretches of unpaved but hard packed roads. This is one more reason to keep the speed down. The frequent warnings of animals were another reason and they were not without validity, as you can see.

We arrived at Teslin 164 miles "down the road," and decided to stay and explore the area. We found a small village with one of the largest Native populations (Tlingitt (pronounced "Klingit") in the Yukon Territory. Much of the community's livelihood revolves around traditional hunting, trapping and fishing, plus native wood crafting and sewn art. The 86 mile long Lake Teslin provides them with fishing opportunities galore. We found Nisutlin Outfitting featuring high quality clothing and crafts, and a museum of stuffed animals with the look of the wild.

We moved on about 9 miles to experience Mukluk Annie's, a treasure amongst attractions on the AK Highway. Located on beautiful Teslin Lake, the park has both dry camping (free) and hook-ups($12) . The generous Annie also offers free water fill, dump station, RV wash and nightly houseboat ride - yes, all free. We missed her well known evening salmon bake but were there on opening day and the all you can eat breakfast. We met up again there with a threesome we had met at Liard Hot Springs, a couple from Victoria Island traveling wit their sister from Germany. And we got to meet Annie, also the cook. She shared that the name Mukluk Annie's was a result of spending too many winters in the Yukon!

On to Whitehorse, 142 miles later. These short driving days and stops to see this beautiful state are so much fun. We have errands here, food shopping, laundry, RV and car wash, and Harley wash. We stayed the first night at Walmart to scope out the territory and then to Pioneer RV Park to do all the washes. We were too early for the laundry so went to town for that.

I got a hair cut at Different Lengths by Shannon who told me all about the Yukon. Diamond mining is in a boom and bringing more building and services to Whitehorse. There is no charge for health care in the Yukon as there are in Vancouver and Alberta. And each resident is paid about $25 per day as a tax deduction just for living there! Shannon is happy about the value of the US dollar being on par with the Canadian making travel there less expensive. Canadians commonly travel to Mexico and several said to Las Vegas. The cost of living (food and clothing we noticed) is more expensive that in the states. Many food items are shipped so more expensive the further they go. Fresh vegetables and fruit are still in good shape.

We saw the Frantic Follies (for free, a dress rehearsal) and enjoyed it. Other than walking the downtown river trail, we will save hiking in Miles Canyon and a few museums until our return trip.

We left Whitehorse on May 21 to cross into Alaska and into Skagway. More about that later.

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