Back to Canada

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In the Tok campground, as the sun was setting late, late at night, the clouds got a funky shade of pink and orange. It was quite a sight and was great way to end my day.



The next morning, I headed off to the east and back to Canada. One thing I have noticed about Alaska is that they seem to have things not quite sorted out for their highways. For instance, there are numerous scenic view turnouts that no longer have a view. I suppose it is environmentalism at play and having to leave trees be instead of cutting them down for the view, but many scenic view turnouts have no view because the trees have grown too tall and screen out the view. I understand if they have to let the trees grow, but it is frustrating to go into a scenic view turnout and be confronted with trees instead of a view. They should go and take out the signs pointing to a view.



Another weird thing I noticed was the speed limits. All the way up from Anchorage to Fairbanks and then on to Tok, it is a two-lane two way highway. The speed limit was 65 miles per hour. There was a short portion that was four-lane divided highway. The speed limit went down to 55 miles per hour. As soon as it went back to the two lane highway, the speed limit went back up to 65 miles per hour. I was bemused by that.



There is great beauty along that highway. I went around most corners and wanted to take photos if possible. Of course it wasn't always possible as the road was narrow or the scenic view turnouts were covered over by trees. But I did get some photos in some places.



And then I crossed the Canada-US border. There was a US border station right at the border, but there was no station for incoming people at the actual border. Drivers heading into Canada just drove right on in. It wasn't until almost at Beaver Creek, about 30 kilometres into Canada that I came to the Customs and Immigration post. I guess that speaks to how close and safe the relationship between the two countries really is. Or maybe it's just an indication of how lax Canada really is when it comes to border security. But, once again, it was at a Canadian border stop that I had the biggest hassle. It's no sweat to go into so many countries. Yet they always seem to not be quite satisfied with what I have to say when I am coming home. I wonder if it's just me.



At Beaver Creek, I stopped in at the visitor information booth and had a look around. I also got the stamp for the place in my Yukon Gold passport. I have realized that I can actually probably get 20 stamps or more in the booklet. That will put me into a draw for 5 ounces of gold. I can only really dream of winning it, but I can certainly get into the draw for it. That will be cool. Between the spot on the Klondike Highway, Dawson City and now travelling back along the Alaska Highway, I can easily get enough stamps to enter. And I have found that, with the exception of the second cultural centre I encountered on the Klondike Highway, the places I go to get the stamps are quite interesting.



The woman in the visitor centre also gave me some tips on how to get to back to Whitehorse. It turns out that I can turn down to Haines, Alaska at Haines Junction, get a ferry to Skagway and then head back up to Whitehorse, that way. It sounds scenic, it's not too expensive, and it sounds like a fine way to go. So I will do just that.



She also gave me a kilometre by kilometre accounting of the highway from Beaver Creek to Haines Junction. It is almost as detailed as the Milepost. I'm not very impressed with the Milepost. It misses out a lot of stuff that would be interesting, mostly because the spots in question probably don't pay an advertising fee, I should imagine. But they also hide what is good information about interesting stops amongst a bunch of useless information, like where a garbage can is, or how to negotiate a junction between highways. They don't organize any of that very well and it is difficult to use the book.



In any case, I made my way along to Haines Junction without too much trouble. But there were a lot of interesting stops to make along the way.



The first was not on any maps. I was driving along and saw a moose standing in the water at the far edge of a lake. I stopped to take a photo. Then I got out of my car and moved to the opposite edge of the highway to get a better angle. And as the near edge of the lake came into view, I happened on another moose with a baby. This was too close as defined by almost any wildlife viewing rules, and mine, too. If I am in charging and trampling distance, I figure I am too close. I was definitely in charging and trampling distance. Luckily, when the mother moose noticed me, she chose to take her baby and swim across the lake instead of hurting me. And I got some nice shots of the two swimming away and then coming out on the far side.



There was Burwash Landing, where there was another museum and cultural centre with another stamp for my passport. I paid for entrance and went it to have a look. It was another great find. They had exhibits of all the different wildlife that are in the Yukon. There was at least one example of each, from moose, to wolves, to various birds and fish. It was a wonderful presentation. There was also a film showing about the Alaska Highway and how it had been constructed and the trials and tribulations along the way. It was a lot more involved than I had thought.



From the Burwash Landing museum, I continued along to the spot where the opening ceremony for the highway was held, a place called Soldier's Summit. A big gathering was held there and the ribbon was cut on the highway less than 10 months after work had begun. The spot was also raised up on the side of the hill a little bit and there were splendid views of Kluane Lake below. It is a glacier fed lake and has that characteristic colour, although it's hard to tell from these photos.



Nearby was one of the visitor centres for Kluane National Park and Preserve, which houses a great deal of wilderness, the largest concentration of ice fields in Canada, and the way of life of the local Tutschone First Nation. But the centre is only open until 4 in the afternoon and I was way late for that. I thought about staying the night around the area and going in tomorrow, but the centre was so small, I decided to just continue on to Haines Junction.



But the one further attraction of that area at the end of Kluane Lake was that it's the location of a bridge Ellen worked on. I think. I need to check that out with my aunt, but the area looks like what I saw in the photos Ellen showed me. I took a few photos to send to her to make sure.



And then it was on to Silver City. I'm not sure which part of history the city serviced. It may have been a gold rush town, but that makes the name a bit curious. It may have been the local housing for workers on the Alaska Highway. The advertised plaque that explained all of that was missing. What is certain is that it is abandoned now. I finally saw my ghost town, and a proper one at that. The buildings are all lying in the forest, many in ruins, some still standing, but all empty. It was cool.



And then finally it was on to Haines Junction so that I could get ready for another foray into the United States, this time only for a day or maybe two. I am looking forward to seeing the local Banff in Skagway, as opposed to the much nicer Jasper in Dawson City.

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Photos

Alaska
The Alaskan scenery along the Alaska Highway is fantastic.

Canada-US Border
The border between Alaska and the Yukon is a simple clearing of the dividing line. There is no fence or security, or a Canadian border station, in sight.

The Moose That Made Me Stop
I spotted this moose at the far end of a small lake, munching away on some vegetation. I got out of my car and crossed the highway to get a better view...

The Moose That I Disturbed
... I surprised a moose cow and her calf at the base of the embankment on the near side of the highway. Luckily, she chose to swim away rather than taking umbrage and charging me.

My Cousin's Bridge
My cousin, an engineer, did some work as a summer project on this bridge at one end of Kluane Lake.

Silver City
Sitting near the shore of Kluane Lake, this ghost town is what remains of Silver City, a city that built up when silver was found nearby.