On Route to Valdez, AK (700 miles)

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Wednesday July 18, 2007 Wednesday morning we left Haines (drizzling and foggy) and Southeast Alaska behind and headed toward Valdez. The further we got from Haines, the sunnier and warmer it became. We arrived in Haines by ferry and we were leaving on wheels. The Haines Hwy meets the famous Alaska Hwy about 150 miles from Haines. The Alaska Hwy or Alcan goes through British Columbia and the Yukon and then into Alaska.
In BC the landscape was vast with mountains, huge lakes and wildflowers everywhere. There was no traffic going in our direction. We passed one truck in about 3 hours. There was traffic going the opposite direction. We saw a grizzly bear on a gravel bar off the road. About 4 hours into the trip the road conditions deteriorated, which is normal for the Alaska Hwy. Because of the permafrost the road is built on, the surface tends to dip down in places causing heaves. The yellow line on the side of the road looks like a roller coaster. Then there are frequent gravel stretches and just plain torn up and patched road. If you don’t want to rattle your teeth (and everything in CT) and leave your rear end on the road, driving 40-50 m/h is about maximum speed. The dogs also protest when it gets too bumpy (we hear a little whimpering). The Alaska Hwy really is an engineering feat and I have read it is in much better condition than it was years ago.
Yukon scenery was not as interesting as some we’ve seen. Rolling hills and low mountains covered with stunted black spruce trees went on for hours. The area looked dry and the rivers were like creeks. Black spruce is the only tree that will grow in the harsh conditions of the land. One of the areas we passed held the Canadian record for the coldest temperature ever recorded; -81 degrees F. They don’t get much rain in the summer, but they do get a lot of snow.
We stopped at an RV park about half way to Valdez in a tiny place called Beaver Creek, Yukon after traveling about 9 hours. The traffic’s not bad, but you have to concentrate on the road which can be tiring. There aren’t many places to stop so you have to plan accordingly.

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