June 10 Tuesday Day 8

Exhausted from the previous day’s long drive we were late getting up and were pretty glad to hear the tentative knock on the door at 0700 hours. Stephen whacked out his back early on so while he stretched, the pups and I did our biz and walked and got the camper/trailer/truck ready to rock. We found later that the temps had dropped to 29 degree’s during the night! Stephen meanwhile has notified me that he is trying to assimilate into the native population, ergo he will not be shaving any time soon!

We had lots of great experiences today with the up close and personal picture op’s with Stone Sheep, Bison/Buffalo, Bear, Caribou, Moose, Elk . . . and multiple sightings of all. This was all in B.C. and we are just this evening getting to the Yukon!

There was so much BIG country today we couldn’t believe it. It’s difficult to put words to the beauty we’ve seen just this day alone. We had many stops for animal sightings and gazing. One of our favorite stops was Muncho Lake where the water was so clear and not a ripple from the wind. We were able to take pictures of the mountains/clouds/sky and its reflection in the lake.

The other favorite stop was Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. We made that location around noon and gleefully headed to the hot springs. Janice/Arnie/Pat/Bob/Stephen and I were all declared ‘family’ by the park staff so our entry fee was $10 for the family pass. Alpha pool was our favorite and we braved the ‘very hot’ last few feet to put rocks near the hot spring source for good luck.

A second pool called Beta was like a very warm bathtub and great for swimming but very deep so you couldn’t touch bottom. We went to the hanging gardens which were disappointing and more of a moss garden,

overgrown and dying. It was nice to dip back into Alpha pool! The flora and fauna were beautiful and multiple pictures were taken.

The pups continue to be so well behaved it’s amazing. They aren’t much for the camper by themselves but put them in the truck cab where they can see and be on alert and they are fine. The multiple walks they have during the day are great for them and they are just fine travelers and fun to be around. They make very good ambassadors to all we meet.

The late afternoon was spent mostly driving. We did see patches of the old AlCan and took pictures. Its mostly fallen into decay and the newer roads are such a great improvement over the Alcan - in spite of the dust/gravel patches stretches (which we deem to be a mere 1% of the road) . . . that we are happy to be traveling in 2008 as opposed to earlier.

We fueled up at Watson Lake at $1.49 per liter and looked at the Sign Forest at the north end of town. We are officially in the Yukon now and are amazed at the differences in the topography with every curve. After fueling (just in time as our fuel light came on while awaiting our turn at the pump!) we headed about 10 miles north and stayed right on the river at a nice wide turnout. A junk yard dog greeted us. Felt bad for the pretty lab mix as he was a bit banged up and crossed his paws just like Ruger does. After watering the tires of our friends 5^th Wheel, he eventually moved on when we all went inside.

Stephen and I fixed dinner . . . cubed steak in his wonderful gravy, gourmet wild rice and spinach salad. Pat and Janice made a wonderful apple cake with sauce. The generator was turned off and after dishes and pooch fun we headed to bed. Another wonderful and full day on our great adventure. The temperatures were mostly in the low 60’s, sunny with some clouds later in the afternoon. Rain late in the evening.

Distance traveled today was approximately 300 miles.

June 11, 2008; Wednesday, Day 9

No rest for the weary as we were up at 0600 hours with the rain. Our little spot at the Bridge was a nice place to rest for the night; no junkyard dog when we were about and our small caravan hit the road as the truck clock turned to 0700 hours.

I’m so backed up on pictures to download and log as well as emails needing to be composed and in the queue that I took advantage of the rainy weather, plugged in the laptop and worked all morning long as Stephen drove. We hit a fair amount of road construction along with gravel stretches which were not washboard but level and dusty. One area had a road crew that was oiling and rolling the dirt/gravel.

The Yukon is much like British Columbia only ‘bigger’ if that’s possible. We stopped midmorning at Swift River and purchased a freshly baked sticky bun (they called it a cinnamon roll). There is no electricity so the whistle stop is powered by 3 generators and is only opened from the Long Weekend in May to the Long Weekend in September.

Testin Lake was a beautiful photo stop. The pooches dutifully posed in the dandelions for us. The rivers and creeks are running pretty clear and appear to be great spots for fishing. The sun came out about ten and we did see a bear duck into the woods when we slowed for a look.

Gratefully we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon about 1 o’clock. Stephen and I went to fill up the truck while the Zortman’s headed to Hi-Country RV Park and made reservations for us. When we arrived we were astounded to find that we once again had the last pull-through and like Dawson Creek, it was space #57!

After setting up camp with full services (to include one cable channel) Stephen and the pooches stayed behind and assisted a neighbor who’d lost his jeep behind his rig, while the rest of us headed downtown for some provisioning and to view the Yukon River. After several stops at the scenic downtown (and some photo op’s) we headed back to the campgrounds at 4:30.

The Zortmans made dinner (shrimp and potatoes) while Sharon walked & played with the pooches & started postcards. Dinner outside was nice as the weather was beautiful and in the low 70’s. We took the opportunity to download as there was wifi and send a couple of messages to catch up with the others. We showered while our next door neighbors (Mike & Barb – 3^rd generation cattle ranchers out of Colorado) got their ‘Lab’ fix by walking Jesse & Ruger. A few minutes at the campfire and all declared they were exhausted so off to bed we went! Weather was sunny, scattered clouds and low 70’s. Distance traveled was approximately 258 miles.