We Made It!

Back in the day of the Gold Rush, Whitehorse was a transfer area between climbing over the mountains and loading equipment on boats to go down the river.



The first evening in Whitehorse, we stopped by Miles Canyon. This was an area of rapids that had to be navigated. Now there is a power plant at the base of the rapids that has deepened the river and reduced the rapids. Still very pretty.



The next morning we took a hike along the canyon to where there had been a town for the people building boats and taking on the rapids.



The campground is very nice, and the weather is really good, so we grilled steak for dinner. Later that evening, we had a visit from a red fox! Probably checking to see if we had a leftover bone!





There were indications that winters must be pretty tough in Whitehorse. Most of the cars and trucks have plugs hanging out the front for heating the engine blocks in the winter.

Doorways and stairs are made with grating so the steps and entryways can be cleared of snow.

We took in some of the local attractions. At least the ones that are open.

It was June 1st, and not the height of the season!

One museum was the McBride Museum. Pretty interesting. Most of it was about the Gold Rush in the Yukon. We're looking forward to seeing some of the Alaskan Gold Rush museums.

In Whitehorse is the Yukon Brewery. Tours and free samples. They brew the beer with no additives, and sell in Canada. Yukon Gold is the only one in cans, each can is hand filled and capped.
They brew a really good Yukon Red, and Chocolate Stout that was really smooth. (no chocolate in it.) We were still a little concerned about crossing the border so decided to stop by on the way home for purchases.

We started to notice that RV's and cars coming into the park were really covered with dust and mud. It made us wonder where they had been.

Now we know!

The part of the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to Tok is called the Destruction Highway. Very well named! When the highway was built, they ran into areas that stayed frozen. They cleared the top layer off to build the road. Big Mistake. Now the road freezes and thaws, and makes it heave and fall apart, and means fixing it every year.

We got used to these signs, although often they appeared after we had already gone through miles of bumpy roads! Sometimes these signs were followed by signs that said "Loose Gravel" and then "Extreme dusty conditions"

We went through one area that was very dusty, followed by a section that had been watered down to hold down the dust.

Dust + water = MUD!

This is what the Jeep looked like after the first section. Needless to say, it did not improve during the day.

The first thing we did when we got to Tok, Alaska was to wash the RV and the Jeep before we parked in the site and had to take off the cover.

And we did get to Alaska! We arrived in Tok, Alaska on Wednesday, June 3. We are going to hang around Tok for a few days, and then head to Valdez.

Jim and Sue