Day 14 (6-14-12 - Liard Hot Springs to Whitehorse)

We walked to the hot spring pool for a soak at 7:30 this morning.  The sun was shining and the water was HOT.  We soaked for awhile, and then went forward on our journey.  It was sunny, beautiful, and a balmy 52 degrees when we left this morning from Liard Hot Springs Campground.  We traveled 388 miles today.

We saw many wood bison, 6 bears (including a mom and twin bears), and 1 moose in BC.  After we got in the Yukon we saw an eagle, an osprey, and 2 fox.  One of the fox we saw was when we backed into our campsite. 

We paid $5.11 a gallon for gas, $6.99 for a gallon of milk, and $52.20 for a 30 pack of beer.  We may both have to find jobs to get enough money to get back home.

We saw two things today that we haven’t seen in a while, one was no rain, and the other was dust.  We felt like we were at the Pearl River Swamp with all the dust in the campground.

We are camped at Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse.  We have a really nice site that has a great fire pit that we have put to good use. Ferny Kat went out and came back in pulling up the rug with every step that she took.  She had sap on her paws.  She is not a happy cat.

We decided to travel the longer route to Alaska from here and go to Dawson City.  It will take us about 6 hours to get to Dawson City.  We will take a ferry across the Yukon River and then get into Alaska in a couple of days.  Can’t wait for tomorrow.

Pics https://goo.gl/photos/RDNu4kfQ1bm8FipK9

Day 13 (6-13-12 - Liard Hot Springs)

It has been another fun day in this Cold, Windy, Rainy weather. It was 46 degrees when we left Muncho Lake.   We drove 41 miles and set up camp at Liard Hot Springs Campground.  It has been 13 days since we left home and we are no where near Alaska.  We thought about skipping the hot spring pools, but reminded ourselves that we are not in a hurry.  It cost $10 for both of us to get in the hot springs pool or we could pay $21 to camp and this fee included the hot springs pool.  We decided to camp.

It is very interesting that in an area of approximately 100 miles there is no electricity. All the businesses, campgrounds, and lodges are powered by their own generator power. 

We have been to the hot springs pool 3 times today.  We went once to check it out and twice to soak.  It was fabulous.  It was the first time we have been warm since we left Shelby, Montana.  The temperature of the water ranges from 108 degrees to 126 degrees.  It is clear and smells of sulfur.  It brings back memories of the artesian well at home.

The fast, little red squirrels have tormented Ferny Kat.  You could hear them chuckle, then they would run by Ferny.  She was as entertained by them as they were by her. 

We pulled out the awning and fried fish on the Coleman stove. The rain would not stop, so we put our rain jackets on and built a campfire after our fish fry.  This will be another night that we won’t have a problem sleeping.

We saw 5 stone sheep and about 10 buffalo (4 were babies) on our drive here. We saw one bull moose on our walk to the pools.

I heard a Brit at the pool proclaim “It’s Quite Ducky, Isn’t It.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/yJc9ti6v49TRDmWq9

Day 12 (6-12-12 - Muncho Lake)

We woke up from a really cold night to sunshine and the sound of semi trucks headed toward Watson Lake.  We hope that this is a sign that we will be able to continue on our journey tomorrow. 

We are putting my hot flashes to good use as they provide us with heat on these cold nights.  Lauren cooked a great breakfast; we walked around the campground, and then went sightseeing.

We rode to Liard Hot Springs Campground.  The weather quickly changed from sunshine to rain.  On the ride there and back we saw about 20 buffalo, 2 bears, and 5 Stone Sheep.  The attendant at Liard Hot Springs confirmed that the road is open but there is a big back up of vehicles waiting to go through.

We went on a couple of hiking trails.  We just got back from a hike to see the hoodoos across the road from the camp.  It took us about an hour to hike there and back.  It was cloudy with a cold wind, but we had the gear to bear the elements.  We have 5 miles of hiking in today.  Lauren blames me for not seeing any wildlife while we are hiking because I am wearing bear bells.  I think that the wildlife is in hibernation because of the weather.

We are planning to go to Liard Hot Springs Campground tomorrow and swim in the hot springs if the weather permits.  We will probably camp there tomorrow night and wait another day before heading to Watson Lake.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/nBHaHEXy6Tar6gSz6

Day 11 (6-11-12 - Dawson Creek to Muncho Lake)

We traveled 423 miles along the Alaska Highway (ALCAN), from Dawson Creek, BC to Muncho Lake, BC.  The road is still closed north of Watson Lake. We are camped at Strawberry Flats Provincial Campground on Muncho Lake.  We are on site #1.  We have no hookups.   There are only a few steps from the back of our camper to the turquoise water (or as the brochure calls it jade green colour water).  We have a great view of the snow topped mountains in our back yard.

We experienced our first frost heaves on the road caused from the ground freezing, thawing, and leaving a sink hole in the road.  We traveled through some road construction, but did not have many delays.  We stopped in Fort Nelson at the visitor’s center.  The staff was great.  We decided to continue to Muncho Lake.  On the drive here, we had sunshine, clouds, and rain. At one point, we got to the top of a mountain and were in such a thick cloud we could barely see the road.  Luckily, we started down hill and drove out of it.

There were signs to be cautious of Stone Mountain Sheep in the Stone Mountain area.  Stone Mountain Sheep are similar to Big Horn Sheep.  They are slighter built and resemble mountain goats in color.  Lauren did not believe that we would actually see them because he has seen very few Big Horn Sheep in the states.  We saw about 20 of them right after he made the statement. 

We also saw moose, bear, and wild horses and one deer that was way too close.  We were driving around a curve and saw a deer running down the side of the mountain toward us.  Lauren tried real hard to miss him; the deer was hit and ran off.  The truck appears to be fine.  I thought he was coming in the window with me.

They are speculating that the road may open tomorrow for truckers to bring in supplies, then the next day for everyone else.  We are happy that we have a gorgeous place to sit and wait this out.  I have no problem staying here for a couple of days. 

After eating spaghetti and corn bread fritters and sitting by the campfire, it is time to call it a day.  It is literally still a day, considering the sun is still shining bright at 10 pm.

The wildlife report for today is 4 moose (1 Bull Moose), 1 deer that we hit with the truck, 2 bears, and at least 20 Stone Sheep.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/5TyKun6YH3XzbNm58

Night!!

Day 10 (6-10-12 - Dawson Creek Again)

The road is still closed from Watson Lake to Teslin, so we stayed another night in Dawson Creek.  There is only one road to Alaska from here and it it closed. 

The people in the campground are really nice, whether it is the people working here or someone camping here.  We had another day of rest.  We plan to leave tomorrow and go to Fort Nelson.  We are not sure when the road will open but we will be 300 miles closer than here when it does. 

We had a real supprise in the grocery store when we realized that steak is cheaper than chicken.  Chicken cost $7.99 per pound.

 I get suprised every day.

I hope the surveryor statue in the picture finds us a road to Alaska.

Day 9 (6-9-12 - Dawson Creek)

We have rested today.  We went downtown Dawson Creek and looked around.  They really push at the visitor center that you check out the walking tour of the city.  It was okay.  When we got back to the campground, we checked out the Pioneer Village that is connected to our campground.  It was great.  A lot of old stuff to look at: some of it is replicas, (schools, churches, salons, etc.) of Dawson Creek before the Alaska Highway and some of it is antique farm equipment (tractors, plows, etc).   Lauren enjoyed looking at all the old farm equipment.  We have never saw sleighs that were actually used by Santa (ha!!) until today.  After all, we are closer to the North Pole than we have ever been.  They were doing Zumba at Relay for Life.  Their songs were in French, but the beat was good.  It looks like they were having a lot of fun.  By the way, we didn’t think there was anything going on at Pioneer Village except the Relay for Life, so we didn’t bring the camera. 

It has looked like rain all day today.  We let our awning out because we thought a storm was a coming.  It was just a light shower.  We cooked white perch from the reservoir and had some of those yam patties from Winn Dixie.  We didn’t let it go to waste.  I never knew those crappie would taste so good in Canada. I now consider them to be an international cuisine.

We have concerns about road closures. The only road to get us to Alaska from here has 3 different sections of road closures, (now we think that there is only one section). The road was closed because the flood washed out two sections of road and there was one mud slide.  The visitor’s centre, (as they spell it in Canada), is advising that no one leave until the road is open.  We had planned to leave tomorrow, but may be here for a day or two.  

Needless to say, the wildlife report is 0 for today.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/tXib4eSVxuqDR7LQ9

Day 8 (6-8-12 - Snaring River to Dawson Creek)

We are at Mile 0 Campground tonight on the Alaska Highway in BC, Canada. We traveled 315 miles today. We saw 1 moose and  10 deer today. We are all in a big need for a rest up day and plan to stay here until Sunday. Today was not as spectacular as the last few, but was still a wonderful day.   I am exhausted.  It is 11 p.m. and it is still daylight.  I don't think I'll will have a problem sleeping tonight.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/RBadfbhoMRAe58PU9