usbackroads™

usbackroads--Section by Section Review of the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek to Whitehorse.

2017-10-14T10:12:00.002-07:00

usbackroads--Section by Section Review of the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek to Whitehorse

mileage: 872 miles: 17 hours total driving time.

Section One: Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson: 282 miles: 5 hours 30 minutes drive time.

It is only 282 miles between but it feels much longer than that. Maybe because it was cloudy and cool all day with rain showers. However, it probably was the fairly boring scenery and a landscape dotted with man camps and natural gas development projects. The first part of the trip goes through a fairly urban area for an hour or more. It is not until you head north of Charlie Lake that you clear the traffic.

I was heading south on this portion of the highway. And drove only 280 miles since I took the cut-off for Prince George a couple of miles short of Dawson Creek. So I missed all the tourist stuff in Dawson Creek related to the Alaskan Highway. I would definitely stop there if your starting the trip there.

My advice do not linger on this stretch of highway. Easily the least interesting and most boring part of the entire trip.

Here is the link for this section of the trip: http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2017/10/cabackroads-fort-nelson-to-dawson-creek.html

Section Two: Fort Nelson to Liard Hot Springs: 190 miles: 6 hours drive time.

This stretch of road is pretty as it crosses the Rocky Mountains. I did remind me of the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks like Baniff, Jasper, and Yoho. Not quite as pretty, but there is definitely a familial resemblance.

The initial stretch of road from Fort Nelson is pretty good and it climbs up to Summit Lake the highest point on the Alaska Highway. Summit Lake is definitely worth a stop even if it is right next to the highway. There is a campground and picnic area there. I had cell service with the amplifier. It is an exposed site. While I was there a front was blowing in making it windy and cold. However, in better weather it would be a great spot to camp and watch the evening colors as the sun sets and have a hot cup of coffee as the sun rises behind you.

The highway drops into the McDonald Valley and the town of Toad River. Very pretty country. It makes you want to drive slow just to take in the scenery. There are plenty of spots to pull out and camp. Google Earth shows additional camping possibilities just off the highway. A interesting area to explore at slow speed.

The road continues and reaches Muncho Lake. A large blue-green glacial lake with lodges and campgrounds. From there it is a fairly short drive to Liard Hot Springs. I spent three nights at the Provincial Park. Lots of interesting country to explore in the area from the park.

Take your time on this stretch of road. It will be one of your favorite parts of the Alaska Highway.

Here are the postings for this stretch of road:

http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2017/06/cabackroads-liard-river-hot-springs-to.html

http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2017/02/

http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2017/01/cabackroads-liard-river-hot-springs.html

Section Three: Liard Hot Springs to Watson Lake: 129 miles: 4 hours drive time.

The spectacular scenery of the previous section is gone, but this section starts feeling like the Alaska Highway. The scenery is nice, and you do get the feeling that you are far, far away from all the madness to the south of the highway. There was less traffic on this section than any other stretch of highway, but that might have been just the days I chose to travel this stretch.

Watson Lake is definitely a tourist community and home to the "world famous sign forest". I thought it would be a ugly spot. A forest of signs. The town has done a great job managing this "organic" tourist attraction. It was fun looking for signs of very small towns in Idaho and Washington. The sign forest is worth the stop. Plan on at least a couple of hours to find those signs from places you have visited in your previous travels.

Watson Lake is also in the Yukon. Which meant their Government Liquor Store had a different selection of wines than British Columbia. The only disappointment was that a good grocery store not to be found. Oh well, it is the Alaska Highway after all.

Here are the postings for this stretch of road: http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2017/01/cabackroads-watson-lake-to-laird-hot.html

Section Four: Watson Lake to Whitehorse: 272 miles: 5 hours 30 minutes drive time.

This stretch of road goes between the Yukon and British Columbia, but rest assured it is part of the North. An interesting stretch of road, with some attractions and spots to camp. I drove it twice both coming and going.

This is one of those stretches of road with some interesting spots to stop. Fishing appears to be good in the area. It is also a good stretch of road to make time.

Here are the postings for this stretch of road:

http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2016/08/cabackroads-timber-point-yukon-territory.html

http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2016/08/cabackroads-whitehorse-yukon-territory.html

usbackroads--Thoughts on Traveling to Alaska

2017-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

usbackroads--Thoughts on Traveling to Alaska.

I have been to Alaska several times before courtesy of the Forest Service, but had never driven the Alaska Highway to Alaska until this trip. I am 155 miles from the Canadian border in Wenatchee. It is the same distance to San Francisco as it is to the start of the Alaska highway from Wenatchee. Since I grew up in the Bay Area I always thought it would be no big deal to drive north into Alaska.

The total distance on our trip was 6850 miles from our driveway into Alaska and back down to Wenatchee in about 55 days. That equates to 125 miles on the road EVERY day. The rule of thumb for RV'ing is 200 miles a day maximum. I would like to have one day on the road for every two spent exploring an area. So from my perspective for a our trip I should have taken 110 days to do the trip. I did it in 55 days which was way to short. It felt like I was on the road all the time.

Go to a mapping program and put in your proposed route. Get the mileage and divide by 200 miles. Now triple that number and that gives you the number of days for a enjoyable trip with out time to explore and enjoy northern British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska.

IF this is a once in a lifetime trip don't forget to go by the Canadian Rockies and plan on spending at least a couple of weeks there. The Canadian Rockies are like few places on earth. Don't speed by them heading for Alaska. The scenery is much grander in the Canadian Rockies.

The Alaska Highway passes through a "extensive wilderness". That is lots and lots of country with nothing special. Then some really cool spots. Remember the Alaska Highway was not built as a tourist highway. It was built as a rush job to get military supplies and men to Alaska before the Japanese conquered it in World War II. It is basically I-5 with one lane in each direction instead of two and no off or on ramps. Didn't see a one on the entire length of the highway.

I would carefully plan places to drive and make miles and places to stop and savor the country. Hmm, I will make it a complete separate blog posting.

I was always much more impressed with British Columbia and the Yukon than Alaska. After looking carefully at a map I believe most people would be much off splitting the trip into two and doing it in separate years.

The first trip would be northern British Columbia and the Yukon. This trip I would go to Prince George and head up to the Watson Lake via the Stewart-Cassier Highway. This is what the Alaska Highway was years ago. It is a 1,000 miles from start to finish plus you have to get to the starting point. That takes a few miles. From Haines I would double back to Dawson City and probably make the trip up the Dempster Highway until I got bored or reached Inuvik. Then I would return to Whitehorse and do the Alaska Highway back to Dawson Creek. That in itself is a LOT of miles.

The second trip would be Alaska. Pay the money and take the Alaska Ferry through the inland passage. Be sure to stop and spend some time in Ketchikan, Wrangell Petersburg, Juneau and ending up in Valdez or Whitter. In the Escapees magazine there was an article on paying the RV fee and comparing it to driving up the Alaska Highway and it is a push.

You can also do the marine portion earlier in the year since the weather is much milder in south-east Alaska than the interior. I would definitely do Homer and the Kenai Penninsula, Valdez, the Denali-Richardson highway, Anchorage (particularly the 1964 earthquake damage south of town, Vadez and Fairbanks. I would be tempted to drive the Dalton (Pipeline) Highway to the Arctic Ocean, but the word it is an adventure than is not that special. Then I would head back down the Alaska Highway to the lower 48. Take the ferry up and drive down. That way, you are not worried about making your ferry connection and can explore at your leisure.

By splitting the trip over two years you get enough time to really explore the northwest part of the North American continent.

Alaska and northern Canadian wildlife is one of the special things about visiting this part of the world. Wildlife in can be split into two categories. Category ONE is wildlife that will kill you and maybe eat you dead. Primarily bears. Though there are plenty of things besides your own stupidity that can kill you. A friend took a very similar trip in late May and early June and raved about all the wildlife he saw. IF you want to see wildlife, go once the valley's melt out and the high country is still covered in snow. Everything will be down and moving along the road.

Category TWO is wildlife that sucks the blood out of your system. Namely the mosquito. Remember that friend that raved about all the wildlife in the paragraph above. Well he also on occasion bicycled at high speed just to get away from the mosquito's. He also would every few days kayak out in the middle of a large lake just to get away from them!!! He said it was awful. My trip, arriving in the north country by late July was pretty much free of buzzing. A few place, but nothing much out of the ordinary.

So those are your choices. Wildlife and mosquitoes or less wildlife and fewer mosquitoes. Be honest about your tolerance for mosquitoes. Alaska is different. There is a reason why it is the state bird. Here is a short video: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/alaskan-mosquito-swarm-video_n_3682619.html. A friend of mine was a helicopter pilot working the fires in Alaska's bush country. Every few days everybody in fire camp would wander a ways out of camp and he would hoover with his helicopter so that the prop wash would blow away the mosquitoes and the fire fighters could have a few minutes without bugs. Thirty-five species and almost all want some of your blood.

Have a plan for dealing with them.

I will cover detailed planning for the trip, must have supplies and equipment, and must stops in future postings.

Dawson Creek, Canada to Nighthawk, USA

2017-10-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

cabackroads-Dawson Creek, Canada to Nighthawk, USA

dates of travel: August 27th to September 1st 2016

The rain increased to the point it was steady and the decision was made that stopping was only an option if it turned sunny. I decided to pass on seeing the start of the Alaska Highway and decided to turn just two miles from its beginning. It pretty much rained all day. The road signs indicated interesting country just off the road, but the clouds were low and dark and visibility very limited.

Looking for a nice place for breakfast proved futile. Given Canadians tendency to enforce all sorts of silly rules such as NO BREAKFAST served after 10:30....and they did not believe that my watch said 10:29. Not good enough. No breakfast for you!!

A crowded, no parkling lot Tim Horton's ended up the breakfast place. They do serve doughnuts after 10:30.

The rain picked up after breakfast and the clouds continued to lower even more. The road to Carp Lake was tempting but it looked like the scenery would remain gray. So I decided to pass.

At this point it became a search for a place to spend the night. Whiskers Point Provincial Park on McLeod Lake had a perfect waterfront campsite for $25 Canadian. Done. Enough with rain. And at that point it cleared for the night, stayed clear for a few hours in the morning and as soon as I hooked up it started raining.

In Prince George it was grocery shopping. Several motels with hot tubs were eyed very carefully for vacancy's. The days of cold rain were starting to seep into the bones. The road won out.

Close to nightfall I pulled in to Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park. It was cold and rainy all day long. Pulling into the campground mosquitoes were added to the mix. The furnace ran on high, but a hot tube would have been better.

Next day, it was once again cold and rainy. But the farther south the road went patches of blue sky started appearing and finally it was a sunny day. I took Highway 24 and started looking for a camping spot. Lots of private land and some BC Forest Service lands. There was a campground at a good fishing lake named Crystal Lake. The price was right. No charges. It was a rough and crowded campground, but at least it was sunny. It stayed that way for two days. Then a threat of rain and it was time to move on.

From Crystal Lake I continued east on 24 and then south to Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park. This lake is a famous fly fishing lake, so I was hopeful that I might get to do some fishing and stay for a couple of days or more.fishing. However, the wind was blowing a gale and a half. So it was just a one night stand and a run for the border at Nighthawk.

Ah, the border. A nightmare for the past few years. I knew they were keying in on my birth in Venezuela and that was the reason for my trips to the little room. I kept asking why, but was never given an answer.

After Trumps inauguration he put in a travel ban from certain countries, but I never gave it a second thought. Then I was reading the comment section and one person asked why "nobody got upset when President Obama required extreme vetting of Venezuelans" at ports of entry.

A quick search of Executive Orders quickly found the reason for my delays at the border. Then to an insult to injury in the revised Executive Order President Trump added Venezuela to the list. Oh well, it looks like I should plan on spending at least an hour in the little room when I return back to the US. Looks like nobody is going to want to ride with me to Canada for a few more years.

I just need to remember to bring a book to read while waiting in the little room.

cabackroads--Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek

2017-10-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

cabackroads--Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek

travel date: August 26th and 27th. 2016

Rain. Then more rain.

Fort Nelson is a nice little town. There is a wonderful dump station on the edge of town as you enter from the west. Well designed, easy to use. It made me like Fort Nelson from the get-go. Unfortunately, there was very little time to spend in Fort Nelson so after filling the truck with diesel it was southbound and hopefully out of the rain.

The trip south had a few "ponds" right next to the highway that allowed camping. They were closer to Fort Nelson than Dawson City so I kept going.

There were several sets of Provincial Parks. One park, Buckinghorse River made an excellent lunch spot since it was totally empty. The rain also stopped so the dogs could run free.

From there it just started raining again and the scenery switch to large expanses of even aged trees, broken up every once in awhile with man-camps. It seems this part of British Columbia is all about natural gas development so it becomes more of an Industrial appearance that driving the Alaska Highway.

The farther south I drove the more tired I got. I was looking forward to the small town of Charlie Lake and the campground on the edge of the small town. Rotary RV Park.

Charlie Lake is now a suburb of Ft. St. John. The population is said to be just under 20,000, but it felt like much more than that with all the traffic and development.

The next day it started raining hard again, so instead of heading to the center of Dawson Creek I turned south and headed for Prince George. I did not complete the Alaska Highway, missing the first two miles. With the traffic and rain, it was well worth it to miss it.

The Alaska Highway has spots of incredible scenery, but in between the scenic sports there are stretches of road that are best driven at high speed so you can spend more time on the scenic spots. The stretch from Dawson Creek is part of the Alaska Highway that is best driven as fast you can. It is, unfortunate, since it is the start or finish of your trip in most cases.

Drive fast and spend more time on the stretch between Ft. Nelson and the Liard River.

cabackroads--Liard River Hot Springs to Fort Nelson

2017-06-20T10:45:00.002-07:00

cabackroads--Liard River Hot Springs to Fort Nelson.

travel date: August 25, 2016

The weather forecast was for rain and blustery weather. So the objective for the day was to get as far east as possible and hopefully have the mountains wring out the moisture before it dropped on my head.

So the objective was speed. That fell right off the table since as I left Liard River Hot Springs I promptly parked the truck on the Alaska Highway for about an hour waiting for the escort vehicle to get me pass the highway construction.

This day was about making miles, but as I got on the road I did notice that the scenery was pretty special and it was rather interesting country to travel through. Don't make my mistake. Plan on doing this part of the trip not in one day, but plan on spending at least two or three nights minimum. I would definitely return to this part of the world again.

The first clue that this was special country was the out wash plain from the mountains along the road. This was pretty impressive ecologically, It must have have some event when all these rocks came to their current resting place. These are interpretative signs at this location and a very large turnout.

Next stop on the road was Muncho Lake with its beautiful green and blue water. I did stop at the Northern Rockies Lodge to get diesel and encountered a sit a squat person that took 20 minutes to fill up and check his fluids. Thank god, I am retired and have nowhere to go in a short period of time!

It was worth the wait to see this fellow pull into the service station. How knew that Canada has a military? Of all the NATO countries Canada spends the least on it national defense. It was nice to know that at least they had one military vehicle.

From Muncho Lake the road goes through some very pretty country and there is always the possibility of running into some interesting wildlife.

The first possible spot for a campsite was Summit Lake inside of Stone Mountain Provincial Park. It has twenty-eight campsites for $18 a night, but I kept looking at the clouds blowing in from the west. It was very windy and the forecast was for rain. This is a popular spot with plenty of neighbors. Cell service was spotty even with the amplifier, so the decision was made to head farther east and hopefully find a more sheltered spot with decent cell service.

I kept going looking for a boondocking spot, but the better ones were taken and the others looked a bit wet. Pretty soon we were down to Testa River Campground Regional Park. On the highway there was great cell phone service, but after the turn-off to the campground the "bars" kept disappearing at a rapid clip until the no service notification appeared a couple of miles before the campground.

It is a very pretty spot. Sheltered. I was hopeful that the mountains to the west would capture the clouds and keep the rain mainly in the mountains.

The weather was nice when I pulled into the campground. So I took Bugaboo and headed to the river for some grayling fishing. I did catch three or four small fish before it started getting dark.

It started raining at about mid-night and continued on a pretty steady basis for the next four days.

cabackroads--Liard Hot Springs

2017-02-18T13:12:00.001-08:00

cabackroads--Liard Hot Springs.

trip dates: August 22 through August 24, 2016.

There were only a couple of must visits on this trip. Liard Hot Springs was one of those. The attraction was the hot springs which are pretty special, but also design of the visitor facility which in the past has won awards. It is difficult to find facilities that protect the environment and provide a quality visiting experience for the public. I was pretty excited about seeing the facility first-hand.

I believe the facility was rebuilt in 2014. Here is a link that discusses the rebuilding of the facility: http://www.formline.ca/LIARD-RIVER-HOTSPRINGS

There is a boardwalk that leaves the parking area and it takes about a 10 minute walk to reach the hot springs. Notice that the boardwalk does not have any small rails to keep wheelchairs from rolling off the boardwalk.

After a short 10-15 minute walk you come up to the hot springs changing room and the bathrooms. The Canadians have yet to discover SST toilets. I am sure this part of the facility did not receive an award!

The hot springs are a very special place as these interpretive signs show. Interesting to have a snail only found in the area of the hot springs. It would be interesting to see the evolutionary history of the snail.

The bottom of the hot springs is lined with small round crushed gravel. Which makes it easy to walk inside the hot springs area. As seen in the photo above...it is hot. The upper end of the hot springs might be approachable if your really tough. In the three days I only saw one person that managed to get to the upper end.

The water temperature drops the farther downstream you go. So it is pretty simple to find the perfect temperature. Out in the middle of the pond there are even a couple of benches that you can sit on and be pretty much totally submerged.

There are plenty of steps to get you into "hot" water. I was sitting on one of the underwater benches and started looking around for handicapped access to the hot springs.

It didn't take but a few glances around the pool to notice that there was NO access for people not blessed with perfect health. I found it hard to believe that a recreation facility built only a couple of years ago in a advanced country like Canada did not provide universal access to one of its most important recreation sites in northern British Columbia.

A Park Ranger came through patrolling the site a couple of minutes later and I asked about access to the hot springs. His reply was the boardwalk was the "accessible" facility on site. That folks with disabilities could use the boardwalk. I pointed out that this was a hot springs and it seemed pointless to provide access up to the hot springs, but not the hot springs itself! He just shrugged.

I lived in Canada for a couple of years and I understand that most Canadians really do not want to be like the United States. But there are a few things from the states that could be incorporated into Canadian life. The Americans with Disabilities Act would be a wonderful place to start.

Universal access I first ran into it at a junior college in California that was built in 1968. The entire campus was accessible and the design so good that NOBODY noticed except those that needed the universal access. In fact, I first became aware when I asked an instructor why the campus had some many folks with disabilities attending the college.

That was 1968. Twenty-two years before the American with Disabilities Act passed in 1990. It is ok to do the right thing before it is required by law.

So a professional stop that I was looking forward to seeing, became a major disappointment. The design awards should be rescinded. There is no excuse for building facilities in 2014 that do not provide universal access.

The weather forecaster kept talking about a major change in the weather coming soon. It was late August, and that means in the mountains fall was getting ready to make its debut.

cabackroads-Liard River Hot Springs Campground and Area

2017-01-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

cabackroads-Liard River Hot Springs Campground and Area

travel dates: August 22nd through 24th, 2016.

The plan was to hit Liard River Hot Spring campground during the week. I was hoping to find the campground empty. As it was we arrived just as other campers were leaving and managed to get a campsite fairly quickly. The campground was full that night.

This was the campsite for three nights, campsite 50.

Here is a map of the campground. The units by the highway were noisy. The units on the north side of the campground were fairly close to a wetland and probably buggy.

If you notice on the information board "You are in bear country". There was one bear hanging around the campground. He tried to move through our campsite, but Bugaboo and Snowpatch started that low growl that meant business. He never did show that time, but later on did wander through the adjacent campsite and several times during our stay we heard the shots of the rangers firing harassing bullets at the bear. At some point, this bear will end up a dead bear.

Driving the highway close to the campground we spotted these three bears eating berries. Campgrounds have a lot more food, for a lot less effort.

As you can see in the top pictures the bison wander the highway foraging on the grasses next to the highway. We did run into this poor calf that ended up on the short end of a collision with a vehicle. It appears the fatality rate for bison is more related to automobile traffic than wolves.

Walt Disney painted a world of nature being peaceful and safe. In reality, it is brutal and uncaring. Death is never pretty and in this case the "recycling" crew namely carrion eaters have not yet made their discovery.

There are some scenic overlooks in the area. There is a narrow road to Smith Falls. I was hoping to fish for grayling at the bottom of the falls, but the trail was in horrible condition. The road was so narrow that when I met a class C coming out I had to park the Ram truck and carefully guide the class C around the Ram. Hey, I had a good six inches to spare.

I did fish a river in the area, but it was not as inviting as the falls above and the grayling's decided to take a pass on my fly.

The other highlight in the area was the original Alaska Highway. Traveling the Alaska Highway in 2016 is very similar to taking US 50 across Nevada, but with much more traffic. Now this road was much more of an adventure! I do hope that there were inter-visible turnouts built in to let oncoming traffic pass easily.

Back at the campground I was ready for a hot soak at the hot springs. The following sign lead to the springs. Notice the handicapped sign on the board. It looks like it was put there as an after thought. That turned out to be totally correct. That story is covered in the next blog posting.

As always double click on the picture to view full size on your screen.

cabackroads-Watson Lake to Laird Hot Springs

2017-01-07T15:52:00.001-08:00

cabackroads-Watson Lake to Laird Hot Springs

travel date: August 22, 2016

It was a fairly short drive from Watson Lake to Laird Hot Springs. The road was good. The traffic light and the scenery kept improving as the miles kept rolling.

The weather cooperated with sunny, warm skies. And being farther south the golden hue that graced the trees was still green this far south. I was hopeful that this meant the trip south would not be spoiled by cold, wet weather.

It was a very pleasant drive and I was hoping to see the famous Woods Bison found in northern Canada. Coming around a corner I noticed that traffic was stopped up ahead for no particular reason. Well, there was a reason and it was found along side of the road.

Somewhere I read that about 10% of the herd is killed each year by vehicle traffic. The Province does mow and remove the vegetation along the road. The keeps the area in grasses which appears to be the preferred food of the bison. It appeared that the bison were headed east along the highway. A couple of days later while camped in Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park the Bison finally made to the Hot Springs but kept moving east.

The traffic issue is fairly serious. I did find one dead bison calf alongside of the road. Even a small bison calf can wreck serious damage to a car or truck. The Wilki-pedia article indicates that the Woods Bison is the largest land animal found in North America. These bison appeared to be smaller than those in Yellowstone National Park. Maybe the big boys were just hiding out.

They do add a element of surprise and wonder while traveling the Alaska Highway.

This was one of my favorite stretches of the Alaska Highway. The good road conditions coupled with excellent weather and fine scenery makes this stretch worth driving.

Next stop. Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park.

cabackroads--Looking for Sun, not just on the British Columbia flag.

2016-12-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

cabackroads--Looking for Sun, not just on the British Columbia flag.

travel dates: August 18 through 21st, 2016.

The weather in Dawson City was rain at night and then a perfect sunny day for exploring the town. That soon changed as the rain started falling during the day as well as night.

The decision was made to drive in the rain and stop in the sun.

The first leg from Dawson City towards Whitehorse it was rainy and cloudy for the entire trip. The more ominous sign, however, was that the leaves on the trees were turning color. Giving hints that soon that rain would turn white. Towing on a snow covered road is an adventure. In fact, it is better to just say no and wait for the roads to clear. In the Yukon that could mean NEXT May.

Whitehorse was no better. More rain. I still think Whitehorse is a special town, but in a cold rain it does lose some of its outdoor charm.

The weather cleared as we left Whitehorse, but now I was traveling on the same road that I drove just a month earlier. It did give me the chance to stop and fish for arctic grayling. It was a nice spot to run the dogs and cast a line. I did catch a nice fat grayling that was about 15 inches or so. That dorsal fin is something special on the fish.

The highlight on this stretch of road was High Lake in British Columbia. This is where the Stewart-Cassier highway meets the Alaska Highway. It is a short few miles from the junction and the perfect place to spend the night. With the amplifier I did manage to make a data connection, but it was not a good as the previous month.

The sign forest was visited again in Watson Lake. A tourist trap stop that is actually a great stop with anybody that has a understanding of geography. I was impressed with the small towns in Idaho and Washington that posted their signs in the "forest".
The "Sign Forest" also has a good visitor center with Wi-Fi.

Once leaving Watson Lake the weather improved and so did the scenery. Watson Lake is a small town.

From Watson Lake it was all new territory since the way north was on the Stewart-Cassier Highway. Looking forward to hopefully seeing some Woods Buffalo and Laird Hot Springs including the award winning design of the facility at the springs.

cabackroads destination--Dawson City, Yukon, Canada

2016-11-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

cabackroads destination--Dawson City, Yukon, Canada

Augusst 18, 2016

I am not sure where Sgt. Preston and his dog were stationed but it might have been Dawson City!

Dawson City was on the list for this trip.

The Yukon resonated with American's in the early 1900's. Between 1896 and 1899 100,000 people migrated to the Kondike to find their fame and fortune. I suspect it was the poems of Robert Service and the books by Jack London that forever made Dawson City part of America as well as Canada folklore. I did enjoy the Call of the Wild in high school English class. In the 1950's Sgt. Preston was on the radio and TV screens. Even on the country and western charts the song Saginaw, Michigan by Lefty Frizzell had the Klondyke as a major theme.

The good news was that Dawson City, Yukon lived up to all the hype. Half the town is run by Parks Canada and the other half is still a working, living town. A great place to spend a couple of days. Bicycles are perfect for getting around town as most of the town is mostly flat.

So with the pictures....the question is Parks Canada or current Dawson City?? This is neat Camera Obscura since you walk in for the view. More info here.....http://kiac.ca/cameraobscura. This one goes to Parks Canada.

CIBC bank centre. Yeah, I know Canadians cannot spell. This was my bank when I lived in Canada. The choices were between the Bank of Nova Scotia and CIBC. Back in the 70's CIBC was rather proud of their IMPERIAL past. So on my checks it was the Canadian IMPERIAL Bank of Commerce. As a UC Berkeley grad I could not pass the opportunity to use a IMPERIAL bank to impress my friends. Yeah, I banked with Wells Fargo in the 70's for the same reason. These days it is ALL credit unions. So this is working, living town.

The next one is easy. But I loved the false front. Working, living town.

I assume this is Parks Canada. Hopefully in the near future it will be "square".

An easy one. Living and working town. Notice the ads for Carthart and Leatherman.

Robert Service interpretative sign and cabin. Parks Canada. Notice the caribou rack on top of the cabin. A "required" decorating item throughout the Yukon and Alaska. I do believe the local HOA's insist on the caribou rack. Parks Canada.

Next picture....well this is easy. Working and living town grocery store.

and then.................

Then that fellow Jack London's digs. We are also back to Parks Canada.

Finally right on the shore of the Yukon River...Parks Canada. Next to the ship is a memorial to the sinking of the Princess Sophia. Here is the complete story that you can read: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0912006501/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yukonalaskacom&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0912006501

The memorial lists all the dead including their purchased ticket....first class or second class. Imagine you decide to save some money on a trip and purchase a second class ticket. Then for the rest of time along the banks of the Yukon a memorial with your name and the fact you purchased a "second class" ticket. It was interesting reading the names and determining the social structure in Dawson City, 1918.

Canada these days is a much more civilized country. So much so that the citizens ask for their property back from thieves.

Here is the RV campground in town. I stayed on the "other" side of the river in a Yukon Campground. I would stay in town next time. As noted earlier, bring you bicycle for around town exploring.

The Yukon River and Dawson City are linked forever. Dawson City a great stop along the Canadian backroads. Well worth the day's drive from Whitehorse or approach from the Top of the World Highway. A high point along the 6750 mile trip.

usbackroads destination--Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

2016-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

usbackroads destination--Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

travel date--August 17th, 2016

The Dead Dog Pull-Out was a great spot that just happened. I was sure that the stretch of road to Chicken, Alaska and then beyond to the Top of World Highway would be the icing on the cake. There were long stretches of road on the map with little in map detail.
I was thinking that the road would be great and Chicken was just a bump in the road.

Chicken, Alaska is really cool. The road there, no so much. As you can see by the picture it is pleasant, but very similar mile after mile. For some reason the Bureau of Land Management decided that this part of Alaska was prone to overuse and limits overnight camping to designated campgrounds. Really?? You really need to invite friends for the trip for company!!

Chicken, Alaska was really cool. Yeah, there is a big chicken in town. These might not be SST toilets, but they were clean and get the job done.

There is a huge dredge right in the middle of town. A relic from the mining days. There are a few stores in town, two fuel pumps and a great bakery bookstore.

Chicken, Alaska is a great place. And it is a very hard place to ruffle anybodies feathers in town, particularly the Chickens!

The road from Chicken to the Top of the World highway is primarily dirt and wanders for hours. It is not that long in miles, but takes forever it seems. I got paid for driving roads like this. It was ok, on vacation, but I was not thrilled. Here is the cut-off to Eagle. You can see the condition of the road. Pretty good, but mostly dirt. I drove it in dry weather under almost perfect conditions. It would be less fun if it was raining.

The road in Canada is much better and the road pulls out of the river valleys and up on the ridge.

The views go on and on, but no jagged or snow-capped peaks to grab your attention.

If you are into natural resource management the area is part of one of the most famous Caribou herds in the world. Click on the photo to enlarge and read the text.

There are pull-outs along the route. The Ram and Casita look pretty comfortable particularly next to the motocycles.

It was a long drive. Would I do it again?? Probably not. There are more scenic and interesting places to spend your time. Dawson City for one. That is the subject of the next posting.

usbackroads destination--Dead Dog Hill Turnout, Nabesna Road, Wrangell_Elias National Park, Alaska

2016-10-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Dead Dog Hill Turnout, Nabesna Road, Alaska

travel date: August 16th, 2016

Bugaboo and Snowpatch are NOT fans of the National Park Service. So you can imagine their surprise when they were told they were headed for Dead Dog Hill Turnout inside Wrangell-Elias National Park. There was not a dead dog at the turnout so they were a little concerned about which one would become the namesake.

I believe there were three cars go past the turnout in the 16 hours that we stayed there. The pull out had plenty of room for the Ram and Casita.

The plan was to head for Chicken, Alaska with a stop to dump the tanks in Tok. That meant just an overnight stop. Wrangell-Elias is the largest National Park in the system. On the road I had heard comments about the Nabesna Road so i stopped at the visitor center thinking we would spend the night at a commercial RV park. Instead the receptionist at visitor center convinced me to drive the Nabesna Road and spend the night at one of the pull-outs. A good decision.

Farther down the road there are other turnouts for camping overnight. This is Rock Lake.

The other attraction at Rock Lake is that it is the trailhead to the Viking Cabin. Click on photo to enlarge and read the text. If your not in an RV this seems like a great alternative. Of course, dogs are not allowed on NPS trails so it was not an option.

Here is the official Park Service guide to the road: https://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/nabesna-road-guide.htm.

After the bad experience at Denali National Park this was like a breath of fresh air. Except for the choice of the Dead Dog Turn-out even Bugaboo and Snowpatch like the area. They did make comments about breaking all the rules and hiking on the trails!!

Here is the link to the rest of the Park. Worth a visit.https://www.nps.gov/wrst/index.htm

Bugaboo and Snowpatch were relieved when we left Dead Dog Pull-out.

usbackroads destination--Blueberry Campground, Valdez, Alaska

2016-10-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Blueberry Campground, Valdez, Alaska

travel dates--August 14th and 15th, 2016

It was a long haul from Tangle Lakes Campground to Valdez. So I was looking for a campground or campsite for the night. Valdez would have to wait until tomorrow.

On the internet there was note about Blueberry Campground just 24 miles from Valdez and located in a high alpine area. Two lakes with grayling fishing. That was enough to get me excited about stopping for the night.

Here is the link to the official site: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/blueberrylksrs.htm

The fee was $20/night and there is no garbage service, plus you have to bring your own toilet paper!!

We decided a campsite number 9. It was kinda off by itself so the dogs would not be an issue for the neighbors. There was this little clearing by the campsite and I hiked up to it. That led to a spectacular view ridge that went for quite a way. Snowpatch was interested in exploring the smells. For a dog that sits and watches the view as the truck goes down the road, he wasn't paying much attention to the scenery. So I guess the smells are more important than the view.

All those views and for the dogs it was nose to the ground. Sniff, sniff some more and move and then sniff some more again.

Here is the view of campsite number 9 from the ridge. I believe you can access the ridge from campsites 10 plus and there are much longer allowing for 5th wheels and trailers. The best lakeside campsite was number 7.

usbackroads destination- Valdez, Alaska

2016-10-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Valdez, Alaska

travel dates--August 14th and 15th, 2016

It was a long drive to Valdez and I was thankful that Blueberry Campground, 20 miles, short of Valdez was available for camping. The next day I made the drive down to Valdez.

Valdez is a working town. It is the end of the Alaskan pipeline. This is where the the oil gets loaded onto tankers for the trip to the lower 48 and your gas tank. Well, most of the time. That one tanker the Exxon Valdez did not quite make it out of Prince William Sound.

Here is the Wilkipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill. The Forest Service got involved in the clean up efforts and it was interesting to hear the stories. Exxon also got the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 passed which limited liability to oil companies to 75 million.

Times do change. Exxon managed get their total costs of the spill down to about 4.3 billion dollars. The costs for BP's Deepwater Horizon are 62 billion dollars.

As noted, Valdez is a working town. Oil and fish. They don't mix well, but they do coexist in Valdez. Here is a picture of the returning salmon to a commercial fish hatchery just outside of town. It appeared that an area of 10-20 acres was covered with fish as they waited their turn to go up the fish ladders to the hatchery....and their processing. The bears were well aware and stroll down to "fish" and do the seals on the water side. An interesting spot if your timing is just right.

You can increase your odds of catching a salmon by fishing them from the campgrounds along the sound. It does have a certain charm to it, but I prefer my fishing a bit more primitive. Of course, given my poor track record at catching steelhead and salmon on the Snake River in Washington, maybe I should have moved the Casita down from it lofty perch at Blueberry Campground and joined the crowds.

There is a nice bike path in the area that runs back into town.

The original town site was destroyed in the Alaska earthquake of 1964 and the resulting
tsunami https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdrMKt55VBQ.

This video covers the quake in Alaska: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ZA6-Mc09s

I was in Anchorage in 1994 driving towards the Kenai and kept looking at the landscape wondering if it was bad highway construction or what caused the environmental conditions along the road. And then it dawned on me that 30 years later this was result of the 1964 quake. Truly a historic event.

Valdez was moved to a new location. I suspect much of the charm and history went out to sea on that day in 1964. It was laundry time and shopping for groceries.

Seafood was also on the agenda. You can catch your own or save a whole bunch of money and just buy it. We bought our seafood here just as they were closing the "outlet" store for the season: http://www.ppsf.com/about/index.aspx. The snow crab was great as was the other seafood. They were located down by the dock. Ask for directions...you will find it, eventually.

Stopped by this place and got some salmon eggs. The kind you eat not fish with! Somewhere in my youth my parents could not longer afford sturgeon caviar and we switched to salmon caviar. My father was able to buy sturgeon caviar on a minimum wage salary in the 1950's. On a pretty good middle class salary I hesitate these days when buying salmon caviar. However, place an order and try it on real french bread with butter. You will never look a salmon eggs as bait ever again. Solomon Falls: http://www.solomonfalls.com/

On humorous note this is how you tell native Alaskan's from the tourists. Native on left. The tourist must be from Maine. I do like the LL Bean boots with shorts look.

The road into Valdez is pretty special with glaciers and waterfalls. This must have been what Yosemite Valley looked like 10,000 years ago.

Just north of town is a glacial lake with ice bergs. The only people taking advantage of the scenery and lake were kids learning to kayak.

Valdez is a pretty special backroads destination. Today, it is little know. However, a town where you can see more than two dozen glaciers from downtown is a pretty special spot. It is slowly being discovered as the blog site notes: http://matadornetwork.com/trips/valdez-coolest-town-never-heard/. Go now before it is "discovered" and becomes a tourist town rather than a working town.

Then you can always sound like a old-timer and state "it was much better before Oprah built her summer home here". Valdez is a must do part of ANY trip to Alaska. We only spent two days there this time. Next time it will be a week or more.

Leaving town this is the view in the rear view mirror. That will make you come back.

usbackroads destination--Tangle Lakes Campground, Denali Highway, Alaska

2016-10-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Tangle Lakes Campground, Denali Highway, Alaska

travel dates: August 13, 2016

The Denali Highway was interesting, but dodging potholes and running washboards for over a hundred miles was starting to wear thin by the end of the day. I was really looking forward to pavement and a nice place to spend the night. Tangle Lakes Campground was the beginning of the pavement and looked like a real attractive place to spend the night.

Tangle Lakes is an interesting area. It is the start of a interesting canoe trip. Here is a report from the first party headed downstream this year. Notice the melt-out date for the lakes.

http://www.newsminer.com/features/outdoors/trip-report-tangle-lakes-are-ice-free-and-apparently-good/article_1ddbb714-2835-11e6-ac99-c3e74ff0fef9.html

The BLM does note that Tangle Lakes is on the National Register of Historic Places as an archaeological district. That was enough to convince me to camp there for the night. Here is the background info on the area: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangle_Lakes

Now that was not what I expected. Here is further back info: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/fo/gdo/tangle_lakes_archeaological.html

The weather the previous day was perfect. I was looking forward for another day of perfect weather. This photo pretty much explains the weather. Dark clouds and light clouds with wind and rain.

Off in the distance there were mountains somewhat visible. The weather just got worse and pretty soon the mountains were gone for good..

Even in the poor weather the scenery around the lakes was still pretty impressive. It was not long before I was bored with gray and muted green.

I was really looking forward to that pavement after the previous days driving. Well, there were still some potholes to dodge, but not as many as on the gravel portion. However, the washboard was replaced by whoop-de-do's. That is the frost heaving. Well, after potholes, and washboards the whoop-de-do's come in third. There are efficient in changing the arrangement of stuff in the trailer. So at every stop is in interesting to open the trailer door and see the new "arrangement".

As you can tell by this picture the road does wander across the landscape. The truck and trailer was somewhat pointed to that bring spot on the horizon. The good news is that later in the day it did finally clear, but only after we managed to get past all the "scenic" spots.

Here is a view of the campground. A stop worth spending a couple of days grayling fishing and hiking. When the wind quit blowing the Alaskan state bird made its appearance. So probably worthwhile having plenty of bug juice on hand.

The road to Valdez beckoned. It was a long day with "heavy" traffic for Alaska. Must have seen about ten vehicles on the road, though there were lines at the gas station in Glennallen.

Here is a final picture of the campground. Hopefully, I will be back to spend a few days there in the future.

usbackroads destination--Denali Highway, Cantwell to Paxson, Alaska

2016-09-28T19:28:00.002-07:00

usbackroads destination--Denali Highway, Cantwell to Paxson, Alaska

travel dates: August 13th, 2016

Denali National Park was a major disappointment. Leaving Denali National Park was easy.

Alaskan's told me that the Denali Highway was the real Alaska, mostly BLM managed land, with a gravel road for 135 miles from Cantwell to Paxson, Alaska. As the picture above shows, it is a pretty special place. May it stay, forever, under BLM management.

Leaving Cantwell the highway changes from pavement to dirt within a few miles. The scenery is pretty spectacular and along the stretch you can catch a glimpse of Denali, however the scenery along the road will quickly make you forget that national park.

The highway had been open for about two months. So the potholes have made their appearance and the road kept getting worse almost to the end. August 13th turned out to be opening day of caribou season, so there was plenty of campers and traffic on the road. It wasn't to bad, but if you can make the trip earlier in the season, before the potholes it will be much more comfortable. Notice the washboard and potholes in the road.

The scenery keeps you going. The highway is long enough that even in Alaska it slowly changes. Keep one eye on the potholes and the other on the scenery.

There are many places to pull over and camp. These are fewer on opening day of caribou season. I would definitely go before caribou season and plan on camping two or three nights on the route. Earlier in the season I would also keep the mosquito supplies handy. The advantage to later in the season are the berries. They are everywhere along the road. These became huckleberry pancakes.

Years ago, the backroads of Idaho and Montana were different. Now you have to go to Alaska, to find those special cafe's, cabins and roadside services.

There is a reason for all those tire repair places. Along the route there are a few BLM facilities, but your better off camping off the road, except for Tangle Lake campground which will be covered in the next posting. Notice that the BLM facilities also have Alaskan sized potholes.

More scenery. I did see one caribou with the image stabilized binoculars. He was just feeding in the willows looking like he did not have a care in the world. Little did he know that there were people "gunning" for him!!

The Denali Highway. Alaska...the real thing without paved roads or silly rules and regulations. Go see it. It is special.

Here are some links to explore before you get there: http://www.blm.gov/publish/content/ak/en/prog/recreation/denali_highway/denali_poi.html.

This link gives an overview of the area: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali_Highway

Here are the activities along the route: http://www.alaska.org/guide/denali-highway

Do some pre planning and plan on spending more than one day traveling the 135 miles.

As always click on photos to enlarge. This set is worth clicking on.

usbackroads destination--Denali National Park, Alaska

2016-09-11T19:45:00.001-07:00

usbackroads destination--Denali National Park, Alaska

travel dates: August 11th and 12th, 2016

Mt. Denali hides from view most of the time. This was the best view of the mountain that I got on the entire trip. So if you drive to Denali National Park do not be disappointed if you do not see the mountain. The second part is you WILL be disappointed with Denali National Park if you do not get a permit for the back country or take the school bus for the 12 hour trip to Wonder Lake.

Denali National Park is six million acres of public land. The only access for 99% of park visitors is the 12 mile road to Savage River trail head. There is vehicle camping past the 12 mile limit to public travel, but you need a permit. Showing up to visit YOUR PUBLIC LANDS managed by the National Park Service means you will see very little. If exploring Denali is important to in your travels, then you must make plans with the Park Service months in advance of your trip. This is the end of the road for almost all visitors.

The trail is a real let down. But people hike it for lack of anything else to do in the park.

For most visitors Denali National Park is just a glorified Regional Park with a spectacular mountain that is usually unseen!! Plan ahead for your trip or be prepared to be disappointed.

The wildlife along the road is mostly missing during the summer months. Traveling the road on two days yielded one caribou, a cow moose and calf up close and a bull moose feeding about a half mile away on the hillside.

The caribou was spotted on both days laying in a creek bed. The title of the picture should be "Knocking on Heaven's Door".

He was bedded down out in the open in a creek bed. A very odd place for a animal to bed down. He was still there the next day. I suspect a vehicle hit him and broke his leg. Unable to move he was slowly dying. He was close enough to the road that traffic during the day kept predators from ending his misery and at night the road construction lights and noise kept them away. An awful way for a wild animal to die. He kept turning his head looking around, but was unable to move.

A cow moose and her calf grazed right next to the Park Service road. Most Foresters given the choice between a bear or moose encounter would prefer to meet the bear. Moose are cranky, big, fast and downright mean.

Calling for a campground reservation for the week prior was unsuccessful so the Casita ended up at Grizzly RV Park south of the park. Avoid this RV park. The better RV parks and camping experience is north of the Park entrance and we regretted staying at Grizzly RV Park. As noted earlier, all attempts to get a Park Service campsite failed over the period of a week.

Without prior reservations Denali National Park is just a regional park that is worth only a brief stop. This was Bugaboo's opinion of Denali National Park and I must say that I agree with him this time.

Just north of the park entrance around the town of Healy is a road that heads west and is a great place to visit on your trip!

The road is signed the Stampede Trail. I highly recommend you drive the road to roads end. At the end you will have a great campsite just outside of Eight Mile Lake.

The area of the Stampede Trail was featured in a movie. Here is the link: http://www.flixlist.co/titles/70075064. Here is another link that gives further information: http://unusualplaces.org/the-stampede-trail-and-the-142-magic-bus/

The Stampede Trail is a special area worth exploring. There are instruments scattered throughout the area, but I had no idea what it was all about.

Wonderful area to explore without all the pesky Park Service regulations. Do plan on spending a morning or afternoon exploring the area. There are outfitters in the area should you decide you want to 4-wheel further into the outback. Neat area that made up for the disappointment in Denali National Park.

Next stop....is a real cool area. Special place.

usbackroads--Chena Hot Springs, Fairbanks, Alaska

2016-08-31T20:26:00.003-07:00

usbackroads destination-Chena Hot Springs, Fairbanks, Alaska

travel dates: August 9th, 2016

The black holding tank in the Casita is fairly small and that means after five days a laundromat, fresh water, and a dump station are all in order. For some reason a six pack of wine also seems to last five days or so.

The resupply town of choice was Fairbanks, Alaska. The RV park in North Pole, Alaska had the required laundromat and was on a direct road to Chena Hot Springs.

Fairbanks is a nice tank. Perfect size for a resupply town. Well worth exploring, but the focus was on the hot springs and laundry. The surprise was the Chena River State Recreation Area north of Fairbanks on the road to Chena Hot Springs. Lots of great lakes, rivers, campgrounds and all the amenities of the great outdoors.

Air boats were quite popular in Florida, but they are also present in Alaska. This fellow was parked at a boat launch on the Chena River. Wonderful down home craftmanship to put a boat like this together.

If we had known about the Chena River State Recreation Area prior I would have stayed up "north" rather than in North Pole, Alaska. Great area, don't miss it on your trip. Here is the link: China River State Recreation Area. It was cloudy and wet during my visit, but even in that weather it is a very interesting area. Close to Fairbanks, yet a real highlight of the trip to Alaska.

Hot springs. Cold, wet weather means hot springs on the agenda. Chena Hot Springs is private property and there is a fee for entering the hot springs for current information.
Here is the link to their web site: http://www.chenahotsprings.com/.

The hot springs are not really hot, but kids under 18 are restricted to a couple of hot tubs at the entrance. Around the edges of the pool there are pockets of fairly hot water. Search them out.

The only issue I had was with the coin lockers. A nightmare to operate.

The grounds are fairly neat and landscaped in the Alaska and Yukon tradition. That is old vehicles in flower beds.

The star of the grounds was this 1959 Polaris snowmobile dating from the first year of manufacture. I am not a fan of snowmobiling, buy I took enough rides on Forest Service snow machines to understand the attraction for some people. This 1959 machine is light years removed from today's snow machines.

There is also the characteristics "landscaping" for the region.

Chena Hot Springs also has a small RV campground if you need a hot springs fix all day long.

A early dinner, late lunch for on the agenda at the restaurant and comes highly recommended. The seafood was ordered "rare" and cooked perfectly. The service was outstanding since there were few people eating at the time.

Chena Hot Springs. Recommended for your stay in Fairbanks.

The other agenda item in Fairbanks was the "infamous" Alaska pipeline. Way back in 1971 at UC Berkeley in a Forest Policy class we had the lead for the Alaska pipeline Environmental Impact Statement give a presentation to the class. I innocently asked if the pipeline would be approved. The presenter looked at me like I was from Mars. Of course, he replied, the pipeline will be built the country is running out of energy as the Arab embargo proved just a couple years late.

Later in my career I quickly recognized that decisions were made and THEN justified in the Environmental Review process. AND that happened on BOTH sides of environmental issues. The only downside is the taxpayers are paying lots of money.....for political cover.

But here is a picture of the pipeline, running at 100 degrees even in the dead of the Alaska winter. So there it is a survival tip. If your up in Alaska in the dead of winter and spending the night just throw a tarp over the pipeline and soon you will have a well heated little tent!!

There is a lot to like about Fairbanks the surrounding countryside. It is, unfortunate, that even for Alaska it is so far away. Nice town, too bad the Forest Service never had a presence to speak of in Fairbanks. I would have loved to spend more time in this part of the world.

usbackroads--Deadman Lake, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

2016-08-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

usbackroads--Deadman Lake, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Coming back into the United States all was fine, until. This guy didn't care about my being born in Venezuela. Never asked about guns. Just wanted the truck registration so he did not have to go outside and key in the license plate into the computer.

Until he asked about did we have any citrus that we were bringing into the United States. I innocently asked "Is there a citrus industry in Alaska that needs protecting?". Don't ask silly questions unless you want to visit the "little" room at every border crossing.

The search for an overnight stop ended at the US Fish and Wildlife Service information center just west of the border crossing. In Alaska, US Fish and Wildlife lands are open to boondocking and camping unlike most of those in the states. So we had our choice of campgrounds or boondock locations, but decided to stop at Deadman Lake campground to see what it was like.

We took the first campsite.

Nice campsite close to the lake and reasonable privacy for the dogs. The price was perfect. FREE to campers. Hunters, fishermen, and the US taxpayers picked up the camping fee.

The sites were well spaced. That is the main campground road on the left. In that entire stretch I think there is ONE campsite. This campground had the most widely spaced spurs that I have ever seen in my entire career.

Nice interpretive trail through the taiga forest.

For me I walked down to the lake and took pictures of pond weed.

Great campground. Here is the official link: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/tetlin/visitor_activities/camping.html

cabackroads--Congdon Lake Provincial Park, Yukon Territory, Canada

2016-08-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

cabackroads--Congdon Lake Provincial Park, Yukon Territory, Canada

dates of stay--August 6th, 2016

Leaving Haines was planned for a sunny day. The road was cloudy, rainy and misty so much of the scenery was hidden behind a layer of gray on the way into Haines. The way out I made sure that we would have clear weather.

On the way we stopped at Guardsman Lake for some fishing and dog walking. I almost stepped on these eggs on the way to the lake.

At first I thought somebody had thrown away chicken eggs since they were a perfect match for size. Next to the eggs was this fellow. I am not sure if he was part of the egg batch or not. He looks like a stellar jay to me, but the size of eggs suggest a crow. An untimely end, before his life even got started.

From Hanes there were plenty of stops and interesting scenery. Our final destination for the night was Congdon Lake Provincial Park.

As the opening picture shows it also had a dandy playground. There were plenty of signs about bear warnings and the campground was recommended for trailers ONLY as a result. Nice sign about bears. As always click on picture to enlarge so it is readable.

Just a few short miles west of the campground this fellow was walking along the Alaskan Highway. He definitely acted like he knew he was on the top of the food chain in the area. Not a concern in the world on his stroll.

He definitely looks like a grizzly. A pumped up version of a black bear.

usbackroads destination--Haines, Alaska

2016-08-20T18:37:00.001-07:00

usbackroads destination--Haines, Alaska

dates stayed August 3-5th, 2016

The first trip to Haines, Alaska was in 2013: http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2013/09/skagway-and-haines-alaska.html. It made the list as a place I wanted to return and visit again. A special spot.

This trip to Alaska had the only a few MUST destinations. Haines was one of them. The road into Haines is spectacular. Well, it has to be since it passes through the Yukon, British Columbia AND Alaska!!

This time instead of a cruise ship it was a full service RV park.

Though I highly recommend the campgrounds at Chilkoot Lake State Park: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/chilkootlksrs.htm

The Chilkoot River is short but is full of bald eagles and bears feasting on the salmon. This trip was typical as plenty of bald eages were seen, but no bears. However, several large mammals were seen fishing for salmon and I did observe ONE being successful. A success rate that was far exceeded by the bald eagles.

Hopefully, you will have better success at spotting the elusive bears.

Haines is home to historic Fort Seward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_William_H._Seward

Dinner was at the Fort Seward Lodge. They were out of the "first" choices were unavailable, but dinner was excellent. There were lots of good places to eat in Haines. It is just a great little town.

At the south end of town is another "hidden" state park.http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/chilkatsp.htm

This is the view from the boat launch. The lighting isn't good, but wow.

cabackroads-Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

2016-08-18T20:28:00.001-07:00

cabackroads-Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

dates stayed--August 1-3, 2016

It is said that the key to happiness is low expectations. The expectations for Whitehorse were a RV campground with sewer so we could dump and a laundromat to wash and dry all the clothes that had started mildewing from never getting completely dry. Plus we needed a Canadian Tire for needed supplies and a good grocery store.

Entering Whitehorse we noticed the rather odd highway system with right lanes that appeared and disappeared without rhyme or reason. Must have been laid out by a Civil Engineer from the University of Washington. It was a reason to dislike the town, but its good charm and looks soon overcome the initial impression.

The RV park was just south of town and noisy from adjacent road noise at our campsite, but it had a great laundromat and dump station!

The Canadian Tire had nothing that we were looking to find, but the adjacent Wal-Mart did. The Wal-Mart parking lot was a sight to behold as it was totally full of RV's. The Canadian Super Store had a great grocery department and the shopping was complete.

Whitehorse has a great 2.5 km bicycle trail that goes past the SS Klondike (see picture above) and along the banks of the Yukon River. Nice trail, well worth the bicycle or walking trip. The bicycle trail does go past a small campground.

The campground can only accept small RV's and it is without electricity, water, or sewer. Still worth the stay if you can fit. Where else can you find an outdoor living room that instantly transports back to 1968 and the start of the hippie movement.

Nice wood stove? The only downside was dogs were NOT allowed on the couch's! Really man's best friend and he has to be on the floor. They have real ice cream next door to the living room. The bike trail and campground are well worth the stop.

The SS Klondike is a historical site managed by the Canadian government. No charge for admission and it is right on the bike trail. Here is a view of the "storage" area on the boat.

Stroll through the downtown area. It has one of the best outdoor stores I have seen. There was a free concert in the outdoor park. Oh, parking in the downtown area is free for those with non-Yukon plates to encourage tourism.

I tried to find a "hearty" breakfast place but failed. Whitehorse looks like a blue collar working town so I was hopeful for a good solid breakfast place. I did run into a local that informed me I was incorrect. Whitehorse is a "government" town full of Canadian federal employees, which is why breakfast tended to be on the "foo-foo" side!

An early dinner at the Klondike restaurant with a baked Halibut dip, and fish and chips made up the lack of a good breakfast in town. Be warned, there is a line and they do not take reservations. You can just walk in at 3:30 pm with no waiting.

One thing we first noticed in Whitehorse is the practice of "dumping" old vehicles and converting them into art work. Recycling at its best I suppose.

Whitehorse is a pretty interesting community. Well worth, at least a couple of days stay on the trip north.

cabackroads--Timber Point, Yukon Territory

2016-08-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

cabackroads--Timber Point, Yukon Territory.

dates stayed--July 31st, 2016

Leaving Boya Lakes we headed for the Alcan Highway. The need was for a laundromat and a dump station, with the priority being a dump station after five days of filling the black and gray water tanks.

Whitehorse was the preferred destination, but it was doubtful that a single day drive would get us there. The drive was much faster than the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. Yes, civilization has better highways than the outback.

Along the way Rancheria Falls was a short hike from the highway. Someday I will have to look up the meaning of Rancheria Falls since the name is found throughout the west.

A short hike on trail and boardwalk brings you to a cliff and scenic overlook.

At the scenic overlook Snowpatch decided to go cliff jumping, but stopped just before launch. One of these two girls almost did the same.

From there, we headed to the Yukon Motel and their dump station. Highly recommended.

They did have a nice campground there, but we decided to pass.

At a highway stop for construction we asked the flagger about camping spots up the road. She was not high on the Provincial Park and instead recommended a private campground with no water, no electricity, and no sewer for $20 a night. That is the spot we picked. Photo of our campsite is on top of this blog.

However, the attraction was the beach. Both Bugaboo and Snowpatch enjoyed the swimming in cold waters. The scenery was outstanding. The quiet was deafening.

Stewart_Cassiar Highway Overview

2016-08-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

cabackroads--Stewart_Cassiar Highway Overview, British Columbia

The Stewart-Cassiar Highway was completed in 1972. As a graduate student at the University of British Columbia in1973 I was directed to rewrite the field notes of the highway for publication. I tried to get permission to drive up the highway to view it before doing the rewrite of the field notes. My request was denied.

So in the summer of 2016 I finally got to see the highway that I only experienced second hand through field notes. It was nothing like the notes.

The highway is 543 miles long. All of it without cell service. Internet service at the small villages was sometimes available. Diesel was available, but you never wanted to go past a station selling it without topping the tank. The grocery stores were a treasure hunt. Some were great for small stores while others had little selection. We actually went back to a grocery store that was selling outdated potatoe chips for twenty-five cents a bag. Truly, a treasure find.

For half its length there is no center line. A comfortable traveling speed is about 45 miles an hour. Traffic is minimal. Just be courteous and pull over if someone comes up behind you.

A friend traveled the route in early spring and has memories of wildlife and mosquitoes. I decided to pass on the mosquitoes by leaving in early July. That meant, however, that I also gave a pass to the wildlife. In early spring, the higher elevations are covered in snow forcing all the bears and moose down to the river valley along the highway. In July, a fox in a campground and one along the road. Stone sheep along the highway were the only wildlife of note.

There is a spur off Highway 37 to Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska. It is worth taking. The views are better than what we saw off the Stewart-Cassiar Highway.

Stewart, BC also had the advantage of good cell and data service. There was a good grocery store and a couple of decent looking restaurants. It is very close to the bear watching area in Hyder, Alaska.

Most people chose to stay at Meziadin Provincial Park and do the day trip to Stewart. In hindsite, I think I would chose to stay in either Stewart or Hyder for a couple of nights. Particularly, Hyder since then you can watch the bears feast on salmon early and late in the day.

The remainder of the trip was a choice between the Provincial Parks or boondocking along the road. The best scenery is in the Provincial Parks so we chose to do that.

The highway is never that far from the coast. The totem poles at the start of the trip was the first clue.

The cloudy, rainy weather for the second clue for the remainder of the trip.It is a grand trip. Even Snowpatch spent much of the trip gazing out the window.

Just before the highway ends in the Yukon there was a lake with cell service, if the phone amplifier, was connected and a beautiful dispersed camping spot.

The end of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway is in the Yukon. Off the Alaska Highway there is just a small sign identifying the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. Not even a left turn lane off the Alcan.

When you reach the Alaska Highway there is culture shock as you encounter "civilization" again.

cabackroads destination--Boya Lakes Provincial Park, Stewart-Cassier Highway, British Columbia, Canada

2016-08-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

cabackroads destination--Boya Lakes Provincial Park, Stewart-Cassier Highway, British Columbia, Canada.

dates stayed: July 26-31, 2016

As noted earlier the Provincial Parks along the Cassier Highway are the most scenic spots along the route. The best of the best of these parks is Boya Lakes Provincial Park. All the folks we talked to along the road recommended the park and spending several days there canoeing and kayaking.

The fishing was also suppose to be good. I did not see a fish caught or even one jumping during the five days we spent at the park.

There are some great campsites right on the water where you can launch your boat or kayak.

Just beyond the lakefront row of campsites are larger and more private campsites just one level up from the lake.

We spent five days waiting for the weather to clear. It teased by providing a bit of sunshine every day, but lots of rain both day and night. So on most days it was rather cloudy. Enough so that the solar panels never did manage to recharge the battery in the Casita.

Oh well, we did manage to get out on the lake with the kayaks on several days. One time, I just made it back to the campsite when the heavens opened up in a deluge. Perfect timing, and as they say luck is everything.

There are a couple of short hiking trails that go through the forest to a beaver ponds. It was a nice short walk for Bugaboo, but a real treat for Snowpatch as he really started to explore. The "good citizenship" collar was necessary to bring him back to the trail.

The highlight of the five days was a rainstorm and the rainbow when it cleared. Now rainbows are normally associated with the sky. After all that is where rainbows are found.

But this rainbow must have known that the lake was there. It really showed that both rainbows and lakes are both made of water and just maybe they have more in common with each other than the sky. A real delightful rainbow.

The picture shows the beauty of Boya Lakes. A wonderful area to explore in a canoe or kayak. Lots of fingers to explore and islands to beach and have a picnic. A special spot. Well worth spending several days even it rains every day.

Oh yeah, around the lake there are some pretty interesting mountains. But the lake is really the draw.

Here is the link to the "official" site: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/boya_lk/