Back down the Alaskan Highway

.As we departed Skagway we were retracing our earlier route between Whitehorse and Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory. It was nice to get another look at the plants of the Boreal Forests as they to survive in the permafrost. We were reminded too of the highway department’s constant fight with the permafrost as we were back to frost heaves and loose gravel and the sound of all our possessions rattling about in the cabinets behind us.

This time through the Yukon the mother animals were out and about with their young teaching the art of fattening up before winter. The daily accounts of bear, moose and sheep sightings were high and we all got good pictures to share with family and friends back home, as you can see.

In Teslin we caught rumor of road closures and land slides along the Cassiar Highway, almost 400 miles of dirt and gravel, our intended route. Some in the group had friends traveling with caravans and independently along the same route a few days ahead of us and told of loss of life as the mountain side slid across the “highway”. Confirmation of the situation came the following day (we had access to the YT highway report page) and the caravans started to pile up in the Watson Lake area all looking for space to stop and reroute. A 30 day caravan traveling just ahead of us was forced to turn back after traveling just five miles short of their day’s destination at Iskut, two of their early birders, had made it through before the slide and were now stranded on the other side and would continue on alone. Fortunately, since the full closure of the highway, after another bridge wash out, there has been no more loss of life. A quick shuffle and lots of phone time by the wagon master had us out and moving by 5am the next morning to be ahead of the hoards. We headed down the Alcan the way we had come, spending one night in Fort Nelson and now we are back in Dawson Creek to finish out our days with the caravan group. Fare well dinners, and fare well breakfasts have taken place and many of our band of 18 have taken off for parts south and the lower 48. There are several of us who are taking advantage of the extra night here and will have our own farewell party and be on the road tomorrow, Aug.2

Carl and I plan to take advantage of some more time in BC investigating Vancouver and Victoria before crossing into Washington and enjoying more of the Seattle area.