alaska_trip2

6/8/96 (continued)
I arrived in Whitehorse around 1:00. After I checked into the "Trail of 98 RV Park" I unhitched and went to find an ATM. This time I found one that took my credit union card. I was low on cash and the ATM in Watson Lake was broken. They only have one and they were flying someone in from Vancouver to fix it.
Whitehorse has the world's largest weather vane. It is an old Douglas DC3. It is an interesting sight.
Took a little mini-tour of the town. I was going to go on their river trip but it started to rain. I will see what is going on tonight although I really don't feel that well.
There are a couple of legends of how the town of Whitehorse got it's name. In one story the town is named for the rapids which resembles the flowing mane of a white horse in another it is named after and Indian named White Horse who drowned in the rapids. During the Gold Rush the miners after coming over the Chilkoot or White pass navigated the waters of Lake Bennett. They had to bypass Miles Canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids. They transferred their equipment to wooden tramways then back onto the river below the rapids. A few tents and log cabins appeared and a settlement was born on the east bank of the Yukon River. Whitehorse's population is presently about 23,000 and is by far the largest city in the entire Yukon Territory. The second and third are Dawson City and Watson Lake which have populations of about 2000 and 1700 respectively. The population of the entire Yukon is less than 32,000. The size of the Yukon is over 482,000 sq. km. and CA is about 424,000 CA yet (the Yukon) has fewer people that many small towns. There is so much history here. Tomorrow I will probably be in or close to Dawson City another place that has so much history. I can remember those names from my reading when I was in high school.
Well, I bought a ticket for the show tonight and it was great. There was a lot of singing Cancan Dancing, and some really great acts. One of the stories (skits) they did was the "Cremation of Sam McGee" and it was hilarious. A lot of vaudeville stuff, and they even did some Barbershop. They got me on the stage for the final audience participation (humiliation) segment. I got to remove a garter from one of the dancers leg and then was presented with that, a certificate, and a great big blotch of lipstick on my bald head.
I still don't feel great but I am glad I went. My throat doesn't seem to be getting worse but my tongue is sore. It is 10:40 and the sun hasn't even begun to set yet. Solstice will be in about 13 days I think

6/9/96
After a breakfast of sourdough pancakes, sausage, and coffee, at the campground, I hitched up and pulled out at about 8:30. I still feel kind of crummy but if I am going to spend an extra day somewhere I would just as soon it was Dawson City. I told the owner that I was having a problem with the sewer at the site where I was staying. He said he would take care of it. The trip up was beautiful, except for a very long stretch that had been burned. It looked like a burnt match stick forest. It seemed to stretch for miles. I stopped at one point today on a bluff overlooking a valley. All I could see were forests, mountains and the Yukon River. There were no people, no roads, no farms. There were probably some logging roads because in spots the land had been clear cut, but you could only tell that from on high, and it actually added a bit of relief and color. The dandelions and Jacob's Ladder grow in wild profusion along the roads and their splashes of bright color add quite a bit to the scenery. I gassed up in Carmacks and kept on for Dawson. I felt like stopping a couple of times but I just wanted to get here. My plan was to spend two nights in Dawson. I knew I would be to tired to do much when I got in, but now I will have all day Monday and the evening to see the sights. If I leave here on Tuesday, spend the night at Tok I should arrive at Harding Lake on Wednesday. Then I will have a couple of days to get used to the area before my shift starts on Saturday. Who knows, they may want me to start earlier. I tried to call G when I arrived but no one was home. I didn't want to spend the money talking to the answering machine so I hung up. Tried again later and left a message., I tried again and finally got to talk to her.
The Robert Service and Jack London cabins are here in Dawson. Perhaps up here they will do "The shooting of Dangerous Dan McGrew." I just went for a little walk. The rain had let up to just a drizzle so I thought I would chance it. This is probably one of the most exciting places I have ever been. There is just so much history here that I have read about.

6/10/96
After about 3 cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal I finally got out. My first stop was at the Robert Service cabin. I listened to a bit over an hour of his poetry and stories about him and then took a look in his cabin. No one has lived there since he left in about 1912. My understanding was that he planned, or at least people thought, that he was coming back so they took care of it for him. It was interesting to learn how he got the ideas for some of his works. He was shot at in his own bank one evening and sat down to write the story of "The Shooting of Dangerous Dan McGrew." He did "The Cremation of Sam McGee" based on a miners tale he heard. Apparently a lot of his work was based, loosely, on stories he heard from the miners. After that it was on to Jack London's cabin. Actually, it is just a replica of his cabin using some of the same wood as opposed to the Robert Service cabin. His cabin was discovered by trappers, in quite a state of disrepair, near his claim on Henderson Creek. It was dismantled and moved to Stewart Island in 1969 where two replicas were built using the logs from the original cabin. One of them was shipped to Oakland and the other is here in Dawson City. Jack only spent a year here but his experiences were the bases for a number of his stories. Then it was on to beautiful downtown Dawson. I realize that the town has been rebuilt a number of times, due to disasters, since the Gold Rush. But, with the dirt roads, boardwalks, and a lot of the old buildings you could almost imagine what it was like back then. I had lunch at Klondike Kate's restaurant. I don't know if it is the original building but where I was sitting the floor was so slanted it could have been. I had a Cuban Sandwich which are slices of beef and ham on a thin, fried French bread. It was quite good. One of the stored sells Mastodon Ivory. When they unearth one of those prehistoric monsters they can use the Ivory from their tusks. It is legal (they have long since passed from the endangered list) and quite a keepsake. I wondered around town a bit more, saw the old Anglican Church, built in 1906, and saw a real live "Mountie" in his bright red jacket riding a horse down the street. They sure were a special breed those North West Mounted Police. I drove up to the Dome. It is about 6 miles from Dawson, high on a hill. From there you can see the city, the river, the forests and mountains. Quite a spectacular view. Tomorrow I cross the Yukon to the "Top of the World Highway" and then back into the USA by way of Alaska.
I just returned from a nice walk with my neighbors. Actually it was my neighbor and his two daughters. His name is Frank and he was a refugee from Czechoslovakia. He escaped back in the 60's, lived in Switzerland for a while, then eventually came to the US. He (Frank) has two daughters, one is a senior in nursing school and the other (Evelyn) a Junior at North Carolina State. She (the junior) asked and we talked a lot about the service as she is in ROTC and has to make decision regarding her scholarship at the end of the summer. The other daughter and I didn't talk much and she had to take a shower as soon as we returned from our walk. I didn't meet his wife as she never stuck her head out of the trailer. They are on their way back from Alaska, so I was able to get some road information from them. He is still very European with his children. They are in college and he is still telling them it is time for bed.

6/11/96
Up at 6:00 this AM and out of the park by 7:15. When I checked yesterday they told me there was not normally a wait for the ferry. Today there was. There were about 10 rigs in front of me, so I knew it would be a while. I started talking to some of the people waiting and the guy right in front of me lives in Sacramento, near Am. River College. What a small world. He had met up with some other people and they were all traveling together, so I joined their group. Two of the couples are from Louisiana, but one of them are either full timing or gone a lot because they belong to the Escapees. He has a white Dodge that looks like mine and at one point he got in my truck and tried to find his keys that he thought he had left in the ignition. AW and his wife, are retired from the AF. He retired in 76 with probably close to 30 years. I think he is pushing 70 but still gets around quite well. I asked them to call when they return to Sacramento. It is 8:50 and I just got on the ferry.
The "Top of the World Highway" was all that I had hoped it would be. After a long climb the road just goes over the tops of mountains. There weren't any high peaks just rolling hills and valleys. The road is mostly hard packed gravel but there are some paved parts also. It was a bit cloudy and I couldn't see to far but it really looked like the top of the world. The clouds that we see in Dawson that are gray and depressing up here are white and fluffy.
At 11:00 we crossed the border into Alaska and the US of A. The roads are now dirt so the ride will be a little bit rougher. We Stopped in Chicken, AK for lunch. I had a reindeer burger. Not much different from a hamburger or buffalo burger. It cost a bit more though. The US side of the highway was no where as good as the Canadian. They were working on it and on it and it was very bumpy and muddy. The snow on the mountains looks like powdered sugar on a donut.
Arrived in Tok about 4:00 AK time which is one hour earlier that Canada or Pacific Time. I have to remember to set my watch back.
When I drove into the Sourdough Campground here in Tok, I noticed a couple of Aljo Trailers. When I stopped to look there were the same people I met in Fort Nelson, BC. They came a different way and arrived yesterday. About 45 minutes after I arrived the people I met in Dawson arrived so we had a nice reunion. I had dinner and than went to the video presentation of life in Alaska, especially here in Tok. After the video we had a speaker; a lady who moved here in 1945 to teach and is still here. She has written 4 or 5 books on life here. It was very interesting to listen to her. Also, after the video there was a question and answer period. The gentleman providing the answers is a long time resident of Tok. Would you believe they don't have property taxes here. Here in Tok you can own your property, minerals, water and all, and you don't have to worry about the government taking it away from you for taxes. What an interesting concept.
Tomorrow I say good-bye to some of the friends I met on this trip. Hopefully, I will see them again if they stop by Harding Lake State Recreation Area. I am going to have breakfast with AW and Thelma in the AM. I will give them my phone number and Doris's so they can call when they return to Sac.

6/12/96
What a wonderful breakfast. All six of the people I drove with from Dawson came for breakfast. Then another couple sat with us who are from Oregon. They have a son who lives in Fairbanks and have been coming up for the last 20 years. The said the roads are the best they have ever been, and do they have some stories to tell. It is after 9:00 and I have to get ready and hit the road. Today seems like the end of an adventure and I guess in a way it is but it is also the beginning of a new one. Many of the people I met on the way have said they will stop by and see me. There are two couples, both in 40 foot motorhomes that wanted to know if they would fit in the campground there. They said they will try.
Finally said all my good-bye's and got on the road at about 10:00. It is about 160 miles so I should be there before 3:00.
I saw a moose, a big cow. She wouldn't stay long enough for me to get a picture. I stopped and she headed for the trees. As I was pulling away an Eagle flew right in front of the truck. It seemed kind of low and it didn't have anything in it's talons. Perhaps I frightened it. It sure startled me. I just went over Robertson River and it is still pretty much frozen. I stopped in Delta Junction and called the office in Fairbanks to let them know I was almost there. The lady who answered the phone said the people aren't leaving until Sunday and they have the cabin. I told her that I have a trailer and she said to come on ahead. When I got here and met the hosts, they were in a trailer. I think she was a bit confused. The Ranger won't be here until Saturday but his assistant will be here tomorrow. There are no hookups in the campground so they put me next to a shed where at least I will have electricity. Between Delta Junction and here I ran into a real bad storm. I could see lightening dancing from cloud to cloud and then it started to rain. It came down so hard that for a while I thought that I would have to pull over but I saw what looked like the end of the storm so I kept going. Then it started to hail. I haven't looked at the truck closely but I don't think there was any damage. While I was in the hail for about five minutes and it really came down hard it was pea sized rather than chunks. I am glad that I continued rather than stopping to wait out the storm. I would have been in it a lot longer. The storm seemed to be moving south and I was traveling northwest so I got out a bit quicker and didn't get pounded as hard. Once I got out of the storm, the air was so fresh and clear that the mountains seemed to sparkle. But another one moved in and it was rain all over again. all the way to the campground.
Wow, were they ever right about the mosquitoes. When I got out of the truck they were all over me. I'm glad I brought plenty of repellent. I won't be able to send E-mail tonight. I think the office is locked.
After Sunday evening I will have the phone in my trailer so G can call. The well water here has a lot of iron in it so everything gets stained orange.

6-13-96
I was up and on the road to Eielson AFB about 10:00 this AM. It is about halfway to Fairbanks, 20 miles from here. I asked at the gate where the Laundromat was and the guard said they didn't have one. I knew they had to have one and fortunately the base isn't very big. I finally found it and got my laundry done. After that I found the PX and got some more film, did a little commissary shopping, went on to North Pole to get some stamps and mail some post cards. On the way back to the campground a Moose ran right out in front of the car in front of me. The driver could see it in plenty of time so he had time to stop. It was in the 70's this morning and just beautiful. It is starting to cloud up now and I heard some thunder a while ago. Perhaps we will get some more rain. I just made a pot of coffee so I will have some while I am typing this.

6-14-96
I locked myself out of the trailer and truck again this morning. Today, I will for sure get some keys made. I started to take the window by the door off, but, realized that I didn't want to do that if there was some way I could avoid it. I checked all the other windows and the only ones unlocked were the bathroom and kitchen. So I continued to work on getting the living room window off. Finally, I had a better ideal. I looked through the kitchen window and saw the keys on the couch. Suddenly, my head began to clear and an idea to form. I had to tear the screen on the kitchen window to get my hand in to turn the knob, to open it all the way. Then I removed the screen and got a fishing rod from the truck. By standing on some wood I had piled up I could see well enough to snag the keys with the fishing rod. I had to be careful not to drop them on the floor because then they would have been out of sight. But I did retrieve them. It took me almost two hours, from the time I locked the door until I was able to be on my way and off to Fairbanks. The town has changed since my last trip here. But, then I would have expected it to change in almost 40 years. The city has almost 32,000 people and the borough twice that. There is a K-Mart, Sears, and a few malls. The downtown is pretty much as I remembered it, although with the increase in traffic some of the streets are now one way. I wondered around town, dropped some film off (I hope they will do it) and than headed back "home." I stopped in North Pole, wow has that village ever changed, washed the truck, got some keys made and some screen to replace the stuff I destroyed. I went by Eielson to see if they could do a lube and oil change but they were booked. If there is a jiffy lube, or another place like that I think I would be better off to find one.
After returning I went for a bicycle ride and then talked with Dave Coleman, the Ranger assistant. The Comfor's, the previous hosts, invited us for dinner. After dinner we talked for a while and I got the laptop and tried to get on line again. I finally found someone who knew what the problem was. After making a couple of changes in one of the files I was able to sign on and send the previous portions of this log. Hopefully all will go well now, but I think there might be a glitch if G signs on before I do. I sent some others an abridged copy of this log also. I read for a while and than went to bed. I am still not used to the light at midnight.

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