Further North and Round the Corner

Our last morning in Denali National Park started early and we had made coffee, cleared up and made sure all was secured before leaving before 7 am to take a drive down the 15 miles into the park on the look out for bears, moose or even wolves. The trip to Savage River was driven slowly but nothing was seen. A stop for breakfast and coffee at the turn round brought nothing either so it was a return down the road and back onto Park’s Highway heading north to Fairbanks and our most northerly town on this roadtrip.

Now seems a good point to give a little more about the vehicle and our home for the 5 weeks. It is a 6 litres V8 petrol engine motorhome that certainly drinks fuel. It has a 25 gall fuel tank that needs filling most days but it does go well. It took me a while driving to get used to it being automatic but it was not a problem. The driving is comfortable with cruise control and all the things you want from a modern vehicle. The living part is certainly big enough for the two of us. It does sleep 4 people but that would be a squash. The main bed is above the driving cabin and is very comfortable. It has a 3 burner cooker plus oven and grill and a microwave plus a fridge and a freezer. The toilet and shower and also quite roomy so all self contained.

Looking Forward

The Rear of the Motorhome

Driving section

As the weather has been much better than we could have imagined with lots of sun and reasonably warm evenings we have cooked outside over open fires on most days and just had to cook inside a couple of times when it has been wet. Other than that we have eaten out a few times but the food we have found so far has definitely not been “Michelin” Standard but the steaks, seafood and burgers good although veggie food is not that exciting.

Back to the trip, once past Fairbanks where we really only stopped for fuel and supplies it was a turnround and heading south now down the Richardson Highway and the 2800 or so miles back to Calgary. Fairbanks end of the Richardson Highway is the unofficial end of the Alaskan Highway as it is a continuation from Delta Junction.

First stop on the route back was a town called “North Pole” and a visit to Santas’s House. Bit of a let down really as we certainly expected a lot more. North Pole was a marketing ploy back in the 1950s that never really worked then and to us doesn’t now. The town is weird but we had to stop for a few pictures.

North Pole

Santas House

Bah !! Humbug !!

Alongside the Highway

It was then of down to Delta Junction and the real end of the “Alcan”, The Alaskan Highway, a road 1422 miles long from Dawson City in British Columbia, Canada to Delta Junction in Alaska. It was built in 1942 and finished in a very short time to service the military.

The Alaska Pipeline

Temperatures in Delta Junction

End of the Alcan

What to watch for when driving

Alcan Info Board

1422 miles to beginning at Dawson Creek

We had already driven the stretch from Haines Junction to Tok on the way up and we were now heading back down to Tok again on this section. Just past Tok we again turned of the “Alcan” and onto The Taylor Highway to take the “Top of the World” route back into Yukon ,Canada and down the Klondyke Highway visiting towns and settlements like Chicken, a small goldmining settlement that was named, so the story goes by the original prospectors, after a small grouse like bird called a Ptarmigan, that is common in the area. The problem was they could not spell Ptarmigan and as they looked a bit like chickens then that was what it was called. Chicken is still a big gold mining area although the settlements are small and full of old mining machinery and vehicles.

Downtown Chicken

Looks like a big town

Public Toilets

Chicken Theatre Stage Performers entrance

Chicken Marketing

Gold Mining Dredge at Chcken

Vehicles

US Airforce vehicles

After leaving there it was up onto the “Top of the World Highway” proper and this had amazing scenery. The road climbed up high and was just a dirt road with a narrow and huge drop off at the edge. A really nervy drive but great fun and superb scenery. This led to the border back into Canada at the top of one of the mountains before the drive down into Dawson City. This town is where time has stood still. Most of the old buildings are still as when the Klondyke Gold Rush was in full swing, almost a Classic western type film set.

View from the Top

Dawson City

Would Love to have stayed here

Tie Up your Horse here

Hotels in Dawson City

Gambling Hall

Another Hotel

Old House

Stern Wheeler

From Dawson City it was a few hours drive then we were back onto the “Alcan” at Whithorse on the Yukon River and up to date with