July 5, 2010

On the road again. Stopped at the car wash and power sprayed the camper to get the caked mud off it. What a waste of time. Back thru construction zones and the mud. Caked almost as bad as before I washed it off.

Today's trip was actually kind of boring. Long straights without a lot of scenery.
However, we did find something that is interesting to the geologist side of me. About 750 AD a layer of volcanic ash covered 125 million sq. miles of the Yukon. Archeologist use it determine the age of artifacts that they find. On top of the layer, after 750 AD, on top then before. We found a place where I could get a clump of it. It crumbles very easily between you fingers and feels like Talcum Powder.

They geologist do not know where this ash came from. There is no evidence that the area had seen volcano activity. They surmise that possibly a volcano under a glacier violently exploded and produce the ash. The volcano would now be buried under ice.

We are camped in a Yukon Provincial campground at Twin Lakes. No hookups, but only $12.00 CDN. Along with that is free firewood. A good deal by any stretch of the imagination.

Whitehorse is about 70 miles away and we will stop there tomorrow to re-supply. Need canned veggies, bread, and other essentials. After that we will move down the road and camp wherever we can find a campground when we get tired of driving.

July 6, 2010

We are near Teslin on the Alaska Highway about 60 miles from Watson Lake. The campground is named Continental Divide Lodge and RV Park. By that name you might think it is a real fancy place. NOT!!!. If Joyce had not seen the sign I would have missed it. The campground is OK. Quiet with free wood and a moderate price. And someone actually has a WI-FI connection that is really slow but usable some. Oops, it just went down.

We stopped in Whitehorse on the way through and stocked up on groceries. It is amazing how much Joyce can stuff in this camper and the small frig that we have.

We are now in places we have been before. It amazes us how much we remember about them. Looking forward to getting back down into the lower 48 where gas is more reasonable. Gas I have purchased in the last 2 days ranges from 5.03 to 4.23 CDN per gallon. Even with a favorable exchange rate that is hard on the wallet.

July 7, 2010

Made it to Watson Lake and got gas. Also stopped by the “Sign Forest” where there are hundreds of road signs, license plates and misc stuff showing where people have come from. We remembered seeing it on our way to Alaska in 2006 but did not stop to explore it. We found several license plates from Virginia. I considered taking the license off the car and leaving it there but did not.

Headed north up the Alaska Highway to the Junction with Highway 37, better known as the Cassiar Highway. It is a beautiful drive on a narrow 2 lane road that is rough in spots. I am enjoying driving it this time. In 2006, with the RV it was a “white knuckle drive”.

We are in Waters Edge campground on Dease Lake. I have never been in a campground that does not offer electric and water but has WI-FI. For 18.00 CDN I am not complaining. I can wait another night for a shower.

Joyce saw 2 moose and a Bald Eagle today. Not much else, but lots of signs telling us to look out for Moose and Caribou.