May 2017 – Page 2 – OurGlobalAdventure

For a few nights now, we’ve been setting an alarm for the middle of the night to get up and check for northern lights. Not easy I can tell you, when you’re all cosy in your sleeping bag with your hot water bottle, to be rudely awakened to brave the icy temperatures outside. We could do with a little skylight peephole. And nothing doing so far 🙁

It’s difficult to appreciate how remote you are when you’re cocooned in your campervan, racking up the miles. But when it’s two days of constant driving between getting a cell phone signal, that gives you some idea. A lot of trees they have up here. More trees than there are stars in the sky if you ask me. A lot of litter bins too. Basically every layby or pull in (of which there are many) have bins. Still struggling to understand quite how they empty them. The monotony of painting the Forth Bridge springs to mind. Remote is when you have one building and a snow plough and call it a City. Jade City. Population: 3.

Makes for friendly gas stations though. Each with their own playful dog, eager for attention and glad of the company, even if just for a few minutes. Darren obliged with a few games of fetch. Lured into the gas station by not only gas of the petrol type but also by the rather large propane sign, he was politely informed that they’d been oot of propane for 7 years.

When it comes to water for the campervan, well that gets turned on around mid May. It’s currently the end of April. Somehow I don’t think we can wait that long.

They did have petrol though, for which you pay after pumping, not before. This is the Yukon after all, you’re not exactly gonna run away. Remote? No kidding!

Campervan log part 4. Cassiar Highway to Haines, AK.

By Darren

On 3rd May 2017

In 2017 Alaska Road Trip

French Creek, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon (290 miles)

After heading off from our campground by the Dease river alongside the Cassiar Highway we joined the Alaskan Highway. It is also known as the ALCAN which was the military name for the Alaska-Canada military highway which was completed in 1942 but not open to the public until 1948. The road was punched through the wilderness by the military to counter concern about those pesky japs. It seems a bit unfair to the Canadians as aboot 1000 of the 1500 miles of the Alaskan Highway is in Canada!

The ALCAN is also great for spotting Caribou from the highway!

After a few stops at random hamlets to try to top up the propane tank, we arrived in the relative metropolis of Whitehorse which is the capital of the Yukon Territory. (Heather told me to stop faffing about looking for propane until I explained how we heated the campervan, after which she agreed it was worth it!).

Whitehorse, Yukon to Kathleen Lake, Yukon (150 miles)

After a later start from Whitehorse we were back on the Alaska Highway (yes, there was a hangover involved, but also a run around the city). This stretch of road from Whitehorse was listed in the guide book as ‘a bit dull’, but we thought the views as we approached the Kluane National Park were stunning – maybe it pissed down with rain for them or they were in a bad mood!

We are ahead of schedule on the miles so we decided on another detour into Alaska from Canada, this time to Haines, AK. After turning off from Haines Junction heading for Haines, we pulled in at Kathleen Lake. The disadvantage of traveling at this time of year is that the campgrounds are mostly closed. The advantage of traveling at this time of year is that no one cares where you park up and sleep. So we nabbed a spot right by the lake for the night, next to the no camping sign in the day use area.

Kathleen Lake, Yukon to Haines, AK (120 miles)

Probably our shortest drive so far but it was one of the most scenic ones. We headed down highway 3 to Haines, passing over the Chilkat and Guardsman passes. The road was ploughed and good but judging by the height of snow I wouldn’t like to be here in bad weather!

The lonely planet guidebook raves about Haines – mainly because it dodges the cruise ship traffic which leaves it with a distinct lack of t-shirt shops! There are plenty of options out of town for free camping spots but that would have involved a stagger back from the local brewery, so we splashed out on a camping spot down by the waterfront in town.

Hyder to French Creek: Snow Walking & Bears

By Heather Hamilton

On 1st May 2017

In 2017 Alaska Road Trip

Mere spits of rain in the morning meant I had no excuse to blow our planned hike out. We’d parked up at the end of the snow ploughed section of road, so our hike was going to be snowbound. Out of nowhere, Darren produced a couple of hiking poles and the magic grippy things that attach to the bottom of your boots to stop you skidding around when it’s icy. Mightily impressed at his packing skills!
In the past, I may have likened snow shoeing to walking with a ball and chain – every step you take is hard going and heavy, making meters feel like miles. But now it was time to find out what hard going was like without snowshoes. The snow was surprisingly soft, so every step was a gamble as to whether you would drop just half an inch, or practically lose a leg as you sank through the deceptive white blanket up to your knees. Hard going was an understatement. Although I’m sure a good workout.

As we left the friendliest ghost town in Alaska, we kept an eye out for bears, just in case. We’re not normally early to events, but in this case we had about 3 months grace. The bears flock here for the salmon run in July but right now they’re mostly still tucked up in their beds, maybe the odd one braving its first spring meander from its den, driven by hibernation hunger.

We passed Bear Glacier. No bears.

We stayed on the lookout throughout the drive though, every roadsign rekindling a glimmer of hope, a constant reinforcement that bears DO live here. Imagine my squeals of delight when we re-joined the Cassiar highway and were rewarded by the sight of a mother and two cubs munching dandelions by the roadside!

Got so excited I failed to be able to hold a camera, press the button and watch the bears at the same time

Damn bears, photo bombing my picture of the grass

Not only bears but moose! And more bears followed – the Cassiar Highway really IS ‘stuffed with bears’ – on my list to come back some time in the summer!

The evening’s entertainment at the rustic campsite with the awesome view by the river, was provided by Darren. He swiftly realized that skimming stones was kind of difficult on a frozen river, and took instead to trying to hurl a heavy rock onto just the right place where it would fall through the ice – too far and the rock would land with a heavy thud on the thick ice, too close and it was one hell of a splash. By the time he hit bullseye and cracked through the ice, our hands were getting too cold and numb to hold our beer, time to retire to the campervan.

OurGlobalAdventure

Heather and Darren's Travels

Month: May 2017 (Page 2 of 2)

French Creek to Whitehorse: Middle of Nowhereness

Campervan log part 4. Cassiar Highway to Haines, AK.

Hyder to French Creek: Snow Walking & Bears

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