Stewart, Sunday & Monday 2nd - 3rd August

It rained overnight and was still raining when we left Dease Lake for the 400kms drive to Stewart where we were camping for two days. En route we had seen bears but often just a glimpse and rarely long enough to get a decent photo. But en route, walking down the side of the road was a young male black bear we considerately didn't ran off into the trees when we approached (in the bus of course).

 We also stopped opposite a lake in front of a glacier tumbling down from the ice fields about us, plus another selfie.

 We crossed the Canadian US border back into Alaska to visit Fish Creek which is full of spawning salmon. It is also a good place to watch bears as they are attracted to the easy fishing opportunities.

We didn't see any bears so we continued up the road the see a glacier.

On our way back past Fish Creek we stopped again but stull no bears. We were determined to see some feeding so we decided to have an early evening meal and return as bears are most active either early morning or dusk.

Camping can be hard work, Faye and Colin passing some time in camp before returning to Fish Creek.

Our tenacity and patience were finally rewarded for around 9.30pm a grizzly came out of the forest and started catching fish. He was a long way off and the light was too poor for ordinary cameras but we had seen our grizzly.

Road from Dawson via Whitehorse and Watson Lake to Dease Lake 31st July 1st August

It rained overnight so the tents were wet when we packed up and left Dawson for the long drive with an overnight stop in Whitehorse.

The bus en route to Whitehorse.

 A photo of the road plus another of the road in thicker rain

 Even when the rain cleared there was still road works to negotiate and we had to wait for a pilot vehicle to follow to guide us through the road works.

Cooking in the rain at Whitehorse.

The journey the next day was broken at lunchtime by a quick stop in Watson Lake for lunch, for a visit to the Northern Lights Centre which explains  and shows the aura borealis or northern lights plus a visit to the Sign Post Forest, a collection of over 78,000 signs.

 I couldn't find one of Horsham but I found one for Sussex and one that was nearly Crawley.

And as people are allowed to add their own, there were a couple of additions by Steve and Helen.

Our cook groups turn to prepare the meal that evening, Anja, Graeme, me and Helen at Dease Lake

That evening was also memorable as Zoe decided to turn the bus around as it was on a slope and it would be easier to start in the morning on a nearly empty tank if it was facing downhill. The only problem was that it wouldn't start so we spent the evening borrowing enough diesel in jerry cans to fill the tank and bleeding diesel through the valves to start the bus so it was nearly 10pm and dark when the bus finally started

Dawson City 29th - 30th July

The road from Tok to Dawson passes through a place called Chicken. Originally it was going to be calle Ptarmigan but the townsfolk couldn't agree on a spelling. It was also the site of a gold rush in 1886, a decade before the rush to Dawson. It is only a small place but it has plenty of chicken related merchandise, a giant chicken in the centre of town and a gold dredge.

No photos as yet because they are on my other camera which is on the bus at present.

I have visited Dawson a few weeks earlier so check back through the blog for pictures from that visit. That evening we ate in The Downtown Hotel, Anja, Sigi and Tracey.

 

 

No visit to Dawson is without trying the Sourtoe Cocktail, a shot of your choice with a desiccated human toe in the bottom plus an explanation of the rules in verse....

 

You can drink it quick

You can drink it slow

But the lips

Must touch the toe

 

Helen having a go at the Sourtoe Cocktail with the toe on a plate of salt in front of her.

 

 

Afterwards it was a show at Diamond Tooth Gerties...the local casino plus some of the group.

 And later a walk back to our camp site on the other side of the river.

 

The next day was a visit to Gold Dredge No 4 whch I had seen before (see earlier blog on Dawson) so I went to visit Robert Service's cabin complete with a ranger in period costume and some recitals of his more popular poems. 

 

 

 

 Plus a selfie outside the Fire Station Museum on the way home that evening.

 

 

 





After Kennecott Mill tour Monday 27th July

After the mine tour I walked the five miles back to camp along the old wagon trail. Crossing the bridge I saw a moose having a bath in the river...luckily a long and safe distance away. You back away from bears but run from moose but there was no danger of him charging me if he was standing in the middle of the river.

Tuesday 28th July

Today was a long drive day with stops for coffee, natural breaks, shopping and lots of looking out of the window. And of course some wildlife.

Roger checking out the For Sale sign on some local transport.

 The local shop in Chitina.

A general view of the camp site in Tok.

Zoe and Helen having a cream fight.

Kennecott Mill Monday 27^th July

We crossed over the footbridge again and got a lift from some rangers to the mine site itself. Many of the buildings are preserved with a few exceptions but the main building is an impressive fourteen stories high climbing up the side of the mountain to process the ore.

 

The story of the building of the railway to service the mine is fascinating and worthy of a check on the internet (to which I have very limited access....spare a thought for those people in remote areas of UK let alone world wide).

Internet connections are few and far between and weak that I am not able to load photos and with connections so weak that text can be lost. There have been a few long drive days back to back so at present I am on the Canada / Alaska border at Stewart / Hyder with tomorrow camping in Francoise Lake and then Jasper which should have some decent internet so I my be able to catch up with current events there.