I finally left Juneau, during a rainstorm, of course! I boarded the MV Fairweather, a high-speed catamaran/ferry and arrived in Haines only 2 hours later (4 hours via the slower ferry). As I left the ferry the weather was only partly cloudy with glorious blue skies and sunshine. After a week of rain, I felt my attitude change in an instant. Haines is a sweet little town, but I was intent on getting out of Southeast Alaska so I kept driving.
Catamaran docked in Haines
Blue skies and gorgeous water tones
The road initially follows the Chillcat River and another Eagle preserve.
I drove through the Southwest Yukon Territory and then into Alaska again. Two more customs stops, one going into the Yukon from Alaska on the Haines Highway and one coming back into Alaska on the Alaska Highway, after Beaver Creek.
The Yukon is as stunning and exotic as I always imagined. The terrain is covered with jagged mountains of the Kluane National Park and Preserve (a World Heritage Site). The area is crossed by wide river valleys. These riverways are so wide they are better described as river deltas. And, the actual flow of water inside the vast gravelly deltas is nothing but a tiny ribbon of shallow water, at least at this time of year. I will never forget the views of these wide river deltas rimmed with towering mountains. I would like to spend more time in the Yukon on the way home, but many of the government campgrounds there don’t allow tent camping because of bear activity. I know from my own experience driving that evening that wildlife is everywhere. I saw Dall Sheep right on the road but the other animals seemed more auto-savvy. I saw a grizzly, two female moose, a grizzly cub, tundra swans, a black bear, and another female moose. The next morning I saw a male moose. I was extremely careful getting in and out of the car at rest stops! I try to imagine miners or fur trappers heading up into the drainages seeking their fortune among all the wildlife.
The Yukon grabbed a piece of my soul as it did with Jack London and poet Robert Service.
Dall Sheep in the Yukon, right along the road
I intentionally drove until 11 PM because I wanted to get a feel for the terrain during the late night sun. The hardwood’s leaves look golden as if I was driving through in the fall. Stunning. Stunning. Stunning. I stopped in Beaver Creek for the night.
The road from Beaver Creek to Tok skirted the edge of a huge wildlife refuge with duck-filled wetlands. The drive from Tok to Fairbanks was more subdued, through swampy forests. Like the Southeast Alaska Muskeg, the land was marked by scooped out areas filled with water and ducks. The river beds were still wide and shallow but no mountains, only wooded hills. Fairbanks was hilly and wooded, nestled into the wide Chena River valley.
Chena River
I completed my Fairbanks “To Do” list, which included having new rear tires installed on Alice. The front ones were fine, but the rear had taken a beating and may have been over-inflated at one time, leaving on irregular wear pattern. I worried as I bounced along the Alaska Highway. The road quality varied tremendously in both the Yukon and Alaska, with the Yukon section being slightly better. The road had holes, worn sections, and dips thanks to winter-spring freeze cycles. Some of the worst sections were marked with flags or signs; however, many were not marked at all and I bounced over a few spots. After that, I reduced my speed to around 50. After Delta Junction, where the Alaska Highway ends, the road was much better and I was able to travel at 65+. Because of the possibility of wildlife on the road, I never felt comfortable going faster.
Bad portion of AK Highway
Frequent warning sign for bumpy road
Something interesting and not so trivial for older folks: the Yukon had lots of rest stop/bathrooms along the highway. The Alaska portion had one!
My other errand: call Denali reservation line and changes dates so I could arrive earlier. I did not find anywhere interesting to camp on my way to Fairbanks, so I wanted to move on to Denali.
So then, I left Fairbanks in the morning, driving towards Denali National Park. The road climbed out of the river valley and followed a ridge. I could see the majestic mountains again to the east and gentle, rolling hills to the west. After only a few hours I saw the mountainous gateway to Denali NP. Sooo excited for my next adventure.
