Friday, July 13: Up early because we went to bed so early. Thought we’d have breakfast, wash clothes and cook some rice and beans in the community kitchen. No milk left for continental breakfast, one washer was full of dirt and the other two were out of order, and the community kitchen was full of dirty dishes. Did I mention it was Friday the 13th? We booked a room in Red Deer about two hours south of Edmonton and boogied! Ate Sue’s yummy scones and fruit for breakfast on the road. Surprised that the sky continues to be hazy and smells of smoke. Ms. Nuvi found us a cute park in Spruce Grove just outside Edmonton to cook up beans and rice for lunch. Lots of moms and grandmas and little kids playing in a big sprinkler shaped like a dinosaur. One lady told us the smoke is from big fires in Russia!—we really are all part of a big web of life, aren’t we? On our second try we get on the bypass past Edmonton; we cross the huge Saskatchewan River that runs through it. There’s a lot of ag here too, and the massive canola fields, and scattered forests. Finally find the Red Deer Lodge; it’s a lovely surprise. Ron pulls his “military service” card and gets us a room overlooking the pool for under $100! Sorry to have a beer drop off our luggage cart and open and leave a big pool of foam in the lobby, but this place could use a little loosening up! Nice to have air—another hot evening. Find a really classy Laundromat, play cards and eat pizza while waiting. Can’t wait to get into the big, comfy bed!

Thursday, July 12: (Happy Birthday to me!) Up about 6am, but our host, Sue, already has coffee ready and I do a little writing and chatting till Ron gets up for breakfast at 7am—quiche and strawberries with blueberry scones—yum! Sue presents me (literally) with chocolate-covered cherries and a copy of her book, and then packs us up the rest of the scones and quiche for my lunch—she’s amazing. Make a stop at the Peace Canyon dam site; there's an interpretive center about the workings of the dam, and we see casts and rocks with dinosaur fossils found when they drained the river to put in the dam. Then we head up-river to the WAC Bennett Dam, one of the largest earthfill dams in the world, with BC’s largest reservoir, Williston Lake. (They were named after politician’s of the time.) There is a third dam planned, the Site C Project, and there are "no Site C" signs all over town just like our ATC controversy. Ron decides to take the tour; I find a spot in the sun and read; such a life! Ron reports: "I'm asked on occasion to put pen to paper and give a brief accounting of a "boy" stop. The stop at hand is the a dirt dam that, with the Peace Valley dam, supplies 25% of Canada’s power. The project started in 1961 and was finished in 1967. It employed 1000 workers at the peak. I went on a real cool tour into the bowels of the place and observed the ten big generators of which three were being overhauled. You can actually watch the water as it is leaving the turbines and feeding into the penstocks that carry the ejected water into the river below the dam. That water is then dammed up again downstream to make more juice and the project coming up will use that same water for a third dam making electricity to put on the USA grid--thank you very much." We continue on the loop back to Dawson Creek, “0” on the Alcan Highway; I think this means we’ve done it all! There’s a haze and smell of smoke in the air; forest fires or pollution, maybe we’ll find out when we stop for lunch in Dawson Creek, our last stop in BC. Several big river valleys and bridges through here, though the land is flattening out; and hugh canola fields--my favorite margarine, Canola, is from Canada. Chinese food for my birthday lunch (we say, “she-she) and then across this ag country toward Edmonton, capitol of Alberta. Lots more canola fields and dinosaur remains in the old inland sea country. We decide to stop at Whitecourt and see how our luck holds out. Not so good here either ‘cause of contractors and workers in oil and gas exploration. We finally find an old Howard Johnson Hotel (Walter Hooper used to like to stay at them) that had seen better days. Oh well, it’ll do for one night. Bedtime entertainment consists of us watching out our fourth floor window (floors three and four are non-smoking?) three patrol officers empty a car of three young men, put one in cuffs and impound the vehicle. Sweet dreams!

Wednesday, July 11: Sunny and warm! Heading east out of Fort Nelson (Mile 300 on the Alcan) toward Dawson Creek (mile 0 on the Alcan)! and as we cross the bridge heading out of town we are crossing the lowest spot, 1000', on the Alcan. The land is fairly flat here, part of the Laird Plateau. Lots of creeks and permafrost forests and we pass a fiberboard plant, a gas-processing plant and lots of ag which must support the people here; oil shales will also be going into production--another wide spot in the road destined to be a boom town. Pretty short day today so we'll take a side trip to the big earthen dam on the Peace River before we go to Dawson Creek. Lots of semi traffic--we pass an accident, a semi burning, and we meet seven wide loads and pass two others loaded with what looks like pre-fab offices and housing heading for the oil shale sites. We also see several "open camp" areas--like in Williston--for workers' temporary lodging. We stop at the Sikkani River for a picnic lunch; the supports for the original bridge are left downstream from the arson fire that destroyed the wooden structure. It was the first permanent structure on the Alcan, and was built by three companies of African-Americans in three days. Actually 1/3 of the soldiers that worked on the Alcan were African-American. We realize we have seen lots of campers, motorcycles, pick-ups and semis but very few passenger cars on this trip. A few miles out of Fort St. John we turn west on 27 to Hudson's Hope; there are 10% grades down into the huge valley of the Peace River. There are many acres of ag (the huge, yellow canola fields are stunning) and lots of semis loaded with logs; it's slow going on this "scenic highway." When we find our way to the dam site we have missed the last tour, so we decide to stay in Hudson's Hope, third oldest community in BC, and take the tour first thing in the morning. So here we are again, Mary and Joseph looking for a room in the inn--no luck, this town is full of workers too, and the park for camping has no electricity for the cooler. Really makes me appreciate all the nights we had booked ahead! I suggest we go to the Visitor's Center for help (worked in Dawson City) and would you believe she knows a B&B that saves a room for visitors even though the boom workers in town are begging for it?! The house is lovely, built in 1920 by a local coal mine owner; our host is a school board member and an author of children's books on self esteem. She really wasn't quite ready to open, but she gave us a great room with a bath for under $100!

Tuesday, July 10: Sunny and warm! Up early to pick up some groceries and check our email—bad news! Our sweet Evelyn Stromquist was finally taken by the cancer she had fought for ten years; she had such a sweet disposition even in her illness. She was an inspiration. Tonight we’ll rest our heads in Fort Nelson BC. We’ll pass the 6000-mile mark today and many more adventures to go. Stopped by Yukon Highway Department for a mandatory survey. We were informed that there was an accident ahead—motorist/buffalo—and we think deer are dangerous! The trees are taller and thicker here; I think we are out of the permafrost. There’s a lot of scat on the side of the highway to remind us to be vigilant. We see a bunch of wild horses on the side of the road; maybe it’s horses scat? We’ve seen crosses along the highway where folks have died in accidents; we’ve also seen pyramids of sticks with flagging on them which we think are First Nations constructions for the same purpose. We see six black bears today and then a wild wood buffalo, a she-rock sheep and lambs and a moose! Had to pass another hitchhiker ‘cause we just don’t have any room; this one had a flat tire! We come upon a trooper at the site of the accident we heard about (two motorcycles trying to stop to see a bear!) and we tell him about the hitchhiker. We didn’t realize we would be passing through the Rockies of Northern BC—fantastic views and then the beautiful glacial blue Lake Muncho (means big lake) between the Sentinal and the Terminal Mountains—with Peterson Mountain at the end and Honeymoon Island in the center. The road is twisty, turny and steep in spots; Ron negotiates it all like a champ. Finally we come out of the mountains near Fort Nelson. The land flattens into hay fields and cattle ranches (and buffalo) and commercial forests—the buffalo grazing area must be at least 100 acres and it's ditched, not fenced. Fort Nelson is named after the Brit naval hero at Trafalger, Admiral Nelson; established in 1805 by the Northwest Fur Trade Company, it really grew during the building of the Alcan as a launch point north to Whitehorse. We end up bunking in at a Ramada in the “pet room” (ceramic floor)—that’s what you get for last minute booking! Oh well, it’s clean! We take a long walk around Fort Nelson, population 3000, after supper, and then conk out. Long day!

Monday, July 9: Partly sunny and cool: Great sleep last night—warm and cozy. Downloaded the photos from yesterday, made sandwiches and packed up. The first stop today will be the Yukon Wildlife Refuge—a nice 5km walk with promises to see elk, moose, caribou, wood bison, muskox, mountain goat, thin-horned sheep (stone and Dall) muledeer, Arctic fox, (missing) lynx, bazillions of ground squirrels and a bluebird. It’s 3pm before we gas up in Whitehorse—gonna be a long day today—at least five more hours to Watson Lake. This is a stretch of road we’ve been on before; good day for a book on tape. We finished “The Man from Beijing”—super! We are struck again by the size of Marsh Lake, the headwaters of the Yukon, and the chalky, gray walls of the White Mountains. We stop for rhubarb pie at the place that had no food the last time we were there because of feeding 33 folks for five days during the wash-outs--yummy pie! Temperatures go up into the 70s for the first time in our trip, though it cools by the time we reach Watson Lake. We get the last room at Andrea’s Hotel and grab a quick sandwich before we turn in. Another long day tomorrow. I hate these one-night stands!

Sunday, July 8: Sunny and cool. Up early today to finish blogging before breakfast—blueberry pancakes! We say goodbye to beautiful Lake Kluane, and to Cecelia and Angela with grateful thanks—what a spot! Pack up, make sandwiches, and on the road by 10am. Our turn to Takhini Hot Springs will be just a few miles short of Whitehorse. We take a picture of the serene spirit houses on the hill over Silver City; a First Nation couple chose to be interred there and their wishes were honored. The mountains travel with us for a while, then in the distance beyond the trees we see dust. We’d heard there was road construction ahead, but on Sunday? Turns out there’s no equipment, just miles of gravel. We’ll travel at what Ron calls “good animal viewing speed!” Only around four hours traveling today, then a soak in the hot springs—great day ahead. The road between the mountains is permafrost spruce forest; we’re close to the tops of the snowy peaks of the Kluane Range when we pass the highest spot between Fairbanks and Whitehorse—beautiful vistas! Ron sees a piece of litter and comments on how there has been so little on the Alcan; I agree. People who care come here! We take an 8-mile cutoff on a piece of the old Alcan that takes us through Champagne, a First Nation camp and supply post on the Dalton Trail to Dawson City. We are interested in the spirit houses here; we see a lot of bear scat on the highway back in there too. Back on the Alcan Ron spots a coyote who has just grabbed a ground squirrel for lunch. We get hungry too and stop at a wayside, site of a huge forest fire in 1958. The area has been slow to regenerate back to the spruce/permafrost forest, but the poplars that came back are just perfect for herds of elk and mule deer. At Haines Junction we head due east following the valleys of Alsek and then Takhini River; there are sandy roadcuts through here left from a huge Ice Age glacial lake, Champagne. Just north of Whitehorse we turn off onto Takhini Springs Road and soon we’re checking into our little white canvas cabin—beautiful with pine shiplap floor and ceiling. We have a bit of supper then go spend a couple hours in the hot springs—warm and relaxing. Down-loading photos to the blog is slow and I’m ready for sleep when I finish.

Saturday, July 7: Cool, but sunny! What a jewel this place is--the beautiful glacial –blue lake, the mountains all around, the cozy cabin, the community room where we meet so many interesting people, and the ghost of Silver City in the tumbled-down log cabins on the way in. We were wondering about them yesterday when we came. The spot started out as a First Nation fish camp, then a post to refresh the miners of '98-'99 and a staging area during the building of the Alcan. There was quite a silver fox trade here that gave the city its name. Today we’re back-tracking to Destruction Bay to get gas and we see a big grizzly on the road; they say the females around here are lighter-colored and the males, darker. It’s definately a girl! We stop at Soldier’s Summit and find it’s the spot where the ceremony for the opening of the Alcan in 11/42. It’s a nice ½-hour walk up the side of the mountain and a neat audiotape of the original ceremony and great vistas of the lake below—perfect. (The Alcan north and south actually joined at Contact Creek, not far from Watson Lake.) We head back to camp for a lunch of raw fries and hamburgers then back to the Kluane Park Visitor’s Center for a map of the walking trail up Sheep Mountain; Dall sheep are plentiful here in the early spring and fall--just our luck! We see a cross on the side of the mountain, and a run-down cabin; it belonged to a prospector named Alexander Fisher, and when he died, they buried him on the mountain. We park in a wide spot in the gravel road to the trail and head up the mountain, pass the parking lot and start up the footpath with our bear spray, belled walking-stick and head nets (the mosquitoes are fierce). After ½-hour on the trail we see fresh grizzly scat..take a picture and head back. That’s enough adventure for us! When we get back to camp we make popcorn, play a little cards and I blog till midnight. I see the sun go down for the first time in a month! And off to bed…Whitehorse YT and Tahkini Hot Springs tomorrow!

Friday, July 6: Partly sunny today! Great sourdough pancakes for breakfast, but late start trying to dry out the tent before we pack up. Heading southeast on the Alcan to a B&B near Kluane National Park YT, with the some of the highest mountains in Canada. We’ll leave the US at the Canadian border today. We cross the Tok River and then the huge Tanana River (means mountain water), largest tributary of the Yukon, through the sparsely forested permafrost. We see lots of pothole lakes in the permafrost there, taking a great picture at Reflection Lake. We take a little detour into the Tetlin Wildlife Preserve at Deadman’s Lake and walk an interpretive boardwalk down to the water; at the explanation for the gray jay, we see a pair, then an eagle flies over; there aren’t many mosquitoes, but lots of dragonflies—I guess they’re doing their job! We stop at another Tetlin NWP Visitor Center for lunch; the reserve is a 934,000-acre area that is an internationally known IBA (Important Bird Area) as it’s a main migration route. The road is extremely rough after we cross the border; the permafrost continues and it’s melting and freezing affects the road like the red clay back home. Once we cross the Donjek River (means peavine) and start passing through the high peaks of the Kluane Mountains, the road improves and then we spot Kluane Lake (great whitefish)-–gorgeous. We are arriving as the sun peeks from behind the clouds and we get some great photos—the mountain slopes washed with light and shadows, the lake illuminated like a radiance from within , and the magenta and golden flowers all aglow! The lake starts at Burwash Landing, one of the oldest settlements in the Yukon, and continues for nearly thirty miles, when we finally round the south end and pull into our B&B. We unpack, warm up the last of our wonderful salmon for supper, then take a walk on the rocky beach. Time for bed!