Dawson Creek Mile 0 to Whitehorse, YK mile 887

 

It’s always exciting to begin our drive on the Alaskan Highway. For some the AK Highway is a great adventure, for others it’s a long drive. We are in the first group. We made our first trip in 2008, wide eyed and amazed by the wildlife and scenery. That summer we made u-turns after sighting animals, we retraced our steps and marveled at all we saw making little progress. Now, on round trip 15, we easily drive past herds of bison, slow for caribou, but still brake for bear and sheep.

We almost always see sheep in the same place and usually in the road. Here, the road winds through shear rock wall and steep hills of rock ledge and scrub trees. When not seen in the road, they are difficult to locate. They stand and lay high up, perfectly camouflaged in the rocks. I’ve photographed them positioned this way and they’re so perfectly camouflaged that it’s almost impossible to distinguish the animal from its surroundings. On this day, they greeted us in the road! The lambs are adorable. We watched as one tried to follow its mother who had jumped the guardrail. He looked at the hurdle, turned back, eyed it again and finally lept over with unanticipated ease.

Bears were in abundance, all Black bears, all black in color and all solitary. I’ve struggled over the years getting quality photos of these bears. We spot them as black dots in the distance and we’re now fairly good at determining if the dot is a bear or a culvert. From a distance, culverts also appear as black dots. Once properly identified, I try to catch the bear with its head out of the grass. Of the 20-30 photos of bears taken today, only 5 captured the bear with head up. The desire to munch green grass and young vegetation after a long winter is the bear’s sole focus, moving along, constantly biting and chewing, paying no attention to cars like ours stopping.

The turquoise water of Muncho Lake makes it impossible not to photograph. Muncho means big lake and its one of the largest in the Canadian Rockies. We were fortunate to find a site in the second park campground that we tried. It’s first come first served and since we put in long days of driving, the sites are usually taken. This is the first trip that we’ve been able to stay in one of the two provincial campgrounds.

I had said, “I’m not photographing anymore bison, but when the red coated calves appeared, I couldn’t resist. This particular herd was enjoying fresh water coming from a nearby culvert. One sweet calf lay on the edge of the road only feet away. Some calves nursed from their mothers. All looked very healthy.

Laird River Hot Springs Provincial Park is a favorite stop! 

The quarter mile walk along boardwalk through wildflowers and accompanied by the songs of local birds is a treat before the soak. Floating among the surrounding ferns and flowering shrubs and paddling through cool freshwater rivulets, makes these hot springs unique. Benches line one side of the pool, but the remaining sides are all natural. 

A brief stop for gas and cheese bread sticks in Watson Lake gave Pika a chance to also soak. She loves to swim so during our walk around Wye Lake she didn’t hesitate to jump in.

Tonight we’re in Whitehorse, YK. We’re spending the night in a campground where sites are tight and our neighbors close. We were late arriving so we feel fortunate to have a site. It’s 11:00 and the sun hasn’t set. Rarely do I stay up past 9:00 at home, but the midnight sun changes my internal clock and here I am typing away. Whitehorse has the Yukon River running through it and the city incorporates the history associated with the river. Whitehorse has flourished since the Goldrush as a center of transportation, lodging and services. It’s definitely a city I’d like to explore more thoroughly, but we’re always quick to pass through.

Tomorrow we should reach the Alaskan border and the town of Tok. We’ll still be a day and a half from our cabin in Talkeetna, but after 9 days of driving, the end is now in sight!