We got to the Alaskan/Yukon border at 1:40 on a Thursday. The border crossing was a lovely welcome to Canada. The crew were friendly and happy to see us – dogs and all. We kept traveling on one of the worst roads yet – the Alaskan highway. We camped outside Whitehorse at the Eclipse Hot Springs Campground. It was a great campsite in the woods with hiking paths around it and to the hot springs. We dropped the camper and drove in to Shipyard Park along the Yukon River in Whitehorse. There was a farmer’s market and music. Interestingly enough, along this journey we haven’t seen too much fresh produce at these markets. We didn’t find anything of interest so we walked in to town.
We stopped in an artist co-op studio and the first thing I see is the painting that I have set on my phone’s front. I love the picture but didn’t know anything about the artist. His name is Richard Shorty. He was born in Yukon and belongs to the Northern Tuchone Tribe. Check him out at richardshorty.com. The interior of the camper now has some new decorations!
The Whitehorse restaurants seemed busy but we had walked past a sign for the Canadian Legion and thought… Why not? We walked a couple of blocks and up some stairs to an interesting space. We ordered our $16 pitcher of beer and sat on the patio next to their recycling and overlooked power lines and trash cans! The three ladies in the legion were playing the Canadian version of lottery cards – instead of rubbing with a coin, you pull tabs up on a ticket to determine the amount of money you win. Of course, we had to buy our $5 worth out of the vending machine but alas – no wins. We laughed, drank our beer and moved on. We were used to paying $16 a beer in Alaska. Everything in Alaska was expensive.
We ended up driving back to the hot springs campsite that evening and grilling lamb chops. We got up the next morning and walked over to the springs when they opened. It was another relaxing soak at 8 a.m. in the morning. I ended up going back in the evening but on a friday night it was quite crowded. It was still worth it to soak in the minerals.
When we had driven in to the Springs camp site we had passed a sign for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We checked it out and found all the wildlife we had been searching for (too bad there were fences all around them). We walked a three-mile loop. There were over 12 species in the 350-acre park plus we saw a fox just wandering around the park. We were told that she had kits around too. It was great to see the Dahl’s Sheep, mountain goats, Muskox, Elk, Caribou and many more. Did you know that a Muskox’s fur-known as Qiviut – is eight times warmer than wool by weight and is hypoallergenic? It also doesn’t shrink in water. The Preserve was worth the viewing and the journey.
We had been told the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse was not to be missed. It was interesting to view some of the stories of the Klondike gold rush and the Yukon territory but it was a lot smaller than I had expected.
We left Whitehorse and crossed the border from Yukon to Alaska on our way to Skagway. Our doggie paperwork was not in order. According to the CDC and a law that was passed August 2024, our dogs were supposed to be microchipped – oops. The US border patrol let us go through with a warning but stated that they needed to have this done prior to going through any borders again. We made a change of plans and bought a ferry ticket to Haines from Skagway so then we didn’t have to risk going through border patrol again.
While in Skagway we went to Miles Canyon and walked across a beautiful wood and steel suspension bridge. There were hiking trails everywhere.
The next day we walked around the tiny town of Skagway with six LARGE cruise ships in town. It is interesting to see how these small towns work with such an influx of people in a short time – the place was manic!
We had to get out of there and drove to another beautiful boondock site on the confluence of West Creek and the Tiayia River. It was another site where the pups could wander off leash and drink from the fresh waters of the river.
Did I mention the pups are living their best lives? At 10 and 15 years old they are jumping around and running fast. They are stronger and bouncier than they were three months ago-but aren’t we all? They are loving Bill and wait by the door of the truck to be picked up and put in their back seat. When they see us packing up, they wait by the truck – “Don’t forget about me!”
We got on the Skagway ferry to Haines. I had been boasting about how great the scenery was going to be. Bill took a very funny video of me snoring and my head dropping from sleep – oh well. You get tired once in a while (!?!). He promises he will delete video . … . edit: Not a chance!
We boondocked at the foot of Goldminer’s trail on Mosquito Creek. The boys could once again roam free. Happi fell in the water but was able to scramble back up on his own. It was a crazy ride up the Jeep Trail at Porcupine Creek. It was bumpy, muddy and heavy terrain-just how Bill likes it. We have driven over 12,000 miles since we left.
We heard about a cool campground on a peninsula south of Haines. It is between the Chilkat and Chilkoot inlets. A bear had been spotted with four cubs just down the way on the river but we were not as fortunate to see it – though we did see a bear running across the road. The campsite was a little tight but good enough for the night. We went in to Haines the next morning. Bill went to take care of chores and I went in to the American Bald Eagle and Live Raptor Center. I got to see many live raptors (the owls were fantastic) and over 200 specimens (taxidermy animals). It is a non-profit education center. It was well worth the visit and the entry fee.
We got loaded on the ferry at 2pm. We began our 60+ hour journey through the inside passage to Bellingham, Washington. This would be our first time in the lower 48 since May. We had booked a cabin with a shower and a bathroom – what a treat! The pups had to stay in the camper during the trip. They allowed us down every six hours to walk them on the steel deck to do their business and feed them. It was super loud and dark. The pups did great and learned to adapt. The ferry was behind schedule so the stops that we were going to make for a couple of hours in Juneau, Petersburg and Ketchikan turned in to just an on and off. One of the words of wisdom we heard on this journey was “If you don’t miss things then you stayed too long.” These words resonated with me. Maybe we will come back to Alaska in the winter to see what we have missed.
The scenery through Prince Rupert Sound and along the way was magical when we could see it. Fog was not our friend along the way. A couple said they saw two whales breach in front of them while they ate breakfast. We didn’t see any whales or any wildlife on shore. We did see glaciers and a lovely lighthouse.
One night on the ferry we played a lively game of Yahtzee. We met new friends and laughed a lot. We met Michelle and her pup in line getting on the ferry. She is traveling to Savannah to live after two years in Alaska – we’ll see her in Savannah one day. She played along with a crew member and two others that were moving on to new destinations. The game ended when the staff told us it was late and we needed to leave… No moon again outside because of clouds.
The trip was over Friday morning and the pups were glad to be riding in the cab of the truck again. We got off at 8:30 and by 9:15 I was sitting in a chair getting my hair cut off. By 10:30 I had lost six inches of hair and was on a lighter path. It’s a changing life and peaceful times.
Off to Seattle to visit Bill’s nephew, Andy – then on to new adventures.