Day 15, 5/19/17
This will probably be a short blog as there was not much
happening today and there were few pictures.
The goal was to reach Beaver Creek, YK as that was about the mileage
distance we set for driving in a day. First
we had to get there. We had stayed at
Takhini Hot Springs and Campground/Hostel the night before. The
site was fine as it was more than large enough for the RV and could fit another
vehicle if you were so inclined. As has
been happening ever since we reached British Columbia, the sun stays up late
and gets up really early. In fact, the
last three nights, I do not believe it actually got completely dark. It is still light out after 11 and rather
bright by 4 AM or so.
We left the campground about 9 AM PDT and headed out. I had some worry as the propane gauge in the
RV was showing empty. It is not that
accurate, but I knew we were down towards the bottom and needed to find a
place. Remember, the Fridge and stove
run on propane. We had to keep the
fridge going at least. I asked at the
office of the campground, but they do not carry it and directed me to go back
to Whitehorse, which was about 20 miles south.
This was not an option so we got back on the ALCAN going north and took
our chances. This drive is more of the
same of nothing, then abandoned stops, then nothing and then an occasional house. Where these people worked was beyond me.
We ran into the usual construction works which held us up
for about 15 minutes. At the stop, we
noticed a group of 4 other GAH RV’s ahead of us. Apparently they were traveling together. Once we got past the road that was not there
(they had torn it up completely and it was rutted dirt, very rough), they took
off and kept the group together. Chiara
had spoken to some people earlier and knew that at least two couples were
driving together, but we did not know it was this many. Anyway, they lead for a while but finally
pulled over to stop. We kept going and
after another half hour, found a place that sold propane. We filled up and got back to the driver.
The rest of the drive was the most devoid of humans on this
trip. There was a couple of spots where
two or three buildings were located.
These went up after the ALCAN was built to give truckers a rest spot
along the way. They had weird names,
like Destruction Bay, Burnish Landing, and Beaver Creek. Destruction Bay and
Beaver Creek kept operating, but Burnish Landing had nothing to stop for. You are pretty much on your own here so don’t
break down.
Since Beaver Creek was our goal, here is a little more
information. It is a small hamlet about
30 km from the US border. Plus they had
an RV campsite, two restaurants and gas stations, along with a place called
Buckshot Betty’s. I guess this place has
been there a very long time and with so few offerings along the way, it stood out
and stood the test of time. We did stop
at Beaver Creek, and we visited Buckshot Betty, but there was not much to get
excited about. They had some clothing
and nick knacks, plus there were one of the restaurants, but really, not
something to write home about. We took
our time to stretch our legs and decided to get back in and head for the
border.
About 2 miles out of town, you reach the Canadian check
point for the border. What is surprising
is that the border is still 20 miles away.
We drive past as there was no requirement to stop. We know entered what I would have to say is
the “Dead” zone. The road for this
stretch was about the worst we encountered.
Some spots there was no road.
There were many frost heaves, pot holes, loose gravel, dust and just a
plain rough surface. I get the idea that
no one takes care of this section, but it belongs to Canada so they don’t care
I guess. We finally reach the US customs
point. It is just a small building with
three lanes to reach a customs official, only two were operating, and two lanes
for the run into Canada. We handed in
our passports which they must have checked for any red flag, asked us two questions,
where do we live, and what do you think the RV, and let us through. You wonder where these officials live to get
to work here. There is really nothing in
Alaska for 100 miles, which is the town of TOK.
Do they commute every day or what?
Who knows?
We stopped at TOK as we were now over 300 miles of today’s
travels and needed to stop. I picked the
first RV site, since I did not know what was ahead, and it seemed OK. Plenty of room, treed spaces, gas grilles at strategic
points and full hook ups. They also had
WiFI, but I did not find out until after I had paid that it was strictly
controlled and you only got 2 hours free.
After that you are charged. We
were both pissed, and I felt bad that I just assumed otherwise. All previous sites who had WiFi were open
with no restrictions. Maybe it was the
drive or just being tired, but this really bothered us and it took while to
calm down and get squared away. At least
we had a nice juicy Lucy burger and salad for dinner. I did not feel like writing last night so we
watched a move and then went to bed. It was
10:45 Alaska time, which is 2:45 EST.
The sun had set but it was still quite light out. It’s not easy to get to sleep when the day
still seems to be running.
Well, that will do it for now. We head to North Pole, Alaska tomorrow then
head to Fairbanks. Chat at you tomorrow!
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