Onward to Alaska

We left the Dempster Highway when smoke threatened to make hiking unpleasant at Tombstone Territorial Park and set our sites on Top of the World Highway – finally moving on to our great Alaska experience. First, time to stock up in Dawson City and join the queue for the ferry across the Yukon River. We made the third ferry after we joined the line. There is definitely a rush-hour in the early afternoon.

A shout out to Cheechakos Bakeshop for their multigrain sourdough bread and the incredible cinnamon buns! Best of the trip to date! Not to mention delicious BLT and smoked brisket sandwiches.

There is a surreal sensation driving along this stretch of road that we are literally on the crest of the world. We had a stormy crossing which made for some beautiful skies. And, we got really muddy!

We made it to historic Eagle, which was beautiful—although it has an eerily deserted feeling. It is an arduous drive around narrow, exposed, twisty, and rutted 65 mountainous miles of dirt trail (AKA the Taylor Highway) to this little riverside hamlet that once thrived in 1900. It is hard to imagine 1700 people living on this stretch of the Yukon River. These days, goods and services usually come in by air rather than paddle boat and the cost is not insignificant. The surcharge for groceries is $1/pound which brings a gallon of milk to $18. Mining claims are still being worked along the rivers but tourism is the great economic hope in Eagle.

In more recent history (when there was park service $$s), the BLM restored and preserved the fort and a few of the town buildings. Today it is a bit of a hard luck story but still a beautifully tranquil place to visit.

We spent a night camped on the Yukon River (which we crossed via ferry back in Dawson City).  We met a couple of canoe paddlers who had just dropped out of a 1000 (yes, one thousand) mile race when their canoe capsized just up river.  They were happily dry and waiting patiently for crew to drive in from Fairbanks to pick them up—a 12 hour one way trek via car/roads.  

We left Eagle, after refilling our water tank from a mountain stream, to camp high on a mountain hilltop and go for a much needed 20+ mile gravel bike ride.  

Yesterday we drove the rest of the way back to the Top of the World Highway (Alaska side) and did a quick, yet epic as a storm blew in, ride on the only segment of smooth pavement that we have seen in the last couple of months. We rode from the Taylor Highway back to the border to score a pic at the Alaska border and look one more time for caribou. Alas, no animal sightings, but we did get chased by a rainstorm that made for a heart pounding ascent back to the camper. Lots of elevation!  I do love my bike!!

We passed through Chicken, Alaska, before finding our campsite at Fortymile River.  Chicken, so named by the settling miners who wanted to name the town after the local grouse hen – the ptarmigan — but were concerned they might not receive their mail due to misspellings. Chicken is a historic mining camp town. 

After refilling diesel and DEF (available “on-the-pump” at the Shell station) in Tok, and groceries in Delta Junction, we powered on to Harding Lake where we chose to spend a long weekend enjoying campground life on this active lake.