North - to the Yukon!

After return from our last camping expedition, there were a few adjustments to make.  For the previous several years on my old truck, and on the new one, the camper seems to like to swivel to one side just a bit!  So, while home to mow the grass, I pulled the camper off and installed a bunch of blocking on the side to prevent future movement.  It seems to have been successful!

 During this time we've been keeping close tabs on weather reports, near and far.  Most have been not very good at all.  Then one day, it was noted that the Yukon was expecting quite a stretch of beautiful, above average weather.  At noon, the decision was made, and by 2PM my sidekick and I were in the truck, making a mile. "North to Alaska", almost!

  

We made a few quick stops to provision in Rocky Mountain House, Drayton Valley, Whitecourt, onward north westerly past Valleyview.  We found a nice deserted, dead-end road near Sturgeon Lake to spend the night - realizing afterwards that it was only a short distance from a fire tower that I had spent a couple weeks in, back in the day!

Next day, it was on to the north west.  As you progress further north, the fuel prices tend to rise, so I stopped multiple times to top off the tank for the long stretches ahead.  This was also the first time testing the Starlink (v2) just sitting on it's tripod on the bed, in the back of the camper.  Surprisingly, it worked rather well, keeping us in contact during the long stretches ahead without cell coverage. 

The official start of the Alaska Highway is in Dawson Creek, BC, so of course we had to stop to take the obligatory photos! 

 

Fuel topped off one last time in Fort St John ($1.34/L), in an attempt to avoid having to pay the highway robbery prices in Ft Nelson ahead.

 

A nice little lake - Loon Lake - provided a convenient and quiet spot to spend the night. 

There had been some rain, and the ground that looked sandy, was actually quite greasy!

In Fort Nelson, we did our best to avoid paying ransom for fuel, but did take advantage of a very nice public RV dump to take on some fresh water.  The adjacent information centre is supported by the local Chamber of Commerce, so we popped in to complain about fuel prices, and to thank and complement them on the dump facilities.

 Miles and miles of freshly burned forest areas both north and south of Ft Nelson.  Fortunately, all roads were open, and there was only very minor smoke to contend with. 

There were still a few portable water tanks roadside, and crews were actively falling burned trees that could fall on the road.

 

There were a couple black bears grazing roadside, the occasional moose crossing the road.  Only two relatively small groups of bison were passed, and none wanted to be photographed! 

The relatively boring roads just traveled start to improve at Stone Mountain Provincial Park, Summit Lake, and then Muncho Lake Provincial Park.

 

 

This one, lone caribou tried to outrun the traffic.  The video was not a success ;-(

A bit of smoky haze in some areas ...

We found a nice little riverfront spot to spend the night.

In the morning, the navigator thought it was time to get up at 5 AM, because it barely gets dark up here at this time of year.  So - we continued on to Liard Hotsprings - which was still locked up solid for the 'night'!

The entire campground and parking area is now surrounded by new to me, high electric fence to keep the bears at bay.

Eventually, the gates were unlocked, and a good relaxing soak was enjoyed.

 Whirlpool Canyon, Liard River, British Columbia. Check out this aerial video I did.

After the hot springs, it is not that far of a drive until you first enter the Yukon, though the road dips back into British Columbia several times during the transition.

The first major town you come to in the Yukon, is Watson Lake, with the famous forest of signs (no photos).  Then, the more scenic town of Teslin comes into view.  There is a new bridge under construction right beside the existing one.

Perhaps this camera is documenting the progress of the project?

 

 

Finally, we rolled into Whitehorse, fueled up and got a few groceries, before heading further up the highway, to our eventual destination of Haines Junction.  Haines Junction is the gateway to Kluane National Park.

 

 To be continued ...