Day 42: Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Chicken, Alaska to Tok, Alaska. Tok RV Village, Site 709. 78 miles traveled.
A few more images of Chicken before we continue on our journey.
There is a Chickenstock Music Festival coming up in ChickenThere’s even a taxi in ChickenDowntown ChickenThe signposts show other towns named after chickens. Who knew there were so many?
We saw evidence of forest fires
Our journey continued on the Taylor highway. After a few miles we finally were back on pavement! We hit a few more spots with gravel before we turned back onto the Alaska Highway to Tok. In many places we could see evidence of forest fires.
After arriving in Tok we spent over an hour giving the truck and RV a much needed wash before setting up in our campsite. We were so happy to have grass and trees between the campsites!
Day 41: June 25, 2013. Dawson City, Yukon to Chicken, Alaska on Top of the World Highway. Chicken Gold Camp Site 5. 108 miles traveled in about 7 hours.
To get to Alaska from Dawson City, the shortest route is to travel across The Top of the World Highway on mostly gravel road with few guard rails and spectacular views.
Our journey began as we got in line for the ferry about 8:00. We watched the ferry make several trips across the river before it was our turn to board about 9:00.
The free George Black Ferry crosses the Yukon River from Dawson City to Top of the World Highway. On board the ferryCrossing the river to The Top of the World Highway
Once we exited the ferry in West Dawson, we were on our way on the Top of the World Highway. It was originally called the Ridge Road because it was built on top of the ridge.
On the Top of the World Highway – mostly gravel all daySpectacular views from the Top of the World highwayAn interesting rock formation along the roadTraveling above the tree line on the Top of the World Highway in Yukon Territory, CanadaWe were excited when we came to a paved section of road!View on the Top of the World HighwayViews like this made it worth the hard driveAt an overlook on the Top of the WorldCan you see the road?
We crossed back into the United States at Poker Creek, the northernmost border crossing by land in North America
Poker Creek Alaska Overlook at the Welcome to Alaska SignBack in Alaska!
After that, the road was even worse than before! There is construction work on the American side. The road is very narrow in places and has very soft shoulders and no guardrails. After about 8 miles we turned onto the Taylor Highway which was the scariest part of the trip. Soft shoulders, narrow, and straight drop offs. The view of the valley below was supposed to be beautiful but I had to keep looking straight ahead!
We arrived in Chicken, Alaska and got the last electric site there. There are only three places in Chicken – Downtown Chicken, The Town of Chicken, and Chicken Gold Camp where we stayed. You can walk from one place to another. Each one has a campground, store, and restaurant. There’s a post office down the road a short distance. The mail plane only comes twice a week.
Chicken, AlaskaHenry had to scrape mud off the landing gears before we could unhitch the camperThe Pedro Dredge in Chicken is a National Historic Site.Chickens everywhere in Chicken, AlaskaAttack chickens in Downtown ChickenA display of old mining equipment in front of the Chicken Post OfficeOuthouses in ChickenChicken Gold Camp Site 5, the last electric site in the park when we arrived.We could see the Chicken and the Pedro Dredge from the campgroundThe postmaster will hand stamp your mail at the Chicken, Alaska Post Office
Day 37: Friday, June 21, 2013. Aboard the Fjordland from Haines, Alaska to Juneau, Alaska
There have been many WOW moments on this trip but our trip to Juneau has them all beat by far.
At 8:30 am we gathered at the dock with our friends Ted and Ruth Ann to board the Fjordland for an all day cruise to Juneau. The boat has comfortable seats inside the cabin and a nice viewing platform in the rear for wildlife viewing and photography. Our captain was very knowledgeable about the area and he and his daughter kept an eye out for wildlife. He would slow down or stop when there was something interesting to watch.
We took the Fjordland to Juneau from HainesAboard the Fjordland to Juneau
Our first wildlife came when we saw hundreds of steller sea lions at a rookery along the rocks.
Steller Sea Lion Rookery in AlaskaSteller Sea LionsSteller Sea LionStellar Sea Lions on day trip to JuneauHe was off by himself on the rock
There were so many whales we lost count. Some were too far off to see very much detail but we were fortunate to see some up close.
Thar She Blows!We saw lots of whales close to shoreHumpback WhaleWhale dorsal finWhale Pectoral Fin on day trip to JuneauSuch an amazing sight to see their tailAnother diveOne last whale tail
We passed by glaciers and waterfalls and even a lighthouse on the way to Juneau.
We went by this waterfallA whale went by as we got closer to the lighthouse
The boat docked a little outside of town so we boarded a bus to take us downtown. We enjoyed lunch at the Red Dog Saloon before doing a little shopping and sightseeing in the capital of Alaska. Next was a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier to see a glacier up close.
Miner’s Monument in JuneauLunch at the Red Dog SaloonRed Dog Saloon in JuneauMural in downtown JuneauCapital Building in Juneau, AlaskaMendenhall GlacierWaterfalls at the glacierMendenhall Glacier with the water falls on the right
After touring the Mendenhall Glacier we boarded the bus for our ride back to the dock. We enjoyed a delicious bowl of seafood chowder with smoked salmon while we rested up from our hard day of sightseeing. Whale sightings continued and our captain took us close by the Eldred Rock Lighthouse we had passed on the way to Juneau. Want to buy it? It’s for sale!
The seals came up close to the boatFor Sale – Eldred Rock LighthouseWe passed close to the Eldred Rock LighthouseAnother view of the lighthouseOystercatcher at the lighthouseHarbor Seals lounging on the rocks by the lighthouseHarbor Seals by the lighthouse
Our trip on the Fjordland was the Fjord Express to Juneau cruise offered by the Alaska Fjordlines. I highly recommend it. It sails from either Haines or Skagway to Juneau.
One of the things on my list of things to do in Alaska was to eat some fresh crabs right from the dock. Thanks to Joyce, the great owner of the Oceanside RV Park where we are staying, I crossed that off my list on Thursday night.
I went for an early morning walk around the harbor and then hoping to see some more Bald Eagles, we drove a few miles down the road to Chilcoot Lake in Chilcoot State Park and along Mud Bay Road to the seafood cannery.
I walked around Haines Harbor in the early morningHaines Totem by the harborChilcoot LakeBald Eagle at Chilcoot Lake State Park, Haines, AKMama Bald Eagle on nest in Chilcoot State Park, Haines, AKBald Eagle at Chilcoot Lake State Park, Haines, AKBald Eagle at Chilcoot Lake State Park, Haines, AK
Then we went down to the dock to help clean today’s catch of 38 Dungeness Crabs.
Deadliest Catch!The guys are hard at workJoyce and crew cleaning crabs on the dock
A trip to the Hammer Museum sounded like a fun way to spend the afternoon before dinner.
Henry and Blondie at the Hammer MuseumHammer Museum in Haines, AlaskaThis one is for our friend Chuck, president of a small bank in GeorgiaThis is for Henry and all his buddies at BellSouthA display of seafood hammers. Our mallet came in handy when we had a dinner of Dungeness Crab
Finally, it was time to eat!
Owner Joyce and the camp host getting ready to cook38 Dungeness CrabsTime to eat
Joyce, the owner of Oceanside RV Park, often puts on a crab boil or salmon bake for her guests. Joyce organizes everything, teaches everyone how to clean them, and then cooks them. Everyone brought a covered dish and paid for however many crabs they wanted. After we ate our fill of our six crabs we picked the rest and froze it for later in the trip.
Joyce is one of the hardest working RV park owners we have ever seen and goes out of her way to make you feel at home. If you are going to Haines, Oceanside RV Park is the only place to stay. This is NOT a paid advertisement! She doesn’t even know I’m posting this.
We didn’t have to travel far to see the sights today. Back at the campground, people emerged from their RV’s with coffee cups in hand in search of birds, whales, and vessels passing by. Someone shouted “Whale” and started pointing. Binoculars and spotting scopes came out and we all watched to see where they are. Far across the water we watched three whales as they spouted and breached.
Later, we drove along Mud Bay to a cannery to get some smoked salmon. No work was being done so we decided to come back another day to watch them at work. The local IGA had just received it’s weekly shipment so after we stocked up there we spent the rest of the day enjoying the views from our campground.
We’re in site 13 at the Oceanside RV Park overlooking the oceanHaines boat harborHaines HarborWelcome to HainesA Blue Heron in Haines
Have I mentioned how hot it is here? After traveling through Canada wearing sweatshirts, jeans and wool socks for days, we arrived in Alaska and had to change into short sleeves and shorts. Many people in the campground sat in their chairs sunbathing.
Blondie finally got to go swimming when we took her down to the beach.
I could see Henry and Blondie on the beach from our campsiteBlondie swimming in Haines, AlaskaKelp washed up on the beachShells were everywhere
Whale watching during cocktail hour and waiting for a storm to come in – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.
This boat anchored right in front of usWatching for whales in Haines, AlaskaView from our campground in HainesA ship goes by in the distance as two ships are leaving the harbor in the rain
Wandering Dawgs 