ferry – Wandering Dawgs

It was really sad leaving beautiful Ireland but the time had come to move on to Scotland. We boarded the Stena SuperFast VII Ferry in Belfast for our 2 1/2 hour voyage to Cairnryan, Scotland. The ferry was huge with lounges, restaurants, and even free WiFi. The seas were calm and the sky was clear for the entire trip.

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(4) — On the Stena Superfast Ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland

As the ferry was passing by our first sighting of Scotland, we saw the Corsewall Lighthouse.

20190515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-Sony-(24) — We saw the Corsewall Lighthouse from the ferry

We picked up our rental car at the ferry dock and were soon traveling on Scotland’s roads on our way to Glasgow, our first destination.

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(12) — Another country, another rental car, more curvy roads. We have arrived in Scotland

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(14) — Scenic drive from the ferry to Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow is a huge city, much bigger than I thought it would be and we only had one full day to explore. After a good night’s rest we enjoyed our first Full Scottish Breakfast before starting our sightseeing. Henry tried the haggis with eggs, I passed on the haggis. We set out on foot to explore the area around the hotel. Our wandering took us to the Museum of Modern Art, George Square and the Glasgow City Council Building.

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(8) — Wellington Statue at Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(55) — George Square with Glasgow City Council City Chambers Building in the background, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(37) — Ceiling in Glasgow City Council Building

We decided the best way to see the highlights of Glasgow would be to take the Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour. The tour was about two hours around the city, making a few stops along the way. If you got off, you could get on another bus to continue the tour. The top deck of the red double decker buses were open and a guide pointed out places of interest as we went. The city is an interesting mix of old and new.

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(61) — Mural in Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(138) — Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(172) — Italian Shopping District, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(99) — Glasgow SSE Hydro concert, sporting, and special events arena

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(180) — The old and the new in Glasgow, Scotland

The next day our adventure was a ride from Glasgow to Inverness in our rental car. After a few wrong turns and a ride through the Glasgow suburbs the scenery got better and better as the day went on.

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(12) — On the road to Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(15) — Snow in the Highlands, Scotland

Inverness is a much smaller city with the River Ness running right through the center of town and a castle at the top of a hill. The name Inverness means “mouth of the Ness”. We arrived early enough to take a walk beside the river.

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(44) — Inverness Castle, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(53) — Faith, Hope and Charity statue in Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(31) — River Ness, Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(45) — River Ness, Inverness

Next up, a full day bus tour through the Scottish Highlands.

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 ferry

Crossing 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 day

Spectacular views from the Top of the World highway

An interesting rock formation along the road

Traveling above the tree line on the Top of the World Highway in Yukon Territory, Canada

We were excited when we came to a paved section of road!

View on the Top of the World Highway

Views like this made it worth the hard drive

At an overlook on the Top of the World

Can 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 Sign

Back 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.