Travels with Shelby

16 - 22 July 2016 - Whitehorse YT to Fairbanks, AK

 

16 July 2016 – Whitehorse to Congdon Creek Campground, YT

The drive from Whitehorse to Congdon Creek Campground on Kluane Lake was tedious due to lots of frost heaves and several long stretches of dusty gravel road. It was also spectacular when we got close to Haines Junction and the Kluane Mountains came into view; they are very dramatic mountains with sharp peaks and hanging glaciers.

Approaching Haines Junction - Kluane Mountains with Hanging Glacier

West of Haines Junctions - Kluane Mountains

Beautiful mountain in sunshine - something we'd like to see more of!

Congdon Creek Territorial Campground was a pleasant surprise. Thirteen of the sites, mostly occupied, are in an open meadow just above the lake. The other 26 sites are in the trees, providing shade and some shelter from the wind. All of the sites on the outside of the loop are pull-through arcs; those on the inside are long, mostly level back-ins. Firewood is free, and the fee for camping is just $12 Canadian per night – about $10.06 US at the exchange rate we got for our cash withdrawal in Kelowna. It’s as nice as the Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds that we like so much in the US.

Our site at Congdon Creek Territorial Campground - a long pull-through

The lake shore reminded us of the Lake Superior shore – water-washed stones in all sizes and colors, from white to orange to dark black, many with quartz striations making interesting patterns.

Kluane Lake

Rocky shoreline at Kluane Lake

17 July 1016 – Congdon Creek Campground to Snag Junction Campground, YT

The next section of road continued to be poor; we encountered two long sections of road construction that required following a pilot car at about 5 miles an hour over rocky road base.

We did encounter stretches of road with pretty pink fireweed alongside. They say that when the top flowers on the stalk bloom, winter is two weeks away. Click on photo to enlarge for better view.

The second construction zone

A coyote crossed the road right in front of us

Swans on small roadside lake

Lake where we saw the swans. Nice reflection.

White River, YT

 Our next stop was at Snag Junction Territorial Campground – quite different from Congdon Creek. The single loop road was quite steep, and almost washed out in places. It was like driving in a dry stream bed. We found one large flat area that was signed for 4 campsites, although 3 were so close together you’d want to like your neighbors. Fortunately, we had no neighbors, and spent a quiet night before heading off for Tok, AK

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18 July 2016 – Snag Junction, YT to Tok, AK

The road from Snag Junction to the first construction site in Alaska was one of the worst we’d encountered to date. Adding insult to injury, at the US border our tomato, orange bell pepper, and limes were confiscated – why I can’t imagine, as these are hardly commercial crops in Alaska. They said the rules are the same everywhere, which made no sense to us. We probably could have said we didn’t have those items on board, but really don’t want to run afoul of the border agents.

At the first construction stop after the border, the flag lady told us that they were working their way east from Delta Junction, and would be through to the border by Aug 20. The rest of the way into Tok we encountered many patched areas, but overall it was easier driving than the past few days. Again, the scenery was largely forests up to the edge of the road, with little to see beyond spruce and alders. As with the pine bark beetles in the US, the spruce beetles have killed a large number of trees in the north country. Had it not been so overcast and occasionally raining, we’d have been able to see mountains to south.

Ponds along the Chisani River on the way to Tok

We had planned to dry camp in Tok, but were worn out from our three solid days of being bounced around, so decided to stay at a campground with showers and a laundry. We opted to stay at the RV park farthest along the road, as it would be less busy – however, all the parks we saw were almost empty, as was Tundra Lodge and RV Park where we stayed. The showers were adequate and the laundromat had good equipment. We had an excellent lunch at Fast Eddy’s, which appeared to be the only restaurant in town. A quick pass through the All Alaska Gift store showed us that any souvenirs worth having were well beyond our budget, and those within our budget weren’t worth buying.

19 July, 2016 – Tok to Fairbanks, AK

The road from Tok to Delta Junction was largely good, but Delta Junction to Fairbanks was a 3-hour chore to go 100 miles. We arrived in Fairbanks convinced that if we ever want to visit Alaska again, we will fly to Anchorage and rent an RV. In the 3 ½ weeks and 2,300 miles we’d driven since leaving Omak, WA, we’d had only 4 days of driving through spectacular scenery, had seen almost no wild animals, and felt like we’d put ten year’s wear on our home. I hate to think of the damage all those 5^th wheels and trailers were doing to their rigs as they zoomed past us while we inched over frost heaves and rough bridge abutments.

Moose along the roadside - she had a calf back in the trees, but we couldn't get a good picture of it.

One of several crossings of the Tanana River between Delta Junction and Fairbanks. Note the Alaska oil pipeline on the right. The zig-zag construction apparently helps the pipeline stand up to sub-zero temperatures.

Next posting will describe our time in Fairbanks, then it's on to Denali.