And now the adventure really can begin! Believe it or not but they actually gave us a Motor Home in Whitehorse this morning. Wahoo! We’re truly living the dream now....open road and a house on wheels. :-)
We were there to pick up our 2016 low mileage RV as soon as they opened (Fraser Way RV) at 9:00 but by the time we’d had our “lesson” and helped ourselves to as much free stuff as we wanted off the free stuff shelves (people leave stuff on these shelves when they return their RV’s) it was 11:00! And we still had to return our rental car to the airport before our road trip could truly begin. The plan was that Lynda would follow me in the RV to the airport, I would drop off the car keys and we’d make our mad getaway to the freedom of the open road. We didn’t even get out of the parking lot at the RV centre though as the brakes made an awful noise when Lynda applied them in the parking lot as she began to make her way out to the road. The technician came out to check and all was well....it is just that these RV’s are a lot heavier than the cars we’re used to and so they make a few more noises that our cars do. As well, the vehicle had been sitting for a while and so there was likely a little dried dirt on the brake pads. Eventually we were off to the airport. It was as I was handing over the keys that I realized we’d neglected to top off the gas tank in our rental car. The good news is that we’d hardly gone any miles at all and so the tank still registered pretty much Full. Our fingers are crossed that no one even notices and that Lynda doesn’t get a big charge on her credit card if they do! By the time we drove out of the airport it was almost noon but we were off with a high 5 and a “wahoo”! :-)
The highway is wide and flat and in excellent condition and Lynda was doing a great job as we barrelled along. The only challenge she faced was the sporadic gusts of very strong wind and the fact that the speed kept creeping up all by itself somehow!
Before long we left the Yukon highway and turned onto the Klondike highway. Our first planned stop was at Braeburn Lodge for giant cinnamon buns. The word on the street is that one bun is enough for four people....our intention was to order two! In the end, we decided one would do and even that was too much for us so we now have a 1/2 bun in our fridge waiting for us at a later time. Braeburn Lodge is owned by a guy named Steve. He’s been there for 29 years. When I asked him where he’d moved there from, he replied, “up north”. I had to laugh! Up north? We’re as north as I’ve ever been right now...not far from the Arctic Circle in fact and he said he moved from up north? Wow....a great example of context and perspective! Steve was a great help with our MilePost book. It’s got so many different codes in it that it’s kind of like reading Greek but Steve gave Lynda a quick lesson (and a kiss on the cheek) and she was magically transformed into a virtual master of the MilePost! Steve kind of looks like Santa and he has a photo of Steve McQueen riding a motor bike on the wall of his restaurant and that photo of Steve McQueen (with a beard) kind of looks like a younger version of this Steve. Steve is so vague about where “up north” he moved from and he looks so much like an older version of that photo of Steve McQueen that I actually began to wonder if Steve McQueen might still be alive and living in the Yukon! Braeburn Lodge is also one of the main stops of the Yukon Quest (a 1000 mile International Sled Dog Race). Steve is responsible for checking the mushers in and out as they make their way along the treacherous route. The other thing about Braeburn is that it is home to a herd of 50 elk. We searched the hills looking for their white bums to show up against the green of the hills but alas...they were nowhere to be seen.
I think it was also around Braeburn that we both decided we would never last 3 weeks if we didn’t do something about all the rattling coming from inside our RV so Lynda made her way to the back (I was driving now) and located all the squeaks and rattles and took care of each of them in turn. As a result our stove has no burners (they’re under the cushions on the bench by the table), our oven has a towel inside of it, the hangers are all clustered under a couple of coats, and the suitcase that literally fell out of the closet as we were driving found it’s way into the bathroom! In the end we are happy to report that the next three weeks will be very doable thanks to Lynda’s ingenuity!
There were several other “stretch our legs” stops along the way. One was at Montague....a former roadhouse site on the Klondike trail. It was a nice little break along the side of the highway where wild roses randomly took over the “yard” around the remaining log buildings. Once back on the highway.....There were times when it felt as though we were actually driving into a painting. The scenery is so beautiful and all I could think was that if BC and Saskatchewan got together and had a baby....it would look just like the Yukon! The mountains are small and the distance between them is so vast. There is a sense of breadth in the valleys and the road is lined with spring flowers so perfectly aligned that it looks as though someone planted them just for our visit! There are bold purple ones and happy yellow ones and some others that are a colour somewhere between lavender and blue. I’m not sure of the type of blooms but am certain that they are all wildflowers and according to our MilePost one of the native flowers in the region is the Kinikinik. When I heard that name it was like a flash from my past. I can’t remember why I’d heard that name before but am certain that my mom told me about it and I believe that it stuck with me because I think it sounds like such a cool name. I’m guessing that those purple flowers were the Kinikinik because they were my favourite along the road today. :-). Sometimes the road stretched out in front of us for miles with not a turn or a hill....just that perfect picture kind of perspective that we all learned how to draw in art class. The edges of the roadway were lined with natures garden in all its glory and the texture of the mountains looming in the distance across the valley gave the whole scene a beautiful frame. On top of that is the fact that the light here is so soft....diffused I guess....it just adds to the gentle but powerful presence of the place. Honestly, the drive today was it’s very own kind of perfect.
Another stop was at the viewpoint for the 5 Finger Rapids....a point in the Yukon River where many who tried to make the journey failed. It was another beautiful view and standing up there looking out over the rapids and the river and the distant mountains....the peace and quiet literally sunk into our bodies and left us feeling like all was right with the world.
It wasn’t all perfect along the roadside though....we came through three separate areas where forest fires had eaten everything in their path. One of them took place in 1969, another in 1995 and the third in 1998. Even the one from 1969 still shows significant scars.
Another site that was super interesting was the volcanic ash that covers much of the terrain we drove across today. The volcano that it came from erupted about 1300 years ago and is today covered by a glacier. The ash was so thick though that it is still very obvious along both sides of the road. Archaeologists use the ash to date items found in the region. If it is found in earth below the ash it is pre 700 AD and if it is located above the ash line it is post 700 AD. Handy measuring stick for those guys!
Tonight we had a magical experience and now we’re settled into a government campground ($12 night) in Moose Creek. It is ever so quiet with nice flat sites and even though we have no hook ups here it is nice to know that for our first night of figuring things out we can access other campers for help if we need to. One of the reasons we selected this campground for the night is because it is almost right beside the Moose Creek Lodge that is touted as one of the “must sees” for visitors to this region because of their kitchen prowess so our plan is to go there as soon as they open for breakfast at 8 a.m. before making our way the rest of the route to Dawson City where we think we’ll spend at least two nights. We’ve taken this opportunity tonight to get all settled in, to unpack, to figure out how to make up our beds, and to sit down to a cup of coffee (yes...made on our very own stove) as I type out this post. The magical experience we had, before making our way to the campground was that while we were parked in front of the Moose Creek Lodge figuring out where to camp and that we wanted to come back for breakfast in the morning, was that our RV was surrounded by hundreds of butterflies! I want to say thousands but I also want you to know that I’m not exaggerating. Honestly...there were several hundred swallow tail butterflies flying all around our vehicle and the surrounding area. It was so beautiful and brought back a memory of being in Mexico to see the migration of the Monarch butterflies! We are soooo lucky!
It is currently 11 pm and it is still just about as light as if it was 11 a.m. so we might be breaking out the black garbage bags we brought to hang over our windows. Hard to feel tired when it looks like you could be getting ready to go out for the day! But this day is done so until next time.
L & L
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