Beaver Creek to Anchorage

The black bears like dandelions

One of the nice things about traveling this way is that you can change your mind at the last minute about where you want to go and where you will stay. We know that we don't want to spend more than a few hours driving each day so we pick places where we think we will be when we have reached our driving limit. This is affected, of course, by scenic vista stops and must see tourist attractions which serve as wonderful breaks in our drive.

We have guide books that generally provide excellent information about what is before us. The information about Beaver Creek was a little less specific. We originally planned on staying outside the 'town' at the Yukon government campground, Snag Junction. But, we were intrigued by the description of Buckshot Betty's. We thought we could settle in there for the night, but it is not an RV park. So, we pulled into the Westmark Inn RV park where we enjoyed the Rendezvous Dinner Show, a vaudeville style show that we found very entertaining. It's amazing what television deprivation can do to help you appreciate live entertainment.

Big Entry to Alaska

Crossing back into the United States just west of Beaver Creek was uneventful except that the fruit and vegetables we had purchased in Haines, AK and transported through Yukon, Canada, were not allowed back into the U.S. Surprisingly, the items of concern were not those grown in Alaska, rather it was the citrus. Go figure.


It is difficult to grasp the enormity of this vast landscape. Immediately after crossing into Alaska from Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory we observed a dramatic change. The road that had been bringing us north now slowly turned northwest then west on the high Yukon Plateau. We were entering one of the few passes through the mountains that separated the coast from the interior. For hundreds of miles to the west and south is land that exceeds the definition of wilderness by many orders of magnitude. The combination of the Canadian Kluane National Park that is contiguous with the Tetlin Wildlife Preserve and the Wrangle-St. Elias preserve has created one the worlds largest area of protected land. We learned at the Tetlin Preserve Information Center how important this corridor is to millions of migratory birds, some of which pass through here on their way to central and south America.

Moose also enjoy this pass

We spent the night five miles east of Tok at the State Recreation area. We re-provisioned at the well stocked grocery store and picked up mail that Sarah had forwarded to this place.

From Tok, we headed south to Valdez on the Richardson Highway. The day started out clear and we enjoyed the drive along the route of the Trans-Alaska Pipline. Being a dyed in the wool tree-huger, I regrettably have to admit that its impact on the ecology of this vast landscape doesn't amount to a piss hole in a snow bank (one of my dad's favorite expressions). We took the loop off the new highway into the town of Copper Center, had lunch at the Copper Center Lodge and visited the quaint museum next door where we saw artifacts from the days when mining was the principal occupation and where Sarah bought a hand made rag rug for the Mary Joan.

Cooper Center

The skies lowered as we left Copper Center eventually encasing us in thick fog as we neared the pass above Valdez. We stopped at the Blueberry Lake Campground near the summit of the pass that night and finished our descent into Valdez the next day.

The Eagle's Rest Campground was our home for the next three nights. It is located in the heart of Valdez with great views of the surrounding mountains. The pink salmon were running and hundreds of fishermen were angling from the southern shore of the bay. The salmon arrive on the incoming tide. We were a bit late the first day, still Sarah was able to hook two, but they got away. The next day's weather forecast was for clear skies and calm winds. We decided to take the dinghy west on Port Valdez to Shoup Bay, about ten miles west of Valdez. It was nearly slack tide when we arrived at the river draining the Shoup Glacier. There was glacial ice in the water and the air temperature drop was very noticeable. I took the dinghy as far up the river as I was comfortable. Knowing that when the tide began to flood I would  have to use more fuel than I had on board to get back to Valdez, so we made our retreat. Total round trip was about 25 miles and the scenery was wonderful.

Shoup Glacier

We returned to our fishing spot on the south side of Port Valdez just west of the fish hatchery about two hours before high tide. The salmon made the water boil with their presence. I caught two pink salmon within minutes and had other strikes that I lost. We also released fish that were just snagged on the body rather than hooked in the mouth. These pink salmon are not large, only about 18”. But, I found it to be like shooting fish in a barrel and after harvesting two that we could fit in our freezer, we stopped fishing. I must say, however, that fresh salmon in a dill cream sauce is a wonderful dinner.

Thousands of Pink Salmon

That's my tackle box

Two highlights of fishing at this place are the presence of Grizzly Bears and Bald Eagles. While we were fishing, a young Grizzly sauntered across the road and down to the shore. He walked about 200 yards along the shore, past my fishing spot, to the shallows where the spawning salmon were splashing. He was obviously inexperienced at catching fish because he came away empty pawed. A few moments later, however, a larger and clearly more experienced bear found two salmon for his dinner.

From Valdez we drove to Lake Louise, just 20 miles north of the Glenn-Allen Highway. We learned that this is the place that the would be president, Dwight Eisenhower spent four days in 1947. He came here to relax for one day of fishing, but ended up staying for four days. We can see why. 

On the way north on the Richardson Highway out of Valdez we stopped to take the short hike from the road to the Worthington Glacier. Having climbed glaciers, I didn't need the warning of the park ranger about walking into the tunnels beneath the glacier. But, that warning resonated loudly with others when just as we turned our backs to return to the truck, a  piece of glacier the size of our trailer I had just photographed fell to the ground.

Ready to Fall

We try to avoid retracing any routes, but there was no other option (other than using the Marine Ferry) to visit Valdez. We also made one error in our planning. Our normal routine is to explore the possible places of interest along our intended path. Somehow we overlooked the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park/Preserve. Reading about this place the evening we arrived at Lake Louise we were disappointed with our error. While I had planned to fish on Lake Louise the next day we decided to leave Mary Joan at the lake and retrace our steps to visit the town of McCarthy and the mining village of Kennicott. It was a drive of 175 miles (one way) with 60 miles on viscous washboard and potholed gravel road. Our decision was rewarded with some of the most wonderful scenery we have seen yet. A raging river produced by the confluence of melt water from more than six glaciers was crossed to reach the village of McCarthy then to the remnants of the mining hamlet of Kennicott. We hiked to within a mile of the tongue of the glacier but turned around when Scout (our faithful canine companion) began to tire.

Kennicott Mine

Today, we arrived in Anchorage. We'll visit museums and other sites tomorrow. Tuesday, Sarah's sister, Jennifer, arrives to spend a week with us while we explore the Kenai peninsula. 

Stay tuned. 

The Great Yukon Plateau

The last installation of this blog found us in the city of Whitehorse's public library the morning that we were scheduled to take the ferry from Skagway to Haines. It was a beautiful day. We did the self guided tour of the stern wheel paddle boat, SS Klondike, one of several that plied the waters of the Yukon River bringing passengers, supplies and ore in Yukon Territory between Whitehorse and Dawson. We then returned to Skagway to catch the afternoon ferry to Haines, AK.

SS Yukon

Once again, our time table got turned upside down. Upon arrival in Haines we found that the salmon were running in the Chilkoot River.  Originally planned as a one night stop, we ended up staying for four days. Sarah purchased a one day fishing license and this inexperienced fly fisherman gave her a rudimentary lesson in how to cast a fly. Sarah enjoyed it so much that she purchased her own waders, vest and annual license the next day. While she was shopping, I trolled the lake for Dolly Vardon, a type of trout/salmon that is common here. I hooked two pink salmon but they both got away which is alright because salmon caught in the lake must be released. But, they were big!!!

Arrival at Chilkoot Lake at the head of Chilkoot River, Haines, AK

Being sailors, we know that one cannot always trust the GPS. In many parts of the world, the chart coordinates are not very accurate. We know other sailors who have experienced this first hand when the chart plotter placed the boat on dry land. We had just the opposite experience in Haines. The GPS would try to put us roads that didn't exist. And  as the picture shows, placed the road on the water. Also note how far off the actual road our track appears.

Sarah fished most of the afternoon, but only got one strike with her dry fly. Using flies, my experience matched hers. I switched to lures on spinning tackle in hopes of landing a salmon. I didn't catch any salmon, but I did land three nice Dolly Vardons. Just enough for dinner for two. As Sarah was exiting the river, she got baptized. She fell into the stream and was thoroughly soaked. After the shock wore off, she laughed as much as I.

Fishing the Chilkoot

The Chilkoot River is the valley of the eagles. There are hundreds of Bald Eagles here. All the while fishing, one hears the squall of this mighty bird. They chirp to one another from the highest Spruce trees. In this place they are as common as Blue Jays in Massachusetts. We are told that in another month, the population will increase dramatically when the spawning salmon die.

Fishing Companions

Haines is situated on the peninsula formed by the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers. While it is also visited by cruise ships and has the requisite tourist sites, it felt much more like a living community than a tourist destination, though clearly it was that also. In contrast to Skagway, this town felt more vibrant. When we arrived, there were no cruise ships in town so we got to meet the local residents. Of course, the best place to do that is at a bar. In Haines, the Fogcutter Bar is just the place. We did visit two of the museums. One unlikely treasure was the Hammer Museum. When I read about this in the guide book I thought it was a tourist trap I would certainly avoid. But, with only a three dollar admission, Sarah and I gave it a go. We were quite surprised. This tiny museum of only 3 rooms kept our attention for over and hour. It is not to be missed.

The hammer museum

 

From Haines we drove north on the Haines Highway toward Haines Junction and our return to the Alaska Highway. The scenery was as wondrous as we had been led to expect. Most exciting was the sight of Grizzly and Black Bears. We observed a Grizzly with two cubs. The cubs were frolicking in a grassy meadow alongside a creek and the Black Bear was browsing on dandelions in a patch of grass near the road. Unfortunately, in my excitement of seeing the Grizzly, I didn't set the ISO on the camera correctly for the lens I was using and we don't have pictures of them to post. Oh well, the quest for Grizzly pictures will continue.

A short 120 miles took us to Lake Kathleen, in the Kluane National Park, our next overnight stop. Before coming to Alaska and Yukon, we had heard horror stories about the vicious mosquitoes. But, they have not been as bad as we feared. On the contrary, they have been a minor nuisance. In fact, the worst mosquitoes were in Pennsylvania. In Hyder, AK, Sarah found an all natural mosquito repellant that has been working very well. Stay Away Insect Spray made by Back Bay Botanicals in Sitka, Ak is great. The campground at Lake Kathleen was also infested with black flies and this product worked equally well to repel those pests.

The drive from Lake Kathleen to Beaver Creek took us along Lake Kluane, the largest lakes in Yukon. This is the north west tip of the high Yukon Plateau. We marveled at the difference between the mountains on one side, steep and jagged versus soft and rounded, on either side of the lake. From one of the roadside information areas, we learned that we were straddling a major geological fault. The steep and sharp mountains to the southwest are part of a tectonic plate that in the past 50 million years has pushed 150 miles northeast from Haines up against the much older mountains to the east.

Rain Squall in the Kluane Range

The final push to Beaver Creek, near the Alaska/Yukon border was on the Yukon plateau. A vast plain stretching across the land of perma-frost. Here we experienced the roughest roads yet. Pot holes, frost heaves and stretches of gravel road forces us to slow down. Despite that, we were occasionally caught unprepared for changes in the roadway. We chose not to cover Mary Joan with fabric to protect her and so far she has only received minor dents on the stainless steel stone guards. I will accept these as battle scars and right of passage on the Alaska Highway.

Tonight we stay at Beaver Creek which puts us just a short way from Alaska.

Stay tuned.