Day 14 July 15, 2024 Discovery Yukon RV Park to Delta Junction Alaska 248 miles
Well we spent our first night in the teardrop trailer at one of many RV sites. Cozy but doable. Only problem is its daylight here most of the day and the trailer doesn’t have a way to block that out. Maybe we will need to add blackout curtains for another trip. We didn’t have any rain which was a good thing. Started with the fan going but soon turned it off. The solar system is working as planned.
Connie tried the shower last night and found it much better than the previous two nights. The park was very quiet all night and the road traffic soon quit. The plug in slots are pretty full. Still a few dry spots available. A family with a tent pulled in about 9:30 and ate dinner before going to bed. Some of the RVs look like they have been there for a long time. They also have tents for rent and a few cabins.
We cooked breakfast from the trailer pantry and then headed out. We actually got away a little before 8:00 am. Of course we also got up a little earlier because it was so light.
The road continues to be terrible but we are going a little slower. At one spot there were a bunch of very tall poles fairly close together. Evidently it is one of the trials to determine how to deal with the permafrost. They are measuring the temperature underground. We don’t remember the road being this bad when we drove it with the modern car several years ago. A few semis have been on the road and when they go so fast through the gravel portions they stir up a lot of dust. This morning is calm so the dust remains. Just about like driving through a dense fog.
We came around a corner and the land in front of us was raspberry colored. A wildfire must have gone through the area and now the wildflowers have taken over. So there are black trees and raspberry colored flowers for acres in all directions.
We fueled in Beaver Creek which is a very small First Nation community. Gas was over $6.00 Canadian a gallon. You had to pay inside which isn’t unusual but they are missing the boat by not having cookies, muffins or cinnamon rolls for sale.
We saw another attempt to control the permafrost. This one attempts to let more cold air reach the frost layer. Not sure how the setup knows to let in cold air but not warm air. Some of the record lows have occurred near here. -81 degrees Fahrenheit with 165 days a year that don’t get above freezing. Sure don’t want to move here.
We soon came to the Canadian border crossing but we are still about 19 miles from the US border. No explanation for the big gap. Getting through the US checkpoint was very easy. They did have a dog that sniffed around the car but they didn’t even ask if we had fire arms. He did say the road in Alaska would be better. We sure hope so.
Some of the rock graffiti is along the road again. The composers put it in sandy stretches so many of the rocks are missing. Sure makes it hard to read.
We stopped at one of the rest stops. I think everyone came to see and talk about the car. One guy said his motorhome had broken down and he was waiting for help to come from Tok. He also said the stretch of road from here to Tok was terrible. Took him two hours to come about 40 miles. We had to slow down to maneuver the road to Tok as well.
We ate lunch at Fast Eddy’s in Tok. Very busy place. Of course it is about the only place for miles. Most tourists were stopping but so were some locals. We also filled with gas before heading out.
Connie was very sleepy and so didn’t see much from Tok to Delta Junction. The road was straight and relatively smooth. Therefore sleeping even in the woodie was possible.
We are spending the night in Delta Junction in an upstairs room out of town. Another person also thought they had this room but someone got it all worked out.
Not much wildlife today. One long tail on a small animal, three rabbits (according to Rob), and lots of ravens. Still no moose, elk, or caribou.
Car still running well and the trailer just keeps following. It never seems to get very far away.
Spoffords Travel 