Day 26 July 27, 2024 Pelly Crossing Campground to Whitehorse Yukon 179 miles
We had canned chicken on lettuce salad mix for dinner last night. There were lots of small bees around bothering our meal so we put the can with a few remaining scraps at the opposite end of the table. When preparing for bed we checked the can. It was absolutely sparkling clean.
About the time we usually get up a light rain began to fall. The temperature was cooler as well. We ate breakfast in the car and by the time we finished so had the rain. Still very cloudy however.
The pavement was wet all the way to Whitehorse. Eventually the rain came down hard enough to turn on the windshield wiper. Too many dots on Connie’s side to take many pictures.
We came to the construction site of the day. A bridge was being replaced. They had a one lane road and bridge around it. Traffic flow was controlled by a stop light on each end. This light had a timer on the bottom light indicating the amount of wait time remaining. Sure wish this was on more of the lights.
After a surprising distance we finally caught up with the bicyclist who had stayed in the same campground last night. He said he was hoping to get as far as Carmacks. He left the campground at four in the morning. That way he could avoid the heat of the day. He shouldn’t have to worry about much heat today. We honked and he waved. Then coming from the opposite direction was another bicyclist. That was the only two we saw all day.
We are following the Yukon River most of the time. It’s a very large river at this point so you know why it was the main source of travel and supply shipments during the fur trade and the gold rush. We do go over a few hills but they are small in comparison. When we aren’t by the river we are passing lakes that have lots of waterfowl in the spring and fall. None today unfortunately. There are also supposed to be beaver, moose, muskrat and mink. We saw none of these. A large elk herd is supposedly in the area as well. All are hiding except the chipmunks.
At the top of one of the hills we encountered some dense fog. Thankfully it didn’t last long. It is much better than dense dust.
We arrived in Carmacks after crossing the bridge over the Yukon River. The car is definitely a novelty here. This community was an important stop for river boat travel. Now since it is on the highway it manages to stay alive. The population according the Milepost book is 588. We have learned however that the Milepost isn’t always correct.
A semi passed us on a hill in a no passing zone and nearly caused the car coming from the other way to drive off the road. Some of those drivers get very impatient. He had not been waiting behind us. He was just driving too fast.
All along the drive today there have been government campgrounds. We see lots of pickups with campers and trailers. The trailers seem to come in all sizes. Teardrops all the way to huge fifth wheels. Not so many of the big motor homes. The majority of RVs seem to be small to mid size.
We arrived in Whitehorse about 12:30. We stopped for lunch at the Smoke and Sow. It is a small barbecue diner. The food was pretty tasty.
Coming into town an electronic sign indicated a road closure at some milepost due to a mudslide. We have no idea where that might be. Whitehorse has several highways coming together and we are certainly not familiar with any of them.
After lunch we went to the Visitor’s Center to find out about the roads. They were very helpful and showed us where the slide is located. It is on our planned route. Fortunately they have it open to one lane traffic. Most likely more by the time we get there in the next day or two. She advised checking with the Visitor’s Center in Watson Lake when we get there.
We proceeded to the hotel where Connie slept the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. Must have been more tired than she thought. Rob took a short nap and then went out and adjusted the brakes, put more air in one tire and checked the power for the GPS. He also ordered breakfast for tomorrow. If you ordered today the fee was $10 each. Tomorrow the cost is $15 each. He ordered one British breakfast and one American breakfast. It will be the toss of a Canadian coin tomorrow that determines what breakfast will be in the morning.
Spoffords Travel 