6/14 - After leaving Boya Lake, it was smokey and we went through a big burn area. Pretty flowers as it recovers. It's hard to see all the damage by wildfires, but they are needed and healthy for the woods. They don't bother to fight the fires unless it might cause damage to infrastructure or homes. Otherwise, they just let them burn. I can't imagine it's good for pollution though. The smoke certainly isn't good for those of us wanting to enjoy the scenery!
In the Yukon at Watson Lake. I got a much needed shower here. I went to the rec center for a shower, but while I was trying to figure out where to go, someone told me that I could get a much cheaper and better shower across the street and available to all. She gave me the code to the bathroom. When I went over there and asked, the guy said it was only for people staying there. Grrr. Bad girl that I am, I decided to see if I recalled the code that she gave me and I did. So I got a nice shower there for $1! I felt a little guilty, but the guy was unfriendly and obviously others had been told they could use it...
 |
| The Sign Post forest is quite amazing! There are over 100,000 signs there. It's clear that people plan for this and I'm guessing they steal signs before coming here. I was unprepared, so I didn't leave a sign. I took some photos and circled a few. |
 |
| This started during the building of the Alcan highway during WWII. The Sign Post Forest started when someone was asked to repair and add directional signposts. He added one to his hometown, which prompted others to follow suit. |
 |
| Lake Pleasant |
 |
| VT license plate |
 |
| VT license plate with ADK |
 |
| City of Ithaca |
 |
| Burlington. I think every state has a Burlington, so who knows if it's VT or some other... |
 |
| New York plate with ILUVADKS |
 |
| Smokey views |
 |
| Gorgeous! |
 |
| Zoe and I stopped for a walk at some falls. |
 |
| After my shower in Watson Lake, I headed further west to Teslin, Yukon. I ended up deciding to park at this rest area as there were others and why not? It's about as good a view as I'd get anywhere under the circumstances. |
Anja and Bob stayed at an RV park in Watson Lake, but we remained in contact and they were also moving along to Whitehorse the next night. We're on the same trajectory to Dawson City, Chicken, Tok, Fairbanks.
6/15 - In Teslin, there are a few museums that I stopped to check out.
At the George Johnston Museum
 |
| Before they had metal pots, they would cook in these bowls by adding water, then hot rocks to the water, remove, add more hot rocks, until the food was cooked. |
 |
| The Aboriginal people are so respectful of animals and the earth. I wish we were all taught that! |
 |
| What an impressive, ingenious, enterprising man! He was determined to have a car and bought one and had it delivered to Teslin, where there were no roads within 100 miles. He drove on the frozen lake and was basically a taxi, moving folks around and getting paid. In summer, the car was black, but in the winter it was white for camouflage in the snow to wait for wolves. If you can blow this photo up enough to read it, it is quite amazing. |
At the Wildlife museum
 |
| Raven - Yukon's official bird, a symbol of northern wilderness. They are so smart they have been observed detaching windshield wipers with ease (I guess I'm not as smart as a Raven!) and quickly masters drinking through a straw. |
 |
| I never knew the Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest birds. They have been timed up to 290 kph or 180 mph!!! 😲 Its victim is often killed instantly in the air by a powerful blow by its talons. |
 |
| These two caribou locked antlers and couldn't get apart and thus they died of dehydration and starvation. Were they playing or fighting? |
 |
| Grizzly |
 |
| Black Bear |
Onto the next museum - Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre. You're not allowed to take any photos inside. There was a guy demonstrating making things out of cedar. Super interesting. There were old cedar baskets on display that were so fine that they looked like they were made out of the cedar needles instead of the bark. The bark is stripped from the cedar trees and then soaked and split as fine as desired and then used to weave baskets, jewelry, etc. Quite impressive!
 |
| Teslin Lake |
From Teslin, I drove onto Whitehorse. I stopped in at the Caribou RV park that had great ratings, but I wasn't impressed. I really wanted internet and the wifi wasn't usable and I didn't have cell signal. I heard lots of emergency vehicles go by and wondered what was going on. Whatever it was, I was happy to be ahead of it!
Miles Canyon. Yukon River. It was very smoky and cloudy, but the water color is still impressive. When I showed up there were a ton of people there doing wedding photos, so I had to park a bit away. Zoe and I did a great trail along the ridge - I have to admit there were a few scary spots super close to the edge.
 |
| This sign talks about the rocks that look like bundles of posts, which is lava. |
 |
| my model |
 |
| My less than stellar accommodations for the night. This is a BW site, where I felt like I was parked in the middle of a dump, with tires, wood, styrofoam, etc all around. Oh, well. I slept well. |
 |
| The upside of this BW site was this Canada trail just around the corner, so we could walk as far as we wanted! |
 |
| The paddle wheel boat was closed for renovations |
I had planned to stay a 2nd night in Whitehorse waiting out the smoke, but realized that there was less smoke (according to the web) north and I may as well just go for it. Especially since I wasn't enthralled with this town. It was already noon when I decided to leave and I needed a shower and to do laundry. I managed to get both done and out of town by 3. Anja and Bob were also heading to Pelley's Crossing where there was a free campground that had been recommended. They found a great site big enough for both of our rigs, so I just pulled in behind them and we enjoyed a fire and charcuterie for dinner.
 |
| Pelley river - I think |
 |
| Anja and Bob saying Hi! |
6/17 - Headed for Dawson City for a couple of nights. It was raining when we arrived and the streets are dirt (mud at this point), except for the highway that ends at the ferry. I stopped at the visitor's center and then headed for the ferry to find a spot at the campground. As I was sitting waiting for the ferry, I texted Anja to see where they were and they pulled up right next to me! That's crazy since we left at different times and stopped whenever. It was good to be together, so we could find sites that worked for both of us. No sites along the river, so we went to higher ground and found acceptable sites.
 |
| A cool old trailer next door. |
 |
| Cloudy and smokey, but still pretty |
 |
| Entering Dawson City |
 |
| Waiting for the Ferry |
Anja, Bob, and I went back across the river for a drink and dinner.
 |
| The Pit in the Westminster Hotel. Supposedly the oldest bar, possibly building in Dawson City. 1898 |
 |
| Anja shared this cool trick for getting a photo. |
 |
| After a beer at the Pit, we went to Sourdough Joe's and had fish and chips. Excellent! |
6/18 - In the morning, Zoe and I walked to the paddle boat graveyard. I met a couple at the graveyard and they said something about the best view being from around the bend. I thought he meant down the beach, but we walked quite a ways and I figured out that wasn't what he meant. Unfortunately for Zoe, it was sunny and she quickly became hot and was panting and slowing down. At least there was the river (dirty) for her to drink from. We went back and went around the main boat and checked it out.
The next plan was to go back across the river and do the tour of the paddle boat in town. When I got to the ferry, there was a big line. There are three lanes. One for Small vehicles (under 24'), RVs, and big trucks and trailers. There were 2 big RVs, then two small vans (smaller than mine) in the RV lane. I pulled in there because of the small vans. After the ferry came (it's quite small), it took just the first big RV and that was it from our lane. Most of the small vehicle line got on the ferry. So, I moved to the small vehicle line since I fit the under 24' criteria. The next time the ferry came over, a grader, plus a utility truck (neither had been in line) got on and that's all they were able to fit. I finally got on the third or fourth trip and spent over an hour waiting, so I missed the paddle boat tour. 😒 I had thought I had plenty of time! So, we drove to Bonanza Creek road and went to the dredge no 4 tour and saw a few things along the way.
 |
| Some old gold mining equipment |
 |
| I love this old car. I wonder what model it is |
 |
| same car, different view |
 |
| Same car, top view |
I signed up for the tour. It was in the low to mid 80s and I had the AC and the two fans (pushing the cold air towards the cab area) running in the van. I had Zoe out while I waited, so when I put her back in the van, she was panting. There was no cell signal, so I couldn't monitor the temp in the van, but figured she'd be fine. I found that I couldn't concentrate on the tour because I wasn't confident that she was OK. The guide was great, but he spoke REALLY fast! With my distracted mind and the speed with which he told us all the great information, I didn't really pick up all that much. I asked him how he could talk practically non-stop for an hour without water. His response was he had a red bull before the tour. That explains the fast speaking, but not the lack of water to moisten his lips. It was a cool tour, but even had I been paying attention I probably wouldn't remember too much...
Back down in Dawson City and everything is wet and kinda muddy again, but I really wanted to walk around, so we did. The town feels like a western movie set. It's really fun!
 |
| This is something Diamond Tooth Gerties. It's a gambling hall that has dance shows and entertainment. It didn't work out to go, unfortunately. Probably pretty cheesy, but a thing to do in Dawson City! |
 |
| I was walking by this boat at 5:00 when the whistle apparently goes off. I almost peed my pants! It's loud!!! I was so surprised, as was Zoe, but she seemed more curious than freaked out - thankfully. |
 |
| Very fast moving Yukon river! |
 |
| While hanging out around the fire, Zoe needs her comfort. |
 |
| Pretty girl |
I really liked Dawson City and feel like I missed out on some things. I considered staying another day, but I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day that was forecast for the next day to do the Top of the World Highway. And I am so glad I did! More on that later...
Off to Alaska in the morning! So that will end this post.
