Dawson City to Alaska

August 2009- Dawson City provides a rustic pioneer feel. Dirt streets (except for the gravel Front Street which runs along the Yukon River), wooden sidewalks, and buildings refurbished in the style

of the 1890's add to the flavor. The poetry of Robert Service comes to life here. We heard a wonderful recitation of "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and other pieces in front of Services' cabin by a Canadian Park Service employee, in 1890's gentleman's attire. Costumes are worn by government employees in the various historical stops in town to help take you back to that time.

Staying with the literary theme, we visited

Jack London’s cabin. Actually, his cabin was originally built in 1898, 120 km south of Dawson City when the 21-year old London came to the Yukon in search of gold and adventure. London’s experiences became fodder for his books and short stories. His original cabin was dismantled and the replica here is built from half of the logs. Another replica, with the other half of the logs, was built in London’s hometown of Oakland, CA.

On our way out of the area, we stopped to visit
Dredge No. 4. This National Historic Site is
operated by the Canadian park service which offers tours. Located near the site where the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 began, this dredge was in operation from 1913 until 1959. The success of dredges in digging and separating the gold from the pebbles/sand made them invaluable.


The heatwave finally broke but unfortunately, dozens of fires in the Yukon and Alaska were sparked by dry lightning. As we headed out of Dawson City, a heavy layer of smoke hid the sun and the distant mountains from view. A bit of a blessing perhaps, since the Top of the World Highway was our route to Alaska. This narrow, rough, primarily gravel road, has no guard rails and travels over the top of a series of mountain ridges for its 79 miles. It was kind of nice not to see the sheer drop-offs but of course, we didn't get to see the spectacular views either.

Making it to the Alaskan border with no problem, we were glad that we had been the lead vehicle on the highway so everyone could eat our dust instead of vice versa. Entering our first Alaska town, Chicken (pop. 200), the sun had returned and the local cafe served tasty apple and rhubarb pies. Our first night was in Tok, AK at a camp along the Tok River. This small town is a big hub for Alaskan visitors entering from the Yukon. Miles of land
nearby show evidence of the 1990 fire that nearly devastated the town.

In spite of the massive fires SW of the city, we decided to move toward Fairbanks. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision. On our way, we discovered Quartz Lake State Recreation Area and set up camp. Leaving the vehicle the next morning to go fishing, we were surprised to find a mom and calf moose munching on vegetation just about 100 feet away from us. Slipping out onto the lake with a small rental boat in the choppy waters, we were able to catch 7 trout, even though we lost 3—and of course one of the ones that got away was the proverbial "big one". On our way back to shore, a bald eagle swooped down low overhead. We had hit the trifecta.

Moving into Fairbanks, we lost the sun again. Heavy smoke enveloped the city, and upon rising the following morning, ash was descending on our camp. Time to head out.

Tok River