Ho-hum, another day along the Alaska Highway— except there was nothing ho-hum about it. Our journey through Canada’s Yukon Territory took us past one breath-taking view after another.
We left Teslin with our fingers crossed that our spare tire would make it the hundred miles to White Horse. It was an okay tire, but it had seen 40 thousand miles! Lower 48 roads, no worry; Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory, well maybe. Turns out, we made it fine. A Ford Dealer provided Quivera the Van with a new shoe and she was raring to go! The spare happily returned to being a spare.
Off we went, motoring across the Yukon Territory. Haines Junction, Kluane Lake, and White River came and went. In two days we were at the Alaska Border. Today’s photo essay will provide views of some of the sights we saw along the way.
Getting our tire replaced in Whitehorse allowed us to wander around town and appreciate sights like this First Nation mural.
This handsome sculpture was outside the Visitor Information Center.
Inside, a stained glass window gave a fine representation of the country we were traveling through.
Back on the road, we were reminded that it seemed to go on forever…
Fireweed added bright splashes of color along the highway’s edge.
A campground at Kluane Lake reminded us not to feed the bears. I am pretty sure the occupant of the bird house agreed. The bordering Kluane National Park was grizzly bear country and they often wandered in looking for food.
Why anyone would feel tempted to feed anything like this, I haven’t a clue! (I took this photo in Alaska but it fits here.)
An ATV at the campground had this bear patrol sign on it, along with a pair of fearsome huskies.
We searched the mountains behind the campground for grizzlies. We didn’t see any but we did see Dall Sheep.
White River, where we stopped on our way back south, had an extensive collection of antlers to remind us of other occupants of the far north, such as moose.
One rooftop was covered in antlers.
Peggy provides some perspective. How would you like to wear these on your head? This set weighed close to 50 pounds.
A small wayside on a lake before we reached the Alaska Border gave us this view.
And a reflection shot.
A moth was in the pebbles next to the lake.
And a family of ducks worked the edge.
A very skinny coyote put in an appearance as we left.
And finally, we reached Alaska, where Bob, Linda and Sister posed for us.
This sign showed the Alaska-Yukon Border. It’s my idea of the type of fence that should exist between nations.
Looking back, we were reminded of our journey. Larger than life, indeed! Next Wednesday we head into the wilds of Alaska.
FRIDAY’S POST: It’s back to MisAdventures and who shot Pavy’s pig. It couldn’t have possibly have been the Mekemson kids, could it?
MONDAY’S POST: We continue our journey by raft through the Grand Canyon.
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Wandering through Time and Place 
Maybe antler exercise could be the next fitness craze: work out holding those heavy things. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of them though!
Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. 🙂 theres a great story of a French woman who participated in the Iditarod. A moose attacked her sled dogs and them stood over her for several minutes with antlers poised. She didn’t twice a muscle and finally the moose wandered off. 🙂 –Curt
Love these images. Wonder why the coyote looks so very thin?
Thanks! I thought he might have had a problem, Sylvia. I could understand it coming off of winter but it was summer. –Curt
No photo essay on the Yukon is complete without a shot of Fireweed. The image in my mind of the region that stands out is the deep glacial blue-green of Lake Kluane bordered by Fireweed.
Absolutely, Craig. I don’t think I got that one, but I took lots of fireweed photos. The same was true of Alaska! I ad bit to being surprised on finding fireweed growing in the Sierra’s however. –Curt
I have a cousin living in Whitehorse — your photos remind me it’s high time I visited her!
There you go, AC. A great idea. There is a lot of incredible country around there. And I bet that your cousin would love the visit. –Curt
My favourite picture is the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man cloud
Good observation, Andrew! Peggy and I both thought the same thing. Made me think of Ghostbusters. I almost wrote something in about it. –Curt
Ghostbusters is the only reason I know about Staypuft!
Thanks, Andrew. I had actually forgot the name of the Ghostbuster marshmallow man.
One of my favourite films, I know every line!
Love all the pics. Those are some antlers.
Thanks, Peggy. You’d want to weigh at least a thousand pounds to have a set. 🙂 –Curt
Just as well humans don’t wear antlers. Just imagine turning around in bed wearing those things.
Your poor partner! And imagine having a nightmare… 🙂 You made me smile, Gerard. –Curt
I love Alaska. In fact, I lived there briefly in 1991. But I’ve never driven in. I hear about spots on these road trips and wish I could take a road trip to Alaska, too. Just a few more years, hopefully, when I can RV all over the place. Looks amazing!
I think it is something you would love, Juliann, from reading your posts. You seem to have an adventuresome soul. 🙂 –Curt
Great idea! Now we’ll bring along our huskies. We are sure they will protect us from the bears… not feed them… so long as we are not fed on by them!
Laughing. Just stay away from the moose. Moses assume huskies are wolves and can get a bit nasty! It is sometimes a problem on the Iditarod. –Curt
Oh perhaps stuffed huskies and bambi could work…
Oh, that poor coyote. Hope it wasn’t the latest low-carb diet that did it. You’re really feeding my hankering for heading up that way! First to work out some of the kinks of living in a tiny little box. 😀
Yeah, I felt for that coyote. I suspect it had some problems. Maybe it was a teenager. 🙂 Small spaces take getting used to and yours is even smaller than ours. The first van we travelled in was 20 feet, the second 22. Between them, we lived in them for four years. You have to like each other! 🙂 The other thing that worked for us was that we each had our own space, me up front and Peggy in the back. –Curt
Good thing we seem to like each other a lot! 😀 Though taking hikes when the weather allows certainly helps!
Admittedly, Gunta! Being able to live outside in good weather helps as well. 🙂
Wow. I am glad that I found Your blog. We have a world map in our bedroom and many times, we have been which kind there is there. Your photos inspired us and I am grateful that You showed them. Thank You.
Happy upcoming weekend!
Peggy and I kept a world map in our bedroom for several years when we lived in Sacramento to mark off the places we visited. 🙂 Thanks for commenting! I visited your blog and really enjoyed your photos of the snow castle in Finland. –Curt
With that much weight on their heads, no wonder moose have a reputation for being a tad testy…
“Sorry, judge, but I had a terrible headache!” 🙂 To top it off, so to speak, they have something to be testy with! –Curt
Love the First Nation mural, but really turned on by the photos of the wide open spaces. That’s what we love when we visit western states — the big sky and rolling countryside. It’s what I’d love to see at least once a year.
That open country is burned into my soul, Rusha. I find plenty of beauty when I am traveling in the east, but ultimately, I need those wide open spaces. –Curt
In addition to the just beautiful photos of your adventures is the just plain joy that is radiating from Peggy in so many of the photos. How much do those antlers weigh?
Enjoyed this photo essay very much. Thank you.
About 50 pounds, JoHanna. Peggy enjoys being out and about exploring the world as much as I do. It shows. And thanks. Appreciated. –Curt