Alaska Highway Completed

Saturday, June 24 

We are now in Delta Junction, Alaska just a few miles from Fort Greely where my father was posted in the winter of 1955-1956.  He didn't talk much about his Army days, but his work involved testing equipment under extreme weather conditions so he was here in the winter. (After Alaska, he was posted to Dugway Proving Ground in the desert of Utah.)

From Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, we resumed our trek on the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction and visited Kluane National Park.

We camped at Kathleen Lake and enjoyed an evening stroll along the lakeshore.

I used my trekking poles because the side effect of my 

anticonvulsant medication is dizziness.

A beautiful spot to find a pair of the Canadian national parks red chairs.

Our visit coincided with the Solstice so we had lots of hours of daylight to explore.

11:35 p.m. with sun still visible through the trees

View from our campsite at 5:15 the next morning.  I love how the morning sunlight lit up the mountain.

The building that houses the Kluane NP Visitor Center is also the center for First Nations people in the area.  As we arrived there on National Indigenous People Day, we were greeted by an elder and invited to attend a luncheon with traditional stew and bannock bread.  Yummy!

A travel guidebook recommended sourdough cheese sticks from a local bakery, so we arrived just before it opened the next morning at bought some.  They were worth waiting for!

The Alaska Highway swings northward from Haines Junction and follows the shore of Kluane Lake.

The hike to Soldier's Summit where the ribbon cutting for the highway was held in 1942 was fairly easy and afforded great views.

Slims River with its heavy load of silt from Kaskawulsh Glacier enters Kluane Lake

below Soldier's Summit.

I used my trekking poles again.

From this point, the journey became tedious and grueling.  The information I read before leaving home about road conditions was all true ... long stretches of gravel, deteriorating asphalt, road construction delays, potholes.  Just when we thought we could pick up some speed, another rough patch appeared.  Yippee!  we get to do it all over again in a few weeks when we leave Alaska.  

The plus side ?  wildlife sightings - I didn't get pictures of the moose and beaver because they

moved too quickly, but this guy just leisurely ambled along the side of the road and then crossed

right in front of our stopped vehicle.

After leaving Beaver Creek, YT early on June 23, we drove 19 miles to the US border and made a stop for the photos.  A bit farther on, we came to the Customs building, the agent asked a few questions, then said "Welcome Home."  A very quick and easy border crossing.  (I hope the next two are as easy as the first two.)

Brian FINALLY reaches his 50th state!  (I visited Alaska in 1975 before we were married.)

Midway Lake, AK

Alaska is as beautiful as we expected.

We reached the town of Tok, but changed our minds about staying overnight there.  We celebrated our arrival with a great breakfast at a restaurant and continued on to Delta Junction, where the Alaska Highway officially ends.  Here in Delta Junction three days after the Solstice, sunset was at 12:16 a.m. and sunrise was 3:13 a.m.  with 3 hours of twilight in between.  We are normally early risers when we travel and usually leave campsites before sunrise...kind of hard to do that up here.   Brian made cardboard window covers for the van so we are able to sleep without the sun in our eyes.

Our van picked up some dirt in Yukon Territory and brought it to Alaska.

We have seen numerous dirty vehicles and RVs here in Delta Junction.

I used Windex wipes to clear road grime so I could affix the decal I bought back at

Mile Zero in British Columbia.  The Visitor Center will give you a completion

certificate for a $3.00 fee - we declined because we had this sticker.

About 5 miles south of Delta Junction is Fort Greely.  We drove out to take a look and stopped at a nearby rest area.  A nice gentleman stopped by to talk and let me take a picture of his t-shirt.

Thinking of my father 

Information sign at the rest area

I don't think they sold t-shirts when my father was there.

Early this morning, we drove about 20 miles south of town on the Richardson Highway.  The clear morning air brought the eastern front of the Alaska Range into sharp focus.  The highest mountain is Mount Hayes (13,832 feet) but it is not nearly as big as Denali about 100 miles to the west.

Eastern side of the Alaska Range 

Donnelly Dome - there is a geocache at the top. 10 or 12 years ago we probably would have

hiked up there to look for it.  We are past those days now.

As the morning wore on, clouds started building up.

Alyeska Pipeline viewpoint where the pipeline is buried under the Richardson Highway, but above 

ground in both directions.   When I spent the summer of 1975 in Alaska with relatives, the pipeline

was VERY controversial.   Also in the news that summer? moving the capital from Juneau (didn't happen)

and renaming Mount McKinley to Denali (did happen).

The vertical structures are there to release heat from the pipeline and prevent thawing of the ground.

panorama of the Alaska Range

Donnelly Creek - 

Back in Delta Junction, Moby gets a bath.