Watson Lake and up.......in pictures
Sunday, 09 August 2009 21:47:49 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
Alaska
Watson Lake and up.......
Upon leaving Watson Lake, everyone was suffering from a lack of sleep – due to those darn mosquitoes.....the bites down by the river side on our way to see the bison took us all by surprise.....and we sure have learnt our lesson from that experience!
Driving through Yukon, we found the Continental Divide Lodge and decided to call it a day......we got a warm welcome there and gave Nessie a well deserved bath! We enjoyed a tasty meal in the restaurant, as a treat, and were then all asleep by 9.30pm!
Leaving the Continental Divide, we all felt much brighter having slept well and we enjoyed the beautiful colours of the flowers and the back drop scenery as we drove towards Whitehorse. We saw a big fire on the other side of the Swan River to us. We are not sure if it was controlled or wild, but at least the temperature was not too high and it was not too windy. At Whitehorse, we stopped to talk to Julie as her bike had a BRITISH number plate! It was strange to see and she explained that 17 of them were on a tour from Alaska right down to South America (Patagonia). One of the group was from Devon and also fundraising for the Devon Air Ambulance – as we are. So it really is a small world... We wish them all luck in their adventures! We set up camp at the Hi Country RV Park and enjoyed meeting Roef and Ina from Germany. They have also shipped their own Mercedes Camper over to the States and have given us the details of different options to consider for our return journey, later on this year. Following more sightings of the majestic Bald Headed Eagle along the Alaska Highway, we arrived at Cottonwood RV Park. We were interested to learn that the council run site just a little further along this road had been closed the day before – due to the presence of Grizzly Bears! A little unusual with us coming from England and all!
We spent the afternoon and evening cooking up many meals as we were told that we would not be allowed to take any meat over the border, into Alaska. We had a large choice of menu for the next couple of days, and our final campsite in Canada was Lake Creek, until we were ready to proceed with our journey! Jemma and Ben picked wild strawberries and wild raspberries (getting there before the bears!) and we mixed them into a concoction for our pudding that evening! We met Walter and Ruth from Switzerland, who have their own all- terrain vehicle with them and are also well- seasoned travellers! We didn’t realise how popular this travelling way of life can be – until we have been in the midst of it all! It seems to be a bug that sticks with you always.....and you just need to see more! We have had our body clocks thrown out once again by heading north. It was still light at midnight and very unnatural for us to have to sleep. The children’s bedtimes have become very tricky but we are glad Nessie has night blinds! It has also got colder and we registered -2 degrees in the morning!
Over the border and into ALASKA! We have made it to the ‘last new place’ for us to visit on Macswayround! Quite fitting as Alaska is referred to as ’The Last Frontier’ and also – ‘The Land of the Midnight Sun’ – and we can vouch for that too! It all seems to have gone so quickly.....but it hasn’t gone yet – still much more to see and do on Macswayround!
Our first campsite was ‘Deadpan’s Lake’ at Northway Junction. Although we didn’t know quite what to make of this name, the children had a great time in the water and with the dingy too! We later found out from Ranger Adriana that a few men had enjoyed themselves (a bit too much), one night, as they worked on constructing the Alaska Highway, and one man had actually drowned in this lake. Adriana also did a presentation on the Boreal Forest with many stories about the area. She showed us how to recognise, amongst others, Black Spruce, White Spruce, Willow and Quaking Aspen trees. We heard about a grizzly bear encounter not too far from us, the night before, and about Adriana’s own hiking and camping experiences – with the bears! We figure that the locals must treat the bears around here with the same degree of normality as the Australians treat crocodiles and sharks! As we were leaving the area, we came across Christie (the same signal board lady who we met the day before, our first Alaskan local!) – she also told us the story of the ‘bear’ and said that the trashed house was that one – just over the road from us. She was, and understandably so, being extra careful in checking behind her back on that particular day!
We found out about severe wild fires burning throughout Alaska at the moment. The numbers change frequently but there were 79 active fires in progress the other day. This has made much of the country very smoky, which can limit views for everyone. We now realise that the fires we have been seeing already (within the Yukon Territory also) are wild fires. This brings back memories of when we were in Australia earlier this year, and the wild fires burning there – where many lives were lost. Alaska also has such an immense coverage of land that hundreds of thousands of acres can continue burning without being of threat to anyone and fire is a necessary part of the forests regeneration cycles. Obviously these fires are closely monitored and defence systems are installed around the towns when deemed necessary. Speaking with the locals, wild fires are obviously another natural and regular occurrence, here in Alaska. However, this year is particularly bad for the extreme number and enormous size that some of the fires have reached. Some fires have met and joined forces making their power ever stronger and more ferocious. We have seen a fire helicopter (near Whitehorse), collecting water from a nearby lake.....it seems that where-ever we go on Macswayround – we are experiencing dramatic climate change, with fires, floods and extreme temperatures.
In Tok, we stayed at the RV Village and chatted to Pieter & Monique from the Netherlands, who have been travelling for about 7 years, to date (popping home from time to time!).We went to the entertainments at the camp which included songs and tales of Alaska with Dave Stancliff and his team of budding musicians. There is a magical appeal to the spirit and feelings that time in Alaska brings and these are the themes (among others) that Dave has expressed through his song writing. He also has a fun song about a moose – which has been echoed throughout Nessie ever since his show!
We had a very interesting time at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and we would like to thank the staff there for their time. The children received booklets, on a similar theme to the Junior Ranger work – however completion of this work will make the children Refuge Managers (through the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service).
It rained heavily for a short while, and we are only hoping that this would have helped to control some of the fires ....... At the Dry Creek Camp, we met Leo and the children enjoyed roasting marshmallows in his controlled fire pit. We learnt more local knowledge, although after being up here 30 years Leo is still not sure if he is a local (this sounds like Devon or Cornwall!)
In the morning we were even offered pancakes for breakfast.....thank-you- they were yummy!!
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS – in this land of the midnight sun...........
Sunday, 09 August 2009 20:58:13 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Alaska | Canada
Watson Lake and up.......
FACTIODS:
• The Continental Divide is the ridge line that separates two of the largest river drainages in North America. The Alaska Highway crosses the divide at one of the lowest points. Only humps of sand and gravel separate the west-flowing Swift River from the east-flowing Rancheria River. A leaf dropped into the Rancheria River would take a long course of 2,650 miles to end up in the Arctic Ocean. However, a leaf dropped into the Swift River would travel 2,300 miles and end up in the Pacific Ocean.
• The Bald Eagle is found only on the North American continent. Adults generally weigh between 9 and 12 pounds and have wing span of 7 feet. The district white head and tail of the mature bird is developed between 4 and 6 years of age.
• The Boreal Forest is very special as it runs along the same latitude, in a band, all around the world. It extends across the subarctic regions of Russia, Scandinavia and North America. Each of these forests has the same varieties of trees, mostly coniferous, which all do a very important job around our world.
• Arctic Tundra is usually defined as the land beyond the northern limit of tree growth. However, in the Yukon, arctic tundra may contain strands of the Boreal forest almost to the arctic coast.
Sunday, 09 August 2009 20:57:09 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Alaska | Canada
Watson Lake and up.......
WILDLIFE HITS:
• Stone Mountain Sheep
• Caribou
• Black Bear!
• Bison (buffalo)
• Trumpeter Swans
• Pine Gros Beak
• Grey Jays (Camp-robbers!)
• Grayling (Lady of the Stream).
Sunday, 09 August 2009 20:55:59 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) Canada | Alaska