fer midnight sun was bright by 3:40am. I let the dogs out to pee, but went back to napping as I didn't want to break the silence. There were quite a few people in the parking area!
I finally drove off at 8:30am, taking the Top of the World highway east of Tok to Dawson City. It was by far the worst road yet on this trip: 60 miles of compact gravel road with several long delays for construction teams. By the time I got to Chicken, AK I was ready for a beer but opted not to since I still had a ways to go and was only averaging 35mph. Chicken's big claim to fame is its old gold mine. A few RV parks, a cafe and a gas station are their current economy. Both Zeke and Sadie left their poop behind near the chicken statue, so obviously we all needed a break! And yes, I did clean up after them.
I made it to the Yukon border at 1pm. The border crossing here is the most northern land crossing between the US and Canada, right in the range of the 40Mile Caribou herd, with mostly barren hillsides and spindly pines. A snowcapped mountain range was farther norther; the hills around me were steep with narrow spurs. It was compact gravel all the way to Dawson City. At least there were no frost heaves! A state ferry took us across the Yukon River. We were officially in town at 3:20pm. I parked near the river. A kayak race that started 140 miles away in Whitehorse had its first team come through at 4pm and spectators were watching from the dyke. People were laying on the park grass, playing with their dogs or just standing around mingling with others.
I walked around the town for a mile, then took the dogs on the 3.5-mile loop trail around town, starting along the river and then joining the 9th Avenue Trail. We had views of town and the river. The wooded part along the hill went through an old mining community, and with a closer look one could see relics rusting in the tall grass, old cabins decomposing among the new aspens. This is a town proud of its history and willing to preserve it. The roads are still dirt, the sidewalks in the business district are wood planks and the entire town is a noted historical site. The Visitor's Center alone is like a museum, displaying the fur trapping, gold miners and rail road workers who developed this area and put it on the map. The Robert Service cabin is preserved and next to it is the Jack London museum. Both writers wrote about the gold rush of the early 20th century and life in the Yukon.
The walk was enough for the dogs. I've noticed Sadie weakening on this road trip. I'm either just now aware of her age or I've taxed her too much on this trip. She's become an old, tired dog. The 3.5 miles were enough for her. Both dogs rested in the van as I visited a Victorian-era hostel/now hotel and pub and had one Yukon gold beer and artichoke dip with chips. The dip combo cost more than the beer and the bartender looked like a young Greg Allman.
My last deed in town before leaving was stopping at the recycling depot in town, a colorful building I discovered on my walk. I was impressed with everything that is recycled here. It's not just glass bottles, cardboard and plastic #1 and #2, but styrofoam, boxboard, milk cartons, all papers and "mixed plastics" not labeled #1 and #2. I told another woman dropping off recyclables that I admired the town for recycling everything, as one doesn't see this in the United States. "Why not?" she asked perplexed. "Because in the US we don't recycle unless it is profitable."
I drove up Midnight Dome outside of town, a popular spot for locals on summer solstice to come here and watch the sun set at midnight, then watch the sun rise again two hours later. It was
10:30pm when I made it to the dome, with tour buses and bikers looking out over the view of the meandering Yukon river as it snakes around high cliffs and disappears over the horizon. I could have hiked up to the dome from town on one of the trails off the 9th Avenue Trail, but I wanted to give the dogs and me some rest. There are still plenty of trails to hike between here and Arizona!
I drove another two hours along the road, as the tall hills gave way to more gentler slopes studded with spruce and aspen. I wanted to make it to Stewart Crossing south of Dawson City, but instead stopped 30 miles north of town at Moose Creek, a pull out just outside the Moose Creek campground. I parked there for the night with no one around but a bazillion mosquitoes swarming around the van. I had to close all the windows in the van to keep the dogs and me from becoming a meal. It got a little warm in the van with no cool air circulating, but it did cool down enough for us to get some rest.
I drove 360.1 miles today.
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