The drive was as beautiful going up as it was coming down.
In the ditch along the road we spotted a mother black bear with two tiny cubs.
We were thrilled when we got across from them, one of the cubs stood up on his hind legs to give himself a better view of the world.
On up the road the caravan took a break next to a beautiful lake.
Then it was back on the road again.
The next rest break was at Tatogga Lake Resort.
Spike promised us ice cream which we were all more than ready for. Unfortunately, the Lodge was OUT of ice cream. We pretty much gave Spike a hard time about that the rest of the day.
Inside it was a beautiful lodge with lots of animal mounts, including this life-sized moose.
Outside was the mosquito trap high up on a pole. Yes, we have been dealing with mosquitos, and they have been irritating, which they always are, but they haven’t been terrible.
The road, the Cassiair Highway, to this point, has been good, actually, GREAT, compared to how it was three years ago when it was terrible.
However, at this point, the road has had some recent construction and although it is smooth, it is dusty. Time to make sure all the windows and vents are closed.
That night we all sat around a blazing fire inside the pavilion and Don read several Robert Service poems.
Robert Service is a famous Canadian poet that wrote and published a couple thousand poems, many humorous about life in the gold rush days of Alaska.
After that, one of the ladies, Sylvia, loaned Don a CD that she happened to have with her of her late husband’s uncle reading some Robert Service poems.
Then another couple, Karen and Bob, found a Robert Service book of poems that Don did not have, and gave it to him. We were both very surprised and of course very appreciative of both of these acts of kindness.
Some toasted marshmallows…and we talked Spike into telling funny stories that happened to him during his 16 years of leading caravans. It was great fun.
The next day we were back on more of the dusty road. This is what happens when we meet an 18-wheeler driving at break-neck speeds.
We slow way down, or even stop while pulling as far right as possible, because he is throwing rocks which we are hoping will miss our windshields.
As I have mentioned before, there are thousands of lakes up here and each one is more beautiful than the last.
This time when we pull off for a rest break, we are all able to park in one long line.
Once again, we have stopped next to a lake.
Back on the road, it is just more and more beautiful scenery.
One of the things everyone on this caravan is hoping to see, is the Northern Lights. This is the time of year when that sometimes happen. Of course it only happens very late at night when it is pitch black.
It stays light here till very late and if it is overcast, of course you won’t see them…but we are still hoping.
When the caravan pulled into Watson Lake in Yukon Territory, they were greeted by the “Northern Lights” in broad daylight.
Everyone is taking our silliness with great humor. In fact, now they are trying to guess what Don’s next costume is going to be. As a result of this nuttiness, parking 20 rigs at a throw is going quite well.
After he parked in the bear costume in Hyder, one of the ladies presented him with a small wooden bear ornament that said “Hyder, AK” on the front, and then on the back she had written, “Don, you are the bear!” It was a greatly appreciated gift.
The main thing that Watson Lake is known for is the Sign Forest.
The Sign Forest was begun in 1942 when a lonesome, homesick soldier working on the Alcan Highway put up a sign with the name of his hometown.
Since then thousands have put up signs with names of their hometowns, and other tidbits of info such as their names and the number of miles it is away from their home town.
So now there is, in Watson Lake, Yukon, a sign with our name and Sunriver, Oregon on it, along with the 1665 miles that this is away from home. Look for it if you are ever there.
Our next stop is an overnight in Teslin, Yukon Territory. The scenery between Watson Lake and Teslin is spectacular.
This is approaching Teslin. Our RV park is just on the other side of the bay.
The park also has a wildlife museum.
The museum has several life sized mounts in natural settings like these are caribou.
On the way there, Don had called to Spike (with everyone else hearing it, of course, that he had heard that they were re-surveying the Alcan highway. (A totally bogus story, but a sort of hidden clue as to what to expect next.)
Then when we arrived at the park ahead of the caravan, he radioed again, that there was a surveyor in the park, that he was a little weird and to be careful not to run over him when entering the park.
Yeah, he was weird, all right!! With or without the costume.
By this point, our fellow travelers are beginning to look forward to what Don will be or do next. Well, believe me, they ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
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