Author: Shauna Vugteveen

Saturday morning we packed up the Jeep and headed to Stampede Road which was just north of our campsite. The Stampede Trail is the trail that Christopher McCandless hiked in 1992 to the now famous Magic bus. His body was found in the bus deep inside the wilderness about 30 miles down the trail. The actual bus is still out there. A replica bus from the movie Into The Wild is located at the 49th State Brewing Company in Healy.

The first 4 miles was paved then turned to gravel. Another 4.8 miles on the gravel led us to the beginning of the trail. It was significantly narrower but the Jeep fit just fine. There was nothing difficult about the trail but it was bumpy and rocky and just a cool trail to be on since we didn’t see another soul once we got on it.

Almost right away, Craig spotted a moose. I backed up slowly and we were eye to eye with a mama and her baby. She definitely was keeping a close watch on us so I snapped a few pictures and we continued on our way.

The trail had some mud holes which weren’t that bad and a few that had by-passes for what we assumed were the really bad ones. Then we got to the creek crossings. The creek wound itself in and over and through the trail. At one point I was driving right down the middle of it. We really enjoyed this trail and were bummed when we hit a big mud bog with no clear way of getting through AND back. We could’ve winched ourselves across but looking behind us there was nothing to hook too. This was 5.3 miles in. We were really hoping to at least make it to the Savage River but oh well. Next time we’ll we bring friends with bigger rigs to help us.

Sunday we went to 49th State Brewing because they were having a blood drive. At home we try to donate regularly and thought it would be a good thing to do, it had nothing to do with the 1/2 off appetizer offered with donation. We got in the mobile bus and started filling out our information, the lady was happy to hear I’m 0 positive since most of the population is, and Craig is 0 negative. Unfortunately, we are honest folk and admitted our tattoos were gotten within the last 12 months and she had to defer us. We offered to give back our t-shirts but she was happy to let us have them, thanked us for even trying, and told us to go enjoy our beer and appetizer.

We toured around town a bit, window shopped and then headed to the bridge over the Nenana River. When we were rafting, our guide told us there was a foot bridge under it that you could walk on. It was really beautiful up there and it was cool to watch the train pass by under us.

While we were there, a guy had climbed the railing and made his way to the cross members of the bridge and was tying a rope to them. We watched intently as he checked his knots and walked the rope to the cement support of the bridge. And then…he jumped. He swung out over the Nenana River while we whooped and hollered for him. He let himself down to the ground and climbed back up so the next guy could go.

Monday we had a cleaning day. I cleaned the camper and trailer, Craig cleaned the interiors of the truck and Jeep. We had also found that the plys separated on one of the trailer tires causing it to tear. Craig changed out the tire and we are working on that warranty issue now.

Late in the day we left and drove south toward Talkeetna. It was a beautiful night and we were able to see Denali!! So beautiful!! Pictures just do not do it justice.

We found a great boondocking spot on the Susitna River just before the spur road to Talkeetna. We headed into town in the morning. Talkeetna is a cool little town. Lots of cute shops, good food and it’s right at the convergence of the Susitna and Talkeetna Rivers and flows really fast. On the river walk, we again got a view of Denali although clouds were hovering and hiding some of it. We popped into West Rib for a beer brewed specifically for that restaurant and ran into a couple from Newaygo, Michigan. Go figure! We also met Jeff who offered to take us rock climbing. We’ve never been so we took him up on it and that will be next weeks adventure.

Wednesday we headed to Chugiak to meet up with our friends from the Dempster Highway, Barb and Steve. We had helped them out with a flat tire and hit it off. They made us a King Salmon meal that was amazing! We haven’t had a lot of fish on the trip yet so this was perfect. It was so great to catch up with them and learn about some fun things to do in the area. We’re thankful to be able to reconnect again and be invited into their home. It was really nice to sit at the kitchen table, talking and laughing over beers, it felt a little like home.

We had a nice breakfast with them and got nice hot showers. We got the maps out and figured out our next adventure. We’re heading up to Hatcher Pass which has places to hike and take the Jeep out. The weather is a little iffy so hopefully the rain holds off.

Off to Hatcher Pass…

In our effort to get away from the busy summer touristy places, we decided to drive back up the Elliott Highway to Manley Hot Springs. A friend had told us that there is a road that was just completed in 2016 called Tofty Road and it goes west all the way to the Yukon River. That sounded like something we should do.

We had driven part of the Elliott Highway on our way to the Dalton Highway a few weeks ago, so we knew what parts of the road were crappy. What we didn’t know was how crappy the road all the way to Manley Hot Springs was going to be. But at this point, we’ve been on so many crappy roads we are used to it. The Elliott Highway is 150 miles and is 50% paved and 50% gravel and connects Fox to Manley Hot Springs. Manley Hot Springs is a small town with a natural hot springs, near the Tanana River.

We got to Manley Hot Springs around 10:30pm. We knew there was camping available across the street from the Manley Roadhouse. It was basically the parking area for a boat launch and it didn’t fit many RVs. There was one spot left for us thankfully. We walked to the Roadhouse to pay the fee and there were a few people in the bar. We decided to have a beer and get some info on Tofty Road.

While enjoying our first beer, we chatted with the bartender and learned that the guy across the bar worked for DOT (and didn’t appreciate me telling him how crappy the road into town was) and the guy telling funny stories used to be a Haul Road trucker. Before we could get out of there, DOT guy rang the bell, which means he bought the whole bar a round! There was only 5 of us in the bar but still it was pretty cool of him. What we didn’t know was he was going to ring the bell 3 or 4 more times. At 2:30 we left with wooden tokens in our pockets, which guaranteed that we still got the drink he bought us when we came back. He wanted us to stay for shots. Thanks, but no, we were tired!

Saturday we packed up the Jeep and drove the Tofty Road. When you first turn on the road there is a sign that says Rough Road next 50 miles. It was pretty rough but a much easier drive in the Jeep. We went through a few creek crossings and even saw a big moose! We made our way all the way to the Yukon River which is the 5th time we’ve seen it on this journey. It is really wide at this point. There is nothing at the end of Tofty Road except a boat launch and a parking lot for the residents of Tanana, which is across the river. So after a few pictures, we turned around and headed back. We learned later that this road is the most West you can drive in the United States on continuous roads.

We got back to Manley and had a quick lunch and decided to catch up on sleep. Around 10:00 pm decided we should go back in the roadhouse and use our wooden token. This was a good and bad decision. It was good because we met many new friends. A trio of gold buyers from Nome, Alaska popped in and we hit it off. Nome is now on our list of places to visit although not during this trip. Hagen & Nick are land surveyors living up here until their road project is complete. Hagen is a talented artist and photographer and a licensed drone pilot. Because of him, I now want to become a licensed drone pilot. And Yolanda works in hospitality in Denali. She had so much great advice as well and we promised to catch up with her when we were in the area. The night consisted of more bell ringing by all, stories and laughter and the night slipped away from us. Eventually, Missy, our awesome bartender nicely told us to go home. This is where our bad decision-making came in, we didn’t realize it was 4:00 am.

Sunday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and made our way back to Fairbanks. We grabbed a bite to eat and settled back at the Chena Recreation area in Fairbanks again. We weren’t in the mood for Wal-Mart and wanted to charge everything back up.

We were setting up camp and I had Gus out when a nice gentleman walked across the road to his trailer just two spots over. He stopped to say hi to Gus and a conversation began and eventually he wanted to have the conversation over a beer. He was an interesting fellow from British Columbia with cool stories. As we sat on the picnic table, exchanging stories, laughing and drinking all his Budweiser, his wife appeared as if from nowhere and said it’s almost 3 am, time for bed. Oops. When we got up at 10:30 the next morning, we found a note written on part of the Budweiser box from our new friend, thanking us for a fun night and to call him if we get to his neck of the woods. Hopefully we didn’t get him into too much trouble.

We were still moving pretty slow and content to keep it that way. We went to the Fountainhead Antique Auto museum which was fascinating. We got to see a collection of over 80 vehicles, including horseless carriages, steamers, electric cars, speedsters, cyclecars, midget racers and 30s classics. These include such rarities as an 1898 Hay Motor Vehicle, 1906 Compound, 1920 Argonne and 1921 Heine-Velox Victoria. Remarkably, all but a few of the automobiles are able to be driven. The cars are beautifully restored and time appropriate clothing were displayed all around. It was very interesting and educating to read all about the different kinds of vehicles. Craig of course loved the 1926 Fordson Snow motor. We saw a video of it actually working and it’s a pretty cool toy.

We ended up spending a fair amount of time in Fairbanks and areas north. We are really glad we took the time to go to some of the out-of-the-way places. It might not always be the easiest or most popular, but when you go places not many others go, you end up hearing and having unique stories.

We traveled south to Healy and stayed at a campground for two nights and then moved to the boondocking spot we wanted when it was available. Healy is just north of Denali National Park.

Wednesday was a nice clear day so we decided to drive the Denali Highway. The Denali Highway is 134 miles, it links Cantwell to Paxson and is 15% paved and 85% gravel. When it opened in 1957, it was the only road to the Denali National Park. As we drove East, we stopped at a turnout and looked back toward Cantwell and were able to see beautiful Denali. They say you can see it 1 out of every 3 days. We hope to see it a little better as we continue to travel south. On the highway, there are many little off shoots which look like ATV trails that Craig was dying to explore, but because we were doing a day trip in the Jeep, we opted to keep going and decide to stop on our way back if we had time, which we didn’t. The drive was beautiful! The Alaska Mountain range is spectacular and the tundra covered valleys were vast. We couldn’t get enough of the views on this road.

It was a long day but worth the drive. We wished we had taken the truck and camper and camped out for a few days. We got back to town and saw our friend Yolanda walking. She offered to set up a river rafting trip for us which we accepted happily. We continued to 49th State Brewing which was right down the road from our campsite. The bus from the movie Into the Wild is displayed outside of the brewery and you can go inside and read a timeline of Christopher McCandless’ time out there.

Thursday we cruised 15 miles into Denali National Park which is as far as you can drive without getting on a tour bus. We opted not to do that because even the shortest one would be too long to leave Gus. We were hoping for a better view of Denali but it wasn’t a clear day so no luck there. We walked a quick 2 mile loop trail at the Savage River. We were bummed to learn Gus isn’t allowed on any of the trails except the bike path which is no fun but he seemed happy to nap in the Jeep.

Yolanda had contacted us to let us know we were booked for the 6:30pm Canyon Run rafting trip at the friend and family rate she can get. Awesome! We showed up and because we were late additions, they asked if we would mind being on an oar raft instead of a paddle raft. This meant we would not have paddles in our hands and the guide would be doing all the work. We love to paddle but we appreciated them fitting us on any boat and we had a good time just the same.

It was a 2 hour river trip that begins at the entrance to Denali National Park and journeys 11 miles to Healy, AK on the Nenana River. Our guide was great and very informative. We learned a lot about the glacial formations and about the railroad that runs right alongside of it. Not sure we want to ride on that train after hearing how difficult it is to keep the tracks maintained when you have rock continually falling apart underneath. We did go over some class III rapids and enjoyed quizzing our guide. We wore full drysuits because the river is fed by glacial runoff and is 38 degrees. Our hands did get a little chilly but otherwise it was a great night to be on the river.

To thank Yolanda for setting up that cool trip, we met her at the local pizza place and chatted over pizza and beer. She’s traveled all over the country and it was fun to hear her stories. It was interesting to learn that Denali shuts down by September 20 and becomes a complete ghost town. Everything is winterized and there are only about 500 people that stay here year round.

Our next fun adventure is to drive the Stampede Road/Trail as far as we can. This is the trail that Christopher McCandless hiked when he came across the bus. We are not sure how far out we can actually drive. We were told only 8 miles but then there are Jeep tours that take you in farther. So of course we are going to find out for ourselves.

Off to Stampede Trail…

We headed up Chena Hot Springs Road toward Chena Hot Springs. Many people along our travels had told us about the hot springs and that it was a must see. As we drove, we found many places where you can just pull off and camp for free on Chena River. We came across the perfect spot for us at mile 38.2. We tucked ourselves at the end, close to the river and stayed for five days.

Saturday was a gorgeous sunny Alaska day. I even put my suit on and laid out in my lounge chair. We both were happy to just sit. I think we are both on book #5 and it’s nice to relax and read for hours.

In keeping with our Road Angel status, we were able to help out two young men from Switzerland. They had camped by us one night and then moved just across the river. They wanted to be on the rocky beach but didn’t check before driving a little too close and got their 19 foot Class C motor home stuck. They walked over to our campsite asking for some help. I was happy to be able to use my winch for the first time and we pulled them out with no problem. They were so thankful and paid us with two Swiss chocolate bars!

Monday we geared up for a hike. We did the Angel Rock loop which is 3.5 miles. It was a nice, somewhat difficult hike, up a rocky trail. We were a little concerned about Gus but he was excited and didn’t show signs of slowing down until we were almost back to the Jeep. We were happy to have done it and continue to look for more hikes suitable for the three of us.

Tuesday we drove to Chena Hot Springs which is at the end of Chena Hot Springs Road. It is privately owned and they have quite the little set up. There are horseback rides, chickens, goats, reindeer and of course the hot springs.

We didn’t feel like soaking in a big bath with a bunch of strangers so we opted for the Ice Museum tour.

As we entered the ice museum, we vowed to follow all the rules which included not opening the door on our own letting all the warm air in that melts the ice sculptures, and we also had to promise not to touch or lick anything. Visions of The Christmas Story immediately went through our heads and made me want to try. Just kidding. We were also told that our coats were cute but it was 18 degrees in there and we would be in there for about 45 minutes so we donned the big puffy coats they supplied. I’m thankful that I did because as it was my flip-flops turned out not to be the best decision. Thankfully, we were warmed up by a nice appletini at the Aurora Ice bar. It was a pretty cool experience.

We grabbed lunch at the restaurant and waited for the 2 pm Geothermal tour that they offer as well. The tour was interesting and explained how they are able to generate their own power using the hot springs. We went through the greenhouse as well and learned they hoped to be totally self-sustaining in the future.

As we headed back to our campsite, we made a quick stop at Angel Creek Lodge. As we were bellying up to the bar an older gentleman was getting up from his bar stool. Craig said he was fine, as in he didn’t have to leave because of us, and the man said “I know, but you’re not my type” with a smile. He put something away in his truck and came back in and I told him he could sit next to me if he wanted, which he did. He turned out to be from Cadillac, Michigan and had been living in Alaska for almost 30 years. The owner of the lodge was from L’Anse, Michigan and has been here for almost 50 years. We remarked that we continue to meet many people who originated in Michigan and wonder if we’ll feel that draw as well.

Wednesday we woke up to rain and it rained all day. We packed everything up and stopped to do a quick load of laundry. We knew we were going to head up the Steese Highway to a gravel pit that had a cool trail but because it continued to rain we stopped back in at the Silver Gulch Brewery. Here we met a group that also belong to the RVing to Alaska 2018 Facebook group that I’m in. They are from Texas and have been hitting all the breweries on their way. They were fun and we compared our adventures. This is when Sheri sat down on the other side of me. She is from Homer, Alaska but working road construction up here. She had so much great advice on the towns she thought were worth stopping in and the places to see and eat at. We were feeling guilty for going back to the brewery but we had another great night of meeting people.

We made our way up to the 12 Mile summit Wayside on the Steese Highway. It was overcast and foggy and we couldn’t see much. It was also really cold. Thankfully, it cleared up in the morning and we could see we were surrounded by awesome scenery. We packed up the Jeep and headed out on the trail. It was rocky and hilly and muddy and so much fun. It was so peaceful to be out and not seeing another person or RV. We went about 9 miles in before a big muddy bog turned us around. We didn’t feel comfortable trying to get through even with our winch. The trees out there were not big and we didn’t want to get stranded.

It was a great day anyway and took us about 4 1/2 hours. We figured we had time to run up to Circle, Alaska. The road there was the best gravel road we’ve been on so far.We drove into Circle, which isn’t much, looked at the Yukon river, again, and turned around. We stopped in Central at a small bar/store and grabbed some dinner. The owner and his son were bartending and we chatted with them well after they had closed. The son is in the National Guard and works on Blackhawk helicopters. How cool is that? Central is also a stop for the Yukon Quest 1000 mile International Sled Dog race and the family is really involved with that. They even said if we came back in February they would put us to work because they could use all the help they could get. We finally had to say goodbye and got back to our camper around midnite.

We love that this week we were able to do a few things off the beaten path. It’s cool to see the stuff that many people won’t get to. We don’t want the same pictures that everyone else has, we want our Alaska experience to be a different. Thank you to all those that have helped make that possible so far. We are headed to our next town excited for the next trail and more stories.

Off to roads less traveled…

After our trip to the Arctic Ocean, we went back to Dawson City and stayed at the Yukon River campground for three days. It was nice to sit and relax and we even ran into Barb and Steve in town Sunday night.

Barb & Steve are the couple we ran into with the flat tire right after we had our flat tire. We were able to help them out and get them back on the road. Barb dubbed us the “Road Angels” but we were just doing what we hoped someone would do for us.

When we were driving Barb back to her husband, we talked about how we all ended up on the trek to Tuktoyaktuk. We told her how we had come to planning our year trip and how the death of my dad kind of expedited our decision to hit the road. She shared with us that they had lost their only daughter last June. After a few miles of other talk, she continued to tell us that Erin had been killed by a predatory black bear. They had moved to Alaska in 1981, they had raised Erin to hike, and paddle and be in the wilderness. She was a bright young 28 year old geologist and a predatory black bear took her life.

Barb & Steve are on the road to just get away. We gave them hugs, listened to them and are heartbroken over their loss. We have no clue what losing a child feels like and we don’t pretend to know. The loss of my older brother and losing my Dad to cancer 5 1/2 years ago still hurts so we know there are no words to say to comfort them. What some people don’t understand is that when you lose a loved one, you don’t want to hear that there is a plan, it happened for a reason or God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle. You are sad, you are angry and there is no reason good enough to explain your pain. This sweet couple that we met on the side of the road one rainy night over flat tires are grieving. They are a year into grieving for their beautiful daughter. Craig and I are still grieving for an amazing dad and brother. Time helps a little, but it doesn’t take it away.

We ran into Barb & Steve again in Dawson City and were more than happy to go for a beer with them.We went to the Downtown Hotel and they got to witness us doing the famous Sour Toe Cocktail and they sneakily picked up the tab for the night. It was a really fun night. A few tears were shed but we continually have to remind ourselves that their daughter Erin, and my Dad, would want us to be doing what we are doing…seeking out new adventures, meeting new people and living life to the fullest. Barb & Steve have started a memorial fund for their daughter. Please check it out and consider donating www.erinkjohnson.com. We are so glad we met them and we look forward to meeting up with them again when we get to their area.

We hoped to hear from our cyclist friends when they returned from Tuk but they must’ve had a change of plans and stayed a bit longer. We left Dawson Wednesday morning and drove the Top of the World Highway. It was overcast and rainy but still a beautiful drive.

We stopped in Chicken for lunch and we were going to have one beer at the saloon but ended up staying for three nights because when they offer free camping behind the bar you stay. The staff there were great and had fun stories about living in Chicken. Each night brought in fellow travelers with their own unique stories. We learned a little about panning for gold, we drove up to historic Eagle, we got to see underwear being shot out of a cannon, and I even saw a Mama moose with her baby running through the parking lot this morning.

Our days tend to run together and we don’t even really know what the date is most of the time. We are enjoying every minute it. This week once again reminded us how short life is and to just live it. So if us doing the Sour Toe cocktail shot and and leaving underwear in Chicken sounds crazy to you then good, we are on the right track!

Off to Fairbanks…

It was a beautiful sunny Friday morning when we left Tuk. We were happy and excited about our last two days there. As we drove south, we didn’t have much of a plan, but wanted to be back in Dawson City on Saturday.

As we drove, we started leap frogging with some of the same vehicles. We would pass them, then we would stop and they would pass us, and on and on. That’s just how it goes on this type of road.

It started to rain later in the day and the road got really muddy and gross. Our truck really couldn’t get any muddier at this point but it wasn’t much fun to drive in. We had just crossed over the Wright Pass, which is the border between Yukon and Northwest Territories. The section of road south of the pass is crushed black shale gravel road surface. We came up on a Prius we had been leap frogging with, noting their hazard lights were on and they were out in the rain with their back hatch up. We slowed and they gave us the thumbs up telling us they were okay. Up here, slowing down and making sure people are okay is really important.

We continued ahead, feeling bad for them having to change a tire in the rain. Then about five miles later, we heard it too. The thump thump thump of our back driver tire. Craig pulled to the side of the road and we jumped out. We didn’t just have a flat, we had a completely shredded tire. It was pretty unbelievable. Craig had done his research and we had been pretty confident with our 10 ply tires but the road destroyed it. And at this point, I think it started to rain even harder.

The couple in the Prius eventually passed us and we gave them the thumbs up. Craig got the spare on but we were both soaked to the bone and ready to find a campsite for the night and dry off. We were only about 10 miles north of the Arctic Circle when we came across another truck and truck camper pulled off to the side of the road with a flat as well. They had to remove their entire truck camper to change the tire. The wife, Barb, came to our window and asked us to hang out for a minute. Craig got out to lend a hand. During all this, it was still raining and now the mosquitoes were swarming like crazy. And they aren’t little Michigan mosquitoes, they are huge Arctic mosquitoes the size of a small bird.

The couple got to a point where they felt confident they were set and we went on our way. We thought it was so crazy how three vehicles had flat tires within the same 15 mile stretch. We learned later that the black shale has very sharp edges and your front tires will flip-up pieces, shooting them into your back tires.

We drove about 20 miles to Eagle Plains and got a site at the campground. They had a bar and the clerk told us it was only open for another hour. We were wet and tired and ready to just sit and have a drink. The Prius couple, Vic and Sue, came to the bar as well and we all had a few laughs as we rehashed the day. Turns out when we saw them, that was their second flat of the day. It was fun talking to them. They are from Vancouver and we were excited to hear about it since we plan on going through that area in the fall.

We compared our trips thus far and drank until the bar closed. When we left, we walked through the lobby and saw Barb, from the truck camper flat we had stopped for earlier. I said that I was glad they made it and she stated that they hadn’t. As they were about to take off, they realized they had a second flat. She had hitched a ride to the hotel and was trying to figure out what to do. Thankfully the hotel/campground also had a tire shop and they had a tire for them but weren’t open until the morning. Unfortunately, the rim was 20 miles away. We told her we would take her back to the truck in the morning and help them get back on the road.

We took Barb back to where her husband, Steve, had camped out on the side of the road for the night. Steve and Craig were able to find where the hole was in the tire and Craig used his plug kit to fill it. Thankfully that worked so we didn’t have to run back and forth with tires. We all went back to Eagle Plains to the tire store. Barb and Steve were great. They are from Alaska and we got some good advice and ideas of places to go. It was really awesome meeting them and we hope to touch base with them again somewhere in our travels.

As we continued on our way we were thankful it wasn’t raining anymore. Everything was wet and muddy and we were ready to be back in Dawson. But then the truck started doing some funky things. We’ve had electrical gremlins before and thought we had taken care of it. All the gauges stopped working, the windows wouldn’t go down and then all of a sudden they would work. Craig figured it was a ground issue. We were about 10 miles north of the Tombstone Interpretive Center, which would be the last place on the Dempster with any kind of services, when the entire truck just quit. We had just passed a pull out so we were stuck on the side of the road. Craig started pulling fuses and trying to figure out what was going on. We decided it was probably some problem that couldn’t be fixed on the side of the road and I should get to the Interpretive Center and attempt to get a tow.

A truck with a truck camper happened by and we flagged them down. They had no problem giving me a ride but they had dogs in the back. I said no problem and when they opened the door, I recognized Bailey and Baxter. Up in Tuk, two little local girls were hanging out among all us campers. They had been walking the two dogs constantly and made sure I knew their names and wanted to know if Gus wanted to play with them. The couple was really surprised and then laughed when I told them how I knew their dogs and it made me feel a little better about my first hitchhiking experience.

I got to the Interpretive Center and the awesome staff there let me use the satellite phone. I was on the phone forever with our auto insurance. The call dropped once, and then I had to wait while they called Canada for a towing company. It took a couple of hours and in the end they couldn’t find anyone until Monday to come out and even then they weren’t sure how long it would take and that it would be extremely expensive. I told her to stop searching and that we would figure it out ourselves once we got a ride back into Dawson. At this point, the Interpretive Center was closed. The two gals working there offered to drive me up which was so very nice of them considering they were off the clock.

Once I got back to the truck, a nice older gentleman from Quebec with a truck and truck camper stopped. We asked if he would be willing to tow us back to the Interpretive Center parking lot so we would at least be off the road. He didn’t feel comfortable with that but he knew a thing or two about electrical problems having worked in a Napa. He had a multi-meter and was able to tell us that both batteries were dead. Knowing this, Craig swapped out the dead batteries and put in the camper batteries. Just as he was getting this done, another fellow traveler stopped to see if we were okay. He also had a multi-meter and was able to tell us that the alternator was charging. This made us feel confident that we wouldn’t ruin the camper batteries.

So we were finally back on the road. We got back into Dawson, found a campsite and are going to stay here for a few days. We want to clean things up, get new batteries, figure out our warranty on a tire from Discount Tire when there is no Discount Tire in Canada and hopefully see our cyclist friends on Tuesday.

The trip was amazing and the problems we had, although inconvenient, were nothing when you consider the big picture. It taught us again about patience, the generosity of strangers and to always pay it forward when you can.

From Mile “0” in Dawson Creek, we made our way to Watson Lake, YT. The stop here was important to us because Craig’s Aunt Karen and late Uncle Eugene had placed a sign in the famous sign forest back in 1997. We knew it would be next to impossible to find it but we wanted to try. We looked around the bulldozer where Aunt Karen said they had put it but to no avail. We went to our campsite, made our sign, and went back and placed it in the area around the bulldozer too hoping we were in the vicinity of theirs.

From Watson Lake, we made our way to Whitehorse, YT. We were hoping to stay at the government campground but found it was full. We had heard the Walmart in town allowed RVs to camp overnight so we went to check it out thinking if there were a few others there we would feel comfortable staying. We were shocked when we drove in. The number of RVs outnumbered the customers there. It felt weird and we actually had a hard time finding a place to park. We unloaded the Jeep and went to find some dinner since we really didn’t want to hang out in the parking lot. We eventually did just park so we could steal McDonalds wifi and get some things done.

We were pretty much the first ones to leave Walmart at 5:40am and just wanted to get on the road. We headed up the Klondike Highway which was really beautiful but really rough and potholed. It was slow going, but I ended up getting some cool pictures.

We got to Dawson City and found a government campground outside of town. The government campgrounds are nice because they are only $12 with toilets and free wood. We stayed there for two nights while we hung out in Dawson City and repacked our stuff getting ready to head up the Dempster Highway.

Tuesday morning we dropped our trailer in the airport parking lot. Picture a big field with a small airport across the road. We felt good about leaving it there considering we saw other RVs parked there for a couple of days as we had been by.

Then we headed north on the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is 456 miles long and all gravel. It leads to the town of Inuvik and up until last year that was as far as you could drive. Last year the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway opened which allows people to drive right up to the Arctic Ocean. As we traveled the highway, we wound through mountains and hills and streams and plains. It was beautiful.

We reached the Arctic Circle around 5:30 pm Tuesday night. As we drove in the pull-off for a picture at the sign, we were slightly annoyed to see two bicyclists had leaned their bikes against the sign and were taking a break where everyone takes their picture. I went to use the restroom hoping they would take off soon. When I returned, Craig was chatting with one of them and I said hi to the other. We all started chatting and that is how we met Chad from Anchorage and Sturan from Scotland. We parted ways knowing we’d see each other at the next campground.

A few hours after we set up camp at Rock River Campground, Chad and Sturan road in. The mosquitos were horrible here and it was raining off and on. They hunkered down in the screened-in kitchen shelter so we joined them. Turns out Chad and Sturan had just met in Dawson City. It was really fun to exchange stories and realize how much we all had in common in that we wanted to get away from ordinary life. These guys definitely brought it to another level when they decided to take off from Anchorage and bike all the way to Tuk. We were happy to make them a hot breakfast in the morning and we parted ways promising them we’d pick up their food cache they left in Eagle Plains and deliver it to the Visitor Center in Dawson.

As we continued on our way, we had to wait at two ferry crossings. We were the first in line at the second one and three guys on motorcycles pulled up behind us. The road had been really muddy and rough and they all looked it. We offered them water and paper towels to clean off their helmets. They were from Nova Scotia and had left from Whitehorse that morning. That’s a really long way to ride!

We made our way up to Inuvik where we grabbed some lunch and decided to drive the last 86 miles to Tuktoyaktuk. Because this section is a new road, it has not settled and has loose gravel and rough sections that when wet are pretty horrible. We ran into our Nova Scotia biker friends in the same restaurant and they had decided not to continue to Tuk since stories of bikers being stranded and being trailered out were going around town. Paul, James and Jamie were bummed and we felt bad for them. Paul asked if we could send some pictures of the Arctic Ocean and update them on the road which we did. We made it up with no problems but noted a few sections that would be miserable for bikes, not to mention it was really cold up there. Paul was happy to see the pictures and also happy to hear that they made a good choice in not continuing.

Once in Tuk, we made our way to the end of the peninsula where we heard we could camp. It was kind of awkward and there were a lot of people camping there. We weren’t entirely sure what to do. We found a spot and fumbled around with getting level and felt dumb because a table of people were watching us. We got settled and Anna, who was sitting at the table, walked over and asked if we were all level with a smile. She was parked behind us in a Subaru which she was camping out of. She is a professor from New York and was there to photograph the locals hunting whales. There was still ice on the ocean, so her stay in Tuk is going to be a little bit longer than she anticipated. She had already made friends with some of the locals and she was really helpful to us to figure out what Tuk had to offer.

Thursday morning was downright cold. The wind was biting and you couldn’t put enough layers on. We had to cook in the camper to get out of the wind, which for those that have seen the inside of our camper, is pretty tight. We made it work and it felt like the old days before we added the trailer.

Even though it was chilly, seeing the Arctic Ocean was unbelievable. When you really think about how many people actually get to see the Arctic Ocean and put their toes in, made it felt pretty unreal. June 21 was the summer solstice but also National Aboriginal Day. We went into town where they had a stage and the locals were dancing to songs that are 500 years old and passed down through their generations. It was pretty cool to witness a little bit of their culture.

The rest of our time we relaxed. We read books, took naps and chatted more with Anna. We didn’t even eat dinner until 11:30 pm because we didn’t realize how late it was getting. Twenty-four hour sun is weird. We both woke up at 3 in the morning and it was still bright as ever.

Friday morning we said our goodbyes to Anna, having exchanged numbers and promises to keep in touch. Hopefully we can look her up when we get to the east side of the states.

We got back into Inuvik, picked up a few supplies and got our certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle. We’re in the cool kids club now! We weren’t too far south of Inuvik and we came across Chad and Sturan. They were dust-covered but looked happy to see us. We refilled their water and assured them the trek to Tuk was worth it! What they are doing is so extraordinary. They deserve all the credit in the world for sticking it out and accomplishing this goal. They are hoping to be back in Dawson City by Tuesday and we really want to celebrate with them. We have no schedule and are going to hang out until they get back into town.

This week has been full of beyond ordinary sights, beyond ordinary weather, and beyond ordinary people. We are excited for more beyond ordinary experiences.

Off to Dawson…happy to sit and relax and wait for our new friends.

After our relaxing time in Glacier, we headed North. We had done our research and decided to cross into Canada at Chief Mountain, US 17. We weren’t overly concerned about getting in, but because we don’t have the typical RV set-up we didn’t want to have any problems. We read that Chief Mt wasn’t very busy and that the border agents were nice.

We got rid of the few veggies we had left, had our passports, driver licenses, and Gus’ rabies certificate ready and all the vehicle tags written down. As we pulled up, we were the first in line. A nice young lady walked out and took our passports & IDs, asked us where we were from, where we were headed, did we have firearms or fireworks, asked for the vehicle tags and Gus’ rabies certificate. We were prepared and she even thought we’d done it before. It took about three minutes total and we were on our way.

As we started driving in Alberta the scenery continued to be amazing and we were excited to be on roads we have never traveled.

We’ve had pretty good luck finding free campsites although sometimes we don’t know what we are getting ourselves into. One took us on 5 km of horrible rough road and I was hangry because we skipped lunch. But when we got to the end it opened up to a pretty little lake. We settled in, took showers in our handy little trailer shower and read books. A few people came and went but all in all it was pretty quiet.

The next morning we headed into Banff National Park. It was raining and overcast so we probably missed some of the cool sights. We drove into the town of Banff and were overwhelmed. There were so many people and buses and RVs. We quickly got out of town and found a campground just south of Banff in Canmore. We unloaded the Jeep and headed back into Banff. To make sure I didn’t get hangry again, we stopped at Banff Brewing for a beer and appetizer but realized that the appetizers were the price of what we expect an entre to cost. As neat as Banff probably is, it’s a tourist town. It reminded us of Vail or Aspen and it kind of took the shine away.

We got up Sunday morning to scattered showers and decided to go for a drive on the 742 out of Canmore. Now this was right up our alley. It was a wide gravel road that followed the bottom of a mountain range. It took us by reservoirs and streams. The best part was that it wasn’t busy. We drove at our own pace and stopped for pictures when we wanted to.

After we left Canmore, we headed North though Banff National Park to the Icefield Parkway. As we drove in, it was still raining and overcast and we really couldn’t see anything. We wondered why so many people told us the view was so awesome because all we saw was trees and nothing above. We found a campsite at Mosquito Creek Campground and quickly set up the EZ Up tent and a small tent city because the weather was not getting any better. It went from rain, to sleet, to snow. We went to bed with the furnace on thinking there is no way the snow will stay.

We woke up Monday morning and everything was white and it was freezing! But it was absolutely gorgeous. The fog had lifted and we could now see that we were surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains on all sides of our campground.

We headed to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake which were both extremely beautiful but again swarming with people. And some people just have no etiquette. I can’t count how many times people banged into us because they weren’t paying attention or didn’t care that we were walking on one side of the trail and they wanted to walk four wide. Needless to say it was a bit peopley for us.

Tuesday we packed up the rig and drove north on the Parkway toward Jasper. Thankfully it was a clear sunny day, still a little cold, but we are so glad we waited to do this drive. Pictures just don’t do it justice. We were in awe the entire time. We stopped at a few waterfalls, saw some wildlife and took Gus on a 2 1/2 mile hike. He did great but he’s been napping ever since.

The new roads that we have been traveling on have been everything we hoped they would be. It still feels like we are on vacation and that it’s going to end soon. We are struggling with wanting to just go grab a beer and dinner at a cool place we see and act like we are on vacation. Eventually we’ll get there. It’s all new roads, all new places, all new mindset.

We reached Dawson Creek, Alberta Wednesday afternoon. This is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. We stayed at Mile 0 campground where we met our first friends of the trip. Three guys on motorcycles from Washington were setting up tents and we ended up chatting with them and sharing some Two Hearted beer with them. It was a fun night. We realized that at this point in our trip, we will probably run into a lot of the same people. It’s fun to see all the different rigs, find out where everyone is coming from, and share our excitement as we make our journeys.

Off to Yukon Territory…

After saying goodbye to our friends in the U.P. last week, we took off only knowing our destination was Glacier National Park and that we were going to stay on US 2 to get there. We didn’t know how far we’d drive, where we would stay or how long we planned on staying. This is what we have been waiting for. We want to get on the road, drive until we are sick of it, stop to see things when we want to and not care about sticking to a schedule or plan.

We have driven this same drive before so we knew we wanted to get through it pretty quickly. We had an idea of where we wanted to stop but we hit a pretty severe headwind through Montana that slowed us down tremendously. We didn’t get as far as we wanted and altered our plan. It’s amazing how many free campsites are available if you know where to look.

As we got closer to where we wanted to be, we found a secluded free campsite in the LOLO National Forest south of Glacier with some huge Ponderosa pines! We ended up staying for four days. It was off the beaten path and had no cell service. We really didn’t get service until we were on the main road for about 10 miles. It’s hard when you are used to being attached to your phone and getting updates from everyone but it’s also so freeing. We put our phones away when we were at the campsite and it felt great!

During the four days we drove around Flathead Lake and went to Flathead Lake Brewing, which was excellent. We drove both sides of Going to the Sun road in Glacier. The East side is so much more exciting and pretty. Logan’s Pass is still under ‘The Big Drift’ and probably won’t be open until the end of the month. We were bummed to miss it again. We were there for our 15th Anniversary and they closed it two days before we got there. But we had a great day touring and found some off the beaten path roads with amazing views. We did laundry and got supplies in Missoula, which was super exciting <insert sarcasm>. I think I’d rather wash my clothes in a bucket. We sat and read books and took Gus on some short walks. We cooked over the fire and watched the sun set.

We are adjusting to this new life. We have to remind each other that there is no rush for anything and when we get frustrated we have to step back and ask why are we frustrated. We don’t have anything else to worry about but it still doesn’t feel like this is our real life. We’ve been tweaking things in the trailer and getting into a routine with setting up and packing up. It’s really important to deadbolt the trailer door and put keys back in the same spot every.single.time.

We are both sleeping like babies. It’s amazing to me how I always thought I just wasn’t a good sleeper. At home, I would sleep 4-6 hours and I thought that was how I was. I’ve never slept more sound and slept in longer than I have the past two weeks. I remember having dreams about work stuff and it would play over and over in my head. Now I’m just having normal crazy weird dreams. It’s pretty amazing to feel the stress peel away.

So week 2 was good. We spent quite a bit of time in the truck and Jeep but we moved at our own pace and made up for it with some good slow moving days. Gus is doing awesome and seems to like the new routine too. His stitches come out today so we’ll see how happy he is after that.

We are excited to be in Canada now and traveling roads we’ve never been on.

Off to Banff…