Dawson City is one of the most beautiful, funkiest towns we have yet come across. It was transformed from a First Nations camp into the largest, most refined city north of Seattle afer the Yukon Gold Rush of 1899. It’s population numbered almost 30,000 in 1899 - an increase of 29,900 over the previous few years!! The First Nations Chief, a man named Isaac, packed up his people and moved them from the confluence of the rivers, where they had hunted and fished for thousands of years, to the village of Moosehide, a few miles downstream. Today the city iteself is a National Historic Site of Canada and they have worked hard to retain its original buildings - and charm!
After three days in Dawson, we headed out at 5am to catch the George Black Ferry across the Yukon river (only way of getting across) to theTop of The World Highway. This highway is an unpaved, dirt, narrow, pot-holed, winding road with steep grades and few guardrails - 108 miles long!! The views are apparently spectacular….. we were fogged in the whole 8 hour drive and couldn’t even see the road in front of us, never mind the pot holes! It was the most harrowing drive we have ever taken!
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This is what we drove in the whole time!!
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View after we got above the fog for about 2 minutes!!
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We arrived in Chcken, Alaska around 5pm, and after prying Fredric’s fingers from the steering wheel we partook of a really good bottle of beer. Our truck and Airstream were so dirty…. and we wern’t the worst!! We came through the road with everything intact, but some of our group had shower doors fall off, fridge doors fall off, water tanks come loose, and one couple opened the door to the Airstream to find the whole kitchen unit in the middle of the floor!!
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| This is Chicken, Alaska... all of it!! |
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Panning For Gold
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| Baylee helping Fredric pan for gold |
I feel like I am watching an episode of "Ice Road Trucker"! I hope you don't have to take that same road home and that you have other less nerve racking options. Good job with the driving and arriving in Chicken safe and with trailer enact! We miss you and think of you often.
ReplyDeleteLove, Jody, Bob and Michael
Thank God there is beer!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!!
DeleteJust found your blog. What a trip! Any trouble with mosquitoes?
ReplyDeletePat
Oh indeed! Mosquitoes are a constant annoyance - we have learned not to stand still for very long, stay in the sunshine, if there is any, and wear our very fashionable mosquito gear when we are out and about for long periods of time. We have all become very accomplished at the "mosquito dance"
DeleteI can't believe the road conditions and low visibility on the Top of the World Highway. I am so impressed with your driving skills Fredric.
ReplyDelete