Alan and I retraced our steps along the Alaska Highway from Tok to Destruction Bay to Whitehorse to Watson Lake. It was at Watson Lake that we would head south along the Cassiar Highway through British Columbia instead of continuing back to Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek. I thought about combining our three days of travel to Watson Lake into one post, but I would have had to leave out a lot of the photos I wanted to share. Here we go, Day 1.
Moving on from Fairbanks was a bittersweet moment. It was the actual point in the journey where we pointed the truck to the east, and officially began the long trek home. That afternoon, we would arrive back in Tok, and spend our final night in Alaska. But first, we had two stops to make.
There are fewer than 1,400 people living in Tok, Alaska, but there are seven private RV parks in town and several state recreation sites with campgrounds outside of it. Tok is the first town you’ll find along the Alaska Highway after clearing Customs and entering the state of Alaska. For many Rvers, Tok is just a quick one night stop on the way to the state’s more famous attractions. Alan and I planned to stay two nights, then move on to Fairbanks to reprovision and catch up on laundry. It was just after we arrived in Tok that the McDonald fire, burning just south of Fairbanks, became the second wildfire to derail our travel plans.
When planning our route to Alaksa, I had discounted the Top of the World Highway – even though I would have loved to visit Dawson City, Yukon, with its fascinating Gold Rush history. I had read that the Highway wasn’t in the best of condition, and Alan and I were both concerned about damage to the truck and trailer. Having already had two windshields replaced back home within the past year, we weren’t too anxious to go through that again. Comments made by our friend, Bernie, convinced us to give the Top of the World a go. He thought the road wasn’t that bad and better than some. I shook off my reservations, and we decided we’d head north from Whitehorse on the Klondike Highway, travel through Dawson City and follow the Top of the World Highway on to Tok, Alaska. If we did that on the way out, we could take the Alaska Highway on the way back, allowing us to cover new and different territory. On the morning of our departure from Whitehorse, news that a wildfire burning to the north had closed the North Klondike Highway between Pelly and Stewart Crossing stopped us in our tracks. The fire had effectively blocked our way to Dawson City.
Alan and I spent a full day traveling from Summit Lake in British Columbia to the town of Watson Lake in southern Yukon Territory. We had been anticipating our stop at the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake since the beginning of the trip. Since 1942, people from all over the world have been posting a sign to signify their passing through this small town. Names, streets, towns, states, countries, special occasions and even memorials - all of these and more have been commemorated in the Sign Post Forest. Of course, we had to add our own.
