Denali to Whitehorse
Aug. 16-20, 2008
After leaving Denali we headed to Fairbanks to replenish groceries,
renew prescriptions, do laundry, and take care of other such details.
Having seen the "termination dust" on the hills, and because of
upcoming ferry reservations (starting in Skagway), we then headed south.
A "mandatory" stop is the visitor center at Delta Junction, where they
mark the official northern terminus of the Alaska highway and have some
historical photos of the highway construction. Along the original
Alcan, this point was 1422 miles from the start in Dawson Creek, B.C.
The road has been rerouted and shortened somewhat since 1942, so Dawson
Creek is now somewhat closer, but the mileposts in Alaska still use the
historical mileage.
On the way south we camped at Deadman Lake in the Tetlin National
Wildlife Refuge, where we had camped on our way north. Our favorite
site there is right next to the boat ramp, which is very convenient for
putting our kayak in the water.
Putting the kayak in the water for an evening paddle, we found that Deadman Lake was home to this pair of loons.
The aspen near Kluane Lake (in the Yukon) are starting to take on their fall colors. Fall seems to be early this year.
Kluane Lake is the largest lake in the Yukon. Soldiers' Summit, where
the last segment of the Alcan highway was completed in 1942, is also
right above this point.
Soldiers' Summit is marked by this bronze plaque, which was placed here
in 1992 as part of the 50th anniversary of the highway
construction. On our way north, we were looking for this, but
didn't find it since it is in the middle of a large highway
construction project (yes, they are still improving the Alaska
highway). Coming back through we were able to stop and find it, with
the help of the description in the Milepost. The Milepost is a book
published annually with mile-by-mile description of what is along the
Alcan and other highways in Alaska and northwestern Canada. It is an
invaluable resource.
Silver City is a ghost town on the southern shore of Kluane Lake. It
was the site of a roadhouse, mounted police barracks, and home to
several hundred people fron 1904 to 1924. After the placer goldfields
in the Kluane area fizzled out, the town dried up. Silver City is only
three miles off the Alaska Highway, but there is no sign to mark the
turnoff, so it took a while to find it. I guess they don't want to
encourage people coming here, since the buildings are falling down and
are unsafe to enter.