We were staying in Dawson City and wanted to head south but the Klondike Highway 2 (between Stewart Crossing and Pelly Crossing) had been closed for about 8 days due to wildfires and that is the only way south. Our only other option was to head west to Chicken, Alaska (Top of the World Highway) and on through Alaska and back into the Yukon which would add quite a bit of mileage and time to our drive. We were checking 511 Yukon (road conditions) multiple times a day for the past week. AND suddenly the road opened and we wanted to drive it the next day. YES!! But we knew it could also close at a moment’s notice.
So we got up early the next day and headed south hoping to make it to Stewart Crossing along the Klondike Highway before the road might close again. We had to go through quite a bit of construction which delayed us a bit. It was overcast but no rain which helped when driving through the construction areas.
Yes, we made it to Stewart Crossing and the road was open. We crossed the bridge and off we went. The Silver Trail road to Mayo turns off at Stewart Crossing and several areas there were still under evacuation alert so they needed to be ready to leave in a moment’s notice.
We drove for about an hour (70km) to get to Pelly Crossing. For pretty much the entire way the trees on both sides of the highway were burned and there was still some of them smoking. Visibility was OK and we made it to Pelly Crossing without incident. And to think of all those people who waited and waited for the road to be opened with some days being open for a few hours with a pilot vehicle. We made it just in time.
We continued on to Five Finger Rapids Recreation Site for a break and lunch which was just about another hour south. Five Fingers is known for having four islands made of composite rock in the Yukon River which divides the river into five channels. It made it very difficult during the Klondike Gold Rush for the gold seekers to transit this area on the river. We had stopped here also on the way north. There are 219 steps that go all the way down to the river and it takes about an hour to go down and back (depending how quick you can walk up that many steps).
About another 20 minutes south is Carmacks, the Hub of the Yukon. It offers some restaurants, fuel stations, stores, etc. , had a population of about 600 people and sits on the shores of the Yukon River.
We continued on towards Whitehorse passing by Twin Lakes, Fox Lake, and the famous Lake Laberge. A poem was published in 1907 by Robert Service called “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and is one of his most famous poems. We had a variety of audio recordings of this poem so we played a few of them as we passed the lake. Years ago when we visited here we actually stopped at the Lake and video recorded several of us reading the poem along the lake. Fun times!
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
We made it to Whitehorse!!
As always, the first stop was to fill up with fuel. After that we headed to Canadian Tire to buy an AGM battery for the chassis since The Dempster Highway ate our other battery and Inuvik didn’t have replacement batteries for us. We had checked online and knew Canadian Tire had them in stock so off we went.
Off to Hi Country RV Park where we stayed on the way north. There are only a few RV parks in Whitehorse and this one is the closest to the city. This is our third time staying here. There is a campground in town but it is for smaller RVs. We needed to get parked, dump, install the new battery, and clean up some more. It never ends!
The office/registration area has a nice store with all sorts of items, clothes, food, souvenirs, etc. There is a laundry, a dump station, some outdoor sitting areas, and some artifacts sprinkled around. You can also rent a Truck Camper from Canadream. Maybe this is what we SHOULD have done to drive The Dempster???
RV Park: Hi Country RV Park
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon (about 3 miles south of town)
Site: 70 (pull thru)
Cost: $64.58 (CAD)
Services: FHU
Comments: A typical RV Park in Whitehorse with sites close together but it works. It is the closest RV park to Whitehorse so if you need amenities then this is the place to stay. This site was directly across from site 69 where we stayed a few weeks prior. Site 70 is shorter than site 69 but other than that it was not much different.
There are quite a number of large sites that are close together. They are trees around to help shade from the sun in the summer but may interfere with your Starlink? It appears most travelers are either on the way to Alaska or on their way back.
Norm got to work immediately installing the new battery. His biggest issue was getting it lifted up so high without my help. I am no help at all! But he did it. We are back in business with two batteries and the old battery discarded (returned to Canadian Tire). YAY!
Slowly, but surely, we are getting things cleaned up, items fixed and repaired, and new purchases as required.
We have managed to dodge a few wildfires and a few ferry closures but keep on truckin!
The Dempster!!!
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