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Alaska & the Yukon
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Alaska & the Yukon

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Tetlin Wildlife RefugeMigrating Snow GeeseBear sightings noticeCacheBegley Icefield in the St Elias RangeTanana River

    Tetlin Wildlife Refuge

    19 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    This extensive area is dotted with lakes, swamp, marshes, low growing forest and the second largest river system in Alaska, the Tanana River. Known as the valley of great migrations, the northern border of this refuge stretches for 65 miles along the Alaska Highway.

    It is a refuge for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. There have been recent bear sightings close by.

    The centre is of log cabin construction with a grass roof. An elevated cache is adjacent to the visitors' centre. The cache is for storage of essential supplies to keep them safe from bears and other wildlife.

    As we drive towards the border, we go through a really swampy area that is constantly changing. Buildings and Telegraph poles lean precariously as the subsoil around the permafrost is under constant sinking.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
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    111Beaver CreekCache in the carparkCost of fuel, even in the sticks - US$1.399/gallon

    Alaska/Yukon Border

    19 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    A picture stop along the Alaska Highway. The border is designated by a cleared 20 metre strip through the forest. Otherwise, there is no other formal presence. The Customs and immigration office is a few miles down the road closer to Beaver Creek.

    This highway is severely affected by frost heave. Each mile of the highway must be replaced every 3 years so they are experimenting on sections to determine the best way of constructing the road to avoid frost heave. There is heaps of roadwork as the summer comes to a close.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Mike Harris

    Cosmos Alaska & the Yukon Tour Group

    19 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    From left to right starting at the top (Lynda Maidment, Margaret Williams, Rodney Crees, Gillian Smith, Christine Hill, Jerry Annis, Denise McPhee, Norine Shipman, Joanne Shirkey, Joanna Lloyd, Suellen Tisdell, Leslie Taylor, Marguerite Ross, Marsha Horner, Robert Horner, David Fischbach, Rebecca Fischbach, James Friedrichs, Sandra Friedrichs, Ross Brazier, Janelle Brazier, Susan Lacey, John Lacey, Kaye Battye, Alan Battye, Florence Townsend, Frank Townsend, Dianne Thompson, Gwendolyn Norris, Jean Abel, David Abel, Margaret Crees, Natalie Milner, Vanessa Milner, Nyleta Pascoe, Colette Pascoe, Suzanne Fraser, John Moriarty, Claire Heddle, Lynton Heddle, Allen Hagood, Esther Hagood, Pamela Haebich, Roger Haebich, Lynette Ford)Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Bagley Icefield, largest non-polar ice field in North America
    Don Jek River

    Bagley Icefield

    19 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ -3 °C

    We cross over the Don Jek River which is fed by the largest icefield in North America. The river is braided and rocky and winds widely through the valley. The icefield extends over a huge area of the St Elias Range. We have been following craggy valley sides that show extensive glacial and volcanic activity.The Bagley Icefield in southeastern Alaska is the largest nonpolar icefield in North America.Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Destruction Bay
    Fireweed at Destruction BayThe wind whips across Destruction BayDust storm over the dry river bed

    Kluane Lake and Kluane National Park

    19 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ☀️ -3 °C

    Situated on the Canadian end of Wrangell-St Elias NP, we will follow the shores of Lake Kluane for more than 65 miles. Kluane means big fish and indeed there are some monsters in this lake which, in places, is 800 feet deep. This area is Kluane Nation.

    We stop for a very late lunch at Destruction Bay overlooking the lake. Destruction Bay has been named for the ferocious winds in the area.

    We drive through a dust storm created by the wind blowing down from the Bagley Icefield. The flow of meltwater has changed the course of the river in the valley and there are hundreds of acres of exposed, fine, glacial silt which is picked up by the wind and blown out over the lake.

    Kluane NP is home to 2,000 glaciers. There are more than 100 surging glaciers. Its unique attribute is that it is so remote - a true wilderness area with very little easy access. It's a vast, beautiful region where only the hardiest survive.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
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    Grizzly Bears by Lake Kluane

    19 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Driving along highway 75, we are lucky to sight a grizzly bear feeding on the grassy verge. It's digging for roots and plants and seems oblivious to us as we creep closer in the coach. Grizzlies are brown bears whose habitat is around large bodies of water. The bear's coat is sun-bleached to a blonde colour on its back from the long hours of summer foraging. Our guide estimates this grizzly is about 6 years.Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Whitehorse - first traffic lights since Anchorage.

    Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

    20 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    On the banks of the Yukon River, Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon and home to 28,000 people. It's by far the largest population centre in the territory. Most people who work here are in education, government, tourism or mining.

    Not much of a chance to look around so took some shots from the hotel. The town is set down in the river valley along the shores of the Yukon River. All the power for the Yukon is generated from the hydro station just outside town; a small unobtrusive building which impacts little on the surroundings. Had to take the photo of the traffic lights.....first, we have seen since leaving Anchorage.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Deserted mine workingsEmerald LakeEmerald Lake2Border crossingTop of the White Pass

    South Klondike Highway

    20 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This highway runs between Whitehorse and Skagway.

    Emerald Lake is a photo stop along the way. Organisms in the water create the vivid aqua/emerald colour.

    We stop at Carcross, then follow Lake Taggert through spectacular mountain scenery. We are driving along the base of Montana Mountain. Here they mined gold, silver, copper, coal and jade from the one mountain. Derelict mine buildings are dotted around.

    Beside Lake Tutshi, we stop to take photos of this very deep lake surrounded by mountains.

    Tormented Valley marks the start of the White Pass huge glaciers have carved the terrain back to bedrock. These are the headwaters of the Yukon River.

    Along this stretch we have to pass through border control. Whitehorse is in Canada and Skagway is in Alaska, USA. This includes customs declarations that we had filled out on entry into Canada yesterday.....but we still had to do it again. Light rain has set in now as we climb back over the Coastal Range late in the day. We see 2 signs of wildlife - a black bear on a ridge and a coyote beside the road. Both are too quick for any of us to get photos.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    1Lake Bennett in the afternoon
    11Rail bridge at Carcross1Shortest River, Nares River, flows both ways depending on the levels of water in the lakes.

    Carcross

    20 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Carcross is a Tlingit town, full of artisans. It's a real frontier style town with no frills. Situated on Lake Bennett which flows into the Yukon River, this town was a hub in the gold rush days. It was here that the miners who had trekked up the White Pass would wait by the frozen lake waiting for the ice to break up. That was the signal that the rivers would be navigable to the goldfields further inland.

    It's essentially now a town where the first peoples live and create their unique arts and crafts. They are the Tlingit. We stop at Carcross going and coming. It's an interesting little town. Homes are small and many are shot cabins ie if you stand inside the front door and fire a shot at the back wall, they are so small it is said that the damage to the exterior wall would be minimal!

    The town sits astride 2 lakes. Lake Bennett and Lake Nares. The shortest river in Alaska, Nares River, joins the 2 lakes between the rail bridge and the road bridge. Depending on the water levels in the lakes, the river flows both ways.

    The name Carcross is short for caribou crossing - an activity which happens twice a year.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    1Inside the carriage
    Top of the White PassOriginal Klondike Trail of 1898Klondike Miner's Trail1US/Canada border along the White Pass-Yukon routeSteel trestle bridge in the fogNot a lot to see on the top!1Snaking around the mountain sides1John gives it the thumbs up!

    White Pass-Yukon Railroad 1

    20 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We are following the trail of the pioneers heading up the White Pass from Skagway to the Yukon. The actual trail is still visible in places. Miners were required to carry 2,000 pounds of supplies to the goldfields and this would necessitate multiple trips up and down the White Pass until they had accumulated enough stores to proceed.

    The top of the Pass is broken bedrock, where glaciers have gouged out every scrap of soil. Small glacial lakes and bogs sit between the rocks. The terrain continues right to the top of the Pass where it plunges dramatically towards the river. We make a couple of stops to pick up hikers who have been out in the back country.

    We journey over several bridges spanning ravines through the increasingly dense forest. The last part of the journey sweeps past the waterfalls and follows the river into Skagway on the coast. It's a journey of 27.4 miles from Fraser, BC to Skagway, AK. We cross the border during the train journey so have to do border formalities prior to disembarking.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Port of Skagway
    Skagway from the train.Arrival in SkagwayDowntown Skagway1

    Skagway, AK

    20 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    The train arrives at Skagway, a coastal town set at the end of a fjord. There are 2 cruise ships in port today.

    Skagway looks like an old time frontier town but is filled with jewelry stores selling objects that are rarely authentic. It's a tourist trap!

    We have some great haddock and chips down on the wharf at the Alaska Fish Co. There's and old time saloon building/brothel called the Red Onion. It now sells pizzas and does brothel tours for $10 pp. Sidewalks are raised and timber to facilitate walking around in the wet and snow.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Miles Canyon
    Pointscore from last race in February 20171Cinnamon RollSolar Eclipse

    North Klondike Highway 1

    21 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Miles Canyon feeds the Yukon River into Whitehorse. Back in the gold rush days, it was a very wild set of rapids before the miners reached Whitehorse. Now the river is dammed for hydro and Miles Canyon still flows very swiftly but the wild rapids are gone.

    Today there is a solar eclipse. It's apparent as we drive along, the light goes a funny yellow colour but here it's only partial. Tried to get a pic but really difficult.

    We stop at Braeburn Lodge, a checkpoint in the Yukon Quest. Here there are the world's biggest cinnamon rolls - an obscene over-sizing!

    Braeburn Lodge is our morning tea stop. It's a checkpoint on the Yukon Quest dog sled race. Here they make the most enormous cinnamon rolls (truly obscenely huge). No, we absolutely left them alone, just took a photo. There's a bush airstrip alongside the road. It's deemed an international airport (as are most airports in the Yukon) because there is traffic between here and Russia.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Yukon River at Carmacks
    The Yukon River meanders every which way.The lone pine (right) marks the starting place of the coal fire deep underground.Carmacks Bridge, one of the few bridge crossings of the Yukon River.Five Finger Rapids

    North Klondike Higway 2

    21 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Carmacks was originally founded in the gold rush but they found coal here. It's now a coal mining town but the coal mine has had to close down because it is on fire. Here the Yukon is joined by several large rivers and there is a rich fishing ground. Carmacks has one of the few bridges over swift moving Yukon River.

    Five Finger Rapids is a photo stop. It was a major obstacle for the gold miners' river journey from Lake Bennett to Dawson.

    We come to the Pelly River, a wide slow-moving waterway with a shallow crossing. It was here, after the trials and tribulations of navigating the rivers to the Klondike, that many miners switched to land travel on the Dawson Trail.

    The interior is largely flat and the great rivers criss-cross the forested flood plains. The road is gravel for tens of kilometres and the dust clouds follow the few vehicles on this road. At Stuart Crossing, we turn towards Dawson. This is a wild and lonely stretch with very few buildings and no towns.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
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    Discovery Claim

    22 de agosto de 2017, Examiner Gulch ⋅ 🌫 10 °C

    Gold was discovered here in August 1896 on Bonanza Creek by Skookum Jim, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie. The discovery was recorded and gold fever spread from there to create the great Klondike Stampede of 1898. It's just about 10 minutes drive outside Dawson. On the way in we pass lots of mounds of tailings which are left over from the dredging.

    We follow the trail that leads to the point on Bonanza Creek where it is believed they first found gold. Following the trail, we go past lots of different mining equipment of the time.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Dredge #4 Historical Site
    Nest in the machineryThe tailings

    Dredge Number 4 Historical Site

    22 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ 🌫 11 °C

    This huge machine floated on a pond of water with a conveyer belt that dug into the ground down to bedrock. The dirt and rocks were conveyed upwards and crushed and sifted to remove the gold using water. Placer Gold is 19 times heavier and sinks to the bottom so it can easily be extricated using huge amounts of water. The remaining rock and soil are conveyed out the other end to the tailings pile.Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    1Visitor Information Centre on Front Street
    Big landslide area at the end of this street.Palace Grand Theatre, built 1899, currently being restored.1From the top of the levee bank looking towards Front Street.

    Dawson City Walk

    22 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Dawson still looks very much like a gold frontier town with wooden clapboard buildings and wooden sidewalks. There is a strict building code in place and all must comply to the code. Buildings are painted in a colourful way. The roads are dirt with no gutters.Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Paddle-steamer on the Yukon struggles with the current.
    Canoes at the confluence of the Yukon & Klondike Rivers.Brown water is the Yukon; grey water is from the Klondike.Two big rivers merge.

    Dawson - the confluence of the rivers

    22 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Dawson City is a town built on permafrost so all buildings have an air cavity under them so that the soil does not thaw out and allow the building to sink. It has also been a town that has flooded regularly. High levees now protect the town from a 1 in 200-year event. The Rivers freeze here in the winter and there is a betting competition about the exact date/time, the river ice will break each year.

    The Yukon is flowing strong and swift with lots of glacial silt causing it to be brown; the Klondike River is clear and grey in colour. Where they meet there is a distinct line in the water.

    Riverboats, ferries, and canoes are all out on the river today.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    1The Commissioner's Residence
    The foyer and grand staircaseDining RoomSitting RoomCommissioner's studyView from the upper balcony towards the Yukon River.St Paul's ChurchPlenty of wood to stoke the fireplace in this church. New carpet being laid.

    Commissioner's Residence

    22 de agosto de 2017, Canadá ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This very grand building on Front street has a commanding view from the verandahs over the Yukon River. Built in 1901, it has been beautifully restored by Parks Canada and is a historical monument. Furniture and fittings are of the Commissioner's time up to 1916.

    We take a guided tour which has some vignettes surrounding characters of the time, bringing the history of the house alive. The grounds are very fitting this grand, impressive house.

    St Paul's Church stands next door and is another beautiful example of a historic building currently being used. There's a huge store of wood to stoke the fireplace. It's a simple church without a lot of ostentation.    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    The ferry, George Black, plies between Dawson City and the start of the Top of the World Highway.
    Crossing the Yukon River by ferry at Dawson City.Top of the World HighwayFeeding gray jays.Gray Jay in a treeFrom the Top of the World HighwayBorder headquarters2This is what driving was like for many tens of miles.

    Top of the World Highway

    23 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    We cross the Yukon River on the ferry, George Black before 7 am. The day is barely breaking.

    The highway is dirt and follows the ridge line all the way. We stop by the road at a 'long drop'. There are grey jays here and we feed them.

    Poker Creek marks the US/Canada border. The sign says there's a population of 3 at elevation 4127 ft. The fog is very thick and driving is difficult. On the US side, the road is paved.

    We get to Chicken and have only passed 20 cars in more than 3 hours. The total count of cars passed on this highway is 52 in almost 6 hours driving. It's very remote!    Leer más

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  • Lacey TravelsAlaska & the YukonViajero
    Chicken Alaska - and a pointer to some other "chicken towns".
    The Town Centre - all 4 business are joined.Inside the SaloonThe public toilets in Chicken, AK - long drops!Roadworks at the entrance to Chicken, AK.Still actively mining this area.

    Chicken, AK

    23 de agosto de 2017, Estados Unidos ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Our morning tea stop is in Chicken - a mining camp on Chicken Creek on the Top of the World Highway. The town has a population of under 20 year round but expands to 30-50 in summer. The Town Centre is one building which houses the cafe, the mercantile, the liquor store and the saloon. Otherwise there are a couple of miner's huts.

    Legend says that early settlers wanted to call it Ptarmigan. There are several other small settlements in the area named after birds also e.g. Eagle, AK. The people who went to register the name couldn't agree on how to spell it, so after a few attempts, they gave up and agreed that Ptarmigan tasted just like chicken, so they called it Chicken, AK.    Leer más

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