Chicken and Eagle... Alaska style!

Chicken, Alaska

On Tuesday, we drove back to Tok at took the Top of the World highway.  The last time we took this road (2010) it had washed out from heavy rains.  We were only able to drive it by following the last convoy before road crews closed it to repair the damage.  Because of the washout, we had to bypass the towns of Chicken and Eagle, Alaska.  This trip, these towns were high on our list of things to do.

Our first stop was Chicken.  The story goes that miners wanted to name the town Ptarmigan after the little bird that often filled their pots here.  But they couldn't spell Ptarmigan... and the bird tasted like chicken... well, you get the reason that the town is named Chicken.

With only about eight people who live here year-round, there wasn't much to see or do in Chicken other than take a photo, so off we drove to Eagle, hoping for more.  We weren't disappointed!  Eagle is a wonderful little town at the top of the Taylor Highway, about 70 miles north of Chicken.

We spent two wonderful days and nights in Eagle.  We arrived late Tuesday afternoon and were surprised to see this sign as we entered the campground...

The next day, we learned why... the campground entrance is right on the runway!

Eagle boasts a population of about 180 folks and rests on the edge of the mighty Yukon River.  It is also the entrance point to the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.  While only accessible by plane or boat, we watched a video on the preserve at the visitors center.... looks like a wonderful and wild place to visit!

Entrance sign to Eagle, Alaska

While at our campsite, we noticed a plethora of all kinds of mushrooms growing the everywhere.  I decided to take some photos and discovered the weirdest mushroom ever... we have since identified it as a bleeding tooth mushroom.  It literally oozes a red liquid.  I think you'll agree that you've never seen anything quite like it!

Bleeding tooth mushroom

We took a tour of the town with guide and BLM ranger, Steve.  We had a great time learning about Eagle.  Their historical society has done a fantastic job cataloging and preserving the town's history.  We visited the town hall museum and Fort Egbert.  Here are a few photos from the town...

Original Eagle church

Eagle City Hall

Fort Egbert Mule Barn

Fort Egbert Noncommissioned Officer Quarters

Eagle's early version of a four-wheel drive truck

We felt rested and welcomed after visiting the town of Eagle and look forward to returning one day soon.  For now, I'll leave you with a few more photos of the fantastic mushrooms that we saw.  Guide Steve said that he hasn't seen so many in at least five years... but then, the entire area has seen more rain that they have in ages.

Hawk wing mushroom

So goodbye to Eagle and on to our favorite road in North America... the Dempster Highway!!!

Fairbanks on Dwellable

Creamer's Field

Sandhill cranes at Creamer's Field, Fairbanks

With the sandhill crane migration in progress just three hours north of Tok, we turned the truck around and drove to Fairbanks and Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.  This 1,800-acre sanctuary is filled with fields, ponds, and forests.... and birds!

Sandhill crane practices dancing at Creamer's Field

As many of you know, I grew up on the Texas coastal plains.  I loved hearing the distinct sound of the sandhill bugle when they arrived each fall.  Sandhills are one of only two kinds of cranes that live in North America.  The other, of course, is the famous and rare whooping crane.

The sandhills stand about 40 inches tall.  They are known best for their odd bugle and their strange dance.  Their dance mostly occurs during mating but is also thought to strengthen social bonds.  This group of sandhills fly the western migratory route, migrating from their nesting grounds in Siberia to their wintering grounds in New Mexico each year.  Creamer's Field is a favorite stopover for these as well as many other migratory waterfowl.

We saw plenty of sandhills, geese, ducks, and even a pair of swans snoozing on the bank of one of the ponds.

Geese fussing at each other at Creamer's Field

Swans snoozing at Creamer's Field.

While this has been a short diversion from our travels back into Canada, as you can tell by the photos, it was well worth the side trip!

Fairbanks on Dwellable

Where Next?

We're caught in a bit of a predicament... Wood Buffalo was too smoky... Haines, too wet... and we want to hit the Dempster no sooner than the last week in August to catch the colors.  We have about ten days to fill before arriving at Dawson City.  While there are plenty of wonderful places to visit, we're trying to stay within a reasonable driving range.  But when were we ever practical?

We left Haines and headed north, hoping that inspiration might zap us into a plan.  As we traveled, we spied something huge and gray along the roadside.  It turned out to be the largest brown bear we had ever seen.  He was an incredible specimen.  Although this shot is from the passenger's seat and over David's head, it may give you just an idea of how big this fellow was...

We camped in a state park about 30 miles from the Alaska border.  While we were setting up camp, a truck pulled in, carrying an ATV in its bed.  Both David and I laughed out loud as he passed.  Perched on top of his ATV in the catbird's seat was his trusty dog...  what  a hoot!

The catbird's seat

We broke camp this morning uncertain where our path would lead us.  As we entered Alaska (again), we stopped at the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge for a break.  While inside, the attendant announced that she, also, was a native Texan from the Houston area.  We struck up a conversation.  Soon we overheard her telling another couple that the sandhill cranes were beginning their migration south.

As we drove to Tok, we talked about our decision.  We had thought that we would arrive in Tok and travel east across the Top of the World Highway, perhaps arriving early on the Dempster.  Had God just whispered another destination?  Fairbanks and Creamer's Field, a stopover for migrating sandhill cranes, is a mere three hour's destination from Tok.  We could drive to Fairbanks, perhaps outrun the rain, and delay our arrival to the Dempster a few needed days.  As we sat at the visitor's center in Tok,  with misty rain and gray skies all around, the decision was easy...

So tonight, I write this from Fairbanks.  Sandhill cranes await in the morning... I can't wait!!!

Why We Like Haines, Alaska

Haines, Alaska

From Muncho Lake to Fort Nelson, then on to one of our favorite destinations, Haines, Alaska.

Why do we love Haines?  Unlike its sister city, Skagway, the lovely town of Haines allows only one cruise ship to dock each week (Wednesdays).  Skagway allows five cruise ships to dock each day... and they are building another dock to accommodate a sixth ship.  The town of Skagway has less than 1,000 inhabitants.  When the cruise ships dock, however, the town's population may swell as much as 10,000-12,000 people per ship.  You can do the math... Skagway was a zoo.

Haines has eagles and bears and few tourists... what a wonderful combination.  We saw our eagles and bears while we were here... and LOTS of water.  Haines has had a tremendous amount of rain this season.  July's rainfall broke all records.  The rivers were swollen, and the townspeople weary of gray skies.

We camped at the Chilkoot Lake campground, near the fishing weir that attracts many bears during the salmon run.  Unfortunately the river was so high that the mother bears dared not bring their babies down for fishing.

As rain continued on our second day, we opted to take in some of the town's highlights.  We feasted on a delectable dish of halibut fish and chips at the Bamboo Room Restaurant.  Later, we took in the world's only hammer museum and its 1,600-plus exhibits.

Haines, Alaska, Hammer Museum

Haines, Alaska, Hammer Museum

We did see bears.  As we crossed the weir yesterday evening, I caught this shot from the passenger's seat of the truck along a section next to the weir where vehicles are not allowed to stop.

David and I parked the truck and waited.  When the bear left the weir, we drove across to the other side, hoping to get another shot at her.  David parked right in front of another Four Wheel Camper.  I walked towards the bear, hoping for another photo while David stopped to chat.  I caught a quick shot of the bear through the bush and saw her turn toward the trees just up the road.

Uncertain where she would come out of the bush, I turned back.  David and the other man met me in route.  I told them that the bear was just in front of a clump of brush about 25 feet or so in front of us.  Both men continued chatting and walking towards her, so I joined in step.

Suddenly, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, flanked by the Tin Man and Scarecrow.  The bear popped out of the brush a mere 20 feet in front of us.  She stopped and more than glanced at us.  We also stopped... in utter shock to be so close to so large a bear.  Thankfully, she darted up the hill and into the forest.  Just to let you know how shocking an encounter it was... I only got one shot off... and it was only bear butt.  David and I are still talking about our close encounter.  Wow!!!  It was AMAZING!!!

We tried to wait out the rain here in Haines, but the rivers were so terribly swollen that we were concerned that we may get stuck on this little sliver of land.  So after two nights in Haines, we opted for higher land.  Uncertain where we will go next, we packed up this morning and left the wonderful town of Haines, Alaska, hoping for bluer skies.

Thanks for joining us on the ride!

Haines on Dwellable

Muncho Lake

Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada

One of our favorite places to visit along the Alaskan Highway is Muncho Lake in British Columbia.  Muncho Lake and the Northern Rockies Lodge rest on Mile Marker 442/KM 709.  The lake is a large and beautiful emerald green, nestled deep in the upper Rocky Mountains.  The area has abundant wildlife, including stone sheep, bear, moose, and caribou.

We normally stay at MacDonald Lake campground, just north of the Northern Rockies Lodge.  From this vantage point, we can enjoy the wonderful views, wildlife, and the Lodge’s famous pork and snitzel dinner… worthy of five stars, as far as we’re concerned.

We arrived to mostly sunny skies, a beautiful sight after traveling through all the fires in the Northern Territory.  We set up camp in our favorite site and settled in for several days of bliss. 

We have precious friends in the Carolinas who, like us, consider any rainbow a sign of God’s blessings on whatever they are doing.  After a brief rain shower blew over Muncho Lake, a beautiful rainbow arched over my Rocky Mountain High.  I think that our dear Morgan would agree that this is exactly where we need to be right now!

Rainbow over Muncho Lake

Each morning David would make coffee, then we would head out to see what animals we could find.  Muncho Lake did not disappoint.  At one point I had to make a choice between photographing a bear or moose… the black bear won out.  Here are a few of the animals we managed to capture in photo.

Black bear near Muncho Lake

Caribou near Muncho Lake

Stone sheep along Alaska Highway near Muncho Lake

Stone sheep lamb near Muncho Lake 

Of course, Roxanne's favorite thing to do on Muncho Lake is to swim...

Liard Air flies out of the Northern Rockies Lodge.  The group flies all around the area for sightseeing and even taking visitors to remote cabins deep in the wilderness for overnight fly fishing and hiking.  They would land their pontoon plane just in front of our campsite each evening.  What a joy to watch them fly!  Maybe one day, we'll even decide to take a tour!

Liard Air lands on Muncho Lake

On Saturday, we arrived at the lodge for our favorite meal.  Our waiter explained that the snitzel dish was only on the menu in the evening.  What a disappointment!  A quick check with the chef, however, revealed that he was more than willing to accommodate… particularly since we had driven all the way from Texas just to enjoy the meal!  It was wonderful as always.

On Saturday, we blew up Calypso, our rubber raft, and took a bit of a row on the lake before the clouds darkened and rain drove us back to camp.  Unfortunately, the clouds remained heavy until we left this morning.  Rain or shine, however, Muncho Lake remains a favorite destination.  We have already made plans to stop by on our return trip down the Alaskan Highway!

Muncho Lake in British Columbia

Carcross on Dwellable

DETOUR !!!

2014 Northwest Territory Fires, Mackenzie Highway

Our original plan for this trip was to leave Glacier National Park, travel to the Banff/Jasper area, then to revisit Wood Buffalo National Park and travel onto Yellowknife, even further north and east in the Northwest Territory.  As you know from our last post, we were held up in Banff due to the busy, long Heritage Weekend.

We left Jasper on August 5, looking forward to another stay at the Northwest Territory's Wood Buffalo National Park, north and east of the Bow Valley.  As we traveled, the rugged Rocky Mountains lost their edge by late morning.  By mid-day, we were into rolling hills.  By early afternoon, we hit the Great Plains around Grande Prairie.

We camped in the Queen Elizabeth provincial campground, which was nice but extremely mosquito infested.  In spite of the nearly 90 degree temperatures, we started a fire in hopes that it would drive the mosquitoes away.  It did little to help, and we dove for the camper early that evening.

By mid-day on Wednesday, the road grew from hazy to a significant smokey fog.  By the time we hit the 60th Parallel Visitor's Center, the road was blanketed in smoke so thick that we could hardly see a football field ahead of us.  The attendant at the visitor's center confirmed our worst fears... there were not one but 236 fires blazing across the northern section of the Northwest Territories, south and west of the Great Slave Lake... our destination.  All of the fires had been set by lightening and many roads had been shut down.  It is one of the worst fire seasons on record, burning close to 3 million hectares of land.

We learned that the road to Yellowknife was closed.  We were told that we could only enter Wood Buffalo National Park by a convoy that would escort folks to and from Fort Smith once a day.  As David and I stood outside the visitor's center, coughing and wincing from the smoke-filled air, we knew that we had to make a drastic change in plans.  We decided to abandon Wood Buffalo and head due west, hoping to outrun the fires.

Boreal Forest Burn, Northwest Territory 2014

While we were disappointed in our change of plans, it was simply a detour for us.  We knew that these dear folks and the wildlife surrounding us were battling for their lives.  Unable to determine whether the sky was heavy with clouds or smoke, we prayed for rain.  By the time we stopped at the Sambaa Deh Falls Provincial Park, it had begun to drizzle.  Thankfully, it rained all night.

Tonight I write this from Fort Nelson on the Alaskan Highway.  The skies are clear and blue, and the Rocky Mountains are in sight.  It feels right to be here.  Although we have traveled over 550 miles more than we would have had we left straight for here from Jasper, life is good.  Tomorrow we head towards Muncho Lake, one of our favorite spots on the Alaskan Highway.

Our plans are a bit in limbo this evening.  We hope to make the Dempster Highway during the height of fall color the first week  in September.  Now with a week or more to spare from our original timetable, we wonder what path we should take.  Do we take the Alaska Highway all the way to Tok, Alaska, then travel over the Top of the World Highway back to Dawson City before we go on to the Dempster?  We'll sleep on it tonight and see which direction God points us!

Good night and God bless, dear friends.

Stuck in the Bow Valley

Canadians love their outdoors... I suppose if our Texas winters were as long and cold as theirs, we would head towards the outdoors at any opportunity also.  The problem is that we are currently stuck in the Bow Valley, near Banff in Alberta, Canada.

We arrived unaware that the three-day Heritage Weekend was upon us.  Known to be the busiest weekend for all of the parks throughout Canada, no less than five people, including two park rangers, told us that we better have a campsite by Thursday and plan to hunker down until Monday.  We tried Johnston Canyon Campground, right on 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, one of our favorite routes.  But the train whistle blew just a hundred yards or so from our campsite.  We retreated back to Two Jac Campground, where we spent our first night all alone on our loop.  We felt fortunate to find an open campground before 11 am.  By 5 pm, the park was filled.

After a harrowing effort trying to reconnoiter the narrow streets of Banff, we decided to spend Friday morning doing laundry and refilling with gasoline in nearby Canmore.  That afternoon, we took Rox on one of our favorite hikes up Rockbound Lake and let Rox take a dip in the creek.  It is so great to see a Golden smile!

By Saturday morning, when we left for our wildlife drive up the Bow Valley, there was a line that had formed overnight to get into Two Jac campground.  We encountered hundreds and hundreds of bicyclists on our route to Lake Louise.  When we reached the Lake Louise cutoff, that destination was so crowded and congested with cars that we determined it just wasn't worth the effort to even try to find a parking spot.  One of our favorite trails to Johnston Canyon had vehicles parked nearly a half mile on either side in either direction.

Even today... a day that we thought would be quiet... the lines to get into the park extend nearly a mile in either direction.  Traffic in the area is down to a crawl.  Canadians do love their parks and outdoors!

After Rox took another dip at Rockbound Lake trail this morning (and our Golden girl hiked over a half mile with us!), we sit in the truck at the Canmore Visitor's Center, catching up on emails and the blog.  It is a cooler day than we have been having, with temperatures in the 70s.  We have been surprised at how warm the temperatures have been.  It has gotten into the low 90s several days in a row.  Thankfully, the temperatures always drop into the low 60s or 50s at night.

The good news is that there are definitely worse places to be stuck.  Because of its beauty, David and I have traveled this area for nearly 30 years.  In spite of all of the traffic, we have stumbled upon fields ablaze with flowers after a fire ravaged this meadow.  I was alone, taking photos of the flower field early yesterday morning.  As I turned to head back to the truck, I saw David pointing frantically off into the woods.  I was surprised to see that dozens of cars were stopping.  Low and behold, two enormous bull elk were entering the meadow, about fifty yards ahead of me.  They were beautiful beasts, with full racks still in velvet.  I hightailed it back to the truck for my long lens.

Flowerfiled in Banff National Park

Elk grazing flowers in Banff National Park

Elk in velvet

Today on another drive up the Bow Valley, we spied a Bighorn sheep.  Who knows what we will find next?  With promises that the majority of Canadians are heading home tomorrow, we plan to leave for Jasper bright and early tomorrow morning.