Watson Lake, Yukon to Soldotna, Alaska... we made it :)

The last long leg of our journey has come to a successful end in Soldotna Alaska. We are unhooked and settled at our good friend Bill's, parked in the same place in his driveway that we spent a good 6 weeks in 7 years ago when we visited Alaska. It is almost like coming home.... and believe me, after over 2 weeks on the road, I am ready to be settled in one place for awhile.
We left Watson Lake in the Yukon on Saturday June 15th, after spending a little time poking around the famous "Sign Post Forest" , where you can find a license plate, a road sign , a hand made note or any other form of identification, from anywhere in the world you can dream up... all former visitors travelling the Alaska highway.

 

 

We had fully intended to drive from Watson Lake to Whitehorse Yukon that day, distance was about right for a good days drive, I think approx. 300 miles and on roads like these, that was far enough. It is hard to travel at any speed, because it is constant bumps, ruts, pot holes and frost heaves all the way. However, the scenery was beautiful... with Teslin being the highlight of the day I think.

We stopped here for a lunch break , overlooking the Bridge at Teslin.

Typical Yukon Road.

Near Haines Junction

 

We arrived in Whitehorse in the late afternoon, but it seemed busy and dusty and after fueling up we decided to carry on and stay in Haines Junction, just another hour and a half away. We found a small Government Campsite at Pine Lake just outside Haines Junction and spent the night. WOW... Mosquito's. Worst yet. You couldn't even sit outside, or you would get eaten alive. It was an early to bed and early to rise kind of place. We left early, headed into Haines, hoping to fuel up, stop at a liquoir store and .. get some groceries. UMMMM.. well, it was.. first off Sunday. (easy to lose track of days while travelling)... second.. the only grocery store in town closed...apparently last year. And third.. the only fuel was a card lock place. OK... we did find a little place to fuel up, and a tiny little store that charged us $4.95 for a dozen eggs. Wow.

So... on to Kluane Lake. We had a very nice short day... less than 2 hours on the road. Camped at a campground we had loved when we were up before... Congdon Creek. Had a very relaxing afternoon, a nice BBQ for dinner  and a good  nights sleep.

 Next day.... destination, Tok Alaska... and the Sourdough Campground, home of the famous pancake toss.. ( which, incidentally, we won back in 2006) haha.  Anyhow, another long day. None of these days would really have been very long... IF... the roads were better, but... again, lots of rough road, construction and delays. It was a good day with lots to see... and when you are only able to travel at a crawl... you really get a chance to see.. :)

 

Here we are... !!!!!!

We had a great night at Tok, even tossed pancakes, but this time, we didn't win. However, still went for Reindeer Sausage and sourdough pancakes in the morning before heading out. Destination, Matanuska Glacier, (about one hour from Anchorage). The day was clear and hot, but started out pretty breezy. We travelled south thru Glenallen, and then west towards Anchorage. As the day progressed... the wind got worse and worse. We stopped at Matanuska intending to stay the night but it was so hot up there we changed our minds.... and headed on in to the palmer/Anchorage valley.

Lions Head, near Matanuska Glacier

Lunch stop at Eureka Summit

Mount Sanford and Mount Drum near Glenallan.

Matanuska Glacier.

The drive continued to be crazy... howling winds.. dust so bad that when we went thru Palmer we could barely see. We couldn't find a park to stay in, wound up on the freeway into Anchorage so decided to carry on thru ( at rush hour no less ) and stay at one of our favorite campsites, Bird Creek... just about 1/2 hr south of Anchorage. Well... well made it thru the city, (just barely) ... fought the wind and traffic along Turnagain Arm to the campground... only to find it CLOSED until August.

AAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!

So we parked in a dusty gravel parking lot at a motel across the highway and crashed for the night. In the morning, we left bright and early and headed for our finale destination 3 hours away..... Soldotna, Alaska. The last day of driving was good, no unplanned delays... typical roads, but... we made it.

Turnagain Arm near Bird Creek

Turnagain Arm.

Johnson Pass, heading south to Soldotna

 

It is hard to believe that we are now... 3000 miles away from home. That is a long way !!! I love Alaska, but I already miss my girls and my Grandkids so much. I think a lot of it is the fact, that I know just exactly how far away we really are. But the summer is going to be full of new adventures, new places to explore, old places to discover again..along with all the great bonus's .. such as buckets full of razor clams, lots of salmon and halibut and all the wonders that Alaska has to offer..... 

So.. here we are, ready to begin.

 

 

The famous Kenai River

Thanks for traveling with us. I can hardly wait to start sharing pictures of fish, clams, and all the other amazing things we encounter while up here.

See ya all soon.