Canada

After the endless wilderness of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway we returned to civilisation at Burns Lake
We found a very nice and free camping spot maintained by Rotary. It is a small gem with about 5-6 places and you can stay three days at a visit.
There is a skating park, a children's playground, machines for doing exercises and a boat launch. Three minutes from there is a sanidump station with potable water and a dogpark.

We loaded up on groceries at a nearby Save On Foods shop and we had our trailer hitch checked as it loosened a bit. Had a relaxing stop for two nights, got some sleep, a run and used the laundry. Small luxuries make our travel life so much fun.
Now we plan to continue towards Vancouver to catch the fall colours and somewhat higher temperatures than in Alaska. Here the nights are still cold around 2-3 C but during the day it was 19-20 C and sunshine. Another small luxury we are grateful for!

Our first stop was at a nice mini-lake and the free campsite had 3 or 4 spots to stay. We were the only ones there and it was perfect, just like a national park despite it was next to Alaska Highway. As it was not visible from the road the noise was also filtered by the trees. The noise is minimal anyway as there is almost zero traffic at night, maybe 1-2 cars or trucks passed by per hour!
We also stopped at Rancheria Falls for a daystop and the falls are about 500 meters from the parking, an accessible wooden ramp leads to them.

The second stop was next to a lake called Blue Lake just after turning right from the Alaska Highway (1) to the Cassiar Highway (37).

This is an even more remote section without cell coverage and fuel stops need to be carefully calculated. Our range is about 350 kms and we bougth a fuel can (25 liters) for safety, that adds another 90-100 km depending on the hills and our speed. So far we managed well and reached the next fuel stop every day.
The third stop was at Eastman Creek and it was the third straight full day without cell signal. The views were really beautiful and the road was fine. No lines in the center and on the sides but as we are driving during daytime it is no issue at all. On the scarse fuel stops you can meet the tin rooster with real moose antlers.

Our fourth day was full of action: we have seen three bears at three different spots. One was running accross the road in the distance, the other two were peacfully loading up for winter eating on the side of the road. Then we stopped for fuel and helicopters were coming in and flying out with loads at Last Frontier Heliski resort.

Then we stopped at a roadside parking spot at New Hazelton. We were the first to stop around 18:00 and later another RV and a large fuel truck decided to stop next to us.

Back to the civilisation with internet and just learned that the BNB chain was paused due to the largest hack so far! Our journey continues tomorrow.

We are still learning about distances in Canada. Our saga with the temp tags is continuing as our trailer purchased in May still did not get the final tags in Delaware. We are relying on the dealer to issue a new temp tag every two months. It can only be issued when the previous expired. He kindly offered to overnigth it to us which is normally max two business days within the USA. However to Canada it takes longer (amd costs more) but I learned that after it arrives to Edmonton by air it goes by trucks to Whitehorse. In four days. So we are waiting for it and used the time to do short hikes in the area.

First we went to Eagle Point where we have seen eagles! Spot on nameing of the trail!

Then we visited Ice Lake and walked around it.

We also spent some time in the public library. Kids enjoyed books and parents enjoyed free (and fast) wifi.

During one of our lunches a squirrel visited too!

Another recommendation from "Élet a Yukonban" (a Hungarian blogger living in Yukon) was the Grey Mountain where they spent a day with another Hungarian travellers, the Overlandsite. There was a quite rough offroad section (about 5 kms) at the last section to the top but we managed it (without the trailer obviously). The view from the top was absolutely worth it.

We also stopped by Schwatka Lake where a dam was built on the Yukon River. There were small airplanes floating on the shore and we also seen the small bridge we walked on together earlier at the Miles Canyon.

We need to spend a few days in Whitehorse which is a lovely town, the capital of Yukon. We are waiting for our temp tag for the trailer which is sent by overnight from Delaware. However due to the large distance it takes more than a week to get it. Anyway we use the time well, visited a museum which was fun. At the Visitors Center our kids were playing for an hour with the large map which had buttons and lights so we learned about the geography of Yukon. The kind lady suggested to visit Lumel Studios which is a glass blowing workshop in downtown Whitehorse open to the public.

First we watched a tourist who was working with the help of one of the glass artists and then we asked if our kids could try working with melted glass too. The owner of the place was very energetic and immediately built rapport with all of us. She was very helpful and let our kids experience and experiment with her help.

First she showed us how a marble is done in three easy steps. This first marble was a gift to our smallest boy. Then our kids did theirs one by one.

They picked three colors and started to melt glass in the furnace which was over 1400 Celsius hot!

Then they chipped and mixed the colorful parts with the transparent glass while rotating the melted glass.

Then they rolled it into a round shape and cut it halfway with a plier.

Finally they shaped the ball with a round metal tool.

After completion the marbles need to rest in about 500C for a night to make them less fragile. So we went back in the morning to pick them up. It was a very nice experience and I really recommend doing a workshop at Lumel Studios if you are in Whitehorse.

Although the forecast was rain it was a lovely sunny day today. We have visited the Beringia Interpretive Center which was fuuuun! Luckily we got there just in time for a short demonstration of spear throwers. I have never heard of it but it is worth learning about it. Here is a video about this prehistoric tool.

The kind lady from the museum showed how to use it and we all tried it too, aiming at the cardboard animal pictures in the distance. Using the spear thrower you can throw the thing surprisingly far. I was able to hit the bear so after fixing the bearings I am proven in another life-saving skill.

We also enjoyed the exhibits about the ice ages and how humans wandered from Asia to North America through the Bering Strait and how changing climate changed the landscape and thus the fauna. Excellent dioramas, a nice corner for the smallest kids so overall a must see when in Whitehorse with kids.

Then in the afternoon we met with a Hungarian blogger, Élet a Yukonban, who lives in the area for several years. I started to follow her facebook page earlier and now I have seen a post from her about the same Millenium trail we also visited. So I wrote to her and we made a short hike to the Miles Canyon. We had a very nice chat with them and it was great to connect.

The Canyon is very beautiful and the autumn colors made it even more impressive.

We had a very late dinner at exaclty 10pm. After it we still did the laundry, then showers and bedtime was at midnight. Time management is not easy when camping.

Whitehorse is a lovely town in Yukon. We stay here for a few days as our temporary tag of the trailer expired and we are waiting for the new temp tag to arrive from Delaware. We used the time well, started on a large playground where we were freezing in coats in the wind. A 3 year old local boy was half naked on flip flops. Eh, different feels of temperature.

Then we went for a hike which starts at the S.S. Klondike paddlewheel boat. It was the biggest boat used from 1934 till 1955 for transporting goods and passengers on the river.

The Millenium trail runs on both side of the river and passes the dam and the fish ladder where salmon can swim upwards on the river.

It was a nice 5 km walk on a nice sunny day.

We just drove on and almost reached Haines Junction when we have spotted a nice little parking space in the bend of a creek so we stopped there for the night.

Yesterday we met a full time RV family with 5 kids and we had a nice chat with the parents. They were very kind beforehand when I was checking our newly fitted wheel and asked if we need help at the oetrol station. Then we met the third time this evening as they noticed our trailer stopping at the roadside and they took a stop there too! Another nice chat in the evening and as from here we go a bit different routes. Happy camping folks!

After our morning routine (good breakfast, today some bacon and eggs), packing up the trailer and dumping / filling water tanks and refueling the car we left Beaver Creek around 12:30. The Canada / USA border was just 30 minutes, I mean we left Canada in 30 minites and then we had to drive another 30 miles to reach the USA customs building. The officer was a bit upset due to the guy in front of us who did not declare a wild animal he was shooting in Canada and tried to drive it through the border. They had a lenghty discussion and finally they let the guy go. I am not sure what happened to the wild animal they talked about.

We also had a long conversation about our travels and we got admitted to the USA. The road conditions were very good until Beaver Creek but then the next 80-100 miles has been described as awful by fellow travellers we talked to. It was quite damaged in several shorter spans and we have seen many fresh repairs as well. We talked to a woman in Beaver Creek who had to stay there for days as the main structure of their trailer broke in one of the potholes. So we drove very carefully and even slower than usual, around 50-60 km / hour.

The season quickly chamged from summer to autumn in the last few days as we pressed on Northwest. All the trees were yellow and temperature dropped to 10-12 celsius.

As we grinded miles the landscape was becoming more and more dramatic. The clouds and the ice covered mountains in the distance looked majestic. Endless forests, wide rivers. Unreal.

We crossed another time zone amd arrived in the evening to the end of the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction.

We started the day washing the car and the trailer which is quite a long job to do. The place we stayed (Downtown RV Park) is in the center of Watson Lake but do not think anything similar to downtown New York or other large cities. The park's RV wash was well equipped (meaning a bucket and a good quality brush on a long rod). So the whole rig became nice and clear again after the road constructions and rain. I am also grateful for the two new propane hoses I purchased from Archie, who even kindly installed yellow tape (propane) on the end of the hose to make it safe. Another update to the maintenance post.

After a quite uneventful, long drive we arrived to Yukon River and decided to stop in a rest area and boondock. We had water and tested the new generator which runs the fridge easily.

We started after a lazy morning and passed by the small airport opposite our night stop. On the road we have seen different animals today, after our recent bear spotting. We have seen caribous, later buffalos and a coyote.

Then at a road construction we were led by a pilot car again through the closure. This time we had to drive far into the woods on a temporary detour which was created to skip the construction part of the main road. It was fun following the truck with a large "Oversize" sign on its back.

The main programme for today was the Liard Hot Springs which is a natural hot water source available for bathing in its natural setting. A nice little pond is accessible by a ten minute walk from the parking on a wide boardwalk. The kids including me enjoyed the pond especially the small stream of water running under trees.

After the splashing we finished a nice meal in the parking area and I even had a short nap before continuing. We have crossed from BC to Yukon for thr first time and we have stopped for fuel at a retro petrol station with analogue counters and a quite damaged welders and tire shop.

By 7:30pm we have arrived to Watson Lake where we first visited the Signpost Forest.

Then we stopped at Downtown RV Park where we washed Fordy with Ábel and planned to wash Sally in the morning before leaving.