Our 2013 Alaska RV Adventure

Boya Lake down the Cassier Highway to Meziadin Lake

8/20/13

Up and on the road early we stop in about 25 miles at Jade City. This is a real-life Jade mine accompanied by its own jewelry store. After Sharon and Joy shop for Christmas gifts and get matching rings, Bob and I depart poorer for the experience.

We travel about 325 miles today stopping at Dease Lake to fuel (defensive fueling) before lunch and continuing to the Meziadin Lake Provincial Park. We setup camp in sites 32 and 33 before enjoying a quiet evening on the lakefront.

Shopping in the wilderness.....who could have guessed

Cassier Highway begins to improve about 200 miles south

Northern British Columbia is truly a beautiful wilderness

We pass signs of life in B.C.

Approaching the Stewart, BC highway cutoff

View from our motorhome this evening of Meziadin Lake

Cassier Highway to Boya Lake

8/19/13

After a nice day touring Whitehorse we depart southbound on the Alaskan Highway about 230 miles to the Highway 37 Cassier Highway turnoff. Just south of Teslin Junction I experience my first and only flat tire on the Jeep after something flew up off the roadway and struck the running board and rear tire. After a quick change we continue toward the junction.

After fueling here we continue south on the Cassier. We have learned that “highway” has a variable meaning up here. The northern part of this road has no shoulders (none), narrow lanes for a two-lane road, and has frost heaves and potholes abounding. Traffic is heavier than on the Alaska Highway. I must note, however, that the next north-south road west of here is in Japan somewhere. We climb, descend, twist and turn for 53 miles down to the Boya Lake Provincial Park where we camp for the night on the shores of a beautiful lake. It rains most of the night making for a good nights sleep.

Alaska Highway southeast of Whitehorse

Beautiful views from the Cassier

Camping at Boya Lake

Smores!!!!!! Need we say more........

Secret ingredients for Smores exposed

Perfect marshmellows

Good friends

Whitehorse, Yukon

We enjoy a late departure Saturday as we only have a short drive to Whitehorse, Yukon for the weekend. We passed through here on the trip up deciding we would stop on our return. We park at the Pioneer RV Park just south of Whitehorse and play to enjoy sightseeing here tomorrow. Sharon and Joy spent most of the day at the Takhini Hot Springs while Don and Bob tended to some motor home cleaning. Monday will find us headed south about 230 miles on the Alaska Highway before we join the Cassier Highway south toward Prince George and Vancouver, BC.

Sunday was cool and overcast as we toured Whitehorse museums, Yukon River waterfront, and downtown.

Takhini Falls mineral baths

Joy and Sharon spend a day relaxing

Joy finally gets her wish to hug a giant beaver

The Museum tour starts here

Tour continues here

A 1938 Douglas DC-3 used as a windsock

The route flown by WWII Lend-Lease Aircraft from US to USSR

Quaint downtown Whitehorse

We have lunch in this Main Street bakery

Museum tour continues at the Oldest Anglican Church in the Yukon dating to late 1880's

Yukon River Fish Ladder decorated Salmon mark the entrance

Riverboat SS Klondike

Sharon and Joy have a look-see at river travel

Leaving Alaska southbound on the Alaska Highway

Friday morning found us underway early joining the Alaska Highway southbound crossing the U.S. – Canadian border about 80 miles distant around 11 AM. From here the highway deteriorated on our trip up and does not disappoint for the return. Not more than a mile into Canada we hit our first invisible frost heave with a jolt. From here the road got worse as we were barely able to distinguish construction zones from “normal” pavement. This lasted until we reach Destruction Bay on Lake Kluane about 180 miles away. We endure the road though the scenery in wonderful.

Just south of the lake we are rewarded with sighting of a very large Kodiak Bear sitting near the road just looking around for a while before sauntering off to eat some more berries. We fuel in Haines Junction and then stop for the night at the Otter Falls Campground about 40 miles east. By this evening we have left all the smoke from the forest fires in Alaska to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

By the way, the days are getting shorter here by about 6 minutes per day that is noticeable. We are also seeing the first signs of fall foliage today.

Crossing the border in Yukon

Sharon and Joy sadly say goodbye to Alaska

Yukon construction project

Border crossing through Customs

Destruction Bay Police Vehicle

Approaching Kluane Lake

Yukon's St. Elias Mountain Range

They use the term "Highway" loosely up here"

Glenhallen to Tok and Top of the World Highway

Once again Wednesday was beautiful as we continued north to Glenhallen, then took Highway 1 (Tok Cutoff). While in Glenhallen Don and Bob went to Napa Auto to purchase two replacement batteries for the motor home. We had been having a minor electrical problem for a few days and thought that the batteries might be suspect due to their age. New batteries installed, we were on our way north. About 35 miles from Tok and the Alaska Highway our engine shutdown. After a long phone call with Freightliner, Bob and Don were able to get the coach running again and we continued to Tok RV Village.

We discovered one other problem – we had broken the hitch mounts on the motor home where it mounts to the frame. The Jeep was still attached but we needed repairs before continuing. Willard Auto in Tok was able to re-weld the hitch Thursday morning. Later in the day we drove the Taylor Highway to Chicken, AK and the Top of the World Highway to the Canadian border. Returning we stopped for some souvenirs in Chicken as we headed by to Tok.

Again, we spent the night in Tok before continuing along the Alaska Highway southbound. We are all a bit sad that this will be our last full day in Alaska – where has the time gone?

RV Report: Tok, AK diesel fuel $ 4.64 gallon
After traveling the Top of the World Highway, I finally found a road that I would recommend you not take an RV. Highway north to Chicken is very drivable.