After last night’s fantastic Northern Lights show, we didn’t get many hours of sleep, but it was a travel day, and we wanted to get at least a reasonable start.
We finally pulled in the slides, hitched the Jeep, and pulled out of the Clearwater State Recreation Site campground around 10:30.
We took Clearwater Road the five miles south to the Alaska Highway, by-passing the actual beginning of it in Delta Junction.
It was a pretty drive from there down to Tok as there were mountains and rivers and the yellow Fall colors.
And that part of the road was pretty good as well. At least we avoided the horrible Tok Cut-Off between Tok & Glennallen.
Along the way, a car passed us but it was soon slowed down by a caribou crossing the road.
It seems the Alaska wildlife wasn’t quite finished with us.
I snapped a few pictures through the bug-splattered windshield as Linda drove.
In Tok, we stopped at the Northern Energy Corp. which has easy-to-access Tesoro gas pumps, bulk propane, a dump station, and a water filling station. We spent a half an hour taking advantage of all those services.
Tok was about half way between Delta Junction and the Canadian border another hundred miles away. The first fifty miles heading east from Tok, the road was pretty good, and we could tell some road improvements had been made since we came through around the first of June.
But the last fifty miles included the same old frost heave, roller coaster sections we’ve become familiar with. And the first twelve miles in Canada to the customs station was just as bad.
At the border crossing, we waited in a single line for about fifteen minutes. Once it was our turn, we got the usual questions: Where are your from? Where are you going? What’s your purpose for visiting Canada? Do you have any firearms? Do you have an Cannabis products? Do you have any alcohol?
Linda answered all the questions including a “yes” to the alcohol question. “Personal use only?” the agent asked. “Yes”, and that was the end of that – we probably had a little bit over the non-taxable amount.
She also asked if we had any food. Linda responded “I have food” with the tone of “Of course, I have food”. The agent followed up with “All store bought?” – answer “Yes”.
Then she noticed the freezer behind my seat? “What’s in the cooler?” We responded it was fish we caught, and that it was all professionally processed, packed, and labeled. So, technically, we lied when we said all our food was store-bought, not thinking about the fish.
She sort of led us through the follow-up questions. “You’re taking all the fish with you? You’re not leaving any of it in Canada or selling it?” We answered properly, and we were on our way.
This agent didn’t ask about bear spray, but they usually do. We had been given an unopened package of bear spray back in Anchorage a couple months ago. A vacationer bought it but never opened it. And we still had it, but we also gave it away before we got to the border.
I changed my mind on where we were camping for the night about four times.
Originally, we were going to camp in Beaver Creek right past the customs station in the Yukon. Then I decided we would go a bit farther to the Snag Junction Campground, a Yukon government campground another twelve miles or so. There was a chance to see the Northern Lights again tonight, I wanted to be far from anything resembling a town.
Then I changed my mind again. We were back in the Pacific time zone, so we lost an hour, but it was still somewhat early. Linda was up for continuing, so we went another 36 miles to Lake Creek Campground, another Yukon public campground right on the Alaska Highway.
This little no hook-up campground has 28 large campsites with some of them along a creek. It has no water and no dump station, but it has vault toilets and free firewood. These Yukon campgrounds are a bargain at $12 CAD which is about $9 USD, and when considering firewood is $5 - $8 a bundle, the free firewood makes them an even better deal.
The campsites are huge with picnic tables and firepits. There were only two sites occupied, so we slipped into a pull-through site, Site 11, right on the creek.
It’s somewhat open for sun and for Northern Lights viewing.
The forecast for the Northern Lights was good again for tonight, but the local forecast called for clouds, so maybe we’d see them again or maybe not.
I took my campsite photos, walked along the creek, and through the campground.
There was already firewood at our site, so I chopped it and got a fire going.
In our travels this summer, we’ve sometimes been befuddled by the location of firepits, but this one was perfectly situated far enough from the RV and facing so that you could sit in front of it with a view of the creek and the mountains beyond.
While I was getting the fire going, Linda browned some hamburger and cobbled together a delicious taco salad.
As we ate, we were visited by a pair of these birds.
Now, we quickly recognized them as Gray Jays, one of the many species of jays that are known as “camp robbers” due to their tendency to swoop in and steal any food you may leave out.
We had them in Denali National Park at the Savage River Campground. But when I looked them up to verify they were in fact Gray Jays, I learned that they were recently renamed Canada Jays. Apparently that was their original name until 1957 when it was changed by the American Ornithologists' Union. Then in June 2018, the name was changed back. They are not exclusive to Canada, but a range map shows they are mostly found in Canada. Anyway, the Canadian birders that proposed the change are now happy.
The clouds moved in as we enjoyed our fire and the peaceful scenery. The road noise from the Alaska Highway carried through the campground, but when the cars and trucks weren’t moving, it was just the sound of the stream beside us.
Since we are only here for a night, and we’d just come from a nice fishing spot, I resisted the urge to get out my fly rod and put on my waders. Plus, I didn't want to go to the trouble of getting a one-day Yukon fishing license.
As it got later, Linda went inside to get a shower and call it a night. I tended the fire a bit longer scanning the sky for green glows and seeing none before I finally joined her.
However, after I got ready for bed, I stepped outside a little after 11:00 p.m., and sure enough I could see some stars. The sky had cleared a bit, and there was a faint strip of green in the northern sky.
I notified Linda and she bundled up to come outside to join me.
It wasn’t as impressive or vibrant as last night, but there was no doubt we were witnessing the Northern Lights again tonight. There was movement of green light and bright streaks although they were much fainter. Had we not had such a spectacular display twenty-four hours ago, we would have been thrilled, even with this lesser display.
As it was, we were happy to witness them again, but they didn’t make us want to get out our loungers and sit out in the cold to see if the show got better. Plus, with our shortened hours of sleep last night, we were just too tired.
We were in bed by midnight.
Tomorrow, the plan is to stay in Whitehorse, a drive of about 230 miles. Until next time.
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