We Arrive in the Yukon

After arriving in Ft. Nelson, we felt the car needed a bath. We found a car wash that featured a “touchless” or manual wash. Jane got exchanged for some “loonies” (Canadian dollar coins) and we were all set. We drove to the touchless bay thinking that our $6 in loonies would buy us a wash. No way. The rates for the wash started at $14 for the basic wash and went up to $22 for the deluxe package. We couldn’t see spending that much for something we didn’t think would last very long. We opted for the manual wash which turned out to be $1/minute! When Capt. Larry washed the car in Prince Albert it was $1 for about 3 minutes. Things just get so much more expensive the further north one goes. He decided that a 2-minute high pressure rinse would get the bulk of the ugliness off. Then we filled up the tank with gas at $6.09/gal. The raping and pillaging just won’t stop! We left Ft. Nelson early the next morning. The drive to Lake Watson, our next stop, was only about 325 miles away, but it would take over 7 hours to get there because it was a “scenic” drive. And because of the beautiful scenery and many stops for photo ops, it would take us over 8 hours to get there. We started out thinking that it was going to be a warmer, sunny day. Capt. Larry was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt and was ready for some warm weather. However, today’s drive would be in the lee of the Rocky Mountains where the weather can change in a heartbeat, and we were no more than 30 miles from Ft. Nelson, when the skies blackened and the temperature dipped to 44°. These conditions would hound us for the rest of the day.

On the Alaska Highway, today’s stretch from Ft. Nelson to Lake Watson is considered by most travelers to be the most scenic along the entire Alaskan Highway route. And we would definitely have to vote with the most beautiful group. We reentered the mountains and some spectacular scenery. As we tour the Alaskan Highway, Jane is reading the Milepost, a traveler’s guide that literally details each mile with history, current information, and background information.

Deeeeeeelicious!

Our boater friends would recognize it as a Skipper Bob’s of the Alaskan Highway. It is that good. Anyway, we are driving along and come to the Tetsla River and Milepost says we have to stop at the Tetsla River Lodge and Bakery to get some cinnamon buns which are considered by most travelers to be the best on the Alaskan Highway. By now it is raining, so we pull into the resort, worrying that we would be able to get out on the wet and greasy drive, and Jane pops in to pick us up a treat. Well, as many are, the proprietor is enchanted with Jane’s southern accent and strikes up a conversation, offering all kinds of information and tidbits that we would not have received anyplace else. Capt. Larry is in the car wondering if his wife really has to wait for the next batch of buns to come out. She finally emerges with the prize and we are on our way. It was then that he realized that the wait was worth it, because the bun was fresh out of the oven and absolutely delicious.

We continued through the mountains and saw some spectacular sights. We made our way to Summit Lake, which is supposed to be the highest point on the highway (we hit the lowest point yesterday with some valley plunge that Jane said was the “bottom of the barrel”).

Summit Lake in the rain

Another traveler saw us taking pictures and flagged us down to tell us to be on the lookout for a herd of about 10 stone sheep over the ridge just beyond Summit Lake.

A stone sheep on the ridge

By now it was raining pretty hard and it was difficult to just navigate the road, let alone look for some animals we had no idea as to where they were. We had just about given up when we rounded a bend and there they were. They were laying down on some rock flats and we thought they were waiting for the rain to stop.

Lake Munch- still in the rain!

After all, you can’t negotiate the mountains in really nasty weather! We saw some spectacular scenery at Summit Lake, but it was nowhere close to Lake Muncho further up the road. Lake Muncho is a 7-mile long lake that is absolutely pristine. We found a turnout that we could photograph to our hearts content.

Warsteiner beer lamp at lodge

Further up, we came to the Lake Muncho Lodge. It was a pretty cool place that may have been run by some Germans, as we saw some Warsteiner beer lamps outside the main lodge. We proceeded on, now trying to make some time for the remainder of the route.

Are they going to move out of our way?

But the parade of wildlife slowed us down for picture taking. Right after Lake Muncho we started looking for a place to have lunch. There didn’t seem like there was a lot available until Jane read in the Milepost about a place called Smith Falls.

Up close and personal

The description was a waterfall located about 1.6 miles off the main road on a road not recommended for large RV’s. It sounded perfect.

At beautiful Smith Falls

We came to the turnoff and overland we went. About halfway through the winding road with freshly cleared fallen trees, an apprehensive Jane started to voice some doubts. But the road was too narrow to turn around so Capt. Larry pressed on. Arriving at the falls we were treated to a spectacular sight. We were not alone and met an elderly gentleman from Georgia. After we finished our lunch, we took some pictures and followed our Georgia friend out to the main road. It was a real treat! We had seen a sign just as we left Ft. Nelson earlier in the day warning about bison on the road just north of Lake Muncho.

Frolicking black cub bears

We had forgotten about the warning, but suddenly found ourselves facing a herd of about 30 of the beasts. Proceeding slowly, we drove right into the middle of the group and they parted to let us pass. What was really cool was to see 7-10 calves in the group. But it didn’t stop there. After passing the buffalo we came upon a mama black bear with 3 cubs. Mama was all business foraging along the road, but the cubs were playing and fighting with each other and we got to watch them interact for a few minutes.

Lone "papa" bear

For the rest of the trip to Lake Watson, we saw 6 more large, lone black bears that Jane labeled as “papa bears.”

Wild horses couldn't keep us away

By now the novelty was beginning to wear off and we only photographed a couple of the lone bears. But the parade continued. We kept seeing signs with pictures of horses on them, but didn’t think the aspen forest was the type of environment where they would be found. We were wrong.

Bringing up the rear

Just outside of Lake Watson we found a herd of 9 wild horses standing in the middle of the road. Easing our way through the group gave us another great wildlife photo op. We finally arrived in Lake Watson after covering the last 10 miles over a really muddy construction route. So much for the expensive 2-minute car wash!

The Sign Post Forest

After we arrived at Lake Watson, we checked into our “bare basic” motel where Jane was in for another treat.

Larger than Life!

We reserved this place because it looked to be the most modern motel among the choices. What we didn’t know was that it was a remodeled version of an old air force barracks. During WWII, Watson Lake was one of a series of sites that were selected to have air strips built.

Jane's contribution

 

This was a supply chain up to Alaska that would support defense activities against any Japanese invasion.

Making the little woman happy

The barracks were built to house troops stationed there. It was spotlessly clean and comfortable, but to Jane’s chagrin, there were common showers and the toilet facilities that were shared (just like a barracks!). Hey, it was for just one night and we didn’t know if we could fare any better at some of the other places. We went to the visitor’s center and to Sign Forest, which has over 75,000 signs posted by visitors from all over the word. We had read about this, and Jane was prepared with her sign from Killian, LA. We screwed the sign onto an open spot on a post and we were part of the history.

Jane's sign next to Crowley, LA

We are pretty sure that Capt. Larry’s parents came through here in the early ‘90’s, so perhaps the circle is complete. We thought that we would go to a park for a picnic supper. Capt. Larry grilled some chicken breasts with all the fixing’s and we had a really great meal, except for the 15-20 minutes it rained (Yeah, it changes that fast coming off the mountains!). Bottom line is we had a really great day, and only hope that the remainder of our Alaska visit is this good.