Muncho Lake, BC to Teslin, Yukon Territory

Yukon Territory! It’s very exciting to be in this, (for us), uncharted terrain. The name evokes Jack London and huskies and gold miners and, ok, ok, we all get the idea.  As the road meanders we cross the British Columbia, Yukon Territory border six times before we are officially and for certain in YT.

We wake up this morning to the sounds of early morning fishermen clambering into a float plane that will take them to remote lakes and streams. We watch them take off with our fingers crossed.

So much for my weather theory. We have bright blue skies all the way. In fact, Yukon Territory has been experiencing a very warm spring with temperatures into the 80’s.

And, the sheep are not shy today! They are standing around in the middle of the road, just as advertised. Smaller than a mountain goat but with curly horns that look like they mean business. The babies are sheepish hiding behind their mamas.

A new silhouette appears on a yellow warning sign today…buffalo. They graze alongside the road at intervals, in small groups or standing solo.

We follow the Liard River, (French for poplar, which line its banks), into the small burb of Watson Lake. Here stands a signpost forest. A soldier working on the highway in 1942 started it and now it hosts over 70,000 signs that travelers have posted from all over the world…road signs, homemade signs, business signs, license plates, welcome signs and on and on. Everyone is encouraged to leave a sign, (we didn’t).

We waste an hour at the Northern Lights Centre watching a presentation on the aurora borealis. It's mediocre, but we did learn that magnetic fields and solar wind produce the “fire in the sky”. We’ll try again in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska’s geophysical institute.

A highlight of Watson Lake is a woman named Button, (I’d love to know how she came by it), working at the visitor’s center. She fills us in on every campground/RV park in YT with wit and wisdom. Perfect person for the job! I’m resisting saying she was right on the button.

Allen’s Lookout gives us a long view of Liard River with Goat Mountain in the background. There’s a legend that a band of outlaws used this sweeping view to attack and rob riverboats. We just enjoy the sight.

We cross a continental divide with water draining to the west heading to the Bering Sea and that draining east arriving eventually at the Arctic Ocean.

Wildflowers today are all purple, fireweed and lupine.

We are ensconced at Dawson Peaks Resort and RV Park with a view through the poplars of Teslin Lake. The owners and their resort are featured in a mystery written by Sue Henry called Dead North. I buy a copy. The book is out of print so they keep it “under the desk” and sell it only to people who ask about it.

Still marveling at the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Wildlife count: 10 Stone sheep, 4 black bears, 8 bison

Airstreams: 0

Miles: 319

Gratitudes: PKB: sun salutes by the lake  JMB: the solitude of the highway

Gin Score: J: 745  P: 750

Adorable One

Signpost Forest