After leaving Whitehorse, the balance of the drive thru the Yukon was another wet and cloudy day. Not any wildlife except for the occasional raven. The wilderness area that we drove was just best explained in one word as LARGE. The scale of what we are seeing continues to amaze me. The travel speed on this section of highway was 60 mph at best but perilous. You could never take your eyes off the road because of the many pot holes, fissures and undulations in the roadway from freeze cycles. It was paved for the most part but a little rough gravel where the pavement was so bad it required removal in spots. I think Larry's head dented the roof of my van multiple times. He was a good sport about it but now he now has a potential permanent bald spot. Larry and I had just commented on how we have not experienced any bugs. When we neared the border road construction work began and stopped us. After a few minutes of talking with a construction traffic worker named Cammy the car filled with mosquitoes. Then the swarm attacked. In BC or the Yukon we never encountered these mosquitoes, gnats and big black flies.
We arrived in Alaska after US Border &Customs. It seems like there is a big void between where Yukon stops and the US officially begins up here. Their is no stopping when you leave US/ Canadian border in Seattle. Here it takes another ten miles or so before the US border stop appears. There is nothing in between except a concrete monument. No fence, barbed wire or other obstacles to keep out illegals except whats looks like a clear cut across the forest as far as you can see to the next mountain top. This border was set in a treaty between England & Russia in the early 1800's.
We drove to Tok and checked into Young's Motel with Fast Eddies Restaurant attached. The parking lot is filled with trailers & pickups that have old freezers strapped to them. Clear signs of Moose & Elk hunters. Its Sunday nite and everything is good. Good nite. Tom & Larry
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