Top of the World Highway, Yukon

​Well, after a morning of chores, dumping tanks, and loading up with water, and an awesome hot shower at the RV park, I got in line for the ferry. But not until I caught up with Clive and Ann for another encounter this morning, as they were on their way to the Dempsey Highway, towards the Arctic Ocean. For me, the only way to continue on this journey to Alaska, and the “top of the world” highway, is to cross the Yukon River via ferry. It’s a small ferry whose service runs for free 24/7. I stood in line for 25 minutes, then took Jo Jo out for a quick walk catching up to the front of the line where a couple from British Columbia told me that there are actually THREE lines! If you are under 24 feet long you get to take the short line. So I raced back to my RV to get in the short line. The one thing I’ve known noticed about Canada is their sore lack of signage. There may be a sign on the highway that indicates whatever, such as a rest area, or campsite up ahead, by 2 or 4 kilometers, but no other signs right there at the actual spot where you need to turn. It will just be an unmarked driveway, and it’s your hope that you remember the sign, and how far you’ve traveled. It’s been a bit (a lot) frustrating as I stay focused on all the details. There were three lines here for three different vehicles, and the signs were way up at the front, and I was way at the back. Yippee, I made it across and it was paved for a while, until it turned into dirt. A road grading backhoe was coming towards me closer and closer, until I stopped. He stopped. He waved his arm to me to cross over the bermed dirt essentially getting out of his way. But I hesitated, confused, as the bermed dirt was probably 8 inches tall with who knows what in it, including ice and rocks. I waited a little bit longer until he actually got out of his front cab to hastily wave me over. I reluctantly crossed over, but very annoyed at the idea of running over a high berm as I heard my belly scraping. Ugh. That’s just wrong. I am hoping that nothing got damaged. The dirt road was actually pretty good, and with some exception was easy to drive except it got really steep and then it started to rain which turned into snow. Yes, I was on top of the world highway during a snow fall, and a bit of hail, with grapple, and wind. It was cold. For the next few hours, I watched these muddy roads and took my time to really focus on driving the steep edges, I drove past many snowy embankments, and finally, after which seemed like an eternity, I crossed the border into Alaska. I stopped briefly at the welcome sign and headed out towards the town of Chicken. I finally found a campsite at Walker Fort Campground, where my US national park pass, saves me a lot in camping fees. I’m parked right next to Walker Fort Creek. I climbed some serious elevation today so my head feels full as I went through various temperature zones as low is 43° then up to 58°. Right now I’m allowing the sun to heat up the RV with passive solar keeping me cozy. I’ve entered a new time zone, so I actually gained an hour!










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