Chicken, Dawson and the Top of the World Highway

There may as well be a roadsign: "Warning! Your current route will result in you leaving Alaska within the next couple days. Views like this cannot be guaranteed beyond the border. Please use caution when proceeding." #glennhighway #glenallen #wrangellstelias #airstreamtoalaska #lifeontheroad

Okay, after a long driving day, I can understand that the kids don't want to be trapped in the trailer. #airstreamwithkids #airstreamtoalaska #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #trailerbaby #escapeartist #teenyhoudini

We're suffering from a bit of "post-awesome depression" after a mind blowing helicopter ride to the glaciers in Valdez and a great adventure in McCarthy and now faced with the prospect of leaving Alaska within the next couple days. For so long we've been focussed on getting here and doing as much as possible that now that we've done it, it takes a mental shift to figure out what we're excited about next. Of course, that shouldn't really be too challenging considering that the next 6 weeks will take us down the Alcan through Liard Hot Springs, through Jasper and down the Icefields Parkway to Banff, and into the U.S. to visit friends and explore national parks in the Rockies before turning East to zip across to Boston to spend time with family. Uh yeah, not to hard to be excited about, but still, we weren't feeling ready to just slink back down the same route we'd taken on the way up. So... It'll mean a couple more days driving and a little more rough road, but with a name like "The Top of the World Highway," it seems like it might just be worth the detour and would feel like a fitting end to a great couple months in Alaska! That's right, we're heading to Chicken and Dawson City! #airstreamtoalaska #topoftheworldhighway

Before leaving Tok, we filled up with gas, did one more gray water dump, topped off water and hit the surprisingly well-stocked Three Bears Market that carries bulk sizes in a few of our favorite road snacks (Mary's Gone Crackers and these "deli style" pretzel crisps). At the dump station, an older guy pulled his trailer in on the other side.
Guy: You heading up or down?
Me: Well, I guess you'd say down. We're done with our Alaska loop, but just decided to go out over the Top of the World.

Guy: [Wincing] Ooooooh. Gonna be bumpy!
Me: Oh, did you just come down from there?
Guy: No, we were on the Kenai.
Me: Oh, so have you driven it before?
Guy: Well, no.
Me: ... #topoftheworldhighway #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #airstreamwithkids #myrivetedlife #liveriveted

In fact, the first 60 miles of our route to Dawson City was along the (mostly) paved Taylor Highway with nice views to the west of the Alaska Range and foothills all around still recovering from a big fire about 10 years ago. Just after the pavement ended, we pulled into West Fork, a pristine BLM campground with free firewood (to discourage gathering) and brand new bathroom buildings. Many sites overlooked some small lakes with perfect hammock spots. Since the drive to Chicken would only be a half hour or so the next day, we decided to let Mae nap in camp before we left which gave us some (rare) time to just sit around camp. @advodna_ann and I *may or may not* be in preliminary rehearsals for a much anticipated duets project. #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #eno #enolife #enostyle #kayguitars

Okay, so the road through Chicken had some potholes and some short sections of washboard but lots of width to avoid most of the rough stuff and even a bit of pavement. That being said, as we were enjoying a couple bowls of buffalo chili and a reindeer dog at the Chicken Cafe (the owner is something of a legend, put out cookbooks etc, was generally friendly but in a very quirky "don't give me more than one piece of information at a time" kinda way) we overheard a couple people talking about an RV that had gone over the edge of the road. Sure enough, on the way out of town, we came across what looked to be a class A just flopped over on the downhill side of the road. Apparently, the woman wasn't hurt and was lucky it didn't slide farther. As we were setting up camp at Walker Fork, another great BLM campground, two big wreckers pulled in, one towing the other (maybe to save gas?) before proceeding up the hill. #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #chickenalaska

The one warning I had heard about the Top of the World Highway that I did think twice about was that it could get slippery and muddy in the rain. Well, we fell asleep to the sound of the first drops on the roof and it rained all night. We'd realized late that we'd be crossing back into Canada early in the day so had spent the evening tossing pretty much anything fresh into the cast iron skillet for a few batches of cauliflower shepherd's pie to stick in the freezer. Then, to avoid a mid-nap interrogation at the border, we decided once again to let Mae nap at camp. Yeah, that should let the roads get nice and slick... How to entertain a three year old trapped by the rain inside a trailer? Fly kites, of course! #airstreamwithkids #roadschool #tapestickswelltoaluminumceilings #airstreamtoalaska

There's no bridge across the Yukon River into Dawson City. Instead, the road just ends at a muddy slope into the river where you wait as a barge navigates its way across the current and drops a metal ramp on the bank. Workers signal which vehicles they want to load; We were first on with maybe 5 vehicles loaded in two lanes behind us. The ramp comes up quickly, and the ferry drifts towards the center before battling its way upstream to the far bank. The ramp drops down and off you drive! #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #topoftheworldhighway #ferry #yukonriver #yukon #dawsoncity

Out on the road, we watched in the mirrors as the front of the trailer quickly disappeared under a layer of mud. Each time the rain picked up, spots of silver would again peak through, only to receive a new coating of muck at the next pothole, but otherwise, the rain didn't seem to be affecting us. After 14 miles or so, we passed the junction north to Eagle and officially started the Top of the World Highway. In the same "Suck it, Canada" we saw on the U.S. side of the border near Tok, the next 13 miles to the crossing was suddenly perfect, newly paved highway, but things got interesting on the other side; Several long, steep climbs had already been chewed up by earlier traffic creating ruts with a slippery slurry of mud on either side of the tracks. On the first climb, the slip detection system on the Sequoia flashed its yellow warning light and automatically reduced power. With careful gas, I was able to get enough momentum to get to the top. On the next few, I flipped the knob into 4WD as we approached the hill which helped substantially, but any sudden moves on the accelerator would still trigger the light. Of course, I could have disabled the system, but in fact, it was doing its job to avoid wheel spin, and the truck was performing admirably in the conditions (read: towing a large trailer uphill through the mud!). While there were a few pulse quickening moments - and I now understand the cautions about driving the road in the rain - the Top of the World Highway was a great adventure through some incredibly remote country. Do it again? In a (quickened) heartbeat! #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #airstreamwithmud #getalittlemudonthetires #getalittlemudonthewindows #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #topoftheworldhighway #dirtyairstreampics

Before even going to our assigned site in the Goldrush RV Park, we went right to a wash station up the road to at least hose off the first layer before it hardened. #hotspouseswashingwheeledhouses #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #airstreamwithmud #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #myrivetingwife #topoftheworldhighway #dawsoncity #dirtyairstreampics

So satisfying... #halfandhalf #beforeandafter #airstream #airstreamwithmud #airstreamtoalaska #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #dawsoncity #topoftheworldhighway #dirtyairstreampics

Sometimes genius takes a couple drafts. #airstreamwithkids #childhoodunplugged #notebook #airstream #fulltimetravel #roadschool

Since the night before our wet crossing of the Top of the World Highway a couple days ago, it's been pretty overcast. Despite lengthening our days slightly by heading north, we also lowered our sun angle, and the combination of factors has made it tough for our solar panels to get us back up to less than about 70 amp hours down. Recently, we've been finding that even if an RV park is full, there are usually a few dry sites which are the last to go and we're happier in anyway (full hookup sites close to town in Valdez and Dawson were both about $45 compared to $25 for dry, then again, as you'll notice in the pic, this particular one required six (!) blocks to get level). When the sun came out today, I was disappointed to only see 7 amps coming in off the roof panels (see low sun angle above). I briefly considered tilting but then decided that setting up the 120W portable would be easier. It immediately added 7.4 amps, more than the 405W on the roof had been collecting! At almost 15 amps, we should be topped off in about 5 hours. Yet another time I've been glad to have the portable. Side note: We haven't used the generator since the weekend we bought it back in late April but are still glad we have it just in case. We also haven't been plugged into shore power since around the same time! #airstream #airstreamtoalaska #solar #offthegrid #dawsoncity #yukon

For a couple months, we've been battling with a leak in the bottom corner of one of our two 6 gallon water jugs. These light blue/green Reliance jugs we found at Walmart a few years ago are nice and narrow and have the perfect spout for dumping into the trailer, so I'd rather not have to find replacements. I've tried the few formulations of JBWeld and other marine sealants I have around, but eventually, they've all failed, losing adhesion to the plastic of the jug. I finally got around to Googling how to repair High Density Poly Ethylene. The answer? High Density Poly Ethylene! Following the tips on a couple kayak repair sites, I searched the trailer until I found a conditioner bottle with the HDPE stamp, cut a patch and melted it into place with a lighter. So far, it's holding water, and the best part is, you can hardly even see where the repair was! #yeahright #uglybutitworks #roadrepair #HDPE #iusedtomeltarmymenonthelightbulbinmyroom

Coming to Dawson both closes a loop geographically as we head back down to the AlCan but also historically as we reach the destination sought by the 100,000 or so fortune hunters who arrived in Skagway in 1897 (where we arrived in early June!) as news of the Klondike gold strikes spread. They traveled the brutal Chilkoot Pass, making as many as 40 trips trips to ferry the one ton of food, clothing and equipment each man was *required* to have before being allowed to proceed, before the White Pass & Yukon Route railway (that we visited in Carcross and drove along side) was complete. Still only a fraction made it. When the Yukon River thawed in Spring of 1898, steam paddleboats that had made the 500 mile journey downstream through a few intense rapids unloaded men and equipment day and night until the small native fishing village had grown to 30,000 people almost overnight, making it largest city north of Seattle and west of Winnipeg. Dirt streets, wooden sidewalks and many original buildings, along with tons of historical photos posted around town, can only begin to help you envision the hope, ambition, desperation, corruption and innovation that flooded theses streets. We, on the other hand, visited playgrounds, went to the hardware store, had tacos at Klondike Kate's and Greek food at the Drunken Goat, ate baked goods at Cheechakos and did laundry. Some parts were still pretty hard. #dawsoncity #yukon #airstreamtoalaska #fulltimetravel