6/15 to 6/17
Today we are heading to Whitehorse. The highway follows along the very big Teslin Lake. We have been driving beside it for more than 10 miles and we still cannot see the end of it. It is very cloudy today and the clouds over the mountains a very beautiful. Our campground in Whitehorse is Pioneer Campground. They have more amenities than any campground we have ever been to. RV and car wash, dog wash, oil changing pad, laundry, discounted gasoline, propane, free WIFI internet service, breakfasts and gift shop. We were also able to purchase tickets to the White Pass and Yukon Trail train and the Frantic Follies. We started our train trip at 7:30am by taking a bus to Fraser, Yukon which is the last stop the train makes going north. The bus went through some beautiful mountain scenery and the bus driver gave a narration with facts about the area. Built at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, the 177 km narrow gauge railroad was the heart of the Yukon transportation system for over 80 years. Completed in 1900, it linked the tidewater port in Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse, head of the navigation system on the Yukon River. The scenic line stopped operating in 1982 but was eventually revived as a tourist excursion in Skagway for the summer months. We went along beautiful lakes, high mountain passes, over bridges and tressels where we could see nothing under us. We saw glaciers, water falls and the most glorious vistas imaginable. It was the highlight so far of our trip. We arrived in Skagway and had three hours to spend before a bus would take us back to our campground in Whitehorse. These tourists towns in Alaska are dressed up nicely and resemble towns from the1900’s gold rush days. The shops have all the jewelry, t-shirts and gift items that tourists seem to gravitate to. On our way home the bus driver spotted a mama bear and two cubs. He stopped so we could take pictures. On our way home we crossed a bridge which the driver told us was only attached to the ground on one end. The reason is because it lies over a fault line. Quite often they have small tremors which throw the bridge out of line but are realigned by the road workers but if it were a large earthquake it would not be completely ruined. On Friday evening we went to a show, Frantic Follies with very good singing, dancing and really funny slap-stick comedy. The cast had the audience laughing continuously. We were hoping to get our mail while we were here but it did not arrive. So we made arrangements to pick it up when we come back through on our way home.