DAY 36 – 48 ~ ALASKA – PART I

In Part 1 we will work our way north visiting Fairbanks then south to Denali National Park and Anchorage.

  

TOP OF THE WORLD HIGHWAY

To reach Alaska we have to cross the Yukon River on the ferry.  It’s a short distance to the other side and a very small ferry.  We were the first in line and as we drove onto the ferry, another truck pulling a trailer showed up.  He too went onto the ferry.  That’s all that can fit.  Nine years ago, when we were here, we had to cross the river on the ferry as well.  After all this time, why hasn’t a bridge been built?  This is one of two ways to drive into Alaska, so there is a lot of traffic on both routes.  Maybe the US refuses to help pay the costs for a bridge.

See that sandy spot on the other side of the river?  The ferry is over there now; it will come back to our side, unload and reload.

 Tight fit.  That's all she can hold.

   

Ohh, I was sure that trailer was going to hit us!

The Top of the World Highway is an unpaved road.  However, driving this road

has been a lot smoother than most of the paved roads in the Yukon where it’s 

full of dips, bumps and potholes.  The ToWH is a beautiful drive with snow

capped mountains and valley scenes.  This is an example of Alaska’s

landscapes.  It’s not forest, but alpine tundra with black spruce, aspen, birch, brush and wildflowers.   

About three quarters into this road is in the US – Canada border and checkpoint – out in the middle of nowhere on the Top of the World.

We are now in Alaska.            

See the green buildings in the middle of the pic.

We stopped in Chicken (wide spot on the road) and checked out the gift shop.  Lots of chicken stuff (stuffed animals, key chains, etc). 

From Chicken we are on the Taylor Highway which is mostly paved.  The Taylor Highway ends at Mile 1301 of the Alaska Highway. 

DAY 35 ~ TOK

After 184 miles and 6 hours we arrive at Tok RV Village and Cabins.  This is a nice RV park that is in the woods.  Unfortunately, we had a site in the back of the park where the Wi-Fi signal is very weak.  This is an overnight stay to break up the distance between Dawson City and Fairbanks.  We did unhook to drive up the street to have dinner at Fast Eddies, the only decent place to eat at in the area.  It was too far to walk.  It was worth the trouble.  The food was great.

Tok is at Mile 1313 of the Alaska Highway.  So, the next day we continue northwest on this highway to Fairbanks. 

DAY 36 ~ DELTA JUNCTION

We make a stop at Mile 1422 in Delta Junction.  This is where the Alaska Highway ends.  We will drive the Alaska Highway again when we leave Alaska and re-enter British Columbia to start our drive home.

Now the highway is called Richardson Highway and we continue on to Fairbanks.  It was a beautiful clear day and you can see in the far distance towards Denali National Park.  We made a stop at a view point and saw a clear view of Mt. Denali (formally Mt. McKinley).  It’s a rare day to see this mountain without a cloud cover over it.