DAY 32-37 ~ THE YUKON (June 19 - 23)

In the 1800’s the Hudson Bay Co. set up trading posts in the Yukon.  In 1895 the Yukon became part of the Northwest Territories.  The Yukon became known and populated during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897 and in 1898 it split from the Northwest Territories.  In 2003 the name Yukon Territory was officially changed to Yukon.

We are visiting the southern end of the Yukon.  We will be spending 5 days in this area.  This is as far North as we will be traveling.  So we will see daylight 24 hours per day.  I did find out one night when I could not get to sleep around 1:30 – 2:00am that it was somewhat dark. It was more like dusk, but only for an hour.  By 3:00am it was full daylight again.

DAY 32 ~ WATSON LAKE  (June 18)

We continued to travel the Alaska Highway.  Even though this highway is now paved, and has been paved for many years, it is not a smooth ride.  The road is only a two lane road and at some points very narrow.  It is full of dips and pot holes and very uneven.  Parts of the road are being repaved and or oiled.  So we are traveling on dirt and gravel.  Being in the passenger seat and trying to read is impossible.  That book is flying everywhere while trying to read and hold onto it.  Try being the driver and pulling a trailer.  All you can do is look at the scenery.  And it is awesome.  Beautiful snow capped mountains, meadows, lakes and forests.  It is a pretty drive.  And the wildlife is everywhere.  On our trip to our next stop we saw Black Bears, Stone Sheep and Bison.

It is 470 miles to our destination of Whitehorse.  So to break up that long ride we did an overnight stay at Watson Lake, the half way point.  Watson Lake is also Mile 635 on the Alaska Highway and is called “The Gateway to the Yukon”.

We have been to Watson Lake before and the most exciting thing to visit here is the SIGN POST FOREST.  It started in 1942 during the construction of the Alaska Highway.  The US Army Corps of Engineers erected mileage posts at their camps showing distances.  A homesick soldier added his hometown sign to one of the mileage posts and soon others followed.  One signpost located at the corner of the Alaska Highway and the road to Watson Lake still exists.  That is where the Sign Post Forest is today.  People from all over the world have added their signs and it is still growing.  At the end of 2004, the signs in the Forest numbered almost 55,000!

Next stop is WHITEHORSE, YUKON.