Chuck:
It is a good day. We started by having the Spanish omelet that Artes gave us last evening. It was delicious, a tasty balance of great flavors. Betty is getting the recipe. As promised, we visited the Kluane Cultural Center which is managed by the Canada National Park Service in co-operation with First Nation representatives. This new Center is amazing, very well done. The 20 minute introduction film is not only informative but has spectacular photography. Many of the Center’s exhibits are aimed at middle school level kids. Lots of hands on stuff, like pelt samples of most of the mammals of the area, skulls, etc. We loved it!
Just a few miles and a black bear crosses in front of us. The highway was not so great, mostly paved, but a gazillion frost heaves limit driving speed to about 35 mph. Even at that speed, some nasty bumps and holes shake the rig and our teeth. The scenery is grand; massive snow capped mountains, huge lakes, rocky stream beds that are oversized to accommodate snow-melt; the magnitude of it all renders us insignificant. For over an hour we drove around the southwestern edge of Kluane Lake. And now, after driving over 1200 miles on the Alaska Highway, we enter Alaska (no hassels, we have our passports and Mitzie’s health certificate, this time). Immediately, the road is much improved (our Mile-Post guidebook says this only lasts for about 25 miles; must be a ‘not so subtle’ political thing. We find a wide paved turn-out with two pieces of heavy equipment parked to the side, plenty of room for us. We dry camp for the night. There is almost no traffic. Happy-hour back in the USA!
“…there’s a land where the mountains are nameless and the rivers all run God knows where.” From ‘The Spell of the Yukon’ by Robert Service