Notes about Watson Lake: So Watson Lake is essentially a small town (2 gas stations) in the Yukon Territory that is “famous” for its sign post forest. People bring license plates and street signs and put then on 6x6 posts in downtown Watson Lake. I am beginning to realize that most of the small towns along this route try to have some claim to fame to attract visitors. Tess and I didn’t stop in Watson Lake because we wanted to see the sign post forest (although we did stop by and Tess was predictably frightened by this new kind of “forest”). The real reason why Tess and I stopped in Watson Lake was because we were dead tired and we had just seen 13 bears during our drive so we were kind of craving human companionship when we camped. Unfortunately, what we got was mosquito companionship. After about 15 minutes outside of the truck, Tess was whining to be let back into the protection of the cab, and I was cursing that damn “Shoo” tag while furiously searching for the small bottle of cutter I have hiding in the truck for emergencies like this. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Shoo tag thwarts about 85% of the mosquitoes, but when you are in a crowd of 500 mosquitoes, that still leaves 75 mosquitoes to feast on your flesh. Tess received the worst of it; her nose was swelling and she looked like she had the chicken pox on her belly. We got into the loft as quickly as possible and spent the rest of the night swatting at any whining bugs that managed to sneak in via the cracks in the tailgate. Consequently, on the morning of day five, we ditched Operation FFF and made restocking on OFF our first priority. Now, of course, when you are in the middle of nowhere, everything costs more. So, as I was buying the OFF at the next town up the road, the woman at the counter warned me that “this stuff is kind of pricey.” I explained that it was worth the cost because you know it’s bad when your dog is whining at you to be let back in the truck. The guy behind me in line overheard our dialogue and laughed. Then he uttered this gem: “Well, if it wasn’t for the fact that its 40 below here in the winter and the damn bugs in the summer, everyone would live here.” And he’s right.
Notes about the drive:
The Yukon Territory is definitely the most desolate of the areas that we have driven through so far. It’s relatively flat terrain, but the sides of the roads are lined with small trees. I’m pretty sure the trees are so small due to the length of the summers around here. If you cut a tree that is the size of a Christmas tree in the lower 48, it will probably have 5-10 rings/years on it. If you cut that same tree up here, it will have about 25-75 rings/years on it. That’s a random factoid I learned at an Arctic National Wildlife display the last time that I was up here. I like passing along nerdy information like that.
Despite the desolate terrain, this is the place that you usually start seeing cyclists biking up to Alaska. That is truly an impressive feat. On the drive up I would say that I saw about 5 cyclists. One of them was just cruising along the same highway where I saw the 13 black bears in 2 hours, and another one was biking in the middle of an insane downpour. Quite a tough crowd. I’m not sure I’d ever feel inclined to bike to AK, but if I ever meet someone who has, I’m buying the first round.
Right about now is also the time that I start wishing I had cruise control. 50 hrs of holding your foot at the same angle can start to annoy even the most patient person.
Jolly Ranchers are keeping me awake on this drive. Jolly Ranchers and another spin of the Pop CD because the XM has finally lost its signal. “Oh sure, you can get XM radio anywhere in North America.” Bull Honkey.
I am occasionally finding straggler/stowaway mosquitoes in the car. I am also truly enjoying killing them. Tess is as well. She is very adept at snatching them out of the air with her mouth. Admittedly, I think they are flying a little slower due to too much time in the truck cab, but we won’t tell Tess that. It’s nice to let her have some “wins” in life.
Despite the Chinese Herbs and Operation FFF, Tess continues to be frightened by suspension bridges. I don’t know what to do about this. It might be time to call the Dog Whisperer.
Although there are very few towns in the Yukon, there are a plethora of bathrooms. OK, they are really outhouses, but every 20 miles, like clockwork, there is a rest area with a bathroom. You know you’re getting a little tired of driving when you start thinking that seeing a restroom is exciting.
I am often curious about what kind of people live in the Yukon, and why they are living there. I stopped for gas at Haines Junction and when I walked inside the gas station to pay my bill there was a Korean couple (the owners of the gas station) watching a Korean soap opera on TV. They barely looked at me as they ran my card. I wonder what possessed them to live at the corner of highway 1 and highway 3 in Haines Junction. Maybe they didn’t care where they lived as long as they could watch their favorite TV shows. What’s their deal!?
An Observation about Food in Canada: I think I may have pinpointed one of the reasons for obesity in America. Our serving sizes are bigger. Now, it’s possible that things may have changed since the last time that I had a bag of goldfish crackers, but I specifically recall a serving of goldfish crackers in the US amounting to about 55 crackers for roughly 140 calories. Well. I just picked up a bag of goldfish crackers in Canada, and low and behold, their serving size is 37 crackers for 90 calories. It’s a conspiracy! I don’t exactly what they are conspiring to do . . . but I’m certain it’s a conspiracy of some sort!
Operation Fitness for Fear Update: Due to our desire to get of Mosquito Hell as quickly as possible this morning, Tess and I did not go for a run. However, I still wanted her to get some exercise, so at one of the rest stops, we did some cross training. You know, weights mixed with cardio. Here’s how it works. I tie the leash to my belt, then Tess grabs a mouthful of the leash that is attached to her collar and she runs and pulls me. She can pull in circles or in a straight line. She does a lot of “tug of war” maneuvers. I know, I know, letting Tess pull me around is probably ruining my alpha leader dynamic, but she looks so cute when she’s growling and flapping her big ol hound dog ears from side to side. She’s just plain adorable.
More Notes on the Drive:
The last 100 miles before you get in to Alaska is insanely bumpy. Thank goodness the truck was repacked five times and loaded just right to handle the terrain! At one point in time I passed a sign that said “Rough Road Next 112 Miles.” Um yeah, that’s a lot of rough road.
I finally hit Alaska! Tess and I posed for some pictures at the “Welcome to Alaska” sign. She was frightened by the flags flapping in the wind next to the sign, and I was frightened by how many pictures I had to take in order to get a decent shot of the two of us. Quality control is falling by the wayside as we finish up day five.
I am beginning to think you can tell which state you are in based on what’s on the roof rack of the car ahead of you. In the lower 48, it is a bike. (In Boulder it’s 5 bikes on one car). In Canada, it’s a canoe. In Alaska, it’s a dog sled. Seriously. I just saw one drive by.
I am getting a sore throat. This is either from staying up too late and engaging in a bevy of social outings during the week before I left Boulder, or it is because I have been singing for 50 hrs straight. I am pretty sure it’s the singing, but I can’t stop to test that theory out. I feel compelled to keep singing along to Expose “never get over you, getting over me!” Ah. Classic 90’s music rocks.
Deep Thoughts: Whenever I do drives or trips like this, I go through various emotions. There’s a little sadness when I leave people who I love (even if it’s only for a short time). And then there’s this brave face that I put on in front of other people in order to handle their questions about bears or accidents when they question my safety. There’s also a little fear that I usually keep to myself, because if I stopped doing something every time that I got a little scared, then I wouldn’t end up doing much at all. Don’t get me wrong, I still trust my instincts and do my best to avoid dangerous situations – I am Safety Girl after all, but I firmly believe there is a difference between being aware of irrational fear and being immobilized by it. That worry about my personal safety and health also extends to Tess because I’d hate for her to get hurt or lost. She’s such a gentle soul. But, when you take all of those emotions: sadness, bravery, fear, and concern, they all pale in comparison to the overwhelming happiness that I feel when I realize that I am doing something that not everyone will get to do in their lifetime. Every time I see a spectacular view my chest gets full of this warm feeling. My lungs fill up and I can’t stop smiling because this energy in my throat won’t let me. Every time I talk to someone on the phone about my adventures, my voice sounds light and happy. Every time that I see Tess with her nose to the ground wagging away, it makes me chuckle. Every time I am in the middle of nowhere, bopping along in my car listening to Zac Brown and singing my guts out, I know that I am sincerely, to the depth of my being, HAPPY and JOYFUL and ALIVE. No one knows exactly how long we’re going to be around on this planet, but I’m telling you right now, this trip, and the months leading up to it have been amazing. I truly love my life! I encourage you to do whatever it takes to do feel the same way about yours.
Modified White Horse Game Update:
Rabbits: 1
Squirrels: 4
Mosquitoes: TOO MANY TO COUNT
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