WOW! What a Difference 24 Hours Can Make!

On Saturday, June 7th, we arrived in Whitehorse on a beautiful sunny day as the top picture shows. We got set up and then went to Miles Canyon where we crossed the suspension bridge and hiked the canyon rim. It was a lovely day with everyone outside in shorts and tee shirts, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and just generally enjoying the early summer weather on the Yukon River.

Sunday morning, shortly after we awoke, it started to snow and, as you'll see from the attached photos, it came down pretty well for most of the morning. When Alice went to Mass, the Priest commented that this was the FIRST time he could ever remember it snowing in Whitehorse in June. How lucky are we ? It cleared up later in the day and we got caught up on a few errands and had a nice Sunday Supper. In the evening we went to the Frantic Follies, a vaudeville-type review that centers on the Gold Rush days of the 1890s. It was funny and entertaining.

The next morning, Monday the 9th, we left early and set out to drive to Destruction Bay, YT. We had already heard that it was going to be a difficult drive as the roadway had many frost-heaves and construction areas. Little did we know how "difficult" it really was going to be! Before we got out of town it started snowing AGAIN and this time in more earnest! Note the second picture above.

Most of the day was serious snow and even more serious construction. It was an 8 hour day of driving to cover less than 270 miles! We continued past our planned campground at Destruction Bay (because it was not yet fully functional from the harsh winter) and also because we wanted to get as far as we could. We anticipated more of the same construction delays the next day on the way to Tok, AK, and had NO idea what the weather might be! We spent Monday night in Beaver Creek, YT; very tired and stressed from a tough day, but also very excited at the prospect of getting to Alaska the next day.

By the way, frost-heaves are a result of the harsh winter (40-60 degrees BELOW zero) on the roadway. The permafrost thaws and the asphalt develops a series of humps and dips that, in the spring and summer, have to be repaired. There were numerous construction areas and the road was unbelievably dusty. The RV and the car became encased in a cement-like gravel dirt. It was so BAD that after we arrived at the campground we washed the vehicles for three (3) hours and never really removed more than the TOP layer!

Attached are some interesting photos of the two days in Whitehorse and the drive to Beaver Creek. There is a shot of Miles Canyon, some "snow shots" and a picture of Tow-Be before we washed her. Yes, there really is a Honda-CRV underneath all that gunk!

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Next Posting, we leave the Yukon Territory and FINALLY enter Alaska.

Take care and stay safe,


P&J