Alex and Julie's Travels: July 2018

2015 Summer Journey

Alaskan Crossing, part 23

Tok, Chicken

Top of the World

July 29, 2015

If you’re looking for peace and quiet, it doesn’t get much better than Alaska once outside of any city the quietness imposes itself on you. Our night roadside stay outside of the township of Chitina was another of the many overnight stays that proved this.

Our truck was very dirty from the road out of McCarthy, I got a good look and it was going to get a wash in Tok.

The morning road was shrouded in a blanket of low lying fog.

Tok at this point was about 140 miles away, we would see many of the same road views as we saw on the way to McCarthy/Kennecott Mill.

It wasn’t unusual to be stopped for a construction zone;(Ak1) we would behind this trailer for a lot of miles..

We and the trailer would depart company at Nabesna for a short stop at the visitor center.

Our arrival into Tok (Ak2) didn’t take that long, we would stay at the Tundra RV Park. Our stay here showed us it was much better than Tok RV Park, friendly staff that was truly interested in their clients plus real free wifi in the office.

We had a very nice site, full hook ups at Tundra RV.

July 30, 2015….Thursday

About 10:30 am Julie and I motored out of Tok, having done everything we needed the day before. The Taylor Highway was about 12.5 mile at Tetlin Junction.

Taylor #5 was busier than I thought it would several RV’s passed us going towards Tok and as soon as we had turned on it warning signs for the hunters are posted.

Taylor #5 would do a slow climb and be windy as well.

Mount Fairplay Wayside was coming up, we did a stop here.

We walk a short ways down a hiking trail, not planning on spending a lot of time here.

There were already a couple of good folks here, the gent told me of a moose that had been seen hanging around Taylor Creek, a few miles up the road.

We would be keeping than eye out for the moose, meanwhile back on the road again, wasn’t that a Willie Nelson song? This road just kept going up, up!

Soon the sign for Taylor Creek came into view; we slowed down keeping a look out for that moose. If moose was gold we’ve hit the mother lode.

Your really not going away!

She got tired of us hanging around and vanished into the woods.

Soon around a bend the asphalt disappeared, dirt took over and the signage for the Community of Chicken appeared.

Julie and I stopped here for lunch.

After lunch we walked around the place.

Moving on to another part of Chicken, we saw a old gold dredger and the biggest chicken I ever saw.

A few more photos of Chicken then off we go, would like to make Dawson today.

We had to slip by a big hauler before getting out of town.

This would be the last good-bye to the township of Chicken.

As we traveled this dusty road, many other adventures passed us disappearing into the distance behind us.

There would be follow TCers making their way to Chicken, seeking memory’s to share with family, friends and love ones.

Along the way many small mining operations could be seen, working the river.

Not much in the way of oncoming traffic would be seen after passing the mining operation, the turn off for Eagle was upon us and that means the asphalt road to the border would soon be here.

This road was the best we seen during our adventure in Canada and Alaska.

The Canadian Border was less than a Km away, there’s a rest area just before the custom station.

The border agent very good and told us that some caribou were spotted at the top of the hill, just take the turn off road. Yes we stopped to photograph the caribou.

I still had in mind to reach Dawson City today and a lot to see as we drove on.

Low and behold, Julie spotted a porcupine along the road.

Over hills, down hills and soon a rest area not too far from Dawson appeared. It was getting late, nearly eight, it was decided to stay here for the night.

July 31, 2015

Heading to Dawson, morning traffic was light on this dusty dirt road with a mixture of RVs and long distance bicyclists.

Not long we gain sight of the Yukon River below and Dawson not long after that.

Our side of the Yukon River there were very few vehicles waiting for the free ferry ride, the other side a different story Rv’s lined up as far as one could see from here.

We watched the unload and loading of RV’s on the other side then making its way back to us.

Our turn to get on the water transport.

The crew was very effective in their job and we all were under way in short order.

Disembarking was done in the same effect manner of a crew that has been working tighter for a long time.

A long line of RVers greeted us to Dawson as they waited the turn to cross the river.

Julie and I would only stay for a couple hours, just to take a quick look.

Time was up and we moved on down the road, we’ll be stopping to see Dredge #4 a few miles out of Dawson. Once making the turn on Bonanza Creek Rd. it would be another 12.5 Km (7.7 mi.)before reaching one of the largest dredges ever built.