Friday and Saturday

Friday morning we got an easy start by carrying our laptop to the laundry area for a WiFi connection to send/receive some e-mails.  Then we hit the Alaska Highway south-bound and found it to be quite good.  We had a late morning stop for groceries in Whitehorse, then had an early lunch at one of the 2 Tim Hortons in town.  We must be back in civilization now!!

After taking on fuel at big-city prices, we headed SouthEast on the Alaska Highway again, this time seeing the same stuff as last month but out the opposite windows.  We didn’t stop at nearly as many rest areas or overlooks as last month.  We considered stopping at the same campground we did on June 18, Teslin Lake, but learned they had a caravan coming in that had booked all of their 30 amp sites.  They only had 20 amp sites left.  I have a conversion adapter, but had left it in Minnesota, so this wouldn’t work.  We went another 7 or 8 miles farther and found a really nice place called Dawson Peaks which was on the water that flows into Teslin Lake.  There we met a nice couple from northern Wisconsin (between Wausau and Green Bay) who are just now on their way up to Alaska.  We traded some stories and some food with them.

Saturday morning was a re-tracing of our June route once again.  After an early lunch stop, we turned South onto what’s called the Cassair Highway.  This is new ground for us.  One of our guidebooks mentioned that this route was considered when the Alaska Highway was being planned, but the fear was that it is closer to the Pacific coast and could be more vulnerable to a Japanese air attack.  This route was skipped over for a long time, and wasn’t completed until 1972.  Some parts are even unpaved now, but the ones we were on today were better than some pavement.  We had an afternoon stretch at Jade City, a wide spot in the road where jade jewelry is sold.  We saw a demonstration of how the rough rock is cut into useful-sized pieces.  We also learned that 90% of the world’s jade comes from mines near here.  We didn’t purchase any jade, because, as we are now homeless and unemployed, we need our money for diesel fuel! 

Here is a picture of our poor little Saturn!  It is badly in need of a bath!  That’s what comes from on/off showers all day.