When we left Whitehorse it was 8C with a steady, light rain which diminished to a drizzle as the morning went along. The temperature didn't reach double digits until the afternoon, but this Bald Eagle didn't seem to mind.
We passed by Kluane Park and some lovely views (well they would have been except for the rain and clouds).
You'll have to believe me that Mount Logan is the highest mountain in Canada.
Next up was Kluane Lake.
You will see tomorrow how much better these pictures could have been with a bit of weather cooperation!
But we did have cooperation from this Grizzly sow and her two cubs. Our catch of the day!
We visited the Kluane Museum of History. Not big, but well done - both animal and native presentations. A recommended stop for future visitors.
As we travelled the Alaska Highway we often came upon sections that were being resurfaced. In the Canadian sections of the highway this was tar and chip. The end result was just fine, but initially you had to deal with scenes like this, or worse. At times, you couldn't see the vehicles ahead of you.
And for the last two hours in the Yukon, and sporadically through Alaska, we dealt with "frost heaves" or, more accurately, "frost collapses". Check out the painted lines on the road.
The problem wasn't just the dips. They occurred at various places across the lane, more like moguls, so the van would dip and dive and almost got hurled off the road a few times.
The road in these areas is built on permafrost where, several feet under the ground, the soil is always frozen. The problem is that when the road is built it acts as an insulator, and the dark surface retains heat, and the permafrost below starts to melt. When this happens the soil collapses. Global warming is accelerating this phenomenon and Alaska, in particular, is worried that this puts their land escape routes in jeopardy.
We were stopped at one point when a transport that was carrying a helicopter carcass bounced so badly that the fuel tank on the helicopter was fractured. A spill crew had been working for seven hours on cleanup (don't ask me why a helicopter carcass would still have fuel in the tank!). The single open lane was being controlled by an R.C.M.P. constable who was also checking driver's licences as a way to deal with his boredom. He was originally from Waterdown and worked for the Argonauts, so when I said that I only "sometimes" cheered for the Ti-Cats he let me go.
We finally reached Alaska (my 50th, their 49th state) on this, our tenth day. One bucket list item looked after!
We didn't see any Donald Trump billboards yet, so today's Big Stupid Thing winner is this.
Definitely stupid! The nearest polar bear is over 1,000 kilometres away!
And finally, a shout-out to my grandson Yancy, who is celebrating his last birthday as a free man on July 5. He and Kayt will be married on August 12.
This is Yancy (the eldest) at his birthday celebration three years ago, with Sarah-Jean and Ewen (the youngest, by a few minutes). It's always on a grandpa's bucket list to be able to dance at the weddings of his grandchildren. In August this bucket list item will be one-seventh complete.
Happy Birthday Yancy!
Tomorrow is a WOW day! Tune in.
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