This is Pump station #12 of the 800 mile long Trans-Alaskan Pipe Line. Think it's the last one before it reaches Valdez.
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| Mt. Wrangell, an active volcano |
Kenny Lake
Mt Drum
We are at the edge of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Bordering Canada's Kluane National Park, this is the biggest U.S. national park, six times the size of Yellowstone! Here you'll find North America's largest subpolar icefield, which stretches 100 miles, as well as nine of the 16 highest peaks on U.S. soil. The park also encompasses glaciers, rivers, an active volcano, and a historic copper mine. The park and preserve form the largest area managed by the National Park Service in the United States by area with a total of 13,175,799 acres. Over 9 million acres of this is wilderness, which means if you are going there it's not by car or motorized vihicle.
We stopped early and stayed at the King 4 A Day CG in Copper Center, Alaska. This is a fishing camp, open only for the fishing season--and it showed. Now you'll see where the famous Copper River Salmon come from. We stayed for two days (we could have stayed for two hours), but there were things we thought we wanted to see.
This is one of the things: The historic Copper Center Lodge. The original roadhouse had burnt down about a year ago. The owners are reportedly trying to rebuild--if they can get the money. Construction had stopped, and no one was there on the two days we were.
Next to the lodge was the George I Asbey Memorial Museum. The little log cabin next to it is a small annex. Interesting.
This is the Copper Center City Hall. The sign was hung there as a joke and never taken down.
There were 3 moose grazing on the front lawn.
Along the back road we saw some fixer-uppers. Think some were occupied.
authentic rural living
Please don't get me wrong. I have seen a lot worse in the lower 48. Just had to prove there was something to see in the Copper Center area.
This is Copper Center and the Copper River. The main street of town, and the unfinished lodge are visible towards the top.
We took a ride northward to Glennallen, the "Hub of Alaska". Really--you can go to Fairbanks, Anchorage and beyond, Tok orValdez from here. We visited the "Gift Shop" and admired the mounted animals there.
Pauline making friends on a very warm day.
Even had Mounted Skeeters.
Had some real fancy Beadwork
On the way back we got our last look at the Trans-Alaskan Pipe Line.
And more of the Copper River. As you can see it is also a braided river.
So on August first we left Copper Center, heading for Tok, via the Tok Cut-off. As always, there were some nice views.
At Tok we spent the night at Sourdough CG, no pictures. Fun and very nice, but as My Dear Bride recalls, "All we did was eat there.": Sourdough bread bowls with reindeer chili for dinner, and the next morning very good sourdough pancakes. Then on the road again.
Just before we re-entered Canada, the Yukon Territory, we came to the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.
This nice sign was at the front door.
This is one of the track boxes I mentioned.
We used the "Stamps" at the top to imprint the sand. It's a good way to learn to recognize tracks of the critters up here. And some of the critters are in the Lower 48 as well.
When we came to the international Border line it was so crowded we could not get off the road. It was probably a caravan there but it was full so we went on by.
We came to the Yukon sign and
. . . Canada reminders signs
----------AND
BAD ROADS -----------
There was very little construction going on, just lousy roads with lots of frost heave damage, marked by the signs, or just red flags.
Canada Customs, no problems. Same questions.
To our right was the Nutotin Mountain Range
Ahead was some of the most damaged road on the trip. Even Top of The World Hwy. (remember way back, out of Dawson Creek) was better than this.. Not that many construction crews out to repair.
Donjek River
Kluane River
At a rest area near Kluane Lake we found some ducks who were not too concerned about our presence. I think they were Northern Shovlers, females and young only.
This pretty red Dock was blooming right beside the Ducks. You really can't beat Mother Nature's arrangements!
In Canada, and Alaska too as far as that goes, you keep your eyes peeled for these red flags beside the road. When you see them, you slow down, big time. (--if you're smart! We heard stories of damaged vehicles that did not take heed!)
This is the highway, not the shoulder.
Here is the red flag--and frost heave. Oh well, so much for the bad road. Just slow down and take your time, as if you had a choice.
The Nisling Range. All these ranges are part of the Kluane National Park. It will border us for quite a while.
The Fireweed here has finished blooming, and has formed seed pods for next year's plants. That is another good reason to be heading south; it's already the end of summer here.
Kluane Mountain Range, as the sun in lower in the West, and we are looking for a campground.
Kluane National Park and Reserve of Canada covers an area of 21,980 square kilometers. It is a land of precipitous, high mountains, immense icefields and lush valleys that yield a diverse array of plant and wildlife species and provides for a host of outdoor activities. Kluane National Park and Reserve is also home to Mount Logan (5959 m/19,545 ft), Canada's highest peak.
As part of a larger system of national parks and historic sites found throughout Canada, Kluane National Park and Reserve protects and presents a nationally significant example of Canada's North Coast Mountains natural region and the associated regional cultural heritage.
Just as the signs say.. If it wasn't a a different country it would be part of the Wrangell-St Elias National Park. They are contiguous.
We finally camped on the shore of Lake Kluane at the Cottonwood RV Park. Very pretty park with only power is by a generator. But I never heard it.
This is Kluane Lake, the largest lake in Yukon, from our campground.
Next morning before heading onward we "had to" take a walk, just around the Campground. It was nice.
The prevailing wind across the lake creates waves which are eroding along this shoreline. Notice the trees lost to the lake. The Owner was running around with his tractor, dumping rocks and dirt in to try & repair damages. He said he's steadily been losing land over the years.
Kluane Butte, right above the Campground, in the morning light.
Back on the road, usually by 11 am or so.
You can see the difference in water color here where Slims River, a glacial river, flows into Kluane Lake
This is Sheep mountain, named after the sheep on the hillside. Of course there were none there for us to see at the Visitor Center today. But we learned that the Alaskan Highway that runs around the bottom of Sheep mountain was first built in the notch halfway up the mountain. Most of the trip I was looking for a map that showed the different routes that have changed since 1942 when the Alaskan Highway was originally built.
We finally got to Haines Junction. There is a monument there the locals call the Muffin but the official name is The Village monument. It is a 24 foot high sculpture at the junction of the Haines and Alaskan Highway. Area wildlife is depicted in close to life size detail on the sculpture.
These dirty rigs started out today clean---(well, kind of)
The road was so rough that the bottom hinge (plastic!) of our refrigerator door broke, and the whole door along with the shelves full of food, landed (BOOM!) on the floor! The pickle juice leaked out onto the floor, with such a delightful smell.
We cleaned it up, and see how we fixed the door back up so we could go on, and keep the refrigerator and freezer in operation.
That's Velcro tape and a bungee cord holding the door on. Ahhh, the ingenuity of being an RVer . . .
From now on it will be a two person job getting into the fridge. Thankfully we were at least kind-of heading home by this point.
This is getting kind of long, so we will continue from here later. See you then.
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