Friday, June 6, 2014

Tok, the Heart of Alaska

Young’s Chevron Parking Lot, Tok Alaska – June 6, 2014

As we were getting ready to leave our little idyllic camping spot more and more RVs starting piling into the turn around. Last night we decided to take a chance and not set up Big Guy so he was pointed out of the turn around. Instead we were pointed in (car still attached) with the preferred lake view.

Several Class A’s pull in before they realize they can’t turn around. Then 2 rental RV’s  pull in and completely block us in. Rental RV drivers often don’t realize that larger RVs need a little more maneuvering room than they do and tend to crowd us more than necessary.

It’s now about 9AM and RVs are continuing to pull in. Some can make the turn around, but it’s becoming more difficult as the rental units have pretty much blocked the turning radius.

I’m about ready to lose my cool, but EJ springs into action and asks the renters if they are aware they have us blocked in and would they be so kind as to relocate so we could leave. And they did. Get her to tell you the grade school crossing guard story one day. She can be very persuasive when she needs to be.

After we moved, we took a picture of the traffic jam in our quiet little spot. Ah well, at least it was nice and private for us last night.

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We plan on stopping in Beaver Creek to get a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry. But we have a lot of time on the road in front of us. The road itself hasn’t improved since yesterday.

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And then, surprise, surprise, we encounter some road construction.

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Seems like they are scraping off the pavement (or chip seal ) and turning it into a gravel road.

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Is everyone going to Alaska this summer?

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Permafrost (permanently frozen ground) is the biggest problem the Alaska Highway faces. Road construction techniques of the past allows the permafrost to thaw which results in big dips in the road called ‘frost heaves’.

The US and Canada are experimenting with different techniques to try and keep the permafrost underneath the roads frozen.

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We finally make it to Beaver Creek. The coffee was old, but at least it had caffeine. The pastry was pretty good.

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The next stop was the Yukon/Alaska border where the Alaska Welcome sign was a welcome sight indeed.

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A wide swath of land is kept cleared on either side of the boundary. I guess this is to be able to see anyone trying to sneak across. Here’s EJ standing in 2 countries.

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We approach the Border Customs checkpoint ready to be officially welcomed into Alaska. No problems at all, a few questions and we were on our way.

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Just 92 more miles to go and todays journey is over.

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At days end, we come rolling into Tok. Finally, we’re officially in Alaska. And what a sight greets us. Those mountains are huge!!

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We find our spot for the evening nestled in the trees behind Young’s Chevron gas station. Free camping with a diesel fillup.

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As far as we know, the second casualty on the trip so far. Alaska highway - 1, fog light - 0. Oh yeah, and the tar was thrown in as a bonus.

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We make a quick trip over to the visitor center to see if we can get some information of the Top of the World highway road conditions. While there, this little guy caught our attention.

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It was so still, EJ was convinced it was a fake.

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