RoadNotes: So the Road’s a Little Rough, eh?

Pickhandle Lake, Beaver Creek, YT – June 5, 2014

This morning we found out there had been 2 more earthquakes Wednesday night, a 4.9 and a 5.2 magnitude centered near Haines Junction. They happened about 10:30PM and we didn’t feel either one of them. We’ll be driving through Haines Junction today. Hope the roads didn’t crack.

We had another blog post ready to go so we head off to Starbucks and the elusive internet. Turns out the coffee was good and the internet was bad (non—existent). So we rush over to Walmart and it’s internal McDonalds to try theirs. Frank’s computer (which held the blog update) could only connect if we sat in a specific chair in a specific corner of the little Mac. Finally the post is successful and we can leave Whitehorse.

This is where the road begins to slowly deteriorate. The surface becomes bumpier and bumpier. But the scenery is fantastic.

We stop in Haines Junction at the Visitor Centre, which is brand new. EJ snaps this picture of a locally made quilt.

And driving through town we spot these two unique looking churches.

Remembering the Village Bakery from our last trip we decide to have lunch there. Plus they had an Internet connection.

We’ve read in the Milepost Guide the warnings about paying close attention at the intersection in Haines Junction or you’ll end up in Haines instead of heading towards the main part of Alaska. Seems pretty clear to us.

This intersection also has the famous “Moose Muffin”, as the locals call it.

We’re taking the road in stride with EJ occasionally reminding me to drive slower. Our top speed is probably 45 MPH. We are certainly the slowest vehicle on the road now, and we are wondering why everyone is in such a rush to get to Alaska? Trucks and trailers, Class A’s and C’s all go flying past us. On one motorhome we could actually see his side panels flapping up and down on the bumps as they went roaring past us. Things are rattling enough as we cruise between 30 and 45. We can only image that the folks in the other vehicles are either deaf, or don’t know what’s crashing around in the trailer they’re towing.

That’s Kluane Lake ahead in the distance.

Our pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of the lake.

Once past Burwash Landing, the road begins to get more, shall we say, interesting.

Ya think?????

But still, your rig tells you how fast you can drive. It’s easy to bottom out your suspension on the frost heaves (dips) and where the road is cracked and uneven, you can quickly get the Walmart wobbles. So slow and easy is what it takes. Alaska isn’t going anywhere.

EJ asked me how much further I felt like driving and I said 6pm. In the back of my mind, I remembered a little pull off by a lake that was pretty secluded. I was hoping to find that. EJ pulled out the notes from our last Alaska trip and finds the name of the place. Pickhandle Lake, so that’s what we’re shooting for.

And we find it.