Last leg of our Alaska journey; Tok to Haines

August 10-14   Days 63-67

We have to come back through Tok to get to the Alaska Highway to start our journey home.  Since this was our 2nd visit to Tok, we were a little better informed.  The local friendly independent Tesoro dealer, Tesoro is a brand of petroleum products, had an offer of a free rv wash with a fill up, which we gladly accepted.  While talking with him, he also offered us a free holding tank dump as well as fresh water fill up.  After a further conversation with him, he offered for us to park overnight at no cost.  As hard to believe as it is, Tok has some really nice paved bike paths, so we rode our bikes ~16 miles.  The next morning when we got back on the Alaska Highway, we were treated with sunshine and nice weather, allowing us to see landscape that we had not seen on the trip up.

When we arrived at the Yukon border, we were the only people there.  In contrast, on the way up in early July, it was difficult to find a place to park.

Some blog posting back, I posted information and a picture about the native fireweed that grows wild and is fuchsia colored. It blooms from the bottom up and when it is done blooming it goes to seed (the long, thin pink pods), at which time the locals say there is about six weeks until winter.  Here are the last stages of the fireweed.

Finished blooming

Almost finished blooming

So it looks like our timing to leave is going to be well planned.

We spent the night one last time at the magnificent Kluane Lake

before rolling into Haines Junction, YT where we split off the Alaska Highway and take the Haines Highway on down to Haines, AK where we will catch the ferry for a week long voyage down the inside passage to Bellingham, WA.  Of course I had to stop at the Village Bakery for some cinnamon pecan sweet rolls (I took this picture for the background, not the sign)

The wild flowers are still blooming and grow right up beside the pavement.  With the mountains as a backdrop, it is quite a beautiful sight.

Going down the Haines Highway, I am quite impressed with how smooth and wide the highway is.  Of course this opinion is formed shortly after leaving the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory where for about twenty five miles I could drive no more than thirty mph.  We stopped to hike on a rock glacier, the aftermath of a retreating glacier, that gave us a vantage point overlooking Dezadeash (pronounced DEZ-dee-ash) Lake.

We decide to spend the night at Dezadeash Lake Yukon Government campground, where, like many of the Canadian government campgrounds, the campsite was right at the waters edge.

The next morning as we continue our trek to Haines, we were excited to see trumpeter swans and a young  grizzly bear.

When we arrive in Haines, it is cloudy and rainy; SURPRISE!!  But it is a cute little harbor town of ~2,500 people.  Their economy depends on tourism, both commercial with cruise ships and individuals, transportation with the Alaska Marine Highway System, and a little fishing.  But it does appear to be prosperous.  It is also the home to the Disney production movie set 'White Fang'.

OBSERVATIONS (and other unscientific data):
Ok, this is going to seem like a strange observation, but after traveling the vast areas of British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Alaska there is one thing of which we saw a lot.  Pit toilets.  It is interesting to note that nearly all pit toilets in Canada are constructed of some sort of wood or even miniature log houses.  The insides were almost always impeccably clean with the floors, walls, and ceilings painted with a high gloss paint.  They were well supplied and never had any trash on the floors.  On the other hand, the pit toilets in Alaska were often built with pre-formed concrete that were aesthetically pleasing on the exterior but were poorly maintained and neglected on the interior.  Often very dirty with trash on the floor and almost always in need of supplies.