Leg 27, Tok, AK, to Destruction Bay, YT (Sunday and Monday), August 23-24, 2009 - Aug 26, 2009

Our 2nd Worst Road (Sunday, August 23, 2009) We departed Tok shortly after 7 AM, missing a group breakfast of sourdough pancakes and sausage, biscuits, and gravy. We have eaten so much and so often, we couldn’t bear to eat another “outside” meal so soon. Our first moose sighting proved to be a false alarm; instead of a moose, a horse had escaped its pasture and was grazing dangerously close to the road. The first several miles of the Alaska Highway east of Tok were easy as the road was in great shape. Then, the further we drove, the worse the roads became, particularly for several miles on either side of the US and Canada border. Frost heaves were everywhere, pavement switched from good, to OK, to poor, to gravel, and back several times; thank goodness Kay insisted we put the Protect-A-Tow on today! We stopped at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center for a scrambled egg sandwich and a driving break, then stopped again a few miles further south to top off our gasoline tank before crossing the border into Canada. We had no problems with the border crossing, answering questions regarding where we were from, our immediate plans, and whether we had alcohol, tobacco, or firearms. Crossing into Canada resulted in changing time zones, this time from Alaska to Pacific Time, one hour later. Fall colors were appearing along the roadside, perhaps a little more pronounced than yesterday. We traveled slowly over the frost heaves, stopping for lunch at a roadside pullout with a great vista, arriving at the Destruction Bay Lodge and RV Park at 4:30 PM. After a meeting explaining our schedule for tomorrow, Kay stayed for a chili dinner, and Donald “retired” to the motorhome, calling it a day.

Day 2 in Destruction Bay (Monday, August 24, 2009) Day 2 in Destruction Bay began with a pancake breakfast in the RV Park “restaurant”. We were supposed to have had a water color painting class, but schedule conflicts resulted in our going to the Burwash Landing Museum.

Burwash Landing, site of a great small m...

The museum was an unexpected surprise, with excellent wildlife exhibits. Though small, this is a must see if time allows.

Part of the museum "complex"

Near the museum is an old, but still active, Catholic Church; this is amazing considering that Destruction Bay has a population of only 37 people. A priest comes from Haines Junction for services on Sunday afternoon. We made a quick stop back at the RV Park for binoculars and drove south about 20 miles to Sheep Mountain, part of Canada’s Kluane National Park and Reserve; we spotted several Dall sheep on the mountain side. If one is traveling the Alaska Highway north, Sheep Mountain is BEFORE Destruction Bay, and it would be more time-saving to stop on the way up. As it was, we were traveling south on the Alaska Highway, covering new territory—we had traveled the northern route from Whitehorse to Dawson City to Chicken to Tok on our way up. As part of the day’s activities, Kay began making a diamond willow hiking staff, which she will finish at home; it will be very nice indeed. We had a short travel meeting at 5:30 PM, followed by dinner consisting of roasted beef, various salads, and a combination berry crisp. The owner of the RV Park worked very hard on dinner, but it did not live up to expectations. The beef was overcooked and very dry, the smoked baked potato salad did not have a smoky taste, and the rhubarb in the crisp was a bit stringy. This was not a big deal, except for all the RV Park owner’s hype preceding the meal both last evening and this evening. (Note: Destruction Bay was named so by the US Army Corps of Engineers because of the constant winds, sometimes reaching 100+ MPH, destroying the camp established for construction of the Alaska Highway.)

Kay’s Take No entry today.

Our Recommendations for Destruction Bay, YT We both enjoyed the Burwash Landing Museum, and recommend a visit; admittance is $3.95 for adults, and $2.95 for seniors over 60, cheap enough.

Campground Destruction Bay Lodge and RV Park is an adequate facility if you desire electric and water hook-ups. Wi-fi existed, but would only serve 4 users at a time; nevertheless, it was available. There was also a dump station on site. Two television stations were available via antenna. On the negative side, the sites sloped from side to side and front to back significantly, and leveling without automatic jacks was difficult. Also, the sites were so narrow we could literally reach out and touch motor homes on either side of us. Part of that was due to us being parked between two very large RVs, one of which took up a space and a half.

Driving Statistics

Beginning Mileage: 15,080.1

Beginning Time: 7:00 AM Alaska DST

Ending Mileage: 15,305.3

Ending Time: 4:30 PM Pacific DST

TOTAL MILEAGE FOR THE DAY: 225.2

CUMULATIVE MILEAGE FOR THE TRIP: 5,913.8