Bill and Me in the Wee RV - North to Alaska

Greetings from Anchorage!      
     This started out as a happy 4th of July post but wilderness wi-fi connections delayed publication until we reached Anchorage tonight with a bit more civilization. I stopped by Sarah Palin's place to borrow her computer when we passed through her hometown of Wasilla earlier today but she wasn't home.

     We arrived in Fairbanks with 4,382 miles on our odometer and a wheelbarrow load of dirt on the Wee RV after temporarily leaving the Alaska Highway and crossing the Yukon on the Klondike Highway. Passing through Dawson City, which still has the dirt streets and wooden sidewalks from gold rush days, we saw the World Championship Gold Panning competition and Wild Bill celebrated a significant birthday with a piece of Canada Day cake at the log welcome center. Not a great deal to put this place on the map since the gold rush has ended except the fact that famous authors Jack London (Call of the Wild) and Robert Service (The Cremation of Sam McGee) both had cabins in Dawson City now designated national historic sites. 

    We crossed the Yukon River on a questionable looking ferry and headed across Top of the World Hwy to a small border crossing called Poker Creek near Chicken, Alaska (pop. 23 in summer and 7 in winter). Legend says the early gold miners in the area found food scarce, but this particular place was abundant in ptarmigan, now the state bird which bears a resemblance to a chicken. The miners reportedly kept themselves alive with the help of the ptarmigan (if you consider being eaten as helping!) In 1902 when the town was to become incorporated the name Ptarmigan was suggested. The only problem was that nobody could agree on the correct spelling. They didn't want their town name to be the source of ridicule and laughter, so they decided on "Chicken".....a bit  ironic?

Downtown Dawson City

Ferry across Yukon River

Welcome to Chicken, Alaska

Signs of recent cultural event
Chicken-Stock Music Festival

Chicken Post Office



First "real" view of Alaska.....after Chicken

 No trip to Alaska would be complete
without a stop at the North Pole 

Wildlife was abundant crossing the Yukon. The first morning between  6-7 AM we saw 13 bears and too many buffalo to count. My photographer tried to trick me with three fakes. Can you pick'em out?

Ptarmigan - Alaska's state bird

This one is authentic because I took it !

Looks like this pitiful guy could use the
"help" of a plump ptarmigan or two!

 WOW of the week was the Watson Lake Sign Post Forest started in 1942 by a homesick engineer working on the Alaska Hwy. Travelers have since placed over 77,000 signs plus the one Bill made for us to add to the collection. 

3,179 Miles to Kingsport, Tennessee

Ask me how proud I was to find this
very special sign from my hometown!

The last two days we camped at Denali National Park and were pleasantly surprised to be able both days to have clear views of all 20,230 ft. of beautiful snow covered Mt. McKinley, highest peak on North American Continent, something which normally happens only about 30% of the time. Personal vehicles are allowed only 15 miles back in the park so we spent 8 hours bumping along 66 miles of dirt roads on a school bus to capture these good photos.

NEAR

FAR

Tomorrow we go coastal (not postal) as we head to the

Kenai Peninsula.

Stay tuned for some big fish tales............