Friday the 13th (Theme from Twilight Zone--dee-dee dee-dee, dee-dee dee-dee)
Left Faro this morning after filling up with gas ($1.40/liter that’s $5.88 per gallon!) and spending time at the Info Center. MIP 11: She’s a petite 30 or 40 something, very knowledgeable about area flora and fauna. Her family Lives in a tent (seriously, but only temporarily while they build their house) about 20 miles outside of Faro—that would be exurban Faro (it’s big time when a town with a population of 391 has an exurb). Nancy learned a lot from her while I was pumping money into the RV. When I got to the Info Center, I had one question, “What do you take into the woods to protect yourself from bears?” Her answer was not, “nothing”, was not “pepper spray”, was not “bear bangers”, was not “garlic”, but what this demure mother of two said was, “a rifle”! This is the correct answer for someone as macho as I who has heavily invested in armament. I’m hoping to perpetuate the cold war between me and the bears.
While we’re on the subject of Info Centers, there’s a unique approach to tourism active here in the Yukon. At each Info Center we’ve been urged to participate in the functional equivalent of a tourists scavenger hunt or bingo game. There are a couple of variations. So far there are three contests that require you to get specific tourist locations to authenticate your attendance and if you get certification from all of the locations, you’re eligible for a drawing for gold nuggets worth thousands of dollars. “Stop in at Murray’s Mooseland”, “Don’t Miss the Amazing 2-headed Marmot”, “You’ll Delight to the Trio of Tap Dancing Grizzlies”. “Record each fantastic visit and you could win thousands!” The other contest (only one so far) involves asking each of the key Info Centers (and a few random “must see” attractions) to give you their secret number. You fill in the secret number on a bingo sheet and when you have all of the numbers, you guessed it, you’re eligible for a drawing of gold nuggets worth thousands of dollars. My dad would have loved these concepts. He traveled by checklist--it was really important to make sure he and my mom saw all the key tourist objectives. Nancy and I like more spontaneity so I’ve got a suggestion for the Yukon (see below).
Late today we escaped the Campbell. In fairness, the road was much better today and the scenery improved dramatically, so it was less an escape than transition. About halfway between Faro and Carmacks (can’t help thinking about Circuit City when I hear the name of this town) we came upon the Yukon River. It’s big, it’s majestic, and it has a romantic history. Following the Yukon as it sluices between the high bluffs, we’re feeling more and more that we’ve arrived in the true north. At Carmacks (no haggling—used car buying just the way you always wanted it to be) we turned north toward Dawson City—mostly paved road, but with very little traffic just like the Campbell Highway. They’re working on this highway, clearing each side of the road so that the total corridor is about 100 yards wide. The goal? Better visibility for drivers so that they can observe and avoid the prolific wildlife (nothing interrupts your busy schedule more than an unexpected vehicular encounter with a moose or bear). The problem is there really isn’t much wildlife. We saw one brown-colored black bear and a bunny. As you drive this road, deep in the wilderness, with very limited traffic, a wide roadway, and long views of the road ahead, you expect an animal at every turn, but NO! Nada, zilch, zippo. We’re becoming convinced it’s some kind of conspiracy authored by the San Diego Zoo. That leads me to my suggestion for the Yukon Tourism folks--Animaltronics. Trust me, this will work. There’s no apron on most of the highways so when you see an animal you usually just have to keep on driving. At 60 mph who’s going to know the difference between a real moose and a well designed, solar-powered, robotic replica? No one. These things could pop out every 5 or 10 miles. Tourists would love it. “We saw 7 moose, 2 Grizzlies, and a live Mastodon between Carmacks and Dawson City—it was the best trip our family ever took.”
Lunch today at Little Salmon Lake--pretty impressive. I fished briefly where a small river flowed into the lake. Thought it would be a no-brainer to pull fish out of this spot. Spinning, fly rod—no luck—but my disappointment was diminished by the spectacle of a rainstorm approaching from the far end of the lake (see pictures).
Spending tonight at a pullout next to Crooked Creek. Clearwater here gives credence to the sense that we’re really in the wilderness and provides a spiritual revival—very nice. You get the feeling that a robotic moose could pop out at any minute.
One last thing: You may notice that we often are wearing the same clothes day after day. This is the result of a growing pathological fear of laundry. Laundry consumes storage space and requires periodic laundering. Laundering involves Laundromats. Laundromats need strange Canadian coins to operate…many strange coins. Laundromats are inhabited by lonely RVers who want to share their travel stories, and by hoards of voracious mosquitoes. Laundry is more evil than dirt and sweat, and I look REALLY good in this orange shirt.
