8/23
I am in some kind of twilight zone as I awaken at 9:00, and we’re on the road at 10:20 (both times are AM for you cynics).
We’re hoping to raft again today and checking out the road to Northway and the Nabesna River (for those of you who are paying very close attention, we saw this river more than a month ago when we were on the other side of the Wrangell-St. Elias Park—if you ARE paying attention that closely, perhaps you should consult a professional).
The river doesn’t work for us, but the drive in the Jeep is interesting. We see a Canvasback for the first time, American Wigeons, a Solitary Sandpiper (alone again), a Pacific Loon, a couple of birds we still need to identify, and several groups of Trumpeter Swans—no matter how often we see these swans we’re still blown away by them—big, white, graceful—they look out of place in the wilderness.
We’re beginning to notice fall colors in the trees and brush. The Fireweed and Arctic Cotton have both gone to seed. We’ve seen several flocks of migrating ducks and geese. It is definitely a time of change.
While the day dawned in sunshine, it gradually deteriorates to off and on rain—sometimes quite heavy.
As we near the Canadian border, I stop to make sure the rifles are ready for possible inspection. They can’t be loaded and they need trigger locks; otherwise, I keep them loaded and ready for action in case we’re attacked by a pack of ground squirrels. If you’re not vigilant, these voracious rodents will strip your flesh like piranha.
At the border checkpoint we’re behind a BMW motorcycle. I look down at the plate and see that it’s from a Santa Cruz dealer. It would be interesting to compare notes, but he’s off in a cloud of dust and it’s unlikely we’ll catch him in the Admiral.
The Canadian border agent is very nice. She even extends my gun permit for a few days and warns us to watch out for ground squirrels.
We’re now back in the Yukon and traveling through the area generally referred to as “Destruction Bay”. Sounds and is ominous. The road in this area is horrendous. Many permafrost ground heaves that give us the sense that we’re on a roller coaster—this is not good in a 10 ton RV. We also see Pingos again—the huge mounds created by the permafrost.
Very quickly the topography changes and the landscape opens up to dramatic panoramas of mountains. We are reminded of how much we loved the Yukon on our way north.
We stop for the night on a high bluff overlooking a beautiful lake filled with ducks. Nancy and I hike for a while down a trail, hoping that we can get to the lake, but it’s too steep. There is a profound sense of wilderness punctuated by the reemergence of mosquitoes. They’ve been a non-factor for more than a month, but here they are back in legions and attacking like kamikaze pilots. We look on the bright side—they could be ground squirrels.
Despite the bugs, we rest well and happy in this place.
