A bit over
7,200 miles later, we rolled back into Wood’s Prairie about 1AM! It was a wonderful
journey, but it sure felt great to be home! Although driving back down I-5 from
I-90 was kind of a culture shock after being in remote places for over a month,
it was familiar territory.
As often
happens with us, although we had planned to camp one more night when we got to
Blewitt Pass, since we were only three hours from home we kept on driving. It
turned out to be an 18 hour day, but once at home sitting on our deck, all the
stress of the long day drained away. The stars were out! It is easy to take for
granted the dark nights full of stars here in the lower 48. However, after a
month without them, we enjoyed the sight.
Trip Highlights:
- Watching the sun circle in the sky at Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. The people of the hamlet were so kind and friendly.
- Having the Fortymile caribou herd cross the Top of the World Highway in front of us. Statistics say that there are about 40,000 of them. We didn’t stop to count them, but they covered the hillside and surrounding valleys.
- Soaking in Chena Hotsprings outside of Fairbanks. It was nice to have a relaxing day after weeks of travelling.
- Canada Day in Dawson City. We watched the small-town parade, talked with a local Athabaskan carver, listened to a hometown bluegrass band, and soaked in the small-town camaraderie at our favorite tavern.
- The Juneau Fjord excursion. The beautiful scenery of the Chillkat mountains topped off with a marvelous show by a pod of humpback whales was a day to remember.
A
few trip statistics:
Miles driven
– 7,269 miles
Number of
days – 37
Longest drive
– 653 miles (We were headed for home and just kept going)
Shortest drive – 14.6 miles (The Alaska State ferry carried us another 15 miles between Haines and Skagway)Average daily drive - 204 miles (That is without the outliers)
Longest gravel highway – Dempster Hwy + Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Rd – 1,089 miles
Total fuel
cost - $3,546
Reflection:
It is hard to put a long trip into just a few words,
but God created an amazing world for us to live in! We marveled at the expansiveness
of the Ogilvie Valley on the Dempster Highway and the massiveness of the Chillkat
Mountains which are a part of the Alaska Range. We were
thrilled to watch the whale pod work as a unit to feed. Observing the bear, moose, and caribou in their native habitats was a treat. However, meeting native people
and other travelers provided an insight into other ways of life that we don’t
get while sitting on a couch at home.
The Covid Effect:
Our last trip up north was during the summer of 2019 and we all know that Covid hit the world in 2020. Regardless of your politics or beliefs about Covid, it definitely had an impact up north which is still being felt.
There were numerous small businesses that we had gone to on our first trip which were now closed. As we talked with local shop owners and artisans, we began to ask about the impact of the pandemic on them. Every person that we talked with noted that it was slowly starting to get better.
The highways were in much worse condition than on our first trip! Was that due to a bad weather year or to funds diverted to Covid protocols? It is hard to say. Whitehorse definitely looked the worse for wear from the past four years. Buildings were graffitied, businesses were closed up, and many of the people looked down and out.
The campgrounds and RV parks across Alaska and Canada were almost empty in most instances. That is great for those of us who travel without predetermined stops, but we wonder if some of those places will be able to hold out until tourism picks up again? We certainly hope that they do because we would like to visit them again some day.
Until Wood's Prairie heads off on another journey, thank you to those of you who followed us on this northern trip!
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