On October 1, Tim and I packed up our car and left Anchorage. The last 2 weeks of September were full of packing, garage sales, cleaning out our apartment, squeezing in precious time with friends, and more packing. It was an exhausting week leading up to “go day”, but we made it. Sprinkled throughout these final days were mixed feelings of excitement followed by sadness, and occasionally outbursts of tears followed by laughter. Change is a strange thing, especially the anticipation of knowing you will miss something. But after seven and a half years, we feel ready for a change. We’re hopeful this adventure offers new experiences, opportunities for growth, and pushes us outside of our comfort zones!
We made great time on Sunday and beat the snow & wind that was forecast to arrive across the Eastern Alaska Range and northern Copper River Basin. Darkness was already creeping in when we pulled into the Lakeview Campground just outside of Northway, AK. We parked at a perfect site right on the lake and were warmly greeted by several trumpeter swans. They were barely visible in the fading dusk light, but were sure to make their presence known.
Monday morning we awoke to overcast skies and chilly temperatures. A layer of frost coated the ground. After a quick breakfast and coffee, we packed up and hit the road again. We crossed the border into Yukon around 10am and reached Kluane National Park and Kluane Lake by the early afternoon. The fall colors were amazing, and the views around each bend in the road seemed to outdo the last. The welcomed rays of sunshine highlighted the trees even more. Coupled with towering snow-capped peaks in the background, the scenery was truly mesmerizing. I’m not confident the pictures do any justice!
We pulled into Whitehorse around 6pm and sampled local brews at Winterlong Brewing. The friendly staff recommended various campsites and we found a great spot halfway up Gray Mountain with views overlooking Whitehorse. After a long day of driving, we settled into camp with a hot meal and a game of cribbage. We were treated to a beautiful sunset, though knew the fair weather wouldn’t last long as rain was moving in!
It was hard waking up Tuesday morning. Temperatures in the low 40s and the sound of steady rain certainly weren’t an inviting start to the day, but the lure of a local coffee roastery and bagel shop got us moving. We packed up and made our way into town for stops at Midnight Sun Roastery, followed by Bullet Hole Bagels. With full bellies, caffeine, and a full tank of gas, we got back on the Alaska Highway and drove towards Watson Lake.
The gloomy and rainy weather continued for most of the day; a stark contrast to the sunshine we had Monday. In the early afternoon, we stopped at Rancheria Falls, just a couple hours outside of Watson Lake. It was a great place to stop for lunch, and there is a short walk through the boreal forest to a boardwalk overlooking beautiful waterfalls.
About an hour later, we reached Watson Lake. After a quick stop to gas up, we walked through Sign Post Forest to scout out a good place to leave our sign! Tim fashioned together a unique sign using two halves of license plates – one half Alaska and one half New Hampshire – to represent our time in both places and our journeys back and forth between Alaska and the East Coast.
We found a good spot to leave our mark and then backtracked slightly to get onto the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. Lots of miles driven, and almost into British Columbia!
