Friday, July 15, 2011

Back on Dry Land!

July 14:  Haines, AK through B.C. and the Yukon then back to AK

It was an early morning today!  We departed the M.V. Matanuska ferry around 6:30 am in Haines, AK. 

Hungry for some real food we found breakfast in Haines at the Chilkat Restaurant and Bakery.  The bakery case (especially the rhubarb fritters) almost brought tears to our eyes! At the Chilkat Restaurant, we also were able to overhear (not eavesdropping, of course) the local scuttlebutt including conversations about the Gold Rush!!! Discovery Channel Show filmed in the Porcupine Creek area (near Haines).  From the little bit of conversation we overheard (again not at all eavesdropping in any way) it seemed some other outside groups were also trying their hand at making it rich in the area.  After discussing our prospects of gold mining in Haines on two teacher salaries (it was a short conversation) we got in the car and and headed north.   

Looking to be a long stretch of road, we figured we would drive some of the day and then enjoy.  Well, that didn’t exactly work out: The Yukon stretch of road (Hwy. 1) was under construction.  Discouragingly, at one point we saw a sign posting:  240 km to the border, 220 km of construction. 

Long stretches of loose gravel and single lane road proved to be challenging.  A 7 p.m. we reached Tok, Ak and decided to call it for the night.  Tok is a city (if you can call it that) that if you drive from the states or Canada to Anchorage, you must travel through Tok.  There are no other options.  After setting up camp at the Tok River State Recreation Site, we headed into Tok to eat at the only establishment for food: Fast Eddies.  Although it was not exactly as the name suggested (a very long wait for food), the meal was good and the peanut butter pie was delicious.  

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