We started driving north on Thursday - a few days later than planned - after clearing out the condo, fixing my tooth, and putting new brakes and rotors on the faithful Subaru. It was smooth sailing through the border and beyond, until we ran into a road delay just past Cache Creek. We were told it would be a 2 hour wait, and opted to drive back into town for some dinner. Several hours later, folks were showing up saying that they had been told to expect a 2 hour wait... The Bear Claw Cafe was kind enough to let us hang out, and we eventually got a few more hours of road time in before camping short of Prince George.

On Friday we continued to push north toward the AlCan. Twenty minutes past Chetwynd we gained a temporary traveling companion - a lost puppy (Australian sheep dog mix?) was running around on the road, and we scooped him up for safe keeping. He promptly made himself at home on Trevor's lap, and seemed happy to keep us company for as far as we'd take him, but we thought the Alaska border patrol might not feel as friendly toward him. After numerous local inquiries, we left him with some nice kids at a gas station / grocery store who said they'd find a home for him. A spectacular sunset was followed by our official entry onto the AlCan, and we were well past Fort Nelson by the time we pitched the tent.

Saturday began fortuitously with hot coffee and sticky buns only a few clicks past our campsite. It also brought our first sightings of big northern wildlife - the "Caribou on road" signs turned out to be literal, and we saw this guy heading south on the hiway, minding his own business and obeying traffic laws. Very polite, those Canadians. Two small herds of bison and a couple of golden eagles feeding on a less fortunate buffalo all reminded us that we were entering wilder country. We hit the Liard Hotsprings, and after a good 2-hour soak and swim, returned to the road refreshed and ready to go. Some pretty serious snow squalls kicked up just as we entered the Yukon, but 10 minutes after finally giving up and pulling over to wait it out, we stuck our heads out the window to find clear skies and stars.

Sunday morning brought hot breakfast (!) in Whitehorse, followed by beautiful views of a forbiddingly cold Lake Kluane and surrounding mountains. The very early sunset this far North saw us driving long hours in the dark before crossing back into the US and camping short of Glenallen. We thought about splurging on a motel room in Tok, but decided we'd been so cozy in the down bags, it wasn't worth the $70 they wanted for a room there.

We rolled across a socked-in and snow-laden Thompson Pass early in the day on Monday, surprising Matt, who didn't expect us until Tuesday. Luckily it seemed to be a happy surprise, and he quickly made us at home in the Pentagon. For those of you not acquainted with Matt and Tabitha's little piece of Alaska, their website is here. The Chalet is rented out for Thanksgiving weekend, so they have graciously made room for us in their digs next door until the Chalet is empty and they can have their living room back. After coming home from work, Tabitha cooked up some yummy chili, and we went to bed (indoors!) fed, showered, and happy.

A timely break in the weather on Tuesday allowed us our first powder turns of the season. 5 feet of storm snow in the last 5 days provided a nice Chugach homecoming for Trevor after 5 years absence. After much deliberation, many suggestions, and a lot of driving around gaping at the lovely lines, we settled on an option. A quick tour up Moonlight Basin yielded a nice 2200 foot descent, with the light not too flat until the bottom.

A slow and steady overnight snow led us to believe skiing was out of the question for today, but Matt saw a break in the radar, and he and Trevor are off to grab some turns. I opted for a quiet cabin day and maybe some shovelling while I wait for the moose to show up - Tabitha thinks the snow is just deep enough up high so they'll be down in the yard any day now. Stay tuned for more powder reports!

Labels: Alaska