Alaska

I departed Dawson City on the free ferry across the Mighty Yukon. I exited on the far side onto a gravel lot with no buildings, just a dirt road leading uphill. This was the beginning of the Top of the World Highway to The Alaskan border a hundred miles away, The gravel road winds along the mountain tops mostly above tree line. There are no gas stations, no towns, just empty mountains to the horizon in all directions. The road had just opened 5 days earlier for the summer. After driving the road, I realized they should have waited another couple weeks. Much of the road was frozen , other areas had water sheeting across from melting 10 foot tall roadside snow drifts. The pot holes were legendary, hard to spot in the rain. It poured all day, raining sideways in the howling mountain winds. I stopped for a break and immediately had my hat blown off.

It finally turned to a drizzle as I approached the International Border. The crossing is located in the most unusual border crossing spot I’ve seen anywhere in the world . The shared Canadian American building straddles a mountain top way above tree line. I was greeted by an American Border Patrol agent who commented on my Vermont plates. He wants to take a similar trip some day ( I often hear that ). I set my watch back one hour.

The drive down out of the mountains into Alaska took several more hours. I finally arrived in Tok, Alaska, a small town on the Alcan Highway. Whew, I’ve driven over 14,000 miles to get here. I enjoyed a wild salmon dinner.