Otter Falls Cutoff RV Campground and Aishihik Lake Campground Yukon Canada

Mileage:  42,846

If you see an RV dump station – clean your tanks.

If you see a laundromat – wash your clothes.

If you see a gas station – fill the RV and car with fuel.

If you see a real grocery store – get stocked up!

If you read the travel blogs about coming to Alaska, there are lots of dire warnings about the scarcity of services.  So far, we have learned not to miss opportunities.  I had read that Whitehorse was the last bug hub for the next 1,000 miles.  Our supplies were getting sparse and I had a big long list.  The little grocery stores we had found in the very small towns were as our friend Ray would say “not what we are accustomed to!”

After the last couple of days spent in remote areas, the city of Whitehorse was a little bit of a culture shock.  Walmart and Staples and Subway (3 locations), and McDonald’s.  American enterprise alive and active in the Yukon.  I went to Walmart first and got everything that I could…but they had no fresh veggies or fruit or meat.  My next stop was Save On Foods.  What a great store!   I spent a long time choosing enough to get us through the next week or so and I was grateful for the opportunity.

By lunchtime we were back on the Alaska Highway.  The roadside was blanketed in bright fuchsia wildflowers (lady slippers I think).

We had no wildlife sightings today but we did see horses grazing open range along the road.  We were warned that the section of road between Whitehorse and Haines Junction was rough.  Frost heaves are common in this part of the road…gentle roller coaster like waves in the road…or as we said when we were kid “Wee Bumps.”  When we came to the really rough parts marked by flags and signs and bigger dips, Tim called them “Willy Whoppers!”  A long section (miles) of highway was hard-packed gravel.  Dust and stones were flying.  It slowed us to 20 mph.  Ahead we saw a travel trailer over on the shoulder. We pulled over to see if we could help.  Whatever the problem, it was being fixed.  The woman came to thank us for stopping and said we were the 5^th vehicle to stop and offer help.

That’s what I’m talking about…we have to look out for one another!!

We met a family with 2 small children at Otter Falls Campground store.   The dad was in the Coast Guard.  They had been stationed in Clearwater, Florida and they were on their way in a Winnie Drop to Kodiak Island where he will be stationed for the next 3 years.  If you don’t know where Kodiak Island is…pull out a map and take a look…wow!!!

We left our RV at the Otter Falls campsite and packed the Jeep full of blankets and pillows and food and wine and we headed down a rough gravel road to a Yukon Government Campground called Aishihik Lake Campground.  This 42 km road was not recommended for RV travel…so if we wanted to see the lake we had to take the opportunity!

We met Grant standing in the lake in his rubber boots cleaning his catch.  He is from Whitehorse and comes here for several days each year to fish.  He had long and lovely lake trout.  He offered us a fish…we didn’t take it but we were touched by his kindness.

Later the guys from the site next door – also fishermen from Whitehorse showed up at our tent with a wagon-load of firewood…”in the interest of international relations!”  People are good and generous here.

I love looking up through the pine trees at the sky!

We are sitting by a campfire, drinking good Malbec, eating sushi from SavOn Foods, watching an eagle soar overhead.  We are going to sleep in a tent with the bears and bison in the woods.  We ARE going to sleep with the bear spray…he promised!

I’m a lucky girl!!