961 June 19, 2023 Animals Free And In The Wild

I only had a brief walk this morning; a couple of laps in the campground.  We had a long drive ahead of us today. And I guess I took too long to get myself up and out there!

We had only gone a short distance when we saw a caribou trotting along the road.  He clambered easily up the bank and was quickly out of sight.

We are traversing through the northern Canadian Rockies.  This portion of the Alaska Highway is the prettiest.  Mountains and creeks and streams and rivers and lakes and waterfalls and wildlife! 

We saw a juvenile elk near the Toad River.

Mountain views.

Turquoise tinted rivers.

Water dripping from rock ledges.

We saw a moose running in the riverbed below.

At Muncho Lake, the stone sheep were right near the road.  They were eagerly munching at something in the gravel…not sure what but I know that the sheep are attracted to mineral licks here.

We stopped at the Liard River.

Soon after, we saw three black bears foraging in the vegetation along the highway…only have pictures of two of the three!

Then we saw a fox.

Then another bear.

We stopped for lunch at a turnout.

At Allen’s Lookout we walked to the scenic overlook.  The Liard River runs below.  It is said that bandits used this as a lookout point to spot river boats and then rob them.

We pulled out and saw another black bear and then #6 on the east side walking in the ditch…missed the picture of #6.

#7 was on the crossing the road.

We passed Contact Creek where the two regiments charged with completing the Alaska Highway met in September of 1942.  One crew had worked their way south and the other had started in Dawson Creek and worked northward.

We saw our first grizzly bear.  He was lying in a roadside depression licking his paws.  We didn’t realize what we were seeing until it was too late to get a picture.

At 3pm we entered the Yukon Territory; “Larger than life!”  We traveled on to the town of Watson Lake.  We stopped for diesel fuel and then sat in the parking lot to post the blog and check messages and email.  We had been out of service range for about a day and a half.

Further down the road, we saw a post office and stopped for stamps to mail postcards to loved ones at home.

We passed the sign forest but didn’t stop this time.

It was after 5pm when we arrived at the Yukon Government Watson Lake Campground after traveling 3.5 miles on a gravel road.  It is lovely and inexpensive.  There are no hookups but that’s okay.  The forecast is for 41 degrees tonight but we will use the propane furnace and be cozy and warm enough.

We walked to the lake.

We grilled salmon and I made Vicki’s Summer Lemon Potato Salad to go with it…YUM!

We are sitting outside by the fire with a glass of wine.  I am going to shut down the computer and relax and enjoy the sound of the wind in the pines.

We love seeing animals; free and in the wild!