Wanderung 29

Alaska or Bust

July 2014 - August 2014

3 Dawson City, Yukon
Cassiar Highway 4
Index


 

August 3: Whitehorse, Yukon to Bayo Lake, British Columbia

Bob:

When we passed through Whitehorse on our way North, we were in a hurry to get to Alaska, so we took this opportunity to spend a couple hours walking through downtown Whitehorse before we continued South back to the USA. Over by the Yukon River we found a small park that included a couple of historic, preserved buildings, and from the park a nice paved trail ran right along the riverbank. We followed that trail past the central business district to the SS Klondike that kind of lies at one end of it.

Monika:

We had breakfast at a Tim Horton around the corner and then went to a little area with recreated buildings like the old waterfront. This was on the Yukon and there was a walking path along the river all the way to the SS Klondike. Since we were in need of some walking we went ahead and walked all the way along the river past the old houses to the SS Klondike.


 

Bob:

Since we had already toured the SS Klondike, we curled back into the downtown area and kind of zig-zagged our way back to our motel. Clearly the city fathers (and mothers!) were trying to beautify the downtown area as we saw some murals painted on the walls of buildings and an occasional sculpture. One curious thing was a 3-story log cabin that looked kind of precarious to me. Apparently different people lived on each floor of it, but it was carefully fenced off with a locked gate so that us curious tourists could not traipse in and have a closer look at it.

Monika:

Going back we walked through town. We saw a totem pole,some statues, funky looking log cabins - I did not know that log cabins could be three stories high. There were also several beautiful murals.


 


 


 

Bob:

Back at the motel, we signed out, put our rollies in the trunk, and headed back down the AlCan Highway. Compared to the Top Of The World Highway and the Klondike Highway, the driving was a breeze as the highway was broad, well-paved, and clearly marked. I even encountered two "slow truck" lanes on some long uphill grades, but I can guarantee you that those are the ONLY TWO SLOW TRAFFIC LANES on the whole AlCan Highway!

Back in either Dawson Creek or Watson Lake, I had been informed that the Cassiar Highway was now completely paved. That helped us decide to take the Cassiar Highway South toward the US because we figured going more or less straight South was a shorter way to get to Portland, Oregon, than retracing the AlCan to Dawson Creek and then heading South from there.

Although it was in fact paved, the first section of the Cassiar was narrow, twisting, and totally unmarked, making me sit up and pay close attention to my driving! We had, however, great views of the low Rocky Mountains in northern British Columbia, and the highway soon broadened and acquired some road markings, which eased my mind a bit.

Monika:

The next section of driving between Whitehorse and the Cassiar turn off were known and after driving on the Klondike very easy. The scenery also was more interesting then the Klondike. If you guessed I did not care for the Klondike Loop, you may be right.

The Cassiar turned out to be more challenging. Gone were any stripes, shoulder, or markings when passing was safe, but the road was paved and had only minor potholes. It also was a very scenic drive with the rugged Rockies far in the distance,

Bob:

Running out of daylight, we decided to pull in at Bayo Lake, a beautifully wooded provincial park nestled in the mountains. Although all the lakeside campsites were taken, probably by perspicacious local folks, we found a nice, isolated site just off the lakefront. Happily parking the car and popping up the tent, we cooked dinner and settled in for the night after watching a gorgeous sunset out over the lake.

Monika:

We camped at Bayo Lake, a British Columbia Provincial Park. It was a beautiful park with secluded sites. The scenery, especially as the sun was going down over the lake, was spectacular.


 



Copyright 2014 by R. W. Holt and E. M. Holt


 

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