Alaska 2013, Day 22, Watson Lake to Whitehorse YT

Sunday June 23, 2013

Watson Lake

We walked the sign post forest first thing this morning.  It looks even larger than before.  There has to be 75000 signs here.  According to the visitor center they get around 5000 new signs every year.  2008, the year we were here, only had 800 new signs, one of the worst years.  That was the summer gas hit $5 a gallon in the lower 48, very few traveling the Alcan that year.We were able to find our sign from 2008 and Mike and Jens'.  Cheryl and the kids painted up one of Jen's fence slates that we are using for the lake sign.  The fence slate is small but wide and this allowed us to hang it easily on an old post, not much room for a big new sign unless you have an 8 foot ladder.

4 more black bears today.  Saw one pair, one alone and one cub.  All the bears look really healthy, fat with thick fir.

Lake Teslin

We stopped for fuel at Lake Teslin, just across the bridge at the Yukon Motel.  Quite a place.  It had a campground, motel, gas station, restaurant, bakery, "museum" (nice taxidermy) and a fancy gift shop.  Picked up some fresh bread and some trinkets.

Whitehorse

Whitehorse has grown quite a bit. Cheryl read in one of the tourism brochures an add for Klondike Rib and Salmon Bake at 2nd and Steele downtown Whitehorse. We decided we would go out for her early birthday.  We had ribs, fried halibut, halibut chowder, cold smoked sockeye, and baked char.  The chowder and char were great.

272 miles today.

5255 miles so far.