Crossing into Alaska and a Grizzly Bear

Leslie, Thursday, June 10, 2010
Border City RV Park, Border City, Alaska

We left Haines Junction, YT this morning.  Haines Junction is at Historic Milepost 1016.

  

We continued north on the Alaska Highway.



We’re surrounded by mountains.


As we heading north toward Destruction Bay we drove along Kluane Lake.



Kluane Lake is traditional fishing grounds for the First Nations People.  Initially I was alarmed because, as you can see in this picture, the water level is extremely low.  The water is flowing northward.  In the next picture you can see the beautiful lake framed by mountains.



A few miles south of Destruction Bay I screamed, BEAR, BEAR, GRIZZLY BEAR”.  YEAH!  This is the first time that we have seen a grizzly bear along the side of the road. We quickly pulled to the narrow road shoulder. While we captured our first pictures Stan on the CB radio asked if “Leslie could go down and ask the bear to turn around so we could photograph his face rather than his rear.”  Yeah, okay!  I don’t think so!!

After a bit I climbed out of the truck and up on to the truck bed.  On top of the truck bed I can see much better and I’m largely protected if the bear decides to investigate me.  :-)


This grizzly bear was digging in the dirt for roots on the other side of the gravel and and after awhile walked across the gravel for tastier treats.  Here are some of my favorite pictures:
















I stayed on top of the truck bed for all the shots.  It’s really a great photographic location because I can hold on to the rails and balance the camera on the roof.  I assume that if the grizzly bear comes too close, Robert will sound the truck air horn and chase him away.  :-) 

After visiting with Mr Grizzly Bear we drove north along the Alaska Highway.  The road quickly deteriorated to a  series of frost heaves.  As I wrote  in 2008, it appears that Canada’s solution to frost heaves is to plant a small red flag (occasionally) on the side of the road and otherwise to ignore it. It was a miserable drive.  We covered slightly over 200 miles in 6 1/2 hours. Near the border we stopped to discuss whether we wished to continue on to Border City, AK this afternoon or stop for the night.   We decided to continue through US Customs today.

In 2008 when we drove through US Customs here we were challenged by the choice of “Cars & RVs” or “Commercial Trucks”.  We’re not a Commercial Truck but we’re clearly bigger than a car.  The issue is overhead clearance.  We are 13’4” or maybe 13’ 6” high.  The Customs overhang for Cars and RVs is 13’ 0”  high.  In 2008 we took the “Car and RV” lane and regretted it.  Today we took the Commercial Truck lane.  A very nice Customs Agent greeted us.  He understood why we had taken the commercial truck lane (although he lamented that once we took that lane everyone with a 5th wheel thought they also needed to follow (although he commented that their error wasn’t our fault)).  After a few brief questions about citrus fruits (we had none) we were on our way. (Note to Rvers following us:  even  though the sign says, “RVs to the left, GO right and take the truck lane if you are over 13’.  U.S. Customs doesn’t mind.)

After U.S. Customs we suffered through a long stretch of road that was formerly paved and was now dirt.  If the rigs weren’t filthy previously, they sure are now.  UGH!  We’re anxiously awaiting Tok where we can wash the RVs.

We’ve been extremely fortunate this trip to have had superb weather.  Most days have experienced temps in the mid-60s and nights in the upper 40s.  This evening our luck seemed to have run out; it’s now chilly and raining hard. The dirt on the vehicles has now turned to mud.  Oh joy!

We ended up tonight at Border City RV Park.  It is a muddy gravel lot with small plots of grass between the sites.  In the first site we saw a bumper hitch trailer towing a flat bed trailer with a porta potty as the load).  MMMM????  Tomorrow we’ll drive to Tok, AK and truly begin the Alaska portion of our  adventure.