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Deane, Norm, and Kay's Motorcycle / RV Trip to Northern Canada and Alaska | |
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September 17, Beaver Creek to Rancheria, Yukon Territory 195 Miles |
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Snowbound in the Yukon! At Mile 710 on the Alaska Highway Yes, we are holed up and waiting out a snow storm - don't know when we can go on. We hope tomorrow.
The day started out with promise in Whitehorse. The temperature was a nice 36o F when we started out, and got up to a comfy 39o F as the high for the day. Then it started to fall. The riding and driving along the Alaska Highway was fine for 175 miles or so; dry roads, cloudy skies with small breaks for blue sky, and scenic Fall Colors around lakes and mountains. During the day Kay was listening to the radio and reported to Deane and Norm that a big snow storm was covering the eastern side of our planned Alaska Highway destination, the town of Watson Lake. The only road east of Watson Lake, the Alaska Highway, was being closed for too much snow, in an early first big snow of the season. We hoped the snow storm would let us get to Watson Lake, to turn south on the "Cassiar Highway". However, when we got within 100 miles or so of Watson Lake, it became apparent that the snow storm was very large, covering some 400 miles over parts of the Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta. After questioning service station attendants, truckers, and a couple of RV drivers, we decided it was time to hang it up. First we made it a little further, to go over the Continental Divide , in case the storm broadened before morning. We had been seeing RV park after RV park with "Closed for the Season" signs. Luckily we found an RV park open, and even including regular services of electricity, water, dump station, and, a restaurant! (Last night the RV park in Whitehorse where we stayed was closing down, with reduced services already - it's past September 15th, and the north country is starting to shut down for the winter.) So we are snug in the motor home, which Kay just happened to have, and we even had time to do some reading instead of riding in the snow. |
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