Off the Grid

Since leaving Fort Nelson on Sunday we have been, for the most part, completely off the grid. I mean literally. No cell service, no internet, no AC power. Not even land-line phones. I've had much to blog about, but no access.  And now that we’re back in the land of connectivity, all the interesting things we've seen and done over the past several days would fill up a small book (and I've noticed my posts already tend to be long winded). So I will try to summarize.

Sunday we drove the steepest section of the highway so far, up over the summit of the Alaska highway and on to Strawberry Flats campground on the south shore of Muncho Lake. The vistas on this section of highway were impressive. The small campground was a bit challenging to manoeuvre in (aka required much yelling and hair pulling to get in), but the lake was enticing us in. Bob blew up the little inflatable boat and he & the kids had lots of fun playing in the cool water.  Muncho Lake is a beautiful jewel colored lake, in an absolutely breathtaking setting. The campground has only 15 sites, and is well treed & relatively private; a perfect switch from the tighter packed private campground in Fort Nelson.

View from Steamboat mtn

Muncho Lake

Hot water fish @ Liard

Monday we did a short jaunt to Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. We pulled in around noon, got our pick of the campsites (yay for easy back-ins!), had lunch and then walked up to the springs.  The upper spring was way too hot for us, but the lower pool was perfect with a cool stream running under the layer of hot water. A fallen log across the pool made a fun jumping spot for the kids. We returned to the trailer for supper and then another trip to the springs. The pools were cooler in the evening (although still hot). Morgan & Lily revisited the jumping log and I found “MORGAN” carved into the front - along with many other names. I also found “B+J”, but no “Lily”. We all would have liked to walk further up the trail to see the hanging gardens where unique plants grow in the warm climate created by the springs but the trail was closed due to a bear in the area. Welcome to the wild!

Wood bison along highway

Signpost Forest

Tuesday we traveled on to Watson Lake, passing by black bear and bison on the side of the road. We checked out the Signpost Forest, where travellers from all around the world have been adding their own signs. At present there are over 75,000 signs there. I found Calgary, and many other Albertan destinations (no Airdrie, though). The kids went swimming at the local pool and then we headed to the Watson Lake Yukon Gov’t campground where we were off the grid again. The campground was quiet, wooded and quite serene (once Bob & I got over the frustration of backing into the site off the narrow road (forty feet doesn’t turn so quick!). We also discovered we were only steps away from the lake through the trees. 

By the campsite at Watson Lake

The next morning (Wed) we hitched up, visited the Watson Lake library where the kids read books, had fun playing with their large Lego collection and Morgan went on ABCya.com, an educational website on the library computer. We then spent an hour or so at Lucky Lake, a small lake just south of town.  This day use area is a local favorite and it’s easy to see why. The small lake is warm with a nice sand beach, trees for shade and it even has a waterslide that is open on Saturdays. I would have happily spent many hours there.  The day was hot, the water inviting and the locals were all quite friendly. 

Lucky Lake

Actually, overall I found all of Watson Lake quite inviting. But we had places to go and things to do. Off to the Northern Lights Centre, the northernmost planetarium in Canada. There we saw two short movies about space and the northern lights. Tipped back in the planetarium chairs with the whole dome lit up above us was pretty cool. It was mind boggling to think about seeing the light from stars that likely aren't even there anymore. The second film was all about the northern lights had some interesting facts about the aurora (like the polar auroras are mirror images of each other), but I didn't find the images all that moving. I imagine that for people who have never seen the Aurora borealis, this would be quite impressive, but I've been spoiled in where I live and the northern lights are like old friends. I like the real thing way better. Lily asked plenty of questions about space and the aurora afterward, so I know both films made an impression on her. By this point it was after 4, and we still had to get gas & groceries before finally starting the travel portion of our day. That done, we drove and drove and drove (or at least it felt that way – in fact it was only about 3.5 hours) until we reached Teslin, a small community on the shores of Teslin Lake. We arrived just in time to see a lovely double rainbow as the sun set; a welcome sight at the end of a long day.

Before we left Teslin we checked out the Wildlife museum beside the Teslin Motel & Campground (did you know there are Muskox in the Yukon?) The area has a rich cultural history, and I wanted to see the Teslin Tlingit Heritage museum, which has cultural artifacts and information about the Tlingit people who are native to the area. We stopped in and saw many beautifully carved masks, artwork and dugout canoes (impressive process). I would have loved to talk to the locals who were working there and get a deeper understanding of their history, but the kids were hungry for lunch and not co-operating well. Sometimes it’s just not worth the fight…  Plus, I’ll get a chance to stop in when we pass by again, next time heading south (next month sometime). 

We found ourselves a spot in Whitehorse at the Hi Country RVpark until next Friday. There are plenty of activities to do and places to check out in and around the city. Morgan wants to ride in a jet boat, and go to the fair (it’s in town!). Bob wants to go on the jet boat too (I’m not sure which one is more excited).  I want to walk downtown and see some of the heritage sights (and the fish ladder – not sure why this one intrigues me so). Lily, well, I’m not sure. But she seems pretty happy checking out everything lately.