Leg 7: Whitehorse, Yukon to Tok, Alaska
9 July 2022
Early Saturday morning we said goodbye to our lovely Whitehorse hotel, bought coffee at a poppin' local bakery, and stopped at THE Real Canadian Superstore for I have no idea what anymore...at any rate, it was similar to a Wal-Mart. After these vital stops, we started our route to the Yukon-Alaska border.
Our route went through Haines Junction which was a tiny town home to mainly the First Nation groups of the Champagne and Aishihik. The views were beautiful because the town is located west of Kluane National Park and Preserve which is home to Canada's highest peak, Mt Logan, at 19, 551 ft.
The drive was sunny, clear, and gorgeous as the road was lined with magenta fireweed mile after mile. At one point, a moose crossed right in front of us and added to the spectacular scene.
Fireweed & Moose Crossing
Besides the moose, our drive was pretty uneventful. I became overly excited to see a gas station with the fuel located above ground with a pay station that was in an outhouse looking building. The same gas station also had a "Stop" sign that included the Southern Tutchone translation underneath: "Nlan," which literally translates to "stop that now." The sign is part of a First Nations initiative to promote language and culture in the community.
Beautiful Pickhandle Lake near the Alaska-Yukon border where we stretched our legs
And some wise Northern Tutchone words to live by when traveling...
Eventually we started approaching the Alaska border and naturally needed to stop (along with several other tourists and a massive tour bus) at the Alaska sign!
We made it through the border relatively quickly (less than 10 minutes), drove for a few more hours, and then settled into a cute cabin for the night in the quiet town of Tok.
