Jenny Lynne's Journal: Day Seventeen - Back to Haines Junction

Monday, June 09, 2008

Day Seventeen - Back to Haines Junction

Monday June 9th 2008
Drive from Anchorage to Tok to Haines Junction
610 miles – estimated 12 hours of driving

This was quite the drive. Again, road work, lower speed limits and stopping made this into a 19 hour drive. What was particularly weird was having it be either twilight or daylight for the entire drive. The owner of the Stardust motel was fabulous. I called when I realized that we were not going to get there till after 10:00 p.m. He said which room we’d have and left the door open for us. We paid in the morning. THANK YOU Mr. Stardust man.

On our way to Anchorage we started listening to the unabridged version of Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. On our way out of Anchorage we finished it. Interesting book, certainly made me want to do more yoga.

There were a lot of these road cuts in Alaska, each adorned with messages in white rocks.

We came into Alaska and went to Tok then north to Fairbanks, and then south to Anchorage. On our way out of Alaska we went northeast out of Anchorage to Tok and then began retracing our steps. This meant that we got to see more of Alaska including the enormous, and awe inspiring Matanuska glacier. As the day wore on and we were greeted at every turn by beautiful scenery I finally gave in and slept part of the time. I’d wake up and WOW another stunning vista. It became a running joke. Nick nudged me at one point for a stunning vista plus rainbows.

Image: Matanuska Glacier

At Glennallen AK we pulled over at a diner/gift shop. I was craving a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and while it wasn’t on the menu, the cook/owner made it for me anyway. He had overheard me commenting on it’s absence from the menu. Here is where Nick scored the moose poo earrings for his sister. After lunch we hit the road again. Our last souvenir stop was at Tok.

Crossing the border into Canada this time was much weirder they were really worried that we might have guns, or knives, or ammo, and that clearly we intended to kill their wildlife.

Image: Con artist at work

So we’re driving and driving and this shabby, and damp looking red fox runs up the bank and out into the road. He then stops and heads right for our car. I was rolling the window down to take pictures when Nick barked for me to roll it back up. Good thing I minded because that naughty fox jumped at my window. I had the paw print to prove it for weeks. He then turned and headed for the next car coming towards us. And then we found out why the fox was behaving badly. The people in that van tossed bread out to the fox in order to get the fox to stick around. We pulled up and I suggested they shouldn’t feed it or try to pet it because it might have rabies. They were definitely trying to touch it. I feel bad that humans cannot control their personal desires long enough to understand that they have signed the death warrant for that fox. He will run out on the road looking for food and the driver will not see him and that will be the end of him.

Image: Monolithic domes in Gakona Alaska-home to the Igloo Cabins...

Stardust Motel
Box 5342
Haines Junction, YT, CA

Receipts:

All Alaska Gifts & Crafts (souvenirs) – Tok AK
Hitchin Post (lunch) – Glennallen AK
Young’s Chevron – Tok AK

Image: Home for Beaver

Wildlife & Birds:
Pond By Road in Yukon
Pacific Loon
American Wigeons
Red Tailed Hawk
Ring Necked Duck
Bufflehead
Ravens
Rusty Black Birds

Mallards
Cliff Swallows
Northern Shovelers
Lesser Scaup
Solitary Sandpipers
Trumpeter Swans
American Wigeons
Northern Pintails
Green Winged Teals
Northern (Yellowshafted) Flicker (Taiga)