It's time to point it South

Camping alongside Kluane Lake in the Yukon Territory

While in Valdez I could sense a change in the air.  The nights were getting cold, the sun was disappearing much sooner in the afternoons and one could feel that winter up here was still a ways off but coming on.  I was firing up the propane heater in the camper just about nightly now and dreading the slow crawl out of the warm sleeping bag each morning.  Lying in the camper one night as I listened to the drumming of heavy rain outside I began to waiver on my planned route back up north to Denali.  The original plan was after Valdez to make the 500 mile drive back up north for another week in Denali.   I had been given a Denali Road lottery ticket which is hard to come by.  This lottery ticket allows 400 vehicles to drive the entire Denali Road on the last two days prior to the park closing down for the winter.  No other time of the year this is permitted and if you get lucky and catch a bluebird day it can be a drive one won't forget. After the rain continued to pound all night and making the slow crawl out of that warm bed the following morning I went into town to find out what the weather forecast for Denali would be the following week.  It was not good with lows around 30 degrees plus a little snow/rain mix.  The dreary forecast and thought of adding another thousand miles to put me back in the vicinity where I currently was made the decision for me.  It was time to point it south and start working my way back to the lower 48.  I decided to leave Valdez that morning after a little breakfast and some hot coffee and head for Haines, Alaska.  I had been to Haines before when I came up on the bike and really enjoyed the area.  It's a little harbor town with a year-round population of about 2000 residents that is surrounded by beautiful scenery, ample wildlife viewing and is designated as the Adventure Capital of Alaska. Some of the premier heli-skiing in North America can be found here.  The weather in Haines was forecast to be partly sunny for the next few days.  Another reason I wanted to go to Haines was the really good chance of seeing more Grizzlies.  Not like I hadn't seen a butt load of them already on this trip but I'm fascinated by them and never seem to tire of watching them.   I should have been a bear biologist! For anyone reading this blog it's probably getting a little boring at this point.  More rural Alaska and bears.  Enough you're probably thinking.  Bear with me, this will be the last of them even though I saw more on the drive down the Cassiar Highway.  So it was off to Haines which is about an 800 mile drive and I knew it would take me a few nights to get there. This is certainly not a chore as the drive takes you through some  stunning scenery which includes skirting along the  Kluane National Park in the Yukon Territory. Regarding Haines, I have another book recommendation, which I read while on my bike trip last summer, is written by a local resident of Haines titled, If You Lived Here I'd Know your Name . If coming to Haines, it's an entertaining read on the people, history and daily life in Haines.     

View from camp outside Haines Junction in the Yukon.  Kluane National Park in the distance.

Drive along Kluane Lake

Chilkoot River draining into the inlet.

Haines along the waterfront

Side trip on one of the few dirt roads leading into Kluane National Park.  Goes in about twenty miles where it dead ends.  I only made it about 10 miles in as the road was washed out at a stream crossing . Kluane is a massive park where if you want to really explore it you have to hike.  When hiking here you should always keep the signage below in mind.  I saw two large grizzlies on the drive back in here.  Both just meandering down the middle of the dirt road I was on.

Road leading up over the pass towards Haines, Ak.

Haines, Ak

  Of course.....more of my favorite subjects up here in Alaska......

When something this large stands up and starts looking around you take notice.  Is she looking at something larger than her or is she looking for me?

Didn't really shoot many pics while in Haines as I was starting to get photo weary and needed to just put it away for a few days.  Hung out down by the waterfront, the library, local brew pub, the local coffee house meeting some of the locals, did some hiking and spent the evenings up on the Chilkoot River looking for bears. After two nights in Haines, I booked passage on the ferry over to Skagway.   It's only about an hour ride across the inlet and saves about 300 miles of driving.  When you figure the savings in time and gas it's not a bad deal to just jump on the ferry.

Drive down the Cassiar Highway next.......