Dawson City to Haines Junction

After spending the night at a campground on the edge of Dawson City, Yukon Territory, we continued south on the Klondike Loop Highway toward Whitehorse on the morning of Saturday, August 14. Since the highway joined the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, and we needed to go west to get to Haines Junction where we would turn south onto Haines Highway to Haines, AK, we decided to just keep going to Haines Junction, YT, instead of going east to Whitehorse and then having to backtrack. It was a long day, 416 miles--I think our longest day so far on the entire trip, taking us eleven hours (we had had other days as long but not driven as far). But that would give us more time to enjoy the Haines Highway the next day, which we had been told several times is a gorgeous drive. The Klondike Loop Highway was also a beautiful drive, so we stopped numerous times for photo ops!

We stopped for a mid-morning break at Moose Creek, where we were greeted by the resident turkeys. This picture is for Ross and Jesse--good view of "that thang that hangs down, what's it called, Jesse?" . . . "I think it's a fang" :)

A view of the highway nearing Pelly Crossing

Five-Finger Rapids on the Yukon River

Closer view of the rapids (look pretty calm here, but apparently they pose a "navigational hazard")

We passed several lakes, some of which were unidentified. I kept trying to get pictures of them while hanging out the window as we traveled along, so Ernie finally stopped so I could get this shot of the reflection of clouds, trees, and mountains on this lake. Such a gorgeous day and so much beauty surrounding us, it was difficult to take it all in!

We had been told that August is considered fall in Alaska . . . we were still taken by surprise to see leaves starting to change colors on the hillside in the Yukon on August 14!

Fox Lake, another very scenic lake that extended for miles

We could see Lake Laberge (a thirty-mile long lake!) on the other side of the road on the map and the GPS, but we could catch only occasional glimpses of it from the highway. We spotted a sign for "Mom's Sourdough Bakery" going off in that direction so decided to check it out. It was a real find, with "Mom" being a lady about our age with a little bakery sales room attached to her house where she sold her home-baked goodies. We indulged in some sourdough bread, which we enjoyed for several days, a cinnamon bun (delicious), shortbread, a tart, and a piece of bumbleberry pie . . . mmmm!! This stop also included a great visit with "Mom," entertaining and full of local lore and some wisdom thrown in, along with lots of local pictures!

This detour also provided the opportunity to drive past Lake Laberge, a gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains memorialized in Robert Service's poem, "The Cremation of Sam McGee." I had never heard of either until we heard a local entertainer in Tok recite the poem. Beautiful Lake Laberge . . .

Panoramic view of Lake Laberge

Some more fall colors on a hillside in mid-August!

We made it to Haines Junction, YT, at a reasonable time, settled in to the campground, ready to start to Haines, AK, the next morning.