Land of the moose, the bald eagle and the dipsy-doodle

Sunday, July 8, 2007

BEAVER CREEK, YUKON — Tonight, our home on wheels is in Canada’s westernmost community, just east of the Alaska border. The population is around 100, and one of those residents was born in New Delhi, India, lived in Barrie, ON and is our host at the Westmark RV campground at the edge of the Yukon Territory. It was kind of fun telling him about the Taj Mahal, which he has never been to, and recommending it as a good place to visit!
The English language lacks words to describe the majestic beauty of the landscapes we have driven through between Whitehorse and here. We have marveled at sweeping vistas of pine-carpeted plains, edged with huge mountains where the crevices are lined with green velvet forests and the peaks jut into the sky with jagged edges, or push through a crown of thick cloud that sends dark shadows onto their contours. We followed the Alaska Highway in a northwesterly direction, heading toward the Kluane (pronounced clue-annie) and St. Elias mountain ranges, with the Ruby Range to our right. Most of the time we were surrounded by mountains!
As we approached Kluane Lake we encountered some highway construction where a flag person indicated there would be a five-minute wait, so we turned off the engine. In the pine trees off to our left we could hear the birds in melodic conversation with each other— a treat you don’t often get when you zoom past on the highway.
When we got waved on, we went a short distance and turned in to see the Sheep Mountain interpretive centre and have our lunch. On the deck of the little building were three telescopes pointed at the mountain face behind, where mountain sheep can be seen grazing on the high slopes. Well, they can if you come at the right time of year; the guide told us that the grass is actually greener on the other side by July, so we’d have to come back in early spring or late fall for the telescopes to do us any good.
She also told us that they timed the construction on the highway so as not to disturb the 300 or so sheep. As soon as they go over the mountain top, work can begin, and if they are spotted coming back over, work must cease till they move on again!
Kluane Lake covers 400 square kilometers, and is the largest lake in the Yukon Territory. The highway ran along its western shore for some distance, bringing us through Destruction Bay, a town named after a devastating storm that occurred during the building of the Alaska Highway. When we got to Burwash Landing, we stopped to look at the little museum there. We were amazed that a tiny town with a population of 84 was home to this lovely display of local animals and Aboriginal artifacts, artfully displayed in dioramas that could easily have been part of a large city’s museum. Local artisans in the town specialize in items made of spruce burls, large mis-shapen blobs that grow on the trunks of these trees when there is an irritation in the bark. They shape the burls into bowls, knarled walking sticks or whimsical animals.
Once again on our way, we found the scenery at one extreme of the excellence scale and the road at the other. Frost had heaved the road into humps, dips, potholes and rough spots that kept Val constantly dodging the worst parts and both of us wincing at the parts we couldn’t avoid. I began to think the official flag of the Yukon should be a day-glo orange square, we saw so many of them planted by the roadside at the worst spots! But not all of them! Some hit you with no warning at all. When we finally got clear of the dipsy-doodles, we were onto gravel roadways that were smooth enough, but raised great clouds of dust behind us. When a large motor home passed us by in the oncoming lane, we saw a poor cyclist emerge from its plume of dust with a wry face — he hadn’t even thought to pull a bandana over his mouth and nose!
In spite of the terrible road, we thoroughly enjoyed the amazing scenery. At one point I spotted a bald eagle circling above us with outstretched wings, and later on there was a cow moose and her calf below us, wading at the edge of a large pool of water. I saw another moose on the right side a few miles further on. Aside from some sprightly prairie dogs, these were the first wild animals we had seen in the Yukon.
It was with some trepidation that we entered the trailer once we parked it at the campground. What a sight! The shoe tower set up by the door had come apart and thrown shoes all over the floor. Books, Val’s glasses and coasters had tumbled out of the book rack between our two chairs. The sofa was a good six inches out from the wall with the cushions all askew. A jumble of glasses and dishes greeted us in the cupboards, amazingly intact, but under the sink the largest of my three mixing bowls was broken in pieces. And over every counter and table top was a thin film of dust! Here’s hoping Alaskan highways are in a bit better shape!