Travel day today.  Getting an early start as the roads are bumpy and lumpy until we reach our next stop, Destruction Bay, Yukon, Canada.  Again with the awesome scenery, a few Elk and a lone tribal horse along the roadside.   Village Bakery in Hanes Junction was our rest stop for coffee and to split a yummy blueberry scone.

While parked, we noticed that the tool platform where the car is attached was very low to the ground.   Moved to flat ground and discovered that the platform had sunk substantially lower causing the car’s front end to be lifted up.  The platform is connected to our RV and is now slanted dangerously towards the ground.  Won’t start the “told-you-so” dance yet but our situation has become seriously worrisome.   Calls to Smitty’s (who custom made the tool platform), Coach-net (our emergency road service), and local garages to find a fork lift to take the platform off.  No equipment to remove the platform so John came up with an alternative plan to lighten the load on the RV frame to keep it from further damage.  Took three hours to separate the tools from the chest and put them in the car, neither of us knowing where we would have put the heavy tool platform had they been able to remove it.  We may have been stuck in the parking lot of an old Motel for hours but what a view we had out the RV window!

Now the plan was for both of us to drive onward to Destruction Bay to find a welder.  The tool chest tops are sharp so we had a little blood drama when removing them but John’s booboo is all fixed up and away we went.

Arrived at Destruction Bay and were advised to drive on to Fairbanks to let the certified welders that work the pipe line do their thing.   Am now positive that I would have had significantly more fun taking that cruise around the world…and it probably would have been far less expensive and much more relaxing.

Overnight in a Destruction Bay roadside RV parking lot with 30 amp electricity, still having an amazing view out our windows

Morning has arrived and it is time to hit the road, each in our own separate vehicle and connected with walkie-talkies.  This is bear country.  You can tell by the scat on the side of the road, which answers the age old question, “does a bear shit in the woods?”  It probably does, but it also does it a whole lot on the side of the road.

Roads were tolerable for the first few hundred miles out of Destruction Bay.  One biker with his packs going down the road, two bikers with their packs coming towards us.  With all the wild animals, sleep deprived speeding 18 wheelers and first time RV travelers, I’m not sure if they are really brave souls or just plain nuts.

Every rest stop brought tiny winged visitors looking for handouts.  Feeling guilty about feeding wild birds but wanting to repay them for their obliging poses, I tossed out a small thimble size full of crushed oatmeal crumbs and they feasted, fighting over the last few morsels.  When I returned to the RV, one sat on the mirror watching to see if I were bringing anything else out, then flew on his way.

This is unforgiving country with roads being a close resemblance.   Bone jarring, teeth chattering, seat vibrating roads with little but a tiny salmon colored piece of plastic on a six inch piece of wood to warn you of pot holes, wide surface cracks and the permafrost heaves that would shame a roller coaster.   The roads are so bad that in some places they have given up under the pounding, announced that they were not going to hold up any longer, split in half with hunks sliding off into the wilderness.   These roads and old damaged backs are not simpatico so ice packs have become my devoted companion.

Our progress has been slow.  Eyes sweep right to look for bear and pink, sweep left to look for bear and pink, pink ahead, slow to a snail’s pace.  Resume to 50 km (30 mph), eyes sweep right, sweep left…Grizzly!   John got a picture of his butt as he ran into the woods but it still counts as a sighting, no matter how far away.  Still gazing on beautiful snow covered mountains and those Canadian tall skinny trees as we walkie-talkie our way towards Tok, AK.

Exited Canada and entered the USA, Alaska!  Beautiful scenery but not one wild anything all the way to Tok, where we will spend the night at Tok RV Village before heading to our final destination for the next five months, Riverview RV Park, North Pole, AK