July 18 Tuesday

MacLaren River to Dawson City, Yukon

Finished the Denali Highway amid fantastic scenery (one of the best). Construction outside of Tok on the Tok Cutoff was scary (dust covered mud). Top of the World Highway was next (it just might be the best …). There are a lot of bests here!

Memories include stopping at Chicken, the border crossing, dust, following Olivia’s yellow helmet. Did I mention the dust? After Chicken we realized that the border closes at 8. We had 47 miles to go and one hour. Jeff and Olivia took off on the dirt—dust clouds billowing behind. Joe and I were in the dust! Did I mention the dust? Long story—short, we made it with a minute to spare. It was like the Baja 1000. Passing the Jeep, deep gravel in the turns, and the magnificent scenery were the highlights.

After the border we hit some paved sections—thanks Canada! Saw my first grizzly bear. The View into Dawson across the Yukon River was fantastic. Took the ferry into Dawson and found lodging at the Downtown Hotel. Pizza/beer at Mama Cita’s and ice cream cones (double scoop/waffle cone) concluded a perfect day.