My Journey to ALASKA

[(RIP) rustygates]

Stopped for a coffee at this roadhouse,i thought this was novel.the telephone wire must have been to short.or could it have been a trunk call.lol

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

We stopped along by the Yukon river and went to look at "5 finger rapids" it was a difficult part for the stampeeders to negotiate, and the sternwheelers (paddle boats) had to be winched through here because their engines were not powerful enough to go againtst the flow

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

We were told when we flew into Alaska "that all the wild animals in Alaska are wild" and we saw plenty Moose, wolves, and two grizzly bears (brown bear) not to close thankfully,but by the time i had got my camera the just melted away into the trees.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

We stopped here because they were spraying water on the gravel road so it would freeze and make a decent surface,did not make any sense to me !

the guy who runs this roadhouse visits Glastonbury Festival every 2 years a real nice guy and had the biggest cinnamon buns i'd ever seen

 

[Dartmoor_Lad]

Your story would make a very interesting little book, especially with the connection through family history and all your pictures.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Maybe your right i have done an abridged version over a few weeks i will post that at the end
books now seem have to have sex and violence in them to sell, but the nearest i got to any beaver was this one.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Just found the link to a slide show of Wiseman with Bobby jones my great uncle.

http://jukebox.uaf.edu/site7/bill-englishs-slideshow

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Whitehorse was an freighting post in the early days,the name derived from the rapids on the close by Yukon river reminded the stampeeders of the maine's of white horses, this is where the sternwheelers picked up their goods and transported them to Dawson city and brought the gold out.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

a scow transporting goods on the Yukon

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

freighting in the early days from Whitehorse

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

and again

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Our next part of the journey took us past Emerald lake,the most beautiful colours of blue and green it was an amazing site with the sun shining on it the pic does not do it justice.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

And travelling downwards to Carcross or as it was known in the early day "Caribou crossing" this were herds of caribou crossed the Yukon on their migratory trail looking for fresh pasture.
and it's also the smallest desert,

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

and again something i did not expect.

 

[solarman216]

This is so interesting, am so glad you decided to share this, Rick

 

[bry]

Truly Amazing.

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Thankyou for your kind comments,i have spent more than two years researching this epic story,before and after going to Alaska.I have bought back many of Bob's belongings which i shall put pics of on here, the people of Wiseman had kept everything and were waiting for someone from his family to turn up, amazing or what?

Anyhow back to the story,
It was wonderful scenery driving down to Scagway as this is the place that the pioneers landed to start the epic journey over the mountains to Lake Bennet and then to Dawson over 500mls away, and at the end of Lake Bennet was Carcross and the start of the mighty Yukon river which makes it way over 2000mls to it's end at the Bearing Sea.

We arrived quite late so we parked off Main st for the night unknowingly about 20mts from the White Pass railway,we were woken up to hell of a racket as the engines passed by shaking the RV, we soon moved to a trailer park

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

passed the airstrip

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

hiding behind the hedge,which we thought would be quit until..............

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

these engine's came past