""North to Alaska"...Day 40...Saturday, July 13, 2013

Man...another absolutely "frigid" morning. I'm out of the camper and right into the Explorer with the heat turned up high. There's no coffee in the thermos and, in this cold, I'm not going outside to make any. So...I drain a 5 Hour Energy and a Starbucks Espresso Double Shot and head out of the campground. Oh...yea...one last visit to the "Pit Toilet". Trust me...you have not experienced life until you've made an early-morning visit to a Pit Toilet in 30 degree weather.
The Dempster is only 44 miles to the main road from the Park, but it takes me a good 1 1/2 hours to make it on the rough gravel road. When I hit the main highway, I find that the gas station there is closed. Now I have a decision to make. My #1 rule of driving up here is never let your tank get below half. If you are at or close to half and there's gas, you fill up. The reason is that gas stations that show up on your Garmin are frequently closed...and "open" stations frequently run out of fuel. And you DO NOT want to run out of gas up here. So...now...do I drive 26 miles back to Dawson to fill up or do I proceed with half a tank 110 miles down the road to Pelly Crossing where my Garmin tells me there's a gas station?
I've got a 420 mile trip today, and I don't want to make a 50 mile "detour", so I proceed on. I'm sweating every mile to Pelly Crossing...but I'm in luck...the station is there, and they have gas. Best of all, it's only 106.00 (cdn) to fill my tank!
After that, it's just hard driving...no sightseeing, no photo stops...just punch out those miles.
Around Carmacks, things get "foggy". There's a major forest fire near there, and it's creating a lot of smoke...I can smell it.
Late in the afternoon, I'm rolling through Whitehorse again...no stops...proceed on 80 miles or so to Haines Junction.
Around 4:00PM or so, I reach the campground in Haines Junction...not much, lots of dirt, but only $25.00/night. Once I set up, I immediately walk a half mile or so up the road to the lounge at the Kluane Park Inn. My friends, Roger and Gretchen, spent a few fun nights there two years ago...and they want me to go back and say hi to their buddies.
And their buddies are still there...at the unique "two-sided" bar. There's Debbie (the bartender), Richard (the artist), the guy with the corncob pipe...and a host of other locals. It's a fun time as most of them remember Roger and Gretchen.
While the bar is fun, the food is not so hot. They have a chef from China, so I order Kung Pao Chicken...big mistake. Anyway, the beer is good.
I linger there until late in the evening...swapping beer with the locals. Then back to the campsite for one last beer. It's been a long day and a long drive.
I'm out like a light.