We’re back in…Canada. This is getting confusing!

This morning we left Skagway with just a little rain to make everything look nice and fresh. Apparently a large part of the Yukon and Alaska haven’t had much rain this spring and everyone hopes for lots of it soon. Well, for us it’s not much of a priority and we hope for sunshine. We crossed the White Pass again and sure enough, the weather started to clear and from then on we had lots of sunshine with some nice cumulus clouds. The temperature today got all the way up to 20 deg C by the time we stopped for the day.

We travelled from Skagway to Carcross on the same Klondike Highway again. It’s interesting that when you travel in the other direction, the scenery looks quite different. We again thoroughly enjoyed everything again, the mountains, the rivers and the lakes. We stopped in Carcross again for coffee and then took highway 8 to the Alaska Highway. On this stretch of road, about 50m in front of us, a black bear cub crossed the road. This was our one and only wildlife spotting of the day. We’re not counting all the ravens; they are as common as blackbirds back home.

We‘re driving as far as Watson Lake, YT today. We’re staying in a funky small motel called the Air Force Lodge. It is a converted RCAF barracks used during WWII. The rooms are very clean but have no bathrooms. There are communal showers and bathrooms separated for the sexes. Everything is spotlessly clean and modern. I read all the reviews on the internet before and they are all very positive so that made up our minds. The place is run by a German guy who has been here for quite a while and is very particular about his motel. He makes everyone take off his or her shoes in the lobby so that everything stays clean. I told you, a little funky. This we also read about in the internet review of this place so we were prepared.

Watson Lake's claim to fame is the sign forest. Apparently in 1942 some lonely GI put up a sign from his hometown to remind him of home. Since then thousands of people have added to this and now it's a tourist attraction. At last count, there are over 60,000 signs now.

Well, that’s about all I have to say about that. This was definitely a driving day. Tomorrow we hope to go to Dease Lake, a relatively short hop of 234 km. It will be a day of less driving and more exploring we hope. So…stay tuned.