Robert Campwell HWY
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Robert Campbell HWY & North Canol Road
Finally, I stayed five days in Whitehorse. First to support a little bit Sarah installing an additional luggage rack on the front wheel of her bike Hercules which will carry the additional stuff that may be imposed by the Canadian winter, partly to prepare the latest update your recently read and to fill up a the empty cabinets of VivaLaVida.
It’s the day after one of the first snowfall that VivaLaVida took the road again to go discovering mountains of Est Yukon. But I decided to go there making a small detour in Carmacks to visit Sharon and Garry, the guys I mett four months earlier. So I arrived in the “Barracks”, the coffe shop and post office of Carmacks and seeing the smile on the face of Sharon when she saw me, I guess it was a good surprise for all of us. It was a real plaesure to see them again and to chat for three hours. When I was goinf to leave, Sharon gave me a large cup of zucchini & galric soup, two pièces of zucchini bread, two oat cookies (the best I ever eat !!) and even a banana muffin. I enjoyed that all the next days. So many thanks Sharon ! 😉
1. End of the day over Little Salmon Lake, along the Campbell Highway.
2. Colorfull sunset despite the clouds…
3. The next morining was quite cold !
4. … but the sky gradually opened…
5. … The sun still playing with clouds.
6. Winter is coming, rivers start to freeze.
Only two roads lead into the East mountains, both built to operate tungsten mines. These Mountains contain in fact nearly 15% of known world reserves of this rare and expensive metal. The first one, the North Canol Road, was built in the 40s and joins the border of the Northwest Territories. Originally, she was leading till Norman Wells. More than 30,000 people worked in construction but maintenance was abandoned just two years after its completion … From the border of the two provinces remains actually the Canol Heritage Trail which is no longer drivable, even with a 4×4 vehicle. Some brave hike through it every year in complete autonomy: 222 miles or 346 km anyway..!
Since Ross River where the North Canol Road starts to the border, there are 185 miles of a muddy and virtually unmaintained trail, which crosses the Mackenzie Mountains, a major mountain range. The mine has been shut down for more than fifteen years. Suffice to say that in early winter, I did not risk to meet many people and had to rely on myself in case of trouble.
First step in Ross River: crossing the river on an old cable ferry. It only works two hours a day from May to early October, so my lunch break has been longer than usual. And there, it immediately puts into it;-) First, despite the sign that says very officially that the crossing is at your own risk, you have to sign a release to get on the ferry; basically, it’s “you cross at your own risk, if you’re sinking, we are not responsible” ..! Once on the ferry that snorts as slowly as a snail and moves in the stream, there is a army lifeboat that accompanies the crossing, 50 feet away downstream, to assist us in case shipwreck !! In short, they seem to have great confidence in this old tub! 😀 And it’s forbidden to take pictures, I do not really know why…
that said, the ferry took VivaLaVida from one edge to the other without trouble, the same on the return way three days later.
7. It snowed about two feet two days before and only two tracks of hunters who came down from the mountains marked the trail.
8. After about 25 miles, no more snow!
9. VivaLaVida is getting close to the mountains as the night falls quickly now.
10. Frozen pond…
11. The road has several bridges over the River Mackenzie and I asked myself if some would carry the weight of VLV…
12. The vehicles used in construction have been left behind.
13. While I arrive in the mountains, I find some snow on the trail and time seems to go bad.
14. Color contrasts are gorgious.
15. Frozen marches…
16. Mackenzie River.
17. The last colors of almost non-existent fall are still in the valley bottom as winter took up residence on the mountains.
18. I discovered a small emerald inflowing of the Mackenzie River…
19. The ice has not fully covered it yet.
20. Arrival at the provincial border at Macmillen Pass at about 4,000 feet above sea level, after 186 miles and more than 15 hours away (in two days)!
To be followed in a few days because the low speed of the only WiFi I found in Stewart tooks me two hours to upload 20 images.. 😉
South West Yukon
As anounced, VivaLaVida arrived in Yukon, the most North-West province of Canada. This territory extends till the Arctic Ocean. The South is hilly and covered with a uniform boreal forest, the North is only tundra till out of sight.
1. The famous “Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake. It currently has more than 78,000 signs led by travelers. One wonders how official entrance panels of German villages got there… 🙂
Vivalavida then left the Alaska Highway to sink deeper into the Yukon Territory along the Robert Campbell Highway, a dirt road more than 400 miles connecting Watson Lake to Carmacks.
2. Frances Lake, more than thirty miles long. The mountains in the background is the border with the Northwest Territories.
3. Robert Campbell Highway. Yes, it’s considered as an Highway! But I saw only one car along the 400 miles…
4. Succession of nice small lakes…
5. Another one…
At Ross River, I turned south to travel the South Canol Road, a road built by the U.S. Army during World War II to supply a military base in the Northwest Territories, one of the closest points of Japan by air…
6. Lapie River Canyon.
7. Lapie Lake, wonderfull.
8. a pond along the road…
9. While I stopped along the road to have some lunch, I had the chance to see this spruce grouse, a mother who was quite aggressive to get me away from her progeny.
10. View on Quiet Lake.
11. Anecdote: when I found a nice camp spot for the night, this porcupine came Under Vivalavida and tryed to taste some pipes ..! I had to make it run away from the rear axle with a long stick, the rascal!
Arrival at Carmacks, on the Klondike Highway, Shanon and Garry, who propose good coffe and icecream at the Carmacks post office, indicated me some nice places to visit only know by local.
I take this opportunity to invite all travelers passing through Carmacks to stop at The Barracks. You will be warmly welcomed to drink a good coffee – even a “espresso” if you ask Shanon or Garry for a “Short Coffee” – and can enjoy one of the twenty ice cream flavors offered. Ideal for a quick stopover on the road or to send a post card to your family or friends. 😉
As there is very few backcountry roads in Yukon, I decided to go to the adviced places, starting with the ancient village of Yukon Crossing along the famous Yukon River. The trail leading to it is long disused but confident in the capabilities of Vivalavida, I decided to try to go through. After a few miles, I arrived in front of a big mud hole of a twenty yards long, a real muddy pond. After walking it for recognition, I decided to go for it. I lock the front hubs, switches 4×4 low speed, selects the third gear and locked rear differential and go! But after about 5 yards at most, VLV stops… A little surprised, I locked the front differential, put in reverse but VLV didn’t move a single inch. Strange… Would mud be more slippery here than elsewhere? I go down, find some branches that I put under the wheels, nothing happens, I am indeed stucked! The only way to get out was winching to pull VLV out. I’ll even have to use a pulley system to increase the strength of the winch as the mud really retained my home on wheels … But after three quarters of an hour, VLV has recovered strong ground. I arranged winch and straps, engage reverse and once VLV moves, I heard big Glong Glong Glong ..! Oops, something wass wrong there … Looking under VLV, what a surprise: the front driveshaft was laying on the gearbox cross-member! Exactly the same problems that VLV encountered at Steele Pass with the rear axle: bolts were gone. I then understand why Vivalavida was miserably stuck in that mud; it was only two-wheel drive at the time…
It will take me down back to Whitehorse the next day, 110 miles south, the only place where I could likely find some metric bolts to make the same modification I made to the rear and then solve the problem once for all …
12. Winching VivaLaVida stucked till the axles…
13. Here he is out!!
14. I still continued the exploration of the area in two-wheel drive, discovering this “Magic Bus” lost in the middle of nowhere. Probably a hunting camp…
15. Log cabin dating from the gold rush at the beginning of the last century.
16. Some more recent remains…
17. I even found an prospecting site where drill cores remain.
18. Aligned in cases.
19. Although abandoned, it’s evidence that the site is more recent, some prospectors still continuing research in the area.
20. I found a nice bonndocking spot not far away … The salmon is cooking in my summer kitchen..! 😉
21. Over the tree limit at about 4,000 feet elevation, I enjoyed nice sky at sunset…
22. At midnight, it’s still daylight..!
More to come soon… 😀
D5 Creation