We sure had a fantastic stay here in Dawson City, Yukon Territory ! I got up early, packed up my tent, and rode the ferry across the Yukon River to Susan's house, where we said our goodbyes to her and her Mom Maxine. They are really two terrific gals !
We went back across the Yukon River Ferry, where we picked up the Top of the World Highway. What a road ! And the weather was fantastic, although a bit cool. Here we met some Alaskans who told us all about the big earthquake in Valdez in 1964.
The Top of the World Highway is one of my all-time favorite roads - it is a true ridge road, dropping off on both sides most of the way. It is mostly gravel, and can be a real mess in the rain.
Here we are by a stream on the US side of the road, now called the Taylor Highway. We got thru customs easily, with the guard joking around with us a little.
We pulled into the Chicken Gold Campground around 2:00, where we got gas and met two hitch-hikers from Austria and England, and a bicycle tourist from Holland. We left here and went to the Chicken Creek Saloon and free campground, just over the ridge.
This is the Chicken AK that I remember. There are 3 buildings in a row, a café, a saloon, and a gift shop. The electricity is from a generator, the water from a truck, and the outhouses are very clean.
We met the owner Susan, her son Max, and the cook/fixer upper guy John, who showed us where to set up our tents. Here's some photos from inside the bar - there are thousands of hats, patches, and burnt panties all over the walls and ceiling. When there's a special occasion, they bring out a miniature cannon, take sissors and slip them down the inside of a gals jeans, snip one side of their panties, yank them out on the other side, and then shoot them out of the cannon !
It was a beautiful sunset. A friendly fellow named Larry showed up with a big pot of beans and cornbread pancakes that he made up for all the local gold miners, and invited us to join in. It was a great party, celebrating the end of the season and the departure of Susan's son Max, who's going off to school in Paris.
Greg and I spent the last part of the day with the hitch-hikers. This is Marie, from England, who is hitch hiking from Alaska to the South Pole with Gábor Tolnai.
