#9 – Watson’s Signs, Muncho’s Bison, and Liard’s Hot Springs

All of the signs in Watson Lake

When we left Atlin, we knew it was near the end of our Yukon Adventure. It had been over 3 weeks of exploration, driving, hiking, biking and camping. We had excellent weather and met wonderful people in our travels. Our next big stop was at the very famous Watson Lake and we had to check out their sign forest! Over 88,000 signs and growing every day. We took a bit of time to check out a few signs and get lost in the forest.

Whatch you lookin at?

The drive along the ALCAN highway from Watson to Liard was the most bountiful wildlife we have both ever seen. We wanted to see Bison, and we got to see three herds on the side of the highway. We also saw Moose, Bears, Cariboo, Elk, Mountain Sheep, Porcupine and Fox. We kept our eyes peeled and cameras ready. It was a great drive and one we will remember a long time

Liard Hot Springs early morning

We arrived at Liard and grabbed a campsite and our swim trunks and headed straight for the pools. We’ve heard from many of our friends how amazing this place is, and we agree! There is a “hot” end that you can see in the photo above that shows where the hot water enters the pools. It was super hot, and you had to circulate the cool water on the bottom to keep yourself at a comfortable temperature.

A nice way to enjoy apres hot springs

We slowed down and spent three days here. We slept in, did’nt drive at all, and snacked a lot. We needed a little downtime as we had been quite busy, active and covered a lot of miles through the Yukon. This was our restful reward. We also needed to recharge for our next big push across the Prairies.

Premo Muncho Lake campsite

We stayed one night on the side of Muncho Lake and got a good sense of the Northern Rockies. It was a crystal clear blue lake and apparently had great fishing. We explored a nearby resort and had a great campfire.

Black Bear fattening up

After Muncho Lake, we headed east and aimed straight for Fort St John. We needed an oil change! After 6000kms, it was time and we also needed to resupply and recharge. This is the end of the Yukon chapter of our trip. We are now heading east through the Prairies and are hoping to get to Ontario region for mid sept.

Here is this segment’s video and below is the link to some epic photos!

Here are the photos from this video https://photos.app.goo.gl/1rxkghfFQEuYkwUW9

#8 – King’s Throne, Sand Dunes and Atlin, BC

King’s Throne. The hike goes up the left side of the stone face, and goes to the ‘seat’ of the throne.

After we left the Bear Corridor on Congdon Creek, we headed a little bit south, to Kathleen Lake, a National park in a beautiful spot. The lake overlooks King’s Throne, a truly majestic looking mountain and hike we scrambled up a few days later.

We enjoyed some great weather and good hiking at Kathleen Lake and would recommend a visit if you are near Haine’s Junction. They had lots of Park Rangers, interpretive content and presentations and even a kid’s scavenger hunt that we did ourselves!

We moved on and toured through Carcross, and its nearby micro-climate desert, the Carcross Desert. It was windy and not too big. Super strange to have that much sand swirling around us in the Yukon cold.

I had just taken a bite of my sandwich!

We stayed a night at Conrad Campground, the Yukon’s newest Campground. It was on the way to Skagway Alaska, but we still could not cross the border to the US, so we turned back and headed for Atlin BC!

Our campsite at Palmer Lake, near Atlin BC

Our first night near Atlin, BC, was at a forestry site, near Palmer Lake. It was gorgous and we had the place to ourselves. Atlin BC, is on a dead end road and is only accessible via land through the Yukon. A lot of Whitehorse residents come down often for vacations and little trips as it is only 2.5 hours away. We could definitely see why!

Atlin Mountain, on Atlin Lake, near Atlin, BC

Apparently, Atlin BC, is like the Switzerland of North America. The mountains, lakes, rivers and glaciers that surround this tiny little town are impressive. There is lots of mining nearby as well. We had a very tasty lunch at a little diner here that was delicous.

Lots of eccentric creativity in Atlin

While in Atlin, we checked out their local museum and rode our bikes around town, up and down the blocks. We also did an epic hike up a nearby mountain and got a great view of the whole lake, town and region.

The town of Atlin
previously out of breath from a huge climb up

Here is our video from this chapter of our trip. We can definitely feel the weather shifting and the seasons beginning to change. Its time to start making our way south and out of the Yukon.

Here is a link to the Photos from this video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pZVRAKKmyaBj8khL6

#7 – Kluane Park: Bears, Hikes and Lakes!

We were excited to head west after we stocked up in Whitehorse. With our loaded, charged and full Camper, we merged onto the Alaskan Highway and headed west. Kluane National Park is well known for some amazing views, lots of huge mountains, including Mt Logan, the tallest mountain in Canada. Lots of glaciers, bears and sheep to see as well.

Pine Lake

We first stayed at Pine Lake, about two hours west of Whitehorse, and had a great time riding our bikes into Haines Junction. We enjoyed the views and slowed down for a couple of days. We found an amazing rasberry patch and enjoyed the fruits of summer.

Fireweed Season

Congdon Creek was a pretty exciting place to stay, as it was right on the “bear corridor”, or the Bear Buffet as we called it. The feeling was that they built this campground on the wrong spot, as the giant grizzly bears have been using it as a highway for a lot longer. The tenters had to stay in an electrically protected enclosure, but our camper kept us safe and warm once again. We used Congdon Creek as a jumping off point for a great hike called the Sheep’s Creek Trail that overlooked an amazing river delta

lots of erosionary processes going on

This was a very interesting region to explore. We drove up the Alaska Highway as far as Burwash Landing, which was still about another 150km to get to the actual border. It was still closed to Canadians when we got there, so we will have to come back again for an Alaskan adventure.

Here is our video for this chapter. with some photos linked below!

Photos from this chapter of our trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cBm6KaU9RotERVABA

Next video is all about Kathleen Lake, Cacross Dunes and Atlin BC!

# 6 – Back to Whitehorse!

After a lot of hiking around Tombstone Park and with some sore feet, we decided to head back south. Tombstone was the northern zenith of our trip, the literal high point and the most north we have both ever been. We had such a great time, and with such amazing weather, it was hard to turn the truck around and head down south.

We camped for a night at Tatchun Lake and caught the tail end of a pleasant thunder and lightening storm. We were safe, dry and warm in our Camper and had nothing to worry about. We got to swim before hand and the lake was super pleasant!

The world’s biggest Cinnamon Bun from Braeburn Lodge, Yukon.

We treated ourselves with a very tasty treat, a Cinnamon Bun from the Braeburn Lodge, halfway between Dawson City and Whitehorse, near the five finger rapids of the Yukon River. We heard these were big, but really, they were gigantic. We shared one, over three solid sessions, and were stuffed! Glad we got only the one.

We were returning to Whitehorse to restock, restore, and refresh ourselves and our camper. We needed supplies and a shower mostly. We also wanted to see some of the more touristy stuff of Whitehorse, mainly the Beringa Museum and the Transportation Museum, conviently located next to each other at the side of the Alaskan Highway. We enjoyed both!

One of the most important planes to the north after WWII
Yolo’ing the rapids at Miles Canyon

We also checked out Miles Canyon, a very scenic spot just outside of Whitehorse, with hiking along a narrow canyon, full of white water that was a serious hazard for the early prospectors of the gold rush.

We had a great second visit to Whitehorse and we are feeling that we are getting to know the city a little better. We stayed at the same RV park and were able to get some laundry done, some more showers and charged up our batteries. Here is our video from this segment:

As well, we have more photos from this segment of our trip at the link below!

Next chapter we will be heading to the Kluane National Park, near Haines Junction and visit Pine Lake, and Congdon Creek. Apparently there is lots of Grizzlies!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kv8Rpw6XauvSH9Bg7

#5 – Tombstone Park and Dempster Highway

After a great time in Dawson City. we headed north for Tombstone Park, 70kms up the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is well known for blowing tires, huge pot holes and long distances between fuel stops. It traverses the arctic for over 700kms through the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean.

We wanted to explore it a bit, but not go all the way. Plus, the Northwest Territories were closed to non residents. We decided to just go to Tombstone Park, a beautiful valley 70kms north of Dawson City.

Our Camper all setup for the sun!

We stayed for four nights as the weather was phenomenal and our site was fantastic. We were right beside the early North Klondike River, when it was still more of a creek. Every day was sunny and hot, above 30 degrees Celsius. We loved every moment there.

A panorama of the valley we stayed in.

We did lots of hiking from this camp spot. Just above us was the Goldensides Trail, and it provided amazing views.

Staying cool beside the North Klondike River.

We saw lots of wildlife during our stay in Tombstone. We saw a cow Moose just 400meters from our campsite, as well as a flourishing beaver den with a beaver swimming around collecting dinner. We saw marmots, foxes and thankfully, no grizzly bears!

Looking north from the Goldensides Trail
We harvested a bunch of wild blueberries and made some Jam. Delicious!

We were at the right place at the right time and the wild blueberries were in full harvest. Everywhere we hiked, we snacked as we went. One night we collected a bunch and made some Jam. It was my breakfast of choice for the next few weeks!

Looking west towards Tombstone Mountain (in the middle) from the Grizzly Lake trail lookout.

South of Tombstone Park, we hiked the Grizzly Lake trail, or at least half of it. We hiked up into the alpine to the “lookout” and were rewarded with this amazing view, looking over Grizzly Lake to Tombstone mountain.

After these hikes, we were a little sore and ready to head south, back towards Whitehorse to resupply, shower and map out our exploration, into the Kluane region and Haines Junction.

Here are some photos from this part of our trip! https://photos.app.goo.gl/aL6rcCuiaD4gZsU19

Here is the video we’ve put together of our experiences from this amazing place:

#4 – Dawson City!

Riding our bikes into Dawson City

We made it! Dawson City was a big part of our Yukon trip and what we were heading for right away. We had a long weekend planned for lots of fun, exploration and some gold panning! We stayed at a RV park on Bonanza Creek, just out of town, and we took full advantage of the programs and tours that were available around town.

Lots of good advice around Dawson

We settled into our site and were enjoying the very sunny hot weather. The drive up was a little bumpy with a couple of construction segments and small detours. Our first full day was spent exploring Dredge #4, one of the largest dredges from its era and very well preserved to this day. We got a guided tour as a part of a small group.

Dredge #4

We also got a tour of the SS Keno, a much smaller paddlewheeler that will go from Dawson up to Mayo to collect ore and other resources. It was a interesting tour through the boat and our guide, a local paddler was very informative and entertaining!

SS Keno

The other big historical site outside of Dawson is the Bear Creek worksite. This was a huge village of workers who would build, maintain and support all these dredges and equipment. They also cleaned up the gold and kept everything locked up. It felt like a time capsule into a long past era of hard work, lots of noise and dirt to produce thousands of ounces of beautiful gold.

Some gold we panned on Claim #6

The other important things to do in Dawson are more entertainment based! We explored the town, did some shopping, biked all the streets. We happened to be in town for the very famous Dawson International Outhouse 5km Race and Dirty Limerick Contest! We saw the launch and were impressed with the creativity of the teams, the “Harry Ploppers” vs “Skid Row”. It was hilarious and a fun activity.

The other big activity for a lot of people who visit Dawson is to have a drink with the Sour Toe at the Downtown Hotel. I made sure we did this, as Caroline was not interested. A shot of Whisky with the Toe and the famous call: “You can drink it fast, or you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the Toe!” I enjoyed it and am fully certified if you need to see my certificate!

Earned my certificate!

Our four nights in Dawson went by so quickly. We tried to make it into Diamond Tooth Gerties, but with Covid restrictions, they were at capacity, so we did not get to catch their popular show. All the more reason to come back again. We got to see Moose swimming across the Yukon river, we explored the old cemetary on top of the hill, and we got a good feel for the town and met some locals. Overall, we loved it and would come back in a heartbeat.

Next we are off on the Dempster highway to Tombstone park for some hiking!

Click here for some photos from Dawson City and of our trip!

Here is our video from this segment, enjoy!

#3 Into the Yukon!

Rancheria Falls, Yukon Territory

We finally made it to the Yukon Border! We’ve been pushing to get through most of BC quickly as we’ve seen a lot of it, and the wildfires were not good. We decided on the Cassiar highway, definitely the road less traveled to get to the north, but we appreciated the views and experience.

We crossed over the territory boundary and went through a checkpoint to register us and fill out some forms. It was quick and easy. We were happy to be fully vaccinated and elgible to enter!

Our first day driving in the Yukon on the Alaskan Highway was great. Good weather, empty roads and lots to see. We saw a moose and 4 Chinook Helicopters fly over us.

We stayed at Teslin Lake Campground that night and also were able to reposition our camper on the back of the truck as it had shifted to one side a little bit. We’ve gotten pretty good at it now!

Testing out her bug helmet. This was the only time its been used.

Our next day was a drive into Whitehorse and some touring of the SS Klondike, a massive paddlewheeler parked right as you enter Whitehorse from the south. We had a great day exploring Whitehorse and we were staying at an RV site, so we could shower, get some laundry done and recharge the camper batteries!

SS Klondike

Here is a video of this part of our trip. You can follow along on YouTube and subscribe for notifications when we publish new videos.

As well, here is a photo album of our adventures during this segment. Click here for Photos

Here we Go!

We made it! After a unique year, when we all wondered what was going to happen, what we might be able to do, and where we might be able to go, we think we have a solid plan for our sabbatical year ahead.

Our original plan was to travel around the world last year and obviously it was no longer possible. We have spent the year teaching, and watching, to see when the vaccines would become available, and what options we might have. We’ve had to pivot, and pivot again, multiple times and we still need to be flexible and accomodating in where we go and when.

With all that said, we are super happy to be heading out soon and starting our year of adventure. We both are at mid-points in our teaching career and are looking forward to the break and opportunity to see lots of new places and people, and to visit with lots of family and friends. We’ve been planning and saving for this trip for over 5 years now and it felt like this last year was one long over-time period!

Where are we going first?

As we are fully vaccinated now, we are able to go north to the Yukon! Its been our dream to see the north and explore this vast, beautiful territory. Our first plan was to take the ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, but unfortunately, one of the ferries blew a main engine and is out for the summer, our reservation was cancelled and we needed to pivot once again.

So, now the plan is to head up through the mainland, after visiting family in Chemainus, Vancouver, and Gibsons first. We are aiming to be in Dawson City for the end of July and to spend about 2 weeks exploring the territory. After that, we want to point our truck south and start to slowly make our way across the country!

Our truck is a 2015 F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab Long Box with some interesting modifications (That HUGE front bumper!), airbags, torklift tie-downs, bed raiser, and lots of safety equipment. Our camper is an older Northern Lite Camper 9-6 “lite” series from the mid 90s. Its got all the features we wanted in a camper, with lots of space, storage, cooking setup, fridge, furnace, solar panel, batteries and comfort. It even has a very small ‘wet’ bath! It is a light weight fiberglass camper that has an excellent reputation and is in good shape. We were lucky to be able to find it as they are popular and rare.

We hope to be able to share short videos of our experiences, adventures and escapades over the next few months. You can subscribe to our blog here to get email updates when we publish new posts, and you can subscribe to my youtube channel here

Follow along with us and stay in touch. Our plan is to maybe come back through the US once the border opens up, and to travel internationally in 2022. Stay tuned for updates as we solidify our plans and pivot around obstacles. If we are coming near you sometime this year, we would love to stop in and visit, maybe even park outside for a night and mooch some electricity and boondock in our camper out front of your place.



We hope this post finds you well, and that you are also looking forward to this next post-pandemic period that is slowly opening up across Canada.

See you soon!