Destruction Bay to Tok - June 13, 2014

Some of today's roads reminded us what it would feel like to ride a bucking bronco.  There were frost heaves and construction from Destruction Bay almost to the Alaskan border.  We were hoping to still have some unbroken dishes at the end of our journey.  Thankfully, everything was in tact and no damage.  We probably averaged 40 mph.  We did our last fuel fill up in Canada on the northbound trip at $1.74 per liter.  Multiply that by 3.8 something.  When we crossed the border a sign stated $4.80 for diesel.  We thought that was cheap - who would have thought.

There were 2 moose spotted today along the way.  One ran into the forest too soon to get a picture.  The other one was eating in a small lake that was pretty far away from where we were but I did get a pretty good picture using the zoom on my camera.  Several Trumpeter Swans were seen but again too far away for pictures.

We crossed the border, gaining an hour.  We are now 3 hours behind Central time.  The picture of the campers was taken at 12:30 a.m.  Winter in this area arrives in early October and departs by late April.  On the shortest day of the year, the sun skims the horizon from about 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.  Freezing temperatures of -40 F, down to a record of -72 F drive away memories of summer.  This area takes the prize as coldest in the state.  Temperatures stay below freezing about 165 days of the year.

At the international boundary there is a 20 ft. swath of trees cut by surveyors from 1904-1920.  It is still cleared periodically by the international Boundary Commission.  The boundary line between Alaska and Yukon was originally described in an 1825 treaty between Russia and England.  The U.S. accepted this version of the boundary with its purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.  But after gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896, a dispute arose between the U.S. and Canada, with both claiming the seaports at the head of the Lynn Canal.  An international tribunal decided in favor of the U.S. in 1903.  Thus the unusual shape of Alaska.

 Taken at 12:30 a.m.

 Wind whipping up whitecaps on Kluane Lake this morning

 Waiting for pilot cat to escort us through miles of construction

 Me in Canada, Gary in Alaska

 Yippee we made it

 The whole gang.  Below, the international border.