Fairbanks, Tok, North Pole, Alaska - Haines Yukon

Saturday – August 20, 2016 Haines Junction, Yukon

Since we left Fairbanks, Alaska we stopped overnight at a Chevron gas station in Tok, Alaska.  It was a great stop.  We filled up with fuel and as a bonus received free dump, water and an overnight parking spot.  We left there mid morning and drove 33 miles pass Beaver Creek  to our campground for the night.  Along the way the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had a roadblock.  We thought we were caught speeding in the town but fortunately it was just a check point.  The RCMP officer asked how our trip was.  Bill said he was very disappointed that he didn’t see any mounted police in their dress uniforms riding a hourse.  The officer said if you would have called first I would have changed, however, the uniform is 100% wool and very hot.  The RV park had a grass run for airplances directly across from where we were staying.  We used it several times and enjoyed it immensely. 

We are staying overnight in Haines Junction which is across the street from a visitors center.  We wandered over there and found four unique shirts for Bill. 

Mills Memorial Hospital, Terrace, BC

Day 11 – July 30, 1996 Terrace, BC

The hospital Mills Memorial Hospital is a 39 bed hospital. Lynne was diagnosed with a severe bladder infection and perhaps an appendix or kidney problem. The doctor advised us stay in town for at least 24 hours or hopefully three days. He said to stop the antibiotic she was taking and gave us prescription for another antibiotic. We filled the prescription and she took the first dose this morning. Finding a campground was very,very difficult since this is a three day weekend in British Columbia. After driving around for the afternoon and seeing Full or No Vacancy signs we saw a sign for drag races Sunday and Monday at the airport. We went to the airport thinking racers would be camping on Saturday night and sure enough they were. We are now camped at the Terrance BC airport (internet via our hot spot) with other motor homes and trailers, probably all racers. Lynne is sleeping now (6:12PM). Hopefully she will be felling better when she awakes. If the problem gets any worse we will go back to ER.

Days 12 – 14 -  July 31, 2016 thru August 3, 2016 Terrance, BC

Lynne’s medical problems continued. We went back ER on Monday, one day before we were suppose to since Lynne’s condition was worsening. They examined her and drew blood.  It was determined that the infection had spread to the kidneys and the doctor changed her antibiotic to an IV type super antibiotic and asked her to return every 24 hours for another dose. She had fever and chills and was sleeping many hours. Since the drag races and local holiday were over we were able to find a campground about 10 minutes from Mills Memorial Hospital. After the third day she started developing signs of pneumonia. This puzzled the third doctor since the IV antibiotic was also used to cure pneumonia. He then prescribed yet another two antibiotics, one for the kidney and one for the pneumonia. This makes a total of five antibiotics and seven needle sticks in the past five days.  The hospital is not large enough to handle all the patients. She had an ER room once, GYN once,  room with no bed once and was seen twice in the lobby. She never saw the same doctor twice.

Dawson City, Yukon

Day 21 – 23 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday August 9, 2016  Dawson City, Yukon

We left the Alaskan Highway and headed down the Klondike Highway to Dawson City, Yukon.  It’s a small dirt street city which was originally a gold rush town in

 the late 1800’s.  It’s now a tourist attraction.  The Klondike Highway stops in this town and you can take a free ferry across the Yukon River to pick up the Top of the World Highway which leads to Alaska. Our destination is to get on the Dempster Highway to Inuivik, Northwest Territory.  At present, that highway has been closed due to flooding.  We will wait here a few days to see if it reopens.  If not, we will take the ferry and continue on through Alaska.

Last night we went to Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino and Dance Hall and saw an excellent reenactment of years ago enterta

Fairbanks and Arctic Circle

August 14 – 18, 2016 Fairbanks, Alaska – Arctic Circle, Dalton Highway

We arrived in Fairbanks on Sunday and spent the night in the Walmart parking lot along with about 30 other RVs.  Some of the RVs are using this parking lot as their permanent residence. We left for the Arctic Circle about 12:00 P.M.  after Lynne’s nail appointment and spent the night at a BLM campground near the Yukon River. The Dalton highway is a gravel road that is coated with calcium chloride to control dust. It is very slippery when wet and, of course, we ran into a ferocious rain storm. At one point, while climbing a steep hill, the motor home started to go sideways. The next morning we continued the 299 mile round trip up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle. The road was created to build the Alaska pipeline and the pipeline can be seen from most points on the road.  The BLM se tup a tent at the Arctic Circle and gave all those who made the trip a Certificate of  Accomplishment. We walked on the tundra and observed that it was very soft like walking on a plush carpet. We also saw stunted trees caused by the absence of light during the winter.We were going to stay at the Arctic Circle BLM campground but were concerned about another rain storm and slippery road so we came back to Fairbanks. We spend the next two nights in the Walmart parking lot. While there we washed the motor home and restocked our supplies.

Tok, Alaska

August 13, 2016 Tok, Alaska

Enjoyed breakfast at a restaurant in the RV park and set off to Tok, Alaska. The roads were still poor filled with potholes although more shoulder than yesterday. Arrived in Tok and visited some gift shops and stayed at a full service RV park with 50amp. Another caravan also chose this park. This is the third caravan from different companies that we have seen. Almost all RVs are heading south but we are still going north.  Many of the campgrounds close around September 15^th so we should be in the lower 48 by then.

North Pole Alaska, Fairbanks Alaska

August 14, 2016 Fairbanks, Alaska

We stopped at Santa’s House in North Pole, Alaska. Lynne found lots of neat stuff even had her picture taken in Santa’s chair since he wasn’t there. Since the motor home dash heater doesn’t work it was very cold this morning and now it is very hot sitting in the Walmart parking lot. Plan on leaving here tomorrow after Lynne’s nail appointment and heading for the Artic Circle. If the road is anything like the Top of the World highway we will turn around and come back to Fairbanks.

Dawson City, Yukon, Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

August 12, 2016 Dawson City, Yukon, Top of the World Highway, Chicken, Alaska

It was a very late start today. We filled the diesel tank and drove up to Dome Hill then headed to the ferry.  The line was fairly long and we had to wait for two crossings before it was our turn. We then experienced the pot holed Top of the World Highway. Since this area experienced heavy rain for the past month the road was awful, in fact, it was so bad that we stopped for the day half way at Chicken, Alaska.  We passed the northern most US Boarder on the Top of the World Highway, population three plus four dogs and one cat. The road was very narrow at parts and very close to the edge in other places with soft shoulders. They call it Top of the World highway since it runs along mountain tops and is not in the valleys as most highways are.