The most amazing detour EVER!!!

Day #9 - Muncho Lake, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon (with the most incredible detour in between!!!)
(700 km)

When we woke up this morning in the middle of the mountains, it was as though we had been swallowed by clouds.  Charlotte loved it! "If I open my mouth will the clouds taste like cotton candy, Mommy?" she asked. It was chilly and rainy and the clouds were hanging pretty low. I don't know if it was fog, because we were so high up in elevation that fog almost doesn't seem to make any sense.   Anyway, like yesterday, we drove in and out of rain all day, but it was worth it.

We began the morning with muffins and fruit in the van, and while we were munching away we came across this site:

 and this one.....

 and finally this one!

We counted over 50 bison in this herd, and there they were hanging out on both sides of the Alaska Highway, relaxing.  Some were even laying on the side of the road.  We stopped and took several photos, only a few of which are seen here, and there were a few other vehicles coming from the opposite direction who stopped too.  They acted as though we weren't even there!  It was definitely a great start to the morning!

Black Bear, Black Bear what do you see?
"I see 5 crazy Wilsons, that's what I see!"

As we descended and ascended the mountains yet again, today we noticed that there were some birch trees intermixed with the spruce and it made for a more textured appearance in the forestland surrounding the base of the mountains.  We were also quite surprised to see this adorable black bear eating along the side of the highway too. Patrick has been dying to see a bear, so he was very happy and thrilled when we told him, "Patrick, get your iPad. Here's your bear!".  Again, more happy snapping from the backseat and a huge smile on our Patrick's face.  Greg and I both agreed that if this isn't experiential learning, something in which we truly believe, then what is? Our kids have been exposed to more experiences in the last week and a bit than a lot of kids get to see and live in a lifetime.  I hope that one day they will look back on this time and appreciate it.

So, as we drove along, I got very sleepy.  There was no way to control the heat in our room last night and we all roasted.  We had a sliding door leading to the parking lot, but with all the active wildlife, I didn't want to risk leaving it open.  When I went to sleep, I had a nightmare about a bear getting into our room and attacking us, and when I woke up all hot and scared, I didn't dare open that patio door!  Suffice to say, it was a miserable night and none of us slept well. I slept on and off for a good part of the day, which upset me because I was missing 'stuff'.  Sometimes, your body just has to power down, and that's what happened to me today.  I did, however, see the Yukon marker.

On our way to Skegway, Alaska...a few kms from the border

OMG!!!!

The highlight of our day happened when we were about an hour outside of Whitehorse. When Greg approaches me with a map and a serious expression on his face, I know that we are in for an adventure, and this was truly the adventure of a lifetime! We decided to detour from the road into Whitehorse, and go into...wait for it.....Skagway, Alaska!! It was only two hours to Skagway from our turn off on the Alaska Highway, and who knows if we'll ever have the chance again when the weather is good? It took one second before we knew we had to go for it!   The mountains went from being rather tame and romantic to rugged and extreme almost straight away, and we just kept saying to each other, "Is this for real?  Are we really seeing this?  Is this actually happening?".  The tears I shed from the overwhelming beauty of the landscapes and the tingles up my spine from the lofty vistas we found ourselves kept me more than awake for this part of the day! (I will put together an album for those who are my friends on FB, and if you aren't my friend and would like to see them, send me a friend request.  If you are reading this and we aren't FB friends, we should be! Look for me..Jennifer Graham Wilson).

Yummy pizza in Skagway, Alaska

Downtown Skagway, Alaska....with a stunning view!

 We had dinner at the Red Onion Inn and Brothel House, which apparently has been in operation since the days of the Gold Rush, when all the men were arriving by boat at Skagway and then hiking via the Chilkoot Trail up to the Yukon in 1849.  The Red Onion restaurant is still in operation, as is the bar, but the brothel part upstairs in the original building is now a museum which you can tour if you you are of age. The servers were all young girls dressed in brilliant green sleeveless satin petticoats with black corsets tied over them, and garters up their legs. The tours sounded enticing and funny but this is a family blog, so.... moving along.  We toured the town of Skagway, which is set up like an old mining town in the Old West days, went down to the port where the Norwegian Pearl was anchored and took a look at the Pacific Ocean, knowing that in a few days the Arctic Ocean will be at our front door. Two oceans in a matter of days?  How cool is that?

We also met two of the nicest Border Guards you would ever want to meet, and geez, is it any wonder that they are happy? If I had to look out at their views every day, even in the wintertime, I'd be happy too!  On the way into Alaska, the U.S. Border Guard was fascinated to hear our story of how we lived in London, Ontario but are en route to our new home in the NWT.  She was amazed that we pulled up stakes and our driving ourselves across our country to see the sights and experience what Canada has to offer.  She also laughed when we told her that we were so close to Alaska, we couldn't pass up the chance to pop in and see what it was all about.  Coming home, the Canadian Border Guard was telling us what it was like to be a Border Guard at that particular crossing, and how they all live in a lodge right behind the border crossing (which we saw) and how they all live together and work together.  They drive 90 minutes into Whitehorse to get their groceries and do their errands. This guy was also interested in our story and asked the kids a bunch of questions too, and they were happy to talk to him.  I know that he was checking out our story, but the more we told him the more fascinated he became.  He only said good-bye to us when he saw a car coming up behind us, and by then we had been chatting with him for about 10 minutes.  It was pretty cool!  How often are you detained at a border crossing because you're chatting it up with the authorities?


Another interesting thing that happened today while we were flying under the radar of no cellular phone service (which was oddly freeing) was that we found an email and phone message from the secretary of the school in Tuk asking me if I would take the other Grade 7/8 class at the school.  The teacher who was coming to teach it resigned because his wife was having trouble getting a visa.  So, I have been asked to supply teach right from the beginning of the year and to apply for the job as well.  Greg and I would be the two Grade 7/8 teachers.  We could team teach, or we could do some things together and some lessons, subjects, etc. apart.  We are discussing the idea of that, and whether or not it would be a good idea, considering that we are married.  It could be too much for us, or it could be amazing.  We have decided that I will apply for the job, and that by the time I have had my interview, we will know whether or not we think our marriage can handle it, and I can make the decision then.  I am drawn to little kids, but maybe this is an opportunity I should take to get the experience?  On the other hand, I know that I will be getting loads of experience supplying in the school, and that could be all different grades. Hmmmm...... it's definitely some more food for thought.

This brings us to the end of an other amazing, fascinating, and incredible day along our journey.  After all the blackness and negativity of the last few years, struggling to make ends meet while working on our education and trying to improve ourselves, and coming to terms with the fact that we needed to leave Ontario in order to get ourselves into the situation we both want our family to be in for the rest of our kids' childhood, adolescence, and beyond....into our retirement.  We are grateful for all of the blessings coming our way now, even the rock chips on the windshield of life.