June 8

Laird Hot Springs, BC to Teslin, Yukon

We considered another dip into the hot springs but the thought of walking back in 42 degree weather after soaking in the hots springs was enough to give us second thoughts so me pass on them today. Once underway the wildlife sightings continued. First another wood buffalo then a red fox, more buffalo, topping off the day with 4 black bear sightings. The road was nice but not full of climbs and twists as we experienced yesterday. After a bit we arrived in Watson Lake, Yukon. This is home to the Signpost Forest. Back in 1942 a huge push was underway to create a land route to Alaska. US war planners looked at a map and realized the western part of Alaska was only 1,000 miles from Japan and neither the US or Canada wanted Japan to gain a foothold on North American soil. This was the push and the rush to create the highway. One of the construction workers in the Army was homesick so he constructed a signpost with how far to his hometown. On the same signpost there were about half a dozen signs from fellow US military highway workers Many mistakes were made in building the road but over time most have been corrected with rerouting and grade improvements.  The Alaskan Highway is paved and in decent shape. There are sections of construction so we have hit some dirt/gravel sections in construction zones but overall it’s been less than 5 miles of it.

Each year there are thousands of new signs added to the forest. We spotted several from around New York State. I spotted one from Schnectady that had had the name of a couple. She knew them from when she worked in Cooperative Extension in Schnectady.

After the Signpost Forest we headed on to Teslin, Yukon where we are camped at a campground. In the morning we need to get ice, gas, and propane then head to Whitehorse, the largest town in the Yukon.