Alaska Highway and Beyond

 After being trapped by a flooded Cassier Highway it was nice to get moving again.  Once I hit the Alaska Highway I backtraced a few miles to Watson Lake for some supplies.  

Of course, I had to stop at the Visitor's Center and their sign forest.  I didn't think I would notice much change, but I did.  It had grown.  It's fun to walk around some and see some of the strange names for communities and how far away some are.  Several folks were out putting up signs from their towns.  I wonder how much larger it will get.

Along the highway is the little town of Tetlin which got it's start as a First Nation village.  It's suprising to see this type of native art this far away from the coast.  When I asked about it the lady at their small museum she said that their  ancestors would travel inland to hunt and trade.  Eventually a few started staying year round but they never lost their coastal heritage.

One of the side trips I like to take is the highway to Haines Alaska.  The highway goes past some really stunning scenery.  This time the weather was clear enough that I could see the mountains that I missed two years ago.  All I can say is "WOW!"

Chilkoot lake is one of my favorite places to stay for a while.  Since I was arriving a few weeks later I assumed the campground would be a little more crowded, but that wasn't the case.  In fact, I had the same waterfront campsite I had two years ago.

This is Haines.  They haven't quite yet turned into a big tourest town.  One cruise ship a week stops there which gives the town a financial boost while not changing the atmosphere of  the town too much.

The Million Dollar falls is along the Haines Highway.  This time of year it is awesome.  Any creature falling into the water here would be dead in a few seconds.  It is just hard to describe the fury of the falls.  It's down right scary.

The area is known for it's Grizzly Bears.  I was fortuate to spot these guys not far from the road.

Not to worry, I took these pictures from the safety of the motor home.  This bear was not happy when another car saw me stopped and one of them got out to get closer shot.  I couldn't believe it.  It this bear decided to charge that person didn't have a prayer of making it back to his car in time.  People can be so stupid at times.