Checking Out the Other Side of the Yukon River

After lunch, we decided to take the George Black Ferry across the Yukon River and drive a small portion of the Top of the World Highway.  Before getting on the ferry, we stopped at the Visitor’s Center to check on the current status of the highway.  The estimated time for it to open is now Friday morning at 9:00am, but we’ll keep checking as that can change.  We drove about 40 kilometers of the road and this next photo is a view of the distant mountains.  The part of the highway that we drove today was part gravel and part paved roadway and in pretty good shape.  We came across one bad spot where we’ll need to go slower.  The scenery is spectacular!

On the way back, there’s a turnout with a good view of Dawson City.

We took a side road down to the Top of the World Golf Course and saw this wildflower on the way there.  Spring is finally here…it was in the low 70’s today and that’s the predicted temperatures for the rest of the week.

We arrived down at the ferry launch for our return to Dawson City and this truck with a heavy crawler hoe was loading to cross the river.

You can see what the weight of it did to ferry…it got a little bit lower in the water.

It took about 2-3 tries for the captain to be able to push the ferry off shore and start the trip across.

They made it across and are now ready to get off the ferry.

Hmmm…this may require some extra attention.

Some boards are put into place under the ramp and the truck starts moving again.

Those smaller boards aren’t going to cut it…bring on the big boards.

That’s working much better.

Going…

Going…

Gone!

 

Although our RV is not nearly as heavy as this truck and trailer with crawler hoe, the ferry workers go through pretty much the same routine for unloading a large RV.  They take their time and make sure you get your vehicle off in a safe manner without damage to your RV.

Finally…a Beautiful and Warm Day in Dawson City

 

It was a beautiful and warm day in Dawson City today with temperatures reaching into the mid 60’s.  What a pleasant change in weather and we sure hope it’s a continuing trend.  We decided to have lunch in town today for a change of pace and drove to check on the status of the ferry first.  We had heard that they planned to launch it today, so we fully expected to get there and see it already in the river.  It would have been, but they found a crack in the hull that required welding before the launching.  We arrived there just as the welding work was getting completed and were able to witness the launch.  The first three photos show the progress of the launch from Ken’s viewpoint down close to the river at one end of the ferry.  The fourth photo was taken after the ferry already made one trip across the water with a backhoe that keeps the landing area in good condition.  It is taking the road grader across to complete work on the Top of the World Highway to get it ready for traffic.  We did make a stop at the visitor center and the highway is still tentatively scheduled to open on 5/22.  However, they did say that officials in Tok, AK said the Alaska border agents would be there on 5/19…so we’ll see what happens.

 

 

 

 

This is a video I made from above the ferry launch site that shows the bulldozers pushing it down the ramp and into the Yukon River. It’s a little shaky at times, but the video is something new to me.

 

After watching the launch of the George Black Ferry, we went to Sourdough Joe’s for lunch.  We both ordered the cod fish and chips and we had differing opinions.  Ken really liked his and I found them okay but I wouldn’t order them again.  The fish had a really unusual batter that I have never seen at other restaurants.  Now I have something to really look forward to in Alaska…much better fish and chips!

After lunch, we drove up Bonanza Creek since it was still early and the weather was nice.  Here is a photo of Dredge #4:

 

We also stopped at the Bonanza Creek Discovery Claim.  Since we were here in 2009, this site has been developed with an interpretive trail with signs and mining exhibits.  Parks Canada did a fantastic job and we highly recommend it as a stop if you’re in Dawson City.

 

Dawson City, YT–Checking on the Ferry

 

Today was a kind of quiet day for us.  We just hung out at the RV all morning and then this afternoon we drove into Dawson City to check out the visitor’s center and find out when the Top of the World Highway might be opened for traffic.  The visitor’s center had 3 short (15 minute) films that we watched:  “Dawson During the Gold Rush”, “Frozen Gold of the Klondike”, and “Days of the Riverboats”.  Here are a couple of photos from the downtown area.  The streets are all dirt and the town has an old mining town appearance.

 

 

Here’s the ferry we will be taking to cross the Yukon River.  Workers are busy getting it ready for the season, and they are hoping to have it in the river on Monday.  It will take equipment across the river to clear the road, and then the customs people are expected to cross a couple of days later.  The visitor’s center had a tentative opening date for the ferry of May 22nd.  It could be earlier than that, and we are hoping that will be the case.

 

 

This is where the ferry will actually land on the Dawson City side.

Heavy equipment is continually busy when the ferry is running, keeping the landing area built up.

 

Looking across the river is the landing on the opposite shore.  The entrance to the provincial campground can be seen there also.

 

After the short visit to town, we returned to our campground backed up to the highway.  It’s actually pretty quiet and we don’t hear much traffic noise.

 

It’s looking like Sunday will have nicer weather, so we’re tentatively planning on a long day touring the Dempster Highway.  That will probably make Saturday another lazy day.

Late breaking information…a bear has been sighted on the hillside across the highway from the campground.