What do you call a guy who sets off on a 3,600-mile road trip in the dead of winter to drive the Rocky Mountain chain from Alaska to southern Colorado? Bear in mind that this is the same guy who goes kayaking with his Australian shepherd - in the ocean.

Crazy doesn't quite sum it up, because there was a fair amount of planning up front. Adventurous is probably closer to the mark, because these are the undertakings that lead to stories - for your buddies and for your future grandchildren. "That's nothing. I once drove the Alcan in December with a dog and two cats."

Hey, it's got to be better than sitting in an office attending a budget meeting or deciding annual employee raises. Who's the crazy one now?

Day three: On a long stretch of highway, the only company you have is the dog in the back seat and the voices on the radio. On this particular day, the radio host was interviewing a hockey player about his favorite musicians, one of which is Neil Young. Attention is split between the radio and keeping your eyes peeled for little orange flags along the side of the road that mark known¹ frost heave spots. This can mean only one thing - you're in the Yukon.

After some initial excitement that the road heading southeast out of Tok was dry, the conditions degraded to hard pack snow with some occasional downhill curves. It took almost three hours of driving 35 to 40 miles per hour to get to the Border City Lodge² which keeps three RV pads open throughout the year for those needing electric hook-ups.

But my early hopes of a 300-mile day weren't completely dashed until I got within 10 miles of the Canadian border crossing near Beaver Creek.

That's when the frost heave hazards began.

My first experience with frost heave on a highway was in 1986 when Don Troha and I were driving from Glenallen out to Chitina in a rented Oldsmobile Delta 88. We hit two bumps either exactly in or out of phase from each other and went airborne at 60 miles per hour. Our heads hit the ceiling³ and I could see sparks in the rear-view mirror.

That was in a four-door sedan. You can imagine what frost heave could do to a truck-trailer tandem at similar speeds. I don't ever want to find out, so I tend to keep a sharp eye out for orange flags and little road bump signs reading "Next 3km"⁴ when there are too many hazards to flag. And when I'm in an area with a lot of flags and signs, I tend to search diligently for unmarked heaves that can be just as dangerous.⁵

There was also more hard-pack snow and ice on the western Yukon stretch of the highway as compared with Alaska. Combined with the frost heave, the dwindling light at 4 p.m. dictated that today's drive would end at the 200 mile mark which, by the way, happens to be the location of Kluane Wilderness Village & RV Park.⁶

Besides having year-round RV electrical hook ups, the village has propane, gas, showers and a 24-hour towing and repair service.

Despite the poor road conditions, the scenery in western Yukon is spectacular. There are many places across this region of Alaska and Canada that are in the middle of nowhere, but the White River and Donjek River valleys are picturesque - maybe because rivers evoke the possibility of travel to distant lands. In this case, both head north to join with the Yukon as it flows more than a thousand miles out to the Bering Sea. I'd take a jacket if you wanted to float the whole thing.

Another pearl in this area is some patches of tall grass in places. The vegetation is slowly changing from coastal to continental as the drive continues eastward. It may not seem like much, but after a year and a half of living in spruce forests and accompanying bogs, it's nice to see a little change. Also, the Nisling Mountains to the north bear resemblance to the Mosquito Range in Colorado.

For tonight, the truncated miles will equate to a much-needed shower and catching up on sleep. The odometer reads 503 miles which is already more winter road trip than most people ever experience. Tomorrow should bring Kluane Lake and the big town of Whitehorse.

Day four
______________________________________________________________________________
¹ The key word here is "known." The flags are very helpful, but new frost heave hazards emerge throughout the winter. Don't assume that no flag equals no frost heave. 
² Mile 1225.5 Alaska Highway. BorderCityLodge@att.net  907-774-2205. Gas, motel and cafe are open year round.
³ Just barely, but you would be hard pressed to go back to that same stretch of road and intentionally hit the same spot at 60 miles per hour again.
⁴ Don't believe the 3 kilometer claim. If you start watching your odometer, you'll get to another sign before you've driven 3 kilometers. There will be another sign after that one as well.
⁵ Another result of repeatedly hitting frost heave is that the up-down gyrations to the trailer can leave you with cat barf on the inside of your coach to deal with when the driving day is over.
⁶ Mile 1118 Alaska Highway. Two hundred miles to Tok or Whitehorse and the only tow service in between. 867-841-4141 kwv@xplornet.com . Common needs for towing are rocks in the radiator on diesel engines and flat tires on gas engines. Other causes are going off the road due to black ice and older vehicles breaking down.

Additional Advertising Space Available

Additional Advertising Space Available

)