Preparing for Snucins
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In Dawson City, almost simulataneously we both thought of all the fresh veggies in our cooler and what we could do with them before the border guards had another tossed salad on us. Throwing the precious cargo out was not an option and looking over the inventory we knew readily there was no chance we could consume them all with such a short drive (about 100km) to the border. We decided to disguise them in the form of spaghetti sauce – foolproof plan! So, we pulled into a picnic site along the Yukon River, and proceeded to brew up a big batch of spaghetti sauce for future consumption. The rest of the veggies and fruit we ate non-stop before the border crossing (Kris ate at least 2lbs of cherries), but at least the border patrol would not have lunch on us this day.
Before leaving Dawson City we stopped at the visitor center to inquire about services – namely fuel – along the Top Of The World Highway. Note: nearly all the roads in Alaska/Yukon no matter what the size nor condition are considered highways, and the Top Of The World Highway although quite scenic would scarcely qualify as a country lane in Ontario. The friendly tourist info employee informed us quite confidently that we could acquire “cheap” american fuel in Boundary, only 110kms away. We were sure we had enough “very expensive canadian fuel” to make it that far, so we proceeded on our journey of “the top of the world”!
It was a very rough road to the border – paved, but with exceptional potholes practically the size of our little car. The drive is extraordinary as you gain elevation and are quickly above the tree line and treated with expansive views of the endlessly barren countryside. We were treated to another close up view of a young grizzly meandering right down the middle of the highway. After photographing him, we looked back at him through our rear view mirror and saw him standing right where we stopped, looking around as though he was wondering what we could have possibly been looking at. He just stood there until he was no longer in our sights. Funny!
Once at the border we actually had an experience with an american guard who was rather amicable. When he queried us whether we were in possession of fresh veggies and fruit, with a smirk on our faces we told him “no”. The he asked us if we had any medication with us. Well, we proceeded to name off all the meds we were carrying, but before long, with a smirk on his face, he said, ” I mean medication you can’t buy at the pharmacy”. We said “no”, and really didn’t, and we were allowed to pass. Just before we left he informed us to “take it easy for the next 45 miles to Chicken” (yes, this is the name of the town) because – again with a little smirk on his face – “the road is a little suspect”.
A little suspect was an understatement as the road frequently dwindled to the size of an old one lane cottage road and we wondered at times if we were still on the right road. The only reason we knew we didn’t take a wrong turn was because there wasn’t any! Anyway, the road wasn’t too bad for our “rugged” vehicle, but the fact that the available fuel we were promised in Boundary was a bit of a concern. Not only didn’t they have any fuel, the whole place seemed to be deserted as though they were abducted by aliens! The lights were on, the doors were open, there was music playing, but nevertheless nobody was home.
When I told Kris of our situation, she immediately went into panic mode and wanted to drive the seven miles back to the border and call CAA to bring us some fuel! Wouldn’t that be great when the tow truck driver showed up – “so ya ran outta gas, huh?”. Well, no, but we thought we might. Anyway, we had a bit of a tif about filling up the car because I always wait til we’re empty before I figure we need to fill up. To make a long story short we decided to drive and if and when we ran out of gas we’d cross that pipeline when we got there. I glided down many hills in neutral and pulled into Chicken with at least a sixteenth of a tank left and the low fuel light flashing for the last 20km – no problem…probably still could have driven another 10km!
Originally we were going to drive all the way to Tok (pronounced Toke), but when we were offered free camping with a fill up at the gas station/campground, we were unable to resist. The people there were very nice, and when we pulled into our site we were immediately invited over for a cold beer by a nice couple from Saskatchewan, who were instantly elevated to “best friend for the day” status.
We had been encouraged if ever passing through Chicken to stop in at the pub and see all the “paraphenelia” hanging off the walls. (Note: The town of “Chicken” is actually called Chicken because the old timers could not spell Ptarmigan. No, we are not kidding.) So, we went for a short walk to the “Downtown” area of Chicken which consisted of a souvenir shop, pub, restaurant, outhouses, and picnic table all owned and operated by the same character. There were a few people in and around the pub so we mosied in to sample an Alaskan Amber Ale – an excellent example of alliteration I might add – and check out the inside of the pub. It was hilarious – there was a plethora of hats, bras and panties hanging on practically every square inch of the ceiling and walls! Before we could even enquire why all the bras and panties were “mangled”, the bartender/owner had talked a young woman around 20 and an older woman of around 60 to donate their undies to be the ammo for the local cannon!
So they haul this mortar/cannon into the parking lot, insert a wick/fuse, pound in some gunpowder and then a pair of panties. Light the fuse, and much to everyone’s delight, blow the panties to smitherines! The remnants get hung in the bar. End of mystery – hey, there’s not a lot going on in Chicken!
The next morning we decided to make it a short driving day to stay at a campground called “Sourdough” and get some much needed laundry and showering done. In the evening the energetic owner/operator entertains the campground guests with funny songs and a pancake toss to win a free breakfast – which we didn’t win. It was a lot of fun and we got plenty done including getting some “cheaper” groceries.
In the AM, we to Anchorage passing through some fantastic terrain and scenery. From Tok to Glenallen you see the 16,000+ft Wrangell/St. Elias mountains, then from Glenallen to Anchorage pass through the Matanuska Valley carved out by the huge Matanuska glacier which can also be viewed from the road.
Approaching Anchorage and with the dread of being in a large city, we opted to camp at an outlying suburb called Eagle River about 10 miles out of the city. It turned out to be a good choice as the “town” of Eagle River offered us everything we needed but was small and easy to navigate. We were able over the next few days in preparation of our friends arrival in Anchorage to get some necessities accomplished. We were able to to access the internet at the library, get a storage unit to store stuff to make room for our guest traveller, get photos downloaded to CD’s, get an oil change, watch a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean which sucked in our view), do groceries, hike and all very close to our campground and a short drive to Anchorage.
We had a little spare time to explore Anchorage before our guest’s plane arrived, so we visited the State Lands Visitor Center where we had to go through a metal detector!? Kris set it off with her boots, but I had no problem getting through with a good size knife on my belt!
Our guest, Erik, arrived in Anchorage around 11:30pm and would spend the next 2.5 weeks touring around Alaska with us.
I guess by now you have got to be wondering what a “Snucins” is. Well, that is our good friend who lives in Fort St. John of northern BC. His name is Erik Snucins – Latvian, and we have no idea what it means. Erik is a great guy, an amazing adventurer/outdoorsman/marathoner who is in great shape and in his early 40’s. If this sounds like a singles ad, it’s because Erik is currently single and looking for the right woman who can keep up with him!!
Tags: Travel
Kristin
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