Road trip to Carcross

Saturday was a rare warm day (about 10C woohoo) and with Richard away mining (yes, Rich has a touch of gold fever, more on that later) I decided to take Ozzie on a wee road trip. As I drove away from Whitehorse on the South Klondike highway with sweeping mountain views rolling past the car windows, I remembered how cathartic the daily drive to and from our old place on Annie Lake Road was. The stop-and-go Riverdale traffic with a dash of kamakaze pedestrians thrown in, is not quite the same. I felt all my worries float away on the breeze and a wide smile found itself on my face. Ozzie, of course, was oblivious as he was immersed in his iPad game. I know, bad mummy, but I've done several long road trips with Oscar and in my opinion a slightly naughty, but sane mother is much preferable to the alternative (mother in a straightjacket at a suitable facility rocking back and forth and mumbling incoherently.)

We got in lots of quality time in and around Carcross. We had a coffee date at Caribou Coffee. Actually it was more of a chai latte & hot chocolate date, my boy is not going near coffee until either he has left home or I've gone deaf. We explored the Emerald Lake (still frozen), Tutshi memorial, the White Pass Yukon Route train station, Bennett beach and Carcross Desert. Although the weather was beautiful, this early in the spring the roads were empty and there were very few people in town.

We laughed, we saw swans, we pet dogs, we had no timeline and just enjoyed the day. I loved being able to say yes to (almost) every request Oscar had and I let him direct the day.

On our way to the car after our last stop, Oscar grabbed my hand and said, "Do you know what mummy?"

"What?" I asked, waiting for the usual obscure dinosaur fact that this question usually prefaced.

"I had a really fun day with you."

Heart. Melting.

We rounded out the trip with an ice cream at Marble Slab in Whitehorse, me, with the warm fuzzies, and Oscar with a sugar high.

This is what happened after four days in a car with my mother

My parents are always there for me when I need them. So when I was facing a four-day drive from Alberta to Yukon hauling a trailer with no company other than my four-year-old son, my mother volunteered to fly out to Red Deer and make the journey with me.

Her slogan for the trip was “It will either be a bonding experience or it would make a great movie.” My mom with a clever slogan is like a dog with a bone and I think I heard that phrase a few hundred times since she thought of it.

Repeating herself is one of mom’s habits that has evolved throughout my life. Actually, her habits don’t evolve so much as my reaction to her habits does.

For example, when my mom has often instructed me to put the ice cream in the microwave or the popcorn in the fridge. When questioned about it she will always respond, “Oh, you know what I mean.” As a teenager, this was exasperating, as a college graduate it was mildly amusing and as an adult, somehow it’s transformed into being downright endearing.

I used to constantly tell my mother, “you already told me that” when she repeated a story. After a while I gave up, and politely listened to the story again and again, eventually even enjoying the embellishments and exaggerations added over time. Now, if my mom didn’t repeat myself, I would be convinced she’d been taken over by aliens and was, in fact, not my mom at all. This could quite possibly ignite an alien conspiracy theory, or, just as likely, end up with me in a nuthouse. So it’s just as well mom’s habits have never changed.

As you may have discerned, my history with my mother has not always been rosy. Fundamentally, I have always loved and been loved by my parents, but we’ve had our rocky times. We will always have to agree to disagree on some issues. So, when I heard my mom’s slogan for the first time, I shared the sentiment. It could be a lovely road trip where we reconnect and bond without the distractions of the other people in our lives, or it could be material for a darker, more extreme version of the movie “The Guilt Trip” with Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand, and quite possibly not with a happy ending.

I know you’re waiting in suspense to hear the outcome of this experiment in mother-daughter relations. Is there a suspicious mound in my backyard while my mother hasn’t been heard from in weeks? Did we fight the first day and endure the rest of the trip in excruciating stoney silence? Did we arrive in Whitehorse black and blue after duking it out?

I’m afraid it’s a slightly more boring yet also more meaningful outcome. We talked, we bonded and we didn’t even listen to one of my audio books. I was even able to get several words in edgewise after the first eight hours of driving. (I’m only partially kidding.) Day two brought forth confessions from my mother about how hurt and angry my parents were when we left Ontario for Yukon. On day three mom dipped a toe in the Liard Hot Springs, was awed by Muncho lake and was treated to sightings of moose, bison, caribou and even big horn sheep. By day four she realized we were where we were supposed to be and we were best friends.

My mother dipping her toe in the Liard hot Springs, November 2014.

For me, this journey I had been incredibly stressed about turned out to be an amazing experience. On day one, after a nine-hour drive with the help and support of my mother, I realized I am capable of much more than I thought I was. On day two I understood more about my parents than I had before. By day three, I looked around at the beauty of the north and the feeling of peace returned and knew I was where I was supposed to be. On day four, I felt closer to my mom than I had in a long time.

Oscar also got the chance to bond with his Gran. They were fast friends. At the hot springs Oscar played tour guide and pulled Gran from one sight to the other, relishing his captive audience. I stayed back and enjoyed watching them explore the trail hand in hand.

Gran and grandson, hand in hand on the trail at Liard Hot Springs, November 2014.

I feel like this trip has cemented a bond that will last a very very long time. Yesterday, I called my mom and told her about my difficulties being alone and starting a new job and in a few minutes she had convinced me it was all perfectly normal and would be all right.

So many little things had to come together for this trip to ever happen, it’s not hard to believe that fate, or a higher power had a hand in it. I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to experience the world’s most boring movie plot, and yet an incredibly meaningful experience with my mother.

Now I have audiobooks to listen to. :)

Taking the road north... again

Almost a year after my original move to Yukon, I find myself preparing for almost the same journey. This trip will be shorter but the route from Edmonton to Whitehorse is the same. I'm packing up all our belongings that I feel like I just unpacked. In addition I'm making a list of emergency supplies to bring in case of any mishaps on the remote northern roads including sleeping bags, candles, a first aid kit, camp saw, shovel and warm clothing.

This time I don't have my very capable husband to take care of most of the driving (he's a professional driver) so I've conscripted my mother to come along and help with moral support, child entertaining and trailer maneuvering. If she wasn't coming, I'd be much more worried about the four-day journey.

The light at the end of the tunnel is the new apartment waiting for us, a new job and hopefully several years in one place. In this last year I've changed provinces three times, this trip will make four. Finally, the plans we made when we decided to leave our business 18 months ago will come to fruition. Rich will be a certified teacher and I even got a job in my field. What's more, we've found the place we want to call home in the Yukon.

Now that the culmination of our plans is fast approaching I feel a bit like an evil villain stroking a black cat and cackling about how at last my happylifenator as almost complete. Except that I'm fairly sure I'm not evil. And I'm more of a dog person.

On the road again

Nine months ago our family went on a journey by car from Ontario to the Yukon. Recently we embarked on another road trip, this time throughout the Yukon and south to Alberta. On August 16 we packed our 5'X8' trailer with all of our belongings (well, not all of them, what didn't fit we either sold or gave away) and camping gear and we set off.

A pond off Canol Road near Ross River, Yukon.

Day 1, Aug 16 : Canol Road : Whitehorse to Lapie Canyon - This was a long day. The Canol Road is so riddled with potholes that our maximum speed was about 50 km/h. We were planning on camping at one of the Quiet Lake sites but we decided to continue on to Lapie Canyon. The Canol Road started off a little boring, but as we neared Ross River it became spectacular. Unfortunately by the time we got to the scenic part, it was past 9pm and the light was dim. We arrived at about 10:30pm and had to use our headlights to set up camp. The site was gorgeous but we didn't spend much time there and headed out early the next morning.

Day 2, Aug 17 : Robert Campbell Highway & Klondike Highway & Dempster Highway : Lapie Canyon to Tombstone National Park - It was a relief to be on paved roads again and the kilometres passed quickly. We stopped in at Faro and learned a bit about the project to clean up the aftermath of the mining operation there (basically making busy work for people cleaning an unclean able mess).

Oscar on the Grizzly Trail at Tombstone National Park.

The drive to Tombstone National Park on the Dempster Highway was gorgeous, but once we got to the campground we realized it was a long week-end in the Yukon and all the sites were taken. We found a site reserved for groups that could be used for overflow camping after 8pm so we decided to wait it out. In the meantime, I took Ozzie and Maggie on a hike. We ended up staying in the overflow site which was fortunate because it had a huge covered area and it rained until we left the next day.

The Palace Grand Theatre in Dawson, Yukon.

Day 3, Aug 18 : Top of the World Highway & Taylor Highway : Tombstone National Park to West Fork Campground (somewhere between Chicken and Tok) - We set out early in the rain and stopped in Dawson for some lunch at my favourite Dawson restaurant, Triple Js. After hyping it up to Rich, they actually forgot about our order, although when it arrived it was delicious and they didn't charge us for our whole order. We wandered around town a bit. All of us loved Dawson and we filed it away as one of those places we would be happy to live in. We took a short, free ferry ride across the Yukon river and prepared ourselves for the wonders of the Top of the World Highway. And we saw.... nothing. Unless you consider featureless white something. We travelled the entire scenic route in a pea soup fog which didn't lift until we crossed into Alaska.

The "view" from the Top of the World Highway.

After the traditional border guard grumpiness we enjoyed our drive on until we found a lovely place to camp at the West Fork campground for a mere ten bucks featuring a majestic view of the Fortymile River.

West Fork of the Fortymile River, Alaska.

Day 4, Aug 19 : Alaska Highway : West Fork to Haines Junction - After leaving our little paradise in West Fork we took a slight detour to Tok. Much of the highway was on flats with mountains in the distance. It was less majestic than Canol road but interesting in it's own way.

In Tok, we indulged in some good ol' American tourist shopping including some overpriced snacks, Alaska travel mugs and, of course, heaps of fudge. On slight sugar high we motored on to the Canadian border where we encountered yet another grumpy border guard. This time he almost turned us back because we had too much mud on our truck. To be fair, we did have a lot of mud on our truck, all from the Top of the World highway in Canada though. He grudgingly let us through saying, "If you were American, I'd 'ave turned you back.” Good to know. I have an unsubstantiated theory that border guards in remote location have been sent to "Alaska" as punishment for some infraction which may explain their crotchety demeanour.

Between Beaver Creek and Haines Junction, by far the best scenery was at the Kluane Lake, beautifully serene and an unusual shade of blue. Unfortunately I was driving (under the back-seat driver scrutiny of Richard) so I don't have any photos. We camped at the nearly-empty Pine Lake campground that night, and enjoyed having the beach to ourselves.

The evening sun on some trees (Pine trees, I would guess?) at Pine Lake, Yukon.

Oscar enjoying a peaceful morning at Pine Lake, Yukon.

Day 5, Aug 20 : Alaska Highway : Haines Junction to Rancheria - After a gorgeous morning enjoying Pine Lake, the wheels came off in Whitehorse. Literally. We had the wheels taken off our car by our old neighbour and mechanic Rick so we could get all of the mud off with a wire brush. Rick's driveway ended up with a fine coating of End of the World Highway dust and we drove off with a functioning 4Runner. Then we picked up our trailer, said good-bye to Whitehorse and started retracing our route along the Alaska Highway we took in January. This time the surroundings were covered in green instead of snow and looked completely different. We drove towards the arch of a full rainbow for a good hour through the area around Teslin.

The bridge in Teslin (with bonus rainbow.)

Chasing a rainbow on the Alaska Highway near Teslin.

We set up camp late, at a slightly depressing government campground right off the Highway just before Watson Lake and went straight to bed.

Day 6, Aug 21 : Alaska Highway : Rancheria, YT to Liard Hot Springs, BC - We stopped at the sign forest in Watson Lake. Somehow, we'd completely missed it in January. Ozzie raced around the maze of road signs, municipality signs and licence plates. We didn't have too far to go to get to our next stop, Liard Hot Springs. The second largest Hot Springs in Canada, Liard was busy but beautiful. The hot water was delightful after 6 days with no shower. We were a bit disconcerted by an uninvited visitor watching us from the bank of the river but the bear just munched on foliage and left us alone. We decided on a quick dip the next morning instead of staying another day as planned. The worries about finding a place to live in Red Deer urged us forward.

Day 7, Aug 22 : Alaska Highway : Liard Hot Springs, BC to Fort Nelson, BC - We woke up an had an early morning dip in the hot springs. Everything was eerily still. The spiderwebs, invisible during the day, were coated from the morning mist and outlined by the sun. Feeling refreshed, we packed up and headed south. The drive through northern BC was beautiful but was sad to see the landscape slowly change from mountains to rolling hills. We camped at a nice site in Andy Bailey Regional Park where we had a path from our campsite to the lake. Oscar and Maggie got lots of frolicking in before the next big leg in our journey.

One of our last mountain views in Northern British Columbia.

Oscar and Maggie playing at Andy Bailey Regional Park.

Day 8, Aug 23 : Alaska Highway, Hwy 43 : Fort Nelson, BC to Valleyview, AB - Either the marketing department for Alberta Parks is rubbish, or they are trying to keep the location of their campground secret from outsiders, but a trip to Tourist Information in Grande Prairie was necessary to track down our next camping spot. Once there, they were very helpful pointing us towards a campground. The only detraction from the lovely Young Point campground was the dead fish on the shore of the lake and the dire warnings posted about the lake water. The cautions for coming into contact with this water reminded me of the warnings on darkroom chemicals from my college days. Basically flush with fresh water immediately. Pretty, though.

Day 9, Aug 24 : Valleyview, AB to Red Deer, AB : Hwy 43, 2 - As we approached our final destination our thought turned to the challenges ahead. The scenery pretty much went by unnoticed as we were occupied inside our own heads. The last 60 kilometres seemed to take an extraordinarily long time, but finally we arrived, safe and sound, at the Lions Campground in Red Deer.

We’ve completed another 9 day journey to change our lives. Will we end up staying here? I’m not so sure. The north just felt like home. Time will tell. All thing being equal, after four months, Rich will be certified to teach in Canada and we will be able to finally settle down.

Road trip to Haines junction and beyond

Miraculously I had a few days off recently and we decided to dust off our Yukon government annual camping permit and head off on another adventure in an effort to to at least break even on the purchase. This time to Pine Lake, a Yukon government campsite near Haines junction. After my flight to Calgary, Edmonton and back to Whitehorse on Sunday I threw some clothes in a bag and off we went. Some parts of the drive on Alaska highway towards Haines junction were very scenic. Quite possibly the other parts were scenic as well but I was dozing on and off so I can only comment the parts I managed to stay awake for. Two and a half hours after leaving Whitehorse we arrived. It being Sunday, we though that we'd find lots of available sites.

We were wrong.

We considered a couple of the few of the leftover sites. Two were being serenaded by the industrial hum of RV generators, rather spoiling our notion of a peaceful nature holiday. The other site might have been okay for an RV, but the idea of squeezing our tent on a small rectangular patch of gravel between our car and a picnic table was not appealing.

We decided to continue on to Dezadeash Lake campground after I looked it up and saw that there were many lakeside campsites. We arrived to find the sites were all rectangular patches of gravel, separated by a couple of meters of low scrub. Yes, there were lakefront sites. They had an added bonus of an icy wind that somehow did not manage to disperse the multitudes of mosquitoes. This site was the opposite of Pine Lake in that they were very few people and it was very quiet except for the howling wind. If I had to describe it in one word I would probably say "desolate." However, since it was now 9:30pm, we decided to camp there anyway.

In the morning light the site looked... pretty much exactly the same, so we decided to head back to Pine Lake to see if any more spots were available. On the way we we lucky enough to see a moose family so we felt that was a sign we'd made the right choice.

When we arrived at Pine Lake campground we found that there were a few more choices but Rich decided he didn't like the "feng shui." I know, we are very hard to please. We decided to head on to Kusawa Lake campground, one of my favourite all-time campgrounds. Halfway there changed we our minds and took a dirt track up to Aishihik Lake campground (that's how we roll folks).

Aishihik Lake looked like a short 15 minute jaunt up the road on my fairly basic Yukon government campground map. The Yukon Environment website description of the rough road to the campground was taken more as a challenge than a warning. I turns out they were not kidding about the road but it was no match for Fi.

Fi, is short for Fiona which is the name of our 4Runner. I, personally, would not choose to name a car but Rich calls her Fi all the time so it has caught on.

Our 4Runner on the Aishihik road. Photo by Christa Galloway. — Our 4Runner on the Aishihik road. *Photo by Christa Galloway.*

About an hour later we arrived, unharmed, 4Runner intact and a few photographs richer. Aishihik Lake turned out to have a total of one amazing site a few nice sites, several fairly crap sites and a gorgeous lake nestled in the mountains. Fortunately we arrived just as the people were leaving the amazing site so we lucked out. As we pulled in the weather changed from grey and depressing to warm and sunny.

Otter Falls (interesting fact: these falls were pictured on the 1954 Canadian five dollar bill.) Photo by Christa Galloway. — Otter Falls (interesting fact: these falls were pictured on the 1954 Canadian five dollar bill.) *Photo by Christa Galloway.*

Right now, I'm drinking a Yukon Gold by the fire and writing this while Rich is reading Oscar a bedtime story. We've just had a delicious campfire cooked dinner of marinaded shrimp and veggie kabobs. Ozzie has finally had the s'more which was the proverbial carrot for good behaviour all day. I'm watching the sun glinting off the lake behind the trees and Maggie is lying by my feet in a post swimming/running binge slumber. Now, I remember why I love camping despite RV generators and unsuccessfully trying to hammer tent pegs into gravel camp sites. It's days like these.