This section of the Alaska Highway to Destruction Bay was probably as bad or worse than the Tok Cut-Off. There were limited construction delays, but the roadway was full of potholes, unlevel areas and frost heaves. This road needs construction. I even posted on Facebook that an Alaska dance could be invented based on all the movement from the road; repeat hops for all the bumps in the road, sways to the left and right for the frost heaves, dips for all of the low areas in the road, slides to the left or right for all of the swerves to avoid potholes and a shimmy to finish the dance for the rough areas.
We enjoyed our stop at the Tetlin National Wildlife Visitor Center en-route to Destruction Bay. The Tetlin Refuge Visitor Center was built in 1989 in the style of a log trapper’s cabin with a sod roof. The center was renovated in 2010 with new exhibits that allow visitors to “travel” through the ecosystems of the refuge and interact with the history of the area with hands-on displays. We loved the views from the large observation deck out the back door of the center.
Volunteers at the Center are from Winchester, VA and loved talking to Randy about his stay in nearby, Staunton, while he was in high school. We were told the film they were showing was made by local college students. They did a great job as it was one of the best films we had watched in any of our many stops. From the film, we learned about the area’s importance to migratory birds like the Trumpeter Swan and the Sandhill Crane. The only issue we had was that by the time we were ready to leave, the parking lot was full with other caravan rigs. Randy passed the time by cleaning off the bugs on our windshield, but other non-caravan RV’s were not as patient. Dave helped by getting Kern and Anna to move their rigs out of the middle of the parking lot, so a few other visitors could leave. I think we learned that if we have the chance, we always need to park near the entrance where no one can block us in.
We crossed the border with hardly any questions asked other than the normal firearms, amount of cash, and length of stay questions we had been asked at most crossings. We had to change our time ahead by another hour for Pacific Time which made our travel day shorter. We stopped for a scavenger hunt photo at Buckshot Betty’s and later at a large gravel area so we could walk Ty before we reached our destination . We saw Gil and Carolyn parked so we hoped we could easily get in and out. Tito and Catherine had the same thought as they pulled in behind us. Fortunately even though the parking area was mosty dirt with some gravel area, it was a large enough area where we could swing around to get out. The area was beautiful with mountain views and even some trumpeter swans nesting in the lake. The stops did not add too much to our total drive time and even though we were one of the first to leave for the day, we arrived a little after 4 so I was late for the free beading lesson provided by the campground/lodge. It was fun to learn but I doubt I will ever finish!
Destruction Bay is located in the Yukon, on the Kluane Lake. The town grew with the building of the Alaska Highway. It got its name when a storm destroyed buildings and structures erected by the military during highway construction in 1942-43. Kluane Lake is 50 miles long and almost 300 feet at its deepest depth. This entire area is filled with lakes. If I was naming the area, I would call it Thousand Lakes, for all of the lakes along the road; each one more beautiful than the last. I noticed fireweed still in bloom along the road to Destruction Bay. Most of the other fireweed I have seen lately had already stopped blooming and spread all of its seeds. I think this area still has a little more time before winter sets in. At least according to the fireweed.
Destruction Bay Lodge had few services but it was a welcome stop. The host at the Destruction Bay Lodge provided a wonderful Yukon dinner of rolls, salad with homemade dressing, tomatoes, picked cucumbers, homemade potato salad, baked beans, slow cooked roast and dessert. He told us about the history and information on the area. He said they have short seasons: June is spring, July is summer and August is fall. Entertainment was a local singer/music teacher that I enjoyed but I know everyone was glad she did not play for very long as it had been a long day and everyone was tired. Before heading to bed, I was told to watch where I was walking Ty as there had been a bear near the dumpsters. I never saw anything, but I did walk the other way! We were all hoping to get a chance to see the Norther Lights since this area is so remote and Carol had said they saw the lights here last year. I got up when a notification came through on my phone saying there was a 35 percent chance of seeing the lights IF the cloud cover allowed. Unfortunately, the clouds were too heavy and nothing was visible again. We only have a few more chances before we head for home.
