Leaving Homer was turning for home, though where that exactly would be was yet to be determined. We made it a ways up the highway heading north along the west side of the Kenai Peninsula. Our camp this night would be high on the cliffs above the water, with views of the volcanoes through the clouds across the Cook Inlet. Next morning found us driving back through Ninilchik, retracing our path all the way around the Turnagin Arm, through Anchorage and Palmer. Thanks once again to the Milepost that Janet and Karl gave us for the trip, Susan found us another sweet riverside camp with a lovely fire but you could feel the chill in the air. Winter was coming for sure. Now that we were heading to Haines to catch the ferry south it seemed almost race to beat the change. Another day of serious driving got us to Tok, where winter was already set in-all the camp grounds in town were closed and the temperature was dropping as we headed to the State Park outside town. Fortunately, they were not closed, as the roadside options were quite limited. That night the pipes froze. Hmmm, at this point Susan is thinking perhaps we have lingered just a bit too long in the North Country. Jim’s not too worried as the pipes are fine, we have plenty of propane and a wonderful place to call home no matter where we are or what the weather is like outside. We are finally getting just a taste of what is to come for the people who call Alaska their home. Tok is known as being consistently one of the coldest places in North America with temperatures pushing -80*F quite often… yeah… that’s 80 degrees BELOW zero. Jim is inclined to put his shorts away at that point.

Our last day of driving in Alaska started chilly, but clear. We turned south from Tok, which took us into Yukon Territory. It is an interesting border crossing here as you leave Alaska at one checkpoint and drive 18 miles before you reach the Canadian checkpoint. Guess if you get out of one country and aren’t allowed into the other, at least you have 18 miles of land you can call home. The Canadian Border Guard was curious about weapons onboard our rig and we assured him we didn’t have any guns at all. “Any bear spray?” he asked… “Nope” we replied. “Don’t you go on hikes?”… “sure”…”Aren’t you worried about bears?” “not really”...”Do you have anything that can be used as a weapon?”… “Well… we have a piece of wood that we can use as a club”. He passed us into Canada muttering something about not being responsible for tourists who get eaten by bears.

The snow covered mountains and pristine lakes lined with autumn colors went on for hundreds of miles. It was, again, extraordinary beauty unmarred by any sign of civilization, save long abandon (and very photogenic) log cabins and the rare gas station-general store outpost. And the old telegraph line. Curiosity got the better of us at one point so we stopped to explore the line looking for old glass insulators. No luck there, but come to find out much of the copper wire remained. Susan, being fond of copper and inclined to make things from it, managed to collect a few yards for a future craft project. Of course our minds were reeling with possibilities for all those miles of copper wire, but lacking sufficient space for ANYTHING else in Thumper or the truck we were satisfied with what we got. That night found us on a lakeside again, watching a pair of trumpeter swans gliding through the water as the colors of the sky changed and grew dark. Tomorrow we would arrive in Haines. But first we had to get back into the country.

Snow was falling that morning as we climbed the final pass that drops down to follow the river to the fjord that leads out to the ocean. The border guard we chatted with when re-entering the US for the second time on this trip was not happy about his temporary assignment to this most lovely, forested outpost. “The weather is terrible” he said. He much preferred Anchorage where he usually lived. “Less rain” Well, I suppose there is that, but a short time later, as the road pulled along side the Chilkat River into the heart of the Chilkat Bald Eagle preserve, I wondered again at his words. Perhaps he’d never come this far down the road. It was breath taking!

Almost immediately Jim spotted a trio of eagles feeding on something a short distance from the road. Not too long after that there was one in a tree and a few soaring along high above the river. We stopped at a pull off that boasted a number of sign boards educating us on the park itself (winter home to more than a thousand of these majestic birds) and the life cycle of eagles and all that is cool and amazing about them (the eagle’s eye is the same size as a human, yet they can see a field mouse from a mile away!). There was also a lot of information on the geological formation of the area as well as the flora and fauna of South Eastern Alaska. Lots of the same animals and plant life as up North, but generally bigger due to the rainfall, food sources and somewhat milder weather (this is a relative statement-it’s still Alaska!) One example provided was about Grizzlies. Up North they feed mostly on berries, grubs or whatever they can find, hibernating a bit longer and maxing out at about 500 lbs (plenty big!). Along the coast they are called Brown Bears, eat mostly salmon and some of the other stuff but can grow to 1000lbs! Having run into a couple of the northern cousins already we were hoping any encounters with bears twice that size would be from the relative safety of the truck. Brain filled with all this new information, Susan decided to take a walk on the river trail and look for more eagles, which she found and observed for a long time with the aid of binoculars (not having the gift of sight these great birds have). Such an amazing gift to watch and know these creatures survive and thrive in this challenging environment.

The road into town ran along the river, past several likely camp spots and a wonderful little grove of trees housing…two old silver trailers! Our people really are everywhere J We explored Haines, stopped at the Information center, getting the scoop on what to do while we were in town. Susan was happy to learn there is a museum with a well-known collection of Native art and artifacts.

There were also quite a few fun, little shops that we would be able to explore the next day. We went by the library to post a blog entry and marveled at the beautiful building in which it is housed. It’s a traditional log style with wonderful carvings, an amazing Totem Pole and lush landscaping. We believed that Susan’s sister, Barb, would particularly appreciate the high esteem in which the community obviously holds its library. J Satisfied there was plenty here to keep us busy until the ferry departure, so we headed back up the river to find a sweet spot to camp and hopefully a few more eagles.