Day 63 - Tok, AK

We left Valdez around the same time as we normally start to travel, 8:30. It was overcast but not raining. It almost looked like the sun wanted to come out. We drove through Keystone Canyon again this time we could see the falls a lot better. The truck lane begins northbound for those who will be going slower like me, starting that long steep climb up Thompson Pass. Thank goodness it’s still cool out. Side note! This was the most difficult part of the pipeline construction, requiring heavy blasting of solid rock for several miles. At this point the pipeline runs entirely underground beside the highway. Continuing on up the pass in the slow lane we make it. We make a quick stop to let Precious cool down and then we are off again.  From sea level or 0 feet to 2,678 feet in 7.5 miles, that’s a climb. We make the descent on the back side of the pass only to see Worthington Glacier coming into view.

The mountains begin to disappear as we get further down the road. We make a stop at the Wrangell-St Elias National Park Visitors Center to look around and also have lunch.

Widely used today on the Yukon and Copper Rivers, the fishwheel was introduced into Alaska near the turn of the 20th century. The fishwheel is powered by the force of the water. The current pushes the paddles making the baskets revolve around a central axle. The baskets scoop up the salmon as they swim upstream and empties them into the fish box. The box collects the fish and holds them until someone comes to empty it.

Mount Drum which is part of the Wrangell Mountains dominates the skyline to the east. The elevation is 12,010 feet.

When we were driving earlier today, we had decided to stay in a different campground than the one we stayed in last time. We chose Sourdough Campground which is just south of Tok by 1 mile right on the Richardson Hwy. We pull in get all set up and I take the dogs for a walk. As I’m walking I’m starting to see people that I’ve seen earlier in our trip. I guess they are on their way back. The campground maintains a rustic feel with memorabilia dating back to the gold-rush days. There’s a community campfire where everyone is welcome, bring marshmallows to roast etc.

 When I checked in I was told the pancake toss was at 7:30 in the pavilion. The what! Anyway Susan and I had to check it out. Sure enough you stood behind a bench and tried to toss a pancake into the bucket 7 feet away. You got two tries, the first doesn’t count. Susan got up and she missed both times. I was next. The first one I missed but I aced the second. The prize is a mini pancake that you redeem the next morning for a monster free breakfast. What a fun time.

All the Winners

Some of the Losers

My mini pancake prize