Same boat, different day

Today has been a long travel day. Probably the longest day that we will have on our Alaska trip. It started with an alarm at 4:45 AM. We needed to be at the ferry terminal at 5 AM to check into our ferry. It didn’t leave until 7, but they started the boarding process at 6.

While we waited, we watched the other vehicles. There was a boat being loaded onto the ferry! We saw the most authentic Alaskan man. He had a long scraggly white beard and a red flannel shirt. He set up a mini stove on the tailgate of his old pickup truck to boil water to make coffee while he waited.

This was the fourth and last Alaska ferry for this trip. All four trips were on the same ship, the MV Hubbard. The process was the same, so we are practically experts.

At about noon, we got off the ferry. Like usual, we were among the last ones off because of our size. We started driving north, along the same road we took to Haines. Same construction delays. Once we reached Haines Junction, we rejoined the Alcan Highway and continued towards the Alaska mainland.

Along the Alcan we saw our ninth bear, a young Grizzly.

As we continued to Burwash Landing YT, we saw a sign for the world’s largest gold pan. Of course we had to stop!

Today, we reached a milestone: we have covered more than 1000 miles (1600 km) of the Alcan highway! This doesn't count the hundreds of miles just to get to this famous route. We have crossed mountains and rivers. We passed wildfires. We saw moose and caribou and bison and sheep and bears. Even with the countless construction zones, the road conditions have been excellent. Until today. We finally reached permafrost, which leads to frost heaves on the road. Dips and potholes. We saw construction crews working well past regular hours, but it's a constant battle with the elements. The Milepost guidebook says the road will get better around the US border. We'll see in the morning.

Bear count

Today: 1 Grizzly
Total: 9 bears