Air Force Lodge Watson Lake

Saturday, August 29 - Watson Lake, YT

Leaving Skagway, we return to the Alaska Highway to visit Baby Nugget RV Park, YT, west of Watson Lake, for one night.

Watson Lake is the main center of the small forestry industry in the Yukon and has been a service center for the mining industry, especially for the Cassiar asbestos mine in northern British Columbia and the Cantung tungsten mine on the Yukon-Northwest Territories border in the Mackenzie ...

... RV Park" evidently doesn't believe in taking care of their customers. The repairman was harrassed twice by the owner in the short time he was here although the other campers in the park with us were very willing to accomodate us in anyway they could. I assured "Eagle's Rest RV Park" in Valdez that we would put a good word in for them in Highways Magazine, which is sponsored by Good Sam and believe me they carry a lot of influence with RVers all ...

... touting today’s “global warming”, but the Beringia Center is definitely worth the small admission fee. The global warming issue is handled very nicely. In fact, I read on one of their signs that more carbon dioxide is emitted into earth’s atmosphere due to forest fires, most caused by lightning strikes, than any other one cause. So take that, Al Gore!

August 13, 2009 (Thursday) – Watson Lake, Yukon (272 miles)

How ...

... it was a little early, some people went back to their motorhomes to return later. Art left, but I stayed with Beverly, my regular game playing buddy, and Karen Glas from Lake Placid, Texas to play “Head and Foot” until meeting time.

Close to 8:00, most everyone started trickling back into the tent for our meeting. Following the meeting, Dalyce Stubenberg from the Sign Post Forest Visitor Center talked to us ...

... check in before 3:00.

The RV park is like none we have ever encountered before. It almost looks like a drive-in movie lot. It’s merely a big gravel parking lot with posts where the hookups are.

One nice feature is that they offer a free RV wash. Well, let me put it this way…they supply the water, bucket and hose. You supply the soap, tools and elbow grease. All the same, it’s nice to have a spot to get some of the road ...

... up side was the gale force winds kept the mosquitoes at bay.

Once again, we were dry camping. Yes, this is getting a little old. I’m longing for my hair dryer and curling iron. While Wendell was filling our freshwater tank, Nitchie and I walked around and surveyed the camp. Since our last visit, new cabins had appeared but little else had changed. Dennis told us he would start the generator at 6 PM and we could sit in ...

... border where we took a picture in front of a really old sign. I say technically because this is the point at which the road crosses the 60th parallel. The road actually dips back below 60 several times over the next 50 miles, at which point the 'official' border crossing signs are placed as well as a very tall 60th parallel post.

The town of Watson Lake is just beyond these signs where our second couchsurfing hosts lived. They were an older ...

... animals due to control burns which encourage the growth of forage grasses, flowers and shrubs, and also allows the Chinook winds to clear snow from the grounds in the winter.


We continue into the Toad River Valley crossing the beautiful turquoise Toad River.
We skirted alongside of Muncho Lake for about 7 miles with astounding scenery ...