Day 47 – July 22, 2001 – The drive from Tok to Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory, is only 112 miles so we slept in a little and tinkered with cars a little. It was another pretty day so we would drive for a while, stop for a while, drive for a while, stop, etc. Usually we have at least 200 miles in a day (about 8 hours if we don’t have problems) so a 100 mile day is like a vacation. We stopped at a roadside picnic area to have lunch (sandwiches, chips) and had a great view of the mountains and the valley between us. Lucky and Taylor ran up and down the hill by our picnic table like they had been set free and we all enjoyed the sunshine and the temporary lack of mosquitoes. The new car ran pretty well (for a Model T) and Ben and Ross both tried driving it. Now we have five cars and six drivers – Bruce and Ben say it is time for me to learn to drive.

We drove through some beautiful scenery, rolling hills and lakes, but could see rain in the distance almost as soon as we passed through customs. The Canadian customs agent asked about the trip and the cars and asked Ben, “and how long have you had this car?” Ben had to tell him, “Since yesterday.” (I thought later we should have added that we couldn’t find a tee shirt we liked.) He was a little surprised but passed us all through without too many more questions. We were driving in rain by the time we reached our motel. Lovely place with no phones and no TV. It did have a bathroom in the room which is an amenity we have learned is not as common as you might think. More tinkering with the cars and then to bed. We have a 200 mile drive tomorrow and we’ve heard that the road is under construction.

722a – I hope you aren’t getting tired of seeing scenery like this. This was taken at a wildlife preserve and is one of the prettiest views we have seen, lots of green and lakes and hills. There is so much in this part of the world that doesn’t have people, roads or development, just beauty. We’ve talked with a lot of Alaskans and a few Canadians who are opposed to setting all this land aside as “preserve”. It is hard to argue with the concept of preserving a view like this but there are millions of acres set aside. I”ve been told that in Alaska, only 1% of the land is privately owned. The rest is set aside by federal, state, or local government.

722b – Canada and Alaska are dotted with small (and large) lakes and rivers, many named by the road crews that built the highway. Some are tiny little ponds with crystal clear water, some are major lakes that have crystal clear water. In our 200 mile drive today, we probably saw more than 30 lakes from the road. Sometimes we will cross the same stream three or four times in a day. It is beautiful.

722c – We stopped at a place with a phone so several of us were taking advantage of the opportunity to check on things back home. Ross and Bruce decided to take advantage of the sunshine and the comforts available in a Model T roadster. You would be surprised how comfortable you can be on the running board.

722d – Don’t you wish you were here?

722e – Ben and Ken parked outside the log motel we stayed at in Beaver Creek. The new little car had made it through its first road test with no problems. This motel is the same place that tour buses stop so their passengers can spend the night. Several times, I noticed the buses pulling in, stopping suddenly in front of the cars and the driver pointing out our cars to his passengers. We will be in pictures all over the world.