Watson Lake to Whitehorse--June 24

We left out at 6am again and were going to stop for breakfast down the road unfortunately no place opens that early so we just parked and ate in the coach. Our next stop was at Rancheria Falls Recreation Site. While the boys slept Dee and I took the short walk to the falls. We saw lovely flowers and mosquitoes along the way. I took a small flower guide and butterfly guide also so I could try and identify some of them and of course took some pictures. There were two falls, not high down a mountain but they were beautiful. I think they went on either side of an island. When we got back to our coaches I realized I had lost the flower guide out of my pocket so back I went--very quickly--and I found it. So I had two good walks this morning.

We crossed the Continental Divide again and I think crossed the B.C./Y.T. border for the last time. We crossed over the Nisutlin Bay Bridge that leads into the town of Teslin. This is the longest water span on the Alaska Hwy at 1,917'. The Nisutlin River forms a bay here as it flows into the Teslin Lake. The lake straddles the BC/YT border. It is 86 miles long, averages 2 miles across and has an average depth of 194'. The name is taken from the Indian name Teslintoo meaning long narrow water.

After we crossed we stopped at the Yukon Motel and Lakeshore RV Park to eat lunch. I had a really nice and large caesar salad with warm chicken and boy was it good. After lunch we went next door to their Yukon Wildlife Gallery and gift shop and we were glad we did. Didn't buy anything but their stuffed animal and their presentation inside glass diaramas was excellent(fish, bl.bear,grizzly,polar, moose, wolves, beaver,lynx and birds plus more).

The only other thing we went to in town was the George Johnston Museum who was a Tlingit Indian. He was a very innovative person known for his trapping and his photography. He bought the very first car, a 1928 Chevrolet and brought it there on a riverboat because there were no roads. He and friends built a 3 mile road to Teslin and charged a $1 for his taxi ride to Teslin and then in the winter he would paint it white and use it for trapping, etc. on the lake. Then he had an 86 mile road and then in the spring he would repaint it the original color. It has been restored and is in the museum. There were lots of items related to the Tlingit culture and existence and a movie of his daughter and others remembering him and talking about their culture. It was very good. There was another museum but we were feeling the need to continue our trek to Whitehorse.

The only other stop was at the Yukon River Bridge at Marsh Lake Dam and that was just for a picture--no time for reading signs. We will be staying in Pioneer Village RV Park until the morning of the 27th. Have a good evening.