June 15, 2013 Top of the World Hwy to Chicken, Eagle

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Continued on the gravel road to the town of Chicken, Alaska.   Six or eight establishments, three of which are run by the same person.  Stopped for some free coffee and a few postcards and fun pictures.  They say the early settlers wanted to name the place Ptarmigan but no one knew how to spell it, so they settled for Chicken.

The road switches from paved to gravel to dirt every mile or so.  Much of the roughness of the roads is caused by “frost heaves”, contracting and expanding and causing ridges and dips.  They put little orange flags along the road where the worst spots are.

Reached to town of Tok (rhymes with Poke), where we re-connect with the Alaska Highway.  They have a nice visitor center and a small library with great wi-fi, so I catch up a bit on the blog while Greg goes to fill the gas tank and wash off a thick layer of dust.  They say Tok has the cleanest vehicles in Alaska because everyone washes off the dust here.

Had a late lunch/early dinner at Fast Eddy’s, which we had had recommendations for.  The homemade soup was great, the super nachos not so much. 

Back on the road. It was 80 degrees at 5:30.  We spotted our first Alaska moose, a speedy guy who vanished into the woods.  Many small lakes along this (RICHARDSON) highway, like Dot Lake, which had ducks and loons and a tiny chapel.

Millions of trees.  We are passing through Tanana State Forest, which has 1.81 million acres and 90% wooded.  Birch, aspen, poplar, black and white spruce and tamrack.  Again we saw evidence of fire, which left the landscape rather bleak.  The hope of new growth in the form of small shrubs and grasses and young trees laid a carpet of green beneath the blackened forest.

We stopped at Delta State Recreational Campground, just outside of Delta Junction.  Went into town for some ice cream and this is obviously THE place to be on a Saturday night.   Note, no McDonalds for miles and miles, but they did have Ronald McDonald on the patio. 

 

This is the official end of the Alaskan Highway, also home to millions of mosquitos, thankfully not quite this huge!