Mosher P 3

While on the Ferry, we stopped in Ketchikan, Sitka, Petersburg and Juneau. We took a taxi into Ketchikan (about 10 minutes from the dock), a bus into Sitka, walked around for 15 minutes in Petersburg and arranged for two vans to take all 14 of us to see the Mendenhall Glacier and downtown Juneau.

Our road trip of Alaska began in Haines, Alaska, when we drove off the Ferry on Saturday at 3:00 a.m. One problem, there was only one place to eat in one small café and that didn’t open until 7:00, and the border didn’t open until 8:00. So we sat in our cars in the chilly rain to kill time! No problem getting through the Canadian border because all of us had all our paperwork in order. We drove 45 miles to the Canadian border, then another 140 miles or so to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory. We experienced every type of road conditions on our drive to Haines Junction: rain, gravel, frost damage, holes and construction. Thank goodness, it was the weekend and the construction crews were not working. You should see what our cars look like, but they will get a bath when we get to Anchorage.

The weather changes often during the day. It has rained every day, heavy clouds, fog, wind and some clear skies. The temperature has ranged from the 40’s to the 70’s. The dress code is the “layered look”.

All the towns are very small, and the services and rest stops (with pit toilets) are scarce. When we are in a town, there are only a few places to eat, a couple of motels, a grocery store and maybe 2 gas stations, if we are lucky! The motels have not been fancy, but are adequate for our needs.

For navigation, we are using The Milepost, the Bible of North Country travel. We navigate by the mile markers, and I read all the descriptions of where we are. A lot of interesting facts about the terrain and early history of the area.

After Haines Junction, we stayed in Tok, Alaska, and tonight we are in Glennallen, Alaska. Not much to do in the town once we arrive. Just eat again, do general maintenance on the cars and get ready for the next day. Keep in mind that it stays light most of the night. Right now it is 9:30 p.m. and outside it looks like 4:00 p.m.

The only wildlife we have seen is a Moose. Once it was spotted, the cars that passed it turned around and went back. What a sight! Our Model A is the leader, so besides keeping track of where we are; I also have to watch for wildlife!

We had a surprise today when we met up with two Model A’s from Missouri heading in the opposite direction. They began their trip the 1st of June. We stopped and visited with them for a short time.

We’re off to Anchorage tomorrow morning. We will be there for three nights. Other than meeting up with the local Model A Club for dinner and a car show, we are on our own to see the sights. Check out our dirty car!!!!