July 20, Thursday Time to pull on the big-boy driving gloves and take the wheel, Tom! So, what is the big deal about this Top of the World Highway? It is reported to be rough, narrow, steep, with hairpin curves, no guard rails, and very soft shoulders. Did I mention washboards? The Milepost cautions that it is a “very dangerous area to be driving big rigs” and I am wondering if our 45’ (truck and trailer) is considered big? As we set off at 8:00 there was another smaller jeep/trailer combo in front of us, and that suited us just fine. We called him “lead dog.” Behind us was another rig, and we called him “wheel dog.” It was nice to have company! We were to find out that the early section of the road had a lot of construction. Also, within 40 miles we would go through customs and cross into Canada, Yukon Territory. One positive was that yesterday’s rain had dried up and the road was not slippery with mud, as some people had told us it could be. Another plus is that we were up so high and could hear Willie's Roadhouse loud and clear on Sirius Radio. The road is aptly named, as we indeed felt we were driving across the “top of the world” -- steering through rounded, shrubby mountain ranges, following ridge after ridge that afforded views of great valleys down below. The last 6 miles we went down, down, down, and the road ended at the Yukon River’s edge. There are no bridges across the Yukon for hundreds and hundreds of miles (we had crossed over one up near the Arctic Circle) but there is a FREE ferry. A small ferry, that appeared to float on the fast current of the river as much as it relied on motor power! It was quick and efficient loading and unloading cars and RVs . . . about 3 minutes to load and 4 minutes to cross and 3 minutes to unload! Now that we were safely across the Yukon River our reaction to the Top of the World Highway -- piece of cake! It was indeed, one of the “you must do” scenic highlights of the trip and we will always thank Terry B for guiding us to it!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |