Eagle Plains Lodge
Written the evening of Aug 23 from Moose Creek Campground
Today was a beautiful day. The sun shone for most of it and when it did decide to pour, I was on the last 6km of the Dempster so I didn’t even get too muddy. I got gas at the Klondike Creek Lodge and then because it was pouring ate dinner there while I decided whether to head west to Dawson City where I would get a $10 campground with a van wash and internet, or if I would head South and East towards Whitehorse which was 500km away and I knew that I would have stop somewhere for the night. I had already driven almost 400km and was not going to push it much further. At the last second I decided to head south and wound up in this pretty campground near a stream. I will manage a good hike before bed.
Fireweed showing its fall colours
I was surprised at the difference I found on the Highway. It had stopped raining two days before and the road was much easier to drive than when I came up…not perfect but I think I went almost 80 most of the way. The leaves on the alders were changing to a warm gold which brightened the plains and the mountains. The colours were so vivid. I took pictures but I can tell here that my camera is not doing justice to the golds, purples, pinks and blues. I thought that on the way south things would be familiar and I wouldn’t stop to take pictures but I was wrong. It was like a different road. Luckily I saw very little traffic. I could just stop the van, jump out and get the shot. No one was upset.
Alders along the river valley
The colours
I saw a sign that said horses crossing and then, there was a herd of about 15 of them grazing in a river valley. I stopped the car. Later I asked at the interpretive centre if they were domesticated horses turned loose to graze or if they had escaped and were wild. Apparently they belong to outfitters and are used for hunting. They looked beautiful out there. Very wild west.
Horses in the distance
I love driving like this.
After dinner I went out of the restaurant and the air smelled so good. It had stopped raining but the sky was heavy with clouds. Sun was peeking around them. I had another hour to drive and suddenly I started seeing rainbows. Two partial ones and then a total bow that bent right down on to the road in front of me. The end was so clear that I almost stopped to see if I could find the pot of gold. Here in gold rush country I am sure that it would have turned up something but all seemed too peaceful to disrupt with that kind of a find.
Pot of gold right over there
My campsite is beautiful. The campground is almost empty and to my right my neighours have two adjoining sites with two big rental campers. They are German so all I can hear is German being spoken. To my left the crackle of a fire that my other neighbour has started. No talking at all from that site. He must be alone.
In the distance, I can hear a rooster crowing. That must mean there is a farmstead nearby. I didn’t see anything but the Moose Creek Lodge is up the road and come to think of it when I took the pictures of the huge mosquito and weird moose there the other day, there was some poultry running around. It is hard to believe that I am in the middle of nowhere. I guess if I asked the rooster to define nowhere he would say that this was home.
Vincent is a nice home for me too. Last night I was cold enough to pull my hat onto my head in the middle of the night. I was cozy under the covers but my ears were cold. I need a hair cut so much but maybe I should keep the fuzz to keep me warm as the nights get colder.
Well…off for a walk and then to bed. I will send this from Whitehorse tomorrow.
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