Chicken and Top of the World

No, these aren't states of mind, or song titles; they are the places I've been the past couple of days. Internet access has been sporadic, and in one case, limited to 30 minutes—and it's timed. ( I didn't know libraries could do that, but one did. So no Words with Friends with my kids (at least for a couple of days) – it takes too long to make a move!)

Long ago I had decided that on the way back to the lower 48, I didn't want to drive the same route, at least not all of it. Luckily, there are options, and yesterday and this morning I drove one of those options. An alternate route out of Alaska is called the Klondike Loop, consisting of the Taylor Highway from Tok to Chicken (yes, there really is a place named Chicken in Alaska), and the Top of the World highway from Chicken to someplace in Yukon, then the Dawson Highway into Dawson City. There's more after that, but these are the parts I've driven so far. And I spent the night in Chicken!!

It is a cute little, well, town is not really the word for it – more like hamlet, maybe. There are 3 RV parks, each associated with its own shop and restaurant, and a Post Office. That's it.  I stayed at the Chicken Gold Camp, which has an old gold mining dredge prominently displayed on its grounds, and a gold panning center right near it. On a hill nearby is a statue (very tall) of a chicken, apparently made from discarded school lockers, next to a signpost listing chicken-related cities and where they are. Kind of memorable in the middle of the Alaska Bush!  This is the jump-off point to the Top of the World highway, a famous (or infamous) road with a reputation of being difficult to drive. It's gravel for about 40 or more miles, and people I talked to said there were very narrow places, and steep drop-offs, and I started out more than a little nervous.  I don't like heights, so the idea of this one kind of scared me, but I really wanted to do it.  I needn't have been so nervous – I've driven much worse roads in Colorado (from Durango to Montrose – but that's another story!). Yes it was dirt and gravel, yes there were some slopes, but not really bad drop-offs, and yes, there was construction and a few rough parts. But I'd drive that one again in a heartbeat, whereas I will NOT drive south from Montrose to Durango over that highway (but like I said, another story!).

The top is truly beautiful – you can see forever, and the mountain ranges seem to go on and on. There were a turnouts that I took advantage of, and thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Especially the part where I came around a bend and saw 3 moose in front of me – a mama and two babies.  Luckily, this time I was far enough away from them that mama didn't come after me, but she stood there looking for a long time. The whole way across that part of the road I kept hearing the old Carpenter's song "I'm on the top of the world looking down at creation…." funny how that came back to me!

Now I'm in Dawson City, the first capital of the Yukon, and the center of gold mining at the turn of the last century. I'll save that for the next entry, but leave you with this picture of what I see from my campsite. It's the Yukon River…up close and personal!!