What is a sign post forest? Well, back in 1942, during the construction of the Alaska Highway, U.S. soldier Carl K. Lindley was spending time in Watson Lake, British Columbia recovering from an injury. He was asked by his commanding officer to repair and erect directional signposts. While completing the job, he added a sign that showed the direction and mileage to his hometown of Danville, IL. The tradition was started. Travelers from around the world have placed their unique signs. There are between 77,000 and 100,000 signs now posted in the forest (depending on the source). Of course, we had to post our own sign.
Since we have already completed several fun trips with Greg & Helen, Greg created a sign which depicts our joint adventures, from the outline of a Gold Burgee for completing the Great Loop, to our cycling trips across the Erie Canal, in Slovenia, and in Tennessee, plus our time spent together in Costa Rica. I really wanted a sloth from Costa Rica added to the sign. If you look closely, you might see the sloth in one of the trees (or maybe it is just my imagination that it is there).
After hunting around for a place to hang our sign, we found the perfect spot. The guys hung the sign and we took a group selfie.
As we checked in at our next stop at Continental Divide (aptly named as the stop is located between the two large mountain ranges running north-south), Dave was told the cinnamon rolls are coming out of the oven. More cinnamon rolls? Sure, why not! The four of us decided to have dinner at their grill – hamburgers on her homemade buns and each couple bought a cinnamon roll to go. Mine is still in the freezer. How could I delay eating such a treat? Well, we noticed the cinnamon rolls were not frosted. One of the reasons I love Buc-ee’s cinnamon rolls so much is the cream cheese frosting. So, I decided to hold off on eating mine until I could buy some cream cheese frosting. Greg ate his and gave it a 5 (out of 10). I think putting cream cheese frosting on mine will disqualify me from ranking it.
While driving to our stop at the Continental Divide, we passed a couple on a tandem bike, loaded down for a long bike ride. During our morning Murphy potty walk, Helen and I spied the tandem at the motel. As we walked over to look at the bike, Steve was just coming out of the motel to put his water bottles on the bike. We had a nice chat.
Steve and his wife Jan, from Boston, are riding to Anchorage. Three years ago, they left Boston and rode to Northern Wisconsin. The next year they rode from Northern Wisconsin to Terrace, British Columbia, where they started their third and final leg up this year to Anchorage. This year will be a 2,500-mile trip. And this is a short trip for them, as Steve casually mentioned they rode around the world, which took them almost 3 years. He said they headed east and did not stop until they returned to Boston. And then they settled down and had a family, but always included cycling vacations with their three kids. They used the same bike pictured for their around-the-world trip. Amazing.
Prior to heading out the next morning, we first drove to the Rancheria waterfalls, just a few miles away. Up river the river splits resulting in these two falls. Gorgeous!
On our drive to the next stop, we stopped for fuel at a place called Johnson’s Crossing. And what are they known for? You guessed it, cinnamon rolls. Oh my! This really is a thing in Canada. Greg ate his in the car while it was still warm, giving it a 7.5 rating. It is now #2 in the ranking. I had mine the next day after Greg made us a yummy breakfast on his Blackstone Grill…bacon from the Dawson Creek meat market, cubed potatoes with sauteed onions, and scrambled eggs. Why does food taste better when cooked outdoors? The cinnamon roll was pretty good, just a tad below Testa’s.
Continuing westward, we stopped at Whitehorse, which is the capital of the Canadian territory of Yukon. I did not realize Canada had provinces and territories. The northern most areas are called territories. Probably not highly populated. I included a picture below of the various provinces and territories in Canada. Whitehorse is the biggest city in the Yukon, with a population of 37,000. Over 74% of all of Yukon’s population is in Whitehorse. Being a “big” city, we did laundry, went grocery shopping, and had dinner at Antionette’s, a Caribbean style restaurant. Caribbean? In Northwest Canada? It was scrumptious. We also had a morning walk (Helen jogged) along the Yukon River. The Yukon River is the 3rd longest river in North America and has one of the longest salmon runs. Murphy really wanted to swim, but the current was just too strong.
We also visited Miles Canyon just down the road from our Whitehorse campground. It is a beautiful canyon created by lava flowing across a pre-glacial landscape.
We happened to be in town when the 24th Yukon River Race departed from Whitehorse, paddling 444 miles down the Yukon River to Dawson City, YT. It is known as the “Race to the Midnight Sun,” the world’s toughest marathon paddling race. Racers from around the world come to test their endurance, paddling day and night in the Klondike. There were 12 countries represented including a team from Belgium (we spotted their flag). The racers first run to their boats, which including single & double kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and double ended canoes. They run to their boats and launch into the swift current of the Yukon River. They do not stop until they reach Carmacks, over 200 miles away. They have a mandatory 10 hour stop there. Last year, the first finisher in Dawson City (444 miles) was a tandem canoe arriving in just over 46 hours. Can you imagine paddling for 46 hours with just one stop? Many completed the quest between 50 and 60 hours. We heard several say they want to finish less than 50 hours. Amazing athletes.
Tomorrow, we are leaving the Alaska Highway and taking a detour. Stay tuned for where our next adventure is taking us. Thanks again for following along.
I’m ready for my next Cinnamon Roll Brenda, Oh, Canada Dave, and who says I can’t swim in that river Murphy
Greg, that flag is amazing! As is a the scenery – so beautiful!
Loved the flag design and you may want to include a cinnamon roll on it. ☺️
How fun you got to see the start of the race!
Enjoy seeing your adventures!
Terri & Lou
Once again I feel so privileged to be following along on this amazing journey! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Reta
We are so thankful you are following along!