Where the road less travelled becomes the journey.

Day 10 – the road to Tuk

One thing about The Cabin (van) is that we sleep amazingly well. Not just Eric and I, but the dogs as well. Last night was no exception. I slept until almost 10:00am! Needless to say, after a leisurely breakfast, it was a bit of a later start.
We left our little oasis on the banks of the Upper Laird River and took a drive into the town of Watson Lake.
It is the first Yukon community that you’ll find after leaving BC. The population is aprox 1,100 people. We were both looking forward to the newly learned-of site there. Had we known before leaving, we’d have been better prepared to make our own worthy contribution.

Sign Post Forest: Since 1942, travellers from all over the world have added signposts from their hometowns to the Sign Post Forest – a tradition that continues to this day.

It started during the construction of the Alaska Highway that same year, when U.S. soldier Carl K. Lindley was recovering from an injury in Watson Lake. Tasked by a commanding officer with repairing and re-erecting the area’s directional signs, he added one of his own pointing toward his hometown of Danville, Illinois, complete with the mileage. Other travelers soon began doing the same, and the custom took root. As of 2023, there were over 100,000 signs.

So many signs!
The pieces of heavy equipment found in the forest were used during the construction of the Alaska Highway.

We left Watson Lake and headed on the Alaska Highway towards Whitehorse, but wanted to spend the night somewhere before Whitehorse.

The Swift River along the Alaska Highway is a twisty one.
They are building a new bridge along side this one as you come into Teslin.
You can see the road way ahead
Even with heavy clouds, the views are incredible

Eric sourced a location just off the highway not too far past Teslin. Something a little different. A decommissioned airstrip! Our friend Tim commented on Facebook when I posted it that it was likely used in WWII. I looked it up and sure enough it was.
Squanga Lake Airport was built during World War II as Northwest Staging Route Flight Strip No. 6. It was located at Mile 843 of the Alaska Highway.
We weren’t alone either. At the very end of the strip, there is a big RV and truck.

If you zoom way in, you’ll see an RV at the end of the strip.
The other end of the strip
The Cabin

Bugs. Yup. Lots. They are more annoying than biting. That said, we weren’t about to sit around and find out. I did find some mushrooms to photo!

I’m forever looking for mushrooms

The weather was cooler, and the day’s sun was hiding for the most part. Eric walked the airstrip with the dogs, and I defrosted the RV freezer. We’d shared a clubhouse and fries while in Teslin, so no need to make dinner. Just a quiet, cozy night in our home away from home.❤️

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