TWO PEAS AND THE POD: CANADA: Congdon Creek Territorial Park, YT

CANADIAN STOP #11
(OVERALL STOP #302)
CONGDON CREEK CAMPGROUND
OUTSIDE OF DESTRUCTION BAY, YT

YUKON TERRITORY

DESTINATION: THE ALASKAN BORDER

94%	6%

COMPLETED - 2433 miles=(3915 kilometers) ⟺ 153 miles=(246 kilometers) - STILL TO GO

We were up and leaving our campsite in Wolf Creek Campground at 8:00AM this morning, headed towards Congdon Creek Campground to stay for two nights.

I didn’t mention in the last post that Winston and VerJean will be parting company with us for a short time while they take a side trip to visit the city of Haines, something we will be doing on the way south in September.

Also not mentioned in the previous post was the fact that when we returned from sightseeing one day we noticed two Airstreams camping across the road from our site. Turns out one belongs to Ursula and Tim who are from Hawaii, the other is Karen and Lenny, with their daughter Lilia, who are Missouri residents. We first met all of them last September while we were at the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center, OH getting repair work done. Then we all stuck around to enjoy the week long Alumapalooza Rally held there each year.

While passing through the town of Haines Junction we stopped in the Visitor Center and asked, "Where can we find the best Cinnamon Bun in the Yukon"? Without hesitation she answered the Village Bakery, right here in town, but we already knew that and were just trying to get verification from her.

Sorry, the cinnamon bun it didn't last long enough to take a photo for you all.

Arriving at Congdon Creek Campground there were very few sites with unobstructed views of the lake, but we found one with a decent view to pull into. Turns out there was another Airstream in the campsite next door so after we got all set up we went over and introduced ourselves. Their names were Pat and Bill from southwest Georgia.

For the last fifteen years they have made the trip from Georgia to Alaska to visit family and friends. They had some very valuable information to share with us about were to camp, and where not to, all along the route we have planned for returning home to the Lower 48 in September. Also which Alaskan sightseeing attractions are worth the money and which ones were nothing more than a “tourist trap”.

It’s always great to receive good local information when you can.

NOTE: With the rain and cloud cover we didn’t worry about taking to many photos today, knowing the forecast for tomorrow is clearer skies and no rain. The following photos were all taken on Saturday.

The playground in front of our campsite has a stunning view of the Kluane Mountain Range.

We were surrounded by the snowcapped mountains.

Right behind our campsite is the shoreline of Kluane Lake.

SATURDAY - Today we unhooked ROVER from THE POD to go back up the road a short distance to grab the photos we didn’t take yesterday, and I’m so glad we did.

While we were stopped in a large pullout on the side of the road taking photos of Kluane Lake, I saw two Airstreams making their way around the lakeshore. As they got closer I recognized them as our friends from Alumapalooza. We waved and flashed our lights as they went by at 55MPH and silently wished them safe travels. They of course saw us and waved back!

I think we might camp in this spot on the way south in September.

It wasn’t but a few minutes later when we saw these two grizzly bear youngsters munching on the grasses along side the edge of the road. We pulled off the road, engaged our emergency flashers and watched them for several minutes. Traffic was very light on the southbound side, so Tricia opened the moon roof and climbed up into the passenger seat to take photos from a safe elevated position.

We then went to the Kluane National Park Visitor Center, hoping for Wifi to upload a post, but found none. What we did find was a spotting scope watching a small gathering of sheep high up on the mountainside.

Even with Tricia’s 3000mm zoom they still looked rather small and blurry in the photos, but you can defintely see the curved horns they are known for. The last photo even has a newborn lamb in it.