FRIDAY |
SIGN POST FOREST |
 YUKON TERRITORY |
Our morning started at 7:30AM today as we made our way into the restaurant for breakfast. We also purchased two large cinnamon raisin buns fresh out of the oven to have later today.
The temperature was 31°F when we climbed into ROVER to depart on today's travels. The frost on the windshield took nearly five minutes of high intensity defrosting before we could see well enough out the front glass to drive. Thank goodness there was very little rain last night and none forecasted for today.
Once on the road it wasn't hard to follow the directions on the GPS. It simply showed that we needed to go 163-miles down the road and turn left into the parking lot. I already knew that!
I can't help sharing more photos of autumn color with you all, it's just that stunning to someone who grew up in South Florida. We're hoping to travel down through British Columbia at the same rate that the colors are turning so we get a perpetual showing of the bright yellows and greens all the way to the U.S. border, ten days from now.
We drove this same section of the Alaska Highway back on May 23rd, except last time we were headed north. Back then we pulled over at the Rancheria Falls Recreation Site to take a short 1/3-mile trail where we would be rewarded with a pair of waterfalls.
Back in May we made it about 10-yards into the woods and down the trail before we ran into 6 to 8 inch deep snow. No waterfall sightings for us that day.
That's why we made a note in our Milepost book to stop there again on the way south and that's just what we did today.
It was a little bit different conditions we found here today, do I dare say perfect! No snow on the ground, clear skies and temps in the lower 50F's, plus we just about had the place to ourselves.
This is the beginning of the trail where we encountered 3-feet on snow back in May.
At about the halway point the trail tuns into an elevated boardwalk.
This is the first of two short waterfalls to be found at the end of the trail.
The second waterfall is just 50-yards to the left of the first one.
Waterfall #1 is upstream on the Rancheria River.
Waterfall #2 is downstream of Waterfall #1 by just 50-yards.
Those of you who always "skip to the good stuff" will just have to play my little quessing game.
Clue #2 - I admit, this one is not much help unless you've actually been here.
Our FREE camping spot for tonight. It's a NO FRILLS kind of place.
Clue #3 - This one might help you solve the puzzle.
That's the same ladder we loaned to Winston to help him achieve his goal here back in May.
Clue #4 - That's the very last rung on our 12-foot ladder and our offering.
Have you figured it out yet?
Clue #5 - OK, this will certainly give away the answer.
This was the location where we set up shop for the TWO PEAS installation crew.
Unfortunately there were many signs stating NO CAMPING - NO OVERNIGHT PARKING.
It looks as if I'm getting ready to go up the ladder and take care of business, doesn't it?
Nope, that job would be Tricia's. We wanted the biggest anchor holding the bottom of the ladder.
I did go up the ladder later to clear away a low hanging branch on a nearby tree though.
Winston and VerJean's wooden RWandVJ sign can clearly be seen "dead center" in this photo.
It looks just as good as it did back in May when it was in the front row.
It should considering the 12-coats of premium outdoor deck sealant that Winston applied to it.
Now for the test. Can you spot both signs in this photo? Ours is easy of course!
I first acquired these two tags from the State of Florida back in the year 2000. They were registered to my two trucks, a 1988 FORD 4x4 Bronco II and a 1993 FORD 4x4 4-door Explorer. They remained on those trucks until 2006 when I changed from the "Save the Manatee" specialty plates to the "Helping Sea Turtles Survive" specialty plates.
The tags "MAR GAR" and "ITA VIL" of course when placed next to each other spell out MARGARITAVIL (missing the final LE or course). Those that know me are aware that I'm a huge Jimmy Buffett fan.
In 1981 Jimmy himself established the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Save the Manatee Club with the help and support of then Senator Bob Graham of Florida. I felt that made these plates a one-of-a-kind item and phoned the manager of the Margaritaville Store and Bar in Key West.
They display license tags that are Jimmy related from all over the country on the walls in the bar and gift shop. I told him I was willing to surrender the expired plates to him if he would promise me they would be displayed in the Key West location and not possibly some other Margaritaville location I might never visit somewhere else around the world.
Long story short, he wouldn't or couldn't make me that promise. So I kept the plates and displayed them in my office at home. My then current "Helping Sea Turtles Survive" plates were valid and left registered to the trucks.
Then on September 22, 2015 I had a second and even better opportunity to find a home for the plates. A Margaritaville location was opened just 6-miles from my home in Hollywood, FL. That's much better than the Key West location 140-miles from my home.
Again I made the same request to the new manager in Hollywood and recieved the same answer as before, he can't do it. I'm not even sure if they hang license tags in the new upscale location in Hollywood, I only visited the property once and didn't see any.
In 2008 I had also retired the "Helping Sea Turtles Survive" plates and put them away for some future hope they would be needed.
In 2017 I applied for the vanity tags of TWO PEAS and THE POD on standard Florida tags and continue to display them on the rear end of ROVER and THE POD today.
In 2013 when I packed up and sold my house I ran across all four plates and put them into my storage unit. Then in 2018 when we started selling everything we own in preparation of this life on the road I once again ran across the plates and just couldn't bring myself to discard them. So they found a place somewhere in ROVER or THE POD, I can't remember which, and they have been with us ever since we hit the road.
Wow! That's a little more history than what I was planning to share, which brings us to 2022.
When we were here at the Sign Post Forest back in May I was fully prepared to place my "Helping Sea Turtles Survive" plates somewhere on a post in the forest. Problem was I could only locate the "Save the Manatee Club" plates and just didn't want to give up the dream for those one-of-a-kind plates.
Now we are back here at the Sign Post Forest in September and I realized that not once since May have I put forth the effort to locate the other "not so special" version of the plates. I had a decision to make, give up the dream of my plates ending up in a Margaritaville or bring a little bit of the Parrothead vibe to this small town in the Yukon Territory of Canada.
As you can see, a decision has been made. I placed them as high up the post as possible to help deter the possibility of vandalism and who knows, if we ever make it back to Watson Lake and I've located those pesky plates I could always swap them out. I have that right, don't I? Or maybe all four will end up permantly located in Watson Lake.
I know which one Tricia will be rooting for!
Here is where we'll keep track of our progress to achieve that goal.
DESTINATION: THE LOWER 48
| 100% | |
| COMPLETED - 0 miles=(0 kilometers) ⟺ 1349 miles=(2171 kilometers) - STILL TO GO |
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Until next time
