You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog

Oh Yeh - today we go to Tok, Alaska! It's good to be back in the USA and we leave the beautiful Yukon and it's not so great roads. On the way we pass through some cute towns including Burwash Landing, home of the world's largest gold pan. Along the way we see a majestic bald eagle sitting in a roadside tree. We pulled over and had a staring contest with him for quite a while. He was large with a bright yellow beak and feet and of course a pure white head. We also started seeing snowshoe hares. They are large bunnies with really large ears that stand straight up. In the winter they are white like the snow, but in the warm months they turn gray/black.

The best part of the day was a series of small lakes with swans. I finally got to see the large trumpeter swan and it is exciting. They are so gorgeous with long, graceful necks. At one pond I got out of the RV and walked over some gravel to the edge of the water. The swan couple swam out so I got a great view and then went around in circles so I got some great photos. Then a van pulled up and four Asian men got out - each with a camera equipped with a telephoto lens. They ran down to the bank and started snapping away and chattering. This frightened the swans and they flew away. I already had my pictures and it was neat to see them fly.

At the US/Canadian border we stopped to take some pictures and then crossed into Alaska. The roads got better and the gas prices cheaper. The first town we reach is Tok and we stay at the Sourdough Campground which is lovely and lots of fun. The sites are heavily wooded and private. I took a few guests into town to see a display of gold nuggets and a sled dog talk. We got to hold the puppies and they are so sweet.

Later the campground had an outdoor dinner and entertainment. They have picnic tables in a covered pavilion and serve reindeer chili or potato soup in a bread bowl. Dessert was blueberry pie. A band played oldies and rock 'n roll and special guest Elvis came back from the dead to make an appearance. The night ended with a pancake toss where we threw actual stale pancakes into a tub to win a free breakfast.