The Name Game

We all left the campground by 8 because we heard the roads were bad between here and the Alaska border. And, yes, they were. But not terrible. Lots of gravel and potholes and places where the road has sunk because of permafrost which causes heaves. You have to drive slowly and be careful and we all made it through with no damage, but lots of mud. Jeff and I have a bib for our tow car and it covers the entire front and windshield. The car and RV were so dirty when we got to our next stop and luckily they have an RV wash and we rinsed and scrubbed away much of the road grime. The sun held out for most of the morning and more magnificent scenery. We stopped at Burwash Landing to see the world's largest gold pan. Lot of "biggest" things on this trip. There's a cute museum here, but not open at 8:30 am. We started to pass many small lakes where major bird migrations occur in the spring and fall. This area is known for migrating Sandhill Cranes and Trumpeter Swans. We did see some swans who stay year round and they are such graceful creatures. And then we met Shirley which explains the title song. Remember "Shirley, Shirley, bo Shirley..." We were stopped at a construction site and waited about a half hour before we were piloted through. Turns out they had done seal coat and then it poured and the road was full of gravel patches and really nasty. We were escorted 10 kilometers and Shirley was there to keep us safe while we waited. Each site has workers at both ends and they talk to the drivers and explain what is going on. Shirley told me she is from British Columbia and a seasonal worker living in a dorm. She was able to bring her dog and he keeps her company and assists. He actually strolled up and down and checked out the cars and drivers. She said people ask her if he's a drug sniffing dog and she just laughs. She does feel he keeps wild animals away from the site and she hasn't seen any bears. In any event her car is parked nearby and she has snacks and drinks inside for her breaks.