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South Canol Road and Campbell Highway, Yukon Territory
Note: see my other page for pictures of the entire South Canol Road
04 July 2008
South Canol Road
After a very quiet night and restful sleep at Lapie Lake, we were on the road again, retracing yesterday's drive back to the Campbell Highway and Ross River.
Northbound on the South Canol
Lapie River
South of the Lapie Canyon bridge, the road traverses a hillside above the valley. In places it is very narrow; only one-lane. There is no roadside barrier. Note the front edge of the fifth wheel on the right side of the picture below.
South Canol Road on the hill alongside the Lapie River - note the front of the
fifth wheel on the right
Fortunately, we did not meet an oncoming vehicle through this section.
Southbound on the South Canol, just north of Lapie Canyon bridge
We encountered a truck & camper at the junction of the South Canol and Campbell Highway. During the exchange of pleasantries, we learned the couple was from Germany and they wished to drive the South Canol. They understood the bridge was out near Quiet Lake and seemed assured to see a truck and fifth wheel exiting the road. They were looking forward to boondocking at Lapie Lake.
Ross River
We had to fuel up so headed into Ross River again. The station had diesel but was out of unleaded gasoline, a lucky break for us! This was the second station that trip that had diesel but no unleaded gas.
Filling up with diesel at Ross River
The gas station is also the local store, post office and bank. I attempted to "chat it up" with the staff inside, but walked away with a feeling that I was not welcome.
Ross River gas station, store, post office and bank
We were happy to be leaving Ross River for the last time this trip. We had
started to refer to it as Rot River, which accurately reflected our experiences
there.
This is so unlike most Yukon communities, where we have always felt safe and welcome. It was also not the same as our visit in 2007, when we felt welcomed. We scooted out of town and enjoyed lunch along the Campbell Highway.
Campbell Highway
Southbound on the Campbell Highway just south of Ross River
Southbound on the Campbell Highway, south of Ross River
The highway was in much better condition in September 2007. We were
somewhat
surprised by the slow-going. It took four hours to drive from Ross River
to Frances
Lake Yukon Gov't campground.
Cleaning some mud off the truck at the campground
The bugs were very bad tonight, so we planned to stay inside and relax. I tried to walk Jake, but the poor big dog could not take a pee in peace; we had to keep on the move to keep the mosquitoes out of our hair and off our faces.
While we sat inside the fifth wheel, the mosquitoes lined themselves up on the screen windows looking for any opportunity to get inside. And sure enough, we had a couple of pesky ones around our ears as we tried to sleep that night.
Campsite at Frances Lake - mosquito haven