July 14 - Peach

July 14, Day 14.

“Peach" here! (Actually it's 7/13 but we're leaving early on 7/14, driving further into the Yukon, where it's pretty much guaranteed we won't have much coverage of any kind). So, last night at about 3am we heard an odd noise like someone hitting the side of the camper. We checked it out, couldn't find anything until this morning when I opened the fridge to find 2 cans of pop had frozen and exploded over almost everything inside-great way to start your morning. Another lesson-don't put the fridge on #5. #3 works just fine. Good thing our site has full hook-ups so using water was no problem! Then we went to discover the sites of "downtown " Watson Lake (about 2 blocks long). We knew most of what to find because we have been using parts of a log that my older sister, Maryann, kept from their 2018 trip up here. She and her husband, Hub, + 2 dogs, drove from Savannah, GA in 2018 with their F150 pulling a 35' trailer. We knew about our "parking lot" RV place because of her log but knew we could walk to anything and the owner, Archie, is the nicest guy ever-originally from Scotland. First walk was to the Sign Post Forest. Started in 1942 by a forlorn, homesick US soldier building the Alaskan Hwy. He tacked up a sign saying he was from Danville, Illinois. Since then, the forest has grown to hundreds of wooden posts with over 55,000 signs/license plates, etc nailed to the posts or trees. Even a toaster from a newly married couple in 1989-(maybe they got too many as wedding gifts.) it is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world! It is truly AMAZING- I smiled my way through it. In 2018, Maryann and Hub took a selfie in the forest. We searched for well over an hour to find where they took the picture. As we were ready to just take our picture anywhere, I turned around and yelled (there it is-the place they had taken their picture!) We were so excited! Then a walk across the road to the Northern Lights theater to see a wonderful show on the Aurora Borealis. Final stop was at the only tire repair store 300 miles north or south. We had no tire problems but Dick had been told by someone to "torque the lug nuts" after so many miles. The owner, Brent, is the quintessential born and bred Yukon backwoods type. We loved him! He gave Dick the tools needed, left me as collateral while Dick went back to "torque his nuts". Meanwhile, Brent and I became the best of friends- especially since his wife was 1000 miles away in the wilderness for her father's funeral. Dick returned (smiling), Brent gave us some of his wife's beef jerky (she's a trapper), a hand shake and a hug, and we left-wouldn't take any money. We could have listened forever to his stories!!

Mary Ann and Hub at the Signpost Forest in 2018.

Picture in same spot of us today.

Picture of my new fella, Brent. Dick traded me earlier for Jessie at Hard Knox Brewery. I traded Dick for Brent at Watson Lake Tire Shop!