No Ferry For You!

Well, our careful plans to avoid several thousand miles of wintery, remote mountain driving all came for naught when the Haines Highway was shut down for the last five days due to a major snowstorm creating ten to twenty foot snowdrifts. We ended up staying in Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, for two days hoping that the weather would lift and the plows would open the pass. But as our departure time approached yesterday, it became obvious that we were not going to make our ferry. So we decided to turn around and just drive down to the Lower 48.

Which is how I find myself able to access my blog at a Thriftlodge in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, this evening. The roads have been surprisingly clear so far and the weather has been gorgeous, so I think we made the right decision. Besides, we're already nearly 900 miles closer to Arizona than we were yesterday. What has also been surprising has been the lack of wildlife, considering how quiet the roads are this time of year. We did encounter several herds of endangered Wood Bison on the side of the road, but have only spotted four moose, a lone caribou and a fox since we left Seward.

You'll have to wait for pictures of the trip until we get to Arizona and can get them off of our camera, but the way things are going it's likely I'll be able to access my blog once or twice before then. Tomorrow we're hoping to make another 800 kilometers (you do the math) and stop in Prince George, then it's on to Seattle where we pick up our trailer and make the final push for the desert.

Oh, and happy new year!