Day 12: Haines, AK to Glenallen, AK

Trip Log for 6 Jun 2012

• Miles Driven: 564.8
• Sunrise: 03:52 AKT / Sunset: 23:24 AKT

I'm in the car as I write this log. It's approaching 22:00 and we decided as we got back into Alaska that we would just push on through another couple of hours since we've already had a long day of driving. We stopped for dinner in Tok and called a place in Glenallen to make a reservation. It started raining on us again during that last 100 miles so we agreed trying to camp would just suck especially since all of our stuff is currently dry. That will leave us just 189 miles to go tomorrow to get back to Anchorage. Homesickness is really starting to settle in and yet we still have the better part of three days to go.

When we got up this morning, the weather had cleared up a bit in Haines but there was a cruise ship docked in the cove. I guess the influx of visitors helps the economy but it really seems to put a tarnish on the town. Coincidentally, we heard a story on CBC radio while driving today about the postal service in Skagway and how with recent cutbacks, they were reduced to one postal worker for the city based on population; but, because of all the cruise ship visitors, the post office is overwhelmed to where it can take 10 days to get priority mail.

The drive up from Haines enters Canada in British Columbia and this is where we planned to place a geocache so that others taking the Haines Highway could get a BC find. It's only a distance of 45 miles and goes through a couple of high mountain passes which were very, very foggy and cold. We stopped at the high point, Haines Summit, but there was no where good to hide an ammo can. We kept driving until we saw some good spruce trees to hide it in off the ground so that it could be accessible even in winter snow. We chose a spot across from a large gravel pullout with a scenic view near km marker 134 and plan to call it "Thieving Neko's BC Cache." I just hope it gets published.

This was the first time for me to go through customs twice in a day and to go from one time zone into another then back into the original one, this case from Alaska time to Pacific and back to Alaska. Most of the drive was pretty uneventful except for the terrible frost heaves that keep us alert and this evening we've seen over a dozen moose. In Kluane National Park, we stopped to look at the Dall sheep still up on the hillside. On the radio right now is some weird show where the guy is just playing James Bond movie themes. So sleepy! I am looking forward to a good night's sleep.