Prior to departing Haines Junction we came across a wonderful little Catholic Church put together in the '50s by a priest who had come north. He scavenged parts including an abandoned Quonset hut for the church. It was quite lovely.
Other than the Kulane visitor's center and Kulane National park, the drive for the next 100 miles was absolute . The roads were full of frost heaves and gravel. Because of the trailer I could only go 30 mph. Grueling and extremely tiring. From what the girls at the visitor center told us we will be in for more of the same all the way to Tok, AK. By the end of the day my rig was covered in mud. I must wash it at the first opportunity. We will cross the border tomorrow.
Kulane Park is the largest wilderness area in the Americas. It is full of large glaciers and ice fields and bordered to the east by an enormous lake providing endless photo ops. We certainly needed the photo breaks. By the time we got to the camp ground we were exhausted. I think I was asleep by 8 o'clock. Alaska time will be one hour earlier, ahhhhhhhh, moan, groan!
The trees in this part of the world are so unusual. They look like very tall, skinny spruce trees except the tops are misshapen and many of them look to be dying. In the swamp they are perpetually falling in the water.
The swamp is very beautiful; pools of blue/green water punctuated with bright green grasses an islands of spruce trees and can be seen on either side of the highway as we go along. This is home to moose and the ever loving mosquito. A phenomena called muskeg is constantly forming in the swamp. Muskeg is a mass of low decaying beds that form a base for new growth ranging from marsh violet, marigold, juniper to swamp gentian. The swamp is a very complex ecosystem.
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