Over the next few days we found ourselves winding our way through steep mountains, gazing off at dramatic vistas and seeing wildlife every few minutes. Yes, this was the Alaska Highway I was expecting. “I didn’t expect it to be so scenic,” said David. We went up and down valleys and along rivers with super fast currents.
We gazed at Muncho Lake with its still, jade-green water. The road follows the lakeshore. This was the most difficult part of the highway to construct because of steep cliffs next to the lake. We read interpretive panels on Stone sheep.
We went on a steep trail through a fairy-like forest to view some “mineral lick” cliffs where sheep, elk and deer come for salt and other minerals. We didn’t see any animals there, but we saw lots of sheep on the road. Both adults and babies were licking the salt off the road like ice cream. 
We saw solitary Woods bison and a herd of them. We saw more black bear and moose.
One of the requisite stops along the highway is Liard Hotsprings. You walk about a half mile on a boardwalk through a marsh and woods with tropical-looking plants to steaming hot pools of water. We soaked in the hotsprings along with a bunch of other people. The closer you moved to the source, the hotter it got. It got too hot for me to stand. I got out, sat on a bench and talked with a woman who had been on the road for 8 months with her 4 cats, dog and male friend, who was a professional photographer. From her remarks, it seemed the quarters were a bit too close.
That night we stayed at a campground next to raging rapids of the Liard River.
In the morning we watched another camper walking his 7 dogs. We continued on to Watson Lake, famous for its Signpost Forest. Started in 1942, people have put up over 71,000 signs with their names and home towns.
It’s quite a sight.
We took a short hike to some picturesque falls. Seems like every time we stop and talk to someone, the topic of bears comes up. A man painting a building in the parking area for the falls asked us if we had bear spray with us. “You have nothing to worry about,” he said to David, “as long as you can run faster than her.” (meaning me). Then he told us one of his bear encounter stories. (Everyone has them, even us.) Every time this happens, Davids says we have to get some bear spray, and he’s leery about hiking in the woods. On this occasion, there were enough other people walking the trail, it wasn’t a problem.
The scenery just keeps getting better. We deviated from the highway to Carcross in the Yukon. It’s a tiny town that gets hoards of tourists. While we were there, the tourist train pulled in, and all the passengers piled out. They milled around the few stores and exhibits, then got in line for ice cream. Within a half hour they had boarded about five buses waiting to take them to Whitehorse. 
The following day we drove 67 miles to Skagway, Alaska, leaving the trailer in Carcross. The drive was spectacular, going over White Pass where stampeders (gold prospectors) had traveled during the Klondike gold rush in 1898. They had an arduous journey and most didn’t make it. (A few died, the rest gave up.) Out of 100,000 stampeders, 30,000 made it all the way to Dawson City. Once there they discovered there was no gold to be had. Only a few actually made more money than they had when they arrived. It’s quite an interesting story full of colorful characters. 
The drive to Skagway took almost three hours because we stopped at all the turnouts with views or historical plaques. In Skagway we learned even more about the gold rush at the national park by visiting their museum, watching a film and going on a ranger walk. The town itself is small, touristy and rich in history. Tourists from cruise ships and the train pour into the town for short periods of time, so the shops do their best to pry their money away from them. There were at least three jewelry shops on every block. 
The setting on the water with the mountains as backdrop was fabulous. We walked around town and visited the gold rush cemetery and some waterfalls. It was cold, very windy and a bit rainy. The scenery on the way back was just as spectacular the second time. 
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