Bye-Bye Bucket List Item #2

(2018 Alaska Ep 44)

On August 25, we headed south to Canada, the Alaska and Cassiar highways and eventually Washington State.  Our plans were to visit some camp friends and Pat’s cousin when we reached the lower 48.

We visited the official end of the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction and camped further south in Tok.  In June we camped in Tok when we first arrived in Alaska.

The small town was noticeably less busy this time – campgrounds were mostly empty and there were fewer vehicles on the road.  Summer visitors were headed south!

We decided to take a day trip to Chicken, Alaska, a couple hours away via the Taylor Highway.

According to town lore, Chicken got its name because the town founders were unable to spell Ptarmigan.

Once a gold mining town, Chicken now consists of several souvenir stores, a couple campgrounds and some very interesting relics from the gold rush days, including a huge gold dredge.  It also has a large chicken statue made of scrap metal by high school students in Homer, Alaska.

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The weather was cold and clear during our first evening in Tok.  We drove 15 miles to a dark area out of town.  As the sun set, we had a wonderful surprise!

Above us were moving ribbons of green that crisscrossed the sky – the Northern Lights!  We watched for more than an hour as the intensity and colors varied.  At times the entire sky was filled with varying patterns and occasional different colors.

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As we prepared to leave Alaska after more than two months, we reflected on God’s blessings and presence throughout our trip.  We had traveled and seen much, and the lights were icing on the cake, reminding us of His creation and majesty!