... and into a new land

Day 2:
The office we were unable to visit the night before opened at 8:00am.  I did everything I could to get everyone up in time and we walked up so I could pay the balance for our night's stay.  The amount almost made me broke immediately, but I was able to juggle some CD's around from some various banks to make it work.  Fifteen dollars!!  We also filled up with gas, which wasn't as bad (just kidding!!) and we got started driving for the day.  In three miles, a man came up to us from US Customs to ask if we were bringing any game out of Alaska.  No.  He let us pass.  A half a mile later, we all got out at the Alaska sign, where we all stopped to get our picture.  I was surprised no one else was there.

The Snethen-Seven at the Alaska sign, located at the Alaska-Yukon border.  From left to right, the Snethen-Seven are:  David, Benjamin, Rebekah, Kimberly, Jenny, Jonathan and Daniel.

Immediately, upon entering the Yukon, the road became a lot rougher, a lot more gravel, a lot more bumps, a lot more wobbles in the motor-home. 

Going through customs was an interesting experience.  The customs agent said, "Hello; bonjour."  He asked us a bunch of questions and eventually, he needed to see inside our home.  Unfortunately, for some reason, that was the exact time our motor home decided not to allow us to open its door.  There's a screw that secures the door that occasionally loosens and we had to ask the customs agent for a screwdriver so we could pry the door open.  By the time I came out to assess the situation, a line had formed behind us and I was more than a little embarrassed.  Nevertheless, we were permitted to pass through once he counted the heads of our children, not asking us anything about pets, not even asking to see the birth-certificates of our children.

Kimberly stops for a picture at the store in Beaver Creek, YT.

Having finally crossed the border, we stopped in Beaver Creek to use the washroom, our first chance to use the Canadian currency I'd bought from Keybank in Fairbanks.  At that point, I gave the kids a reading assignment, a pamphlet I'd picked up on Haines Junction back in Fairbanks, giving them a test when we arrived at the town.  Driving on, we passed Kluane Lake and eventually stopped in Haines Junction where Rebekah directed me to the Post Office, arriving four minutes past closing.  The lady couldn't (or wouldn't) mail the post cards the kids had written the day before.

Dashitall!!

Nevertheless, we drove on, another two hours to Whitehorse and were happy to find that our cellphones worked.  Calling to make a reservation at an RV park, we were happy to hear they were open till eleven o'clock, so we spent the next few hours exploring the capital of the Yukon.  After filling up with 151 liters of gasoline, we got a few supplies at Wal-Mart.  Especially since Jonathan had begun cutting teeth on our first day of travel, Jenny decided it was most prudent to visit, knowing that they would have the pharmaceutical items we needed for him.

Jenny cutting Irish cheese with a plastic butter knife in the Yukon.  After packing two knives in the RV, we were unable to locate either of them, so we eventually replaced them when we stopped at Wal-Mart in Whitehorse.  My prediction is they will be found first thing tomorrow morning....

Finally, we got to the RV park where I have posted the last three blogs.  I hope you are enjoying our adventures and I will continue the story next time we are able to post on the internet.