Today we crossed the Yukon River on a ferry and then began the climb to the Top of the World Highway.  This is a two-lane road (barely two in some places) mostly made up of earth and gravel.  There are very few guardrails lining the road which, in many places, drops hundreds of feet (in some places thousands of feet) straight down.  It was a 187-mile ride over 7 1/2 hours.  We cleared the border from Canada to Alaska with no trouble. 

The views (those I dared look at without becoming dizzy) were spectacular!!!  A whimsical stop along the highway is Chicken, Alaska.  Downtown Chicken is made up of three businesses-a merchantile, a saloon, and a cafe.  If nature should call, there is a compound of outhouses nearby.  The sign over the outhouses reads “Chicken Poop.”

In the late 1800’s, gold was discovered in the area and by 1902 the miners were ready to incorporate the town (the second to do so in Alaska).  When the post office was set up, they decided to name the town Ptarmigan after the bird found prominently in the area.  (Pronounced Tar-me-gan)  The bird looks very much like a pure white chicken.  When the people couldn’t decide on the correct spelling, they decided to make it simple and call it Chicken.  

Ptarmigan is now the Alaskan State Bird.  Summer population of Chicken 30-50 booming.  Winter population 17.

I’m exhausted and very glad I didn’t actually have to drive over the Top of the World Highway.  That would have been very hard since I closed my eyes and whistled Dixie through a lot of the ride.

Until later, Dolores and Richard

1. Chicken Poop   2. Our bus crossing the Yukon River  3.  Downtown Chicken, Alaska