Day 3—June 7, 2018—Today’s drive was uneventful.  We made another 260 miles and reached Wolf Creek, YT, our campground for the next two days just outside of Whitehorse.  Surprisingly we failed to see any wildlife on the road today.  When we got camp set up we started a nice fire and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sitting or standing by it.  When our friend Bob Fredrick arrived, we took a short walk to see the Boreal Owl but were unsuccessful.  We will try again tomorrow.  Other than taking our first shower in the trailer, the rest of the day was uneventful except for the stunning scenic drive to get here.

Day 4—June 8, 2018—We once again tried for the Boreal Owl in the camp nest box, but it failed to show.  Then we headed into town where we stopped at the marsh across the street from Walmart.  Here we found a pair of Common Mergansers, Herring and Mew Gulls, White-crowned Sparrow and a single Yellow Warbler.  The most interesting thing we observed was a Red Fox that came ambling by in search of bird eggs.  He was successful in the hunt while several gulls made diving swoops at him to chase him away.  We also had 7 or 8 immature Bald Eagles hunting the area.  After a brief visit to the Visitors Bureau where we found information on local birding sites we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant.  The food was ok, but the chocolate brownie with two large scoops of ice cream and caramel on top of that was delicious.  Then we headed out to Fish Lake where Deb got her Red-necked Grebe and there was Common Loon there as well.  Then to nearby Marsh Lake where we found a fellow photographer shooting pictures of a nice adult Bald Eagle.  In addition to the eagle Deb added another life bird, Common Goldeneye.  This concluded our day of birding and off to camp we went.

Day 4—June 9, 2018—The morning was spent on chores—laundry, taking my generator to have it checked out—didn’t get it fixed because it was Saturday and no mechanic there—and went and washed the pickup.  Then back to camp to prepare to move to Walmart for the night.  We met a couple there who were birders as well.  We went to check out the owl box with them.  This time there was evidently a young bird in the box, but it was unable to look out.  We could see a feather come up to the opening on occasion, but not the bird.  At any rate we were able to recruit them for a Seward boat trip around July 1.  With us and the Fredrick’s that will make 8 and I think we can swing the boat with Tanya as captain. I contacted her, and she is checking with the owner.  Before moving into Walmart with the other campers, we took the opportunity to fill our tank with water and use the dump at the adjacent gas station.  Then we dropped the trailer, headed to KFC for a quick meal.  Then we headed south to another birding location.  This one also turned out positive for Deb as we found 4 Bohemian Waxwings, a bird I find difficult to locate in Alaska.  We made one more run at the Boreal Owl but dipped again.  Then back to the trailer and made final preparation for leaving.  As it turned out, the heater isn’t working, and it was raining hard and cold.  We bundled up and went to bed early.

Day 5—June 10, 2018—As we headed out we knew this would be our last day in Canada.  The original plan was to stop at a campground near Beaver Creek, YT, but when we reached there it was only 3, and soon to be 2 when we crossed into Alaska, so we decided to head on toward TOK, AK.  Today we drove a total of 380 miles and made the crossing into Alaska.  Along the way we had a large Grizzly Bear alongside the road and a Black Bear swimming a creek.  In addition, Deb was able to add Trumpeter Swan, Pacific Loon and Barrow’s Goldeneye to her list.  Her count has now reached about 410.  We found a very nice rest area that is elevated about the highway and has a great look at the large lake below.  There were Barrow’s Goldeneye, Canvasbacks, White-winged Scoters and a single Artic Tern.  We also had a moose and her day-old calf cross just in front of us.  We are camped for the night at this rest location.   It is in the forties and raining, so we hope for better weather in the morning.

Day 6—June 11, 2018—It rained all night and the temperature was in the low 40’s.  We packed up camp and headed toward our destination of Tangle Lakes on the Denali Highway.  When we reached Tok, AK I stopped at a RV repair shop there and got our heater fixed.  That’s a VERY good thing because we are now camped on a pull off about three miles up the Denali Highway.  The snow had stopped turning to slush, so we decided it best to just stop and wait it out.  We have only been here an hour or so and I’m sure it has snowed 2 to 3 inches.  I called my friends at Tangle River Lodge and Violet said they were supposed to have a snow plow in the morning, but it might continue to snow through the day.  We will just have to wait and see.  I must say sitting here writing this and watching the snow fall outside the window is quite beautiful.  This year the alder bush has only began to bud out up here.  We are still in the small, stunted Black Spruce area and have not reached the tundra yet.  I did hear from Violet that the Smith’s Longspur is being seen at mile 19 on the north side of the highway beyond the second hill at a small pond.  Hopefully we will get to see it.  I have missed on it the last 3 years.  The drive to our current location was uneventful all the way to Delta Junction.  It did rain on and off.  When we started toward Paxon and the Denali Highway cut off it was intermittent rain but as we approached the Summit Lake area on the highway it started snowing and snowing hard.  The last ten miles were driven slowly and the when we turned up the highway toward Tangle Lakes it became harder.  The roads are still open but with a trailer I decided it was not worth risking it, so we shut down for the night.  So here we sit and will see what tomorrow brings.  I posted a picture of our campsite on my Facebook page if you want to see it.  I guess I will have time tonight to work on photos and hopefully get them posted.