Yukon Ahead from top of the trailer!

Even though we covered an immense block of North America there is only so much that fits in the window of the truck. There is only so much that can be seen from the ridge top in one instant. There are limits to the here-and-now experience that makes the larger scope impossible to comprehend all at once. A large North America map helps, but it is, after all, just a map. A space picture is better, but not the same thing as being there. As it rained much of the time there was often little sense of direction. Even though I turned the wheel of the truck, what was ahead was generally, just that, ahead. My sense of a new direction was not truly registered. It felt very much the same to drive east or west as south or north. Only by employing some trick was it possible to understand the direction. Look at the compass, check the GPS, go find where the sun is located. That would help, but up ahead is the road and the great expanse of terrain.

While we were in the Yukon, I thought maybe we didn’t really need to go to Alaska. How could it be any different? Its far north, there’s lots of short frizzled trees with odd tilts from perma frost. The roads all undulate from frost heaves and the sun stays up all the time in deep summer. I wasn’t remembering Alaska too well. The Yukon is largely landlocked up to the Arctic. To experience fjords, dive into Alaska by driving down to Skagway or Haines. The water is often dominant in the Alaskan experience with so much coast. To see glaciers, move on to Alaska. While the Yukon has them, they are mostly up and out of sight.