July 9, 2007 – Chicken, Alaska

Today our travels took us to Chicken, Alaska.

Pictures of the road to Chicken – beautiful! We did have more frost heaves and we also saw many areas that were burned in the fires of 2004.

Alaska has a plant called the fireweed that grows freely throughout the state (also grows in the Yukon). Most of the time that we saw this flower was just along the highway but today we saw them covering the mountains. The purple you see is acres of the fireweed.

A close up of the fireweed:

(This is also the plant we will watch to know when it is time to leave Alaska. We have been told that once this plant goes to seed, the snow will follow within 2 weeks.)

There is also another plant that we have seen throughout Alaska and the Yukon and we found many of them here. The plants tops are very soft - almost like fur. Not sure what they are but here is a picture:

We arrived in Chicken and have been having a great time. Chicken has a population of 30 in the summer and 6 in the winter. At the local saloon, we have a chance to talk with long time Chicken-ites. The winters here are dark, cold (-60 F) and the road is closed. People stock up before the snow starts, they receive mail by plane twice a week, and the children are home schooled. There is no electricity and there are outhouses!!! You have to be a brave soul to winter here. It was also interesting to hear others telling stories about the animals (moose, wolf) as well as their friends coming to see them by dog sled. They are true pioneers.

Last year they installed satellite internet and now they have phones thru the internet. Before that – no phone service, only ham radio.

Andy at the local pub:

Chicken was supposedly named by early miners who wanted to name their camp ptarmigan, but were unable to spell it so they settled for Chicken.


So tomorrow we will do our best to travel on the Top of the World Highway towards Dawson City, Yukon. The road is dirt here and we are told it will get better towards the border. We have also been told that the scenery is incredible (gosh, where isn’t it incredible here!). This will only be a day trip and we will return here tomorrow night. (We are leaving the motorhome here.)

Stay tuned.

Sunset tonight is 11:34 PM and sunrise tomorrow is 3:41 AM. There are still 24 hours of daylight and 19 hours of sunshine (when it is not raining). What a hoot!! (It can really mess up your mind in the evening!!!).

Miles Traveled: 78
Routes Traveled:
Alaska: AK-2 (ALCAN); AK-5 (Taylor Highway)