Left Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon at 8 AM and headed first to Haines Junction, YK, then another 150 or so more miles down to Haines, Alaska.

Stopped at a little bakery/pastry shop in Haines Junction.  It had some nice breads (the cheddar/jalapeño caught my eye as did the sourdough, but we declined).  It was not anywhere near the bakery in Waldport, OR, which is exceptionally decadent.

As we left Haines Junction for Haines, I saw a sign that said the next fuel was 200 km or 120 miles.  I told Karen ”I think I will turn around and get some gas”.  I then calculated that I had enough gas for 150 miles, so we did not top off the tank.

Onward we went.

Nice road, for the most part, and about 90 miles from Haines the valley opened up and we gained some elevation.  Soon there were only a few trees.  Then we dropped down in elevation, the forest returned with the largest trees I have seen since leaving WA.  

The gas gauge said empty in 29 miles.  Slowed down to increase mileage and luckily had a 6 or 8 mile downhill run, which helped a lot.  I said, “We are about at the 120 mile mark, a station should be close”.  It was.

We pulled in as the gauge read 20 miles of fuel left.  

Whew!  What a relief as I picked up the nozzle.  What a relief.

It was closed.

Looked at the iPhone’s Google map and it was still about 42 miles to Haines.  I said to Karen, “I think we might make it”.   But in reality, I thought there was a 70% chance we wouldn’t.  Drove the last 15 miles with a gauge that read “0”.   If it could have displayed negative numbers, I would have been on about -16 when we finally got to a station in Haines.

Weather was nice until we neared the water.  It clouded up, started drizzling, with a low ceiling.  Through breaks in the clouds we could tell there were some big mountains nearby.  Chilly.

After setting up, Allen and I took off to town – 1/4 mile down the road – to explore all the important things.  Stopped at the Haines Visitor Center, picked up a few brochures and inquired about fishing.  Only one company is running a charter in Haines this year.  Never heard back….yet.

Hit a little distillery and shared a flight of 5 of their spirits.  Then to the harbor and locating the most recommended restaurant.  Then locating the local brew pub.  What else could possibly be important in a town of 2,500?

But, hey, Haines is bigger than Depoe Bay.  At least there is a food store here – Depoe has none……

Tomorrow a 3 hour ferry ride down to the state capital, Juneau, population 31,500.  

It will be good to be on the water.