Day 9: Toad River, BC to Whitehorse, YT (473 miles)

Avg. Gas $3.50

To make up for our short day, we decided to wake up early and hit the road. By 6:30 am we were in the car and pulling out of Toad River. The loss of one extra hour of sleep was rewarded within the first 5 minutes. On the side of embankment we drive past a pair of elk. Huge yet shy animals, we stop to admire them, but they quickly disappear into the woods. We had plans to stop 70 miles further up the road at the Liard Hot Springs. Everyone raved about them. Within those 70 miles we saw elk, caribou, bison, deer and moose! I was blown away. The whole trip I had seen signs for these animals, had been examining the woods as we zipped by, but had seen nothing more than a deer and some fowl. And finally, one life goal checked off the list, I had seen a moose!



Liard Hot Springs are said to be one of the prettiest natural springs. The walk from the parking lot to the springs is on a 6-foot wide plank walkway that cuts through a marsh. The marsh is fed by the hot springs, so the water is warm. There are fish and bird species that live nowhere else in Canada but here. Also, often sited at these hot springs are moose. And I was lucky enough to see one! She was through the trees, only 20 yards away. She was huge and beautiful. You can see her pretty well in the picture. I thought of Alexa, Lacey and Chelsea. MOOSE! It was better than I had imagined.



The drive from Liard to Whitehorse was sparsely populated. We had entered the Yukon Territory and it was noticeable. The only town we passed through is called Watson Lake. It is famous for the sign post forest. Hundreds of travelers hang road signs from a town in their state. Colby and I were on the lookout for Texas and Oklahoma. There were plenty from Texas and California, few from Oklahoma. Then, as we were wandering through the rows of signs, Colby spotted a Stillwater, OK sign. We stop to take his picture. And then, miraculously across from the Stillwater sign, a Corsicana, TX road sign! I was so surprised and excited. Who had driven all the way from Corsicana, knew of the sign post forest, brought a sign and then hung it up? If you are that person, please tell me! It made me so happy.


Finally Colby and I pull into Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory. The town boasts 20,000 of the 25,000 people in the entire territory. The infamous Yukon River cuts directly through the town. At this time of the year, two thirds of the river is frozen. You can hear the creaks and booms as the sun slowly melts the ice. We stay with another couch surfing house for the night. This one has a slightly different vibe than the last. It is a house full of college age girls. We stay up relatively late drinking whiskey, talking politics and end the evening swapping hunting stories. The warm house, big kitchen and bed was welcomed. We had a long drive ahead. Next stop, Fairbanks!