Today our Alaska RV adventure takes us from some of the worst roads we’ve encountered on this entire trip to one of the strangest experiences we’ve ever had! We leave our beautiful campsite at Tatchun Lake and immediately discover that getting to Dawson City isn’t going to be easy. We battle miles of washboard roads, massive potholes, construction, clouds of dust, and stretches where the road seems to disappear completely, leaving us driving on little more than a dirt track.
Gracie the Gray Nomad and our Super C motorhome take a serious beating before we finally make it to Dawson City, Yukon. And what a destination! Dawson City feels like stepping straight into the Klondike Gold Rush. Dirt streets, historic buildings, and an entire town that seems frozen in time make this one of the most fascinating places we’ve visited on our Alaska adventure.
Our first stop is the Yukon River ferry, where we load Gracie and cross to our campground on the opposite side of the river. This turns out to be a smart move because the Top of the World Highway begins on this side of the river—and ferry waits can sometimes stretch for hours. Luckily, we barely had to wait before getting Gracie on the ferry.
We set up at the beautiful Yukon River Campground and then head back across the river to explore Dawson City. We visit Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall and Saloon, enjoy the famous Can-Can show, have a few drinks, and experience the wild Gold Rush atmosphere of this incredible town.
The next day, those horrible roads catch up with us. We spend some time doing RV maintenance and repairing windshield cracks and chips caused by the rough Yukon roads. Then we go searching for something completely different—the Paddlewheel Boat Graveyard. We find the abandoned paddlewheel boats along the Yukon River and explore the wreckage like a couple of amateur archaeologists. This turns out to be one of Mike’s favorite discoveries in Dawson City! But the strangest—and probably grossest—part of our Dawson City adventure is still ahead.
We head to the Sourdough Saloon to attempt the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail. Yes…there is a REAL HUMAN TOE in the glass. Both Mike AND Nancy take the challenge, drinking the shot while allowing the toe to actually touch their lips. 😳🤮 And Nancy’s reaction afterward is absolutely priceless!
We finish our Dawson City adventure by wandering through the historic downtown, taking in the preserved Gold Rush buildings and imagining what life must have been like during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Then it’s time to catch up on our Living Phase 2 sticker board and add all the new stickers we’ve collected along this incredible Alaska journey.
This day had EVERYTHING—brutal roads, an RV repair, a Yukon River ferry, Gold Rush history, a boat graveyard, live entertainment, and a REAL HUMAN TOE!
Enjoy watching this episode of our epic Alaskan adventure HERE.