Alaska 2025 – 07 – Travelling with the Schinglers

We rejoined the Alaska Highway just north of Watson Lake. We backtracked and decided to stay an extra day as we got a little ahead of ourselves with the detour. We will see Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge and Fort Nelson (and it’s Heritage Museum) on the return trip.

It appeared to us that there were significantly more signs and the world famous Signpost Village that we saw a few years back.

Spending some internet time at the Visitor Center, we noticed that the signage did increase, from around 80,000 to over 120,000!

The signpost village started in 1942, when the highway was being built for wartime use. At that time, the village of Watson Lake was located about eight miles due north of it’s present location. While working on the Alcan, Carl K. Lindley, a private from Company D, 341st Army of Engineers was injured and taken to the Army Aid Station in Watson Lake. While recuperating, he was tasked to repair and repaint the directional post. While doing this, he added his home town sign of Danville, Illinois.

In 1992, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Highway, Carl and his wife returned to Watson Lake. Carl replaced the missing original sign with a replica of the Danville, Illinois sign and autographed it in the bottom corner. Today, this replica sign is in the Visitor Center.

This is a first for us, a Tesla pulling an Airstream! We saw this outfit previously but did not have a camera readily available. They are at a quick charger in Watson Lake, YT.

Me standing near a culvert discharging very clear water and another of one of many beaver ponds we saw on our ride. We only saw one other car on this 50+ mile ride.

Cathy in her motorcycle gear, standing by a beaver pond somewhere along the Taylor Highway between Watson Lake and Ross River. When we returned to camp I decided to relax with a cigar. Just as I unfolded my chair for an enjoyable toke, the thunder and lightning started and rain fell for the remainder of the evening.