Watson Lake to Whitehorse

We spent the next morning at the surreal Liard Hot Springs. Tucked back far from the road and civilization, these hot springs have not been largely commercialized like many others. As we shivered down to our bathing suits and slid in to the steaming water, the kids were amazed at the wonder of the earth heating up the water in this exact location. It was so fun to watch Emma's pure joy as she melted a snowball in the hot water.

Shortly after leaving Liard, we slowed down to get a photo at this Yukon sign.

As I pulled over to the side of the road the brake pedal went straight to the floor with no resistance.

Thankfully, with Victor's coaching, I was able to gear down to complete the stop but driving the next 70km to Watson Lake with no brakes was a bit nerve wracking to say the least.

The town of Watson Lake boasts a population of about 800 friendly people, and even more road signs. Seriously, their world famous road sign forest is a sight to behold!

The history behind it is really quite sweet. It was 1942, when a homesick soldier working on the Alaska highway was asked to repair a signpost. He did so and because he was feeling homesick posted another, indicating the mileage to his hometown in Illinois. Over the years, more sojourners have added signs with mileage to "home," and today there are over 77,000 signposts from visitors around the world. Including this latest one:

We were hoping to get our brakes repaired in Watson Lake before heading up to Whitehorse, and consensus around town indicated that if anyone could help us, it was Brian the mobile mechanic. After a night of Northern Light viewing and two kids vomiting, we were a little groggy when Brian met us first thing.

Brian was incredibly kind and did all that he could with what was available to him in Watson Lake, however we had to decide whether to spend an indefinite amount of time in Watson Lake waiting for a part to come in, or make the five hour trip to Whitehorse with only three brakes.

The drive to Whitehorse along the Alaska highway continued to take our breath away. Snow capped mountain peaks, winding mountain roads adjacent to long dark lakes, and more wildlife along the route. We finally made it to Whitehorse with lots of prayer, great road conditions, and careful driving.