Sitting here in the Robert Service campground in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, I’m realizing this is the first place I’ve stayed longer than one night since leaving Gardnerville, Nevada on June 3rd. More than 1,600 miles and countless beautiful landscapes later, Panzer and I have settled into a rhythm: drive all day, set up camp, walk and feed the dog, feed myself, clean up, sit by the fire with a beer, then crawl into Burrita Blanca by 8 PM. (My white Toyota Sienna minivan earned her name from my husband Sean. Burrito means “little donkey,” which somehow suits her perfectly.)
I had imagined I’d spend each evening journaling and posting photos, but traveling and camping solo has a way of narrowing your focus to the essentials. Panzer and I sleep pretty soundly in BB, even if we are sometimes awakened by rain pattering on the roof. Panzer has been the ideal road companion, snoozing in the little passenger-seat bed I made for him and never objecting to my music choices 😂
So many beautiful and enormous lakes in B.C.
Here is a Common Loon I saw at Crooked River Provincial Park, it’s so nice to see them in their spring plumage, I usually only see them in the winter when they are kinda drab.
One of my favorite places I’ve camped has been Muncho Lake Provincial Park. VERY remote but so beautiful, reminded me of Lake Louise but much larger. I happened to score a cancellation and got a campsite 10 feet from the lake! Beautiful clear water and mountain peaks all around.
After dinner Panzer and I just sat in our chairs and enjoyed the amazing views. And yes, I did bring a club chair just for him.
Haven’t seen a ton of wildlife other than a quite a few black bears and deer (mule and white-tailed deer) but the morning we left Muncho we saw our first grizzly! He was hanging out on the side of the road and even though Panzer went nuts barking at him from inside the car, the bear paid him no mind.
So far have not seen a moose or caribou, but we are only 10 days in, so fingers crossed!
So has the trip been everything I hoped for? Actually, yes. I’ve driven this route before, so I expected the long days. What I didn’t fully appreciate was just how remote parts of it would feel. Along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia, especially on the drive to Muncho Lake Provincial Park, there were stretches with almost no other cars and no cell service. The awareness that help could be hours away if something went wrong was unsettling at times, especially since I am alone. Thankfully, all has gone well.
Yesterday when I got to camp in Whitehorse, I unpacked Burrita Blanca completely and cleaned away ten days’ worth of road dust, dog hair, forest detritus, and clutter from our tiny home on wheels. Panzer and I walked more than four miles along the Millennium Trail into downtown Whitehorse, where I treated myself to a delicious smashburger from a food truck.
Before leaving home, I imagined this trip as a grand adventure filled with glaciers, mountains, wildlife sightings, and stories worth telling. And there has already been plenty of that—the turquoise waters of Muncho Lake, the endless northern daylight, loons calling in the evening and a couple of times, relentless mosquitoes that sent both Panzer and me retreating into BB.
What has surprised me is how much I have enjoyed having my life right now being made up of simple tasks-finding a place to camp, setting up, making dinner, feeding and walking the dog, packing up again the next morning. I used to spend (waste) so much time on social media and now I don’t miss it at all. I did not expect that.
Somewhere between Nevada and the Yukon, I’ve realized how much of my life is spent doing. Working. Cleaning. Taking care of the household. Producing. Checking things off lists. Reading the news and becoming outraged over things I can’t change. Even my hobbies can start to feel like obligations.
Out here, there are moments when all of that quiets.
A cup of pour-over coffee in the early morning chill. Rain on the roof of the van. Watching Panzer trot happily down a forest trail. Sitting beside a lake with absolutely nothing to accomplish.
Maybe that is what I came all this way to find.