Before leaving Red Eagle Lodge, Richard Denny mentioned several times that the Tok Cutoff Highway (AK 1) had shifted 17 feet during the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. He told us the exact mile marker, so we wouldn’t miss it, and sure enough, it was eactly where he had indicated. Truthfully, the shift didn’t appear to be 17 feet, however, we suspected the offset looked less than that as a result of the roadway being widened and repaved several times over the past 60 years.
When we were at the lodge in Chistochina, we couldn’t see the north end of Alaska’s southeastern Wrangell Mountain Range. The mountains were blocked because our campsite was surrounded by forest. But now that we were out on the road again, the scenery was spectacular.
It was only 91 miles to Tok, where we again camped in the Tundra RV Park and Bar. I still liked that they added “bar” to their name, but again we never made it for a drink. Our nights were getting longer so we were using MFI’s Aurora Borealis App to see if a sighting was possible. Nothing yet, but the night sky was clear and star-filled.
Both mornings there, we returned to Aunt Helena’s Coffee House and continued our previously established friendship with the owners. We visited the Tok Mainstreet Visitors Center and All Alaska Gifts & Crafts mainly because we had passed them so many times while moving about town. At the Center, a stuffed Arctic Bobcat was positioned in a clever casual way that begged to be photographed.
Before we left the visitor center, an indigenous couple, who had also been visiting, approached us. The husband introduced himself, shook my hand, and explained that they were Athabaskan. We discussed what we’s seen in the center and shared opinions on the quality and importance of the exhibits. When he learned we were headed to Dawson City, he proudly said he was a member of the famed Sourtoe Cocktail Club. He asked if I knew what that was, and while I was only vaguely familiar, I nodded yes. I subsequently researched the full history.
A Digression: Legend holds that during prohibition years, bootlegger brothers Louie and Otto Linken were running from the police in a blizzard. Louie reportedly left the sled to help guide their dog team. His feet got wet, and he suffered frostbite on one of his big toes. Fearing gangrene, and with the help of high-proof rum, Otto cut the toe off with an axe (as any good brother would) to celebrate the event. For reasons unknown, they preserved the toe in a jar of alcohol, where it remained until discovered inside a remote cabin in 1973 by Captain Dick Stevenson. For additional reasons unknown, although we suspected more alcohol may have been involved, Captain Stevenson came up with the idea for establishing the exclusive Sourtoe Cocktail Club. To become a member, all one had to do was drink a sourtoe cocktail: one mummified toe in a glass of Yukon Jack. The simple rules were “You can drink it fast. You can drink it slow. But your lips must touch that gnarly toe.”
Today, anyone can become a club member by properly drinking a Sourtoe at the Sourdough Saloon in Dawson City’s Downtown Hotel. Yukon Jack is no longer a required part of the recipe, but your cocktail of choice must contain a minimum of 1 ounce of alcohol, and of course, a human toe. Surprisingly (to us anyway), the saloon maintains an inventory of mummified toes obtained from area hospitals as a result of frostbite-related amputations. The toes have been deveined, deboned, and otherwise prepared to be food safe. Just buy your cocktail, pay an additional $5 membership fee, add the toe, and follow the basic rules quoted above. Voila, you’ve joined over 100,000 existing club members from around the world. Not surprisingly in 2013, a wanna-be member swallowed the toe and was run out of town. Since then, a law was passed slapping a steep fine of $2,500 on any toe swallowers. Geez, the craziness caused by consuming cocktails!
The gift shop had an incredible variety of merchandise with Alaska origins. Most of it was far too expensive for our budget, but we bought shirts for the grandkids regardless. I was impressed by the flowers decorating the shop exterior. The large steel flowerpot-looking items out front were scoop buckets reused from equipment that once dredged the Yukon River for gold.
We also purchased some fudge, struck up a conversation with the clerk, and mentioned we’d be passing through Chicken, AK on our way to Dawson City. Hearing this, she gave us a piece of paper redeemable for a “free chicken” in Chicken. We thought how great. We’d certainly be ready for lunch about the time we got there the next day.
