North to Alaska

Home again

2009-08-07T16:11:00.001-07:00

8-8-09

We arrived home about 2:00 PM yesterday. It has been a fun trip and I very much enjoyed seeing all the country we covered, it was everything from magnificent snow covered mountains to farmlands. We made friends with our traveling companions and expect to travel again with Bill and Carol.

We traveled 8088 miles spent $3618.00 for gas. The highest price we paid was in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory $1.29 per liter which equals $4.90 a gallon. The price ranged from that to a low of $2.49 a gallon in Oregon. We got 7.4 miles to the gallon average.

The only other major expense we had was campground fees. We didn't keep exact count on those but they ranged from $0 in roadside rests, where we stayed several nights, to as much as $35 a night. We spent a good deal of time at the Elk's clubs along the way. During the trip I learned that you can have a guest with another RV at many of the Elk's clubs. I'm not sure if that apply s to them all, but every place we asked it was allowed. Bill, being retired Air force was able to get us into some very nice military campgrounds as guests, which were very reasonable.

As we arrived home Margaret yelled “yippeee” she is very glad to be home and has been smiling like a kid with a new pup. I know that she also enjoyed the trip as I did, but it was a long ride home, we drove 300 and 400 miles a day after we left Hyder, AK. The trip up didn't seem as long because we stopped along the way and visited relatives and friends and were in no hurry.

So ends our Alaska trip for 2009

Home again

2009-08-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

8-5-09

Tonight we are in Redding. CA a little over 200 miles from home. The last few days have been considerable different driving experiences. Going across Alaska and the Yukon and parts of BC one could drive for 10 or 15 minutes and not see another car. That has all changed now we are back to battling for a small piece of the road along with thousands of others. I will do one last post in a few days after I add some things up like gas cost, camping costs etc. Thanks to all of you who read this it has been fun and educational to me

Herb

Pictures

2009-08-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hyder & south

2009-08-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

8-01-09

Last night after watching the bears and salmon we decided to go out for dinner. During the day we had asked several people where the best place to get seafood. Everyone said The Bus. All agreed there were some other very nice restaurants in the area, but The Bus was the best. We found it but unfortunately due to a power outage it was closed. A picture posted.

We left Hyder this morning about 9:00 AM and were surprised to see fog over the water. This is really a special place. There are some very different houses throughout this small town. As we left we took of some of them and more pictures of the glaciers.

As we were leaving we saw a spot in the road that we had traveled yesterday that had washed away by the raging river. It's been unusually hot here and the snow is melting rapidly.

A hundred miles south of the junction of hwy 37a (to Hyder) and hwy 37 the landscape changed to farmland, there seemed to be hay everywhere, large rolls, not bales that I usually see. We also passed through some lumber towns. We also saw huge clouds of smoke in a couple of places, the result of wildfires.

We ended the day at Burns Lake, we drove 300 miles today and only have a little over 1500 miles to home

Hyder bear fishing

2009-07-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Cassiar Hwy and Hyder

2009-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

7-31-09

I mentioned bike riders in my last post, shortly after leaving the Whitehorse area we talked to a young couple on their bikes which were loaded with all kinds of gear. They were from Austria. There plan was to ride from Fairbanks AK to Argentina. When asked how long they expected the trip to take they answered 1 ½ years. I can't imagine doing a trip like that, I would be done before reaching the top of the first hill. Even if it was downhill all the way I wouldn't want to do it.

We spent the last two nights in roadside rest areas as we came down the Cassiar Highway. There are few services and not many RV Parks on this highway, the one we did check wanted $22 to dry camp.We chose the roadside rest that are free. These are quiet and a lot of people use them. We quickly learned that the mosquitoes like these places as well. Despite all our screens and carefulness they seem to get inside. We both suffered many bites and learned anything that was not covered would get bit.

Today we arrived at Hyder AK and we are staying at the camp Run-a-muck RV park. Hyder looks like a town from 50 yrs ago, there are lots of rundown houses and many closed businesses.

Tonight after dinner we went to what is called the Boardwalk. It's on the edge of Fish River. It's a place where you can see the bears feeding on the spawning salmon. We saw hundreds of salmon and 3 bears. The bears seemed full and lazy, although they walked up and down the river the only thing we saw one of them eat was the carcass of an already dead salmon. It was quite a sight and we have lots of pictures and some video of the bears. Although there were lots of salmon they were in the water and do not show well on the camera.

We also ran into Bob & Pat and talked to them for a short time, you may recall they left our group a few weeks ago.

Fairbanks to Whitehorse going south

2009-07-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

7-28-09

We left Fairbanks on the 26^th and headed south on the way home. We saw a bear sitting by the roadside acting as if he was just watching the traffic go by. Margaret took his picture, we also saw 2 more moose but we were by them before I could stop.

We spent the night at Lake creek Yukon Government Campground. There are lots of very nice government campgrounds that seem to get little use, perhaps it seems that way because of the down economy. This morning we said goodbye to Bill and Carol, they like to travel at a slower pace, not as far each day as we go. They were great traveling companions and we will miss them the rest of the trip.

The road home is just as bumpy as it was when we were going the other direction. Tonight we are Staying at the Pioneer RV Park a short distance south of Whitehorse. This place is full, it is nice but a bit close together for our liking. They do offer a good wi-fi connection and I'm sure that helps draw people in. Many of the places say they have wi-fi, but in order to use it you have to be very close to the antenna.

Thank goodness we have an electric hookup, it was warm enough the we had to use the AC.

Margaret and I are both amazed at the number of bicyclist we see pedaling with their bikes loaded with all kinds of gear far from any town. I complain about driving the distance, those folks are dedicated. I did notice that none of them appear to have a weight problem. We have seen a couple of people walking, making no effort to get a ride. One guy on a bike had his dog running along side of him.

Anchorage Photo

2009-07-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent picture of Anchorage sent to be from my friend Bob Pinheiro. Bob is the one who first got me interested in doing the blog. He has been very helpful and encouraging the whole way. Thanks Bob

Leaving Fairbanks

2009-07-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow ( Sunday) we leave Fairbanks and head toward home. As we go through Canada the availability of internet connections is going to be slim so if their are no posts for a while you will know why.

Fairbanks

2009-07-25T19:22:00.002-07:00

7-25-09

We are parked at the Elk's club on the Chena River and it is close enough to walk into town. We walked across the bridge and watched a parade, our second in a month. This parade is part of a week long celebration called Golden Days. Lots of unusual cars and floats, many I'm sure you could only see in Alaska. We enjoyed ourselves but left about ½ way through, 1 ½ hours was enough. We checked out the street vendors. Margaret got a picture of a man holding a wolf pelt, we were told it weighed about 200 lbs in life and was captured in Tok AK.

Today at 2:30 PM was the start of the Rubber Ducky Race, a fund raiser for the Chamber Of Commerce. At 2:30PM the ducks were dumped into the water at one of the bridges so as I write I am waiting for my duck to come in. I hope he is in the lead paddling like a real duck to avoid disappointing me and Margaret cause if he won we would share the money, If he does win its worth $10,000, if not I will just have fond memories of my yellow ducky. My phones on the table beside me waiting for the call.

Yesterday we went to the University of Alaska Museum and learned more about the history of Alaska, the animals and people that inhabit the area and how they got here. I have been reading “Alaska” a book by James Michener so I'm getting a healthy dose of Alaskan history.

This afternoon I took a nap while Margaret, Bill and Carol went to North Pole to mail some cards and have them post marked North Pole actually its just a town with that name. The smoke from the wild fires was very evident. Margaret was told that there are over a million acres of forest buring now, ususal cause is lightening strikes

Margaret got a pictures of me crushing aluminum cans, Trying to come up with some gas money to get home.

So far this trip we have traveled 4570 miles and according to Microsoft Streets And Trips we are 2982 miles from home. The motor home averages 7 MPG...........OUCH.

Denali to Fairbanks

2009-07-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

After the long bus ride on the 21st, Margaret and I had had enough of riding buses so yesterday we did some repairs on the motorhome and took life easy. We didn't want to ride the bus again so we left the park this morning and went to Fairbanks where we are staying at the Elk's. Bill and Carol decided to stay another day and will catch up with us in Fairbanks.

On the way here we encountered a lot of smoke from wildfires in the area. It got smokey enough that Margaret had to use on of her particle masks.

We are looking forward to the Rubber Ducky races on Saturday. If we win I will be sure to tell you, if not you will never hear of them again.

Denali National Park

2009-07-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

7-21-09

We arrived at Denali camp ground and spent the first night. It is as stepping off place to get into Teklanika campground. Teklanika is about 30 Miles down the road. You are not allowed to take your tow car and you reservations must be for at least 3 days. Once you are here and have parked your rig you can only travel by Bus and then only to West. If you go east past the checkpoint , your reservations are canceled and in order to get back into Teklanika you have to get new reservations and pay again. The reason is they do not want traffic in and out of the park

Today we took a tour bus and went for a 91 mile trip into the park all the way to Kantishna where the road ends. They had other tours and if I were to do it over again I would opt for the shorter 66 mile tour. Mileage I speak of is one way. The bus seats are not very comfortable but they made plenty of stops for restrooms and rest breaks, but at the end of the day it felt like a very long bus ride.

We did see a lot of wild life, several bears, elk, caribou and several birds including bald eagles. unfortunately those we saw were a considerable distance away.

We also got to see Mt. McKinley and took several pictures which I hope to post along with some of the animals we saw. We were lucky to have seen Mt. McKinley on a clear day, we were told that happens about 30% of the time.

Denali

2009-07-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

7-19-09

We left Anchorage yesterday morning and headed for Denali National Park. We spent the night in a very nice roadside rest compliments of the state of Alaska. Today we drove into the park and registered. We have reservations here for 4 days. I will probably not post anything for the next 4 or 5 days , it seems doubtful there will be any kind of connection for the computer. Even where we are now it takes what seems forever to post or download anything, especially email with large attachments.

I will post a picture of an unusual restaurant we found.

Porpoise

2009-07-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

this was taken during our Kenai Fjords tour. It is a short movie clip of black and white porpoise swimming along the boat.

Dusty Roads

2009-07-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Not all the roads here are frost heaves or mud at times you hit streches that are very dusty like the area in this picture. Fortunately there are few areas like this.

Alaska roads

2009-07-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

7-17-09

One of the things we have noticed in both Canada and Alaska is that many of the roads have what appears to us to be bike trails, some are paved as the one in the picture and others are dirt. We were told that they are used in the summer months for walking or biking, but in the winter are used by snowmobiles. Some go on for miles and miles

Herb & 166 pound halibut

2009-07-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ninilchik Harbor & Boat launch revised

2009-07-15T21:29:00.001-07:00

World famous Salty Dog Saloon

2009-07-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Homer & Ninilchik

2009-07-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

7-14-09

In my last post I told you about hanging around the fishing docks, after seeing all the fish come in and their size I decided I needed to go fishing. I went out with Steve Morphis, who is orgionally from Oakdale. He has been fishing in Alaska for 30 years. He and his wife Terry operate Alaska Saltwater adventures. There were five of us fishing. We caught limits of halibut and each of us caught a couple of salmon. The biggest halibut weighed 166 lbs, the rest ranged from 15 to 30 lbs. The salmon were all less then 4 pounds. We had a great day and everyone aboard was happy with their fish. Steve is a great Capt. and keeps up a friendly banter with his customers. If you are ever in Homer and want to fish give Steve a call 907 235 0115.

While in Homer we took a drive on a bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay where we saw many large houses with gardens and fields and a good view across the bay of the mountains and several glaciers.

Needless to say with fresh halibut that’s what Margaret fixed for dinner. Halibut is my favorite meal and Margaret can prepare it better than anyone.

This morning we left Homer and started towards Anchorage. We stopped in Ninilchik. It is an interesting place. They have a harbor that no one can get in or out of except high tide. While we were there the tide was out and there were several boats sitting in the mud with no water around. There were also 2 boats stuck in the entrance, so none of the boats in the harbor can get out until they move

On a hill overlooking the harbor is an old Russian Orthodox church that is surrounded by a grave yard, we walked through and found many really old graves and a lot that were more recent. It appears the church is still in use. The graveyard is overgrown with weeds, with wild flowers mixed in so that it looks nice even though

A short distance away are campgrounds and RV parks. They launch boats off the shore with 4 wheel drive tractors. While there, we saw a couple of boats being retrieved. The tractor gets the trailer, backs it into the water and then the boats come in very fast driving the boat onto the trailer. The tractor pulls them onto dry land, unhooks and goes for another, the boat owner is left to get his tow vehicle and leave. Some of these boats were 28 to 30 ft. or longer. It was interesting to watch.

Halibut, Lingcod and mixed fish.

2009-07-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

These are some of the fish I saw on the dock. The biggist lingcod weight 58 lbs and the biggest halibut was 158 lbs. The last picture is of halibut and mixed rock fish. Notice the size of the stomachs of the lingcod.

Homer

2009-07-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

6-11-09

Yesterday as we were passing thru Soldotna, Margaret saw a sign in front of a medical center that had a large sing displayed that read “Fish hook removal here” The do a lot of combat fishing here, where people are standing shoulder to shoulder, hence the name and the need for fish hook removal.

Today was very interesting, it started off when we discovered a bold eagle purchased above our motor home. At first I was real quiet and moved slowly for fear of scaring him. After a while I walked in and out and he paid no attention.

We all visited the Salty Dog Bar but it was so crowed we left without having a drink. Inside there are dollar bills stapled to the walls and ceiling. People sign them and then staple them where ever they find room. It is probably the best known bar in the region because of it’s unique appearance. It is very popular with both the locals and the tourists. The building was originally built in 1898, a large tower was added later giving it the look of a firehouse. I found no mention of the purpose of the tower. During it’s life it has been a grocery store, a post office and a school.

This afternoon I hung out around the fishing docks and saw a lot of very nice fish being brought in. It got me to thinking I may want to go. I will try to post pictures of all there things, but my internet connection is a bit iffy.

Seward 12:30 AM

2009-07-10T20:41:00.001-07:00

Harding Ice Fields

2009-07-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

Coal Converyer

2009-07-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

whales

2009-07-09T21:12:00.001-07:00

seward Fjords 7-9-09

2009-07-09T21:05:00.004-07:00

7-9-09

Today we took the Kenai Fjords Wildlife tour on a boat which took us around Resurrection Bay We had an enjoyable day. We left the dock at noon and started off with a lunch buffet of salmon and prime rib that was delicious, perhaps our best meal eating out yet. It was all you can eat and we all went back for seconds.

As we left the harbor we saw a huge conveyor belt and loader. We learned that coal is brought in from Northern AK by train and about once a month it is loaded on ships bound for Korea. I will attach a photo. There was a lot of smoke in the area today from fires in the area.

Our boat, the Star of the Northwest was only ½ full or less, making it very comfortable for those on board. Our tour took 5 hours and we saw sea otters, porpoise, whales and all kinds of birds. We also saw the Harding Ice Fields that covers 300 square miles. The average annual mountain snowfall is 35-65 feet .........pretty impressive. The harbor in Seward is one of the few in the area that doesn't freeze over in the winter, which made it very important during WW 2.

We had a wonderful day, the seas were calm, the sun was out and it was good being on the water again after all this time away. Carol had especially wanted to see whales and we got a chance to see several close up.

Bike Cab

2009-07-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Seward drive thru coffee

2009-07-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Capt Morgan and me

2009-07-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Seward 7-8-09

2009-07-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

7-8-09

For the past two days we have been in Seward riding around and seeing the sights. Margaret and Carol have visited a lot of the shops. I have spent more time around the harbor admiring the boats and watching the catch come in, although today there wasn't a lot to see.

We did manage to get a couple of interesting pictures. one of a bicycle taxi. I was surprised at the number of regular taxi's here, I counted 5 different companies. Margaret took a picture of me talking to Capt. Morgan. She also took a picture of our campground taken at 12:30 AM that will give you an idea of how light it is here. We got another of a unique drive thru coffee shop.

During the afternoon we watched a movie about the 1964 earthquake and the resulting damage.

Apparently there is a fire in the area because it is very hazy and you can smell the smoke

Seward

2009-07-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Moose with calf and fish

2009-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Soldotna and Kenai

2009-07-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

7-7-09

We went to Kenai on Saturday morning and saw the parade. It was interesting and also the first parade either of us has seen in a lot of years. Again we stayed at the Elk's.

We saw some Russian buildings ( a church and some houses) in Kenai. While Margaret was out driving she saw a moose and her calf.

All of the cities we have visited in Alaska seem to have an unusually large number of churches. We can only conclude that there must be a lot of sinners in these parts.

We went to the visitors center in Saldotna. They have a fish walk that is visible from the building. It amounts to a large boardwalk where people can fish or just set and read a book. Unfortunately no one seemed to be catching any fish. However the lady in the center told us that the week before a few miles away on another river they were so many fish that the limit was raised from the normal 3 to 6. We were told that the fish management people count the fish with some type of sonar as they enter the river and apparently can somehow tell the difference in the various types of salmon. That's kind of hard for me to believe.

It has now been determined that Pat has an aneurysm in her brain that measures 1 ½ center meters, not good news. She and her husband are determined to continue the trip and seek medical help when they return home. Sounds very dangerous to me, but they didn't ask for my advice

Today we moved to Seward,where their are lots of docks and fishing boats. We watched them clean some very big lingcod, the biggest probably 30 pounds. I will attach picture of the fish that one group brought in, however I will point out the the halibut in the picture are small and were not considered keepers in 1992

Anchorage tto Soldotan

2009-07-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

7-3-09

We spent the last 3 days in Anchorage at Elmendorf Air Force Base in a military camp ground. Bill is retired Air Force and took us in as guests. We didn't do a lot other than take a break from driving. I visited about 12 RV dealers, truck shops and parts houses trying to find a lug nut that I am missing, it only holds the wheel cover on. On one had it and it appears the only way to get it is to order it from Fleetwood. Who would have thought a lug nut could be so hard to find.

This morning Margaret and I drove to Soldotna, where we are staying at the Elk's. We drove around the town and went to the Visitors Center, They were very helpful and gave us all kinds of information. I was last here 18 years ago and my how it has grown. Lots of people in town getting ready for the 4th.

Tomorrow in Kenai, a nearby town, they are having a parade and various events. We will go and join the festivities.

Last night Margaret cooked Halibut cheeks, another outstanding meal.

If you would like to see a larger version of the pictures double click them. I will post a couple of pictures I think are interesting. One is an old abandoned boat some distance from water and the other is a unique camp trailer.

View of Lake from Palmer Elk's

2009-06-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Palmer Elk's

2009-06-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

6-29-09

We have been at the Palmer Elks for 3 days. It is a beautiful place with a lake out front where the plane was pulling the water skier. Yesterday was very busy here, there were over 100 cars and vehicles in the parking lot. It was so tight that a car had to be very careful to drive through. The club had 3 events going at the same time. About 3:00 PM with things filled from end to end, a 40 motor home pulls in as far as he can go.. He effectively blocked access to the parking lot and the boat ramp. Eventually several people moved their cars so he could get out. I hate to think he was an Elk. Not a smart move.

Carol and Bill caught up to us today, we decided to have dinner at the Elks “cook your own”. It was a fantastic meal. We ate on the patio and watched the boaters. Pictures of the view will be attached.

Each afternoon we have been here, there is a thunderstorm and rain. It lasts for an hour or less and then clears.

If you notice some spots on any of the pictures we have posted it is probably bugs that hit the windshield or rain since many of our pictures are taken through it as we are driving.

Kids in strollers

2009-06-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Water Skier behind airplane

2009-06-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Valdez to Palmer

2009-06-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

6-27-09

We spent 3 days in Valdez, it is the prettiest place yet. We should have spent more time there but we decided to move on. I will post a couple of pictures of the drive as we came out.

While in Valdez we were across the bay from tanks that receive the oil from the Alaskan pipeline. The oil is then loaded onto the tankers which take it south to the refineries. We were told at least one tanker a day leaves Valdez heading south.

We started our day at 40 degrees and drove through wind and rain and finished with 70 degrees. Once again we had stretches of bad road mixed with the good.

We saw an unusual sight that must have been a day care group. There were two strollers for lack of a better word that each carried 6 little kids. They were accompanied by 4 adults, one of whom was carrying a small baby.

Our traveling companions all went in different directs for a while. Bob and Pat (she’s the lady who was taken to the hospital) left us to go to Anchorage to get a cat scan. It was done and they found nothing. When we left Valdez this morning Bill and Carol decided to visit a cooper mine and we drove to the Palmer Elks Club. They will catch up in a few days.

The Elk’s club here sits on Finger Lake, we would have a nice view if not for the other motor homes in the way. Late this afternoon we heard what sounded like an airplane taking off, except you would hear the engine rev and then shut down. Two guys went running by the front of our MH with cameras heading toward the lake. Being curious I grabbed a camera and followed, where to our surprise we saw a float plane pulling a water skier. The plane never left the water. This went on for some time. Other boats were on the lake and quite near the plane at times. Never before have I seen a plane pulling a water skier and I bet you haven’t either.

The road to Valdez

2009-06-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

6-25-09

We are in Valdez, we are in an RV park that looks out over the bay. It is a very pretty sight, the whole area seems to be surrounded by high very jagged mountains with snow on the top. The drive into Valdez is breath taking, no wildlife but we did see a couple of glaciers.

We plan to drive the car and go back to visit and look over the glaciers, but it rained most of today and if it rains again tomorrow we will probably pass.

You have read my descriptions of the roads, but tonight Margaret pulled out her notes from our 1992 trip. One day during that trip we spent one whole 12 hour day driving in mud then dust and the motor home was filthy. I recall spending hours cleaning it. I did wash the MH and car today, they were dirty but no comparison to the 1992 trip. Another thing that has changed drastically is the price of gas. In 1992 gas in Willows, CA was $1.19 a gallon now it is $3.00 or more. Canadian 55.9 a liter then and as much as 114.00 now. There are 3.8 liters in a gallon My how the times have changed.

I will post some pictures of the drive into Valdez

Scenic overlook 3:30 AM

2009-06-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Scenic overlook 8:30PM

2009-06-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Road to Tok

2009-06-24T20:40:00.001-07:00

6-23-09

We learned that the “blanket toss” started with the native people as a way to spot game in the treeless tundra, and all this time we thought it was just a game for kids.

I will attach a picture of Margaret in her mosquito gear. We laughed when we first saw it , but there have been several times we wish we had it to use. Tonight we are not being bothered, apparently its to cold for them.

The last two days have been the worst roads we have driven. There are lots of frost heaves, some are marked and some just sneak up on you. At times our average speed was down to 25 MPH. If you don’t see them ahead of time it really bounces the RV’s around. You go through an area where they are lots of them and then hit a stretch where there are none luring you to increase your speed and then surprise, you find another one.

Bob and Pat were traveling by themselves until this afternoon when we met them again in Tok, yep that’s the name of a town. We are spending the name in a roadside rest with a wonderful view of snow covered mountains again. The view is magnificent. We are up 1000 feet high above a large valley which has three lakes that I can see, and then across that to the mountains. I don’t think the pictures do it justice.

Today I filled the MH for only $302 a gallon, a big improvement over the Canadian prices. As of tonight we are 3375 miles from home. We intend to go to Valdez tomorrow.

As I was typing we saw two moose in one of the lakes I mentioned. We are some distance from them, but with the binoculars they are easy to see. They are wadeing in knee deep water and feeding on the bottom. Too far away for a meaningful picture. I will try to attach a picture taken at 3:30 AM to show how dark it is here

Haines, AK

2009-06-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

2009-06-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

6-20-09

Yesterday we moved from Haines Junction, which is Yukon Territory to the town of Haines in Alaska. It is about 158 miles of beautiful mountains partially covered with snow and in places the snow was still falling It is the prettiest drive we have been on yet. I will attach some pictures. There are beautiful lakes everywhere. We passed a couple of large fish wheel traps, that at first we thought were placed by some of the native people. After reading an article , we found that they are placed in the river by the state so they can tag and measure the fish for better tracking and management ,picture attached.

We met with Bob and Pat who had come down the day before the rest of us. They are in the ocean side RV Park which has a beautiful view of the bay and harbor. We decided to stay in the Elks RV area, doesn’t have the view, but it is half the price.

On the 20^th we drove around the area and into the woods on the south side of Haines ,which is a rain forest, which has lush under growth and ferns and other plants we didn’t expect to see here. We meet two camp hosts and as it turned out they are from Columbia where Gary and Maria Crawshaw live. They live in the same housing development. They have meet Maria several times at community meetings. The campground they host has a magnificent view of the bay as well as two large glaciers.

In or travels we wound up at a boat ramp. A young man and his 3 daughters were just coming off the water after running a gill net and catching some salmon. They were all very pleasant talked to us answering our questions and even allowed us to take their pictures with their fish. One of the fish had lost it’s head to a seal, but the seal left the body. In the past when seals have attacked my salmon they take the body and leave the head.

Last night we attended a free salmon feed put on by the local fisherman for the whole town . It was barbequed Sockeye and deep fried King and all the trimmings. It was very good and attended by probably 300 people.

This morning the local Elk’s served a delicious breakfast, that including, scrambled eggs, Eggs Benedict, hash browns, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy and sourdough hotcakes. No one left hungry. Fathers ate free.

All the people we have meet seem eager to help you in any way they can. They answer our questions about the area, give us directions and every one is friendly.

Margaret met a young women who demonstrated making glass beads and later balanced a beer on top of her head while doing the hula-hoop.

I world appreciate those of you who are reading this to sign on as followers, it give me an idea about who is interested. Right now it only shows 7 and I think there are more, thanks

2009-06-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Road to Haines Junction

2009-06-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

Ice Age Skeleton

2009-06-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Whitehorse to Haines Junction

2009-06-18T17:44:00.001-07:00

6-18-09

During the last two days we visited the town of Whitehorse. We went to a transportation museum where we saw videos of the dogsled races among other things. The dogsled races were of particular interest to Margaret and me because we recently read several books about them. We also visited the Ice Age Museum where it told about miners uncovering all kinds of skeletons of various animals including 400 pound beavers. I normally don’t care much for museums but we both found these very interesting.

It rained for the last two days, but today is once again filled with sunshine. We left Whitehorse about 10:00 AM and drove to Haines Junction, another beautiful drive through snow covered mountains.

I have heard a lot of stories about the Alaskan mosquitoes and how large they are, and how they will eat you. Well, we haven’t got to Alaska yet, but I have never seen so many mosquitoes in my life. The Yukon ones aren’t as big as the Alaskan’s are supposed to be, but they make up in numbers for their lack in size. You dare not go outside without repellent and long sleeve shirt and preferable a hat. Prior to coming on this trip I read reports on the RV Forum that some folks didn’t see any mosquitoes, they must have come at a different time of year. When we were here in 1992 the only place we recall have mosquitoes was around Palmer AK. Margaret just looked outside and saw a woman sitting outside her rig wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt. The women has a water glass in her hand and Margaret thinks it is full of whiskey. Mosquito repellent?

The roads are gradually getting worse, we have encountered a few, what I believe to be frost heaves. People we have talked with assure us they will get much worse as we approach the Alaskan border.

During one of rest stops two little girls came up to the door selling rhubarb. They were really cute and Margaret couldn’t resist buying from them. Margaret asked if they could tell her how to cook it and she said yes I can and ha

Steam engine near Skagway

2009-06-18T17:39:00.001-07:00

2009-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Wild Wonders

2009-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

We are staying at the Caribou RV Park just out of Whitehorse. It's a fairly nice campgound,but I cannot get my If I don't get it working right my posts will be less frequent, I have to borrow a computer to do it. It's an aggravation because I rely on it for everything from email to reading the local newspaper to keep up with things at home.

6-16-09

Yesterday the six of us went on a jet boat ride, what a lot of fun. The owners are a young couple just starting in business. She is a biology major and told us about the area, it's history and various plants, of coarse Margaret really enjoyed

The man works ad a paramedic at night and runs the boat during the day.
They had the boat special built to their specifications. It is a 22 ft. jet boat with 2 chev. V-8 engines.

In addition to the tour of Miles canyon, he also did 7 or8 spins or donuts, water flew women screamed and we all laughed like little kids, the youngest of our group was 63. Quite a thrill for us old folks.

The name of the company is Wild Wonders and if you ever come this way give them a try.

Margaret by a copper nugget

2009-06-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

2009-06-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Skagway

2009-06-14T20:20:00.001-07:00

-14-09

On the 11th the we traveled from Watson Lake to Teslin, YT. We see bears daily, the first ones we saw everyone stopped and took pictures, now it’s getting to point of “oh yea, there is another bear“. Margaret met a” Native Peoples” woman, they talked sewing and Margaret gave her advice on ironing a patch onto a denim jacket.

We stayed at the Yukon RV Park for 2 days, which looked out over another beautiful lake.
The next day we drove to Carcross which is a little south east of Whitehorse. From there we drove into Skagway through a narrow valley surrounded by snowcapped mountains and we had many opportunities for photos.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, Pat was released from the hospital with a diagnosis of a migraine headache. Pat and Bob took their motor home to Skagway to spend the night and also fill up with fuel at about a dollar less a gallon then in Canada. Bill , Carol and Margaret and I drove down in Bill’s pickup to get the cheaper fuel and sightsee and tour the shops of Skagway. I had enough fuel in our motor home that it wouldn’t have been cost effective from us to drive the Bounder there for fuel. Besides I found gas for only $101.9 a liter, next thing you know they will be giving it away.

Every place we have stayed for the past week has advertised WI-FI, but we find if you can get it at all you have to be nearly on top of the transmitter.

I hope to attach some more pictures.

June 10, 09

2009-06-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

6-10-09

Today started off with trouble. First the hot water heater wouldn't light in our motor home, it happened before and it's happening again, no idea what is causing the problem, I will have to take it somewhere for repair.

Pat, one of our traveling group woke this morning in severe pain, nothing we could do seemed to help. We called an ambulance, it was 2 1/2 hrs away. Her husband drove her in the motor home and met the ambulance half way to the city of Watson Lake. She is in the hospital there waiting to be flown by air ambulance to Whitehorse where they have better equipment to treat her. We don't know what the problem is, but she has a history of blood clots. Her husband left in their motor home to travel to the White Horse Hospital. We all wish her well but her condition seems serious. Margaret rode with her and her husband to Watson Lake.

I drove the 128 miles to Watson Lake by myself. I missed by co-pilot very much and hope not to travel any long distances by myself again. On the way we saw two groups of buffalo and one small bear running along side the road. Unfortunately my co-pilot photographer was missing so we didn't get pictures.

After they left for the hospital, I found the battery in the Honda was again dead. We were finally able to jump start it and get on the road. In order to tow it, it has to be started and run through the gears and then run in neutral for a few minutes, this is to prevent damage to the transmission when it is towed.

All the phones in the area were dead when we first arrived, at the hospital even their satellite phones were dead.

Muncho lake 2

2009-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Muncho Lake

2009-06-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Mamma Bear and cubs

2009-06-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

little bears

2009-06-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Laird Hot Springs

2009-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

6-9-09

We left Fort Nelson about 9:00 AM and gassed up at $114.9 per liter, it’s enough to bring tears to your eyes. I’m told gas will get higher once we hit Yukon Territory.

Shortly after heading north we saw a buffalo beside the road grazing. A little after that we saw a bighorn sheep, but he was gone before we could get a picture, next we saw 2 elk, then after that two dall sheep. We stopped at Muncho Lake for lunch. It is one of the prettiest lakes we have ever seen, it is several miles long with dark dark green water. It is surrounded by snowcapped mountains. We got several pictures of the lake a couple of which I hope to post. When I say hope, it is because I still don’t have this down very well.

We left the lake and the next thing we saw was a mama bear and two little cubs, I was surprised at what a kick I got out of seeing them, I have seen quite a few bears but these were special. The little ones were really cute, pictures to be posted hopefully

The roads have gotten a bit worse and are rougher with bumps along the way that require you to slow down. Some rough areas are marked, but not all. Oftentimes you don’t see the warning signs you are already on top of it. The only solution is to slow down.

We are spending the night at Laird Hot Springs dry camping (with no hookups), but we have everything we need. I have heard several people rave about how wonderful the Hot Springs are, but in my humble opinion it is much ado about nothing. We all walked down to the springs and 3 of our group went in. One end is very hot and as the water moves away from it source is gets cooler. It smells of sulfur and didn’t appeal to Margaret or me.

At about 9:00 PM nine pickup loads, about 30 to 35 Forestry workers pulled in and headed for the springs, most were extremely dirty, apparently they bath here.

Bear chasing Bill

2009-06-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

Bear on motorhgome

2009-06-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

2009-06-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

6-8-09

We spent last night on the Sikanni River RV a little NW of Pink Mountain. (I’m sure you all know where that is) Its about 1850 miles north from Modesto. It was a nice park with the river running right beside our campsite.

Today we drove about 130 miles to the Westend RV Park in Fort Nelson. It was a short drive but we saw all kinds of wildlife, a coyote, a mouse and her calf, a couple of elk and a small black bear. The bear was beside the road and a couple of other Rvs had already stopped. A couple of our group got out to look and he started after Pat, she quickly got into the motorhome, then the bear started after Bill he was farther away from his rig. While he was running and the bear chasing him Margaret got a couple of great pictures. I will try to include them with the next post.

I find that many of the RV Parks advertise WI-FI service but most have little to offer unless you park in the office or very close by.

Our next stop should be Laird Hot Springs

2009-06-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

We spent the day looking around Dawson Creek and went to the Farmer's Market. It was very small compared to the ones at home. Downtown Dawson creek's buildings are covered with murals of all types, I will post some later, we did get a picture of the Alaska Hotel, a very colorful building as you can see in the attached picture.

2009-06-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

Dawson Creek

2009-06-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

June 6th

We are in Dawson Creek, mile 0 of the Alcan Hwy. There is a large fire further north and the road is closed, so we will be here until at least Sunday

We walked around town and took our pictures of the 0 mile marker and all six of us at the Alaska highway sign. I tried posting some pictures the one of the Frazier Canyon train didn't go into the right place so we will see where the others end up. The Frazier Canyon runs for miles and is beautiful in places and fairly desolate in others. There are lots of trains many with over a 100 cars. Some have an engine in front pulling and another in the rear pushing

2009-06-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

2009-06-05T11:01:00.001-07:00

2009-05-31T15:27:00.001-07:00

Seattle, WA

2009-05-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

In my last post I failed to mention one of my blunders. On the morning of the 28 th before leaving I started the Honda and ran it through the gears as called for and let it run, supposed to be 3 minutes. We went on down the road had the flat tire, had it worked on and then drove to Tacoma Elks. When I started to unhook for the day, I finally noticed the engine was still running---Duh. Fortunately nothing was harmed. Had I used the brakes on the car while towing it could have caused some real problems because the vacuum booster is supposed to be depleted before using the brake. Live and learn.

Yesterday we moved to the Burien Elk's and today we took the bus into downtown Seattle. We got quite a tour of the city stopping numerous times. We visited Pikes Market, where they sell a little of everything, probably a hundred or more vendors. There were lots of street musicians and other entertainers.

We went on a tour of the Seattle underground, where a portion of the city is built on top of the old city. It was very interesting and lasting almost 2 hours. We got back on the bus for the 45 minute ride back to the motorhome.

Tomorrow we meet the people we plan to travel with for the first time.

Getting there

2009-05-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

5-28-09

We did stay a second day in Keizer and visited Margaret's nephew Brett and his wife Patty, we don't see them often so it was an enjoyable evening. They just got a new Pug puppy and he is into everything including chewing my shoes, a very cute pup.

Just before we left home I received a letter from Terry Bell who worked with me in the drug unit during the 70's, I hadn't seen him in 15 or 20 years. Since we had his address from the letter I called him after finding his number with the computer. We were invited to their home for Pizza and drinks. We had a good visit recalling old time and lots of old stories, he even had some old pictures. Terry was one of the most reliable men I ever worked with and it was very good seeing him and his wife Marti after all those years. He wanted me to say hello to his friends from back in the day,

In January of 2009 we were in Quartzite at an RV show and I brought some tire pressure monitors for the MH and the tow car, it seemed like a good idea for the trip to Alaska. Well today it paid off, we were cruising now the road and all of a sudden the alarm on the monitor came on indicating something was wrong. Margare determined that the inside dual on the passenger side was going flat. Fortunately we were approaching a rest stop and pulled in. We called for a service truck and 45 minutes later they showed up. They checked the outside of the tire and found nothing, then dismounted the tire and checked the inside which was also OK. He finally determined it was the valve stem. So it appears the monitors probably paid for themselves today.

We are spending the night at the Elk's in Tacoma, WA. They have a beautiful facility. It has 3 levels and includes a bar, nice dance floor, a sauna, a compete workout room and a professional pool table, swimming pool and bowling alley We had a nice dinner . They also have 4000 members. The RV parking is a flat spot in the parking lot. The only hookup I saw was electric.

2009-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

We left home at 9:00 AM on 5-24-09, we made it almost 1/2 mile when Margaret remembered we had left her purse and both our passports behind. We returned home and she found her purse but no passports, we did find the copies and fortunately we both have the passport cards, so we should be good. After that we stopped for gas and got out of Modesto at 10:00 AM. We drove 400 miles plus to a RV park just outside of Medford, much too far for one day, but we were on a roll.

This morning we got up drove to the Elk's in Keizar, OR. I contacted my cousin Liz who lives in Salem a few miles away and had a really good dinner and visit with her and her husband Martin. They have a beautifful home on a hillside just above a golf course.

we will stay here another day or two. I hope to have more of interest to report as we make our way to Alaska.

Almost ready

2009-05-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

We are still working on getting ready to leave. As you might expect things sometimes break at the most inopportune times. The backup camera on the MH started going grey and losing the picture, I called the manufacturer and asked for help trouble shooting the problem. I followed their suggestion and reported the outcome, they informed me that the Monitor was bad and would have to be replaced. Another monitor was ordered and with much work was installed. I tried it out only to find that it too went grey after a short time. It seemed to me the only thing left that it could be was the camera itself. I again talked to the Manufacturer and they agreed, I need a new camera.

I ordered a new camera on the 11th of May and told the supplier I needed it right away because we were leaving on a 3 month trip. Not to worry says he, it should arrive Friday, the 15th. It was being send Priority mail. Monday , the 18th I still didn't have a camera, a check with the supplier, he said a couple more days.Today is the 20th and still no camera. Another contact with the supplier and I learned it was not mailed until the 18th. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

As many of you know I wear hearing aids. The right one went out last week and was sent for a expedited repair (an additional $35). I got it back Monday and it worked fine until Tuesday afternoon when it made a lot of static noise and then stopped working altogether, so now I have an appointment to have it checked tomorrow. It looks like a very real possibility that we will make a 3 month trip with me saying "huh" and Margaret having to repeat herself all the time.

2 more days before we leave, hopefully the camera will arrive and the hearing aid can be fixed, and I'm hoping nothing else breaks before then.

2009-04-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

2009-04-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

April 7, 2009

2009-04-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

We are in the planning stage for a trip to Alaska along with 2 other couples. We plan to leave our Modesto home the last week of May and cross into Canada on June first.

We were last in Alaska in 1992 when we went there in late may to Homer, where I had a job on a 6 pack Halibut fishing boat as a skipper. I worked for K-Bay charters. I got a skippers license shortly before going . I was licensed to take as many as 6 people no more than 100 miles offshore in a 100 ton vessel. During my time there I never skippered anything that approached 100 tonsor go 100 off shore. We did, however run 40 and 50 miles from the Homer Harbour. The license was good for 5 years, when it expired I didn't renew it. I enjoyed working the boat that one season and although I was asked to return the second year I turned it down. It was the hardest work I had done in years.