Journal - Alaska 2005
Updated: 11/30/08
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Day 103: Thursday, September 22, 2005 After a warm, humid and noisy night in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Mt. Vernon, IL, we received a phone call at 7:15am (Central Time). It was Caitlin. She and Becky were going to bake an apple pie - Caitlin wanted to make sure we liked apple pie. We arrived at Fred and Becky's at 4:00pm after a 159 mile day. It is hot and humid here - the air conditioner in the HHII is working hard tonight.
We consider our arrival at Fred and Becky's the 'official' end of our 12,576 mile Alaskan Adventure. The remaining 435 mile drive home is just a ride over familiar routes. We will update the final photo album page for our journey home soon.
Day 102: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Today we drove, drove, then drove some more - 407 miles. At the rest areas in Missouri, we experienced 'All-In- One' hand washing equipment. The equipment was recessed in the wall. When you put you hands in the rear of the cavity, the first thing dispensed was soapy water . . . followed by plain water for rinsing . . . followed by warm air for drying your hands. You had to open the door yourself to leave the restroom. We called Fred to wish him a happy birthday. We killed an hour in a rest area outside of St. Louis to avoid rush hour. The ride through town was busy but traffic moved along well. We arrived well after dark at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Mt. Vernon, Illinois for the night. This was the first time during our entire journey that we arrived at our campsite in the dark.
Day 101: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Today was a travel day. We drove all day except for lunch at another Culver's, stopping to fuel the truck and a couple stops at rest areas. We did take time to send an e-mail from a rest area in Iowa. The Iowa State Highway Department provides a FREE wireless Internet connection at their 'modern' rest areas. We spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in St. Joseph, Missouri. Our reintroduction to heat and humidity has not been a pleasant experience. A breeze during the night made sleeping possible.
Day 100: Monday, September 19, 2005 We got a late start this morning ... so ... we forgot breakfast and went to Culver's for lunch. We visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell. Unlike during our visit here 35 years ago, we could go inside and see the interior decorations. The laundry was in the truck because the laundromat was two blocks from the Corn Palace - Fred resized photographs for the Web site while Mary Lou did the laundry. A stop at the Super Wall-Mart completed our errands. Fred fueled the truck while Mary Lou put away the groceries. Being almost 5:00pm, we decided to stay here another night. We will spent the evening posting the Web site, went back to Culver's for dinner and uploaded the Web site at a local WiFi Hotspot. Our plan is to get on the road 'early' in the morning.
Day 99: Sunday, September 18, 2005 It was a good thing we dragged our feet getting started this morning. By the time we left our campsite at 11:00am, the sun was peeking out. Soon, the sun was shinning and we finished the remainder of our ride through the Badlands National Park. A short distance outside the park we stopped at a Prairie Homestead which included a sod house and many prairie dogs. By the time we had lunch at a restaurant on Interstate 90, it was 4:00pm - we had driven 29 miles. We made up for the slow start and drove until 8:00pm and a total 215 miles. A few miles were in a hard rain but, most miles were dry only watching storms on our left and on our right. We found a spot with other RVers in the Cabela's parking lot in Mitchell, South Dakota for the night.
Day 98: Saturday, September 17, 2005 After saying our 'Goodbyes' to our Michigan friends, we drove to town to check e-mail. Then, we dumped the holding tank, loaded fresh water and put in some valve lubricant in the holding tanks. As we drove through the Black Hills area, we saw Devil's Tower in the distance. We stopped at Wall Drugs - how it has changed in thirty-five years since our last visit. It is a huge place taking up an entire square city block. We bought a couple postcards and ice cream cones. We spent the late afternoon and early evening completing our 228 mile day driving the loop road in the Badlands National Park. Several campsites were available in the campground inside the park - we set up just before dark. As we were registering, a full moon rose over the peaks. The prairie wind seems to follow us wherever we go - what you hear about prairie winds always blowing is true.
Day 90: Friday, September 9, 2005 (through Day 97: Friday, September 16, 2005) We were at the 2005 HitchHiker International Rally in Gillette, Wyoming. While the rally ended after the continental breakfast Friday, we stayed to take a tour of a coal mine and have dinner with our Michigan friends.
Day 89: Thursday, September 8, 2005 On our way to Gillette, Wyoming, we visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. It was an unseasonably hot day (95 degrees). We had buffalo burgers for lunch at a local cafe. On the road we saw three wind generator units - each occupying an entire 'wide load' flat bed truck. We know where they were headed. Because it was too hot to spend the night in a rest area, we made it a 252 mile day and drove all the way to Gillette. When we arrived at the Cam-Plex where the rally is being held, the setting sun had the sky on fire. Our friends are not here yet - we are a day early for the 'early' parking.
Day 88: Wednesday, September 7, 2005 Because we were not relocating, we got a late start today. We worked on the Web site some before our showers and breakfast. After breakfast, we paid our camp fee for another night - then, back to the HHII. The campground is in the city. We are exposed to city sounds - dogs barking, traffic driving by, a train in the distance, children playing on a school playground and a neighbor's voice. This was a good transition day to the 'normal' lifestyle that is ahead of us. We also gathered some statistics from our trip. We want to be prepared with correct answers when people ask questions. We found a WiFi location and checked e-mail and uploaded the Web site. We watched some television tonight to catch up on the news as well.
Day 87: Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Montana turned beautiful for a lot of our 178 miles today. The mostly flat fields were replaced by rolling hills, rock outcroppings and cliffs. The ranches in south central Montana are huge. Cattle and horses could be seen grazing just about everywhere. We saw many corrals where the cattle are held for loading on cattle trucks taking them to market. In Judith's Gap, we saw a large wind generating field being built. There had to be fifty of them. As we drove, two flatbed trucks with "wide loads" approached. Each was loaded with one blade for a wind generator - the blade had to be 40 foot long. After lunch in Ryegate's city park, we drove to a campground in Billings. We did laundry, fueled the truck and shopped at Wal-Mart. We also got haircuts. We had dinner in the HHII and worked on the Web site.
Day 86: Monday, September 5, 2005 This travel day covered 204 miles. The Milk River travel information center had information on hoodoos and dinosaurs - examples of both were on display. These are a big things in the area. We waited in line at the border crossing at Sweetgrass, Montana for twenty minutes, talked to the border guard for five minutes and were on our way again. The frozen hamburger we have raised an eyebrow, but we still have it. The scenery changed radically - huge wheat fields. Montana has a different terrain than we expected. After driving through flat ranch land, the land became hilly and had some rock outcroppings. We fueled the truck and had dinner in Great Falls. Our spot for the night is in a rest area about 40 miles out of Great Falls. The view out our window of wheat fields and small flat top mountains is beautiful. It looks 'western' - a cowboy should be driving some cattle by our fifth wheel any time now.
Day 85: Sunday, September 4, 2005 Today was a driving day - 256 miles. We were out of Banff National Park about four hours before out pass expired. In Calgary, we did some grocery shopping, had lunch and make a couple phone calls. We actually paid 'cash' for the groceries and lunch to use our Canadian money. It was sad to see the mountains fad in the distance as we headed south. As we continued towards the U.S./Canada border we could see them way in the distance to our right. The severe mountains had been exchanged for flat farm and ranch land - fields, cattle and horses. About 65 miles from the border, we spent the last of our Canadian money by making a 'cash' purchase of diesel fuel. We stopped for the night in a rest area about 30 miles from the border.
Day 84: Saturday, September 3, 2005 We wound our way down the mountainside from our campsite just below the timberline. We called Mom and tried to call Caitlin with a birthday greeting. She is five years old today. We drove the remainder of The Icefields Parkway. The mountains seem huge because they are and because you seem real close to them. We saw Mountain Goats today. We had lunch in Lake Louise but did not see the lake. A large sign warned that large vehicles and vehicles with trailers should not proceed farther. We didn't. The road south of Lake Louise was fenced with an occasional grassed overpass for the animals to use to cross the highway. The first thing we did in Banff was get a campsite - a good thing, they we 'full' a couple hours later. It was a 123 mile day. There were a lot of people and vehicles in the town of Banff. The streets are narrow and parking a problem. We did not stay long. We found a WiFi hotspot and checked e-mail and uploaded the Web site. A stop at the Hoodoos, the fuel station and back to camp for the evening. Caitlin was home the next time we called. She had a great birthday. (Hoodoos are pillars of glacial till.)
Day 83: Friday, September 2, 2005 Although it was a dark, cloudy, rainy morning, we were on the road at 9:15am towards The Icefields Parkway. The woman in the visitors center told us we should get to the next campground by noon to get a larger spot. As it turned out, all the spots are about the same size - small. And, the campground was almost empty. After lunch, we headed for the Icefield Center. The day gradually cleared and we were able to photograph the area glaciers and mountains. We took a ride on Athabasca Glacier in a six-wheel drive all-terrain bus. It stopped raining before we got to the glacier so the 20 walk on the glacier was a great experience. Because the sky had cleared, we drove back north on The Icefields Parkway to see what we had missed on our way south during this morning's miserable weather. When we got back to camp, there were probably six or so class "C" motorhomes and truck campers in the campground which has 46 sites.
Day 82: Thursday, September 1, 2005 The first part of the day was reasonably clear. Our first stop was at Mt. Robson. It is the highest point in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. At the entrance to Jasper National Park, we were asked how long we would be in the park. We guessed three days, paid our three days fee and drove in. Stopping at the National Parks visitor center in Jasper, we were advised to get to the campground 'now' in hopes of getting a large campsite. (The town is full of the rented class "C" motorhomes and other RVs - and tourists.) We did - and - we did. Leaving the fifth wheel in Whistler Campground, we visited the Maligne Canyon and Medicine Lake. The views of the Colin Mountain Range were beautiful. Wildlife was plentiful. We saw three elk, a coyote and a small herd of elk at the edge of town behind some condos. We watched the coyote dig his lunch out of a hole - a rodent. We had dinner at a place recommended by the young man at the fuel station. Tonight we are working on the Website after a couple days off.
Day 81: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 Today's 336 mile drive was pleasant. We had partly blue sky and sunshine for most of the day. We saw a big black bear almost get hit by a pickup truck today. He crossed the road, walked up to the railroad track and just walked along it. After getting fuel for the truck and calling Mom in Prince George, we left that BIG town. Fred was disappointed that there were no pull-offs with a view for a hundred miles as we approached and drove between the Canadian Rockies and the Cariboo Mountains. He did manage to stop a couple times at the side of the road for a photograph - traffic was not heavy. We are stopped for the night in a rest area with a couple from Washington state who also spent two months in Alaska - we remember seeing their distinctive truck. Another couple in the rest area for the night is from Belgium. They flew to Vancouver and rented a class "C" motorhome.
Day 80: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 We drove on the Alaska Highway for the last time today. We left Fort St. John early afternoon after a little grocery shopping, gathering travel information and purchasing fuel for the truck. Today was an up and down day - up and down hills that is. Some of the grades were 11% and long. We overlooked a beautiful valley for the early part of the ride. We visited the W. A. C. Bennett Dam and G. N. Shrum Generating Station, a hydroelectric dam near Hudson's Hope, B.C. about 4:00pm. The tour bus took us 500 feet underground. From there we walked to the turbine room and the water discharge room - a good tour. The next stop was Chetwynd, a town known for its chainsaw carvings. We looked at a few and continued south. After driving 151 miles (30 without the fifth wheel), we are stopped in a gravel area about ten miles out of Chetwynd.
Day 79: Monday, August 29, 2005 When we got up this morning, the fog was so thick we could not see the mountain across the road. After breakfast, the mountain appeared and the clearing continued. After driving a few miles, the sun appeared. Fred had posted on the Web site last night that blue sky would help the photographs - we got it. We had a fantastic day. The many snow covered mountains were beautiful. Between our campsite and Summit Lake we saw - a young moose beside the road, a mom and baby sheep, three caribou and a herd of young caribou. At Summit Lake, Mount St. George was reflecting in the lake making a fantastic sight. Leaving the beauty of the Summit Lake area, we almost forgot about the wildlife until we had to stop for a moose crossing the road. The road down to Ft. Nelson presented views of spectacular valleys and mountains. We had lunch, fueled the truck had a propane bottle filled and continued south. The weather changed and the clouds returned. We, unexpectedly, traveled the entire 364 miles to Fort St. John. We are in an 'official' campground for the first time since August 13.
Day 78: Sunday, August 28, 2005 It was cold last night and raining when we got up. Of course, we were the last of the five RVs to leave. We started driving in rain and it rain to some degree most of the day. The fall colors, mostly yellows, were enjoyable to see. But, outside the truck, it never reached 52 degrees. We visited our sign in the Sign Forest at Watson Lake. While in town, we fueled the truck, fed us, checked e-mail and called Mom. The road crews had been working while we were in Alaska - the terrible construction we drove through two months ago, was a fairly good road now - a pleasant surprise. Just outside Mucho Lake, we saw the first new snow of the season - yes, snow. It had snowed in the higher elevations of the mountains as we continued south. When we stopped for fuel in Mucho Lake, the woman said the snow is about 'on time'. Wildlife was cooperative today - we saw two herds of buffalo, a small herd of ponies, a young caribou and a wild rabbit. After driving 294 miles, we stopped for the night at a gravel parking area for a unknown 'Point of Interest' near Toad River. When we got out of the truck it was 41 degrees.
Day 77: Saturday, August 27, 2005 The wiper refill issue has been resolved - the Dodge parts man told Fred they don't make them, only the blade assembly. Impressed with Fred's 'gold' badge, he gave us a discounted price AND installed them. Fred also uploaded the Web site while Mary Lou tidied up the HHII. The right rear tire on the fifth wheel was real low this morning - so, the first stop was the tire dealer. It was a disappointing day for Mary Lou - Mukluk Annie's Salmon Bake near Teslin was closed for the season. (It was soooo good on our way to Alaska.) A high point for Mary Lou was spotting a moose drinking water at the edge of a lake. We stopped for the night after driving 194 miles. We are camped on a gravel patch next to the Swift River. We have been joined by four other RV'ers.
Day 76: Friday, August 26, 2005 After breakfast we did errands all over town - not a big town. Our search for wiper blades the last couple weeks has not been successful. The next Dodge dealer gets the sale - no more parts stores. While we use credit cards most of the time, we picked up a little more Canadian cash for our time in Canada. Today's attractions were the Whitehorse Fishway (fish ladder) owned by Yukon Energy and the Transportation Museum. Both were very interesting. We are glad we visited them on this visit in Whitehorse. Today was not a nice day - cloudy, wet off and on and 50 degrees. We had dinner on the way home and settled in for the night.
Day 75: Thursday, August 25, 2005 Waking up this morning, our view of a 'dry lake' out our window was not an acceptable substitute for our views of the water, mountains and boats in Haines. Not to mention, the smell of salty air was missing. The remainder of the ride was pretty with only a short section of road work. It was a short day, only 63 miles. We parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Whitehorse, gathered our dirty laundry and spent some time at the local laundromat. After 'cat' naps, a little shopping at Wal-Mart and dinner at McDonald's, we are in for the night.
Day 74: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Well, we did it - we left Haines. After going to town to check e-mail, upload the Web site and have brunch, we hitched up, dumped the tanks, filled fresh water and headed out of Alaska. Yes, out of Alaska for this trip. It was a windy, cloudy and rainy day all the way to Haines Junction. We were glad we spent so much time going into Haines because the Three Guardsmen Mountain, the summit and most others areas were clouded over. In the summit area the road disappeared into the clouds. After dinner in Haines Junction, a five-mile stretch of road construction got the HHII real dirty . . . again. After that, it was a short distance of traveling with 'no road' through a construction area. After traveling 190 miles, we pulled into an abandoned gravel pit for the night about 60 miles out of Whitehorse. Now we know how the road builders get gravel without damaging our view along the highway.
Day 73: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 We are still in Haines - for one last day. Today we picked up fuel for the truck, propane for the HHII and groceries for us. A final trip to the state park this evening for photographs of two signs and a short wait for bears. Now, we are enjoying watching the white caps on the water and the noise of the water crashing against the rocks next to our fifth wheel. A lone fisherman, we have been watching off and on all day, has gone home. Early this morning, Mary Lou watched as he removed the fish from his gill net. He was placing his gill net and retrieving it for at least twelve hours - a long day, especially in this wind.
Day 72: Monday, August 22, 2005 Our plan to leave Haines did not materialize. We stayed to update the Web site and upload it tomorrow. Maybe we will leave tomorrow after some of the usual relocation chores - fuel for truck, dump holding tanks and fill fresh water. Oh yes, we need propane also.
Day 71: Sunday, August 21, 2005 We were up early and at the boat dock at 8:15am. We took the 'Fjord Express to Juneau'. The 70-plus mile ride to Juneau was great. A lot of photo opportunities. We were met at the dock by a bus that took us the 13 miles to town. In Juneau, the state capital, accessible only by water or air, we shopped, had lunch and looked around a little. During lunch at the Hanger Restaurant, we watched float planes take off and land and a cruise ship arrive and dock. The bus picked us up and took us to Mendenhall Glacier. The ride home did not provide nice scenery - everything was covered by clouds. Plus, it was windy and a very rough ride back to Haines. Waves were breaking over the bow and crashing onto the windshield. During the ride, we saw sealife including one Orca whale that swam right at the boat and under it.
Day 70: Saturday, August 20, 2005 This afternoon, our fist trip out of the HHII, we headed for town to check e-mail, upload the Web site and make phone calls. Finding the fair grounds, we saw the fictional town of Dalton City - the movie set for White Fang. Next, the drive to Chilkat State Park was very scenic. It has small, unlevel sites and a 14% to get there. On the way back to the fifth wheel for dinner, we picked up a few groceries. The bear and people activity were light tonight. We set the alarm clock for the third time during our trip.
Day 69: Friday, August 19, 2005 It was raining again this morning. It continued off and on while we checked e-mail, visited the American Bald Eagle Foundation building and the Sheldon Museum. We purchased our tickets for the Sunday tour to Juneau - a one day boat and bus tour. Back at the HHII, we had lunch and worked on the Web site. Then ... it was off to see the bears fish in the river again. There was a lot of bear activity tonight. We saw 9-10 different bears - even, a mom and two cubs three times. We got real close to a mom and her young cub. After a light dinner, Fred sorted bear photographs and Mary Lou read museum handouts.
Day 68: Thursday, August 18, 2005 When we woke up this morning, it was raining and we could not see across the water due to fog. By the time we went to the 10:45am demonstration at the Tsirku Canning Company (Museum), the rain had stopped. It was a very interesting demonstration. We did some shopping before going to the Hammer Museum. Ice cream was a snake on the way to the Chilkat Dancers Storytelling Theatre Show. They performed four stories with native masks and music. At the show, we saw the couple we camped near in Tok and on the latest stretch of the Alaska Highway and arranged dinner together. We told them a site was available near us, told them about the bear viewing and they visited in the HHII a little tonight. We only saw two bears tonight.
Day 67: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 We drove the remaining five miles into town. The ocean view campground we had selected, required us to have the front of the HHII towards the ocean - no windows there. So, we left. We are boondocked about two mile out of town between the road to the state park and the water (Chilkoot Inlet of the Lynn Canal). We watch the ferries and the cruise ships out our side windows - it is the route to Skagway. Seeing some old cars in town, helps satisfy our missing the Woodward Dream Cruise this weekend. We had lunch in town and then hung the Caribou antler eagle over the big slideout. We purchased it in Anchorage. After dinner we drove to the Chilkoot River for bear viewing. We saw five. One sat on a rock in front of us and ate the fish we watched him catch.
Day 66: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 It was smoky, cloudy and it rained a little this morning. A half mile from camp, we saw a moose. She was standing at the edge of the trees and quickly retreated as we stopped. It was a nice start to a dreary day. The road continued to be roller coaster until we got to construction - a lot of construction in the Yukon. The scenery was lovely but the roads were terrible. In some places, the foliage was turning fall colors. In Haines Junction we had lunch, purchased fuel, dumped and filled fresh water. The road was great the rest of the way. Part way to Haines, the weather improved and the smoke cleared some. We even saw some blue sky. It was a beautiful ride into Haines. Just outside of town, firefighters were pumping water up to several smalls forest fires. After driving 239 miles, we are stopped along the Chilkat River - it is about 15 feet away from the HHII.
Day 65: Monday, August 15, 2005 The words for today are - roly-poly, bumps and construction. We figure we averaged 30 mph. We were warned that the road was in bad shape and it was. We left the Tok area at 10:15am and crossed into Canada with no immigration delay - actually, after only being asked a few questions. We did not need to show any documents. Except for a lunch stop, we drove straight through (192 miles) to the overlook for the Kluane River. We are staying here for the night. We were joined by four other rigs, one was a neighbor at the Tok overlook last night.
Day 64: Sunday, August 14, 2005 We asked the camp host for information on today's weather and smoke conditions toward Tok. According to her, we should expect temperatures and smoke about like in camp. Based on that information, we hitched and headed for Tok. The road was worse than we had been told - we expected roly-poly and got gravel and construction also. The ride in the smoke was not picturesque. The main view listed in the books was of the Wrangell Mountains which we had seen twice from the Richardson Highway. We did not see them nor get a good view of the trees and valleys. Arriving in Tok, we got fuel for the truck, did a little grocery shopping, did the e-mail thing and uploaded the Web site. Tok was not as busy as when we were here in early July. We spent the night in an overlook outside of town.
Day 63: Saturday, August 13, 2005 Today was hot, hot, hot. There was a clear sky, no breeze and these little short trees provided no shade. We stayed in camp all day. We did some odd jobs and spent time working on the Web site in front of a fan. Fred grilled salmon for dinner - yummy! Mary Lou looked at the map, we have little time left in the main part of Alaska. We have some of the Alaska Highway yet untraveled. Including, through the Yukon Territory to get to the panhandle of Alaska -Haines and Juno.
Day 62: Friday, August 12, 2005 We left the HHII in camp about noon to travel the Richardson Highway to Delta Junction and back today. By doing this, we will have traveled all of the major highways in Alaska - and, some of the less major. Some of the scenery on the trip to Delta Junction was the most beautiful we have seen in Alaska. In addition, we enjoyed more opportunities to see the pipeline and large braided rivers. In Delta Junction we fueled the truck and ourselves and headed back to camp. On the way home, the smoke we encountered about 40 miles outside Delta Junction on the way in, had worsened and spread south. It ruined most of our previously beautiful views. We returned at 9:30pm from our 247 mile day.
Day 61: Thursday, August 11, 2005 Our campsite had to be vacated by 11:00am but we were not ready to leave the great WiFi connection. We hitched up and drove a half mile down the road and parked in a spot beside the road to work on the Web site. When we are busy all day, for a couple days in a row, we get behind in posting the Web site. After uploading, a little grocery shopping and a trip to the post office, we left Valdez at 5:30pm. We arrived at Sourdough Campground (BLM) at 9:30pm - a 156 mile day. The view from our windows is not water and mountains - but, nice in a different way. All sides overlook eight to ten tall spruce trees. Their growth stunted by permafrost. Looking out the kitchen window and Mary Lou's side window, we see the pipeline. It starts to get dark about midnight - we even saw two stars.
Day 60: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 The day was spent touring the City of Valdez. After purchasing some liquid gold (diesel), we went to the local college for a presentation of a series of videos - the operation of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, building of double hull oil tankers, the 1964 earthquake (again) and a wildlife/scenery tour. Next, we visited the City of Valdez Museum 'Remembering Old Valdez' exhibit and main museum. Lunch was at the Halibut House recommended by the Lu-Lu Belle captain. Driving out of town we headed for the 'Old Town of Valdez', the town's location prior to the earthquake. The old town is overgrown after 40 years. We could only find the foundation of the post office. Driving out Dayville Road, we were looking for the Salmon Gulch Hatchery and the end of the pipeline. We found the hatchery and were stopped at the gate (oops) of the Alyeska Pipeline Marine Terminal. The guard told Fred the pipeline is underground in this area and suggested we go to Fairbanks to see it. To our surprise, we also found a location where there were thousands of spawning salmon. The water was black and churning due to the number of salmon trying to go upstream. It was like a panicked crowd of thousands of people trying to exit a building through one 36 inch door. The early arriving salmon were already dead or dying. A local man who was there, told Mary Lou that he has lived in Valdez for 30 years and never saw them this thick before. Back at camp, Fred washed the truck and HHII for the first time since they were hosed off in Tok July 2.
Day 59: Tuesday, August 9, 2005 The sky was clear and blue this morning and the day promised to be the same. So, we decided to take a tour of Prince William Sound including the Columbia Glacier. We booked on the Lu-Lu Belle, known as the "Limousine of Prince William Sound". It wasn't a tour boat, it was a beautiful yacht. It was licensed to carry 80 people - today there were 40+ on board. We encountered sporadic fog but ran out of it - the trip was successful. We saw sea otters, playful sea lions, Puffins, bashful harbor seals and the tail of a whale. Many icebergs of various sizes were seen along our route. The last destination was the Columbia Glacier. The captain took us through dense icebergs as far as could be done safely. One iceberg was so large, it was calving. On this particular day, we could only get within seven miles of the glacier - Sunday, the tour got much closer. A young couple behind us in line were married on the Sunday tour in front of a huge iceberg. She had worked on the Lu-Lu Belle four summers. Because we chased a reported whale, the 'approximately' five hour tour lasted seven hours. It was a very different tour the Kenai Fjords trip and well worth it.
Day 58: Monday, August 8, 2005 It took us over eight hours to drive the remaining 200 miles to Valdez. It was a spectacular drive. Besides stopping for photographs, we had lunch at the Copper Center Lodge (an historic roadhouse) and walked to the Worthington Glacier so we could touch it. Walking to the glacier was quite an experience - wet feet and all. Approaching Valdez, we stopped at Bridal Vail Falls and Horsetail Falls. The pipeline was seen for the first time in many, many days. We are camped with our bay windows on the channel leading to the small boat harbor, overlooking a bay of Prince William Sound. Across the bay is Port Valdez, where tankers are leaving with oil from of the Alyeska Pipeline - the pipeline ends here. After a ride around town, we were entertained by a sea otter behind our HHII as well as fishing boats and pleasure craft cruising by.
Day 57: Sunday, August 7, 2005 After a quiet nights sleep, we stopped by the grocery store on the way out of town. We had scouted out a fuel station yesterday. It was on our route and offered a dump station, fresh water and filled propane bottles - all the stuff we needed. About 20 miles north of Anchorage we visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center. On the way in their road, we saw a moose. A little farther north in Eklutma, the park was closed but we could still see the Althabascan burial houses with Russian orthodox influences. We had dinner in their parking lot before continuing on toward Glennallen. At one point, we had to slowdown to let a moose and her calf cross the road. We spent the night surrounded by mountains in a pull-off with a view of gypsum colored mountains out our side window. It was 118 miles from Anchorage.
Day 56: Saturday, August 6, 2005 It was a rather sleepless night due to the 'village idiots' racing loud cars and car surfing on both sides of the parked RVs until about 2:00am. After breakfast we drove to the Summer Market and Festival in downtown Anchorage. We visited it on our last time in town but had a purpose this time - an eagle carved out of a caribou antler for the HHII. We went with our template of the space we had for it and found just the right one. It was another beautiful day so we did some shopping in stores on Fourth Street, no purchases. Back at the HHII Fred did some little jobs on the fifth wheel and truck. Just before a late dinner, we moved a whole mile to a new camp site. We are now camped on a road end behind 'our' laundromat - a quieter location.
Day 55: Friday, August 5, 2005 It was difficult leaving our campsite overlooking glaciers for the big city of Anchorage. However, we drove the 54 miles and are in a Sam's Club parking lot for the night. We traded glaciers for a neon sign. It was sunny and clear, about 70 degrees. About the same as when we left Anchorage over two weeks ago. We are told, however, that they had a lot of rain like we did on the Kenai Peninsula. This afternoon we were busy. It included a visit to a Dodge dealer for an oil change, lots of time at a laundromat, uploaded the Web site and checked e-mail using the WiFi next door to the laundromat, fueled the truck, and shopped at Wal-Mart. This evening we stowed away the clean clothes and purchases. The parking lot is filling up for the night. Some of the people are crafters arriving for an Irish Festival on 'G' Street tomorrow. It must be time for bed, the mercury vapor lights just ignited.
Day 54: Thursday, August 4, 2005 This was a relax and catch up day. The Web site is current again and Mary Lou's book is finished. It was mostly a dry day. We took a two mile walk down the 'wrong' path and saw some beautiful glaciers and flowers. After a short rest, we took the eighth of a mile 'correct' path to a salmon viewing area. We viewed ONE salmon and a family of ducks. Tonight was movie and pop corn night. We tried out the two DVDs and one VHS tape we bought to make sure they work before we leave the area. As I am keying this, an airplane just flew between us and Middle Glacier - a missed photo-op. And, there is a patch of blue sky over the glacier - Fred caught this photo-op. The day ended with a colorful sunset.
Day 53: Wednesday, August 3, 2005 We awoke to the sound of glacier water rushing down the mountain next to us. A lot of water was flowing. After breakfast ,we drove to the waterfront for some shopping - postcards and a Whittier magnet. We took the only road out of town and found three houses. All other residents of the town live in two condominium buildings. The road ended at a fishing stream with a beautiful view. Arriving back at the HHII, we hitched and headed for the 1:00pm release at the tunnel. Again, what a great experience. Stopping at the Portage Glacier visitor center again, we purchased the DVD of the video we saw yesterday and Fred photographed an ice worm for the Web site. We traveled four miles to Williwaw Campground (USFS) for the night. The view out our window of Middle Glacier is so appealing, we signed up for two nights. Today we drove a whole nine miles. We spent the evening charging batteries, reading, updating the Web site and playing RummiCube. Oh yes, it rained all day.
Day 52: Tuesday, August 2, 2005 Our last day in Seward started dry but soon changed to wet. Fred tried fishing again until the rain became heavy. On the way back to the HHII, we stopped by J Dock Fish Company and purchased some salmon. (While fishing was not the main interest for our trip, some people carry chest type freezers with dry ice in their pickup truck and take a lot of salmon home.) We stopped at the visitor center near Portage Glacier on the way to Whittier. Their video "Voices from the Ice" and displays were very interesting. It is a very impressive visitors center. A short distance from there is the staging area for passage through the tunnel to Whittier. The tunnel was a railroad tunnel until the year 2000 when motor vehicles began sharing the tunnel. It was a spectacular experience - 2.5 miles of a narrow rock tunnel, driving over railroad rails. It was worth the $20 toll just for the ride. It was a great end to our 96 mile day. The campground is on a rough, ungraded hill full of potholes - part of the experience.
Day 51: Monday, August 1, 2005 Rain, rain, rain! This has been another rainy day. We went into town to purchase post cards and a couple other items, got a LP bottle filled and had lunch at a restaurant at the small boat harbor. After going back to the HHII for boots, we revisited the Exit Glacier. This time, we got all the way to the base of the glacier. It was still raining but very lightly. We picked up a few groceries and Fred bought a one-day fishing license. He no more than got the line wet and it started raining hard and has not stopped. The license is good until 7:00pm tomorrow - maybe tomorrow will be drier.
Day 50: Sunday, July 31, 2005 It rained all day - a hard rain. We didn't leave the HHII until 7:30pm, when it stopped raining. We drove to Miller's Landing on Lowell Point to see what that campground looked like. On the way back, we visited the marker for the Mile "0" of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the memorial to Benny Benson who design the Alaska flag.
Day 49: Saturday, July 30, 2005 This was clean the fifth wheel day. Mary Lou washed the floors and gathered laundry. Fred updated the Web site. We finally found a WiFi location to upload the Web site but could not check e-mail. After dinner, we watched people fly kites behind our fifth wheel. Fred updated the fuel and mileage information spreadsheet. He was happy with the 11.7 MPG overall for the 6,238 miles so far. The mountains look pretty in shades of gray tonight.
Day 48: Friday, July 29, 2005 After breakfast we washed the HHII windows. Our great view got better. When all the fishing boats float by our window tonight on the way back to the docks, they should look brighter. Later, we went to the Alaska Sealife Center. It is a new (1998) facility which provides educational and informative displays for research and enjoyment. They provide chairs so you can sit and watch the sealife in huge tanks. After dinner of 'the best pizza in town', Fred worked on the Web site and Mary Lou enjoyed the clean windows. The campground is filling up for the weekend - it must be the footpath along the bay and the activity on the bay that is drawing people outside in the evenings. Tonight we, and everybody else, watched a cruise ship turn around in the bay.
Day 47: Thursday, July 28, 2005 Our day started with the alarm clock sounding at 7:15am - the second time we set the alarm clock during our trip. We were up to telephone the tour office to reserve tickets for the 8.5 hour Kenai Fjords National Park Tour with Fox Island. Tickets were available so we were at the dock at 9:00am. We saw a lot of wildlife and glaciers. We parked at Aialik Glacier for a half hour and heard the thunderous sounds a tide water glacier makes. The captain said we were fortunate to see so much calving - the pieces falling off the glacier seemed small to us due to the fact that the boat had to stay at least a quarter mile from the glacier. Lunch was served on the boat and it stopped at Fox Island for an all-you-can-eat salmon dinner on the way back to Seward. It was a great day that ended at 6:30pm. It was a pleasant weather day with some sunshine and no rain. We spent the evening naming our 'picture files'.
Day 46: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 We arrived in Seward about 11:00am today. The city provides over a hundred campsites along the Resurrection Bay - for a fee. You choose between water and electric ($25) or dry camping ($12), find a spot and deposit your money. Half of the sites are waterfront sites. After setting up we went to the visitors center for cruise information and 'don't miss' suggestions. We drove to the other side of the bay for a city view. Even though it looked like rain, we drove to Exit glacier - the most accessible glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. It was raining and the last half of the mile walk was muddy so we did not complete the entire walk. We may return on a dry day. We stopped at a salmon bake for dinner and then back to the HHII. We talked to several other campers - people are more friendly here than at other campgrounds.
Day 45: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Our day started late. We fished one last time and then hitch up. After seven days, it was time to dump our holding tanks and fill fresh water. We had been very conservative so we did not have to move unnecessarily. After the chores were completed, we had lunch at McDonalds - the first time since Fairbanks. We left Homer at 4:45pm. After driving 154 miles, we stopped for the night along the road with a river and mountain view 20 miles north of Seward. It rained most of the night.
Day 44: Monday, July 25, 2005 We decided to stay in Homer one more day to give Fred another catching opportunity. We made the three mile drive to the Spit Lagoon between rain showers three times. Very few people were catching anything. We spent half the day in the HHII due to rain. It was our worst weather day in Homer - cloudy, wet, 50 degrees. After grocery shopping, we put on our winter coats and fished until almost midnight. There were not as many fisherman at the fishing hole tonight - only about 25. The catching wasn't good but the jumping fish were entertaining.
Day 43: Sunday, July 24, 2005 Today has been cloudy and dreary. A good day to visit the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. It was well done and worth the time looking at their displays and viewing a video about their research ship. We shopped, did not buy, at a couple stores in town. Fred fished a little again. Today, there were two sea lions in the lagoon -we had only seen one prior to this. He quit fishing just before the rain started. Back at the HHII, we were greeted with higher water levels than seen previously. Water filled gullies within 100 feet of our fifth wheel.
Day 42: Saturday, July 23, 2005 This morning the tide was almost as low as yesterday. We enjoyed it from the warmth of our fifth wheel. Then, Fred worked on the Web site and Mary Lou read on the beach dressed in warm clothes. Later in the afternoon we took a break and tried fishing, went to Captain Pattie's (this time for a bowl of clam chowder) and then more time on the Web site. We had a few drops on rain after dinner. Fred suggested we try the fishing hole before bed. He caught a 20" silver salmon but released it. We drove to the end of the Spit and were surprised at the number of vehicles still around at midnight. We made a photograph of the marina - maybe the cloud cover contributed to the darkness.
Day 41: Friday, July 22, 2005 At 9:30am this morning we took our 'breakfast' to the waters edge to witness the lowest tide of the cycle. We walked out as far as we could on the bay without getting too wet. About noon, as we were heading back to the HHII, one of the eagles flew in again - another photo-opt. Fred bought a fishing license so he could show others how to catch the jumping silver salmon. It didn't work out well. After our first seafood dinner out, Fred fished for another 45 minutes before we drove home.
Day 40: Thursday, July 21, 2005 After breakfast we went to town to locate a free WiFi connection - the local laundromat/expresso station offered one. We took a ride the woman in the visitor's center recommended. The road winds into the mountains and at an overlook you see the entire Homer Spit and most of the town. We drove east out of town along Kachemak Bay and saw many different views of the local glaciers. We got back to the HHII in time to witness the high tide at 4:00pm. After dinner we drove to the end of the Homer Spit for ice cream. We ate our ice cream while we watched the silver salmon jump out of the water in the Spit Lagoon. The salmon jumping frustrates a lot of fisherman - few hook a fish. If they did, they are nice size. When we got back to camp, Mary Lou spotted two eagles on the sand and rocks. Fred was able to get close enough for some good photographs.
Day 39: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 The ride south out of Anchorage was spectacular but turned to a mountain drive before opening to the sea close to Homer. To our right, we could see the mountains and volcanoes on the other side of Cooks Inlet. After the 120 mile day, we arrived in Homer about 1:45pm and went straight to the Homer Spit to camp in a city operated campground. Homer Spit is a long stretch of land reaching into Kachemak Bay. It is dry camping. Our rear windows look out over the bay toward other mountains, volcanoes and glaciers. We sat at our dining table tonight facing the rear of the HHII and remarked about the great, almost 180 degree view. After dinner and at low tide, we walked out into the bay. The wind and cool air forced us inside. We turned the chairs around and watched the tide come in.
Day 38: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 Last night Fred decided to park the truck behind the HHII so we could keep an eye on it. This morning, a car was parked in front of us so we could not hitch up. When we returned from errands about 1:00pm, the car was still there. Fred asked a police officer having lunch next to us if he would run the plate and maybe we could call the owner's home and find out where in the nearby several buildings the driver worked. The officer was very helpful, checked at the KFC - even drove to the owner's house to inquire because no phone number was available. He called and told us he called Carrs and the vehicle would be moved immediately. We left for the Kenai peninsula at 2:40pm. People who live in Anchorage are just 20 miles from fantastic terrain. The Turnagain Bay was at low tide and the mud flats were very beautiful. It began raining off and on and then very hard - so, we are stopped along the road near Cooper Landing for the night after driving 111 miles.
Day 37: Monday, July 18, 2005 We left our campground this morning and headed for a Carrs (grocery store) parking lot. (We paid $175 for this 'free' spot a couple days ago.) Leaving the HHII there, we drove down the road for haircuts and then to The Alaska Zoo. The zoo is a small non-profit organization supported by many benefactors. They had a good and wide ranging collection of animals. It was well attended and you could tell by the conversations that some of the people were frequent visitors. The next couple hours were spent at the laundromat - Mary Lou doing the clothes thing and Fred doing computer stuff. The HHII is parked near a good smelling KFC - had to have chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.
Day 36: Sunday, July 17, 2005 At the urging of several people, we went to the Anchorage Market and Festival in downtown. Two hours later, we were the proud owners of an 'experienced' (used) Alaska vehicle license plate and two books (signed by the author) for the grandchildren. As the day had cleared beautifully, we went to Earthquake Park established in memory of the devastating Earthquake of 1964. After dinner out, made a few phone calls, worked on the Web site and drove a few blocks to a WiFi location to upload it and check e-mail.
Day 35: Saturday, July 16, 2005 The rain and change in wind direction is making our stay in Anchorage better than expected. We visited the Ulu Knife Factory this morning. In the afternoon, we went to three presentations. In the Alaska Experience Theatre we saw "Aaska, The Great Land" and a show on "The Earthquake of 1964". Then, off to the Performance Arts Center to see the Aurora, Alaska's Great Northern Lights presentation. On the way back to camp we did our first big grocery shopping - the cupboards were bare.
Day 34: Friday, July 15, 2005 We were pleasantly surprised to see Mount McKinley this morning. It was difficult to see last night. On our way out of the area, we stopped for last looks at the veterans memorial site and the south view. As our 172 mile day was ending, we ran into smoke drifting in from a forest fire on the Kenai Peninsula. Our view is considerably different out our windows tonight - a motorhome, a cyclone fence and trees.
Day 33: Thursday, July 14, 2005 At 5:15am, we got up to watch the sun come up on Mount McKinley - as a photo-op and for viewing enjoyment. We went back to bed at 8:00am and took a nap until 9:30am. After breakfast, we moved the HHII 50' to a "new" campsite so we could unhitch the truck for a ride to Denali View South State Park. All along the way the perspective of the Alaska Range and Mount McKinley changed In the afternoon we did chores - washed windows, dusted the slide-out rails, oiled squeaks, checked oil level in the truck, sorted and packaged prior travel information and updated our album and Web site. We took advantage of the asphalt parking area - unfortunately, it was the hottest day of our trip.
Day 32: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 When we left the campground this morning, we were not planning to travel far. We drove 47 miles including in and out of scenic turnouts - it was a beautiful day. At one turnout we could see Mt. McKinley. We stayed for lunch and over two hours later the clouds moved away and we saw both the South and North peaks. At a later turnout, we saw another perspective of both peaks. When we arrived at Denali View North State Park, the view was fantastic. The sun glistened off the snow on Mt. McKinley. We parked the HHII so our windows faced the mountain - what a camp site. All in all, the mountain was visible for over six hours today - quite a day. As the sun set during the evening, we photographed the different views.
Day 31: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 The alarms were set for the first time on our trip. We had to insure our appearance at the bus stop at 8:45am. We had tickets for the 8-hour Fish Creek Tour. It was a 64 mile one-way ride into Denali National Park Wilderness. The views were diverse and beautiful. And, the animal sightings were numerous. We were close and personal with a grizzly bear, but he ignored us. The day started cloudy but cleared enough for us to see the peaks of Mt. McKinley several times. It was a long day but a day filled with memories of Denali. On the way home, we had dinner at a little local restaurant recommended by the campground.
Day 30: Monday, July 11, 2005 It was cloudy and wet this morning after raining just about all night. We decided to go to Denali anyway to purchase bus reservations for Tuesday. The 27 miles to Denali National Park made a lot of difference in the weather. After a couple hours of walking through displays and watching two videos, it turned out to be a delightful day for the drive through the park. The best surprise of the day - we saw Mt. McKinley for the first time. An view that is not always possible. When we returned to the campground, the owner told us it had been cloudy here all day.
Day 29: Sunday, July 10, 2005 Today was a pack up and travel day - 151 miles. We drove to Cantwell, Alaska just south of Denali National Park. We can see mountains out of all four sides of the HHII. After we set up, we took a short ride in the mountains. We will visit the park tomorrow and try to take a bus tour of the park.
Day 28: Saturday, July 9, 2005 We used most of today to bring the Web site up-to-date. We had played so much in the Fairbanks area, there was no time to work. In between rain showers and storms, we visited downtown Fairbanks, Many people were enjoying the day at the riverside city park adjacent to the visitor center. Finishing the Web site updating after midnight, Fred drove to the WiFi hotspot we found and uploaded it.
Day 27: Friday, July 8, 2005 Our first stop today was to fuel the truck. It was thirsty after our long day yesterday. We went to the University of Alaska - Fairbanks Museum. Their display of Alaska by regions made the visit very informative. A video presentation about the war in the 1940s and its impact on the natives was new information to us. In the evening, after laundry and dinner, we picked up our often suggested Fred Meyer and Safeway customer cards. We found a WiFi location and checked e-mail and uploaded the Web site.
Day 26: Thursday, July 7, 2005 Today was a long day - we left the HHII at 10:00am and returned at 1:00am the next morning, a 15-hour day, but it was worth it. We experienced lots of different things. We had the accomplishment of driving above the Artic Circle. For a large number of our 408 miles, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline paralleled our routes. We saw a lot of it, photographed it, touched it, stood on it and were chased away from it by a security person in a helicopter. The Dalton Highway was as bad as reported, in many places we just took it slow. Along the route we saw various landscapes from flat tundra to high mountains - including Finger Mountain where freezing and thawing pushed huge rocks out of the earth. Unfortunately, we saw two forest fires nearby also. We saw NO wildlife the entire day. We returned in the 'dark' and saw the setting sun and Fairbanks in the middle of the night.
Day 25: Wednesday, July 6, 2005 Our day's schedule changed today when Wal-Mart left a note on everyone's rig that we had to leave by 11:00am. We relocated to the city run park after dumping and taking on water. In the afternoon we rode the Discovery III paddle wheel riverboat on the Chena River. Along the route we visited Susan Butcher's residence and dog kennel, a Chena Indian Village, a fish camp and many other informative places. After dinner at the Pump House restaurant, we returned to the HHII for the evening.
Day 24: Tuesday, July 5, 2005 Today was a short drive of 43 miles to North Pole and then to Fairbanks. North Pole is a small town that failed to draw toy manufactures to their community so made themselves a tourist town. We did make an unexpected purchase while in North Pole, we bought property - more information about that on the Web site later. Tonight we will be in a vacant lot next to and owned by Wal-Mart. We are camping with 25-30 of our RVing friends - some have been here four days. After parking the HHII, we visited the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station associated with the University of Alaska. On the way home, we purchased boat tickets for tomorrow afternoon.
Day 23: Monday, July 4, 2005 It was cloudy and rained off and on most of the day. Missing most of the Alaska range of mountains, we did walk on the bed of the Tanana river. On this the Fourth of July, we drove 167 miles and reached Mile 1422 - the end of the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction. We now have our 'official' certificate signed by the hostess at the visitor center. Alongside the road today we saw a Moose and her baby. The baby spooked faster than her mom - the mom looked at Fred like to saw, can't we eat grass in peace? We walked through Rika's Roadhouse in Big Delta State Historical Park. From there we got our first look at part of the trans-Alaska pipeline. A half-mile down the road, we walked under it and took more photographs. We are dry camped tonight alongside the Richardson Highway, 35 miles from Fairbanks.
Day 22: Sunday, July 3, 2005 It has been cloudy and wet in Tok. We decided to stay another night so spent the day bringing the Web site up-to-date and housecleaning the HHII. Then went to town, found a WiFi connection, had lunch and picked up a few groceries. Investigated Mukluk Land but it looked real rundown and too many outside displays to visit in the rain. Back at the HHII we watched a silly movie. Fred posted the trip log - 4, 387 miles, averaging 11.25 mpg at $2.66 per gallon. After several days of no television, we can get one Anchorage channel. It is independent - they buy selected programming form CBS, NBC and PBS.
Day 21: Saturday, July 2, 2005 We are finally on the road again. The road became asphalt only five miles out of Chicken. It was a good road the entire 82 miles except for the occasional gravel sections and bumps/dips. The ride to Tok was through a lot of areas that burned in 2004. After a stop at the visitor's center for two more pounds of information, we fueled the truck, had a LP bottle filled and washed the truck and HHII on the way to our campsite. The spray-type wash is not the best - but, it looks a little better. It started raining about two minutes after we got set up.
Day 20: Friday, July 1, 2005 Today is a down day - a day to catch up on the Web site processing and other chores. We mailed postcards to the grandchildren at the Chicken post office. The Postmaster said we were just in time. The plane was due in five minutes for the twice a week mail delivery. Later, Mary Lou heard the plane - our postcards were on their way. We moved to a free (if, you bought fuel) campsite today. It is about a half-mile from the first one and both are 'dry' camping. Fred spent most of the day working on photographs for the Web site. We have decided that recent WiFi connections are fast enough for text but not for updating our photographs - our server times out. We used our new 'quiet' little Honda generator for the first time to charge camera and computer batteries.
Day 19: Thursday, June 30, 2005 Fred turned the computer on this morning to work on the Web site and a WiFi hot spot was available. Here we are in a remote Chicken, Alaska campground where they generate power from 7:30am to 7:30pm and use a satellite phone - and - we have a wireless connection to the Internet from our fifth wheel. Later we drove the 193 mile round trip on gravel to Eagle, Alaska. The scenery was beautiful. The roads, what there were of them, were in good shape - some wide, some one lane, some with a soft shoulder and some with no shoulder. Mary Lou spent some of the ride leaning to the left away from the drop-off to help balance the truck. However, many views were shrouded in smoke from nearby forest fires. Smoke could be smelled in the air during our drive and while we were in Eagle. Eagle is a quaint little town with a lot of rundown, vacant buildings. On a clearer day, it may have been worth the ride.
Day 18: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 During our nine-hour day, we traveled 113 miles. That's 12.9 mph. We spend the first three hours and fifty-five minutes of our day in line for a five minute ferry ride across the Yukon River. We were behind other RVers and a caravan of 22 units. The ferry could take two large OR four small RVs. It wouldn't have been too bad except 'locals' have priority - they get on first. We were next in line, the ferry was half way back and a 'local' tractor trailer pulled next to us. We waited for the next round trip of 15 minutes. The drive (Top of the World Highway) from Dawson City, Y.T. to Chicken, Alaska is known as as rough road through the mountains. But, it is a beautiful ride. The road worsened after we crossed the border into Alaska and the scenery was not as nice. And, our prior speed of 30-35 mph dropped to 20-30 mph. Unfortunantly, before leaving the Yukon, we witnessed a forest fire in progress - we saw smoke and flames.
Day 17: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 Today we toured the Dawson City area. We walked the wood sidewalks and drove the dirt streets. The Canadian government has spent a lot of time and money restoring Dawson City's collection of historic sites. We visited two - Dredge No. 4 and Discovery Claim. Dredge No.4 is the largest wooden hull bucket-line dredge in North America. Discover Claim is the location where gold was first found in the Klondike. After dinner in town we drove Dome Road to an overlook (2,911') of Dawson City and where the Yukon and Klondike rivers join. The view of some of the tailing piles was impressive from this elevation.
Day 16: Monday, June 27, 2005 After not leaving Whitehorse until noon, today was unexpectedly 336 miles long. We had planned to take two days to reach Dawson City - but, did it in one rainy day . (During a couple dry periods, we saw fresh snow alongside the road.) It was a good decision. We traveled through many miles of road construction almost alone and without any workers in sight. The campground office in Dawson City was closed so we took one of the available sites listed on the board at the gate. We are parked on gravel surrounded by 'tailing piles' resulting from gold dredging operations.
Day 15: Sunday, June 26, 2005 This morning we visited the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse. On the way back to the HHII for dinner, we shopped at Wal-Mart and the big grocery store in town. This evening we attended the Frantic Follies, a live vaudeville stage show. About 10;00pm, Mary Lou did laundry while Fred worked on the Web Site. It was a late night but we leave Whitehorse tomorrow.
Day 14: Saturday, June 25, 2005 Happy Anniversary to us! We drove to Skagway, Alaska for the day. It is about 110 miles from Whitehorse. It took us almost three and one-half hours to make the trip. It took this long because we stopped many times to make photographs of the beautiful mountain views. We used most pull-offs and made our own if necessary. Upon arriving in Skagway, we had lunch before boarding the White Pass and Yukon Route vintage train for a fantastic three-hour tour. The entire day in Skagway was sunny and in the 70s. It was a long and enjoyable 13-hour day.
Day 13: Friday, June 24, 2005 Today was a very short day of driving to Whitehorse. We traveled only 102 miles. Our plan is to stay in Whitehorse for three nights. After setting up, we went in town to the Visitor Center, City Hall for a free parking permit and toured the S.S. Klondike. After visiting Miles Canyon, just two miles outside of town, we had dinner at McDonalds. We spent the evening updating the Web site. Tomorrow we will be up early to drive to Skagway.
Day 12: Thursday, June 23, 2005 Our 175 mile day included navigating major repairs on two bridges. They were working on half of the deck and left very little room for traffic - traffic that was slowed to 6 mph. We were glad we did not have a wide-body fifth wheel. We stopped and made sure the HHII was centered - looking in the mirrors, there could not have been more than six inches extra on both sides. A lot of the ride today reminded us again of northern Michigan. However, from the top of hills you could see treed and snow-capped mountains. Lunch today was at a spot with a view of beautiful mountains. This afternoon we toured all of the town area of Teslin, Yukon (in five minutes) and visited the George Johnston Museum to see the first car owned by a First Nations member. We had dinner tonight at Mukluk Annie's. If you ordered from the right side of the menu, you got FREE 'dry' camping, a FREE one-hour boat ride and can wash your RV for FREE. It was a great meal and a great boat ride - the water to hose down the truck was real cold. (Most of the dirt is still on the truck but the running boards are cleaner.)
Day 11: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 Today, during our 168 mile ride, we saw a bear up close, and buffalo, and wild ponies. Oh yes, and construction equipment - nine miles of construction at 20 mph. The scenery continues to be spectacular as we entered the Yukon territory. We posted our sign in the Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake. We ended our day at the Northern Lights Center - a somewhat disappointing show.
Day 10: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 Today we drove 160 miles. Most of it in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The sights along the way were spectacular. We saw snow in the higher elevations, rock mountains, fast moving river water, a deer, a black bear and a dozen Stone Mountain Sheep grazing alongside the road. The babies were skittish but the traffic did not seem to bother the adults. We are camped along Muncho Lake. The water looks like Caribbean water - green and clear. Looking out either side of the fifth wheel we see snow in the mountains. We wore our parkas to the dock tonight. Our campground uses a generator for electricity so the power left a lot to be desired so we will use the LP furnace. After experiencing about 20 hours of daylight per day, we inserted a piece of cardboard in our skylight to darken our bedroom. It made a big difference.
Day 9: Monday, June 20, 2005 After making minor additions to the Web site we took advantage of the WiFi at the local motel on our way out of Dawson Creek. Driving through the pine forests reminded us of northern Michigan. Then we drove through the hills and valleys of the Canadian Rockies. Off in the distance, we could see snow at the higher elevations. Our wildlife observations today included one deer and two 'roadkill' moose.
Day 8: Sunday, June 19, 2005 This is our last day in Dawson Creek. The Foursquare Family Church provided a church service in the Pioneer Village next door so we attended. We found a WiFi hotspot today and updated our Web site again. This was also a good time to make telephone calls to Mom and the kids. We worked on the Web site and looked at maps for tomorrow.
Day 7: Saturday, June 18, 2005 Our 160 mile day started late. But we still took time to find (unsuccessfully) another wireless connection - all small town libraries are not the same. After traveling about 2,400 miles, we saw our first "TO ALASKA" road sign. We must be going the correct direction. We are seeing a more RVs now that several routes have merged to one road. Because we are staying here two nights to investigate Dawson Creek a little, we unhitched for the first time since leaving home.
Day 6: Friday, June 17, 2005 We got a slow start this morning. Then, on our way out of town we visited the local library to check our e-mail. We found a wireless connection so we updated our Web site. Our 341 mile day included an unpleasant ride around Edmonton - heavy traffic and several construction areas. Because our current route leads to Dawson Creek, many people in camp tonight are also heading for Alaska.
Day 5: Thursday, June 16, 2005 Today was a sunny and dry day. Our 368 mile day consisted of driving, lunch out for us and frequent fueling of the truck. Less than 20 miles into our day, a deer crossed the road in front of us. Fred saw him coming and hit the brakes and slowed to let him have the right-of-way. We saw several potash plants and stopped at a few scenic overlooks. One stop overlooked the Saskatchewan River - the flyway for Whooping Cranes. Tonight we are in a Provincial Park near Vermilion, Alberta, Canada.
Day 4: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 We drove 383 miles today - mostly through Manitoba and into Saskatchewan. The weather was great - cool and almost dry. All along our route, Manitoba had flooding issues. Saskatchewan's rolling hills was a change from the flat terrain we had been driving through in North Dakota and Manitoba. Our tourist stop for the day was in Portage la Prairie to see the World's Largest Coke Can.
DAY 3: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 It rained all day. Most of it was 'mist' with occasional actual rain drops. Along the way, farmer's fields were under water - some 90% under water. After having our serial numbers certified at USA Customs, we crossed into Canada with no trouble - it just took time. We spent almost two hours including paperwork and a through inspection of our truck and fifth wheel. All Canadian Customs Officers wore flack jackets and some were armed. It was an interesting experience. Our camp site for the night was only 75% under water. There was a narrow pad of wet gravel but the grass around it was saturated and Fred walked through three inches of water to the electric connection. Having a 4 X 4 was comforting. We did not rush away this morning and with all the border stuff, we only traveled 266 miles today.
DAY 2: Monday, June 13, 2005 To our surprise, we drove more miles the second day than the first - 455 miles. We ran through several mini-rainstorms. In Minneapolis we saw something interesting - traffic control lights at the end of entry ramps to I-694 that let one vehicle at a time enter the Interstate. We hit heavy traffic leaving Minneapolis at the beginning of the evening rush-hour. Later, we were plummeted with heavy rain about 20 miles from our campground. When we arrived at the campground, it was only raining a little and continued raining throughout the night.
DAY 1: Sunday, June 12, 2005 We left the condo at 8:30am. We accomplished our goal of getting around Chicago on Sunday - less traffic and less construction on Sundays. But, 423 miles was a long day for us. We spent the night in a Good Sam campground in Milton WI. As it was hot and muggy, we wanted electricity so we could use the air conditioning.