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August 16, 2008 == 7:20pm   ==  Prince George , BC

Today was a short drive day because we wanted to be in our RV park before 5pm so we could watch Saddleback Forum because Pastor Rick was interviewing Senators Obama and McCain. We were able to watch it on-line live on MSNBC.  It is pretty amazing to have technology at our finger tips that allows us to do that.  Ray and I enjoyed watching together and agreed to not talk until it was finished.  Now that its over we both agree that it probably won’t change anyone’s vote, but it might encourage some people to vote.

We are going out for a walk because it is beautiful and has cooled off enough to enjoy being outside.  The high was 88 today.  We will be leaving tomorrow for someplace south, but will not be able to make it all the way to the boarder as its about 450 to 500 miles.  The RV doesn’t like to go over 55 mph on these two lane, rough roads

August 15, 2008 == 9:15pm ==  Chetwynd, BC (my mother’s birthday)

What a day we had today.  When we left Fort Nelson it was cloudy and about 60 degrees.  As we started our day’s drive down to the end of the Alaskan Highway at Dawson Creek we were hoping the temperature would go up to at least 70.  Well, it did and didn’t stop until it reached 93 degrees.  I’m sure it broke a record because the normal high for this area in July is mid 70’s.  By the time we got to Dawson Creek we were both hot and sticky.  We filled up the gas tank and were awarded a coupon for $19 to the grocery store next door.  Of course we went in and bought some extra food for the weekend.  We were going to have dinner out tonight, but since we went shopping and it was getting late we decided to wait until we were fresh and do it another night.  So, here we are in the RV park watching the Olympics and trying to cool off.  We need to get an early start tomorrow to make it to Prince George , BC so we can watch the “forum” from Saddleback in the evening.

August 14, 2008 == 10:45pm == Fort Nelson , BC

Today was a great driving day for us.  We left Kluane , YK yesterday and drove through Whitehouse, stopping in Wal-Mart’s for our supplies.  We didn’t stay in Whitehouse as we were going to because it was a great day for driving, clear and warm.  We made it to Watson Lake , TK that night at about 8pm so we stayed there for the night.

This morning we got an early start as we left Watson Lake heading for Fort Nelson which is about 315 miles but has a lot of mountains and lakes to get through… not to mention a lot of construction too.  It was another beautiful day with the high of 79 degrees.  We drove through a lot of wilderness, but the roads were a lot better than the day before.  Along our drive today we encountered a herd of buffalo, black bears, caribou, and deer.  We got some of their pictures, but not all.  They move fast when they hear our loud RV coming.  We stayed at the same RV park for the last two nights and we’re glad they have cable TV and free WiFi because what would be do with out TV and Internet???? J

August 12, 2008 == 11:15pm == Kluane , YK

Yes, we’re in the Yukon today.  We got out mail this morning and were able to leave Tok.  It was a beautiful day with sunshine and about 70 at noon when we were preparing to leave.  Our drive was a good one for about 100 miles and then it turned into one construction road project after another with some places where we had to be led by a pilot car as a one-way dirt road.  We even ran into a few light showers along the way.  Today we are camping along the road side because Ray was getting tired of driving and it was another 30 miles to a city with RV parks.  We were not the only ones with this idea as we are sharing the pull-out with 4 other RVs.  It’s along side of the Kluane Lake and it is a very pretty spot to stay the night.

August 11, 2008 == 8: 10pm == Still Tok , AK

We are still here in Tok much to our dismay.  We are waiting for our mail to be forwarded here and it hasn’t arrived yet.  Tomorrow we will leave even if its not here.  We will have it forwarded again to us in Washington .  We will be in Washington in about 4 or 5 days and hopefully our mail will be there waiting for us if we have to use that option.  Today was a ride bike and clean up the RV day.  It was a clear bright sunny day and we wanted to spend a lot of time outside.  Now we are back in the RV eating dinner and watching the woman’s volley ball competition for the Olympics.  We’re winning so far… GO AMERICA !!!

August 10, 2008 == 11:59pm == Tok , AK

Today was a good day for weather, sunny and warm.  We went out for a car drive to see the one part of the area that we hadn’t seen yet.  It was a pretty area but no pictures because it was mostly mountains that were very far away.  After our car ride we stopped by the grocery store and got stuff to make chili for tonight.  After dinner it was still nice so we went for a bike ride over to the small airport that is next to us.  There are only small private planes there but there was about 20 parked there at the time we were there.  Now we are watching more of the Olympics and America is doing very well.  GO AMERICA !!!

August 9, 2008 == 8:30pm == Tok , AK

We had a nice ride today to a place called Chicken Community which is about 66 miles going north on the Taylor Highway from Tok.  We were checking out a community the locals call “the top of the world”.  Most of the road was paved, but was patched a lot and some places along the road were all dirt and/or gravel.  We had the car so it wasn’t too bad.  We arrived at Chicken and were told they had the “best” hamburgers in Alaska so, of course, Ray had to have one.  The community of Chicken has about 30 residents, but surprisingly, lots of customers for the bar and grill.  Ray had a hamburger and Coke and I had a piece of blueberry pie ala mode and the bills as $21.  It was good, but that’s still a little steep for our budget.  The road was really busy today because tomorrow is open season for hunting caribou in this area so hunters were lining up for the few parking spaces along the road on the pull outs.

Yesterday we went on a bike ride to the visitor’s center and along the highway which has a very good paved bike path.  It was a nice chilly day and we were getting cabin fever, so we went outside while the sun was shinning.  In the evening we stayed in and watched the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics; pretty impressive, huh?  We both enjoyed seeing the places in China where we were just last year.  I really like China and would like to visit again.

August 7, 2008 == 1:30pm == Tok , AK

I’m writing early today because it looks like we will be here in Tok for another day waiting for our mail to arrive.  This morning Ray went to the Post Office and it wasn’t there yet, but they told him to come back in the afternoon and it might be there then.  He just got back and the P.O. is closed between 1pm and 2pm , so he’ll be going back after 2pm .  This morning it was raining yet again and when I checked the temperature is was 47 degrees.  That tells me that heading south is a good idea.  No mail today.  Bummer!

  August 6, 2008 == 8:00pm == Tok, AK == HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAY

Yes, its Ray’s birthday today, but the celebration will have to wait until we are in a bigger town with a bigger selection of restaurants, especially Mexican.  We drove today from Glennallen to Tok , AK which is approximately 140.  Along the way there wasn’t much to see because of the rain and clouds.  The road was also very rough so we were only able to drive about 30 to 35 mph for most of the way.  We pulled into Tok at approximately 4:00pm and we’re in for the evening.  I asked Ray if he wanted cake and ice cream, but he said he wanted potato chips instead, so off to the general store we went.  I got my usual ice cream and he got his chips.  After he saw my ice cream which was butterfingers, he wanted a bowl too.  At least he was able to have part of his “cake & ice cream” for his birthday.

August 5, 2008 == 11:00pm == Glennallen , AK

Today we got up late because it was raining and we hoped it would stop before we went out, but by afternoon it had not so we wrapped up and headed out for our car road trip to Valdez which is 117 miles south of Glennallen.  The road was okay for the car, but not for the RV because it has lots of frost-heaves (where the road goes up and down like a roller coaster).  It rained all the way there and with the low clouds we couldn’t see the beautiful mountain range for the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park , the largest park in North America .  Mt. Wrangell is Alaska ’s largest active volcano.  Of the 15 highest peaks in Alaska , 12 are in Wrangell-St. Elias Park.  Mt. Wrangell is covered with over a half mile thick ice on top.  I bet the range would have made a great picture L.  About 30 miles before Valdez we drove through Thompson Pass (elev. 2800) which has another easy accessible glacier; Worthington Glacier.  Thompson Pass has the heaviest snowfall in Alaska , once recorded over 5 feet in 24 hours.  While coming down into Valdez we did see some of the most beautiful waterfalls and we got a few pictures of them.  Valdez was mostly a fishing town and the whole time we were there it rained so we didn’t do much but drive around.  We did stop on the docks and watch the halibut being sliced up by the fisherman.  There were a lot of salmon too, but mostly halibut.  I drove on our way back and it did stop raining, but the clouds would not give us a break and go away, so our pictures are few.

August 3, 2008 == 8:00pm == Glacier View, AK

Today was a wonderful day for us.  First the weather cooperated and the sun was shining and the air was crisp.  We drove over to Matanuska Glacier, a few miles away, and checked in at the entrance gate (we had to sign a liability release waiver and pay a fee) and then drove down a dirt road for about two miles until we came to a parking lot.  From here we could see the glacier up close and were able to walk along a trail to get to it.  It was probably the most exciting thing I have done on this trip.  The day was warm with a cool breeze, but we were walking on a real live moving (active valley) glacier.  At points you could see under the ice to a small (or large) stream flowing beneath the ice.  The stream could also have in it boulders, gravel or sand, so it was not all ice and water.  Also, there were peeks and valleys in the ice which you had to walk over, around, or under to continue.  We tried going one way and ended up in a very scary place or lots of running water, mud, and slit.  My boots were covered in it and I started sinking.  Needless to say, we high tailed it out of there and got back on the path with more ice and less mud and slit.  Hopefully you can see it all on the pictures.  It was a fun day for both of us.

August 1, 2008 == 8:45pm == Palmer, AK

Today we drove into Anchorage and just drove around to see the town.  It’s a very nice city with high-rise buildings and lots of nice parks and family communities.  It was a nice day to be out as the temperature got to about 65 degrees.  Yesterday, we went to an old gold mining community named Independence Mining which is about 10 miles from Palmer.  We had read about a place called Hatcher’s Pass which was to be a beautiful ride through the mountains near the mining town.  We decided to take it and it was beautiful up to Independence Mining.  We spent about an hour walking around the old mining town and then decided to continue on to Hatcher’s Pass.  Well, the road started off as gravel up a steep mountain, but we saw other cars doing it so we thought, why not?  The road was about a 20% grade and it was very narrow, but we keep going.  The view from the top was great, but the clouds were coming in and we couldn’t see the mountain tops anymore.  We kept going even then the road turned into dirt with pot holes the size of basketballs.  Ray was driving about 10 to 15 miles an hour and the ride was still bumpy.  It was a beautiful mountain valley but the road went from bad to worst and continued for about 35 miles that way.  We finally can out onto a paved road about 50 miles away from where we started.  So much for a nice little drive into the mountains J.

July 30, 2008 == 9:30pm == Palmer, AK

Here’s a quick catch up with what we’re been up to since my last writing.  We stayed in Anchor Point until Monday 28th and because it was wet and chilly we didn’t get out much or get any pictures.  On Tuesday 29th we went to a place called Potter’s Marsh which we did get pictures of, which are attached to our web page.  Potter’s Marsh is a large flat area near the Cook Inlet which has fresh water creeks running down the hills into the salt water inlet.  The salmon need this type of place to reproduce.  Along with the salmon come are a host of other animals and birds.  At the time we went we didn’t see many birds, but we did see a lot of salmon.

Today, Wednesday 30th we took a drive to a reindeer ranch.  We were able to get out and walk around with them and also feed them.  It was really cool.  Along with the reindeer were some moose, elk, and a bison.  It was a cloudy cool day and we didn’t stay outside too long, but we did get some nice pictures.  Tomorrow will be another restful day for us, but we’re hoping for more sunshine and warmer weather J

July 25, 2008 == 5:20pm == Anchor Point , AK

Today was a rest day for us.  We did three loads laundry and played on the computers and watched TV.  It did stop raining and the temperature warmed up to about 60.  No much to write about, so I’ll sign off until tomorrow.

July 24, 2008 == 4:00pm == Anchor Point , AK

Today was cold and wet and we are staying in our RV to keep warm.  Well, it’s really 52 degrees and raining, but that seems cold to me.  Thanks goodness we have internet and TV or we would have to read a book or something like that. J

July 23, 2008 == 11:45pm == Anchor Point , AK

We are now in Anchor Point which is about 20 miles north of Homer.  We will be here for a week and we arrived on Monday 21st.  It has been chilly and wet, but today the sun came out and we went out for a hike at the Carol E. Wynn Nature Center which is at the top of Homer.  After our hike of about 2 miles in the forest, we went down to where the Kachemak Bay and the Cook Inlet come together.  That is where the Homer Spit is.  We went to the Farmers Market which is held on Wednesday and Saturday.  We didn’t buy anything because we had already done our shopping for the week.  After that we went down to the docks and watched the fisherman come in and cut up their catch on the docks.  The main catch is halibut and they were huge.  We walked around all afternoon and then headed home at about 6pm .  We had dinner at home and watched TV and played on the computers.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went out for a ride in the afternoon just to got out because it had rained all day and we were getting cabin fever.  It’s a good thing we did because we got to see a mother moose with her baby right on the road we were driving down.  We got pictures of it.  This was the four or fifth time we had seen moose, but sometimes you can’t get a picture because by the time you get your camera out they are gone.  Today we were lucky.

July 20, 2008 == 6:40pm == Kasilof , AK

After we went to church this morning we went to Fred Meyers for our weekly stock up on food and miscellaneous stuff.  We love Fred Meyers because it’s like a Super Wal-mart which means a one stop shopping for us.  This morning we went to College Heights Baptist Church in a city named Soldotna (pop. 3807) which was about 15 miles from where we were camped.  Our new RV friends, Tom and Diane, joined us there as they were in a RV park in Soldotna.  Church was very much like SVCC except that the total number there was approximately 100. There was a 9am service and a 10:30am service.  We went to the 10:30am service and the message was on the first chapter of Jonah.

When we finished shopping and returned to our RV it was about 3pm and we had a late lunch and then drove about 8 miles to the Cook Inlet .  There were lots of people at the beach there, but it was not at all like the beaches in OC.  The water was dark silver color and very rough because there was a high winds.  The sand on the beach was dark gray/black and had lots of smooth dark gray/black rocks.  People were driving their ATVs and 4 wheel drive trucks and SUVs on the beach and having a good time doing it.  Some of the ATVs were being driven by kids that looked about 5 years old.  Scary L!  We continued driving around looking at the Cook Inlet from other places and it was pretty with all the snow covered mountains on both sides of the bay.

Now we are relaxing in our RV after taking the cats outside and giving them a good brushing as their hair was shedding a lot.  They do not like being outside and they get very nervous as it’s so “big” out there with all the different sounds and smells.  Today was a very nice day to be out even if it was a bit windy.  We will be taking off tomorrow for a place called Archor River .  I’m not sure it’s a real town, but its on the Bay and we’ll be staying there a week and visiting Homer which is 20 miles away.  Homer is very expensive to stay in at this time of year.

July 19, 2008 == 7: 10pm == Seward to Kasilof , AK

Today we left Seward behind with the best sunshine we have had in over a week of clouds either in the morning or the evening and night.  Today was beautiful and warm as we drove north about 30 miles to pick up the Sterling Highway west to head for Homer which is the end of land at the Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay .  We only made it about 100 miles and ended up in a very small town named Kasilof , AK (pop. 500).  This location is Kenai Peninsula and it’s famous for fishing.  This morning we watched a young boy walk to the water edge and cast his rod about 10 times and he came away with a good sized fish in about 10 minutes.  There are lakes, rivers, creeks, bays, ponds, and the ocean and they are all full of fisher people.  We don’t have the fishing licenses or the equipment, but we’re told that we can fish here for free in the month of August.  We may go to Wal-mart and get us some rods J.  We both love fish of all kinds, so that won’t be a problem.  Tonight we are staying in and cooking chili, Ray’s receipt.

After dinner it was still nice and bright outside so we went for a walk down by the river.  Since we are in the best fishing place around we through we’d better check it out.  It was 9pm and there were about 10 people knee deep in the river (that we could see right in front of us) casting out their poles.  It is time for the Salmon, Halibut, Rockfish, Ling Cod, and my favorite, Rainbow Trout.  While we were there no one caught anything.  Darn!

July 18, 2008 == 7:30pm == Seward , AK

Today was an exciting day for us as we boarded a medium sized boat (approximately 125 capacity) out of Seward harbor for a 8 ½ hour tour to the Kenai Fjords National Park to see the active tidewater glaciers of Holgate, Bear, Pederson and the largest, Aialik which is about a mile wide where it joins the sea.  All of these glaciers are part of the Harding Icefields, which is a large part of the Kenai Fjords National Park .  Along our tour we saw whales, Orca and humpback, sea lions, sea otters, eagles, porpoises, harbor seals and so many sea birds that I can’t remember all of them.  I do remember the puffins because they are very distinctive with their orange beaks.  At the Aialik tidewater glacier we also were able to see it calving (big chunks breaking off and falling into the sea).  The sound was very loud like thunder.  They told us that it was moving about 10 feet per day.  There is one glacier in Iceland which moves 100 feet per day.  The three days that we’ve been here it has mostly be wet and chilly, but today as we took our boat tour the sun was out and the air was crisp and clean.  The entire tour was sunny except for then we rode along the Aialik glacier and there is was low gray clouds and cold and when we got off the boat in the harbor at the end of our tour it started to rain and the clouds had returned.  We had prayed for good weather while we were on the boat tour and God answered our prayers J.  What a day!

July 17, 2008 == 5:30pm Happy 4th Anniversary to Ray and Virena == Seward , AK

Yes, we’ve been happily married for 4 wonderful years today.  Woo-Woo!!!

Today we stayed in Seward , AK and explored the town with Tom & Diane our new RV friends from VT.  We bought tickets for a boat tour for tomorrow.  We went to the harbor and walked out onto the pier to watch the fisherman come in and off load their catch of the day.  We will be going out to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary.

Yesterday, July 16th we went to Exit Glacier National Park and took a hike of about a mile to see a glacier up close and personal.  It was really cool… in more ways than one.  It was melting away and you could hear it rumble and gush.  There was a 7.7 mile strenuous hike to an area when you could walk on the Harding Icefields but Ray and I decided not to try that one. J

On July 15th we drove from Wasilla , AK south Anchorage on to Seward a port town on Resurrection Bay .  We only drove through Anchorage because we will be going back there for a longer stay after we see the towns on the Gulf of Alaska, which are Seward and Homer to name a couple.

July 14, 2008 == 4: 10pm == Wasilla , AK

Today we spent the day resting and cleaning up the inside of the RV.  You can’t believe how much dust can accumulate inside even when the windows are all closed.  Also, Ray wasn’t feeling very good so we decided to take a day off and rest up from our traveling.  We will go to Wal-mart after dinner to put up our supplies for the week.  We also met up with fellow travelers, Bob and Elisabeth at our campground this morning.

July 13, 2008 == 10:42pm == Denali ( Healy , AL ) to Wasilla , AK

Today we left Denali RV Park after we went to church in Healy , AK (pop. 1000).  But guess what??? It was a purpose driven church, Morning Star Baptist.  There were about 75-100 people at the 11am service and lots of kids.  In so many services we have been to in small towns there were no kids; so we were glad to see family and community worshiping together.  And what was really a big bonus for me was the song we sang in worship were songs I know all the words.  We had met another couple on our Denali tour bus the day before, Tom and Diane, who are also RVers from Vermont , so we met and sat with them at church which was nice.  Tom and Diane were also leaving Denali after the service so we will probably see them again in Anchorage .

The first two days we were in Denali National Park we drove in ourselves and looked for the wild-life ourselves, but didn’t have much luck.  Both days were cloudy and windy, but we did manage to get a two mile hike along a nice river.  You had to keep moving along at a good pace or the mosquitoes would land on you for lunch.

On the third and last day of our time at Denali we decided to take the tour shuttle bus about 66 miles into the deeper center of the park.  This park is kind of different from the other ones we have been to with there being only one driving road into the and out of the park.  You are allowed to drive only the first 15 miles.  After that you must take a park bus.  There are two types of bus trips and both require tickets and cost different amounts.  The green shuttle buses just drive you in and out of the park.  You can get off at designated stops along the way and pick up another bus at a later time if you want.  These buses don’t offer much in the way of telling you what you’re seeing or give you any information about the park.  They will stop the bus for pictures if someone sees an animal along the route.  Otherwise they only stop the bus at designated rest stops.  The tan tour buses also drive along the same road in and out of the park, but they narrate the drive for the passenger and make lots of stops to tell you about the park and its history.  We were not of the tan bus, so we didn’t get a lot of information about what we were seeing.  I think our bus driver was having a bad day because she was not very friendly to anyone.  We actually wanted to see the animals more than anything else, but didn’t see any close enough for good pictures.  We did, however, get to see Mt. McKinley on the very few days that it is visible.  All the information we had on Mt. McKinley told us that usually there are clouds surrounding it and you can’t see it.  Thank goodness the day we went it was a sunny day.

Now we’re on our way to Anchorage , but stopped in a small town named Wasilla (pop. 6,500).  We are camped at Big Bear RV Park.  We did four loads on laundry, watched the “Miss Universe” pageant and Miss Venezuela won.  She is very pretty.

July 10, 2008 == 11:30pm == Fairbanks to Healy , AK

Today we are in the Denali RV Park about 8 miles from the Denali National Park , where the highest mountain is located, Mount McKinley 20,320 feet.  We drove here from Fairbanks which is only about 125 miles southwest.  It was beautiful when we got here, so we unhitched the car are drove it to the park.  After we visited the Visitor’s Center to get the directions on where to go inside the park the clouds started gathering and turning gray and dark.  By the time we were about 7 or 8 miles into our drive in the park, it started to rain; first slowly, then a lot harder.  It was almost 7pm so we decided to head back to our campsite for dinner and try again tomorrow.

On Wednesday, July 9th we had our last day in Fairbanks so we went out to dinner.  It was also my birthday dinner since I was sick on the real day.  We went to a Salmon Bake and it was probably the best salmon I have even had.  It was grilled over an open fire and basted with a sauce that was just a little sweet.  I had two big pieces, plus cod and halibut which was also very good.  It was an “all you can eat” type restaurant so we could go back for more of what we enjoyed the most.  It was a great dinner.

Before we had dinner that night, we went to the movies and saw Hancock with Will Smith.  It was an okay movie, as far as movies go.  It did have a different twist to keep me interested throughout it.

July 7, 2008 == 11:30pm == Fairbanks , AK

Today we needed to move to another RV park so we packed up and pulled in the slides and Ray drove the RV and I drove the car.  The other park was only about 5 miles away so it wasn’t much of a problem except you need to out of the parks by 11am but you can’t move into your new one until 2pm.  So we parked in a large lot and had lunch waiting until the new park would let us move in. 

After we accomplished the move in we needed to go to the post office to pick up our mail.  There are three locations with different zip codes so Ray through we should go to the one that is the one that we used to have our mail forwarded to.  We got there and waited in line for about 15 minutes, but when we got up to the desk we were told that all “general delivery” mail was only processed at the main post office downtown.  We had left the city map at the RV and we only took the car, so we needed to go back and pick up the map and continued downtown to get our mail.  When we got there we waited in line and then was told we needed to go to another part of the office to get it, but the lady told us she would go get it for us.  She returned and told us there was no mail for us.  We told her we used the other zip code and she said it would be another day for them to transfer it to the mail office.  Anyway, we didn’t get our mail and we will go back tomorrow and check again.

Since we were downtown anyway we decided to stay a while and check it out.  We went to the visitor’s center and watch a video on Alaska which was done well.  We walked around a little and then decided to drive around and check out the older houses in the area.  Some had been refurbished and looked nice; others needed a lot of work.   It was getting close to dinner time so we headed back to our RV and settled in for the night.  It was a good thing we did because it started raining with thunder and lightening.  I like it because we were safe in our home and the rain made everything smell fresh and clean.  Also it washed our car and RV for free. J

July 6, 2008 == 10:00pm == Fairbanks , AK

We are still in Fairbanks and the weather is being kind to us.  We have had beautiful warm weather high in the low 80s.  On went to a large park named Pioneer Park for the 4th celebrations.  The park is done in the Gold Rush theme.  They have an old train that offers rides around the park for a small fee.  The train was built in 1905 and was recently restored.  There was live music, an exhibit on old aircraft, an exhibit of hand-made quilts, a paddle-wheel boat, and lots of original “gold rush” era clothes, farm equipment, books, household furnishings, gold panning equipment and anything else you can think of that was around at the turn of the 20th century.

Saturday, July 5th we went to the University of Alaska Museum of the North, to a large animals research center, and Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

Today, after church service at the University Baptist Church, we drove up to see the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline Viewing Station and then to a site where gold mining is still going on for a small fee of $25 to see if you can strike it rich.

There was a rain storm in the evening so we headed back to our home and I was tired so I took a nap.  The storm passed and we did some laundry and then relaxed he rest of the night.  Tomorrow we move to another RV park for 3 more days before heading to Denali .

July 3, 2008 == 1:00pm   Happy Birthday to ME!  == Fairbanks , AK

We are still in Fairbanks and will be here until Monday the 7th.  It’s an absolutely beautiful day, in honor of my birthday J.  Clear blue sky and the high will be about 81 today.  We aren’t doing much since I still have the head cold and I’ve been blowing my nose so much it hurts.  We were going out to dinner tonight to celebrate, but I told Ray that if I didn’t feel good I would rather postpone it until I feel better.  I think today we will drive around the downtown area and check out the sites.  We achieved our goal of being here on the 4th of July, so we’re both happy about that.

July 1, 2008 == 10:00pm == Beaver Creek , YK to Tok , AK

We made it into Alaska today and it was good to be back in USA even though we really liked Canada .  My only problem was not having Canadian money and some of the simple things we did were different, like, going to Safeway to buy food and the carts are all chained together.  We couldn’t get the chains to come apart.  A nice couple coming up to get a cart asked if we had a quarter.  We didn’t know that you need to insert a Canadian quarter into the cart to disconnect it from the others.  When you are finished using the cart you connect it back into the chained up ones, and your quarter is given back to you.  For some reason this confused me so Ray came to my rescue.  Next, we went into a Tim Horton’s restaurant to get lunch.  Easy enough, right, -- wrong.  Ray pulled out a US $20 to pay for a total of about $15 bill.  The clerk pushed into the cash register US $’s and the bill went up to $22.  Ray asked why since the US to Canada dollars were about the same value and she said she didn’t know, but that was the way they took US dollars.  After about 2 more clerks tried different things to the cash register the manager explained about service charges and such, so we gave them all the Canadian dollars we had which were about 9 and she decreased the bill by that much and left the remainder on the register and pressed US $’s and he total went up about 1 US dollars, so we paid for the remainder in US dollars.  This totally confused me (I really do understand it, so I guess it was more of an embarrassment), and that’s why I’m glad to be back in the USA .

June 30, 2008 == 10:30pm

My sore throat turned into a bigger head cold and I spent the next day in bed and we stayed in Tok , Alaska for two days while I slept.  I’m feeling a lot better and we will be heading into Fairbanks in the morning.  Poor Ray had to entertain himself in a place with only one TV station and no internet.

June 28, 2008 == 7:30pm == Whitehourse , YK to Beaver Creek , YK

Today I woke up with a sore throat and didn’t feel like getting up, but it was another day of driving.  It was a little cool, about 52 degrees, and it looked like it was going to rain.  Guess what?  It started raining just as we starting our drive out of Whitehorse .  Today’s drive was about 260 miles through what should have been a beautiful setting, but because the clouds were so low and it continued to rain almost all day, we couldn’t see much.  We drove through Kluane National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and beside Kluane Lake , the largest lake inYukon .  Before we left the US , we were told by all who had accomplished the Alaska Highway that it was not an easy drive due to the bad condition of the roads.  We had not noticed the bad roads until today and now we too will attest to the fact that these roads can be VERY bad for miles.  Today, about 150 miles where under construction (no one was working on them today since it is Saturday), and you couldn’t, (shouldn’t) drive more than 25 miles per hour.  We read in our Milepost book that this particular section of the highway was famous.  It reads:

 

“Highway construction around Kluane Lake is part of the massive, ongoing Shakway Highway Reconstruction Project.  Begun 1977, the Shakwak Project called for reconstruction of some 500 kilometers of the Alaska Highway, roughly between Whitehorse and the Alaska border.  Since approximately 85 percent of the traffic north of Haines Junction was American, the United States Congress gave Canada $260 million towards Alaska Highway reconstruction.  Several sections have been completed, with improved alignment and other upgrades, although road damage from frost heaves continues to be a major problem.”

 

I told Ray we should ask for our money back J.  Ray did all the driving and he was stressed from trying to not run off the road by avoiding the pot holes and loose gravel.  We didn’t make it to the boarder today, but we are about 50 miles away and will be crossing over tomorrow.  I’m still not feeling great, so it’s off to bed for me.

June 27, 2008 == 9:00pm ==  Whitehorse , BC

Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve written and I’m feeling guilty… so here goes.

I’m sure I’m not going to be able to remember all that has happened, but I’ll try.  After we left Chadwynd, we made it to Dawson Creek with no problems.  I wanted to take a picture of the marker that starts the Alaska Highway (which is milepost 0), but the highway didn’t go through the town, so we missed the marker.  I was disappointed and after a long ride Ray offered to go back and start again, but by then I was getting over it, so we didn’t.  Our first leg of travel was to be to Fort Nelson , BC (milepost 283) and along the way on the highway were a lot of rolling mountains, rivers, a lake, and many creeks.  That night we stayed in a beautiful RV park on a lovely lake, but we couldn’t go outside of the RV unless you wanted to get eaten alive by mosquitoes.  Everyone who has even been up in Canada and Alaska warned us about them, but you have to experience them to truly understand it.  So we watched the sunset on the lake from inside our protected home.

The following day, June 25th, our drive took us from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake (milepost 613, pop 1500). The day was cloudy with light rain.  It was not a good driving day for Ray, but we did drive through two beautiful Provincial Park , Summit Lake and Muncho Lake .  During our drive we were happy to encounter a lot of native wildlife along the way.  We saw two moose, (no pics L), black bears, and stone sheep, (pics J).

On June 26th, we drove from Watson Lake to Whitehorse (milepost 911).  The drive was great, but we didn’t see any wildlife today.  Bummer!  We made it to Whitehorse which is in the Yukon .  Since it stays day light all the time, we were able to unhitch the car and drive into town (pop. 24,041).  We found a Wal-mart and bought our supplies and then treated ourselves to dinner in a restaurant, Boston Pizza.  It was nice to sit down and be served, since we have been eating most of our meals in the RV.

Today, June 27th was fun because the RV stayed in Whitehorse while we drove the car down to the coast to Skagway , AK .  Our drive was another great experience with nature and the differences in landscapes.  We drove about 100 miles and went from Yukon into BC and into USA in Alaska .  I will let the pictures tell the story for themselves.  They are named “2skagway”.  We also saw our first grizzle bear, (pics J).  In Skagway it was cloudy with light rain off and on, but we had cell phone service and we could use our US currency, so it make my day.

June 24, 2008 == 9:45pm == Fort Nelson , BC

This morning we started our long day of driving.  We left our campsite in Chadwynd , BC heading for Dawson Creek to begin our very long drive northwest on 97 which is the Alaska Highway .  The distance from starting point in Dawson Creek BC to Fairbanks , AK is approximately 1500 miles.  It will take us about 4-5 days to get there if all goes according to plan.  We don’t like to drive fast or for long period of time.

A nice thing that happened day during the drive was we saw two black bears along the road.  I managed to get a couple of pictures before we passed them by.

June 23, 2008 == 7:30pm == Chadwynd , BC

Today was a driving day.  We went north/northeast on the 97 and we are now in a town named Chadwynd (pop. 3000).  Tomorrow we will be getting to Dawson Creek where the Alaska Highway begins.  We will take that north by northwest to Fairbanks , AK .  We hope to be there by July 4th.

The really cool thing that happened today was we saw, not one, but two, moose.  It was the first time we have seen them in the wild.  They were both standing by the highway and one of them did run across the road right in front of us.  Thank goodness there was not traffic and we were able to slow down and let him cross.  The moose were not together, and it was about 3 hours between the sightings. 

Yesterday, I forgot to mention that we saw our first black bear on the side of the road.  We have seen many deer since we began our trip, but this was the first bear.  It was a young one and it seemed to be by itself.  These sightings are really fun for us since we are city folk.

June 22, 2008 == 10:45pm == Revelstoke , BC to Chetwynd , BC

Today started out as a drive day and the sun broke through the clouds as we hit the road.  We drove from Revelstoke , BC west on highway 1 toward Kamloops , BC .  It was mostly down hill and out of the mountains and into the valleys with a very large river, Shuswap, and many, many lakes along the way.  Ray had found a Wal-mart on-line that was in Kamloops BC so we decided to stop there for our supplies for us and the kitties.  Kamloops is a pretty good size town, (pop. approx. 10,000), with a Wal-mart and a Costco.  We found the Wal-mart after shopping at the visitor center and the lady pointed at it right down the street from where we were.  After shopping we had lunch in the RV and took off again, west on the highway 1, now heading toward Prince George BC .  We were going along very well for a couple of hours until there was a dead stop of traffic.  Up ahead there were two large trucks blocking the traffic both ways.  We couldn’t see anything because the road was hilly and behind the trucks the road went down sharply.  We didn’t find out what was wrong, but we waited there about 30 minutes and then detoured onto a little road that went around the city of 150 Mile House, yes, that’s the name of a city up here.  The detour took about 1 hour total from our drive time, so we didn’t make it to Prince George .  We stopped in a very nice RV park named McLeese Lake Resort.  It is right on the lake and we were able to watch the sun go down and the sky went from golden, to pink to pink-blue before fading away into night.

June 21, 2008 == 10:00pm == Cochrane , AB to McLeese , BC

We leave Cochrane, AB today and decided to forego Edmonton, AB and instead go back to Banff and take the 93 north to Lake Louise, and on to Jasper which is along the Canadian Rockies because they were so beautiful.  So our drive was going great and we made it to Lake Louise with no problems.  However, when we got to the lake area there were lots of others there too.  Actually the place was packed and we were following the signs to find a parking space.  We saw buses going up this winding narrow road so we thought we could take the RV, towing the car, too.  Well, we got stuck making a turn in a very crowded parking lot.  We couldn’t back up or go forward… bummer!  Ray needed to disconnect the car in order to back up the RV so we could turn the RV around and get moving as we were backing up traffic.  It only took a few minutes but it was a little scary since it was the first time it had happen and we weren’t sure actually what to do.  Thankfully, I got in the car and we were able to make the turn and get the heck out of there.  We went down to a larger parking lot and left the RV there and took only the car back up the hill to see the lake.  All-in-all, the lake was worth the extra time and trouble.

When we left the lake area there was only one road out so we took it and then we saw a little (I mean really little) sign that said Jasper on it with an arrow pointing one way, but we were on the main road (which had no signs at all).  About 30 minutes later we saw a sign that said Golden (which was not the way we should have been going).  Somehow we took the wrong road and were heading west into BC instead of north to Jasper AB.   Oh well, as long as we were going northwest we were doing okay.  Instead of seeing Jasper we ended up going through Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park .  Both were beautiful, but it started raining so we didn’t stop along the way to see it up close and personal.  So now we’re in Revelstoke , BC and it’s still raining, but warm, so it’s kind of nice.  We were able to take a short walk when we got here because the rain stopped for a few hours.

Tomorrow we are heading west for Kamloops and then north again to Prince George , BC .

June 20, 2008 == 10:30pm == Cochrane , AB ( Calgary )

Today was a leisure morning for us as Ray worked on the RV (mostly cleaning) and I sleep in and rested.  After lunch in the RV we headed for Calgary .  It was a beautiful day, the first day of summer, and the temperature was a high of 72 with scattered big white clouds.  I was surprised by how many new communities with new homes were along the way there.  From the looks of it, this place is growing a lot.  But the real surprise was the downtown area.  It looked like NYC, only smaller.  They have a light rail train and a subway underground.  There is a river that flows though the downtown area named Bow River .  There was a lot of construction going on and it looked like renovation projects.  There was a Winter Olympics held here in 1988 and they still have the park which is fixed up for adventures to the public for activities all year round.  They describe their city as safe, clean and young.  Whatever it is, it’s a great place.

June 19, 2008 == 11:30pm == Sparwood , BC to Cochrane , BC

We are in Alberta , Canada today in a town named Cochrane, about 7 miles west of Calgary .  I must say I have fallen in love with Alberta .  But first, let me tell you about yesterday.

Ray and I crossed the boarder into Canada via British Columbia at a point named Kingsgate.  We had not problems with the boarder patrol; all they took were our passports and asked why we were entering and if we had any pets, (yes, two cats), and any firearms, (no).  They also asked where we were going and how long we would be there.  And then it was “Enjoy Your Stay”.  We drove up the 95 about 200 miles and stopped in a place named Sparwood , BC , in an RV park named Mountain Shadows.  The place was in a campground in a pine tree forest.  It was really a beautiful setting and each site was given a fire pit and all the wood you wanted.  Well, we didn’t have any hot-dogs or marshmallows, but we built a fire anyway.  We sat outside around the fire until it got too cold even with the fire.  It doesn’t get dark here until 10:00pm so you lose track of time and before you know it, it’s midnight .  We had a good nights sleep under the pines.

Today, we continued driving and crossed over into Alberta , Canada .  One of the first things I noticed was that it’s all very crisp, clean, and very “green” here.  Everywhere you look there is water.  There are rivers, lakes, ponds, creeks, and marshes all over the place.  The second thing is mountains, lots of mountains; sharp, pointy, mountains with snow at the top.  Of course we are looking at the Canadian Rockies and boy, are they impressive.  I hope the pictures do them justice.  We parked the RV and took the car into Banff National Park a little ways.  If we had more time we would have driven up to Lake Louise , but we had had enough driving for one day.  We will make a note to come back again when we can spend more time around here.  Tomorrow we go into Calgary .

June 17, 2008 == 12:15am == Lewiston , ID to Sparwood , BC

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote and I have no excuse except I’m not good at writing, I guess.

We did get the RV radiator fixed and were able to leave Lewiston on Wednesday, June 11th at about 5:00pm .  Ray was getting worried that we would be driving in the dark, but it stays light until about 9:00pm that I thought it was possible to get a few hours driving time and be in Coeur d’Alene before the sun when down.  We found a nice RV park about 5 miles north of Coeur d’Alene on the 95 in a town named Hayden.  Since we were planning to visit a friend of Ray’s from his working days, we booked the spot for a week.  The evening we came through Coeur d’Alene it was raining and a chilly 50 degrees.  We checked the weather forecast and it said the rest of the week would be sunny and warm and the forecast turned out to be correct.  The next day, Thursday 12th, we contacted Dick and Barbara and scheduled lunch at The Olive Garden in Hayden.  We had a long lunch and later they came over to the RV so we could follow them up to their home in Spirit Lake .  Their home is about 3 ½ miles along an unpaved road in a private community.  It is beautiful out there, but very “off the beaten path”.  We had dinner with them and met their son, Todd, who came in from work.

The next day, Friday 13th, we drove into Spokane , WA which is about 35 miles east of Coeur d’Alene , ID on the interstate 90.  The day was sunny and warm so the drive was very pleasant and alone the way we passed Post Falls and Spokane Valley which were very nice towns.  We got off the freeway and drove up and down the streets of Spokane just to check it out.  On our way back to Coeur d’Alene we took some detours to get a better look at some of the houses in the area.  As we entered Coeur d’Alene from a different direction this time we decided to drive along the lake and check out the town.  It was a beautiful day, but the wind was kind of strong so we didn’t walk around too much on the lake, but stayed in our car until we found a place to stop and take pictures.  We were also being blocked on many streets by signs saying “street closed”.  We later found out that there was a “classic car” rally that night and people were getting ready for it by blocking the streets.

During our re-entering into Coeur d’Alene we drove through a new development named Riverstone and noticed a “Regal” theater complex and decided to go see a movie since we had free passes with us from the one in Foothill Ranch.  The movie we wanted to see didn’t start again for a couple of hours so we had dinner at the RV and later went back to the movie.  We saw the new Indiana Jones one and enjoyed it.

The rest of the week we visited Hayden Lake , Sandpoint on Lake Pend Oreille , (pronounced pon-da-ray) the fifth deepest lake in the US (1,158 ft deep and 65 miles long).  Sandpoint is a nice little town that looks like it’s getting a face lift with a lot of  construction and renovation going on.  The beach and park are lovely.

June 8, 2008 == 7:30pm

Guess where we are?  In Lewiston , ID in Joe Hall Ford’s parking lot.  We were towed here yesterday, Saturday, June 7th, because on the way to Hayden , OK our RV started leaking what appears to be antifreeze.  It was not just a little leak, but a steady flow, so we pulled over in a wee little town named Lapwai , ID (pop 1000).  Ray called our “Good Sam” towing company and they said they would have someone (a mechanic) come out and see if he could fix it.  However, after about an hour they called us back and told us they couldn’t find anyone (perhaps because it was a Saturday) and that they would have us towed into the closest town that had a RV service center.  After about another hour we got a call from a towing service that said they were coming for us.  We were only 12 miles out of a nice size town, Lewiston , ID.   Lewiston is on the boarder of ID and WA and it’s named for Lewis and Clark, the explorers.  The other city, Clarkson, is across the Snake River in WA.  Together, the cities have about 40,000 people, Lewiston having about 31,000.  Actually the cities are quite nice and look like they are thriving.  Today the sun was shinning and the temperature was a high of about 75 degrees.  After lunch at a really nice restaurant, named Zany’s, Ray and I took a long road trip in the car along the Snake River on the WA side and we have some pictures for you to enjoy.

Hopefully, tomorrow, Monday, when the service center opens we can get the RV fixed and we will be on our way.

June 6, 2008 == Me again, from Grangeville, ID

After one week in Hagerman , ID we packed up the RV and headed north again on interstate 84 toward Boise , ID.   Since we had visited Boise a couple of days earlier we didn’t stop this time and continued upward on route 55 north.  We drove about 300 miles north until we got to Grangeville , ID where we stopped for the night.  It was raining and getting a little cold (about 45-50 degrees).  Up till now we had been in Mountain Time, but now we crossed over to Pacific Time.

The attached pictures are from Twin Falls , ID through Grangeville , ID.   During our drive today we passed close to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area which is the deepest gorge in North America .  The Snake River drops 1,300 feet in just 70 miles, within canyon walls that tower an average of 6,500 feet above.  At its deepest point, the gorge walls rise nearly 8,000 feet, deep enough to hold 47 Niagara Falls ’s stacked atop each other.  The only problem is that there is no easy way to get there by car.  The best way is by foot, horseback, or boat.  We didn’t have any of the previous items, except for the “foot”, but the hike would have been hours, and well we didn’t have that much to spare.

June 1, 2008 == Hi Everyone,

As you may know, Ray and I have retired and we are now traveling north America in our recreation vehicle.  I stopped working on April 4th and Ray’s last day was April 30th.  We rented our house and the new tenants moved in on April 15th.  We moved into our RV on April 15th and stayed in four different RV parks in CA until we finally left CA on our 2008 Adventure.

Our first stop was Las Vegas to visit friends there.  We stayed an extra day because Ray wanted to get the RV’s front aligned.  After that we were off again on May 20th.

Our next stop was southern Utah to a little town named Leeds , UT.  After one night in Leeds we moved the RV to a town named Hatch, UT to be better located to see the sights. In southern Utah we visited Zion National Park , Grand Escalante National Monument , Lake Powell , Bryce Canyons and a lot of State Parks and Forests, Wilderness Areas, Public Lands and Scenic Byways.

After eight days in southern Utah we moved to northern Utah to the city of Ogden .  We visited Salt Lake City and the areas around it.  We were in Ogden until May 30th.

We are now in a little town named Hagerman , ID.   It’s located about 100 miles southwest of Boise .  It’s about 35 miles from Twin Falls .  We will be staying here another week because it’s so beautiful and the weather is so nice with the air so clean.