Sea Life Museum, Seward, Alaska

     We woke up to a chilly drizzle which was reflective of my sad mood.  The kids must leave today to go back to Minneapolis.  It has been so much fun to have them along to share our adventure.  I hope that they got to see and do much of what they wanted to do.  Alaska is such a huge place that I don't think it can be seen in a single visit.
   We decided to go to the Sea Life Museum since the weather was poor and it is mostly indoors.  This was a good choice, since it is a really great place.  We learned more about many of the birds and mammals that we saw on the cruise of the fjords.  I especially enjoyed seeing the seals in a wonderful exhibit.  However, the best exhibit was of sea birds.  The display let us see the birds both above and below the water.  Some of them use their wings to swim under water and dive way down to the bottom of the tank.  Two of the puffins flew over to a rock right next to Amanda and seemed to be socializing with her.  They were very used to people.  We got some great pictures.

    After leaving the museum we made a short visit to Exit Glacier which is just outside of Seward.  We had a nice lunch next to the water and then had to say goodbye.  I wish that the weather was more cheery because I am certainly not.  We have been really busy with our guests for the past two weeks.  Tomorrow we will rest and plan the rest of the trip.

Kenai Fjord Cruise

    We woke up to a cold and cloudy day.  We headed off on another cruise - this one was of the Kenai Fjords.  The tour was 9 hours long and took us far out into the Kenai Fjord area.  We had good seats, up high, but indoors, where we could see out across the water.  Soon after leaving port we saw some sea otters.  Then we stopped at Fox Island where there is a lodge that has overnight cabins.  We picked up folks who had stayed there for a few nights.  Then we headed out into the Gulf of Alaska where the sea was full of huge swells which made the boat rock.  Poor Matt got seasick almost right away.  He was fine on the cruise out of Whittier because the water was so calm and the catamaran sort of skimmed over the water.  Not this boat.  It most definitely rocked quite a bit and soon Matt and many other passengers were pretty sea sick.

   Matt took some Dramamine (although taking it after already feeling sick is not so effective).  He moved outside to the stern deck and Amanda (dear wife that she is) went outside  to be with him.  It was quite chilly out there and they were both pretty cold, but at least not sick.  The crew pulled out some blankets to give to the folks who had sick kids.  I snagged some for my "kids" and wrapped them up as they sat outside.  Soon the seas became much calmer and Matt began to enjoy the Orca and humpback whales, harbor seals, puffins, and bald eagles.  It was an amazing trip.  I would dress warmer next time, although I had several layers on.

    All in all it was a great cruise and I would do it again.  The boat took us up very close to a glacier and to a beautiful waterfall.  We learned a lot about the area from the narration on the boat and got some great information about the wildlife.
    When we got back to the RV Amanda cooked us a great pasta dish for dinner and then we all slept well after such a busy day.

Seward, Alaska

     The drive to Seward was short - only 3 hours - and easy with lots of good scenery.  We got to Seward around lunch time and took a gravel road out to Lowell Point across a very narrow bridge.  The campground - Miller's Landing - was a popular one so I got reservations before we left Minnesota.  When I reserved the site I was told that I had a pull-through site in the shade.  The campground was really nice.  It was right on the water with lots of beach and water activities.  The actual site that was assigned to us was not as nice.  It was behind a couple of junky old buildings and an outhouse.  The very bumpy pull-though road was between several trees.  We worked for quite a while at trying to get the RV into the site and finally gave up.  When I went back to the office to ask for a different site I got some additional information.  None of the sites had water and the dump station was 3 miles back across the narrow bridge. This was information that was not provided when I reserved the site.  Well I really got crabby.  We had already spent over an hour trying to get into the site.
    We took a break and had some lunch.  Then I talked the office into giving me my reservation money back.  Another campground was recommended to us so we drove 6 miles out of town to Stoney Creek, a much more modern, full service campground.   It certainly was not as scenic, but at least we could get the trailer into the site and could have showers in the morning.

    We drove downtown for a nice dinner at the "Crab Pot" restaurant and then Matt and Amanda shopped for a few last souvenirs. We headed back to camp for a beautiful evening - one of our last with the kids.  I will really miss them.

Homer, Alaska

     We are off to Homer after a slow start today.  We are all really tired after such a long cold day yesterday.  It is sunny today with a little bit of fog that burned off quickly.  We got to a great overlook high above Homer and it was foggy in the valley.  We could see a strip of mountains across Cook Inlet rising out of the clouds.  There are lots of nice flowers which are quite large due to a good growing environment.  Much better than the Denali area.

     Homer is a pretty big town with a fair amount of industry.  The long spit of land going out into the gulf has lots of boardwalks with little shops and restaurants.  We stopped at a great "sour dough" kitchen which had some good hot sandwiches.
    Homer is a big fishing town and everyone seemed to be catch huge amounts of halibut.  We walked along the pier and saw some of the really huge fish that were caught.  Amanda wished that we had gone ocean fishing too.  Maybe next time.  Matt and Amanda looked into buying some salmon and halibut to bring home with them.

    Across the bay from Homer is a big state park - Kamechek.  Water taxis take visitors out to some good hiking trails, camping spots and cabins.  It would have been fun to stay out there and do some hiking.

Salmon Fishing, Ninilchik River

     We got up at 4 to get ready to fish.  It was the darkest morning we have seen in Alaska so far..  I would have loved to have been able to sleep in!  The forecast was for partly cloudy and 61 degrees so we packed rain gear and wore some warm layers thinking that the sun would come out.  Instead, we had drizzle and then outright cold rain.  I wore my clunky rubber boots and was the only one with dry feet.
    No motors are allowed on the Ninilchik river so we fished from an aluminum "drift" boat with oars.  The river this time of year is filled with glacial melt which is cold and pretty fast moving.  We saw many bald eagles as we drifted down the river.  Our guide, Elad, was Israeli who told us that he took the first plane out of Israel after completing his military service because, "they are all crazy over there."

    Soon after starting to fish Amanda caught a young hatchery salmon.  We were all pretty excited and Elad told us it was good practice for the big ones.  Rick got some good bites but no fish.  Pretty soon Matt caught a 27 lb salmon and fought it over to the shallows where we took pictures but couldn't keep it because it was a wild salmon.  Only hatchery salmon caught in this river can be kept.  The wild salmon must stay in the river to keep the genetics strong.
    We spent many hours on the river with Elad trying to be sure that we all caught a good fish.  It was very cold and we were all pretty wet.  Eventually I begged to be put on a small island to pee.  Amanda was grateful that I was the one to ask.  The river was full of fishing folks so we had little privacy among the high grass but by that point it did not matter to me.  Elad gamely kept rowing us back up river to give us time to get a big fish.  Amanda hooked a sea gull and then I got a big strike.  We were in the fast part of the river and it took a lot of maneuvering to try to get get away from the rocks to a point in the river where Elad could net the fish.  Finally he jumped out of the boat in the shallows and held the salmon for us to take pictures.  Again it was a wild salmon an d we couldn't keep it, but over 50 pounds.  It was a super thrill.  Elad said he could not believe that I landed it with my poor technique.  All that experience on Lake Waukenabo, I said.
   We got back to our car and drove to a small cafe for some hot chocolate and a really late brunch.  We had not planned to spend so many hours on the river.  But what a thrill.  Back to the RV for a well earned nap.

Ninilchik, Alaska

    After staying the night in Anchorage, we drove back along the Turnagain Arm and once again had a great view.  This time as we drove we saw a moose and some Dall sheep on the road.  As we headed on the road to Homer we also began to see a bunch of bald Eagles and other large birds.
    Around the Kenai River the traffic was really heavy.  The road was narrow and winding as it followed the river.  It is Sunday today and there were hundreds of folks fishing for salmon.  Parked along an already very narrow road.  After we passed through Soldotna, the road straightened out and moved away from the river so driving was much smoother.
    Matt and Amanda helped to take down RV and hitch it to the truck and then drove along with us.  We used the radios to communicate.  We ate our picnic lunch by the Kenai and then got to Ninilchik late afternoon.  The RV park is OK.  Mostly a gravel parking lot with some grass behind us to look at from our picture window.  It is a campground used mostly by fisherman and has a fish cleaning house.
    We checked in for our fishing trip tomorrow and found that we have to meet our guide 25 miles up the road at 5 am.  We got our licenses and packed our gear for a really early start.  We are going to bed at 9.  We are all really tired after a very busy week.

14 Glacier Boat trip

     It was a perfect day today.  We drove south out of Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm.  The tide is huge here and was rushing in to the tidal flats.  It can rise up to 28' in some places.  When the tide is out the tidal flats can be very treacherous.  They are quick sand and people can get trapped in the sand and drown when the tide comes back in.

     We got to Portage Glacier and saw the beautiful lake and mountains surrounding the glacier.  It has a great Visitor Center with many good exhibits.   Eventually we go to the Whittier Tunnel.  It is over 2 miles long and traffic moves one way each half hour.  It is quite the engineering feat.  We did not have to wait too long for our turn to go through the tunnel.
    Once we got to Whittier there was some time to walk around and visit some little gift shops along the quay.  There is one huge building in this small town.  It was an army barracks for WWII.  The boat trip was great.  We had very good seats with a good view through the windows.  It was quite windy on deck because the catamaran was moving along at 45 MPH.  We saw a lot of sea otters and seals, but only one whale.  We took a lot of great pictures of the many glaciers and saw several chunks break off and fall into the ocean.

    Everyone really enjoyed the trip.  It was a wonderful last day with the whole family.  Tonight Arik and Jenn and Terry and Connie leave for home.  I will really miss them.  We have another week with Matt and Amanda.

On to Anchorage

     We drove the "Parks Highway" to Anchorage. Matt and Amanda, Terry and Connie, Arik and Jenn left early so that they could get a day of sightseeing in Anchorage.  Rick and I packed up the RV and followed a little later in the morning. The drive is really beautiful until about 50 miles out of Anchorage where the terrain becomes flat and the road runs along many junky little towns.  IT was a quiet and pleasant day on the road after so much company.
    I had made a reservation for Anchorage RV park which was supposed to be one of the nicest in the area.  The reviews did not lie.  It is very nice with lots of big shade trees and grassy sites.  It also has moose and bear roaming down the streets because it is on the outskirts of the city.  Anchorage apparently has many moose living within the city, much like the deer in Bloomington.
    We caught up on our laundry and got an Internet connection to catch up on our emails.  No Internet in National Parks.  However with most of the immediate family along we did not have much email waiting.
     We all planned to meet at Gwennie's Restaurant for dinner.  It is one of the gathering points for the beginning of the Iditarod.  Jenn was not feeling like coming to dinner so she and Arik stayed at the motel.  We were all tired after a busy week at Denali.  Matt and Amanda met us at the RV and we all went to bed early.

Denali Sled Dog Kennels

     It rained all night.  The good news is that it was much darker overnight so it was easier to get to sleep.  The day was cold and wet as we headed out to the park.  We started our adventures with a visit to the kennels where the sled dogs are kept.  We got to pet many of the dogs and watch them get harnessed up and go for a run.  The dogs are used all winter to patrol the park.  Jenn just loved seeing the dogs.
     The group split up for a bit and walked around the learning center and museum.  There was some great information on forest fires and the Denali wolf programs.  We learned that the forest fire north of Denali which was threatening our drive from Fairbanks is still burning strong despite the cool, wet weather.

     After lunch we drove to Savage River and took a hike along the river.  We came upon a willow Ptarmigan who was blocking the path.  She had some chicks in a nest along the river and didn't want us to get near them.  Small bird with a really big attitude.

    At the end of the day, Terry and Connie drove with us to a chalet perched on the top of the bluffs above the road and river.  It was a great view and a fun place to have a drink and say goodbye to Denali.

Exploring the area around Denali

     Today Arik, Amanda and Matt took a strenuous hike to the top of Mt. Healy.  They waited for a while to leave in the morning because it started to rain just as they were getting ready.  The hike gave them some great views and reminded them of the hike they took at Glacier Park last year.  They were really worn out tonight.

     The rest of us took a drive on the old Denali Highway which was really just a gravel road.  It used to be the primary method for getting from Anchorage to Denali.  We took the truck so that we would have 4-wheel drive, but road smoothed out quite a bit after the first few miles and was really good hard pack most of the way.
    We didn't see much wildlife, but the views were spectacular.  The road kept climbing until it was above the tree line and looked out over a huge valley along the Nenana River.  The river flows very fast and we have seen a lot of rafters enjoying it.  There were warnings at some of the put-in places that the water was only 48 degrees and had Class IV and V rapids.
     It was a great drive for taking pictures.  We stopped at a remote campground for a picnic lunch and met the campground 'Host."  Someone who must really enjoy solitude.  We also stopped at a little cafe for a piece of pie.  As we had our pie a big tour bus from Carnival Cruises drove in.  The waitress turned the blackboard around to display more expensive prices for the tour bus.  Despite the remoteness of the area, the Denali Highway is a common destination for tours.
     It was a great drive for taking pictures.  When we got back we had to disconnect the trailer and drive to the dump station.  Then it started to rain and we were all outside in the rain.  So soon there were 8 wet people in the RV waiting for dinner.  Yikes!

Tour into Denali

     The day started very early since we had to get to the McKinley Chalet in the park for pickup by 6:10 am.  The tour bus wasn't an old school bus as some reviews had suggested, but it was very full.  We went 65 miles into the park, way past the point where cars are prohibited.  On our way we saw a golden eagle, show shoe hares, caribou, a red fox, and at the end of the road we saw a mother grizzly with her cub.  They were about 30 yards from the road, eating some grass, and were very unconcerned about the bus.  The rules for the buses are to keep everyone inside the bus so that they animals get used to the buses and ignore them.  The bus stopped for picture taking when we saw any animals.
     The ride took us into wonderful country with big open plains and high mountains on either side.  It was great to share the beauty of this park with my family.  At the end of the road we stopped to eat the bag lunches that we brought along and have some hot cocoa.  It was pretty chilly.  The ride back was over the same road so we dozed a bit until some mountain sheep were spotted on the hills near the road.  What a great day.

      In the evening a couple and two kids tried to back into the site next to us.  They were having trouble backing because the son didn't stay in view of the driver as they were trying to get it up on blocks to level it.  It was fun to be able to give them some pointers on how to make the task easier.

Denali National Park Visitor Center

     We woke to a perfectly blue sky despite a prediction of rain.  We had a slow start with a good breakfast and then took some time to get all the back packs, water, hiking sticks, maps and people together.

    We stopped at the park Visitor Center and picked up tour tickets.  Most of the park is off limits to cars so we needed to schedule a bus tour.  The area around the Visitor Center was beautiful and we took lots of pictures by the park sign to remember the visit.  After an picnic lunch at the campground we went back to the park for a hike to Horseshoe Lake.  Shortly after starting down the trail we saw a mother moose and her two calves.  It was great to share the excitement of seeing the animals up close with the rest of the family.  We saw so many of them on the road through the Yukon.  The moose walked parallel to the path for 50 feet of more while we followed along taking pictures.

    Jenn got tired, but took the two mile hike with the rest of us.  The path was fairly uneven and went up and down hill a bit so it bothered my knees and Terry's back a fair amount.  Certainly worth the effort though.  After a nice afternoon nap we had a family dinner.  The day had turned gray and windy so we we ate inside the trailer. We got all 8 people around two tables and had a feast of grilled chicken and baked potatoes.

Grizzly Bear Campground, Denali, Alaska

    We had trouble getting the slide in as we prepared to leave Fairbanks.  Some gunk off the trees had made the roof so sticky that it wouldn't slide well.  I am so anxious to see the kids I was getting very worried that the problem would delay us, however Rick was able to resolve it pretty quickly.
 It was only a three hour drive to Denali on road that was mostly pretty good.   We got to our reserved campsite and found that it is the nicest one in the area, with plenty of trees and next to the river.  The cabin that Terry and Connie, and Jennifer and Arik will stay is is also very nice.  It has two bedrooms and a nice little porch which overlooks the river.
    We got the campground, set up the RV and had lunch.  Then called the kids.  They were only 30 minutes away.  I was so happy to see them and it is the time I have been waiting for the last few weeks.The day was sunny so we all sat outside by the RV and looked at the mountains and talked about our adventures. We had a big turkey dinner so it felt like the best Thanksgiving ever.
     Everyone we really tired and not adjusted to Alaska time zone.  We took walks and looked at pictures after dinner, but by 7 PM it seemed like 10 so it was time to go to bed.  We made up the folding couch for Matt and Amanda and put covers over the vents and window on the door to get it dark enough for them to sleep.  There are now only about 2 hours of semi-darkness.
     My dream has come true of having my family join us on this amazing trip!

Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, Alaska

     We had more rain this morning, but it has been clearing as the day progresses.  This seems like a pattern over the last few days.  We went to an RV store this morning and bought some tie-downs for the RV awning so that we can keep the awning out while we are camping at Denali and Anchorage.  Then if it rains we will have a bit of a foyer to get the rain off everyone before they enter the RV.
     River's Edge Campground is starting to seem like home after a few days.  We are getting to know our neighbors as we run into them in the laundry room and on our nightly walks.  Everyone is friendly and has an interesting story to tell about why they are on the road.
    We visited Pioneer Park late this morning and saw many old log homes which had been moved from areas around Fairbanks.  Each place had a little gift shop or food service.  The park was pretty empty and the vendors said that there were many fewer tourists in town this year.  Maybe due to high gas prices.   On the way back to the campground we stopped to look at the Alaska pipeline.  Somehow it was much bigger that I thought it would be.  We heard a few folks talk about the dividend that each Alaska native gets each year from the pipeline funds.  It is a real incentive to put up with the long, dark, cold winters, I guess.

    We shopped for groceries and cleaned the RV as we prepare to meet the rest of the family in Denali.  The cupboards are bulging, but I got all the fresh food into the refrigerator.  It takes a lot of space to store food for 8.  I am so excited to be seeing the family.

Rivers Edge Campground, Fairbanks, Alaska

     We got to sleep in today and have a second cup of coffee.  It was so nice to take it easy and go slow.  It was cool and rainy when we were ready to head out so we went to the University of Alaska's Alaska Museum.  There were historical and art displays from each area of Alaska.
    I was especially interested in the history of the natives who were relocated off the Aleutian Island when the Japanese were ready to invade.  The natives were put into internment camp with very little food or shelter and kept there in secrecy.It was thought that it would be very bad publicity for it to be known that the U.S. was treating native citizens so poorly.  The Nazi prisoners were given much better living conditions.
     We have seen so many small planes everywhere including home sites that have a landing strip along side.  One neighborhood along the Chena River has a grassy strip that is used by the neighborhood property owners as a runway.  A large percent of Alaskans have a pilot's license.  As we watched a plane took off and landed on this 200' grassy area.   
    This evening Matt and Amanda called to tell us that they had arrived safely in Anchorage and had a good day doing some horseback riding.  The rest of the group arrives tomorrow night.
   The rain has dampened the forest fires and cleared out the smoke.  Hopefully conditions will continue to improve so that there will be no problem getting to Denali.

Fairbanks, Alaska - Chena River Cruise

     We had an early start this morning so that we could catch a campground bus which took us to the Chena River for a ride on a riverboat.  It was a perfect day for being out on the water - sunny and warm.  The cruise made several stops along the way.  Our first stop was at Susan Butcher's dog sled kennel where we saw a bunch of puppies and then a dogsled team pulling an ATV on a track.  They can really move fast and barked continuously.  Susan Butcher was not there to do the demo because she is ill.

     Further along the river where it meets the Tanana River a Chena Indian Village has been recreated.   The Athabascan Indian village had cabins made of spruce logs, a cache used for storing supplies, and wolf, fox, martin, and beaver fur pelts. We explored the inside of a spruce bark hut and saw the building of a birch bark canoe made without any metal fasteners. One of the Native American guide also modeled an Athabascan Yukon-style women's winter parka with sunshine ruff.  It was just beautiful and looked really warm.

     Further along the river we stopped at a summer fish camp and saw how the Athabascan's use a fish wheel to catch salmon and then clean and smoke them.  Still used by subsistence natives in many areas of Alaska.

   We saw quite a variety of homes along the river - some very fancy and others seemed to be in a state of long term construction with old tires on the roof to hold the blue tarps down.  

      After the cruise Rick took our trusty truck in for an oil change.  The diesel engine is doing well even after 3000 miles of bumps, hills, and towing.  We did more chores - laundry and RV cleaning and then went OUT for a beer and burger.  What a delight after so many meals in the RV.  It is cloudy tonight so perhaps we will sleep a bit better despite the 20 hours of daylight.

Fairbanks, Alaska

     The drive today seemed easy because the road was so much better. We made good time and enjoyed the scenery with the beautiful Alaska range of mountains all around us.. We saw more moose again today - they are such huge, ungainly creatures. I never realized how very big they are until we see them in front of the truck.

     When we take for the day with the trailer we try to pack up everything really well. I do the inside and Rick does the outside. Each cupboard and compartment must be locked tight after checking that everything inside is carefully stacked. We have a lot of small plastic bins, plate, cup and silverware holders to keep the small things from moving around. After almost three weeks on the road we can do a pretty quick job of getting things tightened down. The chairs, table and sofa all have straps that tie them in place. Despite all of our carefulness, we sometimes miss something. Today one cupboard door was ajar when I pulled the slides in and the slide almost ripped the door off. Another repair for the handyman. When we arrived today, despite my careful packing, a cup fell out of the cupboard and fell on me when I opened the door. Ouch!

     We are staying at Rivers Edge Campground. It has good Internet access so we could catch up on what is going on at home and pay some bills. It is so good to be able to communicate with the family and know what is happening. We will be in Fairbanks for four nights. It is so nice not to be moving every day for a while. When we leave here we will be meeting the family in Denali. I am getting really excited. However, I read that there are forest fires on the road between Anchorage and Denali. Hopefully the fires will be contained soon and won't cause a problem for the folks driving from Anchorage to meet us.

Tok, Alaska

     This day of driving was very slow.  Again lots of frost heaves on the road and many stretches of gravel where the road was under repair.  It took us much longer than expected to reach the Canada/Alaska border.  The border crossing was quick and easy, however.  Once back in the U.S. the roads really improved.  The U.S. has been testing some new methods for road bed over permafrost and it seems to be working.  The terrain is also much prettier.  The lakes are bluer - without as much glacial silt.  In the distance we can see beautiful snow-capped mountains in the Wrangell-St. Elias range.  It really LOOKS like we are in Alaska.

    Tok (pronounced toke) is a small, but nice town with several campgrounds.  We are in the Tok campground which has lots of trees between each site so there is plenty of lovely shade in this hot weather.

We went to our first "salmon bake" at a place which has picnic tables and buffet style serving.  We ordered King Salmon and Halibut which was grilled on a huge charcoal grill.  With the fish came a salad bar, salmon chowder, rolls and beans.  It was great.

     When we returned to the campground there was entertainment from some Alaskan musicians which was great fun.  We have cell phone service again.  Life is just great!

Kulane Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada

    We are staying tonight at a "Road House" style campground.  During the early days of the Alaska Highway many stops like this which have a motel, grocery, bar, gas station and campground were created for travelers.  The "campground" part of this stop is really just a big gravel parking lot.  It has water and electric hookups and is nice and clean but otherwise very bare.  When the sun came out the whole area got pretty hot.  But the little store had an Internet hookup and some ice cream.

    The road today was really bumpy from frost heaves.  Very slow going as we bounced from one to another.  Kulane Lake is pretty, but the terrain around it is dry and brown.  The Kulane mountains and the St. Elias Mountains behind them are beautiful, however.

   The long support at the base of the couch broke from the bouncing.  We went to the hardware store to buy three long steel rods to reinforce the broken support.  We also added some additional tie downs to keep it from bouncing.  These roads are hard on everything.

 

    The weather is still very warm and dry.  With these long days it seems that most travelers drive really long stretches.  Since we have plenty of time we are still doing about 200 miles a day with stops for hikes, pictures and lunch.  We get in to camp fairly early which gives us a chance to tour around and relax. 
    Many campgrounds and cafes along this stretch of highway are closed.  It may be that the area is just too remote to support many services.  We are still getting 10+ miles to the gallon so the $4 gas is not so painful.  We ARE happy that we installed the larger gas tank, though, so that we can go further between fills.  Tomorrow we get to Alaska!

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

    Today was another shorter and uneventful drive - no neat animals or amazing scenery.  Maybe the mountains are old hat to us now.  We got to Whitehorse and went to the Pioneer campground and saw that it was a parking lot on the highway so we moved on.  We are now camped at Hi Country RV which is so much nicer.  There are lots of cottonwood trees and great shade - which is a good thing because it is over 90F today.

     We washed the trailer and truck in the campground RV wash as they were completely caked with dust after driving long stretches of gravel road.  It is just great to have these outdoor wash areas with high powered hoses to clean off the camper so that we can see out the windows.  As we were pulling out of the wash someone stopped us to saw that it looked like we had something sticking out of our spare tire under our rig.  We looked and saw that somewhere along the way we had driven over a metal hot dog stick and it was embedded in the sidewall of the spare.  We parked back at our camping spot and Rick crawled under the trailer to pull out the stick.  The tire was ruined.  We didn't want to go on without a good spare tire so we spent Sunday afternoon shopping for a new tire.  Fortunately we are in a larger town and found a tire at Walmart which will work but does not quite match the others. 

    We took a tour of a Klondike River boat from the Gold Rush days.  It was a pretty fancy way to travel for first class passengers.  The boat had to stop frequently along the way to pick up additional wood to fire the steam engines. It was really interesting, but the heat was getting me down so we returned to our shady campground.  There are many tourists from Germany traveling here in trailers with German plates.  They must ship their campers over for a Canadian tour.  We saw a couple very fancy German all-terrain campers for the ultimate off road experience.  There are so many Germans traveling in this area that the German flag flies at many campgrounds.

Teslin, Yukon Territory, Canada

     It was another beautiful, sunny day today with no clouds in the sky.  We have been told that the weather is usually cloudy and rainy this time of year.  We slept late today and had another shorter drive.  We didn't see animals on the road today.  We stopped for a break at Rancheria Falls along a fast flowing river.  However, due to the fact that most of the water in the rivers is from glacial melt, they get higher as the summer sun gets warmer.  It is always nice to get for a little hike to break up the driving.  Our Milepost is good at telling us if there is room in the parking area off the road for big rigs to turn around.  We have seem so many really big Class A motor homes pulling full size cars so we are certainly not the largest on the road.

    Our campground tonight is on Teslin Lake.  There is a nice breeze off the lake to keep the mosquitoes at bay.  As we were setting up Rick walked into the corner of one of the slide outs.  He gave himself a 3 corner gash in his forehead which bled a fair amount.  After some ice and pressure, we got the bleeding stopped but he will have quite the lump and bruise for a few days.  I have no idea where we would find first aid if we had a real problem.

   We planned to visit a museum today, but it was closed for the weekend so we came back to the campground and sat in our lawn chairs looking at the lake.  I found a hard wire connection for the Internet in the laundry room and finally got some emails from home.  If I had known that I was going to be hauling my computer into so many odd places to hook up to the Internet I probably would have purchase a lighter, smaller laptop.  Ah well, it is great to hear from home.

Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada

     We are now in the Yukon Territory which always sounds to me like the REAL wilderness.  It is.  I used to watch Sgt. Preston of the Yukon on 50's television.  And now here we are!  Our drive today was much shorter (we sort of drive from one decent campground to another).  The shoulders were wide and the road had few steep ups and downs.  Actually the road is much straighter and flatter than when it was originally built.  Road improvement keeps cutting out steep curves so that the overall road is shorter than when it was originally built.

    We drove to Laird Hot Springs today and saw some wild horses and buffalo along the road.  The Springs area is beautiful and is situated in a Provincial Park with a nice campground.  I think we will try to stop here on our way back as it looks like many campsites will accommodate our length.  The hot spring pools looked delightful with a gravel bottom and a board walk surrounding them.

    But for today we drove on to Watson Lake.  We stopped 2 miles outside of town at the first campground which was very nice.  The downtown campground was a gravel parking lot (Not that unusual on the Alaska Highway).

     The Visitor Center had a good slide show with more information about the building of the Alaska Highway.  Outside the center was the signpost forest with signs from all over the world.  The tradition started during the building of the highway in the 40's.

    Although it is light late into the evening and then again early in the morning, we have been sleeping like rocks in our cozy trailer.  I just hang towels over the windows to keep it darker in the bedroom.  This trailer is very comfortable for us.

Muncho Lake, British Columbia

    The days are very long now as we head north and get close to the Summer equinox.  It is light enough to read outside at 11:30 pm and bright again by 4 am.  I wake up early with the birds and then go back to sleep.  We are now in Pacific time zone.  No cell phone coverage here. 

    Our drive today was both the highest and the lowest part of the Alaska highway.  We crossed a bridge at 1000' and went over a summit of 7000'.  Our truck/trailer combination seems to do just fine with it all.  We have seen folks on this road with really old, overloaded campers that make us wonder if they will make it.

     We saw lots of moose today.  Males with big horns and females with calves.  Stone mountain sheep in herds were walking on the road.  Lots of deer, some elk.  It was a big day for wildlife hazards on the road.  I am noting in the Milepost book everytime we see something - lots of notes today.

     The road was winding and very hilly.  Sometimes there were no shoulders.  We had a little rain, but mostly gray and dry.  The view was amazing.  Really impossible to describe or photograph.  Just miles and miles of pine covered mountains, a few farms, and only a couple small towns.  We are really in the middle of nowhere.

  Toad River and Mucho Lake are both a beautiful blue from copper sulfite.  The river is running very fast and we saw many "watch out for rocks" signs as we drove between rocky cliffs and the river.  We also saw many rocks. The lake is clear, 7 miles long and 700 ft. deep.  Wow.  The J and H campground is right on the lake.  Electricity at these campgrounds comes from a generator which was not working for the night.  Hardly mattered as it was light so late that we just sat outside to read.

Pink Mountain, British Columbia, Canada

     Today was a huge milestone.  We got to Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway.  Dawson Creek is the official beginning of the highway when it was built in 1942 to get American troops, supplies, trucks, and tons of equipment to Alaska during World War II.  We took pictures of the official Mile Marker and watched a video on the building of the road - it was an amazing engineering feat.  

    The road narrowed from four lanes down to two, but this stretch still was good pavement. We drove down a very long, steep hill to the Peace Bridge which crossed the Peace RIver.  The bridge was open metal grid construction so that I could see down to the water as the trailer bounced around.  Then a semi came along and passed us so that we bounced more.  My heart nearly stopped, but Rick just kept on driving.

     I saw a moose today and many signs that they often cross the roads here.  We started using a book called "Mileposts" which describes all of the wayside rests, road hazards (moose crossings), campgrounds, motels, service stations - you name it.  It is an invaluable tool and often updated.

    Our campground tonight is very bare bones.  We are only about two feet from our neighbor's kitchen slideout.  There were not many choices in this empty stretch of road.  Again the campground is full of long term campers.  But the woods are nice and so are the neighbors who are returning from a coast guard deployment in Alaska.  We have no phone, internet or TV service so we will watch old episodes of West Wing and read. 

Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada Camp Tamarak

     We tested our brakes today when three deer crossed just in front of the RV and truck.  If they hadn't kept running at least one would have been on the hood of the truck.  The vegetation is cut back quite a ways along the road so that you can spot wildlife before hitting them, but it was too close for comfort.  There were many signs warning about moose crossing as well, but we didn't see any.
    Most of the dirve out of Edmonton was four-lane highway and pretty smooth.  We finally go to an area that is mostly pines and birches and hilly.  Much more interesting scenery than the flat farmland of the last couple days.

    We added more latches to the cupboards and figured out how to tie down the couch.  The road is getting rougher.  Today the highest cupboard came open and a 12 pack of pop fell out, BUT not a one broke open.  It was iced tea so maybe the less fizzy content is less likely to burst.  Seems like every evening we have a bit of maintenance to do to keep everything running smoothly.  Thank goodness for my handyman/driver.

    Today we got the good news that the very expensive tires on our RV which need to be replaced due to bad axles were reimbursed about 80%.  We had the axles and tires replaced before leaving home.  Tonight's campground, Camp Tamarak, is nice, clean, shady and full of wild roses.  There seem to be lots of long-term campers who are here to work on the pipelines.  We grilled some chicken and had a great outdoor meal.  I love being on the road.

Edmonton Mall, Alberta, Canada

     Today was a very domestic day.  We had a long breakfast with lots of warm sunshine coming in the door.  So nice to sleep later and relax in the morning.  My night owl husband was really happy.  After breakfast we gathered all the laundry and went to the laundry room with 5 loads.  The hard wired modem connection was in the room next door, so Rick logged on to pay bills online.  I don't know how folks managed to be on the road a long time before the Internet.  We had a nice lunch and then went shopping.
     We went to check out the Edmonton Mall which is bigger than the Mall of America.  It has a water park and ice skating rink inside.  The Mall was fun to see, but most of the shops are the same as at MOA.  The whole mall seems to be aging and a little rundown.  I think that the MOA owners are doing a better job of keeping it looking fancy and new.  It was fun to watch the skaters - I was a bit surprised at how many folks took advantage of the ice rink.
     When we came outside the sky had turned black so we rushed back to the RV to close windows and take down the awning.  Rick bought an electric drill to put in more latches and tie downs on the cupboard doors to keep them from opening.  Child safety latches seem to do the trick quite well.  In addition we need to do something about the sofa which moves around when we go over rough roads.  We will be finding more bouncy roads as we head further north.
   We had to make one more trip out to Home Depot and Safeway, and then went back to wash some of the dust off the RV so we could see out the windows.  Since we are in Edmonton during the Stanley Cup we watched the Hurricanes beat the Oilers on TV.  Then called home to talk with Jenn and Arik - I miss them all and we will soon be out of cell phone coverage.

Edmonton, AB Glowing Ember Campground

    Less wind today so the drive from Banff was not bad although it was 270 miles long.  We try to keep the driving to about 5 hours each day.  We had reserved a campsite on the south end of town, but things just didn't work out.  The roads were closed.  We took the long way around town only to find out that the campground had no WIFI despite their advertising.  Next time I will ask specifically when I make the reservation.  I have work to do for Anoka and need the connection.
     Rick was pretty tired as we drove to the northwest part of town to another campground.  This one is great though.  It has a nice laundry (never thought I would care so much about laundry) good WIFI, and is near many shops.  We are also just a few miles from the big Edmonton Mall.

    The freeways in Canada have odd entrances and exits which may be left or right without much signage.  The rest stops are not marked on any of our maps and come up without much notice on the freeway.  Since this is where we like to stop for lunch it has been pretty inconvenient.  Today our lunch was on a wide place in the road for truckers to pull over and check their loads.  Not scenic at all with traffic whizzing by just a couple yards for our window and only a full trash can for amenities.  Oh for Minnesota-style reststops everywhere!  No pictures today - pretty much just ordinary highway and traffic so I am posting some pictures of the Hoodoo lookout which was just a short walk down from our campground in Banff.