Heading home from Alaska

     We have decided to drive a couple long days so that we can get home.  No sightseeing in the Black Hills on this trip.  We are both tired and anxious to relax.
     We started planning this trip 20 years ago at least.  We had a little Bethany pop-up camper and big dreams.  We drove this freeway to the Black Hills with our young family and enjoyed camping so much we just wanted to keep on doing it.  The old pop-up did not have air conditioning (pretty much like we have now with our broken unit) and no inside toilet or shower.  We are really spoiled now with our really comfortable queen bed, nice shower, big vanity, TV, DVR, and surround sound.
    The trip has battered our trailer some.  We will really need to work on the sofa since it is now propped up on a couple boards.  We need to get the air conditioning fixed as well as the cupboard door that the slideout crunched.
    We have lots of pictures and I have been working on editing them as we go.  I took one of a crop duster that was flying low over the freeway and scared us to death.  It is about the last picture that I took on the trip - just as we reached the Minnesota border.  I want to print out a scrapbook soon after we get home so we can show it to everyone.  I have also kept a good log of the Alaska part of the trip in our MilePost book.  There are so many entries for all the wildlife that we saw along the highway.  Sometimes a couple dozen in a single day.
     I can't wait to see the kids again and have a hot bath.  This has been a 10,000 mile, 70 day trip.  Wonderful and exciting, but it will be good to get home.

Devil's Tower, Wyoming Devil's Tower KOA

It was nice to get back on the freeway and make some good time. Such easier driving although not very scenic.  We are able to pass many RV's on the hills - our truck and 5th wheel are very well matched and we have had plenty of power even on the steeper hills.   The trailer is absolutely filthy and we are no longer staying in campgrounds that have big washing areas like we found in Canada and Alaska.  I hate getting near it and getting the crud all over my clothes.  In addition, we are overall quite tired and haven't even been washing the windows.  I think we will do that tonight so we can have a more pleasant view.
    We are seeing a lot of motorcycles on the road and in the campgrounds.  Some folks are riding the bikes and many of them on huge trailers being pulled behind even bigger motorhomes.   We have one of these big RV's next to us tonight.  It is about a 42' home with a huge, double decker trailer.  It has a motorcycle and Jeep on the bottom and a boat on the top.  They unloaded the jeep so that the lady of the rig could drive her laundry to the office.  I guess you just can't leave home without all of your toys.

     The area around the national monument is very pretty - rolling hills wooded with big pines.  We took a nice hike around the bottom of Devil's Tower and then sat and watched some climbers on the big rock.  They are much stronger than we ever were.  I certainly remember being here with our Boy Scout troop and watching some climbers on the lower parts of the rock only to discover that they were  OUR scouts.  Sigh.  After our hike we drove to the campground where we often stayed with our scout troop so long ago.  It is a very pretty campground, with some huge cottonwoods.  We could stay here if it was not too hot since there is no power.   We have noticed several groups at the KOA that look like scout troops as well.

    It has been cooler and sort of gray today, with a bit of a breeze.  Almost chilly when we got back to the RV.  I am really looking forward to getting home.

Casper, WY Casper KOAwa

    We left Jackson and drove over Toghetee Pass.  Rick and I both remember some perilous drives over this pass in the winter on our way to skiing at Jackson.  I remember a white out so complete that we could only navigate by watching the deep snow posts along the road - looking for the next one as we drove an hoping that we were seeing the one on OUR side of the road.  In the summer the pass did not seem as steep and it was very pretty at the top with high open meadows.  This is a big snowmobiling area and looked like a fun place to try mountain snowmobiling.   After we got over the pass, we rant into road work which really slowed us down.  I am sick of sitting in a line waiting for our turn on one-way roads.  I guess that I am just ready to be home and out of the truck.  At least we got really good leather seats and have been very comfortable during our long drives.
     By afternoon the weather turned windy.  We stopped at a rest stop for lunch and tried to sit outside in a shelter, but the wind was blowing through it so strong that we couldn't hold on to our sandwiches.  Then the sprinklers came out and gave us a shower so we gave up and went back to the trailer.  It is warmer again, but not in the hundreds, so it isn't too bad to sit inside to eat.
    This area of Wyoming is very dry and there is an extreme fire danger warning.   The air is really hazy with smoke from distant forest fires.  The landscape is really dry and brown - not very attractive but it never is in this part of Wyoming.  The towns seem dusty and ugly to me too.  Not my favorite part of the country.  However we saw dozens of antelope and lots of horses running on the huge open range land.

    Our KOA tonight is clean and has nice sites, but it is in an overall pretty ugly area.  I am longing for the green grass and shady trees of Minnesota.

Jackson Wyoming. Grand Teton National Park

     We had a wonderfully cool night and woke up to a beautiful morning.  Since we were not in a hurry today I made a real breakfast of sausage and eggs and we had time for several cups of coffee.  I hate to drink too much coffee when we have a long drive as we never know when we can pull over for a potty break.  I decided to do a little cleaning and tried to vacuum the carpet, but the vacuum quit because it was so full of dust.  I wish that we had less carpet and more hard surface floor space.  The dusty roads in Alaska really brought a lot of dirt into the trailer.

     Today we went to Grand Teton National Park and drove the Teton Park road - stopping at many of the overlooks.  The mountains seem to jump right out of the Snake River valley to 11,000'.  The Coulter Bay campground in the park looked really nice and shade ans had full hookups.  It may be a nice spot to stay some time in the future.  In addition, it is only 20 miles from the south entrance to Yellowstone, so it could be a good place to base camp if we visited this area again.
     Much of the drive today was either along the Snake River of around Jackson Lake.  The lake is huge and a big draw for boating, swimming and fishing.  It was hot by mid-afternoon and we saw lots of folks on the water including a bunch of rafts on the river.  Plenty to do here in the summer as well as the winter.
     As we drove today we talked about Uncle Bud's suggestion that we drive along the coast of Oregon.  He really recommended it as one of his favorite places to travel in his RV.  When we got back to camp we also looked at the map to see that Yosemite is in Northern California so we could probably make a stop there.  I would love to get to see the big trees of California.  We will need to look more at maps and start planning another trip.  There are so many great places to see.  We will have to check off more parks, more states and more scenic wonders.

Jackson, Wy Teton Village KOA

     It was a short drive to Jackson, but most of it was uphill.  Jackson is at 6200 feet - good for lots of snowfall in the winter and good skiing.  The area is beautiful with lots of ranches, farms and rolling hills.  The mountains are purple and the air is very clear.
     This KOA is pretty old and the campsites are close together.    However, there are a lot of big trees and some bushes which make each campsite a little private.  We have shade and a great area to put out our lawn chairs.  We are located very close to the Jackson Hole ski area.

    We ate lunch and then drove over to the ski area to walk around and recall our days of skiing there.  We could see one of the condos where we stayed and stopped by the "Mangy Moose" bar where we often had a beer after a day of skiing.  Rick really was nostalgic about the great days of skiing that we had on this mountain.  We were in our 30's when we skiied here last and had a wonderful group of friends to ski with.
      We really enjoyed the cooler weather and had a nice evening.  We grilled some burgers, had some beers and sat outside reading.  Rick has gone through nearly as many books as I have on this trip.  I brought along quite a few books and have been trading some of them along the way at campground where there are other bookworms and nice book exchanges.  I am so happy that our camper has plenty of storage for the books - I am always in need of something to read.

Idaho Falls, ID Snake RIver Campground

     There were lots of cars parked near the trailer in the motel parking lot, but Rick was able to get out without too much trouble.  It is another hot, sunny day, but about 10 degrees cooler than it has been.  We drove on the freeway all day today so the driving was easy except for how busy it was with trucks.  We had a nice, grassy, spot at a rest stop for lunch.  It was cool and shady as we sat on the really green grass and had our picnic.  The easy on and off at the rest stops is one big advantage to driving on the interstates.  Even though the land here is still dry, the soil is rich and wherever there is irrigation the crops look like they are growing really well.  We saw lots of corn and potatoes along the way.
    The campground is right along the river and has many big trees.  We got a site with lots of shad and spent the late afternoon at the pool.  We kept nice and cool as well as got some swimming exercise after sitting in the truck all day.  We have mostly been driving and the sitting in the RV due to the heat.  I am really wanting to get out and walk and do some sightseeing.
     We spent the evening sitting outside in our lawn chairs enjoying the beautiful evening.  I really am much happier being in a campground where we can sit outside rather than in the motel.  This life really suits me (except when it is too hot to be out!)

Boise, ID Bogus Basin Recreation Area

     It is cooler today, only 101.  There are no appointments available anywhere to get our RV air conditioning looked at.  We will just have to hope that we find cooler weather on the way home.  At least we  have had a break the past few days and have gotten a few nights of cool sleep.
     We had another nice long breakfast and then drove out of town to the top of Bogus Basin where we went skiing on our first ski trip in 1970.  I remember how unhappy my family was when I left after lunch on Christmas Day to drive across country with Rick in his little Volkswagon Bug.  At one point we thought we would drive straight through by changing drivers and sleeping while the other one drove.  Ha!  Even when I was young I was not able to sleep in a cold, noisy, tiny car as we slipped and slid around the mountain roads.  I remember that we ended up staying overnight in West Yellowstone which was amazingly beautiful in the winter with huge piles of snow.  I could use some snow and cold just now.
    The drive up to Bogus is 15 miles of switchbacks and climbs 2500'.  The view of Boise from the top was spoiled by a heavy haze and smog.  There are several forest fires burning nearby which adds to the smog.  Just like the town, the ski area is much larger than it was in 1970, but we could remember the chalet.  I also remember the long drive back down the mountain in wet jeans after a day of wet skiing.  That VW had a heater that only really worked when we were driving fast, not crawling down the mountain behind hundreds of other skiers.  We saw some eagles and hawks soaring in the updrafts from the heat.  I have gotten pretty accustomed to the eagles after seeing so many in Alaska.
    I was really tired today so I took a short nap before heading out to the grocery store to buy fresh food for our trip back home.  We had a picnic lunch back in our room and then worked on scheduling the next few campground stops.  The weather report is for cooler weather as we get to Jackson, WY. I sure hope so.
     We had another cool and relaxing time in the pool.  Beth and I talked a lot about our summers at Fort Snelling and the fun we had together putting on swim shows for the end of the summer party.  Beth wants to have another reunion next summer so I will have some planning to do when I get home.
     We had a good dinner at an Italian restaurant and then went to bed early.  Rick is still coughing and seems to be depressed.  He isn't talking much and doesn't have much interest in doing anything.  We need to get back on the road.  Maybe going back to our skiing days at Jackson Hole will revive his spirits.

Boise, ID. Motel 6

    Today is Rick's birthday, but he forgot about it.  I gave him a card and a promise of gifts to come.  Arik called after we got back from a late breakfast at Denny's.  Rick was really happy to hear from his first son and it started his birthday day just right.  He already used one of his gifts from me and Matt and Amanda when we took the small plane ride over the glaciers in Anchorage.  It was such a highlight for him.

     We took the truck in for maintenance this morning and talked with Uncle Bud and Beth McDonald who both live in Boise.  We had a great swim in the outdoor pool and enjoyed the cool water despite the heat.  Later, Beth met me at the Denny's for some tea. We have been friends since I was 9 and it was so great to see her.
    Rick picked up the truck and found that there is a crack in the transfer case which is what has been leaking.  Thankfully the repair can wait until we get home.
     Uncle Bud and Aunt Margie picked us up at the motel and took us out for supper.  They both looked good, although Margie is suffering from Alzheimer's.  She remembered who we are which was so good.  After dinner, we went back to their house where RIck's cousins Don and Gregg and their families met us for desert.  Don was quite fun, outgoing, and married to a really nice lady.  Gregg is much quieter with a lovely family.  He is the nerd in the family - wearing shorts and dark socks.  Both guys were so fun to talk to and learn more about living in Boise.  I sure hope that it won't be 30 more years before we see them again.  Such a nice family.

Boise, Idaho. Motel 6

    The drive to Boise along the Salmon River looked just as beautiful in the summer of 2006 as it did in 1974 when we drove from Glacier and Banff to visit Uncle Bud and Aunt Margie.  The road runs right along the river with many beautiful view and pretty resort areas.  It was very winding and went over several small summits and each time we went up the terrain changed from woods, to rocks, to desert.  We stopped for lunch at a wayside rest where I got such a kick out of the sign that pointed to a snake area to walk your pets.  I forget that we are in snake country here, although they are probably less of a hazard than the grizzlies at the waysides in Alaska.  Haha.
     As we got into Boise we started looking for a motel to stay for a couple days while we visited Rick's relatives.  We drove to the area near the airport where there were quite a few motels, but found right away that they were very busy and full.  After driving into and navigating three motel parking lots we finally found a room at a Motel 6.  It does not have much to offer - shelves rather than a dresser, no coffee, shampoo, or hair dryer.  But it is clean, has decent beds AND air conditioning.  The office manager was not thrilled to have us parking the RV in the lot, but did work out a place for us to leave the trailer.  Uncle Bud is calling around to find someone to look at our air conditioner.  I am sure that there is something wrong with it since it just doesn't seem to be able to cool the RV down much at all.  Certainly not cool enough to sleep well when the temps are in the 100's.
     After settling into our bare bones room (not nearly as nice as the RV) we went out to a Pub for dinner.  This is the first meal we have eaten out since we were in Skagway.  It was nice to have someone else cook and be waited on!

     Boise has grown a lot since were were here in 1974.  It went from a town of 55,000 to one of 250,000.  The town looks nicer with fewer junky businesses.  Now there are many nice houses on the west end and in the foothills.  Unfortunately, it has been over 100 for six days and will continue to be hot.  The motel parking lot is so hot that the chock under our wheels is stuck into the pavement already.

Clarkston, WA. Hells Gate RV Park

     We opened the windows last night and it was cool and very quiet sleeping.  I had a great nights sleep and feel good this morning.  We will try to get 50 amp service tonight to see if the RV cools down any faster.  It just doesn't seem to be able to get below about 86 which is way too hot for me even with an extra fan blowing.  Yuck.

     The drive south took us over another mountain pass as was really pretty but hard driving.  Once we got down to the valley and joined I359 all we could see were farm and ranch land with some rolling hills.  Spokane had hectic, heavy traffic with businesses lining the road all the way into town.  Once there we were routed on a detour and had to drive through the busiest part of town.  Rick did great even though he had to change lanes in very heavy traffic at the last minute to get to the on-ramp.  We are really long so that is quite a feat.  He has gotten a lot of experience during this trip!
     Once we got out of town we drove into a set of rolling wheat fields that were very dry and barren. We had to pull into a small town to find a shady place to park under and eat our lunch.  It was 110 in the sun - a little better under the big tree along the road.
    Our campsite is at a marina on the Snake River.  It is only 100 here.  The campground is new and quite nice with 50 amp power.  It also has an indoor pool where we spent the early evening waiting for the trailer to cool down.  It was relaxing to sit by the water in the air conditioning and read.  We watched a lot of boats on the river, but this is a brown and barren area and the landscape looks ugly to me as well as unbelievably hot.

Republic, Washington. Miller's RV Park

We started out by driving a secondary road - Highway 3 - between Hwy 1 and Hwy 97.  It was routed along a river in a narrow canyon with many small ranches.  The canyon had high rocky walls and the little river was running fast as the road went downhill.  The road was nice and smooth, but really winding and hard to drive.
    As we connected back up with Hwy 97 we got to a large reservoir,  Lake Okarogon.  The road took us along the lake almost to the border.  It was a busy recreation area with lots of traffic including many fruit stands selling cherries, peaches and raspberries.  We did not know what kinds of fruit we could bring back into the US so we didn't stop, but I was really wishing I could have some of those raspberries.  We missed our crop at the cabin.
    Going through customs to get back into the U.S. took us about 30 minutes.  We certainly look like harmless, retired RVers, but still had a brief search of the RV to be sure that we were not sneaking a person across the border.  I took advantage of the stop to use our handy bathroom after being on the winding road that had no places to pull over.
   After going through customs we turned off the main road again.  We left behind a wine country area that had hundreds of orchards and vineyards.  We climbed over a summit and felt the temperature drop from 109 to 89 (It is really hot when 89 seems cooler!)  We drove past great big trees and lots of flowers.  Unfortunately there were no campgrounds in this area.
    We dropped back down to a lower elevation and found a nicely maintained campground.  However, the parking lanes were blacktop and really held the 101 heat still at 6 PM.  The temperature in the trailer was still 90 - not cooling down to a liveable temp.  Then it rained hard.  The cool breeze was wonderful and we slept with the windows open.  Ahhh!

 

Spense's Bridge, BC. Acacia Grove Campground

     Our drive today went from terrain that looked like the Black Hills with lots of black spruce on rolling hills, to mining towns along the river and finally, the very hot and dry Wyoming type terrain.  The day got hot very quickly after a nice cool night.  We broke camp in our cool, shady campground and then watched the temperatures just soar.  We changed our route a bit so that we got away from some of the busy towns.  They are mostly very ugly and the traffic is bad.  I like to be out in the wilderness so much more.
    I spent a lot of time looking for a campground that was not a parking lot in one of the big towns.  We can do that once in a while, but in this heat it is especially unappealing.  We got lucky and found a great one.  It is in a grove of trees right on the river.  There is also a railroad track just behind us with trains that run every few hours, but we can also hear the sound of the river.  Even this far off the beaten track there are construction workers camped here semi-permanently.  It is a nice spot for a summer of work.

    It was well over 100 when we stopped and then took until after the sun dropped behind the hills to cool down inside the trailer.  I am happy that the days are a little shorter when camping in this heat.  Even Rick was hot today and happy to sit outside in the shade and catch a little breeze.  I sewed and Rick read and we planned our next couple days of driving to Boise. I just hate this heat.

Hixon, British Columbia Canyon Creek Campground

    Today is Arik's birthday.  I really miss my family and friends.  We were lucky today, though, and had cell phone service so I could call Arik and wish him a "Happy Birthday."  It seems like a really long time since we have seen him.  It will be good to go out with him and the rest of the kids when we get back so we can celebrate his and Rick's birthdays.
    Rick had an earlier start today and felt better.  Much less coughing.  I was getting worried that he was getting bronchitis, but thankfully he seems to be getting over this.  It is no fun to be sick on the road.
    We drove the rest of BC29 to 97 and then down to Prince George to Hixon.  The early part of the drive went over the lowest pass through the Rocky Mountains and then along the western Rocky Mountain "trench."  We went from mountains, to industrial area, to farm land.  Prince George is growing quickly like most of the BC communities with coal, gas, and mining business.  It is pretty ugly.  Growing too fast and not well planned.  Most areas look really junky.
     Our campground is in a grove of big pine trees.  It is very well shaded which is good as today it is over 90.  There are two trailers with women and small kids next to us.  Their clothes look Amish or something.  They have long skirts and black scarves - really hot in this weather.  They seem tired and lonely as their husbands work away from the area all day and they are stuck in a small campground with small children.  At least they seem to have each other to talk with and help each other with the kids.  Not my idea of fun.

 

Hudson's Hope, British Columbia. Lynx Creek Campground

     As we drove back past Pink Mountain where we stayed just after joining the Alaska Highway, I realized how comfortable we both are now in taking the RV on difficult roads.  On the way north I clung to the arms of my seat as we went up and down over passes and around tight corners.  I actually look at the scenery now.  Rick is able to back into most spots without any trouble.  It is just great.
     We turned onto a new road - BC29 - just before getting to Fort St. John.  It took us into the "Peace River Valley."  The road was newly repaved and very smooth.  However, there were some pretty steep ups and downs so it is good that we are "experienced" drivers now.  The valley is just beautiful.  The Hudson Bay Company put a large trading post at Hudson's Hope.  It was the third settlement in all of British Columbia.

    We were hopeful that the campground would b empty of construction workers since we were so off the beaten path.  However, we found it to have quite a few seasonal workers.  It was right along the river with beautiful views and very quiet.  There were no trees at the sites, but many along the back and a nice breeze to cool things down.  The heat is coming.  It was 86 today.

Fort Nelson , British Columbia West End RV Park

     The drive today was very pretty - along Lake Muncho and up over the Steamboat mountains.  It was warm and sunny and great for being outdoors.  Rick slept well and felt a little better which is good since the drive was very winding and narrow around the lake.  It took a lot of concentration to keep us in our lane.
    Once again, in this area, we saw lots of animals.  Several large bison were just sitting along the road.  One of them was just sauntering along the shoulder as we drove by.  We also saw several groups of wild horses - there are no fences anywhere here.  Around Steamboat we saw dozens of Stone Sheep on the road - many of them had lambs alongside.  The seemed very comfortable with all the cars.
    As we drove we saw several large caravans of RV's coming north.  One of them was at the rest stop at Llaird Hot Springs when we left today.  We are happy that we are traveling on our own - at our own pace and stopping early to enjoy the many interesting spots along the way.  Since we are able to spend such a long time on the road we are also able to travel slowly and spend more time in each area. I really want to savor this once in a lifetime trip.

     Our campground at Fort Nelson is crowded with "work campers" in the wooded area.  Many messy, noisy sites full of broken down cars and old, old rigs.  The open area was almosty empty when we pulled in.  Then, about 6 PM, over 20 more RV's arrived and filled up the area.  It was pretty hot in the RV when we stopped - over 85.  It is a hint of what is to some as we head south.  Fortunately it was much cooler indoors and out by 8 and we were able to sleep well.

Laird River, British Columbia. Laird Hot Springs

     I like to stop early and watch everyone arriving into the campground at the end of the day.  It is like we are circling the wagons and we are now all safe from the risks on the road.  Everyone takes out their lawn chairs and stroll around the campground walking their dogs and saying, "Hello."
     We are in a beautiful Provincial park with very nice wooded sites - many of them long enough for a trailer our size.  We set up and had lunch and a rest.  We stopped early so that we could be sure to get a site and so that we could try out the hot springs.

     Mid afternoon we put on our bathing suits and walked the 1/2 mile on the boardwalk through the slough and the woods to the hot pools.  the upper pool was pretty hot but as it flowed downstream more cool water flowed in and the lower pool was quite comfortable.  The only problem was a fair number of mosquitoes but they weren't bad if you stayed submerged.  The water felt wonderful and very relaxing.  I really miss my bathtub at home.  It was fun to watch the kids all playing in the water.  This is a very popular spot with the locals as well as us long distance travelers.

    We built a fire and roasted some hot dogs for dinner and some marshmallows for desert.  We did not stay outside too long after that due to another early evening shower.  We spent the rest of our evening sitting inside and reading by the late summer sun.  It was very peaceful and relaxing.  The hot water seems to have helped Rick's cough and he feels better.

Watson Lake, YT. Campground Services RV Park

    We had a shorter drive today - only 165 miles - so we didn't rush.  Our camping neighbor  got me up early by standing under my bedroom window and shouting at his wife to start the truck.  he then carried on a conversation with her over the diesel noise.  Most folks in the campgrounds are really polite and friendly.  When we first say this guy he had pants that sagged well below his butt crack and a dirty shirt.  The next day he had on the same  low slung pants and dirty shirt. There was also a young woman wandering around the campground with a big hunting knife strapped to her waist.  Hmm.


    We got to Watson Lake by lunch time, ate, and then went grocery shopping.  Rick went back for another nap and I took the laptop to the office to send off some emails.  It was one of the nicer spots set up for folks who need to connect with home.  Some places were just a folding chair stuck in the laundry room, but this spot had a nice clean table, some decent office chairs, and magazines.  Not spectacular, but reasonably functional.  While I was working on sending emails and telling every about the huge grizzly that we saw along the road, it started to rain.  In these mountains the wind come up, the temperature drops 10 - 20 degrees, and then the rain comes hard.  After the rain, the sun came out and it was sunny and warm again for an hour.  Then the rain returned.    It is easy to forget that the coastal area along the southwest part of Alaska is a temperate rain forest.  It has been very rainy since we started traveling in the Valdez, Haines and Skagway area.  The upside has been some really beautiful gardens with absolutely huge varieties of familiar flowers.  Wow.
   Rick is coughing and feels crummy. Yuck.  I sure hope that he is better tomorrow.

Teslin, Yukon Territories, Yukon Motel and Campground

   Rick woke up with a sore throat and was very tired.  We had a slow start and he felt pretty crummy.  We lose an hour today as we change time zones on the way home and were driving over unfamiliar roads so I was anxious to get going.  Not a good beginning to our trip back.

    The sun was shining in Skagway as we left.  Our road took us along the old White Pass trail used by the prospectors heading to the gold fields.  It follows the rail line so we stopped several times to take pictures.  The road was very steep and at some points it had an 11% grade that went on for fourteen miles.  The transmission fluid to pretty hot, but cooled quickly when we got to the summit.  We passed quickly through Canadian customs although we heard the story of a man who was really snotty to the agents and had his motorhome seized.  You absolutely can't bring firearms into Canada without a special permit and you can't can't get in if you have a DUI on your driving record unless you have another special permit.
     Since we had been to Whitehorse on the way north we took a side road out of Skagway that skipped Whitehorse.  The MilePost book said that there was ten miles of gravel, but it was all paved.  It was a good driving day after all and we got to our campground fairly early.  Rick took it easy all afternoon so that he felt a little better.

Mountain View RV, Skagway

   We have a very small and short camping space in this park.  I had to get up early to move our truck from in front of the rig so that our next door neighbors could get their RV out of their spot.  It was quite the challenge to get in to last night in the dark.
    I had a cranky morning from getting to bed to late last night and then up again so early today.  To add to that we had laundry to do today and discovered that our antenna is falling off.  Ughh!
   By afternoon things were better.  We drove out to Dyea Klondike Gold Rush
National Historical Park.  It is a ghost town from the gold rush period - and took a Ranger-led tour of the old town which is now mostly made up of wood, glass, and metal pieces.  In the fall of 1897 just a its population shot up to an estimated 8,000 when it became a principal port city for the Klondike

Stampeders.  When the White Pass and Yukon Railroad was completed the Gold Rush pioneers used the railroad and the port and the town died out. The drive out to the town along the rocky edge of the bay was spectacular.
     Later we headed downtown for a little final shopping in Alaska.  It is hard to believe that we have been here so long.  What will be more difficult to adjust to in getting home is that the summer will be mostly over.  I have the feel that time at home should stand still when we are on the road.
    We had dinner in a little bar and grill downtown.  There was a cruise ship in the harbor and lots of people on the street, but almost no cars so it was easy to park.  Rick went to an 100 year old hardware store that was one of fourteen buildings still there from the gold rush era.

Haines to Skagway Ferry Ride

    Today we catch the Ferry to Skagway, but not until 8 pm.  So we paid a little extra to keep our RV parked in the campground until we moved to the Ferry dock.  We spent some time looking around Haines and stopped at a small shop that had lots of flowers outside.  We talked to the owners who told us that they are happy that Haines is not much of a stop for the big Cruise boats.  In Skagway most of the small businesses have been closed and the cruiselines own all of the shops in town.  We also took a tour of Fort Seward which has many homes built using the same blueprints as those at Ft. Snelling.  We toured one of the nicely kept old homes which are now used as a hotel.  It was a real blast from the past.
     The ferry was a great experience.  We arrived to the dock early but there was already quite a long line.  There was an extensive security check and then the boat arrived from Juneau.  It was mostly empty and did not take much time to unload.  The tide was really low and the ferry sat quite a bit below the level of the docks.  The entrance to the boat was on the side (not the back) of the ferry.  Cars and small RVs drove down a very steep, narrow ramp into the bowels of the boat.  Then one large RV, and then US.  We drove slowly down into what looked like a very small door.  If we had been out of control we would have slipped through the boat and out the other side because the door on the other side of the boat was open too.  However, the staff who loaded the boat were experts and gave us perfect instructions to help us maneuver the truck and trailer safely into place.

   We left our truck and went to the upper deck to do some sightseeing.  We could watch cars at the back of the ferry loading and they had much more trouble getting in, so we were lucky where we loaded, I guess.
     Our trip was only an hour, but many folks ride the ferry overnight to get from one coastal town to another.  There are some cabins, but many folks camp out on deck.  The whole back of the ferry is an covered deck with dozens of chaise lounges and heaters in the ceiling.  Folks grab a chair, put out their sleeping bags and settle in for the night.  It is a pretty cheap way to travel.  We really enjoyed it.
    When we arrived at Skagway we had to turn around inside the ferry which involved backing up near the open door on the port side and then driving through the opening on the starboard side and climbing up the steep ramp.  Yikes!  It went well with Rick's skill and good direction from the staff.  It was getting dark as we found our way through the small city to our campground.