A Clark's Nutcracker and a butterfly near Lake Louise, a Mountain Bluebird (with bug in beak) at Yellowstone.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Home again
Tuesday, July 22
We've been back home for a couple of days now (got here Sunday), got the accumulation of bugs and grime scrubbed off the camper, so I suppose it's time to wrap up the blog and post our last thoughts. Nothing of interest happened after we left Mt. Rushmore last Thursday, except that we got separated from the Krupps outside of Rapid City and never quite got back together again. When we discovered they were no longer behind us we'd already covered some miles down I-90, so we pulled over at an exit and waited... and waited... and waited. We didn't know whether to go back and try to find them (in case they'd broken down or something), or keep waiting, or if they might even have gotten ahead of us. Finally after we sat there for over an hour Connie called us from a pay phone and it turns out they'd taken a different road and were about fifty miles down the road ahead of us. So we each went our separate ways home after that. We stayed on I-90 through South Dakota, Minnesota and into Wisconsin, crossed that state on one of those rural two-lane roads that seem to make time stand still, and hit U.S. 41 at Oshkosh. We spent Saturday night at a sweet little campground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Menominee, Michigan, and drove on home from there Sunday. Got here at about 2 o'clock and found our home-sweet-home in fine shape. The lawn was mowed, the house was clean and our house guest had even changed the sheets on the bed and left us a nice "Welcome Home" note. Everything but a complimentary mint on the bedspread.
So even though we only took five weeks to make what we'd originally thought might be a seven-week trip, we accompished what we set out to do: We drove to Alaska and back, 9800 miles total, in our little camper, saw so much incredibly beautiful country, wildlife and magnificent scenery, that it still hasn't all sunk in. Looking back through the pictures we took (between 1,500 and 1,600 of them) brings back the memories of all the great places we've been to, and I'm sure it will continue to do so in the years to come. Denise and I want to thank all of you who've been following our blog and especially to those of you who've posted comments and made such kind remarks. We're glad that our words and photos made it interesting for you. And finally, if you've never made a trip like this, but have harbored thoughts about doing so, we'd strongly urge you to go. Just do it, and don't wait too long. You never know what life's going to hand out.
We've been back home for a couple of days now (got here Sunday), got the accumulation of bugs and grime scrubbed off the camper, so I suppose it's time to wrap up the blog and post our last thoughts. Nothing of interest happened after we left Mt. Rushmore last Thursday, except that we got separated from the Krupps outside of Rapid City and never quite got back together again. When we discovered they were no longer behind us we'd already covered some miles down I-90, so we pulled over at an exit and waited... and waited... and waited. We didn't know whether to go back and try to find them (in case they'd broken down or something), or keep waiting, or if they might even have gotten ahead of us. Finally after we sat there for over an hour Connie called us from a pay phone and it turns out they'd taken a different road and were about fifty miles down the road ahead of us. So we each went our separate ways home after that. We stayed on I-90 through South Dakota, Minnesota and into Wisconsin, crossed that state on one of those rural two-lane roads that seem to make time stand still, and hit U.S. 41 at Oshkosh. We spent Saturday night at a sweet little campground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Menominee, Michigan, and drove on home from there Sunday. Got here at about 2 o'clock and found our home-sweet-home in fine shape. The lawn was mowed, the house was clean and our house guest had even changed the sheets on the bed and left us a nice "Welcome Home" note. Everything but a complimentary mint on the bedspread.
So even though we only took five weeks to make what we'd originally thought might be a seven-week trip, we accompished what we set out to do: We drove to Alaska and back, 9800 miles total, in our little camper, saw so much incredibly beautiful country, wildlife and magnificent scenery, that it still hasn't all sunk in. Looking back through the pictures we took (between 1,500 and 1,600 of them) brings back the memories of all the great places we've been to, and I'm sure it will continue to do so in the years to come. Denise and I want to thank all of you who've been following our blog and especially to those of you who've posted comments and made such kind remarks. We're glad that our words and photos made it interesting for you. And finally, if you've never made a trip like this, but have harbored thoughts about doing so, we'd strongly urge you to go. Just do it, and don't wait too long. You never know what life's going to hand out.
Mount Rushmore
Thursday, July 17
We entered South Dakota today and drove up to see Mt. Rushmore. Neither of us had ever been there, and wondered if it really existed outside of photographs. Well, it does. And it's quite a humbling sight to behold. Those four great stone faces look out on some very rugged country, that being the Black Hills, and as you look up at them and take in their magnitude, you can't help but wonder how such work was done. Well, 90-percent of it was done with dynamite, we're told. And finished off with small jackhammers. Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt and old Abe. A pretty good group of guys to represent us on a mountaintop.We lost the Krupps at Rapid City and we haven't connected back up with them. It may be the end of the gruesome foursome. We did pretty well to stay together as long as we did! Tonight we're at a small campground in a small South Dakota prairie town called Kadoka "Gateway to the Badlands". Pressing on toward home tomorrow - no more sights to be seen other than the miles of Interstate we'll be slogging along.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Yellowstone National Park
Tuesday, July 15
Before leaving Helena yesterday we took a great boat trip on the Missouri River through a wild place that Merriwether Lewis named "The Gates of the Mountains" when he came through here with Clark and the rest of the gang in 18-ought-4. It's a wilderness area that they say hasn't changed much since that time, other than the water level is about a dozen feet higher due to a dam downstream. Saw some wildlife and some pictographs that had been there since way before Lewis & Clark's time.
After the tour we drove on down to Yellowstone Park, coming in at the north entrance. We took the time to stop at the Mammoth Hot Springs on the way in. Walked about a mile of boardwalk there to see a couple of small springs bubbling out of the rock. Then we drove on into the park to our campground at Canyon Village. Not real impressed with our campsite as its really nothing more than a turnout beside the road just wide enough to get our camper in and let the cars go past in and out of the loop. The park is full so when we asked for a different site we got nothing more than a "Sorry about that..." from the ranger. Oh well, that's what the comment cards are for.
We did the driving tour of Yellowstone today, from Canyon Village around the circle counter-clockwise back to Canyon Village. Took in the Flower Paint Pots, Old Faithful, the West Thumb geysers, Yellowstone Lake, Mud Pot, etc. The four of us walked from Old Faithful to Biscuit Basin - about 2 1/2 miles and saw numerous bubbling and spouting geysers and pools of steaming water. Connie and Leo left us at the West Thumb and went back to the campground. Denise and I stopped here and there wherever we saw something that interested us. We saw a lot of bison - many individuals at first, and then a large herd of them in a meadow along the Yellowstone River - and several elk. We saw one huge black bear (actually brown in color) just before getting back to the campground. The colors here are amazing - the soil, the foliage and the flowers, the boiling springs which range in color from gunmetal gray to the most startling azure blue you can imagine. Some of them remind you of the Caribbean until you see the huge lodgepole pine trees around you. Large areas of the park show the result of the 1988 fires that burned so much forest here, but it is making a comeback. Young pines are coming up thickly, a natural re-seeding from the fire, and some are already fifteen feet tall. I am adding 3 pictures to the blog. The first, of course, is of Old Faithful. We were lucky and only had to wait about 10 minutes for his regularly scheduled (every 90 minutes) eruption. The second is of one of the numerous pools we saw. The color is gorgeous, it looks like something you would want in your backyard. That is until you look at the 3rd picture and realize the water temperature is around 200 degrees. A little too hot even in the winter time. Enjoy. Tomorrow is day of driving and then on Thursday we will be at Mt. Rushmore. We should be home around Sunday or so. We are ready. We miss everyone and I hope Maggie still remembers us.
Before leaving Helena yesterday we took a great boat trip on the Missouri River through a wild place that Merriwether Lewis named "The Gates of the Mountains" when he came through here with Clark and the rest of the gang in 18-ought-4. It's a wilderness area that they say hasn't changed much since that time, other than the water level is about a dozen feet higher due to a dam downstream. Saw some wildlife and some pictographs that had been there since way before Lewis & Clark's time.
After the tour we drove on down to Yellowstone Park, coming in at the north entrance. We took the time to stop at the Mammoth Hot Springs on the way in. Walked about a mile of boardwalk there to see a couple of small springs bubbling out of the rock. Then we drove on into the park to our campground at Canyon Village. Not real impressed with our campsite as its really nothing more than a turnout beside the road just wide enough to get our camper in and let the cars go past in and out of the loop. The park is full so when we asked for a different site we got nothing more than a "Sorry about that..." from the ranger. Oh well, that's what the comment cards are for.
We did the driving tour of Yellowstone today, from Canyon Village around the circle counter-clockwise back to Canyon Village. Took in the Flower Paint Pots, Old Faithful, the West Thumb geysers, Yellowstone Lake, Mud Pot, etc. The four of us walked from Old Faithful to Biscuit Basin - about 2 1/2 miles and saw numerous bubbling and spouting geysers and pools of steaming water. Connie and Leo left us at the West Thumb and went back to the campground. Denise and I stopped here and there wherever we saw something that interested us. We saw a lot of bison - many individuals at first, and then a large herd of them in a meadow along the Yellowstone River - and several elk. We saw one huge black bear (actually brown in color) just before getting back to the campground. The colors here are amazing - the soil, the foliage and the flowers, the boiling springs which range in color from gunmetal gray to the most startling azure blue you can imagine. Some of them remind you of the Caribbean until you see the huge lodgepole pine trees around you. Large areas of the park show the result of the 1988 fires that burned so much forest here, but it is making a comeback. Young pines are coming up thickly, a natural re-seeding from the fire, and some are already fifteen feet tall. I am adding 3 pictures to the blog. The first, of course, is of Old Faithful. We were lucky and only had to wait about 10 minutes for his regularly scheduled (every 90 minutes) eruption. The second is of one of the numerous pools we saw. The color is gorgeous, it looks like something you would want in your backyard. That is until you look at the 3rd picture and realize the water temperature is around 200 degrees. A little too hot even in the winter time. Enjoy. Tomorrow is day of driving and then on Thursday we will be at Mt. Rushmore. We should be home around Sunday or so. We are ready. We miss everyone and I hope Maggie still remembers us.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
3 Days on the Road
Fri-Sat-Sunday, July 13
We finished the Alaska Highway on Friday morning. We hit the Mile Marker 0 and kept heading south. So for the past 3 days we have done just about nothing, but drive. On Saturday we drove through Edmonton and Calgary Alberta. Mike wore his Red Wings tee shirt and he made it out alive. That doesn't say anything for the traffic there. If was awful. The people drove like maniacs and so we had to also. Tonight we are just outside of Helena, Montana. Only 3 hours from Yellowstone and Ole Faithful Geyser. We were just reading that there are more people in the city of Calgary than in all of the state of Montana. This place is as beautiful as Alaska. It just doesn't have the animals like Alaska did. Mike and I decided maybe we could live here. Maybe not. Well, like I said just driving the last couple days so the pics aren't as spectacular. But we'll see what we can find.
We finished the Alaska Highway on Friday morning. We hit the Mile Marker 0 and kept heading south. So for the past 3 days we have done just about nothing, but drive. On Saturday we drove through Edmonton and Calgary Alberta. Mike wore his Red Wings tee shirt and he made it out alive. That doesn't say anything for the traffic there. If was awful. The people drove like maniacs and so we had to also. Tonight we are just outside of Helena, Montana. Only 3 hours from Yellowstone and Ole Faithful Geyser. We were just reading that there are more people in the city of Calgary than in all of the state of Montana. This place is as beautiful as Alaska. It just doesn't have the animals like Alaska did. Mike and I decided maybe we could live here. Maybe not. Well, like I said just driving the last couple days so the pics aren't as spectacular. But we'll see what we can find.
The first picture is of the Mile Marker 0 for the Alaska Hwy. The 2nd picture is of the Missouri River as it winds through Helena, Montana. It really is beautiful country
Thursday, July 10, 2008
purple flowers and bison
Wednesday, July 9
The last two days have been on the Alaska Highway, southbound from Whitehorse. Yesterday we re-covered the same section of the highway we'd taken on the way up - same frost heaves and construction mess as before. We stayed the night at a nice campground on the west side of Watson Lake, a lonely place, and had the best campfire of the entire trip. A good supply of dry firewood at hand sure helped, as did some dry weather for a change. Seeing a new bird sure helped MY disposition: a Varied Thrush, which I mistook for a robin at first glance. The others weren't at all thrilled for me. I don't understand it. Had to stop at the signpost forest in W.L. for a gander at all the signs (65,000 or so at last count).
This morning was bright and sunny, and still cool. About ten miles from Watson Lake we crossed into British Columbia. Beautiful country. Good road too, so we made good time. The highway is brushed back about fifty yards from the pavement, leaving a meadow of grass and wildflowers, which is where the buffalo roam, not to mention the bears. We saw plenty of both today, and at very close range. The bears were chowing down on grass, grazing just like the bison were - maybe a spring tonic for them? Denise and I took a brief soak in the Liard Hot Springs before lunch. Felt very good. Stopped and photographed Muncho Lake where the highway skirts along the lake's edge, and stopped for the night a few miles farther on at Toad River.
The purple flowers are for Carli, Kaylee, Alaina and Katie 'cause Gramma & Grampa know purple is their favorite color. And Tyler, the buffalo's for you.
The last two days have been on the Alaska Highway, southbound from Whitehorse. Yesterday we re-covered the same section of the highway we'd taken on the way up - same frost heaves and construction mess as before. We stayed the night at a nice campground on the west side of Watson Lake, a lonely place, and had the best campfire of the entire trip. A good supply of dry firewood at hand sure helped, as did some dry weather for a change. Seeing a new bird sure helped MY disposition: a Varied Thrush, which I mistook for a robin at first glance. The others weren't at all thrilled for me. I don't understand it. Had to stop at the signpost forest in W.L. for a gander at all the signs (65,000 or so at last count).
This morning was bright and sunny, and still cool. About ten miles from Watson Lake we crossed into British Columbia. Beautiful country. Good road too, so we made good time. The highway is brushed back about fifty yards from the pavement, leaving a meadow of grass and wildflowers, which is where the buffalo roam, not to mention the bears. We saw plenty of both today, and at very close range. The bears were chowing down on grass, grazing just like the bison were - maybe a spring tonic for them? Denise and I took a brief soak in the Liard Hot Springs before lunch. Felt very good. Stopped and photographed Muncho Lake where the highway skirts along the lake's edge, and stopped for the night a few miles farther on at Toad River.
The purple flowers are for Carli, Kaylee, Alaina and Katie 'cause Gramma & Grampa know purple is their favorite color. And Tyler, the buffalo's for you.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Catch up on the trip
Sunday, July 6
We haven't had internet service for several days so we'll play a little catch-up here. Actually we have no service tonight, either, but maybe tomorrow. Here it is Sunday, one week after we entered Alaska, and we're poised to leave the state already tomorrow. It doesn't seem right that we're leaving already when this was our main goal. But we've made the complete loop and now there's nowhere else to go but back toward home.
On Friday Denise and I drove from Portage to Seward - another spectacular, eye-popping highway - in the rain most of the way. We boarded the Star of the Northwest for our half-day glacier cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We'd decided to take the half-day cruise as opposed to the all-day, eight hour cruise, because of the long day we'd had in Denali on Wednesday, and because of the all-day cruise we'd already taken from Skagway to Juneau. This tour was five-hours long and took in the full length of Resurrection Bay, down the east side to Resurrection Point, across the mouth and up the west side past the impressive Bear Glacier. The Star was a larger boat than we'd been on in Skagway and there were easily twice as many people on board. But the captain was a "mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure" and he maneuvered that boat into some mighty tight places between towering walls of rugged rock, so close at times that the meltwater from the heights above cascaded right down on the boat's deck. Yikes! We saw a great many sea lions along the rocks, and out at the point was a bird rookery just teeming with Kittiwakes, various gulls and murres and cormorants, and two species of puffins - the horned and the tufted, which were easily identifiable once we'd gotten in close enough to be able to see them on their nests, tucked into the crevices of the rocks. What a sight that was for a jaded old birder like me.
In contrast to the Skaway-Juneau trip, on which we lost count of the whales we saw, on this cruise we saw only one. But he (or she?) was a friendly sort, and he teased us by showing his back every few minutes just a short way off the ship, and finally, when we were getting ready to pull away, dove for the bottom, showing us his huge tail fins. You should have heard the oohs and aahs and the cameras clicking (but of course I missed the shot because I was sitting on the bench trying to recover from a short bout of nausea). As the five-hour cruise was coming to an end and we were about to dock, we spotted a sea otter in the harbor, clowning around right in the midst of all the hundreds of boats there. The otter was the one critter we hadn't had a good look at yet, so this guy was right on cue to make our day complete. When we got back to Portage that evening Connie and Leo were there waiting for us, having driven over from Anchorage. They'd gone out to Whittier and back that day.
Saturday morning we left Portage in the rain and drove the fifty miles back to Anchorage where I met up with my old high school chum Steve Spranger and his wife Ruth who live there in Anchorage. We had coffee together at a Fred Meyer while the Krupps went and found a laundromat to do some washing. Steve and Ruth decided to follow us out of town and camp with us that night, and that's what we all did. We found a nice little rustic campground on a rocky creek about sixty miles out of Anchorage. As our luck would have it, it started raining as we got to the campground and it kept it up off and on all evening. But we still had a great time, making a picnic of hot dogs and hamburgers and macaroni salad and Connie's bodacious garlic mashed potatoes. Steve and I hadn't seen each other in over thirty years (and man, does HE look old!) and we had a great time looking through our high school yearbook and remembering all the stupid things we did way back when we were stupid teenagers. His wife Ruth is a native Alaskan, and told us some interesting things about the state and about growing up as a Native in a small village in the Nome area. Her father is still living there and is 100 years old! We all wished we could meet him and listen to some of the stories he'd be able to tell. Ruth spoke only the Yooptik (not sure of the spelling) language as a child, but when she went to school she and the other children were forbidden from speaking it - they were only allowed to speak English. Nowadays, she says, very few of the Native children can speak Yooptik naturally, but are being taught the basics of it in their schools. We kept a campfire going as late as we could despite the drizzly rain and no one really wanted to go to bed, but sometime near midnight (still very light outside!) we all retired.
This morning we said our goodbyes to Steve and Ruth as they set off westward back to Anchorage, and we set out sights to the east. We had entertained notions of making a side trip down to Valdez to see the earthquake museum and the terminal of the oil pipeline, but as we'd gotten a late start this morning we decided to skip it and head for Tok and the Alaska Highway. Tonight (raining again!) we're at another of those little freebie campgrounds, just ten miles down the road from the one we stayed in last Sunday night at Deadman Lake. No campfire tonight (who wants to sit out in the drizzle again?)
It's now Monday (I think). We are 350 miles down the road. Laundry is done, dinner is cooked and showers are taken. Not much happened today other than driving. The pics I posted are from our trip out of Seward. We saw several eagles that day, but this was the best picture we got. It's a little blurry, but they sure are pretty magnificent birds. This one's for you Kenny. The last picture is a glacier we saw on the boat trip. The blue color of the ice just doesn't come through in the picture. The glaciers we've seen really are beautiful. We'll have to bore you with thepictures when you come to our house. Enjoy. Talk to you all again from down the road.
We haven't had internet service for several days so we'll play a little catch-up here. Actually we have no service tonight, either, but maybe tomorrow. Here it is Sunday, one week after we entered Alaska, and we're poised to leave the state already tomorrow. It doesn't seem right that we're leaving already when this was our main goal. But we've made the complete loop and now there's nowhere else to go but back toward home.
On Friday Denise and I drove from Portage to Seward - another spectacular, eye-popping highway - in the rain most of the way. We boarded the Star of the Northwest for our half-day glacier cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We'd decided to take the half-day cruise as opposed to the all-day, eight hour cruise, because of the long day we'd had in Denali on Wednesday, and because of the all-day cruise we'd already taken from Skagway to Juneau. This tour was five-hours long and took in the full length of Resurrection Bay, down the east side to Resurrection Point, across the mouth and up the west side past the impressive Bear Glacier. The Star was a larger boat than we'd been on in Skagway and there were easily twice as many people on board. But the captain was a "mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure" and he maneuvered that boat into some mighty tight places between towering walls of rugged rock, so close at times that the meltwater from the heights above cascaded right down on the boat's deck. Yikes! We saw a great many sea lions along the rocks, and out at the point was a bird rookery just teeming with Kittiwakes, various gulls and murres and cormorants, and two species of puffins - the horned and the tufted, which were easily identifiable once we'd gotten in close enough to be able to see them on their nests, tucked into the crevices of the rocks. What a sight that was for a jaded old birder like me.
In contrast to the Skaway-Juneau trip, on which we lost count of the whales we saw, on this cruise we saw only one. But he (or she?) was a friendly sort, and he teased us by showing his back every few minutes just a short way off the ship, and finally, when we were getting ready to pull away, dove for the bottom, showing us his huge tail fins. You should have heard the oohs and aahs and the cameras clicking (but of course I missed the shot because I was sitting on the bench trying to recover from a short bout of nausea). As the five-hour cruise was coming to an end and we were about to dock, we spotted a sea otter in the harbor, clowning around right in the midst of all the hundreds of boats there. The otter was the one critter we hadn't had a good look at yet, so this guy was right on cue to make our day complete. When we got back to Portage that evening Connie and Leo were there waiting for us, having driven over from Anchorage. They'd gone out to Whittier and back that day.
Saturday morning we left Portage in the rain and drove the fifty miles back to Anchorage where I met up with my old high school chum Steve Spranger and his wife Ruth who live there in Anchorage. We had coffee together at a Fred Meyer while the Krupps went and found a laundromat to do some washing. Steve and Ruth decided to follow us out of town and camp with us that night, and that's what we all did. We found a nice little rustic campground on a rocky creek about sixty miles out of Anchorage. As our luck would have it, it started raining as we got to the campground and it kept it up off and on all evening. But we still had a great time, making a picnic of hot dogs and hamburgers and macaroni salad and Connie's bodacious garlic mashed potatoes. Steve and I hadn't seen each other in over thirty years (and man, does HE look old!) and we had a great time looking through our high school yearbook and remembering all the stupid things we did way back when we were stupid teenagers. His wife Ruth is a native Alaskan, and told us some interesting things about the state and about growing up as a Native in a small village in the Nome area. Her father is still living there and is 100 years old! We all wished we could meet him and listen to some of the stories he'd be able to tell. Ruth spoke only the Yooptik (not sure of the spelling) language as a child, but when she went to school she and the other children were forbidden from speaking it - they were only allowed to speak English. Nowadays, she says, very few of the Native children can speak Yooptik naturally, but are being taught the basics of it in their schools. We kept a campfire going as late as we could despite the drizzly rain and no one really wanted to go to bed, but sometime near midnight (still very light outside!) we all retired.
This morning we said our goodbyes to Steve and Ruth as they set off westward back to Anchorage, and we set out sights to the east. We had entertained notions of making a side trip down to Valdez to see the earthquake museum and the terminal of the oil pipeline, but as we'd gotten a late start this morning we decided to skip it and head for Tok and the Alaska Highway. Tonight (raining again!) we're at another of those little freebie campgrounds, just ten miles down the road from the one we stayed in last Sunday night at Deadman Lake. No campfire tonight (who wants to sit out in the drizzle again?)
It's now Monday (I think). We are 350 miles down the road. Laundry is done, dinner is cooked and showers are taken. Not much happened today other than driving. The pics I posted are from our trip out of Seward. We saw several eagles that day, but this was the best picture we got. It's a little blurry, but they sure are pretty magnificent birds. This one's for you Kenny. The last picture is a glacier we saw on the boat trip. The blue color of the ice just doesn't come through in the picture. The glaciers we've seen really are beautiful. We'll have to bore you with thepictures when you come to our house. Enjoy. Talk to you all again from down the road.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wednesday, July 2
Today was our day at Denali. There is limited access to the park, so we spent 8 hours and 132 miles on a dusty narrow trail bouncing along in an ancient green school bus, putting our lives on the line 4,000 feet above the park floor with a driver named Ned. We were very fortunate that today was beautiful and sunny and Ned said it was the best view of the mountain he's seen all year long. The driver was knowledgeable about the park. He made many stops for us to photograph grizzly bears (at least 9, including a mother with 2 cubs), foxes (3 of these), golden eagles (lots of these), moose (1 total), Dall sheep (6 total), hundreds of snow shoe hares, many arctic ground squirrels and who knows what else. The trip into the park was very interesting, but the return trip was just long and dusty and I almost got sea sick from the bouncing and jostling. Fortunately they had dramamine at one of our pit stops and all was saved. We came back to the campsite, ate delicious pizza across the road and now are writting this blog with only 1/2 brain left between the two of us. We're sooooooo tired, enjoy the pics and please excuse our brevity. It's onward to Anchorage tomorrow, about 270 miles to our next campsite, so it will be all day driving and we are going to wrap this up now so we can catch some sleep. It's a little tough to do that here, since it never gets dark. Talk to you all again soon.
Today was our day at Denali. There is limited access to the park, so we spent 8 hours and 132 miles on a dusty narrow trail bouncing along in an ancient green school bus, putting our lives on the line 4,000 feet above the park floor with a driver named Ned. We were very fortunate that today was beautiful and sunny and Ned said it was the best view of the mountain he's seen all year long. The driver was knowledgeable about the park. He made many stops for us to photograph grizzly bears (at least 9, including a mother with 2 cubs), foxes (3 of these), golden eagles (lots of these), moose (1 total), Dall sheep (6 total), hundreds of snow shoe hares, many arctic ground squirrels and who knows what else. The trip into the park was very interesting, but the return trip was just long and dusty and I almost got sea sick from the bouncing and jostling. Fortunately they had dramamine at one of our pit stops and all was saved. We came back to the campsite, ate delicious pizza across the road and now are writting this blog with only 1/2 brain left between the two of us. We're sooooooo tired, enjoy the pics and please excuse our brevity. It's onward to Anchorage tomorrow, about 270 miles to our next campsite, so it will be all day driving and we are going to wrap this up now so we can catch some sleep. It's a little tough to do that here, since it never gets dark. Talk to you all again soon.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day of Rest
Tuesday, July 1
We stayed in a motel last night and today drove on to Denali. Of course there are no campground sites available in the park itself so we are staying in one of those "parking lot" places. They just pack you in side by side. It's just a mile from the park though, so that's good. We'll write again when we can. Gotta do laundry and some other necessary evils. Talk to everyone when we can.
Denise started this - I'll add a couple lines. I wasn't impressed with Fairbanks. Just another large city with expressways, strip malls and fast food places as far as I could see. But it did give us the chance to hit a Jiffy Lube and get the oil changed in the truck. It rained all the way from Fairbanks to Denali this morning, so between the low clouds and the madly wiping wipers, we didn't see much other than a very handsome fox by the roadside. The rivers we crossed (the largest called the Tanana) were all pretty wild-looking and it would have been great to stop and explore. We drove into the park first thing and purchased our tickets for tomorrow's bus tour, which will take us 66 miles into the park - an eight-hour round trip, with a chance to get out and maybe do some minor hiking. Hope to get at least a peek at the "tall one" - Denali that is, aka Mt. McKinley. But they tell us it's hit or miss on that depending on the cloud cover, and the average is to only see it one day out of three this time of year. The park is one huge piece of wilderness, you can hardly believe it. Leo and I drove in about fifteen miles this afternoon, as far as they let you drive in your own vehicle, and we barely scratched the surface. Talked to a guy who did the bus tour today and he said they saw ten bears - both blacks and browns - and a lot of other critters. Should be a great trip tomorrow.
We stayed in a motel last night and today drove on to Denali. Of course there are no campground sites available in the park itself so we are staying in one of those "parking lot" places. They just pack you in side by side. It's just a mile from the park though, so that's good. We'll write again when we can. Gotta do laundry and some other necessary evils. Talk to everyone when we can.
Denise started this - I'll add a couple lines. I wasn't impressed with Fairbanks. Just another large city with expressways, strip malls and fast food places as far as I could see. But it did give us the chance to hit a Jiffy Lube and get the oil changed in the truck. It rained all the way from Fairbanks to Denali this morning, so between the low clouds and the madly wiping wipers, we didn't see much other than a very handsome fox by the roadside. The rivers we crossed (the largest called the Tanana) were all pretty wild-looking and it would have been great to stop and explore. We drove into the park first thing and purchased our tickets for tomorrow's bus tour, which will take us 66 miles into the park - an eight-hour round trip, with a chance to get out and maybe do some minor hiking. Hope to get at least a peek at the "tall one" - Denali that is, aka Mt. McKinley. But they tell us it's hit or miss on that depending on the cloud cover, and the average is to only see it one day out of three this time of year. The park is one huge piece of wilderness, you can hardly believe it. Leo and I drove in about fifteen miles this afternoon, as far as they let you drive in your own vehicle, and we barely scratched the surface. Talked to a guy who did the bus tour today and he said they saw ten bears - both blacks and browns - and a lot of other critters. Should be a great trip tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Alaska for Good this time
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Woke up late and had a lazy morning. Didn't get on the road until 10am. Course by that time here it was 1pm back home. So, we turned on the Tiger Ballgame on the XM Radio and listened to them beat the Rockies. Still get to follow our Tigers while we're out here, just a little earlier in the morning. Today we finally made it to Alaska for good. We arrived at about 4:30pm. We have been in and out of Alaska 2 other times. We've passed through Canadian and US Customs each time. We've never had a problem any of the times. The only problem today was Connie and Leo had to prove they had "safe" oranges. Apparently, there is a problem with oranges from Mexico, so the ones they had needed to be inspected. Not too much on the road today, just alot of frost heaves and lots and lots of dust. So much dust it made me feel like we were in the middle of a white out from a snow storm. 28 miles into Alaska we found a great campsite. It is rustic (no electric), but guess what? It's FREE. After paying $6.02 a gallon for gas in Canada, free sounded great. The campground is beautiful. It's on a lake in a wild life refuge and the sites are well maintained and lots of space between each. Not much else going on here. We are now 4 hours behind everybody, so as I'm writing this at 10pm, its 2am where you are. I can also still see the sun shining. It's hard to get used to. Tomorrow we will be in Fairbanks at some friends of Connie and Leo's. We'll have a bed and a shower for at least one night. That should feel great. We'll post some pics and write again when we can. Until then hope everyone is well and Hey, Melissa, how did you do on your last test? Still no phone service here.
Woke up late and had a lazy morning. Didn't get on the road until 10am. Course by that time here it was 1pm back home. So, we turned on the Tiger Ballgame on the XM Radio and listened to them beat the Rockies. Still get to follow our Tigers while we're out here, just a little earlier in the morning. Today we finally made it to Alaska for good. We arrived at about 4:30pm. We have been in and out of Alaska 2 other times. We've passed through Canadian and US Customs each time. We've never had a problem any of the times. The only problem today was Connie and Leo had to prove they had "safe" oranges. Apparently, there is a problem with oranges from Mexico, so the ones they had needed to be inspected. Not too much on the road today, just alot of frost heaves and lots and lots of dust. So much dust it made me feel like we were in the middle of a white out from a snow storm. 28 miles into Alaska we found a great campsite. It is rustic (no electric), but guess what? It's FREE. After paying $6.02 a gallon for gas in Canada, free sounded great. The campground is beautiful. It's on a lake in a wild life refuge and the sites are well maintained and lots of space between each. Not much else going on here. We are now 4 hours behind everybody, so as I'm writing this at 10pm, its 2am where you are. I can also still see the sun shining. It's hard to get used to. Tomorrow we will be in Fairbanks at some friends of Connie and Leo's. We'll have a bed and a shower for at least one night. That should feel great. We'll post some pics and write again when we can. Until then hope everyone is well and Hey, Melissa, how did you do on your last test? Still no phone service here.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Whales-Seals & Trains
Saturday, June 28, 2008
We were out of touch for a few days, at least internet-wise, and now have to play catch-up. On Thursday we drove from Teslin, Yukon, to Skagway, Alaska - about 150 miles. On Friday we took a day-long sightseeing excursion on a catamaran boat from Skagway to Juneau. Saw numerous humpback whales, a seal rookery and quite a few different kinds of birds. A bus met the boat outside Juneau and drove us into the city where we spent a few hours eating and shopping. On the way back to the boat we had a chance to visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
This morning we took a train up to White Pass along the old gold trail of 1898. We left Skagway early afternoon and drove to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon where we are spending the night.
Haven't had much of a chance to write or work with the pictures the last few days, but we'll post more a.s.a.p.
We were out of touch for a few days, at least internet-wise, and now have to play catch-up. On Thursday we drove from Teslin, Yukon, to Skagway, Alaska - about 150 miles. On Friday we took a day-long sightseeing excursion on a catamaran boat from Skagway to Juneau. Saw numerous humpback whales, a seal rookery and quite a few different kinds of birds. A bus met the boat outside Juneau and drove us into the city where we spent a few hours eating and shopping. On the way back to the boat we had a chance to visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
This morning we took a train up to White Pass along the old gold trail of 1898. We left Skagway early afternoon and drove to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon where we are spending the night.
Haven't had much of a chance to write or work with the pictures the last few days, but we'll post more a.s.a.p.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Yukon Territory
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
If there’s anything we’ve learned over the last week or so of traveling through remote country it’s this: if there’s a gas pump, pump it; and if there’s a pot, pee in it. Don’t wait for the next one because there may not be one for hundreds of miles (or kilometers as the Canucks insist on having it.)
If there’s anything we’ve learned over the last week or so of traveling through remote country it’s this: if there’s a gas pump, pump it; and if there’s a pot, pee in it. Don’t wait for the next one because there may not be one for hundreds of miles (or kilometers as the Canucks insist on having it.)
We finally finished the last leg of the Cassiar Highway this afternoon and got out on the actual Alaska Highway about a dozen miles west of Watson Lake. The Cassiar was a great alternative route. We don't regret taking it despite the white-knuckle experience of narrow lanes and steep dropoffs at the edges. The wildlife and the scenery were both remarkable. This morning we came across three moose breakfasting in a quiet roadside lake so we stopped to watch them. They apparently knew we couldn't get anywhere near them so they pretty much ignored us and continued their placid munching. It was so silent all we could hear was our ears ringing. Amazing! No traffic. No dogs barking. Nothing. Denise and I decided we'd like to come back and build a little cabin on that lake someday. Then a bit further down the highway we ran across a couple of bears - big shorty and short biggy - loitering in the roadside brush. The smaller of the two must have had some experience at begging handouts because he came right up to our stopped vehicles and sniffed around, waiting for us to supply a treat. He finally waddled off unfulfilled on that score. The picture was taken by Denise from the truck window, without using the zoom!
The Alaska Highway is like I-94 compared to the Cassiar. More traffic now, too, but at least we can drive along at 55 and not have to slow down every hundred yards or so for potholes or to cower over at the road's edge while a huge lumber truck roars by. Tonight we're at a resort/campground called Dawson Peaks near the town of Teslin, Yukon, and on the shore of Teslin Lake (pic) which looks on the map to be about a hundred miles long, give or take a mile. We hunkered around a smoky fire this evening eating beans from tin cans (actually popcorn from microwave bags) and listening to the Tigers whoop up on the Cardinals on our XM radio, while the wolves howled in the hills round about (actually trucks on the highway). Tomorrow we'll venture on to Skagway, Alaska. Yes! Alaska!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Into Alaska and Out
Rained all night and finally let up at daylight, but low clouds hung over the lakeside mountains when we got up and on the road. We took the spur road to Stewart, B. C. and Hyder, Alaska, and soon came to Bear Glacier, the one glacier along this route that does more than just peek at us over the top of the mountains and comes right down to road level, forming a small brownish lake at its bottom. Past there the sky began to partially clear as we wound down through the Bear River canyon, past avalanche areas where numerous streams of meltwater roped down the steep rock mountainsides.
Stewart was a decent town although somewhat down-at-the-heels in spots. We found a bakery that served muffins and coffee and an information office where we were informed it was somewhat early to expect any bears to be fishing at Fish Creek near Hyder, part of the reason we came this way. We drove on along the Portland Canal, the long, winding inlet of the Pacific that forms the International boundary, which looked to be at low tide and was choked with hundreds of old pilings, and other unknown industry of the past. It definitely smelled of the ocean, though. There was no U.S. customs office here so we drove into Hyder where the main street was dirt and full of potholes. It didn't matter much though, because there didn't seem to be a single store open for business of any kind. A sign on the front of some sort of general store read, "Hyder - home of about 100 happy souls and a few old s---heads". After a couple of blocks we turned around and headed back to the border, where a young customs officer posed the usual questions and waved us through.
Back on the wild Cassiar we continued north through rugged terrain, the road being in very good condition for the first section, but gradually becoming narrower and rougher with patches of gravel. Crossed innumerable rivers and creeks, large and small and all generally rushing headlong with their load of snowmelt, boiling toward the sea. Saw several bears along the way, and a moose couple - the bull with a small pair of velvety antlers poking from his forehead (pic). Stopped for a short rest where the Bell-Irving river crossed, and for gas at the Bell II resort ($1.45/liter). South of Iskut the road skirted the east side of Eddontenajon Lake, which figured into a chapter of the Edward Hoagland book I was just reading.
We checked into the Mountain Shadow RV park, a few miles north of Iskut, about 2 p.m. The park is in a meadow at the base of several large mountains and on the end of a small lake which is the first in a series that, along with the Eddontenajon and the Kinaskan, form the Iskut River, which runs south and joins the larger Stikine and eventually empties into the Pacific near Wrangall, Alaska. Windy and cool.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Meziadin Lake--British Columbia
Monday, June 23, 2008
This morning started out bright and beautiful even though the temp was only in the upper 40’s. Cold last night, but under the sleeping bag we were cozy. Started out helping a fellow camper jump start his truck. He apparently used too much juice in his pop up camper last night and ran the battery down. Been there, done that.
Got on the road about 9am. Not too much to report. Stopped in the town of Smithers. We had lunch at McDonalds. Just a little bit of home for us. We had to pick up a new grill, ours finally bit the dust. Then it was on to the Cassiar Highway. Our first Alaska sign (as you can see on our post). This evening we are perched on the shore of Meziadin Lake listening to the drizzly rain on the roof of our camper and watching a loon dive for his supper. When we first arrived the mosquitoes descended upon us like a hoard of winged sharks. We tried to have a campfire but the rain has put a damper on that plan, at least its not snowing. Only 1500 more miles and approximately 7 more days and we’ll be in Alaska. We actually we’ll be in and out of Alaska for a short time tomorrow. The little town of Hyder has a big attraction for bears, so we are going to be there tomorrow during the day. Hopefully we’ll get some pics for you.
This morning started out bright and beautiful even though the temp was only in the upper 40’s. Cold last night, but under the sleeping bag we were cozy. Started out helping a fellow camper jump start his truck. He apparently used too much juice in his pop up camper last night and ran the battery down. Been there, done that.
Got on the road about 9am. Not too much to report. Stopped in the town of Smithers. We had lunch at McDonalds. Just a little bit of home for us. We had to pick up a new grill, ours finally bit the dust. Then it was on to the Cassiar Highway. Our first Alaska sign (as you can see on our post). This evening we are perched on the shore of Meziadin Lake listening to the drizzly rain on the roof of our camper and watching a loon dive for his supper. When we first arrived the mosquitoes descended upon us like a hoard of winged sharks. We tried to have a campfire but the rain has put a damper on that plan, at least its not snowing. Only 1500 more miles and approximately 7 more days and we’ll be in Alaska. We actually we’ll be in and out of Alaska for a short time tomorrow. The little town of Hyder has a big attraction for bears, so we are going to be there tomorrow during the day. Hopefully we’ll get some pics for you.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Onward and Upward
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Cloudy this morning when we got up. Spotted an elk at a nearby campsite (pic) and tried to get close for a few pics, but not too close as we were warned about a cow elk with calves that had been frequenting the park and would attack without much provocation. As we left the campground we saw several more elk just outside the entrance. Gassed up in town then got on the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16), headed west. After about fifteen miles we left Alberta and entered British Columbia again, gaining one hour as we passed into the Pacific time zone. Low clouds hung over the mountains, obscuring the peaks, and we ran into several areas of light rain. Stopped for a short time at the Mt. Robson viewpoint, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies at about 12,900 feet, the peak of which was not visible for the clouds (pic) . Further west, past the town of McBride, the sun finally came out. As I write this we are travelling along through the valley of the Fraser River between McBride and Prince George, with the peaks of the Caribou range to the south. The Krupps are in the lead today and just had a black bear run across the road in front of them. We have yet to see a moose even though we’ve seen numerous hazard signs for them. Plenty of time left though.
Tonight we’re at a bucolic little campground called Dave’s outside the town of Vanderhoof. No mountains hereabout, just rolling, peaceful countryside. We’re thinking of all our friends and family back home and wherever they may be, and hoping you are all well and happy tonight.
Cloudy this morning when we got up. Spotted an elk at a nearby campsite (pic) and tried to get close for a few pics, but not too close as we were warned about a cow elk with calves that had been frequenting the park and would attack without much provocation. As we left the campground we saw several more elk just outside the entrance. Gassed up in town then got on the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16), headed west. After about fifteen miles we left Alberta and entered British Columbia again, gaining one hour as we passed into the Pacific time zone. Low clouds hung over the mountains, obscuring the peaks, and we ran into several areas of light rain. Stopped for a short time at the Mt. Robson viewpoint, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies at about 12,900 feet, the peak of which was not visible for the clouds (pic) . Further west, past the town of McBride, the sun finally came out. As I write this we are travelling along through the valley of the Fraser River between McBride and Prince George, with the peaks of the Caribou range to the south. The Krupps are in the lead today and just had a black bear run across the road in front of them. We have yet to see a moose even though we’ve seen numerous hazard signs for them. Plenty of time left though.
Tonight we’re at a bucolic little campground called Dave’s outside the town of Vanderhoof. No mountains hereabout, just rolling, peaceful countryside. We’re thinking of all our friends and family back home and wherever they may be, and hoping you are all well and happy tonight.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Icefields Parkway
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Drove through Banff and Jasper National Parks along the Icefields Parkway - 140 miles total. No words within my vocabulary can adequately describe the majesty of these Canadian Rockies. We're still in awe. I'll keep the words to a minimum today and post a couple extra pics instead. Peyto Lake is outstandingly blue-blue-blue, took a steep 10-minute walk to get there, but we all agreed it was prettier than Lake Louise. Denise and I are at Mistaya falls, a cataract to rival the Grand Canyon, on a smaller scale of course. The snow field I'm standing on is the Athabaska Glacier. Tonight we are at Whistler's campground just outside Jasper, Alberta. Tomorrow we'll be heading west and north from here along the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16) toward northern British Columbia.
Drove through Banff and Jasper National Parks along the Icefields Parkway - 140 miles total. No words within my vocabulary can adequately describe the majesty of these Canadian Rockies. We're still in awe. I'll keep the words to a minimum today and post a couple extra pics instead. Peyto Lake is outstandingly blue-blue-blue, took a steep 10-minute walk to get there, but we all agreed it was prettier than Lake Louise. Denise and I are at Mistaya falls, a cataract to rival the Grand Canyon, on a smaller scale of course. The snow field I'm standing on is the Athabaska Glacier. Tonight we are at Whistler's campground just outside Jasper, Alberta. Tomorrow we'll be heading west and north from here along the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16) toward northern British Columbia.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Lake Louise
Friday, June 20, 2008
Slept in on this our first day off from driving. Lake Louise beckoned, so the four of us hit the dusty trail. Backpacks full of trail mix and PB & J we headed out into the bear ridden country. 3 ½ miles later and a little more weary we landed in the "Disney Land" parking lot at Lake Louise. We elbowed our way out to the edge of the lake for a view of the 2nd most beautiful lake in the world. (According to the Discovery Channel.). WOW, its definitely something to see and worth every step of the hike. Rested a while and ate our lunch in the shadow of the Lake Louise Chateau, accompanied by the squawking nutcrackers who flew down to beg scraps at our feet. Connie was even able to hold food out and they came and took it from her fingers. The trail back to the campground was a wearisome trek, but at least it was mostly downhill and us old timers appreciated that.
Then it was off to town to do laundry, exchange American to Canadian monies, find a WI FI spot, and buy groceries. Mission accomplished on the wi fi, and money exchange only. We were told there was no laundry facilities within 1 hour of this tourist trap, groceries cost too much (pop tarts were 4.49 a box).
Tomorrow we hit the Icefields Parkway to Jasper Alberta. Stay tuned for more of our continuing saga.
Glacier to Lake Louise
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Another long day of driving, but through some of the most jaw-dropping country any of us have ever seen. Almost never out of sight of snowy summits and icy rushing streams we drove around the south end of Glacier Park (the Going-to-the-Sun road route being still under feet and feet of snow from recent avalaches and the winter's accumulation), startling and being startled by a large black bear who'd been taking the morning sun along the roadside, and then stopping near the Flathead river to watch and photograph a herd of mountain goats up high on the slope. As we watched, a momma and two kids came down the slope toward the bridge we were on (see pic), to feed on something (perhaps the mineralized soil) under the bridge, just like the "goats gruff" of the fable.
We had no trouble at all crossing through customs into Canada, the all-business official only asking us of our residence and (twice) whether or not we had any alcohol or firearms. Same easy passage for Leo and Connie. So we drove on north into this province of British Columbia, which none of us has ever been in before. At Radium Hot Springs we gassed up at $1.40/litre (about $5.20/gal) and headed up into the Kootenay National Park. Very near the entrance we were greeted by a herd of bighorn sheep on the roadside and we snapped a few shots from the truck window, not daring to get out and face the wrathful expressions on those ram's faces. The weather through this area was cloudy and somewhat threatening, but the scenery was more incredible than any of us had expected. Actually this was just going to be another route to get to Banff and Lake Louise, but it turned out to be some of the most awe-some (I don't like that word but I'm running out of superlatives) country we've seen yet.
Made it to Lake Louise about 7 o'clock, later than we'd hoped, and were fortunate to get two adjacent campsites in the campground here, which is nicely sandwiched between a busy railroad track and the mighty Bow River, rushing down from the glaciers high above.
Tomorrow we'll hike up to the lake itself and determine for ourselves if it's as lovely as advertised in all the tourist brochures.
Another long day of driving, but through some of the most jaw-dropping country any of us have ever seen. Almost never out of sight of snowy summits and icy rushing streams we drove around the south end of Glacier Park (the Going-to-the-Sun road route being still under feet and feet of snow from recent avalaches and the winter's accumulation), startling and being startled by a large black bear who'd been taking the morning sun along the roadside, and then stopping near the Flathead river to watch and photograph a herd of mountain goats up high on the slope. As we watched, a momma and two kids came down the slope toward the bridge we were on (see pic), to feed on something (perhaps the mineralized soil) under the bridge, just like the "goats gruff" of the fable.
We had no trouble at all crossing through customs into Canada, the all-business official only asking us of our residence and (twice) whether or not we had any alcohol or firearms. Same easy passage for Leo and Connie. So we drove on north into this province of British Columbia, which none of us has ever been in before. At Radium Hot Springs we gassed up at $1.40/litre (about $5.20/gal) and headed up into the Kootenay National Park. Very near the entrance we were greeted by a herd of bighorn sheep on the roadside and we snapped a few shots from the truck window, not daring to get out and face the wrathful expressions on those ram's faces. The weather through this area was cloudy and somewhat threatening, but the scenery was more incredible than any of us had expected. Actually this was just going to be another route to get to Banff and Lake Louise, but it turned out to be some of the most awe-some (I don't like that word but I'm running out of superlatives) country we've seen yet.
Made it to Lake Louise about 7 o'clock, later than we'd hoped, and were fortunate to get two adjacent campsites in the campground here, which is nicely sandwiched between a busy railroad track and the mighty Bow River, rushing down from the glaciers high above.
Tomorrow we'll hike up to the lake itself and determine for ourselves if it's as lovely as advertised in all the tourist brochures.
Note: In case you hadn't tried it, you can click on the photos to make them larger.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Leo and Connie surprised us this morning by bringing over a tiny cake with a match stuck in it for a candle and wishing us a happy anniversary, which reminded us that it was, indeed, our 14th anniversary. What a great way to start the day.
Left Havre at about nine o'clock and continued on west, where at Shelby we caught our first distant view of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. At Browning we turned toward Glacier Park and wound our way up into the mountains to Two Medicine campground, a magnificently situated place on the edge of two pristine lakes and surrounded by lofty peaks that are still shedding their snow cover in the form of rushing waterfalls almost everywhere you look. On the way in we stopped and walked a short distance to the spectacular Running Eagle falls.
After setting up camp we walked around the campground and spotted a group of four goats or sheep that seemed to have lost their way and were nervously making their way through the campsites looking for escape. We walked on down to the general store where we looked through all the fabulous tourist trash and bought nothing. Hobos for supper. Cooled right off after the sun went behind Standing Wolf peak to our west, which made for great sleeping.
Leo and Connie surprised us this morning by bringing over a tiny cake with a match stuck in it for a candle and wishing us a happy anniversary, which reminded us that it was, indeed, our 14th anniversary. What a great way to start the day.
Left Havre at about nine o'clock and continued on west, where at Shelby we caught our first distant view of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. At Browning we turned toward Glacier Park and wound our way up into the mountains to Two Medicine campground, a magnificently situated place on the edge of two pristine lakes and surrounded by lofty peaks that are still shedding their snow cover in the form of rushing waterfalls almost everywhere you look. On the way in we stopped and walked a short distance to the spectacular Running Eagle falls.
After setting up camp we walked around the campground and spotted a group of four goats or sheep that seemed to have lost their way and were nervously making their way through the campsites looking for escape. We walked on down to the general store where we looked through all the fabulous tourist trash and bought nothing. Hobos for supper. Cooled right off after the sun went behind Standing Wolf peak to our west, which made for great sleeping.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Up early this morning but didn’t get on the road until after 8. It was another long day of driving across the Great Plains, rolling and relatively treeless country, which some people find boring, but it has its own charm in my view.
Before we left the campground we met some fellow RV-ers from Michigan who are also heading to Alaska. They were from the Houghton-Hancock area, so the change in climate won’t be much different for them.
About noon we crossed into Montan’s Big Sky country, where we gained another hour and also had our first view of mountains (see pic). No snow-capped peaks yet, but by tomorrow we’ll have plenty of those. Looks like our planned drive through Glacier National Park will have to be postponed until our return trip as we are informed the plow crews are still trying to fight their way through 30-foot snow avalanches and aren’t making much progress. Oh well, it’s ONLY mid-June!
We found a simple little campground for the night which sits in a grove of trees in the middle of a vast expanse of praire about four-miles south of Havre (pronounced HAV-er), Montana. Good night.
Up early this morning but didn’t get on the road until after 8. It was another long day of driving across the Great Plains, rolling and relatively treeless country, which some people find boring, but it has its own charm in my view.
Before we left the campground we met some fellow RV-ers from Michigan who are also heading to Alaska. They were from the Houghton-Hancock area, so the change in climate won’t be much different for them.
About noon we crossed into Montan’s Big Sky country, where we gained another hour and also had our first view of mountains (see pic). No snow-capped peaks yet, but by tomorrow we’ll have plenty of those. Looks like our planned drive through Glacier National Park will have to be postponed until our return trip as we are informed the plow crews are still trying to fight their way through 30-foot snow avalanches and aren’t making much progress. Oh well, it’s ONLY mid-June!
We found a simple little campground for the night which sits in a grove of trees in the middle of a vast expanse of praire about four-miles south of Havre (pronounced HAV-er), Montana. Good night.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Day 3
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Up early this morning but didn’t get on the road until after 8. It was another long day of driving across the Great Plains, rolling and relatively treeless country, which some people find boring, but it has its own charm in my view.
Before we left the campground we met some fellow RV-ers from Michigan who are also heading to Alaska. They were from the Houghton-Hancock area, so the change in climate won’t be much different for them.
About noon we crossed into Montan’s Big Sky country, where we gained another hour and also had our first view of mountains (see pic). No snow-capped peaks yet, but by tomorrow we’ll have plenty of those. Looks like our planned drive through Glacier National Park will have to be postponed until our return trip as we are informed the plow crews are still trying to fight their way through 30-foot snow avalanches and aren’t making much progress. Oh well, it’s ONLY mid-June!
We found a simple little campground for the night which sits in a grove of trees in the middle of a vast expanse of praire about four-miles south of Havre (pronounced HAV-er), Montana. Good night.
Up early this morning but didn’t get on the road until after 8. It was another long day of driving across the Great Plains, rolling and relatively treeless country, which some people find boring, but it has its own charm in my view.
Before we left the campground we met some fellow RV-ers from Michigan who are also heading to Alaska. They were from the Houghton-Hancock area, so the change in climate won’t be much different for them.
About noon we crossed into Montan’s Big Sky country, where we gained another hour and also had our first view of mountains (see pic). No snow-capped peaks yet, but by tomorrow we’ll have plenty of those. Looks like our planned drive through Glacier National Park will have to be postponed until our return trip as we are informed the plow crews are still trying to fight their way through 30-foot snow avalanches and aren’t making much progress. Oh well, it’s ONLY mid-June!
We found a simple little campground for the night which sits in a grove of trees in the middle of a vast expanse of praire about four-miles south of Havre (pronounced HAV-er), Montana. Good night.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Day 2
Monday, June 16
Well, we put in 469 miles today leaving behind the big woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota and entering the wide open expanse of the Great Plains. You can see so far here you almost expect to see wild Indians and herds of buffalo. But, of course those things are long gone. Speaking of wild life we’ve already seen some of the bear variety raiding the adjacent campsite in Wisconsin this morning. We were waiting for Connie and Leo and Mike saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. He thought it was just a big black dog, but soon realized it was YOGI BEAR looking for picinic baskets. Evidently the nearby campers had left some of last nights supper out and the bears none too gently disposed of it. Slam banging pots and pans in their greedy effort to gorge themselves. Who’d of thunk we’d see bears so soon. While everyone rushed to get their cameras the camera shy bears made a quick exit.
Tonight we are ensconced in a mildly pleasant roadside RV Park in Rugby North Dakota (which has the distinction of being the geographic center of North America). Looking forward to Connie’s bean soup for supper, the winning Tigers baseball game on XM Radio and then a nice hot shower in the morning before taking off again.
Hope everyone is well. Tell Kaylee to try and stay safe and that Gramma and Grampa hope her arm is healing well. And also hopefully Katie forgives Gramma and Grampa for not calling on her birthday. We’ll try and make it up to her later. SORRY.
Tomorrow we push on to Montana and hope to make the foothills of the Rockies. We will post again as soon as we are able.
No pictures to share yet, but will send some as soon as we get them. Love to everyone
Well, we put in 469 miles today leaving behind the big woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota and entering the wide open expanse of the Great Plains. You can see so far here you almost expect to see wild Indians and herds of buffalo. But, of course those things are long gone. Speaking of wild life we’ve already seen some of the bear variety raiding the adjacent campsite in Wisconsin this morning. We were waiting for Connie and Leo and Mike saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. He thought it was just a big black dog, but soon realized it was YOGI BEAR looking for picinic baskets. Evidently the nearby campers had left some of last nights supper out and the bears none too gently disposed of it. Slam banging pots and pans in their greedy effort to gorge themselves. Who’d of thunk we’d see bears so soon. While everyone rushed to get their cameras the camera shy bears made a quick exit.
Tonight we are ensconced in a mildly pleasant roadside RV Park in Rugby North Dakota (which has the distinction of being the geographic center of North America). Looking forward to Connie’s bean soup for supper, the winning Tigers baseball game on XM Radio and then a nice hot shower in the morning before taking off again.
Hope everyone is well. Tell Kaylee to try and stay safe and that Gramma and Grampa hope her arm is healing well. And also hopefully Katie forgives Gramma and Grampa for not calling on her birthday. We’ll try and make it up to her later. SORRY.
Tomorrow we push on to Montana and hope to make the foothills of the Rockies. We will post again as soon as we are able.
No pictures to share yet, but will send some as soon as we get them. Love to everyone
Day 1
Sunday, June 15
We left home around 8:15am and stopped for the night at 8:00pm Michigan time. A 12-hour day to do about 517 miles. We have already crossed over into the Central time zone so we’ve gained 1 hour. The trip so far has been pretty uneventful. Gas has cost us $145 dollars, but we still have ¾ of a tank. We paid $4.39/gal in the UP and $4.19/gal in Wisconsin. We found a National Forest Campground just inside Wisconsin, so that’s where we stayed. Hopefully the mosquitoes won’t carry us away. Just trying to put as many miles as possible into a day at this point. Just getting us closer to Alaska. The highlight of the whole day was a scrumptious ice cream cone in Florence, Wisconsin.
We left home around 8:15am and stopped for the night at 8:00pm Michigan time. A 12-hour day to do about 517 miles. We have already crossed over into the Central time zone so we’ve gained 1 hour. The trip so far has been pretty uneventful. Gas has cost us $145 dollars, but we still have ¾ of a tank. We paid $4.39/gal in the UP and $4.19/gal in Wisconsin. We found a National Forest Campground just inside Wisconsin, so that’s where we stayed. Hopefully the mosquitoes won’t carry us away. Just trying to put as many miles as possible into a day at this point. Just getting us closer to Alaska. The highlight of the whole day was a scrumptious ice cream cone in Florence, Wisconsin.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Here we are 24 hours before leaving. After 2 years in the planning we are packed and ready to go. We are heading out towards Montana and then up into the Canadian Rockies and further north into Alaska. We'll be keeping everyone up to date as we can. The connections may not be available everyday, but we'll send as often as possible.
"Talk" to everyone again from the road.
Mike and Denise
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Only 7 Days Left
Only 7 days left before we leave. The camper is on the truck and we've started packing it. Hope there is room for everything. Connie & Leo woke to a big roof leak this morning. Hopefully this won't hold us up. Also found out that the "Going to the Sun Road" at Glacier isn't open yet. They are still plowing the 35 foot drifts off the road. We may have to find a different route around that area.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
This is the beginning of our Michigan to Alaska Blog. It will be a running journal with pictures of our trip. We plan on leaving June 15, 2008 and returning home sometime around August 4.
This will be our home sweet home for our 7 week journey.
It is a 2007 8 1/2 foot Lance truck camper on a 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500.
Just Mike and I, but I'm sure the space will become quite small before the end of the trip. Just like two turtles in one shell.
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