On our way home

8 August - Still in Shipshewana, Indiana

     We took the camper to the Flagstaff Division of Forest River's service department not knowing exactly what to expect in terms of cost and how long it would take but we had a great stop there and they treated us really good even though our (bought used) camper was not under any kind of warranty. We left it there for a couple hours and they repaired the slide and went over the unit finding and fixing other minor problems. I asked about a part I needed to get and they gave me some of it (comes in a roll). All this they did for free and wouldn't even take a tip. We left there happy campers!

9 & 10 August - Headed to Lexington, Ky

     Although we talked about staying for a half day to see the flea market in Shipshewana, in the end we decided we were not interested enough to put our travel day behind. We rolled into the Kentucky Horse Park campground in Lexington, Ky. just after a thunder storm and their computers were down so they could only put us in a primitive/electric site which we decided was okay for a couple days...no worries.

     Next morning we were off to Greenbrier Golf Club and had a good time on a really nice golf course and lunch afterwards. After golf we made a run to Walmart and then a long ride through horse country admiring the beautiful farms/landscape.....pretty place. Evening dinner was BBQ at the Red State BBQ house.....trip advisor got us there....trust me, one wouldn't just stop there without a tip. We were finally far enough south to try some BBQ and it was very good AND our waiter had an Atlanta Braves tee shirt on.....starting to feel like we are close to home.

11 & 12 August - Planning a rendezvous with Culpeppers on the way in. 

     Ed Says - "After a stopover in Sidney, NB, the next day we stopped in Beatrice, NB, for the evening and to visit the National Homestead Monument which is ran by the National Park Service.  This is a very nice educational center on the Homestead Act of 1862 and we learned a lot.  The center is located on the very first property homesteaded in the nation.  This act, for the lower 48, was repealed in 1976; and for Alaska was repealed in 1986!  And the last homestead “deed” was issued in 1988 for 160 acres in Alaska!  We had no idea the Act was still in effect this late.  This is worth a stop for anyone in the area.

     We coordinated with Ed and Kay as they too were traveling across the county headed home and decided that they would meet us in Chattanooga for another round of Club Corp golf and then we would head home the same day. We arrived at the Harrison Bay State Park on the afternoon of the 11th and went out for dinner....BBQ again (can you tell we missed it?)

     On the 12th we played golf at Black Creek Club in Chattanooga and it was a treat....a really nice course and Ed and I went out of our way to keep the girls happy as they beat us again in golf. Fun day! Returning to camp we fried up some more of the Alaskan Halibut....really good.....Ed is getting good at the fish fry operation.

13 August - Bringing it Home!

     We headed home and brought a good/long trip to a successful end. Kathy was VERY happy to be home and it's always nice to get home and see friends and neighbors.

     It's funny, among the RV community that travel to Alaska many people "earn" what they call a badge of honor (cracked or chipped windshield)....but we did not, at least not until we were 60 miles from home on Interstate 75 just north of Atlanta a pebble hit the windshield and chipped it.....all I could do was laugh.

     In the end, in 88 days out we traveled a total of 15,824 miles and visited approximately 17 states or Canadian provinces. We saw some amazing scenery and wildlife, met some really cool people, made friends and became even closer friends with Ed and Kay...perfect traveling partners.

     Photos - We ended up with 4,212 photos to go through. Many are not keepers, many were taken from a moving vehicle to document the trip but hopefully there are some keepers among them.....now the work of going through them.

     The Blog - this has been a labor of love for me.....a little work to keep it up but pretty rewarding to know that so many friends and family (and others I suppose) were enjoying it and many talked about taking a virtual vacation with us. It is nice now that we are home to have it for reference also. We are contemplating making a coffee table book of it.

Thanks for following our adventure!

A toast back home in Sun City

Ed Says - From Coeur D'Alene to Cody

Ed and Kay Update    

     It has now been 7 days since Darrell and Kathy began a separate route home and left us in Coeur d' Alene, ID.  However, we did see them again in Glacier Natl Park as our stay there overlapped one day with them as we did not stay in Coeur d' Alene an additional day as originally planned.

     We have missed the “Water Truck” and the company and security of our excellent traveling companions.  They are now on a fast track to the Forest River RV factory for some needed repairs and then on to Georgia.  We are on a slower track that will take us thru Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and ultimately back to Georgia, probably in about 10 days.

     After leaving Glacier we stayed overnight in a Forest Service camp ground located on a nice reservoir just south of Bozeman.  This was quite a learning experience!  Access into and out of the camp ground was extremely tight for our camper.  Since we have grown into a larger trailer than we have ever had, it is apparent that we must now be very selective in Forest Service campgrounds.

     We next arrived in Cody, Wy and stayed in a commercial RV park.  This was an excellent stop and we extended our stay and extra day to view as much as we could.  The Buffalo Bill Cody Center of the West was a vast museum that included five separate museums; Plains Indians, Natural History of the West, Western Art, Gun Collection and Buffalo Bill Cody.  Each was very well done and I spent seven hours there, Kay only about four.  Later we went to a chuck wagon dinner, cowboy/country music show that was excellent, and finished off the night attending a rodeo.  It was a great day.  

     The next day we visited the Buffalo Bill Cody Dam built from 1905 to 1910.  At the time it was built it was the tallest dam in the world.  We then visited Old Town Cody which is a collection of over two dozen buildings built in the wild west days of the late 1800’s.  After lunch downtown we visited the Heart Mountain World War II Japanese American Confinement Site.  This site held over 11,000 of Japanese ancestry from 1942 thru 1945.  This was a very informative visit and we were there most of the afternoon.

Tomorrow we begin making tracks thru Nebraska.

Got an e-mail from Ed and kay just before posting this and they ran into a hail storm near Cheyenne, Wyoming - they survived it without any damage.

Coeur D'Alene to Kalispell and beyond

31 July - Leaving Coeur D'Alene

     Kathy and I say our good-byes to Kay and Ed and we are on our way to Kalispell Montana. We have a reservation in an RV park that allows washing of vehicles and campers ....yeah! This is a long overdue chore.

     We leave Coeur D'Alene heading east on interstate 90 and pass through some pretty mountainous scenery through Idaho and cross into the Montana border. Soon after entering Montana we exit the interstate and take a beautiful ride along a river heading up to the Flathead Lake area and on into Kalispell.

     We stopped at one point to take photos and a couple fellows floated by on the river fishing and I shouted "fish fry tonight?"......the one guy said they were so happy to be in that place they didn't even care if they caught anything....just soaking up the scenery.

Montana Fishing

     After checking in at the campground Kathy went to work on cleaning the camper inside and doing laundry and I did some shopping and returned to clean the outside of the camper and the truck. A long day with a late dinner....started grilling chicken at 9:00....very tired!

1 Aug - Glacier National Park (part II)

     Yes, we did Glacier on the way up but since we were early (early June) the road to the sun was not open yet. Kathy bought a "going to the sun" tee shirt then and I told her it was illegal since we hadn't driven it.....so this trip back by was primarily to make that drive and hopefully do some hiking.

Going to the Sun Road View

     We were a little late getting started but made it to the park and we were not disappointed with the drive.....amazing, narrow, winding roads with huge drop-offs. We had to pull in the ears (mirrors) on our truck to feel better about passing oncoming traffic. I was worried that Kathy would be afraid but she was hanging out the window taking photos. It was a great drive/day but there were so many people there that finding a parking spot was difficult if not impossible.

Going to the Sun Road

Don't Look Down

     Ed and Kay are also moving this direction behind us so we found them set up in the same campground when we returned and we were able to assist with washing their vehicle and enjoyed another dinner together. We are heading out in the morning and they are going to do Glacier for a couple days.

2 Aug - Kalispell to Columbus, Montana

     We left Kalispell with plans to go towards Bozeman, Montana where I needed to get a prescription filled and we wanted to put ourselves in position to make it to Cody the next day in order to see the Buffalo Bill Cody Western Museum there that we have heard so much about. We ended up traveling past Bozeman and spending the overnight in a town called Columbus, Montana.
450 miles of driving and nothing too significant to report.... but we did make a stop on the way at Miles City and lunch at the Montana Bar...it dates back to 1908 timeframe. Ed and Kay had visited the restaurant when there 10 years ago and recommended the steaks. Heading there with a steak for lunch on my mind I was disappointed to learn that the restaurant (steakhouse) had closed and they were now running a sports bar out of the facility but the name was the same. The only steak on their lunch menu was a philly cheesesteak sandwich....just not the same and it wasn't all that good either.

3 August - Columbus, Montana to Bismarck, North Dakota

     I had been trying to contact the Forest River Company for a couple days to see if they could offer assistance in repairing our slide out on the camper....they are the manufacturer of the rig we own. I finally reached them Wednesday morning before departing for Cody and they told me that they could help but only if I could get there by Monday (August 8) morning. We are 1600 miles from Millersburg, Indiana so our plans changed and we are now heading to Indiana before turning south for home.

     We knocked off about 450 miles again this day as we headed across the remainder of Montana and on into North Dakota. We made a stop early on in North Dakota at the Roosevelt National Park to view the North Dakota Badlands from the scenic overlook....interesting to see.

Badlands in North Dakota

Continuing on we notice a lot of farmland, cattle, hay bales, and miles of corn and sunflower fields....yes and they were pretty to see. We pushed on to Bismarck North Dakota where we put it down for the night. We made a quick run to the store and were worn out so hit the sack.

4 August - Bismarck to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

     Another long day on the road takes us to the Minneapolis area. We notice in Minnesota that we are beginning to see a lot more trees on the landscape and of course, lakes. We located a county park just east of town called Lake Elmo Reserve park and it is beautiful....may be one of the best parks we've stayed in since we left home. Hiking trails galore and after all that driving a long walk was a welcome change.

     Early to bed as we have more driving tomorrow....trying to get to Indiana early so we can rest!

5 August - Minneapolis/St. Paul to Millersburg, Indiana

     As we left Minnesota we were looking at 525 miles to our destination and debated whether we should do it in one day or two....that is more than we like but getting there and resting for a few days also sounded good so that is what we set out to do.

     We travelled through Wisconsin soon after leaving the campground and we were both impressed at how pretty that state was.....many beautiful dairy farms, rolling hills and trees. After a spell out west you can really gain an appreciation for green trees ;-)

     Probably the worst part of the trip/drive so far was the toll roads, construction and traffic as we neared Chicago. Wouldn't want to do that again, in fact I think I would drive well out of my way to avoid that area.

     After a VERY long day of driving we finally rolled into the small town of Shipshewana, Indiana where we hoped to stay in an RV park near an auction/flea market...(it was recommended). What a pleasant surprise - this is a quaint little Amish/Mennonite town with folks running around in horse drawn carriages....pretty cool. Farms all around and still nice weather.

6 August - Rest Day

     We plan to rest over the week-end to recover from all the back to back driving days. We spent some time riding around and admiring the local community and found ourselves at an RV show/museum in Elkhart. This area is where about 90% of all RVs are produced and the museum was interesting but the rest of the show was not much.....after attending the one in Tampa earlier this year, it would be hard to top that one.

     This evening we went to an Amish restaurant for dinner that had been recommended. It was a great meal and a great way to end the day.

7 August - Rest/Golf Day

     We set up a tee time at a golf club called Knollwood County Club for this morning. It was about 30 miles north of where we are staying and near the campus of Notre Dame. We loved the golf course and had a great time playing it although we didn't score too well. After golf we took a driving tour of the campus of Notre Dame - wow, what a pretty campus.

     After that we decided to take a ride to the shore of Lake Michigan (just to see it)....we drove to a town called Michigan City which is still in Indiana. As it turns out not exactly the kind of rest a guy needs from driving as we were almost 70 miles from home when we turned around. Still a good day and wanted to make the most of seeing the area while here.

Plans - We are taking our camper to Forest River in the morning and hopefully will have it repaired same day......the plans are to spend one more day in this area and then make two stops on the way home - one in Lexington, Kentucky and the second in Chattanooga, Tennessee before heading on into Sun City. Planning to play golf in Lexington and Chattanooga - weather permitting.

Hyder to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

25 July - Leaving Hyder/Stewart

     We departed Hyder/Stewart area officially leaving Alaska and on the way back to the lower 48 states but a few days drive to get there. Ironically we spent two days in Hyder looking for bears eating Salmon and found none (bears - there were lots of Salmon) - but on the way out of town we found a black bear on the roadside that seemed oblivious to us or any others around him. Kathy and I both had a few shots at him before we had to move from blocking oncoming traffic.

Roadside Glacier as we were leaving Hyder

Bear foot

     The weather was absolutely beautiful....clear skies and the temps got as high as 72 degrees (and sunny) as we drove through British Columbia. It was probably the best weather day yet and the scenery was quite nice....a lot of farm land with mountains in the background.

     We were not sure how far we would go or where we might end up spending the night but we knew that the town of Smithers was a possibility. When we arrived there (around 1:00) we needed lunch, gas, groceries, and propane so planned (initially) to get those and get back on the road. Over lunch we talked about the possibility of just staying here and maybe playing some golf. A quick call to the Smithers Golf Club firmed that up. They had a place for us to park our trailers AND spend the night (for free) which helped make the golf a good deal.

Camping at the Golf Course

Nice Course - Very nice folks!

     By the time we had lunch, got gas, propane and groceries and moved over to the golf course we were around  4:00 teeing off.....no worries, they are open  until 9:30 P.M. A friendly bet between the guys and the gals did not end well for the guys :-(  nuff said!

     The golf course was really nice, set at the mountain base but not a mountain course - it was very well maintained and a pleasure to lose our match on. Since we had a late lunch and finished golf about 8:30 dinner was off....nothing special.

     We had a good nights sleep at the golf course and were ready to head out the next day.

26 July - Travel to Valemount

     We left Smithers (a very nice town) and headed across British Columbia on highway 16 (A nice Canadian Highway) in the direction of Jasper but before we got there we took a turn to the south on highway 5. We travelled farther than we planned to this day and end up in a town called Valemount at a park that offers some pretty nice views. After a nice dinner (thanks to Kathy and Kay) we enjoyed a cool night out at the campsite talking and admiring the mountain views and firming up our plans.

Canoe River campsite view

     We are now heading for the lower 48 (plan to enter in Washington State) and then over to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho where Ed and Kay's son, Josh (and wife Becky), are headed for a business trip.
The plan is for us (Kathy and Darrell) to spend two nights there and Ed and Kay will stay for three (or maybe more). We plan to part company there as they are on a slower track home than us.

27 July - Valemount to Vernon

     We pulled out of Canoe River RV park in Valemount headed toward the larger town of Kamloops in B.C. but didn't plan to stop there. Passing through there the scenery changed a good bit....from previously lush green mountains to what looked more like California dry mountain areas there....very different than what we'd been seeing. We stopped in a grocery store there to get some supplies we needed to fry some fish tonight.

     We moved on farther south to an area called Monte Lake, very small and not really a town there, just a park we had targeted to potentially stay in. As it turns out the park was either closed, or we read the literature wrong but we were not tired so another 40 miles gets us to the town of Vernon.

     Vernon is in the Okanagan Valley and on a lake of the same name. The scenery going into there was very pretty....beautiful valley farmland with mountain backdrops. We saw large fields of a crop we couldn't recognize but Kay learned that they were apricots....and lots of 'em. Vernon is a town of about 30K people, so substantial in size....especially compared to where we'd been lately. We read about a park there on the Okanagan Lake called Ellison park that sounded good....and camping is first come first serve.

Okanagan Valley Scenery

     Part of what we like about this trip is NOT having reservations and being flexible and on our own timeline....sorta flying by the seat of our pants. Well, Ellison Park looked good to a lot of others too (and a lot of locals I think) as it was full. After talking to few folks and making a couple of phone calls it became clear that there was nothing available anywhere close by so we did what campers do - we headed to Walmart. A big sign greets us as we enter the Walmart parking lot saying absolutely no overnight parking.....hmmm, what now?

     Next plan is to just head farther south on the highway and look for a rest area which is not an uncommon camping option in Canada and Alaska. As we started out, Ed said "let's check with the Home Depot store just down the street, sometimes they allow overnight parking". I called and they said sure....we were pretty happy because at this point we were pretty road weary/tired and ready to put 'er down for the night.

Home Depot girls

     And, you guessed it, we fried fish in the parking lot of Home Depot in Vernon, British Columbia.

Fish Frying operation

28 July - Headed to the lower 48

     While heading south the weather has gotten notably warmer. In Smithers a comfortable 72 and very cool in the evening. Valemount and Vernon in the mid 80's....still feeling pretty good.

     Checked out of Home Depot after making a few maintenance related purchases (felt somewhat obligated to shop) we head farther south with plans to enter the lower 48 at the Ferry, Washington. As we head out of the Okanagan Valley there are several fruit stands along the road so we decided to stop and try some fresh cherries and other fruits and veggies. We weren't even thinking about the border crossing and what may not be allowed.....more later on that!

     The drive was very pretty all through British Columbia and continued to be good in Washington State. The surprise was the temps....in Washington State (Kettle Falls) as we rolled in was 97 degrees....that was more than we'd seen in awhile and more than we expected that far north. At least the humidity was not bad.
    
     At the border, the agent asked if we had any fresh fruits or vegetables....I told him we had cherries and peaches, to which he responded "you are from Georgia, why peaches". His comment distracted us and we forgot about our corn and tomatoes. He went into the camper and looked through the fridge and saw the corn. Turns out all of those are okay (except the tomatoes he didn't see them in the cabinet). He confiscated tomatoes and limes from Ed and Kay.  They have had trouble at the border crossings before ;-)

Back in the lower 48

     After crossing into Washington State we traveled over the Sherman Pass of the White Mountain Range on our way to Kettle Falls, Washington where we set up for the night. Kathy and I made a run through town to have a look and buy a couple supplies while Ed and Kay took it easy. After returning to camp we enjoyed a grilled steak dinner, bottle of wine and another (probably our last on this trip) game of cards.....the guys won.

Canada - What a great country with beautiful scenery and wonderful/friendly people. We traveled through Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon provinces/territories and it was a great experience.
We are now back in the lower 48 and headed generally in a homeward direction with probably another couple weeks at least ahead of us depending on stops.

29 and 30 July - Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

     We headed for Coeur D'Alene for a rendezvous with Ed and Kay's son Josh and his wife Becky who were there for a conference for his work. We rested a bit in the afternoon and had plans to do dinner with Josh, Becky and Josh's boss Bill. They made reservations at a floating restaurant in Coeur D'Alene called Cedars. It was a great restaurant and we thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and meeting Josh, Becky and Bill.

Culpepper's - Kay, Ed, Josh, Becky

     Coeur D'Alene is a great little town on a huge lake that is absolutely beautiful with lots of boats, kayaks, and Jet Skis everywhere. This is a very popular town for locals, vacationers and a travel destination for hosting conferences. Ed and Kay joined Josh and Becky for a boat tour of the lake while Kathy and I hiked around part of the lake....everyone had a good day.

Coeur D'Alene Lake View

     After the hike, Kathy and I went to the Coeur D'Alene Resort golf course to have a look and see what all the fuss was about. We tried to book a tee time a few days earlier but I told Ed then that I had good news and bad news - the bad news was that the green fees were $250 per person for 18 holes, and the good news was that they didn't have any tee times available. After seeing the course however, Kathy and I both agreed that it might be worth that, absolutely beautiful! They have one hole that is a floating green (par 3) that has a boat (called "Putter") that takes the golfers to the green....very unique and pretty. They can move the green to different distances and a young man in the pro shop said the wind on that lake really make it a challenging hole.

Floating Green

     Back to camp for our last dinner with the Culpepper on the trip. Ed grilled a pork roast and Kathy and Kay added all the fixings....another great meal shared with great friends. We have a toast and reminisce about the trip and all the fun we've had and make plans to move eastward on separate schedules leaving open the possibility of meeting again along the way......maybe for more golf before we make it back to Sun City.






 

Chicken to Hyder & 60 day check-up

60 Day Checkup

Well actually about 70 days out now with the following observations:

• We are in our last Alaska stop now and will be departing this area tomorrow.
• 10,975 miles on the road since leaving home and we are currently 3,285 miles from home
• Camper damage - one slide not working correctly and no heat - Ed and Kay had a weld break on their spare tire holder and had a flat tire repaired
• We are doing well and still having fun but Kathy is getting a little homesick and ready to be home. I think she is looking forward to the heat and humidity of home.

After we re-enter the lower 48 we think that Ed and Kay, who are not in a hurry to get home, may go a different direction than us (at some point) making some additional stops on the way home....but we do not have a solid plan for either of us yet.

17 July

     On the road to Tok, Alaska. The trip from Valdez was pretty uneventful....no problems encountered. We did stop in Copper Center in order for Ed to have his flat tire plugged. On from there we later learned that we were pretty lucky to pass by an area where they were fighting a fire that had consumed about 750 acres and was only a mile and a half from the highway we were traveling.

     At the Tok RV park (we also stayed there on the way up)  Ed picked up the fax he was looking for with the title of his new truck registration in Georgia. He is feeling more comfortable now about crossing the border and not having a temporary tag. He gets the oil changed and we fuel up ready to head out.

18 July - Top of the World Highway

     Did I mention that they use the word "highway" rather loosely here? Well, we had been warned that it was a little rough but we needed to find out for ourselves. We headed out for Dawson City via the Top of the World Highway which is 185 miles and about 120 miles of that is dirt/gravel roads.
The first part of the trip was paved and not so bad but it soon turned into a dirt road that left a lot to be desired before making our way to the small town of Chicken, Alaska. The story goes that they wanted to name the town after the Alaska state bird (ptarmigan - pronounced with a silent "P") but none in attendance could agree on the spelling so they just decided to call the town Chicken. I am sure there was no alcohol involved in that town meeting :-)

Top of the World Highway - heading to Chicken

Top of the World scenic view

     The milepost trip guide says there are 23 residents and 7 who live in Chicken permanently (through the winter) so you get the idea of how small it is. We enjoyed lunch there and picked up a few souvenirs before heading out. The gift shop advertised having the only flushing toilets in town....they were proud!

     While there we met a couple from Mexico City that were traveling on a motorcycle...both on the same bike. They left Mexico City and had gone to Washington D.C. and then on to Alaska. Pretty amazing we thought as it is pretty cold to be traveling via motorcycle....never mind that far. When I asked them about the weather, they both had plugs on their riding suits to the battery so they could keep warm.

Moose on roadside in early part of Top of the World Highway

     After leaving Chicken the road only got worse for the longest time until about 10 miles before we crossed the Canadian border back into the Yukon. The last 10 miles on the U.S. side was the newest, best highway we've been on yet. But it didn't last long....entering Canada it turns back to gravel road but overall in pretty good shape with some rough spots along the way. I am happy to report that the Culpeppers made this border crossing without any incidents....Ed was driving!

Border Crossing

     The drive across the Top of the World looked like it would be spectacular views except it turned into a pretty rainy and foggy day as we traveled it. At times we could barely see the vehicle in front of us. At least the rain was not a down pour but just a steady misty drizzle all day with a few breaks in the clouds. Wish it would have been better but don't think I'd do that road again. Our friends Jim and Sheila recommended against it but we had to see for ourselves.....plus it was the best way to Dawson City

Fog getting thick on Top of the World

     When we stopped at the Yukon river crossing we got to see just how nasty and dirty our trucks and trailers were.....it was caked on like cement.

Dirty Rigs

     In order to cross the Yukon River at Dawson City we must use a ferry...it was quite interesting as the flow of the river was strong. The ferry, although small, was capable of holding both of our campers and a couple of other vehicles too. Just before arriving at the ferry landing Kathy and I saw a black bear scamper across the highway....he was in a pretty big hurry!

Yukon River Ferry

     When we arrive at the campground and secure a site for the night we decide we need to try to wash some of the mud off the trucks and campers before it dries like cement on the rigs. We find a place with a pressure washer that takes looney's (one dollar Canadian coins)......about 12-13 dollars later the biggest part of the mud is off but the rigs are still plenty dirty.

19 July - Dawson City

     Dawson City is a cool town with a lot of history from the Klondike Gold rush days in the 1898 timeframe. A lot of the buildings in the town are still standing and the streets are unpaved wide dirt/gravel roads. The visitors center has many folks dressed in the 1898 era clothing and doing tours.
Kathy and I headed out for a self guided walking tour in the morning...we walked a long distance and stopped for lunch at a local bistro. After lunch we rode to a gold dredge and the midnight dome (mountain top) where you get a great view of the town of Dawson City and the Yukon River valley.

View of Dawson from midnight dome

Dawson City Street

     Ed and Kay did some hiking in the afternoon while Kathy and I took a guided tour of the town. After that we met for a cool drink before dinner. Dinner was pretty good for three of us but Ed ordered ribs.....the waitress warned him they may not be what you're thinking but that couldn't change his mind. They were boneless and looked like chicken nuggets....he was not happy.

          

     After dinner we headed over to the downtown hotel for a little sourtoe action. Read about it here: http://dawsoncity.ca/attraction/sourtoe-cocktail-club/
This is where you drink a shot of whiskey with a human toe in the glass....you let the toe touch your lips but do not swallow the toe ($2500 fine if you do). For that you get logged into the Sourtoe Cocktail Club and earn a card and certificate saying so.  My plan was to go and watch but Ed immediately ordered a shot of whiskey and got in line....I was the photographer, right?  After that he wouldn't quit giving me the stink eye until I did it too. You cannot make this stuff up!

Ed getting instructions on joining the Sourtoe Cocktail Club

Down the hatch - Hey, what's that in my drink?

     Then on to Diamond Tooth Gerties for their show....it was similar to the show we saw in Whitehorse except not quite as good in my opinion. We had a beer there and played some slots before calling it a night.

Dawson City was a pretty good stop!

20 July - Travel Day - Fox Lake

     We left Dawson City headed in the direction of Whitehorse. We are ultimately headed for the Stewart/Hyder area but will require a couple of overnight stops on the way.

     Not too far out of Dawson City a black bear nearly runs into Ed and Kay but stops near the side of the road and since Kathy and I were following we were able to stop and Kathy got a few fairly close shots from the safety of the passenger seat with the motor still running. He stayed there and posed for a short time before running off.

Roadside black bear outside Dawson City

     A rest stop and short hike are in order at a roadside stop in an area of the Yukon River called the Five Fingers Rapids.....this is an area well known for being treacherous to navigate during the gold rush days and early riverboat travel. A good break from the highway

Five Fingers Rapids - Yukon River

    
     We stopped tonight at a provincial park called Fox Lake that is not too far from Whitehorse.....a beautiful park right on the lake.

Fox Lake Provincial Park

     We grilled some of our halibut for dinner and after dinner Ed and I visited with some folks camping nearby from Sacramento California. We had a good stop/rest and learned a bit from them about the road we are headed for...Cassiar Highway. They were traveling the opposite direction of us and recommended a park or two to stay in on that route.

     The big attraction to the Hyder area is seeing bears feeding on Salmon in a stream from an observation deck....unfortunately we haven't talked to anyone yet coming from there that has seen any bears.

21 July - Travel Day to Boya Lake

     We have been a couple days without internet or phone service for the most part. This day we leave Fox Lake Campground headed into Whitehorse for some supplies on the way to the Cassiar Highway. In Whitehorse we get fresh water in the campers (continuing to boondock camp) and go to Walmart (not a very good one) and also a Canadian Superstore which is a very nice grocery store. At least in Whitehorse we were able to check email and texts and get caught up. No time to post to the blog yet and I am falling behind.

     We have our sights set for a provincial park called Boya Lake that our friends from Sacramento mentioned to us. With the shopping stop in Whitehorse it made for a very long travel day....about 300 miles - partially on the Alaska Highway (backtracking roads already traveled) and ultimately turning right on the Cassiar Highway (route 37) and leaving the Yukon and entering British Columbia.

     The Cassiar so far is a pleasant surprise....the first several miles the scenery was somewhat spoiled from a fairly recent forest fire but after that it became really nice with many lakes and ponds to see and the road condition is pretty good. Because it is narrow and windy our speed is limited to about 45 mph though.

     Around 7:00 P.M. we manage to get settled into our campsites at Boya Lake and we were not disappointed with that campground....very nice and on a beautiful lake. We are still feeling chilled as the temps in the mornings around upper 40's and daytime max is low 60's and a lot of high 50's but as we walked around the campground there is a family there from Calgary and their young son is swimming....we could not believe it but he was having a ball.

Boya Lake

     At this campground we met a couple traveling on bicycles....they were from New Zealand. They said they were traveling from the northern tip of Alaska to South America.....yes, you read that right. I asked how long they expected that to take and they said they were not sure but guessed two years. A lot of interesting people out here!

     Before leaving the campground the next morning Ed took a hike that he said led him to a huge beaver damn. He said they had chewed through some trees that were 12-14 inches in diameter.

22 July - Travel Day to Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park

     After being so tired from the previous day we decided to keep this a short day. We targeted another provincial park, Kinaskan Lake that was only about 170 miles away and would put us about half way to Hyder which we could make the next day. Between a late departure, slow travel and road construction we were still around 4:00 getting set up at the new campsite. But we were early enough to get campsites right on a really pretty lake....again boon docking and no cell or internet.

Cassiar Highway Scenery

     The weather was pretty rainy off an on the trip today and during the rainy times the temp dropped from 59 down to 45.....a cold wet day. After setting up and doing a little camp maintenance we grilled some pork chops and corn on the cobb and followed that by a friendly card game....the guys won this one by a rather large margin :-)

23 & 24 July - Stewart/Hyder

     Leaving the Kinaskan Lake area headed for Hyder....this was the worst weather day we've had since leaving home...it rained all day and visibility was not good. It looked as though the scenery would be spectacular under better conditions, especially through the last forty miles into Stewart, British Columbia. At least we will have another shot at that part when we back track on the way out of this area.

Canyon into Stewart/Hyder area

     We arrived at the Bear Creek RV park in Stewart which has full hook-ups, cable TV and cell/internet service....a nice treat :-) so two nights here are in order. After getting settled in we drive over to Hyder for dinner. They too have a drinking challenge called "Getting Hyderized" but we manage to resist the temptations this time....I was driving. After dinner, on to the bear viewing platform at Fish Creek. It is raining and crowded and not a bear in sight.

     The town of Stewart is a small town that borders a portion of Alaska with an even smaller town- Hyder. Leaving Canada into Alaska there is not even a U.S. customs agent there because you cannot go anywhere else from Hyder...but there IS a Canadian customs on the return trip.

Stewart Harbor

     Sunday morning (24 July) the girls sleep in and Ed and I head back to Fish Creek to see if we can see bears....three hours there and no bears yet. We did get to see and learn a bit about the Chum Salmon that are coming into that creek to spawn and die.....there are a lot of them there and many dead in the water so sea gulls and some eagles around.

     Back at camp mid morning Kathy opened the barber shop and Ed and I both get a much needed haircut. After a nap and a hot lunch we decided to take a ride to another glacier in Hyder....it is called the Salmon River Glacier. We've seen plenty of glaciers on this trip and hesitated to go to this one but we were glad we did. We traveled a gravel mountain road (about 18 miles) up to about 3700 feet elevation where we had a great/different view of the glacier....this time looking down on it. At one point we heard a helicopter and looked up for it but it was actually flying to/near the glacier well below where we were. That gave us a unique perspective on just how large the glacier was.

Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier

     After dinner we gave the fish creek bears another try but struck out again. It seems that the lone bear was there about an hour and a half before we got there and no others visited before time to go. Tomorrow is moving day - heading farther south and expect to be back in the lower 48 within several days.

Valdez

14 July - Headed to Valdez

     After enjoying the breakfast special at the Grand View RV Park café we were back on the road again and headed to Valdez. The road from Glenallen to Valdez took us by the Wrangell-St. Elias national park where we stopped at the visitor's and cultural center. Among other native things on display, they had an interesting fishing wheel on display like one we'd seen in a movie earlier.

Fishing wheel

     Back on the road to Valdez we begin to get into some really beautiful (and very tall) mountains that require many stops to admire. One of these stops was at the Worthington Glacier which is close to the road and we take the short walk there to view it. Ed and Kay remarked that this glacier had receded significantly since their visit here 10 years ago.

Worthington Glacier

     We then traveled over the Thompson Pass which is the location in the US that receives the most annual snowfall....500 inches per year average and it holds the record for the most single day snowfall at 62 inches. It was downhill to Valdez from there and on our final approach into Valdez we went thru the Keystone Canyon where waterfalls were plentiful.

     First order of business in Valdez is dinner and laundry. Mexican....whaaaat? Yep, we had Mexican and as you might expect we were not impressed but we left there full and the beer wasn't bad. Finding a laundromat ended up being harder than expected but we did manage to get the laundry done.

     It's now 9:00'ish P.M. and since it's still light outside and we are curious to look around we drive over to the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery.....what a treat. They raise pink and Coho Salmon and the pink salmon are making their annual trek.....coming back home to spawn and die....wow, an amazing sight. The fish were thick in the water and there were sea lions, sea gulls and eagles. The sea lions were quite entertaining, making guttural noises, playing and eating Salmon. When they would snag a fish they'd surface with it in their mouth and shaking their heads and the sea gulls would flock to them going crazy...quite an entertaining scene.

Pink Salmon were thick

Dinner

     We'd heard that there were some bears that frequent the stream to enjoy some Salmon so I decided I would try that spot a couple more times while here. With all the fish there, Ed and I can't understand why every bear for miles isn't there.

15 July - Full Day in Valdez

     Ed and I went back to the hatchery early in the morning hoping to see some bears feeding and giving the girls time to sleep in. We didn't bother to check the tide table and didn't realize what a different view we'd get of that scene at low tide. The fish (salmon) were still there but the water was so low that the sea lions were not. On the now dry land there were many eagles and sea gulls eating the fish pieces left there.

     Back at the trailers and since we have a cruise scheduled for Saturday we make our way to the LuLu Belle office to pay for our cruise. After lunch we do a self guided tour of the Old Town Valdez, visit a glacier lake that has huge ice chunks floating in it, and then visit the Valdez Museum.....all were good. The town of Valdez was destroyed during the 1964 earthquake and had to be moved to it's current location.

Glacier lake

     All the talk about earthquakes and Kathy woke up this morning asking if any of us felt what she thought was an earthquake around midnight.....we all laughed and said no. While we were in the Valdez museum she asked the lady working there and she confirmed that there was a 1.8 magnitude quake at 11:59 last night.

     At the camp this evening there was a community fire that I decided to go sit around, drink a beer and chat with the others. Just when I was about to leave (almost 11:00 P.M. and still light out), a fellow camper pulled out a ukulele and began to play and sing. He was quite good and entertaining so I was in for another hour and a half.

16 July - Glacier Cruise

     We had our first flat tire casualty this morning....Ed woke to find a tire going flat on his truck. After putting the spare on we learned just how small a town we were in....on Saturday there was not a place open to fix a flat tire. Since our departure tomorrow is Sunday, we opt to head out without a spare to the next place to get a tire fixed....100 miles away.

     Our Glacier/Wildlife cruise boarded at 10:45 on the LuLu Belle out of Valdez. When we bought tickets the day before we learned that Fred was the captain of the boat but his wife, who runs the ticket office, said SHE was the admiral. They have lived on the boat for 38 years. They spend summers in Valdez and winters in Port Angeles, Washington.

LuLu Belle heading out of Valdez port

     As we depart the harbor Captain Fred begins what will be a great narrative all day of what we see. First up was several otters floating on their backs just out in front of the Alaska Pipeline terminal....a testimony of the recovery since the 1989 oil spill. On the cruise he also points out the site where Exxon Valdez ran aground.

Otters in the harbor

     On the way out we pass an area where several fishing boats were anchored as they wait for their spot in the port and we see a few young boys (fishing crewmen) jumping from their boat swimming.....and the water temp is between 38 and 42 degrees. We could not believe it because the air was cool.

Valdez Polar Bear Club

     Throughout the course of the day we see many animals, eagles, otters, sea lions, doll porpoise, humpback whales, and puffins. The captain showed off his boat handling skills all day but especially at one point when he put the bow of the boat into a cave for us to see puffins that live in the rocks.

Open wide

Prince William Sound Humpback

Puffin

     The highlight (and a cold one), in addition to the overall scenery, was getting to within a quarter mile of the Columbia Glacier.....an amazing site. We had to navigate around icebergs at a very slow speed and when we turned the engines off we heard a loud noise that almost sounded like the "crack" sound of lightning to me and saw a large piece of ice calving from the glacier. We stayed parked there for 30-45 minutes enjoying the scene and taking photos. All in all a great day and experience!

Columbia Glacier Pano

Returning to the dock around 8:00 P.M. - hungry, and luckily our tickets were good for a 10% discount at a couple of the waterfront restaurants so we head on over to Mike's Palace for a great meal and a couple beers.
We got very tickled in the restaurant, here's the scene;
     Kay makes a trip to the lady's room first and Kathy said she too was gonna go before dinner. To that Kay says - "let me know what you think of it with a wry smile". At that point our curiosity was piqued. Kathy returns laughing telling us the toilet had four buttons - front, back, dry and stop. At this point we are really laughing and trying to get one of them to admit to what they actually did. Best I could do was get Kathy to go back in and take photos so we could verify the story and everyone could enjoy it.

Sorry, but didn't think you'd believe us :-)

     Back at the camper after dinner, almost 10:00 but still pretty light out, Ed and I decide that we want to give the bears one more try over near the hatchery. This is our last shot as we are leaving the Valdez area in the morning. We hit the jackpot this time, we saw a mother grizzly bear and her three cubs (likely two year old cub's we were told) making their way out of the woods and slowly moving towards the hatchery. A perfect ending to the day.

Grizzly Cubs

Mama bear and three cubs

A few more photos from this stop:

There she blows

Resting on return trip

Eskimos

Posing in front of the Columbia Glacier

Boat getting iced in

Iceberg inhabitants (otters)

As we approached the glacier waters

#1 Tourist

Sea Lions were plentiful