So much to do and so little time!!!!!

Where do I start?? It has been over a week since we left Denali and we have just done so much and been to so many fantastic places!

From Denali we moved down to Trapper Creek for two nights and spent a lovely day in Talkeetna. This is a lovely little historic town and we visited on a Saturday so it was really buzzing with the open markets and shops and lots of tourists (not always a good thing except of course if you live there!).

One of the cute painted moose scattered all over Talkeetna.

We watched a movie about one of the bush pilots from Talkeetna. Don Sheldon was not from Alaska but made his home in Talkeetna and made some absolutely mind blowing rescues of climbers off Mt Denali. In places where, by rights, no one in their right mind would land a plane let alone try to take off!

After we left Trapper Creek we drove down to Anchorage and spent some time there. We had a quiet day wandering around downtown Anchorage, saw a movie about how Jimmy Carter changed so much of Alaska to National Parks, gave so much to the Native Americans and made much of it into public lands. There were some very unhappy people around when he did it but it seems that many have come around now - probably because of the finance that is injected into the state with tourist money. We also saw another movie about the earthquake of 1964. Wow!! the devastation and loss of life and property was amazing. It is the strongest earthquake registered on the North American continent.

The next day Jim, Jan, Norm and I took a long drive down to Girdwood and took the gondola up to the top of Alyeska Mountain which was just the most stunning scenery especially with the tide out in Cook Inlet. When the tide comes in to the Inlet it can come in, in a six foot wave! Most of the inlet is covered with very fine silt when the tide is out and you don’t want to walk on it. Apparently it is like quicksand!!!

Jim and Norm being themselves up on Alyeska!!!!

Continuing down the peninsula we then went to Whittier through a 2.5 mile long, single lane tunnel!!! The traffic traveling east uses the tunnel at half past the hour for 15 minutes and the west bound traffic goes through on the hour for 15 minutes. This allows the trains to use the tunnel for half an hour out of every hour. So as you drive through not only are you worried about the rock walls right next to your truck but you also have to try to keep the truck off the rail lines. Interesting to say the least. Needless to say we didn’t have the rv on the back of the truck!!

This is the entrance to the tunnel.

The weather on one side of the tunnel was a bit overcast but not too bad but when we got through the tunnel the mountains had created a totally different weather on the Whittier side. Cold, wet and foggy!!! And we were going on a cruise to see glaciers!!!!!

One of the waterfalls we saw on our glacier cruise.  The water is that colour because of the glaciers that empty into Prince William Sound.
　

But…. Norm and I had decided a long time ago that we weren’t going to let a bit of rain spoil what we did so we all piled on the catamaran and took off for four hours in the freezing cold. Our table was by the window so we had a good view of a rain spattered window so unless we went outside we couldn’t get any decent photos. It was so cold outside that eventually I went and bought a pair of gloves just so my fingers wouldn’t be frozen.

Jan and I spent most of our time outside on the deck of the boat and got some wonderful photos of waterfalls, harbour seals, sea otters, glaciers and small icebergs. The blokes spent most of the time inside in the warm! We saw six glaciers and got quite close to some of them. Interesting that four of them are named after colleges in Wisconsin - Marquette, Beloit and two more I can’t remember off the top of my head.

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Amazing glaciers in Prince William Sound, Whittier.

A harbour seal on an ice float just off the glaciers.

Amazing light on Cook Sound.

We just loved the cruise and even saw bald eagles although we couldn’t get as up close and personal as I would like - next time maybe!!!

Kenai was our next stop and Jan had booked us into a cute little rv park with only 12 spaces but it was so nice. Really neat and tidy with flower pots on the picnic tables.

Our first night there we took a drive down to Ninilchik where Steve and Nancy were staying with other family members and had dinner with them. Well! Let me tell you - there isn’t much that can beat the taste of fresh (caught that day) halibut cooked by Ed. It was absolutely delicious and is now one of my favourite fish. And then after dinner witting around Steve’s campfire swapping fish stories. What a wonderful evening. Thank you guys.

On the way home from dinner this moose was standing on the side of the road.

Next day we went to the visitors’ centre and watched a movie then took a walking tour around the town which was a bit disappointing except for the Russian Orthodox Church. the cemetery and the ‘dip net’ fishermen/women/kids!

Dip net fishing is where you have a huge net attached to a large round piece of aluminium on a long aluminium pole. The fisher-people then put on waders and wade into the freezing water and just push the net out as far as they can and wait for it to wiggle a bit. Then they flip it so the salmon can’t get out, drag it to the shore, bang the salmon on the head with a mallet to kill it, clip the tail (legal requirement) and then gut and clean it then and there on the shore. Alaskans are allowed to catch 25 salmon for the head of the household and then 10 fish for each other member of the family. So with three kids a family can catch 55 salmon - probably a year’s supply of salmon dinners!

All those blobs in the water are people up to their armpits in the freezing water waiting to catch salmon with their dip nets.

A bald eagle on a nest.

Since our arrival in Anchorage we have been impressed by the absence of the mosquitoes. Mind you, I have a new name for them now - moosquitoes - because some of them are nearly as big as a moose!!!!!

Our next destination after Kenai was Homer where we stayed for two nights. On our arrival we set up then took a walk down into the town and then a drive out onto the spit which is four miles long and is a real tourist destination. There are rv parks all along it with a hotel right out on the end. Shops everywhere and every second shop just about was a fishing charter business.

After a great deal of thought, and not wanting to miss out on something I had been soooo looking forward to, I decided to go on one of the fishing charters. I really wanted to, especially after having eaten it the other night, so, I booked to go on a half day trip. The limit was two halibut per person and I had to buy an Alaskan fishing license for just one day. Having had no experience with halibut fishing I was a bit anxious about whether or not I would catch anything but made sure that I had plenty of room in the freezer - just in case!!! Wishful thinking or doubtful hoping!!!!

So, the next day, after making sure I was suitably attired, Norm, Jim and Jan took me down to the charter place on the spit. We sorted out my license and got myself aboard the M/V Jackpot. We took a 1.5 hour boat ride out to the fishing site. Lucky for us it wasn’t rough and not much swell so no one got sick on the way out. Arriving at the ‘spot’ we were all given a talk on how things would work. Our lines were already baited with a large, very heavy, lead sinker on it so here I go! Drop the line over the side of the boat and watch it unreel, and unreel and unreel and unreel. No one said we were in 250ft deep water!!!! Easy peasy letting it out but let me tell you - winding that line in with a 10-15lb halibut on the end is HARD work!!!!! And how do I know that you may ask???? Well I caught my two and they were amongst the biggest on the boat so I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself.

Yours truly with her two halibut!!  Woo Hoo!!

Once everyone has their halibut and we start back towards the spit the guys on the boat fillet all the fish and put it in bags for each fisher-person. The seagulls are obviously very familiar with the process because there were so many behind the boat waiting for the carcasses that were being tossed over as we went along.

Back on dry land and met by the gang we went to a restaurant and guess what we all had for dinner - yep halibut!!!! Then it was back to the rv to cut up the fish and put it into the freezer ready for our first home cooked halibut dinner!!!! Can’t wait!!!!

While I was out fishing the others had gone for a hike and Norm and Jan had ended up wetter than I had out on the water!! They had both stepped in a bog out on their hike. Also, they found all the moosquitoes that we had been missing - lucky me! no moosquitoes out on the water!!!

This morning we are on the move again - this time down to Seward so until next time - take care one and all. Love to family and friends.

Ooroo for now!

Farewell Fairbanks - Dazzling, Dynamic Denali

G’day all and a warm welcome back. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, sit back and get comfortable as this is going to be a long post. I should have finished Fairbanks in the last post as I could write pages and pages on Denali National Park. Be prepared!!!

Picking up where I left off in Fairbanks after our awesome day to the Arctic Circle we had two more wonderful days before we were due to leave for Denali.

We took a really interesting trip down the Tanana River on the riverboat Discovery. The trip was really different with a float plane landing and taking off on the river beside us. The boat and the pilot were rigged up with microphones so we were able to listen to him explaining the type of plane and how the planes were used in Alaska. I was really amazed at the short distance it takes these guys to get off the water.

We also visited a replica Athabascan village where we were escorted by three extremely knowledgeable, young Athabascan ladies. All three were college students who were working at the village to share their culture and some of their heritage.

One of our guides in a traditional fur coat - it was stunning.

Susan Butcher came to Alaska as a young woman and went on to prove that yes, women can do anything.

I am sure you have all heard of the Iditerod race. This is a sled dog race between Fairbanks and Dawson City and is held in extremely harsh conditions. Susan Butcher trained her own dogs and went on to win the race four times with a lead dog named Granite. Granite became extremely ill after the third (I think) race they won. Against all advice she nursed the dog back to health and they went on to win another race. Susan Butcher died in 2006 at the age of 52.

We got to watch her husband work a dog sled team and I have never seen dogs get so excited. The dogs were just sitting in a line but as soon as the lead dog was attached to the harness the rest of them obviously knew this was the signal for a run and began barking and jumping at the leads and once attached and given the command to go they took off like rockets. They are so well coordinated - they were pulling a large quad bike and were amazing. The surprising thing is that there are no reins to the dogs, they are controlled only through verbal commands.

While in Fairbanks we also visited the Pioneer Park which consists of a whole lot of log cabins that have been relocated to the park and many are now occupied by cute little retail outlets.

The low light of Fairbanks was a visit to Big Daddy's BBQ  restaurant. It was advertised as the most northern, southern barbecue place! What a disaster!!! If this place is any indication of what a barbecue place is, I will not be in a hurry to visit another.

Apart from the dry bread that you take out of the plastic bag with your hands (who knows where the person before you has had their hands!!!!), Norm got a 1/4 chicken (after ordering a ½) and sent it back to then to be given a ½ chicken that was red and bloody inside (this went back to the kitchen too!!), Rick was given an order of beans (he ordered brisket). Instead of being charged $20 for his meal, Jim was credited with $79 dollars on his credit card and then no one in the restaurant knew how to reverse it and he had to speak to the manager at her home in order to sort it out. What a shamoozle! I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone going to this place even if you were starving!

Not to worry the next morning we were hitching up again and moving down near Denali National Park. We stayed a night at Healy and went to a great dinner and show in the town of Denali. It was a brilliant dinner (made up for the night before!) with all you could eat ribs and salmon and vegetables. So scrumptious!

The show was a historical musical sort of. Fannie Quigley and her husband Joe were miners in the Kantishna area and the show was based around them and the reasons why people came to Alaska. It was really interesting and very enjoyable and I could definitely recommend it to anyone coming up that way!

Fannie and Joe Quigley - we learned later that he actually left her and went off to Seattle and she lived on in a cabin in  Kantishna and eventually died there.

Early the next morning we got ourselves organized and drove the 10 miles down the road to the National Park. This would have to have been one of the most outstanding places we have ever visited. But we are lucky enough to now be in the ‘30%’ club! The story is that only 30% of the visitors to Denali actually get to see Mt McKinley.

Because of its height 20320ft and location the mountain creates its own weather and is more often than not shrouded in cloud so many visitors actually never get to see it. We did!!!!

We were boon docking 29 miles into the park at Teklanika campground. The first 15 miles is paved but with lots of potholes and repairs while the next 14 miles is a dirt road or should I say MUD!!

When we arrived and picked our spot, Norm and I spent about ¾ hour trying to remove some of the mud from the truck and rv. I couldn’t even get into the rv until I had removed heaps of mud from the steps. In places, it was up to two inches thick!!! Yuck, it is going to take us a long time to get it off the bottom of both vehicles. Minor hiccup in a wonderful couple of days though.

The first afternoon I took a walk down to and out onto the Teklanika River flats. It is glacier fed and so the water is very silty and grey. The river bed is extremely wide as the river changes course often and of course the wind, coming off the snow and glaciers was just a tad cold.

Gorgeous wild flowers everywhere.

Each night we were in the park the rangers gave a presentation in the little amphitheatre which was really interesting especially the one on how to behave if you come upon a bear. Not sure I could stand there and wave my arms in the air and talk to a bear!

The next day we were booked on a bus ride that took us half way into the park to the 92 mile peg. There are no roads past this point. What a wonderful day! We only had to go 126 miles but it took 10 hours with stops for the visitors’ centre, toilet breaks and the most important - photo stops.

The bus ride into the park was our first sighting of Mt McKinley, woo hoo!! However it wasn’t to be our only sighting as we were fortunate enough to see it again the next day and then again as we were leaving the park.

Our first glimpse of Denali - The High One.

On our bus trip we saw twelve - that is right 12 - grizzly bears. Our first sighting was the best as we came upon a mama bear with twins that were very close to the road. We saw more grizzlies the next day along with caribou, dall sheep, a golden eagle and moose. And while we didn’t see any wolves I did manage to get a beautiful photo of a wolf paw print in the mud in the river bed. The paw print was pointing north so I wanted to go south!!!!

Our first grizzly sighting of a mama with her twins.

To say the views are spectacular is an understantement. Mt McKinley dominates the park but is not the only mountain. The rivers beds are very wide but water only flows along channels that are constantly changing. The tundra is gorgeous which we found out the next day when we took a hike.

We caught the bus at 9.00am for the two hour drive to our hike at Stony Hill which was classified as moderate (it only climbs up to 1000ft!!!!). Strenuous is when the hike climbs over 1000ft. It was an interesting climb as we headed up the ridge to the top of Stony Hill and I mean the ridge! There was a sheer drop to the right of us and a sheer drop to the left of us with a very stiff wind blowing and nothing to stop us if we fell. The sides of the ridge were covered in loose rocks with no trees strubs or undergrowth of any sort!

Our guide Jennifer decided that she would take the group a slightly different way and not go right to the top of the hill however Matt (another hiker) and Jim did go right to the top while the rest of us started to make a slow descent down the scree and on to the tundra.

Before I forget I must tell you that while on the hike there was a young couple from Narrogin/Williams. She is a teacher on exchange in Canada and he is a cocky from Williams. Lovely couple and so strange hearing other Australian accents!

I have to comment on the rangers in the park. They are amazing - their knowledge of all things in the park is truly brilliant. Our guide Jen knew just about every flower that we found on the tundra - and there were so many it was amazing. She knew all the animal tracks and was able to point out all the interesting points about the landscape. She was from Florida and this was her first year in Denali. She was telling us that the selection and training process for the ranger positions is very rigorous. Thank you Jen, you were brilliant.

Some of our hikers reach the top!!

Our hike only covered 3½ miles but took us 5 hours. Combine that with the four hour bus ride there and back and the campfire and s’mores that night it was a long day. But I wouldn’t have changed any of it and slept like a log!

Another glimpse of Denali.

Alas, our time in Denali was over and we hitched up the rigs and headed out. Strange thing had happened while we were there - no rain and as a consequence the roads had dried out and now the car and rv were covered in dust!!! No pleasing some people!!

And would you believe as we left the park we got our best view of the mountain!

We did a quick visit to the visitors’ centre and unhitched the rv’s so we could go into Denali for fuel. We arrived back at the park and were hitching up again when I saw a truck and Airstream pass us on the road. I thought that it looked very similar to Steve and Nancy’s rig and blow me down it was! They had arrived back in Fairbanks the night before and had driven to Denali to have a quick look around. Funny how things happen. If we hadn’t stopped for fuel, t-shirts and photos of the Denali sign, we would have missed them. They will be going fishing with family over the next couple of weeks but we look forward to them joining up with us again down the road.

Denali has been a highlight of a trip filled with highlights. I am so glad we are able to do the things we do. We are truly blessed.

Our love and hugs to all our family and friends and until my next post I wish you all health and happiness. Stay safe!  Till next time.

Ooroo!

PS Only just over a week and our youngest son, Bryce, arrives to spend a year at Northern Kentucky University. We won’t see him till later in the year but it will be nice to have him just a tad closer!

　

　

　

　

Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle!

G’day all.

I left my last blog as we were headed down the road to Tok with the legendary pancakes, but I will have to take everyone else’s word that they are wonderful as I didn’t make it. Norm did try the reindeer sausages but they were too spicy for him - he suffered for the rest of the day. I don’t think he will be in a hurry to have them again!

We went to the fudge place in Tok - if you take your toursaver book you get 1/4lb of free fudge. BUT… I love fudge so we walked out with 1¾ lbs of four different fudges! Our free 1/4lb + a lb that we bought (some chocolate fudge for Norm and some peanut butter fudge for me) and then if you bought a lb you got another ½ pound free!!! I am in heaven!!! And they were all soooo good.

Leaving Tok we drove to Delta Junction for two nights with the intention of taking a day side trip down to Paxson to visit a glaciated area. And the best laid plans of mice and men!! If this life teaches you one thing it is to be very flexible although having been a teacher for so many years I was already pretty good at that. The weather was appalling and it would have been a very long drive to Paxson so we decided to postpone it till we are in Glenallen and then we can come at it from a different direction - which won’t be as far anyway.

We visited the Visitor Centre in Delta Junction to receive our certificates for surviving the Alaska Highway as this is the official end of the highway. 

Jim, Jan, Norm and I went for a hike which was absolutely brilliant. We went to Lost Lake and hiked around to Moose Pond and yes!! we did see a moose. In fact we saw one moose and then a bit later we saw a mama moose and her baby.

This would have to be the worst place we have visited so far for mosquitoes! Seriously, as soon as you stopped and lifted your hands to take a photo at least a dozen giant ones would sit down to a meal. I guess it would be one way to lose weight! Just joking!! So apart from the pesky big mosquitoes it was a lovely walk and the scenery was just gorgeous.

We also got our first view of the Alaska Pipeline. This pipeline is an amazing feat of engineering and while I don’t want to get bogged down in facts and figures - here are a few -the pipeline was 799 miles long when completed but as the hot (160F) oil flowed down it for the first time it expanded to 800 miles. It goes from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle south to Valdez. .It was built to cope with 2,000,000 gallons or barrels a day but is now handling about 500,00. Originally it had a life expectancy of 20 years but is now 35. It was designed a mile at a time to take into account all the environmental factors. It is above ground in places where the permafrost is just below ground and below ground where there is no permafrost. Where there is permafrost, the support structures have a system that draws the heat out of the ground (from the sun and the heat from the pipeline) to ensure that the permafrost doesn’t thaw. The pipeline doesn’t run in a straight line but actually has zigzags and u-shaped bends in it to allow for expansion and contraction. Obviously the pump stations have to pump the oil through the pipeline but the number five pump station actually has to slow the oil down. Number four pumps it up a mountain and of course gravity plays its part on the downward journey so the oil is flowing too fast which then has to be slowed. Very interesting!!!

After leaving Delta Junction we set out for Fairbanks where we stayed for four days. There was so much to see and do in Fairbanks but as usual we didn’t get it all done. Sometimes just the boring everyday stuff gets in the way and sometimes you just need to stop and take some time out and recharge the batteries.

Did you know that just out of Fairbanks there is a town called North Pole. Yep and it is all about Christmas. We didn’t get a chance to visit but we did drive through it on the way to Fairbanks. We would have stopped however the roads are not very RV friendly - three roundabouts quite close together!

Okay so in Fairbanks we took a hike, a boat ride, visited the Pioneer Park, did some of the boring stuff and of course we took a day trip to the Arctic Circle!!!

First of all - the Arctic Circle!!! I really wanted to do this trip and having the generous hubby that I have of course he said yes so a 4.00am alarm woke us for a quick breakfast so we could be ready for our 4.30 pick up. The plan was to drive up to a town (?) called Coldfoot and then fly back to Fairbanks in the afternoon.

Our guide on the drive up, Emma, was sensational and was so knowledgeable about all the things that we wanted to know. It was Emma who provided much of the information about the pipeline and its structure and construction. One more interesting thing about the pipeline. When the oil companies finish with the pipeline, everything, and I mean everything has to be taken out of Alaska and the environment returned to its previous state. This means that every nut and bolt, whether above ground or below has to be hauled out - a very significant clause in an agreement drawn up in the 1960’s.

Anyway, thanks to Emma’s knowledge I am now able to determine the presence of permafrost from the type and size of the trees, I know that permafrost is only about 7% water and can be just below ground level or way down and can vary in its depth.

One of the highlights of the trip was a big black bear that we came upon in the middle of the road. Emma came to a stop and we were all madly taking photos as he moved across the road and into the ditch. As he climbed the bank on the side of the road he kept stopping to look over his shoulder at us. When he got to the tree line he looked over his shoulder again and disappeared into the undergrowth. Just as we were about to take off he stuck his nose out again and then made his way along the top of the bank and then down to the back of the truck. According to Emma he was standing behind the vehicle and had probably been fed by humans in the past and knew where to go to get a meal - or he could smell the food in the truck - 11 people!!! Anyway eventually he made his way back into the scrub but did leave a very discernible paw print on the muddy bumper.

We arrived at the Arctic Circle and with due pomp and ceremony, Emma laid out the red carpet with the white dotted line. She made sure that she aligned the dotted line with the actually line of the Circle and then we all very ceremoniously stepped across it into the Circle with a warm welcome and handshake from Emma. Such fun and many laughs as people performed for the cameras.

The good part is, that when we eventually take our cruise down to the Antarctic we will be able to brag that we have been to both Circles!!!

Given that, with the stops that we made along the way, we were driving for about six hours from Fairbanks to Coldfoot it was a very short one hour flight back. Unfortunately we couldn’t see much on the way back as it was very cloudy under 9000ft where we were cruising.

This is a very harsh environment and I found it difficult to comprehend how people can live here all year especially when the temperature can get down to -70F. We did watch a video in Coldfoot and these people are amazing in how they deal with the extreme weather.

I am debating whether or not to finish all the Fairbanks stuff in this post or continue it in the next one but as we are driving along the highway towards Denali National Park and we are drawing near our morning tea stop I think the finish it now has won out!!

Take care one and all and thoughts and prayers go to my mum who is once again having health issues. She is a special lady and we send our love to her.

Ooroo!

　
PS No photos just yet.  We are off to spend three days boondocking (no power, water, sewer, phone or internet) in Denali National Park.  Just excited.  Hope we are in the 30% - will explain that comment later.  Bye for now.  Photos added 12/7/12.  At last!!
　

　

　

　

　

　

From Dawson City across the Top of the World to Chicken!

Hi again and a very warm welcome to any new readers. I certainly hope you enjoy reading my blog and get a smile, or a bit of a giggle, out of our adventures or misadventures as the case may be!!

Dawson City is amazing!!!!

But to start at the beginning. We arrived about lunch time and after getting the rv set up Norm and I decided to go down town to get a bite to eat and go to the visitor centre to find out some of the attractions in and around town.

Lunch was at Sourdough Joe’s and was just alright. After we finished we decided to grab an ice-cream which was just yummy - Black Cherry. Although it was wonderful, ice-cream is not a good idea if you are lactose intolerant!!!

Our visit to the information centre proved extremely valuable because there is just so much to see in Dawson City we could see that we were going to need more than 2 days to see it all! Plus we are going to be here for the summer solstice!!!!

Dawson City was established in the late 1800’s when gold was first discovered in the area. Life was pretty tough as you can imagine. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police certainly made sure that only those who were really prepared for the harsh conditions actually made it to Dawson City with the proviso that everyone had to have at least a year’s supplies before they were permitted to make the long trek over the Chilkoot trail. Some people had to make multiple climbs just to get all their stuff over the trail. Many people didn’t make it the climb was so tough. Mary Black, who went on to become the ‘First Lady of the Yukon’ and a eventually a member of parliament, actually crossed the Chilkoot trail when she was 4-5 months pregnant - so much for all the tough fellows who didn’t make it!!!

An example of the old buildings being maintained in Dawson City.

While in DC we took a walking tour of the town with our guide dressed in period costume. We were told about some of the strange things that go on under the Midnight Sun.

Our walking tour guide in period dress.

One of the strangest is the ‘Sour toe Cocktail’ which requires you to drink a cocktail that has an actual, real human toe in it!! In order to join the thousands of other drinkers who have successfully participated in this ritual, you have to let the tow ‘kiss’ your lips!!! Now let me tell you that this, and the ‘Dog Ball Highball’ cocktail, is one ritual in which I will not be participating!!!!! Apparently the custom began way back when a miner discovered a toe in a jar in a cabin and took it to the bar and I am sure it then became a bit of a dare game and has continued since.

Amazing old buildings throughout the town.

We also toured the SS Keno which was the last stern wheeler to travel the Yukon River. She is in dry dock now and is really interesting to visit. I wouldn’t want the job of keeping the fires going for the steam - four foot logs day and night being heaved into the furnace.

A tour of one of the mining dredges was also on the itinerary. What a huge piece of machinery! And the damage these machines did to the environment is still very evident throughout the area with huge caterpillar type piles of rocks and stones everywhere they have been.

The old dredge - the white cover is where they are doing some repairs to the deck.

The caterpillar type piles of tailings that are everywhere around Dawson City.

A trip to DC is incomplete without a visit to Diamond Gerties’ Dance Hall. Singing and dancing reminiscent of the early 1900’s with a chorus line. A lot of fun, although I think Jim had the best time with Gertie serenading him.

Diamond Gertie and her dancers.

On the evening of 20^th June Jim, Steve, Nancy, Norm and I went up to the ‘Dome’ where we spent a couple of hours watching the sun go down at about 12.30am. There were quite a few people up there and the photos were absolutely stunning. The sun didn’t actually ‘go down’ it was sort of going sideways and went behind the Ogilvy Mountains only to reappear a while later. We watched it disappear and then decided it was time to head off to bed.

On the Dome for the night before the solstice.

This photo was at about 11.30pm.

At 12.30 the sun moves behind the mountains.  But was up again in an hour or two!

I thoroughly enjoyed DC and was so pleased that they have worked so hard to retain the history and presence of the past. Buildings are maintained in the style of old, and new buildings have very strict guidelines on materials and design so they replicate and maintain the character of previous times. With the exception of the main road, all the roads are dirt and the sidewalks are boards. I am sure that this must save money on road and sidewalk repairs (no frost heaves each winter).

But alas, as always our time is limited and it was time to move out. Our destination was

Chicken in Alaska but to get there we had to take a ferry across the Yukon River and drive the ’Top of the World Highway’.

　

That's our rig on the left of the ferry.

This was a stunning and wonderful day. We were packed up and ready to roll at 6.30am and headed straight down the highway to the ferry. Two rigs at a time we crossed the river and then THE highway. Well it was an interesting drive. The scenery was just magnificent and mind boggling and the views just went on forever.

The view from the Top of The World Highway - it goes on forever!!!

The Canadian side of the highway was marginally better than the US side although there were potholes and gravel all the way. It was only 108 miles and while we did make a couple of short stops and a stop at the border crossing it took us six and a half hours to make the trip. Very slow going but oh so worth it! Norm now has a t shirt that says he survived the ‘Top of the World Highway’!

We spent two nights at Chicken which was an interesting place - full of chicken ‘stuff’. We did take a walking tour of the old town site with a very knowledgeable young lady who explained much of the history. I was particularly interested in the story of ‘Tisha’ (mispronunciation of ‘teacher’) who arrived in Chicken as a young teacher from Colorado. I have bought the book telling her story so I have my nose stuck in that whenever I can.

Yep - a giant chicken in Chicken, Alaska!

Sadly we have had to say a temporary farewell to Steve and Nancy who have had to head home for family. Our thoughts and prayers go with them. See you soon.

From Chicken we are headed down the road to Tok for a stop at Sourdough RV. Their pancakes are legendary however if I don’t stop here this post is going to be tooooo long - again!

So I will leave you here and continue with our adventures in a couple of days. To all our family and friends we send our love and hugs as always.

Ooroo!

Whitehorse - Beringia, Brewery and other interesting places.

G’day y’all

I guess because we are in the wilds of the Yukon, it is fair to say that the wifi and phone reception have been very ordinary or non-existent so I apologise for the delay in putting these posts on line.  Not my fault this time - well maybe just a tad!!

Evidence of the vast flooding.

We had a lovely drive to Teslin - and gorgeous views but nary a critter in sight. We were so confident that we would see moose on the way but alas - better luck tomorrow.

We stopped at the campground in Teslin and we were the only RV‘s in the place for about half the day. By the time we went to dinner there must have been another twenty in the park! Busy little place!. The park was right next to the most gorgeous lake overlooked by …… you guessed it - snow capped mountains!!! The afternoon was spent out and about.

They had a wildlife museum adjacent to the campground which we went to visit. It was small but very impressive with some of the best displays of animals we have seen. Norm was very impressed. After the wildlife display we took a drive out to the Tlingit (pronounced Kling - git I think) cultural centre. The Tlingit are one of the First Nation tribes and one the first of the First Nation groups to have achieved the enviable status of self government. The cultural centre was very interesting with one lady tanning a young, bull moose hide in the traditional manner. There were artifacts and beautiful displays of traditional craft work. The host was a young lady who was extremely knowledgeable and was able to talk to us about the traditions. We watched a video of the opening ceremony of the cultural centre which also covered some cultural information about the traditional way of life. So interesting.

Totems at the Tlingit Cultural Centre.

The six of us (minus Rick and Karen) went out to the campground restaurant for dinner and had a most enjoyable evening, even though the beef and barley soup, which had been on offer for lunch, had run out. Of course as soon as Norm realized that the basketball was on the TV in the lounge area he was in and out to keep an eye on the game!!

An early start the next day saw us heading to Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon. The drive was very uneventful with no critters - AGAIN!!!! Not happy Jan!!!!

We did make a stop at the Rancheria Falls which were just amazing. There has been so much rain and snow melt up here all the rivers are running very high and in fact this morning (Monday) there were lots of flood warnings across the country, Not in our area that I can work out, thank goodness.

We pulled into the campground in Whitehorse and after checking out the sites the lady assigned (which still had RV’s in two of the three), checking out the next ones she assigned (Jim could have got in but with slides on both sides of his RV, he couldn’t have opened them without hanging out into the driveway) we decided to try our luck at another down the road. Wow what a difference! The first one was mostly like a giant parking lot and the second, although a bit tight with some of the sites was treed and really pleasant and the staff were just so helpful and pleasant.

Two days of sightseeing in Whitehorse and soooo much to do and see. But, we will be coming back through here on the way south so we can take some time then to see and do what can’t get done this time. Mind you the weather wasn’t very kind to us - very cold most of the time and quite a bit of rain although Norm and I don’t usually let a bit of water get in the way of our sightseeing.

Our first day we planned on going to a wildlife preserve and taking a ride on the SS Schwatka up the Yukon River to the Miles Canyon - oops the best laid plans of mice and men!! The weather was pretty yuk for a walk around the preserve so the plans were changed to inside activities.

The first stop was the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre which looks at the Ice Age in the Yukon. I was surprised by the fact that the Yukon was, unlike the rest of Canada, relatively ice free during this time. The videos and displays of skeletons of pre-historic animals found in the area were really interesting. This area had been home to woolly mammoths, giant short-faced bears and lions. Many of the archaeological discoveries in the Yukon were made when gold miners were washing away the soil with large water cannons. Who knows what was lost by this method although they did discover lots of gold!

After the Interpretive Centre we stopped at the McBride Museum which looked at the more modern history of Whitehorse since the discovery of gold and some of the ‘5%‘. The 5% is that group of people who are eccentric, quirky and very different according to local artist and photographer, Jim Robb.  The McBride museum was also the site of the Government Telegraph Office which is the oldest building still in its original position in Whitehorse.

The weather had cleared up just a tad so Rick, Karen, Norm and I decided that we would go on the boat ride up to Miles Canyon and although it was very cold the sun did come out at one point. Who would have thought I would still be wearing my ‘Alaska” jacket a couple of days before the official start to summer?

The ride up the Yukon River through the canyon was just stunning with the most beautiful scenery. High basalt cliffs one minute then sand cliffs the next. It was just gorgeous. Thank goodness for digital cameras!! You never run out of film!!

On the Yukon River towards Miles Canyon.

That night Norm and I went out for dinner to the Klondike Rib and Salmon restaurant. What a hoot of a place. It reminded me of my grandfather’s work shed with all the bits and pieces hanging from the walls and ceiling. Old saw blades, boxes and lots of ‘stuff’! And the chairs were either green plastic or wooden and the tables were covered with green and white checked plastic tablecloths. BUT!!! The food was wonderful. Norm and I shared a whole rack of ribs (Norm’s first every rib meal) which was just so tender it fell off the bone. We followed it with some pie a la mode. It had apple, rhubarb and lots of berries in it and was so yum!! And then I had to waddle out of there as full as a goog!!!! But oh so worth it!!!

That evening we sat around a campfire, thanks to Steve and the wood he carts around with him, and ate ‘s’mores‘. For those of you who don’t know what a ‘s’mores’ is, let me enlighten you. You get two Graham crackers, spread peanut paste on one (if you want, this is an optional extra) and plop a piece of Hershey chocolate on top of that and then add a marshmallow that has been roasted on the campfire. Then eat!!! Very yummy and a tradition over campfires in the USA.

Norm and I headed off to the wildlife preserve early the next morning and had an enjoyable 4km walk around the site. We were able to see Thin Horned Sheep and a cute little lamb who really thought we were going to feed it and came gamboling up to the fence. There were two lynx kittens, however mum was keeping them under pretty strict supervision and although we could just make them out in the kennel they didn’t come out. We also saw caribou, moose, mountain goats, artic foxes, muskoxen and elk. And the good thing - the sun shone for the whole walk. We got lucky!!!

Talk about prehistoric monsters - this is a musk oxen shedding its winter coat.  Not that its summer one is much better!!!!

From there we met up with all the others at the Yukon Brewing Company for a tour. Although I am not a big beer drinker I have to say they make a few good drops and I love the names they give their beers. The brewery has won national and international acclaim for the beer ad their labels - which are all done by local artists. Part of the tour is, of cours,e the opportunity to taste all their regular beers and also their boutique beers. They are also expanding into vodka and whiskey!

There is still so much to see in Whitehorse but we have run out of time so the dog sledding and white water rafting will have to wait till we come back through.

The next morning saw us set off early in the direction of Dawson City - gold rush capital of the Yukon in the late 1800's.

An important stop along the way was at Braeburn Lodge for cinnamon rolls. We were caught once before with the size of these rolls. But let me take a step back.

One of the things that the Alaska Highway and the north are renown for, are the cinnamon rolls. There are numerous places up here that lay claim to having best cinnamon rolls in the Yukon, British Columbia or Alaska. We stopped early in our trip up for cinnamon rolls and Norm and I decided to share one - really good move - they are HUGE!!!!! And it was smothered in icing sugar and it was warm and so yummy although very, very sweet. So, after our first experience, we had decided to have any other cinnamon rolls without the icing sugar. For our stop in Braeburn, we were told the cinnamon rolls were big enough to feed four. WRONG!!!! Six of us shared one and had plenty! They are ginormous!!

It was a real surprise when we walked into the lodge at Braeburn to be met with an Aussie accent. There was a gorgeous, young lady working in there who was from Melbourne. Needless to say she got a buzz out of hearing us talk too.

We spent a not so enjoyable night at the Pelly River Crossing Campground en route to Dawson City. Lovely, quiet place, didn’t cost anything BUT and it is a huge BUT!!!! The mosquitoes were so huge and so bad I believe that with a concerted effort two of them could have carried me off!!! We were having a campfire and more s’mores however I had to call it a night early as I was being eaten alive. I kid you not they are HUGE!!! And talk about bloodthirsty!!!

One other thing about the drive to Dawson City was the wildflowers that were lining the road verges. They are the most glorious colours from fuchsia to pale pink, violet, yellow, white and the gorgeous pinks of the wild roses just abound. And while we may not have seen lots of wildlife the gorgeous wildflowers certainly made up for it - a bit!!!

Because we had had a reasonably early start out of Pelly Crossing we arrived in Dawson City around lunch time but that is a story for another post so until next time take care one and all. Our love to all.

Ooroo!

　

　

On The Road Again.

At last we are on the move again although being stuck at Liard Hot Springs wasn’t exactly hard. It would have been a bit better had we had full hookups (and didn’t have to use the ‘drop’ toilets all the time!!!) Still it was a pleasant stop and enabled me to regroup and catch up.

When Norm and I had gone to Watson Lake on Sunday we had noticed a turn off to Whirlpool Canyon so I looked it up in the “Milepost” book. It was a must see whirlpool on the Liard River but the pullout was not suitable for RV’s. Jim had been told by a fella that it was the most impressive site he had seen for some time and he had been visiting the whirlpool regularly on his way down from where he lived in Alaska. So the suggestion was made on Wednesday afternoon that we all take a drive down to have a look. WELL!!!

Of course the Liard River was very full at the moment and in fact had broken its banks in a number of places along the Highway so when we got to the whirlpool we were expecting quite a bit of water but were totally unprepared for the site that confronted us! It was spectacular!! There was this huge whirlpool with ginormous trees that had been ripped from the ground, going around and around in this massive whirlpool. A section of the river had been dammed by trees to the point that the water on one side of dam would have been six foot higher than on the other. I even got so carried away that I took a couple of videos of the river and they don’t even do it justice. I wouldn’t want to be white water rafting in that I can tell you.

The wild and woolly Whirlpool Canyon on the Liard River.

On Thursday we got an early start and made Watson Lake in time for lunch. It was quite an eventful drive with the first interesting site just out of Liard Hot Springs.

A couple (I assume) had pulled their RV off the road to stop for the night. They extended their slide and had made themselves very comfortable by the look of it. Went to sleep and woke to the site of 20+ bison grazing and sleeping all around their RV. As we drove past taking lots of photos we could see them through the RV windows and we waved at them. There was a big bison grazing just near the driver’s door. Can you imagine stepping out of your RV and seeing yourself surrounded by that many bison? Just so funny!!

Ah dear, there are bison all around us - your turn to start the car!!!!

We saw lots of critters, apart from the bison, along the trip. Mostly back bears but we did see a mama brown bear with cubs which was so cute.

We pulled in to Contact Creek for fuel (only $1.33 per litre woo hoo!!!) and the lady was telling us that they had seen a mama grizzly with two cubs and Norm and I were wondering if that was one of her cubs that we had seen on ’Sunday when we went to Watson Lake. We did see the cub not far from, Contact Creek. Not sure I would want to run into mama bear though!

Watson Lake was looking considerably less crowded when we arrived about lunch time. I decided to make use of the afternoon and did all the washing! Boring!!!

In the evening Rick, Karen, Norm and I headed over the the ’Signpost Forest”. This was started by Carl Lindley , from Danville, Illinois in 1942 when the Alaska Highway was being constructed. And while his original sign is no longer there, when they celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the highway he donated a replica sign to the forest. I might add there are approximately 75000 + signs there now. And they come from all over the world. While Norm and I didn’t have one we are coming back through Watson Lake on our way back to the US so we will do something about it in the meantime and we will be sure to leave a sign.

Just a few of the 75,000+ signs in the Forest.

After the Signpost Forest we watched a video of the history of the Yukon and the construction of the highway and then made our way over to the Northern Lights Centre to the Omni Theatre type of affair..

Here we watched a video about the size of space and our solar system which was very interesting however it was difficult to stay focused with the lay back seats with the video projected on to the ceiling. The second video held everyone spellbound as it was about the Aurora Borealis. I wasn’t aware of it, but the Aurora comes in green and red and very occasionally, blue.

The video maker had filmed in North America and Europe mainly and the film was amazing. I would love to see it for real however we are here at the wrong time of the year so Norm and I will have to make sure we go to Iceland in the winter so see it properly!!!! Yeah another trip!!!!

I have to mention the daylight up here!!!! It is daylight nearly 24 hours a day and absolutely messes up with the body clock. It is still daylight at 11.00pm and that is waaaay past my bedtime!!! We have had to stick foam in the bedroom skylight and vinyl in the exhaust fan so that we can get some sleep!!! The other night we were sitting around the campfire until about 10.45pm and it still wasn’t even twilight!!!

And the bad news is - it is only going to get worse the further north we move!! What a difficult problem!!! And that is probably the biggest hassle I have so I must be having a great life!!!!!

Friday we are driving to Teslin and then on to Whitehorse tomorrow where we will spend a couple of days. Rick and Karen have already gone on to Whitehorse in an effort to get some of their problems fixed. We will meet up with them when we get there.

Oops, forgot to mention that while I did the washing Norm went back to the clinic to find out if they had forgotten his tetanus needle on Sunday or if they had decided not to give him one. Bad luck there - had a jab in his shoulder. I guess that is better than getting Lockjaw!!

Okay signing off now. Catch you next time I have access to wifi. So until then take care of you and yours and love and hugs to our family and friends.

Ooroo!!!!

A drama or two!!!!!

G’day all!

We were traveling from Sikanni River to Fort Nelson when I finished my last post. It was an interesting drive with lots of water lying around and some wildlife along the road. We were fortunate to see a black bear on the side of the road early in the trip. We figured it was a bear but really as we drove past it just looked like a black blob on the side of the road.

It wasn’t that long after that Steve and Nancy pulled over suddenly and, thinking they may have been in trouble, Norm and I pulled up in front of them. I raced back to see if everything was okay and Nancy informed me that Steve had seen a black bear. Peering around the front of their vehicle I was able to see it and raced back to our truck for the camera. It was a big one and we got some really great photos. Our first serious wildlife sighting since the eight of us started our journey. After that we decided that it would be a good idea to be behind Steve as he was pretty good at spotting the wildlife as we went along.

We stopped off at the Trapper’s Den before arriving in Fort Nelson. We thought it might be an interesting place but turned out to be just another shop aimed at the tourists. There are a few of them up here!!!

Arriving at Fort Nelson we stayed at the Triple G RV Park. After setting up we set off for the Heritage Museum which was really interesting with many very old cars that are still in working order thanks to 80 year old Marl who still drives some of them for important occasions within the town.

Then on to the Visitor’s Centre where we found out about the next two stops and finally the eight of us went out for a lovely dinner. An early night followed as we had another day of driving again the next day. I am a little over the drive all day, set up, pack everything away the next morning and drive another day. We have been doing a lot of that since we left Phoenix. I am really looking forward to a couple of days in Watson Lake!!

We got an early start the next morning and headed to our destination at Strawberry Flats Campground at Muncho Lake. We had been advised to fill up with petrol before Muncho as they were pretty expensive! Ha!! We filled up at Toad River - $1.70 per litre!!! But then we checked out Muncho Lake at $2.00 per litre. Good move at Toad River.

Toad River was an interesting stop though. Apart from the cost of the fuel they had a shop (the usual touristy stuff) where the ceiling was absolutely covered with baseball caps!! They were from all over the world and made quite a colourful display. We only had our two Aussie ones and were reluctant to leave them.

Norm and I on the shores of Summt Lake - very cold!

We made it to Strawberry Flats and that is where some of our problems started! Oh boy if things could go wrong then they certainly did.

The sites were very small and difficult to get into but Jim and Jan (our heroes and the most amazing parking team) got our rig into our spot and put his own into the most difficult place. At one time he had his 35ft rig at right angles to the truck!! It was amazing to watch.

Rick and Karen had quite a difficult time getting into their spot and unfortunately their worries began here with some damage to the front fender and bumper of Rick’s truck. Then they had problems with the bedroom slide which wouldn’t extend, then the toilet wouldn’t stop running so an urgent repair job on that. The next morning as we were getting ready to leave their front jacks wouldn’t retract and had to be done manually.

Stone sheep

Early morning view of Muncho Lake from Strawberry Flats Campground - how amazing is that?

About ten miles down the road we stopped at a pull out to have a look at the view of Muncho Lake and the guys noticed the smell of rubber. After walking around the rigs the guys dismissed it as just the use of the brakes. It wasn’t till our next stop a bit further on, that the smell of rubber became even more noticeable and Rick discovered that two of the wheels on his RV were rubbing against each other! Oh boy! The guys soon discovered that one of the leaf springs on the rear set of wheels had broken causing them to pivot so that the rear wheel was rubbing against the front one. Bugger!!!

Okay so Norm, Karen and I jump in our truck and head back to the lodge at Muncho Lake so Karen can call the Good Sam road side assistance they have. Not our day - the phone lines are down and there is no way to contact Good Sam via internet.

Back to the broken down rig and Karen and Rick disconnect their truck from the RV and drive to Liard River where we are all heading, so they can make a phone call. One and a half hours on hold to Good Sam and no luck. Eventually they contact someone in Fort Nelson who can come out and fix the spring the next morning, Sunday, so they head back to the RV to spend the night!!! This is the short version of the story too!!!

The rest of us head to Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park where we planned to spend one night before moving on to Watson Lake. Well we arrive at Liard to find that the road from Watson Lake to Whitehorse has been washed out in four places and no-one can get through. There is only one road to Whitehorse and no way to go around unless we wanted to go all the way back through Prince George.

Well we pulled in to the three spots that we had chosen and Jim and Norm started setting up the RV’s for the night while Jan and I went up to the office to pay. EXCEPT, that the two sites we had chosen were ‘one night only’ (already booked for the next night) and if the road wasn’t opened by Sunday then we would have to move and potentially have to boondock in the pullout on the other side of the highway.

Jan and I discovered that there was a double site that we could potentially share that wasn’t booked and we could stay as long as needed so while I sat in the site to discourage any other RV’s from pulling in Jan hightailed it back to the guys to tell them to pull in the slides and get ready to roll and move both RV’s to the new site.

As it turned out this was a wise decision as I am writing this on Monday and it doesn’t look like the road to Whitehorse will be opened to traffic until Tuesday. Apparently an alternative one lane route is being developed and the 300 trucks that are waiting at either end of the washout will be able to use it tonight with the other traffic will start moving tomorrow.

The stories that we had heard about the bank up of traffic in Watson Lake, cars and trucks and RV’s parked on the side of the roads and in ditches, the town running out of supplies and fuel were greatly exaggerated as Norm and I found out on Sunday when we had to take a flying run up there for medical help. Yep you guessed it, Norm had an accident! He was cleaning some mud from the front of the RV when he stood and turned and hit his head on the hitch. What a mess!!

Well the statistics were! Departing Liard at 1.00pm and fuel - $1.87 per litre. En route to Watson Lake -four black bears, one brown bear, one grizzly cub, two bison, nine cars heading to Liard and one car going to Watson Lake and six bicyclists. Distance to Watson Lake - 128 miles. At Watson Lake - fuel $1.36 per litre, 8 stitches in his head at $67.50 per stitch! Watson Lake back to Liard - 128 miles. Fuel at Contact Creek $1.33 per litre. Six black bears and six bison, five trucks and six cars going to Watson Lake and one car and two bicyclists heading towards Liard. Arrived back at Liard at 9.00pm. And you know what - he didn’t even have a headache!!! No brain no pain!!!!

I did manage to do some shopping in Watson Lake so we would have plenty to eat if the road wasn’t opened for a couple of days. Plenty of supplies were available (except milk- I got the last two litres of lactose free milk) as some of the produce trucks that were delivering to Whitehorse were stuck in Watson Lake and rather than let stuff go off they were making sure that the town was supplied. Thoughtful truckies!

Well we have heard today about the trucks going through tonight however it is raining once again at Liard which doesn’t promise good things as there are concerns with the Liard River, which was very high yesterday and had broken its banks in some places along the road and also, although Watson Lake is a fair way from here if they get more rain there may be further damage to the roads up there.

Mind you, if you had to get stuck somewhere I am absolutely certain there are far worse places to be stuck than Liard. The hot springs are just wonderful and Norm and I have spent a lot of time in them over the last three days. There is even a resident moose that likes to smooch around in a field just next to the boardwalk that goes to the springs.

Beautiful Liard Hot Springs.

We have all decided to stay here till Wednesday when we hope that there may be some room at the RV parks in Watson Lake (hopefully) where we will spend one night before heading further into Yukon Territory.

There is no wifi in the park here but I will try to get on at the lodge across the road to post this. If not it is going to have to wait till we are in Watson Lake.

We hope you are all staying well and happy and that all is right in your world.

Love and hugs from us.

Ooroo!!

　
PS No time to edit.  As at posting the road is open to trucks and maybe start the backlog of cars going through today.  Read about the storms back home - please stay safe everyone.
Pictures to come late as I am sitting in the lodge across the road from the park and hacking into their wifi.  Now off back to the park for breakfast and a soak in the hot springs - what a hard life!!!!!