Posted as I think of them....
Lindsey has been a dream dog on this trip. We have been on the road over a month. Never in one place over 4 nights. She is quite happy with our routine in fact I think she may like the traveling days best as she gets to spend most of her time on my lap. This is a far cry from a year ago when she was a nervous wreck and would get all sick. Today we are near Homer in the small town of Ninilchik. We are drying out from Seward our wettest destination so far so between her rain parka & her fowl weather mutlucks, she was set but she is not too crazy about either especially at the same time. Bathing and grooming is another issue. I bathed her after week 2 but white is not the best color for a road dog. Today she got her second bath. It was fairly warm, 55 degrees. The outside temps have been in the 40's so I took my best shot. It will be a while before I can get her groomed & clipped because in these little towns, if they even have a groomer they have never seen a Bichon Frize let alone clipped one. No great shakes. We will see what she looks like as a long hair. She may end up looking like a toy sheep dog! The best thing to happen to this dog was the addition of pumpkin to her daily diet. She gets 4 fingers full every morning before breakfast (that’s for an 11 lb. dog) and we have no more upset tummy! It really works. She gets a light breakfast and she is good till dinner even driving over the roughest roads. So much for those folks who say, “Don’t feed your dog before a car ride.” it’s just a bunch of horse feathers! Lindsey is a great traveler now at age 2 1/2 and is loving this trip with all the new sniffs at every stop.
In Canada both in Alberta & the Yukon they have a new way of keeping their grocery carts from wondering all over the parking lot. We first encountered this at a Safeway store after leaving the Jasper area and then again at a Wal-Mart farther up the Alaskan Hwy. There is a coin operated chain system that is on each cart and works this way; you insert a coin to release the shopping cart. Then when you leave the store you return the cart to the proper area and attaché it to the line of other carts with this chain that has a key on the end. They attach each to the next like the luggage carts at the airport. When you insert the key into the back of the device your coin is returned to you. Their shopping carts are corralled and you have spent no money. It is pretty smart. Safeway costs a quarter and at Wal-Mart you have to invest a “Lunie” AKA a dollar coin.
In Canada they have “Lunies” that are a dollar and “Tunies” that are 2 dollars. Their folding money is big & thick. I call it ‘Pink Money.” Bill calls it “Play Money.”
Here is one for you……S.A.D. A clinical condition I had never heard of. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you watch ‘Men in Trees’ you may have heard of it but up here it is apparently quite a common affliction that people get from not getting enough sunshine in the winter time. Yes, really! It’s like depression from not enough vitamin D sort of Cabin Fever treated with artificial sunlight, tanning booth (if they have them) sun lamps, vitamins etc.
We have noticed RV’s up here in Alaska as we move around the countryside and the differences are these;
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Seward took it’s time coming out of the clouds!
Recorded June 24, 2009
It’s a short 130 miles from Anchorage to Seward. Plenty of Alaskans head out to Seward and Homer to vacation in the summer. When Linda asks the lady at the information center along the way if the forecast was for the current rain to continue, she said “the forecast is always for rain…it’s a Rain Forest.” And so went our visit to Seward, Alaska. It was real plain that the area was beautiful even with the storm but it must be magnificent on a clear day. The Rugged mountains were still painted with snow and hiding among the low clouds that seemed to just cling to them. The inlets with the rivers coming down to the ocean everywhere make the area a magnet for every kind of fisherman. Saltwater fishing from the banks, deep sea fishing, lake & stream fresh water fishing, you name it they are all here! This is one of the few roads on the trip that we will be retracing. We are hopeful that the weather will be clear on our next passage.
It was pouring when we arrived. That would have been sort of OK but it was also very cold. I’m such a Californian. I do not do cold well. We wanted to go to the Alaskan Sealife Center but opted to wait until the next day & maybe some sun.
In the morning it was sunny for a bit then intermittent clouds and rain but still really cold! I was able to get a few pictures that seem to capture the essence of the area. It is spectacular. At the Alaskan Sealife Center we learned the Seward is at the mouth of Resurrection Bay. Alaskan Sealife Center was built as a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 with mostly funds from the settlement. It is a full aquarium & research facility plus an animal rescue & rehabilitation center. We spent most of our second day in town at the center. We would have loved to browse the town but for the chill.
On Wednesday we got our wish because it was warm… well warmer ….like 50 degrees instead of 40! When we got up it was beautiful. The lingering clouds were clinging to the mountain tops. We drove 9 miles to Exit Glacier and walked the half mile path to the look out point. It was not as cold as we expected.
We were able to see the marks of where the glacier had receded from the past 130 years.
From the glacier we did get to down town and by 2:00 PM we packed up our coaches and were on our way in the direction of Homer for the next few days.
It’s a short 130 miles from Anchorage to Seward. Plenty of Alaskans head out to Seward and Homer to vacation in the summer. When Linda asks the lady at the information center along the way if the forecast was for the current rain to continue, she said “the forecast is always for rain…it’s a Rain Forest.” And so went our visit to Seward, Alaska. It was real plain that the area was beautiful even with the storm but it must be magnificent on a clear day. The Rugged mountains were still painted with snow and hiding among the low clouds that seemed to just cling to them. The inlets with the rivers coming down to the ocean everywhere make the area a magnet for every kind of fisherman. Saltwater fishing from the banks, deep sea fishing, lake & stream fresh water fishing, you name it they are all here! This is one of the few roads on the trip that we will be retracing. We are hopeful that the weather will be clear on our next passage.
It was pouring when we arrived. That would have been sort of OK but it was also very cold. I’m such a Californian. I do not do cold well. We wanted to go to the Alaskan Sealife Center but opted to wait until the next day & maybe some sun.
In the morning it was sunny for a bit then intermittent clouds and rain but still really cold! I was able to get a few pictures that seem to capture the essence of the area. It is spectacular. At the Alaskan Sealife Center we learned the Seward is at the mouth of Resurrection Bay. Alaskan Sealife Center was built as a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 with mostly funds from the settlement. It is a full aquarium & research facility plus an animal rescue & rehabilitation center. We spent most of our second day in town at the center. We would have loved to browse the town but for the chill.
On Wednesday we got our wish because it was warm… well warmer ….like 50 degrees instead of 40! When we got up it was beautiful. The lingering clouds were clinging to the mountain tops. We drove 9 miles to Exit Glacier and walked the half mile path to the look out point. It was not as cold as we expected.
We were able to see the marks of where the glacier had receded from the past 130 years.
From the glacier we did get to down town and by 2:00 PM we packed up our coaches and were on our way in the direction of Homer for the next few days.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Denali was a bust! On to Anchorage.
Recorded June 21, 2009
As expected the weather turner cool as we arrived in Denali Village on Wednesday afternoon the 17th. We did make one notable stop on the drive south on the Parks Hwy from Fairbanks. It was in Nenanan a tiny little town that is trying in a very big way to be a tourist town. It has exactly 2 things going for it….well 2+1/2 if you count the really old grocery store that’s supposed to be the oldest in the state or something but it had a real bad mildew problem so I do not think they should be sending folks there. Anyway Nenana is where in 1923 President Warren Harding drove the golden spike to complete the Alaskan Railroad. Nenana also has a very unique contest. It is a national guessing game where by every year since 1917 one can purchase a chance (today’s price $2.50) naming the date and time the Nenanan River ice will break up casting the town 15’ high Totem structure down into the depths of the river. Last year the prize was $300,000 split 3 ways. This little place has been trying to become important for over 90 years. Now they have a few historic buildings but I think they could use some marketing help.
The road trip was an easy one. Our Milepost makes every single sight along the way an easy talking point. The road was not too bad but just to keep us honest on nearly every highway there is a few hundred feet of gravel about 5 to 15 miles apart. These gravel patches come without much warning only a couple cones.
Once settled in our campsites in Denali Village which is a few miles from the park and in spite of the chill we made plans for the evening. ‘Cabin Night’ Dinner house theater is the local show in the village for all the tour folk. It's Fanny the roadhouse owner & her hubby's lite hearted history of the park and its first park manages. It’s all based in fact though little silly honk-e-tonk & a little slapstick but a fun down home night. Bill & I recognized the players from our last visit in 2006 so I guess they all have a regular gig.
Denali National Park was big on Linda & Bill’s to do list for Thursday. They left at 6:00 AM and did not return to the RV Park until 6:00 PM. Because it had been raining on & off all afternoon with dense low clouds and visibility of about 50’, they were disappointed. Bill & I had done the whole day bus trip into the park in 06’ so we choose to pass, knowing that it was cold, uncomfortable & we did not see many animals on the 2 X 80+ miles of gravel mountain roads in & out. They had no chance of seeing Mt. McKinley’s 20,320 proud feet either. We have seen so many animals so far on this trip that it was OK but it’s probably not something one would do twice.
I made a pot of stew for all of us to share as we planned our next days trek to Anchorage about 220 miles southwest.
We kept waking up all night the night of Thursday the 18th. It rained hard and it rained all night long. The guys were out in it hooking up the tow cars in the morning as it did not le up until around 11:00 AM. We were lucky because we were headed south and the storm was headed north so by the time we got to the little town of Talkeetna we had a beautiful day and even a lovely lunch outside. Takkeetna is a place that Bill says reminds him of Knott’s Berry Farm of about 30 years ago. It is really quaint with many historic buildings but its real claim to fame is many of the river float trips and Mt. McKinley Fly Tours originate there. It is located where three rivers merge together. Being 14 miles off the main highway we were very happy we stopped. Please see the pictures I continue to post on my Facebook page. You do not have to join Facebook to view the pictures, just look for Pam Dickey.
From Talkeetna it was 2 or so more hours to Anchorage. We were not really thinking ahead because we have made no reservations thus far on this voyage but we had spent 3 hours in Talkeetna. It was getting late. It was Friday night on Father’s Day Weekend & the Summer Solstice (A very Big Deal up here!). We had no reservation! I called ahead and got the last 2 big rig spots at the Golden Nugget RV Park. It was a so so park but come to find out ……They fed us dinner both Friday & Saturday so the $40+ per night was not so bad after all. Upon our arrival we find out that morning Bill Moorhead started to catch a cold. Well being the macho guy that would never admit to being (Talk to Linda!), he said he was fine and was happy to go and do what ever any of us wanted to do including sitting out in the 40 degree cold.
We spent 3 nights in Anchorage and on Saturday the 20th Billy & I were happy to be in a city and able to replenish our supplies at Wal-Mart, Costco & Fred Meyer, so that was our Saturday but Bill & Linda went off to visit some Iditarod Dogs. We did separately find time to do some sight seeing in downtown Anchorage at the open air market. It was wonderful. We had been to so many tourist events where they reinvent history for you that it was great to see how the real families, vendors & craftspeople spend their Saturday afternoon. We found every kind of carved birch item, Birch Syrup, Carved tusks & antlers, an unbelievable fur concession and lots of locally crafted jewelry. We even saw a woman who made area rugs, tots & purses plus sold her patterns out of trash bags & old cassette tapes! We had an amazing lunch of salmon Quesada’s. So YUMMIE we even got the recipe! This was a very good day.
On Sunday it got very cold all day, as cold as it ever gets in the desert in winter. It tried to rain on us but all it did was spoil our plans. We were headed up to Flat Top Mountain to get some pictures of the city but that was not to be. Instead we went downtown and took a trolley ride around the town. The driver had lived in the local area his whole life but from his jokes I gathered he has never been elsewhere. It was a nice tour but the best part was when he took us to the airport. It was unlike any airport you will ever see. Lakes, lakes and more lakes! Only a few planes were on the ground. We saw hundreds of floatplanes. We saw zero commercial airliners but he said it was the international airport but WOW. It was huge. It could have been one of his odd jokes. He did explain how dependant the entire state was on small planes as they have so few roads and the area is twice the state of Texas. As for learning something how about this; while talking with a shopkeeper we were told that last summer Anchorage only saw 3 or days of sunshine all summer long. I guess we should not complain. That would also explain why everyone seems to be in a party mood.
Well on we go it is Summer Solstice so we are out for the evening to a micro-brewery called Moose’s Tooth for Pizza. Linda say’s it is highly recommended. We would agree as we had a terrific pizza night!
Tomorrow June 22nd we again are on the road. This time it’s Seward only about 120 scenic miles south on the Keni peninsula.
As expected the weather turner cool as we arrived in Denali Village on Wednesday afternoon the 17th. We did make one notable stop on the drive south on the Parks Hwy from Fairbanks. It was in Nenanan a tiny little town that is trying in a very big way to be a tourist town. It has exactly 2 things going for it….well 2+1/2 if you count the really old grocery store that’s supposed to be the oldest in the state or something but it had a real bad mildew problem so I do not think they should be sending folks there. Anyway Nenana is where in 1923 President Warren Harding drove the golden spike to complete the Alaskan Railroad. Nenana also has a very unique contest. It is a national guessing game where by every year since 1917 one can purchase a chance (today’s price $2.50) naming the date and time the Nenanan River ice will break up casting the town 15’ high Totem structure down into the depths of the river. Last year the prize was $300,000 split 3 ways. This little place has been trying to become important for over 90 years. Now they have a few historic buildings but I think they could use some marketing help.
The road trip was an easy one. Our Milepost makes every single sight along the way an easy talking point. The road was not too bad but just to keep us honest on nearly every highway there is a few hundred feet of gravel about 5 to 15 miles apart. These gravel patches come without much warning only a couple cones.
Once settled in our campsites in Denali Village which is a few miles from the park and in spite of the chill we made plans for the evening. ‘Cabin Night’ Dinner house theater is the local show in the village for all the tour folk. It's Fanny the roadhouse owner & her hubby's lite hearted history of the park and its first park manages. It’s all based in fact though little silly honk-e-tonk & a little slapstick but a fun down home night. Bill & I recognized the players from our last visit in 2006 so I guess they all have a regular gig.
Denali National Park was big on Linda & Bill’s to do list for Thursday. They left at 6:00 AM and did not return to the RV Park until 6:00 PM. Because it had been raining on & off all afternoon with dense low clouds and visibility of about 50’, they were disappointed. Bill & I had done the whole day bus trip into the park in 06’ so we choose to pass, knowing that it was cold, uncomfortable & we did not see many animals on the 2 X 80+ miles of gravel mountain roads in & out. They had no chance of seeing Mt. McKinley’s 20,320 proud feet either. We have seen so many animals so far on this trip that it was OK but it’s probably not something one would do twice.
I made a pot of stew for all of us to share as we planned our next days trek to Anchorage about 220 miles southwest.
We kept waking up all night the night of Thursday the 18th. It rained hard and it rained all night long. The guys were out in it hooking up the tow cars in the morning as it did not le up until around 11:00 AM. We were lucky because we were headed south and the storm was headed north so by the time we got to the little town of Talkeetna we had a beautiful day and even a lovely lunch outside. Takkeetna is a place that Bill says reminds him of Knott’s Berry Farm of about 30 years ago. It is really quaint with many historic buildings but its real claim to fame is many of the river float trips and Mt. McKinley Fly Tours originate there. It is located where three rivers merge together. Being 14 miles off the main highway we were very happy we stopped. Please see the pictures I continue to post on my Facebook page. You do not have to join Facebook to view the pictures, just look for Pam Dickey.
From Talkeetna it was 2 or so more hours to Anchorage. We were not really thinking ahead because we have made no reservations thus far on this voyage but we had spent 3 hours in Talkeetna. It was getting late. It was Friday night on Father’s Day Weekend & the Summer Solstice (A very Big Deal up here!). We had no reservation! I called ahead and got the last 2 big rig spots at the Golden Nugget RV Park. It was a so so park but come to find out ……They fed us dinner both Friday & Saturday so the $40+ per night was not so bad after all. Upon our arrival we find out that morning Bill Moorhead started to catch a cold. Well being the macho guy that would never admit to being (Talk to Linda!), he said he was fine and was happy to go and do what ever any of us wanted to do including sitting out in the 40 degree cold.
We spent 3 nights in Anchorage and on Saturday the 20th Billy & I were happy to be in a city and able to replenish our supplies at Wal-Mart, Costco & Fred Meyer, so that was our Saturday but Bill & Linda went off to visit some Iditarod Dogs. We did separately find time to do some sight seeing in downtown Anchorage at the open air market. It was wonderful. We had been to so many tourist events where they reinvent history for you that it was great to see how the real families, vendors & craftspeople spend their Saturday afternoon. We found every kind of carved birch item, Birch Syrup, Carved tusks & antlers, an unbelievable fur concession and lots of locally crafted jewelry. We even saw a woman who made area rugs, tots & purses plus sold her patterns out of trash bags & old cassette tapes! We had an amazing lunch of salmon Quesada’s. So YUMMIE we even got the recipe! This was a very good day.
On Sunday it got very cold all day, as cold as it ever gets in the desert in winter. It tried to rain on us but all it did was spoil our plans. We were headed up to Flat Top Mountain to get some pictures of the city but that was not to be. Instead we went downtown and took a trolley ride around the town. The driver had lived in the local area his whole life but from his jokes I gathered he has never been elsewhere. It was a nice tour but the best part was when he took us to the airport. It was unlike any airport you will ever see. Lakes, lakes and more lakes! Only a few planes were on the ground. We saw hundreds of floatplanes. We saw zero commercial airliners but he said it was the international airport but WOW. It was huge. It could have been one of his odd jokes. He did explain how dependant the entire state was on small planes as they have so few roads and the area is twice the state of Texas. As for learning something how about this; while talking with a shopkeeper we were told that last summer Anchorage only saw 3 or days of sunshine all summer long. I guess we should not complain. That would also explain why everyone seems to be in a party mood.
Well on we go it is Summer Solstice so we are out for the evening to a micro-brewery called Moose’s Tooth for Pizza. Linda say’s it is highly recommended. We would agree as we had a terrific pizza night!
Tomorrow June 22nd we again are on the road. This time it’s Seward only about 120 scenic miles south on the Keni peninsula.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
North is Really Really North......Fairbanks
Recorded June 17th 2009
Well there I went and did it! Here it is nearly a week later and I’m just now making my next post. Boy I hope it has not all turned to mud in my head.
Here goes……
Waiting for mail in Tok cost us a couple of days. I guess ‘Second Day Mail’, in Tok means 4 days. It really did not matter because the weather turned south and as we waited for the rain to stop the mail finally arrived on Saturday. So without TV and with only intermittent internet service we were finally able to make use of some of the 60+ DVD’s Brad sent along in this “one horse town”.
Finally on Sunday the 14th with our mail biz taken care of and the weather clear we left for Fairbanks to catch up with the Moorhead’s who left the day before Saturday.
We made a couple of stops along the 220 mile drive to the northern most destination of our trip. The first stop was at a local meat & sausage plant who packages up smoked elk, buffalo, yak and reindeer. We tried all the samples and made our purchases then were on our way. They really good! The first half of the road was very good compared to our last travel day. We have seen no animals since the Yukon Territory. The road was only OK on the second half but the vistas were beautiful. We were definitely in the permafrost zone as all the pine trees were short little things and as we learned in our prior trip these trees are very old but their route systems can only penetrate 3 feet before they hit the permafrost
Our next stop was also a tour bus spot & and a reminder of our Holland America tour of 2006. Rika’s Roadhouse is a National Historical Site today from the late 1800’s that was run 12 months a year by a woman who lived into her 90’s. It is located midway between Tok & Fairbanks on Hwy 2. The site grew into a major travel stop & river/ferry crossing during the first half of the 20th century. Today the highway crosses on a major bridge & pipeline. Dozens of documents are displayed in the original sod roof cabin. Many out building cover several acres along the river in a picturesque location. The main house was built in the 20’s. The whole stopover was a pleasant step back in time.
As we approached Fairbanks we blew right through the town of the North Pole without stopping. Because I promised Garrett that I would put in a good word for him when we got to the North Pole, I decided that a txt would do the trick. It did the trick as I got a response that they got my message!
We arrived in Fairbanks, in the early afternoon to the sunshine and a few clouds. Fairbanks is a completely different climate then (200 mi south) Tok or (400+ mi west) Anchorage. The summer temps are in the 70’s & even into the 90’s which is a good 20 degrees warmer in the summer then its neighbors. However, the winter temps are in the -20 to -40 average! They say that Fairbanks can have a 100 degree temperature range..
Our RV Park, The River’s Edge, was the nicest one yet. No dust, right on the river, beautiful trees, nestled in a nice location. If it were not for the mosquitoes, it would have been perfect. But there have been mosquitoes in EVERY cubic foot of air space so far …..So they can not count…..except to make Billy nuts.
We met up with Bill & Linda Moorhead and were treated to a wonderful home made spaghetti dinner. Linda went to a lot of trouble and Bill took all the credit, as usual. We made big plans for the local attractions the next day. I can’t say enough about the Moorhead’s as traveling companions. They are so good to put up with up.
On Monday June the15, we took off for the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour where we toured the mine, learned all about a large mining operation and got a feel for how many zillion dollars were mined out of Alaska in about 20 years. Oh yes the highlight…We panned for gold…. Like in 2006 we took home a few dollars worth. It was a lot more fun then you would think. There really is a technique to it. You really grow to understand the whole gold fever thing.
After a quick stop to let the dog out & sneak a snack we were off to the Discovery Sternwheeler Tour. Boy are we tourists today! Seriously ……This was a really good tour the 4 decker sternwheeler tour co. is owned by the Beasley family, the same family that operated it during the early 20th Century. They have become great concessionaires as they also own the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour and are refurbishing Gold Dredge #8 which Bill & I visited 3 years ago.
The Sternwheeler Tour included lots of events not just a boat ride. I particularly enjoy the homes on the river & I took lot of pictures. They had a bush pilot demonstration, take off & land. We watched a complete demonstration of sled dog operation. It was operated by Susan Boutcher and her husband Dave Monson before her death from leukemia 3 years ago at age 56. Dave gave us a complete run down on their training method including the puppies. He concluded with the dogs pulling him on his ATV around the dirt track. Those dogs really love to run and at 20 to 25 mph! Their reward was to take a dip in the ice cold river upon their return.
The Sternwheeler continued up the Chena River greeting famous locals along the banks. The views on all sides were really breathtaking for this Californian! The main stop was at an authentic Athabascan Fish Camp. We were taken through the history of the Athabascan Indians who populated this region for thousands of years. We were guided by several young Athabascan women who are working to preserve their heritage.
This was not the end of our day oh no, no, no! Linda, our in house tour director has the research ability of god. More history and dinner was in store for us. The Pump House Restaurant was just that, in the early 1900’s it pumped the river water 400’ up the hill forcing the gold rich earth out of the mine where the miners could get to it. Most all the original equipment is still there. It was w beautiful interesting building and we had a delicious meal.
This is a nuts place! It’s really hard to get over. After dinner in a typical evening at 8:00 PM it’s bright & sunny like 4:00 in the afternoon. You may get involved in some project and the next thing you know it is 11:00 PM. Kids are still boating/jet skiing on the river & folks are dog walking. On the Summer Soloists, next week, June 21st Fairbanks has a midnight baseball game. It starts at 10:30 PM under natural light!
Our last day, all 23 plus hours of daylight, in Fairbanks anyway, is starting at the University of Alaska Museum. As Linda discovered it is top rated nationally. It is becoming quite clear that we will arrive home knowing much more about all things Alaskan then anything in the lower 48 never mind California. This was an amazing museum. To think that the Indians and everything there survived thousands of these below zero winters is truly beyond me. I have never experienced zero degrees. I look around at these sweet people I just can not imagine. The most memorable were the two films first was The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), second was the Winter. The Northern Lights are very famous but are only visible in the winter. The movie explained the tremendous electrical charge that develops creating the vibrant waves of color. The Winter film really helped diagram /explain the long days & nights.
From the University Museum which set high on a hill where on a clear day over 200 miles away 20,000 foot high Mt. McKinley (Denali) is said to be visible, we left for the The Howling Dog Saloon. We had to check out this local hangout. It can only be described by a So. Californian girl as an Alaskan equivalent to Cook’s Corker in south Orange County. It had bras hanging from a chandelier and dollar bills with notes on them stapled all over the ceiling. It was definitely a tough bar wa’na’be. They say you might meet people from any walk of life there. The part we liked best was the life sized cardboard image of Hillary with an unflattering stash and several notations posted on her body. They also are having a Summer Soloists event called Foodstock. It’s a jam session for bands with the price of admission being canned goods. We have stopped at several of this style bar along the way most seem to favor baseball caps on the ceiling. I think I like this one the best, at least so far.
We ended this our final Fairbanks day at Pioneer Park where they have lots of old town buildings & park grounds but they also due up a huge all you can eat halibut fish fry + salmon bake + prime rib night…every night of the week!
Tomorrow will take us to Denali.
Well there I went and did it! Here it is nearly a week later and I’m just now making my next post. Boy I hope it has not all turned to mud in my head.
Here goes……
Waiting for mail in Tok cost us a couple of days. I guess ‘Second Day Mail’, in Tok means 4 days. It really did not matter because the weather turned south and as we waited for the rain to stop the mail finally arrived on Saturday. So without TV and with only intermittent internet service we were finally able to make use of some of the 60+ DVD’s Brad sent along in this “one horse town”.
Finally on Sunday the 14th with our mail biz taken care of and the weather clear we left for Fairbanks to catch up with the Moorhead’s who left the day before Saturday.
We made a couple of stops along the 220 mile drive to the northern most destination of our trip. The first stop was at a local meat & sausage plant who packages up smoked elk, buffalo, yak and reindeer. We tried all the samples and made our purchases then were on our way. They really good! The first half of the road was very good compared to our last travel day. We have seen no animals since the Yukon Territory. The road was only OK on the second half but the vistas were beautiful. We were definitely in the permafrost zone as all the pine trees were short little things and as we learned in our prior trip these trees are very old but their route systems can only penetrate 3 feet before they hit the permafrost
Our next stop was also a tour bus spot & and a reminder of our Holland America tour of 2006. Rika’s Roadhouse is a National Historical Site today from the late 1800’s that was run 12 months a year by a woman who lived into her 90’s. It is located midway between Tok & Fairbanks on Hwy 2. The site grew into a major travel stop & river/ferry crossing during the first half of the 20th century. Today the highway crosses on a major bridge & pipeline. Dozens of documents are displayed in the original sod roof cabin. Many out building cover several acres along the river in a picturesque location. The main house was built in the 20’s. The whole stopover was a pleasant step back in time.
As we approached Fairbanks we blew right through the town of the North Pole without stopping. Because I promised Garrett that I would put in a good word for him when we got to the North Pole, I decided that a txt would do the trick. It did the trick as I got a response that they got my message!
We arrived in Fairbanks, in the early afternoon to the sunshine and a few clouds. Fairbanks is a completely different climate then (200 mi south) Tok or (400+ mi west) Anchorage. The summer temps are in the 70’s & even into the 90’s which is a good 20 degrees warmer in the summer then its neighbors. However, the winter temps are in the -20 to -40 average! They say that Fairbanks can have a 100 degree temperature range..
Our RV Park, The River’s Edge, was the nicest one yet. No dust, right on the river, beautiful trees, nestled in a nice location. If it were not for the mosquitoes, it would have been perfect. But there have been mosquitoes in EVERY cubic foot of air space so far …..So they can not count…..except to make Billy nuts.
We met up with Bill & Linda Moorhead and were treated to a wonderful home made spaghetti dinner. Linda went to a lot of trouble and Bill took all the credit, as usual. We made big plans for the local attractions the next day. I can’t say enough about the Moorhead’s as traveling companions. They are so good to put up with up.
On Monday June the15, we took off for the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour where we toured the mine, learned all about a large mining operation and got a feel for how many zillion dollars were mined out of Alaska in about 20 years. Oh yes the highlight…We panned for gold…. Like in 2006 we took home a few dollars worth. It was a lot more fun then you would think. There really is a technique to it. You really grow to understand the whole gold fever thing.
After a quick stop to let the dog out & sneak a snack we were off to the Discovery Sternwheeler Tour. Boy are we tourists today! Seriously ……This was a really good tour the 4 decker sternwheeler tour co. is owned by the Beasley family, the same family that operated it during the early 20th Century. They have become great concessionaires as they also own the El Dorado Gold Mine Tour and are refurbishing Gold Dredge #8 which Bill & I visited 3 years ago.
The Sternwheeler Tour included lots of events not just a boat ride. I particularly enjoy the homes on the river & I took lot of pictures. They had a bush pilot demonstration, take off & land. We watched a complete demonstration of sled dog operation. It was operated by Susan Boutcher and her husband Dave Monson before her death from leukemia 3 years ago at age 56. Dave gave us a complete run down on their training method including the puppies. He concluded with the dogs pulling him on his ATV around the dirt track. Those dogs really love to run and at 20 to 25 mph! Their reward was to take a dip in the ice cold river upon their return.
The Sternwheeler continued up the Chena River greeting famous locals along the banks. The views on all sides were really breathtaking for this Californian! The main stop was at an authentic Athabascan Fish Camp. We were taken through the history of the Athabascan Indians who populated this region for thousands of years. We were guided by several young Athabascan women who are working to preserve their heritage.
This was not the end of our day oh no, no, no! Linda, our in house tour director has the research ability of god. More history and dinner was in store for us. The Pump House Restaurant was just that, in the early 1900’s it pumped the river water 400’ up the hill forcing the gold rich earth out of the mine where the miners could get to it. Most all the original equipment is still there. It was w beautiful interesting building and we had a delicious meal.
This is a nuts place! It’s really hard to get over. After dinner in a typical evening at 8:00 PM it’s bright & sunny like 4:00 in the afternoon. You may get involved in some project and the next thing you know it is 11:00 PM. Kids are still boating/jet skiing on the river & folks are dog walking. On the Summer Soloists, next week, June 21st Fairbanks has a midnight baseball game. It starts at 10:30 PM under natural light!
Our last day, all 23 plus hours of daylight, in Fairbanks anyway, is starting at the University of Alaska Museum. As Linda discovered it is top rated nationally. It is becoming quite clear that we will arrive home knowing much more about all things Alaskan then anything in the lower 48 never mind California. This was an amazing museum. To think that the Indians and everything there survived thousands of these below zero winters is truly beyond me. I have never experienced zero degrees. I look around at these sweet people I just can not imagine. The most memorable were the two films first was The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), second was the Winter. The Northern Lights are very famous but are only visible in the winter. The movie explained the tremendous electrical charge that develops creating the vibrant waves of color. The Winter film really helped diagram /explain the long days & nights.
From the University Museum which set high on a hill where on a clear day over 200 miles away 20,000 foot high Mt. McKinley (Denali) is said to be visible, we left for the The Howling Dog Saloon. We had to check out this local hangout. It can only be described by a So. Californian girl as an Alaskan equivalent to Cook’s Corker in south Orange County. It had bras hanging from a chandelier and dollar bills with notes on them stapled all over the ceiling. It was definitely a tough bar wa’na’be. They say you might meet people from any walk of life there. The part we liked best was the life sized cardboard image of Hillary with an unflattering stash and several notations posted on her body. They also are having a Summer Soloists event called Foodstock. It’s a jam session for bands with the price of admission being canned goods. We have stopped at several of this style bar along the way most seem to favor baseball caps on the ceiling. I think I like this one the best, at least so far.
We ended this our final Fairbanks day at Pioneer Park where they have lots of old town buildings & park grounds but they also due up a huge all you can eat halibut fish fry + salmon bake + prime rib night…every night of the week!
Tomorrow will take us to Denali.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Top of the World Highway to Tok, Alaska
9 Top of the World Highway to Tok, Alaska Recorded Thursday June 11th 2009
Recorded Thursday June 11th 2009
On Tuesday June the 9th we had a significant day for several reasons. It ended our 3rd week on this road trip and began our first day in Alaska. It was a couple of other firsts as well. It was the most hair raising and dirtiest to date as well!
Our original route north was to stay on the Alaskan Hwy to Tok, some 1,500 plus miles northwest to Fairbanks. We were going to avoid the longer more difficult route via Dawson City as we had been there 3 years earlier but after arriving at Whitehorse and having 2 days to rest Bill decided he was up for the Klondike Hwy to Dawson City and therefore the Top of the World (Taylor) Hwy to Tok. This is a much more scenic, interesting route as well as unpaved roads, washboards, heaves, potholes, a ferry across the Yukon and a general pain in the but. Billy said OK. I had my doubts but off we went. He lived to regret his choice! It was a rough day of driving and an hour wait for the tiny little ferry to cross the Yukon River in Dawson City but he somehow survived it in spite of his disagreeable nature, I somehow survived too!
As the ferry landed on the western side of the Yukon River a fox sat there to greet us as we drove off. He is known in the area as word had gotten around about his presence. Bill M. gave him ham which he ate out of his hand. As we bounced along the next 100 or so mostly unpaved miles I realized why they called this highway ‘The Top of The World”. It was quite amazing. Most of the time we were on the ridge line looking out on both sides. We could see for many miles in all directions the mountain ranges, hills and valleys. This went on and on. Poor Billy was stuck swerving and making the switchbacks while avoiding all the junk in the road but I was awestruck. There were some white knucklers with scary drop-offs and of course there were zero guard rails! He can be a real grouch!
About only 105 miles later we arrived in Chicken whose 21 summer residents operate all the concessions in this odd little place. With little water and generators for electricity, this community has gold rush history too. The original 1880’s town is still here (all 15 buildings) open for tours daily. The old dredge is here too. The marketing for a town in the middle of nowhere with the name Chicken is way over the top, as you can imagine, plus all the tour busses stop here. If you wonder how it might have gotten the name ‘CHICKEN’, well it seems that the founding fathers could not spell the name of the local bird the Ptarmigan so they named it Chicken. They love outhouses, lots of them. You can play tin can golf at the Chicken Creek Country Club and nearly every building looks like it should be torn down! It’s all for fun and exists at a perfect point 80 miles from Tok and 105 miles from Dawson City on the worst road we have ever traveled.
The journey from Chicken to Tok was only some better. While the road was about 2/3rds paved, the pavement was in need of repair with heaves and pot holes. We were experts at lousy roads by the time we got to Tok.
We were very excited to arrive in Tok. It is three weeks and we will get mail! Not that we expect anything of meaning but after traveling this far we are feeling a bit disconnected.
Tok is basically a crossroads on the map at the intersection of the Highway to Anchorage and the highway to Fairbanks. The absolute first thing we did was wash the coaches and tow cars. All were brown from the journey inside & out.
Tok has one of all the essential things except campgrounds; they have 6 and nail salons they have zero. There are lots of other things they do not have in Tok, like anything to do. I did not ask about dog groomers as we have not gotten to that yet. Necessities are expensive & scares. One gallon of bottled water was $2.05. The campground is great. It’s called Sourdough which is used a lot up here. It means native as opposed to Chichaco which is a newcomer or someone who has never spent a winter in Alaska. They do a pancake toss for a free breakfast. They make dinner, Reindeer chili, at night. It’s cool but throwing a little reindeer sausage should not make it Reindeer Chili. We tried to see the sights but there really aren’t any so we settled for a free lunch at the local power company at their customer appreciation day. We were served burgers, dogs, sides plus Ice cream cones & cake. We struck it rich in Tok with a free lunch! Bill M. was extra happy because there was a full demo of the Tok Volunteer Fire department so he got to spend yet another hour talking shop. It turns out that these volunteer folks are the only first responders for 100 miles in any direction. When an emergency happens they are on their own for up to 3 hours. Now I feel like we are really out there!
We will get our mail & be off to Fairbanks where there is a bit more civilization.
Recorded Thursday June 11th 2009
On Tuesday June the 9th we had a significant day for several reasons. It ended our 3rd week on this road trip and began our first day in Alaska. It was a couple of other firsts as well. It was the most hair raising and dirtiest to date as well!
Our original route north was to stay on the Alaskan Hwy to Tok, some 1,500 plus miles northwest to Fairbanks. We were going to avoid the longer more difficult route via Dawson City as we had been there 3 years earlier but after arriving at Whitehorse and having 2 days to rest Bill decided he was up for the Klondike Hwy to Dawson City and therefore the Top of the World (Taylor) Hwy to Tok. This is a much more scenic, interesting route as well as unpaved roads, washboards, heaves, potholes, a ferry across the Yukon and a general pain in the but. Billy said OK. I had my doubts but off we went. He lived to regret his choice! It was a rough day of driving and an hour wait for the tiny little ferry to cross the Yukon River in Dawson City but he somehow survived it in spite of his disagreeable nature, I somehow survived too!
As the ferry landed on the western side of the Yukon River a fox sat there to greet us as we drove off. He is known in the area as word had gotten around about his presence. Bill M. gave him ham which he ate out of his hand. As we bounced along the next 100 or so mostly unpaved miles I realized why they called this highway ‘The Top of The World”. It was quite amazing. Most of the time we were on the ridge line looking out on both sides. We could see for many miles in all directions the mountain ranges, hills and valleys. This went on and on. Poor Billy was stuck swerving and making the switchbacks while avoiding all the junk in the road but I was awestruck. There were some white knucklers with scary drop-offs and of course there were zero guard rails! He can be a real grouch!
About only 105 miles later we arrived in Chicken whose 21 summer residents operate all the concessions in this odd little place. With little water and generators for electricity, this community has gold rush history too. The original 1880’s town is still here (all 15 buildings) open for tours daily. The old dredge is here too. The marketing for a town in the middle of nowhere with the name Chicken is way over the top, as you can imagine, plus all the tour busses stop here. If you wonder how it might have gotten the name ‘CHICKEN’, well it seems that the founding fathers could not spell the name of the local bird the Ptarmigan so they named it Chicken. They love outhouses, lots of them. You can play tin can golf at the Chicken Creek Country Club and nearly every building looks like it should be torn down! It’s all for fun and exists at a perfect point 80 miles from Tok and 105 miles from Dawson City on the worst road we have ever traveled.
The journey from Chicken to Tok was only some better. While the road was about 2/3rds paved, the pavement was in need of repair with heaves and pot holes. We were experts at lousy roads by the time we got to Tok.
We were very excited to arrive in Tok. It is three weeks and we will get mail! Not that we expect anything of meaning but after traveling this far we are feeling a bit disconnected.
Tok is basically a crossroads on the map at the intersection of the Highway to Anchorage and the highway to Fairbanks. The absolute first thing we did was wash the coaches and tow cars. All were brown from the journey inside & out.
Tok has one of all the essential things except campgrounds; they have 6 and nail salons they have zero. There are lots of other things they do not have in Tok, like anything to do. I did not ask about dog groomers as we have not gotten to that yet. Necessities are expensive & scares. One gallon of bottled water was $2.05. The campground is great. It’s called Sourdough which is used a lot up here. It means native as opposed to Chichaco which is a newcomer or someone who has never spent a winter in Alaska. They do a pancake toss for a free breakfast. They make dinner, Reindeer chili, at night. It’s cool but throwing a little reindeer sausage should not make it Reindeer Chili. We tried to see the sights but there really aren’t any so we settled for a free lunch at the local power company at their customer appreciation day. We were served burgers, dogs, sides plus Ice cream cones & cake. We struck it rich in Tok with a free lunch! Bill M. was extra happy because there was a full demo of the Tok Volunteer Fire department so he got to spend yet another hour talking shop. It turns out that these volunteer folks are the only first responders for 100 miles in any direction. When an emergency happens they are on their own for up to 3 hours. Now I feel like we are really out there!
We will get our mail & be off to Fairbanks where there is a bit more civilization.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Alaskan Hwy - Part 2 - The Yukon Territory
The weather has been in the high 80’s but a change is coming. The folks on the news say the heat is causing a water shortage. It sounds like home! On June the 3rd we entered The Yukon Territory continuing on the Alaskan Highway. We stopped after leaving the “Rip-Off” Lake to have breakfast because the ad in our Milepost said that “A thousand truckers can’t be wrong!” It was a quaint and homey spot. We got acquainted with several of those truckers. A good morning.
Trees, trees and more trees plus some rolling hills, pine trees and many more lakes. This is just a magnificent trip. We headed to Watson Lake for the night. It is a tiny town near the junction of the 37 highway south which will be our route back to the USA in a few thousand miles & a couple months. Watson Lake does not even have a fast food restaurant but they do have what the call the Sign Forest. It seems that there is a tradition of bringing your hometown sign or street sign or license plate or whatever sigh and post it in this acre or two area of town. It is a fascinating little place.
We pulled into the High Country RV Park. It’s the nicest place we have seen in a week. Bill & I are doing without TV most of the time, so a little Television was welcome. We got to see what our president was saying about our country in Egypt. (We have only been gone 17 days!)
After completing mile 3,400 and seeing 10 …yes … ten BLACK BEARS in one day along the side of the road in 5 different sightings on Thursday June 4th we arrived in Whitehorse the capital of the Yukon Territory. We were very lucky to be there because there was a forest fire threatening the highway. It was closed the day before and we were escorted through the danger are where we saw flames bursting out on the trees as we drove by. We heard later that the highway was again closed by the end of that day.
On Friday Billy was in need of a day of rest. The Moorhead’s are used to a quicker pace then we are. So the guy’s played golf and the gal’s caught up on what ever. Everything grows like crazy up here, even the grass. Bill said the golf course was like a pasture. The growing season is short being only 4 months without snow, but there is nearly 24 hours a day of sun. This is another interesting thing we are trying to get used to. Every single night we look at the clock and its 9 or 10 or 11 PM and it looks like 5:00 in the afternoon! It does not get dark this far north. It’s the first week of June and it’s twilight all night long. It's hard to go to sleep!
Dinner out Friday night included Musk Ox Stroganoff & Bison Steak on the menu. I had Halibut! Welcome to Whitehorse 37,000 population and that is 60% of the entire Yukon Territory!
Saturday brought us fewer mosquitoes because the wind came up a little. Oh I forgot to mention mosquitoes? Yes there are lots of mosquitoes everywhere we stop. You get to where you really just ignore them. I can not believe I’m saying that. I HATE MOSQUITOES!!! We spray all the stuff. But we all have the bites.
We visited the Klondike flat bottom paddlewheel boat, or Sternwheeler, as they were called from the 1920's. We enjoyed a wonderful historical tour of how gold & silver ore plus all goods and people too moved along the rivers.
About a third of the RV Parks so far have Wi-Fi but you only sometimes get it in your coach. So I find myself communing with nature at a picnic table and a few mosquitoes. I must be the lucky one because I only have three bites so far.
Today, Sunday the 6th of June, we left the Alaskan Hwy and head north on Highway 2/The Klondike Hwy to Dawson City. Now a few days rest!
There are so many folks up here just like us! When we leave here it's the top of the world Hwy to Chicken. These are places we have seen on our Holland Am.Tour 3 years ago but what a blast!
Alaska here we come.......Maybe 2 or 3 more days to Tok our first Alaskan stop!
Trees, trees and more trees plus some rolling hills, pine trees and many more lakes. This is just a magnificent trip. We headed to Watson Lake for the night. It is a tiny town near the junction of the 37 highway south which will be our route back to the USA in a few thousand miles & a couple months. Watson Lake does not even have a fast food restaurant but they do have what the call the Sign Forest. It seems that there is a tradition of bringing your hometown sign or street sign or license plate or whatever sigh and post it in this acre or two area of town. It is a fascinating little place.
We pulled into the High Country RV Park. It’s the nicest place we have seen in a week. Bill & I are doing without TV most of the time, so a little Television was welcome. We got to see what our president was saying about our country in Egypt. (We have only been gone 17 days!)
After completing mile 3,400 and seeing 10 …yes … ten BLACK BEARS in one day along the side of the road in 5 different sightings on Thursday June 4th we arrived in Whitehorse the capital of the Yukon Territory. We were very lucky to be there because there was a forest fire threatening the highway. It was closed the day before and we were escorted through the danger are where we saw flames bursting out on the trees as we drove by. We heard later that the highway was again closed by the end of that day.
On Friday Billy was in need of a day of rest. The Moorhead’s are used to a quicker pace then we are. So the guy’s played golf and the gal’s caught up on what ever. Everything grows like crazy up here, even the grass. Bill said the golf course was like a pasture. The growing season is short being only 4 months without snow, but there is nearly 24 hours a day of sun. This is another interesting thing we are trying to get used to. Every single night we look at the clock and its 9 or 10 or 11 PM and it looks like 5:00 in the afternoon! It does not get dark this far north. It’s the first week of June and it’s twilight all night long. It's hard to go to sleep!
Dinner out Friday night included Musk Ox Stroganoff & Bison Steak on the menu. I had Halibut! Welcome to Whitehorse 37,000 population and that is 60% of the entire Yukon Territory!
Saturday brought us fewer mosquitoes because the wind came up a little. Oh I forgot to mention mosquitoes? Yes there are lots of mosquitoes everywhere we stop. You get to where you really just ignore them. I can not believe I’m saying that. I HATE MOSQUITOES!!! We spray all the stuff. But we all have the bites.
We visited the Klondike flat bottom paddlewheel boat, or Sternwheeler, as they were called from the 1920's. We enjoyed a wonderful historical tour of how gold & silver ore plus all goods and people too moved along the rivers.
About a third of the RV Parks so far have Wi-Fi but you only sometimes get it in your coach. So I find myself communing with nature at a picnic table and a few mosquitoes. I must be the lucky one because I only have three bites so far.
Today, Sunday the 6th of June, we left the Alaskan Hwy and head north on Highway 2/The Klondike Hwy to Dawson City. Now a few days rest!
There are so many folks up here just like us! When we leave here it's the top of the world Hwy to Chicken. These are places we have seen on our Holland Am.Tour 3 years ago but what a blast!
Alaska here we come.......Maybe 2 or 3 more days to Tok our first Alaskan stop!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Alaskan Highway…….Part 1
Recorded June 2, 2009
We left Dawson Creek by mid day on Monday June 1st headed for a fuel stop at the Shepard’s Inn who boasts the best bakery items around. We bought the fuel & passed on the baked goods then were on our way. We paid $.82 per ltr this time which was about average for our trip so far. In Calgary it was $.90 and we have paid as little as $.73. Oh yes this calculates to $2.81 to $3.46 per gallon of diesel. As far as the exchange rate from U S Dollars to Canadian Dollars, well we are loosing. Before we left the exchange was 1.29 American to 1.00 Canadian. Now it is getting closer to even again.
Having the high part of our day over, or so we though, we settled in for some driving. The big decision was where to spend the night. We went for economy this time and were pleasantly surprised with the Sikinni River Campground. There was not much there but they took our 425 cash and just like their ad said Bill & Linda got a nock on their door and their $25 back! You see if the have more then 15 campers for any one night, they have a drawing for a full refund. The Moorhead’s were the big winners!
That was not the best part. The weather had returned to shirtsleeve perfect and remember, the days are getting longer & longer. It stays light now until about 11:00 PM, so we made a cook out! The Sikinni River Campground, though not much to it, sits at the bottom of a long 6% to 9% grade on both sides. It is a picture perfect little spot. We were next to a raised area where we made a fire and cooked smoked sausage over it & sumoue’s. An end to one of our best days yet!
Highway 97 better known to us now as the Alaska Highway continues northwest through really glorious country where there are very few people & towns or even outposts and most of the ones that do crop up over the years, fail. Tuesday brought us a difficult day for a few reasons. First the driving was tough the road was patchy most of the way. There were no real stops to break up the day for the guys and our destination for the night ended up being the story for the day.
We stop at about 4:00 PM on June 2nd and in need of fuel. The Northern Rockies Lodge fit the bill and it sits right on the most beautiful lake in the world ….so they say. The bad news started when we fueled up. The $1.69 per liter came out to $6.50 per gallon. Highway robbery! It set a bad flavor for the rest of the day. The lodge was great, with floatplane fly-in fishing etc. just extremely expensive. They definitely do not want to become a statistic.
It ended up being a lovely warm day so Lindsey & I took an extra long evening & morning walk. Muncho Lake really was beautiful & we were lucky to see the ice break up. The evening we arrived it was icy and the next morning the ice was gone. The floatplane folks whipped around in their speed boat to help it along however.
Next stop Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory.
We left Dawson Creek by mid day on Monday June 1st headed for a fuel stop at the Shepard’s Inn who boasts the best bakery items around. We bought the fuel & passed on the baked goods then were on our way. We paid $.82 per ltr this time which was about average for our trip so far. In Calgary it was $.90 and we have paid as little as $.73. Oh yes this calculates to $2.81 to $3.46 per gallon of diesel. As far as the exchange rate from U S Dollars to Canadian Dollars, well we are loosing. Before we left the exchange was 1.29 American to 1.00 Canadian. Now it is getting closer to even again.
Having the high part of our day over, or so we though, we settled in for some driving. The big decision was where to spend the night. We went for economy this time and were pleasantly surprised with the Sikinni River Campground. There was not much there but they took our 425 cash and just like their ad said Bill & Linda got a nock on their door and their $25 back! You see if the have more then 15 campers for any one night, they have a drawing for a full refund. The Moorhead’s were the big winners!
That was not the best part. The weather had returned to shirtsleeve perfect and remember, the days are getting longer & longer. It stays light now until about 11:00 PM, so we made a cook out! The Sikinni River Campground, though not much to it, sits at the bottom of a long 6% to 9% grade on both sides. It is a picture perfect little spot. We were next to a raised area where we made a fire and cooked smoked sausage over it & sumoue’s. An end to one of our best days yet!
Highway 97 better known to us now as the Alaska Highway continues northwest through really glorious country where there are very few people & towns or even outposts and most of the ones that do crop up over the years, fail. Tuesday brought us a difficult day for a few reasons. First the driving was tough the road was patchy most of the way. There were no real stops to break up the day for the guys and our destination for the night ended up being the story for the day.
We stop at about 4:00 PM on June 2nd and in need of fuel. The Northern Rockies Lodge fit the bill and it sits right on the most beautiful lake in the world ….so they say. The bad news started when we fueled up. The $1.69 per liter came out to $6.50 per gallon. Highway robbery! It set a bad flavor for the rest of the day. The lodge was great, with floatplane fly-in fishing etc. just extremely expensive. They definitely do not want to become a statistic.
It ended up being a lovely warm day so Lindsey & I took an extra long evening & morning walk. Muncho Lake really was beautiful & we were lucky to see the ice break up. The evening we arrived it was icy and the next morning the ice was gone. The floatplane folks whipped around in their speed boat to help it along however.
Next stop Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory.
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