Day 36-37 - July 20-21 Yale BC -Bellingham WA - Salem Or

Days 36-37 - July 20-21 Yale BC - Bellingham WA - Salem OR

The final day in BC was as beautiful as all the others, even though we moved from the great pine forest of our campground through the borders cities and into Bellingham WA. 

We arrived at Chris' cousins home in the early afternoon, and had a wonderful time visiting and catching up on all the family news. Then the four of us went to dinner at Scotty Brown's restaurant. A wonderful eatery with lots of very, very good food. Our socializing continued thoughout our dinner, and then at Ginger's and Carl's beautiful home around a campfire. Keith and Carl spent the time around the campfire trying to "up" one-another with childhood and young adult stories of their typical boy mishaps. Ginger and I spent the time awed at how "boring" our growing up days were. 

A much needed good night's rest brought us to this morning nicely refreshed and ready to be on the road again. First, we attended Mass at Assumption Church, which was an older church, but about the size of a mini-cathedral:  high vaulted ceilings, lots of stained glass

windows and murals throughout, and yet, renovated to have the seating in the round about the altar, and a very modern baptistry large enough to accommodate adult immersion baptisms.

As we are on the road at the time of this writing, we are looking forward to another great time visiting with Chris' cousins, Mark and Terry, in Salem OR.  On the way down through WA we spied Mt. Rainier and Mt St Helen's, both fully covered with snow and majestic on the horizon. (Pictures from the freeway were difficult to get - traffic was oppressive.)

Day 42 - July 26 - Yellowstone to Buffalo Bill State Park WY

Day 42 - July 26 - Yellowstone to Buffalo Bill State Park WY

Today we travelled both loops of the Yellowstone Park. We started with the lower loop and saw Old Faithful. We arrived about 10 minutes before the display, and WHAT A DISPLAY!! It shot water and steam about one hundred feet into the air for about 2 to 3 minutes. We then wandered through the gift shop and then headed down the highway for more sights. A young moose crossed our path, and lots and lots of trees and rocks, and Yellowstone Lake - all very pretty. Couldn't believe that we only saw one animal on the lower loop.

Then we headed for the upper loop and saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - a spectacular canyon of red, white, yellow, and brown mineral rocks. The canyon was approximately three thousand feet deep, ending in a river of teal blues with frothing rapids. The river sourced from a 1500 foot waterfall that crashed to the canyon floor with magnificent beauty. This description does not begin to do justice to the beauty of the area. You must see it to believe it.

Moving along the upper loop we came upon 3 buffalos wallowing in the dirt off the side of the road. We were tickled to finally begin seeing more animals. Then we eased on up the road. The scenery changed from a forested ride, to a gigantic meadow on both side of the road, with a small river that coursed through it. The traffic came to a dead halt. Crawling forward we discovered there were approximately two the three hundred grazing buffalo, that were trying to cross the road. A ranger was directing traffic and simultaneously trying to keep the buffalo from crossing the road until the cars were cleared. Oh, the awesomeness of it all. Just like scenes from "Dances with Wolves", Tatonka was on the move. 

From mountain heights we then saw great expanses of Yellowstone's vast beauty. Winding up and down, rounding curves, with 1000 foot drops, I thought Chris would forever walk with a 30 degree tilt from leaning away from the window and the drop-offs. (Yes, she's afraid of heights.)

By late afternoon, we had covered both loops and were ready to move along to our evening site. We covered about 100 miles, and saw a grizzly climbing a mountain going almost straight up. Mountain goats haven't got a thing on him. He had a lovely half blond half brown coat, and was of massive size. Thank goodness he was separated from us by a river with a steep bank on both sides. 

Keith says he's not afraid of bears, but he picked a campsite a further 10 miles down the road, just in case. Our campsite, Buffalo Bill State Park, was in the most dramatic setting: a large valley between sheer-face mountains and an impressive river/reservoir. Ah, the majesty of God's work never ceases to amaze.

Day 41 - July 25 - Craters of the Moon ID to Yellowstone WY

Day 41 - July 25 - Craters of the Moon ID - Yellowstone WY

The day started early at the Craters so we could see as much as we wanted and still leave time to move towards WY.

After we de-camped, we started exploring the designated sites on the eleven-mile loop around a small portion of the lava fields. We visited the "Devil's Garden", which was a walk around a natural site that contained a large variety of trees, brush, and wild flowers. All of which were growing happily within the lava & sand. It was a beautiful, quiet walk, where we found lots of small animals scurrying through the underbrush. One small chipmunk was kind enough to pose for pictures for several minutes. We also saw tracks from larger animals like deer and rabbits. There are even tracks in the concrete walks were animals scooted across while it was wet.

We also climbed up to the tops of various kinds of small volcano cones and looked down their throats, one of which had a small patch of snow at the bottom and was affectionately called "Snow Cone." Another walk covered a tour of different types of lava flows and how to recognize them:  Pahoyhoy & Ah Ah. Seems that lava flows have Hawaiian names.  

Most interesting to learn was that early wagon trains travelled over portions of the lava fields following Indian trails. And, if you could see the landscape, you say, NO WAY. This area is covered with giant bolders and big rocks.

Trivia FYI: the last series of volcanos to have been active were the ones at Yellowstone. And, they are expected to erupt again any time in the next 100,000 years. When they do, it'll be devastating for the entire North American continent.  

After browsing the gift shop and dioramas of the animals to be found in the Craters, we headed out for Yellowstone. We arrived near West Yellowstone in the early evening and set up camp at the Lionheads RV Park. 

Day 40 - July 24 - Burns OR to Craters of the Moon ID

Day 40 - July 24 - Burns OR - Craters of the Moon ID

What a delightful surprise. I never expected that the lush forests and fields of western OR would become a high mountain desert on the eastern half of the state. But there we were surrounded with sand, sage, and scrub pines as far as the eye could see. There were mountains and rolling hills and not much else. There was no populace until we got close to the Oregan/Idaho border, when a couple of small towns whizzed by. 

The desert continued into Idaho, but the closer we ventured towards the eastern side of the state we came upon the most unique of sightseeing stops:  Craters of the Moon National Preserve. This area is HUGE and is the most incredible site. 5,000,000, 3,000,000 and 650,000 years ago a series of volcanos along the Snake River in southern Idaho began exploding. The earliest ones started on the western side of the state, and new ones continued to erupt creating a crescent shaped series of calderas, and the latest ones created an area about 80 square miles that is covered with lava rock. Earliest explorers of this area said it reminded them of the surface of the moon. Of course, it is now known that the moon doesn't look anything like it, but the name stuck.

We opted to camp overnight at the Craters, lounging on lava rock. (Try driving tent stakes into lava!) It was "interesting" to say the least. We weren't close to any railroads, so no trains went by. We were far enough from the highway not to hear the traffic. So we snuggled down to a peaceful night's sleep in a brilliantly moon-lit night. When suddenly, two jets streaked across the sky at a very low level directly above us - not together, but at about a 10 second interval. That startled me enough to propel me right out of bed and out of the tent to see what was going on. Near as we could figure, pilots from the nearby airbase were doing some night maneuvers. Fortunately, they took their fun elsewhere out of earshot for the rest of the night.

We're planning on spending most of tomorrow here at the Craters taking a driving tour around the preserve.

Day 39 - July 23 - LaPine -  Burns OR

After another good and restful night's sleep, we awoke to a day full of promises. The weather was cool, but promised to get really warm. The sky was clear and promised to say that way all day. Aunt Margaret needed help with a few things, and we promised to help her.

First, Keith de-installed and installed a full length mirror from Margaret's 5th-wheel to her bedroom door in the house. No big deal, except the mirror was old and insisted on falling apart. With a bit of ingenuity, we jury-rigged it together and got it on the door before it came apart again.

Then Aunt Margaret mentioned how she bought some "tapes" from a TV info-mercial, but had second thoughts a couple days later, tried to cancel the order and was told she could not do that. The order arrived and she had no idea what a CD is or how to play them. We worked with her and the customer service rep and got the CD's returned with all charges (except S&H) credited. Allowing for her age (93), we made no judgments, but cautioned her about buying stuff off the TV. She said, lessoned learned, and promised not to do that again.

After returning the CD's via the post office, she took us out to lunch and then fed us ice cream and cookies at home. We were then on our way, about 2:30 PM, going back through Bend and then east on Route 20. 

No sooner did we leave Bend than the landscape changed. We went from high desert, scrub pines, sagebrush, and sand, to no trees, only sagebrush, sand, flat land or rolling hills with mountains surrounding the horizon. We love the desert, and this was certainly a lovely one. I'd never expected to find eastern OR to have such a magnificently large desert. There was some agriculture - mostly raising hay and cattle. And, to Keith's delight, leisurely eating the hay were small herds of antelope. 

With Keith's permission I repeat two faux-pas he made today. Both occurred at the same rest stop. In great need of personal relief, we alighted from the car and dashed to the appropriate facilities. As I was finishing up my phone rang; it was Keith calling from his "necessary" and he was without TP paper. I rolled out a sufficient amount and delivered it to him. He appeared shortly thereafter, mildly embarrassed, and we returned to Einstein and back out onto the highway. I admit, the navigator didn't pay attention to his entry onto the highway, and about five minutes into the trip I said, we're going in the wrong direction. I knew this because the sun had been to our back, and now it was shining through the front window. We checked the mileage markers, and sure enough, in his embarrassment over the first faux-pas he had dashed out going west instead of east. (This is not the first time in our married life that he's performed this trick. The most memorable was when we were very young. I'd been driving; we changed places and I laid down to sleep in the back seat. He drove off in the wrong direction for 30 minutes before he discovered it. There are others, but I will save them for another occasion.)

Tonight we are are Burns' RV Park in Burns OR. We've another 1/2 days ride before we venture into Idaho, sometime tomorrow. The sunset is spectacular over the desert tonight. Harbinger of another hot day tomorrow.

Days 35-36 - July 18&19 Chenwyth to Yale BC

Days 35-36 - July 18 & 19 Chenwyth to Yale BC

We have passed two days of lovely, peaceful driving. There were no particular sites to venture off to, but the scenery was ever-changing, always interesting, and three Big Horn sheep made for an exciting moment or two.

The terrain moved between rolling hills to mountains, and farms and ranches laced with running streams and placid lakes and rivers. The road was a winding, twisting adventure of mountain valleys and 10% ascending and descending grades with sheer drop-offs often ending more than 1000 feet below. We watched freight trains wind along the river's edge. We passed through pine forested landscapes, fertile farmlands, and for a short while, through a high mountain desert of sagebrush, sand, and lots of rocks. 

One curve led us to two Big Horn's grazing on the road's edge, one side of which was a sheer rock face of about 300 feet, and the road dropped on the other side about 1000 feet. 

On July 18 we stayed at Cariboo Place Campsite in Quesnel BC. A beautifully kept 32 acre home and campsite. Fully developed with green lawns and lots of trees, and one of the more pleasant places we overnighted. The entire site is for sale, including a 4-bedroom, two-story home, 5 outbuildings, and the entire RV & tent park, with lots of gardens (both flowers and veggies) and a greenhouse. It's a steal at $425K.

Last night, July 19, we stayed at Emory Creek Campground between Yale and Hope BC. What a fantastic site. The big redwoods (some 3' in diameter and 100' high) were the largest pines we'd seen yet. A local camper said they grow bigger in southern BC because of the better weather. The farther north one travels, nothing grows this large. The campsite was like being in a rainforest, minus the rain. 

Today (July 20) we will cross into the lower 48, and visit with Chris' cousin (Ginger Pope) who lives in Bellingham WA. Should be there around noon today. 

Day 34 - July 17 Ft Nelson to Chenwyth BC

Day 34 - July 17 Ft Nelson to Chenwyth BC

We have had a peaceful, sunny, warm day moving south through BC. The scenery was luscious greens of the grasses and pine/deciduous trees, and wide open skies. We passed through undulating hills, and up and down mountain passes. Keith and Einstein toiled as one, occasionally taking on the personna of a race car and driver at Le Mans. (I occasionally "white knuckled" some of those precipitous 10 degree ascents and decants. No exaggeration - 10 degrees.) It was a lovely day to travel, and the surroundings made it even more so.

This evening we are tucked away in the Pomeroy Inns and Suites at Chenwyth where the guests were treated to a pizza dinner by the management. We have enjoyed a nice, hot shower, and are now luxuriating in a real bed. We may sleep long into the morning. Keith is exhausted from the long drives. And me, well, my bum's tired of sitting for long stretches. And, I'm enjoying sitting still, instead of feeling the constant movement of the car.

Einstein has performed wonderfully. What can I say. He's got Mercedes genetics!

(No pictures of consequence.)

Day 33 - Jul 16 Watson Lake to Ft Nelson BC

Day 33 - July 16 Watson Lake to Ft Nelson BC


A brilliant sunny morning progressed to a brilliant sunny afternoon, about 81degrees. Over this day we have seen more animals than we've seen on all the other days thus far:  45 Buffalo (of all ages; some alone; the majority in two separate herds at the roadside); 2 black bears (300 lbs; & 150 lbs); 14 mountain goats; 4 Stone sheep; 1 young caribou (molting); 1 moose (playing in a large pond); 1 ground hog; and, after the flocks & flocks & flocks of ravens in AK, we've seen 1 today.

Buffalo mother & baby laying on the side of the road. 

Buffalos - lunch at the roadside diner.

Hey, girl! Don't look at my coat. Check out my shoes!!!

Moose - bottom feeding a pond

Stone Sheep - eight of these were in the middle of
the road.

Mountain Goat Kid

300 lb Black Bear

Again, the scenery was all new even though we'd visited it before from the opposite direction. Tonight we are camped in Ft. Nelson BC, and tomorrow we turn due south through BC on our way to the lower 48. We will pass through all new territory, and we are looking forward to see what the southern part of BC has to offer.

What a day!

Day 32 - Jul 15 Carcross YK to Watson Lake BC

Day 32 - Jul 15 - Carcross YK to Watson Lake BC

Last night we camped in a government site which was primitive. Any of you who worried that we'd be camping in the wilderness and I assured you we wouldn't be - well, I was wrong. There were only about five people in the entire campground. Although our site was close to a main road, trust me, this was a cedar swamp-like wilderness. We slept with the bear spray, and I kept the camera close just in case there was an altercation during the night. Fortunately, our sleep was undisturbed. This morning, while we ate breakfast, a female moose and her twins crossed the road right near our campsite. I quickly grabbed the camera and got a picture of the twins. 

We're still looking for the elusive bears.

Overall, the day was uneventful, if you call outstanding scenery uneventful. Even though we've seen this road going in the other direction, still it looks different from this perspective. It is interesting to watch the landscape change. Going south and east, we have progressed from the stately majestic rocky mountains with sharply defined peaks and ridges to the shorter more rounded mountain formations of the YK and BC boarder. 

We went as far as Watson Lake and spent the night in an RV park. Since we are tenters, RV parks often reserve the most out-of-the-way spaces for our likes. This particular site was not happy to rent us as space, but was willing to do so as long as we listened to his list of reasons why he did not like renting to tenters. But we wanted his shower facilities and were willing to overlook his attitude. We were thankful that his "out of the way" spot was grassy, albeit treeless. 

Day 31 - July 14 Haines, Skaguay, Carcross (YK)

Day 31 - July 14 Haines, Skagway, Carcross

We went for another look for bears before we left Haines. No joy. Then we boarded the ferry for Skagway which was a pleasant 1 hour float up the inlet. Einstein was very excited about his first boat ride. He trembled with excitement as we boarded, but soon was disappointed because he was confined to the hold below deck. Meanwhile, we enjoyed ourselves in the open air at the front of the ferry for the majority of the journey. We saw another humpback whale blow, surface, and then retreat back into the water.

Skagway AK; cruise ships stop there 3-4 times each week.
We were told Princess Cruises has a financial interest
in the town and its various tours. 

The town of Skagway is cute, like a Disney reproduction. Two intersecting streets make up the main part of town. Lots and lots of shops where we could  spend money. But that was it. We really weren't particularly impressed with the town or the people, so we decided to skeedaddle on our way and head for Whitehorse YK. 

We didn't make it to Whitehorse this evening. There was so much scenery that begged for our attention and posed for photos that the journey was longer that we expected as we stopped to capture large and small mountain lakes and streams of various hues of blues and green. The mountains seemed higher, the colors even more vibrant than what we'd already seen over the last month. And, as the Canadian border guard told us, we'd pass five (5) different types of terrain on our way to Whitehorse. Incedible!!

Of the five types of terrain, we definitely recognized three: arctic tundra, boreal forests, and high desert/sand dunes.  And of course, in all of this, mountains, mountains, mountains.

Carcross YK - portion of main street

We decided to stop in Carcross YK for the night. A little speck of a place, which belongs to the Tagish Indians, and which is remaking itself as a tourist stop for the train from Skagway to White Mountain (a gold prospecting town) and the bus tours from the cruise lines that stop in Skagway. Population at Carcross is about 350, mostly Indians and weekenders from Skagway. We took a walking tour of the town, saw two dozen log cabins and homes from the early 1900's, and learned a little of the history in the process. A number of the current shop owners are European: French, Swiss, and German. Not sure how that came about.

Day 30 & 31 - July 13 & 14 Haines

Day 30/31 - July 13 & 14 - Haines

Sea Wolf Gallery
Original works of Tlingit Indian artist.

Today began with a visit to a local art gallery of Tlinget Art. Tlinget is one of the local Indian tribes in the area. Such beautiful work. We spent a long time talking to the artist about his work and the materials he used. He makes totem poles, fine art, jewelry, and wood carvings. All materials are native to the region.

Next, we stopped at Inside Passage Quliting. This store specializes in Alaska fabrics that are primarily found only in Alsaka. Many of the patterns are designed by Alaskans. Fabulous designs, colors, and quilt designs. A visual feast.  

We had bear-rittos for lunch at The Bear Den. Yummy! Would recommend this place to anyone who visits Haines. It's near the waterfront downtown.

Sherman Museum and Cultural Center was our next stop, across the street from the restaurant. This museum contained a large collection of artifacts from the early days of Haines' inception, including a number of military items from the original fort, as well as items from the various Indian tribes.

There's always a need to have clean clothes. Laundry was on the agenda. Nuff said.

Fr Perry blesses Einstein for
the continuation of our journey ahead.

We went to Saturday night Mass at Sacred Heart Church. The church probably held 100 people - about 30-50 were actually there; it was a service without music or singing. Fr. Perry, the celebrant, had all the visitors introduce themselves. And after Mass, he blessed all of us who were traveling and our vehicles.

Dinner was at Big Al's Fish & Chips. Deep fried Salmon and Halibut with fries. A real treat!

Then for the next few hours we went "Driving for Bear" up the Lutak Inlet above Haines on the northeast coast. A beautiful body of water, spectacular mountains, and a peaceful dive. The locals said the salmon were running. We didn't see any bear, but we did spy several eagles, a variety of duck we did not recognize, the usual ravens abundant in this area, and lots of fishermen and campers. But no salmon.

Tomorrow Einstein goes aquatic: his first boat ride.

Day 29 - Jul 12 Tok to Haines

Day 29 - Jul 12 Tok to Haines

It's a treat to "go backwards", so to speak, and see the same scenery in reverse. Keith and I commented many times to each other that we didn't remember seeing all these same sites before, even tho we did pass this way a few weeks ago. The road seemed rougher, the construction sites longer, but the scenery more beautiful. 

We ventured all the way to Haines - what a charming hamlet on the water. Because we travelled further that expected, we arrived later in the evening. So we are set up and now ready for bed - if we can get our fellow campers to knock off for the night. It's right out of something called "Wild Alaska", the arguing, name calling, and general discontent. Picture reality TV with a bunch of drunks and you've got a good idea of what's playing out next door to our campsite. Including an episode of the cops bringing mom, baby and grandpa to the campsite.

Oh well . . . every now and then we should have a little humor. 

Day 28 - Jul 11 Valdez to Tok

Day 28 - Jul 11 Valdez to Tok

Bridal Veil Falls
Wrangle-St Elias National Park

This morning we woke to the first totally blue-sky morning we've seen since we arrived in AK. What a surprise to see all those beautiful mountains without their white shrouds. After breakfast, we packed up and moved on going north to Tok. We travelled again those beautiful highways with the ever-chaging scenery. Even though we travelled half of today's distance yesterday, it was coming at it us from the opposite direction and took on a familiar but different perspective. This state has the most incredible scenery - the best we've seen anywhere on any of our other journeys. If you like to bike, walk, hike, swim, hunt, fish, fly, prospect, camp, you name it, this state has it in the extreme.

Damn! Dishpan hands!

Is this real?

On our way by Tiekle River, we stopped at a diner where we'd stopped yesterday. Keith had made plans for the proprietor to show him how to pan for gold. The guy had a set-up on his property where he'd pan as a hobby. So Keith spent about an hour sloshing rocks and muddy water in a miner's pan. He's always wanted to try panning (bucket list again), and here was the opportunity. We don't think the real '49ers used plastic panning equipment. Maybe that was his downfall. Suffice to say we're still counting on Social Security to carry us through our old age.     

On our way out of Vadez, we stopped at a local cemetery looking for anything interesting. Here's a few headstones that made us laugh.

We are "en-camped" at Tok this evening, and will move on to Haines Junction in BC tomorrow. We will be retracing our drive on the Alaska Highway, with a detour to Haines and Skagway on Sat & Sun this weekend. We have some very interesting exploits planned.

Day 27 - July 10 - Glennellen to Valdez

Day 27 - Jul 10 - Glennellen to Valdez

We left our B&B about 9 AM and headed south through the western edge of the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park - our nation's largest national park. It is hard to imagine that we would see any scenery more magnificent that what Alaska has already provided for us, but that was a misconception. By far this corner of the state is the prettiest, most majestic and awe-inspiring.



At almost every bend in the road the lush forest and stately elegance of the mountains never ceases to amaze us. These mountain majesties are taller here and grew taller as the day progressed. We moved from boreal forests dense with tall pines, poplars and birches, to the shorter forests of the tundra. And the expanse of green velvet plush carpeting up the mountainsides was immense. And the glaciers! Everywhere! We had the opportunity to stop and see the Worthington Glacier at Thompson Pass (the highest point on our travels today). We had no idea of the immensity of the glacier until we had the opportunity to look through a spotting scope and could see the pinpoints (people) climbing the glacier.







Then came Valdez - a small hamlet of about 4100 people on the western short of Prince William Sound, which is surrounded by these magnificent, immense purple mountain majesties. We did a driving tour of the Sound and spotted four eagles, two eaglets, a few unrecognized species of birds (to be researched later), and lots of seagulls.

For dinner we tasted the local seafood cuisine which consisted of a skewer of shrimp, salmon, halibut, and scallops, along with a side-dish of garlic sautéed fresh garden vegetables, and red potatoes. Very tasty. 

Shortly, we may go bear spotting, as the locals tell us there are a number to be seen. (It's a bucket list item for Keith).