Side trip to Skagway, Alaska

This definitely was a worthwhile side trip!

We started out around 11:00 AM under wonderfully sunny skies and about 45 minutes later stopped at the tiny town of Carcross, Yukon. Most of the residents are First Nation people (indigenous) and the visitor’s center suggested a pamphlet guided walking tour. They also loaned us the key to the Catholic Church for a self guided tour. It was very quaint with a beautiful stained glass window behind the altar. We wandered around the town and visited the general store for a freshly made waffle cone. Actually, it was the aroma of that waffle cone that drew me into the store.

We left Carcross and continued down Yukon route #2 which follows a valley and river between two spectacular mountain ranges. Nothing but miles and miles of miles and miles!!

As we were driving I remembered that Skagway was in Alaska and we would need our birth certificates to re-enter Canada. They were back in the 5^th wheel in Whitehorse! Since we were beyond the half way point we decided to check with Canadian customs before we left the country. The fellows at the check point gave us a good-natured hard time but said they would warn the guys on the next shift that a couple of Americans would be coming through without proper ID. So we continued into Alaska semi-assured that we would be able to get back into Canada.

It was a breeze getting into the USA (Alaska)… we just showed them our driver’s licenses and got two dog bones in return for Missy and Carson who were with us! Keeker, the cat was back at our Monty. A short drive later over a gravel road we arrived in Skagway. Did I mention that the sun had disappeared once again? So far no rain!

Skagway is my idea of a typical western town. It reminds me of what some of the ghost towns we’ve been in must have looked like before they became ghost towns. All the sidewalks are made of wooden planks and the buildings look like they were built in the 1800’s. So quaint! But the shops that fill those building contain very expensive merchandise….. diamonds, gold, silver and other expensive jewelry. Every other shop we walked into sold some kind of jewelry! It must be a “company” town, owned by all the cruise ships companies, in order to pry more money out of their passengers! The wooden sidewalks were filled with cruise passengers and it was so crowded that you almost had to step into the street to get past a crowd. But we persevered with charge card in hand. Jim allowed me a little time in the local quilt shop but unfortunately not enough time to buy anything!!!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Whitehorse. All went well at the Canadian customs. We showed our California driver’s licenses, explained our lack of birth certificates and we were on our way after we promised we weren’t bringing in any liquor, tobacco, or knives. The sun returned to accompany us on the ride back home and make for better picture taking.

Our WIFI connections have been so slow that to I haven’t been able upload any pictures. When I get a better connection I add some pictures. Bye, bye for now.

Whitehorse, Yukon

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon is no where in sight but the saloon hall girls are!

We arrived early yesterday with the sun shining brightly, finally, and decided to spend a few days looking things over and getting the laundry done. After checking into the Pioneer RV CG we drove into the town to the visitor’s center. We learned about the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue and a good place to have dinner…. The Klondike Rib & Salmon B.B.Q. Both were great! We had the ribs.

We shared a table with a German couple from Frankfort who told us about the sights and weather on their way from Denali, Alaska. And then we were on to the Follies. It was a fun show and after it was over we ran into some of the cast, between shows, at the local Dairy Queen and promised we would advertise their show as we traveled up the road.

Today, under gloomy skies once again, we drove back into town to see if I could get my nails done but every shop I tried was completely booked. So I attempted to do them myself. Ugh! I sure hope I can find some place in Alaska to have them done. I was more successful getting the laundry done! I met a nice woman, former school principal, from Louisiana who planned to be traveling for 7 months. Wow! She and her husband had been at the Follies sitting a few rows behind us.

Tomorrow we’re leaving the trailer at the campground and driving down to Skagway. It’s supposed to be a 2 hour trip, one way. I hope the sun we saw yesterday returns and along with it some of the wildlife we saw in B.C.

Fort Nelson, B.C. June 22nd

The days are starting to run together especially when I don’t have a chance to make entries into our blog.

We left Prince George for Dawson Creek on the 19^th and the route towards Dawson Creek was filled with wildlife. We saw 3 black bears and had a chance to stop to take pictures of one of them. He/she was eating some vegetation along a creek and the sound of the water and the fact that we were down wind kept him from detecting us.

The shoulders of the roads are narrow to nonexistent so it’s almost impossible to get any pictures. In between the bear sightings we spotted two moose grazing on a hill alongside the road but we were past them before we could slow down to get a better look.

We decided to stop in Chetwynd, famous for it’s chainsaw sculptures, to make camp at another beautiful Provincial Park, Moberly Lake, and use that as our base camp for exploring the area instead of going all the way into Dawson Creek. As we opened the truck doors we were greeted by swarms of mosquitoes! I ran for the package of “Off” and we sprayed ourselves so we could set up camp and not get eaten alive! Thankfully, the mosquitoes weren’t so bad once you were out of the forest.

On Wednesday the 20^th we headed out for some sightseeing at Chetwynd’s “Little Prairie Heritage Museum”. They had a typical furnished log cabin and other out buildings containing artifacts from the original settlers. Two young guys walked with us, in case we had any questions, and we ended up explaining the use of a lot of the items to them!

We left for Dawson Creek and the Alaskan Highway Milepost “0” marker. It’s an 1 ½ hour drive and we saw more wildlife, deer, fox, moose and a bear that had been hit by a car.

We arrived in Dawson Creek and another traveler took our picture in front of the famous marker. We “paid it forward” by doing the same for someone else. Next we visited the art museum and then the visitor’s center where we watched a movie on the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. What a job! It had started to rain AGAIN so we left for camp.

I don’t think we’ve had more than a few hours of sunshine since last Sunday and it’s getting very tiresome and muddy!! The clouds are very impressive and almost look like a huge cottony blanket being pulled to earth by the trees. But I’m eager for some sun.

Last night we pulled into a Fort Nelson campground and ran into some folks we had met at the visitor’s center in Dawson Creek. They’re from Virginia and are on the way to Alaska too.

Gotta run….. I’ll update the next time.

Prince George, B.C.

Last night we were in a beautiful Provincial park next to Lac La Hache Lake. The pine trees were so thick that we couldn’t see the lake from our campsite but the blooming wild roses that were just outside our door made up for not being able to see the lake.

It sprinkled all of Sunday as we drove and just as we were setting up camp it started to lightning and thunder….the kind that booms and crackles and shakes the RV. The rain held off until we were safe inside. Jim fired up the generator and we were eating dinner and watching a DVD as it rained.

We drove through some quaint towns and stopped in Quesnel to walk around. All the main streets in the towns are lined with hanging baskets overflowing with flowers as if to celebrate the arrival of spring.

We visited a city sponsored craft shop in Quesnel. The shopkeeper was a fellow machine embroiderer and we compared notes on embroidery designs and machines.

Now it’s Monday evening around 10:00 PM and it’s still light outside. It was sunny all day and the temps were in the 60’s. We’re camped about 10 minutes south of Prince George and shortly after we set up camp we drove into town to check out the sights. There wasn’t a lot that interested us there so we will be heading for Dawson Creek in the morning to have our picture taken in front of the Mile Marker 0 cairn. It marks the start of the Alcan Highway and it’s a tradition to have your picture taken there.

I’m almost afraid to say that everything is working well with the truck and trailer in case that jinks us. So far the roads are good and the campgrounds uncrowded. The rivers are running high and there are wild flowers every where. Once again, life is good.

Hope, B.C., Canada

We’ve been busy shaking out the kinks the first week of our adventure. The tire problem turned out to be a cracked rim!

We arrived in Vancouver, Washington June 12th and checked into a campground with plans of exploring the area. But first we needed to locate a Cost Co. to see if they could repair Jim’s glasses. He bent the earpieces on 2 pairs! Luckily it was an easy repair.

The next chore was a trip to Camping World to test the brake controller for the 5^th wheel. It had been flashing error codes and I didn’t want to be attached to something that didn’t have working brakes. It tested out OK but they were too busy to trouble shoot any further so we came back to Vancouver and made an appointment to have the truck looked at the next day.

We did have some time to explore the Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls, the second tallest falls in the nation.

It wouldn’t be a camping trip for us without something going wrong! A connector in the truck was replaced and with crossed fingers we left for the Canadian border on Thursday the 14^th.

We didn’t get more than an hour away when the error codes started flashing again! I called ahead to a repair facility and they said they would be able to get us in the next morning. After spending most of Friday having the problem diagnosed, (malfunctioning magnet on the trailer brakes) and a small fortune we headed north again but since it was getting late we pulled into a beautiful rest area to spend the night.

Saturday morning dawned and the sprinkles that had started yesterday continued but we were ready to head for the border. The passage from the States into Canada went smoothly. We were asked a few questions, showed our birth certificates and driver’s licenses and that was that.

So here we are, in Hope, B.C. It couldn’t be a more appropriate name for us. We HOPE the rest of the trip goes well! The campground is full of pine trees and in the distance a waterfall. I finally have a WIFI connection that sort of works. Life is good.

Gold Hill, Oregon

We left Ramona Saturday morning about 9:00 AM as the fog was lifting. Forty-five minutes later we were on I-15 heading for the 210 and finally I-5. Thankfully, the traffic through L.A. was light and we were climbing the Grapevine before we knew it. Carson and Missy, being veteran travelers, promptly fell asleep.

Keeker, our new cat, complained a little bit about being in the crate but since he had been tranquilized he didn’t appear too stressed. After a while I decided to let him out and he explored the back seat and sleeping dogs and finally decided he would feel more secure if he curled up at my feet.

Thirteen hours after we left home we pulled into a very nice rest stop near Dunnigan, Ca. I can see it’s going to be hard to get out of the habit of putting on as much mileage as possible every day.

All in all it was a good first day.

We woke at 8:30 AM this morning and were on the road by 10:00 AM. Once we leave the central valley and climb up into high country it really feels like we are on vacation. We stopped near Mt. Shasta for lunch and decided that tonight we would stop early at a campground somewhere between Medford and Grants Pass. We settled on one in Gold Hill and pulled in around 5:30 PM.

That’s when Jim discovered that one of the tires on the 5^th wheel was going flat! Fortunately, the campground had one space left that would accommodate us and Jim parked while I registered. Jim called our emergency road service and an hour later a towing service arrived to change the tire. It took the poor kid over an hour to get the 5^th wheel jacked up and tire changed. They had sent him out without the proper equipment! We finally had a quick dinner and Jim is watching TV while I write this. The dogs have settled down and Keeker, after thoroughly exploring the fully opened 5^th wheel, is watching “whatever” out a window.

We haven’t made any plans for tomorrow except to get the tire repaired. We'll probably continue north and maybe spend some time in Portland.

Bye for now!

Wagon Ho!

Our journey begins in a little more than twelve hours. We've been planning this for so long it's hard to believe that it's all finally coming together. Karen & Justin have been here since Wednesday and Deni & Bella are getting comfortable with them which is a relief. The "Monty" is all packed and I'm ready for a vacation or at least some sleep!

I don't know where we will spend Saturday night... I guess we'll just drive until we get tired. We probably won't have an internet connection for a few days so I'll update the blog when I can.

Five days to go!

Our "Monty" is home and Jim is giving it a pre-departure bath. I'm sure it won't look like this after a few miles on the Alcan Highway!

The propane and water tanks are full. The refrigerator is busy making ice and I've started loading supplies.

We're right on schedule!