A Most Fantastic Day

Photos to follow later.

We a fantastic day on the road.  We traveled through some areas that reminded us of the Great Smokey Mountains in the eastern US.  There was that smokey mist hanging over the peaks.  One big difference though is there are no signs of human habitation for a hundred miles.  You are really out in the boonies here.

You see the same people and the same RVs all day long.  They pass you when you stop and you pass them when they stop.  Somehow we all ended up at the same place tonight.  We have been getting to know each other while watching the moose and beaver in the pond behind our campsite at Toad River Rv Park located between Fort Nelson, BC and Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.

We saw 6 bears right next to us on the highway.  They have both sides of the road clear cut back for about one hundred feet so you can spot wildlife before they get in the road.  The wide green space seems to draw the wildlife to munch on the green grass and dandelions.  Dandelions make a yellow carpet along much of the road.

We saw one baby cub bear that was not as big as Buddy walking along the edge of the clearing next to the wood line.  Momma bear had to be nearby in the trees.  Darlie didn't have time to snap a photo before it went back into the woods.

Further on we came upon two bears right on the shoulder of the road.  We stopped ten or fifteen feet from them.  Darlie got some good photos of them.  Buddy saw them also and began to growl.   One of the bears heard her growl and growled back.  We figured that was a good time to move on.

This RV park is a must stop because of its unique location on the beaver pond.  It attracts so much wildlife.  There are ducks of all description, the beavers and the moose. The parks is full tonight and for good reason.  Some people tell us they put this place on their list of places to stop each year they come up here.

After 10:30 PM at the beaver pond.

Tomorrow we continue on north through Watson Lake, Yukon and on to Whitehorse.  Soon we will be in  Alaska.  We plan to spend some time at Chicken on the Taylor Highway.  We visited Chicken years ago on a cruise tour.  It is a gold mine area.  There is a campground there that has much to offer from kayaking to gold panning.  We may even make a trip over the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, Yukon.  We have visited there also but the highway is an experience we have not had.

A Dog's Life

We cooked some pork chops on the grill tonight and ate at our picnic table overlooking the beaver activity.  You just can't find anything more pleasant to do on a friday night than this.

The Alaska Highway

It rained very hard all night.  It felt good snuggled down in a deep pile of blankets listening to it beat on the roof.  We awoke to still more rain and fog.  When I went to put our doormat away, I found a large group of earthworms had taken up residence there during the night.  They were promptly evicted.  Darlie thought I should put some in some coffee grounds in case I wanted to go fishing somewhere.  Try explaining that to US Customs when we enter Alaska.  Oh, That's just our worm farm.

Visibility was only a few feet at times as we made our way through the mountains on Rt 40.  I have found Canadian roads to be very good and well marked.  I also like the fact they make frequent use of guardrails.  Something not found very often in the lower Rockies in the States.

Not a great photo but you get the idea.

This whole area is moose habitat.  We tried to keep an eye out for them as they cross the road frequently in this area.  Hitting a moose would put an end to our trip.  We saw a dead cow and a young bull moose along the road but no live ones showed themselves.

Gas prices in Alberta are the lowest in Canada.  We have been  paying $112.9 to $121.9.  That translates to approximately $4.29 to $4.63 in Canadian dollars per US gallon.  With the exchange rate it will be a bit more in US dollars.

In British Columbia we have paid $125.9 to $131.9.  That translates to approximately $4.78 to $5.01 Canadian per US gallon.  We are told we will be paying as high as 150.9 per litter further up the road.  That translates to $5.78 Canadian per US gallon.  We Americans complain too much about fuel costs.  Our prices are bargains to Canadians.  Their economy seems to be buzzing along just fine even with the higher gas prices.  I think we are fed too much poop from Washington.

When we got to Dawson Creek, BC today, we wanted to stop at the marker for the beginning of the Alaskan Highway for a photo op.  A nice young lady jumped out of her car and came over to volunteer to take our photo for us.  She has been living in Alaska for sometime and is now moving back to the lower 48.  She had several kids in the car.  We sensed she had some marital problems which were her reason for leaving Alaska.  She was headed back to family.  We will remember her and her family in our prayers tonight.

Now only another 1500 miles or so and we will be in Alaska

While visiting with her she gave us a road report.  She said the road is horrible up around Haines Junction towards Delta Junction in Alaska.  She said we would have to go very slowly with the motor home.  There are big holes and mud everywhere.

Learning to live with mud is part of the experience in driving to Alaska.  It rains a lot up here this time of year.  Someone told us to pack all our old towels, blankets and bedspreads for the trip.  They would come in handy to cover everything when we got into the muddy areas.  This has proven to be very good advice.  We have everything covered with old towels and sheets to catch as much of the goo as possible.  We have towels on the floor over the carpets.  They are easily changed daily and washed with the laundry later.  Buddy is getting used to having her feet wiped before she comes in.  At first she didn't like it much but she has learned it is going to be the routine.

We are camped in Fort St John at a Rotary Club campground on Lake Charles.  It is a very neat well kept campground.   But for those who are interested, there is a Walmart in about every town of any size all along the way.  It is just like back home.

It stays light up here nearly all night.  We are getting close to the longest day of the year.  I will have to take a photo at 3:00 AM to show you how light it is.  Darlie puts blankets over the windows so she can sleep.

Jasper National Park

Today we continued our drive through Banff and Jasper Parks.  We stopped at Lake Louise.  It is heralded as one of the most scenic areas in the park.  It did not disappoint.  The beautiful emerald green water stretched to the base of a mountain blanketed in heavy white snow.  Hundreds gathered along the shoreline for group photos.  Others just stood looking in awe.

Lake Louise

Shortly after leaving Lake Louise, we turned on to Rt 93 for the trip up through Jasper National Park.  Jasper has a whole different feel than Banff.  It is wild and remote.  Little traffic is on the highway.  We saw moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and a black bear ran across the road right in front of us.  We saw more wildlife here in a few hours than we did in Yellowstone in two days.

This is a spectacular park.  You can only take so many photos of stunning snow capped peaks, mountain streams and emerald colored lakes.  Around every bend in the road is a new vista more stunning than before.  Small glaciers hang from many peaks.

Crow's Foot Glacier

  

We stopped at the Columbia Icefields.  There you can walk right up to the base of the Athabasca Glacier.  Words cannot describe this experience.  Our Glacier National Park has a few of the small glaciers like you see on many of the peaks here but it does not have what I would call a real glacier.  Athabasca fits the description perfectly.  

Athabasca Glacier

We continued on through Jasper the rest of the day.  After leaving the park in late afternoon we turned on to Rt 40 to Grand Prairie, Alberta.  The road is very good most of the way.  You are in remote woodlands.  Logging is the major industry in the area.  Little signs of habitation are evident from the highway.  You really feel alone in the world.

We stopped to watch a cow moose with her calf munching grass along a stream.  Darlie got some good close up video.  

Jasper Highway View

We made our camp in a municipal campground in Grande Cache, Alberta.  This small town was the site where the trappers in the early 1800s would store their beaver pelts until they could transport them out for sale.  They build stilt structures to store the pelts in.  They were called caches in French meaning a storage place.  It is raining tonight.  We feel cozy and warm in the old bread truck while listening to the rain on the roof.

Purple Vetch

I have to say at this point, driving to Alaska is the greatest RV adventure of all time.  This can’t be beaten anywhere in the world. The northern Rocky Mountains are beautiful beyond description.  I can only imagine what the next few weeks hold for us as we explore the great north country of Canada and Alaska.

My Relief Driver

Shelby, MT to Banff National Park

We were up and on the road to Canada early.  I threw away the onions and potatoes because the guide says the Canadians don’t let in vegetables.  We have a freezer full of stuff we hope they don’t want us to jettison.

We arrived at the border crossing at about 9 AM.  The young customs agent asked for our passports.  Then asked us where we were going, did we have any firearms and if we were carrying more than $10,000 in cash.  She then said we could go ahead.  I said ahead to where, as I had noticed the vehicles ahead of us had to turn into a lot for further inspection.  She smiled brightly and said, “Anywhere you want to go in Canada.”
Wow!  That was easy.

When we made our first gas stop, there was a supermarket nearby.  We decided to pick up some fresh veggies and some potatoes.  I thought the gas prices were going to be what gave me sticker shock up here but it wasn’t.  The groceries are very expensive compared to the states.  We don’t know how well off we are.  Our gas is a dollar or more less and we get a gallon of milk for what a half gallon costs here.  (We later discovered prices are pretty much the same as the states.  The place we stopped was a ripoff.  They even charged us 15 cents apiece for the bags.  Every town of any size has a Walmart and other popular food stores where prices are normal.)

We passed through Calgary at midday.  It is a beautiful city.  We passed by some of the Olympic ski jumps and the main arena where they held the ice skating.  We thought for a city of such size traffic was very light.  Drivers are courteous and seem to drive just under the speed limits.  The reverse seems to be the rule back home.

Banff National Park along with Jasper National Park were on our list of places to visit while in Canada.  Some people compare these parks to Glacier in Montana.  Each has the high rugged peaks.  They are real eye candy no matter where they are found.  There are some major differences.  Not necessary negatives just differences.

For instance, Banff is much more developed than Glacier.  Glacier is a wild experience with little development in the park.  The only real center of commerce around Glacier is the small community of West Glacier that shuts down completely in the winter.  The Going to the Sun Highway, to me, is one of the most spectacular and scenic highways in North America.   That is a must do for anyone who travels.

Banff has much more commercial development.  You lose a sense of the wild here, but the commercial side has its positives.  The park service campgrounds here are some of the finest I have seen anywhere.  They are highly developed with paved sites, full hook ups and are placed with scenic vistas all around.  They are reasonably priced when considering the amenities.

View Behind Us

View Out The Door.  Do You See The Old Trapper's Face In The Mountain?

We have visited more than twenty-five US national parks and stayed in the campgrounds of most of those.  The campgrounds were built in the 1940s and 50s.  Most will not hold a large RV.  They offer no services just a dirt space to park, a dump station and central water spigot.  Yes, they are cheap especially for us old geezers with a senior pass but I would rather pay more to have what I see here.  This campground has over three hundred sites and they are nearly full now before season.  I wish our park system at home was better managed.  All we hear is how they have to cut services or access.  This place is a money maker for the country.  Our parks could be also.

Buddy and Darlie continue to battle over the passenger area.  Darlie always wins.  Buddy loves to look out the window so she has to stand on top of the engine cover too see what is ahead.  When her legs get tired she curls up on the floor as near to us as she can get.  She is enjoying the cooler weather.  She has seen some snow on the mountains but she hasn’t gotten her feet in any yet.  We will remedy that soon enough.

Tomorrow we will turn four thousand miles for the trip so far.  We still have eighteen hundred forty-five miles to Tok, AK.  It is a long, long way up here.  I told Darlie we might want to look for a buyer for the MH in Alaska and fly home.  That is a possibility.  We will have to see if I am as excited about driving back as I have been about driving up.

As with everyday, our thoughts and prayers are for family in New York State who have lost a loved one.  We have received some of the news coverage of events surrounding Devin’s homecoming.  It has been an awesome display of love and patriotism.  Please pray for her immediate family in particular.  It is a very difficult time.  We cannot imagine what they are going through.

Copper Harbor

I awoke this morning with a nasty sore throat and cold.  This cold weather is already taking its toll on me.  Possibly it is due to the diet change since leaving home.  Darlie is on a veggie kick so we eat all kinds of veggies for lunch.  I need my daily quota of fat and sugar to keep things ticking as they should.

The upper peninsula of Michigan is worthy of further exploration.  The Lake Superior shoreline is awesome.  The highway has many pullouts and scenic overlooks where you can walk to the beach and stroll in the beige sand.  The Lake Superior Circle Tour would make a very nice two or three week camping vacation.  You can drive around the entire shoreline of the lake both in the US and Canada.

Right now it appears this area is in the middle of spring.  Leaves are not fully developed and new shoots of green grass flourish in the warm spring sunshine slowly hiding the remains of last seasons dead brown grass.

The area has many campgrounds, lodges and restaurants.  Though there are few people here now, I am sure it is very busy at the height of tourist season.  There are charter boats for fishing and touring as well.  I am glad we are ahead of the flood so we can enjoy the peace of this place as it is now.

We have decided to make our way up to Copper Harbor.  We were visiting with a young couple when we were camped in Bahia Honda last fall.  They grew up in Copper Harbor.  They said we had to put it on our list of places to visit if we ever got to the area.  So when we came to the US 41 cut off for Copper Harbor, we changed our plans and headed north out onto the peninsula.

We made lunch camp at an overlook on Keweenaw Bay.  That is one of the wonderful things about living in an RV.  You can pick a new vista for your dining room table for each meal.

One thing I forgot to mention about the U.P. this time of year is the bug population.  Hordes of mosquitos, gnats and other unidentified flying objects are buzzing around you every minute you are outside.  We have found Cutters and Off to be somewhat effective to ward off these pests. In fact, they sell the stuff in 55 gallon drums up here with an umbrella shaped mister for over the picnic table.  The bad news though is the stuff sells for $84.00 per gallon.  A 55 gallon drum is guaranteed to last for an entire week vacation though.

We are camped in Fort Wilkins State Park near Copper Harbor, Michigan.  The guy in the next site has the 55 gallon set up at his campsite.  He decided to fire up the old Hibachi on the picnic table under the umbrella shaped dispenser.  He obviously had not read the manufacturers instructions regarding the fact that the bug repellant is highly flammable.

When the EMT’s arrived he was blacker than Aunt Molly’s hair after a Clairol treatment.  He was rushed to the local vet as there are no hospitals within a hundred and fifty miles of here.  His chances of recovery are mixed but they did give him a rabies shot. 

We traveled US 41 to Rt 26 which we took along the north shoreline of the peninsula.  The scenery was worth the trip along the narrow winding road.  We came across a small bakery called the Jampot.  It was run by monks of some order or other.  The monks I saw had bald heads and beards.  I don’t know what the significance of that might be.  Maybe they can forgo the mandatory hairnet.

They had all kinds of homemade jams, jellies, fruit cakes, breads, cookies and candies.  The products were too much to resist.  We bought several jars of jam and some huge homemade cookies. 

We have all of this area to ourselves.  There was no traffic at all on Rt 26.  I asked the monks what time of year things pick up around here.  They said their season begins on the 4th of July weekend.  He said the roads are jammed then until Labor Day. They were planning an expansion of their display area as people have to wait outside to get in.  Makes you want to shave your head, grow a beard and go into the jelly and jam business.

We arrived at Copper Harbor.  It is a very small community of gift shops and typical tourist looking places.  The highlight of arriving here however lies at the end of US 41 where it dead ends into some woods.  At that site they have a marker with a map stating this is the beginning of US 41.  That is a matter of preference, however, because I believe it begins in Miami.  

We did become members of a very prestigious exclusive club by making our visit to the US 41 marker.  Only a very few have visited both ends of this cross country highway.  That is because there are only a very few odd enough to drive way out in the middle of nowhere to master that unique achievement.  Hey, everyone goes to Miami.  But Copper Harbor, at the end of the world?  Not so much. 

Darlie says it kind of reminds her of when we drove way out of our way to go to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming because someone we met told us we shouldn’t miss it.  When we came over a rise in the road and saw that hunk of rock up ahead, Darlie exclaimed, “Is that what we came all the way out here to see?”  I do feel Copper Harbor has much more to offer in scenery though.