For the Best

A caribou we saw on the way up Parks Highway.




A stretch of the gravel Denali Highway.

A little porcupine along the road.

A grizzly bear along the Nenana River on our way back to camp.

Saturday, May 28

We left Butch's, stopped at the new grocery for coffee, joked with the coffee lady (we're getting to know people), and headed up Parks Highway. We hadn't gone far when we saw a moose grazing beside the road and some caribou out in the meadow. We didn't stop for pictures. Are we spoiled or what?!

The pine woods were beautiful and we saw more snow covered mountains as we drove. Mt. McKinley was socked in with clouds, but all around, it was clear.

The Rainbow Village campground was a gravel parking lot behind a row of log stores, tucked in the mountains one mile down the road from the Denali Park entrance. It was dusty, but it was convenient.

We read the books on what to do, layered our clothes, put on hiking boots, packed our lunch and set out to get tickets to ride the shuttle bus into the park.

We were so worried about Ben, but Bob took him for a long walk and we left him in the trailer with water, toys, air conditioning, and the TV on. He seemed to snuggle right in in his familiar surroundings. We considered a kennel, but knew that it would have made him nervous.

We got up to the desk in the park at 2:45 and much to our disappointment, the little creep of a worker, seemed to enjoy showing us the sign that explained that they would not sell tickets 15 minutes before the last bus left. The last bus was scheduled for 3:00. We were right there on the line and he would not bend the rules. Bob wanted to argue about the time as we were in line before 2:45, but there was no budging him. We watched the half full, last bus pull away. Needless to say, we were spitting mad! We bought tickets for the first bus the next morning and tried to think positive. We needed to work on our belief that things work out for the best and trust that it will happen the way it is supposed to happen.

We got in the truck and drove 12 miles into the park to the first center at Savage River. That is as far as personal vehicles can go. It was very pretty. We walked around the river bed a bit, ate our sandwiches, and were able to watch a mama moose and her twins. We felt better and decided to go back, get Ben, and drive and explore part of the rustic, gravel Denali Highway. The road was bumpy and dusty, but the scenery was pretty and interesting. A lot of people take ATVs in to take trails or to fish the many lakes and streams. We saw a couple porcupines and snowshoe rabbits. Then right after we got back to the highway, we saw a moose close to the road.

Flying along the Parks Highway back to camp, we saw some campers pulled over. We slowed and saw a huge grizzly on the other side of the river. He was blond colored and lighter than we had expected. We were so excited and took a million pictures. A state policeman, Eric, stopped and chatted with us. It was so much fun. We stayed until the grizzly wandered back into the weeds. We decided that things really DO work out for the best.

We got back to camp and were amazed to see the Sunseeker Motorhomes and our Australian friends. Small world!

Next, we ride the shuttle bus into Denali!

Into the Bush

Butch on the phone with business.




All of us on the train. Kyle took the picture.

The Cox's Kitchen

Kyle, Tim, Patricia, & Dillon

A picture of the back of the Cox's home with the deck and stream out back.


Friday, May 27

Bob and Butch started the day down at the shop where Butch is the mechanic who takes care of the school buses and personal vehicles belonging to many others in the area. They changed the oil in the truck and tightened the trailer hitch. Then we sat on the porch in the morning sun and relaxed till time to catch the train in Talkeetna to go visit Butch's good friends, the Cox's, who live in the bush with no modern conveniences (electricity, plumbing, etc.).

Meanwhile, Butch constantly gets calls, even when we are biking, to trouble shoot or fix something for someone. All seem to appreciate his mechanical skills and love joking with him. He runs a fair and honest business and it's earned him a real place of respect in the community. It was so nice to see.

We stopped in Talkeetna at the bakery to get fresh bread to take to the Cox Family as a hostess gift. We walked to the depot and caught the train, Ben and all. It made Ben a little nervous walking over the moving floor where the cars connect, but otherwise, you'd think he did it all of the time. He laid down at our feet and relaxed. We told the conductor that we needed to get off at mile marker 35.8. People who live in the bush know the schedule and walk out to the tracks to flag the train down whenever they need to come to town. They even slowed for us to get pictures of Mt. McKinley as it was another clear day.

The train stopped at the trail head and you could see where it started as it was marked by an old orange life jacket hanging in a tree. Tim had walked out to meet us carrying a shot gun for bear. What an experience! We hiked close to a half mile back in to their house nestled in the woods. A husky dog greeted us and then we met Dillon, Tim's 10 year old son who was out stacking wood. We walked by Tim's elaborate work shop in an open air lean-to. Everything was rustic and designed and built by them. We went through a heavy, thick door, which he explained was bear proof, and entered the house. The room we entered was full of shelves with supplies and had a gravel floor. Then we went up steps into the kitchen with wood floors. Our mouths hung open at how nicely done everything was and so efficiently thought out. We met Patricia who was so friendly and welcoming. They seemed proud to show us what they had built, especially when they saw that we appreciated it and how enthused we were. In the kitchen, under the rug, was a trap door that led to a deep hole with steep steps. This room served as their refrigerator and stayed at right around 38 degrees. The cozy living room had a stone fireplace with a beautiful mantle and a moose rack. There were book shelves everywhere, a rustic pine table and benches and a day bed. It looked like a perfect place to curl up and read.

A door from the living room led out to a deck on the back of the house with a picnic table and chairs. A beautiful little stream bubbled past their house over a series of waterfalls that they had built with stones. They built a little bridge across the stream that led to a plank that came up beside a flowing well with cold drinking water. It was so pretty and the sounds were so soothing.

Next we met their two darling, Australian Shepard, 10 week old puppies named Ester and Baby. They tumbled and rolled and had fun with Ben. They bark when they hear something coming and are already good little watch dogs, even though they are so snuggly.

We sat on the deck and after a sweet prayer, they served us lunch of homemade, warm tortillas with homemade salsa, beans and all of the fixings. It was beyond delicious. Then to top it all off, their son, Dillon had made chocolate chip cookies that were still warm. Incredible!

Then we took a hike up to a nearby lake (Tim carried a gun) and we saw many berry patches and the loons on the lake. We went on up a bit higher on the trail and sat on a platform that a former resident had built with a wonderful view of Mt. McKinley. It was so interesting getting to know this family and hear their thoughts and ideas. Butch just relaxed and smiled and knew how much we were enjoying ourselves.

We hiked back to their house, had some more cold water and Patricia gave us small bags of cookies and Fiddlehead ferns to take back. The tips of Fiddlehead ferns are good to eat browned in olive oil with a little garlic. They had already done so much for us and then to send us off with more was overwhelming. We all hiked back out to the train with Kyle and Dillon running and playing along the way. We heard the train approach and said our good byes. They want us to come back and see it in the winter. I could write a book on just their stories and our conversation! What lovely, gracious people!

We stopped on the way back to Butch's and ate Thai food at an outdoor cafe. Then we stopped at the Flying Squirrel Bakery and got rugala (a fruit filled pastry) for dessert. What an awesome day. Time to pack up and head for Denali first thing in the morning. We are thankful, happy campers! Thank you, Butch, for this grand experience!

Butch & Kyle

Bob cooking breakfast.

Mama moose with her

twins.

Butch's house with Kyle on the porch.


A view of Mt. McKinley from the Talkeetna Lodge.

Biking with Butch & Kyle.




Wednesday & Thursday, May 25 & 26

Bob made egg and cheese sandwiches in our pie irons over the fire. Then we left the peaceful Wilderness Campground on our way to Talkeetna.

Not far down the road, we stopped to take pictures of a mama moose and her twins. We stayed till they finally walked into the woods.

The land changed again from rolling pine forests to a lot more birch in bright spring green with dandelions everywhere.

Traffic increased with more houses and businesses as we entered Palmer. We took the Palmer Wasilla Road to cut across to Wasilla and were amazed. We could have been in any town,USA with crowded roads, traffic lights and a mall. We stopped at a huge, new Target and after two weeks of woods, our senses were assaulted. We bought way more than we needed as it was there in full display. Wow!

As we left Wasilla (we didn't see Sarah), we saw students having picnics at the big parks on the many lakes as it was the last day of school for the summer. Three kids were on horses out in the lake swimming.

On the beginning of the drive to Talkeetna, we saw beautiful homes, small sad shacks, road work, and gravel pits. Then it thinned out and looked more like northern Michigan, with the addition of snow covered mountains in the distance. It was more beautiful as we went.

We followed Butch's directions and easily found his house off Talkeetna Spur Road on a gravel road named Sunshine. Their house is a nice looking, two story house with decks and a new metal roof. It was wonderful to be there a get a hug from Butch and his grandson, Kyle.

Butch had some work to do helping an elderly neighbor, so Kyle offered to be our tour guide and took us up to see the Talkeetna Lodge and also into the town of Talkeetna.The lodge had a breathtaking view of Mt. McKinley and we found out how lucky we were to get a clear view. There were tour buses there and lots of people milling around. It looked like a very lovely place to stay.

The little town of Talkeetna is a quaint, tourist town. There are lots of little log gift shops on the two main streets, a general store, a couple of bars, and a few cafes. There were a couple historical sites in old cabins set up with original furnishings so you could see how pioneers lived. The town park was full of people and different groups playing music. We walked through town and out to the Talkeetna River which also had a great view of Mt. McKinley. Bob and Kyle skipped stones while Ben wadded in to cool off and drink.

We got home just before Butch, fixed veggie tacos, and spent the evening relaxing and catching up. Butch's daughter, Kerrie called on Skype and we got to enjoy her son, Levon, who is two, darling, and pretty computer savy.

Thursday morning was a work day. Butch had to take a class and we needed to clean and do laundry. Kyle hung out with us and helped when he could. It was fun to get to know him. When Butch got home, he took us into Talkeetna for a fabulous lunch at the outdoor Wildflower Cafe. Bob had a halibut and crab meat sandwich and I had seafood chowder and a veggie roll up in terriaki sauce. Unbelievably yummy food!

We poked through some of the shops and met many people. Butch knows everyone and everyone likes him. It was fun. We walked to the train station to check the schedule for tomorrow's trip back into the bush to visit a family Butch knows and see how they live there.

Once we were back to the house, we got our bikes out and rode four miles on their great bike trail along the highway. We toured their new grocery store two miles down the road. They are beginning to have all of the modern conveniences. We met more friends of Butch's and laughed with them. All of their stories are so interesting.

We ended our busy day watching old neighborhood parts of my dad's old home movies that Gary had put on a DVD for us. Then we watched the movie, Radio, ate Peanut M&Ms and relaxed, but I'm always listening for bears.

Paddlin'

Valdez Harbor



Kayaking in Glacier Lake.

Paddling through crunching ice in a panic!
Bob says, "Oh, it doesn't hurt anything." Yeah right!

The Delicious Harbor Cafe




Tuesday, May 24

We had breakfast in our trailer, packed up and went to the visitor center right down the street in Valdez. The lady there was so nice and helpful, giving us maps and suggestions for kayaking. As the tide was low on the mud flats by the harbor, we chose to go on to a glacier lake and paddle out by the glaciers.

We drove to the end of a gravel road and it was a very pretty area, but part of the lake was still frozen. We found out that a lot of bears were in that area, but we never saw one.

The water was a light gray from the silt in the melting glacier. We paddled as far as we could and then crunched through thin ice a little farther. You know Bob, he has to push it, and just like I used to do as Gary's little sister, I follow...well, and maybe whine a little. Anyway, we made it and it was a great and interesting excursion and we were thrilled to have the experience.

When we got back, we met a young couple and their two dogs. The were pharmacists from Anchorage, but originally from Cleveland. We had a nice visit with them and they gave us some great suggestions for the rest of our trip.

We went back into Valdez and got take out from the Harbor Cafe. They had awesome fish tacos and I got a shrimp burrito. (It reminded us of Brad's favorite beach place in San Diego.) We stuffed ourselves and got on the road. About 6 miles out, I realized I didn't have my cell phone. I am so thankful that I realized it before we had gotten much further, but it wasn't fun to have to turn around and go all the way back. Again, Bob was patient, through gritted teeth. They had my phone and were very nice about it and we hit the road again.

We ewwed and ahhed all the way up the highway over the return view of the waterfalls and glaciers. We saw one coyote and that was it for wildlife.

We stopped for gas in Glenallen and got information on a campground 20 miles west. The Wilderness Campground was a mile off the highway in a pine forest on the Tolsona River. It was quiet and private and our view was of woods and a fast flowing little river. The sounds were bubbling water, wind in the pines, and birds. And, there were moose droppings everywhere. I was up and down all night peeking out the window, but no luck.

Glaciers and Waterfalls

Mama Moose and Baby

Back to the Mountains

Right Through the Glaciers

One of many waterfalls. This one is Horsetail Falls. Bob and Ben are walking at the bottom.

Monday, May 23

Disclaimer - Those of you who know me well, know I can't spell. I try to double check and I always have Bob proof, but please over look the goofs. I have now learned to use spell check on this site, but sometimes I forget. Oh well, look at the pictures and cut me slack!

We packed up in the morning and had oatmeal in our trailer. Then we went to have coffee with our new friends. Blake (I love his name!), the owner's son, had made sourdough donuts drizzled with chocolate. They were free as he was experimenting with the recipe. Yum! We had so much fun with this group of people and they want us to come back next summer as work campers, which are retired people who help out and camp for free and get all of their meals. If it wasn't so far, we'd sign up. We said good byes and told them all we'd see them on the return trip. We don't even know every one's names, but we've all seen pictures of each other's grandkids.

We started off towards Valdez and saw a mama moose and her newborn about 15 miles down the road. We were able to watch quite a while as they went right in front of us. Crossing a stream by the road, the baby started to float away and we were horrified that we had caused them to hurry and move into water that was too deep, but the huge mama just stepped in and pushed her baby with her big nose and helped it right up on shore.

Enormous snow covered mountains were off to our side and pine hills were on the other side. Then the bad roads began again. There were dips and holes and ridges. We bounced along at a slow rate and tried to relax and enjoy the scenery. Crews were out working on the road and at one point we were stopped and the cute young lady holding the sign told us it would be a 20 minute wait. We got out and so did the young school nurse in the car ahead of us. She graduated from Michigan State University and her family lived in Lansing. We had fun standing around in the sun chatting with them.

We steadily climbed into the mountains and just when we thought we had seen it all, we moved into the snow and glaciers. Again, there are not words for the beauty. We stopped at every pull out, clicking pictures that can't begin to show the grandeur.

Then as we started down the other side to Valdez, things got very green with fabulous waterfalls. Each one seemed more magnificent then the last.

We got into Valdez, a cute little port town that reminds me of St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula, and found a site in the Bear Paw Campground. The port and boats are across the street one way and some little shops are the other way. Meanwhile, huge, snowy mountains surround us and we can see two long thin waterfalls from our dinette window.

We walked to a nice dinner and turned in for the night. Oh, and there is the cutest cappuccino place right across the street from us...Heaven!

Driving, Bumping, and Singing

An eagle watching over a meadow.

A young moose beside the road.

Driving back into the mountains.

Singing with Danny as he sings Willie Nelson's 'On the Road Again.' My new friends and I are singing back up.

Sunday, May 22
We had our lovely, huge cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We think Johnson Crossing should win a prize for their rolls, not as good as Grandma Fish's, but right up there.

We left Haines Junction and drove up to Alaska along the Kluane National Park. Mountains stayed on our left and we climbed back into patches of snow and caribou country. About half way to the border, we hit really bad roads with buckeling and permafrost and holes. We really had to slow down as you couldn't always tell when a big bump was coming. We saw motorhomes ahead of us come right off the road airborn. When we got to Tok, we found out several were in for repair from that stretch of the road.

Meanwhile, we drove along beautiful Lake Kluane, which was huge and still mostly frozen. Most of the resorts, etc. were still closed. We heard that things really fill up in about a week after Memorial Day. We passed a Dahl Sheep Nature Center and you could see the sheep way up on the side of the mountain.

The drive seemed to take forever even though it was pretty. We did see one moose off to the side grazing in a field and an eagle watching over a meadow.

There were no problems at the border and as usual, they loved Ben. After another long hour drive, we were in Tok, Alaska. We found a great campground just outside of town called The Sourdough Campground. We had dinner (Bob's - a huge burger on a sourdough bun) at their little cafe and quickly got to know people as they sat around chatting. They let us know the nights activities at the center of camp in the little open air pavillion with a bonfire pit beside it. At 7:00, there was a pancake toss. You got two tries to throw a pancake into a bucket and you'd get a free breakfast the next morning. We both missed, but one of the campers made it. Then a couple staying here for the summer provided the entertainment on the little stage at the end of the pavillion. Danny Lee sang Johnny Cash and other country songs and his wife sometimes took June Carter Cash's part. They were quite good and it was just fun. Ben curled up at our feet and listened too. Again, because it was still early in the season, there were only about 7 of us. (Brad, he also sang some Highway Men and some Merle Haggard.) Much to our surprise, one of the retired, work campers also named Bob, asked the singer to sing "The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. It turns out that he had studied some opera. He did an incredible job and I, of course, had tears streaming down my cheeks by the end. What a night to be sitting outside by the fire on our first night in Alaska listening to such great music. And then, Danny ended his show, since this was an RV Park, with Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again." Some of the others jumped on stage and they asked me to join. I said no twice and then thought, why not....so I did! I loved it! When it was over, we sat around the fire and chatted and heard stories till WAY past our bedtime. We're toughening up for sure! We truly want to stay here on our way home. Nice people! Great new friends!

Cinnamon Rolls and a Bear Walk

Driving up to Haines Junction.

Elk beside the road.

The view from our campsite.

Saturday, May 21

We had a great breakfast at the campground cafe and hit the road for Whitehorse. We stopped at Johnson's Crossing for delicious cinnamon rolls to have for dessert later. We might stay here on the way home as it was fun and people were so friendly. Cinnamon rolls seem to be a thing along the Alcan with each place claiming to be the best. Also we have learned that we were early traveling through and two out of three places were still closed.

We drove along the beautiful Teslin River and saw signs to watch for moose, caribou, elk, and sheep. We saw one more moose and 3 elk.

We drove through Whitehorse and decided not to stay there for the night. They even had a Starbucks there and many people were in town for the holiday long weekend. (Queen's Day in Canada) We steadily climbed into mountains and drove on to Haines Junction. We stopped at Madley's General Store for smoked salmon for dinner and got a spot at Kluana RV Campground with a gorgeous view of the mountians. The little town had nature and bike trails. We were glad we had decided to drive here.

After we got set up, we took the nature trail through the woods behind the camp that led back to the little town. There were viewing areas out over the willows for moose and various birds. It was quiet and so pretty and then we saw a sign that said "Grizzly Country." That made me a little nervous and I'll admit I walked behind Bob and whined a bit. Then about 2/3 of the way in and too late to turn back, we saw a sign that said not to tamper with the cameras as they were studying bear and human encounters. I picked up speed, passed Bob and Ben and could have placed in a 5K. We walked back to camp along the highway!

We have been without phone service and very weak internet, so it has been hard to post. It should get better in Alaska. Hope to make it to Tok on Sunday.

Amazing Animals

Bob taking pictures of Stone Sheep.

The Laird Hot Springs.

Caribou Crossing.

A Black Bear coming right up to the car to meet Ben.

Friday, May 20

We got up, showered and talked to our new friends from Toronto, Pat and Peter. They are actually camping in the back of their small van. They have the seats folded down and a shelf built above their beds to hold their stuff. Then they stay in motels now and again. Interesting, but not for us. Anyway, we had breakfast at the campground cafe which offered homemade toast. A great place to stay.

We hit the road early trying to keep ahead of the Sunseekers. We entered the Muncho River area and our first sighting was of two caribou down by the river. Shortly after that, we saw a moose in the willows.

At Muncho Lake, the water was still frozen with a turquoise glow and mountains on both sides. We saw one of the Sunseekers stuck in the gravel and two others from their group were trying to help. Bob thought he might help too, what with his powerful new diesel truck. Later two more Sunseekers joined in. It was great fun laughing with them and hearing their slang. Things were "buggered up" but turned out ok and we all got back on the road.

After leaving the Australians, we spotted two caribou and we got out to hike back and take pictures. We also saw two Stone Sheep (similar to Bighorn Sheep). It seemed like large animals were everywhere. We quit taking pictures of black bears as we saw so many. We were loving it!

Our next stop was Laird Hot springs. It was so pretty, sunny and warm with a board walk back to the springs. We took our suits and changed and climbed in. It was hottest closest to the top with kids hanging out farther down. It was not crowded and was just nice to chat with a few people. We met a young couple from Stockbridge. Small world. We went back to the trailer where Ben was napping, fixed lunch and pushed on.

We came out of the mountains back to rolling pine and aspen covered hills with grassy banks. It looked like a nicely mowed parkway, but piles of poop were noticeable. This was Woods Buffalo country and we got several pictures of them grazing beside the road. They are so huge!

We crossed more wide rivers and went through a few settlements, but went through longer and longer stretches of wilderness.

We did glimpse a Grizzly Bear, but it was getting dark and he ran in the woods and sat there peeking out at us. Bob tried, from the car, but we couldn't get a picture. We also saw another moose, but couldn't stop. We're getting spoiled.
We entered the Yukon and planned to stay at Watson Lake. We got gas and took pictures of the Signpost Forest. It is huge with signposts from every where imaginable. We decide we felt good enough to put on some more miles so we picked out The Continental Divide which advertised full hook up and world famous cinnamon rolls. We were tired when we got there and it was still closed. So we pushed on to Teslin to the Yukon Lakeshore Resort. It was nice and clean on the lake with a good view. We ran into another couple that we had met at both other campgrounds which was fun and a comfort. We enjoyed chatting with them and she is on the board in Vermont for dealing with rescue dogs. She knew Ben right away and he was happy to see them. After our chat, we turned in, so tired we didn't even care about dinner.

Feeling Blessed

The first picture is of Ben & Me at mile marker 0 of the Alcan Highway. Next is the bear crossing right in front of us. Then the mama bear with her triplets. And, finally one of the many streams we stopped along. (No, Mike, Bob hasn't fished yet. No license. He plans to get a day one for the trip home.)

Thursday, May 19

We grabbed a Tim Horton's breakfast to go and started up the Alcan Highway. Throughout the day we saw miles and miles of rolling piney hills with pretty rivers and streams. The vastness of the wilderness along the miles of fairly good highway with so little civilization just amazes us. We crossed the Peace River, which was huge, and went into Fort St. John. Lots of oil, natural gas, forestry and agriculture are the industries in this region. The population in town is 19,000 with 60,000 in the surrounding area. The town had everything which continues to surprise us this far up.

Then, back to the wilderness. We had to slow and stop while a large black bear took it's time crossing in front of us. Then down the road, we spotted a mama bear with her triplets. We just stopped and watched them tumble and play and sit up and look at us. We felt blessed beyond words to be in the right place at the right time to have such an opportunity.

We kept seeing Sunseeker Motorhomes along the road and sometimes in groups. At a rest stop, we met a couple from Austrailia and found out this was a tour group of Austrailians using 22 motorhomes traveling from Seattle to Anchorage. We ended up meeting several of them throughout the day. They were in our age range with a great sense of humor. However, we decided to stay ahead of them for camping.

We went through the small town of Ft. Nelson where we thought we might stay, but didn't like the looks of the campgrounds, so we pushed on to keep ahead of the Sunseekers. I do want to make note that throughout this trip to date, in the states and in Canada, that there are Subway Restaurants on every corner in even the most remote towns.

As we left Ft. Nelson, we started to climb again as we entered another part of the Rockies. We finally stopped at a campground called Toad River. What a treat as we parked in the quiet pines with a great view. We met a few other couples around our age and chatted and sat out till almost dark watching for moose. As we waited, we watched large beavers working on their dam. No wonder they call them busy beavers.

In the night, I heard our neighbors little dog bark, meanwhile, Ben was fast asleep. We had left our blinds open over the dinette as I wanted to be able to see out. I got up and peeked and there were two huge moose right there beside our trailer. I woke Bob up and we watched till they drifted off. What a gift! (That's 5 moose so far, Prudie.)

What's 80 Extra Miles!

These are examples of how the land and road looked on the way up Highway 40 to 43 to 2 to Dawson Creek. The last picture is of two moose out in a field.

Wednesday, May 18.

We did laundry and took our time getting on the road as we were told it was only about 4 hours into Dawson Creek and we planned to explore and spend the night there.

Not long after we hit the road as we came down out of the mountains, we spotted two moose. They were way out in the field, but they looked right at us.

We saw land that reminded us of many other areas. First it looked like northern Michigan with hills and pines. Then it looked like northern Wisconsin with hills, pines and increasing farm lands. Then it got very flat and you could see for miles like places in Montana. We saw lots of very large farm equipment with huge fields.

The town of Grand Prairie was on the way up and it was modern and big with a lot of new construction. I just don't expect to see these kinds of modern towns this far up. Dawson Creek was smaller and a little more rustic.

We saw a large black bear beside the road just past Grand Prairie. He just sat and looked at us before running into the woods. We weren't quick enough with our cameras,partly because we were so fascinated.

Our trip to Dawson Creek ended up being a little longer than planned due to my goof with the map. We were supposed to go from 43 in Grand Prairie to 2 north. Well, it turns out there are two 43s and two 2s. Luckily Bob kept watching signs and knew something was wrong after driving so far and never seeing any signs for Dawson Creek. We stopped in a gas station and figured it out. Thank God we weren't way out in a remote area. We had gone 80 miles out of the way, but found a highway to cut back across. The back road was very interesting and Bob was very gracious about it. We're still friends, but we were ready to stop at the campground when it was over. (Now I owe him. Darn!)

We made it to mile 0 of the Alcan Highway. Here we go!

The Icefields Parkway

Snowy mountains and the Weeping Wall of water falls.

A mountain goat.

More water falls. We took so many pictures of them and everything else.

A mountain stream

Tuesday, May 17.

After a shower and a freezing walk in a light snow back to the trailer, we grabbed some breakfast at a wonderful bakery and spent the day driving the Icefields Parkway.

Here's the deal, put this on your bucket list! Lunch in Banff, drive 1A as you watch for wildlife, stay in a quaint lodge in Lake Louise and drive and explore the Icefields Parkway. You HAVE to see this. No words...No pictures...do it justice. We took so many pictures and they just don't do the job.

We saw tons of waterfalls, deer, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and our first moose. What a day and Ben loved it too as we walked many trails!

We spent the night in Hinton, east of Jasper, at a KOA in the middle of a huge wind swept field with mountains all around us. We were supposed to have internet and it wouldn't work. I am keeping a journal with paper and pencil, and then I'll catch up when we do have the net.

Next, Highway 40 north to Dawson Creek and mile marker 0 of the Alcan Highway.

Yuppy Town & Rainy Day

Monday, May 16

The first picture is driving into Banff. The next is an elk we saw by the road driving up 1A to Lake Louise. The last is our campground at Lake Louise.

Driving to Banff was one spectacular view after another. The timber line was bright green with pines and the mountains were rugged with stripes of snow. Pictures and words just can't capture it.

Banff reminded me of Jackson Hole or any high end resort town. It's quaint, tucked into the mountains and using every tiny space for housing, expensive shops and interesting restaurants. People seem to be hikers, bikers, old hippies, and yuppies. Yes, Brad, Volvos would fit, but Jeeps were big too. We explored, stopped at a hardware, and had lunch and left after lots if walking.

We drove up 1A from Banff to Lake Louise and saw lots of deer and an elk. It was the wrong time of day to see much, but the scenery was well worth it.

Meanwhile, it started raining hard. We stopped in the Lake Louise Campground which had electricity, but no water, internet or sewer. We had snow all around our site and the shower was a bone chilling quarter of a mile walk. We plugged in the heater, had our own happy hour, and fixed soup and toast for dinner.

After dinner, it was too early for bed, so we went for a ride and saw Lake Louise. It was so beautiful tucked between mountains, but was still frozen. We were surprised to see the huge fancy hotel on the shores of the lake with people dressed for dinner sipping wine at tables with white tableclothes. It seemed so civilized after our rustic setting right down the road.

We drove back to snuggle in for the night and, as you might guess, we weren't there long before in disbelief, after all, this is a National Park, we heard the train whistle. We saw the tracks through the pines across the road from us. It was so close that in the night, we felt like we were on the train, tucked into our own little berth. Oh well, we were warm and cozy and I'm starting to love trains.