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.