Crappy Drive!

July 31 – We got on the road to White River, Yukon, Canada at 9:30 and it took until 3:15 but we lost an hour with crossing a time zone.  It was 143 miles and the road was horrible.  It went from gravel to paved and back to gravel at least 30 times today.  There were swells in the road from winter freezing so there wasn’t much flat road.

We spent a while at the border crossing as there were several semi trucks ahead of us that slowed down the crossing.  We had no problem at all.

The highlight of the day was we saw a brown bear right along the road but I was driving and saw it but Bill didn’t have time to take a photo as we were in traffic and there was no space to pull off the road.  We also saw a coyote so it was a good wildlife day even if the drive was crappy!

The were the last ones in the campground but we did get a pull thru so we didn’t have to unhook.  Our friends Dave and Donna invited us for grilled chicken dinner when we went over to deliver a rhubarb crisp I made for them last night.  So we took our leftover potato salad and she made a tossed salad and we were good to go for dinner.

Some of the neighbors came by while we were sitting out side their RV and we got in a good amount of visiting as well.  We have been blessed with such nice people on this trip.  Everyone is looking forward to our next stop, Skagway, as we have 3 nights and there are a few things on the agenda and some of the guys will go fishing.

The weather has been pretty nice for most of our driving times.  I sure hope it keeps up.  Rain and crappy roads are just pushing things a bit too far!

The worst thing is continually not having WIFI!  

Moose Sighting!

July 30 - Our time in Alaska is almost over.  Today we left at 9:30 with David and Donna and drove up and down through mountains and saw so many lakes and rivers, crossed 3 bridges and the highlight of the day was we finally saw a moose!  There was a big moose in a small pond along the road and I took a few shots with my phone and by the time I got out my real camera she dunked her head in the water so I only got a body shot.  Bill said we needed to move on so I didn’t get to wait for her to come back up!

Further down the road we saw a wrecked pick up truck and found that our Wagonmasters went by right after the accident.  No word on if anyone was hurt!

We had 26 Airstream RVs pass us so we are sure they are a caravan group.  They were headed to Fairbanks as we were headed to Tok. 

Dave and us went straight to the gas station and filled up and then got to wash the RV’s in back for free.  They still are dirty but much better.  Another couple from the group pulled in also.  We had all been to this place when we stayed in Tok earlier.  We were booked at the same campground and we got the same unlevel site we had before.  The good news is we had full hook ups so I did 2 more loads of laundry and got caught up.

We all had to go online to the Arrive Canada site and complete the questionnaire with arrival info, medical questions and where we would be crossing.  Once Donna did hers and Dave’s and I did ours we went to the bar here at the campground.  We ordered drinks and Marty arrived and sat with us at the bar.  I had plans to bake a rhubarb crisp and cook some dinner so once my glad was empty I went back to the RV. 

Dave and Donna have really been nice to us and fun to hang out with so I made them a small rhubarb crisp as well.  I will give it to them tomorrow.  Not sure if they’ve ever had rhubarb, oh well, it’s good to try something new!

Barb and Mike came over for a while and we always have good laughs with them.  I’m going to miss them a lot too.  That’s the bad part of this whole trip is making friends with super people that live so far away from us.  I sure hope some winter in Florida so we can get together!

Bill did up the dishes.  I used the George Foreman again and also my toaster oven.  This is going to get old for sure!

Very Full Day!

July 29 – It was a sad morning as I drove Melissa to the airport and dropped her off at about 7:30. We had 3 activities scheduled for the day and she was afraid she would not get back to the airport in time.  It ended up we were on our way home from our last activity of the day as her plane was about to take off.  Bummer!

When I got back from the airport we lined up for our group to go to head to the train that took us out to the dredge.  There were several tour busses there and the train was pretty full.  There was some entertainment before our short ride out to the dredge.  We were provided the whole story of it and the gold digging.  It was very interesting.  Before we departed the train we were given a short talk on how to use a pan for separating the dirt and rocks from the gold.  They gave us each a bag of dirt and we picked a spot along the water troughs to see what we could find.  Bill and I were not too lucky as our gold together was valued at $7.  Some in our group had as much at $40.  They try to sell you on various jewelry to put the gold inside.  I bought the tiniest round pendant and had mine put in there.  If not, I’d never know where it might be.

We checked out the dredge behind the building and we looked at the animal hides on display inside the building along with holding the largest piece of gold found there, It weighs 19 ounces.  It’s the 25^th largest nugget discovered in Alaska and is worth $75,000.  Bill and I both got to hold it.   Bill bought a nice rain jacket that was on sale.

Then it was back on the train and back to our cars and a caravan from there to the wharf where our riverboat was docked.  We tootled around in the gift shops until the dining room opened and we had our prepaid lunch of delicious salad (I had 2 bowls), scrumptious beef stew, dinner roll, veggies and a brownie.  The salad and stew were the best! 

Then it was stand around and wait for the boat to load.  Our friends and us went to the top deck .  It was a beautiful day to be on the river and they provided doughnuts and coffee.  We all enjoyed the trip down and back and boy, were there some gorgeous homes along sections of the river.  We stopped at the kennels of a former 4 time Iditarod Champion.  The lady who trained and ran her dogs and won, had died and her daughter is currently in charge of the kennel and we could see her and the dogs when we stopped.  Later on when there was the opportunity to exit the ship she came by boat to the area and brought her lead dog.  Bill and I had been on this trip before so we didn’t get off the boat but sat and chatted with our friends. 

It was a nice and relaxing afternoon.  Once we departed Bill and I stopped at Wal-mart on the way home and then I grilled some brats and put out some store bought potato salad.  I don’t care for it but Bill is a potato guy and he was very happy!   

Bill OK’d it to turn the propane on while we both took a shower and he did the dishes.  It only used 1% so we’re going to only cold water laundry so we can take hot showers until we get to someplace to get the tank fixed!

So, it was a full day and a fun day!  I kept checking in on Melissa and she arrived in Seattle at about 10pm Seattle time.  What a long day for her!

Trip to North Pole

July 28 – Our drive today was not very long to Fairbanks.  Our campground is on the outskirts of the city and we did get full hook ups and pull thrus.  Super as we are having some laundry back up!  We were on our own for the rest of the day so almost everyone decided to visit the town of North Pole and visit the Santa House there.

It’s not that far to the North Pole from Fairbanks!  There is a huge Santa to welcome you to his home and there is a huge building with all kinds of Christmas stuff and items with “North Pole” on them and Santa and Mrs. Santa have a special area where they greet everyone and you can get your photo with them.  We didn’t buy much at all.

We walked out to the BIG Santa and then to the housing of the Reindeer.  They have huge antlers and you can pay to go in the area with them and feed them.  We passed on that but it was great to see them.  Bill and I have been here about 20 years ago but we think the building is bigger now that it was before.

When we were on our way back we got a call from the Wagon Master that there was a beeping  coming from our RV so we headed right back.  We left a couple of the windows cracked and the big window by the driver seat unlocked so our neighbor Barb climbed up and opened the window.  When we got there Melissa fanned the alarm and we opened all the windows.  It was coming from the propane.  Dave came over and found a leak in one of my burners and apparently while cooking I bumped one of the knobs and it was spewing gas as well.  Luckily our neighbors were there to call so nothing happened to Molly. 

This whole process also meant we have to ration our propane until we can get the tank repaired.  The first guy to fill it for us screwed it up and now no one can get propane in it.  We will probably only turn it on to heat water to shower and do the dishes.  I’m going to try and cook with my George Foreman and our grill that we will buy disposable canisters for.  We have a small tank for it at home and assumed this RV had the same attachment as the old one that we could hook our RV up to the big tank.  Not!

So once the excitement was over we microwaved leftovers.  I think I can manage cooking with the microwave, my electric toaster oven and the grill!  It’s always something.

The real down side was the 3 of us had took COLD showers!  Brrr! 

More time in Denali and Area

July 27 – It’s was a beautiful morning with nothing planned. Melissa and I left before 8AM to go back into Denali to see if we could see Mt Denali.  We drove to the spot that everything said was where to get a view of it before it got misty out.  We drove to the mile marker 10.7 where the placard is that tells you what peak is where.  It was clear out and a tiny bit of the peak of Mt. Denali was in view.  It was a bit disappointing that it was not more dominant but it was about 100 miles away and has numerous mountains trying o block the view.  I was able to zoom in and get the tip but that was about it.

We drove to the end of the allowed road but didn’t see any other wildlife but several Willow Ptarmigan along the roadway.

Once we got back and Bill was up and ready to go we drove out and parked along a footbridge at the edge of town.  We walked a lot of it and watched the fast flowing of the river below.  Then we drove to the other end of the town and Melissa and I walked over to the river.  We had hoped to see some water rafts come by but not good timing.  Back in town, we parked and went to some shops.  It’s a lot of repetition, like any other tourist area.  I bought a couple of gift items and a carved stone for me. 

The skies kept changing today: sunny then cloudy with a light shower, then sunny again

We had lunch across the road at the Resort.  They have 4-5 restaurants and we took the pizza/calzone one.  Very good lunch!  Then it was time to get home and relax a while.

Long Denali Tour

July 26 -   Oooh it was cold last night and cold this morning.  Bill got up and some point and closed our bedroom door and turned on the electric heater.  I have given Melissa 2 blankets and a sheet so figured she was using them all!

I cooked some venison sausage this morning that our friend Karen that Bill used to work with gave us before we left.  Melissa has never had venison and she liked it.  This was a little spicy and I think that made it better tasting for her.  It will be back on the menu tomorrow!

Bill and Melissa went gift store shopping but I passed.  I don’t need anymore “stuff”.  It’s all the same stuff in the shops and it was too cold to go out if I didn’t have to!

Today was our Denali tour.  It was 5 hours.  The bus was full and they provided a snack box and fancy bottles of water.  We also took food since we didn’t leave until after 3 we would have something for dinner.  We had an excellent tour guide and he answered any questions and explained a lot about the area and the animals.   When we spotted wildlife he could zoom in on them and put them on the monitors spaced throughout the bus.  We got to see a Grizzly bear, artic ground squirrels and Dall Sheep twice.  Everyone wanted to see moose or caribou but it just wasn’t going to happen. 

All in all it was a great day and I think everyone had a good time.

Headed to Denali

July 25 – Today’s destination was Denali.  We followed 2 other coaches that we’ve become friends with, Dave and Donna and Dave and Laurie.  Fun people that we can laugh with!  We decided to make a stop on the way knowing we had plenty of time.  We ventured in to Talkeetna, which is a tiny little town with primarily gift shops and places to eat.  They have a lot of hand made items and it’s pretty pricey.  I didn’t buy anything but Bill got his sticker and magnet from there.

We were the last to arrive at the campground except for the tail gunner who had a flat tire very close to the campground.  They called the wagonmaster and they came out to help them so all ended well.

We did get a pull thru but Bill says it’s in the ghetto area.  However, we are between others on our trip so we are all in the ghetto area.  At least it was pretty level.

It’s cold here and we could not see the top of Denali today so maybe tomorrow.

Touring Anchorage

July 24 – This morning we grouped up and played follow the leader and went into Anchorage to get on a Trolley Tour.  It was only our group on the bus and the driver/guide did an excellent job.  She was extremely personable and was very knowledgeable. 

Once they dropped us off we all headed into the huge gift shop on the corner as they gave us a discount coupon for there.  We looked it all over as there was a LOT of stuff there.  Prices were good as well.  I didn’t get anything but Bill got some postcards, a sticker and a magnet.  He looked at shirts but didn’t find his size in the ones he liked.  I bought a little gift and Melissa got a few things.

Time to look around on our own.  We drove down to the waters edge and there is no sandy beach as it’s all mud and they say it dangerous.  Nothing like Florida sandy beaches.  There were a few things we wanted to backtrack to in order to get photos so we did that as well.   Then we had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant that was the first one in Anchorage.

Time to head back to the RV where we pretty much just visited and chatted up our fellow travelers and a nice couple parked behind us that we had visited with last night.

I made stuffed peppers for dinner and we finished the rhubarb crisp so it was a good finish to a great day!

Headed to Anchorage!

July 23 – Today was a driving day with a lot of backtracking.  We were on most of the roads we came in on to Homer.  We were excited to learn we would have full hook up sites that are pull thru as well.  That meant we could catch up on the laundry!

We actually didn’t go directly to the campground but to the Native American Heritage facility.  We watched and listened to a couple of groups playing and singing Native songs and music.  They used instruments they hand made in the same fashion of their ancestors.  They were mostly young people who have learned from their elders the ways of their people.

They have a small museum of artifacts to view and 6-8 native artisans with displays of their work that was for sale.  They did beautiful work with jewelry and nick-nacks.  Then they had a native lady speak to us about their heritage and ways of life.  She spoke about the varied “tribes” in the area and said some things in her native togue.

After that we had a guide take us through the “village” that has been built to replicate a native village.  It was a very interesting presentation but the guide was not a good speaker. 

Then we were released by the wagonmasters to head to our RV sites.  We opted to stop on the way and fill up with fuel first.

Once the dust settled we went into town for groceries and to just take a look around.  We had a nice dinner out and it was time to call it a day!

Whal Watching DAy!

 Finally getting to post!  So many places with no WIFI!

July 22 – It was a wet chilly morning when we got up today!  Glad we were not in a tent.  I made bacon and sliced some of the stollen to go with it.  Melissa and I are up first and have our coffee and quiet time on our phones. 

The group was to meet at 10:30 and carpool to the whale watching trip today. We dressed in layers and took more layers.  We lined up and followed the wagon master to the parking for the trip.  It was a nice large sightseeing boat.   Our group was put downstairs with another group but was not full.  There wasn’t much to see on the way out.  The guide told us about the mountains etc. we saw along the way and the glaciers.

Eventually we got to see a couple of otters, several bald eagles, sea lions, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, 1 puffin, coastal mountain goats, cormorant, and common murre.  Everyone was most excited though when we saw several Dall’s porpoise and 6-8 humpback whales.  It was difficult to get photos of the porpoises and whales and I have not gone thru my pictures yet to see if I got anything good.  Everyone on the boat was so excited as those are what people really want to see.  We spent about 20 minutes viewing them.

With my severe motion sickness, I put a patch on this morning first thing and I did great until he turned the boat around and was racing back and hitting the wakes like a rock.  I got really nauseous and managed to get back to my seat from the restroom and laid down on the seating at our table.  I just stayed there pretty much until we were about to disembark.  I was fine by then!

Melissa, Bill and I met 2 other couples and a single at a nice restaurant close by and we all had a great time.  There was a lot of discussion on how disappointed we have been with the trip.  Some of us were discussing sending a letter to the owner and what kind of review we would write.  The people have been great but the leaders suck!  The owner does also if he OK’d all of the crappy campgrounds!

I did another load of laundry since we had wiggle room with our gray tank and make a batch of brownie brittle.  Once it cools I will bag some for the couples that I have not given a snack to yet. 

Tomorrow we head to Anchorage!

Headed to Seward

July 21 -   The drive to Seward was not bad!  Took about 3 hours and the roads were somewhat better than we’ve had lately.  We are in a KOA that has full hook ups, however, we got water and electric so it limits being able to do laundry.  Hoping for better when we get to Anchorage.

Once we parked and hooked up Bill, Melissa and I drove into town to check things out.  We arrived here on a train over 20 years ago to catch a cruise ship and we thought we’d recognize the B & B where we stayed but no.  Seward was a bit larger than it was 20 years ago.  We stopped at a “gift” shop and they had everything.  Of course there were souvenirs to be purchased!  There was a huge cruise ship in the harbor and we went by the train station that we arrived at 20 years ago.  Since it’s a city on the water, pretty much the entire coast of the city are campgrounds.  They appear to be owned by the city and some are dry camp and some have partial utilities.

Once we got back we put our beets on to cook.  They are for Melissa and I as Bill won’t touch a beet. I made chicken medallions and tossed salad.  The beets were delicious!  Next we will sauté the tops and see how that goes.

It was a quiet evening but Melissa and I kept a close watch on what was going on at our end of the campground.  The tenters are beside us and we were watching them set up and wondered how some of them fit in the tents etc. 

Checking out THe Spit!

July 20 - Well Melissa said she slept well on the recliner so Bill is putting the bed back in the storage compartment.  It’s been a brisk day today!  Once breakfast was out of the way we all went into Homer.  Bill had a couple of errands he wanted to run and we tootled around a super nice and big hardware store that even had yarn and fabric.  Bill made all the stops he wanted and we checked the location of the RV dump station and took some photos of the mountains across the bay.

We stopped on the Spit and visited the Salty Dawg Saloon.  It’s kinda dumpy, small, and started in 1957.  They only serve drinks, no food, and are know for the thousands of dollar bills on the walls, ceiling, window frames and any where else they could put them.  We all ordered a drink and sat with a nice lady from California.  We got out $1 for each of us and they provide Sharpie pens to write on your dollar if you want and tacks to put them up.  So I put our 3 together and we got photos of them and of the ceiling, walls, and tons of $1.

Then we went across the road to have lunch but  waited about 35 minutes for a table. Melissa and I shared a seafood platter while Bill had a hamburger.   The wait was long but the food was excellent. Then it was time to head back to the RV.

We stopped at the local Farmers Market.  It was kinda small and not all booths were open.  We bought some fresh beets for Melissa and I.

Tonight, the Wagonmasters were providing a seafood dinner.  Several of the group helped with cooking the crab legs, shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob.  One of the ladies made a cobbler for dessert and other made cookies.  So it was a nice spread but unfortunately it was so cold and rather windy out.   I wouldn’t wait to leave and get back inside.  Tomorrow we head to Seward for a couple of days but we don’t think we’re going to have very good weather.

What a Day!

July 19 -   Today we learned that we don’t have 30 Amp, we have 20 because the power went off down our whole row.  These are the crappiest campgrounds!  So everyone had only 20 and you can’t run the heater and coffee maker at the same time. 

Today there was an excursion on a ferry over the bay to the town of Seldovia.  It was a Russian community that we were told it’s an arts and hand crafted area of shops and so much to see.  It was really cold on the ferry going over and got bumpy and I hadn’t thought about wearing a travel patch.  One of the ladies offered me some oil to put behind my ears and I made it without getting sick. 

Once we disembarked Bill and I started to walk and there weren’t many places open.  It’s almost a ghost town.  There was a coffee shop, Visitor center (which is very nice), the old church that is not open or currently in use, one restaurant, a couple of shops and a few other buildings were all on the main street.  Bill and I walked to the church and truthfully, you could see everything there was to see in an hour and here we were for at least 4 hours.  We had a very good lunch at the local restaurant and ended up just sitting in the community pavilion, then I got us each a hot beverage and we went down to the ship and sat and waited til 4.

Melissa got her flight all squared away and was scheduled to arrive around 7:30. I got to the airport just as the plane was landing and it’s so small that I could park in front.  I had just gotten inside when they departed the plane and here came Melissa.  They were told that due to how much fuel weight they had they could only take 3 suitcases and so everyone was scrabbling to fill out their paperwork and it was a mess.  Once the crowd left Melissa turned in her paper and as we   were headed to the door she saw one bag on the luggage table and what a relief that it was hers!  If not we would have had to go back at 9:30 tonight to claim her bag. 

It was only a few minutes to get to the RV and I heated up some leftovers as she’d only had pretzels all day.  We had a nice visit and catching up.  She decided to try sleeping on one of the recliner seats instead of the air mattress.  So time for bed! 

The Good and The Bad!

July 18 -    The good news is we made it safely to Homer and the weather was great today.  The bad news is Melissa’s flight was cancelled and with all the changes to get her here she won’t be in til tomorrow night.  Bummer!  She’s going for a morning arrival to a night arrival but it’s only 8:30 and we are maybe 5 minutes to the airport.

The drive was nice road today and not too much traffic.  We received word that we could not go to the campground until 3 so once we got into town we pulled into a side lot of Safeway with several other RV’s from our group.  We unhooked so Bill could go see a place about putting tires valves on our rear inside tires.  So I went to Safeway and got a few things we were out of.  Just as I was unloading them Bill called and said he was on his way back to have me follow him to the garage.  Well he did and I did and they looked it over and said they couldn’t.  So we were headed back to the Safeway and Bill got a message that we could come in to the campground.  We were just seconds from driving past the turn off so it was excellent timing.

We are on Homer Spit, which is a long narrow piece of land jutting into the Kamishak Bay.  There are several campgrounds on the spit but we are at the very end, within walking distance to the ferry that we are taking tomorrow.  The airport is where the spit starts at the mainland.

The downer for the day is that we were not told that our 3 night site would have nothing but power and that is 30A.  We did not fill our water tank and we will have to be very careful not to waste water.   It will be quick showers too. 

So this hasn’t been the best day with no water and Melissa’s plane issues.  We did walk over to the beach and it’s so windy and cold.  Bill took a couple of photos of me on the beach and I did put my foot in the cold water. 

We had a group meeting at 6 and then Bill and I went out to dinner.  It was a long wait, expensive and mediocre for the price!

We head out at 10:30 tomorrow on the ferry so at least we won’t be rushed!

Long driving day

 July 17 - Today’s drive to Soldotna was about 5 hours. We didn’t leave until 10.   We tried to get propane at the campground before leaving but they couldn’t get it to work.  We will maybe have better luck at a gas station that also has propane.  We’re at about half and with cooking with it and needing to run the heater I think we better get it!

The drive was thru Anchorage during the rain which was not fun but at least we had 4 lane road for quite a while today.  It was rainy part of the way and a lot was along lake edges.  I don’t like that part at all.   We drove along side of the train tracks for a very long time and Bill and I recalled when we road the train from Anchorage to Seward over 20 years ago.  It hasn’t changed much!

We set up for dry camping along a private airstrip.  Not my idea of a good campground.  Can’t imagine what they paid for this place!  We have 15 rv’s pretty much in a line along the runway.  The area that is actually   a campground had small spaces and very overgrown weeds.  I would give this place an X and NO stars.

Some of the group went into town for groceries and to look around. Bill and a couple of guys went to a carving shop to admire the skill of the owner.  I prepped for dinner and was out visiting with some of the group.

After dinner we had a fire circle.  One of the ladies had a load of firewood so hey got a fire going and about half of the group sat around and toasted marshmallows, made smores and just chatted.  It started cooling down and the party broke up.  It’s now 10 pm and it’s a light as it was a noon.

Tomorrow we head for Homer.

Glaciers

July 16 – Driving day again!  We were close to the last ones to leave the campground.  We were following our friends Dave and Donna.  We agreed we wanted to stop at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that was on our way.  The timing worked out great as once we parked and went in we had some time to look around and get what we wanted from the gift store and then we went next door to a movie.  It was an extremely well done movie of how vast the park is and how it came to be.  Excellent movie!  We all enjoyed the stop.

Dave suggested we have lunch while we were parked so we didn’t need to find a stopping point down the road.  Great idea so we had lunch and then we all got back on the road.

One of our other group messaged Dave that we were going to come to some road with lots of ups and down, kinda like a wave.  You just can’t find a flat straight road here!  So I was continually slowing down for the dips.  Then it was mountain crossing time!  Oh joy!  The roads were narrow with rather non-existent edges and then we were right on the edge of a lake on a curvy road.  It was another drive I could not wait to get over.  I did slip off the inside once and scared the bejesus out of Bill.

The up side of the drive is we got to see 2 glaciers.  The first was Nelchina and it was pretty far off the road but up in the mountains and the other was Matanuska, which was closer to the ground and wide and skinny.  Too bad that road wasn’t a good spot to pull over to get some nice photos.

We were the last to arrive today at our campground in Palmer.  We were expecting partial hook ups but we lucked out with a pull thru and full hook ups.  We’ve been told tomorrow night we are dry camping in a field.  Oh joy!

I finally cooked my cube steaks tonight and baked Bill a white potato and a sweet potato for me.  They are very big so we each had half and now we have potatoes ready for another meal.  I was pooped so I just made a salad to go with it!  We’ve been eating out way too much and need to get back on track!  

Lazy Day!

July 15 – Today was a free day – meaning you were free to do whatever you wanted.  From whit I heard there was a lot of laundry washing going on today.  I was part of the mix.  I did 4 loads in the RV!  I love my washer and dryer!  I also cleaned my floors and was doing some things on the computer and showing Bill how to move his picture from his phone to his computer.

Later we drove into town to see the gift shop we missed and it was the most reasonably priced places we’ve been in this trip!  I got a Christmas ornament for us and a couple of small gifts to take home.  We stopped at the fish processing place and I I got some rockfish and halibut that was caught and flash frozen.  Bill won’t eat it but when Melissa comes I know she will enjoy it with me!

This evening was chili night for the group and luckily for me one of the other ladies can’t have spicy so they made her a small crock of chili and she invited me to share it.  It was good and no hernia issues!

Tomorrow we head to Palmer for one night.

Super cruise of the Prince William Sound

July 14 – What a great day this was!  The sun was out and there was a chill in the air and we headed to the pier.  We had a bit of a wait to board and there seemed to be plenty of seating.  We went upstairs with Dave and Donna and claimed a table on the left side of the boat.  The scenery was beautiful and we saw Bald Eagles, Puffins, Sea Otters, marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Great Blue Herons, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and Dall’s Porpoises.

The otters are great to watch as the females are carrying their babies and they lay back in the water with the baby on top.  They are very playful sea creatures. 

We went to the Columbia Glacier and parked for quite a while in hope of not only seeing cabbing of the ice but maybe some BIG cabbing.  There were cracking noises that sounded like they were behind the huge glacier.  It is 5 miles of glacier before reaching shore.  It has retreated 15 miles since 2021.

They provided a nice chicken meal for lunch and you could have free coffee and water thru out the day.  It was 8 hours for sure!  It was pretty brisk out and some folks sat outside but we only went out to use the restrooms that are entered from the bottom of the ship on the outside.

We dined out “again” with 2 other couples at the Fat Mermaid.  Donna and Dave and Dave and Laurie and all super nice people and we get a lot of laughing in.   As I’ve said, there are not a lot of places to go here in Valdez and most of the restaurants are small but we timed it well and got an outside table and a waiter with a great sense of humor!

There are only 2 gift shops and one was closed by the time we had dinner and Bill and I had been to the other one earlier and it had all clothing.  It was a nice ending to a fun day!

Arrival in Valdez - start point of the Alaska Pipeline

July 13 - Today was a short drive to Valdez, AK.  Not the best of roads but there was no rush to leave and we didn’t have any activities scheduled for when we arrived. 

We experienced fog again during the drive so thankful it was not an all day drive.  Ours is the largest of 4 campgrounds here and they are all full with caravan groups from varying companies.   Most of our group were given pull thrus and we are in the back of the park so we don’t hear much of the town or road noises.  We went ahead and went to the gas station next door and filled up so we can just get on the road on travel day.

Once we settled in and had some lunch Barb and I walked over to the Safeway and did our stocking up.  Boy, the prices are even worse here than they were in Canada.  I had sticker shock!  Glad I didn’t need meat, only lunch meat.

Our neighbors from Wisconsin, Dave and Laurie asked if we wanted to join them out for dinner so we did.  There isn’t a lot to pick from except small cafes and some outdoor places but the Best Western Hotel had good recommendations and we managed to get seated at the bar overlooking the harbor.  The food was excellent and pretty pricey but I enjoyed every bite.  We walked along the pier a bit and then headed back to the RV’s.

The towns are getting smaller - Tok!

July 12 -  Short drive day today.  Thanks Goodness!  It was only 84 miles to Tok, AK but it was still a bit hilly and curvy.  Not nearly as bad as we have been on.  We were following Dave and Donna and we slacked back a ways as he drives a bit faster.  Then close to the end I caught up to him.  We are all happy campers tonight as we all got full hookups with drive thrus!  Yea!  The only thing missing is WIFI but you can get it free in the office.  Actually they have a room between the office and the bar that has 2 folding tables to use for laptops.  I took mine in and managed to do what I needed to do as I forgot to take my charge cord. 

We went up to the bar and sat with 2 other couples and 2 singles.  They don’t serve food so I did a small patter of cheese and crackers.  They were all very appreciative.  We sat and visited for about an hour then it was time to get back to the RV and get some dinner ready. 

I had cut up and cooked a rutabaga when we first arrived while I made a small pan of Betty Crocker Peanut Brittle.  I got the rutabaga done for dinner and got out the leftover beef and shredded it and put some beef broth in to moisten it.  I mashed the rutabaga which is how Bill likes it , and added some butter and milk.  It’s kinda like mashed potatoes.    I didn’t used to like it but now it’s grown on me.  We had tomatoes from my 3 plants and they were delicious.  Now we have to wait a week for so for the next batch.

I did 2 loads of laundry here and will do another 2 once we reach Valdez, our destination for tomorrow.  It’s going to be a long day with 300+ miles.  Ugh!  As long as it doesn’t rain I am happy.

Peaceful day in Chicken!

July 11 - Today was a bit more relaxing!  No rush to get up and on the road.  I made some sausage biscuits for breakfast and we kinda chilled until it was time to leave for today’s activities. I put a beef roast in the crockpit as I wasn’t sure how long I’d had it and there was no label as to the kind of roast it was.  I figured I could shred it for beef tacos or cut it up for just meat.

After lunch we all gathered down by the river for gold panning.  An elderly gentleman explained how you use your pan to go from a pule of dirt and rocks to specks of gold.  They have a small sluice that we used and some of the group went to the river right behind us.  After 3-4 pans I was over it.  I do think we got some tiny flecks of gold when we first started but couldn’t get them into the tiny bottle they give you to put your gold in.  Bill thinks he put some in the bottle at the end of his sluicing but I’d be darn if I can see it.  They say to fill the little bottle with water after you get to your RV.  He did it but I can’t see anything.  I got tired of it and wasn’t impressed with the whole process.

Some of the group wanted to visit an old school within walking distance.  There is a guide here that takes people there so a group got him to set up a time and they went to it.

The town of Chicken has 40 some people living here in the summer.  In the winter they all leave except for the postmistress and postmaster who are a married couple.  There is no ground water and the power is all by generator.  There is no grocery store and the only place to get fuel is at the campground.  There is one small café that we ate at last night.  So this is a destination for sure. 

My beef was good!  We had half of it with some bbq sauce and I made slaw for the side.  Dessert tonight was the rest of the rhubarb crisp that was in the fridge for a few days.

It stays light here most of the night but since I’ve been here before I didn’t get up several times during the night to see how light it is.  It was nippy when we got up this morning but turned into a lovely day and it’s nice to have some down time.  Tomorrow’s drive to Tok (pronounced Toke) is only 80 miles so in the morning we will fill up at the pumps here and once we got there we will take the RV to a wash station before we check into our campground.  I think there will be a line of us for sure!  Since it’s a short drive day it’s our best time.  The following day is about 300 miles.  I’m also going to have a full hook up so I can do 2 loads of laundry or more!!

Day from "H"

July 10 – What a day!  This is another “will not do again” day.  We were up at 4:45 to be ready to leave at 6:15. Today they had us line up in numerical order and we are 8.  Bill wanted to follow one of the Daves, so that was Ok’d.  Three of the RV’s did not get up since they stayed at the bar and partied and could not get up this morning.  Everyone has the name and address of the campground so they were on their own.

We headed to the ferry crossing in numerical order.  It takes about 15 minutes for the ferry to cross the river, unload the vehicles and come back.  There were 2 small RV’s in the line beside us and I think 4 -5 cars showed up.  They can’t put but 1 big RV on the ferry at a time but they can put 2 small ones beside it or cars etc.  We crossed on the 5^th trip over.  As they landed on the other side they lined up along the exit road so once we all made the crossing we left together.  It was a very tight squeeze for me to get the RV over and in to close the front and back parts of the ferry.  They did put a small RV and 2 small cars on with us.  Once we crossed I had to wait for the small vehicles to exit before I could steer to the middle of the gang plank to get off.  We waited for the last of the group then we hit the road.

What a road it was!  We drove most of the day on hard pack small gravel and dirt.  We had some paved road but it was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride today for sure.  We spent 99% of the drive going up and down mountains in the rain and the road would widen and narrow and if there was passing traffic it was sketchy to get to far over to the edge.  Bill was quite a nervous wreak that I was going to go over the edge.  He didn’t think about I would be going down the hill as well so I was very careful!  It was a scary drive and bumpy as “H”!  We had some stretches of asphalt but that was few and far between.

It was almost 6 hours to drive 110 miles.  So that tells you what it was like!  The destination was Chicken, AK.  It’s a tiny little town that was a gold rush place.  The campground has only electric and that is 20 amp.  The spaces are all drive thru which is nice and that are much wider than our last place.  We were told to fill our water tanks before arriving as they have no under ground water here.  At 18 inches deep the ground is frozen year ‘round.  Their water is trucked in.  There is also no sewer but they have a dump station.

Once everyone arrived and was settled in and washed their front windows we went to a local tiny place for a dinner of caribou brats with either potato salad or slaw.  They had homemade pies and cinnamon buns.  I had a piece of cherry pie and Bill went with blueberry.  Very good! 

We rode with Dave and Donna so we tootled around a bit after checking out the tiny gift shop. Time to settle in for the night as it’s raining which puts me to sleep!

Next Stop Dawson City

 July 9 - Today we headed out to Dawson City that is 111 miles.   The time estimate was 5 hours.  It ended up being 8 hours.  What a rugged trip that was!  We got off the Alaska Highway and on to Hwy 2 and again it was mountains and rivers which were lovely.  Then we got into the fire area which was no threat to us but it was very smokey and hazy.  You could smell the fire.

The additional time actually was due to stopping 3 times at work zones.  The first one we waited a long time for the Lead Truck to get back to our side.  Then we were maybe ½ mile in and about half of the group was crossing and they had the rest of us stop for a work truck.  Well, it was starting to rain a bit and once they signaled for the car in front to go he had no traction and we were “uh oh”!  He was towing a travel trailer and they asked him to back up and turn right and he got over so the rest of the group could pass.  The people in front didn’t want to leave him but he waved them to go.  Once we left I think they hooked a winch to his truck and towed him out of the muddy area.  We were glad when we learned he was back in the line.

Well, we had to go thru 2 more work areas and they don’t do a little section at a time, they do several miles so you can only creep along or bump yourself to death.  We zigzagged to avoid potholes etc.  Not a fun drive.

We all arrived safely in Dawson City and we all had pull thru spaces with full hook ups.  I did a load of laundry while Bill was outside chatting with the group.  Then after showers we were all headed to a casino with a show and we supposedly had reservations for steak dinners before the show.  We pulled into the lot and the place was closed so we walked a couple of blocks into Dawson City and there was a bar/restaurant and they had room for all 26 of us.  Everyone had a fun time in addition to a good meal.  Bill and I shared an order of poutine and he had a chicken sandwich and salad and I had a buffalo burger with salad.  It was like we switched!  Everyone finished up timely to walk back to the theatre where we picked up our entrance tickets for the dance hall show.  We all enjoyed the music, singing and dancing.

Then we took the couple who rode with us down to the ferry landing to see where we are heading in the morning.  They said it holds 2 RV’s at a time but it’s not very big!  It only takes about 15 minutes to cross the river to Alaska!

So tomorrow is sure to be another adventure!

Loved my breakfast!

July 8 – This morning was breakfast in Whitehorse where we arrived at the outskirts yesterday.  The food was very good, slow service though slow waitresses.  I had French toast and chorizo sausage and have French toast left for tomorrow morning.

From there we went to see the S S Klondike.  It was a cargo ship that went up and down the Yukon River.  Our guide was an Indian Native who volunteers at the ship and he was extremely knowledgeable about the building of the ships and the perils they faced.  Unfortunately, the ship is going under renovations inside so we didn’t get to see inside except the cargo area in the bottom thru the windows. There were two guides and we all thought our guides were great.

After the ship we were on our own for the rest of the day.  Barb and Mike rode with us today and we drove around some to see an old church and the downtown, then we went to Dollarama, Walmart, (while the guys went to Canadian Tire), another grocery store and then we were ready for some lunch.  The tavern we planned to eat at which was the oldest tavern in Whitehorse no longer serves food.  They recommended a place down the road, Earls.  The food was delicious, very upscale and I think our friends were a bit taken back on the prices.  Bill and I enjoyed our meal and we cleaned our plates.  Our friends both didn’t touch their broccoli, he didn’t eat his rice.  So I got their broccoli and rice and took it home and I have half of them both with my leftover chicken for dinner.  

We took them to see the Douglas DC-3 airplane weather vane.  We visited yesterday and there was some wind and we all got to see it move with the wind.  It’s really cool to sit there and see this huge plane turn with the wind. 

Dinner was leftovers from lunch and other nights, so I didn’t have to do much.  Earlier I made a batch of Chocolate Chip Brittle that I broke up and made 5 little bags to share with our fellow travelers.  Next time I have time to bake a batch I’ll share with 5 others. 

Time to call it a day as we are to be at a gas station meet point with others at 5:45AM.  Ugh!

Another Long Day!

 July 7 – It was another long day!  We were on the road by 5:45 and it was a long day.  Not much change in the roads or scenery and you just don’t tire from seeing the beautiful tree covered and snowy mountains.  We saw a black bear, a fox and a porcupine on the drive today. 

We were driving like crazy as we were to either go to the campground and get into our spots and then meet at Cariboo Crossing Trading Post or drive there directly and park and drive to the campground after our visit.

All but 1 RV went to the campground first and what a cluster that was!  The spaces are on the narrow side and you are so close and you can’t always put your slides out.  Lots of trees to try and avoid hitting as well.  Most of us are on the same row and that’s an issue to all be trying to get settled.

So once we got parked, we doubled up with other couples to drive fewer cars.  That’s become the way we go sightseeing and to restaurants, etc.  The Wagonmasters were waiting for us as we were scheduled to have lunch there then visit their museum and see all of the animals.  It was OK but it was a long drive out there for a bbq chicken leg, mashed potatoes and slaw.  Oh, and a piece of crumb cake.  It was supposed to look like and “old town” with false face fronts and there was a petting zoo of sorts.  They had 2 alpacas, 4-5 baby goats, horses, and a lot of husky dogs.  You could go for a ride in a land rover pulled by huskies.  Those dogs get so excited and anxious to get out there and run.  When the dogs know the guy is getting the land rover ready ALL of them start barking “pick me, I wanna go”!  They probably had at least 50 dogs.  They had 10-12 pens on that back side of the property with kennels for all of the dogs.

The drive back was just a ride but we road with Dave and Donna and stopped along the road at another beautiful blue and green lake.  There was one guy on the lake and the water was so still.  Just beautiful.