Fairbanks to Great Falls in 7 DAYS!!

8 weeks, 7,300 miles on the road and READY TO TURN TOWARD HOME!! Dealing with frost heave road conditions but made it through Canadian border without any crossing issues. Staying in a mix of Canadian Provencial Parks and RV parks and viewing Bison herd (75), black bears, caribou, black tail deer and big horned sheep, we made it to Dawson Creek and the end of the Alaska Highway. We did take time to celebrate Franklin's birthday and hang our sign in the SIGN POST FOREST at Watson Lake, Yukon. Hopefully someday somebody will happen upon it and think about us. (When you look at the picture, please don't ask us to explain "why the names ?") We also saw our first glimpse of Canola growing, which will be the first of many yellow blinding fields as far as you can see. July 13th!! 7 DAYS and surprised at HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO BE IN THE LOWER 48!! Montana is a breathtaking state that we definitely will visit again. Decided to take a side trip to Little Bighorn National Battlefield the location of Custer's Last Stand. Our one and only vehicle trouble occurred on Hwy 3 coming into Billings MT, a blowout on the camper, but Franklin changed quickly, found a tire company that was willing to stay open for us. All considering the problem was short lived, in the space 3 hours we were on the road again and heading to Garryowen, Mt. on the Crow Reservation. A few days R&R was nice at 7th Ranch with 50 to 100 mile views, Big Sky and just minutes from the battlefield. Touring the battlefield by bicycle was enjoyable and we were surprised at some of the history facts either never learned or forgotten. We quickly got a shock with the temperature change. HEAT TO AC IN ONE DAY! Nebraska is our next stop.

DENALI

Denali National Park is like no other park we have ever seen.Cars are allowed in only the first 14 miles and after that visitors must ride buses to different stops along the only r0ad in the park which is 95 miles long. Most people stay on the outside and ride the bus to see wildlife but we unwisely chose to tent camp 85 mile in at Wonder Lake campground and found more mosquitoes than stars in the sky, and head nets are a necessity. It rained every day, we didn't see Mt McKinley(Denali) and it was cold but no fires allowed. Denali has open tundra but we were in the lower elevations in a spruce forest and the only trail we hiked was rocky, muddy and with no views. However Denali is gorgeous in some areas. We cut our visit short after 2 nights and got the bus out which was the best part of the trip. We had our first view of Mt. Denali along with great sitings of caribou, 4 grizzly bears and a red fox. We watched a wolf trot beside a river for over 3 miles as the river paralleled the road as well as watched a grizzly about 500 yds away when a caribou came over a ridge, saw the bear and jumped, approached(not too close) and circled the bear in a seldom seen bear-caribou encounter. Lots of Denali has miles of visibility with no trees, ponds and lakes and is easily walked. Visitors can get off the buses at any time and catch another a few hours later which is what we should have done. Denali (6 million acres)is a true wilderness with few trails and hikers must bushwhack over the tundra. There are only a few campgrounds and those are fairly close to the entrance, where only smaller campers or tents are allowed. A great experience but not one to be repeated. We are now in Fairbanks, taking a couple of days to wash clothes, reprovision and get ready for the trip home. We plan to take the top of the world highway through Dawson City, Chicken, etc and hope to be home in about 3 weeks repeating most of the trip up except that we plan to come back through Great Falls, Montana instead of Seattle. May or may not post much else as we hope to travel fairly fast and not make any stops except to camp.

Journey to Kodiak Island

We have been without internet for 2 or 3 weeks so we will try to catch up. Homer is a true tourist town. The Homer spit is a narrow strip that sticks out onto the bay for several miles lined with shops, restaurants, fishing charters, etc but eagles are sitting on buildings and snow covered mountains are accross the bay. Homer calls itself a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem. Kodiak Island is accross the gulf about 200+ miles and we left the RV in Homer, packed the bikes with camping gear and left on the ferry, Kennicott, at 2:am, getting on the elevator with other vehicles and being lowered into the car deck, looked for a place to put the bikes and had to dodge a semi that almost got too close. The Kennicott is like no ferry that we were expecting and we went up the stairs to carpet, movie theater, gift shop, cafeteria, and observation decks with a cruise ship air to our tiny bunkroom-6by 8- for a little sleep. Departed about 5:30 am and got to Kodiak ablut 1:30 pm. Kodiak has no interest in tourists, with few restaurants or shops, and is primarily a commercial fishing port- largest in US- that supports a fish canning industry but is home to the largest brown bears in the world, a fact not personally verified, because the bears are a long way from town and flights to see them cost over $500 each. The island is the 2nd largest in the US and is mostly a wildlife refuge with lots of mountains and a rugged rocky coast with some black sand beaches, like Homer. We petaled about 5 miles from town and camped at Fort Abercrombie State Park-primitive camping- which used to be a WW II base with old bunkers and it was cold but we had fires to keep us warm. We took a great fishing trip and caught over 500# fish- shipped some home- and saw whales, sea lions and over 100 sea otters in one place hanging out in a kelp bed -cute critters. Came back home after 4 days on the Tustamena which was much smaller, not as nice and slept on a semi enclosed deck on our sleeping bags just like the locals travel and got back to Homer on time about 9am. Kodiak is beautiful-lots of eagles- and a long way from Forsyth. The coast is jagged with cliffs rising over 100 ft above the water and we hiked some scenic trails, enjoying every bit but about ready to start for home. Denali is the next stop.

A TRUE WILDERNESS ADVENTURE!

June 18 - 24 - Left for Sterling, Ak. along Sterling Highway off Alaska Hwy. for Swan Lake Canoe Trail - a dedicated wilderness world class canoe trail. After moving through LOTS of traffic due to Salmon fishing on the Kenai and Russian Rivers ( just like you read about people where everywhere fishing due to season just opening - definitely NOT wilderness), we picked Moose RV Park to stay while we canoed. Appropriately named since as soon as we pulled in a MOOSE strolled through the RV lot. As well as while grilling, we walked up about 100 ft. from camper and saw a mama moose with 2 calves. Babies are SO cute not able to to say as much for mama- Franklin described her as a cross between a mule and a camel. Spotted a snowshoe hare hopping through the camp with his big ole white feet and ears. Woke up Sunday to rain, visited Sterling Baptist Church and was blessed with a moving message on Fathers. Quite emotional for both of us in SO many ways. Decided to wait until Monday to head out on canoes. After a 30 mile drive into the Kenai Wildlife Refuge we unloaded and launched the canoe into the first lake. Portage was quite taxing on us both so decided to set up base camp on Canoe Lake 2 and paddle out from it each day. True wilderness was absolutely beautiful and a 1st experience of us both. Crystal clear water surrounded by spruce trees, trumpeter swans, screaming loons, crys of wolves at night and native trout that Franklin landed for dinner were just a few of the exciting experiences while out on the trail. Set up a great camp and thankfully had no bear encounters. We really enjoyed having a few days out to ourselves. Great weather while out and made it back, with a couple more trout, to RV without any issues. So glad for this chance!! Traveled about 80 miles to Homer next am with views of Cook Inlet and Kachemak N.P. mountains and volcanoes(Ring of Fire) on the drive. Pulled into Oceanview RV ,with only electric and water, on a bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. leaving for Kodiak Island Sat. am on a 9 hr. ferry ride to tent camp off bicycles at Ft. Abercombie S.P., old WWII base, to return on 6/30 and on to Denali. Some excitement at campground when sirens went off and loudspeakers announced a tsunami warning. There was a few moments of panic but the coast guard quickly canceled the alert. Seems there was an earthquake in the Aleutians Range, across Bay(50+ miles across) that sent waves toward Russia instead of Alaska. Still a few people left for higher ground.

6000 MILES UNDER OUR BELT AND THE FUN KEEPS ON A COMIN!!

We will change the format just a bit since Internet service is quite scarce around here.

June 10-17- Left for Kenai Peninsula, stopping at Indian Meats & Processing purchased smoked salmon, reindeer steaks and caribou sausage, while there a black bear was brought in for processing. WOW! Set up camp at Willawa Campground in the Chugach National Forest with Middle Glacier in view from the camper window. The generator makes dry camping soft enough since running the heat at night is a must. Hiked Portage glacier near Whittier, Ak and guided hike to Bryon glacier to look for ice worms (no luck). The sun rose at 4:30 am and set at 11:35 pm which is REALLY WEIRD! Next to Seward, Ak.,Stoney Creek RV, full service and to spend a few days washing clothes, groceries and just letting the wheels rest. Hiked up to the Harding Ice Fields near Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords N.P., largest ice field in U.S., 2.6 miles but lots of elevation gained. The next day, an all day kayak trip in Resurrection Bay surrounded by high snowed covered mountains where harbor seals, sea otters, and eagles nesting were spotted. The guide was awesome,Calie, and it was just us two and a wonderfully interesting young lady from France living now in Ireland. Weather was cool but only sprinkles all day. Kayaked to Caines Head S.P. for hike and lunch then back to Lowell Point making about a 12 mile day. The only struggle was finding a boat with enough leg room for Franklin. Saw moose grazing in marsh and river otter in the creek behind the campground. Hiked Ptarmingen Creek Trail to a beautiful Lake for lunch and Franklin spotted black bear on trail but no confrontation. Great way to see some more of the Chugach N.F. WHAT A SURPRISE! Gail and Earnest Thomas, our deer processors from Bolingbroke, knocked on camper door in the pm.. Hard to believe just what a small world it really is!! Fishing charter organized for Friday, left Seward harbor at 6:30 am on the Jedi with Captain Mike and deckhand Marshall (from Richmond Hill, Ga.). Two other people on charter with us. Great day of fishing catching Halibut, Rockfish and Cod. Franklin even brought in 2 Skates (Rays) and wildlife viewing. We saw sea lions, otters,puffins, eagles and humpback whales put on a show all day. 35 lbs. of fillets after cleaning were shipped back to Ga. GREAT EXPERIENCE AND HOPE TO DO AGAIN. Really enjoyed our time in Seward, just a small little village with lots of fishing. Also saw a salmon fish weir just several miles from campsite where they are working to maintain the salmon population.

A few more photos of the Alaska Hwy.

Alaska Highway

The Alaska Highway officially begins at Dawson Creek, BC but the approach is over 900 miles to get there. The roads are generally good, about like SR 42 N and better than Lassiter. We usually drive about 300 miles a day and stay in full service campgrounds or more fun the frequent state park like campgrounds run by BC or Yukon Territory. We have stayed at Bear Lake , Charlie Lake, and Summit Lake and there are no services but lots of space and hiking trails which we try after stopping and very few people-pit toilets but very well maintained and clean. Driving there are miles of mountains, trees, and wildlife and then there is a lodge or service station but usually about 50 miles apart. Over a dozen black bears,many Stone(Bighorn ) sheep, and an occasional moose are beside the road. Gas has been as high as $7 a gallon Canadian and groceries are just as high. Frequent Indian villages- lots of lakes. Walked to summit of highest point on road at Summit Lake campground, about 6000 ft- lake still about covered with ice. Water pump at campground broken and our water tank was dry so we had to dip water from the lake and filter it for drinking and coffee. No power but generator runs all night to keep heat running because temps are in 30's and not much over 65 during day. A warm welcomed swim in the Liard River Hot Springs was a great little side trip. Visited Signpost Forest in Watson Lake,YT where thousands of travelers have posted signs from their hometown and we have one to post on the way back. Made a side trip to Skagway Alaska, leaving road for 3 days, and hiked the Laughton Glacier trail. Took a train ride 14 miles and were dropped off for the hike-lots of people on train but we were the only ones hiking- about 6 miles round trip, easy walk until the moraine then had to walk over the talus fields. Aimee crossed the Skagway River on rocks-about 20 ft and went to the glacier which had left hugh piles of slit as it retreated. Skagway is an old historic gold rush town but now is a cruise ship town-4 there when we arrived.No issues this time crossing the Canadian border(learned to answer ONLY questions asked), back to the Alaska highway for the final push to Alaska. Even though we had to cross some frost heaved potholed roads for over 100 miles at top speeds of about 30 mph, the unbelievable scenery of beautiful snow covered mountains peaks, stunning views of some of the highest mountain of North America and the largest nonpolar icefields in N.A made every bump worth it. Spent two nights in dry camp parks- Kluane Lake (154 sq.m) Rec. Site then finally reaching Tok, Ak. Had our first experience with mosquitoes at Eagle Trail Rec area- there are no single mosquitoes in Alaska, they have all married and have large families-, we were the only campers there. Next am headed toward Anchorage, slow go LOTS of road construction but made the 300 or so miles, views of Mentasta Glacier and Mt. Sanford (0ver 16,000 ft. elev.) just to name a few. Camped in Ship Creek RV Park, within walking and bicycling distance of downtown and extensive bike trails, took 3 days and enjoyed riding bicycle trails, fishing for salmon under the historic urban Ship Creek Bridge-no luck-, replenishing supplies and washing clothes. Plan to leave for Kenai Peninsula tomorrow-June 10-if we can get some sleep. Last night the sun went down at 11:01 pm and it was light enough to read a paper outside all night. We have had no phone or Internet service until we got here but otherwise the Alaska Highway is not as tough as rumored-gas is plentiful but expensive and little settlements are every 40-50 miles but not much in between. The towns usually have a small grocery, service station and a liquor store but not much else. Attended a small historic(1898) Presbyterian church in Skagway that was formerly a Methodist church when the town was larger so we felt right at home. So far we are at about 6500 miles into trip but we plan to take more time to bike, hike, canoe etc now. Will add more pictures of these adventures on next post.

Crossing the Canadian Border

We have just arrived at Watson Lake, Yukon. Not been able to post until today. WiFi in campground but still no cell service.

May 26, 2011 - We crossed over into Canada with lots of daylight left just as we had hoped. No long lines/no delay in reaching the border agent. That's what we thought. After the usual questions - Types of food? How much alcohol? Any guns? Franklin answered just right until he innocently volunteered the info about forgetting to leave Aimee's handgun at home but remembered while in Omaha, NE and then left it with Keith. THAT SOUTHERN SMALL TALK WAS THE WRONG THING TO SAY. The officer searched the camper and the truck and threatened arrest if he found a gun. Took about 1 hour which delayed us making much time in Canada. Stayed at Cottonwood Meadows Campground with full services in Abbotsford, B.C. Started using Milepost at this point and caused challenges for the directionally challenged Aimee.

After shopping for groceries, wine etc. off on Hwy 1 - travel day 7 tunnels and Alexandra Bridge across Fraser River - 2nd largest fixed arch span in the world (1,640 ft. long) on way to Fraser River Canyon - Hell's Gate. Narrowest point on the Fraser River and most difficult terrain for construction of the highway and Canada's 1st transcontinental railway- CPR. Also viewed Salmon fishery at Hell's Gate built after construction blocked natural route of the Walleyed Salmon migration up river. Franklin and Aimee hiked down, Franklin hiked up and Aimee rode the tram. Made it to Cache Creek, B.C. - Brookside campsite with brook on verge of flooding out of it banks but held. Sunday, left out early to make mileage. Lunch in Quesnel, B.C. city park, viewed a Fight for Life Event ( Canada's Relay for Life). CANCER IS BEING FOUGHT EVERYWHERE!!

Packwood RV Park, Washington and Mt. Rainier

Sunday evening ended with playing javelin throwing and bowling on the X Box with Eddie and Joanna while Karin laughed on the sofa. Needless to say Franklin and Aimee didn't hold a candle to Eddie and Joanna's skills and were the reason the game was so humerous. SUCH FUN THOUGH! Monday morning brought goodbyes to the Sheppard family and restocking of the camper pantry. We traveled toward Packwood through small farming/logging towns enjoying the lushness of the Washington forest. Packwood, a one street town nestled among towering snow covered mountains with Rainier being KING, appeared to have a rather large vacation/tourist draw with resturants, ice cream shops, pubs, grocery stores, real estate offices and even a well stocked liquior store. The RV park was not the most well equipped by any means but the scenery and activities made up for that. We endulged ourselves on delicious Pacific oysters and crabs from Pike Market for dinner, WHAT A TREAT!! Tuesday was a GREAT day, we loaded our bikes on the truck and drove up a Gifford/Pinchot Forest road to the parking lot for a ride to Packwood Lake. We pedaled in about 4 miles until snow pack on the trail forced us to leave the bikes chained to a tree and hike the remainder. This 400 acre pristine lake was breathtaking and we enjoyed a hike up into the Goat Rock Wilderness as well. The entire day of hiking and biking was ours and ours alone. NOT A SOLE DID WE SEE. Rainier was Wednesday's adventure and even though we enjoyed it in the rain and SNOW, to see this GIANT was AWESOME! Entering by way of the Nisqually Entrance, the only entrance open, we saw Kautz Creek, the site of the 1947 mudflow, seeing the tremendous trees that are in the creek bed let you know what a harsh environment it is even today. Old growth forest, waterfalls at every turn and Longmire mineral springs area led the way up to Paradise and road closures. We enjoyed the Paradise Visitors Center and learned about the many glaciers on Mt. Rainier as well as that it receives more snow (this year so far- 900 inches) than any other place in the lower 48 states.Yesterday was no exception. Heading out Thursday am (just before a HUGE yard sale begins that the locals say bring in about 15,000 people to Packwood) with our sights on crossing the border into Canada before days end.

A few more photos and PIKE PLACE MARKET

We wanted to add one more wonderful place Eddie, Karin and Joanna shared with us. Pikes Place Market - Fresh seafood at every turn including the throwing of the fish once selected by the customer to the employee behind the counter to weigh and wrap. Bought lost of fresh fruits and vegetables to take along as well as dungeness crabs and oysters. Franklin is preparing dinner tonight - scallop and shrimp fettuccine with local asparagus on the side. a small token of our appreciation to the Sheppards for such an outstanding time.

Along the Oregon Trail and then Great Family Time in Washington State !!

With clearing skies, we left Willard Bay S.P. and traveled a short distance on a side trip to Golden Spike National Monument. It was really nice to get off the interstate for awhile and see the back roads of Utah. Being from railroad stock made the Golden Spike experience one of special meaning and wished that my (Aimee's) Dad could have been with us to enjoy. The history of our nation's transcontinental railroad meeting was just one more example of amazing endurance.

We made to the border of Oregon staying in the small town of Fruitland, Idaho (?). Sorry that we were too early for any of the fresh fruits and vegetables that would be for sale later on in the year. Early to bed and off to an early Friday start, enabled us to stop for lunch at one of the many Oregon wineries along the Rattlesnake Wine Trail. After putting about 450 miles under our belt, we pulled into Eddie, Karin, and Joanna's on Mercer Island, WA about 7 pm. It was SO GOOD to see them finally on their turf after only seeing in GA for so many years! BEAUTIFUL HOME, GREAT FOOD AND GREAT FELLOWSHIP!! Saturday brought with it cloudy skies but little rain until late. They were absolutely GREAT TOUR GUIDES also! We headed out to Olympic National Park by way of the Kingston/Edmonds Ferry across Puget Sound out to Olympic Peninsula . First stop at a restored port -Port Gamble- to see old buildings and neat views of the sound and on to Port Angeles which is a working port for cargo for lunch overlooking the water then a great hike through looming ephiphyte covered Douglas fir trees to Marymere waterfall. The water is cold, clear and fast. Lake Crescent is a glacier formed lake and we hiked next to the shore. A lodge is nearby and Columbia black tailed deer graze on the lawn, unafraid. Ed drove all day and we got in late. Today we met Leah and Ryan for brunch at the Seattle Space Needle-600 ft up with a revolving restaurant that completes a revolution every 45 minitutes and all of Seattle can be seen. Great brunch-prix fixee.

Plans for Wa part of trip have changed because of snow and closed roads. The North Cascade highway won't open until after Memorial Day so Winthrop and the Methoow Valley will have to wait for another trip and Mt Rainier still has all of its campgrounds closed for another week as well as are the nearby national forest campgrounds. Surprised to find so much snow so late but a full service campground is open at Packwood so we should be able to see some of Rainier. We wanted to try some dry camping before Canada but we will go ahead without a trial.