Home - Oct 7 - 10

After 16,163 miles and 143 days of travel, we are home with a pass through Niagra Falls. 

On impulse in 1972, I started off so I thought to NF with a couple college friends. It was winter. The car was packed but wouldn’t start because the fuel line was frozen. I didn’t know much about dry gas and mechanics but it was probably a good thing we never made it out of the parking lot because looking back no doubt we were up to no good. 45 years later here we were on the US side of NF. Coming from the northwest where skies were big and mountains magnificent, it was strange and disturbing to go around one corner after the next to find a better angle of the falls only to be blocked by gates and fees. Raining and with a urge to move on, we drove to Cayuga State Park in Seneca Falls to enjoy one last campfire, organize and get cleaned up to come home.

With the yard a jungle, spiders taken over the house, squirrels set up house IN our house, over 11,300 photos to be culled and sorted and family/friendships to be renewed, we have catchup to do and it feels good.

The first question asked seemed to be what was our favorite place. Over a 5 month period, that is really hard to answer. Is it really a place, the people, wildlife, fishing, birds, hiking or landscape? My answer is time. Having the gift of time to absorb and experience all that is most interesting is the best part of this journey. Many of the special times have already been highlighted in the blog. FD Roosevelt had the foresight to start the preservation of this land for everyone. Our current one is doing everything possible to destroy it. Selling and polluting the land that we need to survive while eroding our mental stability, he is systematically destroying, separating and dividing all that is vital to living. 

Take whatever time you can to explore, enjoy and appreciate this land. Don't forget that it belongs to each of us and do whatever you can to help protect it. My hope through sharing photos has been to show the fragility of nature, inspire all to carve out the time to experience it for yourself and hope that nature and our land continues to thrive and be there for generations to come. 

Journey East - Sept 30 - Oct 6

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After 23 days on the Olympic Peninsula in WA, it’s time to head home to family and friends on the east coast. It has been decades since I’ve spent that amount of time with my sister, Susan and brother-in-law Will. Truth be told for Sue & I, it probably goes back to the early 70’s. It has been a mellow time to reflect and appreciate how they live, work their land, the animals - chickens and sheep and Danny that crazy loving Irish setter.  One of the sheep, Blackie, was rejected from his mom at birth. They hand raised him in the lower level of the house where he learned to use the dog door to get in and out until he was too big. Nine to ten years later, he still comes in to visit and was tolerant of Nina coming nose to nose. The morning we left, Will roused the chickens off their roost to gather enough eggs for a wonderful breakfast for all of us, Jay, Jeanne, Harry, I and Sue & Will.

We have been moving slowly out of WA, ID & WY enjoying the west with no alarm clocks and no schedule. First night was in SE WA in the Yakima River Canyon on BLM land at the Lmuma Creek CG. To get there, we went through the fruit producing country of Yakima - apples and peaches this time of year. The canyon was created by a combination of the upheaval of plates, lava flows flooding the area and erosion of the Yakima River creating a canyon with beautiful smooth folding mountains on either side of the river. The Yakima is one of the most popular rivers for trout and steelheads.

Continuing into ID with more fruit, wheat and livestock country along the Columbia & Snake rivers, we ended up at another BLM CG, McKay’s Bend on Crystal River in Lewiston, ID. As a note to ourselves, this was a gem. Beautifully manicured grass, paved pads, full hookups and showers along the river for a modest $9 w/the senior pass. This river is also extremely popular for steelheads and has BLM CGs scattered all along the banks. Most are free. Some just a parking lot but all are perfect for an overnight.

Heading SSE towards the Sawtooth National Forest, another overnight was at Donnelly Lake City Park. Although a bit isolated and lonely as the only residents, the location was beautiful. We thought we would spend the next night up in the valley of the Sawtooth but it was high, cold, rainy and snow was a certainty the next day in the pass at 8700’ so we continued down in the rain to Craters of the Moon NM - good for a convenient overnight and early departure.

In 2014, we spent a month in WY and the Tetons so hoped to relive the wonderful time we had at Signal Mtn. CG for a couple nights. The pass getting into Jackson was a twisty, turning 6 miles of 10% grade up & down that shook the brakes badly. Once in the valley it was cold. We decided to go to the campground anyway and let it speak for itself. “Cold, gray with snow covered ground and picnic table and someone was in our favorite site - keep moving!” Life is an experience and we have never been east over the Togwotee Pass and the Rockies. At 9658’ and snowing at the summit, I was glad it was Harry’s shift but coming down below the snow line, we had a majestic bull moose pass comfortably across the road in front of us. Further east, Dubois was a pretty cool western town and we made Dubuis BLM CG along the Wind River our home for the night.

Central WY going east was sagebrush plains with pronghorns, prairie dogs, cattle, horse and oil rigs. We got a kick out of signs that said, “Drive slowly and enjoy the Wyoming scenery”. The speed limit was 80 mph. We decided on another city park in Douglas, Riverside. It was a pretty nice grassed park along the Northern Platte River with showers, dump and water all for free for up to 2 nights. There was another RV/trailer rig there for company . . . and then we were joined by 4 guys and their dead pronghorns yet to be processed. More on that later because it is late and I am still reasoning out the whole hunting thing of the northwest. Especially after Harry looked in the dumpster to see what they left behind . . . . 

Heading through NE, we decided to try the scenic route which basically went where we wanted to go on a fast 65-70 mph road w/no traffic. It was gray and rainy and after some agriculture including sunflowers, much of the landscape was the same rolling plains. Who knows, maybe we bypassed oil rigs. There were trains though. Long coal trains with 135 to 150 cars. Two engines to push and two to pull. Loaded eastbound and empty coming back, they were continuous on 3+ plus tracks. "Clean coal" we assumed. We were headed to Bessey CG in a NE National Forest near Halsey and raced to get across a track ahead of a train to avoid the wait. Nice park w/electric sites and all the amenities for $5.50 w/SP. Of course we hear the trains but that has been a constant in Canada, Alaska and all around the NW.

With 1788 miles to go, we’ll start making some tracks tomorrow to get home.

Indianola, WA - Sept 17 - Sept 30

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After quite a long stay at my sister's home in Indianola, our journey east starts tomorrow. This has been a great block of time visiting Sue & Will, sailing on Miracle, visiting cousins Richard and Drew, Lauri & Hannah, eating geoduck chowder, dungeness crab, smoked salmon . . . . 

Jay & Jeanne arrived on the 23rd in their 24' RV rented for their stay. Good times out a La Push, exploring Neah Bay and watching J & J experience the life of RVing including water backing up in both the sink and shower when they exceeded their gray tank capacity. All fun and good laughs for two sisters and a brother who haven't been together for over 10 years!

All for now but photos will show more.

Marrowstone Island & Ft. Flagler SP - Sept 15 - 16

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Ft. Flagler is another popular spot and we were lucky to get campsites. The 2nd day checking for cancellations to stay closer to Drew’s site, we lucked out with a beautiful corner beachside spot. Wonderful hiking/biking trails through the park.

Hannah soon to be 3 years old is a bundle of golden curls, energy, smiles and so cute! We hope to make a trip out to their home later in the week and gather again when J & J arrive.

Hurricane Ridge - Sept 13 - 14

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2013 was the year the government shut down closing national parks, forest service and ACE parks along with many other departments. We were in WA when they turned the switch and missed out on some great places. There was talk of doing it again this year but some semblance of common sense prevailed. With beautiful clear weather, we spent a couple nights at Heart O’ the Hill CG in Olympic NP driving up to Hurricane Ridge to hike and picnic.

The plan was to continue to Neah Bay but changed when we learned my cousin Drew, wife Lauri and little Hannah who I haven’t met were camping for the weekend at Ft. Flagler SP just 60 miles away.

Indianola - Sept 7 - 12

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It was 4 years ago in 2013 that Harry & I drove west in the van to visit Sue & Will. At that time, they were just passing papers on Miracle, a 30’ cutter rig Baba built in Taiwan. Click here for photos and details on the boat. Several years later, I had an opportunity to sail on Miracle but Harry has not so was really looking forward to it. Because we are a couple weeks ahead of schedule with the arrival of Jay & Jeanne on the 23rd, we’ve been able to get a sail in with hopefully more and lots of time to visit.

In the meantime, the van is plagued with an engine light issue that is not going away. All tests point to an O2 fuel sensor that has been replaced twice, 3 visits in as many days to a Bremerton Chevy dealer and 1 overnight in Walmart’s parking lot. For now the troubleshooting will be put on the list of things to do/fix when we get home.

S & E have decided to start the turn back east and we want to explore the northern side of Olympic National Park so sadly our paths won’t cross again until we get home.

Pt. Townsend Wooden Boat Show - Sept 7

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Photos best describe what a great gathering of boats this show attracts.

Steve & Ellen continued from here to explore the Olympic Peninsula unfortunately heading into a very rainy stretch.

Whidbey Island, WA - Sept 4 - 6

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Coming back to one of our favorite parks in WA, Deception Pass SP is at the northern end of Whidbey Island. With more than 4,000 acres, the park has miles of salt and freshwater shorelines, beaches, rocky cliffs and hiking/biking trails.The high temps and last day of a long weekend brought lots of day trippers but the campground was quiet after dusk.

Smoke from the BC fires started to fill back in turning the sun into an orange ball. The “golden hour” that photographers and painters try to capture continued throughout the day. Beautiful light but too much particle matter floating around for photos. Eery. 

After a couple nights, we moved over to Ft. Casey SP in Coupeville to be close to the Pt. Townsend ferry. The campground area is a flat grassed area on a point directly across from Pt. Townsend. Ft. Casey is one of 3 forts in Puget Sound built in 1897-1953 as part of the harbor defenses called Triangle of Fire. The 2nd Ft. Worden is on a bluff near Pt. Townsend and 3rd Ft. Flagler where we will also stay, protects from the SE on Marrowstone Island.

Catching a morning ferry, we all traveled down to Indianola for the night at my sister and brother-in-law Sue & Will’s home. Tomorrow is the start of the Pt. Townsend Wooden Boat Show.

North Cascades, WA - Aug 31 - Sept 3

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Steaming hot temps of 93+ on a busy Labor Day weekend in a crowded campground severely burned by a 2015 fire, we waited it out but changed course after the rush on Monday and headed back west to the ocean. The original plan had been to drive east around the Cascades circle but it was too darn hot. As soon as we heard the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show was the following weekend, it was a no brainer. Turn west!

The drive did not go smoothly. Sometimes a quick decision can change the course of ones life. In this case, all turned out mostly OK but it could also have had an horrendously different outcome. Stopped at a street light, Steve decided to go into a gas station to fill up his propane tank. We were next in line. While filling, propane spewed out and he immediately told the attendant to shut it down. Nanoseconds later, a fire ball shot up from underneath the van. Steve was helping to hold up the grate so he got burned pretty badly on the length of his forearm, nose, and singed much of the hair around his face. If the guy hadn't responded, the van and possibly our friends would have been toast. Mechanical or human error is hard to decipher but the strong message is to get out of the van, don't help and stand back so as not to be the victim of someone else's mistake. Scarey! Details are in Speedy's blog but Steve got checked out in a local hospital and we all were able to continued on.

Being the final day of the long weekend, it was crazy with people at Deception Pass State Park when we arrived but now there is just a cool breeze, sounds of waves on the beach and peace. After a couple days of relaxing, we will all head for the ferry terminal in Coupeville to cross over to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula and stay at my sister's home in Indianola. The guys are pretty excited about going to the boat show.

Hyder Bears, AK - August 26 - 30

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According to Wikipedia, Hyder is both Alaska’s southern and easternmost town. It is a 14.8 sq. mile hunk of land with a population of 90 +/- that probably wouldn’t have a name except that it is a part of Alaska bordered and isolated by Canada. There are no US Customs, only a Canadian check point when leaving. Without a community center, it felt more like a settlement. Across the canal in Canada is the town of Stewart that supports both populations with schools, restaurants and grocery stores. The surrounding forests of both towns felt tropical with moss, lichen and mold coating everything from abandoned cars, buses, boats, roofs and awnings. Plugging in at our first campground, the 5” x 5” utility pole rotten at the base fell over. Our second night was at a well named campground, Camp Run-A-Muck. Didn’t help that it was raining for most of our stay.

The draw to Hyder was all about the bears and bear watching at the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site managed by the USDA Forest Service. This area is thick with bear activity, both brown and black, during the salmon spawning season. Fun to watch and photograph but a bit scary walking to and from the van. Regardless, I could have stayed for a week for the wonderful photo ops.

More smoke and haze on down the road towards the North Cascades.

Skagway, Yukon & BC - August 23 - 25

Leaving Haines, we took the ferry around the corner to Skagway loping off more than 300 miles of driving. Haines was a real community balancing quality of life with the commercial benefit of cruise ships by allowing no more than two smaller ships per week. In contrast, Skagway, a renovated gold rush town, had 3 huge Princess/Norwegian ships at berth when we docked. Many of the buildings are owned and maintained by the Klondike Gold Rush Historic Park. Interesting but more like Disney, we only spent a night and crossed back over to the Yukon in Canada completing the big circle back onto the Alaska Hwy.

Retracing our route for a short distance and another sleep at Teslin Lake CG, we turned south on the Cassiar Hwy into BC. There have been many wildfires some still active so we didn’t know what to expect but knew we would limit our stops through this area. Hyder was the last planned stay in Alaska.

Haines - August 19 - 22

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It’s best you hear this from me first because undoubtedly there will be other variations of the story to be told. I have continually missed out on some of the closer bear encounters that Steve, Ellen and Harry have had. Some have been on the Denali bus where mom and cubs have passed around the bus and in Harry’s case, the bear that came down the river when he & Nina were out for a walk. Today that changed. 

In Haines, we are staying at Chilkoot River State Campground which runs along the river and lake of the same name. Midway down the river is a fish weir that was constructed for the sole purpose of counting and keeping track of the 5 different species of salmon that pass through. There are about 10 brown bears in the area that fish the river and have figured out they can drive the fish against the rebar that spans the weir so this has become one of the most accessible places to view bears. Wonderful I think. The brown bears along the coast are called coastal brown bears whereas in the interior, grizzly is the name used. On several occasions, we have seen two bears along the river not far from fisherman and along the beach at the mouth of the river. They are 2 1/2 year old siblings recently pushed off by their mother who probably has new cubs and seem to be having problems adjusting to life on their own. We happened down a road when the Wildlife Fish & Game rangers were trying to teach them a lesson to leave a local neighborhood alone. This involved shouting and shooting them with sandbags. That was yesterday.

Today Harry & I arrived back at our campsite ahead of S & E. We had moved to a new campsite by the lake in the morning and I got out with Nina to walk down to the picnic table to check out the view. I looked over to the right and there was a bear at the end of our site standing on top of the dumpster. We both zoomed back to the van and safely inside, Harry & I looked out the back window at the bear. He walked over to us, stood up between the bike box on the back and the van, nose against the window and looked in. I was inches from the window, a perfect photo op and could only think it wouldn’t be good for him to see a person so I grabbed a pillow to put between me and the bear! He walked around to look in the side window and then we laid on the horn to back him off.

After he walked on to the next campsite, curious we drove out to see what he was up to. Two campsites up, the host site, he stood up and started pushing on the trailer, got down and snooped around to another trailer on the same site and really started pushing and pulling things out. At this point, the ranger who was looking for him arrived and again shot at him with the sandbags to try to drive him off. This is what they do to try to make an area uncomfortable for the bears so they move on. His sibling was circling around trying to stay with him but not being a nuisance. Unfortunately a fed bear is a dead bear. I hope this is not his fate. Keeping a campsite clean of food, dishes, grill and trash can determine what happens to these animals. When wildlife habituates to humans and become a nuisance, it forces the rangers to do something about it. For us, we will think twice about an evening/morning walk or trip alone to the loo, look around and carry bear spray. In fact on a trip to the toilet this a.m., there were scratches coming down both doors that looked the size of a bear paw. They were probably there before but now we start noticing these things.

It has been rainy during our time in Haines but there are museums, totems, stores, farmers market, migrating birds, fishing, haircuts, provisioning, laundry and many other things to keep us busy. Imagine going to a hammer museum - we did! Reservations are set for the ferry from Haines to Skagway on Wednesday the 23rd so more to come before we go.

Valdez & the Yukon - August 13 - 18

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Valdez is an amazing place. It is the northern most harbor that doesn’t freeze in the winter and gets 25’ of snow a year in town and 75’ at Thompson’s Pass coming down into Valdez. The southern terminal of the pipeline ends on the far side of the bay and brings an enormous amount of money into the town so schools, town departments and hospitals are very well funded.

Because we missed the ferry ride across Prince Williams Sound, I really wanted to go on another wildlife/glacier tour. We chose the Lu-Lu Belle, a 75’ custom built vessel that was originally designed as a fishing charter boat in the Puget Sound Area. As the regulations became more cumbersome Fred, the owner/captain, has been taking the boat up to Valdez for the past 20 summers for tours. The boat winters in Pt. Angeles, WA.

Aside from some great sightings of orcas and distance humpbacks, it really wasn’t about the wildlife. Fred talked the whole 9+ hours about everything you might want to know or not. I wanted to tell him to take a breath. What was really cool was going up into the fjord to the toe of Columbia Glacier. Fred picked his way through many chunks of ice to within a quarter mile of the face. As we were coming in, an iceberg close to the length of boat calved off a huge piece that caused the berg to rock straight up into the air, down, back up and down again. Unfortunately my camera wasn’t set up for video, I chose a lens too long and there were many heads on the bow to work around but have included some shots.

Leaving Valdez, we all headed up to Wrangell St. Elias National Park. It is the largest national park with 13.2 million acres, larger than Switzerland with higher mountains. Nabesna Road is one of only two roads into the park and our destination for a couple nights. Most of the park is only accessible by air, boat or on foot.

Central Kenai - August 7 - 12

Where did the time go? We have been moving around more than normal so it’s been hard to keep up. 

So far attempts to catch salmon have been hit or miss so Harry & I decided to go on a river salmon charter trip before we left the Kenai area. It was an interesting experience that neither one of us would repeat. We were in an open aluminum 25’ boat with another couple, Nina and the guide. It was cold and windy. The sockeye season was coming to an end and silvers barely starting. Harry out fished us all but the guide kept throwing his back because they were too far gone. That is they were at the end of their life cycle and the flesh was degrading. Harry caught a couple other fish that were knocked off by the guy sitting behind while my line was tangling w/his wife’s. Lesson 1 - get in the back seats. After 8.5 hours of sitting with a couple shore leaves and the other 2 caught their limit, we passed on the remaining 2 we could have taken and called it a day. Lesson 2 - go for the salmon in the ocean before they come upstream. One of the highlights was a mom brown bear ashore walking around up on two legs with 1 cub followed by a black bear.

Steve & Ellen wanted to move off the peninsula so they headed off to Whittier to hop on a ferry to Valdez. We planned to do the same 6 days later but decided not to risk losing the fish in the freezer which would have to be turned off for the 9-10 hour ferry ride. The weather also didn’t look good and it would have been a long ride for Nina so we drove the 250 miles around. It was a good choice, the landscape was beautiful and there will be fish for many dinners to come.

After staying in various different spots, some boon docking in pullouts, we arrived in Valdez on the 13th where S & E backtracked to join us.

Homer & Halibut - August 5 - 6

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Harry got his day on the water. A half day of fishing was still full leaving at 7 and returning around 2:30. On the shorter trips, they don't go out as far and target the smaller halibuts steaming out for 1.5 hours at 20 knots. Flat calm, bit of fog in the morning which cleared middle day. Harry got his 2 halibut which is the limit,  28" and 31". It's a gamble, do you throw back the smaller fish hoping the boat will stay out long enough to catch a bigger one? Nope, he kept them both. Good decision. Not really enough to ship out this time but we have some for a couple meals, shared w/S & E and more tucked away in the freezer. 

Homer sits on the end of Homer Spit, a sand and gravel strip of land that is most likely the remains of an ancient glacial moraine. Surrounded by the Pacific Ring of Fire, on a clear day you can see some of the 4 volcanos. One of the photos was taken from our "front yard" in one of the municipal beach campgrounds. Beautiful town.

Cooper Landing to Homer - August 2 - 4

After a couple nights at USFS Quartz Creek CG along the Sterling Hwy., we have arrived in Homer at a municipal city beach campground on Homer Spit. Halibut fishing, birding, Saturday market and exploring to follow.

Seward - July 30 - Aug 1

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Seward has many things - boats, birds, fish and fishing, sea mammals, glaciers, mountains, people, restaurants, aquarium and murals. Sarah Palin named Seward the capitol of murals but the true beauty is the mountains that come down to the long and narrow Resurrection Bay and the surrounding Kenai Fjords National Park. Cruise ships ghost in during early morning hours moving on by evening and lots of commercial, charter and recreational fishing boats coming and going. 

In 1964, an earthquake and tsunami destroyed the town. Instead of rebuilding by the water, the town was moved several blocks back to higher ground. Along the shore, large parking lots were created for RV parking with a walkway, benches, bridges, memorials and flowers stretching the length of the shoreline. From our perspective looking out, it was quite beautiful but there were lots of rigs beside and behind us. Our neighbors live in Wasilla and come down in their 5th wheel to spend the summer leaving or switching lots periodically when they’ve exceeded the 14 day limit. The draw for most is the fishing.

S, E & I took a wildlife tour aboard the Viewfinder with Capt. Justin and naturalist Eric on a Major Marine Tour while Harry walked the docks scouting out charters and later some fishing along Nash Rd. The Viewfinder is a 58’ boat, small enough to maneuver close to shore, fast averaging 21 knots and carries about 30 people with plenty of space to move around. 

Our voyage took us 150 miles out Resurrection Bay, around Harris Peninsula, through Granite Passage and Harris Bay to the end of the Northwestern Fjord and Glacier and back. The islands and waters were filled with horned and tufted puffins that come to nest as well as many other pelagic birds I have never seen before - marbled & Kittlitz’ murrelets, rhinoceros and parakeets auklets, pigeon guillemots, red-faced cormorants along with black oystercatchers, common murres, glaucous-winged gulls and more. There were humpbacks, a lone orca, Stellar sea lions, sea otters and harbor seals. The pod of orcas apparently got wiped out by the Valdez oil spill leaving the remaining male as the only survivor.

The charter boat research gave insight on booking a trip in Homer as well as the sobering cost of processing and mailing fish back home. All the fish in the photo were not Harry’s but soon that will change.

South to Anchorage Area - July 24 - 29

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Leaving Denali early, we had 5 to 6 days to explore and get chores done while not getting too far away from S & E. Having missed the Denali Highway on our way up, we explored about 30 miles to a BLM campground, Brushkana. This was enough to know it was worth a return trip should we ever find ourselves back in Alaska. The road is 100+ miles of gravel that follows the foothills and lakes of the Alaska Range. 

Wasilla became the business stop with one sleep at Walmarts. On to Little Sustina River Public Access, a Fish and Game property for our first salmon river fishing experience. The catch of the day was chum (dog salmon) and it was rainy so we moved down to Anchorage. With a tip that RV campgrounds weren’t particularly good around the city, we opted for Cabela’s with designated RV areas and services for traveling folks. More fishing at Ship Creek with an abundance of mud and pink salmon this time. Again not very good eating but we tried anyway, agreed and continued to catch only enough for Nina who thought they were great. I also picked up a fishing license at this point because sitting on the bank watching was too hard.

Our final days were south at Bird Creek CG on the Turnagain Arm. This was true combat fishing like you read about with people lining the banks casting lines everywhere and mud feet deep and so sticky that if you stand in one place long enough, you sink in deeper and can’t break the suction to get your feet and boots out. I saw one small child fall across the other side of the river. She lost her boots and got stuck. Dad tried to carry her out over his shoulder but with the combined weight, he couldn’t move. Someone else had to come help. This mud is like quicksand containing a lot of silt from the glaciers. They have bore tides in the Arm which is a wave of tide that comes in an hour or so after an extreme low tide. The tidal range can be as much as 38’ with an extremely high tide of 32.8’. There are many warnings not to go out on the sand flats where you can literally get stuck with an incoming tide with no one able to help you get out.

Fishing again produced just the pinks although some were getting an occasional silver salmon. Good for Nina but we gave up after a massive mud cleanup and awaited S & E’s arrival and move south to Seward.

Denali Finale - July 19 - 23

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Out for an early morning walk around the campground w/Nina this morning on the 23rd, there was a big fresh bear poop filled with berries and other matter. I take enough walks around the loops to know it wasn’t there 10 hours ago, probably not even 2 and wished I had the thermapen to know for sure. Well maybe not but it was extremely fresh. Teklanika CG is right along the Teklanika River. Because there wasn’t a lot of snow this past winter and little rain in the spring, the river is quite low and has become braided with gravel bars and low willows along the banks. This makes a great highway for a local wolf pack, caribou and apparently a lone male grizzly. Yesterday, S & E saw the bear as they crossed the bridge from their bus somewhere around 9:30. I also was gone for the day out to Eielson Visitor Ctr. on an early bus hoping to see lots of wildlife and concentrate on photography. After coming back, Harry asked if I wanted to hear about his day. Of course! 

He & Nina were out on the river’s edge when a couple gave him a heads up that there was a bear walking down the river. Which side became the question and there he was about 100 yards out on the far side of the river. Every bus ride, ranger program and poster around the campground preaches bear awareness. Make noise, avoidance, back away if possible, stay 300 yards away, don’t run, stand your ground, bear spray and if contact is unavoidable, curl up into a ball with your backpack on and hands over your neck. Best case scenario, he will only play with you for a while. Yikes!

Harry did the right thing backing away. The other couple continued walking while two others sat in their chairs and watched. Unless cubs are involved, 99% of the time grizzlies don’t want anything to do with humans. They are thinkers and it becomes a mind game of action/reaction. The resounding message, stay calm. The Denali bears living in the tundra eat mostly berries, vegetation and ground squirrels whereas the coastal brown bears are fish eaters making them bigger, stronger and more dangerous. Honestly, I think I would be like the Tennessee Fainting Goats - legs locked, keel over and faint!

We have had a wonderful stay at Denali NP. Five nights at Riley Creek CG and 4 out at Teklanika CG after having already spent 9 nights 60 miles away on the south side at Denali SP. I have been able to go west into the park 3 times and seen many grizzlies, cubs, caribou, arctic gray wolves with one very special black one, arctic ground squirrels, hoary marmot, willow and rock ptarmigans, long-tail jaegers, golden eagles, northern wheatears, american pipits, short-eared and northern hawk owls and so much more. It’s pretty amazing to see a seabird like the long-tailed jaeger ashore nesting with young on the tundra.

A bus ride west is an all day affair and you get to know the folks traveling with you, always one of the greatest pleasures of traveling. The same is true in the campground. We met a wonderful couple, Laura & Doug from Toronto, traveling in a big brother to our RoadTrek, an Adventurous Sprinter model. They chose a campsite across from us and Harry welcomed them in. Laura is a lover of birds and spotted a northern hawk owl on her arrival while Doug’s passion is photography and a Nikon guy. Lots in common. If the wheels were not already set in motion to leave today, I would have loved to have spent another day with them.

We had already decided to cut our stay short by several days because the days were getting long for Harry while I was out hiking and riding the bus. On our ride back out, Harry said he felt like he was dragging a kid out of Disney. Good analogy but I left feeling pretty satisfied when we came across 4 northern hawk owls and a short-ear owl chasing a golden eagle while crossing paths with a northern harrier. If you open your eyes and look around, there is always something special to see no matter where you are.

S & E will probably stay in Denali for their remaining 5 days and then rendezvous with us south of Anchorage in the Kenai Peninsula. Fishing territory!

The Park Road - July 17 - 18

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"If you listen to the land, you will know what to do." - Terry Tempest Williams

This is a wonderful place to listen. 

A trail-less hike is walking in your own footprints, not those made by others or animals, leaving not a trace behind. We went on a ranger led Discovery Hike to remote areas along the Park Road. We chose one that started at Mile 60.5 hiking up to high ground on the tundra of Stoney Hill. The tundra above the tree line (2,700’ in Denali) is mostly spongy peaty moss with pools of water from the permafrost all covered with low wildflowers. Alerted by a passing bus about 4 bears in the direction we were headed, Ranger Tina changed course a bit to a ridge where we were able to see a mom and 2 cubs way off and a single bear by itself along with magnificent views of Denali. 

The Park Road runs east to west with the Alaska Range on the left and Outer Range on the right. One of the perks of the Discovery Hikes is the folks going, 22 for 2 hikes, get a bus of their own. With plenty of space to move around and a great driver Dale who stops for animals, birds, views, and even a recent caribou kill with wolves feeding, the ride was as exciting as the hike. Driving 20-35 miles an hour with multiple stops and 3 restroom breaks, it took at least 3 hours to go the 60 miles. Many of the road photos were taken from inside the bus.

Tomorrow we drive into Teklanika CG at mile 29 where we’ll be for a week. No phone or internet so will be a while for the next post.

Denali National Park - Sled Dog Kennels - July 14 - 16

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Steve was relentless looking for cancellations online that we could grab for an early move over to Denali National Park. In bits and pieces, we were both able to add an extra 3 days arriving on the 14th in Riley Creek CG. This has given us plenty of time to scout out grocery/convenience markets that are few, expensive with limited choice, laundry of course, and acclimate to the goings on at Denali. 

Just a few photos of the Sled Dog Kennels at the park. These dogs are Alaskan Sled Dogs, a breed that are raised, trained and work w/in the park. Each dog averages 3,000 miles of pulling each year patrolling the backcountry of the park, moving supplies and transporting caches left behind too heavy to carry out. They live outside with an optimal comfort temp of 20 degrees below zero! At 9 years of age, they are retired and put up for adoption with strict vetting and rules. Many go to park employees who are already attached to them. The dogs are well taken care of, friendly and massively strong.

Tomorrow a guided hike into the tundra to get used to trail-less hiking. More on that later.

More of Denali SP & Tekleetna Air Flight - July 9 - 13

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Never, ever take for granted views of Denali. We were lucky w/5 out of 8 days with looks, some better than others. With days of predicted rain, we watched the weather for the perfect day to take a flight over the mountains. The day before we were to leave the park was the day and it was a good one - sunny with few to no clouds. The one thing we couldn’t foresee was a change in wind and fires to the north in the Yukon that brought smoke and haze over the range. The flight was still magical but photos a challenge. 

S, E & I had the plane, a Cessna, to ourselves with Harry choosing to stay grounded. Paul our pilot and owner of the company, Tekleetna Air Taxi, was super at navigating up one glacier, flying in figure 8’s around peaks and valleys and back down the Ruth Glacier over our campground and home to the airstrip. Spectacular views of the range and landscape. The glaciers were interesting to see the pools, crevices and better than 30’ of erosion where the thickness of the glaciers had receded over the years.

Other photos show hikes up to the K’segue Ken Ridge, Byer’s Lake and this pretty amazing wood frog, the only amphibian in the park. Included is a plaque that describes the way this frog dehydrates in the winter months replacing water with glucose it manufactures allowing it to withstand freezing temps while just sitting amongst the leaves on the ground. According to the ranger, this is one of the most studied creatures for medical applications such as strokes and preserving organs prior to implant. And I almost stepped on him!

Denali Chapter 1 - July 4 - July 9

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They say only 30% of the people who come to Denali, the “High One”, actually see the mountain. We have been here 3 days and have seen it each day. Currently we are at K’esugi Ken CG in Denali State Park about 85 miles south of Denali NP. This campground has only been open a month and is really beautiful with spacious sites and nice grounds. From here we have the closest view of the southeast side of Denali from our campsite or better yet, 3.3 miles up the newly constructed Curry Ridge Trail that joins the Kesugi Ridge Trail at an elevation of 2000’ with a 360 degree view of the Alaska range and all the around to the south over the ridge. Sunset is now closer to midnight so it’s a whole lot easier to stay up. Hopefully once we get to the other side in the national park, I’ll be able to capture the “alpenglow” on the mountain.

Denali National Park is the corner stone of our journey and the only place we made reservations back in December, 2016. It will be another week before going into the park so will probably hang here for a while. Close by is Takleetna where one can get on a plane for an air tour of the mountains and perhaps land on a glacier - in the works once the weather breaks again. We’ve already tried a local restaurant/brewery, Denali Brewery Co. (5 star), many shops, coffee, the ranger station where they keep track of mountain climbers and walked on by the 1st seen cannabis shop. Bob, Luanne and their pup, Nicky, who we first met up at Ophir Creek have found their way here and I was able to join them on a couple hikes. 

Backing up, photos include some from the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks. The “pipeline pig”, the multi-colored plastic thing, is a device used to clean the pipeline. Nenana, a cool small town just south of Fairbanks, was a one night stay. When S & E arrived before us, the 4th of July festivities were still going on with pie eating, egg and spoon and soda chase competitions for the kids. No fireworks of course because it’s too bright. Their claim to fame is the Nenana Ice Classic. A large tripod is planted 2 feet into the Tanana River ice 300’ from shore and connected to a clock with a cable. When the ice breaks up sometime in April or May, the tripod falls and the cable stops the clock. For $2.50 a ticket, a bet can be made with the date and time by the minute the tripod will fall. Last year the payoff jackpot was $267,444. Half of the proceeds go back to the community. I told them if I win, I'll come back in person to collect. This was a good stay.

Fairbanks & the Steese Hwy - June 26 - July 3

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Since coming into Alaska, we have been traveling a bit fast spending 1 to 2 nights at different campgrounds. One regret for more time was at Moon Lake Recreation Area, a small state park just north of Tok. This is where the photo of the pacific loon was taken in the previous post. With chairs set up at the edge of the lake, there were all sorts of ducks, the loon and moose. Getting closer to Fairbanks and the weekend, the parks became more congested so we kept working our way north.

With the pending long 4th of July weekend, we decided to head up the Steese Hwy a day early and chill for awhile. Unfortunately S & E dropped back with unresolved tire issues.

Exploring up the Nome Creek Road, we settled in the Ophir Creek Campground with tall white spruce and the creek wrapping around for 4 nights. This is BLM land with fishing, a section of the creek designated for gold panning, hiking and land of the magnificent great gray owl. This is an owl that was at the top of my wish list and turned out to have a nest nearby so I had many opportunities to see it. There were also plenty of arctic graylings in the creek for Harry but only as "catch & release".

Because we stayed put for a while, we had a chance to meet wonderful campers - a swiss couple who first showed me photos of the great gray owl, Neill a minister in Fairbanks and his family, and another guy whose name I never knew who is a trapper and also trains dogs. Neill was a great help with what to do around town and good company.

We learned that bear spray can be useless. Many carry a 48, maybe a magnum and in one case an AK 47 over the shoulder, 48 at the hip and a 38 tucked into the back of his girlfriend's jeans. Couldn't resist a sneak photo. This couple, Ryan and Maura, came back to visit and talk some more. Ryan works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay flying out for 6 days then 2 days off. He is also a photographer and birder and told me about an owl he had seen several times in an area we would pass when we left. This morning as we drove the 12 mile gravel road out, it was the "owl grand slam" with 5 northern hawk owls, 2 great grays and the 2 short-eared that Ryan spoke of. Nice finale to a wonderful 4 days.

Back in Fairbanks to re-provision, fill fluids, propane, shop, check emails and reconnect with S & E. We plan to visit the University of Alaska Museum of the North before moving closer to Denali.

Richardson Hwy to Fairbanks, AK - June 23 - 25

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Meet Grizzly Chisholm. Simply photos this time.

Over the Border to Alaska - June 22

Everyone has their criteria for claiming a state - drive through, meal or a sleep. I don't know that we have settled on any particular rules but for Nina it's 4 feet on the ground and a pee. With Alaska christened, she has claimed her 48th state. Although Harry & I have flown to Nevada (and Hawaii), we've skipped around NE in the van and Hawaii is not in the cards for Nina. Still for an abandoned pup from Indiana, she has gotten around . . . even to the Bahamas and 7 provinces of Canada.

5595 miles and an amazing journey, we are here in Alaska. Still getting acclimated but Harry has his pan for gold, fishing poles and now anything is possible. 

Dawson City & The Dempster Highway - June 19 - 21

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The Dempster Highway is the only road in the Yukon that goes north over the Arctic Circle and out to Inuvik, a 470 mile journey on a gravel road. We hoped to do part of it and spend the summer solstice along the way but after talking to a guy who had just returned after getting 4 flat tires and a broken leaf spring, we rethought the wisdom of beating our vans up. 

The first 45 to 60 miles were reported to be OK so we headed up to Tombstone Territorial Park and stayed at the Tombstone Mtn. CG for a couple nights. The first night, a fire caused by lightning spread across the road 284 km. to the north which closed the road and any further discussion for a change of mind. Photos posted are of an evening walk (8 - 9 pm) on the solstice to a mini glacier and the sunrise colors at 3:45 a.m. the next morning. If we were on one of the mountains, we could have seen the sun just touch the horizon and come back up again.

Dues have been paid to the Dempster on the way out with one flat tire on S & E’s van. Another visit to Dawson City for a replacement and ferry ride across the Klondike River just as we were getting hit with a pretty bad thunderstorm with lots of hail. Just around the corner, home for the night was at the Klondike River CG. Luckily no cracked solar panels but several trees came down in the campground. Tomorrow we head to Top of the World and the Taylor Hwy across the border to Alaska.

Northern Rockies in BC to Dawson City, Yukon - June 13 - 18

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Driving north from Jasper picking up Rte 40 and 43 brought us along the Northern Rockies back into British Columbia and Dawson Creek, mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. The highway is a 1500 mile road that was constructed in 1942 in less than 9 months by the US military and civilians for the purpose of facilitating military defenses in Alaska after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 

The road conditions varied from paved, chip sealed, gravel, potholes, patches and sections under construction. Most were chip sealed, a layer of gravel over tar. We hit many miles where this had recently been done with sand spread on top, plowed in and swept to the side with signage warning of “extreme dust” and “loose gravel”, all so true.

Coming out of the Rockies into the Southern Lakes of BC & the Yukon, we saw more animals including wood bison, elk, moose and black bears. I had really hoped to see the bison and we came across them when we pulled into a service area for fuel. On the Alaska Hwy., the service areas are low key usually with a general store, sometimes a small restaurant and gas pumps nearby with above ground tanks. Many of the buildings are old and of log cabin construction. Just as we were getting ready to leave, one bison came out, then another and several more with three calves walking all around the parking lot and vans. During calving season, they hang around the roads like the elk in Jasper for the protection against predators. Once the calves are older, they go back into the woods. These animals are similar to the bison of the plains but a little bigger with a bigger hump and live in the woods.

Both in Alberta and BC, the state parks are provincial parks that are quite a bit more managed compared to the Yukon. Here they are called government camps. The campgrounds are simple, clean and well designed in very nice locations and all offer the same - vault toilets, central water and firewood for $9/night. Rest areas along the highway seem to be an alternative but we have enjoyed the camps and will stay in more.

After another round of re-provisioning, laundry, dump, water and fuel in Whitehorse and a turn up the Klondike Highway, we are headed for Dawson City (gold rush territory) and the start of the Dempster Highway. A photo is included that shows the beautiful wildflowers along the highway, mostly bear root and lupine with dandelions and some kind of yellow daisy mixed in. Last night was spent near the Stewart River between the Klondike and Silver Trail regions. We’ve stopped along the way in museums, cultural centers, shops and restaurants that each serve the world’s biggest, best, worldwide famous cinnamon buns.

The Yukon is the land of the midnight sun. Today the sunset was at 12:28 a.m. and sunrise at 3:50 a.m. Takes some getting used to especially losing track of time and staying up too late but we have sleep masks, dark curtains and for Harry, sleep has never been a problem.

Icefields Parkway to Jasper - June 11 - 12

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People ask why we would want to drive to Alaska. Traveling the length of the Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper is one remarkable reason why. This drive raises the bar on "spectacular". With an early start, sunshine, wisps of fog, clouds and the dramatic Canadian Rockies, the 150 miles to Jasper made for a perfect day. At the northern end, there was light rain and less light, the mountains seemed lower, spaced further apart with the rock layers cocked at different angles adding a different type of drama.

Campsites at Wapiti  CG in Jasper National Park were so-so but close to town and had everything we needed. As I was just finishing up this evening w/dishes , an elk walked by. Warnings are posted for the female elk who are calving from middle May through June. They have learned to come where it is busy with people such as our campground to avoid predators like wolves and bears but they are also very protective and dangerous this time of year.

Tomorrow we will head as far north as we can. We all feel this is the start of something special - more wilderness, less towns, varying road conditions and a big push out of our comfort zone. Internet could be sketching but the Spot will continue to show where we are.

New bird for my list - a boreal chickadee.

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, CA - June 7 - 10

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Crossing back into Canada at Eureka, MT, we spent the night in Kootenay National Park at the Redstreak CG in Radium, British Columbia. The area is known for their hot pools but they are well developed “swimming pools”. Leaving early to avoid thunderstorms, we passed back across the Continental Divide and the Rockies into Alberta and Banff. Beautiful drive through the pass with bighorn sheep and deer beside the road safely behind wildlife fencing with their own bridges for crossing.

This year is the 150th anniversary for the Canadian National Parks. The good part is that day use fees are waived for the entire year in the national parks. On the flip side, this means more people. We saw this immediately when we tried to navigate around the town of Banff. Rental RVs and people everywhere made parking a challenge. We strolled around, had lunch and decided to move further north for several nights.

Settling at Lake Louise CG still in Banff National Park, we chose the more rustic section in the tent/soft sided vehicle area surrounded by an electric fence - a serious reminder that we are in one of the 3 main areas with concentrations of grizzly bears. Two nights back, the electricity went out due to a lightning strike but the park service got the essentials up and running including the fence with generators. Eery feeling and yes we are all carrying bear spray!

Yesterday we took the shuttle up to Lake Louise and the Chateau Lake Louise for a hike along the Agnes Lake Trail. We thought it would be a good one for Harry but proved to be a challenge with 6 miles RT, a 1280’ elevation gain, snow and ice and again lots of people on the trail. The draw was spectacular views and the european style tea house at the top serving tea of course and hot chocolate, sandwiches, soup and many other things. There is no electricity and food, supplies and garbage are hiked in and out. Most everything including bread and humus are made on site. This tea house was built in 1901 by the Canadian Pacific Railroad as a refuge for hikers. 

We have since learned that aside from the crowds taking advantage of the 150th anniversary, many trails are closed due to avalanches concerns. There was a lot of snow this past winter and it is still hanging on. I included one photo that shows the snow and a crack line where it will eventually fall off.

With a bit more cold rain in the forecast, Harry traded in his heavy foul weather gear for a lighter hiking raincoat, S & E added a few items and for me a more rain resistant warm coat. We’ll hang for another day to get through the weekend and rain then move along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper.

Fish Creek Campground, Glacier NP - June 2 - 6

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Here we sit patiently waiting for the part to come in to fix our refrig. We couldn’t be stuck in a more beautiful place. Glacier National Park is one of the jewels of our park system and we planned to stay here for a week anyway so life is good. Because the Roadtrek dealer is in Kalispell on the western side of Glacier, this is where we stayed at the Fish Creek Campground next to McDonald Lake. 

Harry and Steve found some good fishing spots. No fishing licenses are required as long as you stay in the park. Ellen and I took daily walks looking for birds and found many new to us. Olive-sided flycatchers, MacGillivray’s warbler, western tanager, cassin’s vireo, violet-green swallows, american dippers and the spruce grouse that rushes out of the woods in attack mode guarding his territory. He ran after Speedy pecking the tires, Steve on his bike another day and I ran into him later on.

Storms come and go quickly, warm days, cool nights, hikes, bear claw pastries and BBQ. We explored Bowman Lake & campground (a must stay next time around) and enjoyed perhaps a bit too much the pastries at the Polebridge Merchantile. 

The part is in so tomorrow all will be fixed, another round of laundry and provisioning and off to Canada. We have enjoyed Western Glacier so have decided to stay this side of the Rockies and move north from here instead of our original plan circling back around to the east of the park.