Fairbanks and Round Two for the Yukon

Fairbanks was the last stop on our Alaska itinerary but proved to be an interesting one. We parked at a RV park directly on the Chena River. Nice park with local hiking/walking trails. We visited the Morris Thompson Culture Center for a thorough introduction to this territory of Alaska, DnD visited the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum,

and the Ice Museum

Douglas and Dick played golf at Fort Wainright (golfers, can you figure what’s wrong with the 4th Hole sign?)

and we all visited the Alyeska Pipeline Visitor Center (yes, we were looking directly into the sun, but then it could have been raining. I’m just saying.)  Built between 1974 and 1977, it is 800 miles long, 48″ in diameter and has carried over 17 billion barrels of oil from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to Valdez on the southeastern corner of the Kenai Peninsula. Revenues from the pipeline account for 67 percent of Alaska’s General Fund in FY 2017. While the economic impact of oil and gas activity and production in Alaska is profound, Alaska production has been in a long-term decline trend since peaking in 1988 when the state accounted for 25 percent of U.S. domestic production. Now, Alaska produces approximately seven percent. In fact, the entire Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is now running at three-quarters empty. In recent years, Alaska has fallen from second to fourth in U.S. oil production

 

A Bloody Mary breakfast with Jim’s famous sausage gravy and biscuits rounded out our stay in Fairbanks.

No visit to this area is complete without going to the North Pole, Alaska.

We opted not to make the 200 mile drive to the Arctic Circle for a photo-op. Gravel all the way. A commercial tour would have been OK but we were ready to head East. Our route took us from Fairbanks, back to our entry point into Alaska, Tok, and on to the Yukon.

Yup, the roads had not changed in six weeks

August 4 marked our first stop in the Yukon, the capital of the Territory, Whitehorse. We took time to do some housekeeping and play golf

and stock up on groceries. Wal-Mart in the Yukon is second on all points to the Canadian Superstore.

We also visited a wildlife preserve where rehabilitation was the focus. More amazing animals. HUGE moose and a classic mountain goat highlighted the visit.

Our circle, Watson Lake, Yukon – Alaska – Watson Lake, Yukon was completed on August 3, six weeks after we began. Four rigs started the circle and four ended it. We loved British Columbia and Alaska, were not destroyed by mosquitoes (in fact, the worst exposure was at Lake Meziadin, BC) and found a number of places we could spend yet more time in..

Here we are all safe and sound back at Watson Lake with some cracked or pitted windshields and some minor and one major repairs under our belt. No flat tires and no accidents. Our journey outside the lower 48 began 8 weeks and 4,000 miles ago. Incredible that we have traveled so far, over some abominable roads with no real damage. Not bad at all, providing further testimony to the quality of Newmar motor homes.

Our next stops to do other than spend the night were Jasper and Banff National Parks in Alberta and Glacier National Park, Montana. That post is up next.

 

 

 

Denali: Jewel North America

We departed Kenai for the last time on July 21 having achieved what we went there for: King and Sockeye salmon, trout, halibut and the sights to be seen. A quick stop in Anchorage to restock and away we went. Denali was scheduled for one day, a decision we rued. BUT what a day it was! This post will be devoted primarily to the photos we took; they tell the story:

The group traveled the entire 92.5-mile route from the entrance to the “end of the road”. Twelve hours in a school bus on a one lane, unpaved road carved into the side of the mountains.

A mother grizzly chasing away her yearling; time to go on his own

 

More grizzlies, this time in the middle of the road!

and on the hillside.

 

A fairly scrawny caribou, also in the middle of the road

and another grizzly close up.

He is scrawny because the soap berries and blue berries he feeds on have just come in. Grizzlies go into a feeding frenzy called hyperphagia beginning in late July, eating the berries almost nonstop.

The tour turned around at the end of the road at the road house in Kantishna

The sheer ruggedness and majesty of this range could not be captured by our cameras but we tried.

Finally there is Mt Denali (formerly Mt McKinley), the tallest peak in North America at 20,300 feet and by most calculations the third tallest mountain in the world.

This journey was a very special one. Joy at seeing so many wild animals (we actually saw a total of 17 grizzlies), magnificent mountains, scary roads and yes, some neat people, especially those in the picture at the beginning of this post.

This day marked the beginning of our exit from Alaska and a journey home that will last at least six weeks. Fairbanks is our next stop.

Alaska Highway and the Yukon

Brother Dick and his wife Dwayne joined us at the Downtown RV Park in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory on June 21. They drove over 3000 miles in ten days from the Newmar factory in Nappanee, IN to get here. Every day on the road. We are now four Tallman Travelers in our Newmar Dutch Stars towing Jeeps.

 

The Alaska Highway is in a constant state of repair because of the harsh winters. Pot holes and stretches of gravel with the occasional roller coaster, detour and heaves thrown in for good measure. Most of these spots are well marked.

The first stretch of gravel spit all of us out  out with fresh windshield chips or cracks caused by gravel thrown up by passing 18-wheelers. Could have waited until we were on our way back!

The mountains are neither as rugged nor close as in British Columbia. More like rolling hills – at least thus far. Still beautiful country but our goal remained the Alaskan border and the reason for this 7-month trip which we reached on June 25.

 

We over-nighted in Teslin and had the pleasure of meeting a brother and sister that were bicycling from Anchorage south to Seattle.  Great stories were passed around for the evening and then on June 25 we crossed the border into Alaska. Seven and a  half  months and 10,000 miles later. Whoopeeeee!!!!!!

Anchorage and the Rest of the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula

We departed Valdez on July 6 headed for Anchorage and the Kenai. The Anchorage stop was short and we used our time to restock. Costco was across the street from our park and Wal-Mart and Fred Meyers (associated with Kroger’s) were just down the street. Couldn’t have been better. We then spent three full days at Kenai Princess Wilderness Park, part of the Princess Cruise Line Alaska lodge system.

Hiking the Kenai Canyon

and relaxing were the focus. Renee’s father Pete joined us for trout and salmon fishing as well. DnR were successful going for sockeye but another attack on the kings netted us zero.

During another salmon hunt, Douglas took photos of the only golden eagle we saw

and one of a bald eagle in flight. This journey has been very much about the wildlife we saw in their natural habitat.

and then there was the sea gull picking his dinner from the water, a fresh salmon carcass

Our next stop was the Alaskan Angler RV Park in Ninilchik on the western shores of the Kenai. Halibut was our target and boy did we score. These charter boats are launched off a beach near our RV park. Very cool way to do it.

 

Douglas taking his

Dick in the fight

Renee and Jim on the hunt

Success on two separate charters with Renee taking the biggest at 60# (it’s that big one in the center!!). Wow!!! Our basement freezers are full of salmon and halibut.

We took a day off to visit Seward, enjoying the scenery of the drive. DnR and Pete enjoyed oyster stop #24 and we all visited the Exit Glacier, some hiking as far up as we could without an experienced climbers permit. Grand!!

 

Sandy finally saw her “boy” moose, a long time target, on the way back from a day visit to Seward.

We also visited Homer and the Homer Spit. Lunch at Capt Pattie’s (no relation to Joe Patti in Pensacola)

Oyster stop #25, shopping and enjoying oysters on our way back as well as at the park. YUM!!

We departed Ninilchik on July 20 en route Anchorage. More shopping, a round of golf for the three brothers, hiking the Earthquake Park,

 

visiting the Air Museum, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (where we saw the F-22) and grabbed a picture of Jim in front of his beloved C-130H

 

Denali National Park was our next destination and we arrived there on July 24.

ALASKA: US BORDER TO VALDEZ

The caravan crossed the Yukon border into Alaska on June 25th .

The leg from Destruction Bay, YT to our first stop in Alaska, Tok, was brutal. Unpaved gravel or dirt roads for miles, detours around culvert replacement sites, more gravel, frost heaves and undulations caused by melting permafrost kept us on our toes.

We pulled into Tok Village RV Park covered in mud and ready for clean-up and a few days off the road.All four rigs lined up to be washed and many hands made the job easy. We were followed by a 21-rig Newmar Kountry Klub tour; all equally filthy having just made the 80-mile gravel road trek from Dawson City.

We relaxed, did laundry and talked more about future stops. DnR fished for rainbow trout in a near-by mountain lake – this time. Two beautiful rainbows that we shared for breakfast a couple of days later.

Happy hour and dinner behind Jim’s rig, “Super Herc”

Our next stop was Copper Center, center of a region of better that 60 different copper, gold and zinc mines. The most famous is the Kennecott Mines where better than $200 million worth of copper was extracted between 1911 and 1938. It is now  part of the National Park system. The reason for our stop, however, was to go after king salmon that were running on the Gulkana River.  Bob, Dick, Jim, Douglas and Renee took a 6-hour charter and all landed 35-45# kings. What a time we had. Dick landed one early on, then Douglas, Jim, and Bob. Renee caught the best at the very end of the float, delighting us all.

 

We dined on 3 1/2 pounds and froze better than 40# of 2 1/2″ fillets. Doesn’t get much fresher than that!

Our mission accomplished here, we departed for Valdez. Another amazing drive on a better road.

Our 5-day stay in Valdez was over the 4th of July and included sightseeing, fishing for pink salmon which had just begun to run, hiking and watching for more wildlife. A cruise to the Columbia Glacier was breathtaking

We visited the Worthington Glacier and climbed through some rough terrain to actually touch it!!

The glacier is 10 feet behind Jim and looks like it is about the calve!

 

 

 

 

Crossing the Canadian Border and British Columbia

This part of the trip is almost all about the changing scenery, wildlife sightings and a little bit of fishing. We have not tired of our company and that’s saying a lot considering the age difference. Love, family and a little patience have carried us thus far.  Our route through British Columbia took us from the US-Canada border north on Canada #1, 22, 16, 97 and 37  to Spences Bridge, Quesnel, through Prince George to Telkwa, Lake Meziadin, Iskut, and to the Yukon Territory. Twelve hundred miles of travel over 15 days.

Canadian Border Crossing: We had read volumes regarding what we could take and what we could not. Customs agents can be rigorous (they raked DnR) but paid little attention to BnS and Jim. Their primary concern was weapons and ammo. NONE allowed. We had left them behind but wondered what we would do if we encountered a situation in the wild when one would have come in handy. The ease of passage into Canada is very much dependent on the agent’s frame of mind..

The beauty of the Pacific Northwest continued to be evident at each turn and the pictures we have included here bear witness. The wild and rugged nature of this land were the highlights of this part of the journey. Our lodging parks ranged from basic to good, most with all the amenities (full electric ((50 Amp)), water, sewer and WiFi) but some were challenging with limited power and NO water or sewer or WiFi. Cell service became problematic the further north we traveled.

We often had great views (lakeside, mountains, etc.) but since rail transport is the primary method of commercial shipping in this province, we also occasionally heard railroad engine horns blaring in the early morning hours. The highways were all good though with no four lanes and our route generally followed mountain passes.  Passing lanes eased any congestion on hills. Diesel prices were 10-20% higher than stateside but the Canadian-US dollar value was on our side; US$1=C$1.32. We continued to eat evening meals together and although we missed the oysters and crab we like, we ate well. WalMarts and large grocery stores were few and far between so Sandy had to wean herself but she managed.

We learned more about our Newmar rigs as we traveled. Adjustments to full-wall slide and other items were made. DnR’s passenger wall slide began to move in and out as they took curves and the Newmar techs came to the rescue again with instructions on how to fix it. Douglas did and away we went again. We can’t say enough good things about these experts and their willingness to help and help NOW!

We were constantly on the lookout for wild life. Moose, bear, elk….anything on four legs would do. Our encounters were few but when we did see them, wow!

Here is a mother moose separated from her twin babies by a barb-wire fence (she did manage to get them out via an animal underpass),

We encountered mosquito’s for the first time at Fort Telkwa and they remained with us throughout the rest of this part of the journey.  DnR purchased bug killers; tennis racket-shaped electrified swatters, for all of us. They worked! Satellite reception was still good though Dish Network denies access to US national network channels. We knew TV might not be so readily available in Canada so we recorded volumes of movies, shows, etc. while still in the US. The decision to do so turned out to be a good one.

Meziadin Lake Provincial Park was in the middle of nowhere but another great park though the mosquitoes were still bothersome. No cell service and no WiFi. Almost off the grid.

DnR launched the kayaks several times in search of fish with no luck but the time was easily passed looking at the scenery.

We encountered grizzlies for the first time on the 40-mile drive from Meziadin Lake to Stewart. Momma and two cubs. DnR saw them on the way out and we saw them in the same spot two hours later on the way back to the Lake.

This 40-mile long drive passes through beautiful and rugged terrain. Bear Glacier ends in a lake immediately adjacent to the road;

the rest of the drive provided continuous photo opportunities

BnS and Jim followed DnR from Stewart, through Hyder, AK to drive up to see  Salmon Glacier, the largest glacier at 11 miles in length accessible by road in Canada. Spectacular drive rising from less than a thousand feet to almost 4,000 over 18 miles. Exhilarating! Single lane, gravel, pot holes, twists, turns, etc. The blue spots in the glacier you see below are clean spots on the glacier that reveal the intensity of the blue ice (blue is the only color in the spectrum that penetrates this severely compressed snow.)

Very much worth the drive though the vehicles were covered in mud by the time we returned to pavement. We lunched at the Glacier in Hyder but declined to be “hyderized” with their famous strong drink. There are a number of different ways to get around in this region. This couple is ready for anything

Those who stick around for the 20′ of snow in Stewart get around like this.

The drive from Meziadin Lake to the Yukon involved much different highways. Smoothly paved roads gave way to rougher and narrower and even perilous ones. Lane markings disappeared and the caravan leader was more glued to the road ahead. Rough road signs were abundant and caused frequent slow downs.

On the other hand we found ourselves truly in the wilderness. Untouched beauty with the scattered summer cabin on a peaceful lake. One of Douglas’ selfies of the group documented “nowhere”.

Our last night in British Columbia was spent in Mountain Shadow RV Park, a gem of a park on a lake with mountains in the background.

We passed miles of forest in northern BC that appeared to have burned. Turns out much of it was actually the result of an infestation of the spruce bark beetle in early 2001. Almost a million acres of these trees had been destroyed by 2005. Still, the major cause of destruction is lightning-ignited fire.

At the end of this day we reached the Alaska (formerly known as the Alcan ((Alsaka-Canada)) Highway. We will spend the next week traveling this miracle road (1397 miles in length and built in less than nine months in 1942/1943). More to come in the next post.

 

 

 

 

 

CRUISING THE ALASKAN INSIDE PASSAGE

 

On May 26, fourteen of us, 8 family and six close friends set sail on the Celebrity Solstice for Ketchikan, Tracy Arms Fjord, Juneau and Skagway.  Wow!!! The Solstice is 1033 ft long and weighs 122 tons. BIG ship. Below are BnS with long-time friends on the left and our family on the right.

 

We flew over glaciers, took to the water to see humpbacks, Orcas, dolphins, seals and anything else that would surface, drove jeeps into the wilderness, paddled a canoe with 16 inexperienced paddlers across a lake, rode the White Pass Railroad, toured through and beyond Skagway, ate too much, probably drank a little and were blessed with incredible scenery and wonderful weather (the previous sailing had experienced rain every day and high winds.) Another lifetime experience.  We celebrated Douglas’ 50th birthday on the 27th and watched the bartenders steal the show each night entertaining the guests!

 

Ketchikan:

We walked the town, browsed stores and marveled at the overpriced Dungeness crabs. We then rented jeeps and took a guided tour of the back country. The roads were rough, narrow and required the drivers’ attention at all times. We then paddled across a large lake for a “hearty” lunch which wasn’t really. All part of the journey.

 

Tracy Arms Fjord

The cruise up the fjord is beautiful. Steep and craggy mountains, wildlife and……the glacier. Timing is sometimes everything and we were fortunate enough to witness a large calving of ice off the glacier. Wondrous but ominous as well. This glacier, like many others, is receding at an accelerated rate. So if you want to see it, go sometime in the next century.

 

Skagway:

Our visit to Skagway was devoted to a personal tour beyond the city and into the Yukon. Our route paralleled the White Pass railway which follows the path taken by the Klondike Gold Rush stampeders in 1897. Many died in route since the fever and not good planning was the norm. 100,000 started the journey and only 30,000 made it. Better than 50,000 turned back early on. 3000 pack animals died because of the perilous terrain and lack of food. It was a bust for nearly every miner who made the trip.  Our tour included a stop at an Iditarod dog kennel. The owner, a woman,  made the 1000 mild trip in nine days last year, placing 13th. We lunched at the Bistro in Carcross (formerly Caribou Crossing), Yukon. The hot ticket was bison burger – very tasty. The last stop before returning to Skagway was at Emerald Lake. Aptly named. And lst but not last, there is a real desert in the Yukon. We were not promised wildlife sightings but the eagle  eyes on the trip spotted a black bear, moose, mountain goats and sheep.  Our Beyond Skagway Tour guide, Candice was superb.

The cruise was a wonderful experience. We returned to the Lake Pleasant RE Resort near Bothell for two days of laundry and final prep before heading out for the next leg, British Columbia to Alaska.

 

SOUTHERN WASHINGTON, THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA AND MOUNT ST. HELENS

On May 13 we continued our travels to Chimacum, Washington on the northeastern border of the Olympic Peninsula and home of the Olympic Mountain range.  Jim followed Bob’s lead but the lady who lives in the navigation unit took us on a road that Bob should have avoided. Fix? Set the nav to fastest or easiest, not shortest!! Ten miles of single lane, unpaved, washboard and no berms. Yuck.

During their trip north, DnR saw the Hama Hama Oyster Company. Long story short? We drove back down, had an expensive lunch of the oysters and manila clams but the good part is they were good so we went home with 5 dozen oysters and 5 pounds of the clams. The oysters quality was rivaled only by our favorites, the Kumamotos. Outstanding!

We took advantage of shopping in Silverdale and Sandy was able to get her fix in of TJ Max, ROSS and a few others to include Total Wine.  We drove to Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Mountain Range, the clouds were low but the wild life was abundant.

Our next stop was near Silver Lake and Mount St. Helens, a still-active volcano that when it erupted on May 18, 1980 , created the largest terrestrial landslide in recorded history.  It reduced the summit by 1,300 feet and triggered a lateral blast. Within 3 minutes, the lateral blast, traveling at more than 300 miles per hour, blew down and scorched 230 square miles of forest. Within 15 minutes, a vertical plume of volcanic ash rose over 80,000 feet.  And this was 1/4 the magnitude of the eruption 3600 years ago. So yes, the earth reshapes and recreates itself. OMG!!!! We spent three days at a very nice RV park and two days visiting the Mount St Helens National Monument. This is a must see for anyone who comes even close to this volcano. You will note Douglas’ great shot configuration.

 

On May 22, we traveled to Bothell, WA just north of Seattle to park he rigs and cruise the Inside Package to Alaska.  We were joined by family and old friends the day before departure to tour Seattle and the Boeing factory while DnR spent time with friends on the Kitsap Peninsula.

 

Long Beach Peninsula, Washington

We arrived here on May 8. It bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the mighty Columbia River. The latter is probably the most treacherous coastal inlet in the world and the area is also known as the Columbia Bar, the site of more than 2000 sinkings since the 1700s. Not surprisingly, the largest US Coast Guard Search and Rescue Station on the West Coast is located here. Additionally, the USCG Advanced Helicopter Training School is located across the Columbia River, in Astoria, OR. So here we are at the only 50Amp full hook up park on the peninsula, Andersen RV Resort in Long Beach. The rigs all needed a good bath so the first day was spent accordingly. Inside and out. Looking good.

 

The peninsula also boasts the longest beach in the world at 28 miles in length. Most is driveable and we did just that. On one excursion we spotted a seal pup that had been forced onto the beach to rest because it could not have survived the tremendous wave action.

 

 

The peninsula also sports an 8-mile long paved pathway that winds through the dunes right off the beach. Home to this guy and these wild strawberries which were small but very sweet.

Oysters were again on the menu but we found the Willapa Bay variety muddy. Very flavorful but the dirt was a turn-off.  D&R departed for Washington’s Olympic Peninsula on Thursday to spend time with Bill, Maggie and other old Navy friends. Jim and B&S will join them on the 13th. So, next stop? The Puget Sound and Juan de Fuca Strait. Yup, this area is home to MANY small oyster farms so here we go again!!!

Oregon Coast

The drive from Crescent City to Winchester Bay, Oregon followed US 101 north to the Coos Bay area. Spectacular ride over roads that are in constant repair. Slides, yes. But the road is caving in or sliding down the hill in many spots and the patchwork fixes will not last. Douglas commented that it would be a wonder if this portion of 101 survives another decade. This week we were at the Winchester Bay RV Resort, a beautiful park directly on the Umpqua River. The view out of B&S front window:

Our stay here was marked by high winds, cold and some rain though it was a beautiful resort right on the Bay.

Fishing and the Oregon Dunes are the local draw. The Dunes offer spectacular views and exciting ATV riding. D&R hosted an old colleague, Bill Tass, and his wife Maggie; they brought in their many toys towed with their new 2016 Newmar Bay Star Sport and off they went with D&R to ride the dunes. .

We of course had to try the local oysters; Kumamotos from Coos Bay and Umpqua Triangle oysters farmed locally. The Kumamotos won the flavor contest by a small margin but the cost difference was marked. The Umpquas were a GREAT deal  and they were farmed less than a mile away. Yup, the beds formed a triangle right off the mouth of the Umpqua river.

Clam chowder and Dungeness crabs were also on the menu. We dined on them at home and in local restaurants. Home seems to always win since Douglas and Bob shuck the oysters and our trusty Weber grills and Renee’s toppings produce the best grilled/roasted oysters. Bob found a jumbo oyster that he had to be cut to eat. Pretty good considering its size.

 

We have noted that every restaurant claims award-winning clam chowder but we found Fisherman’s Seafood Market, a small three table restaurant right on the dock in Coos Bay was the best in the area. Perfectly cooked whole clams, minimal potatoes and a creamy broth that was to die for. A must try if you ever visit.

We walked around beautiful Lake Marie and visited a world-renowned sea lion wintering place, the Sea Lion Cave,  just north of Florence, OR. One of the largest in the world. It was well worth the time and climb.

 

On May 8th, we packed it up and headed north to the Long Beach Peninsula in southwestern Washington.