July 28th - Sat - 100 Mile
Today was a marathon wood cutting day. We got going about 9 after chores and did not finish until 5. We did take a break for lunch and to get new bottles of water. It was hot and of course none of the trees that we were cutting up were in the shade. After lunch we brought in a load, split & stacked it and the stack was still not full. So we bit the bullet and went out for another tree which completed the stack with a little left over. What a good feeling to have that done!
Marg & I were so happy to have leftovers from our company dinner so we didn’t have to cook - just heat and eat. Needless to say, we were all pretty tired this evening.
July 29th - Sun - 100 Mile
A day of rest!
Terry, Marg & I played 9 holes of golf this morning at the short Marmot Ridge course in 100 Mile. I got 46 - one better than last Wed - and beat both Marg & Terry. After lunch and a few misc chores such as plant watering, we went to Al & Cecile’s to get some raspberries. They had picked a bucket yesterday that they said we could have but we felt guilty taking what they picked so we picked some more. And then Cecile gave us their bucket full as well! We enjoyed big bowlfuls after dinner and they were wonderful.
Marg lost a small, expensive earring when she took off her ear protectors when we were cutting wood yesterday. She heard it when it hit the tractor step but we could not find it. We marked the spot and went out with the metal detector to try to find it. The metal detector did not pick it up but Terry spotted it in the grass. A good day all around!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
July 25th to 27th - 100 Mile House
July 25th - Wed - 100 Mile
We moved the wood cutting process to a field where Marg had several big fir logs waiting to be cut up. Dad picked up each log on forks on the tractor, I marked the lengths with a crayon, and then Terry cut the rounds with the chain saw while Marg & I balanced and moved the log. This puts the log at waist level so the chain saw operator isn’t bending the whole time he/she is sawing. We cut up 3 logs, split them with a splitter hooked to the power takeoff on the tractor and loaded it on a wagon. Marg & I had to play golf at ladies’ night so we only brought in one load. We left the tractor in the field and the load of wood did not allow for passengers on the ATV so Marg, Terry & I had to walk all the way back to the house in very warm weather. A cool shower felt mighty fine!
Did OK at golf considering I have only played once in the last 2 months.
July 26th - Thurs - 100 Mile
Terry went out this morning to bring in some logs that the power company cut down so they would not fall onto power lines sometime. He turned off the ATV to load some pieces on the wagon and the ATV would not start again. Terry & Marg pushed it to the shop and checked out a few things with no luck. So they loaded it on the trailer and took it to the mechanic while Dad & I puttered in the shop.
The ATV had to stay overnight in the “hospital” so we went out to finish cutting the remaining logs into rounds. Dad said there were 5 left but we discovered 7 when we got there. We did take our nice clean truck instead of walking all the way back there! We finished cutting the trees and enjoyed a cool shower again in time to welcome Francis & Nicole and Allan & Cecile for dinner - which we had put in the crock pot after lunch. Lovely evening with great friends!
July 27th - Fri - 100 Mile
Marg & Terry picked up the repaired ATV while I did the breakfast dishes, farm chores and updated a few days on the blog. We just had time to split the rounds from all 7 logs and load them on a trailer, a wagon and the bucket on the tractor before a quick lunch so Marg could take Dad to town to get the dressing on his leg changed. Terry & I stacked the wood that we had brought in and used the ATV to take salt to the cows. We still were not exhausted (close to it!) so we washed the 5th wheel since we could not even see out the back windows. Then we all enjoyed large glasses of iced tea while we rested on the front porch.
We looked at a lot of pictures on the computer after dinner and I will join the rest of the seriously relaxed group as soon as I post these entries!
Dad is doing good. He thinks he should be able to do more than he can but we keep reminding him of how long he was inactive before his surgery and the month (almost) that he spent in the hospital. He can walk way further than before the surgery but has no strength or stamina.
We moved the wood cutting process to a field where Marg had several big fir logs waiting to be cut up. Dad picked up each log on forks on the tractor, I marked the lengths with a crayon, and then Terry cut the rounds with the chain saw while Marg & I balanced and moved the log. This puts the log at waist level so the chain saw operator isn’t bending the whole time he/she is sawing. We cut up 3 logs, split them with a splitter hooked to the power takeoff on the tractor and loaded it on a wagon. Marg & I had to play golf at ladies’ night so we only brought in one load. We left the tractor in the field and the load of wood did not allow for passengers on the ATV so Marg, Terry & I had to walk all the way back to the house in very warm weather. A cool shower felt mighty fine!
Did OK at golf considering I have only played once in the last 2 months.
July 26th - Thurs - 100 Mile
Terry went out this morning to bring in some logs that the power company cut down so they would not fall onto power lines sometime. He turned off the ATV to load some pieces on the wagon and the ATV would not start again. Terry & Marg pushed it to the shop and checked out a few things with no luck. So they loaded it on the trailer and took it to the mechanic while Dad & I puttered in the shop.
The ATV had to stay overnight in the “hospital” so we went out to finish cutting the remaining logs into rounds. Dad said there were 5 left but we discovered 7 when we got there. We did take our nice clean truck instead of walking all the way back there! We finished cutting the trees and enjoyed a cool shower again in time to welcome Francis & Nicole and Allan & Cecile for dinner - which we had put in the crock pot after lunch. Lovely evening with great friends!
July 27th - Fri - 100 Mile
Marg & Terry picked up the repaired ATV while I did the breakfast dishes, farm chores and updated a few days on the blog. We just had time to split the rounds from all 7 logs and load them on a trailer, a wagon and the bucket on the tractor before a quick lunch so Marg could take Dad to town to get the dressing on his leg changed. Terry & I stacked the wood that we had brought in and used the ATV to take salt to the cows. We still were not exhausted (close to it!) so we washed the 5th wheel since we could not even see out the back windows. Then we all enjoyed large glasses of iced tea while we rested on the front porch.
We looked at a lot of pictures on the computer after dinner and I will join the rest of the seriously relaxed group as soon as I post these entries!
Dad is doing good. He thinks he should be able to do more than he can but we keep reminding him of how long he was inactive before his surgery and the month (almost) that he spent in the hospital. He can walk way further than before the surgery but has no strength or stamina.
July 20th to 24th - 100 Mile House
July 20th - Fri - BC Cariboo
Terry & I left early this morning for the drive to Horn Lake. It took about 4 ½ hours - good roads until a 12 mile gravel section at the end which was very bumpy. There were only 3 small, widely spaced campsites left but we lucked out and were able to use a large boat launch parking/day use area for 3 of the rigs in our group and an adjacent site for the 4th rig.
Cousin Pat & Rick and Marg & Dad arrived about 6:30 and a couple from 100 Mile House (Janet & Bill) are coming tomorrow. We made good use of the firewood that we brought with us and sat around the fire until bedtime.
July 21st - Sat - Horn Lake, BC
Did some vehicle shuffling when Janet & Bill arrived this morning.
Marg, Terry, Pat & Rick set out in kayaks late this morning to try their luck at fishing. Pretty slow - Pat caught one trout. The weather got windy & rainy this evening so we moved inside after dinner.
This morning a potato chip bag on the table in our 5th wheel had been chewed by a mouse so Marg picked up some traps for us when she went with Rick to get some gas. Set them with peanut butter and a raisin (?) and hoped for better results than fishing.
July 22nd - Sun - Horn Lake
A beeping noise woke us last night about 2 - turned out to be Terry’s cell phone running out of juice. While we were trying to locate the source of the sound, we saw a mouse running around the rig. Much later I heard a trap snap. But this morning, even with a mouse in the trap, the napkins left on the table had been shredded. Not sure if the mouse did it before it got caught so will set traps again tonight.
We drove to Bella Coola today. A little cozy with 4 of us in the back seat of our pickup but it is 150 miles each way so we didn’t want to take 2 vehicles. Bella Coola’s “claim to fame” is a very steep hill in the middle of a 40 mile gravel stretch. Downhill going west (to Bella Coola). Earlier in our trip we had considered taking our 5th wheel there and are glad that we didn’t. So we had a nice lunch, checked out one store and headed back.
Pat & Marg went fishing when we got back and Marg caught a lovely trout. The weather was nice so we enjoyed the campfire again.
July 23rd - Mon - to 100 Mile House
Caught another mouse last night - yuck!
Headed out this morning after digging out jumper cables when Marg’s motor home would not start. Rick & Pat had a couple of propane problems with their 5th wheel so they took it to an RV place in Williams Lake on the way back to get it fixed. The RV place is very close to a casino so we all had to stop and check it out. Marg, Terry & I lost all we were prepared to lose and left Pat at the casino waiting for Rick to return with their rig. They joined us at Marg’s to spend the night and Pat informed us that she had won $511 after we left her.
July 24th - Tues - 100 Mile
Marg took Dad to a couple of medical appointments early this morning. They were back before Terry & I and Pat & Rick had finished breakfast. Pat & Rick left about 10. We washed our truck and Marg’s truck. After lunch Marg & Terry went to retrieve the log splitter while I took Dad back to the dentist. Dad & I had time to drive around the farm for an “inspection tour” on the ATV before we hooked up the splitter and made short work of splitting and stacking a few logs. This is the wood that will be drying to burn in the winter of 2008.
Terry & I left early this morning for the drive to Horn Lake. It took about 4 ½ hours - good roads until a 12 mile gravel section at the end which was very bumpy. There were only 3 small, widely spaced campsites left but we lucked out and were able to use a large boat launch parking/day use area for 3 of the rigs in our group and an adjacent site for the 4th rig.
Cousin Pat & Rick and Marg & Dad arrived about 6:30 and a couple from 100 Mile House (Janet & Bill) are coming tomorrow. We made good use of the firewood that we brought with us and sat around the fire until bedtime.
July 21st - Sat - Horn Lake, BC
Did some vehicle shuffling when Janet & Bill arrived this morning.
Marg, Terry, Pat & Rick set out in kayaks late this morning to try their luck at fishing. Pretty slow - Pat caught one trout. The weather got windy & rainy this evening so we moved inside after dinner.
This morning a potato chip bag on the table in our 5th wheel had been chewed by a mouse so Marg picked up some traps for us when she went with Rick to get some gas. Set them with peanut butter and a raisin (?) and hoped for better results than fishing.
July 22nd - Sun - Horn Lake
A beeping noise woke us last night about 2 - turned out to be Terry’s cell phone running out of juice. While we were trying to locate the source of the sound, we saw a mouse running around the rig. Much later I heard a trap snap. But this morning, even with a mouse in the trap, the napkins left on the table had been shredded. Not sure if the mouse did it before it got caught so will set traps again tonight.
We drove to Bella Coola today. A little cozy with 4 of us in the back seat of our pickup but it is 150 miles each way so we didn’t want to take 2 vehicles. Bella Coola’s “claim to fame” is a very steep hill in the middle of a 40 mile gravel stretch. Downhill going west (to Bella Coola). Earlier in our trip we had considered taking our 5th wheel there and are glad that we didn’t. So we had a nice lunch, checked out one store and headed back.
Pat & Marg went fishing when we got back and Marg caught a lovely trout. The weather was nice so we enjoyed the campfire again.
July 23rd - Mon - to 100 Mile House
Caught another mouse last night - yuck!
Headed out this morning after digging out jumper cables when Marg’s motor home would not start. Rick & Pat had a couple of propane problems with their 5th wheel so they took it to an RV place in Williams Lake on the way back to get it fixed. The RV place is very close to a casino so we all had to stop and check it out. Marg, Terry & I lost all we were prepared to lose and left Pat at the casino waiting for Rick to return with their rig. They joined us at Marg’s to spend the night and Pat informed us that she had won $511 after we left her.
July 24th - Tues - 100 Mile
Marg took Dad to a couple of medical appointments early this morning. They were back before Terry & I and Pat & Rick had finished breakfast. Pat & Rick left about 10. We washed our truck and Marg’s truck. After lunch Marg & Terry went to retrieve the log splitter while I took Dad back to the dentist. Dad & I had time to drive around the farm for an “inspection tour” on the ATV before we hooked up the splitter and made short work of splitting and stacking a few logs. This is the wood that will be drying to burn in the winter of 2008.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
July 14th to 19th - in B.C.
July 14th - Sat - to Telkwa
We drove halfway to Prince George today. The road follows the incredibly wide & shallow Skeena River for a long ways. When we drove to Prince Rupert I wondered how far back the tide would affect the river and we found out when we drove out. For miles you can see exposed sand bars in the river.
We made a slight detour to check out the Hagwilget Canyon suspension bridge. It is a 460 ft span which is 262 feet above the Skeena River on the way to old Hazelton. We did not drive over the one-lane bridge but Larry & I walked out on the bridge to take pictures. There was a sign with information and pictures about previous bridges - amazing, primitive construction.
While we were checking into the RV park, Max & Eva showed up. We met them in Dawson City and Fairbanks where they stayed for 2 weeks. When Larry & Barb and we were sitting out before dinner, another traveling couple (Joe & Sandra from St. George, UT) joined us. Talking with other people is one of the greatest things about this lifestyle.
July 15th - Sun - to Prince George
I chatted with Max & Eva this morning before we left and it turns out that they went to almost all the places that we have been, just a few days behind. They are on their way home to Sutherlind, OR.
We had some torrential rains on the drive to Prince George today. We pulled off in a parking lot for about 5 minutes to let the worst of the storm (we thought) go past. But it continued off and on all the way to PG. When we got to the RV park it was full. Terry & Larry both needed fuel and had to fill up in the pouring rain. We found another park and the rain cleared up in time for us to set up.
We were parked beside a canvas shelter with 2 picnic tables and a robin had a nest in the corner. She/he finally got brave and started feeding the babies with us sitting at a table.
We visited the casino after dinner. Larry & Barb went with us in our truck even though Terry warned them that he might want to stay a while if he was winning. We didn’t win but still stayed until nearly 11.
July 16th - Mon - Prince George
Terry & I found a Laundromat in town for that lovely weekly (or so) chore. Picked up some groceries at the Superstore and made some lunch. Then we all went on a tour of the PG Pulp & Paper Mill. The tourist info center leads the tours so we followed the guide to the mill, donned all the protective gear (hardhat, safety glasses, vest, emergency breathing pack and ear plugs) and had an interesting hour tour.
Terry thought we better visit our money at the casino so he & I went back for a while and made another deposit.
July 17th - Tues - to 100 Mile House
We said goodbye to Larry & Barb this morning. They are continuing down the Yellowhead Hwy (#16) on their way home to Monroe, WA. We will miss them but plan to get together somewhere “down the road”.
We stopped at Quesnel and went through an interesting museum there. Quesnel has the most beautiful flowers along the streets, in hanging pots and in flower beds at the visitor center (actually “visitor centre” in Canada!).
Arrived at sister Marg’s in 100 Mile House about 2:45. Sunny and hot. I guess this concludes our Alaska trip. We put on 6480 miles from Dawson Creek back to here.
Hooked up jumper cables to get Marg’s motor home started and moved to the house. We are going camping later in the week so need to get Marg’s rig ready. After dinner Marg & Terry went out on the 4 wheeler to look for Marg’s bull. Her bull and the neighbor’s bull had gotten into a fight across the fence which led to the neighbor’s bull coming through the fence to continue the fight. The neighbor told Marg about the fight , took his bull home and fixed the fence. No sign of Marg’s bull but the cattle are in 160 acres of wooded land so he can hide anywhere.
July 18th - Wed - 100 Mile House
We all spent the morning in the shop working on a wishing well. After lunch, Terry & I made a quick trip to town for diesel and to find material to patch a hole in a lawn chair from a campfire accident. Patched the chair and spent some more time in the shop before dinner. Marg, Terry & I went out again on the 4 wheeler and found the bull with the rest of the cattle. Marg took us on a long tour through fields, woods and trails. Spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
July 19th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
Marg got Terry set up to haul split wood from a “drying” pile into the carport for winter heating before her and I took the motor home to town for propane, air in the tires, gas and current insurance/license. Also had to do grocery shopping for our weekend trip.
Terry & Dad were still hauling wood when we got back at nearly 2 pm. I gave Terry heck for not stopping for lunch as we had left sandwich fixings and instructions when we left. Busy afternoon cleaning the motor home, finishing moving the wood and cutting down/bucking/splitting a dead tree for firewood to take with us camping.
We are going camping about halfway between Williams Lake and Bella Coola at Horn Lake. There is a small, primitive forestry campground so Terry & I will leave early tomorrow morning to try to snag 3 or 4 campsites for the 4 rigs in our group. There will be no blog updates until we get back first thing next week.
We drove halfway to Prince George today. The road follows the incredibly wide & shallow Skeena River for a long ways. When we drove to Prince Rupert I wondered how far back the tide would affect the river and we found out when we drove out. For miles you can see exposed sand bars in the river.
We made a slight detour to check out the Hagwilget Canyon suspension bridge. It is a 460 ft span which is 262 feet above the Skeena River on the way to old Hazelton. We did not drive over the one-lane bridge but Larry & I walked out on the bridge to take pictures. There was a sign with information and pictures about previous bridges - amazing, primitive construction.
While we were checking into the RV park, Max & Eva showed up. We met them in Dawson City and Fairbanks where they stayed for 2 weeks. When Larry & Barb and we were sitting out before dinner, another traveling couple (Joe & Sandra from St. George, UT) joined us. Talking with other people is one of the greatest things about this lifestyle.
July 15th - Sun - to Prince George
I chatted with Max & Eva this morning before we left and it turns out that they went to almost all the places that we have been, just a few days behind. They are on their way home to Sutherlind, OR.
We had some torrential rains on the drive to Prince George today. We pulled off in a parking lot for about 5 minutes to let the worst of the storm (we thought) go past. But it continued off and on all the way to PG. When we got to the RV park it was full. Terry & Larry both needed fuel and had to fill up in the pouring rain. We found another park and the rain cleared up in time for us to set up.
We were parked beside a canvas shelter with 2 picnic tables and a robin had a nest in the corner. She/he finally got brave and started feeding the babies with us sitting at a table.
We visited the casino after dinner. Larry & Barb went with us in our truck even though Terry warned them that he might want to stay a while if he was winning. We didn’t win but still stayed until nearly 11.
July 16th - Mon - Prince George
Terry & I found a Laundromat in town for that lovely weekly (or so) chore. Picked up some groceries at the Superstore and made some lunch. Then we all went on a tour of the PG Pulp & Paper Mill. The tourist info center leads the tours so we followed the guide to the mill, donned all the protective gear (hardhat, safety glasses, vest, emergency breathing pack and ear plugs) and had an interesting hour tour.
Terry thought we better visit our money at the casino so he & I went back for a while and made another deposit.
July 17th - Tues - to 100 Mile House
We said goodbye to Larry & Barb this morning. They are continuing down the Yellowhead Hwy (#16) on their way home to Monroe, WA. We will miss them but plan to get together somewhere “down the road”.
We stopped at Quesnel and went through an interesting museum there. Quesnel has the most beautiful flowers along the streets, in hanging pots and in flower beds at the visitor center (actually “visitor centre” in Canada!).
Arrived at sister Marg’s in 100 Mile House about 2:45. Sunny and hot. I guess this concludes our Alaska trip. We put on 6480 miles from Dawson Creek back to here.
Hooked up jumper cables to get Marg’s motor home started and moved to the house. We are going camping later in the week so need to get Marg’s rig ready. After dinner Marg & Terry went out on the 4 wheeler to look for Marg’s bull. Her bull and the neighbor’s bull had gotten into a fight across the fence which led to the neighbor’s bull coming through the fence to continue the fight. The neighbor told Marg about the fight , took his bull home and fixed the fence. No sign of Marg’s bull but the cattle are in 160 acres of wooded land so he can hide anywhere.
July 18th - Wed - 100 Mile House
We all spent the morning in the shop working on a wishing well. After lunch, Terry & I made a quick trip to town for diesel and to find material to patch a hole in a lawn chair from a campfire accident. Patched the chair and spent some more time in the shop before dinner. Marg, Terry & I went out again on the 4 wheeler and found the bull with the rest of the cattle. Marg took us on a long tour through fields, woods and trails. Spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
July 19th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
Marg got Terry set up to haul split wood from a “drying” pile into the carport for winter heating before her and I took the motor home to town for propane, air in the tires, gas and current insurance/license. Also had to do grocery shopping for our weekend trip.
Terry & Dad were still hauling wood when we got back at nearly 2 pm. I gave Terry heck for not stopping for lunch as we had left sandwich fixings and instructions when we left. Busy afternoon cleaning the motor home, finishing moving the wood and cutting down/bucking/splitting a dead tree for firewood to take with us camping.
We are going camping about halfway between Williams Lake and Bella Coola at Horn Lake. There is a small, primitive forestry campground so Terry & I will leave early tomorrow morning to try to snag 3 or 4 campsites for the 4 rigs in our group. There will be no blog updates until we get back first thing next week.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
July 11th to 13th - Terrace/Prince Rupert
July 11th - Wed - Terrace
YES!! We drove out of the rain and into some very warm weather. The roads were good, clear blue sky - lovely drive. Part way here we were stopped for about 20 minutes at a road construction site and I went into the 5th wheel to change into a T-shirt. I discovered that a couple of items had fallen out of the pantry and we had sticky Margarita mix all over the floor. A quick clean up just left a tacky mess to clean up when we got set up.
Larry & Barb caught up to us. Luckily, since we did not have cell phone service, we both had wi-fi at our site last night and we were able to “converse” and figure out if and where we could get back together. Did a bit of misc & grocery shopping and enjoyed the sunshine and a nice steak dinner.
July 12th - Thurs - to Prince Rupert
Another lovely day for the short drive to Prince Rupert. Time enough for a hair cut for me before we left Terrace. We were going to stay at a PA park in Port Edward but the sites were small and hard to get into so we carried on to PR. They have an interesting way of locating people who are camping together. They have long sites that accommodate 2 rigs backed in from each end. We pulled through the site and out the other side and then Larry pulled in and parked his 5th wheel “backwards”, unhooked and moved his truck. Then we backed in right up to his rig. This puts our doors on the same side which is nice when you are together.
Our barbeque quit working last night and we determined that the hose was the problem so Terry and I went out to get a new one. We managed to explore quite a bit of the town before we found a hose. Had a nice dinner and sat around a fire.
July 13th - Fri - Prince Rupert
We were sightseeing, shopping tourists today. There is a section of PR called Cow Bay which has some great shops and the Museum of Northern BC is located there as well. In Cow Bay, of course the emphasis is on “cow” names (Cowpuccino coffee house) and cow (Holstein) paint jobs. Had lunch, picked up some groceries and tried to find some fresh crab. Larry got the last 1 ½ lbs that were cooked at a place that offered live Dungeness crab at $6.00/lb. A guy at Safeway told us that we probably could get some crab at the docks so we checked it out. They had a boat coming in in a couple of hours so Terry went back and got 6 broken/incomplete crabs for free! We set up our camp stove outside and cooked and cleaned them. Great dinner!
YES!! We drove out of the rain and into some very warm weather. The roads were good, clear blue sky - lovely drive. Part way here we were stopped for about 20 minutes at a road construction site and I went into the 5th wheel to change into a T-shirt. I discovered that a couple of items had fallen out of the pantry and we had sticky Margarita mix all over the floor. A quick clean up just left a tacky mess to clean up when we got set up.
Larry & Barb caught up to us. Luckily, since we did not have cell phone service, we both had wi-fi at our site last night and we were able to “converse” and figure out if and where we could get back together. Did a bit of misc & grocery shopping and enjoyed the sunshine and a nice steak dinner.
July 12th - Thurs - to Prince Rupert
Another lovely day for the short drive to Prince Rupert. Time enough for a hair cut for me before we left Terrace. We were going to stay at a PA park in Port Edward but the sites were small and hard to get into so we carried on to PR. They have an interesting way of locating people who are camping together. They have long sites that accommodate 2 rigs backed in from each end. We pulled through the site and out the other side and then Larry pulled in and parked his 5th wheel “backwards”, unhooked and moved his truck. Then we backed in right up to his rig. This puts our doors on the same side which is nice when you are together.
Our barbeque quit working last night and we determined that the hose was the problem so Terry and I went out to get a new one. We managed to explore quite a bit of the town before we found a hose. Had a nice dinner and sat around a fire.
July 13th - Fri - Prince Rupert
We were sightseeing, shopping tourists today. There is a section of PR called Cow Bay which has some great shops and the Museum of Northern BC is located there as well. In Cow Bay, of course the emphasis is on “cow” names (Cowpuccino coffee house) and cow (Holstein) paint jobs. Had lunch, picked up some groceries and tried to find some fresh crab. Larry got the last 1 ½ lbs that were cooked at a place that offered live Dungeness crab at $6.00/lb. A guy at Safeway told us that we probably could get some crab at the docks so we checked it out. They had a boat coming in in a couple of hours so Terry went back and got 6 broken/incomplete crabs for free! We set up our camp stove outside and cooked and cleaned them. Great dinner!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
July 9th to 10th - Stewart, BC
July 9th - Mon - to Stewart, BC
The road improved immensely just after Iskut but the rain decided to start again and stay with us. It did wash the mud off the front of the 5th wheel but I think we missed some great scenery. The Cassiar mountains made very brief appearances through the clouds. After we got settled and had lunch, we checked out Stewart - very small town and it was still raining.
July 10th - Tues - Stewart
Terry had watched a weather forecast and thought the rain would stop so we hung around a bit after breakfast. No such luck so we took off for Hyder and the Salmon Glacier. The roads past the edge of Stewart were terrible. There was no need for 20 MPH signs in Hyder as you could only comfortably drive about 10 - 15. We stopped at the fish viewing platforms (6 miles from Hyder) and were told there were no fish spawning and therefore no bears. We continued up the road about 4 more miles toward the glacier and then decided to turn back. Apparently we turned back just before a road block/warning about bad roads so we could not have driven to the glacier anyhow. There were no warning signs before you drove 10+ miles on a bad road!
We saw a bear and 2 cubs cross the road just before the viewing platforms so we stopped, dug out the umbrellas and checked it out. Beautiful facility for bear viewing but just like a few other things we are slightly early for this activity.
Spent the afternoon and evening on the internet, watching TV (than goodness for cable on rainy days) and doing miscellaneous little chores that don’t otherwise get done.
The road improved immensely just after Iskut but the rain decided to start again and stay with us. It did wash the mud off the front of the 5th wheel but I think we missed some great scenery. The Cassiar mountains made very brief appearances through the clouds. After we got settled and had lunch, we checked out Stewart - very small town and it was still raining.
July 10th - Tues - Stewart
Terry had watched a weather forecast and thought the rain would stop so we hung around a bit after breakfast. No such luck so we took off for Hyder and the Salmon Glacier. The roads past the edge of Stewart were terrible. There was no need for 20 MPH signs in Hyder as you could only comfortably drive about 10 - 15. We stopped at the fish viewing platforms (6 miles from Hyder) and were told there were no fish spawning and therefore no bears. We continued up the road about 4 more miles toward the glacier and then decided to turn back. Apparently we turned back just before a road block/warning about bad roads so we could not have driven to the glacier anyhow. There were no warning signs before you drove 10+ miles on a bad road!
We saw a bear and 2 cubs cross the road just before the viewing platforms so we stopped, dug out the umbrellas and checked it out. Beautiful facility for bear viewing but just like a few other things we are slightly early for this activity.
Spent the afternoon and evening on the internet, watching TV (than goodness for cable on rainy days) and doing miscellaneous little chores that don’t otherwise get done.
Monday, July 09, 2007
July 7th & 8th - Atlin to Iskut
July 7th - Sat - Traveling (Alaska Hwy)
We drove from Atlin to the junction of Hwy 37 (Cassiar Hwy) today. Stayed at the Baby Nugget RV park which is about 14 miles from Watson Lake. Celebrated my birthday by washing the rigs, doing laundry and catching up on my blog - exciting huh?! On the way, we took a break and walked into Rancheria Falls which we had done on the way to Alaska. The snow patches from the previous walk turned into mosquitoes on this trip.
July 8th - Sun - Traveling (Cassiar Hwy)
We made a little detour into Watson Lake this morning for propane and a few groceries before heading down the Cassiar.
Larry & Terry looked at maps before we left Skagway and decided we would meet in Jade City unless we could get cell phone service and make other plans. Well, we do not have cell phone service and Larry & Barb were not at Jade City by 1:30 so we decided to carry on. We ended up at Iskut which is 198 miles from the junction with the Alaska Hwy. It was a tough 198 miles - bumpy pavement, bumpy gravel and mud when it rained. Sure glad we cleaned up the rigs yesterday! A guy camped beside us tonight was washing his rigs in front of us last night and he is the same mudball that we are.
The sun just decided to stay out for a while so we took a long walk through the trees to a lake. Very nice. A guy was fishing and had caught a couple of small, throw-back trout but did not get any more while we were there.
We drove from Atlin to the junction of Hwy 37 (Cassiar Hwy) today. Stayed at the Baby Nugget RV park which is about 14 miles from Watson Lake. Celebrated my birthday by washing the rigs, doing laundry and catching up on my blog - exciting huh?! On the way, we took a break and walked into Rancheria Falls which we had done on the way to Alaska. The snow patches from the previous walk turned into mosquitoes on this trip.
July 8th - Sun - Traveling (Cassiar Hwy)
We made a little detour into Watson Lake this morning for propane and a few groceries before heading down the Cassiar.
Larry & Terry looked at maps before we left Skagway and decided we would meet in Jade City unless we could get cell phone service and make other plans. Well, we do not have cell phone service and Larry & Barb were not at Jade City by 1:30 so we decided to carry on. We ended up at Iskut which is 198 miles from the junction with the Alaska Hwy. It was a tough 198 miles - bumpy pavement, bumpy gravel and mud when it rained. Sure glad we cleaned up the rigs yesterday! A guy camped beside us tonight was washing his rigs in front of us last night and he is the same mudball that we are.
The sun just decided to stay out for a while so we took a long walk through the trees to a lake. Very nice. A guy was fishing and had caught a couple of small, throw-back trout but did not get any more while we were there.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
July 4th to 6th - Skagway/Atlin
July 4th - Wed - Skagway
Slept in this morning (after our late night!) and then went to town to take in more 4th activities. Parade at 10 - down the main street, around a block and back up the main street! - and then foot races, etc. We finished going through the shops that we hadn’t gotten to yesterday, got some lunch and came back to the RV park. Not so nice weather today. Very windy last night, cloudy & cool today.
Barb invited us over for (all-American!) hamburgers for dinner today. Larry did a very good job of grilling the burgers and we all ate too much.
July 5th - Thurs - to Atlin
We parted company with Larry & Barb today. They are staying in Skagway and taking a day tour to Juneau while we continue on to Atlin, B.C. The beginning of the road to Atlin is very bumpy gravel and Terry was ready to turn around when we stopped for lunch. Then he looked at the Milepost and saw that the last 18 miles was pavement so decided we would carry on. We are glad that we did - it is a beautiful setting. There was a music & arts festival in Atlin for the weekend so the only RV park with services was full except for a peninsula with dry camping. What a gorgeous setting!!
We stopped for a few groceries and happened to see some T-bone steaks in the little store. They were the best! What a life!
July 6th - Friday - Atlin
Lazy day - wonderful. We visited the tourist center to find out where to do some gold panning. It was a lovely drive - no gold. There are 2 other rigs (traveling together) on the peninsula with us but the people are German and their English is a little rudimentary. We collected wood while we were out and enjoyed a fire and the scenery.
Atlin is on the largest natural lake in B.C. In the lake is an island with the highest peak in fresh water in the world. And Atlin is the northwest-most town in B.C. We really hit the list of superlatives here.
Slept in this morning (after our late night!) and then went to town to take in more 4th activities. Parade at 10 - down the main street, around a block and back up the main street! - and then foot races, etc. We finished going through the shops that we hadn’t gotten to yesterday, got some lunch and came back to the RV park. Not so nice weather today. Very windy last night, cloudy & cool today.
Barb invited us over for (all-American!) hamburgers for dinner today. Larry did a very good job of grilling the burgers and we all ate too much.
July 5th - Thurs - to Atlin
We parted company with Larry & Barb today. They are staying in Skagway and taking a day tour to Juneau while we continue on to Atlin, B.C. The beginning of the road to Atlin is very bumpy gravel and Terry was ready to turn around when we stopped for lunch. Then he looked at the Milepost and saw that the last 18 miles was pavement so decided we would carry on. We are glad that we did - it is a beautiful setting. There was a music & arts festival in Atlin for the weekend so the only RV park with services was full except for a peninsula with dry camping. What a gorgeous setting!!
We stopped for a few groceries and happened to see some T-bone steaks in the little store. They were the best! What a life!
July 6th - Friday - Atlin
Lazy day - wonderful. We visited the tourist center to find out where to do some gold panning. It was a lovely drive - no gold. There are 2 other rigs (traveling together) on the peninsula with us but the people are German and their English is a little rudimentary. We collected wood while we were out and enjoyed a fire and the scenery.
Atlin is on the largest natural lake in B.C. In the lake is an island with the highest peak in fresh water in the world. And Atlin is the northwest-most town in B.C. We really hit the list of superlatives here.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
June 30th to July 3rd - Skagway
June 30th - Sat - to Haines
More gorgeous scenery on the drive to Haines. Nicer road with not so many frost heaves. Then Dolly got a treat at the RV park which is totally grass - very nice place with full hookups including sewer. A lot of places in Alaska just have central dumps - I think the long, cold winters make it difficult to keep sewer hookups open.
Explored the town and drove out to Chilcoot Lake where people where fishing for salmon from the banks of the Chilcoot River. The landscape here is different from much of Alaska - large evergreens and very lush forests rather than the scrawny black & white spruce trees. And of course amazing mountains everywhere!
July 1st - Sun - Haines
Today we drove to Chilcat state park and saw Rainbow and Davidson glaciers. Then we finished touring the town although some stores where not open since it was Sunday. We went to the Alaska Bald Eagle Foundation Interpretive Center which had a wonderful display of animal mounts - mammals, birds and fish - and an interesting film on eagles. There is a huge bald eagle preserve just outside of Haines. The film had a lot of footage from there and included quite a bit of footage from the eagle preserve at Brackendale (Squamish), B.C.
July 2nd - Mon - to Skagway
We decided to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway rather than driving around. It is 14 miles by water and 350 miles by road. With diesel costing $3.50 a gallon here and $1.34 a liter in the Yukon, the cost of the ferry didn’t seem quite so bad.
We left the RV park in Haines at 10:30 as we had to check in 2 hours ahead of our 1:00 pm departure time. The ferry was an hour late leaving Haines for the 1 hour trip and we were almost the last rig off so it was 3:40 by the time we were driving to the RV park here. So basically the whole day was taken up for a 1 hour ferry trip.
When the ferry docked at Haines, we saw that cars exiting for Haines and cars getting on (us!) would be entering the ferry through a door on the side rather than the front or back like we have done previously. This means you have to turn around somehow inside the ferry and do some backing up! We were the longest rig taking the ferry (55 feet) so they pulled us out of line and had us board after 2 other rigs. We made a 90 degree turn in the ferry and drove all the way to the back where large loading doors were open. We figured we would be driving off that way at Skagway - but we figured wrong! The side door was used again so Terry had to back up the entire length of the ferry (past the loading doors) and make a 90 degree turn to drive off. There are 3 lanes in the middle of the ferry and the rigs on either side of us were still there when Terry had to back out - quite a challenge.
We did not have a reservation at the RV park here as it was full when I called earlier. The guy said to just show up and “something would break loose”! Larry & Barb had a reservation here so they reminded the guy all morning that we were coming and wanted a spot. So we did get a space when we arrived.
July 3rd - Tues - Skagway
We chatted with neighbors this morning before heading to town with Larry & Barb. It was a gorgeous sunny day, just right for wandering around. We figure 80% of the shops in Skagway are jewelry stores. They are catering to the cruise ship passengers. There were 4 cruise ships here when we arrived, all due to leave tonight. We came back to the RV park for a rest and dinner so we could take in some evening activities for the 4th of July holiday.
There was a street dance starting at 9. The band was not playing music that appealed much to us but it was fun watching kids “dancing” and just watching people. Fireworks were supposed to start at 11, actually started at 11:25 but were worth the wait. It was a very good show with some fireworks set off from a boat and others from the end of the cruise ship dock.
More gorgeous scenery on the drive to Haines. Nicer road with not so many frost heaves. Then Dolly got a treat at the RV park which is totally grass - very nice place with full hookups including sewer. A lot of places in Alaska just have central dumps - I think the long, cold winters make it difficult to keep sewer hookups open.
Explored the town and drove out to Chilcoot Lake where people where fishing for salmon from the banks of the Chilcoot River. The landscape here is different from much of Alaska - large evergreens and very lush forests rather than the scrawny black & white spruce trees. And of course amazing mountains everywhere!
July 1st - Sun - Haines
Today we drove to Chilcat state park and saw Rainbow and Davidson glaciers. Then we finished touring the town although some stores where not open since it was Sunday. We went to the Alaska Bald Eagle Foundation Interpretive Center which had a wonderful display of animal mounts - mammals, birds and fish - and an interesting film on eagles. There is a huge bald eagle preserve just outside of Haines. The film had a lot of footage from there and included quite a bit of footage from the eagle preserve at Brackendale (Squamish), B.C.
July 2nd - Mon - to Skagway
We decided to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway rather than driving around. It is 14 miles by water and 350 miles by road. With diesel costing $3.50 a gallon here and $1.34 a liter in the Yukon, the cost of the ferry didn’t seem quite so bad.
We left the RV park in Haines at 10:30 as we had to check in 2 hours ahead of our 1:00 pm departure time. The ferry was an hour late leaving Haines for the 1 hour trip and we were almost the last rig off so it was 3:40 by the time we were driving to the RV park here. So basically the whole day was taken up for a 1 hour ferry trip.
When the ferry docked at Haines, we saw that cars exiting for Haines and cars getting on (us!) would be entering the ferry through a door on the side rather than the front or back like we have done previously. This means you have to turn around somehow inside the ferry and do some backing up! We were the longest rig taking the ferry (55 feet) so they pulled us out of line and had us board after 2 other rigs. We made a 90 degree turn in the ferry and drove all the way to the back where large loading doors were open. We figured we would be driving off that way at Skagway - but we figured wrong! The side door was used again so Terry had to back up the entire length of the ferry (past the loading doors) and make a 90 degree turn to drive off. There are 3 lanes in the middle of the ferry and the rigs on either side of us were still there when Terry had to back out - quite a challenge.
We did not have a reservation at the RV park here as it was full when I called earlier. The guy said to just show up and “something would break loose”! Larry & Barb had a reservation here so they reminded the guy all morning that we were coming and wanted a spot. So we did get a space when we arrived.
July 3rd - Tues - Skagway
We chatted with neighbors this morning before heading to town with Larry & Barb. It was a gorgeous sunny day, just right for wandering around. We figure 80% of the shops in Skagway are jewelry stores. They are catering to the cruise ship passengers. There were 4 cruise ships here when we arrived, all due to leave tonight. We came back to the RV park for a rest and dinner so we could take in some evening activities for the 4th of July holiday.
There was a street dance starting at 9. The band was not playing music that appealed much to us but it was fun watching kids “dancing” and just watching people. Fireworks were supposed to start at 11, actually started at 11:25 but were worth the wait. It was a very good show with some fireworks set off from a boat and others from the end of the cruise ship dock.
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