Journals from Escape To

My day blog

2012-01-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Happings at cedar ridge.com

July activities

2011-07-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

James River is now down and clear. Time to think about fishing and trying the porta boat. Lots for young wildlife on the farm. Smoking some salmon today for Will. His birthday and he loves smoked salmon

Spring is here in Virginia

2011-03-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had aparagus from our garden today for the first time. Also unfortunately the horse show season is about begin this weekend. Looking forward to shad fishing in the next few weeks.

On to Denver and then Virginia

2010-10-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

September 23: : Generator problems last night and this morning. Think it is the altitude (8,600+ feet) with the carburetor not set for this height. Took us all day to get south of Jackson. Not many miles but lots of pull off and fantastic scenery. We loved the majestic Tetons and lots of wildlife. Saw a grizzly taking a nap, herds of elk and bison. Tonight we are camping at Hoback, a NFS campground. We had our back in the USA celebration a steak, vegetables, potato and a bottle of wine. Nice night and days have been back in the 60’s with colder nights. One more night in WY and should hit Denver next day. Tomorrow we hit interstate and that is the end of boon docking and NFS campgrounds.

September 24: Today was a day if driving. We took the scenic route. That translates to open range land and cattle guards on state roads. There even was a cattle guard on the interstate ramp. Today was our first time on and interstate since leaving Reeder and Barbs on July 31, other than a stretch from Canadian border and Great Falls. On the open range we saw golden eagles, hundreds of antelope, cows and a band of wild horses. Tomorrow will be Denver and it has been a long time since we been here.

It's back to interstate. note cattle guard.

We will be in Denver for 2 days and then on to home. The last days will be driving 13 to 14 hours a day and staying in Flying J's. This has been a wonderful trip and we are looking forward to Denver, seeing friends and then home. In summary we are very glad we went to Alaska and the experiences were exceptional.

Yellowstone Park

2010-09-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

September 21- 22: We saw lots of horses and black angus cows in Montana. The drive down highway 89 was gorgeous. We saw antelope and fenced bison. I guess you would call them farm raised. Saw a few hawks, red tail and rough legged hawk. The road went alongside the Yellowstone River It is the longest free flowing river in the US. We followed it right into Yellowstone National Park. Of course, we had to drive through the Teddy Roosevelt stone archway. The park seems to be run by concessionaires. They are very efficient, but not as happy and cheerful as volunteers or seasonal rangers. We got in on my Golden Age Passport Card, this is a wonderful card.

Stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs, and then headed for the only campground that wasn’t full and would take reservations. Stopped along the way for a close up encounter with a few bison. They walked down and into the turnout where we were parked. They went by Escape To not two feet from my window.

When we got to our campground, it was a disappointment. No picnic table, no fire pit, no electric, and water pressure that spiked to 100PSI. You needed a pressure reducer to connect to the water. The worst part of all was the no generators until 8AM rule. Therefore, no coffee till then.

Next morning we had our coffee at 8AM and went to look at the next campground. If it had been the same we were leaving the park. It was actually quite nice with fire ring and trees that separated the sites.

Yellowstone Lake by our campsite

Went to Old Faithful and spent most of the day in that area. We saw Old Faithful erupt, as well as numerous geysers and some beautiful boiling pools. It is a very strange landscape, but very intriguing.

Old Faithful

Even Yellowstone Lake has some thermal activity. This activity causes some open areas in the ice during the winter. The otters take advantage of these holes. I felt very rough after dinner and went to bed a 8 PM. I guess it,s too much vacation or too much hiking in this altitude. We plan to go on to Grand Tetons and Jackson WY tomorrow. Time is getting tight.

Back in USA

2010-09-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

September 20: It started out raining so we did not linger. We just kept driving and crossed the border with no problems. Took about 2 minutes, only questions were where are you from and how long have you been in Canada. The first question seems strange as they have our passports in their hands. Observation: Canadian customs agents are very friendly and pleasant. US customs officials are not warm and fuzzy but very business like and curt.

The day cleared up after crossing the border. Now we understand the slogan “big sky country” for Montana. They were cutting wheat and bailing hay, a pretty picture with these huge gorgeous blue skies. We are camping in Lewis and Clark National Forest. Typical NFS campground. Edna met a couple from Helena and their cat Spot. He is a seasoned camper and has been all over the country, including Virginia. It feels good to be back in the lower forty-eight.

Tomorrow we should be in Yellowstone National Park.

End of the Alcan Highway

2010-09-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

September 19: Left the campground late as we were working on the blog and making postcards for the grandchildren to mail from Canada. It rained all day and we drove all day.

We did see a Swainson Hauk and lots for flocks of geese overhead as we drove thru Canadian horse country. We drove by a town that was hosting Alberta Provincial Horse Trials. I didn’t stop as it was raining very hard.

Every town has a large RV dealership that are well stocked and a rodeo. Seems everybody has and RV or horse or both. Stopped at Park Lake Provincial Park for the evening which had a nice lake, and as it stopped raining we walked to the lake and took a few pictures.

September 18: Today was mostly driving. Drove by bison, elk, horse, lama and alpaca farms along the road. Stopped at Dawson Creek at mile post monument 0 on the Alaskan Highway and said goodbye to the Alcan. Stopped to photo Beaverlodge big beaver. We had lunch at Williamson Provincial Park beside Sturgeon Lake. Saw some ducks and geese on the lake.

As we got closer to Edmonton we realized that commercial campgrounds were few and far between. We wanted wifi and to wash cloths tonight. Ended up a Glowing Embers near the Edmonton Mall (largest in the world), it was very nice and professional. The laundry was the most reasonable we have used to date.

Canada gong south

2010-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

September 16: Up and off at a decent time for us, about 9:30 AM. Stopped at Watson Lake and what a friendly visitor center, the best yet. They had a great movie explaining about the origin and building of the Alaskan Highway. Both the politics and history and we learned a lot. The signpost forest is just outside the information center. In 1942 it started with a lonely soldier putting up a sign for his hometown and today it has 71,000 signs. Now 70,001 as we put up our sign that we made before we left on this trip.

Adding our sign

The lady at the visitor told us that the stretch of the Alaskan Highway from Watson Lake to Fort Nelson was the prettiest on the highway. We now agree. The road followed the Liard River to the Hot Springs. We stopped, but could only walk part of trail as they were having bear problems.

Hot Springs

We had been told to watch for bison by the visitor center and sure enough, we saw one then another and another down the road. Finally, we ran into a whole herd! They were fun to watch and one was dusting just like our horses do at home.

Dusting like our horses

Decided to drive a little later than usual and we were rewarded with lots of animals. Our goal had been to reach Summit Lake Campground, but it got dark and we had to stop. Found a “former provincial park at 115 creek” We read about it in Churches Alaska Camping. It was not marked but the pull off was just after crossing the bridge.

September 17: Woke up to freezing temperatures, frozen puddles and frost on the windshield. We walked to a beaver pond by the campsite. It’s such a pretty spot that I understand why people still camp here. It’s a good thing we did not make Summit Lake. When we drove by, it was closed. This was an early start day and we were rewarded with sightings of Stone Sheep, lots of caribou, elk and deer. The drive was gorgeous. We went up and around Stone Mountain with the Northern Rockies on one side and the Stone Mountain Range on the other. That is where we met the stone sheep.

Stone Sheep

Note frost on side of pond

We were making good time toward Fort St John s following a fifth wheel in front of us. Edna smelled smoke and I pulled over. Got out and walked around and popped the hood- nothing. Got back in the motor home and drive off again. No smell. A little ways down the road is the 5th wheel off to the side of the road. He has the hood of his truck up and a fire extinguisher in his hand. Edna says pull over and I get out and go back to him. The fire extinguisher was used to put out the fire in his alternator. Belt is also melted. Of coarse we are near nothing. We take the man, his son and dog into Fort Nelson 35 miles away. Stop at the GMC dealer and they only have a belt for his truck, but no alternator. The truck is a 1992 model. NAPA is closed and he tries Canada Tire and they have the alternator. What luck, and we then take him back to his truck. It’s getting late and not a lot of daylight left as we head down the road again towards Fort St. John where we plan to drive to a provincial campground the other side of town. We didn’t make it as it got really dark and the road was mountainous. So, we pulled over into a trucker “chain up area”. Not as nice as a rest area because you are right on the road, and hear the trucks downshifting all night as they started down the mountain. By morning, we had a 5th wheel behind us and an 18 wheeler also. It was even colder than the previous night.

Sonw from previous day still on platform

Yukon

2010-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

September 15: Last night we worked late on getting journals and blog caught up. Thus, we got a late start this morning. Had to get gas and go to the Supercenter Store for groceries and to get cash back at the checkout. Good groceries and wonderful bread., but only 2 checkers so we had a half hour wait in line only to find out that you cannot get cash back on a visa debit card in Canada. It has something to do with the banking regulations. We then went to Walmart (not a super center) and the customer service lady told me to buy something and then come to her for a refund in Canadian money and then pay for the items with US money and she could give me the change in Canadian.

This is a drive day as will be the next several until we get out of Canada. Realized we are running out of time if we want to be home by October 3rd. and still go to Yellowstone and thru Denver. Stopped for the evening at Big Creek Campground in the Yukon and again nice sites and free firewood.. Only 2 other campers here, we camped by the river. Most campgrounds have some form of water, stream, pond or lake. If not that, then a great view.

Looking down the highway

River by campsite

Going South

2010-09-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

September 13: It was 32 degrees when we got up. Posted our blog , sent e-mails and then headed across the border. Crossing the border was uneventful. The cars in front of us as well as the one behind were pulled over for inspection. Everything comes out on the ground. We just don’t look like the hunting type. Of course Edna says when they ask me about game or fish and I reply I have some reindeer sausage I bought at Sam’s, they know they have a kook and should just get rid of him. I also answered the do you have any alcohol question with “a case of Alaskan Stout”.

Most of the fall colors are gone here. We took our time stopping for pictures and wildlife. Saw a couple of moose and many swans and ducks. Lot’s of bad road and little red flags! The dips and bumps are from frost heaves. They can’t seem to find a way to maintain the road with permafrost conditions. Canada has addressed the issue by using red flags and a one man road crew with shovel and truck to fill potholes..

Beautiful snow covered mountains. Stopped again at Congdom Lake Campgrounds, a provincial park. Not many campers so we got a campsite on the lake. They have covered wood piles and provide free fire wood. We had a great campfire with Will’s favorite meal. However we changed his menu slightly by adding reindeer sausage cut to fit into hot dog buns. Views of Kluane Lake, snow capped mountains and free firewood all in one campsite, how can you top that? Cost $12.00. Edna saw birds at our campsite and is working on identification.

view from campsite

September 14: Stopped at a scenic overlook for an autumn colors picture, same place we stopped going north.

Stopped at Sheep Mountain. Visitors center was closed, but there were sheep on the mountain. They winter and lamb here, then leave for the summer. They are Dall Sheep.

Next stop was an old historic bridge, built by Sam McGee, the original Canyon Creek Bridge. There was a sign that indicated “the building was under renovation and is not safe”. It was not until after we walked across and saw the same sign on that side that I said “ I don’t see any building” that we realized it meant the bridge we just walked across. We hurried back across.

river bridge is over

We stopped for lunch at Pine Lake Recreational Park. There was a nice spot on the lake that had our name on it. Nice campground, but too early to stop. More nice scenery and then we were in Whitehorse the capital of the Yukon. Tonight we are staying at the High Country RV Park. We have full hook-ups and wifi on site.

North Ploe

2010-09-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

September 11: Left our roadside camp and headed for Fairbanks. Next stop was the North Pole. Edna did her “thing”…. shopping. We then saw Santa’s reindeer.

Next, we proceeded to the Visitors Center in Fairbanks. It is in the center of the city. We spent a good bit of time at the Morris Thompson Cultural center there. Got information on what we thought we might want to see. First was a trip to Creamers Field Wildlife Refuge, once a dairy farm and now in the city . It is more like a city park with lots of people walking and dogs everywhere. Not necessarily well behaved, the dogs that is. After walking the mile trail, we looked at each other and said “we’re over this”. We skipped all the other places on our list and headed south.

Spent the night at a wonderful BLM campground (Chena Lakes Recreational Area) , the area resulted from a Corps of Engineers project to protect the city of Fairbanks. In 1967 the city was almost flooded and the Corps built huge dikes to divert flood water. The lake was a result of the removal of gravel to build the dikes. In addition they also built the recreational area with two campgrounds managed by the city. Best of all it is free after Labor Day., but seniors are always free. It was a beautiful evening and we walked the lake area and just goofed off.

Campsite

September 12: Headed south on the Alcan Highway. Both stops we had planned were closed. However, Rika’s Roadhouse was still open. It is an historical landmark with a very colorful history. Had a very good lunch at the restaurant and toured the grounds. We had planned to stay in Tok, but most campgrounds had closed for the season or had limited services.

Old verison of our travel guiide

Motor used on river

It turned out it was a good decision to head south, as the season is over here. We kept going toward Border City Motel and RV Park. Gas is 40cents a gallon more here than Tok 100 miles away. The water is still on in the park and we can wifi at their office. The road crews have made the park base with their trailers and RV’s. Road crews work 7 days a week on the road, because of the short construction time period. They told me last night it was 32 degrees and they are almost done for the year. We can’t believe what they have accomplished from when we were through here in early August. Water may be off here tomorrow; this has been a “ go with the flow” trip. Tomorrow the border.

Denali Highway

2010-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

September 9: Mailed our letters at the Cantwell Post Office and then we were off down the Denali Highway from Cantwell to Paxton, both have populations of about 100. It is a gravel road and there are two passes to go over. One of which is the second highest peak in Alaska. This road is used by birders, naturalists, and in September by hunters. Therefore, we saw many hunters. They park their Camping trailers, RVs and ATV trailers anywhere you can pull off the road. The road has a speed limit of 50 MPH butthe most you can do is 20MPH. We did not see any state troopers, but then we have seen only two our entire time in Alaska.

We stayed the night at a BLM rest stop. Numerous vehicles were already parked there. There were vehicles pulling ATV trailers, a substantial large tent, and even an RV with a horse trailer. The horse trailer with RV had a wife, two kids and three dogs in camp. Pretty soon, two guys came hiking in packing moose antlers, equipment and meat. Come to find out this was their third 4 mile pack out and they had 2 or 3 more trips to make in order to bring out all the meat. I took some pictures for them. Then they were off on the way back to their base camp.

Next thing we saw were 4 horses coming in, 2 packing meat and 2 with riders. Edna couldn’t stand it (horses you know) and went to talk to them. They have been back in the mountains for four days at a camp they had set up many years ago. Upon getting back to the trailer, the first thing they did was take care of the horses.

They were hunting on the side of the road where no motorized vehicles were allowed. Thus the reason for the on foot hunters and the hunters on horse back. I think because of the horses Edna now approves of camping in a hunter’s camp. We never saw the guys on the ATVs come back with any moose. Maybe that’s a statement about hunting, or maybe just the ability of these guys.

Night at camp

September 10: Started out again on the gravel road, and continued climbing up the tundra. We saw a family of swans on a pond and some ducks and loons on other ponds and lakes. Finally we saw some Ptarmigans for Edna. She had been wanting to see some. There were a bunch of them alongside the road.

Back to the real road and up the Richardson Highway. Thought we might get a quick dinner here, but the season is over and the buffalo joint was closed.

We stopped for the night at a pull off (Shaw Pond) with informal camping. “Informal camping” means the spot is level enough for a few vehicles. As we pulled up, a moose was wading and munching in the pond. We set up our chairs and drank a beer or two as we watched. Good way to camp in my opinion.

morning on pond we camped by

Denali

2010-09-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

September 4: It is a cold rainy day that called for winter jackets, hats and gloves. We drove up the Parks highway, past Denali NP to Healy to get gas and propane. The Cantwell RV owner told us that we would get the best prices in the area. Gas was 30 cents a gallon less here that on the highway.

With everything we needed we returned to Denali. Checked in at the Mercantile Center to get our campsite and bus tickets. Good think we made reservations last January, as the campground was full. Then we were off to the visitor center. Heard a very informative talk about glaciers and visited the two level center. We then boarded a shuttle bus to the sled dog presentation, which included an entertaining talk, seeing the dogs and a demonstration of the dogs pulling a sled. The dogs are used in the park since majority is on accessible by motorized vehicle. This is due to it’s designation as a wilderness area. Dogs haul all the equipment, supplies and people to outlying areas during the winter. Surprised to learn that the dogs are not purebred Huskies, but a “well bread mutts” selective bred for friendless, speed, good bone, good feet, and endurance.

Note: dogs being carried by collar. To powerful to control if they have 4 legs on ground

September 5: This was the big day, we mover to Teklanika Campground at mile 29. You are allowed to drive this far only if you are camping here. Then you park your vehicle until you leave. You must stay a minimum of three nights. You flag down the green shuttle if you want to go anywhere. Got to the campgrounds and found a campsite. We backed up to the river, which is a braded river, so we walked along the gravel bars. Beautiful country but did not see any wildlife, just tracks. I met another camera nut, the place is full of them. This guy was also a birder. He sure has seen a lot more birds than we have. Had a fire as the day warmed up as it went along. We had a Will Carter favorite type dinner, hotdogs and beans in a can over the fire. Somemores for dessert.

Wolf track

Mushroom of the day

September 6: This was the long bus ride to Kantisna. Roundtrip was a little over 10 hours. There are many stops for views, wildlife sightings and bathroom breaks. The weather was gorgeous! Wonderful views of “The Mountain” and it stayed with us all day. Only 31 percent of the visitors get to see the top of the mountain, as it is in clouds most of the time, and there are only a very few days that it is clear all day. We got both. We saw doll sheep, grizzles, a bull moose, wolves, red fox, spruce grouse, some camp robbers, scaups and a golden eagle.

"The Mountain"

The shuttle buses are green school buses. The road is one and half lanes, graveled and well maintained by the park service, but there are no guard rails and very very steep drop offs. There were places where Edna could not always look. At some places it looks like the front end of the bus could not possibly make the turn and you would be going over the side as all you could see is air. When the busses pass, one has to come to a complete stop and the other passes at about 5 MPH.

view from our seats

As we got off the bus at the campground, met a ranger, who told us he was giving a presentation in the camp amphitheater in an hour. We had a quick snack and went to the program on caribou, which was very good and entraining. He’s a musher here in the winter, one of the very few people employed in the park year round.

Edna cooked diner after program, back to our fashionable dinner hour of 10 PM. It was absolutely a wonderful day.

Parks Highway

2010-09-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

September 2: Left the campground (fish camp with lots of rabbits running around) and meandered up the road. Stopped at Talkeedna. A very touristy town, but nicely done. It’s the jumping off spot for climbers going to Denali, for flight seeing, and rafting. We had lunch at an historic road house. Also picked up cinnamon buns for breakfast tomorrow. Roadhouses and cinnamon buns are oldtime Alaska. We saw our first glimpse of Mt McKinley on the way to Talkeedna. Best places to see the mountain are from Talkeetna or Denali State Park scenic view points along the Parks Highway. We did get a few pictures here. That turnout to be a good thing, as by the time we got to Denali State Park the mountain was in clouds. Edna did walk up 800 feet at the Denali Viewpoint South on the Parks Highway.

Spent the night at Byer Lake Campground in Denali State Park. Lovely campground. We walked down to the lake and saw a couple of loons. Had a campfire complete with somemoors. Must have been 60 degrees, today. Cound not have been a pretter day!

September 3: Checkout time is 3PM, so we went for a hike. Went to the lake first and saw some loons. Then we walked to the old homestead cabin that is slowly going back to nature. From there we hikes to the suspension bridge. It crosses a salmon spawning creek; both dead and live salmon were in the creek. We took some pictures and fooled around a little, and started back. On the way back, we met some hikers who that told us we should go on to the waterfall (not much farther according to them) about ½ hour. Later, we learned this girl runs a 17 mile race through these mountains. These are not groomed trails: up and down through the mud, across board (8” wide), with plenty of roots and boulders. The red squirrels were dropping the spruce cones from the trees to store for the winter. They scolded us for getting the way.

Back across the bridge we went and up the trail. These hikers with a dog (Rhodesian ridgeback-St Bernard cross) would wait for us up ahead. I think to make sure the “oldsters” stayed on the correct trail. We made it to the falls. It was pretty. Edna went out on the rocks and had her picture taken by the hikers. We had left the campground about 9:30 AM and got back at 2:00 PM. We met several hikers along the tail. Everyone is very friendly here.

Soon we were back to Escape To and traveling up the Parks highway, stopping at lots of photo ops along the way. We are spending the night a Cantwell RV Park. This is where the Denali Highway goes over to the Richardson Highway. It was the only entrance to the National Park until the Parks Highway was built. Our extended hike at least 4 miles did in my ankle and Edna is sore. Nothing about the trail was flat or easy. However it was nice to be out in the woods for most of the day.

The scenery in Alaska is always changing. There are always mountains in sight, but they change: lush green and heavily forested, scrub trees and brush, totally barren, wide open tundra, and of course snow covered glacial. We have driven through passes, alongside small streams, to swift flowing glacial rivers, and wide braided rivers. The sky can be clear as can be, and then there is rain in a matter of minutes. You can drive in and out of clouds. Its been sunny where we are, but looking out the window, there’s a rainbow ahead, It’s never boring.

We will be in the back country campground of Denali for the next 4 days. Looking forward to it.

Denali bound

2010-09-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

August 29: This morning we woke up this morning to 3 Sandhill Cranes outside the RV. We traveled slowly up the coast. It was a beautiful day, so we stopped at all the scenic overlooks that were socked in by weather on our way down here we sae Saw Mt Rebout and Mt Illiana. These are volcanic mountains across Cook Inlet. They are part of the mountain chain that extends all the way across the international dateline to Russia.

We came back to Soldatna and the Swiftwater Municipal Campground. The silvers are in! I caught my limit, talked to thr locals and had a great time. Silvers are also known as Coho Salmon. At 11:00 PM we finished cleaning fish and getting ready to grill fresh salmon for dinner. This is a beautiful spot and Edna gets some knitting done and caught up on “down time” while I fish. We like traveling one day and then staying put for two days. It suits us better than traveling every day. No hook-ups here. Just a pretty campsite on the river, picnic table and fire ring.

August 30: This is a day spent fishing and visiting the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. We walked a couple of the trails. Also went out to the Funny River State Recreational Site. They have a fish walk there. We saw a few ducks and a small campground.

Back to the campground so I could get in some evening fishing. I got my biggest Coho salmon yet. Alaska has a wonderful program here called “kids don’t float”. They provide child size lifejackets at all boat launches and fish walks. You borrow the jackets and return them when you leave. After thinking about it some, we decided it wouldn’t work in the lower 48. The government would be sued for “creating a false sense of security” or not having proper instructions or something equality ridiculous. I think practicality still means something here.

Edna on trail

August 31: We drove to Kenai to look for a quilt shop we saw advertised. It was a trip, but the shop was on a lovely spot overlooking a lake. Back to Kalifrnski Beach Road to find a fish market to ship some halibut home. It was pouring rain, the fish place was closed for lunch (2:00PM), so decided it was not meant to be. Therefore we headed on our way down the Seward Highway toward Anchorage. Stayed at Willawaw NFS Campground on the road to Portage Glacier. This was absolutely a great campground, with beautiful views of glaciers and waterfalls all around. Went for a short hike with winter jackets on. No hook-up here, but paved pads, picnic table and fire ring. Lots of space between campsites, makes you think no one in was the woods but you.

Portage Glacier

view from campsite

September 1: The day started out cloudy. Have decided that this is Alaska, and by afternoon the sun comes out. We went to the Chugach NFS Visitor Center near the campgrounds. Of course walked a trail and took some glacier pictures. We did see another Spruce Grouse. Coming back around Turnagain Arm, we stopped at some pull offs, this is beautiful country. Next stop Anchorage to pick up my computer battery that I ordered at Batteries Plus. Stopped at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, as it had been recommended by several people. It was a bust.

Got back to the Escape To and the phone was ringing. Teddy our old dog had died. Do not know all the facts now. We had inheited Teddy from Edna’s mom. So the day was a bummer and short on good news. Staying at Willow Creek Campground. Another bummer wifi does not work without a credit card, most campgounds its free. Would not recommend staying here.

Homer AK

2010-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

August 26: Today we departed Seward and headed towards Homer. Still no moose. We decided to leave the highway and take the Skilak Lake Loop Road, as we thought there would be more wildlife to see and checkout the campgrounds along the road. It’s a 19 mile gravel road and was very slow going Some pretty views but no moose. Toward the end we did see a couple Spruce Grouse. Would not do this road again as top speed was 12 MPH and campgrounds were popular and full.

Arrived at Soldatna, a nice friendly town with a helpful welcome center. They had fishwalks at several places around town. Fishwalks are along the river banks and are raised graded walkways from which to fish from. These fishwalks protects the banks, limits erosion and encourages the growth of natural bank plants. This helps the salmon. Picked up take-out at “Buckets”. Which was recommended by the welcome center and was very good. Then we headed for a municipal campground, Swift Water Park, and found a campsite along the river. I fished the Kenai River that evening and caught a couple salmon and snagged one, unfortunately none were edible. They had already spawned so the meat would be mushy. Met an interesting guy from West Virginia who used to be a guide here and gave me some tips on fishing. I am going back out in the early morning. It was fun catching them even though I had to throw them back.

August 27: We have been on the road a month. I was fishing at 6:30 Am in the drizzle. Caught more but not keepers. Found out the silvers were not there yet, so that made it easer to hit the road. Also it was rainy and cloudy. Because of the weather we did not linger at any scenic viewpoints. However we did stopped at the welcome to Homer sign. It was an overlook with a view of Kachemak Bay, Homer Spit, Cook Inlet and the mountains across the water.

Islands and Oceans National Wildlife Refuge Center was on our way into town. This was on our not to miss list. It did not disappoint. We have found both the National Wildlife Refuges and the National Parks Welcome Centers do a good job educating the public in an entertaing manner.

We decided to stay at Oceanview RV Park. After having dinner and Edna went to the beach while I worked on the computer. The tide was going out, way out. Edna was picking her way through the rocks to get to the tide pools. Suddenly, 3 large birds flew over head and landed on a little piece of sand beyond a large pool of water. She quickly got off the beach and ran up the cliff trail to get camera and binocs. I begrudgingly went back with her, as I was working on our blog. They were still there when we got back and I got some great pictures of both the cranes and the sunset over the cliffs. When we returned it was about 10 PM. The light just lingers there and casts a golden glow on everything.

August 28: Up early and had our coffee and planned our day. By the time we had that extra cup of coffee the time slips by. We wanted to go to The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, so we headed up to Carl E Wynn Nature Center. The center opens at 10 AM and we were there at 10 AM. Nice girl greeted us. She didn’t seem to know how to give us a tour as she was the only one there. We said we didn’t need a guide, so with map in hand we were off on a 2 mile hike. The trail was narrow, lots of roots and the grass and brush was as tall as Edna and sometimes as tall as me. We went to the bog overlook. No moose, no birds. Then back to main loop trail. From there we headed for the raised overlook hoping to see birds, moose or something. The girl at the center told us you need keen eyes to see the moose. The brush is so thick, that you could walk right by. Edna is taking pictures of berries, raindrops on leaves. Suddenly, a gorgeous view of the mountains opens up. Edna tells me she is going to take a picture. As she is focusing I say ‘there she is”! Being a lot taller than Edna, I saw the moose and calf just over the plants about 30 feet away. She spotted us and at first just kept munching. I don’t know if she didn’t like the camera clicking, or was just protective with a baby, but she started coming towards us. We started backing up. She came out on the trail and we backed up faster. No close trees to hide behind, so decided to retrace our steps. Never did get to that overlook.

Picture before moose discovery

Now it is rainingagain, but still ok. We stopped at farmers market, and picked up 2 tomatoes (local). They were $5.00 a pound. Also got some awesome fish and chips. They cooked it while you waited.

We’ve read a lot about the Homer Spit, so we headed there next. Walked around a while, but couldn’t get too excited about it. Went to town to the art center, some shops and the Pratt Museum. A very nice local museum. Learned about early pioneering families and the Valdez oil spill. Back to Oceanview and back up the coast tomorrow.

Next post will be 4 otr 5 days

Kenai Fjords National Park

2010-08-28T00:32:00.000-07:00

August 25: We spent the day on the Major Marine,s Tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. We walked from our campsite to the loading dock. A ranger was on board and pointed out specific points of interest as well as a commentary on the area. Right away there was an otter floating and sleeping before we even got out of Resurrection Bay.

Passed Bear Glacier and the humpbacked whales put on quite a show. The ranger and crew can identify each whale by the markings on it’s tail. All are different. This whale is named Paintbrush.

Saw calving at Aialik Glacier. It sounds like a large explosion and then the ice falls down into the water. It creates large waves. These tidal glaciers are very important for the seals. They can protect their young from predators by resting on floating ice from these glaciers.

Also observed Steller Sea Lions which are endangered and closely monitored by the park service. We visited numerous bird rookeries and as usual saw fantastic scenery.

Black Legged Kittiwakes

Note the # on the pup from above picture.

Edna says that the cruise had another benefit Dave couldn’t resist. An all you can eat salmon/prime rib buffet. Have no fear, he did us proud! Went back at least 3 or 4 times, but didn’t waste much time on the prime rib. Would you when fresh salmon was available?

Seward

2010-08-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

August 24: This morning we has a tour of the gold mine and learned about placer mining. The mine is basically an historical tour. Lots of old buildings and beautiful flowers There are signs that mining is going on, however we think a lot of their income comes from weddings. Out camping was on a gravel lot in the middle of nowhere! The drive alone was worth the trip.

Headed for Seward, our desintation for a few days. In Seward we stopped at the Kenai Fjords National Park Headquarters. The ranger was very helpful. The National Park Service partners with several tour companies. We selected Major Marine Tours and chose the longest tour on a slower boat with a park ranger on board. We then walked the tourist street and headed for Sea Life Center. This lived up to our expectations. Spent hours there and only left because we wanted to find a place to park for the night.

King Salmon

Cooper Rock Fish

Seward has a municipal park that runs from the boat harbor to the sea life center. It has RV spaces with and without hookups. We will stay here for 2 days. We walked the bike path which goes into town. It is still light about 10 PM. However , we did watch the moon come up over the mountains reflect in the harbor.

Off to the Kenai

2010-08-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

August 23 Off to the Kenai, by way of Anchorage. I need to order a battery for my laptop. I can pick it up on our way back through Anchorage. We went to the Musk Ox Farm as Edna wanted to see Qiviut. The yarn that is spun from thie undercoat. The Musk Ox Farm was interesting, but would not recommend it. It is a farm as we are and we are escaping from that.

Stopped at Potters Marsh, but did not see many birds and Edna was disappointed. It was the wrong time of day..

Started driving along Turnagain Arm. The views are stunning with lots of turn offs. Alaska law requires you to pull off if 5 or more vehicles are behind you, so they can pass. This applies even if you are doing the speed limit. We pulled over a few times. The beluga wails come up into this area to feed. We watched a large pod of them on the incoming tide. They are not as showy as the humpbacks, but exciting to see as their numbers are diminishing.

Looking for a place to stop for the night Edna found one of her specials: Crow Creek Mine National Historical Site. It was quite a drive through Chugach National Forest on a gravel road. We saw signs for the Iditarod Trail. When we reached the mine, it was closed so we parked and had dinner. Our adventure will continue tomorrow.

Richardson and Glenn Highway

2010-08-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

August 22: Richardson and Glenn Highways. We planned an early start as this was to be a travel day. The weather did not cooperate. It was very cloudy and we could not see across the lake. Set we sat drinking our coffee and discussing plan B. Glancing back at the lake, it was clear! In a matter of seconds the clouds had lifted completely. It was truly amazing! We drove towards Valdez to Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls. They are spectacular and the names aptly describe them.

Horsetail Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Headed back up the Richardson Highway to Wrangell-St Elias National Park. We wanted to walk the loop trail. It is called the Boreal Forest Trail. Edna called it the mushroom trail. Everywhere you looked were mushrooms. We ran into our first caravan. The parking lot was full of big rigs, but no one was on the trail except us.

On the Glen Highway at Sheep Mountain we saw Dall Sheep. Too far away for a picture. Stopped at Matanuska Glacier. From the highway the photo,ops are everwhere. This section of the road is new and there are pleanty of pull offs. Today is August 22 and the fall colors are coming. We even saw a new dusting of snow on the high peaks.

Stopped at Homestead RV Park in Palmer for the night. Very helpful and nice owners. What a great view from the campground of the evening sun on the mountains.

Blueberry Lake

2010-08-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

August 21: Blueberry Lake. I did a little fishing and my lure got hung up on a summered twig. I did not want to lose a lure, so I took my shoes off and rolled my pants up and went into the lake to get it. Edna was watching and was so shocked, she did not get a picture. Good! We talked to a range. He believes the ducks we saw were common golden-eyes. The family has been here all summer.

Did some walking up the trail to the tundra. Walked on the ridge line and then dropped down to see if we could reach a stream that feed into the lake. The ground was very spongy and pockmarked by holes filled with water. They call this muskeg. Hikers used piles of rocks to mark the trail for return. We followed the previous made piles.

As we returned, we found chairs set up on the tundra, overlooking the deep canyon with mountains in the distance. We realized it was being set up for a wedding. Many of the guests were Native Americans but not all. Later in the day, we explored a new path and found old moose nuggets. It became freezing cold, and misting so we returned to Escape To. High today was 57 degrees.

On down the Richerdson Highway

2010-08-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

August 20: Richardson Highway. We were up and on the road early and arrived at Worthington Glacier before 8:00. We were the only ones there.

Our next stop was Thompson Pass. This was one of the highlights of the day. Parked along the side of the road and walked up a trail and across the tundra. The clouds were below us and the mountains with snow and blue sky were all around us. We are above the clouds.

Edna loves high places!

Escape To parked at bottom of trail

Arrived at Blueberry Lake State Recreation Area early and found a campsite by the lake.

On our walk around the lake we met Sharon Nault the northern field editor for The Milepost. She was on her yearly visit to update the book and told us that this campground was closed last year and it has been completely redone. The campground was made much smaller with paved road and parking spots. She also told us of a path up to the tundra where you can walk along this mountain top forever. Campground used to be open tundra, but now has lots of shrubs. Example of how the land is constantly changing.

Walked up an old road that used to be the campground road and found another lake. Lots
of wildflowers along the path.

Enjoyed reindeer sausage for dinner. Edna got the down comforter out for night. We are staying here two nights.

Richardson Highway

2010-08-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

August 19: Richardson Highway. Started our laundry a little later than planned and did not get on the road until 10:30 AM. Still raining. However weather became better as we went west.

Arrived at Glenallen Information Center and gathered lots of pamphlets and a map. The man in the center had lived here for 35 years and was very helpful. He suggested his favorite pull off if Blueberry Lake Campground was full. Stopped at Wrangell-St Elias National Park welcome center and watched a 20 min. movie in their theater. This is a not to be missed stop. Will spend more time here on our return trip up the Richardson Highway.

Spent the night at a pull off along a river, at milepost 160. I tried my luck at fishing, with no success.

Tok Alaska

2010-08-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

August 18: Tok AK It rained all day and was windy and cold. Bonnie Achman told Edna that the wind gauge at airport only goes to 30 MPH and it hit that several times today. Bonnie and her husband mine for gold and she designs jewelry. Edna bought a very nice pair of earrings from them. They own and run Jack Wade Gold Company. This was a housekeeping day and we had Escape To’s oil changed and I washed her.
While oil was being changed at the Young Chevron Station we visited the information center. The center is the largest log building in Alaska and the people are very helpful. We stayed overnight in Chevron Station’s parking lot which has a dump and water and is free with gas full up. With grocery shopping and gift shop visits finished, we headed to the Sourdough Campground 7 miles outside of Tok. We worked on pictures, cards and the blog. They have wifi and after their pancake toss in which we did not win a free
breakfast, I posted our blog.

Back into Alaska

2010-08-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

August 17: Headed out in search of a post office as we wanted to mail postcards we made last night. They are for our grandchildren and we wanted Canadian stamps. Stopped in Destruction Bay but post office is only open M W F. Found out mail only comes up this far on those days.

Drove between mountain ranges and through the Kluane River Valley and Donjek River Valley. Did not see any large wildlife but did see more swans, red neck grebe, north pacific gray jay, and some merlins.

1900+ feet peaks (see below for detail)

Glacer with 2000 feet thick ice

The Yukon has solved both the expense of road repair and law enforcement for speed limits. They are called frost heaves. You just mark with a red flag at the location. It is not possible to drive more than 35 MPH or you get to buy new springs for your vehicle and take lots of aspirin for the headache you get from hitting the roof our your vehicle. Thus there is also no speeding as the speed limit is 55 MPH. We did note that their repair crew for pot holes was one individual and a pickup truck full of asphalt and a shovel. We saw two “crews” on the highway. Maybe VDOT should consider this idea with their budget problems. At Burwash Landing we saw the world's largest Gold Pan.

Went through US customs and again a couple questions (new one) wanted to see our vehicle registration.

On the US side miles of road being redone, miles of gravel and dirt with a pilot “follow me” car. Did note every mile for 30 miles there was a road sign saying “gravel road next 1 mile”.

Arrived at Tok and back on Alaska time. Got gas, made appointment for oil change for Escape To for tomorrow. We are staying at the Chevron Station in Tok, its free, because we filled up with gas. By the way it is a parking lot with a dump station and free water.

Had dinner at a local joint. I had the special an old fashion truck stop dinner, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, roll, veg and a huge salad bar. Edna had cheeseburger and onion rings. Food was excellent and was a homemade dinner. They served no alcohol. Only coffee and soda. Tomorrow we are also staying in Tok and will have wifi, hookups and a laundry to use. Staying at the Sourdough Campground and will try to win a free breakfast at the pancake toss at 7 PM tonight.

Next wifi location will be 5 days.

Haines Highway

2010-08-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

August 16: Left Haines and headed up the Haines Highway towards Haines Junction and Destruction Bay. Stopped at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and walked the interpretive trail. This is mainly a winter council grounds as 1000’s congregate here since the water stays warmer and the chum salmon spawn in November.

1 year old bald eagle waiting for salmon in river

Labrador Tea

Passed through US and Canadian Customs. We got questions on the US side when leaving. Always ask different questions each time we cross the border. The only question that is always the same on both sides “do you have any firearms?”.

Stopped at pullouts along the road and got a great picture of Trumpeter Swans. Haines Highway is a road with great scenery and some beautiful lakes. At Haines Junction we finally reached the Alaskan Hwy.It was being widened . As it runs along the very edge of Kluane Lake, it was necessary to blast some of the mountain to connect to a new bridge being built.It could only be worked on in the summer when the Dall Sheep are on their summer range. Hope to see the sheep on our trip home.

Looking down Haines Highway

Campground was a provincial park, fire ban in in effect as it is very dry, so no campfire. Campground is on Kluane Lake, the largest lake in the Yukon. Sat outside and grilled our halibut and had it in wraps with glass of wine. We are in short sleeves as it is a warm day.

Haines AK

2010-08-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

August 15: Edna’s up and started day at 7:30 with 4 loads of wash at the laundry. By the time chores were done and breakfast finished it was 11:00. The museum and the Indian Center does not open till 1:00 PM on Sunday so we will skip. We are only going 9 miles Stopped at a small fish store and bought some fresh salmon on the way to Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area On the way to the campground you drive along the narrow park road beside the river. This is salmon fishing season for both man and bear, and both were sharing the river. There was a mama brown bear (coastal grizzly) and two cubs , some fishermen got out of the water and some stayed in fishing. You are supposed to get out of the water and give the bear plenty of space.

Found a campsite, campground was pretty full. Some fishermen were packing up to leave and told us we could have their site. They said it was one of the best ones, and we agree they were right. Set up camp and went and paid the $10.00 fee in the self registration box.

Later, we walked down to the lake and on down the river where the bears were earlier. No bears, however talked to a park ranger and he explained the fish wier and salmon count procedure. On the way back we watched two eagles fishing. They were sitting on a dead tree hanging over the river and suddenly one hopped into this swift running current. He got his fish and it was so big he had to paddle with his wings to get it to shore.

Had our salmon for dinner, made a few postcards from our pictures and planned our next day down the Haines Highway.

Back on the ferry

2010-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

August 14: Returned car and did last Mendenhall hike. Ventured down a trail and we were quickly engulfed by the rainforest. Saw bear tracks on the trail and finally got to a point in the trail where it was closed because of bear activity near the spawning stream.

On to the ferry, getting to be old hands at this. This ride was only 5 hours. Ferry has a forest service naturalist onboard that gave informative presentations on Haines, Skagway, and Eagles as we headed toward Haines.

Oldest Light House in Alaska

Rainbow Glacier

Got to Haines at 7:00Pm and checked in at Haines Hitch-Up RV Park. Laundry in park was closed until 7:30 AM, not sure why all the parks have very restrictive hours on their laundries. Have wifi but must pay for service. Park is very nice and clean and owners very helpful with local information. Tomorrows plans up in the air.

Will be 4 days before we have wifi again to post blog and check e-mail. We have driven 4000 miles of our 10,000 mile trip.

Juneau

2010-08-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

August 10: Found our campsite at Mendenhall Lake Campground with no trouble. It is a Forest Service Campground and has large sites with full hookups. Views of the glacier are great. We are becoming big fans of the Forest Service Campgrounds on this trip.

Did some grocery shopping and mailed some of out postcards and then went on short hike. It started to rain so we returned, we are camped in a rain forest. Edna made chili for dinner, put away summer clothes and are thinking about getting out the down comforter.

August 11: Picked up our rental car at airport for our 3 day stay in Juneau as the roads are old and very narrow with limited parking. Downtown is very crowded with lots of cruise ships and 1000’s of people from the ships. Made reservations for a photo wild life cruise, did some shopping in shops in downtown, and went to Mendenhall Glacier. We were told to go early morning to miss the busses from cruise ships, we didn’t and now know it was good advice. Information center is very nice and watched a film on the glacier and then went to the overlook for some pictures.

Walked to the stream where salmon were spawning, and there were a couple of black bears. We saw an eagle and beaver in the pond near the stream also. Another bus load from a cruise ship arrived and we got trampled and left.

Got back to Escape To and put on the heat. Did not get half done what we had planned, but had a good time in downtown Juneau and had a nice fish lunch.
August 12: Started day with the photo safari by land and sea tour. Hiked a trail by Mendenhall Glacier with a very knowledgeable guide, both about area and photography. Saw spawning salmon, lots of the rain forest, and plants. Three were interesting plants: Devils Club, which has very thorny stem and translucent leaves , Bundelberry which is very poisonous and a plant that the bears dig up and eat the roots.

Bears dig up for root

Devils Club

Bundleberry

Then went out on a small fast boat to see humpbacked whales. Each whale can be identified by their idiosyneracies, they take pictures of the tail and as each is different game and fish can monitor and track without tagging. Saw some steller seals on a bouy and nice views of two more glaciers.

Today and next 3 days it was sunny and warm, and after the tour we had fish lunch and looked for the Dike Trail behind the airport. Never found so walked the campground trail.

August 13: Last full day in Juneau, Went to Eagle Beach where the Eagle River enters the inside passage. Walked the beach it was low tide and no crowds. Picked up several bird feathers and on way back saw some Native American women picking flowering plants and the men were on higher ground and one was beating a drum to a slow beat. Found the Dike Trail and walked for about 2 miles. It is behind the airport alright at the end of the runway. Airport has one runway of water for the sea plaing to land and take off. Saw some harbor seals chase salmon up the river on the incoming tide, saw several ducks and wading birds. Went to Fred Myers to stock up for next leg of trip and get some Alaska beer. Back to Escape To for some Taco soup. It stays light late and we seem to be eating later and later each night. Tonight is 10 PM.

Inside Passage

2010-08-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

August 8 & 9: This was hurry up and wait day. Got Escape To ready for the ferry and found a Safeway that sold blocks of ice and emptied the refrigerator into a cooler and taped shut for the ferry ride, as they turn off your propane before loading on the ferry. Put a third block in small cooler with wheels with our drinks, chicken wraps for lunches, crackers, cheese and pepperoni to take with us on the ferry. Next step was waiting line for the ferry. Everyone was measured (you pay by the foot for vehicles) and assigned a lane #. Ours was 9 and we decided it was based on your destiation. Sure enough we were the last to load. You load on the ferry on a very narrow ramp with the help of a guide who directs you. We were almost down the ramp to ferry, when he stopped us and said we needed to back up. They needed to adjust the ramp as they decided the ramp was too steep for us. They raised the ramp and changed the angle and on to the ferry we go where the crew directed us where to park. We gather what we want to take onboard as we will be on the ferry for the next 44 hours and we are off to the next part of our journey.

It was an experience and we saw the entire inside passage. Our ferry stopped at Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Kake, Sitka and Juneau. All the stops but Sitka was during daylight and we saw all the small towns, and would love to spend time in Petersburg. At Sitka the ferry docked around 1 AM and left at 4AM, we got up to see it leave Sitka and while still dark, we could see how narrow the Peril Straight is. You feel that you could reach out and touch the mountains one either side as they come down to the water with no beach. The ferry system and flying is the only way to travel between these locations as there are no roads. The ferry is very inexpensive for people and they bring their sleeping bags, inflatable mattress, and sometimes tents and sleep on the ferry deck for the trip.

Between Petersburg and Kake we saw hundreds of whales blowing, breaching, and feeding . We also saw eagles, gulls, black quillemats, common murres, and some scotters.

Whale breach

one of several light houses we saw from the ferry

Our Ferry

The ferry is great fun and the people that work on the ferry are great and the ferry is very clean. Stopping at each town and spending some time could be a trip in itself.

Banff & Jasper

2010-08-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

August 6: Started out raining, so it was a good day for traveling. Decided we would photograph the Canadian road signs, so Edna became the official photographer for the day. There signs are nicer than ours, as they have no words, just pictures that are very descriptive.

But the time we stopped at Beaumont Provincial Park on Fraser Lake the sun had come out. It was very breezy , but the kids were swimming, but no adults, we wore jackets. We stopped at Huston which had a community farmers market where Edna bought a folding table made of several types of local wood which is very nice. Then on to the Huston information center and the worlds largest fly fishing pole, with several other sculpture. The fishing pole is 60 feet long designed by a local fisherman and built by volunteers. The pole is a “Skykomish Sunrise”, and I am sure a fly fisherman knows what that is, we don’t. Campfire ban is in effect in the area, as a large fire is out of control near hear.

Spent the night at Tybee Provincial Park, a lovely provincial park just past Huston. The provincial parks we have seen are unbelievably well kept with marvelous sites. Few have hookups. The sign said ranger would be around to collect fees and deliver fire wood, but with the fire ban we knew that part was out and no one ever showed up to collect fee. So we just left the fee and a note in the box the next morning. Only wildlife spotted was a coyote early AM this day.

August 7 We do not have a long drive today, as we get on the ferry tomorrow. Edna still taking pictures of road signs and has now expanded to the town flags that most towns display on their light poles. I can see a project taking pictures of road signs and has now expanded to the town flags that most towns display on their light poles. I can see a project in the future.

We stopped and visited Ksah Indian Village, and took a tour. To get to the village we had to cross a narrow single lane suspension bridge over Hagwilget Canon, and only a sign for traffic control that “yield to on coming traffic”.

Our guide was from the Wolf Clan and explained how they have a great emphasis on teaching the upcoming generation their heritage and customs. On the grounds they have a Kitanmus School of Northwest Coast Indian Art, which offers four year program dedicated to the renewal and passing on of Northwest Coast design to future generations.

The drive from this point to Prince Rupert was beautiful, steep mountains covered in lush green with remains of glaciers on the steep rocky tops. As we got closer to Prince Rupert the river started to widen and reminded us of tital rivers back home.

Staying at Prince Rupert RV Campgrounds, not far from ferry. Have hookups, no wifi and owner not a person you would want to get to know. Everything is very neat, sites are very close and sometimes several RV’s in one site. Edna said one load of wash was $2.00, but it cost $4.00 to get almost dry.

Days in Canada

2010-08-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

August 3 Did not stop much. Picture going down the road, Lunch a Fresno Reservoir Dam. Very windy, and had lunch with the Cliff Swallows. Only one boat on dam, have not seen much if any fishing. The Cliff Swallows had nests on the steel beams of the lunch shelter, that looked like jugs, but young went inside ever time I tried to get picture.

Crossed into Canada, border crossing was non eventful, ask only id we had guns. However did a lot of small talk with while he did something with the passports. May have been info on the chip in the passport, but took only about 5 minutes. At the welcome center they were very helpful, and bought a map for $2.00 with lots of other info and books. Was dinosaur country (Canadain Badlands), as there was dinosaur outside welcome center .

Spent the night at our 1st provincial park just off the road in Fort MacLeod, Old Man River Park. Just $11.00 with a site on the river. Wildlife count 1 Canadian deer. Hope to get our early,but Edna want to plan out next day. It was dark at 9:00 PM

August 4 Bought gas for first time in Canada and it was 95.5 a liter or $3.65 a gallon, whoever later in McBride BC Paid $3.97 a gallon. It hard to find a bank to exchange our money, as they not on every corner like in US. They charged $3.00 to exchange our money and the exchange rate is not favorable to US currency. Going through Calgary is not fun, their equivalent of uor interstates are very well marked, but get off and you are on your own. Coming up on the Canadian Rockies is amazing! You go flat prairie to jagged mountains. It was very impressive, and we got off the 4 lane highway and took 1A and meandered on the scenic route and saw a bull elk along the road.

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Yellow are fields of conala

Banff and Jasper parks for 2 days entrance fees were $38.50. We Camped in Johnson Canyon Campground, with no hookups $36.20 with all the free fire wood you could use. We are finding Canada prices very high. After getting wood, we decided to take a short hike to the lower and upper falls. Way to many people as tour busses stop there. Parts of the hike are on walkways built over the tumbling river and it is a long way down. On the way back saw gray jay, red squirrel and ground squirrel. New birds today for Edna were Raven and Gray Jay.

August 5 Coming to the realization that we did not leave enough time to get across the US, as there were lots of places we would have liked to stopped and linger. We love the provincial parks as they are usually small and on the water and there are lots of them. Drove up 93A to Lake Louise, which is a slower road, but you can see a lot more, and then continued up the Ice Fields parkway. This is a beautiful drive. Not much left of the glaciers, but their effect is evident and the color of the lakes and streams are turquoise. We are camping tonight in McBride BC.

We are on to Prince Rupert and next wifi location will be Alaska.

2010-08-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

Monday August 2 Up early and on the road. Stopped at a rest area that was very nice, and decided that is where we should have spent the night. Edna says , with lots of accuracy, this is where most of the days pictures were taken, as I was not good about stopping the remainder of the day to see birds or take pictures. Saw some ducks, a goose, and Edna saw yellow warbler and a phoebe. North Dakota was a lot nicer than we remembered. It’s very green with a few trees, but lots of marshes, lakes and thousands of ducks.

On to Canada, not sure when we will have next WIFI. Put Escape on ferry Aug 8 for Alaska.

Northwoods

2010-08-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 31. Said good-buy to Reeder & Barb. Day started overcast and misty and was a good day to travel. Headed up Rte 141 to Route 2 and across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was a gorgeous drive, area is very wet with lots of rivers, streams and lakes. We had lunch at a wayside picnic area (precursor to interstate rest areas). Stopped at Ottawa National Forest information center where we watched a film, viewed displays and picked up information on campgrounds down the road.

Decided to stay at a Forest Service Campground. Ended up at Wanok Lake Campground in Chequamegon National Forest. What a great campground. It has no hook-ups, but does have picnic tables and fire rings. The sites were huge and we were on the lake. Set up camp and went to the lake shore with our chairs,, beer, camera’s and binoc’s. We watched an Bald Eagle fly across the lake twice and it spent the next few hours in a tree nearby. Then a loon landed on the lake as mist was rising and we finally said good night. Started a fire and had Will’s favorite camp meal, hot dogs on a stick with a can of beans on the fire.

view from back of Escape To

Sunday, August 1 We did not get an early start, as we went down to the lake and had our morning coffee. Drove clear across Minnesota and into North Dakota. Stopped a Bemidji because Edna though a picture of us and Paul Bunyon and his blue ox Babe would be a nice postcard. While there Edna found a woolen mill and went shopping. We got some socks and yarn for a knitting project she had in mind.

Had planned to spend the night a Spirit Lake Casino and RV Park, but they were full so we did not lose any money and went on to the local Wal-Mart where we stayed with two other campers.

Sturgeon Bay

2010-08-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 27th. Left Home in the afternoon. Very uneventful drive, past Lexington and thru much of West Virginia it was all mountains, some fog and a little mist. Nice roads, pretty scenery, and not much civilization.. Stayed the night at a Flying J over the Kentucky line. Next morning went to buy coffee and donuts, no donuts, all the Flying J’s east coast sell donuts.

Wednesday, July 28th. Started early, drove by the other Lexington, Louisville, and into Indiana. Lots of road construction. Illinois has lovely rest areas, complete with playgrounds for the kids.

Saw a huge “wind farms” (wind turbines) and they went on for quite a few miles.

Went through a rainstorm on the plains, no trees with lots of fields of soybeans and corm.

Were tired, but decided to push to the Flying J just south of Milwaukie. That was a mistake! Spent a have hour looking for it and finally called. It is now a LOVES. We had driven by it a couple times, and it was right where the GPS said it was.

Thursday July 30th. Truckers have gone healthy. No donuts here either! Just bananas! Breezed thru Milwaukie. Lots of construction, but truckers went the other way, not thru the downtown. Stopped at the Audubon Center, but it did not open till 9:00AM, so we went to the Kohler-Andrea State Park and just before state park in I43 saw Cranes in a field on the side of the road. In the park we walked a marsh trail and saw some kind of heron (Edna believes it may have bee a Green Heron) and a Kingfisher

Arrived at Reeder & Barb’s early afternoon. Parked Escape To in driveway and they took us on a tour of Sturgeon Bay and Reeder’s church. Early evening saw Nancy, Alex, and Lily. Mario arrived after work. All in all it was a beautiful day!

Friday July 30th. Reeder & Barb took us on a tour of the entire peninsula. Lots of parks, both state and county. They have had lots of rain and everything is very green. Reeder is great on the history of the area and gave us a lot of information on what we were seeing. Door County is a big tourist area with many cute shops. We visited an olive oil shop, can you believe a shop of nothing but olive oil and vinegar. Went to the Rock Caves Park on Lake Michigan and also saw several light houses

Stopped at Ridges Natural area. Saw a sharp-shinned hawk and an endangered Emerald Dragon Fly. This area is noted for its wildflowers and Orchids, but this was not the correct season for these.

2 Days

2010-07-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

We have all but the food and last minute items in Escape To. Will leave about noon on July 27.

Starting the countdown to Alaska

2010-06-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Have new batteries in the coach and scheduled for new tires early July. Get by the 4th weekend and all focus on Alaska.

Wednesday May 26 Moving on

2010-06-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Woke up to rain and it stopped as we were packing up. With the weather looking better, we decided to go to Manteo. Have never been there and will take a new route home. Drive to Roanoke Island was uneventful, however we found the streets of Manteo very narrow and for a time wondered if we would be able to park Escape to. We ask a man working on the street if there was a place we could park and he told us the Festival Park had plenty of parking for our size vehicle. This was where we wanted to visit and it worked out just fine.

There is lots to see and do, but as our time was limited we walked along the water and visited the Museum Store and Art Gallery. We will return again and spend the whole day seeing the town and the remainder of Festival Park.

Now it is on to home and the next time we will be in Escape To, it will be off to Alaska!!

Tuesday May 25 Frisco Campground

2010-06-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Look like another great day. The weatherman sure missed the forcast, glad we did not change our trip plans because of the terable forcast, before we left home. Worked on Alaska and then went up to the beach and had a good walk. Saw a group on horseback.

We found some shells. I found a moon snail shell and Edna found shells with lots of pinks. She stocked up on these as that is what she has been looking for. There were lots of mermaids purses, whelk egg cases and slipper shells. Started to rain at end of our walk, so we truned around and went back to Escape To.

We have learned we defintely do need new batteries before Alaska. Are planning to go to Manteo tomorrow if the weather co-operates.

Monday May 24 Frisco Campground

2010-06-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Rained all night and still raining in the AM. This let me try out my new “Alaska rain gear” while walking Woody to the Ranger gate to check-in. Range was not very friendly, but the National Seashores never seem to have a friendly staff

We worked on plans for the Alaska trip all morning. We are making progress, but have realized we plan to do more go more places than we will have time for. Sun came out so we packed up Alaska and headed for the beach. It was a very low tide and only one lone truck. As the tide was coming in, the fisherman arrived in their trucks. After walk on beach we returned to Escape to and put awning out and had a late lunch. Edna then took a nap and I read my Alaska fishing book.

Ate an early dinner and then took Woody and Al up to the beach. This was Al’s first time on a beach, while he does not like macadam roads the walkway to the beach was just fine. Tide was going out and we sat for a while enjoying the evening and sunset. On the way back on the walkway our trip became complete as there was “long legged rats” (deer), this combined with having to follow horses and riders into the campground on our arrival, it is just like home.

Sunday May 23nd Frisco Campground

2010-05-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

We left home around 11:45 AM, heading for Frisco Campground on Hatteras National Seashore. We haven’t been to OBX for a number of years. Last time, we were so disappointed by the trash on the beach from the off road vehicles. Heard the vehicles were limited now, so we’ll try again.

It was a rainy trip down, but the sun was out when we got here. No ranger, pick a spot, pay tomorrow between 7 and 9 AM. Camping is $10.00 a night with Golden Age Passport, can’t beat that.
Took dogs out (Alvin and Woody are with us). Maybe mistake bring Al he’s pretty gimpy and had to lift in and out, needs a doggie handicap ramp. Woody went to the beach with us. Too long a walk for Al across the boardwalk and up thru the gap in the dunes. What a beautiful site. Tide was out, lots rolling waves, blue shies, blue and white waves, sparkling sand and LOTS OF TRUCKS!! Many were packing up and racing to the off ramp. Only thing good about that was it gave us a mostly empty beach.

I set up my chair and Edna went walking. She actually found quite a few shells. She is looking for ones with pink in them. Found a lot of calico scallops. Some slipper (or boat) shells and an olive. Beach was covered in what looked like masses of eggs in a jelly like substance.

Tide was out-nice sand bars and some tidal pools. Won’t be much beach at high tide. Oh yes the trash was there, but not as bad-oranges, watermelon rinds, strawberries and cigarette butts. No bottles-that’s and improvement.
Sat outside and had dinner . Calamari salad we had made ahead at home. Very smart of us! Dogs socialized with us (begged) at dinner.

No hook-ups here-we’ll see how our 5 year old batteries will do.

Lake Anna State Park

2010-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Arrived to record heat 93 degrees. No one to check us in, so just found a campsite. All are nice large private sites in the trees. Many hiking trails. Long way to walk to lake, but path is paved. Portion of lake nicely set up for Kids to fish, with paths around a pond and platforms to fish from with age restrictions for use. No place to really use our new "toy", however the boat traveled well, which was one of our goals to test for Alaska adventure. Had to use our AC, only the 2nd or 3th time we have used in 4 years. Worked on our Alaska trip plans and this was a great 1 day escape. At last moment, decided to take Woody as you can see.