Watson Lake to Fort Nelson

Today was a beautiful day: clear and in the mid sixties. We saw herds of Bison, two different grizzly bear feeding along the road, mountain goats and several black bears. We are in the Canadian Rockies, and the scenery is just spectacular. So far, I think my favorite has been British Columbia for beautiful scenery.
We are headed to Dawson Creek, BC, then will head to Jasper and Banff National Parks.

British Columbia to Alberta

Alberta was just absolutely beautiful but the roads were still terrible! We were headed to Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta. We stopped in Dawson Creek, which is the beginning of the Alaskan Highway, built in 1942. For us, it was the END of the Alaskan Highway, which has definitely taken its toll on our vehicles. We have a broken tire rim, RV ladder, crockpot and ceiling fan to prove it. So, while our bumper sticker says we survived the potholes on the Alaskan Highway, we really didn't! We had to stop in Lake Louise and take everything out of the back of the truck to figure out where to put the bikes after the ladder broke, where the bikes had been hanging.

Plenty of RV's Everywhere

We are in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. Remember when we were the only RV on the road? Well, look at this picture, and see that there are plenty of RVF's now! We are packed into this RV park.
On our way from Dawson City to Whitehorse, we were looking for a place to stay. The mosquitos and little black biting flies tend to be worse in campgrounds that are down near the river, so we were looking for a high place. We found this beautiful spot overlooking the Yukon River. There was already one other RV there so we stopped and started fixing dinner. The view was just spectacular. Shortly after, several other cars and RV’s showed up and they told us the Yukon River Quest Canoe and Kayak Race was coming buy momentarily. We spent the next couple of hours watching canoes and kayaks paddle down the river. The race is 460 miles! We really enjoyed watching them. The people we were talking to at the rest stop were with the team that is in first place.
We have no phone service, and probably won't for awhile. We are headed to Jasper and Banff, National Parks in Alberta. We should be in Montana in about 10 days......

Dawson City, Yukon Territory

We took the Top of the World Highway from Chicken, Alaska to Dawson Creek, Yukon Territory. We stayed in a Yukon campground on the west side of the Yukon River. We took the ferry over and explored the town on Tuesday night. I included a picture of the RV's lined up to go West. We were glad we were headed east. It took some RV's 6 hours to get across, because there is only one ferry. On Wednesday morning, while Denny was sitting outside, a red fox walked into the campsite. I took a few pics, then later two of them came racing through our campsite chasing each other. We saw them off and on during the day, and we saw people feeding them, so they probably are the campground moochers.
We took our bikes across the river on the ferry. Denny had a buffalo burger….just so he could say he did I guess. We rode our bikes all around the town, then returned to our campsite. We went back over the river again this evening to see the Diamond Tooth Gerties”s musical revue. Today we will head down through the Yukon Territory. Diesel here is 1.76 a liter.

Chicken

Chicken was named because the original settlers couldn't spell Ptarmigan, which is a kind of "state bird" of Alaska. Chicken is a hilarious place. What a riot this town is. We spent considerable time speaking with Susan who runs the gift store and bakery. She has been doing this for 21 years. She told us how she gets her supplies, and just how challenging it is to live and work in a town with no electricity, or other amenities. She has to haul and treat her own water. She brings in special water for the coffee, because she knows how important good coffee is ☺. We tested her coffee and baked goods and they were both top of the line…. We also spoke to a man who stays in Chicken year round. The road closes October through April, and sometimes he takes a snomobile into town, about 90 miles away… Diesel is $5.15 a gallon. We will head over the Top of The World Highway from Chicken to Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

Leaving Alaska, headed to the Yukon and beyond...

We left Fairbanks on Saturday, and headed down the Richardson Highway toward Valdez, on the coast. We stayed in a wayside along the highway, left our RV and headed down the highway to Valdez without the RV. We spent the day in Valdez, came back and picked up the RV, and headed on up the highway. We stopped in Tok, Alaska today and filled up with diesel at 5.15 a gallon. We headed over the beautiful Taylor Highway to CHICKEN!
We are in Chicken, Alaska for a couple of days, then heading over the Top of the World Highway, crossing the Yukon River by Ferry and heading to Dawson City, Yukon Territory. We will be out of cell phone range in Canada, but will call home at least every couple of days with our phone card (that Eric gave us). We have been unable to update the blog the last few days because in this interior of Alaska, they only have satellite wi-fi, and they don't want us uploading pictures.

Fairbanks

Today we headed to Fairbanks. I finally saw the mountain, although really in the distance and very clouded over. The first time we stopped at milepost 286, it was not visible. Later, when we were almost to Fairbanks we saw it. I also included a picture I took at sunset at 11:30 p.m. The sunset was beautiful.
Today was a really interesting drive because we drove over Dry Creek, where two missing hikers were found. They had been missing since Friday in Denali. We had been following that situation closely, but just heard this evening they were found in the Dry Creek area.
Denny and I both read Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer about Christopher McCandless, who starved to death in the wilderness off the stampede trail. The movie has just come out on DVD, so maybe some of you have seen it. We drove right by Stampede Rd. today, but did not take the 27 mile rugged hike to the old bus where he died.
the weather has been beautiful today....in the 70's. We actually had our flannel shirts and jackets off for the first time in over a month! Tomorrow we will take a Riverboat tour down the Chena River, and see a Chena Indian Village.

Denali National Park- No McKinley View

We took a 6 hour bus ride through the national park today and saw bears, caribou, Dall sheep, and moose. We were unable to see Mt. McKinley, because of the clouds, so I guess we will be missing that. Driving back down the Parks Highway, we saw many cars stopped by a creek, and stopped to take pictures of a moose. Right in front of us was a beaver in the water. We were able to watch the moose and the beaver for quite a while.
Cody had asked us why we were going to Alaska when we could just look at in on the internet. Today, I think was the answer to that when we saw all the spectacular wildlife.

Where in the World is Mt. McKinley?

OK. Could someone tell us which one IS MT. McKinley? We were driving up the GlenAllen Highway, and I said, "So that must by Mt. McKinley (the tallest peak in North America). We risked our lives stopping in the morning traffic on the freeway to take pictures. We found out we weren't even NEAR Mt. McKinley. As we are heading up the Parks Highway toward Denali National Park, The Milepost tour book which we use will say, "Clear views of Mt. McKinley". But which one is Mt. McKinley? Today we took off on the Denali Highway for just a little while, and we stopped and took more pictures of what we think MIGHT be Mt. McKinley. Tomorrow we are taking a bus tour into Denali National Park with a promise that 20% of the time it is clear enough to see Mt. McKinley. So, we'll let you know......

Wayside Park on the Parks Highway

We found this lovely spot on the Parks Highway. Free Campground! Again, we were the only people there, so we scrounged around for wood, because they had a nice campfire ring. We started a fire, and what do you know! Denny wanted to make S'mores! Any of you who know Denny know he NEVER eats marshmallows OR S'mores! The funny thing is he was acting like this expert S'more maker! I was really laughing, but we really did enjoy them.

Eagle River to Parks Highway

We left Eagle River headed for the Alaska Highway 3. We saw a visitor center called the Mat-Su Visitor Center. We stopped and hooked up to their WiFi to check email. Denny went inside and found both of the ladies working there winter in Tucson, AZ on the east side. We had a nice conversation with them , then headed out to Wasilla, to the biggest Walmart Supercenter in the state. We loaded up on groceries, but they don’t allow overnight parking , so we are headed toward Talkeetna. It is a beautiful, warm day 63 and sunny. We are hoping to see Mt. McKinley today…
Diesel price today $4.84. It is amazing that we get excited when it is less than $5!
We found a campsite at Sheep Creek Lodge. Notice we were the only ones! A few more came in later in the evening. The mosquitos were unbelievable! Check out our mosquito netting we put over our hats.

Seward to Anchorage

We left Seward and headed for Anchorage. We needed a rim, as our rim had cracked. We had names of three places. We finally found a rim, but it didn’t match. We had no choice. We needed a rim before we headed back over the AAlaskan highway. Craziest thing. We met a couple on the first ferry we took out of Prince Rupert, BC . They had stayed at the same campground in Prince Rupert as we had. We spoke briefly with them on the ferry, then met up with them on foot in Ketchikan. We got off the ferry in Juneau, and camped in an out of the way National Forest campground. There they were again! We got on a ferry headed to Haines, and they were there also. We finally got more acquainted and found out they were from the Bahamas. They had an 86 Vixen motorhome which was very unique. We found out they owned a place on an island in the Bahamas, but they leave their motorhome at the end of the summer, wherever they end up. This was also their first time in Alaska. We traded stories, got off the boat in Haines, and stayed in different campgrounds. Many days and miles later, we are in Muffler City in downtown Anchorage, and who do we run into but Bill and Leslie from the Bahamas again! We were all surprised! They were there to get tires where we were getting a rim. We were headed in opposite directions. They were going where we had just come from, but it was fun talking to them again. We went to Outback for lunch/dinner (Thanks Mike and Cindy) and head for Eagle River.
Thursday night we stayed at the Elks in Eagle River. No charge!

Seward, AK

We camped on Resurrection Bay in Seward, visited the Alaska Sea Life Center, and arranged to take the boat trip to the glaciers. The Kenai Fjords boat trip was super. It was chilly when you stood outside, and sometimes it was drizzly, but for the most part, it was good. We saw Humpbacks, Orcas, a coastal black bear on the beach, multitudes of harbor seals and Stellar Sea Lions. We also saw a lot of sea birds the Pufins, and Murres, which look like Penguins. We also saw Mountain Goats as we were leaving Resurrection Bay. The Glacier was up close and magnificent. We sat in the water just watching large pieces fall off and splash with a sound that sounded like gunshots.

Heading to Seward

We have been in Soldotna at the Diamond M RV Park for a week. I included a picture of the lupine wildflowers, because they signal the coming of spring! They are the only flowers blooming right now, but they are beautiful. We continue to have weather in the 50s. When it gets to 60, we get all excited and head outdoors! We have ridden bikes, explored the area, and eaten a lot of clams and salmon. We are leaving today to head to Seward. We noticed yesterday we had a flat tire on the fifth wheel. When Denny took it in, the problem was a cracked rim. He is out searching for another rim, and we haven't been successful.
We have appreciated so much the helpful people around us when we camp. Diamond M B&B, Cabins and RV Park is a unique place. They have activities going all the time, and the people are very friendly. It is like camping on a farm, because it is a working farm. I took some pics of the llamas and baby horses.
In Seward, we will be taking an all day boat trip to the Kenai Fjords. Also, we will be going to the Sea Life exhibit. After we leave Seward, we will head back up to Anchorage and look for another rim. As for now, we have the bad one on the spare, so hopefully we will not have another flat tire!

Up Close and Personal with Moose

We woke up to a beautiful blue sky, so we hopped on our bikes and headed for the bike trail. We rode to Soldotna, then decided to take the full 21 mile loop back around to the RV Park and through Kenai. We were still in Soldotna when Denny said, “There’s your moose!" I looked up, and there was a moose, very close! I jumped off my bike and grabbed my camera. I startled the moose, who started for me, then turned around and went back to eating. I took a couple of pics, then looked for Denny. He had backed far away! I backed away, because Moose will charge. And I said, “Do you think we can ride by? Denny said, “Just don’t make any sudden moves!” I rode ahead, and after passing the moose, Denny yells, “Here he comes!” I thought he was kidding until I realized he had come toward Denny. The moose then took off across the street, stopping traffic. We saw two more moose in that same general area. We learned later that you want to stay far away from a moose. But here are my pics to prove it….