My Travels With Or Without A Suitcase

A Look Back And Forward

2012-01-04T12:29:00.002-05:00

It’s customary to look back on the previous year, reflecting on all that occurred, while at the same time looking forward to the new year with hope and refreshed aspirations. And, this is the case with me as well. I’m sitting here, looking out the window on a seasonally crisp morning as my husband burns a bit of brush, thinking about the trip we undertook during the summer. It was phenomenal and it’s hard to believe we’ve been back longer than we were away already. I promised some of you readers some additional details on the trip so here they are. We traveled 16,458 miles, covered 21 states and 4 provinces. We were gone 93 days and in that time we got to experience things I had only ever read or dreamed about. I won’t say it was my “Bucket List” but I did get a chance to cross several thing off that list while admittedly adding several more to it. But did you know:

We used 1,460 gallons of gas. This figure may be a bit higher due to some places just giving us receipts without liter amounts printed on them. I also admit I could be off due to my conversion from liters to gallons.

The entire trip cost the equivalent of $1.00/mile. This is a strange statistic because it includes all our expenses, haircuts, beer, post cards, magnets, hotel rooms, wine, ferry fees and even movies.

We spent 63 nights on campgrounds or paid rooms which averaged $26.00 per night. And, we spent 29 nights at either WalMarts, friends or rest areas which saved us more than $750.00. That’s a cool statistic.

Our expenses for food totaled $2,083.81 which includes both groceries and eating out or if you prefer, it averaged $22.41 a day for two people. I think that’s pretty good, too!

I’m not sure what other information might amuse people so if you have any questions about routes, statistics, border crossings, admissions to parks or attractions, just let me know. I’m happy to help in any way I can. And while I took more than 8,000 photos, I can honestly say about 7,500 where of the “vacation” variety. Of the remaining 500, there are but a handful I would consider “saleable” . Oh, but those handful can still take my breath away. And even the snapshots take me back to that place and time. This was a trip of a lifetime. We may never travel this way again. Carl has stated he will never drive to Alaska again although he is the first to admit everyone should do it once. And with all of his grumbling, he’s already talking and planning for the next great adventure. I just have 29 more states to hit!

Day 92- 13 Weeks On the Road

2011-09-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

We caught the ferry in Port Kent, NY to cross Lake Champlain. It was a short trip, 9.6 miles taking a little longer than an hour but it saved us about 6 hours of travel to the top of the lake and around Rouse’s Point. It was a different sort of ferry experience than the Inside Passage. There the vehicles were in the belly and the passengers on top. Here, the vehicles were on top while us passengers rode at about water level. It was mildly disconcerting to look out the porthole and see the water just below the rim. The photo of the day is of one of the deck hands. Check out his stylish footwear. You can do anything with duct tape! Burlington was only slightly congested so we were able to get out of town in pretty good time. Then, it was “second star to the left and straight on ’til morning” or to be a little less dramatic, home over very familiar roads. We did stop in Barre for gas and lunch. I’m not sure if it was relief I was feeling when we arrived home or something a little different, maybe dread at all the stuff I have to catch up on, mail, shows to register for, several phone calls to return and of course there is the unpacking. Somehow, it’s always easier to pack than to unpack. Well, the trip of a lifetime is finally over. The partial tally stands at 92 days, 16,458 miles, 4 Provinces and 21 states visited, 77 postcards sent and 18 new refrigerator magnets to dust. People have asked what part of the trip I liked best and I have to say, I loved it all. Carl wants to go back to Arches at another time of the year and I’d have to agree. I loved Yellowstone for it’s hundreds of miles of roads which allowed much more access to the park than any other. And our 3 ½ weeks in Alaska wasn’t nearly enough. We didn’t even scratch the surface of what she has to offer. I discovered bears are more prevalent than I had previously thought but moose are more scarce in the areas we visited. I’m sure there is somewhere up there where you can’t turn a corner but you’re bumping into them. All that remains now is to unload the camper, total up the expenses for the accountant and get the rest of my images burned to DVD so I can free up some hard drive space on the laptop. Shortly, I’ll be posting a list of “Things We Learned” on our trip. I got the idea from my step mom, Adena. She and my dad traveled to Minnesota to pick up their new camper at the Scamp factory and she posted her list for friends and family to chuckle over shortly after their return. I thought it was a great idea. Now, I have to throw myself back into the business of being a photographer and a participating member of the co-op in Plymouth. I need to feel as if I’m pulling my own weight. In fact, I have a show scheduled for September 24th in Littleton I need to get my head on straight for. The following weekend will be in Sugar Hill and then it’s time for the Sandwich Fair. I hope to see you all at a venue near you!

Day 91- Ausable Caverns vs. Irene

2011-09-14T22:24:00.001-04:00

After the tremendous thunder and lightening show Mother Nature put on last night which was followed up by substantial rain, it was a blessing to see the sun light trying to shine through the thick stand of pines we’re camped under. All in all, it was a pretty good night. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays, Baltimore beat Tampa Bay and Time Wakefield finally got his 200th win after 7 previous attempts. There was a bit of a chill in the air but not enough to convince me to close up the camper window on my side last night. I just love that fresh air. It did, however, make me think about wearing slacks into the Chasm a little later in the morning. We settled up with the office where they informed Carl his admission would be free because of his military service. My fare would be reduced because we’re staying in their campground. The shorts won out over the slacks and after a short walk across the street, we found ourselves at the welcome center. Military ID’s were offered to the lady at the cash register and we both were given free access to the privately owned geological attraction that has been wowing people since 1870. And when we learned the volume of water had risen more than 60 feet during Irene’s stay in the New England area, we were not surprised to find several bridges and hundreds of feet of catwalk had been completely washed away. The gorge, part of Lake Champlain’s drainage was also littered with a variety of materials which included Styrofoam, various types and sizes of lumber, car tires and even a propane cylinder. It was relatively easy to find the high water mark by the flattened shrubbery or torn up and scarred trees. We were allowed to walk down into the Chasm along some of the platforms to within feet of twisted metal and broken off concrete. The shear power of water in a gently flowing state is often mistaken and can be very damaging so imagine more than a hundred feet of water being forced down through the narrow rocky gorge. We saw rocks from a totally different part of the chasm sitting more than 100 feet above the current level of the water which seemed peaceful enough down where they were sending off the rafts. Yes, you can walk more than two miles along the rim of the chasm or you can walk part way through and take a raft ride down over two small scale rapids and a whirl pool before hauling out on a sandy spot downstream. We chose the long walk without the raft but did accept the offered trolley ride back to the welcome center where they dropped you off at the gift shop. We had lunch there, pizza for me and a chicken patty sandwich with fries for Carl, followed by the always popular souvenir shopping, the last of the post cards to send and the last of the magnets to live the rest of their lives on my refrigerator. It never ceases to amaze how many photos I take during a day like today. The warm sunshine was broken with light clouds, the walk was pleasant and the scenery was geologically breathtaking. I can’t get over how many layers of sedimentary rock make up the steep sided gorge, some more than a foot thick while others are a mere inch or two. We got an up close and personal look at the Rainbow Falls at the head of the Chasm where two hydroelectric buildings still provide power to the grid. We also saw a large eroded area near the bridge. All in all it was a great few hours and even though I’ve often said there is no such things as bad pizza, I’m not sure I’d rush over there to have another piece any time soon. And here is something else to consider. This was another place where there was no signage offering military personnel free admission. Over the 13 plus weeks of our trip, we are now in the habit of bringing out those cards as our preferred form of identification. Carl’s military service along with so many others shouldn’t be reduced to having to ask for reduced admission. There should be signs everywhere proudly proclaiming servicemen are welcome with all thanks. Everyone seems to fly a flag and think that’s enough.

Day 90- I Love NY

2011-09-13T22:22:00.001-04:00

Or at least I love the part of NY that we traveled through today. We left Dickson City, PA late. When Carl opened the door this morning to fill the generator, he couldn’t even see the end of the parking lot the fog was so thick. I stayed in bed with another headache over my left eye but by 9:00, I was feeling really guilty for holding up our departure. I had scheduled 369 miles to travel today and knew it would be a long day. By 9:30, we were on the road, Rte 81 North which we would stay on until Watertown, NY. The further north we traveled, the more I noticed the reds of the swamp maples popping out. It would have been spectacular if the sun had been out. As it was, we were traveling under this massive dark cloud. After turning onto Rte 3 East, storm damage from Irene became evident, roads and culverts washed out as well as lots of mud encrusted foliage way above the water line of the rivers and streams we were crossing. We traveled through some of the places I’d only ever heard about, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and even a little town called Fine. At one point we entered Mexico which was kind of cool but later when we hit Peru, I knew we hadn’t actually turned south. Apple trees became more prevalent and signs showed us entering and leaving the Adirondack State Park several times. For a while, we traveled along the Saranac River, a beautiful and fully flowing body of water. I ’m not sure what it normally looks like. From Rte 3, the AAA trip tik sent us on back roads, a mile to the right, 3 miles to the left and so on for about 20 miles until we rounded a corner and found ourselves looking at Rte 9. I made an educated guess to turn left. Yesterday, when I was at the AAA website I plugged in the address of the campground and was informed that no such address could be found so I chose an address they suggested. My hunch proved right. We found Ausable Chasm about ¾ mile down the road and the campground appeared shortly thereafter. I’m excited to be here. As we passed over the Chasm, I looked to the right and saw 3 waterfalls. The office was closed when we arrived but they had put out a note with our site assignment. We’ll check in with them in the morning . All of the roads in the campground are named after trees. We’re in Ash 12. It’s a drive through site and although there is no wi-fi, Carl has 13 TV stations. We decided not to unhook tonight because Carl is sore and tired, I’m okay with that. My head is still pounding. I helped him with the electric and then went inside to put out the slider while he hooked up the water. Then I went outside to inform him of an overly friendly chipmunk but he wasn’t in our site. Sure enough, he’s over at the neighbor’s who is hanging Christmas lights in their site, by the way. He’s such a social butterfly.

Day 89- On The Road One More Time , September 12, 201

2011-09-12T21:21:00.002-04:00

I think we lulled ourselves into a state of disbelief where Tropical Storm Lee was concerned. Today, we left Carlisle, which was relatively untouched, and headed for Hershey. We knew the park had had some washout issues and were uncertain what we might find. What we found was muddy high water marks more than 6 feet up on trees. Whole fields were flattened and a section of roadway will need to be rebuilt about ¼ mile long. The ground and asphalt was gone on either side of the guardrail. I can’t figure out what was keeping the guardrail there. In other places, you could see debris hanging from branches 4 feet above the ground, road signs were flattened over from the force of the water and large areas of roadside where covered with mud and trees. When we arrived at Chocolate World, the signage indicated the amusement park and the sports complex was closed until further notice and the parking area in front of the Experience Center had only one bus and perhaps 50 cars total. I haven’t a clue how many of those cars belonged to staff members. Once inside the building, a gentleman handed us a map of the building and explained our options. We decided to take the free factory tour and add two paid additional experiences, the Chocolate Tasting Seminar and the Build Your Own Candy Bar. We could have added a trolley tour of downtown, a create your own dessert and the 3-D extravaganza. The factory tour was a mock up of the real thing. They changed this around in the late 80’s because so many people were touring the plant, they couldn’t get anything done. Then we went to the Chocolate Tasting Seminar and were the only two people in the room. There were five pieces to try, starting with milk chocolate, the lowest percentage of Cacao all the way up to a 45% square. We were invited to snap in half, smell and take a nibble to melt on our tongues. The “Guest Lecturer” encouraged us to figure out what the finish of the candy was, similar to a wine tasting. I explained to her I was a dismal failure in the wine tasting experience, but, I could pick up some of the after notes like coffee, cinnamon, fruit and caramel depending on a variety of reasons. I asked about the higher percentage of cacao and she said Hershey makes a Sharffen Berger Bittersweet Chocolate that is 70% cacao. They gave me the last little sample square they had but I haven’t tried it yet. After I share it with Carl, I suspect I’ll be unable to afford the bar. This seminar was entertaining and I did learn to just melt the chocolate on your tongue instead of biting and chewing. I also learned the average milk chocolate candy bar takes 10 days to make ( from Cacao nib to bar ) while the Sharffen Berger sample I haven’t eaten yet takes 45 days. I have a new respect for the common candy bar. The last thing we did was to make our own candy bar. We had to put on aprons, hair nets and sanitize our hands before putting on a plastic glove over my wedding ring. Carl even had to cover his beard. Then we entered the mini-factory and chose our base chocolate, milk or white. They were out of dark chocolate today, bummer! That's the one I would have chosen because it's loaded with antioxidants which are good for you. Then we could choose 3 ingredients to add to our bar. I chose raspberry bits, pretzel bits and butter toffee crunch bits. The other three ingredients were crisped rice, chocolate bits and almond slivers. We watched as each ingredient was added and then followed our bars through the robing process (pouring milk chocolate all over the bar ) until we lost sight of them in the cooling tunnel. The bars would spend 6 minutes in this cooling chamber which would give us time to design our own wrapper in the production studio. It was a touch screen process which allowed us to choose colors, logos, wording and other additives. The board on the wall notified us when our bars were leaving the cooling tunnel and heading to the boxing machine. This was a fun thing to do although I have to admit I would have liked different ingredient options from what they offered. I would have chosen to add coconut or mint chips to my bar with almond slivers on top. There was a space at the end for us to give them suggestions for other ingredients to be considered. The computer also compiled statistics from all the people who have built candy bars. My bar was completely unique. No other person has chosen those exact ingredients. I don’t know if this is good or bad. I spent some time in the souvenir shop and then we hit the camper in the parking lot for lunch. It was the fastest two hours I’ve spent in a while. We were supposed to head to the Crystal Cave in Kutztown but the lady at the souvenir concession thought they were closed due to the flooding so we passed and headed to our “campsite” for the night. When I built the trip tik for this alternate trip, I may have put in the wrong information and had I not read ahead we would have driven 25 miles north to turn around and drive 23 miles south. It saves us time and gas. Our generator is puttering away while Carl is watching TV. And me, well you know what I’ve been doing. You’re gonna miss these daily blogs when this journey is over, aren’t you?

Day 88- 10 Years Later , September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T22:03:00.002-04:00

There are few days in history when events are such that everyone remembers exactly where they were or what they were doing when they heard the news. Today was a day for retrospection, the phrase , “Where were you when…” kept coming to mind. Days like the invasion of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President Kennedy, the first man in space, the first landing on the moon, the death of Elvis Presley and the attacks on the World Trade Center are just a few that come to mind for me. Both Carl and I sat before the television in the camper watching the events unfold on this 10th anniversary much as I did on that horrific and eventful day. Only today was a much more believable scenario. Ten years ago, I sat stunned, thinking it must be some horrible mechanical accident, unbelieving that anyone, in their right mind, could dream up and put action such events. The world is a much different place today and things can never be the same as they were. After careful debate, our plan has also changed once more. This latest change will see us home in a few days. The new plan is to leave Western Village RV Park on Monday morning and head for Hershey, PA to spend a couple of chocolate filled hours learning about the stuff that fills my head with dietary suicidal notions. I hope to learn the truth about chocolate actually being good for you. Afterwards, we’ll visit the Crystal Cave in Kutztown, PA for a tour of the underground limestone formations. From there, we’ll head north and spend the night in Dickson City, PA at the local Wal-Mart. On Tuesday, we’ll continue north into New York, driving up through The Adirondacks to end at Ausable Chasms campground for the evening. Wednesday will be spent in and around the geologic wonders of the Chasm. I’ve heard about it but never visited so I understand we’re in for a treat if the weather’s good. We’ll spend another night at the campground and head for the Lake Champlain Ferry at Fort Kent, NY on Thursday morning. If all goes as planned, our arrival into Burlington will leave us with a 3 hour trip home. Okay, so that’s the plan. What I can’t figure into this travel plan is any Irene or Lee damage remaining in Vermont. We’ll know when we get there. The good news in all this is when we get to Vermont detours, we know the roads they might switch us to, unlike in Lancaster County, PA. This afternoon, we went to fill up the gas tank and grab the last few groceries needed for the last of our trip. Carl swung by the cinema and I discovered we had about 5 minutes before the next showing of “Apollo 18” began. Believe me when I tell you this is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time, it’s a Blair Witch Project rip off and it wasn’t worth the $13.50 we paid to see it. And don’t even get me started on the popcorn and coke that cost $12.25. The tally stands at 3 movies viewed over the 12 weeks we’ve been traveling. I guess it’s true what they say, “two out of three ain’t bad”.

Day 87- And Then It Rained Again!

2011-09-10T19:27:00.003-04:00

There was blue sky and brilliant sunshine when we woke this morning. It was good to see. The rivers are dropping and people are beginning the drying out process. There are threats of showers later and I suspect they will appear about 3:00 when we’re packing. Most craft show vendors know what I’m talking about. The customer traffic was slow today but a man came over to see if I’d take his photo. He said he was the director so Carl and I assumed he meant the chapter director. 10 photos later, I found out he wanted the picture of himself for some magazine. He asked me to burn the images to a DVD so he can send it to his people which I did. He seemed happy. An hour or two later, I asked the Vendor Coordinator, Al, and discovered Mike is the director of the entire GWRRA and not just the PA chapter. The photo I took will most likely end up in every Gold Wing magazine published for several years because Mike writes a welcome or editorial piece each month. Here’s keeping my fingers crossed. I could certainly use that kind of exposure and it may even convince me to apply for the photographer’s pass in Denali for another year. I took one other set of photos today but this one made me kind of melancholy. The man needed to sell his bike because his legs can no longer deal with the weight. The wife wanted to buy him a three wheeled motorcycle called a trike but the man doesn’t want to admit he’s having trouble, yet. So, the wife asked me to take a photo of her husband and his bike before he has to give it up. I know a bit about how he must feel. My knees aren’t as good as they used to be and my love, riding horses, would probably kill me if I had a steady diet of it. I kept watch on the skies as the afternoon wore on but the big dark clouds snuck up on me from behind. We did manage to get everything packed into the truck and about half way back to the RV Park before the first drops fell. Then, it sort of stopped so we drove on over to the dump station to empty our tanks. It was then the sky opened it’s dump valve and we got drenched. About 20 minutes later, the rain let up enough so we could back into our site. And 20 minutes after that, two muddy and very wet people climbed into the camper for the night. The photo for today's post is a view from our truck during the cloudburst. All in all, I’d have to say our trip to the PA GWRRA Rally was a success. People had difficulty getting there because of road closures but once there, everyone had a good time. Someone pointed out the motto of the Gold Wing Riders, “Fun, Safety, Knowledge” and they like to put it in that order.

Day 86- Finally, A Dry Spot

2011-09-09T20:42:00.004-04:00

My original plan was to be on site at 8:00 AM but that didn’t happen. It wasn’t that bad, though. We were ready to chat with potential customers by 9:30AM, only a half hour behind schedule. There aren’t many people around and the few we’ve talked to have come in their cars because it just isn’t any fun getting drenched on a motorcycle. Each person I talk with is informed I’m here to take photos of “Boy, Bikes and Babes” as Carl likes to put it. Today, I got several maybes and lots of firm no’s but there were also a couple of “I’ll talk it over with the boss” which is my personal favorite. We did a several sales and all in all considered it a pretty good day even though I didn’t make a sale after noon. The weather forecast for tomorrow is much dryer so I’ll be hanging all of my hopes on Saturday. We’ve decided to stay the night in the vendor lot. Carl is leery about leaving the inventory since it doesn’t seem as if the Hotel has any security patrolling the grounds. And, each year the rally sponsors an ice cream social and we’ve always been given tickets to the event but never taken the host club up on their offer. That is, until tonight. The ice cream was great and afterwards, several of the chapters performed in the talent show. The theme for this year is Hillbilly based and some of the costumes were downright hilarious while others were tastefully authentic. Before we retired for the night, we refilled the generator and checked on my photos in the tent. Everything looked just fine. And we have a new neighbor who sells pop up campers which tow easily behind motorcycles. It has quite a bit of storage room under the platform and when folded out offers a double bed. It takes about three minutes to open up or close. The way I figure, if you're traveling on a motorcycle, you already had to pack light anyway. This just gives you sleeping options.

Day 85- On To The Rally

2011-09-08T21:39:00.000-04:00

It continued to rain most of the day and although the rally officially started at noon, the only people we saw today were other vendors and the vendor coordinator, Al, who has been great. There was finally a break around 2:00 so we jumped at the chance to get the tent up, tables and racks inside and the sides zipped on and down before it began to pour once more. We timed it just about right. The water problem is enhanced because the Hotel Carlisle has a large amount of water in their cellar with a sump pump working round the clock. The water level Thursday morning was more than 10 inches deep but when Carl looked today, it had dropped considerably. Now, we don’t care one way or the other about the water in the hotel’s basement but the discharge for the sump pump has created a problem in the vendor area. The “Carlisle River” , as we have dubbed the stream, travels more than 100 feet from the end of the discharge pipe into the parking lot where the vendors are set up. Our original site is under water and the inches deep stream cuts the pavement in half diagonally. Carl looked for a culvert or sewer drain that might be block but didn’t find anything. The ground at the end of the parking area is saturated to the point the water is collecting into a lovely little pond. This is another day I haven’t taken any photos so I’m going to have to look really hard for a subject or two tomorrow. Carl suggested we go out for supper and our choice was “Bob Evans” . Neither Carl nor I have ever eaten there before. I had a turkey dinner and Carl had country fried steak. Both were served with lots of real mashed potatoes and gravy plus two generous and delicious home made rolls, warm from the oven. Well, okay, it might have been the microwave. Both of our meals were mighty tasty. We’ve also heard their breakfast are also tasty so maybe before we head out of the area, we’ll give them a try. When we returned to the campground, the original plan was to back in, remained hooked up and settle in for the night but Carl decided it didn’t take us all that long to unhook and rehook. What took the time was leveling the trailer. We had to put the driver’s side or left side wheels up on blocking more than 4 inches to get anywhere near level from side to side. The site is off that much. Then I listened to the Red Sox get their collective butts handed to them by Toronto. I went to bed, still a fan, but wondering why most years, the team fades at the most crucial part of the season. In the words of Yul Brenner in “The King And I” , ’tis a puzzlement!

Day 84- Flood Watch

2011-09-07T21:38:00.002-04:00

Sure enough, there are flood watches and warnings in effect for more than a dozen counties. The Susquehanna River and several tributaries are already at flood stage. We’re in Cumberland County which is laced with rivers and streams. In fact, so are York and Lancaster counties right next door to us. The kicker is the weather is so lousy, we don’t want to go set up today but if we don’t we may have to squeeze in tomorrow morning. So, we’re here in the campground peeking out the windows at all the sites around us, empty and flooded with massive puddles. During the day, we went over to the Hotel Carlisle, but didn’t set up. Probably a really good thing because it’s been really raining hard. The TV is full of NOAA emergency flood warnings, cancellations and they’ve even sheltered the children in school instead of releasing them and sending them home. Now, doesn’t that sound dire? To me, it sounds safer than trying to deliver them over flooded back road with questionable bridges. And believe me when I tell you there are a ton of bridges, concrete and covered in the counties in question. Also having driven some of these roads in the past week, I can attest to how close the creeks and rivers are in spots. We hit the Wal-Mart on our way back to the campground to get a couple of things we were out of and there was the Red Box once more. Tonight’s entertainment was a 2010 released movie called The Conspirator. It was based on the trial of Mary Surratt, one of the alleged conspirators, found guilty of the plot to assassinate President Lincoln, and hung by a military tribunal. I’m not guilty of spoiling anything to this point because it is a matter of historical record but the trial raised many questions and I highly recommend the movie. Now, I’m listening to the Red Sox against the Blue Jays. Wakefield goes for his 7th attempt to win his 200th game. Holding my breath and keeping my fingers crossed here.

Day 83- Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2011-09-06T21:45:00.001-04:00

Our trip back to Carlisle can be summed up in just one word, “RAIN”. It was pouring when we left Easton and it was pouring when we arrived back at the camper. There are large amounts of standing water everywhere and the news and weather are filled with warnings for flooding. The rain from Lee is heavy and stalled over the area which doesn’t bode well for our outdoors rally at the Hotel Carlisle. Set up is for Wednesday but I’m less than enthused about the prospect of exposing my work to the dampness. Rain and paper based products do not mix well. Granted, we have a great heavy vinyl tent and my work is, for the most part, in plastic sleeves but the dampness permeates everything including my bones. And, on top of the whole dampness thing, I can’t imagine the participants, Honda Gold Wing owners, really enjoying this kind of weather. We rented a couple of movies from the Red Box at Wal-Mart, had supper and then settled in for the night. I’d like to say we were lulled to sleep with the pitter patter of the rain drops on our roof but that isn’t the case. We are under an oak tree and the heavy downpours have done a number on the acorns falling on our roof. And you know the weather is depressing when I didn't grab even one photo to post with the blog today.

Day 82- Travel Back To PA

2011-09-05T19:55:00.002-04:00

I was only 25 miles down the road when I remembered the first thing left behind. I have shirts embroidered with my company name as well as our first names on them. I meant to grab a couple of them but they will spend the next couple of weeks in the closet in NH. I was further down the road by several hours when I remembered the other things I left in NH, my rubber boots, a spare pair of heavy socks and the umbrella. Does it sound like I was planning on bad weather? Well, you’re right. I’ve heard what could be a lousy batch of weather over the few days we’re at the Honda Gold Wing Rally. In fact, today, we’ve driven in and out of rain for more than 300 miles. I drove about 150 of those miles. As we’re paying our $1.00 toll to pass from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, I notice a very long line of utility trucks passing through one of the booths. The signage on the door read North Houston Pole Line, Texas. There were more than 50 trucks, bucket trucks, pickups, equipment haulers and even trucks with lots of ladders. I suspect they were returning to Texas after helping get the power back on where Irene had passed through. We’ve stopped for the night at the Towne Place Suites by Marriott in Easton, PA. The room was very reasonably priced and quite nice. And, there’s a Sonic at the end of the driveway. Now, don’t laugh when I tell you we drove to Sonic because it’s a Drive-In and kind of cool. You pull up to a flashy board, make your decision and then push the button. A voice asks for your choices and then they bring the food to the car. We could have eaten it right there but decided to return to our room. Now, it’s relaxation time. Weather permitting, we’ll be going to Hershey tomorrow. I am told the whole place smells good enough to eat.

Day 81- More Of The Same

2011-09-04T19:52:00.001-04:00

Now, the work begins. I have to decide what to take to PA with us for the show. It’s been so long since we’ve packed for a show, I want to make sure we have everything we need, including enough paper and ink since I’m taking the printer with me for this one. And, it’s really muggy out so I don’t feel like moving. The only way it could be worse is if we were at a local show today in all this humidity. When I opened the door to the studio, I almost screamed. There were bugs and cob webs everywhere. I have to send in my exterminator before I can work there. Okay, so the bugs were mostly flies but where there are cob webs, there are spiders. I heard this trivia fact a while ago which says you are never more than 6 feet from a spider at any time. If that’s true, I’ll be lifting my feet from the floor quite a bit. It took quite a while before I made the decision on which photos to take and while I was repacking the blue plastic covered bucket, Carl put the racks, tables and tent into the truck. It took even more time to load everything else because my glasses kept fogging up and everything in the studio had steamed up too. The air conditioner in the studio works really well but we had to leave the door open for the loading process. By the time we were finished, the sky was black as night and we could hear the distant rumbling of what promised to be a whopper of a storm. And even before it started raining, we were drenched with sweat. I hit the shower which felt really good and spent another hour trying to figure out how to get a downloaded template from Avery to work on Microsoft Word. Avery uses the Word platform and I am unfamiliar with the program. I’d prefer to use Works which I’ve used for years. No go on the application so I asked Carl to come upstairs to get the printer which was the very last thing to be packed. I have one last thing to get tomorrow, ink. The photo was taken by my step-mom, Adena, while we were in WA state.

Day 80- Finally, No Techno Glitches

2011-09-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

I managed to recreate a bunch of stuff so I could, at least, print some note cards and photo cards. It would have been the perfect opportunity to redesign my business card but, hey, I like the one I’ve got. We’ve had a couple of great conversations while we’ve been back with our daughter and Mom. They both hid health issues while we were away. Mom helped put together a new PA boxed set of note cards and I printed some of the best snapshots we took on our trip, grizzles, big mountains, cute fawns and an amazing shot of a monarch butterfly on a sunflower head. They look great. It was a productive day and best of all, the Red Sox won as well.

Day 79- Work, Work, Work

2011-09-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

Well, that was the plan right up to the point in time where I discovered my desk top computer had a heart attack and a stroke while I was away. I tried every trick I knew to get it to respond to my key strokes but nothing I did made any difference. I even tried calling the shop who built it for me years ago. They were either all off for the long holiday weekend or some one forgot to shift the phone from fax mode to talk mode. I got that irritating squeal in my ear each time I called the number. So, I spent the better part of the day finding software install disks for my printer, card design and photo printing. Then I held my breath because they are all designed for Windows XP and my laptop is Windows 7. Have I mentioned how much I don’t like this platform? Sure enough, there were glitches left and right. When I tell Print Master to print a designed note card, instead of getting the 5 sheets I ask for, it decides to print 25. And my photo printing software will only print single pages even when I tell it I want 3 of the same. At one point today, I needed a serious technology break. Even my clothes dryer and I couldn’t see eye to eye for a while. I had to redesign my business cards, thank you pages and every note card I wanted to print. I needed labels for the backs of photos protecting my copyright and I’m sure by tomorrow, I will run out of ink because Carl had to make a trip to Staples because I was almost out of envelopes and matte paper card stock. It hasn’t been a very good day. I only hope tomorrow will be better. I need to finish printing everything and then get out into the studio to get things in order. We’ll pack up the truck on Sunday and head back on the road Monday morning. Carl was able to get the generator in to the repair shop and while they weren’t able to repair what’s wrong, they were able to tell him what the problem was. We just worked it too hard. It needed a deep cleaning and some TLC. So, Carl left it there for a much needed “spa treatment” and he purchased the companion model to the one we have. We’ll now be able to connect the two of them and end up with more electricity than two singles alone. Don’t ask me how it works, I just know it does.

Day 78- A Quick Trip Home

2011-09-01T23:27:00.002-04:00

It’s weird that two people should be so in tune as to come up with the same idea at about the same time. It doesn’t matter who came up with the plan. What matters is we both thought about heading home a day early. So we did. By 9:30, breakfast was eaten, we’d collected the dirty clothes and recyclables, done up the dirty dishes and taken out the trash. And then we headed north. We stopped for gas twice, a pit stop or 4 and a quick lunch on the go. By the time we hit Northampton, MA, it was time to stop and eat supper and then it was back on the road. We did hit a bit of traffic around the Waterford and Hartford, CT interchanges and some construction on the Rte 91 corridor but we encounter few serious delays and arrived home by 9:30 PM. In some ways, it doesn’t seem as if we’ve been away. Not much has changed. Tomorrow, we’ll see about the generator, I’ll work on some photos to be printed and matted, we’ll load up the show tent, racks, tables and everything else I’ll need to do a show for the Honda Gold Wing Road Riders Rally at the Hotel Carlisle from Sept7-10th. Not sure what we’ll be doing after that. I have to be back to do the Littleton Art Show on September 24th… I know I’ll see some of you there.

Day 77- 11 Weeks On The Road

2011-08-31T23:24:00.001-04:00

What a great day we had, none of the frustration of the day before. We drove to the Lancaster County Visitor’s center and talked with a wonderful guy who knew just what we needed. He even showed us some of the photos he’s taken on his i phone. We chose to drive the 5th and final tour, the Scenic and Parks Loop which brought us turn by turn to 7 covered bridges around the Strasburg area. And, even better, we had lunch at our favorite pizza place, CiCi’s All you can eat pizza buffet. We don’t have one in NH so we take the opportunity every chance we get to enjoy the pasta, pizza, salad and dessert buffet which includes some unusual but tasty offerings such as bacon and egg pizza, Mac and cheese pizza, Philly cheese steak pizza and a Bavarian Cream dessert pizza which is to die for. The tour included travel though some really spectacular farmland with more beautifully maintained farms. Along the way, we were able to observe many farmers going about their daily business, mowing and wind rowing hay with a pair of mules, a 4 horse hitch of Belgian Drafts spreading liquid fertilizer on an already harvested field and a father and daughter heading to the fields to gather some crops for market, perhaps watermelons or corn. Both were in the area and looked ready to harvest. We had an opportunity to see several horses and buggies on the road as well. What I also observed is more and more of the farm houses have electric wires leading to them. It started with the barns or more specifically, the milking parlors and has increased to hen houses for air circulation. Now, it seems the electricity is making it’s way into the home although there are still no TV antennas or satellite dishes. I suspect the electricity is for a few electric lights and perhaps a radio. Anyway, progress can only be kept at bay for so long and eventually will creep in. The Amish farm and Home exhibit is a case in point. This working farm is surrounded by box stores, strip malls and a very busy highway. One way or another, most of the land associated with the farm has been sold off or taken. The family makes a living by giving narrated tours of their house, showing their way of life and using the farm as a living museum. They charge admission and sell vegetables and baked good from their farm. The way they make their living now has been changed by the progress that surrounds them. It makes me wonder what else they’ve had to sacrifice in order to keep what little bit of farm life they have left. The day before, our server at the Oregon Dairy Restaurant was a lovely young Amish lady. I would have loved to had a dialog with her about her life with the family, in the church and the community but I didn’t feel it was the place. The “plain folk” as they refer to themselves are just that, a deeply religious and industrious sect of the protestant religion who have chosen to live a more literal life, according to the laws of God first and man afterwards. Our day ended with a lovely view of the Susquehanna River Valley from high up on the Pinnacle Road. We had a better feel for the roads by this time and I was able to work the map cross country and get home without too much trouble. Our supper of steak on the grill and fresh broccoli tasted real good followed by a win from the Red Sox over the Yankees. That’s what I call a good day. Oh, and we’ve traveled 14,583 miles after 11 weeks on the road.

Pay Attention To The Signs

2011-08-31T09:33:00.001-04:00

In our travels, we’ve had the privilege of seeing quite a variety of wildlife, some we knew where to look while others came as a complete surprise. It’s part of driving human made roads through their homes. They appear when and where they choose or if they choose. I’ve made a list of all the warning signage we’ve encountered and it’s direct bearing on the viewing of the animal in question: Deer-no, Moose- not even close, Free Ranging Livestock- didn’t see so much as one cow, Horses- they were supposed to be wild but belonged to someone. The halter and bell was a dead giveaway, Bison- no where near the cautionary sign, Mountain Goats- don’t believe they exist, Big Horn Sheep- the herd was relocated, Elk- don’t they have a lodge somewhere?, Caribou- it isn’t time for their migration, Badger ( or wolverine ) - kept looking but no luck. Okay, so I’m a bit cynical and this is sort of a spoof because I know none of those animals can read. They don’t know they are expected to cross between those signs. Over the past 10 weeks, we have seen moose, elk, caribou, deer, bison, horses, stone sheep and a lynx but there wasn’t a sign for that one anyway. These are just the land animals. There are no signs in the ocean warning of “Whale Crossing, next 10 nautical miles. And, with fairness all the way around we also didn’t see any “Falling Rock”, “Rock Slide”, “Avalanche Area”, “Fog”, “Flash Flood Area” or “Snow Removal Equipment May Be Moving Towards You In Your Lane”. That one I would have waited for! The point I'm trying to make is be safe out there, enjoy the scenery and be alert for wildlife wherever you drive. And when you see something spectacular, think about your impact on the situation. Wildlife should be allowed to be wild.

The Other Part Of Our Route

2011-08-30T22:53:00.001-04:00

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Part Of The Route

2011-08-30T22:45:00.001-04:00

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Day 76- The Bridges Of Lancaster County

2011-08-30T22:00:00.001-04:00

We slept much later than usual. It had to be a combination of a couple of things. First, we were beat last night and second, the site we have at Western Village RV Park is under a lovely canopy of trees so it stays a shaded (overcast) level of light all day. Then, we had a leisurely breakfast and spent some time pouring over the 4 maps of the area we have. The plan was to drive over to Lancaster County and photograph some of the 30 bridges in that part of the state. Before we left NH I had bookmarked a website with 5 driving routes to help us enjoy the countryside, experience some of the Amish charm, sample bits of the local fare and get those photos I’ve been thinking of for a long time. So, I’m wondering why I didn’t print these directions out. After using Carl’s planning skills one more time, we roughed out directions to Lititz which is where the starting point of one of the driving tours began. We hoped the Visitor’s Center would either have the printed directions or would be able to print them for us. In fact, they couldn’t help with anything other than to give me a printed list of the bridges with their GPS coordinates. Armed with another map, Carl plotted a route to 4 bridges and I wrote the directions out longhand. So, off we went and found the first bridge with no problems, the second one proved a bit more elusive and we got lost looking for the third one. The map wasn’t proving as helpful as we thought. Not all roads were represented and others didn’t exist. We were told to go to the end of Farmersville Road and turn left onto Gristmill but when we got to the end the road was Sykes. We accidentally found a bridge we hadn’t been looking for. The day trip fell into a rhythm. I would jump out take the photos of the bridge and whatever else was in the area while Carl sat in the truck and plotted what he hoped would be our next move. Then we’d drive to the next destination, miss a road or find the road wasn’t there and then I’d have to set the camera down and try to figure out where we were on the map. It was all very frustrating. By the third time we were “not quite aware of where we were” , we were pretty frustrated. We found our way back to one of the major routes and the Oregon Dairy Restaurant and Ice Cream Stand for lunch. It was 2:30. After lunch, we set off to try to find one last bridge. It was on the edge of a campground on Red Run Road and was in really bad shape. It was twisted, closed off at both ends, missing side boards and wasn’t over any water that I could see. I passed on this one. Carl worked out how to get back to our RV Park and we immediately couldn’t find one of the roads. After another frustrating few minutes, the highway was in sight and we discovered we were 20 miles further away from the camper than we thought. Once more, poor Carl was beat. He fell asleep sitting up during the first couple of innings of the Red Sox Yankees game. No supper for either of us tonight. The photos we took today were not bad. We did see the classic horse and buggy trotting down the road. After 5 bridges, I realized they all look alike and that’s because they are all Burr Arch Truss construction and built by the same type of craftsmen. Today’s travels took us through Lititz, Manheim, Brownstown, Farmersville, New Holland, Goodville and Blue Ball. Perhaps, tomorrow will reveal a different type of bridge in the Strasburg area.

Day 75- Pennsylvania Campground

2011-08-29T21:42:00.001-04:00

The last push was, thankfully, uneventful. We shot through the last hundred miles of Ohio, slipped into a tiny section of West Virginia for some gas and finally hit Pennsylvania where we ran into rough roads, short sections of construction and lots of highway traffic. By 3:30, we were still about 70 miles away from the Western Village RV Park in Carlisle, PA so I gave them a call to advise them of our location. They hadn’t taken a credit card number to hold the site and would only hold our site until 6:00. That gave us plenty of time to get there. In fact, we made it there, got the camper backed into our site and leveled by 6. But after this 2,000 mile push from Moab to Carlisle, Carl was spent and I was also feeling the effects. I still haven’t driven more than 15 feet with the camper so all 12,000 miles plus belong to Carl. That could have some bearing on how he felt. Me, I’m just frustrated because my photos over the past 5 days have been from the passenger seat of the truck at 60 mph. And you have to remember I still have those two “bullet hole” rock chips in my line of sight through the windshield and by the time I focus out the side window, what I wanted to get a photo of is long gone. We didn’t even have the oomph to grill our steak for supper. We opted for a couple of quick microwave frozen dinners. And with no baseball, it was lights out fairly early.

Day 74- Oh! Is For Ohio

2011-08-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

Last night was awful. Before I shut off the lights, there was only one tractor trailer in the rest area with us. But, by the time I climbed into bed, there were about 50, including one who pulled up right beside our open windows. And even though it was still uncomfortably warm, the exhaust was blowing right into our camper so I had to close the windows. The trucker let his truck idle all night long and before morning, another truck had pulled up on our other side just not quite as close. All that noise kept both Carl and me from getting the rest we needed to push on in good spirits today. For the first time, I was concerned we might not make the 400 + miles Carl had set as our goal during this push from Moab, UT to Gettysburg, PA. But push we did and continued on through the last of Illinois and into Indiana. I have to confess I don’t know much about Indiana. In fact, other than hosting a couple of very important races every year and my favorite NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart, claims Rushville as his home town, the only other trivia I can recall is Larry Byrd lives in French Lick, Indiana. So, today, I was enlightened with the knowledge that Indiana also claims Abraham Lincoln as one of it’s own. Apparently, Abe lived here as a child. But, as far as the scenery is concerned, if it weren’t for the big sign welcoming me to Indiana, I couldn’t tell it apart from the section of Illinois we drove through. Rte I-70, surprisingly, cuts through some really nice agricultural countryside in several states. So, if you take photos of fields of corn in Illinois, well, Indiana corn and Ohio corn for that matter, looks about the same. What I’m trying to say is I had a photo drought today. I did discover part of I-70 has been dedicated at the USS Indianapolis Memorial highway. For those of you who do not know the story of the Indianapolis, it was the aircraft carrier that was responsible for delivering the atom bombs to Tinian which helped to end World War II. It was such a secret mission no one missed them until they were 4 days over due. The ship had been torpedoed and sunk, putting almost a thousand men into shark infested water. Only a few hundred were pulled out almost a week later. The story was first brought to light in the original movie, Jaws, but since then it’s been the subject of several documentaries. We’ve been traveling some pretty rough roads all day, some just as bad as the Alaska Highway while others were giving Wisconsin’s pot holes and washboard concrete a run for it’s money. And to top it off, yesterday’s encounter with Jon El’s BBQ had an unfortunate side effect on me today so I asked Carl to pull over so I could use our traveling rest room. When I got into the camper, I was met with a minor disaster. One of those nasty dipsy doodles had tossed everything in the bathroom about, stuff in the sink and all of the recyclable bottles and cans had been thrown onto the floor plus a brand new gallon plastic jug of water had ruptured and emptied onto the floor. The water had run the entire length of the camper soaking the carpeting and rugs by the sink and door. We had a small dry braided garlic hanging over the bathroom door, a gift from Dad and Adena, was also on the floor. Sadly, it wasn’t dry any more and now the camper reeks of garlic. Let’s just say I won’t be getting any visits from my Twilight favorites any time soon. Carl’s goal of reaching the other side of Columbus came one step closer when we drove under this huge arch welcoming us to Ohio and another sign a bit later stating we had just entered Clark County, the birthplace of 4-H. Now, in Ohio, they must take their pipe smoking rather seriously because at one of the convenience stores where we got gas today, they sold 5 blends in 4 different size plastic bags with a press and seal closure. The flavor that got my attention was a generic version of Paladin Black Cherry in a 16 ounce bag. Our final destination was a rest stop about 50 miles east of Columbus but after our troubles last night, we were a bit leery of a second night with little sleep, we opted for a Wal-Mart near the highway. It’s been a while since we’ve stayed in one.

Day 73- Who Knows Where We’ll Be Tonight

2011-08-27T19:26:00.002-04:00

Neither of us had a particularly restful night. It was about 100 in the part of Kansas we stopped in and to top it off, we had been seeing beautiful rest areas with shady picnic and RV parking loops all day. But, when it came time to stop for the night, the rest area we had in front of us didn’t include the shady loop. We set up in the parking area and climbed into the 100 degree camper. I opened ever window possible and we both set there and sweat. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees when the sun set but it was nearly impossible to get the cooler air into the camper. Our Air conditioner remains unusable because of ongoing problems with the generator. I did have wireless internet but it was slow and very frustrating. By the time I edited the photos from yesterday and got them uploaded to face book, I was pooped and climbed into bed. But just before I did, I made myself a cup of coffee and put it in the frig for the morning. That backfired because there was a sediment in the bottom and as we bounced down the road, it got stirred up and was really bitter. Carl made a joke about Dunkin Donuts and I countered with they were only in New England and some parts of Florida. We were both taken by surprise when we pulled into the service plaza to find a Dunkin Donuts there offering my favorite iced coffee. This was also the very first service plaza I’ve been in that offered a storm shelter for it’s patrons. Did I mention we were just outside of Lawrence, KS, the geographical center of the contiguous 48 states. It’s also reported to be the headquarters for a very large array of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile silos which, in the event of a nuclear attack, would make it a primary objective. I didn’t see any missile complexes and I didn’t see any signs pointing me in their direction but I guess they wouldn’t be very secret if that were the case. Is Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO the only two like named cities split by a state line? Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, ON come to mind but half of that is Canada. Somewhere near noon time, we needed to get more gas for the next leg of the trip. Carl pulled into a Dairy Queen / gas station and Carl asked if I wanted to stop. We had both been holding out for either Kansas City or Missouri BBQ so I opted to hold off a bit longer. Can you imagine passing up ice cream for ribs? Shortly, I spotted a billboard that boasted Jon El’s BBQ at Exit 103 in Booneville, MO. Now, I have to tell you, I’m not an expert on what makes the best BBQ but I do know what I like. And, I like Jon El’s food, everything about it, in fact. We were greeted as we entered, not rushed to a decision and the food was dished out before our eyes. The serving sizes are huge so Carl and I opted to share a Combo plate of pulled pork and brisket. There were a number of sides to choose from, macaroni and cheese plus baked beans ended up on our plate. A couple slices of bread, double the silverware and a Styrofoam cup of soda rounded it out. At the table were two kinds of sauce, the vinegary spicy blend and the sweet tomato based kind along with a whole roll of paper towels and of course, salt and pepper. We walked away full and thankful to Jon El for spending all that money for the billboard. I’m posting his face book page with a glowing review of food, service and price. In 11 weeks, other than friends and families meals, this was the absolute best food we’ve eaten and we told him so. Oh, and his hours of operation, seven days a week 11:00 AM to 8:00PM or until the food runs out which Jon El says is often. If you are even on I-70 in MO, make sure to get off on exit 103 and stop in for some great BBQ at a reasonable price. The push today was to hit IL and our road took us through St. Louis, MO. I wanted to catch a glimpse and get a photo of the Gateway Arch, the huge shiny monument to the hardy souls who headed west from this very area in large wagon trains with hopes of finding new opportunities beyond the Mississippi. Our directions took us around the bulk of the city so although I caught a far off glimpse of the arch, there was no way I could get a photo. The rest area here in Illinois is quiet, at the moment, although there is the potential for large numbers of trucks before morning. The good news is there is a nice breeze and it’s a bit cooler than last night. Our supper was wild caught Salmon thanks to Carl and fresh beets from Joe’s Gardens in Bellingham, WA.

Day 72- To Topeka, Kansas

2011-08-26T21:22:00.001-04:00

Our stay at the truck stop was brief. Carl couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep with all the trucks running. It really was quite loud so we moved. First Carl thought he’d drive to the next rest area but when he went out front where the restaurant was closed, he noticed a couple of buses and campers parked there. That’s where we spent the night. And it was considerably more quiet than it would have been among the 50 or so trucks out back. As we got closer to the Colorado Kansas border, we began to see evidence of corn, lots of corn, which brought out a conversation about the number of varieties of corn there may be very much like the potato. We even posed the question to one another, is it a special breed that produces baby corn or do they just pick it immature. I suspected it was it’s own variety. We must have been in high spirits because the levity continued with guessing why towns were named the way they were or in the case of Bovina, CO, I broke into very bad song, “ Nothing could be finer than to be in Bovina in the morning”. Carl didn’t get it so either I sang badly or he isn’t a fan of that musical genre. Our very first stop in Kansas was at the Visitor Center where we found out overnight parking was welcome at all rest areas which was good news for us. We checked the area out and could see a lovely paved loop away from the road noise with covered picnic tables and fire pits for charcoal cooking. At the end of the parking area, just before rejoining the highway was a dump station to empty your tanks before heading on your way. It was perfect but way too early for us to pull over. Carl estimates we must make 400 miles every day on our push from Moab, UT to Gettysburg, PA. The very nice ladies at the visitor center also told us where I could find sunflowers in an unfenced field with their heads held high. It was a short but productive side trip. I spent about ½ hour in the field shooting and all the while wishing the sun was out. Everything else was perfect, several acres of accessible flowers in all stages of blooming, complete with honey bees and butterflies. On our way back to the highway, we passed a Wal-Mart out in the middle of literal no where in a tiny little out of the way community of Central Brewster, KS. Back on the highway, we were treated to long views of corn which you’d expect in Kansas plus several more large fields of sunflowers but none as nice as what I had been able to roam in freely. What we didn’t expect to learn is that Kansas is called the Wheat state. We didn’t see any wheat but we did see miles of fields that had already been harvested and I suspect those were the wheat fields. Another surprise was the amount of oil wells we saw during today’s travel. And the people of Kansas sure do like their museums. I should have counted the number of signs proclaim thing the way to the Cavalry, Oz, Stover, Zoo and farm machinery museums to just name a few. Carl was only slightly tempted with the Stover factory store while I really was interested in the Cavalry museum. We even passed the Eisenhower Museum and Presidential Library. And there were so many other claims to fame, counting 3 astronauts and many collegiate championships. Fort Riley, home of the Big Red 1 appeared on our left, a couple of miles of sand colored vehicles, tanks and other items needed overseas. Towards the later part of the afternoon, I spotted a beautiful church off in the distance, the sign read St. Fidelis Church, one of the 8 great wonders of Kansas. I can’t wait to discover what the other 7 might be.

Day 71- From The Desert To The Mountains

2011-08-25T23:15:00.002-04:00

Two states, Utah and Colorado share a border and a river but similarities, at least for the beginning of the day , ended there. Once we left Moab and got onto Rte I-70 East, the land flattened out into those rolling dry plains like so much of the Southwest is made up of. I made a comment to Carl how there was a good looking hunk of a young man behind every tree. Of course, there wasn’t anything larger than a 3 ft tall bush in site. What I was seeing, however, were these metal step ladders placed over the 4 strand barbed wire fences every mile or so. At first, I thought this was strange but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I mean 4 strands of barbed wire is nasty business so if you need to get over to the other side, well there are limited options. Farmers and ranchers tend to frown on cut fences and people in need are not happy about getting clothing and skin shredded to bits. Shortly after crossing into Colorado, we began to notice several of those rocker arm pumps bringing oil to the surface. Wherever these are, there are also a collection of tanks and sometimes a little tool shed. One of these had a red light glowing by the door and we couldn’t help but laugh. Customers would be few and far between in that district. Those gently rolling plains became high sandstone mesas with huge skree piles on all sides. Off in the distance we could see what I considered to be serious mountains. And sure enough, we began to climb gradually at first. We pulled off in Rifle, CO for some gas. I mention this because the guy I used to work with, Ernie, lived in Colorado for a while and Rifle, specifically. The mountains loomed closer and ski are signs with names like Copper, Steamboat Springs and Breckenridge popped up. Now, we’ve become somewhat of a whiz in finding Wal-Marts. Call it a second sense if you will. But, here in the Vail area, we didn’t have a clue. When all of a sudden, on the highways signs that point out services such as gas, food and lodging, there was the familiar bright blue Wal-Mart name and logo so we turned and sure enough there it was only ¼ mile off the highway. We pulled in to get the few provisions we needed to take us to Gettysburg, PA. We had no intentions of staying the night but wouldn’t have been able to anyway. We had just encountered our 2nd “No Camping or Overnight Parking Allowed” store. After a 45 minute break, we hit the road once more and began seeing signs about a 3 day Bike Race in the area which list traffic restrictions, road and exit closures and parking bans through Vail Pass. I’ve since found out it’s the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. As we drove, we caught glimpses of support vehicles laden with spare bikes, riders peddling like crazy, motorcycle escorts, a helicopter for aerial coverage, the banners over the course announcing the near finish of the race and finally the finish line. There were thousands of spectators strung out over miles. We figured the winner of the stage had already come in because hundreds of amateur cyclists were leaving the area including one tall lanky fellow who I could have sworn was Lance Armstrong ( not racing, watching ). Did I mention during this whole exciting bit, we were still climbing only now it was much steeper. Most of the tractor-trailers were down to 50 mph and so were we. Finally, we leveled off just before entering the Johnson Tunnel, finished in 1979, at 11,158 ft above sea level. As we came down the other side of the Rockies, I looked down to see chairlifts below us. You know you’re up high when you look down on ski lifts. And as much as I enjoyed the desert with all of the impressive multihued rocks and weird weather and water worn shapes, I just love seeing full sized forests all over the place. After a time, we reached Denver and wouldn’t you know, it was just 5:00 PM, rush hour. The west bound lane seemed backed up in real good order so I was feeling pretty good about our east bound lane which was still moving steadily. Carl mentioned it might change when we hit the middle of the city with people leaving and sure enough, not 2 miles later, traffic slowed to a crawl. There was an accident up ahead. We hit the choke point in time to see a car being loaded onto a tow truck. The front end was smashed pretty good. That was in the high speed lane while in the breakdown lane was a utility trailer just sitting. It looked undamaged except attached to the ball hitch area was an entire Reese Hitch system, the receiver portion having been ripped off whatever vehicle it had been attached to. After we passed this exit, traffic resumed it’s normal pace and we were out of the city about 15 minutes later. Clear of the city, the landscape was now more agricultural and grazing lands. The were small farms or ranches on the horizon, but there were also quite a few abandoned homes and falling down barns near the highway. Anytime you have grazing lands, there is the probability of grazing animals so I wasn’t surprised to see large herds of beef cattle and saddle horses. I mentioned to Carl how strange it was to have such a drastic swing in just 40 miles. It was nearing the end of the day and we started looking for a rest area. We found one which was closed to overnight parking and another in the west bound lane so after driving an additional 45 miles, we pulled into a Flying J Truck Center along with about 50 big rigs. Our little camper is backed in next to a “no parking” zone where trash barrels are. That way, we take up only one spot and can still open the slider without getting into any of the truckers’ ways. Space is so tight, Carl doesn’t dare to leave our steps open all the way. It ought to be an interesting night. Yesterday was the end of the 10th week and we have traveled a total of 12,236 miles so far.

Day 70- Last Day In Arches

2011-08-24T23:10:00.001-04:00

Well, we finally made it. It’s about a mile into Landscape Arch but I have to tell you, most of the way was in the shade because it was so early in the morning. And, it was well worth the effort. I mean this arch measures 291 feet long and is 118 feet tall. There is a very narrow spot which is less than 6 feet thick. In 1991, people had been sitting under the arch when they heard groaning and little cracking sounds. They moved out of the way just before a huge piece of the arch fell. Someone caught the break on their video camera. We saw the footage and I have to tell you, as I have always said there are three elements to a great photo, right place, right time and have camera. Man, they had it all! We spent some time at the end of the trail just soaking in the marvel of it. It is the largest arch in the park and may be the longest natural span in the world. On the way out we visited Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. Then we moved to Sand Dune Arch. By then the sun had climbed higher and we were starting to feel the heat. We went to breakfast at Denny’s in Moab where Carl tried to get me a free birthday meal the day after my birthday. It was a good try but our server had to stick to the rules. Then it was back to the camper for showers, laundry and I also put together a crock pot lasagna. If you think it sounds like we’re getting ready to roll, you’re right. We’ll head to Denver, Co in the morning on Rte I-70 and stay on that road all the way to Gettysburg. After supper, we were back in the park. I had a score to settle with the Windows and some bad lighting. This late afternoon light was much better and there were far fewer people getting into the arches and in my way. Then Carl and I headed around the back side of the window arches. The trail, considered primitive, was a little challenging in places but it was all shade which was a great thing. All together, we walked about 4 miles today and the high for the day was 101. Unfortunately, we missed the sunset because we were out of position when it got to the colorful stage. It’s really hard to judge the rate of descent when there are solid sandstone cliffs a couple hundred feet high in your west facing vision. So, now, I have to tell you I don’t know when I’ll have internet again. But, I’ll keep blogging and taking picture and will catch you up at the next hot spot.

Day 69- Change Of Plans

2011-08-23T22:07:00.001-04:00

Well, plans change quickly with us. The alarm went off and I could hardly get out of bed to shut it off. I suspected after my fall yesterday, I might be sore but I wasn’t prepared for the stabbing pain that shot through my shoulder and back. Back into bed I tumbled and Carl and I slept until a little after 7. After breakfast I got caught up on posting some photos, through some boneless ribs into the crock pot for a meal later in the week and did laundry. Now, we’re trying to salvage the day. We have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to cram in as much as we can before hitting the road on Rte I-70 all the way to Gettysburg, PA. We decided a drive along Rte 128 which winds along the banks of the Colorado river would be a nice alternative. It was a good decision. The countryside we drove through was spectacular and the drive gave us many miles of pleasure, including watching river float trips go by as well as checking out the Bureau of Land Management campsites along the way. We even took a few moments to stop at the Castle Creek Winery to sample the fruits of their labors. The exceptionally pleasant lady could pour three samples for each of us and we could share so we got to taste 5 different wines and had a second sample of one other one before we made up our minds to purchase two bottles. Later in the evening, it was the Moab Brewery for supper and to sample the best beer Moab has to offer. In fact, the Moab Brewery is the only microbrewery in Utah. Carl had 3 samples before making his mind up on which one he would have in a “grown up size”. And to finish off the day, we went to the movies to see “Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes”, a movie heavy in special effects but good ones. Andy Sirkus , Golem in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, plays the lead and it’s the first movie Carl and I have ever seen where the “animal actors” got top billing over the “human” actors. We’re back on schedule for an early morning visit to the park. The alarm is set.

Day 68 - The Weather Jonahs!, August 22, 2011

2011-08-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

We’ve decided that we are weather jinxes. It seems as if we are in that Peanuts cartoon where the cloud and rain follow that one poor little guy all over. And so it is with us. I never thought about rain in the desert until the past three nights. Tomorrow, I’ll take the umbrella. But tonight, we went to Dead Horse State Park. The name is derived from a legend. In the 1800’s a group of cowboys drove wild horses out to the high mesa surrounded by a 2,000 foot drop to the Colorado River save this one 30 yard opening. After selecting the horses they want, they left the brushwood fence up abandoning the horses to a terrible death by thirst, being able to smell the river below. Now, if there is any truth to this legend, it must have been horrific. We were there during a brief rain storm. Puddles formed and then disappeared as if someone had sucked them up with a wet dry vacuum. And even the rocks were warm and dry only twenty minutes later. The view down was spectacular, especially when the sun hit the mesas and canyon far below. In this part of the Colorado’s 1450 mile journey, the water was jade green at Horseshoe Bend and moving quite slowly. We spent lots of time waiting for the sun to reappear but when it did, it made a world of difference making the colors of the rock layers just pop. This part of Canyonlands is mostly stepped mesas with a couple of dramatic spires. Carl has decided not to visit Canyonlands as there is more than enough to keep us busy at Arches. So, in the morning, we’re off to Landscape Arch, the thinnest and longest of the arches in the park. We just won’t be there quite so early.

Day 68 - The Weather Jonahs!

2011-08-22T23:10:00.000-04:00

We’ve decided that we are weather jinxes. It seems as if we are in that Peanuts cartoon where the cloud and rain follow that one poor little guy all over. And so it seems with us. I never thought about rain in the desert until the past three nights. Tomorrow, I’ll take the umbrella. But tonight, we went to Dead Horse State Park. The name is derived from a legend. In the 1800’s a group of cowboys drove wild horses out to the high mesa surrounded by a 2,000 foot drop to the Colorado River save this one 30 yard opening. After selecting the horses they want, they left the brushwood fence up abandoning the horses to a terrible death by thirst, being able to smell the river below. Now, if there is any truth to this legend, it must have been horrific. We were there during a brief rain storm. Puddles formed and then disappeared as if someone had sucked them up with a wet dry vacuum. And even the rocks were warm and dry only twenty minutes later. The view down was spectacular, especially when the sun hit the mesas and canyon far below. In this part of the Colorado’s 1450 mile journey, the water was jade green at Horseshoe Bend and moving quite slowly. We spent lots of time waiting for the sun to reappear but when it did, it made a world of difference making the colors of the rock layers just pop. This part of Canyonlands is mostly stepped mesas with a couple of dramatic spires. Carl has decided not to visit Canyonlands as there is more than enough to keep us busy at Arches. So, in the morning, we’re off to Landscape Arch, the thinnest and longest of the arches in the park. We just won’t be there quite so early.

Day 68 - Rise and Shine , August 22, 2011

2011-08-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

When the alarm went off, Carl announced, “It’s your mother!” I knew better. We each made a morning beverage, threw a couple bananas and granola bars in the sack and hit the road with flashlights in hand. We didn’t encounter a soul on our way into the park. The parking area was completely empty at Double Arch so armed with our flashlights, we hit the easy trail in. Then it was a waiting game. Waiting on the sun, that is. Now, I understand the difference between early morning shots and sunrise shots. Double Arch is NOT a sunrise shot. We stayed over three hours until the sun had advanced on the rock as much as we felt it was going to because there was a high band of puffy whites that appeared to be growing thicker. We had enough time there to be on first name basis with a couple of crows, a flock of swallows and a very small squirrel. I think we also began to give names to the surrounding rocks. Thankfully, two couples from San Francisco came along to relieve our tedium. They waited with us for more than an hour. And then it was time to move on. Carl felt like heading for “home” and breakfast while I thought I was up for another short jaunt into Turret and The Windows. Well, Turret was spectacular but unfortunately we were in the wrong position for North Window because I was shooting into the sun and there was a steady stream of people getting into my shot. The South Window is less accessible for people to climb into so that shot was a bit better. This is a late afternoon shot for sure. We caught up with the two couples from Frisco again and I made a joke just in time for them to see me fall on my face. Yup, my knee didn’t work and down I went. It’s my first fall in almost 10 weeks but it’s the very first time I’ve fallen where I’ve been unable to keep the camera from hitting the ground. I felt miserable about the whole thing. Everyone tried keeping me still to make sure I was all right and I kept asking Carl to get the camera, to make sure it was still working and then and only then, would I get up off the ground. It was 10:00AM and getting hot. I didn’t break anything, the camera is still working and I’ll take it easy for the rest of the day.

Day 67- Arches National Park , August 21, 2011

2011-08-21T22:20:00.001-04:00

There is no way to describe the incredible works of nature before my eyes. It’s hard to believe this area was all under water a couple hundred million years ago. Eventually, with upheaval, rain, wind and time, these breathtaking formations were created. It’s a very slow process, even by geological time. My photos are poor substitutes for the grandeur in front of my lens. We slept too late to get out and tear into the park so we ended up doing exactly what I had said I wouldn’t do, hike in the park between the hours of 10 and 2 when the sun is the strongest. By the time we took care of a little bookkeeping error on the part of a Yellowstone Ranger, it was almost 11. We drove in, stopped at a few places on the way, the Three Gossips, Sheep Mountain, Balanced Rock, The Windows and then we arrived at Delicate Arch. We hiked into the viewpoint at high noon and by the time we got ¾ of the way up, I was toast so Carl took the camera and went the additional distance. When he returned, he said it was only another 200 yards or so. I was really angry with myself for not pushing further especially when I saw the photos he took. It’s his picture attached to this blog entry. It’s a good thing we have three more days, in the park. I want to be at some of the more famous arches at the right time of day. This is going to mean hiking in before daylight or hiking out after the sun has set. We went back into the park sometime after 6:00 PM. My time is vague because we had a sudden thunderstorm which delayed my decision on where to go, when to go and even if to go. We got some nice late afternoon sun on the Courthouse Towers but by the time we made it to Balanced rock, the sun was obscured behind a wide band of very dark clouds. We waited about ½ hour and then it happened. The sun broke trough for one glorious finale, splashing that gorgeous afternoon light just where I needed it. The down side to this was I used up all our time before sunset and I was out of position. Carl always has some good ideas so up onto a high layer of racks we went to find something interesting in the foreground of whatever sunset we were blessed with. Sadly, the day was spent and so was I. we ate our supper sandwiches right where we parked as the last rays of light faded. The alarm was set for 5:00AM with a decision made to go to Double Arch for sunrise.

Day 66- Salt Lake or Bust

2011-08-20T23:06:00.002-04:00

The road through Idaho was more or less uneventful so we started guessing what sorts of crops we passed. I thought I spotted Beets and Alfalfa but was delighted when my eyes picked out the now infamous Idaho Potato plants with their tell tale mounding of soil around them to stimulate more tubers. We did have two final impressions of Idaho. One was of a burned out car on the westbound brake down lane. That in itself should be noteworthy for I can’t see the highway department leaving an immobile hulk there for very long. It was the man sitting on the edge of the grill that caught both Carl’s and my attention. We were past it so quickly I couldn’t get a shot and since my mind was already on “did this just happen” or “where’s the rest of his belongings” and I think I even thought “where did the engine go” ? If not for the camper, I just know Carl and I would have turned around at the next exit to backtrack for the photo. Oh, well, you can’t have everything. I’ve gotten used to having the traveling bathroom with us. Sadly, the last impression of Idaho was two bad experiences with rest area toilets. The one in Twin Falls was so bad you felt you needed to wash your hand before you used it. Carl said, “It’s like they schedule a cleaning once a year and tomorrow’s it” . And the one after that was also bad. The ladies side reeked of chlorine to the point of burning my eyes and Carl said the urinal had no water running to it. Just before the Utah border we came upon an unnerving sight. In the meridian, facing the wrong way and almost into the east bound lane was a truck and travel trailer. It appeared to us, they were traveling west bound, perhaps passing another vehicle and caught the soft shoulder. What we couldn’t see was if a blowout was involved. We do know both people in the truck were out and walking around, shook up, I’m sure. And a few minutes later, we saw police responding to the scene. We hadn’t been in Utah very long before we saw our first pronghorns. Remember, they are not antelope as most people say. We learned that in Yellowstone. These were noteworthy because the small herd was grazing just a couple hundred feet from an irrigation line. I sure hope the farmer is a tolerant man. A visit to the Visitor Center got us information about Moab and a couple of other things to do besides visiting Arches National Park. He suggested a side trip to Antelope Island which is in the Great Salt Lake. I thought that would be a nice diversion and I could get photos of the lake while we were there but Carl didn’t see the value in the stop. Unbeknown to me, he had a plan to drive through Salt Lake City before rush hour so my impressions of this huge and sprawling city are just that. It’s huge and sprawling. There are gated communities where the church is built first and then the houses are built around it, much like in early settler times ( minus the gates, of course ) because the church was the center of all activities. I spotted a huge domed building which I made the assumption was the capitol building and I caught a glimpse of the Great Mormon Tabernacle high up a contour overlooking the city. Carl asked if that’s where “The Choir” sang and I had to admit I could only guess the answer was yes. One of more annoying novelties of our trip has been billboard watching. Since New Hampshire outlawed them on our few hundred miles of high speed roads, I don’t miss them. In our travels, they have been prevalent in many states. Carl spotted this one and we both laughed. The words “Eat More Chicken” were scrawled across the board. The last “n” had a paintbrush sticking out from it with a 3 dimensional Holstein cow trying to balance on the shoulders of another cow who was on a ladder. The whole affect was quite amusing to think cows would be suggesting another alternative. What most people probably missed from this cut little tableau was Holsteins are milking cows and not beef animals. I’m sure they used the characteristic black and white spots which most people use to illustrate the “cow idea”. I mentioned Salt Lake City is huge and sprawling. What I didn’t tell you was the temperature was low 90’s and I had been pushing the fluids. We were more than an hour into the cross town travel when I had to go. I waited, hoping to get out of the city so Carl could pull over easily but the city just kept on going and so did we. Eventually, it got too much for me and I had to ask him to get off the highway so I could go. The very next exit was a Wal-Mart so we took that opportunity to get the rest of our groceries for our desert stay and I went to the bathroom not once but twice. And then, the most amazing thing happened. Off in the distance, the sky looked ominous, clouds were building against the mountains and I could see wisps of rain falling. We’re in the desert and it’s raining. But, it was the lightening that grabbed my attention. I set out to capture it on film, no easy task in a moving vehicle I might add. After about 50 shots, I managed one photo and I’m very proud of it. As we moved closer to Moab, the landscape became way more impressive with tall pinnacles and huge cliffs of multicolored sedimentary rock, some heaved up at an angle from all the tectonic movement. The finish to the day was a gorgeous rainbow falling against an equally hued rock butte and a sunset like nothing I’ve seen during the 10 weeks we’ve been on the road. I grabbed a shot in the rear view mirror but Carl was the one who made the decision to stop on the side of the road and told me to get out and take the photo. It was well worth the few minutes we were delayed. I love that man!!!! We saw lots of flashing lights ahead of us and had to slow down for single lane traffic. A police officer was doing his best to be seen in the pitch black and controlling the traffic flow past an unrecognizable large object, perhaps a motor home or a tractor trailer, that was burnt on the side of the road. The emergency response people were still on scene pouring water on the skeletal remains of the vehicle. It certainly put a damper on the last 15 miles we had to travel to the Arch View RV Park. We almost missed it but Carl remembered the lady on the phone mentioning a Shell gas station.

Day 65- Tonight We Slept In Bliss

2011-08-19T23:00:00.001-04:00

Now before you jump to all those sexually explicit ideas, I should probably explain and I will get to that, eventually. As you recall, lat night we were in WA state at a Wal-Mart which, by the way, was a great place. After doing our usual morning chores and getting gas we were headed down Rte I-82 and a few miles later, we were on Rte I-84, our designed route for the day. Along with all of the fields growing, being harvested or resting, there were some that looked burnt. And as it would happen, we saw smoke off in the distance. We’ve found the ranchers and farmers both will allow fire to help enrich the land along with water and/or fertilizer. It was easy to see the patchwork quilt this created because the land was so flat for mile after mile. Off in the distance was Oregon but before we could get there we would climb gradually more than 4,000 feet. Once at the top, there was a pull off to allow us to take in the valley and the view that sprawled out before us. The temperature in WA was due to be in the 90 degree vicinity and it will only get warmer the further south we go. While at a Visitor Center in Oregon, I confirmed the reason behind the dry desert like area we were driving through and just as I suspected, it’s the same reason that WA state has a lush green north western side and a much drier south eastern side. It’s the rain shadow cast by the Cascade Mountains. The mountains act as a huge barrier holding the clouds on the Pacific side so most of the rain stays there. In due course we found ourselves back among the evergreens with the land around us taking a much hillier attitude. We stopped for fuel and lunch in Baker City before heading off for Idaho. We’ve been having these multi grain Ciabata rolls purchased at Wal-Mart as the base for our sandwiches. They have great substance but are on the softer side. The skies remain virtually cloudless as we travel past huge ranches and tiny farms. In one of these little fenced in pastures were several head of cattle but the one who caught my eye had immense horns. Carl made a joke about these being Oregon Longhorns while I proposed the possibility , just for argument’s sake, this longhorn may in fact be from Texas and he’s visiting is relatives in Oregon. The steer wasn’t talking so we continued with our travels eastbound. A tractor trailer went by with this immense white item strapped to a flatbed. It sort of liked like a giant Nike swoosh. Carl got it right away. This was a replacement blade for one of the many wind generators we have passed today. About 20 minutes behind the first truck came a second. Logic would dictate a third should be along shortly but while I had camera in hand, it didn’t show up. Carl has put out the premise, again for consideration, the wind farms creates the wind he fights when he drives through these areas. He isn’t ready to admit the wind generators are here because of the steady and sometimes strong winds whistling across the open plains. Personally, I think he knows but just wants to try to get me started. Just before we cross the river into Idaho I spot a huge manufacturing plant. The sign on the building reads Ore-Ida and although I’ve purchased this brand of French, Curly, Steak and Shoestring fries for years, it just now hit me where the name came from. The aforementioned river behind us, Idaho’s countryside awaits us. Ever notice how you will often cross a river from one state to another? It seems as if these waterways are natural boundaries. This was pointed out in a show we watched often called “How The States Got Their Shapes”. Somewhere along the highway I’ve spotted a sign which announced our return to Mountain Time loosing another hour which makes us only two hours earlier than home now. What this really means is I get to listen to the Red Sox game earlier than Dylan and thankfully, we are no longer in the latitudes where the horizon interferes with the satellite. The visitor center in Idaho has an historical information sign which tells of an Indian gather on this very spot where all of the tribes would bring what they had an abundance of to trade with others for what they needed. This gathering was called the Salmon Festival. It mentioned the trading of not only fish but horses, teepee poles, herbs, baskets, buffalo meat and hides. I surmise the name comes more from the time of year the swap meet happened, when the salmon swim upstream. Carl has another one of those days where he’s not ready to stop when we reach Boise so he decided to keep driving another couple of hours. There’s one last curious item to mention before I wrap this up. It’s about onions or more precisely the aroma of onions that is so strong inside the truck as we drive we are baffled. On either side of us were miles of cow corn and wheat but I didn’t see any onions growing. The odor lasted a few miles and then vanished. By now, you trying to figure out the title of this entry which could have just as easily been “3 States In One Day”. Well you don’t have to wait any longer. The pull out Carl decided to stop at for the night is called the Bliss rest Area. As it happens, we are about 5 miles from the town of Bliss but it will do. There is a clear view of the western sky but so few clouds, I have little hope for sunset photos. I can see another bank of wind generators in the distance and while I was eating supper, an enormously long freight train passed behind the giant three armed beasts. Who knows where we’ll stop tomorrow. It’s supposed to be Salt Lake City but it’s anyone’s guess.

Day 64- On The Road Again

2011-08-18T21:53:00.001-04:00

Hind sight being what it is, I probably didn’t post very interesting blog entries for the past couple of days and I only have one excuse. It’s because we had so much catching up to do and we were on the go most of those two days. I have given the highlights, though and I may add things as I remember them or as they become relevant. Like now, for instance. Dad asked about our route out of Bellingham and down towards Arches National Park which is our next destination. When he discovered we would travel through the busy highways of Seattle, he suggested a more scenic and less congested alternative which we accepted. Any time I can get away from the interstates and on to more rural roads for photo ops, well I’m going to take it. And then it was time to say goodbye. This was hard. It had been such a great visit and I’m already looking forward to the next time. Our departure was made a bit easier by the gray skies overhead. We swung in for gas and I did my usual window washing while Carl pumped the gas. I must be so out of practice between all the rain we had and the past couple of days where I didn’t need to wash them because the truck sat at Al’s RV Service. We took the extra time to have the wheel bearings repacked and the brakes checked over before we turn for home. Truth be told, we turned for home when we left North Pole, AK. We hit the sunshine somewhere around exit 198 on I-5. We pulled into a rest area where Carl got some coffee and I took a moment to sort out some of the stuff we hauled out of the camper while sleeping at Dad and Adena’s. Then we were off on our new route but not before we passed this gorgeous place called The Plant Farm At Smokey Point. They had lush colorful hanging baskets all along the highway drawing your eye to their front entrance. Wish I’d had time to stop but where would I stash plants while we traveled? Anyway, from Everett the new road took us up over Stevens Pass, 4061 feet and along windy twisting narrow roads thick with forests of spruce, fir, pine and cedar as well as several deciduous trees. I was fighting a bit of frustration again. We are hauling the trailer and it’s not that easy for Carl to pull over to allow me to take photos wherever I want. For instance there was some old machinery that had some beautiful flowers planted in among it, a huge cedar stump from an old growth cut with two new trees growing out of it. The old stump must have been 4 feet thick while the “new trees” were at least 12 inches through. I’ve seen smaller trees grow from stumps before but never anything like this and I would have loved to document it. There was also a fence with carousel horses atop each of the upright posts and there was a stream where people had built rock cairns in amongst the flow. All of these things would have made for interesting pictures and there wasn’t room for Carl to pull over. I know he feels bad, too. Our beautiful scenic drive continued along until about mile 84 when we were forced to detour adding another level of strange experiences to today’s travel. Eventually, we got back on the correct road but by now, Carl has started to look at our fuel gauge. We made the turn off of Rte 2 onto Rte 97 towards Wenatchee and noticed a bluish haze hanging low in the mountains. There was a faint whiff of smoke in the air so perhaps there was a minor forest fire somewhere nearby. It’s been very dry in this part of WA. After climbing gradually up Blewett Pass at 4102 feet, we descended into the valley below rather quickly. We had a good view of Mt Adams although Mt Rainier stayed hidden even though the sign pointed where it should be. Once back on the highway, we noticed a remarkable difference in the landscape around us. Instead of the lush rich rainforest drenched with moss and the wind whispering through the tops, this world was harsh, brittle and dry. The wind was hot and the only sign of green was where there were sprinklers at work. And we saw a lot of sprinklers, drenching grapes, corn, apples, cherries, apricots and so many other crops. From the scenic overlook, it looked like a checkerboard with green and brown replacing the red and black. It was a long day filled with interesting sights but finally Richland pulled into view and we found a comfortable parking spot at the Wal-Mart. We each had a bottle of water and then went in to pay our “camping fee” in the form of $85.00 worth of groceries for the next few days. We’ll have to stop one more time for some essentials before we hit Moab. We’ll make Boise Idaho tomorrow and Salt Lake City the next day. I can’t believe this trip is winding down so fast. But, in the mean time, it’s the end of the 10th week and we’ve traveled 11, 029 miles.

Day 62 and 63 - In And Around The Pacific Northwest

2011-08-17T23:30:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful day filled with tons of lousy fair food, great photo opportunities and even better beer at a local brewery. And, afterwards we came back to the house for some great ribs. Lots of talk brought us late into the evening and we observed a fairly nice sunset over Bellingham Bay from the comfort of Adena’s living room. The next morning found us off to Joe’s Gardens, a local source for great vegetables, herbs and flowers. We watched a lady braiding garlic and she explained the process. For her it seemed quite natural as she used to be a hairdresser. I could have spent hours taking photos there but we had other places to head. The plan for the afternoon was to head to Mt Baker Ski Area and take some reflection photos of Mt Shucksan. The weather was most cooperative, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the intensity of the blue was almost overwhelming. There was only one minor flaw in the day and it was connected to the reflection. There was a slight breeze which stirred the waters. It didn’t matter though because the view was breathtaking. We took a short walk around Picture Lake, observed a Greater Yellowlegs wading in the lake and a Killdeer on shore. Dad pointed out some really delicate looking Avalanche Lilies but I suspect by their name they are pretty hardy. Adena drove us as far up the road as we could go which was another mile or so before the snow blocked our path. They never opened the road to the summit this year. It was just going to take too many man hours. The whole day culminated in a stop at their favorite Brew and Pizza place billed as The Brew Shrine and Wedding Chapel. Our server told us the whole place was considered the chapel and they hold between 50 and 60 wedding each year in the museum like establishment. The walls were covered with old beer signs, a rather large rack of retired beer taps and an immense collection of beer bottles, tucked safely behind glass. The pizza was as advertised, great. Dad and Adena chose a Mediterranean with a Balsamic reduction which was mighty tasty while Carl and I took the Combination with green olives and salami. And once more, we stayed up late to talk, edit photos and try as we might to identify that Greater Yellowlegs which was finally confirmed by one of Adena’s bird friends, Joe Meche. Thanks so much Joe!!

Day 61- Arrival In Bellingham, WA , August 15, 2011

2011-08-15T17:06:00.002-04:00

We had a beautiful drive through the Fraser River valley and stopped at Hope, BC for lunch and to make several phone calls. I wrote a couple of post cards and we were off. I was amazed to find signs on lots of the creeks and streams tell users they were in salmon habitat. We were a couple hundred miles from the ocean. Boy, those fish sure have their work cut out for them. I missed a turn somewhere near Lyndon and we drove unfamiliar roads for a while until I found a landmark I knew, Rte I-5. Then, I knew where I was and we arrived at my dad’s with no further delay. It’s actually going to be a little weird sleeping in a real bed. Laundry and showers are all taken care of and we got down to some serious catch up on gossip and family matters. We were up a little later than usual but geared up for another great day tomorrow. It’s off to the Northwest Washington County Fair in Lyndon. BTW, Hope's claim to fame is the first of the "First Blood" movies with Stallone was filmed here. There are Rambo cutouts all over town with a face missing. Come and be John Rambo for the moment.

Day 60- To Somewhere , August 14, 2011

2011-08-14T22:47:00.001-04:00

Our night at the Wal-Mart campground in Prince George was peaceful right up to the time when the murder of crows decided our camper looked like a good place to hang out. At first, it seemed as if a couple of children had been turned loose to run about and knock on the doors of the dozen or so campers resting up for their days’ travel, us included. I was getting ready to climb out of the sack to find those irresponsible parents. It was the squawking and gurgling that made me think otherwise. I’m not sure what time it was but I do know I’m glad I’m not I that parking area tonight. It was also right about that time, I realized I had an awful headache so I got up, tool some Tylenol and went back to bed. I heard Carl get, make his coffee and have some cereal and all I did was keep my eyes closed hoping it would go away. Carl planned to put another 350 miles behind us. Yesterday, he drove 444 miles on just a few hours’ sleep. We hit the road and immediately turned the wrong way. My sense of direction and navigational skill were way off. It was going to be a very long day. The countryside we drove through was pretty much the same as yesterday including the sulfurous odor of pulp mills. Carl pulled over for lunch and I crawled onto the couch and slept for 2 ½ hours. Then it was back on the road. We made it a few miles past a nice little town called Cache Creek and pulled into a long deep rest area where a couple already had their tent set up for the evening. The view outside our camper is more reminiscent of South Dakota with it’s rolling hill and scrubby trees. We even thought there might be a sunset so after the supper was finished and I’d done up “the crockery” as our friends across the pond might say, it was outside for about 20 minutes watching the sky turn a pale orange and then nothing but gray. It was a great idea for a sunset photo since this is our last night in British Columbia. I only have two notes of interest from today’s travel. The first is about a well maintained little gift shop we stopped at with signs boasting of their RV friendly circular drive. Off a ways from the parking area was the prettiest outhouse I’ve seen in a long time. There were flowers hanging from both sides of the door and planted around it as well. And the second item is we are more than 500 miles from the ocean but we have traveled over numerous creeks and streams with signage designating the water below us as salmon habitat and to use it wisely. Neither Carl nor I figure they mean to keep you from fishing those waters, just to remind you to use them responsibly. I know some salmon travel great distances up stream before they reach their spawning grounds. I just wasn’t prepared for all of this distance. Tomorrow is another boarder crossing back into the United States. I wonder if the other Carl Hill Jr is still at large.

Day 59- Between Two Princes

2011-08-13T21:44:00.002-04:00

Before we went to bed last night, I made sure to set the alarm on the cell phone for 3:45AM and turn it on. It went off, we got dressed and waited in our stateroom for the announcement telling us we were just 30 minutes from Prince Rupert. But the announcement didn’t come and no one knocked on our door to make sure we were awake as we’d been told they would do. Something had gone wrong with the system but was it theirs or mine. After about 45 minutes, I realized what happened. My phone contacted a local Canadian tower and discovered it was on Pacific Time, 1 hour later than the Alaskan Time the ship runs on. So the alarm went of at 3:45 AM Pacific Time. Technology isn’t perfect and neither am I. What I should have done was to just wait for the announcement or the knock on the door which came about an hour after we were ready. The call came to go to the car deck and it took a few minutes for everyone to get their stuff hauled down over the stairs. The guy in front of us must have been in a hurry. He started his vehicle up and started rolling off the ship before he was told to and people started yelling in all directions. He almost took a mirror off of another vehicle on his passenger side. Then it was our turn. The same very capable young man took control and Carl eased our truck slowly forward and up the ramp, adjusting inch by inch as the deck hand directed. We had a chance to thank him and shake his hand as we were given the all clear sign to continue up the ramp on our own. A dock worker directed us into the Canadian Customs line and it was just a few minutes before Carl and the Customs Officer were doing the 20 question dance, “Have we any weapons?, How much alcohol did we have with us?, Any fruit, vegetables, $10,000 in currency or instruments?” ( Yeah, right!!! ). He took our passports, consulted with the computer screen and then asked us to pull off to the right and park. Someone would be with us in a moment. Another customs Officer came to the window, asked a few more questions, “where was home?, how long had we been in Alaska? Did we have proof of our social security numbers with us?” Well, it was then he told Carl to shut off the truck and to come with him. I started to get out of the truck but the Officer said I didn’t need to come inside. So, I sat in the truck and waited and waited. It seemed much longer than it really was but finally Carl returned to tell me a Carl E Hill Jr. was wanted in Indiana. It didn’t take long to realize my Carl wasn’t the one, the other guy was younger, so we were free to go. What a start to the morning, eh? The excitement just kept on coming when we drove through town with names like Trout Creek, ( Montana ) , Houston (Texas ), Hudson Bay and Burns Lake. If we had a GPS, I’d say it might be broken because we never left British Columbia. The region we drove through today is rich in timber production while huge fields of hay, in various stages of growth or being baled, are on either side of us. Somewhere among the piles of useless trivia I’ve accumulated is the knowledge that Lawrence, Kansas is the geographical center of the contiguous United States and I can now file, in that same trivia drawer, Vanderhoof is the geographical center of British Columbia. Just thought you should know this. Carl pushes the driving today, in spite of only getting a few hours of sleep, getting us all the way from Prince Rupert to Prince George, 448 miles. He was pretty pleased with himself right up to the point where we pulled into the Wal-Mart in Prince George and see the sign, “No overnight camping”. Just three words but they sure had an impact on me. We wander into the store and head straight for the customer service desk where we are informed not to pay any attention to the sign, it’s fine to park in their lot. Oh and I can tell we’re in timber company in spite of driving by huge lumber yards filled with huge piles of logs and massive stockpiles of wrapped kiln dried lumber ready to be shipped. The moment I stepped from the truck, there was that unmistakable rotten egg smell we used to get in Whitefield when the paper mills in Berlin were operational. The photo was from last night's sunset. We didn't get any photos today, moving too fast!

Day 58- Inside Passage

2011-08-12T19:42:00.001-04:00

I set the time on the alarm of my cell phone but then didn’t turn it on. Can’t blame the technology, have to blame the operator. Anyway, Carl lifted the shade on our “stateroom” to see gray skies. I guess it doesn’t matter to the whales if it’s raining or cold so we got dressed in a hurry and climbed up two decks to find a somewhat sheltered spot. Sure enough there were a few spout off in the distance but none close to the ferry. We listened to some of the passengers talking of the great sightings earlier, of breaches and humpbacks displaying their fins and flukes before heading deep to feed. Another group was talking of the pod of orcas they had seen just before we put into Juneau last night. I sputtered to myself because I had gone to our cabin to work on a blog entry and edit some photos. I had no one to blame but myself. I knew I didn’t have an internet connection for a couple of days but I do like to get stuff down before it all runs together. The gloomy sky and light rain hounded us all morning, making it difficult if not impossible to be out on deck, but by lunch, there was a noticeable blue streak trying to break through. Finally, the blue patches grew bigger, the sun burst forth and brought along it’s friends, the big puffy whites. There are not enough words to describe the wonders of the inside passage. In fact, for me to try is a lame attempt at best. I can say there are countless uninhabited islands covered with trees, high mountains and rock rimmed coastlines. It would be accurate but it just doesn’t do it justice. I’m talking about land no human has likely set foot on in hundreds, maybe thousands of years or ever will, for that matter. The water is clear, of pollution and debris, the flotsam and jetsam of careless humans along shore or in small watercraft. Other than the drone of our diesel engines, all you could hear was the wind or an occasional gull that flew close. Along the trip, Stellar Sea Lions and Harbor Seals were sighted. Pods of Orcas, humpbacks and Porpoises kept the ship company while uncountable gulls, murres, cormorants and puffins fought over fish at the surface. Eagles occupied the tops of channel markers, low hanging branches or uppermost branches of trees with a constant eye out for a meal to be caught or stolen from another creature. On board was a National Park Ranger, Costanzio, who gave 3 short presentations throughout the day, one on the history of Petersburg including the 4 nations and 3 flags flown over the community, one on the history of Wrangle and a garnet mine left to the children of Wrangle and the Boy Scouts Of America, SE Alaska council and a third on Orcas and what they have to teach us. There was a 4th but I can’t remember it at the moment. What I can tell you is Costanzio is a member of the Tlingit ( kling Ket ) nation and has a palpable respect for the nature surrounding us. I can’t think of anyone better suited to be a ranger, a steward if you will, for the caretaking of the parks and the education of those who use them. Our time in the ports of Petersburg and Wrangle were short so Carl and I didn’t even try to go ashore and although we had a bit longer in Ketchikan, we didn‘t get off the ferry there either. I will tell you a bit about one stretch of the Inside Passage called the Wrangle Narrows, 17 miles of navigational nightmare. There are places in this portion of the journey where there is no more than 50 feet from the channel markers to the sides of the Matanuska. The ship draws 15 feet of water while portions of the Narrows are only 17 feet deep. The Captain did have a bit of good fortune in that we had a rising tide. Had it been the other way round, we would have had to wait or else risk going aground. I was one of many looking on from Deck 6 forward while the observer at the bow kept careful watch through binoculars, alerting the captain should anything be amiss. We could hear the communications for every person out on deck who witnessed this was silent as if the ship collectively held their breath. It’s clear you wouldn’t give a novice the responsibility of sailing this course. The navigational buoys seemed to set up a slalom course where the slightest miscalculation could spell trouble. And just like the overwhelming beauty of the area, there are not enough words to describe how the crew, in unison, brought the ship through. As I was taking photos, I must have said as much out loud because the man next to me remarked how right I was that only another mariner could really understand what precision it was taking to bring us through the Wrangle Narrows. By the time we arrived at Ketchikan, the sky had become a bit more congested, just enough clouds to give us a beautiful farewell sunset from Alaska. Our next port of call in the morning, would be Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Home Is Where You Keep Your Stuff.

2011-08-11T16:44:00.002-04:00

We’ve seen it all on this trip, from the one room rustic cabin to the multilevel mausoleum, from the double wide mobile home to a beat up truck topper on concrete blocks in a Wal-Mart parking lot. We seen single containers with smoke stacks and we’ve seen stacks of containers with a roof over them. We’ve even seen mobile office units set up as motels. We’ve seen abandoned homes, homes for sale, homes with rivers running through them and even homes under construction. It doesn’t matter what you call home, it just matters that you have one. With the weather conditions as extreme as they are in the state of Alaska, there is still a large homeless population. When the weather turns bitter, the police and some church groups drive the back streets, looking under bridge overpasses and in parks for people who are at risk so they can get them in where it’s warm and maybe even get them a hot meal but they can’t make them stay. So what do you do? You thank God for what you have and make the best of the situation because no matter where you call home, there is always someone out there in worse shape than you. Oh, and there’s one more thing. I always wondered about the amount of “collectibles” there always seems to be around the average home in AK. Now, I’ve seen it first hand and the photos and television shows don’t exaggerate. There is stuff everywhere, left to deteriorate among the elements. And it’s not like there aren’t places to take the stuff but I heard one guy tell another at a gas station today, “ If I throw it away, that’s when I’ll need a part off it”. And so you have the universal reason why humans as a race have become packrats. It’s because they might need it some day.

Day 57- Additiional

2011-08-11T15:40:00.002-04:00

We’ve just arrived at the first terminal, Juneau. We are about 14 miles from the city so we stayed on the boat. The ride has been smooth, the food is cafeteria food but reasonably priced and we talked with a couple from Ontario who were plagued with mechanical issues all the way to Alaska. We’ve been lucky by others’ standards. I just looked out the window and it’s officially dark at 10:05 PM. I think I’ll read for a bit and then go to sleep. We’ve been told the best time to see whales will be about 5:15 AM tomorrow so I guess I’ll be there. I just hope the whales get the memo. Oh and I forgot to post that we’ve been on the road 8 full weeks now and have traveled 9,764 miles. The big question now is do I add the 500 nautical miles being traveled on the ferry or not. Any thoughts?

Day 57- All Aboard!!

2011-08-11T15:38:00.001-04:00

Wait, that’s what the conductor says to get on the train isn’t it? Well, we’re not taking the train. We’ve caught the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry, Matanuska, out of Haines and we’re bound for Prince Rupert, BC by way of the Inside Passage. We have a small cabin on board which is good because there isn’t much scenery yet. The ferry was due to arrive in Haines at 1:00 with us departing at 3:00 but they were running behind just about two hours. We heard a caravan of 35 motor homes took a while to load earlier this morning in Haines on the way to Skagway. That explains why our RV Park was like a ghost town when we got up this morning. Anyway, after watching this tractor trailer driver back down the loading ramp with a 28’ trailer, not once but twice, I have to say I was impressed. I was even more impressed when we got inside and found he had turned the first one around, inside the ship, and backed the second one in on his blind side. Sorry, that’s driver speak for tougher than it sounds. But the absolute best thing I ever saw was how my husband handled our travel trailer when we were told to load. We were told to get into lane 5 and then they had him parallel park on the wrong side between a tour bus and another camper in lane 4. It took about 10 minutes and three deck hands but there wasn’t so much as a puckered eyebrow or the slightest sound of damaged metal. I was so very proud of him. In fact, I’ve been impressed the whole trip with his general ability to solve the little problems that have popped up and his ability to repair some of them while having others repair the things he couldn’t. It’s been a great trip and we still have a few more weeks to go. We’ll have two or three days of travel into British Columbia before we hit Bellingham WA for a visit with my Dad and his wife, Adena. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Our first port of call is Juneau, the capitol of Alaska and one you cannot drive to. You either fly in or come in by ferry. We’ll be there a few hours, hardly worth getting off the boat especially at 9:30 at night.

Day 56- The Lake, The Park And Other Things

2011-08-10T18:47:00.001-04:00

My personal alarm went off at about 7:00 this morning. Carl announced he was up and if I wanted to find those bears I’d better get up, too. So, we each brewed a cup of our favorite morning beverage, I stuffed pop tarts, bananas and bottled water into the cooler and we were off. I chose left at the fork in the road, towards Chilkoot Lake State Park. By the time we got to the bridge I could see grizzlies. We pulled over just pass the bridge to see one sow and two year plus cubs. We watched, I took lots of pictures and we played leap frog with another photographer. He had a much bigger lens than I’m shooting with. It wasn’t long before a third cub popped up from the deep grass. There’s always one that strays further from mom than it should. The sow was digging up roots and tearing into logs while the cubs seemed to favor the taste of the berries growing along the shoreline of Haines Bay. I think we watched for more than an hour when the sow headed back towards the bridge. I was up on the bridge when she and the three cubs came up the side of the river and passed directly under the bridge. Both Carl and I crossed over just in time to watch mom swim into view, grab a salmon and begin ripping into it. Two of the cubs worked their way along the shore, taking tentative steps into the cold water while one of them buried it’s head deep in between the large boulders lining the shore. Then, the family moved up the river. You could tell where they were by how quickly the guys fishing in the river moved. We jumped back into the truck and drove up river to where I would have a nice opportunity to get a few more photos. There was a weir spanning the river with a guy in yellow rain pants tending it. I didn’t realize until the guy started yelling at us to get our truck out of the way. There were signs explaining the bears need their space and there was no parking allowed between the signs. One of the cubs tried to cross the planking on top of the weir and Mr. Yellow Rain Pants grabbed a shovel and started banging on it spooking the family into the woods. The ground where we stood was a mixture of bear scat, fish guts and uneaten heads. We followed the river further up stream to the mouth of Chilkoot Lake. There we parked and waited. I figured eventually the bears would work their way to that spot but after two hours there was still no sign of them. While I waited, I had an opportunity to take a photo or two of the area, a Bald Eagle in the tree in front of me and a pair of birds that I can only describe as black cardinals with indigo blue wings. When they flew, that brilliant blue just grabbed your eyes. I also chatted with a couple from Texas who had arrived on the Holland America cruise ship we saw in port earlier. I finally decided the wait had been long enough, we said goodbye and headed back towards the bridge. On a hunch, I asked Carl to go left, back over the bridge, and sure enough, there was another grizzly in the marsh grass. We spotted two older cubs with this sow. I had hopes this sow would be a bit more cooperative but moms are so protective. The first sow had been collared and one of the three cubs had been tagged. Sure enough, this sow also wore a tracking collar. Nothing I could do about that. And just like the first family, this one also worked it’s way towards the bridge and followed the path under the bridge. But, one of the cubs tried to come up on the bridge. A ranger arrived to help redirect bear traffic although she didn’t have to do anything because one of the guys in the small group of people who had gathered made lots of noise and told the cub to get lost. It worked and off it ran back under the bridge to catch up with the rest of the family. And just like the first bear family, this one also worked their way up the shore of the river towards the weir. It was then my battery died in the camera so we headed back to the truck. I didn’t feel too bad. The bears were out of my reach with the 28-300mm lens I have. I changed batteries in the camera and my heart sunk. I got an error message flashing on the camera. Nothing I did changed this and my heart came up into my throat. I’m thousands of miles from home, my camera is malfunctioning and no camera shop within 500 miles. It was a pretty quiet ride back to the camper. I’m not exactly sure what I did to stop the error message but it involved putting another battery in, changing the memory card and then formatting the card. Well, if I could do that, the camera wasn’t dead. I tried to take a photo in the camera and, at first, the auto focus wouldn’t work. I took the picture anyway and all of a sudden, the focus worked, the error message disappeared and I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I remembered when I put the new battery in I hadn’t shut the power off on the camera. Here’s a lesson for you. No matter how long you’ve been taking photos, there’s always something that can go wrong and there’s always something to be learned. Now, it’s lunch time and I’m downloading 154 bear pictures. I promise I won’t post them all on face book.

Day 55- To Haines, AK

2011-08-09T22:37:00.001-04:00

When you’re on the road like we’ve been, there really are no boring days. There is always new scenery, weather or conversation to be had. Even after being married for 40 years, Carl and I still have conversations and consider each other our best friends. Both of us we perplexed this morning with the bright light that was in or should have been in the eastern sky. The map says we are traveling due south and yet, there it is, straight in front of us, shining in our eyes. Notice, there are no complaints here. The route for today takes us on the previously traveled and extremely rough and bumpy section of the Alaska Highway from Beaver Creek to Haines Junction. There are several small communities along the way and one of them has employed a plywood cutout of a police cruiser and officer which, from a great distance, is almost believable. I guarantee as you get closer, you wouldn’t be fooled. I suppose it gets a few tourists to slow down when the flashing “your speed is….” sign doesn’t work. The Ice Field Mountains are on our right and the sign at the scenic / photographic / view / rest area signage tells us this range holds 7 of Canada’s highest peaks. There is evidence, even from where we are, of glaciers on most of the peaks. It doesn’t appear that I am tired of them yet. They are larger than life forces of nature with immense power on the terrain they travel. I encountered a couple of unusual signs today. The first read “ Be Aware: Snow Removal Equipment May Be Oncoming In Your Travel Lane” . That was a shocker!!! The other was one of those international picture signs, a rectangle with a diagonal divider. The upper triangle in white showing a bed and the lower is blue and shows a soft boiled egg. It took me a moment and then the light came on “Bed and Breakfast”…… hmmmm. There is a Bald Eagle Preserve that borders the Chilkoot and Chilkat Rivers. More than 3,000 eagles call this area home during the months of October through January. I’m going looking tomorrow. The promo on this preserve states there are more than 40,000 Bald eagles in the state of Alaska. I think Alaska ought to share them with the rest of the country.

Day 54- Ready, Set, Go!!!!

2011-08-08T21:43:00.002-04:00

Even I realize I’m sounding like a broken record, here, but it was still raining when we got up this morning. So, if life hands you lemons, well, you try to do something with them. You haven’t got any sugar in the house and it’s definitely not lemonade weather. Still, there was a plus, at least for me. I got to see what actually happens when we bring in the slide out room and it’s been raining for two days. There is a squeegee gasket all the way around plus an awning to keep most of the rain of the roof so I thought everything would be great. And it mostly was. However, when you bring an outside room inside, well there is a certain amount of water that comes with it no matter how good that squeegee is. A quick breakfast and a well practiced pack up saw us off in good time and as we passed by the site of Old Valdez, wiped out by the earthquake and Tsunami of 1964, I caught site of the grain silos in town. Captain Stan, on the boat, told us the town built these gorgeous silos and a bridge to get to them with anticipation of shipping Alaskan grown grain out of the port. Here’s where the story has one of those good / bad things going on. The good news is all of the grains grown in Alaska stay in Alaska and the bad, well, Valdez has this eyesore on their horizon that sits pretty much empty all the time and the townspeople are reminded everyday of the cost the entire facility, bridge included, has set them back. The trip through Keystone Canyon and up over Thompson Pass was not the sunlit and photographic experience I’d hoped. In fact the weather was worse today than it was on Friday when we came in. So, no great photos of the Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls. I also could truly get a feel of how majestic the scenery was around us. We would get small glimpses as clouds and fog rolled in and out, but it was just a tease. I could imagine how very beautiful the Chugach range was, though. As the road continued on to Tok, we passed this “gas station” where I saw absolutely no sign of any pumps whatsoever. There was a satellite dish and the driveway was not blocked with debris like so many other places we’ve seen that just dried up or withered away. Still, it’s been a while since it was in operation. How do I know ? When was the last time gas was $1.45 9/10 per gallon? Sometime before noon, we came upon a 12 mile stretch of road construction complete with two flag people holding traffic up while 3 state workers literally leaned on shovels and brooms. Carl and I got a chuckle over this for a couple of miles and we were still laughing when a pickup truck coming towards and by us threw up a rock and hit our windshield. We’ll be looking for a glass replacement shop when we get to Washington state. Right in my line of sight are not one but two craters with spider webs. Eventually they will work their way into full blown cracks. Carl wished he’d packed the super glue. That might have helped to hold the little devil together a bit longer. Most of the mileage driven today was a repeat from earlier but we did have new territory from Glenallen to Tok and I declared that today would be the day I’d find that bull moose. At the time, I had no way of knowing this stretch of road would contain the best moose habitat we’ve driven through. And all I saw was one cow very far off from the road. I am beginning to think there are no big bulls in the state of Alaska. And now, we’re back in the Yukon for the rest of today and part of tomorrow. While I was trying to convince Ms Moose to come closer, I looked up at the mountains to see a fresh snow fall happening which reminds me, on last night’s local news broadcast, they mentioned Denali National Park had a substantial snowfall this weekend. I told you the signs were all there for an early and harsh winter. This photographer has to fess up with something. Today, we drove past an airplane in one of those pull outs they put every so often so you can get off the road and let faster traffic go by. Why is this noteworthy, you ask? Because we were in the middle of no where and there was no runway. This plane landed on the road about mile 101 and taxied to this paved pullout. There was a pickup truck there and it appeared to us as we drove by, they were working on either the tire or the strut. And I didn’t think to take a picture. Camera on the front seat right beside me and we continued on our trip. I’d say his landing was definitely “off airport” and I suspect that’s how he’ll be taking off again. These bush pilots are an amazing and hardy bunch with nerves of steel. They will and do put down almost anywhere from a gravel airstrip or sand bar in the middle of a river. For a boring day, it was pretty exciting.

Day 53- Captives Of The Rain, August 7, 2011

2011-08-07T16:46:00.001-04:00

I never actually said it in yesterday’s post but we spent almost an hour at the base of the Meares glacier and observed almost no calving. There were several groans and cracks from it’s movement but that’s was it. I guess, if you look at it from another perspective, calving equals the death of a glacier so if the glacier isn’t putting too much ice into the bay, then there’s hope for it’s survival. I did mention the rain that began to fall as we returned to the dock and it has been raining steady all night, turning the footing on any of the trails we might have walked today into slippery, muddy messes and more. So, after a breakfast of Banana Pancakes, I’ve used the time to get caught up on editing photos, writing these blogs and posting everything on line. Later, we’ll hit the grocery store in town for the last few perishables we need. On Monday morning, Carl wants to hit the road early. It’s about 700 miles from Valdez to Haines where we will get the ferry which is part of an extensive Marine Highway system. There are so many places only reachable by either airplane or boat, the ferry system here is a lifeline to some of the more exotic islands like Unalaska or more mundane places like the state capital, Juneau. Anyway, in Haines, Carl may go fishing one more time. I’m going to try to get more bear photos and there is that inevitable laundry to be done. We’ll have 36 hours on the ferry and I plan to spend as much time as possible up on deck taking photos. I’ve always been interested in traveling the Inside Passage and this ferry trip will allow us that opportunity. Later today, if the weather clears, we’ll get out and explore a bit more of the land side of Valdez.

Day 52- On Prince William Sound

2011-08-06T22:37:00.002-04:00

I don’t think I’m going to give an account of today’s 9 hour tour on Prince William Sound. The company offered pickup service from our RV Park so we took them up on their offer. The weather should have been partly cloudy and I think I figured out the part that was cloudy, about 99% of the trip. We sailed with a family owned company, Stan Stephens Tours who also boasts employees who are full time residents of the area. And it was Stan himself who had control of our boat today, the Valdez Spirit. The cruise covered about 140 miles and took us to Meares Glacier plus gave us a pretty good idea of what the Sound and the surrounding area is all about. Captain Stan gave us some geological history of the area as well as historical, including the 1964 earthquake that literally wiped out the town of Valdez, causing it to be rebuilt on another location and the 1989 oil spill from the Exxon Valdez. Even now, after all the clean up and the years, a really fierce storm will stir things up and oil can be found on shore. We heard about some of the mineral mining history, stories of prospectors, people who lost their livelihood or their lives at the whim of nature or man. It gave me a new and unexpected appreciation of how much damage, then and now, was done by these Good Friday events. We saw some really cool wildlife but others were missing like my favorites, orcas and dolphins. The cruise served us an adequate lunch of Chicken Alfredo on rice with vegetables and a crusty bread with Oreo cookies for dessert. This lunch, unlike the one we had on the tour in Seward, was brought to our table, seemed more organized and the cost of the meal was already figured into the price of the tour. They served complimentary coffee and tea all day and I had three cups of tea which meant several trips to the head. We also had our choice of a cup of Clam Chowder or Minestrone Soup ( Carl had the Clam and I had the Minestrone ) a few hours later which hit the spot after hours of really damp and cold weather out on deck. I thought I would miss the fact there wasn’t a ranger on board but Captain Stan gave us enough information as well as nautical bearings from time to time. We could follow our progress with the flyers one of the crew members handed out before we left the dock. It gave us an overview of the area, our route of travel, some information about the area and on the back was a pictorial of wildlife, both bird and mammal, we might expect to see. The crew was helpful and the tour showed us the overall beauty of the area and the Sound in particular. I would recommend them to anyone coming this way. Oh, and we were returned to the dock on time. It began raining as we entered the harbor and has continued ever since. The true plus to the day was when we got home and found our Crock Pot Roast Beef ready to eat.

Day 51- First Day in Valdez, August 5, 2011

2011-08-05T21:15:00.000-04:00

Neither of us slept well last night. Me, it was the medicine. I get weird dreams but also don’t feel like I’m actually asleep. Carl reported the same symptoms but I know he didn’t take my headache pills. We are both baffled by our inability to get consistent sleep. I mean it’s the same mattress, pillows and bedding. It’s just the place we park that’s different each night. Anyway, it was a late start to the morning and didn’t leave Tonsina River Lodge much before 10. Valdez was only 79 miles so we weren’t too concerned. In fact, we’re a whole day early so we hope the people at Eagle’s Rest Campground and RV Park will have room for us. The weather for the beginning of our drive today was wet but as we got closer to the Chugach National Forest, we could see some really impressive mountains in spite of the low ceiling. Up ahead of us was a break in the mountains. Later we learned it was Thompson Pass at 2,680 ft. We knew we had a long way down because Valdez is at sea level. We passed by Worthington Glacier, easily visible from the road, but still a couple miles from it’s terminus. There was a tiny community of businesses nearby specializing in ice climbing and treks to the glacier. We traveled several more miles, all downhill and arrived at Keystone Canyon. For just a brief second, I was whisked back to the Hawaiian Islands again. So many waterfalls everywhere you look. One of the most impressive drops is called Bridal Veil Falls followed closely by Horsetail Falls. Both have large volumes of water, both have a drop of more than 200 feet but Bridal Veil has several channels than fan down over the rock while Horsetail comes down more than half way before it divides into thin strands the rest of the way to the bottom. Some of the water cascading down is seasonal while others are year round glacial melt water and it’s difficult to tell which is which, especially with the large amount of rain this area gets. Once we’re checked in at the RV Park, the lady at the desk tells us about a Hatchery with a fish ladder over on the Dayville Road. She puts the icing on the cake by mentioning the area is frequently visited by bears. Sure enough, we head over about 6:00 and are amazed by the immense numbers of salmon waiting at the mouth to the weir. We’re told by a fellow who lives here the fish are being made to wait until the eggs are ripe. Normally this process would happen over the weeks it takes the salmon to travel from the ocean into the fresh water streams to the place where they were born, to the place where they will spawn the next generation. By the Hatchery creating a generational crop, they are assured of the fish returning to “their place of birth” to be harvested for canning. It’s an amazing process, a new form of aquaculture that is catching on in many places and it just makes sense to let nature feed and house your livestock for four or five years before they come home. They do have their natural perils such as eagles, gulls and bears. In fact, while we were sitting there, a small black bear came down from the mountains, walked under the bridge and proceeded to the water’s edge to grab a few fat salmon. Then, as easy as you please, he headed up to the bridge, crossed the river by using the pedestrian walkway and climbed two fences to get into the fish ladder for easier picking. Then it was up over one more fence and out onto a large rock in the bay surrounded by thousands of fish waiting for their turn at the ladder entrance. He fought off a flock of about 50 gulls and grabbed another couple of fish before heading off to another part of the shoreline. Apparently, he decided there were just too many humans around watching what he ate. It was getting late and I was hungry so we turned for home only to come up on a bear jam. On the right side of the road was about a dozen people all with cameras so I grabbed mine and asked what was up. I was informed there was a black bear sow with three cubs feeding at the base of a really pretty waterfall. There were hundreds of gulls and crows, all standing around making a racket and sure enough, out of the thick brush on one side of the creek, came Mama Bear. She would go to the creek, grab a salmon and take it back to the bushes. The scene was repeated several times and then she disappeared. I though the show was over but all of a sudden the sow burst from the bushes, sending a screaming cloud of gulls skyward. Behind her, we could see one of the cubs. I never did see all three. It was definitely a nice day. We’ve decided to go on a 9 hour Prince William Sound wildlife and Glacier tour tomorrow. I hope the weather will be good.

Day 50- Heading to Valdez

2011-08-04T21:00:00.005-04:00

We’ve already traveled some of the mileage we covered today. In fact, over two hundred miles were repeated today. It wasn’t until we turned right onto the Richardson Highway outside of Anchorage that we found ourselves traveling “virgin territory. Before we left the Kenai, we had one more thing to do, visit Portage Glacier. We drove up to Portage Lake formed by melt water from three different glaciers as well as snow melt from the surrounding mountains. The water was a chalky gray, much like most of the rivers and creeks we‘ve encountered. Carl was surprised by how much the glaciers had receded since his visit in 1984. During his visit, he was able to stand on shore and watch Portage Glacier calving into Portage Lake, but now it has receded back around an outcropping of a smaller mountain and we were unable to see Portage from the Visitor Center. We did get an up close and personal view of Byrne Glacier and watched a very informative movie on the formation, life and even the death of a glacier. Then, the screen lifted, curtains parted and there on the other side of the glass was a marvelous view of Portage Lake and Byrne Glacier. Boat trips to the foot of Portage Glacier were available but Carl wanted to get going. He had miles to go before he slept. We did take an additional 15 minutes to listen to the ranger talk about the town of Portage and the devastation of the 1964 earthquake. I’m finding the devastation was not restricted to Anchorage although it’s there the news footage came from. Turnigan Arm dropped more than 20 feet and never rebounded. The Tsunami wiped out several towns on the coast and causing one to relocate 5 miles inland. As a result of this earth movement, the Arm or bay now has a bore tide of more than 4 feet. That’s a minimum of a four foot wave rolling in all at once instead of a slow and gradual rise of seawater twice each day. When the moon is full, the bore tide is even more. We drove though the Mat-Su valley, short for Matanuska Susitna. During the past 3 weeks, we’ve been driving by road signs shot full of holes. With more Alaskan residents carrying guns than not, it seems most have decided to use the highway department signage to get a bit of target practice in, including the one that reads “No discharge of firearms within 25 yards of the highway.” I knew Carl wanted to cover a lot of miles today but I wanted to stop at this one Scenic Overlook to get a really good look. The Matanuska River winds it’s way, in typical braided glacial fashion, filling in more than a dozen eroded pathways in the river bed. My attention was drawn upwards to catch a pair of dueling eagles mid-flight. As they got closer, I discovered they were juveniles practicing maneuvers that will aid in their hunting abilities. Matanuska Glacier was visible from the road so there was no need to park the truck and walk in. I was reminded of the Egyptians reverence for the pyramid when we drove by King Mountain. Once we reached Glenallen, it was time to find a gas station. We had fueled up in Anchorage for $3.84 a gallon. Here in Glenallen, it was $4.41 per gallen. So much difference in 186 miles. By this time, my head was pounding and I needed to take some medicine and go to bed. Carl insisted on driving a bit further. He’s done such a good job of keeping us on schedule, I hated to be a wet blanket. Eventually, shortly after a nice sighting of Mt Drum at 12, 010 feet, we found the Tonsina River Lodge. They advertised $10.00 campsite with free wi-fi. Carl pulled in, registered us and drove to a spot on the grounds with a fire ring only. We’d paid for a dry site, which basically means no amenities like water, electric or sewerage. The Lodge was run by a Russian family who offered a Russian/ American menu in their dining room. I opted for the Pilaff ( their way of spelling ), rice cooked in broth with meat and vegetables added, which sounded great but was told the last serving had just been given to the table before us. My second choice was a buffalo burger. It came with a heap of French fries, mushrooms and Swiss cheese. I know I would have enjoyed it much better without the headache. By 9:00PM, I was in bed with my eyes closed. Even free internet couldn’t keep me from getting my head on the pillow.

Day 49- Last Day In Soldotna

2011-08-03T23:37:00.001-04:00

The weather is a bit better today. It’s only occasionally raining but it poured last night. They have issued flash flood watches for some areas. I don’t really want any more gray day photos but I may never get back this way again so we head off. First to the Soldotna Landfill to get rid of the fish guts and carcasses and to find the eagles the guy at the Kenai River Boardwalk told us about. Getting rid of the fish stuff was the easy part. There was thousands of gulls and ravens all over the place and try as we might, we couldn’t find any eagles. Then, just as we were headed for the exit, I spotted one in a tree. Carl grabbed the tripod and I got set to get some great eagle shots. We watched the bird at the very top of a spruce tree for about 20 minutes. I muttered under my breath that it was time for him to fluff up those wings and take off. And sure enough, about 5 minutes later, that’s exactly what the eagle did. The shot turned out okay but would have been much better with a blue sky and a few puffy white clouds in the background. A photographer like skiers are never satisfied. There is some prime moose habitat between Soldotna and Homer. It’s too bad the moose haven’t heard about it. In fact, I am very disappointed by the lack of moose sightings since we’ve been in Alaska. We saw the cow and calf and another cow on the Dalton Highway and then two distant bulls in Denali. That’s it! I keep looking though. The high point of the day came when I spotted not one but two nests with fledgling eagles on them. Of course, I have to stop and take pictures even though the trees make it difficult to get just the right shot. Eventually the road turned towards the Cook Inlet and we arrived at a beautiful overlook. In the distance, there was the merest hint of the high mountains in the Katmai National Forest, cloud shrouded, of course. And somewhere in the distance is three of the most active volcanoes in North America, Spur, Redoubt and Illiamna. I know where I should be looking thanks to a carving of the panorama before me that someone made, painted and numbered years ago. The weather is taking it’s toll but I get the general direction I should be looking. And while I’m on the subject of sky conditions, every so often, there is the smallest hint of blue that pops through and the sun threatens to show itself but then the clouds prevail once more and it starts to rain. The run into Homer and out onto Homer Spit doesn’t take any time at all from the Scenic Overlook. We go all the way to the end, looking for the commercial pier in hopes the Time Bandit, one of the crab fishing boats from The Deadliest Catch, is in port today. I asked the silly tourist question of our server at lunch and she replied it was true but she hadn’t seen them all summer. They must be at their other home port. There are, however, two shops with the words “Time Bandit” over the door so I wander over to one of them and find an 8 foot by 8 foot crab pot on it’s side by the front door. Carl leans against it for one more cheesy tourist photo and I set out to find the one thing our son, Dylan, asked for- a sticker that reads “eat crab“. He saw it on the wall of the Hillstrand wheelhouse. Can’t find it there but the shopkeeper does tell us where we can find it or something like it. While on the way to Redden Marine to see about the sticker, I spot a third nest with fledgling eagles in it and I mention to Carl we’ll stop on the way back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it going in the opposite direction and when we pass by the nest nearest the road where one of the youngsters had been testing it’s wings, it was gone. We missed his first flight and the one remaining juvenile was looking pretty lonely. So all together, that was four nests, two with two juveniles, one with three juveniles and one empty nest and three single adults all day. It was a pretty good eagle day. Tomorrow, we head for Valdez. Carl says it’s a very long drive so we will probably stop in a parking area for the night. I wonder where it will be this time. It certainly won’t have internet so this will be my last post for a couple of days. I’ll catch you up later, though. Oh and it’s the end of our 7th week and we’ve traveled 8,555 miles and loved every minute of it.

Additional Post

2011-08-02T23:40:00.001-04:00

On the charter Carl took on Friday, his fish got cleaned for him by one of the deck hands from the boat. We had no reason not to expect our guide wouldn’t do the same for us on this trip. I mean for $350 per person, you would expect it, right? Well, they didn’t and Carl hasn’t really fished in years even though he says he likes to. Back at the campground, he asked at the office and the lady tells him everyone has gone home because the weather was so bad, he’ll have to do it himself and to make sure he removes all fish guts and carcasses from the site. It’s still raining but we take about an hour to get out of our wet clothes and into some dry. Then Carl has a cup of steaming hot coffee and I have one of tea, followed by a bowl of ham and bean soup which tasted pretty good considering it’s almost 5 and we ate breakfast at 7. The chore has been put off long enough and Carl grabs a semi-water resistant jacket and heads for the fish cleaning station. One of the fellows from the canoe part of the operation is just coming across the yard and Carl asked if he could help him. He said he’ll be back in 10 minutes so Carl starts by cutting off the heads and gutting them. He does know how to do that. Then we wait. Sure enough the fellow comes back with a raft and three guys who had been on the river fishing all day. He walks up to the table and Carl tells him what he’s accomplished and comments on how he’s probably made it worse. The guy agrees. Who knew the heads being left on when you’re filleting a fish would make it easier? We do now!! It took a while but the four fish were filleted, washed, patted dry and packaged up in about 45 minutes. They weighed about 18 pounds before and we ended up with about 9 pounds of fillets. That’s somewhere around $39.00 a pound for Salmon. But hey, we had fun and Carl now knows how to fillet a fish….

Day 48- Our Trip To Wolverine Creek

2011-08-02T22:05:00.002-04:00

I woke up nervous. I’ve never been in a plane this small before and no matter what I told myself; flying is safe, you love flying, the company has a great safety record, there’s nothing to it, and the best one of all was- you want to do this well it just didn’t work. I ate a quiet breakfast, took my second IBS pill and still had to dash to the facility 4 times before we checked in for our flight at 8:00AM I know I sound like a broken record on this trip when I tell you the skies were heavy, gray and low but not only were they all of that but they were dumping rain in large amounts. I was very depressed about the whole trip. I know gray day pictures are uninteresting to me and everyone else. Well, I’ll just have to make the best of it because Talon Air doesn’t offer “rain checks”. I know that was bad, wasn’t it? Our guide, Rusty met us and we waited for another party of two to appear. Finally, at the last bell, two women appeared and announced their names. We were off. When we booked our flights last week, we were the only ones on the 8:30 flight. Now, there are two planes each carrying 8 passengers and two guides plus pilots. The company offers us all rain jackets and hip boots. I look outside at the more than drizzle that’s falling. Then I look at the way we’re dressed, in layers, synthetic fabrics and a light water resistant shell. Both Carl and I accept the offer of better protection than we had. The flight took off from a looking glass smooth lake and we were airborne in no time. What a wonderful feeling and no more butterflies for me once I climbed the ladder to get into the plane. The flight over was about 25 minutes and our landing in Redoubt Bay off the Cook Inlet was equally smooth. We looked around at our new surroundings and saw a small fleet of flat bottom aluminum boats. The guides left the plane and each went to grab a boat. Carl marveled at the how the “ground” was moving up and down as they walked. Rusty told us later it’s what is referred to as floating bog. There is no getting around it, no matter how much rain gear we have, we are going to get wet. The cushions on the boat have been out all night and assuming you sit down on a relatively dry spot, no one can fish or take pictures for 6 hours without standing up and then your dry spot isn’t anymore. I made up my mind right off, my behind, and the rest of me for that matter would be wet and very soon. I grabbed the rain poncho from our day bag and wrapped my camera up in it, a small opening for my fingers, the view finder and the lens just sticking out. One of the ladies, Teresa had been out on this same trip a couple of weeks ago but she brought her friend, Mary, with her this time. AS we pulled into the mouth of Wolverine Creek, we could see a young Black Bear grabbing salmon from the mere trickle of water coming down the streambed. We watched the bear for a few minutes and then noticed a small Brown Bear swimming across the mouth of the little cove our boat was in. Off we went to catch up with the bear who was headed towards shore and, as Rusty told us, to the Salmon at Wolverine Creek. Sure enough, by the time we got back into our place, there was the Brown Bear grabbing salmon and retreating a few yards away to eat. In fact, I thought the Black Bear would leave when the Brown Bear got there but they stayed, fished side by side and didn’t get in each other’s way. I took as many shots as I could, not realizing I had too slow a shutter speed for the amount of lens I was using. Most of my bear shots are blurs. Mary caught the first fish and she was really excited. Both bears eventually drifted off and we didn’t see another bear for the rest of the day. I didn’t have much to do except watch the others fish at that point. Before the day was over all three of the people with fishing licenses had their limit, I was officially drenched from my waist to my toes and poor Mary was so cold, wet and miserable, her lips were white and she didn’t even have enough energy to shiver. I finally had to tell Rusty I needed to find a tree to water. It had been hours since I had had anything to drink but man did I have to go. My back teeth were floating. I kept hoping one of the other ladies might need to go and say something. Maybe they had a Depends on because they never did use the bushes but Carl joined me on shore as “bear patrol” while what he was really doing was using a different tree. Once this exercise was over, we went back to watching others fish and looking longingly at the creek with hopes of spotting another bear. Mary wasn’t getting any warmer so Rusty headed the boat over to another little cove where we could enjoy Fisher Falls, a pretty little double drop waterfall about 40 feet high. It was just enough to get Mary’s mind off how cold and wet she was until the plane arrived. It was a very quiet 25 minute plane ride back with everyone drenched and drained. I felt bad for the pilot who kept having to wipe the fog off his windscreen because there was so much moisture in the cabin. Once I got the hip boots off, at the office, I realized they must have had holes in them or a split seam because I could pour water out of each of them but strangely, I wasn’t cold while we were out there. I did have fun, in spite of the ruined photos and I will know better next time, that’s for sure. And yes, there will be a next time but not on this trip. That’s one more flying conveyance off my list. Haven’t been in a glider yet.

Day 47- Moving to Soldotna

2011-08-01T22:01:00.002-04:00

Everyone’s heard of the Big Bang Theory, right? Well, when we checked into the Seward Military Reserve Campground a few days ago, we heard a big bang when the slide out room came to a stop. I didn’t think anything more about it after making a comment about not hearing that noise before. I should have paid more attention. When it came time to bring the room in so we could leave this morning, nothing moved. Carl found out the bang was one of the bolts that connects the motor to the auger which moves the room in and out. He grabbed the one good bolt and headed to the local hardware store. They fixed him right up and we were on our way after only a half hour delay. I can just imagine how difficult it would have been to get fixed if that had happened on the Alaska highway 300 miles from anywhere. The move over to Soldotna or more specifically Sterling which is just outside Soldotna took a few hours. We got a cozy little site and then set down to figure out our grocery needs for the next few days. What we discovered is I needed to shop for all of the days between today and the 11th when we get on the ferry. And, I needed to have enough things to eat most of our meals on the ferry by sandwich or microwave, Thursday supper and all three meals on Friday. We’ll be off the ferry in Prince Rupert about 5:00AM on the 13th. We’ll get breakfast on the road. Anyway, back to Sterling. The place we’re camping at is the Alaska Canoe and Campground right on the Sterling Highway. It’s only a 15 minute drive from where we need to get the float plane in the morning. The people seem quite friendly and they have free internet and showers here as well. The laundry is on the honor system, too. We had some of Carl’s freshly caught halibut for supper and I didn’t find it much different than haddock. So, I’m now officially happy he caught them. He did give away the cod to our neighbors in Seward after finding out they “loved it”. We shopped at the Fred Meyer store. It’s sort of like a super Wal-Mart but bigger and it has more satellite stores in and around it. The prices were proportionately higher here than in Anchorage which is what you’d expect and gas prices are hovering around the $4.17 per gallon mark although you can still find stations with a much higher price the further from town you get.

Day 46- Two Lakes Trail

2011-07-31T17:43:00.003-04:00

The hard drive on my new laptop is about 240 GB of memory. The last time I checked, I had filled about half of it so I’ve begun burning my images to DVD. It’s a good back up system in case something happens to my laptop as we travel, too. Now, you might think I should just back off from taking as many photos. That thought never crossed my mind. That’s why I brought 39 blank DVDs with me. Earlier today, I watched the RED SOX play the white sox. The game started at 10:00 here in Seward. That is so cool, I still get a kick out of it. It took us a while to find the Two Lakes Trail after we had lunch. The trail head was behind a technical school building with no signage to direct us. The first lake and a nice picnic area was within sight of where we parked the truck. The easily laid out pathway led us around the second little pond as well as a rather marshy depression. The forest on either side of the trail was thick with vegetation, mosses, bushy ferns, skunk cabbage and lots of other mid level browse. The canopy was made up of several types of spruces with some smaller deciduous trees mixed in. We not only heard but saw numerous red squirrels although we would have known they were in the area anyway because of the huge piles of cones collected at the bases of many of the trees. They’ve been gathered as a winter cache. The squirrels with gather thousands of cones, hauling them underground so they can be found when the snows come. We even saw evidence of where millions of seeds had been eaten as they worked. A ranger in Denali described it as “ if it looks as if a Spruce tree exploded” which is exactly what it looked like. Those ranger talks are starting to pay off. We actually knew what we were looking at. Those squirrels were the only wildlife we saw during the 2 mile round trip although we found quite a few clear impressions of moose hoof prints in the mud and lots of scat in and along side of the trail. I have to confess I am not an expert on scat but if I were asked, I’d have to say I saw lots of dog and even some horse manure. The trail was perfectly adapted to be ridden with horses with the possible exception of low limbs in one section. Even though the day was overcast, I mentioned the other path, the Tonsina Point trail and Carl said okay. Unfortunately, we still couldn’t find where it began. We found ourselves on the beach near Lowell Point watching about a dozen people salmon fishing in the low surf. We splurged and had some really great ice cream downtown across from the Major Marine office and then we fueled up for our trip to Soldotna tomorrow. Supper was fresh salmon caught on Carl’s trip yesterday. He didn’t catch it but when no one claimed it, he decided to give it a good home. I hope we’ll have plenty of our own caught on Tuesday.

Seward And Nearby

2011-07-31T01:03:00.001-04:00

Day 45- Not Much To Tell (small SPOILER ALERT )

2011-07-30T23:00:00.001-04:00

Every trip everywhere has one of these days. You wake up tired, not much is planned and so you lie around with not much ambition. It happens every time and to day was it. We watched a couple of movies on television that we’d already seen. I did a web search for a movie theater in town and found one of Adams Street. They were playing “Cowboys And Aliens” so we hit the 6:30 show. Carl opted for hot dogs at the movie followed by popcorn. The movie had plenty of action, the acting seemed natural and at no time did I get the feeling “this has been done before” even though the basic plot of bad guys taking hostages and the good guys getting them back has been done to death. When James Bond and Indiana Jones team up, things have got to work out, don’t they? We’ve been in Alaska for about two weeks and it’s just now hitting me how we don’t have to roll up the sidewalks at 9:00PM because it’s about to get dark. Still, I have this mindset that we can’t go for a hike after the movie for that reason. It’s actually kind of cool but just as I know it won’t get dark any time soon, I also know these people pay for this extra in spades come October through May. And I can’t even begin to thin how being dark from 3:00 in the afternoon until 11:30 the next day will do to a person. No wonder Alaska has one of the highest incidences of alcoholism and suicide rates in the country. Would I recommend the movie? I think the movie was fast paced with few down moments and it was good lighthearted entertainment. It did have a fair amount of bang, bang, shoot ’em up gore but it wasn’t over the top. But whatever you do, please don’t call me Gene Siskall or Roger Ebert.

Carl's Edition Of The Blog.

2011-07-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

We have been in Seward Since Monday. I went fishing yesterday Friday the 29 th. Up at 530, over to the front desk to pay for the trip and get a boat assignment. Arrived at the boat around 730 and ten minutes later were off to the fishing area. Everybody is wearing sweatshirts and jackets over them, cause it's still chilly out. A 3 hour boat ride the Ocean is very calm and by the time we get to the fishing grounds, its tee shirt weather. No fish here so we moved after 30 minutes. Second spot no fish here. Third spot it's now 1 PM and we are on the halibut. The limit is 2 per person, plus what ever other fish you catch. Ended up with 2 halibut and a cod. All 15 of us on the boat got our limit on the halibut. Three hours back to the dock, then back to the resort. One of the deckhands came with us to the Fish House at the resort. She proceeded to fillet all the fish for those who wanted her to do it for them, for tips. Some guys chose to do there own, not me no clue how to fillet fish. So now everybody from 4 boats has claimed there fish and there is still a Silver Salmon maybe a 4 pounder, I ask around nobody claims it, into my tote it goes. Were having salmon for lunch tomorrow. What we are going to do with the rest of the fish that the girl filleted for me? No idea yet, so into the deep freezer at the resort it goes to get very cold after we portion it up and seal it in vacuum seal bags that they just happen to sell at the front desk. My arms are sore from reeling cause the Halibut swim at the bottom over 2 hundred feet below the boat. It's a lot of reeling with a 2 pound weight and the fish. Valerie went shopping while I was fishing, but she still spent less than I did for the fishing trip. The resort charges you based on your rank for the accommodation and for the fishing. The Colonel next to me paid 12 dollars more than me. On Monday we move to the Kenai area for three days. On Tuesday we are flying across the Cook inlet to bear and salmon country for the day. Valerie is hoping to get some good Grizzly Pics and I will fish for Salmon from the boat, not on shore with the bears.

Day 43- Late Start To A Gorgeous Day

2011-07-28T14:08:00.001-04:00

Can’t believe we slept so late. Carl got up at 8:15 and I didn’t climb out of bed until almost 9:00. The sun was streaming through our night shades like they weren’t even there. Now, it’s so late, I’m not sure what we’re doing today but it will be a shame to waste it. A visit to the Chamber office in town gave us a couple of ideas. Just beyond town, on a dirt road, is Lowell Falls, a melt water creek and waterfall from the Lowell Glacier. It was such a beautiful day, my plan was to get photos of the falls. And when I got there, I was disappointed to see the heavy electric lines running across the face. Carl suggested we go under the bridge and get a different perspective so that’s just where we headed. It was the right idea but the spray coming off the water’s surface overwhelmed the lens very quickly. We continued our drive along the western shore of Resurrection Bay out to Lowell Point, home of a vast RV / tent / backpackers campground. It’s also the trailhead for a couple of walking trails the people at the chamber suggested. Sadly, it’s also a fee usage area connected with the Lowell Point State Park. It isn’t much of a fee, $5.00 per day or $40.00 for a yearly pass. I think it’s just the idea of it. We may go back there another day. Today, there were no parking spots. There was one other walking trail that was suggested, the Two Lakes trail, a 2 mile loop around two different lakes. I remember seeing the sign and so we headed out of town to where I thought it was. We drove 40 miles round trip and didn’t find it. We did have lunch in a pull out along the Kenai Lake which was a brilliant turquoise in the sunshine. Then, upon returning to the camper, I discover the trail is in the opposite direction. I hate it when I’m wrong. Carl has a fishing trip lined up, connected with the resort we’re staying at. I might have gone but there was only one space left on the boat and, well, I’m not much into fishing and I don’t figure these guys will be looking for much wildlife. I may do that Two Lakes trail or I may go to the Library where they have a movie on the 1964 Good Friday earthquake which measured 9.2 and just about wiped Seward and Homer off the map.

Day 42- Soldotna and Exit Glacier

2011-07-27T18:15:00.002-04:00

By yesterday’s standards, today was a quiet one but don’t be fooled by my opening statement. We traveled about 100 miles over to Soldatna, through some more of Chugach National Forest. Our main reason for heading over there was to book Carl’s fishing trip and my bear watching trip. Lucky for us there are several companies that offer qualified guides to do both. Right after we turned off the Seward Highway, Alaska State Highway 9 and onto The Sterling Highway, Alaska State Highway 1 on our left was Tern Lake. On the lake was a single Tundra Swan feeding on the abundant aquatic life. Then things started getting busy. I’m not familiar with the area but apparently Carl was. He knew we were approaching the Kenai River, the Salmon fishing Mecca of Alaska. And sure enough, there were campers and boat trailers in every turnout, parking lane, rest area, picnic area and even at the Visitor’s Center. There were people in the river on both sides as far as the eye could see. There are 5 types of Salmon that leave the Pacific Ocean and head up the streams of this area. Right now, 3 of the Salmon species are working their way from salt water into the waters of their birth. It’s the responsibility of every good angler to stop as many of them as possible. And then, there are the bears who do their fair share to eat as many of them as they can possibly catch to put on the much needed fat layer that will see them through the winter. In very heavily used area of the river, the town of Soldatna has erected a boardwalk for people to use to access the river. They’ve provided picnic tables along the way for families to enjoy the out of doors while the parents fish. Behind the visitor’s center is also a table with running water where you can clean your catch and toss the bones and entrails back into the river. All of the unwanted parts of the salmon provide valuable nutrients for the river ecosystem which includes birds, bears and even other fish. I guess I came away a bit perplexed by the actions of these “anglers”. Each stream or river has certain rules and regulations. It’s the angler’s responsibility to know what they are on the section of water they are fishing. They have a rod and reel in their hands but may not be able to use bait, lures or weights so they thrash the water over and over hoping to hook a fish as it swims by. There is no skill in this, only luck and that luck extends to any fish that are snagged. You must hook them in the mouth or gills, not snag them on fins or in the body. The guy next to you could be Fish and Game. They’re out there “fishing” too. The decision to use Talon Air was made after visiting their operation and asking a few questions. Our pilot will fly us out to a gravel bar on the Cook Inlet. We’ll be met by our guide who will take just 4 of us out in an 18 foot boat. We’ll fish, take wildlife photos and with luck, while Carl is fishing, there will be both Brown and Black bears fishing in the same place. We’ll have lunch cooked right there on the beach and then do a bit more fishing and photography. On the flight back there will be photo opportunities for other wildlife and two of the most active volcanoes in Alaska, Mt Redoubt and Mt Spur, both more than 10,000 feet high. With any luck, I’ll have some awesome photos to post next week and we’ll be looking for a place to flash freeze and ship Carl’s fish back to NH. It will be my first trip in a float plane. The weather here is even more crazy than in New England. Out the window of the truck is a bright sunlit sky but it’s raining. Off in the distance, there are black clouds piling up against the mountains but to our right is blue sky. One minute the tops of the mountains are obscured and then I’m experiencing one of those jaw dropping moments when I’m struck by the sheer beauty of the area we’re driving through. Part way back to Seward is this little place called Moose Pass, population 90. Next to the coffee shop / gift shop / grocery store is this operating water wheel. When I get out to take a few photos, I notice what’s really going on here. Someone is making a political statement. I notice a long belt coming of the wheel turning a grind stone very slowly. The sign next to this set up says “Moose Pass is a peaceful little town. If you have an axe to grind, do it here.” I think that’s pretty cool. It’s still early when we get back into Seward so we head off to Exit Glacier. Along the approach to the Visitor’s Center are dated signs posted every so often. I didn’t think anything of the first couple but noticed the numbers going up, 1815, 1849, 1894, etc. It’s Carl who figures out the dates reflect where geologists estimate the glacier was during that year. It’s a visual reference to how far the glacier has receded in just under 200 years. The hike in was just about a mile and was well worth the effort and strain on my knee. Carl pointed out where the bedrock had been scoured quite deeply from trapped rocks caught up in the ice as it retreated and even though the glacier is one of the smaller in the area, it was still pretty cool, both literally and figuratively. We could feel the cold coming off the glistening surface. The path took us close enough to hear the melt water pouring off it in little rivulets. But it also brought us close enough so we could see the gravel and dirt imbedded in the ice. So many of us have this impression the ice from a glacier is crystal clear and it’s anything but. Bottom line, Exit Glacier has retreated more than 10 miles in the past 200 years and shrunk in width as well. There may come a time when there is nothing left of the glacier in the valley. The Harding Ice Sheet is still immense but all glaciers around the world are receding. As we were leaving, we spotted Mountain Goats above the glacier. The wind was pretty stiff but I managed to get one good photo. Before I left the camper this morning, I through a pot roast into our little crock pot. The camper smelled so good when we walked in and best of all, supper was ready and all I had to do was get out a couple of plates. Now, that’s called planning!

Sights of Kenai Fjord National Park

2011-07-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

Day 41- Kenai Fjord Tour

2011-07-26T22:56:00.001-04:00

Webster and his dictionary did not have enough superlatives to describe this day. The day began like so many on this trip, gray and dreary but every once in a while we were being teased with the smallest imaginable glimpse of blue. Our ship, the Kenai Star was only about half it’s usual occupancy and this too was a good thing. Right off the bat, just out of the harbor, our first animal encounter, a sea otter paddling on it’s back munching on a crab. The sound of it’s teeth tearing into that crab is hard to describe but what it reminded me of most was a dog chewing on a big beef knuckle bone. A little further out in the bay, the boat, accompanied by a Kenai Fjords Park ranger, came upon a lone humpback whale cruising along. Everyone watched for several minutes jostling for position at the rail to get the best pictures possible from a moving platform. This procedure would be repeated many times during the day. Of course, the photos were only of an occasional blow hole, the telltale hump with the tiny fin and the inevitable tail end of the large marine mammal, the fluke. And while I don’t usually subscribe to the use of puns, I got a pretty nice picture which Carl says is no fluke. The route the cruise took varied from the plan based on wildlife sightings but generally speaking, we left Resurrection Bay for the Gulf Of Alaska by motoring along the western shoreline passing by Bear Glacier which is actually a collision sight of three glaciers. The ranger spotted a bald eagle up in a tree and a little further down the shore line another was spotted, probably it’s mate. Ranger Mark kept up a running commentary about the geology of the region, the forces at work to make such a spectacular coastline and as he spoke, we could almost see the process at work. He was very passionate about all subjects and was a big hit with the kids. He ran a junior ranger program for the 8 or 9 kids on board, keeping them not only busy but involved with the whole process. At the end of the trip, he held a “ceremony” and gave them a junior ranger oath which basically pledges them to visit national parks often and care for the environment with one final caveat, to never be mean to Park Rangers. That cracked everyone up on board, even the kids. Among the other wildlife we saw were a small pod of orcas, a fleeting glance at a couple of Dall Porpoises, several more humpbacks, a black dot in the distance attributed to a black bear and a few white specks high up on the basalt cliffs that people insisted where mountain goats. I couldn’t tell even through the camera. I’ve never been able to focus through binoculars. I think it’s got something to do with the fact that I am near and far sighted. My trifocal glasses are tough to line up with the optics of the device. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The skies began to brighten just about the same time the seas began to develop a mild chop to it, signaling our departure from the protection of the bay. By the time we had traveled the few miles to Aialik Bay, several people were feeling the effects of motion sickness. The crew served a less than sumptuous buffet which did include the advertised salmon and a prime rib with the rib. The sides consisted of a green salad, some sort of rice that vegetables had been dragged through and a complimentary beverage that was already included in the $20.00 price of the meal. And just about the time I got to the buffet line, we passed a beautiful and naturally carved triple arch called the Three Gates. And then, we saw the Holgate glacier in the distance. We were miles away but could already feel the distinct change in the air. Somehow the already cool day had become much cooler and there was a heavy mist in the air. Some places call that rain. I call it a minor inconvenience and go get my lens cloth. Then it’s back on deck where I’ve spent most of my time. Call it the place where photographers should be or you could call it the best place to be if you’re feeling even slightly queasy. Diesel fumes have always bothered me even when I worked at the trucking company. Never mind about that. There was the glacier ahead. We approached slowly, spying small bits of ice in the water. The bits became chunks which turned into small floes. Captain Nicole announced she would come close to the glacier and then kill the engines so we could listen to it’s movement. I knew there would be sounds but I was still amazed by the groans and cracks coming from the 500 foot tall wall of blue fractured ice in front of us. Small bits were breaking off here and there. We listened intently to where the louder cracks might be coming from in hopes of getting some sort of heads up on where the next chunks might fall from. After more than a half hour, the boat regrettably had to leave with most of the passengers agreeing what they had just witness was incredible and saying how they could have stay for hours to listen and watch. Me, too! Once back into the gulf, the skies had turned bright blue and we were blessed with bright sunshine for a good part of the crossing to Cape resurrection. The way back to Seward brought us past tons of waterfowl, gulls, puffins, murres and cormorants as well as a brief sighting of another bald eagle pair and one rather erratic juvenile humpback. And there was one more haul out beach for Stellar Sea Lions. Ranger Mark told us how the Stellar population was dropping off markedly. Researchers at the Seal Life Center are involved in a multi year study to find out what is the cause. They have marked hundreds of Stellar Sea Lion pups and will follow them to adulthood, if they make it. As we approached the harbor, the clouds thickened once more and rain began falling by the time we got to the dock. All in all, it was a great day and the all you can eat desert buffet was better than the actual meal. Hope you like the pictures.

Day 40- In Seward

2011-07-25T20:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Seward, Alaska. The weather is typical Pacific Northwest, low clouds with occasional light rain. The trouble is the temperature is only about 50 so if you get wet, you’re cold in minutes. Everywhere you go, they recommend you dress in layers with synthetic materials and bring a rain jacket. I guess we’ll use today to sort things out for the next few days. I’ve checked the weather from 3 different locations and they all vary. Some say Tuesday is gonna be okay while others have said Thursday will be the better day. So, I spent the morning doing laundry while Carl solves a couple of minor issues with our house on wheels. The cost of doing laundry during our trip has varied a great deal. In most places it’s been $2.00 to wash and $2.00 to dry but in British Columbia, they wanted $5.00 for each process. Needless to say the laundry remained dirty until our next stop. Here, the washer and dryer are $1.25 per load and I’m happy to pay that. By the time I return, he’s already eaten lunch. After lunch we head to the Alaska Sealife Center for the afternoon. It’s a great place that specializes in rescue and rehabilitation. Happily, there were very few animals in their facility in need of rehabilitation. The aquarium exhibits were nicely done with lots of interpretive signage for a positive self guided tour. There were lots of hands on stuff for children while maintaining a thought provoking atmosphere for us adults. And we can all use an opportunity to be challenged. And best of all, I managed to get out of the gift shop without spending any money. Carl and I then drove by the commercial pier, checked out the town operated camping area right on the shore ( wish we’d know about that before ). The only grocery store in town of any size is the Safeway and prices, as you might expect, are high. $3.00 for a small head of iceberg lettuce, $1.20 per pound for bananas and $4.50 for a bag of Doritos. Carl wandered over to the Liquor side of the store and found a 6 pack of Alaskan stout made in Juneau with his name on it. After supper, Carl went over to book or passage for tomorrow to the Kenai Fjords National Park. With any luck, I’ll get some nice photos of the glaciers calving. I may even get a chance to see some wildlife. There is a National Park ranger on board who will tell us what we are experiencing. The tour is 7 ½ hours long and we’ve opted for the all you can eat Salmon and Prime Rib buffet during the cruise. Weather permitting, we’ll travel to Aialik Glacier and Holgate Glacier. The course also takes us past several islands and up and down both shorelines of Resurrection Bay. Should be a great day on the water.

Day 39- In Anchorage

2011-07-24T20:30:00.001-04:00

This morning we woke to a steady rain. Carl snapped the TV on and we found the Sox- Mariners game on at 10:00 in the morning. That means at home, it’s a get away day or afternoon game. I love it. The only probable was we had to check out before the game was over. The guy at checkout told us we could listen on a local radio station. Trouble with that was it was an AM station and we could listen for about 25 miles. When we ran out of signal, the Sox were winning 10-3. When I lost the signal, I did a channel scan and found a local station playing Hawaiian music. That was strangest of all. Our route of travel today was to continue down the Seward Highway, along the Cook Inlet and head down the Kenai Peninsular to Seward where we will be staying for a few days. The ceiling is still heavy and low. On both sides of us are massive mountains, swiftly flowing rivers and streams and tidal waters. I have asked Carl to pull into several of the turn out spots to try to salvage some photographs and one of them is at Beluga Point. It’s my understanding there are several pods of seasonal residents in the area. I figured they were probably all further north in the nutrient rich waters. I make the decision, due to the miserable visibility and rainy conditions to pass up going up to Portage Glacier and the Alaska Conservation Park. We will be passing these place on our way back up the peninsular in a week or so. There’s also a waterfall I want to check out when the weather’s a bit nicer. About 35 miles outside of Seward, traffic, which has been pretty thick, ground to a stop. A few minutes later, the line began to move very slowly and we began to see why the stoppage. A tractor trailer hauling crushed cars was laying on it’s side in a very busy intersection. It was unclear just what happened, maybe a binder let go, maybe his load shifter as he rounded the corner, but no matter what happened, there he was laying on his side, spilling fuel all over the place. The driver appeared unhurt but I’ll bet he’ll have “some ‘splaining to do, Lucy”. The rest of the trip into Seward was uneventful and after a quick trip to town, alright we missed our turn, we arrived at the Seward Military Reservation Resort which will be our base of operations for the next 8 days. We’re in hearing distance of the Alaska Railroad and the Cruise ship harbor. There is a rather large mountain just behind us but right now it’s cloud obscured. There are 40 RV parking spots with water, electric and cable hookup but no sewer. We’re all military here so I guess it’s okay to be this close in case you need to air out the “family linen” . Carl and I will spend the next few hours planning out what we’ll be doing while we’re on the Kenai. Carl has fishing on his mind and I want to photograph fishing of another sort, brown bear fishing, that is.

Day 38- To Anchorage

2011-07-23T21:00:00.001-04:00

The decision was made to leave Denali a day early and so after breakfast, we packed up and headed off. We had one last look at the Porcupine caribou before we left the park. There were two bedded down in a dry river bed about the same place we saw them the night before. The way south was through some gorgeous scenery, snowy mountains and winding rivers on both sides of the highway. We stopped at several turn outs to get a few more photos of the beautiful Alaskan Mountain range but as we traveled, we couldn’t help but notice our bright sunshine filled day with billowy white clouds was evaporating. Instead, there were thick and ominous looking gray stuff building in the south right where we were headed. In one of the pullouts, I noticed some more fireweed. Now, in the park, the fireweed was about 2 feet tall, a product of the sub alpine environment it is subjected to. The fireweed at this stop was over five feet tall. It was amazingly thick and beautiful. I also noticed all of the Spruce trees in the area were loaded with cones. A ranger in the park mentioned the cones will start dropping in another week or two. Meanwhile, I’m reminded of an old wives’ tale about how high the wasps build their nests or the amount of cones a tree puts out has some bearing on the severity of the upcoming winter. And even though this part of the country is strikingly beautiful during the winter, I’m not cut out for -80 degree weather. I was amazed to find out they only get on average about 70 inches of snow a year. It’s the high winds that make it seem like more because it’s constantly relocating the snow drifts. Our trip towards Anchorage has taken us to Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin and her family. It’s also the home of the Iditarod Official Race Headquarters. They maintain a gift shop, museum and offer sled dog rides on a wheeled vehicle. So we stopped. The modern Iditarod was formed by Joe Richardson Sr. to pay homage to the Serum run of 1925 that saved the children of Nome from Diphtheria. The race pits man and dog against 1,048 miles of Alaskan Wilderness and begins the first Saturday in March. There is a ceremonial start in Anchorage with a restart in Willow the next day. When we pulled into the parking area, I immediately notice the team of 8 dogs all harnessed up to this rubber tired buggy. It looked sort of weird but it carried about 7-8 people. I haven’t a clue how much they were charging for the five minute ride. What I did find out is the guy with the concession is Joe Richardson Jr. The woman with him is a native born Alaskan and she told us there were puppies in the pen over near the log cabin. I’m a sucker for pups and these future Iditarod runners were only 5 weeks old. Man, were they cute. I climbed into the pen with them, thinking they would just go play together and I could get some nice puppy photos. That’s a joke. I got into the pen and all five of them ganged up on me, chewing on my shoes and pant legs. And did I mention they each have a mouthful of super sharp teeth? After wandering around the museum for about a half hour, I grabbed an official race newspaper with the 2011 results for our granddaughter whose favorite driver is Jessie Royer who cam in a very respectable 9th place. Back on the road, it began to ran again. The Chugach Mountain Range is in the distance when we arrive at the Anchorage Wal-Mart. I grabbed my list and the cloth bags ( I’m a big believer in reuse, repurpose or recycle ) and headed into the store to “pay our camper fee” for the night. Unfortunately, when we got back to the camper, we saw the sign that said “No Overnight RV Parking” in very bold print and they even had a security guard roaming the parking pot constantly. Carl had checked the website that lists all the off limit stores to campers and this one was not listed. It’s late, we’re hungry and tired and now we don’t have a place to stay for the night. The plan was refigured to head to a motel for the night, grab a hot bath and sleep in a real bed. The first place we checked had plenty of rooms and they still had plenty when we left because there was NO WAY we were paying $189.00 per night for a bath. I opened the handy Mileposts magazine and found a motel/ RV park in town called Creekwood Inn. We gladly paid the $100.00 for the night and had planned to stay with them the next night in the RV Park. We each grabbed a bag full of clean clothes, supper for the night and toiletry items and headed for the room. Carl had his TV and I had my Wireless. We were all set. And to make it even better, The Red Sox are playing the Seattle Mariners and one of the Anchorage stations is covering the game. The bath felt really good even though I’m a shower kind of gal. The pictures I took today show a progression of beautiful blue skies that change to deep brooding dark gray.

Denali

2011-07-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

Day 37- Meet The Sled Dogs

2011-07-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

And that’s exactly what we did which was really neat but first I need to tell you about the frustrating part of the day. It started all fine and good. We both slept late and had Banana Pancakes for breakfast. Our plan was to pack a lunch, head to the Visitor Center to get reconnected” with the world, take a nice hike of a couple of miles and catch the 2:00 Sled Dog Demonstration. After arriving at the Visitor Center and not being able to find a wireless signal there, I turned my phone on and retrieved 4 messages. Three were messages for Carl from Fairpoint about a tech e-mail he had sent them. The other was from my Mom. I asked a ranger where I could get a wireless signal and he told me the Riley Creek Mercantile was the only place in the park. That was our next stop. We figured we had the right place when we found about 10 people with laptops open and another few with cell phones. Some were downloading pictures, others checking e-mail, a few were charging cell phones, lap tops and kindles. I needed to get on to check my e-mail and post a few days worth of blogs along with some really cool photos. No dice on the connection. It kept saying I was connected but had no internet service. I tried rebooting and mumbling to myself about “what was I doing wrong” when the lady next to me asked if I was an Mac or PC platform. I’ve never been an apple kind of gal so after checking with a couple of other frustrated looking souls, we discovered there were 4 of us who could not log on, all of us Windows users. Carl went in and asked the lady in the store if they were having trouble. She said it appeared someone was downloading a movie which requires an enormous amount of bandwidth. I don’t understand these sorts of things but we waited and waited. Then we had lunch and waited some more. Every few minutes someone would get tired of waiting or finish what they were doing. Others were killing time waiting for laundry to finish and they were just there. Me, I had things to do. Well, I won’t drag out every painful detail. All I can say is after 2 ½ hours, I still wasn’t able to download anything to my blog or face book. We did get to the Sled Dog Kennel and get some up close and personal time with a few of the full time ranger dogs. They give three demonstrations every day and once the snow falls, they are responsible for helping the humans patrol about 6 million acres of wilderness. A ranger and a team of dogs will head out for two weeks. Cabins are located about the distance a dog team can cover in a day. These cabins are stocked in the fall with a large supply of people and dog food as well as plenty of propane. I can imagine one of those cabins would look mighty good after a day of -40 and snow drifts of several feet or more. The dogs just love to work. I wish I could show in this blog how quiet the 30 or so dogs were while us humans were checking them out. Most were either sitting or laying on top of their houses while some were curled up inside. These 60 degree temperatures are great for us but the dogs work best at about 10-30 below. Anyway, as soon as Ranger Ellen gave a signal, all of the dogs were up, barking, running around the enclosures or at the end of their chains as if to say, “Did someone say let’s go for a run?” Tails were wagging and I’d swear the dogs were smiling with the thought they might get chosen. Five dogs were brought out and the leather harnesses, already attached to the gang line, were slipped over their heads. Then, all the dogs in the kennel knew they hadn’t been chosen and they all settled back down. Only the five on the gang line were all wiggly and excited. Ranger Ellen said something like “Are you ready?” She got a yip or two and they were off. They made a quick loop through the woods and ended up in front of where 3 busloads of people were sitting. She talked with us about how the sled dog service came into being, how important these dogs are, how they are bred and trained, how they are selected and even when they are retired from running which is really hard because they love to run so much. I wondered why they were using leather harness instead of the nylon like the competitive teams use. I wish there had been more demonstration and less lecture although it was interesting too. We headed back to the campground but had to stop for several minutes because a bull caribou was in a dry streambed munching on whatever it is one might find to browse on, maybe lichen, minerals, grasses or shrubs. Once we got back to the camper, Carl asked if my knee could take a walk down along the rocky river and off we went. Supper was cooked outside tonight and we ate by the picnic table. We watched a red squirrel which is twice the size of our NH variety grab up a mushroom, retire to a tree and nibble on it for some time. The ranger talk this evening was on “Seeing The Big Picture”. The majority of people who come to Denali come to see THE mountain or THE wildlife or maybe even THE wide open wilderness. The suggestion was that we use all of our senses to take in the entire experience, the sights, sounds, smells and feel of the whole out of doors. She even suggested there are some parts that can be tasted. I got to wear a blindfold while Carl led me to a specific tree in the area. After feeling, smelling and touching this tree, I was led back to the amphitheater and took off the blindfold. Then I had to find the tree. I wasn’t even close. I knew the tree was small and sticky. That described about 50% of the trees in the area. It was fun anyway. These talks have been entertaining, informative and it fills an hour or so after a long day. I highly recommend them.

Day 36- Tundra Touring

2011-07-21T15:00:00.003-04:00

We have to be at the bus by 8:00AM and it’s twelve miles from here towards the park entrance. Carl doesn’t understand why we have to travel there when the bus is going right past our campground. I don’t have any answers for him and I don’t make the rules. I can’t believe our luck. For two days in a row, the skies are a brilliant blue with almost no clouds. McKinley is quite visible and this bodes well for our tour. If the mountain is visible, the bus will travel an extra 9 miles from Teklanika Rest Stop to Stony Hill for an up close and personal look at the mountain from only 30 miles away. And, it looks as if we may get that opportunity. When the bus arrives to pick up at the Wilderness Access Center, there are already about 30 people on board who were picked up at their hotel. I am growling inside and to myself. Our driver, Bob, tells us he subscribes to the 5% club, the number of visitors who get to see the mountain from top to bottom. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. While I’m at it, I have another set of fingers crossed for wildlife sightings. Bob is a character who guarantees we will see wildlife and no more than 5 miles up the road, he slams on the brakes for an Arctic Ground Squirrel. Some of us see the humor while others think it’s going to be one very long day. His animal finding skills are shown in a better light when he spots a bull caribou feeding in the willows on the left side of the bus. Did I mention that’s where I’m sitting? All we can see of him is the upper tines of his antlers and his back, the shrubs are so thick and tall. The caribou wears a tracking collar and promptly comes up out of the willows and crosses the road directly in front of the bus. We are all encouraged to yell “stop” whenever we see an animal or even if we think we see an animal. Bob tells us how 48 sets of eyes hunting are better than his one pair because he is driving the bus after all. Later in the day we’ll find out why this is so important. After we travel through the official gate at mile 15, I spot a bull moose browsing in a lush meadow down below us by some 100 yards or so. My voice croaks out a stop and sure enough, Bob gets the bus stopped pretty quickly. Now 47 cameras are all trying to get a photo of MY bull moose. The visibility window isn’t that large so Bob moves the bus. Now, the people in the back can get a shot but it also meant I didn’t get the shot I needed. What are you going to do? The bus climbs higher, leaving moose habitat, threads it’s way through a narrow band of thick Spruce called the Igloo Forest and entered what Bob calls prime grizzly country. Just before we get there though, we had to travel through a bottleneck between two mountains called Polychrome Pass. Off to the left of the bus are some pretty steep rocky outcroppings, high up from the valley floor, and there enjoying themselves in the pre-noon sunshine are a small bachelor herd of Dall Sheep. It just so happens the road brings us pretty much even with their high perch. The day continues with another caribou sighting as well as a couple of off road grizzly sightings. Bob brings the bus around the next bend and stops dead in the middle of the road. Coming at us, taking her half of the road out of the middle is a gorgeous blond grizzly sow with two tiny cubs, not more than 5 months old, in tow. We are all cautioned to be very quiet, keep all fingers and faces inside the bus as well as our camera lenses. Another tour bus arrived on the scene from the other way and I find myself holding my breath. I’m worried the arrival of the second bus will change Mama’s mind about traveling on the road. If the bear stays on her current path, it will bring her directly by my side of the bus. Mother Nature smiles on us all. The sow continues walking past the bus but the cubs are very skittish and dash into the fairly tall shrubs on the side of the road. I catch one of them peaking up over to find out if we’re still there or maybe it was to find out where mom was. It was a truly magical moment. Bob says he’s done 2400 of these tours over the years and it’s only the third or fourth time, a grizzly sow has brought her cubs that close to the bus. In the course of our travels we crossed 4 braided glacial rivers, the Savage, Sanctuary, Teklanika and the Toklat. We can easily see this from our high vantage point but it’s still amazing to see how the river changes it’s own course through the years, sometimes going this way and depositing more silt and rock so that the next year it finds an easier path to take. We have a marvelous view of jagged snow covered peaks, all above 7,500 feet. One of these impressive mountains, Pendleton, is home to the three Polychrome glaciers. Even from our distant vantage point miles away, we can see evidences of their receding path by the moraine left behind. Some day these ancient ice rivers will disappear leaving miles of shattered rock and scarred mountain sides in their wake. I can’t describe just how I felt when I finally got to Stony Hill to see the entire 20,000 plus feet of Mt McKinley but the country gal who finds herself in New York City, staring up at the super tall buildings with her mouth open in awe is a good start. A small bank of clouds had begun to move in which, in my opinion, gave the massif an air of mystery as well as some contrast. Welcome to the 5% club, Carl and Valerie! The ride back was more or less anticlimactic. Bob decides we have been much too quiet and wants to play a game called Gee and Haw. He’s going to close his eyes and we’re going to tell him by those two commands how to steer the bus. That woke us all up. We saw another bull moose, much larger than the first but also much farther from the road as well as another couple of grizzlies, also further away from us. There was a quick and distant sighting of a golden eagle and we got to experience Bob’s excellent driving skills on the very narrow and twisting park road. Most of the 47 miles the bus covered today wasn’t wide enough for two buses to pass. It takes nerves of steel to continue calmly answering questions, explaining what we are experiencing and keeping us on the road and not into the side of an oncoming bus or over the steep drop off to the right. Bob explains there are rules of the road. Actually Bob explains a great many things to us. He proved himself to be an extremely knowledgeable and capable individual. We found out he’s an avid hiker and photographer which explains some of the little things he said like the sky being blown out behind the sheep or the cloud layer making for an interesting contrast. These are things a photographer would think of. The bus, on schedule, was almost back to civilization when there in the road directly in front of us was the biggest Caribou buck I’ve ever seen. He has a massive rack which is totally covered in velvet and still soft. You can see the upper palms flexing as he trots down the road. A car approached from the other direction and the bull decided to turn around and head in our direction. When he saw our bus, you could see his frustration. He pawed at the ground and shook that massive rack from side to side. The next time I hear the comment, “What a rack on that one!” Big Boy is what I’ll be thinking off. Somewhere during the 8 ½ hour day, I tweaked my left knee which is now painful and swollen. Carl fixed supper for us and after a couple of hours, it’s time to head off to the nightly ranger talk. Tonight, the subject is squirrels and how all four of the species that live in the park have a very important link in the food chain as well as the ecosystem that is Denali. While we were sitting there, a Grey Jay tried to fly in and steal the Ranger’s stuffed Arctic Ground squirrel. That got everyone laughing and it had just proved the Ranger’s point. But no matter how important the squirrels are as a food source, it can’t be very much fun knowing everyone is out to get you, literally.

It’s A Small World After All

2011-07-21T14:00:00.002-04:00

It seems no matter where we travel, how far we go or how long we are gone, we either run into someone we know or they live next door to us, figuratively. Case in point- We’re at the Cody Stampede on July 4th and being neighborly, we start talking with the people next to us. Come to find out, they come from Vermont. What are the odds? Then, we’re sitting in the parking lot waiting for traffic to thin out so we can leave and there is a knock on our window. It’s a couple who live in the area now but the lady grew up in Berlin, NH. They saw our plates and just had to say hi! And if this isn’t odd enough for you, we are in Glacier National Park, a day earlier than we’re supposed to be. The ranger says she has room in a different part of the campground for the one night so we find a site, set up and the next thing we know, Carl is chatting with some people in the next site from Vermont. I know, it’s kind of cool, but wait. We travel another 2,000 miles west and north to arrive in the Fairbanks area and who should be in the site next to us but a couple from Maine. I don’t think we’ve actually met anyone who is born in Alaska. That is until yesterday. And while I’m on the subject, since it truly is one global community. If you think you, one person, have no impact or can’t make a difference, on this big blue marble we call earth, you should think again. We hiked in a heavily traveled area this morning. The trail was well marked and kept really well. Still, there was some areas that were really muddy. Now, in this situation, you can do two things. Either you can walk through the mud, taking some of that wet soil with you and thereby adding to the deepening depression or you can step around the puddle and change the course of the path for better or worse. You may think your one set of footprints does little or no harm. Think again! There are signs all along the path “Please stay on the path” but you can plainly see where people have strayed, walked down to the river and traced their names, initials or perhaps their significant other’s name in the damp sand. They think it’s cute but I come along and my scenery is damaged because they chose to mark the area with a sort of graffiti. ~sighs~ So, please, don’t stray from the path! (Or the big bad wolf just might eat you ) Oh, no! Don’t get me started on the stereotypes of “bad” wolves.

Day 35- Additional

2011-07-21T13:30:00.000-04:00

We just had a bit of excitement in the Savage River Campground. There was a group of people down on the sand bars in and around the river. Two of them were small children, maybe ages 5 and 8. There was a mock charge at the children from a bear. We don’t know what kind of bear, how close it got or even how many bears there were. We do know the children are fine, parents shaky, and bear no longer in the immediate area because the ranger told us a bit about the charge before she started the geological program. And while the father was talking with another ranger, the mother and both children came to the amphitheater and listened to the program with the rest of us. I’m so glad the children are all right. I just wish I’d been there to get some photos of the bear(s) before the mock charge. The talk the ranger gave was a bit heavier and even more dense than the previous night ( pun intended ). There was a good note, She brought Double Stuff Oreos, handed one to each of us and used that as a visual aid for plate tectonics. After we were done slipping and subducting plates, we ate them.

Day 35- In Denali

2011-07-20T12:25:00.001-04:00

This morning, we woke up cold. The propane had run out in the night and since the temperature had dipped to about 40 degrees, well, I don’t have to draw a picture, do I? Carl threw his clothes on and changed the propane tanks about 4:00AM. Then he crawled back into bed. Later, he lit the gas stove and set a pan of water to heat for coffee and tea. It was about 6:00AM. The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the bright blue sky overhead. We had our coffee, a piece of fruit and grabbed the camera. Once more we walked down to the river’s edge where I had been told there would be a view of “The Mountain”. The Alaska range was crisp in the early morning sky and I could see the top of the mountain quite clearly but that was all I could see of the 20, 320 foot massif, about the top 1,000 feet. Obviously this wasn’t going to be good enough for me. But where to go? We’re at the highest point in the park we are able to drive to. Our tundra tour is tomorrow and I can only hope for good weather two days in a row. We headed back to the camper for a proper breakfast and made plans to hike the Savage River Loop Trail, a two mile easy hike starting in a picnic area, down one side of the Savage River, across a foot bridge, and back up the other side to waiting restrooms. All that water, you know! We headed into the valley between rugged shale covered cliffs on one side and 4,000 foot mountains with grasses and shrubs on the lower slopes but giving way to barren tops further up. The walk was pleasant enough even though we were in the shadows all the way in and a good part of the way out. There was a cool breeze which aggravated an ear ache that Carl has been brewing for a couple of days. His equilibrium is off and I hope he feels better soon. The hike along the Savage River should have taken about 1 ½ hours. We did it in two because I kept stopping to take photos and look around for bear or Dall sheep we had been told might be grazing on the slopes. I’m sorry to report we didn’t see any of either animal. Once back to the truck, we broke out a bottle of water to share along with a couple of granola bars. Hey, if you’re gonna “walk healthy, you might as well eat healthy”. We decided not to go back to the camper. There is no generator time until 4 and although I can work on photos or blog entries, I only have a three hour battery. It was off to the Visitor Center where we watched an 18 minute movie on the seasonal cycle of Denali and how life has to adapt. We ate lunch at The Morino Grill with the plan to catch the 2:00 sled dog demonstration. However, Carl was looking as if he felt even worse so I made the recommendation to catch the sled dog demo on Friday. We got home, I set to editing two days worth of photos and Carl went to sleep for three hours. Now, it’s generator time and ours still isn’t running right even after spending $123.00 at the Outpost in Fairbanks. My former boss, Val Poulsen would have called them “nothing but parts changers”. They only fixed what was obvious to them, cleaned a spark arrestor, changed a spark plug and put fresh gas in it. They never put a load on it, just sent us on our way. There’s another ranger talk tonight on the geology of Denali. We’re headed there in a bit. Tomorrow, we’ll be gone most of the day on one of Denali’s famous bus tours to see some of the interior of this huge expanse. There is only one 92 mile long road into the park but as I mentioned, private vehicles can only travel the first 15. We have driven a total of 7,501 miles after 5 weeks on the road.

Day 34- On To Denali

2011-07-19T12:23:00.001-04:00

It never fails. I can go to the Laundromat, check out the washer and dryer availability, go back to the camper, grab the basket and supplies and get back quickly only to find the place is now standing room only and there’s a wait for machines. That was almost the case this morning. I was the first person in today, grabbed the two washers I needed, got things going and went to take my shower. I was gone about 20 minutes and when I returned, much cleaner than before, the place was mobbed and there were people waiting for washers. While I was waiting for the laundry to finish, Carl used the time to install our new brake away line which theoretically trips the trailer brakes into the on position when or if the trailer should ever decide it’s had enough of our company and go it’s own direction. This would be bad all the way around so just like insurance, we buy one hoping we never have to use it. He also installed the new bumper plugs which keep our sewer hose in place as we travel down the road. I was gone so long, he thought, he closed up the camper, cranked up jack stands, brought in the slide out and stashed stuff for travel. When I came back all we had to do was back under, install the load distribution bars and return the shower key to reclaim our $5.00 deposit. As luck would have it, there was a boy sitting at a table full of baked goods, fresh baked bread, cookies and frosted cinnamon buns. And you know, two cinnamon buns were just exactly $5.00. Now how convenient is that? For the boy, I mean. we had a short drive today, only 130 miles but I managed to kill a couple extra hours with photo stops and of course we had to have lunch. Those buns weren’t getting any younger, you know. We arrived at Denali National Park And Wildlife Preserve about 2:00PM, checked in at the registration desk and proceeded the 13 ½ miles from the front “gate” to Savage River Campground. The gate is in quotations because there is no gate. Unlike other parks where they take your money or check out your pass credentials, this park pre-charges you $20.00 per car when you make your campground reservations. We also found out they charge you $20.00 per car when you book a tour. Neat, huh? Anyway, since we had purchased an all park annual pass when we ere at Yellowstone, the very nice young man who checked us in refunded $40.00 to us. That was a nice surprise. The campground is very quiet, only room for 34 units, a mixture of tents, trailers and driving units. There is only another 1 ½ miles of park roads which can be driven by private vehicle at this time of year. The sky had become overcast, almost mean looking and I expected a shower at any moment. Carl was already bored so we grabbed the camera and took a short walk down by the Savage River to scout out possible McKinley sightings or any animals who may be using the winding river bottom as a travel corridor. We didn’t see a single foot of the 20,320 foot mountain. The clouds were just too low. In fact we’ve found out that 70% of the visitors to the park never see the mountain. I don’t like those statistics. While at the river’s edge, we saw plenty of scat (poop) from moose, rabbit and bear. We saw and heard many song birds and even discovered a snowshoe hare hiding in the thick alders growing near the river. After supper, we walked a short distance to the amphitheater to listen to one of the Rangers talk about Grizzly Bears and how they “make a living” in the park year round. The program lasted about an hour, we sang a song, heard an Athabascan legend about unfaithful husbands and wives who find out about them and were instructed visually about the bear cub mortality rate. Then it was back to the camper for the night. Who am I kidding? It doesn’t get dark here this time of year.

Day 33- Packing and Loose Ends

2011-07-18T23:34:00.001-04:00

oday was service day for the truck and it’s probably a good thing we scheduled it for today. I could hear the pitter patter of little droplets on the roof of the camper most of the night. Sure enough, it was still pitter pattering when we got up this morning. After a thorough service costing much less than I had figured, we wound up at, you guessed it, WalMart to get the groceries for the next five or six days while we are in Denali. We’ll leave in the late morning and only have to travel about 125 miles. I hate to break my record but will most likely have to wash the huge bathroom and kitchen floor this afternoon. Something sticky has found it’s way there and, well, there’s no getting around it any more. I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback about the photos I’ve been posting on face book. Thanks so much for all of the comments. It lets me know someone is looking. Later today we’ll pick up the generator from the repair shop and go visit Santa at his summer home here in North Pole, Alaska. And some of you thought he lived in Jefferson for the summer, didn’t you? In the morning, yes you guessed right again, it will be showers and laundry. I don’t think we’ll have much chance while we're at Denali. It seems once we check in and go to our site, that’s it. We can’t go any further into the park unless we’re on a tour. We have signed up for one of those which will be on Thursday. We’ve been here for three days and Carl has just figured out our site is equipped with a cable hook up. He’s spent the last hour trying to get the wiring just right. No luck! That’s kind of sad and so is my lack of inspiration to get out there, dodge a few rain drops and take some pictures. And just like Carl’s television signal that will disappear tomorrow, so will my internet connection for a few days. I will continue to create posts and as soon as I get connected once more, I promise to get them caught up. Pictures, too!!!

Day 32- Today Was The Day

2011-07-17T23:09:00.002-04:00

Both Carl and I are having trouble falling asleep because it never gets dark. I’ve been covering the windows with heavy towels and putting a velour throw over the window in the door. It has helped some but there’s an opaque air vent right over our bed. Have to figure out some way to cover that over. Anyway, it was a pleasure to see the sky with large patches of blue mixed in with those clouds. We have the last of the Dempster multigrain bagels and a quick cup of coffee, I throw a lunch together and we hit the road. Several miles before we hit the Dalton, our forward progress is halted. We’re flying down a hill and around a corner to confront a cow moose standing on the yellow line. Carl notices she has more than four legs and by now I’ve got the camera focused on her and notice her calf standing very close. We’re held up about 10 minutes but we don’t mind. The Dalton Highway is 73 miles north of Fairbanks. We are prepared for the worst conditions imaginable and the Dalton doesn’t disappoint, for the first 20 or so miles. It’s a roughest, dustiest and most potholed stretch of road I’ve been on in quite some time. Then, out of no where and in the middle of no where for no particular reason, there is asphalt. It isn’t much smoother though because there are this massive dips, sometimes pitching you to the left, sometimes to the right and sometimes in both directions almost at the same time. Sometimes there is even a warning, other times, not so much. We planned to drive to the Arctic Circle which is 116 miles from the beginning of the road. Some people may already know the road was built to aid in the construction of the Alaska pipeline which brings crude oil from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks. The Dalton Highway or Haul Road as most people around here call it is about 440 miles while the pipeline runs for 1399 miles. This is due to construction issues, weaving around natural obstacles, lifted high over caribou migratory routes and a good part of the time, the pipeline even goes underground. The oil travels at 3.7 miles per hour and takes approximately 11 days to make it’s trip. The oil goes in hot and comes out warm, never freezing due to the friction on the pipe. At 56 miles in, we cross the Yukon River and notice the Yukon River Camp on the left who boast they are the last gas for more than 200 miles plus they offer a motel and restaurant. We pass on all services because we are not towing our camper. I am in awe of the fireweed as we travel along. It seems to blanket very large areas in even off in the distance, we see a pink purple hue to the landscape. Carl starts chugging right along, feeling the rhythm of the road which quickly changes back and forth between gravel, mud and asphalt when out of the corner of my eye, I spy a grizzly munching on some sweet looking sedge grass. As soon as I get the camera focused on the bear, it stands up and looks in my direction. So cool!! Anyone who watched Ice Road Truckers last season may remember when Alex parked his truck at Finger Mountain and took a short hike up to the 40 foot tall finger shaped rock jutting out of the tundra. Well, we didn’t hike out to it but we did stop and walk a short self guided path with signs along the way describing different types of flora and fauna that inhabits this arctic habitat. Eventually, we arrive at the signpost announcing we have arrived at the Arctic Circle. It’s probably the furthest north I will ever get although I would love to visit Churchill, Manitoba for the Polar Bears. Obligatory photo in front of the sign is taken and we decide to have lunch in the truck instead of the picnic area because the mosquitoes are very hungry in spite of the steady stream of visitors arriving in the area. Our trip back takes less time since I’m not yelling “stop” much of the time. That is, until we round a corner and there is a very large cow moose munching on the side of the road. She was very cooperative while I took a few photos and then we were gone again. We’re gone 10 hours, traveled approximately 400 miles and we are spent. Strangely, the road was the absolute worse for that first 20 miles and did get better as we traveled due to some fresh grading. I would have loved to go all the way to Coldfoot and had lunch where the drivers all stop but I knew it would be too much. For those of you who come this way, you will be pounded, your vehicle will end up filthy and when you need to buy gas ( and you will ) it will be more than a dollar more than in the city. Okay, that’s the down side. On the plus side, you have the opportunity to see some amazing countryside, view up close and personal, one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century and boast the claim that you drove the Dalton…

Day 31- To The Arctic Circle

2011-07-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

Well, not exactly. It’s been raining most of the night, the sky is very gray and the Dalton is no place to drive in lousy weather if you don’t have a job to do. So, we’re scrambling to find something to do until the weather lifts. We decide to get caught up on a few maintenance issues that have developed over the past 4 weeks. I did a web search and found Arctic RV Parts and Service. They were able to help us with spare keys, water filters, bumper plugs and new sink strainers. We ended up at Lowe’s for the aerators for the sink and bathroom faucets. Then it was on to lunch at Pizza Hut. I’d been really wanting pizza for some time. Carl took a nap, I transferred all my blog entries into face book because for some reason, they are not importing as they should. I framed and hung photos of our grandchildren on the same wall as the clock and the monitoring station. The sun finally burned it’s way through the thick high gray ceiling but by then, Carl wasn’t in the mood to head off. I’ve just check MSN for tomorrow’s weather and it looks dry with some sun. Since my XM radio isn’t able to access the satellite from this latitude, I burned all my laptop music onto a couple of Cds. That should help eliminate those long quiet spells we seem to have. After 41 years of marriage, there is only so much to talk about. While we were out, I spotted a Carlile Transportation truck delivering to the store next door. They are the main firm behind “Ice Road Truckers” on the Discovery Channel. We also observed something really interesting. Some parking lots have electric outlets on them. You see, 8 out of 10 vehicles up here are equipped with engine block heaters. The average winter temperature is way below -30. I remember when that was the big think in the North Country at home but I’d never seen store provide for their customers and employees like this. The way I figure it, either you have the block heater, a heated garage or you are calling a tow truck for a battery boost often.

Look For Me On Face Book

2011-07-16T02:25:00.004-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000059968859

This is a link to my face book page. There, I'm Valerie Mooers Hill and I would love to have you request a friend link. There are lots of photos from our trip from NH to Alaska plus more to look forward to on our return through Arches National Park and Gettysburg, PA.

Day 30- To North Pole, Alaska

2011-07-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

Last night’s stop at the Rest Area over look was a great choice. When we went to sleep, the breeze was blowing pretty good but sometime in the night, the wind died and all was calm and peaceful. It was still dusk like at 2:30 this morning. Unfortunately, my plan to provide a beautiful photo of the Tetlin Nature Preserve that we looked out on was messed up by the low overcast dark clouds. Off in the distance we could see a small patch of blue sky which seemed to grow and shrink as the day wore on. Every once in a while, a brilliant orb would fight it’s way clear and things around us would cast a shadow. It didn’t last very long. We fueled up in Tok, AK at a place that was closed for renovation. It seems there are many fuel stops that will leave their pumps on 24 hours a day for credit card purchases. I don’t have a clue when the last time this place was open although by the looks of the windshield washing stations, it’s been a long while. The stop at Delta Jct., the official end of the Alaska Highway was to get information about getting the truck and generator serviced. They have both been working really hard. The young lady was very helpful with names, numbers and even a pretty good map of Fairbanks. There was a point where we crossed a huge river on a multi spanned bridge. The Robertson River had to a quarter mile wide here and when I looked to my left, I could see large slabs of ice still lying in the bed. The flow of water had an appearance of chocolate skim milk, not very appetizing. We’re staying in an RV Park called Riverview, in North Pole, AK. The river is the Chena. I called to arrange a service appointment for the Toyota and Carl called the Honda dealer for that service. Tomorrow, we drive the Haul Road or the Dalton Highway which was built to service the 800 + miles of the Alaska Pipeline. Now, it’s a lifeline for many outlying communities as well as the oil businesses of Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay. It should be fun!!!

Day 29- Back on US soil, Alaska

2011-07-14T19:04:00.000-04:00

First off to all my friends of French decent, you know who you are, I want to wish them a Happy Bastille Day, July 14th is the day the peasants stormed the infamous prison, freed the political prisoners wrongfully incarcerated and began the overthrow of the aristocracy. Within months the cells were once more full but this time it was the people of means, of royal blood even who found themselves in jeopardy, Most, in time, lost their head to Madame la Guillotine. Our day was almost as brutal. We left Squanga airstrip and continued on our way to Whitehorse, Haines Jct, and Beaver Creek , all gas stops. The gray skies of early morning turned into lowering rain filled clouds and by afternoon, we were in a constant and miserably cold rain. The roads we traveled today must win some kind of prize. Carl fought almost two hundred km of heaved, sunken, graveled, rutted and just plain miserable roads. As we drove, my eyes were constantly looking for something to lift our photographic spirits and we did find a very cooperative Bald Eagle just coming in for a landing in the top of a fir tree. It was just windy and wet enough where he or she kept fluffing the feathers and using the wings to steady it’s position in the tree. I just love eagles. In fact, truth be told, I am in awe of the beautiful diversity that the Lord has bestowed on our world. I find just as much joy in watching a squirrel scamper about looking for places to stash some booty for another time as I do the majestic Bison on the prowl for his ladies’ attention and both can be quite comical in their own right. I observed two different types of bears yesterday and could have stayed for hours watching their personalities develop. They are amazing creatures, one and all. Later in the day, while the roads were still pure crap, the clouds did lift some and we were treated to some of the Kluane ( clu Wa ne ) Range. If they are half as spectacular as I think they are, a clear day will know the wind right out of me. We skirted the Kluane Lake, a huge body of water and I was fascinated by this one island poking up through the low lying mist. It reminded me of Brigadoon appearing from the mists of time every 100 years. Okay, call me a romantic. We pass through the US Border with no trouble and headed for Tok, Alaska but didn’t quite make it that far. You see, we left an hour earlier than usual, gained another hour when we entered Alaska and fought those awful roads. Carl pulled into this lovely rest area overlooking the Tetlin Nature Preserve. Oh, and the second bright spot in our day was our first Alaska Moose browsing in a bog. She’s quite a ways from the road, I pulled her in the best I could with my lens at 300mm, the highest it would go and I will keep my fingers crossed. I’m really hoping for some wonderful wildlife experiences these next few weeks. And before I forget, on our way to the beautiful rest area we spotted two pairs of swans, one with 5 signets and a very brief glimpse of a Lynx. The photographer missed the lynx because her camera was in the case on the seat next to her (I confess!)

My Three Bears

2011-07-13T23:00:00.000-04:00

Black Bear in Brown phase, Black Bear in Black phase and Grizzly Bear

Day 28- To Squanga Air Strip, YT

2011-07-13T22:00:00.000-04:00

To say that today was exciting is an understatement. First off, we were up very early because we lost another hour yesterday ( now in Pacific time for sure ) and haven’t adapted yet. I didn’t get to sleep till almost 11:30 last night and it was still dusk like outside. We had to wait until 8:00 AM to get gas and that was the first surprise. It was $1.84 per liter or $7.12 per gallon. That hurt the old wallet but what are you gonna do? You’re out in the middle of no where and you need fuel because you believe the next sure gas is 200 miles away. There may or may not be some closer but are you going to chance it? We filled up, paid the piper and hit the road. We were rolling along at a pretty good clip when we spot this dark brown spot up the road a ways. When we pulled up beside the bear, it was a Black bear in a brown phase. Yes, I’m positive. Round ears, straight nose and no hump. They had a “white” black bear, on display, in the common room ( stuffed ), at the lodge with an article telling about the high probability of white black bears being born on one of the BC islands. They estimated a 1 in 10 chance of a white black bear, not an albino. To further back up my brown Black bear, we found my very first wild grizzly sow with two older cubs in tow a ways down the road. We sat there and watched as Mom kept an eye on her wandering cubs and also held our breath as we noticed a very large Bison bull coming towards the family on the very same path. They were about 200 feet apart when Mom’s nose came up in the air, she huffed for her cubs to come close and after each of them standing high to scope out the situation, Mom chose the better part of valor and took the cubs about 50 feet into the wood line and then continued on her way. The bull got to the very spot when mom and cubs had been standing and got down in the dirt and wallowed like crazy. Then, he got up and scent rubbed a couple of trees. Clearly, he was sending a message to the sow the path was his. I would have paid really good money to have seen a face to face between that big boy and mom. Another few kilometers along the road found us looking at a young Black bear eating berries. This one was definitely black. We hadn’t gone very far when Carl spotted a small herd of horses grazing on the side of the road. I got out, crossed the street and started taking pictures. Horses, I know so I was sure it was safe to approach right up to the point where the herd stallion spotted me. But, his ears stayed forward and after a moment where we looked each other in the eye, he went back to grazing. It was then, I heard the bell ringing. It was hanging around the neck of one of the mares and knew these were not wild horses. On my way back to the truck, I spotted one of the other mares wearing a red halter and that clinched it for me. They were someone’s free ranging horses. I was a bit disappointed to say the least. All of our animal sightings were before lunch today which in itself was kind of weird. Yesterday, all the animal sightings were in the afternoon. We arrived in Watson Lake, YT and was finally able to get our laundry done. We wandered around the World Famous Signpost Forest, asked the very helpful ladies at the visitor center a few questions and ate our lunch. I didn’t take a photo of our lunch spot today because, quite honestly, I didn’t think anyone would care about a dusty old parking lot at a gas station/grocery store/deli/ Laundromat. Our crossing of the Continental Divide was anticlimactic. The pass was fairly flat so we didn’t even notice it until the sign pointed it out to us. To break the day up, we stopped at Rancherio Falls, walked in 10 minutes to witness a very small waterfall. It was way less impressive than Niagara, that’s for sure. Our stop for tonight is at the Squanga Airstrip, a gravel landing strip out in the middle of no where. There is no tower, no navigational aids and no one using it. We are parked just off the runway near a wooden tower with an osprey nest on it. I look out the window every once in a while to see if anyone is home. So far, the only birds in the area are us. I sure hope there are no small aircraft emergencies tonight. We have traveled 6,143 miles to date.

Day 27- To Liard River, BC

2011-07-12T23:44:00.001-04:00

I thought we were going to have company last night. Two tractor trailers pulled in beside us. One stayed for about 10 minutes and the other left after about ½ hour. I figure the first needed to “check his tires” or catch up with his log book. The other probably stopped for a bite to eat. We had a quick breakfast and headed down the road and into Pink Mountain for gas. We’ve noticed the price has jumped about 40 cents as we’ve traveled away from Dawson Creek. They figure they’ve got you and they’re right. If you don’t buy it from them, you won’t make it to Delta Junction, the official end of the Alaska Highway. We spotted another moose first thing this morning, another cow. This morning, we’ve seen lots of evidence of mud slides and road work being done because of flash flooding. We did establish we have moved into Pacific Time Zone, now three hours earlier than home. And Carl said it was still light well after 11:00PM last night. I’m having trouble getting used to that. This was a busy wildlife day in other ways. Early in the day we saw signs warning us to be careful of moose, Stone sheep, elk, deer, wild horses and buffalo. By the end of the day we had seen one male Stone Sheep, one white tailed doe, a fox, the moose earlier that day and then the surprise. We saw a young female porcupine caribou all by herself. A little further down the road, we saw another female caribou and then a third. Another quarter of a mile later, we say a male caribou. This was a great surprise as we hadn’t been warned to watch for them but not nearly as big a surprise as the black bear sow with a single very small cub in tow. Carl certainly got the camper and truck stopped quickly for this photo op. Unfortunately, the gravel skidding of the trailer brakes alerted Mom and before I could get focused on her, she crossed the road with the cub and went down into a swale. I thought that was the end of it but Carl took the camera, crossed the street and started shooting away. Then he remembered he could use the lens to get closer. His was the only decent shot of the bear today. Later in the afternoon, we came upon a large mixed herd of Bison grazing on the side of the road. I got out, used the camper as a shield and took several photos, some with calves. I was so close, I could hear them ripping the grass off as they moved along. It made quite a sound. Then without warning, one of the bulls decided to cross the road, about 50 feet from me. I froze. He was followed by a few of the cows and calves and gradually, the rest of the herd found it’s way across the pavement. One car coming up behind us, stopped in the middle of the road and took pictures while another vehicle headed southbound did pretty much the same thing. That was when I decided it was time for us to leave. I created the buffalo jam and then left. When the sun finally came out today, we were treated to some beautiful scenery of emerald green rivers like the MacDonald and the Trout as well as some breathtaking panoramas of the Canadian Rockies. Of course, the dark clouds didn’t leave altogether and we drove into showers off and on all day. Carl has made a reservation at the Liard River Lodge campground for this evening. They have a television in their lounge and we will watch the All Star game and have a bite to eat. Sadly, I’ll have to say goodbye to my XM radio. We lost the satellite signal at about the same time we found the campground. We’re too far over the horizon and can’t lock on. The campground is just another RV Park but we have electricity and water for the night. We’ll fill up with water and gas in the morning, empty the other tanks and head of for Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory. We had supper at the Lodge, watched seven innings of the All Star game, seeing the American League losing, and retired to the camper which I have come to think of as home.

Day 26- Additional

2011-07-11T22:02:00.000-04:00

Day 26- Additional

We spent about two hours in Dawson Creek, writing postcards, converting currency, buying stamps, getting a haircut and getting online to post blogs and photos on face book. After a lunch break with a view of the visitor’s center, art gallery and a Northern Alberta railways car, we hit the road once more. Just outside of town, we saw our first moose. It was a cow without a calf. I thought this was a good sign but we didn’t see another one all day. I’d planned on doing laundry here but Carl had heard people talking about more rain for this evening and how high the Peace River was. He wanted to get across this major river before there was an issue. Turns out, there wasn’t a problem. We traveled approximately 135 miles from Dawson Creek to almost Pink Mountain through some of the most boring countryside I can imagine. It was straight as an arrow through short but dense scraggly fir trees. This must be a truly hostile place during the winter. None of the trees are more than 30 feet high and no where do we see any branches longer than three feet. As we find a nice gravel turn out for the evening, it begins to rain again. Steak on the grill becomes steak on the griddle and since we’re in water conservation mode, I don’t have to do dishes tonight. It’s an early night for me. After listening to the Home Run Derby on my XM radio, I read about a dozen pages of Moby Dick on my kindle and then it’s lights out, in a manner of speaking. It’s 10:00 PM and not even close to being dark.

Day 26- To Dawson Creek and beyond

2011-07-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

We woke up refreshed this morning. Turns out the rest area was a great place to stop for the night and no one bothered us. We heard a couple of trucks in the night come or go but not much else. Our trip through Alberta continued under gray and threatening skies but so far, we are dry. We continue to see those beautiful canola fields and mixed in are oil pumps. I never thought of Alberta as being an oil producer although after we drive a bit further, to Grande Prairie, we see several collection plants where the crude is put into tractor trailers and taken elsewhere to be refined. I’m bouncing back and forth between the AAA directions we received and the book, Mileposts which is very detailed about mileage, gas stations, turn outs, places of interest and even tells where there are internet signals you can grab. No one should attempt this trip without a current copy of this book. It’s considered the traveler’s bible for information about Alaska and the many routes to get there. We saw two very large owls today although I couldn’t say what kind they were. I suspect they were out hunting for the little ones because we didn’t see any more. Our gas stop in Grande Prairie was a “we serve” station, they have an attendant pump your gas and wash your windows. Another person filled our propane for us. It’s strange to be in a county where gas is sold by the liter but propane is sold by the pound. We crossed into British Columbia at Tomslake and were expecting to move into mountain time but we’re told there are a few communities that do not change to Daylight Savings Time so while I sit here in Dawson Creek, BC, it’s an hour earlier than I thought it would be. Oh, and the Mosquitoes are a force to be reckoned with here. They usually are very aggressive but with the amount of rain and flooding that has been going on in British Columbia and Alberta, they are thicker than usual. We have seen much evidence of flooding, bank erosion and construction jobs that have been put on hold. Pumps are working overtime and many local streets are washed out. North to Alaska ( without the gold rush ).

Day 25- To Whitecourt and beyond

2011-07-10T19:55:00.001-04:00

Breakfast at Denny’s was too good. I wanted to stay. The wait staff was pleasant, the tea was hot and the Hawaiian Puppies, their take on white chocolate and pineapple pancakes which tasted more like doughnut holes, were wonderful. All things must end and so did our time there. We hit the road under the threat of rain at about 8:00AM which has been the target time, but not a hard and fast rule. The winds of yesterday hadn’t eased and we felt the camper, which is more like a huge sail pushing us all over the road but the condition of the road was pretty good. The gray skies kept my camera in it’s case for the most part except for these massive fields of brilliant yellow flowered crops. I thought this was soy beans but I’ve since found out it’s canola, Canada’s largest seed oil crop. They are particularly lovely when the sun is shining on them and I had this picture in my head of a gorgeous canola field, in full bloom, under breathtaking skies with an old red barn either amongst the canola or along the edge. I’ve been looking for this image for about a week. Today, I think we drove out of canola country and the skies, dark, low and ominous, today were less than ideal for such a shot. But there it was, an old red barn on the edge of and surrounded by a less than brilliant field of canola. I’ll post the photo and you can be the judge. Carl fought the rain and gusty wind for most of the day but when we got to Edmonton, we had another issue pop up. It’s called massive construction. We did manage to find a gas station just off the highway and then got back onto our intended road of travel. About 5 miles from the gas station another camper pulls up beside us and beeps to get our attention. They motion to the back of the camper and mouth the word “hoses”. We pull over at a red light and Carl jumps out to find the sewer hoses dangle out each side of the bumper where they are stored. Once cap had fallen completely off, lost for good, and the other had popped open. A minute or two later a lady in a car pulls up beside us to tell us that our gas cap is dangling and the door is wide open. With all this happening we still made good time and sailed right through Whitecourt. Actually, we missed the Dahl Street turn off for the Wal-Mart. It’s 4:00PM and we have stopped for the night at a road side rest area where there is a large parking area with no signage that says we can’t spend the night. We’ll see and I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Alberta

2011-07-09T21:15:00.001-04:00

Day 24- To Calgary, AL

2011-07-09T20:52:00.001-04:00

Last night neighbors, with kids, pulled in to the site next to ours. I’d almost forgotten the sound of children laughing, playing and worst of all, crying. Anyway, the new neighbor pulled into his site facing the opposite of everyone else in the loop and it appeared where he parked, it would make it very difficult for us to get out this morning. Also last night, we had more generator trouble. Carl removed the spark plug to find it was pretty thick with carbon. He cleaned it, put it back in and things ran smoothly after that. Maybe that was the trouble the other day as well. This morning, we had trouble getting out of our space but it wasn’t the neighbor’s fault. There was a tree in our way. We had to come at the hitch from a different angle, move the camper back about a foot and a half, unhook and then back in to the hitch straight on. After that, the camper followed the truck nice as could be. We’re learning how to put things just where we want them. Once we dumped our tanks and topped off the fresh water, we left the park, crossed into Canada at Roosville and headed towards Crows Nest Pass, across the Continental Divide once more. We traveled for a short time in British Columbia but soon found ourselves in Alberta. The roads were pretty good but the wind was terrible. We saw wonderful rolling hills, lots of grazing animals and hay being baled everywhere. Signs warned us of big horn sheep and elk crossings but hard as I might look, I didn’t see any of them standing at those signs. We had lunch at Crows Nest Lake and then continued on our way. We passed by historical places marked by signs reading “Frank Slide, the site of the deadliest landslide in North America” , Hillcrest Mine Disaster Cemetery and The Burmis Tree. Why these places are important to Canadian history, I’ll have to find out. After arriving in Calgary, we parked the camper and went into Wal-Mart to “pay our campground fee”. Now, I know they don’t charge but after spending $95.00 Canadian dollars worth or groceries and I can’t even tell how many pounds of bananas I got because they were sold in kilograms, I was too tired to make the slow cooker beef stew for tomorrow night’s supper. But, hey, they had great looking steaks on sale ( we think ) so we’ll have those. We’re in the same shopping center as Denny’s so guess where we’re going to have breakfast in the morning? Tonight is our last night in Wal-Mart for a while. From here on, it’s pulling off the road in turn outs for the next week until we get to Fairbanks.

Moments in Montana

2011-07-08T22:01:00.000-04:00

Day 23- Around Glacier National Park.

2011-07-08T18:50:00.001-04:00

Well, there won’t be a glaciers today either. We traveled up the Inside North Fork Road for about three miles before being turned around. Then we left the park by way of the Camas Gate, into Flathead National Forest, along extremely rough and dusty two lane roads, back into the park at Polebridge. The ranger told us we were the first vehicle she’d seen today, at 10:00AM and we could go right for only seven miles towards Logging Creek campground or we could travel to Bowman Lake, about 6 miles or Kintla Lake, about 14 miles. I opted for the right hand turn and was sorry I did very soon afterwards. The road was rough, rutted, potholed, twisty and narrow for the entire seven miles. Carl said he had had enough and pulled into the Logging Creek campground parking area to turn around. I said I wanted to walk just over the bridge to take a look at the creek. It was then, we spied why the road was closed just beyond. Either a creek was out of it’s banks or heavy spring run off had taken a wrong turn but just beyond the sign that read “Road Closed” was a rather quick moving torrent of water. One would almost say a stream. We headed back out, arriving at the junction once more. I expected Carl to turn for home but he turned towards Bowman Lake. He said he wanted to find some place nice for lunch. That road, although having more interesting scenery, was even more narrow and at times rougher than the first one we drove. The lake, once we got there was quite pretty and I talk with some kayakers for a couple of minutes. Our road home was traveled a little quicker than the road out this morning. Carl is resting for round two later this afternoon and I’ll take some time to check out the photos I took. We saw a large number of deer, both white and black tailed. We did stop and take photos of some nice bucks and a doe with a fawn. Some of the other does may have had fawns but the grass they were grazing in was so tall, it was very difficult to even see the does, at times. BTW, the slow cooker lasagna came out just fine by cooking it for two hours and leaving it covered until it cooled.

Day 22- Update

2011-07-07T21:49:00.000-04:00

Carl was back within 2 ½ hours with relatively good news. Yes, there was a problem with the front brakes. A collection of warm tar and crushed gravel collected between the brake pads and the rotors. The tow truck with AAA cots us $48.00 and the garage was only $81.00. It could have been a lot worse. So, repairs effected Carl told me to grab my camera and we would try to salvage some of the day. He didn’t have to tell me twice. I’d had enough of the domestic life. We decided the shorter of the two drives in and through Glacier would be the Going To The Sun Road which goes from West Glacier through Logan Pass, at 6646 feet, and ends in East Glacier. It’s the best opportunity for us to see glaciers since I’m not built for back country hiking anymore. A mile or two would have been okay but the map we have isn’t very detailed. We started out with a lovely drive along Lake McDonald. The color of most of the lakes, rivers and creeks around here is a glacial green, mineral rich melt water from high up in the mountains. Soon, we came upon a sing telling us the road was closed fourteen miles ahead. Sure enough, we could only drive as far as Avalanche Creek campground. We had been told earlier there was still too much snow in Logan Pass to get the road open and wouldn’t you know, they got another couple of feet, a few days before we arrived. The tow truck driver told Carl he has a friend who flew over in a helicopter a day or so ago and there is only about a foot of the walls showing under the eaves of the visitor center at the top of the pass. Whatever the reason, we couldn’t go any further and turned around. I did get a few photos of Avalanche Creek and McDonald Falls today.

Day 22- In Glacier

2011-07-07T17:46:00.001-04:00

This morning was cold! I don’t know why. We’re at altitude and the mountains still have deep snow and glaciers on them. I had left every window in the camper open because it was unbearably hot last night so Carl jumped out of bed to get half of the windows while I grabbed the other half. Then it was back to sleep for a couple more hours. Carl didn’t want to run the generator at 8:00AM because our neighbors from VT have small children and they weren’t up yet. Instead of making coffee with the Keurig, I boiled water, in a pan on the gas stove, for tea. Breakfast was pancakes, banana for me and blueberry for Carl. I made a few blog notes and then Carl decided we should pack up to move to our reserved site for the next two nights. He can’t do anything about calling AAA until we are settled. Our luck was a little better today because the people on site A5 had checked out by 10:00 so we could move right in. The Rangers have been very helpful and notified the West Glacier gate there would be a wrecker coming. Carl set the generator up for me before he left. Now, he and the truck have gone off for who knows how long. He took his cell phone so he could keep me updated. I’ve made a slow cooker lasagna and at the stroke of 12:00 I cranked the generator over. The lasagna takes three hours but I can only have electricity for two. I may push it for an extra 15 minutes and then the residual heat should finish it off nicely. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I also took the time to vacuum the carpet in the bedroom area and under the dining room table. I don’t know what I was thinking, but even taking our shoes off at the door, it had gotten really bad in only three weeks. Can’t imagine how it would look after ten. Before we left Helena, we had purchased a convertible stick model by Eureka that you can attach a handle to for larger jobs. I wasn’t expecting much for $35.00 but I‘m happy to say it did an okay job. When my two hours of “civilization” ends, I’ll take a walk with my camera and see what I can find.

Day 21- To Glacier National Park

2011-07-06T17:43:00.001-04:00

We woke up in Helena realizing we needed to find a shop that might solve our generator issue. After three places, we were convinced we have a NH ( or lowland ) generator and there wasn’t anything to be done because in a couple of weeks, we’ll be back at a lower altitude. Then we hit the road. The drive to Glacier started out nice enough with gently rolling grazing land giving way to lush high yielding wheat fields. Then ever so slowly the land became more rugged and we could see the Rockies in the distance. The prevalence of freight trains are everywhere. In Shelby there were 5 tracks running parallel with each other. The Missouri River was running clear blue in this part of Montana and it was running with us, north. We hit more than a usual amount of construction. It seems Montana has received a large group of federal financial aid for their infrastructure. In these parts, they assign pilot vehicles to lead groups of vehicles through the construction zones which can be quite confusing or dangerous. This is where our troubles began. One stretch of road had been chip sealed which is to lay down a thick coating of liquid tar and cover it with crushed gravel. Vehicles passing over it drive in the bits of dirt and rock and make a pretty good surface. However, until that time, travel on these roads is very slick and can be hazardous. Little rocks come flying off of tires and you can hear the pinging as little projectiles come at you from the vehicle in front or even off your own truck. We began hearing a grinding noise, soft at first but as we approached Glacier, it was much louder. By the time we found a campsite for the night, the noise was constant. We set the camper up and Carl went to figure out what the noise might be. He thought gravel had gotten wedged between a brake shoe and the router. There is a pin that hold the brake pads in place and ours has worked it’s way out. I’m not sure if Carl can fix it but we have to wait until noon when we move off this site to our reserved site for the next two nights. Our worse case scenario is AAA will come and have to haul our vehicle to a Toyota dealer. Who knows how long that will take. Meanwhile we are in Glacier National Park and getting here brought us through some very beautiful country. The site we had last night was adequate. Quiet hours are in effect so we can only run the generator for two hours in the morning, at lunch and supper time. That’s it. We’ve traveled 4,337 miles to date.

Day 20- Montana Grizzly Encounter

2011-07-05T20:40:00.001-04:00

This is it!!!! The big day. We’re going to see Brutus. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Brutus, well he’s a minor celebrity. The 9 ½ year old, 900 + lbs Coastal Brown Bear ( large grizzly ) has been hand raised since he was about 4 months old by Casey Anderson and his wife, Missy. Brutus has done a couple of movies, lots of public service announcements about bear proof campsites and he was the co-star of a Nat Geo series called Expedition Wild. Brutus is a big deal in our family so when we knew we were headed through Montana, I had to stop at Montana Grizzly Encounter, home of Brutus, Sheena, Maggie and Jake, all captive born grizzlies. Once we arrived, we found out the Encounter had just returned from Alaska where they have adopted their first wild born abandoned cub who is 5 months old. Maggie and Jake were in the enclosure when we arrived. Normally they are out from 10-2 and then Brutus and Sheena are allowed their turn, from 2 until closing, to play in the yard, bathe in the pools and hunt for treats hidden all over the enclosure. I think we were there about an hour and a half. I took about 80 photos of the bears and had a great time just watching them. I was disappointed with their location though. I thought they would be miles off the highway but, instead, they are visible from the highway. Brutus has a long haul trucker fan club. When he’s standing up on the hill, he can see them and they honk when they see him. It just wasn’t what I had envisioned. Another equally interesting item, it took us until Montana to see our first bald eagles. And, all along our route of travel today, we witnessed swollen and flooding rivers, the Shoshone, Yellowstone and Missouri. Record snows last winter and unusual rainfall has made quite a mess of the northern states. Back on the road, we ran into a lot of construction so called it a day about 45 miles before our intended destination. We had been shooting for a rest area in Wolf Creek, Montana but settled for a Wal-Mart in Helena, MT. We’re having trouble with the generator running the air conditioning. I think it’s an altitude issue but will have to find an RV service place to get it checked out. It’s hot, I’m miserable and even the air conditioning in the store doesn’t really do anything for me. Tomorrow, we head to Glacier National Park.

Day 19- Housekeeping

2011-07-04T15:37:00.001-04:00

Yes, I said the “H” word but there are a number of chores we had to do today. Both of us took showers and then I got some much needed laundry done. I rearranged a closet in the camper that was bothering me and Carl rearranged the back of the truck so we could reach things better. Carl paid some bills while I edited some photos. Then Carl cooked lunch and I wrote out some post cards. Then it was time to leave for the Cody Stampede, our first rodeo. I argued with myself whether to take the camera or not, taking it won out. Once I got there I filled up one of my media card. We had a great time, Carl had a Jeremiah Weed, his first and most likely last while I had an ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookies. Carl says I made the better choice. Later we each had a hot dog. The events were fast paced, bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, barrel racing and bull riding. We were back to the camper by 8:30 and listened to local fireworks until Mother Nature decided to put her two cents worth in. Strong winds, torrential rains and some fair thunder and lighting put an end to the campers fireworks and most likely, Cody’s fireworks were washed out as well.

Day 18- Last Day in Yellowstone

2011-07-03T19:34:00.002-04:00

I know we shouldn’t have but since we were staying 32 miles from the east gate, we got up very early today and “flew” to the park. Once at the East Gate, we continued to Fishing Bridge and then headed towards Old Faithful. This is the last loop through the park we hadn’t explored. Our first stop of the morning was at West Thumb Geyser Basin and it was just barely 8:00 on a crisp and promising morning. The thermal pools along Yellowstone Lake were steaming like crazy, making some of the photography a bit more challenging. We were part way through the ½ mile boardwalk when I stopped and looked to my left. There coming out of the wooded area was a young cow elk. She came slowly to the edge of the lake and took a deep drink, pausing every so often to look about. After a couple of minutes of taking her photo, I noticed several more young cow elk coming out of the very same group of trees. We kept hoping a bull would follow or another cow with a calf but we were disappointed on this count. In all, there were seven females wandering around, nibbling on the lichen and mineral rich bits of grass that grew in the area. It appears they live there or nearby all the time because of the multiple signs insisting the elk are not to be fed or approached because they are wild and dangerous. The signs say nothing about stationary visitors and elk who approach them. Two of the ladies climbed up on the boardwalk and crossed among a large group of Japanese tourists. That was truly exciting. I think “Watch out, here comes a big animal” translates in any language. About an hour later we found ourselves approaching Old Faithful who, it seems, has become a little less reliable in the past few years. Scientists don’t know if it’s because of changes in the water table or if the hotspot under Yellowstone has shifted just enough. It doesn’t matter because I’d made up my mind that we were sitting on that bench until she blew. We saw the geyser erupting as we pulled into the parking lot so we knew our wait could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours. I am asked by another photographer what I plan to shoot the event with so, in the process, we struck up a conversation with her family that lasted the entire time we are there. One hour and 40 minutes after we sat down, the mound in front of us started to bubble and before we knew it, the full blown eruption is going off. There’s nothing in the foreground to judge but we estimate the height of the water at about 100 feet and it lasted about 5 minutes. It was great. After souvenirs, back in the truck, we decided to head on to Grand Prismatic Spring by way of Firehole Geyser. There was an enormous traffic jam at Grand Prismatic Spring so we continued on to find a nice place for lunch. I asked Carl to drive down Fountain Flats Road to the end. There, along the Firehole River, we just happened to find a small herd of bison cows with calves fairly close so we grabbed the tripod, camera and cable release and walked to a small clump of downed deadwood. We’re close enough to pull them in with my lens but not so close that we are violating any laws. I’m shooting away when Carl says something about the bull coming up behind us. I turned to look and there, between the river’s edge and our clump of trees is the largest most perfect Bison bull I’ve seen on this trip. I’m aware he’s way closer than we should be and the wind is sort of blowing in his face so he may be getting our scent. He started walking with an exaggerated stiff leg sort of walk and his tail was arched up as if he were going to leave a pile of scat but he didn’t. Then he started slowly wagging his head back and forth and grunting, followed by a display known as the Flemin response, which allows the scent on the wind to roll over this organ in his mouth. You’ve probably seen other animals roll their upper lip and make a strange face. That’s it! He passes us and I breath a sigh of relief. He’s caught wind of the cows up ahead and is definitely not the least bit interested in us. He stopped mid way between the cows and where we were, pawed at the ground, urinated in the dust pit and then lowered himself into the dust. He rolled and got good and coated and then headed off to his ladies. One by one, he approached the cows, sniffed at their rear end to check if they have come into season or maybe to find out if another bull has been messing with his ladies. This is where we spend our lunch time. It was a most exhilarating hour. Our last stop was finally to fight our way into a still congested Grand Prismatic Spring, a pool 200 feet across displaying more colored algae and bacteria than any other pool in the park. It dumps hundreds of steaming hot water into the Firehole River every minute. Oh and while we were watching the bison at Fountain Flats, we noticed a number of fly fishermen trying their hand at the fish in the river where we also noticed an osprey who at first hovered over the river and then swooped down to grab fish out of the very same river.

Yellowstone's Natural Bounty

2011-07-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

Day 17- The Mammoth Hot Springs Loop

2011-07-02T20:13:00.005-04:00

We got up even earlier today because the first 100 miles was a repeat of yesterday, road travel that is but not the animal sightings. Today we were really lucky to find several more bison bulls close to the truck but still no cows with calves nearby, just off in the distance. But the luck or skill came when I spotted what I thought was a cow moose. We parked the truck, walked up the road a few hundred feet and it was the n I discovered the white target surrounding her tail. It was a cow elk. We watched her for several minutes, just long enough to cause our own “Elk Jam”. It didn’t help the cause much because half the distance from the road to the elk was a huge Bison bull taking a dirt bath. By the time I lost track of the cow elk in the thick conifer brush, there were more than enough cars on both sides of the road and Carl and I took our leave. We found another beautiful spot for our lunch looking at the deep blue waters of Phantom Lake with no one else around. I can tell you that doesn’t happen very often on a Saturday in Yellowstone, never mind that it’s a holiday weekend. I had two places I wanted to visit in the park, one was grand Prismatic Spring and the other was The Terraces. Today, we found and walked into Jupiter’s Terrace, a gorgeous series of flat calm pools that trickle mineral rich waters over their edge. Each drop has created a different depth of shelf and the minerals determine the color. This structure must have been forming for hundreds of years. In another part of the Terrace is Minerva’s Terrace which some people think is even lovelier than Jupiter’s. I chose to find a place for lunch instead of hiking down to see Minerva’s. After lunch we headed off and before we’d gone too long, we came upon a “Bear Jam” and this time I mean Bear. Some distance from the road was a black bear sow and two very small cubs, maybe no more than 4 months old. Carl got the tripod and we stood with probably 50 other people and took pictures until the congestion in the road was just too much. The bear was moving away with each mouthful of grass she ripped off so that was my cue. Without my super lens, I couldn’t bring them near enough. I hope this doesn’t backfire on me when I get to Alaska. We left the park by way of the same gate we entered, considering ourselves to have had a great second day. Tomorrow is our last day in the park. We’ll spend the 4th of July doing laundry, taking showers and preparing for our departure on the 5th. We’ll finish off the 4th with The Cody Stamped. Carl got us tickets for the evening’s rodeo.

Day 16- Yellowstone from East gate to Northeast gate

2011-07-01T21:33:00.001-04:00

Our arrival in the park was a bittersweet experience. We drove through mile after mile of scorched standing wood from the 1988 wild fires. Over 40% of the park was burned but as I’ve said, this is nature’s way of resetting the balance. It burns the dead or dying undergrowth that has been left to accumulate, clears the way for fresh shoots to thrive in newly created holes in the canopy and in some cases, fire is even required to open cones allowing the seeds to be broadcast by squirrels, birds and bears. There were several places we didn’t stop today because we will travel the first part of the trip a couple of times on our way to other parts of the park. We did stop at Mud Volcano, Artist Point, Le Hardys Rapids, Hayden Valley and the Lamar Valley. It took hours but our loop went out the Northeast Gate, through Cooke City, up through the Dead Indian Pass and back to Cody. I’m pretty pleased with the amount of wildlife we saw today. There were dozens of lone bulls enjoying the thick green grass and brilliant sunshine. Some were even taking advantage of the occasional snow drifts liberally sprinkled about the park. We didn’t find the cows and calves until we reached the Lamar Valley. There were hundreds grazing there and I found myself wondering what the scene would have been like 150 years ago when the valley would have been a seething dark mass of bison with little room to observe individuals. Our chance sighting of the black bear was a plus although I would have loved to stop and get a clear photo. The presence of the ranger is, of course, a deterrent. How do they get there so quickly? It’s like the bear calls in and says” Hey, I’m heading over to Chittendon Road. Want to get together?” I always enjoy seeing deer wherever I go. We don’t have Mule Deer in NH so it was interesting to see how really large their ears are. Pronghorns ( not antelope ) are new to us. Even though the females have horns, you can easily tell who’s in charge. And finally, I couldn’t believe our luck when we came around this corner and there in the field were a mating pair of coyotes. How do I know they were a mating pair? Think about that for a minute. Carl let me out of the truck to sit on the side of the road while he parked further down the road. And you can always tell when you’ve been too long at a spot by the number of vehicles parked on side of the road and in some cases in the road like it happened today in front of us. I actually thought mean bad things about two guys, one who pulled up, in the road, between me and the Bison bull, the other grabbed a tripod, a telephoto lens such as you see at a ball game and then walked within 100 feet of the same bull. I mean really. Did he want to count his eyelashes?

Day 15- To Cody, WY

2011-06-30T21:59:00.003-04:00

We’re so close but not there yet. Yellowstone is around the corner. Well, we still have 35 miles to the eastern entrance. Today, we woke after what should have been a great night’s sleep. We were all alone above 9,000 feet and it was cold. The generator worked really hard. I’m thinking it was the altitude and since it was working so hard, it ran out of gas somewhere around 1:00AM. We ate our breakfast with eyes searching the wood line outside our camper with hopes of seeing any kind of wildlife but that didn’t happen. I figure there’s still so much good grazing in the valley and things are just beginning to green up here. I suspect the heat and bugs will drive them up here later. As we descended towards Cody, the Tensleep Creek caught our attention. It was well above flood stage, running wild outside of it’s banks. It was running so wild, we watched as it tore through two homes and just missed a third. Tensleep, we are told, is an old Indian name for the length of days to get to this point on their summer trek or ten night’s sleep. On the side of a school in Worland, WY I read the words, “ As regulations grow, freedom dies.” I thought it was very timely. And about that time, 4 State Trooper k-9 units went by us at a good clip. We spent the next few minutes guessing what the hurry was, drug bust, lost child, race riot ( just kidding ) and then there was the last thing we thought of, and actually turned out to be, a training exercise at the local junk yard. Our arrival in Cody was too early to check in at the Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park so we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Cody Historical Museum. Carl talked with the gentleman at the admission desk, asking if they offered a discount for veterans. The fellow asked to see his idea, stamped our hands and told us to enjoy the exhibit. We spent most of our time in the Yellowstone Natural History exhibit and the rest of the time in the Plains Indians exhibit. Still left to explore was an extensive firearms collection, a Buffalo Bill museum and a western art exhibit. It was a most enjoyable afternoon although a day would not be an unreasonable amount of time. Our site has a marvelous view along the raging Shoshone River, which is nearly at flood stage also. They had more snow than usual in the mountains this past winter and there’s a lot left to melt. Oh, I forgot to mention we passed several signs explaining about their attempt to lessen the Sage Brush on the plains. The plant, which isn’t native to the area, uses up water, prevents good grasses from growing, is only eaten by Pronghorns and provides sap rich tinder for wild fires.

Day 14- Rapid City, SD to Powder Mountain Pass

2011-06-29T21:00:00.002-04:00

I keep this notepad beside me on the front seat of the truck so when I think of something to tell you, I jot it down. Today was a busy note taking day. I forgot to mention a couple of days ago when we moved into Mountain time somewhere after we passed Murdo on Rte I-90. Now, I’m two hours earlier for my Boston Red Sox home games. Today we drove through huge areas of forest fire damage, some fairly recent and others old enough so the trees have sprouted new growth. Still, the dead, limbless snags look very strange all along the ridge line. I understand how important fire is in the grand scheme of things, nature using one of her many weapons to revitalize the soil, renew the undergrowth and in some cases even helping some trees to distribute their seeds. So there’s no misunderstanding, I am not in favor of arson started fires that endanger lives and destroy property. As we pass by the sleepy town of Sturgis, SD , I am reminded that it is not always this way. For those of you who are not familiar with the name, it’s a gathering of motorcycle people that makes Laconia Bike week look like a Sunday Church Social. We stop at the first Welcome Center after we enter the state of Wyoming and I can’t help but notice there are cattle grates across the bottom of the ramp, at the entrance to the rest area and across the beginning of the on ramp when we return to the highway. It wasn’t just that exit either, it was all of them. I guess you have to understand the kind of country we are in. It’s cattle country and cattle are only as responsible as their fences and the amount of grass they have on their side of that fence. That being said, a fair number of horses have been known to push their boundaries, as well. A cattle grate is disconcerting to cross for even us humans. The spaces between the metal slats can be as much as 4-6 inches. Put a foot wrong and this little lady’s size 6 is wedged in there. A hoofed animal won’t cross them even if they’re tail is on fire.

I catch my first glimpse of Devil’s Tower when we still have about 30 miles to travel. The road descends and twists so much the sightings are brief until the last turn and there it is straight in front of me. I had no idea this 1200+ ft monolith was up on it’s own plateau making it jut up into the sky even higher. The temperature is more than 90 and I make the decision not to do the 1.2 mile trek around the base of the rock. This means I have just as good a view from right where I am and don’t have to spend the money to drive in. What I’ll miss is a photo or two from the other side. Some of you may not be familiar with Devil’s Tower. It was made famous and brought to my attention when it was featured in the Spielberg movie, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. In the movie, I truly thought the thing was manmade. It just looks so unusual. I’ve read the material is from a “volcanic upwelling of plastic material” etc. Just someone tell me what that means, please? Eventually, far off in the distance, I catch a glimpse of a high snow covered mountain range. I wonder out loud if it’s the Rockies or the Tetons. Carl doesn’t know. In due time I will find it isn’t either one, it’s the Bighorn Mountain range and we have to cross them before we can get to Cody, WY. After taking on additional gas ( we’re going to carry 10 spare gallons in the back of the truck ) and topping off the tank, we head out of Buffalo. Carl spots a bull moose right off the bat but there’s no place to pull over. There are places further up and we pull into a few of them and top out in Powder Mt Pass, 9666 ft above sea level. We have pulled off the road in a very large parking area for the night. There isn’t a soul around although we do hear road noise from time to time. I thought I was going to have a beautiful sunset opportunity up here but the clouds rolled in and it’s begun to rain. Maybe tomorrow, we’ll get sunrise photos. 2798 total miles traveled to date.

Day 13- Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park

2011-06-28T23:18:00.006-04:00

What a whirlwind of a day! We were at Mt Rushmore just after the gates opened today. We had an idea that morning light would flood onto the faces and sure enough, it did. We had a problem with Abe throwing a shadow on Teddy for a while but before we left about 10:00, the shadow was gone. We took a leisurely walk on the Presidential trail, a 6/10th of a mile loop that gives you a slightly different look to the mountain, takes you to the studio where Gutzon Borglum worked and gives you a view of the forest that has grown up around the mountain since the completion of work. It was a great help to have parking garages in place instead of having to walk a great distance from parking lots. I loved the way they have designed the approach with the flags lining the approach to the viewing terrace. It’s a must do if you’re in the area and the $11.00 fee gives you a year’s access to the site. We did not get back to the night program because we were just too tired after our very full day. Our next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial, a work in progress since 1947. The work is carried on by the family of Korczak Ziolkowski (core JOCK Jewel CUFF ski ). The face measures 90 feet and when complete, it will be the largest free standing sculpture in the world. You’d have to be the judge on if it’s worth the $10.00 per person admission. There are two movies, a huge museum, on site native craftspeople and a wonderful restaurant. All proceeds go into the work on the mountain and absolutely no federal money has been used or will be used. Work this season will begin on Crazy Horse’s wrist and hand resting atop the horse’s mane. After lunch, we headed to Custer State Park, home to 1300 wild and freely roaming buffalo. We hadn’t been in the park 15 minutes when we saw our first bull resting in the shade beside the road. Then it was more than an hour till the next. We drove the 67 mile Wilderness Loop Road slowly because it weaves it’s way through the Black Hills and turns back on itself a number of times as it climbs to over 6,000 feet. During our drive, we saw Pronghorn Antelope, prairie dogs and burros which are not native to the park but seem to collect quite a crowd begging for handouts. We continued on to the Iron Mountain Road which led us through three of the six tunnels carved through solid rock. One of these tunnels gave us a surprise view of Mt Rushmore, in the distance, through the opening. Just before we left the park to return to our camper, we came across a small herd of bachelor bulls. We waited while a couple went into a draw for a drink of the French Creek that winds it’s way through the park and then came to within 75 feet of the truck. It was a magnificent site to see these huge animals munching on the lush grasses that grow throughout the park. Sadly, we spent so much time in the park, we didn’t get to the Badlands so I’ll have to

put that back on the ol’ bucket list for another time. Tom

orrow, we head to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.