Tag: national-parks

A couple years ago, Jon decided it was time to get serious about setting a target for retirement. There was no disagreement from me on that! But it did mean that we had some decisions to make, like what do we want to do in retirement, when will it happen, and will I leave my job at the same time? Lots of thinking, praying, and discussing happened, and a loosey-goosey target date was set, we determined we want to spend time with our grandkids and travel (as well as some other hobbies), and be open to what God reveals (missions work?). It wasn’t long before Jon suggested our first big trip PR (post-retirement) be to Alaska, a location we have wanted to visit for years. To boot, Alaska was the last of the 50 states Jon needed to check off as having visited (I still have seven to go…we’ll get those sometime in the future). We’re not exactly the cruise-type vacationers, and while we aren’t opposed to hopping on an airplane, we really wanted to make this a trip that would allow us to slow down and move at as much of an unscripted pace as possible. And so we decided to drive the historic “AlCan Highway,” and circle through a good sized portion of our nation’s largest state. Jon spent months researching and planning. And we started counting down the months, then the weeks, the days, and finally the hours until this journey could begin.

Did we do everything perfect? No. Did we see everything we wanted to? Nope, not even close. Did we forget stuff and have to find a Walmart? Yes, more than once. Did we pack a bunch of stuff that we really didn’t need? Yes…a lot of things. Did we have the one of the best month’s of our three-plus decades of married life? Yes, without a doubt.

• Total days: 29
• Total miles: 7047
• National Parks Visited: 3 US (Denali, Kenai, Wrangell-St Elias) and 3 Canadian (Kootney, Banff, Jasper)
• Glaciers Visited: At least 6
• Wildlife seen: black bear (over 20), grizzly bear (2), bison (hundreds), caribou, moose, porcupine, fox, bald eagle, swan, sandhill cranes, snow geese, snowshoe hare, ptarmigan (“Denali Chicken”), muskrat, elk, wild horses, deer, dall sheep, mountain goat, big horn sheep. harbor seal.
• Most played board game: Scrabble
• Coldest morning: mid-20’s (Gregg Lake)
• Warmest morning: low-50’s (Williams Lake)

• May 1 – West Richland, WA to Bonners Ferry, ID

  0 miles to start the day

  
  We left home mid-day, and drove north to Lake Robinson Campground in Idaho, near Bonners Ferry. It was a nice quiet campground, with a small creek running through it.

  

  

  

  

  

• May 2 – Bonners Ferry, ID to Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

  285 miles to start the day.

  
  We left Lake Robinson at about 9:00 AM, and crossed into Canada within just a few minutes. It took less than five minutes to get through the border, however we were disappointed that there was no significant sign saying “Welcome to British Columbia.” Our drive first took us through Kootney National Park. We saw some big horn sheep alongside the road, and then again right in town in Radium Hot Springs. We stopped for a short hike to the “paint pots.” This hike took us through a marshy area on a wooden boardwalk, where the water was various shades of yellow and orange from the high iron content. We stopped for lunch at an overlook of Lake Columbia, which is the headwaters for the Columbia River! We continued on Banff National Park and to Lake Louise Hard Sided Campground. It wasn’t until after were set up that we realized our reservation was for a different campground 45 minutes south! We stayed where we were, and decided if a park ranger asked about it, we’d play the “stupid American” card and hope for the best. Weather was cool, with bright sunshine all day, really allowing the spectacular mountains to show off their beauty. There was snow around our campsite, but was not a problem. The Canadian couple camping next to us had been there for several days skiing at the various nearby ski resorts. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• May 3 – Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

  (forgot to record mileage at start of day)

  
  Still at Lake Louise campground, with no remarks from the park rangers. Looks like we’re staying here! Woke up early to catch a bus in Banff to go to Lake Louise. Cost was $53 CA for the bus ride, and as it turned out we probably could have just as easily drove there ourselves as the parking lot was not as packed full as everyone we had talked to had made it sound like. We hiked about 3.5 miles around Lake Louise, which was still mostly frozen. It was still incredibly beautiful, even without it’s emerald green waters being visible. After riding the bus back to Banff, we had lunch out at Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant. Burgers were good. We then got a dessert called a “Beavertail” down the street. A Beavertail is fried whole wheat dough, thicker and chewier than an elephant ear but similar, lightly coated in cinnamon and sugar. Ours was topped with apple pie filling, a caramel drizzle, and a scoop of caramel ice cream. It was very good! We wandered around Banff for a while and found some post cards to send to the grandkids, and picked up a few things like an ear band for me, and a hat for Jon.  It took us a while but we finally found the post office so we could pick up some stamps. Apparently in Canada the only place to get stamps is at the post office. We returned to our campground, and it rained in the evening and then on and off throughout the night.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• May 4 – Lake Louise Campground to Gregg Lake Campground, Yellowhead County, Alberta

  (forgot to record mileage at start of day)

  
  We left Lake Louise at about 8:00 AM, and soon entered Jasper National Park. We saw a black bear alongside the road munching grass! Our first bear sighting! We stopped at the Columbia Icefields and walked (hiked?) a short distance up towards the Athabasca Glacier. It was incredibly beautiful and very bright! The visitor center at the ice fields was packed with people, but was a very nice interpretive center. It even had a Starbucks, so we got some coffee and a breakfast sandwich for lunch. We contemplated buying tickets for the “Sky Walk” glass walkway down the road from the visitor center, but were glad we didn’t because it wasn’t open, even though the website would let you buy tickets! Our next stop was at the Goats and Glacier Lookout. We saw neither goats nor any glaciers, at least none that were identified. But it was a very pretty view of the river below. We drove on to Athabasca Falls, a pretty waterfall that is very deadly. There were multiple memorial benches along the pathway, with notes stating the person “should have heeded the warning signs” and “didn’t make a wise choice.” We mailed the postcards in Hinton, and spent the night at Gregg Lake Campground. Initially there was no one else in the campground. After dinner we noticed a young couple down by the boat launch airing out their sleeping bags and roof-top tent. They were from the Moab area, and were headed to be whitewater raft guides near Denali for the summer.  It was getting cold that evening, and they were concerned about the possibility of bears with their rooftop tent. At about 11:30 PM, it sounded like they had packed up and left.  While on the road, we had snow, rain, sleet, hail, and then finally sunshine! The beauty of this area is absolutely indescribable. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Monday, May 5 – Gregg Lake CG to  Dawson Creek, BC

  (forgot to record mileage, again)

  We woke up very early, partly because it was so cold, and partly because we had already reached a point of very early sunrises! Temps got down well below freezing all night. Thankfully we were already mostly packed up, and we were on the road by 6:30. It helped that we didn’t need to concern ourselves about being too quiet at that time of the day because we were still the only ones in the campground.  We were off to Dawson Creek — the official start of the Alaska Highway!  Along the way we saw several deer and mountain goats. We stopped at Grande Cache Interpretive Center and learned they are actively preserving the local caribou herd, which was only numbering about 400 currently. They have “caribou patrols”  along the highway to help keep the herd from being hit by traffic. It was nice little museum and gift shop, and we bought little dinosaurs for the kids, as this area is also known for being rich with fossils. In the small town of Beaver Lodge, we stopped to see their giant beaver roadside attraction. We arrived in Dawson Creek at about 1:30 PM, and checked into the Northern Lights RV Park, a very nice park with very clean washroom/laundry. We decided to do a load of laundry. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Stuie’s Diner, a 50’s themed diner. The teriyaki burger was good, and the fries were fantastic. Jon is starting to come down with a cold, but it seems to be managed with cold medicine. We stopped at the the “Mile 0” signpost in town and took a photo…because that’s what you do when you’re starting the Alaska Highway journey!  We also re-arranged lodging for the next few days to hit more RV parks, as we’ve discovered having electricity and running water is nice. Updated itinerary is Liard Hot Springs Campground changed to one night, then to Watson Lake RV, then to Haines Junction RV. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Tuesday, May 6 – Dawson Creek, BC to Fort Nelson, BC

  1089 miles at start of day

  Beautiful morning with sunshine!  We were on the road by 9:15 AM. We saw a moose alongside the road just past Wonawon, BC, and because there was not a lot of traffic, we were able to stop to get a photo. There are lots of natural gas plants along this stretch of the highway. We arrived in Fort Nelson, BC at about 3:30 PM, at the Triple G RV Park. This is a nice park with clean washrooms and showers. It has a full service restaurant with an ice cream counter, and gift shop. We b ought some postcards to send to the grandkids, and after writing the notes while enjoying our ice cream, we left the postcards with the gal at the front desk, who said she would include them with their outgoing mail. We had cloudy skies almost all day, but no rain while on the road. This was our first encounter with mosquitos! Fortunately they were manageable. We’ve also started noticing some of the same campers who seem to be on the same journey as us. 

  

  

• Wednesday, May 7 – Fort Nelson, BC to Liard River CG, BC

  (I forgot the mileage…again…don’t judge me!)

  We woke up to 45 degrees and sunshine, and slept in until almost 7:00 AM! We took our time packing up, and got coffee at the restaurant at the RV park. We were on the road by about 9:00 AM towards Liard Hot Springs Campground. We had a good day of roadside wildlife viewing! We saw several herds of bison, caribou, deer, big horn sheep and a bear, all alongside the road. We stopped for a cinnamon bun at Tetsa River Lodge, the “Cinnamon Bun Centre of the Galactic Cluster,” and also picked up a bag of their homemade jerky sticks (very good!). The cinnamon buns were really good. We stopped at Muncho Lake, which was still frozen over, but we could break off fingers of vertical ice from the edge of the lake, something we later learned is called “candlestick ice.” We arrived at Liard river campground mid-afternoon, and set up camp. This is a dry-camp campground, and has only pit-toilets. There are a fair number of other campers here. The campground is enclosed in an electric fence that is meant to keep wildlife (bears in particular) out of the campground. It kind of feels like we’re in Jurassic Park. We walked to the hot springs to check out the set up, and then came back to the trailer to get our towels and swimsuits. As we were walking back towards the hot springs on the boardwalk (about 0.4 miles from the camp gate to the hot springs), we encountered a black bear about 20 yards off the boardwalk, and about 100 yards away from the hot springs!  The bear did not pay us any attention, as it was focused on munching the grass, so we just kept going. We did tell the other dozen or so people who were already at the hot springs that there was a bear nearby. The water was about 100F, very clear, and only had a slight sulfur smell. The soak was very relaxing. The bear was gone by the time we were done soaking in the hot springs and were walking back to camp. Shortly after getting back to camp, we met Sonny and Debbie from Indiana. They had been at Dawson Creek and Triple G the same time as us, and recognized our trailer. Sonny had just retired, too. They are headed to Anchorage and then down to Seward. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Thursday, May 8 – Liard Hot Springs CG to Watson Lake, YT

  (look…I’m new to this whole extended travel thing…I forgot to record mileage again!)

  It was cold overnight. We woke up to 26F outside, 42F inside. We were warm enough, though, with sleeping bags and the wool blankets. We left the campground by about 8:15 AM and immediately drove into a large herd of bison. Throughout the day, we saw probably over 100 bison! We also saw another six black bears and a grizzly bear, who even stood on his hind legs for us! It was a jackpot of a day for wildlife viewing! We arrived at Watson Lake, YT in the early afternoon, probably about 12:30 PM, and had to wait to check into the Watson Lake Downtown RV Park, as the owner, a friendly Scotsman, was out for lunch. The park is next door to the “Sign Post Forest” — a spot where over 90,000 signs are displayed. Everything from roadsigns to homemade “I was here and I’m from xxxx” signs to random items nailed to the posts, like underwear, pie plates, etc. We knew we’d be stopping here, so we had a homemade sign that’s adorned with a “Go Cougs” sticker, our names, West Richland, WA, and May 2025. Our sign was made from plywood that we had layered, and then sealed in a spray sealant. We saw one other Coug sign — a WSU license plate.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Friday, May 9 – Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT

  1692 miles at start of day

  It was another chilly morning, but still very tolerable. The other guests at this RV Park were very chatty! The couple on one side of us was moving to Moses Lake! They’re from Anchorage. The wife is a radiology technician, and apparently the Moses Lake clinic was hiring.The guy on the other side was headed to Valdez, AK to manage an RV park for the summer. Both parties had some tips and ideas for us. We were on the road by 8:45 AM. It was kind of a quiet day on the road; we only saw about seven caribou, and no other critters. We arrived in Whitehorse, YT mid-afternoon; and checked in Hi Country RV Park. It has a nice gift shop, and has nice trees in the park and separating some of the parking spaces. We went downtown, but didn’t stay long, as the area didn’t feel like a good place to be. We did walk through a small shopping area, and picked up an unframed piece of artwork of the Cassiar Highway that was from a local artist. After not having lunch, we both were pretty hungry so for dinner we went to A&W.  After coming back to the trailer, we tried to watch the Mariners/Toronto game but had to use the VPN because we’re still in a blackout zone…a double blackout zone actually because apparently nearly all of Canada is a Toronto zone, and YT is still part of the Mariner blackout zone. Absolutely ridiculous to be well over 1000 miles away from the stadium, and to still be “in the zone.”

  

  

  

  

  

• Saturday, May 10 – Whitehorse, YT to Tok, AK

  1974 miles at start of day

  We woke up to a wintery mix of snow and rain, which quickly turned into big fluffy snow flakes. We waited to see if it would clear up like the forecast said it would. It didn’t. So at about 9:00 AM we started to pack up, and were done by 9:20. And then it stopped snowing! As we were leaving town, we saw some Wooly Mammoth statues at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Center. The center wasn’t open yet, but we did stop to take a photo with the Wooly Mammoths. We had snow, hail and rain on and off all day while driving. Today we saw a moose, and two bears (including one who came right up to the Jeep!), and several porcupine. The road started getting pretty rough around Haines Junction, YT. Destruction Bay was very pretty, but was a bit gusty in places, which combined with the frost heaves and potholes made for an interesting drive. Our original plan was to stay in Beaver Creek, YT, but when we pulled into the RV park there, it was sketchy!! Because it was only about 4:00 PM, and we knew we had at least another six hours of daylight, we decided to keep driving and push on to Tok, AK, which was just a little over two hours down the road.  Beaver Creek was right on the border between Alaska and Yukon Territory. 2273 miles to the border from home! We stopped at the “Welcome to Alaska” sign for photos, and also for photos by the Yukon Territory sign, since we had missed that at the other end of the road! Alaska is Jon’s 50th state! There were some interesting monuments at the site, showing how there’s nothing but a cleared strip of land between the countries — no fence. There was a young couple from Argentina there, too. They had been on the road since 2018, all being driven in a 1989 VW bus! The United States border station was not for another 20 miles down the road. We had no trouble getting through the border crossing, and we were given a warm “welcome back to America” by the agent. Tok is 90 miles from the border, and a good portion of that road was either under construction, or filled with frost heaves and pot holes. We were happy to finally reach town, but disheartened to see that the place we were supposed to stay at the following night did not appear to be operational tonight! We drove down to another RV park, Tundra, and were warmly welcomed and given a site close to the shower house/rest room. After getting settled, we went to the Three Bears grocery store for snacks.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Sunday, May 11 – Tok, AK

  We “took the day off” since we had arrived at Tok a day ahead of schedule. We drove around the area but very little was open since it was off season, a Sunday, and mother’s day. Mostly, we napped and snacked while listening to the Mariner’s game. We played Scrabble, and Jon doesn’t like some of the words that I say are allowable. I’ll be looking for a Scrabble dictionary app that works off-line.

  

  

  

• Monday, May 12 – Tok, AK to Fairbanks, AK

  2410 miles at start of day

  We left Tok early’ish and headed towards Fairbanks, AK. Today, we saw a fox, a bald eagle (who was eating a dead animal – a moose maybe?), and a swan. The road continued to be rough for a while with frost heaves and potholes. We stopped in Delta Junction, AK, the official end of the Alaska Highway, and took a photo by the marker. It has been six days since Dawson Creek, the beginning of the Alaska Highway. A short while later, we stopped in North Pole, AK to visit the Christmas Store. They had lots of fun stuff. We bought a few things and sent cards to the grandkids, and to Corey and Leah. We also mailed all my thank you notes, in hopes that they’d have a fun post mark as being from the North Pole. There was no guarantee that would happen, but the Christmas Store did have a hand stamp that said “mailed from the North Pole” so I put that on the outside of all the thank you notes. We arrived in Fairbanks in the early afternoon. The “7 Gables Inn & Suites” was less than what it was billed to be, but seemed to be clean enough, and they were able to accommodate the trailer in their small parking lot. Jon aptly described the place as something between a hostel and Schrute Farms. But it definitely was not what is typically associated with a bed and breakfast or a hotel. It’s all part of the adventure! We began our search for the Fairbanks Goldpanners minor league baseball team office, and discovered it wasn’t open yet. We went to a wood fired pizza place for dinner, and then had ice cream at a place recommended by Julie Bishop, “Hot Licks Ice Cream.” 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Tuesday, May 13 – Fairbanks, AK

  In the morning, checked out the included breakfast at the 7 Gables Inn, and were not pleased with what was offered. It looked like left overs. So we skipped breakfast. We visited the local visitor center, which had a small museum/interpretive center, which was really nicely done. We also visited the gift shop. Then we went to Pioneer Park, which in the summer has a bunch of historic log cabins gathered together into a “village” and are used by various businesses. Most don’t open until Memorial Day weekend, but a local Healy based photographer was setting up her shop. She invited us in and we found a beautiful Mt. Denali photo to purchase. Alana was originally from Tasmania, but had lived in Syria, England, Pakistan, and Guatemala before settling in Alaska with her husband who is a school district superintendent. She was previously an elementary school teacher. We returned to “Schrute Farm” and did a load of laundry. The laundry room at the 7 Gables Inn & Suites was absolutely sketchy — located in the back part of what appeared to be the owner’s garage. The machines were not as clean as they should be. After the laundry was done, we went to see a small viewing area of the Alaska Pipeline. It had some interesting information displays. It was neat to see the pipeline up close and in person, as it is quite the engineering feat! We then tried to go see a gold dredge, but it was closed. We went to the Blue Roof Bistro  for dinner, as Jack and Devin had given Jon a gift certificate to this establishment for his birthday. The food was really good, especially the chipotle sauce. We went back to “Hot Licks Ice Cream” for dessert because ice cream is always a good idea. We visited the Creamers Field Migratory Wildlife Refuge, and took a long walk along their trails. We saw sandhill cranes, Canada and snow geese, and various ducks. This site was formerly a dairy farm. After it went out of business, the locals realized it was a valued site to the various migratory waterfowl that pass through the area. So they bought it and turned it into a refuge. They still farm a couple of the field for various grains, which attract the migrating birds. The local airport and military installations provide support, because it draws the birds away from their airfields. We had a great chat with the volunteer in the gift shop. Throughout the day, we had been looking for merchandise from the Goldpanners with no luck. Because we’re running out of time in Fairbanks, I decided to just order a hat for Woody off their website and have it shipped directly to him. Maybe next time we’re in Alaska it will be during their season, and we can catch a game. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Wednesday, May 14 – Fairbanks, AK to Denali National Park

  2679 miles at start of day

  We left “Schrute Farm” early in the morning, again skipping the breakfast. Shortly outside of Fairbanks, we pulled into a view area and we were able to see Mt. Denali in the distance!! We had been told by several people to not expect to see the mountain as it is almost always clouded over or obscured by haze. We continued on and stopped in Healy, AK to pick up some ice and a few groceries, as we had been advised to do this before getting to Denali Park (not to be confused with Denali National Park), which is nothing but a giant tourist trap. We hit Riley Creek Campground inside Denali National Park at about 1:00 PM. After getting the trailer settled, we then drove into the park while the weather was still nice. Because it was still considered “pre season” we were able to drive about 30 miles into the park, which is about twice as far as normal. We saw a few caribou, a couple porcupine, several snowshoe hare and several ptarmigan (or “Denali chickens” as I call them). We only briefly saw the lower part of the mountain, as clouds were settling in. We had dinner back at the campsite, and was “terrorized” by a red squirrel who chewed through the lid of our snack tote in about 3 minutes time! We moved all the totes into the Jeep, but the little bugger keeps coming back. Jon says it’s just taunting him now! We met a couple in the campground from Chatteroy, WA (just outside of Spokane), who also had just retired. We saw them several times during our time in DNP.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Thursday, May 15 – Denali National Park

  (Forgot to record the mileage)

  It was cold overnight, but between the wool blankets and the sleeping bags, we were warm enough. We left the camp at about 7:30 AM to drive back into the park, hoping to see the mountain and/or critters. We didn’t see the mountain due to lots of clouds, but did see a few animals: two caribou, two porcupine, three snowshoe hares, and lots of ptarmigan (“Denali chickens”). The Park Service was running lots of empty buses, training the drivers for the start of the summer season, which is to begin Memorial Day weekend. We decided to visit Denali Park, a small village outside the national park to visit their gift shops and to hopefully find some coffee. We bought a few things, but none of the nearby coffee shops were open yet for the season! The closest coffee to be found was in Healy, about a 20 minute drive away. Off we went, and found The Alaskan Coffee Bean, a great coffee shop that also offered food, so we had a late breakfast of biscuits and gravy in addition to coffee. This was one of the few coffee shops I had found on this trip who was willing to make a caramel latte with caramel sauce instead of syrup. Some of the shops didn’t even have caramel sauce in the store! I told the owner that she should experiment with a double dose of caramel sauce in a vanilla macchiato with a little bit of sea salt mixed in. She said she that sounded fantastic, and would see what she could come up with.  We headed back to Denali National Park to visit the sled dog kennels, and had the opportunity to meet all 26 of the park canine “rangers.” One of the dogs, Merlyn, had five puppies just two weeks ago. The littler of puppies born each year are all given a names from a predetermined theme. This year’s litter will be given weather-themed names that will be announced in the coming weeks. We were just in time to catch their first demonstration of the season and heard a great presentation by one of the rangers. The dogs pulled a “sled” cart through the area and then demonstrated their “return” training. We had a great time meeting all the dogs, and giving them lots of ear-scratches.  We also visited the park’s bus depot, a huge facility where all the tour buses pick up and drop off people from throughout the park. Both the dog kennels and the bus depot had NPS Passport stamps. Back at camp, we revised our itinerary to accommodate a day to Valdez, AK based on several recommendations from people, and then firmed up accommodations for the remained of the trip.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Friday May 16 – Denali NP to Talkeetna, AK

  2997 miles at the start of the day

  We slept in until about 7:00 AM! What a treat! After getting the trailer mostly packed up, we went back to the coffee shop in Healy for breakfast. We had to toss all the remaining breakfast burritos as they were starting to smell funky, and had been thawed out for about a week. On the way back, the sun’s shining and the clouds were clearing, so we decided to drive into DNP one more time to try to see the mountain. We saw two moose right along the road. We drove about 10 miles into the park, and saw lots of haze and cloud cover, so didn’t proceed. We went back to get the trailer and hit the road towards Talkeetna. We did see the peaks of Denali along the way, down towards the south end. And then it started to rain. Sunny skies again by the time we got to Talkeetna. We dropped off the trailer at Talkeetna Camper Park, which was very small and immediately adjacent to the Alaskan Train Depot. We drove down the road to the Alaska Birch Syrup & Wild Harvest Shop. The birch syrup was fantastic, and I ended up spending more than I intended to bring some home. We then walked to “downtown” Talkeetna, which felt like something straight out of Oregon with a heavy hippie vibe! The town does have a quilt shop, and I stopped in there and found a fun panel of the United States National Parks. We returned to the trailer, had dinner, took showers (coin-op), and planned our travel to Seward and Whittier tomorrow. PS – I also found my good pen that had been missing for several days!!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Saturday, May 17 – Talkeetna, AK to Seward, AK

  3176 miles at the start of the day

  We left Talkeetna somewhat early to head towards Seward. We drove past JBER just outside Anchorage, and sent a photo to Jack. He laughed and said he doesn’t know anyone there anymore! It was a stunningly beautiful drive once we got past Anchorage. On the advice of our kids, we didn’t stop in Anchorage other than for gas. The Turnagain Arm past Anchorage was beautiful leading out to the Kenai Peninsula. We dropped the trailer at Creek View Campground, which was really nothing more than a small gravel parking lot. No restrooms, only an outhouse. But it did have electricity and potable water. We then drove the approximately three miles into Seward. The annual “Mermaid Festival” was happening downtown and a smaller sized cruise ship had docked, so there were lots of people. The festival brought out lots of “colorful” characters in all sorts of costumes — everything from mermaids to pirates to “furries.” We left and drove to Whittier, AK (which was father than we expected, but hey – it’s all part of the adventure!). The sole purpose of this was to drive through the Whittier Tunnel — a 2.5 mile long tunnel constructed in the 1940’s to connect the port of Whittier to other cities (namely, Anchorage) by land. Previously, Whittier had been accessibly only by sea. The tunnel was originally only built for trains, but later on was modified to allow vehicles, too. The tunnel is a single lane wide, with a max height of 15 feet. Vehicles and trains alternate one-way travel approximately ever 30 minutes. In Whittier, there was another big cruise ship docked, with people re-boarding from excursions. We had dinner in Whittier at the Wild Catch Cafe, the only open restaurant that afternoon. The waitress was from Bulgaria. With nothing else to do or see in Whittier, we left to head back to Seward for ice cream, and then back to the trailer. We did see a couple moose on the way back. The people in the RV next to us next to us were having a party and were noisy until 1:00 AM.  I can’t believe they didn’t invite us to the party ;)

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Sunday, May 18 – Seward, AK to Tolsona, AK

  3600 miles to start the day

  We left Seward early, and got coffee and muffins at Safeway. We headed back up the Kenai Peninsula and through Anchorage again. We saw Denali just before we got to Anchorage! We stopped at Walmart to get some t-shirts for the grandkids, and then got lunch at Raising Cane’s. Off to the Glenn Highway we went, and were not disappointed with the views! The mountains near Chickaloon were stunning, and I felt like we were in the midst of a Bob Ross painting. This may have been my favorite stretch of highway on this trip. We saw the Matanuska Glacier from a distance. Somewhere along the middle of this highway, literally in the middle of nowhere, we passed a cabin with a flag pole at the road flying a WSU flag. I see you, Alaska alum, and give you a heartfelt “Go Cougs!” The place we had a reservation for, the Grand View RV Cafe & Rv in Glacier View, was not open! So, we drove about one hour farther and ended up in Tolsona at the Ranch House RV. Our site was right on the Tolsona Creek. We saw several moose, and a muskrat in the creek near out campsite. The campground had a nice shower room/bathroom. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Monday, May 19 – Tolsona, AK to Valdez, AK

  3891 miles to start the day

  We left Tolsona and headed toward Valdez, AK along the Richardson Highway. As we entered the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, we stopped at the visitor center and had a great chat with Ranger Larry. When he heard we were headed to Valdez, he suggested we go see the Valdez Glacier Lake. The scenery through Thompson Pass was very snowy. We saw snow on the road from a small avalanche, and we stopped to see the Worthington Glacier. The canyon at the base of Thompson Pass just outside Valdez was incredible, and had so many waterfalls!! Valdez is a nice town with lots of fishing excursions. The Valdez RV Park had an amazing view of the mountains as was very clean with very nice shower/bath and laundry house. Showers were not metered/coin-op! The hosts were friendly and helpful. We drove out to the Valdez Glacier Lake, a beautiful alpine lake right next to an active mine (placer gold, maybe?). The lake was still partially frozen, and we got to experience more candlestick ice! Parked at the lake was the Argentina VW bus again, but we did not see the couple. They had a plastic jar taped to the back of their spare tire asking for “gas money to help their trip” so I put in a few dollars. They had some hand-tied friendship bracelets in exchange for a donation, so I chose a white one. We returned to town and had dinner at the Nat Shack (really good flank steak burritos) and then had ice cream from the small coffee stand across the street from the RV park. After our ice cream, we went down to the harbor watch the bald eagles eat the scraps from the fishermen who were cleaning their day’s catch. We saw several eagles, including some immature ones, from about 15’ away. Then we went for a hike on a nature trail around the point near the harbor. There were a couple of harbor seals near one of the look out points, and there were about eight signs along the trail identifying the various toxic/poisonous plants along the way! It was a nice walk of about a mile. On our return to the trailer, we had a nice visit with the people parked next to us. They’re from Mississippi originally, but have been full time RV-ers for over two years. He was a retired fireman, and she works remotely as a travel agent. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Tuesday, May 20 – Valdez, AK to Tok, AK

  4045 miles to start the day

  Enjoyed a shower before leaving Valdez, and we were on the road by about 9:00 AM after getting coffee across the street at the coffee shop. We again really enjoyed the drive through the canyon of waterfalls and over Thompson Pass. Later, as we passed by the visitor center for the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, we stopped to give our thanks to Ranger Larry for his recommendation to visit the Valdez Glacier Lake. And, because the weather was clear today, we were able to view Mt. Drum from the NP view point. Their exhibits in the interpretive center was open today, so we walked through there, too. The drive on the Tok Cut Off highway was rough with lots of potholes and frost heaves. We stayed again at the Tundra RV Campground, spot #36, right next to the showers/restroom. After we dropped the trailer off, we went to the “All Things Alaska” gift shop, and got the grandkids some fun socks, t-shirts, and coonskin hats, and another round of postcards. We had top ramen for dinner. Wildlife sighting for the day was limited to swans. 

  

  

  

• Wednesday, May 21 – Tok, AK to Whitehorse, YT

  4298 miles to start the day

  We left Tok for Whitehorse by about 8:00 AM, as it was to be a long day of driving (about 7 hours in ideal conditions). The stretch of highway from Tok to beyond Destruction Bay was rough with many stretches of gravel, construction, frost heaves and lots of potholes. We saw a bear, moose, two elk herds, and a fox (in downtown Whitehorse!). We stayed again at Hi Country RV in Whitehorse, and there were a lot more campers than a couple weeks ago. We had dinner at Joe’s Wood Fired Pizza. It was pretty good pizza, and Joe was a friendly host. Then we found a Dairy Queen for dessert. The kid working the counter looked at us like we were idiots when Jon asked for a chocolate/vanilla swirl cone. He kept asking, “Do you mean a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate?” They also didn’t have banana split blizzards on the menu. What’s up with that, Yukon??

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Thursday, May 22 – Whitehorse, YT to Skagway, BC

  4705 miles to start the day

  We got breakfast in town at a place called the Burnt Toast Cafe. It was…average. After returning to the RV park, we loaded up the trailer and left for Skagway. To our surprise, it to until today — well over 4700 miles — before we heard our first “Go Cougs!” We saw a fellow at one of our gas stops who was from Vancouver, WA, and was decked out in Seahawks gear who approached us and gave us the hearty greeting. After driving by the Carcross Desert, bill as “the smallest desert in the world,” we stopped in Carcross, YT for coffee and to stretch our legs while visiting their tourist trap shops (Carcross Commons). One of the shops, The Maple Rush, was sampling maple products, which we were happy to try. We ended up with a small bottle of maple syrup and a small bag of maple candies. A stop by the visitor center provided us with some additional information for the drive on the Cassiar highway in the coming days, particularly to fill up our gas tank early on, as there is a very long stretch that doesn’t have any open services yet this season. We continued our drive to Skagway, and stopped at Emerald Lake which was truly emerald green! We entered Alaska for what we thought was to be our last time. At the border crossing, we were flagged for an “extra screening.” The agent checked out our food tote and cooler, looking for meat, fresh fruits/veggies. We forgot we had an apple, but he didn’t confiscate it. We continued on to Pullen Creek RV near downtown Skagway and discovered there was a large travel group expected to take about ⅔ of the sites. By about 2:30 PM we had the trailer settled and we decided to walk around town. With four cruise ships docked in the harbor, the place was crawling with people, and we felt like we were in Disneyland shoulder to shoulder with the crowds filling the stores. The downtown area of Skagway is done in an old mining town theme, complete with costumed showgirls wandering the street inviting people to come to the theater for a show (also adding to the whole Disneyland feel). We both did our fair share of grumbling about crowds and the high cost of the gift shops. Downtown Skagway does hold the Gold Rush National Historic Park visitor center, so we stopped to get our NPS Passport stamped.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Friday, May 23 – Skagway, BC to Nugget City, YT

  4815 miles to start the day

  Overnight, four new cruise ships pulled into port — two big ships, and two medium sized ships. The train, which was located immediately adjacent to the RV park, was running by 6:30 AM, and precluded any significant sleeping in. We packed up and were on the hunt for coffee before 9:00 AM, eventually finding some at a small shop downtown. Fortunately there were few people or cars on the streets yet, which made it easier to navigate with the trailer in tow. It was a long drive to Nugget City, YT and the Baby Nugget RV Park. Despite what we had been told when we called them a few days earlier, the washroom/shower room was not open yet (but we could use the washroom behind the restaurant), and the electricity was not yet available at the site we had reserved. We moved to a different site, and settled in for a dinner of top ramen, cheese and crackers. They did, however, have ice cream in their restaurant so we treated ourselves to dessert. We saw one bear and two immature bald eagles on the drive today. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Saturday, May 24 – Nugget City, YT to Iksut, BC

  5124 miles to start the day

  By this morning, Baby Nugget RV had their washrooms open. However, their gas pumps were not working, and also the coffee maker was nonfunctional! Fortunately there was another gas station just about 2 miles down the road, but he had no coffee. We started driving highway 37 – the Cassiar Highway. There were no shoulders on the road, and no lane markings, but also no frost heaves or potholes. The road was chip sealed rather than paved, so it was still a little bumpy. There was very limited services and little to no traffic, and the trees came right up to the roadside. We saw two bears, one black and one grizzly who was probably immature based on its size. We stopped at Jade City, a wide spot in the road with a gift shop for the jade that is mined nearby. This shop had some incredibly beautiful pieces of mineral art. We decided to buy a small jade bear that sits on a piece of quartz. Plus, they had free coffee!! We stopped in Boya Lake Provincial Campground to see the lake (as recommended by Jan at the Carcross Commons Visitor Center). Usually, when the sky is clear, this large lake is a stunning emerald green. Unfortunately today was overcast. The campground, though, was very nice. It rained for a while as we continued our drive to Iksut. We pulled into the Red Goat RV Campground at about 2:15 PM, and were greeted by a cranky old man who seemed perturbed to have to find his hired help to check us in. This place is not what it’s website makes it out to be. They charge extra for shower ($7) and for wifi ($5). The showers and restrooms are in an unfinished, unheated shack, that have an open ceiling between “stalls.” Because we were, at this point, the only ones in the park, we did utilize the showers. At least the water was hot! We decided to drive down the road a short ways to the market/cafe in Iksut, and had burgers and fresh cut fries for dinner. The burgers were surprisingly big and delicious.  The wifi connection was horrible, but later in the evening someone else parked nearby with an unsecured Starling network…thanks for the upgrade, neighbor! The wildlife we saw today while driving incuded a black bear, a grizzly bear, three mountain sheep and a few snowshoe hares. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Sunday, May 25 – Iskut, BC to Stewart, BC

  5340 miles to start the day

  We slept in this morning but still managed to be on the road by 8:45 AM. We have definitely fallen into the habit of not making our own coffee and rather seeking out a coffee shop or gas station to get our morning caffeine. It makes getting on the road much quicker and easier without having to wash out the coffee pot before hitting the road.  The drive on Highway 37 was uneventful mostly. We saw one bear alongside the road. It took about two hours before we found a place with coffee, and it rained on and off all morning long. Road conditions varied from very nice to full of potholes, no lane markings, and narrow shoulders. We stopped at Meziadin Junction for gas and there was a bear in the parking lot! I found a coffee travel mug here that was designed by an indigenous artist and produced by a First Nations company. The artwork on it (and all the others) were based on traditional native symbols and art. It was at this junction that we split off to highway 37A, a spur road to Stewart, BC. We stopped to see the Bear Glacier, which was visible from the highway, and had a nice wide pull out even though it was in an area marked as “do not stop – avalanche zone.” Shortly thereafter we arrived at the Bear River RV Park. It was a very clean park with nice washrooms. We picked up sandwiches at the local grocery store for a late lunch, and ate them in the jeep because it was cold, rainy, and windy. There was very little open in Stewart, which we knew would be the situation, so we drove about 3 miles down the road to Hyder, AK. Surprisingly, there was no United States Border Crossing station! Just when we thought our last experiences in Alaska were completed, we came to the “Friendliest Little Ghost Town in Alaska.” There was not much to Hyder, except the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the US. There was a wildlife viewing station which was a long protected, elevated boardwalk along Fish Creek. Later in the season, this is a spot where bears gather to catch fish, and visitors are able to observe this safely from the boardwalk. There were no bears present while we visited, but the creek and the woods were still a sight! We continued into the National Forest to view the “toe” of the Salmon Glacier. The road was gravel, but surprisingly in good condition. In this stretch of the road, we saw three separate mama black bears with cubs — one had two older cubs, one had a single older cub, and the third had an older cub and a newborn cub that was no bigger than a puppy!  As we drove up to the glacier, we passed Premier Mine, which we later discovered is an underground mine with a primary find of gold, and a secondary find of silver. This would explain the numerous “no trespassing” and “trespassers will be prosecuted” signs we saw, and also why the road was well kept! As we returned to the campsite, we saw another black bear hanging out in the brush alongside the road just outside the park. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Monday, May 26 – Stewart, BC to Port Edwards/Prince Rupert, BC

  5572 miles at start of day

  It was a rainy morning, and all the totes we had left outside overnight were wet and needed to be dried off before being loaded up. The clouds were hanging so low that we couldn’t even see the mountains above the tree tops. We still managed to be on the road by a little after 8:00 AM.  We stopped at Meziadin Junction to get gas and coffee, where highway 37A meets with highway 37. The highway from here to Port Edwards was vastly improved over yesterday’s section of the Cassiar Highway! Very few potholes or frost heaves, and the road was clearly lined, but there were many, many log trucks. It rained pretty much all day, and the clouds continued to obscure any real sights. We didn’t see any wildlife other than an occasional soaring eagle. We stopped in Terrace, BC for lunch at an A&W. I think I’ve had more root beer in the last month than I have in the last five years combined! A&W and it’s root beer is everywhere! Because the road was in such better condition, we made pretty good time and arrived in Port Edwards about 2:00. We checked into the Kinninnick RV Park and got the trailer settled. It’s a nice park and has the best shower room of any of the parks we’ve stayed at to date. — private shower room, fully tiled, heated floor, “rain” showerhead, lots of hooks to hang stuff up, lots of hot water, and not coin-operated. We went to Prince Rupert, BC, which is about 12 miles down the road, and walked around their (small) tourist area. We also visited their harbor visitor/interpretive center and discovered that yes, that was all there was to do in Prince Rupert other than some hikes on nearby trails, which wouldn’t be very fun in the heavy rain we were experiencing today. So, after seeing the same souvenir stuff in the gift shops that we had in other areas, we decided to go to Safeway to grab a sandwich and snacks, and go back to the trailer.  While we are enjoying our travel and the opportunity to explore so much western/Northwestern Canada and Alaska, we are ready to be heading home.

  

  

  

  

  

• Tuesday, May 27 – Port Edwards, BC to Houston, BC

  5879 miles to start the day

  It rained hard all night long, and was still raining when we woke up. After packing things up (in the rain), we were on the road by 7:45 AM. The mountains were completely engulfed in low hanging clouds. We stopped in Remo for gas and coffee, and learned that the gas station is located on First Nation (indigenous) land, and is owned/run by the nation. It has been successful enough over the years to be able to build the local school! We continued on, still experiencing significant rain fall. According to the weather app, the area had received 1.65” of rain in less than 24 hours, and was expecting almost another 2” in the coming 24 hours. There were lots of logging trucks driving this stretch of the highway, and most were driving like madmen, passing in no-pass zones and with very limited visibility. One dump truck passed us and the semi in front of us and barely missed a head on collision with a vehicle in the opposite lane. Other than the rain, it was a rather uneventful drive. As we passed through the Buckley Valley, the rain let up briefly and we were able to appreciate the vast grassy fields filled with early spring flowers (mostly dandelions and pretty little blue/purple flowers). The tops of the mountains were shrouded in clouds, but I imagine this stretch of British Columbia is stunning on a clear day. We arrived early afternoon, about 1:00 PM at the Shady Rest RV Park in Houston, BC. It’s a clean, nice park. We did a load of laundry, and decided to eat what we have on hand rather than going out to eat. Sometime in the last couple of days, I picked up a “Eat More” candybar, something I had not seen before. It was a chewy toffee/chocolate bar with chopped peanuts. It was good, and reminded me of the candybar my brother developed 35 years ago. The weather seems to be following us, as it’s looking like rain is on the way. We didn’t see any critters today; probably because of the heavy rain.

  

  

  

  

  

• Wednesday, May 28 – Houston, BC to Williams Lake, BC

  6132 miles to start the day.

  We were packed up and headed out by about 8:00 AM, but still needed to stop for gas. By chance, the gas station was across the street from a Tim Horton’s — a Canadian establishment that’s a little bit Dunkin’ Donuts, little bit McDonald’s. We have seen these restaurants pretty much everywhere we’ve been in Canada, and decided we might as well give it a try since our time is running out in Canada! The coffee was…average. The donut holes, which were called “Timbits” (obviously our northern neighbors don’t have the humor of 12 year old American boys), were also average (Sorry Tim, your bits are nothing to brag about!). But caffeine is caffeine, and it did it’s trick. The landscape continued to be rolling hills (I think we’re still in what’s considered the Buckley Valley?), covered in green grass and dandelions. There’s more agriculture in this region. We had lots of sunshine today, and by mid-day, the temperature was up over 70F. We stopped in Prince George for gas, and then continued on until Quesnel where we stopped at a Safeway for a sandwich, chips, and another Canadian candybar, “Wunderbar.” which was peanut butter, caramel and chocolate. It was good, but kind of chewy. We saw one bear and one deer today, but didn’t get a photo of either. We arrived in Williams Lake and got checked into the Williams Lake Stampede Campground. This is an RV park located at the rodeo grounds. Its nearly full! It’s 88F here, and we’re really struggling with the fast-change in temps. Fortunately there’s a Walmart nearby, so off we went so I could buy a pair of shorts. We went to dinner at Oliver’s Bar & Grill, and enjoyed a meal that wasn’t top ramen, cheese & crackers, or a granola bar. My chauffeur has decided that we’re going to do a bonanza day of driving tomorrow to get all the way home. With the roads and the weather both being good from here on out, it shouldn’t be a problem. I didn’t get many photos today, as I was kind of checked out on documenting the day…sorry.

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Thursday, May 29 – Williams Lake, BC to West Richland, WA

  6481 miles to start the day.

  We were up early due to sleeping with the windows open. We packed up and were on the road by about 7:30. There was a Tim Horton’s nearby so we picked up some coffee, but skipped the donuts and ate the bagels and cream cheese we had on hand. The sun was shining, and the beautiful rolling green hills were very vibrant. We had several hours of small communities to drive through, so traffic was steady. Fortunately the highway was well maintained, so we were able to make good time. About mid-morning, we came through the Highland Valley region where we encountered a herd of wild horses, including a foal. Shortly after, we came across one of the largest open-pit mines in Canada, the Highland Valley Copper Mine. This was by far the biggest mine either of us had ever seen, and made the gold mine we saw a few days earlier in Hyder, AK look like child’s play! We stopped for lunch in Princeton, BC, at about 12:30. For some reason, Googlemaps routed us to the Nighthawk Border Crossing instead of Oroville. This is a very small border station, and had just one agent present. While he didn’t give us the same warm welcome home that we received when we first crossed into Alaska, we also had no issues and were on our way within about 5 minutes. Back in the good ol’ USA!! And yet still almost five hours from home. The drive through upper-central Washington State was generally unremarkable, although we did make a stop to stretch our legs at Dry Falls. What an incredible sight. Could you imagine just how much water had to be flowing to cover a waterfall over 20 miles long? The visitor’s center wasn’t open, so I told Jon we’d have to come back when they are so we could see this with the water turned on ;) We arrived home shortly after 7:00, got the bare minimum unpacked from the trailer and Jeep, and crashed. It was good to be sleeping in our own bed!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Thanks for coming along on our journey!