The trip is over

July 27, 2010

Since the 23rd we have visited another day with Jill and then went to Cincinnati to see our friends, the Carls. Spent two delightful days there. Saw both of their daughters and grandson.

Lara, the youngest daughter, is enrolled in a Pastry School. She makes the greatest desserts as well as being a great cook. Her goal is to become a Pastry Chef at a high class eatery. I think she has a great chance of succeeding.

Becky is still managing a Hallmark store and really likes what she is doing. She used to be Joyce's head nurse but when they moved from Charlottesville she changed careers and has never regretted it.

Rick is still working for GE in their IT department. He is also recovering from a severely broken leg which resulted from a fall.

Monday we left and ended up near Beckley WV in a small campground we had camped in on our way back from Alaska in 2006.

Left early this morning and arrived home this afternoon. While we have enjoyed ourselves we are very glad to be home. We have missed our friends and family.

This finished David and Joyce's Fine Trip. Ya'll come see us or call.

Looking for Ancestors

The Pierce School

July 21, 2010

We got the tires replaced on the camper and started south toward Manchester around 11:30. We skipped Washtenaw and decided to come to Maumee and camp for 3 nights instead of two and I would go back to Michigan to search for the ancestors. Called Jill and as it worked out she is off this week. She came over and we had a good visit. It was decided that Joyce would spend the day with her and I would go hunting by myself.

July 23, 2010

Today was a really good day. Jill came and picked Joyce up and I went to Manchester where my great grandfather had died. After talking to some people, by telephone and in person, I went to what was known as the Old Pierce Farm on Parr Road. Talked to the present owner and found out that he had purchased it in 1952 and the previous owner was a William Pierce. Took some pictures and went back to Manchester for lunch. Stopped at the Whistle Stop Cafe for lunch. As I was eating an elderly gentleman approached the cash register and I asked if he knew a community called Sharon in the area. He wanted to know if it was I that had called him earlier. It was. His name is Harold Parr, age 90, and active in their Historical Society. We went to the Blacksmith which was now the historical society's office to look at an 1880 atlas that was published with items about each township within the county.

He was unable to locate it there but said he had one at home and invited me to come look at it. The Atlas was of no help, but he pulled out a 1915 map of
Sharon Township that show all the parcels of land and the owners. I found my grandfather, Edward M. Pierce, on the map. There was also a school on the property called the Pierce School. It seems Henry Ford bought out all the landowners in that area, tore down all the buildings and converted it to a huge Mega Farm. Mr. Ford took a liking to the school and left it standing. It is in disrepair but made of Manchester Brick and still stands. So I was able to find his farm. On the way back to town we stopped at the Gillet Cemetery to look at the headstones. We were amazed but I was able to find my Great Grandfather Mowry Pierce, both of his deceased wives. Also found his brother's (Myron Pierce) with wife and 4 children. Myron outlive all his children and died at the age of 112.

Like I said, it was a good day and I actually succeeded my expectations. Tomorrow I may go back up toward Ann Arbor and try to find my Great-Great Grandfather Nathan Pierce. Joyce will spend the day with Jill helping her prepare food for her son's birthday party that evening.

For the last several days I have been extremely tired even tho I have been sleeping well. Getting off the road early yesterday seems have done wonders for me. Even felt like I had a little spring in my step.

Today has been an easy day. We are at Pinny Park Campground in Pinconning, Michigan. On the edge of Lake Huron. Today we have seen Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Tomorrow I have to see about getting tires for the camper. Was sitting outside this evening and the tires are in terrible shape. Flat spots, no tread. Its a wonder I have not had a problem with them. But I must say, those tires have been thru Hell. Over 14,000 miles and some of the roughest roads you can imagine. Plus mileage I have put on them in the last two years. So I don't think I can complain too much. Just hope I can find what I need and get down to Washtenaw at a reasonable time. It is 145 miles from here.

I have given up on locating my half-brother, as I think he may be deceased. What I would like to do now is to see if I can find out where my Great Grandparents are buried. I have found some info that goes back to the 1600's.

From Seney, Michigan

July 19, 2010

Well, we did slow down when we got to Michigan. Yesterday, in Wisconsin, we turned off Rt. 2 and took a scenic loop up the shores of Lake Superior. We were headed toward the Apostle Islands but the road was closed so we had to detour around them.

Crossed into Michigan in the afternoon. Decided we would take a scenic route that went along the lake shore. Ended up in a Township Park in Ontonagon, Michigan. They had electricity and pit toilets. What I really wanted was a good shower and hair washing. But it was OK for the night.

During the day, at one of our stops, I found that the pin that locks the hitch to the ball(as well as holding the electrical cable off the ground) was missing. Either I had forgotten to put it in or it had pulled loose. The cable had been dragging on the ground and some of the wires were showing. Wrapped it with electrical tape, found a way to keep the cable off the ground, and kept going.

One thing that I have learned on this trip. Try to have as many spare items as you can. Already I have had to buy fuses and bulbs for the brake light on the camper.

Today I stopped at an RV store and bought two pins. One to use and one for a spare. Hope I won't have to use the spare.

It has been a rather slow day today. We have continued taking the scenic route and are now in Seney, Michigan. Had dinner and then went and drove around the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Saw lots of trumpeter swans, a few beaver and ducks. Lots of insect life.

We have now been in the UP of Michigan for two days. Tomorrow we cross down into the Mitten.

From Saginaw, Mn

July 17, 2010

Last night we stayed at the Larimore Dam Recreation area in one of the nicest campgrounds we have been in. For $20 we got electric and water and a huge grassy area to put the camper on. Larimore is west of Grand Rapids, ND.

On the way to Larimore we went through an area with lots of Oil wells. At several we could see flames where we think they were burning off the gas from the wells. I wonder why they can't capture that?

Today we are a few miles west of Duluth, MN. The morning started off with an approaching thunderstorm. We packed everything away and lowered the camper in record time. Did not want a wet mattress again.

Drove thru rain for most of the day. No heavy downpours but roads were wet. We crossed the Red River, the St. Louis River and the Mississippi River. We actually crossed it twice. And both times it was about half the width of the Rivanna River that runs thru Albemarle County. We were in the headwaters near Lake Itsaca.

The broken window in the car is holding together. Since we are already in Duluth I will cancel my 2:30 appointment on Tuesday. There is no way we will stay here 3 days. Will probably slow down when we get to Michigan. I also want to go to Sharon, which was my mother's birthplace. After that we plan to go to Toledo and Cincinnati to see friends.

From Williston, ND

July 14, 2010

It's been a few days since I updated this so here goes. Arrived in the 'Land of purple mountains and amber waves of grain' on the 14th. Went as far as Havre, MT and stayed at the Emporium RV park. Opened up the camper and found out the bed was wet. I won't bore you with the details, but we got everything dried out.

This campground was right on the highway and behind it was a railroad switching yard. It was not quiet but I slept better than I did in the motel in Nanton.

July 15, 2010

We are now in Williston, ND and the Central Time Zone. While we have been moving east, and not doing in stopping except for bathrooms, food and gas, we have noted that the 'Amber waves of grain' are becoming amber. Lots of grain fields and hay fields. They are in the middle of 'hay season' and the fields and roadsidhes are littered with hay bales. They even mow and bale the shoulders and medians of the highways here.

We are traveling RT 2 east and while it is a two lane road, with speed limits of 65-70 mph we are making good time. Our only problem yesterday is a shattered window on the car. Evidently as we were passing a bush hog, a rock was thrown against the window. Can't get it fixed until Tuesday in Duluth, MN and we are afraid it will drop out and get glass all over the car. We have taped both the inside and outside of the window. While it may drop out, it will not put glass over everything. Moving on today.

From Jasper in the snow

July 11, 2010

Joyce and I have been playing this dumb “Punch Dub” game. It is unfair because you are not allowed to punch the driver. And I am the driver. As we were coming thru Burns Lake I called a “Flowerdy One”. It was an old Beetle that had live flowers planted all over it. Unfortunately Joyce could not get a picture.

We continued thru lots of beautiful farmland. They must raise hay as a cash crop because there was a lot of it being cut and baled. There did not seem to be enough livestock to feed it to.

We made an early day of it and stopped at Purdon Lake Provincial Park and camped for the night. By the time we arrived the temperature was about 80 degrees. Had supper then a campfire with toasted marshmallows.

July 12, 2010

Well the pleasant temperature came to an end. 46 degrees this morning and a light drizzle. Packed up and on the way. Stopped down the road a couple of miles with the intent of getting gas. Pulled up to the pump and across the front was a handwritten sign saying gas was $2.00 per liter. That works out to $7.60 per gallon. I had more than enough to get to McBride and got gas there for 1.09 per liter.

We continued on to Jasper National Park. On the way we noticed that some of the mountains had a new dusting of snow on them. We could see it on the trees near the top. We have been driving thru rain off and on most of the day. Shortly after we entered the park we changed time zones. We are now on MDT, only hours difference from home.

We arrived at Whistler Campground and got a site and set up. This campground has 781 sites and 177 of them have electricity. They were all taken so we are “Dry Camping” again.

We had forgotten to get milk and needed an onion also. So we went into Jasper itself and it is nothing but shops, restaurants and Adventure stores for the tourist. Must have been a least 50-75 RVs of one description or another parked there. Found a grocery, made out purchases and headed back to the car. Overheard someone saying that they had arrived 20 minutes before the snow. He said that heard that there was a half inch of snow on the highway.

I hope to get this posted in a couple of days. We are either going to Lake Louise or Yoho National Park tomorrow. I will decide sometime or the other.

July 13, 2010

Well, the weather decided for me. We awoke to a steady rain. And we could not believe we had slept until 7:45. I blame it on the time change. We were indecisive about what we wanted to do, but did not want to stay there another day. We packed as much as we could do without loading the car. To make the story shorter, we took the camper down in the snow. It was mixed with the rain and left a slushy mess on the canvas.

We left the campground at 11:00 and by that time it had turned to all snow and was beginning to cover the ground and the trees. We drove over 100 miles in a really good snow storm. They even had snow plows scraping the road and spreading sand.

As a consequence we did not stop at Lake Louise or YOHO National Park as I had wanted to. In fact, it has rained or snowed on us all day.

We are in Nanton, AB south of Calgary in a small roadside motel. We plan to be in the Lower 48 tomorrow.

Houston, BC

July 10, 2010

We are now in Houston, BC at the Shady Rest RV park. A nice park, quiet so far, well kept.

The only thing of real interest today was the Village of Gitanyow. A native village with authentic totem poles. There were 8-10 or more there and they were quite striking.

After that we continued to this location.

July 8, 2010

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's entry. While in Watson Lake we got gas at the Tag Market. They had a little cafe in the back corner. It was not quite time for lunch but we looked to see what we could get to take with us and eat later. We decided what we wanted and waited for it. There was one cook and he had about 4 orders going at once. You have never seen a man move so fast. It was worth what we paid for the food just to watch him. And on top of that the food was good.

Another place we stopped yesterday was in Jade City. This store has it's own Jade mine where they dig and then process the jade. In the store are some of the neatest jade pieces you will ever see. But be of stout heart when you pick them up and look at the prices. While I did not buy the expensive pieces I did get a lot of my Christmas shopping done. In talking with the owner she told me that she supplies 90% of the world's jade market.

We left at our usual leisurely time and proceeded down the highway. Enjoying the scenery which is about as good as we have seen. Mountains on either side of us with snow still on them. Beautiful lakes. We managed to get a few reflection shots of lakes and mountains.

We ate lunch at this lodge and campground by Tatooga Lake. The owner got to talking with us and said we should find a small place up here,buy it and move up there. I remarked that I did not think I could take all all the winter darkness. His reply was come up in April, leave in November. While going to dinner tonight we saw a sign advertising houses for $39,900 with 3 bedrooms, electric heat and 1 1/2 baths. I asked her if we should buy one. She thought about it and the only objection she came up with was that 'it is a lot of driving each year'.

How do I describe the 32 mile drive from Meziadin Junction to Stewart, BC. It is a narrow valley with steep sided mountains on either side. Avalanche areas abound. Several glaciers are in sight. Bear Glacier comes right down to the road and you can see the terminus in a small lake. If lucky you can watch it calve. We did not see it calve in 2006 but maybe we will get lucky this time. From our campsite we can see a 'hanging glacier' above town.

We had meant to stay at the Bear River campground at the edge of town. When we turned in we found that we were not welcome. No soft-side tent trailers. I'm sure they would say it is because of the many bears in the area, but I think they do not want tents or tent trailers. Doesn't look good with the big RVs. Joyce had looked in the Milepost book we have and found there was a municipal campground. So that is where we are tonight and tomorrow night.

Tomorrow we will cross the border to Hyder, AK. The only road to it is thru Stewart and it basically dead-ends in Hyder. Hyder is the southern most part of Alaska. We plan to go back to Salmon Glacier.

July 9, 2010

Today we have been in Canada, crossed the State of Alaska to Canada and back again. How did we do this. Drive 2 miles from Stewart to Hyder, AK and then another 10 miles toward Salmon Glacier and back into Canada.

Hyder is one of the few places that does not have US Customs stationed at the border. Canada does, so on the way back we had to pass thru Canadian Customs. We know all the questions now. Been thru them so many times. Maybe one more time when we swing north to come down thru Michigan.

Today was a good day. Lots of beautiful scenery, wildflowers and a Grizzly. We were at the overlook for Salmon Glacier when someone told us of a bear down the road about 5 miles. Hustled Joyce into the car and off we went. Knowing how bears move around we did not have too many hopes, but there he was. We drove almost down to the meadow and stopped the car a couple hundred yards away. We were of no bother to the bear. He kept doing what he was doing, that is eating. We did what we came for. Got some good pictures.

Stopped by the Visitors Center to check on the availability of their WI-FI. They said it is on continuously and all I need do is come sit in the parking lot or on the bench by the door. Will do so later tonight.

Leaving tomorrow toward Prince George. We will not make it all the way so will camp somewhere a couple of hundred miles from here.

July 5, 2010

On the road again. Stopped at the car wash and power sprayed the camper to get the caked mud off it. What a waste of time. Back thru construction zones and the mud. Caked almost as bad as before I washed it off.

Today's trip was actually kind of boring. Long straights without a lot of scenery.
However, we did find something that is interesting to the geologist side of me. About 750 AD a layer of volcanic ash covered 125 million sq. miles of the Yukon. Archeologist use it determine the age of artifacts that they find. On top of the layer, after 750 AD, on top then before. We found a place where I could get a clump of it. It crumbles very easily between you fingers and feels like Talcum Powder.

They geologist do not know where this ash came from. There is no evidence that the area had seen volcano activity. They surmise that possibly a volcano under a glacier violently exploded and produce the ash. The volcano would now be buried under ice.

We are camped in a Yukon Provincial campground at Twin Lakes. No hookups, but only $12.00 CDN. Along with that is free firewood. A good deal by any stretch of the imagination.

Whitehorse is about 70 miles away and we will stop there tomorrow to re-supply. Need canned veggies, bread, and other essentials. After that we will move down the road and camp wherever we can find a campground when we get tired of driving.

July 6, 2010

We are near Teslin on the Alaska Highway about 60 miles from Watson Lake. The campground is named Continental Divide Lodge and RV Park. By that name you might think it is a real fancy place. NOT!!!. If Joyce had not seen the sign I would have missed it. The campground is OK. Quiet with free wood and a moderate price. And someone actually has a WI-FI connection that is really slow but usable some. Oops, it just went down.

We stopped in Whitehorse on the way through and stocked up on groceries. It is amazing how much Joyce can stuff in this camper and the small frig that we have.

We are now in places we have been before. It amazes us how much we remember about them. Looking forward to getting back down into the lower 48 where gas is more reasonable. Gas I have purchased in the last 2 days ranges from 5.03 to 4.23 CDN per gallon. Even with a favorable exchange rate that is hard on the wallet.

July 7, 2010

Made it to Watson Lake and got gas. Also stopped by the “Sign Forest” where there are hundreds of road signs, license plates and misc stuff showing where people have come from. We remembered seeing it on our way to Alaska in 2006 but did not stop to explore it. We found several license plates from Virginia. I considered taking the license off the car and leaving it there but did not.

Headed north up the Alaska Highway to the Junction with Highway 37, better known as the Cassiar Highway. It is a beautiful drive on a narrow 2 lane road that is rough in spots. I am enjoying driving it this time. In 2006, with the RV it was a “white knuckle drive”.

We are in Waters Edge campground on Dease Lake. I have never been in a campground that does not offer electric and water but has WI-FI. For 18.00 CDN I am not complaining. I can wait another night for a shower.

Joyce saw 2 moose and a Bald Eagle today. Not much else, but lots of signs telling us to look out for Moose and Caribou.

July 4th in Dawson City

Not being in the USA we quietly celebrated today. Joyce did Laundry, I power washed some of the mud off the car and vacuumed the front floor mats. I also found an ATM in town and got some Canadian money.

After chores, Joyce and I went back into Dawson to explore and walk around. We bought tickets at the Triple J Hotel for an evening cruise and dinner on the Yukon.

They use a side-wheel vessel. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing time. There was a lady on board who gave us historical facts about the river. Also showed us a man made cave that is lived in year round. Caveman Bill as he is known has electricity and all the comforts of home. He waved at us as we went up river. We went up river 45 minutes against the current and returned in 8 minutes. The Yukon has a fast current. In fact there was a canoe/kayak race starting in Whitehorse, over 700 Kilometers away that finished yesterday. I was told that the winner did it in 42 hours. Even current assisted that is fast. Hope there was big prize money.

From Dawson City

July 2, 2010

Left Palmer and headed toward Tok. The first part of the day the road was good but by the second half it became brutal. Got to within 12 miles of Tok and stayed at a SRA(State Recreation Area) campground. Fifteen dollars for the night. I thought it was a bit over priced since the others we had stayed in were 10. On top of that the water was rusty. Fortunately we had almost 2 gallons with us and we made do with that.

Got the camper set up and make my usual cup of coffee. Went outside to drink it. Sitting in my camp chair I was dozing off and waking up. Regained consciousness and to my great surprise there was a Brown(Grizzly) was standing between the car and the camper. Later I paced it off and it was 6 paces from where I was sitting.

I got up slowly and calmly said Bear a couple of times, spread my arms and it went away. I think it was a 3 year old just separated from its mother. It certainly did not display any aggressive tendencies. While Joyce and I were eating it came thru our section of the campground again. Joyce got the picture and I yelled and clapped my hands(we were both inside the camper) and it left. We did not see it again.

We went up to the next section to tell some folks about it and they were on the way to warn us. Evidently when it left the from our site the first time it went to theirs.

Joyce and I took a short nature walk to see some Northern Lady Slippers. Back to camp and I went to bed.

July 3, 2010

Left camp and drove a few miles til we got a phone signal. Pulled over to call our children and let them know our plans. Talked a few minutes with our son and left messages for our daughters. Went to start the car and nothing, zilch. Stopped no more than 10 minutes, headlight on, and killed the battery. Some kind Alaskans stopped by and gave us a jump and told me the best place to buy a battery. Went and found a battery and changed it out, which was no easy job. Fortunately I had packed a small tool kit and was able to get the job done.

While I was there working on the battery four different Alaskans stopped and asked if we needed help. These people look out for each other and us tourists too. Not sure that happens anymore at home. In fact I know it doesn't.

Back on the road heading for Chicken Ak. I will not go into the story of chicken but it was a gold mining town(??) and gold is still panned in the area. Had lunch at the Chicken Crossing Cafe. The only thing on the menu that was not chicken was a hotdog.

There are no utilities in Chicken. Each person is responsible for their own electricity and water. There is one Satellite telephone for emergencies. Think you could live that way? In the summer there are about 100 people there and in winter it drops to 8. When the snows come the roads are not maintained. Those 8 folks are truly on their own.

Left Chicken and left for Dawson City, YT on the “Top of the World Road”. And it basically seemed that way. Views of mountain ranges, rivers galore. Road was dirt most of the way but we have seen much worse. Rained, of course, so we picked up a load of mud. What's new.

Arrived Dawson City and took the ferry across the Yukon River. Found a campground, checked in and then went to the car wash. I washed a lot of the mud off the camper. Parked the camper and leveled it. Then went to find something to eat and left the camper to dry. Ate at Sourdough Joe's and came back and set up. Now trying to catch up on emails and my Journal.

June 28, 2010

Left Creek-side as soon as we could. Hit the road south. A pleasant drive. We stopped along the way to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. Stopped at Summit Lake for lunch. We had eaten there before and the food was still good. Continued on and arrived at Ninilchik and found the State Recreation Campground we were looking for. It has about 40 campsites and only 3 were occupied. After Creek-side this is absolute paradise. We are dry camping. Using headlamps to read by and the battery, that I had to take care of with the fuse, powers the fan for the propane furnace. No internet here. Lots of mosquitoes though. Had a simple supper, built a campfire, roasted marshmallows. How could life be better?

June 29, 2010

Had breakfast and left for Homer. Just outside the campground is an Russian Orthodox Church which is open to the public. We had never seen one before and did not want to pass it by. This is a small church that was established in the 1800's and was located down in the village. In 1907 a new church was built in it's present location and is still active. We learned that the churches are always facing the east. The parishioners, minister and deacons all stand. The church had lots of ornamentation and pictures of it's saints. The minister was there and let us take pictures of the inside of the church, himself and the outside of the church.

We arrived in Homer itself. Homer was named after the Con Man who founded it. He established Gold Mines (that were virtually worthless) and sold shares in them to wealthy Eastern Investors.

Most of the real action takes place on Homer Spit. We drove out to Lands End and saw all these people fishing. We had planned on sending Joyce out on a Halibut boat but when she saw this she wanted to bank fish. We decided to buy her a license for the next day. Home Spit is crowded with automobile, trucks and RVs. By the number I expected to see mobs of people. They must have been on boats fishing or something because the number of people around did not fit the number of vehicles.

Stopped at Safeway and got Joyce's one day fishing license which cost 20 dollars and a King Salmon stamp for another 10. Other than bait she was ready.

June 30, 2010

Up after a fine nights sleep. Headed to Homer and some fishing. Stopped and got bait, some proper sized hooks and a 3 ounce sinker(which she lost on the first cast). Joyce spent the morning catching fish with me sitting in my chair watching and just chilling out. The action was good. She lost track of how many she had caught, but we kept the first one for dinner. Went and had lunch and came back for more fishing. And that was what she did, all fishing and no catching. Even though she was frustrated for the afternoon it had been a good day. The pollock tasted good for supper tonight.

Another campfire and marshmallow roast. We have decided to now make the turn to come home. We have been on the road almost 9 weeks and while Joyce would be willing to stay out longer, I am ready. I figure it will take us 3 to 4 weeks to get back. We want to visit Joyce's college room mate in Toledo, and the Carls in Cincinnati. I plan to get down thru Canada as quickly as possible. I am tired of $3.69 gas in Alaska and $4.00+ in Canada. Plan to take a northern route over to near Duluth, swing in to Canada and come down thru Michigan, which was my mother's birthplace. We have almost 5,000 miles to cover to get home. We have driven 10,000 so far.

July 1, 2010

We are now in Palmer Alaska about 40 miles from Anchorage. An uneventful day traveling. In a commercial RV park tonight with electricity, water, showers and Laundromat. The temperature is pleasant, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. No idea when it will set, but it will be late.

Tomorrow we head toward Tok. We have decided to take somewhat of a side trip to Chicken Alaska. We always joke about it's name so we thought it appropriate that we go there. This will send us north and then back to the Alaska Highway.

Denali

June 24, 2010

Arrived in Healy mid-afternoon on the 24th. Camp set up and dinner done we left to drive out to the Savage River turnaround in hopes of seeing some animals. Nothing was seen so we came back to camp and turned in. Saw on the internet that there had been a bad storm in Charlottesville. Called all our children to make sure they were
all right. No problems for them except traffic. Was unable to contact Ivy but he let us know he was ok the next day.

June 25, 2010

Went to my old work place in Denali and saw Linda(my boss) and Terry(a co-worker).
Had coffee with Linda in the employees cafeteria building. It has had a nice upgrade since I was there and Linda says the food is much improved. I surely hope it is. We planned to meet for dinner and she was going to get me a ticket to ride the bus out to Wonder Lake and back. All employees who go through orientation get 6 free passes per season, so between she and her husband they had 12. So it was a nice treat for me.

We met at Prospectors Pizza for dinner. They have excellent pizzas at a reasonable price(for ALASKA). In addition they have 49 different beers on tap. Most from Alaskan Micro-Breweries. Roger had gotten me a bus ticket leaving at 6:15 to Wonder Lake. It is an 11 hour round-trip. We went by there one room cabin(furnished by Aramark) and talked for a while. It was really good to catch up with them. We discussed some of the places we had been in common. Roger said that he had been a scuba diver instructor. I mentioned that we had been to a place called Blue Hole. He almost fell out of his chair. That is where he conducted his diving classes. Small world, ain't it?

After an enjoyable visit back to camp. Set the alarm for 4:30 and I wish I could say that I slept soundly. That was not to be.

June 26, 2010

My sister's birthday. Called and left a message. Off to the bus depot at 4:45. Joyce had planned to go fishing if she could find a license and if the weather improved.

Boarded the bus on schedule and there were only 8 of us. Usually these trips have a lot more folks on them but we did not mind. And it was a very successful day. We say caribou, red fox, wolves, golden eagles, Dall sheep, ground squirrels and a couple of moose. In addition there were snowshoe Hares and a few Ptarmigan. Joyce was waiting for me when I got back. Went to Rose's Cafe for dinner and then home.

June 27, 2010

We had thought thought about staying another day at Denali but decided not to. Our goal was Creek-side Inn in Anchorage. We got a late start but got here about 6:00. This is one of the worst campgrounds we have ever stayed at. Right beside the Seward Highway and road noise is terrible. But we will endure.

Went to try and find a Wal-Mart to pick up some needed supplies. After an hour of being totally lost we finally found one. Our sense of direction is all messed up. When the sun comes up in the north and sets in the north it really leaves us befuddled. Also not being able to see the stars and locate the North Star does not help either. We will leave tomorrow for Homer. Not sure how far we will get.

Dalton Highway to Deadhorse

June 20, 2010

Woke up this morning to a steady rain. I had second thoughts but we left anyway. We knew that it would be a muddy trip and it was. But it has been a good trip. The road has not been as bad as I remembered and we have had periods of sun also. Had a good dinner at the Coldfoot Cafe.

We stopped at the Arctic Circle and took pictures. Tonight and tomorrow the sun will not set since we are above the Arctic Circle. Doubt that I will be up to see it, but if I am I will take a picture.

Our room here is small and simple, but it is clean and comfortable. There are at least 25 motorcyclist here tonight. Seem to be a nice bunch of people.

Mud, Mud, Glorious mud, nothing quite like for cooling the blood. They are continually maintaining the roads here. A scraper and a water truck. The truck lays down water which quickly turns to mud. And this mud dries like cement. And sometimes you drive through this stuff for a mile or two. The joys of driving the Dalton.

We are looking forward to heading north to Deadhorse tomorrow. We have seen some of the Brooks Range and it is beautiful. Hopefully we will see some animals tomorrow. None today.

June 21 & 22, 2010

Today has been a very long day. I was awake at 5:00 and made my coffee. Joyce slept in for a while. We did breakfast and filled the car with $4.499 gas. In Fairbanks it is “only” $3.499. As usual we took our time. The scenery of the Brooks range was spectacular. Not much wildlife until we got to within about 30 miles of Deadhorse. We started seeing lots of Caribou and 4 Musk Oxen. That was quite a thrill. We had seen Musk Oxen in Fairbanks in 2006 but they were not free roaming.

Many of you have watched Ice Road Truckers. They tend to exaggerate some of the steepness of the hills. One in particular is the Beaver Slide. It is straight and long and steep, but not nearly as steep as they show it on the program. This is not to say that other parts of the road are not as bad as portrayed. Atigun Pass is every bit as bad as they claim. Very steep, very long with nasty hairpin turns at each end. The guard rails have really take a beating. I don't remember one that was not bent in some fashion.

The sky has been clear and as a result the many lakes are such a beautiful blue that they seem unreal. Plenty of mosquitoes along the way. What surprised us was the amount of ice still lying on the river and stream banks. Up here ice freezes differently. There are a lot of shallow braided rivers and the ice freezes from the bottom up. A layer of ice, water runs over the top and freezes. This keeps up until some layers are 10-15 feet deep in places. What we were seeing is where the streams have thawed and melted in the middle and left the stuff on the edges. Some of it will not thaw until August.

We got to Deadhorse about 6:30, gassed up and went to the Arctic Caribou Inn for dinner. Buffet style and overpriced but at the end of the road what can you expect. By our standards everything is overpriced here. The supply lines are long and difficult.

I was not impressed with Deadhorse. It is ugly and cold. It is what I assume to be typical for this type of business. Oil drilling equipment, snow cats lined up for winter time usage. We left Deadhorse about 8:00 and headed south. We were not sure where we were going to spend the night or how long we were going to drive.

Joyce drove awhile and then I did. Around 10:30 we had a flat. Now I have managed to get my spare down before but it is a struggle. It took me the better part of an hour to get it down. Finally got the tired changed, all tools put away and ready to resume our travels. The car would not start. I had left the flashers on, even tho I had found a safe place to pull off, and they discharged the battery. What a pickle we are in. 11:30 at night, broad daylight by the way, and very little traffic. In fact we did not expect any until morning sometime. But a trucker was heading north and I flagged him down and he very graciously gave us a jump.

On the way again and now we have seen the sun at midnight. Pulled off the road at 1:20 am now on June 22nd, tilted our seats back pulled out extra covers and attempted to sleep. I managed about 3 hours, Joyce less. Back on the road about 5:00. headed toward Atigun Pass. We crossed the Chandalara Shelf and on the way down we spotted a wolf. There was a convenient pulloff and the wolf looked like he was a curious about us an we him. Joyce got several nice pictures. The rest of the day was just long and mostly uneventful. We did find a nice Orchid that was on Joyce's bucket list.

Back to camp around 6:30 and were we glad. Tomorrow we need to get the car washed, new tires prescriptions and wash clothes.

June 23, 2010

A good nights sleep was had by all. Had our breakfast, I went to the carwash and 2 laser washes and three trips through the manual wash before I could get all the mud off. Looks like a new car. Back to camp and Joyce is washing clothes. I go to Fairbanks and get two new tires. The rest of the day was shopping and getting prescriptions filled. Leaving tomorrow for Healy AK which is 10 miles from Denali. Looking forward to seeing friends. Will be there a few days and move on.

Fairbanks

We did spend our day being tourists in Fairbanks. We revisited places that we had enjoyed on our previous trip here. Went to Creamers Dairy which is a wildlife refuge that hosts several hundred Sandhill Cranes. Most of the pairs were nesting but there were juveniles around. I had seen in the local paper that a guided nature tour was being given (for free) so we left in time to take it. After a gaggle of teen aged girls decided we were too slow that left five people with our guide. Plus it was a lot quieter. Learned some things that we did not know and had an enjoyable 2 hour walk. Lots of Mosquitoes tho. Insect repellant helps, so don't leave your car without it. We did but our guide had some that she generously let us use.

After that to Value Village, a huge thrift store here where I got a new wardrobe in 2006 when I lost so much weight that none of my trousers fit. Joyce got a couple of things and I bought 2 Clive Cussler novels.

The next stop was Pioneer Park. A gathering of old buildings and museums as well as shops. After walking around that for a couple hours we were beat. Back to the campground where I booked us for an additional nights stay.

Tomorrow we are going to Chena Hot Springs and soak ourselves. It's about 100 mile round trip but have been told it is worth it.

Tok and Fairbanks

June 16, 2010

The wind did let up during the night but then it started raining. Not real hard but enough to get everything wet. So we dilly dallied around and had decided to layover a day and wait for better weather to move on. However, somewhere around the middle of the day (we have been confused on the time) conditions improved enough we were willing to pack up and move on.

We knew it would be a hard day driving. The section of road from Destruction Bay to the Alaska border is in worse shape than what we remembered. We went through several construction zones and threw a lot of mud on the front of the camper. It dried like cement.

Previously I had mentioned 'frost heaves'. The roads cause the permafrost to melt and the road sags and breaks up. Roller coaster type roads. That would not be too bad if that were all. The worst thing is where the road seems to have big ditches in the middle of it, that wander back and forth. If we saw them at home we would think it was caused by tractor trailers. Not these. Some are at least three feet wide, several inches deep and up to 50 feet long. I finally resorted to tactics I had learned here previously. Use the whole road. If the oncoming lane was better and empty drive in it. Weave back and forth all over the place. That's called 'drunk driving' at home.

Stopped at Buckshot Bettys in Beaver Creek to have what we thought was a late lunch. I asked the time and was stunned to find out it was 4:00 instead of the 2:00 I thought it was. Like I said, we had been confused about the time zones and what time it was. We have gone from Alaska time to Pacific time to Alaska time in two days. You might be confused too.

When we came through US Customs they took our 3 oranges. Like they grow oranges here. At least they did not get more. In 2006 they got a bag of apples and a cut of meat we had intended to eat for supper. I wonder what they do with what they confiscate. Take it home and eat it themselves?

Well, we will be on Alaska time for a while, so maybe we can keep up with it. Heading to Fairbanks tomorrow where we will spend two nights and restock our larder.

June 17, 2010

Left Tok (rhymes with Poke) this morning. Roads much better. Saw 7 Moose along the way. We are now in North Pole, AK at the Santa Land RV Park. Next door is the Santa Claus house with a pen full of Reindeer (Caribou).

Got here mid day and did a grocery run. Then to Wal-Mart. I needed a voltmeter to check to see if I was getting current to the battery for the camper. It has not been charging. While we can get along without it, it does limit where we can camp. We need it when dry camping(that is,without electricity). The battery checked out OK. When I got back to camp I confirmed that no juice was coming to the battery. Upon closer examination, I found where it appears that a 20 amp fuse has vibrated out of a circuit. Will get one tomorrow and replace it and see what happens. Hope that will fix it.

Talked to one of my friends in Denali today. Plan to get together with she and her husband sometime in the next few days. Joyce and I plan to spend the day being tourist in Fairbanks tomorrow.

Destruction Bay

Left Haines this morning and have had a very nice drive to Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory. Staying at a roadside campground and the wind is blowing hard.

Today's drive was just about as colorful as I have ever seen. Masses of Lupine, Purple Pea Vine, Dandelions, Wild Sweet-pea and Jacob's Ladder. On top of that the lakes here are a stunning blue green color. We also saw a Black Bear crossing the road. Talked to several nice people along the way. One couple from California. Another family from Colorado.

The proprietor of the campground told me that the road gets bad tomorrow. The frost has let go and the pavement is broken and bumpy. No more than we have expected. Will just slow down and take it as it comes.

I hope the wind will let up by morning. I promised one of my hiking buddies at the Sr. Center to throw a rock in Kluane Lake for her. This lake covers 154 square miles.

We should make it into Alaska tomorrow. Hope to have Wi-Fi then and can update again. Sorry the weather has been so hot and humid there. Send us about 10 degrees. Today is the first day, since Death Valley, that I could wear a short sleeved shirt.

Haines Alaska

June 13, 2010

As wished for, today was a better day. Rained for a little while, but it cleared off and was beautiful. Lots of things to see today. Four humpback whales. One was a cow with calf. Got a a couple of pictures. A few Orcas and lots of Porpoises.

Arrived in Haines at 7;30 PM and checked into a campground. Got set up and went to bed early. We were both worn out.

June 14, 2010

Weather a little iffy today. No rain, but periods of clouds and wind. I just can't seem to get comfortable. We visited the Bald Eagle American Foundation and saw a very interesting presentation by a wildlife expert on the types of animal we can expect to see and what to do if you encounter unfriendly ones. This was in a large room with mounted specimens of of the animals he was talking about. From Brown Bears to Moose and many other types of animals.

We then went out the road past the Ferry Terminal to a state recreation area. Nice lake and campground. On the way back I spotted an eagle sitting in the top of a tree very close to the road and just a little higher. Joyce pulled over and we took pictures. I got several pictures that I am satisfied with. And as far as my pictures are concerned it takes a lot to satisfy me. I am my own worst critic.

For some reason today, I have felt just totally washed out today. I am glad we were not moving today. Did some other sightseeing this afternoon and I came back and took a nap. Joyce went to the local grocery and got sticker shock at the prices. I had my own sticker shock at the gas pump. $3.62 a gallon. Welcome to Alaska.

On the Ferry heading north to Alaska

June 11, 2010

Got up and took our time having breakfast and taking the camper down, but it was dry. Went to Totem Lodge and arranged to stay there for the night, left the camper in the parking lot and then went adventuring. Went to Cow Bay looking for eagles but not many to be found. Evidently they don't get fed by the locals until a cruise ship comes in. You know, attract the birds, attract the tourists. We went to the Sunken Garden and looked at the nice flowers. Then we walked through the Memorial Park for people who had died at sea working in the fishing industry. Kind of sad to see all those names inscribed on the brickwork.

Next stop the dump. Why the dump. To see eagles of course. And did we ever. Joyce took one picture with 24 in it. Of course it did not have the ambiance that you would associate with eagles, but when they were sitting in the trees or flying over the woods you would never know it was a landfill. The landfill staff were very friendly and did not mind talking to us at all. They even gave us orange vests so we could walk in one area and get better pictures. We stayed until it started raining and then left. Went back to our motel and just hung out the rest of the day. It was raining hard and the wind was howling. Glad we were in the motel.

June 12, 2010

Up at 4:00 and at the ferry terminal at 5:15. Over 3 hours before we were loaded. Nothing to do but sit in the car and watch it rain. It rained a lot. Finally underway in the fog and rain. Winds were high and the ride was rough. After we got into one of the sounds, we were more protected from the wind. First stop was Ketchikan. Had a couple of hours so we took a taxi downtown and looked around. Typical tourist town. They get a lot of Cruise Ships.

Continued on and weather would rain, would stop, would rain again. Not really a good day for sightseeing but we had choices of several good seats and got to know some of our fellow travelers. Our Cabin was small but nice. Two bunk beds(you know who had to get the top bunk) and a small shower and bathroom. The mattress on my bunk was so good that if I could have gotten it off the ship I would have.

One stretch of channel that we had to negotiate was the Tongass Narrows. A 21 mile channel that is 26 feet deep and twists and turns like some of our mountain roads. Our ship had a draft of 20 feet and needed 5 ft for adequate steerage. No margin for error there. They can only run it with a +2 Tide. It is so narrow that only one ship can run it at a time. Sometimes there is quite a traffic jam.

As tired as Joyce and I were, we attempted to stay up for the passage. It was after midnight and we could only see the channel lights of red and green. Joyce gave up and went to bed but I stuck it out until we had gotten through the worst of it. I stayed until we were going through a section that only looked about 300 feet wide and there were house on both shores with there lights on. It was a very long day but interesting. We saw a couple of whales, some Orcas and Dall Porpoises. Got some pictures and hoped for a better day tomorrow.

Dispatch from Prince Rupert

June 8, 2010

It's a good thing that Joyce keeps notes, because we now have been so many places that if I do not update this each night I sometimes forget what we were doing on a given day.

Left Campbell River and drove north about 150 miles to Port Hardy. Some roadwork that we had to stop for a couple of times. Lots of trees, places where they have logged. Joyce and I agreed that we saw nothing wrong with the logging as long as they left 'old growth forest' alone. I have heard grumbling from some Canadians about not liking all the exporting of their natural resources. A few signs that say “ban logging exports”.

Arrived in Port Hardy, found a motel and checked in. Since we needed to be at the dock at 0515 it was the best thing. Went to the visitors center and asked where we might find eagles at. Young lady directed us down the beach where some usual hangout. We got there but did not see any and were getting ready to return when a couple flew over our heads and headed out over the water. They were after a meal and we watched them chase a bird. The bird got away but it was neat to see how they cooperated with one another in the chase.

After that we stopped for ice cream. Too close to dinner but Joyce was starving and I did not discourage it. Ate dinner, hooked the camper back up to the car and retired to our room for the night.

June 9,2010

Up way to early. 0400 and the sun was not up yet. Drank our coffee and tea, did the necessary things and out the door at 0450. In line by 0515 and loaded on the ferry by 0700. Then to Pursers office to pick up keys to the Aurora Lounge where we had reserved seats for the trip. 15 hours of beautiful scenery at approximately 19MPH. Saw a whale, pod of Orcas, porpoises and a few eagles.

Met some nice people which made the trip more enjoyable. I don't know whether Joyce and I need more interaction with people other than each other or if people finding out where we are from are just really interested in us. I think it is both. It seems to me that it is different than a lot of the other trips we have taken.

Needless to say, we were quite tired by the time we got to Prince Rupert. 10:30 at night so we stayed in a motel once more. Can't say we got a good nights sleep but it was better than trying to put the camper up that late at night.

June 10, 2010

Things to do this morning. Joyce is doing laundry. I went to Alaska Marine Highway office and modified our itinerary. Instead of getting off the ferry in Ketchikan for 5 days, going to Wrangell and staying 2 days and then to Juneau and staying a couple days, we decided that we would rather just get to Haines. I re-booked, added on a full service cabin and actually got a refund. Seems the getting on and off costs more. We will leave at the same time on Saturday and arrive in Juneau at 9:30 Sunday morning. We will catch the next ferry at 3:30 and arrive in Haines at 7:30. We will have a few hours to see some of Juneau.

Next to check into a campground. Took the camper and parked it in our spot and then went back to the motel for Joyce and lots of clean clothes. Hooray!!!! Set the camper up and went exploring.

Our first stop was a walk through rainforest to an overlook to Butze rapids. These rapids are unique because they switch directions twice a day. When the tide goes out it drains a lake upstream and when the tide comes in it fills the lake, thus the two way rapids. When we got to the overlook it was at 'slack tide' and the rapids were not visible. However, Joyce did find several new flowers. Our walk was a round trip of 3.6 kilometers. Then we just drove around looking at things and got to the wharf area and there was the biggest damn ship we have ever seen. The Norwegian Star had docked with it's huge load of 'Cruisers'. We continued down the street and suddenly we were at a B&B named Eagle Bluff. Joyce had seen a photograph of a tree with 8 eagles in it. Figured we would never see that. Wrong, not 8 but 5 and others flying all around. Someone was dumping fish out for them and some came within 50 feet of us. Joyce got some good pictures and I got a couple. I seem to have trouble focusing the camera. Made a change in one of the settings and will see how that does.

Talked to a man and his son as we were walking over to look at the sunken gardens. He said if we really wanted to get close to eagles, we should go to the dump. He told us where it was and we may go there tomorrow. While talking to him he said there was a big storm coming in tomorrow and was supposed to rain for 4 days. We have decided to motel again tomorrow, since we don't want to pack up in the rain and we have to be at the Ferry terminal at 5:15 a.m.

Campbell River, BC day 2

Well, luck was with me. You can think what you want about Wal-Mart, but if you are traveling like we are, they are a godsend. Just like McDonald's, you can go into any one of them and you know what you will get. I took my phone to the closest store and told them my problem. They refunded my money without question. They even refunded the card that I had purchased for minutes. This they did not have to do and it was very kind of them.

Prior to that we had driven south in search of eagles, but did not find any but as usual saw lots of nice scenery. We came back to our camp and after dinner we drove to the end of the street and found out it was a very short drive. We turned around and as we were getting ready to turn in to the campground we spotted a total of 5 eagles on the pier across from the entrance. We got some decent but not great pictures of them. There were 3 adults and 2 juveniles.

Tomorrow we leave for Port Hardy where we will check into the Airport Inn. We have to be at the ferry at 0530 and that is way to early to take this camper down. I am looking forward to the ferry ride. No driving that day. Yea!!!!!.

We will be using one of our cellphones from home, but will keep usage to the bare minimum.

Campbell River, BC

June 6, 2010

Today the weather has not been as good. Showers on and off all day and cool. We drove down to Gold River on the Pacific side of the island. Lots of snow covered mountains along the way. Waterfalls all over the place. Most along the roadside and going under the roads in large pipes. We hiked up to Lady Falls. Not sure how far the vertical drop was but greater than 50 feet and there was enough water power that the spray was higher than the viewing platform. We took very few pictures because we did not want to ruin our cameras.

Joyce found and identified flowers she had not seen before. We also so one two year old black bear grazing alongside of the road.

Returned to camp and I tried to get my prepaid telephone to work. After several fruitless tries I ended up calling their technical support. Not that it did much good. After 20 minutes, using my Verizon phone, they told me it was a system problem and they would refer it to there System Engineers and it could be as long as 48 hours before the problem would be fixed. Needless to say, I am not happy about that. I intend to find a Wal-Mart today and attempt to return the phone. If I can, we will use our Verizon phone and pay the roaming charges. We will just use them as little as possible. Wish me luck.

Campbell River, BC

We have now moved up to Campbell River and are at the Thunderbird RV Park on Spit Road. We had a little trouble finding it, but it was well worth it. We are on the sound with bird-life all around. We have seen two eagles since we have been here, had a nice dinner and a good walk afterward. The weather is pleasant, upper 60's and sunny. It is now 8:12 pm and the sun has not set. We are in the country of “long days”. It was still light last night when I went to bed at 9:30 and it was light at 5:00 this morning. May have been light before then, but I was not awake to see.

Joyce is outside birdwatching. She has seen several Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese and a swan. I will go out shortly, one I post this.

June 3, 2010

We are now in Canada, on Victoria Island. We did not realize that this island is so long. A little over 300 miles from Victoria to Port Hardy. We are at the All Fun RV park in Langford. A few miles north of Victoria. We will drive back to Victoria tomorrow and do the tourist thing. What I could see of it, while driving strange streets pulling our home, was very pretty. It is the Provincial Capitol of BC and the government buildings are spectacular. Went to one of the local shopping centers and looked into prepaid cellphones. The phones were reasonable but a $35 activation fee and outside of the Victoria area the cost per minute is $.70. I may as well use Verizon as pay that. This campground is supposed to have Wireless Internet but I need the password and no one is in the office to get one from. I will check later tonight or in the morning.

June 4, 2010

We woke up this morning to rain drops falling on our roof. But by the time we had breakfast and got around to leaving for Victoria it had stopped. We went down to Government Street and walked through the parliament building. No metal detectors, no pat-down searches, no one wanting to look in backpacks. How nice. A much friendlier feel than going to our capital building.

The interior was quite beautiful. Stained glass windows, pictures of the queen and murals painted on the 100 foot tall rotunda. We were able to go to each level, take pictures and walk around. Parliament was not in session but the doors to the chamber were open and we could look through and take pictures.

We also walked around the boat basin taking pictures and reading the signboards.

After that we went up the Sanich Peninsula to Butchard Gardens. These gardens dated from 1903 and has a staff of 50 full-time gardeners. The garden that I enjoyed the most was the Sunken Garden. It was the site of a limestone quarry that had been abandoned. These were not wildflowers but Joyce had a field day taking pictures. I took several myself.

After that we went to the Butterfly Gardens. A man-made tropical rainforest. Lots and lots of butterflies. I have not looked at my pictures yet but hope to have some good ones.

Tomorrow we move on. Will relocate about 150 miles north for a couple days and then on to Port Hardy where we will catch the ferry to Prince Rupert.

Forks, Washington

June 1 & 2, 2010

We arrived here in Forks, WA and there was continuous rain. Decided a motel was the way to go since the forecast was for lots of rain for the next couple of days. We are staying in the Olympic Suites on the outskirts of town. I do not know how they do it, but a 1 bedroom Suite, which includes a kitchen, living room and bath for $76 a night. Very comfortable for the most part, but I did not like the bed. Did not sleep well.

We drove out to the Hoh Rain-forest Ctr and walked the Trail of the Mosses. Saw two bull Elk grazing. They are already growing their antlers. Today the weather has been as promised and I am glad we are staying here. We went to the Lumberman's Museum today. Interesting to see the old tools they used.

I hope to get the splint off my thumb tomorrow. It makes typing very tedious.

My plan for tomorrow is to cross into Canada. As a result, we will be turning off our cellphones and only using the computer where there is Wi-Fi available. I plan to buy a prepaid cellphone for use in Canada. I will advise the number and try to switch my calls from home to it.

The pictures for today were taken by Joyce using the camera she stole from me.

May 29, 2010

Tonight we are at the Cougar Rock Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park. It is cold, it is cloudy and it is drizzly. But we have a camp site for the next 3 nights. That will give us two days to explore before we head on. We are dry camping again, which means no electricity. As long as the battery holds out we will have heat. The only thing we use the battery for under theses conditions is to run the blower on the furnace. We use a small propane lantern for light and it also gives off some heat. Additionally we both have headlamps that we use for reading or other things where the lantern will not suffice.

We did see a real pretty patch of Skunk Cabbage that was blooming nicely. We are high enough and far enough north that we are in early spring. Highs here will be in the 50's and lows in the 30's. Long john weather. We are looking forward to exploring tomorrow. As usual, I have been here before and do remember some of the landmarks, but I have forgotten a lot also.

We hope the weather will improve tomorrow, but I am not counting on it. Hopefully we will get to see Rainier. Tho it may be like Mt. St. Helen's and hide behind clouds and fog.

May 30, 2010

Well, the weather did not improve. But we did not let that ruin our day. We spent the day driving around seeing what sights we could. Drove up to Paradise where it had snowed during the night. Lots of people up there snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Drove to Packwood, Wa where there was a huge flea market. The whole town was lined with booths, vendors and food sellers. We bought 6 books and shared a nice Strawberry Shortcake. Then back to camp to listen to the rain falling on top of the camper.

May 31, 2010

It was raining when we got up this morning, so we did as much prep work as we could. The rain showed no sign of stopping so we took a wet camper down. We had decided to stay in a motel tonight(which is where I am writing this from).

As we checked our lights this morning we found that one of our tail lights was not working. On the way out of the park I pulled into a viewing area and went to check to see if the bulb had come loose. It had not. Blown big time. Then I decided to take it out so that I could hopefully buy a new one and reinstall it. A lesson I learned the hard way. Do not grab these bulbs by the glass and try to pull them out. I did, broke the glass and ended up with a deep cut in my thumb. Joyce patched me up and we went on. Stopped in Elk Prairie and purchased a new bulb(spare also), replaced the blown one and felt safe making right turns after that.

We got here to Centrailia, checked into our motel. I took a much needed shower and when we changed the dressing I was still bleeding profusely. Decided a visit to the ER was in order. They glued the cut, put some steri-strips on it with a splint and sent me out the door. So I am patched up, clean, Joyce and I have clean clothes and are ready to hit the road tomorrow. We plan to head to Forks, WA.

It's a rainy evening here at Silver Lake RV Campground which is located about 50 miles west of Mt. St. Helen's. We had decided to go to St. Helen's but it is a 50 mile drive up a dead-end Highway. Wasn't sure whether we could get a space or not but stopped to see. They had two spaces available for a Pop-Up. One they rarely rented because the big rigs could not make the turn to get to it. We could and did. We dropped the camper off and then went to Johnston Ridge Observatory at the end of the road. It was raining and foggy, so unfortunately we could not see the volcano but read all the signs and saw all the exhibits. We also watched a film presentation about the events of 1980. Even without the sight of the volcano it was a worthwhile trip. On the way to it we saw a large herd of Elk. The observatory is a little over 4000 feet in elevation and there was snow lying on some of the road banks near the summit.

We crossed the bridge between Astoria and Washington State this morning. That is one long bridge and high enough in places that cruise ships can go under it with no problem. We say one docked as we crossed. It has rained most of the day. Weather is supposed to be better tomorrow.

We put the camper up while it was raining and did we hurry. Got minimal water inside so we did do a good job. Not much in a picture day, but when I off load Joyce's pictures I will upload her picture of the Bridge. Looking forward to better weather tomorrow. We will probably go to Mt. Rainier.

As I have mentioned earlier I was concerned about mosquitoes getting inside the camper. Last night while camped at Stevens Lake State Park we had our first real experience with them since we started. As soon as we got out of the car we were swarmed. Put on some Off and went about setting up. Took special care to see that all parts were sealed as well as we could. It seemed to work. We were not bothered in the camper at all. Hope it works as well in Alaska.

Joyce and I seemed to have gotten our rhythm on setting up and breaking down camp. We usually get up between 6 and 7, drink our coffee and tea, have breakfast and then start putting things away. We no longer worry about when we are getting on the road. When we are ready, we are ready. No big deal. But we are usually out by 9:30. We then drive, stopping along the way to see whatever sights we want to, take side trips and generally enjoy ourselves. Sometime around 3 or 4 I will start looking for a campground. We like to off the road around 5, but sometimes we have to drive a longer distance to find a suitable campground. Not that we are real picky, but we do not like camping near a road. Road noise is not on our list of things. But sometimes we have to and then we just make the best of it.

We have certainly enjoyed the coast of Oregon. The scenery is beautiful, the weather has been decent but not perfect. I love not having to pay sales tax and find it nice that someone else has to pump the gas. One man actually cleaned our windshield today. If I had to live some other place than Virginia, I would seriously consider Oregon. Especially the coastal area.

The State Park campgrounds are first rate. Many of them even have cable TV and all have showers, nice bathrooms and showers. And the rates are reasonable. Last night I paid $28 and tonight I paid $27.

On our trip north we visited 2 lighthouses and saw another from a distance. The lighthouse on Cape Meara had been vandalized by some people who shot out the windows and destroyed parts of the Fresnel Lens. Repairs to the Lens alone will cost $500,000.00. What is wrong with people? The only other lens like it is in Hawaii.

Tomorrow we will be in Washington State. Not sure what we will find in the way of campgrounds but we will make do.

It started raining again during the night but not the downpours of the day before. We were able to get packed up and on the road by 9:30. Lots of scenery, as usual, today. Stopped and looked at a few overlooks but mostly kept heading north. We stop at two lighthouses, Heceta and Yaquina Head. Heceta is absolutely gorgeous from the overlooks before you get there. We walked up to the lighthouse and Joyce took a tour. I did not because my foot was killing me. I bruised the side of it this morning while hooking up the camper. I stomped on the catch mechanism that goes over the ball and my foot slipped off to one side and hit the hitch. I knew I had hurt it but it progressively got worse during the day. We stopped in one of the small towns and got an ace bandage and wrapped it good. We went to the lighthouse at Yaquina Head and I was barely able to walk. Joyce did another tour. I got my camp chair out of the camper and sat with my foot propped up on the fence. By the time we got here to Devils Lake State Park to camp it had started to feel much better. I am now able to walk, but with quite a limp. It should improve as time goes on. Just have to wait and see how long my recovery will be. But it is not enough to stop us.

In taking the Pop-up to AK I have been more worried about the mosquitoes than bears. There is no way to keep those pesky little critters out of the camper, so we are trying to make ourselves distasteful by taking a Vitamin B complex. They smell bad enough when taking them, so hopefully we will smell bad to the skeeters.

This State Park campground is right in the middle of town. We are in Lincoln City, OR. Talked to one of the camp hosts and he says everything will be booked solid starting Friday for the Memorial Day Holiday. We will just play it by ear. If we are unable to find a campground then we will motel it. Stay tuned.

Woke up this morning and it was pouring rain. Decided we did not want to take the camper down and move up the coast. So, we took a town day. We needed to get prescriptions filled, I needed some clothes and stock up on some groceries.

When I left home, I sadly underestimated what type of clothing I would need. Did not bring a jacket, brought 5 pairs or shorts, which I haven't used since Death Valley, and two pair of long pants (one of which is too small and the other has a seam for the pocket that gives me a lot of pain sitting on it all day while driving).

So we had an exciting day(sarcasm) shopping for drugs, clothes and food. But it was a good day. I actually got a nap in. First one I had managed since we left home. After the nap we went looking for a tide pool. Joyce had never seen one and she found out that getting to tide pools and then exploring them is hard work. Found some interesting snail like creatures and several sea anemones. Also stopped and looked at a huge sea lion colony. Must have been hundreds of them, and are they noisy.

Tomorrow we move on up the coast. Not sure where we will stop at. When we get tired.