Alaska with the Stocks 2009

Linda:  I think it's time, once again, to tell you how much I'm enjoying the tales of your adventures in Alaska.  I look forward to reading each and every post.  Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into taking us all along with you on your journey.

Don:  Thanks for the e-mail alerting me to the resumption of your blog posts.  I've caught up with you and am awaiting further.  You, too, do such a good job of reminding us of our favorite RV trip in 2000.  Even without MMG's camera, the pictures are great!

Margi

August 13 Day 83 Haines, AK
We made phone calls and decisions in the morning.  We learned that the visit to the Klukwan Village is not available this year, and the Chilkat Dancers and Storytellers are not performing.  The Adventure Jet Boats are also on a limited schedule, as tourist count is way down.  Pullen Creek RV Park in Skagway is booked solid for the next 4 nights, as they have 2 caravans there.  This is the first RV park we've come across on the whole trip that was full.
We went to the post office to mail a package.  Everyone comes to the post office to pick up their mail, as there is no home delivery.  It's a meeting place, and friends stood and talked for the whole 15 minutes Dean was inside.
It was time for lunch, so we stopped at a restaurant that had been recommended by a local, The Lighthouse.  I had a delicious bowl of seafood chowder ($5.95) and Dean had a hamburger (around $9).
We went two blocks to the Sheldon Museum, built as a result of lots of community effort.  You can tell by the signs that many people in Haines love its history and want to share it.  There were many Native exhibits with authentic Chilkat blankets, but also a nice mineral collection, and items related to those who founded and built Haines.  There was one volunteer who was doing research to make sure they had accurate information.  I bought a book titled If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende, which talks about life in Haines.  I wish I'd read it before I came because it gives you insight about how people live in Alaska's small towns.  Haines is a town kind of like Homer-it grows on you.  There is a feeling of community and working together, giving of oneself.  If anyone's coming to Alaska next year, ask Dean for this book in Quartzite, and he'll give it to you.  We admired the museum's beautiful mountain ash tree with its bright red berries.  We've seen these trees and bushes all over Alaska. Their 100-year-old apple tree that someone brought up here has several hundred apples on it.  The museum's flowers are pretty, and you can just feel the caring that goes into this museum.
Dean went into the Hammer Museum ($3), which had quite an array of hammers.  One man has collected all these different hammers-some unusual, some antique, and he has life-size display mannequins donated by the Smithsonian because they were so impressed with his collection.  Dean says he would recommend it.  But, in these small towns, you have to think small.  None of these places would compete with big city museums.  However, they have a special charm and a lot of love and hard work goes into them.
I saw an ad for the Bear-itto Bakery & Deli's raspberry bars, and I wanted to sample one, so we went across the street for a treat. Dean came out laden down with the 2 raspberry bars he went in to purchase, fresh whole-wheat sourdough bread, brownies, and 2 cups of ice cream.  The raspberry bars were the best I've ever tasted.  We used the bread to make toasted ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner, and the spices in the bread gave them a wonderful flavor.
We stopped at the Village Market to pick up bananas.  It's a cute, modern grocery with healthy foods and a mini-deli, a miniature Trader Joe's.  They were making soup for tomorrow, and the spices gave the whole store a wonderful aroma.  This is a place where friends meet friends and enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat.

Overnighted at Oceanside RV Park
Weather: High of 58?, breezy in the evening

August 14, 2009 Day 84 Skagway, AK

Our FedEx mail was supposed to be delivered by 4:30 today, so I called up to the RV office to see if it had come yet and let them know that we'd be back to pick it up if it hadn't. Bad news--FedEx does not deliver to Haines addresses.  Apparently, they get it into Anchorage and turn it over to the U S Postal Service, who delivers it to the Haines Post Office.  Worse news-this whole process takes over two weeks.  The RV Park owner says if you're going to have anything delivered anywhere in AK, the fastest by far is the U. S. Mail.  We called FedEx, and they promise to have it into the RV park in Skagway by Monday.  However, I called the owner of the RV park for their street address and zip code, and he says they don't deliver here either.  However, the FedEx lady promised Dean, so we'll wait an extra 2 days and see what happens.
We took the RV to the Ferry Terminal to drop it off and pay our $220.  This paid for the Jeep, 38' coach, and 2 adults.  We weren't sure of all our exact measurements-you have to know the exact length, width, and height of the coach.  Dean rounded up, and a few feet here and there made a huge difference in cost.  The ferry lady came out and measured to verify and by bringing in the mirrors and measuring exactly, she cut our cost in half.
Even though Dean was expecting a call back from FedEx and he didn't know how good the cell reception would be as we got further away from Haines, he went along with my wish to return to Chilkoot Park, where we had seen the bear two days ago.  He was in exactly the same place by the weir, and we watched him snag several salmon.  We were anxious to get back to good cell phone reception, so we decided to leave.  The bear splashed on down the river just as we were driving on, so we followed.  Dean got out and took great pictures.  We really needed to go, but we pulled into a parking area a little further down just to see where he was.  He continued eating, splashing, even galloped a little way, and strolled along the bank heading toward us.  He came up on the bank really close to us.  It was so exciting!  We could see a beige fringe around his ears.  Wow!  He has on this huge tracking collar, but it doesn't seem to bother him a bit.  What a thrill!
We went back to the bakery to buy a few raspberry bars, so we ate lunch there.  It was good, but not special.  Dean had a hamburger ($8) and I had a sloppy Jose burrito ($8).  I think they may have the lowest prices in town.  Dean bought a couple granola-type bars and another loaf of bread, a sourdough-wheat with rosemary.  We rarely eat bread, so this is a real recommendation.
At 3:30, we went to a presentation at the American Bald Eagle Foundation ($5 for presentation + $3 for admission/per person).  If you are coming to Haines, as soon as you get here call and find out when the presentation will be.  They don't happen every day, and this is a "Don't Miss".  Kerry Seifert, the Avian Curator and a master falconer, gave an excellent presentation with a live gyr falcon, the largest of all the falcons.  The gyr falcon ranges in color from pure white to a dark brown, depending on how close to the North Pole he lives.  His range is from Colorado, where he is dark brown to Greenland where he is white.  He stays the same color for his whole life, and he does not migrate anywhere.  Females weigh 3-4 lb., and males are 2-3 lb.  As with the eagles and most birds of prey, the female is bigger than the male.  They can measure 4.5 feet wingtip-to-wingtip.  90% of their diet is other birds.  He dives at high speed, balls up his feet, punches his prey, killing or severely injuring his prey so it falls to the ground.  He has special notches on his beak which allows him to bite across the neck of his prey and separate the vertebrae.  He feeds quickly, storing the food in his crop, because he is vulnerable to predators such as fox, lynx, martens, wolves, and wolverines when he is on the ground.  In the air he is vulnerable to bald eagles, goshawks, and golden eagles.  They have 3 eyelids, one on the top of the eye, and one on the bottom, like we do, and one that goes from side-to-side, starting at his beak and going to the outside corner of the eye.  He can close this eyelid, leave it closed, and still see through it.  It's like built-in goggles for his speedy dives.  All gyr falcons have large dark brown eyes, not colored eyes as other birds like hawks, etc.  They have bony protrusions in each nostril which act as a vortex generator so they can breathe when going fast. Gyr falcons are cliff nesters.
This particular bird had fallen 180' out of a nest, and he was found by Kerry.  He was so young he didn't have flight feathers yet.  He had broken his ulna and radius in his wing.  $600 later, he was casted in the hopes his wing would heal well.  He can fly, but he would appear handicapped in the wild, so other birds would eat him.  He has a white feather in each wing, a genetic defect, which would also make him a target for other predators. He also had a torn crop, so the food would go in through the beak and out through the neck. Poor guy! The vet stitched him up and he enjoys eating one 6-8 oz. quail daily.  They have these frozen quail flown in from Juneau. He tolerates cold well and has been at -26?F.  He has wonderful sight.  It's like he has binoculars, and his resolving power (ability to clearly see things) is 7-8 times ours.  He can see ptarmigan in brush 2 miles away.
The museum had lots of well-labeled fish, birds, and mammals in dioramas and mounted on the walls. They work with Auburn U in Alabama.  They currently have 3 raptors and are building a very large mew so they can accommodate more. 
The ferry only goes out once a day, at 8:30 PM, so we went back to the motorhome and waited.  The car had to be separate from the motorhome.  It was quite dark as we crossed to Skagway, so we couldn't see any marine life, but we did see a well-lit Princess cruise ship.
We were glad to see the manager standing out front to wave us in with his flashlight, as we got to the park at about 10:30.  Dean went to bed, but I was still so "up" from 2 exciting wildlife experiences in the same day I just had to share them with you.

Miles Driven: 6
Miles Ferried: 15

Overnighted at Garden City RV Park--30 amps, FHU, 30 amps

Weather:  High in the high 50's, rain on and off, a breeze

Jeff said:

Linda:

My memory must be failing me but I can't remember a VC in Haines???

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I hope my memory is correct.  I've read so many signs and articles on exhibits, brochures, newspapers, and ads in so many different cities.  I'm pretty sure I read that the VC building is new.  I don't know whether they had a different building before or if it's a totally new venue.  It doesn't have exhibits or films like so many of the others have had, just a helpful, knowledgeable guide.  It is a pretty shiny light wood and not very big, and it looks like it's been recently built.  It is not on the main street in town--it's at about 2nd Avenue and the street that's between the main street and Haines Hwy.  Sorry I can't be more specific, but i've thrown away the maps & brochures as we get through with them in an attempt to have some organization for all the papers, notes, and maps of the new city.

gmsboss1 said:

Hi Linda and Dean --

We were with Mary Ann's brother and his wife on an Princess cruise/tour and were in Talkeetna on the 24th and Denali on the 25th and 26th.  We did not have internet service (despite the claims of wifi at the Princess Hotels) and thought you were still in Anchorage.

We are really jealous of 1., the freedom you have to go where and when you want to while we were stuck with buses and trains, and 2., your picture of Mt McKinley.  Of the 4 days that it was possible for us to see Mt McKinley, it was always hidden by clouds.

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We're sorry we missed you.  When we see cruise ships we turn tail and run. In Whittier we saw several busloads of people from cruise ships going on the 26 Glacier tour, one which I had considered going on.  But, when we saw all those people boarding, we crossed off that trip and signed on with Major Marine.  But, we liked Prince William Sound Cruises out of Whittier the best of all.  I hope you get a chance to do this trip in an RV.  It is beyond wonderful.

As for internet, it's been a challenge off and on.  Right now we're paying $2.95 an hour at our RV park because the info they gave us for a free 24-hour period of Wifi doesn't work. 

We didn't see Mt. McKinley on our first trip either.  They say you have about a 20% chance, so if you missed it on 4 days, you should be guaranteed to see it on the 5th!  We will enjoy reading your blog for sure.

Dean and Linda

Tom and Margi said:

Linda:  I think it's time, once again, to tell you how much I'm enjoying the tales of your adventures in Alaska.  I look forward to reading each and every post.  Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into taking us all along with you on your journey.

Margi

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Margi, you and our other RVforum friends have been so kind and supportive.  Previous logs have really been so helpful to us in planning and avoiding pitfalls that i hope my log will help someone else.  Sometimes getting the right words to describe something is difficult, but usually the writing is pure joy.  The one negative of this trip is missing friends and family.  I think I've decided for the future to set a time limit of 3 months.  So, being able to write and get feedback gives us a feel-good connection.  Thanks for the warm fuzzies.

Dean and Linda

August 15 Day 85 Skagway, AK

We started our morning with a trip to the VC to get questions answered.  We wandered into the wrong one, which actually turned out to be fortunate.  There are two VCs, one city VC and one National Park VC, and we were at the NP VC.  It is the strangest looking national park I've ever seen-no trees.  Apparently, because it has historical buildings and another area where the prospectors passed through, it got that designation. The ranger says it is the most visited NP in Alaska. The ranger was able to answer most of our questions and was leading a walking tour in 45 minutes.  We went into a small room and watched 2 videos, one on not being stupid around bears and another about the Chilkat Trail.  The ranger then led us on about an hour walk past historical buildings.  He told great stories about the characters that built the town, and I would put this free tour on a "Must Do" list.  I would guess that the temperature was in the low 50's, and the wind was really howling-Dean even went back to the car and got a jacket! 
We went from the ferry, down the main street, to the end of the businesses @ 7th Street (where the city VC is located), looking in the shops.  70% of the stores are jewelry stores.  We enjoyed the Ivory Museum, which is an extension of a gift shops. Its owner is selling the business because Obama was elected and he doesn't want to pay taxes to support Obama's programs.  Alaskans do say what's on their minds.  But, he let me hold a walrus tooth from the Stone Age.  It had been drilled on each side to make a hole so it could be lashed on a harpoon to provide a finger-rest.  He had just sold his display case of a fossilized mastodon tooth and a fossilized mammoth tooth with a beautiful piece of scrimshaw to a California dentist for his office for $15,000.  It's too bad that he didn't try to sell the business as a whole, because it was very interesting.  I'm sure he'll make more money this way.
We appreciated others' logs who noted that the best days to visit are Saturdays and Sundays. The shops do have limited hours on the weekend, but we are so glad to be avoiding the crowds.  Skagway (population 800) will have 6,000 cruise ship passengers here on Monday and 10,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Skagway is my least favorite city so far-basically a tourist trap.  They get as many as 8 cruise ships in port at one time, and the tourists just have a little time, so they go shopping for souvenirs, etc.
Miracles do happen!  When we got back to the RV, the manager came over, and he was carrying a FEDEX PACKAGE!  Our mail had arrived!  I can't remember the last time I was so pleasantly surprised. When he made his daily trip to the post office, there was a note in his PO Box telling him to get the FedEx package, too.  We had originally paid for 4 nights, and he is even refunding our money because we want to now stay only for 3 nights. I would heartily recommend this park.  He stood on the sidewalk by the street in the cold & dark last night and waited for us with a flashlight shining like a beacon to guide us into the park, even though it was after 10:30.
As we were walking down the street, we saw friends we had met on the ferry from Haines.  They told us that they were boondocking right there in the ferry parking lot.  They said they had an OK from the ferry to spend the night there, just on the left as you exit the ferry. 
We only have 1 TV station, CBS, but we do get good reception.  It is from our own antenna.  They gave us the Wifi name and code, but it didn't work.  It's too late to call, so we are using the pay $2.95/hour Wifi.  The ranger told us the whole town has free Wifi, so we'll go into town tomorrow and try to post this.

Overnighted at Garden City RV Park, $32.50

Weather:  Downright windy! And chilly, too! I'm guessing mid 50's.

August 16 Day 86 Skagway, AK

In Tlingit skaguay means "windy place", and it is certainly living up to its name.  The wind rocks the coach and howls.  Our neighbor brought in his slides.  We also had rain all day.
We decided to wait for the rain to stop before we went out, but it didn't.  We had been told at the NP VC that there was only one showing of the Soapy Smith vaudeville-type show, and it was at 2:30 on Saturday and Sunday.  We parked, walked in the rain only to find that it was closed, with a sign that they only had one show, and that was at 12:30.  On cruise days there are 4 showings.
The town was pretty dead, so we decided to go on the drive to Dyea to look for eagles.  We passed by Jewell Gardens & Glassworks, which was in our coupon book.  We'd seen the Gourmet Garden Tour place in town and their garden was dinky, but we thought we'd decide when we got inside.  After all, it was a $12 buy one/get one coupon, which is pretty expensive for a garden tour, and we've found that pricing often reflects quality.  When we got inside, it was 2:50, and their garden caf? closed at 3:00.  They had a fixed menu of broccoli mushroom soup, fresh greens from their gardens, herbed bread, and mushroom or smoked salmon quiche for $16/each. Drinks were $2, and I had a wonderful mint lemonade. Our coupon didn't give us any discount, and you could not buy the lunch separate from the garden tour.  The caf? was nicely decorated, with an artistically-arranged bouquet of fresh flowers on each table. Everything tasted good.  By the time we finished it was really starting to rain, so it was time for us to go out and view the gardens.  They were much larger than I had expected, and they were very attractive. I especially enjoyed the miniature garden they had built with their model train set-up.  They had an eye for detail, including even a little waterfall by a railroad tunnel.  Despite the rain, we lingered at several spots.  My only negative is that almost nothing was labeled.  We saw a huge, frilly, purple plant, and I thought it looked like kale. Dean agreed, but it was so much bigger than we'd ever seen before.  We asked inside, and it was kale.  They had many bright orange flowers and deep purple snapdragons that looked like velvet.  We enjoyed the visit.  I am amazed that their plants don't have torn leaves and the flowers aren't petal-less with all this wind.
We drove toward Dyea, and we only saw 1 bald eagle flying far away to his tree.  Birds are smart and stay home when it's windy and rainy.
We went looking for a gas station and found only one.  It's on State Street, and diesel was a very reasonable $3.07/gallon.  We passed Kone's ice cream store, so we stopped a got a single scoop of ice cream, which turned out to be just Dreyer's.
We are heading into Canada to reach Hyder/Stewart.  We will probably boondock and be without Wifi for a couple of days.

Overnighted at Garden City RV Park 

Linda,

We were in Skagway near the end of season as last Cruise ships were returning to Caribbean spots.  ALL of the sweatshirts were on sale so we purchased a bunch!

A thought for something to do.  Did you visit Totem Pole Park?  It was a highlight for us.

Betty

Dean & Linda,
Enjoyed your trip and pictures very much.  I was stationed in that great state 1957-58 didn't have all them CG's in those days. I was in the Signal Corp, PEI, traveled to just about every place you visited.
They made state hood in 58 and 4th Ave, Anchorage, was a open bar, same 4th Ave that split open in a earthquake.
Back in those days the communication system was known as ACS, worked in all toll centers and repeater sites on the highway systems, railroad and most military Army,AF and SAC bases.
Did allot of flying out of Merrill field with Bush Pilots into some locations.
The tourist industry has grown, something we did not see.
Did you see the Dole sheep on Sheep Mountain just north of Glen Allen on the way to TOK?
There are pretty high up would need telephoto lens for pic's.
Your daily temperatures were allot cooler than ours most days in the two summers I was there were in the 80's and in the flat lands around Big "D" could reach 100* also saw temp's in Fairbanks at -65*.  Temp's are dry in summer only in winter your ear's could fall of being so dry.
So much for global warming.
Buffalo herds around Big "D" were a site to see, had a Albino calf year I was there.
Many thanks for the memories.

Betty Brewer said:

We were in Skagway near the end of season as last Cruise ships were returning to Caribbean spots.  ALL of the sweatshirts were on sale so we purchased a bunch!
A thought for something to do.  Did you visit Totem Pole Park?  It was a highlight for us.

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My husband with the photographic memory reminded me "Totem Pole Park"  was in Ketchican on our cruise to Alsaka and not in Skagway. The memory is one of the first to go in olden golden years.

Betty

To those of you who look forward to Dean and Linda's Daily story, she phoned me to say she is trying.  First they had a park with no wifi, then  places with no cell phone service, then computer did not work.  When they got to Prince Rupert, the computer worked again but could not get wifi despite moving from site to site.  She was heading to the local libray to try and catch a signal. 
I think we all know how frustrating it can be to get technology at times.  But she is trying!

Betty

The totem pole park was neat though. At least it was in 1998. I guess it been a while.

Betty Brewer said:

My husband with the photographic memory reminded me "Totem Pole Park"  was in Ketchican on our cruise to Alsaka and not in Skagway. The memory is one of the first to go in olden golden years.

Betty

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August 17, 2009 Day 87 The Rest Area at Kilometer Post 697.1 on the Cassiar Hwy. by Blue Lake, past Junction 37

Corrections First:  In yesterday's post, I said that plants at Jewell Gardens were not labeled. Today I discovered in my purse a detailed map with descriptions for each of the 32 areas of the garden they gave me when I bought our admission yesterday.  It was raining and the ink would have been everywhere, so I put it in the dry, zippered pocket of my purse and promptly forgot about it.
Our first stop was the only gas station in town.  It has been several months since diesel gas prices were so low.  Their regular gas was expensive, but this is definitely the place to fill up your RV if you are using diesel.  Unfortunately, they are VERY small and have only two lanes.  Dean did not want to try jockeying the RV between the pump and the cashier, so we drove in circles and finally stopped at the curb and posted our log from yesterday.
I have admired the inventiveness and practicality of Alaskans our whole time here.  Many have what appears to be a junkyard in their front or side yards.  But, they put the R in Recycling.  In Dean's flagpole picture, notice that it is made from an rusted crankshaft from what Dean thinks might have been an old locomotive. Also, notice how tattered, but brightly colored, the flag is.  It says something about how windy it is here, though at the gardens the waitress told me it has been sunny and calm all summer until the past week.  In the book I'm reading by Heather Lende, a Haines resident, she talks of taking a broken something and using it for an entirely different use at least twice.
It rained almost non-stop today, except for the first few hours when we were in thick fog.  I did see some really cute stunted evergreens when it cleared a bit, but we were mostly looking for the yellow centerline on mountainous roads.  Not fun!  And we were up high!  I think this could have been a pretty drive.  Canadian Customs was a piece of cake.  We saw very few cars on the road all day.
The drive was nice-some rivers, interesting bridges, good road with some minor frostheaves, and pretty trees.  At the gardens yesterday, we saw a gorgeous blue spruce tree, and we saw some in Skagway also.  Today we saw blue spruce that were either stunted or shrubs, that were also very beautiful.  We saw the beginning of fall colors.  I'd love to be here when everything turns colors.  We saw almost iridescent yellow leaves on trees.  They sparkled in the few minutes of sunlight we had today. 
We noticed a slight dimming of daylight so we looked in the Milepost for a place to boondock.  There were several turnouts and rest areas listed, but each was near an RV park.  In the Yukon, they post any place that is within about 10 miles of an RV park with a "no camping, no overnight parking" sign. We drove, found posted rest areas and drove some more.  About 7:30, Sherlock, our cat, took his towel off the dash with his mouth, which is like putting up a "closed" sign.  He does this each night before he goes to bed.  We agreed that we wanted to stop, especially when we saw the sign that said that the next 50 miles of the Cassiar Highway were under construction!  It was washboard, rutted, bumpy dirt with occasional very short patches of smooth blacktop. There was no choice but to keep going.  At 8:50, we found this wonderful rest area by a beautiful lake.

Miles Traveled:  328 

August 18 Day 88 Boondocking @ MP 297 on Cassiar Highway, 200 km N of turn-off for 37A (Hyder-Stewart Access Road) 

Correction:  In  Trailer Life, Skagway's Garden City RV Park says it has Wifi.  We were given a code, but we were never able to access it despite several tries, and the manager was not helpful on this. 

Today was all travel, with generally satisfactory road except for one long stretch of rugged construction in the morning that really was quite bumpy.  Some of the road was as smooth as glass.  There were beautiful wildflowers and lots of rivers and lakes.
We stopped at Jade City, a store, not a city.  If you travel this route, you will see it, but there are no cities nearby or even farby to use as a reference point.  We have been without cell phone or internet now for several days, so we are excited when they tell us we can use their internet.  However, our computer will not open up a screen and apparently something has been jarred loose in it.  Jade City also offers free boondocking and coffee.  But, best of all, they have the most wonderfully carved jade. 
I bought a quilted wall-hanging of a bear with a salmon in his mouth and ravens in the background, as well as kittiwakes.  It is very reminiscent of what we've actually seen most frequently.  At $275, the price is steep, but the lady who makes them donates it all to charity.  If only I could write it off on my taxes!
We were amazed by their beautifully carved jade chess set, as well as many other pretty figures.  They do the cutting right there in front of the shop. Their prices are reasonable, and we bought several souvenirs.

Wildlife Count:  2 brown bears, 1 ptarmigan

August 19 Day 89 Stewart, BC

We had a mixed drive into Stewart, but we got to see 2 bears!  One stopped and stared at us as we cautiously opened the door and took his picture.  Some of the road was quite rough, even though it was paved.  There were 2 lengthy construction areas with dirt and gravel.  Some of the road was brand new and really like gliding on air.
We got into Stewart early and scurried to do everything possible because rain and lightning are predicted all day tomorrow. I wanted to see the bears, so we headed for the observation deck and self-guided auto drive in Hyder first.  We spent about an hour with no bears, but we did see a beautiful grey-blue pocket of the river and LOTS OF BITING BUGS!  What a stink all the dead salmon made!  But, bears are worth it.
We talked with the rangers and learned that there are only 60-70 full-time residents.  They told us that many of the parents choose to home-school.  The elementary school (which is new and modern) is not open this year because they didn't have the minimum number of necessary students.  They have moved to the high school, where in K-12 they have 17 students taught by 2 teachers and 1 teachers' aide.
We drove 17 miles on a washboard, potholed, narrow road and a pick-up went by us headed the other way, and kicked up a rock, which made a terrific CLUNK on our Jeep.  We always slow down to a crawl in consideration of others, but Dean says I shouldn't expect others to care.  We saw hanging glaciers, but they had a lot of rubble all over them.
We then drove back to the beautiful red maple trees at the town cemetery that we had seen on our way in.  I have never seen such a beautiful intense red.  Our picture was taken when it was overcast.  When we had come into town, the sun was on them, and it was like they were on fire. 
I also wanted to see the beautiful, tall waterfall again.  The drive back was especially impressive because the passenger is right by a rushing river with many rapids.
Some of the people we met when we waited for the bears in the afternoon told us how great the halibut was at "The Bus".  The husband goes out and catches the halibut, and the wife cooks 2 orders and only 2 orders at a time.  They say it is worth the wait, and they are right.  A generous 3 pieces of halibut and French fries costs only $13.  The taste and cholesterol are high, but the price is low.
We then went back to the Observation Deck to wait for bear action.  After about 30 minutes, Dean sees a little black bear, as he quickly runs away from the approaching grizzly bear.  The ranger tells us that they have found black bears, who are smaller, that have been killed by grizzlies.  Monica quietly walks along the bank of the river and has a quick reaction when she spots a salmon.  She is very efficient.  The ranger says she is at the end of her feeding for the day, as she is only eating the eggs and skin and leaving all the rest of the fish.  The eggs are especially high in protein and fat.  It is getting dark and it is raining as you can tell from the picture.  We watch Monica until a little after 9:30, when she leaves.  Everyone else does, too, so the rangers get to go home early.

August 20 Day 90 Stewart, BC

We got up at 5:15 to go over to Hyder, AK, to see the bears for the last time.  The rain quit, though it was overcast.  The Observation Deck is staffed with U.S. Forest Service personnel and open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.  The rangers told us we were most likely to see good bear action at 6:00 a.m. or 8:00-9:00 p.m.
About 8:00, Mira, a 6-year-old grizzly came bounding down the stream.  She has an entirely different method of fishing from her mother, Monica, who we met yesterday evening.  She runs around in the river, which causes a salmon frenzy.  Then she pursues one and tries to catch it mid-air.  She devours the whole fish.  She also backtracks back up the river in her quest, which makes it harder to figure out where to be.  She uses a lot of energy as she bounces and splashes.
By 9:15, our lack of breakfast, short sleep, many mosquito and blackfly bites, and the lack of bear activity convince us to go home.  As soon as we are cozy in the RV, rain starts pounding and continues all day and night.  We have cable TV, but no cell phone service, and our computer has gone on vacation.  Hopefully, when we can remedy its problem when we get cell phone service and stores tomorrow.  We nap and map our future adventures.

Weather:  Rain, rain, and more rain.  High temp around 58?.

Overnighted at Bear River RV, FHU, cable TV, free Wifi (but our computer doesn't work), and free firewood for ONLY $23!  Unfortunately, the park is for sale.

August 21, 2009 Day 91 Prince Rupert, BC

We got up at 5:15 a.m. because we knew the bears on the side of the highways would be more likely to be out if we left early.  It was raining, so I was really glad that we came back and got the waterfall and red maple tree pictures on our first day in Stewart.  I was looking eagerly, but we drove the whole 40 miles on the Stewart Highway without seeing any.  37A is the only way in or out of Stewart, and it is a beautiful drive with waterfalls, glaciers, masses of blooming little yellow flowers, evergreens, and two bright red maple trees, and one very bright gold tree.
We turned onto the 37 and it was very pretty, also.  We stopped by the First People's village of Gitanyow.  The K'sans had authentic totems, and we were struggling to figure out what each figure was on a totem pole.  We were fortunate to meet a non-First Nations lady, Jan Thompson, who was walking by and volunteered that she knew the story of one of the poles.  She had been picking saskatoonberries in the bushes right behind the totem poles, and she offered us a sample.  They look like blueberries, and they have a similar taste, but they are much sweeter. Jan is an artist who is visiting the area, doing some acrylic art, and inspiring the children to draw by giving free lessons each day at 1:30.  The government is putting a lot of money into the  First People's history throughout Canada.  They are paying the K'san to build a wood carving shed in the hope of attracting a woodcarver who will carve totems as they were done in the past.  She told us that the museum was closed because everyone had received their monthly checks and had gone to buy school supplies.  All parents, rich or poor, receive a monthly check for each child they are raising.
Shortly after we turned onto Highway 16, we spotted a wolf drinking from the Skeena River.  There were tall bushes and trees, so it was a tease to try to peek between trees at 60 mph.  We would have liked to go slower, and when we had an opportunity to move into the right lane and let others go by, we did.  A bald eagle flew into his roost, so I was looking both high and low.  I glimpsed a large brown bear standing on the bank of the river and then a black bear standing in the middle of the very wide river.  As I expressed my dismay that there weren't pullouts with good views of the river, a black bear crossed right in front of our RV!  As we entered Prince Rupert, two beautiful blue jays flew beside our coach.

Overnighted at Prince Rupert RV Park-FHU, 30 amps, Wifi that doesn't work, $36.50 (up 16% from last year!), but the only park with HU in Prince Rupert.

Linda & Dean

Hope this reaches you in time. When you leave Prince Rupert on CN 16, about 100 miles up the road is Terrace, BC. There is an island on the east side of town with a most enjoyable campground, Ferry Island RV Park. The owners are most accommodating and helpful. There is a nice walk around the island and a woodcarver has carved faces and figures into a number of the trees. We also enjoyed watching the fisherpeople sitting on their lawn chairs in the river fishing for salmon.

Further up 16, take a detour to the town with the totem museum. They have a large collection of totems that have been brought in from other locations. I can't remember the name of the town but there was also another area we stopped at on 16 to watch the local First Nation people fishing in a gorge using spears and hoops. Fascinating.

Betty Brewer said:

Linda,

A thought for something to do.  Did you visit Totem Pole Park?  It was a highlight for us.

Betty

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We missed it!  We saw a Totem Pole Park in Ketchikan when we went on our cruise to Alaska about 10 years ago and some in Vancouver at the BC Museum there.  I bought a book and showed the kids my favorite one.  It was done about one of our presidents, maybe Coolidge (if I don't use it, my memory loses it), who visited them and they gave him wonderful carved gifts and had a big potlach in his honor.  They expected a gift in return, but he came empty-handed.  They figured that was OK; he would just send gifts later.  After two years had elapsed and they have received nothing, they carved this pole, which was plain at the bottom and had his figure at the top, with the face painted red for the embarrassment he should feel.