Our Grand Alasakan Adventure

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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Ned said:
Make that "When you click on "Reply"".  By the time you click on Post, it's too late.
Good catch...... thanks, I changed it.
 
Excellent help with posting of pictures from the other people on this thread. Yeah!

Michelle, I can't tell where you are... are you near a city or just out in the wilds of Canada?
BC = British Columbia I know that much.  I think I better keep my road atlas here by the computer and you can say what town or city you are near.

Did you guys rent bikes where you were or did you take them with you?

Do you want to play Words with Friends?

Happy Trails,
Renee


 
Hi Michele & Jim, Dick got his new computer and we finally able to read your blog. We have so enjoyed your wonderful travel journal!
Sounds like you are having lots of good experiences and it brings many memories of our trip in 2001,
Stay safe and we look forward to continued reading.

Dick & Sandi
 
June 3, 2014 ? Day 14

Put on some warm clothes today because a cold front is supposed to come through.  While getting things ready to roll, I thought about changing because it was so nice.  Well, as I sit here writing this the  snow is flying here in Fort Nelson, BC.  As a matter of fact the last 150 miles of our 278 miles we were snowed on.  It is a bit nippy here in WeBe.  We have the coach heater going and the space heater, with a cup of hot chocolate next to me.  Stopped in the Visitor Centre for a little info and timed it right that we were able to hear their first talk of the season about what to do and see in the Fort Nelson area.  They had some really nice photo?s and a wealth of information.  Got done and headed to the ?Ye Olde Quilt Shoppe? to do some browsing and made a little purchase.  I think it will make a pretty quilt.  Nice ladies to help me since I am horrible and putting fabric together.  There is a fair amount of oil and gas development along the route.  Bought gas in the town of Wonowon (mile marker 101), it was $5.78 a gal, in Fort Nelson it was $5.44.  We can?t complain too much we knew it was going to be high, but we hoped it would be less.  We weren?t real impress with the dinner we had at the Triple G Hideaway Campground (where we are staying).  It was hot and the restaurant was warm so that help. TTFN
 

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June 4, 2014 ? Day 15
Woke up to a cold wet morning.  The snow only accumulated on the grassy areas.  Got ourselves together for our short drive today.  On to Muncho Lake. Still BC Hwy 97 and heading west.  Yesterday coming into Fort Nelson we went over the lowest elevation on the Alaska Highway and today we will go over the highest elevation.  Spotted 2 black bears along the side of the road heading up to Steamboat Summit.  Shortly after this we hit snow again.  Elevation here peaked out at 3,500 feet.  We were looking forward to stopping in Testa River for what the Milepost calls some of the best cinnamon rolls.  We got there just before the 15 rigs of the Unity (Leisure Van) Caravan, plus a few other travelers.  The small spot was buzzing.  We took our warm rolls and ate them in WeBe with a glass of milk, yummy. Back on the road in the sloppy snow we go, but our tummies were full.  Lots of warnings in the Milepost about ?stone sheep? and caribou on the road but we didn?t see one. Gradually we made it to Summit Pass, elevation 4,250 feet, the highest point on the Alaska Highway.  Plenty of curves and hills today with a few areas having little shoulder to them. Lots of creeks and rivers to go over with a couple having metal grate bridge, they reminded me of the ?airplane bridge? we knew and loved growing up.  We loved it because it made the sound of what we thought was an airplane.  What imagination we had then.  We finally came around a bend and there was Muncho Lake, just as some friends (Karen & Bill), who drive up to their Alaskan cabin yearly, had told us.  Emerald green and blue water with forested mountains on one side and sedimentary rock on the other with white caps of snow all around.  It sits at an elevation of 2,680 feet, 7 miles long, a 1 mile wide and about 700 feet deep.  The color is reported to be from the cooper oxide leaching into the lake.  Breathtaking.  There is information in the Milepost about what is called an alluvial fan.  This forms when the mountains get heavy rains and the hillsides, which are mostly rock.  The rains wash down the sides of the mountains taking that rock and gravel through the gulley?s to the bottom of the hill and then spreads out in a fan shape.  We have now seen many of these in our drive today.
Our stop for the night was to be at McDonald campground for $16.  That was the best deal almost so far, since we paid $7.90 per gal of gas, yikes, that one through the budget off.  Took a nice power nap and drove over to the wildlife lookout to see if we could spot anything, nope.  Back to WeBe for a little reading, then dinner and a nice walk.  It is 8 PM and the sun won?t set for a few more hours.  Thank goodness for blackout shades in the bedroom. 
TTFN
 

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jmfreas5 said:
June 4, 2014 ? Day 15
we paid $7.90 per gal of gas, yikes, that one through the budget off. 
TTFN
:eek: I hope that was an imperial gallon...... :-\
 
  If you haven't pased it yet don't miss Laird Hot Springs. We were there last year. You can pull your rig into the park and take a  quick relaxing dip and be on your way to Whitehorse. We loved Mucho Lake stayed a few days there" I am reliving our trip through you blog. Keep posting.
 
that was a US gal and yes it was expensive but we didn't fill up.

June 5, 2014 ? Day 16

Whew what a day!  We drove a whopping 43 miles today to Liard River Hot Springs.  After an early morning walk, we gather our things and drove.  We finally saw some stone sheep, they were licking the salt deposits on the road.  No rams, just ewes.  We drove along the Trout River, it was really cookin, lots of water coming down.  Mostly forest of lodge pole pine, aspen and paper birch. We crossed over the Liard River Bridge which is the only remaining suspension bridge on the Alaska Highway, it was built in 1943.  Found our campsite #25, set up and went exploring on the bikes for a little while.  Then headed out in the car to check on a possible fishing spot for Jim tomorrow.  Took a power nap, did a little more planning for the return trip home, had dinner and headed for the hot springs.  About a ? mile to the trail, about ?-1/2 mile boardwalk in and then the hot springs.  Changed into swim suits and dipped in.  There used to be two pools but they closed the upper pool, water temps range from 100 to 126 degrees (they say).  There is a wooden deck with steps going down into the river pool.  Nice sitting and chatting with folks.  Nice changing area that is pretty new. Back here to WeBe and about ready to call it a night. TTFN   
 

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June 6, 2014 ? Day 17
Nice relaxing day.  Made some awesome French toast with the sourdough bread we bought at Testa River.  Jim headed out for a little fishing and I turned on the generator (we didn?t any electricity at the site) and began working on another quilt.  Since they have generator hours (9-11 AM), had to turned it off and went for a walk around the campground.  Met up with Rita and Hap from Georgia, we originally met them at Lake Louise.  Visited until Jim drove up.  He was pleased he caught 2 grayling about 12-14 inches each.  He caught them in the Liard River.  He saw a black bear just sitting in the grass eating the grass, too lazy to even stand up.  Then he saw a bunch of stone sheep, (that?s not a bunch, it?s a herd, sure I?ve heard of stone sheep, there are a bunch of them over there).  That was a play on words that our family does, so don?t worry if you didn?t get it.  Got in a power nap and waited for it to stop raining so we could go to the springs again.  When it let up we headed over and enjoyed the waters until the lightening, then we got out.  Stood under the awning for a bit to see if rain would let up for us to walk back.  Had dinner and played some cards while we waited for the rain to stop again.  Then Jim built the best fire ever and we made s?mores.  When the logs were down to the last little bit I threw the liquid from a citronella candle on the fire, boy does that flare up and we had a mini fire tornado.  Couldn?t believe how long it burned.  Won?t be doing that again.  Back inside to write the blog and guess what it is doing, yes, raining.  Need to get the WeBe straighten up to head out tomorrow, so TTFN.
 

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June 7, 2014 ? Day 18
Drove to Watson Lake today, a total of 143 miles.  Still beautiful scenery of aspen, lodge pole pine, paper birch and white spruce.  Didn?t have any steep uphill today.  Still on BC Hwy 97, when we went through to the Yukon it switched to Yukon Hwy 1.  There are several times that you go back and forth between BC and Yukon.  Wanted to stop at Whirlpool Canyon, but not adequate parking for us to get in and out safely.  This is where the Liard River and any debris in the water- swirls violently around a backwater created by the riverbank.  Sorry we couldn?t see it.  But we did see wood bison and 7 black bears.  Drove though Watson Lake to go to Baby Nugget RV Park.  Check-in and set up WeBe and headed back into town, about 10-12 miles.  Stopped at the ?Sign Forest?, which is amazing to see.  Over 78,000 postings as of 2013.  Everything from underwear with writing on it to specially made signs with names and dates or cities.  Lots of license plates.  I told Jim we should just take the front plate off WeBe and nail it up there (our license plate for WeBe is WeBe II).  But no go, we still have both front and back plates.  Went over to the Northern Lights Centre, which it sort of like a planetarium for their presentation of the Aurora Borealis.  Visited the Visitor Centre and Edie was most helpful with Yukon info.  Watch their video and saw their display.  Headed to the liquor store for my bottle of wine and for Jim to get a fishing license.  We are both set now.  After dinner and a couple glasses of wine I think we will head up to the restaurant for some pie and ice cream, yummy. So TTFN. 
 
We will be leaving NY July 1st. To follow your route. I am hopping we are not leaving too late. We plan to end up in Banf around Sept. 1st.
Like the part fishing.

Jim & Kathy.
 
June 8, 2014 ? Day 19
Woke to a cold wet rain.  Hard to get motivated to get outside and load everything for the day?s drive.  I was content to snuggle under the covers for a while longer.  But Jim insisted, so I got up.  By the time we were ready it was before 9 AM, pretty good for us.  Drove 251 miles today with lots of rolling hills and forest all around.  Rained most of the day, which meant the animals weren?t out, dang it.  We are still waiting to see our first caribou.  But we did have a real Alaskan Highway experience, we drove for about 10 miles on dirt/gravel, washboard road.  Jim became the master of dodging pot holes and boy is WeBe dirty now, not to mention the Blazer.  Good thing it was raining this morning or we were going to wash her.  For another day.  Drove past Teslin Lake, it is 86 miles long and 2 miles across.  Saw lots of other smaller lakes too.  Pulled into Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse around 2, checked in and filled WeBe, yikes that charged scared me.  Gas mileage today was only 7.5 miles to the gallon.  Drove into town to scout the area, most everything is on about 3 different streets.  Stopped at the Visitor Centre to figure out what we wanted to do and watched their video of the Yukon.  Found a radio station and can you believe it, it was the Focus on the Family station out of Colorado Springs.  Also we found the airport so we can pick Megan up on Tuesday afternoon, we are so excited to see her and share our experience with her.  So far we have traveled 2,930 miles so far and I can?t believe Jim isn?t ready to kill me yet, thank God.
TTFN
 
Hey Mick and Jim  I just love your adventures. I plan on getting out the map.  The Pictures are coming through and are great.  It'll be great when Megs gets there.  I Ditto Renee's playing Words with Friends if you want. We have had a bunch of rain and a few tornado's with 6 of them yesterday and rained like crazy. Sunny and cool today.  Love you guys.
 
Hi guys,
I really liked your picture of the hot springs.  I would love to sit there.
And the Sign Forest sounds intriguing.  Did a bunch of travelers just stick some bits and pieces in the ground?
And Megan's arrival will give you a third person in the card game - much better.
I think this mode of vacationing is suiting you guys nicely.
Don't forget to come home eventually.  Maybe you will have your quilt top done when you get home.  Can't wait to see it.
Keep on Keepin' On.
Renee
 
Whitehorse has the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre which is fascinating.  It covers the time when there was a land bridge between Asia and North America, a subject we don't learn much about.  When we were there it had a small caf? where we tasted Fireweed Jelly which was very good.  The Yukon Transportation Museum is nearby and it also is very interesting covering everything from sled dogs to float planes.

ArdraF
 
Thanks Adraf, we plan to hit those 2 spots tomorrow.

June 9, 2014 ?Day 20
Little late getting started this morning.  It felt good to sleep, like most mornings. Cloudless start to the day, it did get cloudy with a  sprinkle here and there.  Went to the suspension bridge in Miles Canyon, this goes over the Yukon River.  Back in the Gold Rush days this canyon was an ?imposing Canyon? because of the narrow channel through the canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids.  Now they have built a dam and the rapids are gone.  It?s a very deep and swift moving body of water.  The dam was built to provide hydro-electric power to Whitehorse in 1959.  They also had to build a fish ladder for the Chinook salmon to spawn up stream.  These salmon mature 2-5 years in the Bering Sea and when ready to spawn they swim upstream for 1,875 miles in 3 months.  It was pretty impressive.  Downtown we visited the SS Klondike, a sternwheeler used to send goods to Dawson City until the Alaskan Highway was built in 1942.  Interesting vessel, it only carried 32 paying 1st class passengers and a few who stayed in steerage.  Nicely restored with a dining room, day room and Sun deck.  Small quarters with limited bathroom facilities.  Is wasn?t a very long journey to Dawson City, 1.5 days down and 4 days against the current back to Whitehorse.
Had a little lunch at the Bakery and went over to the McBride Museum with lots of Yukon facts and the true story behind the poem ?The Cremation of Sam McGee?.  His cabin was on display along with a cabin for the Royal Mounted Police, a nice display of animals and First Nation artifacts.  We really enjoyed the museum.  Jim headed to the river for a little fishing and I went to get my nails done.  No one in this town has ever heard of silk nails.  They looked at me like I had two heads.  The young lady put a gel coat over my silk nails, I hope it works, it cost $57, I pay $25 at home.
Drove up to Fish Lake, we saw a couple of eagles and some fish rising.  But my stomach was growling and headed back to WeBe to eat.  Now it is time to do laundry and finish getting ready for Megan, yeah.
TTFN
 

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Here is a pic of a piece of art work we saw in the front yard of a house in Whitehorse, Yukon.  It is made out of bicycle tire rims.  It caught our eye. 
 

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You seem to be stopping at a lot of bakeries.....hhhmmmmmmm.

I just googled and read the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee".  Definitely, it had a surprise ending.  What is the true story about it?
So many fun facts and stories.

More please.
Renee
 
Hi Mick, Jim, and Megs,

Renee just came over to help me find you.  I guess I'd better get reading.  TTFN

AP
 
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