Skagway (Continued From Previous Post)

We now pick up as we leave Juneau for Skagway. The ferry time of 7am translate to a 5am check in. It was a warm and sunny day for the 6.5 hours trip.

The views on the way are breath taking.

Skagway sits in a valley and was the natural seaport for the gold miners to start their 1,500 mile land journey to the Klondike Gold Fields. Today it is the stopping off point for tour ships up to 30,000 folks on the street on any one day…today being one of those days. Back in 1898 there were over 80 saloons in town and today there are over 80 jewelry stores…

The history of Skagway is being told today by the National Park Service. The NPS theme for Skagway is similar to that of Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. The NPS has a strong presence here and has bought up part of the town to tell the story much the same as in Dawson City with the Yukon Government’s role. The two cities history link is the gold rush. Dawson City is the home for the Klondike gold and Skagway was the port of entry. In 1898 30,000 people with Gold Fever passed through the town on their way to Dawson City.

There has never been a major fire here so many of the buildings date back to founding days. They are tastefully restored and now house shops for the very large tourist trade. There are over 850,000 visitors each year by tour boat and only 15,000 visitors by ferry or land.

Where Dawson City was very safe and well protected by the Canadian Mounties Skagway was wide open. The original “bad guy” was Jeff (Soapy) Smith. A man named Frank Reid took him out in a shoot out becoming the town hero in 1898. Of course we had to visit the graves in the Miner’s Cemetery like everyone else.

The railroad played an important part in the history for Skagway. It is now a tour attraction. Back in May we signed up for the White Pass Meadows Steam Engine Tour. Highly recommend this trip…however if you are on a ship tour you get the better seats.

The photos tell the story of the journey to the Meadows and back again.

There is plenty of train history here. There are lots of places to hear the story.

Other train tour options are by the newer locomotives…

However I still like the old steam engines…

We did a side trip to Dyea, a town that no longer exists…a tour is provided by NPS. It was competing for the miner’s dollars with Skagway and played an interesting role in how Skagway developed. It is also the trail head for the infamous Chilkoot Trail used by the hordes of miners heading north. Today it is a popular three to five day hike. The views getting to Dyea were good and driving the one lane road along the cliffs kept your interest.

Is summer over? The Fireweed is done and is going to seed. This may be a sign to find a route and start heading south. Sadly tomorrow we are off to Whitehorse, YT and yes we will be leaving Alaska. The only way out of here by land is back north to the Alaskan Highway. The plan is to spend another month in Canada with the ultimate goal to experience the Canadian Rockies National Parks (Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay). We will be traveling south on the Cassiar Highway which will be another adventure all by itself. Plus there will be several side trips along the way. For those of you following the blog there will not be many more glacier pictures but you can expect more photos of the Canadian mountains.

The next post will be from Jasper in a couple of weeks.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

The Alaskan journey for Larry and Jan continues. The blog now picks up in Haines where we catch the ferry for our travels on the Inside Passage. This leg of the journey took us to Juneau, then Sitka, back to Juneau finishing up in Skagway. We did make the two day trip to Sitka with the truck but without the RV. Once again Alaska has exceeded our expectations. Our time here (17 days) went very fast with more than enough to hold our interest and keep us very busy. We truly enjoyed the experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. The lesson learned here was our RV is almost too large for this ferry system. The ferries generally load from the side and require tight turns getting on and off. The length of our truck and rig is 56FT which was right on the edge. It required some tight maneuvers that seemed quite unnatural. Leaving Juneau the crew was much better at positioning the loading and communicating the delicate maneuvers required. To make a very long story short…when we arrived in Juneau in order to get off I had to back off (about a quarter mile) and then with the tight turns the RV was actually hitting the cab of the truck. However once we were loaded and unloaded the ferries were a great experience. Our favorite stops were Sitka and Skagway in that order.

Haines is a nice little town. No real downtown however. There is a book here written by a resident called “If You Lived Here I Would Know Your Name” which about sums it up. The movie White Fang was shot near here and the set has been moved to the Fairgrounds. Fun little experience and they even had a micro-brewery. The local museums were ok. We had a nice trip along the Inlet out to Chilkoot Lake. The lake is fed by a glacier and empties into the Chilkoot River. The Salmon were running and the fishermen were hauling them in. We had three nights here which was more than enough.

Juneau was a bit different than I expected. In the summer there are over 30 tour ships a week so there are crowds of people. You can readily see the downtown theme is one that caters to the tour ship clientele. There are plenty of hiking and biking trails so one is able to get out and enjoy the area without the crowds.

Traveling to Juneau from Haines was late in the day and very overcast. The views along the waterway were still great but the photos are not outstanding. It was interesting for us to be back south and find that sun does set. The ferry was two hours late departing and we were the last one off the ferry. We ended the day parking the RV after midnight and in the dark.

We strongly recommend the Tracy Arm Fjord tour. We booked this trip back in May based on the reviews. It is a nine hour trip and even though it rained much of the time, it was still a great experience. On the tour you visit two of the Sawyer Glaciers. The pictures tell the story.

Two miles from our RV Park was the Mendenhall Glacier. It is easy to access. We spent three to four hours hiking the trails and enjoying the scenery. The visitor center has good resources and a show that is worthwhile.

Next was the trip to Sitka. We left early morning (up at 3am). It was a beautiful day as you can see from the photos.

It was fun being in Sitka. They only get five to six tour ships a week. The hotel we chose was the Westmark which was a decent choice. The view of the harbor from our room was one of the best things.

Russia played a key role in Sitka’s history. St Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church is right in the middle of the city. It still has a strong presence today. Finding your way around is interesting as the city follows the Tlingit trails of the past. We found the city very interesting and again wished we had one more day to tour the area.

The National Park System has done a good job telling the story of Sitka. The Russian’s Bishop House is where you can learn about the Russian side of history. The National Park Visitor Center tells the Tlingit story. Yes, there are plenty of totem poles to see.

Another recommendation is the Sheldon Jackson Museum. There are other museums in town but this one is the best (our opinion). Sheldon was a Christian Missionary. His collection of Native Artifacts from all over Alaska is outstanding. We had three hours and it was not nearly enough time to get through everything.

Juneau and Sitka are both in the Tongrass National Forest (a rain forest). We managed a hike and enjoyed the time on the trail. It is a very interesting area being very green with lots of moss everywhere.

All good things do end and we headed back to Juneau in the rain…

This is a long post so the decision is to break it up to make it more internet friendly. The Skagway portion of the trip continues in the next blog…

This section of the trip has taken us back inland. We truly enjoyed being along the coast for a bit. Following the route on the map you will see we started at Valdez then to Tok via the Richardson and Tok Cutoff Highways. Tok being the junction you come through both coming and leaving Alaska. After Tok we headed north on the Taylor Highway to Chicken. The RV got parked at the West Fork Campground (50 miles from Tok) while we made our way to Dawson City via the Top of the World Highway. After spending a couple of days in Dawson made our way back to Tok then East via the Alaskan Highway to Destruction Bay on Kluane Lake where we hung out for two days. This is a beautiful area. The final leg of the trip was to Haines Junction on the Alcan then South to Haines from Haines Junction. After Valdez there were four border crossings which are always different and sometimes can be interesting (…hopefully just entertaining). The weather and experiences were outstanding again. However the trip on the Alaska Highway in Yukon Territory was challenging. The frost heaves and pot holes were significant (much worse than in early June). We suffered some damage to the RV which made for a bad day on the road. However the Congdon Creek Park Territorial experience quickly put the Yukon back in our good graces!

The time on the Richardson and the Tok Cutoff Highway was outstanding. After learning about Kennicott Mines and Wrangell Mountain Park wished we had planned time for a visit. The Wrangell Mountain Volcano and Mt. Drum were spectacular from a distance.

Chicken was a fun, hokey and interesting stop over. The assessment was glad we did not stay there. The West Fork BLM campground was big rig friendly and close to the river.

The drive over the Top of World Highway was easier than expected (110 Miles from Chicken). We could have made it with the RV in tow. Going there was rain and fog. Coming back the views were much better with just a little haze. The Yukon portion of the highway was easy. The US section (about 40 miles) is very narrow and not as good shape. There are great views from the top along the entire stretch.

Dawson City exceeded our expectations for two days and needed a third. The history of the area is rich with stories and how the area evolved from boom to bust then a tourist area managed by the Yukon Territorial Government and the Canadian Park Service. The selection of tours, exhibits, performances are plentiful and we did all that time allowed. The buildings are interesting with an active restoration program. I could do an entire blog on just Dawson City and the Gold Rush but will let the pictures tell the story. Today there is still considerable dredging activity trying to sort out all of the remaining gold. The total gold mined from the area is over a billion dollars.

The Dempster Highway a 400 mile plus road to Inuvik ranks up there with the Dalton and Top of the World as a travel challenge. Although a trip to Inuvik was calling us we resisted the call and opted to do a short one day trip to the Tombstone Territorial Park (80 miles up the Dempster). Staying at the 5th Avenue Bed and Breakfast was a great experience, strongly recommended. However always needing a bit more coffee fix had to do the tailgate thing…

The side trip to the Tombstone Territorial Park was an exceptional experience (an easy day trip from Dawson). The lack of time seems to be a constant theme for this trip as there is always just one more hike that is calling us. The Goldside hike was outstanding. The views are breathtaking. We travelled the entire length of the park along the Dempster and enjoyed seeing the varied terrain.

Sighting wildlife (except at Diamond Tooth Gerties) seemed to be the exception. We did catch a couple of moose and a black Arctic Fox along the road.

Making our way to Haines we had to get back on the Alaskan Highway. We got to see the mountains this time (which were grand) that we had missed due to rain when we came into Alaska along this section of the road.

After seeing the Kluane Lake coming in to Alaska we had decided to stop on the way out. The lake is in a great setting and while we were there the weather was “picture perfect”. It was good to get away from the private RV parks and enjoy the Yukon Wilderness up close and personal.

I think I said that the mountains to Valdez on the Richardson Hwy was a favorite. We now have to update that to the mountains from Haines Junction to Haines are even better (if you do not mind very large hills with steep grades).

We are now settled in at the Hitch up RV Park in Haines. Looks like there will plenty to do here until we catch the ferry to Juneau.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

The Alaska adventure continues. The Alaskan State Flower is the Fireweed. The story goes once the Fireweed is completely blossom out to the top summer is over. The locals are already prepping for winter. Needless to say we will be out of here before the snow starts in October.

The trip to Valdez was an easy one day trip. The route out of Anchorage is the Glenn Highway. The north south road into Valdez is the Richardson Highway. It has some nice mountains to climb but it is only 3,000 feet at the highest point. The road has lots of history starting with the early days with the Gold Mining rush. Note the poles along the side of the road which get completed buried at times in the winter with the 900 plus inches of snow each year. We are told that it almost is like driving through a tunnel. That being said it was one of our most scenic drives to date. The scenery here just keeps getting better.

Found another nice RV park, well maybe not as nice as we had on Kenai. It is in a great setting but does look a lot like a gravel parking lot.

The harbor here is large. This is a fishing area both commercial and sports. The seafood here reminds me of Newfoundland’s fare. The Halibut, Salmon (three different kinds) and Shrimp just melt in your mouth! Sunday we did a church service on a tour yacht that was very nice.

We did our share of museums. There is a lot of history here with the Exxon Valdez oil spill 20 years ago and the Good Friday Earth Quake in 1964. The quake and the resulting tsunami devastated many of the coastal towns. The original Valdez town was located in an area that had to be abandoned as it fell 9 feet during the quake. The town folks had completed the moved and the old town was torch by the end of 1966.

There is a daily show at the river by the fish hatchery. A mother Grizzly with four cubs (this is their second summer) comes three times a day to feed on the Salmon. On a way to a hike we caught their show along with many other folks who were there with camera in hand. The odds of a bear with four cubs is very rare and the fact that all four survived a year is phenomenal. It was very fascinating to watch them and see the different personality of each of the cubs.

Again more view pictures. There are over 100,000 glaciers in Alaska and I am sure I have missed a couple already.

Next we are off to the “Top of the World Highway”. We will be staying near a town called Chicken. The story goes town folks wanted to call it Ptarmigan (the State Bird) but they did not know how to spell it so they settled for Chicken. Needless to say they are leveraging that into a theme for tourist. We will be staying a couple of night in Dawson City in a B&B back in the Yukon Territory where we will do a side trip to the Tombstone Territorial Park. From Chicken we also do side trip to Eagle a native village off the beaten trail.

Living on the road and seeing this great country is the good life.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

This Alaska adventure is exceeding our expectations in so many ways. It is clear now why folks keep coming back. My hope is you like pictures…to date the count is 6,150 (not to worry, I did not post all of them). The views here are so spectacular. On the numbers side of the trip (remember I have the MBA mentality) the gallon count for diesel fuel is 775 traveling 8,400 miles in 60 days. We are half way through our planned trip and we are finding time goes way too fast when you are on the road. Everywhere we go we find new adventures. Jan and I find traveling will broaden ones perspective of the world and outlook on life.

The next leg of our trip was to the Kenai Peninsula for 19 days where we covered 1,300 miles. We had heard from others who had been here that it was a must do. For the most part the itinerary was open ended. Included is a map of our route starting in Anchorage then Kenai, Homer, Seward and ending up back at Anchorage. The weather was great, with outstanding RV sites settings.

We started and ended in Anchorage which is a great place to restock food and fuel. There is a fun downtown. There are flower displays everywhere. The long summer days support a fast and aggressive growing season. We did a tour of the Alaskan Botanical Gardens which (in my estimation) looks better online than in person. Our RV site here was at the Alyeska Ski Resort 40 miles south. The route back and forth along the Cook Inlet (Turnagain Arm) was spectacular which by the way is home for the Beluga Whales.

We had the good fortune to find great places to stay on the Peninsula.

The RV Park in Kenai was on a high bluff overlooking the Cook Inlet, affectionately called Beluga Overlook. There are big tide changes so the walk on the beach was always different. This is a big fishing area for commercial and sports fishing. One night we saw at least 35 commercial fishing boats returning to harbor. Of course I found another great seafood outlet. The last day we were there the Alaskan Resident Dip Netting season began. The picture was taken in the first hour the season opened. By the end of season in three weeks over 30,000 folks descend on the City of Kenai hoping to take home big catches. From our site we could see Mt. Redoubt a volcanic mountain which is part of the Ring of Fire chain which extends from New Zealand to the Aleutian Island in Alaska. As a side note, we are getting accustomed to daylight all the time…

The City of Homer has several RV parks on the Spit along Kachemak Bay. Long story made short, a Spit is a sand bar created by Glaciers. We found another great park on the beach where we could see a glacier in the distance. There are so many Eagles ever where but we never get tired of trying to capture just one more photo shot.

In Seward we stayed at a rustic campground about 5 miles out. The setting was Resurrection Bay on a fun beach with mountain and water views. The salt water killed the trees here and the remaining stumps are petrified now by the salt water…great photo opts. Our RV park, Miller’s Landing on Lowell Point, is a great place to rent Kayaks, a fishing boat or to catch a water taxi to your site of choice. All our RV parks worked nicely as a base camp for launching other adventures.

We got to explore the Kenai National Refuge which includes about 25 percent of the peninsula. We did a fun walk with the Mosquitoes.

Another personal record was set for us when we went to Anchor Point the most Westerly Road Point in North America. Ironically, last year at this time we were at Cape Spear in Newfoundland, the most Easterly Point in NA.

There is a strong Russian influence on Kenai. Checked out two noted Russian Churches in Nikolaevsk and Ninilchik…lots of character!

Great view of Mt. Iliamna another Ring of Fire Volcano which is One of “The Four Sleeping Giants” along the coast of Alaska.

Lots of nice bike trails in all the communities. Here is a picture I took along the trail of a boat graveyard near Homer.

Anyone who comes to Homer has to go to the Salty Dawg Tavern.

If you are ever in Homer check out the Skyline Drive, a drive where it is hard to keep your eyes on the road.

Highly recommend anyone who comes to Seward to check out the Alaskan Sealife Center. This is an easy way to spend half a day.

The hike to the Harding Ice Field along the Exit Glacier is a top ten pick for us. However we did find the 9 mile hike challenging as we made our way to the top, a 3,000 foot climb. Rather than go into too much detail here will let the pictures tell the story.

For our top ten events rating, the Kenai Fjord Tour may end up being number one. The tour is a nine hour journey to the Northwestern Glacier. We left Seward through Resurrection Bay traveling 100 miles to the glacier. The glacier was impressive but so was the wildlife. We got to see Hump Back Whales up close and personal. The experience included Porpoises, Stellar Sea lions, Orca Whales, Sea Otters and lots of birds. Again I think the pictures will give you a snap shot of the experience.

Looking back we did a lot in those 19 days on Kenai. There is way too much to post in one blog. Not knowing what to expect, I think we did it about right. There is always more thing to do and see if you have the time. This part of Alaska is very different from the interior. Personally Jan and I just enjoy being along the water.

We now move on to Valdez for four days. Heard great things about the area and looking for to another Alaskan experience.

More to come…

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

Denali proved to be an interesting and a learning experience. It is a true wilderness (for the most part) with a historic management objective to keep it that way. The general public areas we found congested and somewhat limiting for our taste. Overall it was a good experience but much different than we originally expected.

There is one road into the park and only one which is 92 miles in length to access the park’s six million acres. The road is highly restricted. The public can only drive in the first 15 miles. There is a campground (Teklanika) at mile 29 which you can drive to but you cannot use your own transportation once you get there. I tried to get a site there about a month ago but none were available for our timeframe. Riding a bus to get anywhere was a major mindset shift for us. It took some time to learn how to deal with it but in the end grew to accept that is the way it is. The For us we did not find the well marked accessible hiking or backpacking trails that you find in the lower 48. There are marked trails near the entrance but for the most part were fairly short and more in the flatlands along the rivers.

There are green shuttle buses which come with drivers that will provide info along the way and will stop to view wildlife. They also will drop you off almost anywhere along the road and then you flag down a bus when you want to return. There are the tan buses which are narrated with different themes and objectives. There were over 40 buses on the road at any one time. We also got to experience the hordes of folks from various bus, ship and train tours near the main visitor center which made it seem more like downtown America.

In retrospect Jan and I both came away glad that we did it. However at this time it is not calling us back. Our recommendation is Denali is something that everyone should experience. There are many other options here in Alaska that can provide for a better “hands on” experience, at least for us. The most exciting part was getting to see and photograph Mt McKinley. However only 30% of the people who visit Denali ever get to see the mountain due to the weather limiting the visibility.

All the shuttles leave from the Wilderness Access center which is different from the main visitor center and run by a concession vendor. We had booked three days on the green buses. The first trip was to Wonder Lake an 85 mile trip one way with duration of 11 hours. The average speed is 20 MPH. At the Wonder Lake destination you are near the base of Mt McKinley. As luck would have it our trip was hampered by all the smoke from the many forest fires, low hanging clouds and rain (we were part of the 70% club). The visibility for the entire day was very limited with no view(s) of McKinley. The word we got from J.J., our bus driver, was the Mosquitoes are the worse that they have ever been in the park and the Wonder Lake experience confirmed the fact. We sat at Wonder Lake for the allotted 20 minutes in the rain and fighting the Mosquitoes…wondering why we were there! At the end of the day we were both exhausted and crashed early that night. The highlight of the day was the interaction with J.J. a young man who truly loves and lives the rustic Alaskan Life-style.

We both agreed that we could not do a second day on the bus. It proved to be a good call as it rained and there was still a lot of smoke. Our third day tickets were to Eielson a visitor center at mile 66 leaving at 6:15am with a duration of 8 hours. Our RV park was 30 minutes out so we had to be out of bed by 4am. The good thing is the sun never sets so it is always daylight so getting going in the morning is easier. It was a windy day which blew away the smoke (and Mosquitoes) and the sun came out for much of the day. This was a totally different experience being able to see and photograph the mountains. On day three we joined the 30% club… Yes, I got the T-Shirt!

Our bus driver on the third day was Kat. She is a transplant from the lower 48. We sat near the front and got to know her quite well. She entertained us all day with her life in Alaska stories. The road can be a scary at times especially when you are on the outside of the road on a cliff with no guard rail. Half of the Park Road is one lane through the mountains with pull outs and switch backs. There are plenty of rustic pit stops along the way. There are designated places to stop to take pictures and the drivers will stop to let you take pictures of wildlife but only out the bus window.

We saw wildlife, many times at a great distance as you can see from the pictures.

The park has 30 sled dogs. They use them to patrol the park as well as take construction supplies to the various sites in the winter. There are three demonstrations daily which are fun and very informative. This is a must do event.

What a difference a day makes! The mountains and rivers are spectacular. I had a picture hanging in my office for many years of the Teklanika River. Getting to see the river in person was rewarding. The other major river is the Toklat. All braided rivers which tend to be shallow with many different streams. The rivers are all fairly white from the silt from the melting glaciers. I took over 500 pictures during our three days in the park. All I can say is Mt McKinley is impressive. The Athabasca’s called the mountain Denali (large one) which is where the Park gets its name. Many locals still refer to it as Denali and not McKinley but that is another story.

What more can I say! The assessment at the end of the day is we have had another great adventure. The sheer size and natural beauty of the park is breathtaking. Jan and I both think visiting the park should be on everyone’s bucket list.

The time has come to move on. The next leg of our journey will be to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Some of the places on the list are Anchorage, Kenai/Soldotna, Homer, Seward and Whittier. We will be on the Peninsula for 19 days with camera in hand; the bikes/kayaks polished and are ready to take on more of the Alaskan outdoors. More to come….

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

It is mind-boggling how fast time flies on the road. We left Traverse City on May 20th and sadly nearly one-third of our planned time on the road is already gone. We have logged over 6,500 miles with plans to cover much more. Fairbanks was the right place for us to change gears from the aggressive road schedule to style where we can stop and smell the roses! Yes, they have lots and lots of wild roses here in the North Country. The stay in Fairbanks has been eight days and if we had the time we would stretch it a few more. The RV Park was a sound strategic location and has worked out even better than we had expected. Jan and I have found that the city is a lot like any big city but it still has the rustic Alaskan look and feel. I was complaining about an event that I thought was a bit lame to a local. He told me to get with the program. This is Alaska and being outside and enjoying the wilderness is what is important! Message received…

Although this part of the journey was a place to catch our breath we have managed to explore the area extensively. The Antler Arch downtown is where many pictures are taken by those passing through. There is a nicely done waterfront with lots to do and see. It has been hot while we are here according to local standards. We have found it to be quite pleasant and although it is hot there is no humidity. The bikeway here is impressive. I took advantage by doing several nice long bike rides. It was an easy five mile shot to downtown which we did several times. I was able to launch the kayaks right from the RV Park and enjoyed my time on the river.

When we were in Coldfoot Camp they served a beer called Coldfoot Ale from the Silver Gulch Brewery. Of course since we were in Fairbanks, I had to check it out. They do a good job.

Fairbanks has an outstanding visitor center and cultural museum. We really enjoyed our time there and would recommend it as a must do.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a fine cultural museum. We hit it just right and got a behind the scenes tour with one other couple. The museum has a lot to offer and we could have spent more time there as well.

So far on this trip our Sunday schedule did not match either time or place to take in a local church. We finally made it work here at the Zion Lutheran Church. It was a very dynamic upbeat experience both with the worship service and the outgoing members of the congregation.

Of course checking out farmer’s markets is always a favorite pastime for us.

The “big” annual event here is the summer solstices Midnight Sun Festival. It ran from noon to midnight and there were thousands of people. Lots of vendors with crafts, food, services and yes some political booths as well.

Fairbanks answer to a theme park is Pioneer Village. It was a great place to spend an afternoon. There are plenty of shops and museums. The park was created for the Fairbanks Centennial in 1967 using old buildings from downtown.

We did a trip out/up to the Chena Hot Springs. There was not enough time to take it in but there are plans to catch a hot springs or two later in the trip. The springs are located in the Chena State Recreation Area. They have some good hiking opportunities and we were looking for a good challenge. The selected trail was the Angel Rock Trail which climbs over 1,000 foot in the first mile. It was a great hike where we needed our new bug jackets to protect us from the hordes of mosquitoes. Once we got above the tree line we were good but getting there was a challenge. We also found out that we need to do a bit more training before the “next” challenge. Great views made the trip very worthwhile.

We found several moose grazing in the river. They kept getting closer so we had to move on…

We will miss Fairbanks with all it hills and mountains. That being said Denali is calling us. We leave in the morning for four days. Reservations are made for the Cantwell RV Park and the Denali Shuttle Bus. The park campgrounds are filled so we end up driving 30 minutes every day. We plan to spend three days in the park. We hope the weather holds for hiking and some good photo opts for Mt. McKinley.

More later after we check Denali off our to do list…

God bless,

Larry and Jan

The Dalton Highway leg of our journey was one of those on and off again ideas. There is a lot written about this highway (highway being a very loose term). There are little or to no services and the theory is you are on your own and left to your own devices to solve any problems you might encounter. In talking with others who had made the trip it was never clear if this would be a good thing or a bad thing. My take away now after making the trip is you either love it or hate it, there is no in between. As we were pulling out of the RV park to start the trip we talked with a couple who had just returned and they said it was the worst thing that had ever happened to them. Of course he had to show us his two flat tires and the story of getting replacements. I had already purchased a second (heavy duty) spare tire. The night before had talked to a couple who had made the trip several times and he challenged us as to why we would think we would need a second spare?

To make a long story very short, it was an excellent experience. It was the right decision to go but will never make the trip again, well never is a long time! No, we did not need the extra tire. With our auxiliary fuel tank we have a range of over 650 miles. Many folks have to carry extra fuel in containers as Coldfoot is the only place to get low sulfur diesel fuel which is 250 miles out. I think the truck took the washboard road and bumps better than we did. The scenery was spectacular, wildlife was everywhere, the road was bumpy, dusty, muddy, and rocky, the mosquitoes plentiful and found the folks we encountered along the way do not fit into any one box easily. The lodging options limited to work camps at $200 a night came with outstanding food prepared by various chefs. I could devote an entire blog to the lodging and meal experiences.

Our staging area for the trip was the Rivers Edge RV Park in Fairbanks. It is located on the Chena River and just a couple of miles from downtown. The park had sites where we could hook up water and electric and could leave the RV as we headed north. Actually we should have had another day to prep as living out of the truck for three days took a bit more turn-around time than we had planned.

The Dalton highway begins 90 miles north of Fairbanks. It is 414 miles in length with Coldfoot at mile 175 and Prudhoe Bay at 414. The road was built in 1974 in five months to provide supplies for the construction and continued operations of the Alaskan Pipeline.

You cross the Arctic Circle at mile 299.5. This of course is a photo opt stopping location.

The first night and third night we stayed at the Coldfoot Camp. Here you are able to buy fuel, great food, get beer called Coldfoot and have a place to spend the night. Here we had our own bathroom, twin beds and lots of mud and Mosquitoes. Across the Dalton from Coldfoot is an interagency facility for the BLM, US Field and Wildlife and the US Park Service. It is a very nice facility with displays and staffed with knowledgeable interpreters. We attended their nightly program going and coming back.

If you find Coldfoot service basic wait until you see Deadhorse Camp. Coming into Deadhorse saw this run down building and told jan I have a bad feeling about this. Well it ended up that is where we had booked. Once inside it was not too bad. The food was outstanding…the room very basic…the bathroom down the hall and around the corner but with no Mosquitoes. The mud was everywhere and you were required to take your shoes off, the same as Coldfoot. There are no keys so you could not lock your room door. We had the opportunity to talk with lots of interesting folks all who were there for different reasons. I guess if there was a common theme it was the journey was the driver, not the destination.

Purdhoe Bay became Deadhorse when the zip code was assigned. Most of the folks who stay/live here call it Prudhoe Bay. The area is 1,000 square miles all devoted to the oil drilling operations. Just industrial complexes with one store and several housing camps.

There is a visitor center at the Yukon River. It has information on the pipeline and what to expect along the highway. The Yukon River carries 60% of the water in the North and ends at the Bering Sea.

Traveling the Dalton you get to see and have plenty of opportunities to learn about the Alaskan Pipeline. It was built 1974 to 1977. It extends 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. You are never far from it along the highway. The area has permafrost so it was a good opportunity to see and to learn more about it. New think for me was the pipeline cannot go below ground where there is permafrost as the oil is 180 degrees when it leaves Prudhoe Bay as it would have a negative thawing affect. As a side note the oil is 115 when it reaches Valdez.

We took the tour to the Arctic Ocean. This is a restricted area and you have to have security clearance to make the trip. The highlight is we got to wade in the Arctic Ocean. The tour was informative as it was narrated with lots of behind the scenes information.

We always had dinner at the camps. For breakfast and lunch we ate on the road again sharing our time with the Mosquitoes.

There was plenty of wildlife. We got to see the Musk OX and Caribou. Jan had logged over 500 Caribou who migrate to the area in the summer. There are lots of ground squirrels (bear food) and we saw two moose crossing the road. It had been our hope to have a bear encounter somewhere along the trail.

The big surprise of the trip was the scenery. It was magnificent, ever changing and a true wilderness. Once again we captured several hundred pictures and here are a few selected somewhat at random.

The badge of honor for the Dalton Highway is a mud covered vehicle. You can tell who made the trip by the how dirty and the color of the mud. I am still working on getting rid of the mud and salt…which may now be a permanent part of the truck and a support for the lasting memory of the trip.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

Our Northwest Territories trip on the Mackenzie Highway ended in Peace River, Alberta. Once we left the Decho Trail we were ready and anxious to take on the Alaskan Highway sometimes known as the ALCAN. That being said after the 9 days and 2,000 miles of the NWT we were ready for a day off from driving. I guess you would call it a mental health time out. Reservations were made at the Mile 0 RV Park in Dawson Creek for two days. We had allocated 8 days to the ALCAN leg which had two extra days built in for “that” unknown adventure. The ALCAN was much easier to drive than we thought (or was led to believe) and most days covered around 300 miles. There were many construction delays along the way most stopping you for no more than 10 to 15 minutes. It eased one’s mind (after the Decho Trail) to know the next service was 50 to 100 miles instead of 150 to 200 miles. The towns along the way had a lot to offer with plenty of little side trips to make it interesting. The scenery was outstanding and so spectacular (at least to me) it was hard to keep your eyes on the road. I now understand why people keep coming back. After Peace River we stayed in Dawson Creek, BC; Fort Nelson, BC; Watson Lake, BC; Whitehorse, YT; Tok, AK; and the last night was near Delta Junction, AK. The final day into Fairbanks was 100 miles. Including the little side trips this leg of our journey covered over 1,600 miles. Just enough rain to be annoying to the photography aspect of the trip otherwise it was perfect.

The Alaska Highway starts at Dawson Creek, BC and ends in Delta Junction, AK at mile post 1422 with another 100 miles into Fairbanks for a total of 1,500 miles. . Yes, there are mile posts everywhere. You will find most ads for services along the ALCAN have mile post numbers included. If you ever make the trip to Alaska buy a copy of the Milepost publication. It provides a very detailed account/analysis of the road and ever thing along the way. We are also using “Traveler’s Guide to Alaskan Camping” which also does a nice job of providing info without the blow by blow detail found in the Milepost. Both publications have their place.

It was cool to learn more about the ALCAN. It was initially built as a military highway in response to Pearl Harbor. I had to buy the book but did not get the T-shirt. The road was approved by Congress on February 14, 1942 and completed by November 20, 1942 with the help of thousands of military personnel and outside contractors. It was opened to the public in 1948 and has been undergoing continuous improvement since that time. The US actually started building the highway without the Canadian’s approval. We have seen that comment many times along the way. After WWII the US turn over their interest in the highway to the Canadian Government. All is well that ends well.

A highlight of the highway was seeing wild life. One day we saw five black bears just hanging out along the road. The highway has no shoulders so if there is traffic you cannot stop to take a picture hence no bear pictures. Other sightings were buffalo, Stone Sheep and Moose. One of the highlights of the trip was the Sign Forest in Watson Lake, BC. It was started by an engineer working on the road in 1942. The sign forest now has over 72,000 signs. The plan is for us to hang ours on the way to Juneau in August. We bumped into a fascinating Alaskan State Park historic site called Rika’s Road House. We stayed the night where we caught up on local history about Rika, her road house and the interesting folks of her time from the turn of the century to the 60’s. She was over 90 when she died. Whitehorse, Yukon Territory is where we ended up using the other extra day. Whitehorse is the capital for the Territory. Total population in the Territory is 35,000 and over 60% live in Whitehorse. There is a lot to do here with well done museums, displays, trails and a nice downtown. We ran out of time so now plan to stop on the way back through. When we started four months seemed like it might be too much time…that is not the case.

What more can I say, it is all about the view. Here are some pictures selected from the several hundred that I took. There are so many pictures sorting them all out will have to wait until we get back in Michigan. Here is a little glimpse into life along the Alaskan Highway.

Here is proof positive that we made it to Alaska. The River’s Edge RV Park is working out great for us. The plan was to get the Alaskan Highway update posted before we left for Prudhoe Bay. However there just was not enough time. Stay tuned for an account of that adventure which will follow next.

God bless,

Larry and Jan

Yes, we made it to The Northwest Territories (NWT). This leg of our journey grew from a concept to being a reality relatively quickly. There was an attraction and a bit of mystery that drew us to the far north. In this post assessment period, it is still considered a worthwhile adventure and we would do it again given the chance. We found it to be a very unique part of the world. The culture is fascinating as it is a blend of native Canadians and white folks (the label given to outsiders). The vast natural resources of the land and the history of inhabitants living off the land for generations are impressive.

The loop route we took is the Deh Cho which is named after the Mackenzie River. Deh Cho is Slavey Dene (Native Canadian Tribe) for big river. This is a wilderness/remote route with about 1/3 being unpaved. It is 800 miles starting in the Peace Valley in Alberta and ending at the Alaskan Highway in British Columbia. We were not able to do the entire loop due to a major washout and a temporary bridge which is unsafe for large rigs. Since we could not do the loop we decided on a side trip to Yellowknife (over 700 miles round trip from the loop).

Going north from Edmonton the flat farming terrain gives way to hills, rocks and pine trees. Our first night we stayed at Peace River which is named after the river. The trip down into the valley was very steep and never seemed to end. There we found the town folks extremely friendly and very talkative. We kept hearing about 12 foot Davis, a local legend so we had to take his pictures. Actually he was only five seven in real life and yes, he is a legend.

The next day we passed into the NWT at the 60th Parallel which is now documented by a certificate from the visitor center. Next overnight stop after a 400 mile day was Twin Falls Territorial Park. There were two nice falls on the Hay River. The water levels were high and the river was fast. There were traces of snow and lots of water falls from the melting snow off the cliffs. The park manager was from the Dene Tribe and was very personable. He gave us lots of information on the Native Canadians and their culture both present and past. Jan said she could talk to him all day.

The trip to Yellowknife was 350 miles. There is a new bridge, only a year old, which replaced the ferry service. Yellowknife is the capital of NWT (1967) and became a city in 1970. Gold was mined there for forty years. When the gold started to run out, diamonds were found in 1991 and Yellowknife is now a leader in the world Diamond production. The NWT has 45,000 total population with over one half being residents of Yellowknife. The old part of town is called the “Rock” and actually a small island which “is” all rock. There is new development referred to as “New Town”. Once outside of the city limits it becomes wilderness quickly…of course pictures included.

The old part of town is very crowded, dense and can be a bit on the seedy side at times. There are lots of small shops and does retain a connection to the past. It attracts tourists and is in the process of being redeveloped. Jan found a large Inukshuk there so we had to take a picture.

Houseboats are one thing you would never expect to find in the far north. There are lots of them and they come in all sizes and colors. The inhabitants have to leave them in the fall when the ice forms and again when it breaks up in the spring. Otherwise they are year round lodging. Looks like fun if you like boon docking and living on the water. You see lots of float planes used for regional travel. The city does have a large airport with helicopter and jet service.

The roads in NWT are in fairly rough shape. There are lots of frost heaves and sections where the pavement has been removed. At the end of the day you find things have moved around in the RV from all the jostling. Drank lots of coffee to stay alert as some of the major dips and bump are marked but many are not. The road to Yellowknife goes through a Buffalo Reserve. We saw lots of them grazing by the side of road which gave us many photo opportunities. There are many small lakes along the entire loop with water fowl and Muskrats houses to keep one entertained.

We spent three nights in Yellowknife before moving on to Hay River for two more. Hay River is the older city having been around since the 50’s (Population 3,800), second largest city in NWT. There are only the two cities of any size in NWT. Hay River came in to its own being the rail terminus for the region. The city use to be a shipping and fishing center connected by all the rivers that converge there as well as the Great Slave Lake. The town has fallen on hard times since the road was built. At the shipping terminal I counted 12, there may be more, rusting ships now permanently dry docked.

We stopped back in Peace River to catch up with the “friendly” folks we met on the way up. As you can see from the pictures there was rain for both our Peace River stops. We did manage a camp fire the last night between the rain clouds although you cannot see the fire in the picture, it is there.
Dawson Creek, British Columbia is home for two nights before taking on the Alaskan Highway. Dawson Creek is mile 0 for the Alcan. We arrived yesterday afternoon. The first thing to do was to give the RV and the truck a bath so we could find out what colors they were. Today is restocking, laundry, catching up on email, posting to the internet and planning the next week. It is a 1,500 drive to Fairbanks and we expect to be there in one week (June 14).

Life on the road is good. So far no major issues that we could not solve. The NWT tour is now logged and we are ready to take on the next leg of the Alaskan Journey.

Hope all is well with everyone out there…

God Bless,

Larry and Jan