961 June 19, 2023 Animals Free And In The Wild

I only had a brief walk this morning; a couple of laps in the campground.  We had a long drive ahead of us today. And I guess I took too long to get myself up and out there!

We had only gone a short distance when we saw a caribou trotting along the road.  He clambered easily up the bank and was quickly out of sight.

We are traversing through the northern Canadian Rockies.  This portion of the Alaska Highway is the prettiest.  Mountains and creeks and streams and rivers and lakes and waterfalls and wildlife! 

We saw a juvenile elk near the Toad River.

Mountain views.

Turquoise tinted rivers.

Water dripping from rock ledges.

We saw a moose running in the riverbed below.

At Muncho Lake, the stone sheep were right near the road.  They were eagerly munching at something in the gravel…not sure what but I know that the sheep are attracted to mineral licks here.

We stopped at the Liard River.

Soon after, we saw three black bears foraging in the vegetation along the highway…only have pictures of two of the three!

Then we saw a fox.

Then another bear.

We stopped for lunch at a turnout.

At Allen’s Lookout we walked to the scenic overlook.  The Liard River runs below.  It is said that bandits used this as a lookout point to spot river boats and then rob them.

We pulled out and saw another black bear and then #6 on the east side walking in the ditch…missed the picture of #6.

#7 was on the crossing the road.

We passed Contact Creek where the two regiments charged with completing the Alaska Highway met in September of 1942.  One crew had worked their way south and the other had started in Dawson Creek and worked northward.

We saw our first grizzly bear.  He was lying in a roadside depression licking his paws.  We didn’t realize what we were seeing until it was too late to get a picture.

At 3pm we entered the Yukon Territory; “Larger than life!”  We traveled on to the town of Watson Lake.  We stopped for diesel fuel and then sat in the parking lot to post the blog and check messages and email.  We had been out of service range for about a day and a half.

Further down the road, we saw a post office and stopped for stamps to mail postcards to loved ones at home.

We passed the sign forest but didn’t stop this time.

It was after 5pm when we arrived at the Yukon Government Watson Lake Campground after traveling 3.5 miles on a gravel road.  It is lovely and inexpensive.  There are no hookups but that’s okay.  The forecast is for 41 degrees tonight but we will use the propane furnace and be cozy and warm enough.

We walked to the lake.

We grilled salmon and I made Vicki’s Summer Lemon Potato Salad to go with it…YUM!

We are sitting outside by the fire with a glass of wine.  I am going to shut down the computer and relax and enjoy the sound of the wind in the pines.

We love seeing animals; free and in the wild!

960 June 18, 2023 Summit Lake

It rained all night and this morning the skies were leaden.  I put on lots of layers and then wore Tim’s bright yellow raincoat; prepared to walk in the rain.  There were a few drips, but by the time I got back, the sky was turning blue.

We drove out of town and it wasn’t long before I saw a mother black bear and a cub down the bank and on the edge of the forest.

We saw a second solitary black bear along the roadside.

As we climbed, the mountains began to appear in the distance.  The views were spectacular.  This was a pretty ride. 

We stopped at the Testa River to stretch our legs.

We had intermittent rain and as we reached higher elevations, the rain was slushy.

We had stayed at Stone Mountain Provincial Park at Summit Lake 5 years ago on our last trip to Alaska.  This is the highest point on the Alaska Highway.  It was such a special place that we decided that we wanted to celebrate our 40^th anniversary here. 

We took the Jeep for a ride.

We got out to hike in Baba Canyon.  This trail required crossing the water on large boulders.  The rushing water was crystal clear.  The trail was a little challenging but fun.  We hiked until the trail required rock scrambling and then we turned back.

View on the way back.

Lady slipper orchids.

We hiked again at the Erosion Pillars Trail.  It began to rain fairly hard and we turned around.  We were wet when we got back to the Jeep.

We rested awhile and waited for the weather to improve.  We were up in the clouds and the mountain peaks seem to have their own weather system.  It was 44 degrees and nippy!

We went back out to hike the Summit Peak Trail across from the campground.  We went about ¾ mile when it began to rain again.  We did have a really cool view of the campground and the lake below.

Or our dinner we had a nice meal of tilapia with a garlic lemon butter sauce with capers and mushrooms.

We went back out on the Jeep to look for critters.  The sky was gorgeous.

We saw this pair of young caribou walking in the road.

This evening, we toasted: “To so many things.”  We are so blessed to be together, to have worked together for the past 40 years to raise a family and run a business.  We are grateful to be able to travel together and share this grand adventure.  Isn’t that what life is about after all?  We are lucky to have one another and we are happy to be enjoying this ride!

959 June 17, 2023 Rolling Road

This morning was cool and sunny and perfect for walking.  I walked to the highway and then to the river.  I didn’t walk into the wilderness by myself…only a short nature trail in the campground.

We wrapped the Jeep with a windshield cover.  Last time we travelled here, we had a lot of chips and then a crack.  Maybe this time we can avoid having to replace the glass.

We drove over the Peace River.  This metal grate bridge is the longest water span on the Alaska Highway.

This gas pipeline crosses the river here as well.

We passed through Fort St. John where we spent another $200.00 on fuel.  Tim found a small farmstand and bought some excellent “real” strawberries.

We passed through a couple of fire ravaged areas. 

We passed miles and miles of Conoco Phillips oil harvesting operations and all the housing and infrastructure to support the industry.

Our phone did issue a message:  Wildfire warning affected area ahead; proceed with caution.  We saw no evidence of fire or smoke.  We did see a couple of helicopters carrying buckets.

We passed the Sikanni River RV Park.  On June 14^, 2018, we met Lee and Claudia in this campground.  They have become great friends to us in the intervening years.  They are already here in Alaska and we are going to find a way to connect somewhere along the road!

Our ride today looked like this:

We arrived at the Triple G Hideaway RV Park in late afternoon.  Tim took a walk and a tour of Fort Nelson Heritage Museum.

I took a short walk and browsed the gift shop.

We decided to have dinner at the campground restaurant.  The food was surprisingly good!

Bar stool.

It is our plan to camp at Summit Lake tomorrow.  There will be no internet service there and so we will catch up the blog when we can.

958 June 16, 2023 Alaska Highway

My walk consisted of laps around the adjacent parking lots.  I stopped at Walmart and got milk and I also stopped at Tim Horton’s for coffee.

The farmland and gently rolling hills of yesterday were replaced by dense forests of tall pines.  The sawmill in Whitecourt was busy with tractor trailers hauling loads of long logs.

Route 43 out of town is also known as “Moose Row.”  We did see a bunch of deer way too close to the highway…but no moose yet!

We traveled through Valleyview and Grand Prairie where as the names suggest, the vistas were wide open.  The road was really rough and bumpy and Tim drove straddling the white line as the truck drivers ahead were doing. 

The sky was heavy with clouds and by the time we got to Grand Prairie, it was raining.  It was unfortunate because there were lots of nice trails and parks that we might have enjoyed.  We parked at the Visitor Center and took a break.  Tim went for a walk and I took a nap! 

43 west toward Dawson Creek was a smoother road and we began to see some bits of blue sky. 

We stopped at the Visitor Center at the beginning of the Alaska Highway.  Alaska is 1,023 miles from here.

The town of Beaverlodge is “A place to build dreams!”

We passed an elk farm.

We decided to stay at Peace Island Park tonight.  We needed a full hookup site after dry camping the last two.  Load two of laundry is already in progress.  Tim took his bike to explore.  I took a walk in the park.  It was windy but mild. After dinner we took the Jeep and sat down by the river and then we went exploring.

957 June 15, 2023 Fixing Things

We were ready to pull into the shop at 7am. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t accommodate us until 9am.  We then waited in the very comfortable lounge in huge leather recliners.  There was TV and a very nice coffee maker.  We even had our own bathroom.  We used their WIFI and spent a lot of time on our phones.  It was cold and rainy and very windy and so we were content to be inside. 

At noon, we took the Jeep out to lunch at the Granary Kitchen. 

Barrie was a great mechanic and he kept us informed with every step in the process of diagnosing and then fixing the cracked connector hoses for the diesel exhaust system. 

By 4pm, he had finished.  We paid and we were on our way!

We traveled north to Edmonton where we stopped at The Tire Spot.  The Jeep had been showing low tire pressure in the right front tire and we wanted it fixed.  This was a small one-man shop. When we called him at 5pm, he told us that he would stay until we arrived.  He was pleasant and professional.  He had all the right stuff to do the job.  He found a small one-inch screw embedded in the tire.  In thirty minutes, the tire was back on the Jeep.  The man would not accept payment.  Tim offered a second time and the man said he would be offended.  He wanted to help us and it was his pleasure to do so.  WOW! 

At 6:30 we were back on the road.  We didn’t know what we were having for dinner or where we were staying for the night but we were fixed! We are so grateful that the RV didn’t break down earlier on the trip in a remote location. We were very lucky that we were in a town that had a professional truck care center.

We ate raw veggies and crackers and we found a Walmart in Whitecourt about another 100 miles away.  Route 43 will take us all the way to the Alaskan Highway.  So far, the road has been great.  We will see how it changes as we travel further north.  Tim drove until 8:30 and we stopped for the night. 

956 June 14, 2023 Blip In The Trip!

I did try to walk this morning but between the cold and wicked wind, the hills, the altitude, and the lack of sleep…I didn’t get far!  Same mountain; different sky.

We left Glacier National Park behind as we traveled north.  We passed Many Glacier.  Maybe someday, we will get back to see it!   We crossed the Canadian Border at Piegan Port of Entry into Alberta.  The border crossing was simple.  We had only to show our passports and confirm that we had no drugs or firearms and then we were through.  We passed Waterton Lake National Park of Canada.  This park attaches to Glacier and is an International Peace Park promoting relationships between people of all cultures.

We passed vast expanses of open, verdant green fields punctuated by ranches.  The sky was a perfect blue with puffy blue clouds.  There was a forecast for wind all day with temperatures in the fifties.  We really did get the very best day at Glacier yesterday.

We drove through the Blood Indian Reservation and then past Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump…another site to save for a future trip!

WE stopped at Tim Horton’s (a Starbuck’s equivalent) for a cappuccino.

We had a bird strike the windshield.  Fortunately, there was no damage to the glass…the bird was not so lucky.

As we approached Calgary, the sky began to darken.  It drizzled then dripped then rained!

Last night, my laptop met a tragic end.  We stopped in Calgary at the Best Buy to purchase a new computer…the blog must go on!

Driving out of Calgary, the engine light on the RV came on.  Check Engine…Poor DEF Quality.  WE talked to a good friend, Scotty, who works as a diesel mechanic.  He said as long as the coach was not losing power, it was okay to continue to drive it.  We made an appointment at the Cummins dealer in Edmonton for tomorrow morning.  It wasn’t much longer before the RV began to derate.  We stopped for gas in Red Deer.  Diesel was 1.44 Canadian per liter or about 5.49 per gallon.  When we were finished fueling, the RV would hardly move.  It took many phone calls to Scotty who tried hard to help us from far away.  First, he suggested that we disconnect the batteries and leave them off for awhile before reconnecting.  He was hoping that would reset the codes.  It didn’t work.  He also found a You Tube video of a way to disconnect the sensor form the DEF system.  Tim finally got the darn thing off and that didn’t work.  In the meantime, we had called every truck service center in the area.  No one could send out a mobile unit.  Glover International said that they would help us tomorrow if we could either drive or tow the RV to their service shop.  Eventually, we did drive less than 5 miles an hour for the 4 miles it took to get to Glover; flashers blinking.  We drove on back roads and it took a long time but we got here safely.  We are sleeping in the parking lot. We have the alarm set for 6:15 and we are hopeful that tomorrow we will get some help!

I had lots of time today to set up the new laptop…blog published…works great!

Just a small blip in the trip!  All fixable!

955 June 13, 2023 Crown Of The Continent

I took a short and gentle walk this morning. My view was outstanding.

We packed a cooler and went to see Glacier National Park. As we turned out of the campgound, we saw this fox…a good omen!

We arrived at the St. Mary Visitor Center. We overheard a ranger talking to a couple. She said that as of 7am today, Going to the Sun Road was fully open!!! Wow!! My heart leapt and Tim was excited. We were going to get to see the whole scenic road today! This was an incredible gift.

The drive was jaw dropping, breathtaking, awe inspiring. Actually, there are no words to describe this place. The pictures are gorgeous but they don’t capture the vastness, the height of the mountains, the fragrance of wildflowers and wintergreen and pine, the cool and pleasant breeze, the brilliant sunshine, the perfect weather, the roar of the rushing water…everywhere! Because it is so early in the season, the snow is still melting. The waterfalls are stunning!

Lots of pretty pictures!

For about 10 miles we rode along St. Mary Lake, a glacial lake.

The squirrels were having a party!

We spread a tarp and ate our lunch along Lake McDonald…just us.

We were joined by this mule deer.

We walked up to this waterfall. This was the site of an avalanche this winter. We walked on the packed snow and remnants of pine trees. The fragrance of pine was sharp and overpowering; almost peppery.

This road is truly an engineering marvel.

My favorite picture of the day.

Jackson Glacier. There were 100 glaciers in the park when it opened over 100 years ago. Now, there are about 25 and every one of them is receding.

We went back to the RV for some quiet time and a fresh camera battery. We repacked the cooler and went back to the park for a picnic dinner. We saw a fox running across the meadow. We then drove to the Red Eagle Trailhead. We hiked about a mile before turning back. There were some dense gray clouds and then some thunder. It chased us back in a hurry but it never did rain.

Today was a very special day, one that we will never forget.

954 June 12, 2023 Glacier Decision

My walk this morning began with the Lewis and Clark Overlook.  In this place in the early 1800’s Lewis and Clark met with the local Native Americans.  They were the first white men that the tribe had encountered.  The pair was warmly greeted and showered with gifts of berries and animal furs and horses.

I continued my walk along the river.  It was cloudy and cool and a cold drizzle fell. 

I walked back to the campground and the rain had stopped.  I just did loops to get some steps in.

We left before 9am.  The road to Missoula continued to twist and turn with the path of the river.

We saw a bald eagle soaring overhead.  There were also lots of magpies flitting about.

We passed by western towns and ranches and rodeos and casinos.  We passed a custom cowboy hat shop.  There were lots of lambs and foals and calves.  There were tractors and old pickup trucks and farm equipment.  There were small country churches with signs for vacation bible school and Glory Days Tent Revivals.  There were many timber related businesses; log cabins, chainsaw carving, and firewood for sale.  There was plenty of big open sky and lots of green rolling hills and toweing mountains.

30 miles along Flathed Lake.

We drove a long way today.  We had originally talked about stopping in Columbia Falls.  We changed our plan and decided to continue to Route 2 around Glacier National Park.  This scenic route ran along a deep gorge.  The views were amazing but too hard to capture as we made our way on the steep and winding road.

We were going to stop in Pinnacle but then we went even further.  We were hoping for a campsite in Browning but the campground there was full.  Finally, we settled in St. Mary.  The campground here is directly across from the East Entrance to Glacier National Park.  Although stopping at Glacier was not part of our “plan”, it seemed a shame to drive past.  Going To The Sun Road is not completely open.  We can enter on the east side tomorrow without a reservation and drive until the road is blocked.  We are excited to spend the day exploring.  Many people would have planned this excursion long in advance.  We decided it today!  The way we travel allows us to choose where we spend each day.

As we drove through the countryside today, I began to think that it would be nice to have a log cabin with a green metal roof tucked into the hillside.  Then, I thought I might also like to live in a cottage by the sea but I also love the desert and it would be so nice to have an adobe house in Borrego Springs.  Maybe we should just keep our wheels and keep on moving; taking turns living in each of those places!

953 June 11, 2023 Salmon River

I went for my walk on the dirt road. I had told Tim that I was going to stay in view of the RV because of our remote location. I got out there and felt good and decided to keep walking to the end of the road at the organized campground. The campground was empty and I began to do loops. I soon heard a car. It was Tim who had seen me walk into the woods thirty minutes before. He had been waiting for me to emerge and when I didn’t, he came to find me. I won’t do that again!! I did take a whistle…thank you Vicki!

It took us a little while to manuever the RV out of our site. There was a pretty decent dip at the entrance and Tim had to drive thoughtfully and gently to get us out!

Soon, we were on our way. As we drove through the valley, we saw lots of pronghorns. We even saw a mama with a tiny newborn. The baby was only about a foot tall and was walking on weak and wobbly legs…too cute!!

We also saw ground squirrels scampering across the road and pairs of sandhill cranes.

Our ride today took us along the Salmon River. This river actualy begins in the valley where we spent the night. The river is mostly snowmelt. The force of the moving water was incredible and as we traveled it gained breadth and speed. The scenery was dramatic. This river sits in the deepest gorge in the United States; even deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Sockeye salmon do come here to spawn. It is hard to imagine the that the fish are able to come this far inland. They make a 900 mile journey from the Pacific Ocean at the Columbia River in Oregon. They continue to the Snake River and then return here to the place of their birth to perpetuate the species.

We stopped to watch skilled kayakers negotiating the swiftly moving current.

More pretty pictures!

This afternoon we had lots of clouds and then some rain. It was nice to finally settle at the Sula Country Store and Resort in Sula, Montana. We will make our way further north tomorrow.

Today’s drive was spectacular!

952 June 10, 2023 Idaho Is Full Of Surprises!

The town of Filer was preparing for Filer Fun Day as I took my morning walk.  They were setting up food trucks and yard sales.  There is going to be a car show, a rodeo, and fireworks.  We are not staying.  We are moving on.

When I think of Idaho, I think of potatoes and beef…until we crossed the Snake River Canyon.  We rode over the bridge and pulled into the scenic overlook.  We got out to walk.  It was quite beautiful!

We didn’t see this parachutist take off but we did watch him land near the river. We saw him pack his chute and then trudge up the steep bank.

Indeed, as we drove out of town, there was lots of farmland and hayfields and steerage yards.  We took the Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Route 75N.

We saw jagged lava fields strewn with sagebrush where open range cattle grazed.

We stopped for breakfast and we could see rugged snow-covered peaks looming in the distance.

We arrived at a great valley in Bellevue.  My phone issued this message:  Flood Warning Affected Area ahead.  Proceed with caution.  There were no road signs or closures though the fields were swampy and the diches were brimming and running fast.

Hailey and Ketchum were quaint, upscale, western mountain villages.  There were miles of paved bike/snowmobile trails along the road, following the path of the rushing river.

We entered the Sawtooth Recreation Area and began to look for potential camping sites. 

We stopped at the Frostbite Flats Trailhead and walked to Boulder Creek.  The air here smells fresh and is crisp and clean.  I read later that this portion of Idaho has the cleanest air in the lower 48. 

The wildflowers are lovely.

Two military jets buzzed by not that far above us.

We continued our drive on the winding road flanked by tall pines.  There were patches of snow as we climbed to 8,700 feet. 

We stopped at the Frank Church Scenic Overlook.

From the overlook, Tim spotted a road in the valley below.  He decided he really wanted to camp down there!  We found Salmon River Road and parked the RV.  We saw a sign for a campground in 4 miles.

We need to scope it out before venturing down this dirt road.  We walked for a while and then Tim went back and got on his bike. 

He passed a ranger who said we would have no problem getting to the campground with the RV.  He also said there was dispersed camping.  And so, we drove about 3.5 miles and found such a beautiful spot.

We sat outside by the creek for most of the afternoon and evening.

After dinner, we took the Jeep and took all the rough and rocky trails.

The last road took us up the mountain where we had a terrific view of the valley below.

We are so glad that we did not take the interstate.  GPS told us that there was a 24-minute difference in time and the highway route was 80 miles further.  It will take us longer timewise to travel this way but we would have missed all of this incredible scenery!

When Oliver was a baby, we took him to the Atlanta Aquarium.  He was not yet able to walk.  When he saw the first tank of fish, he got so excited.  I was holding him on my hip.  He kicked his fat little legs and pointed.  He wanted to see more!!  That’s how I feel here.  I can’t wait to see more!