Norseman RV Park and Marina Day 2

We had already decided last night that it is just too inviting here and we couldn’t leave.  We told Norman we wanted to stay for an extra night – even though we had to move from the penthouse campsite.  The appeal of this place is its authenticity.  The town is carefully preserved to an earlier time.  We are so fortunate that we are here now.  The weather has been brilliant and in the 80’s.  It is not peak season or salmon season here until July so it is not crowded.  We are here midweek so finding a site was simple.  This is a small town filled with warm people.

The sunshine was bright but there was a crisp breeze coming from the cold-water lake…or the snow-capped mountains.  It felt wonderful!  We toured around town picking up supplies and then headed north of town to the Taku Wild Salmon store.

We bought some smoked salmon for our picnic lunch.

With our lunch packed, we headed out for another Jeep adventure.  We drove down Warm Bay Road and the paved road became a smooth gravel road.   We went to the Warm Springs and stuck our fingers in.  It was a lovely little clearing and you could see the water bubbling up out of the ground.  There was a sign indicating that the Warm Springs was a very delicate ecosystem.

Up ahead the sign warned “Road NOT maintained beyond this point” …perfect!!

Our Jeep is filthy!!!  Does it look like we are having fun!?!

We headed down the dirt road dodging potholes and passing over a trickle of a stream.  There was a bear ahead in the road.  He was very dark but I think he was a grizzly nonetheless.  It was hard to tell because he vanished so quickly into the dense forest.

We drove on and on thinking that this old hunting road must lead to some beautiful destination…like the lake or the mountains.  We had been traveling for more than 30 minutes when a car came toward us from the other direction.  It was a family in a Cadillac.  The man rolled down his window and shouted “Where are you going?”  Tim said we weren’t sure, we were just driving.  The man went on to explain that he had gone another 10 km and finally turned around because there was nothing back there.  So, we turned around too!  We found a small clearing where we ate our picnic.  The smoked salmon was delicious!  I must admit that I was on high alert…very aware that we were sharing the woods with bears.  We also saw very large hoof prints…moose we think???

Just another day in paradise!

Norseman RV Park and Marina Atlin, British Columbia Canada

Mileage:  42,612

This morning we said goodbye to Lee and Claudia.  We are hopeful that our paths will cross again.  They are going to be in Anchorage at the same time that we are.  If we don’t see them then, we are going to Arizona next winter and we will be sure to find them there!

We began our day with road construction and “Severe Dust.”  The tar and chip road surface is appropriately named because it chips your paint and your windshield!

We have had several bald eagle sightings in the past couple of days.  Whenever I see bald eagles, I am reminded of my high school yearbook caption.  It is from the lyrics of a song from the musical “Pippin”

          “Rivers belong were they can ramble

          Eagles belong where they can fly

          I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free

          Gotta find my corner of the sky.”

I think that I have found my corner.

I don’t mean for this blog to be a wildlife count but I never want to lose that sense of wonder.  I always want to take notice of the beautiful sunset, stars, mountains, bald eagles and other awe-inspiring stuff.

Today we left the Alaska Highway to take a side trip.  We thought that we were in a remote wild area before but as we turned left to make our way toward Atlin…we really left the world behind.   It was a scenic route 100 km in real wilderness…we like that feeling.

We saw a buck and a couple of smaller grizzly, one who was limping and only walking on 3 legs.  Ahead we could see an awkward looking creature crossing the road and it wasn’t until we got closer that we realized that it was a porcupine.

When we arrived at Norseman RV Park and Marina, we knew that we had found a gem.  We have the “penthouse” campsite.  It sits off to itself with an unbelievable view.  I feel like a character in an enchanted tale.

Tim spent some time talking with Norman, the camp owner.  Atlin Lake is a glacier fed lake, hence the aquamarine water. Since the spring has been so cold here the lake is unusually low.  By fall the lake will be several feet higher.  This is a view from Norman’s deck of our campsite.

Our back-country adventure today took us to gold mining country.  We walked to an old dredge site.

We also saw modern active gold mining sites.

And some waterfalls.

We met two guys fishing at Surprise Lake that were telling us that they had just seen a mamma grizzly and 2 cubs in their camp.

We traveled to a lookout to see the Llewellyn Glacier in the distance.  I was told that this glacier stretches all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

There is an old country song by Brad Paisley…If you want to have a little fun you have to get a little mud on the tires!

At our campground the owner feeds Eddy the bald eagle fish scraps for dinner.  It was an amazing spectacle to witness.  Unfortunately that video is too large to load onto the blog!

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Mary, Ed and Dee Dee…thanks so much for reading the blog and your really nice email.  We want to let Mary know that we are safe staying in the RV and taking pictures of grizzlies from the RV/Jeep window.  We did buy bear spray before we left home and we promise to take it out of the cupboard right now and put it in the Jeep to carry with us when we are on walkabout!

Mary, here is a picture of our rolling bed and breakfast!

The sun goes down so late that we haven’t stayed up to watch the sunset at all during this trip.  Being in this place tempted me to watch.

9:30 PM

10:00 PM

10:30 PM

11:00 PM

11:30 PM

11:45 PM

12:00 PM – Good night!

 

June 18, 2018 Yukon Motel and RV Park Teslin Lake Yukon, Canada

Mileage:  42,493

In the Everglades, during the summer camping is free.  The mosquitoes are so bad that anyone brave enough to stay and battle the heat and the insects may do so without paying.  I think that I know why the Yukon Government Campground was only 12.00 CD.  We experienced firsthand the ferociousness of the Yukon mosquito!   So, we weren’t so eager to hang around this morning and we had packed up and we were on the road by 7:30 am.

As we left we caught a glimpse of the hunched brown shaggy back of a grizzly.  He was tucked into the lower part of the drainage ditch.  In the grassy verge beside the road we saw our second grizzly of the day.  He was smaller and lighter than the others we have seen.  When we saw our third grizzly, we were able to stop and get his picture.

Much of the scenery is now boggy and marshy…moose country.  We saw a moose cow ankle deep in water in a roadside lake and then a second smaller cow or youth at the edge of the trees.

We stopped at Rancheria Falls and took a walk.

 

The Cassiar Mountains rise up before us.

Today travel was slow because of potholes and areas of loose gravel.  The small stones have not been kind to the Jeep or the RV…but we knew that was an issue before we left home.  It is also very dry and dusty.

We passed over the Continental Divide.

We are staying at Yukon RV Park at Teslin Lake.

 

We went out this afternoon to explore but there are small houses and communities in this area.  We met a young man on a loaded bike.  He is on his way from Anchorage to Calgary – about a 2,000-mile ride on some very unforgiving roads.  He looked a little weary and very thin.

This afternoon Lee and Claudia pulled in and camped beside us.  This evening they invited us to share wine and brownies with them.  We have enjoyed getting to know them.  We have a lot in common.  Fun was had by all!

Today is our 35^th wedding anniversary.  We are very blessed.  There is no one I would rather be with on this journey!

Big Creek Campground Watson Lake, Yukon Canada

Mileage:  42,366

My morning coffee spot at Wye Lake Park across from the Downtown RV Park.

We chose to have a short ride today.

We wanted to try the Yukon Government Park outside of Watson Lake.

Big Creek Campground is 12.00 CD or a little less than 10.00 USD.

The camping fee includes unlimited firewood.  Yukon officials are smart.  If you have plenty of free firewood then you won’t move wood from somewhere else…wood that could potentially be filled with invasive pests that might damage local habitat.  The firewood is free but you have to split it yourself.  That’s no problem because Tim has his brother’s ax and Tim thinks about Jeff every time he uses it.

There are no hookups here, no WiFi, and no cell service – but it is remote and quiet and lovely.

Tim spent awhile talking to the camp ranger.  He services 9 parks within 350 km.  In the winter, he lives in the bush where he says “there are no bugs, no animals, and no people.”

Mosquitoes…an ever-present byproduct of the camping experience.  From the Everglades in February to the Yukon in June…these hearty little suckers can survive in any habitat!

We are camped right next to Big Creek.

We packed a lunch and went to explore in the Jeep.  We found several off-road trails.

Although we had seen lots of scat and also some animal tracks, we didn’t see any animals while we were 4 wheeling.  After we had turned to head back to Big Creek, we saw a large grizzly eating dandelion by the roadside along the tree line.  Yikes!  We were just in those woods!

The wildflowers are just starting to bloom.

Happy Father’s Day to Tim and David – two really great dads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown RV Park Watson Lake Yukon, Canada

Mileage:  42,328

There was a stone sheep with a broken horn on the shoulder of the road as we pulled away from Summit Lake.  It was hard to leave such a pretty place. We passed a mule deer and then we were among magnificent mountain views.

We wound our way along the rivers…McDonald River, Racing River, Toad River, Trout River, Liard River, Smith River, Kechika River, Coal River, Hyland River, and the Dease River on our way to Watson Lake.  The rivers are transparent, aqua blue and fast moving.

We saw a bull moose in the boggy area far below, a black bear on the shoulder as we rounded the bend and one bicyclist chugging uphill his bike loaded with panniers.

There are large wash areas that we assumed were due to snow melt.  In the summertime though, there are downpours.  There is a lack of vegetation on the rugged peaks and the rain travels along the crevices in the bare mountaintops.  The crevices act as chutes.  Sand, gravel and even large boulders are carried into the gullies before washing onto the valley floor.  For awhile the highway was more manicured – less rugged and wild.  Engineers have created culverts and shaped the land to try to control the washes and in order to protect the highway. The shoulders are wider, the road is smoother and there is less wildlife.

Past Liard Hot Springs, we saw a herd of wood bison along the river far below.  Not long afterward we saw a single bison on the shoulder and then the rest of the herd on the slope above – moms and calves.

We saw a big black bear walking in the grassy area near the road.

When we saw our first grizzly bear, we were actually in an area where we could pull over and watch him until he wandered back into the trees.

We saw two smaller grizzly bears several miles later.

We saw two bison bulls grazing roadside and then a solitary male further down the road.

A bald eagle soared in the cloudless blue sky.

We had bugs the “size of sparrows” splattering the windshield today.

We are now in the Yukon Province in Watson Lake.  We needed to fill with diesel, do laundry, and buy some groceries.  The next sizable town is 500 km away.

We went to a small local place for dinner.

After dinner we walked through the Sign Post Forest…we didn’t bring our own sign but we did find one from Taneytown, Maryland…not too far from home!  There are more than 85,000 signs!

 

 

Stone Mountain Provincial Park – Summit Lake Campground British Columbia, Canada

Mileage:  42,094

It was a soggy morning that gradually cleared to reveal cerulean blue skies.

We pulled out early hoping to see some early morning wildlife.

We saw black bear #1 and #2 at the tree line and black bear #3 on the shoulder.

We passed miles of charred and bare forest blackened by a wildfire.

We passed a pair of sandhill cranes.

We passed a hearty soul riding a bicycle.

We stopped at Fort Nelson to get diesel fuel.  Afterward we took a walk from the rotary park to the visitor center where we were able to get useful camping information.

After Fort Nelson the road is a twisting turning path through the Canadian Rockies.  As we traveled north we saw black bear #4 over a knoll and black bear #5 eating vegetation by the aspen trees.

We stopped for lunch and as we pulled away a fox crossed the road in front of us.

We saw Lee and Claudia stopped at a scenic overlook and we stopped as well.  It was a gorgeous view of the Muskwa River Valley.  As I was standing there I spotted movement in the distance.  It was a big black bear #6.  We watched as he walked along the road and jumped over the jersey wall where he disappeared into the underbrush.

The road follows the Testa River which is so clear that you can see the river stones on the bottom.

Suddenly Tim saw a “big damn beaver dam!”  We stopped to admire the 100-foot-long solidly constructed dam that was retaining 3’ of water.  We weren’t able to get close enough to see if the beaver were home.

We almost captured a picture of black bear #7 but he ducked down into a ditch and you can barely see the top of his head.

We saw a caribou on our way into the park.

We walked across the Alaska Highway and found a trail along a stream.

We sit here now in the beautiful afternoon sunshine thinking that we have never been in a prettier campground.

To the south is a bare mountain peak.  We could see activity along the ridge.  With binoculars Tim could see 2 caribou.

To the west is Summit Lake – azure blue from the silts of glacial meltwater.  White spruce dot the hillside.  Beyond the lake are the Rocky Mountains partially covered in snow.  Stone Mountain is the highest summit on the Alaska Highway.

To the north we can see the highway and a rocky peak at least 1,000 feet higher than where we were sitting munching on grapes and good cheddar.

After a campfire and some dinner, we decided to ride out in the Jeep and see if we could find an off-road trail.

We were able to see a herd of caribou grazing by a lake.

We saw a stone sheep high on the cliff side.  There is a sheep standing majestic…somewhere in this picture.

We saw a stone sheep mama and her lamb.

We also saw a porcupine.  This is a picture of his backside!

What an amazing day!  How lucky are we?

Sikanni River RV Park and Campground Peace River, British Columbia Canada

Mileage:  41,924

The day began with grey low hanging clouds.  We left Grande Prairie passing elk farms and cattle ranches.  We crossed into the province of British Columbia and our time changed to Pacific Time.

At Dawson Creek we were at mile marker zero of the Alaska Highway.

In the first 20 miles we saw 3 mule deer, a black bear, and a groundhog and then nothing the rest of the day.

We drove on a steep hill with 10% grade as we descended into the Peace River Valley.  The valley was picturesque and we crossed a suspension bridge.  Running parallel to the bridge was an oil pipeline.

We are feeling lucky because just after 60 miles on the Alaska Highway a rock the size of a golf ball hit the RV windshield and the windshield did not chip, crack, or break.  So we are constantly scanning for bear and moose and elk and deer and rough road and flying rocks.

While it is exciting to finally be on the Alaska Highway – we still have 1,214 miles to go before we reach Delta Junction.

We camped this afternoon on the  Sikanni Chief River.  We met a great couple, Lee and Claudia, from Tuscon, Arizona, who are taking their 4th trip to Alaska.  One of the neat things about traveling by RV is all the interesting people that you meet along the way.

Sunset

 

Country Roads RV Park Grande Prairie, Alberta Canada

Mileage:  41,681

The only road from Grande Cache to Grande Prairie is a truck route.  It is curvy, hilly, and has occasional sudden dips and rough road.    The sign at the beginning of the route says “No services for 184 km.”  The road runs parallel to the railroad and the  Smoky River for quite some time.   Large birch stands and conifers line Route 40.   It is flanked by mountains on either side.

The area is rich in natural resources and therefore the trucks and lots of heavy machinery.  We passed a coal mining operation, oil and gas refineries, gravel pits, logging companies and lumber mills.  We also passed great swaths of felled trees and naked land.  For the time that I tried to keep track, there was 1 car or RV for every 10 trucks.  We did see a couple of mule deer and a baby black bear cub.

We had finished our errands yesterday and so today we made our way to Muskoseepi Park to ride our bicycles.  The bike path runs along a creek.  It was nice to get out and move!

We spent the rest of the day making reservations for Anchorage and Denali.  We won’t be there for a long time yet but we wanted to be sure to have plans in place because Kyle is coming to join us July 13th and we want him to see as much as he can while he is with us.

Tomorrow we drive to Dawson Creek and we look forward to continuing our adventure on the Alaska Highway.

Grande Cache Municipal Campground Grande Cache, Alberta Canada

Mileage:  41,558

This morning it was sunny and bright.  The sunshine made the mountains look all together different.

 

We were leaving Jasper when, without warning, the road we needed to take was barricaded and closed for construction.

We had to take a one lane bridge to a dead end.  Fortunately there was enough room for us to turn around without unhooking the car.  We were treated though to a spectacular view and as we were figuring out our detour, we saw 3 bighorn sheep.

Cool old truck.

 

We headed east for a short while on the Yellowhead Highway.  We saw a black bear ambling along beside the road.  We are on the scenic road to Alaska.  We got on Bighorn Highway north to Grande Cache .  The Canadian Rockies are now to our west.  We saw a couple of mule deer.  The roadside is lined with lodgepole pines.  Most of the area that we went through today was comprised of Provincial Parks and wildlife refuge.  There were lots of signs indicating that is was a caribou crossing area but we saw no caribou.  As we got closer to town there was logging industry.

It was windy today, buffeting the sides of the RV.  Tim noted how susceptible we are to our environment – wind, rain, snow, road conditions, road construction to repair roads torn up by weather, hills, dust, gravel road, finding spaces large enough for our 35′ motor-home and tow vehicle, and wildlife right near the roadway.  Out here if you see a rough road sign…take heed!  If a sign is posted…the road is VERY rough!  Driving here is not for the faint of heart!

We are planning ahead a little more because towns, gas stations, grocery stores, and campgrounds are further apart.  There are areas of no services for  miles and miles.  Posting of the blog will probably be erratic dependent upon WiFi and cell phone service.

We were at the campground by lunchtime.  We spent today working on the blog, updating our iphones and ipads, doing laundry, getting gas, going to the hardware store, pharmacy, and grocery store.  Now it is time to sit by this warm fire and relax!

Talking to Kyle the other day he said “you are living a really weird life!”  I love the weirdo life that we are living!!

 

 

Whistlers Campground Jasper National Park Jasper, Alberta Canada

Mileage:  41,420

Leaving Banff, we were very excited about today’s drive.

It was chilly and snowing as we traveled along 93.  All at once Tim yelled “Look!  Look!  Look!” and there was a big black bear.

We stopped at Lake Louise and we were glad to be there early.  If you have never been to Lake Louise, you must put it on your list.  It is an icon of the Canadian Rockies and it is exquisite!  The pictures to not capture its grandeur.  The air was cool and crisp and clean and smells of pine.  The water is turquoise and crystal clear.  When I was a little girl my grandfather always talked about this area.  We overheard a German family walking nearby:

“So schön” – yes so pretty!

Remembering my Opa as we ride on the same roads that he and Oma traveled together…

At Lake Louise the Icefields Parkway begins.  The scenery is indescribably beautiful.  As we were driving Tim and I caught movement on the steep rocky incline on the passenger side of the RV.  Right beside the road – we looked over and saw 2 bighorn sheep scrambling down the embankment.   As we drove on, Tim saw the sheep in the rear-view mirror.  They were standing in the road.  We passed glaciers, and rivers, and lakes, and mountains and waterfalls.  Each turn with magnificent vistas.  The icefields left us speechless.  It was almost an emotional experience.  It fills you up with a sense of awe.  We were trying to absorb it all – but you cannot even take it all in.  There are no adequate words to describe what we have seen today.  National Geographic named the Icefields Parkway as one of the 10 best drives in the WORLD.

We know today was a special day.  There is no way that the rest of the way can compare!

This is a picture of Tim collecting cool glacial water from the Athabasca River- and yes – we drank it!

Our campsite at Whistlers.