Oceanside RV Park Haines, Alaska USA

Mileage:  43,015

We drove back to Otter Falls very early this morning.  We saw a pair of owls and what we thought was a golden eagle.  We also saw a porcupine waddling down the road.  Apparently he didn’t want his picture taken and again I got the behind of the porcupine!

Tim took care of the tanks and fuel while I worked at the Otter Falls Truck Stop Cafe to post the blog from the past couple of days.  Our work was done and we were on our way.  We wanted to head toward Haines, another side trip off the Alaska Highway.

We saw a couple of grizzly along the road.  I saw a lynx hunting in the taller grass.  He jumped and had his paws wrapped around his breakfast.

Once we turned onto Haines Highway we saw another grizzly and some tundra swan.  Tim saw a moose down in the water below the highway.  The remarkable thing about this drive is not the wildlife though.  This road is one of the prettiest rides we have ever taken.  The snow capped peaks, the wildflowers, the color of the sky, the clouds hovering over mountaintops, the trees, the lakes and rivers, the sunlight and the rock…it was stunning.  Tim has been monitoring my use of adjectives…pulling me back when I get too descriptive or flowery.  Today he agreed that the scenery on this ride was stunning.

We met a group of bicyclists from the Sierras in California.  They were riding bikes up and down these very steep slopes.

We road into Haines and saw the first campground but it seemed pretty ordinary.  When we arrived at Oceanside RV Park, we knew we had to stay here.  This is the view across the water from our campsite.

After a short rest we drove to the Chilkoot River.  When the salmon are running, this is one place where the grizzlies come to feed.  Unfortunately the salmon don’t really run for another couple of weeks.  It is a lovely place and we did spot some eagles.

We were invited to a dungeness crab feast this evening.  The owner here often hosts gatherings of campers so that they can experience Alaskan cuisine and visit with other campers.  This is usually something I would avoid but I’m glad we said yes.  We got to help clean and prepare the crabs.

We met people who had been to Alaska before and others who are on their way for the first time.  We spoke at length to a young man from upper state New York.  It was really fun to spend time getting to know him.

 

 

 

Otter Falls Cutoff RV Campground and Aishihik Lake Campground Yukon Canada

Mileage:  42,846

If you see an RV dump station – clean your tanks.

If you see a laundromat – wash your clothes.

If you see a gas station – fill the RV and car with fuel.

If you see a real grocery store – get stocked up!

If you read the travel blogs about coming to Alaska, there are lots of dire warnings about the scarcity of services.  So far, we have learned not to miss opportunities.  I had read that Whitehorse was the last bug hub for the next 1,000 miles.  Our supplies were getting sparse and I had a big long list.  The little grocery stores we had found in the very small towns were as our friend Ray would say “not what we are accustomed to!”

After the last couple of days spent in remote areas, the city of Whitehorse was a little bit of a culture shock.  Walmart and Staples and Subway (3 locations), and McDonald’s.  American enterprise alive and active in the Yukon.  I went to Walmart first and got everything that I could…but they had no fresh veggies or fruit or meat.  My next stop was Save On Foods.  What a great store!   I spent a long time choosing enough to get us through the next week or so and I was grateful for the opportunity.

By lunchtime we were back on the Alaska Highway.  The roadside was blanketed in bright fuchsia wildflowers (lady slippers I think).

We had no wildlife sightings today but we did see horses grazing open range along the road.  We were warned that the section of road between Whitehorse and Haines Junction was rough.  Frost heaves are common in this part of the road…gentle roller coaster like waves in the road…or as we said when we were kid “Wee Bumps.”  When we came to the really rough parts marked by flags and signs and bigger dips, Tim called them “Willy Whoppers!”  A long section (miles) of highway was hard-packed gravel.  Dust and stones were flying.  It slowed us to 20 mph.  Ahead we saw a travel trailer over on the shoulder. We pulled over to see if we could help.  Whatever the problem, it was being fixed.  The woman came to thank us for stopping and said we were the 5^th vehicle to stop and offer help.

That’s what I’m talking about…we have to look out for one another!!

We met a family with 2 small children at Otter Falls Campground store.   The dad was in the Coast Guard.  They had been stationed in Clearwater, Florida and they were on their way in a Winnie Drop to Kodiak Island where he will be stationed for the next 3 years.  If you don’t know where Kodiak Island is…pull out a map and take a look…wow!!!

We left our RV at the Otter Falls campsite and packed the Jeep full of blankets and pillows and food and wine and we headed down a rough gravel road to a Yukon Government Campground called Aishihik Lake Campground.  This 42 km road was not recommended for RV travel…so if we wanted to see the lake we had to take the opportunity!

We met Grant standing in the lake in his rubber boots cleaning his catch.  He is from Whitehorse and comes here for several days each year to fish.  He had long and lovely lake trout.  He offered us a fish…we didn’t take it but we were touched by his kindness.

Later the guys from the site next door – also fishermen from Whitehorse showed up at our tent with a wagon-load of firewood…”in the interest of international relations!”  People are good and generous here.

I love looking up through the pine trees at the sky!

We are sitting by a campfire, drinking good Malbec, eating sushi from SavOn Foods, watching an eagle soar overhead.  We are going to sleep in a tent with the bears and bison in the woods.  We ARE going to sleep with the bear spray…he promised!

I’m a lucky girl!!

Conrad Yukon Government Campground Carcross, Yukon Canada

Mileage:  42,713

Time is particularly distorted for us.  I know that it is Thursday but that doesn’t mean too much to me.  We are three time zones away from home.  Today is summer solstice.  In Atlin the sun rose at 4:35 am and it sets at 11:18 – 18 hours and 42 minutes of daylight.  Even after the sun sets, the sky is stained a dusky lavender blue and it never really gets dark.  You can’t see the stars and there is no moonlight.  It is light enough all night to make your way around.  We wake when we are rested, eat when we are hungry, and go to bed when we are tired.  We don’t pay too much attention to the clock.  This is so very different than our ordinary scheduled lives.  This is a picture of what it looks like here at 1:00 am.

As we left Atlin this morning there was little traffic.  In the 100 km that we drove north, we only saw 5 or 6 pickup trucks.  We did see a lot of evidence of recent moose traffic…though no moose.

Driving in this area, you can understand why it might be important for families who live here to own guns.  We are not gun owners and we never will be but here there might be a need to protect your homestead, children, pets, or livestock from coyote, bear and other predators.  Groceries here are very expensive.  These people are from humble means.  They might need to hunt to fill the freezer.  Traveling is supposed to open our minds and give us new perspectives.

Our wildlife sightings today included a black bear, a pair of bald eagles, a chipmunk, a big blonde grizzly on the way to Carcross and another near town.

At the beginning of the day, I wasn’t sure where we were going to end the day.  I had options circled in Tagist, Carcross, and Whitehorse.  We decided to stay a little south of Carcross at Conrad Yukon Government Campground.

The campground sits on the Tagist River with the Pelly Mountains surrounding it.

Carcross was a much nicer place after 3 pm.  All the tour buses from the Skagway cruise ship port were leaving for the day.  We biked around the quaint little village of shops and down to the lakefront beach.

We headed to the Bistro for a tasty lunch of bison burgers and Bonanza Brown beer.

Back at the campground we took a short hike down to the water’s edge.

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!

IMG_2479

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