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August 5, 2012                                   Day 58/60                            Benbow to Bodega Bay, CA

Today was a day of miscalculations. I need to start by saying that I have a wonderful husband. A lessor man would have crumbled over today’s many miscalculations (all well-meaning, mind you). The boys were bickering so I asked for a volunteer to ride with the grandparents figuring a little distance would make them appreciate each other a bit. In some ways, this turned out to be a great idea and in others it was worrisome. Can you guess which?

After consulting the map, Mom and I determined that we should take Hwy 101 for only a short way before heading off to the coast on Hwy 1 for a more direct and scenic route to Fort Bragg. The road was certainly scenic and direct, but it was also VERY windy with steep curves and very few straight sections. There were no real towns, only a few homes looked lived in. The rest were abandoned and dilapidated. Even if we wanted to change our minds and head back to 101, there were very few pull outs and none wide enough to turn in and most were on or between curves. For those of you who have driven to Cutter Scout Reservation, it was like 22 miles of Hwy 236. Even though it was beautiful, it took way longer and a lot more concentration than we thought. By the time we hit the coast, we were low on fuel and patience. I

The coast was still overcast and the road was windy and steep with no shoulder and sometimes no guardrails. Things are getting tenser. There are no pull outs to speak of and yet slow traffic should pull over to let others pass. Yeah, right! Low on fuel, we finally got to Ft. Bragg and our hand-me-down GPS leads us to a commercial only gas station that is off the highway and not open. Mike leads us to a Chevron and we get gas and propane (our first refill of the long trip).

We stop at Safeway to get Ricola for Rick who on top of all this stressful driving has a horrible dry cough caused by a tickle in the back of his throat. We ask one of the employees about the Glass Beach access. She steered us to the non-State Park area. We found curb parking not too far from the public beach access. After lunch in the trailers, we walked out a dirt road lined with unripe berry bushes and lots of dog feces. There was a sign mentioning that there are many archaeological artifacts in the area and we shouldn’t disturb or take any artifacts from the area. Surely, they don’t mean the bagsful of sea/beach glass (human detritus) being taken away by the many locals and tourists on the trail.

At the end of the trail are two coves separated by a small cliff. There are several people already combing the beach to left and some scuba divers going for abalone. We decide to go to the less crowded beach cove on the right. There are some tide pools but not much was happening in them so we focused on the glass. There was sea glass everywhere (the area off shore was used as a military landfill or something like that). Without much effort we did our part to remove some of the human impact on the environment in the area.

We headed south on Hwy 1 only to be met with a lot more twists and turns. In some places the pull outs had as much as a 6 inch drop from the pavement to the gravel. At one such pull out, as Mike was pulling over to let cars by, the trailer struggled to stay upright when Mike drove off the pavement and hit the drop. Rick and I saw this from about ¼ mile away and really worried that they might topple. For just a second I went all concerned Mom and daughter. My heart was in my throat and then down in my stomach. Luckily, they were not near a cliff and Mike expertly got them back on the road. It took much longer for my adrenaline to subside. Luckily, no one was injured and the only damage was that the coffee maker hung by its cord and spilled left over coffee and the lock on the sliding door between the dining area and the bathroom seems damaged.

The car got very quiet save for Rick’s frequent coughs. Neither Dominic nor I wanted to disturb Rick’s focus and concentration. Feeling guilty for wanting to go this route, I didn’t want to talk about the road conditions or anything else. When I was a teen I read several novels that took place along the Northern California coast. Since then, I have held romantic notions about touring the area with my husband. Let me tell you there was nothing romantic about driving the crazy curves of the highway pulling a trailer and watching your family negotiate the turns in the trailer in front of you. The best I can say is that none of us got car sick. We were certainly sick of being in the car and Rick was sick of driving though.

We arrived too late to check in at the Porto Bodega Bay RV Park and Marina. They left a note telling us our spots and we will have to pay in the morning. The RV Park is literally right down the hill from a charming restaurant that Rick and I ate at with our friends Chris and Angie on the eve of their wedding. It is called the Terrapin Creek Café. It is delicious but has nothing for the kids to eat and I am not leaving them in the trailer by the marina on our last night of our adventure. Instead we park the trailers and Mike unhitches (easier for him than for us) so we can drive to The Sandpiper just at the top of the cliff on Highway 1 and down a bit. We don’t all fit in the truck so Mike drops most of us off and goes back for Rick.

We are all excited to have real SF style sourdough rolls fresh from the oven with butter. We know we are almost home now. We celebrate with a nice dinner including drinks and desserts (shared since we were all so full from the main course and salads). We have a lovely window seat. The bay is obscured by a bush on the highway but we can see our trailers and realize it is a short walk back down the hill to the RV Park. Mike drove Mom and Luca back while Dominic, Rick and I took the walk.

Since today was all about the winding roads, I almost forgot to mention the wildlife we saw. At various points along the coastline, we saw seals and/or sea lions relaxing on rocks and sandy spits or islands. One rocky ledge was well above the water line, leading Dominic to ask, “If those are seals, how on earth did they get way up on that ledge?” Our answers varied:  they waited for high tide, they took a really big jump and then scooted, and they took an express elevator. We also saw what may have been a large chipmunk at the glass beach, too many gulls to count, some turkey vultures (looking very heavy and menacing on the electrical wires and also in flight), maybe some eagles and an osprey (Luca), a large white crane far below us at the edge of the Russian River, and a scraggly fox crossing Hwy 1 not far from the restaurant.

We are sleeping in tomorrow as we are almost home and don’t want to hit the Golden Gate Bridge during morning traffic. Rick will have extra to do to prep the tanks for storage so I will make a special pancake and bacon breakfast in the big trailer.

Tomorrow night we sleep in our own beds at home!

August 6, 2012                   Day 59/60                            Bodega Bay to Millbrae, CA

I am finally writing this last entry 10 days after we arrived home. Our trip home was uneventful. Once home we were relieved to find that our cats remembered us and were glad we came home. However, life got very busy, very fast. Dominic has already started high school. I am preparing to teach at a new school, same grade, relieved to have a job. I won’t outline other events and issues that have occupied our time. I’ll just say that I feel very lucky to have had this wonderful adventure with my family this summer.

Oregon coast - Almost home

August 3, 2012                   Day 56/60                            Lincoln City to Gold Beach, OR

Today I discovered that the state of Oregon has put Mileposts along Highway 101. I was able to look them up on my phone and could click to links with information about what we were driving past. I think it is a great idea. I wish more areas would do the same.

I should also add that it was a lot harder to use my phone than a handy book. The print was smaller and I had to look away from the sometimes windy road more.  It is not a perfect system and I started to lose track of mileage and time. But, hey, I am on vacation.

Our first stop was at Agate Beach State Recreation Area.  It is the wrong time of year to search for agates here (best in March apparently). We came for something even rarer. This is where the Japanese pier washed ashore after breaking loose during the tsunami and crossing the Pacific Ocean. It was a long difficult walk through the sand dunes. The DiMaios took the more challenging but direct diagonal route while Mom and Mike headed directly to the compact sand nearer the water’s edge. The beach here was almost completely devoid of animal life. Luca found some bird bones completely picked clean. I saw a sand crab carapace and an empty clam shell or two. There were a few turkey vultures but even the seagulls and sand pipers were gone.

After what seemed like about a half mile walk, we arrived at the pier site. We had expected throngs of people trying to get their last look at history before crews remove the pier. Instead, we found only a handful of curious people like ourselves. There was a skeleton crew of workers using power tools to cut the pier apart into large yet manageable cubes. One cube was already separated and wrapped in what looked like big shink wrap ready to be loaded onto the big flatbed semi parked on the beach.

We saw a video camera on a tripod standing alone facing the workers. I couldn’t tell if it was on or even who it belonged to. I wondered if someone was making a documentary. There was a sunhat and large scarf hanging from the tripod that looked out of place on the overcast day but reminded me of scenes of independent filmmakers ready for anything so they can get the shot.

It is easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the pier and its removal. However, for us it was a reminder of the larger tragedy of the tsunami and the vulnerability of human existence.

Our next stop was the Oregon Coast Aquarium. According to the Oregon Milepost, it was declared one of the top ten aquariums in the country by Coastal Living Magazine. Admittedly, they might have a bias towards towns on the coast. However, towns on the coast may also have an easier time creating a world class aquarium. It is also a member of the American Zoological Association as is Coyote Point and that is how we get in with reciprocal agreement discounts. So we decided to check it out.

There is a little bit of a line for admissions so I check out the Membership Desk where a woman is on the phone. I am content to wait my turn while she takes what sounds like a birthday party reservation. However, she asks the person to hold so she can answer my question. She says rather bluntly that they do not accept reciprocals, sorry. Ok, she was distracted. Maybe she didn’t quite hear me. I am talking about THE Coyote Point Museum membership, the one associated with THE AZA. So I get in the regular admissions line. When it is my turn, the young woman is very apologetic and explains that only two facilities in all of Oregon honor the AZA reciprocal agreement and those are at only 50%. However, there is a 10% military discount and she could get us a free coupon for Luca. While this is very nice, it would still cost almost $100 to see their aquarium. We have all been to some really wonderful, world-class aquariums so we decided to pass.  Bummer.

My kids took it pretty well. We will of course have to take them to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Academy of Sciences, both world-class aquariums and we have memberships. On the way out, a little girl was crying hysterically because she didn’t want to leave. Makes me wonder what we were missing, but not enough to pay $100.

I was surprised to find out that 101 isn’t really along the coast very much in Oregon. We spent a lot of time driving through little towns just inland from the coast. When we were on the coast, we couldn’t see very much because of the marine layer. One place we were looking forward to visiting was Sea Lion Cave. According to the Milepost, it was the one MUST SEE stop on the Oregon coast.  I remember something about it being the world’s largest cave of its type and very colorful.

When we got there, there was no parking in the main lot and the extra lot was across the highway. This is not a good option for the trailers. Just beyond, we found a gravel parking area. We had to walk back along the highway on the narrow strip of shoulder (if you can even call it a shoulder) between the white line and the guardrail. Once we get to the building, we discover it is a gift shop and that you have to pay admission to see the sea lions and the cave. It may be a spectacular cave but we hear the admissions lady telling people that the sea lions aren’t even in the cave right now. They are on the rocks outside the cave. It is so foggy from the marine layer that you can’t even see the rocks below. We don’t hear any sea lions. They want us to pay over $40 for our family of four to see sea lions on rocks that we may not be able to see given the weather conditions and a really big cave. We can see sea lions in SF anytime at Pier 39. We have been in some really big caverns and caves. We don’t like the idea of paying so much for access to our natural resources. We happily pay for access to our national parks but this is a private enterprise making profit from our national resources. It felt wrong. We decided not to go to the caves, thank you very much.

We had lunch in Florence, OR. We found parking near Old Town and ate at a place in the marina area along the river. It was tourist pricing but the boys and I shared a cheese pizza (not great) and everyone else found a lunch special for $9.95. It was a pretty area with outside seating but too breezy for us to sit there. They were selling fresh crab and tuna from the boats in the harbor but we didn’t get any.

More winding through small towns and larger (Coos Bay area is pretty big) and areas away from the coast, brought us to Gold Beach (almost). We are staying at the Honey Bear RV Park just north of Gold Beach. We got here about 5 PM. The place is run by a German couple who also run the Black Forest Restaurant. This is why Mom booked us into this park. They serve a family style dinner at 6 PM. Tonight we had insane amounts of food for only $11.95 each. The boys did a good job trying new foods and even ate enough to be full. We had pork Wiener schnitzel, knackwurst, sweet and sour red cabbage, German potato pancakes, homemade sunflower seed bread still warm from the oven and ice cream for dessert. It was a lot of food and we didn’t even have to unhitch the car.

We left when the proprietor who was also the cook started playing the harmonica with the microphone. Too loud!   

August 4, 2012                   Day 57/60                            Gold Beach, OR to Benbow/Garberville, CA

It was a little like Groundhog Day (the movie not the holiday). Today was overcast along the shore and the highway didn’t always take us along the shore. However, there were a few notable differences.

I finally got to do some shopping. We stopped at a Myrtlewood gift shop. They had a lot of cool things for reasonable prices. I can’t give you details because I got gifts and am setting them aside. I will tell you that Myrtlewood is what we call Bay Laurel. It is a hard wood tree that takes years to grow.

Another highlight for me was driving through parts of Redwood National Park/Forest. There is an inland section and a section along the coast. We did part of the coastal part. The trees are fabulously tall and majestic. They grew right up to the edge of the highway on both sides. I felt like we were driving through tree tunnels. Last school year I assigned a writing project where the students had to choose a National Park located in California to research. Ever since then, I have wanted to visit the parks. I had been to all of them except Lassen, Death Valley, and Redwood.  I may have been to Death Valley when I was young and don’t recall. Now I can say I have been to Redwood. I would love to come back for a more in depth visit some time.

Just as we were leaving the park boundaries along the coast, we saw a herd of elk (about 36 or so) grazing in the tall grass between the highway and the beach. A crowd had gathered so it would have been near impossible not to notice them. There were two rangers standing at the northern end of the crowd to answer questions. They had a huge antler to show. There weren’t any large males with the herd since it is not rutting season. I thought maybe the rangers were there to keep the crowd at a respectful distance but just before we left some idiots were not satisfied with the photos from the highway and headed out to the beach along a trail. Maybe there were awesome pictures of elk on the beach to be had. I’ll never know because I gave them their space. However, I saw a calf nudge mom for milk only to be pushed aside as mom walked away. Maybe she is weaning the calf, wanted to eat something herself first, or who knows. It was cool to see. Then some young males rubbed necks and head-bobbed and were joined by a young female. I have no idea what that meant. It was cool and bug-free so I don’t think it was like when horses stand neck to neck to swat flies away with their tails.

The sun came out for a bit and we saw some pretty rocky shoreline views along the coast.  It got pretty hot once we left the coast. At one point the car indicated it was 91 degrees outside. It was cooler at Benbow Hotel and Resort where we are staying. The place has a golf course and access to a river (though it is shallow by the RV Park). We saw families swimming in the river as we approached but we opted for blackberry picking (Mike is making more jam) and a swim in the pool. The berries grow wild around the perimeter of the park. Luca and I helped for a little while but he really wanted to swim. So we left the picking to Dominic and the grandparents. Rick is still recovering so he rested up after driving all day with a cough.

Dominic stayed late at the grandparents’ trailer to help Grandpa Mike make jam. I am really glad he got that opportunity. I have very fond memories of baking with my Grandma Fern. These are wonderful memories and skills that will carry with him into adulthood.

At 4 AM I was really glad that I am one of those people who reads the entire rule and information sheet given to us at check in and registration. Why? Item 12 out of 19 – “THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM will operate between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. DO NOT leave windows open or articles lying around as they are subject to water damage outside.” When I read this section, I thought sprinklers. No, at 4 AM I felt like I was on a Hollywood movie lot. It sounded like they had found a way to make it rain just at the RV Park. I have not stuck my head out the door yet to see what magical device they have that can cause water to come straight down on the roof of our trailer. Item 9 of the same sheet prohibits vehicle washing, but that may not be a problem given their irrigation system. Rick just woke up and said it might have been rain, but rain wasn’t in the forecast and I think a monster irrigation system sounds more interesting.

  

August 1, 2012                   Day 54                                   Hope, BC to Joint Base Lewis/McChord, WA

The drive out of Canada was bittersweet. We are all glad to be heading back home to our kitties and friends. However, we are sad that our grand adventure is coming to an end.

We took the same route out of Canada through the same sleepy border crossing. This time there wasn’t any interesting people watching. I don’t know if the border guard really doesn’t like his job or if he had his “game face” on, but he seemed a little surly. Maybe he is upset at being stationed at little Sumas, WA. Anyway, after a few questions, he sent us on our way.

Both in Canada and northern Washington we drove past many berry bushes. The only ripe ones were on farm land/private property. Too bad, I think Mike would have liked to stop to pick some more.

After the bucolic farms and back road highways, Interstate 5 was a bit of a shock. The drivers here don’t seem to care about cutting of trucks or trailers and seem to weave in and out of traffic a lot. We hit Seattle at noon and had a few slowdowns but at least we missed the rush hours.

We arrived at Ft. Lewis (last time we stayed at McChord) to get our guest passes. It was extra crowded since today was the ROTC graduation so check in took longer. From here we went straight to the food court at the PX/BX. The boys were really looking forward to some fast food. Too bad for them, the food court didn’t have a Burger King so they had to settle for a slice of pizza.

We did a little shopping and Rick and the boys got haircuts. I love Rick’s new haircut. It is really short and he said it is easy to maintain. Luca got a buzz but not too short. Dominic just got the edges cleaned up and a little off the top. Now they are ready for school. Luca may need another cut before school starts. We’ll see.

We had to exit the base and reenter across the freeway at the Northwest Adventure Center/Travel Camp. There was a bit of a mix up about which sites we could fit in, but we ended up in a nice quiet back in not far from the grandparents’ pull through. After dinner Rick and I walked with the boys to check out the lake. It is a nice enough lake but the swimming area is across the lake from the camping. How does that make sense? We saw some geese and what may have been an immature bald eagle.

Tomorrow we head to the Oregon coast and Highway 101.

August 2, 2012                   Day 55                   Ft. Lewis, WA to Lincoln City, OR

Well, today didn’t turn out like I thought. I was so looking forward to a drive along the coast. Instead, we went down I-5 straight through Portland. We (mostly Rick) had to deal with crazy drivers and stop and go traffic. It all worked for the best in my opinion because if we hadn’t gone this route we wouldn’t have stumbled upon a gem of a museum complex in Evergreen, OR. We don’t have a Milepost (or any literature at all) about this part of the trip so we had no idea what we would see.

We were looking for a place to have lunch when we came around a bend in the highway (no longer on the 5). There were huge glass buildings proclaiming Space and Aviation Museum and wings and Waves Waterpark. I had seen billboards for this during the day but didn’t know where Evergreen was or if we would make any stops. We pulled into the parking lot for lunch.

After lunch the DiMaios unanimously voted to try out the museums. Mom and Mike weren’t up to it due to various maladies. They voted to head on to the campground and look for berry picking or antique stores.

Once again our Coyote Point Museum (can’t get used to the new name and can’t spell it) membership got us in for free! That one membership has paid for itself over and over again on this trip alone.  What a value! We started in the Space Museum. It had wonderful displays showing the history of humans in space. It didn’t have a linear layout so I had trouble staying focused and knowing where to go next. There were timelines but they weren’t always apparent, wrapping around corners, etc.

There was a great display about the Mercury 7 astronauts. There was biographical information on each of the men and their contribution to the space program. There was also a return capsule and a spacesuit worn on one of the missions. I can’t remember the exact quote but there was a quote about these men being true heroes. It made me wish for a time when our nation’s heroes were once again scientists, mathematicians, and scholars instead of athletes (although I do love the Olympians) and performers.

There were also old favorites like the personal hover craft thing from Hiller Aviation and a helicopter and reentry capsule from the USS Hornet. The kids never tire of going to the Hornet and when they were little we went to the Hiller Aviation Museum regularly.

Next we walked across to the Aviation Museum. Here I saw an old friend too. The Spruce Goose was now on display here in Evergreen. When I was a teen it was on display in Long Beach near the Queen Mary. I went to see it with my family. A nice docent took our picture with the Spruce Goose in the background. We walked in the cargo hold but didn’t pay the extra $25 each to go into the cockpit and have our picture taken. Howard Hughes was some kind of eccentric genius. He built this huge wooden (actually mostly birch not spruce, but that doesn’t rhyme) plane for WWII and didn’t finish it until 1947 or 1948, well after the war was over. The plane only flew once for about 1 mile at about 70 feet in the air. The plane itself could be taller than 70 feet; the wings alone are 18 feet tall inside. Hughes was concerned about buoyancy so he had a bunch of beach balls inflated and put in the wings and cargo area. Some of them are still there today and still inflated with air from 1947.

There were many other aircraft there from throughout the history of flight. Many of the WWII planes had remarkable stories of survival. For example, one story that stuck with me was a plane shot to pieces, its injured crew limping back to Allied territory when they spotted a German plane. They thought they were done for but instead he provided escort until they were safe. The two pilots found each other later in life and became friends until their death in the same year. When asked why he didn’t shoot them down, the German pilot responded that it wouldn’t have been right to shoot down such brave men. Such a story!

Upstairs there was a firearms section. The thing that struck me from this section was a video about the Second Amendment. It traced the right to bear arms back to at least King George II. Some scholars believe that the North took more casualties during the American Civil War because the southern soldiers already knew how to use their guns whereas the northern soldiers were mostly from the cities and unfamiliar with guns. It was a very compelling and interesting video.

Just before the turn for our campground we finally turned onto 101, but we couldn’t see the ocean! Our campground is in Lincoln City just north of downtown. Mom and Mike had explored downtown and didn’t think we needed to disconnect. Mike offered his truck if we wanted to go to town. Rick rested while I made dinner. After dinner, Luca and I walked over to see the lake. There wasn’t much shore access from this area but we did see a Blue Heron sitting on a post in the lake. Earlier today we saw some osprey sitting in nests on posts in the river along the highway. We are back in hawk and turkey vulture territory so we saw some of those today too.

Almost home

July 25, 2012                       Day 47/60                            Middle of Nowhere to Iskut, BC

There isn’t much to say about yesterday. Rick was pretty sick, too sick to travel and certainly too sick to move farther away from medical facilities. He ached all over and had a low grade fever. Thankfully, that was all but enough for him to be in bed all day. So we arranged for another day at the Baby Nugget RV Park. It sounds like something you find in a diaper but it is a really large RV Park with separate areas for the caravans of RVs that stop here nightly. It was nicer than some of the parking lots we have stopped in. We had trees for one thing. It was too hot to want to sit outside to enjoy them, however.

I spent the day reading (finished book two of the trip) and doing a load of laundry. Mom drove the boys and me to Watson Lake 13 miles down the highway. This is what people consider “going into town.” We hit the small grocery store and got a chocolate milkshake for Mom and blue raspberry Ice Jams for the boys (think Icee).

Today Rick was better enough to move on. Actually, we were going to move anyway as there was nothing to do, our grey tank was full, and Rick was not seriously ill. The good news was that Rick was well enough to do most of the driving. We dumped tanks at the Sani-Dump with Mike’s help. His back really hurts so it was really nice of him to help us out.

We took Route 37 off the Al Can. It is not as bad as the road to Destruction Bay but it is rough pavement, gravel in some spots, and has no shoulder or center line. There is a large burned out area with no explanation in the Milepost. Plants are starting to regrow but not enough to attract animals back to the area.

After we left this area, we saw a black bear walking along the tree line. It had a sweet face and wasn’t too concerned about us driving by. A little while later, we saw a black bear cub near the road without its mother. She was probably nearby as a cub that young would not survive without its mother. Rick was not feeling well at this point so I didn’t have him put down his window and fight the bugs so that I could get a clear picture. I was satisfied with taking it through the window.

In between the bear sightings, we saw a Dall Sheep. Canadians call them Stone Sheep. It was up on the right side of the car on a cliff above the highway in a curve. We couldn’t stop for long so I took a picture without zoom and as we pulled away, too late to focus again, it paused and looked directly at me.

We stopped for lunch at jade City. It isn’t so much a city as a large jade store on the side of the road. Whatever there once was of a town is gone now. Even the gas station looked closed up. The restaurant was gone too. The jade comes from the local mountains. Something like 90% of the world’s jade comes from this area! I am not that into jade and the prices were tourist prices. However, they had nice quilts done by a local artist. They were also expensive and the themes were all appropriate for this area but not the home of anyone I could think of. I took pictures for my friend who quilts (hi, Judy).

We decided to stop for gas at Dease Lake and switch drivers. I knew Rick was not feeling well if he wanted me to drive the trailer without any practice. He gave me a lot of information during the drive to Dease Lake. Good thing I had been watching him and paying attention this whole trip. Still I was a bit nervous and Rick said the last 25 miles into Dease Lake were some of the longest of the trip.

I drove for a little over an hour. It wasn’t bad. We didn’t adjust the mirrors for me so I couldn’t see anything behind me most of the time. I had to drive on gravel, up and down some grades, and go through a hairpin turn that was also gravel. At one point, I had to cross a narrow bridge. Somehow the driver approaching the bridge from the other side must have sensed the situation because he stopped at let me cross the bridge alone. With no center line, I was worried about being a road hog since I couldn’t see behind me to know if there was anyone wanting to pass. Rick said this made me hug the non-shoulder too much. But, hey, we got here.

We are camped in a little area known as Iskut. The small town, fewer than 300 people, is down the highway. We are staying at the Mountain Shadow RV Park. We can see some of the Cassiar Mountains and the end of a lake. Luca and I walked to the dock on the lake but couldn’t see the whole lake from there. The lake trail looked overgrown, full of mosquitoes, and a good place for wildlife we didn’t want to run into alone.

We don’t have sewer hook ups again tonight. The boys showered at the grandparents’ trailer last night so Rick and I are showering tonight. The camp has showers but they are a long walk from the trailer considering the heat and bugs. Also, there is only one shower/toilet area for men and one for women. There is a caravan here tonight and none of us wants to walk over there to find the shower occupied.

Tonight will be my second night on the fold down sofa. I am trying to give Rick room to toss and turn and get through this flu. Also, I don’t need to catch it. If I am still snoring, I don’t need to keep him up. Last night wasn’t bad. It was hot so I didn’t even need the light blanket my mom lent me until early morning. I also slept in my warmest flannel jammies. Tonight is hot but we can’t use the A/C after 9 PM – park rules. It is cooling down but I will sleep in my lighter pjs and use a sheet and Dominic’s light weight flannel blanket.

Tomorrow we head to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. They are adjacent to each other and are supposed to have great bear viewing.  

July 26, 2012                       Day 48/60                            Iskut, BC to Stewart, BC

It got cold last night! Good thing Rick got up in the night and I could ask him for his extra blanket. I feel guilty now that I had Dominic’s. I put it on him when I got up. Hope he wasn’t cold. No, he reports that he was fine.

Rick drove for the first 30 minutes or so but decided not to over-do it today and asked me to drive. We pulled over at a pull out to switch drivers. It wasn’t very wide so we adjusted mirrors quickly and moved down the road with me in the lead. I wasn’t comfortable leading. I don’t say that often but I freely admit it this time. We pulled over at a brake check area and I further adjusted the mirrors before moving on. Oh, so that is what it looks like behind the trailer. I drove for about 2 hours and as the time went by I couldn’t shake the idea that I would love a cold Pepsi and gee hadn’t I earned it by doing such a great job driving the trailer even though I was nervous. That is self-sabotaging talk. I don’t need a Pepsi reward. But it did remind me of today’s movie reference. I thought of the scenes in “Airplane” where one of the characters said he picked a bad week to give up_____________. He is sweating buckets during this hectic time when they are trying to land a plane where the pilot has been incapacitated. In each scene, the thing he has given up gets worse and worse. It starts with something like cigarettes or coffee, and then gets into harder stuff. I am really proud of myself for cutting back on the soda this summer but it has been really hard with stressful times that make me crave it and foods that make me think “a Pepsi would taste so good with this,” and limited menus and iffy water.  Anyway, I digress…

My wrist was really starting to bother me while I was driving but I didn’t say anything to Rick who was in no shape to drive. When I could, I drove with one hand. When I needed more stability, I used both and ignored the discomfort. Now my hand hardly hurts at all. Therefore, I don’t think I did any further damage.

Today’s drive took us off the Cassiar highway to Highway 37A (the Stewart-Hyder Access Road). There really wasn’t much to see and once again the editor of this section of Milepost didn’t have much to tell us about what we passed. None of the wildlife we were advised to watch for was out today. Some of the highlights could no longer be seen from the highway due to grown up trees or construction. Oh, yes, about the construction. There was a long stretch while I was driving were we were behind a pilot car on a gravel road. There was so much dust I couldn’t see my parents trailer right in front of me. I had to slow way down to try to get out of their dust plume. In addition to the road work, they were cutting down huge wide areas of trees along the steep hills next to the highway. When we stopped for gas, we found out they are building a new hydro-line. Whatever that is.

Rick drove the last couple of hours. We stopped for lunch along a rise above a lake. We had no windows on that side of the trailer but it was nice to know it was there. When we stopped for gas, I got the boys each a soda. Hey, they didn’t swear off them for the summer. I got them flavors they like but I don’t so I wasn’t even tempted to take a sip. Dominic and I split a darn good chocolate chip cookie, but Luca and Rick decided to save theirs.

About 15 miles along 37A, we came to a section with some hanging glaciers. As we came around a corner, the Bear Glacier came into view. It is as good as some of the other glaciers we have seen on this trip. We can’t walk to the toe as it ends in a lake. However, it is a nice view from the road. It is supposed to be even better in the morning light so I look forward to seeing it on our way out of town.

Rick needed to rest and we needed supplies, so the rest of us left him to nap and piled into the Suburban. We drove through Stewart (don’t blink, you might miss it). We were forced to stop by more construction. Conveniently, we were right by an ice cream shop. More precisely, it was ice cream and snacks (hot and cold), video rental, Sears Catalog, Hertz Car Rental, and I don’t know what else. So, of course, we stopped for ice cream. It was some of the best coconut ice cream I have had outside of Maui.

We continued out of Stewart and around the end of the Portland Canal, across the Alaska Border, and into Hyder. Hyder is even smaller than Stewart. And, yet, there was road construction! We stopped for a long time before it was our turn to go through. Mom wanted to mail some letters but it was in the pilot car area so we will hit it on the way back. Again, more gravel roads with pot holes.

We drove about 7 miles until we got to the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area. The National Park rangers were on hand to control the human/bear interactions. There were long, raised wooden boardwalks above the creek. There was a ranger office were admission was collected. Thank goodness for my parents’ Golden Access passes for the National Parks. We didn’t have to pay a thing.

The creek has Dog/Chum salmon running. We found out the bears usually come 6-10 AM and again 6-10 PM. We plan to go back tomorrow but walked around since we were there. We saw some immature bald eagles. Two of them looked like they might get in a spat over something hidden in the bushes, but in the end one just flew away with whatever it was and the other flew after it.

We saw the salmon spawning. One female was swimming in a shallow pool of to the side with 3 males at her side. The largest of the males was in the center pushing aside the other two males. This went on for the entire time we were there. We also saw a determined female swimming alone much farther up the creek than any of the others. I imagine she was going to make it on her own and didn’t need anyone else to help her find her way up the creek. Insert the theme to Mary Tyler Moore Show here.

We had to show our passports to get back into Stewart. Not a problem as we left all the questionable items at the trailer. We stopped for groceries. Not a bad selection for a small town so far from everything. I even found apples and bananas. They were a bit pricey but seemed to be good quality. I have to keep us healthy.

Leftovers for dinner. However, if Rick is feeling better tomorrow, we have our eyes on a Prime Rib place in town. Stop laughing. I am not kidding.

Lots of warnings about bear-proofing your car and campsite. Some of our neighbors seem to have stuff out. Wonder if they will get bear or wolves visiting them tonight.

When we registered, the woman in the office mentioned that there was a little boy looking for someone to play with. Even though he was only 7, Luca went out to play with him tonight. They played a game similar to horseshoes with 2 balls on the end of a string and you toss it over ladders. I can’t think of the name of it. Then he rode his bike and Luca ran. He wanted to play more but Luca came to tell me that he was concerned because the boy admitted stealing coins from his grandpa. I gave him some advice on how to handle it and he came in for the night. Luca is so good with little kids. He will make a good Mother’s Helper or Den Chief.

July 27, 2012                       Day 49/60                            Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK

We started our day back out at Fish Creek. Rick was feeling well enough to not only join us, but to drive as well. On the way there, I read from the Self-guided Auto tour given to us at check-in at the campground. We went passed the remains of Hyder, BC, a town built on pilings that grew up during Prohibition when miners in Hyder, AK needed someplace to get a drink. We went passed Moose Pond which oddly has no moose. It was named after the Loyal Order of Moose. Once again, we got in free to the viewing platform. There were no bears so after about 80 minutes or so, we moved on up the road.  The guide said we drove passed the remains of old mines from the Gold Rush, silver and copper days.  We couldn’t really see any of this from the road. We did see signs of current mining activity. No, actual signs that read, “Stay out! Private Property. Active Mine Area! Danger!”  There were steep roads cut into the sides of the valley. There were also signs that said, “Turn off your cell phones and radios. Blasting Area!”  We didn’t hear any explosions though.

The road actually seemed to improve as we got farther away from the town. It was still gravel but not as deeply rutted and there were fewer pot holes. Finally, after winding our way up the valley and higher into the mountains, we came to the toe of Salmon Glacier. It was huge! It is the fifth largest glacier in all of Canada. It is impossible to describe the gorgeous blue green of the glacier. I can only hope the photos we took captured the tremendous depth of color. There are some hanging glaciers in the mountains above Salmon Glacier too. It was a little overcast but there was enough sun to see the brilliant colors and the rain held off for us.  We climbed higher up beyond the view of the toe nearly to the summit and were rewarded with an even more spectacular view of the glacier. It seemed to wind farther up the mountain around a curve but we took advantage of a good turn out to turn around and head back down into the valley. We saw a hoary marmot (and Mom saw another) and what may have been a pika. We took a picture and will try to identify it using Mom’s mammal guide.

We had heard stories from other travelers who had gone into this mining valley and been offered pay dirt to turn around and leave. They must have wandered down one of the clearly marked Private Property – Active Mine roads “by mistake.” No one came running out to the public road to offer us any gold or pay dirt. We had buckets in the back just in case. No such luck.

We slowed down near the wildlife viewing area but there didn’t seem to be any bear activity so we headed back to Stewart promising to return later in the evening. We wandered around the 2 blocks of downtown Stewart looking in windows and reading plaques. The Visitors’ Center has nice clean bathrooms and is open 9-5 7 days a week. If you ever find yourself in Stewart, this is good information. Most places take lunch from 12-1. Also good to know, as we arrived at 12:30, we had to wait for a shop to open. So we busied ourselves with a trip to the bakery. It was a lot like the bakery in Hope. It had fresh baked bread though, which I wish we needed but we didn’t. I did get Dominic a donut for later (Luca declined) and myself a cookie for now and a brownie type thing for tomorrow. Everyone else had an ice cream at the place we ate yesterday. Oh, except Luca who had a fantastic blue raspberry lemonade slushie. Yummy!

Back at the trailer, we rested, checked email, Luca beat me at the ball toss game, etc. Then we left for dinner back in town. We were the first to arrive for the 5 PM opening. The waitress seemed new at the job but very nice. We asked if she knew where to find a creek we had read about earlier that day on a plaque. She said no which I thought was strange since she had just finished telling us that she was born and raised and lived her whole life in Stewart. Wow! The Prime rib special was fantastic and the portions were generous so we ordered one for Dominic and I to share but he and I ate part of Mom’s too and I ate part of Rick’s. So much for the weight loss.

After dinner, it was time to go back to look for bears. When we arrived we heard that a young bear had been going up and down the river several times already today. I was worried that maybe we had missed our chance. However, after a short wait, Rick motioned that he saw a bear. It appeared to be young grizzly, maybe its first year on its own. It waded out from the side of the road and sat on an island in the river. It sat. It scratched. It walked up the river. It didn’t seem to want to get into the deeper water so it stayed along the far shore where the water was shallow.  It made a half-hearted leap into the middle of the river but missed its prey. It walked farther up-stream eventually exiting the water near the bridge where it proceeded up the embankment. Upon reaching the road, it crossed to the far side before attempting to descend the far side embankment. It changed its mind, crossed the bridge and proceeded down the far embankment there. (Can you tell I have been reading crime dramas?) We waited to see if it or any other bears would appear. After about 30 more minutes we decided to call it quits. I was happy we saw a grizzly and captured it in still photos and video. Yay!

July 28, 2012                       Day 50/60                            Stewart to Smithers, BC

We awoke to a light sprinkle that turned into a rain for part of our trip today. The mountains, creeks and rivers had a fine veil of mist covering them. It looked like a scene from a movie with dragons and wizards. The Milepost had said that Bear Glacier was best viewed in the morning but we were sure what we would see as the morning was not exactly clear. We were not disappointed. Although we could not see the top of the glacier (too misty), the blue of the part we could see was more intense than when we saw it on the way in.

Except for the rain, which we had gotten pretty used to, the ride to Smithers was uneventful. We had been spoiled earlier in our trip so we are disappointed when we don’t see any wildlife. This section of the highway (37A and Yellowhead) has many First Nation villages either on or a short drive from the highway. We didn’t pull off to see any of them. Not even the one with perhaps the world’s largest collection of totem poles. The road was wonderful. It was smooth, paved, and divided. The road conditions made it easy to drive. Rick was feeling better and drove the whole way.

We noticed an unusual sign on the highway as we entered some of the village areas. It said, “Slow to 50 kph when children on highway.” I had a good laugh over this. We wondered when children might be on the highway and why. There weren’t any bus stops, pedestrian xings, or buildings on the other side of the highway. “Hey, Mom I’m going out to play on the highway.”  I wish I could have gotten a picture. I would have sent it to Jay Leno.  

We stopped for lunch in New Hazelton which is not to be confused with South Hazelton or Old Hazelton. This is a string of mostly First Nations villages with shops and businesses along the highway. We originally thought we might get gas here, but the one open gas station in town seemed to be the center of activity and very crowded with cars. We pulled down the road for lunch in our trailers in the parking area of the closed gas station. We opted not to go to Old Hazelton which is supposed to be reconstructed to look like it did in the 1890s. While I am sure it is very interesting, we are all suffering from what I call the “Madonna e Bambini” syndrome.  This is in reference to my trip to Italy several years ago. We hit so many museums that I started having trouble distinguishing one religious picture from another. I know it sounds awful, but I was so overloaded with art information that I started to lose appreciation for the works of art. We kind of feel that way having seen so many museums earlier in our trip.

Just outside of the Hazeltons, all traffic on the highway was stopped so that a funeral procession could cross in Moricetown. This is a largely First Nations area. We surmise that an elder might have passed away because the procession was really long. At the head there was a pickup truck with the coffin with what I assume was the immediate family walking solemnly behind it. Then came a long procession of cars and some more people on foot. Near where we were stopped, a First Nations couple stood quietly in their yard. The man was shirtless but had removed his hat in respect. As we drove away, he gave me a small nod and slight wave of the hand as if to say thank you for your respect in our time of loss. In contrast to this, not a half mile down the highway, I saw about 5 First Nations med sitting on a back porch knocking back beers at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday. In a small town, it seemed odd to me that they would not be part of the funeral.

Smithers is a nice surprise. It is a good sized town of a little over 5,000 and a lot like Dawson Creek.  There are major businesses along the highway such as Safeway and Dairy Queen, both of which we visited after settling in. There is a nice municipal campground down by the Bullkley River where we set up camp. We got a nice wide grassy spot with full hook ups for only $28. Larry, the camp host, is very involved and committed to his job. He checked us in and drove his motorized scooter over to our sites and made sure we got settled. He returned several times throughout the afternoon and evening. He and his wife have lived in Smithers for 44 years. They have a house in town a few blocks away where they live when the campground is closed 7 months out of the year. He has been the most hands on of any of the campground hosts so far this trip. He runs a tight ship. Despite a pretty full campground, quiet time was strictly observed at 10 PM.

Before dinner we headed into downtown for supplies and a little wandering around. First stop was the DQ. Then over to main street. It reminded me of the way Burlingame Avenue used to be. There were many small shops. No chain stores here. Our favorites were the Sausage Factory and Shimmels Bakery (run by a Swiss German lady and her husband). The bakery had already frozen all of the day’s bread so we convinced her to sell us to frozen sourdough seedless rye loaves. I hope this makes our lunches more interesting. Mom also picked up some cinnamon buns.

The Sausage Factory sells local fresh meat and a variety of cured meats. Rick was not feeling well and waited in the car with Mom and the boys while Mike and I went in to buy “something we can’t get at home.” Mike bought us some landjaeger and I picked up some bacon and cheese sausage and some made with kangaroo. I know kangaroos aren’t from around here but it is different and I want to try it. I didn’t get any of the North American game sausage because we have friends who are hunters and we might be able to trade them some salmon for their sausage. I doubt any of them have Roo.

 After dinner, Rick and I took the boys over by the river. It was really moving fast. Luca threw rocks in and Dominic rock hounded. I think he found one keeper to show Grandpa.  We saw a tree that the beavers had gotten to and then either changed their minds about getting it out to their lodge or couldn’t manage it as it was a pretty big tree.

We did more laundry and called home (finally some cell service). However, the WiFi is poor and we never did get on.

On to Prince George…

July 29, 2012                       Day 51/60                            Smithers to Prince George, BC

There isn’t much to say about today. We drove through what looked like ranch country. The Milepost said it is lake country with over 300 lakes in this area. We did see some from the highway but none as spectacular as those we have seen.

We saw 5 deer total. We saw a doe cross with an older fawn (no spots) in front of the grandparents. Then her other fawn (ooh, twins!) crossed between us. They stopped to browse on a bush beside the highway. The other two deer were both bucks on the other side of a low fence next to the highway. I snapped a quick picture.

The rest of the drive and day were uneventful. We checked into the Blue Cedars Campground/RV Park. We stayed here on Day 7. The guy in the office was still snippy. We thought we were getting full hook ups. However, he directed us to pull throughs with no sewer. When Mike asked about our reservation, he said we could go find any back in we liked and could fit in. We chose to stay with the pull throughs. It is only one night.

Mike left to run errand. Judy was calling for reservations for the rest of our trip. Rick blogged. I took the boys to the pool. It was pretty cold but they had been cooped up in the car for so long, they needed to do something besides electronics. The pool didn’t have any steps. It was 3 ft deep in one end and 5 in the other. The deep end had one ladder. The sign said no jumping or diving. I chose to sit on the edge and put my legs in up to just below the knee. Luca got in all the way. Dominic sat on the edge with me for a bit before easing his way in at the shallow end. They played together until their lips were shivering and almost blue. At this point, I told them to get out.

Rick took them for showers because children must be supervised by an adult while in the washrooms. I showered in the other trailer. When Mike got back we had sausage and beans for dinner. Mom made a sort of mushroom, onion, green pepper stir fry to go on the side. I thought the kangaroo was a bit gamey but the bacon cheese sausage was good. The boys didn’t like either but they tried them.  They had raw s’mores for dessert and the other adults had blueberry pie.

Tomorrow is Lac La Hache. We will not be staying at the same place we did last time.

July 30, 2012                       Day 52                                   Prince George to Lac La Hache, BC

There were some sprinkles but no rain today. At first I was worried that the dark clouds would hang around and ruin our plans for outside fun. After the sprinkles, the clouds hung around but didn’t drop any more rain. The clouds were much more interesting to look at than the overcast skies we had previously. They were a nice contrast to the blue of the sky.

We retraced out drive through the Cariboo District. Yes, that is how they spell it. It is the horse farm area from very early in our trip. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart/antique store. Dominic found a bronze Roman coin he liked – only $3. He doesn’t know anything about it but it looks like the real deal and he has some authenticated Roman coins at home. I just found it strange that the gas station was also an antique shop. I’d never seen that before.

We stopped at the Cariboo Wood Shop for fudge. It was a pretty extensive gift shop in what used to be a house on the side of the highway. She had the cleanest outhouse I have ever seen and a playground in the middle of the parking area. Most of her items were heavily “country” or Canadian animal themed. She also had scarves but one I looked at was made in China and the other was so loosely woven my cats would have it destroyed in no time. So we settled for some fudge (they even had Root Beer that tasted just like a root beer barrel) and some flavored honey stix that the boys picked out. I don’t think Dominic liked his, but he isn’t a fan of honey.

We are staying at Kokonee Bay Campground. It sounds Hawaiian, doesn’t it? It is right on the Lake (Lac La Hache) and the highway (97). We have a view of the lake from our pull through site with full hook ups. The boys could hardly wait to go swimming in the lake so we changed while Rick was still setting up the hoses. Rick had decided not to swim since he was just sick and still not totally over it.

The boys have never gone swimming in a lake before so I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with them. I lived in Ohio until I was 5 and can remember swimming in a lake on vacation and on subsequent visits to family (Cousin Karen used to live on a lake). I remember standing in the water watching the little fish nibble at my feet. People pay a fortune for fish pedicures now. What I didn’t notice were the mosquitoes eating me alive. I think I was 8 years old and had 100 bites on just my legs.

There are no bugs here and there is a dock leading out from the shore with a ladder at the end so you don’t have to swim through the plants growing underwater near shore. There is another family on shore who had been swimming when we arrived. There are two men swimming way off shore nearer the middle of the lake. This is going to be great, I think.

To my surprise the boys won’t go down the ladder. They think the water is colder than the pool yesterday. No way is it colder. I go down the ladder first to encourage them. The water felt cold at first but not bone chilling like the pool. Once I was in, it was refreshing and at times almost warm. Dominic joined me and seemed to like the idea of swimming with the fish (little ones near where we were by the dock but he saw a larger one too). Luca went back to wade on the shore returning a few times for pictures on the dock or to stick his toes in. We finally got Luca in but he said it was too cold. By this time, Dominic was cold too (not enough body fat). I was really enjoying myself and didn’t want to get out but I had been treading water for a long time. My legs were complaining and my bad wrist wasn’t too happy either.

 The other adults had come by to check us out and take pictures but Mom and Mike were leaving for berry picking. They asked the boys if they wanted to go. The boys wanted to swim some more and try out an Aquabike (big tricycle on the water, you’ve probably seen one). There was also a canoe for rent. We should have gone with the canoe. Before paying, I had the boys get on the Aquabike to make sure they could reach the pedals. No way was I going to do all the work after treading water so long. Ok, they said they could reach. It was agreed that I would go out with each boy taking turns and Dominic would go first. We pay our $6 Canadian for 30 minutes. As the man gives us the life jackets, he explains that he is legally required to give them to us but we don’t have to wear them. Hey, we are scouts. We wore our life jackets.

Aquabiking is a lot harder than bicycling. The water provides a lot of resistance. Dominic and I did pretty well. He was tall enough to reach the pedals well and keep his back against the seat for leverage. Luca couldn’t reach the pedals and keep his back against the seat. When he pedaled, his whole body shifted toward my side of the bike. We didn’t tilt so far as to get a wheel out of the water but we were no efficient. After 20 minutes or so, I was DONE. My legs burned. The boys didn’t seem too upset about turning in the bike. Now they wanted to canoe. I knew we should have gone with the canoe. We all know how to row. We could have all gone together. However, they rent by the hour and no way was I going to row on a lake with rain clouds and a breeze for an hour after treading water and Aquabiking.  It was time to hit the showers. At least I had gotten the boys to swim in a lake. This summer is all about experiencing new things and the outdoors in new ways.

While we were in the lake, we saw two loons. They have a long graceful neck that rises from their speckled wings when folded and gliding on the water. Their call is mysterious and eerie not unlike the lonely call of elk through the mist at Yellowstone. Sadly, they are not close enough for Rick to get a picture (I was on the Aquabike). 

Rick and I made dinner while the grandparents cleaned up from picking Saskatoon berries. Mike plans to make jam tonight. It rained a bit more about dinner time.

July 31, 2012                       Day 53                   Lac La Hache to Hope, BC

This morning during breakfast we heard a strange bird call. When we went to the door to look out, we saw that it was a loon in flight. The call was far different than the call while on water. But then, how many of us sound different in different situations?

We said goodbye to our gorgeous home for the night. A little over an hour down the highway, we took the turn off that would lead us to Chasm Provincial Park. At the highway turn was a junkyard/house that would make Sanford and Son proud (if you are too young to know about this ask anyone who grew up in the 70s). About 2 kilometers down the loop road we came to a house with a perfectly manicured lawn. I made me wonder what landmarks she gave friends who came to visit. Did she tell them to turn at the junk or not mention it and hope they didn’t notice? Clearly, there is no homeowners’ association here.

According to the Milepost, Chasm Creek Valley was formed by successful lava flows forming layers in various tones of red (check), brown (check), yellow (?), and purple (?). The steep canyon walls were cut by erosion over the past 10 million years. It was quite remarkable but not amazing and we didn’t see all the colors. Perhaps it was the wrong time of day. We also didn’t see any of the animals said to be in the area.

We stopped to eat in Spences Bridge. First we thought we might eat at the Log Cabin Pub because it was the only one listed and had signs along the way. We pulled up to an empty parking lot (hey, plenty of room for the trailers, though) and closed doors. The hanging plants were taken care of and the roof air conditioner was on so we knew the place was not abandoned.  A sign said they opened at noon, just 15 minutes. Mom and Mike took the boys for a walk to talk to a neighbor about picking her apricots. She was willing but they weren’t ready. They talked to several people who said The Packing House was the place to go. It was just around the corner and down a bit (really not far, this isn’t Alaska or the Yukon where a bit is miles). We found parking and there were people at tables but not too many. It was a cute little place that had been constructed in Great Britain, numbered, taken apart, put on a ship, and then reconstructed here. That is a lot of trouble to go to when trees were plentiful right here in BC. It was a grainy homemade bread type place. The menu was a bit challenging for the kids. Luca settled on toast and bacon and Dominic chose the turkey sandwich. The rest of us didn’t order anything too fancy or complicated. Even so, it took us forever to be served. The food was ok, but the waitress was slammed and had trouble keeping up with her tables. Maybe they only had one cook. They comped our drinks but only the boys had anything but water. My toast was a little burned but I didn’t want to wait for more. Too bad, the flavor was good. In the end, our lunch stop took 90 minutes.

We drove back through Fraser Canyon and past Hell’s Gate. The canyon is steep and winding with a beautiful view of the Thompson River below. I don’t know if it was the view or some other distraction but a bobtail truck (one of two) in front of us hit the K rail with his right front tire in an uphill curve. His partner truck stopped behind him. He moved up to a slightly wider spot near an auto turn out for the view. There is no shoulder and no passing lane. We skirted around the trucks as did Mike and the other trucks. Mom said she saw the driver waving his hands frantically as if to shoo a mosquito or put out a cigarette fire in his lap. Whatever it was, it almost caused a major accident. I am glad everyone was alright.

Outside Hope, Mike took the lead. Our walkie-talkie battery had died so we had no radio communication. We wound our way through the waterfront of Hope along the Fraser River. We headed back out of town to the south. Our destination was a ways out of town but a nice spot. We are in a tree covered RV park (but that means buggy) with a heated pool. The kids went for a swim. We had dinner at the big trailer and watched Despicable Me whish the grandparents hadn’t seen.

The office here had local blueberries in a bowl. They are from Abbottsford about an hour down the highway. We may have to go through here tomorrow on the way to the border. If there is time, we will stop to pick some. We are going all the way to McCord in Washington and have errands to do when we get there so we can’t arrive too late.

 July 23, 2012                      Day 45/60                            Johnson’s Crossing to Nugget City/Northern Beaver Post

The boys joined the grandparents for cinnamon buns for breakfast. I am trying to watch what I eat so I had cereal. I managed to get a picture of Rick in his “beekeeper” outfit as he disconnected us. I heard chirping from a nearby tree and found an empty nest and sound coming from a hole in the tree a little smaller than a tennis ball. I think it may have been a baby Arctic squirrel. I couldn’t see inside and didn’t want to disturb it too much. However, I took a picture.

The drive on the Al Can was pretty uneventful up until lunch. We passed pretty rivers and lakes. I saw an Arctic hare cross the road, a couple of squirrels tangling with each other in the highway (if their mother knew they were playing in the street, there would be trouble), and lots of ravens 9some of them hanging out in the road too).  We stopped for lunch at a non-descript gravel pullout with bear-proof trash cans. The Milepost claimed there was a trail to the river but we were on a bluff above the river, a meadow was encroaching on the slow-moving river, and it looked buggy. We didn’t even look for the trailhead.

Not long after hitting the road again, I saw a three-colored black bear walking in the grass on the left side of the road. We didn’t have time to get a picture but it looked like it had a bad bleach job on the top half of its body, brown in the middle band, and a black underbelly.

A little while later, Mom radios that there is a black bear leaning against the guardrail. We are going too fast to stop in time for a picture but we see a huge bear sitting upright with its back against the post of the guardrail. Mom’s theory is that we may have missed the cub she was nursing. I think she was winded from climbing up a steep hill and sat to enjoy the view and rest a bit before moving on. We will never know and didn’t get the award winning photo to put in a caption contest either.

No rain today. Actually, I forgot to mention that there was no rain yesterday either. It is great for the views, but it is getting hot. By 2 Pm, it was already in the 80s. We were faced with stopping early but having at least electrical (and therefore, A/C) and water but no sewer or continuing on for another 90 minutes and having no amenities for the night. We opted to stop early. There is nothing here, but we have cool air. This is good for all of us, but especially Rick who is not feeling well. It may be too many nights with poor sleep due to my coughing and now my snoring. I have to say in my defense that I am not usually a snorer. It could be the strange bed and the cough I am getting over. I plan to try Breathe Right Strips as soon as I can locate some. There is no guest room to banish myself to. However, I am willing to consider the sofa.

The boys and I ate a simple dinner alone, leaving Rick to have cereal when he woke from his rest. Mom and Mike have been in their trailer since we finished checking email in the Wi-Fi spot and looking around the store. The boys are enjoying unlimited (but without Internet) electronics and I am reading a book. I finished one already on this trip and hope to get through another this week. I have had little time to read for pleasure this past school year and am way behind on books.

We have no phone service so, of course, sometime during the day when we did, I got a voicemail. Now I can’t check it and it is driving me crazy. I hope it is someone who doesn’t realize I am not back yet, someone offering me a job and willing to wait a day or two for my answer, or other good news.

July 19, 2012                       Day 41/60                            Valdez, AK

Today was our bonus day in Valdez. We got to sleep in and see whatever we didn’t see. Mike wanted to work on his blog so he stayed behind while the rest of us went to see a lake fed by the Valdez Glacier. Our first clue should have been that it wasn’t even mentioned in the Milepost. However, it was in the Valdez Visitors’ Guide. The “lake” was not very big and milky brown. The “icebergs in the lake” were not very big and lacked the gorgeous blue hues associated with icebergs. The guide was correct that you can’t see the Valdez Glacier from the accessible part of the lake, you can see two other glaciers, and there was someone leading kayak trips. We didn’t stay long and if you are ever in Valdez, you can feel comfortable skipping this attraction.

Our next stop was the “Second Time Around” thrift store benefiting local people in need. Rick found a pair of Cabela’s shoes for fishing when Dominic borrows his galoshes. Luca found a book he had already read but wanted to reread. And we got a cardboard scratching post for our kitties. Probably could have skipped this too.

I wanted to see if we could drive to the entry of the port/arm. No you can’t but we saw the more affluent neighborhood with some lovely homes.

We picked up Mike for lunch at The Fat Mermaid. The boys and I split a pizza, Mom and Mike each had a burger and Rick had fish and chips. It was ok. From here, Mike and Rick went to arrange for the salmon to be shipped to Millbrae. The boys got on the computer or read. Mom and I read. When the guys returned, Mike wanted to catch some fish to send to Dina, my stepsister. Rick agreed to help and off they went. The rest of us agreed to meet them out there later in hopes of seeing the bear again.

When we arrived in the fishing area, there was a large electronic sign warning of bears in the area and telling you to stay in your car when they are present. There were a handful of cars and some people fishing. People were not taking the sign seriously. Rick and Mike had caught 10 fish. We left them to get cleaned and arrange for processing. We drove to the end of the road to see what we could see. Primitive, dry camping locations lined the road. People were cooking and camping in tents not overly concerned about being in bear territory.

We did see some interesting behavior by the Stellar Sea Lions. A group of about 12-16 (hard to say because some kept diving) were gathered in a circle in the water just off shore. They were perpendicular with their heads out of the water. Every few minutes a large male would vocalize. Sometimes two would get face to face and vocalize. At one point the group split in two, but then they regrouped. As the tide went out, they moved the group twice. We looked to see if there was a killer whale but didn’t see any. We Googled but couldn’t find out anything about this behavior.

We parked toward what we thought was the beginning of the parking area near the fishery. Rick didn’t go with Mike so he set up the spotting scope. We sat forever watching for the bear, enjoying the sea mammals, looking for lost lures, and people watching. It was becoming quite a circus with families and photographers standing along the shore. As it got closer to 6:30 more cars started arriving and some parked in front of us but moved on when nothing was happening. However, a rented RV came and parked blocking our view of the road. Mom and Mike decided to go back to the trailer to start dinner. Rick and I eventually got tired of swatting away mosquitoes and biting flies and listening to a vapid young lady from the Coast Guard holding court for the tourists while wearing a strapless sundress and sipping a beer.

The one highlight for me was a river otter that made and appearance on the small jetty near the fishery. It climbed up on the rocks and rolled around in the bushes before returning to the water and swimming away. I love otters and I was so happy to see a river otter and sea otters in the same day.

The boys and I ate leftovers as we were not interested in fish. After a late dinner, Mike took the boys for soft serve ice cream. I think they will really miss the convenience of having ice cream across the street.

July 20, 2012                       Day 42/60                            Valdez to Slana, AK

We hated to say good-bye to the beauty of Valdez but we had to move on. We made the drive out much faster than the drive in. We stopped briefly at the railroad tunnel dug by hand but never used. We didn’t make any stops for the view on the steep climb out of the Keystone Canyon. The right lane was more like 2/3 of a lane so Rick had to really pay attention.

We stopped at Mirror Lake for a view of the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains. We could see most of them but the peaks were in clouds. The lake did not provide a mirror image as weather conditions while beautiful were not right.

We had lunch at a new place in Copper Center. Copper Center is really just a few houses clustered in what used to be a bigger town. There are many falling down cabins and abandoned properties in the area. The Klutina River runs through here and people were catching red/sockeye salmon. Mike seemed tempted but our freezers are full. The original lodge burned down earlier this year so they built the new restaurant quickly to fill the void. Mom and I split an excellent pulled pork sandwich. From here Mom, the boys and I took a walk toward where she thought there was an ice cream place. Mike and Rick went for the trailers and met us on the loop road. No ice cream to be found. Almost back to the highway, Dominic remembered that he left his retainer on the table in a plastic glass. We went back for it and it was near the top of the trash bin. Lucky for us a little rinse is all it needed.

We saw a few trumpeter swans on an otherwise uneventful drive to Slana. Our campground is run by a lady who is also a sculptor (but I don’t see any of her work) and used to raise Affenpinscher dogs (don’t see any of the dogs either). We are her only guests. It is quiet and buggy here. It is also hot. As this is only a one night stop, we didn’t want to unhitch the car. All of this discouraged us from exploring the area.

July 21, 2012                       Day 43/60                            Slana, AK to Destruction Bay, YT

Remember the Seinfeld episode where George wanted to pitch the television executives a show about nothing? That was our day. We got up. Rick unhooked us while covered head to toe to avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes and biting flies. I still wish I had gotten a picture of that. He looked a little like a bee keeper.

We drove the Tok Cutoff to Tok where we got gas. We saw nothing because there was a mysterious haze over everything. We found out much farther down the road from a construction worker that there is a fire in Russia or Scandinavia and the Artic wind patterns caused the smoke to collect here. If you believe him, it must be one heck of a fire. We have no connection to outside news so I have no idea.

We did see a few Trumpeter swans but not well. We connected up with the Al Can highway again outside Tok and took it past the Canadian border. There were no issues at the border and no interesting people watching.

We stopped for gas at a little place at the side of the highway. The couple has been selling gas and collectibles here since 1969. They are pretty old now and so are most of the collectibles. They were very nice but their place looked like it belonged on “Hoarders.” I couldn’t even see the kitchen counter. Mike took a leap of faith and bought a cinnamon bun she claimed to have made that morning. She looked like she was having trouble standing. Her husband could hardly walk but insisted on pumping the gas. They looked happy to have someone to talk to. We didn’t buy any of the rock and mineral collectibles.

He did give us one good piece of advice about not stopping to camp up the highway where we were thinking of stopping to dry camp. He said it is the weekend and many of the local First nation people like to get drunk and steal things like gas cans from campers. So even though we were very tired of the ups and downs of the frost heaves in the road (picture a kiddie roller coaster at the fair) and dodging the potholes and sitting so long our tail bones ached, we drove on. Just when we couldn’t take it anymore, we stopped for gas at Destruction Bay on Kluane Lake. The gas station had electrical hook ups for only $12 Canadian. They also have a restaurant that lets adults order off the Kids Menu. Sold! We’ve stayed at funkier places.

July 22, 2012                       Day 44/60                            Destruction Bay to Johnson’s Crossing, YT

There was much to do in the morning to get ready to leave. The bugs were not as bad, I think, because there was a strong breeze. Once we unplugged and raised the stabilizers, we set off to drive around Kluane Lake. The frost heaves weren’t as bad as yesterday but the breeze was causing white caps on the lake. The views were pleasant but not as spectacular as previous days. We didn’t stop in Haines Junction but headed back toward Whitehorse and the Alcan Highway. The road was better through here.

We saw a grizzly/brown bear cross the road in front of Mom and Mike. Mike said the bear seemed to be “road aware.” When they had stopped the trailer about 300 yards away, the bear crossed to the other side and began browsing and foraging for food there. I tried to get a few pictures but we were too far away when it crossed the road and then it was in the bushes. Also, I had to fight off mosquitoes while trying to take the pictures through the open window.  Still, it was nice to see some wild life.

Even though the road was better, there were still gravel sections here and there. It was in one of these gravel sections that a car passing in the opposite direction was going too fast. Over 6500 miles into the trip and we finally got not 1 but 2 windshield dings. They aren’t big but we want to have them repaired so they don’t spread. We didn’t find anyone open in Whitehorse today (Sunday) so we will have to wait for another big town.

We stopped for lunch near the Wal-Mart and hoped to get some groceries. Alas, it was not a Super Wal-Mart so we only got part of our lists. No fruits or veggies for us.

From Whitehorse, we headed to Carcross. We had visited here last year when our cruise ship docked in Skagway. The boys were looking forward to seeing it again. The road here was way better than the road to Destruction Bay. We stopped at an overlook to admire Emerald Lake. It is also called Rainbow Lake. This was our turnaround point on last year’s tour. It is not a big lake but a nice size. What is impressive is its gorgeous green colors. The blue-green light waves reflect off the white sediment, marl, of the lake bottom. The marl is made up of tiny fragments of decomposed shell mixed with clay. Whatever the cause, it was beautiful on this bright sunny day.

Just down the road, we stopped at the Carcross Desert. Yes, you read that right. The world’s smallest desert is right here in the Yukon. Here the boys climbed on the dunes of sandy lake-bottom material left behind by a large glacial lake. We had stopped here briefly a year ago, but this time they headed up to the top of one of the highest dunes. It was a good work out. I think they took one step forward and slipped back two. I don’t know how they made it up to the top. Rick and I waited near the bottom of the huge dune.

We were thinking of camping at a small campground near the town of Carcross but a sign on the door said, “Closed until further notice.” There were a few people dry camping here anyway, but we had just dry camped last night and it was only 4:30 so we headed to the Visitors’ Center in Carcross to get our Yukon Passport stamped and see what they could tell us about camping. They didn’t have any local recommendations but said we could get water from the town supply. Instead, we decided to get ice cream and shop at the General Store. Mom met a young lady from Veracruz, Mexico who had set up a table of jewelry made from rocks and crystals she found. She also draws/makes her own silver wire. She is trying to earn enough money to go to the Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson, AZ next February. She sure is a long way from Mexico.

We took Tagish Road back to the Alcan Highway. It was a good road with some pretty lakes (not mentioned in this section of the Milepost). We crossed a bridge with a fishing platform and got some curious looks from the First Nations people that bordered on unfriendly.

We got to Johnson’s Crossing just as the campground office was closing. We seemed to be the only campers. However, the small rooms attached to the café seemed to be occupied. She cautioned us not to stray too far as brown bears have been seen in the area. A man came in to warn the owners that some men in a van were driving around stealing anything of value left out at local properties. We secured all our belongings before having dinner together in the big trailer. I thought a couple of motorcyclists came in to tent camp, but maybe they didn’t stay. I didn’t see them when we came back to our trailer.

Mom and the boys are looking forward to some “world famous” cinnamon buns for breakfast from the café.