From our daily log..........................................
June 20
We arrived in Anchorage around 3:00 p.m. Bob, Mary, Dick and Jean were here to greet us. The travel from Glenallen was uneventful, beautiful though as we pass by Matnuska Glacier. It is receding rapidly.
We are parked in the back yard at Dicks. The camper and trailer fit perfectly. The dogs are loving being able to run in the back yard. Had the cats on their leash, not liking it, but if they want out, they have to be on the leash.
June 21
I did 9 loads of wash at the Laundromat today. Cortney and Bruce washed the truck, camper and trailer….they were so dirty, I wasn’t sure they were ours. It is cooler today…and kinda tried to rain.
June 22
We spent most of the day cleaning the inside of the camper and then doing nothing except enjoying each others company and visiting. Cammie is suppose to come in at 11:45 p.m. however, her flight is delayed by two hours. Cortney and I will be up late.
June 23
Cortney and I picked up Cammie at 1:45 a.m. I managed to have two naps today. We really didn’t do much today.
June 24
The girls, (Jean, Mary, Cammie and Cortney) and I went shopping today at the Dimond Mall. Had a good time. We stopped at Sam’s and bought a couple of broasted chickens and had them for dinner.
June 25
We went bbq hunting today and bagged one at Walmart. We managed to stuff it in the back of Bruce’s Mercedes SUV. It rained off and on all day.
June 26, 2006
Cortney, Cammie and I did another 5 loads of laundry today at the Laundromat, then to Costco to get supplies for the trailer at the river. Had a roast pork for dinner. It has been cold and rainy off and on all day.
June 27
Today we came down to the river. “The River” is the Kenai River, just out of Sterling. This is where our trailer is located…right on the river, 130 steps up…it is definitely a HIGH BANK site. I drove Bruce’s motorhome with Jean, Mary, Cortney and Cammie..or the “girlmobile”. The guys (Al and Bob) drove the truck and camper with all of our "male" animals...the "boymobile". Dick was planning on coming, but he has been having several episodes with his heart on a daily basis and his pacemaker has had to bring him back into sinus rhythm so his doctor didn't want him to come down to the river and be that far away from the hospital.
The trip down was beautiful, as only Alaska can be. The weather was perfect…sunny and not to hot. We got here around 5:30 p.m. and everyone pitched in to help unload the cargo trailer. Now, the dilemma was where to put things in the trailer. I will be hunting for things for the rest of the summer, and then some. At some point in the near future, Cammie and Cortney are going to do an inventory for me! We finally got things put away and had sandwiches for dinner and all of us fell into bed. Bob, Mary and Jean are staying in the motorhome and it is parked right next to us. The cats have already explored every inch of this trailer and I think they are glad to have a little more room to roam!
The owner of this park is in the hospital and not doing well. His son helps him here and he stopped by to help us get the hot water heater going and to check and make sure everything was okay. We will have to re-level the trailer at some point in time. And to my delight we have wild Iris blooming behind the trailer!!
June 28
Last night was COLD. And the beds that Al and I slept in were as hard as a rock! So today we were off to Fred Meyers for mattress toppers and other supplies for the trailer. We spent the majority of the day in Soldotna. Sterling is a smaller town, with not much in the way of stores, having only a small “mom and pop” grocery store (matter-of-fact, that is the name of it) and a few fishing tackle stores and a furniture store. Soldotna is 17 miles from us and is a larger town, and has Fred Meyers, Safeway and a small mall with Penneys and Sears.
After we got back from town we all collapsed for a few minutes. We got the mattress toppers on the beds and put all the supplies away and then we down to my nephew, Bruce, trailer for steaks. Bruce’s trailer is 5 spaces down from us.
The girls discovered Bruce’s collection of DVD’s and we borrowed several. We don't have any TV reception here yet. and we haven't made up our mind if we want to go satellite or just put up and antenna. Also, we have no Internet here and can't get wifi either. We are trying to decide what to do about that, whether we put a phone in just for internet, or go to town once in a while to do email. Fortunately, the cell phone works...some of the time!
June 29, 2006
Do you know what ‘glacier flour” is? We do! Today we took a 4 ½ hour wild life boat tour on Resurrection Bay out of Seward. Seward is about 90 miles from where the trailer is. We boarded at 12:30 p.m. on the “Star of the Northwest”, a 100 foot vessel booked through Majormarine…a good tour company.
Glacier flour is what is in the water and it comes from the glaciers crushing the rock to a fine powder as the glacier moves. When the glacier melts, this “flour” mixes with the melt and flows into the bay/stream, etc. It is an ugly gray color. At the beginning of our tour, the water in the bay was this ugly gray, however, after getting away from where the glacier melt is the water turned a beautiful blue/green.
We saw a lot of wildlife, eagles, puffins, jelly fish, Stellar Sea Lions and a humpback whale that came right up to the boat and put on a real show. The ranger on board the boat said she had never seen a whale stick around as long or put on a show like this one did. It passed under the boat several times, surfacing and blowing, rolling over, etc. and stayed around for over 30 minutes. Everyone got shots of it. And have you ever smelled the water from a spewing whale? Not very pleasant! However, all in all was wonderful experience and we all enjoyed it.
Mary and Cammie decided to get a little sick while on board. They just had queasy stomachs for a while we were out on open water, but once we got back to the bay and the water was calmer they were fine.
The meal on board was so good….copper river salmon and prime rib, plus all the trimmings. The prime rib was some of the best we have ever had!
We got home around 7:30 and bbq’d hamburgers for everyone and just sat around and visited and talked about our day. Did you know that Alaska has about 25 earthquakes a day! Most of them are too minor to feel, and Alaska has over 50% of the US earthquakes! The reason for this is the Pacific plate is slipping under the North American plate, dragging the front edge of the North American plate with it. Now you have had your science lesson for the day!
The Kenai River is so beautiful…and blue green color that I can’t even describe. I will try to send pictures later of it. The Sockeye salmon first run on the river is over, and everyone is waiting for the second run (the best run) to start, which should be in a couple of days. That is when true “combat” fishing will begin! And this park will fill up with all the people who own trailers here and come once a year for 10-14 days to fish. Right now in the park there are just 3 trailers occupied, but that will all change in about a week. This place will be busy, busy, busy and so will all the stores, etc around. The Kenai peninsula will fill up with more people than one can believe! Kind of like Tucson in January. J
June 30 – Happy 13th Birthday Lori!
Can’t believe our youngest grandchild is 13! Where does the time go?
It is raining today, a nice, Seattle type rain. Locals say this summer will be a true Alaska summer, wet, rainy, cloudy and buggy! So far they aren’t too wrong, especially about the bugs! Mosquito’s out number the people a million to one! And over half of them have bitten me! My mosquito bites have mosquito bites! I have tried everything and nothing seems to do much good….Muskol is the best so far -- the rest of the stuff the mosquitoes just gargle!
Bob, Mary, Jean are on their way back to Anchorage in the motorhome. Bruce is taking them back and he will stay in Anchorage until they leave. We will probably go to Anchorage on Monday and stay until they leave on the 5th and then come back here.
I think the girls are getting a little bored, however, they have plenty of DVD’s to watch and books to read.
THE WROAMIN' WRASPIRS
AL, JO, DOGS, CATS AND
CORTNEY AND CAMMIE
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Glenallen to Anchorage
From our log-- we are finally in Anchorage~
Anchorage June 21
Longest Day of the Year...and we in the land of the midnight sun!
We arrived in Anchorage yesterday afternoon after a long trip from Glenallen. The road was a bit better, but very narrow and windy....so it took a long time.
Both Jo's brothers are here, as well as her sister and sister-in-law. We are all having a great visit. Bruce, Jo's nephew was here last night for dinner and came back over today to help clean the very dirty truck, camper and trailer. They actually look like our rigs again! Bruce also lent me his car....a Mercedes M SUV! Now, of course, I want one! Fat Change.
I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning the inside of the camper some what, and visiting with my siblings. The weather is cool and cloudy with some rain this evening. The sun did come out for a few minutes this afternoon. We are going to be busy for the next few days and probably won't go down to the river until Monday. Bruce plans on going down this weekend so we will get a report on the river level.
The dogs are very happy to be here and out of the camper.....they are enjoying running in the back yard. The cats are still on their leashes however...and not happy about it.
So, until next time, we are here, happy and glad to be off the road for a few days!
Al & Jo
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Anchorage June 21
Longest Day of the Year...and we in the land of the midnight sun!
We arrived in Anchorage yesterday afternoon after a long trip from Glenallen. The road was a bit better, but very narrow and windy....so it took a long time.
Both Jo's brothers are here, as well as her sister and sister-in-law. We are all having a great visit. Bruce, Jo's nephew was here last night for dinner and came back over today to help clean the very dirty truck, camper and trailer. They actually look like our rigs again! Bruce also lent me his car....a Mercedes M SUV! Now, of course, I want one! Fat Change.
I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning the inside of the camper some what, and visiting with my siblings. The weather is cool and cloudy with some rain this evening. The sun did come out for a few minutes this afternoon. We are going to be busy for the next few days and probably won't go down to the river until Monday. Bruce plans on going down this weekend so we will get a report on the river level.
The dogs are very happy to be here and out of the camper.....they are enjoying running in the back yard. The cats are still on their leashes however...and not happy about it.
So, until next time, we are here, happy and glad to be off the road for a few days!
Al & Jo
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Monday, June 19, 2006
Toad River to Glenallen, AK
From our daily log...
June 17 Testlin, YK
We got out of Toad River about 10:30 this morning after having breakfast in the cafe and saying goodbye to everyone who was so nice to us. It kinda’ felt like we were leaving old friends!
Fueled in Watson Lake and had lunch there around 3:00 p.m. We really had a head wind today, and a very curvy road.
Stopped for the night at Dawson Peak RV Park, 8 miles south of Teslin. Nice park, but lots and lots of mosquitos! We finally had the stew I cooked a couple of days ago for dinner, then Cortney and I took a walk with the dogs to the lake and back. Not sure what lake this is.
We are seeing lots and lots of RV’s. I would say 10 RV’s to 1 car/truck. There are lots of RV parks along the way and so far we haven't had any trouble finding one. I did make reservations for our RV park last night as we wanted a pull through (quit laughing Jeannette!) and I am glad I did, we got the last one! This place we are in says it is famous for it’s homemade Rhubarb pie, so of course we bought a piece, but haven't tried it yet as we were all too full.
The guy parked next to us is from LA, and is retired LA City Fireman. Of course, I had to ask if he knew Dan, but he didn’t – he retired 14 years ago!
Critter count: 1 bear, 1 deer and 2 wild buffalo!
June 18, 2006 Happy Fathers Day!
We are still having trouble getting used to the daylight hours. It was still very sunny and bright at midnight (land of the midnight sun!). I woke up at 2:30 and it was kind of dusk…then I woke up a t 4:00 a.m and it was bright and sunny again!
The dogs and I took a walk to the lake again this morning. It’s a nice walk and they could get off the leash for a while, until another man walking his dog started down the road…then I leashed up the boys and it was a good thing I did, they really didn’t like this other dog. First time I have seen that!
We left Dawson Peak Campground at 9:15 this morning Stopped for fuel in Teslin at 3.61 a gallon. We are beginning to consider that cheap! Al fueled in Ft. Nelson at $4.34 per gallon! OUCH! Then at Watson Lake it was cheaper, it was $3.91 a gallon.
Teslin Lake is so pretty … but then every lake up here seems to be! I just realized we haven't seen any Caribou yet…well, let me rephrase that, and LIVE caribou. We did see a dead one along the road yesterday. Right now as I write this we are between Teslin and Whitehorse. We will stop in Whitehorse to get some groceries…we are running low or out of a few things.
After stopping in Whitehorse for groceries, we were pulling out of the parking lot and guess who we ran into AGAIN! Yup, Don Miller, my ex! Apparently the U.S. is big enough for us not to run into each other, but Canada isn’t! He had been in Whitehorse for 3 days fishing and was heading towards Seward….and we aren’t!
We had lunch at Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ House…great halibut fish and chips. We tried to go to the Edgewater, however, since they serve liquor, you had to be 19 to get in and we couldn’t get in with Cortney. Finally let Whitehorse around 2:00 p.m.
Stopped in Haines Junction for fuel and an ice cream. Road is still pretty good, some frost heaves, but not bad. Drove along side Lake Kluane (pronounced Klew-aw-nee) –lots of road construction. We were stopped for over 10 minutes. Fortnately, this is a beautiful, blue green lake, so the view was great. We finally arrived at Cottonwood RV Park, 16 miles south of Destruction Bay for the night. BIG MISTAKE! First of all, it was the most expensive RV park we have had so far. Granted, it was right on the lake, however, they have no electricity, so everything is ran off generator and we only had 15 amp service. Secondly, because of the bear problem, you have to take your own trash out with you when you leave and dispose of it elsewhere. And there were more mosquitos here than anywhere else we have been! Fortunately, I had bought some heavy duty, what the locals wear, mosquito repellant and it worked well. On the plus side, the showers were very clean and lots of hot water and they were free! Most other places the showers were either metered (25 cents a minute) or $2.00 per shower. We bbq’d pork steaks for dinner along with a baked potato and asparagus. Cortney and Al watched a movie, Jo read and the dogs slept in the evening. Very windy and cold at night….brrrr!
Critter count: 1 porcupine, 2 deer and a coyote.
June 19, 2006
We left Cottonwood around 10:30 this morning after a leisurely morning. Some road construction to Destruction Bay. After that pretty bad road with lots and lots of frost heaves and rough patches, travel is very slow…..about 40 mph at the most. Cool today.
After crossing back into the USA at about 1:00 p.m. we finally arrived at Tok, Alaska at 3:00 p.m. Since it was still early, we decided to go on to GlenAllen, AK on the Tok Highway Cutoff. Now, this road was destroyed 4 years ago by an earthquake. Apparently, they are slow at road repairs…we drove 87 miles of HELL…the road was gravel and very slow and rough and a lot of frost heaves…frost heaves are wonderful things! If you have never experienced them, they are road heaves…that’s the only way I can explain it. It was very dirty and muddy in spots as well…our white trailer is now brown, as is our black truck! It will take a lot of work to get rid of the grime! We finally arrived in Glenallen at around 8:00 p.m. Alaska time (1 hour behind PDT). At the first campground we stopped at they were completely full…oh oh….however, about a mile down the road we found another campground…well, it is a place with somewhat level spots and full hookups…I can’t really call it a campground, but it does have WIFI service!
One we looked in the trailer, it looked like someone picked it up, turned it over and shook it…what a mess. Also, the camper wasn’t in much better shape. However, since we will be in Anchorage tomorrow, we will leave the mess until we get settled.
Critter count: 1 beaver
June 17 Testlin, YK
We got out of Toad River about 10:30 this morning after having breakfast in the cafe and saying goodbye to everyone who was so nice to us. It kinda’ felt like we were leaving old friends!
Fueled in Watson Lake and had lunch there around 3:00 p.m. We really had a head wind today, and a very curvy road.
Stopped for the night at Dawson Peak RV Park, 8 miles south of Teslin. Nice park, but lots and lots of mosquitos! We finally had the stew I cooked a couple of days ago for dinner, then Cortney and I took a walk with the dogs to the lake and back. Not sure what lake this is.
We are seeing lots and lots of RV’s. I would say 10 RV’s to 1 car/truck. There are lots of RV parks along the way and so far we haven't had any trouble finding one. I did make reservations for our RV park last night as we wanted a pull through (quit laughing Jeannette!) and I am glad I did, we got the last one! This place we are in says it is famous for it’s homemade Rhubarb pie, so of course we bought a piece, but haven't tried it yet as we were all too full.
The guy parked next to us is from LA, and is retired LA City Fireman. Of course, I had to ask if he knew Dan, but he didn’t – he retired 14 years ago!
Critter count: 1 bear, 1 deer and 2 wild buffalo!
June 18, 2006 Happy Fathers Day!
We are still having trouble getting used to the daylight hours. It was still very sunny and bright at midnight (land of the midnight sun!). I woke up at 2:30 and it was kind of dusk…then I woke up a t 4:00 a.m and it was bright and sunny again!
The dogs and I took a walk to the lake again this morning. It’s a nice walk and they could get off the leash for a while, until another man walking his dog started down the road…then I leashed up the boys and it was a good thing I did, they really didn’t like this other dog. First time I have seen that!
We left Dawson Peak Campground at 9:15 this morning Stopped for fuel in Teslin at 3.61 a gallon. We are beginning to consider that cheap! Al fueled in Ft. Nelson at $4.34 per gallon! OUCH! Then at Watson Lake it was cheaper, it was $3.91 a gallon.
Teslin Lake is so pretty … but then every lake up here seems to be! I just realized we haven't seen any Caribou yet…well, let me rephrase that, and LIVE caribou. We did see a dead one along the road yesterday. Right now as I write this we are between Teslin and Whitehorse. We will stop in Whitehorse to get some groceries…we are running low or out of a few things.
After stopping in Whitehorse for groceries, we were pulling out of the parking lot and guess who we ran into AGAIN! Yup, Don Miller, my ex! Apparently the U.S. is big enough for us not to run into each other, but Canada isn’t! He had been in Whitehorse for 3 days fishing and was heading towards Seward….and we aren’t!
We had lunch at Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ House…great halibut fish and chips. We tried to go to the Edgewater, however, since they serve liquor, you had to be 19 to get in and we couldn’t get in with Cortney. Finally let Whitehorse around 2:00 p.m.
Stopped in Haines Junction for fuel and an ice cream. Road is still pretty good, some frost heaves, but not bad. Drove along side Lake Kluane (pronounced Klew-aw-nee) –lots of road construction. We were stopped for over 10 minutes. Fortnately, this is a beautiful, blue green lake, so the view was great. We finally arrived at Cottonwood RV Park, 16 miles south of Destruction Bay for the night. BIG MISTAKE! First of all, it was the most expensive RV park we have had so far. Granted, it was right on the lake, however, they have no electricity, so everything is ran off generator and we only had 15 amp service. Secondly, because of the bear problem, you have to take your own trash out with you when you leave and dispose of it elsewhere. And there were more mosquitos here than anywhere else we have been! Fortunately, I had bought some heavy duty, what the locals wear, mosquito repellant and it worked well. On the plus side, the showers were very clean and lots of hot water and they were free! Most other places the showers were either metered (25 cents a minute) or $2.00 per shower. We bbq’d pork steaks for dinner along with a baked potato and asparagus. Cortney and Al watched a movie, Jo read and the dogs slept in the evening. Very windy and cold at night….brrrr!
Critter count: 1 porcupine, 2 deer and a coyote.
June 19, 2006
We left Cottonwood around 10:30 this morning after a leisurely morning. Some road construction to Destruction Bay. After that pretty bad road with lots and lots of frost heaves and rough patches, travel is very slow…..about 40 mph at the most. Cool today.
After crossing back into the USA at about 1:00 p.m. we finally arrived at Tok, Alaska at 3:00 p.m. Since it was still early, we decided to go on to GlenAllen, AK on the Tok Highway Cutoff. Now, this road was destroyed 4 years ago by an earthquake. Apparently, they are slow at road repairs…we drove 87 miles of HELL…the road was gravel and very slow and rough and a lot of frost heaves…frost heaves are wonderful things! If you have never experienced them, they are road heaves…that’s the only way I can explain it. It was very dirty and muddy in spots as well…our white trailer is now brown, as is our black truck! It will take a lot of work to get rid of the grime! We finally arrived in Glenallen at around 8:00 p.m. Alaska time (1 hour behind PDT). At the first campground we stopped at they were completely full…oh oh….however, about a mile down the road we found another campground…well, it is a place with somewhat level spots and full hookups…I can’t really call it a campground, but it does have WIFI service!
One we looked in the trailer, it looked like someone picked it up, turned it over and shook it…what a mess. Also, the camper wasn’t in much better shape. However, since we will be in Anchorage tomorrow, we will leave the mess until we get settled.
Critter count: 1 beaver
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Still in Toad lake
Toad Lake, BC June 14, 2006
We are still here. I just talked to Al in Ft. Nelson and the part for the truck won't be in until tomorrow afternoon and he should be back here tomorrow evening. With any luck we will be back on the road by Friday.
The tow to Ft. Nelson cost $500....yikes! That's like 3 tanks of gas! Thank goodness we have insurance to cover that.
Today Cortney and I did laundry, cleaned the camper and trailer and hooked up the TV to satellite service. At least here we have Satellite TV and Internet. We are parked close to the laundry and restrooms and they just hooked up the Internet in the laundry room today.
There is a forest fire burning across the lake and ridge from us. We can see the smoke and we just hope the wind doesn't change,....that won't be good if it does. We haven't heard any planes or helicopters dumping water on it yet either. It makes the sun that weird color of red...fire red.
Tomorrow cortney and I plan on taking a short walk. We are still seeing a lot of moose in the lake and enjoying just sitting out side and enjoying the scenery and watching the mosquitos eat me! I have on the strongest deet they sell and I am still getting bit! I GIVE UP>
More later..............................
Al & Jo
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
We are still here. I just talked to Al in Ft. Nelson and the part for the truck won't be in until tomorrow afternoon and he should be back here tomorrow evening. With any luck we will be back on the road by Friday.
The tow to Ft. Nelson cost $500....yikes! That's like 3 tanks of gas! Thank goodness we have insurance to cover that.
Today Cortney and I did laundry, cleaned the camper and trailer and hooked up the TV to satellite service. At least here we have Satellite TV and Internet. We are parked close to the laundry and restrooms and they just hooked up the Internet in the laundry room today.
There is a forest fire burning across the lake and ridge from us. We can see the smoke and we just hope the wind doesn't change,....that won't be good if it does. We haven't heard any planes or helicopters dumping water on it yet either. It makes the sun that weird color of red...fire red.
Tomorrow cortney and I plan on taking a short walk. We are still seeing a lot of moose in the lake and enjoying just sitting out side and enjoying the scenery and watching the mosquitos eat me! I have on the strongest deet they sell and I am still getting bit! I GIVE UP>
More later..............................
Al & Jo
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Dawson Creek to Toad River
Hello All....
We are currently in Toad River, BC, population 100 or less. And by the looks of it, we will be here a couple of days. But let me start at the beginning of yesterday.
We left Dawson Creek and made our way to Ft. Nelson. Saw 6 deer, 2 black bear (one was a cub) and a healthy coyote. Got into Ft. Nelson and decided to stay at a motel last night....a break from the camper. All of us got a good nights sleep and the dogs got a good run last night, so they slept well, too.
This morning we went to breakfast, then filled up with diesel at $3.94 a gallon!!! Yikes, the most we have paid so far. And back on the road....drove through some beautiful scenery, and after about an hour on the road, we began smelling raw diesel fuel. Hmmm....but since we were going up and down we thought maybe it was just a bit of an overflow from fueling. But then it started to really smell and the gas gage was sinking fast! About 50 miles out of Toad River (the nearest place in the middle of nowhere).....we kept on going to Toad River. Now, Toad River consist of a gas station, Cafe, Cabins, RV park and an emergency air strip. We get out of the truck and look under it and diesel fuel is POURING out! Our $3.94 per gallon diesel fuel! ARRGGG! I wanted to get a bucket and catch it! We asked if there was a mechanic here and yes, there was. He came out, looked and looked, and looked, scratched his head, and looked some more! Finally found that the fuel was leaking from the place where the fuel lines split into the injectors (I think)...anyway, he couldn't fix it. He called a tow truck from Ft. Nelson to come get the truck. In the mean time (it took over 3 hours for the tow truck to get here) we unhitched the trailer, took the camper off and and settled in for a day or two. Well, at least Cortney and I settled in here....Al went with the truck back to Ft. Nelson (122 miles back!) We are hoping it will get fixed tomorrow, but if they have to order parts it may be Thursday before we are back on the road.
While we were eating lunch here this afternoon, an RV pulled in and this man came in the cafe. I about choked on my water....it was Don Miller, my ex-husband! Now, I ask you, what are the chances???? He is on his way to Alaska as well....but stopping at the same place?
Strange things do happen.
In the mean time, the people here are so nice to us and very accommodating. The cafe has great food (Cortney and I had dinner here tonight) and have a satellite Internet hookup and satellite TV! If only Cortney and I can figure out how to hook it up! We are parked with a great view of the mountains, a lake and today saw 7 moose (yes, I GOT TO SEE MOOSE -- more than one!) feeding in the lake. Of course the mosquitos are as big as horses and my new cologne is DEET...unfortunately, it doesn't stop these mosquitos! They are a hearty bunch!
By the way, before I forget to mention this again.....the rock and roll has finally been removed from the truck and camper and I am no longer hanging my head out the window turning green from motion sickness! THANK YOU SUN COUNTRY RV!
We did see 17 stone sheep on the way to Toad River...one was a baby! We also saw two buck deer this morning. Al was salivating!
Ted and Shirley, you will remember Toad River...it's the cafe we stopped at that has all the caps on the ceiling...over 6887 of them! Pretty cool!
So, until next time.....we are the
STUCK, UNWROAMIN' WRASPIRS
Al, jO, cORTNEY AND VARIOUS ANIMALS!
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
We are currently in Toad River, BC, population 100 or less. And by the looks of it, we will be here a couple of days. But let me start at the beginning of yesterday.
We left Dawson Creek and made our way to Ft. Nelson. Saw 6 deer, 2 black bear (one was a cub) and a healthy coyote. Got into Ft. Nelson and decided to stay at a motel last night....a break from the camper. All of us got a good nights sleep and the dogs got a good run last night, so they slept well, too.
This morning we went to breakfast, then filled up with diesel at $3.94 a gallon!!! Yikes, the most we have paid so far. And back on the road....drove through some beautiful scenery, and after about an hour on the road, we began smelling raw diesel fuel. Hmmm....but since we were going up and down we thought maybe it was just a bit of an overflow from fueling. But then it started to really smell and the gas gage was sinking fast! About 50 miles out of Toad River (the nearest place in the middle of nowhere).....we kept on going to Toad River. Now, Toad River consist of a gas station, Cafe, Cabins, RV park and an emergency air strip. We get out of the truck and look under it and diesel fuel is POURING out! Our $3.94 per gallon diesel fuel! ARRGGG! I wanted to get a bucket and catch it! We asked if there was a mechanic here and yes, there was. He came out, looked and looked, and looked, scratched his head, and looked some more! Finally found that the fuel was leaking from the place where the fuel lines split into the injectors (I think)...anyway, he couldn't fix it. He called a tow truck from Ft. Nelson to come get the truck. In the mean time (it took over 3 hours for the tow truck to get here) we unhitched the trailer, took the camper off and and settled in for a day or two. Well, at least Cortney and I settled in here....Al went with the truck back to Ft. Nelson (122 miles back!) We are hoping it will get fixed tomorrow, but if they have to order parts it may be Thursday before we are back on the road.
While we were eating lunch here this afternoon, an RV pulled in and this man came in the cafe. I about choked on my water....it was Don Miller, my ex-husband! Now, I ask you, what are the chances???? He is on his way to Alaska as well....but stopping at the same place?
Strange things do happen.
In the mean time, the people here are so nice to us and very accommodating. The cafe has great food (Cortney and I had dinner here tonight) and have a satellite Internet hookup and satellite TV! If only Cortney and I can figure out how to hook it up! We are parked with a great view of the mountains, a lake and today saw 7 moose (yes, I GOT TO SEE MOOSE -- more than one!) feeding in the lake. Of course the mosquitos are as big as horses and my new cologne is DEET...unfortunately, it doesn't stop these mosquitos! They are a hearty bunch!
By the way, before I forget to mention this again.....the rock and roll has finally been removed from the truck and camper and I am no longer hanging my head out the window turning green from motion sickness! THANK YOU SUN COUNTRY RV!
We did see 17 stone sheep on the way to Toad River...one was a baby! We also saw two buck deer this morning. Al was salivating!
Ted and Shirley, you will remember Toad River...it's the cafe we stopped at that has all the caps on the ceiling...over 6887 of them! Pretty cool!
So, until next time.....we are the
STUCK, UNWROAMIN' WRASPIRS
Al, jO, cORTNEY AND VARIOUS ANIMALS!
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Odessa to Dawson Creek
From our daily log)
Alaska 2006
June 9
Left Odessa around 2:30 P.M. Stopped in Omak at Walmart for a few supplies, mainly mosquito spray…we are heading into the land of Mosquitos….GIANT mosquitos. Crossed the border into Canada at Oroville at 6:00 p.m. It was a little wait in line and we had rain. Finally stopped for the night in Osoyoos, BC at NK’Mip Campground. It was a nice campground, right on the Osoyoos Lake. However, it rained all night. We decided instead of cooking we would go to the Elks for dinner. We hauled the camper and trailer over to the Elks only to find out no food was served, it was Bingo night! They recommended the Diamond Steak House and it was very good. The steak house was also a Greek restaurant, and while Al had prime rib and Cortney had Chicken Parmesan , I had Mousaka, which was the best I have had since being in Greece! YUM!
Critter count: 1 deer in WA
June 10, 2006
Left Osoyoos around 10:45 a.m. --- we all slept until 8:30! Even the dogs and cats! I think we were tired. And, while I think of it, all animals are on this trip, included Jose! It rained all night, pitter-patter on the roof, sounds like popcorn popping when you are in a camper. Headed north on Hwy 97. This is absolutely beautiful country…lots of lakes and mountains. Took Hwy 97C from just south of Kelowna to Merritt, BC…very high pass and beautiful. Fueled in Penticton, at $3.66 per gal for diesel, which is cheaper than regular gas! OUCH! Rain off and on to Merritt. Had a horrible lunch at Woods Restaurant in Merritt…won’t do that one again! After lunch I took over driving…narrow and curvy roads to Cache Creek then we hit Hwy 97, nice road. Lots of wild flowers along side the road, lupine and black eyed Susan’s. We also saw a moose and 2 deer today. The moose was in the middle of a green field eating….she was very big and a dark brown color. Needless to say, I was very excited. We are in Clinton BC tonight at the Gold Trail Campground…same one we stayed at 3 years ago. Had dinner at the restaurant here…they guy who owns the campground and restaurant is a real character. Rain finally quit and it was very nice to sit outside and have a drink and relax. Cortney and I played ball with the Poodles and the cats got to get out on their leashes. Jose loves to get out (go figure) but Juanito could care less.
We only traveled 233 miles today…we must get going earlier and travel a little more miles if we plan to make Alaska this year!
June 11, 2006
We left at 9:00 a.m. this morning. Hwy 97 is the “Gold Rush Trail”….I can’t imagine traveling this route years ago during the gold rush. We stopped in 100 Mile House for fuel (3.44 this time) and did a grocery stop at Safeway. It’s fun to check out the different brands they carry. And Cortney was amazed that a lot of the items are in English and French.
Saw a deer just north of 100 mile house. Weather is perfect….blue sky with some clouds, temperature is in the high 70’s.
Stopped at McLeese Lake and had a picnic lunch next to the lake. The weather is beautiful, about 75 degrees. Met a couple from Scotland here. They were traveling from Vancouver, BC to Prince Rupert, then back to Vancouver Island.
Arrived in Prince George to early to stop for the day. We fueled up and then headed on, relying on our trusty travel guide book “The Milepost” as it said there were campgrounds along the way. Which was right, however, either they weren’t open or had no water and electric.
About 80 miles south of Chetwyne we came across a pickup and boat stopped dead in front of us, there were two motorhomes we were following, they managed to get around the pickup, however, we were met with a huge truck coming the other way---we couldn’t stop as we came up on this hazard so quickly, (he was on a curve) but we managed to get by him and the on-coming truck pulled right to help us get by. WHEW! Then, about 70 miles south of Chetwyne, we were approaching a bridge crossing a creek, the on-coming car was stopped on a curve to let a duck and her babies cross the road….however, the car behind them couldn’t stop, swerved into our lane…Al did some real good driving here, he missed the oncoming car and the bridge abutment by inches. Needless to say we were glad the motorhomes had pulled off about a mile before this, or we would have all been in an ugly situation. Our hearts were beating pretty fast after this! People who stop IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR DUCKS ON A CURVE ARE BLOODY IDIOTS! We finally stopped about 10 miles south of Chetwynd at Caron Creek RV.; By the time we stopped it was 7:00 pm and we had traveled 428 miles.
Critter count: 1 deer and 2 squirrels and 1 dead duck and ducklings
June 12, 2006
Left campground at 8:30 am and stopped in Chetwynd for breakfast. We are now approaching Dawson Creek and we will begin the Alaska Highway (ALCAN)…from Dawon Creek to Tok, Alaska, 1280 miles. Beautful weather and scenry.
Al & Jo
Cortney, Juanito, Jose, Schuster and Beau
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Alaska 2006
June 9
Left Odessa around 2:30 P.M. Stopped in Omak at Walmart for a few supplies, mainly mosquito spray…we are heading into the land of Mosquitos….GIANT mosquitos. Crossed the border into Canada at Oroville at 6:00 p.m. It was a little wait in line and we had rain. Finally stopped for the night in Osoyoos, BC at NK’Mip Campground. It was a nice campground, right on the Osoyoos Lake. However, it rained all night. We decided instead of cooking we would go to the Elks for dinner. We hauled the camper and trailer over to the Elks only to find out no food was served, it was Bingo night! They recommended the Diamond Steak House and it was very good. The steak house was also a Greek restaurant, and while Al had prime rib and Cortney had Chicken Parmesan , I had Mousaka, which was the best I have had since being in Greece! YUM!
Critter count: 1 deer in WA
June 10, 2006
Left Osoyoos around 10:45 a.m. --- we all slept until 8:30! Even the dogs and cats! I think we were tired. And, while I think of it, all animals are on this trip, included Jose! It rained all night, pitter-patter on the roof, sounds like popcorn popping when you are in a camper. Headed north on Hwy 97. This is absolutely beautiful country…lots of lakes and mountains. Took Hwy 97C from just south of Kelowna to Merritt, BC…very high pass and beautiful. Fueled in Penticton, at $3.66 per gal for diesel, which is cheaper than regular gas! OUCH! Rain off and on to Merritt. Had a horrible lunch at Woods Restaurant in Merritt…won’t do that one again! After lunch I took over driving…narrow and curvy roads to Cache Creek then we hit Hwy 97, nice road. Lots of wild flowers along side the road, lupine and black eyed Susan’s. We also saw a moose and 2 deer today. The moose was in the middle of a green field eating….she was very big and a dark brown color. Needless to say, I was very excited. We are in Clinton BC tonight at the Gold Trail Campground…same one we stayed at 3 years ago. Had dinner at the restaurant here…they guy who owns the campground and restaurant is a real character. Rain finally quit and it was very nice to sit outside and have a drink and relax. Cortney and I played ball with the Poodles and the cats got to get out on their leashes. Jose loves to get out (go figure) but Juanito could care less.
We only traveled 233 miles today…we must get going earlier and travel a little more miles if we plan to make Alaska this year!
June 11, 2006
We left at 9:00 a.m. this morning. Hwy 97 is the “Gold Rush Trail”….I can’t imagine traveling this route years ago during the gold rush. We stopped in 100 Mile House for fuel (3.44 this time) and did a grocery stop at Safeway. It’s fun to check out the different brands they carry. And Cortney was amazed that a lot of the items are in English and French.
Saw a deer just north of 100 mile house. Weather is perfect….blue sky with some clouds, temperature is in the high 70’s.
Stopped at McLeese Lake and had a picnic lunch next to the lake. The weather is beautiful, about 75 degrees. Met a couple from Scotland here. They were traveling from Vancouver, BC to Prince Rupert, then back to Vancouver Island.
Arrived in Prince George to early to stop for the day. We fueled up and then headed on, relying on our trusty travel guide book “The Milepost” as it said there were campgrounds along the way. Which was right, however, either they weren’t open or had no water and electric.
About 80 miles south of Chetwyne we came across a pickup and boat stopped dead in front of us, there were two motorhomes we were following, they managed to get around the pickup, however, we were met with a huge truck coming the other way---we couldn’t stop as we came up on this hazard so quickly, (he was on a curve) but we managed to get by him and the on-coming truck pulled right to help us get by. WHEW! Then, about 70 miles south of Chetwyne, we were approaching a bridge crossing a creek, the on-coming car was stopped on a curve to let a duck and her babies cross the road….however, the car behind them couldn’t stop, swerved into our lane…Al did some real good driving here, he missed the oncoming car and the bridge abutment by inches. Needless to say we were glad the motorhomes had pulled off about a mile before this, or we would have all been in an ugly situation. Our hearts were beating pretty fast after this! People who stop IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR DUCKS ON A CURVE ARE BLOODY IDIOTS! We finally stopped about 10 miles south of Chetwynd at Caron Creek RV.; By the time we stopped it was 7:00 pm and we had traveled 428 miles.
Critter count: 1 deer and 2 squirrels and 1 dead duck and ducklings
June 12, 2006
Left campground at 8:30 am and stopped in Chetwynd for breakfast. We are now approaching Dawson Creek and we will begin the Alaska Highway (ALCAN)…from Dawon Creek to Tok, Alaska, 1280 miles. Beautful weather and scenry.
Al & Jo
Cortney, Juanito, Jose, Schuster and Beau
http://wroamin.blogspot.com
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Alaska or Bust?
And we are off....well almost. We have a few minor details to take care of but we are trying to be heading north sometime on Friday. Have all the "house sitters" in place, the cats and dogs have their beds and food dishes packed and hopefully we will take BOTH cats this time! In other words, we are just about ready to make our trek north to Alaska. We figure it will take us eight days, just like the last time to go from here to Anchorage. However, knowing us, it could take a bit longer. We like to stop and see things along the way and we have no idea how much road construction we will encounter along the way. There are two seasons in the great north of BC and Yukon, winter and road construction!
I am armed with the required mosquito repellant....industrial strength size! The mosquitos are as big as house boats up there! The pets have been to the v-e-t to get their shots and health certificates, so I can't think of much more we have to do before leaving. Oh wait, I still have to load the food (and if you know Al, there will be a lot loaded!!) The camper is almost packed to capacity, the trailer getting very full, so we have to be close to being ready to leave! NO MORE ROOM!
I am beginning to feel like all I do any more is pack, unpack, repeat! I swear I just finished unpacking....oh, right, I did! We have been home less than a month and we are off again! Never let it be said we let an grass grow under our feet!
Since my last blog, we have been busy bee's. We had company for a week from Tucson. We took them on the requisite trip to Seattle where they enjoyed the Space Needle, Pikes Place, and downtown. We enjoyed the doctor and dentist office! We did do the Boeing Tour with them and must say, I was very impressed. I have been away so long a lot has changed and the new 787 sounds like it is going to be wonderful! Wonder how they are going to move those engines???? The old Traffic coming out in me? Nope, I am done with that life!
The weather around these parts has been strange, very hot one week, very cold the next and rain, rain, rain! The last few days have been a mixed bag of rain, wind, sun, heat, cold, you name it!
Cortney, is here and is going with us to Alaska. Now, how do I explain Cortney's relationship to us? Well, Cortney is actually Al's 2nd cousin...I think. I get the cousin's way too confused. Anyway, she is daughter of Bruce and Al's cousin (1st cousin once removed) Holly. The live about a mile from us in Tucson and we are very fortunate to have them as not only relatives, but close friends. Cortney is 15 and a truly wonderful young lady. AND, on the 22nd of June, Granddaughter Cammie will be joining us in ALaska for 3 weeks as well. Cammie is 16, so I will have two teenage girls on my hands....and no, I am not questioning my sanity....yet.
We have had some sad new since our last blog, AL's Auntie Anne (Cortney's great grandmother) died last month. She was AL's fathers sister and lived to be 96, almost 97. We have visited with her in South Dakota almost every year since retiring. She was such a wonderful lady and we will miss her.
When we bought our trailer in Alaska everyone said they were coming up to visit. At first we were booked solid for the summer, and as of today, NO ONE IS COMING! Everyone (Including Dan and Billie) have bailed on us! WELL!
Never the less, we are on our way tomorrow. AL has the garden in (yes, he planted tomatoes, and we have a caretaker for the garden) and I think everything is ready to go. Al seems a little hesitant to go, which I can understand since he has been having problems with his back and knees again. I can only hope it gets better, or we may be back sooner than planned. THe plan is to be in Alaska about 2 months, pestering my brother, nephew and niece and spending time at our place on the Kenai River, near Sterling Alaska. We will be on our cell phone once we reach Alaska (but now while in Canada) and we will try to check email every night. Let us hear from you!
So until next time.....adios,ciao, auf Wiedersehen or so long, or what ever. We are once again...
THE WROAMIN' WRASPIRS AND ONE SANDERSON
AL, JO JUANITO, JOSE, SCHUSTER, BEAU AND CORTNEY!
(See, Juanito got first billing this time!!)
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