Brown Travels

Meziadin Bears

2010-08-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Got these pictures up the road 1 mile at Hanna Creek and Tintina Creek. Sockeye salmon ready to spawn and the bear trying to catch one!

Too close for me. I'm in the car at the time he crossed the road.

Sandy

Meziadin Bears

2010-08-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Went up the road 1 mile to Hanna Creek and Tintina Creek and got these pictures of sockeye salmon (turned red) and the bear trying to catch one!

Enjoy.

Sandy

Mezyadin and Bear

2010-08-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Left Valdez last Wednesday and got here yesterday. Terry got in his little kick boat and went fishing. Not long after, the bear appeared along the shore. Very exciting.

Beautiful place. We leave here tomorrow heading for Prince George and then to Jasper and Banff in Alberta. Should be home in early to mid Sept.

Sandy

Palmer to Valdez

2010-08-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

We are now heading home. Here is more of the trip down to Valdez. Will post more when I can. Enjoy.

Sandy

Homer and Anchor Point

2010-07-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Camping in Ninilchik with Mt. Iliamna in the background.

Homer pictures somehow have disappeared so I had to drive down to Homer today to get what pictures I could. It was hazy today so didn't get very good shots of the mountains. Mt. Redoubt, Mt. Iliamna are hazy and are about 50 miles away across Cook Inlet.

It was very windy today so there were lots of boats coming in at the same time in Deep Creek. They had three tractors running trying to keep up. Some had a rough time getting on the trailers straight.

Kenai Reds

2010-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

This week the guys have been fishing in Soldotna on the Kenai River for Sockeye or Red salmon. Below is a slideshow of some of the fish they have caught and the packaging process. The jars have been canned (takes about 4 hours total) and the fillets are frozen. The skinned fish that Gary is cleaning is used in canning. The fillets have most of the bones removed and the skin is left on.

We have sent home 150 lbs. of fish!! Will fill up the small freezer again with silvers from Valdez and some of the Kenai reds the remainder of this week. We'll have lots of fish to share.

You can see a slide show with nothing but pictures by double clicking this picture. On the screen that appears click on "view all" and on the next screen you can click "slideshow." You'll then see a message that says to click "f11" to see pictures at full screen. F11 is in the row of keys at the very top of the keyboard. This applies to all the slide shows on this blog.

Johnson Lake Fishing

2010-07-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Johnson Lake is about 25 miles north of Ninilchik. Very nice Alaska Recreation Site with camping and day use. Great sunny day. People were actually swimming!

Terry went fising and caught rainbow trout. Fortunately he came back after 2 1/2 hrs. We were getting the stuff gathered to put in the car! No keys. I had locked both sets inside! Senior moment.

The closest town is 15 miles north of there. They don't have locksmiths. The cab companies have the tools to open your car!! $55 later, and 1/2 an hr. we were on our way back to our motorhome!

I still blame it on Terry since he was crazy enough to give me his set of keys!! What do you think, can I get away with that?

Sandy

Clam Gulch

2010-07-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Clam Gulch is just north of Ninilchik about 20 miles. Lots of people camp here and go clamming. Here is what it looks like at low tide.

Sandy

Terry's big fish

2010-07-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday they fished from 6 am until 4 pm. I had to take them more bait around noon and at that time they only had one fish.
The two big fish are Terry's. 42 and 44 lbs.

Gary and Terry got about 27 lbs. dressed out fillets and pieces each from their two fish. Terry dressed the biggest and smallest and Gary dressed the next biggest and next smallest. Each day they share their catch so everyone gets about the same amount to freeze. We've already send 50 lbs. back home so now have 1/2 a freezer full so will be shipping again this week.

They are fishing again today and will go out on a charter tomorrow. Since Bob's boat is small they only go out about 3 to 5 miles offshore. The charters go about 30 miles or so and fish in about 200 ft of water. Hope they get some good size ones. Gary had a 125 lb. fish last year when he went on a charter!

Hope everyone had a good 4th!

Sandy

Boat launching, halibut catch and cleaning

2010-07-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

(Click on the slideshow for full screen)

Since Bob wouldn't pick Terry up this morning, I had to get up and take him to meet them so I got pictures of them launching the boat. (6 am - I'm sleepy).

It is quite a process and easy this morning since the waves weren't crashing on shore. Also are pictures of the public boat launch where the big charters are launching via tractor.

One of the catches of the three amigos from several days ago and the cleaning process. The big fish weighed 42 lbs.

Yesterday the charter had a 57 and 52 lb fish! Wow. That would be a lot to pull up from the bottom.
(7/5/10)
I have added more pictures to this file and they are the process of taking out the boat and then the catch on Saturday. Terry had to two big fish - 42 and 44 lbs. When they come in and clean they all share the fish no matter who catches. Terry cleaned the large one and the smallest. Gary cleaned the next largest and next smallest. Bob cleaned the two medium. They all wound up with about 27 lbs. of dressed fillets and pieces. We shipped 50 lbs. home on Friday so now have 27 lbs. in the freezer. They are fishing again today (7/5) and going on a charter tomorrow. We will ship again probably after the charter. I'll post those pictures later this week.

Sandy

Eagles on the beach in Ninilchik

2010-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

You can see a slide show with nothing but pictures by double clicking this picture. On the screen that appears click on "view all" and on the next screen you can click "slideshow." You'll then see a message that says to click "f11" to see pictures at full screen. F11 is in the row of keys at the very top of the keyboard. This applies to all the slide shows on this blog.

After the charters clean their halibut catch for the day, they dump the carcasses in the ocean. At low tide the eagles and gulls come in for their meal. There were hundreds of eagles here along the shore and cliffs above the shore.

The birds with brown specks are the juvenile eagles.

Enjoy.

Sandy

Anchorage, Palmer and Whittier

2010-07-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Click on slideshow for bigger picture.

Seward and Soldotna Alaska

2010-07-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Click on the slideshow for a bigger picture.

We were in Seward at the Waterfront park operated by the City of Seward. We were front row on Resurrection Bay. Great views and lots of otters. Hope you enjoy. Terry, Gary and Bob salmon fished and we canned 7 jars for ourselves. Gary canned 14 jars and Bob 7 jars. Gary caught more fish!! We had good weather while here. One day we hiked up to Exit Glacier (Gary, Sandra, Terry and I). Another great day.

Enjoy.

Sandy

Discovery Boat Tour

2010-07-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Old Chena Indian Village. Coat a lady would wear.
Terry beating a bear hide!!
Houses along the Chena River. Pretty nice houses here!

Sandy at the Pump House restaurant enjoying the scenery along the Chena River in Fairbanks.

Fishing in Chena River

2010-06-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Different Bears

2010-06-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Mama Bear and 2 cubs on road

2010-06-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Road to Wonder Lake

2010-06-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

No guardrails.
It wasn't much fun when we met another bus going the opposite direction. One bus stops and the other slides past!!

Wonder Lake

2010-06-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Swan

More quilt detail

2010-06-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Quilt images

2010-06-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Seasons of Denali description by quilter.
this could be a wolverine.
Wolves
River

Quilt hanging at Eielson Visitor Center

2010-06-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

I had the wrong lens on the camera to get the entire quilt in the frame. This is the left side.
this is the top
this is the bottom center.
this is the right side.

Moose, bear cub, bus and caribou

2010-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Another mama and calf on the road
Bear cub but no mama!! Driver guessed it was a yearling. Should still be with mother. Too small to fend for itself.
Our bus to Wonder Lake - 85 miles. Dirt road for 70 of those miles out and 70 back!!
Bears lying on the side of the hillside. Looked like a brown rock!

Sheep, Eagle, Lynx and Moose

2010-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

2 sheep
golden eagle
2nd lynx
Another moose

First lynx

2010-06-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hiding in grass
Getting up.
Adios

Ranger and flowrers

2010-06-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Park ranger who lead the climb.
Very top. Terry went up there. I didn't.
Alpine azalea
Mountain avens.

Hike up 1 mile from Eielson Visitor Center at Denali

2010-06-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's getting colder as we climb
Made it to the top. First group the ranger has led this year that everyone made it to the top!
View from where we started. (1 mile down). It took 2 hrs up and 1 hr down.
View from top. Mount McKinley is behind the clouds today.

Fox, Ptarmigan, Ground squirrel

2010-06-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

Willow ptarmigan (state bird for Alaska)
Red fox along the roadside on the way to Eielson

Ground squirrel.

Denali Snowshoe Hare and Sheep

2010-06-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Snowshoe hare
Bridge over the Teklanika River
Polychrome mountain. I love the different colors.
Dall sheep

Riley Creek Campground Denali

2010-06-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cooking hot dogs over the fire.
Great to have a timer on the camera but we do need a tripod!
Ranger talk about "tracks and scat".
There's that moose again.

Savage Creek

2010-06-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Marmont along the Savage River Loop trail.
Savage River loop trail. You go up one side of the river/creek and cross over a bridge and come back down the other side.

How do you like my cap?? It kept my ears very warm. It was in lower 60's today.

Moose and Calf at Riley Creek Campground

2010-06-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

Mama Moose

Baby Moose
I'm standing in the road in front of our motorhome!! Pretty close. They were there every day we were there. Amazing.

Denali and Mt. McKinley

2010-06-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Entrance into the park.
The mountain along the park road at about mile 10 from the park entrance.
There we are!! Mountain in the distance. The mountain is 20,420 ft. high! The white one in the background!

More Dalton Highway pictures

2010-06-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

We stopped along the way to feel the perma frost. This was a gate to a pipeline access road.
Typical truck with heavy equipment on the Dalton highway.
Another view of the snaky pipeline
Below the Yukon river bridge. Barges load and unload at this point. They just move the dirt depending on how high the barge loading platform is from the water!

Artic Circle

2010-06-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

We have arrived!!
Can you believe that temperature!! 74 degrees at the Artic Circle and 54 degrees 220 miles south in Fairbanks!
Oh, isn't that sweet?
View from behind the Artic Circle sign. Nice day!

Artic Circle trip

2010-06-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sign at the end of the Elliott Highway and beginning of the Dalton Highway (haul road).
Finger mountain, named because it looks like a finger!!

View from finger mountain. Getting pretty close to the artic circle at this point. When we left Fairbanks it was cloudy and about 54 deg. It was sunny here and about 60 deg.

Alyeska Pipe Line

2010-06-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

We traveled to the Artic Circle from Fairbanks and the road followed the pipeline.

One of only three bridges across the Yukon River. The pipeline is next to the bridge.
When the pipeline is above ground it is in a serpentine shape for expansion purposes. It's above ground when it's in a permafrost area. Otherwise, it is buried. Lots of permafrost!

Dolly Varden Fishing in Fairbanks

2010-06-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Chena River Recreation Site about 28 miles east of Fairbanks. Terry caught approx 8 or 10 dolly varden and had a great time.

Fire, Float Plane and Terry

2010-06-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Plumes of smoke behind the mountains are the fire that's in this area. It may reach this lake according to one of the local residents in a couple of days depending on the weather conditions, wind, rain, etc.
Planes land here to get water. They scoop it up and then take back off. The did this over and over again today as Terry was fishing. There were two planes, one following the other.
As the plane ascends over Terry's heard in the background. He caught 8 rainbows today!
Here the plane is dumping the water it just picked up in the lake. The fire is pretty close. Not sure how many acres this has burned so far. There are 80 fires in Alaska and 16 have crews working, with hot shot crews from the lower 48 states helping.

Quartz Lake

2010-06-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Big Moose as we were leaving Quartz Lake yesterday.

Today Terry decided to fish the lake
There he goes. There's a fire in the area. The float planes land here to pick up water to drop on the fire.

Quilt Shop and Rika's Roadhouse, Pipeline

2010-06-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

Quilt shop in Delta Junction. I bought 2 yds of fabric.
Rika's Roadhouse, Historic Site. This roadhouse was built in 1910 by John Hajdukovich. In 1923, Hajdukovich sold it to Rika Wallen, a Swedish immigrant who had managed the roadhouse since 1917. Rika ran the roadhouse into the late 1940s and lived there until her death in 1969.

View of the pipeline from the grounds at Rika's roadhouse. This area was a big ferry crossing before the bridge was built across the Tanana River.

Delta Junction, AK, end of Alaska Highway

2010-06-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

I actually made it to the official end of the Alaska Highway at Delta Junction, AK, approximately 100 miles south of Fairbanks.

Alyeska pipeline sample of diameter.
Pig - to clean out the pipeline.

Delta Junction was named after the nearby Delta River. Delta Junction began as a construction camp on the Richardson Highway in 1919. It was first known as Buffalo Center because of the American bison that were transplanted here in the 1920s. In the late 1970s, the state encouraged development of the agricultural industry in the Delta area by disposing of more than 112,000 acres of local land for farming purposes. Farms range in size from 20 acres to 3,000 acres, with the average being around 500 acres. Barley is the major feed grain grown in Delta. Other crops include oats, wheat, forage, pasture, grass seed, canola, potatoes, and field peas. There are also small scale vegetable farms, dairies, beef producers, swine producers, bison, elk, reindeer, yak and musk-ox ranches, and several ciommercial greenhouses. Also, contributing to Delta Junction's economy are the military and the trans-Alaska pipeline. Fort Greely is located 5 miles south of town on the Richardson Highway. Deactivated in 2000, Fort Greely was reactivated in 2002 as a national missile defense site. Alyeska Pipeline Pump Station No. 9 is located 7 miles south of Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway.

Fishing

2010-06-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Tanana River (pronounced Tan-uh-naw)
Clearwater Creek Recreation Site.
Terry launching his kick boat for a 9 mile trip down Clearwater Creek. It's 3:30 pm and the float will take 4-6 hours. Should be out about 9 pm.
See you at the boat landing in Clearwater Creek.

After floating the creek, he gets into the Tanana River for 1.5 miles and then has to paddle up the outlet stream into Clearwater Lake another 1.5 miles and then 1 mile across the lake. About 12.5 miles. He arrived at the ramp at 9:45 pm. I had to honk my horn several times so he could get a reading on where I was parked. Fortunately we could communicate by cell phone. If he had missed the outlet stream from the big Tanana River, he would have had to go another 20 miles to where the river goes under the Alaska Highway to get out. It would have been about 2 pm by then!! Glad he didn't miss the stream. He caught 8 grayling! All released.

Fire at Tanacross (10 miles north of Tok)

2010-06-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Leaving Tok for Delta Junction on Sunday and ran into the fire. Had to wait on a pilot car to lead us thru the equipment and smoke.

One of many fires burning in Alaska at the moment. This one is called the Eagle Trail Fire and has burned over 9,000 acres so far.

Back into Alaska to Tok

2010-06-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Border crossing sign. Pop. 2!
Here we are at the top of the world in Alaska again
Top of the World road in Alaska
Porcupine along the road.

Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino, Dawson City

2010-06-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

Dawson City Buildings

2010-06-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Various buildings around town. This was a masonic lodge.

Arriving Dawson City

2010-06-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Coming from Tok on the Taylor Highway you have to cross the ferry to Dawson City. It's a free ferry. There is no bridge across the Yukon river.
Yukon Queen. You can cruise down the river and retrace the old stern-wheeler route of this historic Gold rush area as you cruise past abandoned settlements among the forested hills.
Downtown Dawson City. All the streets are dirt. Dawson City was the Yukon's first capital, when the Yukon came a separate territory in 1898. But by 1953, Whitehorse - on the railway and highway and with a large airport - was so much the hub of activity that the federal government moved the capital from Dawson City, along with 800 civil servants, and years of tradition and pride. Some recompense was offered in the form of a road linking Whitehorse with the mining at Mayo and Dawson City. With its completion, the White Pass trucks replaced White Pass river steamers.

New government buildings were built in Dawson, including a fire hall. In 1962 the federal government reconstructed the Palace Grand Theatre for a gold rush festival that featured the Broadway musical "Foxy", with Bert Lahr, who played the cowardly lion in the classic Wizard of Oz. A museum was established in the administration building and tours and entertainments were begun.

Dawson City was declared a nation historic site in the early 1960s. Parks Canada is currently involved with 35 properties in Dawson City. Many buildings have been restored, some reconstructed and others stabilized. Parks Canada offers an interpretive program for visitors to this historic city.
See more on the next post.

Top of the World

2010-06-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

Driving along the top of the world highway in the Yukon going to Dawson City. The road for chip sealed several years ago but most of it has broken down to gravel. Not too bad really from here to Dawson City ferry crossing.
Still snow up here too. The road is closed in the winter due to snow.
Yukon River.
Every satellite was getting a signal!

Road from Chicken to Top of the World

2010-06-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Examples of the road outside of Chicken. Not for the faint of heart, especially in a motorhome. So glad we decided to drive the car to Dawson City instead of going across the Top of the World with the rv. Lots of people do it.
I talked to a lady at the laundry yesterday and they had driven their rv over this road. She had so much dust everywhere, she cleaned for two days. Then when they turned on the AC, it was in the filters, and blew dust all over everything again!!

Lots of narrow road, dirt and winding sharp curves, with cliffs and no guardrail!

Chicken, AK

2010-06-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

Population 21 in summer, 6 in winter.
Chicken has three main business. This is beautiful Downtown Chicken. There are no city water, sewer or electricity or phone service in Chicken. Wells, generators, and outhouses are utilized here, with residents providing their own electricity, including the 20 and 30 amp service for RVers at the RV parks.
Chicken was supposedly named by early miners who wanted to name their camp ptarmigan, but were unable to spell it and settled for chicken instead, the common name in the North for ptarmigan. (Ptarmigan is the state bird.)
We had cinnamon buns, blueberry muffins and coffee for breakfast and took a brownie with us for lunch. We stopped here on the way back from Dawson City and had bbq chicken and potato salad with biscuit.

Very enjoyable. There was an rv group of about 15 coaches staying in Chicken for the night and that's why they had bbq chicken on the menu.

Drive to Chicken

2010-06-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Mount Fairplay along the Taylor Highway to Chicken from Tok, AK
Thought this was an interesting point of view of where we were !!
Road to chicken, pavement ran out and we had gravel patches.
Another moose!

Destruction Bay to Beaver Creek

2010-06-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Stopped in a rest area along the way between Destruction Bay, YT and Beaver Creek, YT. The road conditions were less than perfect. This lake was behind the rest area. We went looking for wildlife but didn't find any.
Our coach in the rest area above the lake. It was about 9 pm at this time. Still plenty of light. It didn't get dark until sometime after 11 pm. We don't know for sure because we were asleep by then. Thank goodness I made curtains with blackout fabric for the bedroom windows and doorway.
Samples of the frost heaves in the roads and cracks. We had to drive extremely slow and watch for these areas. Some were flagged, but some weren't.

Leaving Haines & Moose

2010-06-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

As we were leaving Haines, we saw this moose grazing.
Beautiful drive out of Haines along the Chilkat River.
Beautiful mountains coming across the pass.
Back in the Yukon for awhile.

Cruise Ships

2010-06-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Woke up to one in our harbor.
Going by, I think Norwegian Star

I think this was a Diamond Princess ship.

Chilkoot Lake

2010-06-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Chilkoot River flowing into Lynn Canal

Terry in his boat at Chilkoot Lake above the river
Happy fishing. He caught 7 Dolly Varden and missed one. He fished for 4 hrs.

Eagle

2010-06-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

We were on our way to Chilkoot Lake to fish and this bald eagle flew right toward us and landed below where we were parked. It was so cool!!
Coming in for a landing.
The Eagle has landed.
Gone too soon!

Haines, AK

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

What a great rv site. Right on the Lynn Canal. Cruise boats go by regularly and some even dock here. We stayed here for 3 nights and it was great and so was the weather.
We ventured to a viewpoint and took this picture of a Glacier across the Chilkat River.
Looking at the glacier up close.
Another view of the mountains from the Chilkat State Park.

Skagway, AK

2010-05-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

White Pass Train
Downtown Skagway, AK.
Should have bought this shirt! Loved it!
Glad we drove the car and not the motorhome down that winding 11% grade from the pass!

Alaska finally!

2010-05-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Alaska border going down the South Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Skagway.

Kiwanis inukshuk photo-op at White Pass Summit.
Heading down from the White Pass Summit toward Skagway.

More Fraser area

2010-05-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

The red building is the last water tower remaining from the WP&YR railway's steam locomotive era.
Area referred as "moonscape". Very beautiful.

The temperature this day was about 59 to 60!! Not as cold as it looks.

Fraser Summit Canada/US border area

2010-05-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Approaching Fraser Rest Area. The present-day location of Canadian Customs is also the site of one of the WP&YR railway stations. The station was named Fraser, probably to honor a politican from eastern Canada who had helped the railway company in its early days. Fraser is located on the stretch of track between the Summit, site of the International border, and Bennett, at the south end of Bennett Lake. This section of track was built during the winter of 1898-99, a winter that saw exceptionally heavy snowfall and cold temperatures. It also involved cutting a railway roadbed through solid rock. Rock debris had to be hauled by hand or by horse-drawn wagons.

This area gets an average of 24 feet of snow each year!!!!!!

Tagish Lake and Bove Island

2010-05-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Bove Island in Tagish Lake. Bove is the largest island on this long lake.
Tutshi Lake, site of Venus Mines concentrator, which had a capacity of 150 tons per day. A drop in silver prices caused the Venus Mill's closure in Oct 1981.

Tutshi Lake, south of Carcross, Yukon, in BC.

Emerald Lake, Yukon

2010-05-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Emerald Lake, also called Rainbow Lake by Yukoners. The rainbow like colors of the lake result from blue-green light waves reflecting off of the white sediment of the lake bottom. Thjis white sediment, called marl, consists of fragments of decomposed shell mixed with clay; it is usually found in shallow, freshwater lakes that have low oxygen levels during the summer months.

This was on our drive from Whitehorse in the car down to Skagway, AK. It was only 110 miles to Skagway from Whitehorse.

Carmacks

2010-05-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mosaic at the rest area visitor information coming into the town of Carmacks. Carmacks was named for George Carmack, who established a trading post here in 1890s. Carmack had come North in 1885, hoping to stike it rich. He spent the next 10 years prospecting without success. In 1896, when the trading post went bankrupt, Carmack moved his family to Fortymile, where he could fish to eat and cut timber to sell. That summer, Carmack's remarkable persistence paid off--he unearthed a 5-dollar pan of coarse gold, during a time when a 10-cent pan was considered a good find. That same winter, he extracted more than a ton of gold from the creek, which he renamed Bonanza Creek, and its tributary, Eldorado. When word of Carmack's discovery reached the outside world the following spring, it set off the Klondike Gold Rush.
Trumpeter swans nesting in one of the lakes south of Carmacks.
Fox Lake still frozen.

Five Fingers

2010-05-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Along the Klondike Loop

2010-05-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

One of the lakes along this stretch of 110 miles that we drove up this loop road.
The Casebeers and their traveling companions stopped at the BraeBurn Lodge for cinnamon rolls. Of course, we had already had a cinnamon roll at Mom's Bakery (see previous blog.), but Terry had to buy one for the next day, the next day, the next day, and again the next day. This cinnamon roll was HUGE! I even had some one day and he still have enough for 4 mornings!

One of the twin lakes along the road with the beautiful turquoise color and very clear. All this is north of Whitehorse on a day trip for us in the car.

Whitehorse interests

2010-05-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

World's largest weathervane - a DC-3. According to Yukon pilot and aviation historian Bob Cameron, the vintage plane was originally a C-47 that was built in 1942 and few transport missions to Asia during the war. Converted to civilian life as a DC-3 after the war, she flew for Canadian Pacific Airlines, Connelly-Dawson Airways, Great Northern Airways and Northward Airlines from 1946 until 1970, when she blew an engine on takeoff and was then stripped for parts and parked at the Whitehorse airport.
A wonderful stop on the drive up to the Five Fingers area on the Klondike Loop road that goes to Dawson City and across the Top of the World Highway.
Sitting on the patio after having our wonderful cinnamon bun.
Mom herself, Tracie Harris, has lived in the Yukon her entire life (80) she said. She is also a gold miner with three claims. She has a foreman that handles everything until it's time to dump the gold. A very interesting lady. We stayed her for over an hour jus talking and enjoying the morning. The house sits above a creek that she regularly catches her breakfast/lunch.

Frantic Follies Gold Rush Revue

2010-05-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ready for the show
Frantic Follies at Westmark Hotel in Whitehorse. This was the second night open for the 2010 season.

A must see for all visitors.

Coming into Whitehorse and Cleaning

2010-05-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Driving into Whitehorse and some of the views and pretty nice.

Finally at the Hi Country RV Park and getting the dirt off of the coach. It was nice they have an rv/car wash area. We met up with Lee and Kris Casebeer and their traveling companions. Stayed here 3 days.

2010-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Watson Lake is the home of Sign Post Forest and of course, we have a sign to put up. Gary had it made with all the dates that Bob and Nelda have been and the people they have been to Alaska with. This sign has our names at the bottom and 2010. Bob and Nelda have now been 10 times and Gary and Sandra 4 times.
Here's the sign on the front row. This place is unbelievable. Can't imagine how many signs and here.
One of the many rows of signs.
Here I am! Watson Lake is still in the Yukon.

Bear and Moose

2010-05-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Another bear.
Another bear.
Closer of 2nd bear.
Bison crossed the road right in front of Gary. He had to stop and let it cross! We are still in BC at this point heading to Whitehorse, YT (capital of the Yukon).

Liard Hot Springs

2010-05-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

i Liard Hot Springs, BC. Favorite stopping spot for tourists. The pools have temps ranging from 108 deg to 126 deg F.
Signs show watch for moose. We didn't see any!
Gary and Bob enjoying the springs. Nelda and Sandra did not join us. They stayed in their coaches and prepared lunch for their men!
Wouldn't have missed the warm water. Terry didn't want to go at first, but once he got out there, he was all for it! One of my favorite places for sure.

Summit Lake to Muncho Lake

2010-05-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

We follow the river along the road as we leave Summit Lake Rest Area. The day was overcast but no rain. It was a pretty drive thru the hills and along the river.
Just a sample of the drive along the hills and the river to our north.
Muncho Lake is still frozen but the colors are beautiful. The lake is turquoise/teal. Very beautiful/
Awesome!

Bridges, Rivers, Mountains & Frozen Lakes

2010-05-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Crossing one of the many smaller bridges going up to Summit Lake (highest point on the Alaska Highway at 4250 ft. I think this is the Tetsa River Bridge and Tetsa River below.

Typical road conditions going thru this area up to Summit Lake.
Here we have arrived at the rest area at Summit Lake. The Lake was completely frozen. We spent the night here. Damp and cold. Thank goodness for the aquahot!!

Peace River, Moose Crossing Road

2010-05-21T15:44:00.001-07:00

Driving down to the Peace River Bridge. Bridging the Peace was one of the first goals of Alaska Highway engineers in 1942. Traffic moving north from Dawson Creek was limited by the Peace River crossing, where 2 ferries with a capacity of 10 trucks per hr were operating in May. 3 different pile trestles were constructed across the Peace River only to be washed out by high water. Work on the permanent 2130 ft suspension bridge began in Dec 1942 and was completed in July 1943. One of 2 suspension bridges on the Alaska Highway, the Peace River Bridge collapsed in 1957 after erosion undermined the north anchor block of the bridge. the cantilever and truss-type bridge that cross the Peace today was completed in 1960.
One of many wildlife warning signs.
These signs are to warn drivers of bumps, patches, etc, in the road surface. These come in very handy, unfortunately they aren't used for every bump!
Moose crossing the highway in front of Bob. Glad he's in front and not us. Terry would be going too fast to stop!

Sandy

Fog, Bears

2010-05-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

As we approached Steamboat Mountain (Historic Milepost 351) we encountered the clouds. It was very foggy. We slowly made our way to Summit Lake at 4050 ft. to spend the night. Along the way we saw lots of bear and a moose walked right out in front of Bob. Will post that picture next.
There were three bears here, two cubs (one black and one brown) and mama bear was on the hill above.
This is another bear that was very fat! Got lots of great shots of her or him. Whatever.

The scenery on day one out of Dawson Creek was pretty good. Lots of good shots, but it was partly cloudy.

See next blog.

Dawson Creek May 18, 2010

2010-05-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Sandra Nash, me and Nelda Sedlacek at Dawson Creek, BC. I made pillows for each of us that say "Alaska or Bust 2010" and included our names.
The Alaska Hotel in downtown Dawson Creek. Need paint job!

Kiskatinaw Bridge at Farmington, BC, mile 21 on the old Alaska Highway. Longest wooden bridge in north America and only original bridge on the Alaska Highway.

Dawson Creek

2010-05-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

The Rocky Mtn Trench

2010-05-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

This area is called the Rocky Mountain Trench. It is the western boundary of the Rocky Mtns. Terry was interested in the rock formations on this mountains. The called them swirley crap.
There is a gradual climb through the Misinchinka then Hart Ranges of the Rocky Mountains.

Snow on the lake around these mountains.

More scenery thru BC

2010-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

We think these are crabapple but not sure. They were all over the town of Cache Creek. Very pretty and in full bloom
See lots of these signs, but we didn't see any live ones yet.
More scenery. This is McLeod Lake.
Driving beauties.

Thompson River

2010-05-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

2010-05-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hell's gate. Not a very safe way to traverse the gorge, is it??
The walking bridge from another vantage point.
Story behind Hell's Gate.
We were there!

Hell's Gate

2010-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tourist stop along the way. It was actually appreciation day so admission was free!! We were so lucky. It is a very deep canyon and you ride a tram down to the base which is still a long way above the river.
Sandy getting some culture!!
River is 125' deep now, but sometimes much deeper.
Awwww. Aren't we cute! On the viewing bridge. You could see thru to the river at your feet. The walkway was a grate. Interesting.

Arriving in BC

2010-05-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

After crossing the border into Canada, we were welcomed by this sign. We had not problems crossing, very few questions, and it was short and sweet. It took about 5 minutes.
Drive in British Columbia toward Cache Creek.
There were lots of tunnels and each one had a name. Some we in a curve and you couldn't see thru like this one.
No problems going thru, but Terry and Gary had to blow their horns!!

Travelers to Alaska

2010-05-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Coming thru Seattle.
Three Sisters - Sandra Nash, Sandy Brown, Nelda Sedlacek
From left to right - Sandra and Gary Nash, Sandy and Terry Brown, Nelda and Bob Sedlacek. - Three 1997 Beaver Marquis - Ready to roll out tomorrow to Alaska
Bob's trailer with boat and car.

2010-05-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Coming up to Multnomah Falls on the Columbia Gorge.
Multnomah Falls
View point of the Columbia Gorge
Leaving the beautiful gorge area. See you again some day!

Bonneville Dam

2010-05-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.
Barges coming out of the locks.
Bonneville Dam

Drive up the Columbia Gorge

2010-05-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

View of the river and gorge on the drive from Biggs Junction, OR, to Troutdale, OR to meet up with Gary and Sandra Nash at the Flying J.
Railroad tunnel, I-84 and river.
Columbia Gorge Hotel at Cascade Locks.

2010-05-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

Maryhill State Park on the Columbia River just across the bridge at Biggs Junction. View of the river in the background. We have stayed at the park in the past. Very nice and shady. Also, good fishing for Terry when he has his boat!
On the drive to Irigon I-84 runs along the Columbia all the way. It's a very scenic drive.
Terry, Evette, Peyton and Shyla. Shyla is the new dog. She just had puppies this past winter. Now all the puppies are with other families. I think Shyla is glad about that.
Terry with Peyton and Shyla is sitting on Don's lap. Don and Terry were fishing partners in the Oregon Federation. They made the state Team in 2008 and fished in the regionals in Coeur d Lane (??), Idaho. It was a great tournament for the guys and we enjoyed the trip as well.

It was good to go back for a visit. Thanks Evette and Don for the dinner and chatting. Hope to see you in Texas.

Bend to Biggs Junction

2010-05-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Crown Villa RV Park in Bend is one of the best parks in the country. We really enjoyed out stay there and maybe someday we will spend the summer here.
Driving from Bend to Biggs is the 45th Parallel. Can't believe I got this sign with Mr. Brown going 65 mph. Pretty good timing. I knew it was coming up and had the camera ready. This is just south of Shaniko.
A view of Mt. Hood in the distance heading toward the gorge.
View of the road heading into the Columbia Gorge about a mile from Biggs. Great day for traveling. The weather was sunny and 80 deg.

Stopped for the night so we could visit more friends in Irigon.

Sisters and Mt. Washington

2010-05-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Mt. Washington and the Three Sisters were beautiful as we headed out of Bend yesterday morning. Some shots from the motorhome as we were traveling north on Highway 97.
Three Sisters
Mt. Washington.

Barb's house, dogs and Donna

2010-05-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Sitting at Barb's house for a couple of days. In Sunriver, you have a 48 hour rule for motorhomes. We will be here approximately 36 hrs. No problem.
On Thursday most of the gang got together for lunch and a movie. Donna picked me up. It was good to see everyone. Joanne Smith had a camera at lunch so will have a picture of everyone soon. We ate at Greg's Grill and saw The Back Up Plan. We all laughed and had a great time. Attending were Donna, myself, Karen Padrick, Joanne Yutani, Joanne Smith, and Juanita Hill. We missed Mary Lou, Sharon, Doris, and Millie. At least I did get to see Millie at the coffee shop on Monday.
Before heading out on the 14th, we got a good picture of the new "puppy" Rocket. He's a year old and Barb and Tom got him from a breeder on the Oregon coast. Their other dog Dudley died suddenly in Arizona in March and this breeder had Dudley's father. Rocket is a beautiful golden and hopefully will bring years of joy to Tom and Barb. Caty is getting old as you can tell (13).
She still looks good tho.

Sandy

Kim Diehl Workshop with Barb

2010-05-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

Fortunately I was in Sunriver on guild week. Kim Diehl from Idaho spoke on Tuesday and gave a workshop on Wednesday. The class was full so I decided to attend as Barb's helper. Kim taught freezer paper applique and I learned some new techniques. Plus, I was able to attend the workshop with all my old friends. It was a great day just to sit with Barb, cut out freezer paper, press fabric onto the shapes and help design the colors for the quilt.
Others in attendance were Carol Elsbry, Betty Vincent, Kris Kyle, Judy Johnson (#1), Kate Brooks, and lots of other ladies from our quild and a local quilt shop.
Kris, Barb and me at the workshop.

Thanks Barb for letting me help. Really enjoyed May 12, 2010!

Sandy

Mountain Meadow Quilt Guild May

2010-05-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Lillian Arnold celebrating her 90th birthday at the guild meeting. I took Baltimore applique from Lillian in 1999 thru 2001. Great teacher and a wonderful person. She is still living in Sunriver and quilting.
The speaker was Kim Diehl from Idaho. She mostly appliques with invisible thread using freezer paper templates. It was amazing how many quilts she brought for show. On Wednesday, she had a workshop for 20 ladies which I was fortunate enough to attend by helping my sister in law with her quilt. Barb bought me the pattern so now I can try that when I get back from Alaska. Maybe I'll have some Alaskian fabric to use in my quilt.
These two quilts were some that she brought. Her books are titled "Simply" something. Like Simply Pleasures, etc. I think she has 4 books out now.
We learned how to make the flowers, leaves, and stems in the class. It was very interesting and lots of fun. It was great to be here during this week. Couldn't have planned it better.

It was great to see lots of old friends and enjoy the guild meeting. I felt right and home. Thanks everyone.

Sandy

Family and Friends in Bend

2010-05-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Finally in Bend and with family for Mother's Day. We had breakfast and dinner at Gini and Sean's with Barb and Tom. Then we played games and had a great day.
Terry and Phil fished for 3 days, once at Prineville for crappie (50+), the Deschutes River for rainbows (a few), and then floated down the Deschutes from Warm Springs on Tuesday and caught Red's. Phil took off work so they could go fishing while Terry was here. They had a great time.
Dinner at the Padrick's to met their new kitties. They found the two kittens abandoned on their street around Thanksgiving. At the time they did not think they would live according to the vet. Now they are approximately 9 to 10 pounds. Kevin is holding Mariah and they also have Pheonix. Karen and I together again after two years. It was great.
We really enjoyed dinner with Karen and Kevin, Phil, and of course, the family. Thanks to all for a great time.

Sandy and Terry

Drive to Winnemucca NM Saturday

2010-05-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Pretty mountains from Salt Lake to Winnemucca. Good day on the interstate after going down that mountain in Provo!! Drove 528 miles.
Winnemucca RV Park Sunday morning. Had a dead body taken out of the trailer across the lot.
Parked at Winnemucca. Mountains in the background. Good day for driving. Going up highway 95 north to highway 78 into Burns, Oregon. Sunny, great roads, two lane but smooth and noooooo traffic. We only saw about 4 vehicles on highway 78 until we got close to Burns (about 100 miles). Nice road thru the Steens mountains. Pretty.

Lunched at a small lake outside Burns that Terry and Phil used to trout fish. Very little water there this time of year. Disappointing. Arrived in Bend around 2:30 pm Sunday.

More pictures to come.

2010-05-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Stopped in Green River, Utah for the night.
Travels on to Salt Lake City on Saturday. Pretty mountains and scenery.
Snow covered peaks in the distance.
Snow on the pass going up Highway 6 toward Provo, Utah. Started having problems on the way down with an alarm sounding that our leveler was down. Very nerve racking. We also had spikes in the voltage and check engine light came on. There was no where to stop and this grade going down was about 8 or 10 miles!! After we got to Provo, we stopped at the Flying J for fuel and the problem had stopped. Strange. We drove thru lots of snow and rain this day. Got to Winnemucca, NV. that night. (528 miles)

Travel to Green River, UT

2010-05-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Some of the snow covered peaks on the drive on Friday into Utah from NM.

This rock was on the way into Moah, UH. Thought it was cool.
Drove 477 miles on Friday. Of course, I just sit. Terry does it all. I prepare meals!

Travels to Alaska 1st 2 days

2010-05-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Stopped in Santa Rosa, NM the first night after a long day of driving (540 miles) and fighting the wind. The winds were so bad on Thursday that we decided to only go to Albuquerque (120 miles).
Shut it down at American RV Park in Albuquerque for the day and waited out the wind. Gusts were up to 70 MPH. Too much to drive in heading west. Found out the heater is not firing up to warm the water and heat the coach. Had a small heater in the storage bay and used it to heat. Have some hot water that is warmed by elec. We will get it all repaired in Bend, OR.
Headed out of Albuquerque on Friday. Snow on the side of the road and in the mountains. Thought this rock was cool. Will post more later today.