bearcruzer

Valdez

August 12, 2019bearcruzer

07/20 – 07/25/19 Since we wisely chose not to make the 60 mile trek to McCarthy-Kennicott we arrived the day before we were due to check into the our home base at Chena RV Park in Valdez AK. It was still cloudy and misty but the waterfalls were amazing as we made our way into town. J&J stopped by the RV park and were given a recommendation by the owners Judy and Everett to drive over to Allison Point campground for the night and she would call us as soon as our spaces became available in the morning. Allison Point also had a special allure as the Pink Salmon were running and that is where many local go to snag fish. We bought some snagging hooks and made our way over to the campground. We parked overlooking the bay and watched the locals technique for snagging the salmon. We rigged our poles and were soon catching salmon too. What Fun!!!! There was a small black bear that would come down to the edge of the bay and grab the carcasses left by the fisherman along the shore. The wildlife in and around the bay was incredible. As we fished the otters and Sea Lions did their own fishing offshore. Every creature it seems takes advantage of this abundance of food when it is plentiful. We had a wonderful fresh salmon dinner and hosts at the RV Park smoked the rest of our catch for us and treated us like family. It turns out they too spend time down in Parker, AZ in the off season. We spent the next few days exploring the town of Valdez. We really enjoyed the Valdez Museum and the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum. We also booked a Boat Tour out to Meares Glacier with Stan Stephens Cruises. We were a bit worried the morning of the tour as we woke to a heavy fog and thought we wouldn’t see much but as the boat pulled away from the harbor and into the bay, the fog began to lift and our eyes were on overload with all the beauty and wildlife. We were visited by a humpback whale, Orcas, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, Otters, Puffins, and numerous other shorebirds. When we arrived at the Meares Glacier the Captain stopped the boat approx a ¼ mile from the base and we were entertained by the harbor seals basking on the large chunks of Ice that were floating beneath it. We were even lucky enough to watch a large chunk of glacial Ice calve into the bay and the Captain had to turn the boat into the wave it created. Wow!!! Valdez has definitely won our hearts as one of favorite places so far in AK.

Yes we can…well maybe not!

August 11, 2019August 12, 2019bearcruzer

07/18 -07/19 With it not getting dark here until after midnight, perhaps our decision making ability was a bit impaired. The first couple of photos were taken the night before we left at 11:12 pm. We were headed down to McCarthy & Kennicott to explore these remote towns in the Wrangel-St Elias National Park. We had heard the 60 mile road into the area was rough but we figured if we took it easy, our rigs could probably handle it or perhaps we were just feeling a bit cocky after driving the road to Chicken. We stopped outside of Chitina and loaded up on fuel and water and proceeded carefully and slowly onto the McCarthy Road through a single lane carved through solid rock that was a portent of conditions to come. Well after about 10 miles of bone jarring, teeth rattling, screw loosening, rough road, Jimmy thankfully got on the radio and brought us all to our senses. We were happy somebody said something as all of us were thinking the same thing. “We can’t keep this up for another 50 miles!” We drove just a little further to find a place to turn around and came to the turnout for Sterling and Vann Lakes. We decided we would just make camp in the turnout for the night and head back to the highway in the morning. We walked down to the lake. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was warm so we took a swim and did some fishing. Mike caught and released an Alaskan Grayling. We slept well and Sierra and I woke early and took another walk down by the lake. In front of me a large bird took off silently from a nearby tree, then and second and a third and flew a short distance before landing. Sierra sat quietly while I spent the next 20 minutes filming and photographing this wonderful family of Great Horned Owls. I got some fun shots and wanted to let the others know what I had found, so I went back to the camp and brought Jackie down to see them. She held Slim as he would have made a nice meal for these guys. On our slow drive back to the Highway we stop to watch some subsistence dip net fishing for Copper River Salmon, They used nets on long poles as the river currents are very unpredictable and dangerous and can pull a person under quickly. The fish is supposed to be some of the most expensive and delicious salmon on the market. We were really happy to be back on asphalt and headed down the road to Valdez. We stopped just past Thompson pass at Blueberry Lake State Recreation Site and were able to see some beautiful and dramatic vistas just before the clouds settled around us.

Strategizing

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019bearcruzer

07/16 – 07/17 Throughout our travels we have been kept informed by other travelers as well as friends here in AK on the status of numerous forest fires and their effect on the air quality as well as the ability to see some of the vast scenery of these places. We got word that Fairbanks had been experiencing a lot of smoke and our friends Charlie, Robin and Tory Boulding, who we are hoping to meet up with, would not be back in that area until August. So, upon reaching our Camp spot at Moon Lake we broke out the maps again and decided we would turn south and see the sights of southern AK and the Kenai peninsula before turning north, towards Denali and Fairbanks. We drove to Delta Junction and stopped at the restored Sullivan Roadhouse. These roadhouses were essential during the early settling and gold rush days of AK. They operated in the capacity of a Hostel, Restaurant, and Mercantile for weary travelers along the trails. This one also had a garden just as it would have in the summer months tended by many volunteers. We were even given vegetables after touring the place and seeing all the interesting stories and antiques. We made our way down to Fielding Lake State Recreation Site where we were met with crazy windy conditions but thankfully no bugs. We were told by a local that there was a great hike with a suspension footbridge, not too far away, out to the Gulkana Glacier. We all packed into J&J’s truck and drove the very bumpy road to the trail head a few miles away. The glacier was amazing and we were able to reach part of it after crossing the roaring runoff from it using that bridge. It definitely took some concentration, deep breaths and careful placement of our feet to make it across. Sierra did great with only a couple of minor slips of her rear feet on her initial crossing. It was a warm day and rocks from the top of the glacier kept tumbling down the hillside which was a bit nerve wracking. The amount of movement & melt was astounding. We made it down the mountain safely and can now say we touched ice that was thousands of years old. Too much fun!

Chicken AK

August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/14 -07/15 Located 77 miles northeast of Tok down a bumpy gravel road. Why go to Chicken? cause it’s finger lickin good!? Naw, just because it was a funky name for a funky place. We found out that the folks named it this because no one could spell Ptarmigan, which is the state bird of Alaska, so they just decided to call it Chicken. It is an old gold mining camp and has displays of lots of mining equipment and historic cabins. There is still some mining going on outside of town but it is primarily set up just for tourists and offers an opportunity to pan for gold and tour the historic buildings along with hosting the annual Chickenstock festival that we missed by a few weeks. We passed on the panning but did stay the night in Chicken, hiked out to the river, took a walk around the town, perused the gift shops, and took lots of touristy pics. Watch out for the attack chickens!

Alaska at last!!

August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/12- 07-14 We left White horse and began our final push to reach Alaska. Canada is a big place too! We stopped to look for Dall Sheep but they were not on the ridges close to the viewing station. We were going to spend one more night in the Yukon but did not find any camping along our route so we went ahead and crossed the border (sorry no border pic, it was pretty crowded at the turn off for the signpost). We found a lovely campsite at Deadman Lake. This is a small 15 spot campground funded by the US fish and wildlife service in the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. It had wonderful level graveled spots that were spaced far apart so no one felt crowded. We chose some spots along the edge of the lake and got our rigs settled. The lake was small but very pretty and there was a boardwalk interpretive trail with descriptions of local flora and fauna of the Tundra. There were also canoes and life jackets provided to the campers free of charge. The campground itself was run on a donation basis and so is listed as a free campsite. It was amazing to find such a wonderfully well maintained camp with all these amenities. Jim and Mike were the first to take the canoes out and Mike caught a small Pike. It looked like so much fun the rest of us had to give it a try the next day and so we went for a paddle around the lake. We found a large beaver lodge but did not see it’s occupant. We were also visited by and Cow Moose with her Calf and Sierra was more than happy to find lots of snowshoe hares along with squirrels to keep her occupied. This was a wonderful place to begin our exploration of AK.

Whitehorse, YT

July 27, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/10 – 07/12/19 We headed to Whitehorse in the Yukon. J&J and Bob stayed at a park a few miles outside of Whitehorse. Mike and I opted for a park just outside the city limits so we could ride our bikes around town. We spent the first day taking care of business, washing our clothes etc. We visited with a couple who had sailed around the Northwest sounds and up the Northwest passage. Mike and I then took our bikes for a ride around Whitehorse to see the sites and check out the town. They have wonderful bike and hiking trails. Our town ride took us along the River and over to the Visitor Center. We also found a great used book store called Well Read Books. They had some local talent playing live music and great prices. We picked out a few books to add to our library and continued our ride. We stopped at the local fish hatchery and saw the longest fish ladder in North America. And rode past an old paddlewheel steamer. We talked with Bob and J&J and planned to meet up the next day. Mike and Jim opted for a Bike Ride while Jackie and I took Slim and Sierra to explore the Miles Canyon Trail & Bob took his truck to town for a oil change. Jackie and I planned on meeting up with the boys either along the way or after our hike. We never saw them as we stayed along the narrow rim trail and they took the bike trail. After our 9.8 mile trek we drove into town while the dogs slept and met the boys at the Yukon brewery. They were really happy we showed up as they were not looking forward to riding up the long hill back to our RV Park. As it was getting to be dinnertime we headed over to have some Pizza and share the sites of our day. We all agreed Whitehorse is a very cool town.

Watson & Morley Lake

July 27, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/09 – 07/10/19 We passed through the town of Watson Lake and walked through the Signpost Forest which was begun by a homesick GI in 1942 and has been steadily added to over the years and now boasts more than 80,000 signs of every shape and size. Jackie had a little metal sign that she modified and added our initials and the year of our visit. We placed ours along with so many others to commemorate our stop here. We spent the night at Morley Lake campground on the border of BC and the Yukon. This was a free campground as it straddles the border between the two territories. We drove down a narrow road that led down to the lake where there were a number of camping spots right along the lake. It was a bit of a tight squeeze for Jimmy’s 5th Wheel but he was able to maneuver it out of danger and parked along side of the narrow road. Not the most level spot but J&J the professional RV’rs that they are, made it level. It is still raining off and on and the mosquitos are present but not overwhelming. We took a short walk and found a monument to an engineer that died during the building of the Alaska Hwy. Later we enjoyed an evening around the campfire to plan the next leg of our trip and so we will be heading to Whitehorse, YT to spend a couple of days doing laundry, bicycling, and hiking around the area.

On to Liard Hot Springs

July 24, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/07 – 07/08/19 Continuing along the Alaskan Hwy. We arrived at Liard Hot Springs. Our goal for most of this trip has been the 222 rule. Cover 200 miles, or arrive by 2:00pm, or Stay 2 days. We made it up to Liard a bit later than we wanted but saw many black bears along the way. Most of them just nibbling on plants next to the road. Upon arrival we pulled in and asked the ranger if there was any room in the Campground. Again the camping fairies were with us and we got the last 3 spaces. Upon setting up Camp we grabbed our swim suits and headed for the Springs. Walking out of the Campground along an elevated boardwalk over swampy ground, we arrived at the 2 large crystal clear steaming pools. The pools are entered from a deck overlooking the pools and easy steps lead down into the them. There are 2 large changing rooms for men and women and bathrooms a short walk further up the boardwalk toward the hanging garden area of the park. The water in the upper pool is of course hotter where it bubbles up from the spring and is surrounded by little trickles of cooler water dribbling into the pool around the sides that are wonderful to sit under if you get too warm. The lower pool is still plenty warm and offers a fun little green grotto where you can swim up to a cool little waterfall coming into the pool. A sweet Cow Moose spent a while just off of the boardwalk feeding on the plants of the marsh. We finally were able to get a little Wifi at the lodge across the road from the campground and so reconnected with family after not being able to speak to them for a few days. Cell service is spotty at best throughout Canada. We were also treated to a large bull Bison who meandered along the highway, just outside the campground. Standing in the woods next to the Hwy, I was able to get a couple of good shots before I stepped on a stick and spooked him to run and causing a scare for a large group of onlookers across the road at the lodge. Oops! LOL.

Boondocking at it’s best!

July 23, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/07/2019 – Occasionally, we stumble across one of the places we have seen watching YouTube travel videos. One of those was the Testa River Lodge. So, since we needed fuel anyway, we stopped to enjoy one of their famous Cinnamon Rolls. We split one between us as the portions are not lacking. Further up the road, we found a great boondocking (free) camping spot at the former Prophet River Provincial Park. It was located just off of the Hwy across a still used bush pilot landing strip. A small plane came in and picked up people, at least 3 times while we were there. The old camp spaces were overgrown but level and the area was easy to drive in and out of. We walked around the area and found a spring flowing from a pipe coming out of the side of a hill. The majority of our crew opted to relax and take a nap, so Sierra and I grabbed the can of bear spray and found an old hiking trail down to the peace river. The water was cold but we both decided to brave it and enjoyed a swim. Once back at camp, Sierra decided a roll in something nasty was in order so we took her over to the spring and gave her a good bath. Brrrrr, the spring water was even colder than the river. Toward the evening the biting flies began to swarm and so we broke out our repellents and managed to keep them at bay while we enjoyed a happy hour.

Mile 0

July 23, 2019August 6, 2019bearcruzer

07/04/19- 07/06/19 Well to be expected the 4^th of July in Canada in a non-event. We drove up Route 40 through Grand Prairie up to Swan Lake Provincial Park just outside of Dawson Creek. It had good reviews and as we pulled in we found a lovely park like setting along the lake. Jackie made our camp festive with a Red, White, and blue table decoration and so we settled in and stayed a couple of days taking walks between rain showers and enjoying the serenity of this pretty area. We went into Dawson Creek one day and toured the visitors center and museum where we saw a great documentary on the building of the Alcan Hwy, got the oil changed on the RV, picked up some dewormer for the dog, found the town free dump station, and had some lunch at Stuie’s Diner. Not necessarily in that order. We stopped again on our way out of town to make sure we all got our picture taken at the Mile 0 marker of the Alaskan Hwy which was built as a joint effort with Canada to link Alaska to the lower 48 during WWII. Thus begins our long trek on the famous Alaska Hwy.