Category: Camping

08/26 – 08/29/2019 We purchased passage on the ferry from Haines to Skagway in order to avoid having to backtrack. You know we couldn’t go on a trip without getting on the water at least once. While waiting in line for the ferry to begin loading the vehicles, I took Sierra for a last walk and ended up having to run to catch up with the Camper as it was pulling onto the ferry. We locked Sierra in the Camper and made our way up on deck. The ferry has cabins, showers, a café, numerous seating areas inside and out. There was a large solarium where many people gathered on lounge chairs and some folks even pitch tents on the deck using duct tape to secure them. The ride took just under an hour but it was nice to be back on the water even for a short ride. As we arrived in Skagway we saw three cruise ships docked and pulling off the ferry we found ourselves in a Disneyland like atmosphere with crowds of people wandering the streets and very little parking. We were finally able to find a parking spot and spent a few minutes among the crowds, gift shops and took a few pics, but feeling a bit overwhelmed we carried on north toward Whitehorse. and retraced our route back through part of the Yukon. We stopped a night at Squanga Lake Govt. Camp that had free firewood for our evening campfire. The next morning we continued on down to the Cassier Hwy 37. We found the Cassier to be in better condition than most of the Alaskan Hwy. As we traveled south we encountered a few black bears and moose enjoying the clover along the road. On the whole, We have seen more wildlife in Canada than in AK. We spent another night at Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park where we enjoyed a beautiful evening walk along the lake. The mushrooms were plentiful and the sunset over the water very pretty. Our Hyder destination is the most southern town in AK accessible by road. It is also known for Bear Viewing and we were still pumped about seeing bears from our time in Haines. As we drove Road 37A into Stewart, we passed quite a few large transport trucks carrying logs. The bay on the sister towns of Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK was full of floating logs waiting for transport. We camped down the road from the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing area at Camp Runamuck where we caught up on laundry. We then went down and paid the fee to walk the boardwalk along fish creek where the chum and pink salmon were running so heavy you could almost walk across their backs. We enjoyed a wonderful halibut dinner at the Bus. And spent a couple of days visiting the viewing station but never saw a bear until we went to leave and saw one along the creek next to the parking lot and a mother and cub crossing the road down the way from the viewing station. Guess we really didn’t need to pay the fee but it goes to a good cause educating the public about the salmon, bears, and wolves of the area. We hit the bakery in Stewart on our way out of town the next morning and pressed on South.

07/26/19 – Well, It looks like we have pushed all of our vehicles just a bit too hard on this trip and they are all finally complaining. I noticed water leaking out of Bob’s truck in Valdez. Jimmy also noticed he had a possible fan clutch issue on his Truck as well as having to purchase a couple of tires for his trailer due to irregular wear. We joked that the only vehicle that hadn’t had any problems was the oldest, our little Toyota RV. We should have known better than say anything! We had just left our beautiful little campground next to the Nelchina River and were headed to Eagle River outside of Anchorage, where Bob has arranged to have a new Radiator put in, when Jack, our Toyota RV, began coughing and sputtering and then quit completely. So much for our bragging rights. Fortunately Michael had the forethought to purchase towing insurance from Good Sam. We contacted them and they arrange a tow truck to come all the way from Wasilla, AK to take us to a mechanic. We waited approx 2 hours and Stan from Towz R Us showed up and put or Toy up on his Flatbed Wrecker and strapped her down. It was pretty spooky watching our little RV rocking and rolling over the frost heaved hwy on its way to the Repair Shop. We were taken to E.G.M. Auto Repair in Wasilla, home of Tiny the Tow Dog, where just getting the Toy off of the wrecker onto the lift was a challenge but the folks and E.G.M. were professionals. After placing the Toy on the lift, the mechanic reached down and turned the key and it fired right up! WTF!? He began by putting in a new fuel filter and took Jack out for a test drive. He had not gotten far when it quit again. So while we waited for another wrecker to bring it back to the garage, they ordered a new fuel pump that they will install tomorrow that will hopefully, solve the problem. Watching these folks work together was like watching a TV Reality show, what a bunch of characters. They told us we would not be charged extra for the entertainment.

07/27/19 – Bob Dropped us off at a motel and after spending $140 for $60 quality room we hung around until approx 1:00pm when J&J came to pick us up and we went back to the Repair shop only to find out that the parts store had sent the wrong fuel pump and they had sent someone to Anchorage to pick up another and were not expected back until 4:30pm. We hung out at the Lake Lucile Park where Bob and J&J were camped, toured the Headquarters of the Iditerod Dogsled Race, took some walks, and played some games. We went back to the repair shop at 5:00pm to find the Camper still on the Rack and only one person at the shop washing the tow trucks. We grabbed some sheets and blankets out of the RV and spent the night in Bob’s little 2 man tent as we could not see overspending on another hotel room. I think Sierra is wondering what is up with these crazy hoomans who keep downsizing her accommodations. House to RV to Hotel Room and now a 2 man (+1 dog) tent. The rain was steady last night but the temperature was not too cold, and the tent kept us fairly dry until morning when it began to seep in around the base. Not bad for a 20 year old tent.

07/28/2019 – I woke up early and took Sierra for a walk and then crawled back into the tent and slept for another couple of hours. Bob and J&J have been very accommodating and offered us their couches but we are already relying on them for rides and meals and so opted to at least try the tent gig. If the RV is not repaired and it continues to rain we may need to take them up their offers. We are blessed with good friends and their morning coffee was hot and welcome after a damp night. Mike and Jim drove over to the Repair shop but as expected for a Sunday, no one was around and things were locked up tight. We decided to take a drive over to Palmer to explore the town. They are known for their enormous vegetables in this farming community. We walked through the garden next to the visitor center and museum. This area was settled when the US government offered land in the newly acquired territory of Alaska to anyone who was willing to build a farming community there. While at the visitors center, Mike’s phone rang and he almost didn’t pick it up as he did not recognize the number. Our RV was repaired and ready to be picked up. Thank goodness for this unexpected but very welcome news. We cut our tour of Palmer short and drove back to Wasilla to pick up the RV. With a new fuel pump, filter and seal on the inside of the fuel tank, we gratefully climbed back into our little home and drove her over to the Lake Lucille campground to rejoin our Caravan. Just a couple of days ago I was feeling like she was a bit small for this trip but after that night in the tent she felt spacious and warm. Thanks to the folks at EGM Automotive for their excellent service and going above and beyond to work through the weekend to get her back up and running.