End of year update

Since we returned home in October, we have been on no less than six short-term trips in three months. Do the math and see that equals a trip every other week! In addition to Christmas, we celebrated Mitchell's 40th birthday, a Thanksgiving with all the family including our German in-laws, and a chill ten days family visiting in Kansas. The only trip the Funfinder carried us on was to our annual Big Sur River Run campout in Pfeiffer Big Sur. Rain notwithstanding, Ray placed third in his age group on the 10K! So we celebrated with the Klondike Vodka carried all the way from Dawson City. Can you check out the gold flakes in the bottom of the now-empty bottle? (Thanks Bridget and Dorian!) We have been rain magnets all the way, but did manage to catch a glimpse of the Winter Solstice lunar eclipse. This is Ray's great shot of the moon. Even as I write this, it is raining on us here in the East Bay.

California, Here we Come

As we approached the Oregon/California border this morning, the sky was clear and Mount Shasta was visible from miles away. What a welcome back to our home state! Just a few days now and we'll be back home. Maybe another blog or two to wrap things up, so please don't quit reading quite yet!

Central Washington State Adventures

After crossing the Canadian/US border without even the loss of an apple, we continued to discover some Washington beauties, and we don't mean apples in this case. Lake Chelan presented its silky surface and crowning mountains on a blue-sky day. A few days later, on a day trip to Mount Rainier, we again had breathtaking scenery and crisp blue skies. I had to laugh at all the warm hats, gloves, and jackets I toted (recalling the visits to glaciers in Alberta!) as we hiked in short sleeves!

Roadside museums continue to attract us, some of the very best being the Yakima Nation Cultural Center, where there is also an excellent restaurant, and the unexpectedly high quality agricultural museum at Moro, Oregon, on Highway 97. Maryhill Museum and "Stonehenge" on the Columbia River were also rare finds, though the latter still leaves me puzzled at the idiosyncrasies of some folks .

Now in central Oregon and peering southward beyond Klamath Falls into California in a couple of days.

Lesser Known Lovely Spots in the British Columbia region of National Parks, eh?

This is a little lake at the summit of Mt. Revelstoke.

While Banff and Lake Louise and Jasper are the crown jewels of the Canadian Rockies, we have not been disappointed with lesser known treasures like Yoho, Kootenay, and Glacier and Revelstoke. Lovely hikes and far fewer people, too. Spent two days in Revelstoke and were lucky enough to use the one day of sun to go to the peak of Mt. Revelstoke.

(The rainy day we spent at museums and doing the basic housekeeping and repairs of trailer and selves.)

We were intrepid enough to take the trailer down a three-mile rutted road to spend the night at Kinbasket Lake, just because it sounded lovely, and indeed, in the morning, after a night of solid rain, the lake sparkled and we decided it was worth the effort.

Now in the Okanagan Valley, the mountains give way to rolling hills, the glaciers are replaced with emerald green farm fields, and our Canadian adventure is slowly coming to a close as we approach the Canadian/US border in a day or two. To celebrate our journey, we discovered a fabulous Greek restaurant--Dorian's Greek restaurant-- in Vernon, B.C. where Ray had the opportunity to exercise his Greek in an extended conversation with the owners and chef. And we have left-overs of the Moussaka and ribs enough for at least another meal!

Lake Louise & Canadian Rockies

On Bow Valley Parkway there is a spot known as Morant's Curve, named for a reputed photographer for the Candian Pacific Railroad--here is my rendition of train at curve (please note the umbrella of the REAL photographer known as Ray, lower right.

The scenery rocks--in all manner of ways! Mountain peaks, turquoise lakes, and recently a visit to the location of the Burgess Shale, site of the Cambrian Explosion of arthropods. Very interesting to visit our 500,000 year old ancestors, and they do look funny, which explains a lot, right?

Jasper National Park, Alberta

We continue to roll along merrily, more often these days getting held up for a while to accommodate the weather, which had been rainy and very unpredictable--this morning the temperature in the Funfinder was barely a chilly 40 degrees F. Much hiking to many beautiful mountains and turquoise lakes occupies most of our time. A day trip to the Icefields was chilly and spectacularly amazing (told you I should have brought my Thesaurus along!). (Now if I can just download my photos before the Intenet cafe chases me out, you can see for yourselves!)

The ice cap is more than 750 fett in certain areas, and the average annual snowfall on the Columbia Icefield is over 21 feet (seven meters--did I do the conversion approx close?)

Milestones on the journey

Today marked three months since we left home and, coincidentally, the 7,000 mile mark on our journey! Poised as we are on the western edge of the Canadian Rockies, with Jasper one hundred miles ahead and the Icefields, Lake Louise, and Banff calling, we see new adventures coming into focus.

Stewart and Hyder

Didn't mention before that we detoured to Steward, BC and Hyder, Alaska, for two days before leaving the Cassiar. Heard the salmon were running and the bears were splashing along after the salmon and the Salmon Glacier was one of the largest accessible by road (well, they called it a road, but 4-wheel drive came in handy).

As advertised, we saw salmon, bears, and glaciers galore. (It also rained most of the time.)

Then we stopped, as recommended, at The Bus, an old school bus converted into a kitchen, where we ate delicious fish and chips. And I do need to mention the Toaster Museum, right up there near the top of my favorite museums, alongside the Barbed Wire Museum in Kansas and the Space and Bike Museum in Sparta, Wisconsin!

Wet Weather Wanderings

Now I am lobbying to change the name of the Yellowhead Highway to Wethead Road! Nothing but rain, well, excepting a short spate of hail, for the past 450 miles. Less fun than we hoped for. Along the way, we managed to visit the village of Gitanyow , site of the most standing totem poles in this part of British Columbia, and the reconstructed village of 'KSAN, where we were lucky enough to arrive during a festival.

The provincial parks of BC maintain their reputation for pristine environments and cleanliness. Image a whole campground without a speck of litter to be seen! We have recently enjoyed the lovely parks at Kinaskan, Meziadin, Lake Beaufort, and last night at Lake Purden. Today, rain notwithstanding, we hiked in an ancient rainforest of western red cedar, somehow spared the widdespread logging that is endemic to this region.

Call of the road, Name of the Highway

I have always been a sucker for highways that have names. I don’t mean those number s that are rigidly imposed according to some arcane system, like I-5, or Interstate 80. No, I mean those roads that have earned their names in some way, okay, like Highway 66—“get your kicks on 66” and many people se do. I mean those roads whose names show you that the road itself is the destination, not just the fastest way to get from point A to point B. In California, of course, there is the Coast Highway that from time to time just shrugs its shoulders and slips into the Pacific Ocean, defying all engineering brilliance to keep it from slipping down the cliff. Close to home, our favorite is the Edison Lake Road, so sly and devious that I treasure my “I survived that Edison Lake Road” coffee mug. Now both car and FunFinder sport bumper stickers proclaiming, "I survived the Dempster Highway!!” (Honest, two exclamation points.) The renowned “Top of the World Highway” was tame by comparison and thus no bumper sticker or mug to commemorate it.
Now that we have driven both the North Klondike and the South Klondike, from south to north, we felt ready to resume travel on the granddaddy of them all—the Alaska Highway, more familiarly called the Alcan. Only briefly, however, for we have been seduced by the sound of the Stewart Cassiar that will connect us to the Yellowhead.

More prosaic folk might report that we are using Provincial 37 to Highway 16, and that is true, too. But in the quiet of the afternoon, beside a tranquil lake ringed with pine and spruce, with only a family of loons for company, we rejoice that we are following the call of the Cassiar to the Yellowhead, and yonder.

Back at Dawson Peaks before the Cassiar Highway

One of the pleasures of setting forth in the morning is not knowing where we will stop for the evening. Despite all our maps and the trusty Milepost guide, we enjoy picking and choosing among the provincial campgrounds, the roadhouse wayside spots, and those camps that defy categorization. The past two nights have been a study of contrasts. We planned our departure from Whitehorse to be able to revisit Dawson Peaks Resort, a few miles east of Teslin. You might recall that in late June I had raved about rhubarb pie. Being ready for seconds, we returned to spend the evening with the gracious hosts, Carolyn and Dave, and two slices of equally delicious bumbleberry pie, the rhubarb being too late in the season now. We basked in a rosy sunset, Ray snapping many photos as the golden light set on the Dawson Peaks.

The next noon, arriving at the 37 Junction, we realized that much of the color was from the smoke of wildfires that have been burning along the Cassiar. The road south was closed to traffic, with the slight possibility that a convoy would be allowed through—the following morning. We were number three in a line that eventually grew to over twenty vehicles. And so we set up a block party (a blockade party, perhaps?

Beach chairs and beer appeared, neighbors introduced themselves, turns were taken to harass or share snacks with the solitary blockade guard left behind to control us unruly elderly vacationers. In the cool of the evening, groups strolled along the closed highway, waving to the returning tired and smoky firefighters. Then we all went to sleep right there on the road, in trailers, rv’s, trucks, and cars. Up at dawn, we made bets about the probability of the convoy. Stakes began rising and just as things were about to turn nasty, the pilot car arrived and we became docile followers for forty smoky miles.

Glacier Bay National Park

Do try to see Glacier Bay National Park--no way to describe it--size of glaciers, color of the ice, the surrounding rocky beaches, the rain forest setting, the history of the place, the mountains surrounding it like the setting for the jewel colored waters, well, you see why I recommend coming here for yourselves!

And if anyone ever asks me to settle down, I now have a tee shirt with John Muir's apt response--"The Mountains are Calling and I MUST Go"

The Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is the local name for our recent trip. With Leora joining us, we piled into the car and set off-west to Haines Junction and nose to nose with the Kluane National Park, which, along with the Wrangell-Elias and Glacier Bay National Parks are considered Heritage Sites, and with good reason. Everything here is on an almost cosmic scale--mountains are higher (Ray can tell you just how high) and lakes are wider and deeper and greener and as for the glaciers, well, no sculptor could come up with the shapes and shades and huge rivers of ice! Wonderful flight over the glaciers to Glacier Bay National Park. Smallest plane we've ever flown--four passenger and the expert pilot.

In Haines, Alaska, we are supper at the only Mexican food restaurant in town, owned by folks from Carmel, CA! Superb Food and gracious service--thanks to Mosey's Cantina and Thad Stewart. Note the delighted anticipation and the self-control being exercised by Ray and Leora as I took the photo.

After Glacier Bay--a blog in itself--we continued by small plane and then by Alaska Marine Highways Ferry on to Skagway, where we actually stayed at Sgt. Preston's Lodge--remember the stories of that good though fictitious Mountie and his loyal dog King? In Skagway, we rode the narrow-gauge steam train high into White Pass close to the famed Chilkoot Trail of the Klondikers. Then honeward bound back to Whitehorse.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, with some Ferries

We're off to a new adventure via planes, trains, and automobiles, and a couple of ferries, as well. But no Internet, so there will not be a new blog until mid-August. Please check back in then and find out what we've been doing while the FunFinder rests here in site 21 at Caribou Campground in Whitehorse. We'll be in Yukon for two nights, in B.C, then in Alaska, before returning--two countries, three provinces/states, and who knows what else?

Here is beautiful Miles Canyon on the Yukon River, just downstream from our campground.

Carcross, Yukon

We went exploring, destination Carcross, Yukon, named originally for the vast numbers of caribou who crossed through the area on seasonal migrations. We didn't see too many cars crossing, nor caribou, though we discovered fresh, handmade waffle cones and gigantic scoops of ice cream.

Also an emerald lake, colored by glacial till or white marl (which is CaCO), a one square mile desert (small in comparison to the large dessert, previously mentioned), and the oldest operating general store in the Yukon. Also, growing in the desert, the rare Siberian Aster.

Great Northern Arts Festival

We had timed our visit to Inuvik to coincide not only with the midnight sun but also so that we could attend the opening of the Great Northern Arts Festival, an annual event that draws participation from over 100 circum-polar artist. What a treat! The creativity and quality of the arts were stunning, every medium from moosehair tufting to soapstone carving and on and on. We wished we were collectors and those treaures begged to come home with us, but we cherish the images and the beauty that we could share.

The opening of the festival provided some marvelous dancing, too, by the Aklavik Drummers and Dancers, who performed at the Olympic Opening Cceremonies. You might recognize them, too.

Later, back in Dawson City, attending the Buffy Sainte-Marie concert, we were treated to two other musicians who had also performed at the Olympic Opening--Boyd Benjamin, a fiddler and jig dancer supreme, and Kevin Barr, guitarist and song-writer. Boyd Benjamin's beautiful hand-beaded tie even included the Olympic Rings!

Part 2: Friends in the Yukon and NWT

Sometimes coincidence brings together truly compatible people. At least, that is how we felt when we met the heroic cyclist from Toronto. On the several opportunities for our paths to intersect, we enjoyed the lively discussion and compatibility. We were sad to wave him good bye--better, bon voyage--as he rode away from Whitehorse. Conquering the Dempster by bicycle is glory enough but to ride the four corners of Canada by bike deserves special accolades! We will be following you, friend, and wish you well!

A generous introduction brought us together with a delightful Dawson family from whom we parted sadly and hope to reconnect some time. May all your enterprises --and the gardens--prosper!

Sometimes a gesture of generosity and thoughtfulness spans worlds, as did that of Sidney, who drives a taxi in Inuvik. We met first at the Arctic Circle marker, where he was being a tour guide. Chatting again as our paths crossed, we were still very moved when he pulled up to the Nova Inn (Inuvik) and presented us with a highly prized souvenir--a genuine grizzly-bear shaped Northwest Territories license plate that had been on his car! I had wanted one so badly, but not one of the plastic replicas! Thank you for this kindness, Sidney!

In Dawson, we had the great good fortune to start chatting with Jean, another enthusiastic Buffy fan, who guided us to the best seats in the Grand Palace Theater for the concert and shared our joy in the uplifting, almost euphoric, performance. Her friend and Ray had a grand time chatting, both then and then next morning.

Up to our knees in the Arctic Ocean

"North of Ordinary" people in the Yukon and NWT

I like the slogan for Yukon that proclaims “North of Ordinary”. Indeed, our northern experiences have been far north of ordinary in all respects. Having twenty-four hours of daylight is just the beginning. I wish I had the moose’s fours stomachs the easier to digest the remarkable three weeks we have just spent “north of ordinary.” Not to overburden our friends, we decided to talk about this part of the trip over several days, starting with some stories of the people, including culture and arts and then show some photos of the landscape and overall environment with its plants and animals. Certainly, this is only a plate of tapas. For the real meal, we hope we’ll have many hours together with drinks and a large place of tapas once the road leads us home again.
While we’ve met wonderful people all along the way, we’re waving hello to just those encountered on the North Klondike Highway, in Dawson City, Yukon, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and all along the Dempster and Top of the World Highways (at least, highways is what the maps call these two-lane gravel roads) before we returned to “home” to the FunFinder at Caribou RV Campground in Whitehorse. To the couple from Texas who told us about the Buffy Sainte-Marie concert, thanks and we did manage to get tickets! We hoped you didn’t get stuck on the washed-out road into Alaska on the way to Chicken and Eagle. And then there is George, sole occupant of Boundary, Alaska, completely isolated now that the Top of the World road is closed to through traffic--thanks for the warm welcome, the hot coffee, and for sharing with us the Forty-Mile caribou herd!
We received the friendliest welcome at Nitainlaii Territorial Campground from Robert Alexis, who generously shared his stories about his life in the Fort McPherson region. (What a spic and span campground he keeps!) Talking about friendly--the folks up north are among the friendliest and most helpful we’ve ever encountered. There’s this long story about the girl at the ice-cream counter in Dawson who recognized us as a link in returning a lost camera to friends we had talked to at the Canada Day celebrations--from our images on that camera! What a detective she was, and so helpful, too! And we were delighted to run into Sylvia and Marge and to know that the camera had been returned, too. Heidi at NWT Information and Nicole at the Triple J in Dawson--thanks for treating us like old friends and being so helpful! Anika at the Aurora Research Institute taught us so much about the Arctic and took time to show us the Cosmic Ray/Neutron Detector and to Sister Mary Jo whose intriguing stories enriched out visit to the Igloo Church in Inuvik.
We are convinced that Parks Canada finds the most remarkable people who serve as admirable ambassadors--Marie-Claude the guide at Dredge 4 in Dawson (though her francophone pronunciation of Marion, Ohio did leave us puzzled for a little) created a historical pageant unimagined previously. Then there is Gerry at the office, who sat down and chatted for a while, busy though he was, and then recognized us later at the Arts Festival. A big shout-out to Elise in Yellowknife, marathon runner and friends with a mutual friend--small world. Her photos of us in the Artic Ocean are classic! Thanks so much, and come visit!

Mr.. Marmot on the Grizzly Lake Trail, Tombstone Park, Yukon

Internet is unstable today because of weather--out here in the country, 20 miles from Whitehorse, Yukon, the cloud cover determines the signal strength, so no big news today. Got to send this cute marmot photo. The big guy noticed us as we rested after a 1500' climb in a short two miles. He whistled, scurried around, hid for a moment, and then came out to inspect us again.

quick update

We are having a wonderful time, love the Yukon and its people, even caught an electrifying concert with Buffy Sainte-Marie! On our way back to Whitehorse, where we will catch you up with several blogs and great photos. Can't wait to tell you about our not-too-close encounters with three caribou herds just across the Alaska border on Top of the World Highway!

Crossing the Arctic Circle

The last week has been filled to the brim of experiences, all positive! How much there is to learn! I'm writing successive blogs to focus on a few of the highlights. So, first of all, crossing the Arctic Circle, where we spent over two hours taking photos and exploring the rolling landscape while all alone there, as well as talking to the variety of people who came and went.

Of course, we took the mandatory photos at the monument, so you get the preview. We also received a warm welcome and proof of the crossing, signed by camp host Mr. Robert Alexie at Nitainlaii Territorial Park in Northwest Territories.

Now I regret leaving my Thesaurus at home! There are not enough superlatives to describe this part of Yukon. As a local country song says, "Where do you go after Yukon?" The first two days on the Dempster Highway have revealed scenery beyond compare. The Tombstone Territorial Park unfolds jagged mountain peak upon peak, the scarlet fireweed lines the road, and clouds part to reveal further mountains, while the closer ranges are verdant green. We camped last night beside a chuckling brook surrounded by wild roses in bloom. (Okay, so if you are getting envious, it also rained several buckets and we set up the tent in the mud.)

Escaping the evening rain, we fixed supper in the common food shelter provided at each camp ground (oh, there is free firewood, also) and were delighted to share the space with a courageous and very interesting cyclist from Toronto who is cycling to the four corners of Canada; having covered the south, east, and west, he is setting out to the most northern point accessible by road, which is also our destination.

We're making great progress northward, passing the 64th, 65th, and 66th latitudes today. So far, the road has actually been far better than we anticipated, after hearing many horror stories. We have been alerted that what lies ahead may be a little more challenging, so we're planning to go slowly and only so far as McPherson, NWT tomorrow. Just a mere handful of miles (12.42, to be exact) remains until we cross the Arctic Circle tomorrow morning. As Ray says, this feels so unreal!

North Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson City

Every road opens new vistas and unexpected opportunities and people. One perfect Yukon moment was the mama bear with two cubs who crossed the road ahead of us. I had no notion that bear cubs redefined cuteness! They lingered along the roadside for several minutes, delighting us with their behavior before ambling away. Ahhh!

Other delights are also vast in size, as was the advertised cinnamon bun we bought at Braeburn Crossing, where we also learned about the Yukon Quest, a dog sled race which runs on the frozen Yukon River between Whitehorse and Fairbanks (or vice versa in alternate years). The fortitude of the mushers is greater even than the cinnamon bun! Note that the soup and the sandwich were also of considerable dimension!

Another special Yukon moment occurs each time we go from Dawson City (put the "city" in quotes) to the Yukon River government campground is the ferry ride across the river, there being no bridge. The ferry plies its four-minute crossing twenty-four hours a day and it is a kick for us to ride across the river so efficiently.