In the beginning......

What started off as a vacation has now turned into an adventure. I began this trip journal and sent it out to some friends. Here is the re posting of the beginning of the journey;

Well we left Misery, oops, Missouri about 7:30 AM on June 12, 2010. We ran into heavy rain about Lawrence KS and spent the next couple hours driving through the deluge. It finally quit about Abilene and was partly sunny till we got to Goodland where the temps started to fall and a drizzle began. It drizzled and rained all the way into Denver where we were heading for a stay in an upscale hotel I picked up off Hotwire. I looked at hotels in Limon and they were $80 and up so I started looking at Denver area instead. I am typing this from the sixth floor of the Hyatt Regency that I got for $66!! Hmm, Hyatt or flea bag hotel of Limon? Of course we had to do the high roller stuff and blow money in the hotel sports bar and have the room service breakfast of eggs Benedict. Oh well, it is still nice. This morning it is still raining and 45 in Denver. We will be heading up to the mountains here in a bit, there is new snow from last night. The weather man just said the divide might see 6” to 7”, gotta love the mountains!

Sunday, June 13;
We took the back roads out of Denver up to Evergreen to visit a mountain biking friend, Joe Baack. Joe and Kim have a wonderful house located up on the side of a mountain. We had a great visit before going on our way up 285 toward South Park. We stopped at the Coney Island hot dog stand in Bailey and stood in line for 30 minutes before deciding no hot dog was that good. Then over Kenosha and Trout Creek Pass to Buena Vista. We stopped and made a sandwich before heading up to Twin Lakes (on the road to Independence Pass) to set camp. After getting camp set at Lakeview Campground we headed into Leadville to have dinner with our friends the Puntenney's, Casey was cooking up blackend salmon and chicken Tacos while Richard and Caroline were filling our glasses. It was a great dinner and a wonderful visit with some great folks. After dinner and drinks we headed back to camp to crash for the night.

Monday, June 14;
We whipped up some breakfast and coffee before heading into Leadville to meet Casey for coffee. After going to the Proven Grounds Coffee Shop, it was time to head back down to Denver to pick up Mitchell at Denver International. After a couple laps around the airport Mitchell came out and we loaded his gear in the car. How he was able to carry that much gear onto the plane I don't know. Back up to Leadville and camp we went after a quick stop in Frisco for groceries and Pizza. When we arrived and got settled in we cooked up supper then sat around the fire and visited until dark. We were all tired so it was off to bed.

Tuesday, June 15;
After breakfast we headed up Independence pass to the top and took a little stroll. There was still lot of snow up there and plants that were showing had not been out long. After that we headed down a few miles and Mitchell and I took a hike up to a frozen lake. After that we wandered back over the pass and back to camp where I took a nice nap while Sheri read while Mitchell went for a bike ride on the Colorado trail that passed literally through our campsite. After dinner we sat around the fire and visited till dark when we all crashed out again.

Wednesday, June 16;
Pancakes for breakfast then it was off to BV to jump on the river. Mitchell and I were signed up for an all day float on the upper Arkansas, The Numbers float, a grade IV-V float. While Mitchell and I suited up in wetsuits and splash tops Sheri headed back into BV for a day of relaxing and reading. The Arkansas was very high due to snow melt and recent heavy rains so the river was rocking, just 2500 CFM below cutoff (no commercial raft trips). It was probably the best rafting trip I have ever had as Mitch and I powered the front of the raft for about 6 hours of pretty hardcore whitewater. Big thanks to Wilderness Aware Rafting, it was a GREAT ride and I highly recommend them for anyone in the neighborhood. We got done a bit early and ended up basking in the warm mountain sun for about two hours before Sheri came back with the car. After the raft trip we headed back to BV to the Eddyline Restaurant for a much deserved dinner. Belly's full, we headed back to camp where we built a nice fire for the evening. Casey showed up with a couple nice bottles of wine, one for him and Sheri to drink and one for her to take back to Missouri with her. It is a wine from Moab Utah that Casey helped bottle, good stuff!

Thursday, June 17;
Up early after a BLASTING all night wind gusting to I would guess 50 MPH. No one slept well with tent rattling in the wind. Time to pack it up and head to Leadville for breakfast at the Brass Ass (Golden Burro). After a big breakfast we headed up to the the Outward Bound Base to drop off Mitchell as he prepared for leading a couple courses for the summer. Sheri and I then headed up and over Freemont Pass to I-70 and over to Rifle were we turned north through the oil and gas fields into Wyoming. We found a “shortcut “ gravel road that was about 75 miles long and saw a ton of antelope, including a few spindly legged babies. We arrived in Lander Wyoming about 6 PM pretty worn out and ready for bed. We headed up to Sinks Canyon SP to find a campsite. It was still really windy but found a nice site with a big cedar to block the wind. After dinner it was an early bed.

Friday, June 18;
Up and packed early, time for Yellowstone. We headed NW, between the Absorokas and the Wind River range over the top and down into Moran with fantastic views of the Teton range. Stopped in the northern end of Grand Teton NP for a quick picnic then up to the south entrance of Yellowstone. We had reservations for two nights at Canyon Village so that is where we headed. After driving through a few bison and elk in the Hayden Valley we got to the campground. I spent more than an hour waiting to get a campsite assigned since their computers were down and everything came to a screeching halt. With a site number finally in hand we were off to set up the tent. The site had no space for the tent so we set it up on the parking spot. Not sure why they ask how big your tent is when you make reservations when they don't plan to give you a tent pad! We cooked some dinner and went to bed early so we could get up early.

Saturday, June 19;
Up at 4:30 AM and on the road at 4:45 heading to Hayden Valley to see what we could find. It is AWESOME driving around Yellowstone at that time of day, there was NO TRAFFIC! With the spotting scope, I was able to find two different Grizzly bears, one Black bear and the usual bison and elk. Also found a Sandhill Crane on her nest and a coyote, no wolves and no moose though. We then headed up to Yellowstone falls and Artist's point. It was still early enough that I had the place mostly to myself. Back to camp for breakfast and a nap. The afternoon we drove up to the very NW corner of the park. We spotted a few bighorns, black bear, deer and tons more elk and Bison. Still no wolves or moose. Late dinner then bed.

Sunday, June 20;
We headed west out of the park through West Yellowstone, then north up through Ennis to I-90 then over to Drummond MT where we jumped off on a little gravel road “shortcut” through the ghost town of Garnet. Very cool drive on a VERY twisty, narrow and steep road. We came out south of Flathead lake and back on the blacktop to Glacier NP. We found the campground at Apgar about half empty so we had no problem finding a nice site. It started to rain on us just as we started to set camp so we hurried through that. Dinner and bed, it had been a long day on the road.


Monday, June 21;
After a casual breakfast in the rain (thank goodness for Kelty's Noahs Tarp!), we headed into Kalispell. We headed to an outdoor equipment store to buy some more cool weather stuff. Not like we did not have plenty at home but trying to pack light kind of bit me in the butt. I kind of blew the mid layer stuff and with all the rain and cool days we thought we better get more prepared. Sheri and I each got some really nice wool undies and she got a light fleece jacket. After that it was off to the Laundromat to get clothes washed. I ran to the grocery store while Sheri did laundry. Back to camp to meet my parents at the campground. They came over from Bellingham WA to camp with us for a couple days. We had dutch oven enchiladas in the rain and then a fire as the rain finally stopped.

Tuesday, June 22;
Blueberry pancakes and coffee then on the road toward Logan Pass. The Going To The Sun road was closed just below the pass but it was still a pretty drive even with the low hanging clouds shrouding the peaks. We had a group of bighorn sheep trot up the road in the other lane on the way down and that was cool. Hopefully some of the pictures turned out. We headed to the west side of the park and took a gravel road toward Canada until we came to a really cool little town that had a “Mercantile” that sold all kinds of fresh baked breads and sandwiches so we had some lunch then headed up to Bowman Lake. It was an uneventful drive with no wildlife. Back at camp Dad cooked up a pork loin that was delicious and they taught us how to play the card game of Golf. We roasted some marshmallows and ate them on chocolate chip cookies, almost like a s'more.

Wednesday, June 23;
Heading north to Canada today. Went to the bank to get some Canadian funds. Cross the border, they made us throw away the one apple we had! Everything else was good and we sailed onto Banff. What a ZOO of a tourist trap! Beautiful setting and cool looking town but way to busy for us. We did a drive through and then headed up to Lake Louise to camp. Went into the local grocery store, talk about pricey, $10.99 for a pound of hamburger. We got two bags of ice and left (2- 5 pound bags, $6.00)...... The Provincial Parks campground was very nice but expensive at $36 for the night. It did have firewood and showers. The coolest part was the electric bear fence that went around the tent campground. Had a nice campfire and some popcorn then bed. Bed time keeps getting later with the longer days. It was light until 10:30 or 11:00 PM.


Thursday, June 24;
Made some breakfast then packed up camp and started toward the shower building. Right across the electric fence there was a beautiful silver tipped grizzly sow with two cubs feeding in the meadow. I snapped a few pictures before hopping in the shower. After the shower and another look at the bears it was time for the Icefields Parkway north. The parkway is a spectacular drive through the northern Rockies. After leaving the park we jumped on a less traveled road heading north to Grand Cache, Alberta. We saw two more grizzly bears along the road but still no moose. Where the hell are all the moose? We drove through Grand Prairie and onto a little town called Hythe, Alberta. We stayed in the city park/RV park. It was not a great place but it was convenient and cheap.

Friday, June 25;
Slept in today, the late daylight makes sleeping a challenge and we sat around and watched the sun set at 11:00 PM. Heading into Dawson Creek, British Columbia and the “official start of the Alaska highway”, milepost 0. The traffic was pretty heavy heading north, much more than I expected. After we went through Ft Nelson traffic dwindled and it became more remote. The drive was nothing spectacular but got better and better the further north we drove. The Rockies were very cool when we crossed them. We got gravel sprayed from a passing semi that chipped the windshield and chipped some paint on the poor Subaru, it is not new anymore....We pushed on with the driving to Liard Hot springs. Many people had told us we had to stop there so we got into the campground just in time to get the second to last campsite. The last one was taken as we were setting our tent. After a quick dinner we headed to the hot springs. It was a 4/10s of a mile walk on a boardwalk through a marsh. The springs were REALLY nice and we sat in the water for a long time. We got to visit with a few people and now have an invite to stop in and see some folks that live just outside Wasilla AK. Also got to visit with a “First Nation” (Indian) who was pretty cool and talked about a lot of cultural traditions. It was 11:30 before we got out and headed back to camp. We slept very well with the sound of a light rain on the tent.

Saturday, June 26;
Up for breakfast then another dip in the hot springs before we hit the road. We continued our journey up to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. Interesting little town where the famous “Sign Post Village” is, there is a BUTTLOAD of signs there. Enjoyed a history of the Yukon movie at the visitor center then over to the Northern Lights Center to watch a presentation on the northern lights in the planetarium. The northern lights show was disappointing but it was followed by a pretty cool space presentation. After the show we went to the local greasy spoon for a cheeseburger. Had not had a burger for a few weeks and tasted pretty darn good. Filled the gas tank and then turned onto the Campbell Highway. The Campbell Highway is a mix of gravel and paved for 362 miles and 225 miles is gravel. We drove to Frances Lake Campground, a government facility with a nice view of the lake. We enjoyed cocktails and conversation around the fire before we turned in for the night.

Sunday, June 27;
When we got up in the morning the neighbor stopped in and ask if the grizzly bear bothered us during the night. I told him I did not hear or see a thing. He told us that an old grizz came through the campground every night to see if anyone left him anything to eat. We have been very “bear aware” since the beginning of this trip (we watched a lot of Yogi Bear Cartoons before the trip to learn about bears). After packing up we headed toward Carmacks. We stopped in at Ross River to check out the town, not a place I would want to spend anytime but I did find a really nice Vaughn framing hammer laying in the middle of the road on the way out of town and that made the stop worthwhile. We drove to Little Salmon Lake Campground and found another nice site on the lake. After dinner it started to sprinkle so we hit the tent to read. I was asleep by 10:30. We had noisy neighbors who came back from fishing at about 11:00 and banged around until 1:00 AM. It was still light outside, twilight at least and it never really got darker than that. The neighbors were up and making noise at 7:00 AM so all in all it was a crappy nights sleep.

Monday, June 28;
Up and packed and on the road, heading to Dawson City Yukon today. This will be the farthest north we get on this trip. The road is paved but not much traffic so it was a nice drive. Scenery has not been that great for the last couple days. It is hundreds of miles of forests. It is interesting but getting old. Really not much in the way of spectacular mountains. Did see a black bear today, still no moose, DAMN MOOSE'S! What is the deal almost 5000 miles and not a single moose. Got into Dawson about 3:30 PM and decided it was time to stay inside for a change. We rented a nice little cabin at Klondike Kate's. Kate was born in Junction City KS in 1876 and came up here to make her fortune. It has taken us over two weeks to get here, can't imagine how long it took her to get up here at the turn of the century! Had a nice shower then went to the Drunken Goat restaurant that specialized in Greek food. The food and service were EXCELLENT so if you are in the neighborhood I recommend you stopping in. Early to bed (10PM).


Tuesday, June 29;
Slept till 8:30 this morning, soft beds are such a luxury after sleeping on the ground for two weeks. Had breakfast at Klondike Kate's cafe. Not bad and I am full. The Dawson City Museum is pretty cool and talks a lot about the Klondike gold rush and the development of Dawson. The streets of Dawson are all dirt (mud since it has been raining) with wood boardwalks instead of sidewalks. Kind of touristy but still a cool town. We boarded the ferry to cross the Yukon river on the north side of town. The ferry is state run and no charge. It holds about ten cars or most of the time four RV's and a few cars. The Yukon is about 300 yards wide with a pretty strong current so the ferry captain plays the currents carefully. It takes all of about 3 minutes to get across the river. The ramps on both sides are just gravel that looks like they move around with a bulldozer everyday. From here it was the Top Of the World Highway. Pretty cool drive that gets above treeline for about 20 miles. US customs is above treeline in a pretty cool spot. The customs agent was friendly unlike the Canadian one coming into BC. The gravel roads on the Alaska side are not maintained near as well as the gravel “highways” in Yukon. Pretty rough and slow going. Well it FINALLY HAPPENED, I saw a MOOSE TODAY, the odometer showed 4998 miles when I found it, 'bout damn time!South through Chicken Alaska (nothing cool here) and back to reconnect with the Alaskan Highway at Tok. Had a big pizza for dinner (still have half left for breakfast) at Fast Eddy's. Then we headed on up the highway to a state campground for the night. Two other campers up here, both in RV's. It is like people are afraid to camp in a tent in grizzly country!

Wednesday, June 30;
On the road to Delta Junction this morning. Saw our first cows since leaving Dawson Creek, strange to drive that far and not see cattle. That may explain why meat prices are so high! Got to Delta about 11:00 AM and made an appointment to get the oil changed but not until 3:00 PM. We went to the local laundromat and did our washing then to grocery store to pick up a few things. Then back over to the visitor center to look around and use there bathrooms. There was a little quilt shop in town so Sheri went and checked it out. It was about time for the oil change so we went back up there and got that done. While they were working on that I got to talking to an American Indian that had moved up from Oklahoma in 1972 and lived in Delta ever since. He was a really nice guy and it was interesting visiting with him. After all our chores were done we stopped at the local burger joint and I got a chocolate malt and Sheri had a Blueberry shake. We headed south toward Paxson. It was a beautiful drive. Along the highway I spooked one moose that was drinking from a puddle just off the road, did not even see it till I was almost next to it. Luckily it spooked into the woods and not into the road in front of me. The drive was beautiful toward Paxson. Just a bit before Paxson we had a cow and calf moose in the road just looking at us. By the time I got the camera they were into the woods. Turning onto the old Denali Highway we headed west. The road was paved for the first 20 or so miles then it turned to gravel. For the next 110 miles it was a beautiful drive from above timberline tundra, back into trees. The vistas were impressive in all directions and the idea that there was not another road for 200 miles north or south was pretty cool too. We did not see any big game but did see a few trumpeter swans, snowshoe hares and a porcupine. We found a GREAT place to camp just off the road that tested the Subaru's off road ability. It was a spot on the slope high above Susitna River with spectacular views. We got camp set and enjoyed glassing the meadows and lakes below us. I found a pair of moose feeding far below us. Cooked up some dinner and and hit the bed about 10:30. Woke up at 1:00 AM and it was still plenty light to see, weird.....

Thursday, July 1 (Happy Canada Day, even though we are not there anymore);
Up and out with an egg, ham and cheese sandwich with coffee. Finished the drive out of the Denali Highway, another pair of moose WAY down in the valley but no other game. Headed south on the Parks Highway toward Anchorage. It was a partly cloudy day but the clouds hung tough over Denali all day so no looks at THE mountain. We will head back that way later and maybe see the great mountain. Went up the Talkeetna Spur to check out the big city of Talkeetna. Pretty much a tourist trap. Headed on south and found a place to camp at Susitna River, okay campground. We will head into the big city tomorrow (Anchorage) and try to hook up with the wonderful folks I have met in the last year!

Friday, July 2;
Stopped in at Big Lake to see the folks house that we met at Liard Hot springs last week. Jerome and Karen invited us in and gave us a tour of their home. It was a great place that sat on the shore of a small lake. The lake had a pair of Sandhill Cranes walking the shore and an Arctic Loon swimming around. After the tour Jerome took us for a drive around the “hood” and showed us some houses that were for sale. After the visit we headed on into Anchorage. We found Tim's house and then went driving around town a bit to get our bearings. Headed back over to Tim and Jacque's and got moved into our temporary quarters in the family room. The Mac-Huber's came over and we had pizza and beers and visited, fun evening with GREAT people.

Saturday, July 3;
Iron Chef Tim whipped up some omelets for breakfast then it was off to a trip up the “hill” to get some vistas of the city. Typical Anchorage low, drizzly clouds kept us from seeing very much. After that it was over to the farmers market to look around. Lots of good stuff there. We headed back to Woody's so Tim and I could go for a ride while Sheri and Jacque went touring some more. Tim and I met Ken up the “hill” and went for a ride on some big hills. This flat lander is not used to climbing, even if I was in shape. Fun trails and no bear sightings. Back to Tim's for a shower and a nap before heading over to Ken and Heather's pad. They have a COOL house that sits up on a hill with a great view (so I am told, it was still cloudy). Julie and Brian came over and we visited for a bit and made plans for the next couple days. Dinner was fabulous and it was just another GREAT evening.

Sunday, July 4 (HAPPY B-day America);
The Mac-Huber's met us at Tim's and we headed south down the Kenai after another Iron Chef omelet. We drove down to Crescent Lake trail head. Sheri stayed at the car and read her book while Tim, Ken, H and I rode up to the lake. It was a beautiful ride with LOTS of fresh bear scat on the trail. There were quite a few tracks that looked like from early in the day. Alaskan Brown Bear tracks are HUGE, probably close to 10” wide. The ride back down from the lake was a blast, I roll down hill very well! Stopped at a local roadhouse and ate a late lunch (3:30 PM?) then headed for Seward where Julie and Brian were. Julie ran the Mount Marathon and kicked some butt, knocking about ten minutes off her previous best. This is not a normal race, it is a race to the top of a mountain by what ever route you choose, we are talking pulling yourself up by the brush and such. We were supposed to stay in a yurt in Seward that night but there was some confusion on the reservations. We got VERY lucky and were able to find a rental cabin that could house seven people. We sat around the fireside outside and drank our “40's” that Brian bought everyone. After that Ken and I got into the scotch and I do not remember much after that............They said I had fun.

Monday, July 5;
Woke to rain, hhmmm, imagine that. I was supposed to go ride Johnson pass with the AK crew but my legs were feeling dead after two days of riding (a lot of riding for someone that had not ridden two days in a row since Moab last fall). Sheri and I decided to go into Seward and hang out for the day and check it out. We went to Alaska Nellie's Restaurant, It sucked and was WAY over priced with crappy service. First bad food experience since we left home. We walked the streets in the drizzle and checked out the town. Then we headed back up the highway to Ptarmigan Lake campground. We stopped and bought some scallops from a roadside stand tossed them in our pasta for supper, YUMMY!
Tuesday, July 6;
After some scrambled eggs and coffee we headed over to Whittier. It was a very cool drive. There is a tunnel that goes through a mountain. It is a shred use tunnel that allows traffic to flow one way each half hour and the Alaska Railroad to go through whenever they are there. It is about two miles long and pretty narrow and tall since it was a train tunnel to start with. It cost $12 to go through to Whittier but free to return. We ate at Swift Water Seafood and it was very good. The folks in there were great people. I have found that most Alaskans are GREAT folks, very friendly. We found a place to camp back on the other side of the tunnel neat place right below a glacier. The neighbor just told us a black bear tried to rip open the door of his RV today, glad they cannot open zippers on tents...................Man I love this place! Then we hear a horn honking like crazy up the campground a bit. A few minutes later the camp host pulls up and ask us if it was us honking. We told him no and he tells us that there is a young black bear boar that has been hanging around tormenting campers. We keep a clean camp so I am not real worried but I think Sheri is a bit nervous about it. A nice fire and then bed, no bears.

Wednesday, July 7;
Up in the rain again, just a drizzle but it did it all night so things outside are really wet. We got up and got the coffee going then getting breakfast. Sheri is standing at the back of the car while I am over at the table when she yells “BEAR”! At first I thought she was joking till I saw the look on her face. The black bear was coming around the corner of the car and thinking about climbing in the back to the food box. Sheri started to run then turned and started yelling at the bear then closed the trunk lid down (glad Sheri remembered the training, with black bears act big and bad, with grizzly bears ask them how the would like there food prepared!). I jumped up and chased the bear around the car yelling at him. He ran around the tent with me chasing him. Then I grabbed the camera. He had no plan of leaving and started back for the car again. I snapped a couple blurry pictures before running him off by hitting him in the butt with a chunk of wood. That sent him trucking for the woods. Just a minute later I heard the dogs down at the next campsite going nuts, the bear was making his rounds. After that excitement we ate our breakfast then headed for Anchorage. We went to REI and wandered around a bit then to Mac-Huber House for a shower and bed. Ken whipped up some awesome supper and we sat around and visited. It was a great day to be in Alaska!