Alaska 2004

Week 1: May 29, 2004

Saturday, May 29, 2004 Packed And Ready To Go

Today is the day. I've been counting down for months. I'm all packed and ready to leave for my month long trip to Alaska. I'm driving up and back, a total distance of more than 6,000 miles. By comparison, the distance between Los Angeles and New York City is about 2,500. I'm traveling with my dog, Rusty, 8 years old, and my two cats, Oreo, age 14, and Ninja, age 2 1/2.

Rusty is always ready to go somewhere; not so the cats. The 4 of us are traveling in a motor home. I learned from a trip to Wyoming last year that the cats are most comfortable when traveling in the overhead cab, in their carriers, with a view to the passing world. If I play my music loud enough, I probably won't hear them whining.

I will be visiting a high school friend, Linda, in British Columbia, and my son, Cory, will be flying to Anchorage to meet me on June 12.

I've been preparing for some time. There is so much to do when planning a trip of this magnitude, and I've never planned a vacation more than a week or two ahead of time. I believe I am really ready -I can't think of anything else to do to prepare myself.

To get ready for this trip I:

Had the RV serviced, with new brakes
New tires - all 6 of them are aggressive tires, suitable for off-road travel
Health checkups, shots, and health certificates for each of my traveling companions. It's important to me to be able to bring them back home at the end of the trip.
A GPS that keeps me on my routes and talks to me. My dog, Rusty, rides shotgun, but she's a lousy navigator. I'm hoping that, with the GPS, and the detailed maps of the U.S. and Canada, I won't miss the places I really want to see. No missed turns, or if I do miss a turn, the GPS will get me back on track.
A checkup for me.
An 8 megapixel camera. My 4 megapixel camera is now my backup. Lots of media cards, too.
A laptop with the mapping software for the GPS, plus photo management software,and a CD burner. I plan to shoot a lot of pictures, and I want to save them to CD as soon as possible. Also installed my Hotdog software to manage my web site.
Laptop can connect to the internet via dialup modem, ethernet, wireless LAN, or (thanks, Jay) via Sprint PCS wireless.
A new cell phone with Verizon, since it has coverage in ths U.S., Canada, and Alaska.
Prepaid telephone cards. Just in case.
Roadside assistance plan for the RV. Just in case I need a tow.
Updated my beneficiaries' addresses, just in case.
CB radio, 2-way walkie talkies.
Brought my birth certificate.
Electrical circuit analyser and adapters to support 15, 30, and 50 amps.
Water filter, water pressurizer.
Because of the cost of gas, I'm traveling with a lighter load than normal. Removed anything I know I won't need, and not filling the water tank to capacity. I'll most likely be staying at campgrounds in Alaska, and intend to hookup to water and electricity.
New pet ID tags for the critters, with the new cell phone number.

My to do list was long, and I vowed not to leave until I had completed it. I left home at 7 p.m. Spent the night at a truck stop about 30 miles shy of the Wyoming border. We didn't put on many miles today, but at least the adventure has begun!

Sunday, May 30

The drive through Wyoming was terrible. There was a powerful wind most of the day - burned gas like crazy, and it was a very slow trip. Saw a few antelope along the way. Had hoped to get to Billings, Montana, in time for dinner, because I had a good referral to a local restaurant. Didn't make it, though.

I came across the site of Custer's last stand, and stopped to get a look. The national park has marked the sites of the fallen during the battle.

Didn't get dinner at the restaurant, but stayed at a KOA in Billings. It's located along the Yellowstone River. Perfect for a long walk with Rusty before retiring.

Sunset was about 9:20.

Monday, May 31

Montana does have a big sky. Absolutely huge. What's with that?
Uneventful crossing of Montana today. Lots and lots of open space, cows, farms, antelope. I did see a caribou in a field in Montana; my first ever sighting of one. At $1.93 per gallon,gas is a bit cheaper here than it is in Denver. Some of the gas stations have a $50 limit on credit card purchases. That's only 1/2 a tank!
We crossed into Canada at Sweet Grass, Montana and Coutt, Alberta. Spent the night at an okay RV park in Lethbridge, Alberta. The park was just so-so, but it was situated across the street from the picturesque Lake Henderson and park near the city center. Great place for an evening walk with Rusty. Sunset as 9:28.

Tuesday, June 1

Drove through Calgary today. Very nice, large town. My GPS was a bit off on a couple of streets and I took a rather convoluted route through town. The GPS has been great for use as a speedometer. I set it to show metric and now I know that a speed limit of 110 is equivalent to about 70 mph.

After leaving Calgary, I drove to Banff. The Canadian Rockies are very different from the Rockies I see in Colorado. Very pretty, and all lined up nicely. I'll be driving through several Canadian national parks: Banff, Yoho, and Jasper. Checked out the Vermilion Lakes near Banff and then went on to Lake Louise. I saw a couple of elk along the way, including a young buck with his early spring velvety antlers. Camping at the Lake Louise campground tonight. No sign of the lake yet. Guess I'll see that tomorrow. The very green Bow River flows by the campground. I think Rusty finally believes we're going camping. Lots of trees, water, and animal scents. There are no fire rings in this campground. Unusual. The park ranger said there are 3 families of grizzly bears that frequent the park. I saw fairly fresh bear claw marks on a couple of trees and also some bear scat. I was camped next to a Mercedes bus. I guess it's a custom RV. It's hooked up to the electrical box and it appears to have a sofa along the front side window. Ninja has been up in the overhead staring at them - she could tell you more. She's been bobbing her head, looking from one person to the next, and she has a bit of an attitude to her, a hands-on-the-hips-attitude. It has European license plates, and the people traveling in it speak German. It's impressive.

Gas is about $0.83 Canadian per liter. I have no idea what that works out to in gallons American.

Sunset is at 9:53.

Wednesday, June 2

This camp is like a ghost town this morning. Rusty and I took a long walk along the river and only saw 1 person (and we aren't early risers). I guess everyone just stays up later with sunset so late.

After our walk we broke camp and went to Lake Louise. The sky was very cloudy and at times overcast.The lake was pretty, but I'm sure it looks better in sunnier weather. After Lake Louise, we went to the town of Field in the Yoho National Park, B.C. A trip to the Emerald Lake was well worth it - especially the Emerald River that feeds the Emerald Lake. Later, we stopped at Crowfoot Glacier and Peyto Lake,as we headed to Jasper via the Icefields Highway. Peyto Lake is absolutely awesome! Blue like I've never seen on a lake. It's a relatively short hike from the parking area, although the trail is still covered in snow at this time of year. Really worth the effort.

There are lots of glaciers along the Ice Fields Highway. They're all growing along the mountain tops, filling in the valleys.

On the way into Jasper, I saw a coyote, a young buck elk, and I hit the brakes and backed up to see a mama elk nursing her baby. Very sweet sight. Moments later I saw 3 more girl elk wading in the river.

Camping in Jasper NP tonight. It's a beautiful campground, heavily wooded with aspen, lodgepole pine and a few spruce trees. I hate to back up any vehicle, espcially the motor home. Basically because I'm not very good at it. This evening, as I was backing into a space, I noticed the 3 people at the campsite across from me were staring, jaws dropped, at the back of my RV. I took that as a sign to stop. They never said anything, but I got out and looked and found that I was about to back into a tree stump, about 2 feet tall, that I didn't see in the mirrors. I got back in and parked it like I knew what I was doing. Later, I went for a walk and saw a couple more elk.

Sunset is at 10:04,today.

Thursday, June 3

This morning I drove around the town of Jasper and then took a nice drive to Lake Maligne. Beautiful lake. Took a little hike on the west side of it and on up to Moose Lake. Moose Lake should be called Duck Lake. On the drive to and from Lake Maligne there were Dall sheep in the road and alongside the road.

After returning to Jasper I headed west towards the very tiny, unincorporated town of Dunster, B.C., where a highschool classmate of mine lives with her husband, their dog, and four horses. It's absolutely beautiful country! The front of the house faces the Canadian Rockies, while the back faces the Fraser River and the Cariboo mountains. The mountains normally have snow on them year round. Linda and her husband, Paul, are retired and are trying their hand at farming. This year's crops are oats and hay.

Rusty had a great time getting to know the horses. She's seen horses many times, but never up close and personal... and she did get quite up close and personal. She kept kissing them. And a couple of the horses seemed to enjoy it. Maybe "enjoy" isn't the right word - probably just curiosity.

In the evening after a nice salmon dinner, Linda took me cruising in her truck for bears. She spotted about 6 or so - pretty cool. Also saw deer, an owl, and then we saw a female moose, out for an evening feeding. As moose go, she was lovely.

I met some of Linda's neighbors and one of them cut some beautiful lilacs for me. I just happen to carry a vase in the RV. Purple flowers in a red vase. The women of the Red Hat Society would be proud!

Sunset was earlier tonight, as I had moved to the Pacific timezone.

Friday, June 4

This morning Linda showed me some of the sights - a couple of waterfalls on the Fraser River and Mt. Robson, which at 12,972 ft tall, is the highest mountain the Canadian Rockies. I met some more of her neighbors and then it was time to hit the road.

I had a little surprise when I stopped in the town of McBride to fillup the gas tank - my friendly Wells Fargo bank had decided to protect me and placed a hold on my debit card. I called them to find out what was happening and eventually got the Fraud dept. They were concerned with my attempt to purchase $128 worth of gas. Actually, so was I. They reinstated my card and placed a note on it to not be surprised about purchases in Canada and Alaska over the next month.

Drove to Prince George, spotting 4 bears along the way. They were all small black bears (although 2 of them were reddish brown in color). The reddish brown bears were right next to the highway, getting into something that really had their interest. But, as I passed by, one of them looked up with his mouth open and raised his paw. I swear he was waving and smiling at me.

I camped in a little RV park north of Prince George; very pleasant - hardly anyone there - lots of tall trees and the Salmon River flowing by. Tomorrow I drive to Dawson Creek, B.C., which is where the Alaska Highway begins.

Sunset was at 9:35 tonight.

Week 2
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