Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
It’s been a long time coming, but Larry’s finally retired.
Alaska Trip Summary May 15 - July 4, 2018
Note: green is the trip to Homer and red is the trip heading home. Where the two paths overlap the color is funky. The red and green dots show where we camped.
Trip Factoids:
- Miles drove: 11,099
- Overall miles per gallon: 8.3
- Highest gas price: US$5.85/gal, lowest gas price: US$2.72/gal
- Total cost for gas: $5,000.04
- New radiator and water pump for the Suburban
- Two flat tires on the trailer (one major blowout and one nail)
May 13, 2018
46th Anniversary, Mothers Day and first day of the Alaska Trailer Trip
The day began well with a send off from the family and a pleasant drive to Nyack (Immigrant Gap, CA) where the radiator failed.
Our first night was spent at the Truckee cabin.
May 14 - Still at the cabin
Waiting for a new radiator and water pump. $$$$$
May 15
The Suburban is finally ready so we’re back on the road, heading for Idaho. Looking for a pot of gold!
May 17
Now, it feels like we are on vacation and actually heading to Alaska. I was beginning to wonder as we replaced the radiator and water pump in Truckee and back on the road on day 3 only to have a trailer tire blow out in Twin Falls, ID on a Hwy with triple length semis traveling at 80 mph past us!! Thank goodness for our upgraded AAA!
As we traveled we looked forward to seeing the country while staying in beautiful campsites. Unfortunately, this wasn’t always possible.
Thanks, Sam Walton for the free night camping!!!
Driving almost 14 hours we stopped in a beautiful FREE campsite along a beaver creek.
On the road early and arriving in Canada outside of Lethbridge at a campground on a lake. The weather wasn’t great but it was warm and dry in the trailer.
This weekend is Victoria Day and all campgrounds will be busy for the holiday. The next stop is Calgary with camping reservations for two nights.
May 18
Spent the morning in the rain looking at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. For 6000 years the local Indians (Blackfoot) used the cliffs to kill buffalo since they didn’t have horses or guns. Extremely interesting museum and exhibit. Head-smashed-in Buffalo Jump
After spending time at the buffalo jump we drove on to Calgary, Alberta.
May 19
Due to a Canadian holiday (Victoria Day) the Banff campgrounds were full so we spent a day outside Calgary, Alberta. We had no idea Calgary had 1.3 million residents. Drove to Drumheller to see the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. If you’re into dinosaurs, this is a must-see. Check it out online. Royal Tyrrell Paleontology Museum
More than a museum, this is a working research facility. Apparently, Alberta is one of the best sites in the world for prehistoric bones and fossils. Who knew!
May 20
Arrived in Banff, Alberta for four nights of camping.
We had a great view from our trailer dining window. Even the large motorhome didn’t distract from the beauty.
This happened to be a three-day Canadian holiday so it was crowded. Banff is a beautiful quaint town with majestic mountains surrounding it and the 130-year-old Banff Springs Fairmont Hotel.
We spent one afternoon in the hot springs above the hotel but fortunately, no pictures were taken.
Banff Cave and Basin Hot Springs were discovered in 1885 by railroad workers and this became the site of the first Canadian National Park.
In 2017, 102 red Muskoka or Adirondack chairs were placed in select National Parks and historic sites in Canada. We found two red chairs overlooking the city and decided to sit and relax with the view.
A day at Lake Louise
Lake Louise is known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake ringed by high peaks and overlooked by a stately chateau (Fairmont Hotel). The plan was to canoe on the lake as Nancy’s parents did years ago. Unfortunately, ice was a problem.
Seems we were here a little early for canoeing. Instead, we just walked the lake trail and admired the views.
Factoids:
- Miles drove: 2477
- Approximate miles per gallon: 8.5
- Typical gas price: US$3.95/gal
- Milk: US$3.49/gal
- Sunrise 5:42am, Sunset 9:55pm
May 24 – 25 Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93)
The Icefields Parkway is 144 miles long and stretches from Banff to Jasper with over 100 ancient glaciers, waterfalls cascading from high peaks, and turquoise blue lakes. As you approach Banff or Jasper the rivers are strong and the waters are muddy from glacial sediment. Without boring you too much, here are a few pictures taken along the way. Unfortunately, pictures just don’t show the beauty.
As we left Banff National Park and entered Jasper National Park we started noticing dead pine trees.
It appears pine beetles started infecting the area around 2013. Now some scientists think the whole Jasper Park could be colonized by 2020. Very sad since we know what a similar beetle did to our property in Truckee.
The dead trees are a fire hazard so Jasper National Park has now banned all campfires. We planned to use our pie irons to bake cinnamon rolls tonight but it looks like we’ll need to wait until we get out of the park in a few days.
May 26 - More from Jasper
We’ve been in Jasper National Park for three days now and will leave tomorrow. The weather has been good but there have been some clouds. In general, Jasper is more casual than Banff. There’s a lot of hiking and biking but not high-end shopping. It seems to be more of an outdoor vibe.
We went for a moderate hike in an area called five lakes. Only made it to the first pristine lake and turned back. I wasn’t interested in hiking more just to see four additional lakes like this.
While in Jasper we’ve seen amazing waterfalls like Athabasca Falls. There was massive erosion only slowed by the igneous rock formations.
While eating lunch beside a creek we saw several animals, but this is our first view of a woodchuck.
Since it is spring, we expected to see wildflowers. This is our first glimpse. In general, we are early and the flowers are just now starting to bloom. These little orchid-like flowers are only about 5″ tall.
We finished the day by doing our first laundry ($19) and having some ice cream ($9) while waiting for the dryer to finish.
May 27 - Dawson Creek
After a relatively boring drive from Jasper, we arrived at Dawson Creek, BC. This is Mile 0 of the Alcan Highway. The highway is 1390 miles long and was built in 8 months in 1942 as military access from the USA to Alaska for WW2.
One standing curved bridge still exists at Mile 21. We were told it took the same time to build this bridge as it did to build the whole Alcan Highway (8 months). Through the magic of technology, we have a picture of our rig crossing the bridge.
Campfire with our new Costco propane fire pit. We are finding in many places they don’t allow wood fires but propane is acceptable.
May 29
While driving to Teslin Lake, Yukon we saw our first bison. More than 100 years ago the mountain bison became extinct in western Canada. Several years ago a small herd was brought in and now the population is growing well. Today we saw lots of new calves.
Since the weather is cold, we planned to stop at any hot springs we could along the way. After a short drive on a marginal road, we arrived at the Liard Hot Springs for a relaxing dip. The water ranged from 95 to 110 degF depending on where you were in the pond. Due to the warm water, ferns and other plants make the surroundings look like a tropical paradise even though the outside temperature is close to 32 degF at night.
Thanks to Doug and Pam we had a couple of signs to add to the signpost forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. The first sign was posted in 1942 by a worker on the Alcan Highway who posted a sign with the name of his hometown. Since then people started adding signs. Today there are over 85,000 (+2 from the McCrackens).
May 31 - Yukon Territories
For the last couple of days, we have been in the Yukon Territories. The Yukon has 38,874 people (2016 census) and White Horse has 70% of the Yukon population. There’s a lot of land, lakes, rivers, and animals, and only a few people. It’s a beautiful area and not crowded. While in White Horse Nancy scored at the local quilt store.
After leaving White Horse we spent the night at Fox Lake (a government campground for $9.36 a night with free firewood). Found a spot right on the water and built a fire. The temperature was in the mid-60 degF and sunny.
The next morning it was 29 degF when we woke up.
The Yukon River connects White Horse and Dawson City. In the winter it freezes. This year it broke up on May 8. You can read about the most recent breakup here, Yukon River Breakup
Factoids:
- Miles drove: 4105
- Approximate miles per gallon: 8.2
- Highest gas price: US$5.85/gal
- Sunrise 4:14am, Sunset 12:17am
June 1
We spent the past two days in Dawson City, Yukon. Dawson is famous for the Klondike Gold Rush starting in 1896. The local people are very friendly and it’s interesting to hear about the past as well as the present. The town is constantly being rebuilt but in the old style. Dawson City Gold Rush
Jack London came to Dawson in 1897 as a 21-year-old prospector. He only stayed one year and didn’t find any gold but his year in the log cabin was the foundation for many books written when he returned to California, including To Build a Fire, The Call of the Wild, and White Fang.
Most prospectors didn’t make any money. The work was hard and the winters long. They had to get through 6 – 25 feet of permafrost to reach the river beds before they could dig and pan for gold. To allow 24 hour a day operation, large wooden dredges were built and funded by the Guggenheim’s and Rothschild’s. Dredge #4 was the largest built and operated on Bonanza Creek. It only took four people to operate the dredge but a large number of people were required to remove the permafrost ahead of the dredge. During a period of 46 years, Dredge #4 unearthed over nine tons of gold. At some times, there were as many as 14 dredges working in the region. Dredge #4
After a guided walking tour of Dawson, a tour of Dredge #4, and watching a Parks Canada show, we had poutine (french fries, cheese curds, and dark gravy) and beer. Apparently, some people can eat two orders. Nancy and I shared one and still had some left.
June 2 – Top of the World Highway
The Top of the World Highway goes from Dawson City, Yukon to Chicken, Alaska, approximately 77 miles. Before arriving in Chicken we crossed the border into the US. There’s a small building at the border. Early in the morning we took the ferry across the Yukon River and started the journey.
For weeks Nancy had been looking at blogs about the top of the world highway. Everyone spoke about the bad road; lots of potholes, washboard surface, and steep edges with no guard rails. It had been raining and we were concerned about slippery surfaces but this morning it was dry. Since we were early in the season, apparently we were lucky and the roads were reasonable. The views were not worth taking pictures of. All we can say is LOTS OF DUST. When we stopped to check on the state of the goods in the trailer Nancy almost started crying. There was dust everywhere! A quick stop at the car wash and we took care of the outside.
The inside took lots of hard work. Later we bought a small vacuum cleaner at Walmart and had to do a load of laundry to get the dust out of the bedspread and blankets. What a mess!!
Delta Junction – the end of the Alaska Highway and we’re still smiling.
June 3 – 4, Fairbanks
Time to do some repairs. We stayed in a mosquito-infested campground and spent a couple of days working on the car and trailer. The Suburban needed an oil change and tire rotation. The trailer had a bad bearing seal on one wheel so that brake wasn’t working well. I pulled the brake drum and took it to have the bearings and seal changed. After getting one of the propane tanks filled I notices a pinhole leak in the LPG hose. Driving around Fairbanks for four hours I finally got the parts to change both hoses. I think we’re ready to move on to Danali.
June 5 – 7 Denali National Park
Denali National Park was formed in 1917 to protect the Dall Sheep. Today it’s all about the animals, outdoor activities, and Mt. McKinley. We took an 8 hour narrated bus ride in the park and saw snowshoe hare, moose (mother and two calves), caribou (several groups), ravens (mother and three babies), red fox (actually looks black), brown bears, golden eagle, Dall sheep, arctic ground squirrel, Mew gulls and Ptarmigan (Alaska’s national bird). Here are a few pictures.
The bus trip was great and Jim, the guide, was fantastic. Lot’s of things to see but the jewel was Mt. McKinley. Only 30% of people visiting the park ever see any of the mountain.
In 1928 they bought a used bus (made in Oakland) and brought it to Denali for tours. Our bus was brand new and much more comfortable.
The sled dog in the animal pictures was at the Denali Sled Dog Kennels. Denali is the only national park that is still patrolled by sled dogs in the winter. They also continue to use old log cabins for rangers posts.
June 8 - 9 Seward
We arrived in Seward late in the day (around 6:00 pm) and had trouble finding a campsite. Fortunately was got the last site on the waterfront. Other than the mass of other campers, it was just the glaciers, the water, and us (and maybe one cruise ship).
The next day we did a six-hour sightseeing cruise. 120 miles in Kenai Fjords National Park. The area is surrounded by glaciers. Absolutely beautiful but hard to capture in a 2D picture.
While cruising we saw birds, whales, seals, and more birds. Nancy finally got to see puffins. A pod of Orcas was feeding and showing off. Then a humpback waved, breached, and flipped his tail saying goodbye.
After a long day on the boat, we did some sightseeing in town and stopped at the Seward Brewing Company for a split of local beers and a hot pretzel.
On the way out of Seward, we stopped at Exit Glacier for a short hike, then on to Homer.
June 10 – 11, Homer
In Homer, we camped at the end of Homer Spit, out on the end of the peninsula in the center of the picture.
The spit separates Cook Inlet from Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay is home to the Kilchers from the TV series Alaska: The Last Frontier. We spoke with locals and visited the Pratt Museum ( a great little museum on local Homer history and wildlife). While driving today Nancy complained we hadn’t seen any animals. Just then a mother moose and two babies appeared by the road.
Fresh halibut for lunch!!! A quick stop at the Salty Dawg Saloon and then back to the trailer for a light dinner.
Factoids:
- Miles drove: 5679
- Approximate miles per gallon: 8.2
- Highest gas price: US$5.85/gal, lowest gas price: US$2.72/gal
- Sunrise 4:47am, Sunset 11:25pm
June 12 – Soldotna
Spent the day touring the cities of Kenai and Soldotna. Interesting to hear the native history before the Russians the Americans. Stayed in the Swift River RV Park with fish walks on the Kenai River. Since the salmon aren’t running everything was quiet and empty. Just us and the mosquitoes. Finished the touring with a flight of beer at the Kenai Brewery and some chicken wings.
June 13 – King for a Day Campground
We left Soldotna and drove toward Valdez.
In Anchorage, Nancy scored some fresh Halibut at Safeway for $14.99/lb. In Homer (the halibut capital of the world) the price was $26.99/lb.
The Glennallen Hwy, east of Anchorage, has two lanes and is sometimes slow due to RVs. When we turned onto the Richardson Hwy heading south to Valdez the road was in bad condition. We drove for about seven hours from Soldotna and then stopped at the King for a Day Campground in Copper Center. In case you didn’t already get this, it refers to King Salmon and is situated on the Klutina River. Since the salmon aren’t running we had a quiet campground (and more mosquitoes) without many other campers.
Halibut for dinner!!!
June 14 Valdez
The road from Copper Center to Valdez was paved but in bad need of repair. Lots of bouncing at 60 MPH but the mountains were spectacular.
The pole over the edge of the highway allows the snowplow driver to see where the edge is so he doesn’t run off the road.
Lots of glaciers and snow-capped peaks.
As we arrived in Valdez the canyon walls were full of waterfalls and lush plants. A stark contrast to the snow-covered peaks on the drive.
The campground was nothing to shout about but the views were good; mountain peaks on one side and water on the other.
Valdez is a nice little city, however, they have had a troubled past. In 1964 there was a 9.2 earthquake which caused much of the town to sink into the ocean. The tsunami after the quake also wiped out much of Seward. Then in 1989, the Exxon Valdez dumped approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil in the bay. In general, the wildlife is recovering but some species are still not back to the levels before the spill. In some areas, it’s still possible to dig down a few inches on the shoreline and you’ll find oil-soaked soil.
June 15
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in the US and contains 9 of the 16 highest peaks in North America but many people have never heard of it. We saw the mountains while going into Valdez but with the weather changing most of the high peaks weren’t visible. We spent a day driving into the west park entrance at Chitina Ranger Station and still had a chance to see bears, flowers, lakes, a few mountains, and even a nasty dust storm.
June 16 – 19
Our next major destination was Haines, Alaska but they happened to be having an international bicycle race from Haines Junction, BC to Haines, AK (approximately 140 miles) so we took a little extra time driving there. It always seemed when the wind was blowing we were driving into it. This happened again for a day and a half on the way to Haines. Unfortunately for the bicycle racers, they had 50 – 60 MPH headwind gusts that made it extra challenging. These were the same winds that caused the dust storm we encountered.
When we finally arrived in Haines the campground was stark but had great views.
After getting our camp set up we visited the Kroschel Wildlife Center Kroschel Films where animals are trained for movies and documentaries. On the way, we saw a brown grizzly bear eating flowers behind the local school playground. We were told the locals aren’t too concerned, they just give the wild animals plenty of space.
At Kroschel’s, they say, “Not a zoo, It’s an experience”, and it was.
We saw many different animals and a few crazy people. In general, the animals are trained to be handled and perform on command (a little). It was very entertaining. The animals are kept in areas that stimulate them and allow them to safely demonstrate some of their talents and quirks.
Haines also has the Haines Museum, American Bald Eagle Foundation, and Hammer Museum. Since no one wants to see a normal museum and we all know what a Bald Eagle looks like, here are some shots of the Hammer Museum with over 2000 different hammers on display. It’s not something you see every day, and you probably wouldn’t want to.
The weather is warming so we are now starting to see more wildflowers. Driving here the highways were lined with lupine and blue sweet peas in addition to the dandelions we have seen everywhere. Now we are seeing other plants flowering too.
We scored some halibut, salmon, and rockfish at the local cannery while seeing a few more glaciers. The weather in Haines is starting to get better so it must be time to leave.
Factoids:
- Miles drove: 7423
- Approximate miles per gallon: 8.2
- Highest gas price: US$5.85/gal, lowest gas price: US$2.72/gal
- Sunrise 3:46am, Sunset 10:21pm
June 20 – 23
Rather than retrace our drive into Haines we decided to take a ferry from Haines to Skagway. The entry and exit for vehicles was on the side so we had to back onto the ferry to facilitate the exit process in Skagway. A deckhand helped direct me to back the car and trailer onto the ferry. We ended up in lanes with less than a foot between vehicles on both sides. I understand several people on the deck were taking pictures but everything went fine.
The ferry ride was one hour and then we arrived to see four cruise ships in port. Yikes!!!
Things looked good from a distance but as we approached it was 80°F and the streets were full of people. Not much fun. We checked into a campground on the edge of town and waited for the crowds to leave by driving outside the city. After a late-night beer at the Skagway Brewery, we went back to the trailer.
Leaving Skagway we joined the tourists trying to cross the border into Canada. At 10:00 am it took 45 minutes in line before we had our 30 seconds of time with customs.
For the next three nights, we stayed in campgrounds on beautiful lakes.
We traveled from Skagway northwest to the Alcan Highway and then started south on the less traveled, Cassiar Highway. The road is narrow and in most places, there are no center lines or shoulders. Fortunately, there also isn’t much traffic. Gas is expensive and there isn’t any cell service (so we couldn’t post the blog) but the camping is low cost and beautiful in government campgrounds. As we drove down the Cassier highway we saw lots (read…tons!) of wildflowers on the roadsides. It seems spring is here.
We continue to see more glaciers and various animals everywhere we go. It’s getting to the point we don’t take pictures, just comment to each other.
Arrived in Prince Rupert, BC, and will stay a couple of days to do email and relax from the driving. We have now driven 8335 miles.
After driving around Prince Rupert we ended up at Wheelhouse Brewing. Met a local, Jamie, and discussed politics for an hour. Really very interesting since he works for the Canadian Government doing repairs and maintenance on coal transport equipment and has many years of legal studies. Go figure!! I’m not sure how much of what was said was the beer. Lots of fun.
June 24 – 28
It rained last night but we still went out for a 3.5-mile hike today and then did a tour of the Northern Pacific Cannery It was very interesting to see the interaction of the Japanese, Chinese, Native Canadian (First Nation), and European workers. They each had different jobs, housing, and pay. With the automation of salmon processing, jobs went away, and eventually, the cannery closed.
Leaving Prince Rupert we retraced our drive back to central BC but this time the wind was to our backs. What a difference! Having previously seen lots of animals, glaciers, beautiful lakes, etc. there isn’t much to say about the drive back to the US. We did spend a night in a campground near Barkerville, BC, and did a quick tour of the Barkerville, BC historic site. They have over 100 historic buildings and 60 replica buildings from the 1862 gold rush town. Living history actors explained life in those times but in this case, there are actually a few buildings that are still being used as hotels or B&B’s.
The drive to the border was interrupted when we picked up a nail in one of the trailer tires and spent a few hours getting three old tires replaced. We crossed the border into Washington State in the evening and spent the night in another Walmart parking lot. Thanks again, Sam Walton!
Eager to head to the Olympic National Forest we routed the GPS for the fastest time. While driving through Seattle during morning traffic I decided it might be better to take the longer more scenic route so we made a change. After a long drive at 40 MPH with lots of sharp curves and small coastal communities, we realized this probably wasn’t the best choice pulling a trailer but it was pretty. I looked at the scenery while Nancy drove, even though I was at the wheel. Ha.
As we arrived in Port Angeles we tried to remember the last time we were here back in the 1970s before kids. The area has grown (or we don’t remember what it was like before).
June 29
Driving west from Port Angeles we drove on US101 around the Olympic National Park. Arriving at Hoh Rainforest Campground we found a campsite that was quiet and secluded.
We hiked an ancient forest with Sitka Spruce trees that grow to 200-300 feet. With all of the ferns, it looked like Jurassic Park.
Due to the moist soil, they don’t have deep roots so it’s common for them to fall over in bad weather. As these trees decay, they allow other trees to grow on them. The “nurse” tree decays over time and leaves the new trees to grow.
While sitting at the campsite a deer came up and laid down 50 feet from us. What a wonderful campground.
June 30
We left the Hoh Rainforest Campground and continued driving south on US101 through Washington and into Oregon. The campground at Seaside, Oregon wasn’t quite as nice as others. Since this is the beginning of summer, Seaside is crowded and the prices are high. Yes, those are concrete structures to protect the utility hookups from bad drivers. With the slide-out and the entry stairs, we barely fit between the lines. By the way, this beautiful site costs $65 per night.
Downtown Seaside looks a lot like Balboa Island in Southern California. It would be a lot of fun if you were here for a week but when it’s just one day you need to relax and unwind fast.
July 1
Continuing down the Oregon coast we stopped at the Tillamook Creamery for a self-guided tour, sampling of cheeses, and some required purchases (cheese and ice cream). We weren’t the only people that had this idea.
Leaving Tillamook we drove through Newport and Agate beach only to realize it was much more crowded than when we were last here. Nancy and I were in Newport in the early 1970s and my family and I were at Agate Beach in the late 1950s. Things have changed. It was close to the 4th of July so you had vacationers and also people that just wanted to get out of the heat and to the coast.
We stopped at Cape Perpetua State Park
and spent time on the beach.
The weather was cool and the wind blew but that didn’t stop us from walking in the surf and sitting in the sun. Note the crowds. Ha.
July 2
Honeyman State Park – Beautiful campsite backing up to the dunes. After climbing up a small hill at the back of our campsite I could watch people in dune buggies and ATVs.
In the afternoon we visited Heceta Head Lighthouse for a tour by a docent. There was a beautiful old bridge on the highway and a few people enjoying the beach.
July 3
We continued our drive south on the Oregon coast toward California stopping along the road for lunch. Wildflowers, blue skies, and interesting rocks just offshore. In general, the coast is rough with a lot of volcanic formations and a few beaches.
When we arrived at the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park we found a campground sign that said FULL. Ignoring the sign, we asked the ranger who said they had one site left and it turned out to be a great site backing up to the Smith River. A little tight for the trailer but all worked out. nancy remembers staying here when she was young. All of the campsites had rock walls, rock fire pits and some even had rock fireplaces with chimneys.
July 4
We hadn’t planned to drive on July 4 but then we considered the fact the traffic would be less since everyone was on holiday, and we decided to head home. The drive down US101 and through San Francisco was light although we didn’t like driving the trailer down 19th Street going through the city.
We arrived home around 6:30 pm. It was a good trip but we were both ready to be back. We surprised the grandkids by joining them at Shelley’s for fireworks.