***Sorry this has taken so long to get up and posted! The internet here is SUPER slow and it takes a llllllllloooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggg time to load pictures. I have given up and decided to move on to newer and funner (sorry for those of you who don't like this word...) posts! Missing everyone! Love, Am
Day 1: Home to Clatskanie (Sunday)
Day 1: Home to Clatskanie (Sunday)
Off to a bit of a rocky start....Minnie Winnie doesn't much care for hills. Stopped at the scales to check out weight and then wouldn't start again. :( Dad ran for parts in the Trooper. When he got back, the motorhome started and we headed to the Meier house. They were very gracious - feeding us and garden tours (Thanks, Jamee!) as well as assisting in mechanical maintenance (Thanks, Matt!)
Day 2: Clatskanie to Kamloops, B.C. (Monday)
- up at 6 a.m. (well the parents were at least…), I was up shortly later. But you know with a long trip like this, a body has to keep their strength up! :) Mom is following us in "Gutless Gertie" for the first short leg in order to check on how the motor home will do...We meet up again in Kelso!
- Hope: The Minnie Winnie also does not like regular fuel....she's kinda picky. So we added fuel booster and then back on the road. However, turns out, we lost gas cap L
Day 3: Kamloops, B.C. to Grande Cache, Alberta (Tuesday)
- Up at 5 a.m.
- Valemount
- Entered Mount Robson Park...beautiful!! :)
- LOTS of animal spotting:
o Wolf
o Mountain goats
o Deer
o Elk
o Beaver
o Eagle
o Swallows
- Came upon a wreck just ahead of us…only 15 minutes away from our final destination....pretty hairy car accident causing the road to be closed for 8 hours, but luckily we had our "home" with us and could just wait it out.
o Met Don “the acrobat man” and 2 other truckers….Mama fed them chili (she sure is a pretty sweet lady!)
- Road finally clear at 11 and head to Grande Cache to spend night in the gas station bay since we were almost out of gas...P.S. Alberta is an hour ahead of Oregon!
Day 4: Grande Cache, Alberta to Tetsa River RV Park (Wednesday)
- Got up at 4 a.m. (but Alberta is 1-hour ahead of us…5:00) to fuel up. On the road at 5:30…
- Heading toward Fort Nelson – passing beautiful canola fields
- Cross the Mighty Peace River
- Stopped at Sasquatch Crossing – mile marker 144 (not the classiest of places – and to top it off, he wasn’t even crossing…LAME!)
- Coming into Tetsa – “all those who hate speeding tickets, raise their right foot”
- Reach Fort Nelson at 4p.m.
- Stayed the night at Tetsa River RV Park…. “all showered up – a little scary but warm”
Day 5: Tetsa River RV Park to Whitehorse (Thursday)
- Up at 5….again. On the road at 0530
- Pastry for breakfast at fuel stop @ 830…~$7.75 per gallon – what a steal!
- Muncho Lake:: LOTS of critters and VERY beautiful – blue green lake…advertisements say “one of the most beautiful”
o 3 caribou & baby
o Porcupine
o 2 mountain goats
o Mama moose + baby
o BLACK BEAR!!!!
o Buffalos – 2 herds
o Stone sheep ram
o Coyote
- Float plane taking off
- Liard Hot Springs: was planning to stop for a “Leg-stretching” break at the urging of the Fox family – but due to delays and a park fee…movin’ on, but it looked like a hockova spot
- Watson Lake to fuel up = Yukon Territory: Larger Than Life
o Sign Post Forest
o Visitor’s Center: Rena was oober helpful and gave us lots of free stuff! Thanks, Rena!!!
- 3pm – Continental Divide :: not as impressive as it sounds
- Travelled ~1,800 miles from home
- Whitehorse – Walmart…they allow campers to stay the night in their parking lots for free
o Mom records in her journal, “we always talk about the class of people that you see at Walmart and I just realized that that’s us…Wal-Martians” J
Day 6: Whitehorse to “Moose Lake” (Friday)
- Up and moving at 530, but only as far as the Coffee shop…
- On the road again…
- Heading north on Alaska Hwy. 1/Klondike Hwy (every time I hear Klondike, my head says, “What would you do-oo-ooo for a Klondike Bar?”)
o Dad’s door flies open….he says, “that’s better than a second cup of coffee”
- 0800: Haines junction = Cozy Corner Restaurant….yummy-ness
- Burwash
- Customs check at 3:30….entering Alaska (pronounced: “a-lask-uhhhhh”)
o No stamp there either….thanks a lot
- Tok, AK at 5 p.m.
- Home Sweet Home at mile marker 57 :: we named it Moose Lake – saw 4 moosies…including Lucy the Moosie
Day 7: “Moose Lake” to Anchorage/ Turnagain Arm of Chickaloon Bay (Saturday)
- On the road before 6 a.m. (Dad doesn’t believe in sleeping in….burning daylight)
- 0800: Glennallen – gassing up and coffeeing up
- Pull over to see a beautiful glacier
- Anchorage
o Costco
o Re-packing “Gertie”
o To Wal-Mart….dinner and settle for the night
§ Apparently Anchorage Wal-Mart’s are different from EVERY other one on the planet, because the Security Guard rousted us out at 12:30 – whatever Wal-Mart…
· “He’s right here….” J hahaha!
o At 0130 A.M. Dad finds a new “Home Sweet Home” next to Turnagain Arm of Chickaloon Bay…
Day 8: Turnagain Arm of Chickaloon Bay to Homer (Sunday)
- At 5:30 we watch the fastest, speediest incoming tide waves to cover the dry bay floor – WOW!! On the road again
- Stop at Girdwood for coffees……trouble with cashregister, so free coffees! Sweet!
- Driving through Chugach National Forest….looking at Portage Glacier
- Signs triggers a Dad memory: “Remember, folks, only you can prevent forest fires”
- Cooper Landing to mail postcards and spy a bird nest
- Crooked Creek (say that 3 times fast…)
- Clam Gulch…we didn’t know clams lived in gulches
- Ninilchik
- Homer
o Viewpoint
o Cruising the Spit
o Settling in to Homer Spit Campground….Lucky number 75
§ Exactly 2,868 miles from home!! Woot woot!! J
§ Beach strolling with Mom (Dad settling us in)….LOTS of good stuff
o Skyped with Julia trying to coordinate her flying in on Stand-by, but flights weren’t available for each direction….L…but glad to have a chance to catch up. We sure do miss that girl!
o Beach combing with Dad
o Ottis the Otter feeds back and forth…just for us
o Went to bed at 11 p.m. but it’s still DAYLIGHT outside!!!
Day 9: Homer (Monday)
- Slept in until 8:30 (even DAD!!! He was tired from a LOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGG trip of driving!)
- Heading to beach for the -4 foot tide at 10:10…..so much good stuff to see and play in
- Check in with Alaska Ferry Adventure office…
- FAMILY GAME NIGHT!!! J wahooooooo!!!!
Day 10: Homer (Tuesday)
- Wally the Whale feeding and showing himself in Ottis’s Otter Canal J
No comments:
Post a Comment