We had the bedroom in our fifth wheel set up for a second satellite receiver because the reception of local stations here in Mission is so bad. Most of the channels that come in well, are Spanish language stations, but the networks don't come in well at all. We thought about getting cable while we're here, but the extra receiver only costs about $5.00 per month and we'll be able to use it even after we leave here.
We left for Phoenix on the 15th. The first night we stayed at the Elks Club in Del Rio, Texas. This Elks Club has water, electric, and cable hookups. We arrived on a good day, too...the first and third Saturdays of the month they have a steak fry...steak, baked potato, salad, and soup all for $10.00 each. Yum!
On the 16th, we stayed at the El Campo RV Park in Van Horn, Texas. This is the park we usually stay at when we come thru the area. The woman who runs the place recognizes us by now!
The third night out, we stayed at the Elks Club in Willcox, Arizona. This Elks Club also has electric and water hookups...no steak dinner, though.
The next night, we stayed at the Elks Club in Gila Bend, Arizona. This Elks Club doesn't have any hookups, just a large graveled lot...but it only costs $3.00 to dry camp here.
The next day, the 19th, we drove into D & R Family RV in Glendale to see if we could get our solar fixed. We arrived late in the afternoon and spent the night in the lot so that we'd be there the first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to fix the solar...it apparently needs a new wiring harness. The guy in Oregon who installed our solar system for us offered to send us a new wiring harness, but since he'll replace it for free, we decided to wait until this summer when we're in Oregon to have it replaced.
Cotton Lane RV Park, where we normally stay when we're in the Phoenix area, was full so we stayed at Sundial RV Park. It's located near Olive and 75th Avenues...not a great park and certainly not one I'd want to stay at for any length of time, but for the Christmas holidays it was near where we wanted to be.
What Christmas shopping we hadn't already completed, we got done once we'd arrived in Glendale. We visited with family and friends and Earl had a chance to go golfing with Buck. While we were in the Phoenix area, we went by Cotton Lane RV Park and made reservations to stay there next winter.
While on our trip to Phoenix, I had a chance to try out my cell phone and Ositech King of Clubs...it worked like a charm! Connection speed shows as 19.2, although surfing speed in analog mode is somewhat slower. But at least I can do some limited surfing which I really haven't been able to do except in the winter when we're in one place with a land line into the RV.
Monday, December 31, 2001
Friday, November 30, 2001
NOVEMBER 2001
On Thursday, November 1, we arrived at Hidden Valley Ranch in Mission, Texas, where we will spend the winter...until the end of March 2002.
Since we're in one place for several months during the winter, this is a good time to order items to be sent to us. We could, of course, order stuff at other times of the year, but then we'd have to pay to have them forwarded to us, whereas, in the winter, we can have them sent directly to where we're staying. We ordered some camping books on Oregon and Washington where we'll be traveling this next summer, books for Christmas presents, as well as the 2002 Trailer Life Directory.
Earl took the truck to the local Freightliner dealer for a front end alignment and, of course, they screwed up the alignment on the Safety Plus bar we have. Earl didn't notice it until he was driving home. The Freightliner dealer didn't know anything about how to fix it, so Earl called Safety Plus for instructions. It was really simple to realign and Earl was able to do it himself.
We changed cell phone plans from AT&T to Verizon...Verizon had a promotion going with 150 anytime minutes and 3350 weekend minutes. We'll probably up the anytime minutes to 400 when we leave here on April 1. I also got the Ositech King of Clubs cable and PC card so that I can hook up the cell phone to the computer. Now I can get online without a land line (the cell phone is used in lieu of the land line) in either digital or analog modes.
We found a great Mexican food restaurant...Las Canteras...not too far from where we're staying that we eat at a few times per month.
Since we're in one place for several months during the winter, this is a good time to order items to be sent to us. We could, of course, order stuff at other times of the year, but then we'd have to pay to have them forwarded to us, whereas, in the winter, we can have them sent directly to where we're staying. We ordered some camping books on Oregon and Washington where we'll be traveling this next summer, books for Christmas presents, as well as the 2002 Trailer Life Directory.
Earl took the truck to the local Freightliner dealer for a front end alignment and, of course, they screwed up the alignment on the Safety Plus bar we have. Earl didn't notice it until he was driving home. The Freightliner dealer didn't know anything about how to fix it, so Earl called Safety Plus for instructions. It was really simple to realign and Earl was able to do it himself.
We changed cell phone plans from AT&T to Verizon...Verizon had a promotion going with 150 anytime minutes and 3350 weekend minutes. We'll probably up the anytime minutes to 400 when we leave here on April 1. I also got the Ositech King of Clubs cable and PC card so that I can hook up the cell phone to the computer. Now I can get online without a land line (the cell phone is used in lieu of the land line) in either digital or analog modes.
We found a great Mexican food restaurant...Las Canteras...not too far from where we're staying that we eat at a few times per month.
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
OCTOBER 2001
On Wednesday, October 3, we left Tuttle Creek State Park and drove to visit our friends, Ron and Donna Monroe, in Columbia, Missouri. We had a wonderful two day visit with them.
On Saturday, we headed back to Junction City for our appointment with the Horizons factory on Monday. We spent the night at Bloomington Park, a BLM campground on Clinton Lake near Clinton, Kansas. It was a very nice park with water and electrical hookups.
We arrived at the factory Sunday afternoon, parked, and hooked up to electricity. There were other people there, too, waiting for service on Monday.
On Monday, they started work on our rig...repairing the king pin support, packing the wheel bearing, and doing some additional cabinetry work inside. When the welder in Spruce Grove, B.C., had done the repairs on our king pin, he was not able to get to the section that had actually broken unless the front fiberglass was taken off. Since that was beyond the pervue of anywone in the area (or at least beyond what we wanted anyone else but the factory to do), he just did what he could and added additional supports. We told Horizons to put back all the supports that had been put in...they didn't think it was necessary, but did so after we insisted.
While in Junction City, we went out to have a Mexican food dinner and went to lunch with Paul and Stephanie Bernhagen who were also at the factory having some work done on their fifth wheel.
We left the factory late Wednesday afternoon and drove just a few miles to West Rolling Hills at Milford Lake where we boondocked for free.
On Thursday, we stopped at Sam's Club in Salina, Kansas to do shopping. We then headed to Venango Park on Kanopolis Lake near Marquette, Kansas, another nice BLM campground with water and electrical hookups.
The next day we drove to Dodge City, Kansas, where we spent a couple of days at the Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park. We were going to visit Boot Hill, but they wanted an entrance fee to get in and it didn't look all that interesting, so we passed.
On Sunday, the 14th, we left Dodge City and drove to another BLM park, Supply Park North on Fort Supply Lake near Fort Supply, Oklahoma. Another nice BLM park (as are all the BLM campgrounds we been to so far) with water and electrical hookups.
The next night we spent at Great Plains State Park near Mt. Park, Oklahoma and then at the Elks Club in Breckenridge, Texas, the night after that.
On Wednesday, the 17th, we arrived at our home Coast to Coast park, Suncountry Resort, in Whitney, Texas, where we spent a relaxing two weeks. We found a great Mexican food restaurant in Whitney, Tres Hermanos, where we ate dinner on two different nights. Earl also saw a doctor for the reoccurring problem he has with the glands on either side of his neck. We were going to take a trip into Waco, but just never got around to it since we were enjoying just being lazy slobs.
Finally, on Tuesday, the 30th, we left Whitney and drove to New Braunfels, Texas, where we spent the night at the Rip Griffin Truck Stop. Probably won't try that again...too noisy!
The next night we spent at Lake Casa Blanca State Park in Laredo, Texas. This is probably another park we won't bother coming back to as we didn't find the RV parking spaces very nice and it's quite near the freeway.
On Saturday, we headed back to Junction City for our appointment with the Horizons factory on Monday. We spent the night at Bloomington Park, a BLM campground on Clinton Lake near Clinton, Kansas. It was a very nice park with water and electrical hookups.
We arrived at the factory Sunday afternoon, parked, and hooked up to electricity. There were other people there, too, waiting for service on Monday.
On Monday, they started work on our rig...repairing the king pin support, packing the wheel bearing, and doing some additional cabinetry work inside. When the welder in Spruce Grove, B.C., had done the repairs on our king pin, he was not able to get to the section that had actually broken unless the front fiberglass was taken off. Since that was beyond the pervue of anywone in the area (or at least beyond what we wanted anyone else but the factory to do), he just did what he could and added additional supports. We told Horizons to put back all the supports that had been put in...they didn't think it was necessary, but did so after we insisted.
While in Junction City, we went out to have a Mexican food dinner and went to lunch with Paul and Stephanie Bernhagen who were also at the factory having some work done on their fifth wheel.
We left the factory late Wednesday afternoon and drove just a few miles to West Rolling Hills at Milford Lake where we boondocked for free.
On Thursday, we stopped at Sam's Club in Salina, Kansas to do shopping. We then headed to Venango Park on Kanopolis Lake near Marquette, Kansas, another nice BLM campground with water and electrical hookups.
The next day we drove to Dodge City, Kansas, where we spent a couple of days at the Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park. We were going to visit Boot Hill, but they wanted an entrance fee to get in and it didn't look all that interesting, so we passed.
On Sunday, the 14th, we left Dodge City and drove to another BLM park, Supply Park North on Fort Supply Lake near Fort Supply, Oklahoma. Another nice BLM park (as are all the BLM campgrounds we been to so far) with water and electrical hookups.
The next night we spent at Great Plains State Park near Mt. Park, Oklahoma and then at the Elks Club in Breckenridge, Texas, the night after that.
On Wednesday, the 17th, we arrived at our home Coast to Coast park, Suncountry Resort, in Whitney, Texas, where we spent a relaxing two weeks. We found a great Mexican food restaurant in Whitney, Tres Hermanos, where we ate dinner on two different nights. Earl also saw a doctor for the reoccurring problem he has with the glands on either side of his neck. We were going to take a trip into Waco, but just never got around to it since we were enjoying just being lazy slobs.
Finally, on Tuesday, the 30th, we left Whitney and drove to New Braunfels, Texas, where we spent the night at the Rip Griffin Truck Stop. Probably won't try that again...too noisy!
The next night we spent at Lake Casa Blanca State Park in Laredo, Texas. This is probably another park we won't bother coming back to as we didn't find the RV parking spaces very nice and it's quite near the freeway.
Sunday, September 30, 2001
SEPTEMBER 2001
Monday, September 3
Earl and I left Prince George and traveled 179 miles to Crystal Springs Resort in Lac La Hache, B.C. This is a Good Neighbor Park which is not really set up for big rigs, but we did find a place to squeeze in and spend the night. A couple parked below us in a truck camper came up and talked to us about our trip to Alaska. They are planning on going next year and wanted to know what to expect.
Tuesday, September 4
We drove 194 miles to Cottonwood Campsite in Chase, B.C., one of our Coast to Coast parks. The first spot we chose looked like it had a plugged sewer as there was "stuff" all around the connection (yuk!), so we moved to another spot.
Wednesday, September 5
We were going to stop in Armstrong to tour the Bigfoot factory; however, when I called to find out when they had tours, I found that the person who conducts the tours was on vacation and wouldn't be back until next week. There are other truck camper manufacturers in the Okanagan valley that we were going to stop and see, but since the Bigfoot was the one we were most interested in, we decided to continue on and perhaps come back up sometime next year.
We drove 113 miles to Bear Creek Provincial Park near Kelowna, B.C. On our way through Kelowna, we stopped at a tire store and had one of the rear tires on our truck repaired as it had a slow leak in it. After unhooking, we went back into town to do grocery shopping and fill up the truck with diesel.
The couple who are the hosts in the park noticed our Escapees sticker as we were driving around looking for a spot and flagged us down as they are Escapees, too. Later, they came over and we had a nice talk with them.
Thursday, September 6
We traveled 132 miles to Omak RV Park in Omak, Washington. This is a very nice small park that is part of the fairgrounds and is below "Suicide Hill" where the Omak Stampede is held each year.
Friday, September 7
We drove 162 miles to Yogi Bear's Camp Resort in Spokane, Washington. When we crossed the border, we had to pay duty on the two four-liter boxes of wine we bought in Kelowna -- a whole $1.50!
We stay at this park each time we come to Spokane because it's convenient to our friends' houses and it has "instant" phone hookups. However, I think we'll look for a new place to stay next time since they keep jacking up their prices and it's becoming too expensive. There is an RPI park in Nine Mile Falls and the local Elks Club has about 20 spaces with water and electric.
On our way to Spokane, we stopped at Grand Coulee Dam. In the picture below is the dam and the city of Coulee Dam -- the people who live here below the dam certainly must have faith that the dam will never break!
Grand Coulee Dam:
Saturday, September 8
We had a delicious dinner at George and Mary Doran's home together with Emily Ritzman and Don McInnis, all friends from when we lived in Spokane (Mary and I actually went to high school together in Phoenix). It was great fun getting together again and catching up on each other's lives.
Monday, September 10
Earl went golfing at the golf course next to the RV park -- The Fairways. On Monday the course offers all day golfing for just $11.00. I stayed behind and caught up on my web surfing.
Tuesday, September 11
I turned on the TV this morning to watch "Regis and Kelly" and was greeted with the image of one of the World Trade Center towers on fire (the first tower had already collapsed). We watched in horror as the second tower collapsed, too. As I'm sure many millions of people around the country did, we spent the rest of the day glued to the TV watching the images (since Earl had an appointment at the Freightliner dealer to have the oil changed, he did go ahead and take the truck in).
As much as we didn't want to see repeated images of the planes slamming into the World Trade Center, I think we needed to see it in order to try and wrap our minds around the events and realize that it was really happening -- that it wasn't special effects of some Hollywood movie. It's difficult to grasp the fact that there are people in this world so filled with hate that they're willing to kill not only themselves, but also thousands of innocent men and women.
Wednesday, September 12
Spent most of the day watching the news reports of the terrorist attacks of the previous day. There is talk that Osama Bin Laden is the person behind the attacks -- the same person who was behind several other attacks against Americans around the world. While reading the Escapees' discussion forums, I came across one entry where someone expressed their opinion that "the Islamic Nation is the enemy...". That, of course, is a bunch of crap! Osama Bin Laden and his ilk no more represent the Islamic religion than the Aryan Nation represents Christianity. Each wraps their rhetoric in religious terms, but the truth is, they simply hate some particular group of people because of some perceived wrong they've done or just because they're different. Fortunately, I think most Americans can separate the terrorists from the religion they claim to represent. Sadly, there are people who cannot -- thus the attacks on Muslim citizens in this country.
In the evening, we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant with Mary, George, Emily, and Don. It was nice to get out away from the TV for awhile and enjoy the company of good friends and good food.
Friday, September 14
Earl and I went out for breakfast and then ran errands -- filled up the truck with fuel and stopped by an RV service center to pick up a new jack handle (the piece of equipment we use to crank out the big slide by hand -- we'd ruined our first one attempting to get our slide out after going through some really muddy road construction in Yukon). We also went grocery shopping and then rushed Maxx to the vet in the afternoon after Earl had noticed blood in his stool. The vet just thought it was some gastric disturbance and gave us some pills to give him.
Saturday, September 15
We left Spokane and started making our way to Kansas for the New Horizons Owners Group rally. We drove 259 miles to the Drummond City Park in (where else?) Drummond, Montana ("Home of the World Famous Bull Shippers"). Electric and water hookups for $12 per night. We were going to stop at Rock Creek Lodge in Clinton, Montana (a freebie), but when we drove by we saw that something was going on there as every square inch of the place was taken up with RVs, tents, and motorcycles.
Sunday, September 16
We drove 167 miles to Bear Canyon Campground in Bozeman, Montana. We stayed here last year when we visited Montana. This campground sits up on a hill at the eastern side of Bozeman and has an almost 360 degree view of beautiful mountains and valleys. Before checking in at the campground, we stopped at the Costco to do some shopping...including purchasing a combination DVD/VCR player.
Monday, September 17
Drove 197 miles to a camping spot north of Hardin, Montana in the Grant Marsh Fish & Wildlife area on the Big Horn River. We were the only ones here with the exception of some young people who came out later in the evening, but didn't bother us. It sure was nice and quiet here! We stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Billings to have a late lunch/early dinner (this is one of our favorite restaurants when we are traveling as they not only have good food, but they are conveniently located and have RV parking).
Rig at Grant Marsh:
Big Horn River:
Tuesday & Wednesday, September 18 & 19
We drove 246 miles to the Fort Caspar Campground in Caper, Wyoming (this is another campground at which we stayed earlier this year). We took it easy for the two days we were here, doing grocery shopping and picking up a new headlight at the local Freightliner dealer. We heard from Bill and Gisela and found out that they were going to be staying at Johnson Lake south of Lexington, Nebraska for a few days...just long enough for us to catch up with them...so we made arrangements to meet them there.
Thursday, September 20
We traveled 245 miles to the Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area just east of Bushnell, Nebraska. This is a very nice park...no hookups and no designated spots, just tables and fire rings scattered around. The price was right...just $3 per night...but with the distinct disadvantage of being across the road from two "very busy" railroad tracks (one east-bound and one west-bound). The trains came through about every 10 minutes all night long and there must have been a road that crossed the tracks nearby, because they always blew their whistles! Even though the park itself is nice, I don't think we'll be staying here again.
Rig at Oliver Reservoir:
Friday & Saturday, September 21 & 22
We drove 240 miles to the Johnson Lake State Recreation Area south of Lexington, Nebraska where we met up with Bill and Gisela. It was great getting together again, although it had only been a little less than 3 weeks since we'd last seen them in Prince George, B.C. The four of us drove into Lexington Saturday night and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant that had surprisingly good food.
Sunday, September 23
We left Johnson Lake and drove 202 miles to a COE (Corp of Engineers) park on Wilson Lake northeast of Russell, Kansas (home of Bob Dole). This is another nice park with water and electric hookups for $16 per night (we paid $8 because Earl has the Golden Age passport).
Monday thru Tuesday, September 24 thru October 2
We traveled 135 miles to Tuttle Creek State Park north of Manhattan, Kansas. This is where the 3rd annual New Horizons Owners Group rally is being held later this week. Since we (Earl, Bill, Gisela, and I) are on the rally committee, together with another couple, Kirk and Gen, we had to arrive early to make sure everything was set up.
Before arriving at the campground, we stopped in Junction City and had our rig washed...truck and fifth wheel...so that we'd arrive at the campground brand new, spanking clean. While we were waiting for the rig to be washed, we all had lunch at the A&W next door. That evening, the four of us drove into Manhattan and had dinner at the Amarillo Mesquite Grill.
When Earl picked up the headlight in Casper, Wyoming, he was thinking that he should pick up two. Well, he should have since the other headlight went out, so he had to drive into town to pick up another one! We also went to Staples where I purchased the Mail Station...a device that does only e-mail. When we were in Bozeman, Montana, the battery on my laptop went kaput and, since many areas where I take the computer to download e-mail have only a telephone jack and not an electrical outlet (like here at the campground...one of the pay phones has a telephone jack), I needed some other way to get e-mail.
On Wednesday evening, a group of us went to the Chinese Buffet in Manhattan. We've been to other Chinese buffets before, but this was the best one we've ever been to!
Putting up the tents:
Thursday was the start of the rally; actually, the day when people arrive, although many people were already here when we arrived on Monday and more trickled in each day. At 4 PM, we had Happy Hour with snacks that were provided by the rally committee. Then we all left for the buffet at the Sirloin Stockade. We'd done this last year and it was a big hit, so we decided to keep it in the program for this year.
Friday morning, coffee and donuts were provided courtesy of Horizons. At 8:45 AM, the rally committee gave opening remarks and an overview of the rally activities and then Todd Lovin, the manager of Tuttle Creek State Park, gave remarks about the park. Harold Johnson, owner of Horizons, Inc., then welcomed us. We had speakers from Atwood and Dexter Axles giving us information about their products and Paul Bernhagen gave a seminar on boondocking. Then in the afternoon, the Manhattan Fire Marshall gave a seminar on fire safety tips. 4:30 PM was Happy Hour and then the hog roast and door prizes courtesy of Horizons. This is always a hit at the rallies...it's a catered even with a whole hog! Wonderful food! After dinner, we had a bluegrass band, the North Forty, entertain us.
Rally pictures:
Saturday morning, the rally committee provided the coffee and donuts and then Kirk and Gen led a discussion on RV gadgets. Then Bill and Gisela led a discussion about favorite RV destinations. These two "seminars" were really well received. I gave a talk on traveling to Alaska. Later, Stephanie Bernhagen (author of Take Back Your Life -- Travel Fulltime in an RV) led a question and answer session on fulltiming. We also had a session on using a ham radio to receive e-mail and one on Iridium Flares which turned out to be quite interesting.
There were no seminars on Sunday. This was a time for people to go to church, if they so desired, and for the open houses where those who wish to, open up their RVs for other people to come see. Since New Horizons are custom built units, and Horizons produces only about 1-1/2 rigs per week (Horizons says they put more time into doing the wiring than most manufacturers put into making the whole rig!), there aren't a lot of us out on the road, so this is a perfect time for "wannabees" to come and check out the rigs and see what people have done to customize their rigs. Earl had arrange a golf outing, so several of the men went golfing in the morning.
Bill and Gisela left Sunday afternoon since they had an appointment at the factory Monday morning. We followed them over to Junction City and we all had dinner at the Cracker Barrel. I don't know when the next time will be that we will see them. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together in March for a few days after they leave Phoenix and start heading east.
Monday was the day for goodbyes as most of the people left for various parts of the country. We decided to stay on an additional couple of days since we didn't have to be at our next stop until Wednesday and Earl had made an appointment at the Freightliner dealer in Salina to have a loose U-Joint replaced.
On Tuesday, we drove into town to do laundry. Since Tuttle Creek State Park has only water and electric hookups, but no sewer, we weren't able to do laundry using our own washer and dryer.
Earl and I left Prince George and traveled 179 miles to Crystal Springs Resort in Lac La Hache, B.C. This is a Good Neighbor Park which is not really set up for big rigs, but we did find a place to squeeze in and spend the night. A couple parked below us in a truck camper came up and talked to us about our trip to Alaska. They are planning on going next year and wanted to know what to expect.
Tuesday, September 4
We drove 194 miles to Cottonwood Campsite in Chase, B.C., one of our Coast to Coast parks. The first spot we chose looked like it had a plugged sewer as there was "stuff" all around the connection (yuk!), so we moved to another spot.
Wednesday, September 5
We were going to stop in Armstrong to tour the Bigfoot factory; however, when I called to find out when they had tours, I found that the person who conducts the tours was on vacation and wouldn't be back until next week. There are other truck camper manufacturers in the Okanagan valley that we were going to stop and see, but since the Bigfoot was the one we were most interested in, we decided to continue on and perhaps come back up sometime next year.
We drove 113 miles to Bear Creek Provincial Park near Kelowna, B.C. On our way through Kelowna, we stopped at a tire store and had one of the rear tires on our truck repaired as it had a slow leak in it. After unhooking, we went back into town to do grocery shopping and fill up the truck with diesel.
The couple who are the hosts in the park noticed our Escapees sticker as we were driving around looking for a spot and flagged us down as they are Escapees, too. Later, they came over and we had a nice talk with them.
Thursday, September 6
We traveled 132 miles to Omak RV Park in Omak, Washington. This is a very nice small park that is part of the fairgrounds and is below "Suicide Hill" where the Omak Stampede is held each year.
Friday, September 7
We drove 162 miles to Yogi Bear's Camp Resort in Spokane, Washington. When we crossed the border, we had to pay duty on the two four-liter boxes of wine we bought in Kelowna -- a whole $1.50!
We stay at this park each time we come to Spokane because it's convenient to our friends' houses and it has "instant" phone hookups. However, I think we'll look for a new place to stay next time since they keep jacking up their prices and it's becoming too expensive. There is an RPI park in Nine Mile Falls and the local Elks Club has about 20 spaces with water and electric.
On our way to Spokane, we stopped at Grand Coulee Dam. In the picture below is the dam and the city of Coulee Dam -- the people who live here below the dam certainly must have faith that the dam will never break!
Grand Coulee Dam:
Saturday, September 8
We had a delicious dinner at George and Mary Doran's home together with Emily Ritzman and Don McInnis, all friends from when we lived in Spokane (Mary and I actually went to high school together in Phoenix). It was great fun getting together again and catching up on each other's lives.
Monday, September 10
Earl went golfing at the golf course next to the RV park -- The Fairways. On Monday the course offers all day golfing for just $11.00. I stayed behind and caught up on my web surfing.
Tuesday, September 11
I turned on the TV this morning to watch "Regis and Kelly" and was greeted with the image of one of the World Trade Center towers on fire (the first tower had already collapsed). We watched in horror as the second tower collapsed, too. As I'm sure many millions of people around the country did, we spent the rest of the day glued to the TV watching the images (since Earl had an appointment at the Freightliner dealer to have the oil changed, he did go ahead and take the truck in).
As much as we didn't want to see repeated images of the planes slamming into the World Trade Center, I think we needed to see it in order to try and wrap our minds around the events and realize that it was really happening -- that it wasn't special effects of some Hollywood movie. It's difficult to grasp the fact that there are people in this world so filled with hate that they're willing to kill not only themselves, but also thousands of innocent men and women.
Wednesday, September 12
Spent most of the day watching the news reports of the terrorist attacks of the previous day. There is talk that Osama Bin Laden is the person behind the attacks -- the same person who was behind several other attacks against Americans around the world. While reading the Escapees' discussion forums, I came across one entry where someone expressed their opinion that "the Islamic Nation is the enemy...". That, of course, is a bunch of crap! Osama Bin Laden and his ilk no more represent the Islamic religion than the Aryan Nation represents Christianity. Each wraps their rhetoric in religious terms, but the truth is, they simply hate some particular group of people because of some perceived wrong they've done or just because they're different. Fortunately, I think most Americans can separate the terrorists from the religion they claim to represent. Sadly, there are people who cannot -- thus the attacks on Muslim citizens in this country.
In the evening, we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant with Mary, George, Emily, and Don. It was nice to get out away from the TV for awhile and enjoy the company of good friends and good food.
Friday, September 14
Earl and I went out for breakfast and then ran errands -- filled up the truck with fuel and stopped by an RV service center to pick up a new jack handle (the piece of equipment we use to crank out the big slide by hand -- we'd ruined our first one attempting to get our slide out after going through some really muddy road construction in Yukon). We also went grocery shopping and then rushed Maxx to the vet in the afternoon after Earl had noticed blood in his stool. The vet just thought it was some gastric disturbance and gave us some pills to give him.
Saturday, September 15
We left Spokane and started making our way to Kansas for the New Horizons Owners Group rally. We drove 259 miles to the Drummond City Park in (where else?) Drummond, Montana ("Home of the World Famous Bull Shippers"). Electric and water hookups for $12 per night. We were going to stop at Rock Creek Lodge in Clinton, Montana (a freebie), but when we drove by we saw that something was going on there as every square inch of the place was taken up with RVs, tents, and motorcycles.
Sunday, September 16
We drove 167 miles to Bear Canyon Campground in Bozeman, Montana. We stayed here last year when we visited Montana. This campground sits up on a hill at the eastern side of Bozeman and has an almost 360 degree view of beautiful mountains and valleys. Before checking in at the campground, we stopped at the Costco to do some shopping...including purchasing a combination DVD/VCR player.
Monday, September 17
Drove 197 miles to a camping spot north of Hardin, Montana in the Grant Marsh Fish & Wildlife area on the Big Horn River. We were the only ones here with the exception of some young people who came out later in the evening, but didn't bother us. It sure was nice and quiet here! We stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Billings to have a late lunch/early dinner (this is one of our favorite restaurants when we are traveling as they not only have good food, but they are conveniently located and have RV parking).
Rig at Grant Marsh:
Big Horn River:
Tuesday & Wednesday, September 18 & 19
We drove 246 miles to the Fort Caspar Campground in Caper, Wyoming (this is another campground at which we stayed earlier this year). We took it easy for the two days we were here, doing grocery shopping and picking up a new headlight at the local Freightliner dealer. We heard from Bill and Gisela and found out that they were going to be staying at Johnson Lake south of Lexington, Nebraska for a few days...just long enough for us to catch up with them...so we made arrangements to meet them there.
Thursday, September 20
We traveled 245 miles to the Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area just east of Bushnell, Nebraska. This is a very nice park...no hookups and no designated spots, just tables and fire rings scattered around. The price was right...just $3 per night...but with the distinct disadvantage of being across the road from two "very busy" railroad tracks (one east-bound and one west-bound). The trains came through about every 10 minutes all night long and there must have been a road that crossed the tracks nearby, because they always blew their whistles! Even though the park itself is nice, I don't think we'll be staying here again.
Rig at Oliver Reservoir:
Friday & Saturday, September 21 & 22
We drove 240 miles to the Johnson Lake State Recreation Area south of Lexington, Nebraska where we met up with Bill and Gisela. It was great getting together again, although it had only been a little less than 3 weeks since we'd last seen them in Prince George, B.C. The four of us drove into Lexington Saturday night and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant that had surprisingly good food.
Sunday, September 23
We left Johnson Lake and drove 202 miles to a COE (Corp of Engineers) park on Wilson Lake northeast of Russell, Kansas (home of Bob Dole). This is another nice park with water and electric hookups for $16 per night (we paid $8 because Earl has the Golden Age passport).
Monday thru Tuesday, September 24 thru October 2
We traveled 135 miles to Tuttle Creek State Park north of Manhattan, Kansas. This is where the 3rd annual New Horizons Owners Group rally is being held later this week. Since we (Earl, Bill, Gisela, and I) are on the rally committee, together with another couple, Kirk and Gen, we had to arrive early to make sure everything was set up.
Before arriving at the campground, we stopped in Junction City and had our rig washed...truck and fifth wheel...so that we'd arrive at the campground brand new, spanking clean. While we were waiting for the rig to be washed, we all had lunch at the A&W next door. That evening, the four of us drove into Manhattan and had dinner at the Amarillo Mesquite Grill.
When Earl picked up the headlight in Casper, Wyoming, he was thinking that he should pick up two. Well, he should have since the other headlight went out, so he had to drive into town to pick up another one! We also went to Staples where I purchased the Mail Station...a device that does only e-mail. When we were in Bozeman, Montana, the battery on my laptop went kaput and, since many areas where I take the computer to download e-mail have only a telephone jack and not an electrical outlet (like here at the campground...one of the pay phones has a telephone jack), I needed some other way to get e-mail.
On Wednesday evening, a group of us went to the Chinese Buffet in Manhattan. We've been to other Chinese buffets before, but this was the best one we've ever been to!
Putting up the tents:
Thursday was the start of the rally; actually, the day when people arrive, although many people were already here when we arrived on Monday and more trickled in each day. At 4 PM, we had Happy Hour with snacks that were provided by the rally committee. Then we all left for the buffet at the Sirloin Stockade. We'd done this last year and it was a big hit, so we decided to keep it in the program for this year.
Friday morning, coffee and donuts were provided courtesy of Horizons. At 8:45 AM, the rally committee gave opening remarks and an overview of the rally activities and then Todd Lovin, the manager of Tuttle Creek State Park, gave remarks about the park. Harold Johnson, owner of Horizons, Inc., then welcomed us. We had speakers from Atwood and Dexter Axles giving us information about their products and Paul Bernhagen gave a seminar on boondocking. Then in the afternoon, the Manhattan Fire Marshall gave a seminar on fire safety tips. 4:30 PM was Happy Hour and then the hog roast and door prizes courtesy of Horizons. This is always a hit at the rallies...it's a catered even with a whole hog! Wonderful food! After dinner, we had a bluegrass band, the North Forty, entertain us.
Rally pictures:
Saturday morning, the rally committee provided the coffee and donuts and then Kirk and Gen led a discussion on RV gadgets. Then Bill and Gisela led a discussion about favorite RV destinations. These two "seminars" were really well received. I gave a talk on traveling to Alaska. Later, Stephanie Bernhagen (author of Take Back Your Life -- Travel Fulltime in an RV) led a question and answer session on fulltiming. We also had a session on using a ham radio to receive e-mail and one on Iridium Flares which turned out to be quite interesting.
There were no seminars on Sunday. This was a time for people to go to church, if they so desired, and for the open houses where those who wish to, open up their RVs for other people to come see. Since New Horizons are custom built units, and Horizons produces only about 1-1/2 rigs per week (Horizons says they put more time into doing the wiring than most manufacturers put into making the whole rig!), there aren't a lot of us out on the road, so this is a perfect time for "wannabees" to come and check out the rigs and see what people have done to customize their rigs. Earl had arrange a golf outing, so several of the men went golfing in the morning.
Bill and Gisela left Sunday afternoon since they had an appointment at the factory Monday morning. We followed them over to Junction City and we all had dinner at the Cracker Barrel. I don't know when the next time will be that we will see them. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together in March for a few days after they leave Phoenix and start heading east.
Monday was the day for goodbyes as most of the people left for various parts of the country. We decided to stay on an additional couple of days since we didn't have to be at our next stop until Wednesday and Earl had made an appointment at the Freightliner dealer in Salina to have a loose U-Joint replaced.
On Tuesday, we drove into town to do laundry. Since Tuttle Creek State Park has only water and electric hookups, but no sewer, we weren't able to do laundry using our own washer and dryer.
Monday, September 3, 2001
ALASKA TRIP, PART 14
We left Kinaskan Provincial Park on Thursday, August 23, and drove 173 miles to Bear River RV Park in Stewart, B.C., stopping on our way to view Bear Glacier:
As soon as we arrived in Stewart, B.C., we found a place to have our vehicles washed. While they were being washed, we walked around town and had dinner. After dinner, we went back to clean vehicles! Unfortunately, when we got to the campground, we still couldn't get our slides out. Earl got the hose out and sprayed up underneath the fifth wheel and, after much work, Bill and Earl managed to get the slide out. I fired off an e-mail to Horizons to tell them of our displeasure with the fact that they had not better protected the slide mechanisms from road mud and grime. It had never been a problem before we encountered such muddy conditions as we had on the Alaska and Cassiar Highways. We did get an answer back that Horizons had a fix for the problem, so we'll have that taken care of when we go back to the factory for the rally.
On Friday and Saturday, we drove out to Fish Creek in Hyder, Alaska to watch the bears feeding on the salmon. The first time we were there, a black bear was feeding. When we went out later Friday afternoon, a mother grizzly and her older cub (probably a yearling) were fishing for salmon. The cub was chasing the fish toward his (her?) mother and the mother would catch them. Sometimes, it seemed as though the cub was just having fun chasing the fish, not really concerned with catching them. However, we did see him catch a fish of his very own. He took it over to the bank to feed and, when his mother came over to eat some, too, he growled at her. She did finally get a piece, though.
Black bear:
Looking for fish:
Baby Black bear:
Black bear & Grizzlies:
In the right picture, above, the bear in the foreground is the baby Black Bear -- I never did see a mother bear around any place. The two bears in the background are the mother grizzly and her cub.
Grizzly cub chasing fish:
Where'd that fish go?
Mama watching cub chase fish:
Just having fun!
Pouncing on a fish:
Success at last!
Saturday when we went back out to Fish Creek, the mother and cub were not there; however, there was a large male grizzly there busily eating a salmon.
Male Grizzly:
What was that?
I'd better go check it out!
While in Stewart, we also went to the Toaster Museum. It was a very interesting place -- toasters of all kinds, from the earliest electric toasters to more contemporary ones. Also included were different types of electric coffee pots.
On Sunday, August 26, we traveled 137 miles to the Cassiar RV Park in Kitwanga, B.C. The next day, we drove 74 miles to the Riverside Park Municipal Campground in Smithers, B.C. The campground is located on the Bulkley River and has nice, wide sites. Some of the sites have electricity and water, others just water. However, they are in the process of putting in 30 AMP service to all the sites.
Smithers is an interesting town with a population of around 6,000; however, it services an area with a population of about 30,000 and, therefore, has lots of shopping. The downtown area has lots of Swiss-style storefronts that have been added to many of the buildings. We did some shopping downtown and went out to dinner Monday night.
On Wednesday, we traveled 148 miles to the Beaumont Provincial Park where we spent the night and then, the next day, we made our way to the Sintich Trailer Park in Prince George, B.C. We drove downtown in the evening to have dinner at Ric's Grill.
The next day, Friday, we did some shopping at Costco and then went to Future Shop (now owned by Best Buy according to the salesperson) and bought a new TV. Our old TV in the living room had started to go t.u., so we got a new 24" Sony flat-screen TV.
Well, this is the end of our Alaskan adventure. We've had a great time traveling with Bill and Gisela, have seen lots of wildlife (although not as much as we would have liked) and awesome scenery, and have done a lot of things Earl and I didn't get a chance to do on our first trip in 1998. On Monday, September 3, we departed company with Bill and Gisela -- they will continue on to Jasper and Banff while we'll go south through the Okanogan Valley so that we can stop at a couple of slide-in camper manufacturers. We'll miss traveling with them, but will meet up again at the end of this month at the New Horizons Owners Group rally at Tuttle Creek State Park near Manhattan, Kansas.
As soon as we arrived in Stewart, B.C., we found a place to have our vehicles washed. While they were being washed, we walked around town and had dinner. After dinner, we went back to clean vehicles! Unfortunately, when we got to the campground, we still couldn't get our slides out. Earl got the hose out and sprayed up underneath the fifth wheel and, after much work, Bill and Earl managed to get the slide out. I fired off an e-mail to Horizons to tell them of our displeasure with the fact that they had not better protected the slide mechanisms from road mud and grime. It had never been a problem before we encountered such muddy conditions as we had on the Alaska and Cassiar Highways. We did get an answer back that Horizons had a fix for the problem, so we'll have that taken care of when we go back to the factory for the rally.
On Friday and Saturday, we drove out to Fish Creek in Hyder, Alaska to watch the bears feeding on the salmon. The first time we were there, a black bear was feeding. When we went out later Friday afternoon, a mother grizzly and her older cub (probably a yearling) were fishing for salmon. The cub was chasing the fish toward his (her?) mother and the mother would catch them. Sometimes, it seemed as though the cub was just having fun chasing the fish, not really concerned with catching them. However, we did see him catch a fish of his very own. He took it over to the bank to feed and, when his mother came over to eat some, too, he growled at her. She did finally get a piece, though.
Black bear:
Looking for fish:
Baby Black bear:
Black bear & Grizzlies:
In the right picture, above, the bear in the foreground is the baby Black Bear -- I never did see a mother bear around any place. The two bears in the background are the mother grizzly and her cub.
Grizzly cub chasing fish:
Where'd that fish go?
Mama watching cub chase fish:
Just having fun!
Pouncing on a fish:
Success at last!
Saturday when we went back out to Fish Creek, the mother and cub were not there; however, there was a large male grizzly there busily eating a salmon.
Male Grizzly:
What was that?
I'd better go check it out!
While in Stewart, we also went to the Toaster Museum. It was a very interesting place -- toasters of all kinds, from the earliest electric toasters to more contemporary ones. Also included were different types of electric coffee pots.
On Sunday, August 26, we traveled 137 miles to the Cassiar RV Park in Kitwanga, B.C. The next day, we drove 74 miles to the Riverside Park Municipal Campground in Smithers, B.C. The campground is located on the Bulkley River and has nice, wide sites. Some of the sites have electricity and water, others just water. However, they are in the process of putting in 30 AMP service to all the sites.
Smithers is an interesting town with a population of around 6,000; however, it services an area with a population of about 30,000 and, therefore, has lots of shopping. The downtown area has lots of Swiss-style storefronts that have been added to many of the buildings. We did some shopping downtown and went out to dinner Monday night.
On Wednesday, we traveled 148 miles to the Beaumont Provincial Park where we spent the night and then, the next day, we made our way to the Sintich Trailer Park in Prince George, B.C. We drove downtown in the evening to have dinner at Ric's Grill.
The next day, Friday, we did some shopping at Costco and then went to Future Shop (now owned by Best Buy according to the salesperson) and bought a new TV. Our old TV in the living room had started to go t.u., so we got a new 24" Sony flat-screen TV.
Well, this is the end of our Alaskan adventure. We've had a great time traveling with Bill and Gisela, have seen lots of wildlife (although not as much as we would have liked) and awesome scenery, and have done a lot of things Earl and I didn't get a chance to do on our first trip in 1998. On Monday, September 3, we departed company with Bill and Gisela -- they will continue on to Jasper and Banff while we'll go south through the Okanogan Valley so that we can stop at a couple of slide-in camper manufacturers. We'll miss traveling with them, but will meet up again at the end of this month at the New Horizons Owners Group rally at Tuttle Creek State Park near Manhattan, Kansas.
Monday, August 27, 2001
ALASKA TRIP, PART 13
When we disembarked from the Fjord Express, a bus was waiting to take us to Mendenhall Glacier. We walked to where the glacier viewpoint was (didn't get to see this glacier calving, although there were small icebergs in the water), toured the visitors center, and then walked over to where we could watch spawning salmon.
Mendenhall Glacier:
Spawning Salmon:
We then climbed back on the bus and the driver took us for a quick tour of Juneau and dropped us off at the Juneau Harbor where we could tour shops, eat lunch, and take a trip up Mt. Roberts in the tram.
View of Juneau from tram:
Cruise ship in harbor:
It would take several days to fully explore Juneau -- we got just a small sample. We'll definitely have to come back someday and stay longer.
About 4:00 PM, the bus driver picked us up and drove us back out to Auke Bay where we boarded the boat for our trip back to Haines.
Juneau & Coast Mountains
More magnificent scenery!
Seal sunning on a buoy:
Hey guys, it's my turn!
On Friday, we walked over to the Elks Club and had a hamburger dinner -- they were really delicious! Then, on Saturday, we went back to the Elks Club for steak dinner -- again really good, although Earl and I had to wait and wait for our steak to be cooked. Apparently, the slip of paper with our name on it had been misplaced and by the time we'd received our steaks, Bill and Gisela were done with theirs.
Saturday afternoon, we walked over to the Southeast Alaska State Fair. The fair had some animals (pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits), some vegetable and flower exhibits (although by Saturday, they were past their prime), and some trade booths. The best fun, however, was had at the logging events -- lots of macho guys sawing logs with chain saws, running over logs and throwing a big chain around a log and securing it (there's a name for this event, but I don't remember what it is), ax throwing, etc.
On Sunday, when it was time to leave Haines, we didn't want to leave, so we decided to move over to the Elks Club so we could wash our vehicles which had gotten filthy driving through the construction on the Alaska Highway east of Kluane Lake. We hadn't been able to wash them at the RV park because they didn't allow anything other than using Windex on windshields. We could understand them not wanting us to wash our rigs at the site -- a lot of RV parks have that restriction; however, it was beyond us why we couldn't have used our waterless wash since it would have used none of their water nor would anything have gotten on their precious grass.
After two days at the Elks Club, we still didn't want to leave, so we moved to Salmon Run RV Park on Lutak Road out past the ferry terminal. There is no electricity past the ferry terminal, hence this park has no hookups. However, it has an absolutely beautiful view of Lutak Inlet and the mountains. We could also watch the ferry come and go and, in the evening, watch the cruise boats heading out of Lynn Canal from Skagway. That was quite a site, especially when it got dark -- the cruise ships were lit up like Christmas trees.
Ferry coming into terminal:
View from our campsite:
Maxx doing his high wire act:
Takin' it easy:
The guys bought fishing licenses and did some fishing at Chilkoot Lake. All told, they caught 7 Dolly Vardens. This is the first time we'd had Dolly Vardens and they were quite good -- better, we thought, than trout.
We finally forced ourselves to leave Haines on Thursday, August 16. We drove 104 miles to the Million Dollar Falls Yukon Government Campground, stopping along the way to admire the view:
Haines Highway view:
More magnificent views:
And even more views!
Yukon's government campground are really very nice -- all of them we've been to have big, level spaces, and usually have firewood available to burn in the fire rings. This particular campground is located along the Takhanne River and has a boardwalk trail and viewing platform of the falls and rapids (unfortunately, there is no good vantage point from which to take a picture of the falls -- although you can see them from the viewing platform, the picture would be taken from straight above). From some places in the park, one can catch a glimpse of the St. Elias Mountains. The park ranger who came along to take our money later came back to point out the mountain behind us -- the sun was setting and it was lit up like it was made of gold.
Million Dollar Falls rapids:
Sunset on the mountain:
The next day, we drove 154 miles back to Takhini Hot Springs near Whitehorse, Yukon where we'd stayed on June 13. Since we didn't have hookups, Earl and I went into town on Saturday to do laundry, grocery shopping, and fill the truck up with fuel.
On Sunday, August 19, we drove 122 miles to Mukluk Annie's. We'd stayed here on June 10 on our way to Alaska. We had their salmon bake again, but were disappointed to learn that they would not be open on Monday for breakfast due to it being Discovery Day, a Yukon holiday. Their blueberry pancakes were the main reason we'd stopped here again.
Monday we drove 159 miles to Junction 37 Services Campground at the junction of the Alaska and Cassiar Highways. We had breakfast at their restaurant the next morning and then headed down the Cassiar to Moose Meadows in Dease Lake, B.C., 96 miles down the road. Our campsites backed up to Cotton Lake where we could hear a loon calling. When we woke up in the morning, we could see that a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight on the nearby mountains.
We set out for Kinaskan Provincial Park -- 131 miles down the road -- and ran into more construction with muddy roads! The views on the Cassiar were wonderful, but we'd had enough of muddy roads.
Cassiar Highway view:
Our rig after the mud:
The picture of our rig, above, doesn't show it at it's worse. In this picture, you can still see the "Not For Hire" written on the side, even though it is somewhat obscured. When we finished going through the construction, we couldn't even tell there was anything there, except we could barely make out the outline of the stickers that spelled out the phrase. And, of course, when we got to the Kinaskan campground, neither of us could get our slides out again!
View from our site:
Mendenhall Glacier:
Spawning Salmon:
We then climbed back on the bus and the driver took us for a quick tour of Juneau and dropped us off at the Juneau Harbor where we could tour shops, eat lunch, and take a trip up Mt. Roberts in the tram.
View of Juneau from tram:
Cruise ship in harbor:
It would take several days to fully explore Juneau -- we got just a small sample. We'll definitely have to come back someday and stay longer.
About 4:00 PM, the bus driver picked us up and drove us back out to Auke Bay where we boarded the boat for our trip back to Haines.
Juneau & Coast Mountains
More magnificent scenery!
Seal sunning on a buoy:
Hey guys, it's my turn!
On Friday, we walked over to the Elks Club and had a hamburger dinner -- they were really delicious! Then, on Saturday, we went back to the Elks Club for steak dinner -- again really good, although Earl and I had to wait and wait for our steak to be cooked. Apparently, the slip of paper with our name on it had been misplaced and by the time we'd received our steaks, Bill and Gisela were done with theirs.
Saturday afternoon, we walked over to the Southeast Alaska State Fair. The fair had some animals (pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits), some vegetable and flower exhibits (although by Saturday, they were past their prime), and some trade booths. The best fun, however, was had at the logging events -- lots of macho guys sawing logs with chain saws, running over logs and throwing a big chain around a log and securing it (there's a name for this event, but I don't remember what it is), ax throwing, etc.
On Sunday, when it was time to leave Haines, we didn't want to leave, so we decided to move over to the Elks Club so we could wash our vehicles which had gotten filthy driving through the construction on the Alaska Highway east of Kluane Lake. We hadn't been able to wash them at the RV park because they didn't allow anything other than using Windex on windshields. We could understand them not wanting us to wash our rigs at the site -- a lot of RV parks have that restriction; however, it was beyond us why we couldn't have used our waterless wash since it would have used none of their water nor would anything have gotten on their precious grass.
After two days at the Elks Club, we still didn't want to leave, so we moved to Salmon Run RV Park on Lutak Road out past the ferry terminal. There is no electricity past the ferry terminal, hence this park has no hookups. However, it has an absolutely beautiful view of Lutak Inlet and the mountains. We could also watch the ferry come and go and, in the evening, watch the cruise boats heading out of Lynn Canal from Skagway. That was quite a site, especially when it got dark -- the cruise ships were lit up like Christmas trees.
Ferry coming into terminal:
View from our campsite:
Maxx doing his high wire act:
Takin' it easy:
The guys bought fishing licenses and did some fishing at Chilkoot Lake. All told, they caught 7 Dolly Vardens. This is the first time we'd had Dolly Vardens and they were quite good -- better, we thought, than trout.
We finally forced ourselves to leave Haines on Thursday, August 16. We drove 104 miles to the Million Dollar Falls Yukon Government Campground, stopping along the way to admire the view:
Haines Highway view:
More magnificent views:
And even more views!
Yukon's government campground are really very nice -- all of them we've been to have big, level spaces, and usually have firewood available to burn in the fire rings. This particular campground is located along the Takhanne River and has a boardwalk trail and viewing platform of the falls and rapids (unfortunately, there is no good vantage point from which to take a picture of the falls -- although you can see them from the viewing platform, the picture would be taken from straight above). From some places in the park, one can catch a glimpse of the St. Elias Mountains. The park ranger who came along to take our money later came back to point out the mountain behind us -- the sun was setting and it was lit up like it was made of gold.
Million Dollar Falls rapids:
Sunset on the mountain:
The next day, we drove 154 miles back to Takhini Hot Springs near Whitehorse, Yukon where we'd stayed on June 13. Since we didn't have hookups, Earl and I went into town on Saturday to do laundry, grocery shopping, and fill the truck up with fuel.
On Sunday, August 19, we drove 122 miles to Mukluk Annie's. We'd stayed here on June 10 on our way to Alaska. We had their salmon bake again, but were disappointed to learn that they would not be open on Monday for breakfast due to it being Discovery Day, a Yukon holiday. Their blueberry pancakes were the main reason we'd stopped here again.
Monday we drove 159 miles to Junction 37 Services Campground at the junction of the Alaska and Cassiar Highways. We had breakfast at their restaurant the next morning and then headed down the Cassiar to Moose Meadows in Dease Lake, B.C., 96 miles down the road. Our campsites backed up to Cotton Lake where we could hear a loon calling. When we woke up in the morning, we could see that a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight on the nearby mountains.
We set out for Kinaskan Provincial Park -- 131 miles down the road -- and ran into more construction with muddy roads! The views on the Cassiar were wonderful, but we'd had enough of muddy roads.
Cassiar Highway view:
Our rig after the mud:
The picture of our rig, above, doesn't show it at it's worse. In this picture, you can still see the "Not For Hire" written on the side, even though it is somewhat obscured. When we finished going through the construction, we couldn't even tell there was anything there, except we could barely make out the outline of the stickers that spelled out the phrase. And, of course, when we got to the Kinaskan campground, neither of us could get our slides out again!
View from our site:
Thursday, August 9, 2001
ALASKA TRIP, PART 12
On Sunday, August 5, we left Kathleen Lake Campground in Yukon and drove 134 miles to the Haines Hitch Up RV Park in Haines, Alaska. After setting up, we went downtown for lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant and then Gisela and I went grocery shopping while the guys stayed behind to try to get our slide out. By the time we got back, the slide was out which was a big relief since our pantry and television are behind the slide when it is in.
We really enjoyed Haines -- this is definitely a place we'll come back to again. When Earl and I were here in 1998, we only spent 2 or 3 days and didn't really get a chance to explore Haines like we did this time. One day, we drove out to Chilkoot Lake and watched people fishing and eagles flying.
Chilkoot River:
Bald Eagles:
The next day we drove out to Chilkat State Park from which location one can see Rainbow and Davidson Glaciers across the Chilkat Inlet:
Davidson & Rainbow Glaciers:
Davidson Glacier:
Rainbow Glacier:
One night, we had whole Dungeness crab at Fort Seward Lodge, part of old Fort William H. Seward which was established as the first permanent Army post in the territory of Alaska. Until WWII, this was the only U.S. Army post in Alaska. It was deactivated in 1946 and sold in 1947 to a group of veterans. Some of the old officers quarters are now private houses and other building house businesses.
Fort Seward with the Chilkat Mountains in the background:
On Thursday, we took the Fjord Express to Juneau. The weather started out a little cloudy, but by the time we arrived in Juneau, it was clear and the rest of the day remained beautiful.
Haines Small Boat Harbor:
Fjord Express:
Bald Eagle:
Fishing boat:
Eldred Rock Lighthouse:
Herbert Glacier:
Alaska State Ferry:
Stream cascading down mountain:
Coast Mountains:
Humpback Whale sounding
(note tail at left):
Humpback Whales breaching:
Mendenhall Glacier:
Coming into Auke Bay:
We really enjoyed Haines -- this is definitely a place we'll come back to again. When Earl and I were here in 1998, we only spent 2 or 3 days and didn't really get a chance to explore Haines like we did this time. One day, we drove out to Chilkoot Lake and watched people fishing and eagles flying.
Chilkoot River:
Bald Eagles:
The next day we drove out to Chilkat State Park from which location one can see Rainbow and Davidson Glaciers across the Chilkat Inlet:
Davidson & Rainbow Glaciers:
Davidson Glacier:
Rainbow Glacier:
One night, we had whole Dungeness crab at Fort Seward Lodge, part of old Fort William H. Seward which was established as the first permanent Army post in the territory of Alaska. Until WWII, this was the only U.S. Army post in Alaska. It was deactivated in 1946 and sold in 1947 to a group of veterans. Some of the old officers quarters are now private houses and other building house businesses.
Fort Seward with the Chilkat Mountains in the background:
On Thursday, we took the Fjord Express to Juneau. The weather started out a little cloudy, but by the time we arrived in Juneau, it was clear and the rest of the day remained beautiful.
Haines Small Boat Harbor:
Fjord Express:
Bald Eagle:
Fishing boat:
Eldred Rock Lighthouse:
Herbert Glacier:
Alaska State Ferry:
Stream cascading down mountain:
Coast Mountains:
Humpback Whale sounding
(note tail at left):
Humpback Whales breaching:
Mendenhall Glacier:
Coming into Auke Bay:
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