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Alaska via Canada

June - September 2019
A 84-day adventure by Katboz & Tom Read more
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  • Alaska via Canada
    Day 8

    BC Hydro Seton Lake Campground

    June 23, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    After paying bill at emergency vet, we were able to complete our travels to the little town of Lillooet, pretty much the culmination of Hwy 99. Drive had 11 and 13 percent grades! And was winding!! Staying at a campground recommended by fellow travels just outside of town at Seton Lake. Beautiful, no utilities, but sure feels like camping in Canada!Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 9

    Robert's Roost, Quesnel, BC

    June 24, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Took a pretty slow day, mostly driving north. After "light" breakfast to start the day, by mid morning Tom (insisted) on a "heavy" breakfast to supplement his earlier breakfast. We stopped at the Caribou Lodge in Clinton, and after eggs, pancakes, and sausage Tom felt well enough to proceed with our adventure!
    Further up the road was our only hike of the day, Mt. Begbie Lookout Tower. Short, steep hike to a view of the plateau and LOTS of trees!
    Next stop William's Lake Visitor Center and Museum. A huge log constructed building that had LOTS of brochures about various parts of BC. The museum helped underline the fact that BC is actually a cowboy state; with stampedes, cattle and saddles, and rideo queens! Great rest stop and grocery resupply.
    Last stop of the day is Quesnel, and note that the "s" is silent and the name in Canadian sort of sounds like "cornell". We are parked in a spot on a lake that is quiet and cool. The sky has cleared after intermittent rain bursts, and is clear blue with white pillowy clouds. And the chicken breasts we were to barbecued actually turned out to be ground chicken. Time for plan B! Having a wonderful time. Thank you Lord, amen!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 10

    Barkerville, BC; Canada's gold rush days

    June 25, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Breakfast and hot showers this morning! After confirming what a "loonie" is ( Canadian dollar) we discovered that a "single loonie" (3 minute) shower was sufficient! Having breakfast does not necessarily mean that we don't enjoy finding local pastry shops to try out...so once we finished our shopping at the Quesnel Bakery we headed north and east to Barkerville. This is Canada's version of Columbia, only on steroids. Approximately 100 plus buildings, with at least 50 or so equipped with artifacts consistent with the period. Saloons, dry goods, assay office, post office, government office, school house, church, restaurant, boarding houses, miner cabins, residences, Chinatown, the list goes on and on. Staff all in period costumes, mini shows and demonstrations going on all the time. And not nearly as commercial as Columbia is...we spent all day here just wondering and reading. There was LOTS of explanations/descriptions everywhere to read. Rain clouds threatened all day, felt a drop or two, but stayed dry. Clouds always look like they are going to break open with buckets of water, but we're dont seem to get much! Fingers crossed!

    Firsts: 5 mosquito bites yesterday evening!
    ...AND 1 small black bear sighting this morning! Tom did not seeit, he was driving, but I saw this black hump moving across a log.... had to look twice because I never spot animals much. Sure enough, just walking across a log that was laying perpendicular against the slope of the mountain. I think he looked young, but I was in a moving RV, so who knows. Tom was very bummed.

    Auggie update: he seems to be doing slightly better, but he really has been struggling with this awful kennel cough. It is hard to walk him because he starts this horrible hacking sound that makes me feel like I am choking him. I am sure our fellow campers will be reporting us for abuse. At a minimum they do tend to avoid us...

    Sorry for the delay on this particular update, NO cell service or Wi-Fi at this stop. Tom and I are at a total loss....we have had to resort to talking!

    Grateful for a wonderful day, amen!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
    Day 11

    Prince George, BC

    June 26, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Took an easy day again!? We ate never going to get to Alaska before Cindy (July 12) at this rate! Loved our site at the Lowhee Campground in Barkerville. Quiet, good size sites sandwiched between spruce and pines. Nice level sites, no power or water (dry camping) but RV batteries in fine shape. Have to make drip coffee since our Keurig needs power, talk about roughing it!
    Drove on north to Prince George and had more animal sightings!
    Another first: moose! We saw one standing in a meadow, both of us got a glimpse.
    ....and Tom got to see his first black bear because this time I was driving!
    A very eventual drive, for us!

    I haven't mentioned but the one fast food restaurant we seem to notice every where is A & W. I can barely find one in California, but here in British Columbia, they seem to be all over. So we stopped for lunch since we both remember the"good ole days" and how great a root beer float was. Sad to say we were a little disappointed. They pass the ice cream up to the serving counter where the clerk unwraps the pre portioned "ball" of ice cream and drops it into the root beer like an ice cube. We were shocked! No big healthy scoop of ice cream from a tub.... just this frozen ball of ice cream they unwrapped!

    Anyway we did eventually get to the visitor center and got some literature to peruse. The gal told us that they offer bikes for use, so am keeping my fingers crossed they have some in the morning. Checked into campsite early to catch up on a little laundry and get online with Quicken and email. Plan to sight see tomorrow and stay one more night here and then head east to catch the Cassiar Highway going north. We have had great weather, and I was sorry I had long pants on today, it was up in the 70's!

    Happy to say Auggie's cough is getting a little bit better every day, thank you God, amen!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 12

    Prince George, BC...Day #2

    June 27, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Another gorgeous day, and we scored on a couple of bikes from the Visitor Center! Comfortable, with helmets and bike locks. So they gave us a guide to various bike routes, most are shared roads with traffic, but at least they're was a bike lane. We road along the Nechako River out to Cottonwood Island which is just created by a little split in the river. Big beautiful cottonwoods, with the "cotton" blowing in the breeze...and intermittently through out the trees, are carvings done by a local artist. Just fun to find as you ride... but the mosquitos were THICK!! THANK YOU GOD we were on bikes and were faster than they are! We spoke to a couple who were walking (!) They were delighted that today was so much better than a couple of weeks ago. I was putting the repellant on my skin and my clothes! But the ride was nice and the small carvings terrific.
    Next stop Railroad and Forestry Museum. Just a little tired looking, they have a ton of rail cars and memorabilia, but maybe need more volunteers, or funding to better maintain it.
    Returned the bikes and then walked on downtown for quick sandwiches and a peek at Two Rivers Art Gallery. Very small, just two rooms, with exhibits that are always changing. Tom and I liked the gift shop best.... the current exhibits were really more statements then "art", from our perspective. But we don't really appreciate avant-garde or electronic art. But fun to give the gallery a try.
    Last stop was the Exploration Place, science and nature, with a little Prince George and First Nation history. Good, but definitely geared to school children, although the history part was interesting. Spent some time in the park with Auggie, really his first time out playing since the vet visit. I think he was really happy to run in a park and had lots of people to say"hi" to!
    Overall this was an odd stop, not a particularly pretty city, although it has potential; but lots of homeless people, and big problem with addiction. The visitor center is near the rail yards and downtown so could be just where we were visiting. But just not a pretty city....I really would not come back, but that is part of the adventure, you don't know until you visit!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 13

    Smithers BC (with a stop in Houston!)

    June 28, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Woke up to rain this morning! Funny, the clouds have looked like it would rain at any moment, and we have had a few drops now and again, but essentially the weather has been awesome! Fortunately the rain was light and breaking camp was not so bad. Hit Walmart (our one stop shopping default) on the way out of town and then headed essentially west to the town of Smithers.
    Stopped at Burns Lake for an excellent lunch at a local coffee house, bistro sort of place. "Alternative Grounds", really cute, wish I had remembered to take a picture! Lamb burger for Tom and pizza panini for me with mango ice tea.
    Next stop, Houston, BC to take a look at the largest fly rod (60 feet) in the world (?)... looked totally legit with reel and line. Right next to a very nicely maintained city park, Steelhead Park. Beautiful flowers, with peonies, which we see fairly often in gardens around here! Auggie was delighted with the park.... and the fountain with carved stone steelheads!
    Final stop of the day, the "alpinesque" town of Smithers. Cute place, pretty much a ski resort sort of town (Hudson Bay Mt. Resort) that has lots of summer outdoor alternatives. We are camping in the municipal park which is next to a river. We walked into town....a long, hot mile, uphill, into the sun, crossed the highway, and strolled down main street just window shopping. Nice, but it probably would have looked more charming from the air conditioned cab of the motorhome! It's so odd, the temp is only 72 degrees, but with the constant threat of rain, the humidity is pretty high, and the sun just seems pretty strong this far north! But it was good to walk out what was essentially a driving day. A beautiful driving day, going from forest to more mountainous terrain, saw our first snow capped peaks, and lots of wildflowers. No wildlife, but we are trying to be vigilant! Loving our drive, thank you God!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 14

    Meziadin Lake, Cassiar Hwy

    June 29, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Had excellent breakfast in Smithers on the way out of town, Two Sisters cafe, pancakes for Tom and French toast with prosciutto for me! So good!
    Heading northwest, stopped at Moricetown Canyon.
    When the salmon are running they (First Nation locals) catch the fish with nets here. Actually a pretty spot. Next stop was another Canyon, Hagilwet (?) that had a very cool suspension Bridge we could walk across.
    We pretty much kept driving from that stop on because the park we wanted to stay at, Meziadin Lake was "first come, first serve" and this weekend is Canadas three day, with Canada Day on July 1st. Got in about 3 with only a couple of sites left. Got a great site overlooking the lake next to an incredibly nice Canadian couple, Dennis and Edith. Shared "adult beverages " and popcorn with them. Their home is in Smithers and they were just returning. We picked the brains about routes and stops. Just great people!
    After beverages we spent most of the evening inside due to rain...and when the rain stopped, wow...we did the mosquitoes seem to intensify. Both Tom and I struggled with getting bit even IN the RV. I actually got out of bed and put on repellant! Just going in and out let them get "in", and you know that awful feeling when you can hear them buzz in your ear! But we survived, am not going to let this get me down.
    PS we saw two black bears today!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 15

    Dease Lake

    June 30, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Woke up to a few less mosquitos after a sort of marginal sleep night. Mosquitos -1 Tom-0 ! We have been aggressively killing every flaring insect in the RV, and I think we got most of them. We will see what happens tonight. Currently sitting on steps of very small college in Dease Lake so we can use there Wi-fi. Have not had cell service since we left Smithers. But beautiful drive, again! Yes, mountains, two black bears, and one small pretty little red fox...he reminded us if the Harleys little foxes!
    Pretty much just drive today, stopped at Bell 2 Lodge which is a base for a lot of heliskiing! Was there as one of the helicopters took of for some other purpose. Talked to a geologist who is doing quite a bit of exploration or surveying for gold. Apparently this area is pretty rich in gold, but very hard to mine due to remote location....pretty interesting talking to him.
    Lunch at a fairly large lake, Kinasken, but very quiet, especially for a three day weekend! Then got here mid afternoon, looking forward to a hot shower!
    Missing everyone, but really enjoying our trip!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 16

    The last of the Cassiar Hwy (Hwy 37)

    July 1, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Had a pretty exciting storm last night....not surprising, the weather always seems a little volatile with dark clouds rolling in and out of hot, sunny days! As we were getting ready for bed, the wind kicked up, thunder and lighting began, and got closer and closer, then rain gushed in. It was loud and exciting, and over in 30 minutes, then hot and humid again as the sun came back out! Sunset is at about 11:00 p.m. and sunrise at about 4 a.m.! Needless to say garden flowers, hanging pots, wildflowers are all gorgeous!

    Today we finished our drive north on 37, Cassiar Highway. We have really liked the drive, road can be a little rough, and traffic is pretty sparse! We work hard to find wildlife, but they are not being cooperative! We did actually spy a moose; slammed on the brakes, backed up on the highway, got out the binoculars (thank you Clarke) and had a nice view of a female moose in a meadow! Large and stately, it was actually very cool!

    Stopped for lunch at a beautiful little lake and took a short hike. Short because the park operator said there had been a number of bear sightings, and after walking a bit, both Tom and I ended up getting nervous. Silly, but gosh darn, I dont know what I would do if I stumbled on a bear and it got mad! Well besides try to out run Tom and his hip replacements! Regardless of our bear scare, we loved this pretty lake! Most parks here have beautiful camp sites right on the lake where possible, and nicely maintained!

    Our drive after lunch had us leaving British Columbia and crossing over to the Yukon Territory, so definitely making progress. Checked in with visitor center ( my default first stop) parked the RV for our stay here and then walked through the quirky but fun Sign Post Forest!    Read more

  • Alaska via Canada
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    Day 17

    Watson Lake, YT

    July 2, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Spent the morning with a little laundry and clean up. You just cant escape some chores! Besides we woke up to a light rain.
    Once chores and rain was done we did a little walking tour of Wye Lake park, with Auggie, and downtown Watson Lake, without Auggie. These "larger" towns arent quite what either of us imagined....generally the main highway runs right through, but then typically there is one or two frontage streets on either side of the highway so there is a very broad boulevard look to them. Generally very non descript buildings and very few trees in the "commercial" zone,...but most towns do seem to have lots of hanging flower baskets to create the charm? Just kind of not what we expected.
    The Yukon Territory has very few people, maybe 45,000 or so. Watson Lake is one of the bigger towns with a population of about 1,500! So, by lunch, our walking tour was over!
    Lunched at a local cafe, and got to observe some local drama that had to do with a man, his wife and his girlfriend all being in the same place at the same time. Not sure what went on, although another local was trying to whisper updates to me. After the RMCP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) arrived everyone went there separate ways and we went back to some serious lunch time focus.
    We finished our afternoon at the Northern Lights Center, where we got to see a big video presentation about solar flares and the Aurora borealis. It was projected on this big domed ceiling with seats that reclined back and I thought it was very interesting and had beautiful imagery. ( Tom accidentally fell asleep during the reclining chair part) I would still love to experience them in person! The whole discussion of waves of energy and earth's magnetic field went pretty much over my head, but still it seems incredible!
    Walked back to RV just in time for showers before the evening rainfall....burritos for dinner!
    It sort of felt nice not to drive, but we also missed the scenery we enjoy as we drive! Enjoying our time together, thank you Lord!

    Wow...just went to add my photos from the day, had almost nothing! The photo of our RV is because apparently we were the only ones to stay two nights!? By 10 a.m. everyone else had left!    Read more

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