July 22, 2014 Stony Plain, AB

Since we had no big plans for today, we laid back this AM, had breakfast, and, just before noon, drove the 15 miles to the West Edmonton Mall. This mall has over 600 stores, a replica of the Santa Maria, a sea world type sea lion display, an indoor beach/sea wave pool, an amusement park, a hockey/ice skating rink, 2 or 3 food courts, 2-3 Starbucks, and one section of the mall with very nice sports bars and restaurants.

When we arrived, we found the parking spaces to be ample. We entered the west side of the mall at “Entrance 55” which begs the question: 55 of how many??? As we entered the mall on the second floor, we were astonished to find a corridor ahead of us that seemed to extend beyond sight. We were also amazed that the mall was fairly crowded – especially for a Tuesday.

In the center of the corridor we found a full-sized replica of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria sitting in a blue lagoon. Directly next to it was a Sea World-type sea life pool. These folks explained the life of a penguin and then had a great show with trained sea lions. It is absolutely amazing how well trained these sea lions were. The show lasted approximately ½ hour.

We walked the mall and found many of the same stores that we see in the Spokane malls, but there were many stores with names we have never seen or heard. As we walked along, we discovered a HUGE indoor water park with a beach, lounge chairs, and an ocean setting complete with waves. This park covers 5 acres, has 23 water slides, and can accommodate 40,000 guests. We watched the people play in the surf for a bit.

We also discovered an ice hockey/ice skating rink. It just so happened, that a Starbucks was located directly above the rink. We enjoyed a blended, iced mocha while watching the people skate.

We ended the day with dinner at Mikes Steakhouse (in the mall) and an ice cream treat at a Cold Stone-type kiosk in the mall.

We arrived back at the RV park exhausted. But it was a great day.

July 17, 2014 – Ft. Nelson, BC

We left the RV park around 9:00.

We stopped in Watson Lake to coin-op wash the trailer (mud, bugs, road dirt, etc!!). The wash is a Tooney for 4 minutes ($2). I took 7 Tooneys and we left Watson Lake at 10:00.

The drive started well – then we blew a tire!! This tire was the spare that I put on two days ago because the original tire looked like the tread was about to separate. This tire had never been on the road!! Brand new!! Oh well. It could have happened at a much worse location. In 15 minutes, we were back on the road :-)

Then...construction, construction, construction. We were delayed at 3 locations for ½ hr each. Oh well – it could have been worse.

We did have several sitings, though. Apparently there is a herd of woodland buffalo in northern BC. We found it!! We counted 110 buffalo along side the road. We also saw 8-10 black bears along the road. We figured that the vegetation along the road is easier picking and tastier than the stuff growing in the thick timber.

We know we have mentioned the scenery...but it is magnificent!! We drove Hwy 97 through some of the highest peaks and past glacier lakes. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!

This area is also quite remote. No phone lines, no power lines, etc. When our tank was down to ½ empty, we decided to stop at the next available gas stop. We pulled in and were absolutely shocked to see $1.75/liter (that equals $6.09/gallon in US $$$). I would not pay that amount, so we drove on.

The terrain is very rugged. Grades exceeded 10% and you could literally hear the gas being sucked form the tank. At ¼ empty, we decided we had better get gas at the next available stop. Muncho Lake Lodge and Resort. Boy, we sure showed the last place!! The gas at the resort was $2.00/liter. ($6.85/gal.) I stopped the pump at $150 and we drove on to Ft. Nelson.

The Ft Nelson area scenery is quite different than what we have been seeing for the last month. The crags and spires have changed to lower, rounded mountains and farm ground – mostly hay ground. And all surrounded by pine, spruce and tall birch trees. Very neat and nice looking.

July 16, 2014 – Waston Lake, Y.T.

We left Haines Junction about 9:00 and drove the 368 miles to Watson lake.

Not long after leaving Haines Jct., a young grizzly bear crossed the road ahead of us and stopped on the roadside. As we approached the young bear started grazing along the roadside. He was not at all concerned about our presence. Along the way we saw two more black bears.

The drive from there on was uneventful. The scenery was good and we got back into the lodge pole pine forests. The mountains reminded us a lot of northern Montana.

We arrived at the RV Park around 5:00, set up the trailer, and drove into Watson Lake to make phone calls for our next stop – Fort Nelson, BC. On the way to town, we saw a young black bear beside the road. On the way back, the bear was still feeding. We stopped right beside it – no more than 15' away. Gayle again got some great photos.

July 15, 2015 Haines Junction, Yukon Terr,

We drove the 300 miles from Tok today. It was a very sloooow day as there was 110 miles of intermittent construction, some with pilot cars. If it wasn't construction/pilot cars, it was very rough roadway – frost heaves and settlements – that slowed us at times to 25 km/hr (that's 15 mph for you in the lower 48). The 300 miles took us 10 hrs - ugh...

We arrived in Haines Jct around 8 PM. The RV park is nice enough, although a little bare. However, the back drop for the park is stunning!!

Tomorrow we will drive to Watson Lake, YT.

July 14, 2014 Tok, AK

We left Anchorage this morning at 8:30 and drove the 316 miles to Tok. We arrived at 4:30.

Have we mentioned scenery in AK? Over every hill and around every corner. So many beautiful sights.

Today, we passed by the Matanuska Glacier which is located approximately 100 miles northeast of Anchorage. The back drop of this glacier is a mountain range capped with snow and ice.

As we approached the GlennAllen area, we could see more snow capped mountains in the Alaska Range.

Tomorrow we will continue our drive towards Edmonton, AB with an overnight stop in Haines Junction, YT, Canada.

As we travel through Canada we will be without internet, cell or WiFi service so bare with us, we will be in contact soon!

July 12, 2014 – Anchorage, AK

Today we left the RV Park around 10:30 and just drove around Anchorage. We visited the airport, the harbor, and the core area of downtown Anchorage. We noticed that there were several tour busses parked near the downtown area. It soon became apparent that Anchorage derives significant income form the tourism industry. The downtown area has numerous gift shops and a large vendor flea market. All of these business' were very crowded.

At the end of the day, we realized that this will be our last time to dine in AK. We dined at “The Bridge”, a casual restaurant famous for their seafood courses. Gayle dined on Halibut, while I had King Salmon. Both were excellent. We turned in early.

July 11, 2014 – Kenai Fjords

We left the RV Park at 6:30 this morning for the 2½ hour drive to Seward. It was raining when we left Anchorage and we experienced rain, wind, fog, and sun while enroute.

When we arrived at Seward, the weather was fairly calm and the fog surrounded the mountains. The harbor was full of large “tour” boats.

The boat tour “Orca” departed sharply at 10:00 AM. This boat is about 70' long and has a catamaran-type hull.

Were informed as we got our tickets that the sea at the outlet of Ressurrection Bay is a little rough this morning. The Captain also announced that it will be his decision whether or not to proceed with the voyage once we reach the rough water. As we proceeded towards waters of the Gulf of Alaska, the ride got significantly rougher. The Captain announced that the swells were 12'-15' (not only that, they were also extremely choppy and the wind was blowing strongly) and that we would proceed to the Fjords. Shortly after that announcement, the boat was pitching and bobbing over and through the waves. Many of the land lubbers were utilizing the little white bags conveniently provided to the passengers by the crew.

We finally reached the Aialik Fjord and were able to view the Holgate glacier from about 300 yards away. The noise that the glacier continually emits as it moves toward the water is amazing. The glacier calves continually and mini-icebergs peppered the water. We tried to get pictures and video of the calving, but it always happened when were not prepared. Even at that, the glacier was magnificent.

As we returned, the sea was a little calmer and we were cruising with the wind. We did see some spectacular scenery and stopped at a Fox Island resort for a salmon bake and prime rib dinner. It was excellent!!

While on the cruise, we got to see a bunch of wildlife including: sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, piffins, muirs, grey whales, a mountain goat, and several porpoises.

On the way back from Seward, we took a side trip to Whittier, AK, Until about 25 years ago, this community was only accessible via boat or train via a 2½ mile tunnel. The Federal Highway Administration coordinated with the Alaska Railroad company to upgrade the floor of the tunnel to accommodate cars and trucks. And we actually got to see the “light at the end of the tunnel”!

Although the weather could have been better, overall, we had a great day. A long day (16 hrs), but a great great day.