END OF THE JOURNEY

Tonight is our last night on the road with the Taylors. Tomorrow morning, we will split up and set out for home.  It’s been an incredible journey. The whole summer spent on the road traveling together and exploring Canada and Alaska. Incredible sights and interesting places like nowhere we have ever been before. Luckily, I have recorded everything here in my blog and we can look back and remember each day of our wonderful journey.

Celebration tonight with a dinner at Harris Ranch and reminiscing about our amazing summer.

FLAG CITY WINERY

It’s really a hot one today, Jim had the air conditioning on at breakfast which is a first for us. Going outside for my walks is a real chore for Kathe and me. The heat is really unbearable for one thing and instead of grass around our sites there are rough lava stones that are so lumpy I can hardly walk on them. Kathe has been picking me up and carrying me various places to save my paws, but the concrete and asphalt are also too hot to walk on.  I’m pretty miserable and I want to be home. Only two more sleeps!

The humans spent the early morning on chores and a quick trip to the hardware store and Costco. Warren and Jim are fixing small projects and making lists of things that need to be replaced or repaired when we get back home. 

They did manage to find a winery and bistro less than a mile away. They had a delicious lunch and did some wine tasting at the Micheal David Winery. The wines must have been good as they brought home seven bottles between the two couples. The property was beautiful, and they would have tasted wine outside in the garden if it hadn’t been so hot today. 

Tonight, the cocktail is a Paloma. Tomorrow, we leave for Coalinga, our last stop before we split up and head for home.

GOLDEN STATE

I made a mistake last night. We only stayed in Redding one night. It’s today we when we are in Lodi that we are staying two nights. We’re at Flag City RV Resort and 200 or so miles closer to home. Not much different than last night, still hot as tamales. It’s 104 here and they have all three air conditioners on. I was so hot last night that I slept on the tile floor, guess it will be the same tonight.

Most of the drive today was nice. Lots of oak trees and golden grass along both sides of the road. Then we started to see more agricultural activity, fruit and nut trees predominantly. As we got closer to the Sacramento Valley we started seeing large rice fields. And just then the roads started getting bumpy and rough just like we remembered.  And we said we wouldn’t complain about the Interstate 5 ever again, but here we are thinking about the roads in Canada.

It’s so hot no one is outside and I’m napping until it cools off tonight. Too bad dogs aren’t allowed in the pool.

CALIFORNIA

Getting closer to home every day. Tonight, and tomorrow, we are in Redding, California. Remember when I was complaining about the cold and rainy weather? Well now I’m complaining about how hot and dry it is here in Redding. It’s 103 degrees and it’s time to blast on the air conditioning. Here’s a picture of Mt. Shasta with some snow on top, the most interesting sight on our drive today.

Very easy driving again today on Interstate 5. Only a little over 160 miles, on a smooth highway with a lot of curves and ups and downs. Our ears were popping with all the steep grades.

Not much to say today, we are just relaxing and thinking about home, it’s been a great trip, but we have been away now for 96 days. The longest vacation ever! Only 3 more days to go.

SMOKE AND FIRE

There are so many fires here in Oregon that we have been seeing and smelling smoke for the last couple of days. Today as we were traveling through Canyonville, we drove past yet another fire. There are so many active fires that the smoke is everywhere. Our air purifier is on full blast!

We settled down for tonight at the Valley of the Rogue State Park. Our last stop before entering California.  We have been at this park several times. It’s not too smoky, but it’s really hot. It’s 103 degrees and everything is dry and dusty.  Kathe is pretty upset with me for getting pine sap on all four paws within the first hour. The only thing to get pine sap out of your fur is mayonnaise or peanut butter. Hopefully tonight it will be peanut butter.

No problems with the drive today, everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. Not to say that we don’t have other mechanical issues. There is always something to fix, and today it’s the passenger step cover that’s not working. Both Warren and Jim spent some time trying to fix it but it’s too hot and it will have to wait for another day.

We have been eating dinner outside the past few nights, what a change from the rain and cold weather in Alaska and Canada. No mosquitoes only yellow jackets here. Warren is cooking dinner and Kathy T is making peach daiquiris with the peaches we bought in Eugene.

ALL GOOD

Jim and Kathe woke me up this morning at 5 AM. Now that’s a switch. It’s so noisy here that neither one of them could sleep. There was a period between 2 and 5 AM when there weren’t quite as many big rigs flying by on the interstate. They had to get up at 5:30 anyway to take the coach in for a 7 o’clock appointment at Freightliner. They were going to run a diagnostic procedure to see what was needed to fix or replace the DEF sensor. We three spent all morning waiting to hear the verdict. I spent the morning waiting on the floor of the driver’s lounge.

Meanwhile before we knew what was going to happen, the humans were working on all sorts of plans in case the coach wasn’t drivable. One plan had Kathe flying home without me, another plan had them leaving the coach here in Eugene and driving back home, a third plan was just to drive it as long as we could until the engine failed and then we would deal with the problem later. 

After half a day spent sitting in the driver's lounge, they finally told us what we expected, that the DEF sensor head had to be replaced. Only problem with that idea was the that the part we need is out of stock and not available until sometime in October. As it happens Warren and Kathy had purchased a DEF sensor two years ago and stored it in case they needed it someday. It wasn’t exactly the right part, as the one we needed was an improved version. after another call to Tiffin to find out if we could use the older version, Freightliner agreed to install it. There’s no guarantee that it won’t fail too, but hopefully not until the new part is available. So, thanks to Warren and Kathy we are back on track and will leave tomorrow for the Valley of the Rogue State Park

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STILL ON THE MOVE

Out of Washington today and into Oregon. A straight shot on Interstate 5 with hardly a slowdown. We are checked into the Eugene Premier Resort. We have a very nice site overlooking the manmade lake, but boy is it noisy. We’re about 100 yards off the Interstate and hoping things will quiet down later. Of course, it doesn’t bother me because I can’t hear a single thing. Except maybe the refrigerator door being opened.

Unfortunately, most of the day was spent calling repair places and trying to find out more information about our check engine light. We finally have an appointment tomorrow at Northwest Freightliner here in Coburg. They will run a diagnostic program tomorrow morning, but they weren’t very optimistic about being able to service our power glide chassis. Kathe and Jim are still trying to find the solution. No one is very happy tonight as we try to figure out the next step on our journey home.

The weather is warm but there’s a lot of smoke in the air. 

TRAFFIC

Another day of traffic. We are so not used to this. Traveling through Washington on Interstate 5 was hard enough yesterday, but going through Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia was really scary after being on two lane highways for so long. Jim and Warren both said that they really had to concentrate today.

Jim is feeling much better today after a night's rest. Now we have a new problem to deal with. There is an engine light showing that something about the DEF sensor isn’t working correctly. He spent time this morning talking to the Cummins people, but they were not able to give us much useful information. Basically, we just keeping going until the sensor shuts the engine down. Hopefully we will make it back home before that happens.

We are in Centralia Washington tonight at the Midway RV Resort. It’s nice but they have a stupid rule about no dogs allowed on the grass. There are two postage stamp sized dog areas for us which none of us like one bit. There are big pine trees in the middle of each 8x8 plot of weeds and pinecones. I have sap on all four paws! Kathe says when it gets dark, we’re going to break the rules. She’s not carrying me the 50 Feet to the dog area tonight. 

Tomorrow, we drive with our paws crossed and hope to make it to the next stop, Eugene, Oregon.

BACK IN THE USA

Tonight, we are in Bellingham, Washington. It was one heck of a journey. We drove the TransCanada Highway 1. When we started out this morning the scenery was the dry desert. The first part of the 200 miles was on the twisty winding roads up and down through the mountains. Then we finally hit the four-lane portion of the highway and ran into horrible Labor Day Traffic and fog.

To make matters worse, after we stopped for lunch, Jim was feeling lightheaded and didn’t feel well enough to continue driving. Kathy and Warren decided to have Kathy T take the wheel of our coach and Warren would follow in their coach. So, my Kathe was the navigator, and we headed for the border.  Kathy T was great, she loved finally getting to drive Jim’s coach. Unfortunately, at that point the traffic was so bad that there was a 30-minute wait at the border crossing that we planned to take, so we drove to a different crossing with no wait. It was a little harder drive with all the roundabouts, but we saved some time.

Border crossing was a non-event. No questions, no food or doggie issues like we’ve been reading about. Smooth sailing back into the USA.

It’s cool here in Bellingham with the fog rolling in tonight. We were going to celebrate our arrival, but everyone is so tired after eight hours on the road, it’s spaghetti for dinner. We are all ready to relax.

WHO KNEW !

My humans found tacos here in Cache Creek, Canada. We haven’t seen any Mexican food in Alaska or Canada since we left the United States in June. Of course they had to stop there for lunch. A small kitchen where the customers ordered food to go and lots of patio and outdoor seating. There were so many people there that it was amazing. Lots of cars and bikers too! A limited menu, but great food.

Just when you were thinking there wasn’t anything else to do here, there was also a very large Farmers Market in town with all kinds of produce and prepared goods for sale. Since we are crossing the border tomorrow the produce buying was limited to some fresh corn and a peach pie for dinner tonight. That didn’t stop them from buying a giant frozen chicken pot pie and several jars of jam. The Taylors stocked up on homemade sausages. It’s all about food with this group.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for you, it was time for a little history lesson. Not too far from where we are camped is the Historic Hat Creek Ranch.  Located on the historic “Cariboo” Wagon Road is the ranch with over 300 acres of farmyards, fields and range land. There are twenty historic wooden buildings dating back to 1861. The original Roadhouse interior was recreated with furniture and fixtures as it might have been when it was used as a transportation hub from 1863 to 1913. They even had an original Edison Victrola with the wax recording rolls. The docent played a waltz and helped transport us back in time.

HIGH DESERT

Almost 200 miles today as we work our way down to the border. Still diving on Highway 97 and nothing to complain about except the distance. Lots of steep grades up and down as we passed many very large lakes and lots of farmland. They sure grow a lot of hay in this part of Canada. I kept looking for the cows and horses that need that kind of food, but there were very few herds that I could see.

It’s interesting how many, signs on the highway are warning of wildlife crossing. I think there are more signs than animals because we never saw one moose or one caribou in over 1000 miles of warning signs.

Tonight, we are in the town of Cache Creek in the high desert of Canada. It’s the first time we have seen irrigation in the fields of hay and corn. Where there is water things are green, otherwise the terrain looks like Palmdale, CA. Had a little trouble getting into our campsite as it wasn’t really a pull through as advertised. Jim and Warren both had to unhook their jeeps to fit into the spaces. Jim and Kathe were having a little trouble when another camper (with a tiny class B) started giving Jim instructions in French. Funny but that didn’t really help at all. We finally got settled.

Dinner tonight was delicious fish and chips from the food truck here. Plenty of food for the Kathies to wash down their Pink Lady Cocktails.

Jim has finally cleaned windshield so maybe my pictures tomorrow won’t have bugs guts!

ROBERT'S ROOST

We are here tonight in Quesnel, BC, but only for one night. It’s pretty crowded as we approach Labor Day, but they found two sites for us. It’s very warm and all the humans are in short pants! There are lots of families here but it’s quiet and peaceful tonight. We are looking forward to a good night's sleep, no highway noise or trains here. Dragon Lake is on the left of our sites and there are lots of boats moored on the lakeside. We watched some people fishing for salmon this afternoon.

We had an interesting drive southeast on Highway 16 to Prince George before transitioning onto Highway 97. We passed lots of farms with bales of hay and several large lumber mills along the way. Unfortunately, there were too many bugs on the windshield for picture taking today.

It was hard to find Robert’s Roost RV Resort, and difficult to get into our sites. The Taylors had a front-in site but ours was a back-in. We backed right into the trees! As you can see Jim had a little tree trimming to do before we could open our slides. It took about an hour before we were settled in

These days are going so quickly, driving and spending only night in each town. Tomorrow we are staying in Cache Creek for two nights. It’s supposed to in the 90’s tomorrow and we can start complaining about the heat instead of the rain.

BLUE SKIES

At last, it’s warm and the skies are clear and blue! The drive today on the Yellowhead Highway (16) was an easy 196 miles. No frost heaves and no gravel patches, a real highway at last. Only problem I encountered was when a throw pillow fell off the couch and bopped me on the head. I woke up with a start and spent the rest of the drive sitting in the safety of Kathe’s lap. The road had a lot of ups and downs and steep grades, so I had a good view.

We checked into Pipers Glen Resort at about 3:30 and the temperature was in the high 70’s. At last, it’s warm and dry! We have been told that this area is the desert of Canada. 

The Campground is okay, we are overlooking Fraser Lake. Only problem is that the train runs along the lakeside in front of us and the highway runs behind us. Well, only here one night so we don’t mind. Here is a picture from the front windshield, not too bad!

We heard today that the Provincial Park we stayed in a couple of nights ago with all the bears has been closed indefinitely due to too many bears causing problems. All of the campers were told to leave and had their money refunded. We were lucky we were there before all the trouble. 

Tonight's cocktail was a peach daiquiri made with fresh peaches from the Okanogan Valley.

GRIZZLY MORNING

Last night with all the worry about the bears coming into our campsite my humans were on high alert. The rangers told Jim to keep the bear spray handy when they took me out for my nightly walks.  They needn’t worry as the bears never showed up.  There were so many campers waiting on the shore with giant camera lenses that it looked like a Nat Geo special. Even Kathy T set up her tripod and camera for a while. The wind came up and it was too cold and most everyone went into their campers without a bear in sight.

When my Kathe took me out at midnight and again at 4 AM she was very nervous, and she turned on all the outside lights in case we saw any bears. Nothing happened until right before we were leaving this morning. Our next-door neighbors were out with their telescopes and cameras pointed to the lake where 2 young grizzlies were swimming to the island right across from our campsite. We watched them playing and running around for about a half hour before we had to pack up and leave. The bears are definitely grizzlies but dark because they were wet from swimming. So much fun to watch them even from a distance. Sorry that Kathe didn’t have one of those fancy cameras but at least she got some pictures with her phone.

The drive today was short but sweet, only about 90 miles to Kitwanga, BC. We’re traveling south now, and the trees are changing colors. The birches are starting to drop yellow leaves on the highway and the beautiful pink fireweed has turned a ghostly gray pink. Winter is definitely on its way to Canada.

CLEAR AND COLD

Wow was it cold last night. I stayed curled up and didn’t get out of bed until around seven o’clock. It was quite a challenge for Jim to keep us warm last night since we didn’t have any hookups at our campground. We knew that going in, but we haven’t dry camped in a long time. We had to turn the generator off at nine o’clock and he was up checking the voltage several times until he finally set the aqua hot to 65 and we all hunkered down under the covers. We woke up and it was 34 degrees outside, so we stayed in bed till the coach was a respectable 72 degrees inside.

We left early this morning because our drive to Meziadin Lake Provincial Park was 222 miles. That may not sound like a long distance, but the highway was a challenge. Lots of twisty turns and steep grades so we couldn’t really go more than 45 to 50 mph. It was however one of the most beautiful drives yet. We drove in a tunnel of giant trees which felt like a hike in the forest.

We arrived here at Meziadin Park close to 4 o’clock and what a great surprise. This place is beautiful and according to Warren the best place we ever camped. Our site is right on the river and although it’s cold and windy we were able to sit outside for the first evening in a long time. 

Everyone here says that Grizzly bears frequent the lake in the early evening. My humans sat out with their cameras ready to snap some pictures. Our next-door neighbors here said they see them every night. We weren’t that lucky or unlucky. The rangers told Kathe that if I have to go out tonight to potty that she had better bring some bear spray. More on this tomorrow.

CROSSING INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA

We had a bit of a late start this morning. We waited until all of the Caravans left before we used the facilities and the gas pumps which worked out just fine. No waiting! The park was completely filled last night, and we were happy that they found spots for both of our coaches. 

We started out on the Cassiar Highway and soon crossed the border into British Columbia. For a long time didn’t see any other motor homes in either direction. It was a slow but beautiful drive past lakes and mountains.  We drove through a large area that had been devastated by a forest fire for several miles before we started seeing the beautiful green pines and birch trees. Five hours of being in the trees with nothing else around. 

We did stop at “Jade City” for lunch before heading back on the Highway to our destination for tonight, Waters Edge Campground on Dease Lake. This is a very primitive campground with no water, sewer, or electricity.  It’s beautiful, right on the Lake and even if it’s sprinkling a bit, we are happy with this place. There really aren’t too many places on the Cassiar Highway to stop or to get gas which makes it a great alternative to the busy ALCAN.

We are only here for one night, and we need to run our generators to cook and keep warm. It’s supposed be 35 degrees tonight. I’m glad I have my fur coat on.

FOG AND MORE RAIN

Maybe I sound like a broken record but it’s raining again. It started as soon as we arrived last night and poured all night. The rain was so loud that Kathe thought it might even be hale. It was just another heavy rainstorm. We went out for my early, early walk and it was so muddy that I had to get my feet washed before coming back into the coach. Kathe listens to the falling rain and waits until it gets a little lighter, but sometimes a doggie can’t wait!

All I can say about our drive today was that it wasn’t dusty. Just wet gravel and splashing big rigs for 138 miles. We’re still on the ALCAN and now we are seeing more big rigs and fewer RV’s. Tomorrow, we transition to the Cassiar Highway which will be more scenic. We may even see some wildlife. 

Tonight, we’re at Baby Nugget RV and we barely got a reservation. There are 2 Caravans here tonight, both Fantasy and Adventure Caravans are parked all around us. We hope they all leave early tomorrow so that we can get some fuel and use the sanitary dump too. Should be an interesting morning.

Okay, here’s some Yukon trivia. They don’t have graffiti here on the roads because there’s nothing to write on. So, the “artists” use rocks on the sandy hillsides to leave their messages. It was really hard to take a picture of them at 60 mph, but imagine hundreds of rock messages, names, drawings and even some naughty words written with rocks instead of spray paint.

NO PROBLEMS

Just an easy ride today from Otter Falls Cutoff to Teslin. We are still in the Yukon and enjoying the scenery with lots of lakes and plenty of pine forests. The road was much better today as well, not too many gravel patches and only a few times that we had to slow down for bumps. 

We did have a few showers on the drive, but that only helped to wash some bugs off the windshield. It started raining pretty heavily when we arrived at the Yukon Motel and RV Park. Just our luck! 

This is a busy place with a filling station in front of the hotel and restaurant. It’s a major gas stop for the big rigs. Lots of motor cyclists stop here as well. We’re in the back where they have about 30 RV sites. Not great, but a safe space to spend a night. There are also some very interesting smelling rocks at each campsite and I’m having fun exploring them.

Good news today Warren and Kathy both tested negative on their Covid tests. They all celebrated by going out for dinner at the restaurant here. 

NEW SNOW

 

I told you yesterday that it was cold in the Yukon. As we started off this morning it was still so cold you could see your breath.  It was clear and sunny in the campground, but we looked up at the mountains to the north and saw fresh snow. We’re getting out of here before we see snow on the highway.

Speaking of the highway, it was still pretty rough this morning. Lots of gravel patches and potholes so big and wide a chihuahua could doggie paddle across them. Warren and Kathy were in the lead again and we followed them so that we could see where to avoid the biggest problems. No rain today was a blessing as that meant no dust. Poor Jim, his beautiful motor home is going to need a professional cleaning when we get back home.

For the last 40 or 50 miles of the drive the roads were much better, and we were able to travel at about 55mph instead of the 30 or 35 that we had to do in the bad spots.

We stopped at a bakery in Haines Junction for treats before heading into our campground at Otter Falls Cutoff. Not much to say about this place, it’s just as bad as it was the last time we were here. Just a place to stop for the night.

Top picture is from this morning and the bottom picture is from the after here in Otter Falls.

RAINY DAY

Yep. It’s raining again but this time we’re kind of glad. The rain has helped put out the forest fire so no more smoke. Instead, we have mud puddles and wet, soggy grass for our trips outside in the rain. Not much to do, so I am curled up on an old down jacket and napping the day away until it’s time to go to bed.

Kathe and Jim played cards, paid bills and read in front of the fireplace. It was 36 degrees this morning, but at least it’s still not cold enough for snow. Not too much to do here as the closest town is an hour away and no one wants to go out in the rain but me. It has stopped raining for now.  It’s supposed to start again tonight but promises to be clear tomorrow for our drive to Haines Junction and a return to the Otter Falls Campground. 

The next seven days we will be driving through Canada as fast as we can and only stopping for one night before heading on to the next town. 

Every one of us wishing for some sunshine and warmer weather, so it’s a good thing we are headed home.

SMOKE AND DUST

Not the best day. This morning, we smelled smoke as we left Tok and found out that there is a forest fire in the Yukon. We were headed to Beaver Creek and the fire is about 30 Kilometers from there.  As the drive continued, luckily the smoke wasn’t as heavy. This is a picture of the Taylors coach in front of us this morning. No beautiful scenery today!

After we passed into Canada, we started to see that recently they did “road work” on the Canadian part of Highway 1. The road was 55 miles of gravel. When there wasn’t any gravel on the road it was potholes and bumps. A very horrible drive for all of us. Our cars and the motor homes are covered with dust because vehicles coming on the other side of the road were throwing dirt and gravel high enough to make visibility difficult. It took five hours to drive the 140 miles today. We are happy we made it to Yukon Discovery Lodge where it’s quiet and peaceful. Two nights here before we brave the highway again.

CHICKEN

Yes, today we made it to Chicken, Alaska. It seemed too risky to drive there in the motor home, so they “chickened out “and drove the 57 miles from Tok to Chicken in separate jeeps. It only took five hours round trip! Gianni and Bella went with the Taylor’s, and I chose to stay home and catch up on my sleep.

Originally Chicken was originally a miner's tent city, and when they were trying to come up with a name for the town, someone suggested “ptarmigan” a bird that which was found in great numbers in Alaska. But nobody could spell it, so they settled instead on Chicken. Today the population of Chicken is 37 in the summer and 17 in the winter. They have no central plumbing and only generators for electricity. And the mail arrives only twice a week, by plane.

The road to Chicken is supposed to be “paved” and it was in some places, it was also lots of gravel and potholes and frost heave bumps that seem like deep moguls on a ski run. They made a good decision not to drive there in the motor home. It was fun in the jeeps but too much for our big rigs.

While in town they did the touristy things. First stop was the Chicken Cafe for a delicious cinnamon bun and great coffee. Next a picture in front of one of the Chicken sculptures. And lastly a walk around the gold dredge. Over 100,000 ounces of placer gold has been mined on Chicken Creek and there still remain a lot of gold to be found.

Tomorrow, we head for Canada and back to the Yukon Territory.

STARTING BACK

 It’s official we are now starting back to the States. The next two nights we will be staying in Tok, our last stop in Alaska. After that we start for the Yukon Territory. We stayed here in Tok back in July and it looks exactly like it did back then. I found my favorite grass site in row 700 and things even smell better.

The ride today was another rough one. Not only was it pouring rain most of the way, but the frost heaves were also out to get us. I hardly got to sleep before I was tossed off my pillow. The good news was that there was hardly anyone else on the road today. You know, it is very hard to take pictures when the cell phone keeps bouncing out of your paws. Sadly, no glaciers today.

The Taylors are still recovering, we still can’t get together for meals. I’m missing Bella and Gianni because I can only see them in the distance, no more kissy face for a while. It’s been five days without them, but it seems longer. We are going up to Chicken, Alaska tomorrow with them in separate cars. 

Our itinerary has changed a bit, we heard so many horror stories about the drive to the top of the world and Dawson City from campers we have met. We will skip that destination and follow a different route home than originally planned.

I know you wanted to see what Kathy T had for dinner last night. Four different whiskeys topped with four different ice creams. A Whiskey Float!

ALASKAN HISTORY

Not much going on today. I’ve been napping almost the entire day. Just moving from my bed to the living room chair and back again. Napping and snacking are my specialties. We didn’t see much of Warren and Kathy today, they have been hibernating and trying to get well. My Kathe spent the morning reading while Jim greased the slide outs and washing the windshield. After all this is a vacation.

After lunch they decided that they should get some exercise, and they walked down to the lodge where they met with Karen and Andy the owners. Kathe found that Karen had published a book about the Lodge and the history around the area. Karen sold her a copy of the book and told them more about the Roadhouses and their place in Alaskan history and the social life of the people back when there was a Roadhouse about every twenty miles on the highway. 

Kathe really enjoyed reading Karen’s book this afternoon. Not only did Karen write about the history of the area but she included pictures and memorabilia that they collected as they restored the Lodge. The book covered information about the early settlers here in his area as well as how things changed after the CANAM highway was built. In the early days the Lodge was the gathering place to get your news and socialize with others in the community. Celebrations such as weddings, and even a prom were held here in the Lodge.

Jim and Kathe are going to dinner tonight at the Lodge for crab cakes. The cocktail there tonight is a flight of whiskey floats. Four kinds of ice cream and four different whiskeys. What?

RANCH HOUSE LODGE

Our journey today was approximately 120 miles on the Glenn Highway which was sometimes smooth but sometimes very rough and bumpy. The scenic views of the glaciers were amazing enough that no one was complaining, much. 

The destination was the Ranch House Lodge just outside of the town of Glenallen, Alaska. Back in the early 50’s travelers on the rough, gravel highways had to plan ahead for services. Roadhouses offered food and secure lodging for the night. 

Ranch House Lodge which was built in the late 1940’s is one of the oldest roadhouses still in operation. When checking in they were greeted by Karen and Andy who purchased the property 17 year ago. Karen explained the history of the roadhouse and how they spent years researching and restoring it into the beautiful place it is today. The original logs for the lodge were hauled up the highway by dog sled before it was paved. Karen told us how they restored everything and pointed out some pages of the original owner's journal that helped them in the restoration. She even pointed out some bullet holes in the original glass windows. We are so lucky to have found this place.

Our sites are right on the river, as you can see from this picture above. It doesn’t get much better than this. They restored the restaurant and bar as well as the lodge and hopefully we have dinner there tomorrow. This other picture is a last look at the glacier on our drive today.

ALASKA STATE FAIR

Today it was cold, cloudy, and very windy but with no rain in the forecast, so Jim and Kathe set out for the Alaska State Fair. Warren and Kathy are feeling a little better today but decided to stay home and rest. It was still cold and blowing a gale when Kathe and Jim reached the fairgrounds. The first thing Kathe did was purchase an Alaskan flag watch cap to help keep her warm.

Having only been to the Los Angeles County Fair they were surprised at the difference here at the Alaska State Fair. First surprise was the admission was only nine dollars per person compared to twenty-five dollars, and the parking was free. What a bargain. That wasn’t the only surprise. The food was different too. Instead of fried Twinkies they had things like fresh oysters, crab cakes, shrimp, and halibut fish and chips. Of course they had hot dogs on a stick, but they also had many booths with different ethnic food. Kathe and Jim enjoyed chicken pierogi at a Russian booth. 

They watched a great lumberjack show where three men competed in various wood chopping and ax throwing events. It was so cold and windy that next they moved indoors to the crafts tent to see the various competitors projects. Kathe was interested in the needlework exhibits. 

They stopped at an area where a man was spinning wool out of dog fur. He showed them a knitted patchwork quilt that had squares of various dog fur. He showed them a scarf that was crocheted from the fur of a Samoyed, amazing how beautiful and soft it was.

Jim stopped to talk to a man who was demonstrating the art of tying fishing flies. He showed Jim which flies were better for Salmon, and which were better for catching trout. It was very interesting the knowledge that he was willing to share.

Of course, there were lots of scary rides and many people selling everything you could imagine. But the best part of our day was how willing people were to talk to us and share their knowledge. It was a great afternoon.

MATANUSKA

Another sunny day. The good thing about when it’s raining is that you don’t have to have a bath until the sun shines. When the sun finally comes out, then you get to sit in the kitchen sink and have soap and water poured all over your whole self. At least the sun was bright and warm afterwards. I may not be beautiful but smell really good.

Some disappointing news this morning. The Taylors tested positive for Covid. They thought they just had colds but after taking the tests they found out the bad news. So, they are isolating themselves from my humans for the next five days. It’s sad because we do so much together and it’s lonely without them. Keep your paws crossed that they recover soon. We have a lot of driving to do in the next few weeks and it’s no fun feeling sick.

Kathe and Jim decided to venture out solo this afternoon to see the Matanuska Glacier. It was a 54 mile drive made longer by several stops for road work, but it was an incredible adventure. The Mountains and valleys along the drive were like nothing they’d ever seen. There was a mountain range in the distance that was snow covered and glaciated. The highway was on the edge of steep cliffs. It was windy and rough, but the scenery was jaw dropping. Eventually they reached the glacier and found out that they could have purchased a hiking tour onto the glacier. It was too late in the day for the hike, but they were able to take some awesome pictures.

Maybe if it’s not raining tomorrow, they will go to the Alaska State Fair. 

GOING NORTH

Something about us going north, but I can’t remember what it is.  Some of the scenery today looked very familiar. Almost like I've been there before. Oh, that’s right we are going north because we are starting to head back to the United States. We have been on this highway before only going south. Today we drove right through Anchorage on our way to Palmer.

Interesting fact, we drove almost all day today on Alaska Interstate 1.  Alaskans don’t call highways by the numbers, so today we started on off on Sterling Highway to the Seward Highway then to the Glenn Highway but still on Interstate 1. Very confusing. We drove about 139 miles today until we missed our turnoff and had to double back. Pulling a U turn in the middle of road construction was challenging. The Taylors couldn’t make the turn and had to disconnect their car. We reversed ourselves and made it safely to the Palmer Big Bear KOA. We will stay put for the next three nights.

The drive today was spectacular even if we had seen these mountains before. The cliffs are so massive that we feel tiny driving down the highway. Just look at that little car.  And who could resist one more shot of the glaciers.

GREAT DAY FOR A HIKE

Even though it rained last night we woke to sunny skies this morning. Good thing too as this was our last day here in Cooper Landing. They were planning to take a hike rain or shine, but it was so much better in the sunshine. 

The Russian Lakes Trail is an area of the Kenai-Russian River Confluence. It’s a very popular destination as over 150,000 people come here to fish, camp and enjoy the spectacular scenery every year. The hike they chose today was the Russian Lakes Trail. This hike is a 4.8 mile walk to the Russian River Falls Viewing Platform and back. At the falls the river is so clear that you can see dozens of salmon waiting to climb the fish ladder. It was an amazing site. There are many bears in the area at night and this is the place people like to view the bears eating the fish. We didn’t see anything but bear scat on the trail today.

The hike through the forest was long but really beautiful. Warren was busy checking out the berries and the many different mushrooms in the shady damp places along the trail. One mushroom happened to match my Kathe’s socks. Red with white dots, maybe even a troll could live under it.

Along the trail they met a man with a dip net who had just caught seven large salmon. He had them stuffed into a backpack and was carrying them back out of the forest. His companion had bear spray on his belt and a gun in a holster. He said his job was bear patrol. Yikes!

Everyone is tired but happy tonight as it was a perfect ending to our stay here in Kenai. We’re having salmon for dinner and Kathy T. Is perfecting the Black Swan Martini. Tomorrow, we move to Palmer, Alaska, a suburb of Anchorage. 

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SKILAK WILDLIFE RECREATION AREA

Raining off and on today but that didn’t stop my humans from enjoying the day in the Kenai Wilderness. They drove to the Skilak Lake Road an 18-mile-long gravel road that is one of the best wildlife viewing areas on the Kenai Peninsula. Unfortunately, in 2015 much of the area suffered in a massive fire. Many areas are still trying to recover but it was still a beautiful drive.

They set out to see wildlife and not too many miles into the forest they saw the first black bear. It was a baby bear on the side of the road. The cars made too much noise, and he scampered back into the trees before they could take a picture. After that they started driving more slowly and watching the sides of the road. Along a grassy area they spotted another bear and her two cubs crossing the road in front of them. The bears stopped on the other side of the road and started eating the grass. We watched them for several minutes and took a couple of pictures before a truck came rumbling back and the bears ran off.  We couldn’t get close enough to get a good picture.

Along the drive they saw several trailheads and campgrounds around the many smaller lakes in the area. They stopped at Skilak Lake to take a picture.  It’s about 14 miles long and contains glacier runoff making it really clear. Maybe it was the because of the weather but there we only saw one boat on the water.

PRINCESS

No, not me but I am a little bit of a princess. Today we are at the Kenai Princess Resort. Who knew that they had an RV Resort on the same property as the Fancy Princess Wilderness Lodge. This is me sitting on Kathe’s lap while we were driving in the rain.

The drive today was only a little over 50 miles, but it was raining the whole way here. There was a little confusion trying to find the Resort. Luckily our GPS helped us find the place which was hidden in the woods. And, when we did finally arrive there was a sharp turn down a steep driveway. Jim had to disconnect the car to maneuver down the driveway but thank goodness the rain stopped just then. Once we were settled into our site things began to look up. The sun was even peeking through the clouds.

Kathe, Jim and Warren took a hike down to the Russian River before dinner. The trail was very steep but worth the effort. They hiked down to river and watched the water rushing by. It was so clear that you could actually see fish swimming in the water.

That made the guys start dreaming and thinking about fishing, but I don’t think that’s going to happen on this trip.

Keep your paws crossed that the weather will hold as tomorrow they plan to drive the Cooper Landing Scenic Drive, an 18-mile scenic loop to view wildlife on the Kenai Peninsula.

RAIN AGAIN

Another day of pouring rain. We have officially run out of things to do here in Kenai. The humans planned to do several hikes and search for wildlife from the various lookout points, but who wants to do that in the rain. Plus, the temperature today never rose higher than 46 degrees. Cold and rainy, not much fun. Me, I still like walking in the rain, but the puddles are getting so deep that Kathe has to carry me from one place to the next. This is the view out the window tonight.

Jim was worried about our jacks that were sinking into mud due to the rain. He closed up the slides and raised the jacks. Then he moved the coach a few feet and put some blocks under the jacks to keep them out of the mud. 

The main event today was a quick trip to Fred Meyer for some DEF and some more stuff to squeeze into the freezer. The plan was to visit the Kenai National Wildlife Museum and hike around the area. They managed to spend about an hour there, but it was raining too hard to hike. This was a grizzly bear at the museum

Maybe you’d like to learn some facts about Alaska. The state of Alaska is 665,384 square miles, the size of Texas, California, and Montana combined. Just 1/20 of 1 percent of the land is inhabited, the rest is untouched wilderness. One half of the state’s population lives in the Anchorage area.

Tonight’s cocktail is the Black Swan.