Day 9: 9/24/2010
Portland, OR-Alturas, CA, 523.8 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/GPJe
Well, so much for oatmeal in the morning... All clocks but my cell phone had at this point been put forward to the correct time zone, but the phone/alarm was still set to Alaska Standard Time... So quick showers and a mad dash to Ford, lead by the GPS that had to contend with new roads it didn't think existed.
At the service center, we were met with "who is your appointment with?" Uh... this is a foreign question to the girl who's only dealt with the Ford in Fairbanks, but eventually we were pointed in the direction of Ryan, the most happy bubbly mechanic I've ever met. Awesome! That was exactly what I needed. Yay!
We spent the next hour ish in the customer lounge laughing about the specialty coffee machine and treasuring more time with the internet :p Ryan found us with the words, "Well, she failed." At least he knew my car is a she... They'd done the simple recall reprogramming on the computer, but found the transmission too far gone. So recall became repair...
The car needed a new transmission kit, which Ryan said would be in by Monday (This is Friday) or they'd just take it out of the rental car... which is covered! It's all still under warranty and with rental coverage we can still go spend the weekend with Mathew's dad. Also, Ryan said he got us pushed ahead of some other cars so we could get done by monday because we from Alaska and road tripping. Being from Alaska finally pays off!. Lol. We waited a bit longer and talked over some plans... We decided to come back for the car monday, have fun getting to San Francisco, and fly Mathew out of there on October 2nd. That way we wouldn't be missing out on seeing Weronika along with a dreadfully direct route across the country to D.C.
The rental agent came in and chatted with us while Mathew booked a plane ticket and then took us to the Enterprise office. We had been told it was a 250 mile a day limit and could only go through Washington and Oregon, but they gave us northern California, too when they learned where Mathew's dad lives. And unlimited mileage! But that turned out not to matter as the two days in Alturas we wouldn't be driving the rental anyway. Because we were from Ford, we weren't charged for the extra driver, which was great. A bit of paperwork to sign and then the Ford Focus, late named Rescue Car, let us continue our journey!
So off to Route 101! We arrived in Lincoln City, Oregon on the coast, and headed south to Florence. Along the way we saw amazing ocean vistas and stopped in some really interested places. In Lincoln City we stopped at the beach briefly and they had these huge kites tied down so they were always in the air, then we headed south and the next major stop was at Cape Foulweather, which was named by Captain Cook! Mostly it was just little stops and viewpoints, but we did take a bit of a walk up to Heceta Head Lighthouse, which was very fun! We just missed the tour times, but it was ok.
We stopped briefly in Florence, Oregon for dinner in Old Florence, where some of the older buildings are still around and being used. We ate in a seafood chowder place called Mo's, yummy! Then... hours of driving to Klamath, Oregon and finally Alturas, CA, most of which I do not remember as I was asleep... Near the last few hours, we stopped in the road (a small one) to watch a jackrabbit dance! it was awesome, it bounced back and forth a bit, and then jumped up really sudden and then bounced away. Yay! We also saw a few dear, and Mathew had to dodge one at one point, but at 3am we made it safely to his dad's house!
We tried to be quiet going into the guest room and getting ready for bed, but one of the dogs had other plans. Bungie is the dog I've heard about, a black lab... he's deaf enough not to notice us. It was the 4 month old Chihuahua, Trixie, who made Mathew's dad's wife come out to meet us :p Not long after though, sleep!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day 8: 9/23/2010
Tacoma, WA-Portland, OR, 150.2 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/o0gO
We'd planned to go meet Willa after her Rat Lab and meet Mikey the rat, but we were slow risers, so we were ready in time for her to get back home :p Along with Lucy, we went to a breakfast place about 15-20 minutes walk from the house, which was lovely... with the rain and all... This was officially our first day with rain! The breakfast place was worth the walk, awesome food. We all just got two things and split them between two people each, I'm glad I didn't get a whole meal! On the walk back the rain let up and stopped for a little while, so it was much more enjoyable.
Once we got back it was time to pack up and say our goodbyes because Willa needed to study before a big concert that night... that's right, Hanson is back! Lol. There was a crazy last minute search for Mathew's disappearing toiletries bag, which finally reappeared on Willa's back steps where some kind soul put after probably finding it in the road by our car :p Then a bunch more hugs for Willa and I (home hugs are better than any others, you rock Willa!) and on the road again!
First stop, Ford Quick Lane! Finally, Pretty Car gets a check up. We'd noticed the transmission trying to find or skip gears while going uphill, so we asked if they could check that out... no go, but they'd look at it as much as they could in the time allowed. Now an hour and half or so... what to do... oh that's right, they have internet in the customer lounge! Lol, so we hung out there, got caught up with e-mail and tried to make progress on the blog, and kept our fingers crossed for the transmission.
Crossing fingers apparently doesn't work on cars. Turns out there was a recall on my car sometime in May or June that I never got the letter for... the recall was for some computer glitches that handled the transmission. If caught in time, it was just a quick reprogram. But it probably wasn't caught in time, given the symptoms we'd noticed... He told us the warning signs that the transmission was about to die and suggested planning a few days in one spot since it would need an appointment. We went over some options and headed for the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
Mom told us we had to at least walk across the pedestrian overpass there, but as we weren't there after hours like she was, we got to go inside, too! A third or so of their exhibit space was closed down for new installations, so we got a discount. First we went into the "Hot Room" to see a glass blowing couple from Murano, Italy. The room was awesome! It's inside this huge cone shaped portion of the building. Huge. The demonstration was really interesting, too. It was great to see how they all worked as a team with the process. At the end they showed a short movie about the Glass by Kids project, where children get to color and draw designs for sculptures and then the museum crew makes them real! Some notable names were Bacon Boy and Handi Man. Fun! Incredible way to draw in the community and make art accessible!
Then to the overpass itself outside the museum. Wow! It's completely amazing, absolutely gorgeous glass artwork on display and free for anybody to walk across! Possibly the coolest example of art for all that I've seen in a while. That was by far the highlight of the museum for me.
A quick late lunch at a coffee shop on the other side of the overpass and then back to the car to aim for the Oregon coast to camp. We were taking i5 to Portland and then heading off to Route 101 on the coast.
...Plans change! A little while down i5 I saw somebody's sleeping bag go flying in my mirror... Oh... that's -my- sleeping bag! I pulled off on the shoulder and Mathew gallantly dashed out in bare feet to close the roof rack that had come open. With 4 lanes of interstate traffic, my new sleeping bag, pad, and a blanket were a lost cause. Dad's later e-mail of "I lost way more from a work truck, so I've got you beat by quite a bit. You need to try harder. Love, Dad" really helped cheer me up. Thanks Dad, love you, too!
Back on the road, but the transmission did not appreciate this and slipped gears six times or so getting back up to speed. Suddenly camping was out and making it to San Francisco for the car appointment seems like a bad plan. Off the road again, this time using an exit ramp to go park and call the Portland Ford location. Luck at last! They have an appointment at 9am the next morning!
On the road again, this time wishing I could just inch my poor car to the shop, but she did great now, and we continued to Portland, using Mathew's GPS in the outskirts to find a Barnes and Noble for more internet. Mathew used Priceline to find us a good, cheap hotel while I use some photo therapy to cheer up by working on my 365 Project. After putting in the Address for the Ramada Inn, we drove there with a quick detour to Taco Bell for dinner. It was nice to know we wouldn't have to backtrack the next day because the hotel was in the same direction as the Ford place. I was driving in the city because Mathew knows how to work the GPS.
At the hotel we were magically upgraded to a mini suite and, with plans for oatmeal in the morning, sleepy time!
Tacoma, WA-Portland, OR, 150.2 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/o0gO
We'd planned to go meet Willa after her Rat Lab and meet Mikey the rat, but we were slow risers, so we were ready in time for her to get back home :p Along with Lucy, we went to a breakfast place about 15-20 minutes walk from the house, which was lovely... with the rain and all... This was officially our first day with rain! The breakfast place was worth the walk, awesome food. We all just got two things and split them between two people each, I'm glad I didn't get a whole meal! On the walk back the rain let up and stopped for a little while, so it was much more enjoyable.
Once we got back it was time to pack up and say our goodbyes because Willa needed to study before a big concert that night... that's right, Hanson is back! Lol. There was a crazy last minute search for Mathew's disappearing toiletries bag, which finally reappeared on Willa's back steps where some kind soul put after probably finding it in the road by our car :p Then a bunch more hugs for Willa and I (home hugs are better than any others, you rock Willa!) and on the road again!
First stop, Ford Quick Lane! Finally, Pretty Car gets a check up. We'd noticed the transmission trying to find or skip gears while going uphill, so we asked if they could check that out... no go, but they'd look at it as much as they could in the time allowed. Now an hour and half or so... what to do... oh that's right, they have internet in the customer lounge! Lol, so we hung out there, got caught up with e-mail and tried to make progress on the blog, and kept our fingers crossed for the transmission.
Crossing fingers apparently doesn't work on cars. Turns out there was a recall on my car sometime in May or June that I never got the letter for... the recall was for some computer glitches that handled the transmission. If caught in time, it was just a quick reprogram. But it probably wasn't caught in time, given the symptoms we'd noticed... He told us the warning signs that the transmission was about to die and suggested planning a few days in one spot since it would need an appointment. We went over some options and headed for the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
Mom told us we had to at least walk across the pedestrian overpass there, but as we weren't there after hours like she was, we got to go inside, too! A third or so of their exhibit space was closed down for new installations, so we got a discount. First we went into the "Hot Room" to see a glass blowing couple from Murano, Italy. The room was awesome! It's inside this huge cone shaped portion of the building. Huge. The demonstration was really interesting, too. It was great to see how they all worked as a team with the process. At the end they showed a short movie about the Glass by Kids project, where children get to color and draw designs for sculptures and then the museum crew makes them real! Some notable names were Bacon Boy and Handi Man. Fun! Incredible way to draw in the community and make art accessible!
Then to the overpass itself outside the museum. Wow! It's completely amazing, absolutely gorgeous glass artwork on display and free for anybody to walk across! Possibly the coolest example of art for all that I've seen in a while. That was by far the highlight of the museum for me.
A quick late lunch at a coffee shop on the other side of the overpass and then back to the car to aim for the Oregon coast to camp. We were taking i5 to Portland and then heading off to Route 101 on the coast.
...Plans change! A little while down i5 I saw somebody's sleeping bag go flying in my mirror... Oh... that's -my- sleeping bag! I pulled off on the shoulder and Mathew gallantly dashed out in bare feet to close the roof rack that had come open. With 4 lanes of interstate traffic, my new sleeping bag, pad, and a blanket were a lost cause. Dad's later e-mail of "I lost way more from a work truck, so I've got you beat by quite a bit. You need to try harder. Love, Dad" really helped cheer me up. Thanks Dad, love you, too!
Back on the road, but the transmission did not appreciate this and slipped gears six times or so getting back up to speed. Suddenly camping was out and making it to San Francisco for the car appointment seems like a bad plan. Off the road again, this time using an exit ramp to go park and call the Portland Ford location. Luck at last! They have an appointment at 9am the next morning!
On the road again, this time wishing I could just inch my poor car to the shop, but she did great now, and we continued to Portland, using Mathew's GPS in the outskirts to find a Barnes and Noble for more internet. Mathew used Priceline to find us a good, cheap hotel while I use some photo therapy to cheer up by working on my 365 Project. After putting in the Address for the Ramada Inn, we drove there with a quick detour to Taco Bell for dinner. It was nice to know we wouldn't have to backtrack the next day because the hotel was in the same direction as the Ford place. I was driving in the city because Mathew knows how to work the GPS.
At the hotel we were magically upgraded to a mini suite and, with plans for oatmeal in the morning, sleepy time!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Day 7: 9/22/2010
Green Lake Provincial Park, BC-Tacoma Washington, USA! 415 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/3cfK
I was up about an hour before Mathew for a change, and I kept hearing things falling on the tent. We had the tent under a big spruce tree, so I thought it was just bits falling from it. But when I got out of the tent, I was nearly hit with a spruce cone and looked up in time for eye contact with the kamikaze squirrel who was trying to get rid of us. It quickly launched more cones down at the tent, and that squirrel had some great aim! Squirrels throughout our travels have seemed to be faxing our photos ahead to warn the next batch, so I think this was the final act of warfare. Hilarious way to wake up :-) We late saw he squirrel sprinting across the next campsite away from us holding a couple cones in its mouth. Also in the tree for a bit were the first crows of the trip! Before that I think it was all ravens. That means we're going south! At some point, I think the first day on the Cassiar, we crossed some hills/mountains and left fall behind abruptly. The folliage went from golds, yellows, and oranges back to greens. So... back in time or heading south?
Now that it was light, we saw the first cattle guard things in the road back to the highway... ranching territory! We took Highway 97 to Cache Creek and then took Trans Canada Route 1 to the border!!!! Route 1 is gorgeous! We drove through the Thompson Canyon and the Fraser Canyon, and saw railroad tracks from the Canadian Pacific Railroad on one side of the river and the Canadian National Railroad on the other. We stopped at Gold Pan Provincial Park in Thompson Canyon to get photos of the railway tunnels, which was beautiful! Mostly the guard rails were in my way, so I was happy to stop.
Between the two canyons we saw fruit stands!!!! We finally stopped and got apples and a pear from one, and yummy! And then we went on the Hells Gate Tramway! Complete tourist trap. You take a tram 500 feet down across the river to where they have gift shop, restaurant... lol, and nice museum and great views! It was totally worth it, and made me laugh thinking of places I go all summer. There's a suspension bridge to walk across there, with metal grating. If I wasn't taking photos I doubt I would have gone far, but no fear will stop the photography! Lol, it was very pretty.
And awesome history!! The main attraction there is seeing the Hells Gate portion of the canyon, named by an explorer in the 1800s after he made it through on logs hung from the walls by the native peoples. He said he had "passed the gates of hell." Very apt name! When the railroads came through in 1931, they caused an avalanche that narrowed the river enough that the salmon could no longer make it back up to their spawning grounds. Sad! In the 1940s Canada started putting in fishways, and completed a few more in the 1960's. We saw some of the salmon using the fishways! It was really amazing, and this is the first year the population numbers migrating through are back to where they were before the avalanche! Very exciting!
Then on to the border, back in the USA... Almost... First we had to dispose of all the contraband (apple cores) and... er... I mean, we made it back just fine... Lol. We headed down some highway (we got lost a bit and took small roads back to Highway 542 to Bellingham, where we got some dinner and internet at the Barnes and Noble in Bellingham. And then Interstate 5 to Tacoma! Willa's advice to not look at the Boeing Airfields near Seattle while driving was well taken, (apparently Bill likes to watch the planes instead of the road at that point, lol. Love him!) Mathew looked and I drove, teamwork! Mathew saw a 787, a new plane made of carbon fiber!
We made it to Willa's house in Tacoma!! There was a bit of confusion when Willa tried to find us in front of the door and we were on the other side of the corner, but one of her housemates pointed us in the right direction. It was very funny because we were talking on the phone saying "No, you're not here because I'm standing right here and I can't see you!" "Yes, we are, we're on the exact streets you told us to go to!" Classic Willa Bonnie moment. Many hugs from home for Willa and then some fun talking inside with Lucy Moore and Willa before heading off for a late night campus tour. It seems like a great campus! Along the way we got held up in typical small school fashion while Willa ranted with some classmates from her favorite class... Rat Lab. Willa's rat Mikey is well loved... ish. Then we got the sleeping bags onto the couches and headed for bed! Night All!
Green Lake Provincial Park, BC-Tacoma Washington, USA! 415 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/3cfK
I was up about an hour before Mathew for a change, and I kept hearing things falling on the tent. We had the tent under a big spruce tree, so I thought it was just bits falling from it. But when I got out of the tent, I was nearly hit with a spruce cone and looked up in time for eye contact with the kamikaze squirrel who was trying to get rid of us. It quickly launched more cones down at the tent, and that squirrel had some great aim! Squirrels throughout our travels have seemed to be faxing our photos ahead to warn the next batch, so I think this was the final act of warfare. Hilarious way to wake up :-) We late saw he squirrel sprinting across the next campsite away from us holding a couple cones in its mouth. Also in the tree for a bit were the first crows of the trip! Before that I think it was all ravens. That means we're going south! At some point, I think the first day on the Cassiar, we crossed some hills/mountains and left fall behind abruptly. The folliage went from golds, yellows, and oranges back to greens. So... back in time or heading south?
Now that it was light, we saw the first cattle guard things in the road back to the highway... ranching territory! We took Highway 97 to Cache Creek and then took Trans Canada Route 1 to the border!!!! Route 1 is gorgeous! We drove through the Thompson Canyon and the Fraser Canyon, and saw railroad tracks from the Canadian Pacific Railroad on one side of the river and the Canadian National Railroad on the other. We stopped at Gold Pan Provincial Park in Thompson Canyon to get photos of the railway tunnels, which was beautiful! Mostly the guard rails were in my way, so I was happy to stop.
Between the two canyons we saw fruit stands!!!! We finally stopped and got apples and a pear from one, and yummy! And then we went on the Hells Gate Tramway! Complete tourist trap. You take a tram 500 feet down across the river to where they have gift shop, restaurant... lol, and nice museum and great views! It was totally worth it, and made me laugh thinking of places I go all summer. There's a suspension bridge to walk across there, with metal grating. If I wasn't taking photos I doubt I would have gone far, but no fear will stop the photography! Lol, it was very pretty.
And awesome history!! The main attraction there is seeing the Hells Gate portion of the canyon, named by an explorer in the 1800s after he made it through on logs hung from the walls by the native peoples. He said he had "passed the gates of hell." Very apt name! When the railroads came through in 1931, they caused an avalanche that narrowed the river enough that the salmon could no longer make it back up to their spawning grounds. Sad! In the 1940s Canada started putting in fishways, and completed a few more in the 1960's. We saw some of the salmon using the fishways! It was really amazing, and this is the first year the population numbers migrating through are back to where they were before the avalanche! Very exciting!
Then on to the border, back in the USA... Almost... First we had to dispose of all the contraband (apple cores) and... er... I mean, we made it back just fine... Lol. We headed down some highway (we got lost a bit and took small roads back to Highway 542 to Bellingham, where we got some dinner and internet at the Barnes and Noble in Bellingham. And then Interstate 5 to Tacoma! Willa's advice to not look at the Boeing Airfields near Seattle while driving was well taken, (apparently Bill likes to watch the planes instead of the road at that point, lol. Love him!) Mathew looked and I drove, teamwork! Mathew saw a 787, a new plane made of carbon fiber!
We made it to Willa's house in Tacoma!! There was a bit of confusion when Willa tried to find us in front of the door and we were on the other side of the corner, but one of her housemates pointed us in the right direction. It was very funny because we were talking on the phone saying "No, you're not here because I'm standing right here and I can't see you!" "Yes, we are, we're on the exact streets you told us to go to!" Classic Willa Bonnie moment. Many hugs from home for Willa and then some fun talking inside with Lucy Moore and Willa before heading off for a late night campus tour. It seems like a great campus! Along the way we got held up in typical small school fashion while Willa ranted with some classmates from her favorite class... Rat Lab. Willa's rat Mikey is well loved... ish. Then we got the sleeping bags onto the couches and headed for bed! Night All!
Day 6: 9/21/2010
Seeley Lake to Green lake Campground, 525.5 Miles
http://goo.gl/maps/fgNu
Still on the Yellowhead Highway (Known by Bonnie as other such names as Yellowknife and Yellowfingers...), we hit our first major construction! Still not much delay, but we left the highway in the middle of the construction to go check out Old Hazelton and the Ksan Village museum. We went across one of the tallest suspension bridges in British Columbia, which was built in 1931! It's a beautiful bridge. It was the 4th bridge built there, the first was this crazy string of logs that looked very graceful made by the First Nations people. Cute little buildings in Old Hazelton and some interesting totem poles in the village, along with a few nice exhibits inside. My favorite part was a viewpoint near the museum, with a tiny little sign and a small trail that lead to a lake with mountains in the background. There were all these benches and chairs made from huge logs on the ground. It was very peaceful and lovely :-) Around Hazelton there were a few signs with their motto... "Historically Nonconforming." Awesome motto!
Back to the Yellowfingersknifehead Highway! On to Smithers for lunch at A&W not Family Restaurant :p This A&W is much nicer than the one connected to KFC (ew) in Fairbanks. And the cashier had an awesome French Canadian accent! Along the way we started playing an "I Spy" card game, which has four pictures on each card and you have to find one so you can discard and get another card. It started slow but there were some fast paced competitive moments during the game... But Bonnie won out :-) The end result was 27 to 28 cards.
Soon after Smithers we stopped briefly at the continental divide (don't worry, I took a photo there to mark this amazing milestone...) and read about the Phantom Grizzly Bear! And its cousin... The Grizzly constantly disappeared whenever searched for and they finally got it only 7 paces from the officers trying to kill it... woah... (seriously wide eyed look right now...) Its cousin did not pose much of a problem, but they think it was related because of the size. Yikes! Lol.
On to Prince George! Many fun things to do here. First, does the Ford have time for us... Nope. Oh well, postpone until Tacoma! Next, Canadian Superstore for some reinforcements (tea and granola bars, oatmeal, and non-minty hot chocolate. Yay. Let it be known that this time the Canadian Superstore did not give me any free Loonies... (the one dollar coins, I know where all your thoughts went!). On other occasions I've gotten loonies out of the carts there (at the Whitehorse one) because people don't realize they can get the looney back for returning the cart. Not so this time, PG Town residents are just too smart...
Then to Timmy Hortons for lunch! Mathew had never had it before, and it was yummy. Everybody must try someday. Mathew was confused because I kept changing the name (Timmy's, Tim Hortons, Timmy Hortons) till I compared it to Fred's in Fairbanks :p We got a few Tim Bits for the road and then stopped for photos with Mr. PG... They make it too easy. Stay tuned for the photos... I was quite witty at this point and drove Mathew nuts with all the PG, PG13, and R jokes that can be puled from that.
At Prince George we left behind the Yellowhead (finally got it) Highway and took to Highway 97 for. On the way to our campsite we passed through Quesnel, home of the nasty smelling industrial plant... Nah, that was a bit before town, but it was obviously an industrial town. We passed through when it was dark and were a bit confused by the way the highway loops and weaves though town... But we made it out!
We were aiming for Bridge Lake Provincial Park to camp, but never even saw the sign for that, so we went for a our backup plan at Green Lake Park instead. It was really nice! Seeley Lake of the night before was right next to the highway, so we could hear traffic (though not much) but this one was 11km off the highway. It was a bit breezy, but we got the tent set up and finished our game of Phase 10 with tea and hot chocolate, and some munching since dinner was about four and a half hours earlier. Bonnie won, but it was close! And then to bed!
Seeley Lake to Green lake Campground, 525.5 Miles
http://goo.gl/maps/fgNu
Still on the Yellowhead Highway (Known by Bonnie as other such names as Yellowknife and Yellowfingers...), we hit our first major construction! Still not much delay, but we left the highway in the middle of the construction to go check out Old Hazelton and the Ksan Village museum. We went across one of the tallest suspension bridges in British Columbia, which was built in 1931! It's a beautiful bridge. It was the 4th bridge built there, the first was this crazy string of logs that looked very graceful made by the First Nations people. Cute little buildings in Old Hazelton and some interesting totem poles in the village, along with a few nice exhibits inside. My favorite part was a viewpoint near the museum, with a tiny little sign and a small trail that lead to a lake with mountains in the background. There were all these benches and chairs made from huge logs on the ground. It was very peaceful and lovely :-) Around Hazelton there were a few signs with their motto... "Historically Nonconforming." Awesome motto!
Back to the Yellowfingersknifehead Highway! On to Smithers for lunch at A&W not Family Restaurant :p This A&W is much nicer than the one connected to KFC (ew) in Fairbanks. And the cashier had an awesome French Canadian accent! Along the way we started playing an "I Spy" card game, which has four pictures on each card and you have to find one so you can discard and get another card. It started slow but there were some fast paced competitive moments during the game... But Bonnie won out :-) The end result was 27 to 28 cards.
Soon after Smithers we stopped briefly at the continental divide (don't worry, I took a photo there to mark this amazing milestone...) and read about the Phantom Grizzly Bear! And its cousin... The Grizzly constantly disappeared whenever searched for and they finally got it only 7 paces from the officers trying to kill it... woah... (seriously wide eyed look right now...) Its cousin did not pose much of a problem, but they think it was related because of the size. Yikes! Lol.
On to Prince George! Many fun things to do here. First, does the Ford have time for us... Nope. Oh well, postpone until Tacoma! Next, Canadian Superstore for some reinforcements (tea and granola bars, oatmeal, and non-minty hot chocolate. Yay. Let it be known that this time the Canadian Superstore did not give me any free Loonies... (the one dollar coins, I know where all your thoughts went!). On other occasions I've gotten loonies out of the carts there (at the Whitehorse one) because people don't realize they can get the looney back for returning the cart. Not so this time, PG Town residents are just too smart...
Then to Timmy Hortons for lunch! Mathew had never had it before, and it was yummy. Everybody must try someday. Mathew was confused because I kept changing the name (Timmy's, Tim Hortons, Timmy Hortons) till I compared it to Fred's in Fairbanks :p We got a few Tim Bits for the road and then stopped for photos with Mr. PG... They make it too easy. Stay tuned for the photos... I was quite witty at this point and drove Mathew nuts with all the PG, PG13, and R jokes that can be puled from that.
At Prince George we left behind the Yellowhead (finally got it) Highway and took to Highway 97 for. On the way to our campsite we passed through Quesnel, home of the nasty smelling industrial plant... Nah, that was a bit before town, but it was obviously an industrial town. We passed through when it was dark and were a bit confused by the way the highway loops and weaves though town... But we made it out!
We were aiming for Bridge Lake Provincial Park to camp, but never even saw the sign for that, so we went for a our backup plan at Green Lake Park instead. It was really nice! Seeley Lake of the night before was right next to the highway, so we could hear traffic (though not much) but this one was 11km off the highway. It was a bit breezy, but we got the tent set up and finished our game of Phase 10 with tea and hot chocolate, and some munching since dinner was about four and a half hours earlier. Bonnie won, but it was close! And then to bed!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day 5: 9/20/2010
Dease Lake to Seeley Lake Campground, 413.4 Miles
http://goo.gl/maps/c8vT
We headed south from Dease Lake after snagging breakfast sammiches from a small grocery story, and Bonnie made the second attempt at getting conditioner... the first time I may have accidentally gotten more shampoo instead. My hair without conditioner went insanely static, so it's a good investment, test concluded!
We took a detour off the Cassiar on the suggestion of a friend and went to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Amazing! We saw this incredible glacier just across a lake (Bear Glacier), adorable little buildings in Stewart and a snazzy "Welcome to Stewart" sign, a great dock/pier in Hyder... which is literally right next to Stewart! Hyder has a lovely sense of humor with "Hyder Seek" on several signs and postcards, yay! We also went out Salmon Glacier Road far enough to visit a bear viewing area. It's this great setup right next to a salmon stream with boardwalks set up for viewing. No bears, though apparently there were some that morning, but an immature bald eagle was posing for photos! On the way out, we saw the first of two black bears on the side of the road "grazing." That's the term used by the Milepost for a different location :p Also on the way back to the Cassiar I got views of the waterfalls Mathew saw on the way in, they're amazing! You see them flowing all the way from cirque glaciers down through various crevices and valleys. Gorgeous!
Then back down the Cassiar, with a stop for photos at the Bonnie Irving River! Some may call it the Bell-Irving River, but just wait, I'll have photos soon to prove otherwise. I was so psyched about this stop I woke up asking about the Bonnie Irving River... for a few seconds I actually thought it was named that!
Some of the other highlights for the day were the Arctic Palm Tree (a spruce shaped just like a palm tree with a little sign on it :p), the Seven Sisters Mountians, gorgeous! They made me think of all the people I can call sisters :-) Mainly Brita of course, and Willa! Another was the Nass River Bridge, which was one of the many moments appropriate for my excited "Ohohohoh!!" Which translates roughly to "I see the picture and can't get it because we're too fast or this guard rail is in the way!" Usually this is followed by "Oh, well, a picture for next time" "Guess that was just a mind photograph!" Or puppy dog eyes at Mathew. I've noticed the puppy dog eyes are least successful in getting him to stop and go back... lol. But this time he was awesome enough to go back over the one lane bridge, and stop at the other end to let me out. I got some photos and then dashed back to the car just in time for a semi to cross the bridge ;p
Anf finally... the first night of camping!! We made it to the end of the Cassiar Highway (stopping briefly for some photos of the "finest totem poles in the Province," and then camped at Seeley Lake a few miles down the Yellowhead Highway. With the tent set up we played a quiet game of Phase Ten with hot chocolate (I did my best to have a silent giggle attack). Bonnie got to Phase 7 and Mathew to Phase 6... Can he pull it back in the next game? Till next time!
Dease Lake to Seeley Lake Campground, 413.4 Miles
http://goo.gl/maps/c8vT
We headed south from Dease Lake after snagging breakfast sammiches from a small grocery story, and Bonnie made the second attempt at getting conditioner... the first time I may have accidentally gotten more shampoo instead. My hair without conditioner went insanely static, so it's a good investment, test concluded!
We took a detour off the Cassiar on the suggestion of a friend and went to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Amazing! We saw this incredible glacier just across a lake (Bear Glacier), adorable little buildings in Stewart and a snazzy "Welcome to Stewart" sign, a great dock/pier in Hyder... which is literally right next to Stewart! Hyder has a lovely sense of humor with "Hyder Seek" on several signs and postcards, yay! We also went out Salmon Glacier Road far enough to visit a bear viewing area. It's this great setup right next to a salmon stream with boardwalks set up for viewing. No bears, though apparently there were some that morning, but an immature bald eagle was posing for photos! On the way out, we saw the first of two black bears on the side of the road "grazing." That's the term used by the Milepost for a different location :p Also on the way back to the Cassiar I got views of the waterfalls Mathew saw on the way in, they're amazing! You see them flowing all the way from cirque glaciers down through various crevices and valleys. Gorgeous!
Then back down the Cassiar, with a stop for photos at the Bonnie Irving River! Some may call it the Bell-Irving River, but just wait, I'll have photos soon to prove otherwise. I was so psyched about this stop I woke up asking about the Bonnie Irving River... for a few seconds I actually thought it was named that!
Some of the other highlights for the day were the Arctic Palm Tree (a spruce shaped just like a palm tree with a little sign on it :p), the Seven Sisters Mountians, gorgeous! They made me think of all the people I can call sisters :-) Mainly Brita of course, and Willa! Another was the Nass River Bridge, which was one of the many moments appropriate for my excited "Ohohohoh!!" Which translates roughly to "I see the picture and can't get it because we're too fast or this guard rail is in the way!" Usually this is followed by "Oh, well, a picture for next time" "Guess that was just a mind photograph!" Or puppy dog eyes at Mathew. I've noticed the puppy dog eyes are least successful in getting him to stop and go back... lol. But this time he was awesome enough to go back over the one lane bridge, and stop at the other end to let me out. I got some photos and then dashed back to the car just in time for a semi to cross the bridge ;p
Anf finally... the first night of camping!! We made it to the end of the Cassiar Highway (stopping briefly for some photos of the "finest totem poles in the Province," and then camped at Seeley Lake a few miles down the Yellowhead Highway. With the tent set up we played a quiet game of Phase Ten with hot chocolate (I did my best to have a silent giggle attack). Bonnie got to Phase 7 and Mathew to Phase 6... Can he pull it back in the next game? Till next time!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Alaska and the Yukon Left Behind!
Day 4: Skagway, AK to Dease Lake, BC, 480 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/bYI3
We made it to British Columbia and the Cassiar Highway! We headed up the South Klondike this morning and then took the Tagish Road to the Alaska Highway, which was interesting, because I've never been on the Tagish Road and have several friends who winter there. Then on down to the Cassiar Highway, with stops at amazing places like Squanga Lake (really, these places have the best names...).
We also stopped at the start of North Canol Road and read some interesting information about it. They planned $30 million for it... and spent $134 million! And then it was used for only about a year. Mathew said runaway spending like that during WWII and after is why GAO, the office he works for, was established... So I guess thank you to mistaken government spending? Lol. Right near that stop was one of the few "permanent" bridges built on the Alaska Highway in 1942, the Teslin Bridge.
I told Mathew the repeater tower joke, another classic, and we used it many more times in other days. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Lol. There ya go! It's actually. "Know what that is? It's a repeater tower. A repeater tower. That's a repeater tower. Over there is a repeater tower..." We did get in a little walk/hike at Rancheria Falls, which was short and nice. The sign for it was priceless... It described the path and boardwalk and it says "path designed for the physically challenged." Yeah... except for the several inch drops from each section of boardwalk, and the roots in the dirt portions of trail!
We stared at the temperature all day and decided late in the game to forgo freezing and stay in a hotel in Dease Lake.
But first... dinner at "Wolf It Down" where we learned the extensive history of Nugget City... Which bagan way back in 1987. Lol, that's right, 1987, as in less than 30 years ago. Less than 25.... Then on down the Cassiar... Almost! Mathew heard my sigh of "oh well, next time..." and "missed" the turnoff so we could go see the Sign Post Forest :-) Jeff Powell if you're reading this, you were so wrong, the detour to the Sign Post Forest was totally worth it! More on that when I get my act together and have pictures. But a new item on my bucket list: return to Watson Lake and add to Sign Post Forest!
And then, finally, we headed for Dease Lake and comfy beds, with only a few brief stops, one for the "Welcome to British Columbia" Sign, and one to get some great shots of a lake with moonlight! And now... bedtime!
http://goo.gl/maps/bYI3
We made it to British Columbia and the Cassiar Highway! We headed up the South Klondike this morning and then took the Tagish Road to the Alaska Highway, which was interesting, because I've never been on the Tagish Road and have several friends who winter there. Then on down to the Cassiar Highway, with stops at amazing places like Squanga Lake (really, these places have the best names...).
We also stopped at the start of North Canol Road and read some interesting information about it. They planned $30 million for it... and spent $134 million! And then it was used for only about a year. Mathew said runaway spending like that during WWII and after is why GAO, the office he works for, was established... So I guess thank you to mistaken government spending? Lol. Right near that stop was one of the few "permanent" bridges built on the Alaska Highway in 1942, the Teslin Bridge.
I told Mathew the repeater tower joke, another classic, and we used it many more times in other days. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Ask me some day and I'll tell you the joke. Lol. There ya go! It's actually. "Know what that is? It's a repeater tower. A repeater tower. That's a repeater tower. Over there is a repeater tower..." We did get in a little walk/hike at Rancheria Falls, which was short and nice. The sign for it was priceless... It described the path and boardwalk and it says "path designed for the physically challenged." Yeah... except for the several inch drops from each section of boardwalk, and the roots in the dirt portions of trail!
We stared at the temperature all day and decided late in the game to forgo freezing and stay in a hotel in Dease Lake.
But first... dinner at "Wolf It Down" where we learned the extensive history of Nugget City... Which bagan way back in 1987. Lol, that's right, 1987, as in less than 30 years ago. Less than 25.... Then on down the Cassiar... Almost! Mathew heard my sigh of "oh well, next time..." and "missed" the turnoff so we could go see the Sign Post Forest :-) Jeff Powell if you're reading this, you were so wrong, the detour to the Sign Post Forest was totally worth it! More on that when I get my act together and have pictures. But a new item on my bucket list: return to Watson Lake and add to Sign Post Forest!
And then, finally, we headed for Dease Lake and comfy beds, with only a few brief stops, one for the "Welcome to British Columbia" Sign, and one to get some great shots of a lake with moonlight! And now... bedtime!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Day 3 Completed!
Day 3: Whitehorse to Skagway, 132 miles
http://goo.gl/maps/oN22
We had an awesome day today! It began... very slowly. As in, I very slowly rolled out of bed long after the alarm went off. I resorted some clothes so I no longer haul suitcase, briefcase, backpack, and laundry bag out of the car each night, and then we got baked. Er... We got Baked. :D I got my hot chocolate fix and after some breakfast panini's and a scone to go, we headed for the South Klondike Highway! We took the scenic route past Miles Canyon again and I got a few photos with more sun than last night.
Next, Emerald Lake! Oooh, but first, we stopped in at Kookatsoon Lake and hit the playground! Pics to come soon, I swear. Of all three days. I was very psyched for Kookatsoon Lake because really... say it out loud and then imagine driving past it for two summers and never being able to stop... sigh. so yay! Not a very impressive lake... but a good slide. No hands!
Next, Carcross, Yukon Territory for a city tour (Mathew was very stoic throughout the bad jokes and old stories). Then south, along Yukon's Southern Lakes to Tormented Valley. To get an idea of how it got its name, just imagine the prospectors of 1897 and put your hand on the window.... Can ya feel the pain? Er... the pain rather. Lol, Are you missing out or what?
We hiked around Tormented Valley a bit, which I've been waiting or months to do. Gorgeous and dramatic scenery! Then to Skagway, with views of the WPYR Train across the White Pass and fabulous waterfalls.
A wander around Skagway, lunch at Glacial Smoothies and then to the Gold Ruch Cemetary and Soapy Smith's Grave. And then Dyea! Despite rumors, it's a good road and we made it all the way there, it was awesome! Nothing left really, but wow! So much history.
We decided to stay the night here in Skagway and found the Historic Skagway Inn. Adorable! We're in the Birdie Room! It's a B&B, so yum in the morning. Dinner with Tator Tots at the Skagway Brew Co.
Ok... Sweeney Todd is on, so hugs and love, and goodnight!
http://goo.gl/maps/oN22
We had an awesome day today! It began... very slowly. As in, I very slowly rolled out of bed long after the alarm went off. I resorted some clothes so I no longer haul suitcase, briefcase, backpack, and laundry bag out of the car each night, and then we got baked. Er... We got Baked. :D I got my hot chocolate fix and after some breakfast panini's and a scone to go, we headed for the South Klondike Highway! We took the scenic route past Miles Canyon again and I got a few photos with more sun than last night.
Next, Emerald Lake! Oooh, but first, we stopped in at Kookatsoon Lake and hit the playground! Pics to come soon, I swear. Of all three days. I was very psyched for Kookatsoon Lake because really... say it out loud and then imagine driving past it for two summers and never being able to stop... sigh. so yay! Not a very impressive lake... but a good slide. No hands!
Next, Carcross, Yukon Territory for a city tour (Mathew was very stoic throughout the bad jokes and old stories). Then south, along Yukon's Southern Lakes to Tormented Valley. To get an idea of how it got its name, just imagine the prospectors of 1897 and put your hand on the window.... Can ya feel the pain? Er... the pain rather. Lol, Are you missing out or what?
We hiked around Tormented Valley a bit, which I've been waiting or months to do. Gorgeous and dramatic scenery! Then to Skagway, with views of the WPYR Train across the White Pass and fabulous waterfalls.
A wander around Skagway, lunch at Glacial Smoothies and then to the Gold Ruch Cemetary and Soapy Smith's Grave. And then Dyea! Despite rumors, it's a good road and we made it all the way there, it was awesome! Nothing left really, but wow! So much history.
We decided to stay the night here in Skagway and found the Historic Skagway Inn. Adorable! We're in the Birdie Room! It's a B&B, so yum in the morning. Dinner with Tator Tots at the Skagway Brew Co.
Ok... Sweeney Todd is on, so hugs and love, and goodnight!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Days 1 and 2, Whitehorse, YT
Hello All!
We've made it to the capital of the Yukon Territory!
http://goo.gl/maps/ieOw
http://goo.gl/maps/hdJs
Day Number 1: Fairbanks, AK to Haines Junction, YT, 512 miles
We began the morning by leaving at our scheduled time of 8am... Or rather, we started eating breakfast (made by mi madre, yay!) soon after Mathew arrived at my house at 8am, and managed to depart for the Yukon by 9:10am... well, we headed back toward Ester after discovering coats were left in Mathew's closet, but after one more good-bye with Joan and Gerald, we hit the road!
We made it to Haines Junction by 8:35... unless you remember to change the clocks (we didn't) in which case it was 9:35 :p ish. Great photo ops along the way, amazing views of Kluane lake, (at night!) and rather tasty microwaved hamburgers before we took to the Haines Highway 26 miles to our hotel. The hotel was fabulous, I was in love with the mismatched glasses, mugs, and towels. Yay!
Day Number 2: Haines Junction, YT-Whitehorse, YT, 191.5 miles
Hiking! The morning began with a hike up a rock glacier in Kluane National Park, yay! It's a pretty short hike, gorgeous, and really interesting natural history. Next, to the Village Bakery! ... which... is closed. A stop at the visitor's center sent us to Kluane Park Lodge for Chinese Food, Yum!
Then on to Whitehorse... Or is it on to the side of the road -near- Whitehorse? We took a side trip off to Kusawa Lake and the "miles to empty" meter on Pretty Car (My car's name :D) dropped dramatically 3-5 miles more than it should have... suddenly we may not make it to Whitehorse. But don't worry, spirits remained high and we rolled in to the first gas station with 3 miles to spare! (Also, my hair is all gone from the stress, but don't worry, it grows quick.)
Next, we checked in and then headed along Schwatka lake for a walk/hike along Miles Canyon in search of Canyon City, but the sun decided to cut us short and we headed back. It was gorgeous!
And finally, dinner at Earl's restaurant! The fanciest in Whitehorse, pretty much tops out Fairbanks fancy... Dinner was yummy and my mojito... sigh... such goodness... Until Mathew's "this feels like most of Washington D.C." sent me running back to Fairbanks in a panic. GAH!!!!!!! So, Mathew's friends who may read this... If you wish to meet me, I will be hiding in the non fancy sections of town :-) (That's the museums, not the slums.) Night night!
We've made it to the capital of the Yukon Territory!
http://goo.gl/maps/ieOw
http://goo.gl/maps/hdJs
Day Number 1: Fairbanks, AK to Haines Junction, YT, 512 miles
We began the morning by leaving at our scheduled time of 8am... Or rather, we started eating breakfast (made by mi madre, yay!) soon after Mathew arrived at my house at 8am, and managed to depart for the Yukon by 9:10am... well, we headed back toward Ester after discovering coats were left in Mathew's closet, but after one more good-bye with Joan and Gerald, we hit the road!
We made it to Haines Junction by 8:35... unless you remember to change the clocks (we didn't) in which case it was 9:35 :p ish. Great photo ops along the way, amazing views of Kluane lake, (at night!) and rather tasty microwaved hamburgers before we took to the Haines Highway 26 miles to our hotel. The hotel was fabulous, I was in love with the mismatched glasses, mugs, and towels. Yay!
Day Number 2: Haines Junction, YT-Whitehorse, YT, 191.5 miles
Hiking! The morning began with a hike up a rock glacier in Kluane National Park, yay! It's a pretty short hike, gorgeous, and really interesting natural history. Next, to the Village Bakery! ... which... is closed. A stop at the visitor's center sent us to Kluane Park Lodge for Chinese Food, Yum!
Then on to Whitehorse... Or is it on to the side of the road -near- Whitehorse? We took a side trip off to Kusawa Lake and the "miles to empty" meter on Pretty Car (My car's name :D) dropped dramatically 3-5 miles more than it should have... suddenly we may not make it to Whitehorse. But don't worry, spirits remained high and we rolled in to the first gas station with 3 miles to spare! (Also, my hair is all gone from the stress, but don't worry, it grows quick.)
Next, we checked in and then headed along Schwatka lake for a walk/hike along Miles Canyon in search of Canyon City, but the sun decided to cut us short and we headed back. It was gorgeous!
And finally, dinner at Earl's restaurant! The fanciest in Whitehorse, pretty much tops out Fairbanks fancy... Dinner was yummy and my mojito... sigh... such goodness... Until Mathew's "this feels like most of Washington D.C." sent me running back to Fairbanks in a panic. GAH!!!!!!! So, Mathew's friends who may read this... If you wish to meet me, I will be hiding in the non fancy sections of town :-) (That's the museums, not the slums.) Night night!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day Number One
Well, here goes! The blog. Mathew and I are making our way toWashington D.C. to arrive on the 3rd of October, two days past my birthday! And I am notscared. Much. As a tester (or just because we wanted to go) we drove to Anchorage and back the long way a few days ago, so I'll include that in the blog. Miles driven: 918.9.
We drove to Anchorage via the Parks Highway without many stops. Not great weather and a route I've seen, so not many photos taken. Stopped for breakfast in Denali (Glitter Gulch) after not stopping in Healy and got food at Subway... My first subway breakfast. Lol. Yummy!
Next day we went to the Palmer State Fair, the biggest I think in Alaska.... not very exciting. Very fun to be there with Mathew, but not much better than Fairbanks and no sentimental value :p
[As an artist... This just had to be done.]
[Mathew enjoyin' the ferris wheel.]
[A view from the ferris wheel, I've
discovered the ferris wheel is way
more fun with a camera in hand :p]
[The Alaska Railroad Fair Train... Just brings ya
back to where Mathew and I first met...
Awwwww... Hehe]
Amazing walk after that along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail ending at Earthquake Park, and then a cab back to the hotel and dinner at Glacier Brewhouse.
And then the third day we drove back up to Fairbanks via the Glenn and Richardson Highways. Much nicer! Amazing views, incredible weather, and awesome and many photo ops. Yay!
Ok... Sleepy time, to Haines Junction in a few hours. Much love and many hugs,
Bonnie (The rest of these will be both of us... I think... Yay!)
Ok... Sleepy time, to Haines Junction in a few hours. Much love and many hugs,
Bonnie (The rest of these will be both of us... I think... Yay!)
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