6-20-2011 - To Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

First, there has been no internet service throughout Canada for me (would be if I wanted to pay big bucks LOL).  So getting the blog caught up now.  Met our friends Rolly and Bonnie at our campground in the morning and caravaned together to Whitehorse.  Rainy, but road is paved so not so bad.  Watched our friends bikes go up and down on the back of their rig.  You can tell they are a bit younger than us, carrying bikes along.

Went to the Fish Hatchery, but too early for fish in the ladder.  Fish swim almost 2000 miles up the Yukon River.  The power dam keeps them from getting up stream, so the fish ladder allows them to climb all the way up the ladder to get above the dam so they can get to their spawing area.  Amazing.

Attended an evening Vaudeville Show, Frantic Follies.  Al was chosen to take the garter off one of the can can ladies!!  That garter went right on the rearview mirror when we left the show, and hasn't moved since.LOL  We had been to the show in 2004, changed a bit, but still good.  No pix of the show today.

6-19-2011 To Continental Divide Campground, between Watson Lake and Teslin

Had to wait an hour before the gas station opened to make sure we had enough fuel.  Stations are few and far between and require planning.  Good thing Al is good at that!!  Left Dease Lake Campground, no shoulders on the road, some gravel, some paved,  long, winding, hilly,  etc.  Al spotted 2 foxes but too quick to get a picture.   Arrived at the Continental Divide Campground.  Rig and car filthy, only had a chance to wash the car.

It truly is amazing the number of byciclist we have seen maneuvering these roads!!  Not an easy feat at all.

 

Evidence of a previous fire.   We have seen the fire areas we drove through in 2004.  Amazing how it comes back.

We will hook up with our friends tomorrow to travel together.  Wait till Rolly sees how dirty the car is.  Good thing he can't see it till we get together, he'll quit driving!!!LOL

6-17-2011 Hyder AK and Stewart, BC

Catch of the Day!!!

Al......Fish

Took a 17 dirt... mile ride in Hyder, stopped just short of the end of the road.

Most definitely not my fav, as I'm afraid of heights and this was winding and up and up!

These are the glaciers at the end of the road, what they call the thumb.  The end of the road was the top!!!

Alaska's first masonry storehouse building, part of an Army Corps of Engineers expedition to Alaska.  The monument to the left resembles the Washington Monument and marks the international boundary. 

Downtown Stewart, paved streets....quite different than the dirt roads of Hyder.  But both resemble what one would picture as an old western struggling town.

BEARS...finally!! (pix) 6-18-2011 From Hyder, AK to Dease River, BC

There are so many glaciers on this trip.   But one can see how they are slowly receding and receding.

This was our first siting...mama just meandering across the street.

Didn't even look our way.  They sure do walk gracefully tho!!  If you click the picture, the larger pix gives a better view.

Another siting.....a cub.

Then mama comes along....

Driving down the road I saw something, thinking hey, maybe more bears.  They

were these creatures, complete with a bell on them.  But who knows where they came from, there was not a house or barn in miles and miles.

I think this is a coyote, I need to research on internet :)

Ooops...roadway sign to the left LOL.  All these pictures have been taken from the rig while driving so they are best they could be.  Pull outs are far between.

6-16-2011 Hazleton, BC to Hyder, AK

Love when the clouds are in the mtns.

Bear Glacier

Bear Glacier

The hot Air Balloon is in the rigLOL..

Hyder, AK

Dolly Varden fish....our dinner!

The other side of town, where Hyder originally was.  It was originally built on stilts, still visible.

This was a lovely drive, and we saw a black bear cub on the side of the road today.  No picture again :(((  Driving too fast, but it was adorable.  I think my voice yelling at Al to tell him it was there, scared the cub more than the sound of the rig LOL.... The glaciers pictured below are of Bear Glacier.  This time customs was on the Canadian side and not US, so we managed to keep our food :)  The two towns of Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK are so close (2 miles), and really small towns, population 699 and 100 respectively.  As you can see from the picture, the town (Hyder) is really small, and quite a few of the buildings are boarded up or closed.  So sad...wondering what keeps people working here.  We did see a lot of lumber mills so maybe they drive quite a ways to work.  Al caught Dolly Varden, so that was our dinner tonight.  After dinner drove to a spit where the town dock was.  Again, beautiful scenery.  Hoping to see sea otters or something, but nothing around.  Maybe tomorrow night.

6-15-2011 Vanderhoof, BC to Hazleton, BC

These totem poles were in a small village area occupied by Native Americans.

Wildlife today!!!  Deer and fox, however, driving in the rig so no photos :(  Another great scenery day.  We did see some Totem Poles in Vanderhoof and Hazleton.  They were really disappointing to us...we expected them to be taken care of, and maybe have some color.  No so.  There is a lot of handwork that is involved, so it's sad to see them deteriorate so.  Not many vehicles on the road today, and what we see mostly is headed south, not north like us.  We were the only RV in the campground.  Travelling throughout BC one notices all the different colors in the landscape, which is just beautiful and full of snow, greens, blues, etc.  Wondering if Alaska will be the same as far as lack of rigs travelling.  In 2004, there were many many rigs.  The owner of the campground said that usually the snow is gone from the top of the mountains by now.  Hummmmm....while I don't like cold and snow, it does add beauty to the landscape!

6-13-2011 Bow, WA to Clinton, BC

At the Border, they had us discard our potatoes and apples :(   Lots of camera's for people going into the US,  not so many for those of us going into Canada.  The drive was a lovely drive today!  No wildlife however.  The campground was lovely, and even offered a BBQ for a fee; internet for a fee.