I have just uploaded some photos from the beginning of the trip onto Facebook.
Today was spent in Skagway. We panned for gold because the kids wanted to check it out. We have about 14 small (very small) nuggets of gold. The rest of the day we walked around downtown Skagway. We did a little shopping and then Steven and Tim checked out a local brewery. It was an amazing drive to Skagway!! There is only one road into town, so we are looking forward to the drive to Whitehorse tomorrow because we will get to check out the scenery again. On the road to Skagway we saw one black bear and one moose.
Due to where the country borders are located we will have to cross into Canada again tomorrow.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wild life
Upon leaving Prince George on the 26th, Steven had a difficult time getting the oil filter off the truck, so we got out a little late. He first had to make a trip to an auto parts store. The miles are adding up fast!!
This day we drove from Prince George to Fort Saint John, Canada. There is a town along the way called Chetwynd. They host a chainsaw tree carving competition every June. The previous winners are on display through out the area with the majority of them at the visitor center. It is crazy how artistic some people can be! The people competing get 35 hrs over 4 days to finish their project. Amazing!
Dawson Creek was another stop on the road. In that town is the official start of the Alaska Highway (The Alcan). There is a monument indicating mile marker 0. Not much further is the town of Fort Saint John and that is where we stayed for the night.
The next day (6/27) we drove from Fort Saint John to Liard River. The drive had numerous wildlife sightings including a moose, big horn sheep, wild buffalo, and plenty of black bears. Our final stop was at Liard River because everyone that we have met along the way who are on their way back down to the states keep telling us about the hot springs there. We pulled in for the night and headed to the glorious hot springs!!!! It was beautiful and left totally natural. The path to the hot springs was on a wood planked boardwalk because the ground underneath was a little swampy. We heard some branches cracking and looked over to see a moose grazing. Awesome!
We have run into many other RVs who are doing the exact same trip as us. The people who are on their way back down to the US are a great wealth of information regarding what not to miss along the way. As Steven has said, "We are the youngest people doing this by about 30 years." I always have to laugh because it is so true! Everyone that we speak with or camp next to is at least 60 yrs old.
Yesterday we drove from Liard Springs to Teslin, Canada. The drive was beautiful and we saw over 20 bears during the 5 hr drive. We also saw 4 wild horses & countless wild buffalo. Our campsite has 2 foxes (one red, one white) that keep their eyes out for food left over.
Since Lake Louise we had been having to adjust to really long amounts of day light. In Lake Louise we had about 6 hrs of night, now it is down to about 2.5 hrs. It is 1 AM and if you asked us, we would guess that it is 7 PM. Ava wakes up at 4:45 to 5 PM daily because she thinks it is morning. Thankfully she falls right back to sleep!!!!
Today we are driving to Skagway, ALASKA! It is our first Alaska stop. Steven and I were there 2 1/2 yrs ago on an Alaskan cruise. Last time we took the train ride, so this time we will try something different. So far we have logged a total of 3,400 miles.
This day we drove from Prince George to Fort Saint John, Canada. There is a town along the way called Chetwynd. They host a chainsaw tree carving competition every June. The previous winners are on display through out the area with the majority of them at the visitor center. It is crazy how artistic some people can be! The people competing get 35 hrs over 4 days to finish their project. Amazing!
Dawson Creek was another stop on the road. In that town is the official start of the Alaska Highway (The Alcan). There is a monument indicating mile marker 0. Not much further is the town of Fort Saint John and that is where we stayed for the night.
The next day (6/27) we drove from Fort Saint John to Liard River. The drive had numerous wildlife sightings including a moose, big horn sheep, wild buffalo, and plenty of black bears. Our final stop was at Liard River because everyone that we have met along the way who are on their way back down to the states keep telling us about the hot springs there. We pulled in for the night and headed to the glorious hot springs!!!! It was beautiful and left totally natural. The path to the hot springs was on a wood planked boardwalk because the ground underneath was a little swampy. We heard some branches cracking and looked over to see a moose grazing. Awesome!
We have run into many other RVs who are doing the exact same trip as us. The people who are on their way back down to the US are a great wealth of information regarding what not to miss along the way. As Steven has said, "We are the youngest people doing this by about 30 years." I always have to laugh because it is so true! Everyone that we speak with or camp next to is at least 60 yrs old.
Yesterday we drove from Liard Springs to Teslin, Canada. The drive was beautiful and we saw over 20 bears during the 5 hr drive. We also saw 4 wild horses & countless wild buffalo. Our campsite has 2 foxes (one red, one white) that keep their eyes out for food left over.
Since Lake Louise we had been having to adjust to really long amounts of day light. In Lake Louise we had about 6 hrs of night, now it is down to about 2.5 hrs. It is 1 AM and if you asked us, we would guess that it is 7 PM. Ava wakes up at 4:45 to 5 PM daily because she thinks it is morning. Thankfully she falls right back to sleep!!!!
Today we are driving to Skagway, ALASKA! It is our first Alaska stop. Steven and I were there 2 1/2 yrs ago on an Alaskan cruise. Last time we took the train ride, so this time we will try something different. So far we have logged a total of 3,400 miles.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Update
On Monday (6/22) we drove from Vancouver to Lake Louise, Canada. The drive was long, but there were beautiful sights to see. While driving we saw a black bear run across the road, a few big horn sheep standing at the road side and an elk near the road. Ava has been amazing during the drives, but not sleeping the best at night. Sadie has been a joy to travel with... at least she sleeps well at night!! :)
On Tuesday (6/23) we drove to Banff for the day to check out the city. It is a cool ski town that kind-of reminds you of a Colorado ski town. They have a cave there that we also checked out. There was a 2 mile round trip hike next to the river that was nice and peaceful. That evening we drove to see Lake Louise because we knew that we were going to take the canoe there the next day for a ride around the lake. What a beautiful lake!!!! A huge hotel sits at one side of the greenish colored glacier water with mountains surrounding the shore. A rather large glacier sits at the opposite side of the lake. It was a very impressive lake to see!!! Our campground had perfect bike trails near the stream that ran through it, so we went for a nice bike ride before going to bed for the night.
On Wednesday (6/24) we got up early and went for an hour canoe ride on the lake. I absolutely loved it! While on the water we heard/saw 2 avalanches that sounded like really loud thunder. You could see large puffs of snow left behind. The photos are wonderful! After the ride we packed up and drove to Jasper, Canada. The drive is through the Jasper National Park which is one of the most beautiful drives in Canada. The road runs parallel to the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are much more rugged than the Rockies in the USA. There were several glaciers and many snow capped peaks. We saw 2 black bears in the open flat lands as well as a big horn sheep grazing at the road side. We stopped to see a few impressive waterfalls and walked on a glacier at the Icefields National Park. Even Sadie did the trek to the glacier and got a few photos taken on top of the glacier. There were signs all over indicating where the glacier was years ago. Sad, sad, sad!!!
This morning we left Jasper and drove to Prince George, Canada. Along the way we saw the tallest peak in all of Canada. Other than that it was a pretty drive. I hope to get some photos on here soon!!!
On Tuesday (6/23) we drove to Banff for the day to check out the city. It is a cool ski town that kind-of reminds you of a Colorado ski town. They have a cave there that we also checked out. There was a 2 mile round trip hike next to the river that was nice and peaceful. That evening we drove to see Lake Louise because we knew that we were going to take the canoe there the next day for a ride around the lake. What a beautiful lake!!!! A huge hotel sits at one side of the greenish colored glacier water with mountains surrounding the shore. A rather large glacier sits at the opposite side of the lake. It was a very impressive lake to see!!! Our campground had perfect bike trails near the stream that ran through it, so we went for a nice bike ride before going to bed for the night.
On Wednesday (6/24) we got up early and went for an hour canoe ride on the lake. I absolutely loved it! While on the water we heard/saw 2 avalanches that sounded like really loud thunder. You could see large puffs of snow left behind. The photos are wonderful! After the ride we packed up and drove to Jasper, Canada. The drive is through the Jasper National Park which is one of the most beautiful drives in Canada. The road runs parallel to the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are much more rugged than the Rockies in the USA. There were several glaciers and many snow capped peaks. We saw 2 black bears in the open flat lands as well as a big horn sheep grazing at the road side. We stopped to see a few impressive waterfalls and walked on a glacier at the Icefields National Park. Even Sadie did the trek to the glacier and got a few photos taken on top of the glacier. There were signs all over indicating where the glacier was years ago. Sad, sad, sad!!!
This morning we left Jasper and drove to Prince George, Canada. Along the way we saw the tallest peak in all of Canada. Other than that it was a pretty drive. I hope to get some photos on here soon!!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Last full day in Vancouver
We spent today riding our bikes around Stanley Park. We rode about 14 miles and did one full lap around the enormous park. The entire ride has a beautiful view of either the ocean, city or marina. The trail is paved and well maintained. We have been very impressed by the ability to be in nature while in a big city. Ava enjoyed the ride/view in her bike trailer that Steven was pulling while constantly saying what she could see. We heard the words boat, car, water, dog, etc over and over again. It was pretty cute!
Tomorrow morning we will be leaving Vancouver and we have not decided yet where we will be spending tomorrow night.
Tomorrow morning we will be leaving Vancouver and we have not decided yet where we will be spending tomorrow night.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
1st full day in Vancouver, Canada
Today was a very relaxing day sight seeing in Vancouver. First, we drove to the Capilano Suspension Bridge which is a place to hike in the rain forest. It was so peaceful and surprisingly lush and not crowded for being in a big city. The main attraction there is a 450 foot suspension bridge that is 230 feet off the ground. There was also a "treetop adventure" which included platforms and bridges high above the ground going from tree to tree. It was a refreshing break from driving so much the past couple days. We enjoyed the sights and smells of the rain forest as well as the other hikes offered at the park. Ava rode around in a backpack the entire time and was not phased by the heights or the swaying of the bridge. Actually, she was smiling and saying "weeeee" while we crossed the bridge.
The 2 other attractions we visited today were the IMAX theater (saw a movie on Alaska, of course) and the Vancouver Lookout (a 360 degree lookout over the entire city).
We are hoping that the weather continues to cooperate with us tomorrow because there is a lot to see and do here.
The 2 other attractions we visited today were the IMAX theater (saw a movie on Alaska, of course) and the Vancouver Lookout (a 360 degree lookout over the entire city).
We are hoping that the weather continues to cooperate with us tomorrow because there is a lot to see and do here.
Friday, June 19, 2009
We have gone INTERNATIONAL
Today there was some rain in Portland, so we decided to start the drive to Canada early and hit Portland on the way back down. We drove through some pretty violent rain storms near Seattle and I hear that the Midwest had some major storms today as well.
The border crossing was quick and easy which we were very happy about! We expected to be searched but that did not happen! Whew! Major time saver!!!
We will be staying in Vancouver for the next 3 nights. There are a few sites that we want to see for sure and then the rest is to be determined. There seem to be about 50 mosquitoes per person here!!! Yuck!
The border crossing was quick and easy which we were very happy about! We expected to be searched but that did not happen! Whew! Major time saver!!!
We will be staying in Vancouver for the next 3 nights. There are a few sites that we want to see for sure and then the rest is to be determined. There seem to be about 50 mosquitoes per person here!!! Yuck!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Spending the night in Vancouver, Washington
We ended up getting on the road on Wednesday at 3:15 PM which was the same time that Ava decided to take her nap. Yeah!! We drove to Redlands, CA and spent the night there.
Today we woke up and hit the road at about 9:30 AM with Portland, Oregon as our destination for this evening. During the first hour of our drive Mount Shasta was in sight with a low elevation of snow. That was a beautiful sight to see! Steven was there 5 years ago on a climbing trip with the guys. Along the way to Portland we stopped at the Rogue River for a beautiful canoe ride. The weather was perfect! We are staying this evening at a nice campground across the river from Portland. Tomorrow morning/afternoon we will see some attractions in Portland and then we will be heading over the Canadian border to Vancouver.
Today we woke up and hit the road at about 9:30 AM with Portland, Oregon as our destination for this evening. During the first hour of our drive Mount Shasta was in sight with a low elevation of snow. That was a beautiful sight to see! Steven was there 5 years ago on a climbing trip with the guys. Along the way to Portland we stopped at the Rogue River for a beautiful canoe ride. The weather was perfect! We are staying this evening at a nice campground across the river from Portland. Tomorrow morning/afternoon we will see some attractions in Portland and then we will be heading over the Canadian border to Vancouver.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We leave in less than 1 hour
The final minutes at home have finally arrived. I am very thankful that we planned way in advance and started packing/organizing weeks ago. The family that we are traveling with are not having the same last minutes of relaxation that we are experiencing. We are doing the entire trip with Steve's best friend Tim Baker, his wife and 4 BOYS!!! Aged 12 years to 6 months!!!! Like I said... it will be an adventure!
We have NO plans for where we will be staying or where we will be visiting until July 8th. We have ideas but nothing is written in stone. On July 8th we have a number of people coming to visit, so we know that we will be in Anchorage on that day. Until then anything is fair game. Everything is packed and we will be on the road in just a few minutes.
We have NO plans for where we will be staying or where we will be visiting until July 8th. We have ideas but nothing is written in stone. On July 8th we have a number of people coming to visit, so we know that we will be in Anchorage on that day. Until then anything is fair game. Everything is packed and we will be on the road in just a few minutes.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The last night in our own bed!
The trip to Costco is done and the bill for the grocery store and Costco was $600!!!! You can rest assured that nobody will be starving on this trip! We ordered Dominoes Pizza tonight and have enjoyed some relaxing in our house. We have some last minute things to get done tomorrow and then it is on the road!
Monday, June 15, 2009
2 days until the big departure
Hello! We have a trip to Costco still to make and then all of the packing should be done. :) The to-do/don't forget list keeps getting longer and longer as the minutes before leaving keep ticking away. Our original plans were to leave on Thursday, but it looks like we will be heading out on Wednesday afternoon instead. Ava and I have a birthday party to attend before taking off. Priorities! Ava has to say good-bye to her little buddies and I have to say good-bye to their moms. I hope to keep all of you filled in as much as possible. I am not sure how often we will have internet connections though! Time will tell, I guess. Let the adventure begin...
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