ALASKA – WEEK 5 – JUNE 16 TO JUNE 20, 2016

June 16, 2016 – Thursday

Heading home.

Left Skagway early this morning and there were already three cruise ships and two ferries at the dock with their passengers strolling around town; the shops were not even open yet. I was a little concerned about that steep incline out of town but it went fine. Stopped for a few pictures I didn’t take on the way down (one being Robinson Roadhouse) and another was this lone grizzly eating flowers by the side of the highway. I ended the night at Rancheria, an old, historic roadhouse off the highway just north of Watson Lake.

This old roadhouse has an old hotel (original 1800s), a newer motel, a separate washroom (includes free showers) and an RV and tent section out under the pines. The owners are wonderful people. I was heading to the shower and another woman beat me to it (there were actually two showers but one was out-of-order). I said I would come back later and the manager/owner told me that room 12 in the hotel was being serviced but the shower was working and why do I not just go over there. Seriously? (it was safe)  I was so grateful... it has been over a month since I had a shower in a place that I could actually turn around in! Once I figured out that Hot was Cold and Cold was Hot, I was in heaven! The manager  and his wife were outside when I came out and I thanked him. His response—no problem. We know what it is like to have a free shower when you’re on the road. I would recommend this place to any RVers. They do also have wifi at the office but when I went to sign on, it just spun and the woman told me that it doesn’t work in the rain? Okay then. It is not that important.

The couple who camped next to me is from Anchorage and heading home from Phoenix. They have a cat who they said has traveled extremely well. I looked out the window at one point and the cat was on a retractable leash (pink) and was outside and able to explore all the areas around their RV. She was in the trees and under the vehicle. At one point, she went up to the door and the woman came out and untangled her leash, re-leashed her and this cat continued to be outside. I was amazed and thought of a friend of mine who is currently traveling with her two cats and one got out. Hmm—maybe a leash is the answer? This cat definitely did not seem to mind.

June 17, 2016 – Friday

On the way to Watson Lake, I saw four grizzlies on the side of the road but before I could get a photo, they beat it for the bushes. I planned to get some groceries and when I was paying for them, I found out that Dawson Creek (my next stop on the agenda) had been flooded; roads and bridges were washed out and travel delays were imminent. At this point, although I really wanted to get back to Muncho Lake (86 miles south), I realized that I would have to eventually head back to Watson Lake in order to take the alternate route so, Muncho Lake was out and I headed to the Cassiar Highway, the only open road south.

I guess there was truth to the tales about what an awful highway this was. At the north end of the highway, the road is narrow with no shoulders, no center line, few turnouts, and a lot of curves. On the positive side, there was not much traffic and the roads were well-paved. There were many burnout areas (previous forest fires) that are labeled with date and hectares burned. It is kind of amazing to see how some areas have come back (although years later) with lush green trees and bushes.

Stopped at Boya Lake Provincial Park for lunch. It has a very nice camping area on the lake but it was way too early to call it a day. This lake also has the turquoise and purple coloring like Emerald Lake from a few days ago.

Back on the road until I arrived at Jade City – not really a city but a store and work area for the mining of jade and amethyst. They did have free wifi so checked my email and social media and then it was back on the road. The road is getting better, meaning wider lanes and a center strip and a few more turnouts. There were a lot of marshy areas and ponds along this section and even some wildlife.

Drove on to Dease  Lake and stayed at a place called the Water’s Edge RV and Campground. This place is a private campground, well-maintained, and is run by an older couple with RV sites overlooking the lake. They did have free wifi but because it is in the middle of nowhere, the router is run using a diesel generator and that is turned off between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am. It was also a bit temperamental in that it would randomly shut down for periods of time when it should have been on.

June 18, 2016 – Saturday

Continued on the Cassiar Highway along with a ton of mosquitoes. Even though there were a lot more places to pull over and view the various creeks and rivers, those pesky skeeters were enough to keep me inside and miss the salmon spawning areas and I had to enjoy the mountains from inside the vehicle.

It was a long day of driving but found a place in Kitwanga to stay for the night.

June 19, 2016 – Sunday

From the Cassiar Highway to Yellowhead Highway 16 en route to Prince George BC: Stopped to take a few glacier photos but that was about it. Reviewed the website drivebc and found out there were a number of heavy construction projects in and around the Prince George area so I wanted to get far enough away from the city so I wouldn’t get backed up tomorrow morning. About 40 miles from Prince George, got stopped at an “accident scene” area. It was interesting that the highway had been blocked quite a distance from the actual scene so traffic was able to get off an exit ramp, travel a mile or so on a back road and re-enter the highway on the other side. This seems like a much more efficient way to handle accident backup traffic and I didn’t have to wait in a line for hours!

Ended the day at Quesnel (kwe NELL) south of all the construction. Found an RV Park within a residential area called Robert’s Roost PREMIER RV Resort. It was late and those words, premier and resort, made me think this would be the most expensive place I stayed. Nope. It was actually a little less than some and about average. It was a beautiful place on the lake;, they allow residents to pay a day-use fee and use the lake and its facilities. It was very peaceful.

June 20, 2016 – Monday

Headed out early morning to the border. Stopped at a place called Cariboo Wood, a gift shop and fudge place because I still had $20 Canadian to spend. Tasted each of around 20 types of fresh, made-on-site fudge and then spent the rest of my Canadian money on my favorites!  I swear, it is the BEST fudge ever!

Stopped to take a few photos, hit the border, cleared customs, then, because I really wasn’t thaaat far from home, kept on driving. This particular highway goes through Grand Coulee Dam (which I hadn’t seen for many years) and its surrounding residential areas which slowed me down a bit. Made it home around 10 pm.

END OF THIS ADVENTURE

LAST THOUGHTS – and for those thinking about a similar trip

It was a GREAT trip through scenery that cannot be seen anywhere else.

Wildlife: Black Bears, Grizzlies, Dall Sheep, Caribou, Moose, Deer, Fox, Lynx, Eagle, Porcupine, Sea Otter, Ducks, Swans

Favorite Place/Drive: Valdez. So many impressive glaciers.

Least Favorite Place: Probably Fairbanks. It was very spread out and there just wasn’t enough to do in the limited time. The people, however, were very friendly and helpful. Can’t say much about Anchorage as it was just a drive-through but I wasn’t all that impressed with the little I saw of it.

What I missed: Any city/place that required a ferry or plane to get to.  No to Juneau (sigh) and although it can be driven (over really bad roads that can severely damage tires), the Arctic Circle.

Must have: The Milepost. This book is a milepost by milepost, highway by highway, book that includes sites to see, places to stay, and even includes gift shops, rest areas and inscriptions from those interpretive boards, road conditions, wildlife spots, and regular turnout spots.

I encountered all weather systems: snow, rain (lots), wind (severe), heat (low 80s), cold (30s) AND some perfect weather as well. If anyone plans to make this trip, pack appropriately. If not, there are stores around as I had to find out.

In Canada, there are litter bins everywhere on the highways! It is a very clean and friendly country.

Six or seven hours days work best if driving. Depending on the season, getting a good RV spot gets more difficult after 6:00 pm and some sites even close at 6. Best time to show up for a good spot is around 4-4:30. If traveling during peak season (or holidays and Canadian long weekends) reservations can save the night.

Showers and wifi MAY cost money. Some places do have free showers with varying degrees of water pressure. Some free wifi is limited to 60 minutes and runs slow. Pay showers can run from $1 to $3 (Canadian coins) and times range from 3 to 6 minutes. If a site offers free showers, take advantage.

If driving through Canada, remember driving speed is in kilometers and gas is sold by the litre and currently runs around $4/gallon. Groceries are pretty comparable but if buying fruits/vegetables, make sure to use them before crossing the border back into the U.S.  My vehicle was only searched once at the final border entry but they were looking for fruits, vegetables, pet food. I was only asked about alcohol once and that was the first entry into Canada.

Photography opportunities are abundant.

Any questions, let me know.