FRIDAY July 27th, 2007
One final thought. We were blessed with AWESOME weather. You can see below, we had one of the three days a year that Seattle is virtually cloudless. Mt. Ranier was visible from the city -- an hour and a half away anyways. They were all remarking they (as locals) rarely get to see it. Additionally, we only had a day and a half of rain in 3.5 weeks of travel. I wore jeans 2 days -- it was just wonderful. Lucky or blessed!

M

FRIDAY, July 27th, 2007

Arrived Bellingham, WA on the M/V Columbia. Nice "vessel" and the trip was not long enough. We did have a day and a half (Wed - Thurs 7/25 & 26) navigating the inside passage through the Canadian islands south of Alaska. We had land very close on either side of the ship. There were several whale sitings, a large group of dolphins, and a few seals. The ship showed several movies including Groundhog day that Meghan and I enjoyed.

Today we drove to Seattle and toured the Space Needle and then did the "Duck" tour around the city. The "cheese" factor on this was VERY high, and I told the kids to check out all the drivers and their costumes as something not to aspire to. I also asked the girls to imagine introducing one of these fine citizens as their 'boyfriend'.?.?

There were also a few carnival rides under the space needle that are the type run by convicts and predators traveling from city to city one step ahead of the safety code people.

We'll be home tomorrow afternoon, God willing, and in our own beds. 24 days of exclusive family time. Priceless!

Hope you enjoyed the tale.

TUESDAY July 24th, 2007

We also visited the Saxman Totem Pole village - a local requirement and much touted site, but a bit overrated if you ask us.

TUESDAY July 24th, 2007

We arrived in Ketchikan today on the M/V Matanuska. This ferry was nicer than the Kennicot we traveled to Juneau on, but it seemed to vibrate enough to shake the walls continuously and make it a bit hard to sleep.

Ketchikan is a dump. Not sure the attraction for all the cruise ships. Misty Fjords NP is here, but that is not enough to attract them and there are not enough t-shirt shops for everyone here.

One local on the ferry did tell us where to do some bear watching and we did see several black bears try, unsuccessfully, to catch some salmon.

Tomorrow we board the ferry for Bellingham, WA scheduled to arrive Friday morning 7/27. We will not have Internet access between now and then.

SUNDAY July 22, 2007

Captain Kevin also took us to a place where the seals hang out so the kids could get a look at the crowded bouy. That it was. Perched at the top was an eagle keeping watch. We also caught him taking flight. Afterwards, we caught the taxi (again) back to the hotel. As bad as the car rental rates have been in Alaska, renting would have been worth it here. The taxis are egregious because they can be. And, if you get one, you keep it because once they get into the cruise ship crowd in town, they have no incentive to go out to get a fare and then have to return to town. We kept the name of our first driver and he has been 'johnny on the spot' when we call. It is obvious his employer does not offer dental coverage and I think if I tipped him in twinkies he would follow me on the ferry.

Eighteen days in the can and we are still talking to each other -- a very good sign. Tomorrow (Monday) we leave Juneau about 4pm on the M/V Matanuska headed to Ketchikan -- arrival mid-day Tuesday.

SUNDAY July 22, 2007

We got up very early for a 6am charter flight to Glacier Bay National Park and a catamaran ride up to the glaciers -- an all day affair. We never got there since Juneau and Gustavus (GBNP) were socked in with fog. We went back to the hotel and slept a while and woke to a spectacularly sunny day. We hired a cab for a couple hours and went to Mendenhall glacier right outside of town, but it is difficult to beat our glacier experience of walking on one (outside Jasper) and right up to one at Exit Glacier. Bald Eagles are gathering as the salmon start their run and we went to some low tide locations to catch them fishing. They are awesome to watch and they are plentiful. You can see that the lead eagle in this picture has a salmon tail in his talons that the second eagle wants. Both have left behind on the rock part of the body that the other two are going after.

Finally, we went on a salmon fishing charter for the afternoon with Matt landing a king salmon (but at only 26" it was 2 inches short of the requirement to keep and it was released) and then he pulled in two pink salmon. Mike pulled in a silver salmon. Maria and Meghan each also pulled in a pink salmon. Courtney heard about the fish getting a bonk on the head with a small bat and refused to participate. Matt called it barbaric and almost sent the captain over the side laughing. The salmon is being shipped home when we arrive. While we were all rookies, I think we were a fair amount of entertainment for them as well. Captain Kevin is the author of "Rip some Lips" (the title as near as I can remember) on Alaskan fishing.

SUNDAY July 22, 2007

Last night we did our whale watching cruise. While interesting for the kids, one other passenger put it best when he said he got pictures of "fins and backs". The kids did find it fascinating and we did get very close with one humpback whale surfacing right next to the boat. A very large creature indeed. This Orca stayed with us for quite a while, but no tricks to add to the value of the trip.

SUNDAY July 22, 2007

On board the Kennicott (all the ferry ships are named after Alaskan Glaciers by law), it gets a bit colder. Meghan was not a big fan of being outside on the "vessel" as it is less than 1/2 the size of the big cruise ships. She did become more comfortable over the time we were on board. The kids met a girl Meghan's age and together they wrote a letter to the Captain and were given a tour of the bridge. Meghan assumed the role of honorary captain for a moment hoping the real one would not show up.

We did see a lot of whales from the ship in the distance -- especially as we entered the inside passage Saturday morning on the ferry. We were going on a whale watching trip in Juneau Saturday evening after arriving.

SUNDAY July 22, 2007

Final week of fun has arrived. We have had no Internet access since leaving Anchorage Thursday morning. Thursday, we went down the Kenai Penninsula to Seward and Exit Glacier before getting on the Ferry system in Whittier. One section of the Seward highway was very congested as traffic pulled over to view a herd of Dall Sheep on the rocks above the highway. We also went by the Seavey family dog sled kennel near Seward for a demonstration and tour. Mitch Seavey won the Iditarod race in 2004. The kids had a lot of fun on that tour as they were able to handle all the dogs, puppies, and even participate in a puppy naming contest. They have 100 dogs at the location.

We went to Exit Glacier near Seward and did a short hike to the glacier. We were able to get up right next to the glacier to see the blue ice and feel a dramatic change in the weather right near the glacier.

Thursday night we boarded the M/V Kennicot in Whittier for Yukatat and then on to Juneau.

My dilemma

WEDNESDAY July 18th, 2007
This 21st century vacation is interesting. Keeping gameboys, PCs, cellphones, portable DVDs, and camera batteries charged is a challenge. Just an observation. Hope all is well out there. Read my first newspaper since our flight out here July 5th (today on the train). Same screwed up world -- not missing anything.

WEDNESDAY, July 18th, 2007

Finally, a full night's sleep. The kids were in bed around 9:30 and slept til 8am. That is a first on this trip. We caught the train out of Denali at 12:15. An 8 hour ride to Anchorage, but everyone agreed, it seemed like two hours. Beautiful scenery, comfortable seating, just easy to relax. Matt met a new friend from Montana ("Timmy"). I think his dog's name is Lassie. We were all reminded of how much we enjoyed the train from Philly to NYC and how it went by too fast as well. We might have to do this train thing again!

The employees on the train actually enjoyed their jobs making you comfortable -- perhaps the airlines could take a few lessons up here.

Not the most active picture day locked on a train all day, but these were taken from the observation car. The river is at Hurricane Gulch a 900 ft span 300ft over the river. Meghan was looking for a hand to hold.

TUESDAY July 17th, 2007

I was chided for not having posted a couple other photos of our animal sightings on the bus tour yesterday, so here they are. The grizzlys were well off the roadway so they are not that clear. The moose were close, but we did not have a lot of time as they were a bit camera shy -- but did pose for this one. Look like a happy couple, eh? They must still be dating.

TUESDAY July 17, 2007

LONG tour of Denali today. Much more than we bargained for, but it was one way into the park so there was no getting out of it early. The mountain clouded over mid-morning and we got some rain early afternoon, but otherwise a fine day. Our road warrior kids took it all in stride despite the fact that the road was unpaved for 160 of the 190 miles. We did get to see a lot of wildlife, but most of it was a lot further from the road than what we saw along the AK hwy.

We panned for gold in the park and all did get lucky with some trace gold, but two of them were lost in transport to the office. I am not certain that the gold was not planted, but that would make me a cynic. I think they want us saying nice things about their tour.

I asked the kids what they would do differently if we did the RV again -- all said get a bigger RV and then started referencing the ones they liked best. It was easy to get "RV envy" on the road with some of the rigs that pull in near you. They all seemed curious about the 'dumping' process, but there were not a lot of volunteers when it was time. I thought Courtney was going to throw up when she saw one guy do it without gloves and there was some remnant runoff in the pipe dump on his hand.

Tomorrow should be another easy day as we don't catch the train til lunch time toward Anchorage. Thursday night (10pm) we leave Whittier, AK on the ferry.

MONDAY, July 16, 2007

Arrived safely in Denali. Tomorrow we leave at 6am on an 11 hr bus tour to the deepest depths of the park. 95 miles each way. The bus ride to the Park was uneventful except for the fact we had to listen to the bus driver blather on about every element of the area as we passed it for the first 100 miles. When the bus stopped, Matt took the opportunity to jump in the front seat and he chatted with her all the way to the park. I don't think we heard more than 5 words from her for the next 150 miles.

We did get an extraordinary look at McKinley. Hopefully our luck holds for tomorrow into the park.

MONDAY July 16th, 2007

Fairbanks to Anchorage yesterday by way of the Parks hwy and brief stop at Denali. Mt. McKinley unveiled itself for us which it only does 20 - 30% of the time. Just lucky, I guess. The kids did a little dress up like the natives for a posed picture.

Today we leave on the coach to Denali for a couple of days and then return by AK railroad. Probably have limited Internet access for a couple of days.

SATURDAY July 14, 2007
It is 10:30pm and looks like mid-afternoon. The sun is high above the horizon and will be up for probably another 1 - 2 hours based on where it is. Matt and Meghan are asleep, but Courtney is still up and not happy.....I'm going to bed (I hope).

SATURDAY July 14, 2007

Easy drive to Fairbanks, AK today. Delta Junction south of here is the official end of the Alaskan Highway. We stopped in to North Pole, AK and kids visited with Santa Clause. We canceled our trip to the Arctic Circle today based on a lot of recommendations from locals about the conditions of the road and the need for a properly equipped vehicle. Just not worth the risk with the kids.

Today was a day of moose, moose, and more moose along the road. Clearly, you would not want to hit one of these guys.

We checked the oil pipeline as it runs through Fairbanks and called it a day.

FRIDAY, July 13th, 2007
Drove to Tok, AK -- our last time across the border and an hour back in time. BUT, it was not without a lot of hassle -- there were 250 of the 300 miles that were either under construction or should have been. Slow going. We saw a few Moose today and arrived at the Sourdough RV campground in Tok, AK in time for the singing, comedy, and pancake toss for a free breakfast. The kids were gimmes to get the revenue producing parents into the kitchen. Meghan gets the finer points of pancaking tossing from the owner in this shot. This guy was the master of the game. Easily the most memorable campground we came upon.

THURSDAY July 12th, 2007

We arrived at the Kluane Kampground (Yukon) late this evening. Talk about a room with a view. We have been relatively fortunate with the views, but up here it is a bit hard not to - cleanliness on the other hand. I am quite sure Paris Hilton and Martha Stewart had cleaner accommodations in their prison bathrooms than some of what we have seen.

The kids played outside to burn off some energy. It was light out late, but it was obvious others had turned off the lights for the night so we put them down. The picture of the kids here is at about 10:30pm local time. The sun is still high in the sky. The second shot is about 5 mins after midnight. There is plenty of light to drive without headlights -- although we are going nowhere.

THURSDAY July 12th, 2007

Skagway, AK. Overcast, rainy, and cold. Our first day of jeans. We had a small environmental hazard at the dump site this morning when someone had left open the valves for the "waste" materials. Not too bad, but I am glad I was wearing gloves. It was not unlike the Robin Williams scene in RV. Not quite that nasty, but not a lifestyle choice either.

We did the WhitePass and Yukon RR trip from Skagway to the summit. The weather limited the real opportunity, but it is pretty impressive. The kids questioned if the wet tracks were a hazard as we climbed the mountain. Oh, naive little ones....

WEDNESDAY July 11, 2007

We visited the sign forest today in Watson Lake near the BC and Yukon territory border. It started out with a single sign posted by a soldier during the construction of the highway (mileage to his home) and has turned into tens of thousands of signs. Visitors are welcome to post their own signs now.

We made a late decision to detour to Skagway today. Long day, but tomorrow will be a good break for everyone on the Skagway to Whitehorse train. About a 3 hr round trip. It put us in Alaska a day early, but we will have to make our way back out to the AK hwy and then on to Fairbanks later in the week. Raining and cold right now with lots of snow in the hills around Skagway. All fogged in. This would be pretty depressing if this were a typical mid-July day.

Off to bed; early to rise......

WEDNESDAY July 11, 2007

This guy was walking alone down the highway. He is HUGE! I know from experience that these loners are the nut jobs, but he seemed rather mellow. He walked right by the RV and kept going. Biggest Buffalo I have ever seen. Glad I was not on a snowmobile this time....We saw more bears, sheep, caribou, etc. It's just that everytime you open the RV window to take a picture, you have an infestation of mosquitoes inside. I have no clue what these things live on otherwise, but many have a lot of blood in them when they go gush on the window. The inside of the RV windows look as bad as the outside now -- gross!

WEDNESDAY July 11th, 2007

We wake up next to Muncho Lake in BC. Beautiful setting, but only 1/3rd of the way up the highway. The water was freezing but it did not stop any of us from going in (up to our knees that is). Courtney took a fall in the water and got a little wake up from the cold. This one is also that same green water, but I don't buy into the glacier theory since there aren't any around. I think the animals have found out that yellow and blue make green. :)

ALCAN

MONDAY July 9th, 2007

Its a wildlife safari along this route. Bears, Caribou, Stone Sheep, etc. We have seen everything except a moose (alive that is). The two moose we did see were on the losing end of a collission and had been beheaded for their antlers.

MONDAY July 9th, 2007

Last night we camped along a river just north of Prince George. Mosquitoes did not let us down again. We did get some smores cooked and then retreated to the RV for some card games and "quiet time" (Not!). The nights are cool and allow for some great sleeping. We got up to some great weather and a drive toward Dawson Creek (and beyond). The beginning of the Alaskan Hwy is in Dawson creek. We did spot another bear way off the road and with some telephoto were able to make a barely acceptable image.

RV Camping, Dalton, BC

MONDAY July 9th, 2007

Great weather today. Cool nights allow us to sleep great! We were right on the river last night. Kids made smores over the fire, but we were soon beaten back by the mosquitoes. We left about 9am and crossed the time zone about three times in the last two days, however ... time is somewhat irrelevant in our little world right now. Today we started Alaskan Highway -- 1,400 miles to the end, but still many more beyond that.

SUNDAY July 8th, 2007
Traveling from Jasper to Prince George is a relatively uninspiring drive. The mosquitoes are fierce! They remind us of our days Minnesota, but we think they only get worse as we make our way to Alaska. Hard to believe. If you stop for just a minute, the RV is covered in these blood-sucking creatures so much we don't want to leave.

We saw a black bear along the side of the road as we drove, but had just educated the kids in Banff on the proper behavior if you spot a bear -- don't stop the car. They don't want the bears getting used to people and losing their fear of them. Results are not good. So, it seemed hypocritcal to educate them properly and then uneducate them with our behavior at the first opportunity.

SUNDAY July 8th, 2007
We woke to a very cool morning. I think A/C is a non-issue from here on out. Obviously, RV has nothing to do with the “r-value” of insulation. It was cold. I went for an early morning walk with my camera and quickly ran into several elk. As I returned to the RV, I found it would be hard to get back in. I eventually was able to knock on a window and quietly wake everyone to the view outside the RV this morning.

Today we will get just north of Prince George, BC. We will hit the Alcan tomorrow.

The waterfalls were running high as the glaciers continue to melt from every peak.

Muncho Lake

We all did a dip in Muncho lake - for however brief it was, we did get in this frigid glacial runoff lake....

Columbia Icefields - Canadian Rockies

Our ride to the top of the glacier was in this vehicle.

THE COLUMBIA ICEFIELD

SATURDAY July 7th, 2007
We drive from Lake Louise to Jasper with the occassional stop to enjoy the sites. We spy some mountain goats along the road and take a ride on the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield. Our ride is a large wheeled buggy that traverses some rugged territory including a 32 degree incline to get on the glacier. We were able to get out on the glacier for a while in an area that the ice is about 1,000 feet thick. While on the buggy, we hear “you guys are from Georgia!” It was a woman who saw us in a small restaurant in town last week that we have never met before – VERY small world. This icefield is right on the continental divide, and as we leave, we notice the river along the side of the road that we have followed for 75 miles, is now running in the other direction (west). The water on this side of the continental divide is headed for the Pacific Ocean. We also realize we are as far north as we have ever been – a record we will break each and every day for a week now.

SATURDAY July 7th, 2007
Mike turns 46 in Banff NP. It turns out God is smiling on us as the day is spectacular all day. We drive NW on Hwy 93 (Icefields Parkway) toward Jasper. First stop, Lake Louise. Awesome views. We did get to see an avalanche as the continues to recede. The greenish tint of the water is due to the ground stone under the glacier being carried by the water running under the ice into the lake.We filled the tank on this RV – ½ a tank that is. We are about 430 miles into our 2,500 mile Alcan journey. Gas cost was a $1.19 / litre or a bit over $4.50 / gallon. $140+ later we determine it is a long way to Anchorage.

I did my obligatory dip in this water - my minor obsessive compulsive disorder, I guess. I at least wade into some waters regardless of their temperature. Just no photo here.

Welcome to Banff & The Canadian Rockies

FRIDAY July 6th, 2007
We took the kids swimming in the hot springs pool above the town of Banff – mostly an adult adventure that held little interest for the kids. A waste of cash there. No A/C needed tonite; we arrived to temps around 80 opened the windows and had a nice breeze high on the hill. We were put to sleep by the pitter pat of rain on our fiberglass housing, but woke to a cool dry morning. We had an awesome campsite with incredible views – yours for the reasonable price of $40 / nite. A bit pricey given the Canadian dollar has recovered and is now virtually on par with the greenback.
The kids have entertained themselves with their Gameboys, reading assignments for next year’s school work, and playing cards – primarily “War”. It is called that for a reason as everyone in the campground knew where we were playing cards.

Crossing the Border

FRIDAY July 6th, 2007
We drove to Banff NP today. Lots of traffic – much more than anticipated. We saw some Big Horn sheep on the way as we pass thru Kootenay NP – very cool. When we got to our campsite in Banff, there were elk wandering the campground and mule deer in the early morning hours.

North to Alaska

THURSDAY July 5th, 2007
Limo arrives at 4:30am for pickup. Early flight to Spokane where we are picking up our RV. Unbeknownst to us, Spokane is in the middle of a heatwave in the low 100s. We drive to SandPoint, ID just an hour south of the Canadian border our first night –106 for the daily high. We discover all the campsites are “primitive” – no power, water or sewer. Sweet. We were able to run the generator a while to run the airconditioner and cool the RV down. We went to sleep hot and woke up cold as the low dropped to the 50s and all our windows were open. It was an early morning and a run for the border.