Double Take Along the Way

Our view on Kluane Lake

Some places are magical.  Is it the light? Or is it something more?  I don’t know but magical is the word that comes to mind when staying on the Kluane Lake.  This area is just about one of the most remote places you can drive to in the North American continent.   I fell in love with area the last time we came through and my feelings have not changed.  Cottonwood RV is a small park right on the shores.  Just about the only human establishment except for a small gas station a few miles up the road.  Ask for one of the dry camping sites and you will feel like you are the only folks on the planet and this beautiful place is for you alone.   Rainbows play along the shores all day and the light is at the right angle that this happen more often than you may think.  We had a small campfire and coffee off the fire and watched the lake for hours.  Sigh.  It was hard to leave such a beautiful place.

Weather and road turning bad!

The road and weather turned progressively worse the closer we got to the Alaska border.  It was a long hard drive to Tok on some of the worse roads we encountered so far. Shortly after we crossed the border the rain started.  Cold and dreary and we were hungry. No quaint roadhouse stops along this stretch.  Just endless road and rain, we found a small gas station to stop.  Deep fried takeout food and no place to sit. We snacked on chicken strips standing in one of the aisles.  At least we had a warm dry truck to continue the journey. Not so lucky a drenched couple on motorcycles taking the same refuge in this desolate gas station. They were talking to a third man who was

going to find a new tire for one of the bikes.  A reminder of the remoteness of the area and thoughts of  “Did we make the right decision to come to Alaska?” going through my head. 

Whew! We made it to Tok.  What does one say about Tok?; lot’s of RV parks and not much more.  It is a stopping place for the night on your way to other destinations.  Still, the rain stopped and we were happy to hunker down for night.   The next morning we continued down the road via the Tok Cutoff towards the Glenn Highway.  We stopped at a small roadside coffee stand at the junction of the Richardson Highway and the Cutoff, we talked to the owner Jeannie and her mom for awhile.  Nice folks.  And the sun was out, amazing how that can change your perception of an area.  A little further down the road and we turned west onto the Glenn Highway.  Valdez is to the south, Fairbanks to the north, and Anchorage to the west with Glennallen at the intersection.   We’ll catch Valdez on the way back and skipping Fairbanks this time around.   

The drive down the Glenn Highway is a beautiful one and right about in the middle is the small Grand View RV Park that was the destination for a few days.  It overlooks Sheep Mountain on one side and the Matanuska Glacier on the other.  It is one of my favorite little spots.  You can see Dall sheep on the mountain.  They like to lick the mineral deposits.  One night we saw a mama moose and babies on the glacier side.   It is a beautiful spot and worth stopping for a few days.  See my earlier post on this area, yummy food at the cafe too!   A short drive away is our next stop Palmer. 

View at Grand View

There's Jade in Them Thar Hills

We were in drive mode once we left Stewart.  We planned on getting to Whitehorse as fast as we could.  We needed to stock up on supplies and get the oil changed on the white beast.  However, driving the Cassiar is slow going, a winding twisting road that doesn’t seem to go anywhere. In fact, the road atlas doesn’t even think this part of BC and the whole of the Yukon territory are map worthy.  We did not see as many bears this time around either! We stopped at Dease Lake for the night.  Dease Lake is few homes, gas station and a RV Park and not much of anything else.   Just north of town the mountains are jade green and black in color and it seems fitting that one of the largest jade mines in the world would be located here.  The next morning we did a short stop to visit Jade City.   Interesting to see the raw mined jade and later the jewelry and artifacts made from the gem.  Apparently they are also filming a reality show here for the summer. Hmm, “Mr. DeMille I’m ready for my close-up now.” 

Raw jade

We continued on the Cassiar for what seemed a long time and finally made it out of BC and into the Yukon Territory and on the official Alaskan Highway. We were hoping to stay at a small RV park that had a small restaurant and gift shop we stayed at last time. We were saddened to see that it closed.  It seemed to be the case a lot.  Little places that had been around for years were now closed.  Some say it was due to the fuel prices in Canada others were saying the owners were retired with no one to pass torch to carry on the business.  Hopefully, a new crop of adventurous entrepreneurs will hear the call of the wild and revitalize the roadhouse tradition along the Al-Can. We ended up staying the night in a nice enough crowded sardine type rv park in Teslin.  

Historic trucks from the making of the Alaskan Highway

The next day we made it to Whitehorse and spent the next few days buying groceries, washing clothes and other mundane chores.  We did have a nice anniversary dinner one day, and a nice hike along the Yukon River another day.  I  have a previous post about this area so I won’t spend much more time on the area.  Jack did insist on seeing the airplane on a stick again thou.  Next blog will be about two of my favorite areas so stayed tuned!

Hiking on the Yukon

Independence Day

Salmon Glacier

Ever have a song stuck in your head?  The whole time we were in the Stewart - Hyder area I kept singing “Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel but substitute middle with the word Hyder.   " And your wondering what is we should do"?  What did we do for the two weeks we had to wait for the dog sled team to arrive with our new hydraulic motor?

First, this area is very beautiful! The towns are situated on a long narrow ocean inlet surrounded by steep mountain walls capped with glaciers. The drive to Salmon Glacier is spectacular! The town of Stewart is picturesque with a pavilion and boardwalk on the estuary. The town of Hyder also has its own brand of the charm. Rustic and colorful are the words that comes to mind. 

Portland Canal

Second, there are a lot of bears!  Take a ride and you were sure to see one.  One day I was riding my bike when a bear started coming out of the brush alongside the road, we saw each other and we both promptly turned around and high tailed it out of there! We had a mama and two cubs that frequented the park.   Needless to say I was little on guard every time I took Mr. Wodi for his morning walk.  It was a little early for the real circus act the bears put on when the salmon are spawning. The boardwalk viewing area on Fish Creek is a pleasant walk even if the bears are not gorging themselves on salmon.   

View at Fish Creek

Boardwalk at Fish Creek

Third, everyone was friendly and genuine. We chatted with local business owners and even got to know the border guards while they were searching our vehicle.   Saturday mornings they have a small Farmers Market.  We frequented the restaurants and the local bakery maybe a little too much.  The local restaurants grow some of the food and bake a lot of their bread due to the fact it is so isolated.  I thought I had sticker shock at the Smither’s grocery store it was just a warm up for the food prices in Stewart. Plus, eating at The Bus in Hyder is a must do.  It is run by a married couple, the husband catches the fish and the wife cooks it.  Simple menu but it is just about the freshest seafood you will find anywhere. Yummy!

Eat at The Bus!

Everybody Loves a Parade!

We happened to be there for the Canadian Independence day celebration which runs into our 4^th of July celebration.  The two towns combine the celebration and call the 4 days of festivities International Days. And everyone is invited!  Cook outs at the pavilion, bonfires, fireworks and parades!  Hyder has an ugly car parade and pet parade which we missed because the part finally showed up.  Let’s hope it works!  Note to self - never ever ship anything from the US to Canada.  In addition to the extra cost for the dog sled team from the nearest town 250 miles away they also added an import fee which is 25% of the value of the item. Ouch!  It arrived on Thursday, Jack popped in the new motor. The slides and jacks were now working but things were still not exactly correct.  One switch and everything moves! Huh? Oh, well after playing with it awhile we got the hang of  the right sequence.  We could get everything in and out even if the individual switches did not work.  We were back on the road Friday morning of the 3^rd.  I’ll look back on this area with both fond and frustrating memories. I think Wodi would have been the hit of the Hyder pet parade.

Girls just wanna have fun!

Past winners of the Ugly Car Parade?

Slider Hyder

 We merrily left Smithers happy to be on the road.   Okay, this was it!  We were at the turn off for the Stewart – Cassiar Highway.    We filled up the diesel guzzling white beauty at the junction turnoff.  Gas stations are few and far between so fuel up when you have the opportunity.  There are few roads in the lower 48 this desolate and turning onto the Cassiar brings a real sense of excitement and adventure.  You are really on your way to the great northern wilderness.   How many bears will we see this time?  We pulled over at one of the wayside rests and pulled out the slides  to chow down on lunch.  Ahh, Jack – the slides are not doing anything!  Oh, not good! The drizzle now turned into real rain and here we were trying to figure out how to get the slides in manually.  Nothing quite like being stranded on the side of the road in the rain, in one of the most remote areas in North America. I know those bears were watching us.  It might have been a little easier if the manual was correct about how to use a drill to bring in the slides  (we found this out later).  Finally,  slides in!  Jack is my roadside hero again!   Decision time do we go ahead to Stewart or back to Smithers?  Well, we were stranded in Smithers last time.   What is it about this part of British Columbia?  Let’s move forward. 

Cassiar Highway

I'm watching you!

Last time we took this stretch we opted out of taking the side spur to Stewart, BC and  Hyder, AK.  The drive on 37A is spectacular.  It is worth the side trip.    Stewart and Hyder are right next to each other. Hyder is an itty bitty US community surrounded by big old Canada.  They claim to be the friendliest ghost town, the descriptions fits.  You can cross into the US without being checked but Canada is pretty cranky about letting you return to Canada.  So you better have your passport.  More than few folks have found that they were denied entry back into Canada.  The only other way out of Hyder is a sea plane to Ketchikan.   I suspect more than  a few of the residents just said what the hell and decided to stay when Canada would not allow them entry. We crossed back forth between Stewart and Hyder more than few times during our stay.   You can tell when you cross into the US by the bullet holes in the street signs.  I've seen this more than few times and at multiple boarding crossings.  We'll show those Canadians we have guns, guess we are just rebels to end in the US.

We made it to the Bear River RV Park in Stewart and even managed to get the slides back out. Whew! The next day was a scramble to get the part ordered.  We did not have cell coverage so we were dependent on the rv park wifi.   A big thank-you to RV Sales of New Mexico  in Moriarty for taking our texts and all the help troubleshooting and sending the new hydraulic motor.   So how long does it take for a part to get delivered to the middle of nowhere? Stayed  tuned!

Bear Glacier on the way to Stewart and Hyder

North of the Border

 The Road to Merritt

We left Sun Lake on Saturday and headed up Highway 155.  We passed the Grand Coulee Dam one last time continuing North on Highway 97 to the Canadian border. We crossed over in Osoyoos.   Jack and I have crossed into Canada more than a few times and you really never know what to expect.  Sometimes it is a breeze but this time they did a full search of the truck and RV.  It took us well over an hour before we were allowed to cross.  The border patrol was friendly but they have been checking more thoroughly since a bunch of Texans tried bringing their guns  across a few times.   So if you are planning to come to Canada, respect their laws and do not attempt to bring any type of firearms.   One nice thing about our new truck is one quick setting change and we were now using  the metric system to tell mileages and speed and  Celsius for the temperature.  Just wish we knew what it meant.

The area just before and across the border was beautiful and idyllic filled with cherry trees and vineyards.  Rolling valleys banked by mountains and lakes.  The famed Okanagan area with lots and lots of traffic and Canadian tourist.  I suspect this is area is being promoted as the Canadian Napa Valley because there were wineries everywhere!   It soon became a zoo!  It was stressful driving.  We originally were planning on trying to make it to Kamloops but with the delay at the border crossing and the traffic it became apparent that would not happen.  Pull out the Trailer Life and find an RV Park quick! No more cell coverage until Alaska for us.  We found one not too far and it sounded like the sites were big enough.  Big mistake!  It was a packed sardine park in the middle of a congested town on a hill.   We decided this would not work and turns out the next couple behind us said it was booked to boot.  They asked us if we had GPS and needed help finding another park.  I am always pleasantly surprised by how nice Canadians are to us folks from the states.  Where next?  We backed tracked a few miles and took 97C to Merritt.  Wait , what did that sign say?  No gas for next 200 K! The problem is you see the sign  after you already passed out of town with no way to turn around.  Well at least it was a two lane highway with no traffic.  And  a very winding road climbing up over some significant mountain passes.  We have enough diesel right?  Ahh, maybe. Turns out we did – whew!  We pulled into the municipal campground and breathed a sigh of relief.  A very stressful day indeed!  The  municipal park was nice and the town looked interesting but we wanted to get some miles,  wait I mean  kilometers under our belt. 

Smither's area

The next day was another long driving day.  We decided to spend two nights in Quesnal.  We stayed at Roberts Roost, a nice RV park on the shores of Dragon Lake just outside of town.  We did not do much except rest up.  We did get our first cup of Tim Horton’s coffee along with a doughnut and I was able to catch a yoga class in town.   Some needed down time.

Next stop Smithers, BC!  Jack and I got to know Smithers quite well last time we came through these parts.  We had to wait a week for a part for the black truck on our last Alaskan adventure (see previous Blog post). The town has a nice downtown area with a few nice restaurants and shops.  We knew once we continued on Yellowhead 16 that it becomes very remote and even more so when you turn onto the Cassier Highway.   It is a good place to stock up on supplies but beware of sticker shock!   Time for the adventure to continue, bye bye Smithers.

Wagons Ho

We hitched up the Biff and headed West young man! We followed the path of the original settlers along the Oregon Trail which follows the course of the Snake River through this part of the country. The land around Idaho and eastern Oregon is arid grasslands. There was plenty of grass for the livestock and water to be found but still a harsh climate. We unhitched and rested in Baker City, OR and decided to stay for two nights. Pretty little town. The next day we visited the Interpretive Center on the Oregon Trail.  Truly amazing what these heroic pioneers went through to settle this wild land.  I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.  We started the drive towards Hells Canyon, be warned – this is much longer drive than you think on twisty roads over rolling hills. We gave up and turned around not wanting to drive all day. Hmm, maybe next time. 

We continued on through Oregon in a northerly direction towards Washington. Most folks picture Oregon and Washington as lush rain swept forests.  This area is dry and more reminisce of New Mexico than I was expecting. We were headed for the Grand Coulee Dam. The closer we got to the dam the more dramatic the geography of the area.  This was the flood plane for the Ice Age Lake Missoula noted for biblical proportioned floods.  The landscape showed the evidence with odd large boulders randomly placed over the flat lands, and then turning into the dramatic  Dry Falls dwarfing current day Niagara Falls. Okay, so all my life I thought Coulee Dam was named after someone but “dam” I was wrong.  This area is called the Grand Coulee with coulee being yet another name for dried ditch.  What?  Just a fancy name for a dry gulch, ditch, arroyos, wash, etc - I’ll add it to my list.  

Dry Falls

Natural spring fed lakes dot the area and a few RV parks too.  We stayed at Sun Lake which is private and adjacent to the Sun Lake/Dry Falls State Park.  A little confusing but the private park has full hookups. This area is a big weekend destination for the locals providing swimming and boating.  The campground was nice enough but I have never seen winds like we did in this canyon.  I don’t know if it was just the time of year or always this way due to the geography but they were almost hurricane force at times! The Biff was a rocking and rolling and not in a fun way.

Mr. Rattlesnake

We stayed a few days in the area.  Checking out some of the trails in state park (and rattlesnakes)  and visiting the famous dam.  The Coulee Dam is the largest in the North American Hemisphere, yup even bigger than Hoover Dam in Nevada.  Impressive! The tour is free and the views of the Columbia River from atop the dam can’t be beat.  We did not get back to see the laser show,  we heard they are even worth staying up past 10:00 pm! The town has strict rules about preserving the original houses. You get a real feel what the place looked like in the 30's when the dam was built.  A little bit of engineering history preserved. Interesting area but tomorrow was moving day.  Canada here we come!

Grand Coulee Dam

The Highs and Lows

Wheeler Peak

We have traveled highway 50 through Utah a few times.  We avoid pulling the Biff through Salt Lake City on interstate 15 if at all possible.  This is a long lonesome road once you head west past Interstate 15.   A flat dried lake bed from past millenniums.  Still there is beauty in this harsh land and late spring was good time to visit before the summer sun bakes the land and the days too hot to travel.   This time we decided to stop at the Great Basin National Park instead of driving through to Ely, Nevada.  I have seen the turn off for the park and wondered what the area had to offer.   It was time to find out!

Lehman Caves

Turns out there are some beautiful caves to visit in the park.  The Lehman Caves are worth the stop and some of the prettier caves we have seen in our travels.   We did not do any hiking in the park but I have been told the hike to Wheeler Peak is challenging and beautiful.  We took the drive to the top and admired the view from a distance.

We opted to stay at one of the two little RV parks in the area as opposed to attempting to stay in the National Park.  We find that we usually are too big for most national parks. We chose the one closer to the park entrance as opposed to the one just across the Nevada border on highway 50 with the casino/restaurant/bar/motel/grocery/gas station all rolled into one. It had it all!

Shoshone Falls

We headed out and turned north at Ely onto highway 93 and stayed on it up to Twin Falls, Idaho.  The road stays in the basin and is known for being part of the Pony Express route.   We watched the storms move in around the bordering mountain ranges and stopped in Wells for lunch just in time as one of the storms hit.   It was chasing us the rest of the drive until we passed into Idaho.  

We stayed a few nights in Twin Falls taking the time to get caught up on a few necessary chores.  We did do some exploring checking out both the Twin Falls which the town is named and the more spectacular Shoshone Falls.  Both have dams on them which had the effect of making the Twin Falls only half what it once was – I wonder why they don’t change the name to “Only One Fall Now”.

Perrine Bridge - it's a long way down! 

Are you sure you really want to jump?

This area is infamous for the failed attempt by Evil Knievel to jump the Snake River.  It is one steep drop!  There are still a few daredevils in the area as this is the only place in the country that allows base jumping from the mighty Perrine Bridge.  Yikes!  We happened to time it just right for two brave souls to make the jump and safely parasailing down to the  river banks.  All in all, a nice area but time for us to snake along down the road.

Safely to the ground !