Texas Dream Chasers

Historic Gettysburg

2011-05-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

Stan . . .

Leaving the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia we moved up into Pennsylvania to spend a week in the Gettysburg area soaking up as much of the history of the area as we could.

The Civil War battle at Gettysburg took place from July 1 - July 3, 1863 and resulted in the highest casualty numbers of any Civil War battle. There were over 50,000 Union & Confederate soldiers killed, wounded or missing by the time the battle ended. The 2,200 townspeople of the previously sleepy little town of Gettysburg were left to deal with aftermath of the battle spread out over a 60 square mile area when the Union & Confederate forces left the area beginning on July 4, 1863.

President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg in November 19,1863 and spoke for just over 2 minutes to the crowd gathered to dedicate the Soldiers National Cemetery. That speech - the Gettysburg Address - would become one of the most historic presidential speeches ever made.

Below is a view of the battlefield from Little Round Top as would have been seen by Union soldiers.

Another view of a portion of the battlefield is shown below.

Within a few years after the battle many states began to erect monuments located around the battlefield on the sites where soldiers from their respective states were positioned during the battle. Pennsylvania had the largest number of soldiers involved in the battle and consequently has the largest commemorative monument located on the battlefield. Below are several pictures of the Pennsylvania monument.

The National Park Service opened a new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor/Museum Center in 2008 located on the eastern edge of the battlefield. Within the Visitor Center was a 360 degree painted cyclorama depicting scenes from the battlefield. Below is a picture of one area of the cyclorama.

And finally a bronze statue outside the Visitor Center depicting Abraham Lincoln as he awaited his turn to speak at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

Monticello Revisited

2011-05-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

Stan . . .

We made our way uneventfully from Texas to Ruston, Louisiana, then to Meridian, Mississippi, on northeasterly to Fort Payne, Alabama (hometown of the country music group Alabama), then up through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to Verona, Virginia making one night stops at each of those locations until we got to Verona and decided to take a break for several days.

We chose to stop in Verona so we could do a little sightseeing and enjoy the natural beauty of the area, with our first destination being Monticello, the home of our third president Thomas Jefferson. We had visited Monticello 27 years earlier on a 2 week family vacation during the time that we lived in West Virginia. We remembered how much we enjoyed Monticello during that trip and wanted to go back and revisit it again.

The first picture below is the view of the house as seen from the south lawn area (the outdoor area where the family would spend most of their outdoor time. The main entrance to the house where visitors would arrive was on the north side.

Thomas Jefferson was deeply involved in agriculture (gardening in particular) and raised over 300 varieties of vegetables and fruits during his time at Monticello. His vegetable garden at the height of his experimentation reached a size of 60 feet wide by 1000 feet long terraced around the hilltop on which Monticello was built. The below picture shows a portion of his vegetable garden area.

On another terraced area located just below the vegetable garden was were Jefferson unsuccessfully attempted to raise various species of grapes in an attempt to create a vineyard for use in making wine. He experienced better success with other species of fruits such as apples and peaches. Below is a picture of his fruit orchard area.

After departing Monticello we took a drive up along Skyline Drive northward before returning to our campground in Verona. Below are several pictures taken at various points along Skyline Drive.

Back On The Road

2011-05-17T01:00:00.004-04:00

Connie ...

Well, here we are back on the road. It's very exciting to be making our way down the highway.
Our first day has been enjoyable and mostly uneventful, except for losing the vent cover for our water heater. Not to worry; Stan has already ordered another and it will be waiting for us when we arrive in Gettysburg, PA next Monday.
The park here in Rustin, LA is very pretty. It's way back in the woods and backs up to a lovely lake. The temperature is pleasant and the setting very peaceful.
Following are some of the scenes from around the campground. Hope you enjoy and we will be writing again as we go along. Hope you enjoy!

Leaving Alaska

2010-08-26T01:00:00.001-04:00

Connie ...

As we leave Alaska we take with us such wonderful memories, pictures, new friendships and life changing experiences. It is truly a land to behold and will stay in our hearts always. We hope that we were able to pass on to our family and friends the feeling of joy and wonderment through our blog that this journey has brought to us.
Here are some of the views as we leave Alaska and enter the Yukon.

After spending three months in Alaska, coming back into the Yukon looked just as pretty as it did when we entered the first time.

The lakes were just as bright blue-green as we remembered and the mountains as eye opening.

As we were making our way down the highway we could see the rain coming down through the clouds off in the distance. It made for an interesting effect on the picture.

We're not completely certain, but we think this might be fresh snow on the mountain.

The scenes are forever changing. As the clouds broke up the sun cast a bit more light on the snow topped mountain.

Delta Junction - Milepost 1422

2010-08-25T01:48:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

Delta Junction is the terminus point of the Alaska Highway that was built in 1942 by the U.S. Military completing the 1422 mile highway that began at Milepost 0 at Dawson Creek, British Columbia (see our May 16th posting).

The U.S. Military built the highway to provide a land link between the lower 48 and Alaska which had previously only been reachable from the lower 48 via air or sea. The military wanted to be able to maintain a land link to various military facilities in Alaska (particularly in Fairbanks with Ft. Wainwright and Eielson Air Base) as a line of defense against a possible Japanese invasion of American soil during World War II. As shown on the below picture the Richardson was already in place from the port of Valdez up to Fairbanks passing thru Delta Junction. Thus the Alaska Highway terminated at Delta Junction and used the existing Richardson Highway to complete the land link to Fairbanks.

The next 2 pictures are some of the yard art/signage found at the Delta Junction Visitor Center. Alaska claims the mosquito as the "unofficial" state bird since everything is "bigger in Alaska". The buffalo signage is a humorous way to caution "Watch Out For Livestock".

The next 3 pictures are of some of the original road construction equipment used by the U.S. Military during the Alaska Highway construction and abandoned at Delta Junction and the end of World War II.

The North Pole

2010-08-22T01:00:00.005-04:00

Connie ........

Traveling north from Fairbanks we arrived at the North Pole. It is a real town and Santa really does live there; along with Mrs. Claus and his reindeer. During the other 364 days of the year Santa is available for visits and photos at The Santa Claus House. Santaland is decorated with everything Christmas and goodies available for purchase. There are lots and lots of wonderful items. We did not see Mrs. Claus, as she was busy taking care of her everyday duties. We did however enjoy seeing some of the reindeer. Ruldolph was taking a nap in his house; resting up for his big night no doubt.

Our campground was located just next door so we were able to walk over and browse around. Everyone is very friendly and obviously proud of this famous little town.

The official greeting to Santa's House.

This was a beautiful mural created from ceramic tiles on the Santa Claus House

Yes, this is really Santa. We visited with him and talked about our grandchildren. Of course he already knows who they are!

This is Dancer.

and here is Comet.

Bigger than life statue of Santa checking his list!

Fairbanks - Our Northernmost Destination

2010-08-16T03:01:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

After reluctantly leaving Denali we continued north on the Parks Highway to Fairbanks which would be the northernmost point of our Alaska adventure. After Fairbanks I guess it's all downhill (so to speak). We spent 3 days roaming about Fairbanks and the below pictures are a sampling of our roaming about.

A statue of a family of Alaska natives located in a beautiful downtown park is shown below.

The sunflower below (at least 15" across the seedpod) was part of a very colorful display of flowers at the Fairbanks Visitor Center located downtown.

A street scene within Pioneer Park which preserves much of the original structures from Fairbanks earlier years is below.

A signpost we found during our wanderings within Pioneer Park.

A sampling of some of the beautiful floral and structural colors found throughout Pioneer Park.

Located on the northern outskirts of Fairbanks is an area named Creamery Field. It has become over the years a migratory waypoint for Canada Geese and Sand Hill Cranes during their annual north/south migrations. We were lucky enough to be there during the time that both bird species were passing through on the start of their southerly migration.

We spent the better part of a day at the Museum of the North located on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (the campus is beautiful). The displays, artifacts and information presented were outstanding and well worth the time spent touring the museum. Below are 2 pictures of the museums unique and impressive design.

More Beautiful Denali

2010-08-14T03:00:00.000-04:00

Connie ......

O.K., for most of you who have followed our blog, you have figured out how much I love mountains. I feel drawn to them and love photographing them. While Stan posted most of the wildlife from Denali, I would like to share the beautiful landscapes and mountains; except for this little guy above who was so adorable. He continued posing for as long as we wanted to take his photo. Sadly being a ground squirrel he is considered a BFC. (bottom of the food chain)

Mt. McKinley on our second trip in and oh what a sight! We were really lucky to have a cloudless window for such a photo. It rarely shows itself in such magnitude.

This is part of the Alaska range seen in Denali Park.

This mountain range is opposite Mt. McKinley and notice the glacier.

This photo was taken at the Eielson Visitor's Center about 65 miles into the park. The caribou antlers in the foreground weigh around 40 pounds.

On our third day in Denali we decided to go back into the park in the evening for the first fifteen miles that tourists are allowed in their own vehicles. So glad we did. It was getting toward dusk and the park took on a whole different look. There had been a short rain shower and this rainbow was a great view.

As we drove further into the park looking for wildlife we spotted a mama moose and her baby. They were a little shy, but didn't run away.

Mama was mostly munching on willow and baby was frolicking near, but every once in a while he would come up to her for a reassuring nudge. We watched them for a good twenty minutes. Then finally they went off into the trees.

As sunset was ascending upon us they view of the mountains this time of day is absolutely stunning. We looked at this very mountain earlier in the day in the bright sunshine.

Slowly the sun sets on the great mountains of Denali. A place that will stay in our hearts and minds for always. It was truly my favorite!

Now we see only shadows of mountains and the sky looks to be on fire. It's time to go home and leave the wildlife and mountains for another day. See you next time Denali.

Denali National Park - Simply Stunning

2010-08-14T02:02:00.011-04:00

Stan . . .

It's simply hard to put into words and pictures what I saw and felt when I ventured into Denali National Park. The park consists of 6.2 million acres and there is only one road into the park. The first 15 miles of the road are paved and anyone can travel this stretch of the road, after that the remaining 65 or so miles of gravel road are restricted and can only be traveled by buses provided by Denali National Park.

There is a campground with no facilities about 29 miles inside the park (14 miles further in from the end of the paved portion) that can be used by permit only. You have to commit to staying a minimum of 3 days at this campground and must park your RV in the campground and then use the shuttle buses that pass the campground every 30 minutes or so if you wish to travel further into the park. We chose to stay at a campground outside the National Park and traveled to the Wilderness Access Center (bus terminal) to begin our daily 8 hour excursions into the park. We spent 3 full days in the Denali area and took the shuttle bus trips twice into the park to the Eielson Visitor Center that is at milepost 67 of the road.

The vastness and scenery within the park are simply stunning and overwhelming, but I will try to offer a sampling of what we saw and experienced in the following pictures--we have enjoyed everything we have done on this Alaska adventure, but the Denali experience definitely stands at the top of our list ! ! !

Mount McKinley (also referred to as Denali) is the highest mountain in North America at 20,320 ft. and is the symbol of all that is Denali National Park. The mountain is usually hidden in the clouds and can normally only be seen about 25% of the time. On our first trip into the park we were not able to see the mountain because of the clouds, but on our second trip we got our first glimpse while still 80 miles away from Mt. McKinley in the below picture. Simply awesome----

We were able to get our next good view of the mountain from about 45 miles away, but the clouds were beginning to hide parts of the mountain.

Our closest point to view Mt. McKinley was at the Eielson Visitor Center which was still about 30 miles from the mountain, and by the time we got there the clouds were blocking our view of the lower portions of the mountain, but the peak was still visible.

We also were able to see lots of wildlife during our bus trips, some were only visible via binoculars, while others were close enough to be able to get some good camera pictures. We saw moose, caribou, grizzly bear, Dall sheep, wolves and many ground squirrels. The below pictures are simply a sampling of what we were able to photograph.

The above two pictures are of a mother grizzly and her 2 cubs (one dark colored, one tan).

Caribou are probably the easiest to see of all the wildlife living within Denali. They like to roam in the river bottoms and out in the open brush country. The below two pictures are a good representation of the caribou that we saw during our bus trips.

The Dall sheep in the next few pictures were fun to watch as they climbed and traversed areas that other wildlife find impossible to access.

Typically the hardest to spot in the park are the wolves and this was true for us. The wolves were the last of the major wildlife (moose, caribou, bear, Dall sheep & wolves) we spotted on our two trips into the park. Below is the best picture we were able to get of the wolves (mama and 2 pups).

Talkeetna - Quaint & Most Enjoyable

2010-08-09T03:51:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

When we left the Anchorage area headed north toward Denali National Park we stopped for 2 nights in the little village of Talkeetna (15 miles off the Parks Highway). We enjoyed this quaint village and while we were there we took a float trip down the Chulitna River and were fortunate enough to spot various wildlife along the river.

Below is a picture of Connie along with Robert & Leslie (our travel companions) outside the general store on main street (the only street).

The next 2 pictures are of several of the many decorated moose sculptures found scattered along the main street.

Early in our float trip we spotted something further down the river swimming across the river. As it reached the shore and we were able to come closer we were able to see this black bear cub.

A little further along we spotted this juvenile golden eagle sitting along side the river bank.

About half way through our 18 mile float we found this beaver lodge along side the shoreline (didn't see any beavers, but the lodge was quite large).

At about mile 15 we found this bald eagle perched majestically on a driftwood stump close to the shoreline.

Almost at the end of our float we were able to photograph another bald eagle as it flew overhead.

Our float trip was a memorable experience and the periodic wildlife sightings made for an enjoyable day. Our time spent at Talkeetna was a pleasant diversion on our way toward Denali National Park.

This & That From Homer, Alaska

2010-07-30T03:36:00.006-04:00

Stan . . .

We arrived in Homer on July 23rd and ended up staying through July 30th. The weather during most of our stay was overcast, raining quite often, but we did end up with three days of decent weather to get out and about to explore the area. The highway leading into Homer runs along the top of the mountain range right up until you get ready to drop down into Homer and sea level. I was lucky enough to get Connie to pose for the above picture at the overlook at the top of the highway just before we descended down into Homer. Homer is also known as "A funny little drinking town with a fishing problem".

The above picture was taken from up on the bluffs above Homer looking out at what is called the Homer Spit (a sliver of land that extends 4.5 miles out into the Kachemak Bay). The Homer airport runway can be seen across the center of the picture. The Spit is comprised of the Alaska Ferry Terminal, the Small & Large Boat Harbors, several campgrounds, the Lands End Condominiums and numerous kiosks for charter fishing boats. The actual town of Homer is along the mainland to the right of the above picture.

While still up on the bluffs above Homer I zoomed in on the far end of the spit for this picture. In the center of the picture on the top edge of the water are the Lands End Condos and we camped in the Homer Spit Campground immediately to the right of the condos. We had a view of the ocean out the back window of our trailer and were able to watch the tides come in and out as well as the fishing boats coming and going along with eagles flying overhead and the occasional raft of sea otters playing in the bay.

While still up on the bluffs above Homer I turned slightly to the left and zoomed in on the Grewingk Glacier across Kachemak Bay to the east of Homer--quite an impressive sight.

Homer is located at the southwest end of the Kenai Peninsula along the Cook Inlet. This picture was taken several days earlier while we were in route to Homer from Soldotna looking west across the Inlet at one of the many dormant volcanoes that dot the landscape throughout Alaska.

Just a short walking distance from our campsite was the Salty Dawg Saloon. It is a well known landmark in this area and for those of you that follow "The Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel one of the fishing crews featured on the show is based out of Homer and are known to heartily celebrate their safe return to port at the Salty Dawg. The Salty Dawg is a small log cabin type structure that is covered completely inside (walls, ceiling, everywhere) with dollar bills pinned to every inch of available space over the years by the patrons of the saloon. The beer was ice cold and we definitely enjoyed our visit.

Moose At Sunset

2010-07-23T01:00:00.007-04:00

Connie ...

It was our last night at Klondike RV Park in Soldotna. We had enjoyed dinner with our friends Robert and Leslie as usual. I decided to finish laundry before we headed out the next morning, as I only had two loads left.

A while later I stepped out of the trailer and headed up to take the clothes out of the dryer. I had only taken about 20 steps, when I heard a faint noise to my left. I turned my head and right there was a moose! Hurriedly, but quietly as not to startle her, I went back for my camera. Stan grabbed his also and we knocked on our neighbors' door to share the sighting.

When we got back to where she was, we were able to get some great photos. She was very calm and did not mind our snapping picture after picture. She moved around quite a bit and we did so also very slowly. It is now getting close to midnight and the sun is just starting to set. It was about an hour later when she finally moved back in the trees and out of sight. What a treat. Doing laundry late at night can be beneficial in more ways than one.

Surprise Glacier - Whittier

2010-07-19T01:00:00.001-04:00

Connie ....

While we were sightseeing in Whittier we made reservations on a glacier cruise for the next day. This marine tour cruised through the calm protected waters of Prince William Sound. also on board was a Chugach National Forest Ranger who narrated the entire trip. She helped us learn so much about marine life, wildlife and the ever changing glaciers. We enjoyed her very much.

The first photo is as we were leaving port. It was not a pretty day weather wise, in fact it rained the entire time. We used our plastic camera protective bags and made the best of it. It is very cold near the glaciers and the water temp is around 35 degrees.

This is Surprise Glacier. As you can see, as the glacier moves it leaves ice behind that eventually will melt and form beautiful waterfalls.

With a little patience and cameras ready we were able to see some awesome calving of the glacier. This was our third marine cruise and these were by far the best shots of this kind so far. It's hard to explain just how dramatic it is; tons of ice breaking into the water! It doesn't always happen, so when it does it's quite exciting.

The black striations in the ice are called medial moraines. These occur as the ice is moving and collecting rock and sediment. These form on top of existing glaciers. All different types of rock and sediment are mixed together.

Looking to the other direction of the glacier is totally different. Here you see vegetation on the cliff sides with many waterfalls from the snow melt of the mountain snow. There are so many waterfalls here in Alaska from the very small to those cascading down the mountains.

Whittier/Wildlife Conservation Center

2010-07-18T02:06:00.022-04:00

Connie ...

During our stay at Williwaw Campground, we made several day trips around the area. One of the sights we enjoyed was the little town of Whittier. Whittier is located on Prince William Sound and is accessed by way of water, train, or motor vehicle by traveling through the 2.5 mile long Whittier tunnel. Since the train also uses the tunnel, there is a strict schedule for motor vehicles.

The harbor in Whittier can accommodate small boats as well as cruise ships. The ferry which is part of the Alaska Marine Highway also transports passengers, vehicles as well as large RVs. With it's backdrop of mountains and glaciers it is a great view.

As we were walking through town doing our tourist thing, we noticed a woman walking a reindeer. Not only was she walking it, but also having a conversation with the animal. Now we're not sure how much the reindeer understood, but we do know that they were going to stop at the post office on their way to work...details later. Not something you see everyday!

Now we know where the reindeer was going. He hangs out (yes, he) in his Alaska chalet and his name is Jolie. We tried referring to him as a she and were corrected. His owner runs the gift shop next door which is the first photo in this post. So mystery solved; Jolie also loves to eat reindeer food from a cup which can be purchased from the vending machine on the porch.

Whittier is an ice free port and yet is surrounded by three magnificent glaciers; they are Portage Glacier, Whittier Glacier and Surprise Glacier. Standing in the middle of town there are these beautiful sights all around you.

After we left Whittier we decided to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It is an outdoor center that includes many wildlife that have been brought to the center through rescue operations. AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals and provides spacious enclosures. Animals that cannot be released into the wild are given a permanent home with quality care. This is a non-profit organization. The caribou pictured above make their home at the AWCC.

This musk ox is an animal we had never seen up close before.

This bear is very sad to watch. He paces back and forth and when he gets to the end of the path he bows his head and shakes then proceeds to pace again. Obviously he is feeling very stressed. Wish we knew his story.

We loved looking at the moose. There were quite a few of them and they were more than happy to have their picture taken. Such interesting animals.

The buffalo looked very much at home with the mountains in the background. Reminds me of an old western movie.

Williwaw Campground - Chugach National Forest

2010-07-17T03:53:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

Today we traveled from Palmer (approx. 45 miles NE of Anchorage) to the Williwaw Campground in the Chugach National Forest (2nd largest national forest in USA & approx. 50 miles SE of Anchorage) to spend 3 days dry camping without water, electric or sewer hookups. The campsite area is absolutely beautiful, heavily wooded and in the valley leading to Whittier, AK about 6 miles away. Above is a picture of our campsite.

The above picture was taken sitting at our campsite picnic table. Note the "blue ice" glacier in the upper right corner of the picture. The below picture was taken zoomed in on the glacier in the first picture. Both pictures were taken around 5:00 pm in the evening as we were enjoying a campfire at our campsite.

The next two pictures are exactly the same two views taken from our campsite, but were taken at approximately 11:15 pm. The sun shining high upon the mountain completely changes the perspective and the beauty of the scene. We truly enjoyed our dry camping experience at Williwaw.

Kenai Fjords - Exit Glacier

2010-07-14T01:00:00.052-04:00

Connie ...

While Stan and I were in Seward, one of the sights we took in was Exit Glacier. Unlike the glaciers we had seen previously, this one you could hike up to and actually touch. The trail was a pleasant walk and we did enjoy the view.


When we arrived at the glacier Stan was nice enough to give me a photo op. If he looks cold, he is! The weather in Seward was wet and sloppy most days, although this day it was just overcast and chilly.


As you can see, the glacier has receded substantially from what is was in years past. As it moves down the rock, there is always evidence of scraping and marring of the ice. Glaciers are always moving.

The grey river water and silt are the result of the melting ice, taking with it the rocks and dirt as it makes it's way down.

Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

2010-07-13T01:00:00.004-04:00

Connie ...

It is our fourth day in Seward. We woke up to wonderful sunshine. It doesn't take much of that to make us happy. Our campground was tucked back in a remote area. This scene was just a short walk from our trailer.

Stan is enjoying the view of the harbor at Resurrection Bay, waiting to board the Star of the Northwest for our wildlife cruise. It was a beautiful Monday morning.

As we left the harbor it didn't take long to notice the view of the mountains surrounding the bay. The coast was full of wildlife of which we were hoping to get a glimpse.

Shortly into the trip we came upon Godwin Glacier. It was located way up in a valley, so no way to get close, but truly massive.

Making our way out to more open water, there was a bit more wave action. Some people on the boat had a problem, but we were fine. (it's called Dramamine)

This area is all part of Kenai Fjords National Park, where the tidewater glaciers have formed the land and created the beautiful waters for marine life.

As in our previous cruise, we were able to get close enough and view the haul out of stellar sea lions. also notice all the sea birds within the rocks.

It was getting close to the end of our trip, when the captain advised us that a humpback whale had been spotted by some nearby fishermen. So of course we wanted to hang around for a possible picture. First one is the blowing, second is the rolling back into the water and third is some tail action. Glad we stayed around.

The second glacier we saw was Bear Glacier. This particular one was such that the ice melt created a fresh water lake of it's own. Behind the tree line in the picture is the lake, although not visible. The icebergs you see are actually floating in the lake. What an incredible sight!

It was a great way to finish the cruise.

Alaska Sea Life Center

2010-07-12T01:00:00.002-04:00

Connie ...

During our stay in Seward, the weather was less than desireable most days, so we found things to do indoors. (not that we usually let it stop us, but it was really cold down by the bay) One of the attractions in town is the Sea Life Center. This is Alaska's only public aquarium. It is a great way to connect with some of Alaska's marine wildlife. We have become particularly fond of the puffins. They are incredibly cute and we also learned that they really prefer to be under water rather than above. A puffin can swim as far as 200 feet deep to look for food. The little guy pictured above is the "tufted puffin".The Sea Life Center had many areas for viewing birds and mammals as well as other sea life. There were typically two levels for viewing; the upper level where the birds were found, also had a lower level where you could view the puffins diving and swimming under water. Those little guys can go pretty fast!

The second species pictured above is the "horned puffin" They like to dive and swim under water as well. It was nice to have the opportunity to see them up close.

There were many varieties of ducks, like this beautiful specimen below.

Look close..... it is a fish!

There were so many sea life varieties, that it was very hard to focus in on all of them.

What a creature - Looked exactly like a feather.

The Stellar Sea Lion is most interesting. The bulls weigh up to 2400 pounds. The one we viewed was happy to swim from top to bottom gracefully and give us a look as we stood on the lower level of the aquarium. The Stellar sea lion has attracted considerable attention due to an unexplained decline in numbers in recent decades; particularly along the Aleutian Islands. It is estimated their numbers have fallen between 70-80%. They have been listed as an endangered species.

Alaska Sea Life Center

Below is the view of Reserrection Bay from the observation platform at the Sea Life Center. The water looked like glass that day.

Palmer, Ak to Seward, AK

2010-07-10T01:00:00.001-04:00

Connie...

Today was a travel day as we left Palmer (Anchorage) and made our way to Seward. Yesterday was a cloudy, windy and chilly day and we were really hoping for some sun. Well wouldn't you know, the day we leave, the sky was completely blue and temps were already rising when we pulled out of the campground. Oh well, at least it made for a good trip.

It seemed very strange driving down the highway and not seeing another Hitchhiker leading us out. Our traveling buddies, Robert & Leslie are still camping at Brooks Lodge, and will be back in Palmer on Tuesday. Stan & I will stay in Seward until Wednesday and then head back to meet up with them. Can't wait to hear all their bear stories. I bet they will have some amazing pics.

The pictures in this post are of the mud flats created by the glacier in the very first picture. It is constantly changing depending on the water currents, wind and the amount of melt from the glacier. It looked very much like sand on the beach, but don't think you would want to try and walk on it. Probably would sink like quick sand.

Although the water appears blue, it is actually very grey from the the sand and silt runoff. Whenever you pass a river or body of water that looks grey, it has come from a glacier.

Above and below pictures are some of the mountains along the Seward Highway. We sure do hope everyone who follows our blog enjoys the scenery as much as we do. It's never taken for granted, just taken in.

Katmai National Park - Brooks River Camp

2010-07-08T03:30:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

This is a picture of the "wheeled" plane that we flew on our first leg from Anchorage to Kulik Lodge after we landed on the gravel landing strip about a mile from the rustic lodge. This plane carried 7 passengers and the pilot.

After being picked up by the lodge staff at the gravel landing strip we were taken to the lake alongside the Kulik Lodge where we were loaded into this float plane for our 20 minute flight to Brooks Camp. This plane carried 5 of us from the first flight and the float plane pilot (2 of the passengers on the first flight were staying at the lodge).

Now just a sampling of the many brown bears (grizzlies) that we were able to see throughout the Park. Most were found on the river "fishing" for salmon that were in the midst of making their migration up river for their ritual spawn.

Grizzlies by nature are not social creatures, but they somewhat peacefully coexist at Brooks River due to the abundance of salmon during the salmon run upstream to spawn, and their overriding hunger and desire to fatten themselves up in preparation for their prolonged hibernation during the winter months.

This grizzly was out in the shallows area of the lower lake area "fishing" for salmon that were working their way out of the lower lake into the Brooks River leading to the upper lake and ultimately further upstream to their spawning grounds. (Note the one of may float planes in the upper background about to land on the lower lake bring people to and from the lake to see the bears).

At the end of our awesome adventure at Brooks Camp this 9 passenger float plane flew us to King Salmon were we then boarded a PenAir commercial flight (20 passenger turboprop) back to Anchorage.

This was an unbelievable adventure being able to get so close to the grizzlies and watch them in their annual visit to the Brooks River area to "fish" for salmon and we are glad we able to experience this event.

Our Bear Watch Tour

2010-07-08T03:00:00.002-04:00

Connie...

This was the day we have been so looking forward to; our bear watching trip at Brooks Lodge. We booked our flight way back in January. On this tour we flew out of Anchorage on a twin engine turbo plane on Katmailand Air. The flight was 90 minutes where we landed at Kulik Lodge and immediately boarded a float plane bound for Brooks Lodge. The lodge is located in the Katmai National Park. This park is totally remote There are no roads in or out; you come in and go out by either float plane or boat.

It is a sight to behold when you start descending into the park. The water is a clear blue/green and the mountains and forest look so serene.

One of the main attractions of Brooks Lodge is to view the grizzly bears fishing the Brooks River & Falls when the salmon start to run. To take part in this experience, you must take a 1-1/2 mile hike through the woods (watching all the while for bear) to a viewing platform. The platform is raised about 20 feet above the ground for a spectacular look at the bear. The park rangers limit the watch to an hour so everyone can have an opportunity to take their photos and gaze at this wildlife wonder. All the while on the platform, the bears are walking back and forth underneath you.

The park rangers are very serious about bear safety and you must follow the rules; for your well being as well as the bears'. They police the trails and walkways, but the bears have first priority. If there is a bear on the trail or near a foot bridge, they will close it off until it is safe to proceed.

Of course if a bear decides he wants to nap or just hang out, you could be waiting for quite a while.. and we did.

After witnessing these beautiful animals in their natural habitat, I have a greater respect for who they are.

Segway in Anchorage

2010-07-03T02:00:00.003-04:00

Connie...

On Friday we drove back into Anchorage to do the Segway Tour. I was a little hesitant, but wanted to try it just the same. Our instructor, Alan is a teacher and has the Segway Tour business in the summer. He was very thorough with the 30 minute lesson and let us feel comfortable with some practice time. Well, as comfortable as you can be on something you've never operated knowing you will be moving along sidewalks and crossing streets where there are pedestrians and traffic! Now we were off for our two hour tour. After a while I started feeling like I could pry my hands away from the handle bars and try to relax a little. But then low and behold, Alan informed us that we would be going down this hill (pretty steep). My first reaction was, "that's O.K., I'll just wait up here." Uh, no, that wasn't going to work, so Alan guided me down ever so slowly and assured me we would be fine. Meanwhile, the others are zooming and waiting for me at the bottom of the hill. It was a relief when the bottom was in sight, and it made for much laughter later on. I haven't stopped laughing at myself since. Really, the experience was fun and I would do it again tomorrow!

Don't we look like we're having a good time. Stan was great and backed me up the whole time.

What a sight, "The Segway Foursome."

Stan handled it like a natural.

Alan was kind enough to take photos. This is one of the many totem poles you see around the city.

Eklutna - Russian Orthodox Cemetery

2010-07-02T01:32:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

Today we took a short trip from our campground in Palmer to visit an old historic Russian Orthodox cemetery located near the small fish camp village of Eklutna. The old original church (now used as a museum) as well as the newer church (services still held in newer church) were both located on the same site as the cemetery. A picture of the old original log structure church is shown above.

The above picture is representative of the scene found throughout the cemetery. The tradition of placing houses atop the grave site is because the natives believed that the soul of the deceased would remain above the grave site for the first year after death and they were providing a place for the deceased individuals soul to reside.

The houses were of varying sizes, but they were typically about the size of an adult coffin, with some being smaller when it appeared that the house was for a child. The various colors of the houses were all done as a means to identify the clan from which the deceased individual was born into. The red & white striped represented a particular clan, the red, white & blue striped represented another clan, the red, green & yellow another clan, etc.

This house was by far the most elaborate one that we saw. It is actually about six feet wide and about 4 feet high. The headstone located to the right of the house indicated that it was the grave site of a middle aged woman. The cemetery is still being used for burials as we noted several grave sites that were for individuals that had died within the past several years, with the most recent one having been in April 2010.

We were able to get a brief history and tour of both churches from a Russian Orthodox priest who was on site during our visit. It was definitely an interesting and educational experience.

Alaska Native Heritage Center

2010-07-01T02:00:00.045-04:00

Connie ....

On Wednesday we visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We learned about the cultures of various native people; what area of Alaska they live in and how they live. The museum itself is called "Our Welcome House". It reflects the connection between Alaska Natives' past, present and future. The exhibits are beautiful. The center includes demonstrations of arts and crafts by the natives.

The sculpture at the entrance is entitled "Raven the Creator". Very impressive!

As you wander through, there are many displays under glass. The above mask display is from the Inupiaq & St. Lawrence Island Yupik. They are located along the Northern Region of Alaska. Their gatherings begin with singing. The Sauyaq or Drum is used at the gatherings and ceremonies.

The above display represents the Southeast region culture and was made of copper. Copper was a valued trading item among the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida & Tsimshan people. The picture below is a display of this particular native culture.

There were many demonstrations of speaking the native languages. We certainly all agreed that the language would be difficult for us to try and learn.

After we did the inside tour, we made our way outside to visit the Native Villages that stood around Lake Tiulana. There were five different villages representing the cultures of Alaska. Below is the Eyak,Tlingit,Haida,Tsimshian Village Site.

The carvers you see below are working on four house posts that when finished will be placed at each inside corner of the clan house. They began carving mid June and will finish on or before August 8th (which is the deadline). The four totems represent the four different cultures of the Southeast Village Site.

As we continued our walk around the villages we came upon the skeleton of a gray whale. It was very impressive. The gray whale has the longest migration of any whale or mammal, traveling 10,000 miles from Baja, CA to the Bering, Sea.

In the background of the picture below is the Inupik Village Site.

It was a very enjoyable and educational day.

First Day Trip to Anchorage

2010-06-27T01:00:00.003-04:00

Connie...

We arrived in Palmer yesterday where we are camped at the Mt. View RV Park. As we have so many times lately, we look out our window and see the beautiful mountain so majestic. On Saturdays in Anchorage, there is an outdoor market which we visited today and took in the sights of the downtown. Anchorage is very walker friendly, so it's fun to park and take to the sidewalks. There are many parks with areas to sit and people watch or take in the colorful flowers so beautifully planted all over the city.

Leslie found one of her favorite subjects to photograph. We thought she should take the opportunity to get up close and personal. Although the guys' bear doesn't look quite so cuddly, they agreed to be good sports and pose. This was actually a gift shop; "Grizzly's" with lots of said named merchandise.

After taking in the outdoor market, we headed for Humpy's for lunch. Robert and Leslie had been telling us about this place, and it was great food with lots of beer choices. We loved it!

We learned that the city of Anchorage maintains 18 greenhouses for supplying the downtown flowers. Some 300,000 flowers are planted in the Spring and thousands of hanging baskets of many varieties are placed throughout the city. So pleasing to the eye.

Matanuska Glacier

2010-06-26T01:42:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

Today we traveled from Tolsona Wilderness Campground to Mountain View RV Campground near Palmer, AK. The scenery along the trip varied from greatly from snow covered mountains to valley floors & river views, but about midway we were able to stop alongside the highway and view the Matanuska Glacier in the distance. The Matanuska travels from high up in the mountains down to the valley below and it is the portion of the glacier in the valley that we were able to see and photograph.

The glacier movement can be seen at it's valley destination below. We arrived in Palmer several hours later and have set up camp here for the next week or so and will be traveling into the Anchorage area (about 45 miles south) over the next few days to shop and take in the sights of Anchorage. Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska with a population in excess of 300,000.

Around The Campfire

2010-06-24T02:00:00.001-04:00

Connie...

After leaving Valdez, we came back to Glennallen (Tolsona Wilderness Campground) for a couple of days. When we arrived it was a cold and rainy day. In fact, we were setting up camp in quite a downpour. We were concerned that we would not be able to have our favorite happy hour around the campfire. The clouds moved out and we were able to enjoy our drink of choice, margarita and sit around a great campfire. Above picture of Robert & Leslie as they relax and take in the beautiful surroundings.

As you can see in the above picture, Stan is ready for those pesky mosquitoes. Those bug zappers really work! We haven't had to wear the mosquito head nets yet, but that will probably come around, especially as much as we like to sit outside.

Below is another view from our campsite. The water was quite a bit higher after the rain than it was the first time we stayed here. Check out those leaning trees. Wonder how long they will last until crashing into the water.

Part 3 More of the Glacier/Wildlife Cruise

2010-06-21T02:30:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

These are puffins that were resting high above the water on a rock ledge on the shoreline that the boat was able to pull up alongside.

Sea lions resting/sleeping on the an ice flow out in front of the Columbia Glacier.

Connie & me with the Meares Glacier in the background. The boat was able to get within approx 1/4 mile of the face of the Meares Glacier due to the much smaller size of the ice flows around the glacier as compared to only being able to get about 10 miles from the Columbia Glacier due to the size and volume of ice flows calving off of the glacier. The air temperature was pleasant during the entire cruise, but it did get much colder as we got closer to the face of the Meares Glacier. We prepared accordingly and were able to add or shed "layers" of clothing as necessary in order to stay comfortable.

Valdez Glacier/Wildlife Cruise-Part 2

2010-06-21T02:15:00.004-04:00

Stan . . .

In the above picture the Columbia Glacier is seen in the distance with all the "calving" ice drifting about in front of us. The Columbia Glacier rises about 40-50' above the water line but extends upwards of 300' below the water line. Most of the floating ice results from the water melting the ice below the water line and the pieces breaking away from the glacier then pop up to the surface.

The second picture is the face of the Meares Glacier. The face of the Meares Glacier is approx. 200' above the waterline and only 30-40' below the waterline, thus most of the "calving" happens above the waterline with the breakaway pieces creating a loud roar as they fall away and then crash into the water. Connie got several pictures of the calving on her camera and will post them on one of her blog entries.

This is a humpback whale that we spotted and then followed for about 45 minutes as he traveled around in Prince William Sound. He would first surface by exhaling thru his blowhole, then arch his back as seen in the above picture as he prepared to dive back below the surface for another 8-10 minutes before reappearing.

After arching his back and beginning his dive his tail is the last thing you will see for the next 8-10 minutes until he surfaces again for another breather.

Valdez Glacier/Wildlife Cruise

2010-06-21T02:02:00.025-04:00

Stan . . .

We boarded the Spirit of Valdez and departed for our Glacier/Wildlife cruise promptly at 10:00 AM and enjoyed a thoroughly enjoyable day at sea returning to the Valdez Small Boat Harbor around 7:15 PM. The wildlife we were able to see and the views of the Columbia Glacier & Ice Field as well as being able to get very close to the face of the Meares Glacier will provide us with lasting memories which we will cherish forever.

Some of the wildlife/sealife we were able to see up close on our Glacier cruise. The sea otters in the above picture were enjoying a leisure swim when we were able to cruise up along side them.

The eagle was sitting in the treetop along the shoreline that we were able to cruise up close to as the average depth of Prince William Sound is 800 feet.

This sea lion was resting on one of the buoys out in Prince William Sound that the oil tankers use to chart their way into the Port of Valdez.

These sea lions were sunning themselves on a sunny southern exposure shoreline along the western side of Prince William Sound

Our Glacier/Wildlife Cruise

2010-06-21T01:00:00.009-04:00

Connie...

Today we took a cruise to view glaciers and wildlife. What a wonderful time. We headed out on the Valdez Spirit around 10:00 a.m. and it was rather cloudy and cold. It looked like we might get some rain, as the clouds hung low over the mountains around the harbor. We didn't care though as we were hopeful of seeing beautiful views and ocean wildlife. We were not disappointed.

This is the view we had as we looked behind us traveling out of the harbor. The clouds were still hanging about halfway between the tops of the mountains and the shoreline. Sometimes when we would look out our window of the trailer, you would swear the mountains had disappeared, because the clouds were completely covering the mountains from top to bottom

As we sailed along the beautiful waterways, we continued to take in the beauty all around us. From sea to mountains to tree landscaped shores, it was something to behold.

Below is a photo of the Meares Glacier. If you look closely, you can see a portion of the ice breaking off and crashing into the water. At times we could hear the breaking from the opposite side. It was tricky getting pictures, because we would hear it before we could see it. Constant back and forth monitoring with the camera lens was crucial for a good photo. Absolutely spectacular!!

Sights From Glennallen to Valdez

2010-06-19T02:27:00.005-04:00

Stan . . .

Traveling from Glennallen to Valdez the Richardson Highway goes over Thompson Pass. Near the summit of Thompson Pass is the Worthington Glacier. The above picture is the parking lot area near the trail that leads to Worthington Glacier. The Thompson Pass area gets an average of 900" (that's 75') of snowfall each winter and we were told that three weeks earlier this parking lot was still covered in 5-6' of snow.

The pathway to the viewing area of the Worthington Glacier is only about 1/4 mile and this was our first opportunity to get "up close & personal" with one of the many glaciers in Alaska.

After descending Thompson Pass toward Valdez we traveled thru Keystone Canyon where the above waterfall named Bridalveil Falls was located. The falls were right next to the highway and the roar of the falling water was extremely loud, but was an awesome thing to watch.

Our RV Park was located in downtown Valdez right on the harbor front. The small boat harbor pictured below is filled with boats of all types and sizes, many going out into the Prince William Sound waters daily to fish. The mountains surround the Valdez harbor on all sides and made for a very picturesque setting. Valdez gets an average of 300" (that's 25') of snowfall each winter.

On our return trip back to Glennallen en route to Anchorage we were able to pullout along side the Richardson Highway and get to view the Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline was built between 1975 and 1977 and travels 799 miles from Prudoe Bay to Valdez harbor. In places where there was a danger of avalanches the pipeline was buried under ground, but in areas where there was danger of the heated pipeline melting or causing damage to the permafrost the pipeline was elevated as shown in the above picture. The supports for the pipeline are spaced approx. 60' apart and the pipeline takes a zig-zag course in order to allow for expansion & contraction as well as movement due to seismic activity. The pipeline can shift as much as 12' side to side and as much as 3' forward or backward on the skid plates located on the bottom of the pipe at each of the support locations.

Arrival in Valdez

2010-06-19T02:00:00.002-04:00

Connie...

We arrived in Valdez, AK on June 18. After setting up in the campground, Bear Paw RV Park, we decided to take a walking tour of the town. We were camped just a stone's throw from the harbor. Seeing the boats docked with the mountains behind was a beautiful sight. As you see in the picture below, a lot of people take to the sport of ocean kayaking.

As were walking along the main drag almost every landscape had huge flowers in bloom. I couldn't resist getting these poppies in the picture. The photo really does not do them justice.

Someone was a lucky fisherman. This was a halibut just brought off the boat; what a catch. I would love to try for something that large. After that, we found a good seafood restaurant and enjoyed the fare of the ocean.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground & Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

2010-06-18T01:00:00.002-04:00

Connie...

Our campground at Tolsona Wilderness was without a doubt, one of our favorites. The view above is out our back window. A babbling stream and the calming breeze through the swaying trees was truly a way to enjoy the outdoors. There were plenty of places to walk and explore.

Stan & I were sitting having breakfast one morning and when we looked out the back window this little duck swam up. He was splashing around in the water and stayed on the little rock island for quite a while, allowing us to take his photo.

While staying at Tolsona Wilderness, we took a day trip into the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This is the nation's largest national park; 13.2 million acres. It also is home to the second tallest mountain, Mount St. Elias at 18,000 feet. The mountain pictures above is Drum Mountain which is in the same range. This picture was taken from one of the lookouts within the park.

Below is a fish wheel used to catch fish in mass quantities. This was located at the visitor's center which was very interesting.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground, Glennallen, AK

2010-06-17T03:46:00.006-04:00

Stan . . .

The picture of the sign to the right is along side the Glenn Highway about 6-7 miles west of Glennallen, while the second picture is taken from the same spot looking east back toward Glennallen and the Wrangell Mountains. The mountain tops are shrouded in clouds, but if you look close you will notice that the bright white areas within the clouds are actually the continuation of the mountains up into the clouds. The enormity of this mountain range is quite impressive to say the least!!

The Wrangell Mountains are located within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park which is the largest National Park in the entire United States.

Leslie, Robert & myself enjoying happy hour around the campfire at our campsites here at Tolsona Wilderness Campground (Connie was enjoying happy hour too....she was the one behind the camera taking this picture).

The view of our "backyard" as we sit around the campfire shown in the earlier picture. This picture was taken just after 8:00 pm and the sun was still about 2-3 hours away from setting.

First Day in Tok, AK

2010-06-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Connie...

We arrived at the Tundra RV Park today in Tok, AK. Our rig and truck was so filthy, that we practically had to chisel it off. The campground had a vehicle & RV wash center, so after three hours we were squeaky clean. That included our rig as well as Robert and Leslie's.

Tok is a quaint little town with an amazing visitor's center. They are equipped with any kind of literature you could possibly want for Alaska. We picked up additional information for our upcoming trips.

The RV park is densely wooded and it is nice being back in the trees. However, being so far removed from WiFi, we will spend time at the office/lounge to spend time on the computers. Tomorrow will be a down day after two days of rigorous travel.

Beaver Creek to Tok, AK

2010-06-12T00:10:00.000-04:00

Connie...

We left the Border City RV Park(we refer to it as mud hole) this morning traveling toward Tok, AK we stopped at this wonderful Wildlife Refuge. Above picture is a cache where the meat will be stored after the fall hunting season. It even included sod on the roof for insulation. We thought it was pretty neat. The view (picture below) was spectacular. They also had a large deck and viewing area overlooking the wildlife refuge. From here we were on our way to Tok and found the roads to be less than desirable, but not near as rough and dirty as the trip from Haines Junction. It's all part of our adventures and gives us lots to talk about.

GRIZZLY in the Wild at Kluane Lake

2010-06-11T00:24:00.000-04:00

Connie...

Today was such an amazing day! We were enjoying the beautiful Kluane Lake when all of a sudden there he was...our first grizzly. What a sight. He was pretty unaware of our presence as we started snapping picture after picture. For a while he was down in the ditch digging up some tender roots and then he decided to give us a better look and walk across the road. As you can see, he sure is a beautiful sight. It made our day for sure.

As usual on this wonderful highway, there are always mountains more spectacular than the ones before. It never ceases to amaze us. Of course my new camera doesn't hurt either.

This is the Kluane Lake which goes on for about 25-30 miles. With the morning sun glistening over the mountains it was quite a site. The lake was so blue and crystal clear. All in all the drive today was certainly one of the top on our list.

Haines Junction, YT

2010-06-10T02:18:00.000-04:00

Stan...
Don't have much to report today and don't have any pictures to post. Traveled today from Carcross, stopping in Whitehorse for fuel and groceries and a quick bite of lunch. We left Whitehorse around 2:00 pm and arrived in Haines Junction around 4:00 pm.

The road conditions on the Alaska Highway between Whitehorse & Haines Junction seemed to be the poorest we have yet encountered. Didn't come across any gravel stretches with repair work being done, just a lot of small frost heaves and other spots where frost heaves had already been repaired but the surface was still "bumpy". It didn't create any problems---just resulted in traveling a bit slower and slowing down even more for the frost heaves.

We are expecting tomorrow's stretch between Haines Junction and Beaver Creek (last stop in the Yukon before entering Alaska) to be rougher as this has typically been the case for all early summer travelers in the years past.

2nd Day Trip to Skagway, Alaska

2010-06-09T02:16:00.000-04:00

Stan...
One of the many beautiful lakes found between Carcross, YT and Skagway, AK. Lake was completely calm making for a nice mirror image picture.

Statue in the White Pass & Yukon Route train depot area depicting the adventurers on their way north to Dawson seeking their fortunes of gold.

Typical street scene in Skagway looking north from the South end of town near the White Pass Train Depot.

The Skagway Visitors Bureau in currently located in this building located near the south end of Broadway Street.

Day Trip to Skagway, Alaska

2010-06-08T01:40:00.000-04:00

Stan...

Connie & I along with Robert & Leslie left Carcross shortly after 8:00 for a day trip to Skagway (65 miles) not realizing that we would be gaining an additional hour once we entered Alaska, so we arrived shortly before 9:00 even after stopping multiple times in route for photo ops and also going thru U.S. Customs. Skagway is a wonderful small town with dock facilities to handle 4 to 5 cruise ships at a time if necessary.

Skagway is homebase for the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad and the first picture is of an earlier vintage snowplow engine used by the railroad to keep the tracks clear during the bitter winters. The White Pass Summit area (approx 20 miles out of Skagway) receives and average winter snowfall of 24 feet.

The Klondike Gold Rush only lasted 3 years (1897 - 1899) with approximately 100,000 adventurous souls coming thru Skagway seeking their fortune of gold along the Klondike River in the Dawson area (500 miles north). Many didn't survive the initial winter in their attempts to travel north up the Chilkoot Trail route or thru the White Pass route and were returned to Skagway for burial in the Gold Rush Cemetery as shown in the second picture.

Two of the cruise ships docked in Skagway are shown in the third picture taken from a vantage point on a trail across the river from the harbor area.

Carcross, Yukon Territory

2010-06-06T15:18:00.000-04:00

Stan...
We travelled from Carmacks, YT (about 110 miles north of Whitehorse) down to Carcross, YT yesterday (about 45 miles south of Whitehorse). We plan on spending 3 and possibly 4 days in Carcross and make at least one or more day trips further south thru a small section of British Columbia and then back into the U.S. at the Skagway, Alaska customs checkpoint.

We have had several packages sent to the US Post Office (via General Delivery) in Skagway and we plan on picking those packages on Monday as well as do the typical tourist site seeing things while there. Skagway is a major stopping point for the many cruise ships that travel the Inter Passage Waterway between Vancouver, BC and the Anchorage, AK area each summer, so we might be elbow to elbow with the cruise tourists in downtown Skagway if a cruise ship happens to be in port while we are there.

The above picture as well as the second picture are taken at a beautiful little lake along side the highway between Whitehorse & Carcross. Emerald blue water, snow capped mountains in the background and several log cabins along the banks of the lake made for a very tranquil setting.

Enroute to Carcross

2010-06-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Connie...
On our way from Whitehorse to Carcross we stopped for a photo op at this beautiful lake. The blue green water and snow capped mountains were breathtaking. What a great place to stop and reflect.

Dawson City to Carmacks, YT

2010-06-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

Stan...
Today was a travel day from Dawson City down to Carmacks, YT (about 110 miles north of Whitehorse).

This picture is of a forest fire we passed by several days earlier on our way north up to Dawson City which was still burning when we again passed by on our return trip south to Carmacks.

This forest fire appeared to be much more intense and concentrated in a much smaller area further to the west of the first burn area. We did not see any signs of this fire when we were headed north to Dawson, only seeing it several days later when we were headed south back from Dawson City.

This is the Five Fingers area of the Yukon River that presented one of the more intense navigation problems for the sternwheelers that used to travel the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City before there the road to Dawson City was built in the early 1950's. Many sternwheelers travelled the Yukon during the summer months transporting supplies between Whitehorse & Dawson City. The Yukon River flows north and the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson City would take about a day and a half, but the return trip back to Whitehorse would take 4-5 days as the sternwheelers battled up river fighting the swift currents of the Yukon River.

Dawson City, YT

2010-06-04T02:46:00.000-04:00

Stan...
The Bunk House is one of several establishments offering overnight lodging for visitors to Dawson City. Private rooms are available, but toilet & bathing facilities are "down the hall".

There is a ferry at the north end of Dawson City that transports vehicles accross the Yukon River to the "Top of the World" Highway (all gravel) over to Tok, Alaska.

The ferry can handle approximately 10 standard sized vehicles at a time, or in our case if we had chosen to cross the river, it could have only handled two 5th wheel RV units at a time.

We went together with Robert & Leslie to dinner at a very nice little Greek restaurant and then went to Diamond Tooth Gertie's Casino to take-in the stage show. After the show Robert & I had our picture taken with Gertie & her Dancing Girls.

Typical street scene in Dawson City. The Klondike Highway thru Dawson City is the only paved road, all the streets within Dawson City are gravel.

Sightseeing in Whitehorse, YT

2010-06-01T01:16:00.000-04:00

Stan . . .

We spent most of the day wandering the streets of Whitehorse sightseeing, shopping & all the rest of the things typical tourist do. Of course since we are in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are the dominate symbol of law enforcement. As you can tell the RCMP officer above was "standing guard" over this storefront along one of the main streets in Whitehorse.

This rather statuesque RMCP officer was standing guard at a hotel in downtown Whitehorse where we had a wonderful lunch of Arctic Char.

This is the Klondike sternwheeler which traveled the Yukon River between Whitehorse & Dawson City delivering supplies to Dawson City from mid May thru mid October each year (while the river remained ice free). The Klondike was the largest of all the sternwheelers that traveled the Yukon during the time period before there was a road to Dawson City. These sternwheelers were flat bottomed boats that drew a very shallow draft in the water (the Klondike fully loaded only drew a draft of approx. 4 ft.) The trip down the river from Whitehorse to Dawson City took an average of 1-2 days, while the return trip upriver to Whitehorse from Dawson City normally took 4-5 days. The engines were wood fired creating steam that in turn powered the piston arms that turned the stern paddle wheel. The amount of cordwood needed for these trips was enormous and there were several points along the river where the sternwheelers would routinely stop to take on additional cordwood supplied by local woodsmen.

Sign Post Forest, Watson Lake, YT

2010-05-29T01:10:00.040-04:00

Stan . . .

The Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake was started in 1942 by one of the US Military soldiers that was stationed in Watson Lake as part of the many military personnel involved in building the first Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek, BC to Fairbanks, AK (approx. 1600 miles) thru an area that had not had any previous highway system. What began as a simple signpost with signs posted by several of the military personnel in Watson Lake in 1942 has grown to an estimated 65,000+ signs today.

Just a sampling of the many signs found while wandering throughout the "forest".

The town located closest to Caprock Canyons State Park.

Our hometown from 1984-1986.

Robert & Stan beginning to look at some of the thousands of signs as we just entered the forest.

One of the "unique" named Texas towns---name supposedly came about based on the routine activities that seemed to take place most Saturday evenings at the local "drinking establishments".

One last signpost honoring our hometown (1974-1976) of Simcoe, Ontario.

Additional Scenery Between Fort Nelson & Laird Hot Springs

2010-05-26T02:50:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

Connie & I standing alongside the shoreline of Muncho Lake enroute to Laird Hot Springs. The waters of the lake were an extremely deep emerald blue color very reminiscent of the waters in the Mexican Caribbean.

We were told that the ice on Muncho Lake had only begun to breakup within the past few days when we arrived (that's ice piled up on the shoreline!)

We encounter lots of snow capped mountain ranges along our route from Fort Nelson to Laird Hot Springs that were simply indescribable!

Not sure of the name of this lake, but the ice had not yet broken up on it as it had already done on Muncho Lake.

Fort Nelson to Laird Hot Springs

2010-05-26T02:28:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

Traveled about 190 miles from Fort Nelson to Laird Hot Springs and were treated to some wonderful wildlife sightings along side the highway right of way ! The black bear pictured above was very close to the edge of the highway and was oblivious to our stopping on the other side of the road to take his picture----he was more interested in eating the yellow dandelions that were scattered all along the right of way.

Another picture of the black bear as he wandered along side the road eating dandelions.

We encountered these bison several miles further down the road, also intent upon eating as many dandelions as they could.

Our campsite at Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park was well back into the woods and was our first night of truly boondocking (no water, electric or sewer hookups) since we left Texas starting this adventure. We used our generator setup for the first time and everything worked exactly has expected and the boondocking experience was a very pleasant one.

Sikanni Chief, BC

2010-05-25T02:45:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

More of the awesome scenery found throughout this part of British Columbia between Dawson Creek and Sikanni Chief.

Sign announcing the entrance to Sikanni River RV Park where we stayed for 4 nights over the Canadian Victoria Day holiday on May 24th. Our campsite was right along side the Sikanni River.

View of our campsite at Sikanni River . . . the river is about 30 ft. behind the rear of our trailer. The campground had 20 amp electrical service and water at each site. We used the dump station to drain all our tanks on Monday morning when we were departing for Fort Nelson, BC.

Murals in Downtown Dawson Creek, BC

2010-05-18T03:22:00.003-04:00

Stan . . .

There are murals painted on the sides of many buildings and alleyways in the downtown Dawson Creek district. Pictured here is just a sampling. The above mural depicts the arrival of U.S. Military troops to start the construction of the Alaska Highway.

This mural was located on the back of a building at the end of an alleyway--note that the telephone pole and guywire located just in front of the wall were painted to blend into the mural.

Just another of the murals on the side of one of the downtown buildings.

Standing on a corner in ~~Winslow, AZ~~ Dawson Creek, BC (to paraphrase a lyric from the Eagles).

Dawson Creek, BC

2010-05-17T02:51:00.001-04:00

Stan . . .

Arrived today in Dawson Creek, BC today and checked out the Visitor Center and did some picture taking at the Mile O markers recognizing the start of the Alaska Highway that was built over a nine month period by the US Military in 1942. The Alaska Highway started in Dawson Creek, BC and covered approximately 1600 miles terminating at Delta Junction, AK just short of Fairbanks, AK.

There are two different Mile O markers in Dawson Creek. The first one above is the actual starting point of the highway, while the second picture is several blocks away located in the center of an intersection in the downtown area (rumored to have been placed there in an attempt to draw the tourist trade into the downtown shopping area).

This sign is located just to the right of the first picture located at the traffic circle which was the official starting point of the Alaska Highway

A picture of one of the picturesque buildings in the downtown area of Dawson Creek.

Chetwynd, BC - Chainsaw Sculpture Capital of the Workd

2010-05-16T03:45:00.003-04:00

Stan . . .

Chetwynd, BC refers to itself as the Chainsaw Sculpture Capital of the World, and this is just a sampling of the approximately 75-100 sculptures that can be found all over town. Chetwynd annually hosts a chainsaw sculpture contest, inviting 10 sculptors from around the world to enter the competition held over a 4 day period each summer. Chetwynd provides the wood for the sculptors and all of the sculptures must be completed during the competition, and are then judged to determine the annual winner.

All the sculptures remain the property of Chetwynd and are then displayed at various locations throughout the town each year after the close of competition.

Just an old Cowboy.

Connie & I sitting on a remarkable bench of eagles with outstretched wings.

Prince George, BC

2010-05-16T01:36:00.002-04:00

Stan . . .

We arrived in Prince George, BC on May 12th and left on May 15th. Prince George is the largest city in the northern part of British Columbia with a population of approximately 75,000 people. We were able to choose between several large supermarkets for our grocery shopping as well as get service work done to the truck (also had work done on an balky EGR sensor that would intermittently give a check engine warning light). Prince George also has a Costco, so we also stocked up on various bulk purchase items on our trip to Costco. The above picture is a rather imposing wood sculpture located outside one of two Prince George Visitor Centers.

The chainsaw sculpture in the above picture was located inside the second Prince George Visitor Center. This sculpture was on loan to the Prince George Visitor Center from the city of Chetwynd which is touted as the Chainsaw Sculpture Capital of the World. We hope to be able to see many more of these chainsaw sculptures as we will be traveling to Chetwynd after we leave Prince George

Boston Bar, British Columbia

2010-05-12T02:27:00.005-04:00

Stan . . .

We spent our first two days in British Columbia, Canada at the Canyon Alpine RV Park located just north of the village of Boston Bar. The first picture is of our campsite which was situated among some beautiful pine trees and was a very peaceful setting. Several miles south of Boston Bar along side the Fraser River is an area referred to as Hell's Gate due to the narrowing of the canyon walls causing the river waters to cascade down the river at a "gallons per minute" rate supposedly greater than the rate of water flowing over Niagara Falls. The second picture above of Connie and me was taken just before we boarded the aerial tramway to take us from the cliffs on one side of the river down to the lower cliffs on the other side of the river.

The two of us "posing" inside a gondola basket "suspended" over the rapids of Hell's Gate.

After getting off the aerial tram on the lower side of the cliffs there was several buildings housing a restaurant, a gift shop, a museum and a pretty garden area that had numerous hummingbird feeders that had a very active group of hummingbirds swarming all around the feeders. I was able to capture this picture of one of the hummingbirds actually sitting on the feeder instead of hovering.

Old Town Sacramento

2010-04-19T02:00:00.001-04:00

Connie...

We arrived in Sacramento on April 15 and pulled into the CalExpo RV campground. It located next to the state fairgrounds and is very nice. Our friends Carole & Henri are retired also and have their rig parked there. They also work part-time there and enjoy traveling in their Hitchhiker. We spent the week with them and it was great being in the same park. Sacramento is a beautiful city with lots to see. Right next to the campground are wonderful walking trails that go along the river or will take you all the way to Old Town Sacramento. Carole & I enjoyed the morning walks.

We took a tour to Old Town Sacramento. There's so much to see there. It feels like you've stepped back in time although you are in the big city. Of course we found lots of fun & silly things to do; carriage rides and trying on funny masks.

Carole & Henri showed us a great time. Henri is such a jokester and kept us laughing most of the time.

Day Trip to Sequoia National Forest

2010-04-14T01:00:00.010-04:00

Connie...

From our campground in Tulare, we took a day trip up to the Sequoia National Forest. The drive up was full of wonderful sights. After entering the park, we stopped to enjoy our picnic lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a slight crisp spring breeze. The picture above is Tunnel Rock which previously in the younger days of the park, the road went under the rock.

After lunch we made our way up the mountain to an elevation of 7000 feet. The higher we climbed the more spectacular the view as the snow from the previous day became deeper and deeper. The roads were slick in places and there were a lot of twists and turns. At times I was a bit uneasy, but then the beauty would overtake fear. At the top it was so incredible. Never have we seen trees this large. So majestic!!

All the while we drove into the park this is what we saw, time after time. From green to snow in such a short time. We did stop at one point near the top to install the snow chains that we rented, but after a bit of a struggle decided to chance the drive without them. We did just fine. What an amazing day!!

Sequoia National Park

2010-04-13T17:53:00.000-04:00

Stan...
We traveled from Tulare to Visalia, then turned east traveling thru Three Rivers and entered the Entrance Gate to Sequoia National Park. Park Ranger informed us that we had to have tire chains in our vehicle, so we had to return to Three Rivers and rent a set of chains for the day (it's a big business at several locations in Three Rivers) and then return to the Park. We bought our Senior Lifetime Access Pass at the Entrance Gate and then proceeded into the park.

Barstow 1880's - 1950's

2010-04-11T23:38:00.011-04:00

Stan...
We arrived in Barstow early Saturday afternoon and found that we were camped near a ghost town named Calico which was a silver mining boomtown during the 1880's, but the boom busted and Calico was a ghost town by the early 1900's. Calico is located at the base of the mountain were the mining was done and was an enjoyable afternoon excursion. Walter Knott (founder of Knott's Berry Farm near Disneyland) bought the mining location in the early 1950's and set about restoring what was left of Calico. The restoration is now operated by the San Bernadino Historical Society.

We then came down from the 1880's to find ourselves in the 1950's at Peggy Sue's Nifty 50's Diner where we decided to have dinner.

We left Barstow on Sunday morning and traveled along the Mojave Desert, then up thru the mountains at Tehachapi (beautiful area) coming down into the valley and on thru Bakersfield up to Tulare. We encountered extremely high winds and blowing sandstorms from shortly before Bakersfield all the way to Tulare (the proclaimed agriculture center of California). By nightfall the winds began to die down and we then had rain move in for the night and it lasted most of the way thru Monday.

We are going to do daytrips out of Tulare on Tuesday & Wednesday up into the Sequoia National Park and will hopefully post pictures at that time.

We are now in California

2010-04-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

Connie...
It's hard to believe that we were at the John Wayne RV Ranch for two weeks. The rally was such fun; we connected with old friends and made some new ones also. The weather was great all week. Very warm during the day and very,very cool in the evening, although the winds played havoc with our campfire attempts.
Today we arrived in Blythe, CA and will stay here until Saturday, then head toward Barstow, CA. Our traveling buddies took another route and we will meet up with them in Seattle around May 3. Then we will be together the rest of the trip to Alaska and beyond.
We are going to visit Connie's sister in Salem, OR for a week. Will arrive Salem around the 25th of April. Looking forward to rekindling relationships with family.
Will keep everyone posted on events and points of interest as we go along.

Arrived in Maricopa, AZ for the HitchHiker Rally

2010-03-28T00:13:00.000-04:00

Stan...
Well, we've made it to Maricopa, AZ for the HItchHiker B&B II Rally without any instances or surprizes. Traveled to Big, Spring, TX the first day, then stopped in Van Horn, TX on the 2nd night and then Deming, NM the 3rd night (finally got out of Texas!!) It sure takes a long time to get from Ft. Worth to El Paso. We had planned on stopping the 4th night (Friday) in Benson, AZ, but since it was only 305 miles from Deming to Maricopa we decided to arrive in Maricopa a day earlier than planned.

We arrived around 2:00 pm MST (2 hours earlier than Texas), set up the 5th wheel and had a great time visiting with all the other early arrivals. Spent today doing more visiting and going into the town of Maricopa (13 miles away) to stock up on groceries for the next week or so.

The weather during our travels so far has been very pleasant without experiencing any inclement weather other than high winds (sustained at 35 mph with gust to 55-60 mph) during our travel from Deming to Maricopa. Forecast for the next week here in Maricopa is highs in the upper 70's to low 80's and lows in the 55 to 60 degree range. And of course since we are in the desert there in absolutely no rain in the long term forecast.

Random pictures taken during the Rally are posted below.

Start Living The Dream

2010-03-15T17:09:00.000-04:00

Stan...
Starting March 23rd we will begin the start of our dream and goal for the past 20+ years. That dream was to retire with good health, sell the house, move into our 5th wheel RV and begin the lifestyle of fulltime RV travellers.

So welcome to our blog as we begin chasing our dream and we'll try to keep you informed of our travels by posting both written details as well as frequently posting pictures of our adventures.

Texas Dream Chasers---Stan & Connie