10,200 miles!!!

July 20, 2014  10,200 miles!!!!

Well we have 10 hours left and we should be home.  We spent the night just outside of Cheyenne boondocking again.  George is getting used to that and kind of likes it now.  We even like Walmart parking lots.  Last night we were at a very nice rest stop with some other semi’s.   We talked about our adventure and even after our Yellowstone adventure are glad we did it.  I reminded George how he wouldn’t even drive in San Francisco when I did a nursing tour there.  I had to drive when he came out to visit.  Now he’s a pro.  We can’t believe we survived the roads in Alaska and Canada and above all Yellowstone.  He said his tire was hanging off the road part way at one point and he couldn’t see the white line anymore.  Scary scary.  We will be sitting in our rockers one day saying, “remember when…”

Well, it’s midnight so we aren’t going to officially be home until July 21.  All in all it’s been a great trip.  We have lots of cleaning to look forward to now. 

Toto has been great.  He fell again trying to get into the truck and is limping pretty bad.  Poor thing.  Sometimes he jumps in and can make it and sometimes I have to kind of help him.  He flopped right our onto the cement before I could catch him last night. 

Heading home with our little dog Toto.

July 11, 2014

We decided to load up and head back to Kansas.  It’s sad.  This is such a beautiful place.  This will be our first time really driving the 5^th wheel.  We brought it 40 miles from Anchorage to Palmer but now we are facing about 4200 miles.  I think George is a little nervous about what to expect but we see all these “old” people driving so we figure if they can do it; we can too.  George doesn’t consider himself “old.”

 

Mountains to the right and mountains to the left...

Here I am!  Stuck in the middle of all these mountains. 

Goodbye RV repair shop

June 22, 2014

Yeah times 3!  We are finally leaving the beautiful RV repair shop parking lot.  It really was great views, quiet neighbors and beautiful mountain views, but it just didn’t feel like home if you know what I mean.  George got up at 7:00 this morning and went to Wasilla to a Ford dealership to try to find out what was wrong with the PU.  We just couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t recognize a tow.  Apparently when we had the trailer hitch put on, they failed to connect something.  Their little error cost us 2 days of vacation, about 10 extra gallons of gas, $100.00 at the RV repair shop and a $65.00 repair bill at the Ford dealership in Wasilla.  I understand honest mistakes, but we specifically asked this company if they tested it and how we were going to Alaska and they told us we were good to go.  Then to top it off, they didn’t even return my call when I left a message telling how we were stranded. 

This trip was planned as our honeymoon trip.  I think everyone should take a trip like this probably before you get married and then make that big decision.  But, we are finally settled into our 5^th wheel and it is beautiful up here.  Mountains all around us, great weather, fresh air.  We just couldn’t ask for more.  We are very blessed and we both keep reminding each other how well we have it.  People crossed these mountains on foot to get here and we laughed at how we were whining just the other day coming down the mountain roads in a nice warm pick up.  Kind of humbling and  puts things into perspective. 

Back to the honeymoon part.  I will try to do this tasteful, but it was pretty funny.  We were christening our new home and during a romantic moment, we both started laughing about the same time.  You know the old saying, “Don’t come a knockin’ if the RV’s a rockin’?  We always heard everyone joke around about that whenever someone got a new RV.  Well, let me make it clear; that’s not some old wives tale. 

George has his own “honey do” list going.  He has been hooking things up, tightening this and that.  Oh yeah, he was going to put some stabilizers on the front. 

 

Our 2nd night in our 5th wheel

June 21, 2014   Saturday

We love the RV, or at least I do.  With all the trouble we have had, George says, “And that’s why I don’t like to buy used.”  Understand that the problem isn’t with the “used” RV.  It’s with his brand new pickup truck.  Oh yeah.  His brand new Super duty 350 Ford.  With 4 wheel drive, heated and AC seats and all the bells and whistles.  My “used” 5^th wheel that I picked out is great.  I’m just thinking, “Thank You God, for not letting me talk George into buying a used pickup.”

We spend our second night in our wonderful RV.  We had fun going to eat at the little café that he and Dave ate.  We got our laundry done.  We went to Fred Myers which has “everything” according to George and this is one of his and Dave’s favorite places to shop besides Costco.  George drove around Anchorage and had fun showing me all their favorite places. 

Yeah! Our new 5th wheel

June 20, 2014

We are so excited to finally be picking up our 5^th wheel.  We went and got our temporary license and found a place to park it.  We unload all the bins and I am putting things away while George is figuring out the outside.  He has to charge the battery and get things figured out.  One of the guys, Kevin, is actually from Kansas and helped us out quite a bit.  George backed in and hooked onto the hitch without a hitch (pun intended) but that’s where our day went south.  Kevin assured us everything would be fine and they would get it figured out.  I have learned that when George says, “Everything is fine or it’ll be fine.”  That actually means, nobody died or will die.  So whenever things go wrong or George forgets something or fails to prepare for situations and we live through it, his response is, “see, I told you everything would be fine.” 

Well, as it turned out, our day wasn’t fine.  We are going to have to spend the night in their parking lot.  So we had to cancel our reservation for the RV Park.  The repair shop hooked us up to electricity and water.    So here we are surrounded by mountains on a Friday night in an RV repair shop parking lot. 

Panning in Chicken

June 19, 2014

We are leaving Chicken this morning.  George stayed up till 11 panning and got some good gold. He got up early and went again.  Toto and I slept in a nice cool cabin under a down filled comforter.   It’s a little harder for me to sleep with it light our 24/7.  I could tell George was doing well because you can see a smile while he’s panning plus he came back to the cabin several times to show me his gold.  He said he can see why some of these places hang on to their gold because most people don’t know how to pan and it gets dumped right back into the water.  He was still giving lessons this morning.  Toto and I took a walk around the whole camp and got some great pictures.  When we saw George panning I noticed he had a pair of cheap multi colored reading glasses on.  He forgot his and found this pair in the truck for emergency purposes (mainly for me).  I had some for him but he grabbed the first pair he could find.  He had to get back to see his finds.  I will have to post that picture for your smile for the day. 

We just had a moose encounter on this road from Chicken.  George yelled moose and I looked up and sure enough a huge moose was running down into the valley.  He said he was on a collision course with him but maybe our deer whistles is what made him turn around and run back.  He was big and filled out unlike the one in Canada.  I didn’t get a picture.  It’s like the one that got away eh? 

We got to Palmer, which is just 40 minutes from Anchorage.  We were both exhausted and a little tense after coming through the mountains.  There were so many steep grade and straight drop off we didn’t expect.  We were both thinking this is ok and thank God it wasn’t raining because there were so many rock slide areas.  I honed my back seat driving skills, or so I thought, but George still came down a little fast and threw Toto to the floor as he put on the brakes.  Typical dad.  All he could say is, “I told you to sit down.”  Poor little guy was ok except he hurt his left leg.   Communication is not one of George’s strong points and he is happy to keep it that way. 

Sleeping in

June 25, 2014

It’s cold and rainy and so much fun to sleep in on days like this.  George had to go to Anchorage to pick up their satellite phone so Toto and I cuddled up and slept soo good.  We ran in to Palmer later to their grocery store and then drove around just to see what the town had.   I did some laundry and that was about the extent of our day.   Dave flies in tomorrow so George is excited.  Me too.  I will have 2 weeks all to myself with my little dog Toto. 

Off to Fairbanks

I posted on www.thegoldprospectors.blogspot.com

Oh how it sucks to be us

June 23, 2014

We are off to a late start to Fairbanks via Denali National Park.  Yeah, I know you’re thinking how it sucks to be us.  So far we have only seen one moose.  We probably passed dozens while we were gawking at the most spectacular mountains.  It is just beautiful up here.  One can see why people are drawn to Alaska and don’t want to come home.  Maybe if more tourist visited in the winter it would stop some of that.  I know I’m ready to stay for a while.  It’s wonderful to wake up in the brisk mountain air.   I only have to wear a jacket at any given time.  

Cemetary Pics in Dawson City, Yukon

Chicken Alaska and the adventure getting here

June 18, 2014

Well, we made it.  Unbelievable coming through the mountains from Dawson City.  We caught a ferry just at the outskirts of Dawson.  The roads were horrible.  It snowed and rained most of the way.  We hear it is going to be cold and miserable for the next several days.  There is a huge storm over Alaska and moving our way.  I got some video but I think it's something you have to be there to appreciate.  We were on TOP OF THE WORLD HIGHWAY.  Of course we were waiting for that feeling to hit.  Yes we felt like we were on top of the world.  It was fun for a while but then the rough ride turned into over 3 hours of rough riding.  George was then on a mission.  No stopping to take pictures...I had to get them on the move.  He was getting tired of the slick muddy roads and the drop off on the sides.  We saw a sign that said, "soft shoulder."  A road worker let us pass on the inside of the mountain and then I hear George say, he is going to pull over and let this car pass (and he wasn't heading to the mountain side).  I'm sorry but the backseat driver came out because it is a straight drop off on my side and the sign just said SOFT SHOULDER.  I wanted to say, "What part of soft shoulder did you not understand?  But instead I said, "they don't look like they want to pass and they can just follow us."   If you know me you probably don't believe that.  But my delivery is was got my point across.  I have a good delivery.  We had the 4 wheel drive and they just had a car.  Somehow we made it. 

So here we are in a little cabin in the little town of Chicken.  No electricity, no running water.  George saw bear poop outside our cabin so we will have to take the bear spray to the outhouses.  He claims he is going to pee in a cup tonight because he knows the bears will be out about 2am.  Not me, I will be taking the bear spray.  I only pee in a cup on doctors’ orders. 

I forgot to tell you about our morning in Dawson Creek.  We went to the old cemetery that was overlooking the town.  It was very interesting.  The whole back row was filled with infants and children.  One 11 days old, one 22 min.  A lot of them died in 1898.  On guy was born in Poland in 1867 and died in Dawson in 1921.  I saw on Guisseppe born in Buenos Ayres in 1877 and dies in June 1948.  I found it all very interesting.  The old graves were marked with wood markers but most of the writing was worn off.  It looks like someone marked most of them at a later date.  I saw one marked, “Murdered 1902, buried June 1, 1904.”  A lot were young men.  Some from Ireland, some Poland, Austria, Sweden, France, all over the world.  A lot were from the states.  The history in Dawson City is fascinating.  What these people went through was unbelievable. 

We learned the story of how they all came to Dawson.  It has all been a little fuzzy but we finally got the story straight.  The Yukon runs north and then west.  The famous picture of the human chain of people lined up on the side of the mountain at Chillkoot pass, which is down around Skagway, is an incredible story.  After they climbed that mountain they had to come back down as many as 40 times to get their supplies up there.  They had to have 1000 lbs of provisions per person.  After that they had to hike about 14 miles to get to the lakes to get to some water transportation.  They made boats to sail up the Yukon through the rapids.  A lot of people turned back and a lot died.  All for the hope of a new and richer life.  Some never found gold but found the riches of living their life in the Yukon. 

 

Last day in Dawson City

June 17, 2014

Well, we hung around town most of today after George got back from mining.  I wasn’t there so he didn’t do as well.  That’s the way I see it anyway.  We had a long evening in the Yukon Mountains last night.  I wondered at one point if I was going to have to label my blog: NOT NAKED BUT AFRAID IN THE YUKON so I stayed back today to get some things caught up.  Sleep was one.   It’s raining today and a bit chilly so, after George got back, we drove around town and looked at all the old buildings.  We checked out all the shops and touristy places.  George loves jewelry which makes me a lucky girl.   He bought me a beautiful necklace with 3 nuggets and a diamond.  The lady at the shop designed it.  I would recommend this shop if you ever come to Dawson Creek.  Klondike nugget and Ivory shop.  The ivory comes from the ancient mammoths.  She’s an elderly lady with a very distinct German accent and has been here for years.   I do love gold nuggets but just have not been keen on wearing them around my neck, but this one is beautifully done.

Toto is still wiped out from last night in the mountains.  I forgot to say, I did a little metal detecting on the road and found a shell.  I was so excited and George was drooling but it turned out to be a shell.  What a disappointment.  We were way up in the mountains and a shell.  What are the chances?  It was late so we didn’t do much.  It took 1 ½ hours just to go 28 miles.  I think that is the way it is going to be going to Chicken.    

We have learned the lingo up here.  After a question the locals will answer with an, “eh?”  Instead of saying, “petty chilly today, huh?”  They say, “em, it’s a bit chilly eh?”  George and I are having fun with our imitations. 

 

Dawson City

June 16, 2014

I was so tired last night.  It stays daylight 24/7 and it’s just hard for me to sleep.  If you come this way be sure to check the curtain situation before booking.  We are at the famous Downtown Motel and it is pet friendly and pretty nice.

We got up and ate some cereal, did some laundry and then went for lunch at Sourdough Joe’s Restaurant.  It was good food.   I had some sort of Egg McDawson. 
 
We shopped around and then headed out to claim 6.  No more lessons.  George was digging in and doing some serious sluicing.  I was doing some panning and getting some small pieces.  George was in his hip waders and in the middle of the stream; staying dry in the 8” water.  He is getting some bigger pieces the deeper he digs.  Everyone around is really interested in learning and watching George.   We were supposed to back at the museum for a show at 5:30 so we packed up and started home.  Then the adventure started.  We thought we saw a film crew so we turned around and followed them.  Sure enough it was.  It was 60 minutes doing some filming about the gold prospecting.  We gave them George’s gold blog card and then decided to check out Quartz creek where the gold show is filmed.  We drove and drove for miles through the mountains.  The roads were rough and narrow.  After 1 ½ hours we got to Quartz Creek.  We passed so many huge gold mines but only one had workers.  The Gold Rush show always makes a big deal of how they have to work work work because their season is so short but it was 7PM and only one mine was operating. 

We finally made it back to the room at 9:00 and ate supper here.  Toto is out like a light.  George is still hungry at 11:00 and just opened a bag of cookies.  Toto didn’t budge and he’s literally laying right beside him.  He was thrown around in the truck on those rough road and it just wore him out. Well, it’s late and we are going to bed.  It’s about midnight here but still light.  I put a sheet over the window tonight.  So guess who’s going to finally get some good sleep?   



 

Dawson City Here we come

June 15, 2014

Happy Father’s Day George!

What an exciting day.  We are headed to Dawson City.  Now this is what we expected.  A lot of pot holes the further north we get.  It’s an 8 hour drive and the roads didn’t get bad until 3 ½ hours outside of Dawson City.  One guy just ahead of us lost his hubcap as I am writing.  George’s quick “lightning” speed reflexes save us a direct hit.  And that my friends is why we learn the 2 second rule.  It’s a long drive but we have crosses the Yukon River several times.  Our pictures won’t come close to showing the beauty.  Here we are 10 days into our trip and finally our movie is opening up.  One of the clerks at the motel said his dad and uncle run a gold mine in Dawson and one of the other clerks said his grandfather smelters all the gold from Dawson City.  Those guys were so nice and very helpful.  FYI, it’s the Airport Chalet right on the highway.  It’s old but such a part of history. 

Now you are probably wondering if the trip is worth it.  It will be nice to say we did it, but we both agree, if we knew then what we know now, we wouldn’t do it… so far.  Dawson City has a lot of making up to do. 

The further north on HWY 2 to Dawson City, the more potholes and bigger.  We are following a guy pulling a trailer with a boat and I have to say it’s a little scary.  And again as I write the guy just lost his windshield and again another disaster avoided.  No we still haven’t learned the 2 second rule.  This isn’t the kind of excitement I was talking about earlier.  George isn’t real receptive to my backseat driving so it’s a little tense.  AAA is a long long way away and besides, it’s Father’s Day. 

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!  Picture the happy dance.  Dawson City is a joy.  Yes it is pretty much like we expected.  It is very remote up here and lots of little shops just waiting to pray on all the tourists.  We made a quick walk around the town and then ate one of our entrees in our room.  It has a microwave and refrigerator.  That was a surprise.  We went out afterwards and found a little Ice Cream shop and had a little sundae for $5.00 a pop which isn’t bad.   Then we took a ride out to Claim 33 and then went down to claim 6, which is free to the public.  George was busy giving panning lessons.  Most didn’t even know what gold looked like let alone know how to pan.  They were excited to see the fool’s gold.  They were more excited to see what the real thing looked like.  It was getting late and we decided to go back to Dawson and see a show and go to their “rigged” casino.  George played the slots while I watched the show.  I watched him win as long as the show was going on.  He was playing on $20.00.  He was up 50% but as the show was in the 2^nd half he was going down slow and then as the show came to an end… boom….his money was gone.  Apparently this is where Parker Schnobel comes and someone said he is known as “the heckler” at Gerties.  After we got done we stopped at Pan of Gold Pizza and ate a slice for $4 a slice.  It was really good. 

Here’s some interesting stats:

In the spring of 1897 population was 1,500. 

In the summer of 1897 pop was 3,500

In the winter of 1897 pop was 17,500

In 1981 the population was 697

In 2012 the population was 1,912

On to Whitehorse

June 14, 2014

We left Watson Lake and made it to Teslin and stopped at a little museum.  The girl was very excited about the pictures and identified the bridge as the one in Teslin.  We took a comparison picture but they just didn’t quite match up so we will continue to Whitehorse and see what we find out there.  We are close though.  Our plans are to leave the Alcan Highway in Whitehorse and go on up to Dawson City.  Remember milepost 0 is at Dawson Creek.  Dawson City is where the gold rush took place in the Yukon.  It is calling George.  I think George is now on a mission.  I would have to say I would recommend flying into Alaska and taking a cruise rather than take this trip.  We are glad we did it and it is beautiful but still a long trip and I can’t say we have seen enough wildlife yet.  8 or 9 bear and some moose and mountain goats?  I think Tanganyika right there in Wichita is a pretty good deal.  We are just surprised and it really isn’t what we expected so far.  They certainly don’t have what we have clear up here in the Yukon but we did just pass a beautiful golf course in Whitehorse. 

We have seen lots of bicyclist going up and down the Alcan.  Just like Colorado. 

We got to Whitehorse and went to the visitor center.  They immediately recognized one of the pictures but said the building was long gone.  We were informed that Whitehorse is one of the most modern cities in Canada and they didn’t preserve much of their old history.  They sent us to the Yukon Archives.  I have to say the lady wasn’t very excited to see my pictures of help.  It was about 45 minutes from closing time on a Saturday so that might have been the problem.  Next we found the Airport Chalet.  One of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse.  It was built by the army and housed the workers of the Alcan Highway.  What a deal!  My grandfather probably stayed right here.  We were in room 125.  The guy at the desk was very impressed with the pictures and then another guy came up and he started telling me where they were taken.  He is a guide for the area and knows it well.  It seems grandpa was flown into Whitehorse at some point from Fairbanks and spent a lot of time down around Haines Junction, Destruction Bay and Champagne.  We won’t be going there until we are on our way back home because we are going to Dawson City and then over to Chicken and then to Anchorage.  So for now my detective work is on hold.  I spent a little time at the front desk and then they invited me into a bar where there was another guy that had an eye for detail.  Oh, where is George you ask?  In bed.  And no I didn’t drink.  I was so excited to some information.  All my information is just hit and miss but tonight I think I really scored.  Grandpa was here. 

I took Toto for a walk down a little stretch of the old Alcan Highway.  I picked up little rocks for all my grandkids and nieces and nephews.  My niece McKinley was named after Grandpa McKinley’s side so it was fun thinking of all his descendants.  I was walking right where my grandpa had been. 

 

WE FINALLY SAW SOME WILDLIFE!!!

June 13, 2014

Well, we left Fort Nelson and finally our movie seems to be opening up.  We have seen about 8 bear this morning.  Got some video of a moose on the side of the road.  We stopped at a quaint little cabin that has had several signs advertising hot cinnamon rolls.  George was drooling after the second sign.   

We got so great pictures of some mountain goats crossing the road.  I got the mama, papa and their cutest little Billy. 

On top of all of this…we saw 4 buffalo.  What a deal. 

We made to Watson Lake and I am finally finding someone who recognizes the scenery of my grandpa’s pictures.  He was apparently in Whitehorse and Haines area.  I know he flew into Fairbanks but I never knew where he was stationed. 

We got a nice clean pet friendly motel.  Ran by Asians with a Chinese restaurant inside.  We have to leave Toto in the truck when we eat because we are afraid he will bark in the room.  Toto is snoring right now.  He is a really good little traveler, we came back after eating and found some little dog had found the treats.  We asked him who was in the treats and he went to the backseat and had his back to us.  It looked like he was in time out.  He really is a lot of fun to have along. 

 

So far we got nothin'

June 12, 2014

Well I have to say our trip is very uneventful.  No pictures of wildlife.  I did see a squirrel on the side of the road I should have gotten a picture of it so I would have something.  But I got nothin’.  Maybe today.  We are on our way to Fort St. John and Fort Nelson.  We slept in and just left about 10:30.  It’s 11:25 and George is tired.  I walked to a little Gas station/store and got some butter so he could have bacon and eggs.  The trip seems to be getting longer. 

We just stopped at a little rest area 5 miles outside of somewhere and I was talking to a lady about how far the next town is.  She asked if we filled up in that little town 5 miles back and got a little excited when I said I think the last time was Dawson Creek. (George is in charge of gas).  Looks like he is slacking.  He decided we would be fine.  We are 1247 kilometers from Whitehorse and only little towns in between and it is a two lane road.  He has been filling up every chance before we hit Dawson Creek but now that it’s critical he decides it will be fine.  Sooo we turned around and went back 5 miles and filled up.  Wonder how this day will turn out. 

We made it to Fort Nelson.  We found a pet friendly motel and should have checked the room first.  They were afraid to take cash but decided we looked fine, I guess, and let us in.  Well... this was not as bad as the Econo Lodge but would run a close second.  We ate our bacon and tomato sandwiches again and went to the store.  We still have bacon  and a tomato left over so we thought we would get some deli meat and have a little club sandwich tomorrow. 

Who ever said the trip to Alaska is a trip of a lifetime?  I feel like we are watching a bad movie and waiting for it open up.  So far I still got nothin'. 

WE ARE OFFICIAL TOURIST

June 11, 2014

We made it to Dawson City yesterday.  Of course we got our picture taken under the famous milepost 0 sign.  Are we tourists or what.  It really is nothing like I expected.  It is just a normal town like any US city.  Their museum was very interesting and I showed my grandfather’s pictures from 1942 when he was helping with the highway.  They found them very interesting but couldn’t tell me where they were taken.  No one really recognized the landscape.  We did get a picture of a bridge on the old Alcan Highway but I don’t think he was a part of that.  The bridge that was show in one of his pictures was a “Billy” bridge?  I think that’s what they called it.  One lady that has been around since 42 said they were all pretty much washed away in various floods.  It is very interesting to me but I am disappointed in the travel so far.  It is just so commercialized.  Watching the videos was interesting and going through the museums was also nice but so far we haven’t gotten into the “beautiful” scenery.  It is nice to look at and George says it’s pretty. in other words we aren't impressed.   I am still waiting for the spectacular views.  Just outside of Dawson we got some pretty shots coming down out of the mountain but that’s pretty much it. 

We stayed at Taylor Motel just a block from the visitor center in Taylor.  It was pet friendly and cost $96.00 which included $10.00 for Toto.  FYI Motel 6 pets stay for free.  Some places wanted 20 bucks.  We had a kitchenette and microwave and had bacon and tomato sandwiches.  They have bacon at Sam’s that doesn’t have to be refrigerated until it’s opened.  They were really good.  We are tired and we have a long way to go. 

Where not to stay

June 10. 2014

We ate at a wonderfully friendly place last night called ABC Country.  We didn’t have access to our phones and the manager, Nicole, and our waitress were kind enough to look up a motel that took pets and then wrote out directions for us.  We were so surprised by their hospitality.  Unbeknownst to them they apparently found one of the last rooms available in this town due to the Oil convention.  Thank you Nicole at ABC Country. 

On the other hand the people at Econo Lodge at 75^th and McLeod Tr were engaging in a little price gouging and taking an advantage of the Oil Convention.  The room is normal $119.00 but we got a deal for $200.00.  Oh yeah… it was a smoking room.  I knocked myself out with an ambien and even George asked for one.  You know it has to be bad if George can’t sleep. 

We took a walk last night with our little dog Toto.  It has so much meaning now since we are traveling from Kansas.  One guy said, “get outta here,” when he found out his name.  While we were walking, George and I were talking about how it really wasn’t much different than being in the states.  Houses and cars were the same.  Then all of the sudden I thought I saw a Joey, like in Australia, or so I thought.  It was the largest Jack Rabbit sitting up on its haunches I had ever seen.  No doubt it could have whooped Toto.  I guess they are all over the town.  It looked like it was just making its rounds in the neighborhood. 

If anyone is wondering how it is going driving so far together for weeks I will answer that.  The first few days are an adjustment.  George always wants to pack my bags first.  I have a tote and a makeup bag that needs to go last.  I’m a girl.  I take a little longer.  I have learned he likes to wait till I’m just about ready to get in the shower and then decide he needs to use the bathroom or brush his teeth.  Little things that are funny because we both have our own bathroom at home.  So that stuff is really no big deal, but I have to say if you have a ford with GPS it is great to get out your frustrations.  This GPS on this 350 Larriet is the most frustrating piece of @$##.  You can’t say a destination city.  You have to say some point of interest or know an exact address.  Then she baits you and says, “you can say something like: Walmart or Starbucks.”  So we go along with her and say Walmart.  Then she says, “I’m sorry.  I can’t find that location.”  Why did she say that and how would we know what is in the town?  Then when we think we can’t take anymore, she will put a list of places to eat or get gas.  So again we bite and say one of the names she has listed.  And again she says, “I’m sorry, but I can’t find that location. 

It was literally easier to use our cheap hand held GPS.  Ford need to get it together.  We got lucky by saying KFC to get her to program Dawson Creek.  Who would have known there was a KFC there?

We stopped in Edmonton trying to find someplace to make a key.  George accidently caught the key to the PU bed cover and broke it.  We have a spare, but we just wanted a backup.  Home Depot couldn’t make one to work so he sent up to a “lock smith”.  He turned out to be a shoe repairman that made keys but he didn’t have the right one.  So we ate at KFC and headed north.  George was paying the guy at KFC and the guy told him he needed a “looney”.  I guess that is their word for dollar.  They don’t have pennies and they don’t have $1.00 bills.  Just $1 and $2 coins.

We have the GPS set for Dawson Creek and it is a pain so we don’t mess with her.  It would be nice if it were more user friendly.  Toto is very happy sleeping and sitting between us.  His little bed is in bad need of cleaning though.  Hopefully we will find a laundry mat in Dawson Creek.

Well, we didn’t make it to Dawson.  We stayed at a very nice motel for 141.00 plus 20.00 for Toto.  This included free wifi and free breakfast at a restaurant.  Not a motel waffle.  It was clean and had a laundry room.  Yeah and yeah again.  It’s sometimes the little things that make you happy. 

June 9 Crossing the Border

June 9, 2014

We left Helena and headed for Canada.  Now; we knew we couldn’t bring firearms and we knew they would allow bear spray.  Bear spray is in a really big can and can stop a bear in its tracks.  If you follow the blog you know George knows that first hand.  So, in my opinion, a little tiny key chain mace spray can should be safe to bring across the border.  It’s just nice to have it on the dog leash or in your pocket when you walk the dog.  Right?  Well, they didn’t lock me up but they did confiscate my mace.  It left me speechless (only for a moment).  What is with that?

Nice thing is I wasn’t strip searched and they didn’t search our truck.  I had a second little container and I voluntarily turned that in too.  They said they would hold it for 40 days for me though.  Getting across the border was not as big of a deal as I thought.  I had it pictured with guys searching through your stuff with dogs and the whole nine yards.  I guess I was picturing Mexico.  Nope.  Just like going through a turnpike booth and handing over your documents and answering if you had any weapons, goods to sell in Canada or any tobacco or alcohol. 

Now exchanging currency.  Don’t do it at the border.  They are like ticket scalpers.  Lethbridge had a bank that did it for free.  We got $1,059 for $1,000 US dollars.  We made money!  Now at the border, they wanted $10.00 for every $300.00 you converted.  Ticket scalpers. 

We ran into a thunderstorm complete with hail.  Beautiful super cell just to the west.  Guess who was driving?  George was snoozing but the sound of hail brought him to life.  My kids can attest that I could be a storm chaser but I have to admit I was concerned about the windshield.  George wanted me to keep going and outrun the storm.  So I turned the wipers up full blast to help divert a possible major hit and save the windshield.  Who knows if that tactic worked or if the hail just wasn’t that bad? 

I have to say the drive to Calgary is like going through western Kansas.  We can see the Rockies way in the distance.  The beginning of the AlCan hiway begins in Dawson Creek at mile marker 0.  My granddad helped build it so I am excited to get to the museums there.  I brought some of his old pictures to compare with the landscape.  My grandma is 101 and went to a nursing home last year.  Grandpa died in 1959 when I was only 7.  Grandma didn’t know much but said she kept a journal.  She always tells me it’s in her dresser but I have never seen it.   

June 8 visiting friends

June 8, 2014

We're headed to Butt this morning from Billings.  We ate breakfast in our room.  George made it to Quick Trip and got milk.  Yeah!  Cancel the Divorce Party!   I would like to have gotten on the site several nights ago but George told Motel 6 we didn’t need the free Wifi.  I asked what he thought that meant and he said he didn’t know but he didn’t think we needed it.  I can see it is going to be a long trip.  We should be in Anchorage by June 21. 

The ride is beautiful and the mountains are so pretty.  We are going to see some friends in the mountains this afternoon and he hasn’t seen them since the 80’s.  I guess they live in the mountains and while we were talking one night, they said there was a bear and a couple cubs on their back deck.  Can’t wait to see this. 

Well we just got done visiting with his friends. C and T.  Beautiful, beautiful place up in the mountains.  We had Toto in their guest pen and he was not a happy camper.  We heard stories of the bears and now they have some cougars around.  C and T have to live with the threat of forest fires, bears, and cougars.   I will repeat a scary story C told us.  His wife, T,  was walking up the road coming from the post office probably a mile or so away.  One of the neighbors happened to talk to her husband and said he just saw some old lady walking up the road with 2 cougars following her.  T said she never saw them. 

Right after we left we got a text saying the bear was right there and had been watching us.  Toto probably saw the bear and was barking trying to warn us.  I have to admit it is beautiful though.   

Planning our Divorce Party

June 7, 2014

We had a pretty boring uneventful day yesterday.  We ran into the thunderstorms so it set us back a little bit and we stayed in Sidney, Nebraska instead of making it to Cheyenne.  We stayed across from the Safeway store in a pet friendly Motel called Sidney Motor Lodge.  There were 2 women at the front desk and one said her brother had just bought the place.  They were a hoot and very chatty which was a great welcome after a long day on the road.  Our total bill was 49.95.  The beds were very comfortable and we had a fridge and microwave.  I would have to say the corners in the bathroom needed some TLC but we were very pleased.  We walked down about a block and had the best Mexican meal I have had.  It was wonderful.  So much so we will consider stopping on the way back through.  

This morning we decided to have breakfast in the room.  I brought Grapenuts and bowls etc., so all we needed was some milk.  So George runs across the street and brings back more bowls, spoons and frosted flakes but no milk.  George’s brain works a little different as with most men.  He can’t see or find anything unless it’s electrical.  He actually didn’t even open the tail gate and look in the bin.   We are packed like Tetris but I do have a bin very handy in the back with everything.  Then again, the back would have to be opened.   Next he decides to drive somewhere else to get some milk because all Safeway had were gallons.  So at 15 miles per gallon and 30 minutes or more here comes George with some milk.  They say a male Luna moth can detect a female a mile away.  But does he call?  Noooo….Can you follow how our day started?   Breakfast total cost: Safeway: $11.67 (no milk) and $2.41 for milk and coffee on the second trip.  But I wouldn't call the event priceless. 

We're Off

June 6, 2014:

1021- We finally got on the road.  Toado was so happy and made us smile watching his little tail wag sitting between us.  I think he even had a smile on his face.  Our starting mileage is 3624.  We had a great send off with all of our friends.  About an hour into the trip Jason called and gave us some advice.  Mainly me… I think it was something to do with not asking if we are there yet.  With 4 kids he has heard that a million times and he was just watching out for George I guess.