We're home!
After almost 11 weeks and 12,000 miles it was great to get home. And "home" it finally is. This is the first time we are really here "permanently." The other times we were here we were always in between events. Either we were running back and forth between here and Yardley or we were planning for our trek. But now we are here and it is home.
I am not sure about who of us is happiest to be here, but I suspect it is Ziggy. She was really good on the trip, but traveling was hard on her.She stood all the time we were traveling in the RV.
The trip back from Glacier was reminiscent of a horse running back to the barn. We left the park and started driving. Three days to drive 2800 miles. Stopping overnight at Wal*Mart and rest areas. Taking quick breaks for lunch -- sometimes at rest areas. We often traveled 12 hours a day or more. But it was time to get home.
By any standard it was the trip of a lifetime. Alaska was great! We loved Canada. Oh, yes -- we loved the lower 48 as well.
We have now RVed in 44 states plus 4 provinces in Canada. The five we have missed (I don't think we will be taking the RV to Hawaii.) are Louisiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Washington and Oregon. I suspect that the last two will be the next to go. We have been want to go to the Pacific Northwest (and Vancouver) for a long time. If we go back to Alaska next year we may hit them on the way up. (I suspect we will make sure we go through Nebraska as well. What the heck!)
But for now we are home. We are happy to be here. We had a great time. Now back to the real world.
Anybody want to buy a house in Yardley?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Goodbye, Farewell and Amen
The above title is from the final episode of M*A*S*H. It seemed fitting for the trek.
Welcome to Prince George, BC and the end of our trek. A city of 60,000 plus, Prince George has all a major city has to offer – including a pretty decent restaurant for our farewell dinner. There wasn’t much of a program so Judy and I put one together. I sang “So Long. It’s Been Good to Know Ya” (with 7 verses I had written about our trek) and Judy handed out “Award” certificates to all the trekkers. We got some gratuities -- nice thought, but we will be donating them to a charity (to be determined at a future date).
So, our trek (the working part, anyway) is over. We are glad to be heading home. While we have to admit the work wasn’t very hard, it was work. We were “on” 24/7 and were called upon to help out on many occasions.
Now we head back through Banff and Glacier National Parks and the home. I suspect the drive from Glacier home is going to be a dash to the finish. It is about 2800 miles and will probably take 7 days, although we may do it in less time because we are anxious to get back.
Did we have a good time? Emphatically YES! But I think that we both agree that the best length for a trip is 8-9 weeks. Not everyone agrees with us. Two of the guests left home on March 15 (that’s 5 months and counting). One of them left for a previous RV trip with no particular destination in mind and came home 8 months later!
It really isn’t any harder to take an 8 month trip than a 2 month trip (except you may need heavier clothes as well as summer stuff). But we have a new home to get back to (and an old one to sell – don’t ask!) and new and old friends to see, and the holidays coming up.
And we have to get ready for more traveling: an RV trip up north in October for a wedding and to see friends, and a trip to the Galapagos in November for Judy and Carol et. al.
Welcome to Prince George, BC and the end of our trek. A city of 60,000 plus, Prince George has all a major city has to offer – including a pretty decent restaurant for our farewell dinner. There wasn’t much of a program so Judy and I put one together. I sang “So Long. It’s Been Good to Know Ya” (with 7 verses I had written about our trek) and Judy handed out “Award” certificates to all the trekkers. We got some gratuities -- nice thought, but we will be donating them to a charity (to be determined at a future date).
So, our trek (the working part, anyway) is over. We are glad to be heading home. While we have to admit the work wasn’t very hard, it was work. We were “on” 24/7 and were called upon to help out on many occasions.
Now we head back through Banff and Glacier National Parks and the home. I suspect the drive from Glacier home is going to be a dash to the finish. It is about 2800 miles and will probably take 7 days, although we may do it in less time because we are anxious to get back.
Did we have a good time? Emphatically YES! But I think that we both agree that the best length for a trip is 8-9 weeks. Not everyone agrees with us. Two of the guests left home on March 15 (that’s 5 months and counting). One of them left for a previous RV trip with no particular destination in mind and came home 8 months later!
It really isn’t any harder to take an 8 month trip than a 2 month trip (except you may need heavier clothes as well as summer stuff). But we have a new home to get back to (and an old one to sell – don’t ask!) and new and old friends to see, and the holidays coming up.
And we have to get ready for more traveling: an RV trip up north in October for a wedding and to see friends, and a trip to the Galapagos in November for Judy and Carol et. al.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Civilization?
We knew we were in trouble when we saw the first sign for McDonald’s. We were back in civilization, and it was not a pretty sight.
Smithers, BC is a cute town. Our RV park was attached to a golf course. There were all kinds of services and food available. And it was one of the saddest days of my life.
We hadn’t realized just how much we had become accustomed to the wilderness and the beauty. And here we were back in civilization. And our trek was just about over. The good news is that I washed the RV (not that it needed it or anything) and removed about 9 weeks’ worth of bugs from the front.
Smithers is a small town by “civilized” standards, but it was enormous to us. Our trek was just about over.
Smithers, BC is a cute town. Our RV park was attached to a golf course. There were all kinds of services and food available. And it was one of the saddest days of my life.
We hadn’t realized just how much we had become accustomed to the wilderness and the beauty. And here we were back in civilization. And our trek was just about over. The good news is that I washed the RV (not that it needed it or anything) and removed about 9 weeks’ worth of bugs from the front.
Smithers is a small town by “civilized” standards, but it was enormous to us. Our trek was just about over.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Nowhere
The next time someone talks about being in the middle of nowhere I intend to stop them. I HAVE been in the middle of nowhere. It is called Hyder, Alaska. Remember the TV show “Northern Exposure?” Picture a smaller town on the water (the Portand Canal – an arm of the Pacific). Dirt roads. No TV or radio. No police or medical care.
The town sits on the border with the bustling metropolis of Stewart, BC (population 600). To give you an idea of how remote Hyder is, they don’t even bother with US Customs coming into the town. There is no place to go from there, so why bother?
The main attraction to tourists is the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area. I’m sure Judy will go into that in detail, so I won’t. Suffice it to say that it was really neat.
The town sits on the border with the bustling metropolis of Stewart, BC (population 600). To give you an idea of how remote Hyder is, they don’t even bother with US Customs coming into the town. There is no place to go from there, so why bother?
The main attraction to tourists is the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area. I’m sure Judy will go into that in detail, so I won’t. Suffice it to say that it was really neat.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
To Trek or Not To Trek; That is the Question
For the first time we are retracing our route and heading back toward home. We are leaving Alaska (but not yet for the last time on this trek). Back into Canada where we had hit that god-awful stretch of road. All glory be to the Yukon Highway Department. In the month we had been gone they had totally repaired that stretch of road. The day we were dreading turned out to be no problem at all. The Alaska Highway is now like a long lost friend.
The Trekmaster, Glen, has decided that it is time for some training, so starting the day we left Whitehorse we take the lead. It is very different from being Tailgunners. We left at 6:00 in the morning, driving straight through to the next camp site. No stopping to smell the roses (at least we weren’t supposed to).
At the new site we would check in and assign the sites. Judy was adamant about making sure that the good sites were rotated among the group. As staff, of course, we got last pick. We (usually Judy) would then sit outside and wait for the group to come. After they got in we were free.
Trekmaster is not nearly as much fun as Tailgunner. It is almost a demotion. It is much more like a real job that goes on every day for 7 weeks. I don’t know how much the Trekmaster gets paid, but I doubt that it is enough to justify the extra responsibility and work.
The most common question to us is whether we want to be Trekmasters next year. That is a great question for which we do not as yet have a good answer. I can say this much, though. Judy and I LOVED Alaska. It is a place where we would like to spend a lot of time. I suspect that a look at the duties and responsibilities of Trekmaster vs. Tailgunner with fresh eyes might make the change from Tailgunner to Trekmaster more appealing.
The Trekmaster, Glen, has decided that it is time for some training, so starting the day we left Whitehorse we take the lead. It is very different from being Tailgunners. We left at 6:00 in the morning, driving straight through to the next camp site. No stopping to smell the roses (at least we weren’t supposed to).
At the new site we would check in and assign the sites. Judy was adamant about making sure that the good sites were rotated among the group. As staff, of course, we got last pick. We (usually Judy) would then sit outside and wait for the group to come. After they got in we were free.
Trekmaster is not nearly as much fun as Tailgunner. It is almost a demotion. It is much more like a real job that goes on every day for 7 weeks. I don’t know how much the Trekmaster gets paid, but I doubt that it is enough to justify the extra responsibility and work.
The most common question to us is whether we want to be Trekmasters next year. That is a great question for which we do not as yet have a good answer. I can say this much, though. Judy and I LOVED Alaska. It is a place where we would like to spend a lot of time. I suspect that a look at the duties and responsibilities of Trekmaster vs. Tailgunner with fresh eyes might make the change from Tailgunner to Trekmaster more appealing.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Farewell (almost), Alaska
It’s been a while since I have had a chance to blog, so I will do this in sections and try to break this into appropriate dates. I am writing this on August 13 in Banff. We have no Internet connection, so I am taking my time and trying to sort out my thoughts.
Our last stop in Alaska was in Chicken, and what a fitting end it was. Chicken is about 65 miles from the Alaska highway up a road that covers rolling hills then turns to dirt 2 miles out of town. It is a stop for those who are taking the “Top of the World Highway” through Dawson City. Our trek bypassed that route because it is dangerous and difficult to drive. We added Homer instead, and – believe me – the tradeoff was worth it. Homer was probably my favorite stop on the whole trip.
Chicken is a bustling metropolis of 26. They generate their own electric (when they feel like it), have no phone service, no cell phone service, no local government, no local taxes, and a VERY rustic way of life. Downtown Chicken consists of a souvenir shop, a café, and a liquor store.
The campground in which we stayed had no hookups at all. We dry-camped (generating our own electricity, using stored fresh water, and draining into our own holding tanks). It was quite an experience, and almost half the group opted not to go. Their loss! It was a real look at frontier Alaska. (OK. Not total frontier. We had wifi Internet through a satellite connection. No need to go THAT far!)
The town was founded as a mining town (weren’t they all!) and was supposed to be name Ptarmigan (after the local fowl). When the founders could figure out how to spell ptarmigan they settled for “Chicken.”
Oh, yes. The cheer for the local (fictional) school: Go Peckers!
Our last stop in Alaska was in Chicken, and what a fitting end it was. Chicken is about 65 miles from the Alaska highway up a road that covers rolling hills then turns to dirt 2 miles out of town. It is a stop for those who are taking the “Top of the World Highway” through Dawson City. Our trek bypassed that route because it is dangerous and difficult to drive. We added Homer instead, and – believe me – the tradeoff was worth it. Homer was probably my favorite stop on the whole trip.
Chicken is a bustling metropolis of 26. They generate their own electric (when they feel like it), have no phone service, no cell phone service, no local government, no local taxes, and a VERY rustic way of life. Downtown Chicken consists of a souvenir shop, a café, and a liquor store.
The campground in which we stayed had no hookups at all. We dry-camped (generating our own electricity, using stored fresh water, and draining into our own holding tanks). It was quite an experience, and almost half the group opted not to go. Their loss! It was a real look at frontier Alaska. (OK. Not total frontier. We had wifi Internet through a satellite connection. No need to go THAT far!)
The town was founded as a mining town (weren’t they all!) and was supposed to be name Ptarmigan (after the local fowl). When the founders could figure out how to spell ptarmigan they settled for “Chicken.”
Oh, yes. The cheer for the local (fictional) school: Go Peckers!
The Chicken Dance
Welcome to downtown Chicken, Alaska, population 21 in summer and 6 in winter. A regular metropolis. Chicken is on the way to Eagle and then the US/Canada border. It is a beautiful area of rolling hills in the Tanana Valley State Forest.The drive up here was only 70 miles from Tok, but took a while because of poor road conditions. Seven of the 17 rigs in our group decided not to stay here and drove up in their cars for the day. The road had some good bumps, frost heaves and unpaved areas, but not as rough as other roads we have travelled. The bad news at the end of the road is we are dry camping. That means no electric, water or sewer. You do use your own water, battery and store up the sewer to dump at the next camp.
We didn't see any critters all day, but lots of chicken merchandise in the gift shop. Our first stop was the log cabin post office decorated with chicken stuff. The post mistress actually came outside to take our picture holding her rubber chicken. Mail is delivered here by plane twice a week. There are three commercial areas in Chicken, each has a cafe and gift shop and one gas station for the town. We proceeded to our lodgings at the Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost. They have a cute cafe and gift shop and we ate and shopped. Then we went outside to pan for gold. It is as addictive as a slot machine, you always imagine a huge nugget in the next pile of dirt.
I ventured out for the dredge tour which was quite informative. That is how much mining was done in Alaska years ago. The big machine is now sitting in a ditch and dirty, rusty and greasy. But, walking through its innards was interesting and a new experience. Later we had a dessert party with blueberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. Then we played a round of hillbilly golf, another unsuccessful wildlife drive and we were off to bed.
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