DAY 27, Friday, August 9th

Today we made our way to Carcross.  The scenic drive gave way to lakes and fairly easy driving.  On the way we saw a baby Grizzlie.  We sure thought we'd see a lot more wildlife than we have, but then we aren't even quite halfway there.

The bridge leading into Teslin was about as unique as they come.

Teslin Bridge

Carcross was the next stop on our itinerary.  It has tiny shops along a board walk.  Judging by the number of tour buses, it is apparently a popular shore excursion stop for cruise ships.
Carcross boasts of the "World's Smallest Desert".  As I walked into the desert, I saw no difference in temperature, but apparently it grows flowers that are only able to survive a few places in the world.

There were interesting carved totem poles leading into the Welcome Center.

So much beautiful scenery, but one of the best was Emerald Lake.  They got the name right on this one.  It truly is the color of Emeralds.

Emerald Lake

We called it a day at High Country RV Park in Whitehorse.  Packed in like sardines, sewage odor was awful, highway and airport noise.  So, do you think I would recommend this park to anyone?  You guessed right.

DAY 28, Saturday, August 10th

Today we left the Alaska Highway and headed West on Hwy 2 towards Dawson City.

We've been noticing an increase in tour buses and caravans of RV's traveling together. 
Today we spent hours on long stretch of roads with views of rivers, hills and trees. 
Around Pelly Junction we began to refer to this trek as the Klondike version of Kansas.  Things were so repetitious.  Bad roads with bushes and brush along the side.  And then out of nowhere a river would break through or a colorful hill or mountain could be seen in the distance. 

The road from Pelly Junction to Dawson City was the worst on the trip so far.  It was very wavy and bumpy,  had soft shoulders, and had a number of gravel sections. 

Observations: 

There is very little litter along the road ways.
It seems those traveling these roads have a deep respect for the raw beauty of nature and don't want to defile it.  Or maybe it is just the fact that there are no fast food restaurants or convenience stores with disposable cups, bags, boxes, etc. waiting to be tossed out of car windows.
People speed.  A lot.
Pay telephones are not a thing of the past in Canada.  I guess because cell service is so sparce, they are still important.  I have been surprised to see them in many of the campgrounds we have stayed in.
If you turn your bedding inside out, you have clean sheets.

SUNDAY, August 11, Day 29

We were very lucky to attend Mass at St. Mary's in Dawson City.  Built in 1896, the structure is very historic.  The parish office was on the main floor and the church was up three short flights of stairs.  Having worked in the funeral business for 12 years, all Jim could think was how in the world did they get caskets up those stairs. 

The priest greeted us at the door, assigning liturgical roles to people as they entered.  I got to read the second reading and Jim helped take up offertory.  There were only a handful of regular parishioners, six at the most.  At the end of Mass the priest said that today there were visitors from Germany, the Philippines, Czech, Italy, the US, and of course Canada.

Dawson City is everything I expected Dawson Creek to be.  I guess I just had to be patient.  The buildings are very historic, and the streets made of packed dirt, just as they would have been in the Gold Rush days.  The casino seemed to be doing a booming business, but we moved on and skipped that.  We were looking towards the next leg of the trip.

DAWSON CITY PHOTOS

Our plan was to take Top of the World Hwy 9 to Alaska.  After fellow campers pulled into campground with "I survived the Top of the World Hwy" written in the mud on the back of their cars and RVs, we were seriously reconsidering our plans.  So we hopped in the 4Runner and did a trial run.  Through the rain, mist, sunshine, drop dead gorgeous scenery, rainbows, more rain, paved and then gravel/dirt roads, deep ravines, steep cliffs and inclines we went.

View from Top of the World Hwy

One of several rainbows

Yes, people bike the Hwy.  We actually saw this couple crawl out of their tent when we headed back over the Hwy the next morning.

On the way back to camp we decided with my fear of heights and drop-offs, that we would seek out an alternate route.  That thought was short lived when we realized the many miles it would add to our trip.  So, over the top we will go again tomorrow.

The US/Canadian Border is at the end of Top of the World Highway, with Taylor Hwy beginning on the US Side.  The little town of Chicken was our next "destination"

Chicken was originally known by the name of the State Bird, the Ptarmigan.  Folk lore has it that everybody spelled it different and rarely correct.  So the town fathers decided that they would save embarrassment by naming the town Chicken.  Oh the irony of it.  We pulled in front of three buildings - The Chicken Creek Saloon, Cafe, the Liquor Store and General Store.  And that in a nutshell is Chicken.  One very talented and versatile person runs all three businesses.  They even have a chicken poop, which I (unfortunately) had to use. 

In case anyone is interested, this is what a Ptarmigan looks like.  It is amazing how it blends in with its background.  I am told it turns white in the winter.  This photo was actually taken in Denali.

From customs to Chicken view

We have officially been on the road for four weeks. 

MONDAY, August 12, Day 30

Here we go!  Heading over The Top of the World Hwy again with some trepidation, this time with the trailer in tow.  Destination Toc, where we will take off towards Fairbanks.  Rather than rain and mud, we encountered overcast skies and dry roads.  What a difference.  There was very little traffic and for many of the miles we could see no vehicles either in the front or back of us, so we could easily drive at a pace we were comfortable with.  When we drove the Hwy yesterday, Jim spotted a rock and was bound and determined to find it back today.  He had an idea of what mile marker it was close to, so we started watching for "his rock".  I couldn't believe it when he spotted it.

Our kids will remember that all of their lives road trips always included bringing a souvenir rock home.  Some things never change.

We spent the night at Toc RV Park - very nice and clean.  Oh how I have come to appreciate clean RV Parks...

TUESDAY, August 13, Day 31

Today turned into a maintenance day.  Laundry was getting questionable, but I was leaning towards waiting a few days to do it.  Then Sadie Jo got sick on our sheets.  Decision made.  Laundry, then a pretty boring drive to Fairbanks.  We drove mile of mostly straight, sometimes curvy road, seeing no cars.  The traffic really didn't pick up until we were right outside Fairbanks.  There we found a Toyota dealer to pick up some oil for the 4-Runner, just in case we need it. 
Our home for the night was the River's Edge RV Park.  We arrived in pouring rain and were given a many pot holes site, so it was dodge the puddles.  But we got set up and hunkered down for the night.

WEDNESDAY, August 14, Day 32

Sunshine!  It is an easy drive from Fairbanks to Denali.  We took our time and went straight to the park when we got there.  After booking a tour bus for tomorrow we were fortunate to get a spot at the Denali RV Park and Motel.  It is within walking distance of all of the shops and restaurants.  Time for a lot of peeking at the prices and saying "you've got to be kidding me!"   There was a nice vest made out of materials unknown marked 65% off.  It only cost $800 marked down.  I did buy a nice pair of earrings made by a local artisan from the Blizzard Stone of the Talkeeten Mts.

Food has mostly been whatever we fix in the trailer, so we decided to check out the restaurants and settled on one called Moose-AKA's.  The food was Eastern European and their signature dish was Mousaka, a dish of potatoes, several meats, and cheese.  Knowing it would be way more than either of us could eat, Jim order the Mousaka and I a cup of soup and extra plate.  They explained in great detail about the dish, but truthfully it didn't taste much different than the dish I make where I fry hamburger and onion and add diced potatoes and seasonings.  The big difference was theirs wasn't presented as hash and they added cheese and sour cream.

After checking on Sadie, who still isn't feeling very well, we drove back into Denali National Park, hoping to see some wildlife.  Vehicles are only allowed to drive 13 miles into the park.  Nothing.  Until we were almost to the ranger station and there was a big ol' Grizzlie bear putting on a show for everyone.  People are crazy when it comes to wild animals in parks.  It is like they think they are in a zoo.  This is a wild bear people!  The ranger was telling people to get in their cars and they just kept taking pictures.  The bear was impressive.  I'm not sure what pictures we got (we stayed in our car).  On our way out of the park we were treated to the sight of a Bull Moose, and then a Mama feeding her babies, and another female  Moose.  Definitely a worthwhile venture into the park. 

THURSDAY, August 15th, Day 33

Denali Day!  Oh beautiful mountain, where are you?

Sadie Jo is feeling much better!

We woke to drizzling rain.  First stop was Three Bears Coffee Shop, where we enjoyed a really good cup of coffee and a really dry piece of blueberry crumble.

Yesterday we bought tickets for a bus trip into Denali.  We chose the 66 miles to the Eielson point.  The expected time for this tour, including wildlife watching, breaks, etc. round trip was 8 hours.  By the time we were loading up at 10:00 it was full out raining.  Things were not looking good for seeing the mother mountain.  But being an optimistic, I kept thinking the fog will burn off and the rain will lift.  Our guide, Phillip, was the next thing to an encyclopedia.  When he couldn't tell us about the foot hills we were going through or the mountains ahead because we couldn't see them, he told us about the streams, rivers, how the mountains were formed, the trees and sometimes lack of trees, the wildlife and their habits... you name it, he talked about it.  Did you know  that Denali National Park is 9,000 sq. miles and 6 million acres?  The most surprising to me was that they experience 3,000 earth quakes a year in Denali.  Phillip said he often feels the quaking at night in his cabin. This was a non narrated tour, but Phillip was a certified interpretive tour guide, so he used his knowledge to keep us going.  Thanks Phillip!

Early on the trip we spotted a Bull Moose, Carabou, some with impressive horns, moose cows feeding their young, and a  Ptarmigian, the Alaska State Bird.  As we headed higher into the mountains we encountered extremely rough roads, heavier rain and more fog.  Every rest stop included a rain jacket and dodging mud puddles.  Usually the road crews grade the roads twice a week, but because of the extremely rainy summer, they were spending more time fixing culverts, digging out mud slides and doing other maintenance.

So, was I disappointed in Denali?  Not in the least.  The foothills peeking in out of the rain and fog were amazing, the colors of the trees were already turning gold for an early fall, the drop offs, cliffs, and wildlife were beautiful.  The entire trip was breathtaking.  We didn't see the snow caps of Denali and get that iconic picture everyone wants, but Denali was beautiful and we loved every minute of it (except the sore butts, smokers who stunk because they put their cigarettes out just as they got on the bus, and my wet toes because I wore the wrong shoes).

FRIDAY, August 16, Day 34

Rain. Again.

Fortunately, the rain lifted fairly early in the day.  Destination was Talkeetna.  The first order of business was finding a place to park our rig.  At the edge of town was a sweet little RV Park named after the town.  It was first come, first serve.  We are slow learners, but have figured out that, as difficult as it is to do, it sure does pay to get to our destination early in the day.  We had our pick of sites.  No electric or water, but we are getting used to that. 

Talkeetna.  What a charming little town.  It is said to be the inspiration for the 1990's TV Show, Northern Exposure.  I could almost see that Moose that is featured in the show's opening scene walking down the street.  Talkeetna is full of unique shops, interesting people, and lots of tourists.  By the time we had set up camp and headed there, the cruise ship tours were just leaving, so the crowds were down a bit.

Alaskan Fathers seem to have a bit of a wry sense of humor.  Did I mention that North Pole AK named their Catholic Church St. Nicholas (I truly don't remember whether I did or not...)  Any guesses of what Talkeetna named their Catholic Church?  How about St. Bernard?  Nothing against St. Bernard (I need to check him out and see what he is all about), but all I could envision was a big old slobbery dog with a keg around his neck.

Our campsite was in a wooded area prime for bears and other wildlife.  For one of the few times this trip Sadie Jo was upset most of the night.  Apparently she heard things she was not too thrilled with and felt the need to protect us.  Go Sadie Jo!

SATURDAY, August 17th, Day 35

This morning we headed back into Talkeetna for a bagel and coffee before we got on the road.  To give you an idea of the wide array of individualism, our baristas were a combination of purple hair, peasant skirt, bibbed overalls, tattoos, and piercings everywhere.    Everyone in Talkeetna has been nice and friendly.  We really enjoyed Talkeetna.

Driving out of Talkeetna we noticed a bunch of cars pulled over along the side of the road.  That is when Jim looking in his rear view mirror and realized Denali was out!  Quickly pulling over with the rest of the gawkers, we marveled at her majestic beauty.

Our destination today is Seward, or somewhere in between.  First we spent time in Anchorage restocking the trailer.  We have chosen to not spend time in the larger cities like Vancouver, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.  It might be a decision we will later regret, but time is going so fast and this trip has been about the views and the unique.  Seward Hwy is a very pleasant, beautiful, drive.  Since it was getting late, we started looking for a place to camp.  I spotted the little town of Hope 15 miles off Seward Hwy with a National Forest Service campground.  It looked promising.  What I didn't realize was this is a very popular spot for young people fishing and floating and all other things young people like to do.  The campground was at the end of the road (mile marker 16) and brimming full.  It appeared people were camping along the streets.  Our view from the Hwy was of a booming old downtown area.  I would have love it 25 years ago.  We finally pulled into a pullout on Seward Hwy and got a good night's sleep.  Did you know people camp just about anywhere there is a pullout (and there are many) in Alaska?

Lesson learned:  Don't give up hope.

DAY 24, Tuesday, August 6th

We are very happy to put our very muddy campground, Tubby's, behind us for another day of sights.  The drive began as an easy one of rolling hills for quite a few miles.  The drive was a pretty one with some steep grades, but nothing crazy.   Our excitement for the day was spotting a beautiful gray wolf silhouetted by stately fir trees along the side of the road.  We haven't seen much wildlife, but what we have seen has been really amazing.  It was a fairly easy day of driving.  At a fairly large RV Park in Fort Nelson, The Triple G Hideway, we visited with an older couple who were heading South., back to Tennessee. This was their second time driving the AlCan - in their Casita, a little travel trailer like the one we sold in February.  Just wow.

Happy 17th Birthday to our sweet granddaughter, Anna Rose.  We will celebrate when we get home - I promise!

DAY 25, Wednesday, August 7th

Rain and fog and cold temperatures greeted us this morning.  Heading for Watson Lake today.
The signs were warning us to watch for Bison and Muskwa (bear).  Will today be the day for wildlife sightings?  About 10 miles down the road we realized we had forgotten to check our gas tank.  A huge no no.  The distance between services is so great that you never head out without a full tank.  Wisely, we turned our buggy around and headed back to Fort Nelson.  My eyes were tightly closed as Jim did a u-turn, trailer and all, on the AlCan Hwy. 

For some reason it seemed like we were about the only ones on the road this morning.  After traveling quite a few miles we had seen only two motor homes and one car.  By the afternoon that changed, but still the Hwy does not have a lot of traffic on it.  The roads are a little rough today, sometimes fairly wide with nice shoulders, and other times narrow with no shoulders.  The scenery?  Spectacular!  Mile and mile of spectacular!


Lunch was soup and chili at the Toad River Cafe.  It was an interesting place, with hats left by customers, stapled to ceilings and walls.  I couldn't convince Jim to part ways with his Meeks hat, though.

The gas pumps did not have a credit card reader, so Jim went inside to pay before he pumped gas.  The lady told him to just fill up and tell her how much it was.  Wish there was more trust like that in this world.  The sun finally broke through the clouds mid-afternoon, warming the day up to the 60's  Perfect weather. 

Toad River 

More scenic driving followed - the Folded Mountains of the Canadian Rockies, Sawtooth Mountain, avalanche areas, Muncho Lake, miles and miles of Liard River, and the turquoise waters of Toad River.  Yes, beautiful turquoise waters.  That poor river deserved a beautiful name and they named it Toad!  Today was the day of the Buffalo - grazing in groups of three or four and alone, along the sides of the road. 

We stayed at Coal River Lodge and RV - a metropolis of 7 RV sites and sleeping rooms that I am pretty sure didn't have bathrooms or showers.  There were quite a number of people using the community facilities.  We were the last camper to head out this morning and I decided to make one last trip to the bathroom.  I was more than surprised to hear someone in the shower.  All I can figure is that someone from the "lodge" was getting ready for the day.

When we arrived at Coal River Lodge, Jim headed over to the guys in the garage to see if he could borrow a crow bar to fix our trailer step that had gotten bent somehow.  This old guy with longish hair, wearing an old cowboy hat and dirty jacket that saw him through every job he needed to do (think Clint Eastwood at his scruffiest) turned to Jim and offered him a drag of his cigarette!  What the heck!  Jim said the guy had a genuine smile and meant well, so he just said "No thanks, I never took up smoking."  Confession time:  I always thought Clint Eastwood was hot.

Lesson learned:  Sometimes people get it terribly wrong when they give things names.

DAY 26, Thursday, August 8th

We headed out in cool temperatures, mist and fog this morning.  Each morning heading down the long stretch of highway, we are reminded of the vastness of this area of the country we are in.  Miles and miles of nothing but beauty and the occasional little town and, of course, tourists.
Today we finally exited BC and entered into the Yukon at Watson Lake, The Gateway to the Yukon and home of the famous Signpost Forest.  The Signpost Forest was started in  1942 by a soldier working on the  construction of the Alaska Highway.  For some reason, I expected a post with signs pointing the way to places.  I couldn't be more wrong.  The Signpost Forest is a forest of posts with signs left by travelers year after year since 1942.  There is an old building centrally located as you enter the "forest".   Do you remember the expired license plate fiasco and the efforts of many to get our new license to us?  You guessed right, the SHEPRD expired, banged up by deer, license plate was left behind in the Signpost Forest.  It is almost impossible to find a unused spot on the many posts, but for some reason a plate had been removed from the little building, so we proudly added SHEPRD to the collection!

Stayed at Dawson Peaks Resort, a tranquil former RV Park on a lake.  They still provide electricity, but no other services.  Payment is by cash, left in a box on a building.  With only two tent campers and us, the peace and quiet was a nice change from the busy parks we have been staying at.  Unfortunately a mosquito almost took off with Sadie Jo and we were driven inside much earlier than planned. 

We have now entered the time of the sun hardly sets.  This picture from inside the camper was taken at 11:00. 

DAY 22, Sunday, August 4th

The temperatures dropped into the 40's last night.  Definite snuggling weather.  We checked with the locals on Saturday and were told there are no Catholic Churches in the area.  Truthfully, we didn't see ANY churches in the area.  Sigh.

We headed out from Wells Gray campground fairly early and got on Yellowhead Highway and drove many miles of gentle curving roads along rolling streams and rivers.  On all sides of us were layer upon layer of mountains.  Overcast skies kept the temperatures at a comfortable mid-60.  Despite sign after warning sign to watch for Moose, they all stayed hidden.  At Hwy. 16, Tete Juan Cache, we entered the "Wildlife Corridor" to a change of scenery, more fields with mountains in the far distance, we still saw no wildlife.  All in all we made good time to Prince George and enjoyed an easy driving day.  I highly recommended Hartway RV Park in Prince George.  Very clean and the owners couldn't have been nicer.

Lesson learned:  Just because you are warned, doesn't mean it is going to happen.

DAY 23, Monday, August 5th

On our way to Dawson Creek and Mile Marker 0 of the Alaskan Highway.  Once again, a beautiful drive, but I finally put my camera away and enjoyed the scenery.  Everywhere I turned there were streams and rivers at the foot of the mountains - just breathtaking.  And every time I tried to get that perfect shot a tree got in the way.  It was pure comedy.  After playing peek-a-boo with the trees and streams and mountains for about 30 miles I said forget it.  We've been listening to a book titled "The Great Alone".  It is about a family who moves to the Alaskan wilderness in the 70's.  I highly recommend the book.

Playing peek-a-boo with the trees

Dawson Creek - a Historic Mining Town.  That is how all of the brochures describe it.  Mile Marker 0 to the Alaskan Highway.  For some reason I was really looking forward to Dawson Creek.  I had built it up in my mind to be something really special.  I envisioned a historic downtown with old buildings and lots of things to see.  What a disappointment.

Dawson Creek is just an average small to mid-size town.  They have a small visitor center.  When I asked the young gal where the historic downtown was, she looked at me like I was crazy.  She handed me a booklet describing historic Dawson Creek.  That is when I realized there is nothing historical left.  The book pointed to a vacant lot where one historical building had been located, the location of a newish business, where something else had happened, and on and on.  We found the iconic 0 Mile Marker signs, snapped a few pictures and headed back to the campground. 

Lesson learned:  There will be disappointments.  Get over it and move on.

Wells Gray Provincial Park, Clearwater, BC

DAYS 19, 20, 21, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, August 1, 2, 3

We found a beautiful camp site in Wells Gray Golf and RV Park and decided to stay a few days.  I have been very surprised by the number of RV parks have golf courses.  Since we aren't golfers, I don't have any idea whether the courses are worth messing with.  Our site was next to a running stream of water that was very relaxing to listen to.

As far as that age old question "does the bear crap in the woods" goes, that the answer is obviously yes... we are here to prove you wrong.  He craps in campground parking lots.  I will admit to being very cautious when outside the camper.

Wells Gray Provincial Park is known for its beautiful waterfalls.  It was nice to do a little hiking and a lot of nothing. 

In case anybody us wondering how Sadie Jo is doing...

Listening to the running stream from the outside deck of our camper.  She has adjusted to this adventure better than I ever could have expected.

DAY 17, Tuesday, July 30th

While I was sitting in McDonald's, drinking my Senior Coffee and finishing up my last blog post, Jim was walking around visiting with anybody who would give him the time of day.  One of the workers asked him where we were from and he said Missouri.  Her eyes lit up and she said "Missouri Star Quilt!!!"  She and her friends order from there all the time.  I'll admit I love their material, but it is expensive and then pay for shipping to Canada?  Anyway, for that particilar Canadian, Missouri = Missouri Star Quilt.

Goodbye Mtn Fun RV Park - Heading to Whistler, BC, home of the 1965 Winter Olympics.  Along the way we had this cute black bear wave at us as he ran in front of the car.  Thanks to quick reflexes on Jim's part, he made it across the road safely.  As expected, Whistler was very commercialized.  The Peak 2 Peak Gondola connects Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain.  Until 2017 it was the longest free span between ropeway towers.   It was pretty amazing looking over the town of Whistler, other mountains, and the tops of impossibly tall pine trees.  Across the way was an open gondola carrying car after car of mountain bikes, followed by cars of teenagers and young adults heading for the top of the mountains so they could ride down the ski slopes.  It was heart stopping to watch.  But then, I soon discovered this was going to be an all around heart stopping day. 

Whistler from the Gondola

Whistler looked like what I would envision a Swiss Village to look like

We drove along Hwy. 99 up Mount Currie to Lillooet, through Grizzlie Bear Country and Indian Reservations.  The drive was made up of mile after mile of steep, harrowing grades with sheer drop offs.  Such beauty by so scary.  My heart alternated between  my throat and settling in my stomach.  I was white knuckling it all the way - and I wasn't even driving.  Right now Jim is my hero, since he got us safely down from that mountain!  We stayed in a deep canyon in CA Recreation area.  As one might suspect, an adult drink or two was part of the "coming down from the mountain" process once we stopped. 

Photos taken from bug spattered windshield - there were very places to pull off the road

Lesson learned:  This is from a random sign tacked to a tree along the way - "Sometimes when you follow the masses, the M is silent.

DAY 18, Wednesday, July 31st

Thankfully today was a day of pleasant, winding roads dropping down into farm country, winding beside a series of lake shorelines.  It was a car windows open, bluegrass music kind of drive.
The real icing on the cake was a scenic picnic area at Lake Tobiano.  The sign said "Live, Rest, and Play".  I need to look up Tobiano and see if that is what the word means.  Is it Indian?  So many questions.  We overnighted at Silver Sage Campground.

Lesson learned:  An easy day following a nail biting day is very much appreciated (Thanks God!)

DAY 19, Thursday, August 1st

We are now in a popular recreation site of Clearwater at the edge of Well Gray Provincial Park, home of many waterfalls.  We plan on spending a few days here.

Another take on what people think of Missouri... Jim was checking out at a store and was asked the inevitable question, "where are you from".  He answered, "Missouri, do you know where that is?"  The answer:  "Oh Sure.  And then the guy started singing, "Way down upon the Missouri River..."  Hmmm... close enough.

Lesson learned:  It would have been very helpful if we had bothered to learn the metric system before we headed out on this trip.

THURSDAY, July 25

JUNKIN'

Bye bye Baker City and hello Pendleton, a historic small town in Oregon.  We spent a little time roaming the antique  junk shops.  The campground at Lake Easton was full,  but when we pleaded with the nice campground lady, she discovered she had just had a cancellation for a primitive site.  We took it for two nights so that we could spend Friday exploring Mt. Ranier.

Lesson learned:  Just because the sign says antique shop, it doesn't mean it is.

FRIDAY, July 26

MOUNT RANIER

What a beautiful, sunny day.  Perfect for viewing the mountain.  The majestic pines seemed to stretch from earth to sky,  hundreds of thousands of them.  Mt. Ranier itself surrounded the horizon, everywhere we looked.  Driving around the mountain was a massive undertaking and we didn't accomplish it,  but we saw such beauty from the viewing points, wild flowers everywhere and so many hikers.   For numerous reasons, we aren't able to hike very far, so we stuck to the beaten path.  Doing so meant we missed a number of waterfalls and scenic views.  But we saw so much that it really didn't matter.

Mount Ranier

Wildflowers everywhere!

Lesson learned:  Be grateful for and embrace what you can do, rather than regret what you can't

SATURDAY, July 27th

It was time to head North to Seattle.  I began searching for campgrounds within 30 or so miles of Seattle.  That was a real eye opener!  Several time I went to campground web pages and discovered that clothes are optional.  If you wished to wear clothing it would be ok, but they embraced a rather different lifestyle than we are accustomed to.   I am sure it will surprise you that we didn't check to see whether those sites had any vacancies or not.  The bottom line is that I was unable to find any campgrounds with vacancies.  We spotted a campground sign along the highway.  "Turn left".  We did.  After five miles down a crooked farmland road (tractors and all), we came to a campground with swimming pools, hot tub, shuffle boards... you name it, they had it.  And it had no vacancies.  We both looked at Cheryl (yes, we quickly learned her name) and asked if there was anything she could do.  Cheryl took pity on us and discovered there had "just" been a cancellation.

Lesson learned:  Be friendly, look tired and somewhat pitiful and people will take pity on you.

SUNDAY, July 28th

8:00 am Mass at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Duvall,  Built on a high hill overlooking the town, what a beautiful setting.  The entire wall behind the altar is glass with a view of a mountain on the Canadian border (we were told by a proud parishiober).

We spent the rest of our day walking around Seattle.  After a beer at Fisherman's  , we "toured" Seattle by way of the Seattle Great Wheel.  Talk about a birds eye view.  Then, of course, we had to see the Pikes Fish Market and the flying fish.  From there we headed to the must see Space Needle.  The crowds and lines were insane enough that we snapped a picture and said "good enough".  Seattle was a fun day but we were happy to get back to Cheryl at the turn left campground.

Enjoying a beer

Seattle from the Great Wheel

Lesson learned:  Don't go to Seattle on a Sunday if you want to see the Space Needle

MONDAY, July 29th

Oh Canada!

We spent an hour in line at the US/Canada customs, but breezed right through once we got to the check point.

US/Canada customs

From there we caught Hwy. 99 through Vancouver headed to Whistler.  But there is always a catch, isn't there...  First of all as Hwy. 99 enters Vancouver, it plays a game of hide and seek.  There are these cute little blue signs occasionally, with arrows pointing the way to Hwy. 99.  I swear they hid them just to keep things interesting (or to frustrate us).  Since our GPS isn't working in Canada (my mistake not making sure we had a GPS), we finally resorted to yelling out the car window "Do you know the way to Hwy. 99?"  Unfortunately, on one occasion we forgot to say Hwy. 99 North and one helpful young man sent us heading back to Washiington. We finally crossed the Lions Gate Bridge headed to our destination, Whistler.  What a relief!  Vancouver was noisy, driving lanes narrow, pedestrians impatient, and drivers even more impatient.  Bye bye Vancouver, and now for some fun!  

We though this  twisted building in Vancouver was in need of a chiropractor

Lion Gate Bridge - our ticket out of Vancouver

We found a camp site at Squamish, once again a primitive site.  We are getting mighty used to flashlights, candles and lanterns.  But they had a great shower and wifi if you stood on your head and held your tongue right, so we were happy campers.

Lesson learned:  Our customs experience could have been much worse.  The father/son biking due camping next to us were tagged for a very time consuming complete search.