North Carolina

It was so nice to see the mountains of North Carolina--How beautiful they are!  There is no place like home.  The western states are beautiful in their own stark way--  pine trees, granite, sandstone, and rocks--- but there is nothing like the green hardwoods and pines.  We have seen a multitude of sights since we left the middle of May.  The Grand Canyon, Mojave Dessert, Yosemite, Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, Seattle, British Columbia, Fort St. James, the Yukon, Alaska, the Icefield Parkway, the flooding of Calgary, Arches National Park, Bryce National Park, Zion National Park,  Antelope Slot Canyon, Monument Valley, the Ozark Folk Center, and much more.  What an experience!!!!  We have crossed off our Bucket List quite a few places of interest-- experienced floods, heat, and mechanical failures, BUT there is no place like HOME.  The house is still standing--the kids took good care of it---but a little overgrown with wonderful mountain greenery-which we expected!  We unload today and take the coach to Camping World tomorrow to hopefully get the air conditioner fixed. I will be back in the swing of things next Wednesday---can't wait to see what projects you ladies have completed and what you are going to tackle next.  Kids--Labor Day is fast approaching.. can't wait to see ya'll........ 

Ozarks Folk Center

This State Park provides docent education for everyone in hopes of passing along the Ozark skills and way of life to younger generation.  In the Spring they do have classes you can take, but the docents also explain their craft to those who visit this State Park.  There were blacksmiths, candle makers, coopers, knife makers, broom  makers, those who made jewelry, potters, printers and spinners, weavers and dyers.  Of course, you know where my interest is--- spinning, weaving, dying and broom making.  The spinner was using this neat picker to get the wool ready to card.  The broom makers were making brooms the same way I did when we were growing our own broom corn.  All in all, it was a great day.  The weather cooperated in giving us a cool day to tour the park.  We saw an old soap forming machine and copper jewelery being changed into colors just from the amount of heat applied to it.  This was right up our alley.  Tonight we will go to some old fashined mountain music festivals.  

Love ya'll.......... 

Mountain View, Arkansas

After we stopped at the Arkansas Visitor Center we decided to go north to the Ozarks.  Our GPS took us on a surprising journey to Mountain View.  I think it took us on the worst route that we could have driven.  The owner of the RV park congratulated us for making it through the route we took.  

Would you believe that this morning we actually saw dew on the grass?  It is so nice to see green grass, green trees, instead of rocks, rocks, and pine trees.

Tomorrow we will go to the Ozarks Folk Center, which is dedicated to the preservation of traditional Ozarks crafts and music.  Hoping we will not be disappointed in what we see.  

See ya'll soon.......

Oklahoma City

We àre just East of Oklahoma City.  I was going to post a picture of our limo from last night,but my computer won't recognize my hot spot.  The limo was a Cadillac with long horn cow horns mounted on the front of the hood.  The funniest part was the horn sounded like a cow!  Pretty cool and it was a great way of PR and advertising by the restaurant.  The food was great and so was the ambiance. 

Tomorrow we are off to Fort Smith and more history of how the West was populated.

See ya'll soon............

Las Vegas and Amarillo

We got our RVI breake system exchanged for the new version and took off for Las Vegas, New Mexico-not Nevada.  The picture is of Pikes Peak (the tallest one) and bless their hearts - they are to have more flash floods.  Traveling down I-25 we traveled over the Raton Pass.  This pass and I-25 was part of the SantaFe trail.  It takes you back to think about the pilgrims that were so brave to leave everything they owned and move out west in a conestoga wagon and miles and miles of no comforts of home. 

Today we traveled to Amarillo, Texas back to a familar KOA park.  We will be transported to the Big Texan Steak house by limo!  Can't wait to see if these steaks are as good as advertized.  It's high time to have a good meal, especially a steak.  Tomorrow we will travel to Oklahoma City.  I will say that traveling on I-40 is really boring--dreaming of the two lane roads through Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico.  

Love to all....... Looking forward to Labor Day 

On our way to Pikes Peak

Well,  I declare that bad weather likes to follow us or maybe we follow it.  Yesterday we traveled from Mesa Verde to Buena Vista, Colorado.  We traveled up Wolf Creek Pass traveling from 7000 feet to almost 11,000 feet.  It was a beautiful climb up to the summit.  We then traveled to Buena Vista. 

We got up this morning and called an RV park in Pikes Peak to make reservations and the owner told me that they were closed for a few days due to a flash flood from a storm last night.  We drove from Buenea Vista to Manitou Springs and saw what a flash flood can do to mountain dirt.  The debris and mud on the road was truly amazing and shut the four lanes down to two single lanes .  The RV park we were going to stay at was really flooded.  We stopped at another RV park and the only spot available was on top of a hill and we decided to go on to Colorado Springs and skip Pikes Peak.  Guess What?!  They are expecting flash floods in the same area tonight.  So far the rain has missed up, but the lightening displays are amazing. 

The picture is of Wolf Creek pass.  Our brake control on our tow car has gone crazy and does not work well.  The manufacturer is in Colorado Springs, so we are going to trade it in for one that works. 

Mesa Verde

We toured the other half of Mesa Verde today.  It is amazing that these cliff dwellers lived in Mesa Verde for about 400 years and then left.  No one knows where they went, but think that they integrated into other Indian tribes.  This whole area is dotted by cliff dwellings.  

Tomorrow we head towards Colorado Springs to see Pikes Peak.  We are so close that we did not want to miss it.  Then we are off to the Ozarks.  Gotta spend a little time in the state Where I was born.

Love to ya'll..............

Mesa Verde National Park

Today was a very rainy day.  We went to the Anazazi Cultural Center in the morning.  After lunch we went to Mesa Verde National Park.  We were able to experience the culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people dwellings.  The Cliff Dwellings were amazing.  How in the world they got down to them and then back up to the top of the mesa to tend their crops is a mystery to me.  There are over 5,000 know archaeological sits, including 600 cliff dwellings.  There is  the Mesa Top Loop which documents 700 years of dwelling of the Pueblo people beginning with the pit house and traveling through time to the cliff dwellingss built into the cliffs.  They are in amazing good condition.  The picture shown is a photo of the Spruce Tree House.  The Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the world.  It is Ranger led and requires you to climb tall ladders.  Well you know this two step ladder girl did not go on that tour. 

Antelope Canyon

What a day we had.  Antelope Canyon was everything we hoped for and more!  We took the Photo tour which was for 2 hours instead of one and a half hours.  Rick, our tour guide, played in these canyons as a kid so he knew every inch.  He was telling us about the rain (flash flood in the canyon) that we had yesterday.  The canyon received 15 inches of rain, causing a flash flood, which caused the canyon floor to drop 10 feet as the water washed that much sand away.  Amazing!  Between Paw Paw and I we took over 100 pictures.  Hope ou enjoy the one that is posted here with this blog.  Over 250 people tour the canyon in one day.  We are so glad that we came back and were able to tour the entire canyon. 

Zion and Bryce Canyons

I have been trying to get this post done for two days, but the Internet services have not been cooperating.  I was hoping to attach pictures of each of these canyons, but I am doing this post on my IPad and all the pictures are on my computer.  

Zion and Bryce canyons were amazing.  There was a mile and one half tunnel in Zion that had windows along the tunnel walls that you could view outside the tunnel.  Since we were too tall to go through the tunnel on our side of the road, we needed a special tunnel pass so that the traffic was stopped on the opposite side of the road so that we could drive down the center of the tunnel.  The Rocky Mountains and arches were very stately.

Bryce Canyon on the other hand was vertical hoodoos.  The Queens Garden was amazing.  

We are back in Page, Arizona hoping to completely your the Slots in Antelope Canyon.  There was again a flash flood warning and rain this afternoon, so we are hoping that at 11:00 am we will be able to get into the canyon.  Will keep you posted tomorrow evening.  Hopefully I will be able to send pictures of the canyons as well as the slot canyon.

Love to all.......

Flagstaff, Arizona

Well, what a day we had.  We spent the day at Camping World getting the coach repaired.  We think the air conditioner is repaired, but we will find out next week when we travel back to the heat!  While they were repairing the air, they found a problem with the generator.  This generator is so new that there are no parts available in the Fairbanks or even Phoenix area.  They also do not have any troubleshooting info to follow.  Sooooo, we will go to Zion, Bryce, and Antelope Canyons next week then back to Camping World Monday for another round of repairs.  Tomorrow morning we will be on the road again traveling towards Zion National Park.  Love to ya'll............

Antelope Canyon

What a day we had!  Our tour began at 1:30 pm.  We climbed aboard the large open air truck and buckled in.  Thank goodness we were all buckled in because our Navajo guide drove like a maniac.  Well, we found out why he drove so fast---there was a storm in the air and the canyon is evacuated if there is a  flash flood watch.  About 10 years ago a storm 20 miles away flash flooded the canyon and killed 11 people. 

We were in the canyon for about 20 minutes when we were evacuated because of a flash flood watch. It has not rained here for 3 weeks.  Bummer!!!!!  The canyon was amazing.  Squirrel would have had her camera clicking 90 miles a minute.  Paw Paw took over 89 pictures and I took over 75 and we were just in only three areas.   We are debating whether we drive back 137 miles from Flagstaff after the air conditioning is fixed to have a full 2 hours in the canyons and if we do then we will drive to Zion and Bryce Canyons.  Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!  The canyons were amazing enough that it would be worth coming back just to go through the canyon again.

Our love goes to GJ925 while he visits his Tia for the week.  Give him a hug for us.  Love to all............

Monument Valley

Traveled through Monument Valley yesterday.  Quite interesting.  You know every western movie was filmed here.  YOu can just imagine John Wayne and Glenn Ford galloping on their horse through the valley.  Along the road were make shift huts where the Navajo Indians sold their wares.  The sad part about traveling through the Navajo reservation is the litter (beer and liquor bottles) strewn all over the side of the road. 

We are staying at Page Lake Powell Campground in Page, Arizona.  It was 114 in the sun yesterday.  Today we will travel to Antelope Canyon with our Navajo guides (the only way we can see the slots) into the slot canyons.  Paw Paw has been waiting for this since we left.  It is a 2 1/2 hour tour for photographers so we should not have too much trouble getting pictures without people.  Will post pictures tonight.  Drove over the Glenn Canyon Dam yesterday.  Impressive!!!  Lake Powell is really down,  there must not have been much snow melt this Spring.

Little Red---- pictures of the apartment really look great!!!! Wish we were there to help move you in.

Tomorrow we leave for Flagstaff tomorrow morning.    Love to all.............

Arches National Park

We left early this morning to beat the heat.  We entered the the National Park on the valley floor and traveled up to the plateau of red sandstone formations.  We were overwhelmed with the formations of the sandstone, the vastness of the area and also the emptiness. There was a farmstead near the trailhead of the Delicate Arche.  It was amazing to think that there was a family living in this desolate landscape.  The homesteads of this Wolfe Ranch is still standing.  We did not do too much hiking to the furthest arches due to the heat.  We have drank over one gallon of water since we started the morning.  What an interesting National Park.

It reached over 100 degrees and guess what?  Our air conditioner kept the coach at 100 degrees.  Finally got ahold of Camping World in Flagstaff, Arizona and made an appointment for Monday morning. 

Tomorrow morning we leave for Monument Valley where I think every western movie was made.  Then we will travel to Page, Arizona.  We want to tour the Slot Canyons at the Antelope Canyon. 

Love to ya'll.......

Moab, Utah

It is HOT and DRY here in Moab, Utah.  The landscape is , well, dirt , dirt and more dirt with sage and a few trees.  The buttes are rocky and interestingly formed.  The air conditioner in the coach is having troubles keeping up with the heat.  It won't start cooling down the coach until the sun goes down.  Tomorrow we drive into Arches National Park.  Paw Paw has been waiting to get there so he can take some good pictures of the delicate arch.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow, but if it does it surely won't be in the 100's like today and hopefully it will be cooler in the morning.  We will not leave here until Friday when we drive to Monument Valley.  Maybe we might see John Wayne wandering around. 

Little Red...  the apartment really looks good...glad you were able to find it. 

Hope it is not as hot where ya'll are .......... 

going to Vernal, Utah

Yesterday we went into Jackson to do some shopping.  There has been some  interesting changes---Cold Water Creek is no longer in Jackson, but Knit on Purl (the yarn store) moved into a larger facility which gave them more room---Yea!  I was hoping that the Pendleton store had the new cargo tote, but I sure was able to save $$$$ since they did not have any!.  The temps in Jackson were high 80's, but the night time temps went down to the low 40's.  Finally have gotten a strong enough internet signal to download this picture of the Tetons and the Moutrie barn.  Hope you enjoy!

Today we traveled from Jackson, Wyoming to Vernal, Utah.  The ride was very interesting.  We are back in desert country.  There was sage brush, scrub brush, and cedar bushes.  We then traveled over the Flaming Gorge dam which restrains the Green River creating a 91 mile long lake.  The dam was very impressive and the lake was the first water we had seen in miles.  To the right is a picture of the landscape we drove through today.  We were on top of a 6500' high mesa.  The temps were very hot, 106 in the sun.  Hope it cools off this evening.  We are at the Vernal, Utah KOA for the night.  Paw Paw has a very dry throat and we hope that he is better in the morning or we will stay here another night.  This is supposed to be where the dinosaurs roamed.  Our next stop will be Arches National Park ---- we know it is going to be HOT and DRY there!  Hope it is cooler for ya'll......

Love and miss ya'll.........

Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Jackson Wyoming

We were off the grid with no Internet or cell phones since last Wednesday.  We read, I knitted, defrosted the freezer, and just relaxed.  Oh by the way we also fished the Snake River.  We were really surprised that the head waters of the Snake was so warm.  Our streams in North Carolina are fairly cold in the month of July.  The head waters of the Snake flow into the mighty Columbia River and eventually into the Pacific Ocean.   We toured the Tetons and got some great pictures of Mormon Row cabins and the Moutrie barn which turned  100 on Saturday.  While we were taking pictures three buffaloes and two buffalo calves crossed the road.
We are in Jackson tonight and tomorrow and will leave to head South to Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks.  Tomorrow we will go into town to shop.  My favorite store, Coldwater Creek, has closed, so I will have to find another one.
Meg,  I have another quest for you!  Where did the Oregon Trail begin, what states did it travel through, and where did it end?  Also, why did the pilgrims travel this important trail?  Good luck!

Love ya'll ..............

Red Lodge, Montana

Have you every wondered what was just beyond those mountains while you were driving the interstate?  Well, we got to find out today.  After I waited in Butte, Montana Walmart to fill one prescription that I needed we traveled down I-90 to exit 409 and Hwy 78 to Red Lodge.  Wow!  The rolling hills filled with cattle and hay fields with the bear tooth mountain range in the background left us speachless.  After traveling for 40 miles we dropped down into Red Lodge.  This little town began as a coal mining town.  The mines have moved out and the old historic structures have been turned into restaurants and specialty shops.  If you ever come into Red Lodge you gotta go to the Carbon County Steakhouse.  Excellent food. 
Tomorrow we head up the Bear Tooth Highway into Yellowstone National Park.  After being disappointed that the Salmon were not at Hyder, we have decided to fly fish the Green and Snake Rivers to try our hand at western fly fishing streams.  We will be staying at the Flagg Ranch in Moran, Wyoming. 
Will send some pictures of the Bear Tooth Highway tomorrow. 
Love and Miss Ya'll........

Deer Lodge, Montana

We left Spokane this morning and drove through beautiful pine mountains.  The landscape then turned into cattle and farm land.  We actually have had two nights of darkness from 10 pm on.  The daylight in Alaska was so confusing to understand--- it did not get dark until one am or so and it really was not dark, it was just dusk----then the sun came up at three to four am--- giving everyone 18 or more hours of daylight a day.  I sure am glad I do not live there in the winter as they only receive three to four hours of daylight a day.  To say the least, I am glad to see dark nights.
We will leave here tomorrow and travel to Red Lodge, Montana and then drive the Beartooth Pass, which is supposed to be the most beautiful drive in the USA.
Love ya'll......

Spokane, Washington

We are happily back in the USA!  We will get our coach repaired tomorrow,  wash and then decide where we will travel from here.  The drive from Kelwona, BC was a beautiful drive through the Lakes area.  We also drove through fruit tree country like cherries, peaches, apples and grape (wine) country.  Went through customs and it was the first time we had a customs agent enter our coach for an inspection--- they were making sure we did not bring in any fresh fruit.  Awfully glad I resisted the urge to stop and purchase some fruit - especially cherries!
Will keep you posted as to our itenerary.........love to all......

Kelp wanna, BC

We are about 75 miles north of the USA border in Kelowna.  It is a huge city and we sure can tell that we have reinterred civilization.  It is also much warmer here than we are used to.  What a culture shock....a lot of traffic....a lot of people.... Full RV parks..... And a lot of e everything that involves people.  I am sure the further we get into the states the more of everything there will be.
To say the least....we drove through some of the most beautiful scenery... The Caribou mountain range with the Canadian Rockies as the backdrop.  Then we entered the most beautiful valley supporting cattle and farm land.
We are ready to return to the USA!!!  We will make it to the Spokane KOA tomorrow evening.  We have driven more miles than we usually do just to make the appointment on Friday morning.  We will regroup and decide where we will go from Spokane Friday evening.  One of the first places will be a Walmart in the US to get my prescriptions filled.
Canada and Alaska are two beAutiful places on earth.  Each time you turn a corner you see something different, but it will be good to get back the the great US of A where we await beauty of it's own to awe us at each turn of the road.
My hotspot internet will work beginning tomorrow evening and I will also be able to retrieve messages from my cell phones voice mail.
Love ya'll.......

Vale not, BC

We are here at Irvin's RV Park in Valemont, BC.  It was rainy and cloudy all day, but it was good driving.  All is well with us, and was really an i eventful day.  We will travel to Vernon, BC tomorrow.  We have an appointment in Spokane Camping World Friday morning.  

Hope everything in fine in Nicaraugua (sp) and GJ925.  

Love and miss ya'll..........

Houston, British Columbia

We left Stewart this morning and again enjoyed the glacier mountains along Bear River.  According to the signs there is possibilities of avalanches even in the summer.  Oh! It's good to be back on the grid with cell phone service!  You just get a little anxious in case of an emergency.
Let me up date you on repairs we need ......... A very minuscule rock flew from a gravel truck in the Yukon and hit our windshield...you would not believe the cracks we have in the glass.  Our main TV has been jiggled enough that the coax cable has come loose from the soldiered connection and it needs replaced.  Thank goodness for insurance and warranties!!  We will have to wait to get TV repaired until we reach Spokane (unexpected destination) where there is a Camping World.
Tomorrow we will venture to Granisle to see if the carver in the family can purchase some cottonwood bark.  I understand it is much cheaper than in the states.  If the carver in Franklin needs some, please e mail us ASAP.  We will then try to make it to Vanderhoof for the evening.

A note on the Salmon delivery.......  According to the email I received from Djon Delights, all the Salmon should have been delivered today (Monday).  Chatterbox---- we found the cream you wanted!
Hope all is well with everyone.  Love ya'll.........

Hyder, Alaska

NO FISH!!!!   NO BEARS!!! 

Hyder has 250 permanent residents.  The town consists of 4 - 6 stores, 2 restaurants and one gas station.  Stewart isn't much bigger, but it does have two grocery stores.  We started to the Salmon Glacier and the gravel road shook us so hard that we turned around. 

Later..........

Stewart, BC

First off----- Happy Birthday Squirrel!  Happy Birthday Jammer!  Sorry I cannot call, but we do not have cell service! Hope your day is special.
The drive I into Stewart was phenomenal.  Glaciers everywhere and avalanches even in the summer.  We saw one by the road that was at least 50 feet deep.  Can't send pictures over this Internet service, but will send when I can.  Was hoping that I could use my hot spot in Hyder, but don't think that is going to happen.
We will travel into Hyder today to see Bear Glacier and Salmon Glacier.  There is a bear viewing platform on Fish Creek, but have heard that the fish are not here yet!  Bummer!  Oh well, the drive in and out will be worth the trip!
Love and miss ya'll........

On the Cassier HighwY

Kids---- we are alive--- don't open the gold envelope yet!

We have had NO cell service for two days and don't know when we will get it back.  I am in the Rumors Cafe at Dease Lake to use their wifi service to send this.  We hope to reach Iskut for the evening. The roads are Terrible and can only drive 35 miles an hour.  Tomorrow we will hopefully make it to Stewart/Hyder.  

Will keep ya'll up to date.......love ya'll

Whitehorse, Yukon

We are back in Whitehorse on our way to Watson Lake where we will turn south on hwy 37.  We finally saw the sun for a while.  Thought I would get my prescription filled at Walmart.  I thought you could get your prescription filled at any Walmart --- WRONG!  Not in Canada-- I needed a Canadian Doctor's prescription for it to be filled.  So,there it tells you how socialized medicine works.      
So, I guess I will ration my meds for another two weeks until I get to the states.  Just a little info -Skagway is only 18 water miles from Haines, but 360 land miles between the two cities.
Love ya'll........

Juneau, Alaska

Well, what can I say about Alaska and rain!  Juneau, the capital of Alaska receives ninety inches of rain a year.  That can mean at least one to three inches a day if it rained every day!  Yesterday was one of those rainy days.  We were soaked rats---even our back packs were soaked along with the contents----and our jackets were gore-tex!!  We rode on a fast moving water taxi.  The ride was through the fjords to Juneau and we traveled 85 miles by water. Juneau is the only stat capital that can only be reached by water or air.  The historic downtown of Juneau is built on debris created from the many gold mines.  We then boarded a bus to take us to the Mendenhall glacier, one of thirteen in the Juneau Icefields.  There were three cruise ships docked in Juneau and from what I understand two more were to enter the harbor.  To say the least, Juneau was a very bustling city.  Went to the two yarn stores ----  both had yarns that were dyed in Juneau.  One yarn store was so full of yarn that there was only a path to stand in.  It really took away from enjoying the yarns in the shop.  

While we were coming into Juneau there were hundreds of fishing boats in the harbor with their fishing nets.  Alaska opened up the salmon fishing for commercial fishermen for 48 hours.  I never saw so many boats -- all with thirty foot nets strung out into the ocean in such a small amount of space.  It was like a jig saw puzzle for our water taxi to maneuver through.  

We saw nine hump back whales, one bear and a lot of bald eagles.  

Tomorrow we leave Haines and travel to Whitehorse, Yukon, and begin our travels down route 37 towards Hyder in hopes of seeing the bears in bear creek.

Happy Fourth of July.  By the way, fireworks in Haines begins at dusk which is 12:30am.  

Love ya'll..............

Haines, Alaska

What a beautiful drive into Haines.  There is quite a bit more snow on the mountains than there was the end of July two years ago.  We drove out to Chilkot Lake to see if the bears were out, but no bears.  We were able to watch two bald eagles for a while.  What a majestic bird they are.  Monday we take at tour to Juneau for the day.  Hope to see whales on the way.  Juneau is the capital of Alaska and will be a whole new adventure.  Also a new yarn shop to visit.
Salmon will be mailed Monday.  Ya'll know the routine when it arrives by USPS priority mail.   I am back on my Internet service, so will try to get some pictures sent later.

Love to all............

Whitehorse, Yukon

We are here in Whitehorse until Saturday morning.  We will have our coach serviced tomorrow since there is a Freightliner here.  We also know from experience that there is a good window repair shop here as we have used them before.  Yep! A passing truck threw a large rock into our windshield, so we will have it repaired tomorrow before we leave for Haines, Alaska.  The good thing about coming into Whitehorse is we have not had to visit the Canadian Tire to repair our tires.  Our last trip we had tires repaired three times in Whitehorse.  Finally got our vehicles washed, but not sure all the caked on mud came off of the tracker.  Looking forward to getting down to Haines and being able to use my secured Internet service.  We at least now have cell service after two days.  Hope all are well.....

Watson Lake, Yukon

 We Are at the Baby Nugget RV park for the night.  No cellphone service and Internet only for a while.  Will be going to Whitehorse tomorrow so are hoping we will have cell phone service.  Hope everything is well with everyone.   If anyone every wondered about the mosquito thing that hooks to you by off.....it really does works....just turn on the little fan and hook it to you and the squiters stay away!!!
We finally have sun today......YEA!  Saw lots ofbuffalotoday,but not the large herds we saw two years ago.  They are huge!  Love ya'll.......

Muncho Lake, BC

We are liked drown rats!!!!  It rained and rained and rained all day.  The dirt roads got muddier and muddier and muddier.  Thank goodness we did not have to drive on those muddy roads until we pulled off to the RV Park.  Now that in itself is another story. 
We left Fort St John at 9 am this morning with the intention on staying at Ft Nelson....but we got to Ft Nelson at noon along with a 16 coach caravan.  We quickly decided that there would not be enough space for us so we drove on to an RV park further up the road.  It was for sale and in bad disrepair so diecided to go to Toad River so we could watch the bull moose in the Toad River.  Well,  we did see a bull moose along the side of the road, but Toad River RV park was full up.  We had no choice but to drive another 25 miles to Norther Rockies Lodge.  Thank goodness it was not full.  The main lodge is a beautiful log structure.  There are log guest cabins scattered around Muncho Lake.  I will say that the mosquitos here are well feed ---- they are huge.  I do not remember these pesty little bugs the last time we were here!!!!!
Tomorrow we will travel to Baby Nugget RV Park in Watson Lake.  We need to be aware that Canada Day (July 1) is coming up and there will be parades at every little berg we travel through, so we are trying to jockey position to reserve a spot.  Hopefully my cell phone will have service tomorrow. 
Love to all......

Fort St John, British Columbia

Well,  we decided to start down the ALCAN today into some familiar territory.  We are staying at MacLean Rotary RV Park.  Pretty much a gravel parking lot, but has all the necessaties of home.  Tomorrow we will travel to Fort Nelson.  The weather has eld and the sun was out all day, but the temp was cool. 
I have messages on my cell phone, but I cannot retrieve those msgs from voice mail until I hit the USA or Alaska.  Text messages do work though.  SOOOO  if you really need to get me, hang up and txt me or email me.  Internet has been better than it was two years ago, but we have not hit the Yukon Territory yet!
Hope all is well with everyone,  love...........

Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway did not disappoint us.  It was spectacular!!!!!!!!  TheCanadian Rockies are just very impressive gray granite and dark green pine trees.  We saw a herd of big horn sheep on the major parkway stopping traffic both ways.  At the same time we finally saw our first mountain goat on the hill above where the big horn sheep were.  We leave here tomorrow for either the states or north to the Alcan.  Love to all............

Still in Jasper

We are still in Jasper and will be until at least Monday.  Did some cleaning of the tow car and coach as they were both quite dirty from chip and seal road work in BC.  We are considering our options as to how we want to travel around the flooding in Calgary and Canmore area.  Which ever way we travel we will add approximately 500 miles to get to our destination.  At least we are not in a hurry and do not have to be anywhere at a specific time.
Pray for those in Calgary and Canmore.  The entire city is under water.  The government officials really seem to be be very concerned about the people in these two areas.  I have never seen rivers running so swiftly as the Bow River is through Calgary.

My oldest daughter begins her track on the Appalachian Trail from Winding Stair to Hot Springs.  Please keep her, her husband, and friend in your prayers for safety.
Love and miss ya'll................

Jasper/Hinton, Alberta

We made it to Hinton KOA outside of Jasper.  Terrible flooding in Calgary, Canmore and Baniff.  Roads are closed --- no one is allowed in Calgary.  The pictures we are seeing on the news shows Calgary totally under water.  The Calgary Stampede area is completely underwater.  We are watching road closing a to see how we can leave from this area ----- we are staying until Monday in hopes that we can leave here through the ice fields -as the road is closed I to Lake Louise.  Never thought we would have any of these problems, but we are very flexible and believe it or not enjoying the adventure.  Chatterbox---be safe on the trail---can't wait to hear about your adventures.  Love ya'll....

Prince George BC

Well, we were ready to head up the Cassier Highway this morning, BUT we had over 3 inches of rain and parts of the Cassier washed out.  SOOOOO again we are not able to travel up this road again.  So we decided to go to Plan B.  We traveled to Prince George today and almost had to stay in the Walmart parking lot because the three RV parks were full.  Tomorrow we will travel to Jasper, Alberta for a few days.  Hey Chatterbox----  take care on your hiking journey for the next two weeks.  Hope the rain won't dampen your trip.  Love ya'll..........

North Pacific Cannery

The North Pacific Cannery is the oldest intact salmon cannery on the west coast.  It was built in 1889 and ran continuously for almost 100 years.  It employed hundreds of Chinese, Japanese, First Nation and Europeons as fishers, cannery workers and support staff during the salmon runs up the Skeena River.  These people each had a specific job to do and area within the cannery to live.  The buildings are all well preserved and in great shape.  We learned anbout the beginnings of the cannery when the salmon was all hand cleaned, cut and packed into tins.  The fishermen went to sea and brought their catch back to off load into tug boats that took the salmon up the Skeena to the cannery.  The salmon were then off loaded onto the docks and then directly onto the cannery floor.  The salmon were then prepared by removing the head, tail, fins and innerds, some say with just 8 knife cuts, cleaned, cut into pieces, placed in tins, sealed with lids, presure cooked, labeled and then ready to be shipped off to mostly WWII soldiers.  Then we saw the automated line that replaced hand packing in the 1920's.  The plant was in operation until 1969 when the salmon numbers declined and also fresh salmon was prefered to canned salmon.  I sure am glad that I was not eating canned salmon at that time!!  After the cannery we went to the artsy district of Prince Rupert called Cow Bay.  This bay got it's name from when cows arrived on ships and the ships could not dock, so they opened the gates and let the cows swim for shore in the bay.  There were very different boutiques along the bay. 

Thanks Meg for your answer on the cows lying in the dirt.  What a great answer.  Hope all are well and you chillins are enjoying your summer vacation.  Love ya'll,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prince Rupert

Well, we made it to Prince Rupert.  the drive in was amazing as we followed the Skeena (river of mist)River with all the snow covered mountains around us.  What a drive.  Then we hit the construction.  They are chip and sealing the roads!!!!  Our vehicles look like there is 6 inches of dust and dirt accumulated  on them.  We went to the Museum of Biritish Columbia this afternoon.  It gave us the history of Prince Rupert and the beginning of the First Nation People to settle here.  The carvings were amazing.  Tomorrow we go to Prince Edward to tour a historic cannery.  Salmon canneries were big here in British Columbia, but only a few of them are operational.  Wednesday we will leave Prince Rupert and travel to the Cassier Highway where we will begin our treck north to Alaska.  Miss ya'll.........

Ksan First Nation Historical Site

We drove from Vanderhoof to Hazelton today.  We toured the Ksan First Nation Village and learned a lot about the First Nation People who settled here before the Europeons.  On our way here we stopped to take a picture of the largest fly rod in the world and lo and behold there was an electric car charging station.  When I get a more powerful Internet connection I will post it along with the amazing bobbin lace we saw yesterday at Ft. St. James.
Meg-----I have a job for you----  We have been passing fields of cows and in each field the cows are all lying on a hill of mud!?  What I want you to research is--- are all those cows lying in the mud to cool their milk system? OR is there another reason?

We are off to Prince Rupert tomorrow for a few days.  Hopefully they will have a decent Internet signal and I can send a few pictures.  Love ya'll........

Barkerville and Fort St. James

Yesterday we were in Barkerville, BC with no Internet service or cell service.  We stayed at Caribou Joy's rv park.  She is an Aussie here to strike it rich on her claims.  Barkerville was a booming gold town in the 1800's.  it is said that when the gold was good some of the miners panned over $2000 a day.  What an interesting old town.  There were docents giving the tour and informing us of the history of this town.  We ate a late lunch at the Wake Up Jake restaurant.  It was good to see school children learning the history of BC.

Today we drove to Vanderhoof, BC and are staying at Dave's RV Park.  We then drove to Fort St. James to tour this outpost of the Hudson Bay Trading Company located on Stewart Lake.  What an informative tour.  When the forest service took over this historic site, they accomplished restoring each building to it's original condition right down to the contents that would have been in each building.  The furs that were stored in the warehouse were amazingly in very good condition.  The trappers would bring their furs to the fort and trade them for supplies.  The furs would be packaged into 100 pound bundles.  They were then placed on. Boat and sailed down Stewart lake, pot aged over land to another boat on lake bow big, port aged over land and boarded onto another boat and taken to Prince Rupert on the Pacific Ocean.  The furs were then place on a steamer and sailed around South America to Europe.  This process took at least one year.  The reverse was taken from Europe and brought flour, sugar, pots and pans, etc. to the fort.
All in all we have had two wonderful history learning days.  Tomorrow we travel to Prince Rupert which is on the Pacific Coast.  Happy Father's Day to all you Father's out there.

Love ya'll.........

Lac La Hache, BC

We are at Big Country Camp ground for the night.  It is a small, very quaint and natural campground.  The drive up Canada 1 was very beautiful, through the mountains.  We are actually on the Carabou Waggon Road route that the gold miners took from Seattle to the gold fields in the Yukon.  We had our first rainy day today within and off rain showers.  Tomorrow we go to Barkerville, an old mining town.  Don't know what we will find in the way of an RV park, but we certainly are going to find out.
Hope everyone is doing well.  Love each and every one of ya'll.  till tomorrow............

Lynden, Washington

First of all---  Happy Birthday to GJ925---  He is 10 years old today. 

We are about 10 miles from the Canadian Border in Lynden, Washington.  It's a beautiful Dutch influenced town.  We could not get over the look of all the lawns, they look like everyone mowed on the same day. I did wash today to make sure that all clothes are clean and went to Walmart to get what we needed before we hit Canada.  Now I have to convert money and I do not do a good job of that. 
Ya'll know the drill with Canada --  You can call our home # or my cell phone and internet service is at the discression of the Canadian RV parks we stay at (I cannot use my hotspot in Canada). 

Love ya'll

Mt Rainier and Seattle

Yesterday we drove from Pendleton to Seattle, passing Mt Rainier.  What an impressive mountain.  We decided that we would not go into the park as if you have seen one snow covered mountain you have seen them all.  We are staying at the Seattle/Tacoma KOA, mainly because they have tour busses that come to the camp ground plus they are on a public transportation line.  Seattle is HUGE!!!  The traffic is crazy!!!!  We decided to take the City Tour instead of driving into this big city and getting lost.  We got to see the Public Market (huge), the space needle, the locks and salmon stairs(where the salmon travel up stream), the stadiums and the largest floating home neighborhood in the world.  It is a very diverse city, but I personally am glad to visit and not live here.  TOO MUCH TRAFFIC!!!!  I will be very happy to be north of the city tomorrow.  We should be in Bellingham, Washington tomorrow evening and close to crossing the Canadian Border. 

Mt Hood and Pendleton, Oregon

Yesterday we spent the day touring Mt Hood.  There were people skiing and snow boarding.  I tried to get Paw Paw to rent a board, but no luck.  The Timberline lodge was amazing.  The timbers were at least 24 " wide - I guess it was needed to keep the roof and walls from collapsing from the weight of the snow.  On the way back the coach we stopped to watch the wind surfers on the Columbia River.  Thought maybe Paw Paw might give it a try, but no way!!!! 

Today we traveled to Pendleton to go to the mill.  Awh!!!!  Pendleton wool - the only wool you wear.  The blankets are beautiful and in any design you would want.  Tomorrow we will break into Washington State heading up to Bellingham and the Canadian Border.  We will stop at Mt Rainier on the way. 
Hope all are doing well--miss ya' and love ya'll

Columbia River Gorge

We drove from Astoria on the coast of the Pacific where the Columbia River exits into the ocean to Cascade Locks, Oregon located on theColumbia River Gorge.  After checking in at the KOA we had lunch and traveled Historic Route 30 to view 6 waterfalls that flow down the gorge.  The most spectacular one is the Multnomah Falls.  This is the one you have seen on TV advertising the gorge.  The upper falls is a 600 foot drop and the lower falls is 60 foot drop.  How spectacular!!!  I must say that I did not expect this spectacular Falls to be right beside I-84.  To say the least is  was beautiful.  Tomorrow we will travel to Mt Hood.  We won't leave Cascade Locks  until Sunday or possibly Monday for Pendelton and the Pendleton Outlet Store.  Let me know if I am to look for anything in particular for anyone?!  Enjoy the picture of the Multnomah Falls.

Astoria, Oregon

Went to Fort Clapsop this morning to tour the fort built by Lewis and Clark expedition.  Really interesting for history buffs.  Then we went to Astoria, Oregon to tour the city.  We went through the Maritime Museum.  We were able to learn about the Coast Guard that works the Columbia River Bar and how dangerous it is in the winter time for ships approaching the Columbia from the Pacific Ocean.   There were many canneries here in Astoria that processed Salmon until the salmon runs became very slim.  Some of the canneries dried and smoked the salmon and shipped them to the soldiers during WWII.  The USS Astoria also had an important role during the war.  During the tour of the museum we came accross a scrimshaw display of how whale bones were used.  Lo and behold there was a yarn swift made entirely from whale bones.  I can't even imagine how long it took to carve each piece and fit them together.  There was also a net bobbin winder that I would have liked to see how it worked.  The trolley ride was very interesting as it traveled along the Columbia River and the two volunteers gave a informative history of Astoria.  All in all it was a great day.  Tomorrow we leave the Astoria area and travel to Cascade Locks for a few days to marvel at the Columbia River Gorge.  Talked to my Bro and glad that everyone in Amellia Island Florida are OK after Hurrican Andrea passed through.  Hope the Concord people don't float away with the floods they are predicting.  Stay safe everyone.

Love ya'll

Crater Lake to Oregon Coast

What an awesome lake.  Crater Lake was formed from a volcano that blew out the sides and the top collapsed into the center of the volcano.  In years it filled with the most beautiful bright blue water.  We traveled the west rim of the lake and saw snow that was 6 to 8 feet deep.  The east rim drive is closed due to snow.  We stayed in the Mazama Village at the camp ground.  The campground looked like a disaster area.  There were piles of snow that had not melted yet and pine trees that had fallen during the winter.  .  We left Crater Lake and drove through pine forests that took your breath away.  We pulled into Florence, Oregon and saw the Pacific Ocean.  We drove Hwy 101 up the coast to Waldport KOA.  This KOA is right on the Alsea Bay and the Pacific Ocean.  Tomorrow we will travel to Astoria, Oregon and then on to The Dalles, and Pendelton, Oregon.  Until the next time..........

On our way to Crater Lake

Today we leave Mt. Shasta and travel to Crater Lake.  It's a short day trip, but will stay in their primitive campground for the night.  We will take the afternoon to explore the area.

Until tomorrow.............

Reno, Nevada

Reno is a huge and sprawling city.  We are at the KOA in Verdi, NV.  The park is located in Boomtown which has a casino, restaurants, gas station and of all things a Cabela's store.  It was a bit warm here yesterday at 86 with nine percent humidity.  To say the least my sinuses are quite dry.  We are off today to Mt. Shasta, California on our way to Oregon.  We will stop at Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier,  the coast line of Oregon, some Lewis and Clark historical sites, The Dalles, Columbia river gorge, and Pendleton before heading into Washington state.   We don't seem to have very much traffic except around the big cities.  Gas and diesel are $5.20 a gallon.  We thought British Columbia was bad two years ago at $5.75 a gallon.

Yosemite National Park

Today we drove over the Tioga Pass, through Tuolumne Meadows and into the Yosemite Valley.  The Tioga Pass and Tioga Road still have snow piles along the road on on the peaks of the mountains.  We entered the Park toll booth that was 9,925 feet above sea level.  It was cold this morning in them there hills.  We got to remember our adventures of the High Sierra Camps from 10 years ago.  The camps and High Sierra Lodges are not open yet.  Down in the valley it was hot and crowded.  We have a thing about having lunch at a National Park Lodge, so ate at the Awhanee Lodge.  It is only $400 per night for a room.  The Lodge itself was just stuning.  The scenery is just breathtaking and you just cannot explain it in words.  The mountains are very rocky and granite colored, not like our luscious green mountains.  I am going to try to post a picture of El Capitain (a rock climbers dream), and Yosemite Falls (2,442 feet high).  I can just up load one picture-- frustrated with the computer!!  Tomorrow we leave Lee Vining for Reno, Nevada for a few days.  Have a great weekend ya'll.  Love ya'

Lee Vining, California

It has been about 10 years since we were in Lee Vining and believe it or not this sleepy town has not changed.  Nicely's restaurant is still in operation.  We are at the foothills of Yosemite National Park and tomorrow we will travel Tioga Pass into Toualomane Meadows and Yosemite Valley.  We are staying at the Mono Vista RV Park and will stay until Saturday morning.  We traveled today some very interesting landscape from Barstow to Lee Vining.  We started out in the Mojave Desert where everything was beige sand.  Then we moved into an area of springs where there could be desert and the other side of the road as green as a desert oasis.  Then we started up the Sierra Nevada Mountain range --  how majestic.  I was going to include pictures, but my mini computer was having problems downloading them.  Hopefully tomorrow I can download them.  Have a great evening and happy Friday.  The weekend is almost here.

Love ya'll

Barstow, California

We left Williams, Arizona very early this morning to beat the heat and the wind.  We traveled through the Mojave Dessert where the wind really began to blow around noon.  We are staying in Barstow, California at the KOA and we are still in the dessert and it is hot and very windy.  One thing saving grace is that the humidity is only 25%.   Tomorrow we hope to head north and leave the wind as we head to Bishop, California and Mammoth Lakes. 

For all you photo enthusiats --- I am posting two pictures that were taken in the Grand Canyon.  Picture 1  was taken from an observation  point above the Colorado River.  Can you find the raft on the Colorado River 7 miles awa?.  Picture 2 was 10 miles North rim to South rim - can you see the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge?

Grand Canyon -- Day Two

We were up early again this morning to beat the crowd.  By noon there are quite a lot of people riding the suttles - the only way around the Canyon.  We traveled to the East side of the South Rim.  How awesome.  A different look to the canyon.  There are not that many people who visit this side.  One of the major hiking trail starts from here and you are able to look into the canyon and see parts of this trail.  We then went to the Geological Museum and what views we had.  We could see the Bright Angel Trail, Phantom Ranch, and the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge.  Believe it or not we got a picture of the lodge and it was almost ten miles away.  What a zoom on that Nikon.  We then left the Canyon and went to the National Geographic IMax theater.  Tomorrow we will do wash and leave on Wednesday for Needles California.  The weather here is crazy--- 78 during the day and 33 during the night.  We are now three hours behind ya'll and in a few days we will be 4 hours.  The Canyon was amazing to see what water and errosion can do to a landscape.  Here is one of my favorite pictures.

Miss ya'll

Grand Canyon - Day One

We were up early to head into the Grand Canyon and were able to get a great parking place. You are not able to travel the rim road by car so bus shuttle is the way to go.  We did the west side of the south rim. 

Tomorrow we will do the east side of the south rim.  By afternoon the shuttle buses go very crowded.  All you photo buffs from Sunday School with the Nikon,  we were able to capture a raft on the Colorado from the rim of the canyon (about 3 miles away)----Amazing!!!!  Hope you enjoy the pictures from Hermits Rest and the canyon.  Tomorrow we do it all over again.  I thought the quote from Psalms was a blessing to see in a public venue--Amen and Praise the Lord!!!!

Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon

We were up very early this morning and drove to Williams, Arizona.  We battled gusty winds and gained altitude to 7400 feet.  We are staying at the KOA in Williams.  We got to drive some of the original Route 66 as I-40 has replaced  Route 66.  Tomorrow we will travel into the Grand Canyon to spend the day.  We will stay in Williams until Wednesday morning when we will travel to Needles, California. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and keep it safe.  Love ya,ll 

Albuqurque, New Mexico

We were luckly in the fact that we did not have any rain or large golf ball hail that the weather men were calling for.  The wind finally subsided around midnight so the coach stopped swaying.  Sunrise this morning in Amarillo was beautiful. 

We made our way to Albuqurque, New Mexico and summer sure is here.  The locals say this is still winter, but for us it is summer.  the one good thing is the humidity is almost nill and the breeze is cool.  The landscape has really changed from flat, flat, flat to  very hilly into Albuqurque.  Not sure I could enjoy seing a beige landscape all day long.

We will be off to Williams, Arizona tomorrow morning to spend three days in the Grand Canyon and then off to another adventure.  Hope all have a great Memorial Day weekend.  I shall miss our tubing adventure, but there is next year for that. 

Love ya'll....... until tomorrow

Amarillo, Texas

We crashed into Texas and we start to see flatter land scape with sage bushes becoming more and more prevelant.  We are slaso starting to see wind powered generators.  On our way to Amarillo our tow car picked up a flat head screw and our tire monitors went off every 50 miles. .  Thank goodness there was a great tire shop (Patricks Tires) in Amarillo.  We parked the RV at the local KOA were the local band members serenaded us.  Then went directly to the tire shop.  They got us in as soon as we arrived and was able to fix the tire.  Then we went adventuring.  We drove to Palo Duro Canyon south of Amarillo.  It was a mini grand canyon.  While we were there we were informed we were under a tornado watch.  Well, this girl said "We gotta leave."  On our way back to the north side of Amarillo the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in.  We saw the three storm chaser vehicles as we were driving north.  Got to the coach and the wind really kicked up.  BUT the bad storm cell went south and west of where we are.  The sad thing about this is it was moving towards Oklahoma City. 

 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

We got up this morning and the sun was shining and it was 64 degrees.  Decided to move on to the east side of Oklahoma City.  After programing our GPS we were going to reach Oklahoma City by noon, so we decided to drive to the West side of the city.  We are at a KOA in El Reno, Oklahoma.  We saw some damage and debris from the tornado that went through Moore, Oklahoma.  The landscape is beginning to get flatter as we travel west.  Tomorrow we will get to Amarillo, Texas and try to down one of those 72 ounce steaks we keep seeing advertised on the billboards.  Ha! Ha! Ha!  So far the traffic has been light, but expect that to change when schools are out.   Don't know what to expect Memorial Day as we should be somewhere around Flagstaff, Arizona and the Grand Canyon.  There is always the Wal mart parking lot.  The pictures are of the Oklahoma City skyline and us crashing into Oklahoma.

Missed all you ladies in Sweater Club today.  I know the master knitter there at the shop was able to help each and everyone of ya'll.  See you soon!

Staying put

Got up this morning and looked at the radar of the coming storms and we decided to stay put in Little Rock for the day.  We felt that we did not need to drive in high wind and rain.  We will leave tomorrow for Fort Smith to tour forts of those who moved to the west.  Then we will be off to Oklahoma City and points west.
Love ya'll

Monroe, Louisiana to Little Rock, Arkansas

Yesterday we had technical difficulties with our satalite system so we decided to go north to Little Rock to Camkping World to have our problems fixed.  So we began the day in the parking lot of the Duck Dynasty Duck Commander warehouse and store.  I will say that the parking lot filled up quickly and there were some who just had to be first in line.  The store was small and filled with duck dynastry stuff.  So here are the pictures I promised.

We are watching the severe storms that hit Oklahoma and trying to decide  if we stay put for a day or move on toward Oklahoma City where they have had tornados and severe storms.  Morning will tell after we listen to the weather channel. 

Hope everyone is well back in North Carolina and Alabama.  I will post again tomorrow evening.

Love ya'll

Monroe, Louisiana

It was good to see our middle daughter and all the family in Pelham, Alabama. It was warm there , but not what we had today while traveling. I will say that summer is here in Monroe, Louisiana.  It was 92 degrees this afternoon.  Our air conditioner is really having trouble trying to keep the coach cool.  Hopefully we will be able to sleep.  We are not used to this kind of heat yet.
Went to the Vicksburg National Battlefield site.  It was amazing to see how many different states had sent service men to this one Civil War battle.   The terrain was hilly.  The Union soldiers were on one ridge with their cannons pointing at the opposite ridge where the Rebel soldiers were.    What a site.  We then crossed the mighty Mississippi and the terrain was as flat as a board.
We are staying in West Monroe, Louisiana.  All you Duck Dynasty followers, watch for pictures tomorrow from the Duck Command.  Maybe Paw Paw can get his picture taken with Uncle Si.

Signing off for now

Two days to go

The coach is clean and being loaded down with items and food that we think we need to survive our adventure.  The washing machine is working overtime to keep up with the wash, sheets, towels, clothes, etc, etc, etc.  Saturday is the day!!!  Our first stop will be Pelham, Alabama to visit our middle daughter before we take off for all parts of the west, Canada and Alaska.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to post pictures?!?

Getting ready!

We are approaching our date of departure.  Getting car and motor coach serviced, etc., etc., etc.  we are still working on our itenerary, but will have it done by the time we leave in mid-May.