Sunshine and Totem Poles - Wonders of Prince of Wales, Alaska

May 17 - If Ketchikan is the urban center for this part of southeast Alaska, Prince of Wales (a.k.a. POW) is its total opposite. But I’m getting a head of myself.

Woke up in Signal Creek campground in a heavy mist which went from a comfortable drizzle to a steady downpour while walking the dogs around Ward Lake. In spite of the rain, this trail has to be at the top of my list for best hikes to take between 6 and 7 AM. The lake is looking glass flat and the waterfowl are just starting to feed. There are other folks walking but it is in no way crowded.

Although we have had at least one other camper each night during our stay at Signal Creek, this morning the campground is almost full. There are campers in vans, tents, cars, and one group in just sleeping bags. The children were stretched out under the picnic table and the dads beside with a blue tarp over them. Hearty campers these Alaskans.

Fred tried Alaskan Amber on tap and says it is good. Not sure why. Since I don’t drink will have to pull an explanation out of him (or someone else) before I can do a thing for our next newsletter.

We’ve been in Alaska for a week now (amazing but true) and haven’t seen one bear, thank you very much. But we have seen more Bald eagles than robins. My heart starts racing each time we spot one. Magnificent bird.

The motorhome’s slideout room continues to malfunction. Fred has been able to coax it into working. I wonder every time he puts it out, "Is this the last time?" Call me old fashion but I think the fewer mechanical moving parts you have, the less problems. Well, its time for the motorhome and generator to have oil changes. Maybe that mechanic can help us with the slideout’s malfunction.

Speaking of our time in Alaska, I’m still adjusting to the increased daylight thing. I still find it being light enough at 4AM to see the freckle on the back of my hand disconcerting. Fred says I should stay up pass 10PM and sleep in. That way it won’t bother me. Makes sense in a twisted male way.

After lunch we headed back into Ketchikan to dump out waste tanks and top of gasoline and propane tanks before we caught the 3:30PM Inter-Island Ferry for POW.

This ferry is a lot smaller than the Alaska Marine Highway ferry that brought us to Ketchikan. I like it. In many ways, it is just a smaller version of the big ferry but it feels more comfortable, homer, and steadier. (This last feature might be because we stayed in "sheltered" water.) The best analogy I can think of is it’s like spending lazy warm Sunday afternoon in a hammock with a glass of perfect lemonade watching life go by. All this breath-taking scenery passing by while the other folks are seated around talking about their reasons for going to Ketchikan, what they did while away from POW/home, what’s been happening back on POW, and other general gossip.

As we pass the mile after mile of trees that cover islands barely above the water’s surface and towering shear-faced islands that appear to have no flat places for even a sea kayaker to dock, it’s hard to understand why logging has be curtailed. It would appear, at least in this area, trees are plentiful and, properly managed, a truly renewable resource. Guess I need to talk to more people about this.

Pulled into our next campground, Harris River, and found a nice enough campsite near a handpump (good for building muscles), made dinner, and headed for bed. It was a good day and tomorrow should be likewise.

May 18 - BLUE SKY!!! OMG!!! This is a first since our arrival in Alaska. May not be as blue as in Arizona but might be more welcomed.

Spent the day exploring the area between Klawock and Kasaan on POW. Saw a bunch of black bears, Sitka deer, and Bald eagles. Each animal seemed bigger than their mainland cousins. Another thing to investigate - Is the wildlife on POW actually larger than the average and if so why?

It was a glorious day all the way around but the highlight was the totem park in Kasaan. It was a awesome experience.

Have a bunch of pictures which will better illustrate what I mean than any of my words could do. Will get those pictures together and post asap.

A super day but I’m pooped. I think I’m beginning to understand why there is so much sunlight in this place – you need it to do all that there is to do!!!

Time in Ketchikan, Alaska - wet and wonderful

May 14 - Enjoyed a glorious, and apparently rare, sunny day yesterday. It was so beautiful. Sun shining brightly. The sea calm. The snowcapped mountain stood out against the most gorgeous blue sky. Birds were everywhere, singing and doing other birdy thing. It was pure pleasure.
Then the rain returned. Prediction is for 4 inches and it seems to be working hard to achieve that measurement. Makes running to the vault a real treat.

For years I have been nagging Fred to take his shoes off when entering the rv. The dogs track in enough dirt, mud, and leaf-litter without him contributing but till now he has refused. This soggy environment has convinced Fred removing wet footware is a good thing so we bought him a pair of slippers. They are right next to the door so he can easily slip them on or off. Ralf and Dani insure the floor needs to be swept regularly but it isn’t as bad. Thank you honey.

Made a quick trip into Ketchikan to transmit and pick up an umbrella (didn’t even think to bring ours). Folks were complaining in the hot spot about the return of lousy weather. One person said it should last for almost another week. Yuck, but at least is keeps the mosquitoes at bay.

Learned that, although Ketchikan is considered a "full service" town, some of the population go to other islands for medical attention. Craig, on Prince of Wales Island, apparently the place for dental work and Sitka for eye care. These aren’t a quick. Craig is a couple of hours by ferry and Sitka is almost a full day’s travel unless you fly!

Locals are getting all excited about the steady increase of cruise line visitors. We are apparently a rare event; tourists vice visitors. It seems these visitors are Ketchikan’s primary source of income. Not sure how the locals can afford to live here but many locals we have met are dedicated to living on this beautiful but rainy town.

May 15 - Took advantage of a break in the rain to walk the dogs this morning. Ward Lake has flooded most of the lakefront campsite but is mirror front so you can see the surrounding snowcapped mountains reflect in its surface. There were a couple of ducks running across the lake leaving a ripple that reached from banks to banks - cool! I could even watch the clouds drift across the lake. We also walked up to Frog Pond, equally placid, and heard an amorous baritone voice frog call for love.

One benefit of staying in one campground for several days in this rainy weather is we can actually see spring blooming around us. The other morning I could see little swelling buds on bare branches of bushes lining the road. This morning those same branches have clusters of three leaves, similar to raspberry, and a few have tight rosy pink blossoms ready to bloom - maybe wild roses. By time we took the kids evening stroll, I can confirm, since many of those buds opened during the day, they are salmonberry.

Visited the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in the afternoon. It has some lovely and informative exhibits and should be put on your "Must Do" list. It is probably the only place I’ll get to see some of the "typical" residents of this forest. One of the disadvantages of hiking with a dog is it tends to keep wildlife away but, if the bear they had in their exhibit is of an average size, this is also one of the benefits. Here are some other tidbits I learned at the Center:

• Tongass National Forest consists of two national monument, 13 campgrounds, 19 wilderness areas, 150 recreational cabins, and 450 miles of hiking trails.
• It has 14,000 miles of shoreline and is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world.
• About 800,000 people visit the area each year and it is home to about 75,000 people.
• Ketchikan receives 162 inches of rain,32 inches of snow each year, and has an average temperature of 61 degrees F. (One local told me this was a very unusually snowy year. He said there are cabins up in the mountains that will be buried in snow until mid-July this year!)
• The decorations painted and carved on hunting, cooking, and other objects by the Native People is to show respect and thanks toward whatever the image represents. It was stated in one exhibit, even before chopping down a tree, the Native People would pray and perform some ceremony to the tree. Now, that being religious.

Fred made reservations at a campground in Petersburg, we’ll be there in another week, with wifi. That means for a few days these blogs won’t be so long.

May 16 - Laundry - Tomorrow we take the ferry our next cluster of Tongass NF campgrounds on Prince of Wales (POW) Island, and will stay several days in a forest service campground. Five days of being self-supporting - got to love it, up to a point. As much as I loved tent camping, living in a nice dry self-contained mobile house does have its attractions.

With all the nice features (such as flush toilet, hot shower, a comfortable bed to mention a few) my motorhome does lack of couple of features we’ve seen in others rig. Did you know some recreation vehicles actually come with ice makers and a washer and drier machine. Well, I can do without the ice maker but our rig does have a washer-drier - ME! Here some of the way I deal with that every present challenge of dirty clothes.

First, I am a quarter saver. I’ve also become a two, or even more, timer and wear the same clothes more than once. Next, I forego those large economy-size boxes and jugs of laundry supplies for a smaller size. The big containers are heavy, hard to store, and difficult to handle. These new concentrated laundry soaps must have been developed by an rv enthusiasts. And last, I have a nice lightweight, collapsible laundry bag that is the central collection point. It’s easy to haul laundry to Laundromat an folds up completely when not in use.

Most private campgrounds have a Laundromat but, when practical, I’ll go down the road to an establishment with front-end loading washers. That’s my personal preference. IMHO, the front-end loading machine uses less water and cleans better. I will also forego any Laundromat where the waste water is dump into a trough in back of the machines or the place smells like mildew. FYI, take a book or something to do but be open to talking with locals. Laundromats are a great place to learn about an area.

I try to keep ahead of laundry by doing small "loads" in our "Steinbach clothes washer." I developed this device from an idea presented in Travels with Charlie by Steinbach. While Fred is breaking camp, I take my dishwashing pan and put a few dirt "things" in it. Next in goes a sprinkle of cold water laundry soap and then enough water to cover the "things." The pan, dirt clothes, soap, water and all are placed in the shower stall and off we go. The motorhome’s movement causes the water to agitate so all I have to do is rinse, wring, and hang. Works well for me.

A word of caution - those huge front loading driers (usually $0.25 for 7 minutes) can "cook" rather than dry clothes. If you must use, go for a cooler temperature and drop the necessary extra quarter - the jeans/sweatshirt/bra you save will be your own.

Found this Laundromat in town that double as a hot spot! So nice! It’s the first time we have had such luck. It also illustrates most businesses in the area must double up on what they offer to stay viable. FYI, this place is located next to a marina, right on a pier. I think that is cool.

I still have to get some last minute groceries on the way home but for now Fred and I are going to take the kids up Creek Street to explore some of the touristy sights. Have a good weekend

Ferrt from Prince Rupert, BC to Ketchikan, AK

May 11 - When I made our reservations with Alaska Marine Highway, back in February, it was stressed we be at the terminal three hours before the scheduled departure time. Our departure time was 7pm so we needed to be in line around 4PM. I would have been happy to comply but since the private campground we used the night before had a check out time of 11AM, we would be in line early. We took the number 1 spot.

A long line formed behinds us and a semi-party atmosphere developed until a representative of the ferry walked up, around 2:30, and started measuring everyone’s vehicle. Our ferry, the M/V Taku, was designed to carry 370 passengers and 1,380 linear feet of vehicle so every foot had to be measured and calculated. We contributed 46 feet (Suzuki was 15' and motorhome 31'). A tip, we saved money by going as two separate vehicles.

After being measured and given our "card", we were sent to the terminal to wait until 4:00 PM for the Customs and Border guards to ask their questions and do their inspections. Passports were handed over as well as Ralf and Dani’s health certificates. (Another tip - Fruit, vegetable, and meat purchased in Canada will not be allowed into Alaska so keep proof of purchase for such items purchased in US to prove your purchase’s location and you won’t have to toss them.)

By about 5PM we were all in another line at a third "hold" point. Purpose of this "hold" is completely unknown but after an hour wait we were sent to the ferry. So exciting! We all filed in and were directed to our spot on the car deck. It reminded me of that game were you must slide tiles around to line everything up and get a picture. Apparently the picture was in place in time for our 7PM departure but have no idea how they did it.

As soon as we boarded the Taku, everyone "lost" an hour. In other words, our 7PM departure from Prince Rupert had a 6PM departure time in Ketchikan. The whole trip would take a total 6 hours but our watches would say it was only a 5 hours trip. About three hours of our trip would be in total darkness so the lost hours wasn’t really noticed.

As the number of cars increased on the car deck, the upper decks began to fill. Lounge chairs were claimed and tents pitched in the Solarium area. A line formed at the cafeteria’s entrance and laptops were plugged into every available electric outlet in the Writing Lounge. Than the party could resume.

There was no fanfare, no family or friends on the dock waving farewell, for our departure. Just a slight change in the engine’s vibrations rumbling through the ferry and the sudden realization that Prince Rupert was getting smaller.

Dinners was eaten (recommend packing sandwiches or some such thing and rounding it out with the ferry’s offers/only the salmon received more compliments than complaints) and little groups formed up. Some people wandered off to their staterooms, others went to work on their laptops, others started writing in journals, a few went to the onbroad showing of a recent movie, groups sat around chatting or playing cards, and solitaire individuals sat watching the scenery pass.

Although the car deck appeared stuffed cheek-to-jowl, the upper decks felt strangely empty.
I enjoyed a long conversation with Bud and Carol, former Ketchikan residences now living in Sequim, WA about all sorts of things. The time flew. The last landmark Bud pointed out before it was completely dark were Hog Islands, seen off the east side of the Taku and just off the Alaskan coast. Much too soon night hid the breath-taking scenery and snowcapped mountains but I was ready for a nap. It had been an exciting day and we still had the adventure of find our campground in the dark.

Sleepers could be find in just about everywhere, their sleeping mats spread out under them, or warm blanket tucked up under their chins as they stretched out on benches or in a lounge chair. Fred tried the lounge chair, but give up and headed for a well lited area to read his book, while I opted for the floor and a couple of hours of sleep. There was something comforting about feeling the steady vibrations from the ferry’s engines.

About thirty minutes before we pulled into port, after hours of darkness, seeing the many lights of Ketchikan was so very pleasant. Many people headed for the Forward Observation Lounge to enjoy the sight and excitement of pulling into Ketchikan. One downside was the steady sheets of rain falling. Suddenly someone announced, and I’m paraphrasing here, "You’re Here! Get your vehicles and go!"

It wasn’t a game of bumper cars but left like it. Fred and I met up in a wide spot in the road and give the kids a quick and, must have been, appreciated bathroom break before topping off the motorhome’s gas tank. (Never thought I’d be happy to see $3.90 gas!) Than, in the heavy rainfall, we headed for Signal Creek campground in the Tongass National Forest. My word but it is dark in the forest at 2:30 am and the wildlife that was out to welcome us. We pulled into the first site big enough for us and hit the sack. It had been a long and exciting day.

May 12 - Our first day in Alaska and, boy, did it rain. No great surprise there but the crowded downtown was - three cruise ships were in. We had brunch at Pioneer Café and our waiter said this wasn’t all that bad. Well, Fred and I were both ready to get out of this mess of people in short order. Our waiter said it would be like this until October then the cruise ships stop coming.

Had a good meeting with Forest Service. Didn’t hurt he was a Western Kentucky alumni like Fred then headed back to camp. I have a feeling our time in Ketchikan is going to be fun but soggy.

Random observations:
Seaplanes are moored like boats at shoreline docks.
While traffic lights are minimal (only one seen so far), crossing guards (about a dozen of them downtown) are used to help visitors navigate Ketchikan’s streets safely.
Cruise ships deliver city size groups that act like ants swarming an anthill.
Pioneer Café serves Reindeer sausage with four egg omelets. Reindeer are caribou domestic which had the same effect on my appetite as seeing the term "bambi" used on a German menu for a dish made with venison.
Route 7, the primary and shoreline hugging road for Ketchikan, is a total of 31.3 miles. For so few miles to drive, there is an incredible number of vehicles here.
You take a ferry to the airport.
Barrages are used to carrying complete, as in cab and trailer, semi-trucks from one place to another.
There is little flat land around Ketchikan so it may have more stairs than Bisbee.

Need to visit the grocery store and find a hot spot to get our email and upload this blog today. Maybe Fred can start researching the local Alaskan beer - he has earned a treat.

Tomorrow - ALASKA

Can hardly believe it but this time tomorrow we’ll be waking up in Signal Creek, a Tongass National Forest campground. We will actually be in Alaska! Seems like we left Bisbee ages ago and spent a lifetime driving through Canada, the land of overcast skies, warm friendly people, and $6/gallon gasoline. We did see a fox in its shaggy winter coat, a magnificent Bald eagle sitting next its nest, and a some Highland cattle (looks like the off-spring of a Texas longhorn and Musk Ox) yesterday so have to say we did enjoy see all the wildlife, too.

The next few hours will be spent cleaning the motorhome; doing things like defrosting the freezer, scrubbing the shower stall, washing the floor, etc. What fun?!!? But hate the idea of having a grubby rig at the start of a month living in the forest (no full hookups for awhile).

Although the weatherman is predicting rain for today (FYI the prediction for yesterday was partly sunny and it rained most of the day. Guess Canadian weatherpeople are as reliable as those in states) the sun is shining brightly. The private campground we are in is about a mile from the ferry terminal. Between its location and the closeness of the ferry, I would much rather take the kids for a long walk in the sun to see the boats but there are chores to do.

I remember last time we crossed the border back into the states, the custom guys cleaned all beef out my freeze so this time I planned not to have anything for him. Thought I had it planned perfectly until I discovered a chunk of hamburger hiding in the back of the freezer. Well, I had all the fixings for Sloppy Joes except the buns. Quick - need a solution - Dumplings!!! This is what I did and Fred says he likes it better than buns.

Make a batch of Sloppy Joes, using your preferred method, in a pot with a domed cover.
Put 3/4 cups white flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Cut in 1 ½ Tablespoon soft shortening (margarine can be substituted). Gently blend in 6 Tablespoons of milk. Drop four (4) spoonfuls of the batter onto as much of the meat as possible. Cook at a simmer 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered tightly. Serves 4 (double ingredients for 8 serving) It was yummy with corn and a salad. Now it’s time to get to work.

Incredible Scenery and Hyder, Alaska

May 7 - OMG! This is what I’m talking about!

We left Prince George, BC on PH16, a pretty good road but the scenery was much the same for the day. After leaving the urban sprawl of Prince George, we traveled thru rolling hills, winter bare trees, and enormous hayfields, passing beef cattle and houses ranging from little log cabins to comfortable nicely maintained houses. Occasionally, someone was working on their vegetable garden but overall not many people were out and about. Which was understandable since the weather continues to be more fall like than spring.

The Milepost describes this drive as passing through valleys, following the railroad tracks, and with little in between the communities. It reminded me of driving thru Pennsylvania’s rolling farmland but on a bigger scale and with a lot less people.

An interesting sight was the crews using pressure spray machines to clean the salt crust off the Jersey walls and guardrails. Makes sense, wonder if the same is done stateside.
The beetle kill along this route is massive. Whole mountainsides of dead and bare pine trees and it isn’t going to be better. Global warming? Acid rain? Whatever the cause, the destruction is horrible to see.

Another day of overcast sky and little sun. I think I’m missing the sunshine with an urgency like when I quit smoking. But then we got to the town of Smithers, BC and my spirits lifted It is pattern after a Bavarian town with magnificent, towering snow covered peaks reaching into blue sky.

We started seeing snowcapped mountain an hour earlier but had no idea of the number or size of the mountains in this part of BC. Visualize the Sierra mountains meeting the peaks of Colorado Rockies on the west side of PH16 and rolling farmland to the east. Quite impressive. Then we turned off for the night’s campground, the Gitanmaxx Band’s Ksan Campground, in historic Hazelton, BC. No doubt about it, this is the bestest campground we have stayed at in Canada. I don’t think there is a campsite that doesn’t have a jaw-dropping view. The People are so warm and friendly and there is a number of things to do close.

However, tomorrow we aren’t doing a "nearby" thing. Spike Fortier, a fellow RV camper and a Wagonmaster for Alaskan Discovery RV Tours, is here, waiting for his group and told Fred about Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK and we are going!!! More about that adventure later. The sun is still shining but I need to hit the sack.

May 9 - Yesterday was Hyder, AK, a 12 hours/340 miles trip. It was one of the bestest daytrips we have ever taken. I’m going to do a photo album (will post the link in later blog) but here are a few for now.

It’s about 95 miles up Cassiar Highway (PH37) from Kitwanga to the Stewart/Hyder spur (PH37A) which is another 40 miles to town and the scenery only gets better the further north you go. And the number of bears we saw along this stretch of road was amazing.

Route PH37A is beyond description. It will make every route you thought was scenic pale by comparison. At the 15 mile/24km post is the turnout for Bear Glacier but start looking at about 14 miles for the various "hanging glaciers" (defined as "a glacier lying above a cliff or steep mountainside"). It said there are 20 within a few miles of Bear Glacier. (Photo of entrance to this stretch of glaciers.)

One has to drive thru Stewart, BC and a little ways down the Portland Canal to reach Hyder, AK. Portland Canal is actually the a "fjord" defined as "a glaciated valley flooded by the sea to form a long, narrow, steep-walled inlet." Doesn’t this definition alone add to the image of the area. From what earlier, like turn of the 20th century, photos show, land that could be used for building was so limited, the town of Hyder was initially built on pilings in the water! All that is left are a few piles you can see at low tide. By the 1930s, Hyder had been moved from the BC part of the Portland Canal to the land in Alaska.

Hyder has a winter population of about 60. By the time summer rolls around the population will balloon up to 100 people! I think it could be possible that the number of bears wandering thru town might out number the town’s human residents. The centers of community are the Hyder General Store, owned by Wes Loe, and the Sealaska Inn’s bar, owner unknown. If you want to know anything about anyone or whatever, just drop in and ask. You can take a few minutes to scan the goods offered and pick up something to eat.

Hyder, AK is a special place and is said to offer visitors a uniquely Alaskan experience. The town’s gravel roads and a number of special characters (like Barfly, sober for 14 years) enhance Hyder’s ambience. We were identified by some locals as the first visitors of the season. Unfortunately most of the town’s businesses were closed so we couldn’t explore them. The Run-A-Muck campground, still with a foot of snow on the ground, happily announced electric power had just been turned on in anticipation of the first RV caravan arrival in a few days.

What do I think makes Hyder so unique? What other town do you know of has free roaming bears and seaplanes delivering the mail and groceries? We heard a number of stories about the challenges Hyder residents must deal with concerning these furry guys throughout the year. But bears might not be one of the most challenging problems these unique people deal with on a regular bases. There is determining the time. Hyder is located in Alaska so, technically, it’s in the Alaska time zone but only the Post Office observes this time while the towns’s citizens use BC time which is one hour earlier. We were in town when a seaplane returned the town’s five high school seniors from their prom in Ketchikan. Imagine a senior class of five! Imagine the challenge of dating! (Photo of last seaplane of the day. This one had the mail and supplies for General Store. Earlier plane brought back Prom goers.)

Speaking of the Post Office, another challenge is getting mail. It is delivered twice a week, weather permitting, by seaplane. Imagine the challenge of trying to convince your creditor that the mail was held up because the seaplane couldn’t land. (We were told in 2005 mail wasn’t delivered until two days after Christmas and that was18 days after the last delivery.) And did I mention groceries are also brought in on the seaplane? And ALL your public services, such as electric, phone, internet, etc, comes from Canada. So how do you convince someone you really do live in Alaska when everything has a Canadian address. Oh, the challenges to be Hyderized.

Down the road from Hyder are two MUST DO activities for any summer visitors. We were, I’m sorry to say, too early to enjoy either fully. These must dos are the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Platform (a permit required and can be purchases at several Hyder businesses) and Salmon Glacier, 5th largest glacier in North American. We were able to explore the Observation Platform without the bears but the route to Salmon Glacier was still closed by snow.

It was a very long day but one I am so happy we did it. I warned you in the last blog this would be a lengthy entry. And I left a ton out! If you have any questions or would like to hear more, just email me at suzid@forestcamping.com

Tomorrow we head for Prince Rupert and the next day the ferry and Ketchikan. So exciting!!!

[connection too flakey to upload tonight - will try in am - problem may frustrate adding pictures (darn!!!) but album will have more]

A Short Day heading for Alaska

A short day - Fred needs his movie, popcorn and coke cola fix. Looks like Prince George, BC is his best hope so that’s where we are spending the night.

The weather continues to be partly cloud, drizzling, and chilly. The lush green and spring blossoms we saw a few days ago haven’t yet reached this part of Canada. As a matter of fact, we continue to see patches of snow hiding among the trees. Brrrrrr!

There are a number of "pubs" along PH97, the route taken from Cache Creek to Prince George. I was curious about these places since they seem to also be truck stops and often the only eating place in the smaller towns. We stopped for lunch at Whistle Stop Pub & Country Kitchen in Hixon, BC to satisfy my curiosity.

The menu was one page with offerings for breakfast, lunch, dinner and half dozen side order items. The font used was large enough for Fred to read WITHOUT his glasses so, I guess, it’s quality trumps quantity. I t seemed they offered a wider variety of beer than dinner dishes. FYI, if you ever find yourself in the Hixon’s Whistle Stop Pub a Baron of Beef Sandwich is what you probably know as a French Dip Sandwich and Poutine is a bowlful of french fries covered with brown gravy and shredded cheese (type of cheese appears to be a Regional preference) on top.

My Fish and Chips and Fred’s House Burger were good. The cole slaw with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds was delicious. Two features of the pub I really enjoyed was the extensive collection of baseball caps and the "front" side of the menu. It was covered with all these little phrases. Here are a few that made me grin:

• Don’t make fun of our coffee, you may be old and weak yourself someday!
• Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.
• Winter is not a season, it is an occupation.
• Some people suffer in silence louder than others.
• If at first you do succeed - try to hide you astonishment.
• And my personal favorite - The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.

Tomorrow we turn due west onto PH16 and head for Prince Rupert and our ferry. Haven’t been able to find any campgrounds with wifi so may not post a blog for a few days. Since we’re hoping to visit Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK, see a collecgtion of authentic totem poles in Kitwanga, glaciers, and may be see some bears before getting to Prince Rupert that blog could be long.

One day closer to Alaska

Got up this morning thinking it was 5:30 AM.. Birds were merrily singing. The sky was getting nice and light. It had to be time to rise and shine. Turns out it was 4:30!!! We‘ve got to get adjusted to this more daylight situation. It even had Fred up earlier than usual.

Fred was like an old stable nag heading back to the barn today. We drove twice as far as I had planned. He certainly is ready to get to Alaska.

We took the Trans-Canadian Highway (Rt 1) from Hope to Cache Creek where we switched to Provincial Highway (PH) 97 and continued to Williams Lake. The most spectacular part of the drive was through Fraser River Canyon (Hope to Lytton).

The mountains along Fraser River Canyon are more like retaining walls then anything else. Their vertical face shoot straight up from the river valley floor. And the amount of snow on them is amazing! Glorious towering waterfalls fed the churning, muddy wide Fraser River. Such beauty!

There is a stretch of highway in Colorado nicknamed the "Million Dollar Highway." It is toted as an engineering wonder. Well, it has nothing on this roadway thru Fraser River Canyon. Rt. 1 hugs the canyon wall and winds thru seven different tunnels. It was all very impressive and would have been even more so if the sun would have shined for more than 2 hours all day.

There were several noticeable changes north of Cache Creek where we got onto Rt. 97. Thompson River was a nice shade of blue (no mud!). The communities were more clearly defined and bigger. A lot more sagebrush and beetle killed pines. Bunches of lakes and ponds and they are BIG! Many are at least half covered with a sheet of ice. Even this Raven at a rest area looks cold.

Speaking of ice - weatherman is calling for tomorrow to have very cold temperatures, ice and possibly a couple of inches of new snow. GREAT!!!

Now we are in Canada we need to start thinking metric!

First, what does 100 KM mean in American? One Kilometer (KM) equals 0.62 miles so 100 KM is 62 mph. Now you can calculate the conversion or just take a quick glance at your guage.

There are 3.79 liters to a gallon but if its10 degrees outside, do we need jackets or shorts? This is a bit more complicated but here’s the formula. (9/5)temperature in Celsius plus 32 equals temperature in Fahrenheit. So, 10 C equals 50 F and a jacket is in order.

FYI, the current US to Canadian dollar exchange rate is a wash. One dollar US is worth $1.016 Canadian.