tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87513288918517371002024-03-13T23:14:27.006-04:00Our Adventures with EmilyPaula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-82001622395524322712012-07-12T16:17:00.001-04:002012-07-12T16:17:16.759-04:00Still in Pa.<p>   At least I am. Paula’s up in upstate NY. It’s her 45th class reunion. We were suppose to take the rv up for a week or so and visit with her family but 2 weeks ago my driving came to a screeching halt. That nasty vertigo. I went to bed at 10 pm on June 28th perfectly fine  and woke up at 12:30 am with the room spinning and sick as a dog. I new instantly what was happening as I had it 4 years ago but it went away in a week. This time it wants to hang on. The 1st 3 or 4 days were a lot worse than last time. The last time the doctor had me take valium so that was the 1st thing we tried this time. When that didn’t work the Dr. tried antivert which made me dizzier. The Dr. then recommended Physical Therapy which from reading on the internet works for about 80% but I’m in the 20% bracket. My next step is to do certain exercises that help with coping with the vertigo and also go to an ENT. Called to get an Appt. today and it will be over 2 weeks until I can get in. Hopefully it will be gone by then I’m tired of watching tv during the day.</p> <p>  On the upside we have had a lot of time with the grandkids. They have both stayed over several times.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-44104754651118885892012-06-19T09:24:00.001-04:002012-06-19T09:24:14.515-04:00Back in Pa.<p> </p> <p>    We have been back parked next to our daughters house for about 5 weeks and I must be getting hitch itch as I am always looking at our Streets & Trips map for our 2012-2013 trip from Pa. to SD to Tx then back to Pa. We really enjoyed our trip back from Fl. this year especially Va. and Del. It was kind of costly with tolls though. Around $60. Diesel wasn’t to bad, relatively  speaking, on the Pa. turnpike so we pulled in to fill up just before our exit. At the pump it said for Mastercard or Visa you must go inside. Once inside I was informed I needed to tell her exactly how much I wanted to put in and they would precharge my account. I told her I didn’t know exactly and she told me If I didn’t know I couldn’t get fuel. I took my card back and left. Never ran into that before. Since we have been back we’ve kept busy with grandkids, church projects, trips to upstate NY, yard work at my daughters and Drs. appointments. I bought a new printer last week and everything worked fine except it printed with invisible ink. I got ahold of Kodak on line and after 30 minutes or so they determined it was a bad printer so they sent me a new one. In a bit we’re going to take the bad one to the UPS store to send it back. In the area is a store where we get our clams so tonight we’ll feast on steamed clams. They probably won’t be as good as the ones we clammed ourselves in Va. but they will be good and a lot less work. Think I’ll go get some exercise and cut my daughters lawn. </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-53378723552546203752012-05-09T14:12:00.001-04:002012-05-09T14:12:58.276-04:00Almost Back In Pa.<p>    We left Florida on April 25th and traveled to a Georgia state park just across the Florida line. We still had 5 nights free coming to us from Camp Hosting a while ago and since we were not in a hurry we decided to explore that area. We were parked on the Crooked River and the campground was a very relaxing place. The town of St Marys was nice to walk around and since it was near a huge submarine base they had a great sub museum. Another day we spent on Jekyll island. We had read somewhere that if you have ever visited Jekyll island you would return and for us it was true as this was our return trip. We had been there in 2005 or so. We had never camped there so one of the things we wanted to do was check out the campground. After checking with the office, we wandered around the camp. We know now we will return and this time to camp. Next year we are going to winter in Tx but the plan is now to stay on Jekyll on our next trip to Florida. On the day we were leaving the camp our living room slide decided not to close. I checked the book to see if there was a manual   way to get it in but no such luck. I took some stuff out from underneath and once I got under I found a bolt that had broken. Lucky Lucky Lucky as there was no close by mobile rv repair. We traveled 300 miles that day which was long for us and 200 miles the next 2 days. Along the way we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Its a   20-mile-long combination bridge & 2 tunnels  crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay. The toll was $28 for the motorhome pulling the CRV. WOW. We reached out destination for the next 5 days, Virginia Landing Thousand Trails.  It’s a beautiful, 800-acre preserve which lies on the eastern shore of Hog Island Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the next 5 days clamming, taking pictures, sitting outside reading and watching the water and the birds and walking around the preserve. Next we moved up to the state of Delaware. Besides Hawaii & Rhode Island it was the only state we had not been in with an RV. We got to the campground at 12:30 and was informed we could not enter until 2pm. We have traveled all around this country and that has never happened before. If I had another option I would have taken it. We disconnected the car and backed the MH off the road, ate lunch then drove around the campground. It is a beautiful campground with sections for folks that live here year around, a section for seasonal and a section for travelers and lots of boat slips. Waiting with us for 2pm were some folks from Australia who were spending 12 months touring the USA. After we all got parked and settled in we got together for Happy Hour that lasted until after 7. The time flew by with each of us talking about our travel experiences. Yesterday we spent the day at Rehoboth Beach. It is nice little resort area to bring the grandkids back to. On the way back we saw a local restaurant with a lot of cars. The kind of place we like to stop at and we were not disappointed. Today I had planned to walk around the camp and take pictures but we’re having an all day rain event. We can’t remember the last time we have had one. Oh Well I guess we’re back in the wet Northeast. Tomorrow we travel around 230 miles and park in our daughters driveway. We’ll be in Pa. & upsate NY until August when we head to explore some of the Great Lakes and then South Dakota to redo our drivers licenses. Paula’s licenses has expired but SD gave her a 6 month extension. Time to back off for a bit.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-87892284954681812762012-04-12T09:55:00.001-04:002012-04-12T09:55:43.438-04:00Working our way slowly north<p>  When I wrote last we were going to a jazz concert in the park. The music was great and what a crowd. A lot of folks brought food with them or there was a few vendors. The local American Legion used it as a fund raiser by selling pop corn. It had a real small town community feel. At the campground we played another round of shuffleboard with the folks and my beginners luck held out and I came in 1st. We did enjoy our time at this park. From here we moved southwest to Labelle where we had a few nights of free camping. They were suppose to try and sell us a campsite but they never did. The folks were friendly but we just never felt comfortable there. From there we moved south to Big Cypress National Preserve which borders the Everglades. We stayed at a national park that with our America the Beautiful pass  it was only $10. We had a pond in front of the motorhome with a resident alligator. He was back and forth between the water and the woods. We did a lot of driving loops and walks in the area and there is no shortage of gators in south Florida. The only bad thing about the area is we had no phone or internet service for the week. From there we began our slow trek north. Next we moved up to Peace River Thousand Trails. When we had been there in Feb. the place was packed but at this time of year it was really thinned out. On Easter we went to church in the campground. The Pastor had been all year and we enjoyed his messages. He announced he would not be back next year. When we ran into him while we were out for a walk he said he would be preaching next year at a campground up the road and invited us to join them next year. After church we went to Nicholas’s, one of our favorite restaurants. On Monday we went over to Lake Placid Fl. the town of murals. We stopped 1st at the Chamber of Commerce and picked up a books telling about the murals and where they were located. We spent the next several hours walking around town. We were not only impressed with the murals but also how clean and well kept the town was. We are now at the Orlando Thousand Trails for the next 2 weeks. This will be our last stop in Florida. We have really enjoyed Florida this year and the weather has been perfect. We moved around quite a bit and never stayed longer than 2 weeks anywhere. Next year we have reservations in Tx. for 3 months at the same park. We have never stayed that long at a park before but we decided to try it. </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-32980568078598065862012-03-22T22:46:00.001-04:002012-03-22T22:46:22.605-04:00Vero Beach Fl<p>   We moved about 25 miles north to Vero Beach a week ago. The 1st day we were here we went for a walk around the park. Folks in cars passing by didn’t wave and people walking by didn’t seem very friendly. We figured we were in for a long 2 weeks. We spend most of our time in Thousand Trails & SKP parks and they are always very friendly parks. The big difference in the parks are the folks in this park are almost all here for the entire winter and the TT & SKP parks have mostly folks that stay a few weeks and move to another park. The longest we have been in the same park this winter was 2 weeks. We were wrong about most of the folks here and it’s be an enjoyable week. Besides getting my fill of basketball we’ve kept as busy as we like. On St. Patty’s day we went to a restaurant that advertised as a Florida Cracker Cowboy restaurant.  Instead of green beer I had green fried tomatoes along with cajun catfish and grilled broccoli. Every thing was great. We went up to bingo on Monday evening. Besides regular bingo they had several specials that continued from 1 game into another game and everyone was very helpful in explaining it all to us. I won the big game of the night splitting $75 with 1 other player. On Tuesday we went up to watch league shuffleboard to see if we were playing the game right. They invited us to come up and watch and ask any questions. They were there to have fun and didn’t take the game to serious. They also encouraged us to come back on Thursday and play. After lunch we went to the beach for a few hours. Today we went and played shuffleboard with the regulars and had a great time. I had some beginners luck and came in 3rd and won $3. Everyone puts in $1 and there was 12 of us playing. After lunch we went back over to the beach. Tomorrow I’m going to give the car a bath. Early evening we’ll go out to eat then the local high school is going to do a jazz concert in the park up in Sebastian. I love when the young kids have an interest in jazz. </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-63846533377725139482012-03-14T14:40:00.001-04:002012-03-14T14:40:45.680-04:00Moving North<p>  Our 2 weeks are up here in Fort Pierce Fl at the Savanna’'s county park. This is a great park and I’m sure we’ll be back. We’re backed up to a wetlands that has all kinds of birds. There are also frogs, turtles and folks down the road had a gator sighting. After our bear encounter this summer in Alaska that was toooo close. We enjoyed our time in this area. Since we spent time in this area when Paula’s mom & dad lived here there was some places we wanted to go back to. We drove by where they used to live and the house was gone replaced by a huge Gererac generator. That was sad. We also went to White City to see if the big dead oak tree was still there and it was. Nelsons farm market was still there and busy as ever. We made several trips there. We made several trips to the Saturday market on the riverwalk in Fort Pierce. they have such good food vendors there. Last week we had breakfast in a bowl there. Eggs,onion,peppers and sausage on top of delicious home fries. At our favorite bread vendor I got a blueberry scone & Paula had chocolate croissant. In early afternoon they were going to have a Mardi Gras celebration so we walked around town to kill some time. Up on 1 of the street corners a blues band had set up so we stopped to enjoy the music for a while. At 1 o'clock the parade began. It was a small parade but everyone had a good time. Down back on the river walk area a Dixieland band had begun to play and thats where we headed. They were very good. Before we say down to listen we bought a bowl of gumbo which hit the spot. Next to where we were sitting vendors were making a Jamaican chicken on a stick that smelled so good. When we were leaving I told Paula I had to have one and it was excellent. There are 2 reasons I enjoy this area. 1 The New York Mets have there spring training here and we got to a few games & 2 They have a very active Jazz & Blues society and I got to listen to several live Jazz & Blues bands. We have had some very windy days here so we only got to the beach once. One evening we went over to the county fair and the 1st thing I spotted was a vendor selling green fried tomatoes. Those along with Texas style BBQ were dinner. Even if we weren’t off doing anything just sitting in this park watching the wildlife was enough. Tomorrow we head North but only about 20 miles and we settle into Vero Beach area. We have never spent any time there so it will be a new experience. We’ll be there for 2 weeks and then head south again. They may be having a mild winter up north but it’s still to early to be to far north.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-48749791547368679562012-03-04T10:54:00.001-05:002012-03-04T10:54:27.088-05:00We are officially Senior Citizens<p>  We had not been at Peace River TT a day  when the phone rang and it was Bob & Linda. They were wondering what part of Fl. we were in and when I said Peace River they said they were coming in the next day. Over the course of the next 10 days  we played Mexican train several times, went out to eat, Paula fixed haluski with Johnnies Kielbasa,Linda fixed spaghetti & meatballs, and we sat around and talked about where we have been and where we were headed, over  a glass or 2 of wine. One day we were walking up for ice cream sundaes on the back porch and as we were walking by the outdoor shuffle board I asked  Bob if they played and he said no but they would  like to and we also wanted to learn. After the sundaes we went into the camp store and the lady there gave us a quick rundown. Off the 4 of us went to play our 1st of many games of shuffleboard and to officially become senior citizens. We played every day after that. The last day we were playing we were invited to come back the next day to play with the group but they were leaving then and for me it was Tax day. We had a lot of fun with Bob & Linda and it was sad to see them go. We won’t see them for a while as they are going north and we are heading east. We moved over to Fort Pierce Fl to a county campground that is a nice change from the normal Fl camps. We are backed up to wetlands with all kinds of birds flying around including eagles. Paula’s mom & dad lived in this area for a while so we know our way around here. The NY Mets have their training camp here and we have tickets for a few games. Yesterday we went to one of our favorite farmers markets on the river walk in Fort Pierce. Last time we were in this area was 2005 and there was about 10 vendors. Now there is probably over a 100. Last time we were there there was a baker who had the most delicious bread and we were hoping he was still there and he was. After getting our bread ( they sell out early) we spotted a fish or Shrimp taco stand. The only place we have ever found shrimp tacos was Algodones Mx.  below Yuma Az. These were a little different as they used shredded cabbage instead of lettuce and they also put black beans on them. They were sooo  good. We sat to eat them on the wall for the intercoastal waterway watching the pelicans and listening to a live jazz band. Just doesn’t get much better. This area has a very active jazz & Blues society. Next Saturday they have Mardi Gras and I can’t wait. In the afternoon we took our chairs, water & books over to the ocean for a few relaxing hours. This morning when I got up (around 6:30) it was in the 70s. Soon after the weather radio started going off advising of a cold front coming through with rain and very high winds. It appears to be just ending but the temp has dropped into the 50’s. Good day for a down day only have to go up the road to Winn Dixie for some corned beef to go with my fresh rye bread.</p> <p>‘</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-21874085181649224142012-02-17T16:16:00.001-05:002012-02-17T16:16:47.018-05:00Moving Around Florida<p>   We can only stay 2 weeks in a Thousand Trails park and that is usually long enough for us. Before we left the Orlando area we went back to one of our favorite Hispanic restaurants El Cerro. We love the food there. We had a short ride of 60 miles over to the Tampa area to Lazydays. They have a nice campground where you get the Tampa paper everyday and free WiFi. Over at the dealership they have a free breakfast and lunch everyday except Sunday. And because of a mess up with there service department last year the week was free. While we were there the local Escapee Chapter was having a rally there and it was nice chatting with those folks. We checked out the motor homes there but we didn’t find anything we like more than ours. Not even close. We got to go for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants Plummers. It’s not a fancy place but it’s good comfort food and their soup the best I have had. This time it was a kielbasa stew and it was to die for. We also went over to Plant City and picked up some strawberries. Florida has the best strawberries and this year they are plentiful. I think we’re on our 4th 1/2 flat. Paula likes to go to a casino occasionally so we also went over to Tampa to the casino. Our next trip was a little longer. 70 some miles down to the SKP park in Wauchula. We were going to stay there 10 days and then move over to the Peace River Thousand  for 6. The SKP parks are all 1st come 1st served. They never turn a member away but some times you have to camp in a no facilities area until a full hook up spot opens. When I called the SKP park the day before we left to find out if they were full they told me there would probably be at least 8 rv’s ahead of us for a full hookup site. I checked the Thousand Trails web site and they had availability for 2 weeks so we decided to go to the SKP park for 2 Nights and then move. We did go to BINGO at the the SKP park and I had a rare BINGO but had to share it with 2 other folks. We did hate leaving there as everyone was so friendly but we are now at the Peace River Thousand Trails. We are parked in a water & electric site. We could have moved to a full hook up site but there was only 1 full hook up site when it was our turn and we didn’t want that site. We have a satellite dome on out roof for Directv and we try and get a site with a clear view of the southern sky. We’re here for 2 weeks and probably won’t be doing much. Time for some down time. There is a restaurant that some folks we were talking to yesterday  recommended and that is in our future. Tonight we’re having shrimp tacos. The only place we have ever found them is Algodones Mx. We mentioned shrimp tacos to a Spanish lady who was checking us out and she said she never heard of them. They are great.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-45368066555013121162012-02-02T18:42:00.001-05:002012-02-02T18:42:05.089-05:00Florida<blockquote> <p>  We entered Florida on January 3,2012. We had reservations a 3 Flags in Wildwood about 70 miles north of Tampa. We were crossing paths with Bob & Linda for a few days so soon as we set up we went over to say hello. We chatted & caught up with then for quite a while and made plans to play cards the next night. The next evening they called and told us their dog Blazer had passed away. What sad news. There are dogs and there are special dogs and Blazer was up at the top in the special dog category. He will  surely be missed. </p> <p>  After a busy 4 months in Pa. we went into super slowdown in Wildwood. We went to the farmers market and bought some strawberries and tomatoes but not to much as we planned  on going to the Webster flea market and that's where we load up on fresh fruit & veggies and we did. We especially like Florida strawberries and we have gone through several flats. On a rainy day we went over to the Villages to see the movie War Horse which was excellent. The Villages is a huge retirement area with separate roads for golf carts, nice downtown common areas with restaurants, shops, movie theaters and nightly entertainment. After our 2 weeks were up in 3 Flags we decided to go to the Escapee park in Bushnell. It was a tough long 25 mile ride but we made it. We enjoy SKP parks as everyone is always so friendly but at Sumpter Oaks we always seem to have problems with our site and this time was no different. We had a 50amp site but the pedestal was over in the next door site so we had to use our extension which is only 30amp. Also the sewer was uphill even with us staying up on the air bags, the water pressure was low and we couldn’t get a signal with our roof top satellite dish. One big plus was our friends Cindy & Phil were there. We hadn’t seen them since we were broke down up in Dease Lake BC and is was good to catch up with them. We also sat down with a couple at the ice cream social and them or us couldn’t remember where we met until bingo up in Alaska at Denali NP at a small SKP happy hour. 2 couples at this small park who we had been with in Alaska. Wow small world. Since this was the 1st park we were in since leaving Pa. that allowed us to wash the rv and Emily was quite dirty so we made this a work week. Paula worked on the inside and I got the outside washed and waxed. Paula also went to the club house daily to chat with other ladies doing crafts and Phil taught her how to make spinners using soda cans. When our week was up we again hitched up the CRV and began our 60 mile trek over to the Orlando Thousand Trails. This is a nice spacious (for Florida) park. We enjoy this area  and will probably stop back on our way out of Florida. We went to a campground (Bee’s) up the road that has a great all you can eat fish fry. There’s also a winery (Lakeridge) that makes several wines that we love. We went there on Saturday to a festival and they were having a buy 1 case get a 2nd free and we took advantage.  There’s also a little Cuban restaurant ( El Cerro) that we love. We also drove over to a Disney Resort Port Orleans the French Quarter and then from there we took the boat down to Downtown Disney and spent the day there. Today we got our Golden Coral fix. We met up with about 50 other Escapee’s for Chapter 57’s monthly luncheon.</p> <p>  It’s 6:25 PM  and 76 degrees and as I’m writing this I occasionally look out our front window and several people are out walking  and bike riding with coats & hooded sweatshirts on. Oh well they must know something we don’t know. Now for what it’s worth we’re all caught up and it’s time to get into the mind frame of those folks walking around with coats on and have a cup of green tea.</p></blockquote> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-13874162520217160232012-02-01T09:26:00.001-05:002012-02-01T09:29:28.168-05:00Time to catch up<p>  It’s been a while and I’ll probably forget a lot but here goes. </p> <p>  We had stopped in Dease Lake BC and had gotten permission to stay the night. When checking the car I noticed the RV’s radiator was leaking. I went into the store and asked if the was a mechanic in town. They said Charlie could help but he was camping. Someone else said to call Turtle. We had no cell phone service, which we found out later no one had cell phone service in Dease lake, but the gal in back of the counter offered to call him. He came up and looked at it, scratched his head and said how do I get to the engine. He had never worked on a Diesel pusher and said I should call Charlie but he was camping. The next day we were sitting in the RV waiting for Charlie to return from camping when a RV pulled in front of us. It was our friends Cindy & Phil. They saw us sitting there and stopped to check on us. As we were talking Charlie pulled in. He said he had pulled many rads damaged by the poor BC roads. Cindy said she would call our daughter and let her know our situation. We said our goodbyes and followed Charlie back to his garage. We shared a 15 amp service with a gold prospector for 3 weeks while waiting for our rad to go 600 miles to the repair shop only to find out they couldn’t repair and then waiting for a new rad from Monaco in Oregon. We just wanted  to get back to the states so we made no stops except to sleep and within a few days we crossed the border into Washington state.  We settled into a campground with facilities for the 1st time in a month. The next day we decided to go south a little to hit Oregon before turning east. We were surprised how dry and desert like this part of Wash. is. We stopped in Illinois to have a brief visit with our friends Ed & Hazle. As we entered western Pa. we had to decide if we wanted to put up for a few days and wait for hurricane Irene to pass or continue to Robins driveway near Wilkes-Barre Pa. and ride out the storm there. We decide to continue on the Robins. It was good to be back in northeastern Pa. with our family. When we left in Oct. 2010 our granddaughter Amelia was only a month old and we were anxious to get to know her and also to have lots of time with our grandson Connor. It wasn’t long after we got setup when the rain started and not long after Irene passed Tropical Storm Lee came in and the rain continued and the river kept getting higher. Luckily we were pretty high up as it wasn’t long until mass evacuations began. The river crested higher than it ever had. The new dikes spared Wilkes-Barre city but the flooding in other towns was worse than 1972. While we were in Pa. we had lots of quality time with our grandkids and really got to know Amelia. We also got reinvolved with our local church.Paula helped making lasagna rollups and pumpkin rolls and pie. We helped with the trunk or treat for Halloween, the pork supper & the Christmas open house. This was also the saddest return to Pa. First my sister was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had to have it removed and then in mid Oct my mom got sick. After going with her to the ER we came home that day and for the next 2 weeks she seemed to improve. Then the pain got worse and we returned to the ER. This time they recommended Hospice for pain management & comfort.  Hospice Community Care in Wilkes-Barre was fantastic. On Nov 23 my mom had her 85th birthday. All year long she would always say she  85 and when she awoke on the 23rd she said she shook her fist in the air and said I made it. On Nov 29th her pain & suffering ended and she joined my father who had passed away 50 years ago on Oct 25th. Mom we will miss you more than you will ever know. </p> <p>  We stayed in Pa. until after Christmas. Some nights I would forget to disconnect the hose and it would freeze up but other than that the motorhome handled the cold better than we did. Our 1st stop was only 80miles away. We had gotten a new car in Sept and ordered a new base plate so we could tow the car behind the rv. We had canceled several appointments to have the baseplate installed so we decided to stop on our way out of Pa. They supplied us with 30amp power and we stayed there 2 nights. With the Honda hooked on the back we made it to a Thousand Trails park in SC in 2 days and it was warm. Now we could slow down. We stayed there 3 nights and then moved to a thousand trails park in Florida. </p> <p>Now to see if I can remember how to publish this</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-20119762202730032902011-08-12T13:32:00.001-04:002011-08-12T13:32:37.552-04:008-8-2011<p>   It was a short drive to the state park in Ninilchek. We parked facing Cook Inlet. We had a view of volcanic mountains out out front window along with the inlet. A little to our left was a boat loading business. Most of their business was putting charter boats in and out of the inlet. They did it with big tractors that backed them into the water then another guy that rode in on the trailer would release them and with a jerk forward of the tractor they were off the trailer. This went on all day. As the wind was always blowing and the temp was only in the 50’s we spent most of the day just watching activity in the water out our front window. The best part was watching the Orca whale feeding and of course the magnificent Bald Eagles. There wasn’t much to the town but we did visit an old Russian town. We did some metal detecting on the beach but the best we found was a huge sinker. We decided we had seen enough and been cold to long and it was time to leave Alaska but since the Salmon were running we would make one more stop at Hyder which was well over 1000 miles away. We moved up to the Palmer  to stock up ay Wal-Mart for our long trip to Hyder and then back to the lower 48. While here we went over to the Iditarod headquarters. Joe Redington’s (The father of the Iditarod) was there with a team of Alaskan Huskies and 4 puppies. We toured the headquarters and then went on a sled dog ride. Paula enjoyed meeting and greeting with the puppies. The next day we began what we normally don’t do. 3 long 300 to 400 mile travel days. The first day we arrived in Tok our 1st repeat town. We stayed the night at the rear lot of a gas station. The next day we began the part of the Alaskan highway we missed on the way up as we turned off in Whitehorse and took the Klondike to Dawson City and the Top of the World Highway to Chicken then on to Tok. We arrived in Whitehorse and boondocked at a local campground. The next day after stopping to see the black gophers we missed on the way up we turned off the Alaskan Highway onto the Cassier Hwy. We arrived in Dease Lake on the 23rd with only around 250 mile until Hyder We passed several temp fish camps so we figured the salmon were still running. We filled up with Diesel and got permission to stay in their lot overnight. We pulled over to an out of the way spot. When I went back to check on the car I noticed the RV radiator was leaking. To Be Continued!!!   </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xkYb0V2DIbc/TkVitXXMF_I/AAAAAAAAGf4/VtzsMVaiKSU/s1600-h/71720110412.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-17-2011 041" border="0" alt="7-17-2011 041" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LHeGsdg6pnM/TkVivoWdVnI/AAAAAAAAGf8/iEPAQB7gENY/7172011041_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T9kVUwvdPJs/TkViymN1jiI/AAAAAAAAGgA/kfWMd7jjtWE/s1600-h/71720110062.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-17-2011 006" border="0" alt="7-17-2011 006" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HCs_DcXW8ic/TkVi0xM-fKI/AAAAAAAAGgE/cwpbzFx16qE/7172011006_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-be9CmHrM7pU/TkVi3yCr-6I/AAAAAAAAGgI/y0cK_YTTDV0/s1600-h/71820110032.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-18-2011 003" border="0" alt="7-18-2011 003" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-r3X88BKc9wQ/TkVi7L3L46I/AAAAAAAAGgM/mxpSzsX3kBU/7182011003_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a>  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-38K_S2nr5wM/TkVi-DIRsQI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/e5ocRRlbJ1s/s1600-h/72020110362.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-20-2011 036" border="0" alt="7-20-2011 036" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kdH8s1SQUWQ/TkVjBGPsxiI/AAAAAAAAGgU/RZa3PgyEvtc/7202011036_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Aml7YfjmFeA/TkVjEVLT6hI/AAAAAAAAGgY/nR-zpA8HIJg/s1600-h/72020110442.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-20-2011 044" border="0" alt="7-20-2011 044" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sb59PhmOzlc/TkVjHguCloI/AAAAAAAAGgc/K6Fqn90ielc/7202011044_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RW2q00CQHA8/TkVjKL8_2DI/AAAAAAAAGgg/erOQFYRbNfc/s1600-h/72020110562.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-20-2011 056" border="0" alt="7-20-2011 056" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VGSyk0OYggw/TkVjMr3w2kI/AAAAAAAAGgk/nRiLI-IT3Js/7202011056_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2pMYannocR4/TkVjPyBsZjI/AAAAAAAAGgo/FN99JPVIHxo/s1600-h/72020110582.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-20-2011 058" border="0" alt="7-20-2011 058" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vZYHC3GVPF4/TkVjVeu1KRI/AAAAAAAAGgs/IPz4OBQflb4/7202011058_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-K9gBXsJizTU/TkVjaGRD73I/AAAAAAAAGgw/7tLpFePkG-c/s1600-h/72020110622.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-20-2011 062" border="0" alt="7-20-2011 062" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kCjWLypbxDQ/TkVjdeNcb_I/AAAAAAAAGg0/NP1GXOubiXU/7202011062_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ob_vWbZK79U/TkVjh7jExCI/AAAAAAAAGg4/J0ynvV-YQDE/s1600-h/72220110032.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-22-2011 003" border="0" alt="7-22-2011 003" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vSH7bgrvNW0/TkVjlm7leyI/AAAAAAAAGg8/vfsLPoZBDWI/7222011003_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mwjoHtuTatA/TkVjoFeKCiI/AAAAAAAAGhA/PkFnkPUznxk/s1600-h/72320110062.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="7-23-2011 006" border="0" alt="7-23-2011 006" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jEsjNckxveY/TkVjsyfmuTI/AAAAAAAAGhE/WNBA6UceH-I/7232011006_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-28667381016726695232011-07-17T21:52:00.001-04:002011-07-17T21:52:44.945-04:007-17-2011<p>  Last post I wrote that 6 SKP rigs pulled into our campground in Talkeetna and we did have a great happy hour. The next day we moved over to Anchorage. We found Anchorage to be like any other big city. Everyone was in a hurry and had no patience for us tourist on the road. We visited earthquake park, saw an earthquake movie where the seats shook at certain parts. We went to check out a gift shop at a 1st Nation hospital but it was closed for the 4th of July weekend. Fire works weren’t set to go off until midnight and it only got dusk at that time so we didn’t go. We went to the market on 3rd St. and ran into the Rhinehimers & Kings. The 3rd town we have met up with them. I had another halibut taco at the market and it totally different than any taco I have ever had. Not sure what was on it but it was good. We usually stay away from chain restaurants when we’re someplace new but there was a Golden Coral there and they are my weakness so we went and it was gooooood. We got up at 5 one morning and drove to Turnagain Arm with hopes of catching a Bore Tide but no luck. We did see a beautiful swan and the scenery was worth the ride.</p> <p>  After leaving Anchorage we traveled down to Seward. The ride down was absolutely beautiful. The 1st thing we did there was take a boat ride. A sea otter gave us a send off as we left the harbor. We saw porpoises,sea lions,puffins and all kinds of different birds. The best was the whales. 2 adults & a young one. They really put on a show. Another day we went and visited Exit glacier. We followed the trail up to the glacier and we were able to stand on it. Quite an experience after seeing so many glaciers ever since Glacier NP. On the trail who did we cross paths with but the Rhinehimers & Kings. Later in the week the Devonshires pulled into our campground. We keep crossing paths with our friends. The Sea Life center was a nice way to spend part of an overcast day. The last place we visited in Seward was Bear Creek Weir.  This weir is used to count sockeye and coho salmon smolt emigrating from Bear Lake in the spring and sockeye and coho salmon adults returning to the lake during the summer and fall. We were sitting on the creek bank taking pictures of the salmon as they jumped the water fall and cheering on the ones that were struggling to make the jump. I heard Paula say Ohhh Tom and I turned my head toward her. What we had was a grizzly bear about 15 feet away and we were in between  him and lunch. We slowly got up and walked the path out to the road and into our car.</p> <p>   From Seward we next traveled to the other side of the peninsula to Homer. Homer has the Homer Spit. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spit_(landform)">spit</a> is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) long piece of land jutting out into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachemak_Bay">Kachemak Bay</a>. We parked on the spit at a city park. The view out our front window was crashing waves. There tide here are quite different. At high tide the water was about 15 feet from the RV and at low tide about a football field away. While at Homer we took a boat ride over to an old fishing town of Seldovia. When we got back to our car we had a note from the Rhinehimers & Kings that they were in the campground next to where we were parked so we stopped over to say hi. We also went to dinner with then and another couple at the Elks. There visitor center in Homer was one of the better ones and they also had a trail setup along some marsh and down to the beach. We had no wildlife sighting except for an eagle, which is still special even though we see several every day, but we were told about a bakery that was along the trail where it came out to the road. We picked up some sticky buns and they were delicious. While parked at the beach we enjoyed all the activity out our front window. We watched freighters, fishing boats, cruise ships, eagles, sea otters, kite fliers, wind surfers, kayaks. & horse back riders. We took some scenic drives that overlooked Homer, the bay, and Several glaciers. We did enjoy our time in Homer but today we moved up to Ninilchek.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Hj90izNBS6I/TiOQpPt0jOI/AAAAAAAAGeQ/a4pCTm1-Ewg/s1600-h/7-05-2011%252520001%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-05-2011 001" border="0" alt="7-05-2011 001" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TwWqNaFpBkA/TiOQsLRwvTI/AAAAAAAAGeU/1LajoL4aJ5Q/7-05-2011%252520001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-j4JrIZacrac/TiOQvG8Q3aI/AAAAAAAAGeY/AwXTXhSW_AU/s1600-h/7-06-2011%252520053b%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-06-2011 053b" border="0" alt="7-06-2011 053b" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZNoa1lZK7Vg/TiOQxxoctGI/AAAAAAAAGec/psjEx0xiamA/7-06-2011%252520053b_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="149" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7iVnvLZxlfU/TiOQ05BPZgI/AAAAAAAAGeg/HdWvrS1QS_Y/s1600-h/7-06-2011%252520049a%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-06-2011 049a" border="0" alt="7-06-2011 049a" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-58aQc3Wx-uM/TiOQ4icegzI/AAAAAAAAGek/rv9FJ_W4atY/7-06-2011%252520049a_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="174" /></a>  <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l98k1pi2Swc/TiOQ84uKNjI/AAAAAAAAGeo/zrfhkLVKNgg/s1600-h/7-11-2011%252520033%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-11-2011 033" border="0" alt="7-11-2011 033" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QCJKgiMwbVs/TiOQ_SHMzlI/AAAAAAAAGes/M2yJHAPj5QA/7-11-2011%252520033_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_ZISVAUa1Eg/TiORDhYlzsI/AAAAAAAAGew/BWfyOXbAjbM/s1600-h/7-11-2011%252520007%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-11-2011 007" border="0" alt="7-11-2011 007" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zx5FgeOgDyE/TiORGXJ4tvI/AAAAAAAAGe0/hctIQqA_eM8/7-11-2011%252520007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ebj0I6cerYc/TiORJPCGVgI/AAAAAAAAGe4/H7Cc2R3df9g/s1600-h/7-08-2011%252520010%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-08-2011 010" border="0" alt="7-08-2011 010" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nIjzXOzhCGc/TiORMwh40aI/AAAAAAAAGe8/hqx75_CfE10/7-08-2011%252520010_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tHfyxXGYzD4/TiORPuNtXPI/AAAAAAAAGfA/GGVMFI-hC5Y/s1600-h/7-08-2011%252520052%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-08-2011 052" border="0" alt="7-08-2011 052" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EMgh4_-lZZE/TiORSTaCszI/AAAAAAAAGfE/adZwi6b4dT4/7-08-2011%252520052_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lybeioxLoFw/TiORWUhVzoI/AAAAAAAAGfI/hCSO0gXTisA/s1600-h/7-08-2011%252520041%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-08-2011 041" border="0" alt="7-08-2011 041" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-51rcIRpDXgw/TiORaMjlUSI/AAAAAAAAGfM/SgriBuw5OwQ/7-08-2011%252520041_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nD3QuK-Jj2s/TiORdcZiDpI/AAAAAAAAGfQ/Z6FZ0sFgPb0/s1600-h/7-12-2011%252520011%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-12-2011 011" border="0" alt="7-12-2011 011" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xCgawVtjJHE/TiORhrY9acI/AAAAAAAAGfU/t-CatzAUib0/7-12-2011%252520011_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ykzGmF3PYDA/TiORl_I043I/AAAAAAAAGfY/jgXIrtfzYuo/s1600-h/7-12-2011%252520007%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-12-2011 007" border="0" alt="7-12-2011 007" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-W8RkIOzJbhs/TiORocuzouI/AAAAAAAAGfc/Dvdj1A5evr4/7-12-2011%252520007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_cbJoN_iCTk/TiORtb-dtSI/AAAAAAAAGfg/wvYCwhv4B-w/s1600-h/7-13-2011%252520004%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-13-2011 004" border="0" alt="7-13-2011 004" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xz3bzpUZisA/TiORvte-OBI/AAAAAAAAGfk/3GbQjEuaNjY/7-13-2011%252520004_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OYsV0A7gvvY/TiORyVN2TUI/AAAAAAAAGfo/5Uw6I2Od42A/s1600-h/7-17-2011%252520010%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-17-2011 010" border="0" alt="7-17-2011 010" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-N-QyRwT5qoQ/TiOR0te2mpI/AAAAAAAAGfs/Wbj56iZm7Sk/7-17-2011%252520010_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iaGOU7pU5I0/TiOR32uqzrI/AAAAAAAAGfw/VratVRQWuwg/s1600-h/7-14-2011%252520010%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="7-14-2011 010" border="0" alt="7-14-2011 010" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T0ziAsTrQ4o/TiOR6cg8-KI/AAAAAAAAGf0/lVAeUCNPutY/7-14-2011%252520010_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-34782462841698838612011-06-30T19:51:00.001-04:002011-06-30T19:51:38.370-04:006-30-2011<p>   We arrived at Denali National Park on 6-21 and settled in for 1 week. What a beautiful park. There is only 1 public road into the park and private cars can only drive in around 15 miles and after that you must take a bus. While at Denali several SKP folks came and went. The Reinhimers , the Kings & Devonshires along with our traveling friends Carol & Everrett. It was nice to see and talk to familiar faces. While at the park we did several trails which took us along rivers and lakes and train trestles. On our walk along Salvage river we were treated to Arctic Ground Squirrels (very similar to Prairie Dogs), 2 baby Marmots playing & a mom & dad Ptaragin with several chicks. On another trail we were all admiring the work of the beavers when we heard a splash and there was a cow moose in the lake. She was not concerned with us just having a leisurely walk in the lake. We took a 70 mile bus ride into the park where we saw caribou, grizzlies, moose, dall sheep, and the High One, Mt Mckinley. The clouds parted pretty good and gave us a nice view. Our little camera didn’t do it justice. We also went to a sled dog demo (we love those Alaskan Huskies). At 7:30 every night Carol, Everett, Paula and I walked down to the Amphitheater for the ranger presentation. We enjoyed everyone of them. We were busy the entire time we were there. On the 28th we left Denali and moved to the tourist town of Talkeetna. In the summer it is a staging area for climbers who are going to attempt to summit Denali. The Alaskan train stops here so there are buses all over. We watch Man vs Food on the travel channel and there are 2 places Adam has been to in town. We also have been to both places and one twice. The roadhouse has one of the if not the best breakfasts I have had (I retired from the phone company and I know breakfast places) so we went there 2 times. There is a great place to view Denali in town but it has been clouded in everytime we have checked. Some of the range has been visible but not Denali. A little while ago 6 SKP motorhomes pulled in so we went out to meet them. I think a happy hour is in our future. Tomorrow we leave for Anchorage. We’ll spend the 4th weekend there and then move over to the Kenai Peninsula for a few weeks.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t_Myt2Dgyjs/Tg0K953VIZI/AAAAAAAAGcc/6yGjfwP76Qw/s1600-h/6-21-2011%252520014%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-21-2011 014" border="0" alt="6-21-2011 014" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RPeclVLUKa8/Tg0K_W_P9zI/AAAAAAAAGcg/MNJN-QYshSA/6-21-2011%252520014_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a>  <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UEVD8CYyXVg/Tg0LBLcf5gI/AAAAAAAAGck/IpjDr8W-PXs/s1600-h/6-22-2011%252520017%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-22-2011 017" border="0" alt="6-22-2011 017" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-U7Pp-K3I_8s/Tg0LCSGqaHI/AAAAAAAAGco/Gi2QW5fvR-4/6-22-2011%252520017_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NKkFJcturWw/Tg0Lgv5iLsI/AAAAAAAAGcs/z3N0BU0PZFc/s1600-h/6-22-2011%252520057%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-22-2011 057" border="0" alt="6-22-2011 057" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-A-_tJNRoG4I/Tg0LiR1l6aI/AAAAAAAAGcw/vTOCg7EpHHY/6-22-2011%252520057_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gzMJOCOHvFo/Tg0LkgI6uXI/AAAAAAAAGc0/qDUPMUf7S7o/s1600-h/6-22-2011%252520052%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-22-2011 052" border="0" alt="6-22-2011 052" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wbeDVe1spxM/Tg0Ll_dFPNI/AAAAAAAAGc4/RaUCqWEE2gE/6-22-2011%252520052_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pEMWXRnL3R4/Tg0Lnot2BYI/AAAAAAAAGc8/avgFZJP-nXI/s1600-h/6-23-2011%252520022%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-23-2011 022" border="0" alt="6-23-2011 022" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZoFkOnxsrnI/Tg0LpOb9wAI/AAAAAAAAGdA/cPHiuTni1hY/6-23-2011%252520022_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YVQWdTDloyE/Tg0Lqhbf17I/AAAAAAAAGdE/v1_urDdcu90/s1600-h/6-24-2011%252520032%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-24-2011 032" border="0" alt="6-24-2011 032" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BagsUT3mNCI/Tg0LsFd5IhI/AAAAAAAAGdI/1BOruLtBH9k/6-24-2011%252520032_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9SCkkhNjKcc/Tg0LtsadIsI/AAAAAAAAGdM/vFhyy2hcThc/s1600-h/6-24-2011%252520050%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-24-2011 050" border="0" alt="6-24-2011 050" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yBEo3iLRSz8/Tg0LuwsaAYI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/duKLqLTVbmc/6-24-2011%252520050_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-90YcI56fVX4/Tg0Lw3-rDNI/AAAAAAAAGdU/5AWY9ZtrnxM/s1600-h/6-24-2011%252520055%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-24-2011 055" border="0" alt="6-24-2011 055" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZYDLzMyI4qE/Tg0LyA7IOJI/AAAAAAAAGdY/hg7cKitzIvc/6-24-2011%252520055_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-27lwi65QG5k/Tg0Lz2L2X0I/AAAAAAAAGdc/37neffqIJBw/s1600-h/6-24-2011%252520027%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-24-2011 027" border="0" alt="6-24-2011 027" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VMOJGRCwXuI/Tg0L1DQcORI/AAAAAAAAGdg/VM-a3vzit1E/6-24-2011%252520027_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Qvx_tfu4Vx0/Tg0L3Mtcw8I/AAAAAAAAGdk/g8cROE0xUD4/s1600-h/6-26-2011%252520045%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-26-2011 045" border="0" alt="6-26-2011 045" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dCuJQspWuLo/Tg0L4QgW6rI/AAAAAAAAGdo/EhYQDaa3Lc4/6-26-2011%252520045_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_HCiF06DLKM/Tg0L6E2bbDI/AAAAAAAAGds/uXawwEfkCCI/s1600-h/6-26-2011%252520009%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-26-2011 009" border="0" alt="6-26-2011 009" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CK9DcRIraaE/Tg0L7tp0tRI/AAAAAAAAGdw/9yoegflkm68/6-26-2011%252520009_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vd8TMJkuWK4/Tg0L9cKVL1I/AAAAAAAAGd0/e-P8GVkKveA/s1600-h/6-26-2011%252520025%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-26-2011 025" border="0" alt="6-26-2011 025" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-trbzuMP9GkU/Tg0L-72mIhI/AAAAAAAAGd4/iddwxJ4eyk0/6-26-2011%252520025_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U_XIc6kd6YY/Tg0MAk7L-YI/AAAAAAAAGd8/BlFanzVw18I/s1600-h/6-27-2011%252520009%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-27-2011 009" border="0" alt="6-27-2011 009" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NA0wjn1jZ4s/Tg0MCCoAfsI/AAAAAAAAGeA/1N1bhABYNBk/6-27-2011%252520009_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-84692934534676015562011-06-19T02:18:00.001-04:002011-06-19T02:18:48.154-04:00June 18,2011<p>  We spent longer in Fairbanks than we thought we would. That’s what is so good about this life style. If we’re enjoying a place we can stay longer. We’re not on a time table. It was rainy and cool when we first got here so we spent some down time. We did get some shopping in and stopped at the Creamer waterfowl refuge several times. We took a ride to University of Alaska botanical garden. A lot of folks were working in the area and it was a little to early in the year for something like that. We then took a ride down to the Pump House Restaurant. It was to early to eat but they had old artifacts from the gold rush days around. While walking along the Chena river on which the Pump House was located a beautiful bald eagle flew about 15 feet over us. What a magnificent sight. We have seen a lot of eagles in our travels but never that close. Another day we took a ride to the North Pole and met with the great one Santa himself. Next up was the visitor center in Fairbanks. It has an excellent display. From there we stopped at the headquarters for the Yukon Quest Int’l Sled dog Race. Jodi Bailey and 4 of her dogs were there. Both her and her Alaskan Huskies ran last year in the Iditarod and Yukon Quest races. She enjoyed talking about the races and dogs and happily answered all of our questions. We enjoyed petting the oh so friendly dogs. The Alaskan huskies are not as big as we thought they would be. After visiting the city museum we headed back to the rv. Yesterday we took a ride on a sternwheeler along the Chena river. We had a bush pilot take off and land along side of us, visited an Chena Indian village, tasted smoked salmon and to me the highlight was a demonstration at the home and kennels of the late four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher. Sled dogs were hooked up to a 4 wheeler, that is used for training, and off they went. The dogs that were not picked went crazy trying to show there dissatisfaction at not being chosen to do the run. Today we went to Pioneer Park. It is made up of authentic  buildings from the early 1900’s used as museums and gift shops. While in Fairbanks we ate at 2 interesting places. Big Daddy’s BBQ. It is billed as the Northernmost Southern Barbecue and was featured on Diner’s Drivin’s & Dives. I enjoyed Paula didn’t. And Soapy Smiths. Soapy’s  owners (quite a character)  grandfather was the 1st governor after statehood. The place is filled with memorabilia. It never really gets dark here at this time of the year just dusk for a few hours. Tomorrow is the summer solstice festival and that is how we’ll finish our stay. Tuesday we’ll move over to Denali National Park and begin another adventure.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EgxyQq7oSuw/Tf2UhsazQlI/AAAAAAAAGcE/HZgzPYp-x8M/s1600-h/6-16-2011%252520006%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-16-2011 006" border="0" alt="6-16-2011 006" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WftXeI3eApU/Tf2Ujn_5BqI/AAAAAAAAGcI/spqY4xC3CTk/6-16-2011%252520006_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MknSYLnUy3E/Tf2UnSMIzZI/AAAAAAAAGcM/JSj3_8fqHz8/s1600-h/6-17-2011%252520017%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-17-2011 017" border="0" alt="6-17-2011 017" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Esb0C41dpWQ/Tf2UqCObJpI/AAAAAAAAGcQ/ScRBeoHs2yE/6-17-2011%252520017_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WZ65WD9teos/Tf2Uv0_qSAI/AAAAAAAAGcU/P4r2ncBHl5c/s1600-h/6-18-2011%252520006%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-18-2011 006" border="0" alt="6-18-2011 006" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hAEfeiiiLKk/Tf2UxkYl6BI/AAAAAAAAGcY/X_bTWxFbfyI/6-18-2011%252520006_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-53336676197634156182011-06-14T02:19:00.001-04:002011-06-14T02:19:51.313-04:006-13-2011<p>   On June 11th we began our ride on the Top of the World Highway. The highway is so named because, along much of its length, it skirts the crest of the hills, giving looks down on the valleys. It is also one of the most northerly highways in the world at those longitudes. It was a rough ride with some of it chip seal and some loose gravel. There were several switch backs and several white knuckle areas where you rode along the edge of some long drop offs. It reminded me a lot of the Apache trail in Arizona. The views were  great and made the ride bearable. We’re glad we did it but wouldn’t do it again. We entered Canada on May 17 and today we were going to cross back into the USA. The border crossing was simple and we began our tour of Alaska. The road was dirt for the next 40 miles or so to town of Chicken. It is a small town and they were having a music fest so we decided to travel on. The road we just traveled from Dawson City to Chicken is only open in the summer as the only way across the Yukon river at Dawson is by ferry so when the river freezes over the road is closed. Except for the frost heaves the road from Chicken to Tok was pretty good. That evening we had our bottle of champagne that we had been carrying since we bought it at a winery in Florida. At Tok we returned to the Alaskan highway. Some of the rivers are still icy here. We made our way to Delta Junction and the end of the Alaskan highway. A little north of Delta Junction the had our 1st sighting of the Alaskan pipeline.  Were now in Fairbanks having a few down days. Tomorrow we’ll do some exploring here and decide when we’re going to head over to Denali NP</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T2pKI0HtxbY/Tfb86YcYB0I/AAAAAAAAGa0/u7EzZ0UulYs/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520001%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 001" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 001" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ev0dl2F97m0/Tfb88OYzRtI/AAAAAAAAGa4/SrC0-VcjAgM/6-11-2011%252520001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uy1m4yAwDH8/Tfb899E9nvI/AAAAAAAAGa8/IVH8VmINEss/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520012%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 012" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 012" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Nu7ylUyjQfE/Tfb8_r9mD9I/AAAAAAAAGbA/VryoaWTvm3g/6-11-2011%252520012_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3yXNLrOjmOA/Tfb9Bhc6ZjI/AAAAAAAAGbE/UUmvwo5YMA8/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520024%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 024" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 024" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SOJDcN48n5Y/Tfb9DJ1NfWI/AAAAAAAAGbI/EThLj12xA6o/6-11-2011%252520024_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AkweTw24KDc/Tfb9FOU4awI/AAAAAAAAGbM/DbLiQ-Hvlqw/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520030%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 030" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 030" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-touuBS2WyME/Tfb9GoEI_qI/AAAAAAAAGbQ/F5xE1_4JjWg/6-11-2011%252520030_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Bow7a57AzLA/Tfb9I_AgpZI/AAAAAAAAGbU/A1CAFyE0cvk/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520002%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 002" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 002" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--jwQgyKfupg/Tfb9KhtZXHI/AAAAAAAAGbY/WyhGlQmfzhw/6-11-2011%252520002_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Y312jhrbJoI/Tfb9M8iAEMI/AAAAAAAAGbc/oZ8SN5OC_ts/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520005%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 005" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 005" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Y7kUQP5-19M/Tfb9OmHXJGI/AAAAAAAAGbg/woc73oX-1UA/6-11-2011%252520005_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GVrE82I3EjY/Tfb9Q1pfVtI/AAAAAAAAGbk/4XEdpE3X68k/s1600-h/6-11-2011%252520002%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-11-2011 002" border="0" alt="6-11-2011 002" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--1vgS_Ecf9U/Tfb9SqZ0obI/AAAAAAAAGbo/6LINwMb4Gik/6-11-2011%252520002_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CfhS7Ib1DDs/Tfb9W5vZ9qI/AAAAAAAAGbs/7VoekIJCTU0/s1600-h/6-12-2011%252520005%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-12-2011 005" border="0" alt="6-12-2011 005" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2SrWAmLFTVU/Tfb9Zd-2p4I/AAAAAAAAGbw/ZS7xpUf34OQ/6-12-2011%252520005_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JJCj9_2cgfk/Tfb9bvMyWWI/AAAAAAAAGb0/Bodw5GsqURg/s1600-h/6-12-2011%252520015%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-12-2011 015" border="0" alt="6-12-2011 015" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-b1EAaZcYxjA/Tfb9djOjiHI/AAAAAAAAGb4/jJRyaYIWqBk/6-12-2011%252520015_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MPVo3NH0TSo/Tfb9f3-F-jI/AAAAAAAAGb8/cP7Aa3OUlrk/s1600-h/6-12-2011%252520030%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-12-2011 030" border="0" alt="6-12-2011 030" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-It4K_bVyCSA/Tfb9hc2dh1I/AAAAAAAAGcA/euIx6rbVK4w/6-12-2011%252520030_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-52390638459732822062011-06-14T01:17:00.001-04:002011-06-14T01:17:11.604-04:006-10-2011<p>  We pulled into Watson Lake on June 3rd. We were now in the Yukon Territory. We went to the sign post forest where people have placed 1000’s of signs from there home towns and a northern lights show. When going to the show we saw a small diner that looked like a good breakfast place. If I learned anything in my time working with the phone company it’s was how to spot a good breakfast place. We went over the next morning and it was crowded so we ended out sharing a table with a young man. We found out a lot of the folks in the diner were firefighters in town to fight the forest fire along the Cassier Highway. The young man we were sitting with was a helicopter pilot down from Whitehorse to fight the fire. We enjoyed our chat with him. Several people told us to stop in Teslin for a cinnamon bun so we did and they were great. When we reached Whitehorse we decided to stay a few days. While there we toured the Yukon Brewery which was a step back in time. It was a small operation and quite a few of the operations that would normally be handled by machinery were done by hand. We visited a dam built by the power company where they built a fish ladder so salmon could get over the dam. We did some trails along the Yukon river and walked around town. It was the biggest town we had been in in quite awhile. They gave visitors a parking pass for 3 days so we didn’t have to pay at any of the meters. We walked around town and ate diner at a great 50’s diner. It is also home of  the World Biggest Windvane a  <em>DC-3 Aircraft. We decided to veer off the Alaskan Highway and head toward toward </em>the top of the world highway. When we were walking around Whitehorse some locals we were talking to told us about another cinnamon bun place along the Klondike highway so when we got to Braeburn we stopped to get one. It was huge about 3 times bigger than the one we got in Testa and even though we thought it impossible it was better. We arrived in Dawson City on June 9th. We  decided to stay at a Provincial Park across on the other side of the Yukon river and since there was no bridge we loaded Emily on a ferry and across we went. Dawson City had it’s beginnings with the Klondike gold rush so one of the 1st things we did was pan for gold with no success. We also walked around the discovery claim where the gold was discovered and toured a dredge which was used to move a lot of dirt and remove the gold from the dirt. We also walked around town and toured the local museum.<em> Next up the Top of the World Highway.</em> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cTuOhFQB2Rk/TfbuXpgSEeI/AAAAAAAAGZ0/YNpC9r6ONOk/s1600-h/6-03-2011%252520001%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-03-2011 001" border="0" alt="6-03-2011 001" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eSB3XLoJkCM/TfbuZW2uF_I/AAAAAAAAGZ4/e-pODEoqNiM/6-03-2011%252520001_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-C6jEByYnwu8/Tfbubp-_qRI/AAAAAAAAGZ8/iLa6141wRDI/s1600-h/Copy%252520of%2525206-04-2011%252520020%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Copy of 6-04-2011 020" border="0" alt="Copy of 6-04-2011 020" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-e2xw2z7FbRc/TfbudZ65PiI/AAAAAAAAGaA/VLoBtI3DThE/Copy%252520of%2525206-04-2011%252520020_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AgoQjHt9ZZY/Tfbuf8dEqsI/AAAAAAAAGaE/744YaPUi344/s1600-h/6-06-2011%252520051%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-06-2011 051" border="0" alt="6-06-2011 051" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZVqz1BGadx8/TfbuhxrmqBI/AAAAAAAAGaI/ErYKZ0o5Lyk/6-06-2011%252520051_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-K8fXp1Jrohw/TfbujyITOgI/AAAAAAAAGaM/SF6k5WqMBTE/s1600-h/6-06-2011%252520031%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-06-2011 031" border="0" alt="6-06-2011 031" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cZ_v-OFhL0o/TfbulSkWtBI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/aKP5yH7dAOY/6-06-2011%252520031_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a>  <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n5D8U16wrQc/Tfbunu-1vrI/AAAAAAAAGaU/REWU29yWdIM/s1600-h/6-08-2011%252520002%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-08-2011 002" border="0" alt="6-08-2011 002" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rttV_oJHn9Q/TfbupeEK9VI/AAAAAAAAGaY/UIpLldK4tI0/6-08-2011%252520002_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GZP_3t5kCo0/Tfburn2SVVI/AAAAAAAAGac/39MS3E7wyAY/s1600-h/6-08-2011%252520009%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-08-2011 009" border="0" alt="6-08-2011 009" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XyoOT0gZBN4/TfbutVizROI/AAAAAAAAGag/2SBU5xxiJeU/6-08-2011%252520009_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oGXyzB-NuIU/TfbuvuK3toI/AAAAAAAAGak/k1otZZBwUD4/s1600-h/6-09-2011%252520004%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-09-2011 004" border="0" alt="6-09-2011 004" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q3HjM394J7Q/TfbuxRXKN6I/AAAAAAAAGao/XnUlX6Vkjxs/6-09-2011%252520004_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-laUDtdw1cyQ/Tfbuzt9nHfI/AAAAAAAAGas/uO8BKk7qAH4/s1600-h/6-10-2011%252520003%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="6-10-2011 003" border="0" alt="6-10-2011 003" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jQAsviROhus/Tfbu1qcn9FI/AAAAAAAAGaw/gtBbKWu0REQ/6-10-2011%252520003_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-83115636236702781702011-06-03T19:26:00.001-04:002011-06-03T19:26:01.863-04:00June 3,2011<p>  We made it to Dawson City and Mile post 0 on the 29th. We stayed 2 nights and did some exploring. After picture taking at Mile post 0 we went into the visitor center. We found out a little about the town and got directions to an old wooden railroad tressle and a pamphlet on a walking tour. After searching a little we found the wooden bridge and it was worth the search. The walking tour was not so great. Most of the buildings it took us to were gone or completely remodeled. There was several nice murals and we enjoy them. The Chamber of Commerce had a nice exhibit of things used during the making of the Alaskan Highway. They had a model of the Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge which is on the old Alaskan Highway. It’s the only original timber bridge still in use. On the 31st when we started our adventure up the highway our 1st diversion was at mile marker 17 when we turned off of the new highway and onto the old. In a few short miles we reached the bridge and it was worth the little side trip. We crossed over and continued back to the new highway. That night we stayed at a camp along the Sikanni river. It was nice to listen to the water flowing. There wasn’t much wildlife along the way except the big one. A momma black bear and her 2 cubs. The cubs went running across the road in front of us and into the woods but the momma stayed put and watched us as we passed by. The road has begun to narrow a bit and hugs the mountains on one side and lakes & rivers on the other at places. We’re traveling through the northern Rockies. Yesterday as we were approaching the entrance to Laird Hot Spring Prov Park we saw several buffalo wandering around. Yesterday we soaked in the hot springs and it felt so good. We were going to to to for a quick dip before we left but we woke up to s**n. Not sure what elevation we’re at but it’s June and this is not right. We have no radio,tv or cell signal here so we’ll check at the office to find out how the roads are. If there’s any doubt we’ll stay here another night but we were looking forward to hookup at Watson Lake as we haven’t had any for awhile.  The roads were good so we moved to Watson Lake in the Yukon. On the way today we had a moose run across the road in front of us and about 8 horses running loose along the side of the road. Don’t know what you will see along these roads.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VIrxVSa_Jl4/TelszgpgxxI/AAAAAAAAGZE/6QhzTTmNQe4/s1600-h/53020110015.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="5-30-2011 001" border="0" alt="5-30-2011 001" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1NERHbyo3Us/Tels2jIkMpI/AAAAAAAAGZI/uLCRfIBYcT0/5302011001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HRvq7Xe674E/Tels73chsDI/AAAAAAAAGZM/yDKHPreblEs/IMG_00162.jpg?imgmax=800"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="IMG_0016" border="0" alt="IMG_0016" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BFlT4hZcUZI/TeltCnWxHpI/AAAAAAAAGZQ/rGWkX910NoY/IMG_0016_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="139" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kyeIeBE-Nng/TeltHcgcz7I/AAAAAAAAGZU/t1c3gvQy-88/s1600-h/53120110072.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="5-31-2011 007" border="0" alt="5-31-2011 007" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZYtKpUUsB2k/TeltKJ9xUxI/AAAAAAAAGZY/MmWVp4NCZOM/5312011007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a>   <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9F6TmdFwXOw/TeltOrl5yWI/AAAAAAAAGZc/D8IZdp7Hbts/s1600-h/60220110212.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="6-02-2011 021" border="0" alt="6-02-2011 021" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4SgCpK2WVB0/TeltSxSp4_I/AAAAAAAAGZg/dV8iSr97JQk/6022011021_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BqYhewObtiE/TeltXYBXhSI/AAAAAAAAGZk/PJD2Gjx-VQ0/s1600-h/60220110052.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="6-02-2011 005" border="0" alt="6-02-2011 005" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cOtW8rMmupw/TeltaJyD23I/AAAAAAAAGZo/rekm_g2KRBk/6022011005_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-H6UBBX1ijSo/Telte_UP9oI/AAAAAAAAGZs/F0xgu49r3kU/s1600-h/60220110192.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="6-02-2011 019" border="0" alt="6-02-2011 019" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pIRltwfdNMM/TelthQ-DbFI/AAAAAAAAGZw/am7qg34iD8M/6022011019_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-11693288493343858462011-05-28T19:38:00.001-04:002011-05-28T19:38:00.663-04:00May 28,2011<p>   Jasper did not top Banff. We  took a tram ride to about 7500’ but the view from the top was cloudy. The view from the tram was great. We also had a good time walking around town checking out the shops and train station. We also took some scenic rides. On the 27th we left Jasper and headed to Grand Cache. We were going to stop at the hot springs along the way but the weather was rainy and cool so we skipped that and continued on our way. We stopped at the visitor center going into Grand Cache. Nothing was happening in town but they had a nice exhibit there and the folks there as all the people working in customer contact jobs here in Canada were great. We parked at the Grand Cache muni park. For $30 if left a lot to be desired. Just water and electric, our surge protector shut us down a few times for low voltage, and the WiFi was down. Today we moved up to Grand Prairie. It’s a big town with around 50,000 people. It is very smoky here from the forest fire east of us. We went to Wal-Mart today and Best Buy to check on a camera since I dropped mine and most of the pictures are blurry. The prices were way to high and since Paula’s camera started working well stick with hers.  We only bought what was really needed as the prices here are so high. Tomorrow we’ll head to Dawson Creek to the beginning of the Alaskan highway. We’ll stay there a few days and then get on the move. Carol said today we are only averaging 50 miles a day so sooner or later we’ll have to start traveling.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-85646856202018266222011-05-28T18:56:00.001-04:002011-05-28T18:56:54.457-04:00May 25,2011<p>  The rain we travel in over to Banff NP stopped and we had a great time there. Downtown was very touristy but we had a good time walking around there. Our 1st stop was the visitor center where we picked up several maps including the most important , a trails map. The lady at the center marked all the trails that were suitable for us older folks. We did all the trails we were interested in. My favorite was the Cave & Basin. We went through marshy land feed by hot springs. In the 60’s as an experiment several varieties of tropical fish were placed in one of the warm marshy areas and they are still there. It was neat to look in the water and see Mollies swimming around.Several. On our 2nd fell day in the area we traveled about an hour up to Lake Louise. The visitor center had a lot of history of the area and was very interesting. The lake was still frozen and most of the trails were closed because of snow and avalanche conditions. We did walk part way around the lake. On the way back we took 1A a route with more scenic overlooks. We filled our days in the area with trails and scenic drives. One stop took us to an old mining town. Paula & I were very surprised to discover that they mined anthracite coal there. We always thought that hard coal was only mined in the area of the country where we are from.</p> <p>  Yesterday we traveled from Banff to Jasper about 180 miles but it took us over 8 1/2 hours. We traveled the Icefields parkway which is called The Most Beautiful Road In The World. And it probably is. It travel continuously through 2 national parks. It has many scenic pull offs of which we took advantage.  As we were coming up one especially steep area next to us walking down was a mountain goat and here little one. In another area we saw cars pulled off the side of the road so I told Paula to get the camera ready. It was a grizzly not far off the road trying his best to find something to munch on. Further down the road was the Columbia Icefields. We stopped there to eat lunch and enjoy the magnificent glaciers. Our last stop before our campground was  Athabasca Falls. I love water falls and this was a good one. We walked the trails all around the falls. We are now set up in Jasper NP and this morning we’ll head to the visitor center to get information on the area and decide what we’ll do and how log we’ll stay here. It’ll have a tough time topping Banff.</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-5812681441153777812011-05-28T18:55:00.003-04:002011-05-28T18:55:59.811-04:00May 19,2011<p>  Yesterday the 4 of us went into Radium Hot Springs. Our 1st stop was the visitor center where the gal helping us was a wealth of info. From there we went to a bank a bank where we changed over some US money to Canadian. Next we made our way to the hot springs. It was within the Kootenay NP so at the entrance to the park we bought our annual NP passes. On the way up to the hot spring we passed several long horn sheep just walking up the road. The hot springs a view rock cliffs of  Sinclair Canyon. Then came the spacious mineral hot springs pool. We soaked for a couple hours and at that it was hard to leave. We stopped in town to pick up a bottle of wine and headed back to the campground.  We sat sat the picnic table for a few hours munching on crackers, cheese & sausage. A good day was had by all.</p> <p>  Today we moved over to a campground in Banaff NP in Alberta Canada. It was a rainy 90 mile drive with some  8% grades thru the Canadian Rockies. We had to be alert as we had deer & elk grazing all along the side of the road. We’re going to stay hear for 5 nights at least. It’s a long weekend here being Victoria day so the campgrounds will be very busy. A lot to do in this area hopefully the rain will stop </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-36992993262536160862011-05-28T18:55:00.001-04:002011-05-28T18:55:35.728-04:00May 17,2011<p>   Today we began our adventure north of the border. We have been parked in Kalispell Mt. at an Elks club for a week. Carol & Ev arrived yesterday and we made some preliminary plans. The gas station across the street had a dump station and since we had been park for a week with no sewer I went over to check it out and found out the guy with the key wouldn’t be there until noon and we were ready to leave to we so we left without dumping. We were headed to Kootenay NP in British Columbia. They have a dump station so no problem. We had a very easy border crossing. A few questions and that was that. It was a very small border crossing and there was no facilities to convert some cash so we’ll just stop in a bank. Carol called Kootenay and was told they were doing construction there so they wouldn’t be open until June 1st so we decided to stop at Dry Gulch a Provincial park. It’s a small but scenic park. Only 9 of the 26 sites are open. We couldn’t figure out why they close most of the park since there is no facilities here, just a few pit toilets. Not even a dump station which we will need soon. Both of us had trouble negotiating the turn at the top but we made it. Tomorrow we’re off to the nearby town of Radium Hot Springs to soak in the hot spring. We will post when we get to a WiFi location</p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-79847189217353539562011-05-15T11:44:00.001-04:002011-05-15T11:44:43.089-04:00Mail is Lost<p>  We’re winding down our stay at the Elks club in Kalispell. We had a  Italian buffet and a prime rib dinner at the club. Both were excellent. Carol & Ev are only 100 miles away and will be here on Monday. Hopefully the last of our pills will also be. They were mailed on Friday morning. Our mail is another story. It was mailed last Saturday from our mail forwarding service. We have a tracking number but it does not show up anywhere in the postal system. They say they will find it eventually and it will get here but they have no idea when. If it’s not here when my Plavix arrives we will just have it returned to sender when it does. The folks here at the Kalispell P.O. have been great.</p> <p>  We went to Glacier N.P. the other day and it was beautiful. The Road to the Sun was only open for about 20 miles as they’re still plowing snow from the road. It was a beautiful ride. Snow capped mountains (actually snow on the side of the road), beautiful lakes with the mountains reflecting on them, lodges, and rustic campgrounds. This is one of the most beautiful states we have been in.</p> <p>  The other day when we were riding around Paula spotted a car dealer that had some classic cars in their showroom. We stopped on the way back. Besides a few 30’s modified cars  there was a 69 Camero RS/SS and a Beautiful 57 Vette. The 1st car I bought new was a 68 Camero RS and the interior of the 69 was the same as mine with the 4 speed and the instrument package. The Vette was an automatic with fuel injection 1 of just over a 100 made. The Camero was close to $40,000 (I paid $3200 brand new ordered from the factory for my 68) and they vette was around $80,000.</p> <p>  Hopefully Tuesday we’ll enter Canada. We won’t have internet unless we’re somewhere that has WiFi but for $20 I added Canada to our phone for a month. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0slKWlMI/AAAAAAAAGYM/gEWigPSu3gY/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20007%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 007" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 007" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0ttDMMzI/AAAAAAAAGYQ/Y52WaTPhFAY/5-12-2011%20007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0usjPy3I/AAAAAAAAGYU/Su-8inNY5Aw/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20038%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 038" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 038" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0vUF15yI/AAAAAAAAGYY/Jthb-kh4mHE/5-12-2011%20038_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0wTB65pI/AAAAAAAAGYc/7IiYRbJIfCk/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20054%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 054" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 054" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0xC6oUjI/AAAAAAAAGYg/B2Nx7m-l0mM/5-12-2011%20054_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0yMY4ZmI/AAAAAAAAGYk/lMP6Go2-5kQ/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20097%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 097" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 097" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0yvCzz5I/AAAAAAAAGYo/U-uCuSmeQJQ/5-12-2011%20097_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_0zoH0ULI/AAAAAAAAGYs/b1JY4cL6MHQ/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20118%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 118" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 118" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_00b7f4CI/AAAAAAAAGYw/9LbSM6SheK4/5-12-2011%20118_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_01RPYFWI/AAAAAAAAGY0/F_AURLL1OaU/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20153%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 153" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 153" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_013XfHZI/AAAAAAAAGY4/oSv2BvUYFpM/5-12-2011%20153_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_05hMggtI/AAAAAAAAGY8/p745Q-bvZ3Q/s1600-h/5-12-2011%20172%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-12-2011 172" border="0" alt="5-12-2011 172" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/Tc_06VsD6YI/AAAAAAAAGZA/6u5yKgZ6tZI/5-12-2011%20172_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-48075579639504511072011-05-10T20:41:00.001-04:002011-05-10T20:41:46.520-04:00Montana<p>  We’re now parked at an Elks Lodge in Kalispell Mt about 80 miles from where we’re going to cross into Canada. We’ve driven 2150 miles since leaving Frederickburg Tx.  Travel thru Wyoming was windy but Emily handled it very well. Our travels along side of and into the rockies has made it hard to keep my eyes on the road. The rockies are still snow capped and when we traveled thru the passes the snow was closer than I like it. You can always tell when the road was going to climb to a high elevation as there would be a place to pull over to install tire chains in colder weather. One day it was raining as we went thru a pass and I expected it to turn white any time. While we were camped in Deer Lodge Mt there was a winter storm watch on 10 to 14 inches above 6000 feet and 2 to 4 below.  Not knowing what elevations we would be traveling thru we stayed put for 3 nights. We were happy we didn’t travel in the wet weather as today traveling up US 93 the scenery got even better. Pictures just don’t do justice. We’ll wait here for our mail and pills to catch up and for Carol & Ev to arrive. Then we’ll head into the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow or the next day we’ll head over to Glacier NP. From what I’ve read there still plowing the snow off the roads so not sure how much access we’ll have.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbG1sQTVI/AAAAAAAAGXk/NODc1BvLnZA/s1600-h/5-7-2011%20027%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-7-2011 027" border="0" alt="5-7-2011 027" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbIUQ4eJI/AAAAAAAAGXo/e-QtT948oIY/5-7-2011%20027_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbJh8ZXCI/AAAAAAAAGXs/dv_0QpdN3WY/s1600-h/5-10-2011%20001%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-10-2011 001" border="0" alt="5-10-2011 001" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbLE6qMCI/AAAAAAAAGXw/DMTfdsH-DcI/5-10-2011%20001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbMB37C3I/AAAAAAAAGX0/9K5kvN2IKKo/s1600-h/5-10-2011%20068%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-10-2011 068" border="0" alt="5-10-2011 068" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbNUMHwII/AAAAAAAAGX4/2fi8dCxjs-8/5-10-2011%20068_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbO45yOiI/AAAAAAAAGX8/FLoYBMW3w5c/s1600-h/5-10-2011%20023%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-10-2011 023" border="0" alt="5-10-2011 023" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbPvLL02I/AAAAAAAAGYA/wwmDEfUx0KM/5-10-2011%20023_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbRBwF34I/AAAAAAAAGYE/d2iIqON39cA/s1600-h/5-10-2011%20057%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="5-10-2011 057" border="0" alt="5-10-2011 057" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jzGFCL6xezA/TcnbSZc3OdI/AAAAAAAAGYI/nVEXbJlstDA/5-10-2011%20057_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-11160305651698505302011-05-04T14:03:00.001-04:002011-05-04T14:03:45.103-04:00We’re up North<p>   We left Medina Lake April 27th and went up to Fredericksburg Tx for a few days. We love all the shops on Main St.,the German restaurants, and Opa’s meat market. We ate at the Auslander and had an excellent German meal and we picked up Brats & Knacks & sausage at Opa’s. We also have some Boudin sausage in the freezer. The weather was windy but we decided to leave Frederickburg on the 29th. The coach did well in the wind so we made it to a Wal-Mart in Norman Ok over 400 miles. That's a real long day for us as we usually go less than 200 a day. I worry about storms this time of year going thru tornado alley so we were on the move. The next day we made it to Russel Ks about 330 miles and boy it was cold. It was in the upper 80’s low 90’s when we left Tx and now it was 40’s and below freezing at night and windy. This is going to take a lot of adjustment. Besides the cold and wind there were no storms in the forecast so we slowed down and only traveled 280 miles to to Chappel Neb. (a new state for us). We’re now in Cheyenne Wy. We’re visiting with Paula’s niece and kids. We went to an excellent Mexican restaurant last night. Today they want to have a cook out but it’s just about noon and only 45 degrees so I think it will be mostly a cook in. We were going to head to Casper today but they were calling for snow and I just read that they had icy roads. Tomorrow we’ll head to Casper Wy  and then up into Montana.  </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8751328891851737100.post-35503511653027476392011-04-25T10:25:00.001-04:002011-04-25T10:25:00.239-04:00Easter Monday<p>  We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We spent the day at the campground. We went to church at 10 and had dinner at the activity center at 2. It wasn’t a pot luck like at most parks but a fully prepared meal. We sat with some folks from East Texas and had a good time. Today's our anniversary 41 years and still going strong. Not much to do in this area so we’ll head toward Bandera and when we see somewhere we think we want to eat we’ll stop there. We leave here on Wednesday so between today and tomorrow it’s get ready to travel mode. We are going to miss this park. It’s very peaceful and quite. The deer walking around all day make it very relaxing to us. This weekend the park was filled and it was still rather quite. We’re not sure where we are going on Wednesday. We were going to go to San Angelo to see Jan & Chuck but we hear they’re over at the CARE center training some new folks. We’ll give them a call later. If there gone we may go to Fredericksburg for a few days. After that we’ll make our decisions on the temperatures in Wyoming & Montana. Travel Safe Everyone  </p> Paula and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04259704477183269833noreply@blogger.com0