Dawson Creek

Dawson Creek

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We left Prince George yesterday (Friday) in misty rain. The trip to Chetwynd, which is the chainsaw capital of the world, was supposed to be less than 200 miles. Once again, the ride was enjoyable and the sun came out which made it even that much better. The greens are so green, and the clouds so white against the blue sky that we feel as if we're driving through a painting. Of course, all the time we're driving our eyes are pealed looking for critters along the roadway. It's kinda a mixed bag of thoughts-we want to see animals, but don't want them running across the road in front of us. It's not good to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a huge animal-things tend to fly through the motor home if that happens. If you don't slam on the brakes, things get kinda messy on the front of the motor home and the critter ends up having a really bad day also. So, to avoid that, we bought this little gadgets called Animal Alerts. Guess what they do? They alert the animals that we're coming by using wind to create a sound (undiscernible to humans) but one that animals can detect. So, they know we're coming and stay off the road, but they also run into the tress so we can't see them. A real case of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'!
But, with all that said, Dominic did spot a big black bear (running away from the road into the trees). I guess those darn Animal Alerts work!
We also saw snow capped mountains, iced over rivers, tons of waterfalls, our first frost heaves on the road, construction tie ups and a huge bridge. So, our trips are chock full of tons to see.
We arrived at Chetwynd before lunch and stopped to see the chainsaw carvings in town. Since it was only another 50 miles to Dawson Creek, where our friends Diana and Ralph were meeting up with us, we decided to continue on.
Arrived at DC and went into town to explore the beginning of the 1500 mile Alaska Highway. The highway was started in 1942 as a combined effort with the Canadians and the US. The history is very interesting (even to us, who are not real history affecionados). We took pictures at the Mile 0 marker (tons of pictures. I only included a few in this blog!). We also have been stopping in the visitor's centers in each of the towns we go to. The centers always have useful information about the area, with extremely helpful and knowledgeable folks (usually young kids in their late teens or early 20's). They often have a museum attached. Today we went to the VC and watched a lengthy movie explaining how the Alaska Highway was developed and created. It was extremely enlightening.
Diana & Ralph arrived, we caught up with the latest news between us, talked about the next phase of our trip, and then went to dinner.
It's been quite a good few days....

Tomorrow we're off to Fort St John (only 45 miles north)..hoping to visit a few dams from there. More to come..............

Some Administrative Details

Ok, this is very frustrating. I am trying to coordinate my pictures (there are many hundreds of them already!) with my blog. Both are created using Google tools, but I can't get them married together.
So, please bear with me for a few days while i try to see if I can make this process a little slicker...until then, you'll have to click to see the pictures. I'll leave the 'clickable' link at the end of the blogs.
Please let me know if this works, or if you'd prefer to see the photos in the blog...I'll do it whatever you all want to see.
Just let me know.
Thanks...

Quiet Days - Prince George

We arrived at Prince George yesterday and were very surprised. The last few stops were very small towns with very limited activities and facilities.
Prince George is a large town, or small city. The campground we're at is also the nicest we've been to since entering Canada. So, the funk has gone and we're relaxed and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.
Diana & Ralph (friends from Pennsylvania) left last week to meet us and have traveled long days to get here. We hope to meet up with them on Friday or Saturday in Dawson Creek. We'll stay in Prince George an extra day (I have a haircut appointment) and then move on to Chetwynd before reaching Dawson Creek.
No pictures to show yet..I'm working on creating web albums so that it'll be easier to view our pictures.
I hope to have them up soon.
Hope you're all doing well....drop us a line, we'd love to hear from all our friends and family...

Animal Magnetism

British Columbia - Quesnel

We woke up this morning in a funk. I know you’re probably thinking that we are in paradise, why the funk? We thought the same thing-but couldn’t come up with an answer. Maybe all the planning for the trip, all the preparation, all the anticipation has finally ended, and we’re here! We decided to just ‘be in the moment’ and let the days ahead unravel as they should, letting all expectations slip away.
So, what to do today? We are approximately 50 miles from Barkerville, which is a reconstructed village depicting the gold mining days of the area. EVERYONE, and I really mean EVERYONE we have spoken to that has passed through this area says Barkerville is a MUST. Well, we’re not big history buffs-we can take the information for a short while before we lose interest. We were torn-we’d feel as if we missed something if we bypassed the village, yet really didn’t want to go. So, we decided to take the drive and see what evolved. We knew the trip would take us through remote wooded roads and looked forward to the scenery.

So, we packed our ‘food bag’ (pretzels, energy bars, fig newtons, water), loaded cameras, binoculars, computer (for GPS) and headed off for our adventure.
The day was sunny and comfortably warm. We drove through pine forests on a small 2 lane backroad (paved). Soon the snowcapped mountains loomed above the pines, creating a view of green trees, white snow and crisp blue skies. It was exactly how all the tourist books depict British Columbia. The snow soon started getting more apparent right on the side of the road..we were in summer clothes and surrounded by snow!

Dominic started to slow down and we were in ‘animal watch’ mode. The area looked prime for moose (still, shallow water), bear, and deer. We did see 3 or 4 deer, but honestly-we’re ‘deer acclimated’ by now. They are pretty and nice to look out, but the excitement factor is kinda low for us.
We both spotted a huge bird fly by us in the opposite direction-he seemed to have a small animal (or fish) with him. We think he was an owl, but have no photos of him-it all happened too fast.
We headed toward Barkerville and saw a sign for Bowron Provincial Park. A Provinicial Park in Canada is similar to a state or national park in the USA. I remembered reading about abundant wildlife in the park, so we abandonded Barkerville for the prospect of seeing animals. We turned onto a dirt road (after Dominic secured the tailgate with tape to avoid getting the bed filthy)..we had 24 kilometers of dirt (about 18 miles). It was well worth it…the park was home to a series of lakes-most of the park only accessible by boat (no motorized boats allowed). Most visitors spend 7-10 days to navigate through the lakes, which actually are in the form of a square. We spoke to one of the few people we saw in the park (I think it’s still early in the season), she was the owner of the mercantile store, which actually was a restaurant (eggs served before 11:30am and smoked salmon and cream cheese after 11:30), a gift shop, and a museum filled with lots of old tools, and memorabilia of the area and it’s gold rush history. She had quite an assortment of items. She told us a little about the park (she is one of 4 families that live there fulltime-there are 8 that are seasonal residents), and then told us she saw a grizzly and her cub a few miles down the road last night. She also told us how great Barkerville is and that we shouldn’t miss it! So, we left her and knew which decision we would make-off to see the bears!
We drove up 5 miles on another dirt road, stopped the car and waited. We were in an area that Dominic noticed had broken twigs and crushed grass. We felt the bear might hang out here. We waited, with binoculars, cameras and baited breath. Nothing happened! We were about to leave when Dominic looked up the road and saw them! Mom and baby were right in the middle of the road and thumping towards us in a casual stroll…OH MY GOD…what a sight. The pictures don’t really do it justice. I was so excited that I just keep pressing the shutter and forgot to focus.
We watched for a while and then attempted to drive toward them slowly, but they decided to head into the brush. It was an amazing experience to be so close in such a remote area.
We stopped back at the mercantile store to thank the owner for her advice and headed to Barkerville (they have a Chinatown restoration complete with a Chinese restaurant and we were hungry as bears (oops, sorry-I couldn’t resist the pun).
Off to Barkerville-since it was late in the day, the gal at the entrance said we can just go in and she wouldn’t charge us. Very nice of her. It is a cute village-seems to be very well done. We went to the Chinese restaurant and they had just opened for dinner, and a school trip of 50 kids were just seated. It would be a long wait to get in, so we left.
Dominic spoke to some workers telling him of our bear sighting. They said there is another mama (a black bear) with 4 cubs between the village and where we’re staying in Quesnel. So, we drove with eyes peeled on the road…lo and behold…Mama appeared with a cub. As we stopped and started snapping away, a 2nd cub appeared.
What an incredible day. We went from funk to exhilaration in a matter of hours..we always say-“we never know what the day will bring!”.
Tomorrow we leave for Prince George. More to come.

additional pictures : http://picasaweb.google.com/Patriot8573/BritishColumbiaQuesnel

On the road today

In an effort to try to keep my postings short, I realize I am not relaying too much information regarding the scenery, history, highlights, and ambiance of the places we are visiting. I’m often prone to very long and verbose ramblings and am trying to curtail that. However, I just read a blog that I found online from some other travelers who preceded us on this route last month. Although his posts are very long, I find them informative. So, now I’ll try to be concise and informative at the same time…let’s see how this works. Here goes…..
We left Cache Creek leisurely this morning with the intent of driving 86 miles (126km) to Lac La Hache, which has a campground on the lake. We have been very fortunate to know friends (Sandy & Bruce) who traveled to Alaska last year and love to talk about their adventures. Sandy patiently reviewed her itinerary and shared many tips with me over the course of the last year. She has been wonderfully helpful and her information is proving to be priceless. (thanks, sandy!). So, Sandy suggested Lac La Hache as a good place to spend a night or 2-it sounded like a good idea, but the day was so beautiful (ie. Sunny),the roads smooth, and the scenery gorgeous. Dominic was enjoying the trip and suggested moving further north, bypassing Lac La Hache totally. Sounded like a plan to me, so onward we went.
We stopped in Williams Lake at a super visitor’s center. The gal was so helpful and enthusiastic-I asked her if she’d join us on the trip as our personal tour guide! They also offered a short (15 minute) film on the area that was done really well and pumped us up about British Columbia and what it had to offer.
So, on to Sandy’s next recommended campground-Robert’s Roost in Quesnel. We pulled into an exceptionally clean, bright, manicured campground on a blue lake…ahhhh-life is good. The sun was out and we decided to stay for 3 days. Campground host had other plans…they had no room for us. It didn’t even dawn on me that this would be a problem (how many crazy people are willing to spend over $5/gallon for diesel). Well, he did finally find a spot-near the lake. Life is still good. We handed him our credit card, and it was denied. Oops-life ain’t so grand no more. I said I’d call-he said don’t worry. I didn’t want to use another card, since this one doesn’t charge an additional fee for international charges. So, went back to motor home, signed onto our Skype account and called Capital One. Got the fraud department who told me they shut us down due to being in a foreign country (I did notify them before we left the US). So, after a brief phone conversation, all was rectified. Oh, did I tell you about the millions of gnats (no see ums) near the lake?? Hmmmmm-is this preparation for buggers up in Alaska?
By the way, our Skype account is phenomenal…if you’re not familiar with it, go to skype.com and download the software for free. Skype enables you to talk (like on a phone) to someone else who has a skype account for FREE. In addition to the free skype, I subscribed to a service ($2.95/month) that allows me to call out (from the computer) to ANY phone (landline or cell) in the US or Canada. Since my mom doesn’t have a computer and I wanted her to be able to keep in contact with us, I also subscribed to an incoming phone line ($24/year). So, if you want to call us, you can. Needless to say, I need to have access to WIFI (which seems prevalent in BC) to do this. Since this blog is public, I won’t give the phone number out here. If you want it, please email me and I’ll send it to you. Ok, enough of a sales pitch for skype…but, if you have family overseas or are traveling yourself, it’s a wonderful tool.
Well, I just hit page 2 of this blog…too long today. Sorry. We’ll be in Quesnel for 2 days, so I’ll fill you in on our explorations around town tomorrow.
Until then, be well and be safe.

Rodeo Days

The sun was shining brightly today (very rare, these days) and we headed up to Clinton, BC for the annual May Ball Rodeo. Before heading into the rodeo, we stopped in town to check it out. Clinton has a population of 740, and this is a big weekend for them. Last night was the annual May Ball, this morning was the annual May Ball Parade, and finally, the May Ball Rodeo started this afternoon. We missed the parade, but everyone was still in town and the local Lions Club was selling beef on a bun. So, when in Rome... it was actually very good.

We filled up the truck with gas for the first time since arriving in Canada..the picture shows the price (in Canadian $) for the equivalent of 1 gallon-YIKES, that hurt..can't wait to fill the motor home with deisel tomorrow..

Will keep you posted ....

Hope to Cache Creek

Today we travelled 119 miles (192 kilometers) from Hope to Cache Creek, BC. The road was gorgeous. We were surrounded by huge, snowcapped mountains looming high above. It's amazing at how the magnificent beauty still emerges, even though the day was gray and overcast. We travelled along the Fraser River (which created the large Fraser Valley) until we reached Cache Creek. The road was windy,curvy, narrow and hilly. Dominic did a great job handling the rig. Hope was lush and extremely fertile (lots of fruits and veggies). Cache Creek is more dry and arid-dairyland. I love to see how the terrain changes as we move..

Will stay put for 2 days and explore this area before moving on...

Hope, BC

Visited the small town of Hope today. Walked through town to view numerous chainsaw carvings scattered throughout. Went to small museum depicting the gold rush days. Had lunch alongside the fast moving Fraser River. Relaxing day-just starting to acclimate to our new environment and the ways of Canada. It's interesting to see how things are just a little different here than in the USA...

see more details at domsue.blogspot.com

or view all our pictures at patriot.smugmug.com

OH Canada!

What an eventful day! I'll backtrack a few days to fill you in on our last few days in the USA...we traveled up the Oregon Coast in rain and cold weather..met up with Sue & Kerry Fuller in Astoria for a fun time at the annual Seafood and Wine Festival there. We traveled over the 4 mile span of the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Washington. Within 10 miles, we got bombarded with rocks from an oncoming truck and ended up with a large crack in our windshield.
We were mentally prepared for this to happen in Alaska, but not Washington. Had to get it fixed and found a glass shop in Tacoma. Glass was ordered and appointment made for Tuesday..arrived at 8am on Tuesday to find out we needed a gasket. Gasket ordered for Friday. Arrived 8am Friday. Old gasket removed, old windshield removed, new windshield won't go in. Bottom and sides were in, but top couldn't snap in..they told us to drive around the block and maybe it would set in...hmmm. Not happy to drive with 1/4 of windshield loose, but we did. Nothing happened. Glass shop owner went home to get hydraulic thing-a-ma-jig to raise the roof of the coach to fit glass. I'm not happy. Dominic is cool with it. Up till this point, we weren't allowed in coach (for insurance reasons). But, now owner asks Dominic to help support the roof and the thing-a-ma-jig while he raises it. POP---it went in. Big hugs all around (we all bonded after working on in for almost 7 hours!). Time to put gasket in and add black silicon. Temperature is 88 degrees...gasket goes in well due to heat, but silicon is oozy and gooey. Not good. This is the first warm day we've had in months, and we need silicon to be firm. Not happening. It's a mess. We need to go back on Monday to pull silicon off and reapply. Dominic not happy now. I'm okay-stuff happens. The good news is we got to spend a few days with friends (Nita & Marty) that we met in Arizona last year. They live in the area and were wonderful tour guides in Seattle. We enjoyed the company with them.
So, that fiasco is over...we decide to move north to La Conner, Washington so that we are closer to the border. We want to get over early in the morning to avoid too much traffic. Great idea except there is no cell service and no internet at the campground. Not a good thing when we have last minute calls, online banking, etc to do. Now, I'm getting nervous about leaving country and being out of communications, etc. I decide (after procrastinating for 11 years) that we need a will. I drive Dominic crazy (at 5:30am) making the will. We need to drive 20 miles to town to find a notary (had to try 3 places), needed 2 witnesses (I literally pulled them in off the street). But, we now have wills!!!! Not 100% sure if they're legal, but I feel better.
OK, wills are done, banking is done, friends and family are called, we're ready to roll in the morning.
We have a smooth trip to the border. No fruits, veggies, limited liquor and a form filled out to allow us to bring the shotgun over the border. Dominic and I have 'rehearsed' our answers for any potential questions from border patrol in case they separate us and drill us (I told you I was getting nervous!). Mr. Borderman obviously had a bad morning. He didn't even ask for our form-just told us we couldn't bring shotgun over border. But, we could leave it at Bromley's IGA Supermarket in town...so, Dominic had to maneuver around, got caught in USA bound border traffic, and parked the coach. We walked to USA border patrol, got another form, walked into Canada border patrol with both forms, pleaded our case and lost! So, walked back to Bromley's IGA Supermarket and asked what to do. Mr. Bromley himself came to meet us-we felt important. He reminded me of Mr. Whipple (from the Charmin fame). He took our gun and $5, gave us another form, and will babysit the gun until we return to pick it up in September.
So, now we return to the Canadian Border (went to another station to avoid Mr. Nasty Borderman). New Mr. Borderman asked Dominic a few questions about fruits and veggies, then asked him the last time he was in Canada-Dominic said "Never". I thought I was going to die-I thought it was a trick question and he was SUPPOSED to say "oh, about 15 minutes ago"!.
Well, this Mr. Borderman must've had a good healthy breakfast because he released us and told us to have a nice day!
WHEW...we made it!
So, now we are in Hope, British Columbia (very appropriately named town). The scenery is breathtaking. We are in the Fraser River Valley and surrounded by huge, green,lush mountains and tons of waterfalls.

The road thusfar has been paved and easy to navigate. Let's hope it continues.
The sun is starting to set and we just had our first dinner in BC and are relaxing and laughing about the last 2 days...
Let's see what tomorrow brings.