ON THE ROAD, AGAIN
June 6, 2011-Monday
Were we up at 6! Unbelievable but yes we were up at six and it wasn’t to go shoot Bambi or catch Flipper it was just to be sure we were ready to give up the coach when Cummins was ready to work on the generator.
Coffee was made for Onie and placed on her night stand next to the bed. Then chai tea was made for the driver before he showered and dressed. After that he headed off to the office to check with Chad re the generator at 6:45.
He explained the problem and Chad promised he would take us shortly.
Back in the coach we had breakfast, tea, coffee and steel cut oats with walnuts and honey.
Denny appeared at our door at 7:10 and said he was ready for us. He directed the driver to pull around to his bay, pull up to the doorway and stop.
Denny started to work. He checked the wiring to the generator. It was all good. Then he checked the incoming lines and switch gear. They were all good. Satisfied he knew the problem he asked the driver to stand back as he was going to try the land line power. He plugged into it and it was good. There was no short or sparks flying. He then took time to explain that sometimes the legs on land lines don’t match up with those in the coach and that causes a problem. It usually happens in new RV parks but obviously can occur elsewhere.
The driver helped him button up the access door to the generator and get ready to back out of his space.
With the navigator’s help the Marlin was backed out and parked so the Subaru could be hooked up and we would be ready to go. By 8 we were road ready except for paying the bill.
The driver went in to see Chad, the day shift shop supervisor, to see what the grief would be. Chad said there would be none and they were glad to help. The driver thanked him for once again helping out when help was really needed. As the driver prepared to leave he left a package of smoked salmon with Chad.
The driver had loaned his Generac owner’s manual to the tech while they were working on the generator. Apparently it had been misplaced and not returned to us when we picked up the coach last week. Now Chad and other folks looked for the manual so we could take it with us. It was not found. A mailing address in Sterling, Alaska was left with Chad so the manual can be forwarded when it turns up.
Onie was waiting in the Marlin, ready to be on the road again, when the driver returned. A quick morning walk around was done while the Cummins came up to operating temperature.
In the driver’s seat the writer, now the driver, placed the Allison in gear and steered the Marlin out of the parking lot, into the street and headed toward 29 north.
Once more we were headed toward Alaska. The odometer read 120,479.
Thirty five miles north of Sioux Falls we saw the first beaver lodges of the trip.
There were no real signs of flooding right here just some occasional water and signs where it was still wet but no flooding.
As we crossed the Big Sioux River on 29 we noticed it was flooding and out of its banks. The bar ditches on either side of the road had water in them up to a quarter of a mile from the river and water was still draining out of fields.
A sign advising us we were near Watertown came into view. Watertown itself was off the freeway but seemed to be a pretty good sized town. There were lots and lots of ads and signs for businesses and services offered in town. One sign, a sign for Starbucks said it had the last good cup of coffee for many, many miles. Even so we passed on that.
The driver still had hot tea from breakfast. Onie had her coffee for the day.
Looking at the high rolling plains of South Dakota one can’t tell if they have a strong Swedish influence but when one sees a town named Stockholm it becomes obvious there must be a Swede in the wood pile.
There was a lot of construction on 29 North and it slowed traffic to 65 which was plenty fast for us. In fact we would have had to speed up to make 65. Crews were tearing up the existing road and rebuilding it. Also there was much bridge work going on and it always seemed to be in the right lane. There were no leftists here. Sometimes the south bound side of the freeway was divided and used for both north and south bound traffic as the north bound lanes were closed.
These high rolling plains were dotted with big round bales of hay as far as the eye could see and one’s imagination could make these into American bison which just a few years ago covered these plains like the sands on a beach.
We just passed the continental divide but one would never expect it here on the plains. It is pretty flat.
We are
The natural ponds and potholes are well out of their banks.
A little before noon we were riding along enjoying radishes out of Kurt and Gary’s garden. We must have picked 80 to a 100 but they won’t go to waste. Neither Kurt nor Gary eats them nor does Sidney eat them. The writer eats a lot of them. We had almost two gallon zip lock bags full when they were all cleaned. In addition to the writer Onie eats them too.
Radishes served as appetizers for lunch and were followed by venison burger sandwiches topped with onion and lettuce followed by graham crackers with peanut butter for desert.
We hadn’t really seen any waterfowl since we saw the Canadian geese a ways back but now we were seeing a few ducks in natural ponds which were lined with cattails and reeds. They were too far away to tell what kind they were but they were just coasting around on the surface of the little lake.
South Dakota was left behind at 11:30 but not the construction. Three miles into North Dakota we were back into construction but the speed limit was 45 instead of 65 as it was in South Dakota.
Within the first ten miles we saw a cop writing a driving award.
When we talked with Kurt he said it was a typical Monday at his office. He had taken time to look at the weather for the area we were traveling in and suggested we stay on interstates as the other roads may be flooded. He will catch up to us in Edmonton. He is leaving tomorrow at noon or one. We told him we will stay on freeways into Canada and then they disappear anyway. Fifteen miles into North Dakota we were beginning to see some real flooding from creeks. From the looks of tree lines along creeks, the creeks are normally three to four feet wide but now are one hundred feet and more. There was water in the adjoining fields where crops were sown but they will never see light of day. Fences run into water and then disappear. With more rain expected there is more flooding to come along the rivers and creeks.
We stopped for fuel in Fargo, North Dakota. A little math told us we had averaged 10.3 mpg. We agreed we were probably done with Flying J as they had charged .05 more for credit card use and the difference hadn’t been posted. Other truck stops around showed prices five to nine cents lower but we didn’t know if they had a surcharge for credit card purchases.
We were west on 94 at 1:10. It was
We are seeing more ducks now and some are close to the road. Some of the ducks are mallard drakes aka green heads while some ducks are diving ducks.
We had intended to go into the rest area at mile marker 190 but the approach was flooded out. Just before the rest area one could tell that water had been very near the road but at this spot one could see water had been over the road very recently and just this morning water had been in the right lane.
We pulled in to the Prairie Breeze RV Park at 4 in Menoken, North Dakota. The odometer read 120,888.
We went to our site, put the jacks down, turned the Cummins off and got the land lines hooked up. We leveled up, put the living room slide out followed by the closet slide then went to register.
Back from registering we checked our webmail, then Onie started supper and prepared salmon salad for tomorrow and next day.
Supper came at 6; salad, asparagus and smoked salmon pasta.
Then we both got on the web before the writer started taking off notes at eight.
Both roof air conditioners were running as it was still hot and sunny outside.
At 8:30 week one was given to Onie and she immediately began working on it.
The writer began work on week two.
Preparing for bed the writer went out and locked the toad.
Overhead a pair of ducks winged their way to roost in a wind that was picking up.
Cold spitting rain fell at 10. It was still twilight and wind was whistling around the coach.
More writing and work on week one was going on. Spa music played.
We went to bed at midnight with a strong wind blowing against the coach.
ON TO THE BORDER
June 7, 2011-Tuesday
We were up at 8.
Outside the strong wind was still buffeting the coach. Overhead was a sunny sky.
Biscuits, Canadian bacon and an egg for breakfast along with tea and coffee got us started.
We showered then the driver emptied the holding tanks, filled the fresh water holding tank and got ready for the road.
We checked the weather and decided to look again in a little while. Both north and west looked like some severe weather was in store. Perhaps waiting a while we will get a better idea of which way to go or perhaps to even sit still for a day or two.
In the meantime the driver took care of some agency business via the internet and made some phone calls. After an hour on phone we decided to check the weather again and it still seemed to be threatening in both the north and west.
Not wanting to lose a day of travel time we decided we would have to determine which way to go unless there was no option but to sit for the day.
The west looked worse so we decided to go north and try to get into Canada before the really bad weather gets there.
We started the day with the odometer at 120,888 and began turning wheels at 11:40. It was 65 in Menoken, North Dakota where we had spent the night. Winds were East North East 24 mph and gusting stronger. We had tied down the living room slide cover before leaving our site.
Now we were north of Bismarck on 83 and there were lots of good sized hills and strong winds still blowing out of the east north east making driving interesting.
Back in the last century, and pretty early in the last century, my maternal grandmother, Amy Swift Hirsch, taught, among other things, elocution at the university in Bismarck. She was a highly educated woman for her day when most women graduated from high school, at best. She held a master’s degree and quite possibly a doctorate. Elocution will be the reader’s new word for the day. Use it in a sentence five times today and it will be yours.
We had spent a lot of time this morning looking at weather forecast for different areas and Minot, where we are headed, has an 80% chance of thunderstorms, some severe, today as well as a flood watch. They are looking for an additional ½ inch to ¾ of an inch of rain today and that on top of what is already on the ground is just too much. It is adding fuel to the flood and in the thunderstorms the rain could be substantially more.
Billings, Montana, where we considered going has a 100% chance for the same kind of weather. Some roads in North Dakota are closed due to high water or damage from high water. The route that Onie has mapped out has none of that.
We received a message this morning from Kurt. He left Sheldon about 10 and is taking different route from us. He hopes to make Billings before he quits tonight but it will probably be late. Just before noon he was in Sioux Falls where he had stopped to do a little shopping. The plan is to meet tomorrow at or near Edmonton, in Canada.
Forty miles north of Bismarck there was evidence of lots of rain. Big areas of standing water with trees standing in the midst were common. Passing some bottom land--it looked to be 40 or more acres--that was under water was rather impressive to say the least. Nearby smaller depressions were also full and/or overflowing and the bar ditches were full. With so much water already on the ground it was hard to believe more rain was expected.
We had been watching the west very closely as the rain is supposed to coming from there. It is clear right now but there are dark clouds to the north, not ominous looking but definitely darker.
Passing through Coleharbor it just occurred to me that today is the first day we haven’t run the dash air. We have just had the vent open to let in outside air and it is very cool. There is a good possibility that we will be running the dash heater before the day is through. My apologies to all our friends in the south who are sweltering in the heat and it is not yet even summer.
The clouds to the north were darkening by the minute.
Just before Lake Sacajawea and the Audubon Park we saw a small flock of geese, perhaps 20-25, fighting their way into the northeast wind. They were crossing the road in front of us. They went 50 to 60 yards into a field filled with corn stubble, sat down and tucked their heads under a wing. It looked like they were going to stay awhile.
A little bit back we had seen a Mallard drake fighting the wind and it looked like he was making very little headway. This wind is very strong.
Lunch came around one. It was yummy salmon salad.
Outside there was a lot more evidence of flooding. Water was standing everywhere. A small secondary road was covered with water. From the ingress to the egress of the road in the water and the slope going in and coming out it appeared there was 10 feet of water over the road at the deepest point. We hoped whoever lives out there has lots of groceries or another way to get to town. That water will be there for quite a while.
Dark clouds to the north scudded across the skyline then opened up showing some blue before closing once again. We were hoping for the pale blue and not the dark clouds when we get there.
Twenty five miles from Minot we saw a sign that said to watch for water on the road and to reduce speed to 25 mph. We could see where water was a couple of hours ago, over part of the road, but it has receded some and though the road is still wet there is no water standing on it, for now.
Twenty miles from Minot we saw a pair of Teal going like little jets into the wind, then cupping their wings to land. They may have a nest in the reeds.
At this time I extend my most sincere apologies to our friends in Coldspring who are baking like oysters on the half shell. We are 10 miles south of Minot and have had to turn on the dash heater as we are both cold. It is the first time on the trip the temperature gauge on the dash has dropped to 180 degrees. Normal operating range is 185 to190 degrees. One eighty means the outside air is cold, not chilly, but cold.
In Minot at 1:50 we took 52 West out of town. Now the wind is behind us making driving a little easier. The skies have cleared somewhat so things are looking up all around. It was 62 at 2 with some cloudy skies.
The little creek paralleling the road had done a good job of flooding all the lowlands around it. At some places it was 100 yards across and at other places a ½ mile. One can tell from the tree line the creek is normally about 10 feet wide, maybe.
Going through Carpoi we noticed big grain elevators here and not much else except Canadian Pacific railcars. Canadian Pacific is getting down here to do business, maybe 50 miles south of the border.
As the reader knows the writer often wonders about town names and their origin. Some are quite obvious while others are not quite so obvious.
We passed thru a very, very small town named Donnybrook. While we didn’t see one, one has to wonder if perhaps there was one when they started the town and that is how it got its name. We will never know.
Onie pointed out there is an awful lot of ground slippage out here where the side of a hill with any degree of slope at all has broken loose and slipped down. The ground has just had too much water. It just gave way slipping 5, 10, or 20 feet before stopping.
Because the wind has been blowing strong all day long Onie has to check the refrigerator frequently to be sure the gas flame that cools it is still lit. Remember to ask me how a gas flame cools a refrigerator and gets it cold enough to make ice.
As we travel almost due north now the wind is coming from just about due east at 25 and gusting to 35-40. Sometimes it almost moves us into the lane of oncoming traffic.
The wind is blowing strong enough so that wherever there is a teacup of water on the ground it has whitecaps on it.
Folks can sure come up with strange names for towns and now we are nearing another town with an interesting name, Bowbells.
It is obvious the dark clouds we saw earlier today were here and delivered rain. We see evidence of it on the road and in the rumble strips on the side of the road.
This is duck country up here. It is a good guess that a lot of the ducks stay the summer and raise their young here. Ducks are flying everywhere. Onie said she saw a greenhead sitting next to road. I wasn’t exactly looking as we were meeting an 18 wheeler on this two lane road so that is where my attention was.
Just before four we arrived at Canadian Customs. They have enhanced their security since we last visited. Apparently they were concerned we might be terrorists, smuggling drugs or perhaps trying to sneak one or illegals into their country. At any rate we had to park the coach, go inside their building, answer some questions and then wait while they looked inside the coach. While waiting I read some of the original rules they operated by. Basically some of the rules said to keep out the unemployed, those of shady or questionable background, idiots, the insane, the incompetent and so on. Fortunately some of the rules have been changed or some of our elected officials couldn’t visit Canada.
We were out of customs at 4:15 and into Canada. As we went back to the coach a cold rain began falling.
The thought of boon docking tonight had been discussed if it is not too hot. From the air temperature and rain I don’t think it will be too hot.
Inside the coach Onie got on a jacket and I turned the dash heater on high as we had both got wet and cold going to the coach from the customs building.
The rain was coming down hard as we headed toward Regina, 239 kilometers distant.
Did I mention it was raining very hard? Fortunately there was not much wind so Onie stood at the sink making hot coffee and Chai tea to warm us up.
In North Dakota the Souris River was flooding and here in Canada it is well out of its banks too--flooding fields, crops and round bales. The round bales are half covered so one knows the water in the fields is deep.
Saskatchewan doesn’t do daylight saving time so while it was 4:45 in North Dakota it is 3:45 here.
The flat land of Saskatchewan is saturated and covered with water and rain continues to fall now. The last thing these guys need is more rain. This is something we haven’t heard much about in the U.S. news, the tremendous amount of flooding in Saskatchewan. We heard about the Dakotas but not about Canada.
If it wasn’t so cold and we weren’t running the heater we might think we were in the middle of Louisiana surrounded by flooded rice fields. Everywhere one looks it is flat and covered with water. A few small knolls are not buried under water and most farmsteads are above water but that is all the dry land one sees.
Sixty five miles up the road from customs it is still raining unbelievably hard and here to the pastures are flooded, the ditches full and there is no place for the additional water to go. There is no contour to the land so there is no runoff. One thinks about how dry it has been and still is in Texas and realize if Texas had half this rain they would be happy and so would their cousins to the north. I’m happy anyway but I might be happier if we’d had some rain for our yard and fruit trees before we left. As devastating as the fires and drought have been in Texas I think the floods here in Saskatchewan will prove to have a much longer term damage as crops, pastures and trees are being killed by all the rain with root rot. Thousands, tens of thousands of acres are flooded under several inches or feet of water. The water will be a long time drying up. The only thing that could possibly live in these conditions would be marsh plants.
Twenty miles from Regina and it is still raining. It has been raining for 100 miles now. This would be a good general rain in Texas but not here, not now.
Last year it was snow north of Lethbridge. This year it is rain. In past years we have had hail and high winds, all that is to say as much as things change they stay the same. The only constant is change. The AlGores of the world who run around wringing their hands screaming the sky is falling, the earth is doomed, and global warming or climate change will do all of us in, I would say have an agenda. But their agenda has nothing to do with climate change or global warming. Their agenda has to do with two things, money and control. How can we make money out of this crisis that we have generated with our junk science and while we are making money how can we control the general populace and get them to do our bidding rather than have them think for themselves and make their own rational decisions based on historical facts.
It was a quarter of six, local time and a quarter of seven leave time and that found us six to eight miles from Regina. The rain has finally stopped. That means it rained for 110-115 miles without letting up.
Here where the rain is over there is a lot of standing water where it doesn’t belong.
Seven o’clock local time we passed through soggy Regina and found most of the potholes along the way.
Now we headed toward Saskatoon on 11 which is a divided Highway. Currently there are no crossings at grade which makes it a freeway but the surface is far from perfect, but that is not to say we haven’t been on far worse.
North of Regina there is a little water in ditches. It is hard to tell how much has fallen here as this land has more contours so it drains better. Once away from Regina 11 became a really good road with a good surface. It was not a freeway but it was four lanes divided with crossings at grade and a few traffic lights. It made for easy driving.
The sun was trying to break through and we thought it may make it.
It was cooling off more and Onie had been wearing a jacket ever since she got wet at customs.
Still headed northwest we were up on a plateau. To our right was a grassy canyon that had a nice purple haze hanging over and in it, very picturesque. A few old houses and outbuilding stood on the rim in various stages of decay.
Seventy five miles south of Saskatoon we saw our first sign warning of moose but we were skeptical since we are on a high plain and it looked like there was no habitat for moose, perhaps deer and on a stretch an elk but not moose.
Thirty miles from Saskatoon the sun managed to break through. It was 8:15 local time and 9:15 leave time. It looked like 10 hours of drive time today and around 500 miles.
Forty minutes later at the Flying J it was 53 degrees. Our hopes of finding an RV place to park at Flying J were dashed when we saw all the places had been taken by early arrivals. Not to be denied our rest or parking place we parked against the curb.
Our ending mileage was 121,409. We had motored 521 miles today before stopping.
We had a quick supper and went to bed even though it was still daylight.
PRESSING ON
June 8, 2011-Wednesday
Up at seven we took showers then Onie got out bedding for Kurt. He will join us later today.
We slept under an extra blanket last night and got a really good night’s sleep. It was probably the best night sleep in quite a while.
Breakfast of steel cut oats, walnuts, blueberries, honey, chai tea, coffee and tea followed.
Onie did the dishes while I fueled at 8:30. With only 8.36 mpg it was obvious the wind took its toll on fuel consumption.
On the road at 9:20 Onie mentioned we really haven’t seen that many RV’s in Canada. Yesterday we saw two Class A’s, a Class b, a Class c, two 5th wheels and one pull behind. We have seen an equal number of motorcycles that obviously are camping and/or traveling. We won’t really know how many rigs are headed to Alaska until we get on the Al-Can.
The driver did talk to a fellow while fueling and he is on his way to Alaska but taking a very circuitous route. It is his first trip and he says he will see it all in one trip. I smiled when he told me that and wished him good luck.
Nearing The Battlefords, a good sized town, we were looking for a place to grocery shop. Then we opted to ride a while longer before shopping for groceries. We are estimating we will be in camp in six days, maybe seven, unless we stop to dilly dally. We are approximately half way. Two thousand two hundred fifty miles from home is about half way and that will occur within the next hour. We have actually driven further but it is because of our route.
Highway 16 is four lanes divided and runs through high rolling plains. There is definitely more roll to the landscape than further south and east. Rains didn’t flood fields but ponds are twice the size than before the rains. The fields are manageable and big tractors are out working them. Some winter crops have been harvested. It appears to be very prosperous out here. There are not a lot of houses but all the farmsteads have big windbreaks planted around them as did the ones yesterday. One would assume the windbreaks are to protect against the winds that howl across these plains in the winter bringing bitter cold and snow.
As one drives into The Battlefords, as we were doing at 10:45, one is impressed that the approaching the skyline is dominated by many huge grain elevators. We don’t know what else they do here but they do raise a lot of grain and ship it out.
Continuing out of The Battlefords we crossed the North Saskatchewan River. We already crossed it once today. It’s a big river, not anything like the Missouri or Mississippi but a very respectable river. It was running very muddy today.
Driving we were still contending with some wind as it was coming out of the east and southeast. Not as strong as yesterday but still a force to be reckoned with we paid close attention to the road.
Pretty yellow flowers dot the roadside.
These appear to be dandelions but we haven’t stopped to look closely; however, that would be our mutual guess. Onie saw some of the plants with fuzzies on them which confirms them to be dandelions and also means there is a wealth of salads growing by the roadside.
We had been on the road for over two hours and just saw our first ducks, a pair. Yesterday we were covered up with ducks all day long with all the rain and water. Today there is sunshine and not that much water. There seems to be a dearth of ducks.
Driving past the first high fenced area we have seen in Canada on this trip, we were looking for animals. The property inside had been cleared of a lot of trees although there were plenty still standing. After looking and looking we still couldn’t see any of the animals they had fenced in. Perhaps it was whitetail or mule deer but we had seen none. It is possible they had exotics or maybe even elk since the fence is hog wired but there was no way you could keep a moose in that fence. Interestingly enough about every tenth fence pole had a bird house on it.
An area that normally holds water now overly full, folding fences and brushy areas that would normally be on dry ground. We stopped to take a few pictures of mallards and other ducks that were on the water.
A flooded field
Some ducks in pairs came out of grasses and weeds which made up the shoreline and made one think they have already nested up.
As we were leaving Onie noticed a big bird with a red head, sitting in a tree watching the pond. It might be some kind of predator waiting for the ducklings to be in open water, when it will be lunch time.
The dash heater ran all morning but now that it is getting close to one, it is warming up so we will be giving it a rest. We are fairly confident we will need it again this evening.
A text from Kurt told us he is in Canada and will be north of Edmonton sometime after 5. We replied and told him we will tell him where to meet us when we get up the road a little further and see where we will be able to pullover. We may go a little past Edmonton if he is not too tired. The more mileage we can make in a day on the good roads here will mean more time to spend on the Al-Can to enjoy the scenery. It also means we will be able to take it easier on the bad roads there.
Kurt needs to be at his house, in Sterling, by June 15. Becky will arrive on the 17th with her parents so Kurt wants to get the house ready for them.
Needing to grocery shop we lunched a little before twelve so we won’t go grocery shopping while we are hungry. Shopping while we are hungry tends to make us do too much impulse buying.
We had our regular lunch and finished the last of the carrots from our garden. We picked them on Sunday before we left on Monday. They were still nice and crisp and very good. We ate them with three pepper humus.
Alberta is where the west begins in Canada and we arrived at 11:30. The first sign I saw in Alberta was advertising guns for sale at a gun shop.
Stopping at Sobeys’s in Lloydminster we went in to grocery shop at 12:40. The odometer read 121,576.
Our basket was full and paid for by 1:45. We took the items to the coach and stored them before heading on up the road.
Alberta is wild rose country or that is what the road side sign told us.
It looked like ranch country to us. Spring has sprung and it has brung lots of c and f, that would be calves and foals. The pastures are full of the newborns.
Seventy miles east of Edmonton we passed Hansel and Gretel’s Berry Farm. For all you fans of The Brothers Grimm I will have to say I thought their trail was made of bread crumbs, not berries. I will have to reread the story I suppose.
For everyone sweltering in Texas and under a burn ban, even with all the rain they have had up here in Canada, we are now 50 miles southeast of Edmonton and just entered a burn ban area. It doesn’t look that dry but one can’t tell. Appearances can be deceiving. There is still a little casual water in the fields so one knows it is not as dry as Texas.
It had warmed up considerably from this morning and the writer thinks it might be a warm night.
At thirty miles from Edmonton we are more than half way to the camp, from our house on the shortest route.
The driver and navigator were discussing the halfway point earlier and for practical purposes this is half way.
There were several more miles of high fence at a national park. We thought it might be keeping elk in but we think we see bison instead. Onie said she saw a large animal and she thought it was a buffalo. The driver saw a large pond with a big beaver lodge. The fence went on several miles. The navigator has good eyes and one more time she was right because apparently that was a bison she saw because the driver saw a big bull standing near the road 5 miles further up the road in the same park. Then we both saw more bison just inside the fence a little farther on. We don’t know what else is in the park.
Now we are right close to Edmonton and can almost feel ourselves in the grips of the city, country clubs and golf courses. Just before the city limits was a feed lot, not a big one but still a feed lot within a stone’s throw of the city limits.
Traffic is now two steady streams of traffic, one coming out of town and one going in. One can only hope the one coming out is all the workers going home and that there will be no traffic in town or on the far side of town. Hopefully we can zip right through although we know that is a futile hope. It is a fool’s errand we will go on if that is our expectation.
We just entered Edmonton, officially, and crossed a big river but didn’t get the name as I was too busy watching traffic. This is where highway 16 officially becomes the Yellowhead. We have traveled the Yellowhead many times before.
We are doing the baby thing here in Alberta, creeping. Creeping from one red light to the next and while we are creeping it gives us time to think and wonder about some of the great burning questions facing the world today, like how many gallons of fuel is burned in the city limits of Houston, Texas, during peak traffic time. Or, if one took all the barbed wire in the world and all that has ever been made how many times would it go around the world? If one took all the hours spent playing video games and turned it into productive labor what could be produced during that time? If you took all the food thrown away in Houston in one day how many people would it feed three meals a day for a month?
At 4:45 in Edmonton the ladies are driving their way home from work. One is putting on fingernail polish and another one is texting. They could be in any big city.
At five we were west of Edmonton. We wouldn’t exactly say we were on the open road but we were back up to speed again. Edmonton is a big city and the traffic there is like any big city at the end of the day.
The two lanes of traffic stretching out in front of us as go as far as we can see. We are thankful we are not in east bound lanes as one lane is shut down for construction and traffic is backed up over the western horizon.
We are kind of back out the country again, in traffic, but moving at our speed. Onie has seen her second magpie. They are big beautiful birds but somewhat aggressive.
We came to a rest area one kilometer north of highway 16 on highway 43 at 5:15, to wait for Kurt. We thought he was an hour behind us, in Devon. Kurt arrived at 5:50.
We said helloes, exchanged hugs and were on the road again a 6 on highway 43. We were about 2050 miles from camp but more immediately we were about 37 miles from what we hope will be a generous pullout where we will spend the night. If we can’t get far enough away from the road at the pullout or it is too uneven we will head on to Whitecourt where there is an RV park and we will spend the night there.
We will see in the next 35 minutes where we will stay.
The pullout was good. Ending mileage was 121,791 at 6:40. The pullout turned out to be a nice big roadside rest area.
Supper was salad, brisket and fresh asparagus.
Kurt retired to the couch and Onie went to our bedroom. They both called it a day about nine.
The driver took off notes until ten when he joined Onie.
97 AKA THE AL-CAN
June 9, 2011-Thursday
Everyone was up shortly after six. Kurt was already outside washing his car. It was a bright sunny day. Each of the occupants of the coach had enjoyed a good restful night’s sleep. Showers were quickly taken. Coffee and tea along with cold cereal served for breakfast.
The driver showed Kurt the morning walk around routine and Kurt gave Onie instructions on driving the Mercedes.
On the road at 7:30 we stopped in Whitecourt for fuel for the Mercedes. Sylvia is really enjoying driving it.
At Whitecourt Kurt slipped behind the wheel of the Marlin at 8:25.
Right away we crossed the Athabascan River which was running bank full. There was lots of heavy dense fog.
The driver was still in short pants and tee shirt but this might be the last day for such attire.
Outside it is about 65 degrees.
We just arrived at what is called moose row. We have been past here numerous times and have yet to see the first moose. We keep looking but the writer is quite skeptical
Five miles out of Whitecourt the driver, who is now the passenger, was talking when he should have been looking as we passed 6 mule deer in the ditch. Kurt saw them but Onie and Tom didn’t.
At 8:50 the driver put a voodoo curse on the fog and it went away. We had a clear road and we liked the ride.
At 10 o’clock the weather was holding good. We had an almost cloudless sky.
Kurt continued to drive on a road stretching out like a Texas road, straight as far as the eye can see. It was not quite as smooth as a Texas road but it was still a good road.
The driver was in the passenger seat. He had travelled the road many times but never as passenger. It is a different perspective. He is seeing many things for the first time. Driving the coach takes all of one’s attention or things slip up on you and cause a problem.
We are 65 miles south of Grand Prairie and the four lanes have given out but we still have nice wide shoulders.
They are logging, big time, on either side of the road and it is evident that this road will soon be four lanes, perhaps in two or three years, all the way to Grand Prairie.
Each year there seems to be more traffic in this area so the four lanes will be justified.
Trees that have to be cut for the expansion are being used. They are hauled off to make lumber or paper. The road clearing for the four lanes has gone on quite rapidly as last year they hadn’t even started. Now there are just miles and miles where the right of way has been logged and road machinery, big cats, sheep’s foot, la Tourneau’s and others are already at work. It looks like some of the areas may be completed before fall.
Thirty four miles from Grand Prairie we saw a work over rig at a well, working to keep that black gold flowing in Canada so the Canadians can keep themselves covered up with that green money.
There was a little road construction in a town where I always talk about de name, De Bolt. I know it is old hat now but we are still looking for de nuts.
A pull out, a chain up area, was handy so we stopped at 11 for brunch. After brunch we will have a steep descent waiting for us. The ending mileage was 121,975. Onie joined us in the coach and while Kurt and his passenger discussed the mornings drive and what was ahead she put some bacon, eggs and biscuits on the table along with some homemade preserves, coffee and tea.
It has been a gorgeous sun shiny day with a few high clouds.
At noon we began the long downhill drag with Kurt behind the wheel. Using the exhaust brake and the shift keypad along with the air brakes he eased us down the hill to the obligatory sharp curve waiting at the bottom.
The driver/writer was still riding, riding along toward Grand Prairie, listening to music from the 40s. He had almost found some music older than him but not quite.
Twelve miles shy of Grand Prairie we saw a place for Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers. They have a big place, several hundred acres, off Highway 59 on the north side of Houston where they auction off heavy equipment and that is what they do here.
Montana likes to refer to itself as big sky country but this place certainly qualifies as big sky country also.
We were up pretty high on a big mesa, if you will, and on top of the next hill we would be looking down on Grand Prairie which is truly in a grand prairie.
At the edge of Grand Prairie was another small flock of Canadian geese.
The regular readers may remember Grand Prairie has a lot of oil activity around it and as a consequence one sees a lot of the oil service companies here, lots of heavy equipment dealers and repair shops as well as trucking companies serving the oil and gas industry. Cummins, Cat, Freightliner, International and their competitors are here also.
We took the bypass around Grand Prairie, a little road out thru the rural areas. It is a nice bucolic ride with not too many fences as there are more row crops than cattle. The road may have suffered a bit from the winter but was still in pretty good shape.
The weather is holding but we are getting some darker clouds that may deliver rain later today. We picked up some pretty good wind just south of Grand Prairie and the wind seems to be coming out of the west so it is giving Kurt a good lesson in driving a high profile vehicle in high wind. It seems to be 20-25 mph with higher gusts, undoubtedly contributing to the buildup of the clouds which darken with each passing minute. It looks like we will go west of them unless they move with us.
We are in the hamlet of le Glace. I never can remember my French so I need some of my Nova Scotia friends to translate that for me. I think it means “the ice” but it would be nice to know for sure. It is a picturesque little place with one gas bar, one grocery store, one school and one church. It does have curbs and gutters, all four or five blocks of it. Recess was taking place at school and the kids were having a sack race. If you have never sack raced you have missed an opportunity to learn about cooperation and team work.
Just past le Glace there is a pipeline crossing in the works and a drilling rig nearby is making hole. One can’t see anybody on the monkey boards as there is a high wooden fence around the monkey boards so there may be someone up there and probably is as the rig is working.
Our friend Bill Hager was late getting to our hunting lease one day and told me he was behind a little red Volkswagen. He explained a little red Volkswagen, to him, was anything in the road that was keeping him from driving the speed he desired. We have been behind a little red Volkswagen for six or eight miles now and it looks like we have about twenty more miles to go before we get back to 43 where we will have sufficient room to pass. We are driving in gusty winds on a narrow road with small shoulders and driveways ever so often. All these things combined would make passing here very dicey. In fact the little red Volkswagen is a heavy oilfield truck with two pickups following close behind it and there is not enough room to get in between them so one would have to pass all three which would require about a mile. Patience is the byword.
We don’t want to wind up permanently in the next little town even though my Scandinavian ancestors thought it was the place to be after one’s earthly life ended, Valhalla. One of these days I’m going to stop and ask if it was a Norwegian, Dane, Swede or Fin that founded the town.
While we were behind the little red Volkswagen we passed a small herd of bison.
Seven or eight miles from 43 the little red Volkswagen pulled over to the side and stopped to let us around. It actually consisted of 5 big trucks carrying oilfield equipment plus the two pickups. Trying to pass that convoy would have been true folly.
Now we are passing a herd of more than 100 bison. There are lots of new calves, perhaps a week or two old, lying next to their mothers. A young bull is dusting in a wallow. Buffalo wallows on the American prairie created many of the small potholes that today are frequented by waterfowl.
Kurt commented there was a herd of wild cows on the other side of the road and that brought up the question of whatever happened to the grand experiment that was to create the perfect red meat, the beefalo. The beefalo was a cross between the buffalo and a cow. The writer hasn’t heard of the beefalo craze in years. Today docs tout wild venison, the kind we go out in the woods and stalk and hunt down like a bunch of wild savages, as the perfect red meat, and we think it is.
We made the stop at 43 at 1:40. We had completed the bypass around Grand Prairie and as we approached the stop sign we could see a very encouraging sign. We were nearing the beginning of the Al-Can, Dawson Creek which was just 31 miles distant.
We had entered British Columbia at 12:50.
We were experiencing, for the third time, something I have never seen before in rural Canada, traffic stops by law enforcement. The previous two times it was the sheriff. This time it is the RCMP. In 10 years I have never seen a traffic stop anywhere in Canada. Now we have seen 3 in one day. I am stunned. Canada may be coming to civilization as far as traffic laws are concerned.
Some more help is needed from my French speaking friends. We just passed through another small town. It is named Pouce Coupe, just as it has been as in years past. I would like a translation, please.
The Al-Can Highway officially begins in Dawson Creek at a round-a-bout, an invention no doubt dreamed up by a traffic engineer who was unfamiliar with anything as civilized as a traffic light. Like a good many engineers who deal with things automotive they, the traffic engineers, have no idea how the product they are designing will work or what havoc it will inflict. Designers of traffic circles should be sentenced to drive around them continually for a year during peak traffic periods. That would put an end to the nonsense of designing and installing them.
We entered the one in Dawson Creek at 1:22.
It would be 969 miles before we had to change roads.
Dawson Creek has grown up a lot in the last 10 years. There is lots of new construction. Commercial buildings under construction, new motels and signs of new residential construction abound. When we first came thru here ten years ago most streets were unpaved. Now pavement is the norm with curbs and gutters as well as sidewalks. The town has probably tripled in size and number of buildings and businesses.
Outside of town we saw another herd of buffalo. We also saw 3 dead moose as we traveled north on Highway 97, aka the Al-Can.
In Ft St John at 2:40 we stopped for fuel. We had averaged 10 mpg on the last tank.
Onie had driven ahead in the Mercedes to shop and was waiting for us to fuel and move along. She said she really enjoyed driving the Mercedes, it is a fun car. She didn’t mention if she wants to trade her Altima.
With Onie back in the navigator’s seat and the writer once again the driver we called ahead to get a pull thru at Pink Mountain but they were full by 11 this morning.
Another call was placed to Sikani River Chief Campground 110 miles up the road. We tried to call Kurt in the Mercedes but there was no cell signal. We should be at the campground about 5:30. We made a reservation for a pull thru with water, sewer and 20 amp service. We had asked for fifty amp and the lady didn’t have that so we asked for thirty but settled for twenty, that was all she had in the park, and that will be fine as we will have no need for air conditioning.
The campground was beautiful.
Kurt drove the Benz from Ft St John and Onie had ridden with me. The road out of Ft St John had been a good four lane road, not divided, and with a lot of traffic.
We had gotten up the road handily as it was a good road. The wind had whipped around and continued to do so.
We had another time changed in British Columbia so it was not as late as we thought whereas sometimes it is later than one thinks.
Motoring along we planned supper for tonight and tomorrow night. Onie had planned a feast for tonight.
Whatever the total miles are for today will be worth it when the supper table is set.
The navigator pointed out that the spruce bark beetle has already been feasting here just north of Ft St John. Spruce trees are dying by the hundreds or thousands and the forest has turned a deathly brown. Spruce trees used to mingle with the birch and now the birch stand alone. The dead spruce is just fire tender waiting for the spark that will surely come, sooner or later.
We talked about where we want to stop the next couple of nights but decided to discuss with Kurt before making any firm decisions.
At four o’clock we were passing through Wonowon and munching on Kurt’s radishes. There is a little new building going on here. Maybe the worst of the downturn is over here. Those who were underfinanced are gone and those who hung on may be rewarded by better times.
We are still rolling along on good Hiway with the sun shining overhead where a few high white clouds drift lazily.
Big Bands are playing on the iPod. Playing right now is In The Mood.
It is a great day to be alive.
We got to the campground at 5:30, leveled up and hooked up the water and sewer first so Kurt could get a shower. Then electric was added for Onie. Both slides were put out.
Kurt and I got out the grill and cleaned it up then went to start laundry. We would have to wait. There were three folks ahead of us to wash and there was only one washer and one dryer. We left our clothes and went back and started the charcoal in the grill.
Then it was time to sit down with cocktails. Onie brought out snacks and joined us at the picnic table. A little later we went to start the wash.
When we returned the fire was ready so we cooked the asparagus and steaks on the grill. Inside Onie fixed mushrooms and onions sautéed in butter along with new potatoes.
It was nice outside so we ate at the picnic table where a few sprinkles fell before we finished our veritable feast. Of course we wondered what the other two classes of people, the poor and the kings, were doing but whatever they were doing they weren’t living as good as we were.
It was a beautiful evening with a little breeze close enough to the Sikani River we could hear it rippling by.
We left our table to go start the clothes dryer.
The mosquitoes made an appearance around eight and we left the picnic table for the one inside the coach.
Later we went back to check on the dryer and feed it more quarters.
Then the writer restored notes lost due to technical faux pas. Notes from Dawson Creek to here made from memory.
At the coach we discussed the coming days with Kurt before the guys went back to get clothes. With the clothes in the coach everyone helped with the folding.
Kurt made his bed on the coach at 9:30. Onie went to the bedroom but the writer stayed up to take off notes until 11.
We have about 900 miles to go before we get to Alaska.
SHALL WE SOAK?
June 10, 2011-Friday
The sprinkles that had fallen during supper last night matured sometime later and by three o’clock it was raining.
When we rose at six it was still raining. Apparently it had rained a good part of the night as there was water standing in depressions in the driveway. The rain had brought cold temps along with it.
Showers were taken and cold cereal was eaten for breakfast. Coffee and tea as well as Chai tea helped warm us.
Onie ventured out and took pictures of pilings from the original Sikani River Bridge from the original road. It had been a wooden structure that was destroyed by fire, arson, in 1992. It had taken 84 hours to build in 1942.
Bridge pilings seen in the background
The new bridge
Kurt helped fill the fresh water tank and disconnect water and electric while the driver tended the holding tanks. The slides were pulled in, the jacks retracted and the coach made ready to travel.
Rain fell all the while.
Before leaving the site of our feast Onie took pictures of Kurt and Tom, then Tom took pictures of Onie and Kurt.
With rain still falling and the dash heater running we got on the road at 8:20.
Soon we were passing over Rocking Horse River with the rain continuing. We met a happy soul on motorcycle, southbound. Fortunately he had a fairing to protect him from the rain and little of the cold. It was a safe bet he was wearing a rain suit and was pretty chilly.
The driver talked to a fellow this morning, in camp that was originally from iron country in Minnesota, now lives in Florida in a retirement community. He is a retired truck driver, now driving a nice Dutch Star coach. He is traveling with two other rigs on their way to Alaska. He is being a tour guide for his two buddies, one that is from Maine and the other from Massachusetts. He first drove this road in 1970. It was 1800 miles of rock and gravel. He started out with a new truck and returned from his first trip with a piece of junk. The windshields were broken, the headlights knocked out, the parking lights gone, the paint was rock chipped, the tires ruined, the chassis rattling and the truck shaken and torn to pieces. Today the road is somewhat better.
Yesterday we drove 450 miles total. Kurt drove 323, I drove the balance. Today we need to make 320 miles to get to Liard Hot Springs. We had hoped to get an earlier start but we will still make it.
We have to go past Stone Mountain, Summit Lake and Muncho Lake and all have bad roads. There has either been a lot of rain or a fast thaw or maybe both. The ground on both sides of the road shows lots of slippage, some old but lots new.
We crossed the Boogie Creek Bridge and the creek which usually runs clear is running fast and muddy.
Just before we got there we negotiated an 8% grade with a winding road plus a slide area. The ground on either side of road is slipping and with a little more rain, which is now falling, there will be a slide onto the road making the drive even more interesting with mud on the steep grade and turns.
Kurt is driving his car this morning to make phone calls, buy fuel and a few groceries in Ft Nelson. Onie is riding in the coach and just brought me some fresh strawberries she got yesterday at Safeway. They are very good.
We have been on the road an hour and a half and it still raining with heavy clouds all around. It looks like it could rain all the way to Liard. We have been hoping for cool weather when we get there. The last time we were there it was warm. The springs are much more pleasant when it is cool. If it is raining when we get there we will just have to walk in the rain.
All the creeks, normally gin clear, are running muddy. All horizons hold heavy ragged rain clouds and there is no sign of the rain letting up.
Twenty miles from Ft Nelson we crossed Jackfish Creek and it too is running muddy. The refrain is beginning to sound like a broken record.
We met another brave motorcyclist with his gear tucked in behind him and no seat warmer.
Spectra Energy had a nice facility 18 miles from Ft Nelson. It has housing for employees and a nice campus. They are building a big addition to their processing plant.
Six miles south of Ft Nelson there is a big installation of oil and gas well servicing companies plus a power plant. There is a lot of emphasis on oil and gas here.
The Musqua River, which we just crossed, is the lowest elevation on the Al-Can. It too is running muddy but nowhere close to flood stage.
The rain continued falling as we entered Ft Nelson at 11:50.
At the first pullout past Ft nelson we stopped for lunch.
Kurt said it had been fifty two degrees when he passed through Ft Nelson. The rain continued as we ate and the forecast is rain for the next 3 days.
We were back on the road at 12:15.
We are probably looking at 4:30 to be in Liard Hot Springs.
Kurt saw a black bear before he got to Ft Nelson as it scampered across the road in front of his car. We have seen none; however, we consider the day prefect for wildlife viewing with the rain, overcast skies and 50ish temps. It is a great day for moose and deer wouldn’t mind it and bear with all the hair would be just fine. The animals should be out. Somebody failed to give them the word or else they didn’t listen.
Still the rain continued as we crossed Steamboat Creek which is usually crystal clear but today is as muddy as the mighty Mississippi.
We were in the foothills of the Rockies but now we were getting in mountains and the roads were deteriorating. The roads were not horrible, not yet, but not good. We will see much worse before we reach Alaska. The road limits our speed to 20 to 45 mph. Sometimes we go a little faster or slower but we will probably average 40-45 mph for the next 2-3 hours.
As we passed a pull out to our left there were five motorhomes parked there, 3 from the Sikani campground. They must have stopped for lunch.
Driving with cruise control is over for now due to rough winding roads with steep hills, pot holes, loose gravel and pavement breaks. It will be foot feed, exhaust brake, foot brake and manual downshift and upshift and in and out of economy mode for the next few days. The object is to make the best time possible without destroying the coach. Twenty five to thirty five miles per hour is now the best we can manage due to the rough winding road.
We are paralleling the Tetsa River on our left. There is lots of white water. We have mountains on both sides of us. The backwaters of the river see both old and new signs of beaver activity including old and new lodges and dams. It is a scenic road with lots of slide areas and 20-25 mph turns.
The rain is continuing and that with the rocking and rolling of the coach is proving too much for the navigator as she drifts in and out of sleep.
In Stone Mountain Park we crossed the Tetsa River on an open grate deck.
We were about one kilometer from Summit Lake. We now had snow 50 feet above our elevation. Summit Lake was completely ice free although there was snow on the opposite shore.
We crossed the MacDonald River just north of kilometer marker 625.
Still, it was raining and cold. The winding road had a fair surface but we were only able to manage 25-35 mph.
Clouds covered the surrounding mountain tops.
Kurt has been following half a mile back but is now closer.
Toad River was not quite as muddy as other rivers we have seen but it is racing along like a runaway freight train driven by a mad amphibian.
In Muncho Park there was a full grown cow moose road kill. Muncho Lake still holds all its charm and beautiful blue water in spite of the rain. The navigator reminds me the lake record for trout is 50 pounds. It is slow going around Muncho Lake as it is throughout the park.
The rain was still coming down.
Outside it was cold, not cool.
Almost the whole time we have been in Muncho Provincial Park the Cummins has operating at 180 degrees, or less, and normal operating temp is 185-190. The ambient air temp and rain is keeping the Cummins very cool.
We had now passed thru the Canadian Rockies and were going to change drivers and have Kurt drive but we only had 30 miles to Liard and no turnouts handy so we drove on.
Additionally the road continues to be bad holding us to 35-45 mph.
We have been munching English walnuts the last hour to stay alert as there is always the possibility of animals, rocks or mud on the road as well as potholes.
We began the long descent into the Liard River Valley and bridge. The road had improved allowing us to resume normal cruising speed.
Five bison bulls were seen to our right on the descent to the river and bridge.
Fifteen or twenty minutes earlier the rain had stopped.
Crossing the Liard River one drives on a large suspension bridge with an open deck.
Just as we exited the bridge there was a large bison grazing on a hill to our left.
We turned in, paid and registered at the hot springs at 4 o’clock. It hadn’t rained there. In fact the parking lot was kind of dusty. There had been no rain here for quite a while.
It had been 38 or 39 degrees when we passed through Toad River. We knew it was cold.
Here it was 58.
Parked, with the slides out, we relaxed with snacks and happy hour at our picnic table.
After our relaxation time we walked to Liard Hot Springs Lodge for poutine then it was back to the coach to change and go soak at 6:40.
We soaked, getting in and out twice.
The water was hot!
We got back to the coach at 8.
Onie toddled off to bed. Kurt and I visited until 10 when he once again made his bed on the couch.
The interior of the coach was still lit with sunlight so the writer took off notes until 11:30 when twilight descended.
SWIFT RIVER
June 11, 2011-Saturday
Kurt was up before Onie and she got up at 6. They had coffee and visited.
The writer was up at 7 and had chai tea while they had more coffee.
The trio got on their suits and went down at 7:30, to soak again.
The steam rose from the hot springs.
They got back at 9:15. Onie and Kurt had more coffee and the writer had tea.
Onie was so relaxed she went to the bedroom to nap. Kurt lay on the couch and snoozed away, too.
The writer wrote.
When Kurt woke he went out and started a fire in our fire pit. The driver looked on while Kurt cooked some sausage over the open fire. Inside Onie cooked eggs and toast. We ate outside covering our toast with more homemade jellies.
After breakfast the navigator and driver showered, made up the bedroom and secured the interior of the coach so it could travel safely.
At eleven thirty we were in the coach, moving again.
Kurt was behind the wheel of the Marlin, Onie was navigating and the writer was driving the Mercedes.
Our next stop will be the Swift River turn out 237 miles up the road. Before we get there we will stop at Contact Creek for fuel.
We were traveling under bright sunny skies with a temp of 61. High overhead there was quite a few white clouds with some getting a little gray on the bottom. They may deliver rain before we get to Swift River or perhaps after nightfall.
Driving in Kurt’s car with the satellite radio playing, the driver was listening to a western station. Lee Ann Rimes was singing my favorite song, by her, Blue.
The driver always wanted to
experience driving the Al-Can in a car just to see what it is like. It is very different from coach. The road seems much smoother. This stretch of road at 50-
In 2001 we drove from Seattle to Alaska in the coach in four days with the grandkids. We wouldn’t try that again.
I can promise you there is at least one guy on the Al-Can today that is tickled to death with the bright sun and warmer temp, it is now 63, and no rain. He just pulled over to take a picture. He is riding a bike, an enduro. He was at Liard this morning to take a soak and left a little bit before we did. He should be thankful for the sunshine, warmer temps and lack of rain.
We were traveling along next to a river and if memory serves me correctly this is the mighty Liard. Yesterday we saw virtually no spruce bark beetle damage but here north of Liard hundreds if not thousands of acres are dead from the beetle. The beetle is here with a vengeance. When fire comes it will be devastating.
There is a herd of wood bison
that make this area their home but none are home on the road today. They roam from the Liard River on the south
and east to 60 to
The Mercedes just crossed the
Smith River Bridge. For the athletic
type right after one goes across the bridge there is a walk of
Traffic was light at 12:10 and
the weather was holding. The road was
good for
The Benz just passed over the Coal River which was running nice and blue. Both roadsides were covered with bright yellow flowers, dandelions, and it almost made one want to stop and gather a salad. The driver was passing on the dandelion salad as Onie has plenty of salad stuff.
Driving the Al-Can in an
automobile instead of a coach is a whole different experience. About the only similarities are that one is
driving in a vehicle with a motor, wheels, steering wheel and transmission that
is moving you along the road. In the
coach one is paying much closer attention to road conditions and surfaces than
one does in a car. Road surface is very
important to the coach and not so much to the car. The extremely long wheel base of the coach
compared to a car is important, as imperfections in the surface have a more
dramatic pronounced effect on the coach than the shorter wheel base car. The car doesn’t have cooking utensils,
dishes, sofas,
The same speed in the coach that a car can maintain would be very reckless at best and at worst almost suicide. One would be living absolutely on the edge if one was to drive a coach 65-70 on these roads. In addition he would be destroying his rig in the process. Even though the coach must travel slower the passengers in the coach can get up and move around freely while the coach is in motion, fix a sandwich, get a cold drink out of the fridge, go to the potty, sit at the table and play games, comfortably work at a computer or nap on the couch none of which can be done easily in a car with perhaps the exception of using a computer. Neither Onie nor I would do that as we are too interested in watching for wild animals or just watching the scenery.
Another very striking difference
between automobile travel and coach travel is going down steep grades. In a car one just lifts the foot from the
fuel feed and lets the car slow down. If
it goes a bit fast one just taps the brake to slow its descent. In the coach that same grade calls for the
exhaust brake to be engaged, to down shift using the keypad to maintain a
proper safe speed and to engage the air brakes from time to time. Letting the coach gain too much speed is not
an option as slowing
A flagger stopped the forward progress at 12:45. A road crew is putting down seal coat. He told me to kill the engine and put the flashers on. It will be a while. Following his instructions the engine was stopped and emergency flashers engaged then the writer got out the computer and made a few notes.
There was a fifteen to twenty
minute delay. The crew is working on a
total of
The Benz began moving again at one.
When I stopped for the construction I tried to send a text to Onie and Kurt to let them know about the construction but there was no cell signal. Ten km past the construction and there was still no service. They will find out about the construction but I won’t be able to give them a heads up.
The Benz motored into the Yukon at 1:10. It was 64 degrees. It had passed over a lot of gravel patches and very dusty conditions. Those places are tough on the coach radiator. The conditions will probably be a slow go for Kurt and Onie for about 40 km.
There still are no animals along the road. I thought they might like warm sunshine since they shunned the cool temps and rain the other day. Maybe what they really like is the woods.
Just crossed Contact Creek which
means our normal fueling station is just around the corner. I saw the sign, “services,
Waiting, more notes were made.
The coach arrived at 1:20. The computer was down and the Benz was fueled. We also fueled the coach. It took 66 gallons. We had several hours of generator time so some adjustment will have to be made when calculating the miles per gallon.
Twenty five minutes later we were heading on toward Swift River.
We should be there around 4 or 4:30.
Following the coach one gets a little different perspective on the Marlin and toad. Watching the coach climb hills and make turns it looks like it is just gliding silently along like all the other coaches we see but I know inside there is shaking and rattling.
The road is rough now but the Cummins will be running smoothly as Allison shifts up and down to make adjustments for the hills. Riding behind and watching it looks like it is just gliding along quietly and easily just as other coaches seem to do. I know that is repetitious but it is such a different perspective to me it bears repeating.
Forty miles now from Watson Lake there is still gorgeous sunshine but the clouds overhead are getting heavier. Again it looks like it could rain by tonight.
Thirty miles from Watson Lake we are getting our first glimpse of the snow covered mountains in the Yukon. We continue to hit the dusty gravel patches.
Free range horses graze placidly by the Highway, descendants of horses long ago freed by owners who no longer could afford or wanted to feed them.
Construction is continuing and at 2:15 there was another flagger stop in the Watson Lake maintenance section.
Nearing Watson Lake there are signs advertising various businesses. One is for Capitol Towing, the folks that moved the coach a few years ago, from Liard Hot Springs.
Both vehicles stopped in Watson Lake at 2:30. Kurt stopped to make phone calls and Onie went in to the local market look for buns of sour dough bread. She likes to scoop out the middle and serve chili in them.
We began moving again at 3:00. The Liard River is on the left. The road runs west southwest following the river and we can see it sometime. Northwest of Watson Lake we are crossing the Liard River and slow to 50km in a little settlement of Upper Liard. Upper Liard sports a hotel/motel/lodge/restaurant/bar/fuel bar, one church and about 20 houses.
Every year we see a sign advising us to watch for the lower Carlisle caribou herd. This is a migratory route and we see them here in the fall but rarely if ever in the spring.
Here is a sign for a new business, the Squirrel Nest Café. After a few miles one surmises they must have run out of money after they put up the sign as we saw no restaurant.
Now we are close to the intersection of Highway 37, The Cassiar. There are two or three RV parks here. One of them is fairly new, the Baby Nugget RV park is at Nugget City which is one building.
Note to myself: write a letter to the provincial government of the Yukon and tell them to save their money that they are using to post speed limit signs as the locals totally ignore them and they are used mostly for target practice. The double yellow stripes indicating no passing zones are also ignored so they may as well be abandoned, use money to fix roads.
Most readers would know of the famous crotch man, hip wiggler, Elvis Presley. He recorded a song, called Fraulein. What most of the readers may not know is that Bobby Helms recorded it long before Elvis was a star.
Got the first glimpse of the Yukon River off to the north.
There has been no cell service for several miles, not even in Watson Lake.
North of the Rancheria River there is nothing but the road, trees, lakes, streams and sky. One gets the feeling if the traffic on the road went away the road would soon disappear, too. In a matter of a few years the land would be like before 1942, trackless. There would be a few people along the rivers getting supplies in the summer, by boat, and working very hard to just survive.
The driver and the Benz passed into the Swift River road maintenance section and over the Little Rancheria River. All that means we will soon be getting to the continental divide. Over the divide we will be getting to Swift River where we will be staying the night.
I will be there ½ hour prior to Onie and Kurt and will spend it taking off notes.
We have been seeing quite a few rigs today but most are headed out. I’ve been driving faster than most rigs would drive and should have overtaken several but in fact have only overtaken one or two.
The guy at Contact Creek says traffic is off dramatically from last year and has been going down every year since the price of fuel sky rocketed a few years ago. Travel has never recovered. Only trucking has remained constant. Tourist traffic is just a trickle now and he can’t rely on tourist to keep him in business. Proof of that is in the fact that each year we see more and more businesses that have closed. It is rare to see a new RV park or motel. The only new motels we see are where there is oil and gas exploration going on.
There was more construction and short patches of loose gravel and then a stretch of loose gravel several km long and it really is loose gravel as they are just preparing the roadbed. There was no way to avoid the loose gravel. Kurt and Onie should slow down to about 15 mph. It will be a long pull for them since the stretch is so long, four or five miles.
The Al Can twists and turns. We are currently headed southwest and the horizon is filled with snowcapped mountains with the snow coming down in fingers from the peaks. Most of country here is untouched by human hands and is absolutely beautiful. It is grand beyond description. The scope and grandeur of it causes one to defy anyone seeing it to ascribe it to evolution. It is God’s handiwork, his creation.
The road has turned west and appears to be diving straight for the mountains. One can see where there could be a natural pass through these mountains but if you take this road you will find it does not use that pass but takes a more westerly course and finds another pass. The road continued dropping away from us going ever lower in elevation and turning north northwest and slipping down the side of the mountain taking us down to Rancheria Lodge/filling station/truck stop/camping area and then further west.
A while back we left 97 and got on 1 when we got into the Yukon. We are running along the side of the mountains on one side and the river is running along below us on the other side. Sometimes it is across the valley from us.
Once again we are headed west and starting a climb that will lead us into the continental divide pass.
The river running thru the valley, to our left and south, is the Rancheria River. We crossed the Upper and Lower Rancheria Rivers. This is the big mama Rancheria.
As we crossed Porcupine Creek
which empties into the Rancheria just ¼ mile from the bridge, my suspicions
were confirmed. We were about
The Benz was crossing the Upper Rancheria River again then it was over a hill and pitch down again to the bottom of the hill where the turnout is.
I will be going in to wait for Onie and Kurt.
In the turnout at 4:30 the writer got out the computer and took off a few more notes while waiting for Onie and Kurt.
One rig was already here. He was pulled in with his jacks down and slides out. He was out starting fire in a rock fire pit.
Onie and Kurt are expected by 5. They arrived at 4:45.
The writer put his computer away and he and Onie positioned the coach in the turnout. We got the jacks down and the slides out. Onie worked on snacks while Kurt and the driver built up a good rock fire ring and started a campfire.
Onie brought out snacks and we sat around the fire, visiting, snacking and relaxing until the grim reaper visited. The sight of him was too much and drove us inside.
The Grim Reaper
Supper was inside at 8; salad, chili and sourdough bread.
Onie found our warm bed at 9:30 and Kurt made the couch ready for his slumber.
The writer joined Onie in bed and sat up to finish these notes and take notes off computer. He stopped at 11.
It was still cloudy outside and very overcast. The wind was abating but it was very chilly outside.
June 12, 2011-Sunday
Kurt was up early. How early is unknown but Onie was up at 6:45 and he was already dressed and had his bed made up.
Onie started the generator. I plugged in my phone and computer and got up at 7.
Kurt was having steel cut oats. Onie and I had the same. Tea, Chai tea and coffee were also enjoyed.
Turns were taken at the shower until we were all clean.
We were doing very well on conserving water. We had in excess of 60 gallons left. We had loaded the max, 100 gallons two days ago. We had been boon docking two days and had used less than 7 ½ gallons of water per person per day.
With everybody clean and ready for the road at 8:45 we started the Cummins. The odometer read 122,764.
We had a bright day for our travels. There was not a lot of sunshine as it was mostly overcast with clouds and if it had been October, I would have said the clouds were snow clouds but it is not going to snow today. Still the day was bright.
It was probably about 45 last night and it was brisk this morning. We were still surrounded by mountains that have a nice dressing of snow on the peaks, gorges, rills and valleys extending down their sides. There was more snow on the eastern slopes than on the western slopes which were almost nude of snow. Still the snow on the mountains kept the Swift River pullout cool.
The Swift River Lodge/service station, etc. is closed. We don’t recall if they were closed last year but even the gas pumps have been removed so doesn’t look like they have any great expectation of reopening. They are just another casualty of high fuel costs.
We saw another sign advising us to watch for moose the next 23km. We have seen a lot of moose signs, unfortunately, most of the signs we have seen have been of the painted road sign variety. We did see some fresh sign at Laird where moose had bedded down as well as some fresh tracks.
Kurt was driving this morning, headed toward Teslin. Onie was driving the Mercedes and the writer was in the passenger seat in the coach editing some of the week two stories and trying to finish stories for week two as well while trying to keep an eye on the passing scenery. The RVs we are seeing now are almost definitely heading to or returning from Alaska.
The road remained pretty good. We were at a little lower elevation so perhaps the weather wasn’t so severe and thus inflicted less damage on the road. The mountains were less high too so there was no snow close at hand.
There was ever so slight sprinkle on the windshield and only because we are traveling 58 mph did we notice it at all.
Kurt mentioned that he and Becky usually see trumpeter swans when traveling through this area. We aren’t seeing any. There are small ponds and lakes around the road that do hold some ducks but no swans.
This is an area where the road winds in and out of British Columbia and the Yukon. A sign says we are entering the Yukon and a construction area. A crew is making bridge repairs. Did Obama send money here for “spade ready” work? Remember the U.S. pays 100% of the maintenance cost on the Al-Can.
The road north of bridge has recently been resurfaced and is in good shape.
The coach has nice aviation type sun visors for both driver and passenger. They can be configured in any number of ways to provide eye protection from the sun. The various adjustments are tightened and loosened with Allen head screws. When we left Lake Road both visors were adjusted to stay in place until moved by human hands but now they have been shaken so much they are moving on their own. The next time we stop we will have to tighten up the screws.
We have traveled about 70 miles since leaving Swift River and will be arriving in Teslin in ½ hour or so.
We are now on a stretch of road that is lined with spruce and a few birch trees that stretches out straight in front of us, to the horizon. On the horizon the mountains that are taller than those we have just left. These once again display remnants of winter snow.
At Teslin River there is a nice pullout before the road goes down a steep hill then makes a sharp right angle which seems to be sop for Canadian road builders. Actually the bridge is over Nesulitin Bay which is part of the Teslin River system. The bridge is long, ¼ mile open deck.
We stopped in Teslin at 10:20. There is a small shop there that Kurt favors. Onie had gone on ahead and was already there, with the Mercedes in the gift shop parking lot, when we arrived. She has always had a yen to stop there but we never did. Now she is getting her chance to shop and look around in Teslin.
When the coach got to Teslin Kurt parked across the highway, with some other rigs and eighteen wheelers, from the shop and we crossed the road on foot. Onie was enjoying herself looking at a wonderful exhibit of native animals that were on display. She already looked through the shop and nothing had caught her eye except the animal display. Kurt shopped a while and pumped up the local economy by getting a few pieces of art work, before we moved on.
The driver and Kurt talked to a trucker running a big ISX Cummins. It develops 650 horsepower. He says sometimes he adds two cycle oil to his fuel to help clean the engine. They don’t have to run engines that meet U.S pollution standards but he says ultra-low sulfur fuel still doesn’t deliver the power older fuels did. He had large yellow plastic bands on the wheels of his trailer. They are there so he can tell if wheels are turning or skidding in the winter. Sometimes when the brakes are applied too hard in winter, at 40 below, they heat up and cause moisture to form which freezes and causes wheels to stop turning. This error is usually committed by green drivers but can happen to experienced drivers as well. Also if the driver stops to work on his log book or nap, blowing snow can get into wheels and freeze causing the same problems. They free up the wheels by driving forward then reversing and repeating until the wheels turn. What a blessing to be in the south in the winter.
We left Teslin behind an hour after arriving.
We were now traveling along the east side of Teslin Lake north of Teslin itself. There are lots for sale. We think some of them have been for sale for years.
We pulled into a pullout at 12:24 for lunch.
We are still headed to Whitehorse. A couple of gravel patches were negotiated as the sun, which had come out shone overhead. The sun is quite bright but clouds have congregated all around us on the horizons. Fairly close to Whitehorse, 20 miles, the tree lines on either side of the road are close and next to the trees are trails. They are used in the summer for 4 wheelers and in the winter for snow machines, to go into Whitehorse.
Going into Whitehorse on our left is Marsh Lake which is part of the Yukon River system. The lake has lent itself, no doubt to the efforts of many ambitious developers, to many sub-divisions on and around the lake for both full time and weekend homes.
Getting into Whitehorse the first sign of civilization is street lights and signs advertising businesses. Several hardy bicyclers are pedaling up and down the hills.
The writer thinks it must be about 55 degrees outside. The clouds have gathered a little more moisture but it is still a bright day even though sun is mostly blocked out now.
Whitehorse is kind of different from some towns in that when one gets there the roads get somewhat better instead of getting worse which is normally expected by the writer in larger towns, like Edmonton, where the roads were terrible.
Whitehorse is the largest town in the Yukon and has the most traffic. Even though most people in the Yukon live in Whitehorse one still can’t call it a large town. Ask the people of the Yukon and they will tell you a total of about 25,000 to 26,000 people live in the Yukon. Ask a government person and they will say 32,000 and if one includes the Indians, which the locals say don’t work and shouldn’t be counted, the number jumps to 45,000 so one can take their pick of the number and be fairly certain someone will agree with them. Whatever the number is most of them live in Whitehorse.
Was it mentioned there are lots of bicycle riders in Whitehorse. Some of them seem to be riding without a full set of spokes as they ride in traffic lanes and never look where they are going.
Five miles out of Whitehorse the pavement turned wet. The rain that was falling was not in the class of a frog strangler but it did wet the pavement.
It must be the navigator’s turn to drive. I’ve been driving 15 minutes and Kurt says I have gone 4 miles. Onie is supposed to drive in these conditions. The signs say gravel patches but we agree the signs should say pavement patches because there is more gravel than pavement.
We are going through some woods now where there are signs indicating elk are present. Actually we have seen elk through here in the fall but not the spring. Elk were transplanted here a few years ago and should do well here. It is very remote and not many people.
There is a hardy breed of men and women up here. Every year we see young men riding a bicycle loaded with camping gear and coming along with them are young women. These young men and women elect to ride the Al-Can on two wheels with only pedal power. More power to them. I like diesel horsepower at my age and in my wildest hardiest days I would never have tried riding the Al-Can on a bicycle.
Now we are back in an area where we have mountains north and west of us. The one to the north has a lot of snow on it and almost qualifies as snow-capped. The mountains to the west have snow on them as well just not as much.
The road north of Whitehorse this year is a road of many characteristics, some of it good enough to drive fifty five or a little over, but some of it is challenging to drive over at 15 mph. Most of the road seems to be 35-45 mph roadway. The writer had anticipated as much. Kurt drove it in his pickup last year and didn’t remember it being this rough. That is one difference between a pickup or car and a coach on the Al-Can. Top hamper makes a big difference on how vehicles handle under any condition.
We still haven’t seen any wild animals this trip but the wild flowers have been simply beautiful. We just passed a whole crop of bluebells on the passenger side and an ever bigger patch on the driver’s side. They are beautiful flowers.
Onie has pointed out that this is about the latest we have been in coming up and thinks that may account for the lack of wildlife along the road. She thinks there may be enough forage in the woods that they don’t have to come to the road. Onie is a good hunter so she may just be right.
We just crossed the Mendehall river which would be more appropriately name named Mendenhall’s Creek or Mendenhall’s Ditch since it is just a trickle.
Coincidentally we entered the Haines Junction highway maintenance section and immediately hit a couple of rough patches in the road and pavement breaks.
Kurt is trying to take a half hour power nap.
The way the road is the coach rocks and rolls almost constantly even though the driver is only going 25-35 mph, the constant speeding up, slowing down, engine rpm changes, transmission shifting and pavement breaks would make for some pretty interesting sleeping conditions.
The thing about the slow going conditions is one gets to get a good look at all these beautiful blue bells, thousands of them.
We haven’t seen a power line since shortly after leaving Whitehorse but we have just seen one crossing the road perpendicular, so somewhere out here is someone or some entity that is willing to pay big bucks, or have a lot of political clout, to get power to their place.
There was a big raven on the side of the road. The raven is the provincial bird of the Yukon.
The road improved a little bit and we are able to make 45-50 mph some 30 miles from Haines Junction.
At 3:40 we have been following another coach for about 5 miles. It makes it much easier driving. When I see him bouncing around I just slow down and proceed with caution. It makes for a smoother less jarring ride.
With mountains all around us and a fair amount of snow on them we just crossed Marshall Creek which looks like it has just about been claimed by the beavers as there are multiple beaver dams blocking the main stream. It continues to flow, however, spilling over the dams or making a new channel around them. There are a lot of very productive, and productive in more ways than one, beaver in the area.
When we got to Haines Junction at 4:15 Onie got in the coach and Kurt in the Mercedes.
He will meet us in Burwash Landing which is 90 miles up the road.
We are trying to make it to a park which is 146 miles up the road. Probably the last 40-45 miles will take an hour and a half or two hours to negotiate.
So we got out of Haines Junction at 4:45. We figure it is a minimum of 3 hours and perhaps as many as 4 hours to get to the park. We will see what we will see.
There is a long uphill pull out of Haines Junction and the road is almost level with the snow to south and west.
There was a Mister Jarvis who was a bit of a minor celebrity in Yukon history and the reason I know that, not that I have researched it, is he has a very very minor waterway named after him. In my younger days I am confident and almost positive I could jump it, now that I have had a few more birthdays I couldn’t jump it but I could most certainly wade it. I know he was a celebrity because the powers that be named this trickle of dew a river so it is Jarvis River here in the Yukon. It might have enough water in it that one could float a bathtub boat in it if the boat was very small.
We just crossed Christmas Creek and making a long climb to a summit.
From the summit we will get our first glimpse of beautiful Lake Kluane. The name Kluane always makes me feel that the lake should be in the South Pacific. Destruction Bay is on the edge of Lake Kluane where many of the businesses closed years ago. The lake looks as though it is down a bit but not like last year and not muddy like last year. It has its beautiful blue color. Sheep Mountain, sans the sheep, stands guard over one end. We are fairly ripping around Kluane on mostly new road and it is certainly a welcomed relief from previous roads. It is mostly smooth and break free. We suffered many years making our way around the lake on roads that were far from perfect to say the least but they did take one around next to the lake’s edge and one got the feel of the lake. Now the road is removed from the lake and has no feel for the lake. The ambience is gone. We are able to maintain our cruising speed. It used to be 15-20 mph. There was a little patch of snow next to the road on the south shore of Lake Kluane. The weather has already taken a toll on some parts of the road around Lake Kluane. The older part of the road is 5 or 6 years old and already has rough spots, pavement breaks, frost heaves and gravel patches where they have taken out frost heaves, requiring slower speeds.
Kurt and I were discussing the life of the roads in the Yukon before they have to be torn up and rebuilt. We guessed as little as 5 years in some places and as much as 15 years in others. I suppose in a few more years, if we keep coming, Lord willing, we will know because like I say this road is showing serious signs of decay.
Kurt met us in Destruction Bay at the Talbot Arms Motel/ store/restaurant/fuel bar and gift shop. We decided to push on to White River RV Park, 75 miles up the road, including 60 miles of road that will be really bad. We hope to get there in the next 2 ½ to 3 hours.
The sun is still high in the sky. At the top of Lake Kluane the mountains to the south southwest are absolutely covered with snow on the tops. It has been cooler here than in the south.
The navigator believes the mountains are part of the Kluane range.
We are just 126 miles from the border and passing through a large burn area. It burned several years ago.
So far we have only found 3 km of really rough road and we were right in view of the beautiful mountains so the 25-35 mph didn’t bother us at all.
The Kluane Mountains are getting a nice rain shower. There is a big rain storm directly in front of us.
Much to the surprise of the driver we were in camp at 7:30, an hour ahead of driver’s estimate.
We were resting in White River RV Park with the odometer resting at 123,185.
We were in a pull through with 30 amp service. Before driver could get out Kurt was out of his car and had the water connected. We got the sewer hooked up, the electric hooked up, Kurt helped me level up and get out the slides.
Onie got out some snacks. Fifties and sixties music played on the iPod as Kurt relaxed on the couch while the driver was at table and Onie was in the kitchen. She prepared salad, halibut and asparagus, an excellent meal.
We finished eating at 9:30. Kurt washed dishes, Onie dried and I made notes. By 9:45 everything was cleaned up.
Kurt says he thinks he will head for the cabin in the morning. My guess is he will be out of here by 4-4:30 and get to the cabin by 2-2:30 where he will play tour guide to the newly-weds, Paul and Krista who are at the cabin.
We will connect with him when we get there.
Kurt went to sleep at ten.
Onie crawled into our bed 11 and the writer joined her at 11:40.