Friday, August 31, 2012
Cheri Aug-30-12
2:58 AM | 
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
First off an update on Jim, he has a kidney stone. He goes in again tomorrow and they will remove it. He should be able to travel by the time we leave this park.
Spike gave us the City tour this morning at 9:30am. He showed us all the places to shop, eat and get gas. He also gave us a tour of downtown.
We made a stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. The 800-mile pipeline crosses three mountain ranges, 800 streams or rivers and has carried a cargo of more than 16 billion gallons of oil since going into operation. About half of the 800-mile line is underground. It cost $8 billion to build. We got an up close look at the pipeline. We stood right under a section of it.
We all had lunch on our own and at 1:15pm we met at the park office and boarded a bus that took us to the Riverboat Discovery. The Discovery Sternwheelers are the only remaining authentic sternwheelers left in the state.
We cruised the Chena River and watched a bush pilot do a takeoff and landing in the water right next to our boat.
We stopped along the shore to watch Susan Butcher’s Iditarod Champion sled dogs in action. The dogs are so excited to get hooked up. They pulled the musher and 4-wheeler around a trail as we watched. When they got back, the dogs all jumped in the water to cool off.
We got off the boat at a Chena Indian Village and were given a guided tour through the village and told how the natives lived and hunted years ago. The old cabins were neat to look at and the beaded work done on the clothing was beautiful. All the flowers were so big and gorgeous.
The weather was beautiful; it was up in the 70’s today. The water was like glass. It was a slow easy ride down and back up the river. We couldn’t off ask for a prettier day.
We returned to the park at 5:30pm and were ready to head out again at 6:30pm. Spike took his staff to Pioneer Park for a “Thank You” dinner. There was a number of our group that also went along.
Pioneer Park is a free 44-acre historical park. It has a working restored steam locomotive, a collection of authentic gold rush cabins & buildings, lots of shops and the best Salmon Bake in Alaska. They have grilled salmon, cod and prime rib with all the fixings plus dessert. It was fabulous. We all ate too much and needed to walk it off. We strolled down by all the shops and Spike took us to one shop called Bush Babies. We all ended up buying diamond willow sticks that we intend to make into walking sticks. We’ll see how we all do on that!
It was after 8:30pm when we all got back to the campground. We’ve had a long, busy day, but a great one!
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Fairbanks day one.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Cheri Aug-29-12
1:41 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up at 5am—got ready and went to wash the rig. Gay’s hands were frozen when he got done. It was only 28 degrees when we got up.
We pulled out of the park at 9:30am and headed towards Fairbanks. It is the second largest city in Alaska. We followed along the Alaskan Mountain Range and Spike pointed out Mt. McKinley. The peaks were all covered with snow. It was so pretty.
We stopped at Rika’s roadhouse & Museum for lunch. We browsed around outside and Gay took lots of pictures of the old buildings and gardens. We went into the restaurant and gift shop. This time of the year everything is on sale up here so we both bought a fleece lined jacket.
On the road again, we were off to the North Pole with a chance to get your picture taken with Santa. We passed a portion of the Alaskan Pipe Line. It runs for 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.
Gay and I by-passed on Santa’s Village and headed right on into our campground to get the layout of the park and be ready when the gang arrived. The rest of the group spent about 45 minutes looking around at Santa’s Village.
Everyone flowed into the park and to their sites in no time. It wasn’t long before Spike got a call from one of the rigs saying he was having a problem. He thought he needed to go to the hospital. Spike took him right over and as yet we haven’t heard how he is doing. We took their 2 dogs for a walk and will keeping checking on them until Jim & Lorraine return.
Gay and I then got our unit set up, had some soup for dinner. Later in the evening a bunch of antique cars filed through the campground and parked up in front of the office. We all took our cameras up and got a few pictures. Gay posted a few of his favorites.
We will be spending 4 days here. We will have 2 free days, so we will have lots to check out.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Tok to Fairbanks.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Cheri Aug-28-12
12:12 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up at 6am, but come to find out it was only 5am. We forgot to set our clock in the bedroom back 1 hour after we crossed the border into Alaska.
It’s only 37 degrees this morning. Our park planned a special breakfast for us at 8am. All the sourdough pancakes you can eat with reindeer sausage for $6.00. Most of us were there for that.
The sun is shining and by 10am we were all ready to pull out. The roads were dry and much better today. We had gravel patches and some pot holes to go around, but we all handled that well.
The colors are beautiful. Fall is in full bloom up on the Top Of The World Highway. The Aspens have turned a beautiful yellow and sometimes orange & red mixed in. The fireweed has turned a deep red. It lines the sides of the highway.
There is lots of Black Spruce. They are odd-shaped, survivor trees that grow in the tundra, bogs and on top of permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Black Spruce never grows very tall. The mountains were beautiful. We have started to see termination dust (snow) on top of the mountains. That means winter is not far away.
We caught a glimpse of a rainbow as we were coming down off the mountain into Tok. We are staying 1 night at the Sourdough Campground in Tok.
Sourdough is the stuff of legends in the north. Old-timers wore pouches of sourdough started around their necks, or even tucked it away in their long johns, to keep it warm enough to ferment. The people here at our campground have embraced the history of sourdough and are doing their part to keep the tradition alive. The Sourdough Café is famous for its delicious breakfast—sourdough pancakes & reindeer sausage. The pancakes are made using starter that dates back to 1956.
Gay and I left the group when they pulled off for a break about 35 miles out of Tok. We pulled into the campground, got our unit backed in and waited for the rigs to arrive. Everyone was pretty dirty from the rain and dirt roads yesterday, so some pulled into wash stations to clean things up a bit and gas up before coming to the campground.
It was a long process for us to park everyone because they kept trickling in 1 or 2 at a time for about 2 ½ hours. It was real windy and the temps were still in the mid 40’s, so it got pretty cold to stand outside. We didn’t have our unit opened up yet, so we took a couple of breaks and went into the office to get warm. We were glad when everyone was settled.
We missed lunch so had an early dinner. Tonight is the “Survivors Party” for us who made it over the Top OF The World Highway. We also had a “pancake toss”. The winner got a free pancake breakfast tomorrow.
We finally called it a night. Thank goodness for electric blankets!
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Chicken to Tok.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Cheri Aug-27-12
6:34 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up at 5am and ready to pull out at 6am. We went down to the George Black Ferry that takes you across the Yukon River and got in line. It runs 24 hours a day and it is free of charge.
There were 4 units ahead of us. The ferry can only take 2 units at a time and makes a round trip in about 20 minutes. We boarded the ferry at 7:15am, went across and unloaded and were off up the Top Of The World Highway (Yukon Highway 9). The highway was built in 1955 and is closed in the winter time. The road is 95% gravel. It was raining when we left and Spike says that’s the best time to travel that road. The road will be wet down and we will not be eating each other’s dust.
We crossed the border back into the U.S. at 8am. Our destination today is Chicken, AK. It rained all the way there. The roads were a mess. They were muddy and ruff. Gay and I were out ahead of our group by about 1 hour. We were able to get our unit set up before the gang all arrived. We traveled 109 miles and the rigs were all so dirty when we arrived in Chicken.
The history of Chicken began with the discovery of gold in 1886. The historic town of Chicken was a hub of activity for the southern portion of the Fortymile Mining District. Many of the original buildings still stand including the original building “Tisha’s Schoolhouose” made famous by the book “Tisha”, which chronicles Anne Purdy’s life teaching in the town of Chicken in 1927.
As Gay was waiting for our rigs to arrive, a plane landed across the road—taxied into the campground—up to the gas pumps and filled up. Only in Alaska can you do that!
We got settled in and bused everyone up to Sue’s Café for lunch. Spike had called ahead and got chicken noodle soup and sandwiches set up for everyone. It was a damp, cool day so soup tasted good.
We all met at 4:30pm down by the gift shop for our personal tour of Tisha’s place in old Chicken. They have done a little restoration there, but have a long way to go. Most of us had read the book “Tisha” so it was neat to see the actual school she taught in. We were also taken into the road house and barn along with other buildings there on the property.
Dinner time rolled around real fast and we were busing everyone back up to Sue’s Café. Spike had put in an order of Chicken Pot Pie and biscuits for everyone. It was really good. Everyone went away very satisfied. Gay and I ordered 3 extra meals to deliver back at camp for people who could not make the dinner.
We bused everyone back to the campground and we were all ready to call it a night.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on albums: Dawson City to Chicken.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Cheri Aug-26-12
11:05 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was only 38 degrees this morning. At 10:30am we all met in a tent over by Spike’s rig for a prayer meeting. We always have such a warm feeling when we walk away from Spike’s prayer meeting. He is a true follower of God. He shares his belief with everyone.
We made plans to go back to Sourdough Joe’s Restaurant for lunch with 3 other couples. The food was delicious and we laughed lots over the funny stories everyone told. FUN-FUN-FUN.
We came back to the 5th wheel and were beginning the process of packing things up for our move tomorrow over the Top of the World Highway. I have laundry to do and Gay is working outside. He also has pictures and the blog to upload from yesterday.
We set the alarm for 1am hoping to see the Northern Lights. We turned in early and plan to be out of the park early tomorrow morning.
Cheri Aug-25-12
5:29 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We slept in until 7am this morning. About 9am we were ready to head downtown to check out the shops. Gay bought me a necklace at the Nugget. It is a circular pendent with a clear center that has specks of gold in it. It was a late birthday present. It’s so pretty!
We met Dick & Marie at the Sourdough Joe’s Restaurant for lunch. In 1896, just days before the gold strike, prospector Joe Ladue staked not only a claim, but a whole town site. Joe sold lots for only $5 in the winter of 1896, but by the next summer he was getting $8,000 for them. Dawson population grew from 25 to 5,000 in less than a year. In 2 years the population exploded to 40,000, making it the biggest western Canadian City.
At 12:45 we carpooled to Jack London’s cabin. World famous author Jack London voyaged to the Klondike Gold Fields as a 21 year old prospector. While he didn’t strike it rich, he later turned his Klondike adventures into fame and fortune with his legendary writings like Call of the Wild, White Fang, and To Build a Fire and more. London’s original cabin was relocated to Dawson City in the 1960’s from its original location on Henderson Lake. There were lots of pictures in the information center and the gal there gave us an overview of his life history. It was all so very interesting and then we all took a look at the tiny cabin he shared with two other prospectors.
At 2:30 we left for our tour of Dredge #4 on Bonanza Creek. It is the largest wooden hull, bucket-line dredge in North America. It was built in 1912 and is 2/3’s the size of a football field and is 8 stories high with a 16 cubic foot bucket capacity. The dredge could dig 48ft below water level and 17 feet above water level using hydraulic monitors and washing the banks down. The dredge moved along on a pond of its own making, digging gold bearing gravel in front, recovering the gold through the revolving screen washing plant, and then depositing the gravel out the stacker at the rear.
It is no longer in working order and has been restored as a tourist attraction. Our tour guide was really neat to listen to; she says she loves to have Spike’s groups come through. She tells Spike he hand picks some of the “greatest people”. It sure is a fascinating process.
At 4pm we were all ready to head to the gold fields for some REAL GOLD PANNING. Spike showed us all the proper way to pan. We all put on our boots, grabbed a pan and set to work. We dug up some dirt from the hillside and set our lawn chairs up in the Bonanza Creek, sat down and began to pan. Some of our gang were lucky and found some nice pieces of gold. Gay & I weren’t so lucky. If you put your glasses on and look real close you can see our little specks of gold. Oh well, it was lots of fun anyway.
At 7:30 we headed for the Downtown Hotel to their Sourdough Saloon. Gay missed his chance to have his Sourtoe Cocktail when we were here in 2008, so he wanted to be sure and get that in this trip. Roger & Gwen went with us. Gwen & I were the picture takers and Roger & Gay got in line to do the Sourtoe Cocktail. You have to order a drink and then they put a mummified real human toe in your drink and you have to let the toe touch your lips as you down your cocktail. You then become a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club and they both received a certificate stating they are following in the footsteps of Captain River Rat and have proven they are capable of almost anything! They are club members #46,879 & #46,880.
Gay and I then headed over to Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino. It is like stepping into the past at Canada’s oldest Casino. We each got $10 worth of chips and Gay quickly won $74. I, even more quickly, lost my $10. There was another couple there too—together their total winnings were $560. Some of us are real lucky.
We stayed for the gold-rush can-can show and then headed for home. It was late—good thing we can sleep in tomorrow.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on albums: Dawson City day two.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Cheri Aug-24-12
10:30 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Morning rolled around too early for me. I finally had to get up at 7:15am. Our tour group was scheduled to leave the park at 9:45am.
We met at the visitor’s center and our personal tour guide took us across the street by the Yukon River, the 3rd largest river in North America and gave us a brief history of the area.
Dawson City is in the heart of the Klondike. It is a town 8 blocks wide and 15 blocks long. It has a population of 1,500 year around residents. The streets are all dirt and there are wooden boardwalks in front of all the buildings.
We were given lots of information on different sections of town and were able to go into the historic post office, bank and Saloon. They all had beautiful woodwork and architecture.
At 12:45 we carpooled to the Robert Service cabin and had a reading of some of his poems and were told the story of his life. The gentleman that recited the poems did such a great job. We also checked out his cabin.
At 2:15pm we went to the Palace Grand Theater for the Greatest Klondike Contest. They had 5 people, dressed in costumes, telling why they should be considered the greatest person of their era. They all did a great job. The audience was to give the deciding vote as to who was to receive the best Klondike award. It was a great time.
We carpooled to the Klondike Cemetery. There were 11 different cemeteries there. Each person had to be buried in their own area. Some were so old the head stones were wooden.
We continued on up the hill to the Midnight Dome. From there you could look down in the valley at Dawson City and you could see the Yukon River for miles. They called it Midnight Dome because people used to hike up there June 21 and have a picnic under the Midnight Sun.
We were back at the 5th wheel by 4:30pm. I fixed supper and then we drove up town to check out the little shops. Gay was hoping for a hot spot for the computer. Neither Spike’s nor the parks internet is working.
We turned in early, it was another full day.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on albums: Dawson City day one.
Cheri Aug-23-12
10:28 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It rained in the wee hours of the morning. It stopped long enough for everyone to ready their units for traveling and then the misty rain started again. We slowly drove out of that bad weather and we were off, heading up the Klondike Highway.
We were driving through the permafrost area. There were plateaus and rolling hills. It was also an agricultural area. They grew potatoes. Spike says they are the white potato but have a real sweet flavor.
Our first event of the day was Spike losing a tire off of Roger’s travel trailer. It just came flying off and down into the ditch on the side of the road. Spike pulled over and they looked for the tire but it was nowhere to be found. The rest of the group continued on to our first stop at Raeburn Lodge at mile 68. The Lodge is the last stop for the mushers doing the Yukon Quest before heading on into Whitehorse. This place is famous for their giant sticky buns. Spike had called ahead and ordered one for each rig. No one could believe the size of these sticky buns. We waited here for Spike to catch up. It ended up that the lug nuts were shirred off the wheel and Roger had to turn around and go back 40 miles into Whitehorse and get a whole new hub for that wheel. Roger and Spike switched trailers that they were pulling and Roger would have to join back up with the group as soon as he could.
The second event was a tire alarm going off on one of the rigs. We hung back and helped check the tire out. Everything was ok, so we were off trying to catch up with the rest of the caravan.
The next stop was mile 179 and we finally caught up with the group just before they pulled in for lunch at mile 179. We took a 40 minute break there and were on our way.
The third event was another caravan member’s truck shredded a front tire on his truck. We pulled over with that unit; put out our orange cones and Gay & Roger set to work changing the tire. It took them ½ hour and then it was catch-up time again. We passed the tailings of the dredging that was done here along the roadside. Mining remains the #1 industry in the Yukon Territory.
We were 12 miles behind our caravan when they reached Dawson City. Spike gave them a tour of the location of the best places to buy gas if needed and then pulled up by the road to wait for us to go by and enter the campground get ready to bring everyone in. Getting everyone parked went smoothly.
Spike used our truck to give the city tour to everyone. It is such a neat little town.
Roger didn’t arrive until about 8:45pm. We don’t know how he made out with his trailer & parts. It was a long day for him.
We were late getting settled in. Gay found the energy to grill steaks on the grill and we finally sat down for dinner at about 8:30pm. We were both tired and turned in early. Tomorrow will be another busy day.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on albums: Whitehorse to Dawson City
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Cheri Aug-22-12
12:31 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were both up very early. We had a pancake breakfast planned for the caravan at the little log cabin here in the park at 9am.
We had our supplies all loaded in the truck and went down at 7:45 to set up tables and get the griddles ready.
The gang began to arrive about 8:50am and we served 32 people in no time flat. We had 10 pancakes left over at the end and we divided them between Spike and Roger.
We had the room all cleaned up and were back to the 5th wheel by 10:30am.
I washed up all the dishes and Gay did some outside work. We made one more trip to the Canadian Super Store and then checked out a few shops.
We had to check out the 3 story log cabin again. People are on a waiting list to live there! Also got pictures of the Old Log Church Museum and the immense slab of Native Copper weighing 2,590lbs before heading back to the campground.
I had a chance to get in a little nap. At 5:45 pm we had a Grilled BBQ Style Steak Dinner made just for our group at the restaurant here in our park. The steaks were grilled on their special, large grills just outside the main entrance. It was all very good.
Our guest speaker for the night was Michelle Phillips an Iditarod Musher. She presented a slide show on dogs and how she prepares for races. We and many of our group will be sponsoring Michelle in the Iditarod race this year.
It was a very fun night.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Whitehorse day three.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Cheri Aug-21-12
3:20 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Whitehorse is nestled on the banks of the Yukon River and is surrounded by mountains and lakes. It has a population of 25, 000 residents and is 3 blocks wide and used to be 8 blocks long until the Canadian Super Store and Wal-Mart arrived. Now it is about 1 mile long.
At 9:30am we carpooled along the Yukon River and to the Whitehorse Rapids. The water is a beautiful turquoise.
We stopped at the Whitehorse Fish Ladder. It is the largest wooden fish ladder in the world. The Chinook salmon run in August and we watched as they used a net to catch and bring the fish up out of the water, count male & female fish one by one, and drop them back into the water to continue their journey up the fish ladder. The fish then return to their ancestral spawning grounds. It was such an interesting operation.
We then headed up to Miles Canyon and the Suspension Bridge. A few of our group were afraid of heights and were nervous about walking across the bridge. With support from our gang, we helped them across.
You could look down at the Devils Bowl, where the water just swirled around and around. What a beautiful area.
We headed back to the campground for a lunch break.
We were off again at 1:45pm to tour the SS Klondike Sternwheeler. It is like taking a trip back in time to the golden age of sternwheeler traffic on the Yukon River. We were led on a personal tour of the ship. The men went down in the engine room and the ladies were shown the deck, dining rooms, sleeping quarter for first and second class and the wheel house.
This ship was built in 1929 and is 240 feet long. The ship traveled between Whitehorse and Dawson City. It made 14 trips in their 4 months season. In the 1950’s they stopped running it because it got too expensive to operate.
We also took in the Beringa Interpretive Center. It featured life-size exhibits of animals of the last ice age. It had a full size cast of the largest wooly mammoth ever recovered in North America. The feature exhibit is a fascinating well preserved 26,000 year old Yukon Horse—complete with partial hide.
One of the gals demonstrated how to throw the ancient hunting tool called an Atlate. We each got a chance to throw it.
Gay also got a picture of the world’s largest weather vane that was on display at the Transportation Museum. It was an airplane that turns on axes. It only needs a 3 knot wind to make it turn. Right now it is all covered in colorful quilts, for what reason we could not find out.
Everyone went back to the campground for dinner at their rigs.
Spike made an announcement on the radio regarding the carpool at 7:45pm to the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue.
The Follies is celebrating 43 years of entertaining people.
Our group sat in the front on the left side of the stage. It was a 1 ½ hr show, including the works of Robert Service and the music of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. They had dancing gals and one from our group got picked to go up on stage with the gals. It was a fun time had by all.
We didn’t get back to the 5th wheel until after 10pm and was near midnight before we got to bed. That’s a late night for us.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on albums: Whitehorse day one, S.S. Klondike Tour & Beringia Center, and Frantic Follies
Monday, August 20, 2012
Cheri Aug-20-12
11:02 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were all out of the park in Skagway by 8am. Each rig made their way back up to Carcross, on their own, where we were supposed to meet Spike at 11am. Everyone was early, so we checked out the Visitors Center, General Store, little shops and of course the bakery. When Spike arrived we had about ½ hour to continue checking things out and then it was off to Caribou Crossing for a BBQ Chicken lunch and Wildlife Gallery. We got to meet Michelle Phillips, Iditarod Musher and her dogs. She had about 40 of her dogs there and 60 more at her home. Her dogs train there in the summer. They give dog sled rides to people out through their trails in the woods. There was a number of our group that got a ride, including Gay & I.
We had to go on ahead of the group to get the campground ready for our caravan. We took time to stop at Emerald Lake to take a few pictures. It is such a beautiful lake.
It took no time at all to get everyone all settled in the campground and we were off for the city tour with Spike. He pointed out all the great places to shop and eat.
We needed to make a run for groceries, so we took three ladies from our group to the Canadian Super Store. As soon as we returned we had a quick dinner of leftovers and then a loop around our park and call it quits for the night.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Skagway to Whitehorse.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Cheri Aug-19-12
11:42 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today was our last day in Skagway. A couple from our group put on a Milk Can dinner today at 1pm. We helped get the tables set up and ready to go. The cookers were what you would use to do deep fried turkeys in. They set on stands and a propane tank was hooked to them. The cans were stuffed with corn, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions and then polish and smoked sausage were put on top so the juices from the meat would run down through the veggies. A few quarts of chicken broth were added to each can. The lids were put on and it cooked for 1 ½ hours. It was done to perfection. The group also brought salads, finger foods and desserts. Nobody went away hungry.
I went uptown with a group of gals and Gay helped Roger clean up and put away the tables. Marie dropped two of the gals at the Laundromat and she & I did a little more shopping.
Gay called the Whitehorse campground and he was able to get the site numbers for our campground so he got busy laying out the sites for everyone.
We did a walk around the campground and visited with a few of the couples and then called it a day. Everyone has to be out of this campground by 8am tomorrow morning.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Skagway day three.
Cheri Aug-18-12
12:02 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today a big part of our group took the boat to Juneau. At 8:30am I was off to the grocery store with a couple of the gals. We were picking up the ingredients for a Milk Can Dinner to be held on Sunday afternoon.
The group will be gone to Juneau for 12 hours so this is our day to dog walk. We had 7 dogs to look after, feed and walk. We have one puppy we are watching, so she required more walks than the others. We took her out for the first time at 10:30am. At 11:30am we had an early lunch and then began walking the other 6 dogs. At 1:30pm we were done with the dogs for a few hours so we headed up town to do a little more shopping.
We visited the Skagway Museum & Archives. Skagway’s most treasured artifacts, memorabilia, photographs and historical records of the past century are in the museum. They are renowned for their great collection of Alaska Native heritage collection of baskets, beadwork and carvings and for its Gold Rush collection of artifacts and tools used by the gold seekers.
We checked in with Spike when we got back and he says his cold is a little better. He went to see the doctor here and got medicine to take so hopefully in a few days he will be doing a whole lot better.
At 4:30pm we started the dog walking again. Bella, the puppy was first and then it was on to the rest of them. We got that job done again and they should be good now until their owners get home.
We were going to grill out but it is too windy so we just had some leftovers and called it good.
Seven o’clock rolled around so fast, it’s time to walk Bella again, one more time. She was real frisky and wanted to play. We walked, fed her and got her back into her cage. Our dog sitting is done.
We are both tired and ready to settle in for the night.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Skagway day two.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Cheri Aug-17-12
2:46 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Skagway marks the northernmost point of the inside passage. Its dedication to preserving its unique history means that much of the town looks the same as it did during the Gold Rush era. Turn of the century shops and saloons are still open for business. There are wooden boardwalks along in front of all the stores. It is such a neat little town.
There was only one cruise ship in today so the streets were not so busy. This made it better for the “yellow jackets”.
This was a busy day. We all met at the Historic Arctic Brotherhood Hall/Visitors Center. We were shown a movie on the Gold Rush days and a short play depicting people that came to Alaska to strike it rich. The events were taken from their journals they kept back then. It was all very interesting and informative.
By 11am we were all out wandering down Broadway St checking out all the shops.
Our city tour with Spike began at 1:30pm. He told us all the good places to eat and where to shop for the best deals. Next on our schedule was the Chilkoot Trail in Dyea. This trail was a primary access route to the Yukon gold fields during the Klondike gold Rush. Prospectors traveled the 33 mile trail from the town of Dyea to Lake Bennett. We got to climb up some of that trail.
On the way back to Skagway, we made a brief stop at the viewpoint overlooking Skagway and then we were off to the cemetery where the famous Soapy Smith, con-man and Frank Reid were buried. They shot each other in a gunfight in Skagway. Out through the back of the cemetery there was a trail that led up to Reid Falls. We were at the falls back in 2008 and wanted to climb back up there. It is such a beautiful place.
Skagway Brewing Co. was our choice for dinner. We went with Dick & Marie. We all had a bowl of soup and a burger. It was a busy place and the food was good.
We were to meet Spike at the Days of “98” Show at 6:45pm. They gave us all fake money to do a little gambling with before the show. It was lots of fun.
We took our seats and the show began. It was all about what led up to the shoot-out between Soapy Smith and Frank Reid. There were dancing girls and they pulled one of our people out of the audience for a skit. Everyone roared. What a great time.
It was raining yet when we came out of the show, but the rain didn’t ruin any of the day’s activities. Fun was had by all.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Skagway day one.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Cheri Aug-16-12
10:06 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
 |
| Cookie gathering |
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| Cookie gathering |
ahead to get the sites set up for our group. We went through customs again and gained another hour. We are now on Alaska Time, but have to give it back in four days as we will be back in Canada.
Our campground is right on the water where all the cruise ships come in. Spikes told us not to touch the boat people. We don’t want to pick up any infections that might be on the cruise ships.
We had time to get our rig all set up before everyone arrived. The rig parking went very well. Everyone was all set up in no time flat.
Spike had a short meeting with everyone and then Gay and I walked uptown to the post office for our mail. This was one of our mail drops for this trip. We got our Road McNally GPS back from repair. Hopefully it will work OK now. It was new and quit the second day out on our summer adventures.
We went into a few stores on our way back. Gay bought a Skagway Harley T-Shirt and I bought some jewelry and checked out the quilt shop.
We headed back to the 5th wheel—dropped off the mail and met 2 couples from our group down at a restaurant by the water for dinner.
The wind has started to blow and the temperature is 63 degrees.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Teslin to Skagway
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Cheri Aug-15-12
2:02 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were awake by 6am and rolled out at 6:30. Gay had turned on the furnace and the hot water heater. After we showered and had breakfast, we were ready to head into Teslin and get ready for our group to come in. As Gay was running the slides in, the dinette slide would not go in. A bolt had sheared off on one slide. Luckily he had a bolt and tools to fix it. Within 15 minutes he had it fixed. My Sweetie saved the day again and off we went.
We arrived in Teslin at 9:30am. We picked up our site #’s from the RV office and planned the layout for our group. The tour group arrived about 1pm. Everyone got settled in and was all off checking out the museums.
Gay cleaned the windshield and all the bugs of the front of the truck and I started my Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Cookie Party scheduled for tonight. I made 4 batches of cookies.
We’d planned steaks on the grill for supper with Dick & Marie Holt. They are a great couple. We laugh a lot when we’re with them.
Our cookie party started at 7pm. Just about all the tour group showed up. They showed us some of the things they bought at the Jade Store and talked about hanging their signs in the Sign Forest. It was a good time. The cookies went over great.
Spike handed out our itinery for Skagway. We leave here at 9:30am in the morning and should arrive in Skagway around 3:30 or 4pm.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Cheri Aug-14-12
7:20 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
The weather is clear this morning. Gay went to the post office to check on what time the mail plane would be in. She said to check back at 11:30am.
At 11am we had an early lunch and hooked up. The mail plane had landed but the mail hadn’t been brought up. She said she wouldn’t know if the package was in until she came back from lunch and had a chance to sort everything. Gay went over at 1pm and by 1:30 he was back with the package.
We hopped in the truck and crossed over the border into Stewart. We found the RV dump station. That job is done, “off we go”! It was 1:45pm.
I took more pictures of the beautiful waterfalls and Bear Glacier. We saw a bear in the ditch, as we came around a corner. There was no time for pictures. I was feeling bad about that, but after we got back on the Cassiar Highway, we spotted another one. He was right along the highway chomping down the flowers and grass. We were able to stop and get pictures. The bear didn’t even care we were there. He never looked at us, he just kept eating.
In 3 ½ hours we made it to mile 186. We stopped for ice cream at Tatogga Roadhouse. We found out she no longer carries ice cream. I was really looking forward to that! That was going to be our supper. Gay took time to wash the windshield and we hopped back in the truck, got a bar out for supper and we were off.
Not far up the road we hit loose gravel roads and some road side trimming. We were lucky enough to sail right through all the stopping points. At one point there was a lead car taking everyone through the construction area. We pulled up just as they were ready to go at our end. Were we ever lucky or what!
After leaving Dease Lake we stopped at Meek Lake mile 47. The water was like glass. You could see a mirror image of all the trees and mountains in the water. It was beautiful. Gay even climbed up on the 5th wheel to get a good picture.
Gay also did a little gold digging there. We got 2 pails full of dirt to sift through and see if we find any gold. That was about a half hour stop and then off we go again.
At mile 71 we pulled off at the Jade City Mine. Our group had a lunch break there. We were about 7 hours behind them. The Jade store was closed, but there were all kinds of mining artifacts, stone cutters and big Jade rocks all around. Gay got pictures of it all. They have a couple of mines they work that are close by.
We got a chance to talk to a young guy from Switzerland who works there. He and his girlfriend stopped in at the Jade Store 7 years ago and he found the whole operation fascinating. He began working there learning the trade. He is like one of their family now. He works there in the summer and goes home to Switzerland in the winter and brings lots of Jade items with him to sell.
We made it to Watson Lake around 11pm. We didn’t stop because it was too late to go into the campground, so we pushed on.
We continued up the Alaskan Highway another 72 miles to the Continental Divide. It was 12:30 when we pulled in there and put the bedroom slide out. It was time to crawl in and call it a night. It was a long day, 470 miles.
For pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Hyder to Teslin.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Cheri Aug-13-12
10:31 PM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Gay was up at 5am, but I was able to sleep in until 7am. It had already rained once and it continued off and on all day.
There was a bear wandering in the park this morning. It finally went across the road into the motel parking lot- up the outside stairway onto the second floor balcony and back down again. Wouldn’t you hate to be the person that opened his door on the second floor and came face to face to a bear!
The tour group could leave at their leisure this morning, as long as everyone was on the road by 9am. That gave them an opportunity to stop along the road and take pictures as they were pulling up out of Hyder. Spike and Roger pulled out at 9am. Everyone was to meet at mile 103, have a lunch break and then be back on the road headed for Dease Lake.
Gay & I were to stay behind until the mail come in. Spike had a package shipped here and it didn’t arrive in Saturday’s mail, so we were to pick it up. When Gay went to the post office at 9am, he found out the fog had already caused one plane turn around. He checked again at noon and at 4:45pm was finally told the mail plane was cancelled for today. If we shipped the package on to Skagway, there was a chance due to the weather, it would not make it. We will stay the night here in hopes the package will arrive tomorrow.
It was a relaxing day; we read and caught up on a few odd jobs that needed to be done. Tomorrow will be a great day!
Cheri-12-12
12:52 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up at 5am and headed up to the Bear Viewing site on Fish Creek. We spent 3 hours there and saw a wolf come into the water and catch a fish. He took it off into the woods to eat and then was back for more. Gay was able to get a number of great pictures of him. I didn’t think wolves fed on fish and the ranger said even people that have studied wolves didn’t realize that the wolves caught fish to eat.
We also saw a young eagle feeding on the Salmon in the river. We were just about to leave and the ranger stopped us to let us know a sow and her cub were in the lagoon. We watched them for quite a long time. They splashed around in the water and the cub was even running around with a stick in its mouth. It wasn’t long and they made their way over to the creek and we thought they would catch and eat fish but they just waded through the water and went off into the woods. Again Gay got some really neat pictures. We decided to head back to the 5th wheel around 9:15.
We had a small prayer meeting by Spikes rig and at 11:15 we were ready to carpool to Salmon Glacier. It is the 5th largest glacier in Canada. The roads were ruff, we did a lot of bouncing around, but finally after driving 21 miles, we arrived at the Glacier.
What an awesome site. The blue in the glacier is so pretty. The Bear Man, Keith Scott, lives up at Salmon Glacier during the summer in a small pup tent. He gave us a lecture on the glacier and on the bears. He hikes all over the area up there. He even camps out in a cave at the mouth of the glacier at times. He has written a number of books. We ended up buying his book on Costal Bears, as well as his DVD on Fish Creek & Salmon Glacier. He also pointed out the wild flowers in a meadow high on top of the mountain. Gay was able to zoom in on them and get some neat shots of all the flowers.
It was a full day. When we arrived back at the campsite, we decided tonight was the night for fish & chips at the Blue Bus. It is the best halibut we’ve ever had. We just made it before she closed. She was supposed to close at 8pm and today she was closing early at 4pm. Her fish & chips were just as we remembered it from our 2008 tour to Alaska.
We had a meeting with Spike at the SeaAlaska Bar at 6:30pm. Gay was in a little skit Spike had on patience. It went well. I think everyone is all set to move on to Dease Lake. The meeting was over in about 30 minutes and then we were off to the dump to see if we could see more bears. We sure hit the jackpot? We saw 7 bears, 2 adults, 1 young one, and 4 little cubs. It was our lucky day.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Hyder Bears & Salmon Glacier.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Cheri Aug-11-12
9:05 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
9:04 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:52 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:49 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:49 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:49 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:46 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:46 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:45 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:45 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:45 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
Cheri Aug-11-12
8:45 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We were up early and closed up our rig so we would be ready to go. At 11:30 some of our group walked up town for the parade and we drove some of them up in the van.
There were lots of booths set up with food and craft items. We ate our way around the booths and then watched the small parade.
We all headed back to the park and were ready to pull out at 2pm. Off to Hyder we go!
We took our last look at some totem poles and the old church in a small village and were on our way again.
The scenery was beautiful. The Fire Weed along the highway was so bright and colorful.
We only had 170 miles to go today. At mile 110 we left the group and went on ahead to get things set up at the campground. We passed beautiful waterfalls, coming from way up on the mountain, plunging down over the cliffs. What a site. There were a number of glaciers and we were surprised how much snow there was so close to the bottom of the mountains. The rivers were full and the current was so swift, I hate to get caught up in them.
We saw 4 bears along the road on our way into Hyder. One popped right up out of the ditch and Gay had to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. Another one walked right along in the ditch by the side of the road and I was able to get a few pictures of it. The third one we only got a glimpse of as it ran into the woods. We also spotted one a distance away in the river.
Our group was only about 20 miles behind us and that did not give us much time at all to try and plan where everyone was to be parked. We got help from Spike & Roger so in about 30 minutes everyone was set up.
Spike had a little meeting to give us the layout of the land and everyone was off to the Blue Bus for dinner. At 9pm we took a group in the van to the Bear Viewing Station and were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the water. Tomorrow we hope to see more bears.
It has been a long busy day. It’s time to turn in.
To see pictures of the day click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Pioneer Days & Hazelton to Hyder.
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