Prince Rupert Ferry

June 8, 2011

We had a beautiful and scenic drive to Prince Rupert arriving here around noon today.  I’ll try to post some pictures of the mountains along the way.  We didn’t see a lot of wildlife on the way – one black bear, several deer, pair of loon last night, yellow rumped warbler and common yellow throated warbler.  In addition, of course some of the common birds – robin, crow, raven, etc.  last night we were especially grateful for our screened in porch.  The mosquitoes were so thick we had to zip the door open  and shut as quick as we could get in or out.  We sat in there to read a bit and also ate supper and b’fast in there.

Some pics of the ride to Prince Rupert:

Shot out of the truck window.

Prince Rupert Campsite

At Seely Lake Provincial Park, BC

Snow covered peaks West of our campsite at Seely Lake

Along the Stikine River, BC on way to Prince Rupert

So here we are – ready for the first ferry tomorrow which will take us into Alaska to Ketchikan.  We went to the ferry terminal and got our tickets and learned that we have to be there at 3:30 AM!!!!  Yuck.  We thought it was 4:30.  We glad that we went there because I don’t know how we would have received our tickets otherwise.

So, the next post will be from somewhere in Alaska.  It took us 3,450 miles to get this far :).

Going North

June 2

On the way across Washington we stopped at the Columbia River on the west side to visit the Gingko Petrified forest visitor center.  The winds were horrendous and so we didn’t do much outside, but inside we were able to learn about the various lava flows and how the wood was petrified millions of years ago.  Most of the way we had very high winds buffeting the camper and truck – poor mileage I’m sure.

We arrived at Ken and Krista’s house around 4 pm after taking some time to get permission to get on base.  That evening, after a WONDERFUL Chicken Marsala dinner Ken and I went to Cabela’s where I was able to get my fishing license for one day.

 June 3

Ken, Nate and I got up at 3:30 AM for the 2 hour drive down to the Columbia River where Ken had hired a guide to take us fishing for Steelhead.  We had our first sunny, warm day and it was gorgeous on the river.  We did not catch any fish, but in some way it didn’t matter.  We watched an Osprey attack an Eagle that got too close to a nest site, we saw several Great Blue Heron’s lots of Cormorants, and many different ducks.  The river was calm and the sky and cliffs beautiful.

It was a great time to get to know Nate better and to talk with Ken.  The guide, Mike, was a nice guy, a little overbearing at times, but we still liked him.  We got back to the house around 6 or so after being on the water for around 9 hours.

Marty had a relaxing day – she did some laundry, shopped for necessary groceries for our trip, read and walked around the base with Krista and Abbey. 

June 4, 2011

After sleeping till nearly 7AM we had our coffee, watched Nate play some warfare game, then went out for bfast with the Kamper Team.  We left the restaurant around 11, fueled up and headed North.  We are on the way to Abbotsford, BC to visit Korea friends, Sid and Jenny Byma.  We arrived there around 3 pm after an uneventful ride.  However, once past Seattle traffic the scenery turned spectacular!  We could see snow covered Olympic Penn. Mountains which eluded us back in ’76 when we drove to Hurricane Ridge and camped in the Hoh Rain Forest.  At that time we were not at all sure these mtns existed since there was so much fog that we could barely see the car ahead of us.

Last night we took a bit of a tour of the Abbotsford area – saw Mt. Baker in all of its splendor, crossed the Frasier River and was amply fed by Jenny…., the dinner was great and the strawberry shortcake very tasty. 

June 5, 2011

Went to church this morning and heard my friend Nathan Elgersma preach – encouraging sermon and challenging.  Then Sid and Jenny invited him over for lunch since Ardie (his wife) was gone for the weekend.  We talked for about 2 hours and then he and we needed to get going.  We left S and J at about 2:15 and drove to the town of Hope, and then North toward Prince George.  Tonight we stayed in a Provincial Park in the Thompson River Canyon after driving along the Frasier River most of the afternoon.  The park is beautiful – Skihist Prov. Park.  There is no electricity, but the beauty and the quiet make up for it.

Today was sunny and warm – we had gorgeous views of the mountains with slightly cooling temperature this evening.  With such awesome views today, I wonder if AK will be more of the same, or if we’re in for more beauty still??  How much beauty can we really take in without becoming numb to it?  If we lived in this area, would we eventually hardly notice the snow covered peaks and the contrasting green pines, spruces and cedars?

For the first time on our trip we had a campfire!  It is looking more and more like rain tomorrow, but it would sure be nice to have a few more days like this! 

Columbia River in background with Gingko Petrified forest in foreground.

Tacoma

6/1/11

Left Yellowstone area about 7 AM and drove to Coeur d’ Alene, snow covered mountains with sun peeking through occasionally.  We ate lunch at a rest area with prairie dogs scurrying around their holes right nearby.

6/2/11

Left camp at 7 and drove into WA to the little town Tokio, WA where we gassed up and ate b’fast.  While today will end the first leg of our journey, we have talked about the immensity of the wide open spaces across many of the states.  So much food is being produced – from corn and beans to beef and pork.  Here is Eastern WA we again see cattle farms….hundreds of acres of rolling shrub and grass covered hills with cattle seen every few miles.  Traveling across this land our hearts swell with gratitude to God for such blessings. 

Then there is the sheer beauty of so much of America….stunning at times.  And we have more to come!  At this point it appears that we’ll get to Ken and Krista sometime mid-afternoon today.  Ken has hired a fishing guide for tomorrow and he and I and Nate plan to go fishing.  Should be an eventful day!   Marty wants to do some food shopping as well as our laundry.

Arrived by Ken and Krista at Ft. Lewis just South of Tacoma about 3 pm.  Got my fishing license for tomorrow and then Ken, Nate and I are going fishing with a guide on the Columbia River!

Idaho where we stayed at Beauty Creek NFS campground.  All day we drove through and around beautiful

May 30 and 31

5/29/2011

Today we drove about 400 miles whereas yesterday we went 501.  We’re camping tonight in the Badlands, but it’s very windy and chilly.  We ate in our small camper and also cooked our hamburgers inside tonight because of the wind.  Today we had a rather strong east wind which no doubt pushed us along and gave us better fuel mileage.  Before today we were getting 15 mpg.  I am still hoping for some days of 16 mpg so that our average ends up being closer to 15.

Even though it was drizzling a bit before supper, we took a short walk to a couple spots that had boardwalks.  The trails are really muddy and not great for walking.  Right now our plan is to take the “loop” drive toward the town of Wall (where the drug store is) and camp somewhere West of here.  We have four days to get to Tacoma so we can take our time.

Time for another round of Rummy Cube – yep, I beat last night.

5/30/11

Woke up around 7 AM, left Badlands in the rain and fog and cold temps.  We drove to Custer State Park and made reservations for camping one night here.  When J and J were little we used to hike and they would occasionally cry out, “mud alert” – but after driving the Wildlife loop of the park, we now have “ass alert” as there have been 20-30 burros standing in the road begging for food.  Julie and Jackie will well remember them because one of them stuck his nose in the window of our car a few years ago.  Today we’ve seen a lot of Buffalo, Prong Horn Antelope, Mule Deer and earlier lots of Prairie Dogs. 

In many of these parks these animals roam freely and since we’re here relatively early in the season they are often very close to the road.  Presently the sky is clearing and clear warm weather is predicted for tomorrow.  Tonight we’re camping at the Sylvan Lake campground in Custer St. Pk.

On the way to Sylvan State Park, we passed through two tunnels  - one so narrow we pulled in the side mirrors and I had Marty watching out the window to make sure we didn’t scrape the camper on the side.  Another tunnel was low and Marty got out of the truck to make sure we had enough room between the AC and the top of the tunnel.  We’ll post some pics.

This is the one - yep, we fit through.

 Here's a shot of some of the scenery around the Sylvan Lake Campsite where we stayed.

Today, the 31st we drove about 500 miles and are staying in a campground North of Yellowstone (where we hear they had 16 in of snow last night).  It's a great spot.  We believe we have about 750 miles to go yet before we're at Ken and Krista's house.  Anxious to see them.  BTW, the Yellowstone River is right behind our campsite.

Will post more later.

Day One - Flying Goose Campground. Fairmont, MN

5/28/2011

We left the house at 5 AM after being awakened by the neighbor’s dog yipping.  Drove 170 miles to Davenport, IA for b’fast at a Cracker Barrel.  Tonight we plan to stay in a private campground in Fairmont, MN.  It’s a gray cloudy day with brief periods of sun.

Total drive today was 510 miles - arrived here mid-afternoon, had our wine and cheese, took a walk, and will now start supper.

 On side of truck window - Marty's handiwork.

 Jam packed.

First campsite - really nice place, cool breeze, sunny afternoon and evening.  Will talk later....to the Badlands tomorrow.

One more week

A week from today we'll be somewhere in MN - we hope.  However, one little glitch, which had we not caught it now, could have cost us time and probably a lot more money.  I discovered an electrical problem with the camper and had it all traced out by a mechanic we use.  Grateful to have it fixed at home, it was still a bummer to learn that the bill was well over $300!  Oh well...

Will be talking with you later!

Getting close now

Planning done.  Getting close - 3 weeks to go.  Doing trial run with truck camper next week for weekend with friends.  Excited and READY!