2008 TRIP NOTES. We plan to be on the road by May 11th and back by the 14th of June for Karen's Dad's 90th birthday bash. We recently received word that Kepler Park, on the Glenn Highway west of Palmer, will reopen this year, This is a unique RV/campground that offers an opportunity to fish on a chain of eight stocked lakes. Rentals.
Like everyone else, we have been searching for ways to cut mileage and save money this year. Our regular, recommended, route involves crossing the border at Sweetgrass, MT, north of Shelby. From there we go through Lethbridge to Calgary, then through Banff and Jasper NPs to Jasper, Prince George, and finally Dawson Creek. In the states we take I-94 to Montana, then 200 to Great Falls and I-15 to the border. Our mileage over this route is 1937 to Prince George and 2187 to Dawson Creek. Taking the "shortcut" by leaving the Interstate at Fargo and going through Minot and Regina to Edmonton before turning west to Jasper is 102 miles shorter, but you miss all the North Dakota and Montana badlands. From Calgary to Dawson Creek via the Icefields Parkway (Banff-Jasper-Pr. George) is 637 miles. By going "direct" via Edmonton the Calgary-Dawson Creek trip is just 104 miles shorter. For us that equates to about twenty-five bucks that we would save, in return for missing out on one of the world's great scenic drives. The Minneapolis-Fargo-Winnepeg-Calgary route is generally regarded as the shortest: 1918 miles to DC, or about 269 miles shorter than our preferred route, but remember it means a lot more driving in Canada, where gas is still a lot higher. Also, it's so boring you'll be begging someone to shoot you. These mileages are based on our trip records and Rand McNally Travel Atlas. If anyone has a better way to go, I'm sure everyone would like to know.
2007 TRIP NOTES. We gave away our fourth and final daughter on 18 August, rested and packed on the 19th, and headed west on the 20th, planning to make as fast a crossing of ND and MT as possible. These plans literally went south next day when we discovered the Enchanted Highway and spent the morning checking out the 70-foot tall metal sculptures along the 32 mile route. So we changed course and mounted an expedition up the Yellowstone in search of Pompey's Pillar, Three Forks, and Lewis and Clark Caverns. Next day we decided to take some time to see Glacier NP again as most years we're either too early or on the way home and in a hurry. Finally arrived at Prince George and got down to business. The first week of the trip we had some kind of rain every day, but after that only a few days of rain and then on days we weren't doing much.
On the Hart Highway, Salmon Valley has changed it's owner and new name is Rockin's River Resort. Log House Restaurant and RV, east of Prince George, was sold to a private party as a home site. Azouzetta lake Lodge has a new owner and lots of great improvements. Silver Sands remains closed and for sale. Aaras Campground, the little start-up west of Dawson Creek, appears closed. We have never found anyone there to talk to. This is a problem with many start-ups where the people keep their day jobs and try to run a self-registration operation.
In Dawson Creek we found Shirleys RV Park closed, as we expected, along with the tiny Honour RV parking area that was giving donations to women's causes. We heard that Tubby's has been sold, and one source said that land may be sold to a developer. Another source said 40 RV parks closed in BC last year. This may sound like a disaster, but many of the closings are due to the booming economy and oil and gas explorations. Land that once seemed good for RV parks is now part of the expanding urban area and much more valuable as a shopping center or hotel site. Of course there are many other reasons for closures, and every one has it's own story. Sometimes it's financial, but more often personal reasons like failing health or just a desire to live in a more "civilized" place or close to the grandchildren. The big Sourdough Pete's RV in Fort St. John is closed and will be a future shopping mall. Status if the nearby Arina Gardens is unknown for 2008. Fairway in Taylor has a new owner. Charlie Lake RV has added a bunch of new full service sites, but continues to fill most of his spots with oil and gas exploration workers. At Prophet River the former Prov. Park CG is no longer being run by a concession. The picnic tables are gone but outhouses are still there. Up the road, Lum 'n' Abners is closed. Steamboat at mile 351 was closed again this year, and there is still a sign leaving Fort Nelson saying next gas in 81 kilometers. Don't be fooled! Summit Lodge remains closed and will probably never reopen.
Two of the four RV parks around Muncho Lake have closed and Double G is not advertising parking as they have in the past, just motel. Muncho Lake Lodge remains closed, and J&H is for sale under the name Den's Wilderness and advertised as "private." That leaves the Northern Rockies Lodge and the two prov. camgrounds, which typically fill early on weekends with "local" anglers. Iron Creek Lodge was closed all season and we heard the new owners defaulted. This is a nice place and it's hard to believe it will be closed for long.
In the Yukon, Nugget City has a new card-reading gas bar that they're real proud of. There's a new RV park in Watson Lake at the Tag's across from the sign post forest. The posts were being relocated to make more room and signs reattached, so don't expect to find yours where you left it. We were supprised to fine MukLuk Annie's closed for season already in August. Tagish Store on the cut-off to Skagway has a new owner, as does Caribou RV at the Skagway Road junction. In Whitehorse, Mackenzie's was closed for the season and 2008 status unknown. Wal-Mart, which has been a magnet for free RV parking, has limited the space available for overnight parking. This may sound like a nice gesture on their part, but I suspect that the opening of a new, Canadian-owned discount store and resulting competition forced WM to take steps to improve their image. While in Whitehorse visit the brewery!
We departed from our normal schedule and headed north on the Klondike Hwy for Dawson. Drove 60 miles up the Dempster to see the fall colors. Further south leaves were changing, but color was more controled by altitude than latitude. A Dawson we stayed at the YTCG on west bank and finally found the steamboat graveyard by walking up the beach a quarter mile. Goldpanner, at Chicken, has a new owner and the store is being enlarged and "improved." The Top of the World route was in good shape, with some pavement breaks and fresh gravel on the Canada side. The 30 mile gravel stretch was well graded, and the pavement from Chicken to the Alaska Highway junction in good shape with the usual pavement breaks and frost heaves.
From Tok we went straight to Fairbanks to spend a couple days with my brother. Norlite RV Park is closed and housing units are being constructed on the site. Might pay to call ahead for reservations before you get to Fairbanks if you want full hookups. Did the river druise for the first time and enjoyed it, but they won't tell you ahead of time that they no longer enter the Tanana River due to channel changes. From Fairbanks we backtracked to Delta and drove the Denali Highway, stopping overnight at Tangle Lakes. New owners at Paxson Lodge, an extended family from Michigan. Butch and Carol are still at Gracious House and still wanting to sell. Went up to Nanana and were told the RV park has a new owner and will reopen next year. We were also told that the small CG across the river is open, but we didn't drive down there because of the No Tresspassing signs. Check at the Visitor Center. Very nice improvements at Tatlanika Tracing Post! Stopped at the Denali South Viewpoint for a great view of the mountain. Last year I took a photo from same spot of the panorama photo with cloud bank in background. At Talkeetna the city park is tents and day-use only. Susitna Landing has undergone a remarkable transformation with grass everywhere (except on the pads) and two new RV site loops.
Big shock in Anchorage as the fairly new Anchorage RV Park on the east side is gone. Plowed under for a shopping center. John's Motel is also closed, so RV spots in the city will be at a premium for the foreseeable future. On the Kenai Pen., we visited Hope and discovered that Eagle Rising is now called Alaska Dacha. Hadn't realized we had missed Hope last couple years. Seaview Cafe also has RV park. On the Seward Highway, Renfro's has new owners and new name: Kenai Lake Resort. Outside Seward, near Miller's landing, sign says a new RV park, Silver Derby CG & RV, will open in 2008. On the way to Homer we were surprised to see Village Barabara closed. Some sort of problem with the sewage system, we were told. At Ninilchik, the former Deep Creek Resort is now run by the American Legion Auxillary. Kasilof RV Park is also closed and for sale.
We had a perfect day in Seward and took the fjords cruise. Had already seen Belugas along Turnagain Arm on the way down. On the cruise were treated to the antics of two humpies and a pod of orcas, plus a long list of other sea and land creatures. The perfect blue-sky day, followed the following day with more typical horizontal rain and 70 mph winds around the arm. Returning to Wasilla, we took a day off to watch the Packers play, then started to head home. On the Glenn Hwy they are still working on the rerouting around Hick's Creek, and this mess will probably continue for several years. Most work is off-road, but the highway closes at night. On the way to Valdez we found that Silver Lake CG on the McCarthy Road is no longer in business, bought for a home site. Stopped at Tiekel River Lodge to meet the new owners. At Valdez the Glacier CG is now operated by the Army, but open to public. Allison Point CG, out by the oil terminal, is now called Kimberlin's CS with nice pavement due to last year's messy construction.
Close to the Tok Cutoff junction the riverfront Gulkana River RV Park is private once again. Mineral Lakes B&B seems to be closed. Couldn't find their sign. Went through Tok and bought gas on the east side at the Village, much cheaper than the other stations. Noticed the Texaco burned down. Running down the Alaska Highway we found things pretty much unchanged although more and more places were closed for the season. Construction continues on the highway along the south end of Kluane Lake, requiring a lot of blasting. And the road is pretty difficult from the lake to the border due to frost heaves, but nothing that a moderate speed won't handle. At Haines we were surprised to find Salmon Run closed, but called Ruthann and she says she'll be opened in 2008. Fred at the Iris is still mayor; Fred at the gift shop has sold his ice cream stand; and Fred at Haines Hitch-up RV is still watering his grass and running one of the best groomed parks on the trip. Watched a brown bear catching salmon in Chilkoot River. Stopped by the ferry terminal and found that we could take the Aurora to Skagway. This sailing was not listed on the published schedules because Aurora was helping take up slack caused by tow of the largest ships being laid up.
That left is the Cassiar. Mid-trip we got a scathing E-mail about road conditions, specifically on the Top of the World Route, the western Yukon, and especially the Cassiar Highway. Our experience was that the highway was in great condition, with only two short sections of gravel remaining. There were several problems earlier in the season that got blown out of proportions. One was a slumping of one lane of the road into the lake at Tatogga. This caused many rumors that were unfounded. In truth, the road was "offically" closed for 24 hours, although traffic was allowed through during this time. On the north bank of the Stikine there was another problem with road slumping, and the bank is being cut back to put the road farther from the river. Worst of all was problems caused by contractors putting in the new stretch of pavement south of the Stikine. According to one of our sources, gravel was laid down much too thick, causing equipement to bog down and have to be pulled out. This resulted in some long traffic delay. The road is great now, but I'm sure there were some very upset travelers in July. Such is the price of progress.
Meziadin Junction Services closed for the season, along with the other gas stop ten miles south. This meant no gas going south for 100 miles. To the north gas could be had at Bell ll, Tattoga Lake, Iskut, and Dease Lake, but for people traveling south from Watson Lake who plan to gas up at Meziadin, this caused some problems. The closest gas to the junction is at Stewart, 40 miles away, and they aren't always open. There were signs posted at several locations warning of the potential problem, and we hope people saw them. The MJS business is up for sale, and some people say there is an East Indian buyer.
After wrapping up business at Prince George we headed south through the Okanogon and discoverd Canada's biggest open pit copper mine. In Washington we followded the Columbia River all the way to the Mt. Hood turn-off, then went south with a stop in Oregon at the Newberry Volcanos. Spent two pleasant days in SanFrancisco with our son, then took route 50 (Loneliest Highway in America) across the Great Basin and stopped at the National Park for a remarkable cave tour. Waiting for the tour I heard someone call my name. Turned out to be my boss from the school district back home (I've been subbing for the custodians). In Colorado we picked up the Interstate and crossed the Rockies in a snow storm. Only an inch actually accumulated, but the westbound lanes were closed east of the tunnel for the morning. Stopped at Loveland and spent a perfect day in Rocky Mt. NP with my brother, then headed north with stops at Scotts Bluff to view my other brother's new property, Mount Rushmore to be disgusted by the construction of larger-than-necessary infrastructure to support the money-grabbing activities of the concession and minimize the granduer of the monument itself, and finally Wall Drug and the Badlands. That's all, folks. Maxed out all the credit cards, but were happy to see we got 18 or more mpg with the van and had no mechanical problems. Only real problem was all the end of season sales and Karen's inability to resist. Picked up a lot of neat rocks (we live in a sand county and have to import rocks) and the usual driftwood.
2006 trip notes
Posted 6-3: Black River Falls to Anchorage. Departed Sunday, 21 may. Enjoyed a leisurely (for us) couple of days exploring some Lewis and Clark and steamboat sites from Bismarck north to Fort Mandan, Fort Union and Fort Benton. Interesting history and a good route to follow (take 200 across). Very scenic in western ND. Crossed the border at Sweetgrass/Milk River and headed north. Stopped at the city CG at Nanton overnight. Nice new shower building, but stalls are really small. Tried something new at Calgary, where we're always missing the bypass signs to get to Hwy 1. An exit before the bypass we took 22 west for a beautiful foothills drive and little traffic even though it was mornng rush hour. Comes out on 1 west of Calgary. Followed the Icefields Parkway north to Jasper and then over to Prince George to start the business. Canada has had a very late spring and we were amazed to see lakes still frozen over (not just shore ice). Big lakes, like Swan lake and even Kluane! Drove through snow and snow showers from Tetsa River to Watson Lake, where they said they got 4 inches but it melted pretty fast. We woke up in Whitehorse to 32 degrees. Very little greening of trees and grass in Yukon, and because there was little snow over the winter the frost is deep. Some places we always stop at hadn't opened yet, but probably have by this writing. Steamboat at mile 351 is closed again, so disregard that sign leaving Fort Nelson saying next services 81 km. Mukluk Annie's, another favorite stop, was closed and most of the "free" parking area had been cleared out and leveled with gravel. Status uncertain. YT campground next door was open.
Construction: Encountered no construction on Alaska Highway to Whitehorse and on roads into Skagway and out of Haines. The fast ferry is down for repairs at least until the end of June. Some new stones east of Haines Junction, and the folks at Otter Falls said that there's some bridge work further east towards Whitehorse. We heard secondhand reports that people going back already had complaints about the Top of the World Route. Da! the sealcoat is squishy in the early spring and the gravel probably still needs some grader work. Don't go that way in May! Work along Kluane Lake was mostly just new stones and flag girl said would be done by end of month and move down to do some minor work on the Haines Highway. Frost heaves from Klunae to border continue to grow and word is they are going to give up and pavement and return to gravel on some of that stretch. PLEASE regard the speed limits on gravel or fresh stones. Your rig is a stone-throwing machine! Lots of construction on the Tok cutoff from Tok to Glennallen. In some cases it may be doing permanent repairs to areas affected by the last earthquake. Don't let the construction keep you from taking this great route. We expected road work around Hick's Creek but it looks like it's all off-road and down the hill. Some construction between Palmer and Parks junction near the Fairgrounds. In Anchorage there's work on Dimond west of the mall with lane closings.
Gas: I won't put down what we paid in the states because I'm sure it's changed by now. Likewise in Canada prices change with every tanker load, so don't expect to find exactly what we did. Paid $1.06 at Lake Louise, $1.14 at Prince George, $1.12 at Dawson Creek, $1.24 at Fort Nelson and $1.119 at Watson Lake. Whitehorse town price was $1.11 and up. Locals say cheapest is at the Kopper Keg FASGAS a mileor so west of the north access road on the Alaska Hwy. All above prices are $CN per liter. With the exchange rate continuing to fall they're all +- $4US per US gal. Two places that have always tried to keep their prices low, Rocky Mt. Lodge and Rancheria, were still closed when we passed by. We can get from Watson Lake to Skagway on a tank, and fuel up at Haines $3.336 cheapest at 24-hour cardlock a couple blocks east from the food mart. Filling at Haines gets us to border where, yes, the price is at or below Tok price. Shop around in Haines; prices vary by ten cents or more. Border gas got us to Valdez, where I put in just enough to get us to Anchorage at $3.339. Not much competition in Valdez. Always avoid having to buy gas at Glennallen! In Anchorage we went down to the Shell across from Dimond Mall, where it was cheapest last year. It was lower than most, but just a block up the side road we filled for $2.85! Only one of the pumps was working when we were there, so they may have been running out. We'll check again later. Most Anchorage gas about $2.96.
Monday we're off to the Kenai for a couple days.
Posted 6-10 Only construction we ran into on the Kenai was starting about six miles north of Seward continuing into downtown. Weather was cool and windy. Stayed at the Seward City CG on the waterfront. Bought enought gas at Soldotna to get back to Anchorage at $3.33/gal. On the way down we went to Whittier and took the Gladstone Glacier cruise. I won the candy bar for guessing the source of the names of the glaciers in the fjord. (Hint: Where do we live?). Tunnel toll was $12 for our van, round trip. The tunnel opens going in on the half hour for 15 minutes, and outbound on the hour for 15. After 6 you will become a POW (Prisoner of Whittier). Construction in Anchorage on Dimond west of the mall. Lane closings. After a couple days in Anchorage we headed north. Gassed up at the Chevron on Old Seward near Dimond again for $2.859. Went north up the Parks and stayed over at the Denali South Viewpoint, which used to be day-use only but now $10 overnight with host. Guess they got tired of chasing people out. Didn't see the mountain. Construction and lane closings in Wasilla add to normal congestion. Added ad for new RV park at mile 48.2. Nancy Lake Resort campground is closed (resort open). Building condos. Went to Denali NP and viewed the new visitor center opened last year. The former VC is now just a bus station. Bus trip to Wonder Lake is $33.50 this year, and don't forget the $10 park fee ($20/family). Have seen lots of moose with calves, often twins. Very little traffic. Some construction between Broad Pass and park entrance; pavement breaks and railroad crossing work. Denali Highway was in pretty good shape. Still very windy. As we recommend we drove it on a Friday. Stopped to catch up with Butch and Carol at Gracious House. After 49 years they're ready to sell, for the right price. Stopped at Tangle Lakes CG. New toilets. Friday on to Fairbanks through Isabel Pass. Lots of high wind and dust. Saw buffalo on the Delta flats north of Black Rapids Glacier. A fire has been in the news south of Delta but we didn't see it. Winds will probably kick it up. Major fire threatening Nenana. See home page for links to fire info. Noted a new RV park at mile 315, Richardson, and will stop there Monday. Will spend Sunday in Fairbanks and start for home Monday via Dawson City and Cassiar Highway. And, of course, the little side trip to San Francisco!
Update on Muckluck Annie's: A web site user E-mailed us from Denali with news he had talked to the owner on the way up and was told they were switching from free dry sites to all pay hookups. We'll be passing there in a few days and will try to verify.
Departed Fairbanks and got to Dawson City in time for the second show at Gertie's. Fire reported around Delta, and we drove through lots of smoke, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Shopped around for gas in Tok and found the cheapest at the Village on east side. Found the 30 miles of gravel on the Top of the World Hwy to be in good condition, recently graded with few problems. On the Canada side the clay was still oozing up through the seal coat in spots, a typical spring problem. Hitting these soft spots at high speed can be dangerous. Near Moose Creek on the north Klondike Highway we had a near-moose. Driving south we had been remarking on how the trees and brush were being cut back from the road and placed in piles. Since this is a very good road we speculated that there must be a moose problem. Sure enough, as soon as we got to an uncut stretch a big bull charged in from the left at full speed, angling onto the road ahead of me. As I hit my brakes he hit his, did a clockwise 270, and ended up just across the centerline, running along side the van as I continued to brake. I remember looking out my window and seeing a belly going by. As I slowed he ran down the road for awhile and then off into the woods. We had to stop and regain our composure. All this happened in just a few seconds.
After a shower and gas stop in Whitehorse we continued on to Teslin Lake YTCG for the night. Found cheapest gas at the GasBar on north second, $1.119. Coming up we had stopped at Teslin Lake and walked the beach. Karen found a beautiful piece of driftwood, but too large to haul around for weeks so we secreted it in the alders. Of course when we returned those alders were several hundred feet out in the lake and there was no beach to walk. A cold spring followed by sudden extreme heat cause a fast melt that overwhelmed most drainage systems and we encountered high water all the way back through YT and BC. Talked to Mukluk Annie's owner. They plan to start charging $10/night to park, more for hookups. Cost of operating is just to high to continue with free parking.
Update 9-19-06 An E-mail from Annie's says they will still have free camping, dump station, and water in 2007, along with pay hookups, salmon bake, boat ride.
Gassed up at Rancheria. Art has always tried to keep his price at Whitehorse price, and we paid $1.199, same as high end in town. A tankfull at Rancheria gets us all the way to Meziadin Junction. On the Cassiar we found the Biebers at Dease River Crossing watching the river rise. A small creek running through the campground was eating away its bank and threating a culvert. Hope they made out OK. Cassiar was in good shape with no construction and good gravel. The usual pot holes along the curvey northern 75 miles. Nass River bridge south of Meziadin Jct. was closed 8 hours a day for plank replacement, a problem that should have ended by 24 June.
Driving about ten miles south of Cranberry at dusk we were treated with a rare glimpse of a reddish orange black bear with two pure white little cubs. Of couse we didn't get the camera up in time for a good shot, although they hung around in the brush for awhile and one club went up and down a spruce tree. This spot was about 13.5 miles north of the rest area and was marked with an orange ribbon on a willow branch. We stopped at the RA and went back in a.m. but no luck. Continued on to Lava Beds PP via the Forest Service Road, Good gravel, with little washboarding. Paving going on to Nass Camp, and they say that the whole road to the Cassiar will be paved soon. This will make it easy to access the unique lava beds, and allow locals a way out if the volcano goes up again!
Stopped to visit RV parks in Terrace and went west as far as the new Kasiks Wilderness Resort, west of the Exchamsiks PP. Stayed over at Kleanza Creek, then stopped at Tyhee Lake PP east of Smithers for a showers. This a a rare northern PP with a shower because of swimmer's itch. One big change in gas pricing this year was that there was very little difference in price from south to north. Our last Canada gas cost $1.129, a penny more that we paid at Whitehorse. We used to be able to count on saving some money on cheaper gas south of the Yellowhead. Exited Canada via the Okanagan, where a late spring had slowed cherry crop and only a few varieties were ready. Very windy. Turned west at Okanogan, WA and drove the northern Cascades route all the way to ocean, then I-5 to Seattle and across the Cascades again to Yakima. From there south and west again through the Columbia River gorge back to Oregon coast. Followed coast to redwoods and were disappointed to find that the beach parking area south of the NP is day use only now. Stayed on 101 and stopped late at a state CG in the Humbolt Redwoods. Next day on to a weekend in San Francisco with our son. Happy to see that gas was "only" $3.05 in SF! Headed east via Reno, Salt Lake, Arches NP, Denver, Omaha, arriving home late on Thursday the 29th.
Left Wisconsin at 3:40 am Sunday, May 21st. Crossed border at Sweetgrass at 9 am Monday. This was a Canada holiday, but we beat the rush of people returning home. Took the Crowsnest Pass again this year, and are more convinced than ever that this is much better than fighting the Calgary traffic. The north had a very mild and early spring, so we found that flowers were blooming the same or even ahead of ours. Didn't see as much wildlife as before, but the grizzlies were on the road south of Million Dollar Falls (Haines Highway) as usual, and we saw a group of buffalo near Coal River, Alaska Highway.
Price of gas from home to border was cheaper than last year! Found gas high in southern Canada. We usually see a big difference between, say, Lethbridge and Whitehorse. Gassed up at Lake Louise for $0.945/L; paid $0.979 at Prince George. As usual, Dawson Creek was cheapest due to close Alberta border: $0.924. From Fort Nelson to Watson Lake the town price was $1.039. We saw a couple places in between at $.99 and some in the teens. Prices along the highway change with every shipment, so we don't want anyone to think they can go to a specific place and get the price we quote. Town price in Whitehorse was $.99 and only about two cents higher at Beaver Creek. We paid $2.799 at Haines at the NAPA leaving town. Other stations were ten cents higher. Always shop around. In Tok we paid $2.349 but saw it for $2.489. Glennallen price was $2.619 and Valdez $2.649. Price fell closer to Anchorage: $2.299 at Talkeetna and $2.239 in Wasilla. Anchorage price ranges from $2.169 to $2.219 (but see below). The familiar green Williams stations have been replaced with red-white-blue Holiday. The two stations at the Lake Otis Parkway/Tudor Road intersections are closed. We always went there for cheapest gas. This is being written from Anchorage. We will continue on to the Kenai Peninsula on Sunday (12th) and probably head north towards Denali on Friday (17th). Kings and reds are in on the Gulkana, Gakona, Copper, and Klutina. Kings are being caught in Ship Creek (Anchorage). Derby leader is 43 pounds. Run just starting in Susitna tributaries north of Wasilla.
Construction: Besides driving through construction areas described below we passed several places where camps had been set up for workers, so other projects have probably started since we passed through. There are many more camps for oil and gas exploration workers this year, and travelers will find that some RV parks have only a few spaces saved for highway business. Many of these business would not survive without the occassional windfall of a season-long camp. There was some construction along the Alaska Highway passing through Fort St. John. The next area was east of Toad River (mile 422). Construction west of the Hot Springs was not as bad as we expected from traveler's stories. A good lesson for anyone traveling these roads: Most fellow travelers have no frame of reference and what seems terrible to some may well be the best the road has ever been. There is some construction east of Haines Junction, and, as we expected, along Kluane Lake near Cottonwoods RV Park. Otherwise the western Yukon and Alaska were easy going to Tok. The pavement breaks that were in place from earthquake damage have been paved over. That said, we saw two class As with broken springs. There is a seven mile stretch of road work in the Slana area of the Tok Cutoff. No construction on the Glenn Highway, but Hick's Creek is closed and bought by the state to put the new highway through. The Glenn is the most improved road in the state, and mostly very good. There is not a problem with falling rocks as some have reported. Last construction area we passed through was "downown" Wasilla. We're off to the Kenai Sunday (12th) and have heard there is some construction along Turnagain Arm again this year.
Closures: Hart Highway: Silver Sands. Alaska Highway: Summit mile 392; Liard River Lodge mile 496; Green Valley Watson Lake; Morely River Lodge mile 778. Mat-Su Valley: Rivers Edge, Sutton; Kepler Park; Best View; Grey's Creek (Willow).
New: Gulkana River RV park, 2 miles north of Tok Cutoff/Richardson Hwy Junction (They have 1/4 mile river frontage for fishing).; Slide Mountain Cabins and RV, mile 135 Glenn Highway; Alaska Trails RV and Camper Park due to open later in summer (mile 48 Parks Hwy); Big Bear RV Park: Take exit for Visitor Center at mile 36 Parks Highway, turn left, then right. They are using the buildings from Best View, which is now a parking lot for the new hospital.
We rode the White Pass RR at Skagway for the first time this trip. Other years either the train was full because of cruise ships or our ferry reservation was at the wrong time. We thought it was well worth the price. We had decided to either ride the train or fly to Glacier Bay this year. Next day was perfectly clear with no breeze and we flew anyway. That was the most awesome thing we have ever seen! Best part was looking down at the tiny cruise ship parked in front of a glacier knowing that they didn't have a clue as to what was surrounding them. We recommend that everyone take this flight. Photos will be posted as soon as we can scan.
In Anchorage we toured the Native Heritage Center off Mulldoon. Very nice. Stocked up at our favorite shopping spot; Elmendorf AFB (if eligible, for visitor gate take Boniface Parkway). If you haven't done so yet, get a Carr's/Safeway card to save some money on groceries.
Kenai Update 6-16-05 Had a pleasant trip to Seward and Homer. Leaving Anchorage we bought gas at the Shell station across from Dimond Mall $2.139, cheapest we have seen. On the Kenai most people should be able to get from Anchorage to Seward, then back to the junction and down to Soldotna on one tank of gas. Gas is cheapest at Soldotna. We paid $2.339 at Fred Meyer and the Holiday. We saw it for as much as $2.499 down the street. The station just east of town that advertises $2.209 is long closed, so don't drive in. Fill up at Soldotna. Your round trip from there to Homer is about 160 miles, plus any driving around. Once back at Soldotna just get enough gas to get back to Anchorage, about 150 miles. Today we went to the same Shell station and paid $2.119!
Reds are making their way into the rivers and kings are still in the channel. We also saw lots of halibut brought in from charters, but no really big ones. The weather has been perfect! We went over to Halibut Cove on the water taxi for a day of walking around the boardwalks and looking at art. Had a very nice visit with Diana Tillion, the lady that paints with octopus ink. The boat trip includes a circle around the rookeries at Gull Rock.
The only construction we ran into was at the Soldotna Bridge. The Anchorage paper said there would be construction along Turnagain Arm near Bird Creek, but we didn't see any. Be sure to avoid traveling down on a Friday evening or back on a Sunday night because once fishing picks up the traffic will become horrendous. Take all of your photos along Turnagain Arm southbound so you don't have to cross over traffic.
At Seward, Gropp's Glacier View RV and Fjiords RV Park are closed. We went to Exit Glacier but couldn't get very close due to high water. New RV park on the road to Portage Glacier (Portage Valley RV and Cabins). Also new are Heritage RV Park on Homer Spit, and Klondike RV on Funny River Road, Soldotna. We have also added Reel' 'em Inn Cook Inlet Charters on Oilwell Road, Ninilchik. Short Stop, north of Anchor Point, has new owners and a new name: The Beehive. The next place north, Eagle Crest RV, is no longer open as an RV park. Creekside Inn at Ninilchik doesn't have an RV park this year and probably won't in the future due to proximity of Deep Creek.
Sometimes our advertisers let us park free, and we really appreciate that. But the other day the folks at Beachcomber in Ninilchik let us have a room! What a treat, after a few weeks in the van. If you stop at Beachcomber (the only RV park on the beach) tell Phil thanks again for us!
One more night in Anchorage and we'll head north for Denail, Denali Highway, Paxson, Delta, Fairbanks and Deadhorse. Still not much RV traffic up here so if you're in the lower '48 thinking about it, stop thinking and come on up!
Ferry update: The new fast ferry that has been doing sea trials at Juneau will be late starting it's prince Williams Sound runs due to labor disputes. Then, in September, the state plans to send it down to Juneau for the rest of the winter, breaking a promise to Valdez, Whittier, and Cordova. Those towns really need the fast catamaran to bring in more tourism.
Left Anchorage and head north on the parks Highway. Mt. McKinley was as clear as we can remember driving up, but of course some clouds started to form around it by noon. Bought gas at the Denali Highway junction (Cantwell) for $2.549. New owners this year at Cantwell RV Park. Carlo Creek Lodge says they plan to go to all tenting next season, but will probably set aside a couple RV spots. Drove north past Healy to McKinley RV Park, then headed south again. Crossed the Denali Highway to Tangle Lakes in record time. The gravel was in excellent condition. Perhaps the secret is that the men who run the graders work 4 day weeks, so by Thursday night everything it's at its best. We drove it on a Friday. Also, we set out later in day and met very little traffic; only one bus I remember. Stopped at Tangle lakes for night, then on to Fairbanks in morming. Gas in Fairbanks was $2.239 most places. We visited the Ice Museum downtown, and enjoyed a chat with some Oregon travelers while feasting on the special lunch at the Salmon Bake. We remember when they had the same deal every afternoon for nine bucks. This was $12. The evening bake is now $28! The Oregon people had decided not to drive the Cassiar on the way home based on what some people who had drove it up said. We talked some sense into them! Don't miss the Cassiar, no matter what you hear. We're off to Deadhorse tomorrow (Tuesday). Would have gone today, but it rained hard all day yesterday and today. Temperature at Deadhorse today was 36 with freezing fog.
Arrived back in Fairbanks at 5 pm today (Wednesday) after our two day "Fire and Ice" tour to Prudhoe Bay. We had allowed three days for the trip, but since it rained on Monday we were left with two; 14 hours up on Tuesday, 13 back on Wednesday. Bought gas at Coldfoot, as everyone must, and paid $3.29/gal! In Prudhoe Bay was "just" $2.839. On return I bought just enought to get back to Fairbanks. If I had though of that on way up I would have save about thirty bucks! Now you know.
The distance from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay is about 500 miles exactly. Don't expect your trip meter to bear that out. Because of the gravel ours was off by about 25 miles just on the return. The first 83 miles are easy going on the Steese and Elliott Highways. Good blacktop. At mile 73 of the Elliott you go onto gravel. From there to the Yukon the road alternates between grey, small-stone gravel prone to washbaording and hard packed brown with small pot holes. The grey is very dusty and the brown is watered down. This is a very hilly and curvey section of the trip. At mile 19 there is a short strech of beautiful pavement that is like a parkway. Must be sort of a test strip. After five miles the reality of gravel sets back in. After crossing the Yukon the surface is still gravel for thirty miles, then pavement. The pavement starts out pretty good, so the southern section must be newer. Gradually it turns into the worst part of the trip, with 35mph being about tops. The pavement is littered with holes, crumbled pavement, frost heaves, and pavement breaks. What a relief, at Colodfoot, to see gravel again. This gravel is pretty good all the way up and over the pass, but very dusty and always a chip threat (we got 2). Around Pump Station Three the large stone gravel starts. This stuff doesn't have washboard or holes, but is a constant grind. At 100 miles from the end the good, hard, brown gravel starts again, then some really nice pavement. The final stretch is smooth gravel with loose stones in ridges. For the last 10 miles watch out for caribou crossing the road. We saw about 40.
On the way up we saw multiple plumes of smoke starting around the Gobbler Knob overlook and continuing almost to Coldfoot. Over night the fire doubled from 27,000 to 50,000 acres, and a very stiff north wind was driving it. We drove through thick smoke for 50 miles and stopped to take pictures of trees burning not 100 yards away. That was the fire part. The ice was when we woke up 4 am Wednesday morning with wind rocking the van and a blizzard raging. Because of the wind there was little accumulation, but it sure was cold. Heading south towards the mountains we entered an area where the morning fog had coated all of the tundra with a layer of ice. By the time we reached the mountains the sun was out and we were shedding layers as fast as we could. All in all a pleasant trip but not too scenic south of the pass. Besides the caribou we saw a big black bear and three fox kits roadside. This is my last update until we reach the lower 48. Tomorrow we're off to Tok and Dawson.
Here's something new to us. Before leaving Fairbanks we checked our bank balance and found a $400 debit we had no knowledge of. E-mailed our bank and called the next day. Found out that the machine in Deadhorse that activates the gas pump after hours assumes that you are a semi driver and debits your account for $400 to be sure there is enough credit for the fill-up. After a day or two the debit is cancelled and replaced with the actual amount pumped. I suppose if you don't have $400 in the bank the pump won't be turned on and you'll have to wait until morning to see a human or pay $20 for a call out.
Road from Fairbanks to Tok was in normal driving condition, meaning there are some frost heaves and pavement breaks but mostly good black top. Dot Lake no longer offers camping or restaurant and has gas and post office only. In Tok we found gas had gone down a couple cents, but the buzz was that prices would be going up again. From Teslin Junction to Chicken we got a look at the terrible fire we went through last year. Everything is chared almost to the junction except around Mt. Fairplay and Chicken. Fireweed hasn't had time to move in yet, and there is a layer of haze because parts are still smoldering. Seal coat on the Canada side was in very good condition nearest the border but many stretches of loose gravel closer to Dawson. We got to Dawson around 10 pm and took in two shows at Gertie's. Best we've seen, although we do miss the fat lady. Lots of new construction in Dawson.
On the Klondike Highway there is a detour near the Tintina Rest Area. Otherwise normal conditions with some pavement breaks and pot holes. Got a cinnamon bun from Steve at Braeburn's. Gas in Whitehorse had gone up to $1.049 but both Continental Divide and Rancheria were still at $0.99 and hoping to stay there rest of summer. There were two bridges being repaired near Big Creek and we had to wait a while while a truck hauling a house inched through the one open lane.
At the Cassiar Junction gas was $1.069, but we had wisely filled up at Rancheria. Topped off at Dease Lake ($1.109) to get to Meziadin Junction ($1.019). Cassiar was in normal driving condition. In general, the Cassiar paved stretches (except for the extreme north) are some of the best pavement in the north, and the gravel is usually some of the best too. Exceptions are during extreme wet weather. We heard bad things about the stretch from Bob Quinn to Bell II and expected the worst, but there were just a lot of pot holes. It looked like the north-bound lane was in worse shape. They aren't fixing the holes because construction will start mid-July to pave over with black top, making this stretch as good as from Bell II to the south junction. Expect some delays, but don't let a little road work affect your Cassiar plans.
Gas prices on the Yellowhead were in the mid to upper nineties, and $0.989 at Lake Louise, where we paid $0.949 on way up. We decided to postpone our San Francisco trip and head for home from Calgary. Went straight out Hwy 16, which is an excellent 4-lane road. Wanted to stop at the Dinosaur Park, but was closed due to flooding. Our direct route (52) from border to Minot was also closed due to high water. Paid $2.119 for gas in Minot and $2.119 at St. Cloud. On way up we paid $1.85 in ND and $1.89 in MN.
Most memorable part of this trip was the damage to trees caused by spruce bark beetle and leaf miner. The former has long since killed most trees on the Kenai and elsewhere in Alaska, but has now spread all the way to the Yellowhead area, with Vanderhoof expecially hard hit. The leaf miner attacks aspens and birch, affecting every leaf of every tree and turning whole forests silver. We saw infected trees all the way from Southcentral to the Brooks Range, and through the Yukon and BC down to Dease Lake on the Cassiar. I don't know if the trees survive this pest. I hope that they can struggle through until winter and get a fresh start in the spring. We did see dead aspens along the road, but not a lot. Covered about 12,000 miles in five weeks. Karen has added up the fuel cost, but I'm in denial and won't look.