View Single Post
  #2  
Old 05-05-2010, 07:07 PM
Ayatollahgondola's Avatar
Ayatollahgondola Ayatollahgondola is offline
SOS Associate
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,057
Default

June 24th

Morning brings a bit of edginess among the lot of us due largely in part to the lack of sleep. We are up at 6:00 a.m. and after a midnight bedtime it is decided we will attend the morning breakfast at the campground cafe. Once again, the menu is simple. But the place is clean and the staff quite helpful. We ingest 3 full cups of strong coffee with real cream. The butter for the pancakes and toast is true, artery hardening, fat saturated dairy product from real Canadian cows. None of the condiments are imitation or facsimile, and that is right up my address. A sign of a good restaurant in my book. The only thing that places an establishment above this level is cloth napkins and fresh breadsticks table side, but one cannot expect such luxuries while on safari.
Another tank of fuel and we’re back on the road again. The fuel problem has found an inconvenient but simple solution. A cheap siphon pump is used to draw the fuel out of the auxiliary tank in the truck bed and draw it to the stock tank under the vehicle that has a fuel pump. Diesel fuel is thicker than gas though and takes an hour or more to move the 30 gallons the bottom tank holds. But having 110 gallons on board gives us about 1200 miles between fuel purchasing options and that is very appealing when you are able to pass up buying $2.00 per gallon diesel.
Almost immediately this morning we are faced with passing a 20 van convoy of group tourists. Plus, there is road work today. Luckily, we haven’t far to travel to our next campsite at Skagway, AK. And while having that bit of good fortune planned into our itinerary by my time conscious wife, the next bit was a bonus as we saw all those vans pull off the roadway granting us full access to the highway for nearly the rest of the leg of this trip. We reached Skagway near lunch time and were treated to a most glorious sunshiny and warm day. It was hard to believe we were in Alaska as we walked around all the quaint tourist shops in tank tops and shorts. Skagway is a tourist trap for sure, but it was a welcome trap after having been subjected to shopping at mini mart style trading posts with little to offer. The campground here was a little Spartan and the showers and toilets kind of dirty. Welcome back to the US we told ourselves. We all took a tour around the general vicinity with our bikes, crossing a small wooden bridge and being propelled by the 20 or better knot winds on the way back from the boat harbor. A pleasant dinner within our trailers was consumed and then we watched the single channel available on t.v. until it was well past our bedtime. Once again we had to work at getting in the mood for sleep. I think it was midnight or more before I began to drop off. Even with the pillows propped up across the rear windows, some of that long northern summer sunlight still fills the inside of the trailer.




June 25th

Elaine and I are blessed with a little “sleep in” time this morning as Joey and Sara take the train ride up the canyon with Grandma and Papa at 6 or 7 a.m.. We take relatively long showers and then leisurely sip our coffees while scrutinizing the 4 page newspaper from town as if to try to stretch it into a big city paper. Afterwards, we prepare the trailer and truck for the ferry ride across the bay to Haines. Our big steel box mounted on the rear of the trailer needs to be removed and stored in order to stay under the maximum length allowed for the money we paid for the ride. Then, we dumped the tanks and took our position in lane 4 to await the 2:00 p.m. loading time. Leaving the rigs in line, we all venture out for a quick lunch in the tourist traps. Lunch is slow to arrive and just a bit below average. The water is smooth and cold though. Since lunch was so slow, we hurry back to make our deadline to drive aboard the ferry. But for all our hurrying, we are treated to another hour of waiting before we are ushered aboard the ship. Getting on was a little scary since there was limited height, steep ramps and a very hard left turn. Once aboard, they made us leave our vehicles and complete the trip on the upper passenger decks. There was an after deck there with a giant sun roof and open on one end. This shelters the area from the wind while allowing the welcome sunshine in to warm the passengers. There is also a basic bar, snack and restaurant facilities, along with some decks with reclining chairs for sleeping. When the giant ships engines begin to propel us towards our next port, the vibration makes it easy to drift off to a most relaxing afternoon nap. Joey and Sara are very anxious to explore every deck, cabin, and stairway the ships will allow them in or on. Both try every angle possible to encourage one of us to accompany them on their expedition. The trip across this body of water is more like a fjord than an inlet of bay. Both sides offer glimpses of mountainous peaks almost straight up and down, and there are bald eagles patrolling from above for their own supper. The water is pretty cold looking and every so often an eagle skims the surface in an attempt to grasp some unfortunate fish coming up for a bite of insect.
As the ship makes a wide turn to line up the gangway door with the dock, it lists noticeably to one side. The loudspeaker calls all drivers to the lower car hold for immediate unloading. All of us sit in our cars and trucks with the windows rolled up to avoid being asphyxiated by the exhaust from the more impatient drivers who start their cars far ahead of the signalman's instruction. We are out the gate sooner than most, and as we climb the steep ramp, I watch the 5th wheel connection rather closely for the angle is once again a little steep and I am concerned the trailer will hit the top of the truck bed. Once in Haines, we first look at the marina trailer park. It shows a little too plain for our needs today. Instead, we opt for the one in town that has everything, including a velvety soft, lush, manicured lawn to park our trailer on. After a quick hook up and level, we are off to the restaurant suggested by the campsite owner. Once again, we are disappointed by the service and only sustained by its’ fare. The only table large enough for all of us is upstairs, and this is all it seems to take to discourage the servers from checking on us periodically. The waiter forgets one whole fish sandwich which takes much too long to correct later. There are some compliments on the decaffeinated coffee, and the water is top notch too. While waiting for Rays forgotten order, I check out a candy case downstairs that displays truffles in the shape of clams and starfish. We all choose a suitable piece, including me, since they have sugar free selection as well. Tonight, the mountains offer some protection from the late sunlight, and we all seem to be able to sleep a little longer and better.
June 26th

This morning offers a little break from the normal routine of eat and run for we are staying another day here in Haines. A basic brekkie is served; Eggs, toast and homemade coffee for me; Sugary sweet cereal for Elaine and Sara. Joey eats pancakes at Grandma’s. A few chores are accomplished such as laundry, paperwork, and clean up. Then, we are off to hike a few miles to get a better view of a local glacier. A park just a few miles from town has a well beaten trail complete with wooden slats over some of the streams, and even a stairway carved into a fallen tree. Even with these improvements, the pathway hides from us every so often making me wonder if I shouldn’t have a detailed map and radio with me as we go. Not to worry though. The distinct footprints of other humans reveal themselves over and under the tracks of local moose in the muddier spots of the trail. If we get lost, we’ll have company. The forest here is somewhat dense in most areas and the foliage is lush all over. It is almost jungle like without the macaws and the parrots screeching overhead. Wary of the sign at the outset of the trail, we have our rock banging, hymn singing daughter in charge of making the bears aware of our incursion. This portion of the walk is going downhill and fairly quickly too. When we get to a clearing, an UN-populated large bay is revealed. A small but qualifying glacier hangs over the top of the closest mountain on the opposite side from us. We lay one of our decent walking sticks down with some rocks for later retrieval and then head off for some reconnaissance. Lots of blooming wildflowers carpet the area. Mussel shells turn up here and there. Snacks are then distributed and a few candid shots are taken with the camera. It is now time to head back. On the way to the trail, we see a small group of hikers coming in. One has possession of our walking stick. Oh well. I still have mine. The trip uphill is somewhat harder. Breathing is heavy and sweat is expressed by the time we hit the top. Before getting in to the truck, Either a badger or a beaver walks casually by the parking lot.
Getting back to town, mail is retrieved and sent at the post office. Next, a trip to the fuel depot where we buy 100 gallons of diesel fuel for a 5 cents per gallon discount for quantity and free popcorn. The popcorn is stale and cool, but the fuel seems to be good grade. Then, a necessary trip to one of the 2 local grocers where we all put several “needs” into a shopping cart. After a bit, We all ride bikes to the local school yard and use the swings, teeter totter, and playground. A short shopping spree in some of the shops where Joey buys a shiny knife from Alaska. Then a nice leisurely downhill cruise back to the trailer. The kids play outside in the grass while a hearty Guamanian style chicken dinner is prepared. After that, we all take a trip to yet another recommended park about 8 miles away where bear and eagle sightings are common. We are not disappointed either. A mother grizzly with 3 cubs are frolicking in the high grass just across the river or creek. They put on a good show for the cameras and eagles are sighted on the river bank pecking at today's fresh catch, and perched on a treetop. We cap off the evening with a cool non-alcohol beer and I finally rig the computer to a data port and make contact with the home front. It’s a midnight bedtime once again for me, but hey! It’s still light outside, and I am a big boy so who’s counting?




June 27

Today we are off to make up some mileage, 300 or more hopefully. The road is greeting us with many potholes, construction areas, and washboard sections that sneak up over the tops of small hills and around blind corners. We cross into Canada once again and get minimal attention from Canadian customs . Mountains are our obstacles now since we are climbing for the next hour or so. At one point, a stop is in order to walk on some roadside leftover snow and toss a few snowballs. Back to the highway again, and we are traveling through a most remote looking mountainous park. It looks hardly touched by humans. Pristine hillsides with short, steep mountains that have an almost moonscape look to them. A few miles farther, we pick up some wooded areas again and a big Grizzly bear is laying in the short grass just by the road as we pass. I could not help but try to figure out why that bear was there. Was it a mother waiting for a cub that may have been hit by a car? Or possibly waiting for a morsel of scrap thrown from a passing ignorant motorist. Whatever the reason, I am still glad to see wildlife. I have been talking to Joey a lot about hunting, and that is making me think of all these animals in a much different light. I am now looking at the bounty of Alaskan and Canadian wildlife as if it were a smorgasbord for my taste palate. Even on a full stomach I am fantasizing how a mountain goat or beaver tastes. Also, let’s grab a pole and catch up some of them salmon or trout. How did we get on this subject anyway? Oh yeah. Grizzly bear..........mmmmmmm!
The campsites we have estimated reaching today are turning up closed. We have to continue northward for another 30 or 40 miles. It has been a long day in the truck. Everyone is showing signs of wear as we travel slowly through an area that just had a forest fire. The crews are still hosing the area down for several miles. A cow and calf moose cross the road in front of us and there are some threatening clouds on the horizon. A campsite with electric and water hook ups beckons us in at Beaver Creek. Much clean up is effected after a quick, but decent leftovers meal. Fuel is siphoned; Repairs are made to the refrigerator which is now not working at all. Ray and Ann wash off the motor home for the second time in 24 hours. The kids ride bikes and watch TV Another mid niter for me, and what else?.... it’s still light enough outside to read without any artificial light.





June 28th

Neither of us hear the alarm this morning, and before we know it 8:30 a.m. is upon us. A quick decision to spend breakfast among the locals and other tourists takes us to the local lodge. The menus in this part of the world have been consistently short and limited so far. Our choices are brought to us in good order and fairly quickly by recently set standards. Much to Sara’s delight, the Canadians seem to place little packets of peanut butter on the table with the jams and jellies, along with honey. She assigns us each an acceptable amount to take with us without showing greed or poor manners. Hitting the road a little late today is not causing us to fall behind since we made quite a few miles farther than we were supposed to the previous day. Our ride is a relatively short one to Tok. The campsite is an RV village near the road with water, sewer, and electric hook ups. This is a pretty clean and fairly large place considering the town here is so small. After getting connected, I make the required trips to the post office, Napa auto parts store for wiper blades; and the r.v. repair shop to see about fixing the refrigerator. This shop owner knows exactly what I need, but has been waiting for that very part for over a week since it is a common problem. I have the refer going for now, but I am uncomfortable with the way it’s “hot wired”. I lost a bit of sleep the night before, conjuring up images of a fire starting or propane leaking in to the trailer. I even tested the smoke alarm at 1:00 a.m. just to give myself a bit more assurance of a safe nights rest for all inside. I also left the front door unlocked just in case we needed to be rescued.
Elaine and the kids ride their bikes around town to shop at the handful of shops that cater to tourists. Some chores are completed and then some further shopping at the only grocery store and a visit to yet another tourist shop. Here are some dogs and puppies for sale. All of us talk to these working dogs as if they were house mutts, but the truth is, they are very much bred for this environment and even though they are cute to look at, they might just snap and snarl if you got any closer to them than the cages would allow. Later, a lightning storm rolls in and pelts us soundly with first some sizable hailstones, and then some thick rain which drenches all unprepared souls with some of that great tasting northern water. This campsite is full of people. There are over a hundred in here and packed pretty closely I might add. It is a bit cooler this evening with all that moisture from the rain evaporating, so I am wishing I had a campfire. There have been too few campfires this trip so far. A barbecued steak dinner is had by all along with some cooked fresh vegetables and yams. A brief walk around the campsite and then some card games before retiring for the evening. Nighty-night comes earlier for all including me this evening.

June 29th

Today starts off with breakfast at Fast Eddies. The menu has grown a little here so We all get something different today. This food is pretty good and I have to take some with me. Next, we go straight back and hook up the rig for another day of travel towards Fairbanks. On the way out, I stop to check on the refer part. After checking on it starts to cut into travel time, Elaine shows distress outwardly. Later, this turns into a more personal, profanity laced attack on me. The kids and I are silent for quite a while after this and a distance is placed between her and I. It is hard for me to get past this for the entire day. Fairbanks is reached in good order with only a moose and a wolverine sighting under my belt today. The site is full hook-ups and there are easy pull through spaces. A river is close by and there are telephones that I immediately use to try to solve problems on the business front. Several other people have their laptops with them and are competing for the data port. I seem to be one of the few that can actually make it work though. Later in the day, we visit town and shop at the huge Fred Meyer store where some fishing reels, drinks, snacks, and CD’s are purchased. Back at the trailer, I try to get the refer going again since it is completely out and won’t jump now. After some thorough electrical testing, I head out to get some fuses to replace the broken ones. After a couple stops, while pulling into a store parking lot, I spot an RV repair truck. I sniffed him out in the store and as luck would finally be in my corner (even if for a brief visit), He had the faulty part we could not get anywhere else on the trip so far. He had about 10 of these in his parts bin. The price was even negotiated down from the marked one on the bag of $127.00. This gentleman was a true hard-core repairman with tool marks on his pockets, manuals spilling out as he opened doors and drawers, and chain smoking tobacco stained fingers. “tell you what” he said. Got any young uns ? I replied affirmatively wondering if he was going to give me the pity price on that account or just making small talk. “ Just give me a C-note then “ he said. I passed him 5 twenties and thanked him for being here for me. Then it was back for a quickie installation job and a little relaxation for the evening.

June 30th

Waking up late this morning, I immediately headed for the camp shower for a long hot one. Next, I took up where Elaine left off making brekkie which consisted of pancakes, sausage, and over eggs. After that, some phone calls were made and then we were off to the University of Alaska where we checked out all the exhibits the museum had to offer. Then, we did a little shopping at the very small farmers market alongside the road. Unfulfilled there, we supplemented by shopping at the Big K Mart. Then, Joey had us visiting the local army surplus shop where he purchased a practice hand grenade. At dinner time we went to a rather pricey and extravagant restaurant on the local river bank. Mostly, Halibut was ordered and consumed. Along with baked potato, fresh mixed vegetables, and some excellent bread with flower shaped butter. We finished our day with some golf at the in-house course, and a bit of rock hunting to satisfy Sara’s sudden Jade habit. When everyone else drifts off to the river or the golf course one last time, I try to get to the bottom of the problems that are now mushrooming into disasters at the home front. There are, in the very least, 3 angry customers. The bulk of the problems seems to be one employee's lack of interest in one job, and his abandonment of another. In trying to find an easy solution to one of those 2 projects, he has robbed from Peter to pay Paul on yet a third project, which is now starting to suffer along with the other 2. I cannot seem to control the situation from here, and that is making it extremely difficult to have any enjoyment on this portion of the trip. To complicate this, I cannot get good and useful access to telephones. Lines form before and after me as I wait for my “turn” in the laundry rooms, recreation areas, and bathrooms at the campgrounds. One woman using the phone ahead of everyone is extremely loud as if the other person listening was deaf. In addition, it seemed the person listening was a moron or just completely disinterested. She spelled the name of a person she was looking for the address for about 10 different times. With every spelling I clenched my teeth and the booklet I had in hand harder to keep from screaming out some type of insult or even profanity to make her at least shut up, quiet down or get out. I gave up instead and waited until it was past everyone's bed time to do the on line work, but never did make the calls to people during the time they needed to be made

Continued soon

Last edited by admin; 05-24-2010 at 06:48 AM.
Reply With Quote