Saturday, September 1st

Saturday, September 1st

Day 8

After taking a walk down to Testa River, we left around 8:30 a.m. heading for the Yukon Territory. Temperature was 37 degrees when we got up. Decided not to fire up the generator this morning, left a little early, found a place selling the world’s best cinnamon buns, 2 for $10, not the best but alright.  Saw some stone sheep, mountain goats and some buffalo. They were right on the highway numerous times. We also saw some young caribou.  Andy did not care too much for the buffaloes.  We seemed to be following the game warden along the highway on his motorcycle. He stopped along with us and took pictures. Some of the animals were tagged. Saw more beautiful forests, rivers, mountains and valleys.  At Muncho Lake a water plane was landing. We have started to notice that most of the traffic is heading South, a little scary, but it is so nice not to have to fight any crowds.  We arrived in Watson Lake early for us about 2:15 p.m. only because we gained an hour upon moving into Pacific time. Temperature was about 65 degrees upon arrival. Town was small and looked like what you would expect in the old west.  Stopped at the Sign Post Forest—amazing how many signs have been posted from all over the world. We forgot to bring our own sign!! (Next time!)  Then we toured the Northern Lights Center. They had a presentation that went into detail about the northern auroras…we’re hoping that we might see the Northern lights when we get further north.  I made reservations at the RV park in Watson Lake.  The owner sort of smiled at me when we showed up. They had spaces for about a hundred RV’s! I think there were about 15 of us here.  I could not imagine being here when they were packed with only had two showers and two toilets. They did not charge for the showers here, but the laundry was two loonies and two quarter--$2.50 for washing and the same for drying.  It was a very well-kept facility.

TODAY'S MILEAGE 280    TOTAL  3528

Testa River

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain Sheep

Young Caribou

Alaska Highway

Stone Mountain Sheep

Alaska Highway

Buffalo

Yukon Territory Sign with Game Warden on Motorcycle

Northern Light Center

Malcolm & Donna at Sign Post Forest

We didn't realize that Jamie had been here!! Ha! Ha!

Our RV in the empty RV park where we made reservations!!

ANDY’S  REPORT

 Another cold night, dad took me for a walk finally around 7am. Thank goodness! Those 10 hours nights are killing me.  It was another day driving and stopping. We stopped at some lake. Saw a flying house land on the water, interesting. Went further up the road and I saw some funny looking cows. I got in a few barks before they wandered off. We stopped at some house park with only a couple of moving houses present. A couple of my cousins were hanging around. Mom and Dad stayed up real late working on their gismos. Time for bed! 

Mom and I for our early morning walk along the Testa River.

Dad and I at Muncho Lake

Moving house that landed on the water!

Is it time to move yet?

Friday, August 31st

Friday, August 31st 2012

Day 7    

Frost on the picnic table and RV this morning, very cold. We stayed up late last night trying to work on the blog to no avail. Donna started trying to download some pics and we lost the net, but we got work done.  Headed into Dawson to pick up some SB’s. Then went to center of town to look at Mile 0, or the start of the Alaska Hwy. Went to Alaska’s Highway House to look at exhibits about construction of the Alaska Highway.  Then went over to Dawson Creek’s visitor’s center so Donna could buy some post-cards. They also had a few exhibits on wildlife. Took the RV for an oil change, $76 bucks. Ouch!  Donna bought veges from a roadside guy. She bought two ears of Taber corn for $1 (called Taber because it is grown in Taber, Canada. (Delicious, golden corn!) She also bought 3 beefsteak tomatoes for $5, also very tasty. She refused to pay $20 dollars for a small basket of plums or $10 for a small tub of cherries! We then started our adventure traveling the Alaska Highway heading toward Ft Nelson. Miles and miles of valleys, trees, and some smaller mountains.  We arrived at Fort Nelson and stopped at the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum, the owner must be 90 years old, even said he worked on the Alaska Hwy,1942! Also went to the visitor’s center. We then drove about 40 more miles to a Canadian Provincial Park, Testa River, it was very nice, parked next to a river which we could hear all night.  Our site had no hook-ups so we had to depend upon the generator and the batteries on the RV, went pretty well though Donna did not like the lack of electricity or water.  Made a nice campfire, sat around and drank coffee and enjoyed the night before bedtime.

MILES TODAY     347                    TOTAL 3248

Dawson Creek, BC--the beginning of the Alaska Highway

Malcolm at the signpost for the beginning of the Alaska Highway

Donna in Dawson Creek

Ft Nelson Heritage Museum

Donna at our campsite on the Testa River

ANDYS REPORT

     The peeps are crazy, no heat, brrrrrrr was it cold last night. We loaded up and went to find the mermaid lady place. Got some food from some bakery  and of course I got a few bites. Have not been able to sleep as well today,  some roads have been very rough and we have had to stop and wait for some other moving thing to lead us down the road, (lots of road construction!) My tummy has been acting up some, but feels better today. Mom keeps giving me some black chewy things, Juju’s?? Not sure, but if it’s food, I’m eating it. Finally stopped at some hidden place with lots of trees and new smells.  People were yelling and setting fires, I’m going to bed.  

Brrr!!It was cold last night!

Thursday, August 30th

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Day 6    

               Wow, 39 degrees when we got up, very nice sleeping at Whistler’s Campground. Drove Donna over to the showers, cleaned up the floors in the RV, aired the tires, cleaned up the front of the RV, yuk! Covered in bugs. As we were leaving, we spotted a magnificent Caribou right in the campground. Left Jasper headed toward Hinton then Dawson Creek. On the way to Hinton, saw some beautiful Big Horn Sheep right alongside the road. They kept looking at everyone taking their picture and I could just hear, “What are all these people so excited about?”  Stopped in Hinton, gas was $4.20 a gallon, ouch. We still have not gone over $100 for a fill-up yet, the tank hold 33 gallons. So far were averaging about 15 mpg. Went to Safeway, $1.25 for one grapefruit, $4.99 for my favorite cereal, $4.49 for ½ gallon of juice. No shopping cart for free, had to pay a 25 cents to use one, Yikes!  Glad I don’t live here (cost).  Got coffee and then stopped at Tim Hortons, chain restaurant, sort of like Panera bread.  We continued on highway 40, scenic drive to Alaska.

MILES TODAY 331  TOTAL 2901

Caribou

Big Horn Sheep

ANDYS REPORT

               Let me out of the moving house, I need a tree bad. Finally got the peeps up around 6am. Dad took me for a walk, ahhhhhhhh! Been in the moving house 9 hours. We got up, cleaned up, stopped at the store for the mermaid lady and headed out.  Saw some strange looking dogs with horns, woofed them a few times and decided it was time for a napper. I’m exhausted guarding this moving house. Went to bed early again!

Let me out!

Wednesday, August 29th

Wednesday, August 29^th

Day 5

Left campground in Magrath, drove to visitors center in Lethbridge. Drove by the High Level train bridge built in 1908, then headed North toward Calgary, skirted Calgary and entered Banff and Jasper National Forest on Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, absolutely beautiful.  Stopped at Peyto Lake which is fed by the same named glacier--gorgeous emerald/blue water. Stopped at Banff, beautiful resort area, was very crowded, reminded us of Gatlinburg, Tenn.   Continued on the parkway till nearly the end of the park and spent the night at Whistler’s Campground,  very crowded, but RV spots were wonderful.  Only negative had to walk about 25 minutes to the showers. I decided to try the RV shower, small, but did all right.  Reorganized the RV for about the 10^th time, which it seems we do twice a day.  Donna decided she was going to leave the bed down (it’s a couch that makes into a bed). See how that works, did not see any animals, except for some crows/ravens.

MILES TODAY 428   TOTAL 2660

High Level Bridge at Lethbridge

Peyto Lake

ANDYS REPORT.

               Slept good last night, got about 6am, woke the peeps up. Had a little breakfast, then of course we had to drive to that place with the mermaid lady. Don’t understand the peeps drinking that stuff, oh well. Another long day in the moving house.  We stopped at some place with lots of people, the peeps seemed excited, started walking up a real steep hill, left me in the moving house to pull guard duty. Later got to some huge campground, tons of people and cars. Dad took me for a walk, I got scared with all the noise and yelling, ran back to moving house, I’m done for the night. Good night.