The Wandering Jews go to Alaska...

One more adventure and home

2010-09-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took a ferry ride to Middle Island/Putk-in-Bay with Judy and Renee and friends.

We ate crab chowder at the Boardwalk, looked in the shops, went to the winery, saw a vintage car prade and visited the Chocolate Museum - all via a rented golf cart. It was f fun day and a fine example of doing something that we had never planned to do on our trip (like the region 7 rally in Medora) and having alot of fun with alot of great people.

And then we were home.

It's good to be home.

A week in Ohio

2010-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

The bulk of the past week has been spent at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, OH having our Airstream worked on.

Now that it's finished, we're up in Marblehead, OH at East Harbor State Park on Lake Erie. Belle immediately plopped herself down at her selected site. Unfortunately, we were at site 199.
she had to move.

Saturday was a grey, overcast day with intermittant showers. After having breakfast with our friends the Roettinger's, we took a ride to the Marblehead Lighthouse.

Belle enjoyed walking on the rocks and posing for photos.

Ohio Caverns

2010-08-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Another hot and humid day. Since we can't stay in the Airstream with the AC on all the time, we took a trip to Ohio Caverns where it is always 54 degrees.

Despite my claustrophobia I did pretty well, even when the lights were out and we achieved total darkness. I couldn't even see the baby bats that were flying around.

The staligmites and 'tites look alot like candles hanging to dry after being dipped, or carrots hanging to dry, or...this is a family blog:) Enjoy the photos and reach your own conclusions.

Wisconsin State Fair

2010-08-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we said good bye to our new friends from Region 7 and started heading east and south. On Tuesday we took a break from driving and went to the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee.

WOW! it's a big one! An entire stadium full of vendors, more food stands than could be counted (we ate brats and pork chops and brought back the "Triple Threat" pack of cream puffs, the Fair's iconic food)

and lots of music, games and rides.

To be sure we had air conditioning for Belle, we stayed in the RV parking lot that was set up at the Fair itself. We just had to walk from our camper to the gate of the fair. We were right behind the Comet ll roller coaster.

Is this the most scenic rest stop ever?

2010-08-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Painted Canyon section of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also serves as a regular car/truck rest stop on Rt. 94.

We think this is the most scenic rest stop ever.

Belle did too.

Medora, ND

2010-08-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

We are at the WBCCI Region 7 Rally in Medora which is in the ND Badlands. Beautiful country!

Last night we had a steak dinner cooked on pitchforks and then attended the Medora Musical, a somewhat corny, campy and ultimately patriotic show presented in a gigantic ampitheater sitting in one of the valleys of the badlands.

Today we drove the 36 mile scenic loop of Theodore Roosevelt National Park - south section. While not as large and spectacular as the SD Badlands, the park is, nonetheless impressive.

It is also unusually green since there have been at least two wet years in the area.

We took Belle with us, and as you can see, she enjoyed herself.

And thanks to Cathy for taking a great picture of the three of us!

North Dakota

2010-07-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Generally I've had nothing positive to say about North Dakota but I may be changing my mind.

We spent several days in Minot doing laundry, grocery shopping and waiting for our mail. We also went to the North Dakota State Fair. It was a nice fair with racing pigs, strangely dressed sheep..

and a very nice BBQ for the military.

And to be honest, the local mall has a Barnes & Nobles, a JC Penney and a Hobby Lobby so I guess I could live there - if I had to - still mighty cold in winter.

We're now spending a few days at Lake Sakakawea bfore going to Medora. The campground is lovely and our site is not far off the lake. We had drinks this afternoon at a local marina.

As you can see, Belle enjoyed it too.

'Toon town

2010-07-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

We've driven past Saskatoon at least three times before we decided to stop off and spend some time there. It was a nice weekend.

Friday night we ate dinner at Saskatoon Station Place, a classy Victorian themed restaurant that served good food in large portions. We ate the leftovers for lunch on Sunday.

On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and then watched the dragon boat races on the Saskatoon river.

In the afternoon we drove to Wanuskewin (http://www.wanuskewin.com/) Heritage Park devoted to the history and culture of the Cree First Nations people of Canada. We helped raise a tipi and walked out to see the northernmost medicine circle in North America. Archeologists still don't know the purpose of medicine circles but think they may have some relation to the seasons and the movement of the stars - maybe similar to Chimney Rock out in Chaco Canyon, CO.

The restaurant served First Nations cooking. We had a bison wrap, honeyed chicken and three sisters soup made with beans, corn and squash -the three sisters.

The Aluminum revealed

2010-07-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Since we are officially heading home and are off the Alaska Hwy and in Edmonton heading to Saskatoon Mark decided to remove the coverings of the camper that made it look like an aluminum armadillo. First off, take a look at how badly the coverings were messed up by the bad roads...

All those pockmarks are stones that slapped into us. Anyhow, Mark gently undid all the gorilla and 100 mph tape to reveal mainly dirt that could easily be washed and buffed away.

It worked!

Heading back on the Alaska Highway

2010-07-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

We're officially on our way home now, heading south and east. We should be off the actual highway itself in a day or two.

Around Muncho Lake we saw large groups of bison of many ages - whole family groups I imagine. Aren't the babies cute - for a buffalo -

Skagway, Haines and a few other things...

2010-07-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove from the cold air but bright sun of Whitehorse into the cloudy, windy drizzly and even colder air of Skagway, AK. Undaunted, I donned a long sleeved shirt, a fleece shirt, a down vest and a hooded jacket, packed my ear warmers and gloves and embarked, with Mark of course, for the FastFerry between Skagway and Haines.

After almost getting blown away while taking photos on the ferry, we landed at Haines.

The main attraction there, for us at least, was the Hammer Museum - yes, really, thousands of hammers on display. It was very disappointing that the real Hammers of NY did not get a discount of admission.

Today I left off the fleece shirt was went went on a lovely drive and hike to Dyea, a ghost town that is - currently a Nationall Park Historic site but was once a thriving gold rush community.

It was one of the first times I remember seeing large open meadows.

Dinner was at the 'Northern Lights Pizzaria, specializing in Mexican and Chinese food' in town. Actually, good pizza. We also visited several shops specializing in Alaskan art and a store that was selling a quivit stole in georgeous purple for $800+

And what's really great is that we don't know where we'll be tomorrow!

More quviuq

2010-07-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Knit Now yarn store in Whitehorse and I got some more quviut - that's the musk ox yarn. I got some in a blue colorway( a blend with wool and silk) and a natural brown color that is 100% quviuq.

I had also read that this store had yarn spun from dog fur. Unfortunately they had none at the time, but there were certain spinners that did it for them. Most come from long haired breeds because the undercoat hairs had to be at least one inch long for spinning. I think Belle is safe:)

Horrible road to Kluane Lake

2010-07-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went from Tok, AK across the border into the Yukon and over the worst part of the Alaska Hwy. It truly is bad with frost heaves, large portions of loose gravel and TONS of dust all over.

After braving that we pulled into the lovely Cottonwood RV park right on Kluane Lake. It would have been great to sit outside and look at the lake but the wind was wild with whitecaps all over the lake, and it was definitely cold. Mark clocked the wind at 27 mph

Nonetheless I did take some pictures -

See the mist coming up from the water?

We saw the mountains!

2010-07-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

As we drove down the Alaska Highway from Fairbanks we were greeted by several wonderful views of the mountains of the Alaska range. One is called Deborah. We figure that this is a good omen and bodes well for our trip home.

Denali - the Great One.

Sunrise? Sunset?

2010-07-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

I know it's a lousy picture but I think it makes the point -

Actually, I think it is sunrise which was at approx. 3:30 AM today. The sun set as 12:30 AM.

Anyhow, this is a picture of the sky at 2:30 AM this past morning.

A few flowers

2010-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

We're spending the next day or two in Fairbanks attending to relatively boring things like laundry, mail, etc. so I thought I'd just show some of the beautiful wildflowers that we've seen on the trip.

I had started out wanting to photograph birds but they were too quick for me:) The flowers, at least, don't move most of the time.

This is a subalpine buttercup

Bluebell

? - but it's pretty

Diapensia

If I've made mistakes and anyone knows the correct names of these blooms, please let me know.

Into Denali

2010-07-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

The last few days were spent camping at the Teklanika campground in Denali, completely cut off from the world eg. tv, radio, cell service, internet - even time if you don't wear a watch - since the sun sets after midnight and rises again around 3:30 am. What you have in between is called "nautical twilight" and it is more than bright enough to get almost anything done.

Coming into the park on Thursday the weather was beautiful and we took an afternoon bus to Igloo lake for a short hike.

Then we attended a ranger program on moose with Belle.

Friday was our day on the bus. The seats are still to small for a normal human backside!

We got up to Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66 when the day turned cloudy and cold. After a short walk and a visit with the local squirrels...

...who we understand are becoming a menace to society...

we headed back. Friday night and Saturday were cold and raining with temperatures probably not getting out of the 50's and going down into the 40's at night. We did manage a walk in the rain and attened the ranger program on Saturday night - it was held in the bus shelter.

July 4th started out rainy but cleared up by the afternoon. Before our patriotic dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs (Hebrew National - straight from NY) and baked beans, we took a walk on the Teklanika river bed that was right behind our campsite.

This incredible sunset ended our glorious 4th.

I still can't believe I shot this right through the window of the camper about 11:30 last night.

Glitter Gulch

2010-06-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

We finally broke down and checked out the home of the $9.99 fleece (which I couldn't find).

We went to the gift shops and the Harley store and the coffee shop and finally had dinner at the Salmon Bake. Pretty good and we got to watch part of a Met game on TV.

Tomorrow we're heading into the Teklanika campground 30 miles inside Denali. No hookups and we can't drive out until we're ready to leave on Tuesday. I'm not expecting any wi-fi, so don't be suprised if the blog goes dark for a day or two. It's time to re-read the older messages and study them for hidden meanings.

Sled dogs

2010-06-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

We went to visit the sled dog kennel at Denali today. Belle has smelled the smell of strange dogs on us and is referring to us as "traitors".

Nonetheless, here are some photos of the dogs. Unfortunately, I don't remember any of their names. I can say that they go wild when they think they are going to be chosen for the sled dog demo and alot of the rest of the time they are asleep. Remember, dogs like to sleep up to 16 hours a day if they can.

Some dogs that are awake.

Some dogs that are asleep:

These dogs are ready to go to work with their sled:

And these have returned from work and are ready to have a treat and play.

Near Denali

2010-06-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Now we are camping on the outskirts of Denali preparing to go into the park for 5 days starting July 1.

We went over tothe visitor center and found that much had changed since 1994. The lodge is gone, there is a new visitor center, a special backcountry/wilderness center and a science center for children.

Outside the park there is a boardwalk/mall area where all the flightseeing, ATV, rafting trip stores are along with those selling t-shirts, ice cream and a Subway. There are all sorts of major hotels like the Denali Princess and something called the Grand Denali (Denali already means "the great one".

Fortunately the grandeur of the scenery has not changed...

LARS

2010-06-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

LARS is the Large Animal Research Station, a part of UAF devoted to the study of muskox, caribou and reindeer

The hit of the show was Ingrid the muskox who kept eating and eating and eating whatever the student guide gave her. When asked about who was smarter, muskox or caribou, the student said that the muskox have developed a very sedentary life style and they didn't really have much to think about since they didn't do much. Neither do caribou for that matter, although their brains might be slightly bigger.

This is Ingrid the muskox.

What is really interesting is that the undercoat of the muskox is combed and spun into yarn. It is softer than cashmere and 8-10 times warmer than wool. It is also very expensive. This is a $60 skein of Qiviut, as it is called, in the Mountain Lingonberry colorway.

I wonder what I shall make from it??????

Exploring Fairbanks

2010-06-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Along with trying to deal with the situation of the broken spindle and how it will affect the rest of our trip, we've also been exploring Fairbanks.

Yesterday we went to Pioneer Park which one of the guidebooks referred to as Fairbanks' "guilty pleasure". It has little shops and trains to ride like a theme park and authentic Alaskan houses that can be visited just like Williamsburg.

We had ice cream, visited houses built for short people and got tie-dyed, batiked t-shirts that have gotten us compliments throughout Fairbanks. Then we shared nachos and apple crisp at Boston Pizza.

Today we checked out the georgeous vegetables (giant radishes, mammoth zuchinni) jams and baked goods at the Tanena Farmer's Market.

Then over to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. There we saw Blue Babe, the world's only mummified Ice Age steppe bison.

Excellent exhibits on Alaskan life and a really nice campus. Made us both wonder what it would have been like to go away to school.
.
And, of course we had to go to Barnes and Noble and Walmart.

At the Walmart there were lots of RV's parked in the lot looking like they were there for the long haul. Most were unhooked, had their slides and awnings out and there were even a few grills and people seated in their lawn chairs observing the shoppers coming and going. A bit much. Mark said that if we ever boondocked like that, we'd do it by Barnes and Noble or an equally "upper class establishment:)

North Pole, Alaska

2010-06-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

We are spending June 25, six months to/from Christmas in North Pole, AK. The streets have names like "Santa Claus Lane and the street light poles are decorated like candy canes. The Santa Claus house in town has tons of ornaments, decorated trees, and a full time Santa.

So get a preview of the holiday spirit and enjoy our trip to the Santa Claus House.

Even Mark had a moment with Santa...

discussing the Alaska Highway.

The end---of the Alaska Highway

2010-06-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

On June 23 we reached the end of the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction. As you can tell, Belle is quite non-plussed by the whole thing.

We're now staying outside Fairbanks in North Pole AK. Unfortunately we've developed a problem with the tires wearing due to rubbing against the spindle of our axle- probably brought on by a frost heave or other dip on the Alaska Highway sometime after leaving Burwash Landing.

We have new tires but this problem may cause us to have to alter our plans after our trip to Denali NP next week.

Stay tuned.

Alaska - we made it!

2010-06-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the road brought us

to the shore of Lake Kluane

We've seen bears and elk and buffalo and today a beautiful grey fox...

and we just got into Alaska today!

Whitehorse, YT

2010-06-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Like everywhere else we've visited, Whitehorse has really grown since we were here in '94. It's a nice size for a town and even has a Walmart and a Canadian Tire, both of which we visited today.

Yesterday we went into Whitehorse, went to some galleries and bookstores and had dinner at the Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ. It's in the oldest building in Whitehorse, the ambiance is fun and the food is good.

Today we went to the McBride Museum of Yukon history.

We saw a presentation on steamboats that traveled the Yukon river and saw the exhibits including a "clutterorium" in which they display miscellaneous objects that have no real place in the rest of the collection. We're thinking of starting a similar exhibit at home:)

Then on to the Beringia Interpretive Center.

Beringia is the name of the land mass that existed between Alaska and Siberia during the prehistoric ice ages. That is how the original North Americans came to the continent. Alot has been learned through fossils unearthed in both Alaska and BC. Fascinating. For more info see http://www.beringia.com/

This is one of the big cats that prowled Beringia.

And finally, the world's largest weathervane - yes, it's really an old airplane and it's at Whitehorse International Airport.

Wildlife

2010-06-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today, on the road to Teslin, we did see some wildlife and got some good buffalo shots -

Belle, of course, barked furiously at the buffalo while Mark just prayed that it wouldn't charge the camper.

We didn't make it all the way to Teslin, though. We stopped at Dawson Peaks right on the lake

and we had a delicious salmon dinner.

Dawson Creek to Liard Hot Springs

2010-06-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

From Dawson Creek we went to Fort Nelson where we met the first other Airstreamers on our Trek - Adolfo and Vicky from Texas and Jennifer, also from Texas. After admiring each other's Airstreams, We decided to meet up at Liard Hot Springs Provincal Park the next day.

On the way to the park we stopped at Muncho Lake for photos

We also stopped at a special "Wildlife Viewing Area" on the side of the road, and this is what we saw:

At the park we did meet Adolfo and Vicky and spent a nice time in the hot springs pool - temperature about 110 degrees - and then had dinner with them. Belle was the terror the the chipmunk population.

The weather was warm and sunny and the hot springs make your bones feel all loose and supple. Altogether, a really good day...

Airstream armadillo

2010-06-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

So we set off on the Alaska Highway with the Airstream all armored up like an armadillo and the first thing that happens is we get a ding in the truck windshield just before Fort St. John! Fortunatley they were able to quickly fix it.

We then continued along the highway and are now at Fort Nelson. Aside from the fact that Canada gets so cold in winter, it is a beautiful country with many natural resources. Alot of the towns are operating like boom towns and are nothing like they were when we went through in '94. So much building and so much industry is impressive,

Trick my trailer

2010-06-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

We spent a good part of today readying the trailer for the Alaska Highway.

At home, we cut silver insulation to the proper size for all the trailer parts to be covered. At Minot AFB we tried to glue fabric (Walmart twin sheets) to the backside of the insulation so it wouldn't leave marks on the trailer. When we found that the glue didn't work we sewed the fabric to the insulation.

What we did today was tape the fabric covered insulation to the appropriate trailer parts. We used Gorilla Tape and 100 mph tape and covered them over with silver metallic tape.

Here are some photos of what we did:

The finished project.

Additionally, these hoses were covered...

and giant mud flaps were added to the truck.

Now we're ready for anything and everything!

Dawson Creek, Mile 0

2010-06-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

We got to Dawson Creek and took pictures in front of the iconic mile marker.

And for those who waned to see the Airstream...

Sherk's Campgrond in Valleyview, AB

2010-06-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are staying at Sherk's Campground in Valleyview AB. What is special about it is that we stayed there in 1994 when we were coming back from Alaska with Josh. The campground had just opened that summer. Josh fell in love with the owner's big German Shepard Cowboy and the owners were nice enough to take us on a ride in a neighboring field in their ATV.

Unfortunately, the gentleman passed away and his wife if running the campground alone. She did not remember us,but told her how our son had grown up and still remembered the dog and the ATV ride and the lovely hosts at Sherk's.

These are some photos of the campground:

Edmonton, AB

2010-06-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our day of resting from driving so we stayed in Edmonton AB and went to the West Edmonton mall. We walked around and took pictures of the sites - the ice rink...

the pool/beach...

and the full scale Santa Maria...

We missed the greatest cinnamon rolls on earth but did find a GREAT Asian supermarket! Didn't really do much shopping. Just a few hours of gawking:)

Had a nice sit-down dinner at Moxie's, did laundry, and hung out as the sun prepared to set, oh, around 10:30 PM.

Saskatchewan to Alberta

2010-06-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

We saw this great sign at the Alberta visitor center. I wonder how many people don't know what it means.

We're staying at a campground outside of Edmonton, AB.

We met some people from Alaska traveling with a giant husky and two beagles...they are telling us that the roads are lousey - some of them no better than gravel. However, they did say that they are better than they were 15 years ago which is around when we were up there the first time. Well, we'll see.

Tomorrow the Mall!

Into Canada again...

2010-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

The flatness and incredible horizons of North Dakota blend into those of Saskachewan.

Up north you see alot of really long trains hauling the wheat, etc. going from the co-op to the market.

We also passed a couple of missle sites in northern North Dakota.

In Saskatchewan we noticed that several of the small communities have sculptures either near their information centers or their road signs.

These two are in the town of Davidson, SK and the bottom one is at the visitor center in Battleford, where we are staying tonight. It was erected to commemorate Canada's centennial in 1967 and is 23 feet high.

North Dakota

2010-06-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

North Dakota is very flat.

It is also very windy.

Drake, ND

2010-06-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

We had lunch in a park in a little town named Drake. It was almost post-apocalypically quiet. Not a soul to be seen and the only noise was the wind blowing.

We're in Minot ND tonight. It's 10 PM and JUST getting dark. Do you kow where your children are???

North Dakota

2010-06-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is Belle being welcomed to North Dakota by a friendly bison.

Friday

2010-06-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today we took a day off! No traveling!

We're at the Minnesota Airstream Park outside of Minneapolis/St.Paul (Clearwater for those who know Minnesota) staying at the spot of our friends Dan and Bob. This is a lovely park, quiet and tree filled.

This morning, as we were leaving on our errands, a very nice man named Joseph invited us to dinner and we just came back from having turkey burgers and salads. Airstreamers are such nice people.

So, errands done and our equilibrium restored (we were both getting cranky yesterday), we will head out tomorrow and at least make it as far as Fargo, ND. We should be in Minot on Sunday and spend a day or two there gearing up for out border crossing into Regina.

And then, northwest to Alaska!

Michigan sand dunes

2010-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

After a two hour delay caused by constructrion and regular customs delays at the border, we crossed into the US yesterday and camped outside Port Huron, Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park.

The sand dunes were no where as impressive as the ones in Colorado. These had trees growing on them and were not like Colorado which really looked like a moonscape.

Meetings and a play

2010-05-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the morning at a Unit President's meeting representing Metro NY at the Region 2 Rally. Politics is infinitely interesting

.

Then took Belle into Paris to the pet store and bought her a harness that will enable us to seat belt her in the truck.

In the evening the Paris Players did a play "Queen Millie of Galt" based on some questionable information about a morgantic marriage between Edward Vlll and a commoner, Millie. Very entertaining and nicely done. The male lead was only 22 and besides his acting, he is apprenticing at the local bakery - in at 4 AM. That's a tough schedule.

Paris Ontario

2010-05-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

After a Tim Horton's breakfast, we took a ride into Paris, known as the cobblestone capitol of Canada.

It is on the Grand River.

Debbie got a chance to visit the Mary Maxim store and pick up some yarn and some knitting/crochet books.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the campsite and going to a great happy hour at Donna's (past president Finger Lakes unit) campsite.

Just to note - it is real hot and humid here. Temperatures in the 80's and quite uncomfortable until it cools down at night. Almost makes one lose one's appetite.

Off to a good start...

2010-05-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's always hectic getting out of the house and this was no exception. We left about noon and hit traffic getting to NJ and also in PA. We arrived at Ellen and Gary and Jon's around 6. To apologize to nephew Jon for not including him in the previous post, here is a picture of him in the hot tub.

The trip to Paris was relatively uneventful with no trouble or wait at the border and only one wrong turn on the highway.

We met some old (Donna, Joe, Kathy) and new friends (Nancy) at theRegion 2 Rally and enjoyed the first night's entertainment of a duo of gentlemen singing songs from the 50's and 60's.

Today, Friday, we spent part of the morning gettting our computers linked up to the local internet. Now we're off for more adventures

Launch date...

2010-05-25T16:57:00.001-07:00

is officially tomorrow! We're off to Syracuse to visit Mark's mom, sister and husband.

Launch date...

2010-05-19T16:56:00.001-07:00

...is currently set for May 25!

It is definitely crunch time.

Serious planning

2010-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Serious planning begins with a visit to AAA. .
We came home with three bags full of maps, camp books and guidebooks.

Planning

2010-04-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

We're in the planning stage now - looking through the Milepost, etc.