Monday July 20 until Monday July 28, 2014

Okay are we ready for this week!!!!!!!!

We left Fairbanks on Monday July 21, 2014 and headed to Tok Ak and on to Chicken Ak.  We stopped in Tok for lunch at Fast Eddies, where we had eaten before and then started on to Chicken so that we could travel across The Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, Yukon.  We arrived at Chicken and got settled for the night.

Tuesday morning  Linda Matheny and I went on a tour of the old town of chicken.  We had both read the book, Tisha which was about a young girl who came there in the early 1900's to teach school.   We saw the old school house where she taught and the other side of that building was where she lived.  After that we started our trip on the Top of the World Highway around noon. .   Oh my goodness what a beautiful drive but a white knuckle day.    It reminded me of the trip on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado along with the off road jeeping trip we took.  Rough road, gravel, curves, steep drove offs, no guard rails and some traffic that was not so nice about slowing down and sharing the road.  Fortunately when there were 3 LARGE trucks on the road we were stopped at a pull off for a break and lunch.It was a long day but a good one. We certainly got the right traveling conditions weather wise.  We arrived at the Ferry to go across the Yukon River to Dawson City about 5:30 and it took several trips for us to get across. It holds quite a few cars and trucks but about 1 motorhome and a few other vehicles is all for one trip.   Jim and Linda went across first and then it came back for us.   It was a little scary but very well done.It was a very new adventure for us.

Wednesday Larry wanted to do somethings around the motorhome so Jim, Linda and I went into Dawson City to finish our Passport Book Contest for Gold and did a little shopping.  Linda did some gold panning again.  That woman is addicted to that.  Around 7 pm we went into town to go to Diamond Tooth Gerties for the show.   What a good time we had.   Larry had one of the girls sit on his lap, then one sang to him while rubbing his bald head.   You know he enjoyed that.

Thursday we did a couple of more stores and then a museum road up on Dome Road to look down on the city and the river.

Friday was a travel day heading on into Whitehorse,   We stopped at a rest area to look at the Five Fingers which is a really hard place in the river to steer the old paddleboats and a lady was talking to Jim about the dogs.   I asked her where she was from since I could tell it was from the south. She said north Mississippi up by Tennessee.,  I said, Corinth, she was so surprised that I knew where it was.  It is not far from Selmer Tenn where we lived many years ago.We also saw a funeral procession for a First Nation member walking up a hill to the burial place.  Stayed overnight in a pull off.

Saturday we traveled on to Whitehorse and then on to a pulloff by Swan Lake where we had stayed on the way out.

Sunday we decided to get on the road early in hopes of finding some early morning wildlife and we did.   We saw several more bears .  Our total now is 35 blacks and 7 of them were grizzly. We started down the Cassiar Highway We are now having some more bad roads with lots of pot holes, gravel so it is slow going.We have seen the effects of the 2010 forest fire that was started by lightening which burned about 30000 acres of land.   We are heading down to Stewart BC and Hyder Alaska to see if the Bears are fishing for salmon,  rest area overnight.

Monday we arrived at the Meziadin Provincial Park and got set up for a couple of nights.    Jim made a major boo boo when we stopped for fuel.   Problems with the fuel pump, had to wait for re set  still did work so Larry and I left and came on to park.   They got here a little later and Jim suddenly realized he had not paid for the 4 gallons of fuel he finally got but also realized when Larry told him that he had left his credit card there.   He had to drive 160 miles round trip to retrieve his card.  Larry and I rode into Stewart/Hyder to see where the bears are suppose to fish.  We found it!!!!!!!!!!! Got to see this very large bear catch a fish and eat it.   It was a sight to see,   One the way back to the campsite we saw 5 bears and an avalanche in progress.   It was really cool.   Snow and rocks coming down into a stream of water.  It happened so fast I could not get a picture.

Sunday July 20, 2014, our week in Fairbanks, Ak

This has been a very busy week in the Fairbanks, Ak area.   When we checked into the campground last Monday and Jim told the lady we wanted to stay a week I asked him what were we going to do for a week.  Little did I know how much there was to do and see around Fairbanks.
We just settled into our campsites and then later in the afternoon we played cards for a while with Jim and Linda.  The couples that we had met from the Albany Georgia area were also in this park and we visited with them some and they told us about some interesting things to do.   They are friends of a girl Larry and I went to high school with and she had told me on facebook about them and we actually were in the same area so we got together.
Tuesday we went into town and went to the Visitors Center. I might add one of the best we have been in.
Watched a movie on the northern light which was somewhat boring as we had been to another museum about them which was much better.  After checking that out we went to have lunch at the Cookie Jar Restaurant,which had been recommended and also it was one of Guy Ferrier's places too.   Our waiter was Justin and he just happened to be from Clarksburg, W.V. where Jim Matheny was born and raised.   Jim and his sister knew of his family.   Small world out there.   Picture of Jim and Justin.
Linda and I took a trip later that afternoon to North Pole, Ak, while the "boys" went to a car museum.  Oh what a good time we had.   Sat on Santa's knee, had a good time buying Christmas things for everyone and had some wonderful hot chocolate.
Wednesday was a day trip to the Chena Hot Springs and Ice Museum.   The museum was done by a couple of artist.  Everything is sculptured out of ice  even the stools , bed, outhouse, Christmas tree, etc are made of ice.   After lunch Linda, Jim and I went in the hot springs for a while.  Made a stop at Sam's Club, Pioneer Park and back to campground.   Linda and I found some real bargains on some cute shirts for summer, ha ha, like we will wear them.   It is cold and wet up here.
Thursday we did an early river cruise on the Riverboat Discovery III.  This was started by the Brinkley family man many years ago and some of the descendants are still running the cruises.  We stopped by the Susan Butcher training camp for the sled dogs.  Susan died in 2006 from cancer but her husband David Monson and daughter still run the business.  She was winner of the Iditarod several times.  After that on to an Athabaskan village and were treated to their way of life.  We enjoyed some salmon dip on our return trip up river.   Larry went to the front of the boat and then the back so he got several tastes. Our next adventure was right after that heading to the Gold Dredge #8 mine.  It was a train ride with entertainment from a gentleman singing and playing guitar.  Our guide was a school teacher in the fall and a guide in the summer .
We all panned for gold and got some.   Linda and I had done this before so we combined the gold from the 3 times we panned and I had a necklace made from mine.  I think Linda did too but is giving it as a gift.
Later we went out for Chinese food and took Larry to see Santa.  Last year everytime Sophia saw a Santa she called it Papa so he had to go and get his picture made to send to her.
Friday, Linda and Jim went to Liven good and to the Artic Trading Post to visit a family they had met when they were here 10 years ago.   Larry and I just wanted to have a "down day" so we opted to stay at the campground.  We did go into the grocery and then it decided to really rain so we just stayed in the mh and enjoyed a long afternoon nap and reading some.
Saturday found us heading to the Farmers Market, Harley Davidson store, which happens to be the furthers north Harley Store, and then we spent the afternoon at Pioneer Park.   Now Linda and Jim had been there also 10 years ago but Jim swore he had never been.   Starting to worry about this man.   We had a nice afternoon and also got to call and chat with the ODC camping Chapter while they were at Endless Caverns in New Market Va.
Today is our last day here and tomorrow we are heading to Tok and Chicken and will be back in Canada, at Dawson City  on Tuesday so the cell phones go off until we get back in the lower 48.

Catch you guys later.

Monday, July 7, 2014 What an adventure

Monday July 7 we left Homer Ak. where we had been for the 4th of July celebrations and the wonderful trip of fishing for Halibut.
We traveled back thru Soldotna and stopped for our first trip to Fred Meyer which is a all in one store somewhat like Wal Mart  and Meijers in the lower 48 but I like it much better.  
I finally found the sweatshirts that I wanted for the Hedrick girls.   Papa got a good deal on caps with Alaskan wildlife on them.   We needed to pickup some snacks to take with us to Skilak Lake where our friends Jeff and Sharon Lawrence have a cabin on a Island.
We turned off the highway onto a gravel road and everything that could rattle DID.   Larry even said, "Mem, something is rattling in that cabinet"  my comment was unless I empty that cabinet it is going to rattle. We arrived at the Lot C parking area which Sharon had told us to go to, and find a large gravel parking lot to leave the RV's in.   Now this is in the middle of a forrest but we have plenty of room as there are only 2 boat trailers parked in there. 
Sharon and Jeff have come across the lake in their boat to pick us up and take us to the Island, by the way, Caribou Island is its name.   The is a small one named Frying Pan Island,which looks like a frying pan.
We all get in the boat including Linda and Jim's 3 little dogs, their first ever boat ride and off we go.   Now the lake is beautiful blue in color as it is partially fed by a glacier and it is COLD.   Sharon says you could last about 4 minutes in the water.  Don't want to try that.   It is a little choppy but nothing that we can't handle.   Since I have experienced some rough water on Lake Michigan many times I was okay.
We had a wonderful time on the Island.   They had lunch for us and then we took a walk around to meet some of their neighbors.   One couple is from Germany and they live on the island from Feb until Oct.   No electricity, no running water and have an outhouse.  They have solar panels,     get water from the lake and of course you know what an outhouse is for.  Sharon's outhouse is all decorated, I will post a picture later.
I had read a book "Winds of Skilak" written by a woman who along with her husband left Ohio in the 80's and came there and built a cabin and lived there many years.We got to walk up and see the original cabin that Sam and Bonnie built,  I have a picture of us in front of the original cabin.
After having a wonderful dinner it was time to get back in the boat and head back to the mainland.  The water had calmed down a lot so it was going to be a smooth ride back.  It was until Jeff went a little too far down the lake and the GPS quit working and he was a little to close to shore and the motor was digging into the dirt and I was getting a little more concerned. This lake is about 600 feet deep in some places and as I said before very cold.   However , everything worked out and we got back to the landing safely.  Larry said he knew that I was afraid as I stopped talking.  Imagine that>>>
I went to bed around 11:30  woke up at 1:30 and noticed it was darker than usual outside.  I walked to the front of the motorhome and the moon was just about full and right in front of us.  I got some pictures but they really don't do it justice.  On the right side I could still see the sun just on the horizon. 
All in all it was a WONDERFUL day and we are so gratefully for having been able to go and visit with Jeff and Sharon. 

Now we are in Anchorage for a few days before heading on up the road to Denali and Fairbanks.

Monday July 7 2014 thru Saturday July 12, 2014

We are now at Skilak Lake, Ak where Jeff and Sharon Lawrence our friends from Va. have a cabin.   They lived in Alaska for 30 years before moving to Virginia.   We left Homer on Monday morning and traveled up to Skilak Lake and parked our motorhomes in a parking lot at the "Lower Landing" of the Lake.   They came over and got us in their boat and took us to Caribou Island where their cabin is.   The water on the lake is glacier fed so it is very cold and can be quite rough at time.   It was a little choppy but we made it back to the island just fine.   Sharon had a nice lunch for us and then wanted us to walk around the island and meet some of the neighbors.

She had given me a book to read before we came up here written by a lady from Ohio, titled "Winds of Skilak". She and her husband came up to the Lake in the 80's and built a cabin and lived here for several years.    After seeing the island the cabin that they built I am now re reading the book and it means so much 

more. Linda and Jim are both reading it now.   We enjoyed our time with them and after a delightful dinner we headed back to the motorhomes.   Now the lake had calmed down some but it was still a bit rough but we made it safely back to the other side.   

Tuesday we came to Anchorage and have been doing museums, gold panning and just relaxing.   Sharon came over and took Larry and me to the Native Hospital and we enjoyed seeing all the artifacts of the native culture.  

Jim and Linda got to visit with his great niece and her family on Thursday while Larry and I did things with Sharon.

Friday and Saturday was just checking out other museums and did a little shopping.  I think all of us are about on History overload but we have certainly learned a lot about Alaska and its native people.

Tomorrow we are heading on up the road toward Denali and Fairbanks.    We will be in Alaska about another week and a half and then start heading back towards the lower 48.

As you can see from the pictures one is an outhouse and one is the inside of the outhouse.   Sharon thought she needed to decorate it.  

June 29 thru July 6, 2014 Alaska Trip

What a great week we have had so far.  
Monday after spending Sunday in Wasilla, Ak we got up VERY early and headed on down to the Russian River Ferry area so that Linda and Larry could get into the salmon fishing. 
We arrived about 10 am and those two were in the river before noon.   Now I had tried my best to get Larry to buy some waders before we left Virginia but he would have not part of it.   Jim had a pair to loan him but they were a little short and his feet were killing him.   One day the man will listen to me. No fish that day but on Tuesday we took a little side trip and got him a pair of hip waders and he went back to fish. We decided to stay another day so that they would have another chance at the fish.  Well, on Wednesday both of them had luck.   Larry got 2 salmon and Linda got a rainbow trout.   Both were extremely happy. 
We had company come to visit on Tuesday night.   I had been chatting on FB with a friend , Connie Boss from Georgia and she told me of friends of hers who were in the area so we got in contact with them and actually got to meet them.     Becky & Terry West from Albany and Janet and Steve Gay from Ohio
I cooked for us while they enjoyed the fishing and I also got the gifts I have bought organized plus packed away a lot of clothes that I am not wearing and will not wear for a while.
Thursday we moved on down to Homer Ak and got set up in our campground.  It is so pretty down here on the water and the mountains in the back ground.
Since Alaska is 4 hours behind Virginia in time zones I was able to be the first one to wish our son a Happy Birthday on the 4th of July.   I texted him at 8pm Alaska time.
Friday morning I was up at 4:30 am getting ready to go Halibut fishing.  We had bought tickets for a charter fishing trip that left the dock at 7am.   We had a wonderful  day it was.   I had never been out fishing like that as when we lived in Michigan and fished on Lake Michigan I always seemed to get to be the boat driver.
We each, that is Linda, Larry, Me and Jim caught 2 Halibut each.   You have to catch one under 29 inches and the other can be as large as whatever.   I had a BALL.   I got my largest first and then I had to keep throwing back the big ones and try for a smaller.   Finally one of the deck hands helped me and I got my second fish.  We got back around noon, put fish in freezer, rested and then cooked some for dinner.   Oh my goodness how GOOD that was.
Saturday was a day to just get things done in the motorhome such as cleaning.  Then we just relaxed, went for a walk on the beach , visited with our neighbors and then went to bed. 
Sunday is just another day of relaxing and tomorrow we head back towards Anchorage with a couple of days stop in the Skilak Lake Area  where Jeff and Sharon Lawrence our friends from Virginia have a summer cabin on Caribou Island.   We hope that the second run of salmon is coming into their lake so we can catch a few more.  They lived here for 30 years and moved to the lower 48 about 3 years ago.  We actually met them thru Habitat for Humanity in Florida.

The picture that is Land's End is really lands end.   You can go NO further by car.   That is the end of the line from Homer Ak by land.