Back in Bend

We are back in Bend a little too soon for our liking.  The bear/wildlife situation in GNP was just getting interesting with deep snow on the divide and the overall snow level just a couple hundred feet above the campground.  It was even snowing at road level when we were escorted out of the park.  Hopefully, once the government gets its act together, some of our friends will be able to tell us what happened between now and the park's reopening.

When we got back to Bend, we realized we didn't have a plan for where to stay until we start hosting again next month.  We checked out all the options we knew about and many were not options.  Then we discovered that the nicest RV park in town had the best rates and one monthly spot left.  So we are staying at Crown Villa with all the amenities including a clubhouse and spa. Not bad, just no grizzlies.  

I'll try to get some more pictures posted soon along with a few more trip stories.  As you might imagine, after being gone just over seven weeks, there is a lot to get caught up on.  Plus, there is some stuff we were planning to do while traveling that didn't get done.  Fortunately, we are both feeling pretty good.  Those of you who know us from Pilot Butte will be seeing us there soon.

Best line of the trip came from a Canadian we met at the Costco Food Court in Edmonton.  He was trying to describe what his province of Saskatchewan is like.  We weren't getting it and so he said, "Let me put it this way, it is so flat that you can watch your dog run away for three days."     

GNP closed for business

We got into the park before it closed today.  The LE ranger was nice enough to let us roam around until he got the word we had to leave.  Ended up spending 3.5 hours in Many Glacier with our good friend Ted while everyone else was locked out at the gate.  Then we had to leave.  We are in Kalispell right now getting some supplies and figuring out where to go next.  Ultimately we are headed home but we don't yet know which route.  More later...

Long time no blog

Who would have thunk it?  We get back to the USA and have mega problems getting cell phone coverage and internet.  We're still in GNP trying to figure out what is going on with the bears.  Its a very interesting year with bears not being seen for over a month until just after we arrived.  The weather the other day stirred things up and the bears seem to be returning in mass.  Gotta watch all of that play out and then we should be making our way home.  More later when we have a better internet connection.

Still trucking along

Got to Dawson Creek last night and decided to keep driving to the next rest stop.  Some 135 miles later we had to improvise.  Made for a long day but we covered a lot of ground.  Just picked some things up in Edmonton, AB.  Probably still too far to make it to GNP tonight.  Will probably stay someplace near Calgary tonight and then head for Montana in the morning.  They closed the St Mary campground to tents due to bear activity today, so we're not sure what is going on.  Maybe that will cause them to keep Many Glacier campground open longer.  Sounds like the bears are down low which makes sense based on what we've heard.

Gas prices in Edmonton are under $5 a gallon.  It was close to that just past Dawson Creek.  On par with some places in Alaska.  Here are some more pics:

Out of the rain, back in civilization

It rained pretty much two days straight as we made good progress through the Yukon and northern BC.  Just arrived in Fort St. John, a town of about 18,000 people.  Just about 50 miles of the Alaskan Highway left.  We'll knock that off this evening.  Should be in Montana in a couple of days.

Last year we somehow missed seeing Muncho Lake.  Must have been in the clouds or something.  Wow, what a beautiful area. Plus we saw lots of wildlife.  Lots of buffalo, caribou, a cow moose and calf, bull elk, and a wolf.  Got a decent picture of the wolf.  Here it is unedited:

Taking the long way home

We were headed to Valdez but heard they were having some flooding there.  So, when we got to the junction, and saw a storm to the West, we turned east and eventually decided to go home by way of Glacier National Park.  It only adds 400 miles and about a day to the trip.  Plus we should find at least a few grizzlies there.  Turns out to be a good decision as it rained all day yesterday and it started raining again this morning.

We stayed the night at our now favorite Yukon rest stop in Whitehorse (the only one that lets you sleep there).  We stayed the previous night at the Deadman Lake Campground near the Canadian boarder.  What a pleasant surprise.  It is maybe the nicest free campground we have ever stayed at.  You can tell that people love this place and take good care of it.  It is in the Teslin National Wildlife Refuge which, when combined with Wrangle-St Elias National Park and Kluane National Park, makes up the largest area of protected land in the world.  Something like over 20 million acres.

The next leg of our trip has very few services for nearly 800 miles.  Then once we get to Fort St. John, all of that changes.  I'm told gas Edmonton/Calgary is under $5 a gallon.  That would help make up for some of the prices we'll be paying today and tomorrow.  I didn't bring enough gas cans for 800+ miles.  The good news is the highway is excellent the rest of the way back to the U.S.

No bears for you!

We got a lot of hiking in at the Russian River, but saw no bears.  It probably didn't help that some idiot killed one there a week before we arrived.  He had a grizzly tag, but hunting there is not allowed and pretty stupid.  It would be the equivalent to hunting in a busy public park.  Even the diehard hunters could not believe it happened.

We also took a day trip down to Seward only to find that the National Park was flooded, the town was pretty much asleep after a long tourist season, and the restaurants were charging outrageous prices for a fish dinner.  Had better luck on the short road to Whittier.  No bears, but a very beautiful area that we will return to in the future.

So we are back in Wasilla trying to figure out the best way back to Oregon.  We might go through GNP but the bear reports there haven't been great.  We heard that a sow grizzly with four second year cubs has been hanging out near Valdez and so we will probably check that out.  Kluane National Park is still an option.  Maybe we'll just play it by ear.  Might be back in a few weeks or so.

I've started editing pictures and should have some posted soon.

Had a great time in Denali

This is still hard to believe.  The night we got to Denali, just after eating at the Salmon Bake, we drove the park road a bit and the went to our campsite.  Just as we were getting there, the crazy man was running straight at us out of another site waving his arms.  It took us a while to realize it was our friend Rick from GNP and Jackson Hole.  We didn't know he was coming and he didn't know we were coming and yet we ended up only two campsites apart.  Then, as if that weren't enough, later we ran into an old ranger friend from GNP who is working in Denali now.  Small world.

Anyway, we saw lots of critters while out in the Denali wilderness including about 90 grizzly sightings of which at least 29 were different bears.  Saw a sow with three cubs that most of the regulars didn't know was there.  Got pics of those.  Not great, but good enough to prove we saw them.  Saw two sows with two, one sow with one, and lots of lone bears.  Also saw lots of Caribou and, of course, dall sheep.  Two big bull moose were fighting as we drove out yesterday.  Made a lot of new friends as well.

We are getting more and more hooked on this park.  One of the coolest things about the park is the bus system.  Many people don't like it.  But if you like to hike, the bus system, and lack of trails, pretty much guarantees few other hikers and, when you run into someone hiking, they are almost always knowledgeable about the outdoors.

I'll try to post some pics soon.  We are in Wasilla resupplying and are about to move on to Anchorage.  Plan is to be on the Kenai Peninsula tonight.

Into the wilderness

We've arrived at Denali National Park. Carol just bought a bunch of post cards. Its a Smith tradition. She buys the cards and then never sends them. She says this year will be different. Don't get your hopes up. Every year is going to be different. She has good intentions but the bears kind of get in the way.

Anyway, for those of you who don't know, we discovered the Tek campground last year. When you stay there, you get to drive an additional 15 miles into the park (total = 30 miles). Once you get in your site, you are not permitted to move your car until you leave. We'll be there 14 days starting tomorrow. The campground has nice facilities but no phone and no cell coverage. It's technically in the wilderness portion of the park, just about eight miles from the the most intense wildlife. For $36, you get a pass to ride the bus every day you are there. We'll set up camp tomorrow and then be out in the park most of the remaining days.

Striker is excited. He loves camping here because he gets to stay in one place and catch all of the action in the campground. We all compare notes at the end of the day. The new front deck in the car is working well giving Striker more space to move around and better views out the windows. Should have some nice pictures and video when we get back to civilization.  Will probably be needing a shower too.  I try to take one every couple of weeks whether I need one or not.  Eating at the world famous Salmon Bake tonight. Then we'll drive the road looking for critters.

Silver fox

One of the foxes we saw on the way up was really different than any fox we've seen.  Turns out it was a variant of the red fox called a silver fox.  The one we saw had some interesting colors in it.  Here is a pic.

Yukon Schmookon

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like about the Yukon. But many have heard me talk about being ripped off on gas there.  I thought I had it all figured out, buying just $60 worth of gas at the north end of the Cassier Hwy.  Well, I checked my bank account and somehow my card was charged $97.

Now there is something new to complain about. All the rest areas are now signed so that you can't sleep in them (we did anyway).  If that weren't enough, every pull out is signed the same way.  Even little dirt access roads to a river or lake.  Signs all over the place and this is a HUGE place.  We just drove straight through to Alaska and then put in an extra 50 miles for good measure.

We did see a lot of black bears, two fox, and one nice grizzly (just past Destruction Bay).  Mostly it was good to get back to the USA.  Gas in Fairbanks is $3.90.  Sounds like a lot until you realize the cheapest gas in Canada was $5.20 and sometimes as much as$7.50 (we never paid more than $6.00).

We're in our favorite RV park in Fairbanks.  Nice sunny day.  We already resupplied at Walmart. We head into Denali on the 25th and will be off the grid for two weeks.  No cell phones or internet, no driving, just lots of bears, other wildlife, and endless wilderness to explore.

Moving on

Just hit Whitehorse, about 300 miles from the main Alaska boarder.  We saw one bear fishing in Hyder a couple of times.  Kind of strange.  The salmon run was at its peak, and the biggest in years, but the bears just weren't there.  Some said it had to do with recently completed road construction nearby.  Some say it had to do with beaver dams.  No one knows for sure.  We also saw a wolf fishing and that was pretty cool for about a minute.  Here are some pics of the bear:

Here is a video:

Striker has now crossed the boarder 5 times without being carded.  By contrast, they carded Carol five out of five times.  She even tried the "I'm missing a leg" bit and they then decided to search the car.  I think they were trying to help her find her leg.  They felt pretty good when they realized she had both of them.

Saw some more black bears along the road after we left and we saw a lynx for a brief moment this morning. 

Just a short stop here and then its on to Alaska.  We've got to be in Denali soon and we will probably go by way of Fairbanks.

Striker's second trip to Alaska

So now Striker has made it to Alaska twice.  Spent the morning in Hyder waiting on bears.  Got there a bit late and missed the morning event.  Lots of Salmon, but no bears yet.  Maybe this afternoon.  Not as bear crazy around here as people were saying.  That's pretty much the way it usually is.  Saw a sow and two cub black bears crossing the road just South of the Hyder junction on Hwy 37.  I'm thinking we'll have some bear pics the next time I post.

Hyder is sounding even more interesting

Just arrived in Smithers, BC. The road construction guy told us about “bear bangers” and we will try to find some here. He says the bears are very active this year and so some extra deterrent won't hurt. We also have four cans of bear spray and a very protective cat with an incredible right hook. We'll be fine. About 200 miles to Hyder. Hoping to see some big grizzlies up there eating salmon. Next McDonald's is about 800 miles from here in Whitehorse. We'll probably have limited internet access until then. Might stay in Hyder 3 or 4 days. It would be a good opportunity to get caught up on a few things while we wait for the bears to show themselves.

Doing it again

We're finally on our way back to Alaska.  Got delayed a bit by a crazy lady, craigslist scam, Striker's new medical concerns, lost hiking pole, Carol leaving her wallet in a Starbucks restroom, blah, blah, blah.  We are writing this in William's Lake, BC.  Striker went stealth going across the border and we had no problems.  Just a couple of other issues.  We are now half-low riders.  What would you expect with a Mexican and a white boy?  Anyway, an air lift bag blew out in Chahalis, WA, and so the back of the car is bottomed out.  I think it is embarrassing, Carol says it looks cool and she wants me to figure out a way to make it bounce up and down.  I had one suggestion, but she wasn't interested. Striker seems unconcerned.  Anyway, they have a lifetime warranty and new bags are on their way.  Can't get them till AK though...

We hope to be in Hyder, AK, tomorrow.  We called ahead and the campground is closed due to bears.  If true, we'll probably stay a while.  We need to be in Denali on the 25th, so we can't stay too long.  Big shoutout to David and everyone else staying with this blog for year II.  We'll let you know what we see in Hyder and hopefully we'll have a few pics.

Alaska trip picture book is done

Here is your perfect excuse to get out of looking at our picture book the next time you see us.  Just say, "Yeah, I saw that already online."  We'll never know whether you did or didn't.  Anyway, just CLICK HERE if you actually want to view the book.  Funny pages are near the end.

2012 photos are done and uploaded

I finally finished editing the photos from the Yellowstone/Alaska/GNP trip and they are all uploaded into the slideshow.  The link for the slideshow is towards the bottom of this page.  Hopefully it won't take me as long to edit the video.  Once that is done, I have new software that combines everything  to make amazing DVDs/videos.  I've already used that on several projects.  Its super easy and fast.  So there is more to come ...

If you want any of the pictures, just pause the slideshow, right click on the picture, choose "save image as," etc.