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.