June 6, To Each His Own

 Bill...back to his grass...

...and me to my flowers.

June 4, Tomah Bound

Grand Forks and towns south of there, such as Hillsboro are in the Red Valley in North Dakota.  It's a very fertile area for growing crops.  I was trying to capture in the picture above...the rich, black soil against the beautiful, green grass.  The landscape was flat with farm fields as far as you could see and I thought to myself that this was truly an example of America's bread basket at its best.

Then all of a sudden that beautiful picture was interrupted by a smell that could have made you gag.  The picturesque valley that we drove into, now had a haze as far as you could see.  At first I thought it was stagnant water or possibly one of those farms with thousands of cattle.  Shortly we realized it was neither; the smell was coming from this plant that was spilling out its contents into the blue sky above.  You could follow this stream of expulsion all the way across the horizon.  It was a sugar beet plant; but shouldn't  sugar smell sweet?  It was so sad to see 

what is being done to our environment.

Once you get through the metropolis areas, this is how I envision Minnesota.  Maybe that's because we try to spend more time by the lakes, rivers, and streams rather than the cities.

Guess you have to have power for the people.  With progress, may come problems.  People are concerned the effects these high transmission lines may have on people and animals.  The quality of life of people, animals, and even plants may be affected by the electromagnetic fields these high-powered lines create.

We saw this helicopter hovering over one of the poles and figured it had something to do with the installation of the power lines.  As we got closer, we could see some type of cable suspended from the helicopter and a person near the end of the cable. The helicopter was moving with this person flying through the air.  We think that they fly the person to the tops of the poles to make some type of connection with the power lines.  Can you imagine having a job like this?  Wonder if they're covered by Lloyd's of London?

Signs of Wisconsin

Only a matter of an hour away from Tomah and I see something that I have never seen and hope I will never see again.  We were passing a semi and I happened to glance toward the truck driver.  All I could see was the left, bare foot of the driver steering  his eighteen wheeler!  I had my camera and I wish I could have gotten a picture of it.  I hate being the only one with this picture in my head!  We passed by fast and I didn't see if the right foot was also on the steering wheel.  And all this time we have been worried about inattentive driving while using a cell phone.  

  Getting closer!  8,200 behind us...3 miles to home.

Oh...the corn is growing

We have arrived at our destination....

Home Sweet Home...

Our trip to Alaska was wonderful; but there's nothing like the green, green grass of home....even though there are 12" of it!

June 3, Back in the USA

This was a peaceful view to wake up to at 6 in the morning in Dundurn, Saskatchewan.  Up and early and on the road before 6:30 A.M.  We have over 500 miles to cover if we want to cross the border into the United States.  We left home almost 4 weeks ago and we’re getting anxious to have roots again.  Being that the weather is warm at home and we know the fruit trees are blossoming, the flowers are blooming, and the garden and grass is growing ….we miss seeing all those things we enjoy watching.  We told each other we were not going to rush home; but after traveling over 7,000 miles, it has made us long to be in home

 and stay in one place for awhile. 

The landscape continues to be mostly flat with endless wheat fields.  This house was out in the middle of nowhere.  I “really” mean nowhere!  As far as the eye could see there were wheat fields surrounding this beautiful home.  No neighbors in site; but I’m thinking there must have been a few oil wells 

somewhere on the property.

Every little town seems to have its own unique sculpture to represent or recognize their community.  In the small town of Davidson it represents warmth and hospitality.  If this 24 foot pot of coffee were filled, it would be enough cups of coffee to serve 150,000 people.  This coffee pot is included in Canada’s roadside stamp collection series and collection. 

 Looks like the truck is getting a fill-up.

These are the only windmills that we saw in Canada.  I would have thought with having so much flat, prairie land, they would make use of that wind power. 

 This made me laugh because it brought back lots of memories.  Wonder if this outdoor theater is still in use.

We went through some bigger cities today as we headed southeast, Sashatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan and Regina the second largest and the capital of that province. We also went through Winnepeg, which is the largest city in Manitoba.  Manitoba had similar landscapes as Saskatchewan.  They did seem to have a little more of the rolling hills and deciduous trees.  We saw the endless wheat fields there too; but didn’t see evidence of the oil fields along the TransCanada Highway where we were traveling.  The rich soils for agriculture are in the southern part of the province and oil fields are in the southwestern part.  Rich mineral deposits and forestry and fresh water are in the 

eastern and northern parts of Manitoba. 

  We crossed the border and we’re back in the United States!  The marks on the picture are bugs splattered on the windshield. J  We entered into North Dakota and are camping in Grand Forks.  Tomorrow we will be up bright and early because we have over 500 miles to travel to be home in Tomah, Wisconsin.

June 2, All New Roads Today

We’re on all new roads today that we have never traveled on before.  The last time we came back from Alaska we went south from Grand Prairie and went through Jasper and Banff and all those beautiful mountains.  This time we going east from Grand Prairie and the landscape is mostly prairie. 

  Thought we would see lots of wildlife like we did yesterday when we got up early.  Saw a few beavers, tons of crows, 2 bison behind a fence, farm animals, and we smelled a skunk.  We are getting into more populated areas as we travel east…must be the reason.

We saw these landslides quite often along the highway.  You usually don’t think of the ground sliding when it is covered with grass.  You just assume that the roots are strong enough 

to hold the ground in place.

This was a neat railroad bridge we came across that was all made out of wood.  You don’t see these very often anymore.

Here’s a close-up.  Looks like the structure work of the Eagle roller coaster at Great America.

I had to take a picture of this sign in Edmonton, Alberta. 

You do remember Wayne Gretzky?

Wisconsin and Minnesota looks similar to Saskatchewan

…minus the black, liquid gold. 

 Oil and wheat share the same fields.

Along with granaries…

…and refineries.

Trains are kept busy hauling all of this.

Loooonnnnnng trains!

Then we saw this house coming down the highway.  We were glad it was on the other side because no one could get past the house.  I bet those people weren’t happy.

Lots of big equipment use these roads. 

You just around them…if you can. 

 Canada sure has different signs than we do in the US.  This one is kind of a funny way to say….”move over.”  There was another information sign we saw that read…”Important Intersection.”  Not sure why that particular intersection was important; but I would think all intersections would be important.

Out of nowhere, the sky turned dark and a thunderstorm appeared.  Didn’t like those clouds that were coming down that looked like tornadoes forming.  The temperature went from 82 to 58 degrees in a matter of minutes.  It just rained hard and it was over, the sun came out and the temps went back up.

We were glad it rained hard because…

It cleaned most of the bugs off the motorhome.

I still can’t pass up those old barns and building without snapping a memory.  And that’s what they all will be shortly…just someone’s memories.  I don’t know who lived there or what their names were.  It doesn’t matter because in my mind 

I have my own story going on.

June 1, Alaskan Highway...1,700 Miles in 8 Months!

It's amazing how the landscape can change so fast.  The rolling hills of eastern British Columbia begin to lose their shape... 

and melt into these wide, open, farm fields. No matter how you search the horizon, there is no trace 

of those beautiful Canadian Rockies. 

Stopped and got some information at this neat little Visitor's Center.  A little old lady was so helpful in giving us maps and information.  She even offered to make us some coffee.

There are lot of oil and natural gas industries in British Columbia.  The little old lady at the Visitor's Center said that the oil company in their town processes it and gas at the pumps cost more in their town than it does in the town down the road where it is shipped.  She said it doesn't make sense.

This is where the Alaska Highway started...in Dawson Creek, BC.  It extended from here to Delta Junction, some 1,700 miles away.  The highway was built as the result of Japan bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7,1941.  The Aleutian Islands of Alaska were closer to Japan than the mainland of the US and our government was concerned about an invasion.  The US needed a route to send the military and supplies and that's how the Alaska Highway was built and completed in less than 8 months in the year 1942.   It's unbelievable such an endeavor could be possible.  The highway was opened to tourists in 1948.

Right behind the 0 marker in the middle of the square is a museum that tells the story of The Alaska Highway.  It is estimated that 30 men died in it's construction.  17 of those 30, died when a ferry they were on sunk as it was transporting materials 

across a lake at Fort John.

I'm  sure there a lots of stories about building and working on the Alaska Highway.

There's that Willys again!

We are camping the night in Valleyview, Alberta tonight.  The countryside is so beautiful with its huge, green fields. It is one of the  3 prairie provinces.  Even though Alberta has a lot of agriculture, oil is its main economic resource.  We are at a cozy campground with Wi-Fi! As I mentioned...I am blogging behind!  We checked in, parked close to the office to guarantee Internet service and......Bill can get it and I CAN'T!  I can if I sit by the office and get eaten by mosquitoes.  Bill was able to hook up some kind of booster and I have it!  Finally!  Besides getting hooked up and deblogged...the motorhome hasn't rattled for 3 days!  Nothing like being deblogged and derattled!  

  

  .

May 31, Fourteen Bears and a Hare

Getting up early this morning paid off because there was so much wildlife on the sides of the Alaskan Highway.  In our journey today, we saw 14 black bear and a hare. J  One of the bears was a grizzly!  We saw lots of bison grazing along the highway, along with sheep, caribou, moose, and elk.  It was a pretty exciting trip today.  One sad thing was a dead bison, hit by a vehicle, and not far down the highway was a baby bison wondering along the road all by itself.   Poor thing; but I guess that is nature.

We had to stop and have breakfast at the Northern Rockies Lodge on Muncho Lake.  Last time we stopped, we had lunch and it cost $50 for burgers and fries!  This time breakfast was a deal….$33 for eggs, potatoes, sausages, and the waiter gave us free coffee.  The lodge gets groceries twice a week from 800 miles away.  They figure, by the time the groceries get to them they are 60% higher.  To buy gasoline there is $1.99 a liter!  

Glad we didn’t have to fill up there.

Muncho Lake is probably the most beautiful lake we have ever seen.  It still had ice on parts of it when we stopped.  The waiter said that one of the lodge’s planes was bringing people in later today.  They were hoping the winds would come up and push the ice to the other side of the lake so they can land 

in the water in front of the lodge.

The water looks so turquoise due to the fragments scraped from the glaciers.  Some of this sediment sinks to the bottom; but some remain suspended in the water which 

reflects back the color green to our eyes.

I thought we were getting out of the mountains…then around the corner were some more mountain peaks.  These are called The Northern Rockies of British Columbia.  They were beautiful and our GPS was squawking again…”winding road ahead, winding road ahead, winding road ahead!”  

Camping at Fort Nelson, BC.  For the past 3 night the campgrounds said that they had Wi-Fi and they “LIE!” Tomorrow night we will check first to see if the internet works before we pay for the ameneties they really don’t have!  

Unhappy camper! Blogs are backing up! 

Without computers…you find other things to do.  We walked over to this neat museum next to the campground.  It had a lot of history of the area, old buildings, old machinery…old everything.  There was an old guy there that had a collection of old cars.  He told us an old story about him and the old Buick below.

The car on the right, the old man said he drove from Whitehorse to Fort Nelson.  It took him 3 days to make the nearly 500 mile trip in that 100 year old car.  The only scary encounter he said was when a buffalo ran along side the car for about a half mile.  

I think seeing this Willys has brought back memories of the Willys Bill had at one time.  I can read that smile.

You take my picture....

 ...and I'll take yours.