May 18, I Missed Another Bear!

 Williams Lake is the home of the Pioneer Log Homes. The TV show, Timber Kings takes place there.  The log homes they build run into the millions of dollars.

 They build the framework of the log homes here with that huge boom.  Then they are taken apart and rebuilt on location.

 This is one of the mediocre-priced log homes.

 This better be a nice picture because “again” I missed the black bear that was grazing on the side of the road! 

  Most our day of travel was during the rain.  I was happy that the stretch of the Rockies we crossed were gentler on my stomach.  As we traveled west, the mountains faded into the distance and the landscape turned into gently, rolling foothills will farms and ranches as far as the eye could see.

 Highway 16 is also called the "Highway of Tears."  It’s a stretch of road that runs 500 miles between Prince George and Prince Rupert, British Columbia which the disappearances of young women began in 1969.  The unsolved murders of 18, possibly as many as 48 took place until 2011.  How sad and scary for those people that live in this area knowing that a person is still out there that can cause others more pain.

Ending the day on a happy note…the sun came out and we found a campground in Vanderhoof, British Columbia with working Wi-Fi (until everyone in the campground decided to go on and it slowed down the uploading of pictures to my blog).  We were surprised to see others camping so early in the season.  We found out that this weekend the Canadians are celebrating “Victoria Day.”  They celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday and it also starts the beginning of the summer season. Saw a moose sign; but no moose…yet!  

I’ll have my camera ready!

May 17, Hand Over Your Apples!

We entered the gates at the Canadian border in Osayoos.  Passports checked and questions asked.  THEY TOOK OUR APPLES I JUST BOUGHT!  I guess if that’s the only problem we had crossing the border, that’s okay.  It is fruit country and wine country in that area of British Columbia.  Guess they are afraid that our apples are going to be a bad influence on their apples. 

 Osoyoos is Canada's only true desert and the location of the country's warmest lake.  With it's mild valley climate, fruits and vegetables grow in abundance.  This part of the country is known for its award-winning wines.  After going through some of those mountain passes, I could have used a glass or two or maybe even a bottle!

Some pretty high mountains in British Columbia.  A steep grade on United States interstates is usually around 6%.  We came down grades of 11% today! That’s why I could have used that wine.  There were lots of places for truckers to check their brakes so they don’t have to use those runaway lanes.

Would this stop a runaway, 80,000 pound semi truck that’s barreling down the highway, minus its brakes? The sand and gravel, along with the ascending grade is suppose to stop the truck with little damage.  I hope the weeds growing in the sand is a good indicator that the runaway lane is rarely use.   

 Kind of a nice form of graffiti on the side of a mountain.  All the graduating classes of the town, as far back as the 70’s.

Came across a copper mine on Highway 97.  It is the largest open-pit mine in Canada and one of the largest in the world! It seemed to stretched on for over 25 miles!  

Here are some photos…

 Love taking pictures of these old buildings of the past.  Makes you wonder who lived there and the hard life they must have had trying to survive in the wilderness.  Don’t think they had green, metal roofs back then; but it nice to think that there are people today that want to preserve those little bits of history to remind us where we came from.  Here are a few more reminders…

Staying at the Gold Trail RV Park in Clinton, British Columbia.  This my ideal campground with flowers all over.  It’s hard to believe that it is warmer here than in Wisconsin at this time of the year.  The flowers are all in bloom, the trees are already budded out, the grass is really green and it’s NOT SNOWING! We heard that there were flurries in northern Illinois this morning and it is May 17^th.  The campground we’re at is comfortable; but again the Wi-Fi isn’t working here either!  I’m starting to think that they advertise that they have Wi-Fi to get you in and then tell you it is down. Another day late on my blog.  For those who follow…we are still alive and well. 

May 16, Shermans, Shermans Everywhere!

Another great day for traveling west!  The sun is shining and our plans are to make it into the state of Washington by late afternoon.

Check out these switchbacks up the side of this mountain.  What could be so important up there that someone would travel up that treacherous road?  Our sons would say….”it’s not what’s at the end of the road that’s important; but it’s the journey in getting there.”  Off-roading, Jeep guys would say something like that!

At first I thought there were some small geysers on the side of this mountain.  Looking closer, wish I had time to zoom in closer, were men about half way up drilling into the mountain.   We figured their job was to stabilize the side of the mountain from landslides or from rocks falling on the highway.  It gave me the chills; but comfort that there are people out there that have the courage to do these jobs to make our roads safer.  Now…only if we could get those people that feel talking and texting on their phones while driving isn’t hazardous to all of us on the roads!  

Idaho went by fast because we went through the panhandle this time.  

 More scenery with breath-taking views!

(or I should say…I held my breath on many of the views)  

When we travel the country, I try to take a picture of signs with the Sherman name

 on it.  As we entered the state of Washington, we came across this one.  

    Then shortly after we crossed the mountain on the Scenic Sherman Byway through the Sherman Pass.  

Then there were more Sherman signs….

Then there were more Sherman signs….

…and more Sherman signs!

Couldn't I find just one “Gitzlaff” sign?

Spent the night at a campground in Republic, Washington. Named after the Republic Gold Claim made in 1896, the town was the highest producer of gold at the time.  It became a booming town; but now has about 1,000 people that live there.  The town is also famous for the Eocene fossils that were found in a lake near Republic.  We stayed in a nice campground; but we checked in during a small storm and their internet was down.  Have to send my blog out tomorrow when we’re in Canada.  They do have Wi-Fi in Canada don’t they?     

May 15, A Calm Day with Lots of Wildlife

A Calm Day with Lots of Wildlife

Woke up in Cody, Wyoming to a beautiful morning to make our trek into Yellowston Park.  It's amazing how the landscape can change 
in just a matter of miles. 

The tunnels out West are the Best!  We went through three tunnels in a row with some sky light between each one of them.  As you come out of the 3rd tunnel is the Buffalo Bill Dam, built between 1905-1910.  At that time it was the tallest dam in the world.  Can't imagine  working on such a project!  In      1971, it was put on the Nationl       Register of Historic Places.     

The snow didn't seem as deep as the last time we went through Yellowstone 3 years ago.  However, it is still a little scary seeing signs warning you not to stop in certain places because of the possibility of an avalanche.  I was happy the sun was shining;  but then I thought... ummmm....that could be a factor in causing an avalanche.  Another factor is noise...so I didn't talk. :-) 

The yellow bus on the left is some of the neat vehicles you can take tours of the park in.  They are replicas of vehicles that gave tours to many during a bygone era.

A buffalo right in the middle of the median of the highway!  There were buffalo all over.  Buffalo appear to be slow because of their lethargic movements;  but they can easily outrun those tourists that are sneaking up on them to take their picture.  Hey...can you run faster than 40 miles per hours people?  

Saw lots of other animals; but they were faster than the shutter on my camera (good excuse huh).  We saw elk, mule deer, and even 2 black bears!  One of the black bears crossed the road in front of us.  I was messing with the GPS and missed the snapshot of the day!  Guess I'll have to be ready for the more photogenic ones in Alaska.

We're about 1500 miles away from home, in Missoula, Montana at a KOA campground and this is my last photo of the day.  It's my mom's birthday and I'll always think of her when I see lilacs, her favorite flower.  What a way to end a beautiful day... 

with thoughts of my mom.

May 14, Snowy Roads on Powder Pass!

It started out as a beautiful, sunny day in Buffalo, Wyoming.  It continued to be sunny; but during the night in the Big Horn Mountains it had snowed enough for the plows to be out.  Scary going up 9,650 feet and descending the 6% grade almost introduced me to my breakfast again!  Bill remained cool and calm despite the comments under my breath and the sound of my foot slamming on my own imaginary breaks. He did well at ignoring the 50 shades of red my face was turning as I was squirming in my seat and closing my eyes at every curve we took...which I was sure was our last. I could envision someone finding us at the bottom of the mountain and saying...."Oh look... she still has the camera cord attached to her wrist. I wonder if she took any pictures on the way down."  

Despite my white knuckles...the scenery was beautiful!


 Then a rock formation appeared and I prayed it was a good omen.

At lower elevations all the snow was gone and my muscles began to relax again.  I do love these mountains; but they scare the #*@#! out of me.  Just thankful Bill does the driving!

Tensleep is a small town where the elevation levels off at 4,426 feet.  Tensleep was an American Indian rest stop and the name sounds like only 10 people may have lived here at one time.  Actually there are 257 people living there, down 48 from the 2000 census.  The town was named Tensleep by the Indians
 because it took ten sleeps to reach 
Fort Laramie and Yellowston Park from there.

Our day ended camping in Cody, Wyoming.  This town is named after a famous figure in history that became the world's foremost communicator about history and one who kept the enduring spirit of the American West alive.  William Cody also has a museum here that is dedicated to him that has roots as far back as 1917. The museum focuses on Buffalo Bill's life (1846-1917) and times as a noted guide, scout, frontiersmen, showman, actor, entrepeneur, town founder, and American icon.  It is a museum to see multiple times because it's almost impossible to see everything in one visit.

Tomorrow off to Yellowstone.

May 13th...Turn Up the Heat!

Many Wisconsinites have been grumbling over the extra body insulation accumulated over the long winter of 2014.  It doesn't happen very often; but ours came to our advantage in the middle of the night.  We woke up about 3:00 A.M. last night and it was freezing cold in the motorhome.  The pilot light had gone out!  It was 30 some degrees outside and 40 some degrees inside!  Burrrrrrrrr!  Bill fixed it and it is all warm and cozy again.  Guess there's no reason to keep that extra body insulation any longer.

We probably have seen these beautiful hills of South Dakota almost
 a dozen times and never tire of them.  Our children had the pleasure of visiting the many sites in this area...Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Bear Country, Prairie Dog Town, Sturgis, Devil's Tower....just too much to mention!  It's a state that would keep any kid entertained, even if they just like to play in the sand...
...and there's lots of that!   

Now....with GPS, you can see all the sites even if you don't have time to see them all on one trip.  However, the Mount Rushmore exit isn't the one you want to pass by.  We have seen it many times during the day; only to find out that the nighttime viewing is even more majestic and breath-taking!

After passing hundreds of Wall Drug signs from Minnesota to Wall, South Dakota, it's hard not to stop for a free ice, cold glass of water and a 5 cent cup of coffee.  That's how it all got started back in 1931 during the depression when Dorothy Hustead's family drug store was barely breaking even.  Dorothy heard the jelopies rattling by and thought that they may be very thirsty from their dry, dusty ride.  So she put up a few signs offering cold, icey water for free.  Business began to multiply, along with the number of billboards.  Today those hundreds of signs advertising Wall Drugs in Wall, South Dakota are as far away as Antarctica, which is 10,645 miles away.  I really don't think they have to worry too much about getting ice, cold, water down there.  

It was a beautiful, sunny;  but cool day traveling today.  The wind, with gusts of 35mph or more, made it for a rocky ride again.  We can see snow on the mountain in the distance.  Hopefully, none on the roads we will be taking in a few days.  Guess we can always park our motorhome and wait for the snow to melt.   

May 12 Back to Alaska

Back To Alaska

Leaving Wisconsin on Monday, May 12^th on a warm, drizzly morning for our second adventure to Alaska.

Weather Conditions fail to improve the further west we go.  Besides the rain, the Northerly winds began to blow.  Is it possible to get sea-sick in a motorhome?  Instead of going up and down, we were going side to side.  I would have gone in the back; but I felt I needed to stay belted in for my own safety.  Tums became my lifesaver.  Bill drove in these conditions for 470 miles….rain, wind and dodging those wonderful, orange construction barrels!  I guess it wasn’t as bad as seeing on Facebook that Bill’s sister was driving today across Wyoming through a snowstorm!  WHAT?  It’s May and isn’t that the state we have to drive through tomorrow? 

 We’re at Big Al’s in Chamberlain, South Dakota and it’s 34 degrees!  So it is 75 degrees at home and 70 in Anchorage, Alaska…Come on! 

They do have buffalo here …the ones that pose for pictures.

The do have buffalo burgers …that are pretty tasty.

And…

They do have junk shops that all tourist love …except for husbands. 

This is the view out our back window of the motorhome.  The rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun even came out.  We both have pulled out our laptops and discovered we have free Wi-Fi, thanks to Big Al.  Ahhh….all is right with the world again. J