Yellowknife Day 2

Day 14 Tuesday, 6/30: Slept in this morning and it was nice. The sun is out at the
moment and after breakfast we are going into town to try to find internet connection.

We are at the Yellowknife visitor’s center and they are extremely helpful and let us hook into their internet connection! So, we are posting our blogs today, maybe for the last time for a few weeks.

Today was a much better tourism day. Did some more shopping, took a tour, and took in some of the sights. Plan to be on the road early tomorrow to get that first 60 miles of dips out of the way. Had a thunderstorm late this afternoon but most of the day was nice. Used the great shower facilities and now having a glass of wine before dinner. (Stew and biscuits….) Liquor store in Yellowknife had a good wine selection but not much in the way of boxed wine. Also, very limited liquor. NO TEQUILA!!! What kind of a liquor store is that? Just had the basics like gin, vodka, bourbon and rye. They did have New Zealand Nobilo wine but VERY Expensive!!!!

Went to a grocery store called Extra Foods which is a chain in these parts. Kind of like a Grocery Outlet. Anyway, they charged $1 to use a grocery cart!!!! Had to insert a Loonie ($1 coin) to unlock the cart! How amazing is that? Needless to say we didn’t use a cart, we just used a hand held basket and didn’t buy much. Wasn’t impressed with their selection of food either. Give me a Safeway!!!

Yellowknife Day 1

Day 13 Monday, 6/29: 2500 total miles. The dreaded drive to Yellowknife was not as bad as a few people had led us to believe. Got to the Deh Cho Ferry and saw the bridge that is under construction. Access to YK is by ferry for 4 months of summer, ice road for 4 months of winter, and by aircraft the rest of the time. The bridge will give them year round access. Bison was the word for this trip. Came across at least 4 good size herds with lots of young ones in the groups and they were right along side the road. Big critters. Road had a few dips in it, but not as bad as expected. Last 80 kilometers was down to 40 mph. Brief drive through town, fuel, and a great dinner at Coyote’s Steak & Seafood. Steak for Bob and local Slave Lake Pickerel for Betsy. They don’t serve water unless you ask for it and the rather expensive dinner did not come with a salad. Just entre with veggies and choice of potato. Very interesting!! We also split a Baked Alaska since neither of us had ever had it.

Drove through their “Old Town” and a few other areas of town. Came back to the camper and Betsy watched an Agatha Christie DVD that Libby had loaned. At 12:45 am it was still light outside!!! Nice Territorial Park with lots of trees and quiet. Also great shower facilities!! We had showers as soon as we pulled into camp as it had been a few days….. It rained a bit during the night. Betsy is still recovering from quarter sized welts from mosquito bites at the last place we stayed. They aren’t as bad here and we have been using more spray. No black flies here either! Yeah!

Lady Evelyn Park

Day 12 Sunday, 6/28: Left early (7:30) and headed north once more. Stopped at the visitor’s center at the 60th Parallel/border into Northwest Territories. Took some pictures and got some brochures. Nice First Nation guy there who liked to talk. Stopped at Louise Falls and walked down to take some pictures. The black flies are pretty bad right now so we didn’t linger! Drove on to Hay River and were a little disappointed with the town. Not much there so we decided to head on. Drove back to Enterprise and the junction toward Yellowknife. We had not intended to go to Yellowknife but the couple from last night said it is a really nice area so we have decided to change our route a bit. Staying the night at Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park about 60 miles west of Enterprise. The falls are nice but the black flies are a pain in the ass!!! So glad to have our camper! We can sit inside, drink wine, and to hell with those bugs….

High Level Day 2

Day 11 Saturday, 6/27: Had showers and breakfast and headed off for a day of exploring with just the truck. Drove south to a turnoff toward La Crete and caught a ferry across the Peace River. Small ferry but big enough for a “B train” which is what they call a semi with two trailers, plus a couple of cars and us. Pretty countryside with lots of nice farms. Most farms/houses had very large lawns, sometimes two +acres, and all were mowed and looked perfect. La Crete has a large Mennonite community and they always keep their places very nice. The Mennonite Heritage Center was closed. Not much to see in La Crete so we drove on to Fort Vermillion, one of the first places to be settled in this area. Started out with trappers. Not much in this little town either so we drove back to High Level and had a bite to eat at the local A & W. Fueled up and headed back to camp. Loaded up the camper, filled and dumped, and got everything ready to head out tomorrow. It might be several days of “dry” camping so we want to be well stocked…. Tomorrow it is on to Hay River and we plan to stay in a Provincial Park. It is getting close to Canada Day (July 1) so hoping it is not full. Kind of like our 4th of July. Weather was nice today, except a bit cloudy this afternoon. Bugs are still somewhat of a problem so we haven’t spent a lot of time outside. Mostly mosquitoes and a few black flies. The bug spray does work though.

We are down to about 2 ½ hours of actual night and even then it isn’t really dark like at home. Further north the more daylight hours and we were told that by the time we reach Inuvik the sun will not set at all…. It is very strange to wake up at midnight and have it be daylight!!!
Our neighbor came over about 8:00 and said they had a campfire and invited us to join them so we took our chairs and went over. Nice couple from Rainbow Lake. It is a town created for the oil industry, which both of them work for. About 150 miles from High Level so they weren’t terribly far from home. They gave us some information about the area and we asked about various signs we had seen and didn’t understand. They get a large tax break for living so far north and the oil company provides housing. They have a 5th wheel and do some camping in the summer months. He works 8 days and then has 6 off. Her parents live in Red Deer and often drive to Missoula, MT to shop (quite a distance!). They brought back a 24 pack of Coors Lite and paid about $16 for it. Here it would cost about $48 so quite a bargain for them! Coors Lite, $2 per can…. Wow…. Stayed by the campfire until after 10:00 (the sun hadn’t even gone down yet) and then went back to our camper because we were tired of swatting the mosquitoes! They weren’t biting, just annoying.

High Level, Alberta

Day 10 Friday, 6/26: Left earlier this morning than we have been (8:00) and headed north on Hwy. 35. Lots of what looked like moose habitat but no sightings until just before Manning when a VERY LARGE moose was standing in the south bound lane quite a ways from us. We slowed (as did a car coming from the opposite direction) but by the time we got close enough he had crossed the road and went through some trees. Did get a picture but it was from quite a distance. We were very impressed at the size!!! No more sightings today…. Proceeded on to High Level arriving about noon. We are camped at an RV park just south of town. Not the greatest RV park but among trees and there is a Laundromat of sorts! Thought the dryer was going to die but managed to get through two loads without issues….(except for extremely loud noises). Disconnected the trailer and unloaded the camper because we plan to do some sight seeing tomorrow with just the truck. Drove a few miles north of town to a nice reservoir and park setting. Found a campground there also that was only $5 a night. Bought more wine in town J The liquor store had a wall of photo’s of people who were banned from the store! Almost like wanted posters in a post office! Excellent quality of surveillance cameras! We didn’t see ourselves so we were able to shop.

Weather has been partly cloudy and breezy. Keeps the bugs off! Had a few light showers and some wind this morning. So far the fuel prices have been cheaper than at home which is a surprise.

Leaving Grande Prairie

Day 9 Thursday, 6/25: Expecting high winds today so we probably won’t drive very far. Had showers and a nice breakfast. Not sure when we will have internet access next….. E-mail challenges. We can receive but not send…. Trying to get the blog site out there so if you can let others know it would be appreciated. Might be the only way we can communicate for awhile!!!

Arrived at Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park at about 12:30. Nice park on Lac Cardinal with very few people here. 140 sites, 4 in use! Swarms of bugs but bug spray works…. A bit of wind helps too. Took a long bike ride to a Pioneer Village but unfortunately it was closed to visitors. There were people there working on it. Took a short nap and then walked around by the lake. Starting to cloud up a bit. Campfires are not allowed due to fire danger (seems odd at this time of year) so the fee was reduced by $5. Too bad we didn’t notice this before we put our fee envelope in the drop box! It is self registration. We are wondering if it is early for visitors to this park since there are so few people. It warmed up to about 74 today but maybe that is unusual for this time of year? There are signs warning of bears but we haven’t seen any critters, just bugs.

Last night it didn’t get dark until past 11:00. Just happened to wake up and notice! It will be very interesting the farther north we go…. Plan to be in High Level tomorrow night.

Jim/Marci/Cassie: Have a fantastic time in Maui!!! We will be thinking of you....

Grande Prairie

Day 8 (Wednesday, 6/24: Left the provincial park around 8:45. Fueled at Entwistle. Today we saw miles and miles of very straight road with rolling hills and trees. Lots of “moose” signs but no sighting of a real thing yet…. Saw one deer crossing the road and that’s it! Sunny and warm today with a few clouds this afternoon. Staying at a nice newer RV park in Grande Prairie called Happy Trails and it has internet but we are having trouble getting our e-mails. Have a call in to EONI so we will see if they call us back. At least we can check our banking and do the blog…

Bob was talking to a local who indicated the water and sewer lines all have to be buried at least 12’ deep to keep from freezing… Winter weather here is just plain ‘cold’. Summers are a normal 50 with an occasional (yesterday) 72.

Had some strong wind for awhile after we went to bed, and it rained some during the night.

Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

Day 7 (Tuesday, 6/23): Left Carstairs about 8:30 after dumping and filling with water. On to Edmunton, a very large city. No problems finding our way to a Super Wal-Mart for a couple of items and then on the way out of town we found a bank for more Canadian cash and two liquor stores in the same block! Bought more wine at each since we are headed into unknown territory! As long as we are well stocked with wine and have a supply of cash, what more is there? Headed west from Edmunton to a Provincial Park on Wabamun Lake. They don’t let you pick out a site, they assign one to you which is unfortunate. We are in a drive-through site in the Dogwood Loop. It is secluded with lots of trees and shrubs. No hook-ups here although we could have paid for electric in another site but decided we didn’t need it. This park is $20 a night also (Canadian). We arrived in camp about 2:30 so a little more relaxing time today after such a long drive yesterday. The road from Edmunton was extremely bumpy and the printer came loose and onto the floor in 5 pieces. It is now put back together and seems to be working OK…. We are expecting much worse roads ahead so need to figure a better way to tie it down! It is sunny and warm enough for shorts (about 70). First time for awhile.

Day 6

Well, it rained all night long and continued on for most of today. Left camp around 8:30 and arrived at the border about 9:15. The border person was very nice, asked a bunch of questions, had us pull over so we could go inside and register the shotgun. No problems whatsoever and they didn’t even look inside the camper or trailer! We were very surprised as we thought because of the gun we would be scrutinized. They were pleased that we had all of the paperwork completed regarding the gun.

Arrived in Fort MacLeod around noon and stopped at the visitor center. Looking for a bank to get some Canadian money and a store for wine. Discovered two important things here. We can’t use our debit cards in Canada (has to be used as Visa) and you have to buy beer and wine at a liquor store, not a regular grocery store…. Bummer!!!! We did find a bank and used their ATM and found a liquor store. They certainly did have wine but it is very expensive! Sorry we didn’t bring more with us because they didn’t even ask about it at the border!!!! Live and learn…. We will definitely be stocking up in Alaska!

Drove past the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump because it was pouring rain and stopped in Vulcan just briefly due to the same. Ended up driving through Calgary during 5:00 rush hour traffic and on to Carstairs to a city run RV park. Arrived at 6:00 making for a very long driving day! Having some of the expensive Canadian boxed wine. It is very good!
Most of today was through very flat prairie land, like the Midwest. Looking forward to some nicer weather and mountains! Will continue north in the morning and will probably stay just west of Edmonton. More adventures to come!!!!

Day 5: Good thing we put the BBQ grill away before we went to bed as it rained most of the night. Felt cozy in our camper though…. Had a nice shower and breakfast and left about 9:30. There was some ugly road construction between the RV Park and Polson (speed trap at the end of it). On to Kalispell (Wal-Mart) and Whitefish (grocery store for wine!). Couldn’t believe all the multi-million dollar homes overlooking Flathead Lake! Beautiful scenic drive after Kalispell but no critters to be seen.

Tonight we are camping in a forest service campground ($5 a night) on Dickey Lake. Not many people camped here and firewood available so we are having a campfire. A bit of rain though…. According to a sign there have been bear sightings in the area so we won’t be leaving anything out.

Missoula, MT

Day 4: Arrived in Missoula around noon on Saturday. Did some shopping at Wal-Mart (a few things we forgot....) and on to Jim & Mary's RV Park, Hwy. 93, going toward Kallispell. This is a very nice park with lots of trees, flowers, grass and INTERNET!!!! We are finding it difficult to find wireless internet so our e-mails may be few and far between. Will be heading north in the morning.

Day 5: Well, we were able to grill some chicken last night and fortunately put the BBQ away before we went to bed. It rained steady all night long! This moning is cloudy but at least it stopped raining. Plan to head north soon and don't know when we will have internet again. We are having fun and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Have only seen a few deer so far....

We will probably cross the border into Canada tomorrow (Monday).

Arrived at Fairchild AFB around 3. Camp host were fantastic. Dinner at Moose Bar in town... Excellent food. Spent the evening swaping lies and stories with Connie/Mike. Plan to be in bed early. Wi-fi is fair. We definetly need a small directional receiver/transmitter unit. Might get the bikes out and go for a short ride in the morning.

Today's AirForce is different. Evening colors is at 1630 (4:30) when they go home and turn the base over to civilians. Gone is the day of eve colors at sunset. They don't get up until 0730. On base there is one 'all rates' club for dinner/drinks. To use it, you have to "join". $40 per month... We declined.... And they wonder why the club parking lot was empty. Again, the Air Force has changed. In reality, the USAF has only a security detachment here. Wash Air guard and Nat Guard are the residents.

We plan to be out of here by 10 ish and off to Wallace Idaho.

Heading North

It has been a while since we entered anything.. Lots has happened. Today we start a trip 'North' with the goal of getting to Inuvik, NWT, Canada. In Canada, you cannot drive futher north than Inuvik in Summer months. This town is about 30 miles from the Arctic Ocean.

Trip should last about 4 months and is generally a business trip to gather info for a book 'Where to ride a UTV or ATV in the North Country'.

Next stop is Fairchild AFB near Spokane Wash. Will try to post from there. Then on to Wallace Idaho, for some UTV time.