Yellowstone – Round 2

On the first half of our big adventure, we skipped a few planned stops due to weather and vehicle repairs, and other stops were shortened due to weather as well.  Yellowstone was one of those, and a place we wanted to return to.  This put us far ahead of our original schedule, and the resulting “surplus” of time prompted our decision to see Yellowstone again on our way south.  We went back to the campground near Gardiner which was quite full, but we found a site and set up.  The campground host recognized the Jeep and came over to chat for a bit, and let us know where he’d seen a couple of bears, as well as where to get free drinking water – very nice and helpful of him.  We finished situating things and headed off for the park.  After negotiating the elk-induced traffic jam at Mammoth Hot Springs, we took the road east.

Blasting Through Canada

We packed up our gear and departed Eagle Trail just south of Tok, Alaska, making our way toward the Canadian border.  We were sad to leave Alaska behind, but vowed to return to this beautiful, enchanting place someday.  Hopefully that will happen in the not too distant future, and I suspect we’ll start daydreaming and planning for that trip shortly after this one is finished!  For now, though, we are fully present in this adventure as the events unfold.

The first day’s drive got us across the border and started us back along the famously jarring Alaska Highway to Whitehorse.  Crossing into Canada was again smooth and pleasant, and the officer we dealt with was quite friendly and helpful.

In our quest to find the hot dry air sooner rather than later, we would again make good time getting through Canada.  Kluane Lake in the Yukon was one of our favorite locations on this part of the drive; the lake seems to go on forever, and the surrounding landscapes are endlessly beautiful.

Anchorage, Alaska: Wildlife in the City and Daytrippin’

We decided to stay in Anchorage and make a couple of day trips to other areas.  We did not even slightly enjoy Anchorage.  You see, we had finely honed our skills in finding the absolute worst section of town to stay in, and we’d practiced this almost everywhere we’d been.  I don’t think this mattered much in Anchorage – the whole city had an unsettling vibe to both of us (in contrast to Fairbanks which felt just fine).  Both hotels we stayed at were centered amongst a mix of the more treacherous elements of society, which kept us even more alert and vigilant than we already are normally.  The shady characters and their erratic behaviors we saw – loitering, random and not-so-random wandering, arguments, unintelligible mutterings to themselves – made me think I might rather take my chances with the bears!  Perhaps the Jeep was our saving grace, looking like a safari vehicle ready for the zombie apocalypse, with an axe and shovel mounted on the roof rack and who-knows-what on the inside.  At the very least, it doesn’t look like a vehicle that would be driven by gentle, timid, unsuspecting folks!  Arriving hungry and late in the day, we hastily chose a hotel on the fringes of downtown for the first night.  We promptly got out of Dodge in the morning, and proceeded to settle into our second hotel in the next expertly selected bad section of town.  Once that was accomplished, we drove to Eklutna Lake to see what the campgrounds were like, and it is a beautiful little spot.

The Dalton Highway Adventure Days 3-4: Galbraith Lake to Deadhorse; Prudhoe Bay, Arctic Ocean

Mosquitoes in Alaska are formidable, to say the least, and I would be remiss if I failed to mention them!  You don’t know what it means to have a mosquito problem until you’ve experienced the Alaska swarms.  Although they come in all sizes, most are huge… actually the mosquito is the state bird!  Normally when you venture outdoors, it will take a few minutes for the mosquitoes to pinpoint your location.  Well, these guys are anything but normal – they’re already there waiting for you, poised and ready to strike like an army of smallish but annoying blood-sucking vampires.  They don’t congregate in the woods like you might be used to.  No, this is the arctic tundra, baby!  It’s a permanently wet environment devoid of forest, and believe me, they make efficient use of it as their nursery and feeding grounds, right out in the great wide open.  They are also not as affected by cool temperatures as their southern cousins, enabling them to keep you company just a little longer.  Oh, and forget about sunshine hindering their activity.  They are ever-present, and with 24 hours of daylight in the summer, it’s a giant mosquito festival.  “Just use Deet repellant,” you say?  Don’t worry, even if they don’t get a blood meal, they can still lay eggs – they’ll just lay fewer.

Entering Canada, Driving the Alaska Highway

Crossing the border into Canada went very smoothly.  They asked a series of questions, we declared our two rifles and made sure we had them stowed according to their laws.  Since we had filled out our paperwork for the rifles ahead of time, the process was simple and painless, and the officers who dealt with us were very pleasant.

Our first day of travel in Canada was uneventful.  We were still in fairly civilized territory, so the paved roads were in pretty good shape.

Yellowstone Day 2 - Geothermals, Grizzlies & Wolves!

Day two at Yellowstone was a busy one!  The first bit of awesomeness was on our way out of the campground… we got to see a family of magpies!  The others took off before I could get the camera, though.

Yellowstone National Park Day 1

Our first day in Yellowstone did not disappoint!  We got stuck in two or three “buffalo jams” which are a very frequent occurrence, some of which can take an hour or more to get through, depending on how much traffic has been backed up.  It turns out that the buffalo – or bison – like to travel on the roads as much as we do, and a whole herd of them will just take their sweet time walking down the middle of the road, leaving it for the grass only when they’re good and ready!

Camping in Bear Country

When spending time in nature, it’s easy to lose yourself in the beauty and serenity of it all.  The smell of fresh air, the chorus of wildlife all around and endless views that are a photographer’s dream are there to be discovered.  The tranquility can be mesmerizing, but at the same time, you are at nature’s mercy.  A peaceful hike in the woods can become a fight for your life in a split second if you happen across the wrong animal at the wrong time.  Being out in nature is recreational for us, but for the creatures that live there it’s pretty much what they do for a living.  They live and die there.  They hunt or are hunted, forage for food, defend their territories, and raise and protect their families.  When we enter their domain, we become part of that equation from their perspective.  They don’t know we’re just there to enjoy a walk and take some pictures. They see us as just another animal that might pose a threat, and indeed, some of us do.  Sometimes we can even be seen as an easy meal!  Knowing this, it is up to us to take precautions and remain vigilantly aware of our surroundings.  Common sense and a little homework can make the difference between a fantastic outdoor adventure and getting eaten alive.

Shenandoah National Park 5-16 & 5-17-13

Okay, so we’re into 2013 now! We’ve had two visible modifications done to the Jeep at this point: a roof rack/basket, and a light bar. I’ll discuss those more in detail in a later post, but their functions are obvious.

Catch Up & Review: 2012 Part 1 – Ocala National Forest

Enough time had passed since we moved to Florida and we really needed to do a good camping and hiking excursion down here.  It’s quite different here, in that summer is not the ideal time for these activities.  It’s really, really hot, and the insects are relentless – a perfect combination for misery!  Winter, on the other hand, is a lovely time to be outdoors for the most part.  Temperatures are moderate and the bugs are greatly reduced. 

So at the end of January we grabbed our backpacking gear and headed up to Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area, in Ocala National Forest.  The trailhead is next to the Juniper Springs Recreation Area Campground where we paid to park our car.  We wanted to avoid any vandalism that might occur at the trailhead, which we read reports of online.  We hiked to Hidden Pond, stayed overnight, and hiked back.  During the daytime it was about 80 degrees, and we were in the sun most of the time.  We wore pants as usual, and worked up a pretty good sweat.

Catch Up & Review: 2011 Moose River ; Wanakena/Five Ponds

In the summer of 2011, our vacation was spent mostly in the Adirondacks, after visiting some family. First leg of the camping trip was at Moose River Plains Wild Forest; we spent three nights there. It was awesome as always. One of the campsites we’ve always wanted to stay at but is always occupied was finally vacant, so we grabbed it. It’s a really pretty spot by the water.

Catch Up & Review: 2010 Part 2 Forked Lake; Lewey Lake

Our next trip was at the end of May to Forked Lake in the Adirondacks.  It is a primitive campground, and all the sites are walk-in or canoe-in.