Well, here I am way beyond the point of ridiculousness… far behind on my blog posts! I hate to even think about it, so I try not to. I thought it was difficult keeping this blog up to date while we were on the road, but it has proven even more challenging at home. Home is where life starts happening all around you again, generating a multitude of demands for your time and attention. There has certainly been no shortage of such things ever since we got back. Add to that my propensity for getting distracted, and this is the result. Sometimes it makes me want to carve out a shelter under a fallen tree on a mountainside somewhere. I could subsist on nuts and berries… take my chances with the bears, you know? Of course, that would be the end of my blog, and I’d have to take up whittling or basket weaving – which wouldn’t be entirely bad. Since I’m not quite to that point, I’ll pick up where I left off on my last post. I have lots of other exciting things to share, too, so let’s do this!
Moving on, we left the Badlands and made a beeline to Colorado, the last remaining “must see” place on our list for this trip. We stayed over one night in a hotel, which had a prairie dog town right next to the parking lot! It was a short drive the next day to Dillon.
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.
The time had come for us to leave Mt. Rainier and set out for Mt. St. Helens. While finishing packing the Jeep, we were graced with a brief visit from this Clark’s Nutcracker.
I’ve heard it all three ways, and that kind of thing bugs me! I think it should be pronounced Mt. Ray-nee-ur, but I don’t live there, so I don’t get to decide what the rainy place gets called. No matter how you say it, the roads leading to Mt. Rainier National Park were rich with the dense green foliage one expects to find in a rainforest, which is the climate we were venturing into.
After leaving the Homer area, we assessed our Alaska “to do” list, and the only thing left on it was the ferry cruise on the Alaska Marine Highway down to Bellingham, Washington. Everything else we’d wanted to do and see in Alaska had been accomplished. We still had three weeks before our cruise date, and we were trying to think of where to kill time without spending a ton of money. The weather forecast for the coming week was rain pretty much everywhere in the state, which meant we would continue to be cold and wet, or part with a small fortune in order to be warm and dry. Neither choice was satisfactory, so we went with option C – leave Alaska and begin the second half of our adventure. The decision was fitting, since we’d been pretty much flying by the seat of our pants for most of the trip so far, in spite of the fact that Ken spent hours upon hours meticulously planning this trip for months in advance. It was with both a tiny hint of sadness and the feeling of great anticipation and excitement that we left Alaska behind and set course for the unknown adventures that still lay ahead. One thing we knew for sure was in our future was hot, dry air somewhere in the lower 48, and we were getting a little anxious to find it. We practically drooled at the sight of every RV we saw since Glacier National Park, enviously aware that those folks were not at the mercy of the weather. We stayed one last night in Anchorage in order to shower and re-stock our supplies, called and cancelled our cruise reservation, and got started toward Canada.
After a few days of staying dry and doing day trips, we decided to bite the bullet and get on with what we intended to do – camp in the wilds of Alaska in whatever conditions were presented to us.
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.
Starting in Fairbanks, Alaska, the ride up the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay is 498 miles one way. From Livengood, the actual beginning of the Dalton, approximately 25% of the road is paved, and in the summer, the rest is gravel, dirt or mud depending on the weather. It is strongly recommended to bring two spare tires, and to carry extra gas for the 239 mile stretch between Coldfoot and Deadhorse where there are no gas stations. Although not recommended, many people travel the road on motorcycles and bicycles. The feeling of accomplishment after such a feat must be incredible. I know it felt pretty awesome for us doing it in the Jeep! The road is challenging and beautiful, and the best way to avoid catastrophe and enjoy the journey is to first do your homework and don’t approach it casually. Once you’re traveling, just take your time. For more detailed information about the Dalton Highway, traveling on it and considerations to take before embarking on this journey, take a look at this page on the Bureau of Land Management website, where you will find a very thorough downloadable PDF guide.
Our first day on the Dalton was grey and wet most of the time, but still provided some interesting scenery. The road parallels the Alaska Pipeline for a good portion of the distance, and there are numerous access points for pipeline maintenance along the way.
We arrived in Great Falls with dampened gear and spirits. While we holed up in a hotel for three nights, it rained pretty much the entire time. We were scouring the internet for anything and everything related to RV campers, and second guessing our plans for the remainder of the trip. If we were experiencing this kind of weather in Montana, what would Canada and Alaska bring us? Although this weather isn’t normal for this time of year, anything is possible. We are not properly equipped to deal with snow or persistent freezing wet conditions. Should we head back south and cut the trip short by a month or two, or should we try to purchase a camper to tow behind the Jeep? Should we go back to Arizona or Texas where we knew it would be warm and dry for the rest of the time and skip Alaska until we had a camper? Then it hit us both at the same time: Don’t wimp out!!! We will press on and take our chances as planned, and deal with whatever comes our way when it happens. It’s all part of the adventure.
After driving through miles upon endless miles of farm country, fields, and rolling hills, the mountains of Glacier National Park became visible on the horizon, and grew bigger with each mile. So, too, did our excitement, as this place was one of our must-see, more highly anticipated stops on our journey. We were teased by patches of blue sky peeking through the thick puffy clouds overhead.
Our third day at Yellowstone started out as beautiful and picturesque, although windy. Mammoth Hot Springs is a center of activity with lodges, stores, campgrounds and hiking trails. We decided to visit a spot with several geothermal features, which can be viewed on foot via a boardwalk, or in a vehicle on a paved loop. We did a little of both, getting the best of both worlds.
This year’s annual camping trip with Adam & Jacqui and Kaden took us to new places. Our first night was spent at Limekiln Lake Campgrounds, just outside of Moose River Wild Forest. We had a spot near the water, and had to keep a constant eye on Kaden, who is two years old and into everything. He is a very busy little guy, and moves quicker than expected! The site was nice and roomy, plenty big enough for all of us to share. Adam & Jacqui rented a pop-up camper for the weekend; we used our regular tent for the single overnight, as it sets up and tears down pretty quickly.
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.
Forked Lake Primitive Campground (DEC), Adirondacks 5/23 & 5/24/09
Highlights: fishing; our new screen house; canoeing; freeze-dried food; bear lockers; loons singing after dark; coyotes in the distance
Not-exactly-highlights: black flies; the outhouse; rain; packing up wet camping gear; leaving early
Pictures-only version: click here
We’d heard about Forked Lake from a couple different people, so the first weekend in May we drove up to scope it out, and chose the perfect site to reserve, # 75. While planning this trip, we developed grandiose ideas of how we were gonna “really rough-it” this time. Oh yes! We were going to hike in about ½ mile to our site, with all our gear on our backs, and not much gear at that… just the bare essentials. We wouldn’t need our stove or the propane, as we would cook on the campfire. This campfire would not be lit with a modern lighter, or even matches. No, no, only a magnesium fire starter would be used. We wouldn’t need a cooler, either, as we’d be bringing only freeze-dried meals and other dry food items. What about something to drink? Well we’d be camping right next to a lake, for God’s sake! We can gather water from it and boil it over the campfire, rendering it perfect for drinking and cooking. We even bought a mess kit to cook with, thereby eliminating the need for our usual pots, pans, and tableware. This would be a lot less stuff to hike in with. We were also planning a hike along a snowmobile trail, possibly 15 miles round trip, depending on how quickly we tired. It was to be the mother of all camping trips!
Little Sand Point State Campground, Piseco Lake, Adirondacks 5/15 & 5/16/09
Hike: T Lake Trail 3.5 miles (7 mi. round trip)
Highlights: fishing; Common Mergansers (ducks); hike to T Lake lean-to; red-spotted newts; toads; Purple Trillium (a.k.a. “Stinking Benjamin”)
Not-exactly-highlights: black flies; rain; packing up wet camping gear; leaving early
Pictures-only version: click here
In spite of what we’ve heard about the black flies in the Adirondacks from May through mid-July, we decided to go camp there anyway. We prefer to camp away from the crowds. See, we’re not drinkers like most campers seem to be, and as a result their drunken antics and loud behavior tend to be annoying. The whole reason we enjoy camping is because it’s relaxing, and if you’re quiet enough, you’ll see some pretty cool wildlife. Loud drunks tend to interfere with all of that. So we thought we’d enjoy some solitude and take our chances with the black flies. We did our homework, bought 100% Deet, and got bug nets for our heads. I was hoping we wouldn’t really need the nets; they do look silly.
We arrived at the site and it wasn’t two minutes before we were putting on the bug spray… and the bug nets in five, after spraying them as well. Those flies were all over us, and they concentrate around your head – go figure. We set up camp, ate lunch, and took off in the car to tour the area. We located the trailhead for the next day’s hike, and scoped out another campground at Lake Durant, which was beautiful.
