Colorado: Part 2

Departing from Dillon, a few hours of driving brought us through beautiful landscapes in the countryside of Colorado, up and down mountain passes and winding alongside rivers.

On Distractions and Colorado

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.

The Badlands – Beautiful Dry Hotness

We got out of Yellowstone ahead of the storm, passing familiar scenery for a little while before entering new territory.

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.

Hot Spot Hopping: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Craters of the Moon, Yellowstone

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.

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.

Alaska: The Last Frontier, But Not the Last Stop

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.

Rainforest Surprise: Finding Alaska’s Wet Spot

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.

Denali National Park and Preserve

Visiting Denali National Park was very high on our list of must-see places, and our excitement grew the closer we got.  We had beautiful sunny weather and stunning scenery all the way from Fairbanks to the park.

The Dalton Highway Adventure – Days 5-6: Deadhorse to Coldfoot to Fairbanks

As we were leaving Deadhorse Camp, I took pictures of our room and the outside of the building.  The accommodations were simple, yet sufficient and comfortable for their intended purpose.

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.

The Dalton Highway Adventure: Days 1-2: Fairbanks to Coldfoot to Galbraith Lake

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.

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.

Weathering the Storm

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.

Glacier National Park - The Evil Temptress

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.

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!

Grand Canyon Part 2 – North Rim

Upon waking in Kaibab National Forest at our wonderful, free and very primitive campsite, we set about our morning routine.

As I was brushing my teeth, some movement on the ground a few feet away caught my attention.  At first it looked like a toad, and when it moved it did so in a toad-like fashion.

Grand Canyon Part 1, South Rim

The Grand Canyon is a place neither of us has ever seen, and our first stop was the South Rim.  The view was absolutely breathtaking!  The massive expanse that lay before us was something words can’t do justice to.  It really felt dreamlike to me… surreal.  We stood staring down thousands of feet, out across the miles to distant plateaus, and down to the Colorado River, which appears as but a thread, delicately winding its way through the rock, though it is the very force which created this place.  To me, it felt like floating on a cloud.  To Ken, it felt like treachery.  Actually, it wasn’t quite that bad for him.  He was definitely in awe of the place and enjoyed it thoroughly, but scolded and glared at me several times when he thought I was too close to “the edge.”  Perhaps my definition of “the edge” is different than his!  Anyhow, I did maintain a safe distance from “the edge” and managed to take a ridiculous number of pictures.  I did suffer two disappointments – first, the air was very hazy, and second, I was unable to compensate for that with the camera.

Lake Talquin State Park (FL), Caprock Canyons State Park (TX)

Our trip to Alaska is well under way!  We spent the first night in Lake Talquin State Forest in the Florida panhandle.  It was kind of a strange place, seemingly an unlikely location for a campground.  It’s out in the country of course, but in order to get to it you drive through an area reminiscent of a ghetto in the city.  We dubbed it “Wilderness Ghetto.”  On the up side, we were the only ones there.

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.