Mt. McKinley

O, Land of Gold, I sing of thee,

Alaska, my Alaska;

Thy snow-capped peaks I love to see,

Alaska, my Alaska.

~M.A. Snow~

We took a day trip to Anchorage a while back and did some biking on their coastal bike trail. We sure enjoyed the views and the sight of Mt. McKinley, since it can be rare.

Mt. McKinley - Highest Point in North America 20,320

Mt. Foraker - 17,400

This last picture is of Mt. Foraker to the left (west) of Mt. McKinley.

It was a bright clear day and could see for miles.

Day 7. . .The Far North

April 18, 2010

We hit the road at a decent time and 20 miles from our hotel we came to the border.

Not like we expected, but things at the border went very smoothly and we were across in about 5 minutes.

The border patrol did not believe Eric to begin with about NOT carrying any guns, so he kept asking him, are you sure you don't have any guns with you? But finally Eric told him that he thought it would be less hassle if we shipped them instead of taking them with me on our drive. That finally made the guy let up. So we made it across into Alaska with no problems.

Welcome to Alaska. . .our new wilderness adventure.

We saw beautiful views of the mountains all around us.

And now we call this home. . .minutes from the mountains and only miles from the ocean. . .with so much to see and do in between.

Day 6. . . .Caution. . .Slow Moving Vehicles

April 17, 2010

We woke up this morning and got on the road at a decent time. When we were pulling out there were a few snowflakes falling but nothing too bad. The mountains are still covered in snow of course, and most of the lower ground is too. Things are starting to show signs of melting though. About the only wildlife we saw today was some elk. Most of them had on radio collars. About the last 100 miles before reaching Beavercreek we had some very rough roads! The going was very slow and tiresome. There were lots of dips and rough spots so most of the time we were going about 20-30 mph. Most of this is due to or called "frost heaves." This was not a very fun part of our day, but we made it safely and with no vehicle/trailer problems. We stopped for the night in Beavercreek. The next day we will be going through customs and entering back into the USA! Let's hope that the transition causes no problems or delays in our travels.

Day 5. . .Wonderful Wildlife

April 16, 2010


Well we haven't left wildlife territory yet. . .




We were able to see quite a few wildlife today on our journey.

Saw our first moose, and shortly after that we saw a couple of caribou.

We stopped at a pullover near Muncho Lake to grease our bearings and limber our own joints up. Shortly after pulling out we saw a couple of Stone Sheep along the side of the road.

Next we saw buffalo. . .and more buffalo. . .and more buffalo

Welcome to the Yukon. . .Larger than Life.

This next attraction was very fun. If only we had a couple extra days, we could have stopped to read each of the signs. . .and how many road departments across this country are missing signs? Start your search hear in Watson Lake!

I can't tell you for sure. . .but I would almost bet that there is a sign and a license plate from about every state and territory in North America.

We ended our day in Teslin, not quite reaching Whitehorse like we had hoped. Traveling in daylight with trailers and all the wildlife we thought would be a safer bet.

Day 4. . .Beautiful British Columbia

April 15, 2010

Our first stop of the day was Beaverlodge, AB. This small town was made more popular with the addition of its large Beaver. This attraction was added recently to make the town more "attractive" to tourists passing through, hoping they would stop and look around and not just "pass through." It is quite the statue. . .if you like giant beavers.



Shortly after leaving the "beaver" we stopped at yet another border.

Next stop was Dawson Creek. This is the start of the Historical Alaska Highway.

Back on the road again. . .enjoying beautiful B.C.

Ellie even comes out to enjoy the beauty once in a while.

Things look great out front but they also look great looking behind us.

We called it a night in Fort Nelson, B.C.

Day 3. . .I thought we were headed North!

April 14, 2010

Well we woke up to several more inches of snow covering the ground. Got things ready and then the power went out. I went to the front desk and asked about it. . .the whole city of Lethbridge, AB was out of electricity, and all roads heading south were closed due to the snow conditions. Now what do we do? So we stuck around the room for a while longer and then heard that things were sunny and clear going north. We packed up the crew and kept on truckin. . .the snow subsided but was then replaced by wind.

We blew through Calgary. . .home of the Calgary Stampede.

Wait a minute I though we were driving north. . .wasn't that a sign for Torrington? And then we drove through Edmonton. We called it a night in Whitecourt, AB.

CAUTION. . .wildlife is present in Canada, so be prepared to see some.

Day 2. . .Oh Canada!!

April 13, 2010

Well after waking up to a snow covered tent we were also becoming aware that we may have gotten ourselves into a bit of a pickle. . . .see the camp site was located down a hill from the main road leading out of town, and of course the only way out is UP hill. So after Eric just about didn't make it up the hill I decided I was not going to attempt this (and of course I was too worried we were going to be defeated I didn't take any pictures of this snowy slope). Eric found a spot to unhook his trailer and came back to pull my trailer up the hill. With snow still falling and the road conditions not looking spectacular, we stuck around town for an hour or so. After a snow plow went by headed in the direction we were wanting to go, we decided we had a chance, so we were off. The roads were wet, the wind was blowing but there was no ice and the visibility was decent.

We made it through Great Falls and kept heading north to the border. The weather was nice, just raining upon reaching Sweet Grass. We organized all our papers and pets and then got ourselves in line.

The border people were very nice. Asked us where we were headed and stamped our books and didn't even ask about our pets. But they sent us on our way quickly so we were back on the road. . .after we stopped to take a picture at the border! The wind was kind of cold with the rain but we stopped. . .quickly!

We made our way as far as Lethbridge, AB that night. . .with the wind and snow on our heels.

Day 1. . .Leaving the Cowboy State

April 12, 2010

We departed Hartville, WY bright and early. . .well we got up bright and early. . .then finished the last minute packing and cleaning and vehicle check and do we have the dog? do we have the cat? where is Tate? Actually he was the one waiting on us, very patiently.

So we were off by 8:30 and the plan was to make it to Great Falls, MT.

Well we made it to Montana, but not quite as far as we wanted. We spent the night in Harlowton. Camping in our tent sounded like a great idea, since it was 60+ degrees and was gorgeous. . . .but waking up the next morning we thought otherwise.