Homeward Bound Day 8 - Grand Forks ND to Marquette MI 09/30

 Depart Grand Forks ND 8:20am

Arrive Marquette MI 7:50pm

Miles Traveled 520

Weather: Thick fog this morning.  Overcast all day. Occasional showers. Lightening as we arrived in Marquette.  Temps in the 60s.

The focus of this trip is getting back to Bristol.  We aren't deviating much from our route to sightsee.  However we  took a 10 minute detour  today to visit the Hiawatha Statue in Ironwood, MI. It claims to be the World's Largest Native American Statue.  The Statue is 52 feet tall and weighs 9 tons. Another biggest item to add to our list.

Ironwood is about 80 miles north of Rhinelander where cousins Peggy and Charlie live.  We hated not detouring for a quick visit.  This decision influenced by a long driving day plus a temperamental cat.  We talk about a trip this summer to come back and visit the cousins and nearby cranberry farms.

We stop at Culver's in Superior, WI for ButterBurgers, fries and cheese curds.  It is drizzly. Instead of a picnic in a park by Lake Superior we eat in the car.

Our drive started in the fog.

Fall colors showed up this afternoon.  We have left the prairie and have trees again.

No large wildlife sightings today.  We do see two turkeys.  And several Vs of geese flying south.

We use IHeart radio to listen to our favorite country music station, KASH 107.5 out of Anchorage.  We are grateful to Cousin Kate for introducing us to the National Parks After Dark podcast.  We've been listening to one or two each day.

The headwaters of the Mississippi River are located in Itasca State Park near Bemidji, MN. We cross over the Mississippi near Bemidji and it is 18 or 20 feet wide.

Sal

Homeward Bound Day 7 - Regina to Grand Forks ND 9/29

 Depart Regina:  8:30am

Arrive Grand Forks:  6:00pm (time change)

Miles Traveled:  458.9 miles

Weather:  Short-sleeve shirt weather!  Sunny in the afternoon

We are back in the USA!  We crossed the border at Portal ND around lunchtime.  We were asked a lot of questions (none, however, about Grey), more so than at any of the other border crossings the past year.  I’m glad we had an Alaska Fish and Wildlife certificate for the moose antler in our car top carrier.  Without it, the agent said we would have had to pull over and let someone inspect it.  Unpacking the antler and fighting the carrier lock, which has been horribly temperamental, would have been a nightmare.  

Our last stop before the border was at a Tim Horton’s for a maple frosted donut.  It’s kind of a thing with us and son, John.  We also grabbed an iced pumpkin spice latte while we were there.  A delicious Canadian send off.

The landscape today remained flat.  I’m afraid our travel through Saskatchewan was boring.  To me, anyway.  Sal maintains it is pretty, just not to her taste.  It was flat and more flat.  North Dakota had some slight rolls and there were fields with round hay bales.  They were kind of pretty.

As we were approaching Grand Forks we started thinking about dinner.  I googled the possibilities and it was a no brainer.  As we closed in, I placed a mobile order at Chick-fil-A, our first in over a year (no CFAs in Alaska).  Once at the hotel, we spread out our sandwiches, side salads and waffle fries.  Our last meal in Canada and first meal back in the lower 48 were both perfect.

Homeward Bound Day 6 - Edmonton to Regina 09/28

Depart Edmonton 8:30am

Arrive Regina 5:40pm

Miles Traveled: 500 per Google maps. To be updated with actual miles.

Weather in mid 60s. Blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

Today's highlights bookend the day.

Last night we stayed at the Elemont Edmonton West. We stayed here on the way to Alaska last August and liked it. The rooms are large and attractive, however it is the breakfast that set it apart.  Breakfast had all the usual cold items; different breads, cereals and yogurt.  Hot items included sausage, fried potatoes and individually made omelets!  We could have cheese, tomato, onion and pepper in our omelets. The chef had three omelet pans going at the same time!

Today was a pretty day for a drive.  The topography has changed from mountainous to high prairie.  We saw lots of cut hay fields, both square and round hay bales, and lots of cows.  The small communities we passed through were spaced far apart.  It was a pretty drive, just not the type of scenery I prefer. 

The Fairfield Inn in Regina has an attached restaurant.  We ordered dinner to go, salads and chicken tenders and an adult beverage.  Celebrity Jeopardy was on the TV.  We were excited when we heard Ken Jennings announce the categories. One category was Alaska! BB and I were ready.  Alaska trivia we learned for the May Cruise is still with us.  We knew all the answers in the Alaska category.

Grey remains out of sorts with BB.  He is relaxing on my bed.

Sal

Homeward Bound Day 5 - Fort St. John to Edmonton 9/27

Departed Fort St. John:  8:35

Arrived Edmonton:  5:30

Miles Traveled:  410.8

Weather:  Nice day, mostly sunny and warm

What a difference a day makes.  Today we reached Dawson Creek and left the Alaska Highway.  Shortly after we left British Columbia and entered Alberta.  The scenery today is very different.  No more mountains.  We’re seeing flat prairie and rolling terrain.  Also, four lane highways. That is a real treat.  

Ramada Inn provided a good breakfast, and Sal did her loading thing, we got gas, and headed out.  Dawson Creek was less than an hour away.  We stopped for a selfie at the start of the Alaska Highway and then walked to the Visitor’s Center.  Surprise!  Today is National Tourist Day and we got our choice of a free gift.  We picked out a great poster showing the Alaska Highway.  

Driving north last year, we had snapped a picture from the car of the giant beaver at Beaver Lodge BC.  We pulled over this trip to take pictures and read the signs.  While there, another car pulled over.  Roger is a retired attorney in town who occasionally stops by the beaver when he sees out-of-town cars.  He said his hobby is taking pictures and submitting write ups of visitors to the town paper.  He asked if he could take our picture and ask us some questions.  We agreed and had a fun 15 minutes with him.  He has our Bristol address and will forward a copy of the paper if anything is printed.  And turnabout is fair play, so we took his picture.

(I see Sal and I need to switch up our selfie poses.)

We lost an hour today crossing over into a new time zone.  We hit rush hour traffic entering Edmonton but made it to the hotel in time for their social hour.  Sal and I had a local beer and Brie and crackers.  It was a nice surprise.  We had some cheese and peanut butter crackers from our cooler bag to top off our dinner.  I think it will be an early night for us.  A longer day tomorrow to Regina.

Homeward Bound Day 4 - Muncho Lake to Fort St. John

Depart Muncho Lake 9:15am

Arrive Fort St John 5:45pm

Miles Traveled 395.8

Weather: AM temps in 30s. PM temps in 50s. Morning foggy and smokey. Afternoon sunny with some clouds.

We try to get early starts but bright and shiny things keep crossing our path and distracting us.   We decide to walk down to the lake before we leave.  The smoke is still around but the view is still pretty.  We meet a man who is in the area for work.  He is using lidar/ladar?? to map the AlCan.  He is driving the AlCan and all the offshoot roads in a pick up truck with the lidar/ladar equipment hanging off the back. He says his clients use the data to decide on building and construction projects. 

Northern Rockies Lodge

Boats and lake by Northern Rockies Lodge

The road towards Fort St John is winding and narrow for the first 100 miles.  This morning visibility is poor due to fog and smoke. I believe the smoke is from the Donnie Creek wildfire burning north of Fort St. John, British Columbia.

I am glad to have this truck's tail lights to follow through the combination of fog and smoke.

Noon comes; we've been on the road 2.5 hours and we have only traveled 100 miles.  

It is a red letter day when it comes to wildlife sightings.  We see caribou, deer, black bear and a black and orange fox.

We see two groups of Caribou.

There were three black bears.  Here are two of them.

Early afternoon we drive out of the smoke. We can see the scenery again.

Dinner is take out salads from The Chopped Leaf.  We have take out dinners so we can eat with Grey.  I am happy that he picked my bed to sleep on this evening.  He slept on my bed last night, too.  Sorry BB!

Sal

Homeward Bound Day 3 - Whitehorse to Muncho Lake 9/25

Depart Whitehorse:  8:30

Arrive Muncho Lake: 5:00

Miles Driven: 

Weather:  30s and drizzly in the morning, overcast, cool and hazy in the afternoon

Woke up at 7:00 and it was dark outside.  We had coffee and started packing up.  Packing always takes longer than I anticipate.  We scoot Grey’s big carrier in first, then fit in our overnight bags, backpacks and cooler.  Like puzzle pieces, everything has to fit just so.

I started off driving today.  In my mind, I was definitely going to drive two hours then see how much further I felt like going.  But our first bathroom break was at 1 hour, 52 minutes, and that seemed a good time to switch.  I definitely do not pull my share of wheel time.

Grey was unsettled today.  He bit me going into his carrier and then he cried intermittently for three hours before he settled down.  He is resting on Sally’s bed now.  He apparently is mad at me.  Sorry buddy, seven more days to go.  Wish you could understand you have the most comfortable space in the car.

The scenery today was similar to yesterday, but maybe a little less fall color and more evergreens.  We are still repeating in reverse our trip up the Alaska Highway, and we stopped at some of the same gas stations.  We made one stop in Watson Lake for gas and coffee at a building across from the Sign Post Forest we had visited on our way up.  We got the gas but the coffee didn’t look very appealing.  We ate our lunch, a bag of Alaska potato chips and water, while driving.

We stopped at the Continental Divide.  That is always interesting to me.  We read in our Milepost book that the waters to the west flowed into the Bering Sea and Pacific and to the east entered the Arctic Ocean.  Sally got out to read the interpretive signs.  She said they gave the same information as the Milepost, so I stayed put.  Whoever sits in the passenger side has a file box, food bag and cat food at her feet and a backpack in her lap.  Sometimes it’s easier to stay in the car than to shuffle everything to get out then rearrange it all again once seated.

Thinks got more interesting when we crossed over into British Columbia.  Immediately signs were posted to watch out for bison on the road and to be aware of smoke from fires.  We saw both.  We passed two groups of bison lounging by the road, maybe close to 80 in total. We watched a couple big trucks roar by and the bison weren’t bothered at all by the noise.  

Then we started noticing the haze and then the smoke smell.  The smoke was never too heavy, but it was definitely noticeable. 

Our home for the night is Northern Rockies Lodge on Muncho Lake. It’s nice.  We had a good dinner in the room, cheeseburger and salad for Sally, pork schnitzel sandwich and salad for me.  I expect we’ll catch up on all the latest on the internet then turn in early.  It’s a bit shorter day tomorrow to Fort St. John. And Sally says it’s supposed to be sunny.  I may wear clean clothes!  A clean shirt, anyway.

Homeward Bound Day 2 - Tok to Whitehorse 09/24

Depart  Tok 9:20am. 

Arrive Whitehorse 7:00pm.

Miles traveled 394.9

Weather: AM temps in the 30s. PM temps on the 40s. Cloudy with occasional sunshine

Our plan to be on the road this morning by 8:30 was out the window by 8:00.  We meet the other couple staying at the lodge at breakfast.  They are from Texas on a 2 month road trip.  We have too much fun trading travel stories.

We are on the road by 9:20. We don't go many miles before we have the first in a series of incidents made to test our patience. 

Major roadwork is taking place on AK-2 between Tok and the Canadian border. We are stopped twice; about 20 minutes each time.  

When we reach the border US Fish and Game is performing a game check.  Do we have wild game, fish or any pieces/parts there of?  Well....we have a moose antler packed in the car top carrier. The Officer completes a form that he says will make entering Canada easier.  We worry about having to show the antler to Canadian Customs. We have trouble with the carrier's locks and don't want to open the carrier until time to unload in Bristol. We also remember we have Alaska grown carrots in the car.  We aren't sure whether we will be allowed to take them across the border. Will we have carrots and a moose antler after we enter Canada?

There is a line at Canadian Customs.  Our wait is about 40 minutes.  I spend some time watching a raven.  It is hanging around the cars. The car behind us is tossing it food.  Apparently this is a normal food gathering routine for the raven.  The phone rings while we are waiting. It is our Virginia family! Talking with them helps pass the time.

We easily pass Canadian Customs. No questions at all about wild game, fish or any pieces/parts there of.  No questions about fruits or vegetables. The officer does not want to see Grey's expensive vetenarian report that states he is a healthy kitty. She did take the bear spray/pepper spray I had. However, I didn't want it but didn't know how to properly dispose of it.  Problem solved.

We loose an hour when we enter Canada.  It is now 1:30.  We have traveled 100 miles. We kept our patience for the most part and the Officers we interacted with at both borders were helpful and courteous.

We recognize and reminisce about things from our trip up last summer...the Welcome Signs at the border, the World's Largest Gold Pan at Burwash Landing, the Village Monument (AKA Cupcake) in Haines Junction and places we stopped for gas, to eat and sleep.

Today's highlight is the scenery.  The mountains are capped with snow.  The birch trees are a glorious yellow gold and really pop when next to the dark green spruce. Definitely a time when a picture is worth a thousand words.

We arrive in Whitehorse at 7:00.  BB calls in a dinner order at Whiskey Jack's.  We have time to drop off luggage at our lodging before picking up our chicken Cesar wraps.

At the border.

My raven friend hoping for food.

Scenery

Sal

Homeward Bound Day 1 — Anchorage to Tok 9/23

Hours on the road:  7

Miles traveled: tbd

Weather:  40s and mixture of sunny, overcast and a few light sprinkles

Sal and I woke up to our 7:00am alarms and promptly reset them for 7:30.  We had our final Anchorage coffee sitting on our blow up mattress, the only furniture left in the apartment.  An unexpected treat were chocolate donuts which a neighbor had brought by last night.  

We saw our 10:00 ETD come and go, but by 11:30 master packer Sal had all our stuff in the car with a sight line that was acceptable.  Goodbyes were said to neighbors, a freaked out Grey was loaded into his carrier, the apartment was cleaned and swept, keys were turned in and we pulled out onto Lake Otis Parkway for the last time.

We had to head north before we could go south.  We took the familiar  drive to Palmer and on to Glenallen.  Alaska in September is a whole other level of beauty, and the fall color and snowy peaks were gorgeous.  

At Glenallen, we turned left and headed north to Tok.  We stopped for gas before checking out our evening’s accommodations, and a group of very noisy motor bikes and ATVs ROARED into the station. Saturday night in Tok, I thought.  Shortly after an Alaska trooper pulled in and we heard him ask the boys, and they did seem young, for “a word.”  Wish I could have listened in on the tropper’s “word.”

Fox and Fireweed is our home for the evening.  We are very comfortable and have eaten dinner out of our bag of goodies provided us by friends.  Grey is enjoying his freedom.  He has inspected the room thoroughly and picked his side of the bed.  He is totally zonked out now.  Sal and I will probably read a little then turn out the lights.  It has been a fun, stressful, surprising, tiring and wonderful last week in Alaska.  A real bed will be fabulous after a month on a blow up mattress.  I hope we sleep well.  Up early tomorrow, and we’ll cross the border into Canada.