Day 6: Wenatchee

Brian and I started the day off with a little exercise. There is a wonderful trail behind Mom's property that follows a small canal which goes on for several miles in either direction. The canal road takes you behind homes and fields with views of horses, well tended gardens, and of course the hills of Wenatchee. It is one of my favorite places to walk. Brian ran ahead and I brought Savannah and Smoke along for company.The day was spent visiting, playing and enjoying family. Mark and Brian talked news, politics and world events.
Smoke created a secret fort in Mom's special garden. He's always been fond of finding bushes to hide out in and this spot is particularly cool in the Wenatchee heat.
Brian did a bit of coaching with Leandra (right) and Irene (left) and taught them a few helpful techniques of baseball. It was the first time I'd seen him interact with older kids and it was so fun watching him!
Team Chapman's starting line up! Derek, Leandra, Brian and Irene.
Shannon, Leandra and Derek took turns batting while I pitched (camera in hand, ready for the next photo opp!) It was a blast!
Derek taking a break next to Aaron who was spending a little quality time with us in the shade.

Peter hanging with us outside.

Brian, Leandra, Derek and I had a whale of a time playing in the pool. The main event was getting Savannah to (reluctantly) swim.

Later that night we all watched "El Dorado" and played Phase 10. It's been great hanging with the family and we look forward to another day of it!

Day 4 & 5: Dawson Creek to...Somewhere in Washington

In Dawson Creek we stayed at the Ramada Inn and Brian became an instant believer in the chain. It was the nicest place we've stayed yet -everything just as it should be in a clean, modern motel. We were comfortable and happy, well rested for our next day's journey. But we had no idea it would turn out the way it did.

Driving out of town we saw the Alaska Hotel which was pictured in the Milepost (the guide to driving the Alaska-Canadian Highway.) The photo it advertised was the old-fashioned building in the picture on the sign NOT this boring square brick and cement structure. The hotel looked so cute in the picture and I had told Brian I'd love to stay there. Ha! The false advertising was too funny I had to snap a photo.
Some of Dawson Creek's fine culture.

The area is known for it's farming. Great soil and lots of flat land for cattle to roam. In the 1930's Canada helped get farmers started and encouraged agriculture in the region. We saw enough fields to last a lifetime. Brian called the rolled bales of hay "cinnamon rolls" but I preferred to call them "shredded wheat."

We stopped for a late lunch in William's Lake, which is apparently known for it's... cowboys? Though we didn't see any guys dressed up in tight jeans and cowboy hats the majority of the city signs and statues where of cattle wranglers. We ate at Karen's Place (though at that point I would have settled for a three day old gas station egg salad sandwich.) I was so hungry I had to ask the waitress to bring my side salad out pronto (otherwise I may have done something drastic with my knife and fork -like steal food from the table next to me.) I've rarely eaten so ravenously and threw all good manners to the wind. By the end of the meal I was satiated and happy and we were ready to hit the road again with approximately 341 miles to Bellingham, WA, our end destination.

Williams Lake's rodeo arena.

The smaller highway took us longer to conquer due to the many towns it passed through and the ever changing speed limits. The countryside gradually began to change from hilly farmland to more mountainous, arid landscape reminiscent of Eastern Washington (at least that's what it made me think of.)
We stopped for a potty and beverage break at, gosh, I can't recall the name of the town, and we encountered the busiest gas station I've ever seen. Either this was the town hot spot or all the weekend travelers stopped here on their way into the wilderness for a burger and root beer float. I had to punch three people to keep my place in line to buy my Slurpee and Brian's coffee. I tell ya, this place was dangerous!

As the light began to fade we found ourselves traveling a mountainside road where the painted road lines often were non-existent. We definitely have a bone to pick with Canada's road maintenance program. There were barely any reflective markers to let you know where the edge of the road was with a sheer 1,000 foot drop to scare you into staying alert. Semi's and cars alike screamed around the snake-like corners. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains and darkness reigned I had to keep pushing the image out of my mind of the news article which would surely reach the papers the following day: "American Couple -wife pregnant- careens off highway."

Finally we came out the mountains and back onto Highway 1. Just 50 odd miles until the border. Nearly to the U.S. Brian spied a Ramada Inn but missed the turn off. He would have pulled in, but I was too enthusiastic to get to Bellingham and we soldiered on. Crossing the border we drove on a country highway in pitch black night, winding our way into our long-awaited destination. By this time it was nearly midnight. We stopped at four or five hotels: all booked. Bellingham had nothing for us. The plan was to go to Whidbey Island the next day to visit Grandpa and Sheila. We wanted to stay as close to that area as possible for an easy drive the next day, but were forced to continue on the I-5 to look for more accommodations. I won't bore you with the details but after 2 1/2 hours of driving, calling hotels, and stopping at hotels with no luck -and it being well passed 2 AM- we headed to Wenatchee where we knew Mom wouldn't mind visitors at 5 AM.

We drove until Brian could drive no more. We pulled into a rest stop and grabbed a short nap. When we woke at 5 AM to the sun rising over the mountains.
Blurry eyed, Brian drove the remaining 60 miles into Wenatchee. Getting in around 6 AM we stopped for breakfast to kill a little time just in case the family was still sleeping. After our pancakes and eggs I gave Mom a call -she was already out in the garden and welcomed us over. We arrived at our haven, greeted those who were awake and then crashed in the guest house.

We spent some time with the family, visited outside on the patio, ate an early dinner together at the house and such. Brian and I took a driving tour of the cute downtown and strolled along the Columbia River.
A historic boat house on the Columbia River.The dogs are having a blast here. Smoke loves being in a pack and seems even more relaxed than he did at home in Alaska. Savannah has resumed her role as boss dog and constantly has ball fetching on the brain. The kids love having them around -they make quite a contrast with their four, huge Bernese Mountain dogs.

We'll be here for a few days, then head back towards Mount Vernon and Whidbey for a short visit. It's wonderful being stationary and we're enjoying getting acclimated to the heat -92 in the shade!

Day 3: Watson Lake to Dawson Creek

We stayed at the Belvedere Hotel in Watson Lake last night and were treated to a "Yukon" size breakfast buffet (that means there was a lot of food) which set us up for a good start to the day.Our first stop was Sign Post Forest, of which you can read about if you click on the sign below. It's history is quite interesting (and it's short) so go ahead, get a little Canadian education!

Our first stop was Liard Hotsprings. We contemplated taking a dip, but decided that Mom's pool in Wenatchee was a bit more tempting and we wanted to get as many miles in as possible. But we stayed long enough for a picture!

Lake Watson and Liard Hotsprings had taken us out of the Yukon and into British Columbia. Whereas the Yukon was full of tundra and taiga, heavily lined with mountains much of the way, B.C. was often rolling hills or relatively flat forested areas, though, as you'll later see, it is the home of the Northern Rockies. I had gotten pretty tired of moutians and bodies of water after driving through Alaska and the Yukon, but later today was bummed that the scenery mainly held tree upon tree with little variation. It was a lesson in being thankful for what you have when you have it because pretty soon we'll just have concrete and cows to stare at for hours and I'll miss the boring forests of B.C. But today's drive brought us up close and personal with a LOT of nature, probably the most we'll see on our entire trip (besides all the dairy farms we'll pass in the lower 48. but they don't count.)

These buffalo look a good distance away, but I missed a photo of the three fellas (or gals) that were standing in the road only a foot from the car. We decided not to be idiot tourists and stop directly next to them; Brian kept driving so we didn't have too close an encounter or receive a dent in the car door.

Sheep (not Dahl Sheep, but similar with their curled horns) or mountain goats nibbled at the gravel on the edge of the road. They must have been after the salt used earlier in the winter to melt the ice. Other wildlife included moose, caribou (did you know that reindeer are simply domesticated caribou?), coyote and plenty of deer.

Muncho Lake was the prettiest body of water we saw today. There was a little raincloud that burst in the middle making it look like a shower was turned on in just one spot. I was surpirsed no one was boating on it, despite the weather, because it was so picturesque.
Enter the land of the Northern Rocky Mountains! These formidable formations of rock were amazing. So many layers, so many curves -it appeared the lava or sediment that formed them bubbled and churned as it settled into it's relatively eternal creation. We were stopped for nearly 30 minutes due to construction and got to enjoy the remarkable view.

Just what I always wanted to see! The worlds greatest highway hat collection...in Toad River, B.C. For one thing, the name of the town, er, bump in the road, says it all: Toad River. What else can you expect from a place like that -though Wonowon, B.C. surely must have had something to rival the hat collection Toad River is so darn proud of (but we didn't bother stopping to see.) Over 7277 hats in all...and counting!One of our final pit stops had the best (as in worst) outhouse we've run across. A picture was a must.

Besides the amount of wildlife we saw today, a few other highlights come to mind. We had about 15 minutes of thunderstorm we drove in and out of -the first I've experienced in years. The lighting was close, the thunder frightening, the raindrops monsterous! It was very exciting.
The other: singing really loud with Brian along to Tim McGraw. Now THAT'S bonding.

We intended to make Fort St. John our final destination today, but when we arrived with some time to spare and saw it was only a hop, skip and a jump to Dawson Creek, we plowed forward. Now we're nestled in the Ramada, clean and refreshed, ready to get another good nights sleep. By tomorrow night we should be in Bellingham, Washington. Stay tuned 'til then!

Day Two: Tok to Watson Lake

"This land is your land, this land is my land, from the Alcan to the yucky rent-a-can..."
We've driven over 600 miles today (almost twice yesterday's half-day drive) and Canada's rest stop toilets are nothing to brag about, let me tell you. I've seen the inside of some scary toilets today -be they hole in the wall gas stations to rickety, government funded port-a-johns -and they've ALL been Canadian. What's with that, eh?


All of our stops have been, to be frank, to use the can. Our first "pit stop" was the Tetlin National Park and Reserve viewing site.

Next we successfully crossed the Canadian border and stopped at a heck of a scary gas station/motel/cafe/mineral and rock store because the pregnant lady had to pee. The toilet was a converted utility closet. The pump (which did not flush the toilet but was intended to) had a three inch thick hose which traveled outside, making it impossible to shut the door. I did my business fast and scurried out of the shack before the roof had a chance to fall on my head. I seriously doubt the building was held together by a solid nail. Maybe chewing gum...

We drove along Kluane Lake which was brilliant in the sunshine. The water sparkled clear azure and turquoise. At least the UV protectant tint on our sunglasses made it appear that way.

We got to enjoy the scene at a standstill for a few minutes as road construction held us up. As they say in Alaska, the season between spring and fall is construction.

We made it to Haines Junction for a late lunch. I asked the East Asian attendant at the gas station we filled up at where we should eat. She pointed to the lodge across the street. As we walked in we completely understood why she suggested it. It was Chinese food. Does this look like a place that would have it's main restaurant be Chinese? For another thing, since when did Haines Junction become the mecca for East Asians? Honestly, who would want to live in this bump in the road? We were baffled, but well fed.

We plowed forward, stopped in Whitehorse to fill up and unload (if you know what I mean) and kept heading east. We saw three black bears in the stretch of a few miles -this little guy lumbered across the road and we were able to slow down and get a shot after he got to the other side.

Our last hour was tough and I believe we only saved our sanity by crooning along to Johnny Cash's greatest hits and seeing a spectacular rainbow. Our thirteen hour driving day ended us in Watson Lake at the... awh, heck, I don't even know the name of this place. But they've got wireless (or we're stealing it from the hotel next door...) which means I'm happy. Happy and tired. That's me signing out -until tomorrow!

Day One: Anchorage to Tok

Our mission was Tok and we made it in good time. After leaving Anchorage we stopped at Ida Lake for an hour to say goodbye to Dad. Though I had driven to the cabin at least once a year since Dad passed away this was the first time I had been down on the water since we scattered his ashes on his birthday in June 2001. The cabin has had new owners since 2002 so we drove to the public access area which was across the lake but were only able to see the far edge of our old property. Peppermint Island, where we had the ceremony, was not visible but just being on the lake was more meaningful than I can say.

The wild peppermint that Dad named the little island after grew on the bank where Brian and I stood. I picked a few sprigs. I had never really noticed the mint before and it’s potency coupled with how much Dad loved this place brought immediate tears. The lake was so beautiful. Small, calm, a light crosswind making the delicate ripples I so fondly remember staring at for hours in earlier summers. The scene was at once filled with peace, sadness, and so many memories. I was reminded how much Dad loved this place and it was easy to see why. Ida Lake was a respite, a sanctuary, a place where, as corny as it sounds, time and everything else stood still and you were nestled in nature. I hope very much to come back, perhaps even buy property on the lake and have our kids learn to fish on it in a little paddle boat like we had. I was very thankful to have Brian with me. It felt like the closest thing to him meeting Dad as we’d ever come, which was priceless.

After trespassing on some property to get a few shots between the trees of Peppermint Island we climbed back in the car and officially commenced our road trip. We drove for near two hours and stopped for dinner in Glenallen at The Caribou Inn and Café. Dinner wasn’t bad! Brian had a halibut sandwich since he figured we wouldn’t get to have halibut much longer as we were leaving Alaska, though I reminded him it probably wasn’t fresh, seeing as how we were pretty darn north and nowhere close to the ocean. He knew, but still there’s something unique to having halibut in Alaska. I had a cheddar and roast beef sandwich and my, oh my, they sure didn’t skimp on the cheese. I scraped off at least one, big fat slice worth of cheddar which had oozed out of the sandwich. To top it off, we shared a slice of cherry pie a la mode.

Stopping at the gas station the attendant, who appeared to be in his early 20s, informed me when asked that he lived in Glenallen all his life but today was his last day. He was moving to Wyoming…as you do.

Brian and I listened to “Positive Discipline” by Dr. Jane Nelsen as we drove the 139 miles left to Tok. She is a mother of 7 with a degrees in family/marital counseling and education. Her main principles focus on “teaching children self-discipline, responsibility, cooperation and problem-solving skills” by teaching parents to apply healthy boundaries and rules using respect. It was great getting to talk afterwards about the principles she encourages and we both agreed with her methods. At times it was hard to focus on the tape because the view turned from flat and pretty boring to spectacular. The Wrangle mountains on our right hand side were STUNNING, though I didn’t get a very good shot of them with the cloud coverage.

We arrived in Tok around 8pm and checked into The Golden Bear Motel. We decided to go for the cheaper, non-renovated room. It was suitable and we felt like we were slumming it old school with the puke green carpets, faux wood TV, and a shower barely hanging together. I did make sure not to sit bare bummed on the comforter -you know all the horror stories about how filthy those things are in motels. When I reminded Brian as he was climbing into bed of how dirty they are he flung the comforter on the floor in one horrified swoop, which made me laugh.

We had a good nights sleep on a very firm bed, stretched out our kinks, had a decent breakfast and now are Canada bound. Commencing day two, stay tuned for the next day’s adventures!