This is pretty long.  You might want to try to print it out or email me and I will send it to you via email.  I created it using Microsoft Word.  This may  not print if you are using another program to open it.

ALASKA OR BUST
Preparation and the first month 

May and June 1998 

If you speak to most new RVers, they will tell you that the  trip that they are most excited about is going to Alaska.  We  were full timers for over three years before we felt we  were ready for such an undertaking. 

Having decided to travel to Alaska in the summer of 1999  we began planning and preparing for this trip about a  month before leaving.  We will be leaving on June 6 for this  trip which will take us from Southern California to the  Arctic Circle. 

One of the things that we did to prepare for the rough  highways of Alaska, was to take everything out of the trailer  that we would not need or miss on this momentous and exciting trip.  Things like our coffee table, extra dishes and glasses and our screen room, made their way to storage.  Once we started looking at everything in our trailer and storage compartments in terms of the added weight and space it would take up, we managed to take about 3 truckloads of stuff and store it at our kid’s house until we returned.   

We have been told by many people, that the roads in Alaska can be very bad, depending on the winter weather.  If it has been a very cold winter the highways develop perma frost which can affect the ground as deep as 1600 feet below the highway surface, and will cause the highways to literally break into pieces.  This can definitely cause problems for all travelers, most especially those of us with RV’s. 

Starting in the living room area of our 5th wheel, Bill reinforced all of the shelves in our entertainment center by adding a steel frame under every shelf.  He secured the steel frame to the interiors wall studs of the entertainment center.  He then placed the shelves on top of the frame and drilled holes in the shelf and the steel frame, then inserted screws holding those items together.   

I use the shelves which have glass doors in the entertainment center for collectibles and knick knacks.  Anything breakable was placed into a cardboard box and individually wrapped in bubble wrap.  We placed tension rods across our TV, computer and other items in the entertainment center and then using closed end cup hooks which were screwed into the walls of the entertainment center, Bill extended heavy duty black bungee cords from one side to the other and in front of all items on the entertainment center.  Most items in the trailer will tend to move forward even more than up and down.  We have never had a problem with the doors to the entertainment center coming open during travel, but took the extra precaution to wrap rubber bands around the door knob so that there would be no chance they might fly open.   

Also, while traveling, any items we place on our end table or kitchen table are taken off and placed carefully on the floor.  In the kitchen, I moved most of the canned goods and heavier items onto lower shelves.  We bought a piece of Plexiglas to fit each cabinet where there were smaller items that might fall easily.  The Plexiglas was measured to fit just inside the cupboard as you opened the cupboard door and is fastened with Velcro(R).   These sheets of Plexiglas serve as a shield to protect us when we open the cupboard after traveling.  It is not a lot of fun to open a cupboard and get hit in the face with all of the items which have been shifted to just inside the cupboard door.  The Plexiglas does an excellent job of holding items back giving you a chance to survive any attack from a cake mix or a can of tuna. 

Basically, we took a hard look at every area of our trailer and took precautions against the worst kind of jarring, bumping and slamming we might encounter.   The pictures on our walls seem to be very well secured with Velcro, but we have clock that will be taken down each and every time we are in motion.   The cuckoo clock which normally adorns the wall by our dining table is now sitting alone in a box in storage. 

Once we become what we think is travel safe, we need to think of other things such as the type of clothing we want to have with us.  We decided that we could get along very well with enough underwear for one week, levis and tee shirts would be the daily dress along with some shorts......just in case.  We brought casual comfortable shoes to travel in and good walking shoes.   We had heard that rain gear and warm jackets would be needed but that most of the time light jackets would do. 

Another thing to keep in mind was the placement of things we would need on a daily basis.  Since we have three slide outs on our 5th wheel, certain areas would not be accessible to us when we boon docked at night.  So we will make sure that we place our necessary daily items in areas that would be accessible if we were unable, or chose not to open the slides.   

We realized when getting ready for this trip how important it is to choose an RV which gives you access to your bathroom, bedroom and full kitchen area even though your slides are closed.  We spoke to one person who was telling us that he was unable to use his bathroom facilities if the bedroom slide was in, and another person who could not access their kitchen unless the slide was out. 

Food was of major concern to me.  We love to eat but don’t like to spend unnecessary money to buy food.  I have heard that the price of food in Alaska can be very expensive.  Since we plan on preparing most of our own meals, I thought it was important to stock up on those items which might be the most difficult or the most expensive to obtain in Alaska.  Items such as canned tuna, asparagus, beans, corn, taco sauce, coffee, vegetable and fruit juices, fruit, tomatoes and tomato sauce.  I brought all of the cleaning supplies I should need and we bought plenty of RV toilet paper and the chemicals needed for the toilet.  I put very little in the small freezer we have.  We like homemade salsa so I did freeze bunches of cilantro, which I washed, cut and placed into zip up sandwich bags. I also froze a bunch of jalapeño peppers.   

I purchased food that would be easy to eat while driving.  A real must is to have a good lightweight ice bag and blue ice.  We keep an ice bag with us at all times.  We carry plenty of water, a couple of diet sodas for me, juice for Bill and snacks such as cheese, lunchmeats, crackers and some fruit.  When I know that we are going to stop along the road for the night, I plan meals ahead of time that are simple and that can be heated on the stove top.  We do have a generator but do not use it for just 1 night stopovers.  We do not carry a full tank of extra water, but do carry enough to flush the toilet, wash the dishes and even shower (camping style), when stopping for the night.  Our showers are little more than sponge baths when we stop for the night. 

One item that we found at Camping World and is probably available at other camping stores is a box of washing machine detergent that comes in the form of sheets which are dropped into the washer with your clothes.  This sheet contains enough detergent to do a load of wash, plus serves as a fabric softener in the dryer.  This is called Exclaim and eliminates having to carry those heavy detergent bottles, and if you use Laundromats, this makes going to and from much easier.  I honestly prefer to use my regular liquid detergent when at home but this Exclaim is just fine for travel. 

One of the most important things we have done to prepare for this trip is to have our truck checked out very thoroughly by the Ford dealer.  We wanted to make certain that all of the belts were good, the antifreeze and brakes were good and had our tires rotated and ready. 

No one can be certain that you will not have mechanical difficulties while traveling, but taking these precautions may eliminate a potential problem.   

I must tell you that as I write this, our trip is ahead of us and I am a little more than nervous about it.  When I think of the problems we might incur, it scares me a little.   I have visions of bringing our trailer back as a big bucket of splinters.  It is not that I don’t have faith in our 5th wheel; it is just my nature to worry about things that may or may not even present a problem. 

Day 1

Well, we are on our way; we left at 5:30 am from Southern California.  It was a long day of travel for us today.  We traveled a total of 456 miles to Red Bluff, California.  I packed a lunch and some snacks and plenty of water for us to have along the way.  Other than a couple of pit stops we drove all day, anxious to get away from the traffic of the cities and into the peace and serenity of the more rural areas.  We arrived in Red Bluff about 3 PM, got into our RV site, hooked up and took off to go find fuel for Bowser (our trustee white steed........the pick up truck).  We did experience one major problem.  Our slide outs refused to go out.  It was as if we had lost power to the slides.  All we could hear was a clicking sound at the breaker box.  We called our dealer for help but no one was able to help us, so we were unable to pull out the slides tonight.  It was OK though because, as I mentioned earlier, we were able to cook, shower and sleep without needing access to the closed up areas. 

We stayed at a park called the O’Nite RV Park.  It was a nicely located park, nearby a local stream which was sprinkled with a few fishermen, who from what I could see could only hope that they caught a worthwhile fish.  Our site was easily large enough for our trailer. 

Day 2: 

We are still unable to get our slides out and may have to go to a factory in Oregon. 

We left Red Bluff a little late this morning.  We packed our usual picnic lunch and headed out about 11am.  Along the way we were able to talk to the Service Manager at the factory and he told Bill about a reset button underneath the trailer.  That was all it took and now the slides are working.  That means a night of sleep without our toes getting stuck under the vanity at the foot of the bed. 

We saw some beautiful country today through Oregon and into Washington.  It rained off and on, nothing too difficult to drive in though.  We stopped at a pull out along side of the road just a few miles beyond the border into Washington. 

On one side of the road was the highway, and on the other side was an embankment overlooking a beautiful river.  On the other side of the river were train tracks.  The trains came often and they were quite a site to behold, snaking their way along the rivers edge, in and out of the small Forrest of trees which lined edge of the river.  It was amazing to us that it was 9:30 at night and the sun was just beginning to set.   

We slept very well last night after being lulled to sleep by the sound of the rushing river and the clickety clack of the trains as they wound their way around the mountains. 

Day 3:

When we woke this morning, we found that we had company at our little site off of the road.  Two truckers had pulled in and apparently slept there with their motors running during the night.  The sound of their engines did not disturb us, and I always find it comforting to know that they are there.

 Today is our wedding anniversary.  We have had 36 terrific years together. But I must say, the past three years as RVers have been the most wonderful of our lives.  I am still very apprehensive about this long journey we are taking, but our life is anything but dull.  Every day is new and different and filled with a sense of adventure and excitement.   

We arrived in Birch Bay Washington early today and are staying at an RV Park there.  Although there are a couple of Thousand Trails Membership parks in the area, we chose to stay at Beechwood RV Park so that we could use up some of our Coast to Coast coupons which we have been carrying around for a while. 

All in all a lovely day.  Washington is a beautiful State and we are anxious to see a lot more of it. 

Day 4: 

Slept late this morning than took a drive and did a little grocery shopping.   We went to a market called the Cost Cutter.  There are several of these in the area.  Very large stores, lots of selection and good prices.   

The weather has been warm and mild.   

We ate all of our meals at home today and all in all it was a very relaxing day. 

Day 5: 

Got up early this morning and went for breakfast to a place called the Clamdigger Inn in Birch Bay.  Just a simple little coffee shop but excellent food.  They had a ham special today and not even Bill could finish his breakfast.  The slab of ham they gave him was bigger than the dinner size plate they put it on.  We always enjoy it when we have a friendly waiter or waitress and we got to know our waitress fairly well.  Her name was Pam, and if you happen into the Clamdigger Cafe, say Hi for us! 

We spent the afternoon site seeing, then  for dinner we went to a Mexican Restaurant which was recommended to us by some locals.  We finished dinner about 9pm and it was so strange to us that it was still light out.  The daylight lasts until about 9:30pm and the sun is up and ready to go about 4:40 am.  We are used to darkness between 8pm and 6am daylight savings time in California. 

Again, another wonderful day. 

Day 6: 

Took a long drive today.  We went over the Canadian Border for the first time today.  They did not require anything but our driver’s licenses.  They did make us go into the office and show our licenses to a person behind the desk there, but no problem.  We then traveled to Vancouver.  It was a beautiful city, but like any other city, it was crowded and the traffic was awful.   

While in the area we visited Lake Cultus.  This is an area surrounding this large lake which offers all kinds of recreational activities.  Lots of places to camp and the area was really nice. 

Drove home in the early evening and settled down for homemade hamburgers and chocolate malts. 

Long day, nice day. 

Day 7: 

We got up at 4:30 this morning and left at 5:15 to catch a 7 am ferry to Vancouver Island. 

It amazed us to see how many buses, 18 wheelers, cars, boats, trucks and vans could be stowed away on the lower floors of the ferry.  Hundreds of vehicles kept pouring onto the ferry, one after the other, and all with a space of their own.    Once on the ferry and while waiting for the time when we could get out of our truck, the engines of the ferry were vibrating so hard that it felt as though there was going to be an underground explosion.  After a few minutes the ferry was on its way and we took the elevator upstairs.  I spotted a cafeteria where they were serving breakfast.  We had a good breakfast and enjoyed the view out the wide windows of the room.  Enjoyed the crossing which took about an hour and a half. 

Once on the Island, we stopped along the shores of a bay for a while.  We were waiting for an Island attraction called Fort Rodd Hill (which was an actual fort at one time) to open.  Sitting on the shore of this bay was spectacular.  There were sailboats with colorful sails gliding across the blue waters of the bay with a back drop of tall mountains, the tops of which were covered with snow.  The mountain tops looked liked chocolate ice cream dotted with dollops of whipped cream.  The whole site was breathtaking.  We sat there for about 45 minutes just enjoying the view. 

Fort Rodd Hill was an interesting place to visit.  Bill enjoyed seeing how it was laid out and was surprised that the Fort was in use until just a few years ago, 1956.  There was an old lighthouse there also which was interesting.  Worth the time if Forts are your thing. 

Back to our journey.  We left the Fort and headed to Victoria.  We started to walk through the streets where all of the old and famous buildings are located, but then decided to take a carriage ride and let a tour guide show us what we didn’t know.  We did not take the horse and buggy carriage for $100.00 for a 45 minute ride, we took the horse drawn wagon which held more people and cost a whole lot less.  It was $12.00 each, Canadian.  We had a very interesting 45 minute ride and saw a lot more than we might have seen had we toured by ourselves.  We went through a neighborhood which was lined with beautiful old and some historical homes.  Our Guide informed us that this was perhaps not the best of neighborhoods in the city.  I was very surprised to hear her say that because it seemed like such a lovely place to live.  I would hate to think what she might say about some of the less desirable neighborhoods we have seen in the USA. 

Tired, we returned via the Ferry to a little town next to Birch Bay, by the name of Ferndale.  We were hungry and had seen a little restaurant earlier by the name of the Pacific Prime Rib.  A little expensive but excellent food. 

The end of a busy and fun day. 

Day 7, a Sunday  (OOPS!  Lost my place in time and have two Day 7’s.  Sorry) 

We are getting ready to leave Birch Bay so spent the day packing up, getting ready to be on the road again, and just taking it easy the rest of the day. 

We left Birch Bay at about 5pm and drove until about 10pm.  When we got to the Canadian border, they wanted to do a search of our 5th wheel.  We had nothing to hide so it was not a problem.  It was actually very interesting to see what the young fellow investigating our trailer was doing and how he would go through our things to find what he was looking for.  Once the search was completed, we were on our way with a friendly “have a good trip”.   

At night we stopped along the road at a pull out.  Again we enjoyed the sounds of a rushing river and clickety clacking of trains on the tracks across the river, and were lulled to a sound sleep.  When we woke the next morning we could hear the noisy hum of a truck which had parked, leaving his diesel engine running, sometime during the night. 

Day 8, Monday 

We drove from our temporary home near the river to a place called Quesnelin British Columbia.  We stayed at a campground called the Airport Motel and RV Park.  Very bare, but clean and offered all of the facilities we required, including cable TV.  After a 10% senior discount, the price was not too bad and were only staying for 2 nights. 

I found a Casino tonight and played “Let It Ride” I was very lucky tonight and won about $500.00 US money.  Since we are definitely on a budget, that was a nice win! 

Got home about 10:30 PM, and it is still light outside.  A little TV and off to bed.  

Day 9, Tuesday 

We spent the entire day at a place called Barkerville today.  It was a town where the beginnings of the Canadian Gold Rush began.  The people who work there dress in the attire of the mid 1800’s, and the restaurants serve food of that period as well.  Many of the buildings are original and some are restored.  It was interesting to see how differently the buildings were constructed.  We spoke to a carpenter who has been working there for 13 years, and he pointed out some of the differences to us.  Some people were skilled and knowledgeable, others just needed shelter in a hurry and slapped together some pieces of wood and called it home. 

We stopped for a while and watched a live stage show with about 300 elementary school children who were visiting Barkersville today, about half of them dressed for the that period of time.  The show was good, the kids were adorable and we enjoyed talking with a couple who were visiting from England. 

From there we went to a mining demonstration.  It was quite interesting but sitting in the hot sun was a little more than I could take so off we went. 

An interesting and enjoyable day. 

Day 10, Wednesday, June 16 or June 17........ days and time get lost in this vast country 

Left this charming town of Quesnel this morning and got into some of the most breathtaking scenery yet.  We were going through the Canadian Rockies, sometimes a steep climb but great highways, when we encountered the first of several wild life sightings.  Right there on the side of the road was a female black bear with her two cubs.  She was just sitting in the grass eating some kind of greenery and watching the traffic go by.  Shortly after me kicking myself for not having my camera ready and waiting to take a picture of the bear and a few seconds after me saying “we will probably not see another bear the whole time we are gone”, there was another black bear on the side of the road.  We did not see this one in time to get a picture, nor did I catch the third one we saw in time!  Finally five bears and two moose later, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not get to put everything I saw onto film.  But aren’t memories what this is all about.  And these are things I will never forget. 

Had a lovely day just traveling and enjoying the countryside.   We were going to stop for the night someplace really beautiful.  There were so many turn outs along the highway that had unbelievable views.  They have a sign in these turn outs that ask that you please limit your stay to 8 hours.  Please note that the signs indicating that these turn outs are coming up say “Litter barrels ahead”.  You have to watch for these signs closely or you will miss your opportunity to pull off of the road. 

We ate lunch in the trailer and stopped about 30 miles past Dawson Creek.  The views at the pull outs were not so spectacular beyond Dawson Creek but we found a nice roomy and comfortable place to spend the night.   

It was very warm and did not get dark until after 11pm and the sun was shining brightly into our bedroom window at 4am the next morning. 

Day 11, Thursday 

Sun woke me up at 4am, covered my head and went back to sleep.  We left our little spot along the road and began to learn what the gravel and dust of the Alaskan highway was all about.  The very first thing that happened was a rock kicked up by a truck going in the opposite direction put a nice big nick in our windshield.   

As we continued up the Alaska Highway, we saw beautiful country but much of it the same mile after mile until I was beginning to wonder if the trip was truly worth it.  The road was good in spots and very bad in other areas.  There was one area of construction where we had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes to get going onto over 10 miles of dirt road.  We drive slowly and take our time enjoying everything around us.  If you go to fast you miss all of the wildlife and other areas of this country.  We were passed by some people pulling trailers or 5th wheels who were bent on destruction.  They passed us going way too fast.  We had to laugh when we pulled up to the construction areas ahead; there they were, stopped until someone allowed them to go through.  

At one point we missed the turnoff to get diesel for the truck, and we were in the middle of a construction zone.  Since it would have been almost impossible to turn the truck and trailer around to go back, Bill pulled into a pull out at the side of the road, unhooked the trailer, left me in the trailer and went to fill up on fuel.  The price of fuel here has been quite high so far.  Well over $2.00 per gallon.   Sure hope we don’t run out of money. 

We saw one large Buck and several other deer along side of the road.  What beautiful animals they are.  We also saw, and got pictures of some Stone Sheep.  A big Ram and a couple of smaller sheep, one with a baby.  They inhabit some of the tall, steep mountains next to the highway.  They climb way out on the ledges where they perch themselves and just watch the area below.  They are incredible animals to see. 

We stopped and had lunch along the road and traveled another hour or so, then stopped and went into the trailer and took a nice nap.  The drive is very difficult, steep and winding highway, and steep grades coming down again.  Much of the highway has the perma frost damage which causes you to shimmy and shutter a bit.   

The trip did seem worth it though when the spectacular views of all of the mountains and greenery around us began to change and we could see the vast regions of British Columbia which surrounded the mountain we are traveling on. 

The most difficult part of our journey today was the area to and from Steamboat Creek.  There were as much as 10% grades both up and down.  We did spot a moose today, standing there right at the edge of the highway.  It is so exciting to me, a city girl, to see these magnificent animals just wandering along the sides of the highway.  I have been told by an Alaskan native, that the moose will stand behind very narrow trees thinking that they are hidden and  cannot be seen.  If you look at them, they will stand there for an hour before moving because they think they are invisible to your eyes. 

It is about 8pm now, as light as mid day and we are stopping in a neat place along the highway for the night.  In the Milepost our campground for the night is listed as DC429.5.  This Milepost book is the most useful thing we have with us. 

Fixed dinner and will be ready to hit the sack soon.  A little scary today, but..........all is well that ends well.

 Day 12, Friday 

We both woke up really early this morning.  It was about 3:30 and as light as high noon.  After a cup of coffee, a short shower, off we went.  

The very first thing we saw as we left the turnout where we spent the night was a very large moose standing within 100 feet from where we had spent the night.  He got a little frightened at the sight of us and turned to run back into the Forrest. 

This morning we saw some of the most beautiful scenery of our trip including the Casiar Mountain Range which still had the remnants of a snowy winter at their peaks.  We did run into some very bad stretches of road which were just dirt.  These roads are apparently under construction 100 percent of the time at one area or another.  We hit a 10 mile stretch of a road that was just in the beginning stages of being repaired and it was like driving on a washboard.  It takes a long time to get through a stretch like that when your speed cannot exceed 20 to 25 miles and hour. 

During the morning hours we saw several black bear romping in the grassy areas right off of the highway.  I noticed that one of the bear had a collar on it.  Some of these bears are tagged, followed and studied throughout their lifetime.   

It is about 7am and we are very hungry.  We have been traveling for 4 hours and haven’t eaten anything.  The Milepost says that DC570 is Contact Creek Lodge and Yeah! They have food.   It would not have taken us too long to get there, but we are now on the worst section of highway yet.  We cannot go any faster than 10 miles an hour.  Anything faster and we were sure that both the truck and trailer would be shaken into a million pieces.  We went inside and were informed that they not longer serve food.  They recommended that we go to the Iron Creek Lodge about 6 miles further up the road.  We finally arrived at the Iron Creek Lodge and it was well worth the wait.  It was a wonderful place to eat.  Warm friendly atmosphere with large trees and a magnificent lake which you could see out the back windows of the restaurant.  After eating a great breakfast, we said goodbye to some folks we met there and off we went. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful.  To my disappointment, we did not stop at Mukluk Annies, a restaurant alongside the highway.  This place is famous among RVers.  They offer free camping, free RV wash and a free boat ride in the evening to anyone eating the salmon bake there. 

We arrived at the Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse at about 3pm.  We are pretty tired today, having traveled for well over 12 hours.  We got in line with the rest of the sardines.  The only view out of your windows at this park is the side of someone else’s rig.  They do have gas pumps, RV wash, some meals served, and they offer ticket sales to some of the local attractions.  This is a Good Sam Park and the cost for full hook ups with 30 amp electricity is about $18 per day.  No weekly discount. 

We went to dinner to a place called the Klondike.   Very interesting place.  It looks like an old shack and inside the tables were covered with red and white checkered plastic table cloths.  There were a lot of interesting things to see on the walls.  The food was pretty good but seemed a little expensive for the dinner they served us.   Bread seemed to be the big thing there.   We Americans are so terribly spoiled when it comes to our restaurants.  Took a tour of a local grocery store.  So glad I stocked up before we left California.  The prices were unbelievably expensive.  Cheese was $8.99 a pound, melons almost $1.00 a pound, and other products as much as twice what they are in the US.  Of course the prices were Canadian money, but still very expensive.   

Day 13, Saturday

Lazy Day.  Laid around this morning, straightened a few things up, went for a short drive, and ate lunch at the Canton Restaurant on 2nd St. in Whitehorse.  Good food, nice people, we will go back before we leave.  Came home, relaxed, planned our next few days of tourism, and ate spaghetti at home.  Our cell phone has no service in this area so spent about 1 1/2 hour on the pay phone.  (Realized when I got the bill for my phone card that I was not calling US to US and the cost for that mistake was over $400.00.)

It has been raining off and on and it turned really cold today. 

Nice day.   MMMmmmmmmm, bedtime.  Good night!

 Day 14, Sunday 

Slept a little later than what we have intended so had to rush to get ready to catch a bus at 7:45am here at the campground.  We wanted to go to Skagway, Alaska and decided to take the bus and train tour instead of our truck.  Sometimes the tours are really good.  When you drive and don’t know what you are looking at or looking for, you miss a lot of good stuff. 

The cost of this tour was expensive.  The charge was $200 American, $289 Canadian for both of us.  But, it was worth it.  We were on the bus for about 3 hours and the bus driver was our tour guide.  A nice fellow by the name of Hendrix.  He was very informative, and had some good jokes and stories to tell.  The country just got more and more beautiful the closer to Fraser we got.  We stopped for photos along the way.  Our bus was an old vintage GMC bus of 1963 and was quite comfortable and the driver was very proud to be one of 3 drivers for the company able to drive this old bus.   

At Fraser we left our bus and boarded a wonderful old train.  We were in the eleventh and last car, the other cars being filled by large tour groups from the cruise ships.  We were a small group of only 8 people.  Once other RVing couple, from Oregon, a couple from Australia, a single lady from Toronto, a single man who was from the States.

 Once on the train we followed the path of the 30,000 people who left their homes, businesses and jobs in search of gold in 1898.  It was an amazing story and to see the hardships that these people must have endured was almost unbelievable.  Our tour guide was constantly feeding us information about these families who spent months in the bitter cold and in the worst of conditions to take their chances at finding Gold and making their life better.  Out of the many thousands of people who actually made it to the top of the mountain, and not all of them did; only a handful of people actually struck it rich.  Many returned to their homes sick and broke and others died before they could go home.   The history of the Klondike gold rush is an incredible story and when you actually see a part of that history unfold before your eyes it takes on new meaning. 

 Because so many people died once they reached their destination, the Canadian Government made all of the incoming prospectors bring with them a total of not less than 2000 pounds of supplies for each man, woman and child.  If they did not have the required amount of supplies, they were turned away by the Customs Officers who manned a shed at the beginning of the mountainous trail.  This meant that each man had to make sometimes 40 or 50 trips up and down the treacherous mountain side to get all of his supplies to the top. 

The train trip up the mountain was interesting, beautiful and just a little scary for those of us afraid of heights.  We went over train trestles overlooking the canyons carved deep in the mountains, saw waterfalls of all shapes and sizes and looked across the canyons to breathtaking snow topped mountains.  The only thing that disappointed me on this trip was the fact that we did not encounter any wildlife. 

 Once we got into Skagway, Alaska, we were on our own for several hours.  Skagway is a very small town with a year round population of 731 people.  During the summertime they become a tourist town, hosting over 700,000 tourists in a 5 or 6 month period of time.  Naturally, it goes without saying that the whole town is filled with shops which cater to the tourist trade.  We did eat a wonderful lunch at a place called Dee’s Cafe.  Our bus driver recommended it to us and we were glad he did.  We had lunch and some good conversation with the couple from Oregon and the couple from Australia. 

After wandering around town for a while everyone was happy to board our waiting bus.  The ride back was pleasant and we made a couple of stops along the way.  Our bus driver is very good friends with a couple who have a little shop that sells cinnamon rolls and other baked goodies.  We stopped for a snack and drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere of this quaint little shop.  No other buses are allowed to come to this shop.  They are too small to be able to take care of a large crowd.

 We arrived home about 6:30 and went to A&W Root Beer for dinner.

  A really good day!  And good night Hendrix, hope we see you again someday.

 Day 15, the longest day of the year, June 21, 1999

 It was so light out last night I kept waking up.  Bill is working on the next leg of our adventure this morning on the computer, b so I get to relax a little this morning before we leave.

 I am soooo spoiled.  We have been able to use our cell phone almost everywhere we have been until we got here in Whitehorse.  My list of required telephone calls has increased to the point that I must go to the phone booth outside and make my phone calls.   The phone calls took almost 1 1/2 hours but now that they are behind me, we can go into town.

 We ate a yummy buffet luncheon at the Canton Restaurant, the same Chinese restaurant that we had lunch at the other day.  I highly recommend the buffet there as long as you don’t make it a very fattening habit.

 We met two delightful people today.  Carol and Frank Cervasio from Brooklyn New York.  We had an instant connection and probably formed a long term friendship with them in a little over 2 hours.  (We have become friends over the past few years and actually visited with them in Florida in 2001.)

 This afternoon we just kind of hung around the campground and relaxed.  Simple dinner at home and early to bed.

 Day 16 

We woke up early this morning and went down to the camp clubhouse and had breakfast.  We went into town to run some errands this afternoon, at dinner at home and left on a bus tour at 6pm.  Carol and Frank joined us on this bus tour of a local wildlife preserve.  It was excellent.  One of the residents in the area used to be a wild game hunter and when he decided to settle down outside of Whitehorse he began collecting animals for the purpose of creating a preserve to breed and sell animals such as Elk, Caribou, Musk Ox, Deer, goats, and sheep.  The story about how he got started and is keeping the preserve going is very interesting.  We all thoroughly enjoyed seeing these magnificent animals up close and personal and got some terrific photographs. 

We then spent the next 4 hours exchanging stories and conversation with Carol and Frank.  Was a wonderful  day.

Day 17 

Bill spent all morning washing the truck and trailer.  What a job since everything was coated with at least an 1/2 inch of mud.  I spent time cleaning the inside of the trailer, doing laundry and getting in the moving mode.  We will be leaving here early Friday morning and will probably spend tomorrow getting everything travel ready.

 We will be going out to dinner tonight and onto a tour of the river by boat. 

The weather changed our plans slightly.  It began to rain a bit and we didn’t think going out for a cruise on an open boat tonight was a really good idea.  We did go to dinner however, with Frank and Carol.  We passed a restaurant the other night and I noticed that there were a lot of cars parked in front.  We know from experience that this is a pretty good indication that the restaurant is probably good.  We sure learned long ago not to go to a restaurant whose parking lot is empty.

 Anyway, we went to the G & P Steak House and Pizza, mile marker 918.3 off the Alaska Highway, at the Kopper King.  I am telling you the details because the dinner was one of the best we have had here in Canada and among the best anywhere.  Bill and I had the NY Steak and 8 Jumbo Garlic Shrimp dinner.  The cost was very reasonable and the dinner was excellent.  All in all we had a great evening with our new found friends.

 I turned in about 11:30 PM and the sun was shining brightly into the windows of our little home on wheels.  I used my blackout mask tonight so that I could get to sleep.

 Good day.

 Day 18, Thursday, June 24 

We have errands to run and some shopping to do so will be going into town this morning.  I sure do need a haircut.  The weather is clear and brisk and beautiful today.  Spent the day catching up on laundry, getting food ready for the road and just generally packing up and getting ready to move tomorrow morning.  We went to dinner tonight at Antonios Italian and Pizza.  Both Bill and I had a tiny little salad and pasta.  The salads in Canada have all been really small.  Fresh vegetables, including the makings for salad are expensive and very hard to come by and the quantity and prices are reflected in the size of the salads they serve.  Most of us from the USA, especially the West, are so fortunate to have wonderful fruits and vegetables available to us.   Anyway, the meal was very expensive and a hamburger would have suited me just fine.  We went to a quaint little movie theater in Whitehorse and saw a wonderful movie called “The General’s Daughter”.  The movie let out about 9pm and it was bright and sunny when we walked out of the theater.  I am having a hard time adjusting the 24 hours of sunshine here.  Couldn’t go to sleep until about 11:20 tonight and woke up in the morning feeling ready to go.  I looked at the clock and it was 11:46........PM...........the same night!  I chuckled to myself and went back to sleep. 

Day 19, Friday 

We left Whitehorse this morning about 9am and with great excitement and anticipation hit the highway on our way to ALASKA!  We hit quite a bit of construction but nothing was as bad as what we had experienced coming into Whitehorse.  We stopped at about 12:30 at a turnoff along the highway and took about an hour long nap.  We have found that this is really a wonderful way to handle the long stretches of driving.  Get out of the truck, walk around a bit and just close our eyes and rest for a while.  When you get back on the road you feel as though you are totally refreshed.  When I worked as an Escrow Manager, I learned to close my door in the afternoon, tell my employees that I was no to be disturbed and I would nap for about 15 minutes.  My job was stressful and demanding and my little nap really helped me to get through the rest of a very long day. 

Some of the most beautiful country we have seen was the area along the Kluane River.  I still don’t know how to pronounce the word but the country needs no explanation.  It is just  beautiful.

 Some of the road construction has our speed restricted to an average of 40 to 45 miles per hour and in some spots we cannot travel any faster than 5 mph. 

When you are driving and see a lineup of RV’s, trucks and cars coming at you in the opposite lane, you can be fairly certain that there is road construction up ahead.  Even though there is quite a bit of traffic on the highways here, when everyone is allowed to travel at their own choice of speed, the space is so vast that the traffic becomes very sparse.  You may drive miles before you see another vehicle.  At the construction sites, however, the traffic can be stopped for as long as 30 minutes at a time and the lineup of vehicles gets longer and longer as everyone catches up with all the people who have passed them (like us).  Somehow we almost always seem to catch up with the people who whizzed by us, either at rest stops, service stations or the constructions sites.  So no matter what kind of ground you think you are making, you aren’t.  Slow down, take it easy and enjoy the ride.  Today we heard a story about a family who lost the entire bottom of their Motor home on the road.  The man driving was driving at about 60 to 65 mph when he hit a bad spot on the highway.  Wham!  That was the end of their fun I am sure. 

We came up a small hill today and as we came to the top of the hill we both saw an unmarked patch in the road that looked very bad.  Bill was driving fairly slow but had accelerated to get to the top of the hill.  He tried to brake but couldn’t slow down enough in time.  Crash!  The truck and the trailer seemed to take flight and landed back down hard on the ground!  Then a horrible noise.  It was a very narrow two lane road with construction ahead and behind.  No where to stop except on the highway.  Bill got out, looked, couldn’t see where the noise might be coming from and I am sitting in the truck thinking that this was it.  The dreaded thing that I have been so afraid of since before we left on this trip.  Bill got in, tried to drive forward and the noise was worse.  Once again he got out to look.  We were terribly disappointed in our fellow RVers.  About a dozen of them passed us without a thought and only one did ask if we needed help.  Had we been a passerby, we would have pulled up in front of the RV in distress and offered assistance.  What a shame that the people who passed us by didn’t live by that code of friendliness.  I was imagining days of being stuck somewhere while major and expensive repairs took place. 

Bill got back into the truck with a smile on his face.  It was the mud flap!  The mud flap had lifted up and was rubbing against the tire and was making a terrible noise.  Thank you God.  We have been spared ............... this time. (We did find out on the way home in September, coming down 100 miles of mountains, that we shattered our brakes and rotors during this mishap.  We were so lucky not to lose our brakes sooner than we did.  That incident cost us over $1,000.00 in break and rotor replacement.)

  We drove until about 8pm tonight and stopped at a turnoff in the road at about Milepost 1252.  We had some sausage, eggs and English muffins for dinner, turned in about 10pm and slept well all night.  A Bounder spent the night behind us and another Motor home was next to us in the morning when we woke.   

I rediscovered my little cassette player and a whole bunch of old radio tapes we have.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening listening to the tapes and watching the traffic (sparse as it was) on the highway. 

A little stressful today but all in all a very good day.

 Day 20, Saturday, June 26, 1999

 When we walked out of the trailer this morning, the air was so fresh and clean smelling.  The sun was out and the sunlight sort of dripped from the tall green trees surrounding us.  One deep breath and you could smell the green of the trees and it was as fulfilling as seeing the greenery around us.  There were almost no sounds to be heard except for those of the birds in the trees and the scratching sounds of some of the tiny little animals scampering through the ground brush surrounding the trees.  If you closed you eyes you could imagine that you must be experiencing a little bit of heaven. 

We left our neighborhood at the side of the road about 5:45 this morning and one of the first things we saw was a Bald Eagle.  This was the first one I had ever seen in the wild.  Other than that we did not see any other wild animals.   We went through several places where the highway signs indicated that there were moose about, but we never saw any.   

One of the things we saw were small airplanes parked under trees next to some of the cabins and farmhouses alongside of the road.  If you looked carefully, you could see the small runways they used to launch and land these airplanes.    If you are going to take this trip there are several things we advise while driving on the highways of both Canada and Alaska. 

1.  Drive slow
2.  Look all around you not just ahead.  If you stop looking you may miss some great stuff.
3.  Keep your camera on and handy.  Things worth photographing come and go so fast you want to be ready.
4.  Try to plan your fuel stops in the more populated areas.
5.  Use your Milepost over each and every mile you travel.  It is full of interesting sites,