Leslie, Tuesday, September 30, 2008
As we left Casper this morning we decided to drive through the city in pursuit of a breakfast treat (hopefully doughnuts). Downtown Casper still has many very old buildings. They also have low railroad culverts. As we were following the road signs toward I-25 we both suddenly yelped at the same time – oh, no, that bridge just ahead says clearance is only 13 ft. We’re at least 13" 4" high. Guess we’re not going that way. We made a quick detour through the Post Office mailing lane and took off heading generally south and ignoring the GPS and the immediate sign. In not too long we saw more signs for I-25 south and we were back on our way. Those overhead clearances certainly aren’t signed very far in advance!
We’ve had wonderful sunny weather for driving the past week. Yesterday and today we even ran the air conditioner in the truck! We’ve enjoyed watching lots of antelopes grazing along the side of the road. This is antelope hunting season so I’m surprised we are seeing so many.
We arrived in Cheyenne, Wymoming by mid-afternoon. That gave me a chance to go shopping at the Sierra Trading Post Outlet. I was looking for things for the cruise but most of the clothes were for skiing.
We’re staying in Cheyenne for only one night. Cheyenne is an old frontier town and it looked as if there is enough here to merit another visit when we have more time. We did go downtown for dinner in the old art deco train station. Cheyenne is a major railroad junction point. You can see hundreds of trains along the sidings.
Later I did the major cleaning before we put the rig in storage for two months. Because we don’t have water at the storage lot, I wanted to do all the water-based cleaning here. Tomorrow we’ll drain the tanks and winterize the rig before we drive back to stix & bricks.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Casper, WY
Leslie Monday, September 29, 2008
We’re really in the “on the road” mode. Today we drove from Hardin, MT to Casper, WY. We’re staying in a campground owned by the Issac Walton League. I expected that would mean that the campground would be in the woods, with nicely separated sites. That hasn’t turned out to be the case. The campground is largely comprised of permanent installations and the entire area is a dirt lot. Not too nice. It doesn’t really matter too much for us since we’re only staying one night. We got lazy and went out to dinner but it wasn’t anything to write about.
We’re really in the “on the road” mode. Today we drove from Hardin, MT to Casper, WY. We’re staying in a campground owned by the Issac Walton League. I expected that would mean that the campground would be in the woods, with nicely separated sites. That hasn’t turned out to be the case. The campground is largely comprised of permanent installations and the entire area is a dirt lot. Not too nice. It doesn’t really matter too much for us since we’re only staying one night. We got lazy and went out to dinner but it wasn’t anything to write about.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Finally, Little Big Horn
Leslie Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday was sunny and warm. When we arrived at Little Big Horn National Monument the ranger said that last year on this date they had already stopped giving presentations for the season due to cold weather. We drove the road along the top of the battlefield, stopping to read the various information displays. The manager at the 7th Ranch Campground had lent us a CD of the audio tour so we were able to listen to the narration as we drove.
Most of the soldiers killed in the battle were buried a few days later at the place where they fell. Some time later the US Army placed white markers to mark each location. As you look out over the hills, you can see the white markers, sometimes in the distance, sometimes in clumps where a number of soldier fell together. If you look carefully you can see three white markers in the distance of this picture.
They have done a lot of archeological research here to determine the movement of soldiers and Indians. It is clear the Custer attacked with far to few soldiers. The ratios were close to 1:10 – attackers to defenders. (Historically, common military standards called for the attacker to outnumber the defenders by 3:1.) As part of the archeological research they discovered a cemetery for the horses of the cavalry. Apparently at the end of the battle Custer and his few remaining men killed their horses and used the horses as bunkers. The men of the cavalry were strongly loyal to their horses and likely the US Army forces who arrived a few days after the battle buried the horses together.
Later we went to a ranger presentation on the battle. He did a pretty good job of explaining the actions of separate units, confused by the “fog” of war, and unable to communicate with each other due to the distances involved. One thing that struck me as we drove the battlefield was how large the space is. I was thinking of the hills of Gettysburg — but this battle covered a much larger distance.
Here is an example of the markers for US Army troops.
And the memorial to the fallen Indians.
There are few markers for fallen Indians because first, few Indians were killed, and second, the markers were placed only with the permission of the descendants. Most of the Indian descendants preferred to leave the graves marked as they had been marked by the families at the end of the battle, by rock cairns.
When we returned to our camp we were treated by another gorgeous sunset.
Sunday was sunny and warm. When we arrived at Little Big Horn National Monument the ranger said that last year on this date they had already stopped giving presentations for the season due to cold weather. We drove the road along the top of the battlefield, stopping to read the various information displays. The manager at the 7th Ranch Campground had lent us a CD of the audio tour so we were able to listen to the narration as we drove.
Most of the soldiers killed in the battle were buried a few days later at the place where they fell. Some time later the US Army placed white markers to mark each location. As you look out over the hills, you can see the white markers, sometimes in the distance, sometimes in clumps where a number of soldier fell together. If you look carefully you can see three white markers in the distance of this picture.
They have done a lot of archeological research here to determine the movement of soldiers and Indians. It is clear the Custer attacked with far to few soldiers. The ratios were close to 1:10 – attackers to defenders. (Historically, common military standards called for the attacker to outnumber the defenders by 3:1.) As part of the archeological research they discovered a cemetery for the horses of the cavalry. Apparently at the end of the battle Custer and his few remaining men killed their horses and used the horses as bunkers. The men of the cavalry were strongly loyal to their horses and likely the US Army forces who arrived a few days after the battle buried the horses together.
Later we went to a ranger presentation on the battle. He did a pretty good job of explaining the actions of separate units, confused by the “fog” of war, and unable to communicate with each other due to the distances involved. One thing that struck me as we drove the battlefield was how large the space is. I was thinking of the hills of Gettysburg — but this battle covered a much larger distance.
Here is an example of the markers for US Army troops.
And the memorial to the fallen Indians.
There are few markers for fallen Indians because first, few Indians were killed, and second, the markers were placed only with the permission of the descendants. Most of the Indian descendants preferred to leave the graves marked as they had been marked by the families at the end of the battle, by rock cairns.
When we returned to our camp we were treated by another gorgeous sunset.
Finally Got Back to Little Big Horn!
Robert, Sunday, September 28
I worked on fixing my computer this morning. Just after lunch, we set out for the battleground. We checked out the visitor’s center and then started the tour with the CD. The CD provides information about what occurred here. It describes what you are seeing at ever stop and then direst you to the next point of interest. The tour lasts about 90 minutes. We had to speed up the last part as we wanted to get back to the visitor’s center to hear a presentation about the battle. We then watched a video about the battleground, I have wanted to get back to this place for years and something always comes up the prevents it. Today was a success. After a few more pictures we headed back home. Saw a great sunset for the second evening in a row.
I worked on fixing my computer this morning. Just after lunch, we set out for the battleground. We checked out the visitor’s center and then started the tour with the CD. The CD provides information about what occurred here. It describes what you are seeing at ever stop and then direst you to the next point of interest. The tour lasts about 90 minutes. We had to speed up the last part as we wanted to get back to the visitor’s center to hear a presentation about the battle. We then watched a video about the battleground, I have wanted to get back to this place for years and something always comes up the prevents it. Today was a success. After a few more pictures we headed back home. Saw a great sunset for the second evening in a row.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Big Sky, Great Sunsets, Lots of Stars
Leslie Saturday, September 27, 2008
Today we moved on toward Hardin, Montana. Robert has been trying to get back to Little Big Horn Battlefield for many years. He visited the national monument on one of his motorcycle trips out west when we lived in Virginia and has been trying to get back here ever since. On two different trips we had planned to visit the national monument but circumstances intervened and we weren’t able to get here.
We had originally planned to stay in Hardin, the nearest town. As we drove we noticed a highway billboard for a campground located next to the battlefield. I looked it up in Trailer Life (the Good Sam directory) and it looked as if it would be fine. We’re very happy to have ended up at 7th Ranch Campground and RV Park. The campground is located high up on a bluff with a fantastic view. The manager told us that we would really enjoy looking at the stars because there is no light pollution. She was right. This is a fantastic location.
Here are two pictures of sunset from the steps of Carpe Diem.
Later we went out to look at the stars. The Milky Way was extremely visible. It almost looked as if you could pick the stars right out of the sky. The temperature dropped over 40 degrees from mid-day but it was lots of fun to be out on such a clear night.
Today we moved on toward Hardin, Montana. Robert has been trying to get back to Little Big Horn Battlefield for many years. He visited the national monument on one of his motorcycle trips out west when we lived in Virginia and has been trying to get back here ever since. On two different trips we had planned to visit the national monument but circumstances intervened and we weren’t able to get here.
We had originally planned to stay in Hardin, the nearest town. As we drove we noticed a highway billboard for a campground located next to the battlefield. I looked it up in Trailer Life (the Good Sam directory) and it looked as if it would be fine. We’re very happy to have ended up at 7th Ranch Campground and RV Park. The campground is located high up on a bluff with a fantastic view. The manager told us that we would really enjoy looking at the stars because there is no light pollution. She was right. This is a fantastic location.
Here are two pictures of sunset from the steps of Carpe Diem.
Later we went out to look at the stars. The Milky Way was extremely visible. It almost looked as if you could pick the stars right out of the sky. The temperature dropped over 40 degrees from mid-day but it was lots of fun to be out on such a clear night.
Off to Little Big Horn
Robert, Saturday, September 27
We started the day with the objective of reaching Hardin, Montana. This town is about 10 miles north of the Little Big Horn battleground. As we approached Hardin, I saw a sign for a campground the is located right next to the battleground. Leslie called and the rate was less than the campgrounds in Hardin so we decided to go see it. We got here and the campground is great. It is out in the middle of nowhere but we don’t need to be close to town and being closer to the battleground is better. When we checked in, the office manager asked if I wanted to borrow a CD that has a guided tour of the campground. I said yes and so we can use that tomorrow. She also pointed out that the stars are all out after it gets dark and being far away from any town means they are really bright. After dinner, we did go outside and the stars filled the sky. No clouds, no city smog, no light pollution.
We started the day with the objective of reaching Hardin, Montana. This town is about 10 miles north of the Little Big Horn battleground. As we approached Hardin, I saw a sign for a campground the is located right next to the battleground. Leslie called and the rate was less than the campgrounds in Hardin so we decided to go see it. We got here and the campground is great. It is out in the middle of nowhere but we don’t need to be close to town and being closer to the battleground is better. When we checked in, the office manager asked if I wanted to borrow a CD that has a guided tour of the campground. I said yes and so we can use that tomorrow. She also pointed out that the stars are all out after it gets dark and being far away from any town means they are really bright. After dinner, we did go outside and the stars filled the sky. No clouds, no city smog, no light pollution.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Scrub, Scrub, Scrub the Bugs
Leslie Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday was a day of errands. Because we weren’t sure about limitations on bringing meat and vegetables into the US from Canada, our pantry was pretty bare. We have a plan to wash and wax the trailer and truck tomorrow so we needed to pick up some more supplies.
I thought you might enjoy seeing this rig with a snow blower. Robert chatted with the occupant. He said that the wind often blows over 100 mph in the winter and that he nearly froze here last winter.
Friday was rig washing day. We had accumulated a new batch of bugs on the front end cap. This cleaning was a major undertaking. We washed all surfaces twice and scrubbed all the caulking and seals. We started washing the rig at noon and finished after 6:00 pm. Someone in a neighboring site offered to lend us his 5 ft. ladder which helped reaching high on the rig. Lots of neighbors made comments about all our washing but the rig really does look nice. Even this rabbit stopped by to see how clean it was.
My muscles were aching from all the scrubbing. We just got things put away in time for the debates on TV.
Thursday was a day of errands. Because we weren’t sure about limitations on bringing meat and vegetables into the US from Canada, our pantry was pretty bare. We have a plan to wash and wax the trailer and truck tomorrow so we needed to pick up some more supplies.
I thought you might enjoy seeing this rig with a snow blower. Robert chatted with the occupant. He said that the wind often blows over 100 mph in the winter and that he nearly froze here last winter.
Friday was rig washing day. We had accumulated a new batch of bugs on the front end cap. This cleaning was a major undertaking. We washed all surfaces twice and scrubbed all the caulking and seals. We started washing the rig at noon and finished after 6:00 pm. Someone in a neighboring site offered to lend us his 5 ft. ladder which helped reaching high on the rig. Lots of neighbors made comments about all our washing but the rig really does look nice. Even this rabbit stopped by to see how clean it was.
My muscles were aching from all the scrubbing. We just got things put away in time for the debates on TV.
Big, Bug, Go Away!
Robert, Friday, September 26
I went to the campground office and got a propane tank filled and I paid the extra charge to wash the rig at our campsite. Most campgrounds just prohibit washing at the site but here you pay an extra fee and have at it. The bugs on the nose came off pretty easy. I think the reason is the wax that we put on when we washed it the last time. They did take some serious scrubbing but in the end we got them all off, even those that we didn’t the last time. To get to the bugs on the nose, we back the truck up so that we can stand in the bed and scrub away. As we were both scrubbing, a neighbor came over and said we could borrow his six-foot ladder. We took him up on his offer. We have things to wash the trailer that have long poles so we can reach the side but the one thing that we couldn’t get are the rubber seals, They were filthy but by standing on the ladder I could reach them. After we finished the trailer, we went after the truck. Finally after 6 ½ hours, we finished and so were we. We went back inside our now sparkling trailer and collapsed. After watching the debate between Obama and McCain, I went back out to get fuel as we are hitting the road tomorrow. I also got some replacement light bulbs for a couple of lights in the trailer. By the time I got back to the trailer, we were both too tired to do much for dinner so we ate some cheese, crackers, and sausage and then drug our tired bodies off to bed.
I went to the campground office and got a propane tank filled and I paid the extra charge to wash the rig at our campsite. Most campgrounds just prohibit washing at the site but here you pay an extra fee and have at it. The bugs on the nose came off pretty easy. I think the reason is the wax that we put on when we washed it the last time. They did take some serious scrubbing but in the end we got them all off, even those that we didn’t the last time. To get to the bugs on the nose, we back the truck up so that we can stand in the bed and scrub away. As we were both scrubbing, a neighbor came over and said we could borrow his six-foot ladder. We took him up on his offer. We have things to wash the trailer that have long poles so we can reach the side but the one thing that we couldn’t get are the rubber seals, They were filthy but by standing on the ladder I could reach them. After we finished the trailer, we went after the truck. Finally after 6 ½ hours, we finished and so were we. We went back inside our now sparkling trailer and collapsed. After watching the debate between Obama and McCain, I went back out to get fuel as we are hitting the road tomorrow. I also got some replacement light bulbs for a couple of lights in the trailer. By the time I got back to the trailer, we were both too tired to do much for dinner so we ate some cheese, crackers, and sausage and then drug our tired bodies off to bed.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Food for the Larder
Robert, Thursday, September 25
Today was the day to restock the larder. We crossed the border with as little food as possible as entering the US with meat, fruit, or vegetables can sometime be a hassle. One time it is a problem and the next time it is OK. The US customs is part of the TSA and frankly I think they are all a bunch of idiots. The rules keep changing and you never know what to expect. At least you can cross the border without surrendering your toenail clippers! Anyway, we hit the grocery store and loaded up. Leslie said we would not need to go to the grocery store when we get home as we will have plenty we can just take home from the trailer. We also got some more stuff to clean the rig as tomorrow is for once again cleaning the outside.
Today was the day to restock the larder. We crossed the border with as little food as possible as entering the US with meat, fruit, or vegetables can sometime be a hassle. One time it is a problem and the next time it is OK. The US customs is part of the TSA and frankly I think they are all a bunch of idiots. The rules keep changing and you never know what to expect. At least you can cross the border without surrendering your toenail clippers! Anyway, we hit the grocery store and loaded up. Leslie said we would not need to go to the grocery store when we get home as we will have plenty we can just take home from the trailer. We also got some more stuff to clean the rig as tomorrow is for once again cleaning the outside.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Fantastic Food in Great Falls, MT
Leslie Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Today was a driving day. We crossed back into the lower 48 just north of Great Falls, Montana. This is the same placed we crossed on the way north on May 14th. We had to wait about 45 minutes in line but spent less than 10 minutes with the immigration officer. He asked where we are from and where we’d been. I replied that we’d been to Alaska. He asked if we had been in Alaska the entire time. Huh? We were crossing from Canada. I replied that we’d spent the summer in Alaska but had passed through Canada going up and coming back. He said, what are you bringing back into the US? I understand open-ended questions, but I really didn’t know where to start with that one. After I asked for some more clarification, he asked about weapons, liquor, fruits and vegetables. Considering how expensive liquor is in Canada, I can’t imagine anyone actually bringing liquor into the US. I said we had tomatoes but Robert interrupted me and said we didn’t buy them in Canada. I insisted that we had (obviously, we’d been in Canada for nearly 3 weeks). I think the inspector thought the exchange was funny so he just said, welcome home, and waved us through.
We continued to Dick’s RV Park in Great Falls, Montana. In Great Falls we asked for a recommendation for dinner. We were told to go to Jakers Bar and Grill. What an unlikely find. Our meal was clearly the best restaurant meal we’ve had on this trip. They had an superb soup and salad bar. There were six different kinds of soup. I loved the lobster bisque. It had chunks of lobster! While the soup & salad bar would have been plenty of food, we both order entrees as well. I knew that I’d have plenty for lunch the next day. I had grilled sea scallops that were fantastic. I would have loved to have gone back there for another meal but our timing never worked out.
Today was a driving day. We crossed back into the lower 48 just north of Great Falls, Montana. This is the same placed we crossed on the way north on May 14th. We had to wait about 45 minutes in line but spent less than 10 minutes with the immigration officer. He asked where we are from and where we’d been. I replied that we’d been to Alaska. He asked if we had been in Alaska the entire time. Huh? We were crossing from Canada. I replied that we’d spent the summer in Alaska but had passed through Canada going up and coming back. He said, what are you bringing back into the US? I understand open-ended questions, but I really didn’t know where to start with that one. After I asked for some more clarification, he asked about weapons, liquor, fruits and vegetables. Considering how expensive liquor is in Canada, I can’t imagine anyone actually bringing liquor into the US. I said we had tomatoes but Robert interrupted me and said we didn’t buy them in Canada. I insisted that we had (obviously, we’d been in Canada for nearly 3 weeks). I think the inspector thought the exchange was funny so he just said, welcome home, and waved us through.
We continued to Dick’s RV Park in Great Falls, Montana. In Great Falls we asked for a recommendation for dinner. We were told to go to Jakers Bar and Grill. What an unlikely find. Our meal was clearly the best restaurant meal we’ve had on this trip. They had an superb soup and salad bar. There were six different kinds of soup. I loved the lobster bisque. It had chunks of lobster! While the soup & salad bar would have been plenty of food, we both order entrees as well. I knew that I’d have plenty for lunch the next day. I had grilled sea scallops that were fantastic. I would have loved to have gone back there for another meal but our timing never worked out.
Montana or Bust!
Robert, Wednesday, September 24
Today was a travel day. Leslie drove as we were crossing the border today and she can hear the custom agent better than I. We got to the border in about ninety minutes. There was a line that we had to wait in for about forty-five minutes. When our turn came, the agent asked what we were bring. Neither of us knew how to answer that question. He then asked if we had guns, fruit, or vegetables. Leslie said we had some tomatoes and I replied that I thought we had bought them in Alaska. Leslie said she thought we bought them in Canada. The agent said welcome home and waved us through. Later we both thought that the fact that we didn’t have a smooth, consistent story showed that we were being honest. And for the record, Leslie was right, we had bought them in Canada. Just across the border on the U.S. side is a rest area. We pulled in and ate lunch. Then we proceeded on to Great Falls. Although the campground has cable TV, someone had taken some of the parts from our site so we couldn’t hookup to it. We ended up connecting to the adjacent site but that didn’t work as well. The campground said they would get it fixed tomorrow. We went out and ate at a restaurant that was recommended to us and the food was great. Then it was back home to crash. We will be here for three nights.
Today was a travel day. Leslie drove as we were crossing the border today and she can hear the custom agent better than I. We got to the border in about ninety minutes. There was a line that we had to wait in for about forty-five minutes. When our turn came, the agent asked what we were bring. Neither of us knew how to answer that question. He then asked if we had guns, fruit, or vegetables. Leslie said we had some tomatoes and I replied that I thought we had bought them in Alaska. Leslie said she thought we bought them in Canada. The agent said welcome home and waved us through. Later we both thought that the fact that we didn’t have a smooth, consistent story showed that we were being honest. And for the record, Leslie was right, we had bought them in Canada. Just across the border on the U.S. side is a rest area. We pulled in and ate lunch. Then we proceeded on to Great Falls. Although the campground has cable TV, someone had taken some of the parts from our site so we couldn’t hookup to it. We ended up connecting to the adjacent site but that didn’t work as well. The campground said they would get it fixed tomorrow. We went out and ate at a restaurant that was recommended to us and the food was great. Then it was back home to crash. We will be here for three nights.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Buffalo Headache
Robert, Tuesday, September 23
We set out to see the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump today. It is a cliff where the Indians used to drive buffalo over the edge. The buffalo were killed or injured from the fall and the Indians could easily stock their larders. I’m guessing here but I’ll bet the Indians had another name for the place. Might have been something like Buffalo Meat Market. Anyway we drove out to the site and hiked one of the trails along the base of the cliff. The signs said the cliff used to be much higher but after something like 6,000 years of use, the cliff eroded and buffalo bones piled up and the drop became less. This caused the Indians to have to kill many of the buffalo that were just injured. The evidence of this is the arrow heads found in upper levels of the debris under the cliff. There was a center that would have cost us slightly less than $20 to see and we passed. It was just a beautiful day to be out for a walk. We then went into town to find a laundromat. We found one that was clean and not crowded. The place as had a sweet shop where they sold ice cream. What more could you ask for? We asked in the sweet shop as we ordered out ice cream about a restaurant in town. It turns out there is exactly one. After laundry, we headed for the restaurant for dinner. While it wasn’t great, it was good and we didn’t have to cook it or wash dishes. To pay the bill I took all of our Canadian money and had it applied to the bill, then I paid the balance with a credit card. Many times in the past we have ended up with two or three dollars in Canadian money with nothing to do with it. After dinner we headed home.
We set out to see the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump today. It is a cliff where the Indians used to drive buffalo over the edge. The buffalo were killed or injured from the fall and the Indians could easily stock their larders. I’m guessing here but I’ll bet the Indians had another name for the place. Might have been something like Buffalo Meat Market. Anyway we drove out to the site and hiked one of the trails along the base of the cliff. The signs said the cliff used to be much higher but after something like 6,000 years of use, the cliff eroded and buffalo bones piled up and the drop became less. This caused the Indians to have to kill many of the buffalo that were just injured. The evidence of this is the arrow heads found in upper levels of the debris under the cliff. There was a center that would have cost us slightly less than $20 to see and we passed. It was just a beautiful day to be out for a walk. We then went into town to find a laundromat. We found one that was clean and not crowded. The place as had a sweet shop where they sold ice cream. What more could you ask for? We asked in the sweet shop as we ordered out ice cream about a restaurant in town. It turns out there is exactly one. After laundry, we headed for the restaurant for dinner. While it wasn’t great, it was good and we didn’t have to cook it or wash dishes. To pay the bill I took all of our Canadian money and had it applied to the bill, then I paid the balance with a credit card. Many times in the past we have ended up with two or three dollars in Canadian money with nothing to do with it. After dinner we headed home.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump
Leslie Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mission Control
I commented yesterday that the truck sometimes feels like mission control. In addition to the two remote thermometers, we have Pressure Pro tire pressure monitoring system and a GPS running all the time. (We plug in other electronics as needed.) One of the jobs of the navigator is to watch the Pressure Pro to make sure that the tire pressure on all the tires is within specifications. Pressure Pro is a nifty system that constantly monitors the tire pressure on each tire (both truck and 5th wheel) via radio waves. The valve stem on each tire was replaced with an expensive transmitter that constantly monitors the tire pressure. The control part of the system is a 12 volt monitor in the truck. Every day before we set out, we check the cold tire pressure in each tire. While driving, if the tire pressure gets off by 10% (too high or too low) an alarm sounds. Many RVers have stories of how they experienced significant damage from a blown tire so we are very careful to monitor the tire pressure constantly. One of the navigator’s job enroute is to watch the display on the Pressure Pro. Because the transmissions are via radio wave, it is not uncommon for the display unit to register a “fault” where it hasn’t received a reading from one tire (usually the rear driver’s side trailer tire) recently. The navigator needs to see the little red dot and move the receiver until a positive reading occurs.
There are so many audible alarms in the truck that sometimes when an alarm sounds we have to take a minute to figure out what system is unhappy. Is it low fuel? BLEECH sound. Is it “Trailer detached from Truck”? Similar BLEECH sound but different display. (This doesn’t actually mean that the trailer and the truck are not attached, it means that the plug for the lights and possibly the brakes has become unattached.) SCREECH. – That’s the CB doing an emergency broadcast test. – even when it isn’t plugged in. It has taken us 25k miles to get used to all these alarms. :-)
Oh, and while monitoring all the emergency systems the navigator also is supposed to read ahead (in the tiny print of guide books and maps) and tell the driver which lane to be in for the next turn. Generally I’m the navigator. While we both drive the rig, Robert prefers to drive. He doesn’t like the navigator’s job at all. I just want new glasses!
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump
It rained again last night. We got a slow start today but we wanted to visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump. What???????? Apparently this rock ledge is a site that for nearly 6,000 years people have caused buffalo to jump (fall) over the cliff as part of a buffalo hunt. By traditional legend, a long time ago a young native brave wanted to watch his people drive the buffalo off the cliff. He went below to wait. The hunt was particularly good that day. When the villagers came below the cliff to butcher the buffalo carcasses they found the young brave crushed between the weight of the buffalo carcasses and the hillside. Forevermore the place is known as “Head-Bashed-in-Buffalo-Jump”. The place is an important archeological site. Because the history of native people using the site to drive the buffalo to their deaths goes back so far, as archeologists have dug further, they have discovered tools and traditions of native people far longer ago than previously thought possible. The search was difficult because this site was in such continuous use that hundreds of years of remains were crushed in together. One Information Bulletin said that the “jump point” would have been far higher a very long time ago. As the jump got shorter, the buffalo didn’t die immediately; they were merely injured. During that time period archeologists found more arrows and spears showing the hunters waiting below the cliff to “finish off” the wounded buffalo. Very interesting...
We enjoyed a short hike up the face of the cliff.
Along the road to the Buffalo Site we saw a herd of burros. I've never seen a herd of burros before. Here's one who was near the fence.
FEED ME
After our short hike we returned to town to find a laundromat. Success! We found perhaps the best laundromat we’ve used on this trip. It was a Laundromat & Sweet Shop. As I filled the washers, Robert went to check out the ice cream. :-) We accomplished the laundry task in little more than 90 minutes. We asked at the Sweet Shop for a recommendation for a restaurant in town. The clerk told us we should try the Macloed; so we did. The food was okay and we each have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Being from New Jersey originally, I would call the food, “Diner Food” – plentiful and fine but not gourmet.
Tomorrow we will complete one circle. On May 14th we crossed from Montana into Alberta. On September 24th we’ll cross from Alberta back into Montana at the same crossing. We plan to spend a few days at Dick’s RV Park in Great Falls, Montana before heading to Hardin, Montana -- Robert's goal. (more on the Hardin goal later...)
Oh, and I forgot to mention that when we got home tonight my mouse was missing. Apparently someone (some cat) had decided that my wireless mouse was meant to play. Cody ?? I found my poor wireless mouse in a cabinet (where a CAT probably knocked it.)
Mission Control
I commented yesterday that the truck sometimes feels like mission control. In addition to the two remote thermometers, we have Pressure Pro tire pressure monitoring system and a GPS running all the time. (We plug in other electronics as needed.) One of the jobs of the navigator is to watch the Pressure Pro to make sure that the tire pressure on all the tires is within specifications. Pressure Pro is a nifty system that constantly monitors the tire pressure on each tire (both truck and 5th wheel) via radio waves. The valve stem on each tire was replaced with an expensive transmitter that constantly monitors the tire pressure. The control part of the system is a 12 volt monitor in the truck. Every day before we set out, we check the cold tire pressure in each tire. While driving, if the tire pressure gets off by 10% (too high or too low) an alarm sounds. Many RVers have stories of how they experienced significant damage from a blown tire so we are very careful to monitor the tire pressure constantly. One of the navigator’s job enroute is to watch the display on the Pressure Pro. Because the transmissions are via radio wave, it is not uncommon for the display unit to register a “fault” where it hasn’t received a reading from one tire (usually the rear driver’s side trailer tire) recently. The navigator needs to see the little red dot and move the receiver until a positive reading occurs.
There are so many audible alarms in the truck that sometimes when an alarm sounds we have to take a minute to figure out what system is unhappy. Is it low fuel? BLEECH sound. Is it “Trailer detached from Truck”? Similar BLEECH sound but different display. (This doesn’t actually mean that the trailer and the truck are not attached, it means that the plug for the lights and possibly the brakes has become unattached.) SCREECH. – That’s the CB doing an emergency broadcast test. – even when it isn’t plugged in. It has taken us 25k miles to get used to all these alarms. :-)
Oh, and while monitoring all the emergency systems the navigator also is supposed to read ahead (in the tiny print of guide books and maps) and tell the driver which lane to be in for the next turn. Generally I’m the navigator. While we both drive the rig, Robert prefers to drive. He doesn’t like the navigator’s job at all. I just want new glasses!
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump
It rained again last night. We got a slow start today but we wanted to visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump. What???????? Apparently this rock ledge is a site that for nearly 6,000 years people have caused buffalo to jump (fall) over the cliff as part of a buffalo hunt. By traditional legend, a long time ago a young native brave wanted to watch his people drive the buffalo off the cliff. He went below to wait. The hunt was particularly good that day. When the villagers came below the cliff to butcher the buffalo carcasses they found the young brave crushed between the weight of the buffalo carcasses and the hillside. Forevermore the place is known as “Head-Bashed-in-Buffalo-Jump”. The place is an important archeological site. Because the history of native people using the site to drive the buffalo to their deaths goes back so far, as archeologists have dug further, they have discovered tools and traditions of native people far longer ago than previously thought possible. The search was difficult because this site was in such continuous use that hundreds of years of remains were crushed in together. One Information Bulletin said that the “jump point” would have been far higher a very long time ago. As the jump got shorter, the buffalo didn’t die immediately; they were merely injured. During that time period archeologists found more arrows and spears showing the hunters waiting below the cliff to “finish off” the wounded buffalo. Very interesting...
We enjoyed a short hike up the face of the cliff.
Along the road to the Buffalo Site we saw a herd of burros. I've never seen a herd of burros before. Here's one who was near the fence.
FEED ME
After our short hike we returned to town to find a laundromat. Success! We found perhaps the best laundromat we’ve used on this trip. It was a Laundromat & Sweet Shop. As I filled the washers, Robert went to check out the ice cream. :-) We accomplished the laundry task in little more than 90 minutes. We asked at the Sweet Shop for a recommendation for a restaurant in town. The clerk told us we should try the Macloed; so we did. The food was okay and we each have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Being from New Jersey originally, I would call the food, “Diner Food” – plentiful and fine but not gourmet.
Tomorrow we will complete one circle. On May 14th we crossed from Montana into Alberta. On September 24th we’ll cross from Alberta back into Montana at the same crossing. We plan to spend a few days at Dick’s RV Park in Great Falls, Montana before heading to Hardin, Montana -- Robert's goal. (more on the Hardin goal later...)
Oh, and I forgot to mention that when we got home tonight my mouse was missing. Apparently someone (some cat) had decided that my wireless mouse was meant to play. Cody ?? I found my poor wireless mouse in a cabinet (where a CAT probably knocked it.)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fort Macleod, Alberta
Leslie Monday, September 22, 2008
This morning we had to break camp in the pouring rain. Although it has rained for much of the summer, we’ve been lucky and not had to actually break camp while it was pouring. Because we were in a spot surrounded by falling leaves, I had planned to climb on the roof to sweep off the slides before we closed them. We decided that it was probably better to leave the leaves alone than to climb on the roof in this weather. I’m sure there are wet leaves inside as a result. :-(
Today was planned to be a very long drive – and it was. We traveled 296 miles from Edmonton to Fort Macleod, Alberta. At this point I’ve identified campgrounds that are still open and fit within our travel times. We weren’t interested in stopping in Calgary because we’ve been there two times previously. It rained on and off and there was a fierce cross wind throughout the day. I took a few pictures of the angry clouds that we watched across the flatlands. Alberta is a lot like Colorado – flat lands leading up to the Rocky Mountains.
Although the drive was long, we appreciated that the road was paved, smooth, and relatively flat. These are all very complementary adjectives to describe a road. Yeah! We were happy.
As some of you know, Molly and Cody now happily ride in the bedroom of the 5th wheel while we travel. They have become so comfortable that when we stop for lunch and climb in to check on them, they don’t even bother to get up from their beds. As it is getting cooler, we carry a remote thermometer in the truck so we can monitor the temperature in the bedroom. (One remote thermometer for the cats and another for the freezer. – sometimes it feels as if the truck is mission control!)
We’re camped at Daisy May Campground along the Old Man River. The view out the front is of the river. The space is sufficiently wide although we did have an electrical issue when we arrived. We had paid for a 30 amp, full hook-up site. Unfortunately after we got unhooked we discovered that there wasn’t a 30 amp outlet available. The guy next door had taken two plugs. I walked to the office and suggested that we would unplug one of the plugs from the guy next door. The woman running the office said we couldn’t do that but we could just hook up to an extension cord on 15 amps. She said, “you only need 30 amps if you want to run air conditioning.” The temperature at this time is maybe 50 degrees! I replied that maybe we’d just move on down the road. I’m not interested in 15 amps – we’d rather run our generators. With 15 amp service we can’t run a heat pump, the microwave, and (more importantly) I can’t run my hair dryer! The manager’s husband showed up with a solution that got us 30 amp service. All is good.
We haven’t done laundry in over two weeks so I really had hoped to accomplish that task this evening. Robert was more interested in food — so the laundry got put off another day.
This morning we had to break camp in the pouring rain. Although it has rained for much of the summer, we’ve been lucky and not had to actually break camp while it was pouring. Because we were in a spot surrounded by falling leaves, I had planned to climb on the roof to sweep off the slides before we closed them. We decided that it was probably better to leave the leaves alone than to climb on the roof in this weather. I’m sure there are wet leaves inside as a result. :-(
Today was planned to be a very long drive – and it was. We traveled 296 miles from Edmonton to Fort Macleod, Alberta. At this point I’ve identified campgrounds that are still open and fit within our travel times. We weren’t interested in stopping in Calgary because we’ve been there two times previously. It rained on and off and there was a fierce cross wind throughout the day. I took a few pictures of the angry clouds that we watched across the flatlands. Alberta is a lot like Colorado – flat lands leading up to the Rocky Mountains.
Although the drive was long, we appreciated that the road was paved, smooth, and relatively flat. These are all very complementary adjectives to describe a road. Yeah! We were happy.
As some of you know, Molly and Cody now happily ride in the bedroom of the 5th wheel while we travel. They have become so comfortable that when we stop for lunch and climb in to check on them, they don’t even bother to get up from their beds. As it is getting cooler, we carry a remote thermometer in the truck so we can monitor the temperature in the bedroom. (One remote thermometer for the cats and another for the freezer. – sometimes it feels as if the truck is mission control!)
We’re camped at Daisy May Campground along the Old Man River. The view out the front is of the river. The space is sufficiently wide although we did have an electrical issue when we arrived. We had paid for a 30 amp, full hook-up site. Unfortunately after we got unhooked we discovered that there wasn’t a 30 amp outlet available. The guy next door had taken two plugs. I walked to the office and suggested that we would unplug one of the plugs from the guy next door. The woman running the office said we couldn’t do that but we could just hook up to an extension cord on 15 amps. She said, “you only need 30 amps if you want to run air conditioning.” The temperature at this time is maybe 50 degrees! I replied that maybe we’d just move on down the road. I’m not interested in 15 amps – we’d rather run our generators. With 15 amp service we can’t run a heat pump, the microwave, and (more importantly) I can’t run my hair dryer! The manager’s husband showed up with a solution that got us 30 amp service. All is good.
We haven’t done laundry in over two weeks so I really had hoped to accomplish that task this evening. Robert was more interested in food — so the laundry got put off another day.
Last Stop in Canada - Fort Macleod
Robert, Monday, September 22
It rained almost all of last night. It was raining when we packed up this morning. Leslie commented that this is the only time she can remember that we had to pack up in the rain. I don’t remember any times either, at least with this rig. When we had the pop-up it seems like we were always setting up and tearing down in the rain. That was the major push for us to move up to a hard-sided trailer. Anyway, we did get loaded up and on our way to Fort Macleod. This will be our last stop in Canada as it is only about 100 miles from the border. The road from Edmonton was 4-lane all the way here and it was a real treat to once again drive on good roads. The drive took us past the east side of Calgary but we didn’t stop. The compass in the truck started acting up again so I guess that we will need to get that fixed by a Ford dealer. We got to Daisy Mae Campground a little after 5:00 p.m. Although it has a corny name, it is not too bad. We were unhooking the rig when we discovered that we didn’t have an electrical hook-up. There were four RVs all backed into sites with an electrical pedestal in the middle. One rig was hooked up to two outlets leaving none for us. Leslie walked over to the office and the woman talked to her husband on a radio. He said maybe we would have to be on 15 amp service. Leslie told the woman that maybe we would simply move to another campground. Her husband appeared at the site and moved the electrical connection of one of the RVs to a different pedestal. After that we finished setting up. Leslie wanted to go start doing laundry but I wanted to grill some steaks we bought when we were in Edmonton. We had driven in and out of rain showers on the way here. When we got here the sun was shining but there were angry looking clouds all around. I wanted to grill and eat before it was raining. So I grilled the steak and we ate. Soon afterward the sun went down and it got dark, very dark. We used the campsite WiFi for a while and then I crashed.
It rained almost all of last night. It was raining when we packed up this morning. Leslie commented that this is the only time she can remember that we had to pack up in the rain. I don’t remember any times either, at least with this rig. When we had the pop-up it seems like we were always setting up and tearing down in the rain. That was the major push for us to move up to a hard-sided trailer. Anyway, we did get loaded up and on our way to Fort Macleod. This will be our last stop in Canada as it is only about 100 miles from the border. The road from Edmonton was 4-lane all the way here and it was a real treat to once again drive on good roads. The drive took us past the east side of Calgary but we didn’t stop. The compass in the truck started acting up again so I guess that we will need to get that fixed by a Ford dealer. We got to Daisy Mae Campground a little after 5:00 p.m. Although it has a corny name, it is not too bad. We were unhooking the rig when we discovered that we didn’t have an electrical hook-up. There were four RVs all backed into sites with an electrical pedestal in the middle. One rig was hooked up to two outlets leaving none for us. Leslie walked over to the office and the woman talked to her husband on a radio. He said maybe we would have to be on 15 amp service. Leslie told the woman that maybe we would simply move to another campground. Her husband appeared at the site and moved the electrical connection of one of the RVs to a different pedestal. After that we finished setting up. Leslie wanted to go start doing laundry but I wanted to grill some steaks we bought when we were in Edmonton. We had driven in and out of rain showers on the way here. When we got here the sun was shining but there were angry looking clouds all around. I wanted to grill and eat before it was raining. So I grilled the steak and we ate. Soon afterward the sun went down and it got dark, very dark. We used the campsite WiFi for a while and then I crashed.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Edmonton - I'm Lazy
Leslie Wednesday, September 17 - Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wednesday
Okay, I’ve been lazy in not keep the blog up to date. It’s been great to relax and do little here in Edmonton. We’re staying at Glowing Embers RV Park. The sites are very wide, and nicely separated by trees. The weather has been delightful and the leaves are changing on the fall trees. Wednesday we both went to the West Edmonton Mall. Robert has had an outer ear infection for a week or so. I had announced that if he hadn’t gotten over it by the time we reached Edmonton, he’d have to seek a doctor. He discovered that there is a Medical Clinic at the mall. Ah ha, this should work well. He’ll wait at the clinic (we’re thinking a typical US Doc in a Box) while I go shopping. This is not to be. The Med Clinic at the Mall specializes in skin care (aka Botox, etc.) I don’t think they do any “regular” medical care. When we attempted to check-in, the receptionist didn’t know what an ear infection was! After some conversation he suggested another med clinic a few blocks away. We stopped there to discover that it was closed because the doctor was on vacation. (I doubt if it would have been helpful anyway because it specialized in weight loss.) Next we were referred to a Doc in a Box Clinic at the Canadian version of a low-end Walmart knock-off (Canada Superstore). We arrived there at 5:30 pm and were told there was a two hour wait. Robert would have to check in every 25 minutes to hold a place in line. The cost for the visit was $40. No problem. Unfortunately it was nearly 9:00 pm when Robert was finally seen by the doctor. (I sat in the truck for hours listening to CNN on the satellite radio.) He was given a prescription as expected. We elected to have the RX filled at the in-store pharmacy. The RX cost $36 for a small bottle of ear drops. That surprised us as I expected the RX to be less considering the low cost of the doctor consultation. Eventually at nearly 10:00 pm we escaped the Canada Superstore and found an excellent restaurant for dinner.
Dinner at the Moxie Grill, corner of 170th St and RT 16A, was excellent. We highly recommend it. The Moxie Grill is a high-end fern bar with excellent entries. Robert ordered ribs which I highly recommend. (I was treated to one rib.)
Thursday
I made my way solo to the Edmonton West Mall. Yes, it is huge. In fact, even though I am known as being able to handle any shopping center - this was a bit much. I didn’t buy a single thing. The mall was overwhelming. It wasn’t too crowded – just huge. One thing I noticed was that there aren’t the typical anchor stores. There is only a Sears, a Hudson Bay (similar to Macy’s) and a Zabors (lower-end department store). That means that it is very easy to get lost because you don’t have the large anchors to orient yourself. There really is an ice skating rink, an amusement park, a Sea Otter Rock, a water park with a 3 story water slide), etc. On Sunday we’re going to the mall to take pictures of the attractions for the blog.
Friday
Today was Robert’s birthday. We cleaned the inside of the truck – a big accomplishment. It hadn’t been cleaned since we left Colorado last spring and we were embarrassed to have any visitors ride along. Our lousy vacuum takes hours to clean a small space. We’ve determine that we’ll get a better vacuum before the next trip out.
We had planned to have dinner out in celebration of Robert’s birthday. We returned to Moxie Grill mostly because I wanted to order the excellent ribs Robert had a few days ago. They were still excellent, although the sauce was different. Clearly they make their own sauce. I was able to bring home enough ribs for both of us for Saturday lunch.
Saturday
We spent the day cleaning the outside of both the truck and the Rv. They were both incredibly filthy. We spent over 4 ½ hours cleaning – but the results are great. At Walmart I had bought some Armor Auto Cleaning and Waxing stuff that we mixed with water. It worked extremely well. We didn’t have to scrub the embedded bugs as much off the front end cap. We did apply a lot of elbow grease and the result was something to be proud of. We’ve joked that we should get an award for Exterminator of the Bugs of Canada and Alaska – it is hard it imagine how many bugs we had creamed on the end cap! The rig looks excellent with the wax coating. We’ll have to apply several more coats to keep it in such good shape.
I even climbed on the roof to clean the solar panel.
Sunday
Wow, fall is arriving soon. We spent most of the day watching the leaves changing before our eyes. The winds are increasing. The golden leaves that we’ve been enjoying on the trees are falling very quickly. Late this afternoon we returned to the West Edmonton Mall for pictures. Here’s a sample of the extra activities you can engage in at the West Edmonton Mall.
Ice skating.
Waterpark
Amusement park with a great roller coaster
Bungee Jumping:
Seal Lion show
Segway track (10 minutes of $10.00/ 90 minutes for $60 to stroll through the mall before opening)
There is an Oriental Market, the size of a surburban Safeway. Here’s a picture of the ducks and chickens awaiting your purchase. We were also intrigued by the Dim Sum market – something we haven’t enjoyed in many years.
Wednesday
Okay, I’ve been lazy in not keep the blog up to date. It’s been great to relax and do little here in Edmonton. We’re staying at Glowing Embers RV Park. The sites are very wide, and nicely separated by trees. The weather has been delightful and the leaves are changing on the fall trees. Wednesday we both went to the West Edmonton Mall. Robert has had an outer ear infection for a week or so. I had announced that if he hadn’t gotten over it by the time we reached Edmonton, he’d have to seek a doctor. He discovered that there is a Medical Clinic at the mall. Ah ha, this should work well. He’ll wait at the clinic (we’re thinking a typical US Doc in a Box) while I go shopping. This is not to be. The Med Clinic at the Mall specializes in skin care (aka Botox, etc.) I don’t think they do any “regular” medical care. When we attempted to check-in, the receptionist didn’t know what an ear infection was! After some conversation he suggested another med clinic a few blocks away. We stopped there to discover that it was closed because the doctor was on vacation. (I doubt if it would have been helpful anyway because it specialized in weight loss.) Next we were referred to a Doc in a Box Clinic at the Canadian version of a low-end Walmart knock-off (Canada Superstore). We arrived there at 5:30 pm and were told there was a two hour wait. Robert would have to check in every 25 minutes to hold a place in line. The cost for the visit was $40. No problem. Unfortunately it was nearly 9:00 pm when Robert was finally seen by the doctor. (I sat in the truck for hours listening to CNN on the satellite radio.) He was given a prescription as expected. We elected to have the RX filled at the in-store pharmacy. The RX cost $36 for a small bottle of ear drops. That surprised us as I expected the RX to be less considering the low cost of the doctor consultation. Eventually at nearly 10:00 pm we escaped the Canada Superstore and found an excellent restaurant for dinner.
Dinner at the Moxie Grill, corner of 170th St and RT 16A, was excellent. We highly recommend it. The Moxie Grill is a high-end fern bar with excellent entries. Robert ordered ribs which I highly recommend. (I was treated to one rib.)
Thursday
I made my way solo to the Edmonton West Mall. Yes, it is huge. In fact, even though I am known as being able to handle any shopping center - this was a bit much. I didn’t buy a single thing. The mall was overwhelming. It wasn’t too crowded – just huge. One thing I noticed was that there aren’t the typical anchor stores. There is only a Sears, a Hudson Bay (similar to Macy’s) and a Zabors (lower-end department store). That means that it is very easy to get lost because you don’t have the large anchors to orient yourself. There really is an ice skating rink, an amusement park, a Sea Otter Rock, a water park with a 3 story water slide), etc. On Sunday we’re going to the mall to take pictures of the attractions for the blog.
Friday
Today was Robert’s birthday. We cleaned the inside of the truck – a big accomplishment. It hadn’t been cleaned since we left Colorado last spring and we were embarrassed to have any visitors ride along. Our lousy vacuum takes hours to clean a small space. We’ve determine that we’ll get a better vacuum before the next trip out.
We had planned to have dinner out in celebration of Robert’s birthday. We returned to Moxie Grill mostly because I wanted to order the excellent ribs Robert had a few days ago. They were still excellent, although the sauce was different. Clearly they make their own sauce. I was able to bring home enough ribs for both of us for Saturday lunch.
Saturday
We spent the day cleaning the outside of both the truck and the Rv. They were both incredibly filthy. We spent over 4 ½ hours cleaning – but the results are great. At Walmart I had bought some Armor Auto Cleaning and Waxing stuff that we mixed with water. It worked extremely well. We didn’t have to scrub the embedded bugs as much off the front end cap. We did apply a lot of elbow grease and the result was something to be proud of. We’ve joked that we should get an award for Exterminator of the Bugs of Canada and Alaska – it is hard it imagine how many bugs we had creamed on the end cap! The rig looks excellent with the wax coating. We’ll have to apply several more coats to keep it in such good shape.
I even climbed on the roof to clean the solar panel.
Sunday
Wow, fall is arriving soon. We spent most of the day watching the leaves changing before our eyes. The winds are increasing. The golden leaves that we’ve been enjoying on the trees are falling very quickly. Late this afternoon we returned to the West Edmonton Mall for pictures. Here’s a sample of the extra activities you can engage in at the West Edmonton Mall.
Ice skating.
Waterpark
Amusement park with a great roller coaster
Bungee Jumping:
Seal Lion show
Segway track (10 minutes of $10.00/ 90 minutes for $60 to stroll through the mall before opening)
There is an Oriental Market, the size of a surburban Safeway. Here’s a picture of the ducks and chickens awaiting your purchase. We were also intrigued by the Dim Sum market – something we haven’t enjoyed in many years.
Mall Day
Robert, Sunday, September 21
Today was mall day. We set off to see the mall. This mall is huge! Water park with a wave pool, ice-skating rink, amusement park, and shop after shop. We walked and walked and walked. The best part was people watching. If you watched very long, you could see almost anything. After we walked forever, they finally started closing the place and we had to take several detours to get out. We were afraid that we would be forced out some door miles from where we parked. Eventually we succeeded in getting out the door by where we had parked the truck. After that we got fuel and calibrated the truck’s compass in a parking lot. The truck has a built-in compass that suddenly decided that regardless of the direction we were driving, it was “S” for south. To calibrate it you have to push a bunch of different buttons and then slowly drive in circles. It seemed to work and we went home and had dinner.
Today was mall day. We set off to see the mall. This mall is huge! Water park with a wave pool, ice-skating rink, amusement park, and shop after shop. We walked and walked and walked. The best part was people watching. If you watched very long, you could see almost anything. After we walked forever, they finally started closing the place and we had to take several detours to get out. We were afraid that we would be forced out some door miles from where we parked. Eventually we succeeded in getting out the door by where we had parked the truck. After that we got fuel and calibrated the truck’s compass in a parking lot. The truck has a built-in compass that suddenly decided that regardless of the direction we were driving, it was “S” for south. To calibrate it you have to push a bunch of different buttons and then slowly drive in circles. It seemed to work and we went home and had dinner.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Washed the Rig. Wow! What a Change!
Robert, Saturday, September 20
As we got the word about washing the rig yesterday, today was the day. When I got up this morning, it was 45 degrees outside. I thought that was a little cool to be slopping around in cold water outside so I waited until 10:00 a.m. It warmed up to 52 degrees so I went out and started getting out all of the stuff to wash the truck and trailer. Leslie had purchased some car wash liquid that both washes and waxes and I gave that a try on the truck. Although the truck was very dirty and the front was covered with dried on bugs, it did a good job of cleaning it. As the truck started emerging from under the dirt, Leslie came out and we both worked at it. After that we tackled the trailer. The nose cap had hundreds of bugs on it. In the past we would park the truck in front of the trailer so we could stand in the bed and use a lot of elbow grease to get the bugs off. With this cleaner, almost all of them came off with the “scrubbers” we have. We have a thing that looks like a dust mop on an extendable pole so that you can stand on the ground and reach the top which is about 13 feet off the ground. We also have a soft scrub brush on a similar pole. With several cycles of spray with water, scrub with both the mop and brush, and rinse, almost all of the bugs came off. I didn’t really want to park the truck so that we could use it to reach the nose cap as that would drip dirt back on the clean truck. The sides of the trailer were pretty easy but the back was very dirty. By 2:30 in the afternoon we had it all washed and rinsed and I was starving so we came inside and got lunch. I then went outside and put everything away. Now it was time for a hot shower as my muscles were already sore from all of the scrubbing. We made a trip to the grocery store and came home on the dark. I fixed crab cakes for dinner. By now it was getting late and so I took my sore body to bed.
As we got the word about washing the rig yesterday, today was the day. When I got up this morning, it was 45 degrees outside. I thought that was a little cool to be slopping around in cold water outside so I waited until 10:00 a.m. It warmed up to 52 degrees so I went out and started getting out all of the stuff to wash the truck and trailer. Leslie had purchased some car wash liquid that both washes and waxes and I gave that a try on the truck. Although the truck was very dirty and the front was covered with dried on bugs, it did a good job of cleaning it. As the truck started emerging from under the dirt, Leslie came out and we both worked at it. After that we tackled the trailer. The nose cap had hundreds of bugs on it. In the past we would park the truck in front of the trailer so we could stand in the bed and use a lot of elbow grease to get the bugs off. With this cleaner, almost all of them came off with the “scrubbers” we have. We have a thing that looks like a dust mop on an extendable pole so that you can stand on the ground and reach the top which is about 13 feet off the ground. We also have a soft scrub brush on a similar pole. With several cycles of spray with water, scrub with both the mop and brush, and rinse, almost all of the bugs came off. I didn’t really want to park the truck so that we could use it to reach the nose cap as that would drip dirt back on the clean truck. The sides of the trailer were pretty easy but the back was very dirty. By 2:30 in the afternoon we had it all washed and rinsed and I was starving so we came inside and got lunch. I then went outside and put everything away. Now it was time for a hot shower as my muscles were already sore from all of the scrubbing. We made a trip to the grocery store and came home on the dark. I fixed crab cakes for dinner. By now it was getting late and so I took my sore body to bed.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Cleaned the Inside of the Truck
Robert, Friday, September 19
Decided to clean out the inside of the truck today. It hadn’t been cleaned since before we left home almost five months ago. I started by getting everything out of the inside so I could vacuum the floor. It took forever to vacuum all of the dirt. It would have been faster except our little vacuum just isn’t up to heavy lifting; heck it isn’t even up to light lifting! We definitely need to get a decent vacuum cleaner for the trailer. Leslie joined me and we cleaned the entire inside. She wanted to wash the outside but I was reluctant. The campground rules say no washing of rigs at the campsite although we have seen others washing their rigs. I came in and got cleaned up. I surfed the web for a while, watched a little TV and soon it was time to go out to dinner. First I walked over to the office to register for another two nights. We had talked about staying here one more night as the weather is beautiful and the campground is great so we made it two more nights. I also asked about washing the rig. Although the rules say no washing at the campsites, they told me that as long as we didn’t leave the water running or use anything that would kill the grass, we could wash the rig. We went back to the same restaurant we ate in night before last. We both had ribs and they were great. After that we stopped in a WalMart to get some more stuff to wash the rig and came home. I sat in one of the recliners and was falling asleep so I went to bed.
Decided to clean out the inside of the truck today. It hadn’t been cleaned since before we left home almost five months ago. I started by getting everything out of the inside so I could vacuum the floor. It took forever to vacuum all of the dirt. It would have been faster except our little vacuum just isn’t up to heavy lifting; heck it isn’t even up to light lifting! We definitely need to get a decent vacuum cleaner for the trailer. Leslie joined me and we cleaned the entire inside. She wanted to wash the outside but I was reluctant. The campground rules say no washing of rigs at the campsite although we have seen others washing their rigs. I came in and got cleaned up. I surfed the web for a while, watched a little TV and soon it was time to go out to dinner. First I walked over to the office to register for another two nights. We had talked about staying here one more night as the weather is beautiful and the campground is great so we made it two more nights. I also asked about washing the rig. Although the rules say no washing at the campsites, they told me that as long as we didn’t leave the water running or use anything that would kill the grass, we could wash the rig. We went back to the same restaurant we ate in night before last. We both had ribs and they were great. After that we stopped in a WalMart to get some more stuff to wash the rig and came home. I sat in one of the recliners and was falling asleep so I went to bed.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A Day of Doing Nothing
Robert, Thursday, September 18
Another beautiful weather day in Edmonton. It is nice to have the door open with only the screen door. Cody and Molly sent a lot of time sitting in front of the screen door just looking out. The leaves on the trees that are all around our campsite are a mixture of yellow and green and they are falling. They move their heads in unison watching the leaves float down past the door. Leslie wanted to go back to the mall and I decided that I would stay in the trailer. We are considering buying her a new camera so that I can get the old camera back. I spent a lot of time looking at prices on the internet. It must have been hard work as I then needed to take a nap in one of the recliners. Finally Leslie came home and we had dinner. After that, I crashed.
Another beautiful weather day in Edmonton. It is nice to have the door open with only the screen door. Cody and Molly sent a lot of time sitting in front of the screen door just looking out. The leaves on the trees that are all around our campsite are a mixture of yellow and green and they are falling. They move their heads in unison watching the leaves float down past the door. Leslie wanted to go back to the mall and I decided that I would stay in the trailer. We are considering buying her a new camera so that I can get the old camera back. I spent a lot of time looking at prices on the internet. It must have been hard work as I then needed to take a nap in one of the recliners. Finally Leslie came home and we had dinner. After that, I crashed.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Medicine at the SuperStore
Robert, Wednesday, September 17
It was nice to spend a lot of today just being lazy. We finally set out for the Edmonton Mall, which is reputed to be one of the largest malls in the world. I wanted to visit a medical clinic and I determined that there is one in the mall. I figured that Leslie could shop while I went to the clinic. On occasions I get an outer ear infection. This has been going on for more than forty years and it occurs more often when I am in a climate with high humidity or when I swim in the ocean. Well the humidity certainly has been high all summer and I have an infection. We got to the mall and it turns out that the clinic there is for things like removing warts and wrinkles. So after five minutes in the mall, we set out to find another clinic. We finally found one in a SuperStore. This is very similar to a Super WalMart. They could see me but there would be a two-hour wait and I had to check in every 25 minutes to keep my place in line. We wandered the store for a while. Finally we got hungry so we bought some candy and went to the truck outside to sit, listen to the radio, and eat the candy. We are far enough south that our XM radio has started working again so we listened to CNN. Finally I went to check in and I was close to seeing the doctor. When I finally saw the doctor, I explained that I had an infection in my outer left ear. He asked a few questions and proceeded to look in both ears. I told him that my ear canals are both about the same size. Well, he looked and pushed in my right ear asking if the pressure hurt. I kept telling him no. He finally stopped to write something on the chart and I asked him if it was red and inflamed. He replied, “Not at all.” I told him he needed to look again as I was sure it was. It then became apparent that he was checking out my other left ear. Now he proceeded to look in my left ear and asked the same questions he had asked about my right ear. Only then did he confirm that it was red and inflamed. I got a prescription for some ear drops and walked over to the pharmacy that was in the store. The clerk took the script and asked me a bunch of questions like did I know how to use these drops. I assured him I could handle putting drops in my ear. A little later when I picked up the drops, a different clerk asked me if I had any questions and did I know how to take the drops. Once again I assured her I was up to the task. Then she proceeded to explain that when I put the drops in my eyes I should push the skin up under my eyes to hold the drops in. I pointed out that I would be putting the drops in my ear. I sure am glad I didn’t need to rely on this brain trust for any information. After we finally finished this, we set out to find a place to eat dinner. In a few blocks Leslie said, “Turn in here,” and we ended up at our kind of place. The food was great. We then went back home and called it a day.
It was nice to spend a lot of today just being lazy. We finally set out for the Edmonton Mall, which is reputed to be one of the largest malls in the world. I wanted to visit a medical clinic and I determined that there is one in the mall. I figured that Leslie could shop while I went to the clinic. On occasions I get an outer ear infection. This has been going on for more than forty years and it occurs more often when I am in a climate with high humidity or when I swim in the ocean. Well the humidity certainly has been high all summer and I have an infection. We got to the mall and it turns out that the clinic there is for things like removing warts and wrinkles. So after five minutes in the mall, we set out to find another clinic. We finally found one in a SuperStore. This is very similar to a Super WalMart. They could see me but there would be a two-hour wait and I had to check in every 25 minutes to keep my place in line. We wandered the store for a while. Finally we got hungry so we bought some candy and went to the truck outside to sit, listen to the radio, and eat the candy. We are far enough south that our XM radio has started working again so we listened to CNN. Finally I went to check in and I was close to seeing the doctor. When I finally saw the doctor, I explained that I had an infection in my outer left ear. He asked a few questions and proceeded to look in both ears. I told him that my ear canals are both about the same size. Well, he looked and pushed in my right ear asking if the pressure hurt. I kept telling him no. He finally stopped to write something on the chart and I asked him if it was red and inflamed. He replied, “Not at all.” I told him he needed to look again as I was sure it was. It then became apparent that he was checking out my other left ear. Now he proceeded to look in my left ear and asked the same questions he had asked about my right ear. Only then did he confirm that it was red and inflamed. I got a prescription for some ear drops and walked over to the pharmacy that was in the store. The clerk took the script and asked me a bunch of questions like did I know how to use these drops. I assured him I could handle putting drops in my ear. A little later when I picked up the drops, a different clerk asked me if I had any questions and did I know how to take the drops. Once again I assured her I was up to the task. Then she proceeded to explain that when I put the drops in my eyes I should push the skin up under my eyes to hold the drops in. I pointed out that I would be putting the drops in my ear. I sure am glad I didn’t need to rely on this brain trust for any information. After we finally finished this, we set out to find a place to eat dinner. In a few blocks Leslie said, “Turn in here,” and we ended up at our kind of place. The food was great. We then went back home and called it a day.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Arrived in Edmonton
Leslie Monday, September 15 and Tuesday, September 16, 2008
We’re been making a series of one day travel days. On Monday we drove to Whitecourt, a location selected merely because it was on the route to Edmonton and I found a campground still open. The roads have gotten much better although we’re still hitting a lot of frost heaves. These are different than the frost heaves north of Haines Junction. The frost heaves in Alberta somehow are beneath the asphalt - there’s a dip, but the asphalt is unbroken. You can identify the dips because just beyond the dip there is an oil spot on the road. Hitting the frost heave too fast means that there’s a lot of rocking and rolling inside the trailer. I have a child’s eagle stuffed animal on an open shelf in the back. I know that if the eagle flew during our drive, things in the cabinets will have shifted. The eagle flew on Monday! Despite the rough roads on this trip, we haven’t had much breakage. Today we did have to throw out our last insulated plastic glass. I like the insulated plastic because they don’t sweat from condensation but these glasses seem to crack very easily.
On Tuesday we drove on to Edmonton. We’re staying at Glowing Embers RV Park on the west side of town. The park is huge – 380 sites! Surprisingly the sites are very nice. Each site is quite wide (plenty of room for a picnic table to the side) and separated from the next site by a substantial tree. We choose a back-in site because it is closer to the WIFI access point. Often the rear view from a back-in site is another trailer. Here they’ve done an excellent job of offsetting the sites so our rear view is of a tree in the next row.
Driving into Edmonton we really felt as if we’ve come back to civilization. We’ll stay here at least four nights. It’s nice to be stationary after a lot of driving over the past week. My big plan for tomorrow is to visit the West Edmonton Mall - the biggest mall in the world. The Mall has over 800 stores, an amusement park, a water world, a hockey rink, a golf course, a sea world type show and more. What a contrast from Alaska!
We’re been making a series of one day travel days. On Monday we drove to Whitecourt, a location selected merely because it was on the route to Edmonton and I found a campground still open. The roads have gotten much better although we’re still hitting a lot of frost heaves. These are different than the frost heaves north of Haines Junction. The frost heaves in Alberta somehow are beneath the asphalt - there’s a dip, but the asphalt is unbroken. You can identify the dips because just beyond the dip there is an oil spot on the road. Hitting the frost heave too fast means that there’s a lot of rocking and rolling inside the trailer. I have a child’s eagle stuffed animal on an open shelf in the back. I know that if the eagle flew during our drive, things in the cabinets will have shifted. The eagle flew on Monday! Despite the rough roads on this trip, we haven’t had much breakage. Today we did have to throw out our last insulated plastic glass. I like the insulated plastic because they don’t sweat from condensation but these glasses seem to crack very easily.
On Tuesday we drove on to Edmonton. We’re staying at Glowing Embers RV Park on the west side of town. The park is huge – 380 sites! Surprisingly the sites are very nice. Each site is quite wide (plenty of room for a picnic table to the side) and separated from the next site by a substantial tree. We choose a back-in site because it is closer to the WIFI access point. Often the rear view from a back-in site is another trailer. Here they’ve done an excellent job of offsetting the sites so our rear view is of a tree in the next row.
Driving into Edmonton we really felt as if we’ve come back to civilization. We’ll stay here at least four nights. It’s nice to be stationary after a lot of driving over the past week. My big plan for tomorrow is to visit the West Edmonton Mall - the biggest mall in the world. The Mall has over 800 stores, an amusement park, a water world, a hockey rink, a golf course, a sea world type show and more. What a contrast from Alaska!
Made it to Edmonton (suburbs)
Robert, Tuesday, September 16
It was a short drive today, just a little more than one hundred miles. While in Alaska and driving down the Alaska Highway, we have been using a book called, “Alaska Camping” by the Church’s. This book is an excellent source of campgrounds. One nice feature is that it provides the latitude and longitude of the campgrounds. Our GPS allows the input of lat-long so finding campgrounds is a piece of cake. Now that we have left the Alaska Highway, our campground guide offers directions in very small print. The GPS will find addresses but the address of many campgrounds is a post office box so that doesn’t work. We were following the directions to the campground and we got to the town of White Grove. It is just to the west of Edmonton and actually is just one of the suburbs. After the “Welcome To” sign we drove past the kind of buildings you expect to see when driving through any town on a four-lane highway. We kept driving looking for the campground for which the directions say is close to the highway we were driving on. We went through the town and soon were looking at farms. Leslie called to be sure we didn’t miss it and we were told to keep going and that we would be there in 5 minutes. Sure enough, I 5 minutes we saw the campground and pulled in. We checked in for four days and parked in our assigned site. Our site is a back-in which often means you look out your back window into the back window of the RV backed in on the other side. The sites on the side we are on are offset from the site on the other side so we don’t have to stare at our neighbors. There are trees and the sites are wide so this is a nice campground. We have internet access here so after we set up we both spent time reading email and web surfing. Dinner was salmon from the freezer.
It was a short drive today, just a little more than one hundred miles. While in Alaska and driving down the Alaska Highway, we have been using a book called, “Alaska Camping” by the Church’s. This book is an excellent source of campgrounds. One nice feature is that it provides the latitude and longitude of the campgrounds. Our GPS allows the input of lat-long so finding campgrounds is a piece of cake. Now that we have left the Alaska Highway, our campground guide offers directions in very small print. The GPS will find addresses but the address of many campgrounds is a post office box so that doesn’t work. We were following the directions to the campground and we got to the town of White Grove. It is just to the west of Edmonton and actually is just one of the suburbs. After the “Welcome To” sign we drove past the kind of buildings you expect to see when driving through any town on a four-lane highway. We kept driving looking for the campground for which the directions say is close to the highway we were driving on. We went through the town and soon were looking at farms. Leslie called to be sure we didn’t miss it and we were told to keep going and that we would be there in 5 minutes. Sure enough, I 5 minutes we saw the campground and pulled in. We checked in for four days and parked in our assigned site. Our site is a back-in which often means you look out your back window into the back window of the RV backed in on the other side. The sites on the side we are on are offset from the site on the other side so we don’t have to stare at our neighbors. There are trees and the sites are wide so this is a nice campground. We have internet access here so after we set up we both spent time reading email and web surfing. Dinner was salmon from the freezer.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Stopped Overnight in Whitecourt
Robert, Monday, September 15
We hit the road this morning toward Edmonton. We did plan to go all the way as it is further than we like to drive in one day. So today’s target was Whitecourt, Alberta. The roads keep getting better the further south we get. They still aren’t absolutely great but they are an improvement. We drove 277 miles today and we didn’t hit a single gravel section! That has to be some kind of record. Something I forgot to mention when we got the truck fixed in Fort St. John. Whatever they replaced resulted in a lot more power. The receipt they gave us says the replaced the high pressure oil pump which was the primary cause for the engine not starting. Then they replaced a PID because the engine ran rough. Of course, they also replaced some wiring that was burned by the mouse nest catching fire. Previously when going up a long, steep hill, the truck would slow and not have much pep. Now when going up a similar hill, the truck will actually accelerate. You just don’t realize the loss of power when it occurs gradually. It is like driving a new truck. The campground where we were staying advertizes that they have a place to wash rigs. Well, Leslie asked at the office shortly before we were ready to leave and the woman in the office said that we could just use one of the sites but not to make a mess. As that would mean digging all of the cleaning stuff out, we passed up the offer and headed down the road into town where there was an RV wash. That was a no-go as it was not working. The next choice was further in town but in a direction we were not going so that was a bust as well. Maybe we will find some place to get it washed further down the road. We got to the campground and didn’t even unhook as we were just spending the night. We ate dinner and turned in. We are now on Mountain Time so we are getting closer to home.
We hit the road this morning toward Edmonton. We did plan to go all the way as it is further than we like to drive in one day. So today’s target was Whitecourt, Alberta. The roads keep getting better the further south we get. They still aren’t absolutely great but they are an improvement. We drove 277 miles today and we didn’t hit a single gravel section! That has to be some kind of record. Something I forgot to mention when we got the truck fixed in Fort St. John. Whatever they replaced resulted in a lot more power. The receipt they gave us says the replaced the high pressure oil pump which was the primary cause for the engine not starting. Then they replaced a PID because the engine ran rough. Of course, they also replaced some wiring that was burned by the mouse nest catching fire. Previously when going up a long, steep hill, the truck would slow and not have much pep. Now when going up a similar hill, the truck will actually accelerate. You just don’t realize the loss of power when it occurs gradually. It is like driving a new truck. The campground where we were staying advertizes that they have a place to wash rigs. Well, Leslie asked at the office shortly before we were ready to leave and the woman in the office said that we could just use one of the sites but not to make a mess. As that would mean digging all of the cleaning stuff out, we passed up the offer and headed down the road into town where there was an RV wash. That was a no-go as it was not working. The next choice was further in town but in a direction we were not going so that was a bust as well. Maybe we will find some place to get it washed further down the road. We got to the campground and didn’t even unhook as we were just spending the night. We ate dinner and turned in. We are now on Mountain Time so we are getting closer to home.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Housecleaning in Dawson Creek
Leslie Sunday, September 14, 2008
House cleaning! In a small space everything has to be put away or the space will start to crowd in on you. That’s not a problem because everything automatically gets stowed for travel. I’ve been wanting to do a top to bottom cleaning for the past week because of the accumulation of dust from the construction zones and gravel roads. Today was the day. We washed down and vacuumed every surface inside the trailer. Wow, it certainly looks better. I really want to get the outside washed but that is more of a challenge. Most campgrounds prohibit washing rigs in sites. I had read that this place has free hoses for RV washing, but I haven’t seen them yet.
I did save some more pictures of the murals in downtown Dawson Creek.
The first seven are painted on wooden inserts to what would have been alley windows in an old brick building. They're about 7 ft above ground, hence I'm looking up.
The livery barn is part of an entire block of street scapes.
This picture shows a 1940's view of the center of town. Notice how the obstructions in front of the painting have been painted into the scene. (The wire and the wooden pole.) If you look closely you can see weeds in the alley at the bottom below the mural.)
House cleaning! In a small space everything has to be put away or the space will start to crowd in on you. That’s not a problem because everything automatically gets stowed for travel. I’ve been wanting to do a top to bottom cleaning for the past week because of the accumulation of dust from the construction zones and gravel roads. Today was the day. We washed down and vacuumed every surface inside the trailer. Wow, it certainly looks better. I really want to get the outside washed but that is more of a challenge. Most campgrounds prohibit washing rigs in sites. I had read that this place has free hoses for RV washing, but I haven’t seen them yet.
I did save some more pictures of the murals in downtown Dawson Creek.
The first seven are painted on wooden inserts to what would have been alley windows in an old brick building. They're about 7 ft above ground, hence I'm looking up.
The livery barn is part of an entire block of street scapes.
This picture shows a 1940's view of the center of town. Notice how the obstructions in front of the painting have been painted into the scene. (The wire and the wooden pole.) If you look closely you can see weeds in the alley at the bottom below the mural.)
House Cleaning Day
Robert, Sunday, September 14
Today we cleaned house, at least inside. It is amazing just how dirty it can get inside an RV. Although it is sealed pretty tight, there is always some little crack where dust can get in. When you are driving on some of the roads we have been driving, there is plenty of dust. Then dirt gets tracked in as often the campground has crushed rock and sand that enters every time you go out and come back. The good news is that with two people working at it, everything can get cleaned. We started this trip with a small, electric broom. While it doesn’t take up too much space, it also doesn’t pick up too much dirt. Somewhere Leslie read about a small vacuum that cost $20 that is supposed to work well. While it beats the electric broom, it still doesn’t pick up everything. You can run it over a small piece of lint several times without any effect. Regardless, that is what we have so that is what we used. Surfaces were dusted, floors scrubbed, and carpets vacuumed. When we finished it looked so much better. The outside is still filthy. The nose cap has a million bugs on it and the sides are just dirty. After we got the inside cleaned, I grilled a split chicken for dinner.
Today we cleaned house, at least inside. It is amazing just how dirty it can get inside an RV. Although it is sealed pretty tight, there is always some little crack where dust can get in. When you are driving on some of the roads we have been driving, there is plenty of dust. Then dirt gets tracked in as often the campground has crushed rock and sand that enters every time you go out and come back. The good news is that with two people working at it, everything can get cleaned. We started this trip with a small, electric broom. While it doesn’t take up too much space, it also doesn’t pick up too much dirt. Somewhere Leslie read about a small vacuum that cost $20 that is supposed to work well. While it beats the electric broom, it still doesn’t pick up everything. You can run it over a small piece of lint several times without any effect. Regardless, that is what we have so that is what we used. Surfaces were dusted, floors scrubbed, and carpets vacuumed. When we finished it looked so much better. The outside is still filthy. The nose cap has a million bugs on it and the sides are just dirty. After we got the inside cleaned, I grilled a split chicken for dinner.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Dawson Creek, BC the Beginning (or End) of the Alaska Hwy
Leslie Saturday, September 13, 2008
Today was a beautiful fall day in Dawson Creek.
I think the weather was the warmest we have experienced this year. We enjoyed walking through Dawson Creek, the starting point of the Alaska Highway. Because we traveled up the southeast coast with the Marine Highway (ferries) we didn’t go through the beginning of the Alaska Highway.
The museum at the center of town reports that, “in the spring of 1942, at the height of World War II, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of an overland route to Alaska. Nine months later at a cost of over $140m, the road was completed. This is a road construction feat unsurpassed in modern times. There are 133 bridges and 8,000 culverts enbodied in the 1,523 miles of gravel highway.” In 1948 the road was first opened to civilian traffic. The road was maintained by the Canadian Army until 1964 when maintenance was turned over to the Canadian Dept of Public Works. Today the road is officially paved for the entire route but that statement is partially in the theoretical. While I’m sure that every mile of the road has been paved at some time, at any one time there are large sections of construction, gravel, and the dreaded frost heaves. The joke in Alaska is that there are only two seasons: snow and road construction. The Alaska Highway certainly gets better later in the summer after a few months of road construction.
The beginning of the highway was at the edge of the railroad station. The original milepost marker was knocked down in 1943 by a local driver but this mile marker marks the spot.
After the original milepost was destroyed, the town took the opportunity to build a monument in the center of town.
Today the town of Dawson Creek appears as a very alive small city. Very pretty murals celebrating the history of Dawson Creek cover downtown buildings. Most of these murals are along the allies between the blocks (so the doors and windows are painted, not actual entryways. You may notice heating vents incorporated into the murals. Some of these pictures are a series covering an entire block. The next six pictures show the transformation of Dawson Creek from a little village of 600 people in 1942 into a city of 10,000 with the arrival of the building crews.
In February 1943 a fire exploded 60 cases of dynamite causing an explosion that destroyed a huge section of downtown. The Dew Drop Inn was built in 1933 and has continued since that time as a hotel and cafe. It was closed when we walked by, I'm guessing perhaps closed for the season.
This shop was in a different alley.
And here's another alley.
Last, a depiction of a car dealer that is still in operation.
Today was a beautiful fall day in Dawson Creek.
I think the weather was the warmest we have experienced this year. We enjoyed walking through Dawson Creek, the starting point of the Alaska Highway. Because we traveled up the southeast coast with the Marine Highway (ferries) we didn’t go through the beginning of the Alaska Highway.
The museum at the center of town reports that, “in the spring of 1942, at the height of World War II, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of an overland route to Alaska. Nine months later at a cost of over $140m, the road was completed. This is a road construction feat unsurpassed in modern times. There are 133 bridges and 8,000 culverts enbodied in the 1,523 miles of gravel highway.” In 1948 the road was first opened to civilian traffic. The road was maintained by the Canadian Army until 1964 when maintenance was turned over to the Canadian Dept of Public Works. Today the road is officially paved for the entire route but that statement is partially in the theoretical. While I’m sure that every mile of the road has been paved at some time, at any one time there are large sections of construction, gravel, and the dreaded frost heaves. The joke in Alaska is that there are only two seasons: snow and road construction. The Alaska Highway certainly gets better later in the summer after a few months of road construction.
The beginning of the highway was at the edge of the railroad station. The original milepost marker was knocked down in 1943 by a local driver but this mile marker marks the spot.
After the original milepost was destroyed, the town took the opportunity to build a monument in the center of town.
Today the town of Dawson Creek appears as a very alive small city. Very pretty murals celebrating the history of Dawson Creek cover downtown buildings. Most of these murals are along the allies between the blocks (so the doors and windows are painted, not actual entryways. You may notice heating vents incorporated into the murals. Some of these pictures are a series covering an entire block. The next six pictures show the transformation of Dawson Creek from a little village of 600 people in 1942 into a city of 10,000 with the arrival of the building crews.
In February 1943 a fire exploded 60 cases of dynamite causing an explosion that destroyed a huge section of downtown. The Dew Drop Inn was built in 1933 and has continued since that time as a hotel and cafe. It was closed when we walked by, I'm guessing perhaps closed for the season.
This shop was in a different alley.
And here's another alley.
Last, a depiction of a car dealer that is still in operation.
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