Home at last!

Well almost. I am in Anchorage, but my apartment does not become available until tomorrow. The drive down from Fairbanks took longer than expected as the weather took a turn for the worse and it rained almost the entire way. The mountains were hidden by low cloud, but there was still some impressive scenery. After owning my camera for nearly 4 years I decided to experiment with some of the functions with some interesting results.

This first shot is in Denali National Park before the weather took a turn. I am hoping to come back up one weekend when the weather is good and get some more pictures. I can only imagine how fantastic the scenery is in good weather.

This is my first attempt at getting all artsy and playing with the camera. The rain was just starting and the low clouds made for a very atmospheric shot. I tried to enhance this by upping the contrast.

The play of light over these mountains was incredible, so I channelled my inner Ansel Adams and tried a black and white shot. I am sure that he would have made it more dramatic.

Its true they do live in igloos! No, this is an abandoned hotel that was built to look like an igloo. Based on this, admittedly small sample, it would seem that igloo dwelling is not popular.

3,586.9 miles after leaving San Francisco I reached downtown Anchorage.



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Alaska!!!

This morning I made a run for the border and it turned out to be a different experience. I crossed through the Canadian side and stopped to take the following photographs:

I then drove another 12 miles before I found the US border. What is this 12 mile strip in the middle and whom does it belong to? The US approach to immigration was also a little different. As when I entered Canada I had to stop the car about 100 yards from the border and wait for a light to turn green before proceeding. The difference was that the border agent looked at me through binoculars before changing the signal to green. What is the appropriate etiquette in this situation - should I have waved or just pretended that I hadn't noticed what he was doing?

I must have looked relatively harmless as I was allowed to re-enter the US. I then proceeded to Delta Junction and the end of the Alaska Highway. I was now an official survivor of the Alcan - so I bought the t-shirt to commemorate this.

From Delta Junction I headed north to Fairbanks. The scenery was spectacular with views of the McKinley range including Denali.

Just before Fairbanks I made a stop in North Pole and visited with Santa (no, I am not making this up). Santa was making a list and some of you need to start cleaning up your act...

As far west as you can go in Canada

After a good night's sleep in a quiet hotel I headed out for my final Canadian destination - Beaver Creek. It was dryer than the day before, but still overcast. While waiting at road works I got the following picture of the mountains:

The highlight of the day for me was Kluane Lake and Destruction Bay. The Alcan follows the shore of the lake which is stunningly beautiful. The color of the water changes as the sun hits it from different angles and the views are fantastic. If you are out this way I recommend a stop at the Talbot Motel. The food is good, and relatively cheap, and the server is incredibly nice. I was chatting with her about how beautiful the lake was and she went and found me some magazines about the area and northern Canada. It got me thinking about future vacations in the area - Inuvik 1/2 marathon anyone?

As I was leaving the Kluane area this mountain caught my attension. Its symmetry appeals to the accountant in me.

As I was taking the above shot I noticed the fireweed - the state flower of Alaska. Up close I can see how it got its name.

Yukon: Larger Than Life

I discovered that the downside to staying in a historic building is that there is very little soundproofing and you can here a pin drop from about 1/2 a mile away. Consequently I was up and on the road bright and early this morning. It was worth it to get a jump on the RV drivers. The first place that I stopped was Rancheria Falls. Just a short walk from the parking lot was a beautiful waterfall.

The day was overcast with intermittent showers, so there were not many good photo opportunities. I did manage to get this shot of Swan Lake (yes, that really is its name) before the rain set in:

I arrived in Whitehorse under a dark cloud - literally, it rained like it was going out of fashion. Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon Territory and is a big city by the standards of this area. Once the rain let up I took the opportunity to wander around. The SS Klondike is permanently moored in Whitehorse as a reminder of the role that steamships played in building the city.

Tomorrow I head for Beaver Creek and my last day in Canada.

Big Wild Life!

Does anyone know what they do to people who litter in Washington state? I have been trying to find out, as when I was driving through there last week there were all these signs saying "Do not litter. It will hurt." I saw another cute sign this morning that triggered the Washington memory. As I was leaving Fort Nelson there was a sign that read "Everyone who doesn't like speeding tickets raise your right foot" - way more creative that the traditional "Slow down" signs.

The other sign I have been seeing alot of is "Watch for Wildlife on the road". Up until now I had seen no wildlife whatsoever, but today I hit the jackpot. It all started with some deer in the road. I found that there is no need for a wide shoulder or a view point when it comes to animal photos as they effectively stop traffic anyway. There was a mother and baby just wandering along.

I would have been quite happy if that were the only wildlife that I saw all day - and it got bigger as the day went on. Not a couple of miles further down the road there was a sheep. He was not as co-operative as the deer and turned his butt towards me. I decided that it was nothing personal and that he was just camera shy.

The weather took a turn for the worst today and rained on and off. This resulted in misty vistas, so it was just as well that the wildlife was out in abundance. Moose were next on the agenda. I almost missed this mother and baby as they were doing a good job of blending in with the background.

Around this time I began to see signs warning of bison in the road. Despite all the other animals that I had seen I was still a little sceptical when it came to bison. The only bison I had seen were in Golden Gate Park and in Yellowstone, both of which are controlled environments. Somehow I just didn't believe that there are herds of wild buffalo wandering around. I was wrong. I saw the first guy below just wandering along in the rain - and he didn't seem too happy about it. The second guy was sitting by the side of the road keeping watch over the rest of the herd who were resting in a meadow. He was magnificent.

I made it into Watson Lake and found my hotel. I am staying in a historical building that was built as a dorm for WWII pilots. It is now run by a German, which is a little ironic. My biggest surprise of the evening came when I went to get dinner. Keep in mind that the route I have been following since arriving in Canada is mainly a trucking route, therefore most dining options are truck stops. This was the case in Watson Lake. I was surprised to see a healthy plate on the menu (grilled chicken, fruit cup, cottage cheese and green salad). In a moment of conscience for all the junk food I have eaten I order this for dinner. The green salad came complete with flower petals - I am not joking. I did manage to resist the urge to check the kitchen to make sure Mary Serpa wasn't there. (TNT insider reference - non TNTers, do not try to figure it out.)

The Alaska Highway

After an incredibly productive morning (I did laundry, went to the post office and still managed to be on the road by 10 a.m.) I pulled out my route map for the day and was a little disconcerted to find that the 300 miles I would be driving were covered in only 3 pages. The longer I drove, the more sense this made. Compared with the Alaska highway the route I had taken through Canada linked bustling metropolises - there really wasn't anything there except for fantastic scenery. However, I was still in Canada so there was nowhere to stop and record the view. Well, I did manage to get these shots:

There were stretches of the road where I was the only car, so I had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the view and take in what was going on around me. I saw a rig move in process just like on Ice Road Truckers, but without the ice road. I also got to drive through a thunder storm which made the landscape very dramatic and washed the accumulated dead bugs off of my windscreen. I actually got to use the wipers on double-speed which I had never done before.

Dawson Creek

Today was another frustrating day of awesome views with no photo opportunities. After 78 miles of frustration I pulled off the road at Whiskers Point Provincial Park, which sits on the shore of Lake McLeod, and managed to get the follow pictures:

Imagine these views repeated a few hundred times and you have a good idea of how mind-blowingly beautiful this part of British Columbia is.

I finished my day in Dawson Creek which marks my half way point (in terms of miles) as well as the start of the Alaska Highway. Mile 0 is commemorated with a marker in the center of town.

It was at this point that my AAA triptik let me down. Following its directions to the Days Inn resulted in my arrival at an empty lot. Luckily I had a feeling that the directions were not taking me the right way (the residential subdivision was a major hint) and had figured out where most of the hotels were. I wasn't expecting the towel art on the bed!

Prince George

Today saw a change of scenery. Where before the vista had been mountains, it now became lakes and forests. This area is stunningly beautiful, but the Canadians don't appear to believe in photo opportunities. There were several times that the view was so spectacular that I wanted to stop and try capture it, but there was nowhere to stop. Despite this road being one of the main supply routes joining Vancouver to the BC interior, it is a two lane highway for most of its length. The shoulders also tend to be narrow and not suitable for pulling over.

The above picture are of the 108 Mile Ranch Heritage Site which sits on the shore of 108 Mile Lake. This is a collection of 13 historical buildings that is operated by a not for profit. My personal favorite was the log cabin church, but there was also a barn, complete with the appropriate machinery, a school house and post office. The setting is fantastic.

I finished the day in Prince George which is the 4th largest city in British Columbia. The down town area had some cool pieces of art.

It was a dark and stormy night...

OK, it was more of a misty, murky morning, but that doesn't have the same drama. I awoke to find Vancouver buried in the mist, so I decided to head for Cache Creek and save the exploration of Vancouver for another trip. Vancouver would make a good half way point to meet up with my friends from the south - hint, hint!

Anyway, I headed north on Highway 1 East (don't ask) towards Abbotsford, the raspberry capital of Canada. This was a little ironic as all the fruit stands that I passed were selling blueberries and cherries - not a raspberry to be seen! After this I quickly abandoned Hope (a small town with not much going on) and headed straight for Hell...well, technically Hell's Gate.

Hell's Gate is an area in Fraser Canyon that is particularly treacherous. During the gold rush Simon Fraser and his companions came through this area looking to establish a new fur trading route to the Pacific. According to Fraser's journal "we had to travel where no human being should ever venture for surely we have encountered the gates of hell." The name stuck.
Due to a narrowing of the canyon the water flows very quickly through Hell's Gate making it very hard to navigate.

This part of Canada is known as the Canadian Desert due to its arid climate. Looking at the moutains here does remind me of Arizona, except there are pine trees instead of cacti. The slopes are covered in scrub through which you can see the layers of lava that formed the mountains. In between the peaks are lush valleys that are farmed for corn and various fruit.

It was a dark and stormy night (late afternoon) when I pulled into Cache Creek. I felt sure that there was going to be a storm with a significant amount of rain. There are wildfires in the Cache Creek area, so a storm would have been very welcome. Instead it rained for less than 10 minutes and then the sun came out again. Good for the tourist, not so good for the firefighter.

O Canada!

I am off of US soil for the first time in 7 1/2 years! I started the day in Oregon and finished in Canada. Today's drive was not as scenic, but I went through two state capitals (Salem and Olympia) and two major regional cities (Portland and Seattle). The start of the drive was a little strange - I-5 runs along side of small one lane country roads and it is a weird juxtaposition to see this bucolic ideal next to a major traffic artery.

The highlight of the day for me was crossing the border into Canada. It has been many years (more than 15) since I have driven across an international border and in many parts of Europe you just wave your passport and keep on moving. The border agent had many questions as I crossed at Blaine. The actual border itself is beautiful. It is a shame that most people are intent on a destination as they cross and don't take time to enjoy the journey. Peace Arch Park is incredibly well kept and under utilized. I took some time to work around a little and appreciate the Arch and the incredible floral displays.

The longest day

Today went much better than I was expecting. It was the largest amount of miles in a day of the trip and my prior experience with I-5 didn't lead me to believe that it would be fun. It turned out to be a good drive. As soon as I cleared the Bay Area I was able to get my itrip working, so had the ipod cranked up.

It was interesting to watch the scenery change the further north I went. The flat farm land and orchards around Sacramento gave way to the mountains around Shasta and then back to farmland as I entered southern Oregon.

Driving through the mountains around Lake Shasta was beautiful. The road meandered along and played peekaboo with Mount Shasta. The lake level was very low as a result of the dry winter, but was stunning all the same.

As I drove over Mount Siskiyou, the highest elevation on I-5, the temperature peaked at 105 degrees and I was very happy to have air conditioning in the car. I finally arrived at Springfield at around 7:30 p.m. by which time the temperature had fallen to a balmy 84 degrees.

I left my heart in San Francisco

Actually it was more of a Hotel California situation - I could check out, but I couldn't leave. Luckily I had a buffer day in my itinery, so I swapped my additional day in Vancouver for an extra day in San Francisco.

What caused the delay - 2 major items:

1. 
   
   The cats didn't want to go to Petcamp and it took me longer than anticipated to persuade them to get into their carriers. Two impressive scratches (courtesy of Layla) and much frustration later we did finally make it to their vacation destination. Both have settled in and are being thoroughly spoiled by the Petcamp staff.


2. 
   
   As much as I hate to admit this - I am a girl. Even after purging my closet I still had more than expected clothes to pack. My only consolation is the high percentage of work out gear that doesn't really count as clothes...

I finally got everything in the car this morning, said goodbye to Harrison Street (my home for the last 7 1/2 years) and hit the road.