5/30/15 - Yukon Territory

Day 1 traveling to Yukon Territory - Incredible scenery in Northern BC.  During the drive to Yukon we saw a total of 4 black bears (1 with a cub), a moose and a brown bear along the Cassiar Highway all within a few hours:

The Highway was pretty rough in spots mainly as the result of a huge (30,000 hectar) forest fire in 2010.  The most beautiful emerald green Great Hope Lake:

We arrived in Watson Lake, Yukon determined to get a good nights sleep.  No suitable campgrounds where we could have a view AND relief from the mosquitoes that seem to seep in from the cracks in the camper, so we booked a room at The Big Horn Hotel.  Nice property with large rooms, comfortable beds, TV and Internet.  Only drawback was that Watson Lake was a food desert - only restaurant open was a Chinese restaurant that also served Western food, i.e. buffalo burgers. No thanks, so I cooked in the camper on the access road.  A great nights sleep and we are off to Whitehorse Junction.

Day 2
Alaska Hwy to Whitehorse Junction
Another beautiful drive with incredible scenery.  No wildlife sightings today.  Stopped at Rancheria River & Falls:

Stayed at Hi Country RV Park in Whitehorse, YK really nice RV Park with great facilities: spacious, immaculate shower rooms;great laundry; family owned and operated. Though the sites were close together, it was the nicest commercial campground we have ever stayed in. We had a great dinner with a bottle of Gray Monk Gewurztraminer from BC at Wheelhouse Restaurant downtown.  A walk along the railroad tracks with Buddy capped off the evening. Next day we chilled, then had dinner at G&P - nothing great.

Day 4 - We left for Haines Junction, YK and had the most amazing lunch at the Village Bakery – kind of like the Mad Hatter in Chester only a little bigger. Everything made there and it seemed to be the local hangout. The last 100 miles of the Alaska Hwy in Yukon was really bad – frost heaves, crumbling shoulders, lots of gravel sections. We could drive 45 mph at best. At milepost 1221 we finally crossed back into the US. Little to no delay going through customs.

5/26/15 - British Columbia

Day 1-2 Seattle - rest and restock!

Day 3 - Crossed the border into Abbottsford BC, Canada on 5/26 at 4:30pm with about a half hour delay at customs.

Stayed at Anderson Creek Campground near Boston Bar, BC

Camped on the Fraser River – private campground between 2 railroad tracks. Thank God we took a site with electric, because the trains went through every half hour all night long. The fan in the A/C is wonderful white noise. The drive through Frazer canyon was spectacular. 

Photo is from the campground in the riverside camp area:

Day 4 – We left Anderson Campground headed north on RT 97. A number of the towns are named after distance markers on the old Caribou Waggon trail. We had lunch in a nice Swiss Restaurant in a town called “100 mile House”. We stopped around 3:30pm at Lazy Daze Campground in Quesnel BC. It is located on 10 Mile Lake. Our site was located next to the lake – beautiful sunset around 9:30pm, Spectacular morning – sunrise was at 5am. The owners Don and Barb were great. The property was well maintained with nice facilities. Pay showers – 2 minutes for a looney, but well worth it!

Photo is of Laurie reading by the lake:

Day 5 – We left Lazy Days after a leisurely morning hanging at the lake. Since it was National Hamburger day in our homeland, we stopped at West Lake Provincial Park (just west of Prince George), and had green chile cheeseburgers. We made it a short day and stayed in the town of Burns Lake in the Spirit Square Municipal Park. Many towns in BC have campgrounds that are free to tourists, this was one of them. Great park with lots of exercise equipment for both adults and kids.

And they had Pickle Ball, which they played indoors on the curling rink when curling was not in season!

Photo is the view from the campground at Burns Lake:

Day 6 – Stopped at a Mennonite Bakery on the way out of town. Laurie got a piece of Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, a Rhubarb muffin and a bran muffin for Scott. Next stop was for lunch - another bakery in Hazelton BC called Skeena Bakery. Organic bakery that was started and remains focused on providing training and employment for people with disabilities:

After lunch we turned onto the Cassiar Highway (RT 37) and headed north once again. This is a very remote road. We did see a black bear dining on the side of the road. We stopped at Meziadin Lake Provincial Park – it is a beautiful park with magnificent views. Campsites are located right on the edge of the lake.

We opted to move on because the mosquito were really bad. Little did we know that they would be just as bad or even worse at Bell 2 Lodge and Campground. The town is named after the second crossing of the Bell River. The facility has everything including millions of hungry mosquitos. They really know how to infiltrate the camper.

Scott in his hiking hat with mosquito netting.  We both wore these to sleep that night:

If the Mosquitos don't suck us dry, we will post more in a few days....

Day 16-20 Laurel @ 25th Reunion and 40th Anniversary of the Ada Comstock Scholars Program at Smith College.

Day 16-20 Laurel @ 25th Reunion and 40th Anniversary of the Ada Comstock Scholars Program at Smith College.

The weather was perfect, the campus in full Spring bloom and  a wonderful gathering of old and new friends.  Many thanks to my friend and Economics Professor at Asnuntuck Community College, Paul Duval who first approached me about Smith and wrote my letter of recommendation.  I would have never known about the Ada program without him; my life much richer because of this experience. Paul remains a friend to this day, getting together with me when I pass through Northampton. Thanks to him and Diane for breakfast on Sunday and a ride to the airport to return West.

This beautiful Golden Chain Tree outside of Wright Hall (the only one I had ever seen before was in the garden @ the Queen of Tarts and my favorite tree in the garden).

My good friend Lisa who picked me up @ the airport, drove me to Northampton, treated me to dinner @ Eastside Grill and spent the night with me @ the Hotel Northampton.  A very special friend indeed!

Fellow Ada Comstock Scholars - Donna, Teri and me @ dinner  Saturday night.

Alumnae Parade on Saturday morning- always a  blast.  The oldest alumnae attending was from the class of 1935 and was 102 years old! There were 2 alumnae from the class of 1940 too.   I was here with Wendy, Kathy and Teri.

Day 16-20 Scott & Buddy @ Sol Duc Hot Springs

Sol Duc was a bit of a bust for Buddy - Just one 1000 ft path that he was allowed on. We did go to Mt Muller which was in the National Forest, so he got a chance to run off leash.
The lodge at Sol Duc was nothing more than a little diner with two junk shops, and a changing room. There are four pools ranging from a large fresh water pool at 70 degrees to three circular pools with a blend of hot springs water with temps of 99 degrees, 103 degrees, and 106 degrees. The first two days had very few people, while the last two days it was a mob scene.

Olympic National Park has four lodges - Sol Duc, Crescent Lake, Log Cabin, and Kalaloch. The Lake Quinault lodge is just outside the park, so is considered part of the complex. Buddy and I camped at the Sol Duc RV campground which is basically a parking lot with 16 power poles and water faucets. The other Park Service campgrounds (a half mile up the road) are nicely spaced, and never see sunshine. They also do not have facilities. Pit toilets are the only amenity. I ate at Sol Duc the first night (mac & cheese and salad for $25). The next night I ate at Crescent Lake lodge which was about a 1/2 hour drive one way. I had fresh local Halibut that was caught about an hour from the lodge. This is Halibut season in the northwest. Salmon starts next month. Photo is from my table at dinner.

The Crescent Lake Lodge is expensive but is beautiful. Hope we can stay here on a future trip. Below are pictures of the Singer Cottages at Crescent Lake lodge.

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We are now in Seattle getting ready for the next leg of the trip through Canada.

Day 14 & 15 Dash Point State Park, WA

This park suffers from the budget cuts as do so many state parks we have visited in the past. Oregon was one of the few exceptions - the parks were exceptional. Dash Point is an urban state park on the shores of Puget Sound. The city has grown up all around it. The hike from the campground to the beach was really quite nice. The beach was small and not well kept.

We had a great dinner on the patio of Verazzano's overlooking Puget Sound. The photo is the view from the restaurant deck at dusk.

Tomorrow Laurel will leave for Northampton for her reunion, so we will suspend the blog until she returns.

Day 13 Fort Stevens, OR

Easy drive, views not as spectacular as in Southern OR - twisty roads through many small port towns.

Fort Stevens is at the mouth of the Columbia River.  Huge campground with many historic points of interest.  We walked down to the beach and back.  Just a quiet easy day.

Day 11 & 12 Tillicum Beach, OR

Stopped in Florence OR on the way to Tillicum Beach for lunch. Had a nice lunch at International Seafood on a dock in the river. We stopped at a local farm stand and bought peaches, cherries and strawberries.

Absolutely breathtaking Camp site at Tillacum Beach Park run by the Forest Service, site # 17 parallel to the beach so we had views from every window. Peaceful walks on the beach, the sound of the surf  constantly.  



Next day we had a lazy morning waiting for the clouds to move on out to sea. Enjoyed a big breakfast at the camp listening to the sounds of the surf.

We walked the beach, then went into the town of Yachats (pronounced Ya-hots). Nice town of a few thousand people and a half dozen restaurants. Next we visited a working port in Newport OR. Lots of Sea Lions, that scared poor Buddy.

Had an excellent dinner at ONA Restaurant in Yachats. Laurel had seafood mixed grill (Dungeness Crab Cake, Rockfish, Oysters). Scott had very rare Albacore Tuna.

Day 10 - Redwood to Cape Blanco OR

Every morning is overcast and rainy, but the afternoons magically turn to sunny beautiful days.
This was an easy day of driving. We got to Cape Blanco State Park around 1pm, dropped the trailer and went into town for lunch. We had a great meal at Redfish Grill. We toured for a couple of hours, then returned to the cabin. We took a hike down to the beach, and let Buddy have a good run.



















We took showers and headed to town for dinner at Griffs on the Dock. What a great dinner in an unusual setting. Laurie had King Salmon, and Scott had Ling Cod, simply grilled. Of course we took a piece of pie to Go.

Day 8 & 9 - Redwood NP (northern California)

Checked into Elk Prairie campground site #28, Great small campground with no services. Site backed up to the stream (sounds of Chester). Drove up the Drury Scenic Parkway to the coastal drive loop. This is a one way dirt road along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific. It doesn't get any better.

Dinner in Orick CA at the Palm Cafe - the only place in town. It was utility dining.

Day 9 started with a short hike on the Elk Prairie Trail, then part of the Davison trail. These were the only ones that Buddy could go on.

In the afternoon we drove on Davison Road (a very narrow, curvy, and challenging dirt road) to Fern Canyon. The beach had a herd of Elk that were after a Corgi that had chased them earlier. They are all looking at the Corgi in the photo.

We hiked the Fern Canyon Loop. The return took us down the canyon over many fallen trees.

We had a great dinner at the campsite. Next day is on to Oregon.

Day 7 - Lassen Volcanic NP on to Big Bar CA

Poor night of sleep, between restless Buddy, cold temps and noisy heater. Hiked Mill Creek Falls from the Visitor's Center. Rolling hike through forests and valleys – much of the trail along the edge of the slope. Beautiful meadows of wild flowers with chipmunks, robins and chickadees. Flowing streams and waterfalls along the hike. Crashed for an hour or so after the hike. 

 Left Lassen around 1:30 and headed to Big Bar, CA. Twisty, curvy US 36 to Red Bluff and then CA 44 to Big Bar. Elevation dropped from 8,000 ft in Lassen to 1,000 ft within 60 miles. Haven't been close to sea level since November 2104. Stayed at Del Loma RV Park. Shades of Deliverance here, though we were so tired we just stayed. Site was close to Trinity River, which is beautiful- but the RV park was kind of run down. No hopes for a restaurant, so we had dinner at site.

Day 5 & 6 From Great Basin NP to Lassen Volcanic NP

Day 5

Rain and snow during drive – high in the upper 40's. Traveling on US 50 – the loneliest road in the US, we passed through Eureka, NV (“the friendliest town on the loneliest highway”) that was having a car show festival on their Main Street. Stopped and looked at cars – great 66 Mustang and vintage Scottie camper.  Continued on to Fernley, where the sun came out and the weather warmed to 74 degrees.  Were going to go out for dinner, but local Casino was reportedly the best place to eat. Cooked at site instead.

Day 6 Fernley to Lassen Volcanic NP

Great morning – watched CBS Sunday Morning (well half of it, since it started at 7:00 and we tuned in at 7:45), had big breakfast in the camper and took off by 10:30. Bumped along on US 50 to US 395 to Susanville and then on to Lassen Volcanic NP. Stopped in Chester, CA @ the Chester Cafe and Bakery. Cute little town – had chicken tortilla soup and homemade boysenberry pie. No ice cream because they only baked the pie off because it was Mother's Day, normally they sell take and bake frozen pies. Very good pie!

Arrived @ Volcanic Lessen SP around 3pm. No campsites, except tent sites near visitors center. But we could camp in the Visitor's Center parking lot. Scott set up trailer while I watched movie in Visitor's Center. Drove the 30 mile one-way loop to northern entrance (and far end of the park) and arrived back around 7pm. Views are awesome.  Fancy, smancy dinner of Annie's mac & cheese with hot dogs, chopped spinach and tomatoes.

Day 4 Capital Reef NP to Great Basin NP

Capital Reef to Great Basin

Left for Great Basin NP. US 50 from I-15 to Great Basin NP was some of the most remote highway we have traveled. Snow and sleet about 7500 ft elevation was common and the road was deserted. We arrived at Whispering Elms Campground, Motel, Bar and dropped the camper before heading to Visitor's Center. Weather was crummy – rain, sleet and snow. Had coffee and pie (not bad) at cafe at Visitor's Center before heading back to Whispering Elms. Camped at space 9-10 and had a margarita with Chuck and entourage at the bar before dinner @c campsite. Decent night sleep, but a lot of rain all night. The feature of Great Basin is the remoteness and the dark night skies - rain and clouds kept us from viewing the stars and Milky Way.   Left early and headed to Desert Rose RV Park in Fernley, NV.

Photos to follow when we get a decent internet connection

Day 3 Capital Reef NP

Amazing hike to Cassidy Arch in Capital Reef NP.  The sun was out, the weather warm and the scenery was breathtaking.  Took a break mid-day to have pie at the Gifford House - a Mormon Homestead from the 1880's.  Beautiful orchards, still in production provide the fruit for the pies, jams and butters made here.  An oasis teeming with wildlife and water in the canyonlands of Utah.  The cherry pie was excellent!  The beauty in nature is that it makes you pause and enjoy the sights and sounds of all that surrounds you.

Tomorrow we're off to Great Basin NP in NV - no services, no internet, just solitude.

Day 2 to Capital Reef NP

Canyon de Chelly to Capital Reef NP with a stop in Natural Bridges National Monument.  3 natural sandstone bridges uplifted into the Colorado Plateau  - Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo.

After leaving Natural Bridges we cross over the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Day 1 Canyon de Chelly

We hit the road by 10 am traveling US 180 north from Silver City through Alpine, AZ.  Northern Grant County along the Mogollon Range is some of the most beautiful scenery in this country.  From here we connected with  US 191 north to Canyon de Chelly for night 1 @ Cottonwood Campground run by the Navajo Nation.  Stayed in site # 38 and had a lot of rain!  No services, no internet, very little sleep!  But a very nice campground.  Below is our ride and our digs for the next 3 months.

Four Days to Departure

First off, let me set things straight - Scott set up and named this blog, Queenies Alaska.  It is and should have been named Scott's 70th Birthday Adventure!  Nuff said!

The food tub is packed, the clothes are mostly packed, the dog has a clean bill of health, the camper has an expanded bed and is ready to go.

Map of the first leg to Seattle where we will pause for Laurel's college re-union on Memorial Day Weekend.
We are planning 15 days of travel for the first leg, with a 5 day pause before going over the border.
Scott & Buddy are planning a spa weekend at Sol Duc Hot Springs while Laurel is in Northampton, MA.