August 21-28

August 21 - We left the Cedar Creek Campground in the morning and headed for Kalispell, Montana.  The drive along the Kootney Lake is beautiful but I've shown you alot of beautiful pictures.  When we got to Kalispell (8/21)we stayed at the Spruce Park on the River.  We were only about 30 miles from Glacier National Park.  This is a really nice park so we decided to stay two nights.

August 22 - Today we drove about halfway into Glacier National Park.  At one time the park had 150 glaciers but only about 50 remain.  Since we weren't seeing anything to compare to where we had been we went back to town.  We stopped and bought a lug of very good bing cherries that we will be eating for awhile.  Gary got the oil changed and we just veged.

When I look at my pictures I see I didn't take any at our next stop which was at the Indian Creek RV Park in  Deer Lodge, MT (8/23). 

August 24-26 - Our next stop was at the Ennis (MT) RV.  Ennis is near the Madson River. The Madison is widely noted as one of the best rivers for fishing.  Gary decided to buy a two-day fishing license. At the fly shop he talked to the owner who told him he would need felt-bottomed shoes to walk in the river.  He just gave Gary a pair and told him to return them when he was done with them.  Unbelievable.  Gary asked if he wanted his name and the guy said it wasn't necessary.  That evening we went to dinner and as we were getting ready to sit down the couple at the next table asked us to join them.  We had a nice dinner and visit.  Such a friendly place.  Gary fished twice and caught several fish but he said they were too small to keep. We thought Ennis was alot like Saratoga, Wyoming only maybe a bit bigger.

 I was sitting outside brushing the girls when a couple wandered over from another RV with their little Maltese.  She was 5 years old and they had rescued her.  They were clearly as enamored of her as we are of the girls.  We have met so many Maltese lovers on this trip. 

At a restaurant just outside the RV park. The girls had to bark at this guy.

At the campground in Ennis.

We moved on on the 26th and drove through the northern part of Yellowstone to Cody, WY.  The only animals we saw there were buffalo.  We got stopped once as a herd moved across the road. In typical Japanese fashion we saw a guy squatted with a camera no more than 10 feet in front of a buffalo on the move.  We wouldn't have been surprised to read the next day, "man mauled by buffalo." 

August 26-28 - We're now at the Absaroka Bay RV Park in Cody.  We stayed here on our trip north so here we are again.  We decided to stay 2 nights so we could go to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  Cody is a great town and the Historical Center is outstanding.  I would recommend anyone going to Cody or Yellowstone take a half day to visit this Center.  It was well worth it.  The have wonderful art pieces by both Frederick and Charles Remington and other very talented artists. About 12 miles from Cody they have opened a new Japanese Internment Center. We didn't go since we had just visited one in Canada. Next time. 

I love bronze pieces so here are a few example from the Historical Center.

Crazy Horse

Sacajawea

The Hotel Irma built by Buffalo Bill and named for one of his daughters.

Tomorrow (8/29) we'll finish our journey in two parts. One more stop for the night in Douglas, WY and then home.

I'd give this trip a AAA+.  In 9,699 miles, plus another 500 from Cody to home we have had a wonderful time and have seen fabulous scenery.  In addition, one of the favorite parts of such a trip is meeting, visiting with people and making friends along the way.  Now back to reality (haircut, dog grooming, trip to Denver to see my Mom, grandson's wedding and gift opening at our house).  And then - after a brief time we'll be off to visit Gary's Mom in Iowa and perhaps to South Dakota for some pheasant hunting.  In between we have to schedule some visits with our friends so we can catch up.  So, this will no doubt be my last blog for this trip.   I'll let you know when we have something to blog about again. Thanks for keeping up with us!

August 12-20

August 12 - Today we left Hyder and drove to Smithers. 

 

A glacier along the way





Smithers was a really neat town and we stayed there 3 nights.  Along the way to Smithers on Friday we pulled off to an Indian village, Gitwangak.  The 20 or more totem poles here were classic examples, still in their original location.  




August 13-14-15 -  We stayed at the Par 3 Campground which was right in the middle of a very nice 18 hole par 3 golf course. When we woke up Saturday it was raining pretty good but by afternoon it turned into a great day and the four of us played a round of golf. I found out it isn't a good idea to go all summer without playing. My game (if you could call it that) stunk.


In Smithers people told us we should go back about 20 miles to Moricetown to see the Indians netting fish. It looked like a very dangerous situation.  They sold some along the road and then we discovered a smokehouse nearby.  I'm mad at myself for not taking a picture of it.

This netter had a very long pole on the net. The netters were tied to the rock by a rope.  Since there were a couple of crosses with flowers there we determined that the ropes always didn't do the job.


After this excursion we drove around the town and did a little grocery shopping.

Par 3 golf course with one of our campers in the background.

August 16 - Back on the road.

925 lb Grizzley - Houston, B.C.





World's largest fly fishing rod - Houston, B.C.

That night we stayed at the Sintich RV in Prince George. We stopped in Vanderhoof (the geographic center of B..C.) to see a wooden mural in one of the government buildings.  It consisted of 6 panels and took the artist 6 years to complete.




The detail was unbelievable.

Jane and Roger decided they wanted to go toward home faster than we did so off they went. They went on down the road quite a ways to a Provincial Park. We stayed at the Sintich RV in Prince George.  There was a casino there and so I tried my luck.  It was bad as usual.

August 16 - Tonight we stayed in Clinton.  We met two nice Canadian couples there.  One invited us over for cocktails.  Then the owner of the campground served all you can eat barbeque for $9.99.  We sat with another Canadian couple and had a great visit.  They had two beautiful red and white setters and were off to show them at a dog show. 

The owner of the campground was a real hoot.  His sense of humor was really off the wall and we loved it.  If you were thin skinned you probably wouldn't have enjoyed it but we had lots of laughs.  He sounded kind of gruff but wasn't if you took him right.  When we walked in he said, "If you want a beer go get it and bring your own glass." It was the way he said it.  Told a few off color jokes but not too bad.  What a great evening.

August 17 - Stayed at the Glen Echo RV outside Salmon Arm.  It was right on the TransCanada rail line and there must have been two dozen big trains went by.  When we pulled into the drive there was a locked gate in front of the railroad tracks. A lady let us in and we learned that the gate was there because the campground had made a deal with the railroad that they'd have a gate if the trains wouldn't blow a whistle there.  It wasn't the greatest place but you can't always guess right.

August 18 -  We left Salmon Arm. Later in the day we had to take a ferry across the Arrow Lake from Shelter Bay to Galena Bay - about a 20 minute ride.   The logging truck ahead of  us had a tree on it that Gary said was at least 5 foot across.

This night we stayed at the Three Islands Resort at Nakusp. It made up for the previous night. It was on a lake with a beautiful setting. $24 a night. They had every kind of kid's playground equipment you could imagine. A gentleman came over and visited with us. He said over the weekend a lot of vintage car owners were coming in.  Too bad we couldn't stay.

From our camper

Canola field

August 19 - We stopped in New Denver for gas and I called ahead to make a reservation for a campground.  The owner told us to be sure to go to the Nikkei Internment Memorial Center there. In 1942 more than 22,000 Japanese-Canadian were moved to internment camps.  4000 were moved to New Denver.  The Canadian govenment took all their possessions and families were separated. Adults were permitted 150 lbs of possessions and children 75 lbs. Three of the buildings at the center are originals. In 1946, families were given the opportunity to purchase their huts.  One woman lived there until 1986. There was no indoor plumbing or water and only a stove for heat. 

 

Today we had to take another ferry.  This time from Balfour to Kootenay Bay- about a 40 minute ride.  We were on a really big ferry but here is a picture of the smaller one crossing the other way.

Tonight we stayed at the Cedar Grove campground in Gray Creek .  The owner came up and visited with us and then invited us to cocktails with he and his wife.  It's a very nice place just across the road from Kootenay Lake and there is a nice stream 25 yards or so from our camper.

August 20 - We decided to stay another night at the Cedar Grove campground.  This morning we went to a very nice restaurant at a luxury golf course for breakfast. Great food and good surroundings.  There are several artisan shops in the vacinity:  blacksmith, potters, broom maker, gallery, etc.  We decided we needed to do laundry since we hadn't done it for quite awhile. In fact we had 5 washers full.  There is a lovely grassy area just behind the laundry so we just laid back and relaxed.  We're only about 50 miles from the U.S. border so tomorrow night we'll probably be in Kalispell, Montana.

We're thinking about our great-niece Jessie and her fiance Jeff because they are getting married today.  Can't wait to see their pictures.



Karen working on the Blog





August 8-11 - To Hyder, AK

August 8 - Today day was a driving day to near Watson Lake, YT where the Cassiar Highway takes off southwest to Hyder, AK.  We stayed at the Baby Nuggest RV park; Jane and Roger stopped a few miles back at a provencial park.  We were going to stay there too but we missed the turn and we had gone another 7 or 8 miles before we found a place we could turn around so we just carried on. 

August 9 - Jane and Roger met us at our campground  and we carried on toward Hyder.  We decided to stay at a Provencial Campground at Kinaskan Lake.  The lakes up here are numerous and gigantic.  We saw people fishing on this one but most often you don't see a soul on the water. Portions of the road were under construction but not bad.  The Cassiar Highway in general has absolutely gorgeous scenery. Jane and I decided that if you want to see fabulous country and plentiful animals British Columbia is the place.

Construction Site

Jane and the Girls

August 10 - We arrived in Hyder about 3 pm.  Hyder, AK is surrounded by British Columbia and is barely over the border. It is recognized as the easternmost town in Alaska.

The minute you crossed the border into Hyder the roads are dirt and many of the business-type buildings are closed and run down. There is no cell service here. We do have some internet but it's very slow. We tried our satellite dish for TV but weren't successful. At least we can keep up with the world, especially the stock market, via internet. We went into Stewart where Gary had a sandwich for dinner and I had some soft-serve ice cream. Twice Jane has seen a bear crossing a street right here in town. Natives say just leave it alone and it will leave you alone

Hyder was originally called Portland City, after the canal. In 1914, it was renamed Hyder when the US Postal Service told residents that there were many U.S. communities named Portland.   The AMHS ferry that used to connect Hyder to Ketchikan stopped running in the 1990s, leaving the only public transportation between Hyder and the rest of Alaska the Taquan Air floatplane that arrives twice a week with US Mail.

Hyder was the only practical point of access to the silver mines in Canada; the community became the port, supply point, and post office for miners by 1917. Hyder's boom years were the 1920s, when the Riverside Mine on the U.S. side extracted gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and tungsten. The mine operated from 1924 to 1950. In 1948, the abandoned part of Hyder, which was built on pilings, was destroyed by fire. By 1956 all significant mining had ceased, except for the Granduc Copper Mine on the Canadian side, which operated until 1984. Currently, Westmin Resources, Ltd. operates the only remaining mine in the area, a gold-and-silver mine on the Canadian side.

Hyder is the location of the annual "Hyder-Seek" gathering of long-distance motorcyclists who travel from all over North America each Memorial Day weekend. It is notable for being the only place in Alaska not to use the state-wide 907 area code instead using the area code of 250 allocated for British Columbia. Tourists will also find that Hyder uses Canadian time, the common currency is Canadian (with the exception of the US Post Office, which only accepts American currency), they observe Canadian holidays, send their children to Canadian schools, and if you call the police a Canadian Mountie will respond.

Hyder Main Street

St. Pauls Orthodox Church

There is no place to go from here. I don't know how is came to be part of Alaska.  It is adjacent to Stewart, BC., a town of about 800.  Hyder would have to stretch to be 100 people.  It is famous because you can go watch the bears in the river catching salmon and you can drive to the Salmon Glacier.  We're camped at Camp Run-A-Muck.

We drove up 3 miles from Hyder this evening to a U.S. run observation point and saw one bear but there were about 200 people there.  We're kind of spoiled because we saw bears every evening when we were in Haynes. 

Eating a salmon he caught

August 11 - It rained in the night and has continued to rain all day. It's nice and cozy in the camper with the fireplace going.  Jane and Roger went out to see the bears again at 6:00 am and said there was a sow and one cub in the river but as soon as a male bear started coming down the river they scattered.  We went into the Glacier Inn for breakfast about 11:00.  Good food.  Amazingly as I was writing this blog Stacia Skyped us and it came through.  Couldn't believe it.  We'll probably leave tomorrow and head for Smithers, BC. They have a 9-hole golf course we might play.  Can you believe I haven't played golf all summer?

We had lunch today at the Glacier Inn - very good food and reasonable prices - something new.

The walls are papered with money people have left. Must be thousands of dollars on the walls. See the sign, "Have you been Hyderized?"  Two of the town's bars issue certifications to patrons of being "Hyderized" if the patron consumes a shot of 150 proof (75% alcohol) Everclear.

Funniest thing I've seen for awhile.  A big caravan just pulled in - probably 20 campers - and the wagon master was dressed like a bear.



For your viewing pleasure - is this gorgeous or what?