USA and Canada April 2012

Photos are mule deer at Francois Lake BC and daffodils in Skagit Valley WA

Plans for April are driving north through Canada (route 1(Trans Canada Highway) to 97 (Cariboo Highway) to 16 (Yellowhead Highway)) to Prince Rupert to catch the ferry to Juneau on 17 April....and hoping for no snow storms! Dry camping with no showers and no internet......but beautiful BC countryside with beautiful big rivers!



 
Blogger has changed their website and it is a mess!
My thoughts are to discontinue any updates here since it is now such a pain to use....I will enjoy Juneau this summer with heaps of hiking and working out at the gym and doing yoga and reconnecting with all of my friends!

19 April 2012 Thursday
Arrived in Juneau 1115am to sunny skies!


18 April 2012 Wednesday (onboard the Matanuska to Juneau)
Midnight to 1am stop in Wrangell then Petersburg at 430am, which was supposed to be a quick stop but ended up being six hours. Another ferry did not depart the port on time so we could not arrive on time and therefore we missed the tides for travel. So I had a great walk into Petersburg which I had not visited in several years because our ferry stop is always too short. Then afternoon stop in Kake  but gave the midnight stop in Sitka a miss and continued to sleep (now that all the kids had departed).
I have had a great time meeting other travellers......April from AZ who is working for Princess Tours in Fairbanks, Cindy and her son Michael who has new Coast Guard job in Juneau, seven Aussies/Kiwis who just finished working at Fernie Ski Resort in BC and now are travelling....and also meeting the crew and getting a visit to the bridge with the captain!

17 April 2012 Tuesday (Prince Rupert BC to Juneau AK)
The Matanuska ferry departed Prince Rupert at 1115am with about 50 passengers (max 499) and they gave me one of the best staterooms that is located on the stern with very large wraparound windows providing wonderful views! We stopped in Ketchikan 430-615pm and normally I walk the two miles to town and back but our stay this time was too short for that. Unfortunately, we picked up about 150 high schools kids destined for the music festival in Sitka so it is no longer an empty ship!

 16 April 2012 Monday (Port Edward BC)
The BC Provincial Parks are closed until May and there are only two private campgrounds open near Prince Rupert. The one in town is not the best choice so I am staying ten miles out at Kinnikinnick (native ground cover known as Bear Berry) Campground in Port Edward....the managers are much nicer and it is more remote and quiet and dark...and again I am the only one here besides a couple of permanent folks!

15 April 2012 Sunday (Kasiks River to Port Edward BC 60 miles)
Awoke to crystal clear sky and another gorgeous sunrise.
The guys at Kasiks let me wash my van so it now sparkles!
Another short morning drive along the Skeena River with heaps of photo stops....the bears are awake but have yet to see one.

14 April 2012 Saturday (Terrace to Kasiks River BC 40 miles)
Forecast is for sun as I follow the Skeena river west.....a gorgeous drive that I enjoy every time that I drive it (and in 2003 I enjoyed it on the train (VIA rail)).
The Skeena River is North America's largest un-dammed river and the second longest river in BC (the longest is the Fraser River) with up to five million spawning salmon a year.
Short morning drive to stop and camp in the woods of Wilderness Lodge on the Kasiks River where it meets the Skeena River and surrounded by beautiful snowcapped mountains....they had just cleared snow away from a few of the sites so again I am the first one of the season (and the only one) here! These places get very crowded in summer with the fisher people!
Walked along the Skeena River and listened to the avalanches....some natural and some forced by the helicopter guys throwing out bags of dirt.

13 April 2012 Friday (Terrace BC)
 Happy Friday the Thirteenth!
The rains have stopped so a day to explore Terrace. Walked the loop trail on Ferry Island looking for the carvings in the cottonwood trees done by Rick Goyette then a visit to the Heritage Park Museum and the Terrace Art Gallery (works by Maryanne Wettlaufer and Marie Christine Claveau). Stopped for an espresso at The Elephants Ear Bistro and bought a pound of Kicking Horse (Canadian) coffee beans (I chose the extreme bold Kick Ass variety).
I returned to cook a stir fry with all the veggies that I bought yesterday. When you buy petrol at the GasBar, you get SuperBuck coupons (worth 3.5 cents per litre purchased). You can only use these at the supermarket associated with the GasBar and there are no more of these shops west of here so I had to spend my SuperBucks here.
Petrol prices were $1.339 when I crossed from the USA and then went as low as $1.269 and now it is $1.359 per litre. The price varies across the province but is usually about the same within a city.

12 April 2012 Thursday (Kitwanga to Terrace BC 63 miles)
After a week of sunshine, the rains have returned....but they do predict a nice weekend.
Drove along the rapidly flowing Skeena and Copper rivers this morning. Used the internet at the Best Western in Terrace to catch up. I have spent very little on camping ($25 total for the past six nights) but petrol is about $5 per gallon. And I did find an open campground just west of Terrace (Wild Duck) with all the amenities and at the same price per night that I have paid for the past week ($25)! Unfortunately, I am very near the train tracks!
Terrace is famous for its mysterious white Kermodei bears, also known as Spirit bears, which are unique to this part of the world. They are the same as black bears except for one recessive gene that changes the black bear's fur to white!

11 April 2012 Wednesday (Francois Lake to Kitwanga BC 219 miles)
Continuing saga on finding an open campground! The mountains at Hazleton are gorgeous but the Ksan campground, where I have stayed in past, is closed.....so continued west to Kitwanga. Two years ago while traveling south on the Cassiar Highway, I had a flat tire and stopped in Kitwanga (a very SMALL village) for tire repair and stayed for free at the city park......and I was hoping that it was open....and it was.....just me again at the campground!

10 April 2012 Tuesday (Francois Lake BC 17 miles)
Continued to drive down the logging road to find Birch Bay Resort which was open but no one there so went ahead and plugged in and finally the owner did show up and gave me change so that I could take a shower (one loonie) and wash my clothes (one loonie plus 25 cents)....again right on Francois Lake.....absolutely gorgeous with heaps of birds and the mule deer feeding right next to my van! But the owner never did collect any money so another night of free camping.

9 April 2012 Monday (Deep Creek to Fraser Lake BC 237 miles)
 gorgeous sunny day again with forecast for more sun!
The biggest challenge has been finding a campground that is open! Decided to suss out Birch Bay Resort, twenty miles down a logging road, and on the way I found Nithi on the Lake, a closed campground but has local miners living there....and Andy, the manager, let me stay for free right on Francois Lake.

8 April 2012 Sunday (Kilby to Deep Creek BC 275 miles)
Wonderful morning drive along Fraser River through Fraser Canyon and enjoyed watching the trains wind their way along the river.....and too many photo stops! Overnight listening to the gurgle of Deep Creek.....I am the first camper of the season here ($10 to camp and $5 for shower(no)).....in addition to two other guys that showed up....from TN on way to Skagway to work at Corringtons!

7 April 2012 Saturday (Kilby Park BC)
Decided to stay another day for walks along the Harrison River and enjoy the sunshine (free night).

6 April 2012 Friday (Bellingham WA via Harrison Hot Springs to Kilby BC Canada 102 miles)
Easy crossing north into Canada at Sumas (but huge queue of cars going south) and Harrison Hot Springs was too busy for me....found the very quaint historic townsite of Kilby with a park right on the Harrison River where it meets the Fraser River ($15 for seniors).

5 April 2012 Thursday (Bellingham WA)
Decided to hangout another day in Bellingham and catch up on some shopping like new hiking boots at REI (discounted because of their spring sale going on and also I am tax exempt as an Alaska resident). A bit more shopping at Trader Joes but I am limited in what fresh foods that I can take north into Canada....bummer!

4 April 2012 Wednesday (Fir Island to Bellingham WA)Gorgeous morning drive through fields and fields of daffodils....this month is the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley and I was here later in April last year for the full blossoms.....but the tulips have not blossomed yet. Then ChuckaNut drive to Fairhaven where I wanted to pickup my ferry ticket but they are closed today. Visiting Monica from Juneau who moved to Bellingham last year.....great walk to Fairhaven and downtown Bellingham for late lunch at a Boundary Bay brew pub then back to her place to chat while enjoying the water views from her large windows overlooking the bay.

3 April 2012 Tuesday (Silverdale to Fir Island WA)
Morning ferry from Kingston to Edmonds. Rains have returned for travels north......and the driving on I5 was a challenge with all the big trucks splashing on me! Stopped at Mt Vernon to suss out a campground and met a man that I worked with in Alaska thirty years ago.....what a surprise! Decided to not stay at this RV park and am glad that I explored a bit more.....overnighted at Blake's, right on the Skagit River (declared a wild and scenic river) with heaps of birdlife (known for snowgeese and trumpeter swans) and crickets and frogs....and awoke to goats and roosters from neighboring farms.....and the setting of the almost full moon.

2 April 2012 Monday (Bainbridge to Silverdale WA)
Getting the van ready for the journey north....oil change and tires/battery check and fluids filled! Wonderful eve back at Scenic Beach State Park.

1 April 2012 Sunday (Bainbridge Island WA)
Happy April Fools!
What a surprise....after a week of rain, the sun is shining!
I received an email from a cyclist friend and she quoted Roger Maddy(master kite builder and flyer):
"It's not the destination or the journey. It's to wander from the path and find another way"