April 2016 - USA travels

traffic jam on the Nicola River road!

turkey at Palo Duro

prairie dogs at Lake Arrowhead

On the Matanuska ferry from Prince Rupert BC to Juneau AK 26-28 April. We made stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Kake, Sitka and Hoonah.....a bit of a local run.....arriving Juneau on Thursday!
I drove almost 4500 miles from mum's in Florida to Prince Rupert BC!
Not much internet on this route through Canada except at Tim Horton (the Starbucks of Canada)!

28 April 2016 Thursday - Juneau Alaska
Arrival at 230am! Staying at my friend Katy's for a few days before checking in to the Juneau Hotel.

27 April 2016 Wednesday - at sea
First stop Kake 245-330am (no walkabout here) then Sitka 1115am-2pm. Walked for about two hours on the trails of Starrigavan Park which is part of the Tongass National Forest. Next stop Hoonah 1030-1115pm but no walkabout here.

26 April 2016 Tuesday - Prince Rupert BC to Alaska USA
A bit of a delayed start on the ferry departure....instead of 4am it was closer to 530am! So instead of sleeping, I had breakfast! First stop Ketchikan 1030am until 1215pm......so caught up on email at the Best Western across the street from the ferry terminal and then to the grocery. Because of customs, you never know what food is allowed across the border.....so decided to just wait and buy fresh produce in the USA. Next stop Wrangell 615-7pm....only enough time for short walkabout. Next stop Petersburg 10-1045pm but no walkabout for me then!

25 April 2016 Monday - Prince Rupert BC
Like the airlines, the ferry wants you there early even though nothing is going on.....I was surprised to see so many vehicles in the queue at 5pm!

24 April 2016 Sunday - Prince Rupert BC
Another rainy day with a bit of sunshine in the afternoon but still chilly!

23 April 2016 Saturday - Prince Rupert BC
A very rainy day!

22 April 2016 Friday - Prince Rupert BC Canada
Weather is still dry so did walkabout in town....fish burger at Dolly's and enjoyed walking the old neighborhoods of the city.....many folks renovating the older homes here.

21 April 2016 Thursday - Kitwanga  to Prince Rupert  BC (158 miles)
Forecast is for rain and wind for the next several days so decided to head to Prince Rupert and maybe spend time at the library doing genealogy and doing a walkabout between the rain drops. Overnight at Kinnikkinnick campground at Port Edward. I walked down to the harbor and found the floating fishing lodges that soon head out for the summer to fly folks in to fish. One of the owners of the Haa Nee Naa Lodge gave me a tour.....quite nice with a common area on the main level and seven bedrooms on the second level to sleep fourteen and a viewing lounge on the top level.

20 April 2016 Wednesday - Fraser Lake to Kitwanga BC (225 miles)
Decided to stop early at Kitwanga where there is a free city campground and where I have stayed before. I first found it in 2010 when I had a bad tire on the Cassiar and had it fixed in Kitwanga and found the free campground across the street from the service station. The service station is now closed (the guy retired) and the only business in town is the general store (and also a new restaurant just opened). Walked to the Battle Hill historic site but it is closed because they are rebuilding the stairs.

19 April 2016 Tuesday - Williams Lake to Fraser Lake BC (209 miles)
It is SO difficult to find an open campground this time of year....most do not open until mid May! Overnight at Pipers Glen between the highway and the railroad tracks but with beautiful view of the lake!

18 April 2016 Monday - Merritt to Williams Lake BC (212 miles)
Another gorgeous drive on route 8 along the Nicola River....heaps of big horn sheep crossing the road in front of me.
Free camping listening to the gurgling Deep Creek. I have stopped here before and had a great chat with the owner Rick. When I stopped last autumn, he told me he was trying to sell the property and now it looks like he may have a buyer.

17 April 2016 Sunday - Osoyoos to Merritt British Columbia (148 miles)
Free camping on Nicola Lake at Monck park....the provincial park is open to free camping until end of April....wonderful 6km hike up the hill with views of the lake....unfortunately this place is full of wood ticks but only managed to find a couple on me.

16 April 2016 Saturday - Oroville WA USA to Osoyoos BC Canada (12 miles)
Early morning drive across the border then decided to upgrade to a Holiday Inn because I will lose my points on 1 May and they let me check in at 7am! Nice room with balcony overlooking the Osoyoos Lake, the warmest fresh water lake in Canada. This town has become the destination for many retirees. So time for a shower and a walk around town to shop for food, get some Canadian money and visit the visitors center.

15 April 2016 Friday - Pendleton OR to Oroville WA (278 miles)
Beautiful drive on the backroads of Oregon then along the Columbia River then through the gorges of Dry Falls past Soap Lake (routes 37/730/12/395/17/97). Camped on Osoyoos Lake at Osoyoos park (once a state park and now a city park). Stopped at Les Schwab for free checkup of brakes and battery and tire rotation so may make it to Prince Rupert! Walked the mile into town and noticed several shipping and receiving places.....found that many Canadians do not want to pay the shipping prices for goods from Amazon etc so they get free shipping to USA then cross border and pick them up!

14 April 2016 Thursday - Glenns Ferry ID to Pendleton OR (271 miles)
Thunderstorms and high winds do not make for easy driving, especially on the mountain passes over the summit with all the big trucks.....plus Emigrant Springs State Park does not open until May!

13 April 2016 Wednesday - Ogden UT to Glenns Ferry ID (233 miles)
Overnight at Three Island Crossing State Park on the Snake River. I visited the Oregon Trail History Center with exhibits on the pioneer crossing of the river on the Oregon Trail. Walked the trails in the park.

12 April 2016 Tuesday - St George to Ogden UT (313 miles)
A day of interstate driving but at least the sun is shining! I had hoped to camp at City of Rocks/Castle Rock State Park but it is up several miles of gravel road and they expect snow, so gave that a miss!

11 April 2016 Monday - St George Utah
A day to catch up then on the road tomorrow.......enjoyed watching the ducks, turtles, and great blue heron on the pond outside Lynne's patio! Dinner with Lynne at the hospital....healthy food and inexpensive!

10 April 2016 Sunday - St George Utah
Morning thunderstorm with heavy rain but wonderful afternoon hike to White Rocks with beautiful views of Snow Canyon!

9 April 2016 Saturday - St George Utah
Joined a dozen local folks for the hike at Little Finland, a remote area in the Mojave Desert near the north end of Lake Mead. We first drove about one hour to Mesquite Nevada (after passing through Utah and Arizona) then exited at Riverside to follow the Virgin River on Gold Butte Road...unfortunately, it had rained all night and was still raining as we drove. After about seven miles on the rugged road and 28 washouts, we decided to turn around. About halfway back we found that a truck towing a motorhome and a four wheel trailer was buried in the mud at the bottom of a washout. We attempted to get them out but it did not work so we left them waiting for the tow truck. We also went by Bundy's Farm on this back road.
Lynne and I decided to instead hike at Snow Canyon so we did an afternoon hike then joined the evening nature tour of Johnson Canyon and view the arch and heaps of wildflowers.
http://www.americansouthwest.net/nevada/little-finland/index.html

8 April 2016 Friday - Page AZ to St George Utah (164 miles)
Another beautiful drive through Glen Canyon with views of Lake Powell. Brief stop in Kanab then enjoyed the rocks of Zion National Park.....heaps of people. Now visiting my friend Lynne in St George UT.....she moved here from Juneau AK two years ago.

7 April 2016 Thursday - Gallup NM to Page AZ (237 miles)
Beautiful drive on routes 234/89 to Page AZ. Ran into my Juneau dental office assistant while pumping petrol at the Shell in Tuba City! She is visiting family in Black Mesa.
It was fun bouncing through different time zones.....NM and UT are on daylight saving time.....AZ is not on daylight saving time.....but the reservations in AZ are on daylight saving time!

6 April 2016 Wednesday - Amarillo TX to Gallup NM (387 miles)
The wind was not as bad as yesterday (up to 50 mph gusts) but it was still a challenge to drive the interstate west.....decided to just do all the interstate in one day then do the slow roads for the next two days through Glen Canyon area and Zion park.

5 April 2016 Tuesday - Amarillo TX
Weather is hot and windy and overcast so a good day to visit museums! Arlyn and Richard and I started at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum then Jack Sisemore's RV Museum (wonderful collection of very old rvs) then Braum's for ice cream (all stores are located within 300 mile radius of the Braum Family Farm in Oklahoma). We drove back to Canyon to visit the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, largest historical museum in Texas.....a very big place with a wonderful collection. We then drove through downtown Amarillo and the Route 66 historical district and then finished the day with mexican food at Taco Garcia's!

4 April 2016 Monday - Amarillo TX
Joined Arlyn (my newly found second cousin on my mother's side) and her friend Richard for a hiking day at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the second largest canyon in the country. I camped here two years ago. Beautiful weather! And we ran into the folks from Florida with whom I camped at Bonham State Park a few days ago. Late Thai lunch in Canyon.

3 April 2016 Sunday - Amarillo TX
A sunny but very windy day in Amarillo! No Whole Foods or Trader Joe's here but there is a Natural Grocers just a mile down the road so walked there to load up on fresh fruit and veggies!

2 April 2016 Saturday - Wichita Falls to Amarillo TX (239 miles)
Drove west on route 287 and I40 to Amarillo......

1 April 2016 Friday - Bonham to Wichita Falls TX (143 miles)
Always a challenge to camp on the weekend with too many noisy weekenders filling up the state parks! Overnight at Lake Arrowhead State Park....arrived early for nice long hike! Heaps of prairie dogs, birds, spring flowers (bluebonnets). Unfortunately, there is an oil rig in the middle of the campground that was built in 1952 and still going strong.....and very noisy.