Final Blog post

After several days of travel we are in Casper WY.  This will be our final post on this blog.  We are still a week from home and due to the anticipated higher temperatures, we will be taking longer to drive the usual miles each day.

The reason is the freezer on the back of the Jeep loaded with salmon and halibut.  We can't keep the freezer plugged in while driving so we will be making multiple stops during the day, starting the generator, and plugging in the freezer.  This way we will maintain a good stable temperature in the freezer.  We have no idea where we will be staying each night for the next week.  Just winging it!

We seem to have good wifi today so I will post some pictures we would have liked to have posted earlier.  A couple are from Hyder AK and Camp Run-A-Muck.  Several of you have questioned the actual name of the camp ground and thought I was letting my political leanings override the reporting.  See for yourself.

The "trash can" bear at the Camp-Run-A-Muck trash enclosure.  Debbie asked if it was "safe".  Ken told her she could "pet the bear" if she wanted.  How's your life insurance Debbie?

Since leaving Alaska and driving through Montana and Wyoming, we have seen hundreds of Antelope in the fields along the highways.

I'm going to step up on my "soap box" for a bit and discuss what we discovered during our long journey of discovery.

Most of you who follow this blog know that Abby and I are staunch conservatives and believe in individualism and self reliance and not expecting the government to "take care" of us.

The scenery north of the border is spectacular!  At the northern end of British Columbia/Alberta, the fragility of the environment is clearly evident.

The top soil is at best 2" thick and the underlying ground is pure rocks and a mixture of clay.

We saw the results of the Klondike Gold rush.  This was over a hundred years ago and the damage looks as if it was done today.  To their credit, the gold,silver and copper miners didn't use chemicals to leach out the minerals like other operations in the U.S.  They used only water to separate the minerals from the soil.  The rivers have recovered and migrating Salmon and Dolly Varden Trout are evident in increasing numbers.

On many sites in the United States we can clean up and mitigate the environmental damage over a couple of generations.  In the northern provinces of Canada and Alaska this clearly is NOT the case!  It will take several hundred years at best.  I know this is hard to believe but after spending 3 months observing and enjoying nature at its' best, I truly believe this to be true.

I am a firm believer in utilizing our natural resources (especially oil and gas) and not relying on foreign sources.  Our elected politicians say we need to exploit our natural resources.  This"exploit" bothers me after this trip.  I agree we need to explore and utilize these resources. 

What we need to understand is the impact of this policy.  If the Artic Wildlife Refuge is to be drilled, we need to be sure we have procedures defined ahead of time in anticipation of the very definite possibly of  accidents, leaks and spills. 

I admittedly have not been to the Artic Wildlife Refuge.  It was too far north and too difficult for our trip.  After seeing the impact of other operations from over a hundred years ago in an area that is a 1000 miles south of this area I am convinced this needs to be done right as the damage will last for hundreds of years!

Ok, off my soapbox.

Now for the review of our journey.

Some of the things we have observed.

REASONS WHY LIVING IN ALASKA IS DIFFICULT.

1. From May to August you cannot tell your daughter to be home by dark.  If You do, you won't see her until September.

2. Don't buy fireworks for the 4th of July, you won't see them.

3. Mosquitoes are big enough to put saddles on them.

4. Your pets need "eye patches" so they (and you) can sleep at day.  There is no "at night".

5. WalMarts are 200-300 miles apart and they are no better than a "Dollar General".

6. Always check for bears before "peeing" behind a rock. (don't ask)

HARDEST THINGS TO FIND IN ALASKA.

1. Road signs that don't have holes shot in them.  72% of Alaskans are packing heat.

2. Cars or trucks that don't have cracked windshields.

3. A decent WalMart.

4. Someone (other than a Fish and Wildlife Officer) who knows what are the fishing regulations in your area.

5. The sun.  We had 10 days of rainless days.

I've had fun writing the blog and sincerely hoped you have enjoyed the chronicle of our journey.  We have had a wonderful time and were truly surprised by what we have observed. 

Thanks for following us.

Don and Abby

Butte Montana

We are in Butte Montana tonight.  We have driven 1000 miles in 3 days.  Driving a RV is not the same as driving a car.  Tomorrow we have reservations in Sheridan WY. which is 355 miles from Butte.  We are trying to get home asap so Abby can fly home to Michigan as soon as we arrive in the Woodlands.  Still at least a week from home.

Montana is a beautiful state.  Despite our urgency to get home, we are enjoying the scenery but are not stopping to fish as we had planned.

Scare today with Abby's mom

We are back in the USA!  We crossed the border around noon from B.C.  It's a wonder there are not more DUI's at the border.  We were totally surprised with the number and size of wineries just north of the border.  It is a major industry.

As we were entering Spokane today Abby got a phone call (first time we have had a cell signal in over a week) from a sister saying they were taking Janet (Abby's mom) to the hospital in an ambulance as she was basically non-responsive to verbal stimulation.  After a couple of hours it was determined Janet was stable and we have decided to push on for Houston tomorrow instead of trying to get Abby to Michigan.  We have changed our route to include cities that have air service so I can get Abby on a flight if necessary.

We are still 2100 miles from home so it will take at least a week because driving a RV is much more demanding than a car.  Hang in there Janet!