Home Sweet Home! What am I saying? Home is where we park it! Tonight, home is Olympia, WA.
But when we crossed that border into the lower 48 from Canada, I felt overcome with emotion. More familiar territory? Closer to the kids? Relief to be back safe and sound? I don't know what it was, but I felt like crying. I don't think it was the letdown that the trip we dreamed of is over. I think it was just being grateful for this wonderful country in which we live. And the opportunity to realize just what a vast land it is. And we just got to see some of the most beautiful parts of it!
This is my last entry for this blog "Trek to Alaska". Blogging has been a great way for us to remember our trip to Alaska. I would highly recommend it for anyone wishing to jot down memories. You can add some favorite photos and it makes a story for you to go back and re-read.
As we travel the Northwest, I think I will start a new blog, focusing on this part of the country. We have about 2 more months of opportunity, God willing, and the creek don't rise too high, and the forest fires don't get too big! Think we'll rest here a day or two in Olympia before we move on. Maybe go to the farmer's market here tomorrow.....
Friday, August 7, 2015
The last 1000 miles to Sumas border crossing
The last 1000 miles to the Sumas border crossing were some of the hardest miles to travel. We were finishing a journey which we had dreamed of making for a long time. A lot of mixed feelings. Gratitude, first and foremost, for the opportunity. Sadness, knowing that we probably will never return. Relief, knowing we made the journey with RV, car, and ourselves in good shape. Glad to be able to connect with everyone more easily. And, some natural letdown from living an exciting adventure the past two months.
After leaving Hyder, it seemed the miles covered in Canada the next couple of days were kinda blah. I'm sure that part of it was being tired, and partly from the letdown that our Alaska trip was ending. However, to our delight, the third and final day of travel before crossing the border into Washington yielded these beautiful sights in the Fraser river canyon:
After leaving Hyder, it seemed the miles covered in Canada the next couple of days were kinda blah. I'm sure that part of it was being tired, and partly from the letdown that our Alaska trip was ending. However, to our delight, the third and final day of travel before crossing the border into Washington yielded these beautiful sights in the Fraser river canyon:
Hyder, Alaska
Hyder Alaska is the southernmost town in Alaska, accessible by vehicle only thru Stewart, BC. We arrived in a downpour and it had been raining for days/weeks in this lush rainforest area. The waterfalls along the roadway were magnificent even in the rain/fog. Two and three waterfalls off cliffs, spouting water like no tomorrow. The campground was near flooded but we did manage to find a high spot to call home for a couple of nights. I really wanted to see Hyder because the salmon were running at Fish Creek and the forest service has an observation area where you can see bear, black and grizzly, catching salmon. And it was on my list to see just that, if I could. Well, it had been raining so hard and the creek was so muddy and deep that the bear were not frequenting the area very much.
But the guy at the campground said that when it stopped raining, it would drain off in a hurry. And lucky for us, it did stop raining the day after we arrived. Fish Creek cleared overnight and was barely deep enough to cover the fins of the spawning salmon. I had watched many people fish for salmon all over Alaska, but never was I close enough to actually see them spawning. It was a sight to behold! No wonder those fish are so haggard by the process. The females fight each other for the desired spots to lay their eggs; the males fight each other for the females. They stay all stirred up in those spawning grounds and they are just inches apart in the water. Thousands of them coming to a relatively small body of water. After they reproduce, they die in those creeks. I learned that the stench of decaying fish permeates the area, but that it is really good for the ecological process, as they fertilize the area at the completion of their life cycle.
Well, I didn't see a lot of bear catching salmon - I think they were further up the creek from the sounds of it. They were a lot of people in this very small town, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bear.
But I did see one black bear cross the road, saunter down into the creek off the bridge, walk along the shore picking berries, and then - plucked him a salmon right out of the water and took it off to the wooded area to eat. I was ecstatic! I wished for about 50 more; but after hours of waiting, that was the only one. It was worth the side-trip, however!
But the guy at the campground said that when it stopped raining, it would drain off in a hurry. And lucky for us, it did stop raining the day after we arrived. Fish Creek cleared overnight and was barely deep enough to cover the fins of the spawning salmon. I had watched many people fish for salmon all over Alaska, but never was I close enough to actually see them spawning. It was a sight to behold! No wonder those fish are so haggard by the process. The females fight each other for the desired spots to lay their eggs; the males fight each other for the females. They stay all stirred up in those spawning grounds and they are just inches apart in the water. Thousands of them coming to a relatively small body of water. After they reproduce, they die in those creeks. I learned that the stench of decaying fish permeates the area, but that it is really good for the ecological process, as they fertilize the area at the completion of their life cycle.
Well, I didn't see a lot of bear catching salmon - I think they were further up the creek from the sounds of it. They were a lot of people in this very small town, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bear.
But I did see one black bear cross the road, saunter down into the creek off the bridge, walk along the shore picking berries, and then - plucked him a salmon right out of the water and took it off to the wooded area to eat. I was ecstatic! I wished for about 50 more; but after hours of waiting, that was the only one. It was worth the side-trip, however!
Must have been a hundred salmon in this small area - large chum
salmon !
Grocery store in Hyder - very colorful shopping carts on roof
Marv- supporting a local rock sale! Industrious kids visiting Grandma from San Francisco
And, glaciers have become so common a site over the past few months, that I almost forgot to post this visit to Salmon Glacier in Hyder, a beautiful site about 15 miles up some rugged road:
After this final stop in Hyder, we really did say goodbye to Alaska. We still have some major travel to do before reaching the lower 48. It is really hard to leave, knowing that we probably will not return again to this great wilderness. We sure loved our visit and it will be memories we shall not forget.
BC Hwy 37 - Cassiar Highway
I am playing catch-up on this blogging about Alaska, because we were not able to get data coverage to upload photos or post online. I really prefer to blog right away when memory is fresher and photos are easily found.
We took a less traveled highway from Whitehorse to Prince George, the Cassiar Highway and then the Yellowhead Highway into Prince George. While the northern part of the road was kinda rough, it was easily traveled as there was not much traffic. We went thru some burn areas, and the fireweed rebound was spendid. From this Highway, we were able to easily travel to Stewart, BC and Hyder Alaska. Hyder is the southern-most town in the state of Alasks, accessible only thru Canada by vehicle. More about Stewart and Hyder later. We did enjoy this road trip, as it was a little more on the wild side and we saw three black bear on the way.
We took a less traveled highway from Whitehorse to Prince George, the Cassiar Highway and then the Yellowhead Highway into Prince George. While the northern part of the road was kinda rough, it was easily traveled as there was not much traffic. We went thru some burn areas, and the fireweed rebound was spendid. From this Highway, we were able to easily travel to Stewart, BC and Hyder Alaska. Hyder is the southern-most town in the state of Alasks, accessible only thru Canada by vehicle. More about Stewart and Hyder later. We did enjoy this road trip, as it was a little more on the wild side and we saw three black bear on the way.
Whitehorse-Skagway
I thought Marv wanted to go to Skagway; he actually wanted to go to Haines. He agreed to Skagway instead because he thought I wanted to go to Skagway. I picked a train ride in Skagway, because I thought Marv would like it. Well Skagway was okay, but by far, not our favorite place in Alaska. We booked a train ride that we thought was from Whitehorse to Skagway. In actuality, we ended up taking a bus to Fraser and there got a 1-2 hour train ride to Skagway. The train ride was nice - no complaints there. But with the 2 hour overlay in Skagway and taking the bus with multiple stops on the way back - we basically spent the whole day taking this trip. Poor Arlo - a ten hour nap in his crate!
Skagway is the essence of "tourist" Alaska. It had 4-5 cruise ships in the harbor, which certainly detracted from any appreciation of the harbor area. The streets were packed with people off the trains, off the ships. Of course, Alaskan crafts could be purchased, as in any populated area of Alaska ( it is how they spend those long winter days). And lots of packed restaurants if you wanted to eat lunch there. Luckily, I packed our lunches so we didn't have to pay high prices in overcrowded restaurants, wondering if we'd get served in time to make our bus connection. I'm not crazy about crowds or crowded buses; so it wasn't a real relaxing day.
I was happy that we had decided to take a side trip to Hyder Alaska from Canada before entering the US mainland. Because I would hate for Skagway to have been our last taste of Alaska.
Trainride was cool:
But this is not the kind of scenery I care about seeing:
I guess I am just a nature kind of gal. But I really don't like tourist hotspots. But, I am not diss-ing cruise ships. With just a week or so to travel, it would be the way to go. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see Alaska again - even on a cruise ship! It's beautiful! Go....any way you can get there!
Skagway is the essence of "tourist" Alaska. It had 4-5 cruise ships in the harbor, which certainly detracted from any appreciation of the harbor area. The streets were packed with people off the trains, off the ships. Of course, Alaskan crafts could be purchased, as in any populated area of Alaska ( it is how they spend those long winter days). And lots of packed restaurants if you wanted to eat lunch there. Luckily, I packed our lunches so we didn't have to pay high prices in overcrowded restaurants, wondering if we'd get served in time to make our bus connection. I'm not crazy about crowds or crowded buses; so it wasn't a real relaxing day.
I was happy that we had decided to take a side trip to Hyder Alaska from Canada before entering the US mainland. Because I would hate for Skagway to have been our last taste of Alaska.
Trainride was cool:
I guess I am just a nature kind of gal. But I really don't like tourist hotspots. But, I am not diss-ing cruise ships. With just a week or so to travel, it would be the way to go. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see Alaska again - even on a cruise ship! It's beautiful! Go....any way you can get there!
July 27 - Traveling from Valdez to Whitehorse - had to take a few more pics before leaving Alaska.
Alaska is so beautiful in so many places - it is just a joy to travel the roads - can't stop taking photos - and the photos look like postcards that have been retouched even when shooting them while traveling the roads.
Alaska is so beautiful in so many places - it is just a joy to travel the roads - can't stop taking photos - and the photos look like postcards that have been retouched even when shooting them while traveling the roads.
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