Road Trip 2010: Day 59: Bothel, WA to Fairview, OR

Made our way past Seattle this morning following I-405 South to I-5 South to I-205 still South to I-84 East...during rush hour...and construction. Man, civilization stinks! Especially when it's teeming with Homo sapiens in tin cans.

Anyway. We're at a campground to the west east of Portland having crossed the Columbia River. (Good thing we did so today (Friday) since construction over the weekend will cause it to be closed with huge delays possible.) We'll be here for three nights as we visit with Sandy and Rick. The trick will be to find their apartment in the Big City and navigate those tiny little streets without a 27-foot long trailer in tow.

Road Trip 2010: Day 58: Cache Creek to Seattle (almost), WA

Thursday, August 5

We drove south on Highway 1 from our campground in Cache Creek along the Thompson and then the Fraser Rivers. The scenery would have been absolutely stunning if not for the smokey pall from all the wildfires. Steep-walled canyons with train tracks--and roadways--clinging precariously to the walls or snaking their way through tunnels and sheds drilled into/build onto the canyon walls. Raging waters deep below passing through a mixture of wide valley bottoms and narrow constrictions such as Hell's Gate. If not for all the S-curves and steep grades to be negotiated--and, of course, the smoke--it would have been a pleasant ride.

Then we got to the border.

It took us slightly over an hour to pass through customs. Oh, not because there was anything special done. We didn't get pulled aside and searched or anything like that. It was strictly volume. Four lanes for passenger cars and one lane for Buses, Recreational Vehicles and Trailers--oh, and anyone who went to the duty free shop. Needless to say, we crept along as slowly as a slug on a sunny day. All the while, I watched the gas gauge as it showed me losing range from 48 miles to 45 despite moving only 1/4 mile. I had decided to wait until I crossed the border before I filled the tank. Now I hoped to cross before I needed a nursing home.

We finally did get to a border agent who was a pleasant enough young fellow. We talked a bit about our trip while they ran the license plates and checked our pass ports. He sounded genuinely interested in Good Sam Caraventures by the time our discussion was over.

Then we found out the bad news: The only gas station I saw that was open in Sumas, WA could not accommodate a trailer like ours. We would have to trust that we would find a gas station in the next 43 miles or resort to the 4 gallons I was carrying in the can in the bed of the truck.

With 23 miles left in the range of the truck, we found a Shell station on the outskirts of Lyden.

We worked our way south. Terry called the place in Everett I had tabbed for tonight only to learn it was booked. (Air show with the Blue Angles.) So we looked in the book and found a place in Bothel, WA, off I-405 almost due west of Seattle that had room. Lake Pleasant RV Park is a beautiful place. Nearly everyone here is here for long term stays or for a few days as they explore Seattle and its environs. The grounds are meticulously groomed. And the setting is superb.

We'll be on our way in the morning, however, as we head down to Portland, OR, to visit with Rick and Sandy.

PS: I took no pictures today. Too much smoke where I really would have liked to take them. To many people elsewhere.

Road Trip 2010: Day 57 : Prince George to Cache Creek

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

This morning we broke camp and, after a couple of sad farewells (and a cup of coffee and a few cinnamon buns) we bid our new friends adieu and headed south on Route 97.

We were on our own…I thought, but that wasn’t to last very long. At the first rest stop, we were sitting at the pull out enjoying our coffee and tea (and a cinnamon bun or two) when Jonathon and his grandparents pulled in. They were going to be following the same route into the states as we were since Nolan’s camper has developed some serious slideout problems and Bellingham, WA has a couple of places that can make the necessary repairs…he hopes.

Nolan said they were going to stop about 20 miles short of where Terry and I had reservations, but they had not made reservations and would play it by ear.

We went our separate ways with Terry and I stopping at Quesnel for an abbreviated walking tour and then at the Tourism Discovery Centre in Williams Lake to take in their 13,000 square foot log facility. We didn’t expect to see our traveling companions again.

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into the Brookside Campground outside of Cache Creek to see Nolan at the rear of Old #23 helping the campground owner prune a few trees. He came over and told us that Jonathon and his grandma were at the pool already. The pool was one of the reasons I had chosen this campground and Terry and I hit the water just as soon as we could get the trailer set up—in other words, about 10 minutes after we pulled in. Both Jonathon and Marilyn were surprised to see us.

We are bound to lose contact tomorrow as Terry and I will be traveling to Everett, which is quite a few miles beyond their destination of Bellingham. Should our journey through customs take us longer than anticipated, however….

Back to Quesnel (pronounced kwi-NELL for some reason). As you enter the town there is a lovely floral arrangement and a huge gold pan.

Quesnel's Giant Gold Pan

They say it’s “the largest gold pan in the world” but that can’t be. We saw “the largest gold pan in the world” back in the Yukon at Burwash Landing.

I believe they deserve a tie—at that’s being very generous.

On the other side of town, at the visitors’ centre—I mean center.

Quesnel's Visitors' Center

Mural depicting many forms of travel in the Fraser/Cariboo area over time
(Canada's motto should be "Leave no wall uncovered!")

We picked up a brochure for a walking tour of the city. Why? Because the place is crawling with Little People. No. Not munchkins or anything like that. Under the auspices of the Downtown Association, local artist Jerii Cassidy has painted the fire hydrants as important figures in Quesnel’s past. Both real and generic figures are recognized. For example, there’s a hydrant painted like a WWI pilot to commemorate all those who “fought for the right for us to enjoy peace and freedom” and there’s one painted like a hairdresser to celebrate Mary Eagleson who “became the first female ‘barber’ in Quesnel when the local barber left to serve his country during the war.” There’s a teacher, a cook, a gas monkey, a goldminer, a can-can girl, a nurse and more. There are twenty-three in all but we only sampled a few before we had to get on our way.

The Banker

The Pilot

The Gas Jockey

The Card Dealer

The Card Dealer sits across the street from the Casino...of course.

The Billy Barker Casino and Hotel

The casino is designed to look like a steamship but it's high and dry in the middle of town...on top of a hill.

I can appreciate the cuteness of these “Little People” of Quesnel, but I believe I would rather have my fire hydrants painted a bright red or fluorescent yellow-green; something the firemen can spot quickly when they pull up to extinguish that blaze that may raze my home or business—as it did in downtown Quesnel in 1916.

We continued driving south to Williams Lake where we gassed up and stopped at the Tourism Discovery Centre. The building is a 13,000 square foot structure of hand-crafted log construction. It is absolutely gorgeous! And inside is a small cabin-like hand-crafted structure in which you can view short movies about tourism in British Columbia.

The Tourism Discovery Centre

The Tourism Discovery Centre

The logs used are massive!

Huge mortise and tenon joint

The inside was just a s beautiful but things were so massive that, with the lens I had on the camera at the time, I could not get far enough away to give the subject what it deserved. There were, however two butt ends of logs reaching over the foyer that deserved some attention.

Bear's head carving

Eagle's head carving

One of the companies involved in the construction of this beautiful place was Pioneer Log Homes. As we drove south, we passed their construction yard and saw two cranes busily dry fitting someones new log home. It may not have measured 13,000 square feed, but it was going to come close!

Finally, the Tourism Discovery Centre offered a humorous look at 1) all the opportunities for adventure that exist in British Columbia and 2) the problems of over packing:

Slightly over packed vehicle

After the “WOW!” factor wore off a bit and we had filled up our mugs with coffee and tea, it was time to move on. The air was filled with smoke (as we had expected) from one or more fires burning just out of our sight. When we arrived at our campground for the evening, we were told that there was a possibility that the road to Kamloops (that’s Route 1 east bound) might be closed by the morning. Luckily, we have no intention of going that way and will take a more scenic and direct route from Cache Creek to the border at Sumas.

Road Trip 2010: Day 56 (pt. 3): The Museum of Railroads and Forestry

The Museum of Railroads and Forestry seems to have been constructed out of massive pieces: the bigger the better. Most of them need a great deal of TLC before they become so many piles of rust, but it doesn't look like they will get any soon.

A wooden snowplow.

The life span (or at least time between derailments) of a snowplow such as this could be counted in days in the really snowy country. That any survive is nothing short of a miracle. The museum also has a more recent metal plow that is build along the same lines only larger and heavier; the better to blast its way through the drifts.

Steam locomotive.

A track grader.

This baby was designed to extend its wings (those long rusty plates along the sides), angle them properly, and then scrape the sides of the embankment the tracks lay upon. More impressive to me was that this particular piece was in service into the 1990s. It looks like it belongs in the 1890s.

Steam powered crane.

A larger, more modern (comparatively) crane for lifting locomotives back on the track sits over by the round table.

Gang saw

This sucker would take a squared off log and saw it into 8 or 10 pieces of 2-by (2x12, 2x10, 2x8, etc.) The equally massive band saw that would square the logs sat next to this piece. I just forgot to photograph it.

Beehive oven

Cutting logs into boards produces lots of saw dust and wood scrap. before the days of chip board and wood pellets for stove fuel, this waste had to be disposed of. It was usually burned in ovens like this. Sometimes the head might be used to dry the newly cut boards.

Log truck unloader

This beast which looks like a preying mantis could pickup all of the logs on a logging truck and stack them neatly on the side of the yard. This one was built in 1965 and operated until 1968 when a better idea came along.


In addition to trains and lumbering/logging equipment there are a few odds and ends like this old Rumley tractor.

Antique Rumley Tractor

Road Trip 2010: Day 56 (pt. 2): The Fraser Fort George Regional Museum

Now for the pictures I owe you for our day in Prince George visiting the Fraser Fort George Regional Museum and the Museum of Railroads and Forestry.

First, the Fraser because I didn't really take many pictures there. The special exhibit dealing with gene research didn't lend itself to photography. Although it was an excellent discussion of the subject, it was just spread out too much and...well...a discussion.

I did mention that I liked some of the First Nations material.

A small bag with beadwork

Birch bark basket held together with spruce root.

Birch bark basket

More examples of birch bark baskets.

Please excuse the slight fuzziness of these photos. I shot them through the display case glass, inside without a flash, and with my camera being hand held. Frankly, I'm surprised they came out as well as they did.

Road Trip 2010: Day 56: Prince George

Today,Terry and I went to two museums in town; The Fraser Fort George Regional Museum and the Museum of Railroads and Forestry.

The Fraser, also known as The Exploritorium, was a nice little museum with a marvelous special exhibit on genetics, genetic engineering and cloning. There were several regular exhibits still open and I was pretty impressed with those that dealt with the natural world and the First Nations.


The Museum of Railroads and Forestry was located on River Road across from some absolutely huge lumber mills that produced plywood and chipboard by the square mile. The museum has acquired many, many pieces of rolling stock from the railroad over the years and has them scattered about the yard and old round table. There are also several immense pieces of lumbering equipment as well as a small building filled with antique chainsaws.

I took lots of pictures but have yet to go through and process them. I'll post them as soon as I can.

This evening we took a bus downtown to the Cariboo Steak & Seafood Restaurant for our farewell dinner. It turned out to be an enjoyable (if somewhat emotional) evening. Tomorrow morning there will be coffee and... at the leaders' rigs and a real farewell as we scatter to the four winds.

Road Trip 2010: Day 55: Dawson Creek to Prince George.

Folks were up early on Monday as we all had another long day ahead of us and we didn’t want to miss saying one final adieu to our traveling companions. In the confusion of the morning, I turned right instead of left out of the campground and had to make a U-turn at the first intersection after Terry beat me over the head with the Milepost.

Monday, August 2, was a Provincial Holiday in British Columbia. As a result, our trip from Dawson Creek to Prince George went without any construction delays. They’re rebuilding a good portion of Highway 97 through Pine Pass and delays as you await the pilot car could be half an hour or so—but not this day!

The first fifty or so miles out of Dawson Creek on Highway 97 was reminiscent of Pennsylvania with its rolling farm fields. The difference her was that it was almost exclusively hay. I don’t recall seeing one field of wheat, corn or any crop. And, without much in the way of dairy production visible from the highway, I was wondering where all those huge rolled up hay bales were going. We did see one or two dairy farms but they weren’t that large. And the few ranches we saw running beef weren’t all that large either. There were also a few horse farms, several of which bragged about raising long-legged, sleek-looking walkers. Still there was an awful lot of hay being produced. Even if they only get this one cut up here (and it looks like that may be the case) the farmer will have one heck of a chore cutting, turning and then baling the square miles of fields. Then he’s got to move all those bales off the field.

We spotted several mule deer and one curious black bear along the side of the road. There was also one beautiful looking tan yearling horse that looked to have gotten separated from Ma and was casting about along the side of the road for a way to get back to her. You have to love weak fences and/or open range!

We stopped in Chetwynd to take a look at the chainsaw carvings they have lining the road and walking paths throughout the town. Chetwynd is the home of the International Chainsaw Carving Championship—an early June event that draws artists from all around the world—and many of their works are on display. The detail these pieces contain is amazing.

Terry at the Welcome sign with friends.

The Aerie (I want one!)

The Deep Blue Sea

Samurai Warrior

Feeding Frenzy

RCMP and his Pal

Carved Bench

Chain saw carvings were not the only art in town. Like many of Canada's western towns, murals occupied many of the otherwise blank walls.

Pinecone Inn

Fish mural on Realtor's wall

Once out of Chetwynd, we were back in “mountain country.” Actually, this is the northern end of the Rocky Mountain Range.

Northern end of the Rocky Mountains near Pine Pass

Northern end of the Rocky Mountains near Pine Pass

Lake Azouzetta near Pine Pass on the Hart Highway

Quite pretty in its own right if not as spectacular as the mountains we have seen in Alaska, the Yukon and northern BC.

Waterfalls. BC must be envious of Niagara Falls in the east and all those falls coming off the glaciers and falling into the waters off Alaska. Every trickle of water that falls a few feet gets a billing:

Bijoux Falls Provincial Park

Bijoux Falls

We arrived in Prince George around 3:30 PM and parked our rig in a soon to be overcrowded campground. (We weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow and another caravan arrived around 5.) At 6 PM we all gathered for a pizza party in the open slot behind Rig #2, our Tail Gunner.

Road Trip 2010: Day 54 (con't)

Sunday, August 1

After making our way back to Northern Lights in Dawson Creek with nary a loss (and even a few additions of stray lambs), we proceeded to do what we have perfected.

Sunday night we had a briefing and said farewell to those who would be leaving Dawson Creek for points south and east of there. Five rigs chose to make Dawson Creek their final stop with the caravan while the rest of us who had plans for the west and would continued on toward Prince George.

Food was hauled out of rigs, tears were shed, promises to keep in touch were made and we all received our certificates for having completed the Alaskan Highway.

Road Trip 2010: Days 51-54

Day 51: Thursday, July 29:

We drove southward along the Alaskan Highway back the way we had come toward Watson Lake. Along the way we traversed the tiny stretch of the Alaskan Highway that we had not covered yet. This was the stretch we missed when we went down to Skagway via Carcross. It was only about 20 miles or so but it did complete the full 1422 miles from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction. There wasn’t much new to see along the way although we did cross the Marsh Lake Dam which is purported to be the source of the Yukon River by some. And the lake itself is much, much larger than the name implies.

We did stop at one site that we had passed on our way north. The Rancheria Falls Recreation Site was a nice little stop with a short boardwalk trail out to a pretty little waterfall. (Of course, there are two waterfalls near the Bolt Hole that are about the same size—15 to 20 feet—so this one didn’t exactly impress me overly much.) Still, it was a good spot for us to have our lunch.

Rancehria Falls Recreation Site

The Falls

When we arrived at the Baby Nugget RV Park just short of Junction 37, we could see smoke rising off to the southeast. At the time, Terry said, “That right where we are supposed to go!”

Sure enough, we learned that Highway 37 which was to take us down to Iskut was closed due to forest fire and no one knew when it might be reopened. We enjoyed a great spaghetti dinner at the Wolf It Down restaurant before sitting around and speculating as to when—IF—we would be able to get through on Friday.

******

Day 52: Friday, July 30

The answer was, “NO!” Highway 37 south remained closed between mile 16 and 50 so we sat all day at the Baby Nugget and smelling the smoke as the wind shifted slightly. It could be worse. At least, the fires are still some 20 miles away and it is not raining where we are. Of course, rain would be welcomed by the fire fighters but it would put quite a damper (no pun intended) upon an already souring mood among the folks in the caravan.

There is some hope that the road will be opened tonight or tomorrow (Saturday) morning but to get back on schedule for a planned dinner and bear watching excursion in Stewart-Hyder on Saturday, we’ll have to travel some 400 miles. For some, this will be too long and they will stop at Iskut about 200 miles on the way. Iskut was supposed to be our Friday night stop.

One couple decided soon after this afternoon's briefing that, instead of heading southwest, they will end their caraventure here and start heading home via Dawson Creek to the southeast. The little trip down to Stewart-Hyder and then Prince George would take them further west away from home. They are good folks and Terry and I will miss having Peggy and Gene around this next week. They were talking about going to Nova Scotia and the Maritimes next summer, so we may yet run into them. Certainly, they will be on our mailing list for some time to come.

Needless to say, our evening pot luck--with finger (?) foods predominating--was a slightly somber affair as we contemplated getting up at 4 AM on Saturday and the departure of some really good people.

******

Day 53: Saturday, July 31

We had word that the road would be open early Saturday morning so we woke up very early (4 AM!) intending to get on line to make the our way southwest on 37. Most of us were on line by 5 AM—waiting. There wasn’t a breath of a breeze at that hour and there was little smell of smoke. Even the horizon appeared somewhat clear of the dirty orange-grey-brown smudge that had been present the night before. But the road remained closed. At 6:45, a ministry of forestry truck appeared but the driver parked in front of Sally’s Café to wait for 1) Sally’s to open and 2) a second truck to show up. That second truck showed up at 7:30 AM. Then they both headed down to the south end of the fire so as to 1) scout the seriousness of the situation and 2) lead the vehicles down there north. Before they left, however, one of the drivers let it be known that there was little likelihood that we south-bound folk would get started before 8:30 AM…if then. Terry and I went to breakfast at Sally’s. She makes one heck of an omelet!

While we were eating breakfast, another couple from our group came around to say they were striking out on their own. Things didn't sound promising to them and they were not going to hang around any longer.

By now, the smoke had thickened and there was a pretty decent breeze blowing. The north-bound vehicles showed up around 9:15 and there were fewer of them than there were rigs lined up to go south. Still, the forestry guys said there had been several flair ups of the fire and that they were not going to allow us to head south for some time. The helicopters that they wanted to use to haul water to the fires could not get airborne as 1) the pilots were still not on base, 2) the smoke had reduced visibility to a dangerous level, and 3) cross winds made flying with a dangling bucket problematic. They had no idea when the road might be reopened.

Where we would like to have gone on Saturday.

Smoke on the horizon was an ominous sign.

Early morning line-up on the highway.

Early Morning line-up on the highway.

It was at this moment that Terry and I along with several others decided at that time we had had enough and were heading out along the Alaska Highway, following the same course we had when we headed north. Seeing nearly everyone in the caravan determined to go their own way, the trip leader made a quick decision to place a few phone calls and attempt to rearrange campgrounds for us. Cancelled was a dinner planed for Stewart, bear viewing in Hyder and a trip to a glacier also in Hyder.



By 10:10 AM we knew we would have a place reserved for us in Fort Nelson which was some 350 miles to our south. And off we went! With a couple of stops for fuel, and one long delay due to construction, Terry and I pulled into the campground at around 5:30 PM. We got set up and then took Bruce and Sue (who had left us at around 7:45 AM to go their own way) to dinner at the campground restaurant. Now that they are back with us, they will go on down to Dawson Creek tomorrow (a mere 280 miles). Our caravan leader has arranged for an additional day in Prince George where we were originally going to end our trip, but several folks have decided they will head southeast instead and start making their way home. A few of us have to travel to the western parts of the US and so will go on to Prince George and points south.

******

Day 54: Sunday, August 1

Woke up at 6 AM this morning at Ft. Nelson to the pitter-patter sound of rain drops on the roof of the trailer. It wasn't much, but it was a welcome event since for residents of British Columbia.

We packed up quickly lest the rain intensify and headed on down the road to where our caraventure started: Northern Lights RV Park in Dawson Creek. It was "only" 280 miles away.

The rain did intensify but the road was excellent with only a few short spots where there was construction going on and the surface was gravel and mud. No sooner would the rain rinse the dirt off the truck and trailer than we would get to one of those spots and the mud would again discolor the vehicles. Made me feel like I was back home in Pennsylvania.

Luckily, the last 30 miles or so, we had no muddy stretches so we got pretty clean before getting into the campground and heading out to do some quick shopping.

We've a briefing this evening to discuss plans to get to Prince George from here. I'm pretty sure there will be quite a few couples who will decide to end their trip tomorrow at Dawson Creek and our leader's wife was out and about asking just who was going to go on and who was not.


PS:
Terry just checked with www.driveBC.ca and Highway 37 is still closed to traffic as of 4 PM Sunday afternoon.