Wood's Prairie Travels

We were pleasantly surprised this morning to wake up to blue sky. We could see some of the peaks toward the west which we didn't suspect were there due to yesterday's clouds. After leaving camp, we backtracked a kilometer to take a quick stroll  to see Shannon Falls (third largest falls in Canada). Wow, crowded already at 9AM! Many different languages were heard amongst the other travelers. Back on the Sea to Sky Highway, our goal for the day... get over the pass and to Cache Creek. This was definitely a scenic drive although crazy busy in the Whistler area, and further on, the Geoffy Lake area. Most of the road is a winding two lane mountain road. Very few passing lanes, periodic turnouts, and gorgeous views around every corner. There were a number of places that had 13% road grade (that's pretty steep) and 20 kmh hairpin corners (that's 12 mph, for non-metric folks). It was a great test for our truck. The truck's exhaust brake was really great for the steep g

A reasonably early wake up, had us leaving the house just after 7 on Saturday.  Our goal for the day - get through the Canadian Border at the Peace Arch in Blaine. A clear day and light traffic (at least for Seattle) had us at the border by 11! Only a 45 minute wait and relatively few questions about our plans, where we were headed,  and we were on our way again! I'd had visions of the border patrol rummaging through the camper to find all the nooks and crannies in which I had stored food. Nope! Just, "Do you have any guns or ammunition? Emphatically we said  "No!" Then he asked about bear spray, our reply, "Yes, we do". The agent, "Is it marked?" It was, so he sent us on our way. We had looked at a few different routes north and had opted for the Sea-to-Sky Hwy which runs through Vancouver, past Whistler, and then up and over the coast mountains back to the Caribou Hwy (97) near Cache Creek. First we had to get through Vancouver. Crazy

Prepping for a variety a activities and adventures! We have our gold pans ready... and the bear spray. Hmmm, hope we use the former a number of times, but don't have to use the latter! Although, adding to our "bear stories" might be interesting. Here is one of my stories. When growing up, my family did a lot of camping. In those days (60's - 70's) it was pretty common to have bears wander through campgrounds. Typically, we would cautiously follow them to see what they would do and where they would go. One rather amusing story occurred up in Canada. We were camping with some of our Guernsey relatives. Most had gone on a hike to look for "animals". My mom and sister stayed in camp with me. I had gone to use the outhouse, when a bear strolled through camp toward the outhouse. My mom grabbed a garbage can lid and broom. Then she ran at the bear yelling and banging on the lid. Well the bear took off (probably scared to death) and I poked my head out of t

School is out as of 11:45 today, my room is packed up and cleaned out for summer maintenance, one day of staff training tomorrow, and a dentist appointment Wednesday. However, Pat is still working on installing an additional antennae for our Sirius radio since the camper blocks the signal, and then our 13 year old cat, Millie, was obviously in pain Sunday afternoon (yesterday), so we zipped in to the vet. Three hours and $$$ later, she has a severe sprain on one heel due to compensating for arthritis in the other leg. As a result, our departure depends on if she is feeling better! Well, I guess that will give me another day, or two, or three to figure out some new technology like the attached picture I doodled on my Rocketbook. PS. As I am new to this blogging thing, feedback regarding how it comes through on the viewer's side would be helpful. For example, do the pictures take long to open?

With 11 days until our planned departure, we had dinner with our friends Robin and Ryan who have a vacation home in Alaska. They gave us numerous ideas for places to stop along with tips for travel. Do we have an itinerary? Well not really. The only firm date is our return trip on the Alaskan ferry! A few goals... visit "Pop's" restaurant in Dawson, follow some roads along the gold rush trail, fish for salmon and halibut, travel some lesser known roads, and watch for wildlife.

This photo is of Pat's grandfather, John Wood, in the doorway of his restaurant in Dawson City, Yukon. The building is supposed to still be there, so that is our initial destination target. John Wood went up to that area as part of the gold rush during 1898.

The countdown to our northward journey begins. .. Departure in 22 days. Looking at the small spaces available in the camper, I am trying to pack dry foods that are small and light. Hmmm, yet tasty? Hoping our backpacking experience will come in handy. We have read that buying food in the tiny towns in Canada and Alaska cost an arm and a leg!