Prince Rupert to Juneau, WITH FULL VISUALS

Prince Rupert,BC:


Grizzly totem


America this way:


The Matanuska (Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry):


On board:


Wrangell Narrows, the most dangerous waterway in the world, (or was it Alaska?). Anyway, it's dangerously narrow, plus ice bergs, plus rocks dropped off by melting ice bergs = pay attention, Captain. See all the buoys? We had to pinball through them for hours:


This guy has to keep watch at the bow:


Living off the grid... way off the grid:




Light house:


Humpback Whales (I swear):



Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau:


Mendenhall Lake:


Alaska State Museum. Inside the Raven Clan House:


An Alaskan Interlude indeed:


Eagle Beach (my campgrounds for the night). There's a reason they call it Eagle Beach. I saw three bald eagles here a bit after this:


That's a huge salmon, dying. I could have grabbed him with a net:


More salmon, dead and dying after spawning, completing the circle of life. Amen. I suspect a bear or an eagle grabbed these guys. I saw a black bear later on.


A toast to Alaska with a bottle of Bogle Phantom red, compliments of Chuck. Thanks man, it was delish!


OK, I'm off to the Alaskan Brewery for a tour. Stay tuned for a full review of their entire line of brews: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/main.html

ALASKA AT LAST!

Yes, I made it finally! I'm here! I'm sure (I know!), some of you are saying 'what the hell took so long?', and I say to you, well sir, there was too much cool stuff along the way to rush through. The roses were begging to be smelled. So I stopped.

Sorry for being incommunicado for a few days... I arrived in Juneau last night. The ferry from Prince Rupert took about 24 hours through the Inside Passage, and it was one of the hightlights of my trip so far. There were incredible views of forested and snow capped mountains, remote cabins, glaciers and best of all, whales. We passed this spot which is known for humpbacks and sure enough, they were there blow-holing, slapping the surface with their 16 foot fins, and even performed a few breaches, jumping almost completely out of the water and spanking back down. I also met some cool people on board, and now have some contacts in Haines, my next destination.

The ferry docked around midnight in Juneau, and I had a vague idea of where to go. The strange thing about Juneau (well, one strange thing), is that the ferry docks about 14 miles from town. Buses don't stop there and cabs don't hang out. If you're not prepared, you're screwed. But I was mobile in the Tacoma and after some mis-turns and minor panic, found the Mendenhall campgrounds. I picked a spot and passed out in the back of the truck. When I awoke, I crawled out and took a look around. Right behind my campsite was the Mendenhall Glacier. Yes, I had parked in one of the best spots to check out this gigantic field of blue ice carving out a huge valley. I was blown away.

So, now in Juneau, I'm sitting in the Silver Bow Bakery, trying to get my bearings. Four, count 'em, FOUR massive cruise ships pulled into town this AM, and the place is crawling with Touristas. They're looking at me like I'm part of the local flora and fauna. It's bizarre. I can't imagine how much money gets left here every time those ships dock.

Considering this is the State Capital, this is a tiny town. The locals are friendly, but in a gruff way. These are tough peeps.

Pics to come...

Mental High Five, Bill!

Catching Up

Hello dear readers. As the Midwest treads water and Greece burns, I'm kicking it in a motel room in Terrace, B.C. I got a little head cold, and decided to take it easy in a real room for a few days. My room has a kitchen, it's on a beautiful river and it's only $50/night. Cheapo.

So here's a quick catch up with full visuals:

Pemberton. My check engine light came an hour north of town. I decided it was best to have it checked out before I drove deeper into the bush, so I turned around and headed back to town. The guys at Ole Motive were great and gave the Tacoma a clean bill of health (for now):


Joffre Lake:


Unknown lake:






Lilooet:


Meese Lake:

Fear and Loathing in Canada

Is that... yep, it's a bear.

Smithers, B.C. / 60 Miles From Alaska

Smithers, B.C., home of the Hudson Bay Mountain Molybdenum Mine (you heard me right, Joe!) The border with Alaska is 60 miles away (as the crow flies). Ketchikan, AK is around 100 miles from here. But there’s no way to drive there. The best I can do is drive to Prince Rupert and take a ferry. So that’s the plan for now. I'm "borrowing" bandwidth, hence this is short. Kisses and hugs!

Whistler Memories / Bear Sighting

Heading north on the 99 from Vancouver, you enter the jaw-dropping Canadian Rockies, and after an hour and a half or so, you've wound your way to the mecca: Whistler. The last time I was here was with Aunt Jean and G4. Jean took George and I on a four day blast of a ski-trip that included some big laughs, some of the best powder of the decade, and an alleged fire-alarm pulling incident. Jean was convinced the cousins had perpetrated the act. There was no proof of any foul-play, but the memories brought back a smile.

So in the midst of reminiscing, two cars ahead of me hit the breaks and there ahead is what looks like a black monkey on the side of the road. I've never seen a bear outside of a zoo or movies, but this wasn't what I expected. I guess it was either a small adult or a cub. He quickly ambled off into the brush and disappeared.

Bears had to be a part of this trip (there are at least 120,000 of them in British Columbia alone, and then there's Alaska...), but I guess I didn't expect to see one so soon. Expect the unexpected, right? Reality check number one: Expect bears, anytime. And apply appropriate respect.

I spent that night worrying some little bear was going to go for my teriyaki jerky (double bagged in the cab of my truck).

PS: I think I got some bits of video of the bear... I was taping at the time. I'll try to upload some video soon.

Pics:

Whistler/Blackcomb turns into a mountain biker's paradise in the Summer:








Camping at Nairn Falls near Pemberton (few miles from Whistler):

Vancouver (Part 2) - Granville Island

Granville Island is one of those things-to-do spots right in the middle of the city. I kinda stumbled into it and ended up spending about four hours cruising around, checking it all out.

Apparently Granville Island was a kind of rundown industrial park (a concrete factory is still in operation there), but recently was turned into a zone full of art studios, lofts, shops, restaurants, live theatres, and a huge indoor farmer's market where I picked up some blueberries and cherries from some hippie farmers.

It's a great spot to spend long morning. There were a lot of restaurants I'd have loved to blow my budget on. I'll definitely have to come back (with more dough).



The Lobster Man will cook the lobster you pick out, bam!


I also got my first taste of the signature Native art of the North:

Vancouver Rocks

So, I pulled into town and immediately got completely lost. Which was OK. Sometimes it's the best way to experience a city right off the bat, just driving around taking in the sights and sounds, maps be damned.

I ended up in a neighborhood called Jericho Beach (I always gravitate toward the sea), and got a dose of some strong coffee. It actually made me sweat profusely. Plus it's warm here. Like 25! That's warm, trust me. And sunny, blue skies (I think I'm hitting this city at very much the right time).

This is a really nice city. It's really got it all: Wide bays and inlets, dramatic views, hiking, quiet neighborhoods and a bustling, very cosmopolitan downtown all within a few miles. Go a little further and you've got Whistler-Blackcomb, one of the best ski-spots in the world.

I even saw an old guy smoking his (medicinal?) marjiuana on his porch. This city is known to some as the Amsterdam of the West, though the herb is not completely legal here.



Jericho Beach:



I found a strange campsite that's in North Vancouver. Capilano RV park is located, sorta, under a bridge. A really nice bridge, tho! Be sure to bring earplugs if you're planning on staying.





Thanks for the air mattress Kari!


To Be Continued....

The Condition My Condition Is In

So I think the last post catches me up for the moment. I'm in Snohomish, feeling good, feeling dry. Next stop Canada. Specifically, Vancouver, BC. I'll keep you posted. J

Saved in Snohomish

So the rains came hard on Sunday night and put my Snug-Top Camper Shell to the test. It failed. If it wasn't for Rob and his gang, I might have been in for a very wet trip North.

Leaving Seattle, I drove the hour north to Snohomish to visit and spend the night with Cousin Rob and his awesome family. Man, I have some cool cousins with smart, beautiful families. How do they do it?

Snohomish is a woody, rural community where everybody seems to have an acre of land and a barn. Rob's barn (he built it) has a well-equiped "man-room"/gym upstairs, and he and his neighbor Mike got me good with back, triceps, abs, biceps, chest. And now I'm really sore. It's a good sore, but it's probably only going to get worse. I hope I can hold the steering wheel.

So upon inspecting the camper shell in the morning on Monday, I see that the seal is leaking and dripping onto my sleeping platform. Not good. Rob springs into action and we get some supplies at the local hardware spots. Gorilla Tape is my best bet so there's now a racing stripe along the side of my shell. Hopefully it stands up to the elements.

Rob in his natural environment:


Lil Robert and I (not staged):


Hammer Schlagen:


The Tacoma. Notice the new black racing stripe:




Karen was a great host and gave me some down comforters for the road:


The road calls: