We've completed yet another leg of the trip. So far so good. Reports coming in from up ahead are that some of our campgrounds are still covered in snow. One or two more say they are a "mud fest." We'll get it figured out though.
Of more immediate concern is the plight of the locals from Eagle, Alaska. Even if you never heard of the place before, you have to feel for the people who have been there "forever" who have now mostly lost everything. As Mike and Lou prepare to open the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost, they are getting first hand up to the minute reports from those passing through Chicken.
Here is a summary of conditions as Mike reports:
We are getting 1st hand reports from Eagle as folks are traveling
through....an awful disaster! The ones hit the hardest were the older
residents that have made their castles on the river front. The homes, for
the most part, are no more. That last surge Wednesday night uprooted
almost everything on the river front, which in my estimation, was one of
the most picturesque communities in Alaska. Many will not re-build as it
took the better part of a lifetime to build what was lost. Heart-wrenching
when I know so many of those people. And unlike most floods, not much can
be done for some time as there is too much ice left behind....ice bergs so
big that it would take a D10 to move them. The native village, which is a
mile away from Eagle proper, cannot be accessed because of all the ice.
And there is diesel everywhere, so much that it stings the eyes to be
there. Eagle will re-build...it has been here before, but this summer will
be awfully tough for many.
If any relief efforts get underway, we'll pass on that information.
Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Catch 22
Remember Catch 22, the Book? A good read! Well, how nice! But this has nothing to do with that whatsoever. I'm just borrowing the same word and number for the topic of today's post. Actually, I am referring to Route 22, which parallels route 2 - which is the usual route to Alaska through Calgary and Edmonton. But we decided to follow a recommendation from our friend Gary Skaggs who has driven this territory more times than a goldfish can swim around a glass container in a lifetime. So now that we have logged some miles on Rt 22, I'd like to recommend it to YOU if you are driving to Alaska. In other words, may I suggest you catch route 22! Every once in a while I can't hold myself back and I will call something or another a "must see." I don't really like to do that too much, because what might be a must see for me might be a major drag for you. Then who are you going to be bummed with? Me? So if you like driving the citified route with stop/start, go fast, go slow, pull over and shop for miniature Canadian flags every 10 miles, then by all means stick with #2. But if you want a wildly diversified combination of magnificent scenery, divine road quality, the occasional quaint village, plenty of pull offs at scenic overlooks and downright easily manageable "grades," then I suggest you catch 22!
You will share the ride with the Canadian Rockies on your left and the more rounded marginal mountains on your right the whole day long. It's a trough run! NOT a tough run! If you are lucky enough to catch the light and the snow covers just right...Ooooooo, ahhhhhhhh beautiful. Lots of streams and rivers to view along the way. Time was when I hitched my wagon to a road like this I used to try to figure out where the trout might be hiding behind a rock in that little stream, or in the eddy at the bottom of that nifty set of rips, maybe along the far bank in that deep slow pool. I still do that to a lesser degree, but now I am usually trying to figure out where the gold flakes have dropped out of the flood current or where the old stream bed gravel might just be holding and hiding a worthwhile deposit of the yellow metal, or where the cut in the bank may be worth further investigation. It's all fun to think about and none of it gets in my way until I'm actually on the stream and I know the gold is waiting for the pan...but the fish are swimming upstream and they could just as easy find their way into that same pan! Trout cooked on an open fire in a metal gold pan? Multitasking at its best!
Some info for those following. Camped at Spring Hill RV in Cochrane. Really nice park. Reasonably priced- although on this stretch, always expect to pay a little more that in the lower 48. Not as much supply in the marketplace, especially this early in the season. Full hookups available IF they have sites available. They have only about three left all next week so if you're coming this way, call now. There is a fuel stop at the entrance to the campground- very nice, not terribly commercial like some. Sorry I didn't "catch" the gasoline prices, but diesel was 81.9 L. We were happy to see that. Last time through Alberta in 07 we averaged 118.9L.
Let's play the conversion game with an example. I'll try to come up with a reference chart to put on the side on the dashboard when I can. Today's diesel fill up cost 81.9L, Canadian. There are 3.79 liters per US Customary gallon. 81.9 per liter is Canadian "cents" so the formula goes: .819 X 3.79= 3.10. At 81.9 cents per liter, a gallon of fuel as we non- metric types know it, costs 3 dollars and 10 cents. 3.10 per gallon. But it's not that simple. Now we have the daily exchange rate to deal with. So far so good. 3.10 a gallon is a good price, maybe a bit better than south of the border right now. But that is the Canadian dollar price. To convert that to US dollars at today's exchange rate (depending on your exchange rate source and conversion fees if any, you now need to multiply that times .86. As of right now, the exchange rate is in our favor- not always the case though. 3.10 X .86 = 2.67. So even though the total on my sales slip for one US gallon of fuel says 3.10 a gallon, effectively it only cost me 2.67. That's great! Daddy like! Unfortunately it will more than likely get more expensive as we get further north and at some remote stops it will be sky high. That's OK too. This is a game of averages. And like I have always said: The price of the ticket to Alaska is ALWAYS a good deal...and a good deal more!
One more thought on the fuel, or anything else you pay for with a credit card. Most cards charge a conversion fee for the use of their product in foreign currency. That will vary widely depending on a lot of factors, but be advised, there will almost always be some modest additional fees to contend with and account for in the final analysis.
Back on metric issues. Let's say you're driving under a railroad trestle in Montana and the warning sign advises the height of the clearance is 13 feet 4 inches. No doubt you know whether or not your rig can safely navigate that underpass. But what if you are pulling into a covered fuel stop in Calgary and the sign on the rain fly tells you the clearance is only 4.1 meters? Can you clear that? Are you prepared to figure it out before your air conditioner becomes road kill? Before public humiliation makes you want to crawl under you step cover? There are 3.28 feet to a meter. So yes, you can make it. You have 13.45 feet to play with. Just like with the nice train bridge. What I find is that 13 feet 4 inches makes me feel safe. But 4.1 meters scares the macadamias out of me! It's all a matter of what you're used to. So get used to it!
Wanna print or access an on-line conversion chart?:
Click here......http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html
May I ask a favor. Whether you've been hooked up with us for along time or just joined the party, if you have a friend or a travel companion who might enjoy tagging along for this trip to Alaska, would you please send them a link to the blog...or maybe at least to a particular post that may be helpful. Each Spring run to the north is a new and different adventure. Things change. If we can help one traveler in one way, then we're glad to do it...and maybe we make even one more friend along the way. The way north!
You will share the ride with the Canadian Rockies on your left and the more rounded marginal mountains on your right the whole day long. It's a trough run! NOT a tough run! If you are lucky enough to catch the light and the snow covers just right...Ooooooo, ahhhhhhhh beautiful. Lots of streams and rivers to view along the way. Time was when I hitched my wagon to a road like this I used to try to figure out where the trout might be hiding behind a rock in that little stream, or in the eddy at the bottom of that nifty set of rips, maybe along the far bank in that deep slow pool. I still do that to a lesser degree, but now I am usually trying to figure out where the gold flakes have dropped out of the flood current or where the old stream bed gravel might just be holding and hiding a worthwhile deposit of the yellow metal, or where the cut in the bank may be worth further investigation. It's all fun to think about and none of it gets in my way until I'm actually on the stream and I know the gold is waiting for the pan...but the fish are swimming upstream and they could just as easy find their way into that same pan! Trout cooked on an open fire in a metal gold pan? Multitasking at its best!
Some info for those following. Camped at Spring Hill RV in Cochrane. Really nice park. Reasonably priced- although on this stretch, always expect to pay a little more that in the lower 48. Not as much supply in the marketplace, especially this early in the season. Full hookups available IF they have sites available. They have only about three left all next week so if you're coming this way, call now. There is a fuel stop at the entrance to the campground- very nice, not terribly commercial like some. Sorry I didn't "catch" the gasoline prices, but diesel was 81.9 L. We were happy to see that. Last time through Alberta in 07 we averaged 118.9L.
Let's play the conversion game with an example. I'll try to come up with a reference chart to put on the side on the dashboard when I can. Today's diesel fill up cost 81.9L, Canadian. There are 3.79 liters per US Customary gallon. 81.9 per liter is Canadian "cents" so the formula goes: .819 X 3.79= 3.10. At 81.9 cents per liter, a gallon of fuel as we non- metric types know it, costs 3 dollars and 10 cents. 3.10 per gallon. But it's not that simple. Now we have the daily exchange rate to deal with. So far so good. 3.10 a gallon is a good price, maybe a bit better than south of the border right now. But that is the Canadian dollar price. To convert that to US dollars at today's exchange rate (depending on your exchange rate source and conversion fees if any, you now need to multiply that times .86. As of right now, the exchange rate is in our favor- not always the case though. 3.10 X .86 = 2.67. So even though the total on my sales slip for one US gallon of fuel says 3.10 a gallon, effectively it only cost me 2.67. That's great! Daddy like! Unfortunately it will more than likely get more expensive as we get further north and at some remote stops it will be sky high. That's OK too. This is a game of averages. And like I have always said: The price of the ticket to Alaska is ALWAYS a good deal...and a good deal more!
One more thought on the fuel, or anything else you pay for with a credit card. Most cards charge a conversion fee for the use of their product in foreign currency. That will vary widely depending on a lot of factors, but be advised, there will almost always be some modest additional fees to contend with and account for in the final analysis.
Back on metric issues. Let's say you're driving under a railroad trestle in Montana and the warning sign advises the height of the clearance is 13 feet 4 inches. No doubt you know whether or not your rig can safely navigate that underpass. But what if you are pulling into a covered fuel stop in Calgary and the sign on the rain fly tells you the clearance is only 4.1 meters? Can you clear that? Are you prepared to figure it out before your air conditioner becomes road kill? Before public humiliation makes you want to crawl under you step cover? There are 3.28 feet to a meter. So yes, you can make it. You have 13.45 feet to play with. Just like with the nice train bridge. What I find is that 13 feet 4 inches makes me feel safe. But 4.1 meters scares the macadamias out of me! It's all a matter of what you're used to. So get used to it!
Wanna print or access an on-line conversion chart?:
Click here......http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html
May I ask a favor. Whether you've been hooked up with us for along time or just joined the party, if you have a friend or a travel companion who might enjoy tagging along for this trip to Alaska, would you please send them a link to the blog...or maybe at least to a particular post that may be helpful. Each Spring run to the north is a new and different adventure. Things change. If we can help one traveler in one way, then we're glad to do it...and maybe we make even one more friend along the way. The way north!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Barely Over The Border
There is a reason why we stop just before the border before crossing and again nearly as soon afterward as is practical. BECAUSE! No matter how many times you have done it, no matter how well prepared you are, no matter how happy you are to be visiting someone else's country - things don't always go as planned. One word taken the wrong way when you pull up to the customs booth. One border agent whose significant other said no the night before. I don't know what else. But after countless easy crossings, today went just plain bad!
If I knew the answer to why it did I would surely tell you. Maybe Canadian agents don't like full time RVers. When I told him we lived in our coach, his immediate and stern response was,
"You really don't want to enter Canada today, do you? Now try again, where do you live?"
"My legal address is Florida. Better?"
Pull over and wait.
An hour and a half later we pulled into the security bay and did the vehicle version of a strip search. Oh, I feel so violated. "Must you put the latex gloves on, officer?"
We didn't think we had anything to hide. Still don't. But we got the old "Where are your firearms?" question about 4 times.
"I don't have any. No firearms. No beef. No oranges! Nothing."
"What about at home?"
"This IS home...I promise you: I will not stay any longer than necessary in your fine country and for sure I will not set up any illegal residency here. When it gets cold again, I'm gone, I'm outta here; I'm old! I further swear not to use my machete on any of your wildlife...or to chop down cherry tress wheresoever they may be protected from such action.
"What about alcohol?"
"Sure, we have this and this and that...."
"I don't need to know what you have. How many liters?"
"Sir, I am an American and I don't think well in liters"
"OK Exactly how many bottles do you have?"
"I don't exactly know."
"I need a number."
"How does three sound? That's sounds good to me."
After the inspection it was pointed out that I had MORE than three bottles. Yes and No. I had three bottles if we merge the contents, but my wife likes to divide everything into "back stock" and kitchen accessible, so what seems like six bottles to you may be only three container fulls to me.
Now about Marilyn's passport. The renewal was done at the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa when we lived in Roatan, Honduras. We were there and it was time. But American Embassies all over the world are given the "old style" passports to use up. So every time officials see an old style passport, well, it can make issues if they don't take the time to see where it was issued. The passport is perfectly good. They just don't see one every day.
Maybe it was the EPA and Canadian Customs approved "Bear Repellent" we declared. Was it really an AK-47 in a bottle?
Eventually the ordeal ended and we were ready to roll on out of the bay. "I write a travel blog, officer. Do you think I could get a picture of my big rig in your big search bay?"
"I think not."
Lesson to be learned. This can happen to anyone, any time. You never know. Make camp close to each side of the border. Just in case!
Once through customs at this crossing, watch for the big bull elk in the fields on the right side of the road, several miles out of the gate. We have seen him the last two times through this way, and you may get lucky as well. And take note: windsocks may be indicating a small airport, but more likely they are used for you to see when you are about to get super-blasted by cross winds, which occur regularly here on bridges, open stretches and when coming out from sheltered highway. Both Canada and Alaska are far better then the lower 48 about marking driving conditions and potential hazards. So also watch for orange diamond shaped signs that look like they have a graphic of "mountains" on them. That is a "bump in the road" warning and they are most helpful. They mark even the most mild of situations so slow and steady should win the race. As we get further north, we have similar markings for frost heaves. Some tourists tell horror stories about the roads here.My guess is they weren't paying attention in the first place.
A final word about our border inspection. The inspection officer seemed rather stern to us as he began the search, while we waited in limbo outside the door of the coach. He emerged some time later in a seemingly happier frame of mind then when he entered, so now we are left to wonder: What did he see on his merry search? And did he find Marilyn's happy drawer????
So. From Fort Macleod RV Park, just barely beyond the border, thee ah thee thee ah, that's all folks!
If I knew the answer to why it did I would surely tell you. Maybe Canadian agents don't like full time RVers. When I told him we lived in our coach, his immediate and stern response was,
"You really don't want to enter Canada today, do you? Now try again, where do you live?"
"My legal address is Florida. Better?"
Pull over and wait.
An hour and a half later we pulled into the security bay and did the vehicle version of a strip search. Oh, I feel so violated. "Must you put the latex gloves on, officer?"
We didn't think we had anything to hide. Still don't. But we got the old "Where are your firearms?" question about 4 times.
"I don't have any. No firearms. No beef. No oranges! Nothing."
"What about at home?"
"This IS home...I promise you: I will not stay any longer than necessary in your fine country and for sure I will not set up any illegal residency here. When it gets cold again, I'm gone, I'm outta here; I'm old! I further swear not to use my machete on any of your wildlife...or to chop down cherry tress wheresoever they may be protected from such action.
"What about alcohol?"
"Sure, we have this and this and that...."
"I don't need to know what you have. How many liters?"
"Sir, I am an American and I don't think well in liters"
"OK Exactly how many bottles do you have?"
"I don't exactly know."
"I need a number."
"How does three sound? That's sounds good to me."
After the inspection it was pointed out that I had MORE than three bottles. Yes and No. I had three bottles if we merge the contents, but my wife likes to divide everything into "back stock" and kitchen accessible, so what seems like six bottles to you may be only three container fulls to me.
Now about Marilyn's passport. The renewal was done at the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa when we lived in Roatan, Honduras. We were there and it was time. But American Embassies all over the world are given the "old style" passports to use up. So every time officials see an old style passport, well, it can make issues if they don't take the time to see where it was issued. The passport is perfectly good. They just don't see one every day.
Maybe it was the EPA and Canadian Customs approved "Bear Repellent" we declared. Was it really an AK-47 in a bottle?
Eventually the ordeal ended and we were ready to roll on out of the bay. "I write a travel blog, officer. Do you think I could get a picture of my big rig in your big search bay?"
"I think not."
Lesson to be learned. This can happen to anyone, any time. You never know. Make camp close to each side of the border. Just in case!
Once through customs at this crossing, watch for the big bull elk in the fields on the right side of the road, several miles out of the gate. We have seen him the last two times through this way, and you may get lucky as well. And take note: windsocks may be indicating a small airport, but more likely they are used for you to see when you are about to get super-blasted by cross winds, which occur regularly here on bridges, open stretches and when coming out from sheltered highway. Both Canada and Alaska are far better then the lower 48 about marking driving conditions and potential hazards. So also watch for orange diamond shaped signs that look like they have a graphic of "mountains" on them. That is a "bump in the road" warning and they are most helpful. They mark even the most mild of situations so slow and steady should win the race. As we get further north, we have similar markings for frost heaves. Some tourists tell horror stories about the roads here.My guess is they weren't paying attention in the first place.
A final word about our border inspection. The inspection officer seemed rather stern to us as he began the search, while we waited in limbo outside the door of the coach. He emerged some time later in a seemingly happier frame of mind then when he entered, so now we are left to wonder: What did he see on his merry search? And did he find Marilyn's happy drawer????
So. From Fort Macleod RV Park, just barely beyond the border, thee ah thee thee ah, that's all folks!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
More Banff To Jasper
It was a second amazing day in a row enjoying the run from Banff to Jasper. Another day of superlatives. The "sno-coach" shown below takes area visitors onto the Columbia Glacier in the distance behind it. There is a second such coach in the picture, already on the glacier, but to give you a sense of the scale here- you can't even see the other coach when the picture is blown to full size- unless of course you can make out that little speck way way off in the distance. You DO have to see it to appreciate the grandeur of it all.
It was a productive day for wildlife sightings as well. Lots more elk and even more Big Horn Sheep, one moose off in a distance at a place where there was no way to stop and get a picture. And speaking of NO PICTURE, there was one point along the run when I looked up at the mountain before us and said to Marilyn, I hope to you-know-what that is not a road up that hill that we need to travel..." It looked like a zigging zagging series of cuts to keep rocks from falling on the highway below- only it had what, at that distance, looked vaguely like a guard rail. Most of this stretch had been deceptively easy to drive with little sense of change in elevation and little sense that you could exit the roadway and plummet over the edge into the abyss at any given moment, but THIS...this gave me cause for concern. And with good cause- because it was exactly what it had appeared to be- the single most challenging grade and elevation change of the last two days. I needed to drop to 2nd gear to keep old Buster moving his butt up the mountain. It was an "I think I can, I think I can" type of situation. I didn't stop at the scenic overlooks for fear of never getting going again, and maybe I should just say I didn't stop "for fear." Period.
Much of the day was spent driving past areas posted as "Avalanche Zone" and to be sure, there were several places where there were "fresh" signs that the snow cap had given out and come down clearing everything in its path including rocks, trees and even the roadway. There were fresh repairs in a number of places and we took the posted warnings seriously and kept an eye out for what was happening above us most of the day. It may be May in the rest of the world, but it sure doesn't seem like it here, even though daytime temperatures have been more than comfortable. Winter wonderland is alive and well here for now.
Athabasca Falls is a beautiful spot along the route. It is in the part of the Province of Alberta where the Canadian Oil Sands Reserves are to be found. I spoke with a camp ground owner who is also on the Alberta Travel Council and he told me of the great difficulty in finding workers not only for campgrounds which are seasonal, but for nearly every job available here- the reason is that the oil field jobs pay wages that make it nearly impossible not to go to work for them if you have a skill they can possibly use. But the oil shale was nowhere to be found today and the falls was, so here's the picture...
And here's a great couple we met along the way today. While we were pulled over at a scenic overlook (they call them "parking lots" in Alberta) another coach towing a car pulled up along side.
"OK. Who's from Florida?" asked the driver.
Long story short: Tom and Mary Lou had a house on Cape Coral before going full time in their coach. They lived near the library which put them not too many blocks away from our place on the Cape. Where are they headed? Alaska. Where are they staying tonight? Same place we are? Where? Two sites over to be exact, so we got together for happy hour and got to know each other a bit. When we first met, I was wearing my "Bite Me" mosquito shirt from Roatan. Can you believe they are divers too and had been on one of the Roatan live aboard dive boats? We have a lot of small world stories (guess this one is a small third world story). Tom's theory is that the world may not actually be that small, but the number of adventurous people probably is quite small, so we always meet sooner or later. I like that! Rings true. If you can, note the front plate of their coach: 2CHILL. It's a parrot head plate and for those who may be saying, " A what?" A parrot head is a Jimmy Buffet music fan. And I am a fan of any fan of Jimmy's. No doubt we'll see you again down the road.
Closing notes about Verizon cell phone service and the pc card for the wireless laptop: Yea, yea, I know, this is more technical than this blog usually gets, that's why we have the link to Geeks On Tour, but a number of readers have been discussing phone connectivity lately so now that we have some slightly out of the ordinary experience I thought I would weigh in. Much to our shock, amazement, and joy, our cell service with Verizon on the North American plan has been totally without interruption so far in Canada, with the exception of certain parts of the Banff to Jasper run- where no one gets service of any kind and probably never will. The mountains there are so high and surround the road so completely that on occasion even the GPS dropped the satellite for bits here and there. Verizon told us not to expect coverage in many of the areas we have been. Now maybe that will become the case as get further north and in more remote areas but so far so good. And the PC card has worked absolutely everywhere the cell did, despite the fact that Verizon told us that probably none of the Canadian towers would support data transmission. This is NOT a paid advertisement (Although, Verizon, if you're reading this I do love you and I do have a sponsorship open for you). But it is to confirm that where others have failed, Verizon, knock on wood, is hanging in there with the wifi and the satellite phones.
One final note for tonight, when we arrived at the campground (well, actually right before we arrived) we drove past it a couple miles into the village of Hinton, which will not be on our route tomorrow, so that we could fuel up at the only truck stop for many miles. The pumps were fitted much differently than in the states, the main difference being the nozzle is small and looks like a gasoline nozzle. So I asked a number of questions to assure myself that in fact I would be pumping the correct fuel into the tank- #2 diesel. First one employee, then two, then three came out to the pump to "help." Much to our surprise, they all claimed never to have seen a motor coach this big at their service station and they all wanted a good look and a quick chat. Their "diesel guy" as they called him was curios to know if he could buy our kayaks, so I guess he hadn't seen those before either. I don't know! The town didn't seem THAT small to me. It was a curious but friendly enough encounter and I guess we all learned something- and isn't that just the point!?
It was a productive day for wildlife sightings as well. Lots more elk and even more Big Horn Sheep, one moose off in a distance at a place where there was no way to stop and get a picture. And speaking of NO PICTURE, there was one point along the run when I looked up at the mountain before us and said to Marilyn, I hope to you-know-what that is not a road up that hill that we need to travel..." It looked like a zigging zagging series of cuts to keep rocks from falling on the highway below- only it had what, at that distance, looked vaguely like a guard rail. Most of this stretch had been deceptively easy to drive with little sense of change in elevation and little sense that you could exit the roadway and plummet over the edge into the abyss at any given moment, but THIS...this gave me cause for concern. And with good cause- because it was exactly what it had appeared to be- the single most challenging grade and elevation change of the last two days. I needed to drop to 2nd gear to keep old Buster moving his butt up the mountain. It was an "I think I can, I think I can" type of situation. I didn't stop at the scenic overlooks for fear of never getting going again, and maybe I should just say I didn't stop "for fear." Period.
Much of the day was spent driving past areas posted as "Avalanche Zone" and to be sure, there were several places where there were "fresh" signs that the snow cap had given out and come down clearing everything in its path including rocks, trees and even the roadway. There were fresh repairs in a number of places and we took the posted warnings seriously and kept an eye out for what was happening above us most of the day. It may be May in the rest of the world, but it sure doesn't seem like it here, even though daytime temperatures have been more than comfortable. Winter wonderland is alive and well here for now.
Athabasca Falls is a beautiful spot along the route. It is in the part of the Province of Alberta where the Canadian Oil Sands Reserves are to be found. I spoke with a camp ground owner who is also on the Alberta Travel Council and he told me of the great difficulty in finding workers not only for campgrounds which are seasonal, but for nearly every job available here- the reason is that the oil field jobs pay wages that make it nearly impossible not to go to work for them if you have a skill they can possibly use. But the oil shale was nowhere to be found today and the falls was, so here's the picture...
And here's a great couple we met along the way today. While we were pulled over at a scenic overlook (they call them "parking lots" in Alberta) another coach towing a car pulled up along side."OK. Who's from Florida?" asked the driver.
Long story short: Tom and Mary Lou had a house on Cape Coral before going full time in their coach. They lived near the library which put them not too many blocks away from our place on the Cape. Where are they headed? Alaska. Where are they staying tonight? Same place we are? Where? Two sites over to be exact, so we got together for happy hour and got to know each other a bit. When we first met, I was wearing my "Bite Me" mosquito shirt from Roatan. Can you believe they are divers too and had been on one of the Roatan live aboard dive boats? We have a lot of small world stories (guess this one is a small third world story). Tom's theory is that the world may not actually be that small, but the number of adventurous people probably is quite small, so we always meet sooner or later. I like that! Rings true. If you can, note the front plate of their coach: 2CHILL. It's a parrot head plate and for those who may be saying, " A what?" A parrot head is a Jimmy Buffet music fan. And I am a fan of any fan of Jimmy's. No doubt we'll see you again down the road.
Closing notes about Verizon cell phone service and the pc card for the wireless laptop: Yea, yea, I know, this is more technical than this blog usually gets, that's why we have the link to Geeks On Tour, but a number of readers have been discussing phone connectivity lately so now that we have some slightly out of the ordinary experience I thought I would weigh in. Much to our shock, amazement, and joy, our cell service with Verizon on the North American plan has been totally without interruption so far in Canada, with the exception of certain parts of the Banff to Jasper run- where no one gets service of any kind and probably never will. The mountains there are so high and surround the road so completely that on occasion even the GPS dropped the satellite for bits here and there. Verizon told us not to expect coverage in many of the areas we have been. Now maybe that will become the case as get further north and in more remote areas but so far so good. And the PC card has worked absolutely everywhere the cell did, despite the fact that Verizon told us that probably none of the Canadian towers would support data transmission. This is NOT a paid advertisement (Although, Verizon, if you're reading this I do love you and I do have a sponsorship open for you). But it is to confirm that where others have failed, Verizon, knock on wood, is hanging in there with the wifi and the satellite phones.One final note for tonight, when we arrived at the campground (well, actually right before we arrived) we drove past it a couple miles into the village of Hinton, which will not be on our route tomorrow, so that we could fuel up at the only truck stop for many miles. The pumps were fitted much differently than in the states, the main difference being the nozzle is small and looks like a gasoline nozzle. So I asked a number of questions to assure myself that in fact I would be pumping the correct fuel into the tank- #2 diesel. First one employee, then two, then three came out to the pump to "help." Much to our surprise, they all claimed never to have seen a motor coach this big at their service station and they all wanted a good look and a quick chat. Their "diesel guy" as they called him was curios to know if he could buy our kayaks, so I guess he hadn't seen those before either. I don't know! The town didn't seem THAT small to me. It was a curious but friendly enough encounter and I guess we all learned something- and isn't that just the point!?
The Bigger They Are...
The bigger they are, the harder they fall, or so the saying goes. Last night, as I was washing my hair in my nice, private shower, in my nice, comfy coach, tucked into the Canadian Rockies between Banff and Jasper, where 911 is a joke because "ain't no phone service anyway", the saying's worth became evident. The fold-down seat in the shower stall, rated to hold a 300 pound "showerer" (a rating which I am nowhere near), let go, actually shattered without warning- and my 6'3" vertical frame was instantaneously dropped and wedged into the bottom of the stall. This is like trying to fit a 20" salmon into a six inch fry pan- some thing's gonna get bruised along the way. Wrenched my foot pretty good, cut a finger on the right hand, gashed my abdomen a tad, and did irreparable damage to my pride. Falling down is embarrassing enough, but far worse when one is bare ass to boot. I let out a reflex grunt when I hit bottom. Marilyn, who doesn't ordinarily move all that fast, came dashing in from the salon to report an earthquake- only to find me scrunched up in the bottom of the shower.
"Did you pass out? Did you have a heart attack? Did you suffer a stroke" Is your back OK? Are you hurt?"
Let's see, "No, No, No, No, and Perhaps."
One or both of us managed to open the shower door, water still running on full. You've seen the ads where the person has fallen and can't get up? Been there, now, done that. Just like sardines do not remove themselves from the can, I couldn't seem to find a position from which to start the initial ascent from the shower pit. But after some adjusting, we managed to extricate my crumpled ruins from the pit without having to remove the skylight over the shower and having the glacier sight seeing helicopter hook on and pull me up through it.
A couple bruises, a few drops of blood, nothing lasting.
I decide I am A-OK. That allows a concerned wife to say how she really feels about her friend and companion and lover and chauffeur: "Good, because you looked like a soft pretzel that had been left out in the rain!" Eh!
There was a good solid hour of laughter that followed. She's still laughing...
And NO there are mercifully no pictures to accompany this report. You may each thank me for that at the appropriate time.
"Did you pass out? Did you have a heart attack? Did you suffer a stroke" Is your back OK? Are you hurt?"
Let's see, "No, No, No, No, and Perhaps."
One or both of us managed to open the shower door, water still running on full. You've seen the ads where the person has fallen and can't get up? Been there, now, done that. Just like sardines do not remove themselves from the can, I couldn't seem to find a position from which to start the initial ascent from the shower pit. But after some adjusting, we managed to extricate my crumpled ruins from the pit without having to remove the skylight over the shower and having the glacier sight seeing helicopter hook on and pull me up through it.
A couple bruises, a few drops of blood, nothing lasting.
I decide I am A-OK. That allows a concerned wife to say how she really feels about her friend and companion and lover and chauffeur: "Good, because you looked like a soft pretzel that had been left out in the rain!" Eh!
There was a good solid hour of laughter that followed. She's still laughing...
And NO there are mercifully no pictures to accompany this report. You may each thank me for that at the appropriate time.
Mountains In My Mirrors
The true temptation is to post all 130 of the “keeper” photos from today. Cutting it to fewer than 20 took a long time, and while I could and should cut it a whole lot further- I don’t feel like it! The run from Banff to Jasper, of which we completed about half today on the Ice Field Parkway, is the most amazing drive I have ever taken in my life- bar none. In miles it wasn’t all that long a day, but hour wise it took some serious time. Not because the drive was scary or difficult, but because with every bend in the road, the scenery, which was already spectacular, became even more so. Mountains bigger and more breathtaking. Snow cover more solid. Glaciers closer to the road. Wildlife we’ve not spotted before. Multiple photo op stops were necessary! And then I realized that there were mountains in my mirrors- an important life lesson no doubt. We had been so intent on looking forward to the next mighty vista, that we had forgotten to look back to see where we had been. The first time I noticed what was already behind me, I realized it was as good as what lay before. The same mountain from the other side is a different mountain all together.
Most of the photos used for this post will speak for themselves. You can blow them up for a somewhat better idea of what we saw, but honestly a photo cannot portray the sense of majesty and scale of the Canadian Rockies. Talk about awesome! They line both sides of the road we travel. Essentially we are weaving our way through the entire chain of them, so high mountains on the left, on the right, immediately ahead and bringing up the rear at all times. Transitioning from about 3000 feet to 7000 feet elevation, the highway is an engineering marvel and the changes were gradual and nearly unnoticeable. If we weren’t here and seeing it for ourselves, we might just find it unimaginable. But here they are and here we are.
A note on the critter shots. This is wilderness, not a zoo, so you get what you get for a photo opportunity. You can’t jump out and go walking up to the nice bear for a better shot, so pardon the “posterior” angle and slight blurriness. Thanks to the digital zoom just for allowing me to prove I really saw him in the wild! And as for the Big Horn Sheep, well, we worked darn hard to find them but when we did it was an “oh My God” moment to be sure.
Most of the photos used for this post will speak for themselves. You can blow them up for a somewhat better idea of what we saw, but honestly a photo cannot portray the sense of majesty and scale of the Canadian Rockies. Talk about awesome! They line both sides of the road we travel. Essentially we are weaving our way through the entire chain of them, so high mountains on the left, on the right, immediately ahead and bringing up the rear at all times. Transitioning from about 3000 feet to 7000 feet elevation, the highway is an engineering marvel and the changes were gradual and nearly unnoticeable. If we weren’t here and seeing it for ourselves, we might just find it unimaginable. But here they are and here we are.
A note on the critter shots. This is wilderness, not a zoo, so you get what you get for a photo opportunity. You can’t jump out and go walking up to the nice bear for a better shot, so pardon the “posterior” angle and slight blurriness. Thanks to the digital zoom just for allowing me to prove I really saw him in the wild! And as for the Big Horn Sheep, well, we worked darn hard to find them but when we did it was an “oh My God” moment to be sure.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A Ticket To The Winter Olympics
A two day layover in Calgary to provide time to change money at the bank, do a bit of food provisioning and set an agenda for the rest of the month, left a little time for looking around the city and taking in a few sights.
The photo below shows the 1988 Olympic Winter Olympic Games Park. Most of the snow and all of the Olympians are gone now. It was hard to even imagine this location was once home to world winter sport. This is the venue that made the Jamaican Olympic Bobsled team international heroes of sport. To this day, they are selling Rasta wigs and hats in the gift shop. But without the games, the snow, the national fervor, the site itself seems lonely and empty and the ski jump towers looked like bare bones against the threatening sky.
But not wanting to waste the moment, I strapped on my skis, took the lift to the high tower and launched myself into the sky. Fortunately Marilyn was quick with the camera and captured the moment for posterity. I had a safe landing and scored all 6's on my jump, but one was enough.
We had to do some basic food provisioning as some of the rest of the Alberta portion of the trip will take us through some very sparsely populated areas, and areas that aren't quite "open" yet. For example, the next several campgrounds will accept campers that are self contained only. The reason is that the ground is still frozen- hence no water, no sewer. But we need to traverse the region and we need to do it now, so managing the situation as we find it becomes job one.
We located a farm supply store and traveled there to get the block salt for the coaches water softener system. The GPS in the Honda doesn't "do"Canada or Alaska, so we needed to pull the GPS from the coach and hold it in the car. Calgary is a city of a million people and growing fast. It is a big city- also a very beautiful one. Like all towns in the northland, the construction all needs to get done when the weather breaks for the better, so there was a lot of construction in and out of the city (the GPS figures detours which is why we really needed it).
On the way back we stopped at a super grocery store that had an absolutely amazing seafood department. We bought some "barbecued salmon bits" that were quite yummy. I always love to see what a store has at their fish counter, but this one forced me to take pictures. The one below shows how all the shellfish were held- spread out on trays that had salt water spraying on them constantly. They were all alive, all fresh, and beautifully displayed: mussels, oysters, several types of clams, Dungeness crabs. Went back to the coach and made some nice sushi for dinner.
I can't resist sharing the "crossing" signs we find along the way. This one was in the gift shop at Olympic Park. Our time in Calgary was too short. I would certainly come back and Id love to see the Stampede, which is probably the number one billing for the city.
The photo below shows the 1988 Olympic Winter Olympic Games Park. Most of the snow and all of the Olympians are gone now. It was hard to even imagine this location was once home to world winter sport. This is the venue that made the Jamaican Olympic Bobsled team international heroes of sport. To this day, they are selling Rasta wigs and hats in the gift shop. But without the games, the snow, the national fervor, the site itself seems lonely and empty and the ski jump towers looked like bare bones against the threatening sky.
But not wanting to waste the moment, I strapped on my skis, took the lift to the high tower and launched myself into the sky. Fortunately Marilyn was quick with the camera and captured the moment for posterity. I had a safe landing and scored all 6's on my jump, but one was enough.
We had to do some basic food provisioning as some of the rest of the Alberta portion of the trip will take us through some very sparsely populated areas, and areas that aren't quite "open" yet. For example, the next several campgrounds will accept campers that are self contained only. The reason is that the ground is still frozen- hence no water, no sewer. But we need to traverse the region and we need to do it now, so managing the situation as we find it becomes job one.We located a farm supply store and traveled there to get the block salt for the coaches water softener system. The GPS in the Honda doesn't "do"Canada or Alaska, so we needed to pull the GPS from the coach and hold it in the car. Calgary is a city of a million people and growing fast. It is a big city- also a very beautiful one. Like all towns in the northland, the construction all needs to get done when the weather breaks for the better, so there was a lot of construction in and out of the city (the GPS figures detours which is why we really needed it).
On the way back we stopped at a super grocery store that had an absolutely amazing seafood department. We bought some "barbecued salmon bits" that were quite yummy. I always love to see what a store has at their fish counter, but this one forced me to take pictures. The one below shows how all the shellfish were held- spread out on trays that had salt water spraying on them constantly. They were all alive, all fresh, and beautifully displayed: mussels, oysters, several types of clams, Dungeness crabs. Went back to the coach and made some nice sushi for dinner.
I can't resist sharing the "crossing" signs we find along the way. This one was in the gift shop at Olympic Park. Our time in Calgary was too short. I would certainly come back and Id love to see the Stampede, which is probably the number one billing for the city.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Alberta, Canada Eh!
The border crossing was uneventful and pleasant enough. Marilyn used to carry a pepper spray in her pocket book and so when they asked us if we had that, we weren’t really sure. Evidently we didn’t have it with us, so on we went. All of the insurance documents that we jumped through hoops to get were not requested. Neither were the dog records that we spent hours trying to figure out the requirements for. NOT A PROBLEM! Happy to say hello, how are you? Eh? And cruise on through. It was a cold and rainy day for entering Canada, one of the milestones of our trip, and a short run to the first campground which was very respectable and our first impression of Canadian facilities. We know that, being a larger coach, there will be many provincial parks we cannot fit into…or if we do fit in, will probably not be able to get out of- but that is the game of life- seeing where you fit in.
We used our time to download and print metric conversion tables so that we know how fast to go, how cold it will be at night, etc. Even the weather band on the satellite radio reports in metric, and sometimes in French as well. We printed out our charts, laminated them and have them ready for the next day’s journey to Calgary. We reprogrammed the Garmin 7200 GPS to metric as well so tomorrow it will be reading kilometers per hour rather than miles per hour and our risk of inadvertent speeding should be eliminated. I’ve never been a metric kind of guy. It has always confused me…and as a result I have more or less refused to absorb it, or even really acknowledge it. Now I hope to leave that attitude behind and learn it and “feel” it as much as possible. There is a time when you stop fighting that there are some things you don’t want to learn just because you don’t want to learn them, and accept that you will learn them because the time has come that you must! This is that time.
Last night in the “Last Resort” before crossing over into Canada, we met Gary and Judy. We will introduce you to them later- properly. What a wonderfully pleasant, knowledgeable, and well traveled couple they are! They are Alaskan residents, gold mine operators, RVers (full timers). Talk about our kind of people! They were outwardly friendly, generous with their time and expertise in areas that we have only scratched the surface on, and sociable to the point that we turned in later than usual on a night before leaving one country and entering another. They graciously offered to hook up with us when we get to Anchorage and show us the ropes for panning and prospecting for gold. When we came back to our coach after a full evening with them, enjoying their stories and video of Alaska and their camaraderie we looked at each other and the word that came to mind (not "mine") was “fortuitous”. Simply put, we could not have met someone more knowledgeable in things we are interested in if we had looked high and low, put an ad in a paper, advertised on the internet, researched the chamber of commerce for all Alaska. Like just a few others we have met on the road before them, we suspect we have met some real friends- and ain’t that grand!
We used our time to download and print metric conversion tables so that we know how fast to go, how cold it will be at night, etc. Even the weather band on the satellite radio reports in metric, and sometimes in French as well. We printed out our charts, laminated them and have them ready for the next day’s journey to Calgary. We reprogrammed the Garmin 7200 GPS to metric as well so tomorrow it will be reading kilometers per hour rather than miles per hour and our risk of inadvertent speeding should be eliminated. I’ve never been a metric kind of guy. It has always confused me…and as a result I have more or less refused to absorb it, or even really acknowledge it. Now I hope to leave that attitude behind and learn it and “feel” it as much as possible. There is a time when you stop fighting that there are some things you don’t want to learn just because you don’t want to learn them, and accept that you will learn them because the time has come that you must! This is that time.
Last night in the “Last Resort” before crossing over into Canada, we met Gary and Judy. We will introduce you to them later- properly. What a wonderfully pleasant, knowledgeable, and well traveled couple they are! They are Alaskan residents, gold mine operators, RVers (full timers). Talk about our kind of people! They were outwardly friendly, generous with their time and expertise in areas that we have only scratched the surface on, and sociable to the point that we turned in later than usual on a night before leaving one country and entering another. They graciously offered to hook up with us when we get to Anchorage and show us the ropes for panning and prospecting for gold. When we came back to our coach after a full evening with them, enjoying their stories and video of Alaska and their camaraderie we looked at each other and the word that came to mind (not "mine") was “fortuitous”. Simply put, we could not have met someone more knowledgeable in things we are interested in if we had looked high and low, put an ad in a paper, advertised on the internet, researched the chamber of commerce for all Alaska. Like just a few others we have met on the road before them, we suspect we have met some real friends- and ain’t that grand!
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