...California

Laura and Emily at Doran Beach, Sonoma County, California.

Emily enjoyed swinging at Giorgi Park.

Emily balances as she walks atop a log.

We ate lunch at Le Central when we went to San Francisco for the day.

Lanterns above the street in Chinatown.

Signage in Chinatown.

A Chinatown market scene.

A Chinatown mural.

Laura and I rode a tandem bicycle.

Laura and Mrs. Huffy as we started our ride out Dry Creek Road.

Laura and Mrs. Huffy pose with their bikes in front of a vineyard on Dry Creek Road.

We stopped at Dry Creek General Store for a picnic during our ride.

On Tuesday evenings there is always live music in the Healdsburg plaza.

The trombonist.

We met Elsa in Occidental where we ate lunch at Howard's Cafe.

Emily and one of the many statues made of recyclables in Sebastapol.

We ate ice cream at Screamin' Mimi's in Sebastapol.

Okay, so as soon as we got to Billings we knew it would be a while before we wanted to get back in the RV and drive some more.  So we decided, for a number of reasons, to fly on a plane to California.  It was a good decision.

We left Montana and in a matter of two hours we were in California driving through the afternoon traffic to Healdsburg.  Once there we enjoyed a day trip to San Francisco where we ate lunch at Le Central and walked through Chinatown.  We also rented bicycles for a day and made a 13 mile ride along Dry Creek Road.  There is music in the plaza every Tuesday and we enjoyed walking through the crowd and visiting with people along the way.  The following morning we went to Occidental to meet Elsa for lunch.  Then it was on to Doran Beach before stopping in Sebastapol to look at a street lined with statues made of recycled materials and eating ice cream at Screamin' Mimi's.

We flew back to Montana on Thursday after a busy week in...California.

...Banff

We finally arrived at the end of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, Canada.  Since we were coming from Alaska to Dawson Creek the sign should have read that we were exiting the the Alaska Highway.  Next stop:  Banff National Park.

The Hufford girls in front of the scenery on the Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Banff.

The Hufford girls and a waterfall in Banff National Park.

Biking near our campsite in Mosquito Creek Campground.  Emily is holding onto my bicycle.

These boots were made for hiking...on Mosquito Creek Trail.

The view as we hiked up the trail.

The Hufford girls on the boardwalk at Lake Louise.

Lake Louise Lodge in Banff National Park.

BikeFest was happening when we were in the city of Banff.  We saw many races.

Emily and Laura enjoyed eating at a Chinese restaurant in downtown Banff.

After leaving Banff the landscape changes dramatically.  Here is a view of southern Alberta.  Next stop:  Billings, Montana.

Do yourself a favor and visit Banff National Park.  It is a stunningly beautiful place with hiking and biking trails, and a number of perfect campgrounds.  We spent the night at Mosquito Creek Campground and enjoyed a hike on Mosquito Creek Trail.  We also rode bikes around the campground.  We also had a very interesting visit with  man from Calgary who knew much about the park.  The next night we spent a windy time in the town of Banff.  The campground was a modified parking lot with plug-ins.  We rode the bus to downtown Banff where we watched bike races and went to eat at a fantastic Chinese restaurant.  After dinner we walked around stopping at a number of the shops where we bought souvenir t-shirts.  The next morning we awoke to a bluebird day and started driving.  Fifteen hours later we were backing into my sister's driveway in Billings, Montana, glad that we had made a stop in...Banff.

...British Columbia

A grizzly bear forages along the edge of the Alaska Highway in British Columbia

A stone sheep nibbles along the edge of the road in Stone Mountain Provincial Park.

A truck passes a group of stone sheep along the Alaska Highway.

Stone sheep profile.

We hope to stay at this campground on our way back to Alaska.  It is very beautiful here.

Folowing our soak at Liard Hotsprings we drove further into the northern Rockies of British Columbia.  We passed through Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain Provincial Parks and made notes of where we would like to camp, hike, and visit on our way back to Alaska.  Along the way was saw countless black bears, bison, stone sheep, two grizzlies, a caribou, and a moose.  It was great and the scenery was stunning.

We drove along and eventually made it to Fort Nelson where we bought groceries and gas.  We took off in the mid-afternoon expecting to drive several more hours to Pink Mountain where we would camp for the night.  We did that but when we got to the Pink Mountain Campground it was over filled with oil field workers.  No room for us.  We decided to drive on.  And on.  We eventually ended up in Fort St. John where we are presently staying at a Rotary Campground.  After all that I can tell you that it is a beautiful and long drive to get from Coal River Lodge to Fort St. John...British Columbia.

...Liard River Hotsprings

The sign at the park entrance to Liard Hotsprings in British Columbia.

Emily and Mrs. Huffy enjoying the warm water of the lower pool at Liard Hotsprings.

Laura liked the extremely warm water of the upper pool.

After we left the hotsprings we drove several miles and saw this along the highway.  Some travelers had pulled off the road to spend the night and a herd of bison moved in with them.  I bet they were surprised when they woke up!

This bison calf was cute.

Leaving Coal River Lodge we were on the road bright and early.  Our first stop would be at Liard Hotsprings for a soak in the thermal waters that come out of the ground there.  We parked our rig and made the hike to the pools where we eased our way into the heated water.  It was a good early morning activity and we stayed in the pools for nearly an hour.  We visited with other travelers and slowly moved from pool to pool.  The weather was perfect and we enjoyed our time there.

After we stayed in the water long enough to have red, pruny skin we got out and back on the road.  Driving just a few miles we saw a herd of 35+ bison on the edge of the road.  As we got closer we could see and RV parked in a pull-out where they had obviously camped for the night.  The bison were within several feet of the RV and we wondered if anyone was awake inside.  We didn't see any activity and thought of how funny it would be to wake up and be surrounded by a herd of bison.  Only on the Alaska Highway.

We drove on and made way for Muncho Lake after an early morning soak at ...Liard Hotsprings.

...beyond the Yukon

Once the Alaska Highway was re-opened and the fuel trucks arrived travelers lined up to fill their gas tanks.  This photo was taken while we waited in line at Teslin Junction, not far from Whitehorse.

These buildings along the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory were flooded.

This is one of the segments of the Alaska Highway that was washed away.  Twenty-four hours earlier it was impassable.

The Hufford girls amongst the signs of the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Terrirtory.

Emily, in particular, enjoyed visiting the Sign Post Forest.

There were several acres of signs.  Many were brought from other places and some were made by folks as they traveled through Watson Lake.

This bison was standing on the edge of the road near Watson Lake.

This black bear was eating at the side of the road.  This is the first one we saw.  We ultimately lost count of how many there were as we drove along.

When we awoke on Tuesday morning in Whitehorse we turned on the CBC radio station for an update on the conditions of the Alaska Highway.  We were happy to hear that it had been re-opened and travelers were free to go.  It seemed like there was a mass exodus out of the campground and we were amongst the motorists headed south.  We stopped for fuel in Teslin Junction and had to wait for quite a while as other people filled there vehicles with gas that had just been delivered for the first time in several days.  Then we were on our way to Watson Lake.

We drove the miles sometimes paralleling the rivers swollen with water from snow melt and the huge rain storm combination that washed out the highway.  We came to the area that had been washed away and passed without incident.

In the early afternoon we arrived in Watson Lake and stopped to stretch our legs by walking through the Sign Post Forest.  There are several acres of signs that people have placed here.  It was interesting to see all the places people had come from.  Then we went into the visitor center where we spoke with a very helpful person named Renee.  She told us all about the Sign Post Forest and showed us a map of the best places to buy gas.  I off handedly mentioned that our 'check engine' had been on for a while and she said, "Norm can fix it.  He has a scanner"  Then she picked up the phone and called Norm.  A few minutes later Norm had the scanner plugged into our engine and diagnosed the problem as "non-current, just a one time event."  He said we should probably change the fuel filter but he didn't have any that would fit our rig.  He told us to stop in Fort Nelson and have it done.  "It's a bigger town.  They have all sizes of fuel filters.  The only problem you'll have between here and there is avoiding the bison and bears on the road."  And with that we were on our way.  Norm was right about the bison and he bears.  They seemed to be everywhere.

So, we drove along he road, Mrs. Huffy provided navigation and and interesting information from the Milepost.  We lost count of the number of bears and bison we saw.

We finally pulled into Coal River Lodge, which was just inside British Columbia.  It had a campground and we secured a place for the night.  It was basically a parking lot with some electrical hook-ups.  There were several other travelers there, one of which was a family stranded due to tire troubles on their extremely large RV.  They had two teenagers and two younger children with them.  They were waiting for a repairman to come out the next day.  They didn't exactly appear to be having the time of their lives.  But, they were from South Carolina and on their way to Alaska and were determined to make it.

Other things were interesting at Coal River as well.  We decided to splurge and eat at the small cafe they had there.  We ordered three buffalo burgers and three soft drinks.  Simple enough.  But, when the bill arrived the total was $49.00.  Oh, and I should mention, fries were not included with the burgers.  They cost extra.  We didn't get them.

After dinner we retired for the evening and listened to the sound of the Coal River Lodge generator which runs all night in order to provide electricity for the lodge guests.  There is no other source of electricity.

The next morning was an early wake up and we were on our way once again on the move...beyond the Yukon.

...Whitehorse walkabout

This is the cover of the Whitehorse newspaper.  Click on it to look closely.  You can see that the Alaska Highway was completely washed away a result of above average snow pack and torrential rains.

The Yukon Visitor and Information Centre is a nice place.

The SS Klondike used to float the waters of the Yukon River.  Now it is in dry dock in downtown Whitehorse.

This is how the SS Klondike was pushed up and down the Yukon river.

Laura and the Whitehorse trolly car.

Emily enjoyed swinging in one of the downtown parks.

We have been monitoring the Alaska Highway situation closely by listening to reports from the CBC.  They have had frequent and in-depth information for those of us stranded by the road closure.  This is a photo of their headquarters in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

Since we are stranded in Whitehorse we decided to make the best of it.  This afternoon we took a stroll through the downtown area.  It is a vibrant place with plenty to see.  We enjoyed walking along the city pathway which parallels the Yukon River and down several Whitehorse city streets.  We visited the SS Klondike and the Yukon Visitor Information Centre.  We saw many cyclists and runners as well as dog walkers and fellow tourists.

The most reliable information we have indicates the road may be open tomorrow or the next day.  We're hoping so, but in the meantime we'll enjoy such things as a...Whitehorse walkabout.