Happy Birthday Peggie

Okay, so this post is a day late, but what's one day in 59 years?
Casey baked the traditional potato cake to celebrate, after she and Peggie got back from trying to take advantage of all those poor retail stores that have to put everything on deep discount just to make a meager living. They both showed reasonable restraint and were able to carry everything in just one trip from the car.
Casey packed up her new Honda Fit and went back to Tempe today. So, for us, that ends the Christmas season. We will take the tree down and put away decorations for another year.
We had used one of Peggie's sewing tables for gift wrapping, so Peggie is anxious to get it all cleared away so she can quilt. She and three friends from Skagway are doing a Round Robin project and Peggie has a block (actually several blocks) to complete so she can send it on to the next-in-line. Eventually they will each have a quilt with contributions from all the others.
I wonder if they will all be done before it is time to go back.
Greg, Tomoko, and Ariana are in Japan. They will celebrate New Year's with Baba and Jiji (Baba and Jiji are grandma and grandpa in Japanese) and will also visit Nagasaki while they are there.

Merry Christmas

It is Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, Peggie and I made a quick run up to Cottonwood to deliver some small things for the Gooslin and Taylor children. Mail is cheaper, but wouldn't get there in time. And we wanted to see Mom. It was a pleasant day for a drive. The storm had passed through the day before, so there was snow on the higher spots, but the road was clear and traffic was relatively light. Casey came home a little after we did, and will stay until Tuesday.
This is supposed to be "the happiest time of the year," but I attended a funeral service for a former student last Friday, and Tuesday we went to Willcox for a service for Becky's brother.
We logged over six hundred miles in two days. Good thing we have so much free time.
Tomorrow we will open presents here, then go to Smythe's for dinner. So it will be somewhat more relaxing than some of our past holidays with a houseful of people. And the Wildcats won both games this week with baskets at the buzzer. Very exciting!
We hope all of you have a very Merry Chrismas, and a safe New Year.
Speaking of which, I am on a campaign to get people to stop saying "Two thousand" now that we are out of single digits. It is "twenty-ten," please.

Going back.

Looks like we are going back to Skagway.
We had a hard time deciding. Vacillated. One day aye, next day nay. Good reasons to go, good reasons not to.
When Janie said she couldn't go back, I thought we were done, too. Janie was half the fun of being there. Don and Karin won't be there, either.
Then Trish called Peggie. During the course of the conversation we swayed and landed on returning. The decision felt right as soon as we made it. By the time she hung up, I was excited again.
Now, days later, it stills feels right. It will be a different experience in some ways. We are not taking our trailer. Trish has an apartment in town we can stay in. So, we can take the Jeep on the ferry, instead of driving all the way. The cruise ship schedule will be different, so we will both be able to have more time off. The apartment is on 7th. We will never have to walk more than five blocks to anything we need to get to.
Okay, that is it for now. Stay tuned.

Ka-BOOM

Sunday evening, November 29:

House-rattling BOOM tinkling glass flash of light. (I can't type BOOM big enough so picture it ten times bigger)

I was on the top of the stairs so I saw the flash of light and knew where, but not what. Peggie was in the office and knew nothing. My instinctive thought was gunshot, maybe shotgun, right in the yard. Peggie thought plane crash. Our neighbor thought incoming artillery.

What it was was lightning.

The mesquite tree that has been on the corner of the house for 22 years exploded. The sap must have instantly boiled when the bolt hit. One whole branch fell on the neighbors' house and the trunk (it was 7' in circumference) was split right to the ground. The metal strips that are glued to our windows to break them into smaller-looking panes fell off. That was the tinkling sound, the glass stayed in one piece. The nearest windows in the house next door also lost the metal strips. Two of the bird houses that sat on the window sill fell off onto the chair where I might have been sitting if I was reading or watching TV. An hour later a picture fell off the wall. The rest of them were all croooked, but we hadn't noticed. The EM blast knocked out two radio-frequency remotes. The cable which supplies us with TV, DSL, and phone was fried. The door jam into the garage came loose, and the curtain hangers in the garage came out of the wall and ceiling. Peggie's heart raced for two hours. We figured out what it was within minutes, but the initial fear took a while to subside.

There was no fire, but we could smell burning still after an hour, so I dialed 911 on my cell phone. The first operator said, "That's the sheriff's department," and transferred the call before I could argue. I gave the next operator my address and she said, "What city?" and I said, "Tucson, but really we are in the county." She said, "Pima County?" "Yes." "Well, this is Pinal County, I'll transfer you." The next operator transfered me to the fire department who agreed to come check it out as a non-emergency, meaning no lights or sirens. Good thing it wasn't an emergency since it took several minutes to get through the system. Apparently my cell phone went through a tower in Pinal County. Who knew?

We also contacted Comcast to come out for the cable, the insurance company, and a tree company. The cable people were out Monday morning. The tree people couldn't get here until Tuesday. The insurance people said to send them pictures, and handled it on the phone.

The tree was a total loss. They had to grind it up and haul it away.

Now we have a big empty spot in the yard and in the sky. The neighbors all came out because of the tree guys. They all remember the explosion, but hadn't known what it was. The cable guy took pictures because he had been working in the neighborhood and heard the explosion, too.

I bet the insurance company is talking about us. After thirty-some years of coverage, we've had two truck windows, the trailer siding, and a lightning-struck tree in a six week period. I wonder how much the premiums will increase.

Back Road to Crown King

We wanted to post pictures with this, but are having trouble, and now lots of time has gone by, so here is the post, sans fotos.

Don is visiting in Cottonwood and he brought his jeep. So, naturally, we have to go jeeping.


Can you say "adventure?"


Of course it took a few days and a few phone calls back and forth to choose a day for the trip. From watching Youtube, I have been wanting to try the Back Road to Crown King. And, since it is between Tucson and Cottonwood, it is a good place to meet. We decided to go on a Sunday so Margie and Dave could go along. Good thing, too, because Don's jeep won't run so they had to bring their Grand Cherokee instead.


The road begins at Lake Pleasant and climbs the Bradshaw Mountains to join the Senator Highway just outside of Crown King. For those unfamiliar, the Bradshaws were first settled and explored because gold and silver were discovered there. The roads were put in in the 19th century and have not been improved since then. The Senator Highway, though grandly named, is a narrow road fit for high-clearance vehicles and should be traveled by people who are not in a hurry to go anywhere. The Forest Service and ranchers' roads that connect to it, and on which we intended to travel, are rated a six, which means only experienced four wheelers in sound vehicles should attempt to drive them. Modified vehicles are recommended. On Youtube I have seen plenty of stock-looking vehicles making it, so I decided we could, too. We discovered, that for some reason, the Youtube videos didn't show the roughest parts of the trail.


So we met at nine oclock and set out. We passed a Land Rover club staging for the trip, as well as several groups on quads. It is a 34 mile trip to Crown King and my books list it as a six hour drive. The first ten miles or so was graded and well used because boaters use it to access Lake Pleasant. After that it started to be less well maintained with washouts on the hills. We played leap frog with the Land Rover club for a while, as they stopped to allow various members to attempt some difficult stretches, or we stopped to enjoy the view.


We had a nice picnic lunch after we had climbed high enough into the mountains to find some shade trees. Peggie decided she would like to drive for a while. She has obviously paid attention over the years, as she did a fine job of choosing the right line over the exposed rocks and washouts. When it got truly rough, she let me back at the wheel. Shortly thereafter we came to the first obstacle that required road building. That means rocks have to be rearranged so the undercarriage doesn't drag on something. It is also the reason many fourwheelers modify their vehicles with lifts and large tires. Don is helpful to have around at such times because he is good at standing in front and guiding me over the obstacles, thus avoiding damage to my jeep.


When we came to the second obstacle, we decided it was time to let the Land Rovers take the lead, so they could do the road building. Boy, are we smart! Not only did they move the rocks, but we got to watch them choose the right and wrong lines to take over the big unmovable rocks. One of their group didn't do so well. We noticed oil spots on the rocks from a cracked differential. But many of them had run the trail before, so they told us when we came to the last obstacle that it was a "piece of cake" from there on. Okay, there was no more road building, but the next two miles was crumby cake that still required careful driving.


In Crown King is a store and a saloon. The Land Rovers were enjoying the saloon. We looked around and then headed out via the old railroad grade that is the main road in from the interstate. It is still 24 miles of washboards and one-lane cuts with lots of switchbacks, but four wheel drive is no longer needed.


Did you think the adventure was over?


Silly you.


We waved goodbye to Dave, Margie, and Don when we neared civilization and headed for the freeway. Then both of our cell phones rang. "Come back, we are broken down."


Now is the time to note that is wasn't US broken down for a change.


We headed back and Dave had the hood raised and the fan belt was laying over the grill. Since we were in cell phone range, they called AAA and got a tow truck to come from Cordes Junction.


Instead of heading straight back to Tucson, we took Margie and Don to Cottonwood, while Dave was stranded with the Cherokee "out in the middle of the desert, all alone." Don went back to Cordes Junction to pick him up. And we headed home.


After starting at 7:00 am, we finally got home at 11:00. Long, dusty, bouncy day. What fun!


It turns out that the water pump on the Cherokee had frozen up because a bolt from the fan had somehow become lodged in it. We were all grateful it had happened within cell phone and tow truck range, and not down on the rough part of the trail.

Wild, wild Long Island

We are having such a good time in NY.
So Ariana could have some normalcy in her routine while we are here, we took the day off from grandparenting to explore Long Island.
We took I-95 to New London, CT to catch the Cross Sound Ferry to Orient Point, NY. It is about a 90 minute drive along the CT coast. New London is home to the Coast Guard and lots of ship yards. We saw a submarine in mid-repair. The ferry was quite nice. The lounge was big and roomy and the ride was smooth. We were perpendicular to 4 foot swells so there was a little rocking, but not bad. It took an hour and 20 minutes to cross. Then we set out along the North Fork (if you look at a map, you can see that the east end of LI is forked like lobster claws). Our first stop was at a farm stand where they had raspberries in three colors and strawberries. We got some of each. Organically grown so we could eat without washing them. The guy ships homemade preserves all over, including a place in Tucson.
He told us that the next thirty miles was wineries and sod farms. There was a "watch for deer" sign, and sure enough, there was a six month old fawn right in the field. No sign of Ma Doe. I had no idea Long Island had deer. How long has the population been isolated? We passed lots of wineries, then had lunch at Cliff's Elbow Too. The waitress recommended a winery and we went for a tasting and bought a bottle for Greg and Tomoko. Merlot seems to be the grape that likes Long Island the best.
We decided to go to Montauk at the point of the south fork, just because. We were already in the Hamptons, after all. At Montauk Point State Park there is a sign posting all the hunting seasons. October is bow season for deer. So watch out. We saw a doe grazing by the road on our way out. I guess she can't read.
Now, most of the way, is agricultural rural. Which is to say, populated. Deer like that kind of area because there is plenty of food, and hunters are too near buildings to shoot. But I no more expected deer on Long Island than bears in PA. Then, right on the edge of Southhampton we saw 8-10 turkeys! This is like the Yukon for heaven's sake! Well, a drive in the country is more complete when wildlife is sighted, just like a good day jeeping is guaranteed when you get your wheels wet.
It was beginning to get dark as we crossed the pine barrens in central Long Island, but we were on the Long Island Expressway, so we made good time. The whole trip took us about twelve hours from portal to portal. It was a good day.

I really did

I knew Pennsylvania had bears in the hinterlands because this summer I had passengers tell me so. But, really, it seems so densely populated, it doesn't seem probable. Traffic was fairly light, only one car had to stop to avoid hitting the bear we saw crossing the highway. The bear turned around and jumped the guardrail back into the woods.
We also saw three deer roadkilled to make the deer crossing signs believable.
The pumpkin we were hunting for was elusive. The field had been picked over pretty well and many remaining pumpkins were too soft. We did the corn maze first. It is a good idea to take a crowd, we had twelve, so you can spread out and keep each other in sight. The big draw for the Fair Dinkums was eating lunch at Friendly's and dinner at Sonic. Everybody had GPS on their phones so directions to and from the pumpkin patch was very high tech.
Ariana is just too charming. She is smart and funny and cute. But we must remember to be humble, also. She speaks and understands five languages:English, Japanese, Spanish, Music, and Gibberish. Gibberish is her first choice when speaking, Music seems to be always in her head, and she can identify many things in the other three languages.
Tomorrow we will take the ferry from New London CT to Orient, Long Island, then drive down the island and back around to Stamford. Locals think we are crazy. "Why do you want to drive on Long Island? It will take all day." Well, yeah, but we have never seen it before, soooo......
And the fall colors here are fabulous. The drive to PA yesterday was awesome.

Bill saw a bear yesterday--seriously?

Absolutely! We drove just into Pennsylvania from New York and a black bear was crossing one side of the freeway and heading into the median.

Oh my gosh, he's become a bear whisperer!

This trip is over

It is Monday, October 19, and we have internet again. We decided to bundle everything with Comcast and it took awhile to get it scheduled, but yesterday we got hooked up. Of course, it wasn't easy. We had to run new cable (ours is 20 + years old) which will be buried sometime in the next three weeks. But we got to keep our old phone number and have more services on it.



Okay, the last entry had us in Cottonwood. Peggie didn't mention the horses. The tow truck driver brought us to his garage in Salina. He put us in an alley and ran a power cord out the back door for us. He showed me how to get in during the night in case the circuit breaker popped. It did, so I was glad I had a way in. However, the security system, a pipe across the door, was impossible to put in place from outside, so I had to wedge the door using the cord to keep it closed again.

During the night, we heard a lot of talking outside the trailer, but not enough to get up for. I heard a horse go by in the street and neigh, but decided that in a small town, that might not be so strange. In the morning, I wanted to check that the back door had not blown open from the wind before the guy showed up for work. The first clue was the folded stairs when I started outside. You never fold up the stairs when you are in the trailer. Then the hoof prints next to the trailer were clue #2. I came around behind the trailer where I was met by three horses in a makeshift corral set up between two tow trucks (try to type two tow) tucked into the corner of the building. They were eager to have their noses and ears scratched, and I found a bale of hay to feed them, so we became fast friends and they allowed me access to the electrical cord. And the mysterious voices and horse noises were explained.

We got dressed and crossed the street for breakfast at Mom's Cafe. By the time we returned, the new pulley and belt were installed. The driver/mechanic had also discovered that my drive shaft had loose bolts on the U-joints, so he tightened those when he reattached it. (He disconnected it for the tow) Serendipity: when things go unexpectedly in your favor....

The loose flapping piece of trailer siding got me to stop. The broken pulley then allowed the belt to slip off while we were stopped, not while traversing high speed or mountainous road. Had it come off while driving we would have lost power to brakes and steering at least, and caused possible damage to any number of components. The loose drive shaft could also have come off at a very bad time creating all kinds of havoc. I got some Gorilla tape at the local NAPA store to secure the siding until we could get home. Attractive. But we were on the road by 9 AM.

Not to leave any loose threads, the horses had come in because the truck pulling their trailer had had to be towed in during the night.

The rest of the drive to Cottonwood went off without a hitch. Well, we have a hitch, but you know what I mean. Don had run power and water out to our parking place in Margie's next door lot, so we were set when we got there. We had a nice visit with everyone for a few days, Mom is better than we thought she would be.

Time to leave on Thursday morning. Don is guiding me as I back onto the street. There are some big rocks lined up to separate Margie's land from the water company's land, so I had to get the trailer at a tight angle. Ordinarily, this is not a problem, but because of the uphill angle, the trailer impacted the cab of the truck right where it meets the rear window. POP!! The rear window is in tiny pieces. Delay departure. The window company is called Adventure Auto Glass. What could be more appropriate? They can fix it between 3 and 5 by bringing the glass over from Prescott. What, they don't stock glass for a 14 year old truck in Cottonwood? We used the intervening hours to give the cab a cleaning like it hasn't had in 14 years. Tiny pieces of glass can find the most obscure places to fall into. On the road at 5.

We picked up the Jeep from Casey and continued home. Somewhere on I-10 we must have passed Casey because she had been in Tucson that day. We got home about 9PM and went to bed.

The unpacking and cleaning took us a week. Our home a/c was broken, of course. It took a week to fix, too. Parts had to come from Phoenix after it took two techs two visits to discover the leak. During that time we had no internet,either. I didn't know how much I would miss it. But the spa was ready by Friday night, and we have enjoyed that. The laundry room cupboards were falling off the wall, so I was able to get them reattached, and rearranged to make things easier and now we have space to install a laundry tub sink.

Today we are booking our hotel and rental car for next week's visit to White Plains. We skyped last night and Ariana sang and danced and read her books to us. Her books are all written in gibberish, apparently. We also got kisses and high fives and bye byes. Nice to have internet again.

Peggie is enjoying her studio. All $200 worth of fabric has found a shelf to reside on until it is time to go into a quilt. Just so you know, if the fabric was $200, she would have gotten it for just over $1 per yard. Uh huh. Nearly two football fields. I don't feel even a little guilty that I got to hang out in town, go out for breakfast and lunch, and see animals and great scenery everyday.

Cottonwood & Family

After a typical Peggie-Bill Adventure south of Salt Lake City we were able to use our new caution triangles that Casey gave to Bill for Christmas and our Good Sam Emergency Roadside Service that we purchased prior to this trip because well, we tend to have "adventures" when we travel.

Bill noticed something flapping on the side of the RV as we were traveling down the interstate. We had changed our plans from following Highway 93 down because of predicted snowstorms and high elevation climbs and we were anxious to reconnect with family so we had taken the interstate. Once Bill pulled over, he noticed that the siding on the RV was coming off and insulation had blown away. As he turned off the ignition he also noticed a high-pitched sound so decided to check under the hood and see if he could determine what was making that sound. The serpentine belt fell off while he was looking at it. See--another thing to be grateful for--he got to see it fall off so he didn't have to guess as to the problem. Hey, let's try out that Good Sam Emergency Roadside Service. Long story short--we were towed to a small town, Salina, over on Highway 89 where we spent the night parked at the garage. There's a real advantage to dragging an RV along with you at times like this. After a quick repair in the morning and lots of duct tape holding the aluminum siding on this pair of Tucson hillbillies hit the road.

Highway 89 south to Kanab, Utah is one of my favorite drives and it was great to see it in the Fall with the color changes and the sagebrush blooming.

A quick stop for lunch at a very windy viewpoint of Lake Powell. We thought we were going to tip right over!

I think these look like cartoon characters and would be great in an animated Disney film.

We arrived in Cottonwood before dinner and plan to stay here a bit. Elizabeth, the greatest mother-in-law ever, has been doing poorly and it is great to be here. Brother Don got here a few days before us, Karin flew in from Arkansas and Brother Dick and Sister Margie and spouses live in the Verde Valley. We have our RV's set up and all is good. We always borrow Margie's grandchildren since they live close and our one lives soooooooooooo far away. Soon we'll go see her too!

I spent today re-establishing services at home--telephone, garbage pickup, cable and internet. You know the ordinary stuff of life. Probably the hardest part of the trip will be upcoming in a few days--UNPACKING AND PUTTING EVERYTHING AWAY AND CLEANING THE RV. I'll even have to find someplace to put my "$200" worth of quilt fabric I'm bringing home.

This has been such a great adventure and I'm sure there are more ahead.

But now? Ah....retirement...such a treasure.

October 1--Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff

We spent yesterday seeing spectacular beauty. There was too much scenery to see in British Columbia so some of it spilled over into Alberta. They didn't know what to do with it so they turned it in to National Parks--seven of them in this one area. We spent the night at Fairmont Hot Springs and will cross the border today into Montana. We're planning to take 93 down Las Vegas. Pictures later.

September 29/30--Dease Lake to McBride

Yesterday, Tuesday, we woke up at O-dark-thirty and got ready to leave. This is what greeted us when we got outside. We had never been snowed on in camp before, so we were unprepared for the mess that you get when you bring in the slide with even a little bit of snow on it. Lesson learned. Last night and tonight the slide comes in at bed time.

The snow was not just at Dease Lake. We had to climb a 4000 ft. pass and this is what we drove on to get there. We had just a wee bit of slipping in steering, but no loss of traction climbing the hills, and hills, and hills, and you get the idea. Before the day was over we had been in snow, rain, and hail.

But, of course we eventually, and ever so slowly, came back down the other side and got back into autumn. Winter stayed up high on the peaks. These are some of the Coastal Range.

Oh, and this is Canada, so that jog in the road is how they solve the problem of the side of the road caving in.

Around every curve was more breathtaking beauty. When He created British Columbia, God was just showing off.

Is it just me, or does that look cold?

Really, around every curve.

Okay. There is this around some of the curves. We are in Canada, and it is Construction season until the ground freezes. This was the only time the flagman was automated. Usually they are human-like.

He was shy-er than the bears I've grown used to. He didn't want to stay and pose for the camera.

We stopped for gas at Kitwanga, where the southbound Cassiar Hwy intersects with the east/west Yellowhead Hwy 16. We pulled to the pumps and a man came out to tell us he was out of gas. Then he went to tell Don. Somehow the conversation turned to truck washing. He had a setup to wash big rigs. The evidence of the construction zones we had passed through was stuck on our trucks and trailers. A couple of before pictures.

I am providing the supervision in this shot. Don had missed a spot.

Today, Wednesday, we got our first glimpse of the Canadian Rockies.

By the time we stopped for the night, the Rockies are on three sides. Tomorrow I think they will have surrounded us!

Monday, September 28-Teslin to Dease Lake

Are you sure it is still September?

Last night was a restless night, we were too tired or too excited to sleep. So, of course, we slept too late. At 4:00 I thought I’d probably be up at six, but it was closer to eight.

As we were leaving the RV park/restaurant/motel/gas station at Teslin, two semi’s pulled in with snow on their loads. Hmmm, wonder where they got that? A few miles down the road we got a view of Dawson Peaks off to the south.

A few more miles and we were trying to decide if it had snowed or if there was a really heavy frost. A few more miles made it pretty clear, it had snowed.

Soon, we had snowflakes in the air but not sticking to the road or hitting the windshield.
Then, I noticed the outside shower door flapping. The same thing has happened before, the latch is half broken and doesn’t stay locked. So I got on the radio and asked Don, “Do you have any duct tape?” as I pulled into a rest stop.
“Did you say duct tape?”
“Yes, duct tape.”
“I have a lot of it.” Surprise, surprise.

So with snowflakes blowing around our ears, we affected a reasonable repair-on-the-road. The hardest part was getting the cellophane wrap off of the new roll of tape.

A few miles after continuing on, a less adventurous person might ask, “Why are we still driving?”

But the road was not slippery, and I could see in my mirrors that my tires were contacting the pavement, and the visibility was fine for the speed we were driving, so we pressed on. It was really pretty and different enough to be fun.

We got gas at the junction of Alaska Hiway and Route 37, and, again, the juxtaposition of signs tickled our funny bones.


We stopped early at Dease Lake because we couldn’t count on anything down the road being open. This place is open, sort of. The water is off because the temperature will be -6 C tonight. (that’s about 20 F) Water is available at the pump house. Power is on, except at the lot Don went to, so he moved over one. The sewer is open, so we dumped holding tanks, again not sure what to expect down the road.
Gas is about 1.20 Canadian dollars per liter. We paid 4.39 for a can of refried beans. But the park is only 20 dollars, and we are the only guests. And the scenery, priceless.

Start Your Engines!

Our goal was to leave around noon today and we pulled out at 12:20 p.m. Not bad! We had to stop at Breakdown Point for old time memories but thankfully we were not broken down. Time for a walk around to see that everything is working correctly.

It was 34 degrees at the Summit and we were glad it was no colder. A lot of the colors we've been watching the last few weeks seem to be past their prime but it is all so colorful compared to the trip up in April. Look at all the snow on these higher points. Remember, when we were here in April everything was white and I can't even imagine how deep the snow was on these high ridges.
I just like messing around with the camera and the binoculars. We stopped to say goodbye to the goats that came out to wave.
This gorgeous bear came out to say goodbye too. Actually, he was so busy eating dandelions (yes, they've reappeared) that he just collapsed on the ground and ate away.

We made it as far as Teslin and decided to stop at the RV park. We don't have many neighbors.

We stayed here on the way up in April but the RV park wasn't open at that time. Bill has checked out the showers and we're both looking forward to loooooong hot showers. Six or eight gallons of hot water in the RV make for short showers. Then off to bed...Don likes to travel early...I think a compromise is in order.

Note: the showers were great and we are grateful.

Outside v Inside

The rain abated today. Thank you.
Outside, all I have to do is disconnect utilities and hook-up. I am in the same condition of readiness as if we had been here only overnight.
Inside, however, is a shambles. I have things (temporarily) everywhere. But, Peggie asked Trish if she could end work today so we can get out tomorrow, so she will be available to offer helpful suggestions on where I can put things for traveling. If I follow all of her suggestions I may be unable to sit. ba-da-pum
But seriously, folks, I do think we can be ready in 2-3 more hours.
Don is aaalllmost done with ATA. He has to turn in uniforms and keys. In sewing terms, all done but the hem.
So, aside from getting things ship shape here, we were in town (we being Don and I) and ran into two Liarsville performers all packed up to hike the Chilkoot Trail. All they needed was a ride to the trailhead. Happy to oblige. One last trip there (Dyea) was called for anyway. We saw 8-10 very large birds that turned out to be immature eagles. Bald eagles don't get white headed until they are 5 years old. And what else did we see, you ask? Why, a couple of big ol' grizzlies of course. As I mentioned earlier, the King salmon are now running up the Taiya River. The harbor seals were also well upriver having their fill.
Not to jinx anything, but it should be noted that I worked all day without breaking anything, losing anything, hurting myself, or having to make a hardware store run. Good, huh?huh? Yeah!

Windy Wind Up!

Today we will try to wind things up here in an attempt to leave tomorrow. The rain is on temporary hold, but the wind is trying to blow us away early.
Speaking of kodiak moments, Don went out on the last jeep tour Wed. and they saw four bears and two porcupines. One of the porcupines was roadkill, so of course they had to stop and look closely at it. They were absolutely thrilled to see the claw marks on its belly indicating that it had been viscerated by a bear.
Roger, Janie's husband, finally got to go salmon fishing in Dyea as the king salmon begin their run up the Taiya River. Some rangers approached him in a boat to inform him that he was sharing the river and the fish with three grizzlies. He had been so engrossed in the process that he had not even noticed. The bears had more success than he did.
Winter is coming on with a vengeance now that fall has arrived officially. The interior has had freezing temperatures and lowering snow levels. Skagway is still in the 40's and 50's thanks to the south wind. It is fun talking with people about the trip home. Some are worried that snow will be a problem. Some tell us that the last time they drove the Cassiar it was very rough. We just say that since we have a home on wheels we can stop to wait out a snow storm, and that the last time we drove the Cassiar it was very rough, but it is fine if you just slow down. We are going to let the weather determine if we go through Jasper and Banff.
Yesterday I took Barry and Corrinne to the ferry and said goodbye. Don was there dropping off Kyler, so we went to lunch at Sweet Tooth. I did the laundry, so we can begin our trip with clean clothes. Don aired up all of our tires. I got a fair start on repacking for the road. We had our last card game last night. Peggie feels it is important to point out that I had the low score. Tonight we are going out to dinner to say goodbye to everyone. I think it is that nobody wants to fix dinner at home because we are all packing up.

A lot is not happening

At 6:00 AM this morning Jim did not start up his noisy diesel truck to go to work. All summer, except on his days off, Jim has left for his job driving a big diesel bus in his noisy diesel pickup at 6:00AM. Everybody in the trailer park is aware of Jim's comings and goings.
For the last two hours, trains have not been chugging and rumbling and clattering and screeching down to the docks to load passengers who are not streaming off of cruise ships that are not sitting at the docks.
The streets are not full of walkers and bike riders making their way downtown to service the thousands of cruisers who will not be in town today.
Peggie and Corrinne are not avoiding a walk or bike ride in the rain by riding in my bus downtown.
All up and down Broadway shops and stores and restaurants are not opening for business.
We are not leaving town today because Peggie is not done inventorying and storing everything in two stores.
I am not driving a tour today because I AM done.

Goodbye Veendam

We heard there was going to be a big party at the dock when the last ship leaves and the season is over. Being the wild adventurers that we are we decided we couldn't miss it. We bundled up and went to the dock. The party-ers were mostly young and ready to party into the night and a lot of the passengers on the ship were ready to party too. There was lots of singing and shouting back and forth and once the mooring lines were released security allowed the crowd to go farther down the dock. Much mooning and flashing proceeded. We decided to pass on that part; we're not THAT adventurous. By the end of the evening we were pretty wet from the rain but agreed that we were glad we saw the final departure. Movies may follow.

Here's one of the signs we enjoyed.

I'm NOT done!!!

But I will be in a few days...

This morning I practiced my retirement routine of leisurely drinking my coffee and then getting ready for the day instead of the get up, shower, dress, make lunch, eat breakfast, pack extra shoes, ride the bike to work and work.

It was good, very good. I will enjoy the leisure again.

I'm done!!!

Brown and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside......yep, I'm done.

I just double checked the schedule, and, sure enough, I'm done.

I loved teaching, but I was glad to be done. This is like that. I enjoyed every tour, all the people on the tours (almost all), the people we've met here, the wildlife, the color changes, and the weather........and I am thrilled to be DONE!!!!

DONE, DONE, DONE!!!

Termination Dust or Termination Snow--It Was Beautiful.

Fresh snow on the Harding Glacier--I could see it out the front window at the store--gorgeous! I called Janie and told her to bring her camera and then I called Bill and told him to take pictures. That sounds a little bossy doesn't it? But just look at the results.

It was about 43 degrees on the way to work. I think a lot of cruisers decided to take it easy and sleep in for the early part of the day.

Look at that empty street!

One more day of ships and then we begin doing inventory. We're hoping to leave on Sunday. The grocery store and laundry have returned to winter hours so it must be time to go home.

It feels like winter to me.

Peggie is correct. Today is like the coldest, winteriest, nastiest days in Tucson. But folks, that ain't bad, comparitively speaking.
I had to take a bus to Whitehorse today, and since Don had no tours scheduled, he went with me. He needed to pick up some oil filters. One of the duties he has is to winterize all the jeeps. This includes changing oil so the jeeps are ready to roll next spring. That is the same reason I was taking a bus up. The buses stay at the Ford dealership so they can do whatever is necessary when they have time over the winter to have the buses ready each spring. We went to the Jeep dealer for his filters (and wipers for my truck) and to get an emergency road kit out of one of his jeeps that will stay there for repairs. When we got back, he found out one of the Jeeps was ready to come to Skagway. Nobody mentioned this to him when we were there! So now he has to make another trip tomorrow.
Our drive was uneventful. Many goats, but no bears or moose. The snow is heavier and lower (4000') on the mountains. There is still lots of color, but also lots of leaf loss. The color changing phase has lasted longer than people told me it would. Tomorrow Don's tours may get to see fresh snow on Montana Mountain.
I cannot believe I only have two more tours to drive. Then a day of ferrying buses.
Peggie has unknown more days to work. Her job has always been harder than mine.
We still hope to leave Sun or Mon.

Brrr...Is this winter?

Yesterday was windy, rainy and cold. Most stores were closed because it was another no-ship day. That meant it was a great time to do inventory at the store Karin worked at this summer. We listened to music (OMG Karin, how did you ever stand that yodeling?) but with so much counting to do we didn't really chitchat. Four of us went to the Smoothie shop for lunch (a rare treat) and I mentioned that a day in the 40's with rain and wind would be one of the coldest and yuckiest days in Tucson but it was kind of fun here. (My friends here and at home know I was enjoying not being too warm.) People wore jackets, hats, hoods, and I even saw a few gloves and scarves. Remember, we're leaving soon and know it will still be warm when we get back to Arizona. We'll have to watch the weather though. Bill is DETERMINED to have a year in his life without seeing/feeling a day that's up to 100 degrees. So far, 2009 is the year!

We have ships coming in these last three days but with fewer passengers than usual. With some of the stores already closed it may mean that even more people will come to the quilt shop or with the weather cold it may mean that even more people will come to the quilt shop or because it is a great shop it may mean that even more people will come to the quilt shop....or NOT.

Brackett's Wagon Road

The Goat Lake Hydroelectric Plant turnoff is about a mile above customs and about 500 feet above the river. The road down to the power plant is closed with a gate, which we walked around. While we were down there the road mysteriously doubled in length, so the climb back up was longer than the walk down.

Once you cross the river on the pipe, it is easy to find the old wagon road and follow it along, even though the forest has reclaimed it all. However, downstream the entire hillside is overgrown with Devil's Club so we went upstream. The whole forest is covered in moss. The ground is like walking on sponges. We were afraid we would fall right through into a cavern or something.

Cutting a road through this area must have been formidable. Even today, with a bulldozer, it would be a serious undertaking. The hillside is steep, with solid cliffs of granite everywhere. There are many caves suitable for bear hibernation. Guess I won't go there in early spring!

We hiked as far as Pitchfork Falls and the water was too high to cross, so that was the end of that. The only relic we found was the old telegraph wire that is strung from tree to tree. The trees have grown so the wire passes right through them, and in places, the trees have fallen and taken the wire down. There is so much moss and needle/leaf mulch that anything dropped would now be covered over. A metal detector would be a big help, but since we weren't supposed to move anything.....
It was raining lightly while we were out there. Nobody slipped on the wet pipe, but getting on and off at each end was dicey.
I don't think Erin, at customs, believed that the six of us had just gone up to take pictures of Pitchfork Falls, but I guess when she ran our passports she could tell that we all drive through there a lot, so she didn't hassle us too much. She is one of the nice ones; she even attended the potluck for the stricken driver.

4 day weekend.....sort of

Friday was a no ship day. You already know how that went.
Saturday we did laundry after getting to go out for breakfast. Then we took the White Pass & Yukon Route train to the White Pass Summit. There will be an album of those pictures coming soon. Of course, we wish we had done this earlier in the season. Me, because I really would have been able to compare the train ride with the bus ride. I think the bus ride is a much better value. I did like getting to see back up into the canyons that are totally wild except for the tracks. One of the coolest things to me was getting to see the trail that thousands of feet had pounded out into the hillside. And the original, no longer in use, trestle that was a record at the time. Robert and Lynn, two of our card-playing neighbors went with us. They have been on the trip many times (he works for the RR) so we didn't have to switch places at the summit, so we had the canyon-side view going up and down.
Then we went out to dinner with the whole card-playing bunch plus Don. A good time was had by all.
Today is another no-ship day, there is light rain so far, but our plan is to go to the hydro plant and walk across to the other side, which we didn't get to do last time. Peggie has to do inventory today. No playing for her. We are taking Don's youngsters, so that should be entertaining, right there. Back in the gold rush there was a short-lived attempt to build a road up the canyon. Supposedly, it is strewn with detritus. Since it is National Park land, we can't pick anything up, but it will be fun to see what we can.
Tomorrow I have to drive to Whitehorse again to pick up the bus there and leave another for the winter. So it isn't exactly a day off, but I get to drive to Whitehorse, so it isn't exactly working, either. Tuesday and Wednesday are tour days, then Thursday we take both buses to Whitehorse and we are done.

White Pass & Yukon Route

 

Yes, we took the train to the Summit. Pictures later. Off to a dinner date.

A new album link

I took so many great pictures of our drive to and from Whitehorse this morning that I'm going to put them all in one of the linked albums. A few are taken when we actually stopped the cars and got out. Most are taken through the windshield or through side windows so there are spots and such. We're enjoying it most by having it show as a slideshow on a full screen.

A No-Ship Day!

So we did go to Whitehorse.
There was new snow at maybe 4500 ft. on the mountains.
On the way, Peggie was amazed at the massive amount of color change that has taken place in the last week. I think it has grown even since I was up there yesterday.


We had an excellent bear sighting. It was a young black with a white mark on his chest, and could have been Blaze whom I haven't seen since May. He stayed in the road and acted kind of confused.
At one point he approached my car (I was driving Dave's car to Whitehorse with Peggie following in our truck) like he was asking for food. We finally had to leave because more cars were coming, but he stayed in the road wandering back and forth looking lost.
When we got to Whitehorse, we ran into Don and we were able to have lunch together while our truck was being serviced. Now that it is time to come home, we found Whitehorse's best restaurant. It is called Earl's. We all thought our food was fantastic. Then Don came back to Skagway while Peggie and I did a little shopping and she got her hair cut.
Last night I attended a potluck for James, a driver from another company who suffered a heart attack last week. He is in Anchorage and will be flown to Tucson, where he lives, for a pacemaker. It was a good turnout of drivers from all the companies. It was fun talking to them. I wish we had done something like this at the beginning of the year. Some of them I didn't know.
Tonight we'll play cards with the group and Peggie and I are taking the train to the Summit tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Casey-man!

We hope you have a great day.

In your honor we're going to Whitehorse, Yukon to have the truck serviced. It's getting up in years too. Boy, we love that truck. You too!

There's the right way, and the Skagway.

"Juneau alaskan get sunburned if she stays out too long on a day like this," Homer said to his wife, Tanana.
"I'm not burned, but I'm hot," Tanana replied. "Can you get me a bottle of beer?"
Homer plunged his Haines into the ice chest. "No bottles, Ketchikan," he said, tossing her a cold one.
"I'm feeling much better now," Tanana said. " I Wasilla coupla' days ago. I was vomiting so much I was afraid the Seward back up."
"Yeah, my friend Kennicott the same flu bug," replied Homer.
"So many people were getting sick, just going to a crowded place took determination Anchorage," Tanana pointed out.

Blame this on Margie. Her beer names got this started in my brain.

Trivia anyone?

What is bottom fishing?

A. What singles do at bar closing.
B. Asking "Does this make my butt look big?"
C. Jigging bait on the ocean floor.
D. Digging for cash to buy another Alaskan beer.

I haven't seen these in the desert!

As it is difficult to accurately identify a safe mushroom without proper training and knowledge, it is often advised to assume that a wild mushroom is poisonous and not to consume it.

No Problem!

Check out the photo album--very interesting!!!!!

(FYI: I've added a few photos to the last few posts--termination dust and rain.)