July 4 Independence Day Boya lake British Columbia

Happy birthday to my beloved country.  Got up today and blasted Stars and Stripes Forever through the RV stereo system.  Unfortunately as usual by the time we get up every other camper is gone.  So no one heard my serenade to the USA.  Drove east on the Alaska highway but seeing the opposite view from our way up in May.  Tried to get some water to fill up our water supply but were shooed away by the gas station owner so I sneaked around back to steal some of her precious water.  And got away with it.
Headed south on the Cassiar highway.  Many of the trees were burned during what I think was a controlled burn by the British Columbian forest officials.  We stopped at Boya lake and got a beautiful campsite right on the lake.  But the highlight was our "next campground" neighbor.  It was Elizabeth and John from  Brisbane Australia.  They were the funniest and nicest people.  Ellen wrote yesterday how you meet people and within an hour know their life story.  Not only did we know each others life story, but each others intimate toilet habits too!!!! We had such a raucous blast that we couldn't stop laughing and spent the whole evening telling stories.  They unfortunately are heading north towards Alaska while we of course are heading south.  We hope to see them again on the east coast as they are traveling the world and heading towards the USA east coast.  You find the greatest people in the camping world. 
Finally a sad story.  After we arrived the campground Marshall came around most upset and said to lock up your food that there was a bear in the campground.  We immediately did that and watched carefully with my trusty bear spray.  About a half hour later we heard what we thought was a cannon and ellen said why would Canada be celebrating the fourth of July.  You guessed it......the Marshall had to shoot the bear because after shooing him away he returned to the campground.  They said after a bear is shooed away and then returns they have no choice but to kill the bear.  He has had human food and will be dangerous near people.  A sad ending but a necessary one.  After seeing many small children in our campground I couldn't agree more. The bear needed to be destroyed.

July 3

We woke up at 11am and left the lovely Yukon govt campground in carcross.  We drove to emerald lake which reflects like a rainbow.  I hope my photo makes it easy to see the multitude of colors.  We headed back on the Alaska highway towards Watson lake where we will go directly south on the Cassiar highway.  That is a different road than we took into Alaska and it used to be400 miles of unpaved road but has since been paved----we hope.  Stopped at Tetlin for the night.

July 2 Skagway Alaska

Guess what woke us at 6am in the morning here in Skagway .  The damn Volendam the same ship we not only took on our Alaskan cruise in 2009 but took across the Pacific to China and Japan.  We keep running into those ........dam ships that we cruise on.  It was raining this morning and we did a little food shopping and left Skagway and headed north.  The south Klondike highway is as pretty as the Haines highway.
We crossed back into Canada and were examined by a cute immigration officer.  Even Ellen thought she was pretty. We were surprised to find the same lake we kayaked on in 2009.  And the same kayak company and the same old Yukon train that we rode on.  Who would have figured that we would return to the exact place in the middle of nowhere.
We drove on to Carcross Yukon Territory where we were treated to another hungry bear.  This one just ate roots and plants as we watched from 10 feet away.  They are very accustomed to people which is extremely dangerous.  I have been reading a book on bear attacks and when they have eaten our food they must be killed.  No one feeds them but they are used to people watching which means they have lost their inborn fear of humans - not a good situation.  We have stopped for the night at Carcross Yukon campground.  12 Canadian dollars and all the wood you can burn - a great deal!

July 1 Haines Alaska

We left our Lynn canal campground and spent the day in Haines until the ferry to Skagway which leaves at 8:30pm.  First chore was doing the laundry which should have been awful but was a lot of fun.  The MooseHorn laundromat was owned by a lady named Jan who was my equal in every way when it came to my usual give and take.  She was so much fun.  Ellen and I joked with her for 2 hours.  The local laundromat is the social gathering place in Haines especially among the people whose houses do NOT have running water.  The laundromat has showers and before you get the idea that these people must be poor the homes are beautiful but the pipes can freeze.  So the laundromat is the social gathering place.
We filled up with propane at the ......wait for it........the propane store. That lady did not find me funny when I asked if I could smoke a cigar while she filled my propane tank.  And she told me in all seriousness "you are not funny". Shut me up rather quick.
We went on to Fort Seward which had a beautiful view of Haines and the Lynn canal.  We went to the waterfront parked and stayed for four hours.  It was 70 degrees and beautiful. We headed towards the ferry dock and stopped at Lake Chilcott which was one of the most gorgeous sights so far on our trip.  We had dinner there next to a babbling brook which was surrounded by mountains.  We put the RV on the ferry to Skagway and boarded the ship.  It was only an hour ferry ride but was very impressive.  Mountains surround you like the gorge on the Yangtze river.  We had done this trip before in 2009 but were asleep as the Volendam did this trip at 6am.  Got the last RV spot in Skagway as this is July 4th weekend.  Hope we have a spot tomorrow or we will sleep on the road.

July 3 written by Ellen

What I (Ellen) learned in 2.5 months living in a RV and driving thru Alaska

1.     there is no such thing as a long hot shower in a RV

2.     Verizon Wireless lies – they do not cover “all of Alaska”

3.     the “MiFi” is not the miracle solution for travelers on the road

4.     wearing camouflage pants in Alaska is cool

5.     it’s ok not to get hi-lights in your hair every two months when on a long RV trip – all women my age doing the same trek are in the same boat (RV) 

6.     I can cook a whole dinner (appetizer, main course and dessert) over a fire pit in a camp ground

7.     mosquitoes in Alaska are the size of small birds – hence the saying “the mosquito is the national bird of Alaska”

8.     in a campground you either get water, sewer or WiFi – not all three at the same time

9.     it’s ok to sneak out in the middle of the night in your long underwear to pull the grey and black water tanks – you ”need to go” and the tanks are filled to the rim after two showers and all day dishes – most likely you will see your neighbor doing the same thing

10.  if the ad in the Milepost for WiFi is BIG with BOLD letters it usually means that you get 1 hour free WiFi on the Tango-internet and after that you get booted out for the rest of your stay

11.  if the campground gives you a big chocolate cookie when checking in you only get ½ hr free on the Tango-internet and still get booted out for the rest of your stay

12.  rapid dissolving toilet paper is just that “rapid dissolving” do I need to say more?

13.  I will never eat pasta again!!!

14.   in Alaska it is all about cinnamon rolls and fish or fish and cinnamon rolls

15.  gloves are a must even in the summer

16.  potable water is not up to human standards consume at your own risk – according to signs in some Alaskan State Parks

17.  I will not pay $9.99 for a 12 pack of Coca-Cola

18.   “Top of the World Highway” is over rated and under paved

19.  in the small communities of Alaska doing laundry at the local laundromat is the social event of the week – everybody gathers there for showers, laundry and WC. 

20.  it’s ok to wear your jeans until they stand up by them self  - if somebody notices look guilty and say “it was a mad scene at the laundromat” Alaskans understand.

21.  in some small communities and campgrounds there are no flush toilets but plenty of outhouses J

22.  it is true what they say about Alaska – it is cold!!

23.  your neighbors at the campground can be your best friends forever in 1 hour and you spend the next day with them hiking, biking, cooking, drinking and telling each other your life story and the next week while driving down the Alaskan Highway you need to ask your husband “remember those people next to us at the campground what are their names again??”

24.  Alaskans are the warmest, friendliest, kindest, down to earth and most helpful bunch of people I ever met.

25.  and the most important thing – make sure you kinda like your travel companion because 24/7 for 2.5 months in a 25 ft RV is a long time :)  H. thanks for going with me.

June 30 Haines Alaska

June 30 Today as god did on the seventh day we rested from our trip.  Sounds like an oxymoron but we needed to catch up on our bill paying and we had cable tv so I watched will and Kate arrive in ottawa.  The weather was cold and windy and we were situated right on the Lynn canal so it seemed a little colder than normal.

July 1 Haines Alaska