Home again, home again, jiggity, jig jig!!

9/23/10


WE ARE HOME!



Well we finally made it home. Got here on Tuesday the 21st, and are just getting around to blogging for the last time on this blog. Things here were in good shape thanks to the Picketts, McKenzie, and Nudo. Horses are in great shape, but our cats have disappeared. Verina may have taken Sqirt home as she had threatened. Just joking! We have been washing the outside of the house, cleaning the inside, and trying to unload the trailer. We are trying to do this at the pace of our trip and it is still happening. I need to call the hot tub people and ask some questions and then FILL THE HOT TUB!! It will be so nice to soak!!

The Palace is in her barn!

We didn't have any more troubles so we are here safe and sound! All of our troubles we just "Speed bumps in the road of life".

Homeward bound!

9/21/10
Spent Sunday night at Circle 8 RV park for square dancers. Steve Edlund in Vancouver suggested we stop there on the way home. We called, got directions and pulled in late afternoon. It's a beautiful, quiet place in the country and we had it mostly to oursleves. Went into Cle Elum that evening for Pizza and by lucky happenstance it is owned and run by the Wagonmasters at Circle 8. Taj served us Pizza and we talked square dancing.
On Monday we packed up the trailer and headed down the road to Pendleton and the Wildhorse Casino's RV park. The gambling didn't work out well but it's a nice park and we had fun. It is nice to be back in the lower 48, as the Alaskans say, the price of everything is so much  more affordable.  Last leg of the journey ; we should be home today. Both of us are ready. But in the back of our minds is that tantalizing question "Where do we go next? ".

Vancouver farewell!

09/19/10

Skytram view from station

North Vancouver Quayside

Rode the Skyrail into Vancouver for the afternoon and evening. Found some nice folks to walk Jo for us while we were gone so we could stay and eat dinner out. Had an outstanding day! We rode the Seabus over to North Vancouver had an ice cream and got back on the Seabus and went back to Vancouver proper.


Gastown Steam Clock



Walked around Gastown and then through Chinatown, ending up back at Gastown at the Old Spagetti Factory for dinner. Bosco put in our name and they said it would be about 20 minutes. While we were sitting there waiting a lady come up to ask us about the wait etc. She put their name in and we talked a bit before they called our name. The hostess showed us to our table and it was a table for 4, so Bosco went back and asked them if they'd like to join us. They were on a cruise, and had a couple of days portside to see Vancouver. They agreed to come join us and the four of us had a great dinner. We sat and talked and talked. Turns out they are travelers also; having been to many of the same places as we have. It's a very small world.

George and Eleanor Douglas
Toronto, Ontario, CA
our dinner companions!

Vancouver, BC, CA

9/18/10

Vancouver background--Kathy and her yacht!

Got to Dogwood RV Park, in Surrey, on 9/16. Have been dancing the last two nights--plus! Thursday with the Chuckwagon 8's, and last night with the Royal Swingers. Had a ball with both clubs, and great dancing to two great callers. I don't get to dance much plus, so it made me think more than usual--stop laughing, I can think! Drove into Vancouver yesterday, about 20 miles, and wandered around until we were pretty much lost. Took out the GPS and found a Visitors Center. I've decided that this town is not user friendly! Maybe it is just that I'm not used to traffic--with a capital T--and construction EVERYWHERE!! Planning to take a drive to town again to look around some more, and then do a Skyrail trip this evening to see the town after dark.



Hells Gate Airtram



We headed down the Fraser River canyon after Cache Creek and stopped at Hells Gate Airtram. It is the narrowest place on the Fraser River--about 100 feet. While building the railroad they created a landslide the even made is narrower. They had to build fish ladders as the salmon could not navigate the narrows as the current is too strong. I thought this was bunk until I saw the swift water--and we were there during low water. Anyway, we went down to see and explore--but it wasn't free! Had a good time--or at least I had a good time. Kathy was just a little nervous about the ride.



I don't want to go!



We might be leaving tomorrow for home. I sure I'm ready, and I think Kathy is ready. We'll see what we get seen today and then decide.

Moving on.

9/15/10

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Lunch stop: Historical spot restored!

Agnes McVee's Post House:
She was a notorious serial killer and robber!

We left Prince George and are slowly making our way to Vancouver, BC. Slow being the operative word. We spent a night in Williams Lake, and last night in Cache Creek. The variety of landscapes we have seen on this trip is amazing. We're now in high country desert much like home; rolling hills, dotted with canyons and big "soft" mountains. The highway we're on is Highway 1 connecting Cache Creek with Hope; an alternative route from the main highway 5 going though Kamloops.

Saying Goodby to an Old Friend

9/12/10

Our Maggie

Well, we are in Prince George, BC, CA, at Southpark RV Park. It is south of town 4 miles. As we said, Maggie was not doing well when we got here, so we immediately took her to a great vet clinic--that was on Friday. Staff and docs were knowledgeable and courteous. We left her with them to IV some fluids to hydrate and do blood work. That afternoon, they informed us that her kidneys weren't working well at all--possibly from dehydration. After watching her and checking blood, it was decided that her kidneys were shutting down--a side effect of heart failure. Yesterday we had Maggie put to sleep about 2 pm, and then buried her at the RV park. The people here have dogs and a beautiful place to walk dogs in the woods and grasslands. It is their place and they were happy to let us have a place to bury her.

Maggie was a faithful and loving dog and part of the family. She will be missed greatly! We might have managed to get her home, but it would have been abusive to her just for our benefit--and she deserved better!

Lunch stop in Yukon, June

Sorry about the downer on the blog, but it is what is happening here. We are staying here one more night, and then on towards Vancouver, BC.

Yukon River Bridge--Trip to Arctic Circle in August

On a hike in June

News from Houston, BC that is!

9/09/10

Destruction Bay Camp on Kluane Lake

Mountain top in fog

Go back to Refrigerator Woes and look at the video I finally got uploaded--it's cool!
We've landed here at the Shady Rest RV park in Houston, BC, CA. Quite a nice little town and a great RV park. Our journey south has been pretty uneventful, and steady. We drove from Delta Junction to Tok, AK to pick up our mail, send off Bosco's handgun and do laundry all in preparation for our trek home. We drove in stages to Beaver Creek, to a sand bar near Destruction Bay, to Whitehorse, and then Carcross. At Carcross we parked the RV in the AM and drove to Skagway, AK. The drive was absolutely beautiful and that was in the rain. On the drive back to Carcross, in the rain, this mountain top just appeared out to the fog--it was really weird looking!! From Carcross we drove to Baby Nugget RV Park by the junction of Alaska Highway and the Cassiar Highway.

Fjord out of Skagway

We drove the Cassiar highway from the Alaska highway near Watson Lake south 450 miles to the Yellowhead highway, BC highway 16. We've had beautiful weather lately but the report is that clouds and rain are on their way. We had to spend a night in Dease Lake, BC because they closed the Cassiar due to a fatal accident. We spent last night at Cassiar RV park in Kitwanga, BC, CA. Before we left we took a walk down to a fish enumeration station and spoke with one of the workers and he explained their work. The work is fascinating and our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Maggie is feeling bad today and we've been watching her pretty closely. Even our phones haven't been working due to lack of signal. Our goal tomorrow is Prince George and then from there on toward Vancouver on highway 97.