Year Four - Day One Hundred and Seventeen

Sam’s View

Today we drove to Thermopolis, WY. The camp has the third largest hot mineral pool in the world! It feels nice.

Summer’s View

After leaving the KOA, we only had to drive about 200 miles to reach Thermopolis, WY. We are spending two nights here to enjoy the world’s third largest hot springs mineral pool! Ahhh!

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Sixteen

Sam’s View

Today we drove to Billings, MT. At the campground I met some kids at the playground and played for over an hour.

Summer’s View

We left the rest area this morning and drove to Billings, MT where we spent the night at the KOA there – again! This time we had a bigger site, so it was a little nicer stay. Sam met some kids on the playground and played well after dark!

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Fifteen

Sam’s View

Today we drove about 40 miles past Missoula, MT and slept at a rest stop.

Summer’s View

We drove east from Fall City, WA and made it into MT. We were going to stop for the night at a KOA in Missoula, MT but they were full by the time we got there, so we went about 40 miles further down the road and spent the night at a rest stop.

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Fourteen

Sam’s View

Today I fed the goats some carrots, and they liked them. After we left the campground, we put the rv in another shop, and went to McDonald’s, Michael’s Arts and Crafts Store so I can build atom models, and we went to Barnes and Nobles and got books. After that we took the rv to Fall City, WA.

Summer’s View

After Sam went to give the goats some carrots and bid goodbye to the farm animals, we dropped off the RV at the glass shop for the windshield replacement around 10:00 am. After our daily McDonald’s visit, we went to a Michael’s craft store for some school supplies for Sam – he is excited about building atoms and molecules in 3D. J

We then went to a Barnes and Nobles bookstore to get some school material for Sam – yay books! J

After a fancy early dinner at Taco Bell, we picked up the RV and headed to a campground just east of Seattle in a little town called Fall City. We are on the road headed east tomorrow, so we wanted to be out of the rush hour traffic zone in the morning.

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Thirteen

Sam’s View

Today we went to Priest Point Park. We walked on the beach and climbed hills! It was fun!

 

Summer’s View

Today we took the RV back to drop it off at the garage at noon so they can repair it. After some quality time at a McDonald’s (yawn) we went to a local park named Priest Point Park to stretch our legs and kill some time. We walked around some of their trails through some beautiful old growth forests and along the bay. It was a nice place, and Buster loved it, too!

After a shopping trip to Walmart, we went back to the garage around 4:30, but the RV was still not ready so we waited in their lounge area until we could take it to the campground. We finally made it back to the campground around 8:30 pm.

 

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Twelve

Sam’s View

Today we did a 3 mile corn maze. We found all 18 clues in about 2.5 hours! Yay! Buster saw chickens and barked for about half the maze.

 

Summer’s View

After a night at the KOA, where I FINALLY had a chance to do some laundry, we took the RV back to the garage to drop it off at 10:00 am. We spent some time at McDonald’s and then went to a corn maze just up the street. It was pretty cool, with two “treasure” hunts so we spent a couple of hours walking around, and Buster got dirty and thirsty in the dust, LOL!

When we went back to the garage, the RV needed another part that was super expensive (is there any other kind?) and they can’t get it until Wednesday, so we took the RV to a campground down the street near the corn maze to spend the next couple of nights. This campground is really nice, and our site is in a big open field bordered with huge trees, with some goats, ducks, and chickens behind us to keep Sam busy and drive Buster crazy. J

Sam and Daddy did some metal detecting for a while – relax time.

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Eleven

Sam’s View

Today we put the rv into a shop.

Summer’s View

We were supposed to drive to Kent, WA (just outside of Seattle) to spend the night at the KOA so we can get our windshield replaced tomorrow, but the stop engine light keeps coming on, so we are taking the RV to a garage in Olympia. All of the gauges are reading good temps, so we think it is just a bad sensor or something, but we have to get it checked.

After stopping at the garage, they told us they can’t look at it until tomorrow, so we had to find a place to stay the night. After calling all of the RV campgrounds in the area and only getting one to answer the phone (no vacancy) we decided to drive up to stay at the KOA in Kent after all. 58 miles each way – bummer.

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Ten

Sam’s View

Today we took the rv and car on a ferry to Port Angeles, WA!!!!! We made it back to the USA!!! Yay!!! We stayed at a KOA. It has a pool and hot tub! I will be in both.

 

Summer's View

We finally made it back to the lower 48 today – woo hoo! We took a ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA. After a nice ferry ride where we saw a pod of orcas on one side and a humpback whale on the other, we made it into port. The customs agents went through our fridge and took tomatoes, scallions, and a green pepper (for fajita night, I suspect), but they left an apple. I find that strange, because they took the apples from a car in front of us. Hmmm.

We just drove down the road to spend the night at the KOA, but the stop engine light kept coming on, so now we have a new engine problem. Oh, joy.

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Nine

Sam’s View

Today we went whale watching! We saw orcas, grey whales, seals, sea lions, birds, and I even saw a little squid! One grey whale came really close to the boat! I loved it a lot!!!!!

 

Summer’s View

We decided to go whale watching today with Jaime’s Whale Adventures. What a great day! The weather was postcard perfect again, and the bay was flat like glass. Along the way to the area where they spotted whales feeding, we saw some harbor seals lounging on the rocks, and some sea lions. There were quite a few sea lion pups, too!

We came to an area where there were several grey whales feeding – awesome! One came really close to the boat and even came up to look at US looking at him! For the first time, I was actually close enough to get some decent pics!

 

 

On the trip back to the harbor, we came across a pod of orcas feeding, so we watched them for a while. It was a family group, and they had one calf that was only about five feet long – he was so cute! It was an awesome trip!

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Eight

Sam’s View

Today we went hiking on the Pacific Rim Trail! We saw tidepools with sea stars, crabs, snails, and anemones! We also saw a shipwreck and a lighthouse! It was amazing and I loved it!

 

Summer’s View

We hiked a mile or two along the Wild Pacific Trail, and it was beautiful! The views were amazing, and the weather was gorgeous. We went down to climb on the rocks a couple of times, and checked out some tide pools. There were bat stars, hermit crabs and snails everywhere! Lots of anemones, too, including the green ones.

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Seven

Sam’s View

Today we took a ferry with the rv and car to Vancouver Island! After that we drove for 2.5 hours to Ucluelet! The camp has a hot tub and sauna! Yay!

Summer’s View

Today’s adventure was our trip to Vancouver Island, taking the RV and car across the bay on a ferry! It was a two hour ferry trip, and they had really good food at the cafeteria on board! Buster had to stay in the RV alone, so he was not a happy camper!

After arriving on the island, we had about a four hour drive to Ucluelet, which is a small town on the western shore of the island. The drive took us over and around a lot of mountainous terrain, along a narrow, winding road.

The campground I had made reservations with was not what it advertised on the internet – it had no power hookups, only electrical boxes for an extension cord to plug into, and the “lodge” was closed with a tarp over the roof. The office was closed, and the person in the pub had no idea what to do about a campground check-in. We left and went down the road to a different campground, which at least has 30 amp power and water. They also have a hot tub and sauna – big plus! Dinner at a local restaurant with EXCELLENT food wrapped up the day!

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Six

Sam’s View

Today we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park! We walked across a 450 foot long suspension bridge, in the treetops, on a cliffwalk, and over streams! I loved it!

 

Summer’s View

Today we went to Suspension Bridge Park to check out a reeeeeaaally long suspension bridge! LOL It was a beautiful park, with boardwalks and nature walks all along the river and huge canyon. There was a treetop walk, and a cliff walk, too! We had a good time, and Sam really enjoyed it!

 

 

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Five

Sam’s View

Today we went to the Vancouver Aquarium! We saw fish, beluga whales, jellyfish, dolphins, porpoises, crabs, and sea otters! They were amazing!

 

Summer’s View

We went to the Vancouver Aquarium today to check out their sea creatures. It is a beautiful aquarium, but a lot of the exhibits are not in operation, and only one cafeteria was open for food, and it was lined up out the door with SLOW service.

This aquarium is the only one in Canada that does not capture their animals in the oceans, but rather only displays and trains animals they have rescued and rehabilitated, and that cannot be returned to the wild. The white-sided dolphins were beautiful!

 

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Four

Sam’s View

Today we drove to Vancouver, BC!

Summer’s View

Today we drove down to Vancouver – almost across the border! Woo hoo! It was a nice, uneventful drive, and we stayed at a campground right in West Vancouver, close to everything! It has a swimming pool that is open, and a hot tub! Ahh!

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Three

Sam’s View

Today we hiked and saw four waterfalls! The first one is Spahat Falls. It is about 250 feet tall, but the tallest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls at 3,212 feet!!! It is in Venezuela, South America.

 

Summer’s View

Today we went to Wells Gray Provincial Park to check out the waterfalls they are known for. It was a nice drive, with many stops along the way to see some beautiful waterfalls. You could spend an entire summer in this park and not make it to all of the trails – it is huge!

At one falls called Bailey's Chute, we saw the last of the seasonal king salmon run, with a few trying to jump over some big falls!

 

 

Buster went with us, and he was tired when we finished. After having some local pizza for an early dinner, Sam was excited to get to spend some time on Skype with his friends since we have wifi here.

 

Year Four - Day One Hundred and Two

Sam’s View

Today me and daddy went whitewater rafting and I jumped off a 20 foot cliff!

 

 

Summer’s View

Today is a rest day for me – I think the combination of constant bouncing and altitude changes has made me green around the gills.

After spending a quiet morning around camp, Jim and Sam went whitewater rafting in the afternoon. Jim wore the GoPro camera, and caught a video of Sam jumping off a 20 ft. cliff! Wow! I did NOT expect that! J They had a great time.

Year Four - Day One Hundred and One

Sam's View

Today we drove to Clearwater, BC.

Summer’s View

As we drove today, we could tell the change to civilization – larger towns, fast food restaurants and chain stores! J  The temperature was warmer and the windshield got covered with bugs – it was too cold for them farther north!

Jim pushed it and we drove about 500 miles to make it to the KOA in Clearwater, BC. We are staying here for three nights to check out Wells Gray Provincial Park. It was 9:30 pm when we arrived after seeing four mule deer almost jump in front of the RV and driving down the longest steepest grade of our travels in the dark, but we made it!

Year Four - Day One Hundred

Sam's View

Today we drove to Smithers, BC. The campground we stayed at had a glacier in front of it!

Summer’s View

We were getting ready to leave, and found we had a flat tire on the RV. Bummer! Jim found a tire guy through the RV park office, who came out, took it off, and found the tire monitor attached to the valve stem had loosened which caused it to leak air. So, he aired it up and put it back on – all done!

Even though it was 3:00 pm by the time we left, we drove along the bumpy roads and made it just west of Smithers to spend the night at Glacier View RV Park. This was the view out our front window!

 

 

Year Four - Day Ninety-Nine

Sam’s View

Today we drove to Stewart, BC. When we got there we went and saw a grizzly bear!

Summer’s View

Today we were trying to make it to the junction of 37 and 16, but a wrong turn was made and we ended up going about 25 miles down 37A to Stewart, BC / Hyder, AK. They are separated by a border crossing. It was a 25 mile drive down a gorgeous valley with a river running alongside and waterfalls everywhere, ending at the little town. When we got to the campground there, a caravan was staying there. We found out this is the bear viewing place to be! How cool!

We drove across the border to a little station of the Tongass National Forest to a boardwalk area along the river where the salmon run and the bears come down to fish. They said the bears had almost had their fill for the season, but we were lucky enough to see one of their “regulars” – a HUGE grizzly named Monica, who entertained all with her fishing, eating, and prancing!

This wrong turn became a right! J

 

On the drive to the viewing area, we came across a mother black bear and her two cubs strolling down the road.

 

Year Four - Ninety-Eight

Sam’s View

Today we traveled about 340 miles to Simmons Lake. When we got there, we saw beavers, and I found diamonds!!!!! Yay!!!!!!

Summer’s View

We left Whitehorse, Yukon today and headed south. After traveling about 340 miles, we stopped for the night at a roadside pullover at Simmons Lake, which is beautiful! There was a beaver couple busily working on their lodge all evening. Sam had some fun combing the beach area, where he collected some quartz crystals he dubbed “diamonds.” LOL

 

Year Four - Day Ninety-Seven

Sam’s View

Today we went to a wildlife refuge and saw goats, muskox, bison, caribou, foxes, and ground squirrels! One of the squirrels yelled at me and I jumped! After that, we went to the S.S Klondike paddleboat. It had 5 floors! Then we ate at The Klondike restaurant! After we came back, we went in the hot springs and I found a tooth in the water!

Summer’s View

Although it was raining – again – Sam and I went to the Yukon Wildlife Refuge a mile down the road from the campground. We did the walking tour, which was about 3 miles, and we saw the usual northern creatures of bison, muskox, and caribou. They also had some Thin Horned Sheep, which were very similar to the Big Horn Sheep, but smaller. They had a few lambs, and one really new one only a day or two old! Some Snowshoe Hares were sharing their enclosure with the local ground squirrels, who were quite tolerant of our presence, letting us get very close before chattering and running away.

 

 

Later, we all went to Whitehorse and stopped by the S.S.Klondike, which is an old paddleboat freighter that used to travel the local rivers. We stopped in and found out it was the last 30 minutes of the last day of the season to view it! Afterwards, we stopped to eat at the Klondike Bar and Grill, which is one of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse. We finished the day up with another trip to the Takhini Hot Springs – ahh!

 

Year Four - Day Ninety-Six

Sam’s View

Today we drove about 300 miles to Whitehorse, YT. The camp has a natural hot spring pool!

Summer’s View

We crossed the border into Canada this morning, and traveled to Whitehorse, Yukon. Our stop for tonight and tomorrow night is at Takhini Hot Springs Campground about 15 miles from Whitehorse. It has – you guessed it – natural hot springs! J

As usual, it has rained most of the day, but we managed to take a dip in the hot springs anyway. We ate at the Café at the hot springs, but the menu was a little different from our usual fare – they only made crepes. Different, but pretty good, although it is not something I will be clamoring for in the future. The campground is in the process of being rebuilt, so it has no running water and no bath houses, so…. No showers. That’s a first for us in camping – other than dry camping. Beautiful place, though, so it will be even better when they are finished with their upgrades.

 

Just a note – we found out that Fairbanks had two earthquakes last night – a 5.1 and another of 4.1 or so! No damages, just some shaking. Our new friends were sure surprised by it!

Year Four - Day Ninety-Five

Sam’s View

Today we drove about 300 miles and stopped at Port Alcan, AK.

Summer’s View

We left Fairbanks this morning, saying goodbye to our new friends. Sam and Joseph really took a liking to each other, and we will keep in touch online. Our drive of about 300 miles found us spending the night in Port Alcan, AK which is the last stop before crossing the Canadian border.