Destination Circle: Day 16

May 29, 2016

Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly McKinley National Park, is 6,000,000 acres, mostly designated Wilderness, meaning very little man-made alteration is allowed. It truly is a gift to all of us; it's yours and mine to visit but it's home to the animals.

Here's the deal: There is one main park road which is 92 miles and ends at Kantishna where gold was found which was the original impetus for white men to enter what is now Denali, but this incredibly beautiful land also drew others:

www.kantishnaroadhouse.com

"The spring of 1906 brings a remarkable individual to the region, Charles Sheldon. A retired businessman and self trained naturalist, Sheldon comes to the region primarily to study northern sheep (Dall). Well traveled and Yale-educated, he immediately recognizes the uniqueness of the place with the spectacular mountain scenery, Mount McKinley (Denali) the tallest mountain in North America, and the opportunity to see wildlife in such a majestic setting. After a summer exploration with Harry Karstens, another of the Denali greats, he decides to return the following spring. By August of 1907 Sheldon had established his camp along the Toklat river, building a cabin and spending the winter collecting specimens for the Biologic Survey. Noticing the hunting practices of market hunters coming into the area, he realizes that if the animal populations were not protected they would be extripated, hunted out. So begins a colossal fight to protect the animal populations and in turn results in the creation (February 1917) of what eventually becomes Denali National Park and Preserve. A crown jewel in the national park system. Charles Sheldon is considered the founding father and guiding spirit of Denali. He laid out the original park boundary and in his diary on January 12, 1908, presumably in his cabin on the Toklat river, coined the name Denali National Park. Harry Karstens, at the suggestion of Sheldon, became the first park superintendent, and is considered to have set the standard for administration along with being a grand adventurer in his own right, having led a party, the first, to the top of  Denali (June 7,1913).

The park however was not immediately available to the general public, in fact it was something of a back water. Even with the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923 access to the interior of the park was limited because of the rugged terrain and lack of funding coming from the Department of the Interior to develop an access road. It wasn’t until 1938 after 15 seasons of toil that a road snakes through to the Kantishna district.

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Most vehicles are not allowed past the the 15-mile mark, but bus tours/shuttles run all day from May through September, either a talking tour or (in theory) a silent shuttle. The drivers either tell passengers all about the park (tours) or just drives the bus (shuttles). And one can choose a long or short tour/shuttle. I opted for the long talking tour but it was filled up so reserved a spot on a 6-hour "silent" bus which went as far Toklat River at mile 54. I had to be at the WAC (Wilderness Access Center) at 0730. These less expensive shuttles leave all day at half-hour intervals. Whenever and wherever someone wants to get off to hike around or camp in the backcountry, they just hop off anywhere along the road. If one wants back on a bus, he/she just stands by the road-side and holds up a thumb. The tours are more expensive than the shuttles. The prices range from $150 to $50 per person.

People are pretty much allowed anywhere in Denali as long as they sign up, watch a backcountry safety video, learn how to leave no trace, learn about grizzlies and moose dangers, have the required gear, etc. There are trails to follow or hikers can bushwhack.

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I also made a reservation at the only campground with space available. One can drive a vehicle to the Teklanika camping area well up into the park but must stay a minimum of three days. From a base there, campers just walk out to the main park road and wait for buses to take them wherever they wish.

Denali National Park

I was very lucky with the weather. Everyone, of course, wants to "see the mountain" and only 30% do as clouds obscure it most days. It was another perfect day weather-wise.

We hopped on a new green bus and the driver (Wendy) was wonderful. She came to Alaska 30+ years ago when her Dad worked on the pipeline. I figured she was now in her 50s. In the winter she drives a school bus in Anchorage. She talked the whole way, which was fine as she was funny, helped spot animals (one grizzly, several Dall sheep, moose and caribou) and knew just enough of the geology, flora, and the history of Denali to be interesting. She wasn't required to talk as this wasn't an official informative tour, but she loved doing it. The road was gravel much of the way, a bit precipitous in a few places ("don't look down or move to the other side of the bus if this bothers you") with several pullouts. I had to laugh: on the way back, half the passengers were sleeping or dozing....like this was a tiring experience. We picked up and dropped off people several times.  Most were serious dedicated backpackers with their huge loads, girls and guys, fit, healthy, attractive, adventurous.

Riley Creek Campground in Denali National Park

And there are the mountain climbers. As of yesterday, of the 457 people on the mountain, one of them died, a 45-year-old Czech man who "tumbled roughly 1500 feet" which was "witnessed by multiple parties at the 14,200-foot base camp." They reached him within 10 minutes, but he died of multiple trauma. Less than 20% of those who have tried summiting this year have succeeded. (Alaska Dispatch News).

By mid afternoon, we were back and I drove through the campground, picking out a good spot. The young man who registered me warned about moose who wander the campground and who "are calving this time of year. We had to send several people to the hospital last year. If you are charged, just get something between you and the moose and zig-zag." There were absolutely no insects, no moose; the sun was out, the camp sites were all tucked in the spruces. I got a few supplies for dinner and settled in, half reading and half watching the quiet comings and goings of those near me.

As the evening with its forever light progressed, most folks sat quietly around campfires. I debated whether to set up my tent and then did not, due to inertia and the totally comfortable cot in my van. I have a great sleeping bag and slept soundly all night, waking at 0600 and then going back to sleep until 0730. I was warm but reluctant to get out of my sleeping bag as the temperature was in the low 40s. But there was laundry to do....

Destination Circle: Day 15

May 28, 2016

Shucks.....I finally researched Circle and how exactly to get there.  It is 160 miles northeast of Fairbanks with a population of 110, and it was my destination for the past two weeks. BUT, I decided not to go BECAUSE it would mean driving 160 miles of gravel road (only the first 80 are paved), and there are few services along the way if I got a flat tire which was a good possibility. I wanted to go to Circle to see the Yukon River, a river that for me is the epitome of wild and romantic Alaska and which was a prominent feature in nearly all the tales of Alaska I have read. I've always been drawn to rivers. However, there was a good chance I would inconvenience any unwary fellow traveler who would find me stranded by the side of the road with a vehicle malfunction. I really thought this road was paved all the way as there was no indication on the most of the maps that it wasn't. And after being on gravel for 40 miles yesterday, I got that out of my system.

I was mildly disappointed but so it goes....so it goes when one doesn't plan in advance very much.

Campground in Fairbanks where I did not stay

The sun was again shining this morning, and I found a beautiful campground (that I wished I had known about as I would have stayed there last night) on the banks of the Chena River which runs through Fairbanks. I sat by the river in the sun and sweet-smelling air, then and for breakfast ate a delicious Crab Louis salad from the deli in a Safeway but then discovered it tasted so good because it had 60% MDR of sodium...black olives, imitation crab meat, hard-boiled egg, greens, grape tomatoes and a dressing.

The drive to Denali National Park was a couple of hours and 100 miles south. I had tried to figure out where to stay the night and wanted to camp in the park. It being a holiday weekend and without reserving a campsite in advance, nothing was available for tonight, so I finally found a place called Denali Cabins on the Internet near the park. Except I couldn't find it in real-time. Siri directed me to an address on the highway with no dwelling in sight north of the park entrance. I tried again and got various directions both north and south of my current position. I finally found Grizzly Denali Campground or some name like that, pulled in, asked, and they told me Denali Cabins were "two miles south."

Wild Rose and Aspen at the campground in Fairbanks

Denali Cabins at 11 p.m.

They were wonderful. Even though my online reservation hadn't made it through, I showed the two seasonal workers at the desk (two college-age guys, one from Wisconsin and the other from California) the confirmation on my phone. They got the manager and she straightened it all out. I had a cabin to myself in this place that was fragrant with scent of pines. I lounged in the sunshine, reading, for several hours on the deck of what I thought was a bar (Lounge and Learn) until I went in search of a glass of wine late afternoon and discovered it was a cozy room with books and couches and puzzles, etc., and not a bar at all. But there WAS a restaurant next door where I got a light dinner. It was (to me) idyllic. More folks arrived throughout the evening, some by a free shuttle that went back and forth from the park. The whole place had an understated  north woods ambiance, in contrast to the hype and busyness of Park Village, a mile north of the park, which had the usual tourist commotion of gift shops and eateries and high-end lodging choices. The night was utterly quiet and I slept with the window open.

Destination Circle: Day 14

May 27, 2016

When I through Whitehorse last night in the rain, I noticed a Starbucks a couple of blocks from the Best Western, another surprise as there have been no free-standing Starbucks in the towns I've traveled through recently, and I certainly didn't expect to find one in Whitehorse.

So I worked there for an hour in the morning on the computer. Just outside the entrance, a ravaged Native was asking people for money. No one offered him anything as far as I could tell. I got a $5 Canadian bill ready to hand to him when I left, but he had moved on by then. The farther north I go in Canada, I see and hear more evidence and acknowledgement of First Nation peoples. Their concerns and redress for past wrongs is currently in the collective consciousness if judged by commentary on the CBC. Many place names are First Nation and several new museums and exhibits depict their history AND their present status.

Yukon Territory - west of Whitehorse

Then I drove 600 miles to Fairbanks on the Alaska (ALCAN) highway. I didn't intend to go that far, but it was fine, especially as the sun isn't setting until nearly midnight. It was a memorable day, driving all those miles with a billion trees and minimal signs of human intrusion on the land. 

I stopped a couple of times: at a First Nation Cultural Center in Haines Junction (Da Ku, meaning Our House) and then at Buckshot Betty's Roadhouse, a cozy place with a wood stove, a bakery, decent food, a friendly waitress, Canadian memorabilia for sale like T-shirts, sweatshirts and books about the North, and knickknacks near the register tempting those waiting to pay...items like “Wine Gum” which I never did figure out. The wrapper had the illustration of a piece of gum being pierced by a corkscrew.

Moose and calf - near Tok, Alaska

The Kluane National Park and Preserve west of Whitehorse matched the beauty of Banff and Jaspar National Parks and is also notable for massive ice fields behind the visible peaks. The traffic was minimal, and my day was mostly spent in the Canadian bush and wilderness, adjacent to mountains, driving over muskeg and bogs, past lakes and ponds and through spruce and alder, willows and aspen. Twice, I saw black bear along the roadside, and late in the day, a mother moose and her very young calf. I carefully showed down and stopped in the middle of the road to take photos. Such was the scarcity of traffic.

At one point, the highway became gravel...for miles. I wondered if I had missed a sign for this, but eventually came upon road construction crews with pilot cars and long waits x2, and then more  long stretches of gravel interrupted by an occasional brief segment of pavement...for at least 40 miles. Frost heave requires constant maintenance of this route. I waited for one pilot car near a lake with several pair of American Wigeons but, again, I haven't seen many birds this far north.

All day, I passed through brief rain showers, the sky dramatic and constantly changing with deep grey clouds moving in a bright blue expanse. The white trunks of the aspens (Maria's tree) are as lovely as the anything in this land.

Just after going through customs AGAIN, I stopped for gas which was $3.65/gallon, so I drove on, hoping it would be cheaper closer to Fairbanks, and it was in Tok (pronounced Toke). Ginny once dated a boy from Tok when we lived in Montana, a polite, gentle, shy kid who really liked her, but she wasn't that interested.

I came onto the 700,000 acre Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge but the Visitor Center was closed. It had a sod roof and a spacious deck overlooking marshy open habitat. The infamous Alaskan mosquitoes were hanging in the air waiting for me and I had miles to go....so didn't even think about hiking or checking out any of the backcountry of this refuge.

I don't know why I didn't get tired as I usually do after driving for 10 hours, but I felt mellow. I ate junk food (a bag of wedge-shaped orange slices and salt and vinegar potato skins), which normally would make me tired or bloated in addition to regretting my lack of discipline an hour after consumption but even that didn't happen. I was in the groove.....

Along the Alaska Highway

Fairbanks was a wild place in the early days of the oil pipeline, and my motel was across the street from a forlorn, now deserted, faded red building with “SHOW GIRLS” painted on the front. The book I “borrowed” from the motel in Williston talked about the Fairbanks of that era with “hookers on every street corner and guys with money falling out of their pockets.” The motel was a bit shabby and the curse of night noise continued to plague me with a very loud refrigerator. I unplugged that and kept looking at the clock and then outside. At 11 p.m., it was still very light. It's like the onset of evening is prolonged, as though the sun just stops a few hours.

Destination Circle: Day 13

May 26, 2016

Jeepers! I forgot the highlight of yesterday. For a couple of hours, we saw humpback whales south of Juneau. In the distance, someone would spot a "blow" and then we would soon see a whale's rounded back or one would waggle a long flipper or show its tail. Once, quite near, a whale breached...truly a thrill. Porpoises in small groups were also rapidly moving through the ocean close to the ship.

Only a dozen passengers were left by the time we got to Skagway early this morning. Three other cruise ships were berthed here, the most amazing being the Disney Wonder, a sister ship to the Disney Magic. It was incongruous to see this glamour and ostentation in the harbor of a small Alaskan town, towering OVER the town, at the end of its main street. It was the Donald Trump of cruise ships.

en.wikipedia.org:

"Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, and have a crew of approximately 950. Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of Disney Magic. As of 2015, Disney Wonder sails various North American itineraries on a seasonal basis.

Disney Wonder's Captain is Captain Fabian Dib and her "godmother" is Tinker Bell."

Skagway

Bald Eagles near Dyea / Skagway 

Skagway obviously has defined itself as a tourist destination with dozens (probably a hundred) shops and businesses lining the wooden sidewalks. They all have tasteful signs and many have expensive wares; there are small restaurants, aromatherapy stores, massage and yoga studios, art galleries and stores with the expected tackier tourist stuff but toned-down in presentation...all mingled with the necessary commerce that towns need. What I needed was a good cup of coffee. The air was fresh and cool but not cold. It was early and peaceful on Main Street with few people. While I waited in line in the coffee house, another customer with a very loud voice told me (and all the other clientele) about winning the lottery the only time he was ever in Michigan...like $750. Overhearing this, another guy asked me if I knew about Stony Lake. He had been a counselor at a camp there once. He talked quietly and called me Ma'am and told me to go to Dyea (Die-ee) which he spelled for me. "It's our sister town," he said and gave me directions. He was the typical recreational outdoorsy type one sees everywhere in the west where there are mountains or rivers or rocks to climb. So I went to Dyea. It was only a 16-mile detour off my road out of town. And I saw a life bird! an Arctic Tern. There is, of course, much attention given to gold rush era all through here. The Chilkoot Trail, which was the beginning of route to the Yukon gold fields in the late 1890s, starts in Dyea. The hopeful miners were headed to the Klondike river in Yukon Territory over the mountains to the north.

Grizzly on the road to Carcross

I spent the day moving in that direction, back into Canada, first through British Columbia and then into Yukon Territory. Within 10 minutes of passing through customs, a van ahead of me was stopped half on and half off the road. A young grizzly was foraging out in the open and very close. I carefully pulled off and watched it walk right past my car, a beautiful creature, its beauty and slow graceful movement a counterpoint to its potential ability to maul me to a bloody mess in seconds. I love reading bear attack stories which always, always describe how powerful and quick and ferocious bears can be. But this one had no bad intentions and ambled across the road just in front of a car coming around the curve, which fortunately saw it and slowed. 

I stopped in Carcross, BC, for a gas station lunch and coffee and thought about looking for the Polly's grave in the cemetery here. Someone on the ship had told me about this parrot of the Klondike era, how it got famous and finally died in 1972 reportedly having lived for 125 years, and how it was an awful bird known for "biting, drinking and swearing." But Carcross seemed especially dismal and charmless and I needed to get to Whitehorse and a good night's sleep. Actually, I forgot about Polly until I was well past the town. 

The scenery was again stunning, and even though the elevation of the route is not particularly high, it SEEMED high, with snow on the peaks and stunted, tundra-like flora. 

I love traveling where I've never been before. It all usually works out without too much planning ahead, and there are surprises. I thought, for instance, that Carcross would be at least a town of note, but it has a population of less than 300, so it's barely a village. I thought Whitehorse would be a small rough-around-the-edges western town, but it was bustling and much larger than I thought, sort of like a Missoula or a Traverse City.  It was raining hard when I arrived. I sat in my car, sorting things out, knowing the rain would soon stop as the sky was blue in the west. It eventually did, and I checked into a Best Western. I get Priceline deals that make motels an easy rationalization  And the current Best Western promotion is a $50 credit after two stays. 

A White-crowned Sparrow was singing loudly from a tree top in the parking lot, but I surely have not seen many birds on this trip. 

I had pork and veggie spring rolls in the hotel restaurant (a noisy sports bar) where most patrons were watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, even though Canada is no longer a contender. I watched a table near me: a girl and five guys. One guy looked a bit nerdy and was wearing a white shirt and tie; the other guys were typical 20-somethings bantering and decompressing after working in the office all day. The chick had thick blond braids loosely tied behind her head, beautiful skin, large glasses with pinkish plastic rims, a small piercing in her philtrum, tattoos from her elbows up which disappeared into her short-sleeved blouse; no makeup, talkative and flirty but not obnoxious...kind of like a Heidi who grew up and moved to the city. 

My room was a favorite location in motels: the second floor looking west. But I could easily hear the distracting TV next door. After an hour, I called the desk and the desk guy said it was the band downstairs and I said it wasn't. He offered to investigate but almost at that moment, the noise stopped, mostly for good. 

an amazing greenish color in a lake south of Whitehorse

Destination Circle: Day 12

May 25, 2016

Woke up on the water....traveling is seductive, isn't it? with all the memories one accumulates. Faith, you must have millions. Are your trips still clearly and easily recalled? all the wonderful and unexpected details and situations and people and geographies?

I had no idea what time it was or what time zone I was actually in. The clock in the cafeteria said 10:40, but no one was up and about. Folks were huddled in sleeping bags or under blankets on couches. I found coffee and an employee offered to get me an actual coffee cup and told me the "waxed" cups  on the counter weren't good for hot drinks, etc, etc. He was a young Native; other than the employees,  almost every person was Caucasian. Many were middle-aged to older couples speaking French or German (interestingly, no Japanese on board); some were slightly loose and disheveled (but in the backpacker way, not the biker way) and were usually on the open deck; and increasing numbers of young mothers with very noisy kids and babies came aboard as we moved north. It was 5:50 a.m. I figured out as I sat in the front, watching for birds and reading and drinking coffee. Perfect....

Seals taking their leisure where they can

The ocean was calmer now that we were definitely on the INLAND waterway, calm but mostly overcast with intermittent rain all day. I saw a life bird: a Pacific Loon, similar to the Common but which has a pearly grey head and neck. Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots were numerous along with other species flying swiftly over the water that I couldn't ID.

I read most of the day, a book of essays by Peter Hessler. He had at one time been in the Peace Corps in China and then stayed as a journalist, and much of his writing is about that country. It was quiet and civil. There were no TV or radios or any digital stuff happening, except for cameras. Many of the men had binoculars but weren't birders, and nearly everyone took photos. We stopped at Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines and finally Skagway the next morning. Each stop was prolonged as the captain had to do no damage to his ship or the docks and moved cautiously. The harbors had small to medium-sized fishing boats; the homes rose on slight hills. These villages are isolated collections of humans in a world of water and trees and wilderness. Much of the route is actually through the Tongrass National Forest. One cannot drive to Ketchikan or Juneau - it's either boat or plane, and I wondered about health care and medical emergencies, the schools, the kids growing up, the social hierarchies, the economies. Two Alaskan guys were gabbing, and the subject arose of moving Alaska's capital (now Juneau) to a more accessible city. The more voluble, opinionated one said that this wouldn't happen as the politicians like that their constituents "couldn't get to them easily."

Table top in the cafeteria on the Matanuska

Four of the tabletops in the spacious cafeteria were works of art, commissioned by various government agencies. Birds, animals, sea fauna and shells each had a separate table. Really, they were beautiful, accurate and informative, as good as any nature guide.

I moved from side to side, from window seat to window seat depending on the direction of the rain. I went to the open deck and read there and spent time outside watching as the captain moved through a long narrows aided by red and green navigational buoys. It was a nice bit of seafaring.

through a narrow strait on the Matanuska

If I ever do this route again, I would sleep out on the deck in a sleeping bag or on a couch inside. The rattling in my cabin was not dulled by Dramamine the second night and was significant. I saw where previous occupants had shoved pieces of cardboard between the metal joint of the bunk above, and I added another six pieces with no improvement. I slept fitfully for four hours.

Destination Circle: Day 11

May 24, 2016

I saw a Safeway yesterday that had a Starbucks, so I headed there after checking out. I had to be at the ferry dock at 2:30 p.m. I bought fruit and a few other things to eat on the ship, sorted out my car and packed stuff I would need since I wouldn't have access to my car and would be on the boat for two nights. I then went to the Museum of Northern British Columbia which was right across the street from the grocery store. Small but informative and nicely done as many museums are. 

I headed for the ferry. I was early and figured I would read in my car but then noticed my tire pressure warning light was on. F____! I have a tire gauge, checked the tires and one was low. I used Gas Buddy to find the nearest gas station, tried to put air in, kept getting inconsistent readings, put more air in, nothing improved, googled “how to put air in a tire” which explained exactly what I was doing and which wasn't working but also suggested going to a tire shop and have them do it. I googled "tire shop," found one right across the street from the hostel, went there and they checked the offending tire and put air in at no charge. Of course, I worried that there was a REASON the tire is losing air, but at least for the next four hours, no warning light came on.

Several vehicles were already in line at the Alaska Marine Highway terminal. They measured the length of my car. I went in and got a boarding pass, showed my passport and got a form to fill out for customs as once I got on the boat, I would be back in the US...sort of. 

Various middle-aged men came and talked to me. One, whose wife had passed away recently was returing to Juneau (where he had lived for 62 years) to see if he wanted to go back since he and his wife had moved to Tennessee before she died. He was driving a huge motor home Another guy was from Minnesota, traveling alone and we talked routes and highways. Another one had built a hot rod truck which I had noticed as it was nosiy and bright orange and was towing a travel trailer. He was carrying a small poodle. He had written a book (So You Want to Build a Hot Rod) and was planning to write the last chapter on this trip. He also told me how desparately his wife wants to dress in her elf gear (“She just LOVES Christmas!”) and get photos taken at North Pole, Alaska. HE wants to be above the Arctic Circle in "Coldfoot on June 21" to see the sun circle (motioning with his hands) the sky at the solstice. We also talked routes and travel. There were many large RVs, some pickup trucks hauling trailers, vans and one small bright green sedan with a bright green canoe on top.

A found a $20 Canadian bill under my car. The bills are weird-feeling, like plastic with a transparent section. Their one dollar is a coin with a loon on it and is called a loonie. 

A guy came by asking about fruit, and since the apples and oranges I had just bought were not from the US or Canada, they were not allowed. He said they would be donated to the local food bank. I had a HAZ sticker for my bear spray but no one seemed concerned about that.

Me and one other car were last to load as we are going to Skagway, the end of the line. My destination for the ferry was either Skagway or Haines, and Dave and Ellen said they were an hour apart and wouldn't matter much for my plan.

a Cosco container ship...much more impressive than this photo shows

A huge Cosco container ship was parked near us, and gigantic cranes were loading and arranging shipping containers, hundreds of them. And a train was bringing more. 

Inland waterway along the BC coast

After an interminable wait, we finally left. The sky had cleared, and it was exciting to be moving. I got a stateroom on the outside for a reasonable rate. Some people put up tents or hammocks on the open deck; many sleep inside as there are several lounges and the ferry is not yet crowded this time of year. There is also an open air but covered solarium with heat lamps, so we had several options for moving about. The ship was the MV Matanuska, an older vessel in the AMH system.

After a couple of hours, I took a preemptive Dramamine because I live in utter terror of being the least bit queasy, and we were rolling some as the wind was up. We started this trip in more open water before getting behind the coastal islands. I didn't really feel nauseated but was neurotically nervous about the possibility. 

So I then fell asleep with my clothes on until we reached Ketchikan where it seemed we dawdled for hours. It was 00:16 when I woke up, got on pajamas, ate 15 craquelins with cranberries, read until I got drowsy again and slept OK, barely tolerating the loud rattle above my head that sounded exactly like rain on a tin roof except it waxed and waned with the boat motion – loud, softer, loud, softer – every 10 seconds.  

the MV Matanuska 

Destination Circle: Day 10

May 23, 2016

West of Smithers BC

The drive from Smithers was one more spectacle of snow-covered mountains in brilliant sunlight. It is a national holiday in Canada and traffic was sparse. I stopped for breakfast at Kitwanga where the Cassiar highway goes north to Alaska, one of two options for driving to Alaska from the US, the other being the ALCAN, also known as the Alaska Highway.

I stopped for a late breakfast in a busy road house / gas station / restaurant, definitely an edgier venue than the relatively sedate places I've stopped to date. A rangy tall guy was waiting outside with his backpack and belongings, probably hitching, one foot against the wall. A couple of Harley dudes with bandanas were messing with their cycles. The restaurant clientele was mostly First Nation, as was my waitress. I just made the breakfast cut-off time of 11:00 and had the best bacon I've ever had in my life. Service was slow which is fine with me. I always have a book to read and like the lingering after driving, driving, driving. I always feel a need to be especially respectful of Native American or First Nation people - historic guilt I guess. I don't want them to defer to me and would like their respect in turn.

I love hearing the lilt in their voices as they chatter free and at ease amongst themselves. What do they really think of us?

I saw the first billboard warning girls about hitchhiking along the route I was taking, with photos of three murdered girls. It was called Trail of Sorrow or Trail of Terror...something like that. I saw a couple more signs along the way as I drove west. "Killer on the Loose" said one.....Jeez. 

Port Rupert, BC

The way west was entirely along the Skeena River all the way to Prince Rupert with more mountains, intermittent waterfalls and no gas for 100 miles. Nor did I see wildlife, roadkill or even many birds. As I got closer to Prince Rupert, the traffic increased however, and folks were fishing the river. The Canadian Pacific Trunk Railway runs through this valley also. As I neared the coast, the sunshine slowly turned to mist and drizzle and gloomy grey skies. 

The hostel in Port Rupert.

So, where to stay? Not in a tent in the drizzly cold; not in my car as it was way too early in the day....(the slightest excuse for not camping is sufficient). I spent 30 minutes researching options and picked a “guest house” which turned to to be a backpacker / hostel. I walked in and no one was around except a gentleman with a French accent working at a table in the dining area on a computer. He thought perhaps someone was upstairs, so I went up two flights, calling out “Hello? Hello?” and finally a young girl came out of a room she had been cleaning and checked me in. The place smelled like Eunice's house...that good herbal, veggie, spicy scent. There was a front room with couches and books, a communal kitchen and dining area and various sleeping rooms, either with private baths or shared. I got one with a private bath. It was spartan but clean with great bedding.

I was feeling a teeny bit queasy so decided to walk about in the fresh air, passed a couple of waterfront restaurants / pubs, wasn't tempted, so went to a grocery store and got gingerale, goat cheese and rice crackers which totally sufficed for dinner. Ravens were making weird loud croaking noises from on the top of a nearby building.

When I got back, I intended to read in the living room on one of the two couches. There was a woman on the other who was waiting for a taxi to take her to the ferry (which is why I also am in Prince Rupert, although I won't leave until tomorrow afternoon). She was going to Queen Charlotte Island – an overnight ferry ride – and will spend two weeks there. She was (I guessed) in her 50s or 60s, was born in Switzerland, now lives in Canada, has raised a family and was doing this on her own. We talked a lot about women traveling by themselves. She told me how she and her family had had a grand RV trip planned just before 9/11. They considered cancelling but decided to go anyway – across Canada, down into Maine and across the US, including the Grand Canyon where they benefitted from the fear following 9/11. Since there were so many cancellations, she and her family were able to hike in the canyon and stay in the park. We didn't get into her situation, but she was doing this current trip on her own. She had also gone to Costa Rica by herself for several weeks recently. We never even exchanged names but had a pleasant chat. Her taxi came; she picked up all her gear and off she went to explore this place where indigenous Haida live. Queen Charlotte is largely rain forest habitat off the coast of British Columbia.

It's funny: when people ask me where I live, and I say Michigan, there are folks who can barely place the state in the US....like they are not sure if it is in the Midwest, or the east, or exactly where it is, especially those from the western Canadian provinces. But then, how many Americans can correctly locate the Canadian provinces on a map...

After she left, I was reading and a young blond girl (who had replaced the girl who checked me in) was doing laundry and folding towels and sheets in the living room. After 9 p.m., no one would be on the premises I was told, but if there were problems, I could call a number and wait at the “front door” and someone would come. There was also a yarn shop off the living room. Both businesses have been for sale for two years but the owner wants a lot of money and isn't pressured to sell unless she gets the right price.

Two guys came in speaking French. One turned on the TV but on mute. I told him I wouldn't mind, he could listen, but he shrugged and said he just wanted to get the score. There is some big sport tournament happening in Canada, as last night at least two people came into the place I was eating and immediately asked the waitress what the score was. Hockey?

I left him the living room, went to bed and was reading when there was a persistent knock at my door. It was a young Asian girl who had just arrived and who wondered if I was in the "women's dormitory? and what type of room exactly had I signed up for?" I told her the guys were upstairs, and we agreed she should just take one of the rooms downstairs and figure it out in the morning. 

After that I soon fell asleep and had the second wonderful night of sleep so far on this trip. I am wondering if eating light later in the day makes for sounder sleep? 

Destination Circle: Day 9

May 22, 2016

The rain was coming down with no mercy when I woke up and the temperature was in the 40s. It was Sunday, and there was only one table left in the restaurant where I lingered over eggs, bacon and coffee. Wait staff use clever hand-held gadgets for payment at one's table. I've only seen them in Canada although perhaps they are not that new elsewhere....just not in the US where I have travelled. A credit / debit card is inserted and one is prompted through the process. It handles chips, prints a receipt and gives tip options, with ease and efficiency.

As soon as I started driving west, I entered another area with no gas for 100 miles. This has been quite common in Canada which speaks to the lack of commerce and abundance of nature. Eventually the rain stopped and the day cleared to sunshine and blue skies, mountains and deep forests showing many shades of green as various deciduous trees are leaving out. The scent of evergreens fills the air and always smooths the ragged edges of my inner dialogue. The trees are gigantic.

along Canada highway 16 West

Black bear  

Early in the day and just after seeing a sign warning of moose collisions, I saw a moose. How cool is that? chocolate-colored, large and standing in the drizzle on the green grassy verge. And a bit later, I rounded a curve and saw a black bear, probably a cub, in the open at the edge of the forest. It scuttled just into the tree line and then stopped and checked out what I was going to do, which was (of course) try for a photo.

Traffic was light and I got used to the metric system, staying close to the posted speed limits although most other drivers didn't. Not once have I seen provincial police patrolling the roads.

I have been listening to the CBC (Canada's NPR) and am impressed with the content and the way guests are allowed to talk at length without interruption by the hosts. The pace is slower, not so frenetic, more measured, and people are given time to express their views. And, I have heard very little about Trump; no hyperventilating commentators saying one more time how unstable, unsuitable and ill-informed Trump is or expressing feeble outrage over his latest declarations.

I heard a fascinating interview with Jay Parini, a professor at Middlebury Colllege in Vermont who wrote about his long friendship with Gore Vidal, a book titled The Empire of Self.

I arrived in Smithers, BC, late afternoon, checked into a motel, asked for a room change, was granted that and now looked at the mountains to the west. I walked around the area chasing a bird and failed to find it since it was singing in the trees behind a gate to "Private Property."

between McBride and Smithers, BC

Destination Circle: Day 8

May 21, 2016

I woke before 6 a.m. as I was now in the Pacific Time Zone. The mountains were totally obscured by clouds, except for a brief momentary glimpse while I was in the dining room. One's senses seem almost physically assaulted by the proximity of these wild and rugged peaks.

The most tasty item at breakfast was toast with orange marmalade which came in a little hexagonal, 1-1/2-inch tall, unlabelled, glass container. Daffodils were blooming in the cool air outside the window. I coveted the silverware which was heavy and Scandinavian in design.

After eating, I sat by the fireplace and worked on my computer for an hour before leaving. By the time I got to the "village," a couple of miles down the mountain, the clouds were starting to clear. People were bustling about as buying stuff on vacation is the most attractive option for many. I got gas and then found myself in a bookstore. Fortunately, Boo called and I left to talk to her outside and so didn't buy MORE BOOKS. But I did find a couple of toys for Tesla and Joey and a fancy holographic postcard of a moose for $5. I've been sending them a postcard each day and walked to the post office for stamps, all of which, regardless of whether one is sending a normal postcard, a fancy large postcard or a letter, were $1.20 Canadian. "Makes it easy, eh?" the pleasant female postal worker said.

I left Lake Louise and drove north for hours. I had to buy a day park pass and got to use my Canadian money which I've been carrying around in my car in an Altoid container for years. I wasn't sure what the larger coins were, and one of the two young ladies in the booth said "Oh, that's a two-ey" meaning $2.

between Lake Louise and Jaspar - Alberta

The route for the next several hours was one of the most scenic I've ever been on, the Canadian Rockies to the left, the Bow River on the right. The sun was now out, the skies a clear blue, the traffic light. I saw a honey-colored grizzly, so distinctive with its slight mid-body depression between front and rear humps. It was in a shrubby meadow, and a ranger was already on scene managing the "bear jam," politely asking the RV behind me to move further off the road and also making certain no one did anything foolish. I only saw it briefly before it lay down but was thrilled. You don't see this from an airplane.

Add caption

and the trees!

Of course I stopped often to try to photograph the wonder, me and the dozen or so other people at any vantage point. Today, many of were East Indian families with joyous boisterous kids. This is a holiday weekend in Canada, Monday being Victoria Day. The advent of cell phones for photos is quite remarkable. I am not exempt and found that pictures with the phone were as good as or better than those taken with my Canon. Still, it's kind of crazy, all of us holding up these little gadgets instead of gazing with our eyes. At one point, there were ice fields and this WAS a congested tourist spot with special buses transporting people onto the glacier, or one could just walk a trail to the "toe." But other than that, on this route, there were only signs for hiking, tucked away campgrounds and occasional pull-offs, usually by a lake.

At Jaspar I turned directly west and drove a couple of hours through the mountains to the small town of McBride where I spent the night in a Sandman motel. I learned Sandman is a chain and was impressed even though the gentleman at the desk had to get someone else to figure out how to deal with a Priceline reservation. I showed him my cell phone confirmation information which he then wrote down. From the outside, it looked like the hundreds of older motels in the US that are not corporate and which almost never are updated.  I got two heavy actual metal keys. The room had windows that opened, glass glasses, comfortable new bedding and a restaurant downstairs.

My camping plans / intentions so far haven't happened. I'm still hoping though....

Beautiful British Columbia on the license plates is not hyperbole.

McBride, BC

Destination Circle: Day 7

May 20, 2016

It was overcast and chilly when I left the motel and I had to go find Andy at the Verizon store. I needed more advice on traveling in Canada and how to put data usage controls on Virginia's cell phone. Plus, I had other Verizon-related issues.

As he promised, he was in the store on Main Street. He said that usually only one woman works there and she never has a break and the store is open all day, six days a week. Andy said that she told him it would be easy as she sometimes has only three customers all day, but he already had had five and it was early in the day. I could tell he was a bit apprehensive about his ability to handle this demand, but he got my issues figured out and I was good to go.

Off to Sweetgrass, the US port of entry, 45 minutes north of Shelby. This is a 24-hour post; many of the Montana POEs are only open in the daytime. I waited about 20 minutes and went on through. One of the questions though was about pepper spray. I do have some which I bought when I lived in Montana many years ago and carry it with me but suspect it is outdated and probably ineffective. The customs agent said that was OK and that the little purse size sprays are what they are concerned about. After I went on through, I remembered that Esther had given me the smaller size for my year of roaming about, which was probably somewhere in my car.....oh well.

Lake Louise

I went north to Calgary (getting turning around in heavy traffic and going through one area three times as I kept missing my turn) and then west to Banff National Park and on to Lake Louise where I stayed the night. Again, because it was early in the season, I got a reasonable deal for the night at Deer Lodge, an older wooden structure. Of the two options for staying right at the lake itself, the not so reasonable rate at the grand Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was several hundred dollars per night.

The Deer Lodge had a bar/lounge, a fine dining restaurant, a game room, little rooms tucked away for reading or computing, a great room with a piano and a nice cosy fire in the fireplace, huge windows and comfortable couches and chairs. There was an option for hikers or day-trippers to shower on the main floor and an open-air patio for clement weather and dining al fresco. My room was tucked under the eaves on the third floor; no elevator. I felt a bit like Heidi as the mountains were very close. This is a stunningly beautiful area...the whole length of the Rockies in Canada...with several hundred miles of good road traversing the east side and minimal commerce. In the lower section, there are overpasses for wildlife with fencing for miles on both sides of the highway in an effort to facilitate safe crossings for the animals.

www.pc.gc.ca
Do highway fencing and wildlife crossing structures work and do they reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions?

"It took up to five years for some wary species, like grizzly bears, to start using wildlife crossing structures; however, most species are now using them to safely cross the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). Since fencing and crossing structures were first constructed, wildlife-vehicle collisions have dropped by more than 80%."

Lake Louise, Banff National Park - Alberta

After checking in, I walked a trail along Lake Louise to the head of the lake. The scent in the air was that wonderful north woods piney smell. It was cool but not cold. The lake was blue and aqua. Everyone was taking photos and more than half the hikers were foreigners. One heavy-set lady was sitting on a log talking on her cell as I passed and was still there and still taking when I came back. A few teenagers, older couples, experienced guy hikers, families with exuberant young kids, an occasional jogger...This was an easy hike but with warnings about avalanches and grizzly bears. 

Dinner was bison flank steak and roasted veggies and a scrumptious apple walnut crumble with rum raisin ice cream. Again, I heard more French and Japanese than English from adjacent diners. 

I hoped to find some northern birds but saw very few and when I checked eBird, I learned that the bird population here is almost exactly what we have in Michigan, except for Boreal Chickadees (which I haven't seen...so far). 

My room was small but had a heavy quilt and a wine glass along with the water glasses....real glass. There was an understated old-world sense of simple comfort in this place, not pretentious, with gracious, efficient staff. It was perfectly quiet all night except for the rushing stream below. 

very tame Black-billed Magpie at Lake Louise

Destination Circle: Day 6

May 19, 2016

It was brilliantly sunny this morning, warm, no wind, and after breakfast at the motel and more chatting with Duane, I went to a city park in Malta and birded for an hour, hoping to see a western warbler (Macgillivray's). I didn't see the bird but did have a tree experience.

(Duane made me laugh as he told the joke: "Ya know you're a redneck if you mow your lawn and find a car you forgot about..." He actually had been looking to buy a shower/tub combination for some house he was building or remodeling, couldn't find exactly what he wanted at the stores, happened to go to his "barn" for something else and guess what? he found a new shower/tub unit he had forgotten about. This made me think about Jake's B's five barns and what is hidden away.)

So, the tree: There were gigantic shade trees in the park, and the undersides of the leaves were woolly white. I have field guides in the car and figured it must be a White Poplar, except this tree didn't really look like the illustrations until I looked up INTO the tree and saw the characteristic white bark on the branches. The tree was just very old I guess and the base was dark, gnarled and thickened but supported all this beauty above. 

White Poplar

I drove on to Havre where I found a Verizon store as I wanted to get information about the Internet and cell phone usage in Canada. I talked to a handsome, slightly harried, young guy named Andy who looked like someone who should be at a prep school in England. I planned to stay in Shelby (100 miles west) that night and, after explaining my options, he said he would be helping out at the store in Shelby the next day. If I had any problems adding the $2/day Travel Pass or the $10/month option, he would be available.  I also went to a McDonald's to use their WiFi and sat in the play area through three successive tables of young attractive mothers out with their adorable 2- to 4-year olds, gossiping, chatting, minding their sweet kids. One little boy was so happy that I had a computer just like his mom has.

There are several small towns along what is called the Hi-Line in Montana (US Hwy 2) with names like Havre, Malta, Inverness, Zurich, Harlem, Dresden, Glasgow...some tiny with basically a bar and a few houses / trailers. Most of the smaller ones are fading away.

Along the Hi Line in Montana

Slate grey mountains were now visible on the horizons, both to the north and south, rising from the prairies.

Years ago I had seen a Ferruginous Hawk nest close to the highway, next to a tiny waterhole. It was on my mind, but I couldn't remember the exact location. And then, suddenly I whizzed past it. There are so few trees out here that this one must have caught my eye and nudged my subconscious. I did a U-turn and a Ferruginous was ON (on nest) as they say. So darn cool to see this as these are western hawks and not all that easy to find.

It began drizzling and then raining by the time I got to Shelby, and the temperature had dropped significantly. I settled into a motel and eventually had a microwaved chimichanga and some smoky almonds from the hotel's vending machine for dinner, again not wanting to venture out.

Ferruginous Hawk

Destination Circle: Day 5

May 18, 2016

Next to the motel parking lot in Williston, ND

Breakfast at the motel was a made-to-order omelet, good bacon, muffins, etc. Better than dinner...

Meadowlarks had been singing constantly as I drove through ND, and their melodious singing was the first sound I heard this morning. (I totally tuned out the trucks.) Sometimes while driving with the window open, it would happen that I would suddenly hear a meadowlark so loud and clearly, I felt the bird was in the car. They are usually visible also, perched low on fancies or shrubs with a characteristic slightly hunched posture and a wide black V on a deep yellow breast. There are both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks (and a lot of bird arcana about the differences and how to tell them apart) but I just do it geographically for now. DHC would concentrate more on their vocalizations, as that separates them, and she has a good ear for bird music, which all good birders have innately or try to develop.

After Williston, the Missouri River runs very close to the south of Hwy 2 for hundreds of miles but the potholes are mostly gone. Still, the long rolling hills with horizons 40 or 50 miles distant, the lack of traffic, the straight two-lane highway, the big sky, the wide-open topography....these things always, always make me fall in love with the west again. At this time of year, many fields are still brown but often plowed and probably planted. Black cows and little calves munch away. An occasional hawk flies overhead or is perched on a telephone pole. I slowed way down (25 mph) through Indian reservation towns having learned that lesson years ago when I got a speeding ticket from the tribal police. Otherwise, the speed limit is 70. In these towns, dogs move slowly across the highway and the gas station / casino / general stores are busy places.

American Avocet at Bowdoin

I decided to go to Bowdoin NWR just east of Malta. It was at least my 5th time here and was absolutely incredible, with birds abundant. The auto route is 15 miles and the attraction is Lake Bowdoin, along with many seasonally flooded fields in the general area. I tried to access the refuge the "back way" from Hwy 2, but eventually had to turn around because the road was closed due to high water. It really didn't matter as I saw all kinds of birds with the best being Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Upland Sandpipers, Lark Buntings and Vesper Sparrows....

And the actual auto route was also spectacular. I so wished DHC were in the car with me as this was easy birding. Now consider this: Amtrak stops in Malta. We should do a quick trip next May if you could get a long weekend. One night on the train, getting to Malta before noon the next, birding all afternoon and the following morning, get back on the train in the afternoon (one night) back to Chicago. It might be doable; it's worth it this time of year.

Yellow-Heads Blackbird at Bowdoin

Lots of phalaropes, avocets, stilts, dowitchers, pelicans, wrens, plovers, sparrows, swallows, ducks, grebes, terns and on and on. The mosquitoes were a nuisance but, again, so it goes in the world of birding. At least I wasn't out hiking through mosquito mini clouds. I saw only one other car in the 2 hours I was there.

It was hot and I had decided earlier in the day to stay in Malta so made a Priceline reservation. The clues I picked up online were that this was a new motel. Malta is small and a ranching / farming community in north-central Montana and isn't close enough to Glacier to attract tourists overnight, so motel options are a bit limited. What they do have, though, are two nice little museums, the newest being a dinosaur museum. Just yesterday I read in the local papers all about a new dinosaur species discovered in Montana. This happened a decade ago but the whole story was just published. If you google "dinosaur Shipp Judith" you can read all about it. The Washington Post (on May 18) has a picture with the headline: "This dinosaur had a heartbreaking life; now she's famous - and an inspiration."

back road into Bowdoin NWR

There is a Dinosaur Trail all through central Montana, and Malta at least has that for an attraction.

Anyway, I did find the motel south of town, or at least I THOUGHT I was in the right place. Siri was a bit confused and wanted me to continue on down the road a bit, but she was wrong as it turned out. The place looked like a large house. A sign said the office was in the back. Not a soul was in sight. I walked into a big room with couch, TV, tables, a popcorn machine, sort of motel stuff and then found an older model phone on a counter with a note to call such and such a number "if you want a room." I barely know how to push the right buttons on anything but a cell phone so tried with my cell and got voice mail. Then I tried the counter phone and "Duane" answered. He apologized that he hadn't checked any online reservations that had come in, admitted hat he was out "shooting gophers" with a friend who unexpectedly came to town and that I could take room #8 ("it's unlocked") and that he would be back shortly.

I was in the country, a mile from town and the milieu as serene and peaceful as anywhere I've ever stayed. At first I was a bit miffed as this was supposed to be a 3-star motel, but then I got my stuff, walked around, wondered what exactly this was all about and finally settled on the couch, read a little and did some computer work.

Duane showed up and told me all about the deal. He built this 20 years ago as an assisted living facility, sold the business, and he and his granddaughter ("I gave her the day off and she went to Great Falls") run it now as a motel. We talked about the problems in such a venture, the main one being updating sewage and septic to meet current code. Not that there were problems, but the DEQ are very strict and, since this is a NEW use of an existing structure, all has to be up to current code. One example of a small business struggling...

He was talkative and pleasant, a Montanan who grew up in Canada, now raising grandchildren, helping with the motel....His mother lives in town after moving back from Canada a few years ago when his dad died, and he has goes in and has coffee with her every morning.

He told me he has all the rooms booked this coming weekend for "the Flathead Audubon Society" who were coming to check out a big prairie conservancy project 50 miles south of town. We talked about the issues with the local farmers/ranchers not being able to compete with federal conservancy funds and some of the back stories involved in these projects, another being the eradication of invasive Russian olive trees to which which some locals object as they are cover for upland birds. Politically, he is probably Republican but not rabid or ignorant. Bison are being introduced at this prairie restoration site also.

Marsh Wren at Bowdoin

After he got me checked in (and another online reservation guy from Seattle who was coming to bury an elderly grandmother who had died in the winter when the ground was too frozen for interment), Duane walked across to a golf course club house to continue his day with his out-of-town friend. There was a little pond outside my window. I kept thinking about how people live their lives out here. Like most small towns almost everywhere, there are fewer and fewer reasons for kids to stay and raise families, so they are slowly losing population and businesses. The high school will graduate 25 kids, Duane's grandson one of them. I had popcorn for dinner as I didn't want to go into town.