2015 Alaska and Western Canada 3 by Susan Hanes

2015 Alaska and Western Canada 3

A journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip through Alakska and Western Canada from August 13September 30, 2015. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, c. 2015. Cover: Grain elevators at the ghost town of Dankin, SK

Alaska and Western Canada August 13â&#x20AC;&#x201D;September 30, 2015 Vol. 3 September 15â&#x20AC;&#x201D;September 30 including the Prairie Provinces

Tuesday, September 15 to Seward, Alaska It was windy and damp as we left Land’s End Resort on the Homer Spit. My carefully prepared hairdo was gone in less than 10 seconds. Sigh. We had breakfast at Two Sisters’ Bakery in Old Town on Bunnell Avenue, the crunchy-granola place we discovered in 2009. Actually, I had crunchy granola and homemade yoghurt as we sat at a mismatched table and chairs in the old clapboard house that includes the bakery and a small B&B. A steady stream of patrons indicated that business is doing better than ever. We waited at the Spit until 11:00 am for the High Tide Gallery to open, as we wanted to see the clothing available from the Salmon Sisters, two Homer women who combine their love of Tishing with an artistically designed line of casual clothes. We learned that the

Two Sisters’ Bakery

last cruise ship of the season was just coming into port; the visit of Holland America’s Statendam would mark the ofTicial close of the Spit until next spring. We left Homer just before noon and headed out on AK 1, the Sterling Highway, retracing our drive along Kachemak Bay. It rained steadily the entire way. The trees were more brilliant gold than they had been only a few days ago. We saw that the weather had done nothing to diminish the number of Tishermen out casting their lines along the shores of the Kenai River. At 2:15 pm, we turned onto AK 9, driving 40 miles south to Seward. We arrived in town in a driving rain and checked into the Seward Hotel at 3:00. Because we were return visitors, we were upgraded to a corner room with a Tireplace.

Before we even took our bags to our room, we went to the Alaska Sealife Center, a remarkable science facility that was funded in part by the Exxon-Valdez oil-spill settlement. As the only coldwater marine science center in the Western Hemisphere, it serves as both a research and an educational complex. We enjoyed seeing the sea lions, seals, and birds that were frolicking in glassenclosed tanks. Inside, other displays illustrated the life cycle of the salmon and provided touchable tide pools of sea urchins, starTish, and sea cucumbers. We stayed until closing time.

Types of Salmon [and how to remember them using your 8ingers]

Chum (Dog): The least desirable of the <ive Paci<ic salmon, chum have the lowest market value and are often sold to foreign markets. Though they are not as <irm and rich as king, red, or silver salmon, chum are nonetheless an excellent source of protein and have enough oil to be versatile in cooking. [Rhymes with thumb] Red (Sockeye): Another highly valued Paci<ic salmon, reds are not as large as kings but have a rich, deep color and a high oil content. Flavorful and beautiful, red salmon present well on the plate and their density makes them a favorite for sushi. This <ish also pairs well with other strong <lavors. [Index Tinger pokes the eye and makes it red] King (Chinook): These are the granddaddies of salmon and one of the most prized catches. The largest of the Paci<ic wild salmon, kings are valued for their rich <lavor and <irm texture as well as their massive size (they usually do not weigh less than 30 pounds; the record weight is 97 pounds). Kings from the Yukon are particularly prized because they are rumored to be fattier, thanks to cold temperatures and a long migration. Kings are excellent smoked, but also taste great grilled, baked, poached or any other way you can think to cook them up. [Middle Tinger is longest and thus is king] Silver (Coho): Silver salmon are another favored wild salmon. Aggressive and fast, these smaller <ish (averaging 10 pounds) congregate at the mouths of rivers to wait for appropriate weather or high tide. They are popular with sport <ishermen, and their meat is also prized. Silver salmonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s <lesh is more orange than red, and it has a mild <lavor, with the <irm <lesh that is typical of the top three types of Alaska wild salmon. It is a favorite for grilling and canning. [Ring Tinger could wear a silver ring] Pink (Humpy): Pale in color and light in texture, the pink salmon has a low fat content compared to kings, reds and silvers. It is the smallest of the <ive Paci<ic salmon, averaging 3 to 5 pounds, and the most abundant, so it is easily caught and processed. Pinks are usually canned and sold in Europe and the South, and big blocks of the meat are also shipped to China. (Alaskans are notoriously snobby about their salmon and tend to stick to the three more popular varieties.) Pinks are an excellent source of protein. [Pinky]

We moved on to the Yukon Bar, where we had attended the memorable “Stoopid Tourist Night” on our 2009 trip. Although the bar was as atmospheric as ever, it was pretty quiet in comparison to the way it was on our last visit. A group of eight or nine older men, probably regulars, sat around a big table and ordered a single round of Bloody Marys. We starting talking to a woman in a pink hoodie seated next to Jake at the bar. She said her name was Carrie, and told us that she has been moving around Alaska, frequenting bars in order to meet men; she said she is looking for permanence in her life. She added that she is a writer and is documenting her experiences, several of which she shared with us. One man she met told her to remember the Three S’s: “shoot, shovel, and shut up;” she did not stay long in that relationship. In front of her, she had a a ratty, coverless Thesaurus. That, plus a pack of Marlboros, a lighter, a half-full Bud, a lemon, and a stack of chits for the jukebox created a little still life. She treated us to the 1970s hit The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace. We bought her a beer, which she chased with a shot of Crown Royal. Carrie told us that she had been using Notorious Bars of Alaska as a travel guide and had been to most of the places listed in it. Hers was yet another real Alaska story. For dinner, Jake and I shared several seafood starters at Chinook Grill on the waterfront. The foggy view of Seward Harbor reminded us how much we miss the sun. 7

Wednesday, September 16 to Anchorage, AK It was wonderful to wake up to a rainless morning at last. We had breakfast at the Breeze Inn in the harbor, with decent food but lackluster service. At 10:00, we turned off the Sterling Highway and drove to the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center, nine miles from the main road. I took the hike along the trail to see a dramatic view of Exit Glacier.

Exit Glacier

Back on AK 9, we returned to the Sterling Highway to Anchorage. It was raining again and we had to stop several times for road work, but we arrived just before 1:00 pm at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Its gift shop is Tilled with items crafted by the patients and families served by the Center. Jake dropped me off at the Anchorage Museum while he took the car in for some rear wiper repairs. I spent my time at the museum in the

Smithsonian Institution Arctic Studies Center on the second Tloor. The exhibition, Living our Cultures, Sharing our Heritage, will be in Anchorage for the next few years. It brings together more than 600 Alaskan native objects. I loved seeing the beautifully crafted artifacts that illustrated nine different native cultures throughout the state. When Jake joined me later, we went through the exhibit again.

We took the hotel desk clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestion for dinner and walked around the corner to F Street Station, an historic bar dating from 1944. It was a lively place, decorated with stickers of all kinds, predominately of military squadrons. We got there just after 7:00 pm and it was packed; the waitress suggested that we just hover and wait for a table to open. We saw two guys sitting at a large table nearby and asked if we could join them. They welcomed us to do so. We learned that both were named Kevin and had gone to school together at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. They came to Alaska Tive years ago to do something different and because they enjoy being outdoors. Kevin Kinnie came Tirst

and Kevin Clark followed him. Kevin Clark came to do concrete work, as his family has had a concrete business in Lansing, Michigan for generations. Kevin Kinnie worked as a Tishing guide and is deciding what he wants to make of his life. Kevin Clark is hoping to spend a couple of months in the south island of New Zealand; he was enthusiastic about this chance for a new experience. He has been developing his business in Anchorage but was willing to put it on hold to take some kind of road trip in a Mercedes camper, going from Anchorage to Patagonia. We enjoyed talking to them and left energized by their enthusiasm to enjoy life while they are young and free of constraints.

Thursday, September 17 to Fairbanks, AK Before leaving Anchorage, we drove to the New Sagaya City Market, suggested by the two Kevins last night as the best place in town to order specialty seafood for delivery anywhere in the US. I talked to John, who was working the Tish counter. By his looks, I presumed that he was from some far-away PaciTic island and that he had descended from generations of expert Tishermen. Actually, he was born and bred in Milwaukee. Nonetheless, he knew his Tish. He explained how orders could be placed

for speciTic types of salmon, depending on the time of year. Leaving Anchorage, we headed north on AK 1 to Wasilla on a four-lane divided highway that had stunning views of the mountains. At Wasilla, the road narrowed and we followed AK 3 north to Talkeetna, through intermittent fog and sun. When we spotted a sign by the side of the road, we stopped at the Denali Brewing Company just south of town on the Talkeetna Spur Road, where we picked up couple of shirts and a glass.

A little further on, we joined numerous other cars at an overlook for an excellent view of Denali. Reaching Talkeetna at noon, we were surprised by the number of people around so late in the season, but we later saw several Princess Cruise Line tour buses on the road that explained everything. At Talkeetna Cemetery, we noted that a number of names had been added to the Climbersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Memorial since our visit in 2009. It was almost 1:00 pm when we returned to AK 3, the Parks Highway, heading north to Denali National Park. Along the way, we were treated to spectacular views of Denali (20,320 feet) and the snow-covered peaks that surround it. They glistened over trees at the peak of color. After all the rain that we had encountered, it was wonderful to have such a brilliant afternoon for this drive. But Alaska weather is changeable. Clouds began to form around the 14

mountains as we entered the park at 3:30. We drove 13 miles into the park, turning around at the Savage River trailhead; a special pass obtained by lottery is needed to go any further this late in the season. But the section that we did explore took us along the purplish tundra dotted with orange and snow-tipped spruce trees, all framed by those great snowy peaks. On the way back, we spotted an impressive bull moose through the trees. We had planned to spend the night near the park entrance, but discovered that there were no vacancies in the nearby hotels. We continued on to Fairbanks, where we were able to Tind a room at a Hampton Inn. The road was good, but intermittent dense fog made the drive a challenge. We were relieved when we Tinally reached town and could relax at Friar Tuckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hoagie House before settling into our room.

Talkeetna 15

Denali

Friday, September 18 to Tok, AK We were at the door of the University of Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum of the North when it opened at 9:00 am. Ever since we visited it on our last trip to Fairbanks, we have looked forward to returning. The ground Tloor, arranged by region, is devoted to the history, wildlife, and culture of Alaska. This time, of course, we were especially interested in the section about the Aleutian Islands and the arts and crafts of the Aleut people. The museum holds a major collection of miniature grass Aleut baskets, as well as beautiful carvings and tools. Upstairs, the Alaska Art Gallery showcases 2,000 years of Alaskan art in all media. We enjoyed our visit every bit as much as we did the Tirst time. By 11:00 we were on our way south, following AK 2 towards Tok.

I made Jake turn off at the town of North Pole so that I could take a picture of this busy branch of the US Post OfTice. North Pole receives hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa Claus, and thousands more from people wanting the town's postmark on their Christmas cards. It claims that 99705 is Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ZIP code.

Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative again, and our drive was pretty gloomy, with intermittent rain and fog. At 1:00 pm, we reached Delta Junction. At the Visitor Center at Milepost 1422 there is a sign marking the ofTicial end of the Alaska Highway. We got out to take a picture of the sign, but the Visitor Center was already closed for the season. Five miles south, a full-sized buffalo charged across the road in front of us. Thankfully, Jake saw him and was able to brake in time. 23

We arrived in Tok at 2:30 pm and booked one of the cabins near Fast Eddy’s again. It was early to stop, but in this area, there are few choices and Tok is a good location for the start of our drive to Dawson City tomorrow. Jake checked on road conditions of the Top of the World Highway, a 187-mile stretch of road that we will travel. We gassed up the car at the local station and found the place Tilled with pickups and trailers. One man had a moose head tied to the back of his truck. After spending time reorganizing the car and consolidating bags after these weeks of traveling, we wandered over to the Husky Lounge, on the other side of Fast Eddy’s restaurant. A grizzled guy was sitting at the bar, with his long hair tucked under what resembled a WWI aviator’s helmet. We sat down next to him. He asked us where we were from, and when we told him we lived in Chicago, he said he was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. Of course, Jake lived in Hinsdale for thirty years. With that connection, we got into quite a conversation. He told us that after living in Minneapolis for a while, he eventually moved to Alaska. Among the places he has lived was the island of Amchitka, one of the Aleutian “Rat” islands, that was used as a site for underground nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s. He Tished a wellthumbed card out of his wallet that had a map of Alaska on one side. With a Tishing knife, he pointed out the various places he has lived, from one end of the state to the other. He has been in Tok for 18 years, doing forestry work, and hopes to visit New Zealand someday. Husky appeared to have two bartenders who spelled each other: one would sit at the bar and have a drink while the other served. Then they traded places. One had long blonde hair and a cowboy hat and was wearing a teeshirt that said, “I don’t give…” over a cartoon of a rat and a donkey. The other fellow wore a cami ball cap and vest. Several people came and went; they all seemed to know each other. One guy came in wearing an Alaska State Trooper uniform; his ofTicial cruiser was parked outside. He passed around his iPhone with pictures of his new granddaughter. A few people came in solely to buy pull-tab cards, described by one of the bartenders as “cardboard crack.” For a dollar a card, the player pulls open the Tive tabs, hoping to see a cash prize. A stack of cards is set before the purchaser, along with a box to collect the rejects. Jake and I saw hundreds of dollars

spent on these cards in a matter of minutes. On the plus side, the game was sponsored by the local Lions Club as a fundraiser, so at least a portion of the money was going to a good cause. Eventually, we got up to go to dinner and our friend asked if we were going to Fast Eddy’s. We nodded that we were and went on over for the prime rib Friday Special. The place was packed, mainly with burley men wearing camouTlage. We learned that yesterday was the end of moose season, and the hunters were bulking up at Eddy’s. As we were Tinishing our meal, Jake asked the waitress for the check. She told us that it had been taken care of. “But there must be some mistake,” Jake insisted. “No, someone has taken care of the check. He called and described you, and said that he wanted to take care of your check.” And we did not even get his name.

Saturday, September 19 to Dawson City, Yukon Territory It rained all night but we were snug in our little log cabin in Tok. We skipped breakfast and were on the road by 8:00, taking the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City. The route follows AK 5, the Taylor Highway, to Tetlin Junction and then YT 9 to Dawson City. The 187-mile drive winds along mostly gravel roads above the tree line. In Alaska, the road follows the valley of the Fortymile River, where gold was found shortly before the great Klondike discovery and where today the oncegreat Fortymile Caribou Herd is again on the increase. (We saw numerous signs warning hunters that caribou season ended on September 15.)

We stopped for breakfast in Chicken, Alaska, a colorful and quirky community settled by gold miners in the late 1800s. At that time, there was a prevalence of ptarmigan birds in the area, and it was suggested that Ptarmigan be chosen as the ofTicial name for the new community. However, the miners feared that the spelling might be a problem and settled on Chicken instead. Today, there are still active gold mines in this area as well as several inactive gold dredges. We found most of the town businesses closed for the season, but were able to get a simple breakfast at the Chicken Gold Camp on the last day it was open. As we ate our eggs in the empty dining room, the owner told us that he and his family were leaving for their winter residence in Arizona the next day.

Chicken, Alaska

We continued on the predominately gravel road, entering Canada at noon; the border crossing there is the northernmost in North America. The road had few guardrails or signs. Fortunately, we encountered no rain, as the wet spots were slippery and treacherous. 28

At 3:00 pm, we arrived at the George Black Ferry for the free ride across the Yukon River to Dawson City. Set on the east bank of the Yukon at its conTluence with the Klondike River, this historic town was at the heart of the Gold Rush with the discovery of the richest gold in North America in 1896 at Rabbit Creek, now known as Bonanza Creek. By 1900 Dawson City was the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco. Today, it retains much of its authenticity, with unpaved streets and weathered boardwalks. While Jake drove up and down each street, I jumped out and took pictures of the historic buildings, many of which are part of the National Historic Register of Canada. I particularly loved seeing the humble two-room cabin of Yukon poet Robert Service, where he wrote Songs of a Rolling Stone, the book that Jake had bought for me in Whitehorse on my birthday. We checked into Bombay Peggy’s, a three-story Victorian brothel that has been restored as a charming little inn. We have the Green Room, at the front on the second Tloor, just far enough away from the sounds of the lively pub below. We went down there before dinner and enjoyed

talking to several patrons. One, a fellow from London, was in Dawson City for the Tifth time in as many years. He continues his work for the Discovery Channel program Gold Rush, which focuses on the mining of gold found in the Yukon by various teams of miners. He told us that the show is the number one program on the channel. Nearby sat a project manager for Parks Canada who has been involved in several endeavors in the area; he told us about an attempted arson of Parks Canada’s S.S. Klondike that we had visited in Whitehorse. We also talked to a young couple, Brad and Andrea, who had just camped along the Dalton Road, driving from Fairbanks to the oilTields at Prudhoe Bay. Brad showed his pictures and told stories of sharing the road with giant oil trucks. Eventually, Jake and I left for dinner at the Drunken Goat Taverna where we shared a large platter of appetizers. The place was full of local residents and seasonal workers who were celebrating the end of the season. They were obviously looking forward to the Tinal performance of the season at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s that would spoof the normal touristy Gold Rush entertainment.

Dawson City, YT

The Spell of the Yukon I wanted the gold and I sought it; I scrabbled and mucked like a slave. Was it famine or scurvy—I fought it; I hurled my youth to a grave. I wanted the gold and I got it— Came out with a fortune last fall; Yet somehow life’s not what I thought it And somehow the gold isn’t all. —Robert W. Service

Robert W. Service Cabin 32

Sunday, September 20 to Whitehorse, YT We had a quiet breakfast at the El Dorado Hotel; apparently the events at Gertieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last night resulted in a late morning for most residents. We drove along the Klondike River to Bonanza Creek Road to see historic Dredge No. 4, located in the Klondike GoldTields. The bucket line sluice dredgeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the largest remaining in North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is as long as a football Tield and eight stories high. This type of dredge uses a continuous line of buckets (called the digging ladder) to scrape the bottom and edge of the pond. The buckets carry the mud and rock to a screening area, where the heavier metal particles are separated from the rest of the material. After the metal is captured, the waste rock or "tailings" are deposited out the back. In its 46 years of operation, No. 4 mined more than 8 metric tons of gold. I was sorry that the panning operation was closed for the season, even though I know it is probably a tourist trap. It was still easy to imagine how those miners must have felt who came there to make their fortunes in 1896. As we drove out of town, we passed miles of mine tailings on each side of the road. We realized that gold fever lives on and mining actively continues today. 34

Dredge Number 4

Gold mining tailings line the road for miles and miles â&#x20AC;Ś Gold fever lives on.

We took the Klondike Highway (YT 2) south to Whitehorse. It was a long, lonely road with few vehicles; the surrounding grey hills had few trees and the trees near the road were leaTless. Sun, grey clouds, and rain alternated all day. We stopped at an overlook at Five Finger Rapids, where four islands divide the Klondike River into Tive narrow channels of which only the eastern is passable. In 1898, this caused great challenges to the Gold Rush prospectors who navigated their homemade boats and rafts along the route: more than a few ended up in the water after choosing the wrong channel.

Fifty miles from Whitehorse, we had our own challenge after we saw a sign that indicated, “Extreme Dusty Conditions.” If anything, it was an understatement, as the road was rendered almost invisible by the dust created by passing vehicles. We were stuck behind a large rig that threw up its own giant cloud. It was a relief when we Tinally reached

Whitehorse at 5:30 pm and checked into the Gold Rush Inn, where we had stayed a couple of weeks earlier. Eventually, we wandered down to the Gold Pan Saloon off the hotel lobby for dinner. The bar was crowded for a Neil Young Tribute night. Burgers, beer, and a Yukon rendition of Rockin’ In the Free World were just what we needed. 39

Monday, September 21 to Muncho Lake, British Columbia We returned to Burnt Toast for eggs and granola; this time, the little breakfast spot was quiet and just the kind of place to come for a cup of hot coffee and the opportunity to wake up peacefully. This morning there was no party, as we had encountered when we came through Whitehorse last time. We stopped for gas and were on YT 1, the Alaska Highway, by 9:30 am. The 271 miles to the town of Watson Lake took us by March Lake and Tetlin Lake; the surrounding mountains were garlanded with wispy clouds. The aspen trees still retained their color and evergreens set off the brilliant gold. The Alaska Highway became BC 97 in places, as the road crossed back and forth from Yukon to British Columbia. We continued to see “Caution Moose” signs, but never saw the real thing. We crossed the north/south Continental Divide between Swift River and Rancheria; both recreational areas had already closed for the season. The road was good and there was little trafTic, making it a pleasant drive. The

localized rain that we did encounter only served to wash the windshield. Just after 2:00 pm, we arrived in Watson Lake, touted as “The Gateway to the Yukon” on the large signs at all four points of the crossroads of the Alaska Highway and the Steward Highway (BC 37). The most recognized aspect of Watson Lake is its Signpost Forest, one of the best known landmarks along the Alaska Highway. In 1942, a homesick soldier, employed in the construction of the highway, erected a sign with the name of his hometown and its direction. Tourists have kept up the tradition he started, and now there are more than 100,000 signs from the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world posted on a forest of poles at the main intersection of town. I quickly realized that there was no way for photographs to capture the scope of the collection. I found it quite touching that people from all over the world have embraced that lonely soldier’s idea and joined in creating this work of public art.

We left town just before 3:00 pm, noting the blinking electronic sign warning of bison on the highway in English and in French. We immediately saw a lonely bison, making his way down the side of the road. As we excitedly stopped to take a picture of him, cars coming the other way just sped on by. Ten miles on, we saw another bison, ambling across the road. Then in another two miles, we came across what must have been 60 of them, munching grass on both sides of the highway, totally at ease in the presence of speeding vehicles. It was amazing to realize that this road is the only one by which the Yukon is accessed from the south. After 20 miles, we saw more bison, but by that time, we had become like the other drivers and just drove on by. We reached the Liard River, where we decided to skip a visit to its famous hot springs, continuing through beautiful scenery of the river surrounded by the northern Rocky Mountains. The Liard Tlows north to the Northwest Territories and its valley marks the northern limit of the Rockies. Thirty miles north of Muncho Lake, we encountered road construction; the delay brought us to the

Northern Rockies Lodge just before 6:30. We have a cozy room in the main log building. The Lodge is run by Marianne and Ure Schildknecht, formerly from Switzerland. Tucked into the area of one of the most beautiful lakes in the Rockies, the Lodge provides its own electricity, heating, and hot water; groceries are delivered twice a week from Edmonton. We are only sorry that the weather and scheduling difTiculties have precluded our taking a Tlight with Ure to Nahanni National Park tomorrow, as we had hoped.

Muncho Lake 46

Tuesday, September 22 to Dawson Creek, BC Skipping the breakfast buffet at the Lodge, we got away by 8:15 am. The weather was variable: a few Tlurries, some spots of rain, brilliant sunlight. All these brought dramatic visions of the Northern Rockies, surrounded by mist, but brilliantly clear at the summits of the snow-covered mountains.

Wildlife spotting was plentiful today: a bull moose crossing the road; Stone sheep scampering up the hills that lined the road; deer; and as we entered Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park, our Tirst elk. 49

Zero Point Sid

The park is rocky and barren and resembles a stone quarry; its one highlight is Summit Lake. At 4,250 feet, this turquoise body of water is the highest point along the Alaska Highway. By then, the fog had rolled in and there was a dusting of snow all around us. As we descended from the mountains, we could not believe it: we saw a unicyclist, as Jake had seen almost three weeks ago! This evening when I had Wi-Fi, I looked up “Alaska Unicyclist” and found Zero Point Sid. He had just—incredibly— ridden his unicycle the length of the Dalton Road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, a distance of 414 miles on one of the most isolated and difTicult roads in the United States. He was now riding the length of the Alaska Highway, almost 1,400 miles. I sent him a message on Facebook, and got the response of “Yup”; he was indeed the man we saw both times. Not that there would be more than one unicyclist rolling around Alaska, but you never know.

At about 11:00 am, we reached Fort Nelson, established in 1805 as a fur trading community, and now a town of 6,000. At one time, soldiers called the town Zero, since it was the beginning of the road to Whitehorse. (Later, Dawson Creek became Mile 0 and Fort Nelson dropped to Mile 300.) Not Tinding anywhere special to have breakfast, we stopped at our Tirst Tim Hortonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of this trip. Just after noon, we were back on BC 97; the day was sunny and bright and the fall colors were at their height. But at Fort St. John, everything changed. The road, narrowed to two lanes, became clogged with trucks of all kinds: oilers, loggers, and oversized tractors carrying construction vehicles and equipment. It seems that this

area of British Columbia has seen a booming oil business as well as exploration of natural gas. Thus, businesses are cropping up all along the highway, and the road itself is undergoing a major expansion. Construction delays were frequent. On top of it all, the area is a wildlife corridor, so we were supposed to look out for moose in the midst of all the dusty mayhem. One pleasant deviation was turning onto the Old Alaska Highway where we drove down a bucolic strip of the old road for two miles, until we reached the Kiskatinaw River Bridge. The bridge, 531 feet long, is the only original timber bridge along the Alaskan Highway that is still in use today.

Kiskatinaw River Bridge 52

Thirty miles brought us to Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway. We took turns taking pictures of the Mile 0 marker, just as we had photographed the Mile 1422 sign at Delta Junction, Alaska a week or so ago. In blinding sun on a road torn up by construction, we felt our way to the Stonebridge Hotel, where we relaxed after a day of congested driving. Later, we walked across the parking lot to Fixx Urban Grill, where I believe we were the only diners who had not come in from a rig, wearing ball caps. 53

Wednesday, September 23 to Jasper, Alberta We departed at 9:00 am under a partly cloudy sky, which helped us to negotiate the trucks and construction that had not abated since we pulled into the hotel last night. Following AB 2, we saw evidence of the transition from wilderness to agricultural landscape, with baled hay in the Tields and softly rolling prairie. We commented that it was amazing to think that less than 200 miles to the south, the topographical wonders of the Northern Rockies and the National Parks spread from British Columbia through Alberta and into Idaho and Montana. The road through Grande Cache on AB 40, the Bighorn Highway, was four-lane and undertrafTicked; it was a real pleasure to drive. Today was also the sunniest day we’ve had in a while. However, behind quaking aspens in full fall color, we saw oil facilities, mining operations, and road signs cautioning care in passing logging trucks. All this revealed that Alberta is booming, both in petroleum and in agriculture. By 3:00 pm, we entered Jasper National Park, but had unfortunately lost the great light we’d had this morning, as

well as the brilliant foliage we’d seen earlier. We drove back and forth on AB 16 in the park, trying to Tind some good shots. But what we lacked in landscape, we made up for in wildlife, seeing two majestic elk stags with huge antlers. We are in rutting season, and we saw one handsome stag try to impress the cows grazing nearby with his bugling. I got some excellent photos, but would have liked to have captured his call as well. By the time we reached the town of Jasper, it was after 4:00 and we were concerned about Tinding a place to stay. We called the Best Western motel and took their last room. Well, we can see why. Opening the door, the Tirst thing we saw was a dustpan, an ironing board, and the recycling bin. The bed is set off in a small plywood-enclosed corner. The remainder of the large room has a non-functioning Tireplace, a TV with lots of wires set on a hideous stand, and a full kitchen with stove and refrigerator, which of course, we don’t need. There is also a breakfast counter, a musty sofa, and an old armchair. But at least, we are not sleeping in the car.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rutting Season!

Thursday, September 24 to Drumheller, AB We had breakfast at Cassioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant; there was no way we were going to have breakfast at that hotel. Leaving Jasper, we saw a large group of people gathered by the side of the road. We stopped and I asked a man with a nice camera what was going on. He told me that a stag was in the nearby trees. He said that he was a professional photographer and that most of the people who were tromping through the underbrush were tourists who had no idea what they were doing; he was waiting to snap someone being gored. By 9:00 am, we were on AB 93, the Ice Fields Parkway. This beautiful road stretches 144 miles through the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. It was a clear, beautiful morning for our journey, offering access to a wilderness of mountain lakes, glaciers, and broad sweeping valleys. One might think that late September would be the end of the season, but there were masses of cars and buses on the road on this perfect autumn day. After lots of stops for photographs, we joined groups of predominately Chinese tourists at Lake Louise. Unlike our trip in 2006, the weather was Tine and we saw all those peaks that were lost in the clouds the last time we were there. Leaving the park, we got on the TCH 1, stopping brieTly at Banff, an attractive resort town.

Mount Robson 57

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO Lake Louise

Athabasca Glacier

Mount Edith Cavell 61

It was another 80 miles to Calgary, which we decided to avoid, as it was nearing rush hour. Now Canada’s third largest city, its population has been dramatically expanding with the oil boom. We continued on a series of straight roads through Tlat and colorless farmland where we saw machines in the Tields, harvesting hay. We noticed how the color of the land almost matched the color of the late afternoon sky. Sixty miles northeast of Calgary, we took a detour through the hamlet of Rosebud, located in a sheltered valley near the edge of the Canadian Badlands. After rediscovering itself as a center for the arts, Rosebud draws more than 40,000 visitors a year to its theater productions. We continued sixteen miles across the plains until we suddenly descended to Drumheller, located in an eroded valley 400 feet deep and a mile wide, that is noted as the Dinosaur Capital of the World. We checked into a

Ramada Inn, vastly superior to our accommodations last night. Across the parking lot, we had dinner at O’Shea’s Alehouse, sitting at an extension of the bar. We noticed a young couple nearby, eating chicken wings. The wings looked so good that we decided to order some ourselves. When our order came, the guy introduced himself as Chris, and asked where we were from. He commented that the wings would be a lot better if we asked for them to be roasted in addition to being fried. So we followed his advice and asked our waitress to give our order the extra treatment. In ten minutes, out they came again, piping hot and delicious. Chris gave us a “thumbs up” as he left with his girlfriend. Our waitress came up a few minutes later and told us that he had taken care of our wings and our drinks. Once again, we were touched by the kindness of strangers.

Drumheller, AB

Friday, September 25 to Medicine Hat, AB We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise, somewhat marred by the scaffolding set up outside our window. The hotel breakfast room had lots of kids eating Lucky Charms cereal and watching cartoons on the giant TV; Drumheller is obviously the center of the Dinosaur Trail. We left at 9:15 am and drove around town, noting the cement dinosaurs on most corners, as well as “The World’s Largest Dinosaur” that stands 82 feet high and overlooks the town from a municipal parking lot. We allowed just enough time to drive the four miles to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and be at the door when it opened at 10:00. This award-winning institution holds fabulous skeletal remains from the Alberta Badlands. What we found surprising about the museum is that the dinosaurs on display are all real, and not casts. The majority of them were discovered near the museum. We found the descriptive texts just as interesting as the displays, revealing the creatures’ habits, where and how they were found, and how they were preserved. Many of the dinosaurs looked like art objects; some were even displayed in frames. It is a place that I wish I could have shared with my grandchildren.

Death Pose

Dental Records

Behold the treasures, big and small, that once roamed where you are standing, millions of years ago â&#x20AC;Ś

We drove north to the 1913 Bleriot Ferry, a free cable ferry that links the two sections of the Dinosaur Trail as it crosses the Red Deer River. More like a moving bridge, the ferry can only take a few vehicles at a time. The friendly operator enjoyed talking to his passengers. We stopped at the Orkney Viewpoint for a view of the river valley below.

Red Deer River Valley 69

At Kirkpatrick, we stopped so that I could take a picture of one of the old wooden grain elevators that are iconic symbols of western Canada. Sometimes called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cathedrals of the Prairie,â&#x20AC;? they dominated the prairie landscape for more than a century, with every town boasting its own as a declaration of the community's economic viability. Today, they are becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs. As I waded into the dry grass to get a better shot, I remembered stepping on a rattlesnake skin when I was photographing an old barn in Kansas in 2013 and decided not to get too picky. We saw a turnoff for the Canadian Badlands Passion Play. We learned that the play takes place every July in this natural bowl amphitheater in the Drumheller Valley. The place was chosen both for its resemblance to Jerusalem and for its natural acoustics. We could not help but note the irony of this Biblical production in the Valley of the Dinosaurs.

Taking a seven-mile detour, we drove over 11 one-lane bridges to the town of Wayne. Once a thriving coal-mining city of more than 3,000, Wayne is now virtually a ghost town and has a population of only 33. It consists of the Rosedeer Hotel, the Last Chance Saloon, and a few homes.

Following AB 10 south, we stopped to see the Hoodoos that are part of Albertaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s badlands, eerie formations that developed from the erosion of sedimentary rocks.

At the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site in East Coulee, we wandered through Canada's most complete historic coal mine. It has the last standing wooden tipple, once used to load coal into railroad cars.

Near Dorothy, we saw another weathered wooden grain elevator; high up on the ledge of the window frame, an owl scowled down at us. The whole area felt heavy with the ghosts of the past. Leaving the Red Deer River Valley badlands, we traveled over 100 miles over Tlat grassland with grazing cattle. Then suddenly, when we reached Dinosaur Provincial Park, there we were, back in the Red Deer River badlands again. The park has been designated a UNESCO site, and we had been hoping to get to the Visitor Centre before it closed so that we could learn how to best see the park, but when we reached it, we discovered that it had closed an hour earlier than we had expected. This was disappointing, but at least we were able to gaze out over a vast dinosaur-rich area that included mesas, canyons, and hoodoos.

Dinosaur Provincial Park UNESCO

We continued through the prairie until we hooked up with TCH 1 at Brooks for the 80-mile drive to Medicine Hat, known as “The Gas City” because of its proximity to large natural gas Tields. Before Tinding the Holiday Inn Express where we’d made reservations, we stopped at The Garage, a pub and eatery located in an old gas station, where we had steak sandwiches and “hubcaps” (home cooked potato chips) and watched a Toronto Blue Jays game on the TV, noting the intense interest that western Canadians have in the success of a Toronto team.

Saturday, September 26 to Swift Current, Saskatchewan There was no need for an early start this morning, as we planned to visit the Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic District before we left town and it did not open until 10:00. Set against the cliffs of the South Saskatchewan River, the 150-acre Historic Clay District was home to the earliest industry in Western Canada. Today, the history of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pottery and clay production is being revived and the site has become a living museum. Since the summer tours are now over, Jake and I were free to walk through the old factory on our own, following the

production process of Medalta Pottery, which was Tirst made in 1912. The museum displays over 30,000 pieces of Medicine Hat pottery, so we were able to see the full spectrum of what was made there: kitchen items, souvenirs, hotel china, and more. We left with a guide to Medalta marks and a desire to Tind a piece of our own. The docent suggested that we visit Triple E Antiques to see if they currently had any pieces. Although it was fun to visit the shop, they had nothing in stock. The owner said that as soon as pieces come in, they are gone.

Clay Industries National Historic District 77

At 11:00 am, we were on AB 41 heading northeast towards Acadia Valley. We had decided to devote the remainder of the day to Tinding those iconic wooden grain elevators like the one we had seen yesterday. We drove through cattle country that was rolling, barren, and colorless. Gradually, however, the land Tlattened and gave way to Tields of grain. We accessed Schuler on a dusty range road, and then turned off AB 41 and drove two miles to the hamlet of Hilda. An old Paterson grain elevator stood at the end of what is now pretty much a ghost town. The Hilda Hotel and a couple of abandoned buildings are all that remain. The road ran brieTly back to the badlands as we descended to the South Saskatchewan River. We took a six-mile detour to Empress, Tinding several buildings that had obviously undergone some renovation. Apparently, Empress has plans on becoming an artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; colony. We reached the village of Acadia Valley to see the grain elevator there. It has been painted and restored and is now a museum. In the summer months, there are tours and the tearoom and gift shop are open. But that was not what we were looking for. As we continued east through Saskatchewan, we found the evocative old structures we were seeking. Some, like the one we found in Fiske, were still operating, while others were in various stages of deterioration; the

one we found in Laporte was near railroad tracks overgrown with weeds. In Eatonia, a boy was combing the underbrush around the elevator, looking for grasshoppers to feed his lizards. Near Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arcy, we drove onto private property to take a photo of one elevator we had seen from the road; the owner, who said his name was Don Graham, came out to meet us carrying a wrench. He might have seemed stern, but soon enough we knew that he was glad to have a diversion and the chance to chat with city slickers. He told us that he had moved the three elevators on his property to their present location from a mile away; the oldest dates from 1909. He asked our names and good-naturedly gave us permission to take pictures, warning us that others had reported that he was none too friendly. Our biggest Tind of the afternoon was at the ghost town of Dankin where we found two fading wooden structures side by side near weed-covered railroad tracks. As the sun was hanging low, we made our Tinal stop to photograph the quiet sentinel at Sanctuary. Following SK 4 to Swift Current, our Tinal sight of the day was of a Tlock of migrating ducks congregating on a small lake. When I got out to take a picture, they took off all around me. The sunset on the prairie lit the sky with pink clouds as we drove the last few miles into town; it had been a great day.

“Cathedrals of the Prairie”

Dankin

Sunday, September 27 to Brandon, MB A great start to our day: a cloudless Sunday morning and a schedule that permitted us to take our time. We left the hotel at 10:00 am, driving east on TCH 1. We had no plans other than a stop to see the Legislature Building in Regina. However, the day turned out to be a continuation of our search for nostalgic grain elevators. We were surprised that we could see so many from the highway, and the easy on/off access made it possible to visit places that had potential from the vantage point of the road. Most of the elevators we saw today were metal, but not all were functioning. In Herbert, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home of the Herbert Stampede,â&#x20AC;? we found a great old wooden one. Others in Chaplin, Moose Jaw, and Pense were metal, but looked authentic just the same. Indian Head had two, side by side; a metal one

stood next to its antique wooden cousin. Sintaluta also had two, both metal, but their older wood-cribbed annex buildings were painted a faded and peeling green and red. The village of Grenfell, established as a railroad settlement in 1883, had a nicely maintained elevator by the railroad tracks. Its town sign features a wooden elevator; a miniature elevator even serves as a tourist information booth. Fleming, SK was the only town we had planned ahead to visit. We read that its grain elevator dated to 1895 and was the oldest in Canada still on its original site. Well, it is no more. It burned to the ground in 2010, reminding us how ephemeral these wooden structures really are, and what a treat it has been to Tind ones that remain. Leaving Saskatchewan, we stopped for the night in Brandon, Manitoba.

Saskatchewan Legislature Building Regina 84

Manitoba Legislature Building Winnipeg

Monday, September 28 to Fargo, North Dakota The sky was a brilliant blue when we pulled out of the hotel at 9:15 am; in fact, it was so bright that I was glad that we had allowed the sun to get a little higher before we headed straight into it. Arriving at 11:00, we explored Winnipeg, stopping at the 1920 neoclassical Manitoba Legislature Building. We drove through the 20-block Exchange District, claimed to be the best-preserved early 20th century architecture in North America. Passing the Forks market area, we recognized the Fort Garry Hotel, a National Historic Site and one of Canada’s grand railroad hotels. By 12:30, we were driving south on MB 75, arriving at the US Border at Pembina an hour later. At 4:00 pm, we reached Fargo. As we drove into town, we had to wait at a railroad crossing while a long train of newly constructed oil cars passed: evidence of continued North Dakota fracking. They were so new, in fact, that there was not a trace of grafTiti on them yet. After a series of deadly explosions in the past few years, new standards have been approved to assure the safety of these rail cars. Reaching the center of town at First and Broadway, we found a place to park and checked to see if the historic Hotel Donaldson had any

rooms available this evening. Proudly built in 1893, it was reduced to a Tlophouse early in the twentieth century. In 2003, the Donaldson was acquired by a new owner who totally renovated it as the artsy boutique hotel that it is today. Unfortunately, its 17 rooms are all occupied, but we enjoyed sitting at the bar at the hotel’s HoDo Lounge. Bartender Matthew gave us a generous rye tasting and we enjoyed meeting several interesting people. Nancy Frost is a Tinancial management advisor and an investor in a new artisan distillery in town called Proof. She introduced us to her friend, Scott Carey, a real estate developer and lifelong Fargo resident who extolled Fargo’s development as a medical and insurance center and bemoaned the evils of fracking. Scott introduced us to Shane, a computer advisor with a Masters’ in Tishing management. We talked about his time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria. Where else but a bar would three people in Fargo discover that they had all spent time in Plovdiv? After bison tartare, duck conTit spring rolls, and artisanal cheese, we drove to the Radisson Plaza Hotel where found a room in this busy and vibrant city.

Minnesota State Capitol St. Paul 87

Tuesday, September 29 to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin We started at 9:30 am on another clear day. Where was this perfect weather earlier on our trip? Fifteen minutes brought us to the Minnesota state line. Our conversation was already turning towards thoughts of home: consolidating bags to make it easier to unload in front of 1320, preparing lists of calls to make and bills to pay. I called Rick to let him know to expect us tomorrow; the sound of his voice made me realize that one of the things I love best about living at 1320 is coming home to our building family. As we drove along Tields of corn, we commented that we had seen no corn in Canada; the vast land in the Prairie Provinces produced grain and cattle. We stopped at a Perkins Restaurant for a late breakfast in Fergus Falls. We both overordered but still managed to polish off the fried mufTins and potato pancakes that accompanied our usual eggs and bacon. We both know that we will soon be back to a more disciplined lifestyle. We stopped in St. Paul to add the Minnesota Sate Capitol to our portfolio. The Capitol is undergoing a three-year restoration and repair project until early 2017. Wrapped almost entirely in white plastic, the building looked like a Christo installation. Nonetheless, I took my photo and we moved on, driving as far as the Wisconsin Dells. We had heard so much about the water parks, the Duck Tours, and the Tommy Bartlett Water Show that we thought it would be fun to see the place for ourselves. Passing Pirate’s Cove, Timber Falls Mini Golf and Roller Coaster, Mt. Olympus Theme and Water Parks, and the Ghost Outpost, I could understand how the Dells is a magnet for kids. Further down WI 13, the Dells begins to look more like Route 66 than a kiddie wonderland. Among scores of motels in the area, all with “vacancy” signs, we chose The Gables, a ‘50s style motel down a side street. Simple, yes, but the place was immaculate; there were impatiens growing in large clumps around the pool and our room was simple and tidy, reminding me of 88

days traveling with my parents, when my father insisted that any place we stayed be in pristine condition. Our hosts are Helen and Glenn, who have owned the property for more than twenty years. Helen came out to the desk rubbing her eyes. She had been dozing in front of the TV; this is the quiet season in the Dells. When the ice machine did not work, she brought us some from their own fridge. Later, Jake and I walked to High Rock Café where we sat at the bar and studied the innovative menu. Owned by native Dells residents and lifelong friends Wade Bernander and Justin Draper, the restaurant that began as a second story start-up with paper plates and plastic forks has become a culinary hot spot. It was certainly not the kind of place we expected to Tind in the Dells, where we thought we would see only water slides, roller coasters, and hamburgers. While we were making our selections, the man sitting next to us introduced himself as George DelaGardelle. Originally from Indiana, George and his wife, a children’s librarian, have lived in the Dells for Tive years and love it. He told us that he is known around the area as “Guitar George.” He proudly shared that he performed last weekend with Molly and the Danger Band in Hayward, Wisconsin. He is also a runner and seemed to get a high from both of his passions. After an excellent dinner—walleye pike for Jake and tilapia tacos for me—we walked down a block to Nig’s, a bar we had noticed earlier. As we came in, we were surprised to see a man at the bar wearing the same LFS hoodie from Dutch Harbor that I had worked so hard to purchase when we were there. I asked him about it, and he told us that for nine months, he was part of the crew aboard the MV Excellence, making great money under rough seas and harsh conditions. So there we were, on the last night of our trip, Tinding a connection between the far point of our travels and one less than 200 miles from home.

Wednesday, September 30 Home One more morning of clear fall weather for the Tinal day of our trip. It was so nice, in fact, that we followed “Guitar” George’s suggestion and took a boat tour of the Upper Dells. Although it was cold sitting on the top deck in the wind, we enjoyed unobstructed views of the Wisconsin River and its narrow passages through ancient sandstone rock formations. Departing at 1:00 pm, we left the Dells with far more appreciation for the community and the landscape than we could have imagined. With road construction and Chicago rush hour trafTic, we did not reach 1320 until close to Tive o’clock, but Frazier was at the door to welcome us home.

Wisconsin Dells 90

Itinerary AUGUST Thursday 13

Depart Chicago at 7:15 am Route: I 94: Rockford, Janesville, Madison, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Fargo Hampton Inn & Suites Fargo, Room 308: two Queen beds 4776 Agassiz Crossing South FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA sunny, clear 654 miles

Friday 14

Breakfast: Hampton Inn Fargo Route: I 29: Grand Forks, U.S.- Canadian border; MB 75: Edmonton; TCH 1: Portage la Prairie; TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Neepawa Sites: Winnipeg: The Forks, Manitoba Legislature Building; Neepawa; Margaret Laurence home Dinner: Neepawa: Chicken Corral Restaurant Bay Hill Inn, Room 116: two Queen beds 160 Main Street West NEEPAWA, MANITOBA hot, sunny, clear 349 miles

Saturday 15

Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway); MB 10: Riding Mountain National Park; MB 5: SK 10: Yorkton; TCH 16: Saskatoon, Langham, North Battleford Sites: Riding Mountain National Park Dinner: North Battleford: Tropical Inn: Bennnigan’s Tropical Inn, Room 254: one Queen bed plus single hide-a-bed 1001 Highway 16 Bypass NORTH BATTLEFORD, SASKATCHEWAN thunderstorms 496 miles

Sunday 16

Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Lloydminster, Edmonton, Leduc Sites: Edmonton: Alberta Legislature Building SRH Depart: Raleigh Durham, RDU, on Air Canada (Air Canada Express) Flight 7318 (Bombardier CRJ 200) at 4:10 pm Arrive Toronto Pearson International, YYZ, at 5:56 pm; Depart Toronto, on Air Canada Flight 1161(Airbus 321) at 7:45 pm Arrive Edmonton International, YEG, at 9:57 Hampton Inn Edmonton International Airport, Room 130: two Queen beds 3916 84th Avenue, Leduc; LEDUC/ EDMONTON, ALBERTA partly cloudy 270 miles

Monday 17

Breakfast: Hampton Inn Edmonton International Airport Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Edmonton, Hinton, Jasper, Tete Jaune Cache, McBride Sites: Edmonton: Legislature Building, Old Strathcone area; Jasper National Park (UNESCO): Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake; Jasper; Mount Robson Provincial Park; Robson Valley: Tete Jaune Cache, McBride Dinner: Gigglin’ Grizzly Pub North Country Lodge, Room 114: two Queen beds 868 North West Frontage Road McBRIDE, BRITISH COLOMBIA partly cloudy 421 miles

Tuesday 18

Breakfast: McBride: The Beanery 2 Bistro Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Prince George, Burns Lake, Smithers Sites: Slim Creek: Ancient Forest Trail; Prince George; Lakes District: Burns Lake, Fraser Lake; Bulkley Valley: Smithers Dinner: Smithers: Trackside Cantina Logpile Lodge: Room O: upper Tloor corner room with one Queen bed 3105 McCabe Road SMITHERS sunny 387 miles

Wednesday 19

Breakfast: Logpile Lodge Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Bulkley Valley, New Hazelton, Terrace, Skeena River Valley, Port Edward, Prince Rupert Sites: Bulkey Valley: Moricetown: salmon; Skeena Valley: Terrace and Hazelton area: ‘Ksan Historical Village; Port Edward: North PaciTic Cannery National Historic Site: Prince Rupert: Museum of Northern British Columbia Activity: Grace Hamilton: miniature Tsimshian cedar basket Dinner: Prince Rupert: Dolly’s Fish Market Crest Hotel, Room 343: North Harbour View with one King bed 222 First Avenue West PRINCE RUPERT sunny 250 miles

Thursday 20

Depart Prince Rupert: BC Ferries on MV Northern Adventure at 10:00 am; Hecate Strait Breakfast: MV Northern Adventure: cafeteria Arrive Skidegate at 5:00 pm Route: taxi to ferry in Prince Rupert; taxi from ferry in Skidegate to Queen Charlotte Activities: Inland Air Charters Ltd.: conference with pilot: Peter Drinks and Dinner: Queen Charlotte: Howler Pub, OV Pizza Gracies’s Place, Room 6: one Queen bed 3113 Oceanview Drive QUEEN CHARLOTTE, HAIDA GWAII partly cloudy/ clear

Friday 21

Activities: car tour of Queen Charlotte city and Skidegate with Dick Bellis; Haida Heritage Centre: Evelyn Vanderhoop: Naaxiin Robe Release Ceremony Sites: Queen Charlotte: Visitor Centre, Rainy Town Woodworking, Kagan Bay, logging sites, Michael Brown home; Skidegate: Dick Bellis home, James McGuire home, Haida Cemetary; Kay Linagaay: Haida Heritage Centre and Museum: six village poles, Haida Gwaii Museum, Carving Shed, Canoe House Dinner: Kay Linagaay: Haida Heritage Centre and Museum: Kaay Bistro Premier Creek Lodging, Room 12: two Double beds 3101 Oceanview Drive QUEEN CHARLOTTE partly sunny

Saturday 22

Depart Skidegate: BC Ferries on MV Kwuna at 7:45 am Arrive Alliford Bay, Moresby Island at 8:05 am; pick-up by Moresby Explorers van Activities: Moresby Explorers: “Louise Island Day Tour”; depart Moresby Camp by Zodiac at 9:10 am; water taxi across Alliford Bay to Queen Charlotte at 6:45 pm Sites: Moresby Island: clear cut logging sites, Mosquito Lake, Moresby Camp; Louise Island: Arrow Logging Camp, Skedans (K’uuna Linagaay): tour with Haida Gwaii Watchmen; Mathers Creek: cemetery, abandoned logging camp Dinner: Queen Charlotte: Sapporo Japan Dorothy & Mike’s Guest House, Kumdis Room: one Queen bed 3127 Second Avenue QUEEN CHARLOTTE rainy/ sunny/ rainy

Sunday 23

Breakfast: Tiell: Crow’s Nest Restaurant Activities: Gwaii Taxi and Tours: rent grey Buick Allure (165,786 miles on odometer); Old Massett: Sarah’s Haida Arts & Jewelry: Carmen Goertzen silver frog bracelet Route: TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Skidegate, Tiell, Port Clements, Masset, Old Massett and return Sites: Tiell Farmer’s Market; Old Massett: James Hart carving shed, cemetery (with Field Museum repatriation); Port Clements: Golden Spruce (Kiidk’yaas) Trail, St. Marks Heritage Church: spruce cutting; Skidegate: Balance Rock Dorothy & Mike’s Guest House QUEEN CHARLOTTE variable: cloudy rental 169 miles

Monday 24

Activities: Queen Charlotte: Michael J. Brown argillite clam carving; Skidegate: return rental car Depart Skidegate: BC Ferries on MV Northern Adventure at 10:00 am; Hecate Strait Breakfast: MV Northern Adventure: cafeteria Arrive Prince Rupert at 5:00 pm; taxi from ferry to hotel Drinks: Prince Rupert: Crest Hotel: Charley’s Lounge Dinner: Prince Rupert: Crest Hotel: Waterfront Restaurant Crest Hotel, Room 324: upgrade to Fireside Suite with one King bed 222 First Avenue West PRINCE RUPERT sunny, hazy rental 5 miles

Tuesday 25

Breakfast: Prince Rupert: Crest Hotel: Waterfront Restaurant Route: Ketchikan: van from ferry to downtown Depart Prince Rupert: Alaska Marine Highway System on MV Matanuska at noon: Cabin 20B (2 berths with facilities); arrive Ketchikan at 5:45 pm; depart 10:00 pm Sites: Ketchikan: Creek Road Drinks: Ketchikan: Sourdough Cocktail Bar Dinner: Ketchikan: Annabelle’s Keg and Chowder House EN ROUTE JUNEAU, ALASKA sunny, clear 2 miles

Wednesday 26

Breakfast: MV Matanuska: cafeteria En route: arrive Wrangell at 4:30 am; Wrangell Narrows; arrive Petersburg at 8:15 am; arrive Juneau at 05:20 pm Dinner: Juneau: The Rookery Cafe Alaska’s Capital Inn, Viola’s Room: one Queen bed 113 West 5th Street JUNEAU, ALASKA sunny, clear 17 miles

Thursday 27

Breakfast: Alaska’s Capital Inn Sites: Juneau: Juneau-Douglas City Museum; Sealaska Heritage Museum: Walter Soboleff Center; South Franklin Street Historic District Activities: William Spear Designs Dinner: Salt Restaurant Best Western Grandma’s Feather Bed Inn, Room 205: suite with two Queen beds 2358 Mendenhall Loop Road JUNEAU rain, showers 13 miles

Friday 28

Breakfast: Best Western Grandma’s Feather Bed Inn Depart Juneau: Alaska Marine Highway System on FVF Chenega at 6:30 am; Arrive Sitka, Baranof Island at 11:00 am Sites: Sitka: historic downtown: St. Michael’s Cathedral, Russian-American Building No. 29 Activities: Sitka: Fishermen’s Eye Gallery: Dale DeArmond’s Mother of Ravens wood engraving block Drinks: Sitka: Pioneer Bar, Ernie’s Bar Dinner: Sitka: Ludvig’s Bistro Super 8 Sitka, Room 204: two Double beds 404 Sawmill Creek Road SITKA steady rain / clears late

Saturday 29

Breakfast: Super 8 Sitka Sites: Sitka: Russian Bishop’s House, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Sitka Science Center, Sitka National Historic Park, St. Michael’s Cathedral Lunch: Homeport Eatery Drinks: Westmark Sitka Lounge Super 8 Sitka SITKA light rain, cloudy 93

Sunday 30

Breakfast: Super 8 Sitka Depart Sitka: Alaska Marine Highway System on FVF Chenega at 12:30 pm; arrive Juneau at 5:00 pm Drinks: Juneau: The Alaskan Hotel & Bar: The Alaskan Bar (Downtown String Band) Dinner: Juneau: The Hangar on the Wharf Alaska’s Capital Inn, Viola’s Room: one Queen bed 113 West 5th Street JUNEAU steady rain 11 miles

Monday 31

Breakfast: Alaska’s Capital Inn Sites: Mendenhall Valley: Mendenhall Glacier; Juneau: South Franklin Street Historic District Activities: Juneau: Rie Munoz Gallery: framed Dale DeArmond’s Mother of Ravens wood engraving; Haa Shagoon Gallery: Ray Peck: antique halibut hook; Lena Point: Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute: NOAA Fisheries Tour Dinner: The Rookery Cafe Best Western Grandma’s Feather Bed Inn, Room 134: suite with two Queen beds 2358 Mendenhall Loop Road JUNEAU steady rain 70 miles

SEPTEMBER Tuesday

Breakfast: Best Western Country Lane Inn Depart Juneau: Alaska Marine Highway System on MV Malaspina at 7:00 am; Haines: arrive noon; arrive Skagway at 1:45 pm Route: AK 98 (South Klondike Highway): U.S.–Canadian border; BC 2, YT 2 (South Klondike Highway): Carcross; YT 1: Whitehorse Sites: Skagway: Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park; Dyea: Slide Cemetery, ghost town, Chilkoot Trailhead Drinks: Whitehorse: Gold Rush Inn: Gold Pan Saloon Dinner: Whitehorse: Klondike Rib & Salmon Restaurant Best Western Gold Rush Inn, Room 431: two Queen beds 411 Main Street WHITEHORSE, YUKON cloudy, cold 145 miles

Wednesday 2

Breakfast: Whitehorse: Burnt Toast Cafe Route: BC 1 (Alaska Highway): Haines Junction, U.S.-Canadian border; AK 2 (Alaska Highway): Tok Sites: Whitehorse: SS Klondike National Historic Site; Kluane National Park (UNESCO) Activities: Whitehorse: Yukon Brewing Co. Dinner: Tok: Fast Eddy’s Restaurant Young’s Motel, Cabin 53: two Queen beds Mile 1313 Alaska Highway TOK, ALASKA cloudy/ clear, sunny 394 miles

Thursday 3

Route: Route: AK 1 (Tok Cutoff): Glennallen; AK 4 (Richardson Highway); AK 10 (Edgerton Highway, McCarthy Road): Chitina, McCarthy Sites: McCarthy Road: Kuskulana Bridge, Gilahina Bridge; Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (UNESCO); McCarthy Lunch: Chitina: Gilpatrick’s Hotel Chitina Dinner: McCarthy: The Golden Saloon Drinks: McCarthy: The Golden Saloon: Open Mic Night Ma Johnson’s Hotel, Room 6: two Twin beds and sink with common bathrooms 101 Kennicott Avenue McCARTHY cloudy 264 miles

Friday 4

Breakfast: The Golden Saloon Sites: downtown McCarthy Drinks: The Golden Saloon Dinner: The Golden Saloon Ma Johnson’s Hotel McCARTHY

steady rain

Saturday 5

Breakfast: McCarthy: The Golden Saloon Route: AK 10 (Edgerton Highway, McCarthy Road): Chitina; AK 4 (Richardson Highway): Glennallen; AK 1 (Glenn Highway): Palmer, Anchorage Sites: Matanuska River Valley Lunch: Chitina: Gilpatrick’s Hotel Chitina Hampton Inn Anchorage, Room 133: two Queen beds 4301 Credit Union Drive ANCHORAGE cloudy, light rain 314 miles

Sunday 6

Breakfast: Hampton Inn Anchorage Route: AK 1 (Seward Highway, Sterling Highway): Soldotna, Kenai, Homer Sites: Turnagain Arm; Kenai River; Ninilchik: Russian Orthodox Church; Homer Spit Depart Homer: Alaska Marine Highway System on MV Tustumena at 8:45 pm; Cabin 105 (4 berths with facilities); Cook Inlet Dinner: Homer: Land’s End Resort: Chart Room EN ROUTE KODIAK steady rain 233 miles

Monday 7

Breakfast: MV Tustumena: cafeteria En route: arrive Port Lions, Kodiak Island at 7:00 am; arrive Ouzinkie, Spruce Island at 8:45 am Arrive Kodiak, Kodiak Island at 10:45 am Activities: Avis Car Rental: rent white 2012 Corolla LE (16,981 miles on odometer) Route: North: Rezanof Drive, Monashka Bay Road and return; South: Rezanof Drive West, Chiniak Highway, Pasagshak Road and return Sites: Kodiak Island: Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, Miller Point Trailhead; U.S. Coast Guard Base, Alaska Aerospace PaciTic Spaceport Complex, Pasagshak Beach, Fossil Cliffs; Kodiak: Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Fishermen’s Memorial; Kodiak Star Liberty Ship Drinks: Kodiak Island Brewing Co; B&B Bar Dinner: Henry’s Great Alaska Restaurant Best Western Kodiak Inn, Room 105: one Queen bed 236 West Rezanof Drive KODIAK sunny, clear rental 125 miles

Tuesday

Breakfast: Best Western Kodiak Inn Sites: Alutiiq Museum; Baranov Museum Drinks: Tony’s Bar Dinner: Best Western Kodiak Inn: Chart Room Best Western Kodiak Inn KODIAK

Wednesday

cloudy, light rain rental 9 miles

Breakfast: Best Western Kodiak Inn Sites: Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Center Visitor Center; Alutiiq Museum; Baranov Museum Activities: Baranov Museum: Arlene Skinner: miniature Alutiiq grass basket; Alutiiq Museum: Doug Inga: Alutiiq stone mask pendant Depart Kodiak: Alaska Marine Highway System on MV Tustumena at 4:45 pm; Cabin 102 (4 berths with facilities) Dinner: MV Tustumena: cafeteria EN ROUTE DUTCH HARBOR steady rain, gale warnings 95

Thursday

Route: Shelikov Strait; arrive Chignik 1:00 pm; arrive Sand Point, Popof Island, 10:45 pm Activities: Chignik: disembark to dock Lunch: MV Tustumena: cafeteria Dinner: MV Tustumena: cafeteria EN ROUTE DUTCH HARBOR high waves, sunny, mostly clear

Friday

Breakfast: MV Tustumena: cafeteria Route: Arrive King Cove at 6:30 am; arrive Cold Bay at 9:45 am; arrive False Pass, Unimak Island at 5:00 pm; Akutan Pass to Bering Sea Activities: King Cove: disembark to dock; Cold Bay: disembark to Izembek National Wildlife Refuge headquarters: van to Cold Bay Airport and Izembek Lagoon; False Pass: disembark to store and adjacent Tish processing facility; Mount Shishaldin EN ROUTE DUTCH HARBOR light rain/clears late

Saturday

Route: Arrive Akutan, Akutan Island 5:00 am; arrive Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island 9:40 am Activities: North Port Rentals: rent grey 2008 Jeep Liberty with 54,000 on odometer Sites: Dutch Harbor: Alaska Ship Supply, Museum of the Aleutians; Aleutians WWII National Historic Area: Visitor Center, Mount Ballyhoo, Fort Schwatka; Unalaska: Cathedral of the Holy Ascension; Bishop’s House; USS Northwestern Memorial Park and cemetery; Sumner Bay Road; Captain’s Bay Road Drinks: Harbor View Inn Dinner: The Grand Aleutian Hotel: Cape Cheerful Lounge The Grand Aleutian Hotel, Room 123: one King bed 498 Salmon Way DUTCH HARBOR partly sunny, light rain rental 48 miles

Sunday 13

Brunch: The Grand Aleutian Hotel: The Chart Room Dinner: Norwegian Rat Saloon The Grand Aleutian Hotel DUTCH HARBOR mostly clear/overcast, windy rental 11 miles

Monday 14

Breakfast: The Grand Aleutian Hotel: Margaret Bay Cafe Depart: Dutch Harbor, DUT, on Alaskan Airlines (PenAir) Flight 3287 (Saab SF340A/B) at 10:40 am; seats 3A, 9D Arrive Anchorage, ANC at 1:40 pm; Depart: Anchorage on Alaskan Airlines (Ravn Alaska) Flight 878 (De Haviland Dash 8-100) at 2:45 pm; seats 2A, 2B Arrive Homer, HOM at 3:27 pm; checked bag lost by PenAir Sites: Homer: historic Old Town, Pratt Museum, Homer Spit, Kachemak Bay Activities: Dutch Harbor: LFS Marine Supply Dinner: Homer: A J’s Old Town Steakhouse and Tavern Land’s End Resort, Room 225: one King bed with bay view 4786 Homer Spit Road HOMER mostly sunny 17 miles

Tuesday 15

Breakfast: Homer: Two Sisters Bakery Route: AK 1 (Sterling Highway); AK 9 (Seward Highway): Seward Sites: Homer Spit: Salmon Sisters; Moose Pass; Seward: Alaska Sealife Center Activities: Seward: Seward Brewing Company Drinks: Seward: Yukon Bar Dinner: Seward: Chinooks Bar and Grill Hotel Seward, Room 234: executive King suite SEWARD steady rain 195 miles

Wednesday 16

Breakfast: Seward: Breeze Inn Route: AK 9, AK 1 (Seward Highway): Anchorage Sites: Seward: Exit Glacier; Anchorage: Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center Activities: Anchorage: Alaska Native Medical Center displays and gift shop, Porsche of Anchorage service Snack: Anchorage Museum Cafe Dinner: F Street Station The Historic Anchorage Hotel, Room 304: suite with one King bed 330 East Street ANCHORAGE partly sun/ partly rain 156 miles

Thursday 17

Route: AK 1 (Glenn Highway); AK 3 (George Parks Highway): Wasilla, Talkeetna, Healy, Fairbanks Sites: Anchorage: New Sagaya’s City Market; Talkeetna: Fairview Inn, Talkeetna Roadhouse, Talkeetna Cemetery and Climbers’ Memorial; Denali: Visitors Center, Park Road to Savage River and return Activities: Talkeetna: Denali Brewing Company Dinner: Fairbanks: Friar Tuck’s Hoagie House Hampton Inn & Suites Fairbanks, Room 417: two Queen beds 433 Harold Bentley Avenue FAIRBANKS sunny/ cloudy/ rain, fog 430 miles

Friday 18

Breakfast: Hampton Inn Fairbanks Route: AK 2 (Richardson Highway): North Pole, Delta Junction; AK 2 (Alaska Highway): Tok Sites: North Pole: US Post OfTice, Santa Claus House, Santa Claus Lane; Eielson Air Force Base; Delta Junction: Visitor Center: northern terminus of Alaska Highway: Alaska Highway Mile “1422” Milepost Monument Activities: : Fairbanks: University of Alaska Museum of the North Drinks: Tok: Husky Lounge Dinner: Tok: Fast Eddy’s Restaurant Young’s Motel, Cabin 51: two Queen beds Mile 1313 Alaska Highway TOK mostly cloudy 225 miles

Saturday 19

Breakfast: Chicken: Chicken Creek Cafe Route: AK 2 (Taylor Highway): Chicken, U.S.-Canadian border; YT 9 (Top of the World Highway): Dome Mountain, Klondike River, Yukon River, George Black ferry (Yukon River), Dawson City Sites: Dawson City: SS Keno National Historic Site, historic downtown Drinks: Dawson City: Bombay Peggy’s Victorian Pub Dinner: Dawson City: The Drunken Goat Taverna Hotel Bombay Peggy’s Victorian Inn, Green Room (Room 4): one Queen bed DAWSON CITY, YUKON cloudy/ sunny/ cloudy 192 miles

Sunday 20

Breakfast: Dawson City: El Dorado Hotel Route: YT 2 (Klondike Loop): Carmacks, Whitehorse Sites: Dawson City: Robert Service Cabin; Bonanza Creek Road: Bonanza Creek, Claim 33, tailings piles, Dredge Number 4 National Historic Site; Five Fingers Rapids Dinner: Whitehorse: Gold Rush Inn: Gold Pan Saloon: Neil Young Tribute Night Best Western Gold Rush Inn, Room 432: two Queen beds 411 Main Street WHITEHORSE partly sunny, dusty 353 miles

Monday 21

Breakfast: Whitehorse: Burnt Toast Cafe Route: YT 1 (Alaska Highway): Teslin, Watson Lake; BC 1, BCF 97 (Alaska Highway): Liard River, Muncho Lake Sites: Liard Hot Springs; Watson Lake: Signpost Forest Dinner: Northern Rockies Lodge Dining Room Northern Rockies Lodge, Room 311: two Queen beds Mile 462 Alaska Highway MUNCHO LAKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA sunny 445 miles

Tuesday 22

Breakfast: Fort Nelson: Tim Horton’s Route: BC 97 (Alaska Highway): Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek Sites: Muncho Lake Provincial Park; Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park; Kiskatinaw Provincial Park: Historic Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge; Dawson Creek: historic downtown: Beginning of Alaska Highway: Alaska Highway Milepost “0” Monument, Northern Alberta Railways Park: Station Museum, grain elevator, Historical Milepost “0” cairn Dinner: Dawson Creek: Fixx Urban Grill Stonebridge Hotel, Room 312: two Queen beds 500 Highway 2 DAWSON CREEK mostly sunny 495 miles

Wednesday 23

Breakfast: Dawson Creek: Stonebridge Hotel Route: BC 2 (East Access Route): Alberta border; AB 43 (East Access Route): Grande Prairie; AB 40: Grande Cache; TCH 16 (Yellowhead Highway): Jasper Sites: Jasper National Park: Dinner: Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites: The Inn Restaurant Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites, Room 256: one Queen bed 98 Geikie Street JASPER, ALBERTA mostly clear, sunny 317 miles

Thursday 24

Breakfast: Jasper: Cassio’s Restaurant Route: BC 93 (IceTields Parkway): Lake Louise; TCH 1: Banff, Calgary; AB 201; AB 2: AB 72; AB 9; AB 840: Rosebud; AB 9: Drumheller Sites: Jasper National Park: IceTields Parkway; Yoho National Park: Athabasca Glacier; Banff National Park: Lake Louise; Banff; Rosebud: Theatre Dinner: Drumheller: O’Shea’s Eatery and Ale House Ramada Drumheller Hotel and Suites, Room 312: one King bed 680 2nd Street SE DRUMHELLER mostly sunny 424 miles

Friday 25

Breakfast: Ramada Drumheller Hotel Route: AB 838; AB 837: Kirkpatrick; AB 575: Drumheller; AB 10; AB 884; AB 544; TCH 1: Brooks, Medicine Hat Sites: Alberta Badlands; Drumheller; Dinosaur Trail: Royal Tyrell Museum, Little Church, Bleriot Chain Ferry (Red Deer River); Orkney Viewpoint; Kirkpatrick grain elevator; Rosedale: grain elevator; Wayne: Rosedeer Hotel and Last Chance Saloon, eleven one-lane bridges; Hoodoos; Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site; Dorothy: grain elevator; Dinosaur Provincial Park (UNESCO): viewpoint Activities: Drumheller: Fossil World: Ammolite/ silver pendant Dinner: Medicine Hat: The Garage Pub & Eatery Holiday Inn Express Medicine Hat, Room 325: two Queen beds 9 Strachan Bay SE MEDICINE HAT sunny 304 miles

Saturday 26

Breakfast: Holiday Inn Express Medicine Hat Route: AB 4: Schuler, Empress; AB 570; SK 44; SK 21; SK 7: Kindersley, Rosetown; SK 4: Sanctuary, Swift Current Sites: Medicine Hat: Clay Industries National Historic Site, Triple E Antiques; Grain Elevators: Alberta: Schuler, Hilda, Empress, Acadia Valley; Saskatchewan: Fiske, Laporte, Eatonia, D’Arcy, Dankin, Sanctuary Dinner: Swift Current: Living Sky Casino Holiday Inn Express Swift Current, Room 314: two Queen beds 1301 North Service Road E SWIFT CURRENT, SASKATCHEWAN partly sunny 365 miles

Sunday 27

Breakfast: Holiday Inn Express Swift Current Route: TCH 1: Moose Jaw, Regina, Brandon Sites: Grain Elevators: Saskatchewan: Herbert, Chaplin, Moose Jaw, Pense, Indian Head, Sintaluta, Grenfell, Fleming; Regina: Legislature Building Best Western Brandon Inn, Room 304: one King bed 205 Middleton Avenue BRANDON, MANITOBA clear, sunny 407 miles

Monday

Breakfast: Best Western Brandon Inn Route: TCH 1: Winnipeg; MB 75: U.S.- Canadian border; I 29: Grand Forks, Fargo Sites: Winnipeg: Manitoba Legislature Building, Exchange District, The Forks; Fargo: historic downtown, Hotel Donaldson Drinks and Dinner: Fargo: HoDo Restaurant Ramada Plaza Fargo Hotel, Room 431: suite with two Queen beds 1635 42nd Street South FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA clear, sunny 366 miles

Tuesday 29

Breakfast: Fergus Falls, MN: Perkins Restaurant Route: I 94: Fergus Falls, St. Paul, Eau Claire, Wisconsin Dells Sites: St. Paul: Minnesota State Capitol Dinner: Wisconsin Dells: High Rock Cafe Drinks: Nig’s Bar Gable’s Motel, Room 21: two Queen beds 822 Oak Street WISCONSIN DELLS, WISCONSIN clear, sunny 463 miles

Wednesday

Route: I 94: Madison, Rockford, Chicago Activities: Dells Boat Tours: Upper Dells and Wisconsin River on tour boat Joliet Arrive: Chicago at 4:50 pm CHICAGO clear, sunny 196 miles

Total Driving Macan: Total Driving Rental Cars: Total driving:

9,740 miles 362 miles 10,002 miles

A journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip through Alakska and Western Canada from August 13-September 30, 2015. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, c. 2015. 100

Vol. 3