Gone to Alaska tips

So you don't need to hear about getting back to Wisconsin and home. But I did want to post about the Tips we would suggest for anyone venturing into Canada and/or Alaska via roads.

1. Your Cell Phone will work in Canada but the charges may be astronomical.  Check with your provider to verify.  Our phones were in Airplane mode the entire time, no charges but can get WiFi when available from campgrounds, restaurants, Welcome centers.  We went into Canada last summer for a week with phones off but turned them on just over the U.S. Border, we pinged Canadian towers and our usual $120 cell bill was $460. We had called our carrier when we received a "international" warning text.  We also had proof of campground receipt, that we were indeed in the U.S.  So they removed all the extra charges.  We don't want anyone to get a surprise!

2. If you really need a phone, Canada has "pay as you go" phone at Petro or 7-11 stations. 

($15.75 monthly unlimited txt & 25cents/min talk) ($20.75 monthly unlimited txt & free weekend talk, 25cents/min weekday talk) (Talk only 75cents/month fee plus 50cents/min talk Canada & US calls.

3. Same with your WiFi Carrier.  We have Verizon and they have coverage in Canada but it is

via another carrier so we would have to pay Verizon AND a second carrier's fees.  Ours were OFF. All of our campgrounds have Free WiFi and always many business'/fast food in the area, have Free WiFi.

4. Questionable Direct TV signal in Canada. Tape some shows if you can't do without. If your dish goes to 8 degree Elevation (pointing basically towards the ground) you will get signal.  We had other people that theirs wouldn't go past 20 degrees so check into that.

5. Ask your vehicle insurance agent to send you a Canadian Inter Province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card.  This is your proof of insurance coverage while in Canada (Free card) Get one for each vehicle going into Canada (ie: RV and car)   6. You could exchange U.S. money for Canadian but Credit Cards are much easier and automatically do the conversion.  What you have to check into is if your specific Credit Card company has fees. Some charge a percentage for foreign transaction fee for international purchases and ATM withdrawals.  Others do not charge fees.  Make sure you notify them so they don't decline purchase in Canada. Our Capital One card had No foreign transaction fees.   7.  Passport.  Make sure it won't expire before you cross back over the border, on your way back to the U.S.  Color photo copy it and keep it in a separate location (safe) incase lost/stolen.  Makes identification and duplicate request much easier. 8. Vehicle registration, up-to-date license plates. 9. Weapons a problem on crossing - guns, rifles, ammo, knives (not kitchen), pepper spray,   sometimes bear spray, etc   10. Keep meat and fruit in its original package. Review the information on the Canadian Border Crossing websites:  What You Can Bring Into Canada   http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/travellers/what-can-i-bring-into- canada-/eng/1389648337546/1389648516990 Canadian Border Services Agency http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html Pets   Proof of current vaccination (rabies) for pets and health certificate. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/imports/policies/live-animals/pets/eng /1326600389775/1326600500578 Put emergency contact information and a picture of your animal somewhere in the coach - sort of a "mini passport" for you animal(s). Always remove your sunglasses and hat when you approach the Border Crossing.  Answer all questions Yes or No, unless specifics requested. Don't make jokes or be a story teller. When asked, you are "on vacation", never say you live in your RV fulltime.   We parked next to a Canadian Border employee that told us they have installed listening devices that allow the Border Guards to hear everything inside your coach/car 300 meters (984 feet) before the Border crossing.  So don't discuss where you hid the oranges or how nervous you are about what they may ask you, cuz then they WILL. I hope everyone interested in making this trip do take the time to do it.  It will be an adventure and some awesome memories.   Randy & Lonna email us with any questions:    riverlife03@gmail.com

Back to the Lower 48!

Heading south to the Lower 48 and can't wait. We stopped for a night outside Jasper again.  Ran into a few people we encountered on the Alaskan Highway, as they were heading south for home also. Jasper and Banff are on the top of our Canadian top places to see list. Just beautiful.  As we cross the US/Canadian border, I think it was our eighth crossing on this grand tour.  We decided to see Glacier National Park.  On our bucket list and on our way back to Wisconsin.  Of all our travels this summer and the worries we wouldn't get phone signal, internet, or satellite - Glacier was the place we did not have access to any of it.  So for all those people heading to Alaska "No worries", until you get to the wilderness in the good old lower 48 USA.  Makes me laugh.  The "Road to the Sun" had just been opened for the first time, the day we arrived.  Forest fires all summer had closed it for safety and allowing the fires to be managed.  I am so thankful we got to drive it and see the beauty right back in the Lower 48.  Must see if you are not able to get into Canada, but want to see the best of the Rockies.

Stewart BC / Hyder AK

 This was one of the most beautiful stops on our entire trip.  Bear Glacier, even in the fog was visible and very beautiful.  I have never seen so many waterfalls in one area.  There had to have been, easily 1000 waterfalls in the area when we turned off the Cassier Hwy and in the glacier area past Hyder Alaska.  The US does not have a Customs stop on the way into Hyder Alaska from Stewart.  There is no where else to go beyond Hyder, but the Canadian government chose to put a Customs stop in on the way back to reentering Stewart British Columbia.  Talking with one of the residence of Hyder, he told us the Canadian Customs used to close at 10pm and they would close the gate.  Making it impossible for the residence of Hyder to leave town at night.  They rallied together and got the Canadian government to agree to put in a phone for after hours so they could video call an agent, show their ID, and get the gate opened when needed.  Crazy government rules. 

The big draw, for us, to Hyder is the Salmon run that was going on and the possibility of seeing bears.  WE SAW BEARS!!!!  First day there we had to stop for a Black Bear and her cubs crossing the road.  Yah!  They have a great decking bridge on the side of the river so people and bears can safely observe each other with no risk.  "Jaws" came to eat both days we went to the observation deck.  He is a 20+ year old male Grizzly that was in a fight with another bear 8+ years ago and his lower lip and chin were cut and just hang to the side.  He is the father to most of the bears in the area.  He would eat 3-5 large salmon a day and then just wander off, to return the next day.  The Grizzlies will only eat the female Salmon (they love the eggs) so Jaws caught a male, took a bite and dropped it quickly.  We saw 3 different Grizzly eating the salmon.  The one incident when 2 bears were at the river, at the same time - when they saw each other - both got up and ran in opposite directions.  No fighting at dinner time!
There is a beautiful glacier drive for 19 miles past Hyder.  Very rough, pot hole road - drive up and turn around to drive back the same way.  Gorgeous sunset, glacier, and worth the bumpy drive.  I can not imagine how this would look on a sunny day.  Our rainy, cloudy day was so beautiful.  Sunset included!!
 
We chose to stay in a pull off area, 9 miles from Stewart.  Couldn't beat the views, waterfalls, mountains, and streams next to the pull off area.  And it was free!!  Campground in town was $45 per night and more like a parking lot with minimal room between sites.  We can handle camping without power/water/sewer for about 3 weeks.  So 3 nights in a Pull off was fine with us!

On our way to Stewart we came across an ingenious way to keep the town budget under control and still help with speeders.......Make a plywood police car (Royal Mounted Canadian Police RMCP) and put it along the roadside!  Loved it.  It threw us off at first glance.  I bet it helps slow people down,  until they see its royal flatness.
Prince Rupert was a bit of a drive and not a very interesting town, for us.  Beautiful dock area and watched the fisherman come in and filet their catch of the day on the dock.  Then came the Harbor Seals to get the leftovers.  So we can at least say "Been there, done that" but don't need to by the t-shirt or return.


 
 

Skagway

After a day of traveling we arrived back in Whitehorse.  Part of this trip is back tracking to parts we have already seen.  But it is the only way back to the lower USA.  Planned to stay 2 nights in the same campground we stayed at on the way up, over 1 month ago.  Pioneer RV Park $32 per night Canadian ($26.50 American - full hook up).  Did a bit of stocking up at Walmart and fuel fill up in both the RV and SUV.  The campground allows 300meg of data usage on the internet, otherwise off to the Visitors Center to jump on their WiFi.  WiFi has been a challenge throughout this trip.  Dry camping there is never a WiFi, and some of the campgrounds have really poor signal so basically like no WiFi either.  It makes for a challenge, and trying to remember all the stuff I needed to do online, when we get the chance.

Last major city before Prince George and they fuel may be cheaper than anywhere else on the way south.   Decided to do the same thing with Skagway.  We had been there on our cruise in 2009 and seen the town.  Took the White Pass Yukon railway trip in 2009 so thought we would check out the town and surrounding area more.  Leaving the RV in Whitehorse and taking the SUV and Gator with for another long days trip to Skagway.  Left at 7:30am and drove the 100 miles one way to Skagway.  Canada to US border crossing again.  I got smart and brought Gator treats to keep him occupied while the border guard questioned us, not a peep out of Gator!  Now that I mentioned how smart I am, I must tell you how stupid I am.  2 days ago while we were in Haines, I had our mail forwarded to Haines General Delivery.  Today as we drive to Skagway, I remember.  So do we take the $36.50 one way ($71 round trip) ferry to Haines just to pick up the mail? Or have it returned to our mailing service, or forward it to Samantha's address?  We first stopped in the Skagway Post Office and told her our "issue".  We decided to have it forwarded to Sammi and she could open and deposit the checks that were in there into the local bank.  Hopefully, that all works!!

We had a 2 for 1 coupon in our Alaskan Tour Saver book for the Liarsville show and salmon bake.  So we drove 2 miles down the road to Liarsville.  Turns out you get tickets in town so we had to go into Skagway and luckily they had a few tickets left for today.  There are 4 cruise ships in Skagway and about 10,000 people.  OK, didn't plan that one well.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all the cruise ships come in (today is Wednesday).  We went back to Liarsville and had a wonderful lunch of salmon, chicken, rice, noodles, coleslaw, beans, salad, cornbread, and blueberry cake. Mmmmmm…..  They also put on a funny show telling about Liarsville.  In the 1898 gold rush Liarsville was the base camp for the thousands of gold seeking people, waiting for supplies or a break in the weather to head up the pass and the 500 miles of hiking to Dawson City.  The reporters that were sent from the lower 48 didn't really want to hike that far, nor haul 1000# of supplies to make the trek.  So they stayed back in this town and wrote there "true, on the spot reporting" from camp - 500 miles away.  Hence, it became Liarsville because the stories were rarely true to life and made the long walk seem like a stroll.  Many people weren't too happy when they returned from attempting to make it to Dawson City and found those reporters! 

The drive was the absolute best part of the trip.  Beautiful, beautiful scenery and so glad we drove the SUV.  We made frequent stops, turn arounds, and slow drive bys to get photos.  Stopped in the World's Smallest Desert - Carcross Desert.  We were told stories about friends of ours that had stopped there in their motorhome.  He thought she had gone into the RV bathroom, she took a stroll into the desert.  When he drove off and left her, she ended up walking a few miles up the road before he realized and turned around to come back for her.  Still a topic of conversation…  So now I can see how that could happen.  It is a beautiful area and photos are a must.

Carcross the town has much Tlingit First Nation history and love their paintings on the buildings!!  Local artists have a few shops open and the bakery is a neat building but no bakery goods.  Just coffee and scones.  Not our favorite, as Randy was really looking forward to a donut.  

Back to Whitehorse after doing a bit of tourist shopping in town.  A lot of tshirts and overpriced goods, but interesting to look at.  Home by 7:00pm

Haines

We were debating on going to Haines or not.  150 miles one way and not too much to see. But then if we didn't go we would always wonder what it was like and a stop we missed.  So we found a great campground (or in Alaskan/Canadian - a parking lot with numbered spots) at the Fas Gas station in Haines Junction.  $25 Canadian per night for electric and water ($20 American).  It was right on the mail road, flat, and a great place to leave the coach so we could go to Haines in our SUV.  7am Randy, myself, and Gator hit the road.  Canada to US crossing and back to Alaska time (1 hour earlier) we were in Haines.  Found out that along the Alaskan Hwy many of the Quansite huts from WWIII and the building of the Alaskan Hwy were converted into churches.  Great idea!

They have the Eagle Foundation and the most Bald Eagles in one area in the world.  We saw many, many in the trees and along the Chilkat River as we drove into town.  First stop, visitors center.  3 museums in town - all very small and mostly repeat information we had gathered along our trip already.  Small downtown area with a lot of souvenir places and typical necessity stores (hardware, grocery, restaurants, furniture, bank, etc).  We drove out of town, past the boat dock for the Fast Ferry to Skagway and the car ferry to the same.  $36.50 one way to Skagway to walk on (no bike, no vehicle) 45 minute trip.  Chilkat Lake was just up the road 11 miles.  This is where the pink salmon were running and hopefully our time to see bears.  2 hours of watching and only a few fishermen in the water.  Bummer.  They were catching fish!  We were told from a local girl that her whole family will go fishing and there are easily 100+ people in the water.  When someone catches a fish the first thing they do is look around for a bear.  If there is a bear on the banks, everyone yells "bear" so the catching fisherman can drop their pole and get out of the way, because that bear will be charging right for the caught fish and take it all.  They never bother the people; they just want the easy meal.  So if you are lucky enough to catch a fish, AND keep it for yourself - good day!!

We like watching the show Gold Rush and the Schnabel family is from Haines so we were hoping they had tours of the Big Nugget mine or something about the family.  Nothing --- But we could see what a beautiful area Parker has grown up in and what a warm, friendly town. 

On the way back to Haines Junction it was raining, actually most of the day (lightly) so our views were not the best.  I loved this old car sitting by the side of the road.  Made me think some guy parked it there 80 years ago, and just forgot where he left it.  Still waiting…    Gator had a very busy day and loved running on the shores of the ocean.  Nap time all the way home, well until we got to the US to Canadian border crossing and he awoke and barked at the border guard.  Not a great first impression.  They still let us through!  Got back to Haines Junction and the RV around 8pm.

Valdez

And here we are in the epicenter of the 1964 - 9.2 earthquake.  Oh joy!!   What a great feeling to know that you are sleeping on a fault line and who knows when this baby will move again.  Praying not while we're here!!!

This was a very tiny town but very exciting.  It is the end of the 800 mile Alaskan pipeline and where all that oil gets stored before getting shipped out.  You aren't allowed at the very end, but we did see the pipeline coming down the mountain to its end of the line stop.  We stayed in the back parking lot of the Elks Lodge - $10/night, dry camping.  We are all set up for dry camping as we have 8 instead of the standard 4 batteries for the "house".  We have 800watts of solar panels. We have Randy who has tested every outlet and thing that is plugged into those outlets so he goes on an "unplugging" spree and we get our usage down to very minimal.  We still use a few electric items, but 1 at a time to not overwhelm our battery usage.  Microwave for quick 1-2 minute reheats, then unplug.  Toaster for 2 pieces of toast in the morning, then unplug.  TV and satellite at night to catch up on our previously taped programs, then unplug.  You get the idea.  We rarely have to use our generator but will for hot water for showers, dishes, or just to get the batteries up to 100% if parked for a few days.  The engine also helps to charge the batteries so on frequent moving days we are good to go.

Same with the red Salmon or Sockeye Salmon.  They have a fish ladder to let the salmon get up to their spawning grounds and lay their eggs for the next batch of baby salmon (fry).  They count fish and actually extract the eggs so they can repopulate the hatchery and release more salmon for next year, the unnatural way.  There were millions of salmon in the area and so the locals (sea lions and bears) take advantage of it.  We drove the 13 miles to the hatchery 3 times during our 2 day stay and never saw a bear.  Ask a local and they will tell you that the bears are there "all the time".  We must just not be at the right time.  But saw the Sea Lions having a feast and singing their hearts out when they got full.  It was a Sea Lion Quartet. 

Took a boat tour of Columbia Glacier and wildlife sightseeing.  It was amazing and so beautiful to see the ice bergs and all of the sea life that live around this cold, cold place.  Sea otters with their tiny pups were floating on their backs to keep track of the kiddos.  So cute.  The Sea Lions were out sunning themselves and would take an occasional break to go grad a snack in the ocean.  They are very vocal and territorial over their domain.  Then we were able to spot a school of Dall Porpoise.  They are often mistaken for Orca's / Killer Whales as their black and white markings are similar.  Well that's what I thought they were too, bummer - really wanted to see an Orca.  But these guys loved playing in the waves of the boat, so very entertaining!