Departure date has been delayed.

They say that when making plans - be flexible.  Well, we have had to push our travel dates back by at least a week and maybe even longer.  Louis has developed some medical issues that required quite a few tests and changes to existing medications.  We now have to wait on weekly blood tests until the numbers are back up to the acceptable range.  Now we play the waiting game!

Our original plan was to leave Ferndale, WA on Saturday, January 5th but it now looks like if we are lucky, we could leave on January 13th.  *fingers crossed*.    I will keep some of our reservations until I find that I need to change them.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year for 2013.

Love this Gingerbread 'house'

Do I take a sewing/embroidery machine or not?

With only 4 weeks until we head south, I'm really torn in my decision to take a sewing machine with me.  Because we will be gone for 2 months like when we went to Alaska, I'm sure I will miss my sewing.  So, do I take a small sewing (only) machine or do I take a sewing/embroidery machine?

With mostly 1 week stays at various locations, will I want to spend time sewing or will I want to be out exploring?  I was thinking that maybe I would just take the small sewing machine and some smaller projects.  That way I can still sew if I have the urge but it wouldn't take up nearly as much room as if I took the sewing/emb. machine with all it's extras.  Will I kick myself?  I hope not!

As this is our first 'Snowbird' trip of what I hope will be many - I am expecting that we will learn a lot more about what we should and shouldn't take south.  We always tend to take way more than we need when we travel.

6 week countdown - can't wait

We have decided to head south just after New Years so the Countdown is On!  The weather here has been wet and cold.  Yesterday we had the loudest thunder storm and then the rain came down in buckets.  Hubby and I were asking ourselves "why are we still here and not down south"? 

Big savings by shopping in the US.

Yesterday we did our regular run across the border for groceries and gas and were pleased that the price of gas was down again.  We filled up for $3.29 a gallon which is = to 69¢ a litre in Canada.  That is a savings of over $18 to fill up which was down to about 1/4 tank.  I just wish diesel wasn't so much more than gas as the price of diesel was $3.89 a gallon.  We don't go through much diesel until we start traveling so hopefully by January, the prices will come down even more.  It is always much cheaper to do our traveling in the US than Canada.

Other big savings are found in the price of groceries.  We bought a 15 lb. turkey for less than $9 and up here it would probably be about $22.  Although we must buy our produce in Canada and some items are NOT less expensive - we do find the trip worthwhile.  When we started calculating our savings for the groceries and gas - we guess that we saved well over $100.

We also find big savings in shopping for our hobby supplies.  I do most of my fabric/craft shopping in the US and probably save at least 50% off retail prices in Canada.   

Note:  Not everything is less expensive in the US.  You need to know your prices before you head south.

Planning our next RV Adventure.

We have been home from the Alaska Trip for about 7 weeks now and although it is true "There's No Place Like Home", we are already looking forward to our next RV Trip.  We have stayed down in the RV twice since being home but since it's less than an hour away - it's more of a 'get away' rather than an RV Adventure.  The weather here is much cooler now so we have winterized the RV and will do our regular monthly checks while it is in storage.  

Our plans as of right now are to leave home in early January and go south!  We decided that we wanted to have a taste of being a Canadian Snowbird and head down to California, Nevada and Arizona.  We plan to spend a couple of weeks in Pahrump, Nevada, as well as some time in the Mesa/Phoenix area and Yuma, Arizona.  We then hope to stay for a bit in the Palm Springs/Indio area before heading back to the coast for our journey home.

We should return home in early March and estimate around 4000 miles.  We know many snowbirds and hope to visit with some of them while down in the 'sun belt'. 

Back Home - the end of this Journey

Today we will leave Sunshine Valley and return home.

We left home 55 days ago and it has been a long and interesting time away in the RV.  We have never been away for this long so it was quite the test for us.  We both found the trip worth the time and money but definitely found things we liked and things we didn't like. 

Travelling almost every day during the convoy was tiring and we prefer to set up for more than just one night at a time. This allows for a little sight seeing, shopping, laundry and not feel that we are constantly on the go.   

We also don't like having a set time that we have to 'hit the road' each day.  As we usually wake up early anyway, we like to have a relaxing breakfast and then get ready to go without being rushed.  We generally hit the road between 8 and 9 am.

Being with a group, we usually tried to stop for a short break after about 90 minutes of driving.  This allowed for a stretch, snack and a potty break.  We found that was a great thing to energise us and we continued to do this on our way home after leaving Dawson Creek.

Booking campgrounds in advance is quite restrictive.  While travelling with the convoy it was fine because everyone stayed at the same place.  While travelling on our own we decided that sometimes we would want to travel farther than originally planned so not having a reservation while on the road is better for us.  We definitely will continue to make reservations for our final destination to guarantee our space.

One thing we both strongly agree on - We Don't Like Dirt Roads !!!

The Fraser Canyon and back to Sunshine Valley

We left Fir Crest RV Park, Lac La Hache at 8:00 on Sunday morning and stopped briefly in 100 Mile House to flush out our fresh water tank.  Back on the road heading south we were making great time until we headed into the Fraser Canyon and found quite a bit of traffic.  We came up on a line of traffic and were down to about 45-50mph for a few miles until we came to a passing lane.  As we picked up speed we found that the front of the line was a Military Vehicle heading back home from the Convoy.  We honked, waved and kept on going.  After a while we pulled off into Shaw Springs for a brief rest and who should come in too but the MV. 

It was Willie & Willie heading for California.  One Willie through-out the Convoy I called "Grumpy Bum" so it was kind of fun to run into him and have a laugh.

After a brief rest and potty break we were back on the road and continued on down through the Canyon.  We did see some River Rafters but weren't able to find a place to stop to capture some photos.

A train tunnel on the other side of the river.

Nice shot of the rapids.

We pulled into Sunshine Valley RV Resort around 12:30pm and were on site and hooked up by 1:00pm.  It feels good to be back on home turf.  The campground is packed with RVs and lots of ATVs.  This is the last long week-end before school starts back so many families are out enjoying the beautiful sunny week-end.  Kari & Brandon drove up to visit with us and we shared some Convoy stories and enjoyed dinner together.

Heading for Home

Saturday September 1st, we said our good-byes to Muriel & Terry and pulled out of Dawson Creek at 8:00am.  We drove to Chetwynd where we stopped for a quick breakfast at A&W and then it was on to Prince George where we stopped for fuel.

Beautiful wood sculptures along the road in Chetwynd.

Prince George

Back on the road we made a rest stop in Quesnel and who should pull in beside us but Herb & Doris who had left Dawson Creek at 5:30am but had spent the last couple of hours trying to get a tire fixed on their motorhome.  We chatted for a bit and then both of us hit the road heading for William’s Lake.  They went towards downtown and we pulled in to top off with fuel and decided to keep going a little farther on to Lac La Hache. 

We pulled into Fir Crest RV Park at 5:00pm and although the park is difficult to get around in due to all the large trees, we did manage to find a site we could spend the night in with hook-ups.  We made some soup and a sandwich for dinner and then spent the evening reading and playing computer games.  Bed time was 9pm as I was hoping to catch up on some lost sleep.

A day in Dawson Creek to catch our breath.

We woke up early this morning without an alarm clock but had a much more relaxed time to enjoy our morning coffee and tea.  At 7:30 we walked across the parking lot to the hall where the local Rotary Club was hosting a breakfast for us of pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausages.  Terry shared the story of the convoy including the planning and then the Rotary conducted their morning meeting.

I took some time to clean out some cupboards and organize all of the Convoy 'stuff' while Lou went and did a few loads of laundry.  It was nice to be able to get things organized again in the RV and pull out some clean sheets and towels etc.

We joined Muriel and Terry for lunch at "Stuies Diner".  It is an old style Diner that we learned is constructed in Alberta and serves great food.

After lunch we took a drive out to the Kiskatinaw Bridge which is about 21 miles  from Dawson Creek.  When the Convoy left town on August 4th, the Military Vehicles detoured from the main highway over to a part of the 'old alaska highway' and drove over the bridge.  Because the bridge is curved and narrow, the RVs didn't take that route and missed the bridge.

Information about the building of the bridge.

Mile marker on the highway near the bridge.

The wooden bridge.

Another view.

A butterfly came to visit.

For dinner the convoy participants that were still in Dawson Creek all went for dinner at Boston Pizza and then said our good-byes.  We met some wonderful people and saw some amazing scenery.



Fort St. John to Dawson Creek

Thursday August 30th, we left Fort St. John at 9am for the shortest journey of the entire convoy.  We only had 53 miles to go and pulled into the Mile "0" RV Park at about 10:00am.  After checking in we took the RV and trailer over to the truck wash and probably rinsed off about 20 lbs. of dirt.  It still needs a good scrubbing but it's much better than it was.

Lots of dead BUGS!!!

We chose to skip the luncheon and went to the White Spot for lunch.  In the evening we attended the wind-up banquet which was held at the George Dawson Inn and they put on a lovely buffet dinner. 

The Convoy totalled 4109 miles.  We left Dawson Creek on August 4th and returned August 30th.  There was one head-on collision, one jeep roll-over, many flat tires and lots of other mechanical 'adjustments' but no one was hurt and everyone kept rolling along.

Fort Nelson to Fort St. John

Wednesday August 29th, we pulled out of Fort Nelson at 6:45 heading for Fort St. John.  The roads were good so we made good time even with a delay at a construction area. We made a couple of short rest stops and a stop for lunch at a little coffee shop in Pink Mountain and pulled into the Rotary Campground in Fort St. John at 12:30pm.  What a great campground.  We had nice roomy sites and even were treated to grassy areas.

It was a peaceful afternoon and a quiet nite.

At 7:00am we headed out of the campground and over to the Legion for a really nice breakfast.  There was a short driver's meeting before we all pulled out at 9:00am for our last daily drive of just over 50 miles into Dawson Creek.

The Fort St. John Legion.

A cool statue in front of the School District Office.

A line of support vehicles ready to go.

Liard River to Fort Nelson

Tuesday, August 28th we pulled out of Liard River at 6:50 after a brief driver’s meeting.  Our first break was at Toad River Lodge and fuel was $1.69/Litre so we only added $50 worth.  We stopped for lunch at Steamboat Mountain Rest Area and just made a sandwich. 

Lots of wildlife were out today.  We saw quite a few Bison, Cariboo, Mountain Goats and some Deer.  At times they were on the road and we had to come to a stop before they would leave.

The problem with being the advance team and on the radio - I couldn't stop and take pictures so I borrowed this one from Janet D.

We arrived in Fort Nelson about 11:45 and went straight to the Blue Bell Motel and RV Park.  We fueled up at $1.50/Litre and went and hooked up the RV in the ‘dirt parking lot with hook-ups’ they called RV sites. 

At 5pm there was a Military Vehicle parade down the main streets lead by the RCMP.  It was raining off and on so we chose to remain in the truck on the side of the road and watch. 

After the parade, the town hosted a bar-b-q of hamburgers and hotdogs but we decided to join another couple and hit the Boston Pizza instead.  I think it was a good choice because when we came out after dinner – it was pouring and the Bar-b-q was outside under large tents.

Back to the RV around 7pm and enjoyed a quiet evening listening to the rain on the roof with the fireplace on.

Swift River to Liard River Hot Springs

Monday, August 27th we pulled out of Rancheria at 6:30 but this morning we were armed with hot coffee and muffins courtesy of Brad & Nancy Nelson.  They travel in an MV and tow a small trailer that has a machine in it to make ‘dog tags’.  Brad has been busy making and selling ‘dog tags’ along the trip in most towns and because sales have been so good – he decided to share the wealth and treated us all to breakfast.

The roads were good and our first stop was at Watson Lake for fuel and a break.  Diesel was $1.40/Litre so we filled up as we were advised that at our night stop it was almost $2.00.
We continued along and saw a few dead animals along the highway.  A Bison, a cow and a small black bear as well as a porcupine.  Farther along we came across quite a few Bison grazing on the side of the road.

A sign we saw many times along the road.

A bit of the winding road.

We stopped for lunch at Allan’s Lookout and just made a sandwich and took a ½ hour break.  We then continued on to Liard River Lodge and RV Park where we pulled in just before noon and set up camp.  Since we were at least 3 hours ahead of the MVs we decided to take a nap. 

Some of the ladies took a walk up to the Hot Springs but said they were scared by 2 bears when walking back.  A little later the park ranger stopped traffic going in and out of the Provincial Campground because of the 2 bears that were in a tree at the entrance.

The MVs started rolling around 3:30 and were all in and settled by 5:00.  The campground had one diesel and one gas pump and it was selling for $1.97/Litre.  We sat outside for a nice dinner with Muriel and Terry and then just had a quiet evening.

Whitehorse to Swift River

Sunday, August 26th we left Whitehorse at 6:30 leading the support vehicles.  The road was much better and we were able to maintain 55mph most of the time.  We had a brief rest break around 8am and then continued on to The George Johnstone Museum where they hosted a luncheon for us so we waited for the MVs to arrive and then headed back out on the road about 1:15pm.

We continued on to Rancheria Lodge and RV Park and were assigned a pull through site in the trees with 30amp power but no water or sewer.  We pulled out the propane grill and cooked a nice dinner of chicken and bison burgers along with potato salad and brown beans.

 

After dinner there was a driver’s meeting and then we pretty much called it an early night around 9pm.

Rest Day in Whitehorse

We slept in today and took our time to have our breakfast and showers and then headed downtown.  We went to get a few more groceries and I also checked out the local Quilt Shop.  Most fabrics were around $18 a metre so I only bought a pattern by a local quilter.  We walked around the downtown area for a bit and then headed back to the RV for lunch.

Waterfront Trolley

Mural on wall of CBC radio.

World's largest weather vane.

Our truck & trailer are filthy.

After lunch we just lazed around and did a couple of loads of laundry.  It was nice to have a rest day but we are back to the early mornings again tomorrow. 

Haines Junction to Whitehorse

This morning before hitting the road we had a driver's meeting out front of the Kluane RV Park where the majority of the Convoy stayed last night.  The RCMP from Haines Junction came out at 7am to block any traffic and escort us out of town. 

Once on the road we were heading into the sun as it was coming over the mountains and it was so beautiful.  The drive today was very pretty and the roads were much better.

After a brief rest stop along the way, we arrived at Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse at 9:15am.  We fueled up and hooked up the RV and then just sat around while everyone waited for the MVs to roll into town.  Around noon we headed downtown to get a bite to eat and pick up a few groceries.  I took a few pictures around town as they have some interesting places.

The S.S. Klondike

Cute Barber Shop

A 'BIG' chair and desk.

White Pass train car.

Outside the Interpretive Centre.

We went back to the RV and took a nap and just had some quiet time.  Tomorrow is a free day and we are expecting rain so I might just knit and read all day.

Beaver Creek to Haines Junction

Thursday, August 23rd we all met at the staging area and there was a presentation for the cast of the show that many convoy participants enjoyed the previous night. 

We then pulled out at 7am with the Support Vehicles leading the MVs as we paraded slowly through town.  There were lots of people on the roadside taking pictures and waving as we left town. 

The road today was not very good.  There were lots of frost heaves and a few construction areas.  The sun was shining and the views were fabulous.

We made a couple of rest stops and arrived in Haines Junction at 12:30pm.  The truck and trailer are soooooo dirty from the construction zones. 

Tok, Alaska to Beaver Creek, Yukon

Wednesday, August 22nd we were on the road at 6:30am leading the support vehicles back into Canada.  We only saw one rabbit and a fox along the road. Once we crossed into the Yukon we found some nasty roads.  They were doing road work so we had some very rough washboard gravel.  About 20 miles later we came through the Canadian Customs and then pulled into the town of Beaver Creek. We set up camp at the Westmark RV Park and walked up the highway to Buckshot Betty`s to try one of her famous Cinnamon Buns.

The people look real but they arn't.

Once the MVs arrived there was a driver’s meeting and then it was a nice quiet afternoon – perfect for a nap.  With no TV or internet we did some reading and I did a little knitting.