The Alaska/Canadian Yukon Trip

8/26/17   We said our goodbyes to Berk and Gloria and drove to Corvallis , to Jeanette and David’s house.   Jeanette and I went through school together from 6 th grade on.   We were cousins in 7 th grade due to a marriage in the family and enjoyed calling each other ‘cuz’ all through school.   Over the years we have traveled quite a bit with Jeanette and David and really enjoy them.   We arrived at their business location called Kammerer Park .   It is a business park in Corvallis .   David was waiting for us in his van.   We left the motorhome and Jeep at the Park, and went up to the house (about a mile away) to see if the driveway would be OK for the motorhome.   It looked OK, so we went back to the Park and unhooked the Jeep and drove three vehicles back up to the house.   I parked the Jeep and David helped Tom park the motorhome and get it leveled.   We walked the dogs and went in to visit with both of them.  ...

8/22/17 Today is a travel day from Portland to Newberg (all of 35 miles).   Newberg is the home of my 1 st cousin, Berk and his wife Gloria.   Every time we make it up to Oregon , we stop at Tom’s daughter’s, and Cousin Berk’s, and Cousin Jeanette’s – three stops in Oregon .   Berk is one of the only three 1 st cousins I have, as my family is relatively small.   We are hoping to visit with the other two 1 st cousins on the way home, around the Sacramento Valley area.   Jeanette is not a 1 st cousin, but still counts as a ‘cuz’.     We arrived at their house around noon and parked in their driveway.   We met Randy, a friend and past student of Berk’s, who has been a chemistry teacher most of his life.   Randy was visiting Berk the day we arrived.   It turns out Berk and Randy are both scientists, and when they get together, they talk a different language.   Randy was actually in Oregon for the total ec...

8/17/17 Even after washing the outside of the RV, we were still able to leave the campground in Vancouver at 10:10.   We crossed the Lionsgate Bridge .   There was a lot of traffic on the bridge and through downtown Vancouver , also Granville Island and Surrey were just as thick with traffic and many very narrow streets.   I spent a great deal of time sucking in air as we passed barriers on the right that I didn’t think we would miss.   Tom assured me that he was as far left as he could go and stay out of the lane next to us.   We finally made it through the cities, then on to the US Customs border.   The sign said there was a 15 minute delay, BUT… we waited in line for almost an hour to get through the   border.   Hooray! – Back in the USA !   It felt so good. US Border crossing (through a screen) We stopped in a rest stop for a quick sandwich and driving break – only one more hour of driving.   We arr...

8/12/17 We left the Prince George campground at 8:15, stopped at the closest gas station to fill up, and headed out.   Tom fought an upset stomach all day.   I think the cabbage last night didn’t agree with him.   He did not stop for lunch or dogs (he is such a grump when he doesn’t feel good). The drive was not pretty.   With 20 or 21 wildfires burning in British Columbia in this general area, the smoke was thick.   It was so bad that the main route south, Highway 97, was closed at Highway 24 (which is a secondary road).   The smoke was drifting in a northeasterly direction.   We went through the worst of it near Quesnel and Williams Lake.    Here are some pictures of the area.   Smoke in Quesnel Smoke in Williams Lake Extreme Fire Danger Complete ban on Campfires Hwy 97 South is Blocked It was 295 miles to Pine Grove Campground in McLure (about half of the distance between Prince George ...