It rained and rained until we felt as if we were drowning, so we left the campground at Portage Valley and headed towards Anchorage and then back into Canada. We had planned to go to Homer, but we could not imagine doing anything much in the rain anymore. Ok - weather subject closed - unless we find sunshine - then I promise to comment on that! I waved at Tom on the way through Palmer - sorry we did not stop and meet you but we were well on our way by then. We were going to have to change Wendy's airticket as she was scheduled to fly out of Anchorage and we were planning on being well south of that by the end of the week.
I had calculated the miles and figured we could get to Vancouver by Friday night. Well, I guess I was a good few hundred miles out, to say the very least - amazing what a difference 1000 miles can make to plans! We fast realised that it would take us a good few days longer to get there, but we were still headed out and looking forward to being on the road again even though we would have to find an airport somewhere along the way.
There were the most glorious glaciers spreading towards the road, and the mountains were daintily decorated with the "terminal dusting" that had made its yearly appearance - really lovely, even through the raindrops. The pictures of that day are quite dramatic in their cloudiness. On one of our stops along the road, we found a beautiful log house and shed and outbuildings that were totally empty! There was a place to keep animals at the back, a shed, a little meandering stream and this most beautiful log interior - the doors were open and there was absolutely nothing left inside. We could see that some people had used the spot to stop for a break and even their trash was put in bags and put in a corner of the building instead of being thrown outside. There has to be a story there and we wondered what was going to happen with the property - spending a winter there could be very exciting - to say the very least! I took a good few photos, Katie - I thought of you all the time we were there!
We spent that night in Tok and went through the Canadian customes just after lunchtime. The officer there was really friendly and wanted to know about our fundraiser, which held up the line for a little while. He had been really chatty with everyone before us too and the line was a fairly long one by the time we got through. Seeing as we had not been in Alaska too long and really could not have come from anywhere else, we went through easily. It was wonderful having a friendly and smiling immigration officer.....
The views all along the way was beautiful. There was the fireweed that changed color from bright red to pink to light pink with all its seed hanging out - this progression got more and more pronounced as we headed south. Then there was the 'quiver trees' - they quivered and shimmered in the breeze, making the sound of rushing water in the amazing quiet. We stopped a good few times along the way - sometimes just to take a break from the noise of the road and other times to fill up the coffee pot and enjoy the view - it was all so beautiful.
Kluane Lake was simply stunning - again. We could not get over the blue of that water...... there was quite a bit of traffic and we had one humongous truck breathing fire on the bakkie which made the ride around the lake not as pleasant as when we came up, but could not take away from the beauty of the lake, the fireweed and the surrounding mountains. Needless to say, the camera clicked endlessly.
That night we spent at a pull off right at Teslin Lake. Unfortunately it had taken us a good while to find a suitable pull off place and it was already dark so we did not get to see much of the lake at all. I heard Wendy gently chanting: "Star light, star bright, the first, second, third star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, see the lights tonight!" We all wished SO hard to see the northern lights again. All the way we had been told that it was way too early to see them - but we had already in BC on the way up so we knew it was possible. If wishes could have made it happen, it would have. But it did not. None of us had been sleeping well at all, our eyes popping open every half hour, in rotation between the three of us, checking for the aurora's. Wendy covered the front view of the skies and Frank and I the back of the rv....... nothing. Ah well.
After us all waking up late, we left the pull over at about 8.20am - lovely warm coffee and sunshine in our windows! Glorious. We had been scanning the sides of the road for bear for days now and finally Frank spotted a bear! We came to a screaming stop on the side of the road and the bear did not run off......... we watched him for a good long while as he scruffled through the bushes, sniffing the air in our direction every now and again. He did not seem worried at all about any traffic coming by - even when big trucks made a good amount of noise. He was not a really big bear, but all of us stayed safely in the RV, not wanting to look for problems at all...... Only when he ran back into the forest could we pull ourselves away and headed further south. We did see one more, but only managed a good look at the top of his head and eyes.... he stayed hidden in the long grass.
After getting gas at Junction 37, we headed south on that road - 37 South. The mood of the countryside changed - it seemed rounder, more gentle, less stark and the sky had definately lost its clarity. A fairly large herd of young caribou spread themselves all over the road and we gently passed through them, camera clicking, of course! The road conditions were not bad at first, but did get worse the further south we went.
The road is fairly narrow on this part of the trip with no side to the road at all. We were not traveling fast at all and when a car towing a boat came towards us, Frank slowed down even more. It seemed as if the car kept moving towards our side of the road, which was just a dirt road with no edges at all, and by the time we passed each other, the wheels on my side of the RV were only just on the road and the boat missed us by probably 2 inches....... it was interesting to see how quiet all three of us went while we waited for the crunch. It was an awful moment and we were totally astounded that we had not collided! It took us a little while to get over that one.... I just know that we all had thoughts for that driver, but the overriding one was that he not hit anyone on his journey northwards.
A little further down the road we saw a huge live porcupine and two fox - they were a lovely gentle orange color and running along the top of a little hill. Unfortunately I did not get them on the camera - but they are firmly imprinted in my mind. All along the roads are places that have been spread with loose gravel to fill in the potholes, now we were approaching one that was a good size and we had a humongous truck screaming down the opposite hillside. Frank brought Skilpad to a stop before we got to the gravel part to try and avoid a broken windshield from flying stones, but we still got two small chips in the top window and windshield - but the worst was how the dust that barrelled out from under that truck totally hid everything! We could see absolutely nothing and spent a minute praying that no one was racing up behind us into the dust! We did utter some words that were definately not ladylike as the dust cleared and we could breathe and see again......
After the roadworks and the bumpy roads we had to make up some time so that we could get Wendy to Smithers to catch her connecting flight to Vancouver. We camped again in a pullout alongside the road, right next to an awesome place called Devil Creek. We walked down to the road bridge just past where we were stopped to get some photographs - there was a beautiful deep narrow canyon with the smallish river waaaaaaaaaaaay down below. The bridge was metal and we could see the water a gazillion feet below us. I was chicken and walked off that bridge after taking only two photos! Frank went back and snapped a few more, Wendy took a couple and then we all got off there - it was not a comfortable feeling at all. Just a minute after getting off the bridge an enormous tractor trailor came screaming over the hill at an incredible speed. I thank God that we were not on that bridge.
There was a beautiful puddle of brillian pink fireweed on the edge of the pull off and in front of the forest of trees where we had stopped for the night, so we ambled across there, Wendy wanting to get a photograph of it. She stood in front of this awesome display taking her pictures and I had my camera pointed at her, just about to ask her to turn around so I could get a photograph of her with the fireweed as a background. It was right then when Frank, who had taken a good few steps backwards away from us, let off a ................. ummmmmmmm......... indelicate rumbling of great magnitude (how does one put that delicately?) Wendy spun around, leaving the ground with a look of absolute, undiluted horror and I instantly recognised what thought was in her mind! I lost control of my legs, falling to the ground, my camera finger paralysed, unable to catch that moment! I was balanced on my toes and three fingers of one hand crying with laughter while Wendy yelled : "Tell me that was you!, PLEASE tell me that was you!!!" She has thought the "rumbling" was a bear! (I am howling with laughter again while typing this!! ) Wendy saw me fall to the ground and Frank was just too far away to see what had all happened.... Her face, the timing (tears running down my face now as I am trying to type this without rocking the RV and waking Frank up!) was perfect. I laughed so loudly that I could hear the blood coursing through my veins and I could not catch my breath, there was a puddle of wet mud in front of me when I could finally stand again from the tears streaming from my eyes. Wendy and Frank had by now put it all together and seen the humor in it all and were also discovering new "laugh muscles". How we got back to the RV is a mystery - we stumbled around the pull off like three drunkerds, screaming with laughter and tears blurring our view - what an opportunity for a hungry bear! It took a good few hours before we could stop giggling or simply popping with laughter......... it was wonderful to laugh like that - we all enjoyed it tremendously. I know that will go down as one of the definate highlights of the trip! And one of my sadnesses will always be that I simply could not capture that moment on camera!
All night long, whenever I woke up to check for the northern lights - my stomach convulsed in laughter - still does when I think of it. That was glorious - thanks Wendy and Frank!
And so we went to sleep on the last night for three of us - the next day, Friday 25th, Wendy left us to go back home to Atlanta, taking the crew back down to the two of us. A good 10 days filled with awesome beauty, amazing scenery, wildlife, wild rides, situations and so much laughter and fun! Anytime Podner, anytime.........
Love and Light to you all Especially to U3 - I am SO proud of all that each of you is doing with your lives...... Annie and Frank Xxxxxxxx
www.RoadrunnersUSA.com www.livingwithcml.blogspot.com www.PenniesforCancer.com
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