Kenai River Walk - Soldatna - July 25, 2010

The season for King Salmon fishing will close on July 31 in the Kenai River and for Red Sockeye Salmon on August 15. According to the approximate count by the state, over 770,000 Sockeye passed into the Kenai River during the May to August runs last year. About 340,000 were caught by dip-netting at the mouth of the Kenai River.
The run for Sockeye was projected at 1.7 million for this year. Here are some of the fishermen and women at Soldatna this past Sunday. The Salmon don't strike at the hooks, there's no bait or lures. They just swim into the hook with their mouths opening and closing and hook themselves. Snagged fish with the hook anywhere other than their mouth must be released.

Forests in Alaska - July 27, 2010

As we came through the upper Mid-west of the US in June we saw, here and there in the trees, purple bags about the size of grocery bags. We found out these were traps for the Emerald Ash Borer that has caused great destruction in many states and two provinces in Canada. The traps were set up to give a indication of the population of these insects. Sort of like fly paper with a particular scent for the one beetle. The Emerald Ash Borer is an invader from Asia.
In Alaska, the Spruce trees have their destroyer in the Spruce Bark Beetle. In recent years the beetles have caused great areas of trees to die. The insect is a native to this area but have been more widespread than in the past. Some reasons given are: forest fire suppression, warmer weather year-round, human habitat development and timbering residue.

Muskoxen in Alaska - July 27,2010

One use of the muskoxen that I know of is their fur. Much like other animals such as alpaca and vicuna, the undercoat of fur near the skin is very fine and insulating. When it is harvested and made into garments it is excellent for winter wear.
There is limited hunting allowed for the Native people in the northern areas of the continent and they of course, use the entire animal, hide, meat and bones.
The muskoxen had been absent from Alaska for about 50-75 years before being reintroduced with a small herd from Greenland in 1930. Wikipedia has a good article about muskoxen.

Muskoxen - July 15, 2010

Here is a photo of a muskox and calf.

I finally have a good internet connection here at the Soldatna Public Library. I've been waiting to get here to post this video from The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center of the Muskoxen. Jill, here they are.

Kenai River and Fishing - July 24,2010

Here in Soldatna the Kenai River is the focus during the salmon runs.


This is an aerial view I found on the internet of the lower stretch of the Kenai River. You can see the bridge that crosses the river about half-way up from the coastline at the bottom. The river is a tidal river there and the tides run up to 22 feet high People fish near the bridge with rods and reels and dip-nets. The dip-netters must be residents of Alaska and others must buy out of state licenses.

Fishing and the Economy in Alaska, July 24, 2010

While none of the "Four Amigos" want to go fishing here we are getting the benefits of the catch. We have had fish brought to Bob and Sandy's by friends and relatives. Sandy has made halibut dinners and baked salmon. Sandy also has canned salmon for future use and will fix up some salmon for us to bring back with us.
The salmon run in the Kenai River ebbs and flows during June and July. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game provide daily counts of salmon from many locations in the state. The peak in the Kenai River was on July 21 for the late run.
Several times we've heard that the months of June and July are the time when the businesses here make most of their profits. Fishermen and women come from all over the world to fish for the salmon and also halibut in the ocean. The locals who want to can catch three salmon per day and that will increase to six for the last week of July. As Sandy has done, many people will preserve the salmon for later.

Moose Guards and Bear Guards, July 24, 2010

In an earlier post from Montana I wrote about cattle guards set in the intersections to keep hoofed animals off the main roads. Here in Alaska they have had to put up "Moose Guards" around newly planted trees. What they do is put up wire fencing about four feet away from the tree on poles that may be six feet high. We have been shown where moose have eaten trees and shrubs, just as the deer do in New York. Considering that moose are much bigger they do more damage.
Along the roads that we've been on there are signs marking, "Alaska Solid Waste Collection Point." I asked Bob about them. He told me that those are large dumpsters, either at the dump entrance or placed in other places for people to deposit garbage. As we saw elsewhere, the lids have latching devices to keep bears from getting in.

Fuel in Alaska - June 23, 2010

In the local newspaper I read about a company that wants to renew their license to export LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) from the Kenai terminal of theirs. There are oil and oil based production facilities in this area from several major companies. As in the well drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, many companies form partnerships to share the expense and trade specialties of production. Major names here are BP, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.
The local politicians wanted more assurances and guarantees that the local needs for LNG would be met before exports take place.
This is a problem that we don't think about much where we import nearly all our energy needs. There are no refineries in Alaska for the oil from the North Slope or the Cook Inlet rigs. Every bit of that oil is shipped to refineries elsewhere, primarily in the US. Then it comes back to complete the round trip, One estimate claimed the cost of shipping was $50.00 a barrel.

Prices for fuel - July 23, 2010

When we began our trip to Alaska, one of the unknowns was what the price of fuel would be. Ernie and Kay have a Ford 350 diesel to pull the RV and we have Donna's Toyota van. In Ohio, the first day, June 9, the price for gas was 2.57 per gallon. In South Dakota on June 15, outside of Sioux Falls, the price was 2.47. Then the cost went up. Near Yellowstone Park we paid 2.86 per gallon.
When we crossed the border into Canada we had to get out our slide rules to figure out the price per gallon. There the gas is measured in liters and four liters is about 1.05 gallons. OK. So you buy 23.581 liters and pay $22.14 Canadian. How much per gallon? My head hurts.
Another way to look at the problem is that if the gas cost $0.939 Canadian per liter, multiply by 4 to give a approximate price per gallon. That example is about $3.76 per gallon. Ouch.
It only got more expensive as we went further north to Alaska. The highest was $1.35 Canadian per liter at Toad River, no competition there. That's about $5.40 per gallon.
Here in The Kenai Peninsula the price is close to the same at all stations, $3.69 per gallon.

Mt. Redoubt - July 21, 2010

In March of 2009, Mt. Redoubt went through an eruption phase that lasted about two months and disrupted air travel in Anchorage for short periods. This morning when we drove west into Soldatna so Donna could walk on the pathway we saw that Mt. Redoubt in the distance could be seen quite clearly with what looked like a cloud passing close to the peak.
While Donna walked I went into the Visitor Center to buy a Soldatna t-shirt for myself. In the shop, the volunteer said that the mountain was steaming out of the vents. She made it sound like a big deal.
Later, around 8:30 PM we made our way over to a place in Kenai near the coast where we could see the full mountain across Cook Inlet. The distance is about 50 miles.

Reflections - July 20, 2010

Tomorrow, July 21, will mark the start of our sixth week on this trip. We left Canandaigua on June 9 and arrived in Alaska on July 3rd. On the 4th of July we made it to Kay's niece's home in Sterling, Alaska.
I have been videoing and Donna photographing nearly every day or at least catching up with the blog.
Almost every place where we visited since we were in Wisconsin since the 11th of June has been windy, so windy that the videos were impossible to narrate as I shot them. Even in the photos you could see our clothes or hair blowing to one side or the other.
Now here in Alaska we have not had the windy, sunny weather. No,no. Most days are partly cloudy to overcast, with rain likely. The sunny days have been rare and welcome. Temperatures have ranged from 40 to 50 degrees at night and 55 to 65 in the daytime.
When I did get somewhere to video the scenery or wildlife, the wind was almost always present.
Oh well, we have followed the reports from back home and it was over 90 degrees last week for several days.

Here is the Elk herd video
This is video of the two black bears.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center - July 15, 2010

When we got a call from the Griffins about 1:30 PM, they were at this Center and asked us to meet all of them there. This wildlife exhibit is at the point where the Sterling Highway turns from east to west at the end of Turnagain Arm. This branch of Cook Inlet was named by William Bligh, later captain of the Bounty. In the several acre site of the center were many different species of native animals. The mission of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is rehabilition and restocking the native wildlife of Alaska. Injured animals are brought here and if possible, returned to the wild when they're healthy. Others are having herds built up for stocking areas of Alaska where they once lived but have been depleted over many years. Here are Elk and Muskoxen.
Further along we saw a Wood Bison herd and a couple of moose, then two young black bears who had been rescued as cubs.

Portage Glacier - Part 2 - Ice Flow

The shore here and the ground near the Exit Glacier is all stone, left by the glaciers as they retreat. In years some plant growth will take hold and soil will collect. In this climate any substantial amount of vegetation takes a long time.
As we learned, the glacier terminates below the surface of the lake. Because of that, most ice breaking off is underwater. Here are some videos and photos of one ice flow we watched for over an hour as it moved closer to the Visitor Center, pushed by the wind.

Instead of trying to get the boat tour of this glacier, we plan to go with the Griffins and other family and friends for a Kenai Fjords Tour out of Seward. we have a brochure and prices for a variety of day tours and will make reservations soon.
Depending on which one we choose we'll be able to get up close to at least one glacier face.

Portage Glacier - July 15, 2010

On Thursday morning we left Seward and drove north to meet the Griffins, Sandy and Bob and Kay's sister, Shirley. They had gone to Anchorage early that day so Sandy could have a medical consultation about future care. I won't go into detail over the her condition.
The Doctor's visit went longer than expected so Donna and I arrived at Portage much earlier than they. We drove on the road that leads to Whittier, AK, going east, to the Portage Glacier Begich-Boggs Visitor Center. There was a cafeteria and, surprise, a gift shop right next to the visitor center and we had lunch there.
The visitor center is on the shore of Portage Lake, which was formed when Portage Glacier receded and left a terminal moraine of rock that blocked the water from the melting glacier and the surrounding hills. The glacier has retreated around a point of land on the lake and is not visible unless you take a boat ride to the face of it.
At the visitor center they have several viewing points, inside and outside, for the lake and hillsides around it.


Here's Donna with another new friend.

Exit Glacier - Part 4 - at the edge July 14, 2010

When I got to the end of the trail I was disappointed that I wasn't "at the edge". The roped off area was some distance above and away from the edge of the glacier. A cold, stiff wind blew off the ice, I was glad to have my sweatshirt to zip up. The surface of the glacier was rough, very dirty looking and melting. You may be able to see the water flowing in this video. You will certainly hear the wind.
When I had gotten down most of the way towards the Visitor Center I turned to go out on the "Glacier Outwash Trail". Perhaps Donna was still out there after coming back from the trail to the edge. A short distance along a couple of women came the other way and said that a bear had been seen near there. Even though they also said that a Ranger was checking and that the bear was moving up the hillside, I decided I would not continue that way.

When I got back to the Visitor Center Donna was sitting on a bench outside safe and sound.

Exit Glacier - Part 3 - July 14, 2010

When The Harding Icefield, from which several glaciers are found leading down to the sea, was first explored the Exit Glacier earned its name by being a relatively easy way down to the ground. Along the road to the park and the trail there are sign posts with 4-digit numbers. These show where the front face of the glacier was in that year. The earliest I saw was 1815 and it was a few miles down the road from the park. On the trail I saw this sign. A ranger I passed on my way down pointed out how far the Exit Glacier had retreated since he came to the Park in 1991. As with most glacier formed valleys there were numerous rocks and boulders left behind when they retreat.

Exit Glacier - Part 2 - July 14, 2010

Donna did not reach the edge of the glacier. Too many steps up on rocks and sloping ground. She returned to the lower trail that led to the glacial outwash.
You may know why the glacier's melt water is grey colored. We learned it is because of the finely ground-up rock from the bottom of the glacier.

Exit Glacier - Part 1 - July 14, 2010

After walking through the other exhibits and of course, the gift shop, at the Sealife Center, we drove back about three miles north and took the road for Exit Glacier. The National Park Service operates the Visitor Center and there are Rangers on duty. The weather was very nice for a day out, sunny and warm, we each had a sweatshirt on over our shirts. Without looking around the Visitor Center we set off to hike to the Edge of the Glacier, listed as a one mile long trail. That doesn't count all the uphill on the way. Here is Donna from a viewing point with the glacier in the background. At the end of the trail this is the view of the edge of the glacier. This video only shows a short portion of the trail.

Sea Lion Exhibit - July 14, 2010

The next tank with viewing windows showed this Sea Lion swimming around and around, looking quite bored. Donna took a lot of pictures.

Seal Exhibit - July 14, 2010

These two seals and their human feeders were showing a small group inside the exhibit how seals respond to commands and get food rewards. Pretty much the way all creatures do, including humans.

Alaska Sealife Center - Part 1 - July 14, 2010

Here is a short video I took at the Sea Bird Exhibit at the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward, Alaska. Donna and I drove down here to see Seward, the port and to find out about Exit Glacier nearby. More video to be posted in later blog entries.

Donna took these photos, a puffin and hand-feeding the birds. Notice how the birds don't crowd around the feeders but wait their turn.

Cook Inlet and Mt. Redoubt - July 11, 2010

On Sunday morning I drove to Kenai, the town of that name on the peninsula. It's about 12 miles from Soldatna and less than 20 from the house As we found out, there are no back roads that lead from one place to another. Everybody uses the one road to and from. My goal was the Wal-Mart and their photo service. We have brought greeting cards to mail and I wanted some prints to include with them. After getting the photos I stopped at a table outside where a couple had a collection station for "Boxes for the Boys". I asked them about getting to the shore to have a good view of the inlet and mountains on the other side. The man named a road which was up towards Nikiski, going north. OK. I headed north, didn't see that road but did see one marked, "Inlet View Road". I turned on it and just a little way down came to a small dirt parking area with a sign that said, "no beach access". That meant, not for the faint-hearted. There was a gully that led down the bluff to the beach. I was faint-hearted and stayed on the bluff. Here is the view I saw, that part of the road sign was true.

Time Zones

Recently, I noticed that my blog posting times have been off by four hours. The time is still listed as if I was in New York. Alaska Time is four hours later, so if the post shows 2 AM it is 10 PM here where we are.
Because we are further north the sunrise and sunset times are expanded also. Today's sunrise is listed at 4:19 AM and sunset at 11:19 PM. Incredible! The Alaskans are used to it and we are getting used to going to sleep and waking up in daylight.

Funny River, July 10, 2010

Yes, there is a Funny River here in Alaska. It's interesting how places get their names isn't it? I don't know yet about Funny River but I do know it has a road named for it and it's 18 miles long. The road follows along the Kenai River and crosses the Funny River once. We were told that moose are regularly seen along and on the Funny River Road.
Well, about 27 miles into the round trip we saw one. She stood shyly behind some trees so we couldn't get a photo.

More Moose Spotting - July 10, 2010

Later today we headed out to check out a drive that had been recommended to us. Down a road called "Funny River Road" we were assured we'd see moose and maybe bear. The paved road is 18 miles long through wooded areas near the Kenai River. The Funny River is a tributary to the Kenai and we passed over it on our way out and back.
Near the beginning of the road is the Soldatna Airport. Many small planes were parked there, we didn't see any take off or land. Anyway, we were on moose and bear watch, traveling slow and letting other traffic pass. We went by a golf course, strange to see the open fairways after all the tree covered territory we've been through.
At the end of Funny River Road another dirt road lead even further back. Ernie was checking on is blackberry for a map and saw many subdivisions marked by roads on either side. We couldn't see them from the road except for the intersecting roads with ours.
Turning around we started back to Soldatna and by a low spot on the side I saw a moose, another cow. She stayed behind a clump of short tyrees and bushes so we couldn't record this spotting.

Moose Spotting - July 10, 2010

Early in the afternoon today we drove out from the house to go to Soldatna. About 1/2the way down the dirt road, maybe 1/4 mile, Kay cried out. "There's a moose. I saw it move". Sure enough, we saw a cow moose and then her calf about 10 feet into the trees alongside the road. This road has some houses scattered anongst the thick growth of cedar and birch trees. The moose and her calf watched us as we watched them continue to feed and move along the same direction we were going. Donna was driving and kept pace with them while Ernie snapped photos and I videoed.

Homer, Alaska - July 9, 2010

This morning was the first day that we awoke to sunshine, a clear blue sky and temp about 62. Nice. We stopped briefly at Clam Gulch State Park and saw Mt. Redoubt across Cook Inlet. On the way to Homer we caught glimpses of Mt Redoubt, an active volcano on the other side of Cook Inlet to the west. Twice we stopped to try to see it from a park or overlook but the view was not good. We saw that clouds were coming in again and continued to Homer to beat the possible rain.
We had been told that Homer was one place we must see in Alaska. Homer is the last town on the Sterling Highway going south. It was and is an important fishing center. Charter boats and commercial fishermen use the port, mainly catching and processing halibut. The halibut can be anywhere from 10 lbs to 400 lbs. the smaller, up to 40 or 50 lbs are said to be better for eating.
Approaching Homer you can see the Kachemak Bay and the 4 mile long Homer Spit out into the Bay. The city of Homer is on the mainland and the spit is mixed use. Shops, restaurants, charter boats, beach and RV park camping and lodging. We drove out onto the spit with a lot of other vehicles. It's a paved road with narrow shoulders and no sidewalk, 25 MPH limit.

Parking near the Seamen's Memorial about 3/4 of the way out, we walked back to The Salty Dog Tavern. This tourist sight is 3 little buildings from old Homer days put together. One is a small lighthouse. The tavern is small with low headroom, almost a cavern, very dark. On the walls and ceiling are dollar bills. People have written messages and then pinned the bills up. Not quite immortal but interesting to see. Someone had pinned up a bra and another a partial denture. Probably not the same person, but then you never know.
Note at the 1:00 mark, "Jason, Rochester, NY, Tripodi 2010". Coming back in the late afternoon we were surprised to see a young bull moose cross over the highway about 50 yards ahead of us. It ambled from the right to the left side. Too narrow a shoulder and too much traffic for us to stop and admire the small antlers and beard on the moose.

videos posted

There are now two short video clips on the blogpost of June 30, 2010; "Toad River to Watson Lake".

Videos on older blogposts

When I can use the computer and internet at the house I will upload more videos to older posts. The connection there is stronger than using the wireless on the laptop.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Today I took the Toyota for an oil change and check-up to a local service station recommended by the family. Ernie will take his Ford pickup to the Soldatna Ford Dealer for service. The Toyota had over 6,000 miles on this trip and the Ford about 5,000 miles.
Sandy and Bob have gone to Anchorage for Sandy's follow-up after surgery last month.
Donna and Kay will return to the Safeway for supplies to prepare a pot-roast dinner for the family tonight. The drive to Anchorage takes about 2 1/2 hours one way and Sandy and Bob won't be back until 7 PM or later.
When we get all this post-trip activity settled, then we can start to explore the Kenai. It seems so large with so many sights to see and places to explore that we might not feel like going off the peninsula.

In Soldatna - July 5 and 6, 2010

Monday and Tuesday were catch-up days for the Four Amigos. Some grocery shopping, hardware shopping, and laundry. Plus still visiting with the various relatives who drop by during the day and evening. Kay's sister, Shirley, and her husband Ray, used to live in Alaska, right in this area, so they are having a reunion of sorts with friends and relatives also.
Tuesday, a neighbor brought over some halibut fillets which he had caught. Sandy cut them into chunks and wrapped them with bacon and put water chestnuts in also. On the outdoor grill they were finished with barbeque sauce, homemade by Sandy. Delish.

Weather in the Kenai

Since we arrived on July 4th the weather has been seasonable for the area. Highs in the high 50s to low 60s and partly sunny between rain showers. We're only a little way from Cook Inlet on one side and on the other side, miles away, is Prince William Sound. Just like in upstate New York,the proximity to the water controls the weather.
It drizzeled while the steaks and reindeer sausage were cooking on the 4th but we huddled under a large blue tarp around a fire and visited. The dogs played and the children played and the adults talked.
Since it stays light after 11 PM even with overcast skies people stayed up and visited more in our hosts home.

Arrival in Sterling Part 2

Getting together with Kay's niece, Sandy and her husband, Bob, went smoothly as they met us at a gas station on the highway and we followed them to their home. They had made several adjustments so Ernie would have room to park the RV on the property. There was a lot of space but they moved some vehicles and chopped off some tree limbs to make the space accessible.
There were a lot of people waiting for us so they could start the cookout that was planned. Sandy and Bob have children from previous marriages and the children have spouses and children also. Donna counted at least 24 altogether. Then from a storage garage came Kay's sister, Shirley and her husband, Ray. They live in Arizona but surprised Kay by being here. She was surprised.

Arrival in Sterling, Alaska, July 4th, 2010

Kay called her niece, Sandy, who lives in Sterling to tell her that we were at the south edge of Anchorage at about 2 PM on Sunday, the Fourth. Sandy told Kay that we were about 2 to 2 1/2 hours away and to call again when we reached Sterling.
We drove south then west on the Sterling Highway. All the main highways in Alaska have names as well as numbers, most use the names for reference.

Sterling Highway, July 4th, 2010

As the city street gives way to the highway, we were right down at the water's edge of Cook Inlet, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. Going west along this body of water, it narrows and is called Turnagain Arm. Our side, headed to the Kenai Peninsula was busy in its two lanes but the returning side was jammed with speeding cars, cars with trailers, motorcycles and RV coaches. All coming back to Anchorage after the holiday in the Kenai. Well, Ernie wanted to get fuel and dump his wastewater tanks before stopping today. The only place on the stretch was a multi lane gas station/convienence store which was the place for everyone coming and going. Busy, busy. Donna and I just sat and watched all the commotion while Ernie and Kay finished.

In Alaska, Glenn Highway to Sterling Highway, July 4

The RV park near Glennallen, Alaska was in a heavily wooded area and our site was right next to the Tolsana Creek. There was a strong flow in the stream and the water was dirty looking. During the drive when we entered the USA it rained off and on, sometimes quite heavily. All this concerned me about being near that stream in a RV.
Guess what. In the morning we were still in the same spot and the creek looked the same.
The landscape did not change much from one country to the next but the road was much better. Even where it was graded stone and dirt was better than the frost-heaved part we had been on in Canada.
After passing through Tok, AK, we started seeing more snow topped peaks to our south, then before getting to Achorage we passed through the Mat-Su Valley area and could see a glacier reaching down a side valley towards the main valley. I think it is the Matanuska Glacier and is the source of the Matanuska River. Doh!
We never did get a good look at this glacier because we wanted to get to our
destination at a reasonable time.
As we got nearer to Anchorage everything became just like any other big American city you approach on a six-lane highspeed road. The Glenn Highway goes right into the city streets and then south through the streets until in becomes the Sterling Highway.

In Alaska, July 5, 2010

Since there was no internet connection since the 2nd, I will recap the last three days quickly.
The morning of the 3rd was a windy, cool day in Destruction Bay, YT. We had heard from several sources that the next, and last stage, in Canada would be rough. I have good news and bad news, and its the same news. The road was both not as bad and just as bad as predicted.
In Canada, the frost heaves from the perma-frost, within inches of the road surface, made a paved road hard to maintain. Dips and bumps, split and cracked sections called for cautious driving. Most bad spots were marked with red flags on the shoulder but not all. Sometimes driving on the wrong side of the road was the prudent thing to do. There was not much traffic on the Alaska Highway this day.

The Yukon, July 2, 2010

The drive today was in the Yukon Territory. Nice place to see the mountains and streams. We stopped outside Whitehorse for lunch. The Macrae Restaurant was a chinese restaurant. OK, we had a nice lunch. Then back in the veheicles and on to Destruction Bay.

The mosquitos are biting now on the deck of the lodge where the RV Park is. Bye, bye.

Teslin, Yukon - July 2, 2010

The weather today is cloudy and mild here in The Yukon. We will head further up, past Whitehorse to Destruction Bay. This town was named so because a storm came through and the town's buildings were nearly all destroyed. Many of the settlements along the Alaska Highway were posts during the construction of the road in the years 1942-1943. Before WWII there was no road connecting Dawson Creek, BC and Alaska. Many improvements have been made and are still being made. The road has had curves taken out, new bridges when needed. Around the RV Park here at Teslin were some ravens, probably ready to scavange any food dropped by campers. We have been seeing ravens since Yellowstone.

Update on posts

From time to time, when I have a decent internet connection I try to upload video to the older posts. Check back and you can see them.

Watson Lake to Teslin, Yukon July 1, 2010

This morning dawned at 4:16 AM, sunset last night was 11:02 PM. Short night. Amazing to walk around the RV park at 10:30 PM in daylight.
Today's drive was uneventful, no wildlife, no road improvements, thankfully it was ashort day, only 165 miles. That gives us a break from the day to day stays at RV parks on this push to Alaska. We plan to enter Alaska on July 3 and be in Soldatna on the 4th.
Teslin is a little community on Teslin Lake, a long, skinny lake. We are at the north end at a RV park right on the bay. As usual there is a small office, a moderately sized restaurant, a few motel rooms and this park has about 44 RV spaces.
One interesting building has a wildlife taxidermy display of the wildlife of the Yukon. These are presented in lifelike scenes with wolves attacking a moose, a lynx chasing ptamigan. There were muskox, which I didn't know were on this continent but the sign said they're making a comeback in numbers in The Yukon and Artic tundra in Canada.

Toad River to Watson Lake Part 2

Along the Alaska Highway there are few signs, no major intersections, some dirt/sand turnouts, with or without comfort facilities. The verge on each side varies from average, 10 to 12 feet beyond the shoulder to extremely wide, 40 or 50 feet to the trees. Often the shrubs have grown up in this area but not many trees. the trees are mostly blacxk spruce, thin and not very tall. as we got closer to Watson Lake a sign said "Prepare for Bears in Road" Then along a stretch where we could not slow down or stop we saw a black bear next to the trees. As the cars RVs and trucks went by, it glanced around and then continued foraging.
A short time later there was a brown bear where Donna and Kay, who was riding with her, took a few photos.

Toad River to Watson Lake, June 30, 2010

Today, after looking at a map of British Columbia, we realized that the time change to Pacific Time did not occur right at the Provincial border. It came about 1 or 2 hours west the next day. That means that Donna and Kay were out walking/running on the highway last night in Dawson Creek at 11 PM with nearly full light. Awesome! I better explain that Toad River does not get its name from any concentration of toads. The origin seems to have been when the river did not have a bridge across it and all goods and people had to be "towed" across. Anyway, we had a good breakfast in the little restaurant before getting the RV unhooked from the electric and water supply and flushing out the waste water tanks, filling up one of the two propane tanks and topping off with diesel for the truck. On our way again, north by northwest, not towards Mt. Rushmore but towards The Yukon Territory about 210 miles by road. This turned out to be a good day for seeing wildlife. First were stone sheep, small with llama-like faces. Next we saw this cow moose in the pond by the road. Not too much later, after seeing road signs "Bison in Roadway", there they were, aherd of 30 or 40 including several calves. This one walked across the road as proudly and stately as you can imagine; no hurry, no worry.