Trish Warwarek - Aussies RV USA

70th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin

2012-02-17T03:24:00.008-09:00

Murray & I enjoy a night in Brisbane before my flight to Darwin

Ah, back to my roots in Darwin - Fannie Bay

Gem & I with Angel showing bomb raid damage (see angel story below)

This angel was in the church our parents were married in when she was hit

Bill Gem & I packing jerky - although Bill seems to be enjoying his coffee instead of weighing the jerky

Uh oh - Nick noticed Bill slacking off and pulled out his big stick "I told you & told you"...

My invitation to Bombing Luncheon

1000 of us comfortably seated in Darwin Convention Centre

Bill Gem & I having a great time at luncheon

3 Cousins: Anna Nick & Mark at dusk

Gem & I proudly pointing to a photo of Dad

Gem & I on our childhood beach with mangroves behind us

Gem & I pointing to Fannie Bay sunset-a bit late methinks!

This is what I am talking about...the photo doesn't do the sunset justice

Although our dad was in Darwin when it was bombed 70 years ago this Sunday (19th Feb 1942) he never mentioned any details of it in my hearing, but then much of the information was classified under the Secrecy Act. Mum told us how she was evacuated out of Darwin (as were all women & children) as a Japanese attack was imminent. She was helping the Matron out in the hospital in Broome when she went into labour and had my eldest brother Tracy on the day after Darwin was bombed. I am flying back to Brisbane tomorrow to attend Tracy's 70th birthday. Hard to believe that I have a sibling who is 70 years old. Ann Landers says: Inside every 70 year old is a 35 year old asking 'What happened?'

Getting back to the bombing - the City of Darwin held a luncheon today for 1000 people, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing. All those people who could validate they were in Darwin during the bombing or were a descendent of someone who was in Darwin at the time, were able to secure a ticket. The response was so great they had to limit the attendance to one ticket per family towards the end. Anyway, my sister Gemma, her husband Bill, and I were able to attend. At the end of the dinner we were all given a copy of the book "Battling Territorians & Their War". I didn't plan to attend, but at the last minute I had the opportunity to help my nephew out in his 'Blackmarket Beef Jerky' business, and it so happened that the week I was up here helping him, the luncheon was on. It was a wonderful event and the people who talked about their experience and the short videos they showed were powerful. Although I was born here in Darwin, like many Australians, I was unaware until recent years that during the period between Feb 1942 and August 1945 there were 64 bombing raids on Darwin and 243 people were killed in the area. Around 400 - 500 were injured. The valuable role played by the indigenous people during the war was highlighted today, and I think it gave a whole new respect to those early aboriginals.

The rest of my week here has been a mixture of helping out Nick in the jerky business, and visiting childhood haunts with my sister Gemma. Nick sustained a nasty cut to his right hand, and as he had recently suspended his operation to upgrade his facilities, he had a backlog of jerky orders to catch up on. I spent several hours a day weighing, bagging and sealing jerky bags for posting and local contractors. Once your nephews get married and have a few kids you rarely get to have any time with them, so this was a great opportunity to enjoy Nick's company. It was also a week that I got to see my son Mark every day. His workplace was down the road from Nick's factory, so at the end of each day, Mark would walk to the factory, freshen up (he kept a change of clothes there) and he ended up joining me in the jerky packing. We spent a few hours each work day together. Even after I leave Mark has arranged to come in and help Nick a few afternoons a week after work. Maybe even sometimes on a weekend too. Depending on Nick's backlog.

In between jerky business, I took time out on a few occasions to join Gemma & Bill for lunch to break up my work day. It was so nice to try out various venues, but also to do some side trips while we were out. We visited East Point where a photo of our dad is proudly displayed along with his other Army mates. We had fun checking out the beach where we used to play as kids. The tide would go so far out you could see no water, but be careful if you were anywhere near a cave or rocks where you could be trapped when the tide came in - it sometimes would sneak in around you, and your access back to the beach would be cut off. We used to play in the mangroves too, and loved squishing the shoots with our bare feet. We were surprised that the number of mangroves had diminished from the numbers in our memories. Our favourite Cheeky Plum tree has gone too...sigh. The sign of progressing years. Thankfully some things never change - such as the magnificent sunsets over Fannie Bay. I don't think there is a better place to see a sunset in the whole wide world. Gemma & I did a bit of the American Lewis & Clark pointing act during our trip - take note Marie & Eric! We sure gave that action a work out during our Alaska trip didn't we?!

In the morning Nick will drive me to the airport for my 6.30am flight. Arriving into Brisbane at 11am. Hopefully I will get a quick nap in our Brisbane motel before Tracy's 70th birthday dinner kicks off at 6.30pm. What a lovely life!

The World's Smallest, Smartest Kitchen

2012-02-12T14:18:00.004-09:00

Bronwyn & Aunt Dympna

Bronwyn with Gem & I and our new gadget

Chick Pea Soup (with spinach leaves) note pizza in rear of photo

My first home-made butter

Before I flew up here to Darwin, my sister Gemma & I had an exciting delivery - our brand new Thermomix. You may recall from the previous blog that our Aunt Dympna purchased one for us to share - given that I am in America for six months of the year, that should work well. So long as Gemma & Bill can part with it on my return!

For those of you unacquainted with Thermomix, just click on the link and check it out. Mind you, this is the Aussie site but if you are in America, there is sure to be a site just for you! Just google it. The appliance is the most popular selling item on bridal registers in Europe, and 3rd on the list in Australia - but that is likely to change as Australian's are only just getting to hear about it.

Anyway, my ex-sister-in-law Bronwyn made the trip down from Tambourine Mountain to make the delivery. She bought her own Thermomix down as well, as I had plans for her & I to create a dinner party for 6, using the new kitchen appliance - having two on hand would make things faster. To kick start the dinner party we had chick pea soup (made from dried chick peas) served with rosemary & garlic pizza (the pizza dough made in machine but cooked in oven), Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice for the main course, and Sticky Date Pudding for dessert (mixture made in machine and baked in oven). It was all so easy that I didn't want to stop 'playing' with it - so while Bronwyn was there I got her to guide me as I made my own vegetable stock to use in soups, casseroles etc. When you notice the vegetables in your crisper are starting to look a bit limp, blend them up in the Thermomix & simply add fresh herbs (we grow basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano & mint) and add salt (for preservative) and it keeps in the fridge for ages (thanks to the salt) and can also be frozen. Two dessert spoons of stock is equivalent to one stock cube. I intend to make up an ice tray full of 2 dessert spoon lots and freeze. Once in a ziplock bag in the freezer, I can just pull a cube out for my soups & casseroles. I will also make enough to give a bag full to my sister & Aunt. I had read where you can make your own butter, so I wanted to give that a go too. Using 600ml pure cream (makes about 300ml butter) you blend it until butter has formed. Pour off the buttermilk (save for making scones, cakes or soups) and pour in chilled water with some salt added. Rinse off again and then I added a bit of olive oil to make it spreadable. Too easy. I compared the cost of making it compared to buying it - and saved a few dollars on each tub of butter. But the best part of Thermomix cooking is that fresh ingredients are used and there are no additives such as dyes and preservatives that are found in shop bought foods.

Most weeks Murray makes up a week's worth of vegetable soup to have some each lunch time. It is his way of keeping his cholesterol under control by having lots of vegetables. He usually fills a crock pot with vegetables and stock & cooks it for 8 hrs on low. However, he ran out of time last week (golf & fishing take up time you know) and his vegetables were left sitting on the bench waiting for his attention. So I decided to make it in the Thermomix. I roughly chopped the veggies (pumpkin, potato, carrot, parsnip, turnip, onion, sweet potato) added some fresh herbs from the garden and 2 dessertspoons of the stock I had just made - in just 20 mins his soup was ready. He said it was delicious. Usually he also adds a few cups of soup pea mix, so I will add that next time too - might increase the cooking time by about 15 mins, but well worth it for the added bulk/fibre & goodness they give the soup. All helps with cholesterol lowering.

I don't get back home to Ballina for another week, and I am looking forward to playing with my new toy when I get home. Something to look forward to...meanwhile I am having a great time here in Darwin catching up with my son Mark and my nephew & 3 nieces - not to mention my sister Gemma & Bill are up here too. We are here to share in the Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin. Details will be in the next blog in a week or so.

January 2012

2012-01-24T13:50:00.008-09:00

Bron doing Thermomix Demo in our kitchen

The Amazing Thermomix

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks on mash

Dympna & Kath on eve of road trip

View of Coogee Beach just around corner from Benn & Daina

View from Hotel

Sam, Pete, Riley & Jethro

Daina with Jethro

Murray with Jan and her Indonesian feast

Home grown eggplant (aubergine)

Thanks for the reminder Kim! 2012 has kicked off with a busy but very enjoyable first month. Murray is enjoying having time to practice his golf swing, and I have enjoyed catching up with family & friends. Bron came down from Tamborine Mtn to give us a Thermomix demonstration. If you have never heard of it (like me), then this link will give you a better idea of the 'world's smallest, smartest kitchen'! My sister Gemma & I are the proud owners of one now, thanks to the initiative taken by our aunt to purchase one to share between her 'restaurants'. I am away six months of the year so Gem has it to herself then, and once I am home, perhaps it will reside with me but with sharing rights as needed! We are looking forward to giving it a workout!

Gem & Bill were flying off to spend most of this month in Perth in Western Australia (for my US friends). Other friends of ours were also heading interstate for a holiday, so we invited the four of them over for dinner before they all left town. I cooked Rogan Josh Lamb Shanks in the slow cooker. Yum. We gave a slow cooker to Benn & Daina for Christmas, so I hope they get as much pleasure and tasty meals out of theirs as we do ours.

My aunt turns 88 this month and is keeping well. So well in fact that she went on another road trip to Dubbo with her friend Kath - they went on two road trips at the end of last year as well. They took my aunt's car and took turns driving. The night before they left they came to dinner (chicken, peach & macadamias) at our place - it was lovely to see them chatting out on the swing while Murray & I served dinner up. Yes Jan B - still a lot of eating going on here! Dinner parties are our favourite social event - good company, good food & lots of laughs - life doesn't get much better.

Our USA visas needed to be renewed, and you can only have them processed in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. Yes, you need to attend in person. Although now they have our fingerprints, we may be able to process them online in future, but they have the option to call us for an interview if deemed necessary. It is a very streamlined process - you fill in an online application, pay a fee at the post office and then make an appointment, also online. A one year visa (you can still only stay a total of six months in any 12 month period) costs $145 pp, but for an extra $25 pp you can have a 5 year visa instead. A no-brainer that one. The visa appointment meant a trip to Sydney, so we turned it into a great opportunity to catch up with family & friends there. We drove down, as Murray had arranged to spend several days golfing with a mate from his RAAF Butterworth Malaysia days and my son Benn had purchased some furniture here in Ballina that needed to get to Sydney. Unfortunately Benn was in LA while we were in Sydney but his girlfriend Daina hosted us. We had an enjoyable evening with pizza, red wine and watched a good tennis game on TV - The Australia Tennis Open is on at the moment. Federer is still in it...

The next day we moved into a city hotel to make it easier to get to our Visa appointment during peak hour. Our hotel had a lovely view of Sydney Harbour. Before we got to our hotel we had a delightful lunch with my nephew Peter, his wife Sam and the two boys. Riley is 9 and was enjoying time with his dad before heading back to mum in West Australia. Baby Jethro gave lots of kisses and cuddles and as usual drew everyone's attention. The night before our appointment we were invited to dinner at my friend Jan's place in Woollahra. Jan & I worked together (with Judith who called in to visit us in Ballina a few weeks ago) back in Canberra, and we both retired in 2007. We have been ladies of leisure for almost 5 years now, and can't believe how we ever had time to work. Jan cooked us up a storm of Indonesian delicacies, taught to her by an Indonesian housekeeper during her visits to that country. Delicious. Her apartment block has a fabulous view of the Sydney Skyline - day and night - during the day you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but sadly it is closed for renovation of the road surface at the moment, so there were no lights to see that night.

We woke early to have a hot breakfast before walking to Kings Cross Station (reminds me of a Monopoly Board) and we only had one stop to travel into the city. Too easy. We renewed our visas with no problem and they said to expect them in the mail before this week is out. Hurrah! Another 5 years to enjoy our American travels. I just had a phone call from other Aussie friends who have a different US visa. They can stay for 2 years, as Bev has been offered a full-time job in San Antonio where they have a house. Bev has just suggested that Murray & I visit them on our next trip and have a chance to catch up with Randy & Wanda as well. Hmm. Perhaps Texas will be added to our itinerary for this year's travels. Decisions, decisions...

Murray is still in Sydney playing golf, but meanwhile Brisbane environs and Ballina are having torrential rain. We have had 4" or 102mm since I went to bed last night. And it is still raining out there, with more predicted for the coming days. I am very content inside, playing on the computer, iPhone, and enjoying eating the tasty tomatoes and eggplants from the garden.

A Shiny, Bright New Year - 2012

2012-01-03T18:06:00.007-09:00

Gem, Aunty Dympna, Bill & Murray at the river's edge

Me with Liz & Joe - pity you can't see the ocean behind us

Grant & Audrey's pool decor

Roast Chicken lunch on the patio - Audrey - with Billy underneath

Niece Claire with her son Billy and Jethro (on her lap)

Nephew Peter tapping the mini beer keg

Sam holding Jethro, my son Benn & nephew Peter

Sister Ret having a hug with brother Tony and his wife Yudian looking on

Jethro had been to bed but this was taken at midnight - his first New Year!

Jethro slept like this for almost 2 hours

Some fun time splashing in the pool

Benn taking photos of Jethro in his new Wiggles boat

Benn, nephew Greg & Pete holding Jethro

Me with Lynne at Chinese Restaurant

Great nephew Riley back in Ballina (see the faded Big Prawn behind him)

Sister Rose in Port Adelaide

New Year celebrations were in a different state with a different group of family & friends, as our Christmas ones, but they were as wonderfully relaxed and enjoyable. We drove up to the Gold Coast and had a great two days catching up with family & friends and seeing the New Year in. But before we even left Ballina, we had a pre-New Year dinner at an Indian Restaurant with sister Gem, her husband Bill & our Aunt Dympna. Not wanting the beautiful evening to end, we wandered next door to enjoy a coffee, some desserts & a brandy (for Bill) as the setting sun went down over the river. Daylight savings enables us to enjoy the later sunset times.

We kickstarted our time on the Coast with a 9.30am New Year's Eve morning tea at Palm Beach with retired Air Force friends Liz & Joe - Liz was a nurse and Joe was a Ground Defence Officer. Joe's sister & her husband had recently returned from a trip to Africa and kindly invited us to all meet at their stunning 3 level home at Palm Beach - literally on the beach - well, 14 wooden steps from their lawn down to the sand. The views were as amazing as you could expect, but the house itself was of a calibre I had never seen before - only being completed 12 months ago, it has all the mod cons. But someone had great architectural vision & skills to be able to create such a magnificent abode. Fortunately, while I can appreciate other people's settings and layout, for us & our lifestyle, we can't beat Holden Lane!

Next stop was what we thought would be a tasty but simple BBQ at Audrey & Grant's home after we had done our usual walk around to check out their ongoing renovations. It is the home where we celebrated Murray's 60th. No BBQ for us - instead we were served a delicious roast chicken dinner which we consumed with a glass of champagne served on the patio no less, and looking out over the transformed pool area to the Tamborine Mountains in the distance. Delightful.

Then it was on to my sister Ret's and her husband Pete's home for the Main Event: the family New Year's Eve party! By the time we arrived my son Benn had flown in from Hong Kong - he had a 36 hr stopover which was perfectly timed - and he was collected off a train from Brisbane by my nephew Peter who was up from Sydney & staying with his mum Ret, with his wife Sam and 9 month old son Jethro. Jethro ended up being the main attraction for the duration of his visit! Such a placid and adorable child - a constant source of entertainment. Another nephew Greg from Brisbane stayed over, and other Brisbane residents - niece Claire, husband Al, and 4 yr old son Billy, also joined in the festivities. My brother Tony & his wife Yudian (thanks for the delicious Key Lime Pie) completed our gathering. With the numbers attending we were very creative in preparing the menu - there was a lot of variety, enough food, and we were all well and truly sated. Washing our delicious food down with 2 bottles of Veuve Cliquot and 3 bottles of Moet seemed very fitting - thanks Benn, and no doubt Tony! New Year's Eve was a glorious evening and so we sat outside in our summer attire and enjoyed the company and the feast. You get to a stage where you wonder if you will last until midnight - but we did - and then we connected the iPad to the TV and everyone called out a song to bring up a video, and we sang and danced to our favourites. At 1.30am Murray, Benn & I headed back to our motel. A truly wonderful night.

Not wanting the fun to end, we all rallied again the next morning for a brunch at the Parkwood Golf Club - they have a verandah overlooking the course and it is a nice setting - the menu was extensive and service was good. Only this time we had coffees instead of champagnes! Murray, Peter & Benn went off for a game of golf, Ret, Greg & I went to the shops, and Sam stayed home with Jethro who slept for almost 2 hours sleeping on her tummy. He looked so comfy. The sun was shining and the pool looked inviting, so before long, Jethro was sailing in his Wiggles red boat and the other 'kids' (Benn was the youngest) horsed around while Benn took underwater photos of them all.

Time for a quick shower then we dropped Benn off at the train station for Brisbane (he was part of the flying crew heading to Hong Kong) and we continued across the highway to meet my nursing friend Lynne for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. After a most enjoyable catch up Murray & I returned for one more night at the motel. The next morning we called in to visit another nursing friend Jenny and her husband Peter (lots of Peters in my life I can tell you), and I spent a pleasant few hours with her setting up her new Mac and working with her iPhone. Murray and I then hit the road for Ballina, but spent most of the trip recounting what a wonderful few days we had just spent.

We had only been home one night and then I drove south to Grafton to pick up Ret & Pete's grandson Riley. He is 9 years old and lives over in West Australia but had come back with his mum to visit the family. Ret & Pete drove down to Ballina that afternoon to collect him, and we all had a BBQ here at home. They joined our other sister Gem, aunt Dympna and Murray & I for a breakfast on the river before they headed back home.

While we were celebrating the New Year in Queensland, my other sister Rose was celebrating it with a friend in South Australia. She had spent Christmas with us, and then took the opportunity for a southern holiday for New Year, but she kept us posted with photos of her outings.

If the rest of 2012 is like the start, then it is going to be a beauty. Bring it on...

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:25:00.007-09:00

Christmas Greetings from Beautiful Ballina (Courtesy local paper)

Adrian & Danielle with our grandsons Blayke & baby Heath

Trying Ribbon Tying - Very Trying!

Sibling Christmas

Aunty Dympna & Yudian with their contribution

Judith caught me up on colleagues

Murray stealing off with great-nephew Jethro

Two Kookaburras join us for breakfast

My Solar Butterfly

The Chooks followed Toby the Pig around the yard

This house sure decorated well for Christmas

Murray Preparing the Christmas Turkey

Turkey ready to take off the BBQ (Murray with Rose)

Another year draws to a close...well it is Boxing Day as I write, so we now have less than a week until the New Year 2012 emerges. Our build up to Christmas was as enjoyable as the day itself. We had my sibling Christmas party on 17th December here in Ballina, and all 6 of the 7 remaining siblings (& spouses) attended (our youngest brother lives in Japan), as did the Matriarch of our family, Aunty Dympna. I think there were just under 20 of us in all, counting 2 nieces, a nephew, and their kids, plus sister in law Cathie and her partner. Lots of delicious food and fun with Kris Kringle. The next morning, almost before the champagne bubbles had time to settle, Murray & I drove 3 hrs south to join our sister, brother (& spouses), as well as 2 nephews & their children at Coffs Harbour. We stayed in a delightful resort and the weather was pleasant. I enjoyed the kookaburra visitors that joined us each morning for breakfast - they perched on the open air rails of our dining room that overlooked the ocean. Delightful ambiance! We went en masse to visit a nearby Butterfly enclosure and I loved the bright blue Dunk Island butterfly (also saw them in Kuranda, near Cairns on a visit with Joe Bill & Sandy a few years ago) and so my thrill on Christmas Day was to receive my own solar powered butterfly - he keeps me entertained in the garden!

My friends Jen & Leonie spent 2 days at our place with my cunning plan to make several lovely Christmas ribbons to decorate parcels. After a day playing with our Mac laptops and iPhones, we had some quiet time to watch some ribbon tying videos, and then got to work - over an hour later, and we didn't have too much to show for our time- apart from a few pieces, and lots of laughs. As usual!

We have enjoyed several pre-Christmas celebrations with friends, including with one family who have a pet pig Toby who has the reign of their rural property. No, he won't be on anyone's plate for Christmas dinner! Another welcome visitor was Judith who was promoted into my position when I retired from Defence. Judith & Jack dropped in for a cuppa on their trip from Canberra to Brisbane, and it was great to catch up on what my colleagues back there have been up to since I left. The homemade jam and Christmas cake she made & brought for us was an added bonus!

My sister Rose came to stay on Christmas Eve, and we took a drive out to see some decorated homes to continue the Christmas spirit that started with a lovely Christmas Vigil Mass, followed by a champagne supper at sister Gemma and husband Bill's home. While we were all there we had a Skype with Kim (Copenhagen) and sipped our champagne as she opened her presents from us. It was a great video link, so it felt as though she was in the same room.

On Christmas Day us 3 sisters, spouses plus our aunt joined us here for Murray's Turkey feast. It was delicious. The weather was warm so we had the air conditioner on, but a light rain shower cooled things off nicely by late afternoon. Now I am waiting for my sister to pick me up for a walk along the beach. Life doesn't get much better...Merry Christmas to all!

Family Surprise

2011-12-01T23:40:00.005-09:00

L-R Benn, Ret, Daina, Mark, Sarah, Kim

Mark entertaining Ret & Yudian

Dinner at Chinese Restaurant

Murray, Ret & Tony dancing

Kim & Sarah at Byron Bay

Moet with dinner

Coffee on their last morning...

Rose & Mark share a few last words

Unpacking the tree and decorations

A tree emerges...

Kim & Sarah finish decorating the tree

Few things give me more pleasure than time with my family and friends. Following hot on the heels of our time with Murray's kids and two grandsons in Melbourne, we got to enjoy a visit from my three kids. Benn flew up from Sydney with his girlfriend Daina, Kim flew in from Denmark along with Sarah, her housemate friend from Canada days, and Mark flew down from Darwin. I was just lucky it was their dad's 60th birthday with Kim being the big surprise. She wanted her make her appearance a surprise to Murray too, as a belated 60th birthday present. Needless to say she was a very pleasant surprise to many people.

My brother & sister (and their spouses) from the Gold Coast were part of the elaborate ruse to transport the 5 visitors to Ballina and so we celebrated their arrival with a lovely family dinner for 12 at our local Chinese restaurant. Later we had a demonstration by traditional aussie dancers aka Murray, Ret & Tony on our kitchen floor! Sarah was privy to some primitive downunder dancing styles.

Benn & Mark made their mark on the local surf, and the next day Benn got Murray kitted out with flippers, goggles & snorkel and they both checked out the fish in the local river. Benn wished he had his spear gun with him as they saw some nice big fish passing by - would have gone down well on the BBQ! A day later Benn & I drove Mark up to the Brisbane airport for his flight back to Darwin - my sister Rose was able to catch up with us there for a coffee.

Many local eateries and businesses were better off after their visit, not to mention a dent in the holdings of local oysters and white wines. Gem & Bill did the honours once again and hosted Kim & Sarah to a delicious roast chicken dinner. Murray had promised Kim a bottle of Moet to celebrate her Professorship, and we enjoyed every last drop of it on Kim & Sarah's last night - along with the request for Murray's home made sausage rolls.

December 1st, our first day of summer coincided with their visit, so Murray helped Kim & Sarah erect the Christmas tree, and the girls then decorated it to the accompaniment of Christmas carols. Alas, all good things come to an end, and Murray & I are now sitting alone with just the Christmas tree lights flashing to remind us of the kids' whirlwind & thoroughly enjoyable visit to Ballina.

New Grandson

2011-11-22T01:17:00.006-09:00

Proud Grandad with new baby Heath

Eldest grandson Blayke with his parents, aunt, uncle and Grandad

Murray with sister Carmel and Talia

Scott & Monica

Jan & I

Murray with Kent & Gwen

These look good enough to eat - clever craft

Baby chicks in the nest

My Aunt Dympna with 100 yr Ms Meador last year

We had no sooner got over the excitement of Murray's 60th when we flew to Melbourne for a week to meet new grandson Heath Dylan. He is simply adorable and doesn't seem to be giving his mum & dad too much grief. It was also a fabulous opportunity to re-connect and spend some times with 3 yr old (almost) grandson Blayke as well as Murray's 3 kids & their spouses, his sister and her daughter, and his sister in law. The weather was very pleasant and a motel room and a local hire car gave us the flexibility to get out & around and catch up with several friends.

We had a delightful lunch catching up with a colleague of mine and his wife Monica. Scott & I were on a senior RAAF Officer course for 12 months back in 1999, and it was fun dredging up the names and highjinks from the course. Another colleague (Pam) from my health intelligence days was home with her husband Dennis, and we had a pleasant morning tea and exchanged web sites and book titles. Jan, a girlfriend from before my youngest was born (we used to take our kids to the same playgroup 28 years ago) met us with her husband Mark for a delightful afternoon tea in a Victorian country town. Ross, a colleague from my RAAF nursing days lives in Melbourne with his wife Joe-anne, and we catch up with them regularly, but it was so good to see them and hear their stories of recent retirement and the fun they had in their recent travels in the USA. They loved it so much they are going back again - we understand each others' pleasure in travelling through that country. We had so much in common to talk about that we arranged a second dinner together. The first dinner with them was a delicious roast lamb meal in their home, and the second dinner was at a local Thai restaurant - you need a booking to get in any day of the week. Last but not least was a very pleasant afternoon tea with Kent, a colleague of Murray's from his early days in the RAAF 38 years ago. His wife Gwen is very clever with crafts - see her crafted patty cakes - they look so real - all knots were hand made and all beads sewn on one by one. They had a nest of 3 baby Willy Wagtails in their annex - the mother & father bird kept a close eye on their chicks.

We returned to Ballina in time to celebrate the 95th birthday of a family friend. What an amazing achievement. It reminds us of other friends who have reached impressive milestones too...Martha in Florida who recently turned 80 and Joe Bill's mum, Ms Meador, from Arkansas who turns 102 this coming January - she still drives herself into town every day to attend an activity group, and she was filmed playing the organ for a newspaper article several weeks ago. On that high note, I'll sign off till next entry.

The Big 60

2011-10-20T15:05:00.008-08:00

Rose starts off the birthday celebrations

Murray & Rose

Farewell coffee with Tom & Betty - check out their view!

Murray & Larry (No Diane - not Larry Murray)

Opening cards & gifts at Audrey & Grants

Birthday Cake alight

Murray with Jeremy & Step at Main Beach

Bill's Birthday Cake and Gem's patty cakes

Gem Bill Aunty Dympna Murray & Trish

A special & memorable birthday gift from Marie & Eric

That's right folks, hard to believe I know, but Murray turned 60 within a few weeks of us returning home to Australia. His celebrations kicked off with a festive lunch near Brisbane with my sister Rose - Murray couldn't believe the trouble she went to with decorations, restaurant booking, cards and gift. A very pleasant couple of hours. From there we attended a wedding on Bribie Island at an Abbey chapel that houses some of the oldest stained glass window works in the world (courtesy of relics from overseas) and stayed overnight with friends Tom & Betty in their beautiful waterfront home on the North Coast. Wonderful hospitality and their home theatre set up made us envious. We then headed home via Caloundra and called in on Larry & Carmel - their waterfront unit has a stunning view too. They nourished us with Carmels's treats and we made it to our next destination which was lunch with my brother just south of Brisbane. Then it was back home for me to put in place the finishing touches for the next celebration.

What Murray didn't know was that I had arranged a surprise birthday party for him on the Gold Coast for the weekend before his birthday. Friends Grant & Audrey have a lovely property with a spectacular view to the mountains (Joe Bill that was where we called in to admire the view on our way to Tamborine Mtn) and their home with its big verandah is ideal for entertaining. They generously agreed for me to host the party there. To put Murray off the scent, I arranged another party at our place for the weekend after his birthday, and he knew about that one.

Anyway, to cut a long story very short, Murray thought we were going to Grant & Audrey's for a dinner for just the 4 of us. When we come home from our 6 months USA travelling, it is great to go there and see the renovations they have completed in our absence (always amazed at what they accomplish each year) and we share our stories. So this year was no different - we drove up to the house, walked in the door greeted by their two corgis, Bella & Billy, and to his utter amazement, Murray was surprised by about 20 friends. After he had greeted each one of them, he turned around and an old mate from his early Air Force days, John Wockner was there - Murray was so happy to see him. Then the Piece de Resistance - two of his kids, eldest son Jeremy, and only daughter Stephanie walked out of the pantry to give him the ultimate surprise. I have never seen him as gobsmacked as he was at that moment. He stood there for what seemed liked several minutes before he could comprehend what was going on. It was worth all the subterfuge! His middle son Adrian also wanted to be there, but his wife Danielle was about to present them with our second grandchild - in fact Heath Dylan arrived safely on the 19th - just over a week after Murray's birthday. What an exciting time. The day after the party we drove Jeremy & Steph down to Ballina as they hadn't seen our new home - we called into Byron Bay so they could say they had been there. It was a glorious day so the beach parking was hectic, but we jagged a park and had a walk around. After a late lunch in Ballina and a scenic drive to check out our beaches, they returned to the Gold Coast to fly back to Melbourne.

The party celebrations at our place went off well the next weekend, and the neighbours didn't even complain when we had a few singalongs with songs from yesteryear. Mind you, half of the neighbours were with us, and in fact Denise helped me out with keeping the food coming. As usual, I over catered, but that's life. My brother in law Bill had made Murray's birthday cake, a large fruit cake. He iced it and decorated it as well. Thanks Bill! His wife, my sister Gemma made delightfully decorated patty cakes and bought them in on a lovely display stand. The guests were very impressed, as was the birthday boy. We have seen or heard from several of the guests from both parties and they have all commented on what a great night they had. So that is good to hear. Just when we thought all the excitement was over, Murray received a package in the mail. Marie & Eric from Sacramento are the couple who had travelled within Alaska for 2 months with us on our last RV trip - they had sent him a carved wooden bowl. The 4 of us had visited a wood carving business in Fairbanks, and watched as they used laser to burn images into wooden articles. In fact, I guess we even saw them burning the one Murray got, but were told it was for a friend of theirs back home. Marie had done a wood turning course during our trip so we had a good understanding of the laborious process it takes to make a single bowl and the laser imprinting was interesting to watch. The gift will always be very special and bring back wonderful memories of our time in Alaska together.

All in all it has been a busy homecoming and I for one am looking forward to chilling out a bit now all the parties are done & dusted. However, my sister and Aunt have each bought a new Apple product, so we are having regular Mac lessons as we learn more about our laptops, iPads and Iphone 4S. Technology is fun, but boy, there always seem to be updates to take care off and data to migrate and new operating systems or applications to learn how to drive. Fun, fun, fun.

Home Downunder

2011-09-16T12:19:00.007-08:00

Qantas Pre-Flight Champagne

Sunrise in Australia

Reunited with sister & aunt

Brisbane Airport with sister

Murray doing the champagne honours

Family at Dinner

Family at breakfast

Sunset Champagne

We couldn't have asked for a smoother trip home. From the time we left our hotel in Kansas City until we landed in Brisbane airport, we sailed effortlessly through check-ins, airport security etc, and had great seats at every turn. No delays, great weather. We sure were blessed. We knew we were close to home when we boarded our Qantas jumbo in LAX and the cabin guy said 'G'day mate, welcome aboard'. Thirteen hours later my sister met us at Brisbane airport and drove us about an hour's drive to my brother's home on the Gold Coast where we had coffee with him & his wife. They then gave us the keys to their car and we drove the 1.5 hrs to Ballina. It was a glorious day, and we stopped halfway to have a bite to eat at Brunswick Heads. A skinny flat white coffee has never tasted so good after a 6 month absence!

In no time at all we were pulling into our driveway, and gratefully noticed that our neighbour must have mowed the lawn just the day before. The garden showed the neglect of our six months disappearing act, but a few hours of weeding and trimming will have it looking wonderful. Considering we just walked away and left it without wanting anyone to need to come and water it etc, all the plants got enough water from natural rain falls. It is the perfect garden to have for people who go on extended travels like we do.

Last night a few of the family dropped in for a champagne before we walked up to a nearby Chinese Restaurant for dinner - as well as Murray & I, there were two of my sisters & one of my brothers' and their spouses, and my aunt. We had a most enjoyable evening with lots of laughter. This morning we all met again for breakfast, this time at a cafe right on the river. We enjoyed some other activities together during the day, then met again to enjoy a champagne while watching the sun set on a simply beautiful evening. Life is good. Life is family. It's great to be home.

Omaha, Nebraska 2011

2011-09-08T08:44:00.006-08:00

Tranquil Campground

Great Rest Areas on I-80

Canola field

Dining out with Wal & Desleigh - check out the margaritas

Texas Roadhouse staff doing a line dance for our entertainment

Parked in friends' driveway in Omaha

After a wonderful few days in a shady spot in Altoona, Iowa, we made our way further west on the I-80, destination Omaha. This highway goes all the way from San Francisco on the West coast to New York on the East coast through Salt Lake City, Chicago & Cleveland. On the section we drove through Iowa, it had regular rest stops about every 30 miles, offering picnic sites, machines with sodas and snack foods, coffee, rest rooms, & free wifi. Great for the truckers, RVers and other travellers. We were amazed at just how much corn there will be ready for harvesting in a few weeks. The roads will be dotted with farm machinery as the harvesters move from one farm to the next. We also saw lots of soy bean fields and canola.

We reached our friends' Wal & Desleigh's driveway in Papillion, Omaha, who kindly offered us their driveway to park for the night. After sharing stories over chilled beers, we headed to a nearby Texas Roadhouse restaurant for dinner. You know the saying 'everything is bigger in Texas', well, the margaritas sure lived up to that saying. Not only were they big, but they were good! It reminded me of a margarita that Marie & I had in Klondike Kate's in Dawson City, Yukon - only it wasn't so good! After being entertained by the staff doing a line dance, we headed back home for a nice merlot and more chatting until midnight when we called it a day. Desleigh had to get to the gym and Wal had to go to work the next morning.

Bright and early (well at 8am) we waved farewell and drove out. After replacing the airconditioner in our RV, we will make tracks for Kansas City where once again, we will store the RV and fly out to LA then home. Always a sad, but an exciting time for us, as we know we will be back again in 6 months.

A Weekend in Mt Horeb, Wisconsin

2011-08-28T14:04:00.008-08:00

Parked in Scott's driveway - see shady setting at rear

Ross, Bev, Scott & Murray: TBones smokin' on the grill

All present & accounted for - Tina & Mike facing camera

Off to lunch - led by Tina

Not too hungry to take a photo before lunch at The Grumpy Troll

Scott shoots for the Kangaroo Pouch

Cheese & Beer tasting - thanks Bev & Ross

Iowa: corn field at the back and soya beans in front

Catching up with a cup of tea & iPhone word games

We had never heard of Mt Horeb, Wisconsin until our friend Scott bought a house in the main street there about a year ago. He had gone to school & uni nearby and this was like coming home for him. He was a US Army exchange officer who replaced another Army environmental health officer (Mike) back in my Canberra Air Force days. They each worked in Canberra for 3 years, their office only a few desks from mine. Also working with us in Canberra was Beverley, who was the Colonel in charge of all Australian Defence Force nurses at the time. Surprisingly, it didn't take too much planning for me to arrange for us all to meet at Scott's and check out his new abode. Military planning was familiar to us all! The fact that Murray & I drove over from North Dakota, Mike & Tina up from St Louis, and Bev & Ross up from Texas did not pose any problems. Well none that couldn't be rectified! Mike was obviously sooo excited about catching up with us all that he got the dates wrong and had booked their motel, and Tina had booked two days off work for the next weekend. As it turned out, as soon as he realised his error, he & Tina hit the road when she got off work on Friday, and although they missed the Friday evening get together, they made it for the 10am start on Saturday. Nothing like flexibility in planning & execution of the task!

Scott's two storey home had ample room in the driveway for our RV, and his backyard was the perfect venue to enjoy the stunning weather. Although he had come up with several options for what we could do during our group visit, we all chose to simply stay at his place and catch up on each others' news. Well, we didn't simply stay at his place: we ate, drank, chatted, and played a backyard game called Corn in the Hole. Aptly renamed by Tina to Kangaroo Pouch, as the Aussies outnumbered the Americans - well, 4-3 ain't bad!

We had only just got the RV parked in Scott's driveway and had the top off the first cold beer when Bev & Ross arrived. Scott was the perfect host and had several different beers chilling in the esky, and a selection of wines to choose from. Later he heated up the grill and cooked some massive Tbone steaks (which smoked up the BBQ) and accompanied them with baked potatoes and salad. Just what the doctor ordered. Murray & I didn't have far to roll to our RV to go to bed at the end of a delightful evening.

The next day was Saturday and we agreed to meet in Scott's back yard at 10am. Bev, Ross, Mike & Tina were staying at hotels up the road. Mike & Tina's arrival was heralded by our cheers. It was great to see them again. It was another beautiful day so we sat on the back patio and chatted over cups of coffee before deciding to simply walk 1/4 mile uptown to The Grumpy Troll for lunch. Then we wandered back to Scott's, but not before I did a detour into a Christmas Shop. No, I didn't buy anything - I already knew our suitcases would be bursting for the trip home.

We had to move the outdoor setting from the full sun on the patio to the shade under big trees out in the back yard. It was such a tranquil setting. Scott pulled out his backyard game and it kept the men occupied for quite awhile - meanwhile, us 3 gals slipped into the kitchen and whipped up a storm. Bev showed us her recipe of slitting a chicken breast, stuffing it with camembert cheese and prunes (marinated in tawny port), and then wrapping each one with prosciutto. She also rubbed a pork loin with mustard ready to put in the oven. While the meats were cooking we went back outside and took a turn at the game, with Bev scoring the most hole-in-one's, and Tina running a close second! That worked up an appetite and a thirst, so Bev & Ross bought out a selection of local Wisconsin cheeses that had been paired with specially selected & chilled local beers that they had picked up from a speciality market in the area. There were 5 of each and we had to taste each one and give a verdict. It was fun, although the majority said the last beer tasted like cough medicine. Hmmm. It was time to switch over to cab savs & merlots for the rest of the evening by then anyway!

Sunday morning we arranged to meet up at Scott's at 10am once again, but this time we planned to walk up to a cafe for our farewell brunch. The cafe was full when we entered, but while we sat sipping coffees at the counter, the staff deftly arranged 2 tables together and we each ordered a delicious breakfast. Before we knew it, we were back at Scott's hugging each other goodbye. What a lovely reunion.

Our route took us out of Wisconsin and very soon we were in Iowa - how did we know - because all you could see in every direction were corn fields, soya bean fields, and the occasional dairy. The countryside looked so rich and fertile. We pulled into an RV park, once again finding a lovely shady site - our airconditioner isn't booked in for replacement until 8 Sep, so we are managing to keep cool during the day - night times are nice & cool, so no problems there. Murray set our chairs up outside, and in no time I had made us a cup of tea, and while he watched the golf on TV, I caught up with the 'Words with Friends' game on my iPhone. We enjoyed every military posting we had, but retirement suits us just fine. I am sure Bev & Ross's blog will have some extra photos of the gathering in due course. Feel free to check it out. Just click on the 'blog' link in previous sentence.

Farewell North Dakota

2011-08-25T07:24:00.012-08:00

Rainbow - our RV is in the background

Early evening campfire with friends

The corn is much taller than Murray

Murray, Avalyn & Wes at Garrison Dam

Checking out the wildlife refuge

Tiny hummingbird egg is bottom right

At Frieda & Lenny's in Garrison

Broken copper tubing in aircon system

Friction caused hole in water pipe

See the hole? This part cost $6, the job cost $400!

Aussie rancher Amanda (married to an American)

Feet up, Map in place, Garmin on the job - Fargo here we come

Lunching with Betty at Chipotle Mexican Grill

When we drive out of North Dakota we know our time in the USA is drawing to a close for another year. We only had 2 weeks in ND this year compared to our usual 4 weeks, but our Alaska trip was so fabulous that we extended it a tad, and we also have a reunion with 3 other couples in Wisconsin that we are excited to fit into our schedule (more on that in the next blog!), hence the shorter stay.

Summer finally arrived while we were at Audubon Lake - how appropriate. However, after a few 'Goldilocks' days in a row, and without any shade, our RV was starting to heat up inside with the constant sunshine & heat, so we figured we would get to use our airconditioner instead of our heater, for the first time all trip. To our dismay, no cold air was coming through. Murray got on the roof, took the cover off the roof airconditioner system, and discovered the copper hose that delivers the coolant to the system had snapped right through. Those rough Alaskan roads took their toll! The earliest we can get the parts in and book it in for repair is the 8th Sep. We will be in Omaha then, so we have gone ahead and arranged the booking there. Our other Alaska rough road result was a tiny hole in a water hose causing a leak. The location of the hose near some metal caused friction over time and it was gradually wearing away the hard polyplastic (??) hose. Alaska's rough roads just bought on the subsequent hole a bit quicker. Since then we have made sure that our campsite bookings get us a shady spot. When I ring up and ask, if they don't have shade, we don't book in. Too easy. So far we have found 3 campgrounds in a row with very tranquil, shady sites.

Getting back to Audubon, it was great catching up with our friends there including Avalyn & Wes, Kathy & Milt and Frieda & Lenny. We shared several meals together either in each others RV's or downtown. One night we were sitting having a delicious rib feast in Wes & Avalyn's camper and looked out the window to a beautiful rainbow over the camper next door, and back to our RV beyond. Next day we had a pleasant day trip to check out the flood gates in the Missouri River - a few weeks ago they had all 26 gates open - I think the day we were there, only 5 were open. Usually there is only one! On the way home we stopped off at a cornfield to confirm it was indeed higher than 6'2'- the corn stalks were definitely taller than Murray. We also visited the Audubon Wildlife Refuge - they had a display of eggs from all different American birds - the one I loved was the tiniest one - from a hummingbird. The largest one was from a Whooping Crane. If anyone wants to see the whole egg display, just let me know. I have only shown half of it.

After we left Audubon we had a few days in Bismarck (capital of North Dakota) itself - and had the chance to catch up with friends Irene and Amanda (from the ranch). We love calling out to the ranch and spending time with the family (they have 4 delightful daughters - the youngest Macey started school this year), but just couldn't fit it in this year. The day we caught up with Amanda, her husband Clint and all 4 girls had driven to Nashville to deliver a horse to Tania Tucker's (country singer) sister. At least we got a chance to say hi to Clint - he rang while we were having lunch with Amanda.

On a fine, sunny day we headed East from Bismarck to Fargo, admiring the healthy corn & wheat fields en route. We looked at our itinerary and arranged to meet our friend Betty from our Canberra days - she lives near Minneapolis/St Paul in Minnesota. Murray used to sing in the church choir with Betty - she is an American who was married to an aussie. They used to do what we do, spend 6 months in Australia and 6 months in USA. When he died 4 years ago, she moved back home to America full time, but flies to Australia each year to keep in touch with family & friends. So we met and had lunch at a Chipotle Mexican Grill. They can't see too many aussies there, because the server asked me where my accent was from, and as soon as I said Australia, she told the cashier to give us a 'comp' - ie a complimentary meal, including our drinks! How nice was that! In return I always carry a gold kangaroo pin with a stud back, to put on caps or collars, and I gave it to her as a momento. She was thrilled, but not as thrilled as we were with her attitude & generosity.

Betty gave us a parting gift - she had baked ginger snaps for us the day before, and even bought a new plastic box for us to keep and store them in. Thanks for your thoughtfulness Betty! We had one each after dinner last night, and again with our kuchen for morning tea today. Although we had a slice of Frieda's famous kuchen while at her house last week, Avalyn bought us a whole kuchen to take on our trip. While we were at the lake Kathy & Milt had to keep going home (not far away) to pick their vegetables, and they kept providing us with zucchini, cucumber and home-made pickles, beetroot and a zucchini jelly. Nothing better than fresh produce straight from the garden. What special friends we have! See you next year North Dakota!

Audubon Lake, North Dakota

2011-08-13T07:39:00.008-08:00

Sunrise at Audubon

Sunset at Audubon - Murray & Wes

Malt Shop where us girls had lunch today

Back to square one. Audubon Lake is the favourite campground we discovered on our first RV trip in 2007, and we have returned every year since. It is very basic, just having an electric hookup, but the view and 'aura' make up for having to fill up with water and do a dump every 7 days. See short video below.

The men are not out fishing as I am sure they would prefer to be, but have gone back to the big smoke to do some yard work at Wes's property. He had a nasty fall off his 4 wheeler 2 months ago, and is still recovering, so Murray is giving him a hand with some jobs around the yard. While the cat's away....I was sitting here, sipping on a coffee, and one of my girlfriends rang. Three of us decided to take a spin into town to check out a gift store then have lunch at a local milk bar - like an original Malt Shop from Happy Day's era. This being 'country', there was even an old gent there wearing his suspenders (see last photo). When Kathy rang - her camper is across from ours...I commented on what a glorious day it was, and she said she had heard on the radio that today is known as a 'Goldilocks' day - not too hot, not too cold, but just right. I thought that was worth a blog mention and it describes this day perfectly.

Murray got up early to take a sunrise photo the other day, and I got a nice sunset one as well. We have finally caught up with delightful weather and are loving it.

Floods in North Dakota

2011-08-08T13:00:00.005-08:00

Note the brown water stain on the bottom third of the sign

Click on this photo to see where I have marked red arrows of flood level

Businesses empty...

Emergency workers still cleaning up...

Piles of rubble...

Houses gutted....

More debris...

Shocking scenes

Even the trees are water marked

Our North Dakotan friends had mentioned the floods and land falls that had occurred in recent months in this area, but when Murray and I accidentally found ourselves driving through an affected area, we couldn't believe the level of devastation that we saw. We had seen a billboard advertising an RV park to the west of Minot, and as it was late afternoon, we thought we would pull in for the night. As we pulled into the gates of the campground, we didn't get very far before we saw mud and signs of high water level on campsites. We actually reversed out to save getting bogged, and followed the directions on the GPS to get us back to the highway.

Each street we went to turn down (as directed by the GPS) brought us to a 'road closed' sign, so we had to keep going. After this happened several times we started seeing piles of debris on the roadside. We then realised that the homes all seemed to be gutted and the debris was the insulation and internal walls pulled out, leaving the inside of each home just an empty shell. All the home contents had long been removed by the owners/tenants since the floods of June 23rd, and now the huge task of clearing rotting interiors had begun. We could see the water level on the houses above the window level. Even the trees were stained by the flood waters, which makes us wonder how long the water stayed at the high level. The damage to the area was so extensive, yet we have heard from locals that compensation will only top around $3000 per household. A cash- strapped country. Similar to what happened in Brisbane I guess, in that most homeowners either didn't have or couldn't insure for river flooding or water inundation from overflowing dams.

It turns out the area we found ourselves in was Oak Park. It was just one township around the city of Minot that was affected. The only way out was to turn around and go back out the way we had come in - all the other roads were damaged and remain blocked off - almost 7 weeks after the flood. It made us realise how traumatic it would be if the same thing happened to us, and our thoughts went out to those affected. We have heard that the community spirit is strong and many fund raisers are being held to support the displaced people.

When we realised we would need to keep moving to our usual campground about 40 minutes south - and where we would stay put for 2 weeks - we called in to pick up some groceries. We were stunned to see people camping in the parking lot - they had no-where else to go as local campgrounds are either washed out or full. KMart & Walmart are apparently allowing the flood victims to park their campervans there for free. Of course they have no power or water connections, so life can't be easy for them.

Medicine Hat, Alberta

2011-08-08T12:09:00.008-08:00

World's Tallest Teepee

Drumheller's wonderful dinosaur museum

Murray is dwarfed by the dinosaur leg

Visitors can see the staff working on specimens

A close-up view of working on a specimen - see TV screen above

Drumheller Hoodoos

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos - Utah 2008

Come back Mama Moose

At 7.30am we pulled out of our north of Calgary campground whispering last goodbyes to our Alaska travelling mates. Our 8 week Alaskan adventure had come to an end. I could go on forever using numerous adjectives to describe the wonderful time we had, but I am sure the blogs along the way have conveyed my feelings adequately.

A chap from Quebec who we had met at Dawson City suggested we should visit the town of Drumheller, Alberta about 90 mins NE of Calgary. This is the heart of the Canadian Badlands, and also where there are ongoing numerous dinosaur fossil finds along the Red Deer River where old glacial activity preserved the dinosaurs where they fell. We really enjoy the Badlands scenery in North & South Dakota, so decided we should visit the Canadian version. The drive was very pleasant through miles of agricultural and beef grazing land. The Badlands here didn't seem to have as much of the pink/red scoria layers as do the ones in Dakota, although the Hoodoos (unusual rock formation) gave them an interesting touch. The best Hoodoos we have seen were in Bryce Canyon, Utah – they were amazing as there were so many of them in one place I guess, but these ones have more unusual shapes.

We took the opportunity to spend some time looking at the wonderful exhibits in the Royal Tyrrell Museum a few kms north of the small town of Drumheller. It had an amazing display of fossils, and lots of interesting exhibits for students & kids. They even had large monitors showing the paleontologists at work on various specimens. Such painstaking work to preserve the fossil finds.

We continued on our way to Medicine Hat, Alberta. This is the home of the world’s tallest tepee (stands 20 stories high), which was created for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and re-assembled here in Medicine Hat as a symbol of Canada's native tribes in this area. The city was much bigger than we expected, with a population of around 60,000. Due to the natural gas reservoirs underground, it is also known as Gas City. We called into the visitors’ center and the staff member we encountered was actually an aussie from Melbourne who had been working here for 7 years. He suggested we try the nicest campground in the area, and we were glad we did. Nice shady trees (the warm weather has finally caught up with us), and the fastest wifi of the whole trip. Whoo hoo. As soon as we pulled in, we hooked up, then set up our chairs outside and just sat there enjoying the ‘aura’. We had one last bottle of beer and one last glass of red wine in our stocks, so we combined that with a lovely lime salsa dip and corn chips, and we plotted the next day’s travel. It seemed very lonely without Marie & Eric in the adjoining site…come back Mama Moose & Sharp Shooter!

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2011-08-07T15:19:00.007-08:00

Cochrane: Last Campground with Marie & Eric

The Alaskan trip farewell

And they're all made out of ticky tacky

Driving into Calgary

Parking under Calgary Tower

Eric offers to support me on the glass plate

That's the bottom of the tower down there

Saddle-shaped Calgary Stampede Arena in background

Revolving Cafe in Calgary Tower

Marie & Murray in the Mall

View from East to Bow River

View from tower to Bow River

We had a short and very scenic drive from Banff to our next campground at Cochrane, a town about 40 mins drive out in the NW outskirts of Calgary. The last campground we will share with Marie & Eric this trip. We were only going to stay one night, but it was such a nice campground and the wifi was great (which we appreciated after a 4 day lack) and we weren't quite ready to say goodbye, so we signed up for another night. That first night we went out to dinner as a celebration to the end of our great Alaska trip. We found a nice steakhouse and Marie & I shared a delicious steak dinner. The serves were so big that we were each very satisfied with our half, and had no room for dessert.

The extra day stopover also gave us a chance to take a half-day trip into Calgary and check it out. As we drove in we saw rows of houses in a new housing estate up on the hillside and Marie & I broke into a rendition of 'little boxes on the hillside and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same'. If you click on the photo above you will understand why!

Murray insisted we all needed to go up the top of the Calgary Tower and we are so glad we did. It took us $15 each to go up, and then strong intestinal fortitude to actually walk out on the clear glass plate ledge. But we all did it in the end, with a little help from one another. We celebrated our bravery by having a light lunch at the revolving cafe on top. A bird's eye view of the whole city - we could see where the Calgary Stampede is held each year - in fact the arena roof is in the shape of a saddle, so it is hard to miss it. We had a 2 hour park right at the foot of the tower, so in the remaining time, we took a walk up the nearby mall and took in the sights. Bright flowers hanging baskets, music bands playing free music for the crowds, some stalls and a little posse of 3 police officers to keep everyone in line. As we crossed the Bow river on the way home, we decided to pull into the Prince's Island Park, walk up the steps and get a different view of the city.

After a few hours catching up on blogs etc, it was time to think about our stomachs again. None of us were that hungry, but we knew it was our last meal together, so it called for one final celebration of life, food, and good company. Thanks Marie & Eric - our 8 weeks together has been a fantastic adventure.

Lake Louise & Banff, Alberta, Canada

2011-08-07T06:49:00.006-08:00

Black wolf skulking into bushes on the left

Blustery & cold at the Columbia Glacier - see it behind us

Driving towards Lake Louise - the sun is out again

Another pretty lake en route - that is our RV - Marie took the photo

Entering Banff

Street in Banff

Among the pretty flowers at the Chateau on Lake Louise

The four of us enjoy our last few days together

Marie took the photo of this black bear beside our RV

A nice, healthy young black bear

Non-motorised pathway on right - views along all 26km

After we left our Jasper campground we headed for Lake Louise & Banff along the Icefields Hwy – so named due to the number of glaciers en route. But we still had one more treat in store – we saw our first & only black wolf of the trip, just out of Jasper. By the time we saw it we were past it, and there was nowhere to turn around, but a bit further down the road we turned our 32’ RV on a sixpence and just hoped the wolf was still in photo range. He was moving pretty fast, but I did manage to get a blurry photo.

Moving right along the Icefields Hwy the camera kept clicking as the hanging glaciers and snow packs seemed to be atop every mountain and were amazing. After all, we were driving along the ridge of the Canadian Rockies. The scenery was stunning. By the time we reached the Columbia Glacier it was drizzling with rain, with grey skies and a cold wind. A nice staff member offered to take a photo of the 4 of us before we escaped to the warmth of our RV’s.

Wills & Kate (Prince William & Princess Catherine) thought the Lake Louise environs were pretty good and worth a visit, so we thought why not? What a mistake to visit Lake Louise on a warm Sunday afternoon of a long weekend. The traffic was murder – bumper to bumper for miles. There was no car park available for a smart car, let alone our RV’s. Thoroughly dismayed, and never wanting to set foot in Lake Louise again we continued SE to Bamff where we were fortunate to find a campsite. Marie provided a tasty dinner and we all crashed early. After a good sleep, we felt refreshed enough to give Lake Louise another chance – Murray secured a late 3pm check out for us, so we left our RV’s behind, jumped in Marie & Eric’s 4 WD and drove out at 8am for the 30 min drive NW to Lake Louise town, and onto the Fairmont Lodge right on the Lake itself. Our perseverance was well rewarded. Hardly any tourists were wandering about, so we celebrated with breakfast in the lodge dining room, overlooking the lake. What a treat. The lake really is pretty. As the time marched on, more tourists marched in, so after checking out the grounds and the lobby, we decided it was time for us to leave.

In Banff we checked out a local waterfall before collecting our RV’s and hightailing it for our new campsite in a satellite town called Cochrane to the west of Calgary. But like Jasper and the wolf farewell, we had a nice surprise as we drove out of Banff – a lovely, young, black bear waved us goodbye before we were 5 mins drive from the campground.

As we drove west along the highway towards Calgary, the views of the Rockies were fantastic. For several kms we drove parallel along a 26 km parkway for non-motorised vehicles stretching east from Banff and west towards Lake Louise - we saw cyclists, walkers, runners and roller bladers out using the path and soaking up the views.

Jasper National Park

2011-08-04T19:26:00.005-08:00

Campground Office

Marie & Eric about to pull out - pretty grounds

Our first visit to Jasper

Downtown Jasper

Christmas Shop in Patricia St

Cafe with a view - Maligne Lake

Magnificent Elk

A rainbow and some crazy tourists at Athabasca Falls

Marie & I play with the bears

Our Jasper farewell - in the same spot as the elk below were playing earlier

You might have to click on this to see the elk here

The Cassiar Hwy connects with the Yellowhead Hwy and we had 2 nights en route, stopping at Houston and McBride. As you can see some campground owners who go to a lot of trouble to make their grounds bright and welcoming. Our destination was Jasper National Park, and little did we know that we arrived on a holiday weekend. Fortunately we were able to get a campsite, and couldn't wait to hook up then go out and explore the area. First stop was the visitors' center to pick up some local maps, then we headed out to Maligne Lake. Such a beautiful setting and some tasty pastries to taste while we enjoyed the scenery. We were thrilled to see a magnificent elk, plus other elk, black bear and a mountain goat on the first day. Probably one of our best wildlife spotting days apart from our experience with the Katmai grizzlies. We had a light lunch in town, and wonders never cease, there just happened to be a Christmas Shop across the road. Marie couldn't resist catching the joy on my face.

The next day we took a drive out to visit the Athabasca Falls which had numerous paths with viewing platforms. We had no sooner read the notice about the number of deaths that occur because viewers ignore the signs to stay on the path, when we saw several tourists trying to get close to the falls for a good photo. It is very easy to see how they could easily fall to their death, as the waterfall splash is of varying heights and is unpredictable from minute to minute. On the way we stopped to take a photo of a pack of 3 coyotes stalking one poor squirrel. The squirrel lost. We also saw a black bear. Earlier that day Eric had taken a bike ride and discovered another nice lake and the Jasper Lodge, so we all went there for a drive. As we pulled up an elk was between the car park and the entrance to the lodge. Inside the lodge were several stuffed black bear, and Marie and I got up close & personal. On our first morning Marie was up bright & early and was excited to see some elk cavorting right in front of our RV's - she tried to look to see if there was any sign of life in our RV so that we could enjoy the elk's antics too, but she had to settle for showing us her photos & video later.

Stewart/Hyder Detour

2011-08-04T18:25:00.004-08:00

Location of Stewart/Hyder courtesy trails-reisen.de

Bear Glacier appeared on our left

Marie zoomed in at the base of the glacier

Crossing the border

Hyder, Alaska

Not much going on here...

A tranquil scene while waiting for bears

Lewis & Clarkes' at the bear viewing platform - looking at a very tall, centuries old spruce tree

The lure of perhaps seeing more bears fishing for salmon convinced us to take the Stewart/Hyder Access Rd off the Cassiar Hwy at the Meziadin Junction. Despite the low hanging clouds that hung in the canyon, as we turned around a corner the amazing Bear Glacier came into view. It was like wow, wow, wow time again. We have had several of those moments during this trip. We had seen many glaciers by this time, but each one is very impressive.

We arrived at the tiny town of Stewart, British Columbia (Canada's most northern ice-free port) with a population of around 700 people. Setting up our RV's took no time and before long, we were off in Eric & Marie's 4WD to do some sightseeing. Within 2.3 miles/3.7 km we passed through the border crossing into Alaska - no passports checked going into Alaska, just coming back into Canada. Right at the border crossing is the ghost town of Hyder, the most eastern town in Alaska. Population just under 100, but we only saw a handful of folk. There are only a few businesses operating, and we called into 2 of them. One was an old lady, crippled with arthritis, but a real sweetie who ran a photographic come bric-a-brac store in her home (shed). We ended up buying a bear DVD from her which may have been her only sale for the day. The next stop was to a gift store, once again the 'shop' was part of the owner's home - the owner told us a bear had set off his door alarm a few hours before we did. He then led the 4 of us out into his yard and beside a stream and showed us the berries the bears come daily to feed on. We were on our way to see the bears further upstream, so we bid him farewell and drove alongside the river for a few miles.

Apparently the salmon run is very late this year, or else they have all been caught by the commercial fishermen. Anyway, I think we saw a total of 5 salmon swimming upstream. The bears didn't think it is worth getting out of bed for such paltry morsels, so they didn't show up - although the ranger said a mother with cubs was out earlier. We had to satisfy ourselves with watching some bald eagles, as well as being intrigued by the spawning antics of the salmon. Our position in the stream was the end of the road for these adult salmon and they had returned to where they were spawned a few years earlier. We saw a female closely guarded by 2 males - the males continuously nipped each other and the female hung back waiting for the victor I guess. He would get to be the lucky one to fertilise her eggs. Then within 10-14 days of spawning, these adult salmon would be dead - their job done.

As for us, it was back to the border crossing, show our passports and re-enter Canada. We did this 2 days in a row, hoping to see at least one bear, but no luck. We also tried to drive and see the famous Salmon Glacier further up the river, but our outing was stymied by the weather and by some blasting they were doing on the road. We would get our fill of glaciers as we headed back through the canyon and re-join the Cassiar Hwy.

Cassiar Highway

2011-08-02T10:51:00.017-08:00

Driving 415 km/260 miles from Whitehorse to Junction 37 (start Cassiar Hwy)

Pink Fireweed

Day 1 of Cassiar Hwy

Marie & Eric in Front - low clouds obscure mountain peaks

Clumps of fireweed beside Marie & Eric's trailer

Other wildflowers

Cassiar Mountain Jade Store

Marie with $1 million jade bear carving

Setting of Mountain Shadows RV Park

A stroll through the woods to the lake - yes there were mosquitoes!

This mother black bear had 2 cubs - another behind

A lone black bear crosses in front of us (note more fireweed)

Moose crosses in front of us

Mother & baby moose

Alaska travel books mention the spectacular scenery along the Cassiar Hwy. It spans 645 km/400 miles from the Yellowhead Hwy in British Columbia to the Alaska Hwy in Yukon (Junction 37). Despite the poor weather conditions that we experienced, we concur with the books. The low lying cloud obscured many of the high mountain peaks but it really is a beautiful drive - we were consistently surrounded by high peaks. There was a small section of road that caused a roadworks delay, but the state of the road was superior to many we had driven during this trip.

We started the Cassiar Hwy from Junction 37 at the Alaska Hwy where we stayed at a very basic but conveniently located campground which showed signs of a more financial past. There was a huge round fireplace surrounded by differently coloured wooden chairs. The chairs were now all faded and dilapidated, and weeds were growing everywhere. Marie took a photo of just the pink chair, as it matched the adjacent fireweed plant so well. The fireweed is a common inclusion in most summer photos taken in Alaska. We have seen it here & there along nearly every road we have travelled in Alaska & Canada this trip. There were lots of other wildflowers along the road which made for scenic viewing.

En route we called in at the Cassiar Mountain Jade Store - apparently the Cassiar Mountains supplies 92% of the world Jade markets. The store had the familiar green jade plus the pink jade (rhodonite) carvings for sale. Very expensive stuff. Later in our trip we saw a jade carving of a bear that was valued at $1 million. I couldn't resist taking a photo of Marie next to it.

Our next campground was in a beautiful valley. Such a tranquil setting. After we had dinner we took a walk down to the lake where we planned to stay for a while hoping some moose would appear for a drink. The short walk through the woods to get to the lake was pleasant, and our head nets kept the mosquitoes away, but the moose were elusive as usual! That is not to say we didn't get to see our share of wildlife on the road. They say if you don't see a black bear on the Cassiar Hwy then something is wrong, and they were right. We saw lots of bear, and a few female moose each with a calf. The wildlife sightings were the highlight of our travels. Our two-way radios would come to life from the leading RV, calling out 'black bear on the left', or 'moose in pond on the right'. Murray had the sharpest eyes of the group and could pick out a black bear as a black dot far away in the distance. Same with the moose. We usually pulled off to the side of the road to enjoy watching the animals for as long as they stayed around, but they slink into the bushes pretty quickly and do a vanishing trick.

We took a 2 day detour off the Cassiar to call into the twin towns of Stewart/Hyder. Stewart is in Canada, and Hyder is in Alaska. See separate blog.

Dawson City, Yukon

2011-07-22T18:49:00.009-08:00

The gals are in town

A handy watering hole...Marie enters

This is one of the main streets - dirt

Boardwalks keep you off the dirt & mud

We gave Diamond Tooth Gertie's Can Can girls a run for their money

Baby Boomers overlook Yukon River

Overlook to Dawson - if you click on this photo, you will see I have marked where the Klondike enters the Yukon to left of photo

That's our RV crossing the Yukon after leaving Dawson

That's also our RV in distance with grizzly in foreground

Close-up of the grizzly

Click on this map to see where we are headed

Yes, we crossed the Yukon River into Dawson City - found at the confluence of the Klondike & Yukon Rivers. Originally a small fishing camp of local tribes was located here on the river, but the population swelled to around 40,000 when gold was discovered near Dawson in 1896, resulting in the Klondike stampede. Apparently the lure of gold attracted gold seekers from USA, United Kingdom, South Africa & Australia, among other countries. By 1899 most miners had left Dawson for the newer gold finds in Nome. Today it is mainly famous for tourism - it gets around 60,000 visitors a year - and some gold mining still occurs.

After we spent the morning re-visiting the Top of the World Highway, Eric dropped us off in town and we read the history sites, walked around and chatted to folk and generally enjoyed being in the old town. The streets remain unpaved, and the footpaths are simple wooden boardwalks to keep you above the mud when it rains. The local businesses retain the flavour of the gold rush days with their building structures and facades. It reminded us of the old western towns such as Tombstone, Arizona.

After dinner Eric drove us up to the top of the 5 mile/8 km Dome Road which is just under 3,000' above sea level. The summit overlooks the Klondike & Yukon Rivers & the Dawson township, and across to the surrounding mountains. What a fantastic view! We sat up there for some time just enjoying being there, and chatted to several different people who gave us tips on what to see when we got near Jasper, Bamff & Calgary. Eric couldn't wait to get his mountain bike out and ride up the mountain. He has a great story to tell, so watch out for his blog on that ride. He still has some entries to catch up on, so check it out in a few days or so. After our 2 nights in Dawson, we hit the road and headed for Whitehorse, the Capital of the Yukon. We passed a grizzly bear beside the road before Murray had time to pull over, but fortunately I was able to radio to Marie, and she got some good photos. We also saw a coyote, but I wasn't quick enough to get a photo. From here we will head west on the Cassiar Hwy to Stewart/Hyder before making our way south - east to Jasper, Bamff, Calgary and then out to Montana (see map) and east to North Dakota.

Top of the World Highway

2011-07-22T11:56:00.002-08:00

Fine enough when we started out

Uh - oh...potholes ahead

Even our GPS is saying go back - this road is not for you

Lots more potholes

Way up in the clouds

Eric emerges from the mist

Yukon River & Dawson City below - nearly there

Waiting for the ferry

Our dirty RV boarding the small ferry

Driving off the ferry in Dawson City

This Combi is dwarfed by our RV

Marie & I celebrate surviving the Top of the World Highway with our Margaritas!

Next day...let's do it all again!

So THIS is what the road was supposed to look like!

Yep - it sure feels like we are on top of the world

Picnic on Top of the World Highway

'Lewis & Clark' show the way ahead...hmmm

Few visitors to Alaska can pass up the challenge to drive the 127 km (79 mile) Top of the World Highway - and we were no exception! It is a notorious, mostly unpaved highway, full of potholes. The highway officially begins after you have left Chicken (see previous entry), Alaska and crossed the border into Yukon, Canada, and finishes at the Yukon River with Dawson City on the other side. Don't be fooled by the length of the highway - it took us 4 hours to do the 80 miles, and that was without stopping. The day we did the drive was the worst day we could have done the trip, as it was drizzling with rain and once we got up to the high elevations (most of the highway is over 3000 feet and peaked at the border at 4,127') we were surrounded by mist, fog and low-lying cloud. It was all we could do to see Eric & Marie's headlights ahead of us most of the time. While the road is the worst in Alaska, they say the scenery makes up for it - ha - we couldn't see a thing - just mist, mist and more mist.

The Top of the World Highway can be quite dangerous as it is narrow in parts with only room for one large vehicle, and sheer cliffs on the other side for those who disregard the rules to stop at these narrow points and let the North-bound traffic continue. Despite being advised against doing the drive in wet weather (the road surface fills your tyre treads with mud/clay and then you slide around the bends), it seemed a preferable option to staying another night in the town of 'Chicken'.

We soldiered on and as we turned a bend on the last mountain we could finally see the Yukon River and Dawson City below. Now all we had to do was catch the Government Ferry to cross the Yukon River (and find my bonanza gold) - thankfully that only took a few minutes and we arrived safely on the other side. Hurrah, we survived the Top of the World Highway. Time for a celebration!

Wouldn't you know it, the next day I woke up and was startled by a bright light shining into the bathroom - it was the sun! Whoo hoo. The skies were blue and it was lovely & warm. We didn't hesitate when Eric & Marie asked if we would like to take a drive back up the Top of the World Highway - we left the RV's behind and just went in their 4WD. We would get to see the scenery we missed the day before. We had a great drive and had a lot of laughs, and ended our foray with a picnic lunch up the top. Then it was time to return to Dawson, absorb the 'aura' and experience a little bit of this isolated city and its historic beginnings.

Chicken, Alaska

2011-07-22T11:55:00.005-08:00

Leaving Tok

Chicken's 3 businesses

Murray & Marie in front of our lunch spot

Chicken & Dredge (relic from gold mining days)

Chicken's take on Santa's Sleigh - replacing reindeer with chickens

Eric & Marie heading out of Chicken - into the clouds...

Our time in Alaska is drawing to a close, but we couldn't leave the state without visiting just one more town. The town of Chicken. The town is a relic from the gold boom days. The locals wanted to name the town 'Ptarmigan' after the Alaska state bird, or was it because many miners caught Ptarmigan and cooked them for a tasty pot dinner and wanted to memorialise them in history. Either way, when they went to register the name, none of the miners could agree on the right way to spell Ptarmigan, and as they also called the Ptarmigan 'chickens' in those days, they decided to just call the town 'Chicken' instead.

The town has no electricity (they use generators) and no internal plumbing (they use outhouses). No phone service either, and the mail plane lands twice a week. The population is around 9 in the winter, and swells to just under 40 in the summer. Gold is still being found locally by miners and many tourists pay to pan for gold - and on the day we were there, some gold was found. Nothing to write home about though!

The weather during our visit to Chicken was wet on & off, and it was miserable. Considering there are no paved roads and no footpaths etc, it made for a muddy visit. There are only 3 businesses (a cafe, a gift shop and a saloon) as well as 3 basic campgrounds, and after one night we were keen to move on. Stopping in Chicken was just a means to an end - it was the starting point for our drive along the infamous Top of the World Highway.

Fairbanks, Alaska

2011-07-17T22:58:00.013-08:00

End of Alaska Highway

Proximity of Fairbanks to Arctic Circle

Walmart facade looks like a street front

Saw this Moose on the outskirts of Fairbanks

Wonderful video

Northern Lights (courtesy www.daleandjo.com)

Gold found near Fairbanks

Now there's a Rack of Caribou Rack

After Denali we spent a few days enjoying the environs of Fairbanks, our most northern- most city. The city grew along with the gold rush in the early 1900's, and an area 26 miles north of Fairbanks, is currently home to Alaska's 2nd largest gold producing mine. The city is about 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle (but it is a 16 hr return trip just to cross into the 'Circle'), and it is the most popular place on earth to view the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights - you just need a clear, winter sky and a lot of patience. We visited the University of Alaska campus with Marie & Eric, and we all attended an information video on the Northern Lights which we found so fascinating. After that we headed to a wood carving place as Marie had taken a class in woodturning earlier in our trip and we wanted to see the pros doing it - it was interesting to see them laser printing photos and other images onto the inside of wooden bowls. We also called into Walmart and I just had to take a photo of the front facade - they built it to look like a little street of shops, but it was just the one supermarket.

On the way back to our campground, Murray spotted a moose drinking in the river, so we wheeled back to watch her for a while and take a photo. Being so far north in the summer made for very long summer nights - pity they were cool and not warm evenings, as most nights were too cold for a campfire - unseasonably cold I might add. However, on one of the rare, milder evenings when Marie & Eric had gone to dinner with some friends they made while staying at Denali, we were sitting outside our RV chatting to some young neighbours from the camper to our left, and although it was still bright, we realised with a shock that it was midnight. We all scuttled off to bed ready for the adventures awaiting us all on the next day.

The next day found us heading south towards Delta Junction and the very end of the original Alaska Highway that we started out from in Dawson Creek back on the 2nd June. From Dawson Creek driving direct to Delta Junction is 1390 miles/2237km. The signs show the Alaska Highway as being 1422 miles, as that is what it used to be before continuous road improvements have re-shaped it somewhat and reduced the overall length. Because we took several side trips visiting Valdez, Seward, Homer etc, we have clocked up 3,202 miles/5153 km since we left Dawson City, and we haven't finished yet.

North Pole Revisited

2011-07-17T22:48:00.004-08:00

Candy Cane Street Lights

Christmas Decor inside Wendy's

Marie busy at the counter surrounded by Christmas

Baby Boomers with Santa

In the previous blog you read about my first visit to Santa in the town of North Pole. When Marie & Eric paid their visit the next day, I couldn't resist visiting once again. This time all four of us got to have our photo taken with Santa. Four happy Baby Boomers - letting the kid inside each of us shine!

I omitted to mention that the street lights in North Pole are like giant candy canes. So pretty. Even the Wendy's (fast food chain restaurant) has Christmas decor all year 'round. Just thought I would share this 'special' place with you all...

Visit to North Pole

2011-07-15T16:01:00.006-08:00

Ho ho ho

Santa Claus House - North Pole

Yay - I made it!

Well hello there Santa! How nice to see you in person after reading about you in Christmas stories for over 50 years! You don't look a day older than you did in my childhood Christmas books!

As a young girl growing up in central Australia where Christmas meant searing heat & red dust storms (it was during the 10 year drought), it was so magical in those days to read Christmas books about a place called the North Pole - not the geographic North Pole - but the town where Santa lives with his reindeer. There was always lots of white, glistening snow in the books and on the Christmas cards, which we could tell (by what Santa was wearing), was very, very cold. I was 35 years old before I ever saw snow for the first time. Never in a million years did I think I would ever set foot in this place called the North Pole, let alone sit on Santa's knee! Hard to believe that this is the very place that all those letters that kids address to Santa in the North Pole have been getting delivered for decades, and letters from Santa to kids, have come from here since 1952.

Mind you, it is high summer here at the moment during my visit to the Santa Claus House in North Pole (15 miles from Fairbanks), so there is no real snow left, but I did find santa and his reindeer! However, the reindeer were behind a double wire fence, so not the ideal photo setting in my opinion.

I don't know what it is about a Christmas Shop, but I can just stand there and look around at all the twinkling, beautiful decorations & ornaments, listen to the Christmas music and immediately I am transported back to the awe & magic I remember as a child. As commercial as Christmas Shops are, and despite being devoid of the real meaning of Christmas (apart from the occasional nativity ornaments), I am able to just enjoy the aura and magic of Christmas that has thrilled children since stories of santa began.

Denali National Park

2011-07-13T10:49:00.010-08:00

The Park Road on a fine day with Mt McKinley in background - courtesy wikipedia

Ptarmigans turn white in winter so they are difficult to see against the snow

Nice rack Mr Caribou

Wildflowers were everywhere

Our bus buddies admiring the view

A small glacier we passed on the way

This wolf was stalking some caribou

A single Dall sheep high on left, then a herd of them lower right

Fox with his prey

A grizzly ambling across the valley

The grizzly closer up - notice his hump

Looking out from here we should see Mt McKinley - all we could see was mist

And again here - through these windows should be the view in the photo

This miniature of the mountain found in the visitors center

Yesterday Murray & I took an 8 hr bus tour into Denali National Park here in the Alaskan interior (the park is almost half way between Anchorage and Fairbanks). Marie & Eric had booked into a wilderness lodge at the end of the 95 mile Park Rd to spend 4 nights and be as close to Mt McKinley as possible, so we were flying solo. Our bus trip took us to the 66 mile point on the Park Rd to the Eielson Visitors center, and due to stopping to see animals and the nature of the road itself, that drive took 4 hours each way. On a clear day the view to Mt McKinley from this point is amazing, but as luck would have it, we were fogged in when we reached that point.

That is not to say we didn't have a great day - we thoroughly enjoyed the drive through the park - around every turn the vista changed and the bus kept stopping for wildlife. We spent several minutes watching a wolf stalk a group of 3 caribou, a fox ran by the bus with a tasty morsel in its mouth, a family of Ptarmigan wandered casually past with their chicks, solitary grizzly bears foraged in the open grasslands and a sow and her cubs were nestled safely on a ridgeline near some bushes. A bright, white dot on a distant hillside turned out to be Dall sheep when magnified with binoculars. They were the reason the National Park was established in the first place - to protect the numbers of these sheep. Now people come to see the awesomeness of Mt McKinley, and the frequently seen wildlife - especially the 'Big Five' - moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf and grizzly bear. We saw all of them except the elusive moose. We have now done 2 bus trips in Denali and 3 drives around Yellowstone NP, and not yet seen a moose in either place. Fortunately we have seen moose on other roads here in Alaska, so we are content with that. Especially the big male we saw returning to Anchorage the other day. Fall/Autumn (September & October) is the rutting season and is the best time to see and hear the moose - the male have huge racks (antlers) by then, and they rub them on trees to remove the velvet so the antlers are ready to do battle with other males. After the mating season they drop their antlers each year, growing a new, and larger rack the next year (health permitting) - antlers can grow up to 1" per day. During mating season both males and females can also be heard calling across the valleys.

Denali is the home of the tallest mountain peak in North America: Mt McKinley, which at 20,300 ft high, is about 1,000 ft taller than Mt Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa. So far this year 9 climbers/hikers have lost their lives here on the mountain. Not for the faint hearted. The ranger was saying there were several reasons for death including loosing their footing, having a heart attack, confusion due to altitude (loss of oxygen) leading to errors in judgement when close to the edge, camping near a glacier (frequent earthquakes in this area shear ice off glacier - 3 people in same tent died from ice crash recently) amongst other reasons. Each climber pays a one-off fee of $300 to climb the mountain. I read that climbers on Kilimanjaro pay a daily fee, which sometimes causes hikers to try and speed up their climb to save money, which often inadvertently leads to altitude sickness. Two of my kids are climbing Kilimanjaro in September, so this is of interest to me. Take as long as you need Benn, Kim (& Daina)!

Our RV park here is nestled right at the back of the main Denali Village shopping mall, so it is very handy for RVers. Today we will check out the numerous shops with their Alaskan arts and souvenirs, and tomorrow we drive about 2 hours to Fairbanks where Marie & Eric will catch up with us, and we will spend about 3 nights.

Valley of 10,000 Smokes

2011-07-10T17:59:00.007-08:00

See change from green foreground to rear layer of ash

The green mountain looking down to the barren valley (note moose antler in foreground)

Trail to the edge of the mountain before the descent

Marie & Eric emerging from the trail and reaching the valley

Murray & Eric sitting beside the wall of ash forming ravine

Solidified ash breaks off & 'calves' like a glacier

Murray with moose antlers found on beach at Brooks Camp

In June 1912, the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred. It was preceded by severe earthquakes that shook the area for a week. Because the volcano was situated in an isolated area of the Alaskan peninsula across from Kodiak Island and in wilderness some 290 miles/ 470 km SW of Anchorage, not one person was killed. The Novarupta volcano erupted for 60 hours, expelling 30 times more larva than the destructive 1980 eruption of Washington state's Mt St Helens. The pyroclastic ash flow spread miles across a valley that has since been named the Valley of 10,000 smokes. Apparently, when the area was first studied 2 years following the eruption, there were thousands of 'fumaroles' or smoking holes dotting the valley, which vented steam from the ash. These continued smoking for 15 years before the heat underground settled, but the earthquakes and subsequent explosion had already changed the landscape there forever. 40 miles/65 km of lush green countryside was buried by volcanic rock & ash to a depth of 700' in some areas. Now the Ukak River and it's tributaries cut steep ravines through the accumulated layers of solidified ash.

While we were staying at Brooks Camp, a 7 hr day tour to the valley was included in our package. Marie & Eric (keen hikers) were keen to do the tour, and so Murray & I thought we would go along for the 23 mile bus ride, but I also packed a book plus my iPhone word scramble game as I figured I would leave the hike (classified as strenuous) to them. However, when we got there, and I saw the hike was only 1.6 miles, I figured I may as well make the most of the day and see what the valley was like down there. It was a glorious day, and after a lunch provided by the lodge, we adjusted our head nets and headed down to the valley. The valley itself showed the vast contrast between the green lush growth and the ash scarred landscape. When we reached the bottom and saw the water rushing by in a gorge carved into a wall of solid ash about 60-70' high, it was mind boggling. The original ground was buried far below what we could see. The effect of the force of nature was so evident here, and it made me realise how insignificant our time on earth is, in the whole scheme of things.

Katmai: Brooks Camp

2011-07-08T13:59:00.013-08:00

Our rustic cabin for 4

View through front door over to lake where Murray saw first bear

View from our cabin looking to the left

click on photo to see snow covered mountains to the rear

View from our cabin looking to the right (see bear poop on trail)

View returning to the lodge from the river (beach & bay to the right)

Interior of our cabin showing toilet/sink. Shower is across the room

View of buffet area

Fireplace with views out to lake - wonderful sitting here of an evening with a glass of red sharing stories with others

Beach in front of lodge. Note bear with cub in background

Close-up of sow & cub seen in distance in previous photo

First bridge and platform you come to from the lodge - the fish were always jumping in this river

Trail to get to the platform - bears have paths that criss-cross here

Bear paths...

Upper falls walkway and platform - one big bear is there

Everyone busily taking photos - non-stop clicking

Especially when they caught these two bears mating across the river...

Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park was initially set up as a fly-in camp for anglers. They stayed in tents and fished salmon in the summer months. The owners soon realised the potential for attracting other visitors to see the bears and the Valley of 10,000 Smokes (see separate blogs) and so in the early 1960's they erected rustic cabins. Now they have both a campground & cabins for visitors, plus a lodge with dining hall, log fire lounge & bar. The cabins house 60 guests and the campground holds 60 tenters. The campground is booked out within hours of bookings opening in January. It is $9 pp/night for a tent site. We booked our cabin 18 months in advance. The cabins can be single, double or shared by 4 people. I believe they all hold bunk beds. No honeymoon suites here. The cabins have maintained their rustic appearance and they are definitely 'no frills'. In our cabin were 4 bunks, a toilet with no separate light, a shower with just a plastic curtain, and a heater. The beds were made up with sheets and a cotton cover, with a single, thin (like an old army blanket) folded on top. Towels were provided. No food or drink of any sort was allowed in the cabins - not even muesli bars, nuts, coffee or soda drinks. Only water. All food was to be consumed in the main lodge area. This is to minimise any temptation for the grizzly bears to forage in the cabins. The meals are all buffet style, with complimentary coffee/tea available all day. The meals are a set price, and are not included in the steep accommodation price. We were all so overwhelmed with our continuous & amazing bear experiences, that everything else (such as the rustic, shared cabin and expensive meals) sort of seemed insignificant.

The lodge has a set of trails in and around it that the bears regularly use, so you have to be alert for bears at all times; even when walking to meals. Rangers are at strategic lookout points along the trail and around the lodge from 7.30am until 7.30pm each evening, and they monitor bear & people movements to prevent any unexpected confrontations. The bears always have the right of way, so when a bear is moving into the lodge area, the visitors are asked to back away until the bear has passed. Obviously if a bear decides to take a nap right in the main thoroughfare of the lodge precinct, I am sure the rangers would coax it away.

Most of the bear activity occurs around the water areas - the river, the lakes and the waterfall. As soon as you leave the main lodge area you cross a sway bridge and immediately on arriving at the opposite bank, there is a viewing platform. All the bridges & platforms have heavy gates to keep the people safe from the bears. Once you cross the bridge and pass the first platform area, there is a short walk before the start of the 0.6 mile trail through the bush to the main attraction: the Falls, where there are two platforms. One is called the lower falls, where, after you register your name, you wait at this location until there is enough room on the best viewing spot, the upper falls platform. Once you arrive at the upper falls, you can only stay one hour watching the bears, to allow others to have a chance. If you are lucky and there aren't too many folk around, you can stay as long as you like. Also, the rangers are off duty at 7.30pm, so you are on your own and can stay until they lock the area at 10pm. Remember it is still broad daylight until midnight, so no need for flashlights/torches.

However, walking along the bush trail is better done with a small group for safety. Murray & Eric had gone out early to see the bears on the last day, and Marie & I headed out an hour later. We hoped to meet up with others on the way, but no one else was around at that time, so we kept going. We were on our own, but had our bear bells with us, and we kept them moving so that our noise alerted the bears of our presence so we didn't startle them. Most deaths caused by bears are the result of surprising a bear, who then simply defends their territory or their cubs. We walked briskly and kept looking all around us, when all of a sudden Marie noticed a large bear moving in front and to the left of us. We started slowly backing back as advised, and then it seemed the bear was heading on the trail straight for us. Our mouths were dry and our hearts were hammering in our chests. Thankfully right at that point a guy on his own came up behind us, so we felt a bit better that there were 3 of us, but we were still slowly retreating. Finally the bear veered to its left and headed through the trees to the river which was on our right. Phew! We were very, very glad to reach the gate and enter into the platform area. Apparently Marie & Eric had a similar experience the day before. After her two scary encounters, she was so thrilled to get out unscathed, that in gratitude, she bought a bottle of champagne to have with our dinner tonight. We will celebrate surviving our bear adventure!

Our time at Katmai with the bears will be fondly remembered for as long as we have our mental faculties. It really is a trip worth saving up for, and I daresay it will remain one of the most amazing experiences of my lifetime - up there with having my 3 beautiful children!

The Three Little Bears

2011-07-08T08:02:00.006-08:00

Emerging from the bush. A mother bear and 2 cubs...no 3 cubs

Aren't they cute. Their first public appearance

Mum proudly leading her babies

One little fella wants to look around

Mum looks back to make sure no threat is following

Okay kids - let's cross to the other side of the river

Is the coast clear? No other bears out there?

Okay, follow me...

Safely out the other side

There once was a tall man called Murray. One day he went for a walk in the Brook's Camp woods, and what did he see? He saw a mother grizzly bear and her 3 little cubs. They were so cute, that he took lots of pictures. The ranger told him it was the first time the cubs had been seen, so they would have been born at the end of winter, and kept safe until now. The mother must have felt they were old enough to meet the nice visitors at Brook's Lodge!

Katmai Bear Experience

2011-07-07T10:39:00.012-08:00

Katmai Brooks Camp at top of Aleutian Island chain

The first leg out of Anchorage

All bags & passengers (Marie) have to be weighed for the float plane

Now to board the float plane

Landed at Brook's Lodge

Bears everywhere - can you count 10 bears?

Another salmon jumps the waterfall - one bear is waiting above and one below in case it falls back down

Heading to shore to eat

Stripping the fish - keeping an eye out- a bigger bear can take the catch

Enjoying the rich salmon flesh

Cinnamon - the oldest bear

WOW, WOW & WOW! We have just spent 2 days out at Brook's Lodge in Katmai National Park, located at the top of the Aleutian Islands off Anchorage. Eric & Marie thought this would be the icing of our Alaska cake, and boy, were they right on the money. Brook's Lodge is famous with anglers for the wonderful salmon fishing but it also offers a relatively safe environment for visitors to see grizzly bears fish for salmon at a waterfall (Brook's Falls), where the fish are swimming upstream to spawn. The Falls are 6' high, and it is an amazing sight to see the salmon jump up and over - well the lucky ones make it. The others gets snapped up by the bears at the falls - or the anglers who are further downstream. People come from all over the world to see the bears here. While we were there we bumped into another aussie chap, and this was his 3rd trip here. We also met up with a lovely aussie couple who were staying at the campground but came to the lodge each evening to sit around the fire. They would spend several hours a day just watching the bears - they got some fabulous action photos for their efforts. I think one day they spent a total of 6 hours on the platform watching them. But I am getting off track here...

After a 1.5 hr flight from Anchorage to King Salmon, we boarded a float plane for a 25 min flight to Brook's Lodge. Before we got 2 paces from the beach where we landed, we were ushered into a room and shown a bear orientation video, followed by a ranger safety talk. We learnt how to behave when confronted by a grizzly. Brook's Lodge rangers remind us that this area is the bears' territory, and the Lodge principle is to let the bears do their thing, and visitors are to withdraw and let them continue on their way. We were instructed to remain a minimum of 50 yards from a bear, or 100 yards if it is a sow with cubs. Sadly you may have heard that yesterday a hiker in Yellowstone was killed when he & his wife were hiking a trail and surprised a sow with her cubs. After our experience of walking the trails, I can certainly understand how easy that could happen.

Within 2 mins of checking into our rustic cabin for 4 (more on that in another blog), Murray excitedly yelled out that he could see a bear from our porch. It was off in the distance, but we were thrilled to have seen one so soon. We quickly had a bite to eat to fortify us for the adventures ahead, then made a beeline for the 1.2 mile path to the waterfall, hoping to see bears. After all, that was why we had come here. We hadn't even got to the end of the first path leading out from the cabins when we were stopped by a ranger - a bear was in the area. We couldn't believe we were seeing a bear amble past so close. Our cameras started clicking, and hardly stopped for the 2 days were were there. Once the coast was clear, we continued with our bear bells jangling (we were advised to clap hand, ring bells, talk or sing to make noise to alert the bears to our presence so they can slink away). Usually it is when you come upon a bear and surprise it that it attacks. We made it to the platform overlooking the falls (see next blog which should be posted later today), and joined lots of other people, all armed with cameras. Our first sight of the bears in the waterfall will be imprinted on our brains forever. The views of salmon jumping were also amazing: our visit was just at the start of the spawing cycle, but in a week or so the river will be teeming with salmon. After spending a few years out to sea, the salmon return to the same area they were spawned. Once they spawn, they die and feed the ecosystem. Towards the end of the salmon season, the bears are so full, that once they catch the salmon, they just hit it hard with their paw to squirt out the roe (fish eggs) and they just lick up that protein-filled delicacy to top them up before they go into hibernation. They leave the fish itself for the birds! It is interesting also to see the seagulls hover around each bear once it has caught a salmon - they wait until the bear goes, then eat the tiny morsels left behind.

The bears seem to systematically eat the salmon. They don't swallow the fish in one gulp like I imagine they would, but they strip it in lengths, pulling the fish meat towards the tail. I counted one bear take 10 bites before the salmon was gone and he returned to fish again. They either use one paw to hold the fish against their leg (bigger bears can do that and maintain their position in the water), or they carry the fish closer to the shore (or all the way to the shore) and use one paw to hold it against the ground or against a rock. The salmon are about 20" long and weigh about 4-5lb. One bear I was watching caught 4 fish in 30 minutes. Bears have an obvious hierarchy, and it is fascinating to watch how they all interact. 5 bears can be in position waiting to catch a salmon, but a larger bear just has to enter the arena, and it is interesting to watch them all slink away. Once the new dominant male has chosen his position, the others then re-align their new position, making sure their presence doesn't offend the big male.

The oldest bear in the park is named Cinnamon. When I first saw it, I thought it had cancer and didn't have long to live. But someone said they thought the same when they saw it last summer, but it is still alive this summer. Poor thing. It looks all moth eaten and skinny. It takes a few steps, then stops for a rest before taking another few steps. It is too old to fish anymore, so it was a surprise to see the other bears catch a salmon, take a few bites, then let the salmon float downstream to Cinnamon. When Cinnamon isn't around, they eat the whole salmon every time. While they may seem caring in this regard, a sow with cubs isn't included in this caring attitude. Early in summer, when she has young cubs that were born during the end of the winter hibernation, she has to stay downstream away from the big male bears, as they are still hungry from their months of hibernation, and baby cubs make tasty morsels.

There is so much to tell you, and so many photos to show, that I will write another 3 blogs to cover different aspects of these 2 days. Meanwhile, check out the video of the grizzly catching a salmon below.

Alaska Botanical Garden, Anchorage

2011-07-03T20:37:00.015-08:00

Anchorage Weekend Market

Watch out: Bear & Moose Alert at the gardens

Stunning Himalayan Poppy

Alaska's State Flower: Forget-Me-Not

Marie had to hold this delicate trail of hearts still for the camera

Soft colour mix

Bold & Bright Oriental Poppy

Foxglove

See the butterfly?

Colourful display

Making the most of the mild temperatures and sunshine today, the 4 of us spent a pleasant few hours wandering around and having lunch at the weekend Farmers' Market in downtown Anchorage. After a side visit to Kincaid Park, we decided to check out the local botanical gardens. The boys took a raincheck & had a nap in the car while Marie & I braved the entrance where every visitor is warned about the bears and moose. I checked with the staff - the fence & big gates are to keep the moose out (they would devour the gardens), but nothing stops the bears - they climb straight over. Fortunately the berries in the gardens don't ripen until the end of summer, so the bears aren't too interested in the area just yet. We completed our tour unscathed.

I put together a selection of flower photos to show you what we saw today. As per a previous blog, if you don't like flowers, then skip this blog entry!

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

2011-07-02T09:59:00.010-08:00

Rectory House: Oldest building on Kenai Peninsula. Circa 1881

Cook Inlet - sat on the cliff here in the sunshine - no Beluga Whales!

Typical of the view as we drive along - so beautiful

Little visual treats to thrill the eye

Grizzly Bear playing in the water

Nice antlers on these elk - still have velvet until the October rut

If you click on this photo you can read about reindeer

Caribou - Reindeer

Kodiak Bear Cubs - 16 months old

Now you know why we got worried when there were earthquakes in Anchorage last week! Whole towns were lost.

Here I am with Marie. This cabin left from the earthquake

I was texting my sister for her birthday when this moose appeared beside the road

After 11 days exploring the seaside towns of Seward, Ninilchik, Homer & Kenai all located south of Anchorage, it was time to head back closer to our next significant destination - Denali National Park. Our last campground in Kenai was right on the the Cook Inlet where the small, pure white, arctic Beluga whales are regular visitors. Some campers had seen some whales in front of the campground earlier in the day, but we had to satisfy ourselves with the sunshine, beautiful views and seeing the oldest building in the Kenai Peninsula. Also check out the photos on Eric's blog - he has some fantastic photos that he & Marie took, and they are accompanied by lively & interesting stories. As you finish reading one blog entry on his site, you need to keep pressing the 'older posts' button to trawl back to previous entries.

En route back to Anchorage we called into the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Marie & Eric parked their camper by a nearby river and jumped into our RV for the drive through the 400 acre park. We removed the fly screens so they could open the windows and enjoy an uninterrupted photo opportunity of the animals. However, once we got into the park, we discovered the drive is actually only 1.5 miles, so Eric & Marie got out and walked. We were already on the road, so we completed the short drive, parked the RV, then walked around to see the animals. We saw grizzly bears, black bears, caribou (reindeer), elk, deer, bison, owls, moose, a bald eagle and a porcupine. The animals here are either injured and being nursed back to health, or orphaned babies being fed until they are big enough to be returned to the wild. The ranger said that this park has the only two Kodiak bear cubs in captivity in the world. After seeing all these animals behind wire fences, it was refreshing to see a wild moose feeding alongside the road about 20 miles south of Anchorage. Traffic shut down in both directions, as the moose is likely to take off across the road. In this valley alone, over 200 moose have been killed in the past year. They are such big critters, with long legs, so the heavy body of the moose comes through the windscreen of regular cars. An encounter has been known to kill both the moose and the car driver. Not to mention the damage to any car that comes up against a moose. Bear & moose are frequent visitors to Anchorage backyards.

Homer, Alaska

2011-06-28T18:24:00.013-08:00

YOU MAY NEED TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THESE IMAGES TO APPRECIATE THEM!

Here we are driving down into Homer

See where the Homer Spit goes out into the Bay

Looking down on our campground from a hill above

Our campground seen from the ground

Murray & Eric watching them weigh the halibut catch

Sandhill Crane with chick

Mother Moose

Moose babies

Local Artist showing Northern Lights over Russian Church

225 miles south of Anchorage lies Homer, a seaside town known as the Halibut capital of the world. It is nestled in between two bays (Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay) and from where you can see lots of fishing rigs, glaciers, snow-topped mountains and even an active volcano. If any of you watch the TV series 'The Deadliest Catch', this is their home base. Homer Spit is a 4.5 mile strip of gravel & sand leading out from the mainland into the bay. It is a favorite place for fishermen and RV'ers. If you walk around the shops at the end of the spit around 5.30 - 6.30pm, you will see anglers from the charter boats proudly weighing their catch. We whistled when we saw one chap with a 105 lb halibut, and then a few minutes later, just one shop down, was a chap with his 150 lb catch. Wow! The seagulls were milling around the fish-cleaning station for their tasty morsels, although each time we visited, there was also a bald eagle ready to stake his claim.

During our RV trips we thoroughly enjoy each day that we are out on the road driving & seeing new sights, but then we are always happy to arrive at a campsite, hook up to power, water & sewer, and most of the time have wifi and hook up to cable TV. However, there are some times when we gladly exchange amenities for the view, the 'aura' or the sheer experience of a certain location. Homer spit was one of these places...we pulled up alongside Eric & Marie's trailer, just short of the sand on the beach, and parked our RV, looking straight out over the water to the mountains across the bay. The weather was grey and the wind very chilly, but we were just so happy to have had the experience of spending time on Homer Spit. Marie even has a new fleece sweater to prove she was there.

Driving around Homer we were surprised to see a bald eagle's nest right in the heart of town, and the mother eagle on guard duty in the next tree. Rarely did we drive by without seeing photographers waiting patiently for a sight of the 2 chicks. Sadly the dismal lighting conditions prevented me getting a good photo. I was a bit more fortunate with the lighting to catch this mother moose (who was in a marsh area in the township) and her two babies, as well as this Sandhill Crane with her chick.

The bleak weather may have prevented us doing outdoor activities, but it didn't stop us taking a drive just out of town to visit the locally renowned art gallery of Norman Lowell - despite his 83 years, he & his wife were there, running the gallery and chatting with visitors. His smaller framed oil & acrylic paintings sell for around $50,000. Norman and his wife moved to Alaska in 1957 and homesteaded here before there were even paved roads in this area. His artistic talents capture the beauty of this region including the spectacular Northern Lights and local glaciers. Well worth the visit. Visitors are also welcome to wander through their initial homestead cabin - it reminded us of Dolly Parton's childhood cabin that we saw on our visit to her hometown in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee during our first RV trip in 2008. So much to do and see...

Halibut Fishing

2011-06-25T20:00:00.006-08:00

32' Charter Boat

The Anglers in action (or is that 'inaction')

Yay - his first Halibut

Today's catch

These were filleted in no time: 15 lbs of fish left after filleting

Halibut is the largest of the flat fish species (ie flounder & sole) and it is found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. It is grey on one side, and white on the other. The flesh is mild, flaky & white. According to my research, the nicest tasting halibut weigh about 10 lbs.

When we first starting talking of doing an Alaska trip, Murray's first thought was that he just had to have a go at Halibut fishing. At 9.30am today he finally got to achieve his dream and go out on a halibut charter. There were 4 other anglers plus the Captain. Each angler can only catch 2 Halibut per day. They went out 15 miles from land and fished in 180' water where the first halibut were caught. For the fishermen among you, they then moved 3 miles closer to shore in 140' of water where the most fish were caught with 120 lb line, 4lb sinker using herring, cod & red salmon bait and 16/0 circle hooks. The fish ranged from 15 - 30 lb. Murray caught 9 Halibut all up, but could only keep 2 x 15 pounders - they were about 2.5' long and 14" wide. The charter returned to base around 4.30pm and we turned up in time to see the catch and watch the staff deftly fillet the fish for the anglers. Within an hour of getting back to the campground we were serving up a delicious halibut dinner with Marie & Eric. We waited for you Clairie, but you didn't show up! I prepared the fish with olive oil and lemon pepper in alfoil, and Murray cooked it on the BBQ. I also prepared some Mexican rice, and Marie bought over a colourful and tasty salad. It doesn't get much fresher than that - just like our fish dinners in North Dakota. Tomorrow is another day, and we plan to drive 40 miles south to Homer.

Nature's Wonderland: Alaska

2011-06-25T10:54:00.016-08:00

Those are our two campers at right of photo. Eric & Marie's car in front

The one & only road out of town

Saw this cute Puffin at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward

Anglers line the bank of this beautiful river

Almost shoulder to shoulder

Mama moose with her baby

Halibut & Red Salmon cookies - thanks Marie

Setting Sun taken from campground

Later photo taken from the beach

We have left Seward, now at red X & heading to Homer (circled)

We may have dodged scary tornadoes in Arkansas, and had sub-zero temperatures and snow in Denver & Wyoming, but experiencing our first tsunami warning was even scarier - especially when you consider how close we were to the water (see top photo). What made it even worse for me was that Murray was away fishing, and Marie & Eric had gone for a drive, so when the alarm sounded around 8.30pm, I was by myself. After phoning both parties (who had also heard the alarm), I raced outside (like everyone else in the campground) and was busily disconnecting power and water lines so that as soon as the others returned, we could beat a hasty retreat. It worried me somewhat, in that there is only one road out of town - I eyed the nearby mountain, and thought that if the only road out was congested, we would head up the mountain on foot instead. My sister and brother rang from Australia at the same time as I was unscrewing the water etc. It was with great relief a few minutes later when my brother rang to say the warning had been cancelled, at the same time as the loud speakers were saying the same thing. My brother regularly watches USA TV news headlines, and this isn't the first time he has rung to tell us about a weather alert before we have been aware of it ourselves (we have been on the road and hadn't caught up on the news).

After a sleepless night picturing a wall of water engulfing the RV, we awoke to a stunning day for our drive out of Seward. Murray had noticed some nice fishing spots on our way into town a few days earlier, so he was keen to try them out. Earlier that morning he threw a line into the water in front of our RV at the campground, and bought home a lovely pink salmon which we ended up having for dinner that night.

The drive along the Sterling Highway through Sterling & Soldotna and onto Ninilchik was full of beautiful & interesting scenery. We saw several moose in the wild, and apparently the salmon were running, as we saw anglers lined up almost touching shoulders in some areas. The fisherman often have to compete with bears for the fish, and a distant relative of mine, Sally and her husband Chris, saw 5 bears in this area last weekend. We didn't see any bears, nor did we see the anglers pull in any fish, so obviously the bears knew more than the fishermen!

Ninilchik is a tiny town on a cliff overlooking Cook Inlet that leads out to the Pacific Ocean - it is separated from the Bering Sea by the Aleutian Islands (where the earthquake was 2 days ago). While Murray & I were emptying the freezer ready for the halibut he is planning on catching today, Eric & Marie took a walk across the road & down the cliff steps to the beach. It was quite late, around 11.30pm, and they were amazed at the way the setting sun (I think sunset was 11.45pm last night) put a pink glow on the water and surrounds. Meanwhile, I was unaware they were out watching the sunset, and as you can see from the time/date stamp on my sunset photo, a few minutes earlier as I was closing the blinds, I too had caught a glimpse of the setting sun, and captured it, along with the corner of Eric & Marie's camper. It was still light enough to walk outside without a flashlight.

Well, I am hoping that Murray comes home soon with a halibut for dinner accompanied with lots of photos and fishing stories from his day on the charter boat. Tomorrow we plan to drive as far as is possible to the south, and stay on the spit in the town of Homer. See where I have circled the map.

Seward, Alaska

2011-06-21T17:30:00.017-08:00

Stoney Creek RV Park in Seward

Downtown Seward

In case we forget we are in Alaska...

Glacier Walk

That is Marie & I coming along on the dog sled

Murray & Marie cuddle future Iditarod champions

After a fun visit to Costco on Monday, we had a very picturesque 2 hr drive from Anchorage down to Seward in the Gulf of Alaska. Back in 1793 a fur trading post was established where the town of Seward sits today. Such a pretty spot with majestic mountains surrounding the port. With a population of around 3,000 people, Seward is a lucrative US fishing port, and three major cruise lines travel between here & Vancouver.

We passed numerous glaciers on the way here, and close to town is the Exit Glacier. Murray joined Marie & Eric for a hike up to the glacier this morning. See the red 'X' for where they walked up to in the time they had before we had to start on another outing.

Seward is the home of the Seavey family - in 1973, Dan Seavey helped found the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,000-mile sled dog race that used to run from Seward to Anchorage and onto Nome. Now the race, run at the end of March, is 1040 miles and goes from Anchorage to Nome. In 2004 Dan's son Mitch won the Iditarod race, finishing the 1,040 miles in a time of 9 days 12 hours 20 minutes and 22 seconds. The dogs & their operators (mushers) usually work in the winter with snow under their sleds, but being summer, we get to be taken for a ride on a track - so instead of ski sleds, ours have wheels on them! See a video I took on our ride today. The grey rubble you see is glacial silt and the rough track toughens the pads on the dogs paws, helping them cope better with chill of the snow. Taking tourists for a ride exercises the dogs and keeps them in condition, as well as as dollars contributing to the running costs of the operation. Each sled has 16 dogs and one 'musher'. During the Iditarod race, they run the dogs for six hours, then rest them for six hours. If any dog has an injury or is unable to run for any reason once the race starts, he is dropped off at one of their check points, and the musher has to continue with one less dog. It is all part of the conditions of the race. Dog Mushing is Alaska's state sport. It sure was an interesting 2 hours - as well as the ride, and spending time with the new pups, we watched a video of segments of various Iditarod races to show how perilous it can be, and had a demonstration on the actual clothes the dogs and mushers wear (keep in mind it is often 40 - 60 below zero). I had known very little about Iditarod racing, so I came away with a whole new appreciation of what they do for fun up here in Alaska's winter wonderland!

Musk Ox

2011-06-20T19:01:00.006-08:00

Fathers' Day Fishing

Gunsight Mountain (can you see the notch in the center, like the sight on a gun - you may have to click on the photo to magnify it)

If they called the previous one Gunsight, this one should be called Breast Mountain...

A mature female Musk Ox loosing her qiviut

Younger Musk Ox that has had the qiviut combed off recently

After an enjoyable 6 days in Valdez (did you know that town was created when the Klondike gold seekers landed there on arrival in boats from Seattle etc heading for the goldfields?), we drove up the Alaska Highway to Palmer, about 40 miles out of Anchorage (largest city in Alaska). It was Sunday, Fathers' Day here in the USA when we set out - we saw many families out fishing the rivers en route. I almost had to put a collar on Murray to keep him driving - the fish were calling! On the way to Palmer, we called in to pay a visit to a Musk Ox Farm.

MUSK OX: If you are anything like me, you won't know too much about a musk ox. But you may be interested to know that they were roaming the world alongside the woolly mammoth in prehistoric times and throughout the last ice age. Probably due to hunting and changes in climate, they became extinct in Alaska in the late 1800's. The USA imported some from Greenland in the 1930's and now numbers are slowly increasing. They look more like a bison, but are more closely related to goats! The farm we visited is 50 years into a program of domesticating these animals, and while they are never killed or processed for their meat (the indiginious Indians can hunt it for meat), the qiviut (fine, soft underwool) is harvested and sold. The qiviut sells at the moment for about $35 an oz, but the price will most likely be closer to $50 per oz before too long. A mature male is lucky to provide 80 oz of qiviut a year. Every musk ox, whether young or old, sheds this underwool each spring/summer. It works its way through the tougher main hair pelt of the beast and eventually falls off or gets caught on trees and bushes as they walk past. On the farm, it is combed from the animals each week, sold to the indiginous population, who then process it manually and knit it into scarves, gloves etc. It is very light, warmer & softer than cashmere, not itchy, and can go in the washing machine. The garments at the farm were only knitted in the original wool colour, which is a variety of shades between beige, brown & grey. The scarcity of the qiviut means it commands a high price - for instance, a short scarf is around $200 and a sweater would be over $1000. However, some upmarket processors are mixing the qiviut with merino wool and dying it, and asking $425 for a scarf. Yikes, out of my price range!

Save yourself time...

2011-06-18T19:26:00.005-08:00

I regularly check the blog sites of family & friends, as it is a great way to keep up with what they are doing. However, I find I can spend a lot of time (and waste internet data allowance) only to find there have been no recent updates. If that has happened to you too, then a solution is available - in 'blogger' sites anyway, and probably all blog sites. If my family and friends with blog sites could add it to their sites, it would be appreciated!

The solution is to have an email notification option added to my blog. You can enter your email address (I don't get to see it or know about it) but you will get an email every time I update my blog. That way you don't have to waste time checking in and finding nothing new - your email alert will let you know when a new update has been added, and you can choose whether you look at the new update or not.

From the photo above you can see I have circled in red the area to the right of the blog page where you add your email address. After you enter your address & press submit, you will receive an email (check your inbox (and spam mail just in case)) asking you to click on the link in the email to confirm that you wish to proceed. Easy as that!

Please let me know if you have any problems with this blogger option. I'm sure it will be most helpful.

Meares Glacier

2011-06-17T21:03:00.010-08:00

Dinner last night to discuss our plans for today

Heading out today

In front of the Meares Glacier

Two Icebergs: one really artic blue!

Mountain Goat

Sunning on a Buoy

Sunbaking on the rocks

Frolicking in the gulf

Pioneer Cemetery view

Today dawned fine & sunny. Thank you Lord! We decided to make the most of the stunning day and take a 9 hr cruise out to the Meares Glacier, passing the rapidly retreating Columbia Glacier on the way. Meares Glacier is a tidewater glacier, so it terminates abruptly (as the photos show) where it meets the sea. Large pieces of the glacier break off (calve) from the front and become icebergs. When the piece of glacier turns upside down, it becomes an iceberg of a real arctic blue colour. They aren't all that colour as you can see by the two icebergs side by side - one is really blue and the other one isn't. The boat pulled up alongside the glacier for about an hour, and you could hear sounds like thunder, rifle fire and pops - all sounds from the glacier breaking up. Amazing experience. The glacier was pretty inactive during our visit, as you can tell by the lack of icebergs floating between our boat and the glacier.

During the day we saw numerous wildlife including Orca & humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, seals, mountain goats, sea otters, sea lions and various birds including the Tufted Puffin and several Bald Eagles. The Captain cruised past several islands hoping we could catch a glimpse of bear fishing for salmon, but no luck today. He pointed out where the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in March 1989 and polluted this pristine area. The wildlife including the crab population are still recovering, and many species have not reached pre-oil spill numbers. What a beautiful place. Even the deadly departed in the Pioneer Cemetery have a stunning view.

Horses for Courses

2011-06-14T14:57:00.006-08:00

Large Class A

5th Wheel with slide outs x 2

Our smaller Class A - only 32' - no slide-outs

Another way to go - RV rental

Small unit over truck

Even smaller - like a rigid tent over back of truck

As we drive the roads in our RV (recreational vehicle), we see RV's of all different shapes & sizes. Last night as we were walking to dinner, I noticed this campground had quite a selection of the various types, so thought I would provide a snapshot of them for you. And this is just one campground, on one evening. Imagine how many other types there are around.

With a Class A motorhome (like ours), you can pull up at a roadside stop or a campground, and if it is raining, you do not need to get out of your RV to cook a meal, have a sleep or use the bathroom. Most full-time RVers with a Class A also tow a small car so they can easily drive to shops, restaurants etc, and do short day trips. Other folk like the versatility of a trailer - they have their main utility car/truck that tows a small, medium or huge 5th wheel or trailer/caravan. When they arrive at their destination they can unhitch their car and get around easy. Both 5th wheel/trailers/caravans and motorhomes can have 1,2,3 or 4 slideouts. This extends the size of the kitchen/living/sleeping areas which is handy for full-timers. It also adds weight (therefore increases fuel consumption) and has extra potential for technical problems with the slides. For those who like to do frequent, shorter trips, the smaller C class (bed over cab) does the trick and is very versatile. Smaller still is the unit that actually sits over the top of a truck bed, and can be removed from the truck and stand on support legs. Usually they leave them on the truck for additional support. I doubt if these have bathroom amenities on board, but most campgrounds provide toilets/showers.

The choice of RV's comes down to personal preferences, travel agenda and finances. If you love to travel and get out & about, there is an RV just right for you. We bought ours in 2007 expecting to do one long trip and then sell it, and here we are on our 5th (6 month) RV trip. I think next year will be our last...

En Route to Valdez, Alaska

2011-06-13T22:14:00.010-08:00

It might be worth your while to click on the photos to see them full size

This river racing out to the Gulf of Alaska

This is our RV in front of the Worthington Glacier

The glacier closer up

Bridal Veil Falls

Bald Eagle

Alaska Oil Pipeline

Valdez Harbor - where our RV park is located

Our RV Park with our back to the harbor

Drinks at the Tavern with the fishing boat owners

Glennallen to Valdez: At 11am we pulled out of our campsite by the creek, and made our way on the Richardson Hwy via Glennallen, to Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska, home to 40% of the world's glaciers! Valdez is surrounded by the tallest coastal mountains in North America. It was only about a 3 hour drive, but every turn in the road opened up such amazing scenery and we were gobsmacked by the views. Absolutely overwhelmed. The only wildlife to talk of was a salmon Murray caught when we stopped for lunch beside a river. As it is not salmon season yet, he tossed it back. We also saw a bald eagle perched on a dead tree. The road passed by the Bridal Falls waterfall and the Worthington Glacier, a glacier that has been steadily retreating for 150 years. We had to cross over Thompson Pass, the snowiest area in Alaska: it has the record for over 1000" of snow in a single season.

In 1964, a 9.2 earthquake and subsequent local waves destroyed the original town of Valdez, and it was re-located to its current position. It is the most northern ice-free port in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the terminal depot for the Alaska Pipeline that begins 800 miles of pipeline away in Prudhoe Bay within the Arctic Circle. When we drove into the new Valdez, we were overawed by the 360 degree mountain surrounds. Even though we are actually on the harbour, every which way you look, all you see are mountains. Our RV park is right on the harbour, but the town is only small (population under 5,000) and so we are within walking distance of the whole town.

After dinner, Murray got chatting to a chap on the docks, and we were invited to join their group in the tavern across from our RV park. It turned out they were 5 commercial fishing boat owners, 2 were brothers and another pair had known them since they were in their teens, plus there were a few ring ins. Apart from one chap, they were all younger than us and happy to chat about their lifestyle. They actually raise their kids on their boats! They summer here for the salmon run (we are a few weeks early it seems), then they head to Washington State where they fish for octopus. What an interesting evening.

Tolsona Wilderness Campground

2011-06-11T17:24:00.007-08:00

Mama Moose with baby

Mama Moose leading the way

Deformed Black Spruce

Pretty wildflowers line the highway

Is this what they call fireweed?

This is us turning into this campground

Here are our side by side sites - by the river

After a leisurely start, we drove out of Tok and headed SW along the Tok Cutoff (Alaska Hwy 1). The road certainly had some patched areas, and even one long area with road crews working, but it was nowhere near as nasty as some of the bone-shaking bits of road from Haines Junction to Tok. So long as you slow right down you shouldn't break an axle!

Once again the scenery was very beautiful but I chuckle whenever I see the Black Spruce trees - they look all deformed and the various shapes are quite amusing. They mainly grow in permafrost areas where regular spruce trees can't survive. However my favourite sight of the day was the Mama Moose escorting her baby across the road. Ahhh. What a good mum.

As it was a pleasant day, we found a picnic table en route and the 4 of us sat there and had our lunch. The mosquitoes thought WE made a nice lunch for them, and so we didn't sit around for long! Just down the road from our lunch stop was the little town of Glennallen, and 15 miles past there, on the road to Anchorage, we pulled into the Tolsona Wilderness Campground. I had read some reviews where several visitors thought this was the loveliest campground of their whole Alaska trip. We got sites together, right on the river's edge, and Murray got quite excited about the thought of throwing his fishing line in. As soon as we got hooked up to power & water, Eric & Murray did a trip into town in Eric's vehicle, and Murray bought himself a fishing licence. I'll keep you posted...

Tok, Alaska

2011-06-10T22:13:00.003-08:00

Tok (A) is where we are now

Murray & Marie dancing around the campfire (oil pipe)

Note sun still shining at 8.30pm

Murray & Marie singing up stage

Moose Antlers: they shed them each year

Tok (rhymes with poke) is 328 (528 km) miles from Anchorage, and 206 miles (332 km) from Fairbanks. It is the only town in Alaska that a traveller must past through twice. We spent some time in the visitors center, then called into a few souvenir shops before enjoying lunch at Fast Eddy's! Best eatery in town.

Murray made up a delicious stir fry for us all, after which we meandered over to try our luck once more at the pancake tossing competition. No luck for us, but another couple won a brekky each. We stayed around the campfire as a Willie Nelson look alike was singing all the old favourites - can you believe he played Danny Boy (see video) which was the last song I sang to my mum in her hospital bed before she died. Yes, he also sang North to Alaska, and the other folk couldn't understand how I knew all the words! He sang Bridgette's song, The Gambler, and so many other family favourites. Marie & I danced and sang around the campfire until we headed back to our campers around 10pm. Murray joined in the singing when his Base voice was needed, and helped us make a trio for the Beatle Square! Eric had headed off to their camper before the fun started. Just out of interest, the campfire pictured in the photos is an actual piece cut out as they were laying the Alaska Oil pipeline. The pipeline runs beside one of the highways we will be travelling on down to Valdez.

At one stage tonight I noticed it was 8.30pm, yet the sun was still quite high in the sky. It really is a unique experience. We could drive all night and would have no trouble seeing the landscape. Eerie.

Tomorrow we will drive a few hours SW to the little town of Glennallen, marked by the XX on the map. After a night or two there, we hope to drive south to Valdez (in the Gulf of Alaska) where numerous glaciers are close by - one can be reached from the highway we drive down on.

Safely arived in Alaska

2011-06-09T18:28:00.010-08:00

Largest Gold Pan in the World

Tundra Swans

Young Male Moose

Some very old, very, very big moose antlers on this roof

Some of the smoother gravel road

Yay - We made it to Alaska

Murray did NOT win me a free breakfast!

Deception Bay, Yukon to Tok, Alaska. Today's drive presented the worst roads of the trip so far, and this is day 11. We finally reached an area of the northern section of highway that is affected by permafrost. Apparently the ground is permanently frozen

to a depth of 100 meters, which has terrible implications for building road surfaces upon it. When it 'melts' in summer, the road surface subsides, and then when it ices up again in winter, it swells or 'heaves', causing havoc for motorists. The road from Deception Bay to Tok was peppered with numerous sections of road that certainly shook our motorhome around. There were 2 sections of road that had workmen present, and while many of the worst bumps were flagged, many were not.

The highlight of today's drive for us was seeing a young moose feeding beside the road. Most of the animals we pass are so timid that the minute the RV gets anywhere near them, they retreat into the brush. This one stayed the whole time. He was all alone, so I hope his mum wasn't too far away. We also saw several pairs of nesting Tundra Swans in the various lakes in the area - only one pair on any one lake.

I had a moment of panic earlier today when I went to take a photo of the largest gold pan in the world. My camera's memory card decided to give up the ghost. I had cleared it yesterday and backed up all of my photos, but when I put the card in the camera, it showed the card as being full. I tried it in the laptop, and got the same story. I figured it must have had so much use over the last 3 years that it had just died. I remembered I had a spare card tucked away (but it was one from several years ago, and when I got it out realised it was only a 32MB capacity). How we have come along since then. I was prepared to buy a new card, but thankfully I thought to try re-formattin the card, and it did the trick. I now have the capacity to story over 2,000 photos again!

We crossed the border into Alaska again, and will now stay in this state until the last week in July. Our current campground in Tok (Sourdough RV) seems very nice with long pull-throughs amongst the trees. Our own Verizon internet works well here, and we have cell phone reception for those of you following us. They do have central wifi, but not at the sites. Each evening at 7pm they have a pancake tossing competition. If you win, you get a free pancake breakfast with the lot (all you can eat sourdough pancakes, reindeer sausage, pork sausage, biscuits (scones) & gravy, fruit, coffee & juice. They have a cafe here that serves breakfast, lunch & dinner. Anyone for Reindeer chili served in a sourdough bread bowl? Darn - neither of us won a free breakfast, but Marie got close.

Deception Bay, Yukon

2011-06-09T07:15:00.007-08:00

In line for ferry - 6am

Much happier AFTER caffeine

Driving off Ferry coming into Haines

Three wise monkeys (Marie, Trish, Eric) in front of Kathleen Lake

Yukon Lupin

On the right road

View out of our window at Cottonwood Campground

This sign in Campground office - agree with that!

Skagway to Deception Bay: To experience different scenery, we took a 7am ferry from Skagway to Haines. After a 6am line up for the ferry, we were glad to get aboard and avail ourselves of our first of two (& most vital) caffeine hit for the day. The ferry ride was only 1 hr, and we drove into picturesque Haines. Sadly the photos were dismal due to the overcast and dreary morning. Thankfully it was fine & sunny by afternoon, but we were at Deception Bay by then.

We saw a few bears, another porcupine and a coyote. We also saw what seemed to be lots of prairie dogs, but didn't see their usual holes, so perhaps they were a different animal. All in all, not a bad day's viewing. The scenery changed quite dramatically from majestic snow-capped mountain peaks with no trees on the ground, to majestic snow-capped mountain peak with pines, fir etc. This is a glacial area and the lakes are freezing but a beautiful aquamarine colour.

Our current campground here about 15 miles south of Deception Bay (Cottonwoods RV) is delightful. Only 15amp power, but there is a beautiful 360 view. The lake to the front and snow capped mountains all around. The lake had 6' of ice on top during winter, and the last of the icecap melted 5 days ago. Two summers ago a mother bear strolled through this campground with her 2 cubs, then last summer just the cubs came, and this year, just a single bear again. We have yet to see any bears in this campground, and we will be pulling out in an hour. We cross into Alaska this afternoon, and will be there for the rest of the month before starting our way back through Canada visiting Lake Louise, Bamff & Calgary.