Juneau

Our ferry pulled into Juneau about 6 this morning. We made it to our "new home" and are mostly settled in. The sun is shining today and we don't dare waste that, so we are off to explore... Pictures and more info later!

Reflection Lake

Woke up to a lovely 24 degrees F complete with a frozen water hose this morning. I am pleased to say that the day did improve.

Sitting here on the bank of Reflection Lake I am awed by the surrounding beauty. What a breathtaking day it was on the Alaskan Highway. Every corner produced views just as beautiful, if not more than the last. We pulled over a couple times to attempt scenic photos but were never quite satisfied with what the camera produced. I can not wait to get on the road again tomorrow.

Who can pass up "...the opportunity to drive the original old Alaska Highway and cross the historic curved wooden Kiskatinaw River Bridge...the only original timber bridge built along the Alaska Highway that is still in use today..."? If the MILEPOST says it's worth it than by golly it is! ...and it was....

We stopped here in Blueberry and made sandwiches for lunch...ahh...the perks of pulling your home

Saw an insane amount of wildlife today... moose, elk, deer, bear and caribou...

We refused to pay $1.09/liter for gas at Pink Mountain, only to find this sign when we pulled up at the next gas station with less than 1/4 tank...

Thankfully the man who owned the station informed us we could ask the camp across the street for some of their gas.

$1.33/liter later we were back on the road and questioning our decision to drive rather than ferry. Down the road we spotted this cub and decided once again it is all worth it!

The Muskwa river valley

Stone Mountain

The MILEPOST had cautioned us for miles to watch out for Caribou. We were pleasantly surprised as we came around a corner to find a caribou standing on one side of the road and an elk watching us intently from the other! Does it get better than this?

Our campspot on Reflection Lake. It is right beside the Racing River, which forms the boundary between Sentinel and Stone mountain ranges.

A Little Further North

...and a little closer to Alaska! We're in Chetwynd, BC and once again have wireless. The campgrounds are getting nicer and nicer! Tomorrow we officially hit the Alaska Highway. We had a gorgeous drive through the foothills of the Canadian rockies today. It was a lot of uphill driving but the truck pulled our trailer like a champ.

The first couple of pictures I posted are from yesterday:

Leaving Waterville

Crossing the border at Oroville, WA/Osoyoos, BC

Today we hit snow at Prince George. The locals insist this is colder than normal. Temperatures were in the low 30s all day!

Neither my camera nor my amateur photography skills could do these mountains justice. This is Pine Pass "...the highest point on the John Hart Highway, and the lowest pass breaching the Rocky Mountains in Canada." - according to the MILEPOST.

This would be the closest I have ever been to what I believe is a grizzly/brown bear. (please correct me if I'm wrong) I was thankful to be in the truck and was nervous to even roll down my window. I'm afraid the city has turned us into wilderness wimps....

...arriving at our destination for the night. Chetwynd, BC the "Chain Saw Sculpture Capital of the World" ...and yes I got that from the MILEPOST as well...

There is snow on the ground outside our trailer but the heater seems to be working well. I hope you are all enjoying your sunny spring weather...because spring has yet to hit northern BC.

North to Alaska!

We had more left to do than planned this AM and spent more time than necessary in Omak before crossing the border, but are content with our progress for today. Jason was not too impressed with the slow Canadian speed limits and constant uphill/downhill of the Okanagan valley, but we both agree the scenery is unbelievable.

Free wireless internet was a surprise at our campground here in Cache Creek, BC. They charge $5 for a shower so it's a good thing I packed my own! :) We are staying in the same campground my family stayed at a few times on our annual trek down from AK. I quite clearly remember one stay where the van broke down and was even able to point out the campsite to Jason...here's to better luck this time!!

We're planning on getting an early start on tomorrows adventures...but for now, I'm going to sit on my couch wrapped in a fleece blanket and listen to the calming pitter patter of raindrops falling on the roof...ahhhh

The Move

We are no longer enjoying the view from #1910 but rather the cab of a pickup truck! We 're officially halfway to our new home in Alaska and have had a great trip so far. Kathy flew out to Chicago to help us pack up and get the move started. We managed to sneak away and see Mary Poppins while Jason studied for his last final.

We planned to hit the road right after Jason's final on saturday so we started loading the truck bright and early. Thanks to great friends we had lots of help, coffee and donuts!

...exhausted from cleaning and lacking plates or silverware we ordered chinese food and ate on the floor!

Saying goodbye to our first apartment!

We stopped in Bozeman to have lunch with Brian and were surprised by a lovely snow/hail storm....in May???..who would've guessed it.

Ronan preps with Beth

Bike rides in Waterville...

We've had a couple days here in Waterville to get the trailor organized and ready to go, and plan to head off on the last leg of our trek tomorrow morning. We plan to be in Skagway, AK by friday!!

Thanks to Kerry we scored tickets to Game 6 of Bulls vs. Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It was an awesome game with the Bulls winning by 1 point in triple overtime! The United Center was a mad house! I did get some fairly cool videos, but photos will have to do until I figure out how to upload them.

Jason and Jen exhausted from cheering but still smiling! This was Jen's first basketball game!

The weather was gorgeous last saturday so we decided to check out the Brookfield Zoo. We ended up staying most of the day! I did get a couple of videos here as well that I do hope to post sooner or later.

We were there first thing in the morning, so a lot of the animals were inside for feeding, which made the Rhinos that much closer and scarier!

... contemplating the life of a camel ...

Only 3 full days left here in Chicago! Kathy flies in tomorrow and we are very excited to have her and her help!! :)