A Smoky Finish to the Alaska Highway

(2023 Alaska Revisited Ep 25)

We completed the amazing and grueling 1000+-mile journey on the Dempster Highway and made our way to Whitehorse, where we caught up on more than a week’s worth of laundry and pressure washed the dirt and mud off of Percy and Pap.

Before: Percy and Pap were covered with a thick layer of Dempster dirt and mud

After: spiffy clean and ready to continue

World’s Smallest Desert?

Catch-up chores completed, we continued south on the Alaska Highway. We detoured a few miles to see the Carcross Desert. Said to be the world’s smallest, the desert is a series of sand dunes about a square mile in size.

Actually, the area is too humid to be a true desert. The dunes were left behind by dried-up glacial lakes.

Smoky Roads

Smoky conditions along the Alaska Highway

That night we camped about an hour outside Watson Lake, and arose the next morning to the smell of smoke. The smoke was from large forest fires further south in British Columbia. At the junction to the Cassiar Highway, the route we drove up to the Yukon in June, the road was closed due to the fires.

At Watson Lake, we checked on our two signs in the smoky sign post forest – we found them amidst the 100,000+ other signs on display!

Beautiful mountains and lakes were hidden by the smoke

The next 250 miles of the Alaska Highway are perhaps the most scenic and remote of the entire route. Unfortunately, the mountains and lakes were almost entirely obscured by the thick wildfire smoke.

Critter Sightings

The wildlife was abundant however.

A large herd of wood bison along the Alaska Highway

One morning, we stopped to watch several large groups of wood bison grazing along the road. There were a lot of frisky calves running about and a few adults with obvious attitudes. We hoped they wouldn’t head butt our truck or camper.

(In case you were wondering, Canadian wood bison are larger than their US cousins. Males can reach six feet at the shoulder and weigh more than 2000 pounds)

The bison seemed unaffected by passing vehicles; this brute passed just a few feet away

We saw several black bears foraging along the road. Small groups of caribou crossed in front of us as well.

These caribou dodged vehicles and went back and forth several times

At Liard Hot Springs, park officials have taken significant efforts to keep bears away from visitors. The campground and parking areas are surrounded with electric fencing and the entry gate looks like a secure border crossing!

It occurred to us the bears might be enjoying seeing all of the people captive within the fences!

Liard Hot Springs visitors were safe within the electric fence

Liard Hot Springs bathing area, great for a late summer swim

A Must-See Museum of Alaska Highway Artifacts

The next morning we spent a couple hours at the Ft Nelson Heritage Museum. Marl Brown, the museum founder, collected and preserved an amazing assortment of displays and artifacts that fill more than eight museum buildings.

The museum includes a number of vintage cars and trucks, recreated trapper’s cabin, general store, post office, small church, telephone switchboard, large oil derrick, all kinds of tools and much more. Charles Hattenstein, Pat’s dad and a collector of an assortment of interesting items, would have really enjoyed the museum.

The museum includes dozens of vintage vehicles like these and a collection of signs and garage items

The museum is an interesting ‘must see’ for those traveling the Alaska Highway.

The final 250 miles of the Alaska Highway (going south) are generally less scenic, passing through gently rolling hills covered with dense forests and across several large rivers. Oil and gas are produced in the region and the result is a lot of heavy equipment and pickup truck traffic.

Finishing the Alaska Highway

^{Beginning and end signposts on the Alaska Highway}

Our 2023 trip on the Alaska Highway came to an end at Dawson Creek. Technically, the Alaska Highway starts with milepost 0 at Dawson Creek and ends at milepost 1422 at Delta Junction in Alaska.

Regardless of the direction traveled, the road is long and memorable. We’ve been blessed to have driven it twice!

Critter Count

Red fox – 2
Swans – 6
Black bears – 9
Wood bison – 100+
Caribou -10
Grouse – 1
Rabbit – 1
Coyote – 1
Sassy Raven – 1 (hung out on Pat’s side mirror)

Cinnamon Bun Review

A couple hours north of Ft Nelson, we stopped at Tetsa River Lodge to try their famed cinnamon rolls. Each bun was reasonably sized (unlike the family of four-sized buns we previously reviewed), so Pat and I each had our own bun (and coffee, of course).

As we pulled off and ate pieces, sweet and gooey cinnamon oozed from between the coiled layers of our fresh-baked buns. Each warm piece had a bit of icing that had melted into a perfect glaze.

Cinnamon bun perfection at Tetsa River Lodge

The buns were as good as their reputation!

Bun score – 5 out of 5

Next Week

A visit to scenic Jasper and Banff National Parks, our final RabbiTRAILS in Canada.

Yellowstone NP: While in the Neighborhood…

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 15)

Yellowstone National Park is north of the Tetons. Although we have visited Yellowstone a half dozen times in the past (including more than a week in 2018), we decided to visit again while we were in the neighborhood.

From Gros Ventre, we headed north a few miles to camp at Colter Bay (map point 10), still within Grand Teton National Park. Colter Bay is on the eastern shore of Jackson Lake. The Tetons rise majestically beyond the western shore of the lake. Unfortunately the weather turned cold and rainy, and we were unable to hike or take boat tours available in the area. Instead we did our laundry and toured the visitor center.

Two mornings later, we left for Flagg Ranch (map point 11) as the weather cleared. The tops of the mountains were dusted with fresh snow, a sign that winter was on its way.

Flagg Ranch is between Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, along the John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway. We decided we would camp at the ranch for three nights and take day trips into Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park Map — Map of the Teton-Yellowstone area

Our Yellowstone visit bypassed most of the places we visited in 2018 – Old Faithful, Mud Volcano, several other groups of geysers and many of the viewpoints of Yellowstone Falls. Instead we focused on areas we had not visited during recent trips or ever before.

We decided to go to Tower Fall in the northeast corner of the park. En route we drove past Fishing Bridge, a Yellowstone River crossing just south of Yellowstone Lake. The bridge has been rebuilt since 2018 and is now MUCH smoother. Other road construction continues in the area and Fishing Bridge Campground will remain closed until sometime in 2021 (as an aside, Fishing Bridge is the only campground in the park with water and electric hookups).

It was strange not see herds of bison as we drove through the Hayden Valley. They had migrated to other parks of the park. We took a short detour along the south rim drive to see the Upper Falls on the Yellowstone River from Uncle Tom’s Trail. The trail was closed for redevelopment during our 2018 visit.

About an hour later we arrived at Tower Fall, a 132-foot cascade along Tower Creek just before it merges with the Yellowstone River. We viewed the falls at the start of a one-third mile trail that winds down 225 feet to the river. At the bottom there is an interesting view of the multicolored canyon carved by the river.

As we returned to Flagg Ranch, we stopped to photograph snow-covered Mt. Washburn. Pat and I (kind of) enjoyed a hike to the top of the mountain in September 2014 – breathless from the views and the 1400 foot climb to the peak!

The next morning we drove to the west side of Yellowstone to hike the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail. Parking at the trailhead was very crowded and we shared the trail with many others as we hiked one mile to the overlook. We took our turn enjoying the view of the colorful spring.

Later in the day we visited the Norris Geyser Basin to see Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat is the world’s tallest currently-active geyser and has been in an active phase since March 2018, with 71 eruptions through our visit in late September. The erupting geyser plume is more than 300 foot high and usually lasts between three and 40 minutes.

A worker at the adjacent National Park bookstore told us Steamboat eruptions were very load. “It roars like a locomotive,” he said.

Signs in the nearby parking lot warned vehicle paint could be damaged by fallout from the geyser. Some area workers even had covers on their cars.

The geyser did not erupt during our visit. We had to settle for spritzes of about 15-20 feet. Our truck was unaffected.

Steamboat Warning — Warning: Park at your Own Risk

After more than a week in the Teton/Yellowstone area, it was time to start heading home. We had a decision to make – head north to Montana and the Dakotas, or south to canyon country in Utah. We’ll let you know the outcome next week.

Ansel Adams Wannabe?

(2019 Grand Teton Ep 14)

Some of the most stunning photographs of America’s national parks were taken by Ansel Adams. His most famous and remarkable photographs were taken in black and white, and include classic images of Half Dome in Yosemite and the Tetons from the Snake River Overlook.

Adams’ story is intriguing. He was not a successful student, suspected to be hyperactive and may have suffered from dyslexia. Early in his life piano was his intended profession, but a love of nature and association with the Sierra Club and several noted photographers led to a lifetime as a naturalist who captured wonderful and now iconic images.

His technical mastery of such creative photography was remarkable. He would spend eighteen or more hours per day for days and months on end mastering his craft. See Ansel Adams for more interesting details.

The beauty of the Tetons makes for excellent photographs. In the age of digital photography, one can do a reasonable job of capturing some of the same amazing elements made famous by Adams.

Gallatin Range from Dunraven Pass (Yellowstone NP)

Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley (Yellowstone NP)

Next week – we head north from the Tetons to visit America’s and the world’s first national park – Yellowstone.

Yellowstone NP: Heels and Wheels

(2018 Alaska Ep 19)

Heels

There are great day hikes throughout Yellowstone. We enjoyed a couple.

After a visit to Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone where we saw lots of buffalo and a group of big horn sheep, we decided on the Lost Lake Hike.

From Roosevelt Lodge, we followed a series of switchbacks as the trail climbed more than 400 feet to the top of a mountain. A short ways further we found Lost Lake, a quiet lake in the cradle of several surrounding mountains.

The trail continued along a creek to the parking lot for a petrified tree. This was a bonus as we didn’t associate petrified trees with Yellowstone.

From there, a very steep 300-foot climb led to a mountaintop meadow. The view of the distant mountains was spectacular.

Hikes don’t always yield the expected.

We hiked the Elephant Back trail later in the week for a grand view of Yellowstone Lake and the distant mountains.

The trail was muddy and as we neared the top, we discovered it was covered with deep snow! We were unable to continue. When it started to rain, we put on ponchos and trudged back to the parking lot, muddy, cold and tired.

We caught a glimpse of the lake and mountains part way up the trail. A more interesting find was a small pine tree growing on the top of a rock. This reminded us of the perseverance and faith needed when facing day hikes in the rain, long trips to Alaska and the challenges of life. Praise God for His presence and steadfastness in every situation!

Wheels

We learned about and rode several bike trails added to Yellowstone in recent years.

Our first ride took us 2.5 miles to Lone Star Geyser.

A few short sections of the trail were still covered with snow and we had to walk our bikes through them.

We parked our bikes when we arrived at the geyser and to our delight, Lone Star geyser began to erupt!

A couple days later we rode four miles down another road to the backside of one of the largest and most beautiful thermal springs in Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Spring. We parked our bikes and followed a short trail to an overlook with a phenomenal view of the spring.

On the way back, we rode close enough to a group of buffalo to hear them grunting and snorting! Fortunately we passed by safely.

Yellowstone NP: Animals, Oh My!

(2018 Alaska Ep 18)

Yellowstone never disappoints with an amazing diversity of wildlife. And the reaction of visitors to the wildlife is sometimes more interesting than the wildlife itself.

More than our previous visits to Yellowstone, buffalo could be seen throughout the park – singles on hillsides, groups of a few walking down the road, larger groups grazing in the meadows and so on. In fact, unless there was a danger to traffic or walkers/hikers, it seemed the reaction of most persons to the buffalo was pretty much ho-hum.

The buffalo were everywhere, or at least the telltale signs of buffalo were everywhere. One buffalo below seems to be viewing a hot spring near Mud Volcano (below). When we were camping at Madison, a fellow camper stopped by to remark the biggest buffalo he had seen spent the day in our campsite. Wish I had a picture of that to share.

We didn’t see moose or wolves during our visit, but we did see a coyote and several big horn sheep.

What created the most excitement were bears.

Anytime cars were stopped in the middle of the road, people were crossing with cameras and binoculars with no heed to oncoming traffic and waving at their family members to do the same, a bear had been sighted.

Fortunately, both bears we saw were a long distance away and no danger to anyone. We only had to worry about the crazy drivers…

Yellowstone NP: Thermal Features

(2018 Alaska Ep 17)

People come to Yellowstone to view fascinating geothermal features. Although these features are located throughout the park, many of the features are located close together in areas called basins – these are the areas most park visitors frequent.

There are various types of thermal features – fumaroles (steam vents), geysers, hot springs, mudpots and travertine terraces (the link above has details about each).

What would a visit to Yellowstone be without seeing Old Faithful! Contrary to what you might think, Old Faithful doesn’t erupt hourly – it is more like every 90 minutes.

The rangers have gotten pretty good at predicting the time of the next eruption. Although we missed one eruption when it occurred 10 minutes early, we enjoyed an eruption later in the day that occurred exactly when predicted!

What this photo doesn’t show is the wide boardwalk along one side of Old Faithful that includes benches and standing areas for hundreds of people. Behind that is Old Faithful Lodge, stores, restaurants, a gas station, huge parking areas and more. Everyone wants to see this iconic piece of Yellowstone.

We saw another geyser erupt while driving Firehole Lake Drive, a couple miles from Old Faithful. It was starting to rain, but White Dome Geyser didn’t disappoint.

You may have seen recent news about another Yellowstone geyser that has erupted eight times this year after infrequent eruptions in recent years. Steamboat Geyser’s eruptions are much larger than Old Faithful. Unfortunately we weren’t there when it erupted – we missed it by three days.

Another interesting thermal feature several miles away from Old Faithful is the Mud Volcano. This feature is pretty tame now, but in the past it eruptions were a lot more vigorous, like a volcano!

You can hike a short trail from the viewing area to see several interesting hot springs and the impressive Dragon’s Mouth fumarole. This feature sounds (and smells) like a dragon’s mouth!There are MANY more thermal features in Yellowstone – 10,000 by one estimate. We are blessed to have such a place to visit. Even without the amazing scenery and wildlife, the thermal features make a visit to Yellowstone a must!

(we’ll share some additional photos in upcoming Yellowstone blog posts)

Yellowstone NP: Amazing Scenery

(2018 Alaska Ep 16)

At practically every turn Yellowstone offers inspiring beauty.

We arrived on a sunny Friday afternoon after driving west from Cody. After entering the park from the eastern entrance (park map), we were reminded that parts of the park were still emerging from winter. Throughout our week in Yellowstone, the remnants of the past winter’s snowfall were just about everywhere and temperatures were chilly – most days in the 50s/60s and nights in the 30s. Rather cool for us Floridians!

Soon we were passing by Yellowstone Lake and looked back to see the snow covered mountains we has just driven through.

Yellowstone River flows out of Yellowstone Lake. Several miles downstream it cascades over Yellowstone Falls and continues through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The falls are impressive – the 308-foot drop of lower Yellowstone Falls is nearly twice that of Niagara Falls!

2018 Alaska Trip 1287 - 1805291434 — View from Artist’s Point

We tested our endurance by walking down a trail to the brink of the lower falls – the drop was equal to a 60-story building. We were rewarded with a different perspective of the falls that made the hike back up the trail worth it!

Yellowstone has stunning mountain vistas…

…and broad valleys where wildlife abounds.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the scenery we enjoyed during our visit.

You might be wondering about the Yellowstone fires that burned almost 800,000 acres or more than 1/3 of the park in 1988. Pat and I were amazed at the recovery of the burned areas – thick new stands of lodgepole pines and other trees are more than 20 feet tall in many areas. The forest is well on its way to recovery after 30 years!

2018 Alaska Trip 1145 - 1805261232 — New forest growth near Old Faithful

Of course, there is much more to Yellowstone than scenery. We’ll cover thermal features and animals in upcoming blog posts, as well as some of the hiking and biking we enjoyed.

Yellowstone NP

(2018 Alaska Ep 15)

(Sorry for the delay in blog posts. There is no (free) wifi in Yellowstone and cell service is voice only in very limited areas)

We’ve just returned from a great week in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone was established as America’s first national park in 1872, and is widely held to be the world’s first national park.

Yellowstone is treasured by Americans and visited by persons from all over the world. We met persons from numerous US states and from Canada, Japan, China and India. They were as awestruck with the scenery, thermal features and animals as we were!

This is our fifth visit to Yellowstone since we were married 38 years ago.

2018 Alaska Trip 1398 - 1805311906 — Cooking dinner after a busy day touring Yellowstone…Dutch oven chili with cornbread.

This time we stayed in three different campgrounds in the park (RabbiTRAILS Alaska Map pts #20-22). This allowed us to spend less time driving to/from hotels and campgrounds outside the park and more time in the park seeing Yellowstone.

Watch for upcoming blog posts about Yellowstone scenery, thermal features, animals, hiking and biking, and our list of things we like and don’t like about Yellowstone.

Until then…