Road Trip Review

I really did enjoy the trip even if it was 3,336 miles in a car . . . that doesn't include the 5,030 miles in the air I had to fly from Texas to Alaska and then from Seattle back to Texas.  Too bad I couldn't earn mileage credit for the driving miles too.  A few of my memorable moments in no particular order . . .

1.  backroad detours . . . the lack of cars and RVs were the best moments and the fact we were up and in the car before 6am many days . . . nothing like driving for miles and miles and seeing no one except nature and an occasional animal or two . . . the small, less paved roads were the best!  You just never know what you might see or find in the middle of nowhere!

2.  hours in the car . . . shockingly I was not too bad being in the car for hours some days . . .  I think the longest was about 14 hours with a few short stops for breaks.  Looking out the window for hours really did pass the time and looking back can't believe I did not request being dropped off at the nearest airport!

3.  lodging . . . oh how I must mention the crazy decorating . . . I am not sure if it was 60s or 80s but it was terrible!  I tell you I am spoiled and really do like to stay at nice hotels!

4.  disconnected . . . turning off the cell phone (for 10 days) and hardly ever having wi-fi was awesome.  I did not miss anything and truly soaked up my surroundings.

5.  hiking . . . Glacier National Park was the one thing I was looking forward to the most and it was everything I thought it would be . . . loved every second of it even if I did complain a little bit!  I wish I would have allotted more time there to hike another day.

6.  people . . . most of the people we met along the way or talked to were all over 50 and closer to 70 . . . they all were so friendly and always asked "where you going" or "where you been" . . . I'm not one for small talk but was fun to see what others were doing on their drive.  I wondered if I was really an old soul trapped in a 40 year old body?

Would I make any changes?  Of course I would have skipped Spokane . . . just didn't seem to have anything to offer at that point in the trip.  I would have stayed in Glacier National Park area another day or detoured to another city in Montana or Idaho for a night.  Towards the end of the trip we had very little planned.  During the initial planning stages the thought was by the time we arrived back in the USA we would be tired and exhausted and want to do nothing.  In fact, it was the exact opposite . . . I was ready to go and see more and the down time was really slow and difficult for me.  Probably should have detoured to Mount Rainier or somewhere else outdoorsy to celebrate the hours of being trapped in a car.  You know hindsight is always 20/20.  Overall it was a great trip . . . everything I thought it would be and more . . . so I guess that is all that matters!

Do I have an absolute favorite moment?  Well, now it is hard to pick just one . . .
The Animals . . .

The Natural Beauty . . .

No matter where the road takes you; there is always something to see and do . . .

I can't wait to take another ROAD TRIP next summer . . .

Road Trip Day 7: hello AMERICA

Today was going to be a slow start . . . until the room above us decided to wake early (like 5am early) and shower forever and the pipes were making terrible noises.  The good part was we are at a Hilton Garden Inn and love their breakfast.  I loved the fact they had one of my favorite breakfast splurges, Eggs Benedict.  It was yummy but too heavy knowing that I was going to be sitting in a car most of the day!  So we get on the road at 9am . . . I know such slackers compared to previous days . . . only to get right in the middle of the morning commute traffic.  Thankfully it cleared soon and we were on our way to the first stop, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump . . . I kid you not that is the real name and even a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The drive off the highway . . .

And I must admit that the name had sparked my curiosity as I had never heard of such an odd name . . .

The funny thing is I had been looking for stops along the way and thought this was interesting.  When I first looked at the map I thought it was between Edmonton and Calgary and yesterday when driving could not find it so looked at the map again . . . apparently I need better map reading skills (it is south of Calgary not north as I thought) so today it was our stop.  I was glad we stopped.  We walked to the lookout and saw this guy . . .

. . . and then looked at the cliff where the buffalo jumped or shall I say were forced to jump . . .

So how does it get the name?  

In the 1800s, according to legend, a young brave wanted to witness the plunge of buffalo as his people drove them to their deaths over the cliffs.  Standing under the shelter of a ledge, he watched the great beasts fall past him.  The hunt was unusually good that day.  As the bodies mounted, he became trapped between the animals and  the cliff.  When his people arrived to do the butchering, they found him with his skull crushed under the weight of the buffalo carcasses.  Thus, they named the place Head Smashed In.  

Interesting and of course the name is all legend but they did do the buffalo drives over the cliffs.  It was well worth the stop and now back on the road to cross back into the grand U S of A . . .

So close . . . hello Montana!

As we approached the border checkpoint the agent asked your typical questions but he continued to ask, "Now why did you come this long way?"  Ummm, because it is scenic and we wanted to . . . he seemed doubtful as to why we drove so far but honestly that was our reason.  After what seemed like forever, he wished us safe travels and sent us on our way.  The drive was again beautiful . . .

. . . our stop for the night is in St Mary's, Montana.  This is the one part of the trip that I have looked forward to the most.  I sure hope it doesn't disappoint.  We checked into the hotel and headed immediately to Glacier National Park to start exploring.

We watched the orientation film and then headed to St Mary's Falls for a 3.5 mile hike before we called it a day.  What we didn't realize was the 10 mile drive to the trailhead was exactly where the road construction was and down to one lane so it took a while to get there . . . I might have not been so nice and complained a lot but once there it was amazing!

. . . and then it was back to the hotel via the road construction but at least we had this to look at . . .

The hike was exactly what I needed at the end of the day.  I can't wait for the hike tomorrow; it should be grand.  We ended the night with a tasty dinner and treated myself to a Huckleberry Margarita.  Now let's hope it helps me sleep!

Miles traveled today:  254 miles
Total trip miles:  2,455 miles

Road Trip Day 5: Hello Alberta

It was a nice morning since I woke up after a much needed sleep!  This is the first hotel that actually has a breakfast so no hurry to get on the road.  Since we were too tired to snap the end/begin sign of the ALCAN that is first on the list today.

All done with the ALCAN . . .

. . . do I look excited?  Not sure why as we still have over 1,000 miles to travel until our final destination later this week.  We then walked a few blocks to the original sign of the start of the original ALCAN.  I figured there wouldn't be many people up and out on a Sunday morning.  Well . . . was I wrong!  There was a huge antique/classic car show in town and there are tons of people everywhere.  Oh well . . .

I was getting annoyed that I could not get a photo without some person wandering around and then this guy cruised into my frame . . .

.  . . pretty cool.  After a few snaps, we headed to the Alaska Highway House . . . great museum about the history of the ALCAN and the hour long introduction film (a PBS American Experience show) is a must see.  This would have been a great first stop if doing the traditional drive.

This is the equipment that was used to build the ALCAN . . .

. . . it still amazes me that this road was built in less than a year.  Truly an amazing task back in the 40s and under the harsh winter conditions in this part of the world; I can not imagine.  It was back on the road . . . Country Roads . . . oh you know that John Denver song . . . and now it is stuck in my head .  It seems each day we are getting closer to larger populated areas with urban sprawl.  I really do prefer and enjoy the beautiful farm land in Canada though . . .

. . . we were driving Route 43 which is mainly farm land with fields of yellow flowers.  I thought they were mustard plants but seem that they might be canola flowers . . .the fields are so pretty and as far as the eye can see!  We also passed under the Rochfort Bridge Trestle which is the 2nd longest wooden railway trestle in the world.

The close up is pretty cool . . .

It was an easy day and the hotel tonight is fabulous . . . DoubleTree Edmonton . . . the warm chocolate chip cookies was amazing, and when they told me I got a room upgrade; I might have squealed just a little bit.  View from the living room of hotel room . . .

. . . oh and that welcome fruit plate had me all giddy too!

Sadly I am starting to realize the ROAD TRIP will be ending soon.

Miles traveled today:  397 miles
Total trip miles:  1,994 miles

Road Trip Day 4: Hello British Columbia

So while that not so jazzy decorated room with color overload was visually stimulated, I must admit that I got the best sleep so far on this trip.  And as an added bonus when I went to load the car it was a super cool 52 degrees outside.  I just stood there soaking it up at 5 o'clock in the morning.  I just knew today was going to be a super day.  I was optimistic that I would see all sorts of critters as we drove the longest stretch of the trip today . . . about 600 miles.  We were up and on the road again at 5:45am and were quickly leaving the Yukon and entering British Columbia.  While getting up early isn't usually my thing the early bird gets the worm and there is not a single car on the road with us.  And did I mention seeing wildlife?  Oh you bet we did!  Before I could get my camera out and ready the biggest porcupine scampered across the road and I only caught the back side . . .

And then there were buffalo . . .

. . . lots and lots of buffalo.  So many buffalo that we came to a screeching halt while they roamed in the road.  They were fighting in the middle of the road but then charged on thankfully not charging us.  Oh and all those babies were so adorable . . .

This bear did not want to cooperate and look at me . . .

Another lone buffalo . . .

This is the time of year that  most road construction is done on these roads.  We often had to follow a pilot car . . .

I am started to already think about not seeing these views every morning . ..

And the animal sightings continued . . . why did the moose cross the road?

. . . look at those legs!  This moose was huge and can not imagine trying to out run him!

I am not exactly sure why I took a photo of Milepost 463 . . .

. . . but Muncho Lake (big lake) in the background was beautiful.  It is 12 kilometers long and one of the longest natural lakes in the Canadian Rockies . . .

Most of the time this is how I took pictures . . .

While the animals are out today sometimes you really have to look closely as we almost zipped right by this moose . . .

. . . and watch out for the fast deer on the side of the road . . . hoping they don't jump in front of the car . . .

Apparently these Stone Sheep were all about having their photo today . . .

. . . and in no hurry to get out of the road.  We saw all this before our lunch stop!  It was pretty amazing.  In addition we also saw fox trotting down the road and a million rabbits sitting on the shoulder of the road.  I was so excited.  We even go in the mood of the scenery by listening to Call of the Wild by Jack London on audio book.  I sure did not remember much of the book since I read it in high school which was over 20 years ago . . . okay, okay more like 25 years ago.  So after a quick lunch stop in Fort Nelson it was back on the road.  I was growing tired of all the animals being on the other side of the road . . .

when I spotted this guy on my side . . .

By this point I was growing restless so I did some of this . . .

. . . and read the Milepost.

If you ever do a trip like this the Milepost is a MUST!  It gives you every single stop along the way and much, much more.  It is worth the $20 and as you can see I so marked and labeled and post-it noted it like there was no tomorrow.  We officially arrived at the end of the ALCAN but were just too stinking tired to get out and snap an official photo.  Thankfully the hotel was oh so nice.  After a quick check in at the hotel, it was dinner at the restaurant next door and that hot tub was calling my name!  

Miles traveled today:  593 miles
Total trip miles:  1,597 miles

Road Trip Day 3: Carmacks to Watson Lake

Well, it was bad . . . just too hot to sleep even though it was in the 50s outside.  The room got absolutely no breeze even with the window open and the lone fan just did not help matters.  So again we were up and happily on the road at 5:45am.  I loved being outside and sucking up the cool morning breeze but the road was calling and back we went.  I should have made a mix tape of traveling songs to play each morning.  About 30 minutes down the road we saw a truck with flashing lights blocking the road . . . we were hoping it wasn't closed due to construction and our early start would be for nothing.  As we approached it was a pilot car for an oversized load, he informed us there had been a wreck and a car was down an embankment up ahead.  Since we had a first aide kit he said we should go see if we could be of assistance.  Well, this isn't how we wanted to start our day.  I worried about what we might come upon and prayed for the best.  We are traveling on gravel roads and most of the cars we meet are going way too fast.  So while we had been enjoying views like this . . .

. . . this is what was in front of us now.

I am not one to take these type of photos but did take this one for a couple of reasons.  First, the lady (I think her name was Christine) in the car was talking but in and out from time to time.  She was able to communicate and answer questions about herself and her medical issues.  We learned she had gone off the road around midnight . . . it was now about 6:30am.  So she had been there for over 6 hours.  She had on her seat belt and was pinned in the car.  I can not imagine.  Shortly after we arrived so did a RCMP and his EMT wife.  They all continued to talk with her and keep her as alert as possible.  She continued to ask where the ambulance was and when they were coming to help her . . . I felt terrible for her.  She mentioned she heard cars pass by all night but no one stopped.  She was cold.  She wanted bug spray.  She wanted to die.  She was frustrated.  She was hanging in there and my heart was going out to her.  We learned from the RCMP that her daughter had reported her missing when she did not return home . . . he had been looking for her when he heard the call from one of the truck drivers who spotted her overturned car.  The other reason was that while she was in a terrible situation, she was also very, very lucky.  If you look in the photo you notice her car has gone down an embankment of about 10 feet but just a few short feet (maybe less) the embankment drops off again about 20-30 feet.  If she would have gone down the second embankment, she would probably not have been seen.  Just amazingly lucky.  At about 7:45am the ambulance and fire & rescue crew (with the jaws of life) arrived and immediately started treating her and prepping to get her out and transferred to the hospital.  We excused ourselves and continued on our journey.  A part of me wanted to stay, to make sure she was okay, that she was going to be okay, to put a face with a name (one that we aren't certain about).  Stopping was the right thing to do . . . she was about the age of our own mothers and in the back of my mind, I hoped someone else would do the same for my family.  The RCMP said he would call in a few weeks to let us know what happened to her, and we can not wait to hear and hopefully she is fine.  My mind was heavy thinking about the wreck and wondering how Christine was doing.  I tried to refocus and look for wildlife.  I saw a lot of signs warning of elk herds but nothing to be seen but beautiful landscapes . . .

Our first stop of the day was in Whitehorse, Yukon which is also the Capitol of the Yukon.  It was a 'big' city compared to all the other stops.  We were almost 2 hours behind schedule but knew it was okay and for a good reason.  We stopped by the visitor's center to get a recommendation for a bakery for a quick breakfast.  We were told to go to Baked Cafe . . . it was just around the corner so off we went.  It was so yummy.  I had a cinnamon bun that was interesting . . . it was strips of cinnamon roll layers with the yummiest cream cheese frosting.  You could eat it in pieces sort of like pull apart monkey bread.  It was unique and tasty too.  After filling our bellies we walked down the block to the MacBride Museum of Yukon History.  I liked how the river was painted on the floor throughout the museum . . .

. . . and sometimes you just have to be silly!

The museum was good and a much need distraction.  It was cool outside and raining.  Due to the weather, we decided to get back on the road due to the unknown conditions down the road.  Before we left town, we stopped at The Deli to pick up a sandwich for later in the day.  This place was actually an European Grocery Store that made their own sausage and had tons of familiar brands of products from all over Europe especially Germany!  The drive back on the ALCAN/Canadian Route 1 was quite and rainy . . . just a gloomy day. Finally we saw a black bear . . .

. . . I was over the moon happy.  I mean it took almost 1,000 miles before I saw some sort of wildlife.  Now I am really straining my poor eyes, but I really think that tomorrow is going to be the day of wildlife overload . . . don't ask how I know but it is just a feeling.  We arrive in Watson Lake, Yukon which is our stop for the night.  Watson Lake is also the home of the Sign Post Forest . . .

 . . . you really can not believe the number of signs.  Apparently, this is one of the popular stops along the ALCAN.  The tradition began during World War II when a soldier was recovering from an injury and homesick.  He placed a sign that indicated the direction and mileage to his hometown of Danville, Illinois.  Today there are over 80,000 signs.  I was amazed at how many signs there were from European cities . . . was fun to walk around and read some of them.  Just down the road was our hotel for the night . . . it has to get better, right?

. . . at least it was clean and much cooler but what more can one say?  We unloaded the car and walked down the street to the Northern Lights Center to watch a movie about the Northern Lights . . . I was disappointed and would have been fine not going.  It was to bed early since tomorrow is the longest day of driving with about 600 miles . . . and I keep saying tomorrow is the day that the wildlife will be all over the place.  I am optimistic . . .

 
Miles traveled today:  382 miles
Total trip miles:  1,004 miles

UPDATE:  Just found an article online about the wreck . . . so thrilled to learn Christina is on the mend!