INTO CANADA--JUNE 8 THROUGH JUNE 13, 2017

NOTE:  I will try to remember to convert miles and temperatures to degrees Celsius and Kilometers for my Canadian and European friends who are reading this blog.  I can’t guarantee that I will catch every one of these, but I will sure try!

Additionally, I will be making comments about road conditions, particularly from Dawson Creek, BC to the point at which I cross back in to the lower 48 next fall.  The reason for this is that there will be other RVers that I am aware of who will be traveling the same routes behind me and I have told them I would share what I am encountering vis-à-vis road conditions.

DAY 10: :  I was up early to hook up the Jeep and get the coach ready to travel; however, I wanted to watch the James Comey hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee before starting out.  Bob and Judy Bales came over to watch the last part of the hearing and to see me off.

DEPARTING EMMETT, ID (PHOTO COURTESY JUDY BALES)

I took an alternate route west to Payette because a cold front was forecast to move in, then turned north on Hwy 95 and took it all the way to Grangeville. 

WEST OF EMMETT, HEADED TO PAYETTE, ID

I followed the Little Salmon River for a ways and it was flowing fast, so I just HAD to stop at one point to take some pictures.



LITTLE SALMON RIVER--FLOWING FAST

Further along, waterfalls next to the road were flowing—I didn’t get any photos of them because I didn’t know they were there until I was passing them!  There were quite a few of these.  It was a very nice drive and I had tailwinds most of the way, which was also nice.  Winds were very strong through the Salmon River Canyon, but still on my tail.  The Salmon River was running high, muddy, and fast with a lot of large logs and other debris flowing downstream.

SALMON RIVER

After driving 197 miles (317 km) today, I camped at Bear Den RV Resort in Grangeville, ID for the night.  (It is a very nice park with long pull-thrus.)

DAY 11, JUNE 9:  It rained off and on most of the night and I drove through light rain during the first part of the trip this morning.  Pulled out of the park at 0845 and made the 187 mile (300 km) trip to Coeur d’Alene, where I am parked at the Elks Lodge.  (VERY NICE PARK)  I drove through large rolling fields of small grain, most of which looked like they were planted in wheat.  Saw some fields planted in a crop that was a very bright yellow, but I don’t know what the crop was.  I didn’t see much of it, but it was very pretty on the hill sides. 

WHEAT FIELDS

 

                ???

Skies started clearing about 35 miles southeast of Lewiston, ID.  The drive through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation southeast of Lewiston was particularly nice as the gently rolling hills gave way to much steeper, higher hills and bluffs as I got closer to the Clearwater River.  Croplands gave way to pastureland with a lot of cattle grazing up high.  North of Lewiston I was driving among more tall trees all the way to Coeur d’Alene.  The drive today was a fun one to make because I saw the land from the ground for the first time after seeing it from the air day after day in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as I flew fire patrols over much of the area.



DAY'S END

DAY 12, JUNE 10:  I worked around the MH all day finishing loose ends.  I also bought the final things I thought would be needed for the trip that I might not get later; i.e. oil, a 20 A to 30 Amp dogbone, etc.  It rained off and on all day but is clearing tonight.  The weather has been cold all day and tonight will probably be pretty cold, too.  It might have hit 60 degrees for a short time.  (Fairbanks got up to 94 degrees!  Guess I am headed the right direction!)  Hooked the Jeep up tonight, so will be ready for an early start.  Four travel bugs were activated and I found a nearby geocache to get them traveling.  The travel bugs will go along with me.

DAY 13, JUNE 11: I woke up to beautiful blue skies!  As I was getting ready to move out, I lost power to the satellite receiver, both TVs, and a few power receptacles.  I couldn’t figure out what the problem was at the time but decided to go anyway since I had partial power and figured I would do further troubleshooting at the destination.  (The “issue” was the inverter had tripped—again.)  I got out of the RV park at 0800 and left the gas station at 0830, headed north for the 242 mile (389 km) drive on Highway 95 to Radium Hot Springs, BC.  It was a nice drive to the border—again it was fun to see the country from the ground that I used to fly fire patrol over.  The drive north of Bonners Ferry, ID was especially nice in a wide valley bounded on each side by tall mountains. 

NORTHERN IDAHO

I crossed into Canada about 11:15 a.m. and had a very nice road surface on Hwy 95.  The border crossing was routine except that the agent asked what my license plate number was.  Since I didn’t expect that question, I stammered a little while answering, but got through anyway.



BORDER CROSSING NORTH OF BONNERS FERRY, ID
TIME TO RECALIBRATE MY THINKING RE SPEEDS & DISTANCES







Initially, it was a very scenic drive along the Moyie River which was running high and clear.  And, the scenery just kept getting better and better!  I got my first good view of the tall, rugged, Canadian Rocky Mountains just outside Cranbrook, BC and soon descended down into the Rocky Mountain Trench following it on Hwy 95 all the way to my destination. 

ENTERING CRANBROOK--THE CANADIAN ROCKIES AHEAD

 The scenery constantly changed as I followed major river valleys, crossed over divides between rivers, watched the ever-changing mountains to the right and left of me, and followed long narrow lakes for miles at a time.  One lake of note was Columbia Lake which is spring-fed and is the source of the Columbia River.  I turned into an overlook to see the lake and get some pictures; however, it was hard to do either because of the tall trees below the overlook. 

COLUMBIA LAKE

Broad-leafed trees gave way to various fir, spruce, pine and other evergreen-types of trees as I drove north the past few days.  I enjoyed seeing lilacs, lupine, and wild roses alongside the road—these really gave me a feeling of being further north.  I am parked at Radium Valley Vacation Resort, an RPI resort, for a few days.  It is a nice park at the very foot of the Canadian Rockies.  I have been going back and forth between Pacific and Mountain Daylight Time so many times the past few days that, at this point, I am not sure which time zone I am in at any given time.  Thank goodness for the telephone which shows the correct time for the location I am in!  Signs were posted all around the RV park warning people to be on the lookout for bears.  I was told that a grizzly bear was spotted a few days ago at the entrance to the park so the signs went up.

Wildlife spotted:  2 deer, 1 large brown bird which I think was a grouse

DAY 14, JUNE 12:  Today was a perfect day to go touring in Kootenay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site!  The skies were clear, the temperature was forecast to get up to about 80°F (27°C), and winds were calm.  My first stop was the Park’s visitor center where I picked up my free pass to all Canadian national parks this year.  The Park Service is giving the passes out as part of Canada’s 150^th Anniversary.  This was my first visit to Kootenay N.P. and it didn’t disappoint!  Many trails and campgrounds are closed for maintenance because of damage from the severe winter up here.  Others were closed in the lower elevations due to bear activity in the area.  The west entrance to the Park is through a cutout portion of a tall hill (actually, I believe it is a glacial moraine but could not be sure) followed by driving through a tunnel.  The road winds past the Radium Hot Springs and then the view opens up to spectacular panoramas of very tall mountains and the wide valley of the Kootenay River.

 

KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA

I wasn’t far into the park when I had my first wildlife encounter—a black bear was very busy eating dandelions alongside the road.  It didn’t pay any attention to me as I took pictures from inside the Jeep.  I continued on into the park, climbing up towards the Continental Divide and looking at the spectacular scenery along the way.  My first stop was at the Paint Pots where I took the short hike out to the pots and bagged my first geocache in Canada.  It was a virtual geocache, meaning there was no container or log to sign but other criteria must be met to log it as “Found”.  The Paint Pots’ history goes back a long ways as the indigenous people used the red soil that was stained by the iron-rich mineral springs around the emerald green “pots” (pools).  The mud, called ochre was once used to decorate their homes, their bodies, and for rock drawings.  At the turn of the last century the ochre was mined by hand, sacked, and hauled in horse-drawn wagons for 15 miles to a train station where it was shipped to Calgary to be used as a pigment base for paint.

PAINT POTS



VIEW FROM THE TRAIL

OLD MINE EQUIPMENT





MY FIRST GEOCACHE IN CANADA!

My next stop was Marble Canyon where I took a short hike to Marble Falls.  The canyon was like non-other that I have seen beginning at the bottom with a broad streambed narrowing dramatically as I climbed up to the falls.  There is a lot of geology associated with this that I won’t go into here, but it was a very interesting hike.

MARBLE CANYON HIKE


 
 NATURAL BRIDGE

 

MARBLE FALLS

 

 

 

 

 

VIEW FROM THE  FALLS

 

 

 



After hiking to the falls, I drove over the Continental Divide and down into Banff N.P. (in Alberta) to the intersection with Canada Highway 1.  I then turned around and retraced my route, giving me the opportunity to see the countryside from a totally different perspective.  (I like to do this in mountainous country,)  On the way back to the resort, I stopped and watched a grizzly bear eating dandelions along the road.  (The dandelions must be good here because both bears were really munching them down today!)  Finally the bear became agitated by something back in the woods behind it and eventually crossed the road, perhaps 3 feet (.9 meter) in front of the Jeep—at the most.  At that point, things were happening so fast that I wasn’t able to get a very good picture of it, but will post the photo anyway.  You will be able to see the front of the Jeep’s hood at the very bottom of the photo.  The bear went up the steep hillside and disappeared into the woods and I continued on to the RV park.

 

GRIZZLY BEAR

OKAY--TAKE MY PICTURE



 

TIME TO LEAVE THE AREA



MOVING PAST THE JEEP--HEADING TO THE WOODS

All in all, it was a very satisfying day with perfect weather for seeing the area.  It is 11 p.m. as I finish writing this and you can still see the final red light from the sunset in the west.  Have I mentioned how much I love these long daylight hours???

Wildlife spotted:  7 mule deer, 1 black bear, 1 grizzly bear

DAY 15, JUNE 13:  I worked on the blog today and plotted out the route for the next few days.  Weather on my planned route through central BC doesn't look appealing for the most part during the next several days and, indeed, the skies are already overcast here.  Therefore, I have made the decision to go over the Continental Divide and drive through Kootenay National Park (N.P.), part of Banff N.P., and Jasper N.P., and out into the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.  Weather forecasts along the intended route look much better to me--I don't do rain and cold very well any more. Ha!  The rest of the day has been spent getting some groceries and preparing to travel.

 

NORTH TO ALASKA--2017

MAY 30-JUNE 7, 2017:  ON THE ROAD AGAIN (MAYBE), ALASKA OR BUST

 

A NOTE ABOUT THE BLOG:  The blog will be updated as I find time to work on it.  Each post takes many hours to compose the narrative, choose and "photoshop" the photos to post (I will likely have several thousand photos before the trip ends), upload the text and photos, then proof it before sending the notification to everyone that an update is online. In between time, I will be sightseeing and collecting information for the next update!  I hope you enjoy your virtual journey with me.  Please feel free to send any comments or suggestions to me via my email.  I may not have phone service for a few days at a time during the trip, but I will definitely read your emails.  Also, if at any time you do not want to continue to receive notifications of new posts, please let me know.  Now on to the next adventure!

###

May 30:  Everything was finally loaded into the motorhome (but definitely NOT organized), the house in Cave Creek was ready for the key to be turned in the lock—AND, I was definitely ready to be off on another adventure!  I had finally determined a route to take to Canada—it took some time for me to make a decision; i.e. what friends would I be seeing along the way, etc., and of three routes I was considering, some would require going a different direction out of the Phoenix valley initially.  I finally decided on a route up through western Idaho which would position me to see some new (to me) country in British Columbia.  I headed straight north to Flagstaff, then Highway 89 to Page and Lake Powell where I planned to spend the  first night—an easy 260 mile drive through some very pretty country.  It had been 10 years since I was up that way and I had forgotten just how beautiful that part of AZ is to drive through. 





LOTS OF OPEN COUNTRY NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF



BEGINNING TO SEE SOME "COLOR"



THE WINNEBAGO VISTA AND JEEP IN COLOR COUNTRY
 



GETTING CLOSER TO LAKE POWELL



When I got to the campground, I learned there weren’t any sites with hookups available, so I crossed over into Utah and dry-camped on the beach of Lake Powell.  The first day on the road ended with a beautiful sunset—a fitting ending, I thought.

LONE ROCK CAMPGROUND

DAY'S END

Day two found me continuing on Highway 89 in UT up through the central part of the state.  I had driven portions of the highway, but not the whole thing, and not always in the same direction.  This was a beautiful drive beginning with the stark, but beautiful colors of the soil and rocks around Lake Powell, followed by the bright red rock cliffs as I drove along the southern border of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 



DRIVING NORTH FROM LAKE POWELL-MORE COLOR!



GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NAT'L MONUMENT

SOUTHWEST CORNER OF GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NAT'L MONUMENT (EAST OF KANAB, UT)

Then, I climbed up to the higher mountain valleys where there were large mountain meadows interspersed with fields of sage brush.  The Sevier River was flowing high and fast from the snow melt and there was quite a lot of snow on the higher mountains.  At one point, I could see the higher peaks of Zion National Park off to the west and a little further up the road I could see outlier portions of rock formations similar to those found in Bryce Canyon National Park.  All in all, it was a spectacular drive up central UT for 230 miles to Salina. 

A PEAK AT COLORFUL FORMATIONS FOUND IN BRYCE CANYON NAT'L PARK

ALONG THE SEVIER RIVER IN CENTRAL UTAH

I checked into Butch Cassidy Campground and found that when I plugged in to shore power, there was not any power going into the coach.  I tried everything I could think of to trouble shoot it—all to no avail.  My guess was the transfer switch wasn’t working, which was the same thought a technician that I talked with in Iowa had.  At least the generator was working and the temperature was cool, so I was okay for the night. I saw the first wildlife (other than birds) on the trip—a few antelope around Kanab and a deer in the Sevier River Valley.

Day 3 found me getting an early start and thinking I would go as far as northern UT.  However, other than the first 100 miles, I was on interstate highways for the most part which are easier when I want to make time and still feel decent at the end of the day.  I felt good, so I just kept on driving—505 miles total, which people reading this who drive motorhomes will recognize that as a long day.  (I have found that most people drive 250-300 miles maximum per day in their motorhomes.)  With only a 10 minute stretch-break during the trip, I had to work to get my legs working again after peeling myself out of the seat!

It was interesting driving through all the old towns and seeing buildings that dated back as far as the 1860’s in them.  The towns were neat and buildings were generally kept up well.  The scenery was wonderful as I drove through mountain valleys punctuated with open meadows and sagebrush filled fields and canyons almost to Provo.  The area from about Spanish Fork, UT north to Ogden is almost completely built up now along I-15, with very little open space.  Most of the businesses that I knew when I lived in Salt Lake City were gone from along the freeway with newer buildings taking their place.  Traffic was heavy from Provo to north of Ogden.  Turning northwest towards Boise, I enjoyed driving over hills and through valleys green with abundant grass while watching cattle grazing along the way.  I also saw quite a few sheep and some “old-fashioned” sheepherder’s wagon-style living quarters.

I was met at the county campground in Emmett, ID by Bob and Judy Bales who are friends I had met in Yuma, AZ several years ago—and fellow geocachers.  Weather was good for the drive with the exception of some heavy rain southeast of Boise, ID.

DRIVING INTO IDAHO

IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE GOING TO GET WET!

 

Day 4:  I worked around the coach all morning, including touching base with service advisors concerning my power problem.  I could not get an appointment before Monday afternoon to have the problem diagnosed, so it promised to be a hot weekend in the coach.  The Bales came by at midday to see if I would like to go find some geocaches which sounded like a good idea considering it was already starting to really warm up.  I finished up some loose ends, then joined them for lunch and a fun few hours of caching.  We drove through some nice country southeast of Emmett and picked up 19 geocaches on a trail (as in a “geocache trail”) out there.  We also scared up a young buck deer with his antlers still in the velvet stage; he was bedded down under a tree where the geocache was located.  I ran a 20 amp extension cord into the coach through a window so that I could charge up lights, computers, the phone, phone chargers, etc.  As I told someone, this was like tent camping in a tin can.  At least the generator was working so I could make coffee in the morning.

WE INTERRUPTED HIS AFTERNOON SIESTA!



Days 5 & 6:  I met the Bales on Saturday morning and we geocached north of the Eagle, ID area for a few hours before lunch.  I still had a lot to do getting the coach ready to travel so worked on that in the afternoon.  I went to Bob and Judy’s for dinner and their son Grant joined us--it was good to see him again.  I am loving these long evenings up here with daylight savings time, plus being so far north.

Sunday, I worked around the coach all day, cleaning and organizing.  The Bales, Grant, and Mandy came in the afternoon and Mandy helped me with some issues I am having with one of my computers.  She was a real trooper working on it for as long as she did!  Computers=GRRRR!  A heavy thunderstorm with strong winds came through in the evening and dropped marble to quarter-size hail.  Ugh!  The cold front sure cooled the temps down!

 

Day 7:  I drove the coach to Meridian to have the electrical power problem checked out and, fortunately, the technician was able to resolve the problem that afternoon.  There wasn’t any place at the dealer’s to work on the computer, or even to sit and read, so it was a very long afternoon!  It was really nice to have the power working that night!  The evening was spent visiting and having dinner with special friends Bob and Gene Nora Jessen.  It was so nice to see them again!

Days 8 and 9:  I drove back to Emmett early in the morning and spent the rest of the day doing errands at the coach, except for a short visit with the Bales’ to pick up my mail package.  I also planned the next few legs of my trip and made a reservation at Radium Hot Springs, BC, which will be my first stop in Canada.  The next day was more of the same since there was still a lot to be done prior to going over the border into Canada.  I enjoyed dinner with Bob and Judy and watched some commentary on the day’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing with them.  It was a hot day in Emmett today with the temperature reaching 95 degrees.  I believe I am just about ready to get back on the road again, although there are still some loose ends to be tied up during the next couple of days.



 





 

DINGLE PENINSULA AND THE RING OF KERRY

September 18, 2013
The B&B we stayed in last night, The Shores Country House, is advertised as a romantic get-away destination with bedrooms decorated “Laura Ashley style”.  That pretty well sums it up.  There was nice landscaping and the home was thoroughly modern.  Our hostess was ALL dressed up, including strands of beads, as she prepared our breakfast.  I cannot say that I have seen that before!  Oh, yes, she probably gave us more “misinformation” than anyone did on our trip.



The Shores Country House

We headed out early because we had a long day planned.  We wanted to cover both the Dingle Peninsula and the famed Ring of Kerry.  Our first “Ahhh” for the day was the drive up Connor Pass, the highest pass in Ireland at 1500’ above sea level.  The scenery was both serene and spectacular as we climbed.  Weather had turned nice, so the views were incredible.  The countryside got more rugged as green fields down low turned to rocky hillsides with sparse vegetation.  We stopped at a small waterfall along the way to view the scenery and to watch sheep grazing nearby.



Driving up to Connor Pass, County Kerry

We passed by the ancient Iron Age Fort Dunbeg and took pictures of a 170-year old stone building that serves as a visitor center and café at that location.  It really was a unique structure.

Stone Building at Fort Dunbeg

A little further along we stopped at a Fahan Group of “beehive huts” known as Caher Conor.  This group of five small stone structures was within an enclosed space, denoting one family likely inhabited it.  The huts were inhabited from ancient times to 1200 A.D.  The structures were round like a beehive and the stones were laid in the form of a circle with each layer laying a little closer to the center than the one beneath.  Only a small opening is left at the top, which can be closed with a single small flagstone or capstone.  There was no mortar used in the buildings and the stones have a downward and outward tilt to shed water.  We continued to be amazed at the ingenuity displayed by both the ancient people and later generations in how they constructed stone structures through the centuries in Ireland.

Beehive Hut

 Interior showing capstone

Richard

We continued our drive around the Dingle Peninsula to Slea Head, which is the western-most point in Europe.  The drive along the south side of the peninsula continued to reveal more wonderful sights as we rounded each bend or came over the crest of each hill.  This drive was beautiful in all respects!

Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry

Monument along the road at Slea Head

Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry

Leaving the Dingle Peninsula, we drove immediately onto the Iveragh Peninsula and the famous Ring of Kerry drive.  This, too, proved to be a beautiful drive with rugged mountains, beautiful valleys with emerald pastures, scenic seaside villages, and a coastline with cliffs falling into the sea.  Wildflowers were in bloom on both peninsulas making hillsides a sea of color—mostly yellow and pink. 

 

 Ring of Kerry drive, Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry

A couple of "local residents"

We did not make as many stops on this drive because there were not as many ancient sites to visit along the road as on the Dingle Peninsula.  We planned to tour Derrynane House, the family home of Daniel O’Connell, but it was closed for restoration.  The walk through the subtropical gardens from the parking area to the house provided a much-needed stretch break.  O’Connell is known in the Republic of Ireland as The Great Liberator, the foremost campaigner for Catholic emancipation, and is highly revered in the country.  We closed the day’s touring by driving inland on the peninsula through Killarney National Park on our way to Killarney where we spent the night.  The park had beautiful views and is an area I would liked to have had more time to explore.



Killarney National Park

FAST FACTS:  Of nearly 4.6 million residents, about 3.7 million (approximately 80%) in the Republic identify themselves as Roman Catholic.  This is followed by 3% identifying as Protestant, 0.5% Muslim, and the rest an assortment of other beliefs including none at all.  In North Ireland (population approximately 1.8 million) the breakdown is about 53% Protestant and 44% Catholic, with about 3% other or no religion.  Most Irish Protestants belong to the Church of Ireland, an offshoot of the Church of England, and the Presbyterian and Methodist churches.

The Catholic Church’s influence has gone down dramatically, especially since the turn of the century.  Most young people see it as irrelevant and out of step with the major social issues of the day.  Many older residents have felt betrayed by the Church’s handling of child abuse cases, which has resulted in questioning their lifetime of devotion to local parishes.