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!

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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.

HEADING FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE WESTERN COAST

September 17, 2013

After breakfast in the Galway city centre, we again headed south with our first stop being Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, County Galway.  The castle was built in 1520 and was last used as a home in 1968.  Although it is called a “castle”, it is in reality a “tower house” typical of that era .  Tower houses were fortified residences built as a “fashionable” Irish house for a gentleman or wealthy farmer between 1450 and 1650 A.D.  Dunguaire is a four-story structure and the owners have done a nice job of furnishing it in “period” furnishings.  Mediaeval dinners and other events are held there on occasion but we opted to skip tonight’s dinner and continued on our way.

 

Dunguaire Castle  (ca. 1520)



Looking at the landscape around the castle

Thatched roof cottages near the castle

Further south, we drove through part of an area known as The Burren in County Clare, a portion of which has been designated a national park.  This is a very large plateau composed of barren limestone rock in unique striated patterns that used to be below sea level in ancient times.  The land was later thrust upward by some kind of massive geological event.  This was fascinating scenery unlike any I have seen before.

 

The Burren

Our next stop were the Cliffs of Moher, said to be Ireland’s most-visited natural attraction.  The cliffs are vertical limestone cliffs that plunge 500 to 700+ feet into the sea.  Although conditions were not the best today, the cliffs were spectacular!  It is understandable why the area has been used as a setting for movies and TV shows.  The wind was blowing very hard here—I estimated the gusts at 50-60 mph.  It was very hard to walk upright and Richard was even blown over by one gust!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cliffs of Moher

Richard and Essie at the Cliffs of Moher 



We continued our drive on down to the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, in southwestern Ireland where we stayed the night.  The landscape changed as we came south with larger fields and fewer rock walls and trimmed hedges around the fields.  More farming was in evidence and there were more trees.  Houses were also evolving into fewer of the tall, box-style, homes of the north country into more homes similar to those we see in the States.  We did not see as many sheep today as further north; however, we did see more dairy herds.

 Driving along a couple of country roads--and, yes, the speed limit is 50 mph!

 

 

 

 

I asked our hostess if this cold, wet, windy weather is normal for September.  She said it was not normal, that this is winter weather we are experiencing!  She went on to say the only difference between this week’s weather and the real winter weather is that it can get even windier with storms during the winter months.

FAST FACTS:  Ireland regularly leads the world in binge drinking.  Although efforts are being made to educate the populace, especially young folks, about the devastation caused by excessive alcohol use, drinking remains the country’s most popular social pastime with no signs of letting up.

Urbanization is breaking down traditional family/community interdependence that was prevalent during times of poverty in the country.  These traditional values can still be found in isolated rural communities and on islands.  The average number of children per family has fallen to 1.4, the lowest in Irish history.