RIALTA JOURNALS – ALASKA

May – June, 2001

Travlers:  Larry (retired), Diane (retired), Baron the Labrador Retriever (never worked)
Travel Vehicle:  2000 Rialta FD Twin

Since I read Jack London’s ‘Call of the Wild’ I have wanted to see Alaska but it has never been possible until now. When I found out my uncle worked on the ALCAN during WWII that even further peaked my interest. We must drive the ALCAN and experience the wilderness first hand and not through the porthole of a cruise ship. There was good news and bad news. The bad news, the far north wilderness has changed since Jack London’s days; the good news, the ALCAN is no longer a rough dirt and gravel trail, it is now paved all the way. We will be making the trip in our small motorhome, quite a contrast from the dog sleds and snowshoes of fifty years ago.

We spent about 3 weeks getting the Rialta ready for the grand adventure, making little alterations that would make life on the road a little more convenient. I also changed oil, installed head light protectors, and a bra for the hood and front bumper. Since a recent trip had also knocked out a piece of the grill, I put some hardware cloth and screen wire over the radiator to protect it from stray rocks. We also made a trip to Forest City to the Winnebago factory for some warranty work on the coach.

I spent quite a bit of time gathering information. We ultimately settled on the ‘Milepost’ as our guide to the northland. It gives a mile by mile accounting of the ALCAN and many other highways in Canada and Alaska. It is the ALCAN traveler’s bible.

For three days prior to departure we loaded the van; clothes, food, cameras, cooking utensils, fishing gear, tools, etc. All we anticipated we would need for a two-month round trip journey. Excitement and anticipation was running high and even the dog picked up it although he didn’t know if he was going or being left behind.

Departure day finally arrived! Last minute preparations began in earnest. I washed the van, which was covered with bird poop, pollen, and locust tree blooms, and moved it to the street. It was fully packed and ready to go. Then we started shutting down the house – A/C off, TV & computers unplugged, hot water heater off, water shut off, etc.

Our neighbors, Winne & Bud, came over to see us off. They will look after the place and collect our mail while we are gone. At 12:45 we pulled away for the first leg of our grand adventure. Our route would take us through Iowa to visit my Mom for a couple days, the northern route to Oregon to visit kids for a long weekend, a quick stop in Washington to visit an old Army buddy, then into Canada to pick up the ALCAN to Alaska.

We made my Mom’s place in Allerton, Iowa, about 3 hours later. It was hot and muggy but a cold front came through during the night and brought cooler temperatures along with rain.

17 May.

It rained off and on all day but I managed to clean out Mom’s rain gutters between showers. The rain spoiled plans to go fishing so sat around, told lies with my cousin and other relatives and ended the day with a gut-busting meal of corned beef and cabbage. Yummy.

This is truly the first day of the grand journey as we left relatives and familiar territory behind. A fill of gasoline in Allerton cost $1.75 per gallon, the first of many gallons of expensive gas we would consume. The weather cleared as we headed north to very light traffic.

First stop was Prairie Meadows racetrack and casino in Des Moines. Excellent lunch buffet for less than five bucks each. Diane won a few bucks on the machines and I lost.

Our goal today was the Grand Casino in Mille Lac, Minnesota. But as the day wore on, it became obvious we would not make Mille Lac before midnight. So executed plan B, the Jackpot Junction Casino in Morton, MN. The casino is on an Indian reservation (Sioux) in the middle of farmland with no cities close by yet the place was packed when we arrived. The guy at the registration desk said they were having a Loretta Lynn concert that evening. Guess we were lucky to get a campsite at all. The campsite was $11 with full hook-up but the clerk gave me a coupon for $5 cash in the casino which made the fee only $6 – a real bargain.

Dinner was homemade chicken soup. We used the refrigerator as a freezer for the first week. Turned the temperature all the way down and loaded it with frozen food from our home freezer. After dinner we checked out the action in the casino. By then most of the customers were at the concert so there was plenty of room. Lucky Lucy was hot and we left with a couple hundred dollars of their money (I did my part by not loosing any). She hit 4 Aces on a bonus machine and 4 deuces on a Deuces Wild machine.

We tried the Rialta shower for the evening bath -- a little tight but plenty of hot water.

We got up early, had a quick breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, then hit the road. There was intermittent rain but didn’t dampen the excitement of the day. At noon we stopped at a very pretty little park overlooking Glenwood, MN. Diane fixed French onion soup and boudin for lunch while I gave the dog some much-needed exercise.

                                                                          Glenwood, Minnesota

We hit the North Dakota border early afternoon. The terrain changed from the rich Midwest row crop farmland to rolling hills and wheat fields. Lots of small lakes and potholes filled with water and lots of ducks and geese, all paired off and nesting that time of year.

Our day’s destination was Jamestown, ND, but when we got there it was too early to stop so pushed on to Bismarck. Then it was ‘just’ 48 miles farther to an Indian casino, the Prairie Knight of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Interesting country with large rolling hills along the Missouri River. The camping fee for their RV park was only $5 (but no dump station). Dinner was buffet in the casino, $10 each and very good. Played the video poker machines for a while, Diane lost and Larry broke even. Back to the rig by 9:00

The weather forecast that evening wasn’t too encouraging. A strong cold front was pushing south along with much lower temperatures and they even used the “s” word.

I woke up at 7:30 with a black dog nose in my face. It had rained during the night and turned much colder. We had the furnace turned on and the thermostat set at 50 degrees but it didn’t come on during the night – toasty warm in the Rialta. The bad news was the wind – it was blowing at gale force from the north.

We had breakfast back in the casino and at $6 each it was not worth it but we did pack away a few goodies for the dog. Tried the VP machines again but still no luck.

We drove to the tribe’s marina where they had another campground with a dump station. After getting rid of the waste and taking on fresh water we hit the road to Montana following blue highways. The highway ran along the ND/SD border and we dipped into South Dakota for part of the day. There was absolutely no traffic and the roads were straight and smooth. Good thing, too, as the wind blew the rig all over the highway. The farther west we traveled the stronger the wind. And, of course, it was always a head wind or cross wind and never a tail wind. Temperatures were in the mid to high 40’s but the wind chill was much lower.

About mid afternoon we ran into some showers that turned out to be sleet. It was a virtual whiteout for a few minutes but just as quickly it cleared up and the sun came out. The wind continued to pick up in intensity and was blowing 50 – 60 mph. I could hardly stand up in it. We really appreciated the low profile of the Rialta that day. I don’t believe a bigger rig could have stayed on the road.

The high head wind also took its toll on our gas mileage. Until this day we were running 18 –19 mpg but now only getting 15 mpg and that almost caused a big problem. The last 90 miles into Miles City, MT, had no towns and no service stations. The ‘low fuel’ light came on with 25 to 30 miles to go. When we finally got to a service station we only had one gallon left – just 15 miles from walking!

A quick drive through Miles City turned up a Wal-Mart store so we pulled in and had our first Wal-Mart parking lot camping experience. Actually we pulled around to the rear near the loading docks. It was quiet, paved, and level. One rig was already there and another came in before dark. We used the onboard shower to knock off some of the road grime; plenty of hot water just from the engine heat. Dinner was out of the ‘freezer’.

                                        Wal-Mart Camping, Miles City, MT

21 May.

Up before sunrise, wide awake for some reason so decided to hit the road. Although the day was bright and sunny, the wind was still with us. Tumbleweeds raced across fields like they were being chased by some wild creature. Some jumped the fences and dashed across the highway, others piled up on the barbed wire fence. We drove I-94 all day and started looking for a camping site near Butte and ended up in Lost Creek State Park for primitive camping. The campground was in a very scenic area, a forested valley surrounded by steep mountains. A few other campers were there but the campsites were widely dispersed.

                                       Camp site at Lost Creek campgrounds

When I let Baron out for his final trip of the evening he spotted a critter and took off after him. I recognized it as a porcupine and was able to call the dog back before he caught the varmint and got a face full of quills (he responds very well to verbal commands). About midnight I woke up to some noise under the camper. The porcupine was back and chewing on something. I got up, turned on the lights, and hit the horn. He left but I was sure he would be back so we decided to move. However, we couldn’t find another empty spot in the dark and one whole section of the park was blocked by a large motorhome parked in the middle of the road (this was definitely not a campground for the big rigs). So we ended back at the same site – big mistake. The quill pig was back at 2:00 AM. I ran him off again and threw some rocks at him, even made him break into a slow trot at one time. But two hours later he was back again. Baron by now was in tune with what was going on and woke me to announce the porcupine’s return. This time we gave up, let him have the camping spot, and departed. It was a short night.

So for the second day in a row, we saw the sunrise. After a couple hours I pulled into a rest stop and we grabbed a few Z’s and actually felt pretty good all things considered.

It was a beautiful blue bird day and not a breeze stirring – at last the wind was gone. We continued on I-94 to I-90 to Missoula where we took blue highways to Lewiston, Idaho. Almost the entire length of the highway (about 150 miles) ran along the Clearwater River, one of the rivers that Lewis and Clark took almost 200 years ago. The scenery was breathtaking but the road was very crooked as it followed along the riverbank and we had to keep our speed down to 40 – 45 mph. It was also downhill all the way as we traveled downstream toward the Snake. The good news, the Rialta got and incredible 23 mpg; sort of made up for the bad mileage a couple days ago. For the first 75 miles the fuel gauge didn’t come off the full mark. I thought it was malfunctioning but the rig just wasn’t using much fuel.

We stopped at the Nez Perce Indian casino and campgrounds near Lewiston; $15 including full hook-up and a good shower. Dinner was in the casino, steak, shrimp, baked potato, salad and roll -- $5 each. They also loaded us up with bunches of logo merchandise (free of course), 2 tee shirts, a hat, 3 key chains, 3 pens, a deck of playing cards, and a canvas tote bag to carry it in. Love these Indian casinos.

              Clearwater River in Idaho.                                                  Nez Perce campground, Lewiston

This day we left the rivers and magnificent scenery behind and went cross-country to Pendelton, Oregon. Of course we had to stop at the famous Pendelton woolen mills to look over the merchandise. It was much too expensive. This was not a factory outlet but a full price retail store, however, we did pick up a couple light weight wool blankets for $20 each. They may come in handy in Alaska (they did) but not that day. It was hot, Hot, HOT! We ran the generator and left the coach A/C on for Baron and it could hardly keep up.

A short day we packed it in at a state park near Biggs, OR, on the Deschutes River. A very nice park but a little pricey at $17 with no sewer or dump station and no showers. Several trees were shedding their blooms and the ground was white. When the wind blew it looked like a blizzard – the psychological effect kept us cool. J

Continued the journey toward Eugene and stopped at Multnomah Falls for lunch. This spectacular fall is right beside the Interstate so made a convenient stop for a lunch break. While Diane fixed boudin and eggs Larry hiked to the upper falls for some Kodak moments.

                Upper Multnomah Falls                                                        Bridge over Lower M. Falls

This day was bright, sunny and cool but we read in the paper that Biggs, the area where we spent the night, had record breaking heat – 99 degrees. No wonder the air conditioner had trouble keeping the van cool.

We made it to our daughter Sara’s apartment with no problem. From there we drove to Marcia’s (the other daughter) townhouse where we managed to squeeze into a tight parking place in front of her door (labeled for compact car only) and plugged into her electrical outlet. Dinner was fish and chips in a local restaurant, very good.

                                           Parking at Marcia’s townhouse

After a hearty breakfast we headed for the coast and some ‘crabbing’. We had lunch at a local seafood restaurant, more of a café – fried oysters and they were superb. Then off to the docks to catch some of those delectable Dungeness crabs. It was a bit cool on the pier as a cold wind was blowing in off the Pacific. But, alas, we could not get anything big enough to keep, it was fun trying though. So we did what all good fishermen do under these circumstances, we bought a couple from a local fish market. We left Baron in the Rialta with the windows open and the fan running. It got a little warm before we returned but he was just fine. Dinner that evening was fresh crab, smoked salmon, bagels & cream cheese. Yummy. Brian, Sara’s friend, came over to meet the parents.

                                            Sara, Marcia & Diane on pier

For the past 3 days we have been visiting daughters in Eugene but now we are on the road again. Today we all drove up to Portland to see the sights. We dropped the Rialta off at a convenient RV park and left it and the dog for the rest of the day. The kids picked us up in their car and we drove into the city where we took in the Portland Rose Gardens. They were quite impressive but the roses had just started blooming and a lot of buds weren’t open yet. However, they were augmented by azaleas and rhododendrons, which made a very nice display. We also went through the Japanese Gardens in the same area. We ended the day in Powell Bookstore, which covered a city block and had tons of books.

Reluctantly we said good-by to the girls (and Brian) as they headed back to Eugene. But it is kinda nice to be on our own again. One more stop then off to the Canadian border and the ALCAN.

We spent the night in Portland and wakened to a beautiful bluebird day. A leisurely start to the day we didn’t get on the road until about 10:00. Not much food in the pantry so took a side street to find a restaurant for early lunch/late breakfast. But decided we would rather stop at a grocery store and fix our own meals so stopped at a Safeway for some provisions. Also hit the deli and got fried chicken for lunch. On the way back to the interstate we passed a chocolate candy factory & outlet store. Hummm, bet we could find some good stuff in there. Sure enough, they had factory reject stuff for $2.60 per half pound. We bought 3 half-pound sacks of yummy chocolate treats.

It was a gorgeous day and the drive fit the day perfectly. We arrived at our friends place outside of Wenatchee WA, around 5:00. It was good to see Ron Fowler, COL US Army (Ret), again and he hadn’t changed since the last time we were together several years ago. He and his new bride have a small 90 acre horse ranch in a valley just outside of the city. They made us feel most welcome.

Today we took a guided tour of Wenatchee a town that claims to be the apple capitol of the world then off to the Rock Creek Dam on the Colombia River, one of 11 dams on this waterway. This one is hydroelectric and was generating power while we were there. They also have a fairly extensive museum associated with the dam with history of the area and early use of electricity. Stopped for lunch in Wenatchee at a fish & chips place, which was most excellent.

Chilled out during the afternoon, did laundry, showered etc., getting ready to hit the road the next day. Excellent dinner prepared by Cindy then off to bed to end a most pleasant day.

We left our friends ranch in Wenatchee about mid morning and headed north on US 97. There was not a cloud in the sky or a breath of air stirring. The Colombia River was flat and smooth, reflecting the surrounding mountains. The image was worthy of a place of honor in a western art gallery.

We followed the Colombia for the first hundred miles or so. Orchards of pears, apples, and cherries dominated the landscape along the river. There were thousands of acres -- fruit is big business in this country.

Every 30-40 miles, just about the time the current in the river started to pick up, there was another dam creating placid water and another lake. We left the Colombia at Morse and continued

north along the Okanagan River still seeing hundreds of fruit orchards. We stopped in Orville, the last town before hitting the Canadian border, for a few groceries and some cheap gas (relatively speaking).

It was about 2:45 when we hit the border. A bored Canadian customs agent asked us the usual questions and when I answered yes to having firearms, he perked up, directed me to a parking place, and asked me to step inside. Another agent filled out the paperwork and I paid a third agent $50C by VISA. The two of them walked out to the van with me to check the serial number of the shotgun. The both commented on the Rialta and shotgun (a silver inlaid over and under). That was it, we were in. (The permit is good for 60 days and renewable at no extra charge for a year).

We drove another 45 minutes to the town of Oliver, BC, and packed it in for the night at a campground in town -- $19C. The campground was along a river so Baron got to go swimming.

Considering the built in discount for the currency conversion, the local restaurants were very reasonable so we decided to eat out. Niko’s, a Greek place, won the toss so we walked the two blocks to their cafe. We got there a few minutes before they opened so browsed the grocery store across the street. Not nearly as expensive as I was expecting, in fact, many items were cheaper than in the States. Guess we were too close to the border to see much difference.

Dinner was excellent. I had grilled salmon and Diane had calamari -- the best she has ever tasted, so she claims. Buckled up early that evening tired but happy campers. At last we are on the road to Alaska.

We spent most of the day driving through the mountains. One stretch of highway ran along (and high above) the Okanagan Lake for several miles. The lake was flat and smooth creating a breath-taking scene.

The past two days have been much warmer than we had expected with highs in the low 90’s and this day was no exception.

At Peachland we turned west on a shortcut to pick up the main highway, 97 North, the western route to the ALCAN. This stretch of highway -- a 4-lane freeway -- steadily climbed for at least 25 miles. The Rialta was in 2nd and 3rd gear all the way up and the gas gauge was dropping like a rock. We hit the summit at 12,000 ft (or so, the height was given in meters).

Stopped in Cash Creek for lunch in the van. I bought a fishing license at a nearby sporting goods store. We also had our first gasoline fill here -- a shocking experience that cost $35C.

At ’70 Mile House’ we headed for Green Lake Provincial Park to hole up for the night. It was about 12 miles off the main highway but the access road was paved, although pretty rough. Nice area but no facilities except a central dump station. Essentially we paid $12 for a place to park for the night. I tried my hand at fishing in the lake to no avail. Could it have been a black lab jumping into the water trying to retrieve my lure every time I made a cast? The weather had cooled off and was drizzling.

                                Campground at Green Lake Provincial Park

Woke up to snow; not just a few flurries but coming down and sticking to the trees (but fortunately not the road). For a brief moment I even harbored thoughts about turning back. But we pushed on and the clouds soon gave way to blue skies and warmer weather.

The terrain also changed and we were no longer on high mountain roads with hairpin curves and panic inducing drop-offs. This day’s mountains were forest-covered hills sprinkled with crystal clear lakes. The white bark and pale green of the new aspen leaves contrasted sharply with the dark green of black spruce and Douglas fir. This place must be drop-dead gorgeous in the autumn when the aspens turn yellow and gold. Most of the streams and rivers were running full and the color of hot chocolate -- results of recent heavy rains -- but the lakes were very clear.

We stopped in Quesnel for lunch and checked out the town a bit. Found the local library and tried to get on the Internet but there was an hour’s wait so we pushed on.

We were experiencing spring for the third time, first on the Gulf Coast in February, then Kansas in April, and again in BC. The lilacs were just starting to bloom and although most trees are in full foliage a few were just beginning to show tiny new leaves.

Judging from the traffic and campgrounds, we were ahead of the summer tourist season. In fact a few tourist traps had not opened yet. Most of the campers and motorhomes were carrying BC license plates. The roads have been good to excellent with many passing lanes to get around slow traffic (that’s us).

We made it to Prince George by late afternoon and spent some time resupplying and refueling. A very nice library located in a civic center provided us with free access to the internet to check e-mail and post messages, check stock markets, etc.

We selected a commercial campground about 15 miles north of the city that was listed in both the Milepost and Prince George brochures. It was a dump and definitely not worth the $16 even if it was in Canadian funds.

Hit the road early and drove about an hour before stopping at a rest stop for breakfast of eggs, bangers, and bagels. The terrain is essentially the same as yesterday except for one mountain pass. We crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains at Pine Pass, elevation 2868 ft, the lowest pass in the

Canadian Rocky Mtns. A turnout at the top overlooked Azouzetta Lake, a beautiful, clear lake dotted with pine covered islands – a great photo opportunity.

                        Pine Pass, BC                                                                     Azouzetta Lake

About 75 miles before we reached Dawson Creek the forests gave way to open farmland and ranches. By squinting my eyes and using my imagination it almost looked like we were in Kansas again.

We hit Dawson Creek mid afternoon and decided to stop early. Pulled into Tubby’s RV Park, a commercial campground ($19C). We used the rest of the afternoon for house cleaning and laundry. At $2 per load, we decided we could wear our shirts and pants for two days and cut down on the laundry.

Dawson Creek is the traditional jumping off place for the trip to Alaska. It is milepost zero of the ALCAN. We went into town and made the obligatory photos in front of the Mile 0 sign. Stopped at a small cafe for fish and chips on the way back to the campground. Very good and reasonably priced. We have not seen another Rialta since hitting the Canadian border but saw one driving down the highway as we sat in the cafe.

There was a beautiful sunset that evening -- at 10:00 PM! Also saw our first wildlife on today's drive, two deer and a moose.

A slow start to the day we finally got underway about 9:00. We saw quite a few US motorhomes and campers in the campground last night. I presume most were heading to Alaska.

The highway didn’t look any different as we began the ‘official’ start to the Alaska Highway. But after we passed through Ft St. John, things began to change; more remote, fewer towns, no farms or ranches. Just open road with thousands of square miles of forests on each side of the road – and no side roads or cross roads. Hardly any traffic and the road became noticeably rougher, no potholes but lots of heaves and bumpy pavement. Not bad but not the excellent highways we had been on thus far.

So this is it we are finally on the famous ALCAN Highway

                     Diane, Larry & Baron at Dawson Creek, BC