Juneau, Alaska

As you probably all know, one of our goals is to visit every state capital. Visiting Juneau, Alaska, has to qualify as the hardest and most expensive capital visit yet! Since you can’t drive to Juneau, your options are flying or taking the ferry (in our case, from Haines, following the route we were on moving towards Fairbanks). Since we wanted our truck with us in Juneau, we opted for the ferry. The ferry cost $290 round trip, and since the schedule is such that the soonest we could come back was two days after arriving, we had to spend two nights in Juneau. After doing the research, Dan found the best deal possible at The Alaskan Hotel in the heart of downtown Juneau - and that was $90 a night. We didn't think that was much of a deal to begin with, but we were even more convinced after getting there. Downtown consists of only about three blocks, but it is just like any typical downtown anywhere - just smaller! The Alaskan Hotel is the oldest operating hotel in Juneau, established in 1913, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. I honestly don't think they've done much to improve the place since then, either.

The problem with The Alaskan Hotel was, well, just about everything!! We didn't get the room we reserved, and had to lug our bags from one floor to another getting that straightened out. No place to park, so we ended up six blocks away with hills like San Francisco to deal with. The room was really hot, with no apparent way to cool it down, other than opening the windows. The TV didn't work, we didn't have enough towels, and everything reeked of cigarette smoke. I could go on, but you probably get the picture. The clientele was…different. We were on the third floor, and our windows opened out into the street. We didn't think that would be so bad once the businesses closed down. Well, we were wrong... things just got started at about 10:00 p.m. and went on until at least 4:00 a.m. - we lost track after a while. Right underneath us was a big street party going on, and on, and on…(police, ambulance, and fire truck came at one point and hauled one woman to the hospital and another to jail after they had it out). Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night. We checked out the next morning and checked in to the Super 8, nine miles from downtown. A lot less history, but a lot more comfort.

But back to the beginning. We arrived in Juneau on Friday afternoon and drove straight to the Mendenhall Glacier and spent a couple of hours walking around. It was a beautiful day and I was very excited to be seeing a real glacier. In the park, in addition to the glacier, we saw a trumpet swan, mountain goats way up the side of a mountain, and a porcupine. I hope to see more glaciers before leaving Alaska, but this was the first, and will always have special meaning. We figured we would tour the capital on Saturday, but we were foiled again! The capital building is only open Monday through Friday, so we missed our opportunity to see the inside, but got some shots of the exterior. We spent the day walking and driving in and around Juneau and the surrounding areas. We saw several cruise ships arrive and depart while we were there, and Juneau seems to cater to the tourists, and is in fact a big part of their economy.

I’ve included pictures from the glacier and some of downtown Juneau.

Drive Through Canada

On Thursday, May 1st we left Elma, Washington after a wonderful two-week visit with family. My mother lives in Hoquiam, my sister and her husband live in Aberdeen, my daughter and two granddaughters live in Seattle, and I also have a niece and nephew and their families that live in the area. I spent as much time as possible with my loved ones in those two weeks, and then before I knew it, time was upon us, and we were preparing to begin our journey to Fairbanks, Alaska. The first leg of our journey consisted of traveling through Canada, first through British Columbia, then the Yukon Territory, then crossing into Alaska 40 miles from Haines. If anyone is looking at the map, and wondering why we would follow that route to Fairbanks, it is because we wanted to visit Juneau (the capital of Alaska) prior to arriving in Fairbanks. The only way to Juneau is by ferry, and Haines, Alaska, was the most logical place for us to catch the ferry to Juneau on our way to Fairbanks. I will have a separate post on our Juneau trip; this post is to cover the beautiful drive through Canada and most especially the Northern Canadian Rockies.

Since we were traveling in early May, it was still very cold, and there was lots of snow on the ground and in the mountains. The lakes and rivers were still frozen over, and this was quite a treat for me to see. I have never been anywhere that gets cold enough, long enough, to freeze more than just a puddle. The beauty of the frozen lakes nestled in low rolling hills or between towering mountains was impossible to capture in a photograph, but believe me, we tried! Many times we were the only vehicle on the road for miles at a time, and the solitude combined with the winter-like landscape was like something I’ve only seen on calendars or postcards. When I thought things couldn’t get any more spectacular, we found ourselves in the Northern Canadian Rockies. The appearance of the Canadian Rockies is a result of the area being very heavily glaciated, producing sharply pointed mountains separated by wide, U-shaped valleys gouged by glaciers, whereas the American Rockies are more rounded with river-carved V-shaped valleys between them.

Almost just as spectacular was the area between Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, and Haines, Alaska which winds through the Alaskan Mountain range. I don’t know if we were just lucky, but on the day we traveled through this area on our way to Haines, it was bright sunshine and crystal clear blue skies. This afforded us clear views of all the splendor the mountain range had to offer. I feel so fortunate we had such perfect weather, because on our return trip five days later, it was foggy and cloudy with poor visibility. If both days had been like that, we would never have experienced this once in a lifetime opportunity.

I’ve attached one picture of the RV park we stayed in the first day we were in Canada (Hope, B.C.), and several of the Northern Canadian Rockies and the Alaskan Mountain Range.

Seattle, Washington

While we were in Washington, we made a trip to Seattle. I had not been there since I was six and my parents took the family to the World’s Fair; Dan had actually lived in Seattle briefly back in the 1960’s. So, we were both looking forward to touring the area again. As an added incentive, one of my daughters now lives in West Seattle, so there was much to do while there. We arrived on a Thursday morning and checked into our hotel room. We were situated within walking distance to everything we wanted to do, and never drove the truck again until we left on Friday afternoon. On Thursday, we visited the Space Needle and rode up to the top. Although I had done this when I was six, I had no memory of it, so it was like the very first time. Although high rise buildings have since dwarfed the Space Needle, it is still a pretty unique structure. Later, we walked downtown and found a very cool kitchen wares store, went to the 7th floor of a seven store Macy’s, and walked all over downtown Seattle. That night we attended a Mariners baseball came at Safeco Park, where Dan caught the homerun ball that won the game – for the Orioles! You can bet that caused some controversy in the stands! On Friday we walked to Pike Place Market, which is a very fun place to spend a morning. It is a giant Farmer’s Market with vegetable stands, art work, coffee shops, restaurants, flower stands, jewelry, and so much more. It has three or four levels, stairs everywhere, street performers at every turn, all set on Puget Sound. After we were done there, we drove to my daughters house where we picked up my seven-year-old granddaughter and brought her back home with us for the weekend.

We have wrapped up our time in Washington. Tomorrow we are on the road again, driving to Alaska via Canada!

Cannon Beach, Oregon

For a very long time my mother wanted to have a family gathering in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Many years ago, when my father was still alive, her dream was to rent a place on the beach for several weeks, and have her five daughters and their families come as they were able, to spend as much time as they could. For one reason and another, this never happened, and after my father passed away, the idea seemed to fade away as well. Then late last year my youngest sister decided to revive the Cannon Beach trip, but this time it would just be Mom and her daughters. The plan was put together, with each sister assigned a task, and soon everything was in place. On April 18th we all arrived – Terry, Nancy, and Jennifer coming from California (Southern and Northern), Chris plus Mom coming from Washington, and me. Dan and I were currently staying in Washington, so I rode with Chris and Mom. The first night we were there Terry gave each of us a memory tote bag filled with goodies – it was like opening a stocking on Christmas morning! Throughout the weekend, we cooked, ate, played games, laughed, talked, cried, walked on the beach, shopped in Cannon Beach, flew kites, and one night some of us stayed up until 4:00 in the morning. It was a really good visit, and I am so very happy we were able to do this!

Olympia, Washington

As Washington State's capital city, Olympia is home to one of the last great domed capitols built in America. Set on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound, it stands 28 stories high. Forty-two broad granite steps lead up to the entrance which symbolize Washington's place as the 42nd state in the Union. One word comes to mind when I try to describe the structure – Marble. The walls, the floors, the staircases are all made of marble (or granite or sandstone, which look just like the marble). This was the most formal looking capital we have visited so far. There were no pictures on the wall, no displays of any kind. It was almost austere in its grandeur. A team of thirty artisans spent five years carving the building's details in sandstone, marble, and wood. Stone ox skulls circle the base of the dome in a frieze that commemorates Washington's ox-cart pioneers. Elaborate plaster ceilings, rich with eagles and gilded rosettes, crown each legislative chamber. There were many chandeliers, all designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the last of his major commissions, and .the five-ton Angels of Mercy chandelier, centerpiece of the rotunda, hangs from the dome on a massive 101-foot chain – quite spectacular!

Bob's Red Mill

Anyone who has ever browsed the aisles of Whole Foods or any other health food store, and in some cases, certain grocery stores, has most likely seen the flour and grain products from Bob’s Red Mill. I have been using BRM products for a number of years. When I was checking out BRM on the internet, I saw they were located just outside Portland, Oregon, so I figured the next time I was in that area, I wanted to make a side trip to visit their store and mill. It looked like a fun place to visit, especially if you enjoy just browsing in natural food stores like I do! From the BRM website: “Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten free products and an extensive line of certified organic products. With a wide variety of whole grain products, from flours and hot cereals to baking mixes and grains, Bob’s Red Mill has “whole grain foods for every meal of the day.”

While staying at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, we were only about 50 miles from Bob’s, so we decided, this was the time to go! We arrived just in time for lunch (there is a restaurant in the store), so we both had veggie burgers on whole grain buns baked in their on-site bakery. After lunch, we walked up and down every aisle of the store, and filled our basket with whole rolled oats, split peas, flour, burger buns, sliced bread, millet, and a couple of cookies. It was a fun place to visit!

Salem, Oregon

While we were staying at Silver Falls State Park, we made a day trip into Salem, capital of Oregon. The city of Salem is very charming, set on the Willamette River, and just west of the Cascade Mountain range. There is a progressive midtown shopping area, and a pleasant strip along the bank of the river called Riverfront Park. The Capital itself was small, and it did not take us very long to tour. It did have a pretty rotunda, and the Capital dome is interesting, topped by a twenty-two foot bronze figure with gold overleaf called the "Oregon Pioneer." But what we found even more interesting than the capital was the Riverfront Park area, and for me in particular, the Carousel. The Carousel is comprised of completely hand carved horses (and other animals) and trim, painted in the most beautiful colors. Each horse is unique and carved by a variety of artisans. I was so intrigued with the beautiful poses of the horses, the colors, the mirrors, and the lights. It was truly the most beautiful carousel I’ve ever seen.

I have attached a couple of pictures form the capital, and three from Riverfront Park.

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

On April 11th we left Sacramento, on our way to Alaska, with several planned stops along the way.

Our first planned stop was Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, about 25 miles east of Salem, for five days. When we arrived at the park on Saturday, April 12th, it was a beautiful sunny day, temperature around 75 degrees. Everyone was outside hiking, biking, skating, and jogging, in shorts and T-shirts, enjoying the wonderful weather. We got ourselves settled in and explored the park, making plans for our hike the next day. Sunday was just as beautiful as Saturday – sunny and warm, blue skies with only a few big puffy clouds overhead. The hike we took was called “The Trail of Ten Falls” which took us on an 8-mile loop through the park past ten gorgeous waterfalls (plus a couple “bonus” falls that weren’t in the “ten”). This has to be one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever taken. Nestled in the lower elevation of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, in a temperate rain forest, the falls were stunning, and the trail meandered over gentle slopes, along side creeks and rivers, with birds singing everywhere. We took so many pictures! Spectacular is about the only word I can think of to sum up the hike, the waterfalls, the entire day. And, how fortunate we picked that day to hike – on Monday it started raining, turned very cold, and by Tuesday morning it was snowing! We spent a couple of days indoors (needless to say), cozy and warm inside our 5th wheel. Since we didn’t have Internet connectivity, cell phone reception, or Satellite TV, we spent a couple of days catching up on our reading and watching “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy on DVD.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of Silver Falls I’ve attached.

Carson City, Nevada

While in California we decided we would visit Carson City Nevada, since we were so close, and it would help us get one state closer to our goal of visiting all the State Capitals. We had to drop off the 5th wheel for some maintenance, so used that opportunity to drive to Carson City, tour the capital, stay the night, and visit historic Virginia City the following day before driving back home. Carson City is really small (in my opinion) for a Capital City. It is very historic, however, and we picked up a brochure that guided us on a walking tour of “The Kit Carson Trail” which follows a blue line painted on the sidewalks throughout the city. We took that walk and saw many beautiful old houses and mansions, and got a feel for the city overall. The Capital itself was very small, with almost all working government offices moved off site, and the capital itself more like a museum.

Virginia City is even smaller than Carson City, and seems to be no more than a collection of old-timey shops, saloons, restaurants, and tourists attractions. The highlight here was the Catholic Church, St. Mary’s in the Mountains. It was a beautiful old church inside and out with lots of stained glass and woodcarving. It is an active church with regular masses, but also welcomes tourists.

The pictures attached include a shot of the Capital entrance, a picture of the Great Seal of the State of Nevada, Nevada’s 125th Anniversary quilt, and a picture of St. Mary’s in the Mountains church.

Feather Falls Hike

We can’t quite remember if it’s been five or six years that we have made our Annual Feather Falls Hike, but no matter, every time there are two things that never change. One, the falls are always spectacular, and two, the hike always kicks my butt!! Feather Falls is located on a modest tributary of the Middle Fork Feather River, in Plumas National Forest in Butte County, California. At 640 feet, it is the sixth highest waterfall in the United States. It is visible from the middle arm of Lake Oroville. There are two trails maintained by the United States Forest Service leading up to it. The nearby town of Feather Falls, California takes its name from the falls.
The first quarter mile of trail is easy, gently rolling downward until you come to a split. At this point, you can take a shorter, steeper trail down (3.3 miles), or a longer, less steep trail down (4.5 miles) to reach the Falls. Going down isn’t such a big deal, and there isn’t much difference between the two trails if you are in pretty good shape. Coming back up, however, it is much easier to take the longer less steep way out. We’ve done it both ways. The first year we went we didn’t realize the difference, and took the short way in and out. Ouch!! We weren’t in shape for that and felt the aches and pains for several days. The next two or three times we took the short way down, the long way back, and it was better. It still kicked my butt, but not as hard or as long! This year we thought we would try the short trail back up because we have both taken up running in the last couple of years and figured we must be in better shape than ever. And, it may not have been such a big deal except that we sort of got off trail on the last mile out and climbing out of the hole we found ourselves in was probably harder than if we had stayed on the actual trail. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men, now we’ll never know!

Here are a few snap shots from the hike.

Annual Wildflower Hike on the Darrington Trail

Before Dan and I started living full time in our 5th wheel, we enjoyed first, tent camping and, eventually, trailer camping in a small 22 foot travel trailer. When we lived in the Sacramento area, we would often camp, hike, and bike at the Peninsula Campground, located on the east side of Folsom Lake in a remote location, approximately 45 minutes from the closest town of Auburn or Placerville. The campground is nestled in low, rolling hills that for most of the year are dry and brown, like the rest of the surrounding area of the Sierra Mountains foothills. But for a short period of time each year, usually in late March through April, the hills turn a beautiful green, and the wildflowers explode. This is our favorite time of year to visit Peninsula, and we have made it an annual tradition to hike on the Darrington Trail (a 7.7 mile hiking and mountain biking trail) during this brief wildflower season. We have seen many varieties of flowers over the years, including buttercups, lupine, poppies, Indian paintbrush, wild iris, mule’s ears, fivespots, and larkspur. It’s hard to believe the difference in this area from early spring through the end of summer, and to be able to visit Peninsula Campground and the Darrington Trail at least once during these brief few weeks to experience the beautiful green and flowers is well worth it. Of course, while staying in Sacramento this Spring, we made it a point to make the drive for a day hike on the trail. What surprised us this time was how low Folsom Lake and the American River were. In all the years we’ve been going to this area, we’ve never seen it this low. In fact, at about the half way point on the trail, we came across an old concrete bridge that we had never seen before, never even knew it existed! It was fun to explore this area again, especially since we don’t know for sure where we will be next Spring. Here are some pictures Dan took along the trail.