Monday 24 August 2015

Meadow Lake

Monday, August 17 to Thursday, August 20

Gassing up in Bonnyville
It all started on Sunday with lots of toing and froing between the house and the trailer. Somethings was definitely afoot.  I was a little worried until I saw my travel bag with food and toys headed out to the trailer. All is good - I was going somewhere. mmm - there are no planes being loaded into the truck so maybe we are going for some R&R.

We headed out Monday morning. The road was really bumpy so I wasn't comfortable on my usual spot on the console. The back seat was much more comfortable for sleeping.  'Course there were interruptions in my sleep cycle so we could stop for gas!




We got to our camp mid-afternoon.  There were lots of bushes and trees with lots of rustling in the bushes. It IS a good campsite - I caught my first mouse within the first 3 hours. There is a little path that the mice use to go from one clump of bushes to another. Mum and Dad seem to think that it should be catch and release. I suppose that makes sense seeing as we are in a provincial park. Alex was concerned that I  would go to Kitty jail for harming wildlife in a provincial park.

Yup, this is just an R&R trip. Mum and Dad are taking lots of walks. There are some neat paths that take you to other lakes like Little Raspberry Lake. Dad got some photos of strange looking water birds. And lots of sunset photos. Mum even got to play mini-golf and Dad got his ice cream cone (twice) so they are happy. Meadow Lake Provincial Park


Dad cooking breakfast


Ooops - it looks like we forgot to pack the add-a-room. No problem for me with my nice fur coat and tail to wrap around me if I get cold. Mum will get a little whinny if the evening is chilly and there is no tent heater!






All in all it was a good two days. Lots of very bold squirrels to track, mice to catch (and release). The squirrels were interesting. They would eat the ends of the pine trees just like corn on the cob! There was even a rabbit that kept me glued to one spot for two hours.

Yukon Adventure - week 1

Day 1 Monday, June 1

Sigh - they said we were going camping but there was driving and more driving. Then Mum and then Dad would disappear into some washroom type place! Well, after some stops to find some new hardware and some maps (because Mum forgot to go to AMA) we are finally camping at a very nice campground on the Grande Prairie Regional College grounds. There is lots of birds to watch and trees that I think I can climb. Now this is camping.
On our drive here we saw 2 deer – one running across the road and one having second thoughts.
We got a bit of a late start by the time all the neighbours came by to say “ have a good trip; don't worry we will look after things”. Thank goodness for terrific neighbours.
All is well, truck is running well. Trailer is a little bouncier so there is some re-organizing when we stop.
That's all for now, 
Rusty, Nancy Lee/Mum and Dave/Dad
I am sure there is something rustling in those bushes!




Day 2 Tuesday, June 2

We saw 2 Snow Geese flying north.
We had a stopover in Dawson Creek. Here I am at MilePost 0. I really like to climb on things. Mum and Dad had lunch from the bakery.
There was construction outside Fort St John on that very steep hill – Taylor Hill. Dad drove very well but Mum still had white knuckles but the time we made it to the bottom of the hill. We have come to realize if you see “chain on signs” that hill is going to be steep. It was a wonderful view but there was no way to stop and take a picture.
We stopped for the night at the Pink Mountain resort. Sadly, The Pink Mountain resort does not quite live up to the hype in the Milepost mmm – it maybe what we can expect from here on in. PS: June 13 – the couple from Florida said the same thing – if this is the best campground on the Alaska highway then we are in trouble. PPS: June 15 – when Dad was “lost” at Liard Hot springs he was talking to a guy with an r-pod. He did say that Pink Mountain had been quite nice until all the work camps moved in.
We met Marshal – his was riding his motorcycle from somewhere in Alaska back to Nova Scotia. Although when we talked to him he was deciding whether to go south to Prince George and wait for his girlfriend or whether to go to Nova Scotia and ride back out with her when she retires. Sadly his bike tires were getting down to the the thread so I hope he made it to Fort St John OK. It was pouring rain when he left and it looked like the rain was going to travel with him.
MMM what is in here? I haven't seen this space before.

What! I am sure I heard a mouse. Didn't you hear a mouse?

Day 3 Wednesday, June 3

I had a little fun with Mum and Dad before we left Pink Mountain. My harness was not as snug as it should have been so I managed to squiggle out of it. I ran off towards the workmen – tail in the air, grinning over my shoulder. The workmen had a good chuckle watching Dad trying to catch me. It was good fun.
We saw 2 coyotes, 2 bears, 3 moose and 1 bison. Let me tell you about the second bear. Dad couldn't get a good picture from inside the truck so he got out. He very carefully kept the truck between him and the bear even though the bear was quite far away. It was patting the grass trying to scare up mice or ME! As it started getting closer I am not ashamed to admit I tried to make myself as small as possible. My ears went back and down and I executed the down periscope maneuver to get myself below the window. I was very quiet for the rest of the day!
  It was interesting to watch from afar until the bear started moving towards the truck.
Hiding from the bear! 
It was rainy and Dad was playing tricks with those funny black arms on the window. I kept batting at them and still they wouldn't stay put. I even growled at them but still they kept flapping. Every time I thought I had them vanquished they would pop up again. Dad would giggle so I am sure he had something to do with it.

We stopped at the Tetsa River lodge for cinnamon buns. There was a dog that seemed a little shy of me but the man and women running the bakery were very impressed by my tail. We also met another lady that had stayed at the same campground last night. She needed some cat love so I obliged. Mum and Dad got yummy cinnamon buns for tomorrow's breakfast. I get the same old cat food.

shaggy bison
We are staying at Liard Lodge campground – nice and shady but the showers and laundry are not operational. That's where we saw the bison across the road. Doesn't it look shaggy – must be getting ready for summer.
When it was getting dark I heard something in the bushes. I was going to check it out but Dad grappled me and put me in the trailer for safe keeping :). We are staying here for 2 nights – thank goodness we are finally camping. 



 

Day 4 Thursday, June 4

Today was a rest day. Dad and I napped  before Mum and Dad went off to the hot springs. Dad said the water was really hot at the bottom of the picture. As the water flowed from the source the water got cooler. Mum and Dad thought it was very relaxing.
Kissing the moose at Liard Lodge
Mum got caught up on her reading. She seemed content.



They left me safely tucked away in the trailer.  Apparently there were 2 bison grazing in the 
field by our trailer last night so I was very happy about staying in the trailer. Once Mum and Dad got back from the hot spring Dad and I had another nap. After supper I got to kiss a moose (see picture). Not sure where the other half of the moose went – maybe I don't want to know.





Day 5, Friday, June 5

Today we saw 9 bison – 7 in one group and 2 laying by the side of the road. They were laying is some lovely beach sand – you can really tell this use to be an inland sea. We also saw 4 bears – 2 were crossing the road and 2 were grazing by the side of the road. I had to make myself as small as possible so they wouldn't see me. Dad saw a fox as well. There are supposed to be Caribou but we haven't seen them yet.
Dad took some good pictures of the Liard River at Allen's Lookout. Legend has that the outlaws would watch for riverboats on the river so they could plan their attack. You'll have to go to the web pictures to see them – I was left in the trailer :(.
We stopped in Watson Lake to see the signpost forest. It sure looked like I could climb some of those trees. We didn't stay very long because it was quite windy. Although, Dad did try to talk to the other Casita owner but he wasn't that friendly.





We were fighting a strong headwind so we decided to stay at Big Creek Campground. These Yukon gov't campgrounds are great! Very nice and clean and lots of squirrels to stalk. 

We met a very nice couple that were on their way from Edmonton to Whitehorse. They really admired my tail and I got my tummy rubbed. I think it made the woman sad – she misses cats in her life. They gave us some good tips on places to stay and sites to see. They had just come back from house sitting in Thailand. They also have property in South America. They have a cat there that is being looked after by the baker that lives in their house.

We met another couple from Colorado – the SW part. They had two dogs Daisy and Kiwi that were very nice to me. There was another man from Calgary. They were all going to Fairbanks and touring Alaska but Mum and Dad are thinking that they will stay in the Yukon.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Day 6, Saturday, June 6

There is not a heck of a lot of cell phone coverage in northern BC or southern Yukon and the places we stayed had no internet. Today we are stopped in Caribou RV Park. We had hoped to stay at Wolf Creek but it was full. We will stay at CRV for 2 nights so we can get showers and laundry done. We might move onto Wolf Creek for Monday night if there is room and we haven't done everything we wanted to do in Whitehorse.

I started the day by climbing two trees – well I can make it up to about 5 feet which is pretty good for a cat with no front claws.
We stopped at the Rancheria Falls Recreation site. Mum and Dad took a short walk to see the falls. Dad got some good pictures but I had to stay in the trailer. Which was probably a good thing because the water was moving quite fast.

We all got out at the Continental Divide turnout. There was a huge group of RVs (probably 20 or so) that occupied almost the whole site. We walked around for awhile to let them get ahead of us. Unfortunately we caught up with them at Teslin. Luckily they were all stopping for lunch so we changed our plans a bit. We stopped for a quick lunch and got on the road before that group. We never did see any caribou from the Rancheria heard. 

Mum and Dad made pizza for supper – it needs a little tweaking in their cooking methodology but they seemed to enjoy it. It was quite chilly at night, Dad got out the tent heater because Mum kept adding more layers. They even turned on the furnace. I snuggled with Mum under the blankets because I was a little cool even with my fur coat. 

Day 7, Sunday, June 7

Today was a cleaning and resting day. I climbed 6 trees and met a nice young girl, Katie, the daughter of the owners. She took me for a walk while Mum and Dad had showers and did laundry. Oh, I saw a squirrel when I went for a long walk with Mum and Dad after supper. The only problem with this campground is the howling huskies that arrived yesterday to a lot of fanfare.

Mum and Dad went into Whitehorse to see the Yukon Transportation Museum. It has some neat planes and vehicles from when the Alaska Highway was built. The army engineers certainly did not know what they were in for when they were assigned that job. There were mistakes made and the road was rebuilt over the next few years.
The World's Largest Weathervane was out front – a Douglas DC3 that had served many years in the Yukon. They also went to see the mammoth and ice-age animal display at Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. There was a replica of the Blue Fish Caves near Old Crow – these had the earliest evidence of humans in the new world. There was also an early horse skeleton that had some of the skin still intact. Then it was off to grocery shopping to restock supplies. I hope they brought enough cat food for me ;). We are staying one more day in Whitehorse – hopefully we can move to a new campground for tomorrow night.




Yukon Adventure - week 2


Day 8, Monday, June 8

Leaving Whitehorse
All of a sudden we were packing up the trailer and moving on. It seemed to be a quick decision but Mum and Dad thought they would spend another day in Whitehorse on the way back. We stopped for gas and propane at Integra gas station at the north end of Whitehorse.

It was very busy but everyone was very friendly and helpful. Dad would recommend it and will stop there again. The turnoff for the Klondike loop to Dawson City isn't as well publicized as the Alaskan Highway. Dad says Dawson City should get out and do some advertising.

Lake Lebarge
It was a short journey to Carmacks but we made lots of stops. I got to see Lake Lebarge. Apparently, that was the site of the cremation of Sam McGee. I will have to get Mum to read me the whole poem. The Milepost didn't mention the steam paddle wheeler that went down in 1901: 3 crew were lost; the site was lost until 2008. The ship was still intact except for the wheelhouse and stack. The cargo was still on the deck. They haven't revealed the exact site – Mum thinks it is to prevent grave robbers. We met a very nice couple from Nova Scotia, Annapolis Valley.

The next stop was Braeburn Lodge – Dad made the puppy dog face when Mum read out that they were famous for giant cinnamon buns. 'Course we had to stop to get one. I had to stay in the trailer because there were dogs and Mum and Dad were having lunch. Surprisingly, Mum and Dad had lunch with the NS couple – there was a lot of talk about the horrid winter they had. They were in Whitehorse visiting a daughter but were out for a day trip.

We are staying at Tatchun Creek YG. There is a very nice little creek running behind our site. I don't think we should be drinking the water tho'. Dad found a beaver pond when he was out walking after supper.

Mum and Dad went back to see the Five Finger Rapids lookout. It was quite a photo-op. Dad is going to ask Alex what he uses for panorama shots.
Five Finger Rapids
I spent the evening chasing squirrels and charming some of the other campers. We met a very nice couple from Germany – Mum practiced her few phrases that she knew. And a little bit of French with the couple from Quebec City. There was a nice lady from Anchorage – Karen provides a halfway house for abandoned kittens. She got extra cat love for her care.
All is good.

Day 9, Tuesday, June 9

Today was another driving day. Before we left Dad showed the German couple the beaver dam he had found the night before. It was quite large and it looked like the beavers were still active as they were some freshly chopped trees. The wife was quite excited – she is a biologist. Her kids tease her because she is always taking pictures of poop. I can understand that – outhouses have quite fascinating smells. The husband taught computer courses. He knew about VMWare where Alex used to work.
Yukon Crossing
Dad stopped at Yukon Crossing Viewpoint to take some pictures. The McCabe bridge reminded Mum of her friend Stephanie from work. We stopped at Pelly Crossing for gas. At the lookout for the
Pelly River we bumped into the German couple again. Pelly Crossing was a ferry crossing and construction camp. It is now the home of the Selkirk First Nations.
The road was very bumpy between Pelly Crossing and our final stop – it was hard to get any sleep. I sure made my displeasure known! 

We made one more stop at some undesignated site for lunch. The view of the Tintina Trench was quite neat. It is the largest fault in Nth Am and stretches hundreds of miles from Alaska and the Yukon. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to stop because it was quite late in the day.
For the next 3 nights we are staying at the Klondike River campground. It seems very nice but there is sure a lot of mosquitoes. Thank goodness Mum and Dad have that tent to protect them. Mum and Dad will do some touring around. It is nap time with Dad. He works really hard driving the truck and setting up camp.
Mum and Dad had salmon and tossed salad for supper – Mum and Dad tossed a bag of salad back and forth. Mum has a weird sense of humour.

Day 10, Wednesday, June 10

Today was a rest day for me. Mum and Dad went touring. They started on Bonanza Road. Dad went gold-panning at Claim 33. There was a museum of sorts with old mining equipment and buildings. Dad got 5 small flakes.
Panning for gold at Claim 33

Panning for gold at the free claim
The ladies there were very nice and chatty. Next Mum and Dad went onto the Dredge #4 site. It was very large and the mining was destructive. Houses and vegetables were destroyed to get at the gold. Huge piles of tailings were left behind – almost like the glacial drumlins. Dad did some gold panning at the free claim site but he didn't find even a single flake. Mum was hungry so they drove into Dawson City for a meal. They ate at the Jack London Grill. It was a good meal. Once they came home I went for a walk with Dad while Mum had a nap. I chased some squirrels while it was still sunny but then it started to rain. Dad got out the tent heater because Mum was looking a little blue. I think we are in for the night.


Day 11, Thursday, June 11

Today was another stay at home for me. I did go for several walks where I got to climb trees and stalk squirrels. Mum and Dad won't let me catch them tho'. I am getting quite good a climbing trees – I can even climb trees with big trunks.
Mum and Dad went to Dawson to send the “We are here e-mail”. Then they went to see the Jack London and Robert Service cabins. The talks were reasonably interesting. It is amazing that people could live in such a small space but then we have been spending time in a 17ft trailer so I guess it is not really all that amazing. Mum and Dad missed the tour of the SS Keno so they just walked around Dawson. Some buildings have been fixed but there are many that are falling apart.

Building on permafrost has it's own problems – like the difficulties of building the Alaskan highway. Dad found out from his flying buddy, Bob, that the highway was built all squiggly to protect the convoys from being attacked by bombers rather than skirting muskeg as we thought.
The playground was fun. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore. I even went down two slides.


Day 12, Friday, June 12

Today we packed up and left Dawson. Dad was glad to get out of the Klondike River Campground because there were so many mosquitoes. You know you are in the Yukon when the mosquitoes are large enough to carry you away. We had to stop at the sani-dump, get water and then get gas. The sun was shining and I couldn't find a comfortable place to sleep in the truck.
We stopped to see the Tintina Trench. Dad got some pics this time around. The next stop was in Pelly Crossing for Dad to have a stretch. Mum and I read the signs about the Selkirk nation. They seem to co-exist with nature than we do today.
We are staying at the Tatchun Creek again. Dad was trying to get a picture of a partridge and her brood when he heard rustling in the bushes. It was 2 bear cubs climbing a tree. Mama bear was watching Dad to make sure he didn't stray to close. Wisely Dad came back to the campsite. After warning Mum he went to warn the other campers. Mum and Dad wisely ate supper at the picnic table rather than in the tent. Personally, I think Dad was a little too close to that bear for my comfort! I didn't get much of a walk tonight because there was a thunderstorm. I am quite happily snoozing in the cupboard over the bed :).
Bear cubs climbing the tree

Mama bear watching Dad watching her cubs

Day 13, Saturday, June 13

I was very restless today in the car. I couldn't seem to settle. Dad was restless too – especially after Mum cracked him on the head with truck door. He was very calm about it tho;.
Dad checked the beaver dam before we left the campground. The bears weren't there but the beavers had been pretty busy. Three big trees were down and the bark was off one of them.
We made lots of little stops on the way to Whitehorse today: Carmacks for gas, missed the Twin Lakes turnout, Braeburn Lodge for cinnamon buns (I had to stay in the trailer because of the dogs). I climbed a big rock at the Conglomerate Mountain turnout.
Mum and Dad saw a black bear cross the road; Mum saw two trumpeter swans in the Nordenskiold River system. Mum still can't understand why everything has common names when the people that lived here before the fur traders came probably had names for everything. The other thing Mum doesn't understand is why Alberta is called Wild Rose Country when Yukon has far more wild roses – they're everywhere. At Braeburn Lodge the ladies told her that the purple flower on the roadside is wile sweat pea or a wild clover.
We are staying at the Caribou RV Park again. It has all the facilities we needed – showers, laundry. Mum and Dad talked to a nice lady from New Mexico. She used to have a Maine Coon and she really misses him. After supper Mum and Dad went for a walk and talked to a couple from Florida that has a teardrop trailer. I can't imagine traveling all that way in a small trailer. They only left Florida last Friday so they are making good time. The man built his trailer from plans he found on the website TTNT. Thank goodness we need a truck and a trailer to accommodate Dad's hobby. It would be quite crowded with the 3 of us in a teardrop!

While Mum and Dad were doing laundry I let Katie carry me around. She carried me upside down and inside out. Dad says I had a great chiropractic treatment. She was a nice young lady. Mum is going to send her a picture of me when we get home.
Mum and Dad are doing a few touristy things tomorrow and some grocery shopping. We will be starting the trek back to Edmonton on Monday.

Day 14, Sunday, June 14

Our very dirty trailer
Two weeks, Dad says, and we are all still alive and in piece – including the truck and trailer. Although the truck and trailer look a little worse for the wear – they are covered in mud. The construction areas use a mixture of water and calcium and water to lay the dust. It makes anyone dirty that touches the truck or trailer.
Dad says I smell like pine trees.
Today I had lots of walks and climbed one tree almost to the 8 foot level. My problem is how to get down. Dad and Mum left me in the trailer while they went to do touristy things.

Dad stopped in at the Yukon RC Modelers field just down the road from the RV campground. One
guy was flying an electric spitfire. It was a little too windy so it was getting bounced around a little. The other guys showed Dad a Pawnee. The general statement was “If you don't fly in the wind, you don't fly” :). It is surprising that the pilots don't get distracted by the view when they are flying.

After stopping at the airfield Mum and Dad went on to see the SS Klondike paddle wheeler. The original SS Klondike was built in 1929 but ran aground in 1936. Parts were used to construct SS Klondike II and it ran until 1955. It was neat to see the layout but some areas were off-limits.
Next they went up to see the fish ladder. There were small salmon (barely a mouthful) and arctic grayling in the resting section. This tributary has the largest salmon and it takes them nearly 3 months to get from the Bering Sea to their spawning grounds.  It really is amazing that those salmon can travel so far. Mum was teacher's pet – the interpreter kept saying that Mum asked the most interesting questions.
Did you know that it is very hard to find a restaurant open in Whitehorse on a Sunday! Mum and Dad finally found a Ricky's Grill to have mid-afternoon lupper. Groceries were next on the agenda. They didn't get to see the museum, the log skyscrapers or the log church. Maybe the next time they come to Whitehorse.
I got a long walk after supper and met a nice couple from Iowa. They were washing their car before going north. That seems like a lost cause.

Yukon Adventure - week 3

Day 15, Monday, June 15

Today I had a sick day. I must have got into something that upset my tummy. I had a bit of diarrhea and complained a lot in the truck. Bottled water for me for the rest of the trip.
Mum made an interesting breakfast using leftover liquid egg, ham, cheese and tortillas. I think with a little tweaking it might become part of their regular fare. Mum likes toast with her eggs so this was a good adaption seeing as toast is difficult to make on a camp stove.
After leaving Whitehorse we took the little detour to Carcross and Taigish.
We saw a really pretty lake, Emerald Lake. It really was emerald colour. We missed seeing the Carcross Desert. Our friend Lorraine recognized the lake as soon as she saw the picture.
The mountains looked a little different from this side. We didn't do much other stopping for scenery shots today – mostly stretch and clean up breaks. Our lunch stop was just outside Teslin. There was a big lake and the information panels talked about the salmon, how things grow in the north, paddle wheelers and the First Nations people. We stopped at Rancheria Falls again for a stretch break and to see if we could get ahead of a slow truck.
We had to stop in Watson Lake to get gas and then backtrack to the Watson Lake campground.
The sites are really narrow so our tent is on a slope. The black flies seem quite vicious so the tent is advisable.
Tomorrow we are going to try to get into Liard Hot Springs. If we can't Mum and Dad may take a trip to the hot springs and then drive onto the next stop.
I am feeling much better now – after eating 3 dragon flies :).
PS: After supper we went for a long walk around the park. We met a motorcyclist from LA that was very excited about his trip but he was totally unprepared for the weather. He didn't have a proper tent and his clothes kept getting wet. At one point he was so depressed he was considering returning home before he reached his final goal. Some oilfield workers talked him out of it so he carried on. He told us about his close encounter with the bison trying to cross the road. It got stuck on the concrete barrier and managed to get over just as Chris came along with his motorcycle. Once Mum and Dad were in bed it started raining again so Dad took a tarp and some rope over to his campsite. Chris was very grateful. He was also having trouble with a rear tire. We hope he makes it safely to Fairbanks where he has a new tire waiting from him.

Day 16, Tuesday, June 16

We stopped in Watson Lake so Dad could wash the truck and trailer. Dad figures we lost 50 pounds of dirt! Mum and I walked on the boardwalk while we were waiting for Dad to finish. We stopped at Whirlpool Canyon. There was a lot of water and moving very fast.
We met another couple from Edmonton that were saying they wanted to stay at Liard, too.
Today we saw 3 black bears, eagles and about 20 bison. The bison where all laying down having a snooze. We didn't stop for a picture because the turnout was full of other vehicles. Well, Mum and Dad also wanted to get to the hot springs before that other couple. We were hoping that we would get there early enough that we could get a spot and we did! Mum and Dad were pleased because they both needed a soak. Dad had to fix the water heater. It looks like all the dust from the roads plugged up the pilot light. Showers tomorrow for Mum and Dad – they both smell a little sulfurry.
Our campsite has a very brave squirrel. He has wandered into our tent more than once. He came nose to nose with me and was totally taken aback. Sadly there are no good trees to climb in this campsite. Even on our after dinner walk I didn't find a climbable tree. A small rabbit came to nibble on the grass in our site. Dad tried to get a picture but the rabbit caught site of the camera and ran off (just like Mum).
A nice lady from Arizona stopped by. She had to leave her two cats in a kennel because she is on a 3 month trek. She is part of a caravan that is going to the Arctic Circle and then back into Alaska. When we were on our after supper walk we met her and her dog, Maisie(?). The dog was a very nice golden retriever that reminded Dad of his dog Ginger. We carried on with her for awhile. One of the campsites had so much poplar fluff it looked like it had been TP'd. The Park Ranger said he was glad that I came camping in his park. He was very impressed by my tail. We met another nice lady from California. Mum and Dad chatted with her about all sorts of things. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in various countries and shops at the Restore store – just like Dad. She had wanted a Casita but she is 6'1” so there wasn't enough room for her to stand up.
While Mum was reading her book Dad wandered off. When he hadn't come back after she had read 3 chapters she started to get worried. She walked up to see if he was chatting with the Casita owner (you know how Dad gets when he is chatting) but he wasn't there. When she was walking back to the trailer the Park Ranger was driving by so she told him she had misplaced her husband. He was driving around the loop so he said he would keep an eye out for him. Just as the Park Ranger returned Dad came strolling back. He had been talking to the owner of a Tab and lost track of time. We all had a little chuckle over that.

Day 17, Wednesday, June 17

Summit Lake
Today was a traveling day. We did make a few stops along the way and saw some pretty cool animals. Mum and Dad saw a mamma bear with her 2 cubs and then a bison. We finally got to see Stone sheep. There was a mum and her little one on the side of the road and then a few kms further on close to Summit Lake there was about 20 grazing beside the highway. The slope they were on was so steep.
I don't know how they could stand up. A little while later we saw a young caribou. We did make one stop that we shouldn't have. We were short on gas so we stopped at the Norther Rockies Lodge in Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Gas was a $1.79 per litre – the most we paid anywhere. Mum and Dad will try not to buy gas in provincial parks in the future :).
When we stopped at the Summit Lake lookout we saw the Pink Mountain lady. That is 3 times that I have seen her now.
We did stop at the Tetsa River Services and Campground for Cinnamon Buns but the lady was too busy to visit.
There was some construction and the speed limit was slower than expected so we didn't make as much distance as we expected today. We are staying at the Triple G Hideaway RV Park. It is definitely designed for the big rigs – there aren't many trees to climb. I did get to see my first horse today. They were pulling a wagon full of people. The driver was kind enough to stop and let the horses see me. One of the passengers was more excited to see a cat on a leash than being in a horse drawn wagon that he exclaimed “A cat on a leash – I've never seen that before” and took a picture for his daughter. That was the third time that I had my picture taken.
I did get my after supper walk but there really wasn't any interesting people. There is something really neat by the restaurant – a smell of something – but Mum and Dad won't let me investigate.

Day 18, Thursday, June 18

Today was another traveling day. We went all the way from Fort Nelson to almost Grande Prairie. Tomorrow should be easier. Over hill over dale – Dad says – just think the bobsled runs that they would make. Mum says the scenery is terrific but I am not so impressed. The big construction outside Fort St John had no lane control today. Mum and Dad were relieved but disappointed when we crested the hill and a large oversize load truck pulled out if front of us. There are not many places to pass such a large vehicle and the pilot cars.
I am still feeling a little sick so I was cranky this morning. Once I a messy poop I was able to sleep most of the afternoon.
Mum saw 3 brown long-legged, long-necked wading bird. Dad thinks they may have been sand hill cranes. Our bird book is not very good so Mum will look it up at home. There was a bear but I didn't see it. Do elk and bison farms count on seeing wildlife? Probably not, Mum says.
We are staying at the Saskatoon Island Provincial Park. Guess what – I caught my first mouse. I waited patiently when I saw the bushes move. I finally spotted my quarry and approached quietly. I just lofted it out of the bushes onto the gravel. I was just getting ready to have some fun when Dad intervened. The mouse ran into the log pile. Maybe I can find him tomorrow. I think this is the best campground so far.
We walked down to the lake for our after supper stroll. There are some neat birds here but I am still looking for that mouse!
Dad says, if all goes well, we should be home about two tomorrow afternoon. I think Mum and Dad are looking forward to having their own bed and regular showers. Mum is rather tired of being covered in mosquito bites.

Day 19, Friday, June 19

On one of our stops today I was playing in the long grass. Dad picked me up and tossed me further into the long grass. I hopped like the jack rabbit that lives in the front yard to get back to the gravel. Good thing I have that long tail for balance.
We are home. As soon as we crossed the Anthony Henday I could smell it. My whiskers were twitching with excitement. And suddenly there was my tree and my yard. How great to stretch out on my chair. Mum and Dad spent the evening cleaning up a bit. Well, the first thing I did was have a good drink out of the bathroom sink – how I missed that! And sleeping in the sink – it has such a nice shape.
It was a good trip maybe we will do some other long trip some day.

All our pictures can be found here: Yukon pictures