October and November were busy months. We had a lot to do once we got back home from our summer adventures. Just cleaning out the Dirt Yacht took quite some time. From storing our cold weather clothes to getting rid of all of the dust in the motorhome and outside storage compartments, Randy and I spent quite a bit of time organizing and cleaning. And that is never my favorite thing to do! While we were home we also caught up on some of our doctor’s appointments. I had a few extra tests to check on my kidney stones, but for now at least the doctor just wants to keep watching them to make sure they are not continuing to grow.
Continue reading “Back to the Keys 10/2019 – 11/2019”Haines and Juneau: Eagles, Bears, Whales and Wildlife 08/27 – 08/30/2019
The roads after leaving Destruction Bay heading to Haines were much better than the last several days which made it a delightful 213 mile trip on the Alaska Highway and the Haines Highway. We had gorgeous views of the Kluane Range, Kathleen Lake, the Klukshn Wetlands and the Chilkat River.
Continue reading “Haines and Juneau: Eagles, Bears, Whales and Wildlife 08/27 – 08/30/2019”Valdez: Glaciers, Salmon, Sea Lions, Seals, Whales and Wildlife 08/21 – 08/24/2019
It took us a good part of the day to travel the 262 miles to Valdez and our access to the Prince William Sound. A little over half of the trip was on the Glenn Highway that had lots of steep downgrades with sharp curves. The last 120 miles was on the Richardson Highway where we passed the Worthington Glacier and drove through the Keystone Canyon. We stayed at the Eagles Rest RV Park in Valdez. The management at the Park had mixed up the caravan reservations so we had to move our spot. We had just gotten set up and started washing the mud and dirt off the Jeep and RV when Mitch and us were asked to move. They had promised another 2 travelers the spots we were on for Saturday so we were not very kindly told we needed to move NOW. Because we had someone coming to see our ShowHauler, we didn’t get to go out to dinner as planned, but instead just had a quick dinner about 8:30. It had been a long day by that time so we just called it a night.
Continue reading “Valdez: Glaciers, Salmon, Sea Lions, Seals, Whales and Wildlife 08/21 – 08/24/2019”Seward: Alaska Sea Life Center, Kenai Fjords National Park, Salmon Fishing, Smoke and Wildfires 08/15 – 08/18/2019
The Dirt Yacht only stayed clean for one day. By the time we drove the 155 miles to Seward, it was dirty and dusty again. We had several miles of road construction that contributed to the grime. There was also smoke from a nearby wildfire that probably contributed to some of the dust. This wildfire was in the same general location as the one we saw on our drive to Homer; however, this fire was larger and spread out in several locations. We spotted a helicopter dumping water from a large bag on the fire. We watched the helicopter drop down to a creek between the fire and the roadway to refill the bag before again dropping its load over the fire. I don’t know how much water the helicopter could drop at one time, but it didn’t look like more than a thimble full in comparison to the amount of fire. The fire had definitely grown in comparison to what we spotted on our trip into Homer a few days ago. That fire and smoke was the first time we had seen any active wildfire on this trip.
Continue reading “Seward: Alaska Sea Life Center, Kenai Fjords National Park, Salmon Fishing, Smoke and Wildfires 08/15 – 08/18/2019”Dawson City: Diamond Tooth Gerties, Dredge No. 4, Five Fingers Rapids and Klondike Spirit 07/28 – 07/30/2019
By the time we left Whitehorse at about 6:15, there were already several other RVs out ahead of us. All we cared about was getting out early enough that we could make the sharp turn out of our spot. We may not have been able to do that if anyone had already connected their toad. Fortunately, we didn’t have any issues. We stopped at Braeburn Lodge for a photo. This stop was only a little over an hour after we departed, but it was still good to stretch our leg and let Ty have a walk. While Randy was waiting for his cinnamon bun, Steve (either the owner or manager) asked who owned the big black rig. Randy thought at first that he had done something wrong, but Steve was just admiring our RV. I ended up getting a picture of all of us while Randy was wearing his birthday hat.
Continue reading “Dawson City: Diamond Tooth Gerties, Dredge No. 4, Five Fingers Rapids and Klondike Spirit 07/28 – 07/30/2019”Butte, Montana to Coeur d’Arlene, Idaho – Start of the Fantasy RV Tour 07/10/2019
After leaving Cody, Wyoming, we stopped for 2 nights in Butte, Montana. At one time it was a thriving town, but due to steep, continuous declines in copper prices the Berkeley operation was shut down in 1982. Currently there is only a very limited amount of mining in operation and the population has shrunk considerably. We took a trolley ride to learn the history of the town and to view the mining area. The guide told us there was still a lot of pride in the city, but that jobs have been lost and many people have left the town. As part of the tour we viewed the Berkeley Pit. The Pit is 7,200 feet long, 5,600 feet wide and 1,780 feet deep. The current volume of water is 40 billion gallons of polluted water, that rises an average of 1 foot per month. Sirens went off during our tour which happens when any flock of birds tries to land in the water or anywhere near the Pit. These sirens were put in place to protect the birds from the contaminated water. From what the guide told us, it appears the EPA and the mining owners have been in contentious discussions for many years on how to clean up the contamination.
Continue reading “Butte, Montana to Coeur d’Arlene, Idaho – Start of the Fantasy RV Tour 07/10/2019”Kayaking Tarpon Belly Key 04/02/2019
Randy finally got to visit the second canal on Tarpon Belly Key when Kat was visiting. We took the 2 smaller kayaks with us on the boat. It was a tight fit but we all squeezed in.
Looe Key with Kat 3/31/2019 and 4/01/2019
We had 2 beautiful days with low winds and calm water to spend some time at Looe Key Marine Sanctuary. Looe Key Marine sanctuary is about 9 miles from our campsite. From the No. 1 channel marker (off the Atlantic), it is a straight shot for 5.1 Nautical Miles @ 148 degrees to the reef.
Sawyer Key 03/17/2019
Our neighbor across the canal, Bruce invited us to follow them out to Sawyer Key. Before we left we needed to fuel up so we left a little early to get gas. While we were heading to the fuel pier we noticed one of our neighbors catching (and releasing) a nurse shark from the Block 3 bulkhead. The kids were very excited with their catch.
Continue reading “Sawyer Key 03/17/2019”Enjoying the great weather: Little Palm, Mangroves and Marvin Key 03/04/2019
It has been very warm and calm in the Keys for the last several days so we have taken advantage and used the boat quite a bit. They are calling for small craft warnings starting on Wednesday so Randy plans to pull the boat tomorrow to wash and clean the bottom. I hope we have a return of the great weather by the weekend since friends are visiting for a week.