Trip Update #4

Since we left Haines our RV has been running well, thanks to the help we got from Tom Remy in WA. The Remys help get us through a difficult period when it seemed like everything that could go wrong (with the RV) did go wrong. We miss their company (and home cooking)!

Shooting wildlife has always been a fun past time, plus there is no bag limit when you are using digital ammo. On the ferry we saw dozens of eagles, some humpback whales, killers whales, sea otters and a harbor seal. In Haines, we could walk down to the stream near our campground and see grizzles eating berries or looking for salmon. There are fishing counting devises on spawning streams, there were 1700 salmon/day going up this stream. On the road from Haines we saw moose and beaver in the ponds. A black bear was crossing the road as we entered Valdez.

The road out of Haines was in great shape and almost no other traffic. Once we joined up with the Alaska Highway, the traffic increased considerably. Now we would see RVs every few minutes. (It should be called the RV highway). The road conditions got worse with frost heave a common problem. Imagine a roller coaster ride in a 3 ton RV. Of course like DC, there were potholes to dodge. Unlike DC, an recent earthquake had done considerable damage to sections of the Richardson Highway. There were sizable sections of roadway under repair. This meant gravel roads and all the dust you can choke on. We made the mistake of washing our RV before we left Haines, we thought it was dirty then, now we have given up hope on ever seeing it clean again. Hats off to the highway crews, they have been working 12-16 hour days 6-7 days per week since April.

I don't know what's happened to the economy recently, but in the Yukon, the unofficial exchange rate for the dollar is 1 to 1. Then my credit card notified me (nice timing guys) there will be a surcharge on foreign transactions. Luckily I had money stashed in a Canadian Bank and beat then at their silly game. People say Hawaii is expensive, but after paying $6 for a bag of ice, $5 for a hot shower, Interior (no man's land) Alaska has them beat.
Sorry to hear about your flooding follow by Hazy, Hot and Humid weather. Last night was the first rain we had since we got off the ferry. On a hot day it reached the mid 70's. Currently we are in Valdez. It was 43 degrees this morning. No one complaining here. Next stop Anchorage.

Don & Pat