Port Hardy to Prince Rupert

MV Northern Expedition

We woke this morning 15 minutes before the alarm was due to go off, which was just as well. By the time we had made our ablutions, made the bed, brought in the slides and walked the dogs it was time to get ready to load BC Ferry's MV Northern Expedition for our 15 hour voyage through the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert.

Foot passengers wandered on first then the motor cycles, then a delay as a few more walkers arrived, then the cars started loading, one at a time as each boarding pass was checked. Obviously many people didn't have theirs handy-- they rummaged about as the patient staff waited. Every so often another few pedestrians would arrive and the cars waited until they had meandered down the ramp and along the car deck to the stairs or elevator. So the loading progressed. One vehicle, . . . then another, . . . and another . . . etc. etc. It didn't take long to see why they start loading a 6:00 AM for a 7:30 departure!

Although we had not arranged a place to meet on board Art found Gillian without any trouble, nursing her morning coffee. On the passenger deck just out side the entrance to the cafe we were surprised to find a table providing free coffee and tea as the restaurants would not be open until 7:00 AM. Nice touch—especially as they charged us $20.00 to park overnight in the lineup!

Shortly after departure we made our way to the cafe for breakfast. Nothing spectacular but reasonable cafeteria food. We were pleased to find a few tables against the wall with accessible power plugs for the laptop so we decided to take the opportunity to bash out a few more words on the word processor, ready to cut and paste to the blog when we next get internet access.

As we passed Cape Scott, the northern end of Vancouver Island, we entered Queen Charlotte Strait. An announcement advised that the we may feel a bit of motion as we entered this section of open water and pointed out Pine Island light house on the mainland side, one of the few known nesting places of the rhinocerus auklet. Yesterday's sun was long gone, no sign of its re-appearance this morning. Soon the mainland to starboard was only a blue grey silhouette a few miles away while to port a grey sea met a grey sky with the blurred outline of a ship on the horizon.

As the morning progressed the sky slowly brightened and by the time we had finished breakfast things were looking up. Returning from our first trip down to the car deck there was a lot of blue sky and soon we were out on the deck watching the scenery go by. It was still cool so before long Art returned inside and in a bit we went back to the cafe for lunch. Food has been ok, though so far we have spent over $50.00 on breakfast and lunch with dinner still to come! After lunch it was time to go below again.

The dogs of course are not permitted above the car deck so they were left to snooze the voyage away. There are set time where the car deck will be opened for 15 minutes so we will have time to check on them once in a while and let them out for a few minutes. The first two breaks, one at 11:00 and the second at 1:45 proved to be futile in the attempt to have them relieve themselves—they seemed to believe that they were still inside, though the floor was steel not wood, tile or carpet and they would not go.

Back up to the passenger decks Art returned to the cafe for coffee and lemon pie while Gillian carried on to the sun deck where Art later joined her.

The day progressed, the weather improving minute by minute. We took dozens of photos--one day I'll figure out how to setup albums in Picassa and how to link said albums to this blog. One day. Then I'll comeback and setup the links. Meanwhile:

























The photo on the left is of Butedale






The voyage wore on--long but enjoyable, thanks in part to the beautiful scenery, enhanced by the warm sunny weather. The vessel itself was very pleasant, new, clean, very up-scale. The staff too were very friendly and helpful.

Four times during the trip we could go down to the car deck to care for the dogs. The third time down Gillian took the opportunity to raid the fridge for the remains of the fruit pizza made at Buttle Lake. Back up above the pizza stayed uneaten and soon it was time for dinner after which we had no room at all! The food was excellent, so during the last permitted trip below for the dogs (for which we interrupted our dinner) Gillian brought the pizza back down, placing it on the dash while she got the leashes for the excited dogs. See it coming? Tia had another pee but Trekker knew that no matter how much we coaxed him, this was "inside" and he wouldn't go! Gillian even stayed beyond the alloted 15 minutes but to to avail and eventually returned topside.



Eventually we began to see signs of civilization again and were soon called to the cardeck to get ready to disembark. Gillian went directly to the car as she didn't want to upset the dogs by arriving then leaving again while Art went to the motorhome. We would meet up at the RV park less than a kilometre up the road. Art was greeted at the door of the motorhome by the pups. "Who, me? What pizza?" All he could do was laugh and take a photo!



At the campground Gillian already had us registered by the time Art arrived with the motorhome so she took the dogs for a much needed outing on the grass while Art set up the rig.

Week One of "Mexico, the Long Way Round"

We were a little late getting started this morning. Due in part to a barbecue last night at the neighbours we were a tad late getting to bed!

Hopes (dreams?) of rolling by ten or eleven soon gave way to reality; we pulled out of the drive a few minutes after 2:00 PM! Rather than negotiate the winding Mark Lane with attendant risk of on coming traffic forcing us to stop, unhook, backup etc, Gillian set off in the tracker, Art in the rig, meeting at the top to hook up. As we climbed back tothe motorhome, finally really on the road, someone exclaimed "Damn! My purse in on the dresser!" As we didn't have a dresser in the motorhome Art quickly realised that this wasn't good news!

Unhook, Gillian went back the 6Km or so to the house in the tracker. Returning, we hooked up the tow car again and set off--at 3:ooPM

We made a quick stop at Cassidy to meet up with niece Angela who had a pair of boots that one of Art's sisters had left behind. We arrived at the Light House RV Park at Fanny Bay at 5:540 and got set up, Art filling the water tank while Gillian walked the dog.

Art noticed spots and traces of oil on the hood of the tow car, which on inspection, proved to have come from under the hood of the car and not, fortunately, from the rear engined motorhome!
We had had a service and oil change on the car last week; the dip stick wasn't firmly seated and it apppears that the low air pressure area behind the motorhome had sucked some oil out!

A quick wipe with paper towels and we were ready to head off to deliver the boots and spend an enjoyable dinner and evening with Art's sister and family who live just up the road. We remembered to return the boots! Had had visions of them accompanying us on our trip!

Back at the rig we soon went to bed--sleeping in until almost nine next morning! There had been rain over night but it was all over by the time we got up, the day promising to be quite pleasant.

There is wireless internet here,hence the quick postings. We will spend part of today (and many others!) sorting out "stuff" that didn't have a place but we wanted to take; one large box and a couple of grocery bags of, among other things, various chargers, papers, tools, etc etc.




Art also took the opportunity to wash the oil off the car. Later that afternoon all the Island siblings arrived for a visit with us at Light House RV Park at Fanny Bay so we were able to spend some time together before we leave the Island for 10 months.

On the 14^th we proceeded to Butle Lake in Strathcona Park for a three day rally of the Vancouver Islanders, a chapter of Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) The evening was rainy in fact down right soggy. However we had an enjoyable time, barbecuing steaks, with baked potato and salad to compliment them.

The morning dawned bright and sunny. Dinner tonight was to be a potluck so all we had to do today was a casserole. Gillian made a sweet potato and cranberry casserole which we had sampled for the first time last week and had begged the recipe with this in mind. Trekker was ecstatic with the proximity of the lakes and his own personal bay and gravel spit to play in and on!



The 16^th was also a nice day, spent relaxing and visiting. Dinner was spaghetti with sauce, salad, garlic bread supplied by the organizers and followed by a dessert contest:

Desserts were to be cooked by an “alternate” method—anything but using a stove was acceptable. There was everything from home made solar ovens to home made cardboard and aluminum foil BBQs! Gillian's fruit pizza cooked on our regular BBQ won a prize.

The solar panels and controller are performing well, the batteries fully charged by end of the day even with high mountains and tall trees. The sun is not over the mountains until 8:30 and is behind the trees by 3:00PM—still several amps going into the batteries at that time.

Then we back tracked to Comox to visit an old friend who we haven't seen in many years. Here we took the time and opportunity to do some laundry and have a luxurious shower without worrying about water and let the dogs run around in the yard with Tawny, a geriatric Malamute cross. Then we stopped off at an off leash dog park where Trekker and Tawney chased a tennis ball for a while before being confined to the cars while we went out for dinner.

Now our trip started in earnest. We turned north again enroute to Port Hardy, to catch the ferry to Prince Rupert. First however we stopped off at London Drug to buy a few items--including a new camera. This to replace the Cannon that disappeared a few weeks ago. The last time Art saw it was when he piled a handfull of stuff on the roof of the car when he needed a free hand to open the door. He remembered packing other things away but doesn't remember the camera!

The new Nikon is 14 megapix with a 26 X optical zoom and will take a while to get used to. At the sight of the 200 page manual Gillian commented “This looks ominous!” and started with the “quick start guide” as we set off, hoping to at least get down the basics.

We arrived in Port Hardy in plenty of time for a look around town, looking for, in particular, a car wash. None to be had in town! South again to the ferry terminal at Bear Cove we stopped at the turn off at the Welcome to Port Hardy sign for a photo of AbqL.

Photo of Art holding AbqL in front of the Port Hardy sign. (Click the photo to enlarge)

Now I guess would be a good time to explain "AbqL"

Back in Albuquerque, at the FMCA South West Convention, the North West Area had a booth advertising their up coming North West Area Rally in August of 2011 (yes, next year). They had a basket of rocks displayed with Abq written on one side. (ABQ is the international aviation identifier for Albuquerque Airport and Abq a common abbreviation for Albuquerque.) We signed up and were the 50th to do so, so we chose a rock from the pile, the number 50 written on the other side and AbqL was born. (50 being L in Roman numerals)

The idea is to photograph your rock on your travels, e-mail in the photos and location, and at the Rally in 2011 the most traveled rock will win a prize!

We arrived at the ferry terminal by 5:00 PM, checked in and paid $20.00 to park over night in the lineup! Loading starts at 6:00 AM so Gillian set her alarm for 5:30. Having seen Gillian's morning start-up speed Art was a bit worried but hoped for the best.

We had un-hooked for loading in the morning so the Tracker was parked a few lanes over. Soon a truck towing a large boat arrived, the drive bought his tickets then un-hooked the boat and took the truck to town in search of dinner. Art had a close look at the boat and was very tempted! (click the photo!)

Since the batteries were full we fired up the inverter and set the satellite dish to searching for the StarChoice satellite and within a few minutes we were watching the 6 O'clock News from home. At seven we shut it down and took the dogs out, had some appies and a drink then thought about something for dinner—the last of the Mazatlan prawns with pasta and red peppers and the last of Art's “Margarita Salchichas” as the sauce.

Sometime around here a small mink made an appearance near the garbage bins and in spite of our best efforts with our new camera we managed only one picture of the little thing from the back and a closeup of the bottom of the garbage bin!

Since we had to be up so early in the morning we had planned to get an early night. Those plans were put off when the incoming ferry made it's appearance some time after nine. By the time it had finally docked and unloaded any chance of an early night was long gone—we finally made “lights out” at 11:30!

Home, resting, getting ready to go!

2, months plus to get ready to go!

Renos at home

Heat pump, carpet out Vinyl in

Mechanical service, Silverleaf,

Triangle--heat pump, hydraulic leak,

etc etc etc

Home!

6th


8:40-15:50

Roadmaster for parts--lost, detours,

Tides restaurant
Bella Italia, Port Angeles

parked in lineup over night

Home 12:30 7th April.

Bluff, Utah to Portland, Oregon

A few notes to mark the spaces until I get around to filling in the gaps!

April 2nd 2010
Bluff to Salina and the Butch Cassidy RV Park

April 3rd -- Ruins


4th -- 8:40 - 19:23, 547 Km
rest stop on I84 Idaho/Oregon border

5th

08:25 - 15:00 584 Km to Walmart, I84 exit 16

draft Cortez Colorado and Bluff Utah

More text and pics to come



Cortez to Bluff

March 29th

We stopped in Cortez Colorado some years ago returning from Mexico and visited Mesa Verde, one of the largest ruins of cliff houses around. This time we planned to see more ruins and archeological sites most of which are designated National Monuments or National Parks.

March 30th

In the morning we set off first to the Anasazi Heritage Center which is located near the small town of Dolores and one of the best we have ever seen. There are displays of all sorts—even hands on weaving!Microscopes as well as videos and reproductions of dwellings, many original artifacts such as arrowheads and pottery as well reproductions of things that would not have survived such as bows, arrows, spears and clothing. Art spent all his time inside while Gillian took the dogs for a short stroll to a small ruin.

We next drove a bit north and west, the last 10 miles on dirt roads—muddy and wet in some spots. We later discovered that this road had been closed due to snow just a few days before. This area is part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. We visited only one site, the Lowry Indian Ruins, t. These are being excavated and restored.

Returning to the RV park we had a very late lunch then Gillian went to the office to pay that night's rent. At the office she was advised that we probably wouldn't be able to get the rest of the area tomorrow as there was a winter storm warning posted with snow forecast over night and the next few days.

Within 45 minutes we were on the road to Bluff! Some of these ruins can be accessed from the Utah side as the park straddled the state border. The highway (160) was less than great—some of the poorer roads in Mexico have met their match. A few pot holes but extremely bumpy from what appear to be frost heaves. Practice for our Alaska trip?

In any case we arrived safely at the Cadillac Ranch RV Park. Trekker of course was enthralled with the animals—ducks, donkey, horse, sheep and emus! Tia was mostly interested in the duck on the pond—they probably reminded her of the birds in the estuary at El Manglar!

March 31st

Wednesday was the day for more of the National Monuments, here on the Utah side it is Hovenweep National Monument though there are connecting roads through to the Colorado side.

Here there are many fine ruins of stone towers and buildings around the canyon top and partway down the canyon wall. A two mile trail winds above the canyon top to or at least near many of these ruins—on a warmer day Gillian and the dogs would have enjoyed good hike!

The Anasazi, or Puebloans, two of the names for the first people here, have been here for over 800 years, living by dry farming (no use of irrigation), gathering and hunting. Researchers have been able to follow changes in weather and climate over the centuries showing great changes in the area that could support dry farming. Some periods, decades or centuries, the area would be four or five times the normal, then would follow dry times where the suitable area would shrink. I think it was the early 1300s, a few centuries before the arrival of the white man, when there was a 25 year span where no crops could grow. This coincided with the abandonment of the settlements.

April 1^st What an April Fool's Day! Freezing out side and the wind howling from the west. Again..

Art notice that a motorhome had arrived sometime during the night and the owner and his son were up on the roof try to secure the remnants of their awning which the wind had shredded while they were driving last night! Art was able to lend them some tools and with bits of twine they managed to make do.

Dad and two kids had flown to California from Indiana to buy their first motorhome and of course had no tools nor sufficient warm clothing. They had been given no instruction, no hose, no nothing! Art invited him in to check road reports on the laptop—snow! If this doesn't discourage them from the RV lifestyle nothing will!

We spent the rest of the morning reading e-mails and weather reports and doing a bit of record keeping. By noon it looked like it was going to clear so we piled into the car with warm coats and set off for the Valley of the Gods. There is a rough dirt road through the area, which took us about an hour to drive around. The pictures can speak for themselves.

On the way back we stopped at the local trading post and cafe for lunch then back to the rig. The wind had come up again strong and cold and blowing dust. Time for a cup of tea then back to the laptop again while the dogs had a nap.

In a bit the wind eased, the sun made an appearance, though the cloud to the west looked pretty ominous so Art took the opportunity to hook up the water hose and refill the tank in preparation for leaving in the morning while Gillian took the dogs for a quick walk. We both finished just in time, the sun gone behind another great chunk of cloud and while not windy, just enough of a cold breeze to make it uncomfortable. We can just see many of you chuckling or even laughing out loud. After gloating over our hot sunny winter we probably deserve it! We even had a trace of hail, just to rub our noses in it!

An interesting (for some) occurrence, there was a single clap of thunder during the mini hail drop and simultaneously the satellite lost sound and picture for about 10 seconds. Art theorised that the lightning had ionised the air in the signal path, absorbing the signal.

Tonight by 7:00PM the RV park is full. When we pulled back in this afternoon there was only one other rig here. We plan to leave tomorrow, have no reservations for the Easter Weekend, we'll see what comes. We may just have to dry camp somewhere. We would like to go into the Capitol Reef National Park, but it all depends on weather. Fortunately the water tank is full, the waste tanks empty, the propane 1/3 full--a bit too close for comfort but should keep the furnace going for a few day. I think its time that the heavy bedspread goes back on the bed! It has been stuffed into a cupboard for 5 months!

draft Albuquerque to Cortez Colorado

Please be patient--I've got weeks to catch up on!