We drove to Alaska this year thru Canada From May 22 thru July 13. We entered Canada at Osoyoos and camped as a campground just before the crossing. Our route in on the map below. Shortly before leving the US I purchased a Starlink Mini to have internet in Canada and Alaska when out of normal service areas. It worked real good and enabled us to have Cell service everywhere.
Overlooking a lake on the first day of travel north
The second night we stayed at a campground operated by a trump worshiper. He cooked a barbeque for everyone in the campground. That was mainly us.
Young Horsetail.
Speedwell Veronica
We camped at this provincial park for 20 CD per night. It was quiet except for the buzzing of mosquitoes. We had internet there because of the Starlink. It was cloudy and misting rain.
And more bison
Just one of the many mountains visible from the car
Jacobs ladder. We saw these all thru the north country
And elk
Suspect this is another fleabane
A memorial on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
The stone marker at the site.
At one provincial campground we saw Calispo orchids. Not a very common plant.
Moose. Sad story: this is the moose that caused John to fall out of his truck and suffer a long lasting injury.
We parked down there in a small pullout to walk up the road to get a view of the glacier there. The moose tracks were on the narrow strip on the outside of the guardrail.
This is not in the park. It was in an estuary with a boardwalk for bird watching. We saw the tree swallow and some geese and this moose lying under the boardwalk
A starflower next to a northern blackberry
Marsh marigolds
Baby Canada geese.
Starflower
Bunchberry. a relative of the dogwood tree.
Red Baneberry
Same thing
Tall mountain blue bells
Wild geranium
In a different forest preserve we hiked up this stream and back down the other side looking for moose. We did see one near the end crossing the road near the parking lot.
Quiet ocean south on Anchorage on the way to Homer.
We camped right on the beach in Homer within walking distance of the restaurants.
a gull about to hitch a ride on an eagle.
The mountains across the bay from out camp on Homer spit.
We took a nature excursion to see puffins
And saw see otters.
And arches. We felt right at home.
Common Murres
Pigeon Guillemot
Comorant
This is the laundromat at the campground.
Harbor seal eatting a halibut
Wild lilly
Bearberry?
This moose was easy to spot. The visitor center was closed.
Unidentified duck
Labrador tea
A small random lake we saw on a driving excursion on a rainy day.
More Jacobs ladder
We stopped by Deana Swaneys house on a lake for a visit. This is their boardwalk to the lake. She is the author who wrote the book on hiking in Valley of Fire.
Cup mushroom
Deanna's back porch
Deanna's lake cabin
Thimbleberry flower.
Moss
Cup mushroom
On the way to Denali we passed a braided river.
A rock ptarmagin
Moose by the road in Denali park.
Ravens nest on a bridge.
Another moose by the road in Denali
This moose was by our camper one morning
Mother moose
The sun came out and clouds went away so we took a flight around the mountain
This glacier on the mountain is where some of the flights land so you can walk around on the glacier some.
tree squirrel
Shrubby cinquefoil
Wintergreen
Common Merganser
Type of saxifrage
Touch me nots
The campground in Denali had ice cream
Later on in Fairbanks we saw a field of Sandhill cranes.
Tree swallow nests
Wild iris
Grebe
Tree swallow
Grebe
Red necked grebe
Tall mountian bluebells with pink ones too.
Old light fixture in a train car museum
Old steam shovel
The train we rode around the park in Fairbanks on.
Baby robins about to leave the nest.
Santa's gift shop at the North Pole.
The actual North Pole
Back to th sandhill cranes in Fairbanks
This is the office of the campground we stayed at in Fairbanks. The mosquitos were terrible.
After leaving Fairbanks John an I split up and we headed on the Valdez Alaska. You go over a pass that is above tree line.
Before the pass we took a short drive out the Denali Highway which is a east/west shortcut back to Denali if we were going there.
We only followed the road as long as it was paved. Most of iit is dirt.
There was fantastic scenery along the way
White-winged scoter
Dropping down into Valdez we pass several waterfalls.
Harbor in Valdez. We camped one block away from here.
Eagles were plentiful in Valdez
We took an excursion to a glacier and to see wildlife
Iceberg
Humpback whale tail
Two otters on an ice floe
Harbor seals
Colorful character on the excursion boat.
Harbor seal on ice
The glacier
Another puffin taking off
Stellar sea lions
Arctic tern at Valdez harbor
Western oyster catcher around the valdez harbor
Wild? domestic columbine
Leaving Valdez we saw our first Grizzly
We camped on this lake in a campground where grizzlys congregate. we didn't see any
Anemone flower
chickweed
Mountain avens
Mt Charleston blue flew all the way to alaska
western swallowtail
The tent camping area at the campground has an electric fence around it.
Bear tracks on the lakeshore
Yellow paintbrush
Lupine
On the way to Haines AK
Famous hammer museum
Harbor in Hanes
Hanes pass
False lily of the valley
Thimble berry
Slug
Columbine
Our campsite in Haines
Loon on the road into Haines
In whitehorse BC we camped in town and took an excursion to Skagway on a bus and a train, This is a totem pole on the way
The skagway train
Bear on the road
Sign post forest
The famous alternate route back south (not the alcan) its very remote and only has gas about every 200 miles. No cell phone service for 400 miles. Except if you have a starlink, no problem,
This is what they call a narrow dangerous road. Nice
this in on the pass into Stewart alaska. There were many grizzlies in the area. We didn't see any but counted 33 piles of bear scat in the road over the pass. The saying about bears shitting in the woods does not apply here. They do it in the road.
Another arctic blackberry
Triple rainbow.
Another glacier from the road
The lake we camped at when we saw the triple rainbow
Common Yellowthroat. First time for me
Wolf in the estuary
Fighting finches
Our only grizzly cubs. Almost got hit by a logging truck while crossing the road.
A campground on an First Nation reservation
Replica of a native village
Hiking thru a rain forest
Ferns and Devils Club
Queens cup flower
Foam flower
foam flower
Trail near Mt Robson CA
Mt Robson
One sided wintergreen
Wild geranium
Wild strawberry
Orchid
Twinflower
On a 6 mile trail to a lake in Mt Robson park.
Butterfly different from ours
Single Del;ight
Speedwell
Near Jasper NP a fire devastated a lot of forest around there
Moss Campion
Moss Campion
Another Avens kind of flower
White heather
Yellow paintbrush
White heather
Cinquefoil
Spotted saxifrage
At the top of the tram on a windy day
Moss campion
Moss campion
White heather
Milkvetch
Chickweed
Looking down to our campground from the top of the tram
Deer along the road
Two baby eagles on the nest
Athabaska falls
Camping on the Icefields parkway
Mid day in the campground was kinda crowded.
Tourists on the glacier at Ice Fields parkway
Mt Athabaska
White thistle
Columbia glacier
Golden saxifrage
Spotted sandpiper
Pink wintergreen
Orange paintbrush
HIking to the columbia glacier. The sign shows where the glacier was in 1982 which was the last time we were there.
This is the 1992 marker and is as far as you can go without a guide.
Golden saxifrage
Alpine avens
Viewpoint on a trail on the opposite side of the valley from the glacier
Anemony flower
Spruce cones
The trail above timberline
Looking across the valley to the columbia glacier
Mountain dandelion. Not common and orange in color
Two chairs someone hauled up the trail for a viewpoint
Mountain avens in seed
Bow lake
Young grizzlies
Mamma grizzley
Front door of the Fairmont Lake Louise
Moraine lake
Moraine lake
Moraine lake
When we arrived at the hotel they had a birthday cake for Brenda
Also a bottle of wine, box of chocolates, and a souvenir glass.
We stayed on the 7th floor which is the gold floor. Speial
Free continental breakfast qwas better than usual
Custom omelettes included
Nespresso machine in the room
Bathroom in our room. Notice a tub and a shower.There was a digital bathroom scale under the sink
The living room
Bedroom
Snack tray in the room
Lobby
Some kind of rein orchid
Us in front of the hotel
One sided wintergreen
The trails to the closest lake was very crowded.
The tea house at the second lake. It is like a starbucks except they have tea. Long line to get in.
The tea house is on this lake
Penstemon
Ground squirrel
Marmot
Red Saxifrage
White heather
Other side on the lake where the tea house is
Twinberry
Death Camus
Butterwort
Our Keycard for the 7th floor
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