RV Home Yet?

Skagway friend and Gold Rush descendant passes on

My favorite position working on the RV road was working as an interpretative ranger for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, AK in 1998 and 1999. The gold rush was a fascinating time in our history when thousands of people stampeded north to find gold in the Klondike in the Yukon territory of Canada. The majority came through Skagway or Dyea, a few miles away. Of course, by the time the stampeders arrived in Dawson City, all the claims were taken and most returned home richer only from surmounting the challenge but with no gold in their pockets.

During my first year there, I met Barb Kalen while participating in a Christmas in July program for NPR. Her grandfather had come on the gold rush in 1898, but stayed in Skagway to "mine the miners."  He built and ran the Golden North Hotel. Though family lost the hotel in the Depression, Barb's mother had opened Dedman's Photography Studio. Barb helped there and eventually took it over.

When I met her, she was in her mid-seventies and quite a character. We got together to sing folksongs, but her songs were those collected over many years with very few by Peter, Paul and Mary, the ones that I knew. So, she loaned me an autoharp and I learned to play- after a fashion. Everyone in town knew her. Usually she was riding her bike as she went out and about. She was quite outspoken about national and local issues.

The second year I added a gold rush song, accompanied by the autoharp I had purchased, at the beginning of my program in the auditorium. Barb joined me a couple of times plus we once did an evening program. The cruise ship passengers, which flood Skagway each day, loved it! She showed me parts of Dyea and Skagway I would not have otherwise known. On the lowest tide of the year, she invited me out to her beach property between Skagway and Dyea to to walk along the beach. I was amazed at how quickly the tide rose once it had turned. We also went out there for one of her well known beach picnics, which was basically a wiener roast. And we took a number of hikes, exploring the area.

George and I stopped and saw her in 2009 on our Alaska trip. She was slowing down some but was now in her 80s. I just got word from another fellow who worked with me at Klondike Gold Rush as a ranger that she had passed away. Her obituary is an interesting read. She helped reforest Iceland among other things. Check it out in the Skagway News. I'll miss her long handwritten Christmas letters, duplicated and sent out in late January or February, bringing us up to date on family and goings on in Skagway. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

 

Fuel Costs - Our RV Trip to Alaska

People have asked us “how much did your five-month RV trip to Alaska and back cost?” Since we keep accurate fuel and mileage records a summary of those costs was easy to compile. Here are the results:

Total miles traveled: 14349 miles 
Total fuel usage: 1319.5 gallons

Average fuel mileage: 10.87 mpg

Those are the basic numbers. We pull a 33' New Horizon FW with a GMC 3500 Duramax/Allison truck (unfortunately with a new engine installed just prior to the trip … don't ask). The truck and trailer are just under the 22,000 lb max combo in weight.

The lowest towing MPG segment of the trip was from Casper, Wyoming to Billings, Montana in those rolling hills and against a 30 to 40 MPH headwind at 7.2 MPG.

Our total fuel cost was $4096 (US). That includes the cost of 514 (US) gallons purchased in Canada. For our calculations, I used 0.26417 as the conversion factor (liters to US gallons), and a dollar conversion rate of $0.88 US to $1.00 Canadian (current at the time of the trip).

The highest per gallon cost was in Canada, averaging $3.77 per (US) gallon. The most paid per gallon was at Toad River, BC at $4.06 (US). The lowest in Canada was at Lethbridge, AB at $2.49 (US).

The per gallon cost in the US, averaging, was $3.06 (US) with the highest paid per gallon was, no surprise, in Healy, AK at $3.89 (US). The lowest was in New Mexico at $2.15 (US).

The five-month trip began on May 11 and ended on October 8^th,

Failures included:

• two of the four aluminum rims on the trailer failed
• one tire holed by a nail (non-reparable)
• one bearing failure on the trailer that also destroyed a tire
• one injector in the Duramax.

Those same friends ask us if we'd do it again. Short answer—in a heartbeat. George Bruzenak

Photos by George & Jaimie Bruzenak

Traveling---Trials and Tribulations

This 12,000 mile trip has given us many things to remember; views of the most breathtaking scenery that British Columbia, Yukon Territory and Alaska have to offer, up-close encounters with animals and sea life, gorgeous panoramas of glaciers, lakes, mountains and rivers. Unfortunately, the trip has also provided us with some up-close and personal views of small pieces of roadway while we had to make repairs on our trailer.

To date, we've lost three tires to road punctures (1) and blow-outs (2). Two aluminum wheels (hubs) have cracked and been replaced. One injector on the tow vehicle failed and was replaced, thankfully that only took one day while we were parked with friends.

Our travels took us into Oregon for a two-night stay in Winchester Bay to visit with some old friends. From there we traveled south on Highway 101, through the twists and turns of the Redwood National Forest on that two-lane road, with the intention of stopping overnight at the Eureka, CA Elks Club. We never made it.

Just north of Arcata on the four-land divided portion of Highway 101, we heard a loud "boom". I looked back and saw a large puff of white smoke and immediately pulled off to the shoulder (luckily, one was there).

When I got back to the trailer, this is what greeted me. Note that the front tire is sort of bent at an odd angle. Not a good sign. There was smoke pouring out behind the tire---Jaimie grabbed one of the three extinguishers we carry and I doused the flames. (The white stuff on the ground in front of the tire is the powder from the fire extinguisher.)

 What you cannot see in the photo is the red glow from what was left of the axle. That's what caused the fire.

While I was setting up the jack and waiting for the axle to cool, two men traveling in their own trailer stopped to offer help. There was really nothing they could do, so we thanked them for their concern. Jaimie was on the phone with my insurance, arranging a tow. 

  When I raised the trailer and removed the wheel, hub and all, I discovered the source of the problem. One of our "NeverLube" bearings had failed. This photo shows what's left of it. Those gray pieces are all that remain.

Here's a photo of something you never want to see--the rotor from a disk brake. I was able to pull it off without any effort at all, it came off after I jacked the trailer up and pulled the tire free. Perhaps that was one piece of luck--it stayed with the trailer and did not go bouncing off into the woods or worse, down the road into traffic.

 

 

 

 

This is what greeted the tow truck operator when he arrived. We were able to contact Rodney Smith at Humboldt Truck Repair in Eureka, who arrived within the hour. After studying the situation, he came up with the idea of raising the suspension and securing it with a chain (to keep it off the road.) Quite obviously we weren't going anywhere far. We discussed our options and eventually Rodney suggested that we make our way to a RV park about eight miles south. He followed us with his tow truck, lights flashing as we made our way at 30 mph to the Mad River Rapids RV Park in Arcata. There we now sit.

 

 The following morning I called Mike Butler at Mor/ryde in Indiana and explained the problem. After detailing the issue, we came up with a plan. Parts will be shipped (update---they're on the way, arriving early next week), and will be installed by Rodney's company.

One thing Mike suggested, and I agreed with, was that we should replace the rest of the "NeverLube" bearings. If one dies after 5 years, the rest can't be far behind. "NeverLube" really doesn't mean "forever".

We were lucky. The problem happened on a wide road near a town with both a truck repair shop and a place for us to park. No one was hurt and the tire stayed with us. Mad River Rapids RV Park has a heated pool, hot tub and wifi, and the manager made it clear that there was no problem for us to stay as long as necessary, even shuffling future reservations around our crippled RV.

The only thing that is hurting is my wallet.

Toughest border crossing - California!

We crossed into Canada seven or eight times and the U.S. about the same. Each experience was quite pleasant with only a few questions asked. No problem with any of the food we brought. Where were we from? How long were we staying in Canada? How much money did we have? Did we have any firearms or pets? We breezed right through.

Today we crossed from Oregon into California. The attendant wanted to know all the fruits and vegetables we had in the RV and if we had any firewood. We had purchased a armful of firewood in Liard Hot Springs in Canada and hauled it on the rest of our trip. Fortunately, we left it in Lincoln City, OR with Chuck and Betty at Winchester Bay. They are staying for the RoVing Rods Crab Fest in a week where they will build a fire. Otherwise, we would have had to leave it at the border crossing.

The other thing I had to get out and show them was two avocados. They were from Chili. We had the choice of handing them over or pulling over and peeling the skin off and leaving the skin with them. I did that and we included them in our salad for lunch. (Now that we've tried them, I'll pass. Chilean avocados are not very flavorful.)

The agricultural check station on I-10 going from Arizona to Blythe, CA has been unmanned for more than a year due to budget cuts. AZ is a big agricultural state too, so I am surprised the department thinks products coming from Oregon are more of a threat. Perhaps the avocado lobby is stronger or the problem more serious than the any from lettuce and citrus that come from AZ.

We did have a mini disaster before we reached our day's destination of Eureka, CA. More about that tomorrow when George finds out the damage. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Serendipitous RV meet-ups

New Horizon 5th wheels aren't that common so George knows many owners from attending New Horizon rallies and by going over and introducing himself when he finds another one in an RV park. We have played "tag" with two couples who own New Horizons this trip.

We knew Ron and Ginny Norton were traveling to Alaska this summer so we were hoping to meet up. They had also been in Alaska when George traveled there with his Scottish terrier McDuff in 2003 and they found themselves in the same place a couple of times. This trip we first crossed paths in Whitehorse. We exchanged emails and found out we were parked in the same campground. Then they went towards Anchorage while we traveled north to Fairbanks and Denali.

We met briefly in Soldotna, compared notes and I gave Ginny a book by an author who lives and writes about Haines, where they were headed to catch the ferry. They ended their ferry ride at Prince Rupert about four days early. As we were checking in to an RV park in Prince Rupert, they pulled up in their truck. The constant rain convinced them to skip their last stop and arrive in Prince Rupert early. Same park, same time, same day! We tried to meet up in Washington but that didn't work out while the unplanned visits did. They have some very nice Alaska photos here.

The other couple, Ken and Debbie, also traveled in Alaska this summer but we didn't find out untilwe were in Homer. We were parked at the Elks Club when they pulled up in their medium duty truck. We had a nice visit with them. About a week later, after we visited Seward, we stayed another two nights in Gerdwood on the ski resort parking lot to ride the tram up Mt. Aleyaska and take a train ride. In pulled Debbie and Ken!

But the hardest to believe would be today. We drove our truck down to Salem to visit RV friends who live part of the year in a manufactured housing community. Their directions took us in the back entrance of the community and we pulled up behind a trailer. "Look - there's a New Horizon trailer!" I said to George. He pulled alongside them and - you guessed it - it was Ken and Debbie! I asked them who they were seeing. Could it be they also knew our friends? We're all in the same RV club. Ken didn't recognize me, but when George stuck his head forward and said hello, Ken realized who we were.They were visiting Debbie's cousin who lived there.

Now what are the chances of that happening? If either of us had been a couple of minutes earlier or later, we would not have met up. Most RVers have such stories to tell. It is one of those serendipitous things about the RV lifestyle that makes it so fun. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Through Hell's Gate back to the U.S.

Once we arrived at Prince George, we had a two-day drive south to the border and our crossing at Sumas. We pretty much followed the course of the Fraser River, named after explorer Simon Fraser, the man who fully traced the river in 1808.

We spent a night in Cache Creek where we left Highway 97 to follow Highway 1. The fires to the west of us made the air smoky.

 South of Cache Creek, the Fraser's descent becomes steeper and it has gouged out a series of rock gorges at it passes between the Cascade Mountains on the east and the Coastal Range on the west. We decided to stop at Hell's Gate, a tourist attraction that offers an air tram ride down to a particularly narrow spot. It was the perfect time to stretch our legs.

The tram descends about 3000 feet to facilities and a suspension bridge at the bottom. Hell's Gate was actually formed when a building a railroad tunnel. A blast of dynamite caused a rock slide that changed the course of the river. According to a travel Web site, "At peak spring levels, over 200 million gallons of water surge through this 35 metre (110 ft) wide gorge. That is twice the volume of Niagara Falls!" As we watched, one of the jet boat rides came up and zoomed around the treacherous whirlpools formed by the raging water. The U.S. and Canada teamed up to build several fish ladders so salmon could continue their migration.

After Hell's Gate, it was all downhill! Soon we were in Hope, where we spent some of our last Canadian dollars on lunch. We had a very easy border crossing at Sumas and headed to Mt. Vernon to park at a friend's property. We may be stuck here a few extra days.... Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Cloud painting

As we escaped the rain, the mist and clouds did lovely things to the mountains. Here are a few photos going out the Glacier Highway.

We also saw some lenticular clouds on the way to Prince George, but the photos out the truck window did not come out very well. So, click here if you'd like to see what they are and some photos.

It wasn't until we got to Prince George that we finally had a full day of sun. We could open the windows and dry the RV out. At Cache Creek, we even broke out the shorts and took a dip in the pool at Brookside RV Park. I get cold very easily but, after a month of cool, wet weather, the 70s feels almost hot! Next, we go through Hell's Gate to get back to the U.S. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Don't like the weather? ... an RV has wheels

Rain, rain, rain! On the first part of our trip, we had wonderful weather. Starting around mid-July we've had many more days of rain, or at least clouds and off and on drizzle, than sun. We've still been able to do things, though occasionally we've postponed plans. After a month-plus, though, it's time for sun.

We drove down Highway 16, the Yellowhead Highway, from the end of the Cassiar to Prince Rupert on the coast. It's another beautiful drive. I hoped we could somehow get out to the Queen Charlotte Islands from there. The islands are beautiful and have Haida cultural and historic sites. However, with it actually raining most of the time in Prince Rupert and more of the same forecast for both locations, we left today. Yesterday, we had lunch and walked around Cow Bay, the waterfront area, and that was about it. Too wet to do any hiking and visibility too low to go out on a boat. They only schedule native dancing when a cruise ship is in town on Thursdays.

But that's the beauty of this RV lifestyle. Had we wanted, we could have stayed until we got a nice day since we aren't on a time schedule. We also have the option to move towards better weather and that's what we chose.

Tonight we are in Smithers. Clouds are high, we've had a couple of sprinkles, but not the low fog and rain of Prince Rupert, Stewart-Hyder and the other coastal towns. Tomorrow we'll head to Prince George, do laundry, get the oil changed and hit the supermarket before heading south again. If we're lucky we might even see the sun! As RVers, we aren't locked in and can change our plans as conditions warrant.

Another funny thing that happens with RVers. We run across RV friends in the unlikeliest places! Ron and Ginny Norton also have a New Horizon 5th wheel. They traveled to Alaska in 2003 and George crossed paths with them several times. They came back this year, taking a different route than us. However, we found them at the same RV park in Whitehorse on the way up and then met in Soldotna as they were heading off the Kenai. I gave Ginny a book written by an author in Haines, Alaska where they were headed. The day before yesterday, we came out of the RV park office in Prince Rupert after checking in and they were pulling up! They had taken the Alaska ferry from Haines to Prince Rupert but had cut their trip short by 4 days because of major rain. What are the chances?! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

A most unusual breakfast

After seeing Mira again it was breakfast time. I had read about a toaster museum in Stewart. The RV park manager told us the owner will let you see his collection if you purchase breakfast. The Toaster Cafe hours are 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and we were within that range. It is housed partially in a building built in 1920 for Klondike Kate.

It was a most unusual breakfast. How many of you have eaten breakfast surrounded by antique toasters? It's a first for us! The owner was not on duty so we might have been able to look around without eating. We were tempted after the woman on duty told us they only served "fast food." That meant egg dishes that were nuked or Danish rolls. We figured that breakfast was a small price to pay to see the collection. George ordered an egg wrap, I ordered the cheese omelet. They tasted about as expected.

Looking at the toasters, coffee pots, child's oven and many more antiques was so much fun. At one point we had an  improvised toaster to use on our propane stove in the RV to toast bread, but these inventions were much more elaborate. Several toasted up to four slices at once, with a lever to swing open the toast holders and move them back to the heat source. Another unusual piece was a hotdog cooker (below).

I also got a kick out of a child's stove (above) with a working electric burner. Now that would never be permitted today. Another invention I had never seen was a Heinz Soup display and precursor of the microwave. You picked your flavor, then put the can in the holder at the bottom left for two minutes. Voila' - soup's on!

We found out that the Bitter Creek Cafe across the street was owned by the wife of the Toaster Cafe owner. She was the chef and offered an eclectic menu plus had more antiques on display in her restaurant. We showed up for dinner, the only meal served, and were not disappointed in either the antiques or the food. We both chose chicken curry and a smoked salmon entree that were delicious. We spotted a six-slice toaster but what was most intriguing to me was snowshoes for horses! If you sat at the one table in the back room, you'd be right next to an old Pontiac fliver sticking out of the garage into the room.

Oh, the interesting things we see on our RV travels. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Photos by George and Jaimie Bruzenak

What's so special about Hyder, AK?

(Oops- this should have been published before "More About Grizzlies")

Bears, that's what's so special! Brown bears or grizzlies can be seen fishing for salmon up close without paying $500 or more for a flight out of the Kenai or Anchorage. Stewart-Hyder is only about 40 miles from the Cassiar Highway and well worth the side trip.

Fish Creek is about three miles out of Hyder. The Tongas National Forest has a ranger station there. A permit for a person is $10/day or $20 for three days. If you have a national recreation pass or a senior or disabled pass, it is free. A deck has been built along the creek, raised safely out of reach of bears. Bears often travel under the platform as they come from the woods or from a beautiful pond on the back side.

We checked out Fish Creek the afternoon we arrived - stayed for a couple of hours. Nada. Two bears had been there that morning. We came back after we ate dinner. Two bears had been there while we were gone. Finally, one black bear (photo to left) sauntered by behind the long observation deck, not at all interested in fish. No grizzlies.

We came back the next day around 8:30 a.m. Two bears had already come and gone. We waited, stood under leaves while it drizzled and waited some more. Finally around 11, a dark bear appeared at the end of the pond (pictured). She looked dark like a black bear, but we soon saw she had a hump. It was a brown bear or grizzly! She munched on leaves and grass, then waded in and took a swim. She scratched herself on a partially submerged tree and finally left the pond. For a while we could see bushes move but did not seem headed to the creek or back to the pond. We left for lunch, deciding to have come back around 4 or so. Around 6 the same bear came sauntering down the stream, down the whole length of the observation deck, down around the corner and then back up the entire length until going under the bridge and around the bend out of sight.

This bear was called Mira. She was a young female, old enough to bear cubs but had not done so yet. In fact, probably due to the fact that there were almost no salmon last year, none of the females in the area had had cubs this year.

Mira was a very dark brown and had a scar on her right hip, making it easy to identify her. She ate a couple of dead fish, stripping off the skin and flesh. We found out why she was choosing dead ones. She wasn't very skilled at catching a salmon; she'd chase and pounce and come up empty. Some dead ones still had the desirable roe and heads so she made do with them. Periodically she'd wander into the bushes for greenery or berries. On her return trip up the stream, however, Mira finally caught her own salmon! Hooray! By then she was full and only ate a few bites. (photo carrying her fish) The seagulls were happy for scraps and dead fish!

When George had come out to see the bears in 2003, he came twice. Both times he saw a bear within  a short period of time. It wasn't quite that easy this year. I was expecting to see more than one bear at once. One of the rangers said about 12 brown bears fish here but at most four or five appear on any one day. I had begun to wonder if I'd see one at all. 

It was thrilling to finally see a grizzly bear so close, actually catching salmon. You are only about 15 feet from the edge of the stream so, at times, you are very near to the bear. She seemed pretty nonchallant, taking her time, not at all bothered by her audience. However, we were not a threat - at least as long as we stayed up on the deck - and no other bears were about.

On the road out to Fish Creek, we happened to see a black bear cross the road. Out on the broad graveled river bed on the way out there we saw several bald eagles, including some immatures with their parents.

You can camp in Stewart or in Hyder. We stayed at Bear Paw RV Park in Stewart. It had excellent WiFi and nice sites. There is also a municipal park in Stewart that is less expensive, though it is totally under trees so it is dark and damp. In Hyder you can stay at Camp Run Amok, dusty if it hasn't been raining since the forest road out to the bears goes right by it.  

There is no U.S. Customs to go through as you enter Alaska. Coming back into Canada is pretty informal. We showed our passports, were asked if we had weapsons and that was about it. I guess they figured you had been checked coming into Canada elsewhere because you cannot get to Hyder without going through Canada. 

One time seeing a grizzly bear wasn't enough. Since they usually saw a bear or two quite early, we made plans to come back the next morning about 6 a.m. More next time about that. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak