Alaska Trip - Day 5

Cathy was out of the tent early - bugs! No milk at the store, so no frosted crunch - too bad. Cathy and Eileen took a walk, escorted by a local guide (dog). They brought back all sorts of flowers - fireweed, yarrow & delicate purplish daisy-like things - for the cashier of the store. We lounged in the campground until 1100. As we left the KOA, we had a good laugh about the satellite dishes on the campers. Took Highway 16 to Highway 37 at Meziadin Junction. Saw a black bear along the road around 1230 - he ran away before Cathy could focus or Eileen could find her camera (great packing...). Lunch at Glacier Gulch/Twin Falls. Cathy got splashed. Saw a porcupine later in the day. We are now on a gravel road - ran about 130 miles today. Stopped to admire some huge totem poles just before dark. Found great camping cabins at the only campground we had seen in hours (Eastman Creek Campground, BC). They had a wood-stove and cots. No matches left after first successful attempt for fire - stove went out in the night. Brrrr...

Alaska Trip - Day 4

Woke up for oatmeal in hotel room. On Highway 16 all day... First tape of the day - Bryan Adams. Cathy enjoyed cleaning bugs off windshield. We discussed the possibility of taking the Ferry to some areas in the Inner Passage (probably not enough time). Saw Massachusetts license plate between Edson and Hinton. People gladly pulling over to the right side shoulder to allow us to pass them! Groceries and snacks in Hinton. Saw mountain goats in Jasper National Park. Decided against going to Miette Hot Springs because it was such a hot day (hopefully can visit on way back). Saw moose just outside of Prince George. Went wading in Moose Lake (took photos for Jamie AKA "Moose"). Sprinkled a little in the early evening, but the coolness was appreciated. Stopped for night in Freeport (Burns Lake), British Columbia. We used the KOA - they had showers!! Heard loons out on the lake and a mysterious canine (dog? wolf? coyote?) near our campsite.

Alaska Trip - Day 3

0800 departure. Took US-2. Passed bicycle racers. Stopped at Geographic Center of North America (Rugby, ND). US-2 turned into US-52. Drove through Minot and then north to Portal, ND. Saw rock memorials by roadside - high schoolers like to make "billboards" for their classes... Lunch just before border crossing. Thank goodness for Eileen's mom and a faxed birth certificate (just in the nick of time!). Cathy now has a visitor pass for Canada that is valid until August 15th (guess than means we can't leave her in a sunflower field...). Lots of sunflower crops. On Route 39 - then 11 through Regina, Saskatchewan. Route 16 in Saskatoon. Eileen called her mom around 1500 - thanked her for making the border crossing otherwise uneventful. Saw giant Easter Egg. Stayed in Vista Motel in Vegreville (near Edmonton), Alberta.

Alaska Trip - Day 2

Sleeping at 1130 at roadside rest area near Fargo. Found Eileen's friend, Sarah at the Road King Inn. I slept at Sarah's until about 1600. We went to a street dance tonight - it was great. We walked around downtown Fargo and bands were playing for the crowds. The "American Pie" set was awesome and lasted for nearly half an hour. We walked across the bridge into Minnesota just to say we did it... On the road again tomorrow.

Alaska Trip - Day 1

Left from South Phillipa (South Bend, IN), took IN-2 to Federal Road 20. Joined I-94 and then I-90. Traffic jam through Chicago. Back on I-94. Drove through Madison and Minneapolis. Light mist and heavy rains in MN and ND. When it cleared up, everyone else fell asleep and I nearly dozed off, too. Drove through the night (til 0630). I don't think I have ever been so tired while at the wheel - there were times I was hallucinating... Saw deer, dead skunk - green northern lights in MN. In Grand Forks, ND, took I-29. Stopped near Fargo. Kept track of license plates. 13 hours driving, 850 miles, 3 tanks of gas, 33-28 mpg.

Alaska Trip - Prologue

In the middle of the hot summer, Jim & Eileen decided to go to Alaska. But this was only the beginning! Little did they know how much planning, negotiating, hassling and compromising it would involve. After several weeks of preparations, the brave crew embarked: I am Cathy, the scribe; Jim is the maniac driver; and Eileen is the country music fiend (who declined to comment). It was the 27th of July, in 1990. All of them were ignorant (except for Eileen, the all-knowing) as to what would soon befall them - or their little Mazda GLC...

Mishawaka, IN (USA)

[church - visited with friends afterwards (lunch ?)]

Mishawaka, IN (USA)

[church - spent time with friends (University Park Mall ?)]

IN (USA)

[location uncertain - Bastille Day party]

Mishawaka, IN (USA)

[church - afternoon with (John ?)]

[South Bend], IN (USA)

[location uncertain - fireworks!]

Milwaukee Trip - Day 3

[drove back to S/B (evening)]