South Through BC

This Rainforest Rains! 

CASSIER HIGHWAY

We first drove the Cassier Highway, south through British Columbia, in 1994. The highway (HWY37) begins in Yukon, just west of Watson Lake. In 1994 it was an all gravel, 724 km long road; now it’s fully paved. Driving south, the landscape along the initial 50 kms of the road was heavily damaged by a 30,000 hectare (74,000 acre) forest fire in 2012. 

After that burn zone, the Boreal Forest cover returns and even on a rainy day, like ours was this trip, the scenery is mountainous and memorable ... short grades of 8%, a twisty, narrow roadway, framed by several mountain ranges, intersected by creeks and rivers, peppered with small to large lakes ... and frequented by a few families of Black Bear. 

Six Days In Whitehorse

What Do Two 'Mature' Women Do Alone In The Yukon For Six Days?

I really wanted to title this post Girls Gone Wild In The Yukon , but I once wrote another post about a girls trip to Las Vegas Three Girlfriends Gone Wild that caused our blog visitor location map to go crazy. Suddenly we had dozens of visits from the middle of the South Pacific (hmm ... perhaps a sailor doing random google searches and finding my post about 3 girlfriends turning 60 - how disappointing it must have been).

Despite plans to do a several week tour of the Yukon, Fate Intervened which resulted in my sister-in-law Peggy & I being 'alone' in the Whitehorse area for six days. Well, what's a woman to do but shop, learn and explore!

Fate Intervenes

DRIVING the DEMPSTER HIGHWAY

My brother Tom & his wife Peggy arrived in Whitehorse, from Ottawa on August 8th. They rented a truck camper and were planning on travelling around Yukon with us for a few weeks. That same night, our sister Lianne phoned to tell us that our mother in Ottawa had become critically ill. We were scheduled to be on the Dempster Highway August 11th or 12th. Because of our mother's poor health, we changed our travel plans, stayed near Whitehorse for a couple of days and arranged return flights to Ottawa on August 11th.

Had we begun that Dempster drive as originally intended, we wouldn't have made it back to Ottawa. We would have been stranded and isolated by a series of road closures; all caused by heavy rains and flood conditions that washed the road out in several locations along the first 275 kms or so. And, we would have probably missed our mothers' funeral ...

Sometimes fate intervenes; but in this case, I believe it was ... MOTHER.

Road closures along the Dempster on August 12th ... 

Time With Friends

We left Alaska behind, after two weeks there and settled in at Kluane Lake in Yukon for a few much-needed, layover days. The weather in the State had been mostly favourable for us, but we were tired of the traffic and the busyness there. We were both road weary and planned to mostly just sit and watch views from the St.Elias Mountains unfold along the big lake ... but an opportunity to paddle was just too enticing.  

Lets get those boats offloaded!

Driving the Dalton

" ... anyone embarking on a journey along the Dalton Highway is encouraged to bring survival gear ... "

The highway, which directly parallels the Trans Alaska Pipeline, is one of the most isolated roads in the UNITED STATES. There are only three towns along the route: Coldfoot (pop 10) at Mile 175, Wiseman (pop 22) at Mile 188, and Deadhorse (25 permanent residents, 3,500-5,000 or more seasonal residents depending on oil production) at the end of the highway at Mile 414. Fuel is available at the E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge (Mile 56), as well as Coldfoot and Deadhorse. Two other settlements, Prospect Creek and Galbraith Lake, are uninhabited except for seasonal residents. The road itself is very primitive in places, and small vehicle and motorcycle traffic carries significant risk. The nearest medical facilities are in Fairbanks and Deadhorse. Anyone embarking on a journey on the Dalton is encouraged to bring survival gear. (Source: Wikipedia)
 

Homer

The sign reads 'Halibut Fishing Capital of the World'.

We spent four nights in the area. We had a mechanical issue with the Ford checked-out to our satisfaction, cycled along the Homer Spit and wandered around the harbour and marine graveyard there. The whole Kenai Peninsula is nick-named Alaska's Playground. If you're a 'Fisher of Any Stripe' you won't be disappointed in this region ... ' It Caters to You '. 
 

Nick & Bobby

' Journeymakers are the good folk who turn your trips into treasured memories. They are the people who elevate your travel experience with the passion and enthusiasm for the place they call home and for the interest and kindness they give you, the traveller. '

Into ALASKA ... New Roads

Our FIRST road trip to Alaska was in 1988. 

THEN, we only completed a short loop out from Dawson City, Yukon to Poker Creek, Alaska to Tok, Alaska then east and back into Canada at Beaver Creek, Yukon. We've wandered into Alaska a couple more times since then and have added some exploration around Valdez into our travels. 

This trip, we are venturing further southwest, then along the Kenai Peninsula to Homer at the southern tip.

  Route in Red

Overland Explorer

" We were super-impressed with these ‘Manufactured In Canada’ Expedition Campers ... "

A couple of years ago we attended Overland Expo East, an event for overland adventurers that included classes, seminars, exhibits and vendors. It was a very interesting couple of days and it peaked our interest in expedition style vehicles. We are currently travelling in the second truck camper rig we have owned. It raised the question ... should we continue to upgrade and maintain this vehicle or, should we investigate the enhanced travel capability that an expedition camper presents?

This past spring Overland Expo West was held in Flagstaff, AZ and a new expedition vehicle, the Overland Explorer; manufactured by a Canadian company LITE Industries, garnered rave reviews. After looking at their website and Facebook pages we realized that a slight detour in our route north would allow us to visit their facilities.

Prince Albert National Park

 A travel goal of ours is to visit National Parks

If you have the time, spend more of it at Prince Albert NP than we did ... you won't be disappointed.

We have been to a few National Parks in Costa Rica and Mexico and to several in the USA. 

We have also been to 23 of the 47 that have been established in Canada.

To ... Riding Mountain National Park

And ... a FIVE night stay
On previous drives along the Trans-Canada Highway, we've had a schedule to meet and always just passed through Manitoba as we headed west. This time, we have the opportunity and the interest, to investigate a part of this province we haven't seen before. 

Along the way ...
We passed several fields with small huts like these and couldn’t quite figure out what they were used for, but finally a Google search and a Wikipedia source revealed the following ...

Here and there across the Canadian countryside you’ll see shelters or huts (sometimes bright blue) placed in patterns in pastures. Their openings all face the same direction and their presence has a rather otherworldy feeling about it. Question: What are these things?

Answer: They are plastic shelters for alfalfa leaf-cutter bees, a native North American bee that has been domesticated. The blue dome is used in western Canada, and variations in other parts of the continent. The shelters, usually found in alfalfa pastures, are needed for their warming ability and as a place for the bees to build their nests out of alfalfa leaves. One shelter for every 4 to 5 acres contains about a dozen nests. 

Dallas Arcand ... Hoop Dancer

North Again: The Boots, Bikes, Boats & Buddies Tour

WE'RE   GONE!  

We don't have a scheduled itinerary (often don't), but we do know of a few places where we want to hike, cycle and paddle, some folks we'd like to see and a few more memories we want to make. 

IF you read our May 14th post, you'll know that we've sold our home and most of our belongings and that we've shed ourselves of the responsibilities ... THAT reality entails.  When we return in the Fall, it won't be to a new BASECAMP, but to a temporary rental unit, with 1.5 rooms filled with long-term storage boxes, some basic furniture requirements (bed, dresser, couch, desk, couple of chairs), some personal living necessities and a highly stream-lined gear & equipment outfit that supports all the outdoor activities we are still pursuing.

ONE From Atlin

ONE of the best things about travelling is the interesting people that you meet. Some are funny, some are kind, some have unusual histories or tales to tell and some are just downright unusual. We call these people Journeymakers because they help to make our journey more interesting, enjoyable and memorable.

There's a very nice, local museum in Atlin, B.C. (which as a point of interest, can only be reached from the Yukon and not from B.C.) that we wandered through on previous trips. Displays feature the towns' history, some local crafts-people present their wares and during our last visit we were given a nice talk by a very knowledgeable and pleasant member of the local historical society.

But, NOT this time! ... things have changed in Atlin! There's a new authority in town!

Truck Camper Magazine

An article we wrote was recently published in the Lifestyle section of Truck Camper Magazine.

Click on the link below ...

Overland To The Rock

BASECAMP 05.14.16 ... " Becoming Minimalists"

ALMOST to the day we returned home from our recent Cozumel, MEXICO trip ... I began making plans for the next adventure ... focus Yukon, NWT, BC.

BUT, at that time I had no idea how busy we would get over the next couple of months. In addition to all the usual springtime property chores that needed to be attended to and preparations for our upcoming road trip ... we sold our house, YAY! Now we need to scamper, pack up and move by May 30th and still try to maintain a mid-June departure date for this road trip.  

" This is also an opportunity for us to dramatically change our lifetstyle ... "

ICEolation - An Antarctic Journey

 " I don't often share video from others. I agree ... but when we do, it has to be exceptional! Afterall, this is where we live. " 

REVIEW - Josefina's Concina Con Alma - An Authentic Mexican Cooking Class

Let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE Mexican food.  

Not the calorie-laden, cheese heavy, greasy, soggy stuff found in countless Mexican restaurants across Canada and the USA, but "authentic and traditional" Mexican cooking. Subtle flavours made with ground herbs & spices, mixed with the freshest fruits, vegetables, fishes and meats - all combined to create complex layered taste sensations, each mouthful designed to delight the senses. 

UNESCO recognizes the uniqueness of Mexican Cuisine.

Mexican cuisine was listed in 2010 by UNESCO for its "Cultural Intangible Heritage", gaining recognition for traditional dishes that retain the names, ingredients and cooking practices dating back to the pre-Hispanic era and incorporating influences and contributions from other cultures. Like the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and other world wonders, Mexican food with its indigenous influences received serious recognition and to date, is the First and Only international cuisine to obtain the status.

Primer Cementerio de Cozumel

HISTORY 

The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD, and older Preclassic Olmec artifacts have been found on the island as well. The island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility. There are a number of ruins on the island, most from the Post-Classic period. The largest Maya ruins on the island were near the downtown area and have now been destroyed. Today, the largest remaining ruins are at San Gervasio, located approximately at the center of the island. 

The first Spanish expedition to visit Cozumel was led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518. In the following year Hernán Cortés stopped by the island on his way to Veracruz. The Grijalva and Cortés expeditions were both received peacefully by the Maya of Cozumel, unlike the expeditions’ experiences on other parts of the mainland. Even after Cortés destroyed some of the Maya idols on Cozumel and replaced them with an image of the Virgin Mary, the native inhabitants of the island continued to help the Spanish re-supply their ships with food and water so they could continue their voyages. Gerónimo de Aguilar was rescued at this time.

As many as 10,000 Maya lived on the island then, but in 1520, infected crew members of the Pánfilo Narváez expedition brought the smallpox contagion to the island and by 1570 only 186 men and 172 women were left alive on Cozumel. In the ensuing years Cozumel was often the target of attacks by pirates, and in 1650 many of the islanders were forcibly relocated to the mainland town of Xcan Boloná to avoid the buccaneers’ predation. Later, in 1688, most of the rest of the island’s population, as well as many of the settlements along the Quintana Roo coast, were evacuated inland to towns such as Chemax.

In 1848, refugees escaping the tumult of the Caste War of Yucatán settled on the island and in 1849 the town of San Miguel de Cozumel was officially recognized by the Mexican government.

TODAY

WE walked around San Miguel Cemetery, the Primer Cementerio de Cozumel and visited with some of the pioneer souls that first journeyed to this island; and their descendants. This is a very old place. It’s divided into two sections, the smallest of  those is directly back from the main gate and it holds the graves of the first settlers. Many of the tombs and family masoleums are adorned with gifts, photos, flowers, plants and candles. Some hold, plates and cups or glasses; left behind by visitors who shared food or drink with loved ones. On November 2, Dia De Meurtos (Day of the Dead), family and friends gather to clean, paint and decorate the grave-markers of their relatives.

 

Three Weeks on Cozumel Island & the Launch of Dive Group CANUSUKair

It took awhile to get this post completed and published. Slow Mexican internet connections!

We had intended on being away for the whole winter once again, but aging parents and the subsequent family responsibilities that followed, required we re-evaluate those plans. So, instead of a November / December 2015 departure, this years' Sunbird Adventure doesn't begin until March of 2016. This is our fourth SCUBA and Snorkelling trip to Cozumel Island, MEXICO. It’s now become a tradition! We’ll be joined this time by Janet & Andy from Illinois, USA, Joe & Rosa & their daughter Daniella from ENGLAND, UK and Randy & Heather from Saskatchewan; an international group, should be fun.

We have a few days booked at the Explorean Cozumel before joining the others at Hotel Cozumel & Resort. The Explorean is a few kilometres further south along the west coast near the Chankanaab Reef. This is a smaller resort that's part of the much larger Fiesta Americana. It's a bit more private and tucked into the jungle behind the main condominium portion of the resort. Helen scored us a good rate here and we're going to take advantage of some of the activity tours they offer and maybe see some parts of the island in a different way during this trip.