By the Numbers (so Far)

So here is our trip by the numbers (so far)

10 weeks traveling
8,500 miles
28 Campgrounds
30 new friends
1,734 miles from home
2 mice!

Since leaving Valdez we have traveled 1,564 miles in eight days. Most days since leaving Valdez were drive, park, sleep, repeat. On one of those stops in Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory we picked up our hitch hikers, the two mice. We discovered we had what we thought was a mouse after leaving Destruction Bay and were lucky enough to trap it the next night. Thinking we were victorious we went to bed that night only to discover the next morning there was still one scampering around. We knew because it chewed on the bottom of the trash bag. We set a sticky trap only to have it drag the trap under the couch and pry itself off! Billions of mice in the world and we get a smart one! We finally caught the last one in Stewart, BC so I cleaned EVERYTHING and washed the rugs. The trailer now feels clean!

Fun fact about Destruction Bay, YK, it got its name because in 1942-43 during the construction of the Alaska Highway a windstorm hit the area, destroying everything. The workers named the area Destruction Bay and it stuck. This area is quirky if nothing else! Oh, and they have mice that want to leave before winter.

This area has a plant called Fireweed. In the spring it blooms with a beautiful pink flower which appears at the bottom of the stalk, as the season advances the blooms continue further up. When they reach the top, summer is over, and Fall is on its way. All the Fireweed in the area have bloomed out, meaning Fall is here. This is tough for me to get my head around as it’s only August 15^th so I know we still have until the end of September before the weather cools off.

While in Stewart we went to the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site in Hyder, Alaska which is just 20 minutes over the border. This is a place where bears come to feed on the salon in the river. First, we had to pay $5 to go into the site and then we didn’t see any bears. Pretty annoying that they charge $5 per day. But, of course, we got up at 5:30 a.m. went to the overlook and waited until about 10:00. Then decided to go see Salmon Glacier, we were sure to see that!

While in Valdez we saw fabulous glaciers and here in Stewart we were able to get up close and personal. We took a drive to Salmon Glacier, and it was absolutely stunning! The road was narrow, and windy (as in lots of turns not wind blowing!) There were many potholes and we also had to deal with construction! Of course, not on the road, the construction was a mining operation.

Once we reached the summit the view was awe-inspiring. It was also thick with mosquitos! Tom’s hat was absolutely covered, and I had to put the hood of my jacket up so they wouldn’t get in my hair. On the trip we saw a bald eagle and so many waterfalls. Tom saw a Marmot on the side of the road, but no one in the car was fast enough to get a photo.