The next chapter in our life together

Author: cpadmin (Page 2 of 5)

Ready for a Small World tale? Day 16

This morning Mindy is at the car getting food for breakfast and I hear her chatting with our neighbor. Amanda was fascinated with our Tesla with MN plates. She is an Aussie now living and doing research with Alaska Energy and Power through her position at U of Alaska in 

Fairbanks.  I ask her if she knows Philip Wight (the professor whose EV route we have been following) and of course “he is a colleague of mine in the history dept.”

Because Philip was visiting family in the “lower 48” we were not going to see him. Now Amanda and her partner Tom will deliver our appreciation gifts of Ralph’s Book “Gilly and the Snowcats” and a Cool Planet DDC disc.  Not only that, Amanda connected us with  a few of her colleagues that are energy geeks or long distance athletes.

They also know David Norris an Alaskan who won the Birkie last year in record time.

And they choose site 6 at K’seugi Ken campsite with their hunting dogs to meet with us.  Coincidence??

Heading north toward Denali National Park waiting for the clouds to lift and reveal the highest peak in North American and #3 on my list of 7 continental giants.  Everest (Chomolongma) and Kilamanjaro already secured.  Stopped at 2 charging stations near Cantwell, 1st did not work and the second behaved and got us to DNP around 4 pm.

Being in person makes all the difference as we worked with Greg and he helped us get 3 nights at Sanctuary Campground about 15 miles into the park with no vehicles. Thanks Greg!  Mindy is thrilled and we’ll get 3 wilderness days in a small campsite with only 7 tent sites.

Still no clear view of the mountain but a message from Amanda let us know that they had a super view from the other side of the park.   So after a quick shower (ahhhhh) we hopped in Redd-Y and drove out to Mile 9 mountain viewpoint.  Yes it was a distant view but magnificent in its grandeur.

Check it off Paul and now into the wild, see you in 3 days.

– Paul

Heading to Denali country – Days 14 & 15

Final details, borrowed gear and gifted camping food from Michele and George and we are back on the road. Much shorter distances for awhile. Got a full charge at Chugiak Tesla supercharger (thanks, Three Bears!) to easily get us to Talkeetna and beyond. Talkeetna was hopping with tourists and live music. Our first stop was the Historical Museum where we plugged into their level 2 charger while we explored their Denali exhibit and wandered around town a bit. We got about 48 miles in a few hours. Enough for extra comfort especially when we opted to sleep in the car that night which used about 21 miles in Camping Mode (keeps air circulating while we sleep). 

We met Dave from Lake Geneva, WI at the campground. He was in the last camp site but was happy to share since he is backpacking and has no vehicle. We enjoyed spending the evening together with camp supper then a visit to the local historic pub. Dave had some great advice for our upcoming travel to the Kenai Peninsula. Thanks, Dave and good luck on your upcoming nuptials!

Saturday morning we took a short jaunt to K’esugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park. Campground hosts Sarah and Jimmy were very helpful and keep a very clean camp. The tent sites are gorgeous and the nicest we have stayed in so far – each separated from the neighboring site by trees and tall grass and there is a picnic table and bear box in each site. The latrine was also nice and clean. 

After setting up camp we went for a walk first to the Interpretive Center where we met Ranger Cindy and her visiting friend Carol both from Iowa. They are both former teachers who hit it off immediately with Paul.  We set off for a brief hike on Curry Ridge then returned for some relaxation time in camp.  Paul enjoyed a beer in his camp chair while I spent time safely under a mosquito net in the hammock. This feels like the first real down time we have had on this trip.

We made a quick supper and then attended the evening program with Ranger Cindy on the fiercest of predators- the mosquito. We learned along with the families and junior rangers that mosquitoes are pollinators and a food source for others so they do have some redeeming value even if they are an annoyance when they bite us.  It was also a special treat after the program to meet Cindy’s family who were also there visiting.

We returned to camp for a good night’s sleep.

– Mindy

A Much Needed Break – Days 11-13

After 10 straight days of driving our weary road warriors arrived in Anchorage to celebrate the waning hours of our Nation’s birthday. Our CCL friend George Donart was making a rhubarb crisp from his garden and before his wife Michelle returned home from feeding a neighbor friend’s cat Paul was deep into his first Epsom Salt hot water bath.

Can you feel the relief?

The drive from Tok was windy, slow and a bit smoother than the previous two days. And the views of the glaciers in Wrangle- St. Elias (the largest National Park in the US) were indescribable. It just keeps getting better and we feel so lucky to have friends here to point us toward our next destination.

George, like Paul, is a former grade 2 teacher and Michelle and he have hiked and camped all over Alaska and North America.  They have been super helpful in planing our 2 adventures north to Talkeetna and Denali National Park and south to the Kenai Peninsula and hopeful whale watching and iceberg kayaking.  Also sharing all their light weight home dried food and camping gear, and navigating the sometimes tricky reservation system to find camping during high season in Alaska.

We will stay in Talkeetna tomorrow and in Denali NP Sunday with hopes of extending our camp sites by being there and filling cancellations. With Paul’s stiff neck and overall soreness we have opted away from a wilderness permit and will take day long excursions into the park and return to our home base and vehicle (Inshallah, if God is willing)

We spent our 3 nights and 2 days in Anchorage getting to know George and Michelle and their 18 year old kitty Patches.  We had wonderful home cooked salmon meals (they are both commercial fisher with their own boat) and George walked us around to my massage (many thanks), the print shop for Paul to make more Simple Steps propaganda, and downtown to see the Iditarod start line with the Balto statue photo and dog mushers hall of fame photo and pick up postcards to send to family and friends.

Depending on access to service this may be the last blog for a few days or not.  We are in a new land and want to experience as much as we can. And if the weather doesn’t clear perhaps a flight-seeing tour above Denali.  Here’s a photo of the majestic mountain from a fellow traveler who shared with us.

 

 

Sharing Ralph’s book

One last highlight for Paul was sharing  our friend Ralph Bovard’s  book “Gilly and the Snowcats” with George and Michelle. Ralph is a Birchlegger (20+ year Birkie skier) and on our board for the Birchleggings Club. His book is magic…. about a 12 year old girl Gilly (his niece) winning the Iditarod  with a team of magical cats…..read it here. Thanks Ralph, for for the Denali flight-seeing details.

All things must end, this blog and apparently Paul’s Mac Air that no longer turns on. Thanks for trying to extend its 8 year life Drew, Apple Genius at the Anchorage Apple Store. Lucky we are a 2 Mac Air family and thanks Mindy for sharing your machine.

Everyone, send ‘clearing cloud’ messages to central Alaska, here we come.

– Paul

The roughest stretch? Alaska! Construction.

Welcome to Day 10 of our EV journey.

After a blueberry lemon scone and walnut sticky bun (and coffee) at the Village Bakery we were off to an earlier start than usual.  There we had a fascinating conversation with Charlie and Erin and learned of Charlie’s recently published memoir.

Stoped to take a short hike at Soldier’s Summit in Kluane National Park.  Nice to stretch the legs and learn a bit at the visitor’s center.

Then we got to experience what we kept hearing about the Alaska highway that heaves with the frost.  Yesterday I first learned to watch for the orange flags at the side of the road warning of rough patches.  Today there were those and sandbags on top of signs that had been blown over in the wind.  And the orange and black striped loose gravel signs, and rough road bumpy symbol signs.  Then it seems that the road just kept getting worse and they got tired of making every spot, so I learned to watch for the dark places and tire scrapes that indicated wavy road.  It was long and slow-going with a couple very long gravel stretches up to Beaver Creek – the last town and the last charging stop in Canada.  We’d had a short respite in Burwash Landing with a short charging stop.  Both this one and the one in Beaver Creek were both 20 KW vs the 50 KW fast chargers we have gotten used to in Yukon.  But both were welcome stops to have a break from the intense concentration of driving on rough road where you have to be constantly watching for the next place to slow down and dodge the holes.

Finally!

And then we are in ALASKA!  Only to be stopped by the lineup waiting to get through the one-way construction zone.  There was a short stretch of new wonderful pavement, then back to construction zones and rough road – at least the rough patches are pretty well marked.  Especially the orange spray paint circling the giant holes that are unavoidable.

Continued slow going to Tok where we stopped for some supper and realized we didn’t have the energy to keep going, so we stopped at the RV park and took a tent site with a standard outlet to just top us off to make it easy to get to Glennallen the next day.  Slept in the car to save tent setup.  The Camping Mode in our Tesla makes it quite comfortable – we can turn on the fan for a bit of air circulation (and heat or AC if needed).

– Mindy

Yukon Ho! Day 9

Awoke with the same neck stiffness like last week, oh my.

Visited the signpost forest before heading out of Watson Lake.

Onward to Whitefish the Capital of Yukon and our search for Malkomb Boothroyd, part of my first cross country climate journey in 

2010 to COP 16 in Cancun. Malkomb has become a professional nature photographer with some of the best animal shots I’ve ever seen.   https://www.malkolmboothroyd.com/

He was out of town but we heard from him today suggesting we go to Haines AK, hopefully will catch him on the way home.

Another free charge with Flo the Yukon government EV program. Canada is working quickly to move the electrification era ahead and we are most grateful and appreciative.

One last push to Haines Jct to make Anchorage a reality on Tuesday and. Celebrate July 4th with CCL friend George Donart and his wife Michelle. They are setting up a massage therapy session for Wednesday with my stiff neck and now hips.  9 days in a car not exactly the best for posture and alignment, sorry Debbie, Ned and Katrina. My old man health team .

beauty everywhere

Really looking forward to some downtime in Anchorage as we prep for Denali. Just met a couple that shared their photo of the massive mountain, soon it will be our time.

Another Flo charger in Haines Junction got us fully charged before we found a place to camp. By this time it was midnight and sleeping in the car with minimal setup sounded like the best option.  So we did. 

– Paul

Alaska Highway – Day 8

We started with a full charge from the overnight plug in at Triple G campground in Nelson.

That’s projected at 504 km and it’s 518km to Watson Lake – not quite enough to get there even with our conservative (slow) driving. 

Stopped for the famous cinnamon buns at Tetsa River Lodge. Gail was a hoot and we met Fred and Fay from North Carolina who had great tips on fishing in Alaska. 

Lots more driving and beautiful scenery. We were stopped briefly as the young wood bison crossed the road. 

We first looked to charge at Northern Rockies Lodge where they have a level 2 charger that they charge $60 CA for a charge up to 8 hours with no other rates for a shorter time to charge. When we figured we needed less than two hours we thought we were better moving on to Liard Hot Springs Lodge that we had called earlier in the day (expecting we’d get here much sooner). Once we arrived, only a 15 amp plug was available for full nightly rate $36.75 CA. When we plugged in it estimated 4 hours just to top up to 250km. Paul asked someone in one of the 30 amp sites if they would be willing to share for a few hours – no problem. However it still stepped down our charge to 18 amps (giving error message). A bit faster than the 15 amp, but still 3 hours. 

Off to the hot springs we went to soak for an hour and meet more interesting people.   Came back to see we still have an hour and 45 minutes so went to dinner – yummy bison and elk burgers – and Bill and Helen from Maine were kind enough to share their table and give us more Alaska travel advice based on their recent visit there. 

In the end, we charged for 4 hours to get 40km of comfort to get to Fort Watson.

So the lesson is that we should have taken the charger that we passed up. Prices are high because all the electricity here is created with diesel generators. So either way we want to use as little as possible until we get to a larger population center that has electrical lines.

Surprisingly this is the first real challenge we’ve had. 

Slow driving got us to Watson Lake though it was a bit of a nail biter, but it did give us time to enjoy the scenery and stop for photos of the wildlife.  We also saw smoke from wildfires, but at a safe distance from the highway. 

We arrived at the charger with 6% / 32km battery power.  Then had a little trouble first finding the charger and then getting the charger to work.  Multiple times of putting the plug in and out and downloading the app and trying to call customer service until it finally started charging while we were still on hold.

The CCS adapter we bought from Tesla has been key in this process since there are many high speed chargers that fit CCS both in Canada and upcoming in Alaska.

We stayed at the Big Horn Inn nearby so we wouldn’t need to sit in the car for the 2 hour full charge we needed.  The only room they had left included a kitchenette, so we made our own breakfast in the morning and got the cooler packs fully frozen in the fridge so we won’t need to buy ice for another day.

-Mindy

Day #7 Fort St John to Fort Nelson

This driving Marathon we are on makes it hard to enjoy the places we are cruising thru.  Fort St John has a ton of history and fascinating attractions.  Yesterday it also had a ton of smoke from the wildfires so we opted to stay at Microtel with their level 2 Tesla charger.

The drive to Fort Nelson was dramatic for the big sky views and the wildfire damage from past years and current year.  Our timing for this trip is fortunate as we think about the raging fires in this area just last month.

Charging was again quite simple and good to see a level 2 charger at a business type hotel.  It just required an overnight stay for the 8 hour charge.

Fort Nelson arrival corresponded to Canadian Day preparations. We were the only tent in a sea of super large RVs and smaller camping vehicles. Stayed at Triple G Hideaway and left as the Canada Day parade was about to begin…

Made friends with Troy and Tammy from AZ who  had travelled to every state with their RV except Hawaii (and Alaska, but that was about to be completed).. Finally pulled out the discs and showed Troy, a beginner disc golfer, how to throw a Forehand with a catch disc.

Nice site on grass with a level 2 charger from evocharge which filled up Redd-Y for the long drive to Watson Lake and our arrival to Yukon.   Again required an overnight stay for the 8-hour charge, but it was a pleasant place to be with good company.

The drive is beginning to take its toll on our bodies and attitudes despite the majestic surroundings. 

Just think we get to do this all over on the way back.

– Paul

Days 5 and 6

Day 5:

At the mega campsite in Jasper we met 2 young men from Germany and Alex a 20 year old student on a gap year from high school. Alex is from western 

Australia and seeking a way to use her skills and interests to  make a difference for bettering our world.

Entering British Columbia we stopped at Mt Robson Provencial Park, a glorious mountain that was decimated by the “heat dome” in  2021 causing severe flooding and infrastructure damage. They are still not allowing climbers on this most popular climbing destination.

Our final stop of the day was at the Ancient Forest Park with an amazing boardwalk up the side of the mountain into a temperate rain forest with 1,000 year old cedar trees. there we met Miguel just heading down from Alaska and his info and photos of Denali and the oceans around Valdez were totally inspiring for us heading their soon. Thank people along our path have been so perfect and we are grateful and lucky.

– Paul

Day 6:

Started the day with bacon and eggs in Prince George.

Chainsaw carvings in Chetwynd were quite impressive – see photos. But more important was the great assistance we got from Paige and Tyria at the information center!

As we headed toward Fort St. John, we encountered the most wildfire smoke we have seen since leaving Minnesota. This has struck me as interesting that we’ve been closer to the fires in our travels, but keep hearing about the smoke at home while not seeing it here.

But we still had many stunning views by choosing the lower traffic route which also took us past the W. A. C. Bennett Dam and along a route that was getting many highway improvements some of which may be related to the new Site C dam. This all points to the many challenges we continue to have as a society to support our current and future electrical demands while addressing climate change and justly considering the impact on the local communities. Meeting people, having respectful and curious conversations and encouraging local dialog are all an important part of the process.

The smoke was thick enough when we arrived in Fort St. John that we decided we did not want to sleep in a tent for the night breathing all that smoke, so a hotel option was a better choice.

As it turned out the Tesla level 2 charger was at the Microtel and only available for registered guests. We got the last room they had available.

We’ve been very fortunate to have fast speed (Level 3) chargers all along the route so far. This time only Level 2 chargers were anywhere in town, so we needed a full 8 hours to charge the car to full. The best use of that time is to be sleeping, so we plugged in for the night and enjoyed another comfortable bed.

-Mindy

 

Bring On the Mountains – Day 4

The day beings with my highly anticipated massage to deal with my super tight, stiff neck which had me moving carefully and wondering if I would be able to be an active camper. Rob set me up with Ashley,  a wonderfully strong and knowledgeable therapist who had worked with many kyphotic neck issues. An hour later my mobility much improved, I was so happy I wanted to take Ashley along with us.  

So instead, I took her phone.  Opps, they were both black and I was excited to meet Mindy to head for Canmore with a bunch of Ashley’s recommendations. Mindy, back from charging Redd-Y came in to chat with my new shero and Matt the GM of “All for One” the power lifter shop in Calgary .who has qualified for the Powerlifter  Championships in Tennessee with a deadlift of 335 kg (that’s over 700 lbs for you non-metric types.)

Driving to Canmore, where the ‘88 Olympic Nordic Center  is located was so reminiscent of all my mountain adventures with my son in the 90s and early 2000s. Witnessing their power and magnificence reminds me of our role as guardians of this place we call home.

Then the phone rings in my pocket, wait that’s not my ring. (And Mindy says – that’s not your phone, yours is right there on the charger!) It’s Ashley calling from Matt’s phone to locate her phone. We chat with Ashley and she graciously offers to meet us in Canmore saying “I need a Canmore break.”  We spent an hour at the Nordic Center, a bit like what the Birkie has in mind for  the new Telemark Village I think, took a Birkie swag shot  for social media, then head in to meet Ashley in town.  We gave her a Cool Planet disc and another hug and she headed off to find a copy of a Jules Verne classic at her fav  Canmore bookstore.

 

 

 

We stopped for Earth Waterand headed for Banff National Park and a gazillion tourists. Used our new squeegee to make the windshield “photo clear” and choose Lake Louise as our one stop before the 4 hour drive on the Icefield Parkway to Jasper.

 

 

 

Lake Louise was more amazing that I had envisioned from what I’d heard. Spectacular steel gray glacial melt water with stunning mountain walls.  Lots of tourists sitting, paddling, hiking and nary a word of English did we hear. The Canadian Parks are an international hotbed. 

The rest of the Icefield Parkway trip was filled with spellbinding views….reminded us of New Zealand. Ancient glaciers in rapid retreat with rising temps. The Canadian Parks are pushing climate literacy in many good ways (even in the outhouses…see photo)

 

Another long day ended arriving at Whistler campground in Jasper ay 10 pm with plenty on light left at the end of this Solstice week. We set up our tent and looked forward to a slower, organize the car morning with a shower in this 500 plus mega campsite with bathrooms like a 4 star hotel.

Canada is earning its stars.

– Paul

Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Medicine Hat- Learning to Speak Canadian – Day 3

Another long day of driving thru the massive landscape of Saskatchewan and now Alberta, the province that has financed much of Canada’s wealth through oil and coal development. As my friend and former neighbor in Kota Belud, Sabah (see earlier blog) Paul Gervan said the electrons driving our Tesla are all from fossil fuel sources.  Where he lives in Ontario, and soon in Minnesota, most of the energy will be derived from carbon free sources. 

We are making progress, but is it fast enough?  Part of our reason for doing this trip and noticing the changes embedded in the places we are visiting. Two such examples: the omellet at the Motel 8 yesterday was made with organic eggs and today in Calgary the compostable plate that hopefully will find it’s way to a commercial composting facility. 

Day 3 was all about getting to Calgary and our friend Rob McLeod dear man and holder of 14 Guinness World Records (I told him they will be doing a background check on him soon). If it’s throwing a disc on land, ice, to dogs or on roller blades…Rob is your man.  He also has set up a body work session for Paul’s ailing neck on Tuesday…thank you Rob for all the years of flying friendship…come to MN for our flying disc overall championships Sept 2, American style.

The three of us checked in at the Days Inn in Calgary (pop 1.2 million) then headed to a local charger for a small boost so Mindy could sleep w/o worry before finding a Tesla Super Duper charger this morning.  A lovely meal at a Vietnamese spot  and finally found our squeegee and bug remover (thanks Erin another Tesla driver who cleans her baby at every charge).

Another late night finalizing our route into the mountains and finding the chargers along the way. Rob said don’t miss Canmore, site of the Nordic Center for the Calgary Olympics, on the way to Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. Today it will be difficult to remember to keep moving toward our BIG goal of Denali and Alaska. We will be camping at Jasper and see how my body does on the ground sleeping.

So grateful for friends, and Mindy’s commitment to planning and organizing. I am trying to be a better listener and staying focused on what needs to be done.  A big ask for this right brained, spontaneous,  adventure seeker.

Bring on the mountains and all the layers of clothing we brought along….would you believe I forgot my swim suit for the hot springs?

Ah- lah- ma as we say in Borneo.

– Paul

 

 

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