After two years of FreeWheeling through 45 out of the 50 United States and Alberta, Canada in our twenty-foot long touring van with a built-in kitchenette, wet bath, and king-size bed. We have perfected glamping and luxury vanning. With a few travel apps and National Geographic’s Scenic Highways & Byways, we chase good weather and hop from one national park to the next. This blog reflects the locations we explore, the apps we use, and how we maintain a healthful lifestyle while living full-time on the road.
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I made it! Two countries, 260 Kilometers, give or take, one rest day, 13 days of walking, 2 short taxi rides, one blister, and two sore ankles; yet, when I entered the Cathedral square, following the stone path from the Portuguese Route, I jumped for joy. I can now claim, along with 500 or more other walkers that on June 23, 2023, I completed the required walking distance, and stamped credential to prove that I have completed the Camino de Santiago Portuguese Route and today and forevermore I can declare myself a Pilgrim. Once a Pilgrim always a Pilgrim.
What does it mean that I am a Pilgrim? The Cathedral de Santiago is one of three holy sites declared by the Pope to absolve the sins of a person who walks the required pilgrimage, including the Vatican in Rome and Jerusalem. In short, I am to be buried with my scallop shell – the original symbol of a pilgrim – and allowed into heaven because I have been absolved of all my sin. After our jubilant celebration, picture taking, and posturing, the seven of us set out to the Pilgrim’s office to register our credentials and receive our certificates. The credential is a passport of sorts, replacing the scallop shell of yesteryears, proving with the collection of ink stamps throughout each day, that we actually trekked the distance we said we had. Some stamps are simple, some elaborate, and some we began to seek out for posterity. For example, a required stop almost each day was to the pharmacy for braces, bandages, and medication, so it seemed appropriate to seek out a pharmacy stamp commemorating our visits.
Once we took care of business, Denise and I visited the Pilgrims’ House. This is a nonprofit group of volunteers who help pilgrims with assistance once they land in Santiago de Compostela. The volunteers speak many languages, including perfect English. One service they provide, in addition to laundry and bag storage, is a debriefing. For some this pilgrimage is more than a walk, it is life changing, especially if they are lost, grieving, or feeling disconnected within their own life. A frequent expression once a Pilgrim enters the Cathedral square is, “now what?” As a form of their own debriefing, Denise, Dennis, and Ella asked all of us a couple days previously to mull over some questions and later that afternoon they recorded our answers.
The first question was, “What was your expectation when you started?” I actually didn’t have any expectations. I had no specific reason for walking, other than showing support for Ella and Fibro Fighters, so I was open to all experiences and lessons. I did anticipate a lot of walking, but I learned through experimentation that a person can flex their walking experience to suit their style, abilities, and preferences. A purist would probably awake at daybreak, walk 25 to 30 kilometers per day, stopping only at roadside cafes along the route and sleeping in an Albergue or shared dormitory style accommodation for the evening. We spent some days walking 21 kilometers and sleeping at Albergues, but I also took a taxi into town one afternoon after walking 11 to 13 kilometers when my knees were aching and and took a taxi away from town a few miles around an industrial area to the countryside route, ending our day at a rural villa. Each Camino is different depending on the walker, and each walker chooses the path they wish to walk. With this daily experimentation, I learned that not one way of walking was best for me. Some days I could walk like a warrior, up and out early, and walking all day; whereas, a couple days I needed taxi assistance, and one day I needed a full day of rest. I have always been good about listening to my body, but on this journey I was reminded to take one day at a time.
The next question was, “What were your highs and lows of the trip?” I thought the high was going to be the end, walking into the Cathedral Square, but upon reflection, the high was the journey itself, everyday waking up excited to see what that day would bring. My low was having to walk the Camino without my husband. Dan was called home for family obligations and I didn’t get the chance to walk it with him and because of that the experience was completely different, not in a bad way, just different.
The last question was, “What three words would you use to describe the Camino?” My words were ambling, connection, and sublime. Ambling is what we embarked on every day – a stroll through backroads, cobbled paths, medieval villages, and along rivers and streams for pleasure. I was surprised at the connection and reconnection I made with the people within our group. I was told that feeling of connection is common, but usually with other pilgrims you meet along the way, but because we were such a tight knit group that connection grew within. And lastly the sublime emotion of awe and beauty toward the nature I experienced every day in northern Portugal and Galacial Spain.
Checking our bags at the Pilgrim House, we set out to attend the noon time Pilgrims’ mass. In olden times, pilgrims, who were usually very dirty and many very sick by the time they reach the Cathedral, were required to wash their feet before entering. To this day many pilgrims entered the temple dirty, bloody, and bandaged. In Latin, the sacred mass ended with a group of priests swinging the Botafumeiro – one of the largest in the world – and only performed on special occasions as a symbol of spiritual purification, but because we completed our pilgrimage on the summer solstice and Saint John’s Day, we lucked into observing this ancient tradition. To end this full day, we booked a private tour of the cathedral and adjacent museum before our celebratory dinner.
Views from Cathedral balcony overlooking square
The next day I took a bus tour to the west coast, with a specific trip to Fisterra (Finiserre), which was once thought of by the Romans as the end of the world because no other land was known to be of existence further West of Europe. A once popular ritual, many pilgrims would continue on from Santiago to Fisterra, burn their disease-riddled clothes, and observe the Compostela, which means field of stars, blanketing the sky at the end of the world viewed over the Atlantic Ocean. On this day, I chose not to burn my clothes, but ended my journey at one of the furthest points west, returning home with the feeling of contentment, plans with my new friends, and lifelong memories.
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You may also support them through prayers and/or by tax deductible donation directly to Fibrofighters.org
Relaxing under a draped canopy on a stone patio, the group has scattered after today’s walk. Some have retired to their rooms for a siesta, some poolside, and others are joining me with a crisp glass of white wine, crusty bread, Manchego cheese and olives. The once tightly knit group is feeling their oats and spreading out, taking the Camino at their own pace. We have assigned titles to the four stages of walkers. They are the Camino Warriors – the first out on the trail at day break, reconning the cafe-stops along the route to the rest of the group. They may walk 11-15 miles in one day. Next is the Camino realist – this trekker may take a taxi for the first few miles out of the city center and start the walk at a local cafe on the rural trail and walk anywhere from 8 to 10 miles. Camino Lite pilgrims taxi for half and hike 5 to 7 miles. The last category is Camino Fast Pass – the pilgrim who takes a rest day and spends the morning relaxing in one town and then taxiing to the accommodations 30 minutes up the road to the next accommodations. I have found myself participating in each of these categories.
Note bread box for daily deliveries, cafes/vendors provide food for pilgrims, art and decor of Camino symbols
Yesterday I chose to take a rest day. My body and mind was in need of a break from the daily Camino routine. Up at 6am and walking, walking, walking. Today I felt refreshed, pain free and roaring to go. My blister is healing and my ankles are saved on the Spanish dirt paths, gone are the Portuguese cobblestones. In adddition to taking a fast pass yesterday, today I chose the Camino realist stage, only walking 8 leisurely miles to our luxury accomodations at a Rurual Turissmo residence in the country. It feels more like Camino Lux with a side of Camino realism. I think I enjoy this stage best. We are less tired than the Camino warriors and we arrive a bit earlier to enjoy the beautiful accommodations and/or village. Tonight we plan to visit a restaurant up the road with a menu of locally sourced food.
A mix of daily walks through countryside from small villages and towns
It seems as though it was just yesterday when we crossed over the boarder into Spain, but today we have already passed the 50 km marker on the path. Shells, yellow arrows, and pilgrim signs not only direct us north toward Santiago, but the pilgrim society is absorbed in the local culture. When one trains their eyes to look for signs, they are found everywhere, even in garden architecture. Businesses and entrepreneurs all along the path fulfill the needs of the Camino pilgrims; whether it be restaurants, cafes, fruit stands, or swag. The saying is, “the camino provides.” Meaning, whatever you need, a fellow pilgrim or community member will help you obtain it. For example, Denise had booked an extra room that was non-refundable, and coincidentally, we ran into a young pilgrim Cally who said, when we were chatting with her, that she didn’t know where she was going to sleep; that she didn’t have a room reserved. In true pilgrim fashion, Denise offered the room gratis and told the young woman to pay it forward. I say coincidentally, but others say on the Camino there are no coincidences.
On my rest day yesterday, I spent the day with Marion. Her asthma started acting up the day before and she was having difficulty breathing. I have observed that when we were walking more as Camino Warriors in the first 100 km, that our immune system became taxed. With me it was inflammation in my joints, but others in our group became more susceptible to colds or viruses. While I chose to take a rest day because my body needed it, Marion had to, and this gave me an opportunity to spend quality time with her. All of us have had the chance to walk together and chat, opening up more with each other – sometimes even more than our own families.
Amanda’s stone watched over by the stone Denise placed for James
I learned that Marion was supposed to walk with her Daughter Catie, but her passport never made it in time for her trip, so Marion joined the team alone. In addition to walking with her daughter and bonding over the daily challenges, Marion brought with her a grieving rock for her daughter Amanda, whom she lost last year. She too chose to place Amanda’s stone in the same magical setting sheltered by a green canopy of trees, a babbling brook flowing under a medieval bridge, and bagpipes filling the air in the distance. She said a guttural cry swelled and released her pent emotions, leaving her feeling lighter. Today, during her rest day, pharmacy hopping for cough medication, Marion came to the awareness that this journey alone, without her daughter Catie, has forced her out of her comfort zone and proven to her that she can handle certain things on her own. The Camino provides and the Camino teaches; that is, if a person is open to the lessons.
You can follow us on Facebook group @thewaytoacure and our Instagram Neals4fibro
We invite you to walk along side us at home. You may also support us through prayers and/or by tax deductible donation directly to Fibrofighters.org
Walking up to a stone cross, my pilgrim partner for today, Denise, chose a canopied alter to place a prayer stone for a fellow Fibro fighter. Someone who is struggling with the same diagnosis and treatment as her daughter. As we quietly reflect on the significance of this moment, and she stacks this stone amongst others, bagpipes begin to fill the air. I leave Dee’s side, crossing a medieval bridge, following the sound to a pair of musicians busking in the middle of the forest trail on the Camino de Santiago Central Portuguese Route.
Today is day 8 on my trek across Portugal, through Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The seven of us left Barcelos four days ago and easily walked through lush viniards, farmland and cobbled pathways for a short 8 miles to the charming river front village of Seara-Ponte de Lima. On this day we begin to see more alters for prayer rocks or grieving stones. As a symbolic gesture, some pilgrims carry a small rock or stone during their trek, impressing a thought or prayer onto it’s smooth surface, and in a ceremonial gesture leave the stone with the hurt and pain behind. Others may tie a ribbon, leave a photo, or personal token. It was in Ponte de Lima that I had to buy a pair of ankle braces. Walking/standing on cobblestones for sometimes 6 hours in a day has strained the soft tissue around my ankles.
Ankle wrapped, the 5 of us walked across the ancient Roman Bridge over Rio Lima and embarked on the most challenging phase of our pilgrimage – a several mile climb up an over a large mountain, scrambling rock and gravel left exposed on the hillside from water erosion years gone by. Ella began her immunotherapy medication the night before and wasn’t feeling well enough to join us and Marion selflessly stayed behind to keep her company. When it was time to join the rest of the group, the pair taxied to our Albergue – the rural accommodations for the evening. What took us six hours of the most grueling stairclimber, only cost them 30 minutes out of their day. An Albergue is a simple room on the Camino trail for pilgrims traveling on a budget. The rooms range from a shared bunk dormitory to private doubles with private baths. That evening we all scarfed our 3-course pilgrim meal.
Most days at lunch we stop at a small cafe/bar along the route and oder a pilgrim meal. These are meals of value designed specifically for hungry walkers. I usually partake in the Salad de Atum or tuna salad, but a true pilgrim’s meal usually starts with a bowl of soup, main course of meat, potato, rice, and salad, and a beverage of choice. Sometimes a simple sandwich de jamon is offered. We never Pass up an opportunity to stop at a cafe within the first hour or two in the morning for a coffee/tea and toilet break. Then we stop for lunch after another hour or two. And finally end the day at our accommodations for the evening.
The walk to Tui – our first Spanish town – was long and straightforward. Ella joined us for the first half and then she and her mother Denise took a taxi at the medieval fort across the bridge from Tui so we could all cross the boarder into Spain at the same time. Tapas and Sangria was on the menu for this evening and blister threading. I’ve been protecting a blister with a second skin bandage, but it became very large and painful, making it difficult to walk properly. Threading is when a needle and thread is sanitized and pieced through the blister, leaving only long thread exposed on both sides, allowing the liquid to wick from the blister. The next morning I pulled the thread, spread antibiotic cream, covered the wound with a plaster and walked on for eight miles to our pensione- a privately owned room for let.
Our group consists of Dennis, Denise, and Ella Neal. Marion and I have been good friends with the Neals for decades and with Tamara and Bernadette we make a group of seven. Tamara knows the Neals from their church group. Walking this pilgrimage has been a bucket list item for Tamara for many years, but even to this seasoned traveler, all the logistics to put such a trip together has been a deterrent. When she was offered to join on this excursion, Tamara jumped at the chance and invited her friend from France, Bernadette.
Tamara hopes to find clarity during her daily meditative walks. She feels bogged down with work, clouding her vision. The simplicity of the Camino – wake, walk, eat, sleep, repeat – helps to clear the fog and refocus on what is important and necessary in her life.
Bernadette knows Tamara through a mutual friend. They met one time last year and have kept in contact online since then. It has been a dream for Bernadette to walk the Camino, but she didn’t want to embark on such a journey alone. She was scheduled to try it last year with another friend but those plans fell through. This petite blonde woman in her early 60’s from the small town Dole located in East France between Dijon and Besancon regularly strides past the rest of us without complaint or pain. She didn’t train specifically for this 14-day journey but usually walks between five to ten kilometers per day.
For Bernadette the draw to do the Camino is a physical, spiritual, and mental test. She survived a trip to cancer town, as Ella calls it, and wanted to prove to herself she has the strength to finish such a goal. Joining the rest of us on this path is a celebration of life for her. Buddhism has taught her to accept things as they are and to see instances in life as they come; to not look ahead or behind. One thing she didn’t see coming and is truly grateful for is the connections with everyone in the group.
Day 4 on “the Camino” and I just finished 12.5 miles, stopping at my accommodations for this evening, a hotel/winery located on the walking trail entitled Camino Portuges de Satiago. Established as a Catholic pilgrimage over 1000 years ago copying the similar path taken by St. James, a disciple of Christ. It is believed that after St. James walked the way to Finisterra – the furthest point west in Europe – once thought to be the end of land, his body was returned to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Mimicking his path, pilgrims began walking in his footsteps and creating new paths along the way, establishing multiple routes from their homelands to the end at the Cathedral in Santiago, with many praying along their journey at various churches erected along the routes.
With the multiple routes beginning from various points within Europe and the UK, they are named for their location and direction and symbolized by the yellow shell on blue background. I am walking the Portuguese route, beginning at Cathedral de Porto in the quaint European fishing port of Porto, clustered with colorful walkups capped in red tile roofs along the river banks. From there we followed the Douro river west until we met the atlantic ocean and then began our journey north. Two days ago we taxied east to the central route, traversing interior paths.
Guide books, the Wise Pilgrim app, or maps can lead a pilgrim to the end, but this middle ages trail is marked along the way with signs and arrows, steering the, sometimes weary, hiker in the correct direction. Once on the path, if aware, a rambler can make their way to the end at their own pace, stopping only to eat at one of the numerous bars/cafes and sleeping at a hotel or albergue along the roadway in towns along the way. Most of the path meanders through farm land and vineyards known for Vino Verde-the young wine of the region.
Why walk on average of ten miles per day on back roads, dirt trails, or highway shoulders for 7, 10, or 14 days? Many people walk The Camino for various reasons. Originally, the pope would allow pilgrims who finished 100 kilometers of the walking trail to the Cathedral in Santiago to be absolved of all their sins. Today, the motivations are vast. Some pilgrims walk for religious or spiritual reasons, some walk for the athletic challenge, while others are have lost their way in the world and the meditative walk overtime clears away the confusion and refocuses their purpose once again.
I am walking with a group of six pilgrims. Three are new to me and the other three are becoming new friends, bonded by the sweat, dust, and exhaustion only experienced on the Camino. The group trip was organized by my family friends, The Neals who, for a monetary donation has done all the legwork, so to speak, for our trip as a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma – a rare juvenile cancer of the liver, which their then 21-year old daughter was diagnosed with in 2021.
This is Ella’s story that she shared with me over the past two days. After visiting the doctor, complaining of abdominal pain, a scan revealed a mass on her liver. Never thinking this mass could be a cancer only seen in 1 in 5 million children, she waited for three months until exploratory surgery led to liver resection and removal of a lemon-size tumor. Because of the rarity of this cancer and the scarcity of funding and research, no exact protocol has been established. Because of this, Ella’s treatment has been trial and error, entailing unsuccessful chemotherapy and surgeries to remove new tumors. Today she is on a new regiment of immuno therapy, targeting her immune system to help fight against this slow-growing resistant cancer still spreading today.
Ella’s reason for walking the Camino with her parents is purely selfish she says. When diagnosed during the beginning of the COVID Pandemic, she felt isolated, both physically and emotionally. A once healthy college student, finding her way in life, hanging with friends, carefree and only thinking of what party to attend tomorrow, found herself questioning her faith, her future, and her purpose in life. The meditative daily walks are resetting her mental and emotional state. A once depressed and cynical twenty-something has had her perspective in life forcefully altered from just two years previously. A cancer diagnosis has driven her to rethink her school and career choices. Ella feels she needs to make decisions as to her future around her treatment schedule, but she does see this as an opportunity to rewrite her future and create the person she wants to be – to mold her true authentic self. No longer does she need to please others or follow the path they think best for her.
For example, Ella is currently working as a speech therapist in a central Colorado school, but with her new experiences, especially art therapy and kinetic movement therapy, she is considering returning to school and pursuing a degree in art therapy and working with children in the pediatric ward. What career path this young woman decides to embark on, or course her treatment takes, through the way on the Camino, she has, for a short period, taken back control of her body.
Our direct departure from Seward was rerouted because of road closures, but this offered us a second chance drive through Denali National Park. The road from Seward to Anchorage was lined with wild flowers and kettle ponds covered with blooming lily pads. Spring had finally caught up with us and the entire drive back down to the lower 48 was bright with fresh growth and lime green leaves. Having learned our lesson from the drive up to Alaska, this time we packed the van with the freshest, best quality food we could find, which is difficult in remote Alaska, and lengthened our driving time each day. Even driving six to seven hours a day, it still took us approximately a week to reach the lower 48 from Seward.
We voted against trying the road less traveled from Alaska. We figured it was better to drive the devil we knew rather than the devil we didn’t know. With all the frost heaves, road construction, and gravel, it wasn’t until a paved straight away in Alberta that we were “kissed” by a rock, chipping our windshield. Thanks to Speedy Glass the chip was filled and we were on our way to Jasper and Banff National Parks in British Columbia. Voted the most beautiful drive in the world, we slowed our roll and relished in the natural beauty of the Ice fields Parkway. This is my happy place. After a grueling week on the road, we treated ourselves to a few days at the Emerald Lake Lodge and their romance package of bed, breakfast, and gourmet dinners of Rocky Mountain Cuisine.
In every state and country service was limited due to lack of staffing. Along with help wanted signs, we spotted promises of higher wages, benefits, and even signing bonuses. Lodges, restaurants, and stores can’t keep up with the demand of all the tourists because they can’t get people to work. I didn’t realize how limited and expensive the food selection in Alaska was until we stopped at a grocery outside Jasper National Park. I felt like Robin Williams in Moscow on the Hudson and all the amazing food options available.
After several days of pampering in paradise, we traversed the back roads toward Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Northern Idaho is stunning. Unfortunately, our golf game at Coeur d’Alene Golf Resort and it’s iconic floating green was rained out, so we settled for a drive and walk along the beautiful lake and ended the day with the best meal we had in several weeks at the rooftop restaurant in the resort. At Beverly’s Restaurant we started with the Penn Cove mussels in a white wine saffron broth and chorizo, followed by lobster risotto and perfectly seared sea scallops, while sipping a huckleberry martini. Oh my. I’d like to spend more time in the area in the future. It’s just beautiful. The idealic little towns scattered along the Snake River on our drive south through Idaho, made us wish we had brought a fishing road. While we walked and lunched along the river, many locals and tourists alike pulled off just to fish a quite hole.
Lake Coeur d’Alene, Canola fields
We reluctantly left beautiful Idaho and with the warmer weather on our side, we opted to avoid the I-15 through Utah’s busy cities and settled in Park City. After a quick drive up the mountains outside Salt Lake City, the narrow hills gave way to meadows, reservoirs, red earth and scrubby pines lined with skiing, mountain biking, and off roading trails. Houses and condos in many phases of build are popping up all over this mountain town, only minutes away from the bigger cities – a common them we’ve witnessed in all states and provinces. While new builds are abundant, the light pollution is still low, allowing for the stars to blaze brightly blanketing the evening sky.
Ski lifts over Park City, Utah downtown
After 9,423 total miles on the road, we landed safely at our desert home in Las Vegas. Where it seems is the end of the rainbow.
JUST THE FACTS
Mileage – 9,423. Miles per gallon – 22. Average cost for gas $6.00
Time: 2 months total. 2 weeks each way to Alaska and 4 weeks spent in Alaska.
Food: We usually eat breakfast and lunch made from the van on the road or between excursions and treat ourselves to a local dinner from the “best” restaurant in the area.
Nights: We prefer to spend our nights outside of cities in National or State parks. They’re quieter and more peaceful than RV parks. Harvest Host overnight parking locations are also great because they usually pair with our favorite outings like golf courses, wineries, breweries, museums, but they were limited in and around Alaska. Even though we set out to stay at a hotel every Sunday, we again found ourselves more comfortable in our little van and opted to forego hauling our stuff and the dog in for just one or two nights.
If I were to do it again…I would take our van up the California, Oregon, and Washington Coast and park/store it in Seattle or Vancouver. Then Board a cruise along the inside passage to the Kenai Peninsula, where I would rent a camper van or a SUV and tour the area for 2-3 weeks, then fly back to Seattle and drive another byway home. A second option would be to ferry from Bellingham with our van from port to port to the Kenai Peninsula and do the same back, but this would take planning way in advance because the car/RV ferries book up early.
Where the Mountains and Ice Meet the Ocean – Denali National Park and Kenai Peninsula
Once we arrived to Alaska proper, we hit the ground running. Enough with the driving, now was time to do some exploring. Denali National park, a short 3-hour drive south of Fairbanks, is a wildlife mecca. In our campsite, on our hikes, and touring the tundra and permafrost drunk forests we spotted four of the big five game (dal sheep, moose, caribou, and grizzly) that call Denali home. The elusive wolf stayed hidden. As with many national parks, the rangers gave talks and demonstrations. Unique to Alaska was the demonstration of the rangers sled dogs, which is their mode of transportation during the snowy winters.
A few days later we strolled around the cute rustic town of Talkeetna for lunch alfresco at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, overlooking Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, standing at ever 20,000 feet. After lunch we traversed Turnagain Arm in Anchorage where we witnessed the mile long low tide, revealing muddy flats for hours until the moon decided to release the ocean to return home. Beyond Anchorage we entered the Kenai Penninsula displaying all its rough and rugged beauty. These are the scenes that you picture when you think of Alaska-hanging glaciers, meadows of wild flowers, glacier fed lakes, streams, and swans floating on ponds dotted with blooming lily pads.
Along the drive south to Homer Spit and the lands end, snow capped mountains and smoking volcanoes kept us company across Cook Inlet. Sign after sign spotted during the three hour drive south was either about fishing charters or fish processing. Once we reached Homer, the halibut capital of the world, and spotted anglers reeling in fish after fish, meeting their limit in minutes, we understood the signs. Homer was a delight. A quant fishing village frequented by locals an tourists like ourselves. We strolled the shops and dined on fresh halibut overlooking Kachemak Bay.
We thought we’d try our luck at fishing one sunny afternoon, but our private guided trip down the Kasilof river for King Salmon ended as a peaceful float for six hours. Neither us nor the neighboring bald eagles caught a thing. Did someone bring a banana with them? The guide told us in two weeks the river will be so full of salmon they will be jumping in the boats.
Making our way to the east side of Kenai Peninsula, the road led out to Seward, a fjord surrounded by tall mountains and glaciers. One of the carving tidewater glaciers in the Kenai Peninsula National Park and Preserve was a highlight of our sea cruise, in addition to Orca killer whales, Stellar sea lions, puffins, and sea otters. The European-style restaurant, The Cookery, met our expectations as an evening topper while visiting this town with a Norwegian feel to it. Before returning to the Anchorage area, we also toured the Sea-life Center and hiked the interior portion of the Park and Preserve.
At the three week mark, we decided to bid Alaska adieu. While we might have been too early in some aspects of our trip, the weather was perfect, and I think we left just as the state bird (mosquitoes) was beginning to swarm. With our bellies full of fresh seafood, like the seasonal whales, we began our migration south to the sunny coast of California and later the warm tropical breezes of Hawaii.
Our first port after crossing the boarder from Yukon, Canada was Skagway, Alaska! As soon as we descended the steep White Pass Summit, all snow fell away. It was as though we crossed into Spring. The sea level town was sunny and in the 60’s. The small gold rush boomtown looks the same as it did when we cruised here 20 years ago with family. In Skagway we hiked, toured the town, walked the suspension bridge in White Pass summit, and indulged in quality local seafare by the Cordon Bleu trained chef at Olivia’s Restaurant, a welcomed palate cleanser from the Canadian brew pub and hunting lodge food on the Alaska Highway.
The weeklong drive from Montana thru Canada and into Alaska was just that – long. Other than the multitude of wild animal life, including brown and black bears, bison, caribou, and mountain goats that we spotted along the green belt of the highway, the one gem was the Liard Hot Springs. The unmolested springs was like nature’s hot tub set in the middle of a forest with moose grazing in the cool shallows. We’ve been to natural hot springs before, but they’re more commercialized and chlorinated. These springs were not only refreshing to the body but also reenergizing.
Unlike the Alcan (Alaska/Canadian Highway), the ferry from Skagway to Juneau and later from Juneau to Haines along the inside passage was tranquil and relaxing. The calm waters and ocean vistas flanked by snow capped mountains with trickling waterfalls weaving through the Sitka Spruce was only interrupted by occasional humpback whales, breaching to feed, porpoises, sea otters, and sea lions. The ferry route allowed us access to our next port, Juneau. Blocked by a giant ice sheet, Juneau is only accessible via water or air.
The star of Juneau is the Mendenhall Glacier. Our daily nature walk, golf game, or trail hike centered around views of the receding glacier in the Tongass National Forest. Similar to the Olympic National Park in Washington, Tongass NF is a rain forest drenched with 180 days of rain each year. We happened to visit during a dry, sunny spell with clear vistas from one end of the channel to the other. The forgiving weather made outdoor excursions to the Glacier Gardens and Salmon Hatchery pleasant. Crab was the ingredient of choice for our Juneau meals. After a crab feast at the popular Tracy’s Crab Shack where we gorged ourselves on King and Dungeness crab, all other meals contained crab in bisque, cake, or lump form.
In Haines, AK we stayed for one night backed against the Pacific Ocean with humpback whales frolicking in our backyard. The next morning we cruised the scenic byway to the Canadian border, cutting through the National Eagle Preserve with a concentration of the world’s largest eagle population; not one eagle was spotted. We saw more eagles flying over head while teeing off during our last golf game in Juneau. A local said they return to fish in fall. Once back to the AlCan and heading north toward Fairbanks, we experienced the worst frost heaves to date on this slow, grueling highway. If it wasn’t for the fact that we were so close to the Alaska interior, we would have considered turning around and driving back to the lower 48. So with Jack London’s Call of The Wild playing on Audible, we push on, just like Buck did in the book, driving further north into the Alaska unknown.
Anaconda, Montana, located about 15 miles west of the I 15 was our next stop on day four of our trip to Alaska. The unusually cold temperatures and icy road conditions slowed our pace to almost a crawl. The locals said spring has been delayed by two weeks. The weather and road conditions with snow in the forecast became a deciding factor in rerouting our trip through scenic Idaho and the Canadian Rockies to the lower plains east of the Rockies and sticking to the major highways in lower elevations.
The Old Works Golf Course, a Harvest Host location, allowed us to park overnight for free with a round of golf. The Jack Nicklaus designed course meandered along a small stream overlooking the old copper mine and largest free-standing chimney stack in the world. The course’s landscape was decorated with unique geology of the area and artifacts from the original mine, dating back to the town’s copper boom days. After a (45-degrees) chilly 9 holes, dodging the “rock chucks” (marmots), we had dinner at a local’s recommended O’Bellas for Italian American fare, including made to order breadsticks and homemade cannolis.
Sticking to the I 15 northbound, we took a break in Great Falls to walk the paved trail along the Missouri River. The swarming May Flies quickly changed our plans from a walk along the river to a visit to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center where we learned of the explorers’ difficulties portaging the falls during their expedition down the Missouri River while seeking a continuous route to the Pacific Ocean.
With views of cutthroat jumping after the May Flies and anglers wadding the icy waters, we left the Center in our review mirror as we continued on to Desert Claim, a grain farm and our Harvest Host stoping spot in Conrad, Montana. I relaxed overlooking the blonde fields while Dan toured the 4500 acres with owner, Ken. There, this city slicker was schooled on how to plant and harvest a wheat farm and what equipment to use when. Gas was $5.49 and the lower plains temperatures were 64 degrees.
Pronghorn Antelope lined the back farm road as we drove back to the I 15 and continued north toward the Canadian boarder. After a quick stop into the office to share our passport and COVID vaccine information, we drove on to High River Brewery, where we sampled a flight of their IPA specialties and played trivia with the locals. After buying a few goodies from the brew house, our Harvest Host dry camping spot for the evening, we sat for authentic and tasty Indian food in town which was recommended by the owner. Gas in Canada is $8.00 per gallon.
The next two days were spent in the big cities of Calgary and Edmonton. We took advantage of the resources of a large town and had a routine oil change and system check on the van. While in the shop, we got about 10,000 steps in walking the largest mall in North America, The West Edmonton Mall. The last night in Edmonton was game seven of the Stanley Cup finals and support was shown everywhere with Oilers’ flags and jerseys proudly flown. Given two thumbs up by the the Mercedes technician, we continued north in Highway 43, Canada’s version of the I 15, mesmerized by grain field after grain field, our sights only interrupted by an occasional oil well or pipeline.
The final leg of this journey ended at Dawson Creek, Mile 0, the start of the Alaska Highway. Scenic roads and byways tend to traverse through resort communities, national or state parks, and destination towns, with excursions and offerings for a true glamping experience. Whereas Interstates offer speed and dry road conditions. One of the “Mile Zero City” signs says, “Where the Adventure Begins.” I’m looking forward to that.
Top Left (2019 vs. 2022) hills dotted with new homes; Great Salt Lake; Mid-The Ledges Golf Course; Bottom right-Zion National Park
As with most Americans we chose to put a hold on extensive travel until the COVID pandemic subsided. Our last attempt at a road trip was cut short after our safe return from our Asian dream cruise, turned COVID nightmare in February 2019, but before the entire country shut down in March 2019.
With a renewed sense of adventure, we set out from Las Vegas the day before Mother’s Day north to Utah. Our first stop was Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. Rippled red and white sandstone dotted with scrubby juniper lined the drive. We entered the park and found a spot at the Visitor’s Center with ease and boarded the Park Shuttle, sans any lines.
The task this today was a hike to the hidden pools along the grotto trail. We started the trail at Zion Lodge and meandered the red road three miles along weeping walls and shallow pools up to the next shuttle stop. Early in the season, the park was low in tourists, but with an equal mix of American and international travelers.
After a short drive further into the canyon and through the Mount Carmel Tunnel, we tabled for dinner at Switchback Restaurant, a rustic but refined Steak and Seafood restaurant. Here we dined next to a local couple whose family were founding members of the community and parents to 21 children. Yes, 21 children, ranging from ages 30 to 4 years old.
The next morning I chose to spend Mother’s Day playing 18 holes at The Ledges Golf Course located 30 minutes north of Springdale. Glorious weather, red rocks, and undulating greens challenged my lucky five wood for four hours.
New construction is booming in the outskirts of large towns and cities. I’m guessing many people have decided to move away from the traffic and congestion of metropolitan areas for open spaces and at-home offices. We awoke to snow on our windshield and a fine dusting on the adjacent hills in Santaquin, Ut, where we boondocked for the night at Rowely’s Red Barn. An hour later we broke fast overlooking Bridger Bay of the Great Salt Lake with wild bison roaming freely.
Freewheeling 