April 21: Seventh day on the road

Oh  Boy, seven days on the road and what haven't we seen?  We've driven through rain forests, over snow capped mountains, and past sheer cliffs, frozen rivers and waterfalls, plains that extended past the horizon, industrial zones, miles devoid of human touch, and busy cities.

Everyone has given a go with driving the RV. Courtney drove for two hours while battling 45 mph winds, Jim has driven most of the time through all kinds of conditions, and Sandy drove for a few hours over bumpy roads.

Canada and USA are very similar. Northern New Mexico looks like the outskirts of the Northern Rockies, and most of Mid-Canada looks like the Great Plains in the U.S.A. We almost couldn't tell the difference. But there is one huge difference. Prices are higher for most everything, however, you pay with credit or debit card and the price is diminished by about 15% because of the exchange rate.

So far, we paid anywhere from $2.04 in the USA to $5.00 a gallon here in Northern Canada.

We are a mere 10 hours from our destination in Skagway, AK. We have been staying in Walmart parking lots and RV parks over night.  The parking lots have all the concessions of home; all the food you could buy and spacious bathrooms. The RV parks are very varied in services and prices.  In one we paid $2.00 for a six minute glorious shower, instead of a weak spray hot then cold and hot again shower. Most of the time showers are free. The last two RV places water was still frozen.  The RV park we are staying in tonight is beautiful, right beside a mountain stream complete with a beaver dam and beaver lodge.  Snow capped mountains surround us in a 360 degree panorama. Here in North Canada we are paying $15.00 a night, maybe we'll stay a bit longer. But, Skagway will be $600.00 a month.

We went across the highest mountains on our trip today, I was beginning to think we weren't going to make it - first gear at 35 MPH for 30 miles up and down in second gear and using the brakes to slow down.  At one point, we drove over a few fallen rocks with one tire.  It bounced off the siding on our RV and sounded like we popped two tires.   After pulling over and frantically checking out the RV we decided we were lucky, and nothing was amiss.

Currently, we are half way between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake, surrounded by snow topped mountains (very High Mountains) and waterfalls, even frozen waterfalls. It's a small town that isn't on the map. There is an airport and a camp ground, that's about it. But its adorable. Courtney scared and got scared by a baby beaver out on its own. She took a few pictures after she composed herself, but didn't manage to get a good shot.