RubiKon : The Way North

2007-09-16T14:42:00.001-07:00

Concluding Thoughts

It is time to go back to work and thoughts of the Yukon are still on our minds. The country, the wonderful people and all the treasures we saw and experienced are unm-matched in all of our travels.
“Rational or not, raw, untamed wilderness is a vital part of each one of us . There is a sub conscience connection with the world around us. When this wilderness is tarnished, we feel it on so many levels; from the air we breathe, to the water we drink and the emptiness we feel in our souls. Somehow we feel that a sin has been committed, but we can’t place our hands on it. There is little left. This century will tell us how much of ourselves we are willing to destroy. We all know and feel it.”
- Moose Lee -- July, 2007

Many thanks to our new friends:
Barbara and Linda (River Gals from St. Louis), Vic , Sage, Shawn, Markus, Dick & Sandy, Numerous 1st Nations People.
All the people we met were absolutely wonderful, friendly and helpful in our travels. We hope to meet them again.

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Some links of interest:
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If you plan to ever paddle any of the rivers in the Yukon, "Kanoe People" is a good place to start, rent, buy gear and get some great advice:
http://www.kanoepeople.com/

See the movie Being Caribou and read more about husband-and-wife team Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison and their fantastic journeys.
http://www.beingcaribou.com/

Good homegrown music.. you can't miss Kim Beggs and her genuine heartfelt ballads.
http://kimbeggs.com/home.html

Like traditional native music with modern arrangements. Look no further. Jerry "Keeper of the Songs" Alfred is a member of the Selkirk First Nation of the Northern Tutchone. He lives in Pelly Crossing, a village in central Yukon. Jerry Alfred and his group "The Medicene Beat" provided very inspirational music and songs. A great backdrop for our travels.
http://nativedrums.ca/index.php/Showcase/Jerry_Alfred?tp=a&bg=1&ln=e
Also try:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/FortSelkirk/english/content/prologue-alfred.html

Visiting Bowron Lakes? Visit Dick & Sandy (Bear River Mecantile)
http://bearriver.bizland.com/
or Becker's Lodge http://www.beckerslodge.ca/

We'd like to thank everyone for joining us on our journey and all the support. Special thanks to Lori, mother and dearest wife of the RubiKon Team.

If you ever need a low cost, reliable, Adventure vehicle that gets great gas mileage, we can highly recommend these Toyota V6 micro-mini motorhomes. We have had a great time traveling in our "RubiKon" Warrior. No problems whatsoever. We averaged 14-17 mpg and hit 18 and 19 mpgs a couple of times (Unbelievable, but true!). She took us over 8,000 miles there and back; up beyond the Arctic circle (1300 miles of gravel roads). Unfortunately, these great litle campers were discontinued 14 years ago as Toyota discountinued offering the 1 Ton chassis for sale.

Stay tuned for more tales and pictures of our adventures on our forthcoming Website: http://www.rubikonadventures.com/

Lone Paddler - Sunset Bowron Lakes

As always, we wish you safe travels in your adventures.
-"Moose" Lee & "Yukon" Johann

http://www.RubiKonAdventures.com

2007-09-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Drive Home Continues

Chetwynd, Hudson's Hope, Prince George, Jasper, Banff and the Kootenays

We spent 2 days in Fort St John getting a front-end alignment and then began our journey south. We were torn between going to Dawson Creek to see mile "Zero" of the Alcan highway or taking a scenic route through Hudson's Hope to Prince George. We chose the scenic byway and we were glad we did. The drive to Hudson's Hope was wonderful. BTW: Hudson's Hope is the third oldest European community in British Columbia.

We encountered another bear who insisted on crossing the road in front of us. If we had been driving a bit faster, we probably would've hit this one.
Shortly after the bear we crossed over the Peace River Bridge... we were in the land of the dinosaurs.
Although Yukon Johann was no dinosaur he was something to be feared that evening.

We tucked in for the night at Moresby Lake Provincial Park. This was by far one of the most beautiful and well kept campgrounds we stayed in during our entire trip.
The next morning we awoke and drove to Chetwynd. Chetwynd is situated at an ancient floodplain at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and acts as the gateway to the Peace area to the east.
We had just missed the 3rd annual Chetwynd Chainsaw carving contest. We saw many of the impressive pieces displayed around the visitor center. The most intricate of these was the Dragon shown here.
Beyond Chetwynd lie the foothills of the Rocky mountains. The weather was nice and warm. It made for pleasant driving at a leisurely pace. Later that day we arrived in Prince George, known as BC's northern capital. It sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers. As we were leaving town towards Jasper we came across this interesting road. I guess it served as a reminder for what lies ahead in the coming days.

The scenery in Banff and Jasper were incredible. No need to go hiking here to see eye popping scenery. It was all layed out before us from the road.

We came upon the 143-mile route between Lake Louise and Jasper known as the ice field parkway. It is a driving experience like no other. The careful engineering of the road, and the generous provision of stopping places, viewpoints, and interpretive information allow the sublime scale and wonderful variety of mountain scenery to be fully appreciated

We stopped at the central visitor center where they give tours of the Columbia glacier in these HUGE ice sloths. For nearly $40 one could ride one of these up the Columbia Glacier and get out and walk on it. This picture makes our Toy house look pale in comparison.

Of course we had to stop at Lake Louise and get our picture taken.
I still think some of the other lakes were more scenic, like this one

Unfortunately we were not going to make it all the way to Banff. We took the Radium Hotsprings turnoff and drove through Kootenay National Park. The views down the freeway were fantastic.

We soon entered Kootenay National park and witnessed the beginnings of the Kootenay River which flows into the Columbia.
The country was spectacular. This view included color form the infamous Pine Bark Beetle and fires from 2005.
We've read about a very good backpack trip through the valley here. Someday, we hope to come back and give it a try.

We spent the night in Dry Gulch Provincial campground near Radium Hotsprings. The hotsprings were very refreshing. While not nearly as good as the Liard Hotsprings we experienced a few days earlier, they were refreshing to us weary travelers.

The next day we came upon these hoodoos created by the Columbia river. They are known as the Dutch Creek Hoodoos and can bee seen form the south end of the lake.Then we traveled along Columbia Lake, source of the mighty Columbia river. For approximately 60 miles, both the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers run parallel and when they reach Canal Flats at the south end of Columbia Lake the two rivers are less than 1.2 miles apart. The Columbia River from its source flows north while the Kootenay River continues flowing south.
Looking south though the hazy sky made for a neat view.

That pretty much ended our trip up north. We met up later that day with Lori (dearest mother and wife) at Priest Lake Idaho to enjoy the Labor Day Weekend. A trip summary and thoughts and points to ponder will be forthcoming.

Safe Travels,
Moose Lee & Yukon Johann

2007-08-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Drive Home: Kluane

As we left Alaska, we entered yet another nice game preserve, the Tetlin, and skirted on the edges of Kluane Park. We caught glimpses of the interior, Mt. Queen Mary was visible from the Don'Jek River.

We head southeast and stopped in Burwash landing and enjoyed the promising views offered by Kluane Lake. Kluane Lake is the largest lake in the Yukon Territories.

Destruction Bay and Sheep Mountain are some of the most scenic of the drive along the lake shore.

We were tempted to put the boats in the water, but we opted to wait and put them in at Lake Kathleen later that day.

Lake Kathleen, while very beautiful, was extremely windy and gusts were very strong. The evening paddle was not relaxing, but rather like a class II-III river expedition. We got very wet, but it was alot of fun. The new boat is better suited for white water :-)
The next morning we headed back to Whitehorse. Going through Haines Junction was spectacular. Again we were on the edge of Kluane Park. The mountains along the road act as an edge of a giant bowl, holding back the glaciers on the other side.

While beautiful, they are nothing compared to what lies just beyond them. Unfortunately access to the jewels of Kluane are not easy. There are very few trails and access points are very limited. It is best to hire a fly-in service. We agreed that another visit is mandatory.

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The Drive Home : Leaving Whitehorse

We arrived in Whitehorse hoping to fix a mechanical problem we discovered when examining our tires. Apparently the 1300 plus gravel road miles we've put on our adventure vehicle has taken a toll on her. We need a front-end alignment. Unable to get it done in Whitehorse in a timely manner we left town.

Before leaving, however, we had a nice dinner with one of our new found friends, Shawn, an avid para glider and an outdoor enthusiasts -- like us. We hope to meet up again in the future.

As we left town, the Yukon gave us a final goodbye. A beautiful rainbow and the S.S. Klondike gave us a final send off.

We had tears in our eyes as we knew our time in the Yukon was over. Our visit has been more than just a passing glance. We feel connected with the country, having tasted her mighty rivers, hiked her trails and driven her roads into the heart of the territory for nearly 3 months. It was a magical time that we will never forget.

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The Drive Home: The Northern Rockies

As we left the Yukon, we entered British Columbia excited about the new things promised to us in the travel guides. Among them was the chance to see wild Buffalo along the side of the road. We weren't disappointed.

This guy was a teddy bear, despite his intimidating glares.

Even further down the road we ran into a herd of his buddies. It was very exciting to see and we kept a vigil eye on the road so as not to hit one.

That evening we camped a the famous Liard Hot springs. We we were not disappointed. We had a nice evening dip and once again in the morning.

We did encounter disappointment as we entered Muncho Lake Provincial Park. It was raining. The forecast didn't look good. Unfortunately this photo was the best view we could muster of the lake. It was snowing on the higher peaks above us.

One of the bright spots was encountering a small herd of Mtn. Caribou at Summit Lake. Neither of us had ever seen Mtn. Caribou.

Snow was falling just a few hundred feet of elevation above us and we feared that we may be caught in some snow.

As we drove out of the mountains down to Fort Nelson our fears subsided as the sun peeked out for about 15 minutes and we got a nice picture of a fat black bear munching on the side of the road.

Even better was our drive beyond Fort Nelson as we encountered a mother with 3 cubs. A crowd of cars gathered and before long they approached within 10 feet of the camper. Yukon Johann had the camera ready and nabbed these pictures while Moose Lee had the foot on the gas for a quick getaway. The bears didn't seem to be bothered by our presence and we enjoyed about 15 minutes of extreme close viewing goodness. The cubs were soooo cute!!! Mom would grunt every now and then and look up at us to make sure we weren't threatening her and the family unit. They finally left when a big semi-truck came screaming by, scaring mom away from the road.

Satisfied, we were ready for bed. However, mother nature gave us another gift as we passed a Moose grazing in a roadside marsh.

Unfortunately, it is still raining. In talking to the locals, they say it has been a strange summer here in the terminus of the Rocky Mtns. as it has been raining almost non-stop since June with only a week of sunshine. With the early snows, the trucks are beginning to haul goods up north much sooner than normal. We were advised to be careful on the road.

Until next time, travel safely --Moose Lee & Yukon Johann

2007-08-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

Wrangell-St Elias National Park & Preserve

It's Big!!!!!!

As we left Thompson Pass towards Wrangell-St Elias we got one more chance to view and climb on the Worthington Glacier.

Beauty.. eh!

We arrived at the cutoff to the old Edgerton highway to the Town of Chitna, along the Copper River. There are only 2 roads into the huge Wrangell-St Elias park. Both are gravel. The road to Chitna was fine, but the 60 mile drive on the McCarthy road towards the Kenicott mines was the absolute worst road we've driven to date. The road made the Dempster highway we drove to Inuvik above the Arctic circle seem like a smooth paved highway in comparison. The McCarthy road is a unique driving adventure. It's gravel and dirt surface makes for slow travel. Hazards include muddy and slippery conditions; sharp rocks can cause flat tires; narrow and one-lane bridges make maneuvering large vehicles difficult. We will never do it again in a motorhome. No fuel is available after Chitna. We experienced spectacular views, high narrow bridges, dust, bumps, and railroad spikes!! YEP, you read that right. RAILROAD SPIKES!!. We brought one back as a souvenir. Apparently they poured gravel directly over the original railbed, timbers and all. The graders sometimes reveal spikes. We drove slow and very methodically. We had many rewarding views along the way.
The Gilahana railroad trestle is something to see. It was built in 8 days, during the WINTER!

After fighting hours of dust, rain and all sorts of mean and nasty road conditions, this was view from camp. Was it worth the drive? Hmmmmm...... We are glad to say we did it... at least once. The picture below is of the Root glacier. The subsequent picture shows a panorama of our view from camp. Look closely and you can see the Kennecot mine.buildings.

Hiking trails are few and the best stuff in the park is very hard to access. This is a good thing and makes for a perfect wilderness expeditionary trip for those who wish to see the world without wheels and trails in the primitive way mother nature designed her. The road ends at McCarthy and the last five miles to the Kennecott mine require hiking, biking or taking a shuttle. Unfortunately, my chain broke on my bike and we had to take a shuttle ($20 round trip).

We did a somewhat grueling hike up to the Bonanza mine. It was an all day affair that offered incredible views of Mt Blackburn (over 16,000 ft!!!) and the moraine glaciers of the Kennicott and Root Glaciers.
In the Bonanza basin we saw many artifacts (trash?) from the mining operations. The remains of the mine and the bunkhouse looked pretty ghostly and eerie.
Up above the mine, on the upper ridge one could see into Canada (Kluane park) and we got views of 19,524 ft Mt Logan and a peek-a-boo of of 18,008 ft Mt Elias. If the clouds were gone, it would have made for perfect views of this spectacular World Heritage Park. As it was, we had no complaints.
The weather was nice and hot. The views were heavenly and Yukon Johann had a great time.

At the end of the day, we took our time and toured the mining community. Most of the buildings are in near ruins and the park service is attempting to restore many of the more impressive buildings. Mother nature has other ideas and in 2003 a normally benign creek swelled from moulins and glacier-marginal lakes to flood the town and destroyed a couple of historical buildings. The concentrator and some of the other more impressive buildings remain however. They stare out over the glacial moraines of the Kennicott and Root glaciers like sentinels against the sands of time. We left Wrangell-St Elias knowing that we had not even scratched the surface of the all the park has to offer. We vow to come back someday, loaded with cash for air drops and back country access. We wish to see what this country has to offer.

We took off towards Anchorage and that evening we were rewarded to heavenly views from our roadside camp. The GlennAllen Highway is a spectacular drive not to be missed.
Another day, another wonderful sunset. It has become a cliche for us all summer. Yet, each one is different and they offer a nice closing to the days of wonder we have experienced all summer.

We spent a night out by the Portage Glacier and then we had to make the turn to go back home.

The drive along the Glennallen hwy is wonderful.

Safe Travels,

Moose Lee and Yukon Johann

2007-08-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Paddling In Prince William Sound

Another Dream Come True

Paddling in Prince William Sound is a Kayaker's dream. To do it with your son is something special.

We arrived in Valdez on a cloudy rainy day. We thought it would be great if the weather cleared and the clouds disappeared revealing the glaciers just like they advertise in the travel brochures we all read. We were in luck!!! We caught a weather report at the visitor center and an unbelievable event was to occur for the next 48 hours.... CLEAR WARM WEATHER!!! We quickly arranged a water Taxi to take us out to the Shoup glacier where we planned to spend the night paddling and hiking in among the glaciers.

It was fantastic. It is a bird sancturary. We paddled amongst ice in a bird rookery complete with researchers and scientists studying the habits of these birds.

Afterwards, we paddled towards the glacier where it dumps into the bay. Yep, that is Moose Lee doing some more "Outdoor Research" during a lunch break.

The paddling was great as we were in a protected bay of mostly cold, fresh water. There was a cave carved into the rock where a pretty fast river came pouring out of the glacier. It made for great paddling as long as one avoided the ice bergs :-)

Later in the day we took a hike up the side of the glacial moraine hoping to get up to the pass and get a glimpse of the massive Columbia glacial snowfield. The view back towards the bay was impressive.

Unfortunately we came across a massive glacial moraine that had melted out in the past 5 years. This was all supposed to be glacial ice covered with dirt according to our map. Global climate change bit us in the butt on this one. We were unable to cross in a timely manner for our trip. We were luckyto see remanents of the remaining glacial mass "calve" into the moraine. It was quite a sight and we were correct and safe in not proceeding across it and up the otherside.

We did get great views of the Shoup Glacier and the upper part where it joined the Columbia ice sheet farther back.

We spent the night there and paddled back to Valdez on a cloudless day with hundreds of salmon spawning and lots and lots of marine life feeding on them. As we got closer to Valdez, we saw about 100 boats out fishing for the annual Salmon fishing derby.

The evening came to a close for us as the last sailing of the Whittier to Valdez ferry came into port. The past 2 days had been like some dream that couldn't have been imagined to be any better. Moose Lee recalled his childhood days of fishing out of Port San Luis in southern California. After spending the night below the Valdez glacier we prepared to leave. However, we decided to drive out to the terminus of the Alaska Pipeline. We weren't prepared for what we saw. We saw thousands and thousands of Salmon returning up the river to spawn. In one particular spot, hatchery fish were trying to return up river but were blocked by a weir. It was an unbelievable sight. We picked fish up bare handed as they were everywhere... so thick, it looked as if on could walk across the bay on them.Apparently the bears know that the Salmon are running as well. There were warning signs all over the place and the local police and fire departments were out patrolling the roads to remind tourists not to get out of their cars. In one case, a grizzly sow and 3 cubs were given a wide corridor and had the road closed for a spell as they had to "herd" the bears out of the way of greedy fishermen.

That night we camped at Thompson Pass and enjoyed an evening of mountain biking in among the glaciated peaks.

The day wasn't done as mother nature bid a final adieu to the day and we enjoyed another spectacular sunset.
Magic? Lucky? We think so. Times like these only happen once in a great while.

Until next time, Moose Lee & Yukon Johann

2007-08-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Road to Valdez

We left Tok Alaska towards Valdez. The weather is looking to improve in the coming days. The first night we stayed in Porcupine Creek state park and road our bikes out onto the highway and enjoyed the sunset. One could barely see the tip of Mt Wrangell in the distance.

The next day we stopped to see the Alaska Pipeline. Yukon Johann thought it would be warm, but it is insulated pretty well. The fins you see are radiators to convect heat away from the supports. They are sitting in permafrost and the warm oil can melt it as it makes its way along the pipeline. The pipeline is not straight, but zigzags across Alasksa. It isn't tied down to any of the supports, but rather it rests on teflon bearings allowing it move as the warm oil is pushed through.
The view of Mt Wrangell (ovwer 14,000 ft), although never complete was neat to see as we drove along.
Thompson pass and the Worthington Glacier are very, very nice.Thompson pass is the most beautiful pass we've seen in Alaska.
Yukon Johann had to have a closer look and we climbed on top, under and below the Worthington Glacier.
That night we camped at Thompson pass and headed down to Valdez. We stopped at several waterfalls like teh one shown here.. known as Horsetail Falls.
We are looking to put our Kayaks in the water tommorow and go on a two day kayak trip into a bay and see the snout of the Shoup Glacier. The weather is supposed to clear up and get sunny. What little we can see, looks very beautiful. Stay tuned for more updates in a couple of days :-)

2007-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

GoodBye To The Dempster and All Her Treasures

Before leaving the Dempster highway we did one more hike. We climbed on top of Pilots peak, named so because pilots would use it as a marker.

This involved crossing the Blackstone River and ice. Moose Lee carried Yukon Johann on his back. The tundra looks all lush and green and appears to be a well manacured lawn from a distance. The fact of the matter is, tundra hiking is tough. If one is not sinking 6 inches in the spongy moss, they are attempting a bale dance on the tussucks. It makes for a hard hike on the ankles and knees.

The last bit of climbing involved a 60 degree climb up some pretty nasty loose shale rock. A light thunderstorm came in and we almost turned around as a sense of deja-vu was setting in. It passed as quickly as it came and the sun came out. Once at the summit, Yukon Johann was able to capture a picture of Moose Lee doing some intense "Outdoor Research".

On the way down we came across several fresh caribou tracks where we had lunch. We scanned the slopes for them, but couldn't see them. Where had they gone? When we re-crossed the Blackstone river, we came across numerous fresh caribou tracks. Again, we saw no animals. We can only guess that our "Outdoor Research" on the summit took too long and we should've been looking down the local slopes instead of gazing in a "zen-like" state into the Blackstone uplands.

Our final night was spent in Tombstone among the spires and another sunset that spoke more than volumes of words could everr describe. The gods spoke one final word that night as we had thunder, lightening followed with alpenglow that couldn't be beat.
Before we say goodbye to the Dempster, we would like to share with you the many moods she displayed. The skies, the sun, the animals and the mountains spoke to us in a way that can't be described. The country here, left us longing for more. We vow to come back again someday. Enjoy

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Greetings from Top of The World

We finally left Dawson hoping to keep the magic of the Dempster going. We heard the Top Of The World Highway was not to bee missed. Especially since a colleague at work stated that his grandfather designed the Taylor highway.

It can't compare to the Dempster, but the road to the the US Alaska border into Boundary USA was spectacular. We drove over high tundra on ridgelines with great views.

A thunderstorm had just passed and we witnessed the most brilliant rainbow we've ever photographed.

We camped of the side of the road on the way to Eagle Alaska. We were high on the ridge with views over looking the mountains for miles around. The sky gave another spectacular show.It was unbelievable.

The next day we drove to Eagle and spent the night there. We took a tour of the museum and Fort Egbert. It was a very personal tour as we were the only ones on the tour that day.

Yukon Johann decided to hold court and take one the role of Judge Wickersham and sentence his dad (Moose Lee) to 18 year years of indentured servatued along with a fine equivalent of 4 years of college. Moose Lee wished for a hanging judge instead and motioned for a mis-trial.
Being Sunday, it was appropriate that we attend church and repent of our sins.
It was a fun tour and one of the best we had experienced on the trip.
On the way to Eagle, which is about 80 miles south on the Taylor Highway, we hiked to an old gold dredge known as the Mosquito Creek Dredge. We spent the night in Chicken because... hmmm... well, just to say that we did.
Yukon Johann took advantage of the free facilities. We always feel that leaving a donation helps promote touurism and further exploitation of the country.

Finally, this sign as we left the Taylor highway for Tok, Alaska.

One final homage to this guy named Taylor. You must be important to have a highway and a creek named after you. Anyone for naming a peak after one of us. Say, Moose Lee peak? Well, maybe not.

Next stop... who knows... we are camping in Tok Alaska at the cross roads to either Valdez and Wrangell-St Elias or drive up t Fairbanks and see Denali once again. Stay tuned...

2007-08-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Dempster Highway

Being Caribou On Wheels: The Trip Up

One of only 2 roads to penetrate the artic in North America, the Dempster Highway in Canada and the Dalton Highway in Alaska. The Dempster Highway, we’ve heard is the most beautiful of the two. It stretches beyond the Klondike gold fields to the Mackenzie Delta. It snakes a path of over 450 miles long through the mountains and the artic lowlands. Once part of Beringia, the northern Yukon and Northwest Territories were largely unglaciated, with Wolly Mammoths and Saber tooth cats roaming the tundra alongside prehistoric man. Words and pictures alone cannot describe this part of the world. The sun shines not for a day, but for an entire season. Wildlife abounds, unfettered by the ever expanding domain of man and his propensity to plunder everything in sight. The road is like no other, and to call it a highway is somewhat misleading. It is a gravel ribbon spread over a vast wilderness frontier, which was inhabited first by nomadic tribes and then trampled by fur traders and avoided by the Klondike gold seekers. We drove this road up to the upper boundaries of Canada to a native village, Inuvik, and back again -- over 900 miles of gravel. In a period of 2 weeks we hiked, backpacked, climbed and interacted with the descendants of the first people to live in this land. It was an adventure like none we ever experienced. We were sad to leave.

After spending 3 days at Tombstone Campground, with day hikes along the Klondike river valley and Harts Pass, we wanted to do a pack trip into Tombstone. The day started out ok, but once we got to the high ridges the weather went bad.

Unfortunately, we got caught in the middle of a long ridge when a deceitful thunderstorm came in all of a sudden. We were in the midst of lightening, ear splitting thunder, torrential rain, less than 10 feet of visibility and all kinds of mean and nasty things that scared the @#!! out of us. We hunkered down in a low gully for the day and the rest of the night.
During breaks in the rain we tried to make light of the situation hoping that mother nature would see that we could take anything she could throw at us. In the end, however, she won. It rained hard for 3 solid days and we couldn’t really see a darn thing. We got out of there without a stitch of dry clothing and off route and we literally fell onto the road out of the buckbrush and tundra. Fortunately for us, 3 gals were driving by and and had pity on us. They gave us poor weathered souls a lift back to our Toy house… which was sitting under water up to the door panels in a newly formed pond.

After this traumatic experience,, most folks would probably turn around and go back. Not us. We decided that we would be better off driving north and trying this again on the way back. After some clam chowder and warm clothes, we were feeling much, much better all snug in our bunks.
The next day we headed north. Whoa!!!! This drive is awesome.

It got better as we did some hiking off the beaten path and up through the muskeg to Sapper Hill. We saw some nesting Gyr falcons, came across an old bear kill of a caribou carcass and had an evening of splendid views. The road was merciless with our adventure vehicle.

We took great comfort in knowing that everywhere we camped, we were never alone. Hiking in the mountains was awe inspiring. Arial views of the Dempster can’t be beat, especially at 11:00 pm with a passing thunder storm. Rainbows come for free and sometimes they come in pairs. Look closely.It's even better with a buddy.This lonely Inukshuk showed us the way as we got high on Eagle Plains.

Sunset at Eagle Plains.

The Artic Cricle. We made it... so far… The adventure vehicle is running as expected, no flats either. Just filthy dirt mixed with calcium chloride.

The land before Wright's pass was incredily beautiful. We found a set of Caribou Antlers.

Crossing into the NorthWest Territories was another landmark in our journey in paradise.The Mackenzie River and the village of Tsiigehtchic. Just moments before arriving, we almost plowed into a huge black bear crossing the road. It was a close call for all of us.

The end of the road at Inuvik. We could drive no further north. The Mackenzie delta spread out in the distance and all around us.

A long stop at the vistior center in Inuvik is a must!!!

On Sunday, we decided to go to church and see if the indoors were any holier than the outdoors. The Igloo church was something to see... inside and out.

That night we stayed up beyond 2:00 a.m. watching the sun set in the North! And then rising again just a few degrees farther. Incredible!!

That is a breif summary of our trip up to Inuvik. The trip back was just as fun. Stay tuned for part two with more pictures and a possibly a re-cap of our adventure crossing a river with ice and climbing up Pilots peak, bears and other wild things. Our adventures up in the artic were like nothing we've ever experienced. It is truly a magical place that must be experienced. Words and pictures cannot capture the feelings nor the magic. Driving the Dempster is like no other road on earth.

Greetings from Moose Lee and Yukon Johann. Until next time.

2007-08-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

Drive To Dawson
Klondike Gold Rush Highway

After paddling the Yukon river we took a bus back to Whitehorse and drove by to Dawson on the Klondike highway.

Along the way we camped on the west side of Lake Laberge and witnessed an incredible sunset.

At Dawson we drove to the top of the Midnight Dome and watched the sunset over the Yukon river.
The next morning we got ready to leave for the Dempster Highway, but not before we took another trip up the Dome to eat breakfast and see the Keno river boat.
We took a side trip to see Dredge #4, one of the largest dredges in the world. Johann and I took turns at operating the dredge :-)

Stay tuned for our next adventure up the Dempster Highway....

-Moose Lee & Yukon Johann

2007-07-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yukon River Adventure
Some Things Are Learned By Experiences Not Found in Any Book

"There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who toil for gold;

The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see

Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge with Yukon Yohann and Moose Lee."
(Original Poem by Robert Service)

===> Day 1(Mile 49): Things with Wings
The adventure started out from Whitehorse where shortly after Moose Lee realized that he forgot to bring a razor. On the edge of town, next to the river, there is a Walmart. Since it is 1:00 pm, why not grab a hamburger from McDonald’s as well.

The first major wildlife sighting was a HUGE Bald Eagle rooting in the mud along the shore of an island. So big was this bird that we originally mistook it for a bear.

The river had cut through the glacier soil, which is very sandy. We could see that all the mountains have been rounded off by glacial erosion. The mountains around Whitehorse are the result of uplifted coral reefs that have drifted north through the millennium. From a geological standpoint, these mountains are very young and they are still rebounding from the last ice age.

Along the river we came across a very large and colorful Moth which took a liking to Yukon Johann.

We spent the night in Steamboat Slough (~Mile 49) at the start of Lake Laberge.

===> Day 2 (Mile 60): “Have you seen anything strange today…. Like a dead body?”

Progress was slower on this day as we entered Lake Laberge and the current dropped. We passed by some old pilings used to redirect the water during the steamer days.

We also saw the first of many float planes along the river.

There are 2 safe ways to progress down Lake Laberge. Paddlers are advised to paddle either the west side or the east side of the lake and stay near the shores for safety reasons as it is a very large and cold lake. We pulled into the Upper Laberge Indian Village near Joe Creek for lunch on the east side.

Later that day we passed the “Eco-Raft” with a group that was filming a documentary on floating a homemade raft to Dawson (more on this story was to come in the following days)

Not too long after, the legendary winds of Lake Leberge began to blow from the SW direction and the rain began. Progress was slow and we were getting wet and cold. We decided to camp at an Indian fish camp with minimal shelter for cooking and a relatively dry place under the trees to setup our tent.

About 9:00 that evening a motorboat with an RCMP came by asking us if we “paddled along the lake today”. He also asked if we “saw anything strange today… like a dead body?”. Of course we had seen nothing of the kind. The inquiry certainly did not lighten the mood for our wet evening. Later that night (12:00 am), along the center of the lake, we saw the Eco-Raft slowly making its way in the rain. It looked like a Ghost ship.

===> Day 3 (Mile 83) : “Damn this lake is long!”
We awoke to hard rain and very damp conditions. A decision was made to go for it and paddle in the hard rain. We packed and headed out with our rain gear on. Surprisingly, we were very dry in the Kayaks and we began to see some progress as we looked across the misty lake to the opposite shore.

We passed the Eco-Raft about 3 miles into our paddle. We stopped to chat for a spell and learned about the documentary they were filming in hi-def. They had a motorized support boat which we saw every now and then.

All-in-all we were in good spirits and Yukon Johann was hanging in there.

We arrived at the end of Lake Leberge about 8:00 pm that evening. It was a long, long, long wet day. We did manage a bit of sun and found a moose jaw at another camp in a brief reprise from the wet. We spent the night on the beach at the head of the 30 mile river. The hull remains of the Steamship Casca #1 could be seen by our tent. The ribs looked like the remains of some ancient dinosaur.

===> Day 4 (Mile 115): Camping among the ruins
This day began a bit wet and got much better. Much, much, better.

Yukon Johann tried his hand at driving an old truck that was brought in to haul wood from the wood camps for the steamers before we left. From there we began our journey down the 30 mile river. This was perhaps the most incredible stretch of river we have ever paddled. The current was swift and we road many small rapids in our kayaks. We passed such places as U.S. Bend (a near complete circle in the river), the Tanana Reef, the Casca Reef and arrived at Hootalinqua at days end.

The area at Hootalinqua was very interesting as it is the site of an old native village and it is where the Teslin river joins the Yukon river. Along the way we had another incredible bald eagle sighting.

That night we camped at Hootalinqua island which is a historic site of a steamer shipyard repair facility. We camped just below the ruins of the steamship Evelyn. Although in complete ruins, it still has the boiler and many artifacts.

===> Day 5 (Mile 161.5): Caterpillar Buried in Mud at 4th of July
We enjoyed a leisurely day of paddling as the Teslin and Yukon Rivers made for even swifter water than the day before.
We easily made it to the Big Salmon Indian village (where the Big Salmon River joins the Yukon).

The natives were preparing for the Salmon runs which start in mid-July (some of these salmon make the journey from the Bering Sea all the way to Whitehorse and the many tributaries of the great Yukon river… many travel a journey of over 2000 miles!). The native cemetery was worth checking out as we could see the remains of many spirit houses in among the graves.

After lunch we pressed on and the rain began. Since it was July 4th, we thought it was appropriate that we try and find camp at 4th of July Bend in the Yukon River. No such luck. However, we did find the remains of an old dredge with the Caterpillar motor buried in the silty banks of the river.

We spent the night at Ericksons Woodyard (Mile 161.5)(Woodyards were like gas stations setup along the river to provide the steamers with wood fuel. They are all abandoned now and there are many artifacts to see).

Yukon Johann had a great campfire going. This picture makes him look like a little fire ghost.

We witnessed an incredible sunset at 12:30 am and then off to bed.

===> Day 6 (Mile 195): Little Salmon and Taylor’s Cutoff
The next day we paddled to the Little Salmon River and the native village of the same name. The natives were preparing for the pending salmon run. The cemetery was a village of spirit houses.

We had paddled past 5 mile bend, Selkirk Rock and Grady mountain to get here to Little Salmon for lunch. We paddled though the Columbia slough (site of the Columbia Str wreck) and passed some nifty rock formations with caves high up in the cliffs.

We spent the night on a nice sandy island at a big bend in the river known as Taylor’s Cutoff (~Mile 195).

On this day we noted the support boat for the eco-raft coming towards us and then the engines were shut down… involuntarily. More on this later.

===> Day 7 (Mile 215): An Oasis In the Wilderness
We traveled to Carmacks and stayed at the Coal Mine Campground. The weather was great and the campground offered real food. We had hamburgers for lunch and dinner with ice cream for desert. We got hot showers and washed our clothes in the camp laundromat. This was the perfect place to relax as it was halfway in our journey and the only place that the road crossed the Yukon river on our journey. The evening highlight was a wonderful rainbow. We enjoyed our day of rest. We were told to keep an eye out for a boat and supplies that hit the bridge piling at Carmacks the day before. This was indeed the boat that we saw the day before shut its engines down. Apparently they crew ran out of gas and were hopeful in getting fuel at Carmacks.

===> Day 8 (Mile 254): Five Fingers, Rain and Sam McGee’s Ashes
As we left Carmacks this morning, it was raining and it didn’t stop until later that day. We paddled through Shirtwaist Bend, 9 Mile Bend, past Happy Lepage’s Woodcamp and down to the Kellyville Townsite (all overgrown). Our biggest challenge was to survive 5 Finger Rapids (one of only 2 real rapids on the river). The 5 finger rapids were not that bad, but because of the history and number of paddlers that come down the Yukon, it is considered the most hazardous in all of the Yukon Territory. After a couple of bends in the river we came upon the second set of rapids we had been warned about, the Rink Rapids. We had no problem navigating them, in fact Yukon Johann nosed his Kayak into the middle of them and had a nice joy ride. Had it not been raining, we would have had some excellent pictures of this event. We did manage to get pictures of Sam McGee’s ashes (these speculated to be ashes from a volcano eruption in the Wrangell –St-Elias region).

We camped at an old mining camp that night, complete with old cabins at Merrice creek. We saw lots of bear scat. Fortunately, we saw no bears.

===> Day 9 (Mile 297): Forts, Dahl Sheep, Medicine Men and Other Campfire Tales

This day was awesome!! It started with a nice sunrise (if you can call it that) at 4:00 am.

It was beautiful!!

We found the support boat for the Eco-Raft lying on one of the islands about 5 miles before Mintos. Some folks in a motorboat came by and asked if we seen it.

As the day progressed we saw Dahl sheep on the rocks on Minto Bluff.
Later that day we paddled up Wolverine Creek.

As we approached the Pelly river junction we could see a definitive change in the landscape. Basalt rock formations could be seen. It is believed that this area was the extent of the ice sheets and lava flows came in contact with the massive ice sheets. The Pelly River junction is one of the most beautiful areas of the Yukon river. On the west shore is the site of an old native village and the area where the Canadians built a fort during the gold rush years (Fort Selkirk).

The alpenglow and subsequent sunset at 12:30 am were incredible.

It was a trip back in time as there were artifacts from the ancient native villages intermingled with the old gold rush cabins and buildings.

The evening campfire was filled with tales, stories and life lessons from a real native medicine man. It was fantastic. He goes by the name of “Papa Don” but his native name, which we cannot pronounce, is Porcupine.

We should’ve stayed another day. It was an incredible place that we will never forget. It is as remote of village as you will find in the Yukon. Accessible only by the river.

===> Day 10 (Mile 329) : Bugs!!
We reluctantly left Fort Selkirk and headed past places called Victoria Rock, Black Creek, Twin Falls, Threeway Channel (sounds kinky), Seventeen Mile Creek, Holbrook Creek, Push Button Bend, Pilot Island, etc… until we reached the Selwyn River. Along the way we did see some incredible rock formations. Rock that was cooled really fast as it butted up against the ice sheets. We did see some more Dahl sheep up in the cliffs along the river. None were ever close enough for a good picture though.

We camped at Menzies location.
It was a pretty uneventful day, except for the bugs!! They were horrible. The worst we’ve experienced on our trip so far. The tent was covered in flys. It was unbelievable. We did meet up with some really nice folks from Saskatchewan.

===> Day 11 (Mile 374): Wolves, Moose and Steak Sandwiches
We saw 4 moose on this day.

Wolf Tracks?
Wolf Tracks (?) and old boat buried in the silty mud.

We paddled a whooping 45 miles to arrive at Kirkman Creek. The local residents there, the Taylors, have baked goods for sale and offered steak sandwiches and chili for dinner. We enjoyed grilled steak sandwiches, homemade Rootbeer, Salad and homemade bread. Yeah, we were sure "roughing it" that night, eh?

===> Day 12 (417): Island Camping
Another wet day of paddling as we paddled past Carlise Creek, Thistle creek, Flanagan’s Slough and on to where the White River joins the Yukon. At this point, the river became a milky white soup. Filtering water was impossible from this point on. We passed Becker’s island, Frisco Creek and Shamrock Creek and onto where the Stewart River joins the Yukon. We paddled passed Split-Up Island and Stewart Island. It was rainy and wet. The water was like a thick milk chocolate color. We could hear the silt scraping along the bottoms of our boats. We paddled late into the evening and when the sun came out, we camped on a small island near Deadman Island and heard one or two wolves howling on the west bank of the river in the late evening hours. It was spectacular!

===> Day13 (Mile 455): So? There are Bears on this Island… Let’s Make a Big Fire
This day was pretty uneventful. We had a nice lunch at a gravel bar.

We spent our last night on 12 mile island (an old woodyard from back in the steamer days). After checking carefully for signs of bear on the island we deemed it safe to make camp.

Unfortunately we missed a set and we discovered them after dinner. They looked to be a few days old and we were camped way out on the gravel bar. Surely we'd be safe :-)

Just to be sure we built one of the largest fires ever and danced around it like John Dunbar in "Dances With Wolves" late into the night.

===> Day14 (Mile 467): Dawson City
We pulled off the river, tired and hungry after finally seeing some crystal clear water from the Klondike river making its way into the Yukon River. We made it to Dawson. What a memorable trip. We will be back to paddle some of the other rivers. There many life times of exploring to do up here in this vast, unspoiled wilderness.

So there you have it. A summary of our 500 mile Yukon River float trip. There is not room for many of the details here, but rest assured, this post will be updated over time to fill in additional holes. We met a few memorable people (2 Gals From St Louis), some very nice Candians (Thanks Vic!) and some native 1st Nations people. It is by far, the most incredible paddle trip we've ever taken. I'd dare even say, it was even the best adventure trip in our lives. We will be back for more... someday.

-Enjoy "Moose" Lee & "Yukon" Johann

2007-07-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

200 Miles on the Yukon River

Lee and Johann called this afternoon. They are 217 miles into their trip on the Yukon, 250 more to go. They are taking a rest in a small village Carmacks where they had access to a phone. They have not seen much wildlife on this stage of the trip, only one moose and no bears. However, the scenery on the river has more than made up for it. Along they way they have seen the skeletal remains of several old sternwheelers that where used along the river in days gone by.

Here's a link to a great map of the entire river: http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/rivers/yukonmap.htm They are traveling from Whitehorse to Dawson.

Their waterfilter broke at some point on the trip. Once again a generous Canadian bailed them out and loaned them their filter for the trip down the river. They will return it to them when they pass through Whitehorse to pick up the Toy House and continue their journey. They've made some great friends along the way. I've been receiving email and pictures from a few and it's quite a treat to hear from others who have been enjoying my little family.

I won't hear from them again until next weekend when they reach Dawson.

2007-06-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Atlin Lake

The Most Beautiful Lake in the World

Our schedule allowed for us to take another trip into the southern lakes region for a couple of days before we took to the Yukon River.

We headed to Atlin, the most northern town in British Columbia; a very remote First Nations Village.

Life in this part of the world is laid back and simple. The scenery is spectacular and the locals are very kind. However, all this come s at a hefty price….. The bugs were the worst we’ve ever seen. Mosquitoes, Horseflys the size of… well horses!!! And many bugs we’ve never seen before. #@!! they were BAD!!! They hung like clouds around your head.

We witnessed one of the most incredible sunsets ever at Atlin on the first night. After the bugs went to bed.

We had a look at the Tarahne, the first gasoline powered boat in the Yukon. It is being restored in hopes of offering first class Tours again.

Off to a campground at 12:30 a.m. with the evening Alpenglow to our backs.

The next day we went to an old gold mining ghost town called Discovery and on to Surprise Lake.

We discovered some warm springs and went for a dip. “Yukon” Johann’s first real bath in about a week.
It was relaxing sitting in amongst the mountains and getting away from the bugs.

The “RubiKon” Warrior Adventure vehicle was a bit dirty. All the roads are entirely gravel and glacial silt deposits mixed with Calcium-Chloride… courtesy of the gov’t to control dust and bind the gravel together. YUM!

At the end of Atlin Lake, nested in the mountains is the Llewellyn glacier. It is in one of the most remotes parks in the world… accessible only by boat or plane. Someday, we must come back and paddle there. It is nothing shy of spectacular.

We couldn’t help but stop every so often and soak up the views and take a picture.

Later that day, we decide to climb a trail up Monarch mountain… we begin hiking at 9:00 pm!!!!

The views were undeniably beautiful and worthy of several stops for pictures along the way.

The flowers were in full bloom.

Best pals!

One happy father!

The summit was the best of all. Here I am at 11 pm. No bugs above tree line.

At 12:30 am we went to bed. What a day!

Must come back someday and paddle the lake and the surrounding areas. The scenery is to die for.

2007-06-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Yukon River Quest
The Indy 500 of Paddle Racing

Each year the annual Yukon River Quest is held towards the end of June. It is a 3 day boat race from Whitehorse to Dawson City. The rules are simple, paddle as fast as you can for 3 days. There are several categories for folks to enter. The race is, howver, limited to just 85 boats. There is a mandatory 7 hours rest break in Carmacks (just over the halfway point). We chatted with folks from Australia, England and even locals who were doing the race… even folks from Bellingham Washington.

This team was serious, comprised of about 8 paddlers from Bellingham, Wa and folks from Texas. Their homemade craft came in at over 30 feet in length. Made of Kevlar and carbon fiber, they are a team to be reckoned with.

We toured the “pre-race” pit area where paddlers were making final preparations to their boats and gear.

Whoa… what’s this? We took this as a good omen for our 2 week expedition. We must look them up after the race.

The start of the race begins on Main Street. Racers line-up and run to their boats, ala LeMans style. The pre-race ceremonies where all the racers are introduced along with speeches by sponsors and city officials happen here. It really had that small town feel.

At 12:30 p.m. (GPS time) THE’RE OFF!

The goal here is not to get injured before arriving at your boat. There are a lot of miles to paddle and getting injured on Main Street before getting into your boat would be detrimental to the final objective.

Team BAB (The Big-Ass-Boat team as we called them) were the first out of the chute. They wasted no time in taking the lead. Their rhythm and timing seemed to be perfect.

Yet, there were others who take the race as a personal challenge to just finish in 3 days.

Watercrafts of all types and classes were there. Canoes, kayaks, double kayaks, homemade boats, etc…
We wished them all luck from the shore. In a couple of days we will follow. It will take us 2 weeks.

It was great to see and talk with racers from all walks of life. Perhaps the most interesting was the team from England who had a paraplegic and a blind man on their team. The race isn’t done for the money (the prizes are small). Most raise money for charities while many, do it just for the personal challenge. Someday, perhaps, we may join them.

2007-06-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Chilkoot Trail
More Than History - A Real Backpackers Delight

The Chilkoot Trail provides one of the best backpacking treats ever. It is a well known Heritage trail and most everyone is familiar with the history. What surprised us the most, aside from the historical significance, were the artifacts strewn along the route and the infamous Chilkoot pass, it is an excellent backpack trip in its own right. During the 33+ mile hike, you experience rain forests at sea-level and trek over the top of Chilkoot pass on icy snow to a sub alpine wonderland with grand views of glaciated mountains and glacier fed ponds, alpine flora and great opportunities to see wildlife. Waterfalls abound everywhere and the climate changes from a coastal rain forest to a dry piney eco system as one treks towards Bennett. The historical artifacts and interpretive signs at each of the significant points along the trail are a bonus. Carrying a full pack on your back gives you a hint of what it must have been like for the goldseekers of the era.

“Yukon” Johann and “Moose” Lee prepared to leave the ranger station. The lower portion of the hike was wet as we traveled through the lowland rain forests, not unlike what we have done numerous times in the North Cascades of Washington. There is one major difference though, the trail was littered with bear scat. At times, very deliberate steps had to be taken to avoid stepping in it.

As we ascended from the rainforests into the sub alpine zone we saw many artifacts. Many pack animals were treated harshly and left for dead.

The area known as the “Scales” was perhaps the most dramatic of these scenes.
Only 50 people are allowed on the trail at any given time and folks must camp in designated sites. Each site contains a very nice enclosed cook shelter. This is a nice touch as the weather is usually damp, windy and cold.

A small group ahead of us ascended the pass first. The picture here gives a hint of the steepness of the legendary “Golden Stairs”. It was a bit daunting from a distance and we were told that the day before we left that two packers slipped on the ice and had to be medi-vac’d out to Juneau. An ice axe and cramp-ons would have be an extra layer of safety. A side benefit of following this party was the fact that they scared some Mountain Goats over towards us. We saw Nannies, Kids and a couple of Billies acting as sentries.
“Yukon” Johann made the climb without incident and I was the proudest papa in all of the world when we reached the summit.
At the border, just before the summit, there was a monument. We were told that there are numerous remains of buildings and artifacts here, but the snow covered them.

Crossing into B.C. at the summit was refreshing and a sense of accomplishment.

The landscape quickly changed into an arctic-like environment. It was quite surreal.

As we approached “Happy Camp” the arctic scenery gave way a bit.
…well so much for dry land. We had to climb back up over a ridge in the snow to reach Deep Lake.
This picture of Long Lake was typical of the lakes we encountered. They had just thawed out. There were many little icebergs still in many of them.
Seeing a molting Ptarmigan in all its colors was a real treat.
Deep lake was the site where the miners could finally start floating their gear in boats.

From here the weather got warmer and warmer as we descended into deep lush forest.

"Yukon" Johann wasn't really that tired. "C'mon papa, let's go"
As we left Lindeman towards Bennett, we had incredible views down the valleys of Lake Lindeman and Bennet Lake. The forest began to get “piney” as we were now in the rain shadow of the coastal mountains.
About 2 miles form Bennett, we came across this rugged heritage cabin.
We finished the trail on day 5 and had a refreshing lunch at the Bennett train station.
The train ride back to Skagway across White Pass was incredible.
It is a train ride unlike no other and really worth doing once. The nice weather was a bonus.
Along the way we saw the remnants of less traveled trail #98, alternate route across the mountains over White Pass.

Overall the trip was impressive and we had excellent weather...a rarity we've been told. The trail provides for a very scenic pack trip. The historical significance provides insight as to how this country was settled. We didn't see any bears, but signs of them were all over. We were told that the day before we arrived in one camp someone was pepper sprayed by accident as moments before a black bear was investigating a tent and screams were heard.

This was truly one of the best backpack trips ever. However, I would not recomend it for beginners.

Did I mention we are experiencing 19 hours of daylight now!

Until next time... "Moose" Lee & "Yukon" Johann

2007-06-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

Skagway, Alaska
Tourists Trap Ala-Carte

The Klondike Highway ends in Skagway, Alaska. One crosses the Yukon-British Columbia border and then the B.C.-Alaska border into historical Skagway. It is rich in history and the town comes alive when the cruise ships arrive as tourists scamper about town picking up trinkets made in Taiwan and take them back to their ships. When the tourists leave, the town basically closes up and begins to look like a ghost town. For the curious, there is a side trip to the remains of Dyea, where the remnants of a thriving gold rush village and a disheartening site of the slide cemetery (where 60+ miners are buried from an avalanche at Chilkoot pass). Among the dead were many from the greater Seattle area. It was a tough area to live in. In amongst the tombstones, a lone marker identifies the grave of a boy who was shot as he was mistaken for a bear in a tree. We camped out on the tidelands near Dyea and soon discovered that we were not alone. A local informed us that there were two grizzly bears (brothers, who had been set free last year by their mom). We pulled closer in to a dog sled camp and dined with the grizzly brothers at a safe distance. Dinner was scenic with the glaciated peaks and the Lynn Canal serving as a backdrop for the bears out our window that evening.

The local dog sled camp gave rides to tourists and the trails in the woods served as a training ground for the owners as they plan to do the Yukon Quest (An annual dog sled race from Whitehorse to Fairbanks). The ATV was a nice touch and really the only way to go in the summer.

2007-06-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Klondike Highway
Another Delicious Layer of a Multi-layer Cake

The drive from Whitehorse to Skagway on the Klondike Highway was something of a surprise. It is as if the Cassiar Highway is the cake and the Klondike Highway was the frosting. The trip isn’t over so I fear that an analogy at this point may be a bit premature as I’m certain that the Dempster highway will prove to be the final topping and the others will only prove to be the delicious layers in between.
It is hard to find fault with this country, its natural beauty takes over one like nothing I’ve ever seen. There are challenging mountains in every direction topped with snow and or glaciers. The deep valley gorges and the numerous cascading falls are awe inspiring. Then there are the lakes… a paddlers dream come true. In the world we’ve become accustomed to, cities, people, smog, traffic, politics, rules, lines, schedules… it is hard to imagine that such a place exists... and yet here it is.

These pictures only provide a hint of what we saw. The experience was much grander.
The visitor center in Whitehorse told us it was only a 2 hour drive to Skagway via the Klondike highway. ...it took us two days.

2007-06-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

Chilkoot Trail - Here they Come!

Today they begin the 33 mile trek upthe Chillkoot Trail; they expect to finish within 5 days. The trip back to the Toy House will be made via train. This trail is the gateway into the Yukon and was used by Tlingit First Nation traders and Klondike gold rush prospectors. If you want to learn more, visit http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/yt/chilkoot/index_e.asp.

I look forward to seeing pictures from the trail. I hear that the scenery is spectacular!

lori

2007-06-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yukon - The Dream Becomes Reality

A dream comes true. We finally enter the Yukon. A new adventure awaits us in the days ahead.

Nothing seems more welcoming to a vistor than immediately getting the law laid out. In addition headlights must be on at all times as well. Once you start driving these beautiful highways you will quickly understand why.

The weather is sunny and warm. Before heading off to Whitehorse we had to see the SignPost Forest in Watson Lake and get some lunch.
On the drive to Whitehorse we encountered a bit of thunder showers.

We spent a quiet night in Teslin (along a 78 mile lake that extends into B.C. and drains into the Yukon River). It is sure beautiful; rain or shine.

Whitehorse!!

Capital of the Yukon

On our way to Whitehorse we took a detour to Carcross and saw some wildlife like this Bald Eagle witing for a meal along a peacful river.

At the junction of the Klondike highway, near Carcross (between Whitehorse and Skagway), we came across the worlds smallest desert. We hiked it and survived without water for all of 30 minutes :-)

More later, Take care my good friends, "Moose Lee & Yukon Johann"

2007-06-12T20:09:00.001-07:00

Iksut B.C.

All Types of People on All Types of Vehicles

Staying outside of a small Tahltan native community this evening. Rain is coming down steady... no leaks in our Toy House. We had to take one last photo at the Bear Glacier as we left Stewart B.C. :-)

Of course we saw 9 more bears today along with a moose and a Fox hunting outside our camp here. This country is so spectacular. We may have to come back this way. We almost stopped for a 5 day backpack trip in Mount Ediziza Provincial Park. There are developed hiking trails up on the tundra to some volcanic cones. They loooked very tempting and are a geological marvel. But... then we wouldn't be able to do the Chilkoot trail. But, if we come back this way... who knows.

In Hyder, we met a fellow from Seattle on his motorcycle, attempting to go to Prudoe Bay and back in 9 days. We wished him luck. This is incredible Adventure Motorcycling country. Someday, I hope to have a BMW 1200 GS Adventure to take up here. Yukon Johann says I can't go without him.

In the Iksut village we met another gent, Rob, who is completeing his world tour on his bicycle. He has been bicycling in China, Russia, Asia, Europe, South America and is finishing up in Alaska. He says he will be riding up the Dempster Highway and wants to Kayak from Inuvik to Prudoe Bay (Deadhorse). What an adventure? If work didn't get in the way, I would be doing the same thing. What a life. I'll be looking for his book. Good Luck Rob!
P.S. Note the water bottle just behind the front wheel. He is carring over 100lbs of gear!!

2007-06-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Bears Everywhere
Hyder Alaska/Stewart B.C.

This area is one of the most, and possibly the most, scenic places we have ever been. We camped here for 2 days and the weather, despite being a coastal rain forest, has been absolutely fantastic. We rode our mountain bikes everywhere. We where able to witness the US mail come in on a Floatplane (a DeHavilland Beaver). It comes twice a week, weather permitting. It took off and looked like a romantic dream flying up the Portland canal to it's next stop.

A side trip down the Salmon Glacier road led us to bear viewing platforms that will be very busy in July when the Salmon start spawning. The bears here outnumber the people by 100 to 1 at least.
The bear glacier is a must see. The Salmon Glacier is even better. Unfortunately, the heavy snow prohibits us from driving to it. The road won’t be open until mid-summer… if at all. Aside from the snow, there are numerous mudslides. We are considering coming back this way as we travel back down. The Cassiar Highway is the most beautiful highway we have ever seen. Each turn is filled with adventure and the hope and promise of seeing either more wildlife, or grand mountains capped with Glaciers.

BTW: We were advised not to ride our bikes up the Salmon Glacier Road. The locals were calling us “Meals on Wheels”. No problem, we undocked the Toy House and drove up the gravel road and saw more bears than we could count, including a mother and two cubs.

Beware: Ursus Horribilus Kicks Gluteus Maximus

2007-06-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

Finally Hearing from my 'Boys'

It was great to receive a phone call from my 'boys' tonight. We chatted for nearly an hour. I have to say that this may have been the most 'exciting' trip ever with the wildlife encounters. Listening to them describe their experiences and reading the blog, I am suffering from a major case of envy! :)

Johann has really matured in his skill in the Umiak -- he has always paddled with great skill, but he can now maneuver that thing like a 5th limb. He impresses others traversing the circuit and especially the owner of Beckers Lodge who has been there for many years. Lother made a big announcement in the dining hall the night they returned about how the 'little guy' can navigate the full circuit under his own power. Yes, I'm a proud mama.

I'm missing them a bit, wishing that we could have experienced these things together. However, I am so happy that Lee and Johann are getting this opportunity to spend some significant time together on an adventure of a lifetime.

I can't wait to read what happens next!

lori

2007-06-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Bowron Lakes

The First Time It's a Vacation
Everytime Thereafter - It's Home

It was great to be home again... even if for a short while
Bowron Lakes 2007 Trip Report Summary

Day 1 – Tuesday, May 29 ”Andy O’Keefe”
Checked into the Ranger station and paid our circuit fee. It was supposed to be $60 per boat but the ranger gave us a break and let Yukon Johann in for FREE!

The usual portage to Kibbee lake seemed to be easier this year. We easily made the 60 lb per boat limit, so perhaps that was the reason. We made a rest stop for a nap at Frank Kibbee cabin (always wanted to go there). Took a side trip into Thompson Lake to look for Moose. Not seeing any, we went onto portage to Indian Point Lake. Along the way we ran into our first person (the first of about 12 people we met around the circuit). This guy was a real character. He does the circuit 2 times a year. Once in the spring and again in the fall. The most facinating part was he is a fireman in Kirkland and lives in Langley on Whidbey island. He knows some friends of ours, Rob and Sherrie Brown. His name was Andy O’Keefe. I will have to look him up when we get back.

Spent the night at the trapper’s cabin at the end on Indian Point Lake. Nearly full moon and WARM!!

Day 2 – Wednesday, May 30 ”Johann’s First Fish!”
Awoke to a warm sunny day. Made a lazy portage to Issac Lake. We pulled out the fishing gear to give Yukon Johann his first lesson in fishing. Within 30 seconds of putting the lure in the water he caught a nice Char, well over a foot long, and talk about TEETH! He was a bear to take the hook out. We had a lazy paddle to a nice group site in Wolverine bay. No sign of rain. We had no wood so, Yukon Johann paddled down to the wood pile we sighted just before camp and loaded his Umiak with a load. It was a site to see. He looked a like a logging truck on the lake.

That night it was warm and I slept with my sleeping bag as a blanket.

Day 3 – Thursday, May 31 ”Moxley Creek Moose Massacre”
Awoke to a warm sunny day. Paddle over to Harold Falls to hike up there. But first we had to have a peek at the moose and her calf just a short paddle a way. They left before we could get pictures. We paddled back and took the short hike up to the falls. On our way back to the boats it seemed the cow moose and her calf had crossed the river by our boats and wouldn’t let us pass. She charged us and we made a mad dash up towards the falls. Waiting 10 minutes, we went back down… only to be chased back even further. We waited yet again and then made another attempt, she came charging across the river even faster. My heart was racing as she chased us up even further towards the falls and there were no branches to grab onto to climb. Again we waited a bit longer. We tried yet again to get to the boats, this time she chased us up to the falls and we had no place to go except across the river just below the falls on a precarious log. It was very slippery and dangerous to cross. We crossed part way and hid behind the root ball of another tree with our feet in the icy river. The moose cow came close and stopped short. She couldn’t see us. Our adrenaline was making our hearts pump feverishly and our feet were freezing and our footing was not so good. We waited again for another 10-15 minutes and cautiously made our way back to the boats. So far so good… we made it to the boats without being seen… or so we thought. The moose cow was coming for us, no time to put the life jackets on and we grabbed our paddles preparing to make a last stand. I told Johann to take off in his boat and I was going to jump in the lake. At the last second the cow moose turned and went back across the river away from us. Needless to say we got the HELL OUT OF THERE ASAP!!! We paddled across to the Moxley creek cabin and took a breather. We began calling the incident the ”Moxley Creek Moose Massacre”. Although not, entirely correct, we were still high on adrenaline.

Oh yes, the cabin is doing fine. The river appears to not have made any movement closer to the cabin. We paddled on to Lynx Creek and then onto campsite 22.

Day 4 – Friday, June 1 ”Sunsets R Us”
Awoke to a warm sunny day (Geez there is a pattern developing here). We witnessed another incredible sunset the night before. As we took off that morning, we saw another canoe coming in fast behind us. It was a German couple who were trying to distance themselves from two other parties. We shared a rest stop at campsite 24 and the weather got even warmer. We were roasting in our kayaks. We paddled towards the west shore of Issac Lake to paddle in the shade and catch the numerous waterfalls on that side. Along the way we came across a Loon and her nest. The loon put on quite display to lure us away from the eggs. I was surprised to see that the nest was made so close to the water (it was no more than 5 inches higher than the waterline). It seemed to me that a good storm would wipe the nest clean.

After that we lingered around some more falls and made our way to the end of Issac Lake and witnessed yet another spectacular sunset. Oh yes, we caught another 14” Char while trolling the river entrance in out Kayaks. Fishing was too easy.

Day 5 – Saturday, June 2 ”Goldie locks and the three Bears”
Awoke to a warm sunny day. We portaged around the falls on the Issac River. The water was running a bit high because of the unusually warm weather. We ran into 3 couples traveling together from Redding, Ca. They were retirees and had been here 3 years ago in July and told tales of rain and hail for the entire trip. They had only a half day of sunshine (I heard the same thing last year from another fellow we met. The rangers confirmed to us that 3 years ago in July they had 55 straight days of heavy rain).

We paddled the Caribou River without incident and arrived at Lanezi lake. We made a quick stop into campsite 32 for lunch. The shore was horrible as the pollen build-up smelled awful and stained out boats. Throughout the entire trip we could see clouds of pollen coming off the trees. I had a few sneezing fits; fortunately, no itchy eyes or congestion.

We stayed at campsite 33 next to Turner creek. We had great views of the glaciers and the Cariboo mountains. We went to bed around 10:00 that night with a view out of our tent that featured the last glowing embers of our campfire. At 10:30 I got up to get some Ibuprofun to relieve the shoulder pain I had developed from long days of paddling. As I closed the bear bin and made my way back to the tent, I saw three sets of glowing eyes just behind the tent. I thought they were raccoons. As I got closer, I could see that it was a bear with 2 cubs. I made a load noise to scare them and they took off. The Bear spray was in the tent with Johann. Our adrenaline was pumping again as we got up and made a big fire. We went back to the tent sometime later happy that the bears would probably not return. I never got a close enough look at them to tell if they were black or grizzly bears.

Day 6 – Sunday, June 3 ”KILL ALL MOSQUITOES”
Awoke to a warm sunny day; AGAIN! UNBELIEVABLE! We paddled to Sandy Lake. We stopped and had lunch with the retirees from Redding, Ca. We joked that the circuit seemed less challenging without the typical harsh weather. They stated that they were going to stay at Sandy Lake. I gave them a dire warning about the mosquitoes. I must admit that my warning seemed like a joke as we arrived at Sandy Lake with incredible heat and very few bugs. Yukon Johann and I had a nice swim in the lake and took a nice bath. However, as evening rolled around, the headnets came out and most everyone went to bed early. The bugs were as bad as ever. Every year we vow never to stay at Sandy Lake and yet we are lured by her warm waters and inviting campsites.

Day 7 – Monday, June 4 ”Clouds and more mosquitoes”
Awoke to a humid cloudy morning. The mosquitoes were ferocious. We broke camp and paddled to Unna Lake and popped into Rum Lake. We stopped for a snack and visited with the retirees from Redding. The water was high on the Cariboo river, but we had no problem paddling upstream . We portaged to Babcock Lake and then onto Skoi Lake where we saw a young Moose cow. We took a break at the end of the last portage and it began to drizzle. At last we were witnessing the typical Bowron weather. Up to this point, it had seemed “too easy”. We paddled to Pat’s Point and enjoyed the comforts of the shelter and the cabin there. The cabin was so full of mosquitoes we set up the tent and slept there for the night.

Day 8 – Tuesday, June 5 ”Moose and more moose”
Awoke to a pouring rain. We waited it out in the cabin. Fortunately everything was dry and we could pack up without getting wet. The rain stopped and we decided to make a run for it. We quickly loaded the boats and headed up Swan Lake. We had a few light drizzles on the way up to the Bowron river. We stopped at the last campsite and had a quick snack. We would’ve stayed longer, but the mosquitoes were a real problem there. As we got back into the river we came across a cow moose and her calf. Unlike days earlier, she was more tolerant of our presence. A bit further we came upon a young moose napping in the willows along the river. We paddled the river out to the Bowron Lake for the final push to the end. On the way some river ducks were making a nest on the water in some reeds. They were very humorously angry when I paddled up close to look at the nest they were building.

All-in-all, this was the best weather we have ever had at Bowron. We had not used even half of our clothes and only pulled out the rain gear on the last day.

2007-05-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

And They Are Off!

The great departure was Sunday 5/27/2007 at approximately 10:30 am PDT. It was really something to see all the planning and preparation come together and watch them drive away. Lee called yesterday morning, they had an uneventful border crossing, but did have the misfortune of running out of gas. It seems the little town where we've filled up in the past has closed down both their gas stations. Alas, they didn't quite make it to the next stop. Some kind hearted Canadians (as is our experience with most we have met) picked Lee up, drove him to town and back.

I expect that they began the first 'mini-expedition' of the trip kayaking around the Bowron Lakes circuit today and will emerge sometime next week. I'm thinking of them as I look outside at the beautiful weather here and wish I were paddling along with them!

Until next time,

lori

2007-05-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Final Push!

With Lee away all week on a business trip to Vancouver, BC, there were many things to accomplish. He was up at the crack of dawn getting the toy house washed and waxed. All the gear had to be loaded, the kayaks, bikes and all the accessories, before heading out on the big trip. It has been a very busy day and at 10:30 pm we are just at the point where we can end for the day. We'll load up the clothes in the morning and Lee and Johann will leave port.

2007-05-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Absence Makes the Heart Fonder

Lori is a very understanding wife and a great mother. She calls us her boys and treats us better than we deserve at times. Her patience is only bested by her love for us. Lori has been very supportive of the expeditionary trip every step of the way and has been an active participant in helping us prepare, She is as excited as we are. When asked by others "how can you let this happen?... or won't you miss them?" she replies that opprotunities like this are very rare and should not be passed by. She feels very strongly about fathers and the time they spend with their sons. Lori not only supports us fully, she encourages us to go. She is an integral part of the RubiKon team. We could never pull this off without her support and love. We are hoping Lori can join us later in the trip. We will miss her dearly.

Departure Date: May 26, 2007

2007-05-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Great Group Therapy for Old Homes

If you own a Toyota Motorhome, you need to join this group. Many thanks to all that helped us get our Toy house expedition worthy, These folks are the "A-Team" in the world of Toy campers.

Departure Date: May 26th, 2007

2007-04-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Friend

Our hearts and souls are filled with sadness today as we had to say goodbye to one of our most beloved family members. Cali has climbed more peaks, hiked on more glaciers and gone on more expeditionary trips than most people we know. She greeted everyone with joy, treated every creature she met with kindness and asked for nothing in return... except for a nice back rub, a massage behind her ear or an invite to swim in a high mountain lake. Her sweet disposition, silly grins and eagerness to explore will be missed dearly. She touched everyone who met her. Her heart and spirit will be with us always in every mountain we climb, every trail that we hike and in every adventure we partake. Cali is a perfect illustration that life is a journey; not a destination.

We dedicate our trip to her enduring spirit and enthusiasm
(Caliente "Cali" Feb 15, 1993 - April 23, 2007)

2007-04-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Information Age

In searching the internet for information on the Chilkoot Trail and Kayaking the Yukon River, I came across Dick Postma's website. I sent Dick an email with many questions. Dick was kind enough to call me and give me the skinny on his adventures, precautions and gear. Dick is a retired LA Policeman. As such, not much scares him, he did however, reveal to me that he wished he had taken a rifle on his Yukon River Adventure to provide that extra level of comfort with the bears. He witnessed a couple of bears ripping apart a canoe at a camp at one point in his Yukon river journey. Thanks for the phone call and the info Dick. Much appreciated. Check out his website... good reading. http://www.qnet.com/~dpostma/

Departure Date: May 26, 2007

2007-04-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

"RubiKon Warrior"

Last September we purchased a used 21' V6 Toyota Motor home. The reasons are obvious, they're inexpensive to obtain, very economical, legendary reliability, 14-17 mpg and parts are readily obtainable... need we say more? To get her "expedition worthy" we made some modifications such as: re-enforcing the rear frame; a custom rack for a stow box and 2 bikes; a roof rack for the boats; removed the roof air (who needs air cond in the North?) and added amenities such as a flat panel TV display and new stereo. She is 14 years old, w/29K original miles. We store her in an airplane hangar during the wintery PacNW months. The picture shows the metamorphosis she has under gone in our preparations, including pics in her former desert home and her new home in the PacificNW... and yes, that meant driving in the snow a few times. An absolute cutie; she will be the hub of our existence and we are counting on her to get us there and back with no problems.

Departure Date: May 26, 2007

Welcome

2007-02-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

One Man and his Son

Join us as we journey north to explore vast lands and experience the last of the true frontiers left on the North American Continent.

Departure Date: May 26, 2007