A weekend jaunt from our home base in Sacramento to the nearby town of Manteca.
We stayed at the Thousand Trails Turtle Bay.
This is a small (they say they are the smallest) Thousand Trails along side the San Joaquin River. It is down some narrow roads not far from the site of the now defunct Manteca Oakwood Lake Resort and it's famous water slide. Sadly nothing remains of the famous water park except perhaps the old RV park which seems to be full of permanent RVs.
A quick summary which I may cross post to the Thousand Trails facebook group
Name: Thousand Trails Turtle Bay
Location: Manteca, California
Sewer: Some. Have to request a sewer site
Water: Yes
Power: Appears to be 30Amp only
Cable: None
WIFI: Available for fee
Cellular: Good. (T-Mobile)
Comments: Spacious sites, very green. Appears to have a large day-use business of people picnicking and fishing (stripers). Friendly staff.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Home From Alaska
We made it home and have started resuming our working lifes. 7761 miles and 1214 gallons later.
I thought it would be good idea to share some of what we learned on our 2019 trip:
1. The ALCAN is very drivable. There were sections that were under repair and a couple of sections
that needed repair. I would feel comfortable driving the ALCAN in any car in good repair.
2. Top-Of-the-World - not so much. We did it in a 37 ft Motorhome. Probably won't do it again.
3. Road contruction in Canada/Alaska can be a trial. Just take it easy and wait for the pilot car.
4. You can hear just about anything when talking to people. For example we heard everything about the Daulton from "put two wheels on it and it will destroy your car" to "its paved all the way to Artic Circle and a Smart Car drove it to Prudhoe Bay."
5. British Columbia and Yukon are a trip. They deserve much more from the Alaska Traveler that just a pass thru
6. Related...Liard Hot Springs should not be missed. Plan on spending a couple of days in Whitehorse.
7. For Ford owners: Tow/Haul is your friend but...
8. Disengage Tow/Haul before turning off the highway. The downshift can be impressive.
9. With proper fuel management, you can avoid the $1.90 per liter gasoline.
10. I was impressed with Fairbanks. Not so much with Anchorage.
11. Room darkening curtains are a must.
12. The best cinnamon buns in the world are at Tetsa River Glenn Lodge
13. Get your RV to Alaska 2020 stickers early. We missed ours.
We are going again next year.
Whitehorse to Anchorage
Destruction BayFrom Whitehorse, we continued on the ALCAN. Wildlife sightings weren't quite as prolific as they were during the previous leg - a couple of foxes were about it.
The run into Destruction Bay was pretty much a cake walk. The reason we mention this, is that Destruction Bay is one of the places that is legendary among ALCANers as having incredibly rough roads.
Well, the Canadian government finally got around to re-doing the roads. There were a couple of sections under construction that were not so much fun, but pretty routine.
Destruction Bay itself wasn't too much - just some houses and the usual road side businesses.
na
Alaska Border Crossing
After Destruction Bay, we crossed into Alaska at what I think is the second most remote border crossing. I had a brain fart and when asked if this was my first time into Alaska, I said "yes!" Even though we had all been many times via airplanes and cruise ships: I was thinking "first time driving."
Fortunately the Bofrder Agent laughed it off and proceeded to warn us about the road ahead.
He was not kidding. Just after the border station, was some of the worst road we had encountered to date. The road typifies the word "frost heave". We went up and down, up and down for quite a few miles before the road smoothed out
Tanana River
It was pretty late when we crossed into Alaska show we boondocked at a roadside boat launching ramp on the Tanana river. This is just off the highway immediately past the river. It offers reasonably flat parking, quiet and we were quite happy to boondock in the one of the long parking places designed for vehicles with boat trailers.
We will caveat this by mentioning that on the other side of the highway and the other side of the river is a rest top commemorating the old Tanana River Bridge. It is quite pretty and interesting but it is not RV - particularly big RV friendly - you can get turned around in there, but parking might be an issue.
Nobody came to launch or unlaunch a boat the time we were there.
Tok
They say in Alaska "All roads lead to Tok". And that is pretty much true.
Tok has a Valero station that is worth mentioning. Not only fuel, but it offers free dump and RV wash. It has earned a spot in the GPS. From Tok we took the Tok cutoff and met with many miles of construction.
One of the more spectacular parts of the Tok cutoff was the Matsunga Glacier. The road parallels the glacier and the runoff.
Anchorage
During this trip, we stayed in Anchorage twice. I was not terribly impressed with Anchorage. The only thing of note was the headquarters of Great Alaskan Holidays. It turns out none of the Ford dealers in Alaska can service Motorhome chassis and Great Alaskan is the recommended service center for Ford Motorhomes.
Hmmm. The Ford dealer in Whitehorse could service it....
The run into Destruction Bay was pretty much a cake walk. The reason we mention this, is that Destruction Bay is one of the places that is legendary among ALCANers as having incredibly rough roads.
Well, the Canadian government finally got around to re-doing the roads. There were a couple of sections under construction that were not so much fun, but pretty routine.
Destruction Bay itself wasn't too much - just some houses and the usual road side businesses.
na
Alaska Border Crossing
After Destruction Bay, we crossed into Alaska at what I think is the second most remote border crossing. I had a brain fart and when asked if this was my first time into Alaska, I said "yes!" Even though we had all been many times via airplanes and cruise ships: I was thinking "first time driving."
Fortunately the Bofrder Agent laughed it off and proceeded to warn us about the road ahead.
He was not kidding. Just after the border station, was some of the worst road we had encountered to date. The road typifies the word "frost heave". We went up and down, up and down for quite a few miles before the road smoothed out
Tanana River
It was pretty late when we crossed into Alaska show we boondocked at a roadside boat launching ramp on the Tanana river. This is just off the highway immediately past the river. It offers reasonably flat parking, quiet and we were quite happy to boondock in the one of the long parking places designed for vehicles with boat trailers.
We will caveat this by mentioning that on the other side of the highway and the other side of the river is a rest top commemorating the old Tanana River Bridge. It is quite pretty and interesting but it is not RV - particularly big RV friendly - you can get turned around in there, but parking might be an issue.
Nobody came to launch or unlaunch a boat the time we were there.
Tok
They say in Alaska "All roads lead to Tok". And that is pretty much true.
Tok has a Valero station that is worth mentioning. Not only fuel, but it offers free dump and RV wash. It has earned a spot in the GPS. From Tok we took the Tok cutoff and met with many miles of construction.
One of the more spectacular parts of the Tok cutoff was the Matsunga Glacier. The road parallels the glacier and the runoff.
Anchorage
During this trip, we stayed in Anchorage twice. I was not terribly impressed with Anchorage. The only thing of note was the headquarters of Great Alaskan Holidays. It turns out none of the Ford dealers in Alaska can service Motorhome chassis and Great Alaskan is the recommended service center for Ford Motorhomes.
Hmmm. The Ford dealer in Whitehorse could service it....
Seward and Homer
Seward
After the first stop in Anchorage, we went to Seward. Seward is a waterfront town that at one point was the shipping center of Alaska. It was virtually wiped out in the Alaskan Earthquake and it was deemed unsafe to rebuild the port facilities.
So the good people of Seward rebuilt their waterfront as a large recreational area with camping for both tenters and RVs. They charge a reasonable fee for nice flat sites
Homer
At Homer we stayed in two commercial RV parks and a city run dry camping on the spit
After the first stop in Anchorage, we went to Seward. Seward is a waterfront town that at one point was the shipping center of Alaska. It was virtually wiped out in the Alaskan Earthquake and it was deemed unsafe to rebuild the port facilities.
So the good people of Seward rebuilt their waterfront as a large recreational area with camping for both tenters and RVs. They charge a reasonable fee for nice flat sites
Homer
At Homer we stayed in two commercial RV parks and a city run dry camping on the spit
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Watson Lake, Tetsa Lake and Whitehorse Yukon
After we pulled out of Liard, we proceeded to Watson Lake, Yukon.
Watson Lake is the home of the world famous Sign Forest. This is a tradition that got started back in WWII when a homesick GI working on the original Alaska Highway made a milepost marker that included a arrow pointing and the distance to his hometown.
Over the years, travelers along the ALCAN have stopped and left their own signs for people to admire. The town of Watson Lake supports this activity, dedicating land and wooden sign posts for people to hang their signs. It has grown to probably an acre of densely populated signs.
Good luck finding any particular sign in there. We tried to find the KYD (see you tube for the KYD stuff) sign, but had no luck.
All and all we found the Sign Forest to be a worthwhile and interesting stop, however I doubt we will stop there again until we have a sign to post. Note to self: Make it metal....
We did go to the Northern Lights Center across the highway from the Sign Forest and enjoyed their presentation of the Aurora Borealis. This is a planetarium like theater and is quite good.
We stayed one night in a full hook-up RV park in Watson Lake. All the RV parks are essentially parking lots with semi and full hookups. Nothing remarkable there.
Tetsa River
We took off for White Horse the next day and overnighted in a RV park in the rural mountain area at the Tetsa River Lodge and RV park. This was a rustic RV park where the water was supplied to our site via a garden hose and 15 amp power via an extension cord. The generator did not sound healthy so we declined the electricity and lived on our own generator.
This place claims to have the "Best Cinnamon Rolls in the Center of the Galactic Cluster". They may well be. The Cinnamon Rolls earned them a spot in the RVs GPS for future stops.
Whitehorse
Most RVers consider Whitehorse a point along the way - They stop an Walmart, fill-up and are on their way. They are missing one of the most interesting places in Canada.
There are many museums in town, excellent restaurants and wonderful natural history. One of my favorites was the "Worlds Largest Weathervane". This is a real DC-3 mounted on a pole and is turned by the wind.
Whitehorse is the start of the Yukon River and one if its claims to fame is the worlds longest fish ladder.
We stayed in Whitehorse for about 10 days for logistical reasons, but we were not bored at all. We will be stopping at Whitehorse during our return leg.
Watson Lake is the home of the world famous Sign Forest. This is a tradition that got started back in WWII when a homesick GI working on the original Alaska Highway made a milepost marker that included a arrow pointing and the distance to his hometown.
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Watson Lake History
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Good luck finding any particular sign in there. We tried to find the KYD (see you tube for the KYD stuff) sign, but had no luck.
All and all we found the Sign Forest to be a worthwhile and interesting stop, however I doubt we will stop there again until we have a sign to post. Note to self: Make it metal....
We did go to the Northern Lights Center across the highway from the Sign Forest and enjoyed their presentation of the Aurora Borealis. This is a planetarium like theater and is quite good.
We stayed one night in a full hook-up RV park in Watson Lake. All the RV parks are essentially parking lots with semi and full hookups. Nothing remarkable there.
Tetsa River
We took off for White Horse the next day and overnighted in a RV park in the rural mountain area at the Tetsa River Lodge and RV park. This was a rustic RV park where the water was supplied to our site via a garden hose and 15 amp power via an extension cord. The generator did not sound healthy so we declined the electricity and lived on our own generator.
This place claims to have the "Best Cinnamon Rolls in the Center of the Galactic Cluster". They may well be. The Cinnamon Rolls earned them a spot in the RVs GPS for future stops.
Whitehorse
Most RVers consider Whitehorse a point along the way - They stop an Walmart, fill-up and are on their way. They are missing one of the most interesting places in Canada.
There are many museums in town, excellent restaurants and wonderful natural history. One of my favorites was the "Worlds Largest Weathervane". This is a real DC-3 mounted on a pole and is turned by the wind.
Whitehorse is the start of the Yukon River and one if its claims to fame is the worlds longest fish ladder.
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| Claire at the headwaters of the Yukon |
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| The Worlds Longest Fish Ladder |
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| Headwaters of the Yukon |
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Liard Hot Springs
Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park is one of those incredible places you hear about along the Alaskan Highway.
During the 1942 construction of the Alaskan Highway, Laird was used for rest and recuperation of the troops - who would kindly once a week vacate the hot springs so the lady service people could use it.
After the war, the hot springs became a provincial park and a stop along the Alcan.
The government of British Columbia have turned this into an incredible must-do stop for travelers along the Alcan. They have a large number of RV sites - unfortunately dry - that are large and comfortable. They built a beautiful boardwalk (correction - rebuilt - The GIs in the 40s built the original) that snakes out over the warm water marsh leading to the hot springs and they also build a wonderful spring side bathing facility with changing rooms benches and toilets.
During the 1942 construction of the Alaskan Highway, Laird was used for rest and recuperation of the troops - who would kindly once a week vacate the hot springs so the lady service people could use it.
After the war, the hot springs became a provincial park and a stop along the Alcan.
The government of British Columbia have turned this into an incredible must-do stop for travelers along the Alcan. They have a large number of RV sites - unfortunately dry - that are large and comfortable. They built a beautiful boardwalk (correction - rebuilt - The GIs in the 40s built the original) that snakes out over the warm water marsh leading to the hot springs and they also build a wonderful spring side bathing facility with changing rooms benches and toilets.
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| Liard Hot Springs |
There is a faint sulfur smell from the hot water as it emerges from the earth. The hot water keeps one end of the springs almost too hot, but as you get away from the source the temperature drops to more reasonable levels. A tradition is to wade to the hot end and put a rock on the berm next to the water source.
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| Hot Water Source |
Anyplace else in the world, this thing would be booked up solid years in advance. It is truly one of the special places on earth. It's remoteness keeps it accessible.
You can get a reservation for one of the RV spots, but the park keeps a large percentage of them on a first come first serve basis. We got there just minutes after the park filled up.
Fortunately they have overflow parking in the rest area across the Alcan. It costs the same as staying in the Park and it is one of the few rest areas on the Alcan that does not permit overnight parking otherwise.
So we paid our $28.00 Canadian and parked in the overflow. But the next morning we were first in line and got a very nice back in spot.
All spots are dry - there was one water tap and a hand pump (really) for potable water. There was no sanitary dump. The rest rooms were all outhouses.
We think this helps keep the place accessible.
Liard will get another visit on our return to California - and anyother time we are on the Alcan.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
After Seaside, we moved to a non descript campground just south of the Canadian Border and did a couple of practice entries into Canada. One of which was to Victoria on a fairly expensive car ferry. We also scouted our port of entries settling on Abbotsford a few miles down the road.
On July 2, we made our RV entry into Canada - after a bit of panic where we thought we would not fit through the barricades of the entry station and made our first stop about 1/2 a mile into Canada at Costco.
There we learned Costco in Canada does not take the same credit cards. We found one that worked for gas and hit an ATM to get Canadian money to pay for our groceries. It was then onto BC-97 for the run up through Prince Rupert to Dawson Creek and milepost 0.
We overnighted in Dawson creek to recover a bit from the long run up BC-37 and to get some dog treats (she needs very special treats) and then headed out on the fabled Alaskan Highway.
We knew that it had long since been completely paved (thank you Canada) but were surprised by the quality of the highway.
Our first destination was Laird Hot Springs and the provincial RV park they have there. We planned on spending 2 nights at Laird to both enjoy the natural hot springs and the rest up from the long drive.
The British Columbia Highway Department keeps to foliage along the highway trimmed back 20 or more yards and there is a very good reason for this. The animals.
We were astonished at the number of large animals we saw alongside the road. You needed to clearance to see the animals and to slow down to allow them to cross - or as the case may be - take pictures:
We overnighted in a "rustic" (self described) campground in the remote Tetsa River area. It advertised hookups.
Well the hookups were a tee off of a garden hose and a 15 amp extension cord stretched into the campsite. We went ahead and took the water, but decided to decline the electricity. It was being provided by a local diesel generator and didn't sound terribly healthy.
The rustic campground was more than made with the Cinnamon Buns from the camp office the next morning. The Milepost claims they were "said by thousands" to be the best there ever was.
In the future we will stop for Cinnamon Buns - maybe not to camp.
The next morning it was back on the road to Laird Hot Springs.
On July 2, we made our RV entry into Canada - after a bit of panic where we thought we would not fit through the barricades of the entry station and made our first stop about 1/2 a mile into Canada at Costco.
There we learned Costco in Canada does not take the same credit cards. We found one that worked for gas and hit an ATM to get Canadian money to pay for our groceries. It was then onto BC-97 for the run up through Prince Rupert to Dawson Creek and milepost 0.
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| Milepost Zero |
We knew that it had long since been completely paved (thank you Canada) but were surprised by the quality of the highway.
Our first destination was Laird Hot Springs and the provincial RV park they have there. We planned on spending 2 nights at Laird to both enjoy the natural hot springs and the rest up from the long drive.
The British Columbia Highway Department keeps to foliage along the highway trimmed back 20 or more yards and there is a very good reason for this. The animals.
We were astonished at the number of large animals we saw alongside the road. You needed to clearance to see the animals and to slow down to allow them to cross - or as the case may be - take pictures:
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| One of 12 Bears we saw alongside the road |
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| Young Adult Male -- The Bull that wandered through the Campground was much large. |
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| Herd of Females, Calves and young Adults |
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Fox, shot through the side screen
|
We overnighted in a "rustic" (self described) campground in the remote Tetsa River area. It advertised hookups.
Well the hookups were a tee off of a garden hose and a 15 amp extension cord stretched into the campsite. We went ahead and took the water, but decided to decline the electricity. It was being provided by a local diesel generator and didn't sound terribly healthy.
The rustic campground was more than made with the Cinnamon Buns from the camp office the next morning. The Milepost claims they were "said by thousands" to be the best there ever was.
In the future we will stop for Cinnamon Buns - maybe not to camp.
The next morning it was back on the road to Laird Hot Springs.
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