Well after 3 months of being busy and lazy I’ll try and catch up the Blog. A lot has happened in the last three months not all pleasant. After Prince George, British Columbia we spent a couple days getting to the border of the lower 48. Then due to our feathered pets it took 2 tries to get across the border. We have crossed into the United States 4 times with our birds and had four different experiences, from costing over $200.00 to costing nothing.
From the border we drove down to Spokane, Washington. Here we stayed at an Elks lodge that was the best we had found yet. Some old boating friends,Ray and Mozelle Varner were up in Canada and drove down to visit for a couple of days. Right after we arrived in Spokane we learned that my 95 year old Aunt had fallen and broken her hip (later we found out it was her femur in four places). We were the only relatives that could look after her so we canceled the northern part of our trip and headed to Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Where Custer last Stood

Four hard days of driving found us parked in a beautiful state park on the shores of Lake Tenkiller. Aunt Lahoma got to come home about three days later. She only spent one night then had breathing problems. Three more weeks of in and out of nursing homes was more than her body could take and she passed away.

Lake Tenkiller Flooding us out of State Park

While in Tahlequah I made a fast four day run down to my baby in San Carlos, Mexico and picked up a Jib that I wanted to use as a copy for a new one to be made in Florida this winter. I thought 3000 miles in four days was good for an old fart. When I was younger I would have done it in two, oh well.

Baby on the Hard in San Carlos
Sean makes Eagle

We then headed for Dallas to visit with family and happier surroundings. Sean was getting his Eagle award and we attended the ceremony. We then spent about two weeks hugging kids and Grand brats.

Grand Brats having fun at Texas State Fair

Mark and Jayne Texas State fair
Family at Texas State Fair

Then we headed southeast towards Florida. Stopped a couple of days in Biloxi, Miss. And won a couple of hundred at the casino playing blackjack. We have been in Panama City, Florida for three weeks now and will be moving on soon.

After Homer and fishing for halibut and flounder, we went to Kenai to visit Doc and Seal, friends we had met during our first stay in Fort Richardson. From there we traveled to Seward where we hoped to go on a day boat trip but it rained for 4 days. We opted out for visiting an ocean aquarium and dinner out instead.
Who's Looking at Who
Across the bay from Downtown Seward
Jayne finally found King Crab at a great price. All the time in Seward we had very little phone service and no email.
We returned to Fort Richardson so Jayne could catch up on laundry and we could shop at the Commissary before we left Alaska. We continue to have rain back in Fort Richardson and decided not to go to Valdez.
Glacier along side of road on the way to Chicken
Chicken Campground and Mining Office
Public Facilities Chicken
So we headed to chicken where I got to pan for gold again. I found that I would have to get a lot faster with each pan and pan for about 8 hours a day to make any money at panning. At least I found color in every pan. I did it for two days but in the end it was only about $5.00 worth of gold. I do have a lot more respect for the old gold miners.
Miners Hard at work in Chicken
Chicken campground from above
From Chicken we traveled across the top of the world Highway to Dawson City. That was a once in a life time experience pulling the fifth over mud gravel and rain but the landscape was beautiful.
View along Top of the World Highway
Talk about your basic Ferry
Dawson city was the most interesting stop of our trip so far. Jack London had lived about 70 miles south of here before becoming a successful writer later in the lower 48.
Jayne in front of Jack London Square Notice St. Name
Meat Storage next to Jack London Cabin
After Jack London’s time Robert Service lived here for several years writing a lot of his Poetry here. I enjoyed this very much since my dad raised me on “The Cremation of Sam Magee and the Shooting of Dan Mcgrew.”
Robert Service Cabin in Misting Rain
Jayne setting on Robert Service Front Porch
Antlers found locked together this way
Notice upper window
After Three days in Dawson City we went on a long four day trip driving about 335 miles a day and dry camping at night til we reached Prince George where I’m now updating the blog.

Riding the train through a permafrost tunnel and meeting local miners was fun. But, not nearly as fun as panning for gold in the El Dorado Gold Mine.

Nice pan of Gold
$44,000 Nugget in Jaynes left hand
There's Gold there Too

We were both lucky enough to find gold flakes in the bottom of our pans. Gordon bought his own pan after that, and he had the flakes made into a locket for me.
Jayne on Raft
In Denali National Park we decided to go river rafting one day and took a long bus ride the next day to the end of the road. We got to view Mt. McKinley on a clear day, by golly! Not to mention seeing bears, moose, caribou, sheep, eagles, and an owl hawk sitting on a limb. There are more bald eagles in Alaska than any other state in the U.S.
Largest Mountain in North America
Mom and Three
Arty Moosie
Owl Hawk Very Rare
In Anchorage we stayed at Ft. Richardson; an army – air force two-base complex.
Fort Richardson Camp Site
Flowers in Anchorage
We toured a museum in Anchorage, visited earthquake park seeing 1964 films of the HUGE earthquake that made land rise or drop 15-20 ft. leaving fissures big enough to swallow a house. While at the RV park we made friends with a retired USCG corpsman and his wife who was a nurse. They met and married in Viet Nam 42 years ago. We later visited them at their home they are building in Kenai.
Old Tired Fisherman who still has to Filet them
Next we traveled to Homer to do some fishing and see our old friend Donald Ray who was there with his brothers fishing. Gordon and I fished from the end of the spit catching 2 cod and 7 flounders. Two days later Gordon went on an overnight boat trip catching 4 halibut which was his limit. So, we now have an ice chest full of fish which we HOPE will last awhile with the dry ice.

Our Boat Ride

After posting the Blog on the 22nd we went on a river boat ride on a stern wheeler. While on the ride we stopped at a mock up of a Chena village where they talked about the different living methods of the Indians over the years before white man and after white man.
Tempory Shelter
Birch Bark Canoe
Beautiful coat
Alaskan Furs (The little white one to he right of the girl they call Texas Polar bear)
These Indians had been living in Alaska for 10,000 years before white man came along.
We also got to see the kennels of Susan Butcher the lady who won four Iditarod sled dog races.
Dog Training ATV has no Engine

Train we road in Skagway
Interesting shot on train ride

Didn’t get to post a blog report onboard the ship. They wanted a ridiculous amount to get on the internet so I refused to pay. Had a great time visiting Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchecan , and Victoria, BC.
Four couples of us; Tom and Anne Davis invited their friends Ken and Carol. We invited our friends and boating buddies, Rick and Deanna.

Juneau, the Capital of Alaska was wet and overcast so much that I don’t think I took a picture. In Skagway we took a train ride and saw some beautiful country and a black bear feeding. Both Juneau and Skagway were wall to wall shops to trap the tourist. Glacier Bay was the best stop even though we didn’t leave the boat but lots of beautiful scenery and we got to see a Glacier calve and I got some still shots of the whole thing.
These three shots were shot less than 5 seconds apart
No.2
No. 3
Ketchecan was a great stop with lots of interesting sights within easy walking of the boat. Including a Totem Pole Museum and a house of ill repute where the woman who owned it turned her last trick in her seventies.
Ketchecan Harbor
Sunken Gardens in Victoria BC

One of the many beautiful flower shots
Our favorite subjects
Old folks in Garden
Art shot at wine tasting
After the cruise moved over south of Seattle where I worked on the fifth wheel’s 12 volt system. That ended up costing about $900.00 We then went to Blaine, Washington for a couple of days before heading into Canada.
Mile zero Dawson Creek
We took two days to Prince George and another day to Dawson Creek, mile zero of the Alcan. We spent an extra day here to do a little touring and learning more about the building of the road.
One day up to Fort Nelson where I had been forty years before when I worked for Sinclair oil.
First Sheep
Free Roaming Buffalo
Interesting stop
Some of over 61,000
Our addition
The next day we drove to Watson Lake, the home of the Sign post forest, where we stayed an extra day so we could add our own sign. On the drive to Watson Lake I started feeling poetic and wrote my “Ode to the Alcan”.

Ode to the Alcan
By
Gordon Wyatt

The old road still casts her spell over those who venture north

Normal men who sleep till ten can’t seem to slow and comprehend

The road is in the rear view mirror by six

With the sun now playing tricks

Many miles you must make

Till satisfaction is there to take

She lures us on ever on, to the land of Seward, Northern lights and Palin, too.

Like a snake she winds her way thru emerald forest

Calling come on, come on, there’s much to see

She shows much with Elk, Bear, and Caribou

Service lived and wrote here when Sam and Dangerous Dan were near

The modern musher does not seek her gold to take

Just the beauty in her land and lakes

She winds her way thru forest and glen, and keeps luring you till the end

Left from 1942

From Whitehorse we did a longer day than expected and ended up in Tok, Alaska to spend a couple of days waiting on mail, celebrating our 44th Anniversary and washing the truck and fifth wheel for the first time on the trip.
Friday the 19th we left Tok and drove three hours to Fairbanks and an Air force base where we will spend about a week taking boat trips and train rides in Fairbanks and just touring.