ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log

[QB93Z]

Hello from Fargo, North Dakota.

We loaded up and got underway on Tuesday morning. With stops and sight seeing, we made it past Chicago on Tuesday and then on Wednesday we arrived in Fargo.

Tomorrow, we will cross the North Dakota border into Canada and stop in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

We have covered over 1300 miles already. The car is running fine and even with a construction delay for ~30 minutes on a 92 degree afternoon, the coolant temperature stayed below 200 degrees.

I have a few pictures so far:

Ready for the load out:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0136.jpg

We didn't even make it to the PA Turnpike before we had to stop for a photo with an elephant statue and a grove of trees decorated with flip-flops. We never pass up a photo opportunity for the Yellow Z:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0003.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0008.jpg

On our way through South Bend, Indiana we stopped for a break at Notre Dame:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0037.jpg

[QB93Z]

Here is a nice view of the Chicago skyline:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0062.jpg

We went to downtown Chicago and got a break in the traffic to get a picture with the Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plazza:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0129.jpg

Then we went over to the shore of Lake Michigan for some views of the water:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0150.jpg

I was very impressed with Chicago. We will probably plan another trip to come back to stay for a few days and explore downtown:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0154.jpg

On our way across Wisconsin, we had to stop at the Mouse House to sample some local cheese:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0198.jpg

[QB93Z]

We stopped in Alexandria, Minnesota to see the Rune Stone Museum. Locals claim that the Rune Stone proves that Vikings visited and explored the interior of North America in 1392. There is a statue of a Viking:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0231.jpg

As we headed to Fargo, ND, we encountered some heavy weather:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0268.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0283.jpg

Then we got the reward:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0291.jpg

More to follow when I get another WiFi connection.

Jim

[zr1mom]

Wow great pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks for the update :cheers:


David

[tomtom72]

:jawdrop: Those were some forbidding looking clouds!

Hi Jim & Lindy:hello: Looks like a smooth trip so far. Thanks for posting the picts. The Z looks great in all of them. Keep the shinney side up!


:cheers:
Tom

[Paul in SC]

Jim & Lindy,

Thanks for the pix and the update. I feel like I am traveling along with you...wish we had a caravan! :dancing

Maybe next time.:cheers:

Travel safe and have fun.

[scottfab]

Love it. Great pics.
Got more? ;)

[ghlkal]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing your travel log.

MD to Chicago must be 700 miles. You're covering a lot of ground!

I love exploring downtown Chicago, but I'm only 100 miles away. You will have to plan a longer stay there sometime.

[QB93Z]

On Thursday, we traveled from Fargo, ND to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was 650 miles of flat land and heavy agriculture.

Here we are at for a pit stop at a Sinclair Gas Station:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0833.jpg

In addition to farming, northern North Dakota and southern Saskatchewan produce a lot of oil. There are thousands of pumps in production:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0886.jpg

Here is a medium-sized grain elevator operation to load the crops on to train cars. There at thousands of these throught out the area we traveled:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0920.jpg

Lyndi was able to snap this photo of me waiting in line at the international border into Canada before she was directed to stop taking pictures:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0873.jpg

Jim

[ZR1North]

Welcome to Canada, Lyndi and Jim. We're following your trip with interest. Well done on keeping the Zee so clean through all those miles and wet weather!

[QB93Z]

Welcome to Canada, Lyndi and Jim. We're following your trip with interest. Well done on keeping the Zee so clean through all those miles and wet weather!

The Z is actually pretty much a mess. The front bumper is ugly with smashed bugs. Yellow cars hide dirt well and look good in a photo.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Sourthern Saskatchewan has a large surface coal mining operation. The piles of dirt removed to get to the coal has produced a weird hilly landscape. Here is one of the old scoop shovels:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0888.jpg

After driving for about 180 miles of flat land and farms, we stopped for a break in Moose Jaw, a pretty town with a vibrant downtown area:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0986.jpg

One of Moose Jaws' claims to fame is that Al Capone used to visit. There are tunnels under some buildings near this motel. According to legend, Al Capone used the tunnels to hide from the authorities:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0999.jpg

When we arrived in Saskatoon, we were welcomed by Kevin and his son Andrew. His 1991 Dark Red ZR-1 looked great. There are only two known ZR-1's in central Saskatchewan, so we had a nice visit.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0033.jpg

[Moonlk]

It was great meeting you and Lyndi. Someday I hope to travel to some of the Z events and meet more friendly Z owners.

[DaveK]

Great reading about you adventures Jim. Keep enjoying yourselves!

Several years before I emigrated to Canada I came over to meet some people I'd met on the internet. We had a great time camping, drinking beer and so on. I remember one night mentioning that I'd like to drive out and meet a couple of Uncles I had who moved here in the 50s.

The people I was visiting asked where my uncles were and I said Saskatchewan. They then told me, very politely, that Saskatchewan was several DAYS drive away. Something that my British/European brain had a really hard time comprehending.

Have fun!

Dave

[QB93Z]

On Friday, we left Saskatoon and crossed into central Alberta. We saw farms and more farms. The landscape is slightly hillier as we go north and west. We learned that the beautiful green crop we have seen is canola. The plant produces pods that are pressed to produce canola oil used for cooking:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0962.jpg

Along the way, we found some more stunning (?) photo ops. Here we have a Red Bull and a bigger-than-life Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. We just had to get the shots:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0075.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0138.jpg

In Vegreville, Alberta, we stopped at the giant Pysanka, a Ukranian decorated egg:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0210.jpg

Then we stopped in Mundare, AB, another village with a strong Ukranian ethnic mix to photograph the giant sausage:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0270.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

OK, after all of that highly cultural sightseeing, we visited Edmonton, AB.

Edmonton is a large, modern city. We were very impressed with the cleanliness of the city and the friendliness of the people.

After all the days of covering lots of miles, we took a few hours to visit some sights. Here we are at the Royal Albert Museum:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0417.jpg

We found the art gallery district and visited several galleries. We found the work of some Canadian artists to be very stunning.

We visited the Muttart Conservatory. It is a medium sized, arboritium with a unique design featuring four glass pyramids that provide light to the plant exhibits.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0639.jpg

OK, enough culture. Next we visited West Edmonton Mall. The Mall is GIGANTIC!!! There are around 800 stores, an amusement park, a large water park, an ice rink, and a large lagoon for water activities including a sea lion show.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0676.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0770.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0750.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Saturday, after a brief stop in Beaver Lodge, Alberta to pose in front of the world's largest beaver, we entered British Columbia:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0250.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0296.jpg

The road conditions were excellent and the traffic was light so we made good time. The road heads northwest and there were miles and miles of arrow straight road as you can see in the back gorund of this picture:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0965.jpg

We finally reached Dawson Creek, BC, which is the start of the Alaska Highway:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0369.jpg

We have traveled 2800 miles in 5 days, the Z is running flawlessly, and tomorrow we enter the wilderness and head for Alaska!

Jim

[efnfast]

Congrats Jim and Lindi. Thanks so much for bringing us along. Best of luck. -Steve

[tomtom72]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing! It looks like you and Lindi are having a blast!

Drive on guys!:mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

[-=Jeff=-]

Awesome Log Jim,

Keep up with the photos, it looks like a fun trip

[QB93Z]

On a beautiful Sunday morning, we posed at the actual Alaska Highway, Mile Zero Marker before setting out for the 282 mile drive to Fort Nelson, BC:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0200.jpg

About 20 miles north of Dawson Creek we left the modern day Highway to drive on the older, less direct route. On this route is the Kiskatinaw Bridge:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0279.jpg

Construction of this wooden bridge took 9 months to complete in 1942 and was the 1st curved wooden bridge to be built in Canada. There are few that still remain. The Canadian Corp who were contracted to build the bridge, camped in the area, and later became the Kiskatinaw Provincial Park.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0271.jpg

After crossing the bridge, we drove up the canyon to an overlook:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0335.jpg

Lyndi volunteered to wait at the overlook while I drove back to the bridge for a nice long range photo:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0304.jpg

[QB93Z]

Continuing north on the Alaska Highway, the next significant barrier to the Army engineers building the highway was the Peace River. The river is wide and has high banks on both sides. The war-time pressure to complete the road to Alaska required some radical solutions. The quickest way to get a long, high-level bridge was to dis-assemble a bridge in Oakland California, ship it to Canada, and reassemble it across the Peace River. That bridge lasted ten years and had to be replaced.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0504.jpg

The Alaska Highway in British Columbia runs in a mostly northern direction to skirt the Canadian Rockies. The traffic on the Highway was sparse and the road conditions were excellent. The scenery is breath taking:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0624.jpg

In order to enjoy the long driving sessions, Lyndi arranged her art supplies and paints in the car. She has completed one acrylic painting so far and is working on more:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC04751.jpg

Just before we reached Fort Nelson, we spotted this Black Bear crossing the highway:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0583.jpg

We arrived in Fort Nelson in time to visit the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum which houses a fascinating collection of vehicles and mechanical artifacts.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0636.jpg

Jim

[Alberta_ZR1]

Amazing pictures and love reading the log. Can't wait to see more!

Tyler

[QB93Z]

Monday has been another day of beautiful weather here on the Alaska Highway. We left Fort Nelson and the Highway began the climb to cross the northern portion of the Canadian Rockies. With an early start, we got some interesting views of the fog in the valleys:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0879.jpg

Here is a view of Teacup Mountain on the eastern side of the mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0887.jpg

Here is another view of the open road that we had almost all to ourselves:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0892.jpg

The road conditions for this leg of the trip are execllent. There were two places where we had a short wait at a construction area for single lane traffic. The maintenance crews have done a good job of repairing the frost heaves and pot holes from last winter. We averaged 110-115 km/hr (65-70 mph/hr)

Gasoline is available on this portion of the Highway, but preplanning is needed because in some places it is almost 100 miles between gas stations. We bought gas at the Toad River RV Park. They only had regular gas and it was about $6.50 a gallon. The gas pump had a sign that said "No Sniveling"
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0933.jpg

As we continued climbing the Highway ran along the edge of Lake Muncho:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0054.jpg

Here we are entering the Stone Mountains area. The mountains are evidence of the fascinating geology that formed the Rocky Mountains millions of years ago:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0080.jpg

[QB93Z]

Here is a Stone Goat. They live in the rocky areas of the northern Rockies. They come to the roadway to lick the asphalt to get the salt from last winter. Lyndi got fairly close to this one before it went down the slope to a stream:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0108.jpg

Latter on in the day, we found a herd of Woods Buffalo. There were about 30 members of the herd and they were on both sides of the road and ON the road. They are not at all bothered by the cars. They come out of the woods to eat the vegitation on the roadside:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0515.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0560.jpg

After 320 miles, we reached the Yukon Territory:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0702.jpg

When we got to Watson Lake, we visited the famous Sign Post Forest where a tradition of posting direction signs and markers has been going on since it started in 1942 when a homesick Army engineer put up a sign to his hometown. Today there are over 71,000 signs on display:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0724.jpg

Lyndi added a sign to our hometown, Westminster, Maryland:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0765.jpg

Jim

[tf95ZR1]

VERY cool! Thanks for the reports and pictures.

[gbmidyear66]

Awesome - the sign post forest brings back memories. I recall pulling into Watson Lake late afternoon, visiting, then getting a campsite where I involuntarily donated more than a pint of blood to the mosquitos.

Hopefully you'll get a chance to spend a bit of time in Whitehorse - lots to see there - the paddlewheeler tour of the whitehorse river was fun.

[QB93Z]

During our visit to the Sign Post Forest, a man came up to us and asked if we were the owners of the yellow Corvette.

It turns out that he is from Annopolis, MD and he had seen the Maryland plate on my ZR-1 when I passed him on the Highway. When he saw the Z parked at the Sign Post Forest, he stopped to try to find us. It wasn't too hard since Lyndi was wearing a Registry T-shirt.

We had a nice chat, had a beer later, and he is going to come to our framing studio to get his travel photos framed. You never know where you will find business.

Jim

[scottfab]

Very nice pic.
Did you ask the goat to come pose next to the car?

[jcruz]

Very cool! Love to see the pics...

[ZONER 95]

Amazing pics Jim!.....keep em coming........looks like the weather is treating you folks well too. Safe travels..... Kevin

[BOB HDZ]

:usa:

[QB93Z]

We left Watson Lake on Tuesday morning and headed to Tagish, Yukon. Most of the day's drive was on the Alaska Highway. The conditions were excellent and the weather was fine.
Shortly after we got underway, we spotted a black bear grazing on the plants on the sholder of the Highway. He was a black bear but he had a funny light colored stripe of fur down his back. It looked like adolescent fur that he had not rubbed off yet. He stayed near the road for quite a while and Lyndi got a lot of pictures of him:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0887-1.jpg

Just like the last few days, we had the road virtually to ourselves. As we travel west, the mountains are getting higher and we are now seeing snow on some of the mountains.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0033-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0075-1.jpg

We stopped by a mountain stream for a photo:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0123.jpg

And we found some more wildlife:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0110.jpg

In the middle of nowhere we came upon a traffic light:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0178.jpg
It was beining used to control one-way traffic while a washed out section of the Highway was replaced.

[scottfab]

Now that's something you don't see everyday.
Excellent !:notworthy

[QB93Z]

As the Alaska Highway continues west, we crossed the continental divide, the ridge line that separates two of the largest river drainages in North America. The Alaska Highway crosses the divide at one of the lowest points. Only humps of sand and gravel separate the west-flowing Swift River from the east-flowing Rancheria River.
Drop a leaf into the Rancheria River to the east and it would float to the Liard River near Watson Lake, continue to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories and eventually reach the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean); a long journey of 2,650 miles.
Drop a leaf into the Swift River to the west and the current would take it to Teslin Lake and the Teslin River. The Teslin flows northwest to the Yukon River which cuts across northern Alaska enroute to the Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean); a journey of 2,300 miles.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0261.jpg
　
Our next stop was in Teslin, Yukon. Here you can see Teslin on the shore of Lake Teslin and the bridge accross the Teslin River. Teslin is home to the largest concentration of First Nation Canadians. First Nation people are descended from the natives that were were present prior to the arrival of European settlers in North America:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0321.jpg

Later in the afternoon we got some rain, but not enough to wash all the dust off the car:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0380.jpg

We spotted some more wild life. I am not sure if this was a deer or a young elk:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0408.jpg

At Jakes Corner, we left the Alaska Highway to head south to Skagway, Alaska. We drove about 20 miles on the Southern Klondike Highway to the "town" of Tagish on the Six Mile River. Our accomadations in Tagish were a cabin at a "resort". We had to walk to the main building to use the facilities and take a shower. A little rustic, no WiFi or TV, but it worked out fine:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0449.jpg

Jim

[tomtom72]

:o I just have a question: Where are all the other vehicles? It seems as if you and Lindi have the road almost to yourselves.

This is a great travelogue Jim! Thanks! Be safe and have a great time!:thumbsup:

:cheers:
Tom

[QB93Z]

Tom, this highway is amazing. There are very few cars using the Highway. When we stopped to photo the bear, we were there for about 15 minutes, and only four cars went by us. Most of the businesses on the Alaska Highway are closed due to no traffic.

Jim

[WB9MCW]

Terrific adventure and grand photos.

We look forward to observing it all unfold on this thread.

Godspeed to you both on this magnificent voyage.

[QB93Z]

On Wednesday, we drove south on the Klondike Highway, heading for Skagway, Alaska. We entered the Coastal Range mountains. As we climbed up the mountains, we entered the water shed area of the Yukon River. There are a numerous long, skinny, deep lakes that were formed by ancient glaciers:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0717.jpg

As we climbed, we reached the clouds and the scenery became very striking:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0873-1.jpg

The valley floor that we were driving next to, was an amazing landscape. There was a rocky floor that had been scraped clean by the glacial action and very little sand and soil has built up yet. It was a very foreign looking place.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0855.jpg

The evidence of the glacier's effect was clear from the scratches on the bed rock of the valley floor:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0904.jpg

We crossed the border into Alaska for the first time in our journey:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0981.jpg

On the US side of the Border, we climbed up the White Pass into the clouds again and were above the level of the remaining snow:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0933-1.jpg

[QB93Z]

Skagway Alaska is a very small town that is located near the top on the Alaskan panhandle. Cruise ships dock in Skagway daily and the tourism industry have turned Skagway into a boom town once again.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0070.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0027.jpg

The first boom for Skagway was the Klondike gold rush of 1896. Over one -hundred thousand prospectors traveled through Skagway on their way to the gold fields of the Yukon. By 1898, a railroad was built to take the miners over White Pass and into the Yukon to what is now Whitehorse. The railroad runs now as an excursion. We road up to White Pass on some of the most stunning railroads in America:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0480.jpg

Along the route of the railroad, it is still possible to see the trail that thousands of men followed when they walked the 21 miles up the Chilcoat valley to White Pass:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0535.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

After a restful night in the Historic Skagway Inn, a former brothel, we got an early start to board the car ferry to sail from Skagway to Haines, Alaska:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0037-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0041.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0080-1.jpg

Haines is a very small town, a little south of Skagway. We stopped for a fill up, since the next service was 180 miles away. The good news was that I was able to fill up with Premium for the first time in several days. The bad news was the price:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0113.jpg

From Haines, we drove north up the Haines Highway to get back to the Alaska Highway. I am running out of ways to describe how beautiful the scenery is in Western British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska. The day started of cloudy but we got some sun as we got farther north.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1167.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1353.jpg

Jim

[-=Jeff=-]

AWESOME!! Just AWESOME

[Paul in SC]

Jim and Lyndi,

What a ride! I am totally in awe of your adventure. :worship:

Please keep the adrenalin rush going.

:fahne:

Be safe,
Paul

[RiceEatingZR1]

Jim and Lyndi,

What a ride! I am totally in awe of your adventure. :worship:

Please keep the adrenalin rush going.

:fahne:

Be safe,
Paul

This is Awesome! :fahne:

[tomtom72]

Snow!? Snow? It's August!? That stuff is left over from the winter, right? Oh, am I seeing things or do people look like they're wearing ski jackets?

I wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't cheek by jowl with other cars! :dontknow: I'd have to tune in the traffic report and see what was wrong! :sign10:


I'll say this, the scenery is way over the top. Absolutely magnificent!

:cheers:
Tom

[QB93Z]

Yes, the snow is left over from last winter. We are up pretty high in some parts of our trip. Also, the sun never gets very high in the sky at these latitudes, so there are many places that are always in the shade.

The weather has been nice for traveling, but it does get cool when there is cloud cover.

Here is a bonus pic of a water fall we hiked out to:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1241.jpg
Jim

[-=Jeff=-]

since you are posting as you go, how are you doing it? using a celullar wifi card?

just curious how cell service is ( or isn't)

[JThomas]

Jim:

I can't say nothing more than THANK YOU!

Safe travels to your destination, and return trip home. =D>

[QB93Z]

We are using Lyndi's Nikon D5100 SLR camera with the new Nikon 18-300 telephoto lens.

Each evening I transfer the photos from the SD card to a notebook computer.

Then when I have WIFI at a motel, I select the post-worthy pics and upload them to Photobucket. Then I make my posts and link to the pics.

It is a little cumbersome, but it has been working.

Our cell phones are Verizon, and my research showed very little coverage in western Canada and Alaska. In Alaska, I might get coverage in Fairbanks and Anchorage, but we are enjoying being off the grid. I haven't even checked for coverage at all. There have been a couple of times that it would be nice to get data coverage for my tablet, but we did it the primitive way, we stopped and asked for directions.

In most of the areas we have been driving there is no cell coverage of any kind. It is a long way between pockets of civilization.

Before we left, I considered renting a satellite phone to carry in case of emergency on the road. But the most reasonable advice I got from seasoned travelers was that in these areas, other drivers would offer aid to a motorist in distress. We already have helped a family whose car was over heating and needed water.

Jim

[Alberta_ZR1]

Thank you Jim.......I find myself logging on every evening to see how the two of you are doing and to see those great photos of Canada and Alaska.....:handshak:


I do the exact same thing...very big thanks to Jim for posting as he goes.

[QB93Z]

On Friday, the 11th day of our trip, we left Haines Junction, Yukon and headed northwest on the Alaska Highway toward Alaska. The first part of today's route runs along Kluane National Park. The park is dominated by the St Elias Mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0066.jpg

As we moved further north, we traveled on the high Yukon tundra. The tundra is a wet swampy area that in the winter is frozen deep under ground. In the summer months, the surface melts and there are large areas of standing water that cannot drain into the soil. The plants that thrive in the tundra include the Black Spruce, the tall, skinny, scruffy-looking evergreens that dominate the forests. The Black Spruce trees may be hundreds of years old. They grow slowly and it may take 100 years to reach a two-inch diameter trunk:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0094.jpg

There is a little more traffic today but there was still a lot of open road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0095.jpg

The largest body of water in the Yukon is Lake Kluane:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0100.jpg

Here we are crossing the south end of Lake Kluane, approaching a weathered mountain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0131.jpg

This area suffered a large forest fire a few years ago. One of the first plants that regrows after a forest fire is Fire Weed:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0115.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

Here we are in Burwash Landing, Yukon, parked in front of the World's largest Gold Pan (we had to stop for that):
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0175.jpg

The road conditions today are the most challenging thus far. There are many areas of the road that have been damaged by frost heaves and pot holes. The Canadian maintanence crews do a good job of repairing the road, but the repair leaves large areas that are made of packed crushed rock. They can carry the traffic, but the speed is reduced and there is a lot of dust and opportunities for rock damage:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1453.jpg

We stopped for lunch at Buckshot Betty's. The Alaska Highway is home to a lot of characters and people who enjoy the "last fronteer" status of north west Canada and Alaska:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1473.jpg

Ahead in this photo you can see some bicyclists riding to Haines Junction. This group was apparently a family. They were carrying packs and the third cycle was a tamdem bike with a young girl on the back seat:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1479.jpg

WELCOME TO ALASKA!!!
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1482.jpg

After crossing the USA-Canada border, the road is instantly transformed to the nicest road you ever drove on. But after a few miles, the road condition matched that in Canada with many repaired areas:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1487.jpg

We arrived in Tok, Alaska, another small town that provides service to drivers on the Alaska Highway.

Jim

[HIZNHRZ]

Before we left, I considered renting a satellite phone to carry in case of emergency on the road. But the most reasonable advice I got from seasoned travelers was that in these areas, other drivers would offer aid to a motorist in distress. We already have helped a family whose car was over heating and needed water.

Jim

Jim, you've been helping people since the day I met you. You're a class act.

The pictures are outstanding and to experience an adventure like the one you and Lyndi are on is beyond words. Thanks for taking the time to share your pictures. Alaska is on our bucket list but we'll probably see it from the deck of a ship.

I've seen less of the USA and more of several other countries than I ever cared to. I hope to change that. Being able to see North America the way you and Lyndi are is a blessing. Doing it in a ZR-1 is icing on the cake. Drive safe, enjoy, and God speed.

[QB93Z]

On Saturday, we left Tok, Alaska for the last day on the Alaska Highway. One of the things that many people told me when I said I was going to drive a ZR-1 to Alaska was that my windshield would get broken. I think that the posibillity is low, I did note that in Tok there is a Gift Shop that advertises Windshield Repair:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1605.jpg

Heading up the Highway towards Fairbanks, the road was in execellent condition and the traffic was light:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1659.jpg

We reached Delta Junction, Alaska which is the official end of the Alaska Highway. The Highway which was finished in November 1942 as essentially a single lane dirt road through the most challenging terrain ever attempted cost $115,000,000. During every day of our trip, I marvelled at the dedication and accomplishment of the American military and contractor team that toiled through cold and miserable conditions to build the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1714.jpg

We stopped for a photo under the Alaskan Oil Pipeline where it crosses the Tanana River:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1743.jpg

A lot of todays travel was on a wide alluvial plain. The high mountains to the south made a breautiful scene:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1765.jpg

West of Fairbanks, we passed Eielson Air Force Base, home of the Alaska Air National Guard fighters:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_1798.jpg

After a brief stop in North Pole, Alaska, we arrived in Fairbanks.

Jim

[tomtom72]

I still can't quite wrap my mind around the vastness of that part of the world! It just defies description!

Thank you Lindi and Jim for sharing the picts on the outbound leg! :thumbsup:

Be safe and have a ton of fun!:thumbsup:

:cheers:
Tom

[scottfab]

What a fantastic pictorial exhibit this is.
It's like we're traveling with you.
:flag:

[efnfast]

I'd like to take a sec to thank Lindi for putting up with Jim while he keeps all his car buddies up on the trip.

Thanks Jim and Lindi, this is amazing.

Steve

[ZZZZZR1]

Driving throughout Alaska. Check

Driving a ZR-1 10,000 miles *(in less than 30 days) Check


Bucket list item. Check

*. With a permagrin. Priceless!!!!!


Thanks for posting for all to see!!!!

David

[ghlkal]

we got an early start to board the car ferry to sail from Skagway to Haines, Alaska

Jim, were you able to drive the Z onto the ferry and park it, or did "they" do it for you?

[QB93Z]

Jim, were you able to drive the Z onto the ferry and park it, or did "they" do it for you?

Everyone drives their own car onto the ferry. I had gotten a lot of attention while waiting in line to load. Several of the ferry workers had come over to talk about the ZR-1 and to make sure it would make it over the ramp edges. We got aboard with no problem.

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Sunday, we drove from Fairbanks to the Denali area, the home of Denali National Park, which is known as "the jewel of the National Park System."
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0477.jpg

The landscape south of Fairbanks starts out relatively flat and gets more mountainous as we approached Denali:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0388.jpg

After crossing the Tanana River, we stopped in the little town of Tenana. They have an interesting event every year (since 1917) to celebrate the melting of the ice on the Tanana River, which signals spring and the reopening on commerence on the river. In March a large tripod is erected on the ice in the middle of the river. A cable is connected from the tripod to a clock tower on the shore in downtown Tenana.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0436.jpg

Thousands of people pay $2.50 for a guess at the day, hour and minute that the ice will break up

When the ice breaks up, the tripod pulls on the cable and stops the "official" clock. The person with the winning ticket splits the pot with the city. In 2012, the the winners split $250,000!!! I put my money on April 30, at 11:30 AM.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0437.jpg

The route from Fairbanks to Anchorage parallels the tracks of the Alaska Railroad and there are some very picturesque bridges along the route:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0490.jpg

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a train go by:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0522.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

As we continued our journey south to Denali, we encountered some rain. We were worried that the weather would spoil all of the plans we had for activities in Denali, but we lucked out and had excellent weather when we needed it.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0483.jpg

We arrived in Denali before noon and headed up the hill to our Lodge:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0541.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0567.jpg

Here is a view from the our hotel, looking out at the river and Denali Park:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0569.jpg


With a great feeling of succes, we hoisted a few beers and celebrated 4,200 miles of flawless performance by the Yellow ZR-1.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Hoping that the rain would hold off, we went for a trail ride on some ATV's. Not as powerful as a ZR-1, but much more nimble:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0007.jpg

The trails that we rode on are not actually in Denali park, but on old coal mining land that is surrounded by the Park:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0010.jpg

The views were fantastic:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0020.jpg

We rode up the rock field left by a retreating glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0032.jpg

The "cliff" we climbed is the lateral moraine deposits:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0045.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0055.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Sunday evening, went by helicopter up into the Alaska Range Mountains to visit a glacier.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0076.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0087.jpg

This trip was without a doubt, one of the most impressive things that I have ever done. It is very hard to explain the sheer mass of these mountains, they go on for hundreds of miles. We left the Denali area and headed east:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0094-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0210-1.jpg

When we got up into the higher mountains we started to see a lot of glaciers:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0308.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0447.jpg

to be continued...

[QB93Z]

There were two helicopters in our group. The pilot selected a galacier that had some interesting features and we landed on the ice:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0046.jpg

The surface of a glacier is amazing. We were standing on ice hundreds of feet thick. This particular glacier's movement is measured in feet per day. The surface of the ice was marked with black spots that looked like grains of sand but were really rock dust ground to a ultra-fine powder. There was a lake of melt water that sparkled from the effervesence of trapped gasses released from the melting, ancient ice.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0084.jpg

The other helo landed across the water from us:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0076-1.jpg

After we were airborn again, we saw more glaciers:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0240.jpg

On the way back, we flew through a cloud and made a rainbow:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0346.jpg

Jim

[scottfab]

Stunning, breath taking, fantastic, surreal and outstanding.
What else can I say?
Oh, what was the temperature outside when standing on
the glacier? Like mid 40s or so?

[tomtom72]

You guys are having way too much fun! :mrgreen::thumbsup: Way to be Jim and Lindi!:fahne:


Thanks for sharing!

[ZZZZZR1]

You guys are having way too much fun! :mrgreen::thumbsup: Way to be Jim and Lindi!:fahne:


Thanks for sharing!

I agree with Tom!!!! Damn, you will need a vacation from your vacation!!!!!!!

:saluting:

David

[jcruz]

When I look at pictures like these I'm always struck at how puny and insignificant man is compared to the forces of nature.

[A26B]

Karen & I visited Alaska a couple of years ago and really enjoy seeing your trip to some of the same places we were. Denali is an incredible place. I hope the weather is in your favor to see Mt McKinley. Your experiences make me want to go back.

Thanks for sharing with us!

[QB93Z]

Jim: Super photos and text and the photos full size are perfect and of high quality. The photo coverage of the side trips on ATVs and the glacier trip are very interesting and great viewing.

Just one question...........Do you change your oil once or twice on this trip and do you find the oil available you like to use in the LT5?

Cliff

My plan was to change the oil once, and I did it today. I went to a SuperLube in Anchorage. They had Mobil 1 and I added a bottle of ZDDP. They even had the correct oil filter in stock.

Jim

[QB93Z]

When I look at pictures like these I'm always struck at how puny and insignificant man is compared to the forces of nature.

I agree completely. The vastness and scale of the mountains cannot be captured with a camera. The entire surface of the mountains around the glacier was shattered rock, "waiting" to be transported to the valley below. The tectonic forces that created the Alaska Range are continental in scale. Mt McKinley is a monolith of granite. It formed from a volcano below the surface of the earth millions of years ago. Since it is a lot harder than the surrounding continental plate, as the Pacific plate slides under the North American plate, Mt McKinley is pushed up more than the surrounding material to form the tallest mountain in North America.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Stunning, breath taking, fantastic, surreal and outstanding.
What else can I say?
Oh, what was the temperature outside when standing on
the glacier? Like mid 40s or so?

I think it was about 50 air temp out on the glacier. The funny thing is that your mind is thinking snow but you are standing on solid ice. The surface is wet from the sun melting the surface, but it freezes quickly again in the shadows. The surface is very rough.

Jim

[Rex Ruby]

Great pics and write up!
Thanks for sharing!

[QB93Z]

On Monday we stayed in the Denali area for a second day. We took an all-day guided bus tour of the only road in Denali National Park. It was a fantastic day. The Park is an amazing place. Because the National Park Service has designed the park with only one road and that road is only accessible to guided bus tours and very limited use by hikers and campers, the wildlife and scenery in the Park is unsurpassed in the park system.

The buses are not very fancy which adds to the adventure:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0288.jpg

Here is a picture of what is called a braided river. The wide alluvial plain of glacier run off becomes the course of a meandering river when the volume of melt water deminishes. As silt is deposited, the stream changes course many times making the pattern:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0233.jpg

Wildlife in Denali is visible to someone with sharp eyes. The bus driver/guide would stopped when anyone spotted something. Here are three Dall Sheep that are grazing high up the slope to try to avoid the wolves:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0255.jpg

We spotted this golden grizzley bear with one of her two cubs:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0144.jpg

This antelope was grazing near where we saw the bear:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0174.jpg

The main attraction of Denali National Park is Mt McKinley. At over 20,000 feet, it is the highest mountain in North America. Most visitors to the Park never see Mt McKinley because of the clouds.

We were very lucky to get an unobstructed view of the mountain from the park road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0308-1.jpg

Just a few minutes later the peak was obscured and by the time we got to the Visitors Center, the mountain was hidden.

Jim

[QB93Z]

The end point of the Denali National Park tour is the Kantishna Roadhouse, where we had lunch. We decided that instead of riding the bus for five hours back to the Park entrance, we would fly back and do some sightseeing on the way:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0738.jpg

We took off from Kantishna and flew across the relatively flat central area of Denali towards Mt McKinley:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0765-1.jpg

As we approached Mt McKinley, the pilot took us above the clouds at about 10,000 feet and we saw McKinley again This is the north face of the mountain, called Wickersham's Wall, named for the first man to try in 1903 to climb McKinley. This view is only the top third of the mountain above the clouds:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0823-1.jpg

We got very close to the peak:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0121.jpg

And then we circled around to the east side where the main glaciers are that were the route for the first successful effort to climb:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0892-1.jpg

After we explored McKinley, we returned to the park entrance. Along the way we witnessed the splendor of more mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0195.jpg


Jim

[ghlkal]

The main attraction of Denali National Park is Mt McKinley. At over 20,000 feet, it is the highest mountain in North America. Most visitors to the Park never see Mt McKinley because of the clouds.

We were very lucky to get an unobstructed view of the mountain from the park road:

Wow, is that awesome! Seeing McKinley is rare from the ground.

And then you got to see it from the plane too.:dancing

[94Admiral]

Jim -

These posts are absolutely awesome. Please keep them coming all the way back home!

Very much appreciate them.

You are the best!

Scott

[QB93Z]

On Tuesday, we left Delani and headed south to Anchorage. The day started out cloudy with a little rain. The route runs on the west side of Denali National Park and the scenery is wonderful:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0092.jpg

We stopped in the town of Talkeetna, which is the base for a lot of tour companies that operate in the Park. The Mayor of Talkeetna is a cat (by a write-in vote). We tried to find the Mayor, but it was rumoured that he was asleep under the General Store:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0273.jpg

We did find an Alaska Railroad Locomotive on display:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0347.jpg

In Trapper Creek, AK, we stopped at Wal-Mikes, a icon in southern Alaska:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0175-1.jpg

When we arrived in Anchorage, Lyndi visited with a long-time friend while I took care of some logistics. I changed the oil, washed the Z, and did some shopping.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC04760.jpg

In Anchorage, our accomodations were on Elmendorf Air Force Base. Being retired US Navy has its benefits:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0015.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Wednesday, we stayed in Anchorage and took a train from Anchorage to Whittier and then boarded an excursion boat for a tour of the glaciers on Prince William Sound.

The Alaska Railroad is a state-owned company that provides passenger and freight service from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Whittier and Seward. We found the passenger trains to be very comfortable and well run:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0008-1.jpg.

The route from Anchorge to Whittier runs east along Turnagain Arm and through two tunnels at Portage. Along the route, we passed a marshy area where all of the trees were dead. During the severe earthquake of 1964, the ground southeast of Anchorage dropped eight feet. After the ground shift, the salt water of Turnagain Arm infiltrated the ground water and killed the trees: We did spot an American Bald Eagle sitting in one of the trees:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0179.jpg

Across one of the tidal ponds we had great views of the Chugach Mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0220.jpg

Here is Lyndi on board the excursion boat. In the background three glaciers are visible:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0954.jpg

Here are some more of the glaciers we saw:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0640-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0699.jpg

[QB93Z]

The highpoint of the Glacier was the visit to Surprise Glacier. As we approached the glacier, we encountered quite a bit of wildlife.

Here are some sealions basking on some rocks:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0432.jpg

Here are some seals on the rash ice (floating chunks) near the glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0772.jpg

Here are a group of sea otters checking out the boat to make sure we don't get too close to their raft:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0865.jpg

And then we spotted a humpback whale. After several tries, I caught this photo as the whale put on a display right in front of the boat:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0176.jpg

Surprise Glacier was amazing. The front of the ice at the waterline is about half a mile wide. The colors in the ice are amazing:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0798.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Thursday, we left Anchorage and drove up the Glenn Highway to Tok, Alaska. Of all the roads we have driven in Alaska, The Glenn Highway has the most stunning views of the mountains. The highway runs along the north side of the Chugach National Forest which contains the Chugach Mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0716.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0973.jpg

About 100 miles north east of Anchorage, Mantuska Glacier is very close to the highway. There are many views of the ice and the Mantuska River:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0816.jpg

We stopped at the Long Rifle Lodge for lunch. Here is the view from the dining room:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0838.jpg

Further up the Glenn Highway, the upper reaches of the Glacier can be scene:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0899.jpg

Along the road, Lyndi got this photo of another Bald Eagle:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0439.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Friday, we left Tok, Alaska and drove east on the Alaska Highway, reversing our route of a week ago. The morning started out could and cloudy. It was 38 degrees when we left Tok:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0557.jpg

Tok is about 80 miles from the Canadian Border, and after 9 days in Alaska, we left for the last time:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0662.jpg

The drive from the Canadian Border to Whitehorse, Yukon starts off with the worst road surface on the Alaska Highway. Other than getting some dirt on the Z, we made the trip with no problems.

We drove past the Kluane Mountains again and as the day got warmer, the sky cleared and the views got better:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0002.jpg

On the other side of Kluane Lake, Lyndi caught this photo of a Bald Eagle landing on a tree top:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0068.jpg

As we approached Whitehorse, we came across one of the most rural post office boxes we have seen. In this shot you can see how dirty the Z got from driving through all of the road construction:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0030.jpg

After many days of seeing one-horse towns on the Alaska Highway, we were surprised by Whitehorse, Yukon. It is a modern, vibrant city that has not lost its pioneer roots. We were very impressed:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0069.jpg

Jim

[tomtom72]

Ya know after further review.....I stand by my thought that you two are for sure having way too much fun! =D>

I haven't seen a pit since my friend's first shop and that was back in the late 70's! :-D

Oh those Eagles.....they have tail numbers and have to file flight plans right? :jawdrop:

Kudos on the photography, those guys on the Discovery channel have nothing on you two!:thumbsup:


Thank you both again for letting us "tag" along on your fantastic trip!

:cheers:
Tom

[-=Jeff=-]

I always love seeing the Bald Eagle in the Wild. Lst time I was in Northern Wisconsin I saw at least 6-8

Such a great bird to see

[scottfab]

Well I am fortunate enough to see a nesting pair of bald eagles in my area almost everyday this time of year but getting a shot like that of a landing is rare. They usually are just beginning their flight here and circling up catching the thermals.

The whale and other pics are outstanding.

So have a safe trip back!
Thank you for the great picture essay. It's like reading an issue of Nation Geographic combined with Road and Track :)

[Blue Flame Restorations]

After following along the adventure, I must say that I envy you two love birds. What a time to remember. Most of us will never take the time to do what you have done.

:cheers:

[WARP TEN]

Great Pictruers Jim! That photo of the Humpback whale looks like the advertisement for Pacific Life!!! And Lindi's photos of the eagles are also great!. --Bob

[QB93Z]

.....I haven't seen a pit since my friend's first shop and that was back in the late 70's! :-D

Tom

Tom, the neat thing was that they let me go into the pit and check out the underside of the Z.

It was like a submarine engineroom bilge down there. They had grease lines, drain lines, and who knows what else in there.

Except for the dirt and dust the Z looked good.

Jim

[QB93Z]

......Jim: I think you are taking the same road back to MD but am not sure.

Hi Cliff, We are returning (continuing) our journey on a different route. Today we started south on the Cassiar Highway which runs down the west side of the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow we will visit Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Then we will head east toward Jasper, Alberta to visit Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Saturday, our underway was delayed due to a dead battery. Apparently I bumped the courtesy light switch and they were on overnight. Luckily, my Emergency Road Service works in Canada and I got a service truck to give me a jump start.

We left Whitehorse and headed east on the Alaska Highway. The weather was similar to the last few days, cool in the morning with cloud cover; The landscapes east of Whitehorse are beautiful:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0068-1.jpg

The were a few more cars and campers on the road today, but we still had the road to ourselves most of the time:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0151.jpg

We turned south onto the Cassiar Highway to head down to the Canadian Rockies. The Cassiar Highway is a lightly traveled route with very few settlements and services. The road surface is excellent, but narrow and unlined:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0237.jpg

We entered an area that was heavily burned by a large forest fire last year. The fire area was very large, and a local resident told us that the Cassiar Highway was closed for 4 months after the fire:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0268-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0301.jpg

We came upon an accident scene. The previous afternoon, a camper had driven off the roadway. The man was not injured, but the crew was removing parts of the camper from the lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0352.jpg

[QB93Z]

After we got rolling again, we entered the Cassiar Mountains and wonderful Alpine landscapes:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0473.jpg

Just before we reached Dease Lake, our destination, we met a black bear on the highway. The bear was on the right shoulder and crossed the road directly in front our car:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0582.jpg

Apparently the vegitation was not as tasty on the left side so the bear crossed in front again:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0557-1.jpg

He (she?) proceeded along the right shoulder eating the plants:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0711.jpg

We followed along as he went, for about 15 minutes. Lyndi was walking beside the Z with the door open, as I crept forward. The bear was completely uninterested or concerned about us:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0625.jpg

He seemed to like the clover, but we couldn't tell for sure what he was eating:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0675.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and encouragement. I am enjoying writing this travel log because it gives me a chance to reflect of the things we did each day.

In addition to this log, I have been sending updates to Lance Miller's Corvettes at Carlisle Facebook page, Lyndi is posting on her Facebook page, blogging for the Carroll County Times and keeping our friends in city hall updated.

There is a small community of people travelling on the Alaska Highway. We have met many fellow travelers who said they saw the yellow Corvette a few stops back and wanted to meet us.

I met an older couple who told me they had an Aqua 1996 LT4 back home in Michigan. I asked if they knew Robert DeMarco or Joe Thomas and they said that they knew Joe and would say Hi for us when they got home. (I apologize, Joe, that I don't remember their names.)

For anyone thinking about doing a trip like this, GO FOR IT!!! The ZR-1 is a wonderful touring car and the open roads in western Canada and Alaska are made to drive on. We have figured out a lot of tricks that have made our trip enjoyable. I will try to share some of them when I get a chance.

Jim

[tomtom72]

Yea, what Cliff said! :thumbsup: This has been almost like being along for the ride! Thanks Jim and Lindi for taking the time to share with all of us.


Jim, for some stuff pits have an advantage, well maybe. It might just be that I'm being 'rose colored' in my memories too! LOL Ya know I still can't get over the traffic density. If that track surface was hot, I'd have just about worn out a set of D3's by now! :mrgreen:

To your point about our Z's serving as great GT cars? JMHO, I think that is their strongest selling point with respect to being "an older generation corvette" by today's standards. I would never contemplate using my 72 LT-1 car, if I still had her, for my trip to BG every year. 14.5 hrs in a LT-1 w/ side pipes is not my idea of how to arrive in an unruffled condition at your destination. The Z makes that trip without beating you up!

You two kids have fun and be safe!
:cheers:
Tom

[Paul Workman]

Wow...just...WOW!!!

I've been following along in absolute AWE! What a...ah...I can't find the words to describe it! Ami and I love to travel, and we can't thank you enough for taking us along on this fabulous adventure, and in a Z at that!! I found myself rushing to my computer each day to see the next set of photos. You and Lindi have created an epic saga and we can't thank you enough for "taking us along".

P.

[cvette98pacecar]

After we got rolling again, we entered the Cassiar Mountains and wonderful Alpine landscapes:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0473.jpg

Just before we reached Dease Lake, our destination, we met a black bear on the highway. The bear was on the right shoulder and crossed the road directly in front our car:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0582.jpg

Apparently the vegitation was not as tasty on the left side so the bear crossed in front again:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0557-1.jpg

He (she?) proceeded along the right shoulder eating the plants:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0711.jpg

We followed along as he went, for about 15 minutes. Lyndi was walking beside the Z with the door open, as I crept forward. The bear was completely uninterested or concerned about us:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0625.jpg

He seemed to like the clover, but we couldn't tell for sure what he was eating:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0675.jpg

Jim

Jim, I am extremely envious of your trip. While in Newfoundland I traveled from Deer Park Northern through Labrador than east to St. Johns and did not see on wild Animal. Have fun, be safe, I will see you in Carlisle.

[Scrrem]

Great Pictures Jim!! Nina and I did some horse back riding and canoeing in Whitehorse when we went to Alaska. It's a really great place!!
Rich

[gbrtng]

Even a black bear taking a dump - what could be more better?

[CJ_ZR1]

Once in a lifetime trip, thanks for sharing and enjoy
:Eagle:

[Jagdpanzer]

Even a black bear taking a dump - what could be more better?

Which begs that famous rhetorical question "Does a bear sh!t in the woods?"

[scottfab]

Aww too bad. Looks like a female.

Could have gotten a "Vett Babe" picture with the car.

"Vett Bear Babe" would grab lots of attention!!!!

anyone good with photoshop?

[QB93Z]

On Sunday, we left Dease Lake and headed for New Hazelton, BC. Several of the people we met in Alaska suggested that we drive over to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK on the way to New Hazelton so we modified our plan to do that.

The drive from Dease Lake continued on the Cassiar Highway. There was a little more traffic, seems like more campers and motor homes. The road conditions were good except for a few places where repairs or resurfacing were in progress. These areas caused some delay while traffic could only move in one direction at a time.

The weather was cloudy in the morning but the temperature was nice. We stopped by a stream next to the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0020-1.jpg

The scenery was beautiful. As we proceeded south we started to see the Coastal Range mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0101.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0236.jpg

Then all traffic was stopped because of helicopter logging operations. We waited about 45 minutes before we were allowed to pass:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0426.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0434.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0464.jpg

After we finally got moving again we headed for Stewart.

Jim

[QB93Z]

The spur road off the Cassiar Highway that leads to Stewart passes thru the Costal mountain range that forms the western edge of Canada and the pan handle of Alaska. The road follows a glacier fed river and gives access to many glaciers, streams, and waterfalls.

Here a glacier comes all the way down the mountain to the waters edge:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0577.jpg

In this area there are three hanging glaciers. They flow to a drop off high up the mountain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0542-1.jpg

On the opposite side of the canyon, facing the sun, here are no visible glaciers, but there are many waterfalls that are probably more than 700-800 feet tall:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0602.jpg

We arrived in Stewart, British Columbia. It is a very small town with a stunning view:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0762.jpg

The really neat thing about Stewart is that west of Stewart is the town of Hyder, Alaska. Hyder is in Alaska, but the only road in or out of town is from Stewart. There is not any US Customs station at the border. You can drive directly from Stewart to Hyder. When you return to Canada, you have to pass through Canadian customs. Hyder is a very small town that looks like it is populated by people who want to be on the edge of civilization:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0728.jpg

Here is the Hyder post office:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0673.jpg

After driving back the same road through the glacial canyon, we drove east to New Hazelton, BC

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Monday we left New Hazelton and headed into the Lakes Region of British Columbia. After two weeks in the frontier, we found ourselves back in civilization. The traffic was heavier and there were houses and businesses along the road. Central BC is a an argicultural and logging region. But it is still near the mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0029.jpg

We even sighted another glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0042.jpg

For the first time in a while we saw cleared fields being farmed:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0115-1.jpg

The logging industry is very active around Prince George, BC. If you need a 2 by 4, there are plenty here:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0310.jpg

We watched this loader unload a truck in one claw full:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0345.jpg

Prince George is a large and busy city:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0722-1.jpg

Jim

[scottfab]

Great pic of the car w/glacier.

[mike100]

Makes me feel better about all the dust and grit I picked up this season just driving this car. Also cool equipment pics- A russian helo and a diesel electric log loader- neat.

[QB93Z]

On Tuesday, we left Prince George, BC and headed for Jasper, Alberta in the Jasper National Park. As we headed from the plains of British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, we had several hours of heavy rain. Luckly as we climbed up into the mountains, we left the rain behind and were able to do some sightseeing and hiking.

Driving in the rain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0038-1.jpg

As we arrived in the town of Jasper, the weather improved and we got to look around:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0172.jpg

We drove out to the Malign River canyon. The canyon which is 150 feet deep at some places was amazing. It was formed when this part of the rockies was covered with a glacier (now long gone) for thousands of years. The melt water was trapped under the glacier and it dissolved the softer sandstone in the rocks under the glacier. This is the same process that forms lots of caves. After the canyon was formed it became the path of the melt water that shaped the walls by erosion. We hiked several mile along the river:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0170.jpg

As we drove up into the mountains to see Malign Lake, the source of the river in the canyon, we drove along Mystery lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0091.jpg

On the way up we found this elk grazing on the plants in the woods on the edge of the road. He was a very large animal and his horns were about 4 feet across:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0023-1.jpg

On the way back down the mountain we found a deer along the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0136-1.jpg

[QB93Z]

At the end of the day, we enjoyed a burger and a beer at one of the many bars in Jasper:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0188.jpg

We have been on the road for 22 days and have driven about 6,600 miles. The ZR-1 is running great and there have not been any problems with our schedule or reservations. As we head south through the Canadian Rockies, we have modified our plan a little to add some things that we want to see.

Jim

[tomtom72]

I was just looking at the new pictures and thinking the last one will be in the dictionary next to the word "relaxed" or maybe next to "happy". I can't make up my mind which, but you two keep on truckin'! :thumbsup:


Hey Jim, isn't the yellow Z the one you found in the corn field? :mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

[ZZZZZR1]

22 days and another 7 plus days to go!!!! Your face must hurt
from the permagrins. :-D

Finishing up @ corvettes of Carlisle, Jim you are my hero!

We will have a few cold ones waiting for you. :cheers:

Drive safe

David

[oricale]

Outstanding Mission Log!:icon_thum......I will see you at carlisle.:cheers:

[GOLDCYLON]

Outstanding post up! I plan on doing this someday Jim. Nothing like driving there in style. GC :cheers:

[vilant]

You're travel log is awesome, and I'm jealous. Would love to travel across the country some day. Keep the pics coming, they're great. Enjoy the rest of your trip.:cheers:

[QB93Z]

Wednesday night in Lake Louise, our internet connection was blocking uploads so I got behind.

On Wednesday we drove from Jasper, Alberta to Lake Louise. This route is the Ice Fields Parkway through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is advertised as one of the more beautiful drives in North America, and we would agree with that.

As we left Jasper we were greeted by three pretty ladies on horses:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0022.jpg

Just a few miles out of town we found this female elk walking down the roadside. She was calling out, and seemed upset about something:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0063.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0046-1.jpg

About an hour south of Jasper we stopped and made a very short hike to Athabasca Falls. The head waters of this river is the Columbia Glacier, 50 miles to the south. The river has carved a deep gorge and these falls are about 30 meters tall. There are excellent hiking trails and overlooks. In this shot, Lyndi is standing in the overlook area to the left of the top of the falls:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0199.jpg

This shot is looking across the gorge. You can see people on a viewing bridge in the upper part of the photo as a measure of the height:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0223.jpg

On the way back to the car, we met a nice couple from Ontario who were having wine and muffins on a picnic table:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0262.jpg

[QB93Z]

As we continued south on the Ice Fields Parkway, the clouds burned off and the weather was perfect. Looking to the west the mountians were getting larger and more rugged:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0291-1.jpg

The Parkway runs down the east side of the two ranges and here is a nice shot looking south of five peaks:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0336.jpg

At one of the many, convenient rest areas along the Parkway, we met this Raven who was content to hold a conversation with Lyndi as long as she didn't get too close:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0155-1.jpg

This is on of the first glaciers visible when driving south on the Parkway. The shot is looking west, and a nice hanging, horseshoe glacier is visible:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0515-1.jpg

While I was taking the pictures of the glacier, a hawk circled over the parking area and I got a picture as he was landing in a tree just in front of the Z:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0527.jpg

Here is a nice view of the Athabasca River and some more glaciers to the south west:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0452.jpg

[ZZZZZR1]

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0452.jpg

WOW what a picture!!!!!

:salute:

David

[QB93Z]

As we continued south on the Parkway, we came to Triangle Falls on the east side of the road. The falls are over 120 feet high are are easily accessible from a nice parking area on the opposite side of the road. I did a north-bound drive-by before we explored the cliffs:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0655.jpg

Lyndi and I took turns climbing up for photos and then we went way up, handed our camera to a couple from Edmunton that we met on their way down and asked them to photograph us from the road. Luckily, they were trustworthy and we got some great pictures and our camera back when we got down off the falls:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0643.jpg

We continued south to the main attraction of the Icefields, the Columbia Icefields. Athabasca Glacier has been retreating for decades and is now accessible by a hiking trail over the terminal moraine:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0793.jpg

Here is the view from the top of the moraine, looking back to the east across the Parkway to the Icefield Centre:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0894.jpg

In the very center of the that photo you can see the ZR-1 parked:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0897.jpg

As we hiked up and over the valley floor and the moraine, the power of the glacier to shape the valley was clearly evident in scratches in the bedrock floor. Another 1/8 mile hike brought us to the toe of the glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0814.jpg

It is very hard to get a good picture of a glacier up close. The surface is very "dirty" with rock chips and dust, so it blends in with the terrain. We were not allowed to cross the melt streams along the front of the ice without a guided tour group. Standing there, looking up at the mass of ice that has shaped that valley for hundreds of thousands of years was awe inspiring.

[QB93Z]

About another hour south of the Icefield Centre, the Parkway rises to a high crest and then descends down a switchback to a bridge across a river. The parkway can be seen way in the distance in this beautiful view:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0984.jpg

Here is another nice view of the river and the mountains. The interesting green-blue color of the river is very beautiful and is characteristic of a stream that is glacier-fed. The color comes from the minerals disloved in the water and the very, very fine silt suspended in the water:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0041-1.jpg

When a glacial stream forms a lake, the color is even more damatic. Here is a shot of Bow Lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0063-1.jpg

In the south, where the Icefields Parkway joins the Trans-Canadian Highway, we turned west into Yoho National Park and drove toward Field to see the Canadian Pacific Railroad's Spiral Tunnels. Completed in 1909, the tunnels solved a problem the railroad had getting trains over the very steep grades at Kicking Horse Pass. By tunneling two mile-long spirals into the mountain, the over-all grade of the route was reduced enough to make rail connections to the west coast economical.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0120.jpg

Here you can see the two portals (openings) of one of the tunnels. A long freight train will exit the upper portal before the last car goes into the lower portal:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0114.jpg

[QB93Z]

We returned to the Icefields Parkway and arrived at the town of Lake Louise:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0135.jpg

Here is the very beautiful and very famous view of Lake Louise, the surrounding mountains and the glacier at the far end. We found the view wonderful, but the crowds of people at the attraction spoiled the thrill. On a busy day, 10,000 visit the lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0141.jpg

We decided to drive further up the mountain to see Moraine Lake. We were rewarded with a beautiful drive up a steeper, windier road, surrounded with beautiful mountain views:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0233-1.jpg

Moraine Lake is a wonderful place:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0302.jpg

The lake is very calm and the resort cabins facing the lake are very beautiful:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0275.jpg

Since I haven't shown a wildlife photo for a while, here is one:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0295.jpg

The travel planners for this part of the world make a big deal about how bad the bugs are. We did get a few mosquito bites, but we never had a problem. The Cutter Insect Repellent Spray we used ocassionally worked fine. We learned to not leave the car doors open at night, or the bugs would come in for a take-out meal.

Jim

[Tyler Townsley]

Saw you guys today. Friend and I were en route to Jasper and saw you going south, south of Banff. We are in Jasper tonite and out tomorrow.Tyler

[QB93Z]

Saw you guys today. Friend and I were en route to Jasper and saw you going south, south of Banff. We are in Jasper tonite and out tomorrow.Tyler

WOW! That is cool!!

We are in Cardston, AB tonight (Thursday). Tomorrow, Friday, we will be visiting Writing on Stone Provincial Park and then heading to Conrad, Montana. Will you be in that area?

Jim

[tf95ZR1]

Absolutely amazing, wonderful write-up and pictures!
You missed your calling as a travel reporter.

[batchman]

Absolutely amazing, wonderful write-up and pictures!

Agreed - each time I come back to this thread I'm even more amazed. The narrative is as engaging as the photography. Just wonderful.


You missed your calling as a travel reporter.

No he didn't! This thread is proof!

Best,
- Jeff

[Daniel_Mc]

Jim,

Great pictures, I just realized I am living in the wrong place...

Daniel

[Moonlk]

That last series of pics are of my favorite place in the world (so far). I try to get out to Banff and Canmore once every couple of years. I hope to retire there but my wife isn't sure. She says the mountains make her feel claustrophobic. I still have a few years to work on that.

[scottfab]

That one on the waterfall is spectacular !

[QB93Z]

On Thursday, we left Lake Louise and drove south, leaving Banff National Park. We took the scenic route (as if anything could be more scenic than yesterday). We saw a deer in the woods on the edge of the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0017.jpg

Leaving the Canadian Rockies behind, we passed through the rolling farmland of southern Alberta. This area, west of Calagry, was primarily beef cattle ranches. As we went further, the ranches became very large and alot of the cattle were free range:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0073.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0054-1.jpg

We drove up to Crowsnest Pass where there is a pass over the mountains. In 1903, there was a coal mining town, named Franks, nestled in the valley. Early one morning, the entire side of the mountain above the town fractured and slid down into the valley. In about 100 seconds, half of the town was destroyed and 70-90 people died. Estimates are that 90 million tons of rock slid down the mountain and accross the valley. Here is how the mountain looks today. The original peak of the mountain and all of the rock below it collapsed in an instant:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0115-2.jpg

This view is from across the road and railroad tracks that all were buried:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0125.jpg

This view is the rock field accross the roar from the mountain, that extends
for more than 1/4 mile accross the valley:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0146.jpg

[QB93Z]

After Crowsnest Pass, we headed back to the south and east to go to Waterton National Park. The park is on the border with the US and is next to Glacier National Park in Montana.

The landscape flattened to the south and became more scrub brush:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0233-2.jpg

We went about 15 miles into the park to Red Rock Canyon. The river cut through layers of the sedimentary rock that are rich in iron that when exposed to water turns red:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0340.jpg

We had fun climbing down into the canyon and walking by the water:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0461.jpg

We spotted this chipmonk zipping along the water's edge looking for a way across:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0424.jpg

Here is a nice view from the river bed looking back at the mountins:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0527-1.jpg

On our way back to the main road, we got a quick look at a grizzly bear:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0605.jpg

[Tyler Townsley]

WOW! That is cool!!

We are in Cardston, AB tonight (Thursday). Tomorrow, Friday, we will be visiting Writing on Stone Provincial Park and then heading to Conrad, Montana. Will you be in that area?

Jim

In Bigfork (Flathead Lake) MT tonite (Friday)and on to Denver Tomorrow.Tyler

[QB93Z]

Since our return route to Maryland did not include a day to explore Glacier National Park, we decided to make a speed-run drive by.

We left Waterton National Park in Canada, crossed the border and entered Montana and Glacier National park:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0650.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0688.jpg

We were in the very north east corner of the park, but we got a good view of Chief Mountain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0654.jpg

We headed east out of the Park and came upon a herd of cattle grazing and wandering on the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0720.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0769.jpg

Once we got back to the highway, we turned to the north and crossed back into Canada after about 30 minutes in the US:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0804.jpg

Jim

[scottfab]

Welcome home guys !
:fahne:

[Alberta_ZR1]

Jim,

Great pictures, I just realized I am living in the wrong place...

Daniel

I am fortunate to live here and after seeing these photos it reminds me that I need to get the hell out there and take in that awe inspiring scenery. I think a road trip might be in order tomorrow morning...

[ZONER 95]

Did I say this is the Best Photo Travel Log I have ever seen??

Well......it is :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Cliff


I agree!!!!! and it looks like you really lucked out in the Weather dept too...absolutly beautiful and a trip of a lifetime!

[XfireZ51]

I always love seeing the Bald Eagle in the Wild. Lst time I was in Northern Wisconsin I saw at least 6-8

Such a great bird to see

Jeff,

You may not know this but there is a nesting pair of bald eagles in Elgin. There's a great view from the Gail Borden Library overlooking the Fox River.

Jim,

Awesome photos! Any chance you'll make a complete album of all the pics?
,

[Tyler Townsley]

You guys passed us East of Billings about 3 hrs ago. Have a safe trip home.Tyler

[QB93Z]

You guys passed us East of Billings about 3 hrs ago. Have a safe trip home.Tyler

OK, you have to love the internet.

Where are you now? I am in Sheridan, WY and tomorrow we are going to Rapid City, SD to see Mount Rushmore.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Ok, now that we are doing the travel log in real time I will have to get caught up to Saturday. So here goes.

On Friday, we spent the day in southern Alberta visiting some off the beaten path sites.

First we went to Milk River, AB and drove 30 Km east to an area called Writing on Rocks. The site is a sacred, Black Foot Indian site where there are petroglyphs and pictographs on the stone walls of the banks of the ancient path of the Milk River:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0152.jpg

The limestone cliffs contain the paintings and scratched designs of hundred of years of visitors. Many are modern grafittti, but experts have determined that some are ancient. This drawing is thought to be an elk:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0057.jpg

This drawing is thought to represent a warrior or hunter with a spear:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0066-1.jpg

These circular designs are believed to represent warriors armed with shields. The large size of the shields indicates that the drawings are from before the use of horses:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0166.jpg

As we were leaving the area of the carvings, we spotted a River Elk watching us from a crevice in the stone:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0199-1.jpg

[QB93Z]

After our visit to Wirting on Stone, we decided to visit the site of a dinosaur fossil discovery. In Warner, Alberta, in the 1980's, a young paleontologist discovered fossilized dinosaur egg shells in a ravine called Devil's Collie. Exploration of the site have determined it to be one of the largest dinosaur nesting sites in North America. A local museum was established and guided visits to the site are available. We followed our guide out in to the farm country to the site:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0452-1.jpg

Devil's Collie is a very normal looking ravine:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0342.jpg

But closer examination reveals an amazing amount of fosillized dinosaur remains. The black specks seen on the ground are all pieces of dinosaur egg shell:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0346-1.jpg

The guide pointed out a dinosaur hip bone partially exposed, and Lyndi is holding fossilized dinosaur poop:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0383.jpg

Here, Lyndi is holding a fossilized juvenile dinosaur claw:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0392-1.jpg

After our explorations, we crossed the border into the US and drove to Conrad, Montana:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0615.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Saturday, we drove south on I-15, and then east on I-90. The scenery was fantastic, the weather was perfect, and the ZR-1 is running great. It was a great day for cruising.

Northern Montana is very flat:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0003-1.jpg

As we headed south, the landscape became more varied:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0041-2.jpg

We stopped in Great Falls, MT and saw the first two C-4 Corvettes since we left Maryland. They were in a for sale lot:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0029-1.jpg

I-90 runs along side the railroad tracks for many miles. We saw 10 or 11 trains, mostly coal and containers. But there was one mixed freight train with three of these plane fuselages as cargo:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0202.jpg

We crossed into Wyoming:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0824.jpg

We stopped in Sheridan where we are staying at the Mill Inn which is an old mill converted to a hotel.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0855-1.jpg

Jim

[Tyler Townsley]

Sheridan also going to bbfast 863 660 6132. To Denver next.\Tyler

[QB93Z]

On Sunday morning, we took our time getting underway and then left Sheridan and headed east. our first stop was to get a photo of Devils Tower:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0246.jpg

and then drove through the flatlands of eastern Wyoming:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0834.jpg

We made a brief side trip to visit the geographic center of the United States which is near the town of Belle Fourche, SD:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0340-1.jpg

We continued on I-90 East to Rapid City, SD and went out to Mount Rushmore. Visiting here was one of the items on my bucket list. We even found a vantage point outside the park to get the Yellow Z in the picture:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0365.jpg

On the way out of the parking lot, we saw this vintage DeLorean from Texas:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0399.jpg

After leaving Mount Rushmore we drove through Custer State Park to look for wildlife. We found some antelopes and then we came upon a small herd of buffalo. They were completely undisturbed by the cars on the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0749.jpg

Jim

[scottfab]

Well worth the detour to get to Devil's Tower for sure.
Did you look for any colorful lights at the top? :)

I found it equally as impressive at Mt Rushmore.
http://zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=194&pictureid=1383

[QB93Z]

Nice looking red ZR-1 Scott. You should post some more travel pics.

Cliff, I have some pictures of The Badlands that are loading right now. I didn't realize that I was going to have to do travel photos by request.

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Monday morning we left Rapid City, South Dakota and headed east on I-90. The day started out a little cloudy, but the tempearture was mild and it was a nice day for driving.

Our first stop was a Wall Drug in Wall, SD, an institution in this part of the country. Wall Drug is a giant store and restaurant that from the outside looks like a whole city block from 100 years ago. Inside, all the stores connect and every tourist need is for sale. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is nice. Lyndi was checking out some cowboy boots:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0022-1.jpg

Next we left I-90 for a parallel route, SD-240, that goes through the Badlands National Park. At the first scenic pull-off, we were greeted by a small group of Big Horn Sheep who were enjoying the grass along the parking area edge:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0077.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0051.jpg

The Badlands are an amazing place. The geology is that 35 million years ago this area was a sea bottom. Over millions of years sediment built up in layers. A lot of the sediment was eroded volcanic ash in origin and as dust, it was carried by streams and wind into the water of the sea. When the North American tectonic plate was forced up, the sea drained and erosion of the ancient seabed began. The result is the canyons and buttes that have revealed the layered, multicolored sediment.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0259.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0292.jpg

When we left the first parking area, I had to share the road with some more wildlife:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0220-1.jpg

[QB93Z]

The Badlands National Park, which is part of the Badlands National Grasslands, is very well maintained and the roads and trails are very safe and easy to navigate. The beauty of the rock formations is hard to describe and the pictures here don't do justice to the splendor of nature:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0332.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0293.jpg

Lyndi hiked a little way up one of the trails, and looking back toward the road, got this fantastic scene. (The Z is actually on the Park road):
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0381.jpg

Every view is more interesting than the last:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0418.jpg

We found a turn off that was visible from another overlook, so I dropped Lyndi off and drove back for this fun shot:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0451.jpg

In this interesting formation, the color change from one layer to the red layer is visible. Standing right next to the hill, it looks like the red color was sprayed on the clay, but it really is the same layer that can be seen in the distance behind me:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0794.jpg

[QB93Z]

Near the east end of the Park, the road desends into the canyons and the view of the formations is reversed revealing even more beauty:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0861.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0849.jpg

We parked at the east end Visitors Center and took this picture of the interesting formations across the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0889.jpg

I noticed some small birds were interested in the front of the Z:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0895.jpg

There were so many smashed bugs on the bumper, air dam, and the AC Condenser that the birds had a feast:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0902.jpg

You know your car is dirty when it becomes Meals-On-Wheels for the wildlife.

I will post more of Monday's adventures when I get a chance.

Jim

[tomtom72]

I remember reading about the debris our cars suck up off the road being called a "birds nest" in the cooling stack.....but Jim, you have brought new meaning to that term!

Oh, your journey is now famous across the generations of corvettes from your facebook page I guess? At a local show & shine last night one of my C5 buddies was talking about "some guy & his wife went to Alaska in their C4!" So I said where did you see that? She said it was on Facebook with a few pictures. I said "that's one of my Z Brothers and his wife. He is our Registry President. I told them if they want to see the picture-travelogue come over to our forum and check the thread out in our General section. You guys are famous!:mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

[efnfast]

Wow! Thanks again Jim and Lindi. Be safe. -Steve

[scottfab]

love the one pic of the vett out there seemingly four wheeling.
Who knew you could get birds to clean the radiator stack?

You guys are an inspiration to put together a long road trip again.
The most I've done before was 3,400mi
How many miles have you guys racked up so far?
Scott

[Kevin]

i had a robin stuck in my rad once...hit the bastard at 70

[WARP TEN]

"You know your car is dirty when it becomes Meals-On-Wheels for the wildlife."

I think you should leave all the bugs in place as a souvenier and never wash it again. Imagine what a barn find the yellow Z will be 30-40 years from now! Now I am going to go wash my Z--it got rained on yesterday....Bob

[GOLDCYLON]

I noticed some small birds were interested in the front of the Z:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0895.jpg

There were so many smashed bugs on the bumper, air dam, and the AC Condenser that the birds had a feast:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0902.jpg

You know your car is dirty when it becomes Meals-On-Wheels for the wildlife.

I will post more of Monday's adventures when I get a chance.

Jim


Free Grooming !!!! And such a tasty statewide/ Nationwide variety of bugs on the menu ;)

[QB93Z]

On the way out of the Badlands National Park, we visited the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The purpose of the Site is to protect and explain the history and operation of the land-based ICBM leg of the strategic weapons triad that was on alert for over 40 years during the Cold War.

The Historic Site includes one empty Minuteman II silo and a missile launch control center. Visitors can get a tour of the above-ground portion of the silo and the interior of the launch control center. Here we are at the Site Welcome Center:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0993.jpg

After we left the Rapid City area, we drove east on I-90. We stopped in Mitchell, SD to see the World's only Corn Palace:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0124.jpg

In 1892, shortly after Mitchell was founded, some local businessmen decided to hold an Exposition to show potential settlers what crops could ge grown on the plains in the area. They built a building and decorated the outside with corn cobs and other crops. Today, 120 years later, the Corn Expostion continues. The 2012 celebration is this weekend. If we had been able to stay a few days, we could have seen the Charlie Daniels Band. The Corn Palace is a large civic center with a basketball court, a stage and convention center facilities. The decorations are changed every year by volunteers. Is was a remarkable building and event:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0134.jpg

We continued east to Iowa, the birthplace of the famous ZR-1 Driver, Jim Voter:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0204-1.jpg

Jim

[QB93Z]

On Tuesday, we continued east across Iowa. The landscape of Iowa reminds me of the farm country where we live in rural Maryland. They grow a lot of corn in Iowa:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0013-2.jpg

Did I mention that they grow a lot of corn?
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0048.jpg

We took a short side trip to see some farms and visit Elk Horn, IA and a complete operating windmill brought here from the Netherlands. The windmill is actually used to grind grain. We were too early to see it in operation, but we took some photos:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0170-1.jpg

Here is the modern way they harness the wind in Iowa (check out the artsy shot):
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0125-1.jpg

We stopped in Cedar Rapids to visit the newly restored and rebuilt National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. Cedar Rapids suffered a devestating flood in 2008 that put ten square miles of the city under water. The city has recovered well and the Museum is displaying one of the finest collections of the works of the Art Neuveau artist, Alphonse Mucha. Mucha is one of our favorite artists:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/DSC_0300.jpg

After a few more side trips, we drove through Illinois and stopped in Indiana for the night.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will complete our journey and return to Westminster, Maryland. On Thursday, I will be at Corvettes at Carlisle. I look forward to meeting a lot of ZR-1 owners there.

Jim

[cvette98pacecar]

If you get near Cleveland around lunch time and get hungry give me a call.

[QB93Z]

If you get near Cleveland around lunch time and get hungry give me a call.


Thanks for the invitation Robert. We will be eastbound on I-70, so I will have to catch you on another trip.

Jim

[cvette98pacecar]

Not a problem, I will see you in Carlisle.

[tf95ZR1]

This has been incredible.
Can you go on another trip soon?

[WB9MCW]

One hell of a great adventure there - you both did a great job with all the pic's and info.

Have a safe last leg and fun @ Corvettes at Carlisle

[4CAM LT5]

Jim -- All I can say, after looking at every single post and pic, is "WOW". What a special and magical adventure you have shared with all of us in The Brotherhood. These ZR-1s are clearly meant to be "driven and enjoyed"...and your trip is the embodiment of that phrase.

I will be rolling into the Carlisle Fairground on early Thursday (tomorrow), and into the ZR-1 Net Registry area. I can't wait to personally thank you for all the work you did to allow us to share in your incredible journey. It is clear that this was a "labor of love"...and a dream-fulfilled.

Awesome...just awesome...!!!

Thanks again, Rick Moore

[XfireZ51]

=D> :icon_thumJim -- All I can say, after looking at every single post and pic, is "WOW". What a special and magical adventure you have shared with all of us in The Brotherhood. These ZR-1s are clearly meant to be "driven and enjoyed"...and your trip is the embodiment of that phrase.

I will be rolling into the Carlisle Fairground on early Thursday (tomorrow), and into the ZR-1 Net Registry area. I can't wait to personally thank you for all the work you did to allow us to share in your incredible journey. It is clear that this was a "labor of love"...and a dream-fulfilled.

Awesome...just awesome...!!!

Thanks again, Rick Moore

[Hib Halverson]

What a great Alaska trip blog!

[QB93Z]

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/photo.jpg

We made it to Corvettes at Carlise. the trip is complete.

Final talley, 10,026.6 miles, 30 days, 19 states and provinces.

Jim

[efnfast]

Jim, welcome home. I don't remember you posting a single issue with the car. True?

[4DSZR1]

Absolutely the BEST travel blog Ive had the pleasure of reading on the Net Registry. Thank you for making the commitment and taking the time to write such a quality piece.

Rick

[ScottZ95ZR1]

Absolutely the BEST travel blog Ive had the pleasure of reading on the Net Registry. Thank you for making the commitment and taking the time to write such a quality piece.

Rick

:icon_thum

I agree. My all-time favorite thread. Couldn't wait to sign back on and check for updates. Thank you for sharing it with us, Jim. :cheers:

[QB93Z]

Jim, welcome home. I don't remember you posting a single issue with the car. True?

There were no issues. I did leave the interior lights on one night and had a dead battery in the morning.

A lot of the 10,000 miles were on regular gas. Premium was just not available in many places. The car ran fine. I wasn't driving hard, but there was no problem with the gas.

Jim

[efnfast]

Next question. You had some beautiful roads. What was top speed on the trip?

[WARP TEN]

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp152/QB93Z/2012%20-%20ZR-1%20Alaskan%20Adventure/photo.jpg

We made it to Corvettes at Carlise. the trip is complete.

Final talley, 10,026.6 miles, 30 days, 19 states and provinces.

Jim

I fully expected to see the car pull into the lot and as you got out the doors, hood, trunk and fenders would all simultaneously pop off the car, a la The Blues Brothers when they arrived at City Hall! --Bob

[-=Jeff=-]

I fully expected to see the car pull into the lot and as you got out the doors, hood, trunk and fenders would all simultaneously pop off the car, a la The Blues Brothers when they arrived at City Hall! --Bob

Nah that only happens when you own a 1970's Dodge ;)

[efnfast]

Jim, I sent this to my mother, she read it end to end and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[SteelBlueZR1]

Welcome back Jim! Congratulations on completing the most epic Corvette journey ever. I am in awe that your ZR-1 with over 100k on the odometer made the trip trouble free... What was your average gas mileage?
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed every post in your lovingly rendered travel log.
I hope to see you tomorrow at the ZR-1 tent in Carlisle.

[QB93Z]

Next question. You had some beautiful roads. What was top speed on the trip?

The roads in Canada have limits of 95 km/hr to 110 km/hr ( about 60 mph to 70 mph)

In Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, a lot of the interstate highways are 75 mph.

I typically drove only a little over the limit.

Jim

[XfireZ51]

The roads in Canada have limits of 95 km/hr to 110 km/hr ( about 60 mph yo 70 mph)

In Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, a lot of the interstate highways are 75 mph.

I typically drove only a little over the limit.

Jim

Jim,

The pics were awesome. My wife and I enjoyed morning coffee and looking at pics. It inspires me for my own BHAG(big hairy audacious goal) which is to ship the ZR to England and then drive through Europe,

[4CAM LT5]

Jim -- Again, it was a pleasure for me and my 'better-half', Angela Morsa, to select your ZR-1 for a Celebrity Judge Award for Corvettes at Carlisle 2012 this past weekend.

The story of your "Alaskan Adventure" touched both of us. What a fantastic trip...and so much better that you and your wife traveled together in your ZR-1. We were both glad to meet you on Saturday....and we had a great time in Carlisle....even though I was busy at AllVette, and Angela was swamped with her duties as President of the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation. We always enjoy meeting our fellow Corvette and ZR-1 friends.

I am very proud to be a member of "The Brotherhood"..and, of the ZR-1 Net Registry. You are doing a great job as President of the organization. If Angela and I are ever in your neck of the woods, we'll be sure to look you up.

Again, a great story and wonderful photos...!!

[GOLDCYLON]

There were no issues. I did leave the interior lights on one night and had a dead battery in the morning.

A lot of the 10,000 miles were on regular gas. Premium was just not available in many places. The car ran fine. I wasn't driving hard, but there was no problem with the gas.

Jim


I remember a change oil light lol :)

[QB93Z]

Jim -- Again, it was a pleasure for me and my 'better-half', Angela Morsa, to select your ZR-1 for a Celebrity Judge Award for Corvettes at Carlisle 2012 this past weekend.

The story of your "Alaskan Adventure" touched both of us. What a fantastic trip...and so much better that you and your wife traveled together in your ZR-1. We were both glad to meet you on Saturday....and we had a great time in Carlisle....even though I was busy at AllVette, and Angela was swamped with her duties as President of the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation. We always enjoy meeting our fellow Corvette and ZR-1 friends.

I am very proud to be a member of "The Brotherhood"..and, of the ZR-1 Net Registry. You are doing a great job as President of the organization. If Angela and I are ever in your neck of the woods, we'll be sure to look you up.

Again, a great story and wonderful photos...!!

Rick, it was nice to get to talk to you and Angela. Thank you for selecting the Yellow ZR-1 for an award. We got a lot of attention in northwest Canada and Alaska. Many people wanted to talk about the Corvette and how our trip was going. I told everyone we were on our way to Corvettes at Carlisle.

The ZR-1 really is a fine touring car. I encourage everyone to take your Z for a road trip. The only challenge is getting disciplined about your luggage. Then just enjoy the trip.

Jim

[Hog]

Thanks for posting this travel log, it looked like you and your co-pilot had an amazing trip.

peace
Hog

[93RubyZ]

Seems like a decent trip...






OK, I can't type that with a straight face. This was AWESOME! Loved the photos too. That whale in mid air photo is one for the books. Lots of other very nice ones too!

Thanks for sharing your fabulous adventure with us! :Eagle:

[robrtr]

Jim,

Read the entire travel log last night. Like a great book, I couldn't stop till I finished. I felt like I was in the back seat (?) with you and Lyndi. Thanks for sharing.

Ralph

[JThomas]

Jim:

I was at a club car show this past weekend and ran into a couple, that are also members, and they said they met you in Alaska. Hello from Carl and Carolyn. And thanks for the wonderful trip. =D>

[QB93Z]

Hi Joe, I met Carl and Carolyn in Talkeetna, Alaska. Wonderful folks, I enjoyed talking to them.

Since we have been back from our trip, many people here in Westminster have told me how much they enjoyed watching the adventures of the Yellow Corvette. Some even know what a ZR-1 is now.

I am very happy to have been able to share our fun.

We got a nice write up in our local newspaper: (It is nice to live in a small town where a Corvette award makes the paper)

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/uploaded_photos/mcnulty-voter-win-corvette-award/image_2784220f-b4f7-5e12-8ecc-4500de7aea6c.html

Jim

[sledutah]

Great pictures. Looks like it was a great trip. I'd love to do that trip one day.

[rudolph schenker]

What a great travel log! I really enjoyed the pics. Thanks for sharing it! :cheers:

[AustinJohn]

Jim - I'm VERY late to the congratulatory huddle but want to add Therese and my thanks for the fantastic threads - both prep and travel blog.

The pictures and commentary are first rate and truly convey a "you are there" quality. Hope to meet you at the Gathering next month.

John

[ZR-1 Franz]

Great story, great pictures. Thank you very much for sharing.:cheers:
Fantastic trip with a great car.
I wished I could do this one day.

Best wishes from Switzerland,

Franz

[nelson007]

Hello Jm,
First time I saw yout photo trip. Did Lindy bring the sign that said: Westminster 3000 and some miles?

Nelosn 007