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ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0003.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0008.jpg On our way through South Bend, Indiana we stopped for a break at Notre Dame: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0037.jpg |
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Here is a nice view of the Chicago skyline:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0129.jpg Then we went over to the shore of Lake Michigan for some views of the water: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0198.jpg |
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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/p...e/DSC_0231.jpg As we headed to Fargo, ND, we encountered some heavy weather: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0268.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0283.jpg Then we got the reward: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0291.jpg More to follow when I get another WiFi connection. Jim |
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Wow great pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the update :cheers: David |
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: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 |
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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. |
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Love it. Great pics.
Got more? ;) |
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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. |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0873.jpg Jim |
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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!
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Quote:
Jim |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0033.jpg |
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It was great meeting you and Lyndi. Someday I hope to travel to some of the Z events and meet more friendly Z owners.
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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 |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0075.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0138.jpg In Vegreville, Alberta, we stopped at the giant Pysanka, a Ukranian decorated egg: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0270.jpg Jim |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0676.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0770.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0750.jpg Jim |
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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/p...e/DSC_0250.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0965.jpg We finally reached Dawson Creek, BC, which is the start of the Alaska Highway: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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 |
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Congrats Jim and Lindi. Thanks so much for bringing us along. Best of luck. -Steve
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Great photos! Thanks for sharing! It looks like you and Lindi are having a blast!
Drive on guys!:mrgreen: :cheers: Tom |
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Awesome Log Jim,
Keep up with the photos, it looks like a fun trip |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0271.jpg After crossing the bridge, we drove up the canyon to an overlook: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0304.jpg |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC04751.jpg Just before we reached Fort Nelson, we spotted this Black Bear crossing the highway: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0636.jpg Jim |
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Amazing pictures and love reading the log. Can't wait to see more!
Tyler |
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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/p...e/DSC_0879.jpg Here is a view of Teacup Mountain on the eastern side of the mountains: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0887.jpg Here is another view of the open road that we had almost all to ourselves: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0933.jpg As we continued climbing the Highway ran along the edge of Lake Muncho: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0080.jpg |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0515.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0560.jpg After 320 miles, we reached the Yukon Territory: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0724.jpg Lyndi added a sign to our hometown, Westminster, Maryland: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0765.jpg Jim |
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VERY cool! Thanks for the reports and pictures.
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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. |
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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 |
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Very nice pic.
Did you ask the goat to come pose next to the car? |
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Very cool! Love to see the pics...
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Amazing pics Jim!.....keep em coming........looks like the weather is treating you folks well too. Safe travels..... Kevin
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:usa:
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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/p...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/p...DSC_0033-1.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0075-1.jpg We stopped by a mountain stream for a photo: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0123.jpg And we found some more wildlife: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0110.jpg In the middle of nowhere we came upon a traffic light: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0178.jpg It was beining used to control one-way traffic while a washed out section of the Highway was replaced. |
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Now that's something you don't see everyday.
Excellent !:notworthy |
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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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0449.jpg Jim |
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: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 |
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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 |
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Terrific adventure and grand photos.
We look forward to observing it all unfold on this thread. Godspeed to you both on this magnificent voyage. |
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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/p...e/DSC_0717.jpg As we climbed, we reached the clouds and the scenery became very striking: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0904.jpg We crossed the border into Alaska for the first time in our journey: http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...DSC_0933-1.jpg |
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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/p...e/DSC_0070.jpg http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/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/p...e/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/p...e/DSC_0535.jpg Jim |
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