#3 Alaska Trip - Helena, Mt to Drayton Valley, AB

6/30/12
Miles: 620
Departed Helena at 8:30am & headed towards Pigeon Lake Provincial park SW of Edmonton.  A long day of driving but there was no line going into Alberta and the driving was easy, Canada easy.  We made it to the campground where LE had reserved a campsite online with the Canada Day weekend holiday in effect.  We got it and drove in but the site was 20 ft long and 8 ft wide with campers on both sides and no separation between sites, let alone, nowhere to park the truck and trailer.  It was way too tight so we went back out to the check-in booth and told the conservation officer thanks anyway.  She surprised us by escorting us to another campground 15 km away and checking for a spot for us.   The officer eventually mapped us the way to yet another hotel 40 miles away, which was on the route to AK, because the second campground was packed as well. We could have forced a tent spot next to the bathroom with the officer guarding the perimeter for us as we set up but felt we should move on. I find it strange that Canada has the most land & the least people yet they tend to camp in the smallest of areas as a group.  
 It is true that Canadians are extremely helpful and nice.  At a gas station earlier, a lady came out to make sure I was OK pumping gas. 
Calgary is a large city which mixes ranching / farming with big city, kinda cool.  Finally got into a wicked downpour for the last 20 miles of today's drive.


 Tomorrow Mrs. Evans sniffed out a Canada Day parade to watch at 10 am outside the Holiday Inn Express.  She just gets so excited about parades, how could we possibly disappoint her.  Even if the parade was just 1 drunk banging curb to curb down the road with a Canadian flag hanging off his car, it would make her day, which would make my day (happy wife, happy life).  


Tomorrow headed for Dawson's Creek, BC.
I have moved photos away from the blog and will update a Google + album when I can.

#2 Alaska Trip - Utah to Montana

Friday 6/29/12

An early morning visit from M.A. Fornelius to the hotel room in SLC.  Always good to see the man.  Departed north to Montana at 9:30am.  Somewhat uneventful driving day with the goal of camping at Holter Lake campground outside of Wolf Creek, MT.  We stopped in Butte and picked up a bicycle to take to AK.  On the hillside in Butte is a huge statue of the virgin Mary, below is a shot of her overlooking Butte.  We made it to Helena after 500 miles and decided one more night in a hotel would be perfect before we hit the dark territory of Canada and forced camping.  A decent Pizza Hut meal and a newer La Quinta hotel fit very nicely to end the day.  We saw a herd of elk, a few gophers which LE ran over one of expertly.  Hoping to make it to Red Deer tomorrow.

#1 Alaska Trip

6/28/12
Today starts the the journey to Sterling, AK.  After a few moments of fighting with sis, (some things never change) she and I got the trailer packed and padded. Officially on the road at 6:40 pm local time.  Road conditions were fine with no wind.  We passed through the New Harmony fire area which had been 70% contained as we passed and also came within 30 ft of Danyelle's cousins house.  Their garden suffered a bit of singeing.  The fire jumped I-15 and torched 22 buildings and homes on the West side of the freeway.  We also passed through a fire area near Scipio which ran the whole mountain ridge West of town.
We reached the Pavilion Inn in Murray, UT around 11:40 pm just as our contact pulled into the parking lot.  We loaded 5 boxes and some PVC pipes that you can only get in Utah?  Relaxing with a rum and coke(s) and preparing for tomorrow's journey to Butte, MT to pick up a bicycle then onward toward Wolf Creek, MT.