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Adventures in Western Canada & Alaska
Hi and welcome to our travel blog. Follow our journey through western Canada (Alberta, British Columbia & Yukon) and Alaska, and check out the photos too. We are not sure how frequent our internet access will be (especially while out in the back blocks) but we aim to update this at least weekly if possible. So keep a lookout, or become a subscriber to be notified when we add someting new.The Mills Family
Our plan is to spend about three months travelling by plane, train, car and boat, through the local Spring and Summer months. Its more like an extended fishing trip for Darryl, so when there is a catch - you'll hear all about it! Spotting some wildlife along the way will also be a highlight.
We also look forward to meeting some local people and learning a bit about their life in North America.
Keep an eye on the map directly below, as i will try to keep it up to date with our current route and location.
The boys are excited (mainly about skipping School for a while) but they have diaries to work on, so we'll get them to post a blog at times too.
Feel free to post a comment, or email us directly if you like - we would love to hear from you.
Regards
Darryl, Sarah, Callum, Lachlan & Kelsey.
Travel Blog Posts
Southeast Alaska, Part 1 (Whittier to Haines) - Ferry Voyage across Prince William Sound, then back on the road
Published: August 4th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
June 17th 2010
17th to 23rd June, By Darryl: DAY 66: Thursday 17th June 2010 -VALDEZ It was to be our first ferry boat voyage today on the Alaska Marine Highway, so we were up early to make sure we arrived at Whittier in plenty of time. The boys were quite excited about the prospect and amazingly they all lept out of bed without the usual struggle. No more bears were sighted around the cabins this morning, but we were too busy to take much notice. We packed up quickly and passed on breakfast, keen to get to the Whittier Tunnel - and arrived there at 9:20. The one way tunnel works in shifts of 15 minutes alternating between traffic and the trains, each way. It’s a long narrow tunnel, and an impressive feat for construction around WW2 times. ... read more
Combat Fishing on the Kenai, Episode II of Salmon Wars - Darryl Strikes Back!
Published: July 28th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » Cooper Landing
June 14th 2010
By Darryl: DAY 63: Monday 14th June 2010 - COOPER LANDING Up around 6am this morning, I was excited at the prospect of the guided fishing trip today. After struggling to get to grips with the local regulations and a being a bit frustrated at all the limitations and most rivers being closed, it was my next best chance at catching a salmon (I had to catch up with Callum too!). It was a lovely morning but quite cold with a layer of frost on the car window, but that’s an Alaskan summer for you. I arrived at Run Wild - Alaskan River Adventures and chatted with George the manager, to find out that I have the privilege of being the only client on a drift boat (as they usually take 3 or 4) and my ... read more
My First Salmon! (By Callum) 9th June 2010
Published: July 25th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » Homer
June 9th 2010
Today me and my Dad went to the Anchor River on the Kenai Peninsula to fish for salmon. The night before we read through the regulations, and found the river is only open for fishing a few days a year so we wondered if it was going to be busy. When we got there, there were heaps of people on the river! Then we drove down near the river mouth were there were a few pools with a bit more space. We saw a lady called Julie catch a King (Chinook) salmon about 20 lb! Then later on we saw another man called Bill land a King salmon that weighed 17 lb! Those fish were caught in the same pool so I went and had cast in there and about ten minutes later I got ... read more
Communication Breakdown....
Published: May 27th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » FairbanksMay 27th 2010
*** UPDATE 30/5/10 *** Just to let you know that our email problems have now been resolved, and so our Slingshot email addresses are OK to use again. It looks like any emails sent to us after Sunday 23rd May have probably been lost down a black hole at Slingshot, so if you sent anything to us in that time we would appreciate it if you could re-send if possible. Thanks Darryl Hi everyone, We have been having some email and internet problems for the last week, and it turns out that Slingshot decided to cancel our account because we put our tolls on hold while overseas. Its becoming a mission to sort out, as the other night I was on hold for over 30 minutes (calling NZ from Alaska!) and part way through the conversation ... read more
Dawson to Interior Alaska - Who Said Alaska Was Cold!?!?!?
Published: July 29th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » Fairbanks
May 25th 2010
Reluctantly we leave Dawson - we really felt comfortable there, but its time to move on to Alaska. Traversing the ‘Top of the World Highway’ we travel up to a fairly high altitude, and the road seems to just follow along the upper ridgeline from one peak to another. The views are astounding, and photos don’t seem to do it justice. The roads only being open for the summer for a week, and it seems to need a bit of work in places - but it is worth the bumpy ride! There is hardly any other traffic on the road, and its quite barren and there seems to be no wildlife as such. As we are travelling into America now, we have our first experience with an American Border Security agent. They don’t seem to have ... read more
May 23rd 2010
Monday 24th May 2010 We went to a gold dredge in Dawson City. Dad and I saw a beaver swimming in a stream next to the dredge. My favourite thing was going panning in Gold Bottom creek .The water was cold and we found tiny specks of gold in our pans, after shaking the dirt and rocks in the stream. My pieces of gold were the biggest. ... read more
The Yukon - Land of Isolation, Beauty, Gold and Lots of Dust!
Published: July 27th 2010North America » Canada » Yukon » Dawson City
May 16th 2010
16th to 24th May - By Darryl: DAY 34: Sunday 16th May 2010 - WATSON LAKE This twilight thing is pretty weird cos as I write this it’s 11:40pm and still strangely light outside. Not daylight, but the sky is still bright blue and clear. Looking at the Aurora Borealis report on the net, the next best chance for seeing the Northern Lights is tomorrow night. Its not a good time of the year for viewing as the sun is always too close to the horizon so there is a bit too much light around, and its not cold enough, but will keep a look out anyway. Some of the locals here in Watson Lake are your stereotypical small town back country folk. The only place I could get a fishing licence here on a Sunday ... read more
Animals I Have Met in Canada (by Kelsey)
Published: June 2nd 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia
May 11th 2010
Tuesday 11th May 2010, We are in Stewart. There is lots of mountains and bears. In our hotel we have a big tv and a guard goose next door. His name is Mister Ripley. I DID NOT LIKE THE GOOSE! It bit me on the arm. ... read more
Northern British Columbia, on the Stewart-Cassier Highway (where there are more bears than people...)
Published: July 26th 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia » Stewart
May 10th 2010
10th to 15th May, By Darryl: DAY 28: Monday 10th May 2010 - NEW HAZELTON I dug the boys in the ribs at about 9am as they were all still snoring, and they lept out of bed when I told them the fish were rising! After breakfast there was a short time for some last fishing before we had to leave, so I took my breakfast down to the bench seat by the lake and watched the boys casting off the jetty in the sunny clear morning. It was hard for us to leave the cottage here at Lakelse today as we loved it so much. Such a relief to be able to let the boys run wild after all the motels we have been cooped up in. If I can find a spare 6 million ... read more
Jasper to Terrace on the Yellowhead Highway. Running on Empty...
Published: July 26th 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia » Prince George
May 4th 2010
May 4th - 7th. Entered by Sarah We start the day with an awesome breakfast at the Hotel Restaurant - served by our Aussie friend we met last time through. It’s a cool morning, and we decide that a small walk up Maligne Canyon would be a good idea to get our circulation working before the trip. A beautiful spot with clear green water, a swing bridge, and good track to stretch our legs on. Then its off again in the purple pearl, along at first the same trail as the train took down the Yellowhead highway, then past Mount Robson where we stopped for lunch. Some of the frozen lakes we passed when on the train are now melted to slush - only two weeks later. We stop at the half way point at a ... read more
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