We were supposed to have done a float tour on the Koyukuk River today, but Jeff's instructions when he called to make reservations a month ago, to "check in when you get to Coldfoot", was pretty bad information. The tour company did not actually make note of our interest, because they did not have anyone available to give the tour. Well, then. After eating a breakfast of sourdough pancakes and scrambled eggs, made and served by Uta, our host, she suggested we drive north on the Dalton to Atigun Pass, the high point of the Dalton Highway. We figured it would let us see those sights without having to slow down for photos tomorrow when we will be in more of a rush. It was really very beautiful with the snow. The temperature dipped to 25 ... read more

Today we drove to Chena Hot Springs and had some unexpected bonuses. On the way to Chena we saw a moose sow with a calf cross the road in front of us, with the only downside of that experience being that they crossed and entered the woods too quickly for us to get a picture. At one of our many stops on the way to Chena we discovered a beautiful spot at a bend in the river where we paused to take pictures and skip stones. Liam and Cole both worked on their skipping skills and were able to hit a pretty good number of skips. We were happy to have the Jeep going down the access road since it was not well maintained. While at Chena we toured the Aurora Ice Museum and then took ... read more

I woke up at Hi Country RV Park. We got ready to leave. We left. We drove and drove and drove when Dad said bumps and more bumps! We got to Sourdough Campground. I read a little while and noticed a husky. It is a breed of dog. Her name was Lakota, a very jumpy dog. We put and played with her and then I went to a pancake toss to win a free breakfast at Fast Eddie's. Then I picked up pine cones and got to watch and movie and eat M&M's. ~~~ There were a lot of bumps on the road today, more than any other day this trip. There was also a fair amount of construction with which to contend. Cole spent almost the whole day reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of ... read more

I started this morning early after Kim’s phone, which was still on central daylight time, woke me. After pulling out at 4:38, I only drove 45 miles through the mountains until we needed to stop for fuel, but they were not yet open so we paused for a while until they were. During those 45 miles I only saw two other vehicles, both semis, and six elk. It was a very pretty drive through light snow to start and then clearing to grant me wonderful views of fog-shrouded peaks and glassy mountain lakes. After fuel, Kim was awake, but the boys remained in bed for another long while. By the end of the day the boys had finally gotten up and we had seen one moose, one grizzly bear, three black bears, five bison, many elk ... read more

Today was just a day. We actually drove less than yesterday, but got a later start and stopped earlier. We only saw the sun once, right now after a rainstorm. The rest of the day was just gray. --- Miles Driven: 503 Geocaches Found: 4 Creatures Seen: An elk, in Elk Island National Park. We also saw a number of foals, including one nursing, and then the usual animals. Approximate Yards Knit: 99 Conversation of the Day: K: Cole, you're going to need to write a blog entry. C: What am I going to say? Dad sits there (pointing at the driver's seat) and drive all day. Mom sits there (pointing at the passenger seat) and knits. What else is there to say? We forgot placemats. We learned that pysanky are Ukrainian Easter eggs. Unique License ... read more