Out the Door and Through the Woods

This is an account of our 8 day journey north:

June 10
Got a late start- no surprises there! Stopped at the school to say goodbye to sister Cara and niece Katelyn. Then to Kurt's grandparents for a quick hello. We drove to Edson and visited my sister, Tanya and her family. While we were there, the doorbell rang. It was an RCMP officer, their next door neighbor, with Evangeline and her cousin, Elowyn, in tow. Apparently, they had walked to his house and started knocking on the door. When he opened it, they walked straight in like they owned the place. Better a policeman's house that anywhere else, I guess. So we didn't get to far, but we accomplished our first goal- getting out the door.

June 11

Estelle is 6 months old today. Had the van packed to the gills with activities, snacks and games for the kids. I picked out 80's tunes for Kurt and I to sing on his Zune player. Ezra asked after many hous of driving, " We are supposed to go to Inuvik. Are we lost?" I announced that we drove through Pouce Coupe and Diana and Naomi laughed. They heard, "Poo Scoop." (Try saying it yourself!). Then for several miles they chanted, 'Poo Scoop, Poo Scoop.' Camped at Charlie Lake, near Fort St. John.

June 12

Kurt left us at camp while he went into town to replace our popped airbag. The kids and I hiked to Charlie Lake. Beautiful but the terrain changed abruptly from trees to water. Not conducive to playing with small children- or for mothers who would have to watch them. So back up the hill we went and played in the playground until we were overrun by a not-so-small school group. That must be how some feel about us when they see us coming!

Kurt got back from his morning excursion at 4:30 PM. He said his trip was God-ordained because not only did they replace the airbag but they put an extra leaf in the springs on the rear suspension, which was lacking for what was required. Originally, when we attached the trailer, the van hunkered down like a burdened beast. After the upgrades, we were riding high and ready to conquer what lay ahead.

We drove to Summit Lake, a beautiful campsite. We had planned and prepared the van so the kids could watch movies in the van with his laptop velcroed to the back of Kurt's seat. But for reasons unknown to us, the sound would not cooperate. So I started reading The Hobbit which Keegan had brought along (Providence again). It worked out great, because of course, Kurt already had the van outfitted so that my microphone carried my voice over the van speakers. Bronwyn said she enjoyed it more than watching movies.

June 13

Woke up to a rainstorm. It passed and the kids and Kurt hiked up the hillside overlooking our campsite. They made short time of it and the acoustics were amazing! Ezra and I, who waited below, could hear them talking in their conversational voices. It reminded me of the Mayan ruins I visited in Mexico, and being the homeschooling mother I am, I was quick to point this out to them, as we had just been studying the Mayans and Aztecs. The children also quickly caught on and started yelling, "ECHO! ECHO!" and marvelled hearing their call repeated so clearly. Even Evangeline, who is two, crawled to the top.

It started raining again just as they returned to camp, and we headed for Liard Hot Springs, our favorite spot. The ferns are thick and lush, and everyone loved walking- or should I say running, down the 1 km boardwalk to the Springs. Wooden steps reach down into the springs, untouched by cement and modern upgrades. Kurt, Bronwyn, and I took turns wading to the source of the springs as the water got increasingly hotter. Two fellows noticed Kurt encouraging me and they started shouting advice too- more attention than I wanted!

The next stretch of traveling passed quickly, because a forest fire had just run its course and there were still some smoldering spots and we even saw the occasional flame. "Mom, Dad! Smoke! More Smoke! Fire! Flames! More smoke!" Even saw a couple firefighters and one house being doused with water.

At Watson Lake, we toured the Signpost Forest, where people from all over post road signs and license plates (we even saw a bed pan) displaying the names of their hometowns.. We fueled up, but then the van wouldn't start- our alternator was toast. We camped at Teslin Lake and would deal with it the next day. But not before Kurt and Keegan changed a flat tire on the trailer. To bed at 1:30 AM.

June 14

Kurt charged the batttery with the generator to get it going in the morning. We headed for Whitehorse and the van gave up the ghost at the gas station. But Canadian Tire was right next door and Kurt bought a new alternator but because it was Sunday nobody could install it. Got a boost and when Kurt drove away, Mackenzie yelled, "Dad, Jo's running beside the trailer!" Kurt thought he was in the trailer (we were just going across the parking lot) an Jo thought he was getting left behind!

We walked downtown and went to MY favorite stop- the FIREWEED BOOKSTORE. Bought a Northern Comic Book for the kids and everywhere we went, Jo was reading it... and walking at the same time. I don' think he could even tell you where we went! . Kurt decided to change the alternator himself and was so thankful all our troubles (we hoped!) happened while we were still near the last of the big city centres. Slept in the Walmart parking lot- much to our chagrin. Finished reading The Hobbit.

June 15

We toured the SS Klondike, a paddlewheeler from the Klondike Gold Rush era. Then, in keeping with the theme, we went for fish and chips at a restaurant that used to be a supply tent from the gold rush days. We swam at Takhini Hot Springs and had a ball. We were loud and did not go unnoticed. Ezra said, "Mom! Look I'm swimming like a beaver!" Four young European women repeated what he said and laughed. I guess they don't talk about beavers regularly. Who knew.

The kids enjoyed The Hobbit so much (Kurt did, too) they begged and pleaded with me to read The Lord of the Rings. I gave in and read all the way to Congdon Creek. Bronwyn was not keen on sleeping there. She read a sign that said, "Camp at own risk. Use of tents not recommended. This camp is constructed in the middle of a soapberry field, which is a main food source for bears in the area." Keegan, being an opportunist, tried to scare her more than once. She had a hard time getting to sleep, especially with Keegan snarling like a bear.

June 16

We decided to go through Alaska this time. Kurt had checked at the visitor centre in Whitehorse to see it there was any chance we could get through without passports. They told us we would have no trouble as passports were only required as of June 1 and they were allowing a grace period. Which is a good thing because if US customs denies you entry, it's a 500 km U-turn. So we drove through the Kluane Mountain Range.

We reached the Yukon/Alaska border, expecting no trouble. We were wrong. The border guard informed us we DID need passports and the grace period was the year and a half BEFORE the deadline and that we had been misinformed, AND we should expect NO leniency. Kurt was talking and I was praying for God's will and that I would be thankful regardless of the outcome. They let us through with a warning. I WAS thankful. The route was nice in its own right, but not what I expected and Kurt and I both agreed the other route through Canada was better. We stopped in Chicken, Alaska, for fuel. We had all anticipated the visit to such an intriguing spot. We shouldn't have... it was one gas station with a few old buildings. The kids, especially Bronwyn, were disappointed. Diana said, "They should've called it Chicken LITTLE." The window over Bronwyn's bed in the trailer broke and Kurt patched it up with a garbage bag.

I grew weary of the winding, gravel roads hugging the cliffs and we camped just short of the re-entry point to Canada at Wolf Creek (?) . We finally had a hot meal- steak and tortellini and salad. Very refreshing since our diet had consisted mostly of cookies (Thanks, Dillon, Billie-Gean, and Mackenzie!) Other than the homemade cookies and some nuts and fruit, we ate mostly on the road and consumed far too many packaged goodies. But it does keep the troops happy, and busy.

June 17

The view improved just before the border crossing. Valley upon valley, hill beyond hill, mountain beyond mountain. We could see so far. They don't call the road "The Top of the World Highway" for nothing. At Canada Customs, an official took our birth certificates to verify that all the kids were ours and she cleared us through. Kurt made a passing remark,"You must be the nicest border guards anywhere when you get to wake up to this view every morning." Her stern demeanour softened and she said, "It helps and is a wonderful place to be." We stopped just over the border again and Diana and Mackenzie made their own Inukshuks.

We came into Dawson City from above and could see the whole town. We crossed the Klondike River on a Ferry, and boy, did the river move fast. Kurt needed to replace another tire so he dropped us off. I asked him, "But where will we meet and how will you find us?" His answer, "You're kind of hard to miss."

We could not enjoy many of the tourist attractions because there was a Western Premiers Conference and they had booked all the venues. Our tax dollars at work! Went for ice cream, our Dawson tradition, and toured the streets. At one souvenir shop, the clerk said, "Hey, you must be here for Camp Klondike." When we denied it, she said "O, there's always a large family here for camp and they travel like you do." I said, "Oh, you mean the Hanthorns. We know them and we have been mistaken for them before." The kids wanted to drive all the way to Fort McPherson to get to the Hanthorns (a 800 km trip and it was already 7 pm) We nixed that plan but we started up the Dempster Highway, a 750 km gravel road that ends at the northern-most point you can reach in Canada by road-Inuvik. At a rest stop, Kurt picked some wildflowers and gave them to me for our anniversary. We got as far as Engineer Creek and the view all the way was breathtaking. The bugs were BAD!

June 18

Mackenzie wanted to help Keegan get the trailer ready. The bugs were so bad she put a hooded jacket on and wrapped a handkerchief around her face so all we could see were her eyes. She got the job done, though. A regular Laura Ingalls. Keegan didn't complain either.

Read more Lord of the Rings, up to 300+ pages. Everyone had fickle bladders today. We'd stop for a break and fifteen minutes later nature would call someone again. Which is do-able but every time we'd stop, it woke baby Estelle. Did two ferry crossings, one on the Peel River and the other on the Mackenzie. Within minutes, we saw a big blue van approaching, just a few miles from Fort McPherson. THE HANTHORNS! We pulled over, and chatted, on the side of the road, I'm sure, for an hour. They were on their way to lead Camp Klondike for 3 weeks and then will return for their church building project. They've been gathering Sunday mornings in their living room for 16 years, I believe, and their house is not that big. They could sure use the space.

We said our goobyes and a few hours later we hit the end of the road-- INUVIK! It was 11:30 pm, with the sun shining bright. But sleep was not soon in coming. The Dempster had done its damage and the entire trailer and all the bedding were covered in a layer of dust. But that was getting off pretty easy. No broken windows, no flat tires. We hit the hay at 1:30 am, exhausted. Unfortunately, Evangeline and Ezra were completely wired and the 24 hour daylight didn't help. When in the North, do as the Northerners do. Stay up late and sleep when you can. We arrived in one piece and we were happy.

June 19

Woke up at 11:30 am. Wow! Tired travellers but they had a much deserved sleep. And we still got a lot done. A glass shop opened up a month ago so Kurt replaced the glass in Bronwyn's window. The owner was from Quebec with a Newfie accent. Kurt and Bronwyn washed the trailer and helped another man wash his rig. He came back later and paid Bronwyn $10. She was elated. While Kurt set up the trailer, the kids explored the trails behind, and lo and behold, Josiah, came back with an XBOX he found in the bushes. Probably stolen. We will have to take it to the police. And we enjoyed hot showers, wonderful showers!

June 20

Woke up this morning and Diana had a split chin! She fell out of the top bunk in the middle of the night. I heard her THUMP last night, she cried a bit, but got back in bed so I fell back to sleep. So much for motherly nurturing. Made some bread in our breadmaker. The kids all teased me when I brought it along, but nobody's laughing now, as they devoured an entire loaf and begged for more.

Kurt took Diana to the hospital in his 'ambulance'- a buggy pulled behind his bike. They only gave her steri-strips and not stitches, because it had dried too much. Jo, Boo, and Keegan had a blast ripping around the hills on their bikes. The younger ones played on the dirt hill beside our trailer and they looked like a bunch of ragamuffins.

It was a very relaxing day after all our traveling. Kurt and I lounged on the wooden deck at our site. The kids played, colored, biked and Estelle slept. Diana got lots of practice trying her new biking skills.

We met a couple from Scotland with their eight year old daughter. They just flew in and are going to bike down the Dempster to start. They are taking a year and a half to go as far as they can , hopefully right to Argentina. They were loaded down with too much gear so they gave us a nice wind jacket and some clothes.

A nice, nice day.