Link to video of Alexandra Falls,Northwest Territories

alexandra falls NWT.MOV

Alaska 2008 Days 5--6

Thursday Aug 14 Day 5

Today was an exciting time exploring the Northwest Territories! We left our campground by the Hay River right at the 60th parallel and drove to the Twin Gorge Falls territorial park. Here Dad and I spent a few hours hiking a trail that took us past 2 large waterfalls. The upper falls was Alexandra Falls----a high waterfall that sent up a huge spray of water. Check out the video of it on Webshots under jpamusher 2008 Alaska trip. The trail then led on down the Hay river thru a mixed boreal forest to Louise Falls,another thundering waterfall. The Hay river flowed thru a rugged canyon here. The water was flowing swiftly and was turgid and brown.
We then drove on to the town of Hay River. Hay River sits on the shore of the Great Slave lake and Dad desperately wanted to see this lake for himself as he had only previously read of it in Jack London stories and other northern literature. The day was warm and the temperature was about 80 degrees F. Dad was actually able to swim in the Great Slave Lake!
We had our lunch at a sunny clearing beside the Hay River,then headed back down the Mackenzie Highway towards Fort Simpson. Several rest areas along the highway----the road was all gravel,but in good condition---had little shelter cabins complete with woodstoves. These were intended as emergency shelters in the event of a winter storm. Dad stopped at a few lakes along the way for brief swims,the water was quite brisk but the air temperature was quite pleasant.
We explored the Trout River canyon at Sambaa Deh Falls territorial park. Here the trout river flowed thru a twisted canyon reminiscent of slot canyons in Utah. The river was flowing quite swiftly,sending its spray high into the air. It was a wild and strange place. The rock at the edge of the trail overlooking the canyon was quite slick from the spray and a careless misstep here could have sent us to almost certain doom in the cold swift water below. A cross erected on the canyon edge here perhaps bore mute witness to just such a tragedy!
Late in the day, we took the ferry across the Mackenzie River---no bridge here so cars must board a free ferry operated by the Canadian Government---- and stayed in the campground at the small town of Fort Simpson. Dad and I got out of our car and stood by the railing of the ferry as it crossed the Mackenzie River. We viewed the mighty expanse of the river as it flowed past high river banks,a vast mighty river of the North!


Fri Aug 15 Day 6

Dad and I left Fort Simpson this morning and proceeded down the Liard Highway which would eventually rejoin the Alaska Highway above Fort Nelson. Driving the Liard Highway was a bit of a challenge as loose gravel and mud sections would make the car slide from side to side at times. Dad was glad to be driving his new Subaru with all wheel drive!
We stopped in the small town of Ft Liard then crossed back into northern British Columbia. Dad took a brief swim in the Petitot River which according to the Milepost guidebook has the warmest swimming water in British Columbia. The water was cool but not cold and indeed might have been warmer had the afternoon not been partly cloudy. A man that dad met at the hot springs a few days later along the Alaska Highway said that in the winter he helps put in ice roads in the area and the Petitot river is always difficult to put an ice road over due to the warmer water there. We stayed at the Summit Lake campground on the Alaska Highway tonight. The campground sits beside a lake at the highest point of the Alaska Highway . It is surrounded by the high peaks of the Canadian Rockies.

Alaska 2008 Days 3 and 4

Tues Aug 12 Day 3

We entered Canada today at the Saskatchewan---North Dakota border. The weather was sunny and cool as we traveled up towards Regina and headed out across the plains of Saskatchewan on provincial route 11. Dad and I stopped for lunch at an interesting rest area on route 11 that had a bird sanctuary. There was actually a bird enclosure in the middle of the rest area with various species of birds inside.

Late in the day we crossed into Alberta and stopped for the night at Vermillion Provincial Park. The park was virtually empty,at least in the tent area----RV`s were in another part of the park,though. We hiked some trails along the Vermillion river,then Dad pitched our tent and light rain started up soon thereafter. The rain was heavy at times overnite. One of the few times that dad and I enjoy rain is when we`re snug and dry inside a tent!

Wed August 13 Day 4

After breaking camp,we headed on towards Edmonton and the rain soon ended and the sun broke thru the clouds. Dad heard a report on the radio that gas stations in western Alberta were running out of gas due to a refinery shutdown in Edmonton. This caused Dad to worry a bit but in the end, we had no trouble getting gas anywhere.

On past Alaska trips, Dad has always used the Alaska Highway starting at Dawson Creek,British Columbia. On this trip, he had resolved to do something different. We headed straight north thru northern Alberta after passing thru Valleyview and reached the border with the Northwest Territories late in the day. We wanted to explore the Northwest Territories for a bit the next few days and this route thru them would eventually rejoin the Alaska highway just north of Ft Nelson thereby bypassing about 300 miles of the Alaska highway. We camped at the Northwest Territories border tonight and save for 1 other person who may have been the campground host,had the place all to ourselves. The Hay river flowed past the campground and it was a scenic spot for Dad to give me a walk.

Alaska 2008----Days 1 and 2

Sat Aug 9,Sun Aug 10 Day 1

The start of our Alaska trip at last! Dad and I left home around 10 pm and drove straight thru the night and all the next day in order to make some good mileage at the outset. This allowed us to cover over 1000 miles and make it to Wisconsin by Sun nite.
We drove the Pennsylvania turnpike in the dark and where the road passes beneath mountain ranges we had to traverse tunnels. They were brightly lit and contrasted with the dark of the night outside,a rather neat experience!
By daylight we traveled across Ohio,Indiana,and Illinois. Dad hates the congested area around Chicago but his GPS guided him safely thru the maze of roads there.
Late in the afternoon on Sunday,we arrived at Black River State Forest,WI and camped there for our first night. There was a nice lake at the campground as well as hiking trails. It sure felt good to stretch my legs after the long drive. There were not very many people at the campground and we had nobody camping near us,thus we spent a quiet night there.

Mon Aug 11 day 2

We drove thru Minnesota and North Dakota today. As we approached Minot,ND we encountered an intense thunderstorm. It was short lived and a nice double rainbow followed the storm. Dad will post a photo of it on Webshots. There is a link to dad`s photos on webshots on Smiley`s page or you can just log onto webshots and do a search for member jpamusher. We camped at the Roughrider campground near Minot for night 2.

Alaska Trip 2008

Hi everybody!
This is a quick synopsys of our Alaska trip,a more detailed account will follow shortly. We left our home on Sat Aug 9 and drove to Alaska via the Mckenzie route which goes thru northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories finally joining the Alaska highway just north of Ft Nelson. By doing this, we got to see some new scenery as well as bypass the first 300 miles of the Alaska Highway! Once on the Alaska Highway, we camped at Summit Lake in northern British Columbia and hiked back to Flower Springs Lake in the Canadian Rockies the next day. We then travelled north thru the Yukon and arrived in Alaska at Skagway which is in the Alaskan panhandle.

In Skagway, we hiked the Dewey Lakes trails which ascend high into the mountains above Skagway. Dad pitched our tent on the tundra and from our tent door, we could see the town of Skagway spread out far below us. It looked like a toy town on a model railroad set! On night 2 of this hike,we camped at Sturgills Landing on the Taiya Inlet and watched Cruise ships go by at night. Their lights were ablaze,it reminded dad of the Titanic!

We then travelled on to the main part of Alaska and on up to Fairbanks where we hiked the Granite Tors trail high in the mountains above the Chena River. It was super windy out on the tundra and dad found shelter by pitching our tent in the lee of a tor. A tor is a high pinnacle of rock which thrusts up from the ground. They are sculpted into wierd shapes.

After hiking the Tors trail, we headed up the Dalton Highway which follows the Alaska pipeline all the way to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. We crossed the Arctic Circle at latitude 66 degrees and arrived at Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean on aug 25. Dad took a chilly swim in the Arctic Ocean---it was only 43 degrees F! The scenery all along the Dalton highway is stunning!

Next we headed down the Parks Highway to Denali State Park. The State Park allows dogs whereas the larger National Park doesn`t. Also no permits are required for the state park. We spent 3 days hiking the Kesugi ridge trail here which ascends onto the tundra with stunning views of the Alaska Range.

Next we travelled down to the Kenai Peninsula below Anchorage. The Seward Highway follows along Cook Inlet and there are stunning views of mountains rising sheer up from the ocean! We visited Homer on the Sterling Highway and hiked on the Homer Spit which extends about 4 miles out into Cook Inlet.

We then travelled back up to Tok and over the Taylor and North Klondike highways which took us thru Alaska`s Fourtymile country on a route known as the "Top of the World" highway due to its breathtaking vistas. We left Alaska at this point and soon arrived at Dawson City in Canada`s Yukon Territory. We camped an a nice campground on the banks of the Yukon River---the very same one used by mushers during the Yukon Quest dog race in Feb. Next morning, we took a ferry across the Yukon river and explored the town of Dawson. From Midnight Dome, you can see the entire town spread out below!

Leaving Dawson, we travelled down the Klondike highway and over the Campbell highway stopping at the town of Ross River. Here we took a barge across the Pelly River and drove about 38 miles up the Canol Road. This is a narrow,winding road with blind curves and STEEP hills--- a tad scary as large mining trucks race along it. It was constructed during WW 2 and dad wanted to check out some of the old ruins along it.

We travelled thru beautiful northern Montana on the way home,the area north of Helena in the Big Belt mountains is really quite scenic. We also hiked in the South Dakota badlands and explored a Minuteman Missle silo on the South Dakota grasslands. The praraie in South Dakota is stunning,rolling waves of grass and dirt extend as far as the eye can see in all directions!

We also saw some wildlife during the trip which I had lots of fun barking at. In the Northwest Territories,a red fox calmly sat by the side of the road and let Dad photograph it! A black bear ran across the road in the Yukon and we saw moose,musk oxen and dall sheep as well. It was a great 5 week adventure!

Wes

Off to Alaska!

Dad and I are off to Alaska starting tonight. Dad will drive throughout the night in order to make it to Wisconsin in one long drive. We plan on doing several backcountry hikes and hope to make it all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Dad has been to Alaska before,but this will be my first time there. We will post updates whenever we can get internet access throughout the trip and post much more upon our return in Sept.
Mush on!
Wesley

Rafting excitement

Woofs!
Dad and I took another rafting trip yesterday,and for the most part it was a pleasant experience. We paddled down the Delaware on a warm,sunny Saturday in late June,enjoying some refreshing swims on the way and visiting a few islands here and there. We did have a bit of excitement of the unwanted kind though. Dad navigated the raft thru a small channel between 2 islands because he wanted to run a set of rapids here. The raft was traveling at a good clip and before dad realized what was happening, we passed over a submerged barrel with a jagged protruding edge. This sliced a tear in the raft`s outer air chamber and it quickly deflated. The raft was now riding low in the water and Dad managed to paddle it to a nearby island to see if he could effect any repairs. Upon turning the raft over,he realized that the tear was too large to repair and we had to continue the trip using just the single air chamber. This worked well enough, but there was less room on the raft and it didn`t float as well.
Our 2nd bit of excitement came as storm clouds rolled in during the afternoon. There were rumbles of thunder and we were concerned about possible lightning. Fortunately the storm soon blew over without doing much more than dumping some light rain on us (which actually was quite refreshing on this hot,humid day) and the trip ended on a sunny note. Dad fortunately had recently ordered a new raft as this one was wearing out, so we do have a nice new raft for our next trip!
First mate,
Wes

Summer on the river

Weekend of June 7-8 2008

It was a sunny,HOT,weekend and Dad an I spent it rafting on the Delaware River. The temperature climbed into the high 90`s both days and it was sooo refreshing to be out on the cool river! On Saturday,June 7,we took a route down the river that ran thru a set of thrilling rapids near Eagle Island. I`ll try to post that video clip on my page soon. I was riding in the raft as we entered the set of rapids while dad was in a tube attached to my raft by a retractable leash. Both the raft and tube were bounced around quite a bit,but we emerged from the rapids in good shape! Later in the trip, Dad and I rowed ashore on a small island and had a relaxing lunch in the warm sunshine. In the afternoon, Dad went ashore on another island and placed a geocache there! It will be listed on the geocaching.com website under the nickname "gilligan`s island".
We had another rafting trip the next day down a slightly different spot on the river. On this trip, we ran another set of rapids near the Treasure Island scout camp. Dad noticed that we were headed for a low wooden bridge after we entered the rapid and had only seconds to arrest the speed of the raft so that we would pass safely under the bridge rather than hit it. A direct hit may have deflated the raft ,sending our cargo on down the river! We safely passed under the bridge and continued the journey. This was my 3rd raft trip and I must say that I rather enjoy this new experience!
First Mate,
Wesley

First rafting trip!

Thursday May 29,2008

Dad took me on my first rafting trip down the Delaware River today. It was a sunny,warm day when we arrived at Bull`s Island in New Jersey. Dad strapped the raft to his backpack and we hiked about 7 miles up the canal towpath. Upon reaching our put in spot about 1 mile below Frenchtown,Dad inflated the raft and put on my life jacket and dog booties. I wear the booties so that my claws don`t hole the raft. I was a good dog and didn`t complain about the booties. I even climbed into the raft without complaint even though boating is a new experience for me. We went thru some rapids and even went ashore on a small island for lunch. Dad has posted some pix from this trip on my page and some videos will be coming soon. One is already on You Tube user name jpamusher. I hope to enjoy several more trips with Dad this summer!
First Mate,
Wesley

Skin Problems

Sorry to say, I have a bit of a problem and Dad is really perplexed by it. Some months ago,I developed a hot spot and chewed it quite raw. I suffered a series of hot spots after that and dad had me to his local vet a few times. He`s been treating my hot spots with hydrogen peroxide and cortisone spray as well as giving me Benadryl. On our recent camping trip, I managed to chew another hot spot on my back and by the trips end, it was quite raw and oozing pus. Dad stopped in the emergency room of the University of Pennsylvania`s vet hospital on the way home from Shenandoah Park in Virginia and they shaved a big spot on my back and tail in order to treat the sores there. The vet put me on a dose of Rimadyl and Clavamox and reccommended that we eventually see Penn`s dermatology service to discover the underlying cause of the allergy which is causing he hot spots and my chewing them raw. Dad has an appointment with Penn`s dermatology service for June 3rd. Hopefully they can take steps to correct the problem.