[Read about our travels in other years]

Friday, January 5, 2007
in Catalina State Park, north of Tucson, Arizona

          We woke up to a clear New Year morning at Caravan Oasis RV Park in Yuma. Up early (we lost an hour overnight as we came east from San Diego) for the all-but-final final leg of journey towards Mexico. East on I-8, not much traffic through the rocky mountain ridges and then scrubby desert to Gila Bend. Then past desert farm fields irrigated via a set of canals - looked like an endangered proposition to our undeducated eyes. Joined very busy I-10 and turned southeast towards the northern edge of Tucson and exited east to find this magnificent state park. Settled in under warm sun by 1:30pm. 225 miles. Quite a place.

          We had too little time here to enjoy sitting in the sun practicing guitar, taking in the breath-taking mountain views, bird watching. It's been busy, but we'll be back. We're learning the reason so many people are attracted to Arizona (though it's been freezing cold every night.) But we did fulfill the primary purpose for choosing this campground; to reconnect with Pat's dear friends, John and Heather, who are visiting their daughter Jane and family in Oro Valley, a nearby Tucson suburb. Jane took us all to the Tohono Chul Park, where we ate lunch in the cafe and walked through its desert plant garden. On Wednesday, we took Clemmie to LaMesa RV just south of Tucson Wednesday morning to get her cleaned and pressed in preparation for Mexico. Took the whole day to get everything done and checked, including installation of a CB radio. We spent our time chatting with other RV'ers and window shopping big rigs on the sales lot (they're not for us.) After tire rotation noticed that the same wheel which had a flat in San Diego had gone flat again. Different tire, same placement. Bad tire stem. LaMesa didn't have the proper size stem, so replaced it with a shorter one. Decided we'd better take Clemmie to the Truck Center (tire specialists) on our way out of Tucson to have the wheels and tires examined

          On Thursday John and Heather took us to the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum on the edge of the Saguaro National Monument west of Tucson. A great place, spent the day walking round learning about desert landscape and critters. The Museum also functions as part zoo, to educate and preserve desert wildlife. There, among other birds and animals, we saw a pair of the only 50 remaining Mexican Wolves (Lobo wolf), which the museum has rescued from imminent extinction through its breeding/release program. We hosted John and Heather for dinner on Clemmie after, with time beforehand to sit out bird- and mountain-watching before the sun went down and the cold set in. Great thing about RV'ing is the fabulous front yards we have, with no yard work. Not much housework either. Friday, we went on an early 2-hour bird walk through Catalina State Park with a local naturalist. Thereafter, we turned Clemmie into a car and went hunting for a second camera, since our current one is exhibiting intermittent attitude attacks (the automatic focus won't.) Decided to upgrade with a camera that has manual focus and zoom in addition to automatic. After driving hither and yonder in search of a discount, we finally ended up at Tucson Mall in Ritz Camera. Better prices (and expertise) than the discount stores. Lesson: forget the "discount" and go for a quality camera store. That having used up much of the day, we filled up with propane and provisioned before returning to our campground - to find John and Heather waiting to ferry us to Jane and Ron's for dinner and hot tub. It's been great to see them all.

 

Sunday, January 7, 2007
At DeAnza Trails RV Resort, Amado, Arizona

          Up early yesterday at Catalina State Park to another cold morning. Headed down Rte 77 to the southern side of Tucson for an early stop at the Tire Center, truck and RV specialists. Learned a lot about RV/truck tires. Replaced our puny tire stems with muscular metal ones, and truck-worthy extensions that now bring the nipple outside the hub caps. A good stop. Decided that we should go to truck tire outfits to get the tires rotated or alignment checked in the future. Then south on I-10 to I-19 to little town of Amado and this RV park. 54 miles. We settled into our assigned campsite adjacent to Pat and Terry Sissons, the leader of our 8-vehicle RV troup which will bird watch together in Western Mexico. This trip is under the auspices of Adventure Caravans, through whom you can reach us in case of emergencies while we're in Mexico. We spent the afternoon doing preliminaries with Pat and Terry, and just enjoying being. Nice and sunny. This morning, an overnight low of 24°F - we're awfully tired of the cold. Our plan for warm winters hasn't worked very well so far.... For the next two days we'll be busy getting to know our companion birders, and getting organized and provisioned for the border crossing early Wednesday morning.

          In case we don't have much access to the Internet while in Mexico, below is a summary of our travels once we leave here Wednesday morning after the group's orientation and preparation session on Tuesday. There are 8 RV's in our little caravan and we'll be staying anywhere from 3 to 12 days at each of these stops for (optional) daily bird-watching expeditions and/or time for experiencing the culture and social activities. It looks busy, but nonetheless, we'll make time for guitar practice, writing, working on our Spanish, napping, etc. We are scheduled to cross back into Arizona on March 13. Here are the legs of our trip.

• Cross the border at Nogales, AZ, then to San Carlos, Sonoma. (288 miles) 3 nights there (1/10 - 1/12)
• San Carlos to Alamos, Sonoma. (172 miles) 6 nights there (1/13 - 1/18)
• Alamos to the village of Las Glorias near Guasave, Sinaloa. (195 miles) 4 nights there (1/19 - 1/22)
• Las Glorias to beach near Mazatlan, Sinaloa. (242 miles) 7 nights there (1/23 - 1/29)
• Mazatlan to Las Cocos Beach near San Blas, Nayarit. (211 miles) 12 nights here (1/31 - 2/10)
• San Blas to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (85 miles) 4 nights (2/11 - 2/14)
• Puerto Vallarta to Boca Beach, Jalisco. (126 miles) 5 nights (2/15 - 2/19)
• Boca Beach to Laguna La Maria, Colima. (137 miles) 10 nights (2/20 - 3/1)
• Laguna La Maria to Tepic, Nayarit. (241 miles) 4 nights (3/2 - 3/5)
• Tepic back to Mazatlan, Sinaloa. (191 miles) 4 nights (3/6 - 3/9)
• Mazatlan to San Carlos, Sonoma (490 mils) 3 nights (3/10 en route, then 3/11 - 3/12)
• San Carlos back to Nogales, AZ. (263 miles) stop back here or nearby in AZ. 3/13.

          We'll update the website with our current location when we find Internet access, and maybe even some bird and scenery pix.

 

Friday, January 12, 2007
At El Mirador RV Resort, San Carlos, Sonora

          Up at crack of dawn (42°, mercury inching up) Wednesday morning at DeAnza Trails for the 7am departure for our little caravan. Checked our new CB radio as we passed out the gate, 2nd in line. Being in a caravan is a new experience for us. South on I-19 to Nogales and west to the border and Mex Hwy 15D following sings to Hermosilla. Good divided 4-lane road, with tolls and topes (speed bumps) in the villages we passed through. Beautiful, but hazy, desert scenery. Stopped a few miles into Mexico to process papers for Clemmie, customs, and immigration for us. Our vehicle importation sticker on Clemmie is good for 10 years.

          Pat and Terry, our wagon masters, led the way calling frequently on the CB to note birds, scenic points, and warn of traffic hazards ahead. Took the bypass round Hermosillo and continued south on Rte 15 D making several stops for fuel, lunch, and breaks. Turned west just north of Guyamas through San Carlos to this ritzy RV park in a gorgeous setting near bays and a marina. Picked a spot with a great view. Much construction going on, the gringos have found the place. It's spectacularly beautiful. Thursday morning 61°. Happily put away the extra blanket and hot water bottle. Eagerly look forward to warmer nights. We've spent our two days here getting to know our birding companions, soaking up the gorgeous scenery and pleasant warmth, and making a birding foray on Thursday into Palm Canyon, and today to the shore near Guyamas. Supplemented by walks round the marina and to the nearby shore. We are very happy with our caravan leaders: Terry our birding guide is a treat; low key, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. And Terry's wife Pat, who organizes and mothers us, ever cheerful and hard-working.

 

Thursday, January 18, 2007
At Dolisa Hotel and RV Park, Alamos, Sonora

          Left El Mirador as dawn broke last Saturday. Picked our way through San Carlos to find Rte 15 and bypass Guaymas. Stayed on the cuota (toll road) through Obregon with stops at Pemex (gas stations) for fuel and/or potty breaks and/or lunch. Smoky views of the distant mountains across miles of scrub and patches of burning. Flat ugglies. Through farming areas with irrigation canals and many large green fields. In Navajoa we left Rte 15 and took the road to Alamos. Pleasant surprise to find the road has been widened and resurfaced, not the headache we feared based on our leaders' experience last year. Arrived in this RV Park right in Alamos around 2pm. 169 miles. Alamos is a historic town, once much larger and the center of huge silver mining operations in the last century. Many of the ancient houses have recently been bought up and renovated by ex-patriate gringos, now a significant though isolationist segment of the town's population. We experienced an unexpected sense of deja vu as we finally put our feet down in real Mexico (which San Carlos was not.) Memories of our happy times in the Dominican Republic came rushing back, along with some of our Spanish.

         Spent our time here thusly. Pat off on 7am daily birding trips around the area, returning usually around 1pm. A lot of car birding, not as much on foot as she expected. It's dry brushy hill country, with skinny cows trying to survive on the dry undergrowth. Some not making it judging by the number of skeletons we found. The birders drove along the good dirt road into the hills, stopping frequently to scout the trees, then for longer stops to tromp around, walk beside the town's sewer outfall stream, and stroll along the sluggish Rio El Cuchijaqui. 25 new bird sightings for Pat, along with gradual improvement in her observation skills. Bill staying home to practice guitar, go to the market, explore Alamos, and socialize with the other "SOB's" (spouse of birders) or birders who opted not to that day for whatever reason. We're the only RV in our group without a "toad" (tow vehicle) and so we hitch rides on the frequent car outings. We're learning to be on other people's schedule. We've enjoyed more social time with our companions, it's a good group. It's been mostly cool and cloudy, with light, then steady, rain setting in over the last 24 hours.

 

Monday, January 22, 2007
At Mr. Moro Hotel and RV Park, Las Glorias, Sinaloa

          Friday, another early start this time in the rain. We heard on the radio of ice storms in the US from Southern California to San Antonio and hurricane force winds devastating Europe. Mother Nature is shaking us humans off (who can blame her?) We drove in our usual caravan fashion, wagonmasters using the CB radio to maintain order and give directions, and warn about unmarked "topes" (speed bumps) and other hazards, while birding on the fly. Returned to Navajoa to rejoin the Rte 15 cuota (toll road). Roads in Navajoa flooded, nowhere for the rainwater to go but gradually soak in. South on the cuota towards Los Mochis, continued flat scrubby land. Crossed from Sonora into the state of Sinaloa, through an agriculture inspection station. Mostly checking for fruit, spraying the underside of suspect trucks and semis with insecticide. Made the now usual Pemex stops for fuel and lunch. Cloudy and intermittent to heavy rain all day. Bypassed Los Mochis and then left the cuota to drive along farm roads (so far the roads have all been good) towards the coast north of Guasave. Picked our way to the village of Las Glorias and along the cobbled street to this campground, arriving in a muddy downpour a bit before 3pm. 193 miles. Picked a spot under the palm trees and settled in with only a little maneuvering to watch the contortions the big vehicles had to go through to get into place. The grass in the camping area was completely torn up and it turned into a royal wet mess underfoot.

          Thankfully, the rain quit Friday night, Saturday overcast but dry, and Sunday and today sunny. Great place with very tired but still serviceable baños (bathrooms) and shower. Shrimp dinner at the hotel's outdoor restaurant one night, and pleasant group happy hours (planned or ad hoc) other evenings. Terrific birding Saturday on the beach and nearby dunes and scrub. Great walking. Sunday, Pat went on a boat trip through the mangroves with most of the others, while Bill and one other stayed home to chill out and practice guitar. An incredible boat trip in an open ponga through miles and miles of mangroves bordering the channel between the mainland and Isla Macapule. Nothing like this left in the US. Herons and egrets roosting, pelicans fishing, all along the route towards Bahia De Vinorama, then ashore on Bird Island. Thousands of sea and shore birds calling, roosting, nesting, and foraging. A bird density we've only seen once before, at Cape St. Mary's in Newfoundland. Unforgettable. Monday, a mostly car-birding trip around the (dry) shrimp ponds and beach near the village to watch the frigate birds and gulls swarming over the fishing boats.

 

Monday, January 29, 2007
At Playa Esondido RV Park, Mazatlan, Sinaloa

          Left Las Glorias soon after 7am last Tuesday, a chilly 43° and overcast. Our turn to be tailgunner, ie hold up the rear of the caravan. Per the radio, snow is blanketing the US southwest from Tucson to El Paso. We follow the road signs to Guasave, rush hour so it's slow going. Back on to the Rte 15 cuota. Pothole city, some of them big enough to loose a wheel. Towards the end of them, we hit one. Held our breath then shortly thereafter a big thud. Pulled over. Outside rear tire on passenger side is flat and we can hear the air hissing out of its companion until it, too, dies. Thankful for the CB to alert the caravan to our plight. Don and Linda, immediately ahead of us, pull over quickly and Don walks back to provide moral support and (thankfully) expertise. Terry and Pat, the wagonmasters, find a place to do a U-turn and come back to assist. Don gets his compressor out of his RV, we turn on the generator to produce AC current, and he reflates the inner tire. While this is going on a most helpful policia (highway patrol/policeman) pulls over to help. He locates a mechanic using his cell phone, and then goes to get him - and comes back to pick him up later. Mechanic sweats under Clemmie to get the spare tire off, jacks her up, and replaces the outer wheel. Don reflates the removed tire - fortunately it seems not to be damaged and we stick it in Terry's truck to be secured under Clemmie later. Evidently the "solution" effected in Tucson to the tire stem problem we encountered in San Diego was a bad idea. When we hit the pothole, the hub cap blew off dragging the stem extenders with it and hence deflating the tires. We're done with hub caps. Pretty but useless. Now we have to find new stem extenders so we can inflate the tires again if needed. Our difficulties cost the caravan 2 hours, which they made lemonade out of by driving a few miles further to a Pemex (gas station) where they parked, ate lunch, and then found a great wetland patch to bird in. We were very impressed with the support provided by the wagonmasters and Don, and by the Mexican police, and of course the rest of the caravan. Good people all. After all of this, we caught up to the rest of the group and continued on the cuota to Mazatlan, and this RV Park near the beach north of the city. Arrived around 5:30pm, 239 exhusting miles.

          A busy time here. Wednesday a birding outing to the nearby Estero del Yugo, a protected wetland. Discovered another fabulous wetland behind the campground, loaded with birds. Sadly, the whole thing is being bulldozed to make a place for yet more beach condos and houses. Gut wrenching to bird with the bulldozers grinding away in the background. Who says the land belongs to humans? The birds live here for pete's sake, what right do we have to evict them? Thursday we decided to turn Clemmie into a car and sallied forth into Mazatlan to find groceries, and possible a tire-stem solution. Unfortunately, no map of Mazatlan is available and the directions provided by the Adventure Caravan staff holding down the Mazatlan "office" were far from idiot-proof. We proved it. After 21 nerve-wracking miles and getting lost 3 times we finally came home frustrated, thankful we had sufficient Spanish to ask for and receive directions along the way. We did find the grocery store and Auto Zone across from each other and a WalMarts. No RV parking at WalMart's (it's got a roof over the parking area), and no tire-stem help at Auto Zone.

          Friday morning we left our RV's, made car pools and drove through Mazatlan to the turn off for the Durango highway and made our way into the Sierra Madre mountains. The highway is a marvellous bit of engineering, and well maintained. Narrow and few shoulders or barricades, it puts US Rte 1 along the northern California coast to shame. Constant twists and turns up and down the mountain/cliff sides with fabulous views of the Sierra. The only road making the mountain crossing, it's very busy with trucks and tractor trailors. These guys have to cross the yellow line to get round many of the corners, and if they meet on one they have to stop and jocky back and forth to pass. All the trucks we encountered were driving carefully, but not so the locals in small cars. The many sad crosses and shrines along the roadside were testament to the dangers of impatience. We stopped for lunch in the small village of Copala, at the renowned Daniel's restaurant, and then continued on to the village of Capilla del Taxte. 64 miles. We stayed 2 nights at the Hotel Villa Blanca, a local landmark built by some Germans 50 years ago, and now owned and operated by the village. A great Mexican experience, with birding forays 20 miles or so further into the mountains each day. Yesterday, back to Mazatlan (felt like we'd been away a lifetime) and happy to be home again in Clemmie. It's finally warm! Today, we have a free day and access to WiFi so its time to update the website. Photos will have to come later.

 

Thursday, February 1, 2007
At Paraismo Miramar Hotel and RV Park, San Blas, Nayarit

          We've died and gone to heaven. Sort of. After a long and often bumpy/bone-rattling 8.5 hour 200 mile trip on Tuesday, with the usual stops to regroup, we are in San Blas. Being the littlest, we got the primest spot since no-one else could squeeze into it. A spectacular view of the ocean, near excellent banos and a little restaurant (8am to 8pm). And free WiFi right in Clemmie to boot. It's warm, shorts weather. A reward for a harrowing evening Monday afternoon, when Playa Escondido's already rickety electrical system had a psychotic episode. It blew the battery chargers or controls for 5 of the 8 caravan rigs, including Clemmie's. Showered us with fearful sparks as it shorted out. Left us unable to charge the house batteries from the electrical hookup or the generator, only the alternator when driving. Since the converter (AC charger) circuit breaker also has the 'frig on it, we cut the wire to the dead converter so we can still run the 'frig on AC. Don't want to have to use propane for all the remaining trip weeks. Oh well, we have borrowed a small plug in battery charger so we'll be able to recharge our batteries manually. Mildly inconvenient since access to the batteries is under the ingress/egress step. But, we're not sinking. Today, warm and humid. The big rigs need to run their generators to provide for their power demands and keep cool. We thought about giving up our ocean view and moving away from the noise and fumes but haven't got round to it. We're here for 12 days. Despite being glad we're on this trip and enjoying both Mexico and our companions, we're mildly homesick for the U.S. The beach is gorgeous and the birding incredible. A few bugs too, but so far not nearly as bad as expected. Took a day off birding to work on the growing mountain of photos. Still trying to get the hang of the new camera. Bill became a great-grandpa to Laurie's daughter Ashley's son Hayden Daniel on January 24, and a great-uncle yesterday to Eva's daughter Mahayana. We welcome the new arrivals on the planet with much love and we hope that, by the time they grow up, 'twill be in a better condition than it is now.

 

Saturday, February 10, 2007
At Paraismo Miramar Hotel and RV Park, San Blas, Nayarit

          Because we had Wifi, webmaster took a few days off the busy birding schedule to regain a life. Somewhat. She spent the better part of a day devoted to political action. She made an index for our blogs. She redid the slide-show format for enhanced viewing, and applied it to the Best Bird. She caught up with photographs for the website. Birding trips while tending to be lengthy, generally beginning at 7:00am and ending between 12-2pm, have been enjoyable and productive, though a bit wearing for one now thoroughly acclimated to being on her own schedule. She birded Peso Island and the beach, taking a short ferry ride across from the San Blas harbor. Felt nostalgic passing by the sailboats at anchor there. She birded in the ecology-minded little village of Singayta. She birded along the Rio San Cristobal, but made a camera boo-boo and failed to get usable pix of most the great bird-photo opportunities. She birded in the jungle near La Bajada. She had fun photographing our birding companions. They are a great group. We kept up with the news and were saddened to learn that (among other recent tragedies) all but one of the endangered young whooping cranes led south from Wisconsin last fall as part of a project to create a second migratory flock of the birds were killed in the recent storms in Florida. Both of us went on a day trip to the island community of Mexicaltitan. Legend has it that this appealing island village is the site of Aztlan, the cradle of Mexico, where the Aztecs settled 1,000 years ago. While there we ate (tasted) dried shrimp, on which the village economy is based. Yuk. Meanwhile, Bill is enjoying guitar practice, socializing with our group, and noting with sorrow the 49th anniversary of Laurie's birth which passed on Tuesday. Weather daytime highs have been in the mid-high 80's with overnight lows around 60.

 

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
At Campamento el Pescador, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

          We left San Blas after breakfast on Sunday. The 85 mile drive to Puerto Vallarto was uneventual if slow. Pretty countryside and many towns and villages, all with "topes" (speed bumps) which are very effective at reducing speed to a slow crawl. It took about 4 hours, thankfully the road surface were good except for the last many blocks to reach this campground. These were of the now ubiquitous bumpy cobblestone. Puerto Vallasco is strongly tourist oriented, with cruise ships and high rise hotels and condos looming over the main road through town. Kind of like Miami beach with a mountain backdrop. [The "i" on webmaster's keyboard has decded to take a vacation, so please excuse periodc mis-spellngs.] Our campground is right in town sitting inside a walled-in city block. Excellent baños and showers. There's an Internet cafe as well as many little restaurants and shops right round the corner. We have good shade in our campsite from the palm trees and walls and the otherwise cramped campground has space for the now daily Happy Hours. On our morning trips to the baño, we strangely encounter a black, a white, and a grey rabbit who seem to share the campground with us. We're enjoying local street food, dried bananas, practising Spanish, and whatever else we can soak up of the Mexican culture. We've had two free days here and started work on a slide show for this trip. Today's birding foray started at 6:30am (pitch dark because we're now in Central Standard Time) so Pat punted. Doesn't seem to fit her morning routine, which needs time for the Kata and some yoga. Can it be that birding trips are beginning to feel like work? Tomorrow we leave for Boca Beach. Don't know when we'll have Internet access again.

 

Monday, February 19, 2007
At Boca Beach Trailer Park, Melaque, Jalisco

          Thursday our caravan wiggled its way out of the tight campsites in Puerto Vallarta and, after more than some confusion about directions, found our way south on Rte 200 through the tunnels into old town Puerto Vallarta with its cobbled main streets. South, the road produced stunning scenery with luxurious condos and mansions strewn along the gorgeous coastal area made famous by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (in Night of the Iguanas.) We were sorry we couldn't stop to take more view shots. Obviously we couldn't: (a) nowhere to pull over; and (b) it would disrupt the caravan. C'est la vie. 128 miles and 5 hours later we pulled into this RV park on a magnificent beach on the Boca de Iguanas north of Melaque. The road in was desolate except for the remains of a hurricane-smashed condo development now taken over by a flock of goats. This busy (and large) campground was full of Canadians (mostly Quebecois) dug in firmly for the winter. We picked a vacant Clemmie-sized campsite snugged in under the palm trees. We've enjoyed our time (5 nights) here, with daytime highs in the mid-80's and night-time lows in the mid-60's. And of course our daily Happy Hours with the group.

          Webmaster has finally learned how to pace herself at birding. The hard-core birders in our group have more stamina than she for long car-rides and standing around for hours hunting for scarce species. She found that Don and Linda (seen here) liked to get plenty of walking in on the birding trips and prefer to get home in time for lunch. Also, like this writer, they aren't up for birding trips every day. So she has begun to car-pool on birding trips with Don and Linda on a regular basis. Our musician is still staying home practicing guitar with gusto -- and improving his skills discernably.

          Most noteworthy, yesterday morning we were privileged to be present when a batch of turtle eggs hatched on the beach. Please see the Mexico slide show to share in this rare treat.

 

Thursday, March 1, 2007
At Laguna LaMaria, Comala, Colima

          Tuesday morning a week ago we were on our way out of Boca Beach before 8am. Back to the main road (Rte 200) then up and down through the hills, brief stop for a rig with toad (tow) problems on the steep windy road. Through the town of Cihuatlan to the Manzanillo bypass, Rte 200 Cuota (toll road.) Passed by a pull-off with a spectacular view. Aw shucks, no photo stop. Then away from the coast towards the mountains and Colima. Very hazy. Temperature inversion, cane burning, tall smoky stacks all contributing to what looked like poor air quality. Could barely clatch a glimpse of the volcanos (one active, one not) where we were heading until we bypassed the city. Then more narrow windy uphill road upon which the undercarriage of Richard and Gloria's truck (pulling their 5th wheel) erupted in a minor but still exciting conflagration. Then up a long cobblestone street into this remote and lovely small hotel complex with about 20 RV spots, evidently added specifically with birders in mind. 137 miles, not quite 6 hours. We're the only RV's here. Hot in the afternoon sun (mid 80's), overnight lows near 50°F. Great birding in the campground and environs. Good view of Volcán de Fuego exhaling. We have been here for 10 days, plenty of time to just be "at home." Pat figured out how to make interactive travel maps for the website, helped Linda give Snowbird and Flakie a bath, and reconnected with her writing project. Bill practiced guitar and continued his current philosophical studies (Radical Axiology by Hugh P. McDonald.)

          The next day the group carpooled via pretty village of Suchitlan to Comala where we ate and drank Happy Hour in one of the centros botaneros (tapas bars) on the edge of the beautiful plaza in the shadow of the beautiful church. Another day, we punted on a "drive by" look at Colima. Without any opportunity to get out, explore, and walk around we couldn't see the point in sitting in a car for an hour to get there. Last Thursday, 10 birders (including Pat) left at 5am to go birding on the inactive Volcán Nevado de Colima. Bill and 5 others in our group stayed home. Thankfully Pat rode with Don who shares her limited tolerance for marathon birding outings. Returning early at 2pm, they had travelled 125 miles to reach the other side of the mountain - only 10 miles away as the crow flies. Their 7 hours of drive time yielded 2 hours of birding and some good if smoky views as they drove the Parque Nationale dirt road to its end at 12,268' elevation. The 8 trophy birders returned near 5pm, happy to have some more notches on their life lists. Since then Pat pretty much has quit car birding in favor of birding on foot, combining birdwatching with exercise. It's easy here, with plenty of walking options through the beautiful countryside and around the lake. There are birds everywhere. A particular treat was a visit from a Painted Bunting at Happy Hour one afternoon.

          last Friday, a large Christian contingent arrived in buses for the weekend. They filled up the hotel's 4 bedrooms, 5 cabins and overflowed into tents. The group configured the large open area adjacent to the RV campground as an outdoor chapel wired for surround-sound. Cermonies, preaching, singing and dancing filled the airwaves with well-amplified noise. The woofers kept us awake until the wee hours for 2 nights. We were happy not to be parked right next to the activities, as were the big rigs. A mysterious power outage somewhat dampened the audio volume for a while early Sunday morning. (We didn't do it - even if we thought about it. ) After a more muted day including ritual baptisms in the swimming pool, the noise vanished with the buses on Sunday afternoon. Quite an experience. We hoped they had a good time.

          This is a special place. In the early morning millions of stars plot the sky overhead (also at Boca Beach) reminding us of nights at sea on sweet Callipygia. A good reminder of our puny status on this this teeny corner of the universe.

 

Monday, March 4, 2007
Los Pinos Trailer Park, Tepic, Nayarit

          We left Laguna LaMaria at crack of dawn on Friday, the biggest rig barely sqeaking under the arch at the exit to the campground complex. A slow drive down the twisty side road so as to bypass Comala's narrow cobbled streets. Then reached the cuota (toll road) from Colima to Guadalajara. Slow going, mostly just 2 lanes and heavy traffic, trucks struggling on hills. Took the bypass round Guadalajara, 2nd largest city in Mexico. Well signed, 4 lanes, busy. Then along the cuota from Guadalajara to Tepic, a beautiful new 4-lane highway, we started to make up some time. Up and down some long big hills, past interesting villages, and through beautiful arid country with field after field of the agave whose roots are fermented to make Tequila. Saw the town of that name in the distance. Alas, no time to stop for photographs. Finally arrived in Tepic, the ancient capital of Nayarit, 240 miles and 8 hours later. This campground turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Last year it was very run down. Our wagonmasters found the phone recently disconnected so not sure what to expect. Happily, new owners are busily renovating it, were unaware of the caravan's reservation. Thankfully there was enough room for all of us. It's a prime location right in Tepic. We were glad to settle in for the night. These long hot drives are tiring.

          Saturday the entire group, including non-birders, drove 30 miles or so to a crater lake, Laguna Santa Maria del Oro. Beautiful place. Good birding, nice restaurant. Interesting legend about the formation of the lake. Sunday, had a nice walk along the boulevard towards the city center, found the visitor's center and learned about historic places to see. Right now we're more interested in Mexico and its culture than the birds. There are few gringos in Tepic so the culture is intact. In the afternoon we car pooled about 15 miles to an overlook on the Tepic-Mazatlan Libre (old highway, a free road as opposed to the Cuota.) A windy narrow road through the hills, heavy with overloaded truck traffic. The usual sprinkling of crosses at corners memorializing head-on collisions or a failure to make a turn. At one corner, a bunch of people were harvesting from a carpet of tomatoes spilt from some unfortunate truck. At the overlook (El Mirador de Aguila) we hung around for 30 minutes until a flock of Military Macaws showed up below, we counted 17 together at one point. Incredible striking birds, only a few thousand remain scattered among their fragmented habitats from Mexico to Argentine. Their decline is due to capture for sale as pets and loss of habitat.

          Today, we took ourselves on a walking tour of the Tepic city center. Loved it. You can join us on our walking tour by watching the slide show we made of this Mexico trip. Tomorrow, we're off to Mazatlan.

 

Thursday, March 8, 2007
Playa Escondido RV Park, Mazatlan, Sinaloa

          We bade Tepic farewell soon after first light on Tuesday, and made our way north back to this RV Park. We took the cuota (toll road) where it was available. Some of it is brand new, some still under construction, most of the way 2-lane roads. Some of the surface excellent, some bumpy bumpy. The usual mix we've come to expect. Our 191 mile trip took almost 6 hours with all of the stops that arose. We're looking forward to being on our own, able to pick and choose our stopping points. No complaints, though, the Caravan has been a good experience. Weather here lovely, a cool sea breeze mitigating the mid-80's sunshine. Walked on the beach (disappearing due to erosion) as are some of the houses facing right onto it. Regardless, there's a massive construction boom of beach front condos underway. We figured they'll be swallowed up by hurricane damage, erosion, and rising tides before the financing is paid off. Walked around the Mazatlan marina and felt nostalgic looking at all the sailboats. Then diverted by the huge iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks lining the marina basin. This is a handy campground: all kinds of services are available. Daily vegetable truck, laundry pickup and delivery, water and propane deliveries, haircuts, massage, manicure, vehicle wash, and fresh shrimp deliveries. We got Clemmie washed and polished, bought water and veggies, had our laundry done, and filled the freezer with shrimp. Enjoyed eating at the little street restaurant just outside the campground gates.

          This morning the birders went early to the wetlands behind the campground. Alas, the construction we had noted on our stop going south 6 weeks ago had proceeded apace. The last bulwark to the wetlands was breached last night, and the wetlands were almost drained. Broke our hearts to see all the birds clustered on the edges of the remaining water feeding here for what will surely be the last time - and just as they are coming into breeding plumage. The night herons stood in the mud looking completely dazed. We wonder what will become of them. Some will hopefully find other places to breed but we doubt that all will be so fortunate. What assholes we humans are. Made our webmaster feel positively homicidal.

 

Saturday, March 10, 2007
Truck Stop at Los Mochis, Sinaloa

          Left Mazatlan near 8:00 am. The campground has emptied out, winter residents preparing to return north and caravan season over. Boring and uneventful ride along mostly toll roads. Some good surface, some the usual potholes. Two posts along the way sprouted golden eagles. Pulled into this (supposedly secure) truck stop behind a large Pemex (gas station) at 3:30pm. 248 miles today. Many tractor trailers here and 3 other RVs. Place fenced in with razor wire atop. Adventure Caravans has arranged for us to have a security guard. Adjusted Clemmie to provide maximum shade - it's our turn to provide food for Happy Hour. Settled in for an early night. These travel days are wearing. Travel is slow due to caravan stops for potty breaks and to keep everyone tightly (too tight we thought) in line, toll booths, fuel stops, lunch stops, and topes or vibradores (speed bumps) in towns and villages, not to mention slowdowns on periodic poor road surface. If we average over 30mph we feel we're doing well.

 

Monday, March 12, 2007
El Mirador RV Park, San Carlos, Sonora

          Yesterday, a sad awakening. The "security guard" at Los Mochis was riding around on a motor scooter when we got up at our usual 5am. On our early baño walk he inquired if we'd had a quiet night. (?Suspicious question?) We had, we slept soundly. Too soundly it turned out. Both our bikes had been stolen, cables cut and part of the bike rack disappeared. A bike also stolen from one of the non-caravan rigs. 2 tires stolen out of Richard and Georgia's pickup truck, and a ladder stolen from the back of Jim and Betty's rig. We learned that people in three of the parked RV's had observed some goings on, a person using the stolen ladder to climb over the fence; what looked like a trade of packages between the "security guard" and one of the tractor trailers. Packages then passed over the fence to - who? Our wagonmasters called the local policia who showed up quickly. We made the report for the group as best we could, stretching our Spanish to the limit. We find it hard to believe that the security guard wasn't in on this heist. While all of the official conversation was going on, a crop dusting plane spraying adjacent potato fields turned and made a few low passes over our parking area. What was that about?

          We finally left Los Mochis around 7:30am. Another tedious travel day. We don't like to make so many stops, but evidently this is the way caravans work. And many toll stops. By the time we cross the border, this trip will have cost us about $400 (US) in tolls. The rigs with tow vehicles will have paid substantially more. By the end of the day, 236 miles, and 8 hours later, we had returned to spend 2 nights at San Carlos, a beautiful and now somewhat familiar place. The landscape is gorgeous, but the disparity is unsettling between the wealth and luxury in the RV Park, of the tourist villas, and at the anchorage on the one hand, and on the other the trucks going by packed tight with skinny laborers travelling to their construction posts. We had our farewell dinner today with our birding companions, we've enjoyed every last one of them - dogs included. Tomorrow, back to the US. It'll be another very long day. Mexico, you've been a grand experience.

 

Wednesday, March 14, 2007
DiAnza Trails RV Resort, Amado, Arizona

          We're home! Back in God's own (??) country or at least where you can plug your RV into reliable 30amp electricity, the sewage is treated, the water is potable, the air is clear, the roads are smooth, there are no military checkpoints, the bathrooms have locks and you can flush your used toilet paper. How fortunate the residents of the US are. And how little we seem to appreciate it. Meanwhile our president and vice-president seem to be doing their best to screw it all up in their crazy militarization of our country, deftly using the "terror" word as a weapon to force the unwitting public into compliance. Their avowed goal: Full Spectrum Global Domination. How can we be letting this happen?

           We left beautiful San Carlos at 6:30am yesterday, in tight caravan formation on the CB radio leash. An uneventful drive, mostly on the cuota (toll road) with fewer stops so we could make better speed. Somewhat. We arrived at the Mexican border control a bit before 2:00pm, smooth processing to get our vehicle sticker removed, then on to U.S. customs, an hour's wait. Then a quick stop in Nogales, AZ, to change our remaining pesos back to dollars and a short drive to Amado. We pulled into this RV park, nearly full - glad we'd made reservations, picked up our awaiting mail, and settled into our campsite soon after 4:00pm. 287 miles, 9½ hours. We moved happy hour up 30 minutes, settled in and celebrated being back on our own. We were very ready. Today, laundry and other light chores. Tomorrow we go to Tucson to get Clemmie serviced and electrical stuff repaired from the Mazatlan mess. Then, we do not know. We think we're going to hang around in southern Arizona and New Mexico for a few weeks to decompress, enjoy the natural beauty, do our taxes, etc. before we start working our way north as the weather warms up. Stay tuned. Our slide show of this Mexico trip is finished. Enjoy!

 

Sunday, March 18, 2007
Beaudry RV Resort, Tucson, Arizona

          Busy times. Spending money. Drove the 35 miles to Tucson from Amado early Thursday morning and lined up at LaMesa RV to get our converter replaced and miscellaneous other minor Clemmie matters attended. Spent most of the day in the customer service waiting room or across the street buying a few items at Camping World where we cruised the alleys looking wide-eyed at all the stuff we don't need. This is our second visit to LaMesa, and we're happy with the service provided. Decided to spend the night at this resort RV Park behind Camper's World. Yesterday, another get-it-done day. First to the TCI Tire Center in Tucson to get a better solution to the rear-tire stem problem that ended up with us having 2 deflated tires on the road to Mazatlan. Between our confusion and some miscommunications it ended up taking 4 hours, but ultimately we're happy with what they did, and at no charge too. Then we turned Clemmie into a car and drove to two guitar/music stores (helpfully across the street from each other) where we ended up in The Folk Shop with Pat buying a wooden recorder and Bill getting leads to potential guitar lessons. From there to Fair Wheel Bikes to order a Thule T-2 bike rack (we've been busy doing our research since we crossed the border and this is the closest thing we could find to the ones that go on the front of buses) and 2 replacement bikes. Decided to come back here to veg out for a couple more days. And do our taxes since there's WiFi here. Turned on our air conditioner and sank back in the heat. Mid-90's under blazing sun with Blue Angels loudly streaking by above, sucking up fuel and making stinky brown smoke patterns in the blue. At the air show yesterday we could have had ringside seats if we sat on Clemmie's roof. Too hot.

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2007
Picacho Peak State Park, Picacho, Arizona

          Hauled out of Beaudry's near 8:00am yesterday, filled up with propane, and headed through Tucson north on I-10. Out into the desert to find this rocky island in its midst. 56 miles. Lovely campground, great big sites and facilities and plenty of good hikes. Arizona state parks are certainly among the best. Wouldn't want to stay here in the summer, though, since average temperatures then are well over 100.° It being hot, after we settled in we did a short hike and then hung out at home, keeping an eye on busy I-10. At this distance it looked like some of the leaf-cutter ant highways we saw in Mexico, shallow grooves in the dirt with lanes of ants travelling to- and fro- seemingly full of purpose. Below the conscious level is human behavior not unlike that of ants? Guided by instinct (ants) or emotion (humans) busily going about daily life oblivious to the grand scheme of things. Seems like the main difference is we can rationalize our behavior, the ants can't. Cooler today, we're hoping for rain so we can see the desert burst into flower.

 

Saturday, March 30, 2007
Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, Arizona

          From our spot at Picacho Peak, traffic on distant I-10 patrolling like a sinister army cast unease over the campground. So we decided to leave and come to Catalina State Park to wait for our new bike rack to arrive in Tucson. Did so after breakfast on Wednesday morning a week ago. 37 miles. This place has more fabulous views, terrific birding, and outstanding hiking trails. No sooner had we settled in than the weather clouded over, cooled down, and said: it's time for spring rain. And rain it did on and off for 3 days, sometimes heavily. The desert soaked it up: Some flowers came out and the birds sounded happy. Then the sun came back though it's cool in the shade and chilly overnight. We rented a car for a bit and went shopping. Bill had 2 guitar lessons and visited Ron at his office twice for chiropractic treatment for his (Bill's) month-old pain-in-the-neck. Between that and a new pillow, his neck is recovering nicely.

          Thursday, Bill's niece Sue called to say her mother, Bill's older sister Lorna, had died unexpectedly. Since she wished to go without ceremony, her passage was marked only with phone calls to assorted family members. Her ashes will be scattered near Scituate Light, near her husband Dave's. A quiet ending to a not-very-happy life.

          Music seems to be our gig these days and we're loving it. Bought a new stool and music stand for our guitar player. Visited a bunch of music stores and spent money. Moved the music room aft - gives our guitar player more space to practice and lets Pat roam around while he's at it. We love our small home and these occasional new arrangements bring huge pleasure. Meanwhile Pat has got off on the new alto recorder she bought at The Folk Shop (great place.) She read 2 books about iPods and iTunes, downloaded iTunes and organized all her bird song CDs, and some of her favorite classical music, on her laptop. iPod purchase deferred until we recover from the new bike rack, bikes, and recorder. Last Sunday we went for a canyon hike with Ron, Jane and Josh (it was Jane's birthday) and afterwards out to lunch with them. Jane and Josh came for dinner on Wednesday, after we picked up our bikes and new rack at Fair Wheel Bikes. The Thule T-2 rack is awesome, incredibly more convenient than our old one. Works just like the ones that go on the front of buses. We did some cleaning out and paid two visits to the Goodwill to recycle un-needed items. Filled up with groceries at the Tucson Co-op. Made more granola and better-than-butter. Rode our bikes and hiked on the park trails. We're happy campers!

 

Monday, April 2, 2007
Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico

          Left Catalina at first light yesterday, dumped the tanks and drove south through Tucson to I-10, then east into New Mexico. At Deming, we took Rte 26 to cut a corner and reach north-bound I-25. Made short detours to look at Percha Dam and Caballo Lake State Parks but decided to continue onwards to this third of that state park group along the dammed waters of the Rio Grande.We were glad we had, it's a beautiful spot. 378 miles. A cool night (we've risen to 4,500') brought another clear day and pleasant walks along the lakeside. While there's not great variety of birds here, there are plenty of them. We snagged photos of a Gambill's Quail, Curve-billed Thrasher, and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. You can see them our continually expanding Bird Pages of the Photo Album.

 

 

Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio, New Mexico

          Decided to move on yesterday morning. Elephant Butte is lovely, but the showers are cold. Gently ambled north to Interstate 25, then exited onto narrow Route 1 just south of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on the Rio Grande. Drove a dozen miles into the Refuge and stopped at the Visitor's Center for information before continuing north to this little RV Park on the Refuge's northern edge. A sweet place, not fancy, but the shower is hot. The house and yard of it's elderly owner, widow Jaquina Trujillo, bounds the small RV park on former farmland. Then we drove the 15 miles north to the town of Socorro, did 3 loads of laundry, ate lunch, bought groceries, and came back here to enjoy the shade of Clemmie in the afternoon sun. Today, early, we drove the 4 miles back to the Refuge, loved the ease with which we unlocked and popped our bikes off the new bike rack, and then rode (stop, look,and go) round some of the open trails/roads. The wintering sandhill cranes have all left, and only a few snow geese remain, but the waters were loaded with ducks of all types. We lost our hearts and watched a movie that educated us about the amount of wetlands management effort it takes to make sure there's sufficient food for the hordes of birds that winter here and/or pass through on migration. The once-endangered wintering Sandhill Crane population alone has grown from just 17 in the early '80's to 12,000 today - each one of them consuming 3/4lb of corn daily. Talking with some volunteers (20-25 of them support the fulltime staff) it struck us that we might enjoy doing that too. Food for future thought.

 

Monday, April 9, 2007
in Steve's driveway, Albuquerque, NM

          Thursday morning we drove the 4 short miles from the Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park south to the Visitor Center, and spent a couple of hours biking or walking round the marshes and enjoying the birds and ambience of the Refuge. Thereafter, drove leisurely north on I-25 towards Albuquerque. Once there we stopped to fill up the gas tank and buy some groceries before ensconcing ourselves in Steve's driveway. Last time we saw him was nearly 4 years ago, very pleasant to reconnect. Friday morning while Steve was at work we biked to visit Jim and Betty, friends from our Mexico trip. Only 4 miles, but some big hills - gave us (and our bikes) a workout. Betty and Jim introduced us to the 4 raptors they foster under the auspices of Hawks Aloft, an organization that cares for (and rehabilitates when possible) injured or abandoned hawks and owls. Birds which can't be released earn their keep by demonstrating in educational programs, raising abandoned fledglings, or serving as companion birds. We met: Nicky, a 12-year old kestrel that imprinted on humans as a nestling and can't be released because he doesn't know how to be a kestrel; Boo and Barney, a pair of Barn Owls with severely damaged wings; and Jamaica, an 18-yearold red-tailed hawk that was blinded in one eye and suffered wing damage when she was shot many years ago. Nicky and Jamaica have been cared for by Jim and Betty for over 10 years. Bless them! In the afternoon we visited the excellent informative Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and confronted our abysmal ignorance of Native American history. A visit to one or more of the remaining 19 pueblos will help ramp our knowledge level up a bit. Round dinner time, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory. Blistering cold and winds with snow and ice possible the next 48 hours. Bad weather lasted through Saturday afternoon, only snow flurries with no accumulation though we heard I-25 north of here was closed. Clemmie once again proved her snug worth against the elements. We took a fast walk along one of the many nearby trails into the hills each day. Webmaster spent time creating more route maps of our travels and slide shows, and has finally got back on track with her writing project.

 

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Canyonlands Campground, Moab, Utah

          Monday a week ago we decided that the weather outlook for the Grand Canyon was too cold for our tastes, so bagged Plan A in favor of Plan B. Ergo...    We said goodby to Steve early a week ago today and drove west on I-40 to Gallup, then north on Rte 491 through the barren southwest corner of Colorado into Utah. Terrific winds buffeting traffic all the way. At Monticello we joined Rte 191 and started to see some of the amazing rock formations in this part of the country. Arrived in Moab around 4:00pm. It's a pretty small town right in the canyonlands area, very near two national and one state park, all renowned for their scenery. 391 miles. Our campground is downtown, adjacent to the school track and playing fields. We can watch sports activities from Clemmie, as well as canyon walls and the distant Rockies. Great place, nice town, good biking and hiking, plenty of natural beauty, free WiFi, and good bathrooms. Not much bird life though. Chilly days at first, a few thunderstorms, but warmer now. Saturday we biked into the canyonlands, along the beautiful Colorado River. Today we're going to Canyonlands National Park (the Island in the Sky) and Dead Horse Point State Park to look at the vistas. Hopefully we'll come back with a bag of good pix. We'll stay here for another week, we're enjoying just "being at home" doing our thing. Which consists of guitar and recorder work, writing project and website stuff for Pat (maps are all done), Bill's current study tome (Leon Pomeroy's The New Science of Axiological Psychology), getting a decent amount of exercise (the track round the playing fields next door to the campground is great), and watching the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on our teeny (5" by 8") TV, among other daily activities.

 

Monday, April 23, 2007
Canyonlands Campground, Moab, Utah

          Strange times. Reeling from the Virginia Tech tragedy. Wierd weather. High winds and brown air all last Wednesday, dusty teeth crunches if one mistakenly opened one's mouth while walking outside. Thursday, clear, cool and sunny, so we drove along scenic Rte 128 to the historic Dewey bridge, then along the La Sal loop road through the mountains. A gloomy and raindroppy Saturday and windy and cloudy Sunday. OK to do laps around the track for our aerobicizing. Overnight for the week lows ranging from 35 to 60. Today, pouring and a high (brrrrr..) of 43°, what kind of a warm desert is this? The weather forecasts are completely off. Listened, riveted, on the radio to the bumbling and verbose responses of Alberto Gonsalez to the Senate Judiciary Committee. His incompetence at the helm of the Justice department seems only matched by his incompetence at hiding devious behavior. What a sorry show, makes one want to cry for our country. Democracy gurgling down the drain of the Bush White House. Did a lot of guitar practice and reading and writing. Practiced bird recognition from sounds and a Quiz Birds DVD. Started a Poetry Page for the website. Made a page showing the reader poll results. Made a slideshow of the views round here. Break your gasper, but their starkness is chilling. M/billions of years in the making, little wildlife. They'll still be here after we humans are long gone. So far we haven't got any sunrise or sunset pix, which is what you see on postcards. But hopefully we'll do that at The Arches National Park, we'll go there to camp for a couple of days on Wednesday--assuming the weather is half decent.

 

Thursday, April 26, 2007
Devil's Garden Campground, Arches National Park, Utah

          Hauled out of Canyonlands Campground round 8am yesterday after emptying waste tanks and filling fresh water and propane tanks. Stopped at grocery store then washed Clemmie at adjacent self-service facility. Drove north on Rte 191 across the Colorado River to the Visitor Center at this National Park. Spent the next several hours driving the park roads to various scenic viewpoints. Broke our gaspers. This park is not well known, but it is fabulous. See our slide show for pix. We finished up by mid-afternoon at the campground (reservations a must at this time of year) and settled into our spot. 35 miles. Dry camping (no hook ups or showers) but you can't beat the ambience. Sat out in our chairs, and caught a photo of a Mountain Bluebird whose yard we temporarily are in. Transient like us, just passing through on migration somewhere. Today, lovely and sunny. Pat biked and hiked her little legs off and wore out the camera, while Bill did some hiking and a lot of guitar practice. It's happily filling his spare time - between that and listening to guitar music.

 

Monday, April 30, 2007
Willard Bay State Park, Brigham City, Utah

          Reluctantly said goodbye Friday morning after breakfast to the beautiful Arches campground. Saluted the anniversary of Laurie's death. Continued north on Rte 191 through the Utah canyon country. West on I-70 to Green River, then north again on Rte 191 to Price. Then northwest on Rte 6 passing by the historic mining town of Helper tucked in under the mountains (looked like it would have been an interesting place to stop) and into narrow windy Price River canyon. Reached the summit at 7,500' and began a long descent through beautiful Spanish Fork canyon (not narrow like Price) passing more interesting rock formations. Wished we'd bought the Roadside Geology of Utah. Be sure to do that if you come this way. After a 2,500' descent we passed out of the mountains into the Great Salt Lake basin. Heavy smog attested to Utah's busy and growing industrial sector. Stopped for lunch just before joining I-15, then north to and through Salt Lake City, steadily creeping Los-Angeles-like into the foothills.

          Arrived at this nice State Park (if noisily close to the freeway) soon after 3:00pm. 296 miles. Settled in to our full hook-up spot, one of us checking out the area on her bike (love that new Thule bike rack) while the other did - guess what? - guitar practice. Saturday we drove Clemmie north to Brigham City to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, where we did a short hike near the Visitor Center before driving 13 miles on a mostly (lousy) gravel road deep into the Refuge. After a lunch stop, we did the 12-mile auto tour along assorted dikes. The Refuge is slowly recovering from a devastating flood in 1983 and birds are gradually coming back. Saw hundreds of Yellow-headed Blackbirds and swallows feasting on a mega-trillion supply of mayflies. Had fun watching Tree Swallows courting, and Cliff Swallows collecting mud for their nests. Mostly, however, the clouds of insects kept us inside Clemmie with the windows shut. Couldn't have done any birding here on our bikes, we should have left them home. By the time we got back 8 hours after we left the campground, they were completely covered in dust. Thankfully, a quick hose and wipe solved that. Then, one of us went for a ride to dry his bike off and proceeded to trip a wheel in a road crack thereby turning a few body parts into a close approximation of chopped liver. Fortunately he was able to pick up the pieces and bike home whereupon much first aid was rendered along with a (restrained) dollop of advice. We spent yesterday "at home" in this nice campground. Enjoying the robins who're up before dawn with their noisy serenades. Found time to finish the slide show of our time in the canyonlands. It's now available for viewing. The campground is largely empty of weekend families and this morning we drove to the nearby Brigham City Community Hospital for an easy professional wound checkup and just-in-case tetanus shot. The patient is doing fine.

 

Friday, May 4, 2007
Hi Valley RV Park, Eagle/Boise, Idaho

          Arrived here late Tuesday after a long day, having left Willard Bay soon after 7am. Drove North on I-15 through fertile fields of cows, with at least 500 white-faced ibis pretending to be cattle egret at one point. Then northwest into Idaho on I-84 through gently rolling farmland which gave way to scrubby range land with occasional cowboys herding a few cows. Near Twin Falls we detoured to Shoshone Falls to watch the Snake River drop deeper than Niagara Falls across a 1,000' wide stretch of river and rocks. The Snake River gorge was created 15,000 years ago by the catastrophic emptying of Lake Bonneville (at the time the largest internal body of water in North America.) Realized we'd been driving on the bottom of the former lake. Sat at the little local park by the falls and succumbed to a rare hot dog lunch from the concession stand. The ambience added greatly to the food enjoyment. Continued on I-84 to Boise, flat and sprawlly. Stopped at the World Center for Birds of Prey to learn about the projects of the Peregrine Fund to preserve endangered raptors. Then to this RV Park, settling in by 5pm, just in time for happy hour. 313 miles. Noticed that the robins have followed us. We had thought we would stay only a couple of nights but the weather outlook for our route is wet/snowy and cold so decided to stay put 'til tomorrow and drive to Lewiston all in one day. Woke to near 30°s most mornings, sunny and brrrrrisk during the days. Walked our legs off going to and from Eagle, or on the handy treadmill in the RV Park Recreation Hall. Easy to keep busy and engaged with our work/hobbies (guitar, website, writing, reading projects, etc.) Seems like a few birds have adopted this RV Park as home. We watched a pair of Kildeers and 2 ducks hang around on the edge of the loop for our campsite - clearly urban birds. They seem quite unperturbed as the traffic detours around them.

 

Monday, May 7, 2007
Hell's Gate State Park, Lewiston, Idaho

          We drove away from comfortable Hi Valley RV Park before 7am Saturday morning. North on Rte 55 through the Payette River valley/gorge. Good road, very scenic, frequent turnouts to allow faster traffic to get by. Near the village of Cascade the hillsides gave way to frosty edges along the now placid river, steaming as the sun rose up. At New Meadow, we filled up the gas tank (ouch) and joined Rte 95 to continue climbing to the summit before beginning a 3,000' descent beside the fast-moving Salmon River. Through the town of Riggins (White Water Capital of the World) filled with men in boots and big hats for the annual rodeo. Crossing into Pacific Time (the zone has truly wierd boundaries) we left the Salmon River and made the loooong climb up White Bird Hill to find a glorious view looking back to the Salmon River Mountains. Next it was prairie land, quite different, many farms. Near Grangeville the road turned northwest and cut through the remnants of the once huge homeland of the Nez Perce Indians. We reached the Clearwater River at Spalding where we stopped in at the Nez Perce National Historic Park Visitor Center to learn more about this tribe. There's no end to the education we're getting on this travelling life. From there our road followed the Clearwater River to it's junction with the Snake River at Lewiston, where we found the Visitor Information Center and a grocery store. A short 5 mile drive south along (up) the Snake brought us to this State Park. Our campsite overlooks the river with the creeping edge of Clarkston, WA, on the other side. Amazing the terrific front/back yards we have - without a drop of yardwork on our part. 266 miles today. This campground is a lush place, no wonder - the river bursts forth every morning through deftly placed spigots in the grass. Broken field running is required to reach the bath house dry - though does it matter if you plan to shower?  A 20-mile bike trail goes close behind our picnic table, and there's a little restaurant at the Park's nearby marina. Plus the weather's warmer - Lewiston being the lowest point in Idaho. We finished our arrival day with a nice walk along the bike trail - passing a memorial marker in honor of unknown toddler, Noah Jones, forever two years old. Knowing no details, we couldn't but think of his bereaved family.

          We've made much use of the bike trail running through the campground. Part of it runs along the levee separating Lewiston from the Snake River as it exits from Hell's Canyon, the deepest river gorge (>8,000') in North America, on its way to join the giant Columbia. Having stumbled across the Lewis and Clark trail once again, we're digging into more history of their exploration. Learned that they camped in 1805 at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers. A different place, then, wild and unmapped - and 40' below the dammed waters of today. Come to think of it, how did they find this historic camping spot without today's marker? And how were they able to camp here before the levee was built? For the Discovery Expedition, from here on out it was down hill all the way - or at least down river. The Clearwater to the Snake to the Columbia and the Pacific Ocean. Found a beautiful Wood Duck in a pond inside the levee. It's a terrific 6-mile pedal into old Lewiston, once briefly the capital of Idaho, then another 5 miles along the Clearwater levee to aptly named Locomotive Park. Those danged robins have followed us here once again, many of them now working on brood patches. The place is thick with them, the males singing their little hearts out in the morning wee hours. It's a nice birdy place, and this time of year all species have but one thing on their minds, passing on their DNA to the next generation.

 

Thursday, May 17, 2007
on the street at Craig's, Moscow, Idaho

          We left Hell's Gate early last Friday and drove north along Snake River Avenue into Lewiston, then back onto Rte 95 to cross the Clearwater River and up the hill through farm country to this appealing little college town. 38 miles. Easily found our way to Craig's new digs (he moved yesterday) where we found good street parking with an easy electrical plugin using our 100' foot cord. Great to see him settling into his new life. We last saw him 14 months ago in Raleigh. Spent the day helping him unpack and do a bit of nesting. Sunday, an early attempt to update the website at the One World Cafe resulted in a week's worth of AntiVirus, Windows, and other updates colliding with a most unseemly result: Windows refused to boot properly. A big YUK. Abandoned that effort and went garage saleing with Craig Yield: one microwave and one window A/C. Visited the local Farmer's Market. Helped unpack more boxes. Webmaster dug out Windows Missing Manual and learned how to do a System Restore to a 5-day old checkpoint - all's now well with her laptop. On Sunday afternoon (Saturday was graduation day at the University of Idaho) we met several of Craig's professors and fellow graduate students at a party. Moscow is a nice town of 'round 20,000 fultime residents. Downtown is busy and functional. It's a short walk away and we've enjoyed getting comfortable in it. There is a terrific bike path on the old railroad bed that runs from Pullman, WA, (home of a Washington State University campus) 8 miles west of Moscow to Troy, ID, 12 miles east. We're having a nice time enjoying Moscow and providing help/company - and evening meals - to Craig as he settles into his new place. Late this afternoon Craig and Giancarlo drove us to Kamiak Butte. We hiked to the top and surveyed the vast Palouse Prairie, now largely covered with wheat fields.

 

Friday, May 18, 2007
Wanapum State Park, Vantage, WA

          Said goodbye to Craig this morning. We loved our time in Moscow. Quality time with Pat's son, and getting to know this--now a favorite--small town. The western edge of Moscow is on the border between Idaho and Washington. In Pullman we turned north to Colfax, then west on scenic Rte 26 through the Palouse, in its own way beautiful country. Joined I-90 at Vantage and crossed the Columbia River, dammed here into Wanapum Lake. One exit later, we drove 3 miles south to find Wanapum State Park on the Lake edge, glad we had a reservation. It was full of local families and fishermen for the weekend. 163 pleasant miles. Nice place for a night or two's stop.

 

Sunday, May 20, 2007
on the street at Paul and Gayle's, Renton (near Seattle), WA

          We left Wanapun just after 7:00 a.m. yesterday morning and continued west on I-90. Stopped in Ellensburg to get Clemmie washed and polished at Cascade Truck and RV Wash. She was turning yellow from sitting under the flowering trees in Moscow. Soon after we continued on our way the drizzle began. Saw the beautiful Cascades scenery through a blanket of mist. Got a glimpse of the Stuart Range, the single largest mass of exposed granite in the U.S. Found our way to Paul and Gayle's, arriving a bit before lunch. 132 wet miles. Great for Bill to reconnect with his nephew, last seen some 30 years ago. Paul took us to look at Snoqualmie Falls in the afternoon--saw a Peregrine circling, close up. We spent the evening deep in conversation, watching The Secret, and in Paul's recording studio. We got acquainted with Riley and Charlie. Today, a bookstore visit and Gayle's grandson's soccer game. After lunch to the Apple Store where we dropped our wallet on two much-anticipated iPods. Back home discovered Clemmie had been busted. "NO RV's ALLOWED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD" hollered a rude note under a windshield wiper with a copy under Paul and Gayle's doormat. We quickly drove a hundred yards to get out of the housing complex and park on an adjacent street where we could dry camp comfortably for the night.

 

Thursday, June 1, 2007
Hudson Point Marina and RV Park, Port Townsend, WA

          We left Paul's house around 8:00 a.m. a week ago Monday morning, still raining. Back onto I-405 after filling the gas tank. We wonder if the gas price level has a lid--or will it finally come to reflect oil's true cost? Found Rte 167 south, then joined I-5 through Tacoma (where the rain stopped) and Rte 16 across The Narrows onto Bainbridge Island. Then we crossed the floating Hood Canal bridge onto the Olympic Peninsula and drove north on Rte 19/20 to Port Townsend. 104 miles. The sun was out and our hearts smiled as we settled in for 2 weeks. This place tops our list of favorite spots. We love Port Townsend, our campsite and the campground facilities are terrific. In the afternoon we walked to the Co-op for a few provisions and took the shuttle bus back home. We were ready to have time anchored in community--not that we want to give up our roaming lifestyle. Yet...  Spent the next couple of days getting familiar with our new iPods, setting them up with iTunes, and converting (in Bill's case) his music from Windows Media Player. Pat will use her's (aka "Poddy") for bird songs, classical music, Spanish lessons, etc.   Bill will use his for guitar work and his CD collection. We are very excited playing with our new toys.

          Since then, we have enjoyed watching the birds, the sailboats, the ferries, the cruiseships the naval boats, the tugs with barges, and the freighters passing through Admiralty Inlet on their way to/from Puget Sound. The weather (except for Memorial Day weekend) has been gorgeous; sunny, high near 70 and low near 50. We work on our projects, listen to and watch birds, explore the town, walk along the shore, and gasp at the view over the water. We're here long enough to learn that the civic discourse in this town isn't very civil; vocal locals making crabs in the basket. Too bad. We saw a Black-bellied Plover on the beach yesterday, well out of its range for this time of year. Tuesday, we took the ferry to Whidbey Island and rode the (free) buses to explore the southern part of the island, with stops in Coupeville and Langley. All while listening to our iPods, of course. See some pictures in the Photo Album and you'll know why we're in love with this place, if not its politics.

 

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA

          We departed Hudson Point early Monday morning and drove 5 miles south on Rte 20 to Courtesy Ford to get Clemmie's engine etc., serviced and ready for Alaska: oil change, lube, replace air filter, transmission and brake fluids, checked tires, etc. Fixed small leak below transmission, come back Friday to confirm fix. We've done 40,000 miles. Then back through Port Townsend for a Goodwill drop, Co-op shop and to this State Park, a National Historic place. It's a former military fort whose batteries, barracks and buildings have been converted to state park office, museums, artist housing, and conference center--and setting for the movie, An Officer and a Gentleman. The campground edges the dunes on both shores of Point Wilson, whose lighthouse overlooks evidence of battering storms. Big currents rage round the point, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca funnels into Admiralty Inlet on its way to Puget Sound. Mule deer with the occasional fawn wander by our campsite, owned by almost tame crows and a pair of white-crowned sparrows. We're drawing down our wine stock and the perishables in the freezer and 'frig ready to meet border crossing rules and because propane shutoffs on the long ferry legs from Port Hardy north will close down our 'frig. Looks like the good weather is gone. Cool and overcast with rain and showers so far. Nonetheless we're enjoying the peace and quiet--only a mile from bustling Port Townsend. Our end of the campground is almost empty. Woke each morning to find an eagle overlooking our campsite. Dour days, good for indoor projects and warmly dressed walks up Artillery Hill, over to North Beach or into town.

 

Friday, June 8, 2007
Sea-Tac KOA, Kent, WA

          Made an early start from Fort Worden to provision at Port Townsend's 24hr Safeway and then get a quick check-up on Clemmie's transmission ooze at Courtesy Ford. All seems well. South on Rte 19 to Rte 104 and across the floating bridge over the Hood Canal. Then Rte 3 south through the edge of Bremerton, with glimpses of grey naval fighting vessels, on to Rte 16, across the Tacoma Narrows and thence to I-5 (northbound) for a few miles. Arrived here well before lunch; they let us in since the place is not busy. 102 miles. It's a nice older campground on the Green River, with a fabulous bike trail at the end of the campground. Popped off the bikes and reconoitred for a half hour. Looks like one could bike north to Seattle or south to Tacoma. The day turned partly sunny and warmish, kept the door open for guitar practice. We're here for one night only, close to the airport to collect Martha tomorrow and begin our trip up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

 

Saturday, June 9, 2007
Al's RV Park, Port Angeles, WA

          After breakfast yesterday, Bill took taxi-cabbed from the KOA campground in Kent to the Sea-Tac Airport to fetch Martha. In the meantime, the rain started. On return we did a quick reconnect and left the RV park - thankfully they didn't enforce the 11 a.m. departure deadline, we didn't make it. Then, chattering busily with our new passenger, south on soggy I-5 to Tacoma where we did a slow U-turn onto Rte 16, crossed the Tacoma Narrows onto the Kitsap Peninsula. After side-swiping Bremerton (rain diminishing) we turned onto Rte 3 just past Poulsbo, crossed the Hood Canal (the longest floating bridge in the world--7869 feet) onto the Quimper Peninsula, a pimple on the side of the huge Olympic Peninsula. Joined Route 101 and continued west through sunny Sequim where we stopped for a carefully measured wine replenishment. (We feared a repeat of last year's Canadian customs humiliation.) Arrived at this convenient RV Park on the eastern part of Port Angeles around 3:30pm. 124 miles. This is a cash-only mostly seasonal (ie permanent residents) campground. The host advised us that the water pressure was high so be sure to use a pressure regulator (we always do.) Hooked up and settled in for an early Happy Hour to celebrate Martha's arrival. Then discovered we had no water--our pressure regulator bit the dust. Switched to using tank water, and went to refill it. The pressure blew apart the in-hose water filter, drenched Bill who was attempting to fill the tank, and surrounded him with a sea of activated charcoal. But we're not sinking. Recovered our wits and made paella for supper. Retired early, us two exhausted from our anticipations and Martha from jet-lag and air travel.

 

Monday, June 11, 2007
West Bay Marine Village, Victoria, BC

          Woke yesterday morning to teasing glimpses of snow-covered peaks of the Olympic Mountains as the clouds rose and sank. Had coffee and then drove to the Port Angeles ferry terminal. Ate breakfast while waiting in line for our 8:20 a.m. departure. An uneventful 90-minute boat ride through rain showers to Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island across the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Canadian customs paid us no mind this time, just a few questions before waving us through. Pat dropped off Bill and Martha to explore beautiful Victoria and drove Clemmie to this, now familiar, RV Park across the harbour. 6.5 road miles. Afternoon showers gave way to blue sky accompanied by a visit from a batch of curious teen-age Canada geese. A nice day wandering around and decompressing. Today, up early for family time. Took advantage of good WiFi to update the website. Then, hiked the harborside path into town for a day's exploration, passing by some interesting driftwood sculpture on the shore.. Wandered through Chinatown, visited Craigdarroch Castle, a 19th Century coal barron's McMansion. Brought our weary feet home by water taxi. Started a new page of pix for our trip up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

 

Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Salmon Point RV Resort, Campbell River, BC

          Left West Bay yesterday morning just before 8am. Drove through Esquimalt to catch the Trans Canada Highway. Then north past some beautiful views over the Saanich Peninsula and through Nanaimo to Courtenay for a brief hello to Pat's old high-school friend Marian. Then on to this RV Park on the shore of the Strait of Georgia, a few miles south of Campbell River. 160 miles. Sun in and out, a few showers, cool. This morning a gorgeous sunrise. Long early walks through Woodhus Slough to the Oyster River, pondering the sea and sky magic over the Strait. It's a beautiful spot. Did laundry, updated the website on the campground's free WiFi, and made time for naps and guitar practice. Martha resting and relaxing, "coming down" from her day job in the bustling MD suburbs near Washington, DC. Tomorrow Port Hardy.

 

Thursday, June 14, 2007
Quatse River Regional Park, Port Hardy, BC

          From Salmon Point we continued north along Rte 19A to Campbell River where we stopped for a few provisions, then through the mountains of northern Vancouver Island to Port Hardy, close to the end of the road. A few black bears chomping on the new grass by the roadside along the way. Checked out the Port Hardy Visitor Center, wandered around and then drove a few miles to Port Rupert, a native village. Beautiful cemetery and interesting totems. The carving house was closed, however. Then on to our campground in the Quatse River Salmonid hatchery. Took a tour of the hatchery and expanded our understanding of salmon life. Early to bed in anticipation of tomorrow's ferry trip.

 

Sunday, June 17, 2007
Park Avenue Campground, Prince Rupert, BC

          Up at 4:40 a.m. Friday, unplugged and drove to the Port Hardy ferry dock to get in line. Made breakfast while we waited. Boarded the MV Northern Adventure around 6:30 a.m. and settled in for a 15-hour ride through the straits and channels among the islands off mainland BC. Took many picutres (see the Inside Passage photos on our website). A weary trip, the ferry accomodations were not the greatest though the scenery surely was. Arrived in Prince Rupert around 10:30 p.m. just as the sun was setting. Sat in Clemmie in the bowels of the boat for an eon before our turn to disembark came. Then drove a short ½ mile to get in line with all the other ferry RVs to register and settle in at this convenient campground. Slept like logs. Yesterday morning, up late (6:45 am) and walked the easy mile to downtown Prince Rupert. Found breakfast near the interesting harbor, many eagles hanging about (the salmon season has just opened) and a few deer stopping traffic. Visited the Museum of Northern British Columbia with its displays of exquisite art work by members of various native tribes. The carving shed where totems are made was unfortunately closed. The sun didn't quite break through the cloud cover, except to tease with a few mountain glimpses. Downloaded the most recent batch of pictures and processed them for the website. Annoyingly intermittent WiFi and no cell phone coverage. Today, cold and damp; showers, drizzle, and dry patches. We're managing nicely with three in our small space. Emptied out and defrosted the 'frig and freezer, and packed ourselves up for the two-day ferry ride to Juneau.

 

Monday, June 25, 2007
Parked on Douglas Island, Juneau, AK

          We are in Alaska. The ferry trip was wonderful and yielded a boatload of pix now in the Photo Album. Life is good and we are truly fortunate to have these experiences. We are housesitting on Douglas Island in the home of vacationing friends of our dear ones, taking care of their sweet kitten Penelope. We spent much time reconnecting with our dear ones and watching Jasper and Reuben play baseball. Thursday we took Martha to see the Mendenhall Glacier. We were shocked. It is disappearing. It has retreated over 400' in the past year, at 7 times its rate of retreat less than a decade ago. Then, yesterday Martha did the Tracy Arm day boat tour and found that the Sawyer Glacier has retreated 3/4 mile in the last 3 years. There is a global emergency and everyone we know (including us) acts as though not much is up, though making a few minor tweaks with their lifestyles. We are boiling frogs, all of us, fiddling while Rome burns. When we started our website we figured our grandchildren were the ones who were going to suffer from the results of human profligacy. Not so. We, and especially our children, are the ones who have to face reality. Great suffering lies ahead. It is time to think differently about the good life. Meanwhile, in the White House the consumer-in-charge is looking out the rear window -- but the wheels are going forward on a road that leads off the map.

 

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Eagle Beach State Recreation Area, near Juneau, AK

          We cleaned house early and headed "out the road" to Eagle Beach for 24 hours of R&R, just the three of us (i.e. us two and Clemmie.) A gorgeous day, not many people here - mostly tenters, no RVs that we could see. The campground has been upgraded and we settled into a large open site in the shadow of the mountains, basking in the sun. Hiked/biked along the trail to the beach and soaked up the Earth's unspoiled beauty. Hard to beat. Don't miss the buzz of "civilization" one bit.

 

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Parked at Dear Ones, Juneau, AK

          Up at our usual 5:00am two weeks ago to drive Clemmie from our Eagle Beach campsite to the beach viewpoint so we could run the generator to do our morning routine with 120v electricity. Drank coffee looking out over the mouth of the Eagle River and the Lynn Canal to the Chilkat Mountains as the sun rose. Counted 18 bald eagles hanging out along the edges of the river and the canal. Parents and youngsters, both. Departed soon after 10am and returned to Juneau to pick up the grandparent mantle again and help out the busy parents. We parked on the street at our dear ones, and began housesitting a block away in the home of some other vacationing friends. Since then we've done two camping overnights (one at Eagle Beach and the other at Mendenhall River) with assorted grandkids. Incidentally learned that Clemmie can, in fact, comfortable feed and sleep 5. Had fun on the 4th of July watching the Douglas parade and activities including a soapbox derby. Little League season finished, and Jasper made it to the southeast Alaska All Stars tournament for 9-10 year-olds, with Rorie coaching. We've watched all the games, and got accustomed to being wet--it rained for the past 4 days. But, we'd rather be cool and wet than broiling in the heat that seems to be burning up most of the US. This extended visit is a treat for us, though our energy level is not what it used to be. There's a good reason that people have kids when they're young. Nonetheless, we've had great enjoyment from being the temporary daytime childcare crew. We leave on the ferry for Haines early tomorrow morning. Oh yes, our slide show of the Inside Passage is finished (except for whatever pix we accumulate on the way to Haines.)

 

Thursday, July 12, 2007
Oceanside RV Park, Haines, AK

          We hugged our dear ones goodbye late last evening after the final All Stars game. It was again pouring, and "our" team, Juneau West, made it into the playoffs--which we'll miss. We drove to the Auke Bay ferry terminal to spend the night, sleeping in the parking lot so as to be ready for this morning's 6 a.m. ferry check-in. Low tide was 6:15 a.m. Ouch. The 3 RV's in the line were loaded last to negotiate the sharp dock-ramp junction onto the ferry. Crew were attentive and helped us inch along (to the painful noise of our bike rack scraping on the ramp) into the MV Fairweather. Glad we have such a sturdy bike rack, goodness knows which parts of Clemmie would have scraped otherwise. This ferry is a highspeed sea-going catamaran, the Alaska Marine Highway's newest. Pouring rain and few views on our speedy 2½ trip from the Auke Bay terminal up the Lynn Canal to Haines where we found space at this downtown RV Park next to the small boat harbour. We ate lunch at the Bamboo room (½ price because the cole slaw had gone bad), then walked around this interesting little town in our rain gear trying to accumulate our daily quota of exercise steps. No ill effects from the cole slaw.

 

Saturday, July 14, 2007
Cottonwood Campground, Lake Kluane, Yukon Territory

          We woke to patches of blue sky above Haines yesterday morning. Seemed a long time since we'd seen any. Left the campground shortly after breakfast and turned north on the Haines Highway alongside the Chilkat River. Views shrouded in fog, clouds, and mist. Not like the last time we were here (November '05) to see the eagles.   25 miles inland, the skies lifted and we got a view of the Klehini River, the St. Elias Mountains, and the Saksaia Glacier. We took a break on the summit of the Chilkat Pass with more breath-taking views, and began our decent into a sliver of British Columbia before reaching the Yukon Territory. Stopped at Million Dollar Falls campground for a short hike along the Takhanne River. The spruce tree die-off was much in evidence as we continued our descent towards the Klukshu River. Saw our first bear. Made a short detour to the village of Klukshu, a native settlement. 20 miles further on we stopped for a short hike to stand on a remarkable rock glacier. Took a quick look at Kathleen Lake campground, but decided to press on to