Munchen on the Move……

We drove from the coast to Lake Tahoe which took us through the Sierra Nevada mountains.  We stopped to sleep in Whiskeytown, where we got a warning from the park service, and then to Chico where we stopped at Sierra Nevada Brewery for lunch.  Finally we arrived in Truckee, which is just North of Lake Tahoe, and got settled down.  The next day we drove around Lake Tahoe and went for a hike in Emerald Bay to Lake Eagle.  This was a nice hike that terminated with nice views of a beautiful alpine lake.

Tony flew back home to Portland and our adopted daughter Michele flew in for Rhonda’s Birthday Weekend!!!!  It is always great to see Michele and we had a wonderful time touring Tahoe and Reno.

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We stopped for the night at Whiskeytown Lake. Little did we know we would get a warning from the National Park Officers 30 minutes after this. I guess we weren’t supposed to spend the night. Luckily we only got a warning.

After some more driving we finally made it to Lake Tahoe.

Nice view of Fannette Island in Emerald Bay.

We took a hike up along Emerald Bay to a hidden alpine lake.

Showing Dad how to navigate the terrain

Lots of climbing

Ahh pits stop for some rubs…..my favorite

Nice view of the mountains

Finally my sister Micheles came to visit us. She was a little jet lagged so we figured some BBQ by the lake would help.

Family portrait again with Dad acting like a 3 year old.

We had lunch in a town called Truckee, and Michele had the largest breakfast burrito we have seen. This honestly is almost the size of a newborn.

Went for a night on the town in Reno. What happens in Reno stays in Reno…….

Overlooking the glorious lights of Reno…… Can you sense the sarcasm??

Who knew that when the clock strikes all girls turn into bunnies?

After leaving Crate Lake we drove to the coast and stopped in Crescent City.  This is a little town nestled in the redwood forests.  We picked this location due to its proximity to Jedediah Smith National Park.  The first stop was the Stout Grove which was a very quick hike that quickly has you walking next to massive giant trees.  The pictures don’t do justice to just how large these Redwoods are.  They can grow to over 350 feet tall and have an average age of 500-700 years.  The oldest trees can be over 2,000 years old.

The next day we went for a 5.2 mile hike on the Boy Scout trail which was the most beautiful hike I have ever been on.  Almost the entire time we were walking past enormous trees through a lush fern-filled forest.  If you have never seen Redwoods or Sequoias I would highly recommend it.

After Crescent City we started the trek to Lake Tahoe and stopped in Trinidad along the coast to stretch our legs.  For most of the drive we encountered coastal fog and Trinidad Beach was no exception.

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We arrived in Crescent City to view the redwoods. Little did we know that our campsite actually had some decent size redwoods surrounding us.

Our first stop was the Stout Forest which was a great little hike. These trees are huge.

Here is a nice view of some live and fallen redwoods.

Daddy and I next to the root bulb of a fallen giant.

Mommy and I with the sun shining through. It was absolutely beautiful here.

These trees are so big you can’t fit them in the frame unless you take panoramic photos. These trees can get over 330 feet tall and average 500-700 years old. Some of the largest ones can be over 2,000 years old!!!!

Mommy and I at the base in Stout Forest

Here’s a view of a fallen tree with new trees growing over it. When the trees die it can take over 100 years for them to fully decompose.

Nice pano of the trail on the way to the Boy Scout Tree

The Boy Scout Trail is a 5.2 mile trail that takes you through an old growth forest in Jedediah Smith Park

This was a great hike and I led for most of the walk

These trees are sooooooo bigggggg

Here’s a dead tree that is starting to decompose and is covered with mushrooms………

Closeup of the fungi……for Ellen, her favorite.

We finally made it to the Boy Scout Tree. It is so big these photos don’t do it justice.

Pano snowing the Boy Scout Tree. It is called that because it is made up of two trees that have fused together and resemble the Boy Scout hand sign.

These trees are all over 300 feet tall and the canopy they create blocks most of the light. They are so high so they can capture moisture from the coastal fog that is present in the mornings. The redwoods can gather 40% of its water needs this way.

Each of the trees in this photo are giants

Next to a live giant with one that fell beside it.

The next day we left Crescent City and started our drive down to Tahoe. We stopped at Trinidad beach and stretched our legs.

The fog was rolling in and it made for some cool photos. This one rock looked like a man siting and facing the ocean.

Tony doing some rock climbing

Walking back

Our friend Tony joined us from Portland and drove with us to Bend.  It is amazing how quickly the environment went from green and lush to dry and arid in just over an hour.  Bend is a wonderful clean town and has lots of breweries and outdoor activities.  The Deschutes River runs right through downtown, which is very clean.

While in Bend we visited some of the local breweries and took a hike on Smith Rock.  The hike around Smith Rock was amazing and takes you around the rock then up one side and down the other.  The elevation gain is over 700 feet so it got our blood flowing.

After Bend we headed west towards Crescent City and along the way we stopped at Crater Lake National Park.  Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. with a depth just under 2,000 feet.  It was formed when a caldera blew over 7,500 years ago.  Definitely a must see when you are in the area.

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View from Downtown Bend overlooking the Deschutes River

I got a chance to take a photo with two Tonys

We drove out of Bend and went on a hike up Smith Rock.

There were rock climbers all over……..Can you see the crazy one in Blue??

Smith River goes around Smith Rock and makes for nice photos

Mama Rhonda enjoying the hike

Tony with Monkey Face Rock showing. Our hike took us around Monkey Face and up to the Top of Smith Rock.

Nice View of the Valley

We started the ascent………This was over 700 feet of elevation gain so it gave the glutes a nice workout.

About half way up, you can see the river below and how far we have climbed already.

Daddy and I passing a stop if you hurt yourself. In the hut is a sled and a pair of crutches. Not much fun if you get hurt up here. Luckily I have 4 legs and can get over any terrain.

Mommy and Tony hiking up……

Almost to the top, and a great view of Monkey Face Rock and the Smith River.

Mommy is getting tired…..

Time for a break before getting to the top.

Finally on top and we were rewarded with some great views.

View looking down on Monkey face and the valley

Now its time to start the descent on the other side of Smith Rock

You can see the path along the ridge that we went down.

Pretty steep path, so if you’re afraid of heights this might not be for you.

Here comes Rhonda!!!

Almost down and legs are feeling a little bit like jello.

Many zig-zags to get down.

After leaving Bend we stopped at Crater Lake on the way to Crescent City. Ahhhhhh feels nice to have the sun on my snout.

Family Portrait. I know the damn humans really love taking these. The island in the back is called Wizard Island.

View of the other side where there was plenty of snow. Crater lake is the deepest lake in the US with a depth of 1949 feet.

Figured it would be a good time to get some snow on my paws…..I think i see a squirrel….

Tonys

From Seattle we drove South to Portland.  While in Portland our good friends Ben and Ellen flew in and hung out with us for the week.   Friends Tony and Kristen who used to live in Tampa and now reside in Portland also visited with us throughout the week.

We visited the Japanese Gardens and Rose gardens up in the hills of Portland, then the next day we took a drive to see Mount St. Helens and a walk through and old growth forest.  The following day we took a driving trip to the beautiful pacific coast and had great views and fresh seafood.

Overall Portland is a great city that has absolutely amazing food.  It was great having our local friends Tony and Kristen give us recommendations and we were sure glad to see them.  We kidnapped Tony and took him with us from Portland to Tahoe so make sure to check the following posts and see our adventures.

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Went to a huge dog park in Vancouver Washington. Vancouver is 20 minutes away from Portland.

Mommy and I walking to go say Hi to the other pups.

Found a cool Saturday Morning Market.

View of Mt. Hood from Portland.

The humans met up with Ben and Ellen and went to the Japanese Gardens.

The pools had some of the largest Koi we have seen.

Went for a stroll through the rose garden. Most of the roses had bloomed but we did find a couple patches that were still going.

We went for a day trip to visit Mount St. Helens.

Awesome view of the back side of Mount St. Helens. The crater in the middle is where the top used to be in 1980. The peak of the mountain is now over 1,000 feet lower than it was in 1980. There is not a ton of foliage that has grown back yet due to all the pumice that was deposited during the eruption.

On the way back we stopped at a state park and went for a walk through an old growth forest.

Daddy checking out one of the giant Fir trees.

We took another day trip and drove to the coast. Along the coast we stopped at Tillamook and visited some dairies. Ben did some wine tasting with an interesting character.

Had oysters as fresh as they get. Notice the packaging plant on the other side of the glass wall.

View of the carnage. 12 oyster shooters, calamari, oyster chowder, fried oysters, baked oysters and chopino.

Largest pile of oyster shells we have ever seen. The smell was amazing!!!

Cool view of the long Oregon coast.

Stopped at Hug Bay and explored.

I love being off-leash.

A great opportunity to play fetch.

Hiking around Hug Bay.

Mommy hugs on the beach……..

After all this fetch it’s time to take a break.

Stopped at Cannon Beach and stretched our legs.

Took a ride over the Astoria-Megler Bridge. This is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.

View coming down the bridge.

There were lots of barges making their way up the Columbia River.

Found amazing tamales at “Tamale Boy”. If you are in Portland you should definitely make a stop here and make sure you get one of the tamales fried…..

Getting ready to head out of Portland and met up with our friends Tony and Kristen. Luckily Tony is going to stay with us for a week so keep an eye out for him during the next posts……

From Vancouver we had a 4 hour drive across the US / Canada border to Seattle.  We stayed at a RV park 25 minutes from downtown in Bothell.  While in Seattle we found a great dog park and also had some amazing food.  All of the people that we came across were very accommodating and extremely friendly.  One day we took a ninety minute ferry ride to Victoria on Vancouver Island, and walked around for the day.  Victoria was a very pretty city with a European feel.

We also visited Pikes Market which had about everything you could need.  Our bellies were very full after this trip which included cheese curds, smoked salmon, sipping chocolate, russian piroshky, and lemon cheesecake.  In one of the alleys there is a “Gum Wall” which was gross but cool in a weird way.

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Daddy and I looking at downtown Seattle from Kerry Park.

I found a cool dog house with a great view.

Had to take a stop at an oceanfront dog park and make some new friends.

Just a little bonding among friends……..Got the hat-trick on this one…….

We drove to Port Angeles and took a 90 minute ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Was a beautiful day with blue skies.

We only had 3 hours on the island so we mainly walked around downtown and had a great time.

Came Across this huge Sitka Spruce. Always amazing when we come across these ancient trees. Unfortunately Mommy wouldn’t let me give it a proper hello.

Time to take a break after all this walking around.

I love these……

We stopped at Pikes Market in downtown Seattle and we stopped at Beecher’s and saw some cheese being made. That’s a lot of curd!!

That’s a whole lot of curds and whey!!

Great seafood selection at Pikes Market. We ended up getting some smoked salmon which was amazing.

Pike’s Market has a “Gum Wall” Sooooo nasty but hey it’s something to see.

Nothing like a heart made from 1000’s of pieces of gum. Did I mention this is gross.

After a 7 hour ferry ride from Ketchikan we arrived at Prince Rupert, British Columbia.  From Here we had twenty hours to drive to get to Vancouver so we drove one day to Prince George and then to Vancouver the next day.  During the drive we saw some beautiful sites and also some areas that were burned by wildfires.

Our campsite was right across from downtown Vancouver, underneath the Lions Gate bridge in West Vancouver.  Vancouver was a very clean city with a great food scene.  The metropolitan area is very gorgeous with mountains surrounding multiple urban areas.  There also are multiple bridges each with their own uniqueness.  If we had to move to Canada this would be the city we would reside in.  Next stop will be Seattle and back in the lower 48!!!

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Once we got off the ferry in Prince Rupert we started the drive to Prince George. This was a 10 hour drive and took us through some beautiful areas. The trees were starting to turn to a beautiful shade of gold.

At the end of the day at sunset a beautiful rainbow was created. Of course my Dad thinks this is a perfect opportunity to act like a 10 year old…….humans…….

The next morning was the first blue skies we had seen in 3 weeks and we stopped to stretch our legs. We figured this would be a great opportunity to show the fall colors.

Driving through the drier areas of British Columbia. A lot of this area was burned by fires earlier this summer.

This was the Port Mann Bridge, a beautiful 10 lane bridge into Vancouver.

This was while driving across the Lions Gate bridge after leaving Stanley Park.

Daddy and I stopping for a photo while walking around Stanley Park. Downtown Vancouver is visible in the background.

Mommy and I in front of some totem poles.

Daddy and I tried to sneak up on some Geese. They didn’t want to play…….

Hugs!!!!!!!!!!

A sea plane taking off with North Vancouver in the background. This was a beautiful city.

We all took a ride up to Whistler and found this great lake to hike around.

The humans let me off leash and I was able to explore.

Not a cloud in the sky!!!!!

About 5 minutes from our campgrounds was the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Luckily they had a totem that we could take a picture in. This park had many old Firs and Spruces that were made into a park.

HEre is a view of the suspension bridges linking the trail up in the 800 year old trees.

Daddy and I in the middle of one of the bridges.

Mommy and I on the long bridge across the gorge

After a long day of hiking it is time for some rest. I figured I would force Daddy to give me a neck rub.

From Juneau we took a 19 hour ferry ride to Ketchikan, which is the southernmost city before arriving in British Columbia.  Our campsite was right on the water and we saw many sea lions less than 50 feet from our RV.  Ketchikan is the last city we stayed at in Alaska and we will really miss our stay in the last frontier.  Alaska is a beautiful state and was hard to see it all in 10 weeks.   We have met many wonderful people and seen some amazing sights.

While in Ketchikan it rained for most of the stay but we did manage to get out one day and go for a hike in the rain forest.  The weather is still in the upper 50’s during the day and mid 40’s at night, with rain and overcast skies mainly.  Alaska is definitely giving us the boot to get out with all this rainy weather.  We will miss Alaska and will be back some day.

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This was our spot when we got to Ketchikan. We were right on the water with the usual gravel, which we have become accustomed to.

From our RV we saw a Sea Lion swimming about 50 feet from us.

Make that two Sea Lions.

Ok three!!!!!!!!

We finally had some sunshine, the first time in about 3 weeks, and we decided to go for a hike. This was called the Lunch Creek trail, and was a wonderful hike through the rain forest.

Daddy and I stopped to take a photo in front of a stream. The water was all stained brown from the tannins in the water.

Mommy and I walking. These huge trees were Sitka Spruce, and can get over 700 years old.

Daddy and I love these old trees!!!

Rhonda snapped this photo showing how we had to back the RV on to this smaller ferry. Was definitely an experience.

We took a 4 hour ferry from Haines to Juneau.  Alaska has continued to give us tons of rain and clouds.  All the locals we have talked to are saying that this is the coldest and rainiest summer they have seen.  Hopefully the cooler summer and extra rain will help the glaciers not retreat as fast.

While in Juneau we went on a 12 hour glacier tour and hiked up to the Mendenhall glacier.  Juneau is a rain forest and it definitely lived up to its reputation and rained every day, with the exception of one, that we were here.

Unfortunately my stepfather Butch lost his battle with cancer while we were here.  He was a very intelligent man and was quite a spit-fire.   He had one of the warmest hearts I know and was a father figure to me. Much of my love of the national parks is due to my mother and Butch dragging us on family vacations through the country.   He will be very missed and was taken from us way too early.

R.I.P Butch

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Behind Juneau there is a neat park that had an old mine visible.

We found a great sandy beach on Douglas Island situated across from Juneau.

Neat old pump house with two bald eagles perched on the roof.

My parents took a glacier sight seeing tour on Tracy’s Arm. I know big surprise they didn’t bring me. This is a cool view of a large iceberg that had an amazing blue hue. This is on an overcast day, I can only imagine how the colors would have popped on a sunny day.

Mommy in front of a pretty waterfall

My Parents are ridiculous. Should I tell them they really aren’t that funny???

Breathtaking

Tons of seals were resting on the icebergs

One of the seals wondering what we were doing

Mommy and I took a hike to the Mendenhall Glacier

This is the first sunny day we have had in 3 weeks.

Great view of the Mendenhall glacier

I decided to see how cold the water was……

Nothing better than chewing on a stick after a long hike.

There is that pump house again but this time there is a cruise ship also visible in the background.

One last romp on the sandy beach before our 19 hour ferry ride to Ketchikan

We think we may upgrade to this for our next trip.

From Valdez we had a two day drive to Haines.  To get to Haines you have to drive back on the Alaskan / Canadian highway and drive through Canada.  Haines was one of the initial ways prospectors would get to the gold fields in the Yukon.  This was the smallest city we have stayed at in Alaska and had a population of around 1400.

While in Haines we took a 45 minute ferry to Skagway for a quick overnight stay.  Skagway is a popular cruise destination town where the white pass train originates and has a year round population of around 900.  This is where the 1898 gold rush trail starts and ends in the Yukon.  We happened to stumble upon the annual Klondike Road Relay where a group of 10 people run the 110 miles from Skagway to Whitehorse.

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We took a quick trip to Skagway where we took the white pass train up to the Canadian border. This train was a 1950’s diesel locomotive.

Nice view from the train

This was a bridge finished in 1901, and used in the gold rush.

A view of the Trail of ’98. Prospectors during the klondike gold rush had to carry a ton on supplies up and down this path.

View of the Canadian border patrol cabin at White Pass.

Daddy and I in front of the steam locomotive right before it blew it’s air horn, which scared the cr@p out of me………

A view of downtown Skagway

Prices in Haines were quite expensive……..

A view of a mama grizzly and her cub

View of the Chilkoot river, which was loaded with Salmon and seagulls

View of Downtown Haines

70 years ago we may have been making our journey in something like this.

Bear eating salmon along the Chilkoot river

Bear decided to do some fishing while taking a break

These are all pink salmon with their tails protruding through the water. We have never seen fish this concentrated, its no wonder there are bears here all the time fishing.

We loaded up the RV on a ferry and we are off to Juneau

We left Palmer and drove to Valdez.  This was one of the most beautiful drives we have had and it had many views of glaciers, mountains and lots of beautiful fall foliage.  It rained for most of our stay in Valdez but we did have a couple glimpses of the sun.  Luckily we ran into our friends Smitty and Sharon and got to hang out.

While in Valdez we went Sea Kayaking to Shoop glacier and took a hike to the Mendenhall glacier.  This was a city that was not on our list initially but we are sure glad our friend Smitty insisted we go.

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Beautiful view looking down on a glacier on the drive to Valdez

These “U” valleys are created by glacial activities during the last ice age

The foliage is changing colors for fall

View of the Sawtooth mountain range

One of the many times glaciers were visible from the road.

We hiked up to the terminus of Worthington glacier. Notice I made Daddy carry my “baggage”.

Although this looks like black and white the lighting was just dull due to overcast conditions. Notice the waterfall caused by the glacier melting.

Our ravishing good looks far outweigh the gorgeous backdrop, right?????

Showing off our best assets….

I should be in commercials…….

Meeting up with our friends Smitty and Sherry at their campsite. Great view of the mountains in the background.

Daddy, as always, acting like a juvenile getting ready for sea kayaking.

There were at least 10 waterfalls on this mountain face, but they didn’t all show up in the photo.

We kayaked up to the Shoop glacier.

This river is all from the glacier melting.

Mommy in the glacier

This ice is well over 100 years old

My parents kayaking, of course they didn’t bring me.

On our way back we saw a whale skeleton on the beach.

We had to kayak around ice in the water.

View of our site in Valdez with waterfall visible in the background.