Munchen on the Move……

From Homer we drove back past Anchorage and made our way to Palmer.  While in the area we visited our friends Denny and Kathy then went to the Alaska State Fair.  We had a fun adventure where we climbed a 1000 foot hill called “The Butte” and accidentally went down the wrong way, which took us to the other side of the mountain from where we parked.  We also learned that it can take over an hour to get a cab in Alaska…… good times.

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Mommy and I went for a walk around the Haystack Flats outside of Anchorage

Taking a break after hiking to the top of “The Butte”. Notice the glacier above my head

Daddy and I

Panoramic image from atop of the Butte.

After all that hiking its time to take a nap in my bed with my puppy.

We ran into our good friend Denny at the Alaska State Fair where he was involved in the antique tractor pull.

Lots of bunnies at the fair, my sister Michele would have loved it!!!!

It’s a bunny that looks like a chinchilla!!!

A pair of fluffy bunnies

They even had baby piggies

Huge vegetables grow in the land of the midnight sun

After Seward we drove to the bottom of the Kenai Peninsula to Homer.  We had an amazing site that was right on the Spit.  Homer is a fishing village with a downtown and also a large boardwalk.  Homer is known as the “Halibut Capital of the World” and it lived up to its name.

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On our way to Homer had this great view showing the bay and the glaciers.

We had a huge site right on the Homer Spit. The tides were huge here and would fluctuate more than 25 feet.

While it was low tide we took a stroll out into the bay. What the humans didn’t tell me is that I was getting a bath afterwards. Had I known I would not have gone on this adventure.

You can see the RV’s far in the distance.

The humans went on another salmon charter but were not as lucky this time. They did however have great weather and had a nice day out on the water.

So this is a real word, and not just something that makes Daddy laugh. Look it up…….

Finally the humans took me fishing!!

My ears are blowing in the breeze

We had to change spots so we went to the edge of the Homer Spit.

Here is a photo of Mommy pulling in a large halibut.

Mommy pulled in a 110 lb halibut!!!!! Hopefully the humans won’t be selfish and share some of this with me……

Daddy once again gets outdone by Mommy. She is just the better angler………..

When we got home we cooked up the Cheeks. That’s right those are just the cheeks of Mommy’s halibut.

On the ride from Homer to Anchorage we saw the Bore tide come in. This is where the tide changes from going out to coming in. It is so large that people can ride it for 30 miles if they can stay up.

Close up showing people surfing the bore tide.

We left Anchorage and drove along the Cook Inlet and made our way to Seward.  Was a nice drive and some glaciers were visible from the road.  Most of the week was overcast with rain but we did have two days with sunshine.  Seward is definitely a cool little fishing village and we finally caught some keeper salmon.

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On our way to Seward we stopped by a conservation center that had lots of different wildlife.

It’s a bear!!! Do you think he knows how much I want to snuggle with him??

This is what combat fishing looks like. This is in Bird Creek.

Many sea otters were swimming in the bay.

While walking the docks we saw this group who caught some monster halibut.

On a drive we got some sunshine and stopped to stretch our legs. I figured this would be a great time to give Mommy a hug.

Hey let me out of here…….. How come you guys get to fish and I get stuck in this Jeep? I don’t need poles to catch fish I can just jump in and grab them with my paws.

Daddy trying, unsuccessfully may I add, to catch salmon in Resurrection Bay. He caught one fish but lost it trying to get the hook out.

Pretty view across the bay.

Time for a haircut!!!!

Ahhhhhh more bear………….. I just love the way they smell.

While on a charter boat one of the other group snagged a puffin by mistake. These birds are amazing at diving and can go 150 feet down.

It rained the entire time but we did manage to catch 6 salmon and 2 rockfish.

Here is a photo of the days catch.

The humans processed the fish and barely gave me any. Well actually they gave me most of the pink salmon and made me salmon skin snacks. I guess they are ok, I won’t tear up the motorhome just yet.

We went on a little hike and found this stream.

From Talkeetna we packed up and drove to Anchorage.  Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska with almost half of the states population residing here.  There is a lot to do here with many great restaurants and amazing hikes.   The people of Alaska have been warm and welcoming, which continues to hold true here also.

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Driving around Anchroage with my new Bestie Emily!!

Emily taking some photos along the Cook Inlet.

View down the inlet

We stopped by Alyeska and went for a walk in Moose Meadow.

We went for a hike on Flattop Mountain and ran into another Airedale!!!! Her name is Zoe and we ended up spending the rest of the day together. Her humans, Pete and Anne, showed us all around the hike. Daddy made me wear this annoying backpack……..lets see how long till I get this thing off?

This was a great hike down through the valley, and it was actually getting pretty warm. Maybe I can get my humans to take this ridiculous thing off my back.

A view across the valley.

Ahhh after over 2 miles of walking we found a stream to cool off. I really needed this and I was starting to get overheated.

Ahhhhhh relaxation. Nothing like cooling off in a mountain stream. Daddy and Mommy say I look like a water buffalo.

After the hike Zoe, Anne and Pete invited us back to their place which was a half mile away from the hike. It was a beautiful day and you could even see Denali in the distance.

Zoe and I in doggy jail. Actually it wasn’t jail, just a pen to get outside. There is a doggy door right behind us. Luckily Zoe showed me how to use it.

Amazing home cooked meal that Victor, Pete and Anne made us. We had green curry halibut and roasted silver salmon. Was amazing…….or so the humans told me. They never share.

We went for a ride along the Ship Creek River and saw all these salmon.

Ship Creek terminates at this dam at the hatchery. Emily and Daddy figured this would be a perfect location for “Jazz Hands”. I know I am still waiting for him to grow up.

The humans left me at home and went for a bike ride and saw this moose 2 blocks from where they parked.

Ahh my last night to cuddle with Emily 😦

Before Emily could fly back to Colorado we had to make sure she tried the chicharones. This was the first time she tried them.

While on Flattop Mountain we got to see a wedding.

After Denali we drove two hours south to a little town on the Sustina river.  The best thing about this location is my cousin Emily was the first guest to come visit us.  Emily is from Colorado and just graduated college.  During her visit we went fishing and took an airplane ride around Denali that included landing on a glacier.  This flight had the most gorgeous views we have ever seen and the photos don’t even come close to doing it justice.  If this isn’t on your bucket list, you need to add it.

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Look I’m an Eskimo!!!

I got kissed by a moose

We also went on a Sled Dog ride

I caught some fish too!!!!!

Here we are on the top of Hatchers Pass, which is right outside of WIllow. This was a great ride and had a great little hike.

Mommy trying to catch me dinner

Emily holding a large Pink Salmon………this thing is slippery…………

The one that got away!!

Mommy Caught the largest fish of the day, a large Chum

Daddy caught a large Chum

Emily with a Pink Salmon. The locals call these Humpy’s due to the large hump on their back.

In Talkeetna on the Sustina RIver at sunset. Funny thing is this was taken at 10:33 PM

Daddy and Emily before take-off

Absolutely beautiful

Denali with one of its many glaciers

View of Dark Brown, Tan and Gray Mountains.

Mountains, Glaciers and lakes Oh My!!!

View of one of the many glaciers. This one is 42 miles long!!!!

Tons of snow on these mountains

Mommy and Daddy in front of the plane. They landed on the Eldridge glacier, luckily the plane had skis.

Emily got to ride next to the pilot on the way back

Cool view of the range with a little turquoise lake

Mommy taking photos of the beautiful mountains in the plane

Neat view of Denali showing mountains made of different rock and a large glacier on the left.

A view of Denali

As we head South we start to see the Rockies once again.  Our RV site was directly behind the 49th State Brewery, this was the main reason we stayed here, which ended up having great food and beer.  Another added benefit was meeting two locals who showed us around the area.

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The rivers in Denali are milky gray colored from all the glacial silt.

We took a drive along the Denali Highway and stopped by a lake to stretch our legs. The Denali Highway is an unpaved gravel road and not many people drive it. This is great because less people means more wildlife.

While driving we drove within 20 feet of a large male moose. By the time we got the camera he moved away but we still got a great shot. His antlers were just starting to come in and were covered in velvet.

Beautiful view of what the Alaskan wilderness looks like.

Heading back home we had our first glimpse of Denali. Denali’s summit is over 20,000 feet tall and the mountain will create its own weather. They say only 10% of visitors will actually see the peaks because they are always covered with clouds.

We went on a horseback riding tour with our friend Kara. She brings a shotgun just in case we run into bears or moose.

Daddy’s horse Bismarck really liked Mommy, I mean REALLY REALLY liked her ( you may have to zoom in on this to see how much). He also was copping a feel on her leg, hence his fifth leg.

Kara’s neighbor’s dog Poncho stopped by after the ride and we had words. He would become my first Alaskan boyfriend, but he didn’t know it yet.

I had to put poncho in his place and let him know I am not that type of girl.

We stopped by Denali Park and saw the sled dogs. They all had their own little log cabin dog houses. I must say I am a little jealous.

They get to lounge around during the summer. During the winter these guys will need to consume 10,000 calories a day. I guess when you can run marathons, in -40 degree weather while pulling 50 pounds you need to eat a lot.

On our way back from the park we had to slow down while a moose leisurely strolled across the street.

Our RV site was right behind 49th state brewery. The beers were great and they had the best chicharones I’ve ever had. Mom and Dad made sure to “drop” plenty of these for me. I did not however get any of the jalapeno poppers.

The brewery has onsite the bus that was used in the filming of the movie “Into the Wild”. I thought this was a perfect time to give Mommy a hug.

Luckily my friends Kara and Sean showed up at the “Niner”.

We were so lucky to meet Kara and Sean, they really showed us around. Kara had to leave her shotgun at home this time. Can’t wait for them to show me how to milk cows in Palmer later this month. I am not sure how this will work with my paws but I’m excited to try.

These humans start drinking and they think they are soooo funny. I swear they are not the dominant species.

Beautiful shot that Kara took showing the sunset above the RV.

After just under 2,000 miles Fairbanks is our first big city since Calgary.  The roads are good and we met two great couples from Anchorage.

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We went to downtown Fairbanks and strolled through a park along the Chena River.

We stopped by Pioneer Park to ride the train and see the sights. Dad makes the best faces….. I mean he makes me sit all nice and proper during the many portraits but he has to make these stupid faces everytime. And they say Humans are the dominant species, go figure.

The humans took another trip with out me and headed up to Chena Springs. While there they went to an Ice Museum. This was a cool sculpture showing two men on horseback jousting. This piece was about 8 feet tall.

Look it’s a polar bear ice bed that you can stay in for some crazy amount of money.

They had an ice bar where you could get a drink.

Nothing like a $15 appletini. It comes in an martini glass made of ice which you get to keep.

While in Fairbanks, we stopped at Eastern Treats and had Gyros made by Bulgarian brothers. Definitely worth stopping by for. The croquettes were solid also.

Mommy had a Gyro and fries with shredded Feta…….. of course these humans didn’t share any of this with me.

While at the RV park I became fast friends with two couples from Anchorage. We look forward to seeing Smitty, Sherry, Kathy and Denny when we go to Anchorage for the state fair at the end of August.

During this drive we covered many miles.  We started out in Alberta and made our way through British Columbia and the Yukon.  This route is not very busy and many times we were the only ones on the road.  The pavement, sometimes gravel, got pretty bad in the Yukon due to all of the frost heaves.  There were many times that we had to slow down to 5 mph to avoid damaging the RV.

One benefit to this path being so isolated is the wildlife is more abundant.  Many times during the drive we came across buffalo, moose, bear, fox and elk.

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After the first night on the Alaskan-Canadian Highway (Alcan) we stopped and slept in a rest area. When we woke up we had an Irish and a Lakeland Terrier greet us.

Most of the drive we had the open road. Didn’t have to worry about traffic jams, that’s for sure.

Most of the drive would have mountains, lakes and forests.

Muncho Lake in British Columbia had the first float plane we saw on our journey.

Here’s our campsite showing Muncho Lake and the mountains in the background.

While in BC we rolled up on a pack of Buffalo!!!

They actually were crossing the street. These buffalo were larger than the ones we saw in Yellowstone.

We came across a big male taking a nap. We witnessed the males digging these big holes just to lay in.

We crossed from British Columbia and are now in the Yukon. I am starting to get tired of the bumpy roads hopefully they will be better in the Yukon……….

While in the Yukon we stopped by Watson Lake and visited the Signpost Forest.

Here goes another one of these darn portraits that Dad likes to do. I really wish he would stop doing this.

Mom and I stopped to look at the signs……. Dad thinks he’s so clever by taking this photo showing his last name.

One of the many views we had showing miles of road with just us on it.

We stopped in Whitehorse, which is the capital of the Yukon, and went for a hike to see the gorgeous Yukon River.

Mommy and I with the suspension bridge in the background

The drive was overcast with intermittent rain, but every so often a few rays of sun would come through.

View of one of the stretches of highway that was gravel and under construction. I was hoping the roads would be better than British Columbia, but I was severely mistaken.

Taking the road less traveled.

We stopped at Destruction Bay after a long day of driving. We had a nice view of the lake and mountains. It looks like it is 6 PM but it is actually 10 PM. It didn’t get dark until close to midnight.

In the morning we had a juvenile Bald Eagle next to us.

Time to get this show on the road……These humans sleep in wayyyy too long.

In the Northern Yukon

This is what a detour on the Alcan looks like. Lots of fun going off-road in a motorhome!!!!!

After lots of bumpy roads we finally made it to Alaska!!!!!!!!

Well we finally made it in to Canada. The Canadian border patrol must have watched “We are the Millers” one too many times because we were randomly chosen for a half hour search.  Luckily the only items that were broken were a lid to the apple juice and a cover plate in the bedroom.  They were really nice but they repeatedly asked Dad where his firearm was.  I guess because he has a concealed permit they think he is dumb enough to bring it over the border.

The drive through the Canadian Rockies was amazing and the people are awesome.  My Aunt Sally said that every mile you drive it keeps on getting more beautiful and she was definitely correct.

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Amazing drive outside of Radium Springs on the way to Banff.

Nice view minus the huge bug splat on the windshield.

Ran into this Big Horn Sheep along 93.

Took a day trip to Calgary and along the way we ran into a white-out hail storm. Luckily they were only pea-sized so no damage to the Jeep was done.

Beautiful view from our RV site in Canmore, which is right outside of Banff.

Stopped by Lake Louise. There is lots of silt in the water so it appears light turquoise. Unfortunately it was overcast when we were there so the colors were not really popping.

Next stop was Moraine Lake. This lake is not as popular as Lake Louise, however it is far more beautiful. Mommy and I stopped for a second to enjoy the view.

I think its time to get my paws wet and see how cold this pretty water is. They say you can get hypothermia in 2 minutes if you fall in.

Luckily the sun started to come out and the colors of the water started to come alive.

Moraine Lake once the sun cooperated. Huge Glacier in upper left corner.

Along the Icefield Parkway we stopped at a glacial fed river. The river had so much silt it appeared more Gray than Blue.

Beautiful mountains everywhere you look. Forget the mountains I see a prairie dog!!

Dad always makes me take these annoying portrait shots.

Mom and I stopping by the Columbia Icefield just outside of Jasper. Very beautiful with the glacier coming withing a half mile of the road.

More stunning mountains!!!

Ran into this monstrous Elk.

He also had a friend with 16-18 points from what I can tell.

Here’s the pair of them side by side

Sunset in Jasper

After a beautiful drive from Polson we arrived at Glacier National Park.  We stayed at a great KOA five miles from the west entrance to the park.  This park has had the most beautiful drive so far.

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This is our first view of Glacier National Park. We didn’t get into the park until 7 PM, but luckily the daylight is getting longer as we head North.

Photos don’t do justice to how beautiful this park is.

Can you tell which one I am????

Start of the Road to the Sun

The next day we drove the park again and the lighting was better. You can see the “Going-to-the-sun-road” on the left side of the mountain

Here’s a view of the road while on the pass.

It’s not every day you see a waterfall next to snow in July!!!

This waterfall was the most impressive one in the park.

Having a convertible Jeep in Glacier National Park……Priceless.

We took a hike around a lake which was a beautiful turquoise due to the glacial melt water.

This area was burned by a forest fire, but was still very beautiful.

Daddy making one of his stupid faces while hiking through the forest.

Mommy taking a moment to enjoy the view. We are so blessed to be able to have this adventure.

One of the many beautiful streams throughout the park.

Mommy and Daddy ran out of my food so they had to improvise. Let me just say this was the best day of my life. So for breakfast I had French toast with yogurt and fresh Washington Cherries.

View of our campsite right outside the west entrance to Glacier National Park. Thanks to our new friends the Hays Family for the recommendation.

Another portrait shot that my father makes me take. One of these days I’m going to poop in his shoe when he isn’t looking.

Ahhh and to complete this wonderful day baked potato, broccoli and cottage cheese. Unfortunately they found a store that sold my food so this food fest was short lived.