Welcome Back to the Fucking USA

I headed east toward Alberta, Canada. Stayed at the Wapiti Lake Recreation Site just off Highway 3. Lovely site. NO MOSQUITOES! I even took my bug screens off the van. Nice cool breeze, but it's supposed to be scorching tomorrow.

I thought about driving across Canada on the southern border. First, because I had hoped the weather might be cooler. Most people I've talked to have said the states are a lot hotter. I've been watching the temperatures and I don't think so.

Then I got to Alberta and after a few miles of glorious rock mountains (see photo above), the landscape starts looking like Northern Montana or central North Dakota. Flat prairie fields of yellow, dried-up grass or agriculture. Boring. I thought I might as well do the USA route to the east with better access to food and Walmart boondocking. So I headed south from Lethbridge along Highway 4. I was practically the only one on this highway all the way to the border. I think other drivers knew better than to cross at this location.

I've crossed the border nine times so far. Never had a problem, never a delay, and never an inspection. I only encountered one American border agent acting like a bad-attitude asshole. The border at Coutts was huge. Most of the borders I've crossed have been small with a building that is about the size of a large shed.

This Montana asshole border agent was bathed in cologne. He started by asking the same questions: Where are you from? Where are you going? Where did you come from? Normally the next set of questions are along the lines of, "Do you have any alcohol or drugs? Do you have any weapons with you?" Instead he asked, "What do you have in your van?" It threw me. Does he want a list of every item in my van?? So I looked at him quizzically and asked, "Do you want me to list everything?" At that moment his brain seemed to ignite, a light came on in his eyes, and he said, "We do random inspections and you've been selected." Did he not like an answer I gave? Did he not like my tie-dye t-shirt? "Drive to the left, park, and someone will come out and do the inspection." I was kind of excited. I just saw this as an opportunity to write another blog post!

So I drive to the left. Not sure where to park so I just park. And wait. Every border I've been to has signs that read, "DO NOT EXIT YOUR VEHICLE." So I wait. And wait. And wait as instructed. I tend to be one of those people who has too much respect for authority and will follow directions in detail.

Finally I got sick of waiting so I left the van and went into the building. This was a risk. If I wasn't supposed to, would they arrest me? The woman at a desk behind the counter asks if I am the person who is the inspection victim. (No, she didn't say it that way.) Duh. I tried really hard to be quiet, friendly and civil, but I said loudly, "I had no idea what I was supposed to do! He said turn left, park, and someone will come out."

She says very assertively, "He told you to come in." Now I did not want to argue with a border agent who is about to inspect my vehicle. I've heard they can have you empty all it's contents and make your life a living hell. However, I don't appreciate the insinuation that I am old, hard of hearing, or have no memory. Don't gaslight me, bitch!

I tell her I'm glad she's doing the inspection and not the asshole. (I didn't call him that, but I was thinking it.) She asks, "Why?" as if she's caught me in a confession. I say, "Because he's bathed in cologne, I'm deathly allergic to it, and I don't want him near my van." She was fine with that and perhaps took it as a warning.

I continue to wait at the counter...I have no idea what the fuck she was doing for so long. After about ten minutes, she comes to the counter with a form and asks me questions: Where are you from? Do you live on a farm? Where did you come from? Did you spend time on a farm? Did you go hiking? Was the ground dry or wet? Do you have firewood? Seeds? Antlers? (WTF!?) Do you have food? This is in addition the normal questions: do you have weapons, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, money...I have food. What kind of food? It seems food is worse than weapons or drugs. She reads a list of foods and I respond with either yay or nay. I'm so glad I didn't buy an avocado! I almost did! But I did buy chicken and a red pepper. Food I just bought when I was in Idaho because you can't really get good food in Canada.

Time for the inspection. She follows me out to the van. She's very friendly, cheerful, and conversational as am I. I ask her the proper procedure: does she want to enter through the front door, back or side? She says it doesn't matter so I go through the side since it has the biggest door. She tells me she needs to see the chicken package to ascertain if it's a problematic company or production location. I say, "But it's not in the package. I took the pieces out of the package to freeze them in single serving portions because I am single." 

Oh no. Bad move. She explains about the bird flu epidemic in the states and says some companies that do business in Canada are boycotted in American even if they are American companies! So weird. She will have to confiscate it and the red pepper. I tell her the chicken is organic and expensive. I asked if she can eat them because I hate for them to go to waste. She says no. I bet they do eat them. I bet they keep all kinds of goodies for themselves. I only had half of a red pepper.

I lifted the frozen hamburgers and asked if beef was OK. It was. She also said it was really good I confessed and gave them up because if I hadn't and they searched and found them, I'd be facing a hefty fine. I just said, "Had I known I couldn't bring chicken back over the border, I would have never bought it in the first place!"

I thanked her, we discussed the wildfires on Highway 2, and then she said I'm good to go. I think it's weird she didn't search herself and left it to me. It makes me wonder if my disclosure on cologne allergies kept her from getting in the van or making too much of a stink. (Pun intended.) She did have a bit of a smell on her, but it was windy and she stayed upwind.

The next two hours as I drove through Montana I was a dangerous driver, distracted from ruminating all the would a, could a, should a scenarios, and extremely pissed off. I wonder if she would have let me flip a U-y and return to Canada to stay until I ate my chicken? Why didn't I ask if I could make dinner in their parking lot, cook the chicken, and eat it right there? I had the receipt. Maybe it had the company on it and if I showed her she'd let me keep it? None of these options were presented. What a waste of money!

My anti-Trump friend thinks the USA is a pit of sleaze and double dealings. I just hate they took my chicken.

Just over the British Columbia-Alberta border, before
Alberta got boring

My First Hotel Stay in Twenty Years!

Lake Kootenai

I headed to Nelson, British Columbia, to get Big Blue repaired. This is the fourth time to Nelson so I took a different route north on highway 3A just for the fun of it. This involved another ferry ride across Lake Kootenai. Free! Beautiful!

Big Blue is needing a repair that would involve two days so I had to find some kind of accommodation. I thought maybe if I could find a free campground that was close to town, I could just set up a tent, but Nelson, BC, no longer has many free camping spots. I refuse to ever do AirBnB again after my horrible experiences in Tucson, so I thought I should scope out the various hotels in the area. There were a variety of small hotels, old hotels, hostels, chain hotels, and resorts. I visited a few and asked to see a room. What I was doing is inspecting the lobby, halls, and rooms for intolerable stink. Mold, mildew, air fresheners, chemical cleaners, pets, smoke, formaldehyde, lingering perfumes, bad air conditioning units, etc. Some of the hotels refused to let me see a room. No problem, bad customer service person! Your hotel is crossed off my list! 

Only one passed the test: Prestige Lakeside Resort. My god, I have expensive tastes! Or maybe just an expensive nose! The lobby didn't smell of anything. Neither did the room. Still I worried. Maybe it doesn't stink now, but maybe it will two months from now when I return? Maybe they just showed me the good room?

Prestige Lakeside Resort, Nelson, BC

I made a reservation with Expedia because I thought they gave better prices!? I even made the mistake of falling for the insurance scare so I bought $16 worth of insurance although I'm pretty sure if I did have to cancel, I doubt very much they would have covered anything. "Oh you didn't read the fine print? So sorry for you!" What a scam!

So stressful not knowing what I was getting into! Worried my repair appointment might be cancelled at the last minute. Maybe the mechanic would call in sick? Then what would I do? Would I be able to breathe in the hotel room? Maybe I'd end up sleeping in the resort's lobby? Or outside? Maybe this will not work!? OMG!

I arrived the day before, went to the resort to check the reservation. It was still there! Check-in isn't until 4pm and I had to drop off the van at 7:30am then walk to the resort. I asked if I could bring my luggage early and store it. Yes! And they suggested while I wait to use the hot tub! OMG! They have wi-fi and a little computer desk in the lobby so I could work while I waited.

The van appointment was perfect. The wonderful service manager even called the night before to confirm and make sure the time, date and services were correct. Everything was perfect.

I stayed the night at a rest stop that was up the highway about 7 miles and shared the space with a camper. Again, I like not being alone in these places.

The next morning I dropped off my luggage at the resort, took Big Blue to get her make-over, then hiked to the resort. They told me the price for one night was $249. I said, "When I booked it, the price was much lower!" I looked up the confirmed reservation and the price was MUCH higher, even higher than the hotel price at $289! Damn. How did that happen? Oh! The taxes, and extra fees for nothing, but still I don't remember this price difference? I was feeling really angry until I realized, Expedia gave me the USD price, but I was paying CAD at the counter. Whew! It ended up to be in USD $209. What is the point of booking with Expedia if the price is not discounted? I'm learning. I've never used Expedia. Never again!

I worked in their lobby for a couple hours waiting for the room to be ready, dipped in the hot tub which wasn't too badly chlorinated, but did stink, and swam in the pool (also slightly chlorinated). The room was finished and ready early! It had a slight sweet smell, maybe some kind of cleaner? I turned up the air conditioning, turned on the bathroom fans, and opened the one small window. It was fine!

First line of business after putting my belongings down, RUN A HOT BATH! Aside from river swimming, lake dipping, a few showers at campgrounds, and many sponge baths, this was my first real bath in seven months! It was wonderful!

This is the view from the rooms with balconies on the north side...the rooms rich people stay in:

This was the view from my window: 

Yeah...you get what you pay for! LOL! All I wanted was a great bath and a safe place to sleep! I got that! Five baths in 24 hours. Every time I went to the bathroom, I took a bath! I left the fans on, air conditioning on, and window open all night. Slept great, definitely better than being in the van. So comfy. I survived and it's good to know I can be safe in a hotel if I can find a good, clean one! However, I will do my best to avoid hotel stays in the future. I don't need the stress.

Big Blue got her "make-over" to the tune of $4800 USD! They did a whole lot of stuff and I like that they are watching out for me.

Eastward bound! I'm finally released!

Killing Time. The Idaho, Washington, and Montana Loop

After returning from Alaska and Canada I headed to Idaho to wait for yet another appointment to get the van repaired to replace manifolds and coolant lines that are leaking up to five cups of coolant a day. I've got about two weeks. This will be a good opportunity to convalesce. I used the Eastport U.S. Border entrance. There were about ten cars in line so totally unlike the Porthill border that never has a line!

It was Thursday so I headed first for Brush Lake Campground and it was full. I checked Smith Lake Campground it was full. After a long day of driving and washing the van, I was exhausted but I drove the extra thirty minutes to Sandpoint to stay at the RV parking near the Schweitzer ski resort. I was afraid it, too, would be filled, but no one was there! For a moment I wondered if they closed the place down, but the next day an RV showed and then another. I love this place. Yeah, it doesn't have a river, creek or lake, but no mosquitoes either! It also has an internet option if you have a personal hot spot! This is luxury! This time I didn't encounter any bears! I spent the next few days in Sandpoint cleaning the van inside and out, using the internet, getting groceries, reading, and just relaxing. I also checked with the Pomeray post office about general delivery and they offer it with smiles!

After two days of being in Sandpoint, I drove by a sign for a Renaissance Faire! For such a small town, it was huge with lines of cars trying to find parking and filled with costumed people. Many had pointy ears and tails! I watched the bellydancers in honor of a friend of mine who used to bellydance at Ren Faires as I think she'd be disappointed if I didn't. As I walked around looking at booths and watching entertainment and costumed people, I had tears in my eyes...I miss this life. But after two hours I was reminded why I don't go to these events. The misery isn't worth it as I suffered from a raging migraine from the essential oils, incense, and scented candles. I just can't do an overload of humanity!

I drove south to Grangeville and Hell's Canyon. The further south I got, the more agriculture, quilted fields of various colors stretching for miles and every little town had a granary.

I stopped above Lewiston to check out the scenic view and historical site. Idaho has a lot of historical sites featured along Highway 95. The aerial view of the city was stunning, but there is the Lewiston Highway which was a construction marvel in the early 1900s. From this high it looks like a toy car track! (It's hard to see it but it's in the middle ground of the photo below.) I wondered what the crosses (in the foreground) represented? People who died on the highway? People who threw themselves off the scenic viewpoint? Or people who just wanted to be buried up there? I don't know. There were about five of them with no explanation anywhere.

I continued to Grangeville. Sweet little town with a great main street featuring shops of all kinds. A lot of the buildings were vacant. I drove about ten miles to the Fish Creek Trailhead and Snowmobile Parking Lot. I had originally searched for a national forestry campground hoping it was free, but it was $12 a night. This trailhead/parking lot is also in the national forest so should be fine to park overnight. There were no "no overnight parking/camping" signs. It was nice and quiet and in the evening I hiked the Fish Creek Trail which was flat and easy.  Internet was useless. The road was paved all the way with a scenic view of the town:

My sinuses had cleared up about a month ago after months of congestion and pain, but perhaps due to the faire or all this agriculture, I am back to suffering and struggling to breathe. Damn.

I drove all the way down Highway 95 which runs parallel to Hell's Canyon. These canyons are less green, more rock but very interesting, with amazing valleys. I've seen photos of Hell's Canyon, but finally someone told me the only access was purchasing a motor boat tour. I don't want to be confined on an enclosed boat with a bunch of stinkers. No thanks. I drove to south of Riggins then decided to find a place to stay. Most of the Wildlife and Fishing access areas are free for camping and there are many along Highway 95.

I stayed at Twin Bridges Fishing Access near White Bird right next to the Snake River. After looking at nearly all of them, I thought this one was the best with the most shade. It's up in the 90s today so too hot for my liking. OH! The water is glorious!  Cool and clean with a little white sandy beach of my very own! Well, until an RV with Nevada plates became my neighbor, but I like nice neighbors. It makes me feel safe.

I went swimming six times in the first 24 hours, mostly because it's damn hot out and the van is like a metal oven! When I finally went to bed, I slept with a frozen water bottle! I can't tell you how badly I want to eat ice cream non-stop! Bonus: there is internet!!

The second day dipping into this wonderful river almost made the heat bearable, but then I encountered another problem...a mansplaining, disrespectful, beer-guzzling, abusive egomaniac. I made the mistake of giving him just enough attention to make him think I would be his new best friend. He's a local who brings his dog down to the river to swim every night. The Nevada RV guy told me about him, but did not indicate he might be a problems...or intolerable. It seems he chats up someone every night and it was my turn. He starts by complaining about the people who camp at this location and threatened to bring his RV down just to park it so others can't camp. What an asshole. I kept thinking, Does he realize he's insulting me? Then he proceeded to teach me what it's like to live in a van although he has never lived in a van and he has no desire to do so (another insult). Any subject we start to discuss, he made sure I knew he was the expert. If I volunteer information, especially information he didn't like, he would demand loudly to know my "facts" as if I'm being quizzed in a junior high classroom. He seemed to enjoy proving me wrong and his attitude would become hostile and his voice louder. Typical bully behavior to control and manipulate others. He complained incessantly about anyone and everyone. It seems he hates a lot of people...especially people who camp anywhere in this area. I was a bit cautious with him so I avoided challenging him. He was a big guy and he bragged about his gun collection. He was already angry at everyone so I didn't want to incite more of his temper. Eventually he left, but all night I was afraid he'd come back in the dark. Although my mistake was being friendly, I handled it well. Problem is I ruminated about what I could have, should have, would have said all day the next day! This helped me decide when to leave and immediately was not soon enough. There was also a camper about fifty feet away from me, but every time he lit up a cigarette, the wind blew the stink into my van. I moved to the far end of the campground for the night and left bright and early the next morning. Great thing about living in a van - you can leave anytime. Bad neighbors don't last long!

The next morning I drove through White Bird, a cute little town tucked away in a canyon populated with a variety of old buildings. If it didn't have 81 people as advertised, it would be a really cool ghost town.

The White Bird Battlefield was just down the country road up the valley. This is where in history the Nez Perce Indians fought (and won) against the U.S. Cavalry. I really wanted to hike the trail but there were "Venomous Snakes" signs posted everywhere. I figured in the cool of the morning, they'd be out on their morning slither. Hiking here didn't seem to be a good idea!

Next I stopped at Cottonwood to see the St. Gertrude Monastery. It's unbelievable someone built this way out in the middle of nowhere two miles from the nearest tiny town. A local told me it was used as a Catholic school for a long time. Now it's a museum although the nuns still live there.

I backtracked to Lewiston (with too much industrial stink in the air. UGH!) and Clarkston which is over the border in Washington. Clarkston has a Walmart, but they didn't have water machines! Then I headed east on Highway 12 to Missoula through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. The highway ran along side the Clearwater River. So gorgeous and clean!

Arrived in Missoula for lunch at Five on Black. I was here barely a month ago and the landscape has turned from all green to all brown! After lunch I headed west on Highway 200 to Sandpoint. I considered stopping and camping at any number of spots, but the temperatures were up to 100 degrees on the way. If I stopped too early, the van would get too hot so drive all day it is! I'm really not sure how I'm going to survive the summer. Far beyond Missoula the landscape turned back to green with rolling hills covered in pine trees.

I finally did stop at the Clark Ford Drift Yard Dispersal Campground about thirty minutes east of Sandpoint. My plan was to camp at Sandpoint's Walmart, but it's so hot I'd have to leave my doors and windows open and I wouldn't be comfortable doing that in a city. The MOSQUITOES were tormenting me all night. I'm not surprised. This campground is on a skinny peninsula with one side lake and the other two sides swamp.

The next morning I headed to Sandpoint to pick up my STARLINK! Whoo hoo!! The post office at Ponderay has a wonderful general delivery policy and the woman there was very friendly and welcoming. After getting groceries at the excellent Winter Ridge Natural Foods, I headed to Libby, Montana, hoping and praying there was a spot available at the Dunn Creek Flats Campground. I stayed here over a month ago and did some river dipping in the ice cold water. I loved it here, possibly the best spot I've been too, except it doesn't have internet. Starlink satisfies that need!!  I figured it would be a great way to spend the Fourth of July weekend away from cities and crowds. Thankfully there was a spot left!

Big Blue and Little Blue (the tent) at 
Dunn Creek Flats Campground outside Libby, MT.

Wow! Internet finally! People I met in Alaska said it is a game changer especially if you are trying to work from your van. I have internet!!! Wow! I got the Mini and Roaming subscription. It was on sale for $100 off!  It'll be too tempting to be online all the time. I only have 50GBs per month without incurring extra fees. We'll see. Everyone I talked to says they go over all the time. If I stop living in this van, I can always use Starlink as my internet provider where ever I go. OMG!!

Starlink looking for the Satellite! Whoo Hoo!

This Fourth of July (2025) was the best I've had in 20 years! That's not an exaggeration. I relaxed in perfectly warm weather, reading nonfiction most of the day. That afternoon the clouds moved in. At dusk it started to rain. Even surrounded by two large families with children, there were zero fireworks. No bombs bursting in air. Totally quiet. This is such a change from living in a town where one heard fireworks one week before July 4th and up to three weeks after. I did find out later that fireworks are forbidden in these campsites. So strange the temperature dropped from 90 degrees to 55 degrees in record time. Again, zero noise except for the pitter patter of tiny raindrops...my kind of holiday! The rain was off and on the next day, but the weather report predicts from 77 to 84 degrees in the next day or two. Love it.

My third morning at the Libby campground at the crack of dawn, I went on my morning walk. As I was coming down the back stretch I saw what I thought was a little bird jumping under my van. I got closer and realized it was a PACK RAT trying to jump up into Big Blue's engine. I never ran so fast in my life! Because it was daylight, I had removed all the blinking lights and rat beepers, but I had not yet lowered the hood. Anytime I park near grass or bushes, I take anti-rat precautions just in case. This was the first time I had any indication there was a rat infestation, although my camping neighbors told me in previous years there has been a problem. I sprayed peppermint oil all over inside and outside the van. That night I worried the rats would get into my van even with all the blinking lights. I didn't sleep much! Time to leave!

Last time I was here I dipped in the river because it was too cold. I had planned to jump off the dock by the last day, but I never got the chance. I took my chance the night before I left and as I jumped I thought, This is not a good idea, but since I had already jumped I followed it with a, WHOOPS! TOO LATE! It was much warmer than a month ago, but still cold and I was not inspired to swim around for any length of time. But I did it!

The next morning I left back to Sandpoint, did grocery shopping, and headed to the Brush Lake Campground hoping since it was a Tuesday, there would be an empty space. I arrived just in time to snag my favorite spot with shade!

Now back to British Columbia...

Oh Canada! British Columbia on the Return and A Bit of Alberta

After the AlCan I headed east on Highway 16 toward Jasper National Park in Alberta. Beautiful drive! The scenery in most of British Columbia is a tantalizing green with such clean waters in their rivers and lakes!

The weather cleared through Prince George, but the further east it started raining. The mosquitoes were relentless. Still, all this rain makes for a very green landscape!

I saw another bear and a lot of very graceful deer. The deer here look almost like gazelles. Then I rounded a corner on the highway and came face to face with a deer with a huge rack of antlers! I really couldn't linger or take my eyes off the highway since there was a semi-truck in front of me. God, he was beautiful, a honey colored coat of fur and his antlers were fuzzy. He was like something from a dream just standing there on the side of the road!

British Columbia has signs for "Artisans". I always notice them because their decorative capital A looks like a tent. Underneath the A is what media they practice. I love it they honor their artisans. I don't know if this is done for the whole of Canada or just B.C. and I wonder what the process is for the artists to obtain a street sign?

I stopped in McBride. I still wasn't sure if I wanted to continue to Jasper and Banff National Parks. First, I don't have a Canadian pass so the cost might be too much. Second, it's raining. How much am I really going to see? Maybe I should just detour to Kamloops? But Kamloops is ugly. These are the decisions I'm faced with everyday and they often change my plans on the spur of the moment.

The McBride visitor centre had two lovely and very helpful women. They said, "Yes! Go see the icefields!" Yes, I'd have to pay but it's so worth it. Hmmm...a local woman who I met at the hot springs said she didn't think this park was very impressive.

I found a camping spot at Belle Mountain, a recreation site on a logging road only I'm tired of the dirt and parked at the base which gave me internet. It rained all night and in the morning I decided I'd drive to the intersection and decide then my plan of action. I started driving at 4am! I love driving in the morning when there is no traffic and often wildlife milling about.

I get 87 kilometers from Jasper which is about the same mileage back to McBride and I realize I forgot to get gas! There is a sign post that says the next gas station is 87 kilometers away. So I pull in to the gas station that is right there...they are closed! Most gas stations in Canada have 24 hour access and you just use a credit card. I'm in a panic. I only have 1/4th tank left. Will I make it? This was stressful watching the needle move. I did make it!

Jasper, the town, is delightful. Lots of really cute architecture and shops of all kinds, some gluten-free advertising, but I couldn't find food for the life of me. I walked around, got more Canadian cash, and then headed out on Highway 93 through Jasper National Park.

At the park entrance booth, the woman said, "There is no fee! They aren't charging until September 2nd." REALLY? She spoke French so her English accent was really hard to understand when she explained why, but I just thanked her and went on.

The first hour of the drive was through wildfire destruction, but it soon opened to greenery and the most beautiful lakes I've seen! Bow Lake, for instance, is turquoise! Some of the lakes and many of the rivers were various shades of aqua. Dazzling! When I got to the ice fields, I though the river was just dried up. Not very impressive. There was a Skywalk one could view over the cliff, but the parking lots were so crowded. The traffic at the beginning and then at the end in the lane coming into the park were bumper to bumper. I hate crowds! Every time there was a traffic jam, I assumed there was wildlife. I saw my tenth bear right on the side of the road as I slowly passed all the vehicles stopped to look. I hate tourists!

Alberta has really cool wildlife corridors over their highways.

I didn't do a lot of getting out because of the traffic. There is no guarantee I'd be able to get back on the highway! There was one pull-out with cars trying to cross to get in the opposite lane and they were stopped in my incoming traffic lane! Idiots! I didn't want to be one of those idiots so I just drove. I also didn't want to get out in the rain, and more importantly I hated opening my doors and letting mosquitoes in the van. I've been eaten alive! Canadian mosquitoes are worse than Alaskan!

I drove to the Radium Hot Springs because the visitors centre girls said they were wonderful, not crowded, and free. No, no, no. The parking lot was packed, the price was $15, and way too many people. It was a big tourist draw as was the hot springs down the road at Fairview. The drive to and from Radium was gorgeous.

I kept driving and driving through southeastern British Columbia at Cranbrook, over the U.S. Border, and back into Idaho. I was exhausted from such a long day, but I still managed to go to the car wash and clean all that dirt off the van.

The AlCan (Alaska Canada Highway)

This highway is a continuation of the Alaska Highway as it goes through the various Canadian provinces of the Yukon and British Columbia. Officially it goes from Delta Junction in Alaska  (Highways 1 and 2) to Dawson Creek in British Columbia via Highway 97. In many of the Canadian towns the street signs call it Alaska Highway. It's in pretty good shape from Destruction Bay going east and south.

My first stop on it was right at Destruction Bay. There are two for-pay campgrounds, but then three dirt roads down to the lake. I was told later by another van dweller that the campgrounds aren't even on the lake where these free boondocking sites are! Excellent!

The water was so clear, pristine and COLD! I wanted to jump in, but the temperature was not that hot. I don't well cold so I didn't. I almost stayed another night to recover from the Highway from Hell, but laying around doing nothing felt like a waste of time.

I stopped in Whitehorse again, only this time found Save-On Grocery Store which has some gluten-free and organic food. I stopped at the visitor centre and loaded up on free water (that really wasn't very tasty) and used their internet. 

Continued along the highway (hoping to see wildlife!) and camped on a little dirt road along side the river. I saw this spot on the way to Alaska:

Then it started raining. And the mosquitoes swarmed. UGH! Below is the view from my bed. Keep in mind it's about 11pm. The sun doesn't set until 12:45am...AM!

The next morning I drove away and not a mile later I found the rest stop where several RVs and vans were parked. I do that a lot...find a spot then the next morning realized if I just would have continued a bit further a better spot is available. But this camping spot was private.

The next morning I headed out early. The woman at the Whitehorse visitor centre told me to get gas at Watson Lake, but it was 20 miles out of my way as I had planned to go back Highway 37. The gas station on the corner of my exit wasn't working right so I thought OK, head to Watson Lake. I'm so glad I did! First they have the coolest attraction right on the highway free to strolled: The Sign Post Forest!

 

Unfortunately it was raining or I might have strolled all day looking at these signs from all over the world.

The visitor centre told me the AlCan was now open. Due to the forest fires in the northeast part of British Columbia they closed it which is why I took Highway 37 to Alaska. So on a spur of the moment I thought, Why not take a new route? See more things? I continued on the AlCan heading east.

My first stop was the Liard River Hot Springs. I was tired, really hungry and braindead! I could have purchased a day pass for $5, but I opted for the $26 camping spot. It's raining. I jumped into that hot springs anyway! It's the second largest natural hot springs in Canada. It was glorious, huge and hot! Others soaking with me told me if it wasn't raining the mosquitoes and black horse flies would be swarming. I kept worrying, How am I going to dry my towel let alone my hair in my van. That's going to create way too much moisture and mold! When I got out I asked the reception if the campground has dryers. No. Do they have wi-fi? No. Do they have electrical outlets. No. It was pretty primitive. Do you give refunds? No. I should have asked these questions BEFORE I paid for camping! Braindeadness is my only excuse.

Then I realized I had driven all day in the rain. I know better. The solars don't charge in clouds and I should have had the power station hooked into the van's battery. I'm down to zero. This is not good. I left, forfeiting my $26 campsite and drove for another four hours to charge the power station! I hate wasting money, but it couldn't be helped.

Along the way I saw two bears, a moose, two herds of bison, and a caribou! It's hard driving a highway. Sometimes it's not a good idea to slow down or stop especially in the rain or by the time I do stop the animal has disappeared so I tend to just do a slower drive-by and look. With this one bear no one was behind me or in front of me so I stopped, backed up 30 feet and took a photo.

I often see moose on the highway usually far away. They must like the pavement. I notice, too, bears love to poop on the sides of the highway. This feels like passive-aggressive resentment toward human enroachment on their land. Do you blame them?

The bison were just laying on the side of the road. They look so much smaller than those monsters I saw on the way to Alaska! Maybe a different breed? 

At one point in the drive I rounded a corner and was faced with the devastation of the wildfire from a couple weeks ago! I was shocked. First, I thought the highway was closed due to smoke. I didn't realize the fire went over the highway. Acres and acres of destruction over the rolling hills still smoldering which made me a little nervous. It was creepy!

I continued traveling, constantly checking the Bluetti charge. I would have loved to have stayed at Muncho Lake. There were pull-outs right on the lake, but without a good charge, that would have been risky. I continued traveling through gorgeous greenery, mountains, lakes, rivers. British Columbia is spectacular.

There is nothing more gratifying than a full tank of gas! About halfway through this beautiful route, my tank was down to half. I avoid less than half a tank just because I have no idea when the next gas station will be. The next gas station was out in the middle of no where, I pulled up and the price was about $1.50 more than normal. Call me stubborn or just indignant, but I kept driving. As I drove I got a little worried. Maybe that was the only gas station until Dawson Creek!? OMG! Thankfully there was another one that had a reasonable price. When I finally get a full tank for the next hour I sing, "Got a full tank of gas! I am on my way!" It's such a relief!

The gas stations all along the AlCan are often "antique". Absolutely ancient. They have those pumps where the numbers flip like back in the 1960s! The first one I encountered I thought, I hope I remember how to work one of these! Or often they have just a huge metal container with a hose but little else. Many of the stations have you pump first, then tell them the amount when you pay. 

I arrived in Fort Nelson around 9pm when everything was closed BUT my Bluetti was up to 50%! Found a camping spot outside of town at the Parker Lake Recreation Site. One other car was parked there. Next to a lake. Lots of mosquitoes with one tormenting me for hours until I finally killed it.

I woke early as usual and speed-walked the dirt road to and from the highway. Sitting all day requires exercise or my back starts hurting. I drove to town. Nothing opened until 9am. Visited the visitor centre, went to the health food store, went to a cafe that does gluten-free and got a breakfast sandwich to go. With the Bluetti not charged fully, I didn't want to chance cooking anything. Did a load of laundry at the laundromat that had top loading washers to wash my towels including the towel I soaked at the hot springs. Lovely laundry lady talked my ear off about the community and criticizing Canadian politics, both local and nationally. Although she was bashing on their liberal policies, it sounded just like American politics and I told her, "I don't think it's political party. I think it's men in charge!" She agreed. It was a fun conversation.

Left for Dawson Creek on the AlCan. I love how they have wide expansive fields next to the highway. This is where one sees the bears. Very nice drive, nice road especially in sections when it is so smooth it's like driving on glass, a little boring, but the traffic at times was bumper to bumper. Along with rest stops they have a lot of pull-outs with bear-proof garbage containers. The highway is very clean. They also have emergency phones all along the road. 

Bought new windshield wipers at the Fort St. Johns Ford dealership. Along the way was sun with thunder showers and my wipers were not doing well!

By the time I got to Dawson Creek, I was really tired. The Walmart has received glowing reviews on allowing nomads to park overnight. I like parking at Walmart. It always feels safe. However, I don't do anything that makes me look like I'm camping...or living in the parking lot. I don't cook outside. I don't wash my van. Etc. The store is one of the smallest I've seen with the weirdest layout, but there must have been thirty RVs, cars, and vans parked around the perimeter (as instructed). I had to move at one point because a camper pulled in beside me and whoever was inside started smoking cigarettes which filled my van with stink. I ended up next to a woman also in a Transit from Washington so that was much better! Very little mosquitoes (OH THANK GOD FOR SMALL MIRACLES!), great temperature, and quiet. I slept really good surrounded by "my people". 

Next stop was Chetwyn. I started driving through with no thought to stop and I kept seeing amazing sculptures on both sides of the road! Once I got to the far end of town where the sculptures stopped, I parked, got out and walked the length of the town looking at each work of art. It seems two weeks ago and every year since 2005 this little town has the International Chainsaw Carving Championship! It was just two weeks ago so I missed it. Some of the sculptures were amazingly detailed! It was fun. I was exhausted by the time I got back to Big Blue and I didn't even see them all as I was told they are also all over the town. There are over 200! I love these kinds of travel surprises. Such a gift!

This one was one of my favorites
called The Monsters We Make.

At Prince George the AlCan ends or rather Highway 97 ends and this is a full circle as I came through Prince George on the way to Alaska!

The Highway from Hell

To be clear, the whole Alaska Highway isn't hellish. Just the part between Tok, Alaska and Destruction Bay, Yukon, but even this small section will give you nightmares. When one lives in a vehicle, damaging the vehicle might render one homeless! For someone who is chemically sensitive and housing options are scarce, this is to be avoided at all costs. I did NOT want to drive back on this highway! I even called the Alaskan ferry system to find out about ferries from wherever to wherever. I didn't even care! I was told by the very nice customer service agent there aren't many, well, only one from Valdez to Bellingham, Washington. I exclaimed, "I CAN DO THAT!" Then she said they are reserved up to five months in advance. There is no sleeping in vehicles and no access to vehicles during the sailing. I could reserve a cabin, sleep on the deck, sleep in the solarium on a tent or in a chair in the passenger area. Could I tolerate their cabins? Could I sleep next to smelly people on the deck, solarium or the passenger sitting area? I doubt it. She had one available spot on August 15th due to a cancellation with a cabin for about (can't remember exact price) $2600. It would take three and a half days. I was tempted especially since that cabin had a private shower, but I decided I did prefer the freedom to drive.

I woke up at 4:00am ready to tackle the highway from hell. I figured getting there early on a Saturday morning there would be little traffic and I could drive as slowly as I liked. This worked out well. Most of the traffic was going to Alaska, much more in fact than two weeks ago. Most of the time I had the highway to myself. That made it only a tiny bit better as I didn't have as many trucks passing me throwing dirt, gravel and dust all over Big Blue.

This is what the highway looks like before they start mangling it with really bad patch jobs. Even their patching methods are shoddy.

For sixteen solid Alaskan miles this is what it looked like with flagging stops and pilot truck guidance:

When the semi-trucks or large trucks passed me, the dust was so bad I couldn't see the road. Motorcycles were treating it like some off-road adventure challenge. Still, they went the speed limit of 70kmh (50 mph) regardless of the dust, gravel, potholes, cracks and rollercoaster bumps!

For 220 Canadian kilometers, this is what it looked like:

For about 100 yards it was pavement drop-off then gravel covered potholes and cracks, dust, and dirt. Then one mile of bad highway, alternating with another 100 yards of van-abusive "gravel patches". FOR 220 KILOMETERS!

There were times I went 10 mph, never more than 40 mph. Thankfully few people were on the road that early and if they came up behind me, I pulled over and let them pass.

Part of the highway had been repaved. It was wonderful!

At the Destruction Bay gas station, a sport car drove up. Low to the ground, sleek, gorgeous. I think it was bright blue. It might have been a Ferrari or Mazeradi, but the mud covering the whole car also covered the decal. 

Mazerati

Ferrari

It was a Ferrari. The Mazerati isn't low and sleek enough. 

This shockingly gorgeous young man opened the door and as he passed me he said with the biggest, "I'm-gorgeous-rich-entitled-and-I-know-it" smile and said extremely cheerfully, "Hi! How are you?" I responded speechlessly with, "I'm fine." and kept walking. He drove that car over the Highway from Hell!!!???? It's so low to the ground I wonder HOW? How did he not bottom out with every gravel patch? If I wasn't so mesmerized and confused by his beauty, I might have asked. I left the gas station and not fifteen minutes later he passed me speeding at least three times faster than I was traveling. I think he must have a death wish. I wish I would have taken  photo of the car covered in mud!

East of Destruction Bay the highway wasn't too bad with occasional gravel patches and some potholes.

I'd like to think one day it'll all be fix and lovely like the above photo, but every winter the permafrost damages the highway so it's an ongoing challenge for Alaska and the Yukon to keep up with the destruction. I was told by visitor centres with the wildfires, they don't have the resources.

I survived to tell the tale...not my idea of a good time!