Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Liard Hot Springs, Whirlpool Canyon

(posted from Belvedere Hotel Coffee Shop, Watson Lake, Yukon Territory)
(This post covers 27-29 June, 2008)

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Sunday, 29 June-

We awoke to the spectacular view of the super-green river valleys below and the blazing-white snow-capped peaks of the Northern Rockies in the distance. Our goal today was Liard Hot Springs there we’d decide whether to stay there for the night or move on. We spoke with a local biker atop Stone Mountain and he said Watson Lake is quite expensive and joked that hamburgers are probably about $15 each by now. He said there’s not much difference in gas prices along the way though they drop a few cents per liter once you cross the line into the Yukon Territories.
We chugged along into a fairly strong headwind and climbed hill after hill. Mocha Joe isn’t gear very well for these climbs (because the previous owner had gotten an extra-low-ratio differential for his annual vacation trip to Florida) and we’re paying the price. Though the speed limit is generally 100 or 110 (kph, not mph!) we routinely climb the long hills at 60-70 kph or 35-45 miles per hour.
We were only about an hour into our drive today when we came upon an impressive bull moose just off the road— maybe 15 feet away at the closest point. His antlers were in velvet and he looked massive yet still proportioned on the lanky side. We had stopped well ahead of him but traffic was approaching from behind so I idled past. As we came abreast of him, his eye seemed to bulge a bit wildly, as if he’s about to bolt. That jogged my memory of footage I had seen about an elk attacking a pickup in Yellowstone so I kept moving and pulled away.
As we approached Muncho Lake the road narrowed and began descending down through rock cuts. In this area we came upon stone sheep along the road’s edge, licking the stones for salt leftover from winter road maintenance. We spent quite a lot of time photographing the group only to see five or six more groups just like them over the next 50 miles. Shortly after the first group of stone sheep, we came upon six caribou about 50 yards off the road but with an embankment between. Labashi bowed down low and sneaked up to the embankment to snap their picture with as little disturbance as possible.
After lunch in a roadside pulloff, we photographed another bull moose in velvet very close to the road. Approaching Liard Hot Springs we saw a lone bison, then small herds of them—as many as 30 at once.
At Laird Hot Springs Campground we checked on camping availability and they were full but said we could stay in the day-use area overnight for $19. The girl invited us to check out the day-use area and let her know if we wanted to stay. We were surprised to easily find parking right in front of the walkway to the springs (I call this “Labashi Luck”). The boardwalk is very similar to the Yellowstone boardwalks over hot springs and led us about a quarter mile to the ‘alpha pool’. This is a natural river setting with walkways and steps leading down to water about four feet deep. The water is 105 to 120 degrees and it was apparent the upper areas were a little too hot. We’d see people enter there very briefly then move downstream. We had heard from the guy at Steamboat Lodge that the secret is to colder water up from the bottom to mix with the too-hot surface water but didn’t notice anyone doing that.
After watching awhile we decided not to go into the spring. Both the Steamboat guy and the biker guy had said the time to go to Liard is winter or at least a cool fall day. Otherwise you just get overheated. And today was an 80-some-degree day (okay, a high-twenties-day in Celsius). We knew we’d just overheat our core and since there’s no shower or cooler water flow for cooling down it just didn’t make sense.
We walked on back to the ‘Hanging Gardens’, a mineral flow of stone covered in moss but it was dry and not very impressive today. The ‘beta’ pool was even hotter than the alpha and is a deeper one intended for swimmers rather than waders. The swimmers we saw seemed a bit uncomfortable in the too-hot water and didn’t stay in long. We had a brisk walk back out to the van and then drove out of the park. We loved seeing what Liard is all about but today just wasn’t the day for a hot swim.
North of the springs we came upon a mid-sized black bear feeding voraciously upon plants. It never looked up. He/she reminded me of someone in a hot-dog-eating contest.
We passed a largish herd of bison, then a smallish black bear before reaching Whirlpool Canyon turnoff, our goal for the night. We had found it in The Milepost. A short road leads back to a small turnaround with ten or so primitive campsites cut into the woods. The road leads on through to a very impressive view of the Liard Rapids. And these are no slackers as rapids. As the river makes a right turn the left side is inundated with hundreds and hundreds of trees, some of them two and three feet in diameter—the biggest game of ‘pickup sticks’ you ever saw. Standing waves in the rapids were easily over six feet high. The water is a glacier-melt gray-brown and the river absolutely roars with power. I don’t think we’d want to camp here in a tent because the sound would keep us awake but Mocha Joe’s hard sides reduce it to a constant white-noise sound and that’s fine for sleeping.
Late in the evening we once again walked down to the rapids and took some photos then returned to the van to read and plan the next day. Among my reading was “Forests West: Canada’s Business-to-Business Forestry Magazine” (from the Forestry Centre museum we visited a few days ago). And there I learned the following:

1. Canada’s rate of deforestation is zero compared to a global rate of 2 per cent per year.
2. Canada retains more than 91 per cent of its original forest area- more than any other country in the world.
3. Only 25 per cent of Canada’s forests are managed for commercial use. The vast majority of the boreal region remains untouched. Only 0.5 per cent is harvested annually and all harvested areas are promptly regenerated as required by law.
4. Canada’s forest products industry is a global leader in climate-change mitigation. Members of the industry have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 44 per cent since 1990—which is seven times Canada’s Kyoto targets.


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Saturday, 28 June-

We awoke late this morning, mixed up a bit because of the time zone changes and long days. We still have today’s sun above the horizon when we go to bed about 2200 and tomorrow’s sun will be well above the horizon by 0430. Some days we’re ready to get up and go by 0600 but today I slept until 0830.
We decided we’ve got to get out of the habit of getting up and driving all day. That was fine while we were approaching the start of the Alaska Highway but now we’re on it and don’t want to rush.
We headed for Fort Nelson, about a two-hour drive. The road is still very good. Most of it is very smooth and we’re surprised to see the shoulders are paved. We did hit a few stretches marked ‘Loose Gravel’ and those were indeed gravel and very dusty but there are very few potholes.
About 150 miles south of Fort Nelson we saw our first bear of the trip… and this one was a beauty. We were climbing a mountain pass and came around a turn and there it was— a very large black bear looking about in the grass off our left side, about five yards from the road’s edge and perhaps 30 yards ahead. The bear didn’t immediately react to us until I braked and pulled off the road slightly ahead of it. Once I stopped, it looked up and reacted strongly, bolting across the road behind us and continuing on into the woods. We never had a chance to get our cameras—they were too buried.
Some 20 miles south of Fort Nelson we saw a roundish black blob near the right side of the road and the car up ahead pulling off, signaling it worth a stop. The black blob turned out to be a bear’s back sticking up above the longish grass. We pulled off and had time to get our cameras ready before the bear looked up and then chose to ignore us. It went back to work, digging away at the roots or insect nest.
At 10 miles south of Fort Nelson we saw another roundish black blob ahead and to the right and this time we knew to get on the brakes immediately. This one was a smaller bear than the other two and it wouldn’t cooperate for photos— it kept its head down for a long time. Then we noticed the weeds twitching nearby—something else was there. And in a few minutes we saw it was a cub. We had a hard time seeing it in the grass. And then we saw another twitch in the weeds the other direction—another cub! We took a few shots and eventually mama bear wandered off into the woods with the cubs in tow. The cubs couldn’t have been over 15-18 inches standing. What luck!
In Fort Nelson we stopped at the Visitor’s Center and chatted with the college kids manning the post and did a quick check of email from their free internet terminal. We asked questions about things we had seen along the way—like “what are the ‘open camp’ signs we’ve seen?” Those indicate a place set up for the oil and gas workers to live temporarily while working in the area. They’re often a series of trailers making up a sort of small motel—sleeping rooms, lounging room, kitchen and dining room, etc. Companies contract with the provider for their workers to stay there for anywhere from a few days to months. Another: “What type of oil and gas production goes on here? Is it oil-sands?” Most of the production in this area is natural gas and some traditional crude oil. An oil-sands deposit is believed to have been located in this region (the Peace River region) which is larger than the well-known Fort McMurray oil sands. Another: “What are the Sour Gas Processing Plants we’ve seen?” Those are specialty facilities which remove the poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas from the natural gas before pumping it on. Another: “What are all the pickup trucks with campers marked ‘Mobile Treatment Facility’ used for?” They are first-aid and EMS vans. Companies working in the area contract with them for medical treatment and quick response for their workers.
We then drove to the nearby IGA market for supplies. This one didn’t seem so bad in price and I was finally able to find block ice. Ice is a funny thing in the north. Once you get into Wisconsin and Minnesota you notice the $2 ten-pound bag you’re used to now costs $3 and is only seven or eight pounds. Outside Edmonton, we had to pay almost $3 for a five-pound bag (and we needed two of them). But the IGA had ten-pound blocks for $3.40, a relative bargain. I should have bought a dozen of them.
Since this is Canada-Day Long-Weekend (Canada Day is Tuesday) we thought we had better call Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park to see if they’re full yet, i.e., whether it makes sense to make the long drive up there. The silly BC reservations system only allows making reservations two days in advance but there are some walk-in sites held for those of us who can’t plan that far ahead. We were calling to see if any of those might still be available. Our Tracfones don’t work here so I have a Canadian Wal-mart pre-paid calling card for these calls. I learned the park had filled at 10:30 this morning, the overflow area was almost full already and the two other provincial parks along the way were also full.
Labashi and I talked about just staying in Fort Nelson and weren’t too sure what we’d do as we entered the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum. After paying for our tickets we chatted with the tickets lady and mentioned our problem. She asked what type of rig we had and then, since we need no hookups, suggested we use the parking lot of the Steamboat Lodge, a now-closed café and RV park about an hour north. That was perfect—we could take our time at the museum, then drive an hour to free overnight parking.
The museum was fantastic. While chatting with the tickets lady an older gent with a foot-long white beard asked where we were from. He is Marl Brown, the founder of the museum and an amazing, amazing old geezer. As we chatted he showed us a picture of him and his wife in a 1912 Buick—which they had just driven hundreds of miles up the Alaska Highway at no more than its top speed of 22 miles per hour, getting 25 miles per gallon, climbing hills mostly in high-gear, using less than a half-quart of oil, and with nary a mechanical problems. We later saw the car in the garage and it’s a wooden-wheeled (with rubber tires) open carriage with a little four-cylinder engine with exposed rocker arms.
Marl is a mechanical genius and has a great sense of humor. On the lower part of the Men’s Room door, for example, hangs one of the WARNING: H2S POISONOUS GAS MAY BE PRESENT signs from the natural gas production sites. He had two bicycle-based mechanical curiosities that tickled me. First was a bicycle made with two steering forks, one in the normal position, the other under the seat. I have no idea how one would ride such a contraption. Does the rear wheel trail or what? The other is a bike made to turn left when you steer right and vice versa. A simple set of gears is mounted between the handlebars and front-fork post. If you turn the handlebars left, the front wheel turns right. Otherwise it’s a regular cruiser-style bicycle.
The museum is a fantastic collection of Alaska Highway memorabilia, everyday-living antiques, dozens of guns I’ve never heard of before, fossils, a stuffed albino moose, a garage-full of antique cars in original, unrestored condition (all of them still running), tractors, bulldozers, road-grading equipment, the massive engine that once ran the town’s electrical generator (it’s at least 15 feet high and 30 feet long and has cat-walks mounted on it to service it), the entire, fully-furnished two-story house of the Hudson’s Bay Company manager, a trapper’s cabin, a NorthwesTel office full of old switchboards and telephone equipment, old radio equipment (I saw a twin to my Dad’s old Heathkit kit-built oscilloscope among the gear) etc, etc, etc.
And here’s a promotional item I liked. It’s a largish dial-thermometer with this printed on the dial: “It’s a cold country but you won’t find any prices lower than Zero” followed by: Zero General Store, Fort Nelson, BC.”
As you can tell, we had a great time at the museum and we didn’t get out of there until 1730 though we had started our visit around 1430. After thanking Marl and the tickets-lady we drove west through beautiful country, seeing snow-capped mountains in the far distance as we climbed and descended the rolling hills. About an hour out we came upon the old Steamboat Lodge which is, truth-to-be-told, little more than a closed old gas station and café, with an abandoned ‘RV park’ consisting of five or six gravel lots and an outhouse behind. We could see a car parked behind the RV park and an expansive view beyond. We walked over and talked for a half-hour with a local guy (whose name I didn’t get) there for the view. He’s a gas-line employee and former Parks Canada-employee from Fort Nelson who has lived at various times in Alaska, the Yukon, and now BC. As we marveled at the view across the Titsa and Muskwa Rivers to the snow-covered peaks of the Northern Rocky Mountain Park in the far distance, we spoke of our prospective visit to Liard Hot Springs (better in cool or even cold weather- right now it’s crowded and buggy) and about his enthusiasm for Alaska and the Yukon.
We then pulled the van up to the view area and had supper, then spent the evening blogging, reading, and staring at maps.

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Friday, 27 June-

After a blissfully-uneventful night in the Grande Prairie Wal-mart parking lot (with ten other RVs) we did a little shopping at our host Wal-mart, then used the GPS search to try to find a coffee shop with a wi-fi hotspot. We had the name ‘Esquires Coffee’ and an address for it from wififreespot.com but the GPS knew neither and our cell phones don’t work in Canada to try them by phone. It finally occurred to me to look up the visitor’s center and library. The former was only a few blocks away so we tried that and were rewarded with both excellent touring info and a reasonably fast wi-fi connection. We took care of email and the blog update, then used Skype to make phone calls to our bank and to our answering machine. All is well on the home front, it seems.
We finally got back on the road after lunch and crossed into British Columbia by mid-afternoon. We had briefly dipped into BC from Jasper, Alberta two summers ago and I’ve been looking forward to seeing more of it. By 1430 we made Dawson Creek, BC, which is Mile Zero of the historic Alaska Highway. We picked up a few items from the Visitor’s Center and took the obligatory touristy shots of us standing in front of the Mile Zero sign and cairn.
I then noticed a sporting goods shop nearby with a sign proclaiming it has the best ammo prices in northwestern Canada. We walked over from the visitor’s center and I asked for the slugs for my shotgun. I said I was from the States so was not completely familiar with their rules and asked if they needed anything from me for an ammo purchase. The clerk said she couldn’t sell me ammo without a PAL card, i.e., a Possession and Acquisition License photo ID. When I said I only had a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration but thought that was good for ammo purchases, she said she’s not sure but that form may only be good for bringing the gun through Canada but I may need another form to permit me to buy ammo! I thanked her for the info and went back to the van, where I had a copy of the Canada Firearms Centre’s web info. Thankfully, their website clearly said the certified Declaration is good for an ammo purchase. And once the clerk saw that info, she checked with a supervisor and I bought my ammo. In retrospect, I don’t think she was trying to avoid selling me the ammo, I think she merely had never heard of an alternate to the PAL procedure and it was up to me to show there is.
We then headed out of Dawson Creek while Labashi pored over a British Columbia Road and Recreation Atlas we bought at the gun shop. She had jumped on that one when she saw it has forest service recreation sites, including free campsites off the forest roads. After gassing up ($139!) we decided to try finding the free campsite closest to Dawson Creek even though we weren’t ready to stop for the day. But we struck out. We couldn’t find it. The area where it appears on the map has some recent oil-well work with signs saying “Danger— H2S Gas May Be Present” so that may have shut down the camping area. But I’d think we would have seen some remnants of it.
We drove on to the next forest recreation area at Inga Lake and that one turned out to be a good one. The lake was a pretty wilderness lake and our site sat in among the pines, well away from the other dozen-or-so campers. We took a short walk and had supper, then spent the evening blogging and reading.

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Minot ND, border crossing, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Lloydminster and on to Grande Prairie, AB

(posted from Grande Prairie visitor’s center)
(this post covers 24-26 June, 2008)


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Thursday, 26 June-

We were so tired last night we slept heavily despite a noisy parking lot. We were up and on the road by 0730. By mid-day we made Edmonton and then stopped at Spruce Grove for gas, ice, and a snack. An hour or so later we stopped at a forest-industries museum and visitor’s center at Whitecourt. The man behind the visitor’s center is John Dahl, an 80-ish former construction contractor and (former) mayor of the town. John happened to be in the museum for a visit and we began talking. He described the process of raising two million dollars to build and sustain the center and it became clear that John is THE man in this area. The museum had fantastic photographs, ranging from 1890’s shots of homesteads and schools to a shot of a wall-tent with the sign “Imperial Bank”. And we noticed a 1948 photo of one Audrey Dahl with 40 kids outside a one-room log school house. “That would be my wife”, said John when we asked about it. What a fantastic experience it was for us to trade stories for an hour or so with a true pioneer of the area.
Around 1300 we pulled off at a rest area and had lunch. A car parked behind us and two young women took a bright-colored little box down over the hillside to the nearest trees and hung the box in a birch. As they returned to their car we learned they are setting out traps to monitor for gypsy moths entering the area. The area doesn’t currently have a gypsy-moth problem but they are supposed to be headed this way.
After a long afternoon of driving through thunderstorms and headwinds we made Grande Prairie, Alberta. After so much driving through relatively unpopulated areas we were surprised to find Grande Prairie has almost 50,000 residents. After verifying we could park overnight at the Wal-mart we drove to a less-busy part of the mall complex and had supper, then blogged and read until time for bed.

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Wednesday, 25 June-

Today we awoke by 0630 and were on the road by 0730. We first took the quickie tour of Moose Jaw (‘Cultural Capital of Saskatchewan!”) on the way out to the highway. We took a less-traveled road toward Saskatoon and soon were in a construction zone and the road had a thick layer of gravel. But the trucks were nevertheless flying along in the opposite direction, spraying us with gravel. When I’d see the big ones—the double-trailer ones—coming, I’d look for a pull-off and just pull over and stop to avoid a windshield ding.
Not far from there we saw our first coyote of the trip. He or she was just out in the field about 100 yards away, loping along easily. And a bit later we dropped down off the prairie into the Qu’Appelle Valley—a beautiful little valley of lakes and rolling hills. Two summers ago we had visited another part of the Qu’Appelle Valley northeast of Regina (near Fort Qu’Appelle) so we were happy to see this part of the valley for comparison.
As we neared Saskatoon we decided to cut across below Saskatoon to approach from the south rather than the south-east. That would take us to the Beaver Creek Preservation Area where we had met shepherd Jared, his border collie Katie and their 231 sheep in 2006. Jared, Katie, and the sheep had been there as the key players in a project to rid the Preserve of invasive plants. But it was not to be. When we talked with the manager of the Preserve visitor center, we learned the project had lasted two years and had been deemed mostly successful but this year management is trying other methods-- including plowing and planting broome grass—to address the problem. We did learn that Jared is building a house and that his wife Tasha now has a job at the university where she was a student on our last visit.
We then drove south-west of Saskatoon to The Berry Farm for some saskatoons. These are blueberry-like berries which grow on 8-10-foot bushes. They’re a bit smaller than the blueberry but just as delicious. In the US, they’re called serviceberries or (I think) juneberries. Labashi had hot saskatoon-berry tea and saskatoon perogies while I had a saskatoon gelato with a generous topping of (what else?) saskatoons!
We then got back on the road I gassed up for the first time in Canada--- $148 (regular unleaded is $5.40 a gallon). We then drove west to Lloydminster on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. We saw a Boston Pizza and immediately wanted one of their wonderful thai-pasta bowls like we had had in Thompson last August. But we were disappointed to learn there are different menu regions in the Boston Pizza restaurant chain and this one did not include the thai-pasta bowl. We settled for Thai-chicken pizza and that was good but didn’t compare in wow-factor (and cost me $24 for a medium pizza!)
After supper we found a nearby park and took a walk, then read before going to the Wal-mart for the night.

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Tuesday, 24 June-

After a nice, quiet night in Fargo we pointed the van for Canada. By mid-day we had made it to Minot, ND and enjoyed the pretty views through the rolling hills. I’ve heard Minot is the middle of nowhere--- and it probably is in winter--- but today the area seemed a very nice place to live—particularly a few miles either north or south of the city. The hills look like a Georgia O’Keefe painting waiting to happen. Simply hang a massive morning glory from a sky-hook and you’ll have the painting.
The big issue for the day was expected to be the border crossing with my shotgun. After researching this on the web and talking with the Canada Firearms Centre in Ottawa, I thought the theory of taking a shotgun across the border looked relatively easy but the practice of it could be a problem. The Canadian law looked simple enough and I had the right forms and procedures but the decision would be up to the border agent. In my first conversation (by phone) with a border agent about a month ago, she seemed to have an adverse opinion about Americans bringing any gun into the country for any reason. She seemed to change her opinion when I said we’d be camping in remote areas. Over the next week I talked with agents at the Canada Firearms Centre and they didn’t seem to have adverse opinions on the subject (so long as I was talking long-gun and not hand-gun) but then I saw the Milepost tour guide discourages trying to bring a firearm into Canada, advising that the border agents have wide discretion in permitting or denying the ‘importation’ of the firearm.
Just in case we’d have a problem, I brought along the shipping box (I had asked the gun shop for the shipping box when I picked the gun up the day before leaving). So while we were in Minot I did a GPS search for UPS and Fedex and found a GPS Store. If we were turned away at the border, we’d drive back the 50 miles to the UPS Store and use the shipping box to send the gun to either my dealer at home or (if I still wanted to mess with this) to a dealer in Soldotna, Alaska who routinely does this.
Before crossing the border I wanted to get a form called “Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad” filled out for the gun at the US station. I had read on the web that this form may help avoid any problems in bringing the gun back into the US.
As we approached the border, I saw no way to approach the US border station. I could see it off to our left but the road in front of us simply had signs telling us we were entering Canada. I stopped and simply looked as confused as I was and eventually a US border guy asked what I needed and then held up traffic and told me where to park to enter the US border station. Inside I presented the form to a new agent who had to ask the supervisor for help but from there on it was routine. They looked up the serial number to determine if it was stolen and then signed and stamped the form, then the trainee accompanied me out to the van to verify the serial number.
We then crossed to the Canadian side and I declared the shotgun, a five-liter box of wine (you’re only allowed 1.5 liters of wine free) and my bear-spray (pepper spray is permitted only if clearly marked as designed for animals). The guy put those on a form and told me to take it to an agent inside. There another agent simply processed the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration form and asked for the $25 form-processing payment. She had me mark the form ‘In-Transit’ since we’re headed to Alaska and never checked the gun’s serial number, barrel length, ammo capacity, our IDs, or anything. I believe what happened was our vehicle license plate had identified us to the first agent, who could see our photo IDs (passports) on his computer. And I believe the agent inside could see not only our passports but also the record of the shotgun which had been made only a few minutes before by the US agents. And she never said a word about the wine or bear spray; she just initialed off the form and bid us good day.
With considerably lightened spirits, we entered Saskatchewan and drove on for a few hours to the Wal-mart at Moose Jaw for the night. Nearing Moose Jaw we passed a sign saying something like “Welcome to ‘Dog River’” and that rang a bell. Dog River is the town in the Canadian comedy series “Corner Gas”. Shortly thereafter we passed an old gas station and there was large movie light, a klieg light, leaning against the outer wall. Could that be the ‘Corner Gas’ location? Once in Moose Jaw and after a bit of shopping, I spent a pleasant hour chatting with a fellow RVer, Rick from Prince Edward Island. Rick and his wife were traveling in an old Itasca Phaser (sister to the Winnebago LeSharo my Dad once owned) and had been to Calgary to see his son and was now homebound. For some reason we hit it off very well and had a nice long chat about our various travels. Rick’s goal for tomorrow? Go see the gas station where ‘Corner Gas’ location shots are done—the same gas station we saw just a few hours before. (Note: there are some good clips of ‘Corner Gas’ on YouTube. And the DVD of the first season is now out on Netflix (but is currently a long wait to actually get it).

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Chicago, The Dells, Minnesota, and on to North Dakota

(posted from Caribou Coffee, Fargo, ND)
(this post covers 22-23 June, 2008)

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Monday, 23 June-

This morning we awoke early (because of the time change) and were underway by 0800. An hour later we stopped in a small town along I-94 to mail some letters and have a breakfast sandwich. We had perfect weather and perfect scenery for the drive from the Dells to Minneapolis and beyond. We had a cool, sunny morning and mile upon mile of deer-hunting countryside to enjoy. Every sign seemed to have antlers on it or some reference to the far North.
We made Minnesota and the Twin Cities around lunch time and zoomed right through the middle of the cities with no problem. On the outskirts, we saw a Cabelas and a Camping World and stopped for a couple of small items we’ve thought of during the drive—a spotlight, a cupholder, things like that. For some reason the clerk thought I have an accent and denied (in her strong Norwegian accent) she has one.
By Osakis, we were ready for a short break and stopped briefly for an ice-cream. Then it was on to the North Dakota line and our target for overnight—the Wal-Mart at Fargo. We made the last few miles into Fargo with the gas gauge below the empty mark but our 35-gallon tank took only 30 gallons of fuel—a nice number to know for the future. Gas in the Dells was about $4.02 ($3.99 at our casino) but was $3.79 in Fargo.
We spent the evening at Elmwood Park, a nice little city park/ballfields complex in West Fargo, not far from the Wal-mart. After supper we walked the park as we watched two women’s softball games going on and we wandered out into the nearby neighborhood for a look-round. Then we spent the evening blogging and reading until dark and our return to the Wal-mart for the night.

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Sunday, 22 June-

This morning we left for our long, long trip to Alaska. We drove southwest across Michigan via I-94 to Chicago and thought, well, it’s Sunday so why not take the inside route, the ‘Skyway’, through the city? What a mistake. I can’t say for sure the outer route would have been better but soon wished we had taken that one. We came upon six lanes of stand-still traffic right at a split between Express Lanes and Local Lanes just as we came in sight of the city’s high-rise buildings. I managed to dodge off to the Local Lanes in time to pass at least a thousand cars across the six lanes, all trying to merge into two lanes and backed up for a good two miles. That part went swimmingly for us but soon ended. Traffic for the airport joined us and we were forced to join back into the main lanes. We moved along at five to ten miles per hour for about 45 minutes. Then, as we turned away from the city, things slowly opened up and we were once again free. As with many of these situations, it seemed worse upon first seeing it than it really turned out to be. When you can see all lanes jammed with traffic ahead of you for miles it seems like you’ll be stuck forever. But we slowly, steadily worked through it and then were surprised it had only been 45 minutes.
The remainder of Illinois consisted of toll booths on I-94 to the Wisconsin line—at least a dozen of them. At one we paid $1.25 and then went only a mile before having to pay another $3.00. But once we crossed the Wisconsin line, the trip looked much better. The toll booths were gone and the land changed from dead-flat to rolling hills and pretty little farms. The scenery looked a lot like our beloved Pennsylvania--- green, green, and more green, all freshly grown out. We had big sky, big clouds, a brief rain, then a rainbow and sunny skies.
That evening we reached the Wisconsin Dells area. We checked the local Wal-mart and saw ‘No Overnight Parking!’ signs but asked inside anyway. The greeter guy told us we were welcome to stay the night—nobody ever did anything about the signs and it was common for RVs and trucks to stay overnight. But we later noticed there was bad news too. The lot was quite busy and noisy with trucks and too close to the interstate. We had seen signs to a casino at the previous exit so checked through our Wisconsin pages from freecampgrounds.com and there it was—the Ho-Chunk Nation casino allows free overnighting. We drove there in less than ten minutes and found it to be a wonderful spot for us. We took our walk through the very modern, new casino and resort hotel and talked with the security guard. He not only welcomed us for an overnight stay but also went out of his way to direct us to the quieter back lot and gave us tips on where to find a cheap breakfast, where to dump our trash, and where to get gas and ice. By dark we were well-settled in and we had a wonderfully-quiet night.

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We're departing for Alaska today, hoping to get past Chicago's heavy traffic and then head for the Mississippi. I'm not sure when the next update will be. I can write the blog updates on my computer as often as I like but must find a wi-fi (wireless) hotspot to upload to the web. Normally that means we look for a connection every three or four days. I find the hotspots using listings I've printed off of www.wififreespot.com or we use the GPS to find a library and hope they have wireless connectivity available.

Finishing up the project list...

(posted from Labashi’s Mom and Dad’s home)
(this post covers 19-21 June, 2008)
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Saturday, 21 June-

This morning I went to an electrical supply house for replacement caps for an old-style outdoor receptacle but the store wasn’t open today (whatever happened to Saturday-noon closings?). But nearby was a Michigan Tool outlet where I bought a small trolley-jack and a come-along as just-in-case items for our trip.
Back home I replaced several blown-off rain-gutter covers, fixed a sagging wheelbarrow, ran a leakage test on the toilet I fixed the other day, lubed door hinges, filed off the sharp edges on Mocha Joe’s gravel guard and helped Dad with an email problem.
That evening we went out for dinner at the local Shield’s and had excellent ribs before coming back for TV and chat.

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Friday, 20 June-

This morning I drove to Labashi’s sister’s home to get signatures on a legal document while Labashi worked her project list. There’s a Camping World nearby where I picked up some small hard-to-find items and a copy of the 2008 Milepost, a detailed travel guide for the main roads in Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory. I spent the afternoon shopping Dick’s, Gander Mountain, and Bass Pro for a hard-sided lockable shotgun case for our upcoming border crossing but never did find just the right one.
Labashi and I went for a walk then spent a nice evening on the porch, watching the sun set. Afterwards Labashi, Mom, and Dad watched “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on one TV while I watched “Bad Day at Black Rock” on the other.

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Thursday, 19 June-

This morning I wrote up operations and troubleshooting instructions for the new television/converter setup on the two TVs. I then considered my project list done and took the afternoon for myself. I drove to the dive shop and shooting range in Royal Oak to look around, then on to the library for a wi-fi connection. The library proved to be a bust. After setup I connected to mail and found it very slow. I checked with the librarian about the connection and she assured me everything was working. So once again I fell for the old ‘it must be your computer’ gambit and spent a half-hour trying to figure it out. I finally gave up and went across the street to the local Biggby’s Coffee for a connection and it worked fine. So much for librarians and internet connections.
I spent an hour or so catching up the blog and posted an update, then headed home for another of Mom’s good suppers. Afterwards Labashi and I took a walk and then we watched an excellent PBS program about China.

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‘Breathless’, trip prep, “The Nazis: A Warning from History”, Alaska trip departure, “Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days”, projects at Mom and Dad’s

(posted from Biggby’s Coffee, Southfield, MI)
(This post covers 7-18 June)

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Wednesday, 18 June-

Today I spent the morning installing the new printer/scanner and then trying to get Dad’s digital camera to talk to Vista and to the camera’s viewing software. I couldn’t find Vista drivers or info on the Fuji web site but did find a query on a Fuji UK web site which indicated this circa 2002 camera should work. Our install was fairly normal but the camera wouldn’t connect. I called Tech Support and after a long wait learned it SHOULD work so we kept looking. Eventually we found the USB cable we were using had an extension. Dad was checking one end, I was checking the other and all the time the plugs were pulled apart slightly in the middle. Once we re-connected the camera came alive and we were able to move pictures—except into viewing software. We eventually found a workaround and now Dad’s back in business with his photos.
That afternoon I bought and installed an amplified indoor antenna for the main TV and a second Insignia digital-to-analog converter box, this for the TV in the kitchen. The amplified antenna resolved the low-signal pixilation and, interestingly enough, the old antenna worked fine with the kitchen TV— and without pixilation.
All in all the converter installations were a great success. The picture quality is a quantum leap forward and we gained channels. Where before they had five or six channels, they now have 14 (two of them the HD signal of the regular broadcast so they shouldn’t really count and two of the channels are weather-all-the-time channels but on the other hand we gained two more PBS broadcasts). The converter boxes cost $23.59 each (with two $40 government voucher cards) and the RCA amplified antenna was $35. The bad news? Well, it’s getting awfully complicated to just watch TV. Both the TV and the converter must be on (of course) and channels changed with the converter remote only. The converter remote only controls audio so much and it depends on the audio being set properly on the TV. If the converter audio is way down, you can turn the TV audio all the way up and still not hear anything. And now you have an extra remote to misplace and eventually fail. The converter box and amplified antenna both take power you didn’t have to use before and they will eventually fail (and the government won’t be giving out $40 coupons for that). Of course by that time the regular TV may have failed and we won’t need a converter on an all-digital TV.
Late in the day I also completed two small electrical projects. I installed an electrical junction box to cover two exposed wires by the front porch and I disassembled and re-installed the porch light fixture to stiffen up its mount and I replaced the burnt-out bulb with a rough-service bulb.
That evening I updated the blog while everybody else watched the spiffy newly-converted TV signal.

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Tuesday, 17 June-

This morning I called the Korky troubleshooting line and learned I was on the right track. The tech agreed it was impossible to crush the seal into place using hand-turning alone (Why would it not be a good idea to say that in the instructions??). Within an hour I completed the installation and turned on the water. Hooray! It works!
I then began working with Dad on his new PC. One of the problems turned out to be lack of Windows Vista support for the printer and scanner. After the shock of finding his expensive peripherals were now virtually worthless, Dad checked out the new all-in-one printer/scanner/fax Mom had been given for Christmas and decided one of those would be okay. I checked the web and found one but thought I’d also look around locally.
I went to the local Best Buy and Radio Shack to look at the printer/scanners and also to research digital-to-analog TV converters. Mom and Dad use off-the-air reception exclusively so will need converters by next February. After seeing what was available locally I came back and spent an hour on the web to see what reviews had to say. I found the Best Buy one (an Insignia model) was rated higher by Consumer Reports as was the current model of Mom’s printer/scanner/copier. I bought one converter that afternoon and installed it.
After the converter installation I was very impressed by the clear picture but then started noticing some pixilation, i.e., breakup of the picture, on some channels. That turned out to be an indication of insufficient signal. We did notice, though, that the pixilation disappeared in the evening. Apparently the signals transmit more easily at night.
I was also impressed by the easy setup. Plug it up, tell it to scan for channels, and start watching the channels it finds. Couldn’t be easier.
Late in the day we drove to Best Buy to pick up the new all-in-one printer/scanner/copier.
That evening we watched a PBS special on the lives of a half-dozen people in the new China. Well done, PBS!

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Monday, 16 June-

Today was a work day for Mom and Dad. Things didn’t start off well. We had decided my top priorities were to fix a leaky toilet and start figuring out what’s wrong with Dad’s new computer. But the van’s brakes weren’t right so first I found a local garage to check them out and dropped the van there and walked back to the house. I soon found myself working two completely different projects than I had intended—re-mounting a medicine cabinet and replacing the spigot handles on the utility tub. Nothing went well. Labashi had started on the medicine cabinet but soon needed help just because it was too much for one person. The top mounting screws had come out because the cabinet wasn’t mounted flat to the wall and the screws too short. The contractor had put in a splash panel and its trim to a height of about four feet. But when he mounted the medicine cabinet he didn’t cut away the splash panel where the cabinet would go, he merely put the cabinet up and bolted it tight, leaving a ¼ inch gap behind the top half of the cabinet. Mom had noticed the cabinet seemed to be falling off the wall and indeed the top was barely attached. The top screws had been installed at studs but they were too short; they barely made it through the drywall. We first tried replacing the 1-3/4” screws with 2-1/2” lag bolts but they still weren’t long enough. But then we used 3-1/2” lag bolts (and plywood to fill in behind the cabinet) and that really did the job.
The utility sink handles also required multiple trips to the local Lowe’s. A local plumber had installed new faucets and used handles that Mom can’t grip (and don’t fit the stems properly) so we’re replacing them. It’s incredible how the manufacturers each try to corner the business by using a slightly different design—different splines, different screw threads, etc. We bought handles made by five different manufacturers and not one of them fit. We eventually had to use a universal-mount design which mounts via multiple allen-screws, almost guaranteeing a less-than-perfect fit. They do solve the gripping problem, though, and Mom’s happy with them.
On the way back from Lowe’s I saw the van was out of the garage so we stopped in to pick it up. Two new calipers, machining of the rotors, and a cleaning and adjustment of the rear brakes added up to $250 more I won’t be have to spend on gas for our trip. So after $500 for tires, $750 for a tuneup, $250 for a brake repair, I should probably turn around and go home. But then again, what fun would THAT be?
I finally got around to the toilet late in the afternoon. This one is a 1967 two-piece design and it’s blue—meaning that if I break it I’ll have no chance whatsoever of matching the blue tub and sink. I bought a Korky kit and replaced everything in the tank, plus the tank-to-seat seal, and the tank-to-seat bolts. I’ve not done one of these before so I was surprised to find the instructions didn’t work. The instructions say to crush the seal down by hand-tightening the bolts. But hand-tightening cannot possibly work—it leaves the tank so wobbly it seems it will fall over. I ended up using wrenches and alternating sides, tightening until it seemed dangerous to go further. Then I’d wait an hour or two while the seal crushed down. Afterwards, I could get another half-turn. I did this four or five times and then left it for morning; I’d better call the factory.

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Sunday, 15 June-

Today we did a few chores in the morning and then drove to nearby Canton for a graduation party and Father’s Day celebration. This turned into a mini-reunion for the family and we had a great day.
That evening we watched “Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days”, a very good Romanian movie about a young woman and her room-mate as they go through the former’s abortion. The subject is a tough one but the movie is very well done. Highly recommended. I see RT Top Critics gave it a 100%-- that’s the first of those I’ve seen. But be fore-warned—it’s a story for adults.

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Saturday, 14 June-

Today was an all-day travel day as we head to the Detroit area to see Labashi’s Mom and Dad before heading for Canada and then on to Alaska. We started a bit late and soon ran into a persistent light rain across Pennsylvania but the sky cleared very nicely once we crossed the Ohio line. We made Toledo in good time but then were detoured onto I-275 as we approached Detroit. We made it to the house about 1815 and soon were happily chatting around the dinner table.
The gas fill-up below Toledo said we had done 15.7 mpg to that point and we had a slight head-wind. Gas was $3.91 at the I-80 interchange and about $4.15 in suburban Detroit.
Oh, yeah. We had a little surprise as we neared Mom and Dad’s. The brakes started pulling to the right… not violently but definitely a hard pull and one that requires a firm grip on the wheel to counteract. Now what?

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Friday, 13 June-

This morning we carried all the various storage containers down to the van and reviewed their placement and contents, looking to lighten the load or make small efficiency improvements. (Yes, we’ve even managed to clutter up the 40-square-feet of living space that is our travel van.)
The new shelf is turning out to be a great idea—no more gear-pile-in-the-corner. And we soon had everything stowed and a small mountain (okay, a hillock) of unnecessary extras to take back into the house.
And (surprise!) the shotgun came in that afternoon. I was able to pick it up just as the shop was closing for the day.
That evening we finished “The Nazis: A Warning from History”. The color footage of the early days of the Nazis is an eye-opener. And finally, I see how it was possible for Hitler to come to power and sustain that power. Highly recommended.

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Thursday, 12 June-

I picked up the van in late morning and swallowed hard at the $750 bill-- $400 of it parts. But I have no regrets. After seeing the plug gaps and learning that the coil primary post had ‘evaporated’, I see the tuneup was badly needed and may well have averted a breakdown. The noise turned out to be the idler pulley and that was replaced. The tuneup replaced the plugs, hi-tension wires, cap, rotor, coil, air filter, fuel filter, serpentine belt and PCV filter. I also elected to go ahead with replacing the front brake pads. They had an estimated 5-7K left but I’d rather replace now than later. Of course we could still have a breakdown from any one of a hundred possibilities but the tuneup should not only give us better gas mileage and better reliability for the backcountry.
I spent the afternoon carefully loading the rear of the van… tools, bikes, portable shower, etc. I called the gun shop at noon to see if I could pick up my new shotgun yet. The owner said ‘Oh, yeah, I wonder what happened?” He said he’d call the distributor to check and I knew there was a problem and when he didn’t call right back I knew something was up. They lost the order entirely. They say they’ll overnight it but then again they said they’d ship it the same day on the original order.
Late in the day I spent a couple of hours installing hardware cloth (steel mesh) behind the grill. Hopefully that’ll keep the rocks out of the radiator and transmission cooler.
That evening we watched another two episodes of ‘The Nazis: A Warning from History’.

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Wednesday, 11 June-

I was hoping to have the van back today but at noon I drove by and saw they hadn’t started working on it yet. I stopped in and learned they’d get on it later in the day and hoped to have it done by the end of the day or first thing in the morning. I really couldn’t complain. By asking them to not only do the original work but also do a tuneup and a detailed inspection, I had added a lot of work.
At home we spent our day with more travel preparations. We cut each other’s hair (Labashi zapped mine entirely and I just took off a couple of inches from the ends of her long hair) and I began packing clothes. We took more time in the selection process than in the actual packing. (“Do I REALLY need this?”) The plan is to pack clothes for a couple of weeks and use a Laundromat or campground laundry as needed.
That evening we watched the first episode of “The Nazis: A Warning From History”, a two-disk BBC mini-series.

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Tuesday, 10 June-

Today we took Mocha Joe to the garage to fix a noise coming from either the power steering pump or idler pulley and to check brakes, fluids, belts, etc. And though I had not scheduled one, I said I’d spring for a tuneup if they could fit it in.
We spent the day with various forms of trip prep—from gathering together the maps and tour books to reviewing the contents of all the storage bins and hidden corners of the van.
I also spent quite a bit of time on the web, printing off the latest lists of free wi-fi spots from wififreespot.com, lists of free (or under $10) campgrounds from freecampgrounds.com, and various forms we’d need for border crossings.
That evening we watched the final episode of ‘The Alaska Experiment’. We were a little disappointed in this series. It seemed too simplistic. We saw the same footage time and again. The finale was doubly disappointing in that we simply saw the same old footage yet again—and without any new insights. It seems such a shame that the production staff would go to such lengths in planning and execution to set up and run the experiment yet end up with a less-than-compelling product. When you end up with you most-often-repeated scene being an argument over arranging shoes, you have a problem.

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Monday, 9 June-

This morning we got up early (0630) to work on the van before the heat of the day. After unloading everything we swept and vacuumed, cleaned the windows and washed the window screens, fixed the window-screen attachment velcros, and fixed a problem with the bed platform. By mid-day the high humidity was taking its toll but I just took my time building in a new shelf to better protect the laptop and electronics storage and organization bags.
By mid-afternoon I was ready for a break. Labashi and I took Mocha Joe’s spare in to Wal-Mart for a new tire. The old spare still had some tread but I don’t want to take a chance on it for our trip to the backcountry.
That evening we watched the rest of ‘Breathless’. Recommended if you’re a fan of 60’s film history. Otherwise, it seemed awfully self-indulgent. Some creativity, lots of showing off.

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Sunday, 8 June-

A lazy day today in all the heat. I made the mistake of taking yesterday’s walk in my sandals and have the blisters to prove it. They’re not really bad, though, and make a great excuse for spending the day on the ever-entertaining web. Today I read the national and local news sites, several shooting forums, a few articles on Slate and Huffington Post and the various provincial sections of cbc.ca.
Late in the day I began a letter to the Johnstown cycle shop on the bike’s thermostat problem.
That evening we watched ‘Breathless’, Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 French ‘new wave’ film. We started late so we only watched about two-thirds of it tonight and will pick it up tomorrow. I like the late-Fifties footage of Paris and enjoy looking for the characteristics which made it unique in its time. It brings back strong memories of 60’s independent films… the days when the director showed a gun, abruptly cut just before the gun fired, then showed the actor falling or reacting.

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Saturday, 7 June-

This morning I looked at the weather report on Wunderground and saw a string of 90+ temperatures coming at us. We decided to install one of our two window air conditioners and last as long as we can without it. Surprisingly, we made it to evening. The temperature went into the low 90’s. We spent much of the day on the web and I managed to take my four-mile walk along the creek in the heat of the afternoon. But by 6 pm the house seemed like an oven and the a/c was wonderful.




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‘Tin Man’, trip prep, Mocha Joe’s power-window problem

(posted from home)
(This post covers 1-6 June, 2008)

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Friday, 6 June-

Today I received the response from Kawasaki on the Concours warranty denial by my local shop. Big K says they can’t help and won’t consider paying for the apparent mistake by the Johnstown shop, even though it was done under their warranty. That’s disappointing.
I also spent quite a bit of time on the web researching the power-window problem on Mocha Joe—no luck there. I’ve posted a query about it on a Ford-repair forum so we’ll see if anyone has advice on how to go about isolating and repairing the problem. I doubt I’ll have it fixed in time, though. I’d better think about how I’m going to seal that window on short notice (if needed) and pack accordingly.
Today is extra-warm and we’re in for a very hot, sticky weekend. We only have a week to go before departure on our trip but may break down and bring up one of the room air conditioners for the interim. I probably ought to run them once in awhile anyway and the use would be short enough to not add up to much, expense-wise.
That evening we watched Bill Moyers’ Journal. He once again raked the mainstream media over the coals for their lack of original journalism. As I was growing up I didn’t appreciate how important it is to have not only a free press but one eager to dig for the truth.

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Thursday, 5 June-

This morning I told Labashi I’d do some marketing but first would go check some gun shops to see if they can get the shotgun I’d like to have for our trip at anywhere near a reasonable price. That turned into a most-of-the-day excursion to the gun shops but by the end of the day I had the info I needed, felt comfortable it was the ‘right’ alternative at a decent price---- and had a load of groceries! I also stopped by the Ford dealership to see if they can do anything about a nagging problem with Mocha Joe’s power windows. The switch on Labashi’s side has been acting up and I sometimes have to use the switch on my side to get her window started down. The service manager didn’t inspire much confidence in me, though, and it looks like an appointment there would just turn into a money pit while they try to replicate the very-intermittent problem.
I also ordered a camping guide and a Gazetteer for our trip. With the discount, no tax, and free shipping on Amazon, I’m essentially getting the camping guide free and it appears to be a good one. Good deal!
That evening we watched two ‘Weeds-2’ episodes to finish disk 1 as the rental ends tomorrow. I’m not sure if we’ll rent it again before our trip or not. I have to remember to cancel our Netflix subscription before the 11th so I don’t get billed for another month just before leaving and be sure we get all the Netflix disks back before we depart.

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Wednesday, 4 June-

I spent the morning on research for our trip. I want to be sure we have all the right equipment, forms and answers for the Canada Border Service when we enter the country. We’re planning to be far enough into the backcountry that we will want to take along some personal protection. We learned first-hand last summer (in northern Manitoba) that the northern bears aren’t to be trifled with and we’ll be camping in some remote areas. And while Canada is a no-go for handguns, the Non-Resident Firearms Declaration process has a specific purpose called “protection from wild animals in remote places” which allows for shotguns (with some limits).
That afternoon we drove to Chambersburg for an appointment at Mom’s assisted-living facility. We took Mocha Joe so I could turn over the fishing boat to Maypo for the summer.
We didn’t get home until later in the evening so only had time for a quick epi of ‘Weeds-2’.

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Tuesday, 3 June-


This morning I re-installed the fishing boat guide-ons before spending an hour or two reading the shooting forums and catching up on the news. I then started researching the web on some safety issues for our upcoming trip.
That evening we finished ‘Tin Man’ and watched another ‘Weeds-2’ episode.

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Monday, 2 June-

I started off this morning by finishing the lawn mowing on this spectacular Spring morning—about an hour to finish things up. Afterwards I inspected the seal on Mocha Joe’s roof-bubble and decided I should put on a fresh coat of rubber-roof paint to close up a small surface crack on the right-front corner and prolong the life of the underlying sealant material. Directions on the sealant call for it to be replaced every year but that’s ridiculous. After the last replacement of the sealant, I covered it with a good layer of rubber-roof paint from the local RV store and that seems to be doing a good job of protecting it.
I then wanted to exercise the Concours so rode in to Starbucks and stopped at the video rental store on the way back. One of the problems in dealing with Netflix is you don’t see new DVD releases. Their ‘new releases’ are often months old, perhaps because they can’t handle a big rush on new titles. So I occasionally stop at the local video store to check things out and then decide whether to rent there or wait and pick it up on Netflix.
Back home I did some more little chores (making appointments, etc) and then spent an hour or so on the web working with Photobucket. I’m losing my enthusiasm for Photobucket as I experience problems and am not getting great responses from the support folks.
Late in the afternoon I resumed work on the boat guide-ons. After cleaning up all the rusty hardware with the wire wheel I stored the stripped parts in the basement, thinking I’d get to them soon. But I waited too long and they rusted again. Today I cleaned them up again and painted them with several coats of zinc-rich paint (cold-galvanizing paint).
That evening we watched the second part of ‘Tin Man’ and episode 2 of ‘Weeds-2’. ‘Tin Man’ is getting a little bogged down. It started out well but seems to now just be filling time.

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Sunday, 1 June-

Today I set up an account on Photobucket to use for photo storage. I had some problems with it (like a disappearing video after I moved it from one ‘album’ to another) so got into some email exchanges with the tech staff. Between site setup and the long file upload times for videos, I blew a lot of the day on this.
Later in the day I took the Miata in to Wal-mart to pick up an el-cheapo motorcycle cover. My regular cover has deteriorated over the four years of its life to the point where a seam has opened up and I’m going to need a new one. But rather than go through the hassle and expense of researching and buying one now, I’ll just use the Wal-mart cover for the summer and see how that goes. The Wal-mart cover is $20, the ‘good’ cover $100. I have a Wal-mart cover on the KLR and it’s okay after two years so maybe I should just go with the cheaper option anyway. I’ll see how it goes for the summer.
After supper I mowed the incredible-growing-machine that is my lawn then we watched the last portion of the ‘When the Levees Broke’ disk set and the first section of ‘Tin Man’. The latter is a Sci-Fi channel production and a takeoff of The Wizard of Oz. It’s okay.

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