Author Archives: thesailingfrog

So this it, we have arrived in Port Angeles for the early ferry tomorrow. Trip is over sadly. Thank you for following our adventures.

After a brief visit to the Outlet mall in Anderson, which has only about half a dozen stores which were totally quiet at opening, we keep on the road North. No huge discounts for Black Friday, so no big crowds … Continue reading →

Before leaving Monterey this morning, we went back for a walk right to the end of the pier to visit the sea lions we heard last night. Then it’s a long grind on I5 with the heavy Thanksgiving traffic. It … Continue reading →

We have turned around in San Luis Obispo and started northbound again. We travel on highway 101 this time in the middle of the Salinas River valley. There are many different crops, different types of cabbage, walnut tree plantations, but … Continue reading →

First thank you all for the kind comments and your appreciation for this blog entirely done on my cell. It does help me focus on our experiences and it is lovely to read your takes on our travels. Excuse the … Continue reading →

Still southbound on the Cabrillo highway through Cambria and Cayucos to reach the approach to Morro Bay. We finish the last 2 kms to the rock on foot on a dog friendly path. We go on to San Luis Obispo … Continue reading →

We keep heading south on #1 now called the Cabrillo highway. We spend a little time in Carmel by the sea , walk on the no leash beach to Mini’ delight and go by the 1770 Mission and it’s basilica. … Continue reading →

First thing, we cross the Golden Gate bridge without any traffic, it feels pretty wonderful to be back although last time we were here, we crossed it on mountain bikes. We stop for a quick hike at Land’s End park … Continue reading →

Today was a driving experience. The coast from Fort Bragg to the Golden Gate bridge, so many twists and turns, many hairpin turns some steeper than Tour de France routes, roads so narrow that it’s a challenge to keep inside … Continue reading →

First big event is the border crossing from Oregon to California, all vehicles are stopped by the fruit police. We do declare our 2 oranges and after establishing whether they were of the big or small category, the officer gives … Continue reading →

We start the day with a hike at Cape Perpetua State Park, south of Yachat. It’s a 6.5 miles loop on the Cook ridge trail out and on the Gwynn and Oregon Crest trails on the way back. We go … Continue reading →

Great start of the day with a bright sun, clear sky and 5 degrees. As we make our way south it will reach 16 degrees and the strong wind gusts are not unpleasant. We joined highway 101 South just before … Continue reading →

Back in the camper on the way to California for a couple weeks. We are crossing Juan de Fucca strait on the Coho ferry with shorts, sandals and sunscreen for when we get away from the cold weather in Victoria. … Continue reading →

Well it is a long weekend so new windshield replacement in northern BC is not likely to happen before Tuesday even if our item is in stock locally. We decide to cancel further driving around, the detour to Barkerville and … Continue reading →

The day starts well enough but as we are on the way to Hudson’s Hope our windshield gets it by a rock from a truck with a wood load and we get a loonie size chip. Bad luck, on a … Continue reading →

Except for the sun’s comeback, nothing important today. The high point was talking to Nicolas who turned 34. He made the suggestion that we detour to WAC Bennett dam for a visit so that will be tomorrow. We had a … Continue reading →

Another brilliant early soak in the Liard river at the hot springs and we are off again in the atmospheric river. It rains so much, so hard that we abandon hiking at Muncho lake and Summit lake. But we are … Continue reading →

We continue East on the Alaska highway and for the first time ever in my life, we get yellow signs to warn us about Bisons on the road and the live herd does appear, for real. Then, we are at … Continue reading →

Today, we head back East to Watson Lake and catch up with friends Stuart and Patty who just came up the Cassiar highway on the way to Dawson city for a cool dinner and show on Aurora Borealis at the … Continue reading →

Today was big hike day, nothing else to accomplish! We decided on this historic trail up into the alpine below Montana Mountain. The trail was originally made to service the tramway built in 1905 by Sam McGee for a silver … Continue reading →

Slow start taking full advantage of the motel and the view of the Yukon river. We finally load the camper and as we do the final pre-departure check on the street parking, a fox appears and stops in front of … Continue reading →

Chilly and windy start this morning but the sun shines and we are again on the way to Kluane National park West of Haines Junction for a longer hike. First we check in at the North ranger station as they … Continue reading →

The ride was so smooth today, all on paved roads and no constructions. Had a slight scare as we are testing the diesel range of the camper, but we got to the station with 3.4 l to spare, so over … Continue reading →

Overflow camping was great, only one really quiet neighbour, and no pit toilet door or trash container banging. We go back north 2 kms to hike the Klondike river trail which is a delight of inedible mushrooms and also wild … Continue reading →

Started cold and foggy, cleared up to allow pictures, then rain. Overall a difficult ride with lots of rough sections and slow downs. At a construction site waiting for the pilot truck, we meet Austrians who shipped their Mercedes Hymer … Continue reading →

After I posted the blog in Tuk yesterday, we checked the weather forecast and with lots of rain coming, the already very muddy road between Tuk and Inuvik would turn into a slide, so we decided not to camp in … Continue reading →

It’s about an hour and a half from Fort McPherson to the next ferry , this one across the McKenzie river. We see only one car the whole time as we are between the 2 ferries and they don’t open … Continue reading →

There was a good frost last night but the heater would not start, still better than a tent…-3 at 8 am but clear. We had a very good day driving the unpaved and challenging Dempster highway, passing Eagle plains which … Continue reading →

9 C this morning mostly sunny but we get a welcome shower to rinse the windshield and the van. Water is scarce here, and there was a boil advisory at Fox lake We made it to km 72 of the … Continue reading →

Started with the fog and 11 C but it turns out into a beautiful day. We even spot a moose crossing the road. The Cassiar is a bit better today, but still no yellow line divider, driving takes focus. At … Continue reading →

Started at 8:30 sunny and cool at 17 C, drove through pretty Smithers and stopped on the Buckley river to see the pink salmon run and bought some cold smoked from the Wet’suwet’en nation. At Kitiwanga, the junction to 37, … Continue reading →

Off by 8:15 am, sunny with a few clouds, temperature down to 17C, perfect travel conditions. The bugs were unreal last night so no swimming in Lac La Hache, we stop in Quesnel to fix the chip in the windshield … Continue reading →

The new camper is loaded and organized, we left Victoria this morning on the 9am ferry to the mainland with Mini the Yorkie-poo as our CSO (chief security officer). We will be driving almost 4000 km through British Columbia, the … Continue reading →

Iqaluit is a bit of a shocking return to the South with an avant-garde airport, big pick up trucks everywhere, a paved ring road, line-ups of colorful government buildings and gangs of kids wearing hoodies and tight leggings. It is … Continue reading →

Early start to walk to the airport at the top of town, no taxis in Pond! We are booked on First Air, feeling lucky for our confirmed seats although they cost as much as a return trip from Victoria to … Continue reading →

This is it, we are on to plan B. The ice reports have gotten worse and are forbidding, no way to get to Cambridge bay, or Gjoa Haven or even just through Lancaster sound for at least 10 days and … Continue reading →

We were planning to poke our head North into Lancaster sound but after hearing from Muktuk about the conditions, we opt for a walk on shore hoping to sight some wildlife. We dinghy across the shallow silty bay, Fred carrying … Continue reading →

We are going North from White bay to Tay bay on the North West corner of Bylot Island. We start at 6 am with no wind, no fog and no rain for a while, then all of the above. Winds … Continue reading →

We lost signal yesterday shortly after leaving Pond Inlet, so today the post is by satphone, which means no pictures. Sorry about that. I will add them later. Yesterday was a delight, the fog lifted and we went West in … Continue reading →

We went to visit Kisha and Ruda at their camp by the river yesterday and walked by old round houses build with stones, sand , mosses, lichen. There are many bones of whale and other mammals and birds emerging from … Continue reading →

We get woken up this morning by rumbling noises along the hull of the boat. This is just some flat pieces of iceberg that are travelling fast with the current and hitting us pretty hard. We receive quite a few … Continue reading →

We are hoping to pick up the broken part for the auto pilot from First Air this afternoon, already a day late and now the plane is late. We have thoroughly been back and forth and back again, we know … Continue reading →

We land the dinghy on the beach getting slightly wet due to the swells since there are no docks in Pond Inlet. Then we walk west on the beach for about 2 mm and it feels really good to see … Continue reading →

We start the morning with seven showers , each one of us getting a turn. Fredo also put a load in the washing machine on board, a small genie that can take 8 kg and return them smelling fresh again … Continue reading →

We are in sight of Baffin island , about 15 miles from our chosen Anchorage south of Bylot island. We have gone through thick fog and rain, but it’s lifting a bit as we approach land. We can see snow … Continue reading →

Dunnery and I have been married 33 years today, we are giving ourselves rain-checks for celebrations. The hour long watches continue day and night. It is not harder at night because there is no night. It’s no longer a midnight … Continue reading →

We start crossing Baffin Bay at 11:45 towards Dundas Harbour on Lancaster sound. The heater is still not cooperating and after about 3 hours driving with fog under auto-pilot, It stops working as well. Daughter Veronica is our saviour, she … Continue reading →

Foggy departure at 7am, with a light wind from the South. The morning is a treat despite the fog as we pass monumental icebergs and incredibly artistic ice sculptures, that remind us of swans, sphinxes, towers, forts, an ice-cream cone … Continue reading →

We had a delicious dinner of Arctic char given to us by the crew of Destiny. The night was comfortable at anchor despite the heavy rain and howling winds. By late morning, after checking the forecast, Skipper Fred decides that … Continue reading →

Unfortunately, the Satphone did not send the picture yesterday so we are investigating… We had a wonderful dinner last night of Icelandic lamb shoulder with green beans and French fries, a quiet night at anchorage and this morning was much … Continue reading →