Greetings from very rainy Tombstone Territorial Park. It is supposed to clear tomorrow. They say that the rain will make the road to Eagle Plains difficult. We will take our time.
We have met many nice people. This morning it was Lu and some others from Montreal. They helped us get into a shelter where there was a roaring fire in the wood stove.
We came to the Interpretive Center to learn about the area. We also came because we have a problem.
We have a device that plugs into the front 12 volt outlet. We are supposed to be able to plug other items into it. Last night, when we turned on Miracle and tried to heat water by plugging that device into the converter, we started to smell smoke. We looked down and saw smoke billowing out of where it plugs in. It seems to have fried that outlet. You may be thinking, what a shame–no soup, tea, oatmeal. The biggest problem, though, is that we can’t charge Karma, our wheelchair. So that’s why we are here.
There are supposed to be a few mechanics along the way. So perhaps someone can fix it.
Being able to text today was an unexpected bonus. We don’t know that that will happen again. The curtain system, commode, and Jacqui bed are working great.
The Lowmans Prepare for the Ultimate Camping Expedition
(July 21)
Dear Folks,
This is a continuation of yesterday’s text. We are in Whitehorse today, preparing for our car camping. We leave tomorrow. We will return to Whitehorse on August 2. We will be off the grid until then. We will write more about Whitehorse then.
Yesterday, we knew that we would be driving out of the smoke_unlike those incredibly brave firefighters. We had checked the weather for Watson Lake, which is about halfway–it indicated good air quality.
About an hour into our trip, we hit rain, at times torrential. It continued, off and on, throughout the trip. We don’t know if it helped with the fires–we checked the weather for Ft. Nelson today, and it is still poor.
Although the Alaska Highway can be a tough drive, it is often incredibly beautiful. We took a pull off to capture some scenes. They look like fjords.
If you enlarge the photo with the sign, you’ll see that it gives tips for wildlife viewing. We saw signs for wild horses and Dall sheep. We also saw signs for moose, caribou, and bison. We didn’t see any traces of the first three. As we were driving along, we saw something moving toward us. As we got right up to them, we could see that it was caribou. There were four or five walking in single file along the road. It was so adorable. We lament that we were unable to get a photo.
We made up for it with the bison. Many of us are familiar with bison on the Great Plains. There is also a woodland variety. The government in BC reintroduced them into the area a while back. Now they own the road. They range in size from tiny babies to huge bulls.
We thought that you would enjoy the photo of the 60th parallel. And no photo show would be complete without an image of Tags. Tags is a/the hub of Watson Lake. If you’re on the highway between Ft. Nelson and Whitehorse, it is THE place to stop. It is also the hub for all the surrounding campgrounds and recreation areas. Not only can you get gas, you can get your groceries, get pizza and other food at the restaurant, do your laundry at its laundromat. We like it because it is a good place for the Girls to stretch their legs and they have a bathroom with an accessible stall (although the door swings in, not out, making it a challenge for a wheelchair).
It’s a relief to get to Watson Lake on the way to Whitehorse: you know that you are more than halfway there.
Take care. Be well. We will text again in a few weeks.
Greetings from the Woodlands Inn and Suites in Ft. Nelson, BC. As the sign indicates, this place has everything. It is also the only game in town. It is not a chain—very folksy.
We wish that you all could have been with us us today—although that would have made Miracle very crowded. We drove from Grande Prairie to Dawson Creek. Then we picked up the Alaska Highway and went several hundred miles on it. It takes you through the Canadian Rockies and has splendid terrain. You go up, down, and around. You drive on bridges spanning gorges with rivers. The forests vary by altitude: conifers up high and birches and aspen down lower. The green meadows have purple flowers. We wish we could have taken some photos. Most of the forests looked healthy. There were some stretches, though, with dead trees.
The Alaska Highway was built during World War II. Up until then, Alaska got most supplies by sea. There was concern that this made her vulnerable. So the two nations cooperated and built this marvel in EIGHT MONTHS! It is 1500 miles long. It is a major truck route. It didn’t seem that busy today.
The Woodlands is bustling. They have had a lot of firefighters staying here for the past few months fighting fires up north. We may see that tomorrow.
Forgot to mention that when we were in WI and MN, there were air quality alerts because of smoke from other Canadian fires.
Tomorrow we make the long hike up to Whitehorse. That should be our longest drive.
Wags and hugs.
(July 20)
One of the intriguing things about the wheelchair accessible rooms here is that you get BOTH a roll/in shower and a separate tub. We think that the object on the bed is supposed to be a raven.
We started out the day in Ft. Nelson, BC. The wind had shifted and it was very smoky. You could see, smell, and taste it. As we took our morning walk, we saw the firefighters preparing for their day. They were checking their gear. They travel in a number of Mack pickups. They also have a medical treatment center in a pickup that travels with them. Everyone we saw looked very young and lean. We did see one young woman in the group. They wear uniforms: maroon shirts, black pants and caps, army boots. We hope they have respirators and oxygen. Inhaling that smoke must be like chain smoking for decades.
We mentioned yesterday the dead trees. We don’t know what caused it, but they would make awesome fuel for fires. As we drove along, we saw that there is some cutting out the dead wood. They need lots more.
The visibility was very poor when we started out. The smoke made it tough. Then as we drove into the mountains, we drove into clouds. We crawled along. At one point, a truck was coming out of a rest area and did not see us at first.
It was intriguing to start off this morning and have Google say: stay on the Alaska Highway for 588 miles.
We feel grateful and privileged to be able to make this trip and see these sites. That said, it is challenging. Driving through the mountains, you often can’t use cruise control. I am grateful for every moment of upper body exercises I do. Still, this kind of driving with hand controls tears up your shoulders, arms, and hands. If someone asked if I would recommend the trip to another hand controls user, I would say that they need to be very determined. Fortunately, that describes the Lowmans. We have no regrets. Just enormous thankfulness.
We did get through today’s very long day. It was very interesting. There were fields of rich croplands–lots of canola. In dryer areas, there is ranching: cattle and horses. We climbed into the foothills of the Rockies. There are wonderful conifers and logging. Many of the deciduous trees are dead, though.
We are at the Encore Suites in Grande Prairie. We stayed here last time. This time, our room had a wonderful opening for the shower, but no seat. So for tonight, we are sharing with another room
Tomorrow we lick our wounds and get organized.
(July 18)
Dear Folks,
In hiking parlance, this is what’s called a “Zero Day.”
It’s a chance to get organized for the next leg of the journey.
On our way up to Grande Prairie yesterday, we went through Calgary. It never rained harder. We kept getting alerts from Google saying that “poor visibility reported ahead “. We were in it. It certainly did make Miracle’s windshield clean. When the rain stopped, so did the clean windshield. Driving through fields and forests–lots of insects gave up their lives on our windshield.
Grande Prairie is quite urban. And it isn’t designed with walking in mind. It’s hard to find sidewalks. This morning on our walk, a hotel guest had his dog chained on a stake by his truck. The dog was barking and lunging at us. They were gone by the time we got back.
We organized Miracle a little so that we have a good sense of where our camping materials are.
We got gas so that we could try to scrape some bugs off the windshield.
And we did some laundry and learned about Canadian coins. The $1 coins are called “loonies,” because a loon is depicted on them. The $2 coins are nicknamed “toonies,” combining “two” with “loonie.” That’s Mari in the laundry room
Then we went to the market for a few items. That’s a photo of the Girls in front of a natural foods case.
A recurring theme in our travels is how kind many people are. The market was no exception. A man who worked there asked if we were finding everything all right. By that point, we were still looking for non-dairy yogurt and cheese. Although that is not his department, the man took us over to dairy. We did not find anything, so he asked. We were told that those items were in aisle 12–organics. The man pulled out things and made sure that we got the best dates–even though the market would like you to take the older things first.
We also got some Triscuits. In the US, the packaging says “Proudly grown and baked in the USA.” We wondered how that would play in Canada. The packaging is different here. It is in both English and French. It does not say where it is grown or baked, it does say that it is imported by a company in Toronto.
Many businesses in Canada say: “Proudly Canadian owned and operated.”
Tomorrow is a shorter leg over to Ft. Nelson, BC. Then a long haul to Whitehorse.
Greetings from very rainy Billings, MT. It has rained hard all day.
We are at the Best Western Kelly Inn. It is supposed to look like a lodge. It is the cutest place we have stayed. The room is semi-wheelchair accessible. There is a bear theme here.
We took some photos from a rest area where we stopped.
Also, there has been interest in the camping part of our trip–where we will be, when. It wasn’t in what we shared before because it is in a handwritten document. So we photographed that and have attached it. For your information.
Also, we reached a huge milestone today. Some of you know that we wanted to learn some French before this trip. Our niece, Megan, has a Duo Lingo family plan. So she very generously added us to it. We started on Jan. 1, 2024. Today, after 559 consecutive days, we finished all the French material! 🎉. What a relief. And just before we enter Canada tomorrow.
This will be our last night in the US for more than five weeks.
(July 16)
Dear Folks,
Greetings from Lethbridge, Alberta!
On our way up today, we stopped at a few monuments in MT.
Our big focus for the day was crossing the border. When we came in 2022, we crossed at Sweetgrass. It was so neat: it is a major crossing, so you go through something like a toll booth: you showed your documents and were quickly on your way. But that was then. We wondered how things would have changed with the current situation.
We stopped before the border to put the Girls’ gear on. We had all their documents at the ready. I had my passport card.
When we got to the border, there were two lanes open. We figured that we might need to go to the building for the Girls to get a pat down. The left open lane had a few cars waiting. The right open lane was wide open. So we pulled up: and saw the agent up in an area like a two-story building. I put down my window. He opened his window. I said, “You’re really up high.” That’s when I realized that I was in the truck lane. I said, “I’m in the wrong lane, aren’t I.” He agreed. I apologized and asked if I could back up and go to the correct one. He said yes. But by then, there was a truck in back of me. He said that we would make it work.
He asked where we were going. We told him. He said, for a vacation? I told him about BEYOND LIMITS. He asked how long we would be in Canada. We could tell him exactly. He asked if we had tobacco or liquor, weapons or firearms. Then he asked if we had more than $10,000 in cash. I said, “I wish!”
He asked for my passport. I said I have a passport card, and tried to hand it up to him. We couldn’t connect. He said, no problem, he would come down to get it. He did and ran it. Then he came back.
By then we had quite a line behind us, so he wished us safe travels. The Girls were a little put out that they got all dressed for that. The guy probably was thinking that the US wasn’t sending particularly choice specimens to Canada. 😇
ALWAYS an Adventure.
Tomorrow is our longest day yet in terms of distance to cover. So we will try for an early night.
The Lowmans Visit their Final Preexisting Friend of the Trip
(July 13)
Dear Folks,
We are in Bismarck now.
Before we left Eau Claire, we took a photo of the sculpture near our hotel there. It is a giant crustacean. When we went walking the first night, we didn’t know what it was.
Today was our longest drive so far: 530 miles. North Dakota does have some cities. It also has LOTS of farmland with little villages with no services. The last rest area in MN said that the next rest area would be 90 miles away in ND. OK. And it seemed too soon to get gas in Fargo. But then we drove and drove and saw no signs of gas stations. There was an indication that Buffalo, ND, had gas. It is a small village, yet we managed to turn the wrong way. We found ourselves on dirt roads in corn fields. So we asked Google about gas. She took us back out to route 94. In 22 miles, we came to Valley City and a Love’s travel plaza. We went to the bathroom there, as well, which was good. The rest area we had intended to use had been torn down, but they never removed the signs.
The Home2 Suites in Bismarck is quite nice. The odd thing is that the bathroom door has been bolted open because someone had been locked inside. 😇
(July 14)
Today was our last day visiting friends as we drive west across the northern US. Jill came over from MN and spent the day with us. It was so wonderful to have a chance to visit and catch up.
Our hotel in Bismarck, the Home2 Suites by Hilton, is really nice. It has a sitting room, a kitchen, a separate bedroom. So we did some visiting in our sitting room. Then we went to the Shogun Japanese restaurant for lunch. That was delightful. We were the only ones in the room, so had some more great visiting. Jill is our “writing coach,” and so we talked about how to tackle our book. We had a nice chat with the waitress. We are continually impressed by the acts of kindness by so many of the people we meet.
Then we got gasoline. ND gas must have more ethanol or something. Our mileage always goes down when we are here. So we gave Miracle a treat: Premium grade!
We went back to the hotel and Jill got a tour of how decked out Miracle is. And we parted.
We always hate to see our friends go. But that’s probably a good thing. It would be way worse if that made us happy.
We feel so loved and supported by all of you. That makes us know that we can go BEYOND LIMITS! 🧑🎓
Reliving the 2022 Journey at the National Kubb Championship
(July 11)
Dear Folks,
We made it to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, today. Fortunately, we forgot that to get here, we needed to drive through Chicago. It was an experience.
We were very glad to make it to Wisconsin. We stopped at a very nice rest area. We got confused about where to park, so wound up in truck parking. There was an accessible parking spot for a trucker. That was very visionary. Miracle liked hanging out with the big boys.
Our room here is very nice. You can see the Girls checking it out.
Onward to more adventures tomorrow!
(July 12)
Dear Folks,
What a great day we had today!
We started with Paula and her Dean, Lisa Jepsen , coming to the hotel so we could take the Girls for a run.
Then we parted from Lisa, piled into Miracle, and went to a huge farmer’s market.
After that, we went to the National Kubb Championship.
Following that, we went into downtown Eau Claire to see the annual outdoor sculpture exhibit.
We wrapped up with dinner at Cowboy Jack’s. Who knew there were cowboys in Wisconsin?
It was wonderful to see Paula and we all had a great time.
Here we are at the Microtel in Elkhart, IN. It is a modest place, but very wheelchair friendly.
Today we were in NY, OH, and IN.
We stopped at a Service plaza in IN for a break. We walked around outside, then went in to use the restroom. We heard a woman behind us calling, “Sir. Sir!” She came around to the front of us. We realized that she was taking to us. From the back, she thought I was a guy. She saw the dogs and probably thought I was blind and had gone in the wrong spot. We asked if they had a family restroom. She led us to it, but it was being cleaned. That lady left her cleaning and let us use the bathroom. She waited and helped us out, before resuming her cleaning
We have stopped at three service areas so far. At every one, someone has helped us.
(July 10)
What a lovely day we had today Lucinda drove down to Elkhart from
Michigan. We had a wonderful visit. She repaired one of the straps on our bag, among other things. We got takeout from the Olive Garden. She got to sit on the dog couch with the Girls.
The Microtel is in a great location for dogs. There is a sidewalk running by it with lots of grass on either side. As we noted, the room is a little tight and the outlets at baseboard level do not work well with wheelchairs. But after our previous stop, it seems paradisial
(July 7) Today we had a great day visiting our good friend, Kristin Hartness, and her family. They live right outside Worcester.
The Girls started out with some wrestling at the hotel. Then we went to Kristin’s. They have a fenced area and other dogs. Everyone had a splendid time.
Kristin’s father also wrapped some repair tape around our seatbelt anchor: the plastic coating had broken.
We plan to stop by Kristin’s again in the morning before heading to Buffalo. It will be the last time the Girls can run off leash until we get home.
(July 8)
Dear Folks
The good news is that we made it safely to Buffalo.
We started the day out at Kristin’s. The dogs played while we visited as Kristin was watering her plants. It was such a nice visit and we left later than planned.
It is surprisingly hard to find hotels with
Wheelchair accessible rooms in the Buffalo area. We thought that we had found one with the Candlewood Suites. That was incorrect. Their advertised room does not work for a wheelchair user. You can’t get next to the toilet, use the shower, adjust the thermostat, the soap is in a dispenser that you cannot reach from a chair, etc.
We had a bad omen when we came in to check in and the young lady desk clerk was up on a chair. This probably sounds like a joke, but it is true. She was up on the chair because there was a rat running around.
The Lowmans officially leave Maine for seven weeks
Crousville, ME – Worcester, MA (422 Miles)
Dear Folks
These photos don’t look very exciting, but they are to us. They indicate that we made it to the Homewood Suites in Worcester safely. The Girls had definitely worked up an appetite.
Leaving Maine on the last day of a holiday weekend was probably not the smartest thing we have ever done. The traffic was heavy, so the trip took several hours more than usual. At one point, we saw a sign that said: Massachusetts–15 miles, 58 minutes. We were very grateful to get here safely and get into a cool place. It is HOT here.
As we’ve discussed in the past, we think that most people don’t realize that spaces marked “Van Accessible” have wider striping to accommodate ramps. Two non-vans were parked in those spaces. So we backed in–not our strong suit, but we did it.
