Sign Post Forest Watson Lake, Yukon

On our way to Whitehorse, we made a stop in Watson Lake. It was a little town famous for its Sign Post Forest. We took lots of pictures here as it was quite a spectacular site. We meandered through reading lots of the signs. We found one from Burlington and London but the most surprising one for me was Chatsworth Ontario. It is where highway 6 and 10 meet and where I grew up as a kid. It was a tiny little village and I remember the population sign changing from 100 to 400 when I lived there. We didn’t have a sign to leave but we did see others adding theirs to the collection.

We heard later on that there were as many signs in storage that were on display which is even harder to believe!

Liard Hot Springs, Northern B.C.

One of our favourite places so far has been in northern B.C., Liard Hot Springs. If you have been there, you know exactly what we mean. I heard a rough-and-tumble trucker refer to it as a magical place. It turns out that he had been travelling past Liard Hot Springs for years and never made the stop. Once he did, he couldn’t believe what he had been missing out on for years. That's where he takes his coffee break regularly when delivering fuel to Dawson City now.

It wasn't busy at all when we were there; this photo doesn't even look real!

We arrived at Liard Hot Springs right around dusk and were lucky enough to see 8 bears along the side of the road during our drive. The campsite itself was fenced in with added security of an electric fence. There were rumblings that a woman had been killed by a bear in the 80s, but the park staff told us that the fence was actually needed to keep the bison out, as they were wandering into the campsites and causing trouble.

Bears, bison, caribou… we were certainly in northern country! It was neat to see this wildlife along the roadside. I haven't seen a moose yet, but I am hopeful.

We saw this Mumma and baby, later we saw another Mumma with two babies.

We saw these three caribou, and they kind of jumped along, like what
you would imagine Santa's reindeer do!

The hot springs are natural, and the park has maintained the natural beauty as much as possible. There is no electricity or concrete, and the bottom consists of pebbles. There is still mud and plants along the walls, and when you float on your back and look up, all that you can see are the tree tops and stars. It is open until 10:00 pm, and since there is very little artificial light, the stargazing is spectacular. We were visiting in September, but I can only imagine what it would be like in the wintertime with snow on the trees and the steam wafting up from the surface of the water.

Mark ventured up to the super-hot area, around the
stones to the left, the water was actually bubbling!

The water temperature fluctuated depending on where you were in the hot springs. The surface was super hot, and at points, you had to circulate the cool water from the bottom to actually be able to tolerate the temperature. The water naturally flowed downriver, and there was a lower area that was a little cooler, but still nice and cozy. There were fresh water springs also feeding into the hot springs, and they provided a refreshing cool shower for when you overheated. 

ahhhh, so relaxing.

I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in northern B.C. We ended up camping in the campsite for two nights and did some day hikes when we weren’t basking in the hot springs. We did two shorter hikes, Teeter Creek and Smith’s River Falls and a longer hike up the Old Alaskan Highway. We even did a scramble to the summit of a nearby peak. The view was beautiful, and Eric, our personal trainer, would be proud of our efforts. 

This is how far we hiked!

Us at the top.

On our way up Mark said, you'd think they would have a sign pointing where you are to go... on the way back down we noticed this... lol

We were sorry to leave Liard but were anxious to visit some of the sites other bathers had recommended to us on our journey north. We were hoping to see some bison that we had heard others talking about, and we were going to make a stop in Braeburn Lodge on the Klondike Highway to have a giant cinnamon bun and grilled cheese!

We were lucky and saw two different herds of bison!

Don't mess with this guy!

We spent this day trying to rehydrate, so if you do visit Liard, take your water bottles and don’t make the same mistake we did! Here is the giant grilled cheese. Unfortunately the generator wasn't working properly at the lodge so we didn't get to try the cinnamon buns. I suppose we will just have to stop there on our way back from the Arctic!

Had to share this cheese pull for Ally and Meg!

This picture doesn't really capture the size, but imagine a slice of bread from a big round loaf of sourdough bread, and you will get the idea! It was the size of a dinner plate. 

Living in a Shoebox

 I love living in our little shoebox. I can sit on the bed and reach everything that I could possibly need. I can reach the snacks stored under the bed, and the refrigerator is right there for beverages! I can do the dishes and I’ve learned to chop fruit sitting cross-legged on the bed with the cutting board in front of me. The board games are stored in baskets above my head, as are my clothes.

The board games

The charging station is above the fridge and my iPad, phone, speaker and Kobo are in another basket mounted at the foot of the bed.

The charging station

Pretty much everything that I could possibly need to live a comfortable life in our little shoebox, I can reach from the bed. I enjoy my morning tea tucked into bed and have even enjoyed Mark’s room service breakfast-in-bed deliveries. Yes, I admit I can be a princess traveller even though Mark refers to me as the adventurer - up for anything! The indoor space has become my ‘she shed’, but when Mark is in there, it gets a little tight. We have to do a little bit of a dance when we want to get dressed or make our way to the bathroom. I actually have to crawl over him for my middle-of-the-night pee breaks. Today, Mark left for a couple of hours to do some fishing, and I was in my glory! I did some shuffling and reorganizing and moved freely around without interruption. 

The bathroom with laundry storage.

Mark’s domain is the outdoors; he is usually the first one up and heads outside to get the lay of the land, leaving the inside to me. His space to organize is the truck bed and all the nooks and crannies on the outside of the trailer. He manages the BBQ and outdoor cooking appliances. He chops the wood and makes the fires and ventures out in the middle of the night to switch the batteries over when one dies and the alarm goes off. Even now as I write, he is outside sitting in the sun, and I am… You guessed it… on the bed. We really have quite a system going, and we look after each other very well. 

Mark caught two Greyling this morning while I was organizing.

We have met many travellers and campers on this journey so far, and we are usually one of the smaller outfits that pulls into the campsite. We don’t need a generator, and we exist independently and quietly, thanks to Mark’s batteries and back-up batteries and - you know what I mean!  We don’t have a porcelain toilet or glass shower doors that will rattle loose on the Dempster highway, like some friends we met along the way. Honestly, some of the rigs that people pull are gigantic! They have upstairs bedrooms and lofts, and I swear some must have hot tubs and swimming pools too by the size of them! Where is the adventure in having all of the comforts of home with you on an adventure?

We have enjoyed economizing on space and coming up with storage solutions to meet our needs. We have used cargo nets to hold our bins on the bunk beds, and realized they are great for shoe storage and what Mark calls purgatory. You know that spot where laundry goes that is not quite dirty enough for the laundry basket or clean enough to put away - laundry purgatory!

Shoe storage and Laundry Pergatory

The clear storage bins from the dollar store have been great for food storage in the fridge and for our fruits and veggies that can stay out on the counter. Who am I kidding? I don’t have any counter space! So of course, they too are on the bed.

Our space is tiny, but it suits us perfectly, and we are really enjoying every moment of this adventure so far. I know many of you asked prior to us leaving if I was excited or looking forward to our trip, and I was really indifferent. But, please ask again! I am LOVING it. But then again, who wouldn’t love spending their days in bed while travelling the countryside?

Me on the bed writing to you with Mark between
me and the washroom.

Things Happen in Threes

With Mark retiring in June and me taking a year off, we thought it was time to set off travelling again. This time it is without the girls. We plan to drive across Canada with a 16-foot trailer, head north as far as we make it, and back down along the west coast, making it back home for Christmas.

Leading up to the trip, Mark spent weeks preparing for every possible situation that we might encounter. We have solar panels on the roof for charging the battery. We have a backup battery in case the first battery dies. We have a backup for the backup in case we need to jump-start the truck or charge a phone. We have not one but two spare tires for the truck and two spare tires for the trailer, a patch kit and spare lug nuts, a jack, a backup jack and a whole lot more stuff that I have no idea what it is for and what it does. We have multiple inverters, and stoves for inside and stoves for outside, stoves for propane and stoves if we have AC power. We even have a small 12-volt cooler in case the fridge dies… which it kind of did. 

Our first dilemma was that the main fridge quit working with AC power; thankfully, it was working with propane, so we continued on our journey, hoping to find a replacement part as we travelled across the country. We have now spoken to every used RV and marine parts store from Ontario to BC, and nobody has the part we need. We thought we had one secured that was going to be waiting for us when we arrived in Edmonton, but that fell through. We had another one set to ship to the Yukon, and that didn’t come to fruition either. As Mark always gets a deal, it turns out that our trailer is rather old, and the fridge and the parts have both been discontinued. We will continue hunting, but in the meantime, if you have an old Norcold N512 refrigerator hanging around, let us know!!

Every road trip has a learning curve to it, I had travelled before as a kid in a camper and knew that you have to ensure the cupboard doors are latched and everything is secure before taking off. We did that; however, we heard a big bang as we travelled along the highway. Only to discover that our dishes had fallen out and several had broken. I thought Corelle was bullet proof… well I am hear to report that it is NOT!

This morning, we woke in the Walmart parking lot after boondocking. Mark was anxious to get on the road, but wanted to make a stop at the Princess Auto. He told me to hang on, that he was just going to pull down to the end of the parking lot. I didn’t think this was a good idea as nothing was secured in the trailer. He said he would go slow and it would be fine. And off we went, rocking and rolling across the parking lot. Everything was swell until he slammed on the brakes and I went flying onto the bed. I swear he did that on purpose! Moments later, there was a huge crash and bump, the cupboard doors flew open, everything on the counter shifted, and the water in the sink started running. OMG, what the heck??? Mark stops and comes around to the back of the trailer and braces for my response. It was not “what the heck”. We were in tears laughing as Mark explained he almost hit someone and ran over a curb… how does that all happen from one end of the Walmart parking lot to the other is beyond me!

So with broken dishes and a kind of working fridge, we are just waiting for the next mishap in our adventures. So... stay tuned as things always happen in threes!

One Night in Bangkok

How on earth did we end up in Thailand already? It was to be our last country on our yearlong tour, and suddenly we were there.  I use the term loosely because in actual fact we visited 28 countries and spent a year travelling before we made our way to Thailand, but still it seemed sudden.   It was rather unbelievable having only a single digit number of days left before we started heading towards home.  We had a lot of ground to cover, places to go, people to meet, and lots of shopping to do.  Perhaps if we jam packed our days with outings, we could prolong the end.  In reflection that was wishful thinking and our time in Thailand flew by in a heartbeat.

 

On the bus checking out the city.

The fastest way to get downtown was by boat on the Chaopraya River

Cool tuk-tuks, although we never actually had a ride in one!

The Asiatique Night Market

Temple Arun "Temple of Dawn"

We need to get a couple of these signs for the cottage!  Too funny!

We booked into a beautiful Air BNB for our adventures in Bangkok.  In the middle of the city we felt like we were in the jungle.  The greenery was beautiful, the sounds of nature so soothing and our hosts exceptional.  Raewyn and Charlie spoiled us and made us feel so comfortable.  Our favourite moments were spent on the deck, feasting on fruit, listening to the sound of the wind chimes, cooling off in the pool and watching a very large and unwelcome lizard roam around the property, “pinching” fish from Charlie’s ponds.  We even treated ourselves to some traditional Thai cuisine, home cooked by Charlie’s sister and delivered right to our door. 

 

Mmm mango!

It is a rough life!

A little piece of heaven in the garden!

We had the pleasure of meeting an amazing travelling family, the Crawfords and were able to host them
at the Air BNB.  We had such a great afternoon and evening together!

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Raewyn and Charlie on our final day in Thailand.
Charlie BBQ'd, something we hadn't enjoyed in quite some time! 

Raewyn volunteers her time at a children’s orphanage and we emptied out our suitcases of medications, shoes and clothing that we could leave behind with her.  The number of children entering orphanages in Thailand had continued to rise and there was certainly a need for volunteers like Raewyn.  We too would have liked to have volunteered; however, due to an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease, even Raewyn was not able to go in to work.

 Charlie and Raewyn also took us on a tour to the Damnoen Saduak, floating market and the River Kwai – it was amazing.  Like most of my overly romantic conceptions of places I would visit this year, the floating market was no exception.  I had seen photos of beautiful people in colourful boats selling anything from fruits and veggies to souvenirs.  I was excited to finally get to see it, particularly after passing on the floating village in Cambodia.  I was not disappointed, and Mark captured some beautiful photos of our adventure.  Mark loved seeing the River Kwai and visiting the museum there.  The highlight for Charlie and Raewyn, was a stop at the war cemetery on the way home, where Mark played the bagpipes.  Charlie absolutely loves “Braveheart” and the bagpipes and Mark found it a pleasure to play for him and Raewyn.

 

Heading out to the market.

The market wasn't too busy today.

So fun!

Transactions on the water.

Tour boats and vendors made their way through the canals.

If you wanted anything you just pulled up along side the vendor and started negotiating.

cool eh!?

I just loved the colour and atmosphere.

Mark and his girls at the River Kwai.

The bridge was so beautiful and peaceful today, yet the toll it took to build the
railway was horrific.

'Playing' our respects at the War Cemetery.

Auntie Marilyn had arranged for us to visit Saint Gabriel’s School, where she had worked years back, to meet Atithai and Brother Philip.  We were treated to a private tour of Brother Philip’s butterfly museum, which housed thousands and thousands of butterflies and other insects from Thailand, which he had collected throughout his life.   It was incredible; we saw butterflies and insects, which had been named after Brother Philip, and we even got to see a case of the most expensive butterflies in the world.  The selling price for one of these rare species was 100 000.00 baht, approximately $3000.00 each.  It was an hounour to meet Brother Philip and my insect unit at school just got a whole lot more interesting! 

Atithai, Brother Philip and his assistant showing us some expensive butterflies!

This work of art was created with butterfly wings!

Signing the guest book afar enjoying some mango with Brother Philip.

We couldn't help but take a photo of this office at Saint Gabiel's - it is a different world of education here!

Atithai and his wife Patsy were also a pleasure to meet and we enjoyed a delicious Thai meal at the Ancient House, together.  Patsy wanted to ensure we tried some traditional Thai dishes and one of our favourites was Thai salad, or what we called ‘poppers’.  It consisted of folding a leaf into a cone and filling it with fish, ginger, nuts, shallots, lime, and a sweet palm sugar sauce – the flavour was divine and it was quite fun assembling them and popping them into our mouths.  We enjoyed them so much we ended up ordering them again during our final Thai dinner out.

 

This is what the poppers looked like - so yummy!

Enjoying a last feast of Thai food!

The crazy part was this beautiful meal along the river cost us less than thirty dollars!

Besides Brother Philip, Atithai and Patsy, Auntie Marilyn had arranged for us to meet her ‘Thai daughter”, Ms. Oum, before we headed home as well.  Ms. Oum, and a couple of her colleagues and friends, Nick and Oui, treated us to a trip to Ayutthaya for the day.  We stopped for an amazing lunch of crab, shrimp, calamari and lots of other Thai treats at a fish market.  Although we had mainly eaten vegetarian while in Asia, we were quite thankful that we embraced the ‘sea (river) food’, it was so tasty.  The fish was rubbed in salt and barbequed to create a mild, mouth-watering flavour, the shrimp were gigantic, and ‘fresh’ was an understatement.  After stuffing ourselves, we headed back to the car to continue our tour when a very friendly baby elephant grabbed my arm – I was shocked!  It is not everyday that you are walking along, deep in conversation, and look up to see an elephant in your path.  Although it surprised me, it was kind of neat to feel the strong trunk wrapped around my wrist.  It was an amazing day and a pleasure to meet Ms. Oum, Nick and Oui.

 

Preparing the salted fish for the grill

What a great day spent with new friends!

Another feast fit for kings... or queens!

Now this was a surprise!

Making a wish as we add gold to the seven Buddhas

Another stunning temple

My superhero at the toy museum!

On the way home we stopped off for a treat - They are best described as candy floss filled crepes - so delicious!

The people we met in Thailand were beautiful in so many ways.  We felt so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet so many new friends and spend time with them.  Each one of them went out of their way to share their beautiful country with us. Thank you to each one of you!  I have said many times during this adventure that the people we have met have had such an impact on our lives.  So often, it is not the places we have visited that hold a special place in our hearts, but the people we have met along the way. 

 

Beautiful people! No, not us... Atithai and In!

We are so fortunate to have friends like these!

We fit in some shopping at the world’s largest market and bargained away for some great deals.  The Chatuchak Market covers more than 35 acres with more than 8000 market stalls.  It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Bangkok with a typical weekend bringing in more than 200 000 shoppers.  I do enjoy a good shopping trip, but this was insane!  You name it, you could find it here, at least once.  We quickly learned if you liked it, you had better buy it, because there was no way we would be making our way back to that same stall again later!  Even Mark and Meg, the non-shoppers, enjoyed their time at Chatuchak.

 

Money can buy you anything in Thailand - so crazy!

Grandma, this photo is for you!  The seamstress is busy working away in the heat on the sidewalk!

Hot chills anyone?

Or how about some shoes?

Fish was plentiful.

Old Siam Mall, silk fabric - check!

We couldn't resist taking photos of the food in Thailand, not only was it delicious but pretty too!

We certainly ended our world tour on a high in Bangkok.  Despite trying to prolong the end, it inevitably came, and to my surprise, I was okay with it.  Although I absolutely loved Thailand and will be back again, I found myself looking forward to starting the journey home, it was time, but why rush off when you can fit in one last pampering session?

 

Our last day of pampering!

We are going to miss this I think!