FRANTIC FOLLIES

Frantic Follies - SO MUCH FUN!
www.franticfollies.com/

JOURNEY TO HAINES

We've just returned from a lovely barbeque at Emily & Mike's place. It's been a bit of a rush because today we spent a couple of hours in the hot springs... and they are indeed HOT! Then came back to town to shop for some barbecue groceries and nearly fell asleep among the aisles we were that relaxed.

These are a bunch of photos from our trip TO Haines, Alaska (I didn't have my camera battery charged up in time to take my own.... bleh!).

The pictures up to the pawprint cast (grizzly btw) and the one of me and Bob and our new found friend from Truro (who knew several mutual friends and had heard about the pig roast we attended the first weekend I came here) are from Whitehorse to Haines Junction (mostly in Haines Junction).

As you can see, we had a flat tire on the top of the mountain, Debbie made me stand in the middle of the road for the mandatory middle of the road picture (?????), and there I am by the sign to Alaska.

The final five or six pictures depict our descent into Haines, and the campfire where the young people were camping by the fjord on Mud Bay Road.

HOLD ON TO YOUR GIRDLE, WE'RE GOING DOWN

Another sunny day today in the Yukon (Wednesday)! Yesterday, it rained a little when we stopped briefly at Miles Canyon, which was unfortunate because we had our bear spray and were fully prepared to cross the bridge to explore the multitude of trails on the opposite side. It truly has been extraordinarily dry here the whole time.

I have only two days left, counting today, and slipping behind in my postings. Debbie just gave me the pictures from Bob's camera of our trip TO Haines. And out of those I feel I must first include this really fun video. This was after we'd had to change a tire on the barrens of the mountain top (i.e. Bob changed, Debbie assisted, I walked around on the gravel by the side of the road). Apparently a grizzly was sited near that spot the next day.

Just sayin!

I love this video taken after changing the flat because it imparts the spirit of our trip, as well as the vastness of the wilderness along this highway on top of the mountains. All that snow and yet it was so warm I was more than comfortable with bare arms and sandals.

BUSH PONIES -- THE VIDEO

My favourite part of the Yukon, thus far... The bush ponies!!
Here's the video, unedited, it didn't need to be, and oh so pretty....

Trip to Haines, Alaska

So... This is going to be a little backwards because I forgot to charge my battery before we left for Haines yesterday (Saturday). These are all from today (Sunday) in Haines and on our way back. Debbie has many pictures of our trip up that I will have to steal from her asap.

Meanwhile, you must all admire the BUSH PONIES, and I didn't get a picture of the one grizzly bear we saw. But the wild horses were so much better anyway!!!!

I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as wild horses - "Bush Ponies" in the Yukon. These were spotted on our own side of the highway about 50 kilometers out from Whitehorse.

While grizzlies are very shy, and run into the bush immediately when you're bearing down on them on the highway in a van, bush ponies pay no attention whatsoever to the traffic and love to have their pictures taken, as they feed voraciously on the grasses by the highway. Obviously you can snap pictures and take video as long as you please. I will have to figure out how to make my video smaller tomorrow and endeavour to upload it, but for now, please admire the beautiful bush ponies from Yukon, AK, posted herewith in still form.

I know the old growth forest isn't nearly as exciting as the grizzly I have no pictures of (except for the bush where he disappeared... he IS a shadow in behind there), and the BUSH PONIES, but we snapped a few pics at the Battery Point Trail Head, which is right beside where we stayed in a cabin at the Beach Roadhouse.

These trees are magnificent! Would that I had had time to explore the trail, though I don't think we had any bear spray on board, and apparently that is always a good idea when trailing through the woods in Alaska.

I have also included a few pictures of Haines itself here. There's the signpost (very nice one) on the way in, a couple of street scapes, harbour pics (another nice sign there) fjord on mud road (where the kids were camping), some cool granite statues, the incongruous industrial lot with the majestic mountains in the background, and some very cool bears from inside the gift store we found stuff in.

It was the best store ever! Called "The Bear Den" Fantastic Alaska themed displays, and a huge variety of gifts. The two bears were particularly fun. HE welcomed you to the store, just inside the porch like area, while SHE presided regally over a huge hat section. I think Debbie will have pics of us in various hats, no doubt posted to facebook by now.

We also stopped by Kathleen Lake (near Haines Junction) for some photo ops. These are grouped together here - lake view, Debbie and I by the water, and a cool shot through the 'lodge' that has a wood stove inside, can be booked for various functions (i.e. bluegrass workshop) and I rather suspect may be maintained for safe bear watching as well.