The end of a trip and the end of an era!

33 days, two countries, 8 border crossing, 6 states, 9,121 Miles, and nearly 186 hours in the car

We have seen a good portion of Alaska (and driven a decent percentage of the paved roads), British Columbia, and the Yukon. We have been to the mountains, the beach, seen animals, eaten cookies and ice cream, and adventured our way north and then back south again. We had amazing wildlife encounters (bears, caribou, moose, elk, deer, eagles, reindeer, dogs, and more). We explored wonderful towns, found off the beaten track gems, and ate like royalty! We survived the land of the midnight sun. We went from real night to no sunset and back again. It’s an adjustment as the days get longer and despite needing sunglasses at 11 pm it’s time to go to bed. We revisited some favorite places from past MFA trips and from Jim’s two trips to Alaksa and my one. It was all fantastic, though I’m not sure any of us would sign up to do it all again!

We set the goal in 2014- get the girls to all 50 states before they graduate from high school. As Sam rolls into her senior year we accomplished the mission! This trip has been amazing and a fitting grand finale to the Maule Family Adventure project. As always we could not have done it without the hospitality and support of friends along the way. Huge thanks to the Ferland, Holmberg, and Swenson families. They opened their homes to hurricane Maule, fed us, showed us around, and gave us unlimited use of the washing machine. We had wonderful visits with Kevin Rice, the Yannarellas, and Michelle Phillips giving us a locals perspective as we traveled. We met some new friends along the way and appreciated their suggestions and tips as we explored their towns and favorite places.

A few invaluable tools- our trusted Rand McNally atlas started us out, but once we hit the Canadian border we switched to paper maps (AAA were pretty good). The Milepost is an Alaska travel must have! Once I figured out how to use it we realized that there was far more information than we could ever need or use. It’s ok- I had plenty of time to sift through it! The Roadside America app was sparse, but had some good tips. Atlas Obscura was also helpful for finding some of the fun and interesting stops! Magazines, pamphlets, posters, and curiosity led us to some fun and interesting places too! Put it all together and we had ourselves and amazing adventure!

There were definitely some highlights on this trip-

Valdez

The ferry from Valdez to Whittier 

Reindeer Concert

Dog sledding

The wildlife 

As we rolled through the last 2 hours of the trip we kept up the tradition of Road Trip Trivia and M&M prizes, but with a little twist. We talked about things we remembered and defined our visit to each of the 50 states. It’s so interesting to hear what each of us remembers and what moments left an impression on the girls. No matter what comes next, they will always have those highlights (and some low lights) and hopefully keep exploring and experiencing all that comes their way- just not today! 

Thanks for traveling with us! We are not sure what comes next for our travels, but as always, it will be an adventure!

Stacey, Jim, Sam, & Alix

Home sweet home!

They were very happy to see the crew! We love to travel, but it's nice to be out of the truck and home again.

Welcome to Colorado!

 Soooo close to home! They are counting the miles… 147 to go! Another drive by so we can keep rolling (and it’s 97 degrees!).

Imagine the kids in front of the sign. It’s not a stretch since we have many of those photos…

Ray’s Tavern, Green River, Utah

A favorite stop on any occasion! Not sure how many times it has been the grand finale of a trip, but more than once! The burgers were just as good as always!

Welcome to Utah

A fly by since we are trying to make tracks home. The girls were very supportive of this plan!

Thanks!

Huge thanks to the Swenson family for their hospitality! It was so nice to visit. We miss them in Colorado but love their new spot and look forward to visiting again!

The Declo School

A nice morning walk through Declo brought us past the schools and the original one room school house.

Visit with the Swensons

It was so great to visit with the Troy, Roberta, and Quinn. They moved from Gypsum to Idaho last spring. We saw their new house and amazing property, had a wonderful dinner, and caught up as if no time had passed!

The kids played Wii and enjoyed hanging out!

Raspberries

We made it to Declo, Idaho to the Sweson's. They have an amazing raspberry patch! The berries are delicious!!

Sam, Quinn, & Alix picking

Roberta made a delicious raspberry cake.

This is what made it to the house!

Driving in Idaho

 Check this state off her list!

Winchester, ID

After our detour to the big tree and watching the fire it was getting late. We still had an hour plus of driving and we decided we should probably stop to eat along the way. Sam did some research and found the "Winchester Kitchen & Bar" in Winchester, Idaho. It got rave reviews online so we decided to venture into town and try it. From the moment we walked into the bar and were enthusiastically greeted, we knew it was a good stop. I was carrying our trusted Rand McNally atlas (so we could plan our drive for tomorrow) and immediately one of the patrons commented on the paper map. This led to one conversation and then another. We had a lovely time meeting some locals and a gentleman who started in May and is riding his bike from St. Louis to the Pacific coast. We had a delicious meal and enjoyed the company. Winchester is definitely on our list of places to visit again. (This part of Idaho is wonderful and we have been through the area on several of our trips.)

Air Drop

 Watch the left side of the smoke. There is a tanker dropping pink retardant to try to save the structures.

Texas Ridge Fire

As we were leaving Elk River and headed south towards home we saw smoke. The fire had not been burning long, but they had mobilized several helicopters and planes. We stopped in several spots to watch. (Along with many other people. Then a state trooper told us we were not allowed to stop along the road.)

The fire is in the valley and moving up the ridges on both sides. 

Sam was intrigued by the planes and mentioned yet another possible career path involving flight.

Panorama

Panorama shots to try to show the height of the tree. 

Tree Huggers

This is a reenactment of a photo Jim has from his first visit here. They heard that it took 16 people to encircle the tree so they tried to reach around. We only had 3 but it gives a perspective on the size!

The Biggest Red Cedar Tree

This giant tree is the biggest east of the Cascade mountains. It's estimated at 3,000 years old. Jim was here 30 years ago on a motorcycle trip with Willie & Jungle. We have been in the area several times but never had the time to make the 60 mile (round trip) detour to the tree.

It's a very big tree!

This knot made a great seat!

Elkspresso in Elk River, ID

A perfect ice cream spot off the beaten path. It's a wonderful shot in the tiny town of Elk River. We had a lovely chat with the owner and she gave us directions to the big cedar tree (the reason for the detour to Elk River). This is huckleberry country! Sam's top scoop was delicious huckleberry ice cream.

Welcome to Idaho

And back to the United States. 8 border crossings later we can stow the passports for a while. One step closer to home!

Denny’s, Cranbrook, BC

This was a long driving day and we stopped a bunch along the Ice Fields Parkway. We also saw a bunch of wildlife (elk, bear, mountain goats, Dall sheep, deer) so that slowed us down. We got to the hotel late, but with enough time to take advantage of the hot tub. When I asked about food options the woman mentioned Denny's. Sam was intrigued by our "Denny's is open 24 hours" comment so at 10:30 we went out for breakfast.

Notice the dark night in the background!! They are happy to be back to sunsets and stars!

One last order of Poutine before we cross the border tomorrow!

Columbia Icefields

There are so many glaciers along the road and with the amazing weather it was beautiful. It was hard not to stop at every turn-out to take in the 360 mountains views with dozens of glaciers , waterfalls and cascades, and thick snow pack. We had to remind ourselves that this will be another trip. We could definitely spend some time here!

This glacier/ ice flow was amazing! Like so many of these places, it's hard to capture in photos!

The Road

 Just a small portion of the drive and a tiny taste of the Canadian Rockies.

Rainbow

 Check out the rainbow in the spray of the falls!

There's another rainbow just off Alix's left elbow.

Shadow Aliens

 What are we doing, you ask? We are making alien shapes in the shadows on the water. This silliness started in Goblin Valley, Utah on a trip with Jim's dad, Ed. They look a bit like petroglyph images too.

Alix thought the view from behind was hilarious!

Trail Network

There is a nice trail network that winds along the canyon rim, over a bridge, and to the end where the water runs into the river. We explored them all! 

Athabasca Canyon

The river has carved a narrow canyon and the water thunders through it. It was nice that there were several places to get some nice views. 

Athabasca Falls

The weather was incredible as we headed south on the ice fields parkway. We stopped at the Athabasca Falls for a snack and a break from the car.

The mountain views were incredible and we were pleasantly surprised by the falls!

Jasper National Park

The welcoming committee in the park. 

Ramada Hotel, Prince George

This was by far the strangest hotel we have ever stayed in. It is right in downtown Prince George and is high class as you would expect from a city hotel. The lobby and rooms were ultra modern and had all the extras. Well- except for a wall between the bathroom and sleeping area. There was glass, but you could see right through into the bathroom. Jim and I had to go to the lobby to get instructions. When the bathroom is fully closed it triggers a glass block and clouds the wall. Much too high tech for us. We will take plain old drywall and day!

Alpine Al

The Alpen Horn Man in Smithers, BC. It's a bavarian style town at the base of the mountains. We found the statue (on the wacky wild and weird app) and a bakery. Cookies for the road...

Bear Glacier

 A bit cloudy, but worth one more photo on our way out of town.

Bear Viewing

There is a US Forest Service bear viewing platforms along the river. Apparently when the Salmon are running (which starts in just a few days) there are loads of bears. Not today. Just a few fish is not much of a draw. 

Post Office

The only real US connection between Hyder and Alaska or the lower 48 is the mail service. The post office is in a trailer and (according to the the woman at Hyders Hides) the mail plane only shows up twice a week. Regardless, we had postcards to mail so we dropped them in the box. It will be fun to see when and if they show up!