Tag Archives: alberta

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans June 26-July 3, 2009

Miles, upon miles, upon miles. Miles in the rearview mirror. That, for sure, was the theme of this week, as we traveled from Valdez, Alaska to Edmonton, Alberta. That is a haul, spanning close to 2,000 miles.

We spent the weekend at the wonderful Brookside Inn Bed and Breakfast, and were graciously accommodated by hosts Jerry and Susie. We had some great meals and conversations with them, and were beyond lucky that they had an abundance of halibut. Home cooked meals are never taken for granted by anyone on the crew.

New Photos – Banff National Park

Banff is the home to the Canadian Rockies. The sights are amazing. There are hundreds of trails to hike, mountains to climb, rivers to fish and recreation to be had. This little section of the planet is an outdoor lovers dream, and it was a highlight of the expedition for all of us. We spent about five days in Banff and Jasper, and even though I have already been there 4 times, I would go back again in a heartbeat. Enjoy!

New Photos – Up the Alaska Higway

We set off from Denver on the 21st of May and shot straight up to Montana. After a few nights at my friend Allan’s house, we carried on to Canada, through Banff and Jasper. Eventually we made it to a junction just past Prince George, British Colombia for highway 37 north, which took us to Hyder, Alaska and a bunch of other stops on our push up to Fairbanks.

Fraser River Rafting Adventure

One can’t beat a day on the river, and that’s exactly what we were able to enjoy with Maligne Rafting Adventures out of Jasper, Alberta, Canada. They’ve been running the rapids since 1987, and immediately you can tell why they’ve been the provider of quality rafting adventures for so long. The receptionists were more than welcoming, their staff were really helpful, and the guides were professionalism and highly skilled.
Our next destination from Jasper was Prince George, which worked out well because it was right on the route to the Fraser River, about an hour west of Jasper, in the Mount Robson Provincial Park, so we followed their bus with our trucks. We met the guides, Aron and Drew, at the designated spot, and got suited up with a wetsuit, insulated water shoes, a windbreaker type jacket, a life jacket, and a helmet. Aron, our river guide for the day, gave us a short safety speech, while Drew, the driver/photographer, began his photographic documentation of our trip.

Nels’ Notes: Nomadic Wandering Shenanigans May 21-29, 2009

We ride again. After over a month hiatus off the road we returned to the highway for our voyage north to Alaska. We’d, again, like to thank all of those that supported us in our fundraising efforts that enabled us to finish the expedition. It means a lot to us, and is greatly appreciated.

From Denver, Steve, Celeste and Craig ventured north to Loveland to stay at Steve’s Mom, Judy’s, place, while I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park with an amazing female for one last adventure in Colorado. We met up the following morning for a delicious breakfast prepared by Judy and her husband, Tom, said our goodbyes, and got on I-25 North headed to Bozeman, Montana.

The Great Wide Open

Today officially marks the farthest north in North America for the expedition, but more importantly it also marks the farthest north for any of the crew. Right now we are in Jasper National Park in the town of Jasper. At 52 degrees, 53 minutes, -1 seconds North, this is the most North any of us have ever been in Canada. Here the days are long and the wildlife is plentiful. The mountains are grand and the lakes are numerous. It all really hit home for us when we had our first day camping and the sun did not fully set until 11pm.