2005Journey

2005 Journey

Bob and Margaret Kellett

1 -16 Feb 05: Fly to Brisbane and stay with the Boyds, then go to the Gold Coast and spend seven days in Xanadu Holiday Resort.

15 -31 Mar 05: Fly to London, UK, where we enjoyed meeting up with friends and relatives, plus seeing a couple of shows at the West End. After seven days in London we flew to Barcelona, Spain, to start a cruise on the Insignia [Oceania Line].

Hampton Court Palace Hever Castle, Family Home of Anne Boleyn

1 -15 Apr 05: Cruised the Mediterranean on the Insignia. Visited Marseille [France], Monte Carlo [Monaco], Livorno [port close to Florence, Italy], Civitaveccia [port for Rome, Italy], Bonifacio [Corsica, France], Naples [Italy], Valleta [Malta], islands of Santorini and Mykonos [Greece], Kusadasi and Istanbul [Turkey].

The Mediterranean in Spring Island of Santorini, Greece

Roman Library at Ephesus, Turkey Amphitheatre at Ephesus

Risky Real Estate at Bonifacio, Corsica Yacht Harbour at Monte Carlo, Monaco

15 Apr 05: Fly from Istanbul back to London, met by Margies' sister Desrae who takes us back to her home in London where we stay overnight with the Trace family.

16 -29 Apr 05: Train down to Southampton where we board the QE2 for a further 14 day cruise. On this tour we visit Funchal [Madeira, Spain], Tenerife [Canary Islands, Spain], Las Palmas [Gran Canary, Spain], Arrecife at Lanzarote [Canary Islands, Spain], Malaga [Spain], Gibralter [UK], Lisbon [Portugal], then Vigo [Spain], finishing back at Southampton.

QE II, The Grand Old Lady Lisbon, Portugal

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral Saint James, Himself

29 Apr -18 May 05: Fly UK back to LAX, thence to Toronto, arriving at the Welburns in Elora on 1 May 05. We retrieve Playtime and the Jeep from the winter storage facilty, have them de-winterized, then move out and stay at the Green Acres RV Park in Waterloo for two weeks. From here we drive into Elora each day to visit the Welburns.

Green Acres RV Park, near Elora Welburns Join Us For Lunch

18 May 05:

By mid-May the seasonal campgrounds in Canada are starting to open again, so we can set off on our journey up to Alaska. The map CD tells us that the shortest route, one way, from Toronto to Fairbanks is 6,500 km [3,900 miles]. We are so amazed at this distance we check both the CD and the map several times to confirm the figure! Spring is in the air and Canada, the Great White North is starting to green up. On 18 May we say fond farewells to Victoria, Colin Anna, Isobel and Toby, then set off on our 6,500 km journey to Fairbanks, Ak.

19 -20 May 05: Parry Sound to Sault Ste Marie, Ont.

We exclaim endlessly about the large sweeping vistas. Bob suggests to MLK colours for a new quilt, reflecting the colours of the landscape around us. Forest green for the spruce trees, lime green for new leaves peeping from the birch trees, sparkling navy blue for the rivers and lakes, pale blue for the sky, and brown, gray and black for the rocks! Don’t forget brilliant red for the cardinal birds!

21 -23May 05: Sault Ste Marie [Soo] to Thunder Bay, Ont.

We are travelling across the Canadian Shield, ancient solid rock scraped smooth as the last Ice Age receded. There are many rivers and waterfalls on our right, plus countless glittering sapphire lakes dotted amongst spruce trees.On our left is Lake Superior, large, pristine and very scenic. The road is almost empty. We say its rush hour when two cars appear!

We see a brown moose calf on the side of the road, and note many "Beware of Moose Crossing" signs.

Spend three days in Thunder Bay . Visit Old Fort William to see excellent full-scale replica of early trading post, also visit the memorial for Terry Fox, a Canadian national hero who, although cancer ridden to the point of having an artificial leg, ran half way across Canada to raise money for Cancer Research – inspiring!

Terry Fox Memorial Canadian Transport System 400 Years Ago

24 -27 May 05: Thunder Bay, Ont, to Winnepeg, Manitoba

Pass over the Arctic Watershed – from this Divide all the rivers now flow North. Trans Canadian grain trains (approx 2 km long) snake their way along.

Piles of stones, each pile fashioned in a distinctive shape, begin to take our attention. These Inukshuks (pronounced In-OOK-Shooks, which translates into "stone man that points the way", appear on rocky outcrops everywhere, and we presume they were placed by First Nation travellers, or, “Silent Messengers of the Arctic”.

Cross the Red River which flows from USA up into Lake Winnipeg, and also the Assiniboine River, which flows into the Red River, causing us to remember the massive Flood of The Century in 1997, when Victoria was living in Winnipeg.

28 May 05: Winnepeg, Manitoba, to Moosimin, Saskatchewan.

Still on the very long Trans Canadian Highway 1. Flat, flat, flat prairie! Wheat fields as far as the eye can see.From the flat plain it is a long steady climb to Moosimin, situated in the high prairie. Here we overnight at an RV Park in a beautiful setting amongst very lush trees.

29 May 05: Moosimin to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Weather dull, but Playtime streams across the high prairie. Again very long grain trains and doubledecker container trains share the scene – a "train spotters" paradise! We notice beef cattle and dairying.

Margie is reading aloud a book about some early pioneers and voyageurs from Quebec – the Lagamodiere’s. This fascinating story sustains us for weeks makes us focus on the hardships the early pioneers endured carving out a life in this harsh country – whilst we waltz along on first class roads in our fully equipped, modern motor home.

At Saskatoon we check into a very friendly KOA RV Park. Visit a nearby First Nation interpretive centre called Wanaskuan. Also play 9 holes of golf. We note that sunset was at 10.15 pm.

Archeological Dig of Early Indian Site Wigwam [Birch Bark Shelter]

1 -4 Jun 05: Saskatoon to Edmonton, Alberta.

Day has started out showery and overcast. Margie continues reading aloud from the book “Marie-Anne Lagimodiere, The Incredible Story of Louis Reil’s Grandmother". The story relates to the area we have been journeying through. The French had had a huge influence in the European settlement of Midwest Canada. The book gives marvelous descriptions of buffalo hunts, etc. We see many huge grain silos, and a massive petroleum refinery.

Pass through another Time Zone at the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta – we’re now in Mountain Time. The weather is clearing beautifully, the sky is huge, and the scenery is spectacular. At Edmonton we roll into Glowing Embers RV Park and settle in for four nights. We visit the famous West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in the world – it even has a beach with waves! Margie goes skating on the large ice rink also in the Mall.

In the Jeep we drive south to a small town called Devon to visit the ‘Leduc No 1 Oil Well’ Museum and Interpretive Centre. This is the site of the very first oil strike in Canada. The Museum is most fascinating and we learn much about oil-rich Alberta.

Beach Inside West Edmonton Shopping Mall Margie Skates The Mall [instead of cruising it]

5 Jun 06: Edmonton - Grand Praire.

Countryside is verdant green. We’re seeing more RVs “coming out to play”. The Canadian wilderness is immense, we had no concept of the size and scale until we started driving through the forests and across the plains and prairies. We see numerous pump-jacks working, extracting oil in fields along the way. Although it is Sunday road works are in full swing now, as the warmer months provide the only window of opportunity for outdoor construction and repair tasks.

We see forests of lodge-pole pines and huge pulp and paper factories. There are many deer along the grassy roadside berms, whilst the traffic on the road seems to consist almost solely of more RVs, in all shapes and sizes!

Bison farms, alpaca and llama farms, sheep farms, cattle and horse ranches are in evidence en route. Two large red foxes run across the road, adding further colour to the scene.

Margie reads aloud “Last Chance Well”, the story about the larger than life characters who got Leduc No 1 Oil Well up and running at Devon, near Edmonton.

Aproaching Grande Praire Margie Loves Bison

6 Jun 05: Grande Praire to Fort Nelson, British Columbia.

Grande Prairie area is certainly grand. As we drive further North the prairie gives way to vast, magnificent, forested vistas.

At Dawson Creek is Mile Zero, marking the start of the historic Alaskan Highway. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, US and Canadian Army personnel, plus 10,000 civilians, were set to work building the Alaskan Highway, just in case the Japanese decided to invade North America through Alaska. The primitive military road has been continually developed, and today we drive along on sealed, two-lane highways.

More vast expanses of wilderness, huge rivers, huge valleys and huge sky – but, no bears!

Oh joy, we do see a bear! And then another, then another! The North is living up to its promise.

The Scenery Just Goes On Another Glorious Day on the Road

7 Jun 05: Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.

It is 7.00 am, gorgeous and sunny. We leave early because of the distances from now on between the centres of population where we find the RV parks. The Spring/Summer season has started and there are numerous motor homes, fifth- wheelers and caravans on the road. We now try to arrive at the RV parks a little earlier each day, by 3.00 pm, to ensure we get a site.

The trees in this vast forested land around us are predominantly lodge pole pine, white birch, black spruce, etc. The spectacular, snow capped Northern Rockies are in the distance to our left.

Down by a multi-tributary river we observe an enormous ‘beaver dam’, then more beaver dams and the occasional beaver lodge. Beautiful pink, blue and yellow wild flowers abound in the meadow pockets along the way.

Some sections of the highway have been carved through sheer rock, and scenery is often reminiscent of the NZ Southern Alps, but on a much vaster scale. Photograph a group of bighorn mountain sheep that have wandered onto the road, then stop for lunch beside the beautiful Muncho Lake, which is coloured aquamarine from the copper oxide leaching in from surrounding rock mountains.

There’s another bear… that makes three today. Oh, and there’s another, that’s four! Suddenly we see a herd of wild horses, a small, stocky variety. Then two more black bears, looking splendid with healthy, shiny coats. We get a photo. That makes six. Then another bear a few kms along the road past the small settlement of Fireside That’s seven bears so far! This is so exciting!

Where's Goldilocks? The Aquamarine Muncho Lake

We drive through extensive road work areas along the route and Playtime and the Jeep are coated in mud. Spot a large moose drinking from a spruce bog lake. We see massive forests and forestry access roads, timber and wood processing plants.

As we approach the Yukon Border and settlement of Lower Post, a stunning vista unfolds before our eyes - forest green, tree covered rolling hills anchored by massive shiny blue rivers which stretch into the far distance, whilst the snow covered Rocky Mountains etch a magnificent line on the far horizon where they join the clear blue sky!

Now we’ve arrived at Watson Lake in the famous Yukon Territory. After checking into the Baby Nugget RV Park, we wash Playtime and the Jeep, then settle down for the rest of the day….. beaming at each other!

Searching For Bonanza Gold Mountain Goats Have The Right Of Way

8 Jun 05: Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

At 7.30 am these two ‘happy campers’ are back on the Alaskan Highway driving from Watson Lake towards Whitehorse. Spruce forests once again, as far as the eye can see, with mirror lakes shining blue here and there. Swiftly flowing, translucent navy blue rivers cut through the dense, green forest. Snow capped mountains march along as we go! We see evidence of forest fires where large swathes of trees have been burnt as a result of lightning strikes.

After booking into the Hi Country RV Park, Whitehorse, we get a mobile repair guy to fix the crack in our windshield, A downtown café has WiFi and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to clear our messages. Visit Beringia Centre which offers an excellent presentation on Beringia, the massive land bridge that connected Russia and Alaska eons ago.

The Yukon River at Whitehorse Whitehorse Resident - 10,000 Years Ago

Next day we visit the Transportation Museum and learnt a liitle about how hard it was to "get rich quick" in the Klondike gold rush of 1897-1898. Each prospector had to walk from Skagway, over the Chilkoot and White Pass Trail, to Dawson City and the Klondike River. To ensure each prospector was capable of maintaining himself during the harsh Northern Winter, the Canadian Mounted Police would not allow through the White Pass anyone who did not have at least 2000 lb of supplies [all of which had to be back-packed]. Just to get to the goldfields was therefore a massive undertaking, and only a tiny number [mainly those who got there first] actually made their fortune.

10 Jun 05: Whitehorse to Tok, Alaska.

We drive out of Whitehorse at 7.00 am. Day overcast, but the grandeur is still there! Spectacular zigzag-shaped snowy mountains suddenly appear before us. The map tells us we’re looking at the St Elias Range – another stunning photo opportunity! The “ Old Alaskan Highway ” comes and goes, but mainly we are driving on the newer stretches. There is much construction on the highway and the rig is getting muddier and muddier.

Lake Kluane, largest lake in Yukon, makes for another photo op. Road very narrow and windy, but not too bad. Travel over extremely bumpy, uneven road, which is caused by frost heave, a major headache in the cold North.

We pass two cyclists struggling up a long climb out of a huge valley. Further along we see two young bears playing near the roadside, and hope that the cyclists can outrun the bears!

We’ve now crossed the border into Alaska. Refuelling at Border City, there is free coffee for Vietnam Vets, and since Bob qualifies we fill our thermos mugs for free.

Stunning scenery continues all the way to Tok, which proudly announces that it is the official Sled Dog Capital of the World! We check into a peaceful RV Park where squirrels run hither and thither.

We’ve now driven over 3,000 miles since leaving Elora on 18 May, and have passed through five time zones; Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, and now we are on Alaskan Time.

Another Magnicent Lunch Spot Approaching the St Elias Range

11 Jun 05: Tok to Anchorage, Alaska.

8.30 am – and another hard day at the office! As we drive through the Wrangell Mountains, the scenery is so grand as to almost defy description and we sometimes have to pinch ourselves to believe we’re actually doing this! We see the occasional loon on the little mirror lakes as we go.

A huge black raven flies along with us, positioning himself just above the motorhome windscreen and "surfing" on our slip stream for several miles. He has clearly played this game before. We are delighted with his antics and feel disappointed when he does fly away.

Stop at a look-out over a wide valley, two motor homes pull up beside us and we compare notes regarding the views and wildlife we have seen. It appears we have been more fortunate than some, as one woman bemoans that every time she thought she saw a bear ahead, it was only a black tree stump!

Travelling SW through the Wrangell/St Elias Nat’l Park the view ahead looks like we’re driving towards Mordor [Lord of The Rings] as the mist rolls in over distant mountains. Small pockets of settlements start to appear, indicated by mail boxes flying US flags on the side of the road.

Wild Flowers Decorating The Road Approaching Mordor ?

We also see numerous small airfields – just a wind sock and a small, flat clearing. In the rural areas of the Lower 48 States everyone has a pickup truck, but because of the vast distances in Alaska, and its limited road network, light aircraft are the "pickup truck of Alaska". Many are equipped with floats so they can also land on the rivers and lakes.

The mists of Mordor roll back and the scene ahead is glorious, we’re now looking at the Alaskan Mountain range – all jagged and snowcapped.

We are travelling along "State Trooper Bruce Heck Memorial Highway' and we’re struck with how good America is at honoring those who serve it. At a roadside gift shop Bob buys himself an Alaskan cap and three USD$1 Million notes [for a dollar each]. He says that this is so he can give the kids an advance on their inheritance!

The Trans Alaskan Pipeline appears. It runs for 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay, up North by the Arctic Ocean, all the way down to Valdez, in Prince William Sound. To our left the sun is shining on an enormous glacier which would have been several miles across.

Eventually we hit the Glenallen Highway, a beautiful stretch of road, and all 340 horses of Team Playtime gallop into Anchorage. Check into the crowded Golden Nugget Camper Park for four nights – it is a tight fit in this RV Park, but it is meets our needs.

Oil Pipeline, Runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez Lakes and Mountains Everywhere

12-15 Jun 05: Anchorage.

Lovely sleep-in, then we’re off to get some exercise after so many days in the saddle! Walk 11 km (7 miles) round trip along Tony Knowles Coastal Trail which starts in downtown Anchorage and follows the shoreline around the bay. Coming around a corner of the path we suddenly saw a moose standing calmly with her young calf in the bush, just a few metres away. The huge cow has her ears forward and seems unconcerned at our close proximity, nevertheless we quickly and quietly backed off. Moose protect themselves by incredibly powerful forward kicks with their sharp hooves. Evidently even Grizzly bears take care around a large moose.

We review our plans and decide to go down to Seward for some fishing, so Bob makes a booking for a whole day’s outing offshore to catch Halibut. Margie is working on patchwork for her next quilt, ‘Alaskan Gold Rush’. RV Parks busy at this time of year but we manage to secure a place.

Also, Margie's NZ Vodafone mobile has had no signal for days, and with difficulty we finally find a working phone from which we can call outside North America [it is in the foyer of the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage]. This teaches us the value of having a US or Canadian mobile phone, which would offer superior coverage over the more remote areas in North America that RVers tend to drive to.

Daylight goes on and on here. Sun sets at 11.00 pm and in the summer it never gets dark at all during the night.

15-16 Jun 05: Anchorage to Seward.

Wend our way through Anchorage onto the New Seward Highway. We follow for some distance the Turnagain Arm, so named by Captain Cook when he found no NW sea passage through and had to turn again and retrace his route. The tide is well out, exposing great mud flats. Apparently the tide comes in at a steady 15 mph with a hissing, rolling wall of water. The mudflats are like quicksand so there are danger warnings posted everywhere. Just South of Anchorage is Exit Glacier, very accessible and most scenic.

At Seward Bob goes on the fishing trip. Great day out as everyone caught their daily limit of two Halibut, which are large fish and quality eating.

The Town of North Pole, Alaska Port at Seward, Alaska

A Catch of Halibut Exit Glacier, Near Anchorage

17-19 Jun 05: At Denali National Park.

Went for walk for several kilometres looking for wildlife, but no success, except for a cheeky bird that sat on our bonnet begging for food.

Denali National Park - Looking For Wildlife All That We Saw

20 -26 Jun 05: At Fairbanks.

The Midnight Sun Festival is on 21 Jun [Summer Solstice], stalls and bands are throughout the City Centre and it is great entertainment. Although the Sun actually does set for a couple of hours, it is still broad daylight. The absence of a clear dusk or dawn means it is difficult to keep track of the time, thus often when we are playing scrabble, we suddenly realize that it is around 4.00 am.

Spend one day driving in the Jeep up the road servicing the Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline, driving North as far as the Artic Circle [320 miles from Fairbanks]. Vast expanses of Tundra, wild scenery, much wildlife. Enroute we again meet the mighty Yukon River.

Midnight on 21 Jun 05, Fairbanks,Alaska 300 Miles To The Nearest Cappuccino

27 Jun -4 Jul 05: Dawson City.

Spend a fascinating week in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. To get there we drove from Tok, Alaska over the "Top of the World Highway", the scenery was amazing, but it was the most remote and lonely road we have ever driven on.

We really enjoyed Dawson City. It is a small town of about 2000 citizens, but has a lot to entertain visitors; from panning for gold [we have some success!], western-style casino, shows, museums and sightseeing. The cabins of both the poet Robert Service, and the author Jack London [The Call of the Wild] are further attractions.

Margie and Bob Panning for Gold in The Yukon

5 -10 Jul 05:

Travelled from Dawson City via Whitehorse, Edmonton, then onto Calgary. We are fortunate to continue to see a wide range of wildlife as we go. One large Black bear was feasting on a moose carcase by the side of the road. When we pulled up alongside he just continued eating, taking no notice of us at all. Twice we boondocked in remote areas where well laid out laybys had been thoughtfully provided.

11 -19 Jul 05: Calgary

We are here to see the famous Calgary Stampede, and so are thousands of others! A large flood several weeks earlier had closed several campgrounds, including the one we had booked into. After numerous calls we were lucky to secure a space at an RV resort some miles out of town, which turned out to be a very peaceful and pleasant place.

One day whilst in Calgary a hailstorm struck, with some of the hailstones being as large as golfballs. Fortunately the storm was brief and only a few vehicles suffered dents to their roofs, but it certainly gave us a fright.

20 -21 Jul 05: Drumheller.

Victoria and Colin had earlier told us about the fabulous Royal Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller, Alberta. It is a splendid, world class facility. We saw awesome displays of dinosaur fossils and re-created skeletons mounted, offering perhaps the most comprehensive range of fossils from the dinosaur era. It was extremely interesting and very educational, and we were so pleased we had the opportunity to experience it.

22-25 Jul 05: Banff

Set up in RV park with grand mountain views. The township of Banff has a truly alpine flavour, and offers great shopping. Had successful trout fishing trip at Lake Minnewanka. We drove to Lake Louise to enjoy the world-famous views across that Lake, then on to the Columbia Ice Field, driving up onto the massive glacier in one of their special buses, which are fitted with gigantic tyres.

Typical Lake Louise View Bus Taking Us On To Columbia Ice Field

Magnificent Views Wherever One Turns

26 Jul -7 Aug 05: Okanagan Lake District, BC

Stayed at two different RV parks in this popular resort area. Very warm weather, so not conducive to much outside activity; nevertheless we spent one day enjoying watching a rodeo in Vernon, plus we did get in several rounds of golf on the par three course at the very attractive Holiday Park RV Resort in Kelowna.

The rest of the time was spent catching up on correspondence and planning for our coming family reunion. We have arranged for all our children and grandchildren to join us on a cruise to Alaska. During the cruise we will be celebrating Margie's 60th birthday, and friends from Auckland, Jennie and Paul Forder, are also coming on the cruise with us.

Tee Time In Kelowna A Lot of Bull in Vernon

8 -12 Aug 05: Whistler

The RV park here was expensive, and the Wifi unreliable, but Whistler is a marvellous resort town that has a lot to offer in all seasons. There were great walks around the area, excellent shopping, and one day we visited the Dog Sled Summer Camp on Cougar Mountain, where we learnt about the dogs, their training, and were amazed at how eager the dogs are to get going with their sled team.

At Summer Dog Sled Camp Will Margie Be A Starter In The Iditarod?

13 -19 Aug 05: Parksville, Vancouver Island

Caught the ferry from Horseshoe Bay across to Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, then drove up to Parksville. The Surfside RV Resort is spacious and well laid out, with most sites being beachside. We have a lovely estuary view. Spend very pleasant relaxing few days, Margie working on her quilts, Bob on various correspondence, plus enjoy round of golf at very hospitable course nearby.

20 -28 Aug 05: Weir's Beach, Vancouver Island

The RV Resort is in an idyllic location. Our site is right on the beachfront, giving us amazing views across the blue sea. The country roads all around this area have wild blackberries and boysenberries growing in great profusion, and right now they are all ripe and delicious. We spent hours picking and feasting on the berries, and manage to fill the freezer with enough to last us for weeks.

Visit the nearby city of Victoria several times, very picturesque, especially taken with their famous Butchart Gardens.

Marvellous weather throughout the whole time we spent in this peaceful spot, enjoying postcard quality views, dining on copious quantities of juicy berries and viewing the wild life around the beach [including a sealion and her baby which visited the beach one day].

The Beautiful Butchart Gardens View from Our Motorhome at Weir's Beach

29 Aug - 13 Sep 05: Vancouver City

Cross back to the mainland on the Swartz Bay -Tsawassen Ferry [very smooth operation], then drive down to the Burnaby Caribo RV Park, an excellent Park and also is quite centrally located in Vancouver.

We are waiting here for the family to concentrate in Vancouver, then we will drive to Seattle to start the cruise. Suddenly our happy plans are greatly overshadowed by the horrifying news of the terrible damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, with New Orleans suffering the worst of it. For days the news seem to get only worse, and it is difficult to imagine the loss and suffering that has been inflicted on the people down South.

The USA is usually to the forefront in donating aid to countries suffering from a disaster. This time they become the recipients of aid. The size of some of the donations, eg, Kuwait $100 million cash and $400 million oil; Qatar $100 million cash, illustrates both the seriousness of the event, and how people around the world rally to help in such occasions.

On 11 Sep 05 the Welburn family flies in from Ottawa, whilst the Boyd family arrives from Brisbane. We have a marvellous two days enjoying the company of our growing family [with the exciting news that another little one is on the way], then we all drive down to Seattle.

Here on 15 Sep 05 we welcome the Turnbull family after their 29 hour trip from Adelaide. The following day they come out to the RV park to inspect Playtime. After the cruise they have planned a road trip around parts of California, Colorado and Arizona planned. Margie and I have not yet been to most of the places they will visit, so we will be keen to hear their experiences.

On 17 Sep 05 the Forders arrive from Auckland, then next day we board the Norwegian Star for the seven day Alaskan cruise.

Margie's birthday is on 19 Sep, and so is Kelly's, so we all enjoy a good dinner followed by a party in a private lounge. Our family custom is for each person to present their speech in the form of a poem, and we were delighted with the results everyone produced that evening. Margie stole the show [it was her party!] with a marvellous poem entitled "The Life and Times of MLK". She had spent several weeks creating this work, and it went down extremely well!

Margie's 60th, and Kelly's 15th, Birthday Dinner on the Norwegian Star, Sailing to Alaska

Isabel Helps Cousin Joel Amy, Kelly and Joel Present Their Poem

The ship called at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, then finished at Vancouver. Margie and Bob had done this cruise in 2001 [we were in Glacier Bay, Alaska, when the shocking news of the Sep 11 terrorist attacks came], so the main value for us this time was seeing how all our grandchildren got on so famously. They all live so far away from their other cousins, reunions such as this help to keep the family together to some degree.

Our Excursion on The White Pass and Yukon Railroad

Through The White Pass The Grandfather

Glacier Bay National Park Cool Cousins

Amy and Kelly Having a Ball Colin and Toby Join The Party

26 Sep 05: Vancouver

Everyone heads off in different directions, whilst we drive south to the KOA Park at

Petaluma, Ca, just north of San Francisco, where we will be storing the vehicles over the Northern winter.

03 Oct 05: Fly back to New Zealand.

07 -13 Oct 05: Boyd family fly over and stay at The Pines. We all drive down to Havelock North to attend the wedding of our niece, Fiona, who married Stuart, a Scotsman she met in the UK.

Louise and her Cousin, Fiona Fiona and Stuart Anthony

23 Dec 05-04 Jan 06: Fly to Melbourne to spend Christmas and New Year with the Boyds.