Canada’s Lake Louise - An Elaborate Hoax?

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A few years ago, a couple of employees at Yellowstone National Park played a classic joke on the tourists. They placed a large hand crank apparatus on top of a wooden box. Next they set the whole contraption in the vicinity of the world famous Old Faithful geyser, which always naturally erupts once per hour. Just as Old Faithful was ready to erupt, they began vigorously turning the crank. Voila! The geyser’s steaming hot waters spewed forth into the sky.

To their credit, the employees had finally answered that legendary Old Faithful tourist question: “How do you turn it on?” Alas, their employers were not amused. Some rather gullible tourists who witnessed the spectacle left convinced that the venerable geyser was a sham. The two guys got canned.

Upon viewing Canada’s stunning Lake Louise, I began searching for the crank and wooden box…

Airstream RV Blog #27 - Geez (Lake) Louise from Sean Michael on Vimeo.

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North to Alaska…Hells Gate, British Columbia

One of the special pleasures of driving north from Seattle en route to Alaska is driving through the Fraser River Canyon along Canada Highway 1. This is one of the places you miss in your route if you approach Dawson Creek, BC, the start of the Alaska Highway, from the southeast.

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RV Today Archive - Toronto

Visit Toronto, a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, the fifth largest in North America. Rich in cultural diversity, there are more than 100 languages and dialects spoken in Toronto, and a great variety of food choices as well. It sounds hard to believe, but one third of the Canadian population lives within a 100 miles radius of Toronto. While there, you can enjoy the lakefront, visit Ontario Place -96 acres of man made attractions including a great waterpark downtown-, and take a bird’s eye view from the CN tower, the tallest building in the Americas (at the time of this footage, it was still the tallest building in the world but has since been surpassed in height by the Burj Dubai). Toronto West KOA Kampground is a common selection for RVers, with large leveled sites and friendly staff to assist travelers beyond the norm.

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In this video you can also catch a glimpse of a rare RV -a Rotel- which seems to have more than 20 bunk beds. These are used on tours around the world, organized by a German company, Rotel Tours. Before you sign up, take into account that travelers probably have more limited space than most of us RVers are used to …

For more RV Today Destinations, Product Showcase or Quick Tips episodes, visit the RV Today Archives.

RV Today Archive - African Lion Safari - Toronto

Join Stew Oleson while he visits African Lion Safari, just an hour outside of Toronto, and an hour and 15 minutes from Niagara Falls. You will see lions, baboons, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys, zebras and many other animals roaming freely. Great entertainment and quite an educational experience with this close up view of animals from more than 132 species. This is a wonderful destination for families or anyone who will enjoy this close exposure to wild animals, in a much more natural setting that a traditional zoo can allow - as you can see in the video below.

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Since the time of this footage, there have been many additions to African Lion Safari, including elephants, cheetahs and flamingos.

For more RV Today Destinations, Product Showcase or Quick Tips episodes, visit the RV Today Archives.

Blowing All Your Money in Canada

Last week we discussed beating gas prices by camping close to home. So it seems fitting that in this week’s post we consider what happens when you throw caution to the wind, viciously abuse a few credit cards, and camp FAR AWAY from home. For my wife Kristy and I, the time we spent in Canada’s stunning Banff National Park qualifies. Here are a few thoughts about camping in Canada, with some pesky dollar amounts attached.

Airstream RV Blog #26 - Banffff from Sean Michael on TheLongLongHoneymoon.com.

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North to Alaska…Waconia, Minnesota

We are gradually finding our way west and north as we make stops to renew old friendships and take the time to investigate things we’ve always wanted to see. As for the latter, this red-winged blackbird was a case in point.

For decades I have been intrigued by this particular bird but had never had the opportunity to see one up close. On the recommendation of long-time friends, we pulled into a county park and campground a few miles west of Waconia late one afternoon to spend a few days visiting. To my surprise, red-wings were everywhere, and the park provided a short boardwalk through a swampy area were there were thousands of them. We set up camp, and as the sun began to set, wandered down the boardwalk. The bird shown here was just one of many that struck a pose for my camera.

Spring…and subsequently summer…have been late coming to this part of the country this year, as you can tell from the still-brown reeds in the background of this picture. New growth was just beginning to appear near the surface of the swamp when we visited in mid-June.

North to Alaska…Family Fun at Wisconsin Dells

One of the great joys of RVing in North America is the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family, and the past few days have been no exception. My son-in-law just got a great new job in northern Illinois, and basically had three weeks to move his family down from Alaska. Since we were in Wisconsin Dells just north of the Illinois state line, we timed things so as to spend a couple of days together, giving me the opportunity to see not only my daughter and son-in-law, but also three of my five grandchildren, whom I haven’t seen since last October.

And, when in Wisconsin Dells, you visit water parks. Supposedly there are more water parks in this small Wisconsin town than in any other community in the country. Among these is Noah’s Ark, billed as “America’s largest water park.” So we loaded up and headed for Noah’s Ark. Water parks are also important stress relievers for kids who have just experienced an all-night flight from Alaska and a flood-inspired, detour-riddled drive down from Minneapolis in a rental van.

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“Alaska RV Adventure” - The Highway - Books to Take

Jodie & John - RV Adventure Videos

continued from June 12th

The highway is in good shape, the only problem is that Alaska is a long way from almost everywhere! You’ll need a good six weeks to see the highway and Alaska. Of course, three months is always better. It helps if you don’t have that time consuming problem called a job! If you only have a couple of weeks to see Alaska it would be best to fly to Anchorage and rent an RV. ABC Rentals are a good choice. You can see a lot of Alaska in two weeks if you start in Alaska, not in Chicago!.

The first thing you should do before you leave for Alaska is pick up a copy of the Alaska Mile Post. It’s a large book that lists every mile of every hightway you will be driving on in British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska. We usualy keep it right on the dashboard. The book will tell you were the next campground is, the next fuel stop, historical info and more. It is so percise it will tell you that a river goes under the highway at Mile 760 and the fish in that river average 18-inches in length! Now that’s covering everything.

You never have to worry about running out of fuel on the highway. There is an “oasis” of sorts at least every fifty-miles or so.

To be continued next Thursday …………

Please email me any questions you might have about RV travel to Alaska, and anywhere else.

You can also see video clips of our three RV Adventure Videos Alaska DVD’s at www.rvadventurevideos.com

Jodie and I will be leading a Born Free Caravan to Alaska July 19th.

North to Alaska…Washing Away in Wisconsin

For the past couple of months you could tell everywhere I have been. Just check the daily map on the weather channel and I was generally under the severe weather bulls-eye. Stopping to visit my sister and her family north of Madison, Wisconsin, this past week was no exception. I got here just in time for tornadoes to blast past to the north and south of me and to stare in awe for hours at torrential rains. I have never seen anything like this before, not even during the monsoons in Vietnam I experienced nearly 40 years ago.

This picture is of Lake Delton or, more correctly, what was once Lake Delton, a few miles from where I am camped near Wisconsin Dells. Twenty-four hours before I took this picture, this was actually a lake, a reservoir to be more specific. It was overwhelmed by the rain. The dam itself did not fail, I’m told, but the ground to the side of the dam became so saturated that it just washed away and the water roared around the dam into the Wisconsin River. This is where the houses you may have seen on TV the last couple of days were being washed into the river.

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“Alaska: RV Adventure of a Lifetime” - FAQ

Hi John:

A couple of years ago, my wife Penny and I visited your booth and film exhibit at the Seattle RV show. We purchased two Alaska videos and subsequently a third. We really enjoy having them and have shared them with friends who will be traveling with us.

Two rigs (both Class A 34 and 35 feet) headed from Seattle to Alaska June, 2009 is the plan. Probably six to eight weeks. First timers to Alaska for all four of us. The question is: would you recommend taking at least one “toad” with us?

Mark,

Glad you enjoyed the DVD’s It sounds as if you are going to have a great trip! Take the whole eight weeks if you can, you will never run out of things to see!

A “toad” is a luxury in Alaska, not a necessity. When I made my first video about Alaska I drove a 34ft Class A with no toad. I spent 3 months in the state filming. There were times I wished I would have had one but most of the time I was happy not to drag it along. It cuts down on your MPG and takes a beating behind the Class A because of all the gravel. If you do decide to take a toad make sure it is well covered and protected.

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