Whitehorse Wonders and a Familiar Face We promised a surprise in Whitehorse- To our delight, we crossed paths with our friends Krysi, Ryan and their adventurous son, Sawyer. They are on a journey of their own this summer, trekking even farther north than we are, all the way to Tuktoyaktuk (or "Tuk" for short) with dreams of paddling in the Arctic Ocean.  While they were always a few days ahead f us, the stars aligned on their return trip, and we landed in Whitehorse on the very same day.  Seeing a familiar face after so many days on the road was a gift. And oh, the hugs from Sawyer - what balm for this Nana's heart. I'm missing my grandchildren something fierce, so getting those sweet hugs from such a special kid meant the world to me. (Thanks Sawyer!) We had a beautiful evening together at Caribou Campground. There was great food, live music, and the kind of laughter that only comes when you're with good friends. It felt like magic, sitting on the deck surround...

 June 25th Yukon Ho!  Surprise Friends, Semi-Precious Stones, and 100,000 Signs Later.... well folks, we've officially driven so far north we're wondering if we overshot Santa's house. Yesterday was one for the books - the kind of travel day that makes you want to high-five the universe and say " Nice work, pal." We Crossed into the Yukon Territory (cue dramatic northern wilderness music), and if that weren't enough excitement, the road gifted us a real gem - literally and figuratively. Enter Jade City. Sounds mysterious, right? Like a secret mountaintop temple where monks polish ancient relics? Well...almost.  It's actually a tiny store (with bonus tiny lodging), but what it lacks in zip code real estate it makes up for in sparkle. They mine jade right from the mountains nearby, and the whole place has a charming "we sell mystical green rocks and maybe wisdom" vibe. So we pull into the parking lot, and BAM - another adventure van parked right in...

June 24 - From Glacier Mornings to Rainy Realities in Dease Lake We've had a whirlwind of a week and I'm way behind on updates, so her comes the catch-up post (and yes, a big ol' photo dump is incoming too-consider yourself warned!) After leaving beautiful Banff on June 18, we spent the 19th & 20th exploring Jasper, where even after the devastating fire they had last year, the mountains just keep showing off. On the 21st, we rolled into Prince George for a quick stop, followed by an overnight at Three Lake on the 22nd-peaceful, quiet, and stunning.  On the 23rd, we made it all the way up to Stewart, Canada & Hyder, AK (two very small towns right on the border) and the Salmon Glacier.  We thought the Athabasca Glacier was impressive.  It's got nothing on the Salmon Glacier and the drive to reach it.  Hwy 37A is said to be the "most scenic Hwy in North America".  Believe it! Put it on your bucket list! We have put it on our list of "places to visit ...

June 17 - From Golden to Banff: A road trip to Narnia This morning we hit the road early, with Banff set as our final destination for the day. What we didn't expect was how jaw-dropingly beautiful the drive itself would be. The stretch between Golden and Banff cuts through the heart of Banff and Yoho National Parks, and unlike parks in the U.S.where you enter through a main gate and everything is concentrated in one area, here the parklands are sprawling-spread out over hundreds of kilometers. There's a real freedom in how it's laid out: every few kilometers there's another trailhead, waterfall, or vista begging you to stop. Some hikes are short strolls, others could take all day. You just decide on the fly; It felt like a gift, to be able to follow our curiosity and just stop whenever something looked interesting.  Begbie Falls One of our first stops was Begbie Falls   - a spot we hadn't heard much about but saw on the map and thought, "Why not?" The trai...

  Golden Days, Gravel Rides, Bears and Laundry by the River Yesterday was Day Two in Golden, British Columbia- and let me tell you, this little mountain town is living up to its name. Golden is golden. On our first day, we explored the town on our bikes (because that's just how we roll), weaving through streets lined with charm and the smell of fresh coffee. We had dinner back at the campsite, legs kicked up, hearts full, and pasta bowls fuller. It was peaceful. It was lovely, It was...still broad daylight at 10 p.m. We tried  to go to bed early. Really, we did. But between the sun that refuses to set and the birds who think 4 a.m. is a great time to start chirping motivational quotes outside the van, sleep continues to be more of a polite suggestion than a reality. Still, we were wheels-up by 9 a.m. and off in search of adventure. We stopped at the local bike shop for some route tips (because locals always know the best stuff), and they pointed us toward a gravel ride that tu...

  Lavender Dreams, Gravel Screams, and Tunnel Echoes: A KVR Adventure So here we are in Canada-land of maple syrup, nice people, and way more beauty than my camera roll can handle. We found ourselves a Harvest Host campsite at the charmingly named Playlist Orchard, a dreamy mix of lavender, apple, and apricot trees that smell so good it's like Mother Nature herself lit a spa candle. The woman who owns the place is just as lovely-she sells all sorts of lavender potions, oils, and herbal wizardry.  I didn't;t buy any, because, well...space is tight when your suitcase is also your kitchen, closet, and living room (read: van life). After soaking in the orchard vibes, we walked to a cozy pub in town-where apparently all good Canadian trail tips are handed out over pints and poutine.  that's where we heard about The Ride.    A gravel ride along the legendary KVR (Kettle Valley railway Trail). And not just any gravel ride-this one snakes through three old railway tunne...

  June 13th - Oh, Canada!  And....Oh, Spectrum.  Big day - we made it! Crossed the border from the USA into Canada and lived to tell the tale.  Honestly, it all went pretty smoothly. The border officers were super friendly. They did ask us to pull the van into the inspection bay, which sounds a little dramatic, But really they just wanted to ask us a few questions-mostly about guns, weapons, and the general mayhem we weren't planning to bring into their country.  We told them nope, no guns, and aside from two cans of bear spray and our trusty guard dog Boone  (whose protective instincts are mostly triggered by squirrels and sandwich rustling), we were pretty harmless.  That actually got a laugh, and just like that, we were in! Cue the celebration...and the immediate realization that we had no internet. Apparently, crossing the border also means crossing into the dark ages of navigation-because who uses paper maps anymore? Oh right, we do now. We pulled...

June 11 & 12th Back to the Past....or at Least 2006 WINTHROP, WA TO TONASKET TO OROVILLE WA Nineteen years ago-yep, you read that right, nineteen-Bob and I each set off on a Life-changing bike journeys across the United States. It was 2006, and while we didn't know each other yet, we both stated from Washington and pedaled our way across the northern tier of the country, all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine. Bob was brave (or possibly just really stubborn?) and rode solo.  I had the good fortune to ride with my amazing friend Devra (spelled D-E-V-R-A, thank you very much), and little did we all know just how much that summer would shape our lives.  We were unknowingly riding the same roads, just days apart, cranking our way through charming little towns like Mazama, Winthrop, Twisp, and Tenasket-each of which we've just revisited over the last two days. Being back in Winthrop was like stepping into a memory-except now we travel with Yogi (the van) and Boone, our four-legged co...

  From Turkeys to Switchbacks: June 4 - 8 in High Gear (and High Heat)   The next stretch of our journey brought us to the Klamath Falls area, where we found a mountain/gravel biker's paradise and some of the kindest trail builders we've ever met. They sent us off on a spectacular 24-mile gravel route around Aspen Lake-just us, the trees, and one very aggressive mama turkey (Bob got chased..).  To top it off, Bob also saw an elk sprint across the trail. Me? I saw the dust it kicked up. Magic! We ended up camping nearby at Lake of the Woods, a dreamy spot straight out of On Golden Pond meets Dirty Dancing.  we stayed two days, soaking in the serenity-biking, paddling, kayaking, and sipping cold beers on the lodge deck while the lake shimmered in the sun.  Crater Lake followed, and WOW! No words. Just deep blue stillness and sheer cliffs that made us feel very, very small. From there, it was off to Bend. Laundry, chores, and urban exploration via bike.  The D...