Captain’s Log

October 14, 2026 - Day 135 - Is it a monolith, a UFO landing base, a volcano, or an ancient tree cut down a long time ago? Who knows! But it is made out of rock, so I’m hesitant to say that Devil’s Tower is an ancient tree. Today, we got up, packed up and left Rapid City. As we left, we looked to the south to see the bank of fog that likely still obscured the four great presidents. We saw lots of deer and antelope playing today as we traveled. Not sure if they were playing checkers or chess, but it was neat to see! We hiked around Devil’s Tower, and we found gas for $4.72/gal! Yay! Stopped for the night in Ashland, Montana. Tomorrow we’re going to Little Bighorn and then finishing our drive into Boseman to see Jamie’s sister, also referred to as Auntie Bea! Going to try and get the galleries updated tonight and get a few videos edited for the upcoming video page

October 13, 2026 - Day 134 - Another day of clouds, rain and fog. Unfortunately, there is no longer a live camera that points at Mt. Rushmore. It would be helpful since it’s a little over half an hour’s drive away to the monument. After morning school. I was in charge of the afternoon activities which of course involved at stopping at the state’s largest candy store! Each of us bought about a pound of saltwater taffy (1.5lb for me) and William wants to do the ‘Hottest Gummy Bear’ Challenge with me. What could possibly go wrong!? After loading up on candy, we drove back up to Mt. Rushmore, said hi to the fog and then we drove the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway with pigtail turns and single lane tunnels through the same rock that Mt. Rushmore is carved out of. Beautiful drive and it looped back around to where, we checked one more time, to see a fogged-out monument. We had dinner in Keystone and turned in for another shower and a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, we are heading toward Boseman, Montana and stopping at Devil’s Tower and Little Bighorn on the way.

October 12, 2026 - Day 133 - The rain caught up to us last night and it was a rough night of sleeping. But it was also our first night of showers for a few days. We were clean and comfy finally, but the rain dripping off the tree above us, sounded like small hammers on the roof of the camper. It was clear enough this morning that we drove out to Mt. Rushmore! Fog was all around but as we got to the monument, it was clear. Mr. Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were all looking awesome as we started around the Presidential Walk/Hike. As we got closer to the monument, however, the fog rolled in and the four famous busts, were shrouded in grey. We hung out there for three hours after the fog rolled in hoping that it would lift and we could get up close and personal, but it never did. We drove over to see the Crazy Horse monument that was being built. Long enough for a photo and then drove back by Mt. Rushmore, just in case the fog lifted. It did not. We’ll try again tomorrow because this was one of William’s desired attractions and we don’t plan to disappoint!

October 11, 2026 - Day 132 - Our initial plan this morning was going to be to hike to the top of the highest point in all of South Dakota, at 3,506’. Last night there was a little rain, which was already bad enough that the trail says it’s very slippery when muddy, but this morning, we woke up to fog as thick as soup. There was no point to hike the mountain as we couldn’t see or take photos of anything. We’ll have to try again another day. So rather than climb, we got on the road for the other half of our drive to Rapid City, SD. Fog cleared up about a mile or so south of the mountain … figures. We drove through Buffalo Chip, which is apparently a big hot spot for motorcycles and concerts (unbeknownst to me). We arrived at our first ever KOA on the trip, which is a very nice location in the heart of Rapid City. Tomorrow we’re hoping to get to see Mt. Rushmore. We know the weather is right behind us and we’re hoping that the rain and ickiness doesn’t get to the mountain ranges before we do.

October 10, 2026 - Day 131 - We got up early this morning to get on the road. Today’s adventure took us over to the East Block of the Grasslands park. The weather has definitely taken a turn. It’s super windy and cold and there are patches of rain all along the route. We unfortunately didn’t get to see any quicksand, but the badlands side of the park still had some beauty to it. As we left the West Block, we got stuck in traffic behind a bison, but after he got out of the way, we saw maybe 7 cars in the two hours of driving to the border. Border crossing was uneventful and then it was a LONG drive east out of Montana into North Dakota and now we’re heading south to Mt. Rushmore. We stopped for the night at the highest elevation in North Dakota, 3,506’ above sea level! Hope there’s enough oxygen at this altitude! Fely like close to ten hours of driving, so I’m beat! Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll hike White Butte and then finish the drive into Rapid City, SD. Good to be back in the USA. Canada, we’ll see you again!

October 9, 2026 - Day 130 - It’s our final day in Canada! Tomorrow we head back into the United States! Hard to believe that this trip is starting to wind down. Part of me is thinking that as soon as we cross the border, the trip is over, but we still have another month and a half planned of wandering around before we get home. Mother nature is definitely chasing us south though. Today in the park it was 75 degrees! Tomorrow, it’s supposed to only get up to 46 degrees. Much colder! We took advantage of the warmth and did a 6km walk around 70 Mile Butte. As we were finishing the hike, we got the scare of the century as we stumbled upon a grassland rattlesnake. It was probably close to 3 feet long and only about 4 feet away from us when we startled it and it startled us. We created some separation as calmly as we could. This afternoon, we got the camper back on the truck and spent a little time after dark, stargazing. Sad to be saying goodbye to Canada, but can’t wait to come back soon!

October 8, 2026 - Day 129 - Today, we drove around the West Block of Grasslands National Park. We saw more prairie dogs than we could count, and we saw some bison, deer, possibly elk or moose and some up close calls with some cows, just chilling in the middle of the road. Saw a coyote hunting for his lunch/dinner and we did a couple short hikes around the park. William says he’s terrified that a black widow spider will jump out of nowhere here on the trails, while Jamie and I are more concerned with rattlesnakes. AND, there is actually a section in the East Block of the park that talks about quicksand! We’ve been preparing our whole lives for a chance encounter with quicksand! Let’s see how lucky we get!

October 7, 2026 - Day 128 - Today was driving day as we made our way to the Grasslands National Park on the southern border of Saskatchewan, literally a stone’s throw away from the USA. Here’s the problem we found out today though. The border crossing closest to the park is not open on weekends, and we planned to cross on Sunday, while it’s snowing, and cold, and early. So now Jamie is scrambling to figure out how we’re going to get back with the least amount of drama. Due to the weather turning bad on Sunday, we’re cutting Grasslands a day short and leaving Saturday. The next problem is that the nearest border crossing is back almost all the way to Regina, where we just came from, adding about 4 hours to that day’s already anticipated 11 hours of driving day. So us leaving Saturday will get us about halfway to where we need to be by Sunday night (Rapid City). On our way to Grasslands, we stopped in Moosejaw and visited an old underground rum runner tunnel. They really lean into the bootlegging in Moosejaw since it was popular in the prohibition even though there’s not much if any evidence that Al Capone ever was in Moosejaw. They did have Mac the Moose though, the largest moose (statue) in the world! Once in the park, we have already seen coyotes, prairie dogs and a rattlesnake. Oh, and the mosquitoes are alive and well in Grasslands. Hopefully the coming 35 degree weather will fix that! Tomorrow is a road trip around the park to take in the sights!

October 6, 2026 - Day 127 - Super easy day today as we did three loads of laundry, took our last Canadian showers and did some Costco shopping. We’ve been keeping a close eye on the weather and are noticing that the 70 degree weather we are enjoying now is about to expire. By the time we get to Grasslands, we are looking at a high of 65 on Thursday, 70 on Friday and 45 on Saturday with snow forecast for Sunday. I’m starting to understand why people, not from Arizona, say that the weather can turn on a dime. We’ll see if it shortens our next stop or not. And yeah, we had one final Beavertail.

October 5, 2026 - Day 126 - Today we planned to walk the circumference of the Waskana Lake Park in downtown Regina. Unfortunately, I didn’t pack enough water for the gang and we were dying of dehydration about halfway through the loop and had to cut it short. Regina is the home of the University of Regina, just on the south side of the lake we were circumnavigating. Once back to the truck, we got rehydrated and found out that the streets of downtown are a little too small for such a big truck as I curb checked twice trying to find postcards. After that, we did some grocery shopping to get us through the rest of our time in Canada. In a couple days, we head to Grasslands National Park, and that will be our last destination before coming back to the U.S. Oh, we may have gotten another Beavertail too!

October 4, 2026 - Day 125 - According to the truck, it was 34 degrees when we pulled out of the camp spot this morning and headed to Regina. We stopped at a couple small hikes on our way out of the park, saw one more fox and came around the corner to probably the same herd of elk that stopped our bike ride the other day. Uneventful ride all the way to Regina after that, but as we got into town, BeaverTails must have sensed our longing for their delicious pastries, because as we got within a mile of our campsite, Jamie started screaming when she saw the BeaverTails food truck! So, of course, we had to each get a tail, and then we went to Costco for dinner. Now we’re ready for a food coma at the campsite. Sleepy time!

October 3, 2026 - Day 124 - Today we took a ride in the truck to go do a few trail loops on the south side of Waskesiu Lake to Narrows Beach, where we had a picnic lunch, soaking up one of the last warm days of fall in this area. Snow is not far away for here. We walked the Treebeard Trail carrying big sticks and making lots of noise to make sure we did not come across another bear situation. After that, we did the Mud Creek Trail and the Boundary Bog Trail, both of those, you’d think were dirty and muddy and wet, but we stayed dry. Saw some beaver lodges, but no beavers. Sad to be leaving the park tomorrow. It really is peaceful and beautiful this time of year. Tomorrow, we head to Regina as we say goodbye to our furthest north location for the rest of the trip.

October 2, 2026 - Day 123 - Today we did some trail riding on our bikes and are realizing that our bikes are not 100% trail riding bikes and likely need to upgrade before the next trip. We were able to complete about 95% of the trail but as we neared the finish line, we came up on some hikers that were walking in the opposite direction as us and they flagged us down to a halt. It was fortunate that they were there because, about 300 yards ahead of us, was a herd of elk, with one spicy male and his harem of females. The hikers said that they showed no intention of getting off the path. I had to ride ahead a little to get a look at them, but I also agreed that they were not showing any signs of getting out of our way. We back tracked to a road and made our way around the herd with no issues. Once back in town, we tried to find an open ice cream shop but had no luck. Everyone had closed for the season. We did find a cafe, where we had some coffee, hot chocolate and smoothies, which were excellent. William got a little time to explore the playground before we headed back to the camper. On our way to the camper, we came across another spicy, male elk, who was chilling in the grass field. We slowly rode past him and came within about 15 yards of him. He seemed unbothered and we rode off. Back to camp and ready for another day!

October 1, 2026 - Day 122 - 1/3rd of a year on the road! First and foremost, Jamie saved our lives today! Without her, the slowest runner would have been bear food! But first, let’s rewind to the start of the action. Today’s plan, since the weather was still a bit cool, was a drive up to Kingsmere Lake, which is about 33km from the campsite. Enroute, we started seeing some wildlife which was super cool. We came across a red fox, and then a gray fox and then around another turn, I thought I spotted a deer, but it was due to my poor eyesight, because it was … a bear! As we drove closer, it wandered over to the shoulder where there was ANOTHER bear! Once we got even closer, we realized it was a family of four bears! The bear counter jumped from 23 to 27! It was a mama bear, two younger bears and what we think was maybe an older brother or sister. So cute, from the safety of our truck! After that sighting, we got to a hiking area (Narrows Peninsula Trail) and planned on a 3km hike. As we’ve learned in the past, we grabbed the bear spray, just in case. Our goal on “bear area” hikes, it to stay close together, travel slow and make lots of noise. Our noise ranges from book summaries to singing Bon Jovi, so not sure what we were talking about at the time (I think it was horror movies. It is October after all), but Jamie freezes in her tracks and William and I stumble to a halt. Jamie spotted, what she described as a small bear, about 50 yards ahead, climbing up a tree. Me being curious, I want to see it too! Well, I didn’t manage to see it, but I could hear something climbing the tree and could see leaves falling from the tree, and I was hearing, what I thought, was probably it’s mother, stalking and growling. I had gotten close enough and since they did not flee, we decided to be the flee-ers. So, we turned 180 and went as far as we felt safe around the opposite direction of the loop, saw the lake, and made lots of noise again on the way to the truck. After that, we went to Kingsmere Lake, tried to bring home a pet squirrel, and got back to the safety of the camper. Jamie and William caught up on their travel journals and I cooked up some pork chops (no applesauce). Showers, Toy Story 5 and bed! Save more fun for tomorrow. Bear counter jumped up 5 bears!

September 30, 2026 - Day 121 - “Thirty days hath September…” Here we are at the end of our 4th month on the road! After last night’s hockey game, we got the camper back on the truck and ready to go. This morning, I did two loads of laundry while Jamie and William did school. After that was done, we left campsite number (unknown), got the propane filled, stopped at Walmart, had lunch at Costco and then hit the road northbound one more time to Prince Albert National Park. Wind was gusting today, so we had to drive a little more cautiously than usual. Haven’t seen driving wind this strong since we left Homer. Stopped at a gas station where the pump had an error and was charging me $7.30 per liter ($27.63/gal). Almost felt like I was pumping diesel! Haha. After we got it fixed, we filled up and got to a pretty barren campsite. Seems like Canada is closing up for the season. We checked in at the visitor center and moved spots to be a little closer to the open bathroom and other campers. There was a bull elk chilling on the baseball field, like it was his. And I was not going to argue. I guess no baseball practice today! Got to our site, got the camper off the truck and WeirbackOnTrack!

September 29, 2026 - Day 120 - Coming up on ending the 4th month on the road and it’s been amazing! Today, William and I did a boys only bike ride into town to get a couple postcards for friends and family and did a few more zips on the zipline before heading back to the camper. This evening we went to the local sportsbar and watched the Canadiens open their hockey season at 1-0. Congrats to the Habs! Tomorrow, we pack up and are headed to the Prince Albert National Park for a few days. William and Jamie have school in the morning and I’m going to knock out a load or two of laundry.

September 28, 2026 - Day 119 - Today, after school, we took a bike ride along the Saskatchewan River. It’s the day before opening day of the 26-27 hockey season, so Jamie is getting excited for another intense season of yelling, “shoot the puck!” at the television. We rode about 12 miles or so, William found a fun playground with a zipline and we got dangerously close to a train as it crossed over a bridge. Me, not realizing that I’m 47 now, decided to try to show William the trick to popping a wheelie on a bike. The problem is my bike is a roadster bike and doesn’t exactly pop a wheelie and it’s been 30ish years since I perfected and performed my last wheelie. So, when I stomped on the left bike pedal and yanked on the handlebars, the bike went up and past the point of no return followed by the captain, eating the proverbial shit on the bikeway. Slammed my knee on the ground and walked it off. Should bruise up nicely. Got back to the camper and watched the Eagles blow it. Keep ya posted on the knee but for now, WeirbackOnTrack!

September 27, 2026 - Day 118 - Made it safely to Saskatoon, and the Gordon Howe Campground. Yes, named after the hockey legend, Gordie Howe, who has a sports complex named after him here and a bridge. Home to USask and the Saskatchewan River flows through the center of town. We had a good, relaxing afternoon and we’re excited to explore the 17th largest city by population in Canada with just under 300k people. WeirbackOnTrack in Saskatoon!

September 26, 2026 - Day 117 - Today we made our exit from Alberta and made our first entrance into Saskatchewan. Ever since we started planning this trip, William has been talking about wanting to see The Badlands Guardian, a natural geological formation that resembles a human head wearing a traditional First Nations headdress when viewed from above (and an early generation of earbuds). Sadly, it’s on private property and we weren’t in an airplane, but we did pass about five miles south of it … and saw nothing. William was extremely satisfied though. We called it a night about halfway to Saskatoon right alongside a lake and some late season mosquitoes. Tomorrow we’ll finish the trek to Saskatoon.

September 24, 2026 - Day 116 - Today was dinosaur day! We drove two hours from the campsite out to Drumheller Valley and visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. It’s one of the world's largest and most renowned museums entirely dedicated to paleontology and dinosaur history. Also houses the most complete T-Rex fossil in the world along with dozens of other well preserved fossils. Crazy that things from literally tens of millions of years ago left behind things for us to find. Makes you realize how small we actually are. Make your mark in life and get BackOnTrack! After all the history, we hit up Costco as we prepare for our next move east to Saskatoon.

September 23, 2026 - Day 115 - Today, we drove to the nearest park and ride and rode the train into the city of Calgary for some sightseeing, including a trip over the Peace Bridge along with a trip to the top of the Calgary Tower. We found another BeaverTails and I hate to say it, but I’ve almost got my fill of Beavertails for this trip and may not need anymore.

September 22, 2026 - Day 114 - After another long month of driving, the poor truck needed a washing. I spent a good two hours cleaning the truck and finally vacuuming the interior. No longer has that new car smell, but it is exceptionally cleaner! New wiper blades and after an oil change later this week, I’ll swap out the air filter and it’ll be good as new and ready for more road. This afternoon, we headed into downtown Calgary’s Heritage Park to check out the Gasoline Alley Museum with old gas pumps and even older cars, like the Model T. After, we saw the last preseason Calgary Flames game at the Saddledome. This is the final season for the Saddledome since the Flames are getting a brand new arena for the 27-28 season.

September 21, 2026 - Day 113 - Very easy day as we left Banff and made it 70 miles east to Cochrane, Alberta, a suburb of Calgary. Once at the campsite, we, once again, got the camper off the truck and settled in. William has been hanging out on the inflatable couch, getting his bike rides in, and Jamie and I got some laundry done. Let’s just say that our sweatshirts were becoming more sweat than shirt. Ewwww. All cleaned up and ready to rock some more. We’ve got dinosaurs to visit, a hockey game to go to and Costco shopping coming up as we unwind from the parks. Probably a Beavertail in the not too distant future either! Leaves are changing, but the temperature today was 81 degrees. Not a bad day at all!

September 20, 2026 - Day 112 - A huge shout out to ibuprofen! Thanks to those little guys, these calves avoided any Charlie Horses! I failed to mention last nights fiasco on the freeway! So after we left Lake Louise, we headed home and as we came along one stretch, you could see cars braking and swerving off onto the shoulder. It usually means one of two things, crash, or wild animal. In this case, it was a wild animal. Probably one of the largest grizzly bears we’ve seen on this trip. He was reminiscent of the bear in the movie ‘The Great Outdoors’. Thankfully, the population was protected from this wild beast by a 12 foot high, chain link fence. But it didn’t’ stop the tourists from jumping out of their campers and running along the shoulder, swinging their small children in their arms like they are offering them to the beast. I half expected one small child to go over the fence. Peace offering. Anyway, I’m sure the bear was not amused and continued to do it’s grizzly bear things. Today, we caught another bus to Johnston Falls. It was a shorter hike, up another slot canyon to a lower and upper falls. Also full of tourists that don’t offer any consideration to other people. Jamie is a big fan of shoulder checking people that like to walk side by side on a narrow path where they should be walking single file. At the lower falls, is a photo spot. Due to the Instagramers, the line took 40 minutes to get through. After the hike, we bussed back into town and got our last Banff Beavertails, headed back to the camper, got the camper on the truck and we’re ready for our next destination! We’d been looking forward to the National Parks for months and now it’s behind us. We’ve loved every minute of it and we’re sad it’s over, but we’re so happy that WeirbackOnTrack!

September 19, 2026 - Day 111 - Flashbacks to the 8-mile hike to Lake O’Hara, today we caught our tour bus ride over to Moraine Lake, where we got our classic photos from the top of the “Rock Pile”, and then, since we couldn’t feel our hands, due to the super cold morning air, we decided to beat the rush and rent a canoe! One hour for $187.00! An arm workout and a wallet lightener! The hour paddle was definitely awesome, but it did not warm up our hands at all. After the paddle, we hiked that lake for 2.4km, watched the sunrise over the peaks and then we climbed the “rock pile” again, to get some sunny photos. Needless to say, the Instagram folks there were OUT OF CONTROL! They have to get that “perfect shot” and their perfect shot means, going off the trail, clearly marked with, stay out of this area signs, so they can get that shot with no one in the background, their duck face, ass out pose, and ruin about 100 other people’s pictures at the same time! Thank goodness Google has the magic eraser, because the “princesses” were in mass! After that, we caught the bus to the most tourist drawing lake, Lake Louise. This is the lake you see in postcards, but I have no idea when they take these postcard pictures because the crowd was very similar to the crowds battled at Disneyland. At this lake, we took a 3.9km hike up to see a tea house (didn’t have tea, but we ate lunch) followed by a 3.9km walk back down and then a 1.2km hike to the lookout that gives you a good view of the Fairmont Hotel. The shorter hike was advertised as easy, but it felt more vertical than the trail to the tea house. None of this walking was easy. We left the lakes around sunset and went back to the camper to die of exhaustion. One more hike tomorrow and one more BeaverTail before we say goodbye to the National Parks.

September 18, 2026 - Day 110 - We had visions of grandeur when we first got here yesterday thinking we could ride our bikes around this town to get from point A to point B, but after the bus ride down Tunnel Mountain yesterday, we decisded to leave the bikes on the racks and use public transportation instead. Today we caught the busses over to the Banff Gondolas that take you to the top of Sulphur Mountain, south of downtown Banff. It was an 8 minute ride to the top and then some fantastic panoramic views of snow dusted peaks. After we rode the gondolas down, we walked the three or so miles into downtown Banff, for, you guessed it, another BeaverTail! Duh! Any long walks deserve a BeaverTail for a reward. Calories burned for calories eaten! Prior to getting to Banff, Jamie booked us a bus ride from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake, where we have to be to the bus depot at 8:15AM. The bus terminal is about a 45-minute drive from the campsite and if we had not gotten a site in Banff, we’d be driving 2ish hours from Calgary. Luckily, we got a site, but tomorrow morning will be our earliest get up since the ferry to Prince Rupert. And it’s forecast to be cold!

September 17, 2026 - Day 109 - After our good soak and relaxation of yesterday, we left camp invigorated and ready for our next destination, Banff. I always pronounce it “Bamff”, so I’m not sure if it’s “Bamff” or “BaNnff”. Either way, that’s where we headed today. Once at the campsite, we got the camper back off the truck (I’m getting to be a pro at this), and we jumped on the bus to downtown to get our BeaverTails fix and we had dinner at a local pizza place, because pizza was the crave of the day! Tomorrow morning, we have our gondola ride to the Banff overlook and we have to get up early! So off to bed early tonight. Sounds like it’s going to be early to rise every morning over the next few days.

September 16, 2026 - Day 108 - Today we made another failed attempt to go see the Kootenay Valley Overlook. It was foggy at the campsite, but as soon as we drove through the canyon, the sun came out, just to go back into the fog right before the lookout. Hopefully it’ll be clear tomorrow when we depart for Banff. Today our bodies got a well needed soak in the natural hot springs. Hard to believe that something naturally under the Earth’s crust is warming these waters. These pools were once used by indigenous people prior to their discovery in the late 1800s. Someone bought the land for a whopping $160.00 (probably CAD too) and turned it into a soaking pool for travelers. The pool maintains its temperature in the 100-to-110-degree range and my sore calves were grateful! After the soak, we rewarded ourselves with ice cream and then got back to the camper, plopped it back on the truck as we get ready to head to Banff tomorrow!

September 15, 2026 - Day 107 - Rain. Rain that was supposed to have cleared up by the time we got to our hike decided it would stick around for a little longer. Today we drove through Kootenay National Park to check out some of the waterfalls and primarily visit the Paint Pots hiking area and threw in a 3km or so hike up to Marble Canyon. The Paint Pots are so called due to the mineral pools at the top of the trail that are different colors and cause the mud and algae around it to look like spilled paint. From Kelly Green to vibrant oranges, it was pretty cool to see. The walk to Marble Canyon was, thankfully, flat and led us to a slot canyon carved by glacial waterfalls. We tried to stop at the Kootenay Valley lookout but due to the low ceiling and the rain, the view was impossible. Maybe better luck tomorrow.

September 14, 2026 - Day 106 - Today we drove a nice short distance from Golden to Radium Hot Springs. Named for the local hot springs at the entrance to the park where the water is naturally around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The drive was just about an hour and the RV Park that we are staying at is beautiful. Nice restrooms and we’re just outside the Kootenay National Park where we’ll be spending the next few days doing some local hikes.

September 13, 2026 - Day 105 - Tomorrow we leave Golden and head to Radium Hot Springs for some more epic hiking. Today, we did a short morning hike to Wapta Falls and then came back to chill at the camper because the wind picked up and the temperature is dropping, plus it’s NFL Sunday! Go Birds! We were able to knock out some plans for the next month of travel, and we even got a couple loads of laundry done. William had a math test today that he aced and we stayed nice and cozy in the camper. Hot showers and then tomorrow we get the camper back on the truck and move on to our next stop! Hard to believe that in less than a month, we’ll be back in the US.

September 12, 2026 - Day 104 - Happily, after our 8+ miles of walking yesterday, the family and I were not sore, so we took a road trip to Mount Revelstoke National Park just past the Glacier National Park (No, not the one in Montana). What an amazing drive with high cliffs and a winding road through avalanche danger areas and tunnels. We drove out to the summit of Mount Revelstoke on the Meadows in the Sky Parkway and did a short, 2-mileish hike around the summit. We then made the drive back and saw another bear! Number 22! Yay! Still not sure why I’m not allowed to jump out of the car and give him a hug! He looked so huggable! Once back to Golden, we blasted some K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack (Yeah, I know all the words to ‘Golden’) and did some grocery shopping. Due to the last couple early mornings, we are beat and ready for bed!

September 11, 2026 - Day 103 - Today was one heck of a hike. Today we hiked from the parking lot to Lake O’Hara. An 11km (6.8 mile) uphill hike to another beautiful emerald, turquoise lake that is not nearly as crowded as Emerald Lake. There is a bus that goes up and back to the lake, but you need to make reservations starting in March, and we did not get lucky with a reservation. We had to be prepared to walk for 13.6 miles if we don’t get a bus ride back (not guaranteed). The lake was beautiful and we also added another 2.5km walk around the lake, because 6.8 miles was not enough yet. Due to yesterday’s rain, there was a fresh layer of snow up on the peaks around the lake. We did luck out and for $15 per person, we were able to ride the bus back down to the car and because of how awesome we did, we went out for dinner in Golden.

September 10, 2026 - Day 102 - Day 102 was full of mini-hikes and a visit to the Emerald Lake and almost all the way to a waterfall, but it ended up being about 200 meters too far. Today, we checked out the spiral tunnels, which are famous railway tunnels in Yoho National Park. The engineering problem was that they needed trains to be able to climb a very steep hill in a short amount of time. The initial hill climb was at 4.5% (meaning that for every 100 feet of horizontal travel, the train climbs 4.5 feet). This is considered extremely steep and the first train that attempted it derailed, killing three. The solution was to create two spiraling tunnels through the mountains, taking the 4.5% grade down to a more manageable 2.5% grade. On average, 20 to 30 trains pass through these tunnels daily. It was pretty cool to watch. We also stopped at Takakkaw Falls and got super lucky finding a parking spot for the big truck at the Emerald Lake just south of Takakkaw. On the drive back to camp, we saw some bighorn sheep along the side of the road with their babies. Too cute. All the light hiking today is a precursor to the long hike coming tomorrow!

September 9, 2026 - Day 101 - Today we left Hinton and drove the Icefields Parkway which takes us from Jasper National Park to Glacier National Park. We’re camping in Golden. Golden is just west of Banff and takes us into the Yoho National Park of Canada. It was a 144 mile drive that would normally take 3 hours on a regular highway, but due to all the “ooh”s and “ahhh”s, it took us a little over 8 hours to complete. If you get the chance to drive it yourself, plan a whole day around it. Some of the most amazing waterfalls, glaciers and towering rock formations I’ve ever seen! It included the Athabasca Falls, the Columbia Icefield and two beautiful turquoise lakes, Peyto Lake and Bow Lake. Due to the winds, Bow Lake was not as smooth as some of the other lakes we’ve photographed in the last few days. I promise galleries will be up soon! I’m fighting with this 360 camera and wish I was better at editing videos. I put a couple of the 360 shots that we took from Jasper onto Facebook and Insta. Jump on there to check some of the amazing shots out.

PS - it’s been bugging her that I haven’t mentioned it, but Jamie got a bee sting right before our paddle boat dinner cruise on Day 94. We think it was a bee, but we aren’t 100% sure because we didn’t see it. It reacted like a bee sting, with swelling but also, the worst of it was how red and hot it was two days later. Whatever demon bug it was, Jamie did not appreciate it and it still itches, darn it! As for me, I feel that I have donated enough blood to the mosquito population up here and would appreciate it if the other mosquitoes would take note of this and leave me alone also. The good news is that, as the temperature starts to drop, so do the mosquitoes! William … has no complaints.

September 8, 2026 - Day 100 - Try to get this posted before my battery dies! It’s finally here! Day 100. Hard to believe that it’s been that long since pulling out of the driveway back home. Our journey today was back into Jasper and started out with a trip to Pyramid Lake at the base of Pyramid Mountain. As we got to the parking lot, I may have run the truck into a fairly large boulder … After inspection, happy to report that the only damage was to the chrome hooks on the front of the truck. I keep forgetting it’s not a compact car. Anyway, after we got to the lake, we did a quick hike to an overlook and met a nice couple, from North Carolina, traveling to Jasper again because they like it so much. Hope they have another amazing trip. Thanks to their advice, we arrived at the Whistlers Mountain Skytram early and got a ride up to about 7000’ above sea level and then climbed another 1000 or so feet up to the summit. I’ll have a cool timelapse video of our summit run here shortly. After the mountain, and some poutine, we descended and drove into the town of Jasper to finally get our Beavertails that we were denied in Edmonton! Delicious as always. Got back to the camper, did a little school for William, another load of laundry and got the camper back on the truck without too much trouble. Navigator Jamie was there to help make the loading a little bit easier. Tomorrow we’re driving to Golden, just south of Jasper and deeper into the National Parks. Looking forward to some more beautiful sights and more bear sightings I hope! Coming up on midnight of day 100, time for some sleep and this computer needs to recharge! Happy to say, after 100 days, WeirbackOnTrack!

September 7, 2026 - Day 99 - I’d have to say that Jasper is one of the most beautiful parks I’ve seen so far. Unfortunately, it’s seen a few years of wildfires, but it’s being rebuilt and the forest is bouncing back. Today we did a hike through the Valley of the Five Lakes. You wouldn’t believe it, but there were five lakes! The air was still enough that photos would show a perfect reflection of the sky and the mountain backdrops. We were on a bit of a time crunch though because we had a cruise booked to visit Spirit Island, located on Maligne Lake. Water so clear you could see 25 feet deep and powder blue from glacial runoff. Photos don’t do it justice as you’ll see once I get them added to the gallery. We saw two more bears today along with three moose, some elk, marmots, and a deer. Again I was denied the chance to go give the bears a bear hug. Maybe next time.

September 6, 2026 - Day 98 - This morning, while William and Jamie were doing school, I got the camper back on the truck (a little crooked), and we packed up to leave Edmonton. We drove a few hours to Hinton, which will be the home base for our trips into Jasper National Park. We’ve got some exciting hikes ahead of us, a boat cruise and a skytram trip planned.

September 5, 2026 - Day 97 - Our last day in Edmonton. It was resupply day and get a couple loads of laundry done day. William and I risked our lives on the rope course at the RV Park. William was super brave and managed to do quite a few of the obstacles, including his leap of faith to get into a hanging RV camper. Don’t worry, we were harnessed and super safe. There was no way of it being a huge risk, other than me possibly detaching my bicep again. After the American Gladiator style parkour, we did some grocery shopping and a trip to Costco for some poutine and pizza. Leaving tomorrow to head to Hinton, which is just outside of Jasper National Park.

September 4, 2026 - Day 96 - Coming up on day 100! Crazy. Who’d have thought we’d make it this long!? Today we took our bikes for a walk. Unfortunately, the way we went into town this morning, the first mile or so, bikes were not allowed on the trail, so we had to walk them. After we got to a point where we could ride, we hit a huge hill that required more walking of the bikes. We rode/walked our bikes from the campsite to Strathcona, a suburb of Edmonton and then we got to ride on The High Level Bridge Streetcar. The HLB uses a fleet of vintage streetcars that have been restored. Some of the streetcars are from as far away as Osaka, Japan and Melbourne, Australia. The streetcar crosses the North Saskatchewan River and is the highest river streetcar crossing in the world, sitting at 156 feet above the water level. After that harrowing ride, we walked around downtown Edmonton and down to Rogers Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers. We HAD to visit the team giftshop and get a few souvenirs (even though we’re really Montreal fans). I guess it’s not a bad team to have for a second favorite. I mean, Gretzky played for them for almost 10 years. After downtown, we took the streetcar back and, unfortunately, due to me not being able to read a map well, we walked 1.5 more miles to an all-Canada souvenir shop so we could get a sticker and some post cards. It took us in the wrong direction of where we had locked up our bikes, so we had to walk almost 2.5 miles back to our bikes and then a 6ish mile ride back to the camper. Tomorrow is laundry day once again and time to supply up for our next three weeks on the road. By the end of the month, we should be getting into Calgary, but we’ve got a few stops between now and then.

September 3, 2026 - Day 95 - Today we hit William with another surprise. After school, we drove over to the West Edmonton Mall. Once the largest mall in the world, prior to Mall of America, this mall has mini golf, a pirate ship, aquarium, sea lion show, an amusement park and a huge, indoor waterpark. As a surprise and since it was an item on his trip bucket list, we went to the waterpark today. All the fun of a waterpark but without the sunburn! And if you know me, I am very fair skinned and, in the sun, I go from white, to red and back to white. I’ve never been able to maintain a tan. Anyway, William did great and did almost all of the intense slides. We hit up the food court for dinner and ended the day with some ice cream! But now we have swimmer’s lung and need to sleep it off. Tomorrow is a long bike riding day into downtown Edmonton.

September 2, 2026 - Day 94 - Today we visited Fort Edmonton Park after a little home schooling. It’s a local heritage park with a recreated fort from 1885, and streets from 1905 and 1920 along with a 1920s style carnival with carnival games and midway rides. William had a blast and Jamie once again kicked our butts at mini golf. For dinner, Jamie had booked a riverboat cruise with buffet. The cruise itself was kind of a bust because, due to low river levels, the boat sailed maybe a total of a quarter mile before using the river current to float back to the dock. The food was really good, but by the time we docked, we were ready to get off and get back to the campsite, take a shower and hit the hay.

September 1, 2026 - Day 93 - Time to start the Burrrrrr (Ber) months. Get it, Septemburrr, etc. Watching other travelers in Denali and Anchorage, about a month behind us, they are seeing snow already. Means we are just ahead of the season. Told you the other day that the trees were changing colors already, so we’ve headed south. Not necessarily going to keep us out of snow, but it’s helping. Today we rolled into Edmonton like we were new at this driving in traffic thing. True, it’s been a few weeks now since I’ve driven on more than a two lane highway, but due to the fact that we’re driving a 14,000 pound monster, people tend to get out of the way! Nice to be in a city and we’ve got lots of fun stuff planned. Mostly to entertain the small child, but Jamie and I are excited to do some fun stuff too. We’ve (i.e. Jamie) has been doing an awesome job educating the boy and getting a good head start this week. Tomorrow we have a buffet and cruise to go on and a bigger surprise for William for Thursday. For now, I’m going ot try and edit a couple 360 videos and get them into a blog.

August 31, 2026 - Day 92 - Ugh, we haven’t driven this long since Day 1. Almost 500 miles of driving after getting out of Hay River at 11AM. It’s 659 miles from Hay River to our next campground in Edmonton. Where we stopped is only 183 miles left to get there. We use an app called iOverlander to try and find cheap (usually free) camping sites on our routes. The stops today were few and far between and unverified in a long time, which meant that they were usually found overgrown and muddy rutted roads into the woods off the main highway. As it got darker, those roads looked less and less appealing. We were able to get gas in Red Earth and trucked all the way to Lesser Slave Lake and found a campsite for just under $40 for the night. Helps to have electricity and bathrooms that don’t require a shovel and a large tree to brace yourself against. We did manage to add another bear to the Bear Tracker as the sun went down. Tomorrow, we’ll be back in a big city. We won’t have been in a city this big since Vancouver (Day 10ish).

August 30, 2026 - Day 91 - Here we are at the end of August, on our way into September. There are more camp fires and the smell in the air reminds me of old times at my grandparents cabin up in Munds Park as the season got closer to winter. Between the smell of smoke and the pine trees, it really takes me back. The sun finally came out again, so we took a walk over to the Great Slave Lake to see one of the largest lakes in Canada. I got to do two more loads of laundry and everything in the camper is finally clean. The skies appear to be clear for the most part tonight so I’m hoping for some good luck on the 360 camera. Tomorrow we are packing up and heading south some more to Edmonton. Should take us two days to get there barring any bad roads or any other inconveniences.

August 29, 2026 - Day 90 - It appears that I have officially lost my earbuds. Possibly left at the laundromat in Fairbanks, but I have been unsuccessful at locating them. Today was laundry day in Hay River. After we went into town to get some local eats at the Saturday Fisherman’s Wharf “farmer’s market”, I spent most of the afternoon doing laundry while William and Jamie plugged away at school! After last night’s downpour, it’s mostly a mist of rain today but likely no chance of seeing the northern lights tonight. Better luck tomorrow.

August 28, 2026 - Day 89 - Coming up on our first 100 days on the road. We’ll see if we’ve made good achievements. As usual, it was raining while we packed up and we had rain for most of the 300-mile trip to Hay River. Hay River is on the south side of the Great Slave Lake so we are still in the area where we should see northern lights. Rain is expected all day tomorrow and clearing up by evening so fingers are crossed that we can have a clear night! As we were driving out of Yellowknife, I noticed that the trees are already starting to change colors from green to the yellows and oranges and reds of Fall. Not used to seeing that since it’s still in the 110s back home. The yellowing of trees there is usually caused by heat stroke. Up here, it’s a sign that winter is right around the corner and it’s our turn to start migrating south. Leaving today was our last spike to the north on this trip. Mother nature is pushing us back toward home.

August 27, 2026 - Day 88 - Today we did the touristy thing and drove through the old town of Yellowknife and hit up the souvenir shops. Really trying our luck to find an authentic, decommissioned NW Territory license plate. So far, no luck, but if someone in the NW Territory reports a stolen license plate, it wasn’t us! Rain moving in tonight so the chance of seeing the Aurora tonight is super slim, but we’ll see what the 360camera captures. Tomorrow we’re packing up and heading to Hay River. Jamie is feeling much better and looking forward to hopefully a clear night to see the northern lights.

August 26, 2026 - Day 87 - Jamie still being under the weather, we made it a pretty chill day. William had a substitute teacher (me), and we knocked out some math, social studies and science. I had the 360 camera up last night and did capture some Aurora activity, so we’re going to set an alarm for tonight and try to see some in person. Hope to have the video on Facebook and Instagram soon! The camera is actively recording tonight so we’ll see if we can get a repeat of last night’s awesomeness.

August 25, 2026 - Day 86 - We made it to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, only accessible by one road. The road got worse and Jamie wasn’t feeling great today so we kept it slow and rolled into town around 3PM today. We did a little grocery shopping to get us to Edmonton and are checked in at the campsite. Jamie getting some needed rest and I’m going to try and set up the 360 cam tonight on a time lapse to see if we can capture the Aurora. The sky is pretty clear other than some of the BC wildfire smoke that is blowing up this way. Fires are out of control around here! Posted a new blog post about the Dempster vs. the Dalton highways. Go check it out!

August 24, 2026 - Day 85 - As we get closer to Yellowknife, the frost heaves are getting more prevalent, requiring a little slower on the speedometer. We had to keep it around 50mph most of the time. We did manage to get within 150 miles of Yellowknife and plan to arrive early tomorrow. Tonight we found a secluded spot off the highway, next to a pond and I’m sitting here watching a beautiful sunset.

August 23, 2026 - Day 84 - Today we put ourselves 300 miles closer to Yellowknife as we go on the hunt for the elusive Aurora Borealis. I’m reluctant to add another bear sighting to the tracker on the home page. We saw our first bear “sleeping” on the side of the highway. It was highly debated on whether this one should be added to the counter or not. But we are adding it anyway. As we got deeper into the drive, we saw a wild bobcat and possibly another fox or coyote. Lots of cows and horses because we are in the agricultural belt of Alberta. We tried one camping spot before ending up where we are now but before we could even get out of the truck, mosquitoes the size of small airplanes had swarmed us trying to say hello. It made me think of the seagulls in Finding Nemo. We decided that I wouldn’t survive getting out of the truck to get the camper ready. We drove through High Level, Alberta and made our way to a golf course that also doubles as an RV park. For $25, we get power and get to stay the night. Another 300 miles tomorrow to get us close to Yellowknife. Hopefully no more sleeping bears!

August 22, 2026 - Day 83 - Turned out to be an easy fix! Looks like the Dempster Highway shook a couple mounting bolts loose on the blower motor. Once reinstalled, the AC ran like “new”. Today we walked to mile 0 on the highway and I’m sure we were looked at funny because today was considered very hot to the locals. It was 89ish, which, I admit, is warm, but nothing like the 113 at home. We wouldn’t be caught dead walking outside in that! William got a few postcards for friends and stocked up on his stickers for his travel log. Tomorrow, we pack up and start driving to Yellowknife. Time for a needed shower and some sleep!

August 21, 2026 - Day 82 - Added another bear to the counter as we saw one just on the other side of the highway guard rail. It was a shorter drive but felt longer. We arrived at Mile 0 campground in Dawson Creek and hit up Walmart to restock on some goods and get some items for William’s school science experiments. Vinegar and baking soda … wonder what we’re making!? A lot warmer here than we’ve grown accustomed to. It’s about 85 degrees today and, one more item to add to the fix list: Air conditioner not running. Hope it’s an easy fix!

August 20, 2026 - Day 81 - Got another 350 miles closer to Dawson Creek. Should arrive tomorrow barring any complications. Complication of today was getting the new bike rack back on the truck, but I think we figured it out. might have to tweak it a few more times to get it right though. It was a drive through zoo today on the Alaska Highway. We came across a single bison and Jamie didn’t get a photo, so she hoped we saw another one. Well about 2 miles down the road, we came across the herd. Probably 100 or so head of bison! We saw a deer, we saw caribou and we saw another bear! Takes us up to 16 bears on this journey. Eventually we’ll jump out and pet one. Should make for good social media. Found an old abandoned camp area and are tucked in for the night.

August 19, 2026 - Day 80 - Got the camper back on the truck and as I lowered it, there was a loud snap (which was the metal strap breaking that holds the poo pipe to the truck and now the poo pipe is leaking the black tank without me wanting it to. We drained the tanks and I’ll take a look at it tomorrow AM while Jamie and William are doing school. Hopefully not a big deal but I think I’ll be getting my hands dirty. We left Whitehorse and waved goodbye to the Yukon Territory since we will not be going back on this journey. We finally saw a bear again and updated the counter to 15 bears on this trip now. At Watson Lake, we checked out the Road Sign Forest and are now camped out at a rest stop as we make our way to Dawson Creek. Time for sleep and hopefully get another 350ish miles behind us tomorrow!

August 18, 2026 - Day 79 - Today started with a run out to the laundromat to get everything cleaned prior to our departure tomorrow toward Dawson Creek (No, not Dawson’s Creek, but if Katie Holmes is around …). After laundry, I went over to get the truck washed and was going to spring for the full-service car wash, but once I got to the bay, I walked into the office to inquire about the full service and he said he was the only employee on duty today so full service is just another self-service. So, I got to power wash and wax the truck, just in time to put the dirty camper back on it tomorrow. For the afternoon, the family went grocery shopping, got our Starbucks fix and we got showered up for the road tomorrow, since it may be a few days again before we see a shower. We have yet to use the outdoor shower or the sun bags. Spending this evening updating some of the galleries, since I’m sooooo far behind!

August 17, 2026 - Day 78 - While Jamie and William did school, I ran into Whitehorse to get some errands complete. Got a new bike rack for two bikes, and we’ll carry William’s bike inside the camper while driving. Spent most of the day getting a few odd jobs here and there done like taking some of the extra gas cans off the roof and putting them in the truck. No need to carry extra gas anymore, except for the generator. I got William’s bike cleaned up for storing in the camper while driving but he’s worn down his back brakes, so I’ll need to run back into town tomorrow and get brake pads while I’m doing laundry and getting the truck washed. Maybe the inside of the truck will see a vacuum! Scary!

August 16, 2026 - Day 77 - Lucky day. Day 77, the PSI on all the tires was showing 77 and we headed to Silver City for our glacier flight. It was fun getting back into a small plane and remembering how much fun it was. I may have to pick up the hobby again after all this travelling is done. The flight was good, but due to overcast skies and some weather system moving in, we were unsuccessful at landing on the glacier, but it was still hecka cool and William and Jamie loved it as well! Got some good video to put on the Facebook page and Insta. Tomorrow is chores day and William is back to school. We’re doing a science lab about chemical reactions and hopefully I don’t blow anything up!

August 15, 2026 - Day 76 - Today we had some schooling in the morning for William and as it started raining, we packed up the rig, put the bikes back on the janky bike rack and pulled out of Dawson City heading for Whitehorse again. Other than Summer construction and some major frost heaves, it was an uneventful drive. We made it into Whitehorse in the evening and there were already some Amazon packages waiting in the office for our arrival. A new trailer hitch for the soon to be, new bike rack we’re putting on the truck. Third time’s the charm, we hope. Tomorrow, we’re driving down to Silver City for a glacier flight where there’s a good chance we’ll be able to land and walk around on a glacier!

August 14, 2026 - Day 75 - Well, the bikes were clean enough to allow for a bike ride but after two trips down dusty and muddy roads, the bikes are squeaking and grinding in places they shouldn’t. Today we rode into Dawson City and stopped at the Jack London museum, where William got a stamped copy of Jack London’s Call of The Wild and White Fang. Looking forward to some good reading time. Once we got back to camp, river engineer William completed his bridge over the creek behind the camp with a little bit of help from his father, diverting part of the river. For the evening we went back into town for dinner and the famous Sourtoe Shot which is a shot of Yukon Jack whiskey with and actual, real mummified toe in the glass. “You can drink it fast or you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch that gnarly toe!” And it briefly did touch my lip. Watching out for any side effects. William was ready to try the shot with some Shirley Temple but we didn’t ask.

August 13, 2026 - Day 74 - We set the alarm last night for 9AM, allowing us to get some needed rest. After hitting the snooze a few times, it was 11AM and I guess time to get up. Everyone slept in and apparently it was needed! Today was laundry day. Seven days of no showers makes for a pile of dirty clothing. I also needed to get the bikes cleaned up for tomorrow so we can ride into Dawson City after William’s math test! Wish him good luck!

August 12, 2026 - Day 73 - Sweet day, we made it to level ground! As the dust got worse, we got closer and closer to salvation! 100 miles left felt good, 50 miles left felt better. Then the final count down from 10 miles felt like an eternity. But we made it and we got back into Dawson City in the early afternoon. We went straight to a car wash (which was really just a power washer) and spent around $30 to knock as much dust and mud and dirt off the camper as we could. Once in the RV park, cleaning moved to the inside (mostly Jamie in there). After seven days of no showers, we finally got to take our $2 for 5 minute showers! I’m no longer tan looking and back to my pale and pasty white! Doing some minor fixes on the camper and I convinced the family that ordering pizza would be the best idea. And it was!

August 11, 2026 - Day 72 - Damn this Dempster Highway! No wonder some locals refer to it as the Dumpster. Took us an extra hour at the ferry to get from one side of the river to the other as we had to get off at one stop, make a U-turn and get back in line for the ferry again, where we missed the boat by one car (ours). Once back on track, it was slow going. Washboards that will rattle your teeth and potholes that will eat the truck whole. Today we gassed up in Eagle Plains and continued our journey toward asphalt. We got it to under 200 miles to go as we stopped at the Ogilvie Ridge rest area. I’m starting to miss the rain because the dryer the road gets, the more dust is getting kicked up

August 10, 2026 - Day 71 - Here we are, over ten weeks on the road! Mother nature was not being kind this morning, so the polar plunge in the Arctic Ocean didn’t happen. Honestly though, it sounded too friggin cold to me and I’d likely have this ‘man cold’ turn into ‘man pneumonia’. We did get to play super hero today to a truck that had gotten itself stuck off the side of the road. Being new to a four-wheel drive vehicle, I had to get the navigator’s help to Google if I put the truck into 4up or 4down. And then even when I did that, I didn’t realize that I had to shift into neutral before the four-wheel drive kicked in. Once we figured that out, it was easy to pull the work truck out of the ditch and get them back on the road. Sorry fellas, I’m new at this big truck driving thing. We’re southbound again and we stopped at the first ferry location of Tsiighetchic. Tomorrow, we’ll be putting 200 miles more behind us as we travel the Dempster. Unfortunately, as we get close to that 200 mile mark, we run into the crappy road again. Two more days on this road until we get to Dawson City again and we get showers and laundry. Yeah, we haven’t showered for a few days. Don’t stand so close to us!

August 9, 2026 - Day 70 - After a good night of sleep, yesterday is far behind us. The ‘man cold’ still rages and a pinch in my back is making me feel like these are my last days, but maybe a dunk in the Arctic will do the trick. After another day of driving, we arrived in Tuktoyaktuk. It’s definitely tundra land with no trees and high winds. We watched the temperature drop from the upper 50s when we left this morning to currently 44 degrees and a wind chill taking it down to 34 degrees. Arctic is churning like mad, so the polar plunge will have to wait til tomorrow! We tried checking in at the visitor’s center, but it was closed. We’ll try again in the morning so we can pay for tonight’s stay on the spit. Hopefully tomorrow will be a warm 95 degrees and the water will be close to 80!

August 8, 2026 - Day 69 - Well it’s been a day. A shitting outside kind of day. The morning started out as any other. Pack up load up … notice the bikes are sagging again on this brand new hitch. Awesome. Strap it to the ladder and push on. This part of the Dempster was literally where all the potholes come to die! We averaged about 20 miles per hour. Every time I thought we were getting close to our destination for the night, it would be another 59 miles. We hit the top of the Ogilvie mountain range and stopped for a pee break and noticed that the bikes we about to be dragging again. The new hitch that I bought, claiming to be able to hold a 500-pound tongue weight is buckling under the constant bouncing of the bikes through these god forsaken potholes! The bikes have once again been relocated to the inside of the camper. A rough enough day for all of us and bringing us to tears! We made it the rest of the way to Fort McPherson, grilled up some hot dogs and corn in the mosquito clouds and turned in. It’s also not helpful that I have a ‘man cold’! Going to try and sleep this day off!

August 7, 2026 - Day 68 - We left Chicken in the morning and everything went well. We got to ride the ferry across the Yukon River into Dawson City. We cruised through town without stopping because we knew we were to be back in a week or so. Today’s goal was to start our trek up the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuk. Another chance to polar plunge into the Arctic Ocean. We stopped a few hours in on this rough and tumble road for the night at a rock pile campsite. I checked all the tires and we’re good to push on!

August 6th, 2026 - Day 67 - Yeah, it’s day 6 - 7! (Doing the stupid hand motions). Today was pack up and go! We left Fairbanks, got a picture in the North Pole and are on the road again, On our way to the Canadian side of the Arctic Ocean. We made it from Fairbanks to Chicken, Alaska. Had an Alaskan Amber at the Chicken Saloon. I feel it’s only appropriate to have an “Alaskan” beer in Alaska before we leave it behind. It’d be like having a Fosters in Australia, although I’ve heard Fosters is crap beer over there. Even though their “top shelf” tequila is Jose Cuervo … I learned from experience and knew also that their shots are practically thimbles. “That’s not a shot …” My best Mick Dundee impression. But here we are, camped out in Chicken, on our way up to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territory. Tomorrow, we enter the Dempster (aka Dumpster) Highway!

August 5, 2026 - Day 66 - William and I got our first haircuts of the trip! And we were looking a bit worse for wear at this point. Today was, prep for the road day. Getting everything is up on the roof and tied down. We ordered a new hitch for the bikes after the pre-Dalton Highway incident, so I’m hoping that works once we get the camper back on the truck tomorrow! Temps are getting up toward 80 degrees and I think the native Alaskans are not happy about it, but it finally feels like summer!

August 4, 2026 - Day 65 - Well into nine weeks on the road and life is becoming routine. The mornings, mom and William go to school, I get to work on things around the camper. Today, I got the oil changed (finally) and the tires rotated. Although, they rotated my shiny chrome tires into the inside of the dually wheels, so I may have to take a look at that. This afternoon, we went on a paddle boat ride down the Chena River. It was pretty awesome. We got to watch a float plane take-off and land and we saw a dog sledding team and went to a recreation of a native Alaskan village. Catered to the cruise demographic, but still awesome. For dinner, we hit up another salmon bake, which had potential, but again, the cruise crowd got to the good stuff first. Oh well! Tomorrow, William and I need a haircut!

August 3, 2026 - Day 64 - First day of Seventh Grade for Mr. William and his new teacher, Jamie! It was deemed best that I am not around the camper for the morning, so I took the dirty clothes to the laundromat. Dropped off the truck to get an oil change and tire rotation, but after doing all the laundry and leaving the truck at the shop for 2 hours, they had not even started working on it yet. Better luck tomorrow. After school, we took a ride to the North Pole (actually a city just southeast of Fairbanks where it is Christmas every day! Fed some “reindeer” (really caribou), but it was very cool. Rained off and on most of the day, but when have we not seen rain, am I right!? Going to be working on updating the galleries and getting some videos up. I’m a bit behind! But if the seventh-grade class needs me out of the way, I need to kill some time one way or another!

August 2, 2026 - Day 63 - Sleepy headed William stayed in bed for most of the morning, being his last day of summer break. Homeschooling starts tomorrow AM. William made a new campground friend and we then went to the Museum of the North to discover Alaskan cultures, natural wonders and about the wildlife, without the threat of being eaten! I think we had our first official fast food stop for dinner tonight too! Had a third leak in the roof present itself while we were up in Deadhorse, so I tackled that project today and a few other repairs. Said goodbye to the bike hitch that broke a few days ago. Sadly, I don’t know any good welders. Tomorrow is laundry day!

August 1, 2026 - Day 62 - Had a delicious breakfast at Coldfoot Camp and then hit the road for the remainder of the Dalton Highway going south into Fairbanks. Happy to get back to warmer temperatures. Went from being in the low 30s last night to mid/upper 60s in Fairbanks. Today marks the third month of our journey and I’m thankful that we’ve had any major issues so far! It’ll be good to be back in city life for a few days. As soon as we got to the campsite, we fired up the onsite car wash and took about 100 pounds of mud off the truck and camper. Need to get some errands done this week and an oil change so I don’t have to do it myself!

July 31, 2026 - Day 61 - Due to being so cold last night, I chickened out from the full polar plunge into the 37-degree Arctic Ocean, but Jamie, William and I did go in up to our knees. At least four people did actually go fully under water. Maybe when we get to Tuk, I’ll try again. After the tour, we drove out of Deadhorse and are now back in Coldfoot where we ate at the Trucker’s Cafe and since William pulled an “all nighter” last night, the family is hitting the pillows early. Tomorrow back to Fairbanks where we have some truck repair to deal with including the bike rack. I’m surprised with all the horror stories about the highway, that we didn’t have any issues so far!

July 30, 2026 - Day 60 - We made it to Deadhorse and got stuck in traffic literally behind a couple caribou! Visited the general store, got a t-shirt and we were actually surprised by how stocked this store was! We parked across the street from the tour company for tomorrow morning and we’re freezing our tails off. It’s 33 degrees at the end of July! I set up the 360 camera to see if we could track the sun as it didn’t set for very long before rising again but I fear it is going to be blocked by fog. I managed to do a little more cleaning on the camper so we could at least watch the caribou before bed! Tour tomorrow, full swan dive or am I going to chicken out!?

July 28, 2026 - Day 58 - So the thing I feared would happen, happened. The bike rack, that had been showing signs of wear, finally broke on our way out of Fairbanks toward the Dalton Highway. We drug the bike rack behind the truck for a good amount of time before noticing that we were tail dragging. Used to mean something different when I flew planes. For the full story and pictures, see our Facebook page. As for the rest of the trip, we’ve started up the Dalton and made it to the Arctic Circle. As I type this, it’s 11:00PM and the sun is still up! Sunset is 11:59, but it’ll never get dark. Hoping to shoot a time lapse video with the 360-camera once we get up to Deadhorse for all to see. Long day, more dirt road driving tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be another 200+ miles closer to Prudhoe Bay! We also saw a bear today! Finally!

July 27, 2026 - Day 57 - So I once again waited until the last minute and I’m getting burnt for it. Actually, cold and wet. It’s raining again today but I need to put a protective film over the headlights to prevent rock damage as we start up the Dalton Highway tomorrow, which is mostly dirt road. So here I am, after we went shopping at the little shops outside the camp site, in the rain, trying to cut plastic sheets to cover the headlights. And then barbecuing in the rain again. Good news is there’s a hot shower in store! Tomorrow is the big trip north!

July 26, 2026 - Day 56 - We took a short two-mile hike around the visitor center again today and we then had a 5ish hour bus tour that takes us to Mile post 42 of the Denali Park Road. You have to stop at 42 due to an ever-increasing landslide that blocks the old road, but they’re constructing a bridge. Beautiful tour and we highly recommend, just for the snacks! No, but really, we got to see Golden Eagles, Dall Sheep, caribou, and a moose. We “saw” a grizzly bear, but he was a good mile or two away, so he was a brown dot on the horizon, and we are not counting him on our bear tracker!

July 25, 2026 - Day 55 - Probably the clearest day we’ve seen in a long time. We rode our bikes to the Visitor Center for Denali State Park and paid our park fees and were able to jump on a bus that takes you closer to the mountain and we got some awesome clear views of the North and South peaks of Denali! We took a short little river hike along a river at mile marker 15 and then rode the bus back to the visitor center and biked our way back to the campground. Excited for our bus ride tomorrow that takes us out to mile 42. Hopefully it’ll be a clear day also! No bear sightings in a couple weeks.

July 24, 2026 - Day 54 - We snoozed a few times but managed to get out of Anchorage at a descent hour (10ish). We made a very fun pitstop in Talkeetna, who is just getting over the huge amounts of rain they’ve been seeing, and the river overflowed its banks. Seems to be a semi regular occurrence but still, never fun. We hit up The Salmon Spot for some tasty salmon cakes, and we also snacked on some coffee rubbed elk skewers, pickle bombs and cheese curds! Couldn’t find any Talkeetna posts cards and we battled more gusty winds as we made it to Denali State Park for the next four nights. Pretty impressive mountain. I’m sure we could hike to the top in a day, but we’re going to do the tourist thing and mainly stay near the base. Kidding! I would die trying to climb that thing! It’s the tallest friggin mountain in North America!

July 23, 2026 - Day 53 - They weren’t lying about the wind. We woke up this morning, and it was howling! The 30’ American flag across the street from the campground was fully out and bending the flagpole. We took it slow and steady and made it safely out of Homer. By the time we got near Whittier, the wind calmed down and we made it safely into Anchorage. The next whirlwind was us doing eight loads of laundry in the short amount of time we had. Needed a clean restock before we start heading north. Tomorrow, we head into Denali for a couple days and we’ll be a week from taking a dip into the Arctic Ocean! Burrrrrrrr but WeirbackOnTrack!

July 21, 2026 - Day 51 - We took a water taxi across the bay this morning to hike to the Grewingk Glacier. Along the way, we took a spur off trail to a man powered tram that crossed the river. Jamie and William crossed the whole way and let me tell you, it was a workout to get them across. Once we got to the glacier, weather began to move in. Wind picked up and it got chilly quick. Mother nature figured we had it too nice yesterday so for the last 2 miles of our seven-mile hike, it rained. Rained all the way back to the water taxi, and back to the camper where I BBQed some chicken in the cold pouring rain. Hopefully nicer weather tomorrow!

July 20, 2026 - Day 50 - Rumors were true and there was no rain today. We got off to a later start than usual, but we were able to bike the 6 miles off the spit, take a walk on the beach during low tide and William and I walked in the ocean. Yeah, it was a bit cold! Preparing myself for the polar plunge up in Prudhoe Bay. Homer has a bunch of cute curio stores and a darn good ice cream shop. Jamie found a local fish market, so we are cooking some Sockeye Salmon for dinner with some dill and lemon. More rain tomorrow. Hope we can get through our hike before we get soaked.

July 19, 2026 - Day 49 - Today was the drive to Homer, AK and, of course, it was raining. Another soggy pack up and departure for a short, two-and-a-half-hour drive to Homer. We were able to book a campsite at the end of the Homer Spit (a four-mile-long narrow jetty (almost) that stretches out into the Kachemak Bay. It is also the end of the road for the Alaska 1 which comes to an end about 100 yards from where the camper is now. Rumor has it that tomorrow there may not be any rain! We’re going to use that to our advantage and go for a bike ride along the spit!

July 18, 2026 - Day 48 - Time to start packing up before the atmospheric river flows over our heads. Turns out we have 2+ inches in the forecast for tomorrow while we are heading to Homer. Today we actually got a good patch of NO RAIN, and we drove into Cooper Landing to hike to the Russian River falls where we finally got to see salmon running! It’s crazy to think that these fish are born in a river, live in that river for their first year and then head for the ocean for a couple years and then swim back to the very same river they were born in, to make more salmon and then … die. Tomorrow, we head to Homer and it’s starting to sprinkle right now so please pray that we don’t have any new (or old) leaks in the camper!

July 17, 2026 - Day 47 - OMG I want an Alaskan Husky puppy! Today, we went to a dog sledding location known for raising Iditarod winning teams of sled dogs! And we got to hold puppies! A team of 14 male huskies, with William (and our guide) at the wheel, pulled us around in a golf cart! It was amazing and then we got to hang out with the dogs, while they were wet and dirty, so yes, as predicted yesterday, we smell like wet dogs. Jamie was smart enough to take her gloves off but William and I have stinky gloves now. After the sled racing, we hiked up to the Exit Glacier, which is another glacier on the retreat due to global warming. It has retreated miles from where it was in 2005. After the hike, we went to the Salmon Bake and back to camp. Oh, and we got more rain!

July 16, 2026 - Day 46 - Today, we drove through Seward, AK and did a hike to a black sand beach called Tonsina Beach. And, once again, it was rainy, but we came prepared with our ponchos! We also discovered that a poncho over a jacket makes for a very sweaty hike, even if it’s 55 degrees out. After the hike, we stopped at the Alaska Sea Life center and got to watch some harbor seals and a sea lion that was just showing off how cool he is. We walked the main strip of Seward and ate dinner in a school bus! Please rain, go away, we are planning some dog sledding tomorrow and I don’t want to smell like wet dog!

July 15, 2026 - Day 45 - We got a good head start packing up yesterday before the rain came down again all night. Today, the skies opened up and we actually saw sunshine again. We stopped for a quick hike at the Byron Glacier and got a better view of the Portage Glacier which had a hand in carving out the area that is now Whittier. We are camped out in Moose Pass and are going into Seward tomorrow. Time for a good night of rest!

July 14, 2026 - Day 44 - Today is our last day in Anchorage on this trip so we’re stocking up our supplies, getting our last showers in and getting one more load of laundry done. Tomorrow we’re heading to Seward and our accommodations are lacking some of the essentials, like water hookups and places to dump tanks. Yes, those tanks. and we’re going to go a few days without showers. Probably don’t want to be within ten feet of us by Sunday. Hoping to get showers again once we get to Homer.

July 13, 2026 - Day 43 - It’s prettier in Whittier … when it’s not foggy and rainy that is. Today we took the 2.5-mile tunnel through a mountain to get to Whittier, Alaska. Awesome drive from Anchorage, about an hour and a half along the Kenai Peninsula. A recently updated cruise port, the town is starting to grow again. Once a strategic position during the Cold War, now a cute little fishing town where everyone basically lives in one apartment building together. We got a few trinkets and had some coffee and clam chowder. Still looking for a good fish place with local fish.

July 12, 2026 - Day 42 - Rain. It’s rained pretty much all day but that’s not a bad thing. Our plan for the day included laundry which went better than expected and William and I ran some errands to Home Depot, Costco and Best Buy (to get Jamie a new screen protector). Tonight is a riveting game of Farkle and then off to bed. Tomorrow WeirbackOnTrack is going to Whittier.

July 11, 2026 - Day 41 - It’s shocking to me when i think about it that we’ll be seven weeks into our adventure by Monday. Tomorrow is laundry day but today was (in the grand scheme of previous bike rides) one of the coolest and easiest bike rides we’ve done. It was thirty miles in total but overall, there were very few hills and my legs and rear are thankful. Anchorage is one of the busiest travel hubs for large planes coming in from overseas. We were able to stand right off the end of the runway as huge 747s were landing. Even got to watch one go around due to heavy crosswinds. Super cool.

July 10, 2026 - Day 40 - Our first day in Anchorage and we are putting a hike on the agenda because today and part of tomorrow are the only two days not forecasting rain. Today we did a hike up Flat Top Mountain, which is supposedly one of the best views of the city and on a good clear day, you can see all the way to Mt. Denali. But … it was foggy and at the top of the mountain, we could only see about 50 yards out. About halfway down the mountain though, the weather gods cleared the view and if we had been at the top, we’re guessing it would have been beautiful. Better luck tomorrow on the bikes.

July 9, 2026 - Day 39 - Hate to say it but getting tired of the cloudy and rainy weather at the moment. By no means does this make us want to be in the 100+ weather back in Phoenix, but this morning it had to be raining of course while we pack up and get the rig ready to move to Anchorage. The five-hour drive turned into a seven-hour drive due to some stops on the way, construction and an accident on the highway right before we got to camp. No, not us in the accident and no, I haven’t lost any other items on the road. Although, the bikes look like they are hanging lower and lower now that the bumpy roads are taking over. Seems like Alaska has two seasons, snow and construction fixing potholes. Safely at camp and we had Costco pizza for dinner. Time for some rest. Big hike tomorrow and it’s almost laundry day!

July 8, 2026 - Day 38 - Getting ready to post a Q & A session in the blog about our first 30 days on the road. What we like, what we don’t and maybe even find out what we brought that should have stayed at home (it’s the telescope, because it never gets dark up here!). Today we did a few hikes around Valdez, bought some postcards for family and friends back home and made sure William restocked his candy reserves. Tomorrow, we pack up and roll out for Anchorage! WeirbackOnTrack now!

July 7, 2026 - Day 37 - When, and if, reincarnation happens, I think I want to come back as a sea otter. They just swim around, living their best lives. Turns out that they are not a favorite food of orcas due to lack of body fat, so they just float along, eating shellfish with their favorite rock that they tuck under their armpits. Today we did a glacier cruise and saw many rafts (as they are called) of sea otters and a good half dozen or so humpback whales. We saw a couple harbor seals and lots of icebergs. Luckily, we didn’t have to man the lifeboats, it was all part of the cruise. Weather was cold and cloudy, but a beautiful day if you ask me.

July 6, 2026 - Day 36 - One of our shortest drives lately. Today we travelled from Tok to Valdez. What a beautiful community nestled in the mountains of south Alaska! The drive was a lot easier as the upheaved roads were at a minimum. Looking forward to a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, we have a glacier cruise and likely 1,000 images to add to the gallery!

July 5, 2026 - Day 35 - Driving all day. We pushed to make it across the US border and are officially in Alaska! We might have touched the tip down at Salmon Glacier but today was full penetration! Got new storage boxes for the roof and strapped them down with three ratcheting straps. Not losing these guys anymore. It was a good thing too because today’s road was a true test. Due to freezing temperatures, potholes and dirt roads kept us to about a 45 MPH speed, which meant slow going. 400 miles of driving today took about 9 hours. We did see our first grizzly bear though, so that was cool. Made it to Tok, AK and onward to Valdez tomorrow. Shorter drive (I hope). WeirbackOnTrack

July 4, 2026 - Day 34 - Happy to be in Whitehorse for the night, but what a day! You’ll have to check out the full story on Facebook but we had a heck of a time recovering some lost cargo on this trip! New site has way less mosquitoes and I’m grateful for that! Happy Independence Day everyone!

July 3, 2026 - Day 33 - I follow a lot of other adventurers that are miles ahead of us and they have reported that the mosquitoes are taking over the world in Alaska. I think it should be declared a state of emergency. We’re about 10 miles or so south of Jade City, BC with our intent to be to Whitehorse tomorrow at this time. I’m sitting here, in the camper, watching a river flow by and wanting to be sitting outside, but we are being held hostage by mosquitoes already. It’s pretty bad and I assume the Raid warehouse is nowhere near here. looking up at the ceiling vent right now there are probably 20 blood suckers trying to enter. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE! Making me itchy just looking at them. We bought these no-see-um, mosquito head nets and I was rocking my long pants, jacket, hands in pockets with my head net on and my hood on. I looked like a horror movie beekeeper. But it beats the day to day from before we launched this trip. Really feels like WeirbackOnTrack!

July 2, 2026 - Day 32 - Salmon Glacier. Today we headed back into the US for a short period in Hyder, Alaska. Hyder is a small community just southwest of Stewart, BC. We stopped at a Wildlife Observation Site where in just a few weeks, the river will be full of spawning salmon and the bears that eat the salmon. Today, there were no salmon and no bears. Once through Hyder, it’s a dirt road for 16 or so miles to the Salmon Glacier. Salmon Glacier forms an ice dam for Summit Lake at the top of the glacier. Around mid-July, the ice dam breaks causing the salmon river (under the glacier) to rise by 4-5 feet. On our way back to Canada, one of my extension valves for the dually decided it was time to fail and indicated that my PSI went from 80 pounds down to 34 pounds. Luckily, and yet unluckily, it was just the valve extension and only took about an hour to fix. I’m getting so much better at getting the camper back on the truck since it took me about 10 minutes in total to get it raised, centered and lowered on the truck. Tomorrow we are heading north. Our goal is to make it to Jade City where we will be boondocking for the first time since camping out in the Pilot parking lots.

July 1, 2026 - Day 31 - We had a spot of rain last night so it was a good thing I put the tarp over the repair I did on the roof. We did not, however, cover any of the fabric chairs, rugs or anything else that likes to get wet and now they are all wet. It’s kind of throwing off our moods this morning. We did make some bacon and egg bagels off the Blackstone and that improved our quality of life. We did some grocery shopping where William and Jamie got their Starbucks fix (me I get Monsters as my fix) and we headed 0ff to Stewart BC. What an amazing drive! If you get the chance to drive into Stewart, I highly recommend it. The mountains, glaciers and rivers are amazing! Pictures do not do it justice. The bear counter today jumped from three to seven! As we checked in, the manager at the RV park even said that there is a grizzly bear just on the other side of the RV park. Maybe not something we want to check out but I really want to check it out. We were treated to a marathon fireworks extravaganza at midnight as well in honor of Canada Day. Didn’t get to see them, but they sure woke Jamie up! I started the WeirbackOnTrack Facebook page today so I can use that to dump photos into along with the website once I figure out how to get galleries to work! We’re getting a lot closer now!

June 30, 2026 - Day 30 - The last day of our first month! We arrived in Prince Rupert at 1:30AM and it was a short 10 minute drive to the RV park. Once plugged in for water and electricity, it was time for some more rest. Turned out that 17 hours on a ferry did not give much time for sleeping. We managed to get about an hour of sleep or so before we arrived. Once we got plugged in and I was able to unwind a little, it was 3AM and time for some sleep. Once awake, it was repair day for the roof that I put a bandaid on in Port Hardy and laundry day, including all bedsheets, jackets and towels. We never left the RV park and we had some pork chops for dinner. Happy to be done with ferries for a while! WeirbackOnTrack now! Tomorrow we’re going to drive up to Stewart, BC, right on the border of Alaska! Woohoo!

June 29, 2026 - Day 29 - The Boat Incident - We booked this ferry ride back in January way before we even kicked off this trip. June 29, 7:30AM sailing time, have to arrive in the boarding window to get on board. Ok, we need to get up early. The ferry in Vancouver had a check in time an hour before sailing and we were not allowed to check in prior to that time, so I ASSUMED that this was similar and we’d check in by 6:30 and be in good shape. I should have paid a little more attention to the email. Anyway, we set the alarm for 5:30AM. Buzzer went off and I jumped out of bed. Jamie and I had been tossing and turning anyway since a little after 5 concerned that we’d miss the alarm and just anticipating the day. The night before, I had put the camper back on the truck, untarped the roof and had everything ready to go into the camper and get on the road as soon as possible. Jamie picked our RV park specifically because of its proximity to the ferry terminal (10 minute drive away). Boom, packed and on our way to get to the boat. 6:20ish we arrived at the ferry terminal and we were at the back of a 10 or so long line of slow moving cars being checked in. We got up to being next in line and the car in front of us handed over a small packet of paperwork to the check in desk. I made a comment along the lines of “someone who doesn’t know how to read the email and have their bar code ready.” I had my barcode and our IDs ready. I even asked one of the employees in line if we needed our passports or if our driver’s licenses would work. He assured me that DLs would work just fine. As the car in front of us checked in, I overheard the employee say something along the lines of “because you are late, you are going to have to wait in the standby line.” I said to Jamie “they must not have a reservation like us and have to wait and see if there’s room.” They were directed over to a lonely lane where they sat by themselves. Our turn…

I pulled up to the window, driver’s licenses and the bar code ready for check in. Where is the ID for the child? Um, in the camper on the back of this truck and (unbeknownst to her) buried in a secret compartment on the camper that requires some remodeling to get to. “I’m going to need some form of ID for the child.” $#it… I jump out of the driver’s seat and dive into the back of the camper like a bear that found a jar of peanut butter and tear it apart to find our passports. Boom, got ‘em. “Just so you know, you arrived late for check in. I’m going to ticket you, but you are going to have to sit in standby to see if there’s room for you to board the boat.” Um, what? We were here an hour early just like the last ferry we got on. Well, dumb me. If I had read the email for this particular cruise, you needed to arrive 2 hours early and the check in window closes 90 minutes prior to departure time! WTF?! She continues by saying “If you don’t make this ferry we will discuss options with you. You could always walk on and leave your vehicle here.” LOL, I can only imagine Jamie’s thoughts at that remark, “Sure, I’ll leave my deceased husband with the vehicle too, that would be very convenient, thanks.” Yeah, that’s not going to work for us. I try not to let my panic show, but Jamie is reeling! As the optimist, I’m always in the mindset of “this will work out for the best” and Jamie is the opposite to the point of “we’re screwed, we’re going to have to reschedule this whole trip! We’re losing days, what are we gonna do!?” and I can see it written across her face and I can feel the air thicken in the vehicle. I do my best to try not to make eye contact, I play the nice guy card and just do what the check in lady says and swing the truck to the standby “prepare to be in big trouble” line.

While all other vehicles are boarding and I’m putting the camper back together after getting the passports, another lady came over to the truck to take our tickets. Jamie told her we were on standby, but she said if we have tickets we aren’t on standby. Since Jamie had no answers, she radioed the first lady and asked her what was going on. Over the radio Jamie hears “yes, those cars were late, just leave them there.” Second lady shrugs her shoulders and says, “I guess I’ll leave you for now.” So, we wait … we see someone waking toward the car in front of us and at this point I’m guessing they’ll have enough room for that car but not us. My pessimist is leaking out! The person waves both of us to get on board! Halleluiah, we’re saved! Turned out you could have fit us and like 4 or five tour busses behind us. I think the check in person just wanted to see me sweat in 50-degree weather. Thankfully WeirbackOnTrack and we’re on this boat for the next 17 hours on our way to Prince Rupert!

June 28, 2026 - Day 28 - Our last full day on Vancouver Island. Tomorrow, we catch the ferry that will take us closer to Alaska. We’ll be on the boat for like 17 hours and we got a room, so we’ll be able to get some good proper showers and some needed rest. Today we went to Telegraph Cove, which looks like one of those towns you’d see on a postcard. We then went into Port McNeill and took a ferry (no truck this time) over to Alert Bay. Which, since it was Sunday and a little rainy, appeared to be closed for the day. We had to piece together a lunch picnic at a small grocery store. Alert Bay claims to have the WORLD’S largest totem pole, so of course we had to check it out… but it was hardly even worth taking a photo of. A bit of a disappointment really. Jamie noted that it didn’t even have a sign or marker! After we found a place to get a power wash on the truck (just a power wash, no soap) and made it look a little more respectable before driving it onto the boat tomorrow.

June 27, 2026 - Day 27 - Hard to believe it’s been almost a month already. Since we’re constantly on the move, it still has a vacation feel but it’s beginning to feel more normal. Today, we drove out to Cape Scott (yes, I have a cape named after me). We arrived a little before low tide, which has been described as the best time to go. After a 45-minute hike through the forest, we popped out on the most amazing beach we’ve seen so far. San Josef Bay, known for its white sand and the big sea stacks (rock towers). It’s not exactly beach weather though. A bit on the cold side, but I’ll take this over the 105 degrees back home anytime! The truck on the other hand, after 3 hours of dirt road driving, needs a bath!

June 26, 2026 - Day 26 - You’ll have to excuse the tardiness of this latest update. This morning I made my way into Port Hardy for the hardware store and I’m starting to realize that “ish” takes on a new meaning up here. When they say that the department that sells the tarps opens at 9ish, it usually means a little after 9. It’s definitely different than what I’ve been used to. When I worked at the bank, I’d get scolded for opening the doors five minutes early but up here, you have to wait until they are ready to open for you. Anyway, I found the hardware/hobby/camping store this morning and invested in a new tarp, some new bungee cords and three no-see-um head covers. Sounds like, from people already up there, that the bug situation is getting worse the further north we go. Keep ya posted. And no Alex, Port Hardy is not where Tom Hardy lives!

June 25, 2026 - Day 25 - Moving Day! Today we’re heading to the furthest north spot of Vancouver Island, Port Hardy. Mother nature is moving in, and it looks like it’s going to be a wet drive. Rain is expected for the next two days. Before leaving Campbell River, we surprised William with a visit to the city aquarium. Very small aquarium with a cool catch, habilitate and release non-profit aquarium. There they had one of the most active Pacific Giant Octopuses we’ve ever seen. It was super cool to see. The drive did turn wet and it was coming down as we arrived at the new RV park. Got the camper back off the truck and we started putting the place together again when Jamie spotted some water in the bathroom. Fortunately, it’s a wet bathroom but unfortunately it means our home/basecamp has a leak in it. So, here’s me on the roof of the camper, in a poncho, in the rain with an umbrella and a can of roof sealant, trying to put a piece of bubble gum on a leaking dam. I disassembled the skylight in the bathroom and found that it’s seeping under the top cover and into the bathroom. Wet wood in a camper, can ruin a camper FOREVER. I was able to patch it with some silicone and the little bit of sealant I put on the roof, but this is going to need a better fix once the weather gets better. I hope this town has a hardware store. Need to fix it to get BackOnTrack.

June 24, 2026 - Day 24 - Dear butt, I’m sorry about this but it’s once again time for another bike ride. I promise that there are not going to be any intense up hills or downhills or bumpy roads (ok, there’s probably some bumps in the roads). If you can manage this 20ish mile or so bike ride, I promise to treat you to some ice cream! Sincerely apologetic, me. Back to the bikes we went as we rode around Campbell River. We found out that we crossed the 50th parallel and are one degree closer to the top of the continent. We had ice cream and I ate it and did not apply it to my rear. Tomorrow is another moving day so today the camper went back on the truck and we’re geared up to get BackOnTrack!

June 23, 2026 - Day 23 - Today we did a little bit of off roading on our wat to the small fishing village of Tahsis. Similar road as yesterday except as we got out of Gold River, the road turned to dirt which made the old triangle roads look like smooth sailing. Had to keep the truck to about 30 miles per hour for about an hour. Roads we’re going to have to get used to if we’re going all the way to the northern part of the continent. We saw our very first bear of the trip! Jamie was a bit hesitant to take a picture with the window down because it appeared to be a young bear and they don’t usually stray too far from their mother. Luckily, we’re in the truck today and I don’t have to rely on my trusty Leatherman today. I get to add spelunker to my resume as we explored the Upana Caves. Had lunch at Uptown Cappuccino in Gold River where I highly recommend the grilled cheese and a chocolate shake! We got to Tahsis and had a great dinner at the Margaritaville themed Westview Marina. On our way back to Campbell River, we saw the same bear in the same place and still no mom but we decided it would be best not to adopt it (to my chagrin). Once back at camp we got to see the cruise ships sailing past including the Disney Magic! Another great day!

June 22, 2026 - Day 22 - We are three weeks into this trip already! There are times when it feels like it’s going so fast and then other times that it has felt like an eternity since we left, but it’s nice to be BackOnTrack! Today we drove out to Buttle Lake (haha Butt) and did a little bit of hiking in Strathcona Provincial Park. The park is a 250,000 hectare (about 1000 mi²) area of protected land with forests, rivers, ocean, and greenland for exploring. The further west you go, you get into small villages like Gold River and Tahsis, which are spots we are visiting on tomorrow’s drive and some off-road action. Our day started out with the Elk Falls Suspension Bridge and then we stopped for lunch at Lupin Falls. After that we checked out another trail that was highly recommended on iOverlander called the Karst Creek Trail. We decided to ignore the “closed” sign mainly because it wasn’t a CLOSED sign but more a sign that read that a bridge had been washed out and to proceed with caution. So, we proceeded. It should have been a clue that finding the trailhead was hard, but we proceeded. And we were probably the first humans to have been on this trail for a long time. It was overgrown and it became our priority to keep the child between the adults so when a bear tries to take us out … I get to be the appetizer, Jamie the entree and William the dessert, because we aren’t carrying bear spray, a bear bell or a bear horn. I have a Leatherman and a bear is built with at least four “Leathermen” on each paw. Never bring a knife to a paw fight! And I’ve already sliced my hand with my own knife trying to show off! We did manage to find the trail, finished it, gave it three thumbs WAY down and moved on to Lower Myra Falls, which definitely made up for the bad hike. WeirbackOnTrack!

June 21, 2026 - Day 21 - Today is Father’s Day. I received a couple cards from the wife and child as we packed up camp and headed to our next destination. Our drive today took us to Campbell River which is halfway up the western side of Vancouver Island. It’s a port city with enough population to have a Walmart and a Home Depot. Once we got to the RV park, we put the legs down on the camper, removed the bike rack and got the braces under the camper. We were able to ask at the front desk and found a local fish market that closed just as we got there (Yes, we are those kinds of customers). We bought the last five salmon steaks and came back to camp and grilled them up on the Blackstone. Delish! Tomorrow we are heading into Strathcona Provincial Park to check out some waterfalls and some forest trails.

June 18, 2026 - Day 18 - Today was sightseeing day in the area of Ucluelet and surrounding towns. Tomorrow will be the bike trip into Ucluelet, but for today we went back through the mountain passes to check out the forests and the lakes, rivers and tadpoles. Yup, we saw tadpoles today in some tidepools along the river. Hiking was a short trip compared to our more recent hikes, so that was a welcome rest for my feet. We drove a good two hours or so back toward where we came from yesterday and visited the MacMillan Provincial Park and Cathedral Grove. The park is home to some 800+-year-old Douglas Firs, featuring a tree that is 9-meters-wide! For the Star Wars fans, this park was used for Episode VI as the backdrop for the forest moon of Endor. But we didn’t see Wicket or any of the other Ewoks, so don’t ask. *Edit - the movie had actually never been filmed in Canada and the moon of Endor is actually the redwood forests of California, but the towering trees and ancient old growth in this area have been compared to the moon of Endor. So again, no Ewoks as they would have been about 1000 miles south of us in California. On the drive back, we shot the drive with the 360-camera so hopefully I’ll have a video up on Insta and or YouTube soon. We also found a local candy shop, so we absolutely needed to get our chocolate fix on. Now WeirbackOnTrack!

June 17, 2026 - Day 17 - Moving Day. Today we travelled out of Victoria and are about a third of the way up the west coast of Vancouver Island, near a town called Ucluelet. Overall drive took about 4 hours thanks to a small side quest to rescue the soap box that we lost two days ago. For the full story of that, you’ll want to check out my Facebook page (scott.weirback). To summarize the tale, just know that I’m a friggin superhero! Got ourselves situated at Surf Junction RV Park and we’re looking forward to a few nice days here. Took the camper off the truck as soon as we got here because tomorrow, we’re driving back up the road we came in on to check out some trails and get some nice pictures of the mountains. Until then, I can safely say WeirbackOnTrack!

June 16, 2026 - Day 16 - Camper still off the truck, we opted to leave the bikes at base camp and drove out to a trail that led to the peak of Mt.Finlayson, or as the locals have nicknamed it, ‘Mount Hillimanjaro’. We took the north peak trail which was 4.2km long. As we got out of the truck, I glanced at the first aid kit (which probably jinxed the whole thing) and thought, nah, we haven’t needed Band-Aids for any of these hikes as of yet. Until this time. About 1km into the walk, Mr. “I don’t pick up my fee”, William, took a bad step and went crashing to the ground beneath him. He had been carrying a rock, ‘Rocky’ and it sliced his thumb open pretty well. We thought the hike was over. William thought the worst, “MY THUMB IS BROKEN!!!!” Fortunately, Mommy was able to calm the injured boy down and Daddy, being the hero, walked (and sometimes jogged) back to the truck to grab Band-Aids, alcohol swabs, and the finger splint. By the time I got back, things had calmed down and we were able to complete the hike. Also got to see Victoria’s Niagara Falls and the best of all, we got to have ice cream bars. For the evening, Jamie and William headed off to do laundry while the Captain tackled the task of getting the camper back on the truck. After an hour and a half, I almost got it on there perfectly. I’m about an inch to the driver side but mostly satisfied. Laundry is done, we’re just about all packed up and tomorrow, we ship off to our next destination! It still feels like a vacation and trying to figure out when this will start to feel like the norm. For now, WeirbackOnTrack!

June 15, 2026 - Day 15 - Thankfully, my butt got a rest in the truck today. Taking the camper off the truck is never the problem but as I was taking it off, I did almost ruin everything by not disconnecting the bike rack which would have then pulled the camper over and been a huge mess. Luckily, I caught it just in time. Everything off, we loaded into the truck and headed out. The one thing I did forget to remove from the truck was our outside bar of soap which fit nicely on the sidewall step for the truck bed. Well, it’s now somewhere on the Canada 1 highway and if you find that, I’ll autograph that too! Today we went up through Sooke and out to Port Renfrew. A quiet beach town out on the southwest coast of the island. We did a hiking loop around the area and got to see many awesome sights and more jellyfish in the wild! Without the camper, the truck is very stiff, and you can feel each and every bump straight into your bike seat bruises. We had our first interaction with what we are calling “triangle roads”. In this area, when they want to indicate a bumpy road ahead, they will put out a sign with three triangles on it, indicating that there are bumps ahead. There were a lot of bumps. We hit up Costco for dinner, and I’m obsessed with the fact that the stores up here offer poutine! Delish!

June 14, 2026 - Day 14 - For some of you, do you remember back in the late 80s and early 90s, riding your BMX (Huffy) or your mountain bikes until the streetlights came on and then you knew you had to go home? I recall riding my bike for hours and hours and days upon days in a row … and my ass didn’t hurt at all. Today, we took our bikes on a 20-mile loop around Victoria, and I’m having a hard time sitting at the table right now typing this post. Was it that the seats back then were made better or have I lost my callus from back in those days. It felt like the seat support rod was giving me a colonoscopy, and I should know, I’m apparently at that age where I had to get one. Abnormal heat wave blowing through Victoria at the moment and it was a warm and humid 82 today. Had to unzip the convertible pants and go for the cargo shorts look. But with all the complaints about my bum, the child seemed to be the one complaining the most. I think he’s at that between age where he can still complain, but now, we no longer care. Suck it up kid! Back when I was your age, we made bike ramps out of cinder blocks and plywood and helmets had not been invented yet. We survived the entire ride so we could get to another Beaver Tails location and get our dessert/dinner on! Yes, our new goal is to visit each and every Beaver Tail location in Canada. Bring it on! Tomorrow will be my first time taking the camper off the truck in a campsite. Taking it off will be the easy job, it’s getting the camper back on that might provide the challenge! Jamie and William have been instructed to watch and not to interact. We’re probably going to want to film this one …

June 13, 2026 - Day 13 - William seems to be coming down with a slight cold. Our intent was to bike to Butchart Gardens, but we’ve opted for taking the bus. It was a good thing too because it was mostly uphill and I’m not sure I have my old biker calves like I used to. Hills and me are not friends! The Butchart Gardens are a hot spot in Victoria and considered one of the must-see places if you’re ever on the island. My dad was big on gardens back when I was growing up and we had all kinds of flower beds and rose bushes that would destroy my perfectly good soccer balls ALL THE TIME! You’d think I was no good at soccer with how often I lost my ball into those bushes. But for all the flowers my dad planted, he had nothing on this place. Their summertime flowers were in bloom, and everything was looking spectacular. I took the good camera with me for this one and will get a gallery up soon.

June 12, 2026 - Day 12 - Had an early start this morning but with the help of the entire team, we were able to get the camper ready for departure and we were on our way by 6:15AM. Today was the first trial of the camper getting his sea legs. We drove to Tsawwassen for a ferry ride from Vancouver over to Vancouver Island and now we are established at the Fort Victoria RV Park. Getting on and off the ferry was a lot easier than I had expected. I’ve seen horror stories of truck campers getting on to ferries and not fitting under a pylon or a section of the boat and shaving off the entire top half of the camper. Luckily, that was not us as we were sandwiched between a big rig and a car hauler (both much bigger than we were). New territory for the Weirbacks so we are excited to see downtown Victoria and do some exploring in places we’ve never been. Hamburger Helper tonight for dinner and we’ll see if it still “makes a great meal”!

June 9, 2026 - Day 9 - Rain falling sporadically throughout the day and coming down right now as I type this. Today, we went into downtown Vancouver to check out one of Jamie and William’s favorite spots, Science World. Jamie had been dying to retest her reflexes on the quick hands game. She beat her previous record of 3.96 and completed the test in 3.95 seconds! She’s amazing, as usual. Tomorrow we’re planning on some bike riding if the weather holds out and hopefully some videos coming soon.

June 3, 2026 - Day 3 - WeirbackOnTrack went west to Lompoc (Lohm-poke) to try and catch the SpaceX rocket launch but got fogged out of any view. Took a short hike to a local waterfall and cruised the city streets of Solvang, CA. Solvang and the Central Coast will likely have its own section in the ‘…On Target’ section so I won’t spoil all the details. Launch, lunch and laughter! That’s what getting BackOnTrack is all about. Photos, targeted post and some videos should be adding to the website tomorrow! It’s laundry day before leg #2 of the trip. Map update tomorrow!

May 31, 2026 - T-minus 20ish hours

We’re now in hurry up and wait mode. We’ve got some final packing to do and some left over cleaning to do. Showers, laundry, sleep and then hit the road. William living his best life up there playing video games and I’m waiting for the signal to load up, lock up and lock in.

May 30, 2026 - T-minus 2 days

Fridge is working and staying cold in the 100-degree Phoenix weather. We loaded up the freezer and fridge. We’ve stowed away our clothes, and the truck is 90% packed up. Looking like we’re going to be go for launch on Monday! William has narrowed down his stuffie choices! Just about to be back on track!

May 29, 2026 - T-minus 3 Days

Made the mistake of plugging in the RV to the house and running the air conditioner on the unit and almost burnt the house down twice. Night before last, I plugged in the RV next to the house in hopes of getting the fridge to cool down. Well, due to the slant of the driveway, the fridge did not run, nor get cold overnight … but it did manage to melt the outlet that the camper was plugged into. Smart me decided, well, we’ll level the RV into the driveway, and I’ll plug into the outlet at the front door. Go shopping and when we get back, the A/C is off, and the inverter is trying to restart with no juice going to it. Melted a second outlet and managed to melt the GFCI plug in the garage. Thanks to my neighbor and electrician, Sparky Joe, we got the house working again and decided that the A/C will remain off until we hit the road.

May 26, 2026 - T-minus 6 Days

Getting closer to hitting the road. The camper is not fully packed, the camper is currently off the truck, and the bike rack is uninstalled. Had to take the house plants up to their babysitters while we’re gone. We’re about as far away from “ready” as I’d like to be at this point!