2 weeks of Camp Li-Wa, Fairbanks, AK - June 2016

Camp Li-Wa, Fairbanks, Alaska is everything we have dreamed about for the last 18 months and more.  Just when I thought a camp could not be anymore needy, God says look at this one.  Never have we been to a camp where the building that contains the dining hall and kitchen has been officially condemned because the the permafrost heaves in the ground cause the building to constantly be in motion.  They no longer serve meals in the dining hall instead the kids eat in a huge multipurpose pavilion with a white tent that can serve as a dining hall, chapel and meeting room.

The condemned dining/kitchen

building to be replaced by 

next summer.

The new building that will replace the above.
This is the building that Wayne & Roy
are now working on for June & July.

Artist rendition of finished building.

Roy & Wayne have completed a renovation of the climbing wall, and it has already been used.  Then they repaired the large sliding rear doors to the barn.  It originally took 3 people to open one door, now one person can do it with one hand!  Now they are working on the construction of the new dining/kitchen hall to hopefully be completed by camp season next year.

New floor added to climbing wall.
After the wall was repaired the leader
group gave Wayne & Roy a group hug!

Inside the climbing wall.

Discussion about building plans for
the new dining/kitchen hall.

A floating floor to have several feet of

insulation with steel beams bearing the weight

about 20 ft. underground.  If not permafrost

would cause the building to sway and be 

uneven.

The rear barn door now repaired.





Gail & Sue have been working independently during the day but during registration times for camp we get to work together.  Sue primarily has been working on camp registration forms during the week.  Gail makes sure the vegetable garden and greenhouse stays watered along with flowering plants.  Because the daylight hours are long, plants need to be watered several times per day unless it rains, which it rained almost everyday the 2nd week.

Above:  Sue working on registration forms in "her office".
Right:  Daylight at 1:00 a.m., never to be any darker than this!
















The first weekend we took in 4 museums.  The Mushing Museum (came out feeling like a whip), the Mining Museum (came out wanting a gold nugget), the Air Museum at Pioneer Park (came out feeling like my commercial flights in a Boeing was too prissy) and the Fairbanks Info Center Museum (came out feeling like a few inches of snow in NC was nothing to talk about)!  After church we visited the Farmer's Market and everyone ate at a different booth.  By the time we leave, we have been told that there will be 100 lb. cabbages being sold at the market.

Right:  Riverboat Nenana at Pioneer Park

Below:  Viewing the Alaskan Pipeline close
to Camp Li-Wa

Yes, the guys have done a little panning, no avail!  Our bank account has not grown neither have our pockets!  But, they were very happy the day we went to the Antique Auto Museum.  We each pick out our favorite cars and decided to reinvest our house proceeds for an antique to pull behind the RV!

Left:  Me and Wayne tootling along,
red hat and all.

Below:  The Anderson's in the same get up!

Left:  The girls have picked out their favorite.

Below:  The guys theirs!

Now, off to North Pole to Santa's house and Pagoda restaurant for lunch.

Santa works non-stop 24/7, and 365/365!

Of course we have been good (so far) this year.

So we each have our favorite
stuffed animals at Santa's House.
These are tame, friendly, soft and
huggable.  Those on the side of
the road are not so!













Then, on to the Large Animal Research Center of UAF - we were able to view moscox, reindeer.  Never new moscox even existed.  A little too far south for these guys but they wanted to accommodate us foreigners!

New babies at Camp Li-Wa 

barn this spring.

Baa-baa black sheep.

Horses for trail rides too.

Lastly this weekend we took in ivory carvings at the Rare Coin Shop and furs at the traders outfit.  Walrus ivory is only allowed to be carved by natives.  Amazing work.  A final lunch at KFC (wonder if it is Alaskan chickens they use) and then Roy and Sue drop us off at the airport for a quick trip to see the Schroeder's in Florida.

Left and below:  Each cabin had a short
presentation for their parents at the end of
the first week of camp.  They (leaders
included) left tired and fulfilled.

Our sweet sister and sister-in-law, Wanda, is battling the effects of cancer treatments and its prognosis.  Wayne and I are in Florida spending some time and making lasting memories with her.  Such a trooper.  

It's a crazy journey.  We are trying to experience everything that Alaska has to offer while working at Camp Li-Wa.  It's a different world........till next week...................we too are crazy!

Travel from Prince George, BC to Fairbanks, AK - May 2016

With RVs your trip always begins at the gas station!  With 1,600 miles to go and only 8+ miles/gallon, we are planning on several of these stops.

We began from Ness Lake Bible Camp just northwest of Prince George going south on Hwy. 97 towards the intersection of Hwy. 16 in Prince George.  There we headed west on Hwy. 16 going through Vanderhoof, Ft. Fraser, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Topley, Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, Hazleton and then we spent our first night in Kitwanga, BC, Cassiar RV Park.  That was not an enjoyable night's stay.  Seems we left on holiday weekend for Canada and everyone in Canada including all college students wanted to go camping.  The campground took it upon themselves to overbook therefore there were college students building campfires in our sites and staying up all night  hooping and hollering.  We demanded our $ back the next morning but to no avail.  I would never stay there again, I would choose to boon dock instead.

Scenery gets gooder and gooder!

Here we are in Cassiar RV Park.

Left the Anderson's, us in the middle, 

and on the right were the Sutherland's.

The second day after we looked at some totem poles and an old church in Kitwanga we headed north on Hwy. 37 through Gitanyow and spending our 2nd night boon docking at Eddontenajon Lake outside of Iskut, BC.  Such a nice peaceful nights sleep!  So far the roads are excellent.

Mileage was in Kilometers!

Wow God.  You are so awesome.

Our first experience boon docking in a pullout.

Very peaceful, no traffic, and close to a lake.

We watched for animals but to no avail.

Eating strawberries before we cross
from Canada into Alaska.  No produce
is allowed to cross.

Just the Anderson's and us boon docked.
The Sutherland's stayed in a camp ground
as they needed electric for his c-pap!




The third day we continued north on Hwy. 37 going through Dease Lake, Cassiar, and Good Hope Lake.  Now the roads are getting rough and the swells are getting deeper and higher!  Then at the junction of Rt. 1 we bought fuel and continued westward and stayed the 3rd night boon docking again, this time in a rest area on Swan Lake near Teslin, BC.  Here all 3 of us boon docked.

Roy and Sue always stayed in the middle!

They did not want to lead or pull up the rear.

All 3 of us boon docked the 3rd night.
Last was us, middle the Anderson's and
in the front was the Sutherland's.

We crossed into the Yukon Territory

twice during our trip.

Swan Lake which was right outside our rigs.
Still no animal life in view.

 Above and to left:  always stopping for
those picturesque moments.

The fourth day we continued northwestward on Rt. 1 going through Teslin, Johnson's Crossing, Jake's Corner, and stopping at Whitehorse for lunch and sightseeing for 3 hrs.  Then back in the rigs to Champagne, and getting fuel in Haines Junction.  At this point we trudged further this day so that the next day we could allow ourselves to go slow as we know we are nearing the part that the roads will get really rough.  4th night at Destruction Bay Lodge & RV Park, Yukon Territory.  The campground was by honor system (box on side of building to deposit $) with electric hookups only.  This night it rained a little.  As we passed from Haines Junction to Destruction Bay the weather looked ominous and almost like we were going to enter a time zone.  Very eerie.  The wind was sweeping upward carrying silt that the glaciers had deposited during the winter.  We thought we were going to be pelted by sand but it was not even noticeable as we passed through.

Our campground the 4th night in
Destruction Bay.

A DC3 made into a weathervane

in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

Yukon River in Whitehorse.

Totem pole in Whitehorse. 

Statue of a gold digger in Whitehorse.
The reason Alaska exists - the love of gold!

A mural on side of building

in Whitehorse.

Ornamental yard art on buildings in
Whitehorse!

Trolley in Whitehorse.

On the road again!

Near Haines Junction.

Eerie weather as we approach

Destruction Bay on Kluane Lake.

We are approaching Kluane Lake and
the weather it produces in Destruction
Bay.

On the other side of the mountain the

weather clears up.

5th morning - We know this will be a
treacherous day of travel for the RVs.
Others have told us of the roads that lie
ahead.  We pray together and sing our
SOWER theme song.  L to R:  Roy & Sue
Anderson, Ginny & Bill Sutherland, and us!


Day 5 we continue up Rt. 1 (the Alaskan Hwy.) through Burwash Landing, Beaver Creek, Port Alcan, Northway and into Tok, ALASKA staying this 5th night at Sourdough Campground in Tok.  On route at Pickhandle Lake we turned out to take a coffee break, and don't you know we could not make the turn at the bottom with the vehicles attached!  So, turn, unhook, reposition, re-attach vehicles and next!  All we could do is laugh as the roads had us all uptight!  What a delight Tok was after a rough ride.  Great campground with a terrific breakfast - sourdough pancakes.  We also used this stop to fuel up AGAIN!  This was our last night together as a caravan of 3.  In the morning the Sutherland's will be leaving for Soldotna and the Anderson's and us on up to Fairbanks.  What a fun time caravaning up the highway to Alaska from Prince George.  God was surely with us every mile.

So we misjudged the turn out!  None of us

made the turn at the bottom so we each

had to unhook the cars and re-attach

to journey on.

Lake Pickhandle, we will never forget you!

If this is the worst that happens on this
incredible journey - Halarious!

Wayne carrying Roy's blue ox as he
repositions his RV to re-attach his truck!
All we could do is laugh!

The chicks!  L to R:

Ginny Sutherland, me and 

Sue Anderson.

And of course, best buds!
L to R:  Bill Sutherland, Roy Anderson
and Wayne.

We made it!

ALASKA, USA.

They say 70 more miles of rough road

before we reach Tok.

It was worth the trip.  This calls for a
celebration!  Sourdough pancakes!






Last day's drive into Fairbanks........Rt. 2 through Dot Lake, Delta Junction, Big Delta, Eielson Air Force Base (wow, look at those planes - no picture taking was allowed), North Pole, Fairbanks, and our 6th night was in the Walmart Parking Lot.  The next morning we drove into Camp Li-Wa, Fairbanks, Alaska.  It feels good to be home for 2 months.  Our work will begin in 3 days.  We rejoiced in our safe trip and putting the slides out with the door mat at the bottom of the stairs once again.  18 months ago we never dreamed we could actually arrive in Alaska with 3 RVs and vehicles in tow safe and with no incidences.  GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD.  AMEN AND AMEN.  Yes, we ARE crazy!

Ginny & Bill Sutherland leaving for

Soldotna, AK.

On the road again!

Scenery more gorgeous with every turn.

YES, more bad road!

And  more!

Haines Junction - end of the Alaska Hwy.

 The gorgeous snow capped mountains
have disappeared.  They say they are now
west of Fairbanks

North Pole, Alaska is like riding through
Candy Land!  Notice the candy cane
light poles.  Had to mail something from
the North Pole post office of course!

 We'll travel here next month.  WooHoo!

AHHHHHH......1,600 miles later

Fairbanks is in sight.

Home sweet home for the next 2 months.
Us on left, Anderson's on right.


Below:  the prayer shawl has done it again.
It stays on the driver's seat.  Thanks again to
my sweetest friend in Jesus - Alison.