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This is Page 3 of 5 - the best of May and June 2016!
posted: June 30th, 2016
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This page begins with May 31st, the 8th day of our trip north. We saw an abundance of beauty on this date and that means that May 31st is the only thing on this page.   Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Note Well: The photos shown on this month's pages mark the beginning of Kazuya's and my life in the U.S.A. We flew from Tokyo to Medford, Oregon on May 18th, a friend picked us up at the airport and graciously permitted us to stay at their house as long as we needed to. A different friend took us out "car shopping" the next morning and by the end of the day we were the owner's of a 2015 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab, Automatic Transmission, 4 Wheel-Drive with less than 10,000 miles on it. On the 20th we got a canopy put on it so that we would have a place to sleep as we traveled up the Alaska Highway to our home in Fairbanks, Alaska. We managed to kill a few more days in Oregon with friends as we prepared for the trip north and then we headed north on May 24th. We finally arrived at our home in Fairbanks on June 4th.

Begin May 31st (Day #8 Of Our Trip North)
  Okay, we have now made it to May 31st, the 8th day of our trip north. My journal entry is as follows.
Up at about 0430 with Kazuya primarily due to being chilly (-3° C). Make coffee and breakfast, eat prepare the rig and get on the road at 5:25 AM. Arrive at Fort Nelson at about 7:00 AM, get gas, eat breakfast at A & W, use their bathroom and continue onward. Get to a pass where there is a lot of snow and find out that it just came on Saturday and the highway was closed most of the day – amazing! Take a bunch of pictures there and continue on. Then come to a construction area which held us up for a while, but not too long. We still managed to get to Liard Hot Springs at about 12:20 PM. We picked a spot, paid and then hiked into the actual hot spring, soaked and bathed for quite a while. Return to the rig and siesta for an hour or so and then walk to the “lodge” and discover that they have no beer at all, so we get a coke and go back to our rig. Cook supper, eat and then go to the hot spring again. Soak and enjoy and return to the rig again. Now it’s 7:28 PM and we’ll sleep soon.
Animals we saw today: sandhill cranes, deer, caribou, Dall sheep, moose, squirrels, chipmunks and Canadian Geese.

All three shots in this row show the snowy pass referred to in my journal entry! There was a Department of Highways employee here checking things out and we asked her about the snow. That was how we learned that it all came on Saturday (today is Tuesday, so just 3 days ago).
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  The three photos in this row also all show a great deal of snow for so late in the season. This is all from the storm which passed through here just 3 days ago.
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  The beautifully scenic photos in this row were all taken as we approached Summit Lake and the Folded Mountains Area.
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  Here are some beautiful reflections in a pond beside the highway. We're not precisely sure where this was. The 3rd shot is obviously a highway shot.
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  Okay, the sign in the first photo says Summit Lake, but there are several "Summit Lakes" in British Columbia. Which one were we at? It also seems obvious that we are approcaching the Folded Mountains Area.
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  In the third shot I know for sure that we were at the Folded Mountains Viewpoint.
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  The first two shots in this row were also taken at the Folded Mountains Viewpoint. The third shot is a Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) which we were fortunate enough to see on this date.
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  The first shot here shows a Caribou (Rangifer tarandus). The second and third shots are of a Ovis canadensis (Bighorn Sheep), which was right beside the highway! Lucky!
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  Here is a beautiful scenery shot in first position and then a shot of two Caribou (Rangifer tarandus). The third shot is a nice scenery shot which shows how desolate this country is - only one car in sight - and way out in front of us.
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  More layered mountains.
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  Three beautiful scenery shots.
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  Here is a Moose (Alces alces) in first position and then in second and third position you see an Ovis canadensis (Bighorn Sheep).
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  The first two shots are each amazing, but then we get to the third shot, which is Muncho Lake.
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  Here are two shots of Muncho Lake and then a sign telling us about it.
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  In first position is another informative sign about Muncho Lake. Unfortunately it was mostly cloudy while we were here and we did not see much Jade Green, but you do see a little bit in the center shot.
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  In first and second position are the final two shots of Muncho Lake. The third shot was taken between Muncho Lake and Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park.
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  Now we have arrived at Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park, B.C., Canada and we have paid for a camp spot, gotten set up and now are hiking the 0.7 km into the hot spring itself. In first position is a photo of Mitella caulescens and in second position is a portion of the first photo. In third position is a nice shot of a Bluebell plant.
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  In first and third position are shots of what is probably Viola nephrophylla (Northern Bog Violet). In center position is another shot of a Mitella caulescens.
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  In first and second position are photos of what is probably Viola nephrophylla (Northern Bog Violet). In third position is a shot of Ledum glandulosum (Trapper's Tea).
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  Here are three shots of a weird plant - Pinguicula vulgaris (Common Butterwort).
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  The first shot here shows the boardwalk into the Hot Spring. Sorry, but there are no photos of the hot spring here. There is, however, one on Kazuya's Blog HERE and about one-half way down the page. The second and third shots show Viola canadensis (Canada Violet).
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  Here are two final shots of Viola canadensis (Canada Violet). And with that we are now at the end of "Day #8 Of Our Trip North". We only traveled 231 miles (371.8 km) today, but keep in mind (from the journal entry in Row 1) that we stopped for the day today at 12:20 PM. The weather was wonderful all day long.
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End May 31st, End Page 3
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