Arrived at UP Bible Camp

Since last writing to you there hasn’t been much to get excited about or reason to take many pictures, but I will include some more from the travels.

We finished the entire stretch of the Alaska Highway, most of it in both directions. It is certainly an easy drive; the 1,422-mile highway is two lane and paved all the way except for the occasional unfinished repair or reconstruction stretches that are gravel. The “Alcan”, the old name for the Alaska-Canada highway is mostly in British Columbia and the Yukon, with only a relatively short stretch in Alaska. It is being improved all the time with new bridges, removal of sharp curves, etc.

Along the highway there are many service stations, motels, lodges, campgrounds, points of interest, scenery, restaurants and bakeries. It is an interesting drive and easily doable for anyone. Gas and fuel prices are highest in Canada, around a dollar a litre (3.785 to a gallon), undoubtedly good reason why vacationers are thinking twice about driving to Alaska. But we did see hundreds of RVs of all kinds, big and small. We never felt we were alone traveling the unknown.

After leaving the Alcan we went through Edmonton, and across the flat and boring Canadian Prairies to Saskatoon (where we picked Saskatoon berries again) and Regina, Saskatchewan, and Brandon, Manitoba. In Brandon we looked up and spent an hour or so with a cousin of mine that I have only seen a few times since my early teens. That was fun. From there we went south across the border into North Dakota at the International Peace Garden. The garden is a celebration of the more than 3,500 miles of unguarded border between Canada and the United States. It is a beautiful garden with its towers, sculptures, and steel beams from the World Trade Center is worth seeing, especially for someone who has one foot in Canada and the other in the USA.

North Dakota, northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are beautiful but not like Alaska, so we are on a bit of a letdown. But fuel is cheaper in the USA and we can use our cell phones without international roaming charges, that is when we come through towns with cell towers.

We arrived at UP Bible Camp on Thursday (28th), one day earlier than expected. We will be here for the next two weeks having a great time with a lot of old (in more ways than one) friends. Rosie enjoys working in the kitchen with the gals, as she has every summer for over 25 years. She and a friend do mostly baking -- rolls, biscuits, bread, pies, pizzas. Wow, this is family camp and the people love it!

I told you this wouldn’t be as exciting as before, but we are at camp, 3,800 miles southeast of Willow, Alaska. From here we will go back to Prospect Heights and this trip will be history . Bye, bye blog! We will let you know when we begin another one. Thanks for traveling with us; thanks to the many who have returned comments or written us emails.

If you want to comment you can click at the end of this blog and follow simple instructions, or you can email us at: abner_bauman@wowway.com We read all our messages!!

God be with you.

Abner and Rosie

Heading Southeast and Home

We are heading southeast! We left North Star last weekend as planned and spent two nights camping in Denali National Park. Fortunately with the Golden Age pass the entrance fee was eliminated and the overnight camping was half price--there are some advantages of getting old. The one full day we had we went on the shuttle bus 60 miles into the park; private vehicles are not allowed. We saw a few wildlife; a herd of caribou, eagles (non of the bald), a few bear at a distance; I wouldn’t have seen them without some kind people’s binoculars. But we did see a good part of Mt. McKinley, not the peak this time but some of the mid section. Many people never see anything; so we were thankful for the lovely and clear day.

After getting back from the 8-hour bus ride we drove into Denali town, saw the river canyon, got some propane, did some shopping and splurged on a salmon dinner.

The next day (Monday) we drove to Fairbanks and booked a ride on the riverboat for the afternoon; it was great, paddle wheeling down the river, seeing a float plane take off and land beside our boat, seeing the dog kennels of famous Susan Butcher who has won four Iditarod races and is right now in a Seattle hospital for cancer treatment.

There were about 30 or 40 dogs running around; 16 were hitched to a motorless 4X4 ATV and did they run around a little pond and back into the kennel area. We could see this all from the ship/boat we were on. We saw lots of interesting homes, sites, etc. on the way down the river until we docked and disembarked at an Athabascan village. We spent an hour there listening to four presentations at different parts of the village. Very interesting and informative.

Later we drove around Fairbanks and headed halfway to North Pole (a small village 12 miles south) to check in at a campsite. The next morning (Tuesday) we headed back into Fairbanks to a special viewing spot of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, the botanical gardens at the U of Alaska @ Fairbanks and the library.

In the afternoon we started south -- heading for home via Upper Peninsula Bible Camp, all 3,700 miles. For the night we stopped at a little rest stop along the road and discovered that the truck batteries were dead! Rosie was “mildly disturbed”, but she did get a good sleep; I didn’t do quite as well spending a few hours wondering what we would do the next day, and hoping that the batteries would restore themselves enough so that the engine would start in the morning and we could drive ten miles back to Tok, a bitty town we had just passed through

Well, the engine started in the morning (Wednesday), and a fellow-traveler had a generator and a battery charger with him that we hooked up while we had our breakfast. In Tok we stopped at a shack of a garage that supposedly did auto electrical work -- they really do, because within an hour and a half the mechanic had a new alternator installed and we were on our way. Praise the Lord!

We decided not to take the bypass road to Dawson City, but this morning a traveler told us he had come that way the day before and the roads were not as bad as people say. Anyway, late in the afternoon, getting close to Whitehorse, Yukon we had a tire blow out on the trailer; a car pulled up beside us and told us. The tire was completely shredded; we later discovered that it had caught an electric wire and tore it off. I didn’t know what the wire was going too, but it was live. Later, when we parked at WalMart in Whitehorse I soon discovered that the slider wouldn’t push out anymore. Ah ha, that is what the broken wire was for! I was able to fix it and the next morning (Thursday) we bought two new tires!
Last evening we came up on a large herd of bison grazing beside the road and then taking a stroll down the highway. We camped at the Liard Hot Springs; we enjoyed them so much on the way north that we camped there again last night. The water was hot, but so wonderfully refreshing. This morning (Friday) we took another quick walk the quarter mile back from the parking lot and soaked in the hot water again. We had to hurry on to get our next cinnamon bun! As we drove today we saw a pack of wild horses, a moose, some stone sheep, a wolf, five deer in various places and miles of beautiful flowers along the roadsides.

Right now we are at a campsite near Fort St. John, British Columbia; it is run by a group of Christians and has wireless internet in the dining room so I can send this blog.

It is much warmer here; enjoying the 80 degree weather. We have a long ways to go to UPBC so we will have to drive some long distances in the next week. Tomorrow we will finish the Alaskan highway and head for Edmonton, Alberta.
Don’t be afraid to respond to our blog; comments would we most welcome as we wonder what you are doing this summer.

Abner and Rosie

Leaving North Star Bible Camp

Tomorrow we expect to leave camp and head north. We have a two-night campsite reservation at Denali National Park before heading to Fairbanks and then south from there.

Last weekend we went with a number of people to an old quaint town,Talkeetna. It was a festival weekend in a small-town fashion with lots of booths and eating spots set up in the park and along the road. A mile outside of town we visited a spacious lodge with a wonderful view of Mount McKinley (Denali) from the deck. The top of the mountain was visible so we hung out for a while hoping more clouds would disappear and had supper in bright sunshine.

On Sunday we went to a small church with some of friends we have become acquainted with and a couple that we have known for a long time. We spent most of the day with the couple and had pizza for supper.

We have been here at North Star Bible Camp for four and a half weeks and gotten to know the place and surrounding area quite well. It is very picturesque with mountains in all directions. Generally the weather has been quite wet and cool but this week we have had several very beautiful days, warm and sunny. Wednesday was the first day I took my sweatshirt off before noon!

Most of the projects have been completed; more than I expected. In the last few weeks I have been installing trim around more than two dozen windows and doors, putting aluminum fascia on several buildings, carpeting a sound booth, supervising sanding and staining of the log siding on the chapel, etc. It has been a busy time getting many things done that have been neglected for several years.

Rosie has been very occupied in the kitchen preparing meals and doing lots of baking. Naturally it took a while to get adjusted to the facilities, procedures, expectations, menus, etc. but it has gone well. We are thankful that we have been able to help.

But we are ready to move on to Denali, Fairbanks, Top Of the World highway, Dawson City, the Alaska Highway, Edmonton, the Canadian Prairies, and eventually to Upper Peninsula Bible Camp in Michigan. We plan to be there by July 29 when Family Camp begins. Depending on Internet access we hope to keep you up-to-date as we roll along.
Bye for now from the far-north and beautiful State of Alaska.


Abner and Rosie

Weekend Trip

We are still at camp in Alaska. Today it is like we are in a cloud, a mist, which seems to be rather typical. We would love to feel more sunshine. In spite of that Abner is out doing as much as he can to get the chapel area done. There are so many little things they can think of for him to do. I doubt it will all get done.

Last weekend the weather report said “sun” so we thought we should take advantage of it. After the kids left camp on Saturday morning we headed south into the Kenai Peninsula, first to Seward on the east coast. It was so crowded with 4th of July visitors that we drove through town and out. Just north there is a glacier park with a nice hike to where you can touch it; had to wade in the stream at a few places in the ice water! With enough energy and time one could hike to the top and see the 850 square mile ice field. We found a campsite in Moose Pass, a little old bit of a town.


The next morning we headed for Homer which is the end of the road on the west coast of the peninsula. Along the way we saw the ice covered volcanos across the Cook Inlet; one had been active earlier this year but the last major blow was in 1989. Farther south we went to the art gallery of Norman Lowell who paints beautiful Alaska scenes; a very neat place with an opportunity to talk with the Lowells. Driving into Homer there was a wonderful view of the bay, mountains and glacier areas.

We found the Alaska Bible Institute (on the side of a hill overlooking the town and ‘Homer spit’) and dropped in on the people we met last year on the Road To the Sun in Glacier NP. They were surprise to see us but spent a great time together hearing about their year serving God in Homer. We dry camped in the parking lot. For supper we went down to the spit, a neck of land that juts out into the bay, for some fresh fish and chips. The strip is full of campsites, shops, charter boats for fishing and ferries out to other places. We tried to book a trip on a ferry but it was too busy with the 4th holiday and so didn’t get to do that. The area is beautiful and worth the trip. It is incredible to see the beauty and variety God has created.

On the drive back north we stopped at the Russian River where fishermen stand side by side in the water fishing for salmon. The river is a interesting green color from glacier sediment. We camped nearby and took a hike to the Russian River Falls to see the salmon trying to get up river to their spawning grounds; fantastic. The bears come to that area to catch their dinner too but we didn’t see any; maybe it was too early in the evening. We did about a five-mile hike so slept well that night. From there we went to a little old Alaska town that was mostly shacks from the early 1900’s or so and some are still being used. Ab had to change a couple of the trailer tires there. We had them with us or we would have been out of luck; no gas station within 30 miles.

We traveled back to Anchorage (Ab hadn’t been there yet), shopped around a bit; saw the tourist spots and then headed back to camp for dinner. It was a fun weekend, a lot of miles, and many wonderful sights. Now it is back to work again. Abner is trying to get some long-needed things done before we leave in a week or so.

We hope you are having a good summer, and would love to hear from you. You can return comments or email us at abner_bauman@wowway.com. Sorry this blogger program doesn’t let me give you a link. We have a fake email address because Blogger won’t let us use the _ in our real address.

Oh well, God bless,

Abner and Rosie

Week Two At Camp

The past week has not been the most exciting time of our travels, but we are getting a lot of work done, I on the main building and Rosie in the kitchen. Things are going well.

On Saturday evening we decided to drive over Hatcher Pass, a rugged trail that just opened for the season a few weeks ago. The camp is on Hatcher Pass Road so it wasn’t far to get to it. Snow was still on the sides of the road at the summit, about 3,800 feet elevation. The view of the mountains and the deep valleys was beautiful. We got home about 11 pm and really didn’t need headlights to drive. Weird!

On Sunday we went to church and dinner with a couple that we worked with in the late sixties. Both the husband and wife were missionaries in Korea for about ten years, actually she grew up as an MK (missionary kid) in Korea long before it became a dynamic and prosperous country. We had fun with Stu and Linda recalling the times overseas and the intervening years (about 30) since we have seen them last.

Last evening after dinner we went canoeing on the lake here at camp. The lake was calm and the sun was shining brightly; it was a great evening to paddle around the meandering lake and island in the middle. Several pairs of swifts dive-bombed around us making it obvious that they were not pleased that we came so close to their nesting grounds. Since we have come into some sunny and warm days we need to get on the lake again.

Rosie comes into the kitchen at about 7 or 7:30 to help with breakfast; I get up about that time, but there is no hurry since breakfast isn’t until 9. Sometimes I do a bit of prep-for-the-day work before breakfast. Rosie usually helps with lunch, has some free time and then helps with dinner. I work until about 5 or 5:30; supper is at 6. The evening is long after that; you don’t have to hurry to get anything done before dark and you can’t judge bedtime by darkness!

Thanks again to those who have responded with comments or emails. We enjoy hearing from you. Our address is abner_bauman@wowway.com

Hope things are going well with you.

Abner and Rosie

North Star Bible Camp

To all you dear family and friends:

We have been here in Willow, AK. for over a week. Camp is in a nice place on a lake on which some day Abner and I are going to go canoeing. Last evening it was completely calm; beautiful reflections of trees; we should have gone then. Today was nice and sunny; it didn’t rain until late afternoon.

We have found lots of things to do, Ab especially is working on the main lodge / dining room / chapel building finishing off things that got left for several years for whatever reason. He is putting up some remaining siding boards, putting up sophist and fascia trim. Also some of the windows need trimming out; just 17 more to go! All in all, he keeps busy each day working with a fellow from Kentucky. You could work real early until real late if you wanted to since the sun is up most of the time. I have been helping some in the kitchen this week. It is senior high camp and the largest group they have ever had--about 73 campers.

On Monday I went to Anchorage with a friend. Did errands, shopping and lunch and saw what it was like. Some nice mountains in the distance. They had a massive earthquake here in ‘64 and they still talk about it. The main street sunk about 8 feet and some other areas as well.

Last night the sun hardly set. Ab stayed up late to get photos of the sunset that happened about midnight. I decided to go to bed, but Ab said I shouldn’t have. He got up on the roof of the lodge for a better view and took lots of pictures. The sky was brilliant with color; and the sun went behind a mountain at about 11:30 p.m. and came out the other side until it finally set behind the range at about 11:45. We really have to make ourselves go to bed since it is always light.

Ab was able to see Mt. McKinley from the roof this morning in the distance. Some day we hope to get about a hundred miles closer and have a good look. We haven’t done much sightseeing yet but one of these weekends we need to get out.

We are meeting lots of new people, having good conversations, and also chatting with people with whom we have many common acquaintances and that we have known in the past. It is fun; we are well and having a good time. Thanks to all who have sent comments to keep in touch. We enjoy hearing from you.

Abner and Rosie
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Destination Reached

We are in Willow, Alaska now!

We stayed in Whitehorse, Yukon two nights; decided to take a bus / train tour to Skagway. It started early in the morning. Ab set the alarm to make sure we would get up in time even though the sun rises very early. (He has covered our windows and skylights with black plastic to help us be able to sleep; it is working.) Went by bus part way and then took a train. It was beautiful through the mountains. Amazing how some took horses and all their supplies for a year through steep and rocky areas in the late 1800s looking for gold.

Skagway is a port city and one cruise ship was in port. We spent the afternoon looking around--mostly jewelry shops. Ab wasn’t very interested! During the bus trip back we saw a bear along the road. The next day we finally arrived in Alaska. Again through amazing mountains, lots of forests. We stopped to try some of the Alaska food, a combo of salmon, halibut and reindeer sausage. All great. We drove as far as Glennallen and found the Alaska Bible College without any trouble. That is where Beth and Don Campbell from ACC served for about eight years. Parked there for the night.

Realizing we were close to Valdez with a day to spare we drove there the next morning. It was another incredible area of huge mountains, canyons, waterfalls and glaciers. They call it the Switzerland of AK. In some areas we could see the pipeline winding its way to the seaport. In Valdez we could see across the water to the oil storage tanks with a few tankers loading fuel. There were lots of fishing boats in the area. My brother would love to try them out! One man with several salmon and at least 20 halibut came to have his fish cleaned. It is food for his family. The town wasn’t much. It seemed a little dreary but the surrounding mountains were spectacular.

On the way to Valdez Ab could hear the truck front brakes sounding rough. When we got back to Glennallen he bought new brake shoes and changed them. Sounds much better now!

This morning we headed off again; the first while it was mostly flat with strange forests of a black cedar. Soon it started rolling and one side of the highway the hills were brown and barren and the other side the snowcapped mountains were spectacular. Saw several glaciers again and just amazing sights with a river beside us. Eventually got into Palmer and a complete change of topography. Looks like farm area and a well-off town with a lot of amenities. Soon we were out in the open again and it reminds me ot the UP. We found the road to go to camp and 13 miles later we found North Star Bible camp; a bit rugged, on a nice lake although the ice melted off just a couple of weeks ago so I don’t think I’ll be swimming.

Ab already has had his tools out. I am still figuring out where I fit in. Ab is washing the bugs off the truck now; see if he can get them off the RV tomorrow. Bug spray is necessary. Mosquitoes are quite huge and hungry! We are happy to have wireless internet here and cell phone coverage! We can be in contact with the outside world again.

Thanks to all who have returned comments. It is easy; just click on “comments” below.

Abner and Rosie

Alaska Highway II

Hi friends:

If you read the earlier blog before this one you will see that I may have been a bit mixed up in my days. We left Dawson Creek on Thursday morning and drove almost 480 miles; that was yesterday. We have only had one overnight on the Alaska Hwy; that was the night by the hot springs. Today we traveled abut 400 miles and are now in Whitehorse, Yukon. We have checked in in here for two nights; tomorrow, Saturday, we will make a side trip to Skagway, a port city where the cruise ships come in. We will never be any closer than we are now and we have a day to spare since we made such good time.

The roads have been very good, some rough spots, a few places where it was mostly hard gravel. We have seen lots of beautiful scenery. We have had no problems at all; everything is working well and we can pretty much keep up to the speed limit of 100 kph (62.275 mph). Down some steep valleys we let it roll a bit faster to make it up the next hill!

Also, in the previous blog I asked if the photos came through; well, I know they didn't because I goofed on something and they didn't go. I am going to try it again. This is the first attempt at sending photos so I have to figure out how to do it properly. I will be glad to hear if they go through.

Abner and Rosie

Alaska Highway I

We are nearing Whitehorse, Yukon, more than half way up the Alaska highway.

On Tuesday morning we said goodbye to our three Chinese friends. They couldn’t see us leave without gifts and food--curry, rice, and coffee. We met Ken and Evie Ashton (friends from the 60’s in Prospect Heights) who we hadn’t seen since they moved west again. A delightful visit over a cup of BK coffee. Traveling north was pretty, with good roads, some through the mountains. We slept one night in a Wal.Mart parking lot (dry camping, they call it, with no hookups).

The following day we arrived in Dawson Creek, B.C. around 4 p.m. Checked in at a campsite, found a grocery store and service station with diesel fuel; getting all ready for the Alaska highway. Just one problem, after I had pumped $74 worth of fuel my visa card was blocked. For a time I could not get through to Visa; finally did when I discovered I had to use my own phone instead of the service station phone. The Visa man assured me that my card was reactivated but the card still was not accepted. After another call I got through to the security people and discovered that the card I was using was a more recent one with Rosie’s name; it didn’t get reactivated. After 40 minutes at the gas station I finally paid my bill!

The first day we did over 475 miles; yesterday, Thursday, we did about 400. We decided to have supper about 6:30 then drove some more. By 8:00 we were looking for a place to stay but several places were filled, others wanted a fortune. We kept driving and for a while we were thinking we might have to find a parking lot somewhere. Saw some mtn. goats, bison and deer We headed for the Liard Hot Springs Provincial park but the highway sign said, full. I turned in anyway and they said we could dry camp in the day-use parking lot. It was about 9:00 p and people were walking the boardwalk back to the pools. What a delightful end to a long day -- a hot lounge in the hot springs. It was beautiful, surrounded by much vegetation and it was fun to talk to people. We fell into bed about 11 and slept like a log!

This morning we went for another dip in the springs before heading north. Right now we are at a resort; stopped in for a piece of pie and ice cream and discovered that they have wireless internet. Had to take advantage of that before moving on again. We hope to get to Whitehorse tonight; it doesn’t get dark until after 10:30 so we might as well keep driving.

Did the photos come through okay? Your comments to this blog are welcomed; see the word “comments” just below this entry. If you click on that you will get a window into which you can make your comments and publish it. Click on anonymous before you try to publish. We will look hearing from some of you.
Abner and Rosie

Leaving Vancouver

Leaving Vancouver

We have had a wonderful weekend with our Singapore friends, Pauline, Irene and Sybil. They insisted we stay in the house with them and fed us all the time. We were hardly finished with one meal and they were planning what to serve next, or what restaurant to go to. They made some wonderful dishes for us; it was an incredible visit.

There were several other long-time acquaintances that we hooked up with; it was all a lot of fun. We spent one afternoon walking in beautiful Stanley Park in Vancouver; another one at a nearby library with wireless internet connection. Actually, we have been constantly reading blogs and news articles about the mistaken identity of our friends’ daughter . There is a little gazebo in a narrow walkway a few doors up from our friend’s house where we get perfect internet connection, so we have been sitting there a lot and keeping up-to-date on the news. We are so saddened thinking about our friends’ ordeal.

This morning we leave Vancouver and head north through British Columbia (about 750 miles) on our way to Dawson Creek where the Alaska highway begins. We have one stop an hour east of here to meet up with friends who lived in Prospect Heights in the late 60s. We haven’t seen them since then, so we look forward to a short visit at a Burger King just off the expressway. From then on we won’t know anybody; it will be new people to meet, new scenery to enjoy, a whole new vista for the next five weeks.

Alaska, here we come! Hopefully, with no accidents, no flat tires, and no bears or moose in our way.

Your comments are welcomed; thanks to those who have responded. Till next time,

Abner and Rosie

West Coast Travel

As planned we left the Los Angeles area on Sunday, May 28 after going to church and lunch with our missionary friends, Dave and Jean, from MAF. It took us about five hours to Arroyo Grande to see other missionary friends. We made it in time for a Moroccan meal. Our friends served in Indonesia for over 15 years until Sue became ill with a rare neurological disease that resembles Parkinsons in some ways. They had to return home because she has difficulty walking, breathing, eating, etc. It was great to see them again and enjoy a visit and two meals together.

On Memorial Day we headed north through California, Oregon, and Washington. Last night (Wed.) we camped next to Rosie’s niece’s home in Lynden, WA, a very prosperous Dutch community.

Coming into Seattle yesterday afternoon we got a call from a friend in Grand Rapids telling us about the mistaken identity of the Van Ryn and Cerak girls. We found the public library in Everett so we could read the blogs with the news.

We visited our dear friends, the Van Ryn family and who we thought was Laura in Fort Wayne a few weeks ago. Now to find out that it was Whitney and not Laura. If you haven’t heard the news, sad for some and joyous for others, you must be in hibernation. For weeks we have been reading the blogs updating “Laura’s” condition, and now with the latest news there have been hundreds of comments on the blog from all over the world and on newscasts all over the country. It is unimaginable how this has affected people, but especially the Van Ryn family who are grieving the loss of their daughter and sister. We wish we could be at the memorial service on Sunday in Grand Rapids.

Tomorrow we will cross into Canada to spend the weekend with two Chinese gals that we have known from Singapore days in 1962. They are anxious to cook us an authentic Chinese meal. Probably on Tuesday we will head off through British Columbia on our way to Dawson Creek which is Mile 0 on the Alaska highway.

Aside from two flat tires on the trailer and a slow leak on a truck tire we have been doing real well. Not many pictures yet, but we hope the weather clears up as we head north. We would love to hear comments from you with any news that is suitable for anybody to read.
Bye for now
Abner and Rosie

Travel Plans

Hi friends:

In early February we drove to Albuquerque NM, and stayed with our son and daughter-in-law for a few days, then on to Arizona visiting friends for two weeks in Tucson, Surprise, and Prescott. We arrived in southern California on March 1 and located our camper trailer in Redlands, CA at the headquarters of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). For most of the months of March and April I (Abner) stayed in Redlands during the week to work for families who are preparing to sell their homes and move to Idaho when MAF moves its headquarters in July. I helped 11 families, some a few hours, others as much as 6 or 7 days, doing painting, carpentry work, electrical, replacing bathroom flooring, anything and most everything.

Rosie spent most of her time in Laguna Woods with her sister whose husband died in mid-January. It was great for them to be together; the most time they have spent together since Rosie was a teenager. Our daughter Karen also lives and works nearby so Rosie spent extra time with her too. I drove down from Redlands (70 miles) every weekend to be with Rosie, her sister and Karen. We spent Easter Sunday with Rosie's family up in the mountains at her brother's home in Lake Arrowhead.

At the end of April we left our truck and camper in Redlands and flew home. We've been home almost a month now doing some spring cleaning and special projects. Rosie worked at the flower shop the week before Mother's Day and also this week doing weddings. Our college grandchildren have come to stay at our house for the summer; both of them have jobs in the area. They didn't want to spend the summer in Albuquerque because all their friends are in this area.

Tomorrow (May 25) we will fly back to California to pick up the rig and drive north. We will visit friends along the way; a special visit will be in Vancouver, BC with a woman we knew in Singapore in 1962 and now lives in Vancouver. Another gal from Singapore will be there visiting at the time so we will get to see her again too. What fun that will be!

From there we will drive through British Colombia to pick up the Alaska Highway for the 1400 miles to Alaska. We are planning to spend a month at a Bible Camp north of Anchorage. Rosie will be helping with the cooking and I will be doing facilities projects. They have already sent me a list of things to do. On weekends we will travel around the State, visit Denali National Park and other sites of interest. By mid-July we will head south again to Upper Peninsula Bible Camp in Michigan for two weeks of family camp. Rosie will help cook, especially baking, as she has done for the past 25 years. They will have lots of work to keep me busy too.

So, as we travel we will post information on this blog, hopefully some beautiful pictures too. Visit the site as often as you wish and we will keep you posted. Your comments will also be appreciated.

Abner and Rosie