Road Trip: TripAdvisor Tips & The Terrace Motel

Dec9

(The following post doesn’t have much to do with trucking but you can be rest assured that I will be going back to that topic in the near future.)

Jack and I stayed in about 25 different hotels and motels on our long road trip to the States and through Canada. We perfected a routine about choosing and booking hotels that I want to share with you in case it will save you any time or grief in the future.

Each day I would make reservations for the next day’s hotel stay. First, I would pull up the town we were going to stay in on www.tripadvisor.com. (via smartphone or laptop) I would find the hotel list for the city, then check the box “Pets Allowed” on the left hand side (and sometimes “Kitchenette”). Of that new list I would choose one of the top rated hotels after reading a few reviews. I skipped anything that indicated lots of noise or smells, and always read the “Terrible” reviews of a hotel I was going to pick (since that’s where someone is going to complain about bed bugs!).

The next part is important. Instead of calling the 800 number that is provided on the TripAdvisor site I would put the name and address of the hotel into Google and bring up the direct phone number. If you call the 800 number provided it will take you to a calling center that will try to place you in one of their hotels. I fell for this several times. Once, a woman insisted to me that a certain hotel was booked up (I had already seen that it had availability through the TripAdvisor site but I gave her the benefit of the doubt in case she had more up-to-date information than I did). She then tried to convince me to stay at one or two different places. Whether they were more expensive or not I don’t remember, but I figure now it was one of the hotels that paid them more money. (The 800 number calling center must have a database of hotels that pay to be promoted.) When I insisted these other hotels wouldn’t work for us, that I would have to talk to my husband and call back, she relented and said wait wait, let me check again on the one you originally called about. And guess what, it mysteriously had a pet room open for the night we needed.

I feel bad for “tricking” the TripAdvisor website this way. I really like TripAdvisor, in fact I relied on it greatly for this purpose. But I want to make a reservation with a person at the hotel I’m going to stay at, not someone thousands of miles away from it. I want to ask a question about parking or the stairs and have someone not just say yes yes it won’t be a problem, but to get a real answer from someone who works at the hotel and lives in the town I’m going to stay in.

On part of the return trip we were hauling a trailer so needed ample parking. It got to be a bit of a hassle because then we needed a hotel that accepted pets AND had a big parking lot (which is not a choose-able option on TripAdvisor). One hotel we called in Canada actually suggested a different hotel that had a bigger parking lot. So it really helps to call the hotel directly, especially if you have special needs.

One good TripAdvisor find was the Terrace Motel in Munising, Michigan. We met Larry, the owner, and snapped a few pictures of the place.

Be sure to stay at the Terrace Motel if you are looking for a clean affordable place to stay and are passing through the upper peninsula of Michigan, or if you are wanting to explore the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore which is nearby. (To see photos of Pictured Rocks click here for a link to my bird blog.)

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By the way, thank you for each and every comment that is made. I enjoy seeing them and even if I don’t answer each one, do know that I read each one to Jack!

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Back at Home in Alaska

Nov17

Jack and I are at home enjoying normal life again. We had a wonderful trip coming back, saw more wildlife and beautiful landscapes… gained hours but lost sunlight and warmth. And now we’re settled in for the winter.

The thousands of photos I took on our trip down south will enable us to revel in our great times for days to come. We’ll be sharing them with you over the next couple of months.

It was cloudy most of the way through Canada until the last day of our trip when we crossed over into Alaska. Clear and cold!

Jack bought a trailer and plow in Minnesota. The truck took a bit of a beating.

…a wonderful trip, but it’s good to see the Alaska Range again!

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Deadwood, South Dakota

Nov3

Jack and I recommend a visit to Deadwood, South Dakota. Especially if the sun is shining!

This statue is of Wild Bill Hickok, the most famous Old West character associated with Deadwood.

If we remember correctly from reading about the history of Deadwood, this creek at one time flooded the town and is now specially engineered to flow through and under the town.

This is Adams Museum, a beautiful building with 3 levels packed full of interesting items from Deadwood’s past. Here are some highlights:

And here is another striking statue, this one of a Cowboy on a bucking horse.

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The signs on the main street of Deadwood are really fabulous!

We wish we could have spent time in each of these places. But we have to say that the Deadwood Social Club Restaurant is terrific…they make their own blue cheese dressing and it is more than worth the walk up those stairs!

We happened upon a darn fine Wild Bill impersonator.

And then ran into a fan of Jack’s, Ed, running the parking garage.

Thanks Deadwood for showing us such a fun time!

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Truck Shots From The Road

Oct21

Taking photos from the truck is tough, but possible, as we have discovered.

The back of this truck looked quite fabulous reflecting the sunset.

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Driving out of the sunset, surrounded by trucks.

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The trucker didn’t know that this piece of wood was near to falling off the rear of his truck. It must have worked its way out of the load. Jack tried to tell him on the radio but wasn’t able to find the right channel and soon we were passed him.

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This dump truck was losing it’s load, spraying gravel all over the road. (The coffee cups look like they are floating but it’s just the reflection of them sitting on the dash.)

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Trucks pass under these wildlife corridors in Canada with plenty of room to spare.

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And Jack, enjoying the setting sun, driving south.

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Sign Post Forest & Fans

Oct12

One of the best places to stop along The Alaska Highway (aka “The Alcan”) is The Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada. Even back in the 70s it was a sight to behold but now it’s almost too much to take in: thousands upon thousands of license plates, signposts and pieces of metal or wood with the names of hometowns showing how far people have traveled to get there.

There was also some old heavy machinery that was used to build the Alcan.

That’s one big wrench!

And these are some fans we happened upon.

People are still adding to the Sign Post Forest. Hope you can make your way there someday and leave your own signpost. 🙂

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Wild – and Not So Wild – Animals

Oct6

This wolf was the first serious wildlife Jack and I saw, soon after entering Yukon Territory, Canada. Quite a thrill for both of us. Maybe a little more for me since Jack drives the Dalton and sees this stuff all the time…

Driving near the border of Yukon Territory and British Columbia we saw some bison relaxing in the late afternoon sun.

And then big horn sheep in Jasper National Park.

And here’s our not-so-wild dog Sport jumping over a log, acting like he is 4-years-old again.

Last but not least… us enjoying the late afternoon sun on a mountain in the Black Hills.

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Elk – Yukon Territory, Canada

Sep28

Hope you guys like wildlife photos!

This male elk was protecting his harem, watching as we pulled up and snapped photos.

A female was about 15 feet away; she walked up to the edge as if checking in with him to see if it was okay to stay there and graze:

The rest of the harem grazed nearby and stayed pretty calm while we eavesdropped. The light was poor so these photos needed touching up but we definitely checked “ELK” off our list! 🙂

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Grizzly Bear Close Encounter!

Sep27

We are absolutely positive that we will never again have this close of an encounter with a grizzly bear! (Or at least we hope we won’t!)

This “griz” was right on the side of the road, digging up roots and eating them. We took photos from the truck. He paid us no heed at all.

To see a video of him/her digging in the gravel for roots, click here.

All we can say is “WOW”!!

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On the Hook!

Sep27

No, not us!! This truck here:

A strange way to drive down the highway, with an 18-wheeler facing you.

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This is the last bit of great scenery we saw in Alaska, before crossing into Canada.

The Tanana River.

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More to come!

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Congrats to Jack for winning the load count!

Sep25

Well the season is over and Jack won the load count!

Jack says it was a hectic season. We are now on a month long road trip, heading down to the states. I plan on posting about our adventures when we get a chance. For now, I want to brag about the AWESOME custom bed cover Jack made to keep our belongings safe while we are traveling. It had to be custom because of his fuel tank (he hauls heating oil for our house) and toolbox that is already in the back. Here are a couple of photos of him building it and getting ready for our trip: