The scenery since we have entered Canada has been absolutely stunning! It seems like every ten minutes some gorgeous new mountain or river reveals itself. And because of the gigantic scale of the mountains we can never seem to take it all in! Only the panoramic pictures express how majestic and vast are the western Canadian landscapes. Probably our favorite sight so far has been the glaciers of Stewart and Hyder, They look like beautiful frozen rivers frozen as they rushed down the mountain side.
Not to be outdone, the wildlife has also been exciting to watch. So far we have seen: a moose, a mother black bear with two cubs, a fox, marmots, Canada geese with a gosling, a duck with two ducklings, and at least one bald eagle! The moose and bears were definitely special for us, unfortunately, no pictures of the bears (mama was a little shy).
And finally, the best part of Canada, the people! We have been shown so much hospitality and kindness from strangers it is truly humbling. From encounters at gas stations and rest stops to our first ever Couchsurfing experience (Thanks David!) and especially our newly adopted family in Iskut (Hi Dave, Merrilu, Corey, Danielle, and Alex!) we have been overwhelmed. The people of Canada we have met love to tell stories, have an adventurous spirit and love to share the natural wonders of their country with visitors. We have also enjoyed a connection and camaraderie with many motorcyclists packed for long travels like us along the side of the road or hiding out under shelter during a freezing rain storm.
We also tackled our first long section of off-road for this trip. A 60 mile series of roads near Whistler, BC known as Highline Drive Trail. The road was fairly challenging, but we had no incidents, the views were truly spectacular and we practically had the road all to ourselves.
One of the things we have been doing on this trip is making a point to attend church in whatever small town we happen to be in at the time. It has been a wonderful and encouraging experience every time. Even though we are visiting this churches seemingly at random, the sermons always seem to be relevant for our current circumstances! At one church, the sermon was given by a missionary visiting from Bolivia. We got her contact information and plan to reunite in Bolivia next year! It is also great to fellowship with so many different people and see how much we have in common for all our perceived ‘differences’!
Right now we are in the city of Whitehorse located in the Yukon of Canada. From here we will head towards Klaune National Park and then Fairbanks, Alaska.
Thank you for sharing in our adventure and if our path comes near your home and you want to meet, please let us know (we might need to do laundry while we visit though :)!
In the Yukon and awed by the grandeur of creation,
Chris & Sharon
p.s. – I have added a map of our route that covers from Maple Valley, WA to Whitehorse, YT. It can be seen under “Routes”
Love YOU, love the photos, love your journal…stay safe and God Bless You 💫🛐
Love the pics. We miss you bigleeee. That pic of that critter sticking his tongue at us looks like Honz.
We miss the whole Hinz family a lot!!! Hope you are all well. We have been praying for Noah’s upcoming surgeries. Please e-mail us the dates when you get a chance. We love you.
Thanks Nancy! Glad you are sharing the adventure with us and thank you for your prayers. Give our best to the rest of the Washmuth clan, wish we could still be your ‘cheer squad’
Thank you so much for the glorious photos and your and for your tales of people and places. Your having a grand adventure and I’m grateful for the opportunity to participate vicariously (at my age it can only be so).
We are so happy to have met your acquaintance Bob and feel like we are the ones who are privileged to be on this journey. We will try to keep the pictures and accounts coming (internet permitting:).
Great adventures, love the photos and all your news. God is good and he’s certainly guiding you both and those you meet. Stay safe, love Sue
Glad you are enjoying the photos and updates. God is good, all the time! We definitely see on a daily basis his guidance and provision and are blessed. Thanks for sharing the adventure with us!
Fantastic pictures! So glad the trip is going well and seems to be exceeding your expectations. Godspeed! Love, Tanya
Wonderful to hear from you! Glad you liked the pictures. Are you in Portland yet? If so, hope the weather is good! Love, Sharon
Hey guys, great to see you are out traveling. Was awesome meeting you at HU Mariposa last year. Your photos are inspiring. Keep riding and let the adventure bring more love and happiness into your life. – Alex and Marina
Hi Alex and Marina! Great to hear from you! The HU meet was amazing and SO inspiring. Just to be surrounded by that many people with similar dreams (and fulfilled dreams) was awesome!!! Hope your own travels and dreams are in the sun and with the rubber side down :). Chris & Sharon
Hi. How are you doing? The flora and fauna are just gorgeous. The scenery is stunning. I can only imagine what it looks like in person. It seems that moose like the water. Love you. Thinking of you guys.
You are right – moose love to eat the plants that grow in shallow river water. Thank you for your prayers! We are so glad that you are with us on this amazing journey we are so blessed to be enjoying right now. It is definitely impossible to capture the grandeur and majesty of the scenery, even with panoramic pictures. Love and think of you often!
The pictures and the stories that go along with them are great. Hope it wasn’t too uncomfortable camping on the rocks.
Glad you like the stories! The sleeping while camping isn’t as comfortable as a ‘real’ bed, but with our inflatable sleeping pads we don’t ever feel the rocks or anything like that. It sure makes us appreciate a real bed when we do get one!
Thanks for the photos and journal. We love you and pray for you.
So happy to share our journey with our friends! Thank you for your love and prayers – we need them both. Can’t wait to see you in February or March of 2019!!! Love, Chris & Sharon
Amazing pics! Love you Sharon, you are SO missed by all, big giant fierce virtual hug sister! And to you too Chris!
Awwwwww, my heart is aching too! I SO miss you! Thank you for the hug – I feel it! There are no words…(that is saying something coming from me) Love, Sharon
Currently sitting in a hammock in Rio Viejo, Honduras outside of the school and getting caught up on your travels. Glad to see that the bikes are in good working condition and your pictures are amazing. You both are in my thoughts and prayers for your safety. May God continue to bless you.
Great to hear from you Mike! Thank you for following our travels – we love sharing them with our friends! We hope your time in Honduras is restful and productive at the same time. It sounds impossible – but we believe in a God who can make that happen :). We miss you too and can’t wait to see you more regularly when we move back to Honduras!!!
Beautiful pictures! Must be amazing experiences. By the way Noah’s surgery went very well . He healed quickly. He breaths better and doesn’t snore anymore. He loved the popsicles and when he found out that it would soon come to an end he have two of them in his hand 🙂
Glad you are enjoying our pictures, we take WAY too many, but we can’t help ourselves sometimes because it is so beautiful or amazing. That is great news about Noah’s surgery! We miss you all and look forward to seeing you in November.
What an incredible adventure, thanks for sharing!
We love to share! Thanks for journeying along with us! We should be in your area around Christmas and hope to see you and the family.
Awesome!!! Yes we will have to catch you when you’re in town!
I love reading of your adventure . Keep the posts coming
Thank you! We love sharing all the good (and challenging) times we are having! Hope you are well and thanks for reading!
Soo good to hear from you. Have enjoyed following your travels. The map really helps, I have never been to Canada or Alaska. Will try to send you an email with some updates.