Got up at “our parking place” in Iron River (from when we were broke down there in January with the tire/wheel problems…) to another sunny day – Steve and Deb from Windago came to visit and brought our old wheels with them so we could take them home – they had held on to them while we were in Alaska – and Randy went to the garage that had put the new wheels (the ones that broke in Alaska…) on the trailer to find out that the dealer in Minneapolis that we had purchased the new wheels from would not cover them in a warrantee – they said that it was on the recommendation of the sales person that we were sold the wheels and they should not have been used in that manner – what kind of an answer is that????!!!!!! Finally left Iron River about 11am and drove to Wakefield, MI for the second drop. Kept on driving til midnite and finally made it home!!!! Took 45 minutes in the dark with the dog yard lites on to unload 33 dog and get them in their circles!!! Randy is already making lists of things that need to be done for the trailer and truck for next year……….it’s kind of like delivering a baby (for those of you that can relate….)- after time passes you only remember the good parts – so for us we remember the old and new friends we made, the beautiful trails we got to run on, the good times with our dogs, the magnificent mountains and the sense of adventure we experience every time we begin our journey!!! Thank you all for caring enough to keep up with our high points and the not-so-high-ones – talk to you again in 9 months!!!

Saying goodbye..........

You can see behind me where the hottest part of the springs are coming down the rocks - that's the deepest the springs got

Randy getting in the very, very warm Liard Hot Springs

 

By the way, thanks Mark Hartum for telling us where the Starbucks is!! After posting yesterday we drove till it was time to feed and it was getting dark – I asked “Dorothy” the gps to find a rest area and we ended up at a little “Mom and Pop” campground ½ way from Saskatoon to Moose Jaw, SK – they weren’t open so it was a great place for us to stay the nite – quiet – this morning was very sunny again and the dogs were relatively good about being quiet until we decided to get up ourselves. Dropped dogs about 12n and it was a little warm in the trailer so I opened up the “house” part which stays cooler – hoping that not dogs will get out of their s-hooked cages and take up residence on the couch! Got to customs at Portal, ND at mid-afternoon and it took about ½ hour to get thru – I told them I had an apple and an orange and the orange had to go………..they looked through the trailer back and front – we are always nervous that it will be one of those “look thru every nook and cranny” situations and were relieved when they said we could go. Made it to a rest area east of Rugby ND for the nite – lots of flooding on the roads and couldn’t believe the amount of standing water! Got up on Sunday and drove all the way to Iron River WI and are excited about the possibility of being home tomorrow and no more dog drops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!