NORTH TO ALASKA - 2008

Thursday, May 15: Here we go, it's finally time to start our next RV adventure! This three month journey will test our goals: (1) stay married after three months cooped up in a 38 ft. space,: (2) return safely; and (3) have great fun and wonderful adventures.

We left Seminole, FL Thursday around 8:15 a.m. We spent the first night at Southern Trails in Unadilla, GA. It was a picture perfect day for traveling. Jim & I played Bingo but weren't lucky. Today we traveled 361.9 miles.

Friday, May 16: We got up early and continued on. We stopped in Clarksville, Tennessee around 4:00 this afternoon and will be spending the night at one of our favorite camping places, Wal-Mart!!! They really are quite accommodating. Tomorrow we will meet up with Charlie & Betsy. Travel distance today was 415.2 miles.

Saturday, May 17: Charlie & Betsy met up with us this morning at the Welcome Center in Kentucky. After our "hello's", we took off down the highway and stopped for the night in Boonville, Missouri at Wal-Mart. Of course it was margarita time! Distance today was 429 miles.

Sunday, May 18: Another travel day with great weather. Stopped at Wal-Mart in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the night. Travel distance was 465.3 miles.

Monday, May 19: What a day.....a bad travel day! Driving through South Dakota, heading for Mt. Rushmore the wind was blowing around 40 - 50 miles per hour straight into us and Jim & Charlie had to fight the steering wheel all day. Charlie had problems with his awning blowing out and we had to stop a couple of times to fix that. I'm telling you, it was hard even to stand outside, you thought you were going to blow over. We went from getting 9.3 mpg down to 6.3 with all the wind. We stopped at the "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, S. D. It had murals made out of ears of corn. We started seeing all the "Wall Drug" billboards along I-90 so , we stopped there. Wall Drug Store has been in operation for 76 years and has been offering free water to weary travelers. It is a block-sized emporium with a little bit of everything. We were disappointed with this. Jim was there in the 70's and was amazed how commercial it has become. What can we say, just another "tourist trap". Today we entered the Mountain Time Zone. At least we are gaining hours instead of losing them. We finally arrived at Custer Crazy Horse Campground in Custer, S.D. around 7:00 this evening. To say the least, we were all glad to get here. Our plans are to stay here a few days and explore the area. Lets hope the wind dies down before we have to take off again. Travel distance was 394.3 miles.

Tuesday, May 20: Today we played tourist. First we visited the Crazy Horse Memorial which is the world's largest sculpture. It is a tribute to the famous warrior. The dimentions are staggering to see. The face of Crazy Horse is 88 feet high. The finished project will be as long as a cruise ship and taller than a 60-story skyscraper. It is still a "work in progress" with no completion date noted. It is all being done with private funds and no government help.

We stopped at the Mangy Moose Restaurant for lunch and enjoyed a buffalo burger. It was quite tasty.

Next, we went to Mt. Rushmore. It's quite impressive and the awe inspiring sculptures are magnificent and the faces compelling...a real tribute to the sculptor and subjects.

Our last stop of the day was to Custer State Park. The road through the Badlands was wonderful...we drove the Jeep, thankfully, because the coach would not have fit in the tunnels leading from Rt. 16A to the park. The road is narrow, winding, with sharp curves and the countryside was beautiful. We drove around a Wildlife Trail in the park and saw deer, herds of buffalo, pronghorns, prairie dogs, marmuts (resemble groundhogs), burros and turkey. Jim almost ran over a turkey, had to slam on the brakes to avoid having him for dinner! The best fun was watching a herd of burros in the middle of the street. While we were busy with the windows down snapping pictures, we had burros with their heads in the car. I wasn't paying attention until Betsy called my name, and I turned my head and was eye to eye with a burro looking for a treat. We laughed until our stomachs hurt. Needless to say, the words to "Home on the Range" were singing in my brain.

Wednesday, May 21: After a relaxing breakfast this morning we headed out again to explore the area. Our first stop was Hot Springs, S.D. A warm water river flows all year round through the city and there's a waterfall in the middle of downtown. From there we stopped at "The Mammoth Site" in Hot Springs, S.D. This is an indoor fossil dig site which features the fossils of mammoths. This is like going back in time to the Ice Age. It was quite interesting to see. Our last stop for the day was to Wind Cave National Park. We took a guided tour through the Wind Cave which is the fourth longest cave in the world with 120 miles of passageways. As we drove out of the park we saw more buffalos, prairie dogs and pronghorns. On our way home we stopped at the little town of Custer, S. D. to look around and have an early dinner. We stopped at a fur, hide and claw store (have you ever heard of such a store?). They had everything from antlers to pelts and even mink. We couldn't talk Jim & Charlie into buying Betsy and I a mink!!! Tomorrow we go back on the road.

Thursday, May 22: Travel day. The next time you see Jim, ask him about how much he likes Flying J. I can tell you, it's not very much. We pulled into the station in Montana and could not make the turn and you guessed it, we had to unhook the car. He was not a "happy camper". We were only about 10 miles from our next stop so Betsy and I followed Jim & Charlie in the Jeep instead of hooking it back up again. That was a first for us. We arrived in Billings, Montana and stayed the night at Wal-Mart. Travel distance was 343.2 miles.

Friday, May 23: Travel day. Stopped at Lewis & Clark RV Park in Shelby, Montana for the night. This is the last stop before the Canadian Border crossing. Travel distance was 388.5 miles.

Saturday, May 24: We crossed over into Canada at Coutts, Alberta. It was an easy crossing (Ralph, we still have our hotdogs!). We drove as far as Leduc, Canada and again, stayed the night at Wal-Mart. Travel distance was 403.2 miles.

Sunday, May 25: Travel day. We drove into British Columbia today and stopped at Dawson Creek. The Alaskan Highway starts here (Route 97). Another Wal-Mart welcomed us for the night. Travel distance was 390.4 miles.

Monday, May 26: Today we decided to take a day off from driving to relax a little. The little town of Dawson Creek is quaint. We took the Jeep and went to the Visitor Center and drove to the old Alaskan Highway and stopped at the "Mile 0" marker in town. So tomorrow, the adventure really gets started when we head out on the Alaskan Highway. Wish us luck!

Tuesday, May 27: Travel day. Some of the places we drove through in British Columbia today were Fort St. Johns, Pink Mountain, and Fort Nelson. We dry camped along the Alaskan Highway in Steamboat. It is so pretty here. We pulled into a turn-out right next to a river. There was a path leading down to the river so we all walked down hoping to see some wild life but we didn't. We have been pleasantly surprised how nice the Alaskan Highway is, nothing like some of the horror stories we heard people saying about it. It is all paved roads with some patches of gravel where there were some frost heaves. Hope it stays this way through to Alaska. Travel distance was 363.0 miles.

Wednesday, May 28: Well, the adventure begins! We had hoped that when we woke up this morning that we would be surrounded by some wildlife, but no such luck. After breakfast we got ready to head out again and our motorhome wouldn't start. Here we are in the middle of nothing, with no cell phone service and very little traffic. You might see a truck come by every 15 minutes or so. Luckily, Charlie had a set of jumper cables with him and was able to get us started. That is why it's nice to have someone with you on such a long trip. So off we go and down the road a way a big rig passed us and threw up some gravel and you guessed it, a chip out of the windshield. Oh well, it matches the one that was already there. Jim is taking this all in stride I must say. Those of you that know Jim would be amazed if you saw how dirty the coach and the Jeep are. You can't even tell what color they are.

This really is the most amazing trip that we have been on. Just the anticipation of what's ahead is worth it. The last few days we really haven't seen much wildlife but today we feel like we have entered into Jurassic Park. So far today we have seen moose, caribou, stone sheep, elk, deer, buffalo, black bear and even a grizzly bear. You come around a bend and you may see a herd of buffalo or sheep in the middle of the road. Needless to say, we have driving very slowly. I will try to put some pictures on the blog when I have a little more time when we reach Alaska. The views are breathtaking, can't wait to share them with you all.

We crossed into the Yukon Territory this afternoon and pulled into Downtown R.V. Park in Watson Lake for the night. Watson Lake is known as the "Gateway to the Yukon". After we got set up, we walked over to the Sign-Post Forest. Charlie made a bracket to hold our license plates and add them to the more than 61,000 signs already there. That was a sight to see. It's time to do some laundry and fill up the coaches with water again.

By Friday we should be in Alaska, we have about 600 more miles to go. (That is, if our coach starts up tomorrow morning!) Travel distance was 242.8 miles.

A note about fuel prices: We are finding that the independent gas stations are about 10 cents cheaper than Fying J's. In the Western states we found gas cheaper than in Florida or Tennessee. Charlie was paying around $3.57 for gas. But fuel in Canada is very expensive. However, we have been getting great gas mileage and we are below our gas budget.

Thursday, May 29: Our destination today is to drive to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon. The weather today is clear but cool, it is only in the 40's. Thank goodness, our motorhome started right up this morning. Jim believes that we have a short in one of the running lights, so if we leave the lights out while traveling, we should be fine. Glad that's all it was. Today we only saw one red fox and a moose.

One of the hardest things to get used to is all the daylight hours or as it is known here as the "Midnight Sun". They have 21 1/2 hours of daylight hours. As we sit here, it is nearly 10:30 and the sun is still well above the horizon. Travel distance was 275.1 miles.

Friday, May 30: We decided to spend the day in Whitehorse and drive the Jeep down to Skagway, Alaska. What a wonderful trip! The views were breathtaking with all the snow-capped mountains and beautiful lakes. We passed Emerald Lake and you never saw such a beautiful shade of green. Then, down the road, we stopped at a little town called Carcross. It is an old historic town, like walking back in time. We reached Skagway and walked around the town and had lunch there. One of the cruise ships was docked there so there were lots of tourists, as well as us. The population there is 843 in the summer. Skagway was one of the main entry points for the 1800's gold rush. It has changed very little in the last 50 years, very unique. There were wooden walkways and ancient buildings with the usual t-shirts and souveniers. Things are much more reasonable here than in the Yukon.

Saturday, May 31: WE MADE IT! Crossed over the border into Alaska around 4:00 this afternoon. It was a long journey but well worth the ride. The road up from Whitehorse, Yukon was awful, all construction with gravel and frost heaves. It's a wonder that the coaches are still in one piece, not to mention our nerves. We really can't complain though, the roads have been much better than we had anticipated. Along the way, we stopped at a place called Destruction Bay and watched the dall sheep climbing on the mountain. The highlight of the day was coming across a grizzly bear with her two cubs on the side of the road. That brings the total of grizzlies spotted to 5. Finally, we pulled off the road and stayed again at a roadside pulloff for the night. After dinner, we all took a long walk in the woods and ran across bear prints in the mud. We wondered where the bears were. Travel distance was 310.6 miles.

Sunday, June 1: We are finally back into civilization. After a week with no cell phone service, in the wilderness, we got to check with everyone at home. Stopped for breakfast at the Grumpy Grizz Restaurant in Tok (rhymes with poke). After breakfast we filled the motorhomes up with fuel and they offered a free RV and car wash. You wouldn't believe how dirty they were as well as the Jeep. Jim & Charlie worked hard getting most of the grime off. Then, we drove to Delta Junction, where the monument marks the Alaskan Higway's end.

I guess by now, everyone is wondering why we missed our stops to Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff and Lake Louise. That is because they were snowed in, there was only one entrance open to Yellowstone and Glacier N.P. was closed due to snow. Banff and Lake Louise had about 4 feet of snow so we bypassed that as well for now. We will continue on to the "Alaskan Adventure" and then stop at all the previous places on the way back home.

We stopped for the night at Pioneer Park. Travel distance was 294.2 miles.

Monday, June 2: It's time to pull into a campground now for a few days to catch up on laundry, do some grocery shopping and just relax. We pulled into the River's Edge RV Park in Fairbanks. It's is a nice park, the river is within walking distance. We are surprised to see how crowded it is here. I guess everyone feels like we do, come to Alaska now before gas gets even higher. This afternoon we drove to the Fairbanks Visitor Center and got some information on what to do in the area.

Tuesday, June 3: Well, we started out to drive to the Artic Circle today but took a wrong turn and ended up in Center, Alaska. There was nothing there, and believe me when I say nothing. But the trip wasn't wasted because we did get to see a moose with her two calves and also a porcupine, which none of us have ever seen in the wild. On the way back to the campground we decided to stop at the North Pole. There was a Visitor Center there as well as a Santa House, which was nothing more than a gift shop. They had several reindeer penned out back, we couldn't decide which one was Rudolph!

Before I forget to mention it, those of you who know Charlie, be sure and ask him about his "bra" when you see him next and also about his new friend that will be moving to Knoxville in the next few months.

Wednesday, June 4: We finally got to the Artic Circle. All of us were disappointed when we got there, nothing more than a sign out in the middle of nowhere. It took us almost 8 hours to drive up there. On the way up, we found a little restaurant (if you could call it that) called "Hot Spot". It was really just a "hole in the wall" but had great burgers. Also, crossed over the Yukon River. While traveling north we paralled the Alaskan pipeline, what an awesome feat that is. We stayed along the pipeline for approximately 200 miles.

We went a little further up and stopped at Coldfoot, Alaska and got our certificate claiming that we did cross the Artic Circle. We were going to spend the night there until we found out that it was $199.00 to stay in an old miner's dorm. Needless to say, we decided to drive back to the campground, not without getting a large chip out of the Jeep window from a speeding eighteen wheeler on the gravel road. (How about a 34 wheeler, these trucks are huge) The road there was nothing but rock and mud, you couldn't even tell what color the Jeep was, all caked with muddy clay. It was close to 11:00 at night when we got back, but it was still nice and sunny.

Thursday, June 5: This was a relaxing day at the campground. First thing this morning, Jim & Charlie went to go and find a car wash. We shopped at a store called Fred Meyer which is like a Wal-Mart. We are finding that their prices are cheaper than Wal-Mart.

Friday, June 6: Left Fairbanks this morning and drove to Denali National Park. On the way we stopped at a cute little town called Nenana. It was a quaint little town with an Alaskan museum to browse through. We wanted to stop at a well known, unique bar & hotel that everyone told us not to miss called "Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn". It was in Ester, Alaska but we got there too early and it was closed, didn't open till noon. We will be camping in Denali NP for about three days. Our Golden Age Pass has saved us lots of money on fees and camping so far on this trip, saved $50.00 just at Denali. We are only paying $10.00 a night here and the campground is beautiful. We are parked among white spruce and aspen trees and after a walk in the woods, we made a fire and toasted marshmallows. Travel distance today was 136.9 miles.

Saturday, June 7: Today we boarded a tour bus that took us approximately 53 miles into the national park as far as Toklat River. That is the only way to explore the park, you are only allowed to drive your car 15 miles in and then have to turn around again. We saw moose, carabou, artic ground squirrels, grizzly bears, pika (rabbit family, look like furry rats), great horned owl and chicks, golden eagle with a 7 foot wing span, dall sheep and on the open tundra we saw ptarmigans (beautiful bird) and snowshoe hare. What an amazing park! We were hoping to see a wolf or lynx, but no such luck.

Tonight we went to a "Salmon Bake" restaurant. It was the best salmon we have ever eaten, can't wait to catch some of our own.

Sunday, June 8: Another day in Denali National Park. We went to see a dog sled demonstration this morning which was quite interesting. Also, we were lucky enough to see the north and south peaks of Mt. McKinley. Most people don't get to see this because of the cloud cover and poor weather on the mountain. They claim only about 30% of the people get to see Mt. McKinley. We ate dinner outside under the trees tonight and had a great fire and delicious taco soup that Betsy made.

Monday, June 9: Left Denali National Park heading towards Anchorage. It was a beautiful drive with the mountains on both sides of the road. We arrived at Wasilla, Alaska and are staying at the Big Bear RV Park for a couple days. We are about 50 miles north of Anchorage. It is still hard getting used to the bright daylight at midnight. Travel distance today was 229.9.

Tuesday, June 10: Jim and Charlie wanted to ride over Hatcher Pass today but we were not able to go all the way through because of snow on top of the mountain pass. It was a beautiful drive with sharp drop-offs and deep canyons. We went as far as the snow line and had to turn around in a very narrow section of the road. The road was very narrow and rough. We made it back down safely and stopped by a stream and had a picnic lunch. From there we drove to a little town called Palmer which was surrounded by mountains. Then we stopped at a Musk Ox Farm to see the animals and learned that they are being bred for their wool which is called qiviut. It is very expensive and 10 times warmer than wool. A scarf costs a mere $249.00. Betsy and I left empty handed!

Wednesday, June 11: Still in Wasilla. We decided to stay an extra day to catch up on laundry again. This afternoon we took a ride to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters. This was quite interesting and the film they showed was very informative.

Thursday - Saturday, June 12-14: We left today headed for Anchorage. We arrived safe and sound, it was only a short distance. We are staying at a Fred Meyer store again. After driving around the town we went to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We saw some of the native cultures and had a guided tour of the grounds and an early village setting. Jim called a friend of his, Dave Nacey, on Saturday and he volunteered to be our tour guide today. He took us to Earthquake Park, where we could see evidence of the 9.2 earthquake of 1964. We saw a moose on the side of the road that had a nice rack on it. Dave said it was a young one, but we thought it was huge. Then we went to Chugach State Park and saw Flat Top Mountain and a spectacular view of Anchorage from above. We had lunch at the Peanut Place. Thanks Dave, we sure enjoyed it! Saturday we took a ride to Kincaid Park, saw another moose and then stopped at Ship Creek to watch people salmon fishing. We were lucky enough to see two being caught. The salmon are just starting to come in, Jim & Charlie can't wait to try their hand at salmon fishing soon. Travel distance to Anchorage was only 39.5 miles.

Sunday, June 15: Left Anchorage today and drove to Seward. This was one of the prettiest drives so far. There were mountains on both sides of the road with aqua colored lakes dotting the landscape and wildflowers growing in the alpine meadows. On the way south, we stopped at Portage Glacier. That was an awesome sight to see and a double treat was a black bear on the bank of the river. Then we stopped and unhooked the car and drove through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to Whittier. The 2.5 mile long tunnel is one lane and cars and trains take turns traveling through it. This unique little town is referred as the Gateway to Prince William Sound. We arrived in Seward around 3:00 this afternoon and can't wait to head out and explore, it looks beautiful. Tomorrow we are signed up to go on a glacier and wildlife cruise. Hope I don't get seasick!!! Distance traveled today was 139.1 miles.

Monday, June 16: Today we went on a Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise. The weather was cloudy this morning when we took off but ended up to be nice and sunny. While out on the deck it was COLD, we had on our heaviest jackets, hats, earmuffs and gloves and were still frozen. The temperature was around 52 but felt like 32. But it was worth it. We got to see some beautiful scenery as well as spectacular glaciers. We had lunch sitting in an ice field in front of Aialik Glacer. Some of the wldlife we saw were humpback and orca whales, Steller sea lions, sea otters, bald eagles, puffins (Martha, I finally got to see them!), and harbor seals.

The town of Seward is a fishing village at the end of Resurrection Bay, a thousand foot deep fjord. We are staying in a waterfront campground overlooking the bay. We sit inside and look out and see otters swimming by and eagles landing on the pilings eating their catch. It is quite a sight to see.

Finally, here are some pictures to view. The best way to view my pictures is as a fast slideshow (click on the links below). Also, click on the "i" in the middle of the picture for my comments about them.

#1 Alaskan Highway
#2 Alaskan Highway
Yukon into Alaska
Northern Alaska

South Dakota


Tuesday, June 17: Today we relaxed and took a ride around Seward. Still watching the little otter swimming around the bay in front of us.

Wednesday, June 18: We drove down to Soldotna today and will be spending the next three nights here parked in a Fred Meyer parking lot. They are quite friendly to RV'ers here. There is a dump station and fresh water. You are allowed to stay three nights at no charge. None of the Wal-Marts in Alaska are allowing RV's to use their lots, so we do all our shopping at Freddy's. Driving distance today was 93 miles.

Thursday, June 19: Jim & Charlie decided to try their hand at salmon fishing today. They went to the Kenai River with the understanding if they didn't catch dinner, we would have Chinese tonight. Well, guess what, it was Chinese....haha. All they got was wet feet and cold hands but said they had fun.

Friday, June 20: The FIRST SALMON is caught. Charlie was the lucky one. When you see Charlie you have to ask him to do his new dance for you called the "salmon stomp". These guys are having the time of their lives, a new adventure around every turn. We cooked the salmon on the grill tonight for dinner and it was wonderful. Today also is the summer solstace, which is the longest day here. There are lots of parades and festivals around.

Saturday, June 21: We left for Homer this morning. Homer is the last town on the Kenai Peninsula and was made famous as "The End of the Road" and also the halibut fishing capital of the world. Jim & Charile will be going on a halibut charter sometime later this week. We are staying at a city campground for a week and pulled in overlooking the Homer Spit which is a 3.5 mile sandbar in the middle of Katchemak Bay. We are surrounded by snow capped mountains. We can sit in the coach and look out at all the salmon fishermen and see the eagles soaring by. It seems at times that they are going to fly right in the window. What magnificent birds they are, I never tire of watching them. The weather is cold here, only in the 50's. Hope it warms up. The waterfront is beautiful. We took a ride up to Deep Creek and sat and watched them pull the boats out of the water with big tractors, something that you don't often see. Driving distance today was 81 miles.

Hi Everyone! I guess you thought we dropped off the face of the earth...but no, just no good wifi service or cell phone service to keep you posted.

Sunday, June 22 - Friday, June 27: The past week we stayed put in Homer. The weather has remained quite cold all week but it didn't stop Jim & Charlie from salmon fishing. The beauty of that was that Betsy and I could stay nice and warm in the motorhome and look out the window and watch them fish. The tide swing here is incredible as well. One minute there is no water anywhere and the next minute (seemingly) it has covered all the tidal flats. It is a mermerizing sight watching it come in and recede. Jim caught his first salmon this week but they were pretty scarce. The locals here say this is the worst salmon fishing they have seen in years, they think it is because of the cold water. It seems that their winter just won't go away. In the spit in the evening hours there are a couple of seals that come in on the high tide and try to steal the fish. It is fun to sit and watch them. During the week we went to the Pratt Museum and checked out the little town of Homer. Really not much to see here, just lots of fishing. We did see a few familiar faces. We ran into Sidney and Cynthia, friends from Townsend, and also Charlie and Betsy's son Blake and Susan are here for 10 days.

The best part of the week, especially for Jim, was the deep sea fishing trip they went out on last Friday. Jim caught an 88 pound halibut. It was so big that the captain of the boat had to shoot it to get it into the boat. He was just thrilled to death. I will be putting a picture of it on the blog as soon as I can. So, we will be bringing some fresh caught fish home in the freezer after all.

One observation about life in Alaska is that people don't dispose of anything--they just leave it in the yard no matter what it is: cars, boats, RV's, old appliances, etc. It makes the log homes look "junky". Anyway, along the spit is what can only be described as a boat graveyard with old mostly wooden vessels just listing on the sides having seen much better days, sad in a way, but good photos.

Saturday, June 28: We left Homer this morning and drove as far as Soldotna. The guys want to fish the Kenai River one more time before heading out of the peninsula. Driving distance today was only 81 miles.

Sunday, June 29: Today we drove to Palmer and will be staying at Fox Run RV Park for the next two days. On our way here, we stopped at the little town of Hope, Alaska. It is a picturesque community at the end of the Hope Highway on Turnagain Arm that was originally a gold mining camp and many of the old buildings are being preserved. We had lunch and continued on. Driving distance today was 183.5 miles.

Monday, June 30: We headed for Hatcher's Pass today. The pass was finally cleared of snow since the last time we stopped here. There we stopped at the Independence Mine State Historical Park which includes several buildings and old mining machinery. The Alaska Pacfic Consolidated Mine Co., one of the largest gold producers in the district, operated here from 1938 through 1941. It was quite intersting to see and you could pan for gold there also. That would have been fun if it wasn't so cold. When we got back to the campground, it was Jim's turn to be the entertainment for the day. He and Charlie went down to the lake to fish and Jim ended up losing his footing trying to get in a canoe and landed in the COLD lake! Betsy and I weren't there to see it, but Charlie filled us in and, of course, Jim coming home soaked was a good clue as to what happened. We all had a good laugh out of that.

Tuesday, July 1: On to Glennallen today. We will be staying here till Saturday. From here we are going to take a day trip to Valdez. Also, they have a parade and salmon bake on the 4th of July and an arts and crafts fair and we thought that would be fun to go to. The sun is finally shining and it has warmed up to about 64. It's the first time we have just had a sweatshirt on instead of heavy winter jackets. It feels great! Driving distance today was 179.9 miles.

More photos:

Anchorage to Seward
Soldotna to Homer
Palmer to Valdez

Wednesday, July 2: We took a day trip to Valdez today. The drive down to Valdez on the Richardson Highway was beautiful. The Richardson Highway was Alaska's first road. It was used by the gold stampeders in 1902. We passed many salmon streams, such as the Gulkana and Klutina rivers and also the Worthington Glacier. There were also lots of waterfalls coming down the side of the mountains. Valdez is situated in a fjord, the Chugach Mountains rising from Prince William Sound. It is often called Alaska's "Little Switzerland". Much of Valdez was destroyed by the 1964 Earthquake and about 30 of the buildings were moved to their present site. It is the gateway to Prince William Sound. The terminus of the 800 mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline rests on the South side of the Port of Valdez. It is quite a remarkable sight to see. We had lunch in town and then headed back to Glennallen.

Thursday, July 3: Finally, a day of rest. It gets tiring having this much fun!!! We did take a little ride to shop at some of the t-shirt shops and stop at a little grocery store. I can't believe the prices of food in this state. The Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is about 66 miles from here but we decided to just stay at the campground and relax. It was abouth 74 today, just beautiful.

Friday, July 4: Happy 4th of July! We are still in the little town of Glennallen, Alaska. They had a parade in town today and we had so much fun acting like teenagers, collecting candy that was thrown to us, even the state troopers were throwing candy at us. Then, the Lion's club had a salmon bake which was delicious. We had baked salmon, baked potatoe, corn on the cob, cole slaw, baked beans, garlic bread and watermelon. The temperature today was around 74, actually hot for a change. It was a fun day. Tonight we played Fast Track and went back to the motorhomes to get ready to leave in the morning. We will be heading for Tok.

Saturday & Sunday, July 5 & 6: Omigod, omigod, omigod!!! I can't describe in words what it is like to take a 38 foot motorhome with a towed Jeep across the "Top of the World Highway" (in Canada) and the Taylor Highway (in Alaska).

It started out innocently enough, the first few miles of the road in Alaska was paved but, oh brother, then the fun started. The road was mostly dirt and gravel with narrow hairpin curves, no pull-offs and no guard rails and sheer drops thousands of feet below. It was about 85 miles till we reached the Canadian border.

However, for the next 65 miles (in Canada) we were on gravel road barely two lanes wide with washboard gravel, it shook your teeth! Some potholes were marked and there were a fair number of places to pull off to let the tour buses by. The first 50 or 60 miles, our average speed was between 15 and 20 miles per hour.

We came across the first tour buses near Chicken, Alaska. This is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with a post office and 3 businesses in town (if you can call it that). Chicken, Alaska....so named because the miners who founded the town that now has 21 permanent residents couldn't spell the word ptarmigan (the Alaska state bird). So, they picked the bird that most closely resembled the ptarmigan...what else??? Driving distance on Saturday was 225.1 miles.

When we came to the end of the "Top of the World Highway", we had to take a ferry across the Yukon River to get into Dawson City, Canada, Yukon Territory. What an experience that was! The ferry is about 75 feet long. As soon as we drove up, the ferry was loading and there was just enough room left (barely) for our motorhome and Jeep. I thought for sure the Jeep would be floating in the river behind us and being dragged across. Don't know how Jim drove onto this without losing a mirror or scraping the sides. Phew!

Driving distance Sunday was 102 miles which took us five hours and 12 minutes. That should tell the story about how bad the road was.

That is the bad news....now for the good. We took lots of pictures and the views were spectacular. The wildflowers all along the side of the road were beautiful, lupines (purple/blue) and fireweed (the official flower of the Yukon), a magenta color. It was well worth the occasional nail-biting that comes with steep inclines and narrow, winding roads.

We pulled into the Dawson City Campground for two nights to explore the town. Dawson City is a restored mining town center that in its heydey as a gold rush city, boasted 40,000 residents but now has only about 1800 full timers. Spent some time in town today. It is an old town that is really quite lovely in a wild west sort of way. The sidewalks are wooden and many of the original buildings have been restored beautifully. The streets are unpaved, mud/gravel that is so hard-packed that is is hard as rock but muddy in rain.

Tonight we went to a dance hall with can-can girls named Diamond Tooth Gerties for a stage show. Forget about Charlie's "bra" now, he has moved on to bigger and better things! He helped to entertain a roomful of people....be sure to ask him about his "garter". We didn't know that he could move as well as he can!!!

Also in Dawson City there are bars galore (including one that offers drinks featuring a freeze-dried, frost-bitten toe as garnish).....NO, we didn't try that one!

Hi Everyone, we are still alive and safe. Just spent 10 days crossing Canada with no cell phone service or wifi. So here is an update of what we have been doing.......

Monday, July 7: We woke up to rain today. Our plans were to drive up to the top of Dome Mountain where there is supposed to be an incredible view of the confluence of the Klondike and mighty Yukon River. The Yukon is the 4th longest river in the world and it is a truly powerful, impressive site. We did drive up but couldn't see much through all the rain and fog. Spent the rest of the day resting.

Tuesday, July 8: On the road again. We are heading for Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The road down was good, quite different than we have been on. We decided to eat out tonight and went to Boston Pizza and then shopped at a store called "Everything Canadian" for groceries. We are back in the same Wal-Mart for the night that we stayed in coming north.

Wednesday, July 9: From Whitehorse, we took a day trip by Jeep to Haines, Alaska which required another border crossing into the states and back again into Canada. It was a little disappointing but still worth the trip down. The old part of town is made up of officer's quarters from the former Ft. Seward. The harbor is full of small boats and log cabins of all shapes, sizes and conditions dot the shoreline around the fjord. Above it all are the beautiful mountains covered in glaciers (Rainbow Glacier) that are visible from just about everywhere you look. We drove to lovely Chilkat State Park where the eagles soar above and it made a great spot for some great pictures. The town is also surrounded by dark, deep forests, a rainforest actually with hemlocks and spruces with long tendrils of moss hangind from them.

On the way back, we saw a young grizzly bear on the verge of the road.

Thursday, July 10: We are back heading south on the Alcan Highway. We stopped at a pulloff for the night. Driving distance today was 352.7 miles.

Friday, July 11: Today we came through one of our favorite spots on the Alcan Highway. Again we passed Muncho Lake, a beautiful body of water that owes it's spectacular blue color to the copper oxides that leach from the local bedrock.

This area has been called the "Serengeti of North America" because of its community of wildlife; bear, moose, elk, caribou, sheep, and buffalo. You never know what you will find around the next curve in the middle of the road. Distance traveled today was 345.4 miles.

Saturday, July 12: We had a little excitement coming into Dawson Creek today. Charlie's passenger window in his coach shattered in a million pieces spilling all over Betsy. I guess it just about scared her half to death. She said it sounded like a gunshot. He still can't figure out what happened to it. He had to find a shop to cut him a piece of plexiglass to fix it until he gets home. Driving distance today was 184.3 miles.

Sunday, July 13: Before leaving Dawson City, we drove into town and walked around and looked at an old car show. Jim & Charlie especially enjoyed that. We drove to Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada and then got on the Yellowhead Highway heading for Jasper. We stopped in Grand Cache at a Provential Park for the night. Canada offers lots of roadside camping at no charge. We had a campfire tonight. Driving distance today was 190.8 miles.

Monday, July 14: Our destination today is Jasper National Park. It is Canada's fifth national park and the largest of the parks representing the Rocky Mountain region. The Icefield Parkway (Highway 93 N) is often called the most scenic highway in the world and I agree. Named for the tremendous glaciers, which flank its westward side, the 143 mile Parkway weaves up and around the mountains between Banff and Jasper National Parks as it parallels the Great Divide. Almost as soon as we got on the Icefield Parkway we saw sheep and an elk with a huge set of antlers. (Pictures to follow soon) We are staying at Whistler's Campgound in Jasper N.P. This evening we took a ride to Pyramid Lake and walked over to an island where we sat and watched the loons swimming in the lake with their young. Driving distance today was 141.1 miles.

Tuesday, July 15: Today we are heading for Lake Louise and Banff National Park, still driving on the Icefield Parkway. We will be staying two nights at Lake Louise Campground. After we got set up, we headed out to explore the town of Banff. We stopped at the Banff Springs Fairfield Hotel which is the most awsome hotel any of us have ever seen. It was built in the 1800's out of local stone. Both inside and out are just beyond belief. The town of Banff has lots of high end, pricey stores. It was raining so we didn't get to browse much. From there, we stopped at the Lake Louise Fairfield Hotel which is build right on Lake Louise. It is a beautiful hotel for sure, but can't compare with the Banff Springs Hotel. The sight of Lake Louise surrounded by the Rocky Mountains is spectacular. Driving distance today was 146.5 miles.

Wednesday, July 16: We drove to Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier on the Icefield Parkway today. We drove the Jeep as far as we could and then hiked the rest of the way to the toe of the glacier to walk on it. It was cold and windy up there but such an awesome sight. We have been through four of the Canadian National Parks, Jasper, Banff, Kootenay and Yoho. These form the world-renowned Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. We saw big horn sheep on the side of the road today and five black bears. The best sighting was of a mother bear with her two tiny cubs. Our total bear sightings so far are 25 black bears and 12 grizzly bears.

Thursday, July 17: Back in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! We crossed the border at Roosville, Montana without any problems. Coming down through Canada, we stopped at Radium Hot Springs but were very disappointed in that. All there was to see was a swimming pool. Guess what? Yes, we are staying at another Wal-Mart in Kalispell, Montana for a couple of nights. It's nice to finally have cell phone service again. Driving distance was 299.6 miles.

Friday, July 18: Still in Kalispell, Montana. Spent most of the day at Glacier National Park and drove the "Going-to-the-Sun Road". This is truly one of the most spectacular highways. It bisects the glacier, follows the shores of two lakes and hugs the cliffs to Logan Pass. There are hairpin curves with steep, steep cliffs and no guardrails, barely room for two cars to pass. (Thank goodness we were in the Jeep and not the coaches!) Along the way we saw some deer and finally when we got to the top at Logan Pass, we saw a mountain goat.

Saturday, July 19: A "do nothing" day. Boy, it sure is tiring having this much fun!

Glennallen to Dawson City
Alcan Hwy. S. to Dawson Creek
Icefield Parkway

Sunday, July 20: Left, heading for Yellowstone National Park and area early this morning. We are finally driving on the Interstates again and Jim said it is nice to be able to put the coach on cruise control and sit back and relax. That may be, but the coach didn't like all the gravel road stuff any better than he did. We have a few more "dings" in the windshield but none have spread into cracks...yet. It was a long day of traveling until we finally found a Rest Area to park in all night. It was a pretty setting, right next to Madison Lake. We are about 35-45 miles from West Yellowstone. Driving distance today was 371.7 miles.

Monday, July 21: It was just a short drive today to West Yellowstone. We will be staying for a week at Lionshead RV Park just about 7 1/2 miles out of town. All the campgrounds in the park were full. It will be nice to be in one place for a week with full hook-ups. Travel distance today was only 47.9 miles.

Tuesday, July 22: We went into Yellowstone National Park today and drove the south loop. We drove through geyser country and stopped to watch Old Faithful erupt. I was amazed with all the geysers, paint pots and mud pots that we saw. The smell of sulfur was heavy in the air. We went to West Thumb, another geyser basin, Fish Bridge, and drove next to the Yellowstone Lake which was a beautiful electric blue and turquoise color. Another interesting place that we stopped was the Lehardys Rapids where the the cutthroat trout go upstream to spawn. We had hoped to see some jumping, but no luck, but we did catch a glimpse of several of the fish with their deep red and dark brown skin. We were a little disappointed that we didn't see more animals. We saw lots of buffalo and only a few elk. Maybe we are spoiled after coming over the Alcan Highway with the abundance of animals there to see.

Wednesday, July 23: On the outskirts of West Yellowstone is a place called Earthquake Park. The Visitor Center has a movie depicting the earthquake that happened there, quite interesting. On the evening of August 17, 1959, the area of West Yellowstone park experienced an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale. Twenty-eight people died, seventeen buried beneath 80 million tons of dolomite as it crashed down on a campground. We also stopped at the Ghost City where the abandoned houses were that were washed into the lake. Quite an eye-opening sight to see. Well worth the trip there.

Thursday, July 24: Today we drove to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. This is quite smaller than Yellowstone but worth the drive. There is Grand Teton, over 13,700 feet, Middle and South Teton mountains and Moran Mountain, all over 12,000 feet. Grand Teton is very jagged, dramatic, outlined against the flat Snake River Plain. However, instead of the lush forests we have been used to, this land is dry and while some of the slopes are forested, for the most part, the landscape is dry sagebrush. The only green areas are where the river or streams are. We were disappoited to only see a few deer and about 15 elk all day.

From there, we drove on to the city of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. What a neat town. We looked around town, bought a few tee-shirts and then headed for the slopes. We took a ski lift ride from the Snowking Ski Resort up to the summit of the mountain and saw breathtaking views of the Tetons and Jackson Hole. We also took a short nature walk through the fields while we were there and were bowled over by all the beautiful wildflowers.

Glacier N.P.
Yellowstone N.P.
Grand Teton N.P. & Jackson Hole, WY

Friday, July 25: We drove the north loop of Yellowstone today. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is the best yet. The dramatic colors of the rock with puffs of steam coming from them and the falls make for a spectacular view. We all were awestruck at the beauty and decided that this was the part of the park we liked the best. We visited the Cascade Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, more geysers and even saw a petrified tree. I don't think me missed a road in the park. And, we finally saw a moose in the park. He had a medium rack and he was just laying down in a stream relaxing. On our way out of the park, Jim had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting an elk. He was a beauty with a huge rack.

#2 Yellowstone N.P.

Saturday, July 26: Spent some time this afternoon in the town of West Yellowstone to browse around some of the shops. It is a neat little town. Tonight we went to the "Wild West Yellowstone" Rodeo. What fun, we really, really enjoyed the evening. There was bull and bronco bare-back riding, roping, barrell races and all sorts of other contests. It was the first rodeo we have ever attended and we had lots of excitement and lots of laughter.

Sunday, July 27: We spent today cleaning and getting ready to leave in the morning. It was a relaxing afternoon of playing Pegs & Jokers (the guys won). Tonight we rode into the park to see Old Faithful erupting. It was almost dark when it erupted and it was quite a sight to see. There weren't as many people there as there was the day we saw it first. You could really get to hear the water spewing from it tonight. On our trip through the park tonight we saw a buffalo, some elk and two coyotes. We still didn't get to see a wolf. Tomorrow we are heading for Cody, Wyoming.

Monday, July 28: This morning we left for Cody, Wyoming traveling through the great expanse of mountains. It was a beautiful drive down. Cody was founded in 1896 when "Buffalo Bill" Cody and other business investors set up a development company with the purpose of building a settlement to attract homesteaders and visitors to the area. In 1902, the town was incorporated and Buffalo Bill opened his famous "Hotel in the Rockies", the Irma Hotel, named after his youngest daughter.

We arrived early afternoon and set out to explore yet another town. We visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which is actually four museums in one. There was the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Plains Indian Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. There really isn't much to this town, glad we were only passing through for the day. Driving distance today was 138.7 miles.

Tuesday, July 29: Today we start our long journey home. We drove as far as Cheyenne, Wyoming. On the way driving on Wyoming Highway 120, we saw several cowboys rounding up a herd of cattle. Now we can say we saw a real roundup as well as a rodeo. Most of the prairie is covered by sagebrush. Also, the most scenic drive was through the Wind River Canyon. You really have to see it to believe how incredibly pretty it was. Signs along the side said that some of the rocks were over 600 million years old (I really don't know how they know that for sure???). There were three tunnels that we drove through which were just dug right through the mountain. And, of course, our campground tonight is Wal-Mart. Driving distance today was 397.5 miles.

Wednesday, July 30: Staying in Concordia, Kansas tonight. Driving distance today was 488 miles.

Thursday, July 31: Drove as far as Sallisaw, Oklahoma today. It's hot, the temperature was reading 101 degrees at one point today. Staying at Wal-Mart. Driving distance was 380.4 miles.

Friday, August 1: Charlie & Betsy left early this morning on their own heading for home. It seems funny not having them following us now. I'm sure they will be glad to get back to Tennessee. Jim & I are staying in the Frog Hollow Campground in Greanda, Mississippi tonight. It is so hot we just couldn't stay in a Wal-Mart parking lot without power to run the air coditioning another night. It is still reading 101 degrees outside and it has been 90 degrees in the motorhome. Driving distance today was 401.4 miles.

Saturday, August 2: We pulled into the Marion Lake RV Park in Biloxi, Mississippi late this afternoon. This is an RPI park and one of the nicest ones that we have visited. We will be staying here for two nights to relax before heading for Florida on the last leg of our trip. Jim wants to go into New Orleans French Quarter tomorrow and stop at Cafe Du Monde for some chickory coffee and beignets. He is really pleased with the gas mileage we have been getting with our motorhome. We have been getting 9.7 - 10.3 mpg running with both air conditioning units running. He has been keeping his speed between 57-60 mph. Driving distance today was 359.9 miles.

Sunday, August 3: We drove into New Orleans this morning. We drove through the beach areas where Katrina came through. You wouldn't believe the damage and debris that is still there. What a shame, all the old victorian homes are all gone. When we got to the French Quarter, it must have been at least 200 degrees there, no kidding, thought we would just melt into the sidewalks. However, Jim was rewarded with his beignets and chickory coffee. Tonight we went to the Isle of Capri casino for their dinner buffet.

Monday, August 4: Back on the road. We drove as far as Old Town, Florida and decided to get a campground for the night. Stayed at the Original Suwanee River Campground overlooking the Suwanee River. We have about 150 more miles to go on the last leg of our trip home. Driving distance today was 413.8 miles.

Tuesday, August 5: HOME AT LAST!! We arrived back home in Seminole, FL safe and sound around noon today. Distance drove today was 138.9 miles.

A few statistics of our trip:

Total miles driven with the motorhome = 11,659
Total miles driven with the Jeep = 4,868

We averaged from 5.3 - 11.4 mpg

Our average for the trip was 8.7 mpg

So, Jim's dream of an Alaskan trip has come to past. It's nice to be able to fulfill your dreams and cross off the things that you had thought about doing all your life. Thanks to all of you that followed us along on this trip, hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures.

TEXAS TRIP - 2008

On Saturday, February 9, 2008 we flew to Texas to visit with Charlie & Betsy Mangrum. We arrived in San Antonio early in the afternoon and rented a car and headed south to Weslaco, Texas. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to drive there. Tonight, after checking in our motel, we had an Italian dinner and played "Hand & Foot" with Charlie & Betsy.

Sunday was spent sightseeing. We started off at a flea market, one like we have never been to before. Then we headed to Boca Chica where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico. We were able to drive on the beach there. After a snack on the beach, we drove to Padre Island. There we drove around the island, stopped at Point Isabella Lighthouse, and just did the tourist things. We had dinner on Padre Island at a restaurant called "Dirty Al's". I think that was the best shrimp and fish that we have eaten, delicious!

Monday....South of the Border!! We walked over into Mexico today and just had a grand time. After walking around looking at all the shops and taking in all the sights, we settled in at a little tavern called "Arriba's". The margarita's were yummy! As were the taco's and enchilada's. Jim has met a new friend called, Lupi. Ask him about him when you see him next. Also, while we were shopping here, we decided to buy a steer head, horns and all, to bring home and hang on our fence. That should be quite an adventure getting him home on the plane....haha!

Tuesday...Another sightseeing day. Charlie & Betsy make great tour guides. We drove to Los Ebanos where the only man-operated ferry crosses the Rio Grande River. That was interestig to watch. From there we went on to Falcon Lake Dam, where there is a monument showing the borders of the USA and Mexico. You can put each foot in a different country. Then, we had the best fun, but you really had to be there to enjoy it, words just can't describe it. So, again, when you see Jan, ask her about her shopping trips to "Ropa".

Wednesday...We drove over to Harlingen, Texas to see the Iwo Jima memorial. It was quite an impressive sight to see. We found a great little Mexican restaurant called "el Gloria" today and had a delicious Mexican feast. We got home early today and enjoyed the camp ground where Charlie & Betsy are staying and played some Hand & Foot. So far, Charlie & Jan are the champs!

Thursday...Again, we walked over into Mexico. This was an unusual way to spend St. Valentine's Day. It was very windy today, thought we would just blow across the Rio Grande. We stopped at our favorite place, Arriba's, again for margarita's.

Friday...Today we left for McMahan, Texas to visit with George & Nancy Miller. They are spending the winter there doing work camping at Lake Falling Star RV Resort. It was about a 4 hour drive there. They took us to a quaint place for a bar-b-que dinner tonight. It was an old town meeting place. We all had sandwiches and then you stay and play games right there. We met so many friendly people, everyone there was so nice.

Saturday...It was George and Nancy's turn to be tour guides today. They took us through Lockhart, Texas and then on to Gruene, Texas (pronounced like 'green'). There we explored the town which has the oldest dance hall in Texas. We had lunch at a restaurant called the "Grist Mill Restaurant". It actually is an old grist mill. Our lunch was delicious and the atmosphere with all the fireplaces burning and overlooking a river was spectactular.

Sunday...The party's over. This week went so fast. Charlie & Betsy went back to their RV in Weslaco, and Jim & I headed to the airport for our trip back home. We had such a good time, again with great friends. photos

Click on the i in the middle of the picture to view the comments. The best way to view them is to do a slide show.

P.S. Regarding the steer head, what a riot! While putting the steer head through the x-ray machine at the airport, the lady scanning, said "dare I ask, it isn't often that I get to see teeth coming through here". We got a good laugh out of that. Anyway, we got home safe and sound along with our steer head that now adorns a spot on the fence in our backyard.