The trip to Tok was a return to the Tok RV Village; however, on this trip we traveled the Richardson Highway to the Glenn Highway/Tok Cut-Off. The Cut-Off definitely saved on mileage but it was a road that had major construction, lots of frost heaves and took lots of maneuvering and concentration to drive the road to avoid the worse areas. And this is after major improvements have occurred over the summer.
Continue reading “Tok; Second Stop 08/25/2019”Valdez: Glaciers, Salmon, Sea Lions, Seals, Whales and Wildlife 08/21 – 08/24/2019
It took us a good part of the day to travel the 262 miles to Valdez and our access to the Prince William Sound. A little over half of the trip was on the Glenn Highway that had lots of steep downgrades with sharp curves. The last 120 miles was on the Richardson Highway where we passed the Worthington Glacier and drove through the Keystone Canyon. We stayed at the Eagles Rest RV Park in Valdez. The management at the Park had mixed up the caravan reservations so we had to move our spot. We had just gotten set up and started washing the mud and dirt off the Jeep and RV when Mitch and us were asked to move. They had promised another 2 travelers the spots we were on for Saturday so we were not very kindly told we needed to move NOW. Because we had someone coming to see our ShowHauler, we didn’t get to go out to dinner as planned, but instead just had a quick dinner about 8:30. It had been a long day by that time so we just called it a night.
Continue reading “Valdez: Glaciers, Salmon, Sea Lions, Seals, Whales and Wildlife 08/21 – 08/24/2019”Palmer and Belugas in Turnagain Arm 08/19 – 08/20/2019
We left Seward on the 42nd day of our Fantasy Caravan for the 167-mile destination of Mountain View RV park in Palmer, Alaska. The only planned stop we expected were for one scavenger hunt photo and for fuel somewhere along the way. The roads were good, except for a few miles of construction once we got to Palmer. The unexpected surprise while traveling along the Turnagain Arm heading towards Anchorage was seeing several beluga whales near the exit for the Portage Glacier. We were lucky that we were in an area with a wide shoulder so that we could get over to take a picture. There are not very many shoulders on this road, with only a few pull off spots. The belugas only surfaced quickly as they continued to follow the tide line up the Arm, while they hunted for food. Randy was lucky to get a couple of pictures. We did not see any other belugas as we continued our journey up the Arm to Anchorage.
Continue reading “Palmer and Belugas in Turnagain Arm 08/19 – 08/20/2019”Seward: Alaska Sea Life Center, Kenai Fjords National Park, Salmon Fishing, Smoke and Wildfires 08/15 – 08/18/2019
The Dirt Yacht only stayed clean for one day. By the time we drove the 155 miles to Seward, it was dirty and dusty again. We had several miles of road construction that contributed to the grime. There was also smoke from a nearby wildfire that probably contributed to some of the dust. This wildfire was in the same general location as the one we saw on our drive to Homer; however, this fire was larger and spread out in several locations. We spotted a helicopter dumping water from a large bag on the fire. We watched the helicopter drop down to a creek between the fire and the roadway to refill the bag before again dropping its load over the fire. I don’t know how much water the helicopter could drop at one time, but it didn’t look like more than a thimble full in comparison to the amount of fire. The fire had definitely grown in comparison to what we spotted on our trip into Homer a few days ago. That fire and smoke was the first time we had seen any active wildfire on this trip.
Continue reading “Seward: Alaska Sea Life Center, Kenai Fjords National Park, Salmon Fishing, Smoke and Wildfires 08/15 – 08/18/2019”Homer Spit and Seldovia 08/12 – 08/14/2019
Since we had visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and the Portage Glacier Visitor Center while we were in Anchorage, we did not have to make many stops on the 227 mile drive to Homer. It was another beautiful drive along Turnagain Arm to Sterling Highway. Near Sterling we saw a small wildfire on the hillside. We had been warned by several people to expect fires, but this was our first encounter. Unfortunately, it was not our last. We did stop at the Welcome sign overlooking Kachemak Bay for our scavenger hunt photo before the steep downgrade into Homer.
Continue reading “Homer Spit and Seldovia 08/12 – 08/14/2019”Anchorage, Alaska Wildlife Conseration Center, Boggs Visitor Center, Turnagain Arm and Veterans Memorial 8/10 – 8/11/2019
When leaving the Denali RV Park & Motel, we had to hook up the Jeep outside of the park, so we stopped just down the road at a large pullout site on the left. It didn’t take us long before we were on the road. Lots of frost heaves kept our speed down but we didn’t mind going slow so that we could enjoy the scenery. We did not spot any wildlife, except a few rabbits and birds, but it was still an enjoyable trip with several stops along the way.
Continue reading “Anchorage, Alaska Wildlife Conseration Center, Boggs Visitor Center, Turnagain Arm and Veterans Memorial 8/10 – 8/11/2019”Denali: Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, Denali National Park & Preserve, Denali Salmon Bake, Tundra Wilderness Bus Tour and Wildlife 08/06 – 08/09/2019
I dropped my phone the day before and it developed a small crack. I think I dropped it because I lost the strap on the back when we went to Dome Mountain in Dawson City. When I dropped it a second time most of the screen cracked and started leaving small glass fragments in my finger so we decided to head to the Verizon store in Fairbanks on our way out of town. I searched and there was not one in Denali and I was hoping to get it fixed before we left. We left even before Ricky came by for his later than normal thump of our tires so we could get to the store when they opened at 10. I only had to wait a few minutes for the store to open but decided to only have a protective cover placed over the screen to hold me until we get to Anchorage or back to the lower 48. As much as I wanted a new X iphone I could not see paying the $1,000 for a new phone, especially when I have insurance on my current 6Plus iphone. When I asked about a replacement phone I was told they had to FedEx it to me the next day. I could not take one from the store. I called both the campground, Denali RV Park and Motel, and the Denali Post Office but was told that neither would accept FedEx packages. I was told the quickest delivery would be USPS 2-day mail but Verizon would not ship anything other than FedEx. The Post Office in Denali told me it could take from 3 – 8 days to actually receive a package n Denali which would probably be after we left. Verizon could not repair my phone but instead recommended a repair facility in downtown Fairbanks but that may have taken several hours to have fixed. We probably would need to disconnect the Jeep to get to the repair facility so I just decided to do the temporary fix, even when it was $35. I will call next week about having a replacement shipped to one of the larger cities, maybe Valdez.
Continue reading “Denali: Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, Denali National Park & Preserve, Denali Salmon Bake, Tundra Wilderness Bus Tour and Wildlife 08/06 – 08/09/2019”Delta Junction, Fairbanks and North Pole Alaska 08/02 – 08/05/2019
We made good time getting to Riverview RV Park in North Pole, Alaska. One hazard we knew about but still was surprised by was the Robertson River Bridge about 33 miles after leaving Tok. Even though we had been warned that you do not see the bridge until you come around the corner, it still was a shock when the bridge popped up on us. I guess I was not paying enough attention to our mileage. We were fortunate that no other large vehicles were trying to cross as the same time that we were on this narrow bridge. I was just glad Randy could stay close to the middle as we crossed.
Continue reading “Delta Junction, Fairbanks and North Pole Alaska 08/02 – 08/05/2019”Tok for the First Time 08/01/2019
Before we left Chicken, we had breakfast at the RV campground. Breakfast was cooked by Mike’s wife and the wonderful gift shop is run by their daughter. It’s a family operation! We picked up a few small gifts but unfortunately the t-shirt Randy wanted was not available in his size. It is still one of the better gift shops on this trip!
Continue reading “Tok for the First Time 08/01/2019”Chicken, Top of the World Highway and Welcome to Alaska at Poker Creek 07/31/2018
It seems like we are always one of the first RVs out of the park. It really paid off the morning we left Dawson City for Chicken, Alaska, where we had to cross the Yukon using the George Black Ferry to access the Top of the World Highway. This ferry service is a free service provided by the Yukon Highway and Public Works Department that runs 24 hours a day every day except for Friday mornings, where it is shut down for maintenance between 5 and 7 am. We were the third RV to cross following John and Carol and Mark and Nancy. We had disconnected the Jeep so I could drive it across. Even though we could get the RV on the ferry while towing the Jeep, we were told it was easier to get on an off the ferry separately. I drove the Jeep over on the trip before the Dirt Yacht, with Mark and Nancy so I was able to get some pictures of the RV as Randy made the trip. I could not replicate the 1967 photo of the van from the rear but I hope someone else that was waiting to cross took some pictures. This is the same exact ferry that Randy and his family took when they made this trip, however, the ferry has been improved with the addition of sides.
Continue reading “Chicken, Top of the World Highway and Welcome to Alaska at Poker Creek 07/31/2018”