Tonight we’re outside of Flagstaff at the campground where we stopped for lunch the day we left for Alaska. Tomorrow we’ll be home and the Alaska odyssey will be over. That’s not a bad thing, we really miss our family and will be happy to be home and back to normal (if we were ever normal in the first place). Believe it or not (those of you who know Jan will believe it), Jan is supposed to be playing softball in Prescott this weekend and he’s actually going to be able to do it. He’ll miss the morning games but will be able to play in the afternoon and on Sunday. He cracks me up.
The trip was everything we imagined and more. We’ve seen so much beauty that we’re still just in awe. The journey was made more enjoyable by sharing it with old friends (Gerry & Nancy) and with the people we met along the way. We found that as we went along, we ran into some of the same people because we were all doing the same trip. Everyone was so happy and excited about what was to come.
There are places we visited that we’d like to go back to and spend more time. The Kenai Peninsula is one of those places, along with Haines. There are so many towns on the Peninsula and we especially liked Homer, Homer Spit, and Seward – we could spend a lot of time in those cities. There are ferries from Homer Spit that go to some small islands; we didn’t have an opportunity to do that but it’s something we will do when we go back. Haines would be a good place to set up camp and then take the ferries to visit Juneau and Skagway – we would love to spend more time in Haines.
We won’t be taking anymore 2 month trips; we’re such home bodies we just can bear being away that long. It worked out fine for this particular trip because we went so many places and drove so many miles that we needed that much time to do it. We highly recommend Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, & British Columbia – you don’t need to do them all at once unless you want to.
I hope you all enjoyed reading about our adventures!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 53
This morning we hit the road at 8:37 and continued on through farms, dairies, & ranches. The landscape was dry & flat; it was a patchwork of dark brown tilled earth and golden fields where crops had already been harvested. There were also some really beautiful homes on some of the farms. After a while, it started looking like Arizona or Nevada – rolling mountains with high desert brush. We did have one more steep climb and got back into a forest but that didn’t last long, the road went back down. At 10:27, we crossed the 45th parallel (half way between the Equator and the North Pole).
We got to Boise and not only were there miles of road construction; there was a lot of traffic. We didn’t expect Boise to be that busy! Heavy traffic is no fun when you’re pulling a trailer. As we drove, we crossed the Snake River multiple times. It is aptly named because it certainly snakes across the countryside.
Tonight we’re in an RV park in Declo ID; it’s right on the Snake River.
We got to Boise and not only were there miles of road construction; there was a lot of traffic. We didn’t expect Boise to be that busy! Heavy traffic is no fun when you’re pulling a trailer. As we drove, we crossed the Snake River multiple times. It is aptly named because it certainly snakes across the countryside.
Tonight we’re in an RV park in Declo ID; it’s right on the Snake River.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 52
We left Kitsap State Park and were on the road at 8:22. We took a less traveled route so we could bypass Seattle. The traffic is really bad on I-5 in Seattle no matter what time of day it is. It was overcast and misty today – I couldn’t believe we had mist on our squeaky clean truck! I guess we were fortunate to have 2 days of sunshine; we actually got to enjoy how beautiful Washington is.
On one of the motorcycle trips, Jan and his friends rode through the Columbia River Gorge and Jan wanted me to see it. The landscape in and around Portland is very green with thick foliage that continued for a fairly long distance. We stopped at Multnomah Falls, the main highlight along the Gorge. The falls and surrounding area are gorgeous and everything has been nicely set up to accommodate tourists (and there are a lot of them). They have a snack bar with patio seating, coffee kiosks, and a pretty large gift shop. Our “souvenir” purchase was 2 bear claws but they’ll be gone tomorrow morning.
Driving on away from the falls, the scenery along the river changed to smooth rolling mountains on one side and craggy towers of rock on the other side. A totally different kind of pretty.
We found an RV park in Broadman OR and it’s really a good one. It sits right on the Columbia River; it’s very grassy with paved RV parking pads, full hookups, and lots of space between the RVs. And it was only $23.50! We would highly recommend it.
On one of the motorcycle trips, Jan and his friends rode through the Columbia River Gorge and Jan wanted me to see it. The landscape in and around Portland is very green with thick foliage that continued for a fairly long distance. We stopped at Multnomah Falls, the main highlight along the Gorge. The falls and surrounding area are gorgeous and everything has been nicely set up to accommodate tourists (and there are a lot of them). They have a snack bar with patio seating, coffee kiosks, and a pretty large gift shop. Our “souvenir” purchase was 2 bear claws but they’ll be gone tomorrow morning.
Driving on away from the falls, the scenery along the river changed to smooth rolling mountains on one side and craggy towers of rock on the other side. A totally different kind of pretty.
We found an RV park in Broadman OR and it’s really a good one. It sits right on the Columbia River; it’s very grassy with paved RV parking pads, full hookups, and lots of space between the RVs. And it was only $23.50! We would highly recommend it.
Day 51
Since this was a non-travel day, I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. I got out our little fan and pointed it at the smoke alarm in hopes that it wouldn’t go off while I was cooking. I can’t tell you how may time that thing has gone off while I’ve been cooking – Jan laughs and says it’s just like home. He’s soooo funny. My big “fan” experiment was for naught – the danged smoke alarm went off anyway.
Jan had not been on his bike in a while so he went exploring while I got ready to meet the day. Last night Ken directed us to a car wash in Bremerton so we could get the truck washed and we went there after Jan returned from his ride and got cleaned up. The truck was so disgustingly dirty we just couldn’t take it anymore. When we were done with that task, Ken & Shirley took us to lunch at a restaurant on Bainbridge Island. It was a nice warm day and we got to sit outside by the water. We came back to the trailer after lunch, did some chores, and then walked along the beach by the park. It was so beautiful. This is a beach where people can shuck Oysters so there are shells everywhere. I picked up a few of them (although I’m not sure you’re supposed to) to show to my grandchildren. We even got to see the remains of what used to be an octopus – gross.
Ken & Shirley picked us up to go to dinner at the restaurant where our other nephew, Ryan, works. He works a lot (since it’s the “season”) and this was the only way we would get to see him. Scott and his son, Mike, joined us. The restaurant (Anthony’s) was lovely and the food was divine. To top it off, we had the best waiter in the place – Ryan.
Jan had not been on his bike in a while so he went exploring while I got ready to meet the day. Last night Ken directed us to a car wash in Bremerton so we could get the truck washed and we went there after Jan returned from his ride and got cleaned up. The truck was so disgustingly dirty we just couldn’t take it anymore. When we were done with that task, Ken & Shirley took us to lunch at a restaurant on Bainbridge Island. It was a nice warm day and we got to sit outside by the water. We came back to the trailer after lunch, did some chores, and then walked along the beach by the park. It was so beautiful. This is a beach where people can shuck Oysters so there are shells everywhere. I picked up a few of them (although I’m not sure you’re supposed to) to show to my grandchildren. We even got to see the remains of what used to be an octopus – gross.
Ken & Shirley picked us up to go to dinner at the restaurant where our other nephew, Ryan, works. He works a lot (since it’s the “season”) and this was the only way we would get to see him. Scott and his son, Mike, joined us. The restaurant (Anthony’s) was lovely and the food was divine. To top it off, we had the best waiter in the place – Ryan.
Day 50
We left Hope at 8:59 and started our trek to the U.S. border. We drove through a thick forest that was surrounded by huge mountains and peaks sprinkled with snow. As we descended, the landscape flattened out and we were back in farmland (real farmland, not the one on Facebook).
I was the navigator and my first error was that I missed the turnoff for the border crossing. All was not lost, though; there was another one a little farther down the road. Unfortunately, that route was not well marked. Thankfully, Jan and Jerry each have a good sense of direction and we made it to the border crossing at Alderbrook BC. The town wasn’t even on our map! It wasn’t too bad, I only added about 30 minutes and 12 miles to the trip.
We were surprised to find a long line waiting to cross at such an obscure town. The lanes were very narrow and our trailer barely squeezed through. The agent was quite congenial, asked a few questions, and we were on our way. We drove a few miles down the road to pull off and wait for Jerry & Nancy. We waited and waited – we were starting to get worried. It turned out they were asked about fruit and vegetables, an agent checked their refrigerator and they had to give up a tomato and the apricots they bought from the smelly couple. They would not be good smugglers. As far as our fruit goes – they didn’t ask and we didn’t tell. We said our goodbyes to Jerry and Nancy – they’re going to visit his uncle and we’re going to visit Ken, Shirley (former sister-in-law) and our nephews.
My next faux pas as navigator was when I had Jan get off on the wrong exit for the Port Townsend ferry. We ended up on a road that didn’t have any signs that would indicate a name or number so we had no idea where we were. We got out the computer, fired up the Street Atlas and Jan was able to determine where we needed to go. Next big trip we’re getting a GPS. We finally made it to the ferry dock, got in line and ate lunch while we waited. The ferry ride was wonderful – much better than having to drive through the awful traffic. We got to Kitsap State Park without anymore mishaps then went to Ken & Shirley’s for dinner.
I was the navigator and my first error was that I missed the turnoff for the border crossing. All was not lost, though; there was another one a little farther down the road. Unfortunately, that route was not well marked. Thankfully, Jan and Jerry each have a good sense of direction and we made it to the border crossing at Alderbrook BC. The town wasn’t even on our map! It wasn’t too bad, I only added about 30 minutes and 12 miles to the trip.
We were surprised to find a long line waiting to cross at such an obscure town. The lanes were very narrow and our trailer barely squeezed through. The agent was quite congenial, asked a few questions, and we were on our way. We drove a few miles down the road to pull off and wait for Jerry & Nancy. We waited and waited – we were starting to get worried. It turned out they were asked about fruit and vegetables, an agent checked their refrigerator and they had to give up a tomato and the apricots they bought from the smelly couple. They would not be good smugglers. As far as our fruit goes – they didn’t ask and we didn’t tell. We said our goodbyes to Jerry and Nancy – they’re going to visit his uncle and we’re going to visit Ken, Shirley (former sister-in-law) and our nephews.
My next faux pas as navigator was when I had Jan get off on the wrong exit for the Port Townsend ferry. We ended up on a road that didn’t have any signs that would indicate a name or number so we had no idea where we were. We got out the computer, fired up the Street Atlas and Jan was able to determine where we needed to go. Next big trip we’re getting a GPS. We finally made it to the ferry dock, got in line and ate lunch while we waited. The ferry ride was wonderful – much better than having to drive through the awful traffic. We got to Kitsap State Park without anymore mishaps then went to Ken & Shirley’s for dinner.
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