Pipestem Resort, Pipestem, WV

Cross Keys Vineyard

After a quick breakfast, we leave our Loft Mountain hideaway in search of...internet.  You’d figure that in an overlook where you can see the entire Shenandoah Valley, you would be able to get good internet...and you would be right!  E-mail and all those other commitments of modern day living completed, we make our way down into the valley to Cross Keys Vineyard.  We went here last year and had a totally memorable wine tasting and lunch.  Being as it was only 11:00, we passed on the wine tasting, but bought some of our favorite wines to drink on special occasions.  We had lunch at the bistro...trying to keep it light, so we could enjoy dinner at Pipestem, assuming that we actually get there.  We, of course, followed the pairing advice on the menu.   Deb had the Chardonnay with her Caesar Salad and I had the Joy Red with my Caprese Flatbread.  Somehow, I think we will be back.

By 4:00 we make it to Pipestem Resort State Park.  Since it’s the last camping stop of the year and we are here for two night, we go big time...full hook-ups... it’s Friday Night - date night.  Of course, our house is also our car, so we drove to the lodge for dinner.  That means we can walk home.. The restaurant was packed...cause it was all-u-can-eat seafood night for $29.99.  Really...300 miles into the heart of the Appalacian Mountains for seafood...nope...chicken and beef for us.  But it was fun, and we got do so some serious people watching.

Saturday had the requisite bacon & eggs and then off to do some exploring.  Pipestem is located on the top of a thousand foot precipice over looking the Bluestone River.  There is a small lodge at the bottom with a gourmet restaurant that is accessible by a small gondola ride. For an extra $2 you can bring your pet.  Drex has been on cable cars before but this might just as well have been a rollercoaster ride at 6 Flags!  Ears back, eyes out, tongue to the floor kind of ride.  I don’t have the heart to tell him, it’s the only way back!  We broke up the rides with a nice long stroll along the river with plenty of chipmunks.

After lunch Deb and I explored the trails which were obscured by leaves.  We had to pull out all the stops on our trail scouting talents to find our way.  Back to the campsite, where it’s always some time after five, Deb prepares a delicious candelite marinera dinner.  Yup, we still call it camping because after dinner we had our final campfire of the year.  Deb took a video of it so she could have some virtual campfires later.

Tomorrow, it’s up early and off for home.

Loft Mountain - Shenandoah National Park

No reservations, no plans, just a weather forecast of four gorgeous days in October.  The wonders of the internet...I can read my previous blogs and realize that this is not the first or even the second time we have done this, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.  For the last few years, I have been looking at Pipestem Resort in West Virginia as a fall destination. With two hours of packing, etc, we are off.  By lunch time, we decide that Pipestem is a stretch for one day, so regroup to plan B...Big Meadow in Shenandoah National Park, turning onto Skyline Drive, we see a sign that Big Meadow Campground is full...Plan C...Loft Mountain Campground which is actually on the top of Loft Mountain.  Pretty nice place, with the only internet access in the amphitheater.  The place was hopping! Tomorrow...PipeStem...maybe

Huntington KOA, Milton, WV

With a fairly early departure, we take a lunch break in Louisville at a nice city park, before heading to West Virginia...it's Friday night and there is an Applebee's right at the exit from the interstate.  We have a nice dinner and reminisce about our trip.  Never ever will we do another 2 month trip, but it really took hat much time to do what we wanted to do in Alaska and see both of our sons.  So it was the right amount of time for Alaska...now, we've been there...done that.  Next year, will be the jubilee trip...back to redo everything we really enjoyed!

It's our last night...tomorrow we're home.   We're ready for big bathrooms and big kitchens.

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park - Whittington, IL

What should have been a rather ho-hum day, got interesting at lunch.  Outside of St. Louis, we stopped at the Route 66 State Park for lunch.  After the second half of our Philly Cheesesteak, we walked one of the trails in the park, hoping to end up at the Visitors Center, but there was no decking left on the bridge across the Meramac River(any one in our extended family might be surprised by a homophonic river in Missouri).  Anyway, the visitors center, which has a Route 66 display section, and a Route 66 store, with many potential Christmas presents, was a Roadhouse on the outskirts of Times Beach, a ghost town, which had to be evacuated because they treated the roads with oil laced with dioxin.  The town was leveled and incinerated, and is now a state park.

On to Illinois...our Campground is immaculate, everything is perfect...except we are totally alone...kinda spooky!   We are coming very close to the end of our trip, and we are just over 800 miles from home...1 - 800 mile day, 2 - 400 mile days, 3 - 270 mile days....we settle for the 2 day option....tomorrow, Huntington, WV

Lake of the Ozarks State Park - Osage, MO

We took a respite from Interstate travel in Lawrence, KS.  We had a few grocery items to pick-up, especially: dog food, a couple of proteins, and some vegetables.  We found a local co-op in Lawrence. It was like walking into a specialty store you would find in San Francisco.  They had an entire row of bins with such things as Western Barley Groats and Pink Cambodian Rice.  I  bought some Golden Beets...tastes just like beets but no red stains! For Drex, I bought some high end dog food...grass feed beef and lamb with organic garlic, carrots and sweet potatoes.

For lunch we stopped at a county park on a small reservoir. With some fresh ciabatta bread, we made Philly Cheesesteaks.  We arrived in Lake of the Ozarks State Park, and were led to our campsite by our host...who only got a little lost...twice.  In fairness, it was a long drive, and the site numbers aren't totally logical.  We have a site 10’ from the water...and we are here for two days.  The campground is nearly empty.  It turns out, this is the first week of school.

This was our last rest stop before heading home. We spent the morning on a nice little walk with Drex.  He is getting so old, it can take a really long time to walk a mile or two.  After lunch, we

decided to rent a boat and leave Drex to recover from the morning with some air conditioning.  The wind was strong on the lake which meant that high freeboard of a canoe would be a problem; however kayaks could be a problem because we couldn't support each other.  As it turned out, they had double kayaks...the perfect solution.  Although the wind was strong, we made good headway and we could hide on the lee side of the lake,  then the rain came...buckets of it (the weather forecast called for clouds), and then came the lightning. We high-tailed it for our campsite...once we got there Deb jumped out of the kayak, heading for the RV, leaving me in the kayak, in the rain, with the keys....after returning the kayak, we settled down for an evening of heavy rain....maybe we can dry things out tomorrow..

Salina KOA - Salina, KS

We are in the high plains.  From Limon, CO to Salina, KS is pretty much straight road across 350 miles of corn and sunflowers.  The most exciting find is that all of the rest areas on I-70 have an RV loop...lined with trees and picnic tables, but there is only one small sign for it, so most of the RVs park with the truckers.

Our site in Limon was described as satellite ready...which, of course, really meant NO SHADE!  In Salina, we were in the shade which helped because it was 96 degrees. Tomorrow we head to The Ozarks for a two day stop.

Limon KOA - Limon, CO

2017 Terry Bison Ranch

1999 Terry Bison Ranch

We are now on track to pick up our planned route, with 320 miles today and tomorrow.  In the morning we got to the highest point on I-80, at about 9,000 ft.  At the rest stop there is a nice hiking trail.  We walked for about a mile or so...it was great to stretch our legs.  We haven't done any hiking since we were in Washington. From there we took the back roads through some huge boulders ..some day we will be be smart enough to call them by their proper geological names...but for now huge boulders.  We head down I-25 toward Denver.  Right on the Colorado border there is a placed called Terry Bison Ranch.  We had dinner here once when we took the kids to a dude ranch, which must have been close to twenty years ago, so we stopped for lunch...I had the Bison BBQ, made with chipotle and raspberries.

From there it was just Denver and the high plains to Limon, CO.

Rawlins KOA - Rawlins, WY

Coalville, Utah

Another fairly long day, starting along the salt flats...they had an event going on at Bonneville, cars were coming back all covered in salt, sort of looked like snow.  Out of Salt Lake City, we climbed up to the high desert.  It has gotten a little cold again...the heat even came on this morning!

We have figured out how to get back on our original plan...two more days and we catch up!

Our lunch spot

Wendover KOA - Wendover, NV

Utah salt flats

It's a 411 mile day, which is quite a bit for us; however, it's all interstate driving with an 80 mph speed limit, so it goes fairly fast.  We go right by Winnemucca which is the town called out in the Johnny Cash's song that we have been trying to learn for the entire trip.

Wendover is another gambling oasis and it's Friday night, so we head up the hill to the closest casino...which seems prudent with Nevada sun beating down.  All the restaurants in Wendover are in casinos, and we pick the one with the most customers, actually the only one with any customers. We order an appetizer with our meal...and Deb says, "I bet the appetizer comes at the same as the meal!" Wow, these people will bet on anything...by the way, she won.

Tomorrow, we head through Salt Lake City to someplace in Wyoming.

Boomtown KOA - Verdi, NV

Boomtown Casino

Went to Justin's apartment for a breakfast of waffles with apples and cinnamon.  It was sad to have to say good-bye, but it was time to start heading home...2,907.miles.  Our first leg sort of depends on when we leave, how traffic is, etc..  By lunch time in Benicia, CA, we have decided that we can make it to the Nevada border without too much trouble.  Over Donner Pass on I-80, a fairly familiar route. We pull into Boomtown and are sent to the very back of the KOA lot, right to the edge of a cliff, with a pretty nice view...we're happy!

After dinner I convince Deb to walk to the Casino, just up the hill.  I figure we have to bet something, so I slide $3 into the slots. I bet $.50 and loose it all.  Deb slides in, bets $1.50 and wins $45.  After a complimentary drink, and a few more bets that netted us about even, we went back down the hill in good spirits.

Tomorrow we will traverse Nevada to the Utah border.

Marina Dunes RV Park - Marina, CA

Justin, Mom & Dad

We started out with a scenic drive through Northern California, with a few more redwood groves, but that soon gave way to Bay Area traffic with aggressive drivers and lots of smog.

We pulled into Marina about 2:00.  Justin took some time off from work to see us.  We saw his new apartment, went out for dinner at a brewery in Monterey...very nice.  Back to his apartment to watch Hidden Figures. He has a projector which makes a huge image on the wall, and has really nice wireless headphones.  Of course, Drex was confused because we were all sitting there in total silence.

Tomorrow, we'll have breakfast with Justin before heading home.

Benbow KOA - Garberville, CA

We have continued our trek down the Oregon Coast.  We have 733 miles to go in two days to get to Marina, CA to see Justin  The best solution is 413 today and the rest tomorrow, to make an earlier arrival...but we typically max out our days at 350, so this is going to be stretch.  The coast road turns out to absolutely gorgeous, with high cliffs, and pounding surf.  Once we get to Eureka, CA, the road turns inland and turns to a narrow two lane road winding perilously close to giant redwoods that are right on the edge of the road...apparently in road construction, redwoods still have the right-of-way! Meanwhile, we are dealing with microclimates, it was in the 50’s on the coast and is in the 90's inland.

Tomorrow is the leg south, some lovely drive still left in "the 101," but it will be short lived as we get into the Bay Area.

Lincoln City KOA - Otis, OR

We have decided to head south and see Justin in Marina, CA.  This adds approximately 1000 miles to our trip, but Deb says that she is up for it...there are two ways we can do this....the interstate or the coastal highway.  The decision has to be made 10 miles from the campground, and to make matters worse, we don't have any cell coverage, so we don't know if he is even available.  The decision is made...the coastal road, by the time we get to Fork, WA, we have confirmation that he is can see us.

The northern part of the Oregon coast is filled with little beach towns...with hundreds of little trinket shops...a thousands of RV's and SUV's all towing something and driving way slower than we would like.  Our plan is to get in by 3:00 to do laundry, but we don't get in till after 5.

We are now rethinking our strategy...with a fairly short haul over the mountains, we can pick up the interstate...or we can continue the coastal road...we decide to decide at dinner...

Sol Duc - Olympic National Forest, WA

We are back in the USA.  The sun is bright red, blocked by the fires in British Columbia, and there is enough of a chill to encourage sweatshirts.  Once off the ferry, we restock the refer in Anacortes, and head for yet one more ferry to Port Townsend, and then to our destination Sol Doc...part of the Olympic National Park.  A quick look at Find-a-Friends tells us we are 6 miles behind our son, Nathan and his friend Richard, who are going to join us for the week-end.  The road is windy and it is clearly the race between the tortoise  (that would be us) and the hare...but we are more real world than the fable...and we lost the race.

Deb, Chris, Nathan and Richard

At Sol Duc, the tent sites are to die for, the RV sites are reminiscent of a parking lot, with a dozen or so Asians camping next to us.  So we decide to cook in the RV and then carry everything to Nathan's tent site.  Our first night, we had curried chicken with rice, but on the way to the car, the rice spilled, Deb screamed and one of the Asian women came over to find out what happened.  Of course, the Asian camp had plenty of rice, and offered to refill our rice bowl, we graciously accepted their rice and dinner was saved.

Sol Duc is in a temperate rainforest....although it's best known for it's hot springs (another place that heats their chlorinated pool with hot spring water), we opted for hikes in the virgin redwood forests.  We even had a campfire with humongous  marsh mellows.  It was a wonderful weekend filled with family, good food, and memorable times.  

Tomorrow we are off for....TBD

MV Malaspina - Alaska Marine Highway

Glacier Gardens Rainforest

We woke up to sunshine!  This is a first for us since we got to southeast Alaska.  Apparently, a rare event for the locals, as well.  It is the tenth sunny day this year!  And by Alaskan definition, a sunny day is when the sun peaks through the clouds occasionally.  We took advantage of the sunshine with a walk to Nugget Falls, and a trip to the Upside-down Rainforest Garden.  They turned dead Sitka Spruce trees over a stuck them in the ground roots up, then planted flowers among the roots...interesting.

Tenters were allowed on the top deck!

In preparation for our 4 day ferry trip to Bellingham, WA, we emptied the refer.  We still had a piece of beef and a small salmon

Stern of the MV Malaspina

fillet left.  So we had beef stew, with a salmon spread for an appetizer.  The ferry left Juneau at 12:30 in the morning, with our first stop at Sitka.  We have a nice Stateroom (2 double bunks and a bathroom) with a window.  Drex has the RV to himself, with alpha visits every 5 hours or so and whenever we are in port.  

At Sitka,  we got off and took a short walk to Old Sitka.  Next came Petersburg, at 9:00PM, with a shorter little dog walk, then came Wrangell at 3:00AM with an even shorter dog outing.  Then an on-board dog walk at 6:30 AM.  Drex is starting to get tired of me waking him up all the time.  

Day 2, we have about 5 hours in Ketchikan...after a quick dog walk, we catch a cab to downtown Ketchikan...5 cruise ships are in port....so the place is hopping...and for some strange reason, there's not a cloud in the sky. (This is a place that gets 180" of rain a year! ).  We end up at the New York Cafe for beer and salad.  There are no cabs for the trip back, so we hoof it for two and a half miles...then another quick dog walk.

Nothing says nap-time like getting up every few hours all night, a beer with lunch, a sunny day, and a long walk.

Mendenhall Campground - Tongass NF, Juneau, AK (day ??)

Sampling Alaskan beer

Our last night in Juneau.  During this trip we have spent the night with million dollar views.  We are on a lake at the toe of the Mendenhall Glacier, and since glaciers are made of ice...it's sort of like living in a refrigerator.

We retrieved the dog from Pet Nanny, and I suggested that since we must be fairly close to the Alaskan Brewing Co, that we stop and do some tasting.  As usual, Deb, the consummate navigator, pointed out the fact that the brewery was right across the street from Pet Nanny.  Deb tried 4 oz of something light, while

Early morning walk through our campground

I finished the flight with "Smokey Porter'" for which there is no other name that would begin to do it justice.  I can only imagine what it would do to a breathalyzer!  In the afternoon, we took a short walk on the West Glacier Trail...fortunately, we saw the porcupine before Drex did!

We are in the process of cleaning out the fridge because it will be off for three days on the ferry.  Today we had salmon chowder, and stir fried everything else.

Tomorrow a few hikes and maybe a garden tour....we'll see.

Mendenhall Campground - Tongass NF, Juneau, AK (day 3)

Gustavus Airport

Today's plan is fairly complex.  We have rented a car, found a place to board Drex, and now the challenge... Up at 3:30 AM, catch a 5:30 flight in a one engine Cessna to Gustavus, AK.  From there it's a shuttle to Glacier Bay Lodge.  We have a breakfast overlooking Bartlett Cove.  At 7:00 we board our tour boat for our all day trip up Glacier Bay, 65 miles to the Canadian border.  With the Park Ranger's help we identify birds including puffins, mountain goats, humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, and everyone's favorite....the playful sea otters.  At the very end of the Bay we sit in front of a 250' high, one mile wide glacier that is moving into the sea at 6-8' per day.  While we were there a huge piece of the glacier calved off (so big that our 50' catamaran had to turn bow to the glacier to avoid being thrown around by the waves).

Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay

Once back at the Lodge, we took a short hike, had dinner, took the shuttle back to Gustavus Airport, flew back to Juneau (I got to fly co-pilot) and back to our campsite by 8:00...asleep by 9:00.

Glacier Bay Lodge

Mendenhall Campground - Tongass NF, Juneau. AK (day 2)

Sealaska Heritage Center

I had one of those midnight epiphanies.  There are no RV's on the road anywhere near Juneau, and there certainly are no parking places.  So we rented a small SUV at Alaska prices, not a pretty picture, but it turned out to be well worth it.  Today, we returned our Canadian Mifi and our emergency sat phone,  we boarded Drex...he was pretty excited about a chance to be out of the RV for a few days, and then we headed for Juneau.  A little shopping for Alaskan edibles...Christmas, etc... then a few art stores and museums...then off to what made Juneau famous, especially during the gold rush...bars...we checked out a few that were probably left over from the that time

Hike in the Mendenhall Campground

, but finally settled on a fairly new establishment with 150 different whiskeys.  Then off for some Indian food...it was Deb's idea.  Oh, so spicy!  Back to to the RV for an early flight tomorrow 5:30 AM on Alaska Seaplanes.  No living in the comfort zone for us!

Mendenhall Campground - Tongass NF, Juneau, AK

MV Fairweather

We left our seaside site in Haines for the short drive to the ferry dock...with incredible precision, the ferry left right on time, for the 2 hour, high speed trip to Juneau.  Although, there were low clouds, the seas were calm, and we got quite a bit of interesting scenery.   So it turns out I failed to read all the words.  This area is a rain forest...with rain 222 days a year.  Probably that's why the forecast for the next ten days is cloudy with intermittent showers.

Mendenhall Glacier

We arrived in Juneau, and searched out our campground, found our spot, and immediately set out for the Mendenhall Glacier...the most visited glacier in the world.  The only parking spaces in the parking lot were for cars, so we tried to squeeze in...which was sort of successful.  No sooner had we parked than we got the standard Alaska greeting from a park ranger. "You can't park here. It's not too busy so I guess it's okay, So the other day there was this...".  ("No", then a conditional okay, followed by an anecdotal story). The glacier was interesting...it's been receding since the 1700's but now faster then ever...  after viewing the glacier, we decided to go for a short hike...I asked the ranger if it would be okay to take the dog.  "No", then it would probably be okay, and a story about her dog...

The Trail of Time Hike

Beside, a lovely walk through the woods with some historic placards, showing old pictures of the glacier, there were some salmon swimming upstream to spawn...unforgettable.

Tomorrow, we think we will explore the town of Juneau.

Ocean view Campground - Haines, AK

Tlingit totem

After a fairly short, but scenic drive through the very edge of the ice fields, we arrive in Haines.  It seems like a fun idea to stay at the campground that is right at the end of Main Street on the water, but alas, the sign says "Campground Full." So I go inside to see if the sign is left over from last night.  "No sir, the campground is full, as you can clearly see from the sign!  Is that your rig...wait a minute,  are you willing to camp with no utilities?  Sure, we can fit you in...right down next to the water, with a fantastic view...would that be okay....but you gotta camp next to Bob...he's Canadian, ya know...Bob ya ain't gonna bite this fella from Virginia, is ya?"  And that's how we got a spot right on the water. This whole town looks like it was a set for "Northern Exposure." And in reality was the set for the Disney movie, White Fang.

We went out for lunch at the Bamboo Bar, seafood & local beer, then for a walk, checked out the cruise ship that's in port, and then to the local brewery for a beer, back to a recommended local haunt, The Lighthouse for seafood & beer.  Finally back to the RV to watch the cruise ship set sail.

Haines Brewing Company

The next leg of our trip is by sea to Juneau, AK.

Kathleen Lake Campground - Kluane National Park, YT

Lake Kathleen

Frosty Freeze in Haines Junction

It's our last night in Canada...much of the day is spent doing the Alaska Highway in reverse, also in sunshine rather than rain.  The views are spectacular...but with the help of our GPS, we realize that we are going to have to hustle a little, if we want to get to Haines Junction for lunch (the place we stopped at on our way westward).  This time we got to sit outside...and look at a huge gorgeous set of mountains that weren't there before (or possibly they were hidden in the clouds).  On the way, we passed over the Slims River...it made history last year when a glacier changed direction in a day...called river piracy...apparently, it's the first time it ever happened.  Now, the glacier outflow is to the Pacific...it used to go to the Artic.  We learned all about this during our, ranger led, climate change talk.  We also learned about ice cores, freshwater salmon, and spruce beetles.  (The talks are on Tuesday evenings at 8:00...bring a mug for hot cocoa or tea...if you want to know more.)

We took Drex to the lake, where he enjoyed an invigorating swim in the 50 degree water (surprisingly, he was alone in the water).

Tomorrow, we leave Canada, on our way to Haines, AK.  It promises to be another scenic but lonely day.

Lake Creek Campground - Yukon

Mother black bear and cubs

We left Tok, with an easy day ahead of us.  Made it thru customs, with minimal effort.  decided to take a short hike to Hidden Lake (a kettle pond, in the Yukon....one of probably a million, but it had a boardwalk to get there...a nice little one mile hike, with complementary children's life jackets under the sign, "Kids don't float." Then came the realization that there is a time zone change, and our anticipated arrival time is now 5:00!  Fortunately, there were plenty of nice spots left, and we cozied up under some tall spruce trees.

Awhile back an Alaskan asked if we had seen any wildlife, we excitedly said we had seen moose...yeah, yeah, but besides that have you seen any real wildlife! It's a different world.

Anyway back at the campground, we have pulled down all the shades, because the sun is still up at 11:00 at night, when there is a banging at the door.  We figure it must be the Royal Mounties, searching for an escaped murderer or even worse...nope...mother and daughter pull into the campground, find a place and are trying to self register and pay their $12, but they don't have change for a $20.  Our visitor is a 10 year girl asking for change at 11:00 at night...only in the Yukon!

It's off to Haines Junction...back a few weeks ago we stopped there for lunch...and we are anxious for a repeat!

Sourdough Campground - Tok, AK

Sourdough Campground is according to their ad, the "funnest" campground in Alaska.  Not hard to believe, given that they are the only campground with a daily pancake toss contest, where the winners get free breakfasts!

For us, the fun was in going to the laundromat in town, catching up on bills, and washing the RV....well to each his own, as they say.

The drive here, along the Tok Cutoff a short, by Alaska standards, 120 mile road with large sections of frost heaves...they're not bad, just sort of a roller coaster kind of ride at 25 mph...probably a terror at 55 mph with some serious airborne experiences.  Of course, the trip was lined with tall mountain peaks, the entire way.

From Tok, we redo a few hundred miles of the Alaska Highway, back to Haines Junction from where we head south.  Today is less than 200 miles, so it should be an easy day.

Dry Creek Campground - Glennallen, AK

Lunch stop on the Matanuska River

When we planned the Alaska trip, we booked our reservations at those places that fill up quickly, such as Denali National Park, and the Alaska Marine Highway (the ferries, making sure there is space for an RV)...then we fill in the middle, dividing it into fairly equal segments.  So we are traveling only about 3 hours a day...between Anchorage and Haines, where we catch the ferry.  When the drive is scenic, it's a great way to travel.  Today was one of those days.

We stopped for lunch beside a rushing river, gray with silt.  With the extra time, Deb made a chicken pasta salad.  Awhile later, we were at the toe of the Matanuska glacier...then over the ridge to start getting incredible views of Mt Drum.

Matanuska Glacier

Finally, at around 3:00 we tucked ourselves into Dry Creek Campground...we were finally joined by a couple of tenters, but that was it.  In Denali, I had bought some firewood...you have to buy it at the entrance and cart it the thirty miles to your campsite...but there was always a lot of wind, so I made a small fire, but we were too nervous and we put it out pretty quickly.  I have been carrying the rest of the firewood with me for a week...looking for that perfect time...this was it.

Somewhere, Deb got the idea that we could make pizzas on the grill, so I made some dough, and Deb fixed up some toppings.  IT WORKED! Two awesome personal pizzas

Pizza on the barbie

with sausage, onions, and celery (we forgot to buy any green peppers).

Tomorrow is another 3 hour drive to Tok.

Ship's Creek Landing RV Park - Anchorage, AK

Seward cruise ship

Seward shoreline

We have returned from our southern sojourn.  A gorgeous night in Homer, driving to Seward for lunch and then back to Anchorage for date night.  So first of all, it was cloudy on the way down to Homer, and sunny on the way back...it turns out there were huge...I mean really huge snow covered mountains on the other side of the bay, who knew?

Seward is a quiet little fishing village, and a cruise ship destination...there was a large cruise ship in port as we pulled in, but the cruise dock is about a mile from town, so I think we were pretty safe. We ate lunch at Zudy's Cafe, right on the water, splendid view, awesome food (way too much however...obviously our over indulgence at lunch is going to cramp our style for date night).

Seward is the start of the Iditarod dog sled race

On the return trip, we stop for a few groceries and a quick oil change.  Everyone we have met here is very friendly, extremely helpful, with no shortage of opinions!  Once back at the campground, we plan our date night.  It's got to be local...no chain restaurants, it's got to be close and it has to have a place to park the RV.  And tonight it has to be small plates, since lunch is still very much with us.  We find Spenard's Roadhouse, with a bank next door (big parking lot).  The menu included reindeer pizza.  As we sit down for diner, the woman at the table next to us says I look familiar, she thinks I'm some brain surgeon from her past!  Sorta like the old "didn't we go to different high-schools together? pick-up line.  Anyway, we talked all through dinner.  We told them about RVing, and they told us about all the places in Alaska that we missed seeing, with no shortage of opinions.  They were very nice people, and we had a lively time, and besides the food was excellent.

Tomorrow we are off towards Haines (4 or 5 days away) for the first of two ferry rides to "get back down" (that's the way us Alaskans talk about the lower 48).

Mariner Campground - Homer, AK

Scenic Byway - road to Kenai Peninsula

It's one of my overused words...serendipity...but if that's what it is, why not!  The dead battery took us out of Denali a day early, so we had an extra day for the Kenai Peninsula.  We have been trying to decide between going to Seward on one side or Homer on the other (a quick google search brought up a website - Homer vs Seward).  So with the extra day, we could do both.  With snow covered mountains dropping right into the sea, it was a breathtaking trip.

Our campground in Homer

Our little problem was where to stay...as a type "A" person, I have researched most of the places that we are planning to stay at...but here I have no idea.  As we drive through Homer, I am not too excited about staying here.  The road extends to Homer Spit which is where the ferries land.  Just as we get to the spit, there is a city campground, with two rows of campers...one, right on the beach, the other backed up against the road.  Of course, all the beachside are taken, so we back up next to the road...get out our chairs and settle in for an almost perfect view.  As we are sipping our adult beverages, one of rigs in the beachside row pulls out at 5:00 in the afternoon,  so quick as a wink, we pull into the empty site, dragging our chairs behind us...and now we settle in for the absolutely perfect view....

Tomorrow an early start to to Seward and then back to Anchorage to start the trip home.  Today marks the halfway point, and coincidentally, the longest number of consecutive days in the RV, thirty-one!

Ship's Creek Landing RV Park - Anchorage, AK

Anchorage is sort of a maintenance stop, and where we are launching our southern excursion from. We have no real plans, and with the dead battery issue behind us, we actually have an extra day. Every person we talk to tells us about the best place to visit...Homer....Seward...Whittier...Valdez.

We have decided that what was to be a day trip, is now an overnighter...but to where? No idea.  In Alaska, everything is driven by the weather.  So there is rain all overhead Kenai Peninsula, and tomorrow it will be cloudy and the next day sunshine, maybe.  So with that info and a full tank of $3.00 a gallon gas, we head out.

In our campground we saw a very unusual RV, Mercedes Benz, looks very rugged and has been all over the world.  Check out their travel blog, which is on the side of the camper.

Denali National Park - Alaska

View from our campsite in Teklanika

We left Fairbanks, ready for three days in the wilderness of Denali.  The rules for Denali are complex.  The park (which is larger than New Jersey) has a single road 92 miles long running through the middle of it.  Anyone can drive the first 13 miles of the road. With a special permit, we were allowed to drive 29 miles of the road to the Teklanika Campground (with a minimum 3 day stay) but no further.  At that point, we were not allowed to leave (once you leave, you're done...you can't go back).  There are shuttle buses (basically school buses) that run up and down the road ($35 for a bus pass).  It takes 12 hours to get to the end of the road and back.   We can go from our camp to the end and back to our camp, if we go any further towards the entrance, it will cost us another $35 to get back!  There are lots more rules, but I will them leave for later.

Road into Denali - no guardrails!

Since we have the dog with us, and he is not allowed on the shuttle bus, we realize that a 12 hour trip to the end is out of the question, so we opt for Eielson Visitor Center which is 66 miles from the entrance or 37 miles from our campground and only 6 hours round trip.  Every 60 minutes there is a potty break and lots of wildlife and scenic vista opportunities.  Even with all of the restrictions, it was one of those incredibly memorable days.  Within the first hour, we came across a grey wolf that decided to trot slowly down the middle of the road for nearly a mile.  After that a grizzly bear and her two adolescents (2 year olds), were working on the remains of a dead caribou, and Dahl sheep, that appeared as small white dots on the side of mountains.  According to several sources, the chances of seeing Mt Denali (the tallest mountain in North America) is about 30% because it is always shrouded in clouds, but saw it - one of those sites that pictures won't do justice to.

Denali in the distance

Now comes the interesting problem!  We have gone on the only road in the park as far as we can go with a dog waiting for us.  There are no real hiking trails.  It was the best day anyone who has been in the park has ever seen, perfect weather, lots of wildlife.  So what do we do on day two?  Well a flashing light on the dashboard told me that the engine battery was dead...and besides it was raining.  So we decided that we had seen the best of Denali, and headed for Anchorage with a brief stop in Wasilla to replace the battery.