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.

River's Edge RV Park - Fairbanks, AK

Ice Palace

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Frozen flowers in ice

Our plan (we always have a plan...we are so type "A") is to go for a short hike around Chena (with a long "e" like arena), then the a guided tour of the Ice Palace (only because people will ask if we went)...then back to Fairbanks for grocery shopping and getting ready for Denali.

Well to start off with, it's raining...not really great weather for a hike...especially one that essentially goes to the end of the runway and back.  So we ditch the walk, and move up the tour of the Ice Palace to 11:00.  This is a huge refrigerated room where absolutely everything is made of ice.  We all got to wear XXXL parkas to keep warm.  There are rooms made totally  of ice where you can spend the night for $600 (no plumbing! Just a deer skin and a sleeping bag)  There was even an ice xylophone with a full octave (except that the fa missing) and frozen globes with flowers inside.  Part of the tour is sitting at the ice bar drinking an "appletini (vodka and apple juice in a glass made of ice).  Vodka at 11:00 in the morning? We'll pass!

Making ice glasses

So we left Chena Hot Springs wondering why.  Why a DC-6, why a geothermal power plant, why an ice palace, why a herd of reindeer and a hundred chickens, why 20 broken down bulldozers, why tons of hydroponically grown vegetables, the list just kept growing.  Without any answers, we returned to Fairbanks...did our grocery shopping and prepared for the days ahead!

Chena Hot Springs Resort - Fairbanks, AK

View from Angels Rock

Chena Hot Springs is 60 miles north of Fairbanks.  It's the farthest north that we will go on this trip.  When we lived in California, we had planned a trip here to see the Northern Lights about twelve years ago, it never panned out because we could not carve the time out of our busy schedule.

On the way here, we stopped for a hike to Angels Rock...a spire of rock...with scenic views of the valley below.  All in all, it was a 3.5 mile hike with a 1,000 ft elevation...spectacular views.

DC-6 

At the end of the road, we arrived at Chena Hot Springs...an eclectic resort, to say the least.  They have an RV Park off in the woods, but an easy walk to the resort itself.  We had to drive under the tail of the DC-6 that is parked at the end of the runway (I doubt that it will ever fly again...)











They had a free tour of Geothermal Power Plant that powers the entire resort from the hot springs, followed by a tour of the green houses where they grow all the vegetables for the dining room.  Of course, we also saw the reindeer herd that is being raised to provide reindeer meat, and the chickens, and goats.  Everything is grown with hydroponics...

After the tour, we went to the bar, where I had a double hop beer from Alaska, called Hopothermia. Followed by dinner in the dining room.  I had Alaskan Scallops and Deb had Alaskan Halibut.

Tomorrow, the Ice Palace (but we may skip the appletini at the ice bar).  Then back to Fairbanks to get ready for Denali.

River's Edge RV Park - Fairbanks, AK (Day 2)

Deb's up at the crack of dawn (not really...dawn sorta cracks at about 2:00 AM) and off to the laundry to get a jump on the crowd.  With laundry done, we head to the Georgeson Botanical Gardens.  These are experimental gardens that are part of the University of Alaska. How do you maximize the growing season that has 22 hour days in the summer and 3 hour days in the winter.  Where the soil temperature is only 50 degrees ten inches under the surface.  Then there are the peonies with a shortened growing season that bloom from July to September, when in the lower 48 states, they bloom May to June, so there is an opportunity to ship cut flowers to the rest of the country.

We went to the museum at the University of Alaska, which had quite a bit of the history of Alaska. We have been listening to James Michener's Alaska on audio-book (we are 20 hours into it and have made it to 1862).  It was fascinating to see artifacts, and drawings of what we have been listening to.

University of Alaska Museum

We ate lunch on the River Walk, then grocery shopping, a trip to the post office and back for cocktails.  It's Friday night and that means Date Night.  There is A fairly highly rated Thai restaurant very close....not that anything in Fairbanks is far away.  We drove and even though it was after 6:00PM, it was still in the high 80's so we had to leave Drex in the RV with the air conditioner running (remember 2 nights ago it was 40 degrees for a high!).

River's Edge RV Park - Fairbanks, AK

Well today is the day...we are both on edge with keen excitement.  Today is the day that we either finish the Alaska Highway (a bucket list item since forever) or we flame out somewhere in the last 100 miles.  Yes, we made it to Delta Junction, the end of the Alaska Highway...right there in the parking lot of the visitor's center just east of town.  With a couple of high fives, and maybe a hip bump...we move on...the last hundred miles to Fairbanks.  Guided by our trusty 2017 copy of Milepost  we find a scenic vista for lunch and push on.  There are tall mountains to the south, but we are getting slightly numbed to them.  There are several wildfires that are making all the views a little hazy.

This is the first time that we have ever had to refill our propane tank on a trip...partially because it is a long trip, but mostly because we have had to run the heater so often.  With the tank topped off we head for the RV Park.  It's commercial, with tight sites, but it's close to the city and there is a wonderful restaurant next door.  Alaska salmon for me with maple-mustard glaze and Chicken Kiev for Deb...all on the terrace overlooking the Chena River.

Tomorrow we explore Fairbanks.

Tok River Rec Area - Tok, AK

Yeah, we finally made it to Alaska.  We are a few miles from Tok (sounds like poke). Apparently, back when the Alaska Highway was being built, this was a large staging area called Tokyo Junction. Once the war broke out, the name was shortened to Tok, to be politically correct.

Pickhandle Lake, lunch spot

Deb and I have found that it is best to get to campgrounds that are "first come first serve" before 3:00 to insure that you can find a nice spot.  Normally, you put your ticket on a post by your site and everyone knows that it is taken.  There are no posts here, and since we were coming from Canada, we got rid of our fruit and vegetables (and also our wine & beer).  So we put out the folding chairs, Deb and Drex held the site against all on-comers, while I went into town in search of our essentials.  It all worked well...she was still there when I returned.

The trip here was wonderful.  We had sunny sky's the entire way, with majestic mountains rising all around us.  We even had lunch at a small roadside rest area, with a lake... ducks, and even trumpeter swans.

Tomorrow we actually finish the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction and then drive the last hundred miles to Fairbanks!

Congdon Creek - Destruction Bay, YT

Destruction Bay

It's another rainy day...we have stopped a few times to see points of interest along the way, but the clouds are very low and we can only see a few hundred feet from the road.  Deb suggests lunch in a restaurant in Haines Junction...a Reuben and a bacon cheeseburger.  Back on the road again, we get close to our destination and there is a nice hike to see the foot of a glacier.  The man at the info center says that the rain will end and tomorrow will be showers.  I'm not sure I can discern the difference.

Again, we dedicate the afternoon to cooking while the rain continues, but about ten o'clock at night, the sun finally came out and clouds lifted.  We could finally see the mountains.  By midnight, we could see all of the snow caps (yes, the sun never sets in the summer).

Before leaving, we finally got to take a short hike along the lake.  Then off to find some internet.

Fireweed

Hi Country RV Park - Whitehorse, YT

Another day crossing the Yukon.  The roads are pretty flat, the only grades are going down to bridges that cross huge rivers.  We found our internet spot in a rest-area overlooking Teslin and the Nisutlin River.  By the time we had finished with our internet fix it was time for lunch.  The temperature hovered around 4-8 Celsius which is Yukon shorts weather, but cold enough to keep us inside.  Plus the fact that it has been raining for three days...it's kinda what I always thought the Yukon would be like.

We finished the day in a commercial RV park...got to do a little maintenance.  Some laundry, fixed (hopefully) a nagging rattle in the microwave, filled our fresh water and gas tanks, and, of course, reloaded our Keurig rack.

We are off to Destruction Bay.