RV ALASKA - "Lean Right!" (And Don't Fall Out of the Cart!)

Even before we started out on this expedition, we knew we’d have to schedule at least two, and maybe even three, oil changes along the way.  Alan has always been a stickler about vehicle maintenance, and both times the percentage of oil life remaining on the truck dropped to a certain level, he started pressing me for more details about our schedule.  Our first oil change was done in La Grande, Oregon, while we were there to have work done on the trailer.  On an earlier pass through central Alaska, we had already identified an express lube business in Wasilla as a good possibility for an oil change; upon our arrival in Palmer on the 22^nd, we were down to 9% oil life remaining.  I believe that’s 1% above the point when we start getting alerts to “Change Oil Soon.”  (How’s that for timing?!)  So, one of the most important items on our list of activities for the Palmer-Wasilla area was an oil change.  Once that was accomplished at Wasilla Lube Express on Swanson Avenue (nicely done, we’d go back), we enjoyed breakfast at IHOP, and then headed out to a place that has been close to my heart for almost 20 years.

RV ALASKA - "The City of Lights and Flowers"

The next time I tell you that I’m going to try to catch up on blog posts, just ignore my ramblings.  When I initially made the switch to posting from the road in relatively real time, I figured I’d publish shorter posts, but more frequently.  That’s not working out as well as I had hoped.  It’s my own fault.  There are so many facets to this trip that I want to share, it’s nearly impossible for me to draft a short post.  And longer posts simply take more time to put together.  Still, I’d rather be playing catch up than short you on the details because this really is an amazing adventure.  So, please bear with the delay; I’ll catch up – eventually.  That being said, I do have a confession to make.

RV ALASKA - "The End of the Road"

No worries.  All is well.  Our trip didn’t come to an abrupt, tragic end.  But we did reach “The End of the Road” when we drove as far as you can go on “the Spit” in Homer.  Homer (population: 6,203) had all the charm that I felt Kenai lacked.  Yup, it’s a tourist town – especially the Spit, a 4.5 mile sandbar that stretches out from town into Kachemak Bay.  The Spit is where the tourists hang out.   There are RV parks, hotels, shops, restaurants, fish processors and the Salty Dog Saloon – famous for the dollar bills that patrons sign and tack all over the wall.  We liked Homer a lot, and really enjoyed the three days we spent hanging around the Spit.  But first, let’s back up just a bit.

On the morning of July 18^th, we headed west on the Sterling Highway from Cooper Landing to Deep Creek State Recreation Area in Ninilchik.  That state-run campground would be our base camp while exploring Homer, approximately 45 minutes farther down the highway.  We had visited Deep Creek earlier in the week, and had identified it as our #1 campground choice in the area (also known as Plan A).  We planned to arrive shortly after the 12 noon checkout, and kept our fingers crossed that we’d get a waterfront site with a gorgeous view of Cook Inlet and Mt. Redoubt, a volcano that’s still somewhat active.  Most state campgrounds in Alaska don’t offer reservations; otherwise, you can bet we would have had one.  We did luck out with a waterfront site.  Better yet, it was at the end of a row with no neighbors on our dinette (driver’s) side which is where most of our windows are.  On our curb side was a family of six, and they were great neighbors.  Out the big back window was a lovely view of Cook Inlet and the mountains beyond.  I couldn’t have picked a better site if I had reserved it months in advance.  However . . .

RV ALASKA - Poking Around the Peninsula - Busy Days, Quiet Nights

A longer post than usual, covering six full days . . . We arrived at the Kenai Princess RV Park in Cooper Landing knowing we had someplace to call home for seven nights.  Beyond that, we needed to fill about a week and a half before our reservations at one of the municipal campgrounds in Seward kicked in.  Figuring that Cooper Landing was a good base camp for exploring the central part of the Kenai Peninsula and an adequate, if not ideal, base for exploring the western end of the Peninsula, we asked about extending our stay at the Kenai Princess.

Kim, the manager of the RV Park, worked very hard to fit us in.  Despite her efforts, there was a two day gap she couldn’t cover, immediately following our current reservation.  She promised us that, if we could leave for just two days, we could come back and stay as long as we’d like.  Well, if we had to leave for two days, we might as well try to find another campground that would put us in a better position for exploring the western end of the Peninsula.  With a heartfelt thank you to Kim for all of her efforts on our behalf, we spent the next couple of days poking around the Peninsula, checking out both private RV parks and State Recreation Areas.  We really needed to find a place to call home!

RV ALASKA - On to the Kenai Peninsula!

In September of 2004, Alan and I celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary with our second Alaska land tour and cruise with Princess.  Kyra was five, Ryan was ten, and we all had a wonderful time on that trip.  One of our overnight stops on the land tour portion of the trip was the Kenai Princess Lodge in Cooper Landing.  For our current expedition, I considered Cooper Landing a good base camp for exploring the central part of the Kenai Peninsula.  When I began researching campgrounds in the area, I was stunned to learn that Princess also operated an RV Park adjacent to the lodge we had stayed at 20 years ago.

RV ALASKA - Seals, Sea Lions and . . . Professional Fish Filleters?

Sobering Thoughts – In a previous post, I had mentioned the big yellow streak running down my back that has been limiting our outdoor activities to some degree.  I know there are other experience-seekers out there who are way more adventurous than I am.  And I say, to each his own.  We all make our own choices, and I respect theirs.  My choices reflect what I believe to be right for me, and I have no regrets about the life experiences I may have missed due to my aversion to risk.

RV ALASKA - High Spirits (and Expectations!) on the Way to Valdez

I can’t say that I was sorry to see the K’seugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park in our rearview mirror.  Maybe with a different set of circumstances and different weather patterns our visit would have been more enjoyable. It was with no small amount of anticipation for a better experience in Valdez that we packed up and headed south on the Parks Highway.

Valdez was always a possibility in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t a line item on our itinerary.  Other destinations in Alaska held a higher priority, but we were hoping to squeeze in some time in this port city at some point during our weeks in Alaska.  In retrospect, swapping several days in Valdez for our now useless reservations in Denali National Park turned out to be an excellent idea; Valdez was the salve that healed our wounds.

RV ALASKA - Holiday Weekend Plans Toasted by the Riley Wildfire

The only reservations I had made for our entire multi-week stay in Alaska were three nights at the K’seugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park followed by four nights at the Riley Creek Campground in Denali National Park.  Those reservations guaranteed us a place to call home over the Fourth of July holiday and the weekend that followed.  The plan was to arrive at Denali State Park on July 3^rd, then travel north a few days later to Denali National Park.  Beyond that, we planned a run south to the Kenai Peninsula.  All good, right?  No, not good.  Not good at all.

RV ALASKA - Traveling Highways in Alaska Leads to a Gem in Palmer

At 586,000 square miles of land, Alaska is, by far, the largest state in the union.  It’s more than twice the size of Texas, and larger than the next three biggest states combined (Texas, California and Montana).  Texas has 314,000 miles of public roads; Alaska has less than 18,000.  It doesn’t take long to become familiar with the major highways in Alaska simply because there aren’t that many of them.

RV ALASKA - Winner! Winner! "Chicken" Dinner!

There are fewer than 1,400 people living in Tok, Alaska, but there are seven private RV parks in town and several state recreation sites with campgrounds outside of it.  Tok is the first town you’ll find along the Alaska Highway after clearing Customs and entering the state of Alaska.  For many Rvers, Tok is just a quick one night stop on the way to the state’s more famous attractions.  Alan and I planned to stay two nights, then move on to Fairbanks to reprovision and catch up on laundry.  It was just after we arrived in Tok that the McDonald fire, burning just south of Fairbanks, became the second wildfire to derail our travel plans.

RV ALASKA - Battling Frost Heaves on the Alaska Highway

When planning our route to Alaksa, I had discounted the Top of the World Highway – even though I would have loved to visit Dawson City, Yukon, with its fascinating Gold Rush history.  I had read that the Highway wasn’t in the best of condition, and Alan and I were both concerned about damage to the truck and trailer.  Having already had two windshields replaced back home within the past year, we weren’t too anxious to go through that again.  Comments made by our friend, Bernie, convinced us to give the Top of the World a go.  He thought the road wasn’t that bad and better than some.  I shook off my reservations, and we decided we’d head north from Whitehorse on the Klondike Highway, travel through Dawson City and follow the Top of the World Highway on to Tok, Alaska.  If we did that on the way out, we could take the Alaska Highway on the way back, allowing us to cover new and different territory.  On the morning of our departure from Whitehorse, news that a wildfire burning to the north had closed the North Klondike Highway between Pelly and Stewart Crossing stopped us in our tracks.  The fire had effectively blocked our way to Dawson City.

RV ALASKA - The S.S. Klondike National Historic Site (& Other Adventures in Whitehorse, YT)

Alan and I had been steadily on the move, covering the distance from Jasper, Alberta, to Watson Lake, Yukon, over the course of three days.  We usually try to drive no more than two full days before taking an R&R day, but traffic was light and we had been unusually lucky in finding three campsites in a row that didn’t require us to unhitch.  Not that unhitching is difficult, but not having to do it saves a little bit of time and makes for a quick and easy getaway in the morning.  We had been looking ahead to a two-night layover in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, that would allow us a break from the road, time to reprovision and the opportunity to visit the S.S. Klondike – one of the last remaining steam-powered paddle wheelers that transported goods and passengers up and down the Yukon River between the 1860’s and 1950.  The Klondike exceeded our expectations by a longshot.