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Photo by The Joneses
In Alaska, you shouldn't be surprised with what you'll see or who you'll meet. You could even grow a set of antlers, like Ralph! |
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ARCHIVES:
You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is!
Wouldn't change a thing
Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota?
Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun!
I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota
Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana
A special day
From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida
Traveling to Texas
Finally, we're in Alaska!
On the way to Canada
Boise sure has changed a lot
Escapees Rally in Wyoming
Bittersweet trip through the southeast
From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’
Michigan is full of treasures
Arriving in Florida
Earning our ears
Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks
Down in the Lowcountry
Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill.
The holidays in Florida
Our time in Lakeland has come to an end
Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha!
Arriving in Charleston
A day with friends from Frederick
'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla.
Leaving Florida, and heading north
Our final days in Kentucky
Into the Keys
Out of Charleston and off to Indiana
Dreams come true in Vermont
You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska
Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites
Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too
It's all about the theme parks
From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone
Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke'
And so it begins ...
Moving days for Greg and his family
The gang's all here!
Happy to be in Florida again
Strawberries, and more strawberries
'The RV Capital of the World'
From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut
Training for our jobs at Disney World
Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco'
Under the weather
Back in Florida
At long last, back in the area
Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state
With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho
Look back, look ahead
Back in the Lower 48
The cold weather is hitting Florida
From Dallas to devastation
Back on the road again
Leaving Idaho and heading east
Beautiful Alaska
A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula
Watch out for flying dinner rolls
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It is hard to believe that it is already August and we are on the third month of our Alaska trip.
When we left Valdez we stopped in Wasilla for a few days. Marty, our traveling friend, cut a corner too close when driving out of a gasoline station and needed some minor repair done to his tow vehicle.
Wasilla is situated between the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys surrounded by beautiful mountains. It is the headquarters for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
This famous 1000-plus-mile race is held in March and runs from Anchorage to Nome. We stopped at the headquarters and took a short (very short) dog sled ride (cart) pulled by a team of eight dogs – it was fun. We learned a lot about this interesting race.
Wasilla is also the hometown of Sarah Palin, we didn’t get to see her tho. However, we ran into her father-in-law at the Iditarod headquarters and had a nice chat with him. That was kind of neat.
From Wasilla we drove to Fairbanks and stayed a week at the Santaland RV Park. Since I am such a Christmas person, I loved it there. Everything looks so Christmassy, only thing missing was the snow — that was a good thing though.
Carolin, the daughter of a German friend of ours from Frankfurt joined us in Fairbanks. She will be traveling with us until we take her to the airport in Seattle. So far she has a good time with us "old people" — in fact she already said, we may wear her out being on the go all the time.
Fairbanks is the largest city in Alaska and there was much to do:
Pioneer Park has several rows of little shops selling Alaskan made items. We have made it a point to buy only items that are made in Alaska. The "Made in China” is a No-No for us when buying souvenirs. We ate at the "Alaska Salmon Bake" an all you can eat outdoor place at Pioneer Park, grilled salmon, fried halibut and cod, prime rib and salads — deeelicious!
Alaska University museum — native art and many article from the early Alaskan days, this was very interesting.
Riverboat cruise down the Chena and Tanana Rivers. We learned a lot about Alaskan Native cultural traditions and took a walking tour of an authentic Athabascan Indian Village. We saw Susan Butcher’s dog kennels and met her husband Dave Monson. Susan Butcher was the first woman to ever win the Iditarod and she won it four times in all. Sadly so, she could not win her toughest race and died of leukemia in 2006.
Ralph and Marty golfed at America’s Northernmost USGA Golf Course. They both have a certificate and towel to show for and had a great time.
From Fairbanks we drove to the Arctic Circle. It was a long ride — about 190 miles one way. And all that just to take a picture of the sign! But being close to the Arctic Circle, we felt we should do it, we will probably never get this way again. So we did it.
From Fairbanks we traveled to the Denali National Park (6 million acres), established in 1917 as Mt. McKinley National Park.
The 600-mile-long Alaskan Mountain Range includes North America’s highest peak formerly called Mt. McKinley (north peak 19,470 feet; south peak 20,320 feet). Now it is called Denali meaning the “High One” a name the Athabascan natives gave this massive peak.
The park is still mostly wild and unspoiled. In fact we had to use park buses for the 90-mile trip into the park. It is truly a haven for outdoor activities and nature lovers. We saw breathtaking scenery and all types of wildlife, like moose, caribou, dall sheep, elk and even a grizzly mama bear with two cubs. All, of course, from the window of the bus.
It was a wonderful trip, taking up 11 hours in a converted school bus — but definitely worth it.
We are now in Anchorage and from there we plan to drive to the Kenai Peninsula.
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