Directions for Our Blog:
If you are just now joining us, please go to the list at the bottom of the blog and navigate to August and then to Day 1 which is August 25th. (Usually you will get Day 4 first, but if you scroll down from there you should get to Day 1.)
I have been getting lots of comments from anonymous on the blog in the comments, I have no ideal if these are legit or not and I will not respond to them
I will be glad to answer your questions, please leave an e-mail address or write me direct. Thanks davidmsparks@gmail.com
UPDATE; 12/29/13 Finally got to update our flkr account with more pics,, go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63914311@N05/
All of the pictures are under sets,,,, clik on them, they all start with ALASKA RIVERS, ALASKA ANDY,, so forth,, if you have a problem write me at my above email and let me know..thanks
UPDATE 9/8/2015 I have had lots of people look at this blog, hope you enjoy. We made another trip to Alaska May of this year, I did not do a blog this time, how ever I did post our trip on Facebook.. Roadie Day 1 to Day 37,,, If you would like to see it drop me a message davidmsparks@gmail.com or send a friends request,, make sure you tell me why you want to be friends. Once we become friends you go to my home page and can see all the post. Additionally I did post our pictures on flkr. Link is above All the pics are in folders if you want to look at the differences.
Hope you enjoy our travels!
September 27th "And now for the rest of the story!"
“And now for the rest of the story!”
RV: Best of two
worlds. Having the ability to come and
go was wonderful. We could keep warm,
cook some meals, have our own preferred “goodies” available which was very
nice. Additionally being able to take our Andy dog was great. It saved us some
money by not kenneling him or getting a pet sitter.
The big lug did get in the way somewhat, but overall he
was a very good boy. (Jamie refers to
him as our manatee!) We get very attached to our puppy dogs, so not having to
worry about him was nice. It did cause
some problems due to not being able to take the ferry. We just did not want to
chance him being cooped up for a long period.
FOOD: Eating out
is very expensive, especially if you want to go to a nice restaurant. We did
pick up a lot of meals and ate them in the RV. A lot of subway sandwiches, taco
bell, etc. We also purchased deli meat a few times and Donna prepared some
meals ahead of time that she took frozen.
So we saved some money on food. In fact, we only ate once in a restaurant
for a sit-down meal.
LAUNDRY: Keeping up with laundry was a challenge. We had
plenty of clothes, but it was nice to wash every 3 days just so we didn’t have
dirty clothes around. Prices for washing clothes varied from $2.50 a load to as
much as $4.00 a load. Drying was about the same—sometimes it was based on minutes.
CLOTHING: I wore shorts every day but two--when I went
fishing and on our 6 hour bus ride in Denali. Of course, that’s because I like
to wear shorts daily. I only saw about 3 other people wearing shorts while we
were in Alaska. We only needed our heavy clothing when we were in Denali.
Otherwise, a lightweight jacket or sweatshirts kept us warm enough.
SHOWERS: We have a shower in our RV, but it was much
easier to use the showers at the parks. The shower facilities varied as to
cleanliness and how they worked. Sometimes there was a code to get into the
facilities. Sometimes showers were free and sometimes there was a charge. The
highest charge for showers was in the national parks ($3.50 to 4.00 for a
shower.) When you paid, the showers would usually run for so many minutes with
the option of putting in additional money for extra minutes. We learned that we
could take a shower comfortably in 3 minutes. Sometimes we were back and forth
to the RV…forgot the money, forgot the towel, forgot the soap, forgot the code
to get in etc. I came back and forth to the RV at one park 3 times (that was a
bad day!!) Donna forgot her towel two
different times and didn’t notice until it was too late—she learned to creatively
dry off with other items of clothing! Donna liked using a shower caddy which
made it easy for her to find what she needed quickly. We both used tote bags to
carry our clothing and toiletries. And shower shoes or flip-flops are a must
for those shower floors. Foot spray was also very handy to have. And we always
carried disinfectant wipes for the toilets.
COMMUNICATION: Walkie talkies were very handy to have also.
When the shower house was far away, we liked using them to communicate. Of course,
we forgot to take them when we really needed to ask the other one to bring us
something we forgot to take to the shower house!
MEDICINE: We carried various medicines with us just in
case we needed them—even for Andy. Luckily, we only needed Neosporin for some
insect bites. And Donna needed the cold medicine for a few days when she got a
cold the 2nd week of travel. Otherwise, we felt very fortunate that
we didn’t get sick.
WATER: We had to be careful with water. Some water at the
RV camps had drinking water at their sites. But some did not. They would always
let you know when it was drinking water vs. potable water (had to be boiled for
15 minutes before using.) We avoided the potable water and filled our tanks with
drinking water only and even then we ran that water through a water jug with a
filter that we kept in our refrigerator. We also have a filter on our hose when
we fill our RV tanks.
SECURING THE CABIN: As we traveled down the road, we
learned the importance of securing the cabin. It was like being on an airplane.
But sometimes after we secured everything, we would miss something or one of us
would open a door, a cabinet or drawer and forget to close it properly. We would
soon learn which one we forgot!! We even had to add a bungee cord to the coffee
pot as it went flying by one day. Andy jumped at the 1st of the trip
when something happened, but even he got used to things flying out of cabinets and
doors flying open as time went by. When we forgot to secure the TV, it had an
eerie creak and sounded like a ghost was on board when it swung out in the
aisle. We also had to make sure we secured the drawers on the outside of the RV
too. Several times we had someone letting us know that we had a drawer that was
open on the side of the RV. Luckily no one got hit or injured!
HOTELS: I did a
lot of checking on hotels prior to our trip. Again they were expensive. It was
typically over a $110.00 a day. Most of
the RV parks we stayed at were $25 to $40.
The state parks even less. Since
this was our first trip we wanted to try and stay in contact with family as
much as possible. So this led us to parks with full service. On any future trips, we would probably stay
more in state and federal parks and probably get our average down to the low $20’s.
GAS: Knowing that
the gas would be expensive, we tried to use some cards for discounts. We did save a little money, but very
little. When you’re paying upwards to $5
for a gallon 2 or 3 cents does not help much.
You just grin and bear it. I
started trying to fill up more often so that it would not seem so bad, $50
instead of $100.
OTHER TRAVELERS: There were many people we saw driving
and tenting. At this time of the year (early September) tenting would be very
difficult (cold, especially up North).
It was pretty interesting seeing how many people were just sleeping in their
cars at the RV parks. They would have electricity,
water and showers and toilets which turns out cheaper than a hotel. Most hotels
are very expensive and charged extra for dogs. We met one couple who had been
up there for over six weeks and were driving an RV but staying in hotels. We
met another couple who were biking, but the woman got tired so they rented a
car and came to the RV park for a few days until she was ready to travel again.
We met a lot of foreigners that got good deals on renting RVs at this time of
year. We also met up with several convoys of RVers that were traveling
together. It was fun when we ended up at the same RV parks with other travelers
that we met on previous days.
WHAT TO DO???
When I planned this trip I wanted to see as much as possible. We went into Canada on the East side and came
out as far West as you could drive. We
made numerous loops off the main Alaska highway to see different things. We got to see a lot. Depending upon the time of the year you need
to plan really well for your trip. This
also depends upon your mode of transportation.
The one guide you will need when you drive is the Milepost. It has all the roads and points of interest
in Canada and Alaska. BTW, I purchased a two year old one for 7 bucks. It sells for about 30. The one I have is useless now, worn out. Ha!
Ha!
TIME OF TRAVEL: I chose late summer into September to
travel. I wanted to avoid the crowds and make sure it was cool enough for Andy
if he had to remain in the RV. I made reservations for the 1st 7
days, which were not needed. (In fact,
sometimes when we arrived, the park owner would sort of laugh that we bothered
to make a reservation!!) So if you come at this time of year, you will avoid
the crowds. Some negatives, it did get
cold. NOT FREEZING, most nights it was in the 30’s a few 20’s, but we had
prepared for this temperature and it made great sleeping weather. However, you
have to be careful that you know your destination will have an RV park that is
still open. We got worried a few times, that we wouldn’t find an open park. But
luckily, we always found an open RV park. But we did see many closed ones too. Some
RV parks are seasonal and close after Labor Day or the middle of September.
NEXT TIME: If we come back we want to go to only a couple
of places and do an extended stay in a couple so we could really enjoy
ourselves and relax more. Because of our
hectic schedule we did not get to do any long trail walking. I brought along a large spotting scope that I
never had a chance to use. I did use my
binoculars and a small scope a lot. If
we could camp for a few days, there were hundreds of places to set up and watch
for wildlife, just not enough time.
WEATHER: I used
the internet to research temperatures for the period we were traveling. We had some friends who traveled to Alaska
and had terrible weather. I guess it is just
being at the right place at the right time.
We have ZERO complaints about the weather. We had rain or cloudy days about 7/8
days. But even on those days it would
clear up by the afternoon so we always had some good sunshine. Good planning or dumb luck. We talked to one
couple who spent two days at Skagway, said it rained the whole time they were
there. We drove down for a day trip and
had beautiful weather.
BLOG: We planned the
blog to share our trip with our family and friends. We hoped it served that purpose. It was very time consuming, but fun. It made us
categorize our pictures each day as we picked out some favorites for the blog and
then put the others in folders for future use. We plan on doing some more RV
trips in the future and hope to return to Alaska again. These future trips will not include a blog. Spending about two hours a night really cut
into some relaxation time, but again we enjoyed doing it. It will be great to use for a record of our trip.
RV REPAIR: I have
a roadside assistance plan with my insurance company, but it is only good in the
US. I purchased another plan through
Good Sams. So when I had a tire problem
it was worthless, because we could not call them due to no cell phone service so
I had to change a tire myself. This
brings up the next issue. If you take a
vehicle to Canada or Alaska make absolutely sure you know how to do some minor
repairs and change a tire. I had gone
over the manual for our RV for changing a tire, and it still took me 2 hours to
change one tire. Be prepared.
CELL PHONE: I told
Donna to check on using the cell phone in Canada. She believed since her phone could be used internationally
we would be okay, it does not seem to be working that way. We have not gotten the bill yet, but she
believes we’re going to be charged extra for any calls we made in Canada. So call
your carrier. I would recommend buying
some pre-paid phone cards and use them while in Canada.
PICTURES: I estimated we took over 12,000 pictures. Donna
will get an exact figure later. Since
they were digital it’s no big deal. Suggest
you put them in folders on a computer each day and also keep a note or log book
to keep up with your dates and locations.
Will help when you try and figure out where that picture came from. We
plan to post more pictures from our trip either on Facebook or Webshots.
RECOMMENDATION:
Depending upon your mode of travel there are so many ways
to go to Alaska. I think the best choice
if you are limited…take a week cruise to Anchorage, rent a RV for a week. Do 2/3 days at Denali, loop down to Haines or
Skagway, drive over to Kenai Peninsula and Homer then back to Anchorage.
This is the official end of our blog!
Monday, September 25th & Tuesday September 26th
 |
| Wyoming |
 |
| Colorado |
Monday, September 25th & Tuesday,
September 26th
Day 32 & 33 Our Final Days
Up and at’em this morning with a long drive to
Amarillo. Left around 7 am headed for
Cheyenne then Denver. We went by
Colorado Springs and the Rotan Pass in New Mexico. The southern parts of Colorado and northern
New Mexico were very scenic and we also saw many antelope along the way. Stopped
got some Taco Bell for dinner and continue our drive. About two hours out of Amarillo we decided to
continue driving straight to Houston.
Couple of reasons, one wanted to experiment with driving through the
night in the RV (we have done this numerous times in our van), but the main
reason—we wanted to get home. So we
stopped in Amarillo gassed up, went to Starbuck’s caffeine upped and hit the
road.
As we departed Amarillo saw a lighting storm toward
Wichita Falls. Drove for about 3 hours
in rain and very windy conditions. Was
not fun and we lost about an hour driving through the storm. Weather finally broke around Ft Worth and we
could make up a little time. Drove
through Hillsboro, Waco, College Station and got to our home around 7 am.
We stopped at the Kolache Factory and Starbucks on the
way in just like we did on the way out. Our first and last stop.
So after 11,353
miles and approximately 13,000 photographs our wonderful trip with our dog Andy
comes to an end. For us it was a trip of
a lifetime that we wanted to do for a long time. We are tired, but it was well worth the
memories we will have for the rest of our lives. We hope you enjoyed our blog. We will have one more post--our conclusion.
MILES TODAY
1290 TOTAL 11,353
 | |
| New Mexico |
 | ||
| Texas--Home, Sweet Home |
 |
| Texas |
 |
| Hard to Catch Lightning with a Camera...It was Quite a Light Show |
ANDY’S REPORT
What gives with the peeps? Up at 5:30 and off we go. Drove for a while
and then we stopped at the Mermaid place.
Mom got some round bread with holes in them and we had them for
breakfast. Pretty good. We made a few
pit stops along the way. About the time
we usually go to the place with lots of moving houses we stopped at the Mermaid
place again. The peeps kept telling me
were going home? All I know it seemed like we drove and drove. Mom came in the back and even slept with me
for a while. I stated to notice that it
had gotten a lot warmer and the smells seemed familiar. We stopped at the mermaid place again. And then I got real excited. Yes, I could smell home of joy. I’m so happy,
my own bed, my own green grass. I jumped
out of the moving house, bounded to my favorite chair and I’m done. Goodnight
or good day, I’m going to sleep.
 |
| Smells I know!! |
 |
| Ahhhhh!! Home at last!! |
Monday, September 24th
Monday, September 24, 2012
Day 31
We got up at 6:30 and got off to a great start this morning
headed out for Salt Lake City. As we
traveled toward home got to admire the big sky country. We have traveled this route a few times
before. Weather is holding up. Mostly
stayed in the high 50’s to low 60’s so it’s very comfortable. Off and on there was a light drizzle. I’m dying to wash the RV, hate a dirty
car! But will have to wait until we are back
home. Took a slight 25 mile detour when
we got to Salt Lake. Supposed to go
East, but we drove about 15 more miles south and stopped at In-N-Out
Hamburgers. We just love their food and we don’t get many opportunities to eat there. Saw lots of elk on the highway towards Cheyenne,
Wyoming. Continued on toward Cheyenne
but decided to stop in Rawlins, Wyoming around 7:00pm. Donna is still doing most of the driving, had
to relieve her today, so I drove about 100 miles. We’re hoping to get to Amarillo
tomorrow.
MILES TODAY 628
TOTAL 10,062
 |
| Utah |
 |
| Reading while Donna Drives |
 |
| Tunnels on the Highway in Wyoming |
 |
| Elk in Wyoming |
ANDY’S REPORT:
Peeps got me up early today.
Dad took me for a walk and off we went.
Drove over to the Mermaid place and then hit the road. Was a little boring today. At least Mom is not driving down the road
with her hands full of stuff clicking some box at the view. Roads are a lot better so I’m getting in some
good nappers. Mom even took a napper
with me today while Dad drove. Arrived at the place with lots of moving
houses. Terrible, no grass at all. Had
theses funny looking bushes and lots of rocks.
Dad took me out twice and then it was back to our moving house and time
for bed. Goodnight.
 |
| Not the Mermaid Lady again!! |
 |
| Now that's more like it...I smell burgers and fries! |
 |
| I'll take 3 burgers, 2 fries and a vanilla shake please! Woof! Woof! |
Sunday, September 23rd
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Day 30
Got up early today, headed over to Jamie and Eric’s to
say goodbye to them and our little Bacchus.
Bacchus called our RV the “big car!” Of course we had to pick up coffee
on the way over. Sad to say goodbye, but need to start heading home. Was a
little cloudy most of the day. Tried to buy some apples in Washington, but they
didn’t seem to have very many YET. We traveled through Oregon on the Old Oregon
Trail and then to Idaho. Saw some pretty sights, but the time for sightseeing
is over. Stopped at a wonderful RV park in Idaho. Set-up the RV, worked on the
blog and got ready for bed. We are going
to try and get up early tomorrow so that we can make more miles toward Texas. Our
goal is to make it home by Wednesday night so we will see.
MILES TODAY
527 TOTAL 9434
 |
| Washington |
 |
| Oregon |
 |
| Rainbows in Idaho |
ANDY’S REPORT:
Not much to report today.
Got up a little early, Dad and I went for a walk. Drove over to the red headed devil girl’s
house again. She was very sweet to me
and even gave me a hug. Saw my friend
Alli and told her good-bye. We loaded up and headed down the road. The peeps seem a little subdued. We drove a long way, made a few pit stops,
then, finally, got to the lot with lots of moving houses. Went for a walk, ate some bones and I’m off
to bed. Goodnight.
 | ||||||||||
| Saying good-bye to Alli |
 |
| Just another day in the moving house! |
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