Well, we have now been home 2 1/2 months, and Charlie and I have settled back into our lives back here in Virginia. Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about how to close out this blog in a way that felt right. When I noticed that today is the 64th anniversary of Alaska becoming a State, I decided today was the appropriate date to post the closing entry for our amazing trip.
There is no way I can do justice to all the beautiful scenery that lives in our brains now - or the vast expanse of country that we covered - or the staggering amounts of raw nature and wildlife that we were blessed to see and experience in a very hands on way. So I will recap the highlights that come to mind, and see where it leads us.
I originally wanted to see Alaska because my parents had first traveled there 27 years ago and I clearly remembered the pictures they brought back - and was astounded by the beauty that was in every simple shot. I wanted to see nature unspoiled and in the raw before it was ruined. I wanted to see an abundance of wildlife - living in a natural environment, not in a zoo, or the part of a state that happened to be undeveloped enough to allow them to survive there.
When Charlie and I discovered that we had both wanted to go to Alaska one day, we knew we needed to make this trip together - and so we started our planning. We read, and researched, and plotted paths, and made lists - and picked a date. And then we were off....
Charlie was an excellent traveling companion - he enjoyed the journey and what each day brought us. The time on the road never seemed extensive - there was always something new to see or do, and the time passed easily. Visiting with friends along the way made the beginning of the trip extra special and helped us transition into life in a rolling home.
Canada was beautiful, I remember driving for hours with nothing around us but hundreds and hundreds of acres of trees as far as the eye could see. Emerald Lake - probably the prettiest body of water I have ever seen... and black bear everywhere. I doubt we ever see 16 bears before 9:30 in the morning again - but it was a sight to behold.
Were we prepared for the Alaskan highway - lol - no. But it did not deter us, we just trudged along, over gravel, ridiculous pot holes, washed out roads, and dust that covered everything.
Crossing into Alaska - finding those hot, homemade, delicious cinnamon buns - and finding the Tok Campground - that was a fantastic day.
Heading to the Kenai - some of my favorite scenery was along the Richardson highway. We drove over that road at least three times, and each time I found myself shooting some of the same areas with the camera - it was immense, stately, expansive and gorgeous!
Starting our fishing in the Klutina - and beginning our 101 on how to fish for Salmon - from the local man in shorts while we were in insulated waders - a lesson neither of us will forget.
The Russian river and Arkansas Steve; mother grizzly and her two cubs, "Cubby" the orphan cub who learned to survive; discovering the secrets to seeing and snagging salmon; - and seeing Charlie's face the first day he "got it" and caught his limit - priceless.
Kodiak Island was raw and rough and just as pretty in its own way as the mainland - and the Pinks were as fun to catch as the Reds....
Experiencing again how small the world is - meeting people who know friends of ours back here in Southwest Virginia - always good to be reminded of.
Hearing Charlie say he has fished enough - something I thought I would never hear and just speaks to the number of hours he fished on the river and the huge number of fish he caught. That man can fish. And he was generous in sharing his expertise and his excitement when I managed to catch my first fish ( while falling in the river) and when I caught the King Salmon. In fact, every time I caught a fish and pulled it in, he was tickled and proud of me - we truly enjoyed celebrating each others success.
The decision to leave Alaska was bittersweet - but it was good to be heading home - even if it was by way of the Oregon coast, the Redwood forests, the Grand canyon, the Petrified Forest and Los Vegas, Fort Smith and Wynne. And the return trip allowed us to meet new friends Kelly and George who were headed home - to Alaska.
Leaving the cool environment of Alaska where we wore sweatshirts everyday, and experiencing 111 degress in Los Vegas - was quite a shock and made us appreciate what the rest of you dealt with all summer. But we made it and it was nice to be back home and see family and friends again.
Bessie was a trooper as was Didi. Since our arrival home, Didi has joined another family. Charlie had her sold within 48 hours of coming home! We still see her occasionally running up and down the road and she is still going strong.
The pictures have been developed and somewhat organized.... Canned and
frozen salmon has been distributed to family and friends. Calendars
and cups were made for Christmas presents to share with others the
sights and memories we were able to experience. Cold weather has set
in
and every time I think it is cold here, I look at my phone and see that
Tok is averaging -47 for an entire week - and I don't feel so cold.
Bessie has been emptied and is settled in for the winter. It took us about a week, off and on, to get Bessie totally empty, and to winterize
her for storage. Much of what we took, we now know we did not
need,(i.e. camping equipment.. about half as many clothes) and should we make another such trip, Bessie will be much lighter. She is currently sleeping through the winter inside a dry storage room with very big doors. I think she has earned her rest, and although I do not know what the future holds for her, or our future travels - I do know she provided us with the ability to have one of the most amazing adventure I have been on.
Charlie and I watch The Alaskan Frontier, Gold Rush, Alaskan State
troopers, and documentaries on the 49th state - and marvel that we were
there, and that we recognize many of the places on the screen, and we count our blessings... and discuss
how, and when we may be lucky enough to return.
Thank you for sharing our journey with us. I hope each of you has a chance to experience Alaska - in whatever form you are able - a cruise, a two week road trip, or one like ours where you just set out in search of what the road brings you - however you can get there - go. You will never regret it.
Until our next adventure -
Cheri and Charlie
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Friends, good food, and air conditioning
August 31, 2012
Made it to Fort Smith where we were able to meet Harrison's girlfriend, Anna, and enjoy some good old southern air conditioning! A great way to spend the afternoon.
This evening we were treated to a wonderful dinner at one of Harrison's favorite restaurants - the food was amazing, as were the drinks. It was very authentic Mexican food, and the company made the dinner even better.
September 1, 2012
Going to the Farmer's Market today! We are looking for some veggies to go with our dinner - Harrison and I are going to do a cook off using the salmon we brought them. I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Larry is not too excited, he is not a fan of salmon, but he is being a good sport none the less. We found him a great steak at a meat store that smelled, out of this world.
Found some nice green beans at the market as well as some fresh okra that I plan to cook for Larry - hard to beat fried okra!
Anna is delightful, smart, funny, easy going and always willing to pitch in. I can see why she and Harrison get along so well.
Dinner was wonderful. Hannah, Harrison and Anna made this caper, lemon sauce for the fish, and then Larry did a superb job of grilling it. The pasta I made was only okay, and as soon as I tasted the sauce on the fish, I immediately conceded the win to Harrison, and then made sure I got the recipe! The fried okra turned out pretty good though with Larry commenting that it was, and I quote, ' Perfect". Can't get much better than that. : )
Harrison and Anna went to see a movie, but us old fogies, just hung out and visited - think we got the best part of that deal.
Made it to Fort Smith where we were able to meet Harrison's girlfriend, Anna, and enjoy some good old southern air conditioning! A great way to spend the afternoon.
This evening we were treated to a wonderful dinner at one of Harrison's favorite restaurants - the food was amazing, as were the drinks. It was very authentic Mexican food, and the company made the dinner even better.
September 1, 2012
Going to the Farmer's Market today! We are looking for some veggies to go with our dinner - Harrison and I are going to do a cook off using the salmon we brought them. I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Larry is not too excited, he is not a fan of salmon, but he is being a good sport none the less. We found him a great steak at a meat store that smelled, out of this world.
Found some nice green beans at the market as well as some fresh okra that I plan to cook for Larry - hard to beat fried okra!
Anna is delightful, smart, funny, easy going and always willing to pitch in. I can see why she and Harrison get along so well.
Dinner was wonderful. Hannah, Harrison and Anna made this caper, lemon sauce for the fish, and then Larry did a superb job of grilling it. The pasta I made was only okay, and as soon as I tasted the sauce on the fish, I immediately conceded the win to Harrison, and then made sure I got the recipe! The fried okra turned out pretty good though with Larry commenting that it was, and I quote, ' Perfect". Can't get much better than that. : )
Harrison and Anna went to see a movie, but us old fogies, just hung out and visited - think we got the best part of that deal.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Oklahoma, heat, close- but still too far...
August 30, 2012 - Thursday
Made to to Oklahoma City today. Stayed in another Walmart parking lot - this one had only one way that was not blocked by low overhead guards, but our GPS took us right into the lot. : )
The weather has been clear and HOT all day. It seems hotter to us I think because it was so mild in Alaska..... but we are not use to this weather at all.... we run the generator to help keep Bessie cold.
Again, too far from Caroline to just run by so will have to wait until I can come back out and see her in Kansas.
We are going to be going straight through Fort Smith and Wynne though, so we will be able to see the Lowder's again and also get to see Duke and Debbie. : )
Dinner tonight consisted of sandwiches - again too hot to cook.
Made to to Oklahoma City today. Stayed in another Walmart parking lot - this one had only one way that was not blocked by low overhead guards, but our GPS took us right into the lot. : )
The weather has been clear and HOT all day. It seems hotter to us I think because it was so mild in Alaska..... but we are not use to this weather at all.... we run the generator to help keep Bessie cold.
Again, too far from Caroline to just run by so will have to wait until I can come back out and see her in Kansas.
We are going to be going straight through Fort Smith and Wynne though, so we will be able to see the Lowder's again and also get to see Duke and Debbie. : )
Dinner tonight consisted of sandwiches - again too hot to cook.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Petrified Forest
August 29th, 2012
Left the Grand Canyon and drove back to Interstate 40 -
Made a detour and went to the Petrified forest. Very strange to see parts of trees laying on the ground only to realize that it is really rocks. When we went to the visitor center, the lady there saw Charlie's VT shirt and told us she was raised in Roanoke and went to VT. It is indeed a very small world.
We took a small walk to the bluffs and there were signatures from the 1600's - before Jamestown - carved into the rock there. Pretty cool. I also did not realize that there were so many volcanoes in Arizona. We saw lava everywhere, heaving up out of the ground, and broken up in pieces at the visitor center.
As we made our way across New Mexico we stopped at a trading post and looked at the souvenirs and while there we bought some Indian frybread - which was awesome!
We made it across Texas, but since we were about as far as one could get from Houston we were not able to go by and see Michael. I did text him though and tell him to stay cool. It was going to be 102 and feel like 112 in Houston today - wow, just wow. When I checked the weather for Tok and Glacier, it was going to be in the low 40's at night....
Tonight we stayed in a rest stop and had a simple dinner since we did not want to heat up the motor home. When Charlie went out to put the trash in the trash can, we noticed that he had some kind of spiky stickers all over his flip flops, and on the rug. They were apparently all over the ground and man - they were sharp. Later I went out to take some pictures and could hear them crunching under my feet - they were just everywhere. I had to take tweezers to get the spikes out of the bottoms of our flip flops. No idea what plant they were from but I bet they spread well since they can stick to anything and just travel wherever the host goes.
Having the phone working again makes parts of this travel so much easier. We are able to Google which states let you stay overnight in their rest stops as well as which Walmarts allow you to stay in their parking lots.
Left the Grand Canyon and drove back to Interstate 40 -
Made a detour and went to the Petrified forest. Very strange to see parts of trees laying on the ground only to realize that it is really rocks. When we went to the visitor center, the lady there saw Charlie's VT shirt and told us she was raised in Roanoke and went to VT. It is indeed a very small world.
We took a small walk to the bluffs and there were signatures from the 1600's - before Jamestown - carved into the rock there. Pretty cool. I also did not realize that there were so many volcanoes in Arizona. We saw lava everywhere, heaving up out of the ground, and broken up in pieces at the visitor center.
As we made our way across New Mexico we stopped at a trading post and looked at the souvenirs and while there we bought some Indian frybread - which was awesome!
We made it across Texas, but since we were about as far as one could get from Houston we were not able to go by and see Michael. I did text him though and tell him to stay cool. It was going to be 102 and feel like 112 in Houston today - wow, just wow. When I checked the weather for Tok and Glacier, it was going to be in the low 40's at night....
Tonight we stayed in a rest stop and had a simple dinner since we did not want to heat up the motor home. When Charlie went out to put the trash in the trash can, we noticed that he had some kind of spiky stickers all over his flip flops, and on the rug. They were apparently all over the ground and man - they were sharp. Later I went out to take some pictures and could hear them crunching under my feet - they were just everywhere. I had to take tweezers to get the spikes out of the bottoms of our flip flops. No idea what plant they were from but I bet they spread well since they can stick to anything and just travel wherever the host goes.
Having the phone working again makes parts of this travel so much easier. We are able to Google which states let you stay overnight in their rest stops as well as which Walmarts allow you to stay in their parking lots.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Grand Canyon
August 28, 2012
We made good progress today, so we decided to go to the Grand Canyon and see how much we could see. We parked at the GC airport and took a shuttle in to the park. Once again, Charlie's pass let us ride free and get into the part without paying.
The park offers shuttles to sections that cars are not allowed to travel to, so we opted for that choice. When we first arrived inside the park, there were rain clouds gathering and thunder in the distance - but what that led to was a beautiful rainbow at the start of our tour, and then at least two more over the canyon itself!
We saw several elk and squirrels - but not many other animals. The shuttle could let us get off at any of the stops and then we could get back on - which we did in order to get a closer look at the canyon. The colors were so pretty and with the rain, and the clouds, the lighting was incredible.
By the time we headed back toward the starting point the sun had begun to set so we got to see the sun setting over the canyon, something many people are never able to do. We felt very lucky to be able to experience it.
Driving back on the bus, we asked them to let us off in town so we could grab a bite to eat. After eating we took another bus back to the airport. We asked the bus driver if he thought there would be a problem with us just staying in the parking lot overnight and he assured us that he thought it would be okay. So... that is what we did, many of the buses were stored/ parked there overnight so it worked out great.
We made good progress today, so we decided to go to the Grand Canyon and see how much we could see. We parked at the GC airport and took a shuttle in to the park. Once again, Charlie's pass let us ride free and get into the part without paying.
The park offers shuttles to sections that cars are not allowed to travel to, so we opted for that choice. When we first arrived inside the park, there were rain clouds gathering and thunder in the distance - but what that led to was a beautiful rainbow at the start of our tour, and then at least two more over the canyon itself!
By the time we headed back toward the starting point the sun had begun to set so we got to see the sun setting over the canyon, something many people are never able to do. We felt very lucky to be able to experience it.
Driving back on the bus, we asked them to let us off in town so we could grab a bite to eat. After eating we took another bus back to the airport. We asked the bus driver if he thought there would be a problem with us just staying in the parking lot overnight and he assured us that he thought it would be okay. So... that is what we did, many of the buses were stored/ parked there overnight so it worked out great.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Arizona
Starting to see green again and it is cool enough to have the windows open. Las Vegas was 111 when we left this morning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)