We Are Back In The U.S.A.! Reflections On Our Adventure To Western Canada and Alaska

U.S Border (Canada/Montana)

We entered back into the United States on September 25th!  Whew!  It was an adventure of a lifetime. We started in Tampa Florida on January 20th and headed west over 13,000 miles.  We visited ten states, three Canadian Provinces and one Territory along the way. It feels good to be home in the U.S. and we really feel proud to have accomplished this bucket list adventure.

Our route from Tampa Florida to Port Angeles Washington (5900 miles) 

Our route from Port Angeles, Washington to Great Falls Montana (7418 miles)

Highlights of our adventure...

Betty's RV Park
Abbeville, LA

Lost Dutchman State Park

Apache Junction, Arizona

Hearst Castle

San Simeon, California

California Coastline

Fern Canyon Hike

Redwoods State Park

California Redwood Trees

Haystack Rock

Cannon Beach Oregon

Olympia National Park
Washington

Butchart Gardens 

Vancouver Island

Zodiac Boat Trip
Tolfino, Vancouver Island

Peak to Peak Gondola Ride
Whistler, BC

Okanagan Wine Country, BC

Chetwynd Chainsaw Festival, BC 

Liard Hot Springs, BC

Grizzly Bear checking out a fish hut (he eventually got stuck in the window)

Funniest moment

Haines, Alaska

Grizzly Bear eating wildflowers
Destruction Bay, Yukon

Lulu Belle Glacier Cruise
Valdez, Alaska

Our traveling friends (Valdez, Alaska)

Cooking King Crab Legs 
(best meal ever)
Valdez, Alaska

Kenai Fjords Cruise
Seward, Alaska

Watching Game and Fish sort  salmon
Salmon Rodeo
Ninilchik, Alaska

Brown Bear Watching
Ketmai National Park and Preserve


Mt. Denali
Denali National Park

Chicken Alaska

Dempster Highway
Yukon

Salmon Glacier
Hyder, Alaska

Aurora Borealis (we saw it but not photos)
Most awesome experience
Pelly Crossing, Yukon 

K'san Historical Village
Hazelton, BC

 \
Columbia Icefield, Alberta

Jasper National Park, Alberta

Chateau Lake Louise ,Alberta

A few observations....

The roads in Alaska were in better shape then we had expected

Having campground reservations in advance worked out well. Probably would not have needed them in August and September except in the Canadian Rockies

The Glacier Boat Trips in Valdez and Seward were amazing

The trip to Kenai National Park and Preserve to see the Brown Bears was worth every penny

Gasoline and alcohol in Canada is very expensive 

We saw less wildlife in Alaska then expected

It took longer to drive from one campground to another because you have to drive much slower

Weather was better then expected

Long sleeve shirts and long underwear were worn most of the time

There were very  few mosquitoes

Groceries except in Skagway were reasonable. Finding fresh vegetables was more difficult in Alaska

Hiking the trails is the best way to really appreciate Alaska and Canada

Alaska is so VAST

We loved all the wildflowers growing along the sides of the roads in Alaska 

Did not see the moon or stars due to the midnight sun for several months

Getting used to the almost constant daylight in June and July took some getting used too. Black out shades are a must 

We enjoyed this adventure even more than expected and our expectations were high!!!

Firing Up The Blog - Heading West

Summerdale, AL (45 degrees, chilly, blue skies)

Oxbow Bend looking over Mount Moran

I haven't posted a blog in some time but I'm excited about our upcoming plans and wanted to be sure to document them.  To catch you up we spent the summer and fall working for Grand Teton Association in the Grand Teton National Park. It was our third time working for the non-profit bookstores in the park.This time I was the Administrative Assistant in the office and John had the best job driving out to all the trail heads and stocking them with maps and guides. He collected the money, counted it, and then took deposits to the bank three days a week.  It was a great way to spend the summer in such a beautiful place. 

Chris and Chet

Gary, Jill, Kenzie, and Jackie

New solar panels

We had lots of friends who came out to visit us and we had a great time showing them all around. After this gig was completed we headed to Colorado to have some solar panels installed and then attended  the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We camped with the Boomers with the Escapee RV Club. It was such a great time. We have been before and really love this event  Our daughter Jen came for a visit and some of our friends were here too.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

We then headed east to the Smoky Mountain area for a renovation to the inside of our motorhome with Smoky Mountain Coach Works. We met the owner of this company at a rally with FMCA last year and really liked his presentation. We spent three weeks at his place and are really happy with the results. The noggin loggin TV above the front windshield was removed and recessed back. A new cabinet was built to hold a TV which goes up and and down on a special lift. We added fireplace to the front and a great computer desk along the side. We also modified a kitchen cabinet and removed all the dusty shades and replaced them with MCD's. We stayed in the coach throughout and really were impressed with his staff and attention to detail.  Oh, and we bought a new Jeep Wrangler!  Our bank account certainly took a hit but we have been saving up for these expenses for awhile. What made it really special was having a reunion with our volunteer friends from Ding Darling NWR. Bob & Patsy and Al & Linda came up for a few days and stayed in nearby hotels.  We had a great time exploring the park while the renovation was being completed.

New TV/Computer cabinet

Linda, Alan, me, John, Bob and Patsy

Meet Teddy Bear

From there we headed south to Florida. It was great to spend the holidays with John's daughter Jen. We had some great times together and even got to see her scuba dive with some friends. We stayed mostly at MacDill AFB. The weather was certainly not as warm as usual, but that's the case for most places this winter.

We also had a nice visit with our friends Debbie and Dave from Indianapolis and met up with more Ding Darling friends for Christmas on the beach. That was very special.

John, me, Debbie, Dave, and Jen

Linda, Jen, Alan, me, John, Lynda, and Charlie

Kayaking is one of our favorite things to do in Florida. We met up with several friends and went back to some of our favorite rivers (Rainbow and Weeki  Wachee plus a new one for us at Lido Key). The rivers in northern Florida are breathtaking.

Weeki Wachee

These are only some of the highlights. We have traveled back to many of our favorite places and it's always very special to meet up with friends and family along the way. 

St. Andrews State Park 

So, now we have turned left out of Florida and have traveled along the beautiful panhandle of Florida and tomorrow we will be in New Orleans for a few days. Let the good times roll!

We have some exciting plans ahead. Ultimately we are heading west and along the coast of California where we will met up with friends and travel into Canada and Alaska. This is a long time dream of ours and it's finally just about here. It's took a lot of planning and research and we hope to hit as many of the highlights as possible. Come along with us as we tour the last frontier.

Escapee Park in Summerdale Alabama

Fun In The Florida Sun

Tampa,Florida (72 degrees, clear blue ski, perfect)

Crystal Springs 

We have been having the best of time in Florida over the past few weeks. There is a mass exodus of RVers now heading north, but in our opinion this is the one of the best times to visit. The weather is beautiful and everything is less crowed. We were able to confirm last minute reservations at several of our favorite campgrounds too.

Mermaids

We even saw Mermaids (at Weeki Wachee State Park). It is a delightful show which is offered about five times a day. This underwater show is held in a large fresh water spring and the it takes about a year before a mermaid can perform in the show. It was a little piece of Americana. The first show was held in 1946.

Weeki Watchee Mermai

Kayaking

Rainbow Springs (Diana and John)

Rainbow Springs (Pat and John)

We met up with our friends Diana and Pat at Rainbow Springs. It is a beautiful State Park campground with full hook up and an easy kayak launch out to the pretty springs. The weather did not cooperate very well but we managed to get in two nice paddle trips watching the weather closely. The campground is also close to Crystal River and Homosassa  for more kayak opportunities where you can meander through crystal clear water and maybe see a manatee. We saw two!

Crystal River - 

Interesting house boat on Crystal River

We also made a visit to see John's daughter who lives in St. Petersburg and it's great to be so nearby at MacDill AFB campground. It's a military campground in Tampa where we have stayed several times. It had a big renovation, mostly electrical this winter. We like it here a lot and seeing Jen is priceless.

She took us with her friend Kari on a magical paddle trip which went through several mangrove tunnels. There is a water trail at Weedom Island Preserve.which weaves  four miles around islands in Tampa Bay. Be sure to look at a tide chart before going because most of the trail is very shallow. It's a gem. We saw lots of birds and the launch site is very nice with an area to wash off your kayaks afterwards. Sweet!

Weaving through a mangrove tunnel in Weedom Preserve 

Jen loves looking for shells 

Kari paddling through a tunnel

Birding

Fran, Randy, and John checking out a mud flat to see who might be hanging out

Birding is always fun and we had a nice visit with our friends Fran and Randy at Myakka State Park. They are the best birders and it always amazes me to see how well they spot and identify birds. They introduced us to this hobby a few years ago. 

Loggerhead Shrike

Indigo Bunting

Camping

We liked staying at Myakka State Park. However, be sure to confirm a site in the new area. The sites are large and nicely landscaped with full hook ups. The older sites can be very muddy and difficult to navigate in a big rig. We especially liked the Canopy Walkway and Tower and the ranger led air boat tour. Cell signal is minimal at best.

Beautiful canopy trail

We also stayed at two Corp of Engineer Parks (W.P. Franklin and Ortona South) and spent an evening talking to some "lock hoppers". These campgrounds are very reasonable with a senior or access pass and cost only $15/night for water and electric. Most of the sites overlook the water, well spaced, and nicely maintained. The lock hoppers spend the winter moving back and forth every 14 days between the parks. Reservations need to be made well in advance  but it is a super deal for southern Florida. We like watching the boats go through the locks and so appreciate the peace and quiet. Being able to have a fire at night with stars overhead is nice indeed. 

Paddle boat going through the lock

Our site at W.P Franklin

Friends

Randy and Fran with John

Over the past few weeks we met up  with many of our friends  and the time together was great. Until we meet again...happy trails to you!

We will be here for a couple more weeks and will soon be going on a cruise with John's daughter. Life is good!

Karen and Al and Diana and Pat and friends