Winter Sunshine

Winter Sunshine
Winter Sunshine in the Desert

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Alaska. Planning begins. Oh My.

Milepost Just a short little post today.  I am hoping for some responses from some of the folks on blogland who have traveled the Alaska Highway in an RV.  I know I read a great blog last summer about someone’s trip, but somehow lost it and have no idea who it was.  If you are reading, forgive me!  We ordered the very BIG “Milepost” publication and it was delivered yesterday to our snowy driveway by a very determined UPS delivery truck.  Those big brown trucks have NO traction it seems, but he was laughing as he slid up the driveway.  I am getting to know him quite well, since just a few days ago he also delivered my shiny new DVD for “Streets and Trips”, which is a bit less intimidating than the “Milepost”. 

I got the software installed and immediately plugged in the first leg of our trip to get an idea of the possible route.  What a great program!  Once I entered the estimated price for gasoline and our estimated mpg, I had an idea of how many miles we had ahead of us and how much money I need to save up for the summer!  whew.  Who knows how things will be by then regarding gas prices, but there is still no better time than now.  Once those prices go up they don’t often go back down for long.

talking to Edna on her birthday Last night I sat down with the “Milepost” and after an hour or so looked at Mo in consternation and said, “Maybe we should just start driving and see what happens.  I have no idea how to plan this trip!”  She laughed with me, having done the road in the past, she thought that wasn’t a bad idea.  The trick is to have plenty of money, plenty of time, and to stay loose.  Lots of mosquito repellent helps, as well as good rain gear and a good attitude.  I did find one blog on the lonely planet, and the driver talked about the beauty, but also about the many miles and miles of flat nothing. 

So, if anyone out there reading this has traveled the Highway, could you please comment or send an email to me with your blog address?  I want all the information I can get from real people doing the real thing, rather than all the advertisements and tours and such that keeps showing up on searches for “Alaska Highway in an RV blog”.  I even went to RVForum and when I search “Alaska”, my own silly post about deciding to “go” to Alaska is the one that comes up first.  Geez.  HELP?!

It is Mo’s birthday today, and so far it’s been a good one.  She’s getting the birthday calls as I write.

11 comments:

  1. You should try here...http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=21:trip-reports&Itemid=45&layout=default

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  2. happy birthday to Mo!..we wish you luck finding someone to help plan your trip!..blogville will come through..not to worry!!

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  3. Happy Birthday, Mo!

    Never been to Alaska so I can't offer any suggestions. I agree though it is a pretty daunting planning exercise.

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  4. I too have read several blogs about Alaska Travel ... but unless they were Alaska specific I don’t recall off the top of my head whose been in recent years. One thought might be to look at the maps people have on their blogs and see if they have Alaska marked ... then perhaps there might be some posts you can refer to. You’ll recall we went in August 2010, but ours was not an RV trip. Still, it might give you some ideas on places to visit once you get there.

    This couple made an RV Trip in 2010: http://because-we-can-linda.blogspot.com/

    An Alaska by RV specific blog: http://northtoalaskajuly2009.blogspot.com/

    A couple that work-camped in AK: http://kb7q.blogspot.com/

    These guys went with a group: http://wanderingwoolfolks.blogspot.com/

    These guys flew in and rented an RV for a few weeks: http://bennettsgreatalaskanadventure.blogspot.com/

    This woman lives in AK. She and her husband moved there several years ago and made the initial trip with a trailer. I can’t point you to the specific posts off hand, but if you drop her a note, she might be able to give you a more direct link. Beautiful photography makes it worth taking a look at her blog regardless: http://susanstevenson.com/blog/

    A friend who lives in Kodiak suggested driving the highway earlier in the year when it is more or less frozen. I can see that if one is not planning to dally along the way; seems to me services would be limited though … maybe I’m wrong. In any event, I'm looking forward to following along so I can continue to get ideas for our future RV trip to AK.

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  5. Happy Birthday Mo. Go to my site, go to the bottom of my blog list. There you will find a blog written by Gordon and Jaunita. It is called Seeing the USA in our Chevrolet. I think he has a seperate blog about his Alaska trip 2 years ago, or you could just leave a message on his site and he will direct you to their trip. He is very good at explaining everything about their trip. You may even fall in love with his blog like I did 4 years ago. I also know they are planning another trip to Alaska. Good luck.

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  6. You are all just so great! Thank you thank you. Now I have a lot more reading to do!

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  7. Happy Birthday MO!

    And oh how right you are that your friends in blog land will assist you, now look at all the reading you have ahead of you with all the wonderful links they have shared.

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  8. I can't offer much help since we've not made that trip yet, but it's high on our list so I look forward to following your progress. I know there's lots of information out there, but it's a big job sorting through it all. Good luck and remember to enjoy the journey (which includes all the planning) as much as you do the destination!

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  9. How exciting!We did the trip last summer, 4-1/2 months. Loved every minute of it. The best advice we received was to "Go Slow". We only drove about 100 miles a day with some exceptions. Made no reservations months out, occasionally might call campgrounds in the morning of our arrival to verify they would have openings. The Milepost will become your friend, it is a little intimidating, but you will figure it out. We read it the night before traveling and marked in the Milepost the sights we might want to see. My blog is also mentioned in E Squared and Mui's comments, http://because-we-can-linda.blogspot.com/
    and my husband also did a blog/journal, www.because-we-can.net, also check out his 2010 Alaska Trip Log, the link is on the left side of his home page.
    Here is a link to another blog we followed while in Alaska, http://carpediemadventrues.blogspot.com/2010_05_08_archive.html

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  10. Too bad you can't make the Gypsy Journal Rally (in Yuma this month). Dennis Hill (RV Driving School) and his wife will be presenting a seminar on it. They're going on their 5th or 6th trip. LOL!

    http://rvdrivingschool.blogspot.com and go to the beginning of the blog.

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  11. Sue, I am with Mo (and Linda's comment) - don't tie yourself up with all sorts of reservations. You have a nice, smallish RV, so can tuck into spots bigger rigs can't. You can boondock for a night or two when desirable/necessary. Having a set-in-stone schedule give you some sense of security when you set out on a long trip into the unknown, but is a total drag when you come upon a place you want to stay and explore, or a fellow traveler offers a tip that you want to follow. So what if you miss a thing or two or three or four that is listed in the Milepost? You miss good stuff EVERY time you travel - but your days are still filled with fun and adventure.

    Hey, when do you head south (or have you already)? I'm sorta' behind on my reading! We're in Sacramento... will you be stopping by?

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I love your comments, they add so much, but to avoid ridiculous amounts of spam, I will be moderating comments