We plan to prepare most of our meals for the Alaska trip. Breakfast is usually cereal or toast in the trailer, lunch is a light meal like apples, almonds, cheese and yogurt. Dinner will be something we prepare each evening for the majority of the time. Depending on where we are it might be every day on the Alaska Highway or near Wrangell-St. Elias NP and less often in Homer, for example, where there are lots of tempting restaurants. Because of the higher cost of food in both Canada and Alaska we will take lots of staples from home. Our plan is to get a couple of items each grocery run here (with appropriate dates) and take them along. We have storage in the trailer we have never used that will hold a fair amount and a new bin for the back seat of the truck that will take two or three bags worth of groceries. These are the first two bags we have gathered. A bonus of this plan is that we are picking up the things on sale. Like the rice dish here, we have five for the trip all bought at half price. We cannot take food for 4 months but staples, maybe most of them.
Milepost Arrived /
We have been waiting for this insanely detailed 700 plus page book of not just the Alaska Highway but of every highway and gravel road in Alaska. It provides details even down to what the signs you are passing say, what stores might be ahead, where to find a library or a campsite or… Just a great tool and needed as the planning is getting more detailed each day. There is also a large pull out map that is an additional planning tool to go with our larger Alaska map.
Map! (2 photos) /
I found a decent map of Alaska. Finally. I love maps, paper maps. I like looking at options, this road v that road, how close do I come to an interesting side route, old town or lake. The gps is a great tool for getting you to a specific address but I like to plan the route and use the gps for the last few miles. Or to get out of a town to the road I want. And I really like spending time on the satellite views on Apple maps or Google earth. But when you really want to know where you are in relation to somewhere else, the scale of the trip and the alternate choices you cannot beat a paper map. And it never needs to be charged! I have been looking for a good Alaska map for weeks but finally found this one and it is perfect for our needs. We have already made two adjustments to our travel and I am sure more to come.
Power /
This is the last item I think we may need for support on the trip - actually any trip. Now I have a compressor, a screwdriver and duct tape, what else could you need. Twice my truck has failed to start and both times I was able to use jumpers to get started. Off in some National Forest miles from help and surrounded by hungry bears I don’t want Cindy to have to walk for help so I bought this little charger. I have not used it but it was highly rated on two different web sites. It is well packed, small and light weight. It has power to jump a battery 10 times if fully charged and it will do cell phones, laptops, etc. So when it went on one of Amazon’s special day sales I bought it. I would be glad if I never have to use it but even happier if I do and it works! Seems like a great thing to carry not just while camping but on most trips.
Well packed
Accessory side
Unit nestled in foam
less than 8 inches long and about 1 inch thick, easy to store and I imagine easy to use.
Curt and Jackie /
Many people influence all of us in different ways. The primary reason we are towing a travel trailer with a plan to visit more than 400 parks across the United States is due in a large measure to the enthusiasm for both camping and National Parks that we met in Curt and Jackie McSherry.
We had another trailer when our boys were small. It was definitely pre-owned and its systems were poorly understood by the new inadequate owners, us! It was a solution to some of the challenges of traveling with a family on a small budget but we were glad to sell it because the whole experience was not great, even though we were able to see some wonderful places.
We met Curt and Jackie at church when they came to Williamsburg, and we admired their small RV, a Rialta. I had visions of traveling and parking anywhere in a small camper - but considered it just a dream. Then, the McSherrys chose not only to sell it but to offer it to us at a very good value. They also provided their advice about how to use an RV and camping in general - it was excellent counsel. We benefitted from their kindness and excitement for the project. So we were off, to Yellowstone and Glacier, to Florida and South Carolina, to Maine and Prince Edward Island. And we were able to park it just about anywhere. The Rialta helped us to gain a better perspective on our travel habits and the beautiful sites we visited just made us want to see more. The desire for a more robust shower and more headroom than the Rialta could provide and to leave the campsite without taking the “house” along moved us to the Oliver trailer which has taken us 30,000 miles to 27 states. And we are preparing for another 20,000 miles and many more states.
Curt and Jackie headed to Alaska a few years ago but an unfortunate accident in Canada cut short their plans. We hope that the photos and diary of the journey that they started us on will delight them. Thanks to two wonderful people who are great examples of faith and faithfulness - a joy to share their friendship.
Curt and Jackie pay a visit to the Oliver.
Found! /
You already likely know that driving to Alaska means you are driving across a portion of Canada, right? You may also realize that means you will spend money in Canada and you need Canadian money. The last time I was in Canada was on our trip to Prince Edward Island in 2011, I think. So a few days ago looking for something, I don’t recall what that was, I opened a little box and found money, Canadian money left from our trip to PEI. Now it is not a lot but at this stage $40 is half a tank of gas in the Yukon and we are glad to have it!
First Night /
I don’t recall the name of this campground but it is at the exit of the Natchez Trace Parkway at Route 412, the road that leads down to Hohenwald and at the Oliver Trailer sales office. Once you pick up your trailer they assign someone to do an extensive walk-through of all the systems and then you take your new trailer up a few miles up to this commercial campground where they assist you in setting everything up and will aid in the AM if you need help on breaking camp. It was helpful and a very nice idea just not a very nice campground. It was weedy, uneven and poorly drained so it did not make a great impression. In fact, it was likely our least favorite place we have stayed. There are so many beautiful places near the town and I imagine Oliver could set up a 6 or seven spot campground on property they own or could buy and really do a first night well. Location does influence your experience and while the trailer was great the environment was far from ideal. If you are going to provide a service to your guests and customers, it ought to be the best you can do. Here much of the experience is out of Oliver’s control and leads to a less than great event.
Pretty trees but not much else to recommend this place.
Forgot /
I meant to post a photo of my spiffy new warm hat with the post from a couple of days ago and I know you did not want to miss it. Sure. Note the red pins in Alaska. Some of those technically represent two parks. For example there is Denali National Park and Denali National Preserve. DN Preserve surrounds much of the National Park, the difference being land use. The preserve permits some hunting, some ATV and snowmobiles etc. But they are a separate park under the mystic rules of the NPS. And we will need to be in both to actually visit all 418 parks. There are four or five parks with this structure in Alaska. The five northwestern pins and the one at the head of the Aleutians are the most challenging to get to visit. You can only drive to three of these parks and two preserves.
Still Spending! /
Planned maintenance on the truck also leads to unplanned expenses. The mechanic noted that the drive shaft support bearing was badly worn and needed replaced. So we spent an unplanned additional 400+. And it will not be the last I am sure. Also the decision to go with new tires has been made. Not bought yet but decided. I think I am going to get Michelin DEFENDER LTX M/S. The advice was that this is a “slightly” more aggressive tread than the standard LTX and would be great for the type of gravel roads we will encounter in Alaska. They are also highly rated on wet roads and I have heard that it “might” rain in the great north:) I will get these in early May so we have a bit to make sure all is well and will have 100% warrantee for a part of the trip. I have found a company that also has three stores in AK, so that may be an advantage. Since the tires I now have on still have 20k tread life, I will store them in the garage and put them back on when we return and get lots more use from them. Anyway that is the plan.
Clothes /
Like tires, see the kind and helpful comments on 1/29 post, we plan to both take and use them. Figuring out what to take and how much is interesting. We will have days that are hot, especially on the way home, and days that are both cold and wet. We need - or at least every piece of advice reads - layers. So we have been adding layers to our collection of clothes. High on the list is waterproof outwear and we are not sure that is covered. We have upgraded hiking boots and more warm socks, so that is good and added medium weight gloves and warmer hats for both of us. And we both have new jackets from the REI (oops it was the North Face Outlet) store that should be really good for cold days. Packing is not an issue as we have room for a lot of clothes in both the trailer and the truck we just don’t want to take stuff we don’t need. It becomes a chore to sort through two bins of “things you never wore” to get the one thing you need. Anyway, plans go on.
Another (ahem) Milepost Achieved /
The MILEPOST 2019: Alaska Travel Planner Paperback – March 5, 2019
#1 Best Sellerin British Columbia Travel Guides
Ordered last day of January 2019.
Four Months Out! /
So we have set a tentative day to leave on this Alaska trek, May 29th, four months from today. It seems like a long time as we have been planning and reading about what, where and how for over a year but 4 months does not seem like long enough. It is yet there is a lot to get done in the midst of busy work loads for us both.
The route is still being determined but we have waypoints that are set. First goal is South Dakota in the southwest portion where we will visit five parks then due north to ND and three parks then across Route 2 in Montana and into Canada and the Canadian Rockies. We have plans in AK but they are not finished except for arrival in Denali on July 15th. Main routes in Alaska are not too difficult as there are not many prime roads. We are finding a lot of lessor roads that are very intriguing.
Everything is out of the truck to be cleaned, sorted, repacked. Some work there. The truck needs to be checked out and a decision as to tires made. We do plan to use tires - the steel wheel option being ruled out, just not sure if we need new ones. And a spare spare too. The trailer has two factory recalls but I got an appointment locally to handle that end of February. We will plan a two night jaunt to check out things on board in April.
Still working on how to handle bills, mail etc. Lots of details. I am rechecking all our passwords for both laptops and phones with all the programs - amazing how they get out of sync. We are also planning what kind of meals we can do and buying food, not yet but soon, to store. Want to take staples from here both Canada and Alaska are expensive. Things like coffee, peanut butter, cereal, canned soups, dried beef, sugar et al.
Making more decisions on camera gear but some things are done and here, “L” bracket and bag are great. Lots to learn on the software yet.
I need to order and install large mud flaps on the truck and I am looking at covering materials for the front of the trailer to keep rocks from pitting and cracking the fiberglass. Also need to get everything cleaned and all the windows caulked.
A myriad of little details like loading sufficient books on the iPad and Cindy’s Kindle, replenishing first aid and prescriptions, getting documents together, and writing new checklists. (I wrote about that and am trying to learn how to link to my own single day posts.) Click HERE to see if I learned anything
These are a few of the things we will be talking about before we leave on Journey Alaska. As usual suggestions and advice is welcome.
I am also working on myself. I have never been on a vacation without a tight schedule. I know that does not even sound like a vacation to most of you but I wanted to see a lot in a little time. This is really going to be different. I was figuring out how to get to SD in two days and realized I could take three, or be really radical and use four. Hard to adjust your patterns.
Soon /
We will start this section on January 29, 2019
Communication /
We are often told that communication is a key for a successful marriage. This may be true but it is clear that if you want your marriage to work while backing a trailer into a camp site, you need to not just shout instructions you need a plan! We struggled to get this done. I think largely because of my lack of ability to actually back up the trailer let alone back into a rock and tree-lined site designed by M. C. Escher. Enter help via walkie-talkie. This was not our idea but the recommendation of the folks from Long-Long Honeymoon who have an excellent YouTube channel on the joys and travails of RV travel. (Mostly joys) We bought these two made by Arcshell with chargers from Amazon for just a bit under $25 and they work really well. The sound is clear, they announce your channel so you don’t have to guess, they hold a charge for many days and we look very cool using them. We first tried to use our phones but often - and usually with the most challenging site, we would not have cell coverage. We used these several times on our last two trips and they made slotting into a camp site a much easier job. We even followed their suggestion that we drop left and right and use passenger side and driver side, very helpful. Highly recommend. And while we have linked to Long-Long Honeymoon for a long time in our Connections tab here is their web site - http://longlonghoneymoon.com, go and be inspired.
We bought ours at Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Arcshell-Rechargeable
Set Up Organization (3 photos) /
I found quickly that I needed organization for the things I needed to set up the trailer. The box I had dd not really work and all the stuff needed did not fit and everything needed to be in one place. So I found this closet organizer at the Container Store - a very dangerous place for me. In fact in nearly four years in Raleigh I think I have earned my own parking space out front with a sign and everything. Anyway, this was on sale in January two years ago and I bought it. It has three drawers - you need the metal ones for the top two. I secured it in place with two velcro ties and they keep it from sliding around. I keep blocks on the top row, electric connection, water hose, filter, cleaning rag and electric surge protector in the second and the third gets little things, hose wrench, gloves, oil, small parts, tapes, repair parts, rags and more. The lid is important for this one to keep stuff clean because dirt filters down from the top. In four long trips it has been perfect. It all fits behind the tailgate and under the cover. Everything is easy to get to and put back. This cost about $75 on sale and has been well worth the investment.
Tennessee - Townsend - Little Arrow /
I stayed here four days for a photography event in the GSMNP in fall of 2016. I was in a nice spot by the creek and it was quiet at night as the campground is the very last thing before entering the park, so no traffic at night. It had on site water, electric, sewer and cable and was about $55 a night. Way less than staying at the lodge for the conference but more than I would normally spend. Still just fine, convenient to the park and well kept at the time.
New Jersey - Cape May - KOA /
I bet you are thinking, what a great camping site. You would be wrong. The photo is the Cape May - Lewis Ferry on route with our trailer because I never remembered to take a photo at the campground. In my meager defense, I was tired. We dropped off the trailer about 2 (after asking for a better site, their belief in my ability to squeeze backwards into a tiny spot was overly optimistic). We went to a play in Ocean City and back very late and had to be at the ferry by six-thirty. So no photo. This was an old campground transitioning to KOA and had a bit to go. But we were OK, level in the new site and were out easy and early. https://koa.com/campgrounds/cape-may/
Maryland - Frederick - Church /
I parked at this church on Saturday evening - with their permission, of course. Turned out to be a really nice night, easy place to park and easy to exit in the morning. But do go to church if you ask! I have a bit of a relationship with these folks so I was not coming to them as a stranger. Still, very nice of them and perfect for us.
Maine - Orland - Bucksport KOA /
I imagine it is very hard to transition an older, perhaps a bit run down or with different standards RV park into a KOA. My experience has been very positive with KOA overall and I have been pleased with the three parks we have been in that were in the midst of the transition. One in NJ had a long way to go, this park, near Bucksport and Fort Knox in Maine is well underway. It might be because of the engagement of the owners, David and Marlene. I was impressed with their plans and with what they had already accomplished. For our purposes it was a perfect stay. Why? We were headed to the NP campground in Acadia and there we would not have any services for five days. I wanted to: 1. fill the water tank, 2. completely empty grey and black tanks, 3. refill propane and 4. have all the batteries fully charged. We did all that at our site. It was a just enough angle to fully empty tanks, David had the propane filled and everything else worked. We were also only an hour plus to Acadia so easy access to MDI and we arrived early enough to settle in, take a couple of hikes and get ice cream. We MAY have gotten the ice cream first. Good stop, fair price, nice people lots to see in the area. https://koa.com/campgrounds/bucksport/
Massachusetts - Hingham - Wompatuck State Park (2 photos) /
We chose this park for its proximity to Boston and access to the ferry system. It turned out to be an excellent choice for several reasons. First, the park was priced fairly, about $27 a day for out-of-state with electric and water. I really liked the electric stations that were lit at night and had holders to keep the cord off the ground. (it was also easy to see for those of us with poor back up syndrome!) The site we had in the first loop on the right was D007. It was level, had a nice table and fire ring and the site was well spaced with lots of trees. We were about a 10 minute drive from the ferry terminal and since we were going to the NP on a weekend parking was free and the ferry - $15 to Boston. It is fast and convenient. We went first to the Boston Islands NRA, specifically Fort Warren. The second leg was from the island to the dock in Boston. There we spent a day seeing the African American Park and Revere’s house. We also had dinner, dessert and a great walk. Hingham is the home of Talbots, so, just a note you can shop in the original 1948 store and they they have a factory tour which we missed but one of us is a big Talbots fan so when we come back, not only is that on the agenda but we will stay at Wompatuck.
