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

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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!!!

Missing Those Palm Trees and Tradewinds

(Scott AFB, Illinois) 63 degrees, rainy and chilly

We have traveled over 1500 miles from Key West.  What a difference a few miles can make.  Gone are the shorts and flip flops.  Now it is jeans, sneakers, rain coat, and umbrella.  The weather radio got fired up yesterday too. Right now there are hail, high winds,  heavy rains, and flood warnings. Sheesh! 

It seemed like a good morning just to stay put and bake some cinnamon rolls in the oven.  With a few cups of and a serenade from this little bird our new weather pattern did not seem as bad. 

Spotted Towhee

This is our first sighting of a Spotted Towhee. We ended up having to cover the mirrors. He was working himself into a frenzy fighting his reflection. 

We are camping at Scotts Air Force Base in Illinois.  It is very close to St. Louis.  We stopped here for a few days and had dinner with some dear friends who used to live in Indianapolis.  Chet and Chris moved to St. Louis a few years ago and it was so good to see them.  Chris and I used to work together at St. Vincent Carmel. 

We ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant called Favazza's in St. Louis.  Our meal was delicious and it was so nice to catch up with each other's lives and adventures. 

The famcamp at the base is very nice.  There is water and electric and the sites are good size and shaded.  Only downside was we are not able to get a signal with our satellite 



Scott AFB Famcamp



Jimmy is a little sad about his new surroundings.  The weather is not going to be very good and this will prevent much exploring over the next few days.  

Earlier in the week we stayed at two KOA campgrounds.  One was in Forsyth Georgia.  It certainly was not a very level campground (check out our picnic table) but it worked as a good over night stop  One nice perk was warm chocolate chip cookies delivered to our door by one of the workampers.  Yummy!

KOA Forsyth Georgia

Small catch and release fishing pond

Last night we stayed at the Kentucky Lakes/Prizer Point KOA in Cadiz, Kentucky.  This huge campground is not far from the interstate but seemed very much off the beaten path. Most of the sites overlook the  Intercoastal Waterway  How can that be...you ask?  Amazingly this waterway will eventually lead to the Mississippi River.

It is a very pretty setting with lots to offer especially during the summer time.  There are a wide variety of boats to rent (house, pontoon, paddle) and over 150 cabins. Their season is just about to start and we loved seeing the dogwood in bloom streaking across the forest like white lightening. Everything just looks so green and fresh. 

Office and boat center

Kentucky Lake/Prizer Point KOA

We have seen a lot over the past week and plan to take a few days off before heading further west.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Easter!

Fun Filled Week at the FMCA Perry Georgia Convention

(Perry, Georgia)  81 degrees, blue sky

We have had a great time at the FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association) Convention in Perry Georgia.  There were over 2900 rigs here in attendance scattered around the Georgia Fairgrounds.  It was very interesting watching all the motorcoaches arrive and seeing the dedicated parking crew get everyone nestled in together. 

There were motorcoaches of all types and price ranges.  This is our second convention and we liked this location very much.  All the vendors, class rooms and food vendors are in the same area. A bicycle certainly makes getting around a lot easier but there is also a tram and many people also had golf carts.

 

FMCA Perry Georgia Convention



 

Interesting "Toad" (tow vehicle)



We rode around on our bikes and checked out all the rigs. We got there early and it was fun to watch all the action.






 

 
Prior to the convention we made arrangements to have a satellite dish installed by  Internet Anywhere.  We had met this couple at another rally in Brookville Florida.  He gave an excellent seminar and it really helped us understand why our current satellite was not working properly   

It took about three hours to complete and it is so great to use our DVR again.  No more commercials!  It was rather complicated to figure out how to work around our old system but they did a great job and are very knowledgeable.  We also contacted Dish and signed a waiver so we can now receive local channels (additional cost of $12/month for ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox).  We decided to have the East Coast feed turned on.  When we are out west our programs will be all taped before we watch them in the evening.  Pretty cool!

We met up with our friends Al, Joyce, and Judy from Indiana.  They were traveling to Florida and it was so great to see them.  Al and Joyce were camp hosts at the White River Campground and had helped us so much with some early maintenance when we first got our motorhome.  

Joyce, Al, and Judy

  

We attended lots of classes at the convention.  There were four sessions each day with a wide variety of topics to select.  One of my favorite presenters are  Chris and Jim with  Geeks on Tour .  They offer educational computer classes for RVers.  I have attended previous classes which helped me set up this blog and organize all my photos with Picassa.  The Droid tether that I use for the Internet (PdaNet) was also something I learned from them.  I highly recommend the educational videos available on their website. 

Geeks on Tour

Here are a few of the classes that we attended:

• Face- to- Face with Facebook
• Basic Principles of Generator Maintenance
• Kiln Fused Glass  Jewelry
• Cummins Engine
• Microwave/Convection Cooking
• RVing in Australia/New Zealand
• GPS Navigation with Microsoft Streets & Tips
• Ten Maintenance Tips Every RVer Should Know

Kiln Fused Jewelry

• RVing to Alaska
• Spartan Chassis Maintenance
• Strengh Training for Women

There was also great entertainment each night.  We saw Mac Frampton and Lorrie Morgan perform.  

All the new motorhomes were on display.  The price tag for many of them was a little shocking.  We are very happy with our motorhome and feel blessed not to have any payments or mortgage.  

Not to be missed at this convention are the vendor booths.  There were two buildings with everything  for the RVer.  We found a great area rug that does not kill the grass.  Plus lots of small items like a towel rack that will dry our towels quicker and longer tire stems to make checking tire pressures a breeze. We also stocked up on The Solution a great wax for your RV. 

Les and Kathy

We also saw our friends from Indiana Les and Kathy.  They called us after seeing on Facebook that we were in the area.  They were staying out at Warner Robins AFB Famcamp  and are attending the conference by using a day pass.   

 

One evening they invited us out to have dinner with some of their friends  at the chow hall on base.  Some of the airmen were also having dinner there.  They sure looked young!  The campground was very nice. 



Warner Robins AFB Famcamp

John and Al

Our last evening was spent with Al.  His wife writes the blog Dream Reacher. They have been full timing since 2008 and have helped build many churches during their time on the road. It was nice to hear about their experiences and how much they are enjoying full timing.  

We left the convention and headed back to Florida.  We had breakfast with two NOMADS couples (John & Eileen and Randy & Fran) who are now working another project in Ocala.  They are painting a UMC church in the area.  We were amazed by all that had been accomplished in just a week.  We made plans to get together this fall in New Mexico.

"camping" in the bay

Currently we are in Tampa at the Lazy Days having some work done on our motorcoach.  One of the airbags over our right front tire is deflating and our stove had not been working properly.  We also decided to have some routine maintenance done at the same time.  Some of the required work will need approval from our warranty so last night we stayed in a bay.  That was interesting!  We had 50 amp service and water.  The security lights, however, were bright and on all night.  We will have to get something to block the light better in our bedroom windows.

Our friends, Al, Joyce, and Judy met up with us again yesterday and we decided to drive to St. Petersburg and check out the beach.  They had not seen the ocean yet and it was a perfect day for a road trip.  Traffic was grid locked due to spring break but we eventually made it.  We had an awesome dinner at the Rock Salt Grill in Indian Shores (suburb of St. Pete).  It is by far the best dinner we have had since leaving Indiana.  If you are in the area be sure to check it out.  Ask for a dock side table.  The fresh fish is delivered by boat to the dock each day. 

That's all for now!  Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment or send an email.