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!!!

$$$ Are Flying Out Of Our Wallet

Austin, TX (rainy, cold, 42 degrees)

We enjoy our fulltiming lifestyle and sharing some of the beautiful places we visit. RV maintenance is another part of it and the most challenging and expensive. John is very handy and can handle some of this and we also  budget for maintenance and emergencies. This time it was more than expected. It's important in Florida to schedule maintenance appointments way in advance. One place we have received good service is Cummins in Ocala Florida. 

We have a big adventure ahead of us (Alaska) and made an appointment to have a checkup with them four months ago. Filters, oils, and a grease job were completed. All went well until at checkout. We were told the exhaust manifold was leaking and they did not have time to fix it.  Our schedule did not have a lot of wiggle room and the soonest they could get us in was late February.  Good grief.  We called several surrounding Cummins locations and finally got an appointment with one in Kenner Louisiana. The only snag was we could not stay in the rig and the refrigerator had to be turned off. Oh, and it was close to Mardi Gras. Trying to find a reasonable hotel was not easy but luckily we snagged a nice room at the nearby Navy Base.  We gave all our food away at Betty's RV Park and headed back for the service appointment. 

They ordered our parts ahead of time and were very efficient and helpful to us upon arrival. The manifold was to take two days but soon they told us the exhaust needed a major repair and parts would have to be ordered.  Now we were getting very close to Mardi Gras and the price tag just doubled. After four days we were able to pick it up and scooted out of town just prior to the big crazy event. 

WW II Museum (photo from website)

During our waiting time we did visit the World War II museum in New Orleans. What an amazing museum. It took most of the day to just see the highlights. If you go be sure to pay extra ($5) to see the movie narrated by Tom Hanks. It's 4-D and took five years to complete. It's a huge museum and it takes you through each of the conflicts in a timeline as you walk through it. There are lots of testimonials you can listen to which were fascinating. 

We also visited the site of the Battle of New Orleans in Chalmette. The ranger spent a lot of time with us explaining all that had occurred at this historic site. Be sure to watch the movie. It is well done. One of the great benefits of fulltiming is visiting the places which were important to the history of our country. 

We left New Orleans and all seemed to be going well until the fuel filter light went off. We arrived late in the evening and John went out in the rain and cold to see if he could change it. The filter was hard to remove and the filter wrench he was using suddenly cut the filter and diesel fuel poured all over him. Good grief. It took forever to get him and the ground cleaned up. 

The next day we left and John even got out of the motorhome a couple of times and walked around to be sure all was OK. We arrived at the state park in Austin Texas and as we backed into the site we found the jeep, kayaks, and the inside and outside of the back of the motorhome covered in thick oil. What a mess. Oh, and again it was sleeting and so cold. We called a local mobile mechanic and he recommend calling Cummins in the morning in Austin. It took us two days to get in and  all that time to wash the jeep and motorhome. We had to stop at Walmart to get some special stuff to get the oil off and other stuff to try and remove the diesel fuel from Johns clothes from the previous day.  What a mess.

John was worried that another expensive repair was ahead of us and we had a deadline to meet in Albuquerque for doctors appointments. Luckily it turned out to be an easy fix. They found a bolt was not tightened down on the turbo which caused the big leak. The even better news was the Cummins in Kenner picked up the cost of the repair without us even having to ask. So, we are back on the road heading to Albuquerque with fingers crossed.  

Celebrating Our Second Anniversary As Full Timers

 

Port Charlotte, FL (78 degrees, sunny with clear skies)

Today we celebrate our second anniversary as full timers. It's humbling to look back over the past two years and review some of the amazing things we have seen and done. We are very blessed and continue to enjoy this lifestyle. Although this may not be for everyone, it is perfect for us. 

 

We started our second year in White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico and are currently in Port Charlotte, Florida.  Here is a map of our different stops along the way.   

This year we have

• Traveled 7076 miles in the motorhome
• Explored many more miles in the jeep
• Spent at least one night in 15 States
• Managed a sport memorabilia kiosk in Port Charlotte, Florida
• Worked for a KOA in Watkins Glen, New York
• Volunteered at White Sands National Monument
• Participated in one NOMADS project in Tucson Arizona
• Attended two rally’s (FMCA Indio, CA & Gypsy Journal Rally Yuma, AZ)
• Marveled at many beautiful waterfalls, sunsets, sunrises, and star filled skies
• Paddled several rivers and lakes in our kayak
  
• Took the motorcoach and jeep on a ferry ride
  
• Made many new friends
  
• Treasured several visits from family and friends
  
• Plus so much more.  Here are a few of the highlights

White Sands National Monument was a magical place.  We even had the whole place to ourselves with several volunteers when the main road closed due to a snow storm. 

 

The deserts in Arizona and California were so beautiful and we were awed by the spectacular sunsets. 

 

 

 

We had a lot of fun locating creasted cactus, a unusual and rare phenomenon which some cactus form.

One morning we woke up to a sudden snowfall in Sedona Arizona.  The 17 inch snowfall dusted the spectacular red rocks and for a few hours before it melted we experienced a very rare event. One photographer next to me said “it’s moments like this when you really know there is a God”. 

 

 

Before

After



We spent five months workamping at Watkins Glen KOA in New York.  The Finger Lakes are very pretty and the extended stay allowed us a chance to really experience New York.  We saw lots of waterfalls

The very small….

To the humongous Niagara Falls

Touring some wineries in the Finger Lakes was very interesting.  I learned a lot about wine from the wine tastings over the summer and have a new appreciation. 







A visit to NYC was a highlight and we especially enjoyed being able to see John’s sister, Martha, perform a lovely concert. 

 

We enjoyed moose hunting and celebrating Martha’s birthday in Vermont.  The cousins were all together and it was so much fun.  

 

 

 

On our way to Florida we even took the motorcoach and our jeep on two ferry rides to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  

 

 

 

A new roof was put on our motorhome in Indiana and we added a comfy new sofa bed.  Plus in Delaware the motorhome got six new shoes (tires). My brother helped us also improve our sound system for the TV and we installed a new radio.  The IPOD capability sure has been fun to use as we travel down the road. 

 

 

We are now in Florida and and will soon be starting a  fun filled trip with our friends JC and Bev for three months all around Florida. Life is good.   We remain very grateful that we can travel and enjoy this lifestyle.  It’s been another great trip around the sun.