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!!!

Wandering the Yukon - Dempster Highway, Northern Lights, Hot Springs, Great Food, Wildlife and More

Whitehorse, Yukon  (45 degrees, lots of rain)

Driving over the Top of the World Highway in the rain took its toil. Cleaning up the jeep and motorhome took a lot of time and effort. We had planned to stay at Tombstone Territorial Campground on the Dempster Highway but again rain was predicted and its a very rugged pot filled road. We were feeling a little beat up and decided to pass and take a road trip in the jeep instead. 

The Dempster Highway extends 457 miles towards a small Inuvik community and basically follows an old dog sled route. We drove about 62 miles of it. We have seen a lot of Alaska and wondered how different this road would be and whether it was really worth the effort.  It is!  Even though we were out there on a very rainy day it was so beautiful. What was especially interesting was the vast stretches of tundra. 

The campground, Tombstone, is about 45 miles in with primitive sites and very popular. There are some sites which would be great for big rigs. The sites are first come, first served and from what we have heard you would want to arrive early to snag one. There are a few pull out places further north which could be used if not available. The Visitor Center was very helpful and the warm fire and hot tea were so appreciated.

From Dawson City we headed further southeast to a small town called Pelly Crossing. This was just a stopover and it turned out we were in the right place at the right time to see the Aurora Borealis late at night.  I had downloaded an app on my phone which alerted me conditions were favorable for seeing it. John set the alarm clock for 1 a.m.  He got up to look out and rushed back to wake me up. What a cool phenomenon. It was like a thin lacy green ribbon streaking across the skyline. One minute it was visible and the next it was gone.  A few minutes later it would streak across again. We woke up our friends Bob and Becky and together we watched it in awe for quite awhile.  What an experience. Our pictures are terrible but we will remember this night forever.

From here we went to another hot spring outside of Whitehorse. The drive here was so pretty as we drove by many lakes and forests. The Yukon has a raw beauty all its own. We like it.

TIP:Be sure to stop at the Five Finger Rand Overlook. Take the stairs down to the overlook for a beautiful view.

Five Fingers Rapids (over 230 stairs each way to see it but well worth the effort)

The campground at the hot spring was very peaceful and nice. Although the hot spring is dated (a renovation is planned) it was very clean and felt great. It's also very reasonable and the staff are helpful and courteous.



Next to our campground was the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We spent the afternoon on a pretty day walking around and getting some up close looks at the wildlife.  There is a van trip you can take but we would have had to wait quite awhile to take it and opted to walk instead.

Male Elk

Thin horned sheep

Mountain goat

Lynx

Red fox

Arctic Fox

Caribou

Male moose

Our friends Randy and Fran passed through the area and we all met at the Klondike Rib and Salmon for a delicious dinner together in Whitehorse. It was a long wait but the food was so well prepared and so yummy.  Randy and Fran told us all about a NOMADS project they had led for three weeks. They sure accomplished a lot with  a very limited amount of volunteers.  

TIP:  Go early to the restaurant 

Campground Reviews: 

Pelly River Crossing, Pelly Crossing, Yukon, 2 stars, free ($0-wow), maintained by a First Nations in area, no hookups, no water or dump, free firewood, dirt sites with trees and privacy, somewhat run down, a few can accommodate a big rig, near river, campers nearby "celebrating" late into the night, good Verizon signal

Hot Springs Campground and Hostel, Whitehorse, Yukon, 3 stars, 30 amp pull thru, no water or sewer, dump and water available at campground, level, gravel sites, close together, in pretty birch tree forest, poor Verizon signal, poor WiFi, walking distance to hot springs

Caribou RV Park, Whitehorse, Yukon, 3 stars, 30 amp/water pull thru, no sewer, dump on site, great RV/Car wash on premises, slightly run down, owner  is very friendly and helpful, very limited WiFi (check email only), no Verizon signal, 

TIP: Be sure to make reservations for dinner at the Wolf Den, a Swiss/German restaurant next door. We enjoyed an excellent dinner together.