Day 72 of the Retirement trip It's hard to believe it has been a week ago today that we have left the group in Smithers, BC. Looking back, we drove 206 mls. from Stewart/Hyder to Smithers. We had drinks with Jim and Connie and made plans to see them in Arizona in November. That night the group had a farewell dinner. We went around the room telling what we liked the most or our favorite memory. I spoke for Pat and I and said I would definitely miss the Trip Log to keep track of where we were going, that all the amazing views along the way were my favorite. Finally, I added a thank you to the group for all the help they gave us "Green horns", getting us through our first big adventure. Jack ... read more

Day 38 - Friday August 23 Whitehorse, YT to Skagway, AK 104 miles We turned on to the Klondike Highway headed south the views again were beautiful. We passed Emerald Lake with rainbow-colors resulting from the blue-green light waves reflecting off the white sediment on the lake bottom. The pictures do not do it justice. We also passed Carcross Desert, Bove Island in Tagish Lake, the Yukon/British Columbia border and proceeded to the Alaska border. Before reaching the border we drove the windy roads through the rocky valley of Summit Lake and reached White Pass Summit (3290 ft.). To add to the adventure it was foggy again that day and our visibility around shear cliffs was about 75 feet. We crossed the Captain William Moore Bridge a unique cantilever bridge over Moore Creek spanning a 110 ... read more

Day 32 - Saturday, August 17 The drive from Palmer to Valdez was 260 miles filled with more amazing views. My life list has always included a land tour of Alaska and I have not been disappointed. At every turn there has been breathtaking scenery that we never tire of. Each river, lake, mountain, valley and glacier have their own unique glory. We did have some rain and low clouds, but even with that it adds to the texture and beauty. We saw the Matanuska Glacier and River, along the Richardson Highway were the Wrangell Mountains, and got a picture of the Worthington Glacier along the Thompson Pass. Around one turn was the Bridal Veil Falls on the left and the Horsetail Falls on the right. Astounding. When we arrived at the Eagle's Rest RV Park ... read more

Day 28 Tuesday August 13 Homer to Seward 175 Miles We woke up to this glorious sunrise streaming into our front window, but there was a shroud of clouds covering the entire range of mountains. It was eerie to think that the mountains were hidden just behind them. Before we left, the veil was lowering and we could see the tops of the mountains for the last time on the spit. We retraced our path up to Kenai and headed east, then picked up Alaska Highway 9 at Tern Lake Junction. We pulled into the City of Seward Parks and Recreation Caravan Camping area around 2:15. We are right on the water at the Seward area of Cook Inlet. We had friends over for fresh halibut that they caught yesterday. Then took a walk down the ... read more

Denali National Park to Anchorage 239 Miles Days 21 - 22 - 23 August 6, 7, and 8 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday We made a stop about 68 miles into the drive and we saw the top of Denali, and so did Leisel. There was a town named Houston along the way population 1340 and only a post office noted on the trip log. We got gas in Wasilla. Anyone recognize the name? It is Sarah Palin's hometown where she was mayor before becoming governor of Alaska. But, that is not where she can see Russia from. Then on to the Golden Nugget RV Park. This was an exciting stop right off the bat. Nicole and Jason have been collecting our mail since July 1st and that was the address we left for them to ship ... read more