Day 29 - My Alaska trip epilogue

---

I like statistics, so let's start with these:

• Number of days traveling: 28

• Number of days that I had the top down on the Miata: 28 (even the three mostly-rainy days on my trip had periods when I was able to put the top down)

• Miles driven: 6260 (10,075 kilometers)

• Total trip miles including ferry travel: 6740 (10,847 kilometers)

• Total hours driving: about 145 (based on average speed of 45 MPH)

• Amount of gas used on trip: about 250 gallons (946 liters)

• Number of times I stopped for gas: about 45 (metric units = 45)

• Number of times I stopped at a rest area (or peed in the bushes): probably 100+

• Number of cell phones lost at a rest area: 1

• Number of Lipton Diet Green Tea bottles consumed: 60

• Coldest temperature on trip: 4 below zero! (Celsius) in Burwash Landing (Yukon Territory, Canada)

• Warmest temperature on trip: 86 degrees (Fahrenheit) in Vancouver, WA (last day of trip)

• Number of nights spent in a Bed and Breakfast: 16

• Number of nights spent in motels, ferry cabin and Burwash Landing "Resort": 11

• Number of Miatas seen in Alaska: 4 (two from Alaska Miata Club and two more seen the same day)

• Number of vehicles seen in Alaska with Washington license plates: 1

• Number of vehicles seen in Alaska with Oregon license plates: 0

• Travel blog entries: 31

• Travel blog words written: 20,000

• Travel blog photos posted: 322

• Travel blog "views": almost 1000 as of today

• Photos taken and kept: about 1500 (love those digital cameras!)

• Additional photos taken but discarded as I traveled: probably 300+ (love those digital cameras!)

And random comments and observations:

• The champion of the trip? The Miata! It always started, always ran and never had a single problem. And the car was surprisingly comfortable for long-distance driving. I definitely "bonded" with the car on this trip and have affirmed my decision to take this car on the journey.

• The pacing of the trip: My research for this trip really paid off because I decided early on to limit my driving to 200-300 miles daily (except for a few days coming home when I drove more). This usually put me at my destination each day by early afternoon and gave me lots of time to explore and hike and work on my blog. It also worked out great to anchor myself in Palmer, AK for five days while I did day-trips from there.

• Wildlife encountered: Musk ox, bear, moose, elk, pika, ground squirrel, tree squirrel, Rocky (the flying) squirrel, geese, swan, ducks, eagle (in a fir tree) and a partridge (in a pear tree).

• Emergency items carried in Miata: two spare tires, tools, air compressor, spare parts (hoses, belts, filters, fuses, wiper blades), fire extinguisher, road flares, emergency road reflectors, 2-gallons gasoline, flashlight, jumper cables, oil, rope and rain gear.

• Emergency items actually used on the trip: none (well, I loaned the jumper cables to a Mercedes owner)

• Things I should have left at home: ultra-cold weather clothing, two-thirds of my regular clothes (and done more laundry on the road), travel and guide books (I'd already read them and taken notes), half of my snack foods, a full-sized (folding) camp chair, books to read and DVD's to watch (never had time)

• Snack foods carried in Miata (for hiking, roadside snacks and, oftentimes, lunch): peanut butter and crackers, dried fruits, oranges and Rice Krispie treats.

• Food costs: Actually quite low; breakfast was always included at B&B's, I usually ate my snack food for lunch on the road (or hiking) and dinner was the only meal that I had to purchase separately.

• The weather: I'm just repeating myself here, but the weather for the entire trip was amazing! Considering that September is actually the rainy season in many parts of Alaska, I got really lucky with many sunny and/or partly cloudy days. Even the few rainy days were light rain and didn't last all day.

• Internet availability: It was very common, even in low-cost motels, to find Internet service available in Alaska and Canada. In extremely remote locations it was always satellite-based (which is very slow) but at least it was usable. The only place where I didn't have Internet access was on the Inland Passage ferry and one night at a B&B where their service was just too flaky and frustrating to bother with.

• Health issues: I knew that there was a certain element of risk in taking a journey like this where you are often in extremely remote locations and at a considerable distance from emergency and medical services. Fortunately I had no health problems at all on this trip and never even took an aspirin. I just felt great from beginning to end.

• Staying rested: One reason for staying healthy (I think) was to limit the amount of my daily driving and to always get at least eight hours sleep. Even though I often felt tired after driving for six hours, I would always feel refreshed and ready to hit the road the next day.

• Early morning driving: The first hour of driving each morning was always the hardest; I felt groggy and bored and time seemed to crawl. But then I would snap out of it and feel great for the rest of the day. Perhaps you coffee drinkers know something that I don't. 😊

• Seeing something new each day: When planning my trip, I vowed that I wanted to see something new every single day of the trip and I managed to do that. The only hard days to plan were the first and last days because they were so close to home and because I've already seen so much of the state of Washington, but I managed to find and visit some places that were new to me.

• Strangest question asked by a customs agent: "Do you have any passengers traveling with you?" (uh, do you want to look in the trunk?).

• Second strangest question asked by a customs agent: "What is that clipboard for?" (uh, that's for my travel itinerary and notes.).

• Alaskan versus Canadian rest areas: I now have lots of experience with this topic. Compared to Alaska, Canada has more rest areas (fewer miles between rest areas), better facilities and they're located in much more scenic areas. For some reason, Alaska likes to pick spots that are nothing more than a wide spot in the road with little or no scenic value. Also, Alaskan rest areas are known to suck cell phones directly into their toilets! 😞

• Taxes in Alaska: If you didn't already know, Alaska has very low property taxes, no state income tax, no state sales tax AND, if you live in Alaska, the state sends YOU a check each year (courtesy of the Alaska oil pipeline).

• Biggest high-point of my trip: Too many to mention, but I especially liked all of my hikes and driving through incredibly beautiful areas with the top down on the Miata (and stopping for lunch by a gorgeous lake or stream). I had literally "hundreds" of great moments on this trip!

• Biggest disappointment of my trip: When Sarah Palin decided to resign as Governor of Alaska when she learned that I was planning to visit.

• Isolation and serenity: One huge bonus to traveling in September was the virtual absence of campers and tourists (other than me!). Everywhere I went, on the roads, stopping in rest areas, exploring campgrounds, hiking on trails, I usually had the whole place to myself. I loved it!

• Bed and Breakfasts: Being an extremely introverted person (really!) I tend to avoid B&B's because I prefer my privacy, but this time, because I was traveling alone, I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be a great choice. At the end of the day it was enjoyable to meet new folks and to socialize with them and share stories about Alaska or Canada or traveling or whatever. I liked hearing the stories about how these folks got transplanted from "somewhere else" to "here". It was always interesting. Most of these folks had pets and I liked being able to visit with dogs and cats most evenings as well.

• GPS navigator: Sereda loaned me her GPS navigator for this trip and I loved it; used it constantly. I found it to be accurate about 98%!o(MISSING)f the time, but occasionally it would "get stupid". At one point in British Columbia I took a wrong turn and knew immediately that I had made a mistake, but the GPS was insisting that I was OK and was telling me to continue down the wrong road. I figured (and I've seen this before) that the GPS knew a good alternative way to get me to my destination, so I continued down the "wrong" road for about five miles until the GPS told me to do a U-turn and retrace my steps back to the point where I made the wrong turn. 😞 This was an extremely rural area and the GPS apparently doesn't like to encourage people to do a U-turn in the middle of nowhere, so it waits until you get to an intersection before advising that you need to turn around. Other than this incident (and a few others), I found the GPS to be extremely helpful. I especially like seeing a display of "miles traveled", "miles to go" and "estimated time of arrival".

• The travel blog: Writing the blog was a last-minute decision and I'm really glad I did it. The web site is well-designed and, once you get over the initial learning curve, is fairly easy to use. Normally I wouldn't have been keeping a written diary of my travels and I certainly would have forgotten or confused many details of the journey by the time I got home. I especially like the fact that I was able to share this experience (with daily updates as I traveled) with my friends and relatives. And with the blog, I now have a fairly detailed account of my travels and I plan to have the entire blog (with photos) professionally printed and bound in a book (a service offered by another company that partners with the TravelBlog site).

• Summary: There isn't much more I can add here. If you've been following the blog then you already know what a great experience this has been for me. As I mentioned previously, most vacations tend to fall short of my expectations, but this one totally exceeded them. It was great and I thank you for traveling with me and sharing your comments!

Regards,

Jack

---

Comments

[WG Oliver]

Nice Trip...
Jack... Thanks for letting me Tag along. I hope I didnt upset you with the correction about the Moose/Elk photo. I would like to ask you a question, What was your favorite part (or parts) of Alaska and why? (Yes, I am writting a book) LOL... For the record, your trip timing was spot on, The Snow is half way down the mountains directly behind Anchoarge this AM, and 32 whole degrees this morning. You were behind the throng of tourist's, and in front of the colder weather... Good for you... Thanks again... Bill Anchorage AK PS If you would have posted pics of the pooh, I would have been able to identify the species by that too... True Alaskans just know that stuff

[soytnly]

Bill, Thanks for your comments (and I DID appreciate your correction about the elk!). I liked all of my hikes in Alaska but especially liked hiking around Hatcher Pass and the Independence Mine. I also liked climbing Flattop Mountain and biking along the Tony Knowles trail. I'm curious; how did you find my blog and what do you do in Alaska? Thanks for riding along! Jack

[carole]

Good bye
Loved the recap. You write very well. Perhaps you should do something with it? Thanks for taking me along. Love Carole

[soytnly]

Thanks for your comments!
I know that I haven't responded to every individual comment that's been posted here, but I have read them all and appreciate them all. Thanks for tagging along on my journey! Jack

[Jim Jones]

What a great Miata adventure
Jack, I found your blog this afternoon and have just completed your journey. Thank you for making it available. I drive a Miata myself and really enjoy it. 73, Jim

[Ben Pershing]

Jack, Thank you for emailing me the link to your travel blog. I read it section-by-section and enjoyed your well-composed and well-written description of the journey. Reading about your trip was in some degree itself an adventure! -Ben

[John Sidorenko]

Thanks for Sharing
I accidentally came across your blog this evening while researching info for a friend who just purchased a 99 Miata. You did a great job sharing your experiences. It make me want to plan such a trip. Again, thanks for being an inspiration. John S. Columbus, OH