Aug 15, 2012 - a Dr. Dolittle Day

Dogs have been helping man to survive in the challenging Alaska climate forever. Everyone has seen photos of Eskimos being pulled by dog sleds, but the native people also used dogs for chores like hauling a harpooned whale out of the water and up the beach. As Europeans came to Alaska for fur and gold they learned that they could not survive without the help of dogs. They formed dog teams and followed the Iditarod Trail that had been laid out by the local natives. Sled dogs were used to deliver the mail to isolated communities. The...

Aug 14, 2012 - retracing our steps

Since Homer was at the end of the road on the Kenai Peninsula, we've spent the last few days retracing our route back north into Alaska proper. I hate to jinx it by mentioning it, but the weather has improved considerably and it almost feels like summer. We've stopped to enjoy some spots that were unenjoyable in the rain. At Williwaw Campground we rode our bikes on the Blue Ice Trail beneath glaciers and snowy peaks. Considering the fact that it's the middle of August, it seems like most of that snow should be gone. After this cold, rainy...

Jul 21, 2012 - Wasilla, AK

Not too much to report for this leg of the trip as it rained so much, we had already spent some time here and were basically killing time until our tow package would get installed. But, in keeping with our MO, we left Homer for a VERY long drive in heavy rain towards Anchorage and beyond to Wasilla. Water pooled in the tire grooves on the road in some areas that the Jeep had trouble. Betsy did just fine though - maybe it was the driver??? Needless to say, I kept focused on the task at hand so no pictures along the way. We stayed at the Big...

Jul 19, 2012 - Wasilla, AK

Thu, 19 Jul: We're back in Wasilla for, what we plan, is the last time. The Alaskan highway system pretty much dictates that you drive thru Wasilla/Palmer any way you go. After a nite boondocking on the Turnagain Arm we arrived at the Anchorage Winnebago dealer around noon. The part had arrived & they took the coach in as soon as we disconnected the car. Ozzie was scheduled to do the work and we trust him. Great news. While Ozzie worked we drove to Costco for lunch & goodies. We returned to the service outfit & about three they backed Carpe...

Jul 17, 2012 - Wasilla-Home to Lots More Than Sarah!

After our great visit at Ralph's we started on another long travel day...NOT; only 15 miles down the highway to Wasilla and Rick's cousin's driveway! We arrived at Rod and Colleen's home about noon. Colleen (Rick's cousin) was getting ready to go into town and join Rod for lunch at their favorite coffee shop. So we let Colleen finish getting ready and we set set up the rig, unhooked the truck and drove to the coffee shop to join Rod. He was there having coffee with some friends so he joined us and we started to catch up with him. The last...

Jul 10, 2012 - Wasilla, Alaska

I left Talkeetna Camper Park at 09:35AM. Temperatures were in the low 50’s with lots of clouds. I drove Alaska Route 3 south to Wasilla, Alaska where there was light rain when I arrived. It was quite windy during most of the drive today. I saw one moose standing in a small pond alongside the highway but there was no place to pull over to get a picture. I arrived at Big Bear RV Park at 11:25AM. I had asked for a 50amp full hook-up site but all that was available was a 30amp pull through. When I got to the site the power pedestal had a 30amp...

Jul 7, 2012 - Wasilla, AK

Sat, 07 Jul: We received some sad news this morning. Gene Teggatz, a good friend and mentor, passed away yesterday in Forest City, Iowa. Gene and his bride Sandy were very helpful to us when we started RVing and have worked tirelessly to further the "art" of boondocking. Gene was also the president of the Winnebago 365 Club and a HAM radio enthusiast. The Teggatzs have been RVing full-time since 1994. The RV world has lost one of its Good Guys. Our condolences to Sandy and the Teggatz family. Well, we're back again in Wasilla. Our time in...

Jul 2, 2012 - Wasilla

Big Bear campground. Stayed here on our way down to Kenai. Decided to stay here instead, for one reason it was $20 cheaper per night than Anchorage and it's closer to the road to Valdez. As it stands now we'll be here 2 nights. We needed an oil change and to do laundry - again. Drive up from Kenai was a little better than on the way down - no rain today, but overcast. No pictures. Did see one moose on the side of the road. It'sstill a very pleasant and scenic drive. It's interesting the number of huge motor homes and fifth wheelers on the...

Jun 24, 2012 - Wasilla, AK

Big Bear RV Park. We left Denali a day early. Weather was not good for biking - windy and rainy. To do a hike we would have had to get on the bus again for an hour or so. So, here we are in Wasilla. Campground is nice - we have a spot at the edge with some trees. Went to Wamart to stock up. Wasilla is quite a big town for only about 7500 people. Walmart, Target, Walgreen's, Sports Authority, and even a Joann's fabric store. It's still rainy and predicted to rain for the next 4-5 days. Our plan at, this minute, is to go to Seward tomorrow...

Jun 14, 2012 - Wasilla, AK

Thu, 14 Jun: Flag Day! Wasilla, Alaska. We're in the "big city" now. Wasilla is a northern suburb of Anchorage and is best know as the starting place for the Ididerod Sled Race. It is also the town where Sarah Palin served as mayor prior to her highly successful tenure as Alaska's governor. The 175 miles between Cantwell and Wasilla include numerous vantage points from which one can see Denali. We decided to start early so we might get to see "The High One" before the afternoon clouds set in. Accordingly, we got Carpe ready, filled our...

Jun 6, 2012 - Day 43, Wasilla day 2

Day 43, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 We started the day with blue skies and took a drive to find another place to stay. We both hate this one. We drove through Palmer which is only 5 miles from Wasilla. If I had to pick a place to live up here, it would probably be Palmer. It is right next to the mountains with open fields of really green grass that are filled with yellow dandelions right now. We even saw a reindeer farm. Then the clouds lowered and the rain started. Not heavy, but steady. So… we went to the movies. This time we saw “Snow White...

Jun 5, 2012 - Day 42, drive to Wasilla

Day 42, Tuesday, June 05, 2012 It was a fairly short journey today. We drove about 60 uneventful miles south to Wasilla. We are staying at the Big Bear RV Park right between Wasilla and Palmer. It’s a beautiful day here, sunshine and about 63 degrees. We’ve been watching coverage on the TV of the transit of Venus that couldn’t be seen down there. We didn’t have the special glasses we need to watch for real. Venus is moving across the face of the sun right now and won’t do it again for another 130 something years. We drove down the...