Alaska TV Shows, Books and Other Information
In 4-6 weeks, we will begin our 3rd trip to Alaska. For the last year or so I have really enjoyed watching a couple of TV shows that some of you might also enjoy. One is "Buying Alaska" on the Discovery Channel and the other is "Alaska Railroad" on Destination America channel.
These two shows are very interesting to me because many times they show places that we have been or provide information about places we want to go. After watching the Alaska Railroad show, I know that I will be taking the flag train out of Talkeetna. Two years ago, when we were in Talkeetna, the weather was such that it was so foggy and rainy that we knew we would not be able to see much so we passed on the train. This year, we will stay in Talkeetna until we have a good day and I will take the ride.
I know this has been discussed on a different topic, but I want to mention it again. Be sure to purchase the coupon book that cost about $100. There is a coupon for the train and also for boat trips out of Valdez and Seward that we plan to do. Just one trip pays for the book. It is a great deal. Of course, we also have our old Mile Post from previous trips. We will wait to buy a new one as we are underway. The price is much cheaper than if we order.
We also have the latest edition of the Traveler's Guide to Alaska Camping. If you are into Walmart or Sam's boondocking, I suggest you purchase the map book that has the listing of all stores in the back. The listing includes GPS coordinates, phone number and other store information. There is also a yahoo email group that discusses Walmart and Sam's overnight parking. That group also has a listing that is fairly up to date. It won't help you much when in Alaska (lack of stores) but it sure comes in handy on the journey through the lower 48.
Lastly, we belong to the YMCA or as it is now known, The Family Y. Our membership allows us to use the "Away Program" which means that we can use most Y facilities in the world. What we usually do is stop during the day, get in a workout, shower and then continue down the road. Many of the facilities also have WifI.
Typically, we travel on the cheap, either boondocking or staying in city, state or federal campgrounds. Of course, every couple of days, we stay in a nice campground so we can regroup. I too have a very extensive list that I use in hopes of having everything that we need.
Please respond with any other suggestions relating to travel on the cheap. I am so looking forward to this trip. We will probably leave Hattiesburg early to mid June, go to Backus, MN for some repairs on our Scamp 5th wheel and then head up the road. We will probably return home by late October, after making some stops in CO, AZ, and NM.
These two shows are very interesting to me because many times they show places that we have been or provide information about places we want to go. After watching the Alaska Railroad show, I know that I will be taking the flag train out of Talkeetna. Two years ago, when we were in Talkeetna, the weather was such that it was so foggy and rainy that we knew we would not be able to see much so we passed on the train. This year, we will stay in Talkeetna until we have a good day and I will take the ride.
I know this has been discussed on a different topic, but I want to mention it again. Be sure to purchase the coupon book that cost about $100. There is a coupon for the train and also for boat trips out of Valdez and Seward that we plan to do. Just one trip pays for the book. It is a great deal. Of course, we also have our old Mile Post from previous trips. We will wait to buy a new one as we are underway. The price is much cheaper than if we order.
We also have the latest edition of the Traveler's Guide to Alaska Camping. If you are into Walmart or Sam's boondocking, I suggest you purchase the map book that has the listing of all stores in the back. The listing includes GPS coordinates, phone number and other store information. There is also a yahoo email group that discusses Walmart and Sam's overnight parking. That group also has a listing that is fairly up to date. It won't help you much when in Alaska (lack of stores) but it sure comes in handy on the journey through the lower 48.
Lastly, we belong to the YMCA or as it is now known, The Family Y. Our membership allows us to use the "Away Program" which means that we can use most Y facilities in the world. What we usually do is stop during the day, get in a workout, shower and then continue down the road. Many of the facilities also have WifI.
Typically, we travel on the cheap, either boondocking or staying in city, state or federal campgrounds. Of course, every couple of days, we stay in a nice campground so we can regroup. I too have a very extensive list that I use in hopes of having everything that we need.
Please respond with any other suggestions relating to travel on the cheap. I am so looking forward to this trip. We will probably leave Hattiesburg early to mid June, go to Backus, MN for some repairs on our Scamp 5th wheel and then head up the road. We will probably return home by late October, after making some stops in CO, AZ, and NM.
