On the Road with "Roll Call Alaska 2013"......

[JANETRUPP]

Okay all my Alaska family...Here it is...
As requested I am starting a new thread for all you "Roll Call Alaska 2013" travelers to blog all your adventures.
This may help others traveling behind us or those going next year. Any news on roads, gas, what to see or miss. Anything.... just blog and tell of your adventures on one of our most memorable trips.

We start out tomorrow (only as far as Vegas..:C) but will be slowly heading up and away on our trip.

So start Bloging and lets keep in touch.

Travel safe and smart!!!!
Janet

[lizzie]

Thanks to Sue for the fishing information. I am still hoping that my husband will catch a fish. lizzie

[Hjudge49]

We must have gotten thru the fires on the Parks just before they closed it. We spent the night last night in Ship Creek park in Anchorage. The site was so slanted we had to spent almost an hour moving the rig until we could get it level, walked down to the creek and watched the Kings trying to get over the dam. I was hoping to get a repair made to my Hydro-hot, but the RV service place was booked. Fortunately, they had the part I needed and I fixed it myself. On to the Kenai today, Klondike RV park for a few days, then Oceanview in Homer over the fourth of July. If anyone had stayed at the Talkeetna Camper Park, please give me a review. We are thinking of taking our daughter and grandkids up there for a few days when they arrive in mid-July.

[donp5311]

Got into Valdez around 1:30 pm after leaving Sourdough camp ground in Tok AK and driving thru the smoke from the fires in AK. The drive to Valdez is beyond words never thought we'd make to town because we where stopping all the time. Bought our tour saver book at Safeway and then booked a Glacier cruise with Stan Stephen and already paid for the book. $99 and no TAXES. Halibut fishing Sat and then Bear watching across the bay by Valdez pipe terminal. Sue's pictures were right on.

[Two_Hands]

Thank you Sue for posting those beautiful pictures of the Valdez area. We are now in the Cottonwood Creek RV Park on Kluane Lake in the Yukon. This park is very, very nice, only 15 amp and no sewer, but very nice. This part of the Alaska Highway has not improved since we took it a few weeks ago.

[lapinebob]

We are here in Seward and the weather is beautiful. Visiting with friends and went fishing yesterday. A grizzly walked out of the brush about 30' away, must have smelled our fish. We were on ATV's and I couldn't get mine in reverse, ADRENALIN RUSH, for some reason it went back in the brush. It can have that stretch of river!!!

[CA_Traveler]

Yikes! The Parks Highway is closed between Fairbanks and Denali due to a fire. Hope it's open tomorrow. http://511.alaska.gov/alaska511/mappingcomponent/index

Lots of smoke in Fairbanks.

[Munches_On_The_]

No one has mentioned the Smokey Mountains. Very disappointing to see the haze hiding the beautiful mountains tween Tok and Anchorage. Hope they get that fire under control soon,

[sue_t]

fanrgs wrote:
Sue: We had lunch yesterday at the fantastic Quail's Gate winery in West Kelowna, BC. Gorgeous views of Lake Okanagan from our table next to the windows, vineyards everywhere in sight, beautiful flowers in hanging baskets and pots and growing at the end of each row of grape vines. Great wine, great food! What more could you ask? This valley is now on our list of favorite places ever and we will have to come back again. Reminds us of Lake Como in Italy--nothing to compare in the US wine regions.

So, we have finally arrived in Canada. Today I am starting my mile-by mile geology blog for the Milepost "Central Access Route" to the Alaska Highway. If you are casually interested in the geology along some of the roads in Canada and Alaska that we are now traveling and you may be traveling soon, take a look at:

Milepost Alaska Highway Geology

Hope some of you are left in Alaska by the time we get there!

West Kelowna is a lovely area. I lived in Kelowna for about five years so am familiar with wine country too!

Checked your blog ... the Good Friday Earthquake ... I remember it well. Lived in Beaver Creek YT then and our lawn split open! The November following the earthquake we visited Valdez and Anchorage. Incredible amount of damage!

[CA_Traveler]

At Rivers Edge (site H13) in Fairbanks and have met Hjudge49 Bob Mathis (departed), pistolpeter55 Peter Poulin (still here?) and pnordan Paul Nordan. Previously we met gandalf42 Mike and Pat Lindsley and DannyLeininger Dan and Jeanne Leininger. It's been fun to share stories and information. A non rv.net person got us interested in the Hurricane Turn train - the last regular flag stop train in the US.

Friday we depart for Denali Riverside RV Park then to Talkeetna Camper Park (we hope). We have reservations for the Hurricane Turn train out of Talkeetna on 7/4. Anyone else taking this train? ``

Hopefully this will get us through the holidays and CG sites will open up somewhat.

[CA_Traveler]

fanrgs,

We've been viewing your website. What a great combination of text and photography. While currently in Fairbanks we're looking forward to having your handy website for information and viewing on our way home.

[fanrgs]

Sue: We had lunch yesterday at the fantastic Quail's Gate winery in West Kelowna, BC. Gorgeous views of Lake Okanagan from our table next to the windows, vineyards everywhere in sight, beautiful flowers in hanging baskets and pots and growing at the end of each row of grape vines. Great wine, great food! What more could you ask? This valley is now on our list of favorite places ever and we will have to come back again. Reminds us of Lake Como in Italy--nothing to compare in the US wine regions.

So, we have finally arrived in Canada. Today I am starting my mile-by mile geology blog for the Milepost "Central Access Route" to the Alaska Highway. If you are casually interested in the geology along some of the roads in Canada and Alaska that we are now traveling and you may be traveling soon, take a look at:

Milepost Alaska Highway Geology

Hope some of you are left in Alaska by the time we get there!

[sue_t]

Lizzie, stealing the italicized text below from a Fairbanks chat site:

Several of the local lakes (Chena, Harding, Birch, Quartz) are stocked with silver salmon. You can also catch silvers and kings on the Salcha River, with the kings running in July. See Salcha River Alaska King Salmon Run Escapement Chart for a graph of fish counts from the July 2009 run. Plus there's king salmon fishing on the Chena River during the July run - see Chena River Alaska King Salmon Run Escapement Chart. As these two references mention, most king fishing is done near the mouth of both rivers. Less salmon upstream plus the further up they go the more beat up they get.

Here are two links I found online for fishing guides in the interior:
- http://wildernessfishing.com/index.htm
- http://www.wildernessenterprises.com/Sport-Fishing/

[lizzie]

I love Valdez, almost tempted to go back but we need to keep moving. Left Homer this morning and are now in Seward for a few days at site 67 in Resurrection North. Can anyone recommend a guide service for salmon fishing in the Fairbanks area? I cannot explain this absurd request at this time but would appreciate suggestions. lizzie

[sue_t]

26 June 2013 - RAINFALL warning for Thursday along the area from Dawson Creek through Fort Nelson to Stone Mountain along the Alaska Highway. Up to 3 inches and maybe some hail too!

To keep up-to-date on weather warnings visit Environment Canada at
http://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html

[sue_t]

The scenery into Valdez: