Roll Call Alaska 2013

[JANETRUPP]

Just thought I'd start a thread regarding who will be starting up to Alaska in 2013. It would be nice if we could share information so everyone has a memorable and safe trip.
We will be leaving around the end of May out of Las Vegas. We will be traveling with our 40' MH and towing our Equinox car. We are heading up with my husband's cousin and her husband and they have an airstream.
We have gone before but in 2005 so we are really looking forward again to the adventure. It is surely a trip of a lifetime and to do it more than once is a blessing. We are only on this earth for a short while.
Travel safe!

Janet

[AprilWhine]

Hubby and I will definitely put my screen name in the window!

In the mean time, here's a pic of our rig, it's big and it's green so fairly easy to spot:

[hjeaton65]

Well....regret that we are going to have to remove our name from the Roll Call for 2013. Dearhubby and I were looking forward to the trip, our first to Alaska, driving, that is....but God's still small voice has convinced us that it is not to be this year!!! We have the opportunity to take a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in the fall, and also a dear friend has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and so its better not to be gone so long. The roads looked really crowded with all of you, anyway....ha, ha, ha. Just joking...we were looking forward to spotting people on our trip that were signed up here. Perhaps next year will be the year, or perhaps we never will be able to...only God knows, but we pray all of you have a safe and enjoyable trip, and thanks for letting us dream for a while!!

[JANETRUPP]

"Not To Miss"
Alaska Roll Call 2013

Mile "O" Signpost
Frantic Follies Show - Whitehorse Follies
Santa's House - North Pole- Santa
Denali River Rafting - Rafting (mild to wild)
Moose Tooth Pub -Anchorage
Alyeska tram and resort- Alyeska(dinner is great here-Seven Glaciers)
Glacier Tours - Glaciers
White Bus (Lunch) - Hyder, Alaska
Knotty Shop - Knotty Shop-Fairbanks
Pratt Museum - Homer
Homer High Rd Drive
Winner Creek Trail -Alyeska
Williwaw Campground - Portage Glacier
Downtown Anchorage Museum
Seward
Charter Plane - Anchorage/Chugach Mountains
Liard Hot Springs
Barrow
Icefield parkway -Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff
Skagway/ Haines
Top of the World Hwy - Dawson City
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Watson Lake Sign Post Forest
Simon & Seafort's Saloon - Anchorage
Kenai Fjords Boat Tours
Talkeetna Sightsee Flight - Mt Mckinley/Denali
Denali Bus tour
108th Annual Midnight Sun Summer Solstice Baseball Game - Fairbanks
Seward Silver Salmon Derby - Aug 10-18 Kenai Peninsula
Double Musky (Dinner)
Crow's Nest (meal Captain Cook Hotel)
Native Medical Center - Anchorage
White water Rafting - Hope (near Seward)
Drive Denali Hwy
Ketchikan - Deadliest catch Tour
Wrangell -Jet Boat Tour- LeConte Glacier
Skagway -trip to Atlin
Chicken - Tisha's Schoolhouse
Dease Lake (Cassiar Hwy) drive Telegraph Creek
Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Mary's Mckinley Lodge (view and dinner)
Hope - Between Anchorage and Seward
Halibut Cove in Homer - Dinner at Saltry

[JANETRUPP]

Welcome to mhwarner from Northern Arizona and thank you so much for all the wonderful ideas. I will add them to our list!!

Janet

[JANETRUPP]

ROLL CALL - ALASKA 2013
We will need to hang a sign in the window with our screen name so we will recognize each other while traveling. I know I have too much time on my hands, lol

janetrupp - Bullhead City, AZ
DesertHawk - New Mexico
TwoHands - California
SD1209 - San Diego, Calif
Lonnie4801 - Texas
LindaZ - Colorado
JUrban - Delaware
AprilWhine -Pahrump, NV - Smart Caravan
PA12DRVR - Houston -Anchorage
KPSmithSr - St Louis, MO
JoeB - Florida
Jim4929 - Roaroke, VA
HKsilvereagle - North Pole
gandalf42 - Fort Collins, Colorado
tsimtcu8 - Vancouver, British Columbia
Hjudge49 - St Augustine, Florida
Jnharley - Indiana
sodajerk - Dallas, Texas
b2egypt - Michigan
pasco1215 - Central Alabama
glen68 -Warba, MN - Great Falls, MT for SMART Caravan
CA Traveler - Sun Lakes, AZ
Gonecamping444 - Michigan
rickjf - Florida
daily double - Ketchum, Oklahoma
retired frog - Albany, NY
jonlin - North Carolina
phxkayaker - Washington state
glaciergus - Minnesota
Dirtsailor - Halethorpe, MD
donp5311 - Iowa
AidenJ - Adirondocks, NY
Texas Roadrunner - San Antonio, TX
S Ski - Chandler, AZ
Tom&Susan G - Ringgold, Georgia
lizzie - Unaka, North Carolina
Butch50 - Bentonville, Arkansas
pistolpeter55 - Maine
bajarat - Austin, Texas
pnordan - North Carolina
dlklose - Colorado
fanrgs - Denver, Colorado
Elmer Zilch - Bossier, LA
Takemeanywhere - Wisconsin
taviking22 - Omaha, Nebraska
bigtuffy2 - Merkel, Texas
Alan M - Cobb, CA
Hoaugh - Columbus, Ohio
Bob n Izetta - Florida
glen112233 - Iowa
yukiroad - South Pasadena, Calif
Bakers - ? (friends of Texas roadrunner)
two travelers - Smithtown, NY
sanjim - Mississippi
gandalf12 - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
sassydad - Indiana
lapinebob - Oregon
gypsylady7 - Florida
TallyCouple - Florida
tbaugh - Columbus, Ohio
mhwarner - Arizona

[mhwarner]

Hi from Northern Arizona,

We are heading west the first week in March and then making our way up the West Coast and over to Victoria/Vancouver Island around Memorial Day. We board a ferry in Port Hardy (n. tip of Vancouver Island) to Prince Rupert on June 1 and go from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan on June 4. We'll be stopping for several days each in Sitka and Juneau (with a side excursion to Glacier Bay) and ending in Haines on June 25. After that we're doing the reverse loop to Valdez, Anchorage, Seward, etc. and visiting Denali near the end of our trip about the end of August.

This is our 4th trip to Alaska and the 2nd in the RV. We made a similar trip in 2010 (but drove to Prince Rupert). I did a photoblog here if anyone's interested: Warner's Alaska Trip 2010

Can't say enough good things about the Toursaver coupon book. We saved over $400 on our Glacier Bay trip after deducting the cost of the book. Another book that's never mentioned which I have found useful (even though it's somewhat out of date) is the Rough Guide to Alaska. I have the 2004 version but Amazon is selling the 2007 version here: Rough Guide to Alaska 3

Some recommendations:

In Ketchikan, take the Deadliest Catch tour. Expensive but I thought worth it -- particularly the end where they "chum" for eagles!! The tour is mostly in Tribal Reservation waters so they have fewer restrictions than in AK proper.

In Wrangell, take the jet boat tour to Le Conte glacier. There's a coupon in the book. It's a small boat and you are down close to the water and up close and personal with the icebergs. Lunch stop at Petersburg, so you can skip a ferry stop there.

If you head into (or out of) Skagway, make a trip down to Atlin. We left the RV at Tagish and did a day trip. Charming little town (resort and gold rush area in BC with an old lake steamer).

If you end up in Chicken, take the little walking tour of old Chicken to see Tisha's schoolhouse. Buy the book "Tisha" at the Town of Chicken campground store (or get it online before you go -- there's a Kindle edition). Gives a good understanding of what life was like in that area.

Heading out (or in) on the Cassiar, camp at Dease Lake and drive your toad down to Telegraph Creek. There are some 20% grades, but not long ones, and the scenery is spectacular. Didn't need 4-wheel drive (although we had it) but the road might be a tiny bit scary for city folk. We live in the boonies here in AZ, so we thought it was like a super highway. 😉

Best views of Denali, if it's visible, are at the North and South viewpoints in Denali State Park, and of course, in Talkeetna. Go through the lobby or walk around to the back side of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge for a spectacular view. Also stop by Mary's McKinley Lodge for a bite to eat and enjoy the view of The Mountain. The original owner, Mary Carey, wrote "Alaska: Not for a Woman" (available in the gift shop, and used at Northern Lights in Anchorage or on Amazon). It's an interesting account of life in Talkeetna, early McKinley climbing and pilot Don Sheldon.

Make the detour to Hope on your way between Anchorage and Seward.

In Homer, be sure to take the excursion to Halibut Cove, with lunch or dinner at The Saltry.

If you're looking for eagles in Sitka, I got some great photos behind McDonald's. I think there's a fish processing plant nearby.

Will post more recommendations when I think of them.

Looking forward to seeing some of you up there!

[JANETRUPP]

Welcome to tbaugh from Ohio. Hope you find some useful information here and please add any information you would like to share.

Janet

[JANETRUPP]

ROLL CALL - ALASKA 2013
We will need to hang a sign in the window with our screen name so we will recognize each other while traveling. I know I have too much time on my hands, lol

janetrupp - Bullhead City, AZ
DesertHawk - New Mexico
TwoHands - California
SD1209 - San Diego, Calif
Lonnie4801 - Texas
LindaZ - Colorado
JUrban - Delaware
AprilWhine -Pahrump, NV - Smart Caravan
PA12DRVR - Houston -Anchorage
KPSmithSr - St Louis, MO
JoeB - Florida
Jim4929 - Roaroke, VA
HKsilvereagle - North Pole
gandalf42 - Fort Collins, Colorado
tsimtcu8 - Vancouver, British Columbia
Hjudge49 - St Augustine, Florida
Jnharley - Indiana
sodajerk - Dallas, Texas
b2egypt - Michigan
pasco1215 - Central Alabama
glen68 -Warba, MN - Great Falls, MT for SMART Caravan
CA Traveler - Sun Lakes, AZ
Gonecamping444 - Michigan
rickjf - Florida
daily double - Ketchum, Oklahoma
retired frog - Albany, NY
jonlin - North Carolina
phxkayaker - Washington state
glaciergus - Minnesota
Dirtsailor - Halethorpe, MD
donp5311 - Iowa
AidenJ - Adirondocks, NY
Texas Roadrunner - San Antonio, TX
hjeaton - Ohio
S Ski - Chandler, AZ
Tom&Susan G - Ringgold, Georgia
lizzie - Unaka, North Carolina
Butch50 - Bentonville, Arkansas
pistolpeter55 - Maine
bajarat - Austin, Texas
pnordan - North Carolina
dlklose - Colorado
fanrgs - Denver, Colorado
Elmer Zilch - Bossier, LA
Takemeanywhere - Wisconsin
taviking22 - Omaha, Nebraska
bigtuffy2 - Merkel, Texas
Alan M - Cobb, CA
Hoaugh - Columbus, Ohio
Bob n Izetta - Florida
glen112233 - Iowa
yukiroad - South Pasadena, Calif
Bakers - ? (friends of Texas roadrunner)
two travelers - Smithtown, NY
sanjim - Mississippi
gandalf12 - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
sassydad - Indiana
lapinebob - Oregon
gypsylady7 - Florida
TallyCouple - Florida
tbaugh - Columbus, Ohio

[tbaugh]

We will be going up the inside passage starting May 18 in Prince Ruppert. Will make all the ferry stops. If you see a 25 ft Airsteram stop be.

I posted in the wrong place orginally.

[CA_Traveler]

lapinebob wrote:
Has anyone ever used AllSTAYS?

http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/campgrounds.htm

Yes and it has a lot of options like: low bridges, 50A, and several hundred other options. The app version will also give you maps with directions from your current location.

Plus the app is portable, don't need your PC.

The Woodall's app appears to display all hardcopy CG info.

[CA_Traveler]

lapinebob wrote:
Has anyone ever used AllSTAYS?

http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/campgrounds.htm

Yes and it has a lot of options like: low bridges, 50A, and several hundred other options. The app version will also give you maps with directions from your current location.

Plus the app is portable, don't need your PC.

[lapinebob]

Has anyone ever used AllSTAYS?

http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/campgrounds.htm

[JANETRUPP]

here's another website to go to;
Alaska Brochure

Order your "FREE" travel brochure on Alaska. Should help or at least have pretty pictures, lol

Janet

[lapinebob]

We are new to this site and I have been going through the posts since Janet first started this thread and am amazed at the wealth of information. It should make our first trip to Alaska more enjoyable,safer and I am sure a little less stressful. Thank you.

[JANETRUPP]

Welcome TallyCouple to our Alaska Bound group. Any suggestions please add so we can all benefit.
Lots of great info here so Welcome!!!
Don't forget to make your sign so we can wave along the road!!!
:B
Janet