Valdez, AK

Our first full day in Valdez was beautiful!  Please enjoy the pictures!

Stop #18 Valdez, AK

We made it!!!!!!  Getting to Valdez was a great conclusion to an amazing trip.  The final few miles did not disappoint!  We saw so many waterfalls, rivers, glaciers and mountains!  It was beautiful!  Valdez itself is awesome! We have some amazing views of mountains from our backyard or front porch!  We checked into the Totem Inn and are staying in one of the cottages for the next week or so. My camera battery died so I don't have many pictures from the actual town, but above are pictures from Richardson Highway on our way down  yesterday! 

Stop #17 Anchorage, AK 2

Stop # 17 Anchorage, AK.  Anchorage was a nice stop.  We were able to relax and spread out a bit at a Days Inn while we prepared to return the ol’ RV to Cruise America.  It was a little bitter sweet returning her today, but we were pleasantly surprised that she was able to survive her trip with us as we officially put an additional 5,527 miles on her odometer.  Our first weekend in Anchorage left us amazed at how much you have to pay for marginal food…  We will have to search out a good place to eat or be sure to pack food for our future trips.  We have been warned that we will be coming back to Anchorage for supplies about once month or so.  Today we are on the road to our final destination, Valdez!!  Enjoy the pictures!

Stop #17 Anchorage, AK

Stop #17 Anchorage, AK.  We made it to Anchorage, Alaska!  Alaska is beautiful!  The bugs are huge!  The gas is expensive!  We are happy to be here!  I’m afraid I don’t have any actual pictures of Anchorage, but above are some more from our drive yesterday.  We successfully got our truck and it no longer feels way to big, we actually blend right in here.  We then headed to the Air Force base where they have a nice little RV park.  The kids had fun playing on the play ground and we ordered pizza.  We are now cheating a bit…  We have decided that after 3 weeks in an RV we deserve a little more space and a much bigger shower, so we are checked into a Days Inn…  A hotel room has never felt bigger!  Ponzi is enjoying a doggie hotel a few blocks away for some relaxation and a good grooming. 

Stop #16 Tok, AK (northern most point)

Stop #16 in Tok, Alaska!  We finally made it to Alaska!!  We were lucky to make it, the roads north of Whitehorse turned to gravel in a lot of sections and we have never seen potholes like the ones in Canada!  We also learned that if you only have a few months a year to do road work the best way is to just remove the entire road and start over…  They trusted us to drive carefully, and we now understand why Cruise America did not give us their newest of vehicles.  We stayed at a fun campground that has a pancake toss every afternoon.  Cooper was the only one to get a pancake in the bucket for Team Disque, so he got a free pancake breakfast this morning!  We are now on the road to Anchorage!  We found out our truck is already there so we are hoping to get there this afternoon to pick it up.  We will be in Anchorage for the next couple of days so that we can drop the RV off on Monday morning before heading to our final destination of Valdez! 

Stop #15 Whitehorse, Yukon 2

Stop #15 in Whitehorse continued.  Our second day in Whitehorse was just what we needed.  Our batteries feel recharged and I think the kids really needed the day out of the car seats.  We were able to get supplies (even the Yukon Territory is not safe from Walmart’s invasion) and laundry done in town.  We went to a beautiful park that had a great playground for Cooper.  It was probably one of the most beautiful days in the Yukon because everyone was outside enjoying it.  We took a bike tour around a nature preserve and then back to the hot springs!  It was a great day, weather was perfect, beautiful views and everyone was in a good mood.  It still feels weird to us that it doesn’t get dark.  We were making smores at 10 o’clock in the evening and it looked like noon.  We will try to keep this in mind when it is 10 o’clock in the morning and it still looks like midnight in the winter.  Internet and cell phone coverage has been spotty, to say the least, so we have been a little out of touch, hopefully Alaska will be a little more Verizon friendly.  On to Tok, Alaska! 

Stop #15 Whitehorse, Yukon

Stop #15 was in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon.  We like it so much we have decided to stay an extra day!  We found a great campground at the Takhini Hot Springs.  It is a beautiful wooded area that has signs up to inform us that we are in bear country so to dispose of our trash wisely!  So far no bear sightings at the camp though.  We also took a dip in the hot springs yesterday and plan to go back this afternoon, it was wonderful!  Cooper had fun swimming around (as best he can) and Mariah seemed to enjoy it to.  One of the patrons of the hot springs also felt it was necessary to remind Cooper “not to pee in the pool!”  Cooper just looked at him like he was crazy (and probably peed on command!).  We also made a stop at the Railway and Copper Mine Museum where we took another short train ride.  Upon getting to Whitehorse we read that on June 21 there would be 21 hours of day light… and that seemed to be accurate, however I don’t think it ever got completely dark.  We are having fun touring Whitehorse some more today.  Tomorrow we will continue on in hopes of making it to Tok, Alaska!!!  Also, please pray for patience for us, as ours seems to be getting a little thin!!!

Stop #14 Watson Lake, Yukon

Stop #14 was in Watson Lake.  We finally made it to the Yukon after driving about 600 miles!  Watson Lake is a perfect little stopping point.  Ponzi got to go swimming and Cooper got to run around a bit.  We are now heading to Whitehorse.  This isn't far so that we can give the kids a break from the long drives of the last 3 days.

The Alaska Highway

The Alaska Highway was amazing today!  We made it all the way to Watson Lake in the Yukon!  I'm not sure how to describe everything and I'm sure the pictures will not do it justice, but it was awesome!  We also saw a moose, a couple of bears, wild horses, a sheep and lots of buffalo!  It was a long trip, but the kids are doing really well considering.   Adam and I are getting the adventure we wanted, but are also discovering that it is a lot of work!  I'm not sure if I can stress how much work it is trying to get all of us to Valdez, but I know at the end of the day we are exhausted!  We are now far enough North that we are no longer experiencing a dark night.  Last night we made it to bed around 11:00 and it was still very light out.  It is difficult convincing a 2 year old that it is night night time when it looks like noon.  A sign of things to come I'm sure:)  Enjoy the pictures!

Stop #13 Fort St. John, British Columbia

Stop #13 was in Fort St. John, British Columbia.  Happy Father's Day!  Yesterday was spent riding in the car.  We drove through a lot of rain, at one point we were convinced the entire country of Canada was under a rain cloud. We are back in the hills with hopes of making it to Laird Springs today.  Enjoy the pictures!