Three More Weeks!

 

It's hard to believe our great adventure is almost here and will soon be a reality!  We have completed all of the mandatory requirements with Great Alaskan Holidays (GAH) for our campervan rental . . . the last of which was completing the 35 minute online orientation of our vehicle.

The Milepost is considered the "bible" of travel through Canada and Alaska, and in the past has been invaluable to David & me on our Alaskan RV Adventures (four of them).  I've gone through and made notes and flagged pages of relevance based on our routing and interests.  There will no doubt be audibles along the way, but this guidebook will be our best resource while winging it roughly 4,000 miles from Forest City, IA to Anchorage, AK with several detours along the way.

Last weekend Pam was here and brought some things we'll need, so she won't have to fly with them in a few weeks.  Casa Bennett's guest bedroom is getting quite full with the staging of clothes and other necessities for this trip

Packing for a long road trip is challenging enough, but knowing the weather during May can be so very unpredictable adds another level of consideration.  My biggest "what if" scenario is if we get hit by a spring snow storm in Canada.  I am pretty sure I am going to forego my good cold weather boots (Sorels rated to -40F) because I don't want to have to fly home with them.

One of the benefits of driving to where we are picking up the campervan is that we can take as much "stuff" as we want to.  The downside is that flying home from Alaska, we need to be able to do it affordably given the charges incurred for checked baggage.

Part of our strategy for what we're taking, both in terms of clothing and gear, is that we have quite a bit that we consider expendable and will be either donated at Goodwill or thrown away before departing Anchorage.  A good example is our linens and pillows.  While the campervan comes furnished with the bear minimums (like 1 per person), we will be taking things that are at the end of their life, and were recently replaced in our home(s).  Saving up older pillows and towels for this trip will provided us with added comfort without the extra expense renting them from GAH.

With this being my last open weekend before heading to Iowa the evening of May 11th, we have a lot of final things to go through . . . most importantly meal planning.  Yesterday I went to Camping World and picked up some much needed grilling utensils as they are not provided with our camper rental.  Later today, Pam & I will be discussing our meal strategy so that we can pack what we anticipate needing . . . and put Chef David to work with some pre-prepared frozen meal items like spaghetti sauce, sausage gravy and chili.  Of course, his famous cookies will be coming too!

As for our actual routing, we have a general layout of where we will be going.  I have intentionally not planned or reserved campsites for the entire trip, but rather in the places we know we want to stay.  I'm also using them as general anchors and timeline targets so as to keep us on pace for when we HAVE TO BE in Anchorage with the campervan.

The map that comes with the Milepost is very helpful and large enough to highlight our intended route plus add notes along the way.

I have also utilized GOOGLE Maps to help with the day-to-day time and mileage estimates.  This as an example is our day 3, with a campsite booked in Jasper National Park.  After this particular night, we have no campsites reserved for the next 6 nights . . . when we arrive to Denali National Park for 3 nights inside the park at my favorite campground Teklanika (aka TEK).

 

Having camped there more than 25 nights over the past 15 years, for me no trip to Alaska is complete without this experience.  I'm excited to be able to share it with Pam next month!

So with no campsites reserved, folks may be wondering what our game plan is.  BOONDOCKING! or "dispersed (or dry) camping" as it is often referred to here in the lower 48.  Essentially, on the open road through the wilderness of Canada and Alaska, many prefer a truly off the grid experience.  Camping on public land, often with fabulous views and among nature's resident animals.  While provincial and state parks provide a similar experience, why pay for it when there are so many free or very low cost places you can stop and camp along the way?  This is one of my favorite boondocking locations near Chitina, AK, where David & I over-nighted twice while visiting the Wrangell-St Elias National Park back in 2014.

While planning for this great adventure, we have received lots of suggestions for possible camping locations . . . one of the most anticipated (for me) is the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) location 200 miles north of Fairbanks, near the Yukon River just south of the Arctic Circle.  I sure hope we make it that far north!  While not a true boondocking experience (they do charge $10/night and have some very basic facilities like vault toilets and fire rings), the remoteness of this location is the main draw for me.

The next 3 weeks will no doubt go by quickly . . . I know the last 7 since my first post have.