Here we are! Can not believe that we have been home now for a month. This was not the best return we had hoped for. Between hurricane storm clean up and three jobs for me (one away for seven days in Tampa) it’s been a busy four weeks. So in a big nutshell here are a few fun facts and interesting tidbits about our Epic Adventure!
We …
Drove 16,656 miles.
Consumed 1,387 gallons of diesel fuel.
Most expensive diesel $6.14/gal US in British Columbia Canada.
Cheapest diesel $2.98/gal in Springfield, Missouri.
We were gone 165 days.
Parked and spent the night at 81 different locations.
Had 73 days of rain!
Magnificent bison came through our campsite in North Dakota.
Witnessed the incredible Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in Montana and in Canada!
Got snowed on in Canada in May!
Hiked to the summit of Whistlers Peak in Jasper National Park.
Visited 14 National Parks
(10 US, 4 Canadian)
Soaked in hot springs.
Had way too much fun in Chicken, Alaska!
Hung our town sign in the Sign Forest and wrote a riddle to find it!
Went to the North Pole and saw Santa.
Did 10 International Border Crossings.
Visited an emergency vet in Anchorage, Alaska.
Went Fly Fishing for Salmon.
Went Fly Fishing for Trout.
Had tasty adult beverages at Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall, Chicken Saloon, Skinny Dicks, Salty Dawg’s, Alice’s Champagne Palace, The Fat Mermaid, Flamingo Lounge and Enterprise Saloon!
Made a point to go to brew pubs to drink some flavorful craft beer including Old Glory, Bridger Brewing, The 406 Brewing Co., Woodcutter’s Blanket - Bar & Brewery, Denali Brewing Co., 49th State Brewing, Haines Brewing Co., Banff Ave Brewing Co., Skagway Brewing Co., Valdez Brewing, Sierra Blanca Brewing Co. and a few others I’m sure I forgot.
Witnessed Alaska’s wild bears!
Saw volcanos in Alaska.
Conquered combat fishing for salmon on the Russian River.
Hit it hard fly fishing for sockeye salmon on the Kenai River.
Drove on the most western point in the North American highway system.
Took a surreal boat outing to the beautiful Halibut Cove.
Hiked to some pretty spectacular places.
Visited the friendliest ghost town in Alaska.
Ran at a bear to save our lives! And lived to tell about it.
Drove through 24 US states
Visited 19 US State Parks
Drove through 3 Canadian Provinces.
Stayed at 11 Canadian Provincial Parks.
Went horseback riding on the beach on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.
Watched grizzly bears and black bears catch and eat salmon.
Witnessed many military aircraft.
Met some Alaskan Husky sled dogs!
Took in spectacular sights on gondolas in Canada and Colorado!
Saw the majestic Denali mountain… six times!
Fly fished in remote creeks while salmon were swimming around us hitting our legs.
Saw eagles, moose, bison, black bear, grizzlies, ravens, deer, hawks, Dall sheep, mountain goats, sea lions, sea otters, river otters, hawks, Stellar’s Jay, puffins, ducks, geese, swans, magpies, ravens, elk, caribou, coyotes, fox, trout and many, many, many salmon!
Visited many beautiful glaciers up close!
Experienced summer solstice in Anchorage.
Boondocked with not a soul in site.
Fell in love with fireweed!
Camped 30 days without power!
Drove for hours without passing other vehicles.
Watched 30 vehicles launch off a 300’ cliff on the 4th of July! And we were at the bottom of the cliff! Only in Alaska!!
Visited the strangest town in Alaska … Whittier. And drove through a 2.5 mile one-way rail/highway tunnel to get there.
Took a train to a glacier
Touched glacier ice.
Drove the …
Top of World Highway
Taylor Highway
Richardson Highway
Parks Highway
Sterling Highway
AlCan Highway
Glenn Highway
Tok Cutoff
Cassiar Highway
Visited many amazing museums along the way.
Built an Ammo Box Fire Pit
Attended 3 RV Rallies
Camped amongst 1,300 other Airstreams.
Visited some of the most spectacular deserts, mountains, Boreal forests, oceans, tundra, coastal rainforests, salt flats that you could imagine!
Saw uncountable waterfalls.
Attended the best Halloween Party ever!
Acquired many new lifelong friends!
It was an Epic Adventure for sure! Unforgettable!!
And we are ready to go back!
Dinner:
Parmesan Crusted Sockeye Salmon
Roasted Acorn Squash
Side Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Sunset: 5:35 PM
Sunrise: 6:46 AM
Elevation: 120’
Miles from home: 0
Miles driven today: 0
Wildlife viewings:
Florida Black Bear
Armadillo
Opossum
(for those who don’t know we had a very large Florida Black Bear visit last night and the other two critters we caught in the last two days on our property)
