Heading South :: Petersburg to Seattle
It finally stopped raining the day we had to leave Petersburg but not before Mike got in just a little more Alaska fishing.We drove aboard the M/V Taku for another overnight passage.Our room even had an opening window right on the "promenade deck."Navigating the Wrangell Narrows is not something I would want to do with a 350 foot ship! Just look at all those nav-aids!The next morning [...]
Heading South :: Haines to Juneau to Petersburg
Before leaving Haines we headed back down to the river to take a few more photos of bald eagles and to hopefully get another glimpse of the brown bear (aka grizzly) that had been hanging around. Watch the video at the end of the last post! Since there are no roads to connect most of Southeast Alaska, we boarded the M/V Malaspina to take a trip down the Alaska [...]
Heading South :: Anchorage to Haines
We left Anchorage on Saturday and drove the 700 miles to Haines in three, slow-paced days. The timing was perfect for the fall foliage and we couldn't have asked for better weather - that was until we arrived in Southeast Alaska. Since we crossed the border from Canada back into the US and into the Alaska panhandle it has been pretty standard Southeast AK rain. [...]
New Minivan Camper Bed and Trail of Blue Ice
It's almost time to head back south so we are getting the van ready. Picked up these bike racks to transport our new bikes and built a new bed for the van. Here are lots of photos of other ways we have set up the minivan bed in the past. On our drive up to Alaska, we didn't have a bed in the van at [...]
Hatcher Pass
Last weekend we drove up to Hatcher Pass and rented a little cabin. It came complete with a fridge stocked with everything we would want for breakfast.View from the pass of the Mat-Su Valley below. Anchorage is about an hour to the "right" in the valley.The ground is so thick and soft you just want to lay in it all day (but it's a bit [...]
Seward
Last weekend we took a drive down to Seward for a little mini-van camping. Seward is a great little town that is more reminiscent of SE Alaska with lots of fir trees, clear water and small town atmosphere. Up around Anchorage, where we are working, it's mostly deciduous trees and the water in Cook Inlet is about as clear as a milkshake. Sockeye Salmon I just [...]
Winner Creek Trail
Mike is back in the Aleutians for a couple of weeks but before he left we got in a lot more fishing and some nice hikes. Winner Creek Trail is part of the famous Iditarod Trail and has a hand-tram that crosses the Winner Creek Gorge. We'd tried to do this hike before but there were so many people waiting to use the tram we [...]
Sockeye Fishing and Canning
The sockeye (red) salmon are finally running on the Kenai River! This is the main thing we have been looking forward to since being back in Alaska. There is nothing like going fishing and knowing you will actually catch something. And I never tire of the scenery and watching the bald eagles. Yes, that really is the color of the Kenai River. Fireweed on the KenaiOur favorite fishing hole [...]
Summertime
I can't believe we've been in Alaska for three months already! (only four more months until our next adventure...) In April we still had a lot of snow on the ground. May was a bit chilly but dry and sunny. And June has been gloomy and rainy. But it looks like summer is finally here! Today was downright hot and wildflowers are everywhere. Just waiting for the fireweed [...]
The End of the Road
At the end of our road is a short trail... Virgin Creek Falls. Girdwood, Alaska.
Alaska so far
We're getting settled into Alaska. The first month here, we stayed in a log house in the hills above Anchorage. A couple of weeks ago we moved over to Girdwood, a little ski village nestled among the mountains along Turnagain Arm, about 40 minutes from Anchorage. For much of April we still had snow on the ground but that is all gone now. I haven't spent a lot [...]
Video | Ferry to Alaska
Taking the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) from Bellingham, Washington to Haines, Alaska (as we did) or Skagway, Alaska through the Inside Passage is a great way to do an Alaska cruise on the cheap. The last day before arriving in Haines is spectacular as you go through narrow channels surrounded by snow-covered mountains. If you want more time to explore each stop book each [...]
Ferry from Bellingham to Haines, Alaska
Take the Alaska Marine Highway (Alaska's ferry system) from Bellingham up the Inside Passage to Haines and then drive the last 750 miles to Anchorage. That’s the plan. We left Bellingham Friday night. Saturday was spent entirely at sea cruising through Canada and yesterday (Sunday) morning we arrived at our first stop: Ketchikan. Mike and I had spent quite a bit of time here, [...]
And we’re off!
We're on our way to Bellingham to hop on the ferry to Alaska! This is mostly just a test post to try out the the new camera and blogging from the iPad. The photo below was sent to the iPad from the camera via wifi and the post was created on the iPad. A first for me!
Update in Photos
What we've been up to in photos... Olympic Mountains Mount Rainier Survey Boat Surveying in support of dredge operations.
From Palmtrees to Pines and Mistletoe
We drove up to the little mountain town of Julian yesterday to get that holiday-feeling. Here in San Diego it's hard to get into the christmas spirit with near-constant sunshine and 75 degree daytime temps. Julian was chilly enough to warrant wearing a scarf but not nose-freezing cold. The town is famous for its apple pies, so of course we couldn't resist taking one home. [...]
(Mini) Van Life
Before buying a new car we thought long and hard about what to get. We'd been without a car for nearly two years while living on our boat in Mexico so it was a big decision. We like to go on long road trips but hotels every night are out of the question. We wanted a car we could sleep in comfortably, but it [...]
Cranberry Bogs and Desserts
After a week of visiting with friends near Portland, Oregon we are back on the road. Driving south along the Oregon coast on Highway 101 we saw a 'U-Pick Cranberries' sign. Having just gotten a new recipe for cranberries and never having seen a cranberry bog we made a quick stop. I was expecting to be wading through standing water but apparently they only flood [...]
Close Encounters
We're still in Denver enjoying the comforts of living on shore. Last week we took a little trip up to South Dakota to see "the heads" and some amazing wildlife. On our way back we nearly had a close encounter of a third kind in Wyoming... Buffalo in Custer State Park Devil's Tower (featured in the movie: Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977) Prayer-flags [...]
From the Ocean to the Prairies
After over a week on the road we just made it to our destination of Denver, Colorado where we are visiting with Mike's family. We've been camping out of our mini van, for which Mike built a platform-bed after removing the two rows of back seats. All of our clothes and most gear is stored in under-bed storage bins below the platform. Even my [...]
