“USA 🇺🇸 Canada 🇨🇦 ~Departure Day from Alaska has Arrived!”

• August 13, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

From Haines, Alaska 🇺🇸
TO
Oregon 🇺🇸

We depart our “Summer” visit in Alaska, in The Whale, with Jonah bringing up the rear, and will travel around 2000 miles, back down to Oregon.

On the way up to Alaska, out of Montana, we traveled 13 days, through Canada and we only did two campground, overnights, (spread out); to dump tanks and refill water. The rest of the nights were spent boondocking, in the wilds of Canada 🇨🇦

On our trip down, starting today, we will do the opposite; taking it slower, to enjoy what Canada has to offer. We will take 20 days, and only boondock for nine of those nights, between campgrounds.

We look forward to camping in three different campgrounds; averaging four nights, each, and staying a few nights with friends once we reach Washington, before we drive in to Oregon.

We will also turn off the, now familiar, Alaska Highway, for the Cassiar Highway, to continue South, to see different territory, and are looking very forward to the wildlife viewing, once again, as we travel through British Columbia.

We keep our diesel fuel tank full (150 gallons) as well as our water tank (100 gallons). We have lots of stored food and drinking water.

We leave Alaska with so many new memories from all of our adventuring, but we also leave with our freezers, (we have a second freezer in our Class A basement), full of fresh-caught fish.

Blessed beyond measure….

We are very close to the Canadian border, so once we leave Haines, right away, we will have zero wifi/internet, as we travel, South, until we arrive at each campground. We hope to have a decent signal, but who know, till we get there…..

We have met some wonderful new friends while traveling in Alaska, and Canada. Four of these friends have already departed Alaska, so we know the Canadian fires are not causing delays, and the roads are decent, sans some frost heaves, like we’ve already dealt with, just about everywhere we’ve been, already.

For the last day, before departure, with full-hookups, I am cleaning sheets and cooking. Standard MO for us, when we have boondocking nights in our near future, is to make a big “pot of something” that is easy to warm-up, after long driving days.
I made Irish Stew and homemade yeast rolls. I also made Banana Bread.

On our last night in Haines, we ate out at the Lighthouse Restaurant, (so good)…right next door to us, from the Oceanview RV Park. As I mentioned, before, this last stop in Alaska, has been a bit of a “vacation” for us. More relaxation, with less effort. Less cooking and cleaning and not on the go-go-go, by the second half. It’s been nice.

We don’t eat out often, but tonight we did for sure; for perhaps the last time, before we depart through the wilderness.

We are not leaving Alaska with any “bittersweetness.”

We Came. We Saw. We Did.

The timing is such that we are in day two of storms, with rain and very powerful gusts of winds that kept waking us up at night. We are ready to move inland, and away from this weather front.

We are completely filled-up in all things “The Last Frontier,” and feel so much more enriched for the experience!  We literally did everything we wanted to do on this trip.

For the record, I never want to RV up to Alaska again. This is no reflection on Alaska, and all there is to enjoy, or the friendly locals; it’s simply the road systems. We had to go so slow, most of the time; averaging 20 mph, for full days at a time! It was mind-numbing and we did this over and over and over.

One day, we know the infrastructure will be repaired up here, making for a much more smooth and enjoyable trip to drive, but until that time, it’s a no for me.

This does not mean we will not return to Alaska, again. It just won’t be an RV trip.

We have checked-off SO MUCH MORE from our bucket list, over the summer. I have even visited a total of six National Parks in Alaska, now!

Denali National Park ✅

Kenai Fjords National Park ✅

Lake Clark National Park ✅

Katmai National Park ✅

Wrangell-St Elias National Park ✅ (the largest NP in the USA)

Glacier Bay National Park ✅

(the two remaining NP in Alaska have no driving roads, in)

⬇️ Whilst in Canada, we got to visit three of their National Parks:

✅ Banff National Park

✅  Jasper National Park

✅ Kluane National Park

Highlights of Alaska/Canada:

✅ Seeing two Polar Bears in the wild

✅ Dog Sledding on a Glacier

✅ Viewing Grizzly Bears and Black Bears, with cubs; up close, in their natural habitat: digging clams, catching Salmon and eating dandelion salads

✅ Seeing a Black Mountain Lion in the Wild

✅ Seeing two Wolves in the Wild

✅  Petting and feeding an orphaned Porcupine, and Moose in a sanctuary 

So, as we get back on the road, pointed south, “no news is good news,” while we are off-grid, and we always appreciate your keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy Trails,
Daryl n Pen

Haines, Alaska to Oregon
or
BUST!! ⬇️

ALASKA

YUKON

British Columbia 

USA