[ Travel / Nonfiction ] Two RVs, four adults, five children (9-16), seven campsites, 20+ hours of driving, thirteen points of interest (give or take), camping/RV experience that's pretty much nil, no reliable Wi-Fi or cell service, or consistently p...
We had one more excursion planned—Lake Clark, another National Park—by seaplane, but Alaska was experiencing a "weather system." The pilot was willing to reroute us somewhere closer and more sheltered. It was raining in the whole region, though. No matter where we went, and what we did, it was going to be a nuisance at best.
The family we were with decided to venture out anyway, but we opted out, and got our money back. We were tired, had been in the rain most of the day prior, and we didn't have fishing licenses. Kids under 16 could fish anyway, but that only applied to two out of the five of us, only one of whom would have taken an interest. I wasn't too keen on the idea of getting back on a boat in inclement weather, either.
Our friends' kids caught a lot of salmon and had a lot of fun, but we had no regrets. We went shopping in Soldotna, and binge-watched the last two episodes of Stranger Things, Season 4, in the RV.
Brittons don't really "rest" well. They prefer structure and activity to lounging around. But we really needed it, more than usual. It was toward the end of the longest vacation we've ever taken, and we were all short on sleep and patience.
By that evening, we had hit the local Walmart pretty hard, took on meal prep by ourselves, caught up with our friends, made our last dinner together, and had a nice time just hanging out, way past our bedtimes. The chill day helped make that happen, I'm sure. Maybe it wasn't our best day in Alaska, but it certainly wasn't our worst.
We had a three-hour drive back to Anchorage the day following, and at 3:00am the next morning, we were heading back to the airport. We didn't get home until after midnight (EST). And then jet lag was real. And fierce!
What did I think? How did it all go?
It was an adventure, to say the least. It's not for everyone, and there were moments it probably wasn't the right fit for us. That said, it was incredible, overwhelming (mostly in a good way), and one-of-a-kind. I've never been to a more ruggedly handsome place on earth. And we did Alaska so well, and so thoroughly, compared to most. The weather, for the most part, was (uncharacteristically) cooperative. To me that means we have no pressing reason to go back. We probably wouldn't have the same luck the second time around anyway. If we ever buy our own RV (and there have been talks), I'd reconsider, but for now, it's mission accomplished. A big green check on the old bucket list. ✅😁
I'll close this chapter with a photo dump. These are some of the best that I didn't have the opportunity to squeeze in somewhere.
Enjoy and thanks for reading! I hope to see you around. ❤️
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Denali Region
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
