Final entry - I think!!!

6-29-06
This will probably be my last posting. This trip has been even more exciting than we anticipated. We have discussed driving to Alaska for years. Harold was ready to go, but I was dragging my feet. We are glad we took this opportunity to do it although it was long. Of course you don't have to travel the way we do - driving long days, but we aren't too good at just sitting around in a park. We like to see what is over the horizon. We didn't see it all in just five weeks, but we saw a lot and don't regret missing some of the places we did. For us five weeks was enough and with the week of relaxing in Fairbanks, thanks Tom and Shelley, we were refreshed and ready to go again.
It was fun to go to Dawson Creek and drive the whole Alaska Highway, but if doing it again I would just go up the Cassiar Highway. For those who don't want all that driving I would suggest taking the ship up, rent a car or small RV, tour around for about ten days then fly home. Also there are places where you can drive an RV up to Anchorage for a company who rents them, see all the places you want on the way up with their RV and your gas, then fly home or take the boat.
Some people have driven to Alaska many times and I think that is great, but once was enough for us. We would love to go back one day, but I can't see us driving a round trip again.
As we met people heading north on our way south, they asked us what we liked best in Alaska. I can't put my finger on any one thing except maybe the people. When Alaskans leave Alaska they say they are going outside. I thought this was an odd expression until I spent time there and the rest of the world is truly outside. Alaska seems like a different world. The people are so nice, friendly, trusting - just like the rest of the U.S. used to be years ago. The mountains and scenery are just awesome. Anchorage is surrounded by different mountain ranges so everywhere you look you see more mountains. Whittier is in a bowl in the mountains, even Skagway on the water is surrounded by snow covered mountains. As you get into BC (before the dead trees) everything is so green - many, many shades of green. The rivers in Alaska and BC are green, jade, brown (from running through muskeg), grey to white from the silt washed down from the glaciers to crystal clear sparkling creeks. Always something different wherever we went.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip. Wish it would have been easier finding wi-fi hookups, but we did what we could. I have posted some scenery pictures in no particular order.
Just for those who might want to make this trip we spent about $5,000 with gas being our biggest expense.