by Lost Lila to cancer today – June 16, 2022. She was about 10-years old. We started this journey with five of us (plus our friends), but will finish this journey in Alaska a smaller family, but with heavier hearts. The journey here in Alaska is spectacular – will create a lot of great memories, but will also bring some heartache as well. We love Lila and will miss her dearly. End of RV Journey is 55, 837 miles.
In 2021, we noticed a growth on her right rear leg. It got bigger over the months until finally ulcers developed in Sept 2021. We got her thru the fall until we finally met a visiting Vet in Yuma Arizona who suggested that the cancer might be localized to her leg. In January 2022, Suzanne drove from Borrego Springs CA to Sierra Vista AZ to have her right leg amputated. Lila was a trooper and adjusted very well. About the time we hit Whitehorse Yukon, she developed a rash near the surgery area. We were hoping for the best, but in Valdez, Lila became sick. We got to Palmer and Lila got a lot worse. The Vet said that the cancer had spread and she was concerned that Lila might get much worse while we were in small towns over the next few weeks. It was a very painful decision, but we said our goodbyes and will miss her so much!
296 – Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost. Basic campground. No water or sewer @ site. 30-amps. No cell or wifi in the area except a little wifi @ the CG office / cafe. Cute little town. Basically two campgrounds, city center of five buildings, a post office and an airport. Saw a moose in a pond near the airport as we rode our bikes. There are a couple of mines nearby. Had chicken pot pie, berry pie and drinks in town. Rio had ice cream @ the CG store. The road from Tok to Chicken was hard packed dirt, gravel and old asphalt – drove 10-20 MPH in many places, but we made it. Great experience. Nice weather.
295 – Tok RV Village Campground & Cabins. Back again. We both got PT sites – much appreciated. Bath house okay. Laundry was okay. Probably could have stayed only 1-day, but we were not expecting to drive here directly from Fairbanks. Decided not to go to Fast Eddies this visit – food seems to be good after driving from White Horse.
294 – River’s Edge. Great PT sites right across from the picnic grass area next to the river. Lots of boats on the river. Bath house was okay. Laundry was very expensive. Cell service was iffy. Lots of first responders over the visit. Visited Chena Hot Springs & Ice Museum. June and Larry went on a hike, then June had a massage. Larry joined John & Suzanne in the hot springs after we had apple-tinis in their Ice Museum. Larry & June then took flights up to Utqiagvik for a short-visit – their 2-day trip turned into 3-days after weather changed their plans. We also visited North Pole to get Rio’s meds and to visit the Santa Store and reindeer. We had a really good dinner @ The Pump House. We also tried Moldovian food @ Sobas. Good scones and buns @ Bun on the Run. Good Pitas @ Pita Place. Could not make it for crepes in Fairbanks or chinese in North Pole. Good beer @ Latitude 65 brewery. Missed out on bike ride along the river downtown. Nice weather for a couple of days then somewhat stormy the other days. Fairbanks seems to have more activities during the winter – stopping off point for getting to the Gateway of the Arctic NP.
293 – Denali RV Park & Motel. Narrow sites – hard to get Rio in & out of RV. Our back-end site could not fit the jeep. Could not see Denali on the way north. Saw Denali during one of our visits – woohoo! Visited the NP a few times. Really liked the NPS dog sledding team and new centennial puppies. Hiked Savage River trail. Went on white water rafting trip with New Wave @ 8:00 AM. Had a really good dinner @ Moose-AKA in town. A couple of interesting restaurants south of town, but could make it work. Dinner @ 49th State Brewery where we had Yak burgers. Rio had ice cream @ two places in town. NP road closed @ mile marker 43 – so we took the Tundra Wildlife tour where we saw a brown bear, multiple moose, Lynx, carabou. We decided to skip the east fork transit bus trip. Saw several Moose and a bear outside of the NP. Suzanne cancelled her trip to visit her parents – she was able to get a credit with Alaska Airlines. Rained on the way to campground – rained on/off – with several nights of heavy winds.
292 – Talkeetna Camper Park. Really enjoyed this small little town. Nice campground with 30-amp and water – dump station. Bath house was okay. Went on flight around Denali NP (reduced flight plan) – landing on glacier was cancelled due to weather – K2 aviation. Coffee @ Conscious Coffee. Had spinach bread @ Talkeetna Spinach Bread. Shared a bowl @ The Enchanted Bowl. Had drinks and food @ Denali Brewery – liked their beer. Would like to have stayed more than 2-days. Rio suffered a mild seizure on July 13th – recovery was better than normal. Rained a lot the 2nd night.
291 – Ship Creek RV Park. Better than we expected. FHU. A few homeless people. Went to Whittier for a day visit – was rainy most of the day. Went to Girdwood for a day visit as well – nice small ski town – had coffee @ The Grind. Went downtown Anchorage where we had ice cream @ Wild Scoops. Ran a few errands – including REI. We were not able to go on the 26 Glacier trip in Whittier due to weather and illness. Took Rio to College Vet Clinic to get re-fill for his seizure meds.
290 – Stoney River RV Park. PT sites with FHUs. Bathhouse was okay. Cell service was spotty in the area. Outside of town. KOA near Kenai Fjords NP was nice but on main road into park. Municipal CGs had power only and mostly a crowded parking lot. June and Larry stopped over in Whittier for glacier tour and arrived later in the evening. Went into town with Rio to scope out the town and bought some snacks during 4th of July activities. Suzanne, Larry and I watched fireworks celebration @ 12:01 AM – was nice but barely dusk – missed out on fish toss, parade and mountain marathon while we were on glacier tour. Went on ranger tour in Kenai Fjords NP and Exit Glacier. Went on Major Marine 7.5 hour 2-glacier trip – saw humpbacks, orcas, finns, dolphins, puffins, otters – great trip. Saw 1st bull moose driving back to RV park. Breakfast @ Zudy’s and Smoke Shack – both very good. Coffee @ 13 Ravens, Resurrect Art & Coffee and Coho Joes – hard to find decaf for Suzanne. Went to nice dinner @ The Crookery. Took Rio into town again and Miller’s Landing. Unfortunately, our kayak trip to Bear Glacier was cancelled due to weather – June & Larry had a good time on their trip a few days beforehand.
289 – Klondike RV Park. Nice PT sites. FHUs. Great bathhouse. Outside of Soldotna. Lots of mosquitos. Took Rio to Kenai for a nice beach walk. Went on a great float fly fishing trip with Ian McDonald on the Kasilof river. Left @ 3 AM! Caught 5-sockeye, kept 3 sockeye and lost five or so fish. Shipped 18 lbs of fish to Gram and Gramps in Danville (Ed’s Kasilof Seafoods). Saw 5 moose on this leg including a female with calf. There is a great sports basement in Soldotna.
288 – Heritage RV Park. Nice pull-in sites. FHUs. Nice bathhouse. Beautiful views for a couple of days, else quite smokey from the fires in Katmai. We all went on Alaska Coastal Marine – Suzanne caught 2-halibut, John 4-halibut but kept two due to rules, June & Larry each caught 2-halibut after multiple cod. We also went on boat (Alaskan Ocean Pros; will go with Mel Erickson next time) for bear watching on Chinitna Bay – saw about six or so brown bears from a distance, 1-bear within 50-100′ or so, and a mother and 2 three-month old cubs about 50′ away (awesome). We went to Two Sisters for coffee and french style ham n cheese pastries. We also went to Wild Honey Bistro for great crepes. We went to Coal Town coffee where Rio got some ice cream. We tried fish n chips @ Ak Fish Fryers (good, but not as good as restaurant in Skagway). Bought hip waders @ Kachemak Gear Shed. Went to Farmer’s market where we bought ice cream, fireweed jam and veggies.
287 – Kenai Princess. FHU sites. The RV park is down the hill from the Kenai Princess Lodge. The park was not great, but quiet. Filled with employee housing and people fishing the Kenai river – Kenai Cache Outfitters (Blake was good, but I was hoping we would catch more salmon, partly for Larry). Bath house was okay. Larry and John went on a float fishing trip down the Kenai river into the Refuge (special permitted part of the river). John caught 2-rainbow trout (catch n release) and 1-sockeye salmon with fly fishing rod using wet flies. Beautiful river area but there were a lot of beetle damage and burn scars in the pennisula. June and Suzanne went to the Wildlife center near Whittier and visited the town of Whittier. We went to Gwinns for drinks afterwards. We all had dinner at the Kenai Princess Lodge. While June and Larry went on a hike near the Russian Falls, Suzanne and John went to the Cooper Landing Brewery then took Larry and June to Two Brothers Roadhouse for drinks and brisket nachos.
286 – Big Bear Campground and RV Park. FHU. 50-amps. We have super sites. Sites are long and wide where we are. Typical RV park. No vegetation or landscaping. Took Lila to Tier 1 Vet Hospital across the road – see note above about her passing. Palmer is a lot bigger than we expected. Lots to see and do, but requires some driving. Mountains all around us. Suzanne, Larry and I visited Matanuska Glacier for a glacier walk. Suzanne and I went to the Muskox non-profit farm – it was nice. Visited the Palmer Ale house that Adam (guide for Matanuska) recommended – good cheese bread.
285 – Bear Paw RV Park. Adult section. FHU. 50-amps. Right on the water front. Nice bath house and laundry room. The highway into Valdez was amazing, even more spectacular than the drive into Skagway and Whistler. Took a cruise to Columbia Glacier, but the fog and the abundance of ice bergs prevented any sightings. Saw a pod of Orca whales, sea otters on an ice shelf and harbor seals – both the otters and seals are a lot bigger than what we saw in Cali. The oil pipeline ends in Valdez across the bay from where we were staying. Went to a food truck court – ate at Nate’s Shack and Auntie Yum Yums Thai – really good. They had a Safeway grocery store. Suzanne and I took our bikes to Glacier Lake while June and Larry rode their bikes back towards Bridal Veil falls. Wished we could have stayed longer – it was much nicer than we expected.
Saw black wolf, gray wolf, brown bear, black bears, lynx, dall sheep, humpback whales, seals, dolphins and more bald eagles.
284 – Northern Lights. 30-amps and water only. Dump station. Bathhouse was okay. Fairly long sites, but our site was narrower than most. Lots of standing water – too many mosquitoes! Helped Larry & June celebrate the anniversary. We went on a 80-minute flight around Wrangell St Elias NP the day we arrived since the weather was not going to be ideal the three days were were staying – incredible experience! We drove 3-hours to McCarthy and Kennicott inside the NP. Really liked McCarthy. Ate @ The Potato. Coffee was not too good at one of the local art stores. You pay $5 at the bridge, walk across, then catch a free shuttle to McCarthy. Lots of dogs running around the streets. Took another free shuttle to Kennicott where the mine is located – missed the tour but it was fun. Saw a Lynx inbound and a female moose up close outbound. The town of Copper Center was somewhat disappointing. Too early for good fishing given the rivers were fast and silty – tried to visit one of the lakes, but the weather and access made me decide to skip fishing in the area. A few guys from Switzerland were very successful in the local lakes in the area.
283 – Tok RV Villages and Cabins. FHUs, 50-amps. Okay bathhouse. US cell service! They did offer RV washing. Nice big sites with trees separating sites. We found a decent food market. Went ACE hardware to fix up Rio’s ramp and to augment the RV brush system we setup. Road was really bad with frost heaves and pot holes till US Customs. Road from US Customs to RV park had really bad pot holes for the first 30% or so then got a lot better. Mosquitos were annoying. Easy entry thru US Customs.
282 – Destruction Bay RV Park. 30-amp only. No dump station. Water was frozen. No bath house. Beautiful views. Lake was frozen in certain places. While the RV park was very primitive, we could have stayed there a few days. Saw Dall Sheep @ the visitor’s center. 2-major road construction sections where there was a lot of loose gravel – ouch!
281 – Hi Country RV Park. They lost our reservations when they transitioned from paper to computers. We were able to find a really narrow site with 30-amp and water. Took June & Larry 3 or so tries to finally get assigned a site that was not already occupied. Bath house was okay. Our neighbors were friendly and enjoyed the conversations – helped one neighbor pickup his son at the local airport a few kms away. We rode our bikes to Miles Canyon and the river – very nice area. Went into town to look around. Took Lila to Alpine vets to look at the rash that Lila created and the scarring from his leg surgery – seems like everything is okay, but Vet put Lila on antibiotics and we put her back into the soft head cone. Went to Yukon Brewery – I had a flight of beers and sampled a single-malt whiskey where Suzanne really enjoyed their home-made seltzer.
280 – Pullen Creek RV Park. FHUs. Bathhouse was okay, but a little expensive. US cell service. RV park was located near marina and train station so it was a little busy and noisy. Incredible views on the drive to Skayway. The mountains, views and lakes were thick with snow. Most of the week was in the 70s – so a lot of the snow and ice had melted on the outbound journey. Helped Larry and June celebrate the RV anniversary. Dinner @ Skayway Brewery – good beer and fish n chips. Ate Dinner @ Skagway Fish Company – excellent halibut fish n chips! Enjoyed fry bread @ Klondike doughboy. Visited the Red Dog Saloon. We took the fast ferry to Juneau for the Mendenhall glacier visit. Saw many humpback whales, dolphins, seals and bald eagles – June and Larry watched Rio. Had beer and a nice snack @ the Red Onion Saloon (really cool place). Our trip was good, but the sun glare and waves made wildlife watching a little challenging. June and Larry had smooth waters with much better visibility – they also saw Orca whales. We took the fast ferry, with our bikes, to Haines. We visited the State Park. Went to the Port Chilkoot Distillery. Really liked Haines – we would have liked to have stayed longer. We took Rio and Jeep to Dyea to scope out the wetland area – saw black bears. We then took our jeep and bikes to Dyea where we met Larry and June who rode their bikes. We visited the local cemetary. Met Larry and June at the Skagway Distillery. We took Yukon and Whitehorse train up to the summit – was enjoyable, but we saw much of the same scenery that we drove thru.
