North To Alaska - 2013

        Wow!! We have come full circle. Above is the photo of our rig, in the driveway of our old home, getting ready to head out on another adventure. Below is the photo we took on the first day of retirement, October 1, 2009. We were packed up and we hit the road for the first time as Full Time RVers. 

       This is going to be a summary of our trip up to Alaska for our summer caretaker position. I wasn't going to put in a separate entry for each day of the trip. Really, not that much happens in a day. Get up, pack up, drive for x hours, stop at a campground, set up, go to bed. Next day, repeat. We have been to Alaska before and part of my past blogs outline things we did while in and around Moose Pass. This time I am just summarizing the daily happenings and including a few photos that might be of interest. Our Web Album page (click here) will have a more comprehensive compilation of photos from the trip. 

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On Monday, Apr 29th, 2013 we left Wichita and headed towards Manhattan for a quick visit. Two wonderful warm days. We got the motorhome ready to travel. The holding tanks filled, washed, or otherwise cleaned. Outside of coach wiped down and cleaned. Inside vacuumed and dusted and loose things put away. 

Wed. May 1, 2013 - The first day of May and we are heading North. Temps the last few days have been around the 85 degree mark. Today the prediction is for 35! We hit rain shortly after leaving Manhattan and also very strong northerly winds. The rain was more a constant drizzle but it necessitated the use of wipers the whole way. Got to the Flying J in North Platte and fueled up. Found a spot to park just as it started to snow!!! Yes snow in May. It was cold, wet, windy and just plain crummy. We ran the heater until bedtime, then climbed into our warm bed (thanks to the heating blanket) and settled in for the night. 

Thur. May 2, 2013 - The day dawned clear and sunny. The temps were still on the cold side but the wind has died down and the predicted highs were in the mid 50’s. Nice drive to Box Elder, SD. Stopped along the way at Wall, SD to visit Wall Drug. This is a large (city block!) set of restaurants, museums, gift shops, and yes, a drug store all under one roof. Big tourist trap but had to at least stop. 

Chatting with a "Local"

Got to Box Elder and finally saw where we “live”. Stayed in the campground behind Americas Mailbox. 

This is the company that we have our mail sent to and they in turn forward that mail to wherever we tell them to. It provides us with our South Dakota address for our Drivers Licenses and we’ll soon be  registered to vote in the county. First time EVER that our Dish network account's service address matches the billing address. 

Fri. May 3, 2013 - Really nice day today. Temps in the low 60’s. Sunny skies and light breeze. Started the morning off going to the Drivers license offices to get our addresses updated on our licenses. They expire Sept of 2014 but they reflected the old address before Americas Mailbox built and moved to the new location. We have frequently had to use the drivers license for ID and occasionally the difference in address is annoying. We also thought that we would reduce any problems with the border crossings by having all our information consistent and accurate. The downside is that they do not re-issue the license (thus extending the expiration date 5 more years) so we had to pay to have the license updated and then will have to pay again next year when it comes up for renewal. We then went back to Americas Mailbox and took the tour of the facilities. 

We actually saw our “home” (see above photo). It is a small mailing box with our box number and name on it. The facility is very nice and efficient, handling mail daily for upwards of 10,000 people!! 

They have the campground (with plans for expansion) and they have four guest rooms that can be reserved by members for competitive rates. They have future plans for a clubhouse and bath facility to support the campground. There are also two bays that, in the near future, will be able to provide minor repairs and services to the campers. After the tour, I set out working on a pesky leak that has plagued me in a couple of my storage bays. Not sure if I licked the problem yet, we will have to drive through rain again to test the remedy. Basically, we put a weatherstrip on the door that mates up with the rubber seal on the bay cutout. Hopefully, this will provide a backup seal for water forced up when driving. Not sure what to do if this fails… We caught up on emails and photos and then got things ready to go forward. The next campground has only electric and the day after that we are in another Flying J, so we will leave here with a full water tank and empty holding tanks. 

Sat. May 4, 2013 - Got up and had a leisurely b-fast. We had hooked up the night before so it was just a case of disconnecting electric and sewer, topping off the fresh water tank, pulling up jacks, and setting off. Winds were light and what wind there was, was behind us. We passed through Sturgis but didn’t stop. Not a lot of traffic on the Interstate and the drive to the campground was uneventful. The campground was a little one about three miles from Devils Tower. The campsites were arranged such that you had a good view of the Tower out your window. 

The View From Our Window (Ignore the Porta-Potty)

The sites are not very level except for #5 site (which we got). We had our pick of sites as no one else was camping yet. The site only had electric. No dump station and water from a hose which you arrange for with the office. Not much for our $31 but the KOA at Devils Tower is $45 so I won’t complain. Went to Devils Tower and took the Tower Trail that rings the base of the formation. It is a nice paved path that meanders about 1.3 miles. Spectacular views hide around every corner. 

The site is still important to the surrounding Native American population and periodically you can see prayer cloths hanging from the trees along the trail. The tower was formed as magma pushed it’s way upwards and then cooled. As it cooled, the rock contracted, cracks formed and it fractured into columns. Over millions of years the ground around the tower eroded away leaving what we see today. Many of the columns have suffered from erosion and broken off from the Tower. 

One Piece of the Tower that has Broken Off

The remains of these columns lie all around the Tower in an impressive boulder field. On July 4, 1893 the first ascent of the Tower was made. You can still see remnants of the wooden ladder that was built to assist in the climb. Approximately 5,000 people come annually to climb the Tower and over 220 routes have been used to get to the top. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first National Monument under the new Antiquities Act. So that means Wyoming has the first National Park (Yellowstone) and the first National Monument. We headed back to the campground and hooked up the car for tomorrow’s journey. Starting tomorrow, it is a new destination every night until we get to Anchorage. Lots of daily miles, a quick rest, then repeat. 

Sun. May 5, 2013 - Original plan called for stopping at Hardin, WY but the trip was too short. Modified the plan to go as far as Billings Flying J. Got there around 1:30, again way too early to call it a day and just sit. So we put our heads together and decided to try for Belgrade, MT ( just outside of Bozeman). Long trip of 439 miles (8 hours or so) but makes for a short day tomorrow. Plan to do laundry and get ready for the border crossing on Tuesday. Nice quiet drive with little winds and great scenery. In the foothills and within sight of the snow topped Rockies. Took pictures of the Bighorn Mountains and of the Crazy Mountains. Drove past Little Bighorn battlefield but didn’t stop. Previous visit let me see the battlefield again from the highway. Got to the Flying J. No lines on the parking area and seemingly no rules for parking. Discount not applied like the pamphlet said. They wanted us to use the RV lane which was like any other residential set of pumps. Would have blocked traffic and not worth the trouble. Did find out that they have bulk DEF in a separate set of pumps. We planned on topping off our DEF before leaving. Should last us the rest of the year. DEF is an additive for diesel engines required as of 2011. DEF stands for diesel exhaust fluid. When mixed in the combustion chamber, it reduces emissions and almost completely eliminates the obnoxious aroma of diesel exhaust.  I think that it also affects performance but not sure on the organic chemistry of that whole reaction.

Wolf Creek (on the way to Shelby)

Mon. May 6, 2013 - Short drive today. Need to take some time to do laundry, shop for groceries, and get ready for the border crossing tomorrow. Have stopped in Shelby, MT at the Lewis and Clark RV park. We have stayed here when we came (and returned) from Alaska in 2010. Nothing exciting to report about today. 

The Road to Shelby

Tue. May 7, 2013 - Weather delay today. Just as we were starting to close up, the wind came up. Sustained at 35+ mph and gusting from the North. We decided to hold up and let it “blow” by. The motorhome rocked even with the jacks down!! Looks like we will just relax and read today. Tomorrow is forecast to be much nicer with the prevailing winds from the south which is much better for my fuel mileage. We ended up going to the local movie house which was showing “Iron Man 3”. Lucked out as it was free popcorn day so we pigged out on that. Couldn’t do much else as this wind was too severe.