Home & HOT!!!

Back in Connecticut we had a long heatwave and we were in Alaska--Horray--but it is now going on the 20th day since May 1st of 90 degrees and humid.  I hate the humidity!!!!!!!!!!!YUK!

The Cruise

 


In Juno looking at other cruise ships from our balcony



John in his favorite place and below our cruise ship in Skagway.

Our cruise ship in Skageay

Skagway and below John at Canada/Alaska boarder.  We took a tour in Skagway.

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Pat looking for wildlife on balcony and below Hubbard Glacier

Alaska

After flying to Anchorage, Alaska, we rented a car and traveled the next day north to Denali NP.  Alaska is huge!  We spent 2 nights at McKinley Park, AK taking a 4.5 mile (4 1/2 hour-shortest with my dumb back!) tour in Denali NP.  We never saw the huge mountain, just clouds (the Alaskan range makes its own weather) but saw moose, rainbows, caribou, a fox and a snowshoe hare traveling the first 15 miles of road in the park allowed by private car before the actual tour. 

On the way south again we saw mountain goats on a cliff on the side of the road and stopped at a Musk Ox farm and toured.  It took us a complete day to travel south again past Anchorage to Moose Pass, AK. where we stayed in a tiny log cabin in the woods.

We had fantastic weather (except in Denali) and on a boat tour in Kenai Fjords NP we saw lots of sea and land wildlife including my first bear (not as a dot or squished on the side of the road) as well as a glacier calving.  We heard and felt the glacier splashing into the sea-very impressive!  The following day we hiked a short distance, visited an aquarium and boarded the ship for the next part of the trip, a cruise on the inland Alaskan Waterway. No pictures here for my camera died.  I must rely on pictures from my daughter-in-law.



Alaska

Yup, no Mt Denali

Moose but I do not know where the baby pix went



Native Athabaskan with sneakers!

We saw many rainbows and beautiful mountains but not the big, big one!




Just another beautiful scene in Denali National Park and Preserve

Something different

We will be using B3 for traveling to NH for a granddaughter's wedding on Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

Departing from the norm we will be traveling to Alaska with 2 sets of children and spouses for 2 weeks at the end of June until July 10th.  John does not see it as traveling but a mini vacation.  We have not traveled together on a "vacation timeline" since we have retired.  But the others of course, still working, are on vacation for a limited time.  John has not flown for many a year but this is our last state to visit.

We will be flying to Alaska and traveling by car to Denali NP & down to Seward & Kenai Fjords NP, for the first 6 days.  Hopping on a cruise with family and traveling the inland passage of Alaska is the second half of the trip.  John & I, are in charge of the land part of the journey. I have arranged for tours of Denali NP and Kenai Fjords NP (a bus in Denali NP and a cruise with a ranger in Seward). So plans are in the works for travel but not like we usually do & I am excited.  This is my last state to enter.  We have seen so much in our retirement years in the lower 48 traveling and volunteering.  Kim, our oldest granddaughter, was born in Hawaii so of course she was seen at a young age. So that is what we are up to.  Pictures will be coming!!!!

Short trip for a quick look at spring 2018

We left on March 15th .  New England snow storms have been terrible this March so we found a window between storms that was warm enough to pack.  The week before we had 18 inches of snow that pulled down our electric wire into the driveway entrance for 3 days.  The electric company took 3 days to remove it.  We could not get out of the driveway. We have a generator so we were comfortable but thank goodness for our next door neighbor, our son.  He gave a gas ride  for the generator every day.  We are rural and surrounded by stone walls on 5 acres so it is not easy to get out except through the hole in the stone wall.  The suggestions of the electric company of just going out the backyard does not work.  Also if no electricity, no water.  I do not think  people understand and because I complain about our age (now in our 70's) it does not seem to matter.  I was very upset.  John and I have medical problems and emergency help could not get to us if needed because of the wire as well!  We cleared another storm's 12 inches of snow off the camper and finally left.

We traveled to Tennessee stopping at Woodstock, VA to spend the night.  It was cold but easily comfortable.  John had an extra blanket.  We visited TN friends and de-winterized the RV finding the pump did not work.  Our friends knew where to call to buy a new pump & John & Bob put the new pump in.  Off we went on our way after 3 days. It was warm in TN until the week we got there.  We must have brought the cold weather. 

We traveled over mountains on Route 26 to SC and visited other friends. We stayed at Hunting Beach State Park in Murrell's Inlet right on the ocean.  It was also cold and windy there and very expensive.  We paid $18 for a SC State Park on the way east from TN but arriving on the coast it was $53 a night.  What a difference March makes.  Snowbirds RVs are headed north again! 

We left after viewing houses where our friends live.  We want to move to warmer weather and they live in a 55+ community and love it.  We found a rental but it was just, just rented.  I liked the house so if that does not work out they will let us rent it.  It was backed to a golf course and a block from the communal pool--perfect and a small house.  I want to downsize!

Georgia was our next stop.  It was a little warmer but still not warm until we stayed at Seminole State Park in SW GA on the FL & AL corner boarder.  There I stayed out in the sun beside the lake reading and received sun burn on my nose that peeled!  I wanted out of the van, or my back did, so we did not head further west or south.  I had seen redbud, pear, daffs, dogwood all in bloom, green grass, wildflowers, etc. so we headed north. 


The lake at FDR State Park and below John the next day unhooking the electrical

We stopped at TD Roosevelt State Park and the Little White House in Warm Springs where FDR died.  That was very interesting and completed FDR's life for us.  We have visited where he was born in NY, where he contacted Polio in Canada and where he died in GA.  He was our longest presidential leader, elected 4 terms.  After that it was changed to just 2 terms.  Now history has pictures in my mind.


Our deck after an inch or so.  It looks lovely but really--APRIL!
Below can you see the covered B??

John in his usual place with Emma!

Back we came and arrived on Easter night quite late.  You can always tell when you arrive in Pa to CT.  The roads are terrible-teeth and RV jarring!  The house was warm thanks to a daughter who turned up our heat.  On Monday it snowed again about 8 inches.  It also snowed in CT during the time we were traveling.  In April we usually do not winterize again but this year, yes!  What a spring!!??!!