THURSDAY, SEPT 26

THURSDAY, SEPT 26:

     Our last morning waking up in the RV; tomorrow we’ll wake up in our real home – the one without wheels!  Will it seem surreal??  Will we feel disoriented and wander around from room to spacious room, trying each one on for size, seeing if it feels as snug as the 400 sq foot RV?  It will certainly be a transition.  But a good one.  Despite what we’ll miss, Dorothy was right:  There’s no place like home.  (I’m writing this as we travel south on I-29.)

     We are so enormously grateful for the opportunity we had to take this trip!  It was everything we’d hoped for, and more.  From our first ferry ride to our last glacier view, we got to see and experience some of the most spectacular scenery on this planet.  We were treated to extraordinary views of wildlife, furred, feathered, and finned.  And we were exposed to wonderful cultural and historical enrichment.  All the while coming in contact with absolutely wonderful people!      We’d love to return some day.  But if we don’t, we feel that we really got to experience and know Alaska (and, to a lesser extent, the Yukon), in all of its richness and variety. 

     We’re especially grateful that we had the chance to see Alaska in the way we did.  The RV allows us to take extended trips like this one affordably.  We gladly trade the luxury of clean linens and a clean room each night for the luxury of time.  There’s no substitute for it when you want to really see a place more in depth!  Plus, it gives you flexibility.  If the weather is temporarily crummy, for instance, you have time to just wait it out (as we did, for example, in Denali).  Or, if you want to add something to your itinerary that you learn of on the way, you can go for it!  (as we did numerous times – e.g., Wrangell-St. Elias, Pack Creek from Juneau, Stewart-Hyder, etc.) 

     And, we’re so glad we took the trip on our own, and not part of any tour group.  We were definitely among the minority.  Especially in SE Alaska, with all the cruise passengers.  But even in the interior, we saw that the majority of folks were there either as part of a cruise add-on, or as part of an RV organized caravan.  They even have a word for people like us:  “Independent Travelers” or just plain “independents.”  We’ll claim it!  (At one RV park, Bill started schmoozing with the “wagon master” of one of those caravans. And found out that for a typical 12 week Alaskan trip, RV owners pay around $9,000.  That covers campground fees, most excursion costs, and someone doing all of the itinerary and activity planning – in other words, a tour director.  So I asked  Bill when I’d get my $9k.  He replied, “When I get my $60 per day for driving!”

     I remember one of our National Park Rangers – Meredith, in Skagway – when talking to us about the gold rushers who helped settle that town and left its colorful history for us to enjoy saying, “It was all about their dreams.  That’s what Alaska is about.  It was my dream to come here back in 1998.  I hear so many people who are travelling through here say, ‘This trip to  Alaska is my dream trip.’  If it’s your dream trip. Congratulations!  You’re here!”

     I don’t know if this was our one dream trip.  But it certainly is one of them!  We are amazed, glad, and most grateful for the past 18 weeks.  (And all under budget, too! J)