Alaska with the Brewer's 06

[Betty Brewer]

We are currently in Oregon at South Beach State Park just south of Newport if you happen to be coming south along the coast.?

Hi Smoky,

We have not planned the route through Oregon yet. We have a service appointment in Junction City to have heater fixed so we likely won't be along the coast this time.  But for sure Arizona! See you there!

Betty and Terry

 

[Betty Brewer]

September 8, 2006    Day 108  105 miles South of Prince George, BC, CANADA 

Today was a Farewell Day.  We awoke and donned our matching Alaskan Sweatshirt Souvenirs.  Russ set up the tripod and snapped our group picture as a memento of our last day together on this trip.  Russ and Terry chattered on the CB the next 170 miles.  We stopped at a beautiful rest area and had lunch outside.  It was the warmest day we have seen in months!  It was way too hot for the sweatshirts but it was nice enough to eat lunch outside and do our hugs and handshakes and ?see ya laters!?  In Prince George we turned to head south and Russ continued east toward Jasper.  It was a very sad moment.  We have been traveling together just short of 4 months.  Russ has been an outstanding tour guide and an excellent travel companion.  We will miss him but have already planned our next adventure together. 

Terry and I continued south on very good roads and passed through some very pretty cities in British Columbia with many tourist attractions listed in the Milepost, but ? we be toured out.?  Now we just want to get home, back to the USA where the signs are listed in miles and not Kilometers and our money is good.  We are at a big double-ended turn out for the night.  Terry put on his shorts, climbed on the roof and connected us to the Internet and Direct TV. We have not had a signal since Banff and we love being back in touch with the world.  My final journal entry will be tomorrow as we anticipate crossing the border and I want to provide you with the details of coming back into USA. 

Statistics:
Motorhome Miles Driven:  270 
Wildlife sightings: Birds
Temps:  High  84  Low  49        0 inches of rain
Camping Costs: Free
GPS: 52.563, -122.464

 

[UK-RV]

Betty, Terry, Russ, Lorna and Ned

I'll get my thanks and congratulations in now, before the rush.

What a FANTASTIC trip log from all you guys !!

Even though we did our trip only a month before yours, it has been great to recap all those wonderful places - and the many places we didn't get to see.

Have a safe trip home !

Paul and Ann-Marie

 

[Wendy]

I feel as though my own trip has ended. And it seems as though you guys just left a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for all the great pics and the travelogue. What will I look at first in the morning? Someone else needs to start a winter trip thread......

 

[Betty Brewer]

Even though we did our trip only a month before yours, it has been great to recap all those wonderful places - and the many places we didn't get to see.

Paul and Ann Marie,

Next time we do this trip to Alaska , we will use  your route.  You got better weather than we did! What a trip, what a memory!

Betty

 

[Wendy]

Paul and Ann Marie,

Next time we do this trip to Alaska , we will use? your route.? You got better weather than we did! What a trip, what a memory!

Betty

Be sure to let everyone know when you're doing it next.....you're sure to have a bunch of Forum RVs following you, Russ, Lorna and Ned.

 

[Tom and Margi]

Wendy said it best:  we feel like our trip has ended, too.  We've started every morning since May 24 by reading your trip journal.  What a wonderful job you did!  We truly appreciate it.  The upside is that Russ is on his way back to Iowa and may get here in time for a breakfast date before Tom and I leave on September 25.  Unless you've "trained" him to slow down, he'll probably be here by Monday.

Margi

 

[Betty Brewer]

Wendy said it best:? we feel like our trip has ended, too.? We've started every morning since May 24 by reading your trip journal.? What a wonderful job you did!? We truly appreciate it.? The upside is that Russ is on his way back to Iowa and may get here in time for a breakfast date before Tom and I leave on September 25.? Unless you've "trained" him to slow down, he'll probably be here by Monday.

Margi, 
Thank you for  your loyal following of our journey.  I felt like everyone was with me each time I sat down to compose.  Regarding Russ,  Terry did a good bit of "slow down" training on him the whole time but I fear Russ may break those  habits soon.  If  you can believe it there were days where Russ was still in bathrobe drinking coffee at 9 am!  Now that's retirement!

Betty

 

[Shayne]

Betty this has been a very enjoyable adventure for you and probably more so for all of us foolowing your log.  Sure you don't want to turn around and bravew the winter up there so we well know why we don't RV up north in the winter? I say that with tongue in cheeck, cause it will be great to see all of you upon your return to those of us unfortunate enough not to have been able to accompany you on this fabuous trip and venture.  Looking forward to the variety of the way each of you viewed things along the way.  Great of you to have done this.  Thanks more than you can imagine.

 

[Howard R]

Wow Betty,

What can I say except a big thanks to you, Terry and Russ for all the entertaining information and pictures of your wonderful trip!  8)
It has been very enjoyable logging on and following your travels.

thanks for sharing,

Howard

PS-  Notice you list temps/rain ... what sort of weather station do you have?  Terry's department?  ;D

 

[rhmahoney]

September 8, 2006    Day 107 for Mahoney

A day of total sun- no sprinkles! Got quite warm by late afternoon. Yellowhead hywy is quite nice to Prince George where I left Brewers and continued on alone. We stopped 40 miles west of there for lunch at a nice big rest stop with picnic tables. I think this was the first time all summer that we got to eat outdoors!

Beyond Prince George the road is as deserted as the Cassiar with no services for a 100 miles. Then it became populated with ranches and hay farms. 60 miles from Jasper I entered the really big rocky Mts and was awestruck by Mt Robson. Stopped in Jasper for fuel and had difficulties finding it. The Petro station on the west end ( that I could get into) was gas only. The next one east was too tight. Finally I found access at an Esso for $0.999/L.
Jasper is jumping on a friday evening in Sept. Cars and busses fill all the downtown parking lots and hotels. People are crowding the shopping streets and parks. An australian couple quizzed me about how cars are towed behind motorhomes while I fueled up.

I am now parked at a roadside turnout a few miles beyond Jasper.
406 miles today, 1934 miles to Des Moines.
Saw only 3 deer today.

 

[Shayne]

Thanks for ther post Russ and take care and have a safe and enjoyable trip/

 

[Ned]

Russ, we had dinner outside the very first night in Canada back in May.  But that was still technically spring   See you in Kerrville next month.

 

[rhmahoney]

September 9, 2006    Day 109  385 miles N of Drumheller

Did not get internet dish to pass cross-pol but did get F-1 race qualifying this morning. Still smoke haze over the Rockies from fires to the west.

As I left Jasper nat park, the speed limit was 50 mph with warning to watch for wildlife crossings. No such luck, only saw 2 deer and that was in the farm country. Was on the same stretch of road in May and saw mt sheep.

At Hinton, the Yellowhead becomes a divided (but not limited access) hywy... boring. Zig-zagged southeast to main road between Edmonton and Calgary, a full limited access freeway... gave me hives. Jumped off it as soon as I could and worked my way to a truck weighing station 10 miles N of Drumheller. I Overnighted here 4 yrs ago after visiting the museum. Got locked on with internet sat so am online tonight.

Mostly forest W of Edmonton. Hay and cattle appear as I headed S. By Red Deer, grain had appeared. Now the horizon is dotted with grain elevators.

Woe, 3rd day of sun and warmth. I hardly know how to act.

 

[Ron]

Only three deer.  Stop by Sam's Camp and as you know we can show you a hundred or more deer.  Why we could even show you about the same number of elk this time of year.  Hope to take Gary and Nancy out to view the elk bugling while they are here.

 

[Betty Brewer]

? Notice you list temps/rain ... what sort of weather station do you have??

Howard,
Thanks for the kind words.  Terry's weather station is a Vantage Pro by Davis.  He  puts it up on the ladder each day when we arrive  and the gauges read it remotely from inside the coach.  It's pretty cool. I always thought we were getting more rain than we actually were.

Betty.

 

[Terry A. Brewer]

Final 109 day expense report.

Fuel includes motorhome & auto.
Meals includes groceries & restaurants.
Lodging is campgrounds.
Miscellaneous is everything else...mostly sightseeing/tour fees & souvenirs.

? ?Fuel.....................$3637.89
? ?Meals...................? 3169.89
? ?Lodging................? 2163.14
? ?Miscellaneous.......... 4793.17

? ?Total.................... $13764.09

$126.28 a day for two people. We Have Not SKIMPED on anything.<G>

Miles Driven Alaska/Canada

Motorhome................6258
Gmc Envoy................3343

Total........................9601

 

[Wendy]

I'm curious.....how much more is this than you would have spent in an average year wandering around the lower 48 for 109 days??

 

[Shayne]

Wendy just popped the question I was going to ask.  Probably wouldn't spend as much for fuel?

 

[Betty Brewer]

I'm curious.....how much more is this than you would have spent in an average year wandering around the lower 48 for 109 days??

Wendy,
Not a clue!? We spend all of what we make. ? I know our mileage in the same time period is much less than it took us to get to Alaska and back.? Our? Miscellaneous expenses are greatly reduced in regular lower 48? travel.? We had? 2 expensive airline flights and a ferry fee which is not normal. We ate out? much more on this trip than normal but groceries and eating in was a lot more expensive than it is at home.? My trip to Safeway here in Washington just now was an example.? I kept buying and buying as things seemed so cheap to me.? I needed everything, toothpaste, toilet paper coffee, kleenex and meat.? All was notably less than we paid on the whole trip even at Safeway in? Alaska!

One could do this trip? for considerably less money but hey we just wanted to do everything we wanted.? Fuel per mile is a variable. We get about 8 miles to a gallon on Motorhome.? We dry camped a? lot but some  of our chosen? waterfront sights cost more.? One could have dry camped more than we did as there are a lot of turn outs with space, but we wanted to be close to the touring places. I have some very nice souvenirs of the trip that fell into our miscellaneous category. About the only thing you can do is use the expenses of others as a guide to mileage and days out.? You will find your own price point of comfort from there. It is the trip of a lifetime and I recommend? that everyone? who can possibly make the trip, does.
Betty