The end of a fantastic summer

This view shows more than any other the Alaska that we will always remember!



Our three-and-a-half months in Alaska is rapidly drawing to a close, but what a summer it has been!

We will begin our slow exit from this beautiful state tomorrow and expect to cross the border into the Lower 48 sometime during the middle of the month.

Check out daily details of our summer travel at:

www.MyTripJournal.com/
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So long from spectacular Valdez, AK.........

Great start to summer in Alaska

The clouds parted to give us this view of the great one...Mt McKinley (Denali)


The spectacular Chugach Mountains near our current campsite in Palmer, AK


The Matanuska Glacier pours into a valley from its high snow covered source

A closer view of the wonderful glacier





We've just completed the first week of our summer visit to the beautiful state of Alaska...FANTASTIC!!

Go to "Pierce's MyTripJournal" to read about our daily activities and see numerous photos of this stunning place.

You can find our journal direct at:
www.MyTripJournal.com
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...or click on the link on the right of this page.

On our way to Alaska!!

Spring and Winter in one frame in the little town of Hope, British Columbia



We have crossed into British Columbia at the Sumas, WA, border station and are slowly working our way north for a summer visit to Alaska.

To see our daily journal entries and photos, visit our MyTripJournal website through the "Links" to the right or go to:

www.MyTripJournal.com/
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Passing through the San Francisco area

I just couldn't pass up taking this photo as the sun hit the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge for a few seconds before closing out again. The photo was taken from an overlook in the Presidio section of San Francisco.

We are slowly heading north along the coast and ultimately crossing into British Columbia on about May 15 for our summer drive to and from Alaska.

For our daily journal entries and more photographs, click on the "Pierce's My Trip Journal" link to the right.

The grand Grand Canyon

Two years ago today on an extremely rainy day in Vacaville, CA, we hitched up for the first day of our full time RV travels. It just gets better every day!! ☺



We woke at 5 AM this morning so we could get on the road to catch the early morning light along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Driving off into the crisp 23-degree air, we made the trip to the National Park entrance in only an hour. The sun rose as we made our way to the north and the clear skies promised beautiful views. Arriving at Mather Point, Juanita got her first view of the spectacular canyon...she was awed by the wonderful sight. Even though I have been to the park many times, the return left me breathless...maybe it was the altitude! ☺ We turned into every viewpoint along the drive to the west stopping for a longer time to visit the old El Tovar Hotel and adjacent Hopi House. Both were built in 1905 and due to recent renovations look like they are in very good shape. A large group of Japanese students in the area surrounded Bodie and treated him like a veritable rock star. Pats, pets, scratches, ear strokes, and photo sessions besieged him. We hope he is able to come down from this unbelievable high soon. We spent over an hour in the village area of the park before turning to the east for the long drive to the Desert View area.



We stopped at numerous locations along the way to the famous Desert View Watchtower, which was constructed in the early 1930's by Mary Coulter. This structure is truly amazing. Every stone was individually selected and placed carefully in the tower structure. The interior walls are covered by Native American artwork and the views from the top are incredible. The tree-covered plateau to the west stands in stark contrast to the desolate view to the east, and the Colorado River is visible in various parts of the canyon from this high vantage point. Even though I am not especially fond of heights, I managed to climb the winding stairway all the way to the top. Juanita was amazed, stunned, and delighted that I actually attempted this feat!



Turning back to the west we stopped at the Tusayan Ruins and Museum. Pueblo dwellers occupied this site for a period of about 30 years around 1185 AD. The only remains are a few stone foundations of storage rooms, living quarters, and two kivas. The museum is quite small but has some interesting displays relating to early residents of the canyon and high plateaus. This was our last activity of the day at the Grand Canyon...we were all completely done in by now. Driving back to the south, we were back at our little home by late afternoon. The temperature back in Williams was a hothouse 58 degrees! I think this is the warmest we have been since our stop in San Marcos, TX.



After relaxing a while, we drove into town and found a neat little pizza parlor for dinner. The all meat pizza was outstanding at the Pizza Factory...give this place a try if you are ever on old Route 66 in downtown Williams. After dinner we pulled into a service station to fuel up before our drive into California tomorrow...$4.49.9 per gallon!!! You have got to be kidding me!!! ☹ Two service stations along side I-40 posted the same ridiculous price so we drove back through Williams looking for more options. Along old Route 66 we found a small Mustang Oil service station with the wonderful low price of $3.99.9 per gallon for diesel fuel...whew, I felt like a new man! I have a feeling that this is the last time we are going to see fuel below $4 for quite some time. ☹



After refueling we returned home and stowed the hoses for our morning departure to Needles, CA. We really need to spend more time here so have left Williams and the Grand Canyon on our "must see" list. We are now relaxing after a busy day and will drop off early so we can get under way at a reasonable time in the morning. Because we have less than 180 miles planned for tomorrow's drive, we should arrive at our next destination by noon...I like those short days. We will stay in Needles for one night only before moving on down the road to Bakersfield. I hope to meet up with one of my old friends from the work life on Friday and get caught up on the world of employment.



Other than striking out to the west on I-40, we have no idea what adventures tomorrow will bring, but, as usual, we always look forward to the new day..........

We post our daily travels on MyTripJournal. You can find that site on the Links to the right of this page...Pierce's My Trip Journal

Still in the Rio Grande Valley

Juanita enjoys sitting out on the patio and working on her quilt.


We just wanted to make a short post here to let all of our friends know that we are still located in the Rio Grande Valley and avoiding the worst of the winter weather in the north part of the country. We're having a great time here in south Texas! We will be back on the road March 2 heading for a summer visit to British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska.

Juanita has been busy working on another quilt, and I seem to find all sorts of projects and activities to keep me going.

Check out our MyTripJournal web site, which I post daily, or almost so. You can proceed directly to the site by using the Pierce travel link to the right of this entry.

See y'all down the road!

2007---Facts and Figures

Juanita and I wish everyone a Happy New Year!


Well, we're ending up 2007 with a spectacular day here in south Texas. The skies are clear, there is a slight breeze blowing, and the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees.

Rising at our usual time this morning, I drove over to Alejandro's to pick up some special treats for breakfast. The cinnamon rolls and other pastries were outstanding as usual. We really need to start out the new year with some moderation...yah right!! After putting down those morning gut bombs and coffee, we loaded up the damaged propane cylinder and drove to a nearby shop to exchange it for a new cylinder. That accomplished, we headed for a local produce stand to pick up a load of ruby red grapefruit, fresh roasted peanuts, and a couple of lemons. Returning to the park, I installed new end tables on my Weber Baby-Q. All my morning tasks completed, I pulled a recliner onto the patio and kicked back with my I-Pod, peanuts, and a glass of soda...the warm sunshine was outstanding.

Since this is a travel journal, I thought I would use this entry to summarize our travels for 2007.

Total miles driven (Including towing) = 25,819 miles

Towing miles = 8,804 miles

Individual Parks or Camps Visited = 45

States Visited (Some twice) = 16

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.

During this year, our minimum distance under tow was 30 miles from Blythe, CA, to Quartzsite, AZ. Our maximum tow distance was 373 miles from Lubbock, TX, to Kerrville, TX. Our average tow distance was 200 miles.

Since we began full time living on March 11, 2006:

Total miles driven (Including towing) = 49,469 miles

Towing miles = 18,571 miles

Individual Parks or Camps Visited = 84

States Visited (Some several times) = 21

In addition to the states noted above add: Iowa, South Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas

This has been an extremely enjoyable year. As I have noted several times in previous entries, the best part of all this travel is not the places we have been or the sights we have seen. As we have put all these miles behind us, we have met and gotten to know the best people in the world!! I can't even calculate the number of new friendships made, and old friendships renewed during the year.

So, as we end 2007 and face the wonders of a new year, we want to wish all of our friends, both old and new, our family, and our journal readers a Happy, safe, prosperous, healthy, and peaceful New Year.

As we finish up this beautiful south Texas afternoon, I can't help but anticipate a fantastic new year of adventures........



Check out our daily activities on MyTripJournal...just a single click on the Pierce Travel link to the right.