Alaska adventure, Early September 2019 – SE Alaska, Haines, Skagway, Juneau, AK

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We are unofficially starting our return trip.  There is a lot more Alaska to see, so it’s not really returning -  yet.  I really don’t like taking the same route twice, so we planned this trip as a big loop.  This is the first portion, Tok to Haines Junction, where we are taking the same road back that we came up on. Sometimes there is only one Alaska road option.

Alaska Adventure, Late August 2019 - Valdez, Wrangell St. Elias NP, Kennecott AK

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Kennecott

Still in Whittier, we check-in for our ferry ride to Valdez.  While waiting, the person taking our information receives a call asking if the boat can be held; the road from Cooper Landing, where we had been three days previous is closed due to the Swan Lake wildfire erupting again.  This also explains all the haze appearing in the Whittier area over the past day.

 

Valdez
Our six hour ferry ride to Valdez is the first of four in Alaska.  The Alaska Marine Highway parking lot is full of people and vehicles waiting to board the ship.  There are 9 different lanes of different size vehicles.

Alaska adventure, Mid to Late August, 2019 - Hope, Seward, Homer, Kenai, Kenai Peninsula, AK

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Glacier near Whittier

Passing through Anchorage we stop at the Marsh Bird Sanctuary.  There are only a few ducks swimming along the stream and ponds surrounding the boardwalk.  We also notice very few birders which should have been an indication that this is not necessarily the best time to visit.

Alaska adventure, Early August 2019 - Anchorage, Talkeetna, AK

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Glacier near Denali

We are on our way to Anchorage to visit some of Nicida’s friends then spending a few extra days touring other areas around town.

Almost immediately after leaving Denali NP we run into road construction.  This is serious; flag persons, stop and wait, pilot car, the whole nine yards.  Not once but multiple times.  To this point the roads are in pretty good shape, certainly not the horror stories we have heard from years past.  We are driving among green covered mountains that look like the mountains we hiked just a few days ago on our Discovery hike so I am not fooled into thinking a hike here would be easy.   

Alaska adventure, Late July, 2019, Denali National Park

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Leaving smoke scented Fairbanks we are hoping for better air conditions but are expecting more of the same.  The haze thickens as we ascend each ridge dropping into the next valley.  Lots of new birch and aspen growth appears from long ago wildfires. 

Alaska adventure, Mid - Late July 2019, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, AK

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Fairbanks

Fish traps

I bought some eye covers so I can sleep with light sky at night.  I am certain I will need them, the 11PM sky is bright enough to read outside without any auxiliary lighting.  I used them a couple nights but find the light is not an issue.  Noise, at some of the campgrounds is an issue.

Alaska adventure, Early - Mid July 2019, Albuquerque to Fairbanks, Alaska

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Alarms set for 630 are not needed.  All the research, planning, scheduling and preparation are done, now to get on the road.  I had picked up two vegetarian burritos from the Burrito Lady the previous day; our regular morning ritual when starting a trip.

The road is quiet through to Farmington where we run into road construction traffic.  It’s warm, 80’s and sunny as we make our way to Monticello, UT, our first stop on this adventure.  The mountains west of town are spotted with snow; a big change from the snow covered mountains we saw this past April.

Southwest trip - early to mid April 2019 (Capitol Reef NP, Natural Bridges NM, Valley of the Gods, Hovenweep NM)

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Burr Trail Road

Owachomo Bridge - Natural Bridges NM

Today is sunny and warm so we are sticking with our plan to take Burr Trail Road and Notom Road to Capitol Reef NP.  We take our time driving, getting out a few times to shoot more photos of the unbelievable geology.  The first portion of the road is paved; once we reach Capitol Reef NP the road turns to gravel.  Two wheel drive vehicles can make it over the road.  The only questionable part is the Burr Trail Switchbacks.

Southwest trip - early to mid April 2019 (Grand Staircase Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP, Utah Scenic Byway 12)

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM)

Bryce Canyon NP

Our next stop is Kodachrome Basin State Park.  We have had many people ask us why we are not visiting Zion NP if we are going to Bryce Canyon NP.  I have read about Staircase Escalante National Monument, the geology is unbelievable in this area.  Cottonwood Canyon Road takes us through a portion of GSENM allowing us to see drastic uplifts of the surrounding terrain.  Cottonwood Canyon road is 40 miles of gravel and graded dirt road before arriving at Kodachrome Basin State Park.  The only gotcha’s are it has to be dry, and high-clearance vehicles are suggested.  We have both requirements covered.  Visiting the BLM visitor center for GSENM helps us make our decision.

Southwest trip - early to mid April 2019 (Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Page, AZ)

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Antelope Canyon

This is our first camping trip since our mid-January Texas trip.  It’s not that we have been relaxing at home.  Various illnesses have occurred involving travel for each of us.  We are continuously planning our next trips for 2019 including this trip to AZ, and UT as our main destinations.  I will be posting them as I finish furiously working on the stories and images. We are continuing to work off our National Parks list with a few National Monuments included.  One of our retired friends mentioned that as they get near then end of their trips they are happy to get back home but within a few days they start planning their next trip; a never ending cycle.  We have fallen into that routine ourselves.

South Texas travels, Mid December 2019 - Mid January 2019

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Santa Elena Canyon

After our last road trip we promised ourselves to limit our daily travel to 300ish miles.  400+ miles a day is not fun when you pull into a campground, set up, then prepare dinner.  Long travel days do not leave much time to enjoy the afternoon or relax in front of a roaring fire cooking S’Mores.

Our itinerary includes visiting friends and family.  Destinations are: South Padre Island; Houston; Georgetown, Texas; San Antonio; Big Bend National Park and Albuquerque.  I’m pretty certain I will like the Houston weather more than when we were there this past August.

South America adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 6 - end

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Patagonia

Torres del Paine

It is about a 3 hour drive from Mount Fitz Roy near El Chalten to the Perito Moreno Glacier, outside of El Calafate.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world.  It directly feeds Lago Argentino.  A thirty minute drive from El Calafate, then walking the scaffolding to the glacier is worth the trip.  Getting up close you sense the size of the glacier, but I don't fully realize it until I spot a tour boat cruising alongside.  If I didn’t look close I would not have seen it.

South America adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 5

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Patagonia

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
in the Beagle strait

I always thought we were pretty remote driving through NM, AZ and UT.  We are not even close to remote compared to Patagonia.  It makes up the southern portion of Chile and Argentina.  It is huge; over 400,000 square miles, slightly larger than Texas and New Mexico combined.  It is also empty, averaging 5 people per square mile; imagine only 2 million people living in Texas and New Mexico.

We put on over 1,800 miles driving from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia, then El Chalten, El Calafate, Puerto Natales finally returning to Punta Arenas.  This is just driving from point to point, I haven’t included the miles going to the sites we visited, easily another few hundred.

South America adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 4

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Mendoza, Argentina

Aconcagua

During our initial trip planning we researched to see how long it takes to get to Mendoza from Santiago.  By plane it is in the neighborhood of 12 hours; flying to Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast then back to Mendoza, connections are poor at best which is the reason for the 12 hours.  Google maps says it can be driven in 5.

Road trip.

South American adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 3

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Santiago, Chile

Cerro Santa Lucia statue

We fly from Cuzco to Lima then on to Santiago Chile, this is a travel day; ending at 430 AM the next day in Santiago.  Santiago is another 3.5 hours south of Lima by plane.  The size of this continent is becoming very apparent to me with our flying times adding up as we continue south.

This portion of our adventure is where we will get to know the customs officials between Chile and Argentina.  We will be renting cars on and off during the remainder of the trip negotiating the borders several times.

South American adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 2

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Cuzco, Peru

Machu Picchu

To our surprise the van taking us to the airport is on time.  Here is where I find out not all airport security is the same; we are allowed to bring water through the TSA line.  Once through that, and at the appropriate time, we all got up to stand in line to board the plane, no ‘zones’ or ‘groups’ for boarding.  Once we are all in place, seat belts clicked, an announcement is made; we get wait another 45 minutes before departing.