Saturday night near Denali Park; Sunday in Anchorage

Saturday night Gil took a picture outside the camper at 10:30 at night to show how dark it is NOT...then again at 1 am on Sunday morning to show the twilight hour. We left our campsite Sunday morning a little late because we knew we didn't have far to drive today to get to Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage. It was nice to sleep late - about 7:00. When we finally got on the road we really enjoyed the drive. We could see mountains on both sides of the highway and at one point we realized we could see Mt. McKinley in the distance and it was so tall and majestic it took our breath away. What a wonderful birthday present I had! It was shortly after that, Aunt Margie, that I lost signal on my phone. Sorry. I will call again soon.

We continued down the highway toward Anchorage and just enjoyed the beauty of God's handmaking. About 135 miles out of Anchorage we came upon a rest area and a wonderful view of the Denali Park from the south. We enjoyed this rest stop for our lunch break then continued on to Wasilla where we got a little sprinkling of rain. We got gas there ($2.93) and got back on the road. We got to the AFB just on the outskirts of Anchorage about 4 pm. It really is nice. Each campsite has shade because the camp is in a wooded area. It was in the low 60s by that time so setting up camp was so pleasant. I intended to do a big wash, but the laundry was very busy so I decided to put that off until in the morning while Gil takes the RV into town for its oil change (2nd one on the trip). We will plan some fun activity then for the afternoon. The host here at the camp lives here all summer, then flies back to Arkansas for the winter months. He owns property in Bismarck near DeGray Lake. We meet nice people everywhere we go.

I fixed supper for the passengers of the Niemeir-Express so they cleaned up the kitchen for me so I could check email. They did a great job. Gil and Suzanne have gone for a walk around the camp. We warned the kids they can't go off the road or ramble in the woods because the signs posted say there are bears in this area. I would love to see one from a distance again (saw two in Canada) but not up close and personal!

Will close for now and catch you up another night. God Bless you all.

Visiting Skagway, Alaska, on Saturday

Today we drove about 100 miles southwest of our campsite to visit Skagway, Alaska. This is the only way to get to that town except by ship from the sea. We had no problem getting through customs once we showed them our passport cards and the paperwork we had from the gr. children's parents to prove we had the kids with their permission. The drive there was lovely and the town is quaint. We drove around a while, then took pictures of the cruise ships at the dock. We also watched a very interesting movie at the Visitor's Center about the gold rush through this area in the late 1800s. Over 30,000 people made it up to the gold fields either through Skagway, a neighboring town which is no longer there, or through the river route up north of here. Many lost their lives and the winters were terrible for them. Some got rich, but most did not. Skagway is very small but has many stores and restaurants in which tourists can spend their money. We did eat lunch at a pizza place and enjoyed it even thought it was "pricy". Then we headed back and took the wrong turn so ended up taking the long, scenic route back to camp. The man at the gas station at Jake's Corner said we "went around the block" as they say here.

When we returned to camp, it was sprinkling and the kids had some supper and headed back outside to find the fox den. They did not get close, but saw the male at a distance and are enjoying exploring the area. Most of our neighbors from last night are gone, and we are getting new ones as I write this as it is after 7 pm now. Gil is taking a nap, as he is exhausted from the drive. I did drive some, but we were both tired because we got up so early. Our little four legged alarm clock (Sylvia, the cat) always wakes us up about 5:45 or 6:00 and demands her breakfast.

Tomorrow will be a long drive but we will not make it to Fairbanks until Monday, I am sure. The roads are curvy, and up and down mountains so some hours we average only 35-40 mph; but the road is much better now that we are on the Alcan Hwy #1. I will check in again on the blog on Monday night. It was great talking to you Mama today from Skagway. Since we were in the US, the phone could be used with no long-distance, only weekend minutes. Nice talking to you too, Deb. Take care.