THINGS WE LEARNED

September 04, 2017 by Rita Fisher

1. North America is full of surprises.

A lot of surprises. And we're really just talking about Mother Nature. Yes, there were a lot of things that we knew were going to be beautiful and amazing, and we made sure all the cameras were charged and that we were in the exact right place at the right time. A perfect example of this would be the total solar eclipse we hustled down to Idaho for (and man, it did not disappoint). There were drives that we knew would be breathtaking: the drive to Prince Rupert, Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier, and the drive through Glenwood Canyon on 70, to name a few.

But there were a lot of surprises for which we couldn't plan. Despite an unpromising aurora forecast, we were treated to two spectacular and completely unexpected displays of the Northern Lights in the Yukon Territory. We didn't even know that the Great Sand Hills or Craters of the Moon existed until the day before we arrived at each one (see below). And there's nothing quite like discovering something amazing as you drive through it. The Canadian Badlands in Alberta. Our bizarre and ethereal drive to Circle, Alaska—not to mention the 8 or 9 rainbows we saw on our way back. And, of course, our drive to and through the Sawtooth Valley in Idaho, which left both of us a little dumbstruck.

We couldn't have planned for all of the wildlife, like the juvenile brown bear lazily snacking on salmon by the Chilkat River, or the pair of sandhill cranes doing a bizarre sort of hop-dance in a field outside Bellevue, Idaho—something we failed to capture on film, but it looked something like this. There were stone sheep and muskox and herds of deer. And there was the late night visitor to our campsite on the Denali Highway, which leads us to our next lesson...

2. Camping is awesome.

Of course we should have known this. We wish we had camped more, actually. Why isn't everyone camping? We also noticed that it seemed like there was no one under 35 camping with us. Strange, right? That being said, the people that we met (no matter their age) were incredibly interesting—funny and insightful and so happy to sit around a campfire and talk to someone new. And when we were camping somewhere remote and it was just us, that was awesome, too.

We learned that some of us are better than others at putting up and taking down a campsite, in record time. We learned that if you're camping on the ferry deck on the Alaska Marine Highway System, bring something to hold down your tent/rainfly during windy, rainy nights (duct tape?). We learned that a little dollar store fan can do wonders for cooling down your tent in the morning, and we learned about electric bear fences (and what it feels like to be shocked by one).

3. WE REALLY LOVED THE 500X.

We're both pretty brand-loyal when it comes to the cars we drive (and neither of us had driven a Fiat before). And yet, from the day we set out in the 500X, we were both smitten. Here's why:

We took the car down some of the roughest dirt roads we've ever seen. We drove over miles of deep frost heaves, along steep cliff-side roads and into deep, brush-filled valleys on gravel roads that maybe weren't roads after all. The 500X just kept on trucking. And the car looked damn good doing it, even plastered with a colony of dead insects and coated in an inch of sand and dirt.

The amount that we were able to fit in the car was downright impressive. All of our camping gear, two coolers, enough clothes to get us through at least a few weeks, plus hiking gear and guide books and souvenirs and a small air mattress and two pillows and a solid amount of snacks and both of us. We even slept in the car one night, which required a lot of moving around of all that stuff... but it worked!

The car had everything we never knew we always needed. The satellite radio got us through hours of driving with no local radio, no visual stimuli, and no cell service. All of the interior compartments and cubbies kept us organized, holding onto our GoPros and road maps and sunglasses and chargers and everything else we could possibly need. And we were comfortable for hours on end, which is no small feat.

"You drove all the way from Chicago in that?" We heard that over and over as we pulled in somewhere and met the locals, our fellow campers, or our hosts for the evening. That tone of surprise and respect was music to our ears. We really enjoyed how much the 500X defied expectations, parked alongside giant trucks and RVs the size of small mountains.

4. There are a lot of lakes, WATERFALLS, rivers, bays, creeks...

And the list goes on. It sounds silly, but it did teach us something: there's no peace quite like the kind you find looking out on a body of water. We took in the sparkling waters of Maligne Lake from a canoe. We sat on a rocky beach on the Homer Spit. We stood waist-high in the tranquility that is Half Moon Lake. And then there was sheer perfection of the Inside Passage—the cold, glassy waters rippling in the ferry's wake.

Bow Lake

Inside Passage

Half Moon Lake

Chilkat Lake

Maligne Lake

Kachemak Bay

Inside Passage

Athabasca Falls

Chilkat River

Muncho Lake

Kluane Lake

Hanging Lake

5. There's a lot we didn't know.

Which is probably evident from this list. For example, we learned there are four different kinds of Alaskan salmon: king, coho, sockeye, and pink. We learned about lava tubes, the Northern Lights, the wonder that is qiviut, and the different kinds of glaciers (there are way more than you think there are). We realized that we didn't really understand bonsai before our trip to Denver. We found out the hard way that driving through the Yukon Territory late at night without a reservation means you will be sleeping in your car. Also, driving through popular national parks at the height of the season will make you want to leave. We learned (again) how important it is to have a trail map when you're hiking. Also, if you're taking the Alaskan ferry, don't forget your sunscreen on the car deck.

And we learned that there is a lot more to see.

Day 43: Omaha, NE to Chicago, IL

September 02, 2017 by Rita Fisher

It was not without a little sadness that we set out today, the very last day of this amazing adventure we've been on. It's a bit of a blur at times, the amount that we've seen (and yet, how much is left to be seen!). Our drive began in slow motion, surrounded by spacious, sometimes-tedious landscapes. And then, half-way through, the whole thing went into warp speed. A few minutes thinking about the trip and—bam—just like that, we were on the outskirts of Chicago.

After spending quite a bit of time removing our lives from every nook and cranny of the car, we said our goodbyes. It's almost become a bit of a mascot on the trip. I think it will be a few days before we stop looking for it in parking lots and scoping out good places to take a picture of the old girl. But before we wax nostalgic for too long, we'll move on to a grand conclusion post with some of our collected thoughts on the car, the journey, Alaska, and everything in between.

Days 41-42: Denver, CO to Omaha, NE

September 01, 2017 by Rita Fisher

The next day, we set out from Denver in the early afternoon for Boulder, where we'd be seeing an old friend for dinner before we finish the last leg of our journey back to Chicago. As is our routine now, we found a last-minute Airbnb and settled in, walked around the neighborhood a bit, then headed over to Pearl Street to take in Downtown Boulder. We picked up a quick lunch from Spruce Confections and walked around a bit. Despite our failure to take, well, any photos of Boulder, it is a pretty sweet city and is definitely worth more time than we could spend there (and we will be back someday!). We met our friend over at Verde for some tasty tacos and margaritas, then said our farewells and went home for the night.

The next day brought some pretty uneventful driving. Once you get out of the mountains, that last part of northeast Colorado is pretty flat, followed by a whole lot of Nebraska. We tried really hard to get something out of the ride across 80, looking up things along the way and even digging up an old New York Times article from 1990, "I-80's Exits To History In Nebraska." And yes, it is a historic passage crossed by prehistoric tribes, European trappers, early settlers and hordes heading west to find gold. But driving across it, you kind of wonder if they all found it equally monotonous.

The plus side of all that nothing, however, is a crazy line of sight, not unlike what we experienced up in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. When it's clear and sunny, the expansive landscape makes you feel very small. When the weather turns, the landscape becomes a giant 3D weather map where it seems you can actually see a system develop and turn and pour down. So, that occupied the last part of the drive, along with a few minutes of a crazy, beet-red sunset on the horizon. Through Lincoln and into the outskirts of Omaha (another city we'd really like to see more of at a later date), we arrived at our room for the night in pitch darkness.

After a very long day of driving, we finished the day off with a walk over to Modern Love for another one of our favorite meals of the trip. And if you can say that about takeout, you know it's damn good food. The space is simple and cozy, complete with a lively game of beach volleyball going on just outside.

Days 39-40: Edwards, CO to Denver, CO

August 30, 2017 by Rita Fisher

After a few excellent days in Edwards, we decided we should probably get back on the road and at least get a little bit further east. We didn't get that much further, only a couple hours over to Denver, but we wanted to check out the city. After an easy, scenic drive, we made our way over to the super Airbnb we'd found right off Colfax, not far from downtown Denver. We got everything settled in and picked up a late (but delicious!) dinner from Native Foods.

The next day we started with a trip over to the Denver Botanic Gardens, just as they were setting up for the Gypsy Kings concert. The gardens are lovely, easy to cover in a couple of hours and filled with interesting little corners to explore, like the small-but-interesting succulent house, which doesn't appear to get a lot of traffic, or the delightful little solarium in the Woodland Mosaic section, seen below.

In addition to their fairly large Japanese Garden, we also checked out the Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion—and realized we definitely didn't really understand Bonsai until now. Their collection includes several native species to Colorado, like a twisted little blue spruce and ponderosa pine, as well as a small greenhouse of more tropical variants.

We spent more time than we thought we would in the Science Pyramid, which is packed with super-interactive exhibits and models, then continued on through the gardens. Their current exhibit of Calder sculptures are interesting, but the Chihuly glass (seen in the slideshow below) outshines them with ease. Side note: we were lucky enough to catch the Chihuly at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens not long ago, and any time there's a huge exhibit of his work, especially in a botanic garden, you should go.

Inside the tropical conservatory

Japanese gardens

"Colorado" by Chihuly

The Science Pyramid

We spent some time driving around Denver, getting to know the neighborhoods and driving by the iconic capitol building, then stopped at City O'City for an early dinner. And, let me tell you, it was one of the most delicious meals we've had on this trip—in a cool space complete with work by rotating artists, like the hypnotizing set of prints from RUMTUM currently adorning the walls.

We finished the night off with a walk/drive around the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest urban refuges in the country. Our walk began with a small group of deer loping across the fields in front of us (above), so pretty idyllic overall. It's large enough that you can, in some spots, begin to forget the huge city nearby. Then little hints of humanity and city life peek out on the horizon—in fact you can actually see the Denver skyline in the photo of the car below.

Once it grew darker, we hopped back in the car and returned to our Airbnb for the night, already planning our next little jaunt (hello, Boulder!) in the morning.

Day 35: Half Moon Lake, WY to Edwards, CO

August 25, 2017 by Rita Fisher

We packed up our campsite and started south, but rather than head east toward our final destination for the day, we took a different route through the corner of Utah first. South of Rock Springs, the road started to curve and climb, bordered by long stretches of snow fences and opening up to giant, rocky vistas that required more than one pit stop to take it all in, as seen in the second photo below.

We had toyed briefly with the idea of stopping and camping for one more night, somewhere near the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, but lack of a shady campsite and the above-90º weather made it an easy decision to press on, taking in as much of the landscape as we could from the car (and vowing to come back someday in the future). We drove through the southern section of the Flaming Gorge area, crossing over the Flaming Gorge Dam and Cart Creek Bridge (below). Both can also be seen in the video at the bottom of this post.

Shortly after that we crossed the border into Colorado, passing through the town of Dinosaur (just south of Dinosaur National Monument) and making our way south toward 70. We're not sure if we missed a turn or if Google Maps was just trying to spice up our route, but this leg of the journey was on a beautifully empty dirt road that seemed to go on and on, covered in sagebrush and painted in golds and greens by the sun. But, truly, there was nothing on this road. Though slightly confusing, it wasn't a bad little detour of sorts.

The drive down 70 through Glenwood Canyon is easily one of the most impressive and beautiful stretches of road you can drive down in the U.S. We'd been down it before, years before, but both felt a renewed awe faced with 2,000-foot canyon walls on either side of the roadway along the Colorado River. Tunnels and bridges weave through the canyon, dotted with rest areas that provide access to hiking, biking, rafting, and a recreational path through the canyon.

As we drew closer to Edwards, we quickly discovered that Google Maps had once again led us astray—they had somehow missed the memo on several roads up the mountain that didn't appear to have been open for quite some time... But, even more beautiful dirt roads and the golden hour sun made it slightly more acceptable than we'd usually find an hour-long detour to nothing. We corrected our route and made our way up the mountain for the night, more relieved than ever to be done with a long day of driving.

Day 32: Bellevue, ID to Craters of the Moon National Monument

August 22, 2017 by Rita Fisher

After a very comfortable evening in Bellevue, we got packed up and got on the road to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but after seeing such an intriguing name on the map, we decided to check it out. After all, we hadn't come across too many campsites next to giant lava flows and cinder cones.

The drive was pretty quick and uneventful, and then became rapidly more interesting as we drew closer to the Craters of the Moon. You instantly notice something is different as the landscape shifts from crops to expanses of crushed black rock, dotted with sagebrush and cinder gardens. The whole park/preserve centers on the Great Rift, from which lava erupted multiple times between 15,000 and 2000 years ago, creating a vast ocean of lava flows scattered with cinder cones. The road through the park is a loop, with stops at the major cones and overlooks, ending with a series of four caves.

The short drive and early arrival meant we had half a shot at actually getting a campsite—all of which were first come, first served and apparently in fairly high demand. Finding one seemed fairly hopeless when we first arrived, but we decided to try our luck and... found a spot!

We set up our tent (grateful for the little bit of shade a nearby tree provided), met our very nice neighbor, and got back in the car to go see some caves. The 1.6-mile trail to the caves is a wonder in and of itself, a narrow black path that rises, falls, and turns through massive lava fields. It's so otherworldly it begins to feel almost manufactured, but then you walk by a massive crater that appears to have just cracked open and it all feels very real once again.

There are four caves to explore, each formed by lava tubes. The sign at the trailhead explained it best: "Below ground there is a dynamic underground world where fiery rivers in hardened, self-insulating tubes once flowed for miles without losing heat." Now, the caves remain as record of the rivers of lava, the rock inside carved and dripping and a little hard to fathom.

We somehow managed to begin with the most difficult cave, Boy Scout Cave, which could elicit some form of claustrophobia in just about anybody. Essentially it is one long tube with a collapse in the middle that forms two small entrances going in either direction. Of the four caves, this is the one you definitely need a flashlight for. We scooted our way down into the opening (really a four-foot crawl space) which then led into a very dark, very small chamber, where everyone must spend a moment thinking, "Did I go the wrong way?" There didn't seem to be a way to move forward, and then we realized the cave goes down to about a one-foot opening. We managed to crawl through that part as well, dragging the pack by foot, until the cave opened up large enough to sit down with a little head room. And then, we sat, just taking in the cool, dark silence and catching our breath. Thankfully, the little bit of light peaking out at the end of the tunnel was a rear entrance, so we crawled our way out and back into the blazing heat of day.

We followed that up with Beauty Cave, which was a whole lot easier to get into. There wasn't as much to explore in Beauty Cave, but the walls inside glisten and the interior has the same deep, dark, cold silence, just with a little more space. We followed that up with Indian Cave, the largest and most accessible of the caves. It’s about 30 feet tall inside, stretching out for some 800 feet. The ceiling above you opens up into massive skylights here and there, giving you enough light to look more closely at the walls and the layers of rock around you. Near the end, there was a bit of climbing up to a skylight where you could exit the cave, popping out of a little cutout in the surface.

The walls of Indian Cave

Skylight in Dewdrop Cave

Skylight in Indian Cave

Rock structures in Dewdrop Cave

Skylight in Indian Cave

We finished our cave tour with Dewdrop Cave, which was small but very interesting. With plenty of room to stand up, you could look around a bit in this one. It had some of the most interesting rock formations, plus solid beams of bright light from the entrance above.

We decided to climb up to the top of Inferno Cone before heading back to camp. At first glance it reminded us a bit of our trip to the Great Sandhills in Saskatchewan, but instead of soft, flour-light sand, the hill was pure black. It was caused by a volcanic eruption flying high into the air and piling into a mound nearby (so the vent that expelled these cinders was actually somewhere near the parking lot).

The climb up was short but pretty steep, but the views from the top were worth it, allowing you to see the Great Rift and the other cinder cones pretty clearly. We spent a little sitting under what appeared to be the only living tree, marveling at the other trees that now stood dead, twisted, and wind-whipped to a smooth finish. They’re unbearably beautiful and creepy.

We made our way down the cone and made a quick trip to Arco, the closest town to Craters of the Moon, for some fresh ice. Arco is small and unassuming, beyond the neon sign proclaiming Arco as the first city to be lit by atomic energy.

We headed back to camp, where we found our little enclave of two campsites had grown to include two more. As night fell, everyone drew together around our new friend’s picnic table while we cooked some dinner. It’s really nice when things fall into place like they did, when people from all over settle in around a campsite over eight different conversations and a few beers. The night grew even darker, and then the string lights and candles came out, plus more snacks and a new arrival. As things wound down, we crawled into our tent at last and called it a night.

Day 28: Hinton, AB to Canmore, AB

August 18, 2017 by Rita Fisher

We definitely weren’t ready for just how busy the parks would be today. The drive is still beautiful, yes, but Jasper and Banff were a little clogged. You kind of had to keep reminding yourself to look up at the scenery, rather than focusing on the 15-car lineup in front of you. We did our best, chugging through the parks with just a few quick stops (including a slightly anxiety-inducing stop to get some gas near Saskatchewan Crossing—kind of like a Black Friday parking lot but with more RVs).

We didn’t mention it specifically on our last trip through the parks, and perhaps it’s common knowledge by now, but one of the highlights of the drive is seeing the wildlife overpasses on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park (see photos below). They’re nothing new for Banff, but they’re still a relatively new concept and something that more places need to adopt. Basically, there are a massive number of people driving through the parks every year, and yet the various animals that inhabit the parks still need to get from one side of the highway to the other side, usually to find food or shelter, to escape predators, or to find mates—an important element for the genetic diversity and health of a population.

So, Parks Canada set about the fairly costly project of constructing six overpasses and 38 underpasses, along with extensive highway fencing. The effort has massively reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions, in addition to helping the genetic diversity and overall health of the grizzly bears, wolves, elk, moose, and other animals that use the passages. Fun fact: while the animals mentioned above prefer the high, wide overpasses, the black bears and cougars prefer the long narrow underpasses. (Wild Ways is definitely worth watching for more on this!)

We arrived in Canmore, which was equally booming today, and made our way over to our friends’ house for some much-needed time out of the car. We cooked up the last of our Alaskan sockeye salmon on their grill, then headed over to The Market Bistro for some pie for dessert. After a quick evening walk near the Three Sisters, we called it a night.

Beautiful Kluane Lake in the Yukon Territory

Day 25: Tok, AK to Watson Lake, YT

August 15, 2017 by Rita Fisher

After a relaxing night in the RV, we set out from Tok toward the border. Another border crossing down (that will be our fifth of the trip), we carried on through the Yukon Territory, this time with a renewed appreciation for how beautiful the landscape is. Once again, the lack of "traffic" does help, not to mention the lack of prolonged construction stops and pilot cars.

We drove by our campground at Congdon Creek, then followed the road as it wraps around Kluane Lake, this time with a renewed appreciation for just how beautiful it is. It is the largest lake in the Yukon, going on for some 50 miles. At that moment, it must have been the most tranquil lake in North America, at least that we've seen. The edge of the water just barely laps an inch up onto the shore. Add that to the fact that there's nobody around and it's truly amazing. We've seen some truly beautiful lakes on this trip, but there's something about standing at a lake without forty other people that makes you appreciate it more.

And then we kept on moving, making a quick stop in Whitehorse to stretch our legs and see the town. Whitehorse seems pretty nice, complete with a picturesque Main Street and braced by the rushing waters of the Yukon River on one side (complete with boardwalk, below).

At that point, we probably should have tried a little harder to find some lodging in Whitehorse. But, for some reason, we decided to press on and maybe just go a little bit further. We kept on driving, now into the kind of absurdly dark darkness that you can't really achieve anywhere near a city. Perhaps it only really exists in places like the Yukon. It makes for some interesting driving, but more importantly, it also allowed us to see another show of the Northern Lights (woo!). Despite the forecast of "low" we'd read earlier in the day (thank you, aurora forecast), a giant swath of green was glowing just above the horizon in the distance, eventually beginning to twist and turn as we got closer. Just as one little batch of lights would shimmer away, another cluster would vibrate in another part of the sky. (That being said, it is fairly hard to capture on camera from a moving car, so you'll just have to take our word for it.)

As the show wound down, we were also treated to glimpses of the moon rising on the horizon, giant and golden-orange. At this point, however, we also began to remember one of the most important factors about the Yukon: there's not a lot here. So we pulled over to dig through the Milepost, intent on finding our next lodging option, since it was getting a bit too late to start setting up camp now. The first option we came to was very booked and the next four or five options after that (each of them some 100km apart) were very closed. We decided to give up on lodging and found the next rest area, Allen's Lookout. You can see on the map below (click to make it larger) where we started out from Whitehorse, followed by some black dots (where we would have liked to stay), and ending with a green dot (where we stayed, we think).

Apparently our home for the evening, "Allen's Lookout," was once used by thieves to set upon boats traveling down the Liard River. And now we were using it to make quesadillas on a camp stove, crouched behind the car. We piled everything in the front seats, folded down the seats, threw down some sleeping bags, and—bam—the car is now our tent for the night. Not too shabby! That being said, will we be sleeping in the car many more nights on this trip? Nope.

Days 23-24: Homer, AK to Tok, AK

August 14, 2017 by Rita Fisher

Blame it on the lack of wifi, the beauty of the Kenai, or our upcoming mad dash, but we're going to have to do a couple of multi-day posts to keep up with the blog. So, bear with us. Especially during the aforementioned mad dash: we're trying to make it to Sun Valley, ID for the eclipse, and that's a lot of ground to cover in not a whole lot of days.

We took off from Homer, not without regret, and very much enjoyed our drive up the Kenai to Seward. The drive itself was beautiful as we made our way back up the peninsula, rain and all (as you can see in the video above). And Seward isn't too shabby either. Its main strip is home to a welcoming, quaint line of little storefronts and restaurants, all leading down to the great expanse of slate blue Resurrection Bay. We found a super nice room at Trailhead Lodging, made some dinner, and turned in for the night.

The next day we took some time exploring downtown Seward just as everything was opening up, then briefly debated staying another night, but decided we should get a move on. We'll just have to do that Exit Glacier hike the next time we're in Seward.

In an effort to cover some ground before we cross the border tomorrow, we decided to try to make it all the way back to Tok, Alaska by tonight, with one quick stop on the way. Just outside Anchorage is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where all sorts of wildlife find permanent homes after having been injured or abandoned at a young age. For example, an abandoned grizzly cub that was found with her paws covered in porcupine quills, or a bald eagle who had to have a wing amputated. It's a pretty big outdoor park that doesn't take long to walk around, complete with features like a viewing bridge over the bears and a little pen for the three-legged porcupine. We watched a black bear play in a little pond, a grizzly meditatively scratching her back, and a lot of different herds munching away diligently on the grass around them.

A quick note on the beautiful musk ox above: On one of our previous days, we happened to drive by a musk ox farm and were both intrigued. It turns out, the undercoat of a musk ox (known as qiviut) is a remarkable fiber: warmer and stronger than traditional sheep's wool, yet super light and softer than cashmere. Amazing, right?

After that, we got back on the road, made our way through Anchorage and all the way up to Tok. We stopped a few times to take in the beautiful scenery, below, but had to keep it moving.

By now, we've stayed in all sorts of different places on this trip. Cabins and cottages, basement apartments, several nights in a tent, a yurt, a sort of lighthouse, and our fair share of classic motels. Well, we had another first for our second evening in Tok: an RV.

It turns out Alaskan Stoves Campground has a couple of very nicely maintained RVs for rent, much in the same way you'd rent a cabin, complete with a lovely little kitchenette and a TV and a very nice shower in their lodge space. We rolled into Tok a little later than usual (something that will likely become more and more common on our race to Sun Valley), and the folks at Alaskan Stoves were nice enough to accommodate us.

Days 21-22: Anchorage, AK to Homer, AK

August 12, 2017 by Rita Fisher

Of all the places we read about and planned for, the Kenai Peninsula was definitely very high up on the list. Unfortunately, as we started heading down toward the Kenai Peninsula, our bout of bad weather seemed like it was going to get even worse, specifically on the eastern half of the peninsula (which was set to be our first stop). We decided to switch things up and head down to Homer first.

The Sterling Highway takes you down to Homer, passing through the towns of Cooper Landing, Sterling, Soldotna, Ninilchik, and Anchor Point along the way. The drive itself was a little rainy still, but began to clear up as soon as we got further south on the Kenai. As you approach Homer, you begin to see glimpses of Kachemak Bay through the trees, and then it's revealed, glorious and expansive, your view dotted with glaciers and fishing boats and seagulls.

Downtown Homer is perfectly un-touristy, a mix of galleries and shops and restaurants. Further into Homer, there's the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile long piece of land that juts out into the bay. Our research had us a little in doubt about the Spit, as it seemed like it could be on the brink of cheesy/touristy. And, well, it is in parts, but it's also pretty amazing to drive down. The road down to the Spit seems to go on and on, and once you get down to the little beachfront, shops, and restaurants, you can't help but like it.

While deciding between camping and looking for an Airbnb or motel, we happened upon one of those super-cool Airbnb opportunities that you save to a bucket list in the hopes that someday maybe the stars will align and you'll get to that destination and they won't be booked. The "Lighthouse" looked a bit like a greenhouse, it's transparent roof giving you views of the sky and trees around you. And then, of course, it wasn't available. After some frantic, pleading messaging with the very helpful Stellavera, we were in even better shape than before: we'd be staying in their yurt the first night, followed by the Lighthouse the second night. Both are set a ten miles outside of town on the Kilcher Family Homestead, originally settled by Yule Kilcher (Stellavera's father) when he came over from Switzerland with his wife in the 1940s. (Incidentally, parts of the homestead are also the setting for the Discovery show "Alaska: The Last Frontier," which features some of the family continuing to live off the land, the way Yule did.)

On our way to the Homestead

Driving around the hayfield

The yurt on the left, the "Lighthouse" on the right

View over the bay

The road to the homestead is interesting in and of itself, then once past the original homestead/cabin, the road curves around a hayfield and down closer to the bluff above the shore, where Stellavera and Mike have their yurt, the Lighthouse, and the newly added Man Cave, plus an outdoor shower around the corner. (You can see in the not-great iPhone panorama below both the shower and the view from the shower.)

Our first night, Mike was nice enough to share a home-cooked meal with ourselves and the two other guests, two young women from Germany. After some salmon and conversation, we turned in for the night. Between the view you see above and the Hawaiian interior, decked out with wind chimes and silk flowers, we both woke up a little confused if we were still in Alaska.

We spent the whole day exploring Homer, starting with a much-needed stop at the laundromat and a very fruitful trip to the Homer Farmer's Market, below. We just so happened to be there for the Zucchini Festival and Races, so as we walked in (probably looking a little wide-eyed and confused) they were sending little zucchini race cars down a track (think pinewood derby, but with squash). The farmer's market itself was pretty sweet—we walked out with a big bag of kettle corn, several jars of homemade jams, a jar of homemade salsa, plus some produce.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the Spit, sitting by the water, then stopped for a beer at the Salty Dawg after several people told us how necessary it was to any Spit experience. It is pretty funny, truth be told: the walls are all covered with dollar bills and other personal belongings, all covered in messages in sharpie from previous patrons (below).

We stopped by Chugach Wild Salmon Co. on our way home, then made dinner in their outdoor kitchen (with some help from Mike). Now we're in the Lighthouse for the night, surrounded by trees, a small rainstorm pounding down on the clear ceiling above us.

Day 18: Cantwell, AK to Valdez, AK

August 08, 2017 by Rita Fisher

Despite all of our best bear precautions (all food and dishes packed up into the car), something must have been spilled on the picnic table near our fire ring. In the middle of the night, we both woke to the sound of something large nosing around, bumping into the car, and then it was gone. So, there’s that. We were woken up in the morning by a very talkative chicken strolling around the campsite, which was funnier than you’d think it would be at 5:30 in the morning. We took our time getting ready and packing up our campsite, then decided to carry on the Denali Highway over to the Richardson Highway, which leads you down to Valdez.

About to pack up our campsite on the Denali Highway

We took our time getting ready and packing up our campsite, then decided to carry on down the Denali Highway over to the Richardson, which leads you down to Valdez. The landscape changes as you head south, edging toward the coast with a stop at Worthington Glacier, then cutting through Keystone Canyon. This was definitely the highlight of the drive—the sheer height of the rock on either side of the road is awe-inspiring, not to mention the two very active waterfalls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls (video to come).

Gulkana Glacier in the distance

Ammunition Island, outside Valdez

Our campsite at Valdez Glacier Campground

Fresh off an excellent night of camping (and facing Valdez's unexpected shortage of reasonably priced lodging), we decided to camp again. After a quick spin around town, we landed on the Valdez Glacier Campground, part of Fort Greely. The campground goes on and on, and has decent shower facilities to boot, so we found a good spot and set up camp, right where we could hear a creek and see a bit of the mountain face behind us.

We took a walk around Valdez's modest "downtown," and decided to pick up dinner from The Fat Mermaid (salmon tacos + a pizza), perfectly situated right on the waterfront. A quick stop for some firewood and fresh ice, and we were on our way back to the campgrounds. Thankfully, nightfall meant the disappearance of the hordes of slow-moving flies that seem to love our car and have the tendency to sit right in your ear canal. We built a fire, locked up all the food in the car (even more carefully this time), and called it a night.

Day 17: Fairbanks, AK to Cantwell, AK

August 07, 2017 by Rita Fisher

There’s certainly much more to see around Fairbanks, and we’ve added all of these to our list for next time, but we decided we should probably carry on this morning. We’d heard nothing but good things about the Museum of the North, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, so we stopped there on our way out of town. The museum isn’t huge, but it packs a decent amount in and it’s all very digestible to walk around for an hour or two. The building itself is incredibly interesting and impossible to miss, an amalgam of curving white faces that make it look like a giant nautilus/igloo you’d see on the cover of Architectural Digest.

The gallery upstairs has a lot to look through, from a wide span of time. We were both intrigued by “The Place Where You Go to Listen,” a sound and light environment created by John Luther Adams. Ethereal bells and tones are backed up by rumbling seismic vibrations, meant to reflect the sound and color of the earth, the Northern Lights, the passing of time. Definitely worth a few minutes to sink into it, but we both wished there was a little more to it.

The main room on the first floor is packed with historical information, panels detailing the specifics of indigenous cultures, the history of Japanese immigrants in Alaska, the Gold Rush, the ecology and animal life, the science behind Alaska’s extensive natural resources, and Blue Babe, the incredibly well-preserved bison who died 36,000 years ago. He now lays in a glass case in perfect repose. After watching a short film on the Aurora Borealis, we got in the car and headed south to Denali.

The drive down the Parks Highway becomes increasingly scenic as you get closer to Denali National Park. The road cuts through the mountains, skimming along the Nenana River (above, left) and curving to reveal glimpses of Denali (formerly "Mount McKinley"), the highest peak in North America. But we were especially intrigued by the Denali Highway (above, center and right), the original route to the park before the Parks Highway was built. It’s mostly gravel, and doesn’t seem to get as much maintenance as the Steese did, but it gets you from A to B (with a whole lot of glorious nothing in between). The road has some nice curves to it, bordering lakes and revealing expansive views of the mountain ranges around you.

The road is dotted with tons of what The Milepost calls “informal” and “primitive” campsites, many of them set on the tops of ridges with sweeping views of the eskers, rivers, creeks, and mountains that make up the landscape. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of not buying any firewood before hitting all of these primitive campsites. We investigated a few of them, took the 500X down into some fairly challenging terrain, but up on some of the ridges, the wind cuts over pretty harshly, so we definitely needed some firewood. We ended up stopping at the Alpine Creek Lodge (one of only a handful of establishments along the highway) to buy firewood.

Below the lodge but above the road itself, they had a small line of sites available for camping, and only one other tent set up. We decided to stay, set up camp, and were very pleased with our decision. The views were spectacular, edged in fireweed and lit by a full moon. We built a fire, decided to try out the $35 butane camp stove we bought in Calgary (which works like a dream, by the way) and made dinner. Boxed risotto, asparagus, and some recently caught salmon (an impromptu gift from a Missouri camper we met while stopped in construction on the road) cooked over the fire.

Days 15-16: Tok, AK to Fairbanks, AK

August 06, 2017 by Rita Fisher

We arrived in Fairbanks, drove around a little bit to get the lay of the land, then headed over to our Airbnb, located in a fairly residential area but very drivable to just about everything. We dropped off our stuff, showered, and got a ride over to the Tanana Valley State Fair. It was about what you’d expect from a state fair, complete with rides and food stands and vendors, a nice beer tent and live music. We walked around a little, took a stroll through the large fairgrounds building that held the goat, rabbit, and guinea pig contenders vying for a prize that day, fascinating in their variety (if not a little strange for a Chicagoan who’s never been to a state fair).

After that, we stopped by the highly reviewed Lemongrass, tucked into an unassuming strip mall (which is characteristic of Fairbanks, on the whole, but not always in a bad way). The food was delicious, especially the panang curry. Overall, we both really like Fairbanks. It’s unassuming and relaxed, the people are generally friendly, and it has its quirks. We headed back to home to rest up, still marveling at how ridiculously light it is outside at 10:34PM (see below).

Rested up and ready to go, we woke up the next day and decided to do a little exploring around the area. We’d read about Circle, a tiny town not far from the Arctic Circle, but had received unenthusiastic reviews about driving up there (mainly, people didn’t seem to be sure if it was worth the effort). The Steese Highway up to Circle begins as a winding road through tree-covered mountains, passing by a few historic gold rush sites. It’s striking in its desolation, then turns to a decently maintained gravel road that climbs into the tundra. We made a brief stop at Mile 107, where there’s a trail up to Eagle Summit, then continued up the road a little. We happened to notice an even rougher side road that led up, and—hoping for the best—took that up to the top. Amazing. Up there, you really feel like you’re on the edge of the world, surrounded by nothing, the ground laden with low, tundra vegetation, spiky little purple bellflowers and bizarre mushrooms. We climbed to the top of some of the rocky outcroppings for a better view.

The Alaska State Bird (Willow Ptarmigan)

We begrudgingly descended, considered turning back, then decided we might as well continue on to Central, the only other tiny establishment before Circle. Things level out a bit on the way to Central, but the road is no less interesting. Once we got to Central, we spent another thirty seconds considering turning back, then once again said we might as well continue on to Circle.

Along the way, we had a brief stop when a small dachshund/husky family ran out into the road. We stopped and chatted with the owner of the dogs and her young daughter, who were very nice if not genuinely puzzled why we were driving all the way up there. And even more shocked when we told them we’d driven from Chicago, to which 9-year-old said, “REALLY?” We got back in the car, drove up to Circle, and yes, there really isn’t much up there. A beautiful lake, a handful of people, what appear to be a lot of abandoned buildings, and that’s about it. In the days of the Gold Rush, it was dubbed "The Paris of Alaska," home to eight dance halls, an opera house, 28 saloons, and a population of 1,200.

The drive back proved to be even crazier. The altitude and the 360º views of the gravel-and-tundra part of the Steese allowed us to see some weather down the road, in a way you can’t really ever see weather when you’re in a town or a city. The angle of the Alaskan sun, our distance from “storm,” and the density of the rain created a series of rainbows that often seemed on the brink of becoming a double rainbow, one actually completing a full arch. Combined with the way the light hits the mountains in different spots, it’s almost too much to absorb. We drove through the heart of it, which was much stronger than we’d expected, then pulled over to look back at it. A cartoon-ish lightning strike and an impossibly loud crack of thunder the next hill over got us back in the car and on our way, still fairly mesmerized.

We stopped in Circle at the local roadhouse/gas station/watering hole/grocery store/video store to get gas, a little surprised by their small crowd of regular patrons relaxing in the bar, then continued our drive back to Fairbanks.

Day 13: Haines, AK to Destruction Bay, YT

August 03, 2017 by Rita Fisher

On our way out of Haines we drove down to another area on the Chilkat Lake, right near the campgrounds. The lake was incredibly peaceful and serene, with excellent views of the Davidson and Rainbow glaciers, seen below (you can see the larger glacier on the far right, and the smaller one closer to the shoreline, further left):

In order to get over to the interior of Alaska, you have to cross the border into the Yukon Territory, then back over into Alaska near Tok. The drive to the border was as beautiful as expected, but the really fun part was getting into the Yukon Territory. Imagine the desolation of driving through parts of North Dakota and Sasketchewan, but with a lot more elevation and plenty of nature on either side. The driving here is really, really fun. And pretty nice to drive for a few hours without having to pass caravans of RVs all the time.

The road after the border skims the edge of the Kluane National Park and Preserve, home of the Saint Elias Mountains and the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan, as well as icefields, grizzly bears, Dall Sheep, and much more. The views are pretty spectacular, to say the least. Just outside of Haines Junction we stopped by the Million Dollar Falls Campground, but we wanted to try to get a little bit further today. That being said, the campgrounds were beautiful, not very crowded, and a lot of the campsites were right next to a very active creek that would have been perfect to sleep alongside.

We were determined to find a good campground, stopped at one more that we deemed a little too commercial, then landed at the Congdon Creek Campground in Destruction Bay. The Milepost (which has increasingly become our bible now that we're further north) said the campground would be RV-only this time of year, due to bear traffic, but we figured we'd give it a shot anyway. Tucked between the park and Kluane Lake, the campgrounds are very well-kept, have easy access to the lake, AND feature a separate tenting area with an electric bear fence for use when bear traffic is considered too high for tenting (seen on the right).

By nightfall, the fenced in area was fully occupied and we'd met a lot of very interesting people, including a family from Anchorage, a family from Israel, and campers from Quebec and Ontario. We talked around the fire, went for a walk by the lake, and ended the night with our first view of the Northern Lights! It was a modest show, but amazing to see nonetheless, and seemingly uncommon for this time of year given how few hours of true darkness there are.

After telling our new friend from Anchorage about our trip and the car and everything, he gave us his official stamp of the approval, calling our dusty, bug-covered ride:

"Very rugged." —#200lbsofCanadianSausage

Days 11-12: Prince Rupert, BC to Haines, AK

August 02, 2017 by Rita Fisher

When we finally got onto the ferry, we made our way right up to the solarium deck to pitch our tent and get settled in for the night. Yes, we could have gotten a cabin or slept in the "recliner lounge," but the tent option was just so appealing. And, in the end, we really liked it. There were several other people sleeping up on that deck, though most were tucked under the shelter of the solarium. Here's a look at our tent in the daylight, without the rainfly (which was very necessary to keep the wind out overnight):

Our tent on the solarium deck of the Matanuska

We woke up as the ferry was approaching Ketchikan and decided to use our two-hour "layover" to explore. We were pleasantly surprised by Ketchikan. It's a little tourist-y, which is to be expected, but there's also plenty more that's unique.

Highlights included Whale Park, Parnassus Books, and also hustling back to the ferry when the free shuttle back wouldn't pick us up... But, thankfully, we made it back on time and settled back onto the solarium deck to enjoy the rest of the ride.

The following stops in Wrangell, Petersburg, and Juneau were too short to get off and see anything, but perhaps we'll go back another time and do the ferry all over again, this time with stops. We met a lot of nice people on the ferry, got some ideas on what we should see in Alaska, and settled in for another night in the tent. Below are a few shots from aboard the Matanuska:

The next day, we got things packed up in preparation for our return to the Fiat and spent the rest of our ferry ride relaxing until our 2PM arrival in Haines, Alaska, which we really liked. We drove around town, checked in at the Captain's Choice Motel, which is super clean, very convenient, and has amazing views of the bay. We decided to go for a drive around the area to check out the Chilkat Lake. On the way, we happened upon some people fishing for salmon in the Chilkat River. Just upstream were two juvenile bears doing a little fishing of their own. As they meandered toward us, everyone made their way back to their cars and RVs, but the bridge above made a perfect spot to watch one of the two making his way casually down the river.

After a little more driving, we stopped in at Second Nature, a really cool little shop just across from our motel. The owner is incredibly helpful and gave us some great tips on the area. We followed this up with dinner at Fireweed (which I believe is owned by a former Chicagoan, based on the very large Cubs Win flag by the bar). Then, back home to the Captain's Choice, as seen below (hell of a view, right?).

Day 9: Jasper, AB to Terrace, BC

July 30, 2017 by Rita Fisher

When we decided on an extra day in Jasper, we knew that would mean a long day of driving today. Our ferry to Alaska leaves on August 1, so we knew we needed to make it to Prince Rupert by then. The drive was a little long, but it was pretty amazing to see the landscape change from the rocky terrain of Jasper to a bit of flat to the beginnings of the lush combination of rainforest and mountains in the Pacific Northwest.

Other than that, the day was pretty uneventful. We learned a bit about the Yellowhead Highway along the way, before finally arriving in Terrace. We heard from a few people that the drive from Terrace to Prince Rupert was especially beautiful, and would therefore be a shame to drive at night, so we decided to spend the night in Terrace. We found an excellent Airbnb in Terrace, in a fairly residential neighborhood, but with everything we needed and more. A very nice kitchen to make dinner, plus some extra time in the morning to do laundry and get organized before we got on the ferry.

Only a little over a day until we finally arrive in Alaska!

Day 8: Jasper, AB

July 29, 2017 by Rita Fisher

We took the time to plan a little bit more of the next couple of days, and decided that we could afford another day in Jasper. Between the cabin and the park and the town, we couldn't leave just yet. We were lucky enough to obtain another night at the Pine Bungalows, and we spent the day meandering around the Jasper townsite and surrounding area.

The drive up to Maligne Lake and the lake itself both come highly recommended, so we began the day with that. After a quick stop at the Maligne Lookout, we wandered around the Maligne Lake grounds and decided to rent a canoe from the Maligne Lake Boathouse. The rental part was super quick and easy, and just like that we were paddling along the shoreline. There are more than a few people at Maligne Lake, so it was definitely easier to appreciate the beauty of the lake from a canoe, with less of a crowd.

We followed this up with a little more driving, a walk around downtown, and another night at the Pine Bungalows, dinner made in their perfectly portioned kitchen. We also took the time to re-evaluate and re-pack the car, which should help things run more smoothly once we're on the ferry to Alaska, coming up in just a few days!

Day 7: Canmore, AB to Jasper, AB

July 28, 2017 by Rita Fisher

Today brought us into the National Parks, beginning with Banff National Park and making our way down the Icefields Parkway into Jasper National Park. Along the way, we stopped at Bow Lake, the Columbia Icefield, and Athabasca Falls.

Bow Lake is undeniably beautiful, especially on a sunny day when the turquoise waters are glinting up at you. Then you look left and notice the giant Bow Glacier at one end (see the photo on the right), feeding the lake. But, just up the road is Peyto Lake. It's not visible from the road and it's a little bit of an ascent on foot, but it's 100% worth it. We decided to skip Peyto this trip, for the sake of time, but if you’re anywhere near Peyto Lake, definitely stop. (Here's a picture from our trip to Peyto Lake last year.)

Next, the Columbia Icefield, where you can get pretty damn close to the toe of the Athabasca Glacier. Note: Across the way you’ll see a big information center/cafeteria thing (pass), from which you can also take a bus onto the glacier (hard pass). Instead, we walked up a short, gravel ascent to where you can walk around the toe and watch the glacial runoff begin it’s trip downhill.

As you walk up, there are markers showing where the toe of the glacier reached in previous years, which is incredibly interesting (in a very tragic way)—not to mention the fact that the whole spot will likely be a lake by 2100, with no glacier in sight.

After that, onto the Athabasca Falls (which are fed by the glacier above), which are quite active this time of year. There were more people there than is ideal, but you can’t deny how spectacular they are, even when ten other people are at the same viewing point with you. See below:

Though we'd originally planned to try to get further today, there's just something about Jasper. On the off-chance they had something available, we pulled into the Pine Bungalows, located just outside of town on the Athabasca River. Turns out, we took the very last room they had—we even watched the "Sorry, no vacancy" sign turn on when we got back in the car to drive to our cabin.

The cabins are absolutely perfect, super clean with everything you need, including a functional kitchen with a stove. There's no wifi in the cabins, but it's kind of nice to be a little disconnected. They've done an excellent job renovating the place, and they keep the area very quiet and dark at night. Less light pollution + the sound of the Athabasca River outside our cabin = two thumbs up. We went to the grocery store for some supplies (which was surprisingly well stocked, for a grocery store on the small end) and walked around in downtown Jasper. It’s an old railroad town, very quaint and relaxed. It's a bit more understated and homey than the Banff townsite, and even though it has the expected surplus of t-shirt and tchotchke shops, there’s also plenty more to see.