We Arrived in Alaska through British Columbia, Canada, and hopped on the Alaska ferry from there. This is a 26-hour ferry trip. We started in Canada at Whistler. This is an impressive ski area in winter, where in summer the slopes are converted to mountain biking tracks. The ski-lifts are open to transport mountain bikes and bike riders to the various trails. We camped near downtown. Whistler is a great place to relax or do any activity you like. There is something for everyone. There are numerous bike trails, so we rode our bicycles most of the time to get around.In Juneau, state-capitol of Alaska, where we are now, the famous Mendenhall Glacier drops huge amounts of icebergs into the river. This is quite impressive to watch and listen to.
For those who are interested in numbers, so far we drove about 4000 miles, of which 2500 with the travel-trailer connected to the car and we spend around 500 miles on sea.
In Canada, gasoline is about $4.50 per gallon, in Alaska (so far) about $3.25. In Canada, alcoholic beverages are twice the price we were used to and need to be purchased in liquor stores instead of supermarkets. The steepest climb we had to do with car and travel trailer was 18% on an extremely winding road; believe me, this was scary!
Off the beaten path, or …
We had expected the Canada part to be very desolate, as towns are far apart. The thing is that all the towns are highly developed. Wireless Internet is everywhere; credit cards are accepted everywhere and the roads are in very good condition. The distances are bigger, of course.
The Alaska ferry …
… is an experience by itself. The biggest rigs are loaded on these ferries. Cars are packed in the ferry back to back without any space on each side. When the time comes to unload your vehicle, they make you drive your rig backwards maneuvering around all the other vehicles still in the ferry. This is territory for accidents waiting to happen …
The weather …
… is very different from were we live.
The funny thing is that the kids are equally happy with sun and rain. The latter allows them to play in it and have fun. The nights are ok so far, not cold (yet) like we had expected them to be.
In short, we are living and loving it.
Some pictures are here for those interested.
