Welcome


Ramblers Blog North to Alaska Road Trip Redux #6!
Hudson, OH to Anchorage, AK 2025, May 31 to June 11.

Why Blog?

It has been our goal in recent years’ lengthier travels to record for posterity a diary of travel stats,
pictures, and personal reflections. When we can no longer indulge in long distance trips we may
relive fond memories. We invite friends and family to ride shotgun through these personal writings.
risking exposure to bad puns and grammatical/spelling errors.
Time and health have afforded these long visits, long may it last.

Alaska Travel History and 2025 Travelog

We have driven to Anchorage via RV/trailer, camping along the way, in 1984, 2011, and 2013;
crossing westward over northern states, then following the ALCAN Highway and or alternative
route of the Cassiar Highway.

1984 We flew to Ohio for a visit with the kids. We drove a new Suburban SUV purchased in Ohio
along with a purchased 18 foot pull trailer; traveling with two Gramma’s, a preschooler and an
infant in tow. We all visited in our new home in Anchorage and the Gramma’s flew home.

2011 We drove a new Winnebago from the manufacturer in Iowa to Great Alaska RV, located in
Anchorage; a large scale sales and rental dealer. We visited with Brenna who was working at Ak
Native Tribal Heath Consortium. On the return we sailed out of Whittier, Ak on the Alaska ferry
Kennecott without a vehicle. It was the cross Alaska Gulf ferry route, Whittier to Bellingham WA.
We spent a short stay with friends the Bloombergs in Olympia, WA; flew home out of SEATAC.

2013 We drove a new Winnebago from the manufacturer in Iowa to Great Alaska RV in Anchorage.
We visited with Brenna who was still working for ANTHC. She and Zach announced their
engagement. We flew home from ANC.

2022, 2023 and 2024, We traveled by SUV, staying at hotels.

2025, as in 2023 and 2024, we are driving, staying in hotels and taking the Alaska State Ferry
Columbia from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK. Unfortunately, the state ferry system’s staffing shortage continues post Covid and our favored Alaska Gulf crossing route is not available. We will resume our
road trip from Haines to Anchorage, crossing the Canadian Border into Yukon Territory and British
Columbia. We hope our road route will not involve blizzards like two years ago and the western
Canadian fires have already started with lots of smoke, same as last two years. Taking the ferry helps
avoid the inland fires and hope they do not spread to the Yukon. Thankfully we are not flying.

Since leaving Alaska residency in 1991, besides the road travel we have traveled via flights in and out
of Alaska over the years. Sometimes staying at Marriott Hotels and sometimes at VBRO’s. Our fave
VBRO was Paul and Darlene’s off Dimond on Campbell Lake, about 5 minutes from Brenna’s house.

Anchorage Apartment Living

For the past 3 years we have stayed in a centrally located rented apartment on Anchorage’s westside
on Jewel Lake Road, about 3 minutes from Brenna’s house and Tastee Freeze Ice Cream. Our landlord,
Gene Janigo, is a family friend who provides a quality, well maintained 6-plex apartment building.
We have made it our own, furnished with help from family, home stuff, local and family art, friends,
Amazon and Thrift Shops. Our top floor (no elevator) south facing balcony has room for sitting with
twinkling lights. We used half window coverage with decorative privacy film on all the windows. Two
bedrooms, eat in kitchen, large Livingroom, full bathroom and lots of closet space. Outdoor parking
lot, complex laundry room with individual storage closets, individual mailboxes and all package
deliveries are left outside our door.

Summer Plans

Besides family and Dean (9, in June) and Quinn (5) time, a highlight will be taking the ferry from
Homer, AK to Kodiak, AK. Kodiak Island is part of the Kodiak Archipelago, which is located to the
southwest of Prince William Sound. We will be in Alaska for the start of school, golf, Crooked Lake
cabin visit, baseball games, day trips, UMC worship, Alaska State Fair and Alaska Scottish Highland
games. A special treat will be Seth and Carrie’s arrival for 10 days and family time. We are
volunteering this year at the Scottish games which should be fun. Our home trip will be basically
the same route (short jaunt thru upper Yellowstone) but mostly reversed, driving and ferry, in
September and the blog will be re-activated.

Onward to summer adventures!

Home Page Content

Left column: Daily travel map. MapQuest link, click on it. Back arrow to return to Home Page.

Center Column: Daily blog reflections and pictures only; previous days found in Archive right
column. NOTE: Internet access will vary, updates may be delayed. Once they appear they will be in
sequence. Some will be in archive.

Right Column: Anchorage Links Brenna, 8200 Opal Dr, Grandparents, 7911 Jewel Lake Rd,
Miscellaneous: neighborhood with Google map (zoom in and out, will cover all of Anchorage), click on
yellow walking man to see detail; and other random items. Miscellaneous: Webcam links; Blog
archive click to access previous days’ blogs. Back arrow to return to Home Page.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

June 7, 2025 Saturday

Day 8 of trip

no driving today, just sailing

Awoke to full sun and cool around 7AM Ak time.  Slept well in our lower bunks last night, Chuck saying we did have some turbulence but mild.  Bathroom door is weighted and self-closing as are all ferry doors for safety reasons.  But visits in middle of the night half asleep dealing with heavy doors is a challenge.  AM starts out with smooth waters, so we have a lite breakfast in the room and lots of coffee from the grille.  Then we hit Queen Charlotte Sound and the ferry goes into deep rolls, side to side, up and down.  We are in front of ferry so we are really feeling it.  Pat is not normally seasick but seems like today is the day.  After a brief up-chuckie I need fresh air and move to a stabler part of the ferry.  It’s all I can do to wash up and put on clothes while hanging onto anything that will steady me. And still feeling like up-chucking is probable.  Chuck finishes his breakfast and decides to take a shower.  He has to hold onto a grab bar to stay upright and water splashes out of the shower onto the commode floor.  Getting dressed for him was also a challenge, but no up-chucking for him.  Once outside, it helped some.  As soon as we hit calm water it was a miraculous recovery.  A half hour later I was able to finish my bagel and coffee!  We spend the day on the side deck outside our cabin with our folding chairs.  It gives us a view of only one side of the ship but it is nice and quiet and light wind.  We only see occasional jumping salmon, white moon adult and baby jellyfish and one big orange ruffled one, we see two otters.  We are told there was a pod of Orca last night seen at a distance.  Still a big deal since they are rare to see.  The scenery is beautiful as always.  The high tree covered hills meet the sea with not a sign of human life to be seen and in the distance is a zig zag of snow covered big guys, the Coastal Mountains.  Have not seen much fishing yet. Going to dinner at ‘fancy’ restaurant tonight since we are pretty hungry and need a relaxing time.




Wi-fi access is new on the Ak ferry system and access is quick and consistent.  It does kind of change the experience but inevitable.  It used to be you had to lay back and keep the outside world from invading; especially now with daily baloney reports from the Grifter in Chief.  We are not on it a lot, just enough to check news, emails and blog.  Was nice to watch Steven Colbert and Seth Myers on You Tube before sleep, but daytime we are on deck watching nature take its course.  Seth has sent his and Carrie’s Ak travel schedule and we have Brenna’s to help us navigate the time we have.  Rainy, cool Anchorage, bad for baseball and golf, good to keep down fires.

We pass through beautiful vistas of tree covered fjords.  As we travel further north there is still snow at high altitudes and leftover avalanches.  The water is very calm.  We are getting dark since we are still pretty far south. 

Dinner in the formal dining room; the menu has 8 entrees, halibut and salmon, steak and chicken 2 pasta dishes and two large entrée salads.  Chuck gets the steak dinner and is pleased, it includes side of corn and baked potato and he gets a side salad.  Pat gets the Linguini Alfredo with 4 shrimp, it’s fair nothing special and a large side salad.  We try the red and white wine and both are very good.  Every table gets rolls and butter.  Chuck gets peanut butter cheesecake.  The service is very good and friendly.  No tipping allowed.  Linen tablecloths and all glassware and ceramic settings. Our table is located in the front of the large windows with a panoramic view of the narrow water we are traveling through.  A humpback whale (likely a young male) blows out air and gives us a brief wave with his tale.  We move back to our fave spot and set up our chairs.  Hard to describe the beauty and ultimate wilderness we see.  A female humpback and calf blow hole a hello to us as they pass in the distance.  The sunset is beautiful.  It’s been a nice day of sailing minus the early morning.  LOL.  Ketchikan in the morning.  Anxious to see if we have the usual rain.  They continue to have landslides and it seems to be something they will have to contend with.

Nighty Night.

 

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