[ Travel / Nonfiction ] Two RVs, four adults, five children (9-16), seven campsites, 20+ hours of driving, thirteen points of interest (give or take), camping/RV experience that's pretty much nil, no reliable Wi-Fi or cell service, or consistently p...
After a long day on the Denali Highway, we were eager to return to civilization. Our friends, however, decided to try "boondocking" (camping on the side of the road without electricity or hookups). It saves you money and gives you the opportunity to drive a little farther than you may have planned. They found a road pullout about forty miles south of us.
With the extra, adult-sized kid in our group and our excessive water habits, my husband and I were never too keen on the idea and spent the night in a cute albeit mosquito-infested campsite in the town of Glennallen. We enjoyed our Wi-Fi and nice, on-site showers (seven whole minutes long!), but we essentially had to stay in the RV the whole time. (In general, the bug problem in Alaska wasn't as bad as we envisioned. The Glennallen area was the exception. "Deep Woods" bug spray barely made a difference).
There was a fair amount to do right in the area we were staying (and we hit some of it the day after), but we rejoined our friends for an unplanned excursion to Valdez the following morning.
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Valdez is a "dead end" (two hours in and two hours back), unless you have a ferry ticket in advance (which we didn't). I wasn't crazy about the idea of ditching the itinerary two days in a row and heading that far off-route (our next major turn was west at Glennallen). We swapped out one city last minute (Fairbanks) to see another (Valdez). To rush through bumpy, mountainous terrain to the point there was RV damage (the lost refrigerator grate), and then to spend an extra day retracing our steps like that? It didn't make a lot of sense to me.
I can't vouch for Fairbanks one way or another, but I can say that Valdez was a trip highlight. It's a quaint coastal community with shopping, restaurants, breathtaking mountain views, and plenty to do, in town and nearby. The pictures in this chapter (and the next) make it pretty clear why I have no lingering regrets.
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Route 4, heading south.
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The Worthington Glacier.
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My crazy son at the edge of the world (who assured me he was never in danger).
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The Britton clan, minus one (the photographer).
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Bridal Veil Falls along Route 4 to Valdez.
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The view at our new (and unplanned) campsite.
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One of the many eagles we saw on our trip. There were bald eagles and golden eagles. I believe this one is a golden eagle.
