ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT ALASKA?

By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Ah, Alaska is in the air … or at least in the thoughts of many RVers. Last week I received the following email from a couple in Florida: “We are new owners of a 40 ft allegro bus, never had an RV before. My husband wants to take a trip from Florida to Alaska but not through Canada. We have been there. Please give me your experiences and what time of the year is best.  I will follow this blog [more on this below*].   It is very educational and fun.  We have no friends that have RVs.” An interesting email, to which I replied:  Monique and I went up through Washington State to Oliver, B.C., over to Banff and up to Whitehorse.  There were many notable sights and experiences, but following the Canadian Rockies was the highlight.  If you haven’t purchased “Milepost, Alaska Travel Planner,” that’s where you should start your planning. Unbelievable Beauty for Hundreds of Miles Along the Canadian Rockies [I am assuming that by not going through Canada, she means that they don’t want to cross the border from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, or from Minnesota.  “Milepost” gives several alternate routes with crossings in Montana and Washington.] I have often written about journey-versus-destination travel. Depending on your time and financial resources, my suggestion is to start as the weather warms up and work your way across America visiting places you haven’t been.  There... Read more

Visit these high desert locations on you way to the desert this winter

By Bob Difley This is the time of year when RVers are either putting the rig in mothballs for the winter or thinking about heading south to their snowbird hangout. If you are in the latter group and usually plan to head south in one continuous flight, driving 300 or more miles every day until you get to your destination,  try a new plan this year. Many RVers tend to think of their RV year as consisting of two time periods, summer and winter, missing out on the two “shoulder” seasons between the two. These time periods can add another level of enjoyment to your RV calendar if you use them to visit and explore those places that are either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. And fortunately, many of these shoulder locations lie between your summer location and your winter haven so that can become part of your trip south–or north in the Spring, taking the stress of long days on the road. These locations are mostly in the high desert, at altitudes between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, and are missed as you rush past like a migrating goose. Here are some suggestions to explore on your journey south this winter. Red Rock Canyon State Park (photo)- In California’s Mojave Desert at 2,277 feet, this state park has spectacular white and red rock formations, trails to the top for great views of the surrounding desert, and a side trip to the Burro Schmidt tunnel, where Schmidt carved a tunnel with nothing but hand tools and his burro through a mountain to shorten... Read more

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