We would be in Carrollton, TX for the winter after just two more stops. But first, we needed to get out of New Mexico. After a 278-mile leg, including 50 miles of the Llano Estacado, we stopped in Amarillo, TX (population 199,371). There was no doubting in which state we had entered. We were treated…
We weren’t very far past Winslow when I-40 was closed because of an accident, and we were directed north on what became a 100-mile detour across more of the Colorado Plateau and the Defiance Plateau. Being retired has taught us to not be in any hurry and to take what comes along in stress-free stride….
Our next leg of 249 miles took us from Needles (elevation 495′) on a slow climb across west central Arizona to Flagstaff (elevation 6,909′) and onto the Colorado Plateau. We stopped at the Meteor Crater RV Park about 20 miles west of Winslow and 5 miles north of the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark. We had…
Few things scream coastal California better than a classic woody station wagon. We had lots of friends to visit in the Los Angeles area before heading east to winter in Carrollton, TX; so we again stayed for a week at the Walnut RV Park in Northridge, CA. From experience, I chose a better-located spot within…
NOTE: All historical facts recounted here were taken (but reworded by this author) from the “William Randolph Hearst” and “Hearst Castle” articles at en.m.wikipedia.org. The feature aerial photo was downloaded from the internet as it was uncopyrighted. William Randolph Hearst Sr. (1863-1951) was born into a wealthy family in San Francisco. George Hearst, his father,…
The drive to Napa, CA (population 77,492), traversed the fertile Sacramento Valley. The flat farmland and grass-covered rolling hills couldn’t compete with the majestic scenery we’d seen all summer; however, it did have a certain attraction and clearly made a significant contribution to our country’s food production. Our campground was east of downtown among the…
We caught our first glimpse of MV Kennicott at 4:30 pm as she sailed up Chilkoot Inlet. We had to admit seeing her was an exciting moment, marking the end of our Alaska and Northwest Canada adventure and the start to saving MFI three weeks of driving. In front of the terminal, there were seven…
The Tlingit First People called Haines Deishu, which appropriately translated to “end of the trail.” The city was a quaint tourist and fishing village sitting on the Chilkoot Inlet amidst an area, which had a lot to offer visitors. The day we arrived, the weather was wet and cloudy; but over the following days, the…
NOTE: Before reading this blog, I highly recommend you first read The Dempster Highway Experience by MFI published September 1, 2024. Her blog helps put this one in proper perspective. After 5 decades of consideration, construction of the all-weather road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk (population 900 and hereafter referred to as Tuk) was started in…
The Inuvik coordinates were 68°21’39″N and 133°43’47″W, which placed it 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I referenced this to make a comparison with my assignment at Thule Air Base, Greenland from Dec 17, 1976 to Dec 17, 1977. For accuracy, Thule was renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023, since it had become a…
