BritishCubBloke's Big Alaska and BC Trip 2008: Advice Needed

[BritishCubBloke]

Hi, probably should have asked this earlier, but I had to choose where to stop off with the RV on the ferry back down South. We're going to have a few days in Juneau and a few in Sitka and then catch the ferry through to Prince Rupert. Have I done the right thing and can anyone recommend great things to do in that area? Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks,

David

 

[Seaworthy]

Have you thought about hiring a RV? It will be easy to buy one---impossible to sell one. The cost of gas.diesel is killing folks around here and folks are trying to get out from under their gas guzzlers. There has gotta be somewhere where you can get a good deal on a 90 day lease.

 

[Gordon Misch]

David, if time permits try to take in Butchart Gardens, in Victoria, BC. http://www.butchartgardens.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 We visited last summer, and it is nothing short of amazing - fantastic gardens built on an old quarry site.

 

[gbflyer]

Juneau and Sitka are both fairly "touristy", so if you are still in need of more t-shirts and Ulu knives by the time you get there, there will be no shortage. Not knocking them, mind you, that's just kind of the way it is.

The trouble with southeast Alaska is, although breathtakingly beautiful, it's near an impossibility to get anywhere in a vehicle. So, access to many of the area's riches off the beaten path are by flying or boat. If you are operating "on the cheap", which there is nothing wrong with, then doing things other than spending time with the tour ship passengers will be difficult without the services of a wilderness lodge or air taxi operator.

If you have any idea at all what you'd like to do, I'd be happy to share any information I can, just let me know. I was in the tourist business here for 15 years.

gb

 

[85Mike]

The Alaska State Museum in Juneau is a dandy place to spend half a day.

Mike

 

[skagwaypilot]

We're going to have a few days in Juneau and a few in Sitka and then catch the ferry through to Prince Rupert.

Juneau can be 'touristy' but there are some interesting things to do.
If you are on a budget, the visitor center at the Mendenhall Glacier is both free and interesting. Eagle Beach can be reached by your motor home, kayaks in Auk Bay are not expensive and fishing might be good in either lakes or salt water.

If you have some American Dollars that you want to spend before they drop even more, Temsco, ERA or Northstar Trekking offer helicopter flights in which they land on a glacier. And Wings Airways has glacier flightseeing in float equipped Turbine Otters or recip Beavers - Those flights depart from the docks in downtown Juneau.

 

[BritishCubBloke]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the tips. gbflyer, sending you a PM.

Seaworthy, 90 days of hire would have been prohibitive, but we got a very good deal on a 2.5 year old 25 foot RV with very reasonable miles, so I hope we won't lose too much on it.

David

 

[moneyburner]

Re: BritishCubBloke's Big Alaska and BC Trip 2008: Advice Ne

4. It is possible, even likely, that 8-9 weeks in a 25' RV may drive us to kill and eat the kids or, worse, them to kill and eat us. There are various home exchange possibilities on the Internet. In which of the following would you choose a home exchange for a couple of weeks to try and avert a tragedy: Kodiak, Kenai (Coopers Landing, Soldotna etc), Anchorage, Palmer or Fairbanks? Which would be your top choice from these locations?

Any other advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

David

I'll vouch for Cooper Landing - Nice place. Seward, is good also, Soldotna is a good place to stare at while you drive through - maybe stop for gas or something. Homer is always a surprise the first time you see it by road; you'll drive along south of Soldotna for seventy miles or so, not bad scenery, but not spectacular. Then, about twenty minutes south of Anchor Point, you come around a corner and you had better stop so you don't get in a wreck (there's a pull-out located conveniently at the top of the hill for just that purpose). That is one of my favorite views in all of Alaska, at least one you can drive to. I like Homer. I wouldn't try any house-sitting in Anchorage - nasty traffic, and it's kind of ugly. Good to visit - there are attractions here, but if you're coming to Alaska - go see some of it! This isn't where we keep it! I would offer my house here, but I'm in the middle of a major remodel, so it would not be very comfortable, to say the least. Girdwood (just south of Anchorage) might be a nice place to kick back for a few days - most of the ski bums are off mountain climbing (there's a ski area there), so there might be some reasonable vacancies, unlike the winter months. I think it's kind of pleasant in the summer, and you can get to Anchorage for shopping or whatever in under an hour. Talkeetna is about two hours by road to the north of Anchorage. It is where many of the Denali guides and air taxis base out of. You can fly up to the glacier camp or around the mountain. Probably spendy, but fun. I wouldn't be surprised if someone here offered to haul you up there.

I'm just getting started; I would suggest that you plan on spending at least three years visiting, for a well-rounded experience. That's what I did 33 years ago.

 

[BritishCubBloke]

Thanks, moneyburner!