Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
(and Professional Travelers)
Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
(and Professional Travelers)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
1. For notes about Alaska - as per the two RV Gypsies - scroll down |
| 2. click here for ALASKA MAP, PHOTOS, HISTORY, & TRAVEL OF THE TWO RV GYPSIES IN ALASKA |
| below are lots of various and miscellaneous and interesting notes about Alaska - especially for RVers - scroll down. |
| There is no night sky in June and July in Alaska. The moon and stars disappear and the sun keeps everybody and everything up all night. The farther north you go the more daylight there is in June, and the less in December. the number of hours of daylight for a few cities are listed below: | ||
| Ketchikan | June 21st - 17:29 hours |
December 21st - 7:06 hours |
| Juneau | June 21st - 18:18 hours |
December 21st - 6:21 hours |
| Anchorage | June 21st - 19:21 hours |
December 21st - 5:28 hours |
| Fairbanks | June 21st - 21:49 hours |
December 21st - 3:42 hours |
| Barrow - June 21st - never sets for 84 days with June 21st at midpoint - December 21st - 0:00 hours from November 18th thru January 24th (67 days) the sun never gets above the horizon in Barrow. | ||
Alaska is one-sixth the size of the lower 48 (continental USA) and 2-1/2
times the size of Texas. The name Alaska
was derived from the Aleut word Alyeska meaning "Great Land" Alaska has 30,000
miles of coastline-more coastline than the rest of the states combined.
There are about
100,000 glaciers in Alaska with more than 600 of them named. The Malaspina
Glacier is larger than Rhode Island and the Nebesna Glacier is 80 miles
long. Both are in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The Aleutian Arc
contains 80 volcanoes, more than 40 of which are active. Redoubt recently
erupted. Alaska is home to
17 national park systems, more than 54 million acres, 13 percent of the
state's landmass. - Wrangell-St. Elias is the nation's largest national
park - six times larger than Yellowstone. The 1964 earthquake
was a magnitude 9.2, the strongest ever recorded in North America to date.
Alaska has more earthquakes than any other state. Chugach National
Forest, at 5.6 million acres is about the size of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island combined. |
| If you are going to Alaska you really should buy the Toursaver book - lots of tours and things at 2-4-1 prices. It can be purchased on-line or at a Safeway store. It has saved us thousands of dollars. A new version available every year. |
 You
can drive to Haines Alaska at any time because the U.S. customs is open
24 hours a day as of 2007. But you cannot cross into Canada from Haines
between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Alaska time because Canada customs is only open
8 a.m. to midnight Pacific time. |
 |
| "Bearfooting" is a verb. it means having a good time on the road. But it's also a state of mind - when your journey becomes more important than your destination. You know you are bearfooting when you find yourself sitting beside a campfire, and can't remember the day of the week. What's more, you don't even care. This describes the life of an RV Gypsy |
| What is it like to be on a permanent vacation with daylight until midnight or later? - no sense of day/night - time, hours, day of the week, or even day of the month. Driving to Alaska, there was very little traffic, except in big cities like Vancouver, British Columbia, and Anchorage, Alaska. Driving to Alaska is so different from cruising Alaska. There's less structure, different brands of foods, everything is more expensive, especially food. Stores I am used to are hard to find, we always need gas and diesel. Alaska is mostly cold, so far, but there is great adventure, beautiful scenery everywhere. Boredom is impossible, especially if you like photography. So little time (even for retired people), so much to do - no sense of time - day or night - missing Brian, don't want to sleep. This web site is a lot of work, all is surreal. Day by day life yet so much planning to do. Organization is not my strong suit. dust, dirt, screwed up car from the roads - all of this is our life in Alaska - and yes, I am rambling. And yes, I love Alaska. |
| Alaskans often save their fireworks for New year's Day when they can see them better than on the 4th of July |
 80
degrees F below is NOT too cold for school
in TOK, Alaska |
| In some parts of Alaska there are days that are considered just too cold for school. Usually the cutoff point is around 50 to 55 degrees F BELOW ZERO. But not in Tok, school goes on no matter what the temperature. Natives have told us that children who walk stay home more often, but those who are bussed to school go no matter what. |
 Driving
the Alaska highway |
Frost heaving (or frost heave) is the process by which the freezing of water-saturated soil causes the deformation and upward thrust of the ground surface. This process can cause cracks in pavement, and damage the foundations of buildings, even below the frost line. Frost creep, an effect of frost heave, involves a freeze-thaw action allowing mass movement down slope. The soil or sediment is frozen and in the process moved upward perpendicular to the slope. When thaw occurs the sediment moves downwards thus mass movement occurs. IN OTHER
WORDS - WATCH OUT FOR DIPS AND BUMPS WHEN DRIVING THE ALASKA HIGHWAY.
The two RV Gypsies really had a travel day from H--- due to frost heaves
and gravel roads. Now their car needs a new
windshield and a complete paint job. Cover your toad if you drive the
Alaska Highway. |
 |
| Driving the Alaska Highway (previously known
as the "Alcan") is more than 1400 miles of road, filled with mountain
ranges, beautiful lakes and rivers, forests, scenic detours, frost heaves,
and flying gravel. Constructed as a link between Alaska and the contiguous
US, the highway was completed in 1943, though the regions harsh environment
forces nearly-constant upkeep. Thus - nasty frost heaves and gravel roads.
Driving the Alaska Highway gives you a sense of just how remote and beautiful
Alaska is. Though the Alaska highway officially starts in Dawson Creek,
Canada, and ends in Delta Junction, Alaska, your drive will be much longer.
With gravel sections, frost heaves, inclement weather, and long stretches
between towns, it's important that you're fully prepared for the unique
conditions of driving to Alaska. Everyone the two RV Gypsies met in Canada (and especially in Alaska) were so genuinely polite, happy, and fun to talk with. |
 |
 |
| On June 29, 2009 the two RV Gypsies, who are
fast becoming professional travelers, ate at Cafe Michele in Talkeetna,
Alaska. The food was a bit pricey, but yet quite reasonable for the quality
and quantity of the food. The server, Janus, was professional, personable
and excellent. The atmosphere was very nice. Therefore, this restaurant
gets an excellent rating in the opinion of the two RV Gypsies. If
you go to Cafe Michele, please tell Janus we sent you - the two crazy RVers. Cafe Michele- & the two RV Gypsies |
|
| Their website says they were voted one of the Top Ten Restaurants in Alaska, 2001 by the Food network and they were featured on the Food networks's "best of..." "Places to Take Dad", 2002 - Please check their website for further information. | |
 |
ALASKA MAP, PHOTOS, HISTORY, AND TRAVEL OF THE TWO RV GYPSIES IN ALASKA |