The Last Hurrah!

It's about time we sign on & sign off of our blog.

Yes, we did arrive home "safe & sound" on Sept. 17th. Our "breakdown" in AR fortunately turned out to be minor. A light had come on the dash which indicated that we had potential serious brake problems so as always erring on the side of safety we held up in town for the weekend until the Ford dealership service station opened on Monday morning. Wow! were we ever lucky to be in a town/city that had a Ford dealership! We were sitting at the dealer's bay by 7 am smiling & asking for help! What can I say? Those AR folks are so nice & so helpful & most of all, so comforting. "You can get a great breakfast down the street & we'll call you!" Sure enough an hour later & after a great breakfast & surrounded by friendly folks our cell phone rang and all was well & the BF was good to go. Apparently the problem was the rear break sensor had malfunctioned & was easily repaired. We were so grateful & shortly thereafter we got back on the road & enjoyed the final 2 days driving north to VA & to HOME!

We have been home a month by the time I post this final message. It has been hard to return to the blog as I feel it truly means that the trip is over. Steve & I had truly a great time this summer. We traveled 14,320 miles. We left Alexandria May 20th & returned Sept. 16th. We met ever so many wonderful people. We saw some of the most fabulous sights & scenery & wildlife that our fabulous USA has to offer. America is truly BEAUTIFUL!!! We love our country & pray that we have many more years to enjoy her & to see much much more or our country & our world.

Truly, our venture to Alaska was a dream come true for Steve, but honestly, I loved the whole dream also. Thanks to you all for following our blog. We have had such fun on our adventure & thank you all for sharing.

Sept. 14 So Close! But No Cigar!

We've traveled over 13K miles since May 20th, 2008 & are 110o miles from Alexandria, VA 0n Sept. 14th - BROKEN DOWN!!!

After a later "up & at 'em" departure this morning we continued our travel across the I40 from Oklahoma into Arkansas. Everything was going smoothly - Ann knitting, both Ann & Steve listening to "6 Frigates" cd on the cd player when Steve "freaked out" that we had 2 lights illuminated on the dash! The "check brakes" & the "ABS" (anti locking brake system) were on. I dashed to the reference book cupboard to retrieve the Ford manual to see what it said about these lights. "Likely brakes will not operate if both lights are illuminated." Shucks! We're almost home & besides that, it's Sunday! How do we get help? Well, we both held our breaths till the next exit, which fortunately was a bit larger town than most of the areas we had been passing, but as we had expected services are not available on Sundays. Thankfully, Steve, always erring on the side of caution, said we would not continue & would stay the day & night in Russelville, AR. Boo hoo! I just want to be home! However, we are in a nice campground. I was able to do some laundry given our now extended trip. The sun is shining. Tomorrow we will be in line at the Ford garage at 7am to see if they can assess our problem. We still have hopes that we can get home by late Tues. night. We'll see & I will post another blog if that is not the case.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again very soon. steve & ann

Sept. 11 Homeward Bound

First night on the road we are RONing in Camp Verde, AZ just outside of Flagstaff, AZ. After heading due east on the I8 from San Diego we decided to head north for the I40 in order to veer away from the hurricane weather along the Gulf coast. Here are today's travel stats:

9 hours
453 miles

After a very tearful & heart wrenching farewell this morning from the Mike & Shannon hacienda in San Diego, Steve & I began our trip east. I have no pictures to post on this blog as no one was "in the mood" to smile. Macy had red eyes from an understandably earlier meltdown; Emmy couldn't look in the camera with any cheer; & Cooper clung to our necks with the biggest hugs you've ever seen from a 19 month old. Bennie was imbedded in his usual seat in the Born Free & Morty was inside the house mourning the departure of his good dog friend. (Together those two are a piece of work!) Shannon & I had few words to express the love & joy we shared during these 2 weeks. And Steve stood by wishing he could make everyone happy & fortunately he didn't try to be his usual comical self. It was time to go, but no one wanted to go anywhere!

God bless them all! What a beautiful & happy family the little Lindbloms are, but how tough life can be! Shannon is a phenomenal mom & those special "grands" are ever so happy & healthy. Soon the M&S Lindblom family will be together again! Mike is due to return from deployment the first week in November. Check out Shannon's blog for updates on their family & their upcoming reunion: http://lindblomloop.blogspot.com

Tomorrow is another day for all & another day closer to VA for us. I'll let you know when & where we are tomorrow evening if we have internet access.

Aug. 28 - Sept. 11 San Diego

There's Nothing Like Lovin', Like Something Like...
Macy! Coop! & Em!

I Must have some Iowa Heritage!

Corn! Corn! Corn!

Our Lovely Ballarinas - Emery & Macy
Lovely Macy Performing with the Band

at Coronado "Concert in the Park"

Emmy Is Ready to Go!
A Little Sunday Football

for Poppa Steve & Cooper
Everyone Needs a Little Stroll

AnnMaMa Gets a Little Huggin'

Tell Me that Tale One More Time!
A Wink from Emmy for Poppa Steve

After bee-lining our way down the west coast from Washington state to San Diego we joyfully arrived on the doorstep of our grandchildren's home on August 30th. It was a grand reunion with mother, Shannon, & grandchildren, Macy, Emmy, & Cooper, & Steve & me. My how the grandchildren have grown just since I last saw them in April. Steve had not seen the grandchildren since last January & he was amazed most of all. Forturnately, Shannon looked lovely as always & not a bit distressed. Shannon had a great big smile on her face, like "relief is in sight!" We certainly applaud Shannon's stamina & her ability to roll with the punches she has withstood for these past 4 long months. She's been a trooper & we marvel at her ability to handle this energetic family. The good news is that Dad, Mike, should be home in very early November & his darling family will be welcoming him with wide open arms!

We've had a great time while we've been in San Diego. We've had lots of "grandchildren time" & "grandchildren love," all of which is exactly what we came for. We've also been able to release Shannon for some well deserved free time. All of us moms know how valuable & special that is! Likewise, Shannon has treated Steve & me so special & given us free reign with our darling grands.

Soon we will begin the final journey! On Thursday, Sept. 11th, at 8 am we will hitch (fire up) the horses (power) to the (motor) coach & head east. We're hoping to make it home to VA in 5 days, but I have to be flexible to the "maybe a day or 2 longer" scenario. One never knows what comes up along the way; however, we have no more planned stops except to RON (remain over night) at the end of some long driving days. We'll post our final blog when we get home so that everyone knows we made it safely. It has truly been a grand journey but as I constantly remind Steve, IT HAS BEEN 4 MONTHS LONG & I REALLY NEED TO BE HOME!!!

August 22 – Prince Rupert, BC to USA

August 22 – Prince Rupert, BC to USA

After a final Alaskan dinner in a restaurant across from the ferry terminal in Ketchikan we boarded the Matanuska ferry for the final journey. After gathering our things to include a blanket & bidding good night to Bennie we went up the stairs to the lounge area to claim our seats. We were surprised to see friends, Jean & Steve, whom we had met off & on the ferries. They were from Bisbee, AZ & were taking a 2 week backpacking trip on the Alaska Maritime Highway, getting on & off the ferries & backpacking in & around the communities where the ferries stopped. They were supposed to arriving in Ketchikan that evening but instead they just stayed on the ferry because of the bad weather in that area. They would be getting off the ferry in Prince Rupert, also, but would then pick up the British Columbia ferry system to Vancouver & from there they would go to Seattle to fly home. An interesting & fun trip for them! We hit some rather “rough” seas during the night, but I’m assuming it was in the areas where the Inner Passage is not protected by the peninsula & we were totally exposed to the Pacific Ocean. I say “rough” but honestly most people on board, to include Steve, never knew that there was any wave action. I had stayed awake later just knitting & catching up on some reading & a little quiet time. The boat has quite a wide girth, so the rough waters seemed negligible. The Matanuska arrived in Prince Rupert about 5:30 am but it took us at least an hour to get through customs before we could get on our way. We became a little “nervous” when we saw the car ahead of us get searched but when our time came to be at the head of the line the custom’s agent was pleasant & asked us the usual perfunctory questions & sent us on our way. It was a cloudy & rainy day in Prince Rupert but that is what we had come to expect. We did stop at a restaurant for a little breakfast to get us back on track before beginning our day’s journey.

We drove a few hours & then Steve pulled over at a lovely rest stop & we both took about a 2 hour nap. Canada has some very beautiful rest areas & this one was quiet & was nestled among some very tall trees with a river running along side. Quite a nice rest! From there we continued our drive on through BC to the town of Burns Lake where we stopped at the Visitor’s Center & received information on a nearby campground. The following day we drove nearly 350 miles to the town of 100 Mile House (named during the gold rush days!) & camped in a municipal campground for the night. Steve grilled salmon burgers for our dinner & with a couple of sides we had an enjoyable night. The following morning (Aug 25) & after a quick cup of coffee we got an early start moving toward our destination of San Diego. What a beautiful drive we had that day! The road winded up & around & through Fraser Canyon with beautiful mountains & a deep narrow river sometimes below & sometimes along side the road. The weather is now sunny & we have gained at least 10 degrees in temperature. At the end of a long & tedious drive that day and another long & tedious wait at the US/Canada border we drove into Bellingham, WA & found a very nice WA state campground just outside of the town. It felt wonderful to be back in the Lower 48, but I have to admit that both Steve & I were in total confusion with all the roads & road networks that were everywhere. Plus I was so busy gawking & gazing at all the many stores that abounded on all sides of the roads that I was little help with the maps. We ate dinner that evening at an Italian restaurant in the very cute nearby town of Fairhaven which was just outside of Bellingham & quite near our campground.

From Bellingham we made our way south to Olympia, WA which is south of Seattle & closing in on the Oregon state line. I have notified our San Diego friends & family that just possibly we might be arriving in their areas by the weekend! Things are going well. Even though we are sad about having to leave Alaska & we have such grand memories of that beautiful state we are also excited to see Shannon & the grandchildren in San Diego & the Baldwins & Castros in Carlsbad.

August 19 – 22 Ketchikan, AK to Prince Rupert, BC

A View of Ketchikan Harbor from the Airplane

Beautiful Misty Fjords

The "Wall" in Misty Fjords from the Airplane

Misty Fjords

August 19 – 22 Ketchikan, AK to Prince Rupert, BC

We decided to pull chocks early from Ketchikan as we have found ourselves immersed in the largest temperate rain forest in the world & there is apparently no let up in sight. We were able to change our ferry reservation to leave Ketchikan tonight (Friday) at 9:30 pm as opposed to waiting till Sunday morning. We’ll sleep in the sleeping lounge in their recliner seats.

We arrived in Ketchikan on Wed. night at 11:30 pm & drove the BF to a nearby WalMart & camped out there for the night. It worked out great especially since they opened their doors at 7 am & we were in line to go inside for freshly made coffee at the Subway kiosk. It was also a great 1^st time experience doing the WalMart campers’ scene. How lucky we were that yesterday was beautiful. We walked around town & visited the Visitors’ Center where we signed on for a float plane flight seeing excursion over the Misty Fjords which is the largest land & water monument in North America. It was truly a beautiful flight & we were so happy that we had taken advantage of this opportunity. Wouldn’t seem right coming to AK either without doing at least one flight trip on a float plane or a small plane with a bush pilot. That’s Alaska!

Due to the plentiful rain in the Southeast Region of AK & because we feel saturated with tourist shops found in the port cities of the cruise ship stopovers & the numerous museums we have visited throughout AK, we have decided to move on. We’re preparing now for our last cruise on the Inner Coastal Waterway tonight & our drive from Prince Rupert south to San Diego eventually. Steve & I are both sad to be saying our final farewells to the beautiful & great state of AK. We're so greatful that AK is part of the USA! I’ll add pictures regarding these past 3 scripts at a later time.

August 14-19 Sitka to Petersburg

August 14-19 Sitka to Petersburg

SUN! GLORIOUS SUN!

Upon our arrival in Sitka we found real sunshine & clear skies, & we felt renewed! There were 2 campgrounds located near the ferry terminal so as soon as we got off the ferry we investigated them. However, since the nice US Forest Service campground was dry camping only, but lovely wooded spots, we moved on. Since we were going to be in Sitka for 4 days dry camping would be a little challenging. We drove into town & found a nice small city campground across the O’Connell Bridge that had hook ups & all the spots faced the surrounding bay. This campground was less than a mile from town so it was great for riding our bicycles to town during the days. The O’Connell Bridge connects the town of Sitka to the small Japonski Island. It was the only vehicular cable-stayed bridge in US at the time of its completion in 1972. (We’ll have to research that “cable-stayed” term later. In 2006 AAA named the O’Connell Bridge one of “Seven Remarkable Bridges” of the West. It was lovely & fun to ride our bikes over when going back & forth to Sitka. The Sitka Airport is located on Japonski Island so the 2^nd morning in Sitka we rode our bikes to the airport & had breakfast there in their restaurant. We enjoyed watching the small aircraft land & take off as well as the 1 Alaskan Airline plane take off for it’s daily flight to Seattle. 1 plane in & out to Seattle daily & 1 plane in & out to Juneau daily. Other than that the small planes will take you wherever you wish to go.

We enjoyed our stay in Sitka but it turned out that 4 days there was a little lengthy. Most of the town is filled with tourists shops which become a little tedious after a day or two. Most of these towns along the Inner Passage are stopovers for the many cruise ships that visit AK each summer so the towns are filled with cruise visitors during the day time. We did visit the Tlinget Totem Pole Forest, the Raptor Center, & Castle Hill, the site of the Russian Baranof Castle. The castle was located on the top of a hill on the edge of town & it was the location of the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States on Oct. 18, 1867. Oct. 18^th is celebrated each year as Alaska Day! We also celebrate son, Mike’s birthday on that day! The Raptor Center was particularly interesting. It is a hospital & rehabilitation center for injured eagles, falcons, owls, hawks, & other raptors. They also rehabilitate injured ravens but they are not considered raptors. We also walked around the Pioneer House which sat upon a hill on the edge of downtown. It was originally a US Marine Barracks but when the Marines left it was converted to a home for aging pioneers. It was lovely & very well maintained. We attended the local Sitka Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning which was fun. I have really enjoyed going to many local farmers’ markets during this trip.

Prior to being at the ferry terminal on Monday at 3 am we enjoyed a lovely dinner at VanWinkle Restaurant in town. After dinner we parked the BF in a parking area at the Old Sitka Historic Park which was near the ferry to sleep for a few hours prior to going to the terminal. There were no signs saying No Overnight Parking so we just pulled in. One bit of caution that we took is that we didn’t walk Bennie around the area since it was heavily laden with lots of brush & trees & plants. Hence, bears could be nearby!

In the ferry vehicle line the next morning (3:00 am!) we actually witnessed a most SPECTACULAR sight! The Aurora Borealis appeared right overhead! What an amazing & magnificent sight it was! It lasted about 7 minutes & it even “danced” right before our eyes! BEAUTIFUL! It is a little early in the season for the Northern Lights to appear so we were indeed blessed to have had that sighting.

We boarded the M/V Matanuska ferry about 4 am & she quietly left port about 5 am & headed south on the Inner Passage. The Matanuska is about the same size as the 1^st ferry were we on, but it didn’t seem to be as newly refurbished as the Malapina. People were sleeping all over the boat – in seats, on the floor, tents on the deck with campers, on the few sofas that were around, etc. Everything is quiet & dark. (No safety announcement on this leg of the journey! Don’t want to disturb the guests, I guess.) Steve & I tried sitting by a window in the bow of the boat to watch the us traverse the waters out of & around Sitka (there are many many teacup islands in that area) & I began “penning” this blog, but eventually we gave way to the sandman & hit the recliner lounge for a little snooze. There were 2 USFS personnel on board who presented several lectures during the day. The mid morning presentation was on whales & miraculously we saw many humpback whales alongside & in front of the boat was she was speaking. The humpback & the orca or killer whales are the most common whales seen in the Inner Passage. We have our eyes peeled to hopefully see an Orca before leaving AK! The afternoon presentation was about the difficulty boats have for navigation the Wrangle Channel & also a brief discussion on the town of Petersburg which was our destination for this ferry trip. We will pass through the Wrangle Channel after leaving Petersburg on the way to Ketchikan.

Our arrivial in Petersburg was interesting. During our 11 hour journey that day we had decided to try to change our ferry tickets so as not to stay in each of these island towns quite as long as we had originally planned. Besides becoming anxious to see our little “grands” in San Diego, we found that we really don’t need multiple days to visit & take in the sights of each town & island. After getting our ferry schedule rearranged we headed into town (1 mile from the terminal) to scope out the campground that was highly acclaimed in some literature we had collected. As we drove up to it I said to Steve “Let’s keep on going!” We did drive on but stopped a block or so passed the campground & looked at one another with the “Go where?” written all over our faces! As we hurriedly tried to find something else in all our books & pamphlets we had with us a car pulled up alongside the BF & a woman said to us “Are you looking for a suitable campground in the area?” “Yes, please!” we answered. She told us to drive 3 miles north & there would be a nice campground that we would like much better than the one we had just passed by. We found it easily & happily pulled in for the next couple of nights. It was rather late in the afternoon (5 pm) & we had little food on board because you have to turn off your propane on the ferries & therefore we carry little fresh food in the refrigerator during these long hauls, & we were now discussing about where to go to get something for dinner. Ah ha! The very nice woman (She & her husband live in the campground we came to find out.) who had rescued us on side streets of Petersburg came up to our camper with a bag full of freshly caught & cooked Dungeness crab for us. Wow! For us? For dinner? Yes, it was caught right in the bay waters off the campground & she wanted us to have it. Now that is what Alaska is all about! Everyone has been so kind & friendly & has reached out to us & to all the visitors who visit their state during the travel season.

After a lovely night’s rest we will explore Petersburg for a day & a half & then head to Ketchikan via ferry on Aug. 20.