At the starting gate.

With four (4) sleeps to go, our research indicates a few problems on the ground in Alaska. They have had significant rain and some of the highways have been blocked due to damage. Top of the World Highway was washed away two months back, it was then repaired, then suffered large wildfires, then rain washed the road away again.

Down in the Haines area, out at a camp area in Chilkat, so many bears have moved into the area that word has got out and sightseers are flocking to the narrow access road, that is causing what the locals call a “Bear Jam”.  Our planned camp is at the end of this road.

Our bags have been packed for the 4th or 5th time, still refining both the load weight and the essentials, leaving room for those unique purchases that visiting Inuit villages and tourist spots affords.

Our principal flight over and back has been moved and this now creates a fairly long time on the ground at LAX, 5 hours over and 6 back, we have to wait around this quiet little spot in Los Angeles, oh yeah!. We are too short a time to rent a room, and too long to sit. LAX offers no showers to freshen up. The new reLAX centre at LAX, pay per hour to sit and watch planes in 5 star comfort, while enjoying complimentary coffee and cakes at $10hr pp for first hour and $25 pp for 3 hours could be worthwhile, but with a family of four, mmmmm.

I have set up the ‘auto-email’ service on this blog, and trying the approach to type and save in word, and then cut and paste to post, allowing us the ability to write Blogs while in Wild areas, and then a speedy process to upload them when we get into a town with WIFI.

Still working out the final plans, our research since October 2009 has provided us great insight, but the real test is when we head out the gate at the RV rental mob, do we turn left or right, down to Seward or up toward the Yukon and do Seward upon our return. The weather I feel will dictate this, as we need to get over the Top of the World Highway while it is both open and not frozen over if we leave it too late, and yet all the tourist attractions at Seward, like Ice Climbing, wild life cruises, close on 15 Sept, so a start toward the Yukon means surrendering the touristy things when in Seward and relies on a self climb up Exit Glacier.

That’s it for this blog, now to see if this system works, and how to insert photo's, I'll grab some from last trip.

Graham