Lens-Artists #65: Pick a Place

This week, Tina has challenged us to capture the spirit of a place that is vivid in you memory.

My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to travel to most of the United States, parts of Canada, and a few other foreign countries. The one place that I think of most often is the state of Alaska.

It’s been six years since we towed our fifth wheel over 14,000 miles to Alaska and back. There are so many things that make Alaska memorable. The people are friendly and proud of their state. The mountains and glaciers took my breath away every where we went. I was constantly on the lookout for wildlife and often saw bears or moose beside the road. Sometimes we would be the only vehicle on the road for miles.

One of our favorite towns was Haines. We loved all the great people, the Hammer Museum, eagles and bears, and fresh Dungeness Crab for dinner. Probably best of all was the waterfront view from the campground. We enjoyed our cocktail hour searching for whales and watching the ships go by.

It's only raining to the left
View from our campground in Haines

As we traveled around Alaska we would sometimes drive for miles without seeing another car. I was constantly on the looking for bears and moose.

Beautiful view along the highway
Gorgeous scenery every where we went
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Moose cow and calf crossing the road

One of our most memorable days was the day we left the fifth wheel in the RV park in North Pole and drove north on the Dalton Highway. After stopping at the Arctic Circle we continued on to Coldfoot, the farthest north we have ever traveled. At Coldfoot we turned around and arrived back at the camper after 10:00 pm and it was still daylight.

We traveled behind the motorcycle as we followed behind a pilot truck
Behind a motorcycle on the Dalton Highway

On a wildlife cruise from Seward, the captain turned off the engines so we could hear the ice calving at Aialik Glacier.

Calving on Aialik Glacier
Ice calving on Aialik Glacier on the Kenai Fjords trip from Seward

One of my favorite things in Alaska was seeing wildlife.

I’ll never forget the Orcas cruising close by our boat on a wildlife cruise from Valdez.

Pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez
A pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez

The mama bear was too busy finding fish for her cub to pay attention to us.

Mama bear looking for more fish
Mama bear looking for more fish near Valdez
Black Bear Cub
Black Bear Cub

There were more bald eagles in Alaska than anywhere else I’ve ever been. As we rode close to the shoreline on one of the wildlife cruises there were too many eagles perched in the trees to count.

Pair of Eagles
We spotted this pair of Bald Eagles as we cruised by on a wildlife and glacier cruise from Valdez
Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church
Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik

Riding on a train and a taking a plane ride to land on a glacier after seeing Mount Denali up close were two of our favorite excursions.

Going down the tracks
A ride on the Alaska Railroad to the Hurricane Turn
We went really close to Mt. McKinley
Mount Denali from the air

It’s been over six years since we were there. One day we will return…

Many thanks to Tina for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Pick a Place

 

Throwback Thursday #8 – October 3, 2007

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

Flash back to twelve years ago, October 3, 2007. We were camping in Cherokee, North Carolina, our home base for visiting the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was foggy and drizzling for most of our stay but we managed to get in some sightseeing and scenic drives while we were there.

We started the day with a three mile hike along the Oconaluftee River inside Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

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Oconaluftee River in Great Smokey Mountain National, Park
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Beaver evidence next to the river

Next up was a scenic drive starting at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The farther north we got, the thicker the fog. After a while it drizzling. I was able to get a few photos before before the weather got too bad.

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Old homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
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Old homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
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Blue Ridge Mountains, NC

It was a wonderful fall getaway with camping in Cherokee, visiting the national park, and taking drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Throwback Thursday #7 – September 19, 2016

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

On this day 3 years ago, on September 19, 2016, we were camping at Mississippi River State Park, a small Arkansas park located in the Mississippi Delta on the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway and the Great River Road within the St. Francis National Forest. We had driven through a fierce thunderstorm the day before and were ready to kick back and relax for a day.

We drove into the nearby town of Marianna, Arkansas in the morning to pick up some James Beard Award winning barbeque from Jones Bar-B-Q Diner. We discovered this place on a previous visit and knew that the restaurant often sold out by noon.

Jone's Bar-B-Q Diner
Jone’s Bar-B-Q Diner

With enough food for dinner that night and some extra to put in the freezer to take home, we returned to the campground to do some camp chair sitting in one of the best waterfront campsites we’ve ever had.

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Water front camping at it’s best, Beech Point Campground on Bear Creek Lake

This Great Blue Heron, an egret, and some turtles kept us entertained as we enjoyed the peace and quiet for the rest of the day.

Great Blue Heron at Bear Creek Lake
Great Blue Heron at Bear Creek Lake
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This heron entertained us while we were relaxing in our campsite
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Great Egret at Mississippi River State Park, Arkansas

Our melt in your mouth delicious pulled pork dinner was a perfect meal to end the day.

There’s more about our stay here at Lakefront Campground, Award Winning Barbeque, Scenic Drives, and Delta History

 

 

Throwback Thursday #6 – September 12, 2015

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

On this day four years ago, September 12 2015. we were camping at Claytor Lake State Park, Virginia, one of our favorite state park campgrounds. Our daughter lives nearby and we enjoyed the fall beauty of the park when we weren’t enjoying spending time with her family.

It’s always fun to be somewhere and have an unexpected event taking place. Four years ago today, the Claytor Lake Triathlon was going on. I walked over to the lake to watch some of the race.

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Ready, set , go!
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Swimmers in the 2015 Claytor Lake Triathlon
Swimmers heading for the beach
Swimmers heading for the beach at Claytor Lake
Starting the bike ride
Starting the bike ride

I enjoyed walking the trails in the state park every morning. One morning I spotted white tailed deer in the woods.

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White tailed deer at Claytor Lake State Park, VA

We enjoyed Claytor Lake so much we have camped there multiple times. There’s more about this stay at A few days in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia.

Last week’s Throwback Thursday was interrupted by Hurricane Dorian. After waiting on pins and needles for several days to see where it was going to go, we decided not to evacuate. The center of the storm passed offshore about 80 miles east of us at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. The wind gusts were strong at times but we had no damage and no flooding. Other than some yard cleanup we were fine and only lost power for 18 minutes. Our neighborhood had no major damage and for that I am very grateful.

The Bahamas did not fare so well. Please keep the Bahamian people in your prayers. It will be a long time before many of them will be able to recover from the devastation Dorian caused there.

 

 

Throwback Thursday #4 – August 22, 2009

Welcome to #4 in my Throwback Thursday series of flashbacks to memorable days from our past RV trips.

Flashback to ten years ago, August 22, 2009. We were camping at Grant River Corps of Engineers park in Potosi, Wisconsin, across the Mississippi River from Iowa.

Potosi, Wisconsin side of the MIssissippi River looking toward Dubuque
Potosi, Wisconsin side of the MIssissippi River looking toward Dubuque, Iowa

After spending the previous day exploring across the Mississippi River in Iowa, we stayed close to our campsite and enjoyed lunch in the outdoor beer garden at the Potosi Brewery in Potosi, Wisconsin (population 711 in 2009). The National Brewery Museum is located at the brewery.

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Outdoor beer garden in front of the brewery
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Springs at the Potosi Brewery
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Natural Spring Water used to brew Potosi Beer
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Potosi Brewery
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Good Old Potosi Beer

They were having their first annual Brewfest that day which brought lots of people into town.

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The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest
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The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest

We enjoyed a Good Old Potosi beer with lunch and bought a Growler to take with us. Sadly, the bottle is long gone and I never even took a picture of it!