We had been warned. Anchorage=Los Angeles. Actually, I would rather spend a month in L.A. than in Anchorage...okay, I'm overreacting. We rolled into town trying to find a hotel before spiriting off to the Kenai penninsula...not going to happen. Trashy dives were charging 130 for one night. So, this sign is the summation of our Anchorage experiencce.

Day 2-Alaska

After our wonderful experience with Western plumbing we set out for Fairbanks. Why? Beats me. So, we drove the 3 hours to Fairbanks to find...not much. This, of course, brought about the brilliant question "At what point was this trip to Alaska focused on the urban areas?" Well, don't come to alaska to be awed by the brilliance of the urban planning. We spend the night (rainy) at a city park that was conveiniently located at the foot of the Fairbanks International Airport. Around 3 a.m. I found myself frantically praying that the inbound Alaska Air 747 would miraculously miss the forest green Toyota Tacoma parked in site 40. God heard my prayers...unfortunately, the neighboring Holiday Rambler and Airstream offered their 4 inhabitants to final reckoning. There was one fun discovery and that was that our campground hosts were from Tucson, AZ. They have hosted this same campground for the past 3 years. Appearantly they are hard of hearing and don't notice the jets. We set out in the morning for Anchorage. Yes, we still were stupid...heading for another urban area. Actually, we had been warned...our hosts refered to Anchorage as "Little L.A."...amazing how astute an observation that was...

Noah!!! Another Bear!!!

It was while we were our first stop, the Border RV park, when we began to experience the Alaskan wildlife. We were driving in our truck and we saw, not one, but TWO bears in less than 3 minutes. They were just next to the road...they didn't even move...they just stayed there watching us...Noah, can you believe it?

4000 miles later...

alaska border 2
Originally uploaded by Dwyoung.

We made it! We crossed the border around 9:30 or 10 at night..yeah, this photo is taken that late at night. We thought we'd send a copy of this shot to the gentleman who sold us the truck...he said it would get us here and he was right. However, he did not mention the Customs Officers...they were anxiously awaiting Liddy just a few miles down the road....

Yeah, far behind

Well, the internet being what it is, and Canada being what it is (remote) we have skipped a few steps and are now enjoying the land of midnight sun. I guess that's actually a reference to Scandanavia, but I'm borrowing it. We officially crossed the border into Alaska on Friday night. Actually, we were intially detained at the border because Liddy was acting suspiciously (sp?) terrorist like...you know the signs...standing outside the vehicle, rustling through bags frantically searching for a purse...all very threatening. So, once she had the purse (and I almost ran over her) she returned to the truck and was promptly berated by the customs officer for acting suspicious. We were only saved from further haranguing by the plague of mosquitoes that were plunging him...God Bless the USA. So, we spent the first night at the Border City Motel and RV park. Camping was unexceptional...however, the bathrooms were wonderfully American. The faucet was well set, the sink was stationary...it was everything we have become accustomed to. Hmmm, hot showers.

Close enough to smell him

grizzly close up
Originally uploaded by Daniel Wade Young.

Our first bear!!! We pulled off the road near Kluane Lake to take a closer look. Liddy wanted a better shot, so she sliced up an apple and ran out and fed it to the bear. Kidding. She made me promise to keep a lookout on the treeline to ensure that it wasn't a sneak attack...

What is this on the horizon?

grizzly scenic approach
Originally uploaded by Daniel Wade Young.

As we neared the end of the Yukon territory we finally saw what we had been watching for the entire trip (well, maybe not in Las Vegas, but it sure would have made the stupid city worthwhile).

Yukon's Finest

Yukon's Finest
Originally uploaded by Dwyoung.

This was one of the last Motels available in the Yukon Territory. Liz and I were tempted...but ultimately decided to push on to Alaska. There was also some strange banjo music playing in the background...

Emerald lake

Emerald lake
Originally uploaded by Daniel Wade Young.

This is actually out of order, but after we crossed the Canadian border we missed our exit and accidentally took a much longer way through southern British Columbia. However, we have been wrestling with the horrifying notion that the terrain we saw in S.B.C has been the most dazzling so far. Here is Emerald Lake near the Marble Canyon Provincial Park. It was an 7 hour drive through mountain passes to get here...and we only made it 250 miles from the Canadian Border...but it was worth it.

Breakin the Law!

Rebel
Originally uploaded by Dwyoung.

While freezing our little behinds off in Mammoth we also found time to break some laws. What Liddy is doing is the equivilent of 'cow-tipping' in Walkerville.

Hoover Dam

HooverLiz
Originally uploaded by Dwyoung.

Our first stop out of Vegas was the Hoover Dam...subject of a very interesting docu on PBS shortly before we left AZ. Curious fact..the first man to die in the construction of the dam and the last man to die in its construction were father and son.

Day 2-Vegas to Mammoth Lake

On Tuesday we started out from Vegas and made our way through Death Valley (-282 ft elevation). We passed by the Sierra Nevada mountain range and ended the day at the Shady Rest campground in the Inyo National Forest in Mammoth Lake, CA. It was somewhere around 8000 feet above sea level. We froze. We were in bear country. We had to deal with elevation. We were lucky to escape.

Egyptian Experience...

EgyptTrip
Originally uploaded by Dwyoung.

Our first night was spent in Las Vegas and we enjoyed the hospitality of the Luxor Hotel and Casino. Not much like the television show. We spent 20 bucks on the slots...big losers. We considered blackjack...but $10 dollars a round was a bit steep. We were so addled by the experience in the gross city that we only managed one photo...what you see here.

Portland, Oregon

We've made it this far, and I'm just now getting this thing running. Here's hoping I can get the pictures to work.