It’s been awhile since we’ve posted an update. After SXSW we spent about six weeks at home and didn’t sit still much. We took care of business, made some improvements at the townhouse and went to the Grand Canyon and Sedona with our dear Colombian friends, Lucia and Marta.
At Lucia’s favorite, El Gato AzulRelaxing in the “old” trailerMarta and I enjoying the fireplace on a cold day at the Grand CanyonLucia, Steve, and Marta on the RimMarta’s first up close encounter with snow!Sedona
We also visited with many our Prescott friends and family, went to Mexico to finish up work on the condo, and Steve did a 30 mile bike race.
Well-deserved break at BanditosCrossing the finish of the Whiskey 30 MTB race
And oh yeah, we bought a new truck and trailer to continue our RV adventures! It’s been a whirlwind but we are happy with the outcomes and are now searching for new adventures with our new home on the road. Here are some details about our new home on wheels.
We traded the Ford F250 and Grand Design Reflection 295RL for a 2023 Ford F350 long bed and a 2023 Grand Design Solitude 310GK. Our new rig is basically the same configuration as the old one but a bit bigger with more bells and whistles.
The new truck can tow a heavier trailer and has a longer bed to give us more clearance and more storage space. It also has a ton of new technology that we continue to learn how to use.
Our 2023 Ford F350. We call it “Maverick.”
The new trailer has a washer and dryer, full-sized refrigerator, and an on-demand hot water heater. The king-sized bed is also an upgrade from our last trailer.
Grand Design Solitude 310 GKFull-sized refrigerator and pantryMy favorite new feature: W/D!!!!Yes, I have a lot of stuff but the closet accomodates!And the rain shower in the bathroom is pretty cool too!
So, Steve’s in love with “his” new truck, and I love our new home on wheels. Changing rigs is not without challenges but we’re working through them as we go.
We’ve already towed the trailer over 1400 miles with a quick visit with Sam in Castle Rock, Colorado. Dinner and some Flor de Caña made for a fun, rainy evening.
We’ll have plenty to report in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we’re open to questions and comments as always. We love hearing from you!!
For many years I’ve kept a “life list.” Some may call it a bucket list but I prefer to think of it as experiences that enrich my life, rather than a list of things to do before death. It’s a long list, and we ticked off quite a few experiences this summer in Alaska. Now that we are headed back to our home base, it’s time to recap this epic summer adventure and offer some tips for anyone heading to Alaska in an RV.
Dog sleddingFishingRoot Glacier Hike
We had expectations for what would be the big highlights this summer; some didn’t disappoint, others surprised us. The lesson: be open to whatever experiences are presented to you along the way. You never know what (or who) is going to really have an impact.
Birthday dinner at Tonsina Lodge with the Russian ownerHiking Johnston Canyon with Russ and SusanSalty Dawg Saloon with Peggy
Here are a few of our top experiences:
Driving the Alaska Highway – While the drive itself was not originally on my list, we knew from research that this is an epic drive, from Arizona to Alaska, over 3,200 miles. We took a full month to make the journey, stopping at Banff, Jasper, and all of the main towns along the highway through Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory.
We made it to Mile 0
Joined by our friends Russ and Susan, we hiked, biked, shopped, and ate our way through some of Canada’s most beautiful areas. Along the way we spotted 14 bears, 21 caribou, 10 moose, 3 fox, 6 porcupines, and countless bison, bald eagles, and trumpeter swans.
One of many along the wayRuss and Susan at snowy Lake LouiseNear Liard Hot Springs
Rubbing shoulders with bears – Once we got to Alaska we splurged on the flight to Katmai National Park to see the bears at Brooks Falls. The iconic shot of the bear catching salmon on the falls is real and we got it!
Hmmm…what’s over there?Caught one!Brooks FallsFour cubs
Walking through the park and seeing bears just off the trail was a little unnerving at first and then just awe-inspiring. For me, this was one of the biggest highlights of our summer. Steve, however, saw bears numerous times while out running (in Jasper and in the Yukon). One large grizzly even followed him back to the camper, which allowed me to see the big guy from our back window.
Congdon Creek Provincial ParkMillion Dollar Falls Provincial Park
Catching trophy fish – Okay, this wasn’t on my list, but Steve set out to make this a summer of fishing and he was very successful. He caught King Salmon on the Klutina River with Mitch, Red Salmon on the Kenai with Dave, and Halibut from Resurrection Bay near Seward with Sam.
Coho (Red) SalmonHalibutKing Salmon
In all we shipped about 50 pounds of fish home and cooked the catch at least twice a week most of the summer. Besides catching the trophy fish, Steve spent some quality time with some of our favorite people.
Mitch catches a Silver SalmonDave catches a Red SalmonSam’s fishing
Seeing the northern lights – The Aurora Borealis has been on my list for decades, but we didn’t really think we’d see them with so much daylight in the summer. Sometimes the best things happen when you least expect it. When our ferry to Skagway was cancelled we were re-routed through Whitehorse, Yukon. Steve just happened to look out the window at midnight and BAM! The lights were making their first appearance of the year and we caught it at just the right time. Breathtaking is just one word that comes to mind.
Our list of highlights could go on and on and previous blog posts have captured most of them in great detail. Instead we’d like to offer a few tips for anyone thinking about making the epic journey to Alaska with an RV.
Tip #1: Take your time. It’s a long drive and there’s so much to see along the way. While there are RV parks along the way, we highly recommend staying at Canada’s Provincial Parks. These beautiful government facilities are in picturesque locations and cost less than $20 a night. British Columbia and the Yukon Territory both knocked our socks off with beauty and warm people.
Million Dollar Falls Provincial ParkMeziadin Lake Provincial ParkCongdon Creek Provincial Park
And, while you’re taking your time, drive slowly, especially where the road is not in ideal condition. In the north you’ll encounter frost heaves, potholes, and road construction. We took our time, rarely driving over 60mph. While others reported broken axles, shredded tires, and chipped windshields, we only experienced one flat tire on the truck all summer.
Tip #2 – Reservations not needed – I’m an over planner and had reservations for most of our summer. We learned quickly that it really wasn’t necessary with the exception of the popular places at popular times (Seward at 4th of July, Denali, Homer). Part of the fun of seeing Alaska with an RV is discovering new places and being surprised by where you’re spending the night. We are glad we booked the two campgrounds in Denali National Park, Savage River and Teklanika. Both gave us more time in the park than we otherwise would have had. It was also good to have a place to land in Seward and Homer. Other than that, you can totally wing it and find inexpensive or free places to camp with no problem.
Seward 4th of JulySavage River Valley
Tip #3 – Roll with the punches – As much as I like to plan, in Alaska some things can’t be controlled. Our original bear trip to Katmai was cancelled and we had to reschedule to another day, our ferry from Haines to Skagway cancelled at the last minute, and on some days it just rained and rained. The more time you have, the more flexible you can be to adjust to the curveballs that will inevitably be thrown your way.
Marnie & Mitch in rainy ValdezFinally going to Katmai
It really was a summer of a lifetime, one that we won’t soon forget. Our recommendation: do it! And if you need any help with planning, just let us know!!!
Our first experience with SXSW is in the books. For two weeks we walked, we listened, we laughed, we drank, we ate, and we learned…so much! While attending this massive festival/conference/event is not on a lot of retiree’s bucket list, we are so glad we did it! It’s hard to describe all that we’ve experienced here in Austin, but we’ll give it a try with our top ten highlights.
Pecan Grove RV Park
We camped at the Pecan Grove RV Park, which is the only full-hook up park near downtown Austin. It’s not new and shiny, but what it lacked in polish, it made-up for in location.
Home away from home
From the park, which is located just south of Lady Bird Lake, we could walk to the Austin Convention Center in about 30 minutes. We were also just a five minute walk to a SXSW shuttle location for those times we didn’t feel like walking to the festivities. From Pecan Grove we could also walk to great restaurants and music venues. Perfect location!!
Super close to downtownNot fancy, but great location
Austin!
SXSW is one of Austin’s biggest events and the festival definitely takes over the town. Yet, even without SXSW, it’s a super fun city. We biked on the trails around Lady Bird Lake and Steve did his daily run on the trails as well. We enjoyed watching the rowers on the lake and people playing in the parks. It seemed there was always “something” going on…
Music on the riverboatYou never know what you’ll seeWowCrossing Lady Bird Lake
In downtown, on Rainey Street, and on South Congress there are fun bars, restaurants, and shops. And the BBQ!! We ate some form of it almost every day!
Steve’s favorite dealJust down the street Brisket!
Austin has so much to offer and even though we were here for over two weeks, we still didn’t tackle everything on the list!
At the Zach TheaterLady Bird LakeDowntown art
Music, including Nashville Songwriters Live
While there are so many parts of SXSW, it started as music festival. It was reported that over 1400 artists attended this year from all over the world. You could listen to all forms of music including rock, bluegrass, rap, latin, country, and any other genre you can imagine at venues all across the city. Our favorites were located at the Saxon Pub, which was within walking distance of the Pecan Grove RV Park.
Walt WilkinsCimarron615Chris Berardo Band
One night we attended an incredible event featuring three of Nashville’s Grammy award winning songwriters. Bruce Robison has written hit songs for George Strait, Liz Rose collaborated with Taylor Swift, and Lee Thomas Miller has penned hits for Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Chris Stapleton and others. Each sang their most famous songs, and we all sung along. It was incredible to be in the presence of such greatness.
Bruce Robison, Liz Rose, and Lee Thomas Miller
Thought-provoking Sessions
Our primary goal for attending SXSW was to learn something new. Each day we attended several sessions at the convention center or at nearby hotels. We explored trends in aging, technology, and culture. Can you tell which session Steve went to and which ones I went to?
Typical start to a session with a celeb
Creative Industries Expo
Every good conference has an expo and SXSW’s blow most out of the water. Since the Creative Industries Expo focuses on innovation, we saw lots of new products, prototypes, and concepts that will change our future. Represented in the expo were countries promoting their economic opportunities, startups seeking funding, and organizations representing their cause. Lots of giveaways, lots of fun!
Not sure what this is but it was coolLoonaSteve’s next petLearning about 3DBirdbuddy – our favorite new productTokyo represents
Celebrities
SXSW attracts celebrities of all kinds. I attended several sessions that featured celebrities including Chelsea Handler, Jen Psaki and Mark Cuban. While we didn’t search out other celebrity sightings, we saw news that Eva Longoria, Tilda Swinton, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Keanu Reaves, and William Shatner, among others, made appearances during the festival. Movie premiers bring many of the famous folks to town.
Mark Cuban talking about entrepreneurialismJen Psaki and Chelsea Handler
Full Irish Breakfast
Every day during SXSW, brands host special events to promote their products or services. We attended a number of these with the Full Irish Breakfast being our favorite. Held on St. Patrick’s Day, the Culture Ministry of Ireland sponsored this soire which featured Irish bands, Irish drinks, and Irish food.
Irish music lineupIrish drink lineupSponsored by Bushmills
The room was at capacity most of the afternoon, but we arrived early and grabbed a seat at the bar and next to the food. This was a perfect set up for an afternoon of debauchery. We met people from all over the world while drinking Irish coffee, Guinness, and other Irish specialties. The whole thing was free!
First GuinessAfter a few GuinessesMade it home, still wearing the SXSW badge!
Cool Tech
Startups, brands, and countries all use SXSW to introduce new products and ideas. Many attend hoping to find investors and collaborators. Some of the technology that caused us to say, “wow!” included flying cars, holographic signs, and lots of virtual reality. Steve got to play with a big-rig truck, and I did a virtual knee replacement surgery using VR.
Driving a big rigHolographic signsFlying carKnee surgeryUsing the drill
Brand Activations
Another way that brands show up at SXSW is at events called “activations.” Basically these temporary event spaces promote the brand while entertaining SXSW attendees. For example, we visited Roku City, which immersed us in settings from Roku shows and ended with drinks and dinner.
Hanging a lock on the bridge in “Paris”
Avocados from Mexico took over a local bar and offered guests tacos, live music, Sprinkles cupcakes, and avocado margaritas.
We attended activations from Dolby, Shell, Doritos, eMLS, White Claw, and others. Most offered at least a few free drinks along with fun stuff and information about the brand.
White ClawShell HouseeMLSWhite ClawMidwest HouseDoritosYes, even the Midwest had an activation!
Rodeo Austin and Concerts
Not part of SXSW but running at the same time as the festival, Rodeo Austin is one of the big stops on the ProRodeo tour. More than just rodeo, it includes a livestock show, carnival, and of course concerts!
Midway at the rodeoWorlds Largest ShovelPracticing my milking skillsMet a new friend
We attended two performances while we were in Austin. One night we saw the rodeo, followed by a concert by Shane Smith and the Saints.
Shane Smith on stage
The other time we watched the cowboys followed by a show by Ryan Bingham of Yellowstone fame. Both were great opportunities to get out of the downtown area and enjoy an Austin tradition.
Ryan BinghamOn the rotating stage
Would we do it again? Heck yeah! And doing SXSW with the RV was the perfect way to do it!
Marnie and Steve Travel 