Pre-trip planning

Mary and I have spoken of going to AK for years.  We were initially going to make the trip in the fall of 2014 upon my retirement.  We then decided to wait until the summer of 2015, when Mary retires, to make the trip and not have any time constraints whatsoever.

Also, we initially planned on flying there and back, but one day while bowhunting I wondered to myself why we were going to fly over the entire country and the idea of driving was born.  When I broached the subject with Mary she was onboard and BAM that was that!

But, after some research, we quickly realized there were some things that would have to change.  First, we purchased a travel trailer.  We went with "new" because we wanted all the benefits of a full warranty.  We also plan on using it in the future on other trips, so buying was a better option for us than renting an RV.

Once the Jayco trailer was secured, I realized that pulling it for 10,000 miles was NOT going to be a pleasant experience with a 1/2 ton pickup.  Gas mileage was going to be horrific and the truck was going to labor constantly, being at its max combined gross vehicle weight rating.  So, after more research and searching, out with the old and in with the older pickup.  We traded in a 2012 Silverado for a 2011 Dodge Ram one-ton diesel.

Welcome

Hi everyone-

Mary, Jessie, Luke and I welcome you to this blog site.  If you are reading this you have been invited to track us on this blog as we travel across the country, spend three weeks in Alaska, and travel home.  The duration of the trip is seven weeks.  We are going to camp in several national parks trvaveling to, while in, and en route back from AK.  My intent is to capture as much of the trip and our experiences with pictures and share them with you on this site.  I cannot promise "something new everyday" being posted, but I sure will try.

Thanks for joining us!

Dan