Introducing Lizzie

I've had a dream to go to Alaska for many years. I didn't even know then that that dream was part of a bucket list of places that I really need to see in my lifetime. I didn't even know about bucket lists! But now I have one, and Alaska is #1 on that list.  And as they say, the first step in doing something is to say your are going to do it.

I'm going to drive to Alaska in the summer of 2013.

There, I've said it, and perhaps you would like to follow along as I plan, prepare, test, and just dream about this trip.

I've been to Alaska several times; my sister lived in Fairbanks in the early 90's and I visited her then. About 10 or so years ago, I was invited to teach in Ketchikan, and had a memorable trip there, including watching salmon swim upstream right out my hotel room door. It also included an unexpected overnight stay when our plane couldn't land to take us home! About 6 years ago, I taught on an Alaska cruise, and saw some of the things I've always wanted to see --- whales, orcas, sea otters, more eagles than I could count, and Glacier Bay. But that only whetted my appetite for more.

I want to see the mountains covered in snow; I want to see caribou, moose, bears (from a safe distance) and other wildlife too numerous to list. I want to be in either Fairbanks or Anchorage on the longest day of the year.

Camping has always been a big part of my life, so I figured I would camp all the way there and back. I have a minivan, big enough to sleep in. The past month or so has been full of research on the internet about how to outfit a minivan for camping. There are hundreds of ideas, some of them good, some of them a little "out there," but all of them inspiring.

Meet Lizzie. She will be my home for the  6 or so weeks I'll be gone. In future posts, I'll show you some of the things I've done to her to get her (and me) ready for this adventure.
Next time, I'll show you some of the designs I've come up with for the interior. Meanwhile, what is on your bucket list?