It's Almost Time

That time I look forward to every couple of years.  Time for another epic trip.  This one will have me gone from home for almost 5 months.  As I sat in church this morning and counted up the months, I was pretty surprised, because I've been telling people that it would be 3 months.  But 5 months? My goodness, that's a long time! 

Here's the itinerary:  first about 10 days in Houston for Grandson Dylan's confirmation and grandson Zach's high school graduation.  They take place a week apart and both of them are very important to me. In the middle of the two major events, I'm taking off for a few days camping near the Gulf of Mexico. I haven't spent much time there, and it will be a fun new place to explore.  

The grandsons in Houston

Next up is a few days at home to change the sheets in the camper, pack different clothes and close up the house for about 3 months.  Then a few days in Seattle with the family there.  I"m especially excited to see Owen perform on stage in Mamma Mia (he plays Skye) although I'll miss George's performance in Peter Pan. 

Owen on stage, although not in Mamma Mia!

George in his part in Yentyl in January

I'm going back to Alaska this time, to do some of the things I didn't get to do last time, and to take it a bit more slowly.  Last time I kind of raced up the Alcan Highway, wanting to be sure that I made it to Denali National Park in time for my reservation. Of course, I got to the major intersection in Alaska 3 days early (but got to see Valdez, which was wonderful). I'm taking my time getting to the Alcan as well – with a week at Olympic National Park, and some time on Vancouver Island exploring places there. Even though I lived in Washington for 9 years, I never made it to Olympic National Park.  Shameful!!  

Vancouver Island is beautiful.  I camped there for a few days more than 20 years ago and was struck by how beautiful it was. But I only got to a small part of the island; now I'll get to see more than just Tofino and Ucluelet.  I'm going all the way north to Port Hardy.  Pinterest has been an amazing source of information on what to see there (as well as in Olympic National Park and Alaska). 

After that, I'll head slowly up to Prince George BC to begin the odyssey, hoping to see as many bears and perhaps a few more moose along the Alcan as I did last time, and when I get to Tok, I'll go directly to my favorite campground near Glenallen.  It is a beautiful campground, and I had a wonderful spot in it, right next to the creek. From there, who knows – I want to go back to Valdez, I've found a bus that will take me to McCarthy (I missed it last time because I couldn't risk driving the 61 miles each way on a gravel road), then to Anchorage, and Homer, and Seward, and, and, and.  I'll have time to stop for a few days at Liard Hot Springs in BC and watch the buffalo, and Muncho Lake to see the stone sheep. 

Then when I get back I'll have a very short turnaround and go to Kansas for a quilt retreat, then to Colorado for a week with my sister. Whew, what a busy summer this will be, busy, and memorable!