Posted April 3, 2023 – Narrated by Carmen
Atmosphere is way over our heads.
We can’t tell a cirrocumulus from a stratus, but we know what we like. A good cloud show is a thing to behold.
I was hooked from the moment Mama first laid me down outside on a blanket, face up.
In Alaska, the sky is the Greatest Show on Earth, and clouds are the elephant parade, dominating every scene.
Beauty and The Beast is like a cloud passing through, trailing a silver lining.
We fancied ourselves rainmakers because summer thunder storms continually shadowed our path.
Leaving Anchorage
Heading south on Highway 1, we followed the railway tracks along Cook Inlet toward Turnagain Arm and The Kenai Peninsula.
Until recently (1789), the Kahtnuht’ana Dena’ina were the sole culture of The Kenai Peninsula which they call, “The Good Land.”
Weather permitting, we hoped to go kayaking but cool and wet conditions threatened these once-in-a-lifetime plans.
Jim wisely scheduled long stays in each of our August destinations. August, is the rainy month. Using the “broken clock” theory, he projected we would, at least catch a few rays if we remained in each destination for several days.
He was right. Most daylight hours were like this
with rare moments, like this.
And we seized those opportunities with gratitude knowing they would not last, and that shortly we would be cocooning in Beauty again playing Five Crowns and resuming our Mary Tyler Moore Show binge party.
With the dental problem behind me and taking a course of antibiotics, I was fit for travel and able to appreciate the scenery along Highway 1.
The views of the Alyeska mountain range prepared us for adventure.
Road construction delays were no longer a big thing. We’d learned to plan for the worst.
The majestic summer landscape rolled out the fireweed carpet. Things were looking up.
Homer
We had a three-day reservation on Homer Spit at Heritage RV Park.
Until summer of 2020, we traveled like wolves with no reservations – thrilled to get a spot, any spot. Now we’re more like sand hill cranes, reserving months ahead to secure a space where we can spread our wings. We traded spontaneity for a new challenge – getting the best spot – which Jim continually slays like a silverback.
With a unobstructed view of Kachemak Bay …
and easy access to the water …
one way …
or another …
our outside time on The Spit flew by.
Fortunately, whatever-the-weather distractions are a Homer speciality.
We love the Homer vibe and fantasized spending an entire summer on The Spit.
On the first perfectly beautiful dry day, we pulled out.
The long daylight hours flexed our schedule so we stopped at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for a hike.
Jim and I share the wheel and that arrangement really paid off in Alaska,
giving both of us equal access to the scenery.
There’s not a moment to rest your eyes.
In Alaska, the drive is the destination.
Seward
Sometime in the early evening we settled into a charming seaside town on Resurrection Bay. Jim snagged a serene water’s edge site with plenty of space to relax and shake off the road dust.
And the views! What sorcery is this?
A neighboring eagle, perched in the trees above us, kept a keen eye on … Pico 🫣
So our little security specialist went undercover…
which only prompted Eagle to change vantage points. Perching only a few yards away on a post, he seemed to be asking me, “Hey, you gonna eat that?”
Like Homer, it rained every day in Seward.
On drizzly days we cozied up by the fire, to watch the bay traffic …
and strolled to town …
and visited the Alaska Sealife Center …
and marina …
Almost everything is within walking distance.
The Exit Glacier hike is just over the hill. Pico stayed home because we needed poles for this trail and a downpour was predicted.
There’s no easy way to say it.
At this point. I became seriously ill.
I suffered a bad reaction to the antibiotic prescribed as follow-up for the dental surgery. Though I took probiotics and yogurt daily the antibiotic still ravaged my gut. This was the sickest I’ve ever been in my life. I was unable to travel – even to fly – and I doubted my ability to finish this trip.
Whenever a storm comes around, Jim and I scan the dark turbulent atmosphere for God-light.
Rainbows, shafts, and silver linings are not only good omens. I’ve heard these special deliveries from the magnetosphere also bestow healing effects.
Focusing on signs of hope in bad situations can also cause body and soul to flourish under the most trying circumstances.
Abuse of this natural phenomena is widespread. The Pollyanna injunction to “search for the silver lining” is often a cue to hide your symptoms, implying there is a right and wrong way to do pain – that the condition of suffering is annoying to others and equivalent to failure.
In the 1980’s at Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, my niece, Beth and other children there taught me the work of suffering is communal. Sharing the good and the bad can be an act of heroism.
It is a radical transformation to choose to focus on the bright side of a dark situation. I’ve seen this force in action, watched the light break through grey concrete-thick misery to gestate hope and clear the air for Joy if not comfort; Love if not health; Peace if not independence; Cheerfulness if not full-mobility; treasured memories over anguish and regret.
But talking wisdom now is cheap. I thought I was going to die.
I darkened the bedroom and fixated on my cremation …”Alaska or California?” Meanwhile, Jim reached out to his wonderful San Diego doctor friends to consult with them about my condition. Almost instantly, the situation brightened.
(On every mile of the Oregon Trail, 10-15 people died of diseases)
These magnificent docs prescribed new meds and food therapy which, they said, was the most important protocol. Yes, I needed yoghurt and probiotics, but I also needed beans, apples and broccoli. Additionally, they prescribed red wine, beer and very dark chocolate – my favorite – several times a day. Seriously? Day drinking and dessert before dinner will heal me?! I felt like Woody Allen in Sleeper when he woke up in a hospital bed in the far future being treated with hot fudge and cigarettes.
So, leaving Seward, with a local IPA in one hand and a bar of Godiva in the other, we continued on, practicing the fine art of being human in an uncertain world, looking for the silver lining under the tutelage of the Alaska sky.
Chapters in the “Airstreaming to Alaska” series
- Chapter 1 – San Diego to Malibu
- Chapter 2 – Malibu to Morro Bay
- Chapter 3 – Morro Bay to Santa Cruz
- Chapter 4 – Santa Cruz to San Francisco
- Chapter 5 – San Francisco to Eureka
- Chapter 6 – The Oregon Coast
- Chapter 7 – The Strait of Juan de Fuca
- Chapter 8 – Victoria, British Columbia
- Chapter 9 – Victoria to Mackenzie
- Chapter 10 – The Alaska Highway
- Chapter 11 – Yukon
- Chapter 12 – Top of the World Highway to Chicken, Alaska
- Chapter 13 – Tok to Valdez
- Chapter 14 – Glacier View to Anchorage
- Chapter 15 – Kenai Peninsula
- Chapter 16 – Whittier to Talkeetna
- Chapter 17 – Denali
- Chapter 18 – North Pole to Chena Hot Springs – coming soon!
- Chapter 19 – Tok to Haines – coming soon!
- Chapter 20 – Haines Junction to the Lower 48 – coming soon!
- Chapter 21 – Lesson Learned – coming soon!
If you want to see our exact route, click here.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
Always amazing!!!!
Thank you, Melinda! We are so happy that you have an eye on our escapades. Sometimes when we’re in doubt about our next step we ask ourselves, “What would Jim and Melinda do?” The answer is always, “GO!” xoxo
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I love following your travels. We were blessed enough to get on the road full-time for about 8 months in 2021, and it was a dream come true. We had to stay in the states so my husband could fly for work. Hopefully retirement will come in the next 5 years and we look forward to exploring Canada Nova Scotia and Alaska by Airstream.
Thank you for reaching out etabor1! We are so happy to have you with us. Now that you’ve had a taste of this lifestyle, the next five years will fly by because the planning stage is almost as fun as being Out There.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
We did it ‘19. Great Time
Hey Peter!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
We loved it and want to go back.
Hey Ralph!
What year did you go and what year are you planning to go back. We met many Alaska Regulars who RV there and back almost every year to fish. They travel fast, get their fish and leave just as fast to their fish in the freezer ASAP. Man, that’s some hard core RVing.
Great to hear from you and thanks for sharing!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Our weather in Homer was not nearly as lucky as yours. It was also the site of our first fairly serious truck trouble. https://woodsandwater.net/post-161-the-spit/
Love seeing your perspective on the same places we’ve been. Fair winds!
Charles & Susan!
We’ve gotta stop meeting like this 😂
I love your Spit photos. Honestly, there wasn’t a whole lot to photograph in the fog. We were lucky that the wind came in and cleared the view of the mountains. But man, it was soooo cold!!!
Considering that it was August and La Nina we were lucky to have five dry days out of 31.
We love your blog. The photos are gorgeous and your story is enticing.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
We are worried it would trash the trailer from the ice heaves and certain bad sections
Hey Kurt!
Your concerns are justified. We made the trip without sustaining any damage other than high blood pressure. Sadly, over-landing is the best way to see the Alaska interior. But you could fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks and rent a camper van. Many travelers do exactly that. One scenario is to fly into Fairbanks, travel for a month or two and turn the RV in at Anchorage – but I’m sure there are many ways to go about it.
Thanks for bringing that up! Very good point!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I made the drive from Seward to Anchorage & back w/o a trailer in the early 80’s with a few of my Coast Guard buddies & a case of Heineken. We used the cardboard box to sled down a hill or 2. Safe travels!!
Hey Robert!
Oh absolutely, the Heineken Tour 😂 I’ll bet you guys wrote your names in stones along the Alaska Hwy for posterity.
What fun! Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
More like wrote our names in the snow! 😎
Wow, so glad you came through that ordeal and were able to continue on! Serious reactions to antibiotics are very scary. We have good friends who lived in Homer for many years and now spend summers there. It’s been on our list for a long time…your post fuels my desire! Just need to get settled in our tiny house first. 🙂
Hey Laurel!
Yes, so many people exercise caution about vaccines while antibiotics are the meds more likely to harm you. I once met a surgeon who specializes in bone marrow transplants and she’s afraid of antibiotics for herself and her family because so many of her surgeries are a response to adverse reactions to them. I am allergic to the penicillin family of drugs and hypersensitive to most others, so there’s always a risk.
When you go to Homer I hope the weather is nice. I heard that Homer was spectacular in July.
Thanks so much for checking in Laurel! xoxo
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Totally Awesome
Hey Rhonda!
Thanks so much!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Beautiful pix and prose as always
Hey Funniest Man in San Diego!
Thank you so much xoxo but I was hoping for a joke. I could use a joke. Is it the supply chain problem?
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
The drive from Glenallen to Valdez is as beautiful.
Agreed! We talk about that drive in our Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 13: Tok to Valdez. Jim
We always enjoy following your journey and look forward to every blog! Keep it up
Hey Jim!
Thank you for the enthusiasm. We appreciate you.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
SO glad you’re okay, Carmen (and love the recovery protocol you got from your wise MDs)!
Hey Carol!
So wonderful to hear from you! Yes, I am alive. A close shave like that makes everything and everyone even more wonderful.
To Health! 🍻🍫
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Great pictures. Looking forward to Alaska in June
So exciting, Bonnie! I wish I had known how to say “Thank you” to the indigenous people who are so kind to us. Here’s a helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFyisQHC7dc
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I’m sorry you got so sick, Carmen. When in traveling mode, conditions like those are even more challenging and disastrous. I hope you recovered within a couple of days. I’ve felt seriously ill lately as well, due to immense migraines after hiking (at higher altitudes), but at least I know there is an end to that suffering after half a day.
Your photos are stunning as always. Alaska is beautiful!
Hey Liesbet.
I’m so sorry about your headaches. About twenty years ago I had the same headache symptoms you describe. The headaches were profound for a couple of years. Then, my son and I decided to hike Mt. Whitney in California. Just before the summit my son – who was hiking in front – turned and looked at me in horror. Blood and mucus were flowing out of my nose staining the entire front of my shirt. I felt nothing, I thought the moisture was just heavy perspiration. Then, instantly, my head cleared like it has never before. It felt as if I had been living in a fog my entire life. I described this event to a ENT doc who said I may have saved myself a surgery on that hike. So, my advice to you is to be prepared.
Thank you for taking time out of your amazing South America adventure to look in on us.
Hugs to Maya!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
So, red wine is just as healthful as apples, and dark chocolate is just as therapeutic as broccoli. Who knew? The things I learn from this blog, I tell ya. LOL.
Honestly, I feel for you. Getting sick while traveling anywhere is tough. Getting sick in the wilds of Alaska is a whole other level. Thank heavens Jim “knows people,” and I’m glad he jumped into action while you were busy planning your funeral. 🙂
Oh, Alaska. This trip of yours was just epic. So, so trying, but so, so rewarding. I could look at these gorgeous pictures all day.
Hey Laura!
Yes, Jim’s network saved the day and gave me an excuse to have brownies and wine for dinner whenever my tummy is a bit off 😋
Writing this series is a therapeutic reminder to us about how amazing the Alaska trip was. The scenery is almost too much of a good thing. At this point in the journey I had to struggle to process it, to be amazed by it. I’m only now looking at the photos for the next chapter. Whoa, Denali! It wasn’t a dream. We were really there! Thank you for allowing us to share it with you.
Hugs to Thor!
xoxo,
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Oh my goodness, so sorry you were sick. But good help came. God is watching.
Yes, Linda. There is an all-seeing eye – and it decided that I needed to live a bit longer. Whew!
xoxo
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I’m absolutely loving the podcast. Started at the beginning in January as we are on the countdown to our own full time adventure in May (Alaska is on the top of the list!) It’s been in my ear as I’ve worked to clear out our home and get things in order to start moving into our rig. It’s been just the inspiration and entertainment I’ve needed to keep me on track! Thank you for sharing your travels!
Kassie,
Glad to hear you are enjoying the podcast. We have to admit that finding a quiet place while traveling full-time can be a challenge at times. Sometimes we will think it is the perfect time to record the podcast and something happens: a lawn mowers starts up, air traffic picks up, large trucks start passing, it starts raining, a party begins next door, birds begin singing, and many other sounds that would interfere with a clean clear recording.
You said you started listing to the January 2022 podcast where we started our amazing journey from San Diego, up the western states coast, through British Columbia and the Yukon, and finally to Alaska. We just published Chapter 15 and hope to finish the Alaska adventure with a lessons learned in Chapter 20. Stay tuned!!
Congratulations on your plans to start full-time travel in May… NEXT MONTH!!!!!!!!!!
Hope our paths cross at some point in your travels! Stay safe out there and happy travels!
Jim
My brother & a buddy did that trip before we fished on the Kenai P. It’s as beautiful as you describe so well.
I’ve followed you since we met in Sarasota. What a grand adventure you are on!
Charles, we agree, the Kenai Peninsula is a beautiful area of Alaska. That being said, we found a lot of beautiful areas in Alaska, as well as the Yukon.
We considered trying some fishing, but the weather would not behave. Rained almost the entire month of August.
Wow, Sarasota!! We met you in January 2018 at Sunny South RV Park. Thank you for following living in Beauty all these years.
We love this lifestyle and sharing the crazy adventures. Glad to have had you along these last 5 years.
Hope our paths cross again some day.
Stay safe out there!
Jim
Beautiful trip!
And thanks for the food therapy tips!
Some of my favorite things!
Dean, we are guilty of loving good food. Before COVID, we found a lot of places who served good food and offered good service. In our observation, things have changed since the summer of 2020. Even though many restaurants are trying to get back to their original menus, we have found the service below normal. The restaurants attribute that to a lack of people applying for open positions, and that is true, but lately something has been missing in our restaurant visits. It just hasn’t been the same. Like most folks, COVID forced us to eat more at home (in our Airstream) and that caused us to up our game on our own quality of cooking. We don’t eat out as often as we used to and we are throughly enjoying our own meals. I am even working on a cook book of recipes that can be done in a small kitchen that serves two people for approximately 600 calories per person. I have started listing some of those recipes here. Dean, thank you for following Living in Beauty even before we started traveling full time back in July 2016. Jim