August 26th Day 28th - Anchorage, a summing up

As we have just got up early to say our final goodbyes to Bob & Thelma, who are flying out at 9am to Washington DC, I have a few minutes to reflect on the trip.

First, our meal last night at Sacks Cafe in the centre of Anchorage was a great success. Lovely food, good wine and great company made it a fitting way to end the trip. We all agreed we would now suffer our normal 'withdrawal symptoms' when we return to the UK. Having spent the last four weeks spending mainly only one night in each place, you get into a certain rhythm to cope with the constant unloading, unpacking and then re-packing and re-loading of the cars. I know it may sound strange, but we will miss that!

This is the second time the four of us have travelled together, and everyone agreed it was as good, if not better than our first trip across the States, in 2007. We do seem to get on very well with each other and for that we thank Bob & Thelma. They are so laid back it makes them the best of travelling companions.

It has been a memorable trip for so many reasons I find it difficult to know where to start. I suppose the route we decided on, driving to Canada, taking the Inside Passage ferries, then the drive up to Prudhoe Bay and Anchorage, gave the trip a variety that I had not expected. The scenery on the Inside Passage, the people we met on the ferries and the wildlife made that part of the trip something we will remember. The contrast between the Lower 48 and northern Canada and Alaska, could not be greater. You go from one of the most highly developed and densely populated regions of the world to one of the world's least. Yukon has a population of about 33,000 in an area two and half times the size of the United Kingdom! Alaska has a population of 686,000 in an area of 571,000 sq.mls, about seven times that of the UK. The vast open spaces of wilderness are a joy to see.

Next on my 'list' of thoughts, must be the wildlife. We have seen it all, well not quite! We never saw a black bear, polar bear or a lynx but we did see grizzlies, moose, elk, Dall sheep, musk-ox, caribou, wolves, arctic ground squirrel, snowshoe hare, red fox, bald eagle, golden eagle, snowy owl, spawning salmon, humpback whales, porpoises, and seals. In fact I come away from the trip with the memory of seeing all these animals in their natural environment, on a vast scale. To see wolves running free on the tundra is something very special.

Then there are the people we have met. Universally everyone has been very friendly. The stickers on the cars, and my stone guard, have 'attracted' people to the cars, like bees to honey! From Craig, the motor cyclist who was 'doing the Dalton Highway' to Christine on the Alaska Ferry, it has been such fun to talk to them all. Some we have e-mail addresses for and so will keep in contact, others were simply like 'ships passing in the night', but they have helped to make the trip so memorable.

Next must be the magnificent and unforgettable scenery. From Highway 1 up the Californian Coast at the start of the trip, to the wilderness of Alaska, there hasn't been a day where we haven't been awed by the sights we have seen. There was Crater Lake, the Columbia River gorge, Whistler Mountain, the Inside Passage, Skagway railway, the Haines Highway, The Alcan and Dalton Highways and Denali National Park. The list goes on and on!

Now it's all over and we fly back home. Our thoughts now are turning to the the next great adventure, the drive across Canada in the late Spring of 2010.

Finally, my thanks to those who have followed the blog for your kind comments. A special thank you to our travelling companions, Bob & Thelma. To Basil, Margaret and Ian a huge thank you for your wonderful hospitality during our all too brief stay on Salt Spring Island. Lastly, my ever-lasting gratitude to Wendy for her photos (90% of those posted on this blog were hers)and for putting up with my driving and my Victor Meldrew moments!