Short Trip - Anchorage, AK to Seward, AK (With Kenai Fjords National Park)

[smlobx]

^^^
That reminded me of an experience we had in Costa Rico. We had kayaked to a remote Eco Lodge on the shores of Golfo Dulce. The owner of the place told us that if, for any reason, we needed to leave the tent in the middle of the night to come out of the tent and stand there until their massive dog came up to you and escorted you to the bathrooms about 100 yards down a path in the jungle.

Apparently there are a lot of panthers in the neighborhood!! 🫢

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[ArcticDreadnought]

Love seeing posts like these! Makes me want to plan a trip. Would love to take a drive out West. Or up into New England states. Pennsylvania is becoming boring. Thank you so much for sharing!! Great photos!

Thank you.

A trip up from almost anywhere in the Lower 48 is highly doable, but it does require tight planning. First, plan your route. For this I cannot recommend The Milepost enough. Buy yourself the latest yearly copy and use it and its online section to make your route. In doing so, realize that you are NOT going to be able to see the entire state in one trip. Pick a part of Alaska to go to. For those of us using the road system (because Jeeps), that usually means only SouthCentral (Anchorage area and the Kenai Peninsula) and up through Central (Matanuska-Susitna Valley to Fairbanks).

There is enough to see in either of these locales to keep you occupied for a solid week per section.

Second, your time of visitation is very important. Summer-Fall, everything is open, but prices on things are going to be doubled because this is high tourist season, especially around July 4th. Hotels are going to be above 300 a night, period. Yes, even Motel 6. Any and all campsites or campgrounds you want to visit need to be booked on recreation.gov or their attendant sites MONTHS in advance. Do not expect first come, first served, no matter what the webpage tells you. They lie. Even spots in BLM land will be grabbed up at the first opportunity. Plan ahead, get reservations.

Winter-Spring is still highly beautiful and visit-able, but over half the attractions and such will not be open for business. But, the cost of doing everything will have dropped off by nearly a third or more.
Most everything in this time is geared for viewing the Aurora. That's a whole different ball of wax.

Biggest wildest trip to Alaska ever?: Get on the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry in Bellingham, WA. Spend 5 days camping on the deck of the Ferry. Drive off of the Ferry into Whittier, AK. This is not cheap. This is not comfortable. But it is a wild adventure that combines driving your rig and getting a cruise at the same time. (The Ferry takes the same lanes as the big cruise liners. You'll see the same things.) And no passport required!

If any of you would like help planning a trip like this, or need tips, please feel free to drop me a DM. I'm not a travel agent, but I have helped multiple families and friends plan and execute this road trip, plus many more in-state visits for years now. I'd be glad to help.

 

[Rusty PW]

Gotcha.

The bathroom situation is what has turned my wife off from tent camping. At night, I could just walk behind the tent even in the most crowded of campgrounds; no one can see you in the dark. My wife had to trek. Her last was when we were camping at Big Bend in my VW Westfalia and at night she walked to the restrooms, flashlight in hand. She told me a coyote walked alongside the road with her the entire way, maybe 6 feet from her. I thought it was cool, she did not.

Camping is now a solo activity for me.

When we go to Rausch Creek for the Power Wagon together. I pack one of these for the wifey for when we stay at Twin Pines campground. We stay in a cabin with no toilet. At night, I wizz off the porch on the side. Wifey has to have her bucket.

 

[Rusty PW]

^^^
That reminded me of an experience we had in Costa Rico. We had kayaked to a remote Eco Lodge on the shores of Golfo Dulce. The owner of the place told us that if, for any reason, we needed to leave the tent in the middle of the night to come out of the tent and stand there until their massive dog came up to you and escorted you to the bathrooms about 100 yards down a path in the jungle.

Apparently there are a lot of panthers in the neighborhood!! 🫢

We did a Caribbean cruise and stopped in Costa Rico. Did a off road excursion with Polaris sxs's. They told us before we started. IF we broke down. STAY with the buggy. Because there is panthers and poisonous snakes about. We had a blast beating the snot out of the buggy's.

 

[Mud Pie]

When we go to Rausch Creek for the Power Wagon together. I pack one of these for the wifey for when we stay at Twin Pines campground. We stay in a cabin with no toilet. At night, I wizz off the porch on the side. Wifey has to have her bucket.

I brought that up and also a chem toilet. I'll quote her response, " I am NOT peeing in a freaking bucket, have you lost your mind ??? How in the world did that seem like a good idea to you ???".

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

I brought that up and also a chem toilet. I'll quote her response, " I am NOT peeing in a freaking bucket, have you lost your mind ??? How in the world did that seem like a good idea to you ???".

WAG bags make it doable. And if it helps WalMart actually sells the whole kit that is meant to be a toilet. It’s purely psychological but it seems to help sometimes. I just usually keep a free harbor freight bucket or 2 in the bed with the toilet seat top if the wife comes out. Better to have it and get refused than not have it and hear about it for the duration.

 

[Supazuk]

I brought that up and also a chem toilet. I'll quote her response, " I am NOT peeing in a freaking bucket, have you lost your mind ??? How in the world did that seem like a good idea to you ???".

sounds better than in a hole and wiping with leaves

 

[Supazuk]

Gotcha.

The bathroom situation is what has turned my wife off from tent camping. At night, I could just walk behind the tent even in the most crowded of campgrounds; no one can see you in the dark. My wife had to trek. Her last was when we were camping at Big Bend in my VW Westfalia and at night she walked to the restrooms, flashlight in hand. She told me a coyote walked alongside the road with her the entire way, maybe 6 feet from her. I thought it was cool, she did not.

Camping is now a solo activity for me.

We tented quite often BC (Before Children) then a truck slide in camper, I got a transfer 4 hours away got a seasonal and put a tow behind camper there 4 years, good times at the Lake.
I retired from the USCG brought the camper home. That summer we planned a bunch of trips
-first weekend trip, tire blew on the way and no less then 8 I'm sorry for what I said while parking the camper... By the time we had it all set up, we were done with the weekend.
-its been 2 years campers parked and we have been tenting again

 

[Mud Pie]

sounds better than in a hole and wiping with leaves

My first time backpacking I did just that. After having crunchy-butt for the entire hike, I carried a roll of toilet paper; it doesn't weigh that much. I left the spade at home and gave up on cat-holes. I just pounded my heel into ground then covered it up when done.

 

[Mud Pie]

WAG bags make it doable. And if it helps WalMart actually sells the whole kit that is meant to be a toilet. It’s purely psychological but it seems to help sometimes. I just usually keep a free harbor freight bucket or 2 in the bed with the toilet seat top if the wife comes out. Better to have it and get refused than not have it and hear about it for the duration.

To show how intense (or extreme) her concerns are; we recently rented a little Casita trailer to see if we want to buy one. It has a small bathroom; toilet/shower/sink combo. She would only pee in it. If she had to "take the Browns to the Super Bowl", she'd walk to the restrooms, she'd say, "the trailer is too small for that.". Seriously. It's odd. I'll stop and drop anywhere at any time.

 

[Lost1wing]

Alaska is on my bucket list. I'd love to do it in my Jeep but it will more than likely be flying out and renting a car.

You may want to reconsider. The best part of my Alaska road trip was in British Colombia. It was worth the extra week.

 

[ChrisNLA]

WAG bags make it doable. And if it helps WalMart actually sells the whole kit that is meant to be a toilet. It’s purely psychological but it seems to help sometimes. I just usually keep a free harbor freight bucket or 2 in the bed with the toilet seat top if the wife comes out. Better to have it and get refused than not have it and hear about it for the duration.

I have a Home Depot bucket with the toilet seat lid. I keep some wag bags and TP in it, ready to go, when I camp for those emergencies.

One crisp morning deep in Merus Offroad Park I wake up in my Gazelle tent, fire up my buddy heater and have a little coffee.

Stomach gets to rumbling. Any real bathroom is 45 minutes away on the top of the canyon.

So - I drop a deuce in the bucket

I tie up the bag and head out to secure the goods in my large trash bag at my truck.

As I step out the tent, my buddies wife is standing there, crossing from their tent to the fire. She is not outdoorsy, not a camper, and is almost here against her will.

She says 'Did you just sh!t in that bag?'.

'Yes, I did'.

'UGH. I cant deal with you people anymore'.

 

[Mud Pie]

When she asked "did you just shit in that bag ?" You shoulda said, "Yes, the other option was in my shorts, but I'm running low on underwear.".

But I'm sarcastic like that. If I'm gonna gross you out, I'm going all the way...

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