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Shake, Rattle and Roll to Alaska
Warren and Mary Ellen's trip to the great northwest and beyond 2002.

Welcome to Alaska	Glacial Ice	Halibut at Homer
Russian Orthodox Church	Mother Grizzly with Cubs	Salmon Fishing

This trip was the big one for us, so to speak. The next year Mary Ellen was diagnosed with ALS. See about us for more info.
Even though it was 2002 I think it is still relevant to those who want to make the "big trip" to Alaska.

"How were the roads"?

That is always the first question asked when you tell them you drove all the way to Alaska. In the spring and summer of 2002 we made the trip to Alaska, over six months and 19,000 miles. We left in February from Destin, FL and headed to California using I-10 most of the way.

Let me say that the trip is worth the drive. It is long and one should plan three months. One month getting there and one month getting back and one to spend in the State of Alaska. There is much to see if you will only take the time. Please don't rush... it may turnout to be your only trip to Alaska and you will always be proud you did it. You will have fond memories and your RV status will increase. Others will listen to your description of "The Trip".

Our first stop, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Bay St. Louis, MS where we enjoyed Casino Magic and their beautiful campground. Three of our children and grandchildren live in the area. New Orleans, LA from where we lived, worked and retired before hitting the RV trail. It was mostly visiting family and friends, but New Orleans is a great place to visit. It was Mardi Gras time in February. 

Then we stopped in St. Martinsville and Lafayette to catch up on some history about our heritage. Our descendants came here from Nova Scotia after the Great Dispersion of 1757. The Acadian were dispersed by the English and many came to Louisiana where they eventually become Cajuns.

On Sunday morning we drove into Houston to visit Carolyn (Warren’s sister). We saw a billboard advertising the Rodeo-Houston and decided to take Carolyn. After a Texas Bar-B-Q lunch we parked at a High School and boarded the free shuttle to the Astrodome. Standing room only tickets for $12 were all we could get. We went in and enjoyed the best livestock show and rodeo ever, along with a great music show. Kenny Rogers, Naomi Judd, Charlie Pride, The Gatlin Brothers and Matt Davis were among the entertainers. Not only did we get our moneys worth, but we found seats for the whole 5 hours we were there.

More family in Beaumont and Austin. We learned about the Texas State Capitol, where George Bush served before becoming President and enjoyed the history of how Texas got it's independence by touring the Texas History Museum.      

We stayed in Austin near Richard and Paulette (Warren’s brother) for a few days. We stayed only 20 minutes from their house at the McKinney Falls State Park just outside of Austin.  Most of our week was spent in the computer shack located in the back yard of Richard and Paulette’s house. After having some difficulty with the old computer I decided that it was time for a new one. We found an HP laptop at Sam’s Wholesale and I spent most of the week learning to love my new computer and Windows XP.

Austin is one of my favorite cities and I could enjoy living there. The Hill Country is beautiful and the climate on the whole is good. Austin is clean and progressive. It is the Capitol of Texas and Texas University is located there. We had a very interesting history lesson visiting the beautiful Capitol Building, which was dedicated in 1888 and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. We learned about the fight for independence by Texans from Mexico and Santa Anna’s army in 1836 at the Alamo. A special exhibit about Davy Crockett and a live actor portrayed Davy’s life. It was excellent! A day well spent.

Richard, Paulette and Daniel (son) treated us to some of the best bar-b-que around Austin at the County Line Restaurant located high on a hill overlooking the Hill Country at sunset. Recommended!(*****).

San Antonio, where Lenny and Elena hosted us for the next three days . We walked along the San Antonio River, planted in lush foliage and flowers with it's shops and restaurants and riverside patio's, an absolute must see. San Antonio has a delightful theme and exquisite tourist attraction here. The Alamo in San Antonio is where the famous battle took place and in spite of loosing the battle to General Maxamillion of Mexico it solidified the cause and spearheaded the triumph of Texas Independence. . Some well known people were killed here, like Jim Bowie, William Travis, Davie Crockett and General Sam Houston. For two days we hiked around the Spanish Mission conclaves. Witnessing the remnants of history is touching the past and increasing the awareness of reality.

The Alamo was once a mission built by the Spanish. One of five missions along the river, built about 1700, where one can learn very interesting information about the times before Mexico and Texas rule. These Missions are very picturesque and are operated by the NPS. The churches are still active as Catholic churches that serve a parish of Hispanics, Mexicans and Indians.

After leaving San Antonio we stopped in Bandera, the Cowboy Capitol of the World. We went to Lost Maples State Park for a hike of about five miles. The trail took us up about one quarter mile up and then down the steep, rugged, limestone canyons. A beautiful trail, a hike we have anticipated ever since visiting here more than 15 years ago. A good overview of Texas Hill Country terrain. Driving through the countryside we saw what to me is Texas…. Ranch Gates and ranches! A real cowboy scene and ranches where rich Texans live. The gates are worthy of documentation. They are simple, elaborate and varied in style.

The next two days were mostly travel days as we headed for central Arizona. Another hike that I think is one of the best is located in the Chiricahua National Monument. We left the I-10 and drove 35 miles to do the hike only to find that the road was closed and no hiking was allowed that day. Thirty five miles back to I-10 we decided to continue our traveling, arriving in Tucson, setting up for the night at Camping World parking lot. An hour later we had a knock at the door. The security guard told us we had of move on. This is the only Camping World that does not allow overnight parking. So, we went to Flying J Truck stop. All turned out well and we headed to Sedona the next day. We enjoy visiting friends and relatives along the way, one of the bonuses of our lifestyle.

Sedona, Arizona
Continuing on, we begin in a beautiful part of the country south of the Grand Canyon. Sedona is noted for its array of colorful red rock formations. It’s a great place to hike and a fabulous place to take pictures. When we went to the visitor center we met a friend we worked with in the Grand Tetons. She is now a ranger with the National Park Service…. Small world! Enjoyed the climate (first time it has been warm) and camped on the river. Sedona, Arizona was brilliantly red. The Red Rock Canyon and many red spiral rocks adorn the area. Sliding Rock St. Park is a picturesque place to visit. Montezuma's Castle built into the cliff is another National Monument that we learned about America's past. One of our favorite things is to visit our national parks. 

Las Vegas, Nevada
On to Las Vegas (Lost Wages) to visit my cousin who works in a casino there and is a full time RVer. Boy, has the area grown since we were there last with many new attractions including the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and a singing water fountain show where the water moves to music at the Italian Hotel Beliaggio. There are other sights around the area other than casinos. The Red Rock Canyon State Park is a 13-mile scenic drive where hiking abounds and we enjoy hiking. Camped at the Silverton RV Resort, adjacent to the Casino. From here we went to Las Vegas, NV and enjoyed the dancing lights and Disneyland type displays built by the most elaborate casino's in the world. We stayed at the new KOA located at the Silverton Casino not far from the Strip. A cousin and some friends live here, so more visiting. We left for Lake Havasu, AZ to see more family (Mary Ellen's nephew, Jimmy and Crystal and their two sons) They took us on a boat ride down the Colorado River and saw the London Bridge. Lake Havasu like Las Vegas is one of those places in modern America that is booming. They took a dry desert and turned it into an oasis. We enjoyed a beautiful day on the lake in their pontoon boat, bar-b-queing on the shore. Visited the famous London Bridge originally built in 1603 and disassembled and reconstructed on this site. Only problem living in that area is the temperatures reach as high as 120 degrees in the summer!!!!!!

Los Angeles, California
After leaving Lake Havasu we crossed the Mohave Desert on State Roads before arriving in L.A. about 2 PM. Surprisingly the traffic was not too bad. Mary Ellen's brother, Jimmy and his wife, Judy were anxiously awaiting our arrival and prepared to celebrate Warren’s big 65-year-old birthday. They had all kinds of banners on every wall with slogans such as “Over the Hill”, “Older than Dirt” and various spoofs on age. We had a good time harassing Warren. Then Jimmy turned 55 and we returned the favor! Our visits to L.A. always include downtown at Philippe’s, a famous restaurant established in 1908 noted for their French dip sandwiches (As a kid we would go there on special occasions. We called it the “sawdust place” as sawdust is all over the floor.) Then a trip to the Union Station Railroad Terminal, the scene used to depict chasing episodes in many movies. We hopped on a train (subway) that took us to Hollywood and a visit to the new Kodak Theatre where they recently held the Oscar’s awards. Then on to Universal Studios.

Sunday we visited the Crystal Cathedral in Orange Grove where Robert Schueller preaches. The service is on The Hour of Power on TV. It was a beautiful uplifting service. A trip to Santa Anita Thoroughbred Racetrack was a treat for me as growing up around horses I used to be a hot walker on the tracks including also Hollywood Park and Del Mar during weekends and summer vacation. (A hot walker is one who cools off the horse after a race or workout.) Warren immediately choose two horses in the Daily-Double and they won. Some sites we saw were Presidents Nixon's Library, Top Hat (great pastrami sandwiches), and lots of Mexican food.

 One week we went to San Diego and stayed with a friend. We saw La Quinta Resort Golf Course, San Clemente and Carlsbad where we enjoyed the Flower Fields, Spring is here and it was the perfect time to visit The Flower Fields located in Carlsbad. You get the opportunity to stroll the 50 acres of a special strain of flower called the Giant Ranunculus, which is one of the finest flowers native to Asia Minor and is a member of the buttercup family. What a sight to behold with the multi-colored floral design fields. Old Town (more history) were other side attractions. The Padres were in town playing the Giants. It gave us a chance to see Barry Bonds in action and have a tailgate party prior to the game!  Mary Ellen lived there when attending San Diego State University in the late 1960’s. Things have really grown. We visited friends that M.E. knew when living in Italy.

A trip to a town up in the mountains called Julian, home of California’s first gold rush in 1869. It still offers that pioneer feeling. It’s now famous for the apple orchards as the gold mining ended abruptly. California’s abundance in Missions is evident. The first settlement came through the Franciscan Priests establishing the way for the Spanish. It’ s like being in a time capsule and opening it up to find the history set before you in Old Town State Historical Park. The six-block area brings early San Diego history to life with many original 1800s buildings that represent the first settlement.

Extending south into the Pacific Ocean and curving along San Diego Bay is Point Loma peninsula. The land first discovered in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo while sailing for Spain. Atop Point Loma stand the Cabrillo National Monument and Old Point Loma Lighthouse, both offering impressive, panoramic views of San Diego Bay, the harbor, and downtown San Diego.

We took pictures of a beautiful Mormon Temple before heading back up the Freeway. Warren thinks he has mastered the freeway traffic and is an unofficial California driver. Driving along the well-known Highway 101 that extends the length of the coast of California near Oceanside we encountered another historic restaurant, the Hwy. 101 Café. It opened in 1928 as a small dining room and soda counter. You would think you were back in the 1940’s when listening to the oldies but goodies on the jukebox.

 When leaving San Diego we took the route to the lower desert through Temecula, another “old west” town between Los Angeles and San Diego. Its home to lots of antique shops, real 1890’s buildings and lush rolling hills. It is also home to 12 well-known California wineries. Then we headed to Palm Springs area for a little resort town called La Quinta, home of the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament. We were there visiting a friend from high school. Her home sits on the golf course on Jack Nicholas Lane. We came back to M.E.’s brother’s house in Whittier, for our 2-week trip to Hawaii.

Hawaii

Two weeks of snorkeling, touring volcano's, water falls and doing the hula on the road to Hanna in Hawaii and Maui made another special side trip on our journey through America.

More about our trip on the next page . . .

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