Around 1 p.m. yesterday, the hulking Great Alaskan Holidays RV pulled up in front of our house in Anchorage. Dusty, creaking, and looking like it had indeed crossed the country, the RV we affectionately referred to as the Beast stopped with a sigh next to our overgrown lawn. Iowa to Alaska, check. The odometer read […]
HINTON, ALBERTA Jasper National Park reminds us of home, except for uniquely-shaped rock formations that seem to touch the skies above the RV. Many things are the same — bears, caribou, braided river valleys, snow. The last few days have felt a bit like traveling the Glenn Highway, with a few skunks thrown in for […]
**We interrupt your regularly scheduled Iowa to Alaska blog posts for a bit of Alaska-themed insight before the Memorial Day weekend begins. Enjoy! ~EK by Danielle Benson Memorial Day weekend is a special time for families. While it is the unofficial kick-off of summer, our family reflects on military deployments we’ve survived and years […]
This is going to be quick; with more and more people arriving in St. Mary/Glacier KOA, wireless bandwith is being used up like nobody’s business… Kids to Parks Day turned out to be quite the adventure for this Alaska group. Despite more rain and chilly temperatures this morning, we drove to the St. Mary entrance […]
It’s now Day, uh, er, um… That’s the sign of a good vacation, is it not, to forget what day it is? All I know is that we’re parked on a grassy knoll of KOA St. Mary/Glacier National Park in full view of the park’s stunning peaks. While the weather cooperated yesterday for our arrival, […]
by Danielle Benson This is it, one of my favorite times of year. In Alaska, it is planning season. Each spring, my nuggets splay out their large plywood Alaska maps, a holdover from a 3rd grade school project and our inspiration for endless opportunities. These kids are growing fast, and our Alaska adventures are ripe […]
[This post was sponsored by Kohl’s as part of their commitment to encourage outdoor recreation by families around the country.] Today is Earth Day, an annual opportunity to become more aware of our planet, its environment, and the people who live upon it. Since 1970, Earth Day has waged a campaign to encourage everyone, and […]
by Danielle Benson In my experience, there are two distinct ways to approach family travel. First, the Mouse Theme Park Trip. The family saves up, sometimes for years, spends a ton of money, does not worry about a thing and has a grand time. My family has been saving up for such a trip for […]
by Jen Ostler It’s easy to feel a special kind of wonder when travelling through Alaska’s north country, and every time, I fall in love even more. Once the unpaved road begins and trees fade to tundra, I feel as if we are transported to another, beautiful planet. My favorite trip is along the Dalton […]
by Bryan Bearss Smokey Bear turned 70 years old last year and his wise words, “Only you can prevent wildfires” have echoed true in Alaska so far this summer. So far, nearly 600 wildfires have ravaged the state, rapidly consuming nearly six million acres as of July 1. The most publicized fire, the Sockeye Fire, […]
How nice that my return to Alaska was punctuated by singing birds and snow-free trails! Here in Southcentral, anyway, spring has truly sprung (we know this by increasing daylight and an incurable itch to ditch the down jackets), and with it, thoughts of family camping. Here at AK Hacienda, our weekend will be spent throwing […]