Our 2023 epic travel adventure

Our epic 2023 travel adventure took us further north and south than ever before, and in 2023, we also went further in less time than ever. I haven’t yet finished telling you about our summer adventure to Alaska, and it is already the holiday season. We visited the most remote places, and for the first time in our six-year full-time RV travel adventure, we left the RV behind.

San Diego

We are in the same campground where we celebrated the holidays, anticipating our 2023 epic travel adventure. We stop in San Diego each year to get our doctor appointments done. San Diego, in the winter, even when it is raining, is still nice. I described in a previous post that San Diego is not a “Liberty Port” for us. For us, San Diego is a place to get some work done. Here is a link to that story. San Diego is not a liberty port

Shortest and longest day of the year

We were in San Diego for the shortest (sunrise to sunset) day of the year, with almost ten hours of daytime. This year, we spent the longest day near Fairbanks, Alaska. There, we had almost twenty-two hours between sunrise and sunset.

2023 epic travel adventure

San Diego is also a place for RV repairs and planning our upcoming epic travel adventures. For our 2023 epic travel adventure, its southernmost point is in Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico. We traveled the length of Baja, California, across Canada and Alaska, only turning south after visiting Fox, Alaska. Our 2023 epic travel adventure included lots of miles. If you don’t know, Fox is north of Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska. I thought it fitting that we visited Fox Alaska, given the name. The fact that it was the furthest north we traveled was just luck.

Off to Cabo

If you were to drive the entire distance (we did not drive the entire distance in our RV) from Cabo San Lucas to Fox, Alaska, it would be 4500 miles one way. Instead of driving the entire length of Baja (1,200 miles), we left our RV behind for the first time and took a cruise ship to Baja. Here is a link to that story. Spoiled Rotten on our Cruise

Even though we left our RV behind in Long Beach, California, and took a cruise ship to Cabo San Lucas, we still put 10,600 miles on our RV this year. The southernmost point for our RV was Tucson, Arizona. We count Tucson as the start of our 2023 epic travel adventure to Alaska.

The northernmost point for our RV was west of Fairbanks, Alaska. The most direct route from Tucson to Fairbanks would have been about 3,600 miles. If you are doing the math, that means getting to and from Fairbanks, Alaska, consumed 7,200 miles. Thus, we spent 3400 miles making our lap around Alaska. We also didn’t take the most direct route to Alaska, avoiding potentially lousy weather and smoky locations. Storms are worse when you are on a two-lane road far from help.

Departing Tucson, heading north

It wasn’t until the middle of March that we departed Tucson, heading north on our 2023 epic travel adventure.. You might say that we delayed until March to wait for the weather to improve. We didn’t want to get to Alaska so early in the year that the campgrounds were still closed for the winter.

Closed campgrounds dictated much of our route, heading north in Idaho and Montana and south through Canada. On our way north, we didn’t get to camp at several desired locations because they were still closed for the winter. We adjusted our stops on our way south through Canada because the campgrounds were already closed.

Phoenix and Las Vegas

The most direct route to our Canada border crossing north of Great Falls, Montana, was through Flagstaff, then east of the Grand Canyon into Utah, picking up Interstate 15 in the middle of Utah. Someday, we should take that route, but at the beginning of April, it wouldn’t be easy, and this would be a year of difficult roads and remote locations.

We had a great time in Apache Junction near Phoenix and told you the story about our stay in this blog post. Superstition Mountain and the Story of the Lost Dutchman

After stops in Las Vegas and Saint George, we spent one-night camping at a gravel pit near Beaver, Utah. Besides a few nights here and there, this was one of our least improved locations. Overall, we spent two or three nights camping at each location on our way to Great Falls, Montana. When we got to Idaho, we started finding campgrounds closed for the winter.

Idaho was the location that provided one of the most extensive repair challenges of the year. Our slide motors failed and would not extend. Here is the story of that undesired epic travel adventure. Fixing our Broken RV Slideouts

Great Falls

Great Falls, Montana, was the rendezvous point for our 2023 epic travel adventure. Six different couples met in Great Falls, Montana, so that we could get together before crossing into Canada. Our group consisted of five RVs that would make the lap through Alaska together, along with one other friend from San Diego, whom we would meet at different locations in Alaska and Canada during the summer.

Our travel buddies made it to Great Falls, each coming from a different starting point and route. Three of the couples came from the East Coast, and three came from the West Coast. We chose to depart Great Falls on our 2023 epic travel adventure on May 13th.

Great Falls was chosen because it was on the east side of the Rocky Mountains and perhaps wouldn’t still be winter. As for us, we would cross the Rocky Mountains in Idaho and Montana at the end of April and the first week of May. The starting point in Great Falls meant that we would do the flattest part of Canada before we traveled south through the Canadian Rockies in the fall. This gave the snow in the Canadian Rockies a little longer to melt before our trip south.

Crossing Canada

I haven’t yet written the stories about heading south on the Alaska Highway through Canada, but the following link will include them in the playlist when I do. So far, our stories about Canada are all about our northbound journey. The most memorable parts are how we got around the wildfires and the smoke. During our trip northbound, we took a major detour around the wildfires.

Our original route would have taken us from Edmonton directly to Grand Prairie on Highway 43. The two possible routes around the fires were west towards Jasper National Park or north past Slave Lake. The entire area was engulfed with smoke. Smoke from remote wildfires in Alberta was everywhere from Edmonton past Grand Prairie and Dawson Creek. Forests were on fire both on our primary route and also on both alternate routes.

The Alaska Highway was closed north of Dawson Creek due to the fires. Going around this fire north of Dawson Creek was impossible. The only way to make it past Dawson Creek was closed. We also didn’t want to miss Dawson Creek because that is the starting point of the Alaska Highway. What happened, and which way did we go? You already know we made it, but how did we make it? It is all here in our coverage about driving our RV through Canada. Canada

A lap around Alaska

I also haven’t finished writing about our 2023 epic travel adventure through Alaska, even though our last post was about leaving Alaska southbound on the Alaska Highway. What I may have omitted in the last story is that we departed Alaska to go back to Alaska. I already covered how once you get to Tok, you have a decision to make that affects your entire trip through Alaska until you return to Tok. Do you turn south at Tok or go north to Fairbanks? We chose to go to Fairbanks first.

I detail our decision-making and include some beautiful highlights of our trip around Alaska in these stories. Similar to the link to our stories about Canada, we are not yet talking about our Alaska visits, but they will be included in this link once we publish them. Alaska

Six years of full-time RVing

Last year, at about this time, I reviewed the highlights of our RV epic travel adventures for the previous five years. In these five years, we have traveled from Key West, Florida, to the northeast corner of Washington, and other years have had us visiting the southeast and all the cowboy states. In 2017, we started our full-time RV adventure with a trip to see the total eclipse in Idaho. Next year, we will head again to the 2024 total eclipse. Five years of full-time RVing

Six years of full-time RVing

In the last six years, we have traveled almost 46,000 miles in our RV, not including uncounted miles in our car, as we try to see all the beautiful places along the way.

Where are we going?

I already mentioned that we will see the 2024 total eclipse in Texas. After that, we will head back to Canada and Alaska. I feel bad we breezed through Canada and didn’t see some of the prettiest parts. So, in 2024, we are going back to Alaska. I promise our 2024 trip to Alaska will differ from our 2023 trip. I will make a point of bringing a super warm coat.

After all, there are some places in Alaska you can’t see from the window of your RV. In 2024 and 2025, I expect to extend our epic travel adventure further, including more trips outside the United States. Of course, I hope to see more beautiful locations and make even more friends along the way. These two things (friends and beautiful locations) are a driving force for our epic travel adventures.

Most Importantly

Our “motto” in sharing stories about our life is to “See amazing places and meet wonderful friends.” This year’s epic travel adventure has been great. We have done both. Canada and Alaska are unique, and I am enriched because we get to travel to them. I am humbled by the second part of the motto—our friends who joined us on this epic travel adventure made this year so very special. We expect to see them again and hopefully travel with them again soon. For all our friends, your comments are wonderful and inspire me to tell these stories.

Merry Christmas

This holiday season, I am reminded that I have been gifted a wonderful life, including these epic travel adventures. Many years ago, I used to include an end-of-year review in a Christmas card; now, I seem to do that every week. It doesn’t seem right to have this opportunity and not share it. Most importantly, I am so happy that Tami is on this epic travel adventure with me.

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About our links

As you know, our blog income is zero, which allows us to be independent and tell the truth. We do not get income or commissions. No, we don’t make paid endorsements. We don’t make recommendations; instead, we will tell you what we like (or dislike). The links are only provided as a quick reference to help our readers.

Links to our Alaska adventure stories

How to Plan (and Take) an Epic RV Trip Across Canada to Alaska

How to Plan (and Take) an Epic RV Trip Through Alaska

Going North on the Alaska Highway

Stunning Northern Rockies on the Alaska Highway

Across the Yukon on the Alaska Highway

Where is the end of the Alaska Highway?

No beautiful sunsets in Fairbanks

Denali is the big mountain in the clouds

Dangerous Wildlife in Alaska

Why Russia sold Alaska to the United States

It is beautiful in Whittier

Alaska’s Playground is the Kenai Peninsula

The end of the road; Homer and the Homer Spit

Halibut Cove is one of a kind

My 100 Best Grizzly Bear Pictures at Katmai National Park

Are they Brown Bears or Grizzly Bears?

Exploring Seward and Resurrection Bay

Going up to the Matanuska Glacier

Valdez is the most important city in Alaska

Deep into the ice flows at the Columbia Glacier

Kennecott died when the last train departed never to return

Southbound on the Alaska Highway

Historic Skagway and the Klondike Gold Rush

Our National Parks

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