2002-2005 (c) GetJealous.com, All rights reserved. http://www.getjealous.com/halberstadt/rss.xml We just finished our first trip to Alaska, with a group of 16 RVs as part of Adventure Caravans' 50-day Alaska tour. To enjoy that part of the blog, use the "Our Diary" tab at the top of this page to go back to May 31, 2009, to start. <p> Our 2008 "Guatemala Adventure" is also at this site. That was intended to be a 78 day motor home trip to Panama with Adventure Caravans, but we had a different adventure after we lost our diesel engine in the jungles of northern Guatemala. To enjoy that adventure, you will wish to start at least as far back as Feb 1st, 2008, by clicking on the "Our Diary" tab at the top of this screen. <p> A word about the host site for this blog: GetJealous is a great site for a blog, but the name does not reflect our intentions. http://www.getjealous.com/halberstadt http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=612164&go=halberstadt We had planned on getting a new slideout seal installed in Elkhart, IN, along with new windshields, but the shop was booked until Wednesday. The technician there helped me identify the seal material and dimensions, and I was abl to buy the material at the well stocked RV Surplus store in Elkhart. It should be an easy installation back home. One windshield will have to be replaced, as a small crack... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=612164&go=halberstadt Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=611842&go=halberstadt While still in Alberta, we couldn't resist a short side trip to the city of Vulcan, which takes advantage of its name by having a combined Welcome and Star Trek Center, in a building shaped like the Starship Enterprise (Vulcan was the home planet of Mr. Spock in Star Trek). We were able to put on Federation-type clothes and get a picture sitting in an Enterprise bridge mock-up. Annette bought &quo... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=611842&go=halberstadt Sat, 8 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=608362&go=halberstadt Stewart, BC, and Hyder, AK, are two very unusual places to visit. They adjoin each other across the US/Canada border near the extreme southeastern end of Alaska. Hyder is reachable only by water via a 90 mile long fjord or through Stewart. Stewart offers little to the tourist. Their only bank closed a couple of years ago, neither of the two ATMs were working, and many of the small businesses are s... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=608362&go=halberstadt Mon, 3 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=607541&go=halberstadt We headed out of Skagway, back through Canadian customs and up the long steep grade over White Pass. Several times during the whole trip we have noticed varying amounts of smoke from the many fires in Canada and Alaska. Today we passed several distinct columns of smoke from nearby fires. It is reported that British Columbia currently has over 800 separate fires, and the Yukon and Alaska fires are ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=607541&go=halberstadt Sat, 1 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=607341&go=halberstadt From Valdez we retraced part of our route, climbing the 7.5 mile steep grade up through Keystone Canyon and over Thompson Pass. This time we diverted via a loop road through the old mining town of Copper Center and enjoyed a lunch there with Dave and Susan at the Copper Center Roadhouse. Shortly after, we turned from the Richardson Highway to the "Tok Cutoff" part of the Glenn Highway. ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=607341&go=halberstadt Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=606839&go=halberstadt The route from Palmer to Valdez was long but very beautiful and interesting. We were able to view Matanuska Glacier, get great giant cinnamon buns at Sheep Mountain Bakery, visit the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (the largest NP), see Worthington Glacier in the distance, drive parallel to the Alaska Pipeline as we neared its end, and summit Thompson Pass, with its 7 mile downgrade into Valdez. ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=606839&go=halberstadt Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=606578&go=halberstadt We stayed just outside the city of Kenai just overnight, but did get a chance to visit another Russian Orthodox church in town, and this time had a nice discussion with retired Archpriest Macary Targonsky, who filled us in on much of the history of this religion and its role in the Kenai area. His faith does not believe in sitting during prayers, thus there are no pews in the church and the entire... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=606578&go=halberstadt Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=605814&go=halberstadt From Seward the trip to Homer was relatively short, but with some interesting attractions. First we stopped at the Alaska Carousel and Woodcarving Shops, where "Sawfest 09" was in progress. It was a good chance to see the Alaskan art of chainsaw carving up close. Next we took a side trip to an old Russian Orthodox church in Ninilchik, with its bright onion shaped domes, set on a high blu... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=605814&go=halberstadt Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=603450&go=halberstadt Denali was great, but we had to move on further south, to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. On the way, we took a short side trip to Talkeetna, described as "a hopelessly Alaskan town". Indeed it was, as we arrived in the middle of the annual "Moose Dropping Festival". This doesn't involve any parachuting Moose, but rather a celebration of the largest contribution the moose ma... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=603450&go=halberstadt Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=602066&go=halberstadt The flight from Barrow back to Fairbanks was delayed, so we arrived at the RV park well after midnight, and left around 9:00 the next morning for Denali. On the way, we stopped at the town of Nenana (emphasis on the 2nd syllable), on the Tanana (emphasis on the 1st syllable) River. In the winter, a 25 foot tall "tripod" (although it has 4 legs) is placed on the river ice, with a cable in... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=602066&go=halberstadt Wed, 8 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT