Day 2 - Talkeetna and Fairbanks - the Alaskan Adventure continues!
It's funny how a night of rest, even if it isn't the best sleep you've ever had, can make everything seem better! Your whole outlook changes. It's a new day with new experiences and Cynthia and I are so excited to be on this adventure together. Sister trips are some of the best trips!
My internal alarm clock woke me up before 5 am. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to recognize when I'm in different time zones! Since we were still pretty tired, we tried to go back to sleep for a little while longer, but soon realized that was not going to happen! Worst part of the morning was getting off the floor in that tiny space! I felt like I’d turned into a Rice Crispy overnight! There was a whole lot of snap, crackle, and pop going on in this old body of mine! For some reason, after some sleep, the whole getting me up into that bed scenario was quite hysterical as we called our husbands to tell them about it!
We got on the road before 7am. We stopped in at the nicest Walmart I've ever been to for lunch meat and some supplies we couldn’t get the night before. Seriously, this Walmart was so clean and had so few people in it, if the employees had been wearing red, I would have thought we were in Target! I decided to buy a twin size air mattress because the couch cushions just weren’t going to cut it. That was NOT comfortable at all. We go back out to the RV, and I decided to blow up the mattress to make sure it would work before we leave. I soon discovered that the floor space between the cabinets and tables was so small there was no way to blow it up fully without it popping. I had to fold the sides of the mattress under and wedge it in to blow it up as full as it could go in that space. Then, I put it on the top bunk to store while we drove so I didn't have to figure it out again later. Note to self: If I ever buy an RV, it will need a slide out and have to be bigger than 20'!
We enjoyed the gorgeous landscapes on the drive to Talkeetna, and had a great time once we got there. Talkeetna is so charming! We loved it! We shopped local artisan shops, visited the brewery, had some yummy lunch and enjoyed walking around this quirky little town. From there we went to Kahiltna Birchworks and learned about the process of making Birch Syrup. We had some delicious tastings and homemade ice cream that was out of this world! It was definitely worth the stop!
After Talkeetna, we started towards Denali, which took us through more mountainous terrain. As we started up the mountain, the check engine light started flashing and pegged at 5 RPM at 30 mph. That’s about as fast as we could go. Ever hill we got to, we were remembering that childhood story of the Little Engine That Could, chanting, “I think I can, I think I can!” And thankfully, we did!After awhile, it would bottom out, and when we leveled off the light would stop flashing. This continued all day as we drove up toward Fairbanks. At this point we knew that something was definitely wrong with the transmission. But, we had been assured that it was fine, so we just kept chugging along. Denali was hiding her beautiful mountaintop under a sea of clouds, but the terrain leading up to the viewpoints was absolutely gorgeous. We saw a Caribou in a dry riverbed. No luck seeing grizzlies this trip. We also stopped on the side of the road to watch a moose feeding in a small lake. Despite all the issues with the RV, we were still having a marvelous day!
By the time we got to Fairbanks , it was 79 degrees and getting quite warm in the RV. It was pushing heat out from the floor like an old box truck. The floorboard was burning hot between our seats. Don’t forget that we are middle aged, chubby chicks who need cool air! This isn’t a want. It is a necessity!!! We turned on the AC. Nothing blew out but hot air. The AC did not work at all. I texted the emergency number once again. The response I got was, "It was working fine. Roll down the windows." Wow! Such professionalism and great customer service we were receiving…NOT! I sent them a list of everything that had gone wrong so far and got no response at all. By now, we were getting quite hungry and stopped for dinner at Soba, an authentic Moldovan restaurant. The decor was just lovely, and the food was terrific! If you’re ever in Fairbanks, I highly recommend giving it a try!
We spent the night at Chena Lake in a beautiful birch forest. The reflections on the lake were stunning, and we saw a beaver! Despite the motorhome issues, we were having the time of our lives, spending time together and enjoying the beauty of Alaska!
But…..Day 3 is just around the corner to rain on our parade! Part 4 coming soon!
In spite of all the technical difficulties, I’d pack a bag and do it again!!