2gypsies

Yes, some might like that but for us, it's too structured due to the fact you have a pre-planned stopping point which would mean preset amount of miles to drive. Sometimes we drove 50 miles or so and stopped because something interested us and we wanted to explore more. When ready to stop there were always options... rv park, public campground, boondocking. Much easier if you don't need electric all the time. Everyone is different... and that's OK.

The best way to do the Alaska trip is by using your own RV. The journey is part of the overall experience. Canada and the Yukon are every bit as beautiful and in some places - even more so. Taking a cruise or flying robs you of the experience. Go at your own pace. It's an easy trip - just long. Plan on leaving around the end of May and begin your return the end of August. Don't make a ton of reservations. Conditions change as you travel. Pull in before 3pm and you'll get a site. Otherwise, there are beautiful boondocking spots along the route. With our 40' MH and Jeep the only reservations we made for the whole trip was for the July 4 weekend - Alaskans like camping, also, and for 5 nights in Denali's Teklanika campground - the farthest in the park you can drive. As it turned out we were early for Teklanika so on a whim we boondocked nearby and drove into the park early morning. We easily secured and additional 5 nights in the front campground, Riley Creek. 10 nights in the park and we saw 'The' mountain 7 of 10 days and every one of the big animals... many times. Take the TEK bus pass and you can use it daily for as many times as you want. We sometimes went out for a couple hours; got off the bus and walked along the roadside and picked up the next bus coming by. You'll never experience anything like the silence and awe when the bus pulls away and you're the only one out there. You don't need a tour. Everyone goes to the same places. We mingled with the locals and experienced going to someone's home high above Homer to have lunch and tour her beautiful flower gardens. We met her on the street admiring the town's hanging baskets. Another time we were asking a local about the dog sled races. He invited us to his home. He raised sled dogs and gave us an indepth tour and a sled ride. All you need for the trip is the Milepost for maps and history and Mike & Terry Church's book, 'Alaskan Camping' which includes northern U.S., Canada and the Yukon. It has RV parks, public campgrounds and boondocking spots. We took turns driving daily so the other could enjoy the scenery and the Milepost was always on our lap to refer to as we drove.

The 'study' was first done by Edward Dowd an equity investment executive linked to Steve Bannon. He doesn't have any medical background. He claimed 84% between 25-44 yr old. Then comes the Florida guy who states 84% between 18-39 yr old. Coincidence of the 84%? The 'study' was not peer-reviewed and doesn't contain a list of authors who penned the analysis. https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-excess-mortality/fact-check-no-evidence-that-people-aged-25-44-experienced-an-84-increase-in-excess-mortality-due-to-covid-vaccine-rollout-idUSL2N2VS1BI

Not totally. Here's an excerpt from the article: " However, antiviral treatments like Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill appear to work against BQ.1.1 and other sub-variants, said Pekosz. Vaccines will still hold up well against the new sub-variants in terms of serious outcomes, both experts said. “We know that regardless of the variants we've seen to date, the vaccines have stood up very strongly in terms of protecting people against more severe infection, hospitalization and death,” Bogoch said. “There still is some protection against infection, it's just much less than we've seen in the past and we hope the newer vaccines regain some of that durable protection, but time and time again, regardless of the variant that you've seen, these vaccines continue to provide very significant protection against more severe illness like hospitalization and death, and I don't think we're going to see meaningful changes with some of these new variants coming out.” Omicron BA.5 still remains dominant despite BQ.1.1 and more than 300 other mutations being monitored by the WHO, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the body’s technical lead for COVID-19, at a news conference Wednesday."

Here's a statement by Reds Oaks, Bushnell. " Red Oaks RV Resort 2d · Happy Thursday! First, let me say we’ve been out since 8am. NO DAMAGE! NO HIGH STANDING WATER! Maintenance is picking up some trees limbs and debris but I see no damage anywhere! I do have an arborist touring the property looking for any tree that might seems suspect. The internet is down so we’re working on that right now, hence no email update. If you can share this with as many people as possible to give them piece of mind?!

Here's the breakdown of park rangers in Yellowstone. They have full jurisdiction in the park but also give help outside the park. We volunteered at Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore, MI and Rocky Mtn. NP & both covered areas outside the parks, if needed. Officers once talked to us about the amount of arrests and investigations done in the park. It was staggering - just like a big city. There are murders, suicides, burglaries, domestic arguments, etc. They are full law enforcement officers & receive the same training as those outside the parks. https://secretyellowstone.com/ynp-operations/law-enforcement/

That's a very small fresh water tank compared to the gray & black. The tank should be the biggest of the three.

We also got the new booster with the flu with no reactions.

I wouldn't recommend a 2 and 4 yr old to enjoy the places you're thinking of visiting.... especially in winter. Yes, you could get snow at that time but more importantly, cold and bitter winds. We had plans to stay in NM a winter when we first began full-timing. We were in the southern part and it didn't take long to head over to Arizona. You might want to consider the Benson area of Arizona along with Tucson. There is Kartchner Caverns which the children would enjoy more than Carlsbad. Lots of beautiful lighting and dripping sounds from the constantly growing formations. Carlsbad is nothing like that. There are many places to ride in that area. The days are pleasant but it will be cold at night but not as bitter as NM. Kartchner State Park is very nice as a base. Nearby Tucson has so many wonderful things that the children would enjoy and it would be warmer. https://familydestinationsguide.com/fun-things-to-do-in-tucson-with-kids/

I agree.

We're boondockers and used a catalytic heater for 16 years. It's an awesome way to heat as it's a constant warmth; unlike a RV furnace that goes on and off. However, we never slept with it running. Besides we like a cold bedroom. First one up took a minute to turn it & came back to bed for 10 min or so and then the whole RV was warmed. You do need to leave a couple windows cracked a bit as it gives off moisture.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/senate-bill-to-federally-legalize-marijuana-and-promote-social-equity-finally-filed-by-schumer-booker-and-wyden/

Your occasional use of bleach would be OK for a home septic but at a campground that has a septic (which most public campgrounds have), if many campers use bleach it definitely is not good for a septic. "Bleach is used all over your household. But, your septic system does not approve. Limit the number of bleach products you use, how often you use them, and eliminate any highly concentrated products from your cleaning routine." https://advancedsepticservicesfl.com/chlorine-bleach-septic-systems/

Dishwashing liquid leaves a scum and it's not good for the sensors. Try doing dishes in your sink and drain the water without rinsing the sink. What's left? You don't need to add more soap to the tank. There's plenty in there already if you think soap is good.

I didn't say "off with her head". There are 'no kill' shelters available. We have one 2 miles away. That's what I was suggesting. Better chance than thinking someone on this forum would be near you but good luck!

🙄 Please take it to the local shelter.

We've never flushed the gray tank. A helpful hint is to never let garbage, coffee grounds or grease enter the tank. We always took a used paper towel or napkin after eating & wiped the plates, fry pans, pots off to remove the majority of stuff.

We bought a rental from CarMax 6 yr. ago with only 10,000 mileage. Excellent condition & no suitcase scrapes or dents. It's run beautifully and haven't had any repairs. We'd do it again. It's so easy to buy from CarMax. You can choose from a big selection of a particular make/model/color online and when they bring it in from another state you can refuse it if you want. No price hassle shopping which we love. You can find out the history of the car which is great because we didn't want one from the snowy states due to salt corrosion from the roads and we didn't want one from places with recent flooding.

On hills get into low gear before even beginning the descent; not in the midst. Don't ride your brakes. Watch weather & work in some 'free days' in case you need to wait it out. Since you're coming from the Upper Peninsula, MI I'd recommend taking Hwy 2 all the way across. We've done this a couple times both directions & it's very pleasant. WA, Hwy 2: Waterville-Orondo Hill: A mile west of Waterville, 6% for 6 miles. It's a good 2-lane hwy with 35/40 mph curves all the way down the hill. After 6 miles there's a sign "Stop sign 1 mile". A half mile later US 2 splits to the left & US 97 splits to the right. Use caution. WA, Hwy 2: Stevens Pass, EL 4061' east of Skykomish, WA. Westbound: 6.5 mi of 5-6% with 40 mph curves. The first 4.5 mi are 4-lane. Then 3-lane and then 2-lane. If sticking to I-90, the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers' states: Idaho: 3081' EL; 4th of July Summit 28 mi. east of Coeur D'Alene, ID - 5.5% for 4 miles; 55 mph curves Idaho: Lookout Pass, EL 4725' - at the Montana-Idaho state line; westbound 6% grade for 2 miles * 5% for 3 mi with 2 runaway truck ramps Montana: Homestake Pass, 6375' EL; westbound descent into Butte is 3 mi of steady 6% grade Washington: Snoqualmie Pass, EL 3022', North Bend, WA, Westbound, 4 mi of 6% followed by 3.4 mi of 4-5% and 2 miles of 3-4%, then 2 miles of 2-3%

Since you're talking about full-time and working from your RV, a Class C 'could' work if you are single. However, for two people, two dogs and a cat and trying to work on a computer, I don't think it would be the best option - especially in bad weather. There just isn't enough room unless you're talking about a long Class C. Class C's (& even some Class A's) have a long rear overhang which equates to poor handling, problems with the rear end scraping and tail swing during turns. Our 40' motorhome did not have a long overhang. Look at some and especially look at the storage space in the outside compartments. I think you'll find that there isn't much for a full-timer. As far as ease off pavement to boondocking spots - that's not an issue. We've seen many Class C's and we did it with our 40' motorhome. No issues unless you're rock hopping. Most roads on public lands are good for any RV. The same with height issues. We had no problems with our 40' motorhome. Ease of siteseeing? I'd highly recommend a towed vehicle. Much easier to find parking spots and easier to get off pavement. A 4x4 is even better! Yes, there are single full-timers using a Class C and it can be done. Just depends on YOU.

Yes..... how easy these posts get off-track!

I'm sure it's a great feeling to get rid of the 'stuff'. It was for us!

I sent a reply and now it's gone. I object to Escapees having this kind of HOP.

It's a good route and you won't have the traffic westbound. Switchbacks? As I recall, curves. Dropoffs? Can't recall anything scary. Fuel? It's all downhill so if you run out you can just coast! ☺️ Keep in mind... don't ride your brakes the whole route. Get into a lower gear.

There must be a very good reason for staying inside a building in an upper Midwest winter! Why not go somewhere warmer and sunnier? Sounds depressing to me. We're from Michigan.