Duct tape is on my list of essential to have items in the Sprinter and it should be on yours.

From a friend . . .

A bear attacked this guy’s plane while parked in a remote field in Alaska. He had not cleaned it out after a long fishing trip and the bear smelled food.

He had 2 new tires, 3 cases of Duct Tape and several rolls of cellophane delivered. Then he went about repairing the plane so he could fly it home.

I don’t think anyone would want to follow us on vacation. Our Alaska trek was done not only when diesel prices were at their peak but during the coldest and wettest month of August that locals had lived through in years.

Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came the winter and summer of 2007-2008.

Unusually large amounts of winter snow were followed by unusually chill temperatures in June, July and August.

Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com/news/environment/story/555283.html

I think I will start watching Alaska weather a little closer. We are planning a 2010 jaunt into the Northwest Territories and Nunavut with the goal of spending a day in Tuktoyaktuk on the Artic Ocean. The trip should be in late August through much of September and the weather will be a major factor.

 It is great to be able to add to our trip history that we survived the summer of ‘08 in Alaska!

It is hard to get back into the swing of things here at home. After 32 days of no TV, no news, limited cell phone coverage and limited Internet, I am still kind of wondering around – what should I do now? Do I have to mow the lawn? Take the trash out?

I had a couple of things I didn’t want to forget before our next trip.

• Order the current Mile Post – this tells you every thing you need or want to know – even tells you about the extraordinary views you can’t see because of rain.
• Extra fuel – with the low fuel light coming on twice (even though there is a large reserve) next time I want a little insurance.
• More room for “nit-naks” – we started with everything fitting in place and as we acquired more “stuff” and gifts (even three rocks), it got a little tight.

The last two can be handled with a hitch mounted carrier of some sort. Of course, it would have to come off for the ferry and store inside. Under 19′ you save quite a bit. (They did not measure us by the way so there may be a little fudge room.)

Also shorter runs between camps. We did this some – one day we only moved 65 miles, fishing along the way – but not enough. There needs to be time for some hiking and exploring (even in the rain) as pretty soon you are craving exercise.

We did stay away from Anchorage and spent 1 day in Fairbanks. The tourist stuff is ok but the real deal is the “bush.” You can find a re-created “gold town” in the lower 48 but you can’t find a Caribou herd crossing the Tundra.