Getting Ready For Alaska

Leaving Utah in late May, we routed through Nevada en route to San Francisco to visit doctors and see friends.

Great Basin National Park on the border of Utah and Nevada served up a great campground and beautiful vistas. Who knew?

Expecting desert and/or flat terrain, the drive through Nevada to the eastern Sierra surprised us with mountains and beautiful landscape.

Upon crossing the border, we stopped to camp near unique Mono Lake, an ancient desert lake with no outlet resulting in high salts levels.

Tufa towers of limestone rise up from the water and lakeshore as a result of the unique chemistry of the lake.

Lest you think we are roughing it, movie night on board Miles even includes popcorn.

ather than driving around the Sierra as you need to do in winter, we traversed Tioga Pass through Yosemite. Preparing for a long day of driving, we loaded up on breakfast and lunch items at the Tioga Pass Resort Cafe.

Ah, Yosemite you are so beautiful.

Frozen lakes and snow covered campsites along Tioga Pass kept us moving over the Sierra only to find temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the other side of the mountains.

Swinging through the Bay Area to visit doctors allowed us to visit one of our favorite places, Half Moon Bay, as well as discover a new favorite place, Seascape, near Santa Cruz.

Hobbling around with a cane and brace designed for a knee sprain rather than torn ligaments kept progress on my knee injury slow. Calling for a better approach than simply being proud of getting in and out of the van, we needed to get serious about recovery.

A visit to the orthopedic surgeon put in place the plan to rehab my knee with physical therapy to see if a non-surgical recovery will work. With the journey (jour-knee) to Alaska fast approaching, we rented a house in Bend, Oregon near our fellow Alaska bound Sportsmobile owners, Chris & Chris, and jumped (stepped gingerly) into action. Step 1 – get a brace designed for torn ACL and meniscus. Step 2 – go to physical therapy 3-4 times per week. Step 3 – join Bend Athletic Club for additional exercises in pool and on bike. Step 4 – explore Bend.

Check out the serious planning session. Notice the map taped up on the wall and iPads glowing.

Our reservation to board the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry on July 7 in Bellingham, Washington dictates our departure from Bend. We chose to take the scenic route via the Yakima River area and the North Cascades. Beautiful.

With only one more sleep before Alaska ferry departure, I tried out the new eyeshades in preparation for nearly 24 hours of daylight.