2008: The Journey Begins...Alaska is the goal

Our planned trip to Alaska started with a January 2008 departure from Florida to try and avoid the severe weather that can be encountered in Texas in winter. We stopped off at Rivers RV on Jacksonville's westside for the First Coast Allegro's RV rally and the chance to say so long to friends and family before we headed out. After a stop in Tallahassee to get new tires put on the motorhome, the trip began in earnest. This part of the trip found us doing quite a bit of "dry camping" at WalMarts, Flying J's and also staying at some Passport America RV parks which charge half their usual rate to members. We were mostly just making miles at we walzed across Texas to our destination: Tucson, Arizona and friends Tom and Cris Harwood, the people with whom we planned to make the trip to Alaska. We met the Harwoods back in 2006 on our first Workamper assignment at 5 Branches Camper Park in Colorado and the idea of the Alaska trip germinated there. We made it to Tucson on the seventh day of the trip! It was great to see the Harwoods and spend time with them. While in Arizona we did quite a bit of sightseeing: Saguaro National Park, Old Tucson Movie Studies, Mission San Javier del Bac, Tombstone, Quartsite, Congress and Wickenburg, Cave Creek, Mesa (a Workamper job fair), Yuma for the Territorial Prison site and all points in between! We were really getting the opportunity to explore so much of this beautiful country and this was only the beginning!