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RVing Alaska! (and Canada)
 
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RVing Alaska! (and Canada) [Paperback]

Sharlene Minshall (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


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Book Description

1997
The first two chapters of this "how-to" RV-to-Alaska book are mental, physical, and RV preparation; a full discussion of what to do ahead of time, what to take, where to stay, and road conditions. The 192-page book discusses border crossings, taxes, wild animals, possible routes and off-the-main-highway gravel roads. She addresses the cost of such a trip and talks about choices and expenses.

Along with fifty photographs, advice and suggestions on bugs, safety, and sewer dumps are sprinkled throughout the rest of the book while you are taken on a tour of the Author's Alaskan and Canadian adventures and misadventures.

Written in a humorous fashion, you will share the awe of this single, solo traveler as she views the Aurora Borealis on the lonely Top-of-the-World Highway in the Yukon Territory of Canada, and follow her paddle strokes across the Arctic Circle on a two-week, 500 mile wilderness canoe trip on the Yukon River from Eagle, AK to the Dalton Highway. If you are interested in the tamer side of Alaska, she visits the Musk Ox Farm at Palmer, the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage, and takes a trip on the sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery at Fairbanks. Visit our national parks with the author. Play with the grizzlies at Katmai National Park and stand in awe of Mt. McKinley when it comes out to play in Denali National Park.

This silver gypsy tells you what she does when the brakes go out on what used to be called Suicide Hill on the Alaska Highway, and leaves you holding your breath as she literally pushes a foot of snow returning on the Dempster Highway from Inuvik, Northwest Territories, 205 miles beyond the Arctic Circle.

She shares moments of quiet beauty on the banks of the Yukon River at midnight and Robert Service poetry in the Malamute Saloon at Ester. Touching a living glacier and watching Turnagain Arm empty with the world's second highest tides, is part of the charm of this Alaska-Canada book.

"Charlie" advises everyone, if possible, to take a trip to an outlying village. She tours Nome, Kotzebue, and Barrow. She tells of daily life in Chicken, Eagle, Hope, and Hyder, as well as other small villages that might be on your route. From the "improved" railroad bed to McCarthy, AK, to the boardwalk-lined streets of Dawson City, RVing Alaska! (and Canada) promises a fun arm-chair read if you never go to Alaska.


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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"RVing Alaska" has 50 photographs scattered throughout. ...You will play with the grizzlies at Katmai, get down and detailed on canoeing the Yukon River, go on a day cruise to see the glaciers, and spend some time gold panning in a 'real' place. You'll meet people, and share in the pure awe that doesn't cost a thing. ...listed expenses and ways you can cut yours. ...ideas on what to do, whether you have tons of money, or travel on a shoestring. ...sure, they're going to be 'iffy' spots until we can harness frost heaves (like never), but both countries are good about marking the bad places. If you travel with 'common sense' speeds, you'll not have major problems. ...it will be a fun read, even if you never move an inch."

From the Author

When our children were growing up, my husband and I had this far-off dream of driving to Alaska in the far-far-distant future. That dream dimmed as other closer more realistic destinations became a reality in our camping/canoeing weekend and vacationing family lifestyle. After my husband's death, I learned to embrace life once again and open my arms to whatever adventures fell in my path. Going to Alaska was one of them. A couple who were setting up an Alaskan caravan for the following summer, asked me to go along and write and do the photography for a brochure.

That trip gave me a taste of adventure that I still haven't gotten out of my system. I have driven up twice by myself and stayed from the end of April until well into September. It isn't just Alaska that thrills me; it is the getting there as well. The route across Canada is equally as beautiful as Alaska. Crossing the border into Canada and knowing I'm on the way to our Great Frontier, gives me the goosebump.

Each trip I have returned to favorite haunts, discovered different places, met delightful people, and experienced new adventures. The longer I stay, the longer I want to stay. As you read this, I may very well be on my way back for another full season. If not this year, what a great way to celebrate the year 2,000!

My purpose in writing this book is not to pass myself off as an expert. Perhaps, even more, it is because I'm not an expert. I'm an every day Jill who loves Canada and Alaska, and I've told you the good, and the bad, and the straight of it. The book is meant to give you, not only an insight into RVing, but, to extend your possibilities into canoeing, flying and playing. The personal experiences are to encourage you to visit Alaska and Canada. God Bless.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Gypsy Press; 1 edition (1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0964397013
  • ISBN-13: 978-0964397019
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,876,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars RVing Alaska (and Canada), May 2, 2000
This review is from: RVing Alaska! (and Canada) (Paperback)
For anyone planning the great RV trip to Alaska, or the armchair traveler just dreaming of the northland, this book cannot be missed! The author takes you along in the passenger seat and introduces you to the sights, the people and the thrills to be found in Alaska. Part travelogue, part guidebook, part diary, and always interesting, you'll feel like you're part of the trip. No journey to Alaska should be condidered without reading this book first! I've read it twice and will keep in on my bookshelf for future reference and enjoyment.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Guidebook and Trip Planner That Reads Like a Great Story, August 5, 2001
By 
Coleen F. Sykora (RVing somewhere in the USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: RVing Alaska! (and Canada) (Paperback)
I typically read reference books, not storybooks, picking through them for bits and pieces of helpful information. I couldn't do that with Charlie's book about RVing in Alaska. I tried, but it just didn't work. I'd try to look up some particular thing - and a half hour later I'd be just reading along - absorbed in her adventure.

RVing Alaska! (and Canada) is Charlie's story. It's a true and fascinating story of her ventures into the Alaskan wilderness, her partaking of typical tourist attractions, her mingling and interacting with the Alaskan locals, and her descriptions of how she combines daily life as a working, full-time RVer with having a fantastic time.

If you'd love to go to Alaska, but think you can't - read this book. Charlie will have you there in a matter of minutes.

If you are planning a trip to Alaska - read this book. You need it to help you plan and prepare. It can serve as your travel planner and guidebook. It can save you grief over not knowing what to expect, what to take, how to get where you are going, etc.

If you are already in Alaska - read this book. You will find things you would never find otherwise - everything from peaceful campgrounds to scrumptious clam chowder.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's two, two...two books in one!, July 26, 2001
By 
David P. Sender "perfent" (Costa Mesa,CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: RVing Alaska! (and Canada) (Paperback)
This was the first book I read when planning our RV trip to Alaska. It was a fun and informative read, after which I went on to other books. The interesting thing is that when I got down to the nitty-gritty of planning I found myself referring to it more than I ever thought I would. I took it with us and...guess what? I referred to it quite often.

The reason I found it so useful was that I got a real feeling for what places were like. Other Alaska travel books give a lot of information on campgrounds and places of interest, but Charlie's book was like having a friend tell you what things are REALLY like. An example: Charlie says, "I stayed at Centennial Park just outside of Anchorage. Some pleasant big campground, with all the amenities plus, exist within the city limits, but their prices are not as pleasant as the Centennial Park. It is a dry camp park for $13/night. They have showers, dump station, and telephone. I like it because it is in a wooded area, and convenient." Compare that to a popular guide book: "Centennial Camper Park - 83 spaces w/o hookups; 3 pull-throughs; sewage dump station; flush toilets; drinking water...separate tenting area; 14 day limit."

Yes, Rving Alaska is not a guide book but one person's traveling experience. But with the author's practical advice, positive attitude and true love of adventure you can't help but love this book. Like the back cover says, "This book explains the practical 'How to' and the bold 'Why not'".

By the way, when parking in an area described in the book, I noticed a familiar looking RV. I couldn't believe it but it was her...the silver gypsy! (Picture in my personal profile.) As we talked I realized how alive and vivacious she really was. This woman has a lot of spirit and she's a kick to be around.

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