Oh dear, more dramas lay ahead today!

We left darci’s place early as we had a few things to do today. First up, we needed fuel, as we lost all ours when the fuel tank was repaired. We pulled into a service station that also had potable water so we topped that up. But for some reason Mike decided he didn’t want fuel from that station.

So we headed to our next task of washing the van. Rodger had collected a lot of crud when he was towed through road works. As we were washing him, Mike realised he’d left his fuel cap at the gas station we didn’t fill up at. So we went back to get that, then drove out to the airport.

Anchorage airport has a viewing spot right at the end of the runway where planes fly right over your head. And this was no little planes either. Most of them were 747 cargo planes. It was awesome! But the absolute highlight was watching the dream lifter take off. This is a 747 on steroids! It was huge!

We also met a guy who is a curator at the Georgia museum of aviation , and he said if we were ever that way, he’d give us the vip tour!

After our morning watching planes, things went pear shaped. We did grocery shopping and were about to head out of town when we realised we’d forgotten to fuel up. We stopped at a petrol station and when Mike tried it fill up, petrol came pouring out.

So we took it straight back to the auto shop that ‘repaired’ it. The man behind the counter said to leave our keys but it would be hours before they could look at it. We had to argue that we’d paid 800 for it to be fixed and we’d like someone to look at it now.

So they put it in the hoist. He then showed that the breather hose was facing down and that was the problem. He turned it up the other way and told us to fill up slowly.

We took it back to the garage and it started pouring out again! Mike got underneath to look, and a hose had been disconnected and not put back when they did the work.

So we took it back and Mike spent 15 minutes trying to explain what the problem was. They argued with him so he’d had to draw a diagram. They already had another car on the hoist so couldn’t look at it for hours.

Mike said it’s a simple fix and if they could give him a screwdriver he’d do it himself. He then got his mechanic to have a look. Mike told him exactly what needed to be done and he fixed it for us. We then poured petrol from our spare gas cans there and then to make sure it was fixed. Thankfully it was.

It’s unbelievable Mike had to tell them how to do their job. They should never have let it go without double checking all the hoses as it could have been a massive fire risk.

Anyway, we finally got out of town and found a lovely freedom spot by a lake to camp. All the tables and fireplaces were taken so we just parked in the carpark.

Then the people at one of the tables took off and left their fire burning. This was very dangerous. You just had to look around to see the fire devastation in the area. Anyway, we snagged their spot and put out their smoky fire.

We’d just settled down to sleep at 11 pm when a bunch of rowdy people arrived looking for somewhere to camp. I got out of the car to see what was going on. They’d been looking all night for somewhere to camp. So I said they could share our spot and I moved our van forward. But they still had to set up their tents, they had 3 big barking dogs and made a lot of noise. That’s the downside of free camping spots on a sunny weekend in Alaska. Most people are much more respectful. They were friendly at least.

It was quite a stressful day today. Darci lent us her car which was very generous of her. We drove to a cafe and spent the day there editing and uploading a video.

We rang the garage at 11am and they still hadn’t looked at it. So much for fixing it first thing this morning.

We rang back at 5pm and they were just about to start work on it. Geez. So we finally got it back at 6pm and were able to sleep in it outside darci’s house. Not much else to report, just glad to have Rodger back. Oh, and it cost $800! I think we were ripped off, but then they did fit us in during a busy time.

Well, today was quite the adventure!

There are only two auto repair shops in Seward. We took it to the one in town, but they couldn’t look at it until next week. So we booked it into the one out of town for 1.30pm.

He took a look and said he’d have to drop the fuel tank to see what was going on. Earliest he could look was next week. But if we needed a new tank we could be waiting months because we’re in the middle of nowhere. He said our best bet would be to get a tow to anchorage, 2.5 hours away.

We asked if it was safe to drive, he said, no , definitely not. There was a strong fire risk. It was lucky we had decided not to drive on the previous day and discovered it was leaking!

So we rang roadside assistance and they said they would organise a tow truck for the next morning. So we booked into a very expensive camping ground costing us $75! And our tank was leaking even more since the guy had fiddled with it. It was very fumey and I didn’t want to sleep inside the van.

We had just finished our much needed showers when the tow truck company rang saying they’d pick our van up tonight in 2.5 hours!

No problem, we thought, we’d just book a hotel in Anchorage for the night, but this proved impossible. Booking.com was showing nothing. So I rang a few hotels and all were booked out. In a major city!

We thought we could sleep in our car at the auto shop but we were advised against it, not being safe. So we were in a bit of a pickle!

And this is where it gets interesting. A few days ago while we were waiting for the tunnel in Whittier, I got talking to a lady in the queue. We chatted for a bit, then I went back to my van.

Then she came over and chatted to us some more because she was bored. Then she went back to her car. Then shortly after, she came back over with her phone number and address, and said if we needed anything while we were in anchorage, then to give her a call.

At the time we thought it odd and did not think we’d need anything, but how things change! So I gave her a call. She then invited us to come stay, and sleep on her couch.

So accommodation sorted for the night, we just had to get there. The tow truck arrived in Seward up at 7pm, but he’d been told we were a normal van, not a camper van. So we were heavier than he thought. We had to empty our waste and water tank to lighten our load.

It took over 3 hours to tow Rodger to anchorage as we had to go quite slow. We are thankful we had roadside assistance and they are covering the $1000 fee!

Our tow truck driver was very nice and acted like a tour guide and told us all the good places to go. He even stopped at a pizza place for us to get pizza! He gave us his card and told us to call if we need anything other than a tow. It must be an Alaskan thing!

It was a stunning drive into anchorage, with the sun setting as much as it does. We arrived at the garage about 10.30pm, put our key in the drop box, and caught a taxi to our new friends place. She said she is usually up until midnight so not a problem being late. it was about 11pm by the time we arrived and, of course, still daylight!

Darci is really nice, probably mid-40s and lives with her elderly father and teenage daughter. she said it’s not uncommon for all hotels to be booked and don’t even try getting a rental car. Her father has kindly offered the use of one of his cars, but hopefully we won’t need it.

Hopefully our tank will be an easy fix.

We spent a lazy morning at our riverside camp enjoying the view. Around lunchtime we decided to go for a hike to Exit Glacier. It was a lovely walk through forest, and along side a river bed. It was about an hours walk to the glacier and on the way back we had our first bear encounter.

A black mumma bear and two of her cubs were on the side of the path. Mike was going to walk right on past, and I told him to wait up, knowing there was a ranger behind us.

The ranger closed off the path and we had to walk back around the long way. It was no big deal.

It was 3pm and we decided to head out of town for the 3 hour drive to Homer. But 5 mins out of town I decided I wanted to go back to the riverbed to camp, and just as well I did.

We’d just been out for a walk and I’d noticed Rodger’s bum was smelly. I got Mike to check and sure enough there was a very mild fuel leak. We’ll get it seen to in the morning.

We woke up in the damp forest eager to move on. We headed for Seward, a small coastal town.

There were so many roadworks along the way that it was slow going. And our fuel tank was getting low as Mike had forgotten to refuel. Thankfully we have spare fuel on board so we put 15 litres in to get us to Seward.

It was cold and blustery so we parked by the waterfront and had a sleep. I’ve been feeling a bit achy the last couple of days and it feels like something viral.

We browsed the tourist shops in Seward, but didn’t buy anything. But we did buy some groceries.

We left the cold wet town, which reminded me a bit of Thames, and headed just up the road to exit glacier. We found an amazing spot to camp on a dried riverbed, surrounded by mountains. You don’t get much better than that!

We were up at 4.30am this morning as we had an early ferry to catch. It was a 5.5 hour journey on the ferry from Valdez to Whittier. It was a stunning cruise through the prince william sounds.

There was a solarium deck which is a covered outdoor area with heat lamps and deck chairs. So we grabbed a couple of chairs and had a good snooze under the lamps. Even though it was outside it was toasty and warm.

We arrived in the tiny town of Whittier just before 1pm. It was drizzly and there wasn’t much to see. The port looked nice and there was some old army barracks.

There are only two ways in and out of Whittier. One is via a boat, which we did. The other is via a long narrow tunnel which was built in the 1940s.

It’s a one way tunnel and is shared with a train. They have scheduled times to go through it and we were scheduled for 2pm. I was a little apprehensive about it, being a tiny tunnel going through a massive mountain, but it wasn’t too bad. It’s 2.6 miles long and top speed is 25 mph, so we were through in just under 7 minutes.

We made our way toward the town of Seward, but got caught in a traffic jam. A fatal accident had occurred earlier causing a 6 hour delay. We chose to turn back and found a campground for the night in the forest.

It was cold and damp and another window has started leaking. We’ll look at that another day.

Another WOW day! Today we did a boat tour through the prince William sound to a tidal glacier.

It was amazing! I really wanted to see a puffin and a sea otter and I saw both! We also saw sea lions, mountain goats, porpoises and a humpback whale.

The highlight for me though, was cruising through the sound, dodging ice bergs on our way to the glacier. It was surreal and absolutely amazing!

Our captain asked where in nz we were from and we said Hamilton. He said, you must be chiefs supporters! So weird, an American captain from Alaska being a rugby fan. He’d been up until 1am watching blues play chiefs. Weird!

The boat trip was 6 hours and my excitement soon turned to exhaustion and I flopped into bed when we got back to the van.

Today was a kinda meh day. The highlight of day was our first stop was a short hike to an overlook. There were also some placards talking about the history of the Alaska highway which is quite interesting. It was built in just 8 months as a supply road in case Alaska was attacked by Japan in ww2.

The rest of the day was spent driving over crappy roads full of frost heaves. These occur when the permafrosts thaw unevenly, leaving dips and bumps all over the place. And you don’t see them until the last minute! So it was a hard days driving for Mike who had to concentrate more than usual.

We crossed back into Alaska today, breezing through the border. The guard didn’t even bother to check our van this time!

At this border crossing the scenery was nowhere near as dramatic as when we crossed into Alaska at Skagway. So we were so pleased to have taken that diversion. Having our first entrance into Alaska with the iconic mountains was way more exciting that this crossing.

We drove until the first town called Tok. Finally, we got some internet! We fuelled up, filled up with water, dumped our waste, and settling in for the night at the back of the service station. It’s not quite as glamorous as our other free spots, but it was 7.30pm and we were tired.

We met the couple parked next to us and they said they had been following us all day! They were a lovely couple from Ohio.

That night I noticed a dirt smell in the van. Turns out the fan for our composting toilet has failed. Natureshead said they will replace it, but that’s not really gonna help in the middle of nowhere! Mike recover can fix it with a computer fan. So here’s hoping we can find somewhere that sells them!

Today was just WOW! It started with stunning blue skies and just got better. We drove down to Valdez and the views were amazing as we drove over the Thompson pass. Lots of snow capped mountains, gushing waterfalls on the side of the road, exactly what you’d expect Alaska to look like.

We made it to the town of Valdez. This is a beautiful fishing town surrounded by mountains. We tried to get a fan for our toilet but they didn’t have one. We enquired about a kayak trip to the glacier but the 7am start, 10am start and the cold water scared me a little. So we opted for a cruise to the glacier instead, booked for tomorrow.

We spent the afternoon soaking up the atmosphere in Valdez. The drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean and pipe it down here, ready to be shipped out. You might remember the Valdez oil disaster a few years ago when the oil ship ran aground and spilled oil everywhere. Thankfully it’s cleaned up now.

It’s also a popular place for fishing charters.We watched the boats come in with their wheelbarrow loads of fish. They pay the guys to fillet them and we watched them do this and got an unexpected surprise.

As they fillet the fish, they toss it onto a tray for the birds to nibble at. There were a few seagulls and crows tucking in when I yelped with surprise. A bald eagle had flown in to have a feast. There were 3 other bald eagles flying around, putting on an air display that would rival Bournemouth airshow! It was fascinating to watch, and I even managed to snap a couple of photos!

We then had halibut tacos for dinner, and some curly fries with some much garlic on them. It was such a beautiful evening.

There is no freedom camping allowed here so we booked into a camping ground.

Today was a kinda meh day. The highlight of day was our first stop was a short hike to an overlook. There were also some placards talking about the history of the Alaska highway which is quite interesting. It was built in just 8 months as a supply road in case Alaska was attacked by Japan during ww2.

The rest of the day was spent driving over crappy roads full of frost heaves. These occur when the permafrosts thaw unevenly, leaving dips and bumps all over the place. And you don’t see them until the last minute! So it was a hard days driving for Mike who had to concentrate more than usual.

We crossed back into Alaska today, breezing through the border. The guard didn’t even bother to check our van this time!

At this border crossing the scenery was nowhere near as dramatic as when we crossed into Alaska at Skagway. So we were so pleased to have taken that diversion. Having our first entrance into Alaska with the iconic mountains was way more exciting that this crossing.

We drove until the first town called Tok. Finally, we got some internet! We fuelled up, filled up with water, dumped our waste, and settling in for the night at the back of the service station. It’s not quite as glamorous as our other free spots, but it was 7.30pm and we were tired.

We met the couple parked next to us and they said they had been following us all day! They were a lovely couple from Ohio.

That night I noticed a dirt smell in the van. Turns out the fan for our composting toilet has failed. Natureshead said they will replace it, but that’s not really gonna help in the middle of nowhere! Mike reckons can fix it with a computer fan. So here’s hoping we can find somewhere that sells them!

Tomorrow we head south towards the Kenai peninsula and Valdez. We are hoping to at least do a cruise and maybe kayak to a glacier. But we haven’t booked anything yet.