Recap Alaska!

I think mine is the last 2016 AK recap to get posted!  We were the last ones out!  We were a bit concerned leaving so late – hit some snow – but all is well!

img_7437

Everyone travels to AK and does their recap and summary of that trip differently – here are some links to friends of ours that came this summer: Steve & Linda – (who we traveled up with – they didn’t work, did a lot of boondocking, drive a Class A with a small toad) The Chouters part 1 and  The Chouters part 2; Tracy & Lee – (they also Workamped like Bill & I, travel in a 40′ 5th Wheel, didn’t boondock a whole lot)  Camper Chronicles; Les & Sue – (travel in a 40’ish’ 5th wheel towed by a medium-duty truck, didn’t work, traveled with another couple, did some boondocking)  Rambling RV Rat AK recap and Rambling RV Rat – AK retrospect; and Jim & Barb – (put their 5er in storage and purchased a truck camper for this trip, didn’t work, boondocked and fished a lot, travel with their dog, Daisy Jim and Barb Great Adventure AK recap).   I am including these links b/c to show there is many ways to see AK, many ways to divide your budget to suit your lifestyle, I believe it’s important to see as many perspectives as possible before heading up.

Let’s dig in on OUR way!   We travel with our 40′ 2014 Heartland Landmark 5th Wheel, which weighs in at +/- 16,500lbs.  We tow it with our 2011 Ford F-350 DRW 4×4 pick-up.  I am reminding you of our set-up so when I report our mileage and other rig related items, you are aware of what I am referring to.

We crossed into Canada on May 4 at Sumas, WA, with no issues at all, easy peezy. We arrived at our Seward workamping destination, Renfros Lakeside Retreat, on May 25. You can read the details of our drive up here:   Getting to AK

from our trip on the way up - taken in Haines
from our trip on the way up – taken in Haines
Our stayed at our home base (minus 4 side trips) through 9/27 – a total of 127 days.  Our side trips took us away 18 days – 3 nights to Homer, 6 nights to Denali, 5 nights to Glennallen/Valdez, and back to Homer for 4 nights.  Let’s break those down to see what the costs were.

First Homer trip:  miles from Renfros (towing) –  309 (round trip), miles exploring – 50, 3 nights at Fishing Hole CG –  @$15 (dry camping) per night = $45.  Entertainment this trip – $43.50 (dining out) $25 (brewery). You can read all about it here:  Home in Homer

Homer Small Boat Harbor
Homer Small Boat Harbor
Denali trip:  miles from Renfros – 706 (round trip), miles exploring – 182, nights at Trapper Creek CG – 2 @ $34.65 (FHU, Good Sam discount) per night = $69.30, 3 nights at Riley Creek CG – @ $28 (dry camping) per night = $84, 1 night at Wasilla Elks Club – @ $15 (charged us the member rate) per night = $15 ; $137 (dining out and shuttle bus trip into Denali) entertainment.  Details of this trip: Trapper Creek and Talkeetna and  Denali

img_5019-1

Valdez trip:  miles from Renfros – 826, miles exploring – 77, nights at Northern Nights CG (Glennallen) – 1 (on the way there) , 1 (on the way home) @ $37.80 (FHU w/Good Sam) per night = $75.60, 3 nights at Valdez Glacier CG @ $30 (dry camping) per night = $90; $232 (glacier cruise, museum, dining out) entertainement.  All you need to know is here: Valdez

img_6072

Second Homer trip: miles from Renfros – 309, miles exploring – 132, 4 nights at Mariner CG @ $15 (dry camping) per night = $60, $332 (fishing trip, fishing license, Seldovia trip, dining out, drinks out) entertainment.   Want to know more?  Here it is:  Second time in Homer

img_6719

It may also be of interest that we put 2,542 miles on the truck doing day trips from Renfros to Anchorage, Whittier, Kenai/Soldotna, Palmer and also back/forth to Seward.  The miles listed above with each side trip are not included here.

As far as fuel cost and mileage is concerned – while in AK we paid an average of $2.55 per gallon.  Prices for fuel were much more reasonable in larger towns, like Anchorage vs Seward, Seward prices were better than Homer or Valdez.  The most we paid was $2.91 in Glennallen; the lowest was $2.27 in Anchorage. Believe it or not, those were both on the same day!  We averaged 9.6 mpg towing – which Bill was happy about considering the terrain (I also might mention he uses an additive in the fuel  Ford Motorcraft Cetane Booser $8.50 per bottle at the Ford Dealer – Bill says it adds $.07 a gallon but he believes he gets all that back and more with increased fuel mileage, plus the added lubricity – which prolongs the life of the injection pump and fuel injectors) and 17 mpg not towing (the 2542 miles mentioned above).

Most people, in their recaps, also talk about grocery costs and entertainment costs, since these items can be a good bit higher than “usual” on a trip to AK.

Groceries:  we generally spend about $423 on groceries (average – not including alcohol) per month – here in AK that amount was $469 .  The way we arrived at these amounts is we took 6 months prior to arriving in Washington State as our pre-AK baseline – once we arrived in Washington State, we stocked up on some items, such as coffee, paper products, etc. and things that were on sale in anticipation of these things being more expensive.  I’d like to mention here that there were times we got food items as “tips” (things guests left in the cabins) – I don’t think it added up to too much, but as a few examples we got eggs several times, ketchup, milk a few times, sugar, bacon 3 different times (once 2 lbs!), the biggest thing was 3 lbs of Alaskan sausage, which we saw for sale in Safeway for $18!  We only took unopened items and we did share some with our co-workers and put some in the lodge (how much ketchup can we use?). Actually I misspoke – the largest food tip was fresh caught halibut and salmon a guest left in the lodge freezer.  There were several large bags, some of which was used for AK family dinners and 2 times we shared it with friends.

Entertainement:  one of the first things we did after arriving in Seward was purchase a TourSaver app, which could also have been purchased as a hard copy book.  It is basically a BOGO FREE coupon book, and it saved us a bunch of money.  The cost to purchase the TourSaver app $85.

Summary of things we did using TourSaver: $9 Reindeer Farm, $77 Alaska Railroad Whistlestop train ride, $130 Glacier Cruise from Valdez, $14 Valdez Museum, $24 Seward SeaLife Center, $210 Halibut Fishing trip (this is actually half of one ticket b/c we split the coupon with Ben), $32.50 Ferry to Seldovia from Homer (also half of one ticket b/c we split it with Jo), $12.50 Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center – for a grand total of $495 spent/saved – $85 we spent on the app = $410.  The question is would we have done all these things without having the app?  I’d like to say yes, but honestly can’t be 100% sure.

img_5529

Things we did not using the TourSaver: $142 ferry to Skagway from Haines, $42 Soapy Smith Show in Skagway,  $69 Seavey Dog Sled Tour, $68 Denali National Park Shuttle Bus tour.  The grand total for these items is $321.

img_5111

Neither of the above lists include our “gift” from our boss, Gary – a Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife and Glacier Tour.

img_6118-1

Our total for dining out while traveling in Canada and in AK was $928.  This number does not include Bill stopping in a brewery and having a beer or two – he puts that under the “booze” line item.

Another frequent topic for an Alaskan summary is the writers fav place or fav thing about their trip.

Our fav place was Renfros – by far!  Loved the location, loved the beauty of the property, surrounding mountains and lake, love, love, love the owner/host/boss Gary.  He, along with Bob & Marna, will forever be our AK family!

img_6090

the view out our front door when we first arrived at Renfros back in late May
the view out our front door when we first arrived at Renfros back in late May

img_5331

Considering that might be too obvious – our fav location aside from Renfros would have to be Haines.  So much so that the 5 nights we spent on the way up were not enough, so we went back on the way out and stayed 3 more nights!  We loved the drive down, one of the best roads on the whole trip, it is just spectacular!  The views from Oceanside RV Park can’t be beat!  We really liked the whole vibe of the town – some touristy stuff without being annoying, a few restaurants, a brewery for Bill and THE VIEWS!  Also of note is we saw lots of bald eagles there – A LOT!  And – on our second trip – bears and the Aurora Borealis!

image

We also really loved the town of Seward.  It was a great place to live for the summer.  It’s large enough to have 90% of what you need, yet small enough that it doesn’t have a Walmart or Home Depot.  Plenty of restaurants, some touristy stuff, amazing views and also some community events to take advantage of (remember 4th of July?).

Seward
Seward
There will not be a least fav or not liked category in this post!

Workamping related info:

We arrived at Renfros on May 25, but our first day of work was May 28.  For June (including the 4 days in May), July and August we worked every other week for a total of 7 weeks, we also did 6 extra days for a total of  54 days.  In Sept we worked a 5 days on/2 days off schedule for a total of 18 days.   Total hours worked (for the 2 of us) is: 988.50.  Our average hours per day we worked was 6.86.  Our pay rate was $10 per hour. The first 25 hours per month each paid for our site, $500 per month total, total for season $2000.  We were paid a total of $7,885.00 gross after paying for our site.

We also received cash bonuses and tips.  Over the course of the summer we were given $500 each in cash as performance bonuses.  We were also given $300 each in cash as an end of season completion bonus. We also had a tip jar that all tips, from weeks we worked plus the weeks of our co-workers, went into and were divided by 4 and distributed – we earned $196.50 each in cash.  Total in cash for the season (for both if us) $1993.00!   Not too shabby!

I believe it is fair to say if we had not worked that we definitely would have spent more money.  More money on campground fees for sure – maybe or maybe not on fuel.  I say that b/c most people make a big loop when they come to AK, while we did our exploring going in/out from Seward.  I’m not sure if that saved us or cost us miles/fuel.  I’d also assume we would have spent more on groceries and dining out.  Probably would have spent more on entertainment, although there’s no way to be sure.

Having said all that – we most probably would not have stayed 4 months if it weren’t for the jobs.  We would probably have headed out a month or more ago, like everyone else, so that would have been less time to spend up here.  There isn’t any way to know how it it would have played out.

Bottom line:  we enjoyed an awesome summer – we do not feel as though we didn’t have enough “play” time, the week on/week off schedule was perfect.  We didn’t see all there is to see – didn’t get near Fairbanks or Delta Junction area at all.  If visiting those areas had been of huge importance I may have asked Gary about combining 2 of our weeks off and gone up there, but we decided it wasn’t that big a deal.  I would have loved to have seen Denali in its full glory, but it was not to be!  We spent time working – as long as it doesn’t get in the way too much – that isn’t a bad thing!  We spent plenty of time with friends and seeing new sights and doing new things!

licking a piece of glacier ice!
licking a piece of glacier ice!

tasting reindeer sausage
tasting reindeer sausage for the first time

Happy Hour overlooking the water in Haines!
Happy Hour overlooking the water in Haines!

kayaking on Muncho Lake
kayaking on Muncho Lake

lunch at Trail Lake Lodge
lunch at Trail Lake Lodge, Moose Pass, during the Summer Solstice Festival

4th of July in Seward
4th of July in Seward

Reindeer Farm in Palmer
Reindeer Farm in Palmer

dinner in the lodge at Renfros
dinner in the lodge at Renfros

puppy love at Seaveys Ididaride, Seward
puppy love at Seaveys Ididaride, Seward

lunch in Talkeetna
lunch in Talkeetna
 

img_5152
moose cow in Denali

where else but in Alaska would you see this sign?
where else but in Alaska would you see this sign?

img_5405
otter enjoying a halibut carcass in Seward Small Boat Harbor

img_5416
Lee – wishing he had some ice cream of his own

img_5529
Spencer Glacier with Tracy & Lee

img_5702
Blueberry picking on Victor Creek Trail

img_6074
in front of Bridal Veil Falls on the way to Valdez

img_6004
on glacier cruise

img_6407
Exit Glacier

img_6314
Kenai Lake at sunset

img_6673
at Salty Dawg, Homer Spit

img_6514
Peyton

img_6560
strawberry shortcake

img_7077
last day at Renfros

img_7071
newly fallen snow on the mountain
SUMMARY HEADING OUT:

We began our trip out on Tues 9/27 and 2,863 miles and 12 days later, we pulled into Great Falls, MT.

On the way out we stopped at the following places:  Eagle River Fred Meyer – one night cost $0, Tok Chevron – one night – cost $0, Oceanside RV Park, Haines AK – 3 nights @ $36 ((FHU, Good Sam rate) per night = $108, Whitehorse Walmart – 1 night – cost $0, Watson Lake gravel lot – 1 night – cost $0, Fort Nelson gravel lot – 1 night – cost $0, Dawson Creek – Walmart – 1 night – cost $0, Whitecourt – Walmart – 1 night – cost $0, Edmonton – Glowing Embers CG – 1 night – cost $36, Calgary – Helen & Pats house – 1 night – cost $0.  Total nights: 12 nights – cost – $144

Fuel on the way out:   9.9 mpg on the way out – all towing.  Bill is actually pretty happy about this considering the grades and wind conditions we drove in, and that he used 4 wheel drive for awhile.  Highest cost per gallon $3.45 in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada ; lowest price $2.59 in Eagle River, Alaska.  I already converted liters to gallons and Canadian to USD.

I also wanted to talk about propane use.  Out of the 12 night we took to get from Seward AK to Great Falls, MT, we boondocked 8 of them.  Because we decided to boondock so much instead of use CG’s more, we used a lot of propane for heating, as well as cooking. Bill figured out that we used an average of 8.5 pounds per night.  We didn’t have the heat on while driving, but once we arrived for the night, the rig was around 40 degrees inside, compared to outside temps in the 30’s during the day and in the 20’s at night. The thermostat was set to 65 degrees while we were awake and turned down to 60 while sleeping. We also use propane for heating our water for showers and dishes.  The cost of the 68 pounds of propane was about $5 per day.  Bill paid an average of $0.60 per pound.

We also used some gasoline for the generator, which had to be run daily since there was little to no sun most days.  Only one day had enough sun to make enough solar, but the gennie still had to be run in the morning, since heavy cloud cover had returned.  We used a total of 4 gallons.  Our one Honda EU2000i runs about 3.5 hours per gallon under high load and 8 hours on quarter load.  He was generally running it about 2 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the evenings.  The average we burned was half a gallon of gas per day for a cost of $1.25.

Using the above numbers, it cost us about $6.25 per day to boondock in the colder temps we had to deal with.  We had checked CG prices, most were at least $40 per night, so we figure we saved about $270 by not staying in CG’s.

The only thing we really did (other than drive) on the way out was our time in Haines, going to the mall in Edmonton, and meeting Helen & Pat.  You can see more pics and get a detailed accounting of the driving out here:  Going OUT!Back in the Lower 48!  For the record, I do not recommend driving out the way we did.  It was just crazy, but we did what we felt to.

So there you have it – our trip to AK in a nutshell.  It is my sincere hope at least some of you found this info useful and maybe even a bit entertaining!  Hope you continue to follow along with us!

25 thoughts on “Recap Alaska!

  1. What a lot of work you did! I will not be doing this! The only things we kept track of were our tax deductible expenses since we went for work purposes. I have been doing short-term work for years so I know the ropes.

    I guess we will have to stop in Haines on our way out. Skagway did not impress us.

    The sun is getting low on the horizon quickly. Low 50s for highs and upper 20s for lows with sun all week.

    Hey, you were not the last ones out!

    Mary

    1. Well – I guess not – except you aren’t leaving at all! And yes – Haines! You won’t regret it! Promise! Nothing like Skagway.

  2. Nice detailed list. Good to know so when we go. What kind of work did yall do for workamping?
    Thanks

    1. Thanks! We were camphosts and also cleaned cabins – if you look back over the summer posts – I give a good description of what we were doing.

  3. Great recap, Kelly! And thanks for the shout-out! It’s amazing how different all our recaps are, proving there are a ton of ways to travel to Alaska! The Alaska Class of 2016 was a great group! We are so glad you and Bill are back in the Lower 48 safe and sound. Happy Travels!

    1. Thanks Linda and I agree – we all did Alaska differently – and I wanted people to know there isn’t any right or wrong -with examples of very different ways. ALASKA Class of 2016 is the BEST!

  4. Great post Kelly. It really is helpful for those of us who haven’t been to get several perspectives. A quick question on your generator set up. If you did it all over again, would you still have the smaller Honda vs. the big Onan onboard? What do you use the generator for? Just to recharge the batteries or do you run off it for awhile?

    1. Thanks Julie! I’m not sure if you are aware, but we do have a full solar system, 7 – 160 watt panels on the roof and 6 – 6 volt batteries. Normally when we boondock we do not need the generators at all. We boondocked 3 weeks in the AZ dessert in Feb of this year and never took them out, b/c there was always full sun for the solar. We used the gennies on our trip out of AK b/c there was constant (except one day) heavy cloud cover, so very limited solar (enough to run the residential frig during the day – that’s it). So – would we go with an on-board Onan? No. We invested in solar instead of a $6000 generator. Our 2 small Hondas were used more this trip than in the full 2 years prior, and it was this exact situation that we have them for, but it is rare, thankfully. We use them to charge our batteries, yes, but while they are running we can also make coffee or use the airpopper for popcorn, etc. (note: regardless of how they are charged – once the batteries are charged we can run the whole rig). Other considerations for not having the larger Onan: they do add a lot of weight – over 300lbs (we keep the 2 – 45 lb Hondas in the truck), an onboard generator would have to be propane and it would be significantly more expensive to run – about $2 per hour of propane (at $0.60 a pound) vs 1/4 of a gallon of gas $0.50 per hour at $2.00 per gallon. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

  5. So impressed by how well you keep track of everything! Hope to see you in FL this winter💕❤️

  6. Kelly what a great recap of Alaska. You must have spent a lot of time working on all of this. What great information. Looking forward to what you and Bill get into next. Safe travels.

  7. Thanks for the attention to details. It really helps those of us that are in the preliminary stages of planning for full time rv life. Would you consider another summer in AK and would you work kamp at Renfros again or choose a different area in AK?

    What’s your next work kamp adventure?

    1. Thanks for reading Stacy! I’m glad you found this post to be useful! We will definitely be returning to AK, maybe in a few years after we’ve explored some other places. I totally think we would return to Renfros (I asked Bill and he agrees). #1 we just love Gary #2 the Kenai is the BEST! and #3 we would probably want to see the more northern areas so we would just ask for 2 weeks off together. As far as our next adventure – we are still working on that! I’ll let everyone know when we have a decision.

  8. Thanks for the Alaska info. It is on our bucket list for sure. Hope to catch you on the road again soon.

    1. You are very welcome! Hope some of the info proves helpful when you check AK off your bucket list! I’m sure we will catch up again!

  9. Love, love BIlls data!!! Kel you did a great job outing this together. What a fantastic summary! And we are so very glad we got to be a part of your Alaska adventure. Love you sweetie.

    1. That’s a HUGE detour! Glad you made it through ok! Good decision to not go through Denver – would have been bad with traffic – we went on the same road around and haven’t gotten the bill yet. Love the CG with the deer! Thanks for the shout-out!

  10. Hi,
    There are 2 main routes to go to Alaska, the Western route and the Eastern route I call them. You went to AK on the west route and came back on the east route. Why did you do it that way? Was there any reason why you went Spring via the western route and fall on the eastern route?

    1. The reason is that we traveled up through CA, OR and WA to visit friends and family on the way up, and on the way down we wanted to stop in CO and KS before heading to PA for the holidays. We had been hoping to drive down the Icefield Parkway on the way out, but you’ve read already how the snow chased us out!

      1. Ahhh, OK. I’m trying to figure out which way would be the most scenic and fishable by the season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *