Review of our Alaska Adventure

[Silvertrees]

Its another early start to catch the train from Vancouver to Seattle. We arrive at the station via taxi and make our way through the check in process with no issues. Our bags are loaded onto the train and we are on our way back into the US. We really enjoyed our train trip and the opportunity that it gives to see the countryside as we rattle along. We arrive in Seattle, and after arranging to leave our bags at the railway station, we head off for a flying tour of the sights. We walked to the Pike Market where we wandered the stalls, watched the action at the fish shop and grabbed a coffee and a bite to eat. As we were doing this I was on the phone trying to get a hire car for the road trip. It seemed we had arrived on a busy day with the local football match and an apparent lack of hire cars. I must say that I did have a hire car booked when I left Australia but after discussions with our new found US friends on the cruise we had changed our travel plans by a day and I had cancelled my online booking (no fee). We finally secured a hire car from Hertz, at nearly double the price I had for the one I cancelled but at least we had a car, which would make the next week a bit easier.

 

With the Hire car now secured and a pick up time set, we started our walk around town ending up at the “Space Needle”. The wait in the line was an estimated 1.5hours and with no time to line up it was the VIP pass for us. For an additional $15 each it was straight to the front and up the top in 15 mins.

 

A great investment as I am not a fan of spending my holiday in a queue and the extra charge was quiet reasonable. The view from the observation area was nice but unfortunately after the views we had seen over the last few weeks we were over it after about 20mins and on our way down. We grabbed a taxi and went to pick up our hire car. The girl working at the Hertz looked after us and for our weeks hire and one way charge + insurance we ended up with a better price that we had had from our Internet booking. The car also had a Navman “always lost” which we didn’t request but ended up using a lot over the next week.

 

We were on the road and back to the train station to pick up our bags before heading out of town heading south on Interstate 5. We stayed the night at the Best Western Plus – Tocoma Dome Hotel.

[Shazzah]

Looking forward to more. Good deal getting the rental car at a good price.

[tommycha]

Hi Silvertrees,

 

Look forward to more of your reviews.

 

We flew to Seattle from Fairbanks after our cruise and stayed a couple of days there too.

 

Went to Pike Place Market and the 1st Starbucks.

 

Was at Space Needle but didn't go up though... :)

[Assateague Island Princes]

More please....

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi Silvertrees, just starting to research for our Alaska trip in 2014. I did want to do a land tour of some description, and thought we would use a tour company. But reading your experiences it seems possible to do it by ourselves, as you did. We lived in Europe for a couple of years, so driving on the 'wrong' side of the road is not an issue. I like the thought of being able to stop and start as you please on the way and not be restricted by a tour group schedule. Thanks for taking the time to write such a good review. Yvette

[Silvertrees]

Hi BrusselsGirl07,

 

It is very easy to do a DIY tour in Alaska. We got a heap of information and assistance from these boards and would happliy recommend a DIY tour of Alaska to anyone thinking about it. We didn't see the point in going all that way without seeing as much as we could. It is a beautiful place and I hope to return again someday.

 

We spent a lot of time researching the differences between a cruise tour and DIY. We decided that DIY was the best way to go as it allowed us to do exactly what we wanted. Additionally I am confident that we saved money and were able to invest this into additional tours. Driving was easy, the only thing that took a bit of additional concentration was turning :)

 

Best of luck and I know you will enjoy your adventure.

[Silvertrees]

Today we are planning to travel about 650 kilometres, from Tecoma to Grants Pass, where we have booked our next nights accommodation. We don’t now what to expect and are very excited as we head off for a day driving through Washington & Oregon. We have one planned stop before lunch as by coincidence the Pacific Northwest Newfoundland Club was hosting their annual water test on the day we were driving through so we stopped at Horseshoe Lake, in Woodland, Washington, which appeared to by only just off the highway. We hit the road enjoying the drive and the changing countryside. We stopped in Woodland for for a puppy fix and to chat with the members of the club and were back on the road. Next stop was Salem as we saw an exit sign and went to have a look around. A visit to the Fire Station and a run in with some road works and associated road closures and we were back on the interstate and heading south once more. We stopped at a number of Vista Points and at whatever catches our eye. We pull into our hotel early evening and after checking in we head to the pool. It was great to just float around after a long day on the road. We headed across the road to the Applebee’s for a bite to eat.

[Silvertrees]

Today we are planning a long day on the road; we are heading to the coast and the “Giant Redwoods” on our way to San Francisco. We have no accommodation booked tonight as we have decided not to be locked in and we will just find something when we need to stop.

After a visit to Walmart for supplies, which is a great experience for us on its own, we are on the road leaving Grants Pass and the interstate behind us. Our first stop a cute little gallery with some amazing woodwork. The Burl and Gallery had both an indoor and outdoor garden studio, additionally we got to chat to the artists and watch them in action. Next we stumbled across the “Smoke Jumping Museum” which was a real treasure and definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Located at the Illinois Valley Airport at the old Siskiyou Smoke Jumper Base. It’s run by volunteers, who are ex smoke jumpers and are amazingly passionate and knowledgeable. They are currently restoring the base and it is only going to get better. We toured through the buildings and after some war stories we are back on the road.

 

A short time later we cross into California and start getting closer to the coast. The roads were windy and travel was a little slower than we had thought but soon we are heading into the start of the Redwoods. We get to Crescent City and visit the tourist centre before heading down the coast and into the Redwood forest.

 

Travelling the Avenue of the Giants, is a slow process as we stop to look at everything and negotiate the roads. The Redwood forest was just amazing and the size of those trees can only be appreciated by standing amongst them and looking up. We strolled the walking tracks and marvelled at the “Big Tree” which is near 100 meters tall and an estimated 1500 years old. We then continued south stopping at the “Big Foot Shop” and we headed for San Francisco. The plan was to get a few hours out and then look for somewhere to stay but as San Francisco got closer we decided to keep going. It was getting late but we pushed on and decided to try and get to the south side of the city so we didn’t have to deal with traffic the next day. It was about 10pm and we new we were close to the city then all of a sudden we were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. We were in San Francisco, now the next problem looking for somewhere to stay.

 

We ended up travelling right through the city and heading south to Pacifica. We found accommodation at the Best Western Plus Lighthouse Hotel, which had a waterfront location which we really enjoyed in the morning. After checking in we had to head out to grab something to eat and then it was time for a well-earned rest. We had travelled over 750 kilometres today not to mention the stops and walking and tomorrow we were off to explore San Francisco. Listening to the waves we fell asleep very happy with our days achievements.

[Shazzah]

Sure sounds like a wonderful day. You did a lot of driving, but also saw some beautiful areas of the West Coast. I wondered if you were bypassing San Francisco, but sounds like that is on the agenda still.

[andyn2013]

I'm starting my research for a 2014 Alaska trip.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write up your trip. It's very helpful!! :)

[Silvertrees]

Today we wake up to the sound of waves and after a sleep in we are off to the BART station to catch a train into town. The directions given to us by the hotel staff were spot on and in no time at all we were in the middle of San Francisco. We jumped on a tram to head to the bay. After a short time we realised that we on the right tram but going the wrong direction so we got a look at a bit more of the city than we expected. We jumped off and on another tram going the other way and in no time at all arrived at the waterfront area. We decided that the best way to see the sights in the time we had (1 day) was the good old reliable Hop on Hop off bus tour. We grabbed a ticket and a seat to begin the tour. Cruising the streets of the city was interesting and we travelled passed all the key locations. We wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge so we jumped off the bus and enjoyed the walk across and the views of the city and Alcatraz that it affords. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do everything and due to comments made by many people we decided not to visit Alcatraz. We saved it for our next visit. We walked the Haight/Ashbury area which we had heard so much about. We jumped back on the next bus to complete the tour. Back at the waterfront area we had another stroll as it started to get dark. We jumped on the iconic Cable Car for the ride back up the hill. We selected a little Jazz restraint for dinner and enjoyed the food and the music. What a way to end our day in San Francisco. After dinner we walked back to the BART station and caught the train back out. We arrived back at the hotel late and tired after another big day.

[jsscuba2]

On my previous trip to Skagway I found a website/brochure that gave you a mile by mile guide to the road and sorrounding area from skagway to Emerald Lake and beyound. Anyone know where I might find this information?

[WaggesAZ]

On my previous trip to Skagway I found a website/brochure that gave you a mile by mile guide to the road and sorrounding area from skagway to Emerald Lake and beyound. Anyone know where I might find this information?

We used the guide for $5 download last year found at www dot murraysguide dot com. Lots of helpful info & totally worth it! Enjoy your trip!