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Old 04-30-2012, 03:02 PM   #11
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

More Ideas:
Once you make it to the end of the road (aka Homer) and don't want to retrace the same route, consider taking the Tunnel @ Portage to Whittier and getting on the Ak Marine Ferry to Valdez (21 foot or under (that includes racks and fat bumpers) van $157 w/driver OW- about as much as you would spend on gas driving there) and drive out of state or to Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy. You will sail through a beautiful part of Prince William Sound. Drive out past the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal to great primitive van camping across the water from Valdez and looking at lot of mountains and peaks.

For the truly adventurous -with some $$ and time on your hands (not recommended for those who get motion sickness), take your van on the ferry from Homer to Kodiak Island. Lots of amazing scenery and good river and beach fishing with Eagles all around you (many more than you will see at Homer Spit)

for way less $$ take the private passenger ferry across Katchemak Bay to Seldovia and rent bikes (some with kid seats) it will stop on the way a puffin rookery.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

PS don't forget to bring ID for the Kids to speed up crossing the Border

the Alaska Mile Post has some good information - Amazon.com

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Old 04-30-2012, 04:41 PM   #12
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spenard
More Ideas:
Once you make it to the end of the road (aka Homer) and don't want to retrace the same route, consider taking the Tunnel @ Portage to Whittier and getting on the Ak Marine Ferry to Valdez (21 foot or under (that includes racks and fat bumpers) van $157 w/driver OW- about as much as you would spend on gas driving there) and drive out of state or to Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy. You will sail through a beautiful part of Prince William Sound. Drive out past the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal to great primitive van camping across the water from Valdez and looking at lot of mountains and peaks.

For the truly adventurous -with some $$ and time on your hands (not recommended for those who get motion sickness), take your van on the ferry from Homer to Kodiak Island. Lots of amazing scenery and good river and beach fishing with Eagles all around you (many more than you will see at Homer Spit)

for way less $$ take the private passenger ferry across Katchemak Bay to Seldovia and rent bikes (some with kid seats) it will stop on the way a puffin rookery.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

PS don't forget to bring ID for the Kids to speed up crossing the Border

the Alaska Mile Post has some good information - Amazon.com
Perfect, those are suggestions i could not of found online I really think that marine ferry to valdez sounds great. It'll mix things up instead of driving back on the same road. We're really just thinking of hitting Homer because of the possibility of doing some surfing so maybe the passenger ferry to Seldovia would be possibility. I just updated my 2010 milepost to the new 2012 that just came out
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Old 04-30-2012, 07:44 PM   #13
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Katchemak Bay and Ressurection Bays on the Kenai Penninsula are not known for big waves - unless they are caused by a seismic event. You need a town with direct exposure to the Gulf of Alaska -like Yakutat or Kodiak for big waves - unless you are windsurfing (Katchemak Bay on a windy day) or bore tide paddle board surfing on Turnagain Arm (check the tide charts): www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/23568/surfers ... e%20miles/

PS the water is Very Cold and murky from glacier runoff.
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Old 04-30-2012, 10:31 PM   #14
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

The little one might not much appreciate the memories just yet, but do look into seeing, (see attached link), the birds at http://www.birdtlc.net/

Be safe in your travels.
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Old 05-01-2012, 06:47 AM   #15
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Lets see if this upload of a PDF trip report works...... Hey it worked!!! The attached PDF file is the daily log from our Alaska trip. The index will take you to a specific page that covers a specific Alaska location, you don't have to read the whole thing.
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File Type: pdf 2003 05 Alaska.pdf (339.4 KB, 14 views)
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Old 05-01-2012, 08:46 AM   #16
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spenard
Katchemak Bay and Ressurection Bays on the Kenai Penninsula are not known for big waves - unless they are caused by a seismic event. You need a town with direct exposure to the Gulf of Alaska -like Yakutat or Kodiak for big waves - unless you are windsurfing (Katchemak Bay on a windy day) or bore tide paddle board surfing on Turnagain Arm (check the tide charts): http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/23568/ ... e%20miles/

PS the water is Very Cold and murky from glacier runoff.
Thats good cause i'm def not ready for any "big waves" yet I only get to go a few times a year and just thought it would be neat to say i've been surfing in Alaska. I saw some posts here http://surfalaska.net/201204/scoring
http://surfalaska.net/blog/page/9 about homer and ressuection bay. Maybe they wait all day for a wave like that....or longer
That 5 mile bore tide is crazy! What a neat natural phenomenon.
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Old 05-01-2012, 08:57 AM   #17
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Casper
The little one might not much appreciate the memories just yet, but do look into seeing, (see attached link), the birds at http://www.birdtlc.net/

Be safe in your travels.
Ya probably wouldn't remember it but im sure would still have a fun time seeing those wild birds in person and fairly close up. Thanks!
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Old 05-01-2012, 09:02 AM   #18
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Quote:
Originally Posted by LenS
Lets see if this upload of a PDF trip report works...... Hey it worked!!! The attached PDF file is the daily log from our Alaska trip. The index will take you to a specific page that covers a specific Alaska location, you don't have to read the whole thing.
Thanks for posting your trip report to download, i actually downloaded this i think a month ago from your "Alaska By Van - At Glacier Speed", its a great resource.
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Old 05-10-2012, 05:57 PM   #19
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Kids of that age can be really easy to travel with, if they are already used to sitting in a car for a while. We traveled quite a lot with our son when he was between 1-2 (well, we still travel a lot with him, and he's seven now). It's amazing how little it can take to keep them entertained at that age.

+1 on the bag of new toys idea. We've done that often. They don't have to be big or expensive toys. Our son would be super-excited about a new Matchbox/Hot Wheels car and would be good for a couple of days with it. He liked playing in the dirt a lot, so we'd get him Matchbox trucks, bulldozers, etc., which did double duty. Pretty much anywhere we'd stop he'd have dirt to play in. Of course, when camping, he looked like a giant dirt pile and we had to wash him down a lot, but he had fun.

We've never been huge fans of TV as a distraction for our son, but for long trips it's probably worth investing in a portable DVD player (or iPad or whatever) for those times when you have a really long drive ahead of you that you can't break up.

Toddlers want to move, though, so be sure to plan in lots of short breaks. Even five minutes of running around can work miracles.

Don't have your expectations too high for him (her?) being excited about things you think he should be excited about. You'll be "oohing" over the bald eagle overhead, and he'll be enamored with a rock. So it goes. Go with the flow; if he's having fun, you are having fun. As somebody else said, you are laying the groundwork now for him being a good traveler later.

We've driven to Alaska twice, both time in the 90s. Although some of the info is probably dated, you may get some good links on my website at http://www.brianwasson.com/trips/alaska/index.htm. As far as Alaska/Yukon goes, Dawson City is a neat place to visit, although pretty small. Tour the Parks Canada gold dredge site outside of town. Pretty neat. Drive up "Midnight Dome," just outside of town, which offers a full panoramic view of the town and rivers. There is a free ferry across the Yukon River there, which takes you over to the "Top of the World Highway" to Tok, Alaska, via Chicken, Alaska. If you are going early in the season before that road is graded, beware that it can be rough. Just across from Dawson there used to be a nice provincial campground. I assume it's still there. Also, there are plenty of places where you can free camp along the road as you head toward Alaska, including a BLM site or two.

If you are in salmon spawning season, you'll all get a kick out of seeing streams choked with them. Plenty of places to see this, although in the touristy areas you'll find streams that are probably more toddler-friendly with boardwalks and whatnot (e.g., in Valdez, just south of Anchorage, etc.). Another nice campground near Valdez is a bit north of town, up Thompson Pass, called Blueberry Lake State Rec Site. Although, it's often full. The other one that was recommended in Valdez, down the side road that leads to the Alyeska terminal, has a great view but is basically just a parking lot.

In Denali NP, the free dog-sled demonstration is always a hit with the kids (and adults). Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks has a museum that may have some fun stuff for all of you, too.

Honestly, in Alaska basically just do stuff that interests you, and build in some things that may be fun for your son, too. It's not like he will remember any of it. And, like I said, at that age rocks are just as interesting as world-class scenery and jaw-dropping wildlife.

Have fun!
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Old 05-11-2012, 08:00 AM   #20
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Re: Destination Alaska....with a toddler

Watching this for our baby's first trip
lets see, 14 months old.... we have to wait till summer 2014 :)

at least i have time to plan
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