Hello, Victoria

Transported by ferry across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, we arrived to Inner Harbor within 90 minutes.

While waiting in line at Customs, I called my sister, Deborah, who reminded me of her honeymoon road trip from San Diego to Victoria with film star, David Miller in 1975.

"Pardon me if it slipped my mind, but you do realize that was almost fifty years ago," I said. Then, I asked her what we should do in Victoria. "Ride the ferries to the islands," she suggested.

Then, all pumped up for the usual Canada wave through, we donned our masks as instructed and pulled up to the inspection kiosk.

Why did Living in Beauty cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca? 

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 8: Victoria, British Columbia appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Today we are celebrating our 6th "On-the-Road" Anniversary (2,191 days).

Tomorrow starts our 7th year.

Journeying overland to Alaska at our own pace, taking side-roads, detours, and changing plans as we go along, would be a disaster without our magic-kit of digital resources.

RVing for recreation, and the Forever Camping lifestyle are experiencing a renaissance. National, State, County, and City Parks are updating their reservation tools and camping resources. Travel apps are being introduced at an astounding rate.

Ever since we set out in July 2016, Living in Beauty followers ask us:

"How do you pick your locations and what websites and Apps do you use?"

As our Thank You to our followers and friends we are opening up our magic kit of digital trip-planning strategies. We believe in sharing. Everyone deserves to be Out There. So, voila …

The Living in Beauty Bag o' Tricks

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Captain Kirk or Jean Luke Picard? Vienna Sausages or Spam? Alligator or Bear attack? Lively debate eases the frustration of road closures, detours and delays due to flooding and wildfires as we journey to Alaska.

It's a silly mental exercise, but the conversation shortens the drive and relaxes Pico. Disney World or a hot air balloon ride? The Loneliest Highway or Route 66? The Odd Couple or The Mary Tyler Moore Show?

Respect your opponent – no falsities or absurdities – hold your position even if assigned by coin toss. Next topic is winner's choice. Our minds work in opposition so the game is about discovery not entrenching differences. There are no wrong answers, but some are better than others.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca was fake news, its existence shrouded in mystery for 200 years. Of course, it was there the whole time.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 7: The Strait of Juan de Fuca appeared first on Living In Beauty.

As we move north toward Alaska, we never know what we will be up against. Conditions are rarely what the guides project.

Currently, we are dealing with flooded campgrounds due to the early Spring melt. Entering southern Oregon in early March, we were prepared for harsh weather but not the thrashing we took.

The Oregon coast drew us in from California and spewed us out upon Washington, our bones stripped clean of any ideation that this wild, romantic land was ever intended for mere men.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 6: The Oregon Coast appeared first on Living In Beauty.

The dream of going to Alaska is almost instinctual, a kind of migration that is reborn within each new generation.

My folks made the drive without a cell phone. Using public pay phones they checked in once a week from Out There.

Now, with the Canadian border reopened after a two-year closure, we expect to share the Alcan Highway with a record-breaking number of senior retirees, their RV's packed tight with puffy coats, woolen underwear and touques, whatever it takes to meet the Alaska of their imaginations.

We're in the Alaska state of mind, on our way to a land that humans will never tame to submission, one that tests the resilience of man and beast.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 5: San Francisco to Eureka appeared first on Living In Beauty.

Magnificent bridges, beautiful public gardens, the oldest Chinatown in North America, an old island prison, and we don't know a soul who lives there.

That's all we had on San Francisco.

We figured The City would be cold, foggy, crowded and expensive.

Not so.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 4: Santa Cruz to San Francisco appeared first on Living In Beauty.

We said goodbye to Morro Bay and continued our journey north toward Alaska.

Traveling along the fringes of California we tied up loose ends - stopped to admire places we neglected in our youth and skipped past some old favorites.

Paso Robles - Castroville - Santa Cruz

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 3: Morro Bay to Santa Cruz appeared first on Living In Beauty.

The challenge is Time and Distance.

Perception can be deceiving, a mystery, unsolved. Turning back is a natural instinct.

But a steady focus on the goal closes the distance.

By late January we realized how much sense it makes to fly or cruise to Alaska. Someday we may do that.

But, if this overland journey is to be as much about going to Alaska as being in Alaska, then we will approach The Great North with all the tremor of a sixth-grader asking for a dance at the cotillion, employing as many short slow deliberate steps as possible.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 2: Malibu to Morro Bay appeared first on Living In Beauty.

On our way at last!

Since the moment we met Beauty in 2015, our thoughts turned to an overland journey to Alaska, a place we've never been. But, as new inductees to RV travel, we took a four-year pause for research and outfitting before daring the challenge.

"In due time" was our motto.

With many advisors and consultants on hand, in the end it is Jim's determination, forecasting and exquisite attention to detail which keeps our Alaska vision and progress on course.

Every two weeks we will report the high points, mishaps and discoveries.

The post Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 1: San Diego to Malibu appeared first on Living In Beauty.

"What's an RV resort?" is one of the most discussed topics on RV forums. Seems any park with hook-ups boasts the word "resort." Opinions range widely but everyone can agree: "you know when you see one." From what we've seen, Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay is the definition of a true RV resort.

The southernmost shore of the San Diego Bay is our home base – a place to surrender into the arms of our hometown and repatriate in the idyllic comforts of the Baja California / San Diego lifestyle.

Like the gray whales, we return annually to this enchanting corner of the earth – Chula Vista, our strategic base of operations – to recharge our Living in Beauty energy. 

There are several RV parks throughout San Diego County, but Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay is our newest sanctuary where we come to wrap-up a year's worth of intense travel and dream up ideas for the next Living in Beauty adventure.

The post Campground Review: Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay – Chula Vista, California appeared first on Living In Beauty.