Hello from Florida

[dschramm]

My wife and I are gearing up for an expedition from Florida to Alaska this spring and summer. We just completed our Journey from Alaska to Annapolis by boat, taking 5 years and visiting all the countries down the west coast, through the Panama Canal, over to Colombia and on up to Annapolis via the Caribbean Islands. (www.boatexec.com/Jenny.htm) I was a regular on the Marine Mobile Service Net (14,300), checking in whenever we were going on overnight passages. Since we will be going into wilderness areas, I was pleased to find this net. I need to figure out how to put rig on the vehicle.

We are still in the early planning stages. After a lot of research, we just purchased a 2004 Chanook Baja 4x4 and will be picking her up next week. Our current thoughts are to take off sometime in April and head to the base of the Rockies. Then work our way around the 4 corners area, and slowly head north on up through the Canadian Rockies and on to Kenai AK by July.

We'd welcome any advice, and parties interested in joining us.

[DaveK]

Welcome.

It sounds like you have visited some great locations.

If you were a participant in the Marine Mobile Service Net, I presume that you are a licensed general. If so, that is a great starting point for land travel. One of the most important pieces of equipment that we carry is the Ham radio. Did you use Sailmail?

We will be doing a trip to southern Utah (somewhat near the 4 corners area) in late April. I'll be posting some HF frequencies we will monitor during our trip and if you can, give us a call.

[Railsplitter]

Interesting itinerary there... I take it you are running I-10 West to the base of the Rockies, then turning north? If I were following that general route, I would make a point of visiting the following areas, despite small detours here and there...

1) The Alamo, RiverWalk, and Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, TX... I know these aren't wilderness areas, but who can resist a chance to tour the historic Alamo and trash around the RiverWalk?

2) Caverns of Sonora, TX... cool place to visit or camp.

3) Big Bend National Park, TX... excellent scenery there, not to mention rafting and other cool stuff.

4) Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX... whatever you do, don't miss an opportunity to hike up Guadalupe Peak, the highest peak in TX.

5) Carlsbad Caverns... if you visit Guadalupe, you're already too close to miss these famous caverns. Make a point of camping nearby and checking out the "Bat Flight" before touring the caverns the following day.

6) White Sands National Monument, NM... an interesting site, especially under a full moon (permit or stealth required to get out there in the dunes at night).

7) Organ Mountains, NM... these mountains have much to offer, and not many people are clued into them. A visit here makes the detour to White Sands negligible. Find the Organ Mountains on the Internet, and you'll see what I mean... if you're there early enough in the year, you can have a very pleasant stay.

8) Steins, NM... historic railroad and cavalry ghost town with excellent hiking and crags nearby on BLM land. You can find many historic artifacts simply by hiking across the desert between the ghost town and the crags which tower above it.

9) Cochise Stronghold, AZ... primitive campsites or choice bed-and-breakfast-style ranch houses nearby, with radical boulders and outcrops to be seen in the Stronghold itself. Approach from the west, rather than going down US191, otherwise you're in for a fairly long hike... LOL. Don't ask me how I know this.

10) Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ... straight shot up US191 (well, maybe not THAT straight... LOL), and primo scenery en route.

11) Mesa Verde National Park, CO... radical place, might as well take a small detour to check out Shiprock, NM, on your way to or from Mesa Verde.

12) Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, UT. If I had to choose, I'd probably visit Arches, but that's just my preference. Visiting both would be even better. Canyonlands is big: like NYC, you won't see it all in one day.

13) Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, WY (or UT)... awesome boating here, and primo hiking and climbing as well.

14) Grand Teton National Park, WY... stunning scenery with serious mountaineering opportunities. You probably already know that weather in these mountains can change quickly, so be prepared.

15) Yellowstone National Park, WY... BIG park with some crowded tourist areas, but you can still find solitude with little effort.

16) Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, MT... you're in big-time bear country here, so don't forget your bear spray. Excellent hiking opportunities, long scenic views at every turn while driving.

17) Banff National Park in Canada... I wouldn't miss it if I were following the general route you described, and you can still cut back down to the Vancouver Island area if you're intent upon heading that way.

Well, that's my $.02, hope you have a good trip, sounds like a blast for those into wilderness areas. Obviously, I'm omitting many fine State Parks and BLM land areas in this short list, due to time constraints in posting. If I were leaving Cochise Stronghold, I'd probably talk myself into visiting Tombstone and Kartchner Caverns, not necessarily in that order. Tombstone ("The Town Too Tough To Die"---LOL) has some tourist cheese nowadays, but there's no denying that some serious Western history went down there.

"ADIOS!!!"

[Railsplitter]

Oops, I forgot the Florida Mountains near Deming, NM... Florida Mountains, go figure, they've got your names written all over 'em. City of Rocks is cool, and Rockhounds State Park is worth a visit just for the mountain and desert views alone. Also, that Walmart SuperCenter in Deming is a good resupply point: I used to stop there all the time on my outbound trips to the Carolinas (via the Southern Route). In fact, if you don't already have one, I would suggest buying an "Exit Guide" at a truck stop early in your journey, as you can find much useful information in such a guide, especially if you want to travel "on the cheap" (i.e. save heller money) by stocking your cooler(s) en route instead of macking at restaurants all the time. When I was on the road, I never bought more than one restaurant meal per day, as I kept my cooler stocked with gourmet grinds and made a point of eating in primo view areas and whatnot. A hand can save a lot of money that way, believe me. If you like fresh hot peppers, stock up there in Deming at that SuperCenter, because their peppers are grown locally and they don't suck. Enough said, I'm outta here... don't forget that Exit Guide, because it can really help you plan your daily runs. "ADIOS!!!"

[cruiserlarry]

Welcome aboard OAUSA !!!

Sound like you spend an amazing 5 year journey, and now you're about to top it off with a whirlwind tour on land...I'm envious, since the longest vacation I've have in 20 years was 8 consecutive days, and that was once about 8 years ago....