Fairbanks, Alaska

     The drive today seemed easy because the road was so much better. We made good time and enjoyed the scenery with the beautiful Alaska range of mountains all around us.. We saw more moose again today - they are such huge, ungainly creatures. I never realized how very big they are until we see them in front of the truck.

     When we take for the day with the trailer we try to pack up everything really well. I do the inside and Rick does the outside. Each cupboard and compartment must be locked tight after checking that everything inside is carefully stacked. We have a lot of small plastic bins, plate, cup and silverware holders to keep the small things from moving around. After almost three weeks on the road we can do a pretty quick job of getting things tightened down. The chairs, table and sofa all have straps that tie them in place. Despite all of our carefulness, we sometimes miss something. Today one cupboard door was ajar when I pulled the slides in and the slide almost ripped the door off. Another repair for the handyman. When we arrived today, despite my careful packing, a cup fell out of the cupboard and fell on me when I opened the door. Ouch!

     We are staying at Rivers Edge Campground. It has good Internet access so we could catch up on what is going on at home and pay some bills. It is so good to be able to communicate with the family and know what is happening. We will be in Fairbanks for four nights. It is so nice not to be moving every day for a while. When we leave here we will be meeting the family in Denali. I am getting really excited. However, I read that there are forest fires on the road between Anchorage and Denali. Hopefully the fires will be contained soon and won't cause a problem for the folks driving from Anchorage to meet us.