We rented the motor home in June and spent a month exploring Alaska. Sorry, all my pictures are on film.
We went pretty much as far as we could drive, including a side trip to Dawson City in the Yukon, Canada. We tried to stop in a campground every few days so we could dump the tanks, and on other days just parked near a desolate road and woke up to find moose, bears, foxes, and other wildlife out our window. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best way to see Alaska.
We took two side trips, a whale/bird watching boat trip off the Kenai peninsula, and a flight to the northernmost point on the continent, Port Barrow (can't drive there) to see the sun circle us in the sky, never setting.
We saw a white wolf (supposedly good luck), a grizzly bear nursing her cub, moose, porcupine, badger, beavers, black bear, more birds than we could identify (even with a book), and so on.
We walked on a glacier, stood on the arctic circle, drove on gravel roads, pulled over at about 11PM when the sky got darker blue, and had a great time.
IMHO it's the best way to see Alaska. Some day we might take the cruise, but I'll wait until I'm older. I'd rather travel independently, at my own pace, and my own itinerary.
I worked on a cruise ship for 3 years as an entertainer, so ship life isn't special anymore.
The only 'tour' I took was to China. I didn't figure I could read the road signs or bus schedules - their writing is just to foreign to my eyes. If they used Latin letters, I could probably get around, but those wonderful looking characters are too complicated for a casual observer. We spent too much time in commercial areas and gift shops and not enough otherwise. I did get to see the great wall, terra-cota army, cormorant fishing, and lots of other great things though and I sure couldn't have done it independently.
We don't have a big house, don't have jewelry, drive modest cars, and spend our money on tickets. We prefer experiences to possessions. It's not for everybody, but it works for us.
Bob
