5,513 miles and 37 days — what a spectacular adventure it was, taking the Alaska ferry from Bellingham to Alaska, then driving (and camping) from Skagway to SW Florida. Some days tested my camping ability, but this trip was totally worth it … including never-ending cold rain in Alaska, sweltering heat and sideways wind in the west, annoying bugs in the south…and spectacular scenery around every corner, American fortitude documented in history and still thriving today, wild animals owning the land, and when <almost> everyone was asleep, the dark quiet night skies showed the way for millions of stars glistening above … just beautiful.

Landscapes

Someday I’ll be good enough to paint a few of these….crisp sunrises and sunsets (Alaska ferry), misty mountains (Mendenhall Glacier), ghost towns of the Klondike goldrush (Dyea AK), breathtaking mountain reflections in the turquoise alpine lakes (Jasper NP), caves of inspiration lining the walls of the giant Lake of the Ozarks, black trees from distilling (Lynchburg, TN)

Blossoms

From the gray Alaskan afternoons to the bright Florida mornings, some of the flowers seem to pop off the page. I think I’ll invest in better paints so I can capture the vivid colors more accurately.

Critters and stuff

Gotta try to paint these too!

our trip

#nucamp #t@g #traveltrailer #camping #roadtrip #alaskaferry #mendenhalglacier #alaskahighway #jaspernationalpark #billings #yellowstoneriver #badlands #mountrushmore #jackdaniels #blossoms #homelessinamerica #lovelifeeveryday