SEQUIM — Bob and Enid Pheaner of Sequim will tell about road trips to and from Alaska with photographs of wildlife and wilderness scenery at the next edition of the 2022 Traveler’s Journal on Thursday.
The door of the Dungeness River Nature Center, 2099 W. Hendrickson Road, will open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. presentation, “Alaska: Spring North – Fall South.” Entry is a suggested donation of $5.
Traveler’s Journal is hosted by the Peninsula Trails Coalition to raise funds to buy project supplies and food for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail projects.
Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend the presentations and have vaccination cards available at the door.
Road trip
The Pheaners said that they didn’t get serious about driving to Alaska until they purchased a used Alaskan Camper, a hard-sided telescopic truck camper made in Washington state that was originally designed in the 1950s to handle the rigors of an unpaved Alcan Highway.
“It is relatively Spartan as RVs go,” the couple said in a press release, “but for former backpackers/tenters, the simple fact we could sleep off the ground and cook/eat inside is luxury. Plus, it is able to go off-road and off-grid.”
A Spirit bear enjoys his catch int he Great Bear Rain Forest, British Columbia. Photo by Bob and Enid Phreaner
They also couldn’t decide if a spring or fall journey would be best.
So they split the trip into two separate segments. Segment 1: Drive north in the spring, explore Alaska for 10 days, leave the truck camper in long-term storage and fly home. Segment 2: Fly to Alaska in the fall, pick up the camper, explore Alaska and drive home.
Faced challenges
“In late May 2019, we departed Sequim with a destination of Anchorage,” the couple said in the release.
”Our first challenge came when we learned that sections of the Alcan were impacted by smoke and wildfires.
“We quickly decided go northbound on the Cassiar Highway. This rerouting actually worked well as the Cassiar is recognized as providing better wildlife viewing.”
Curious Polar Bear cubs enjoy some family time in Kaktovik, Alaska. Photo by Bob and Enid Phreaner
“Early June is arguably the best time to bird in Nome with over 20 hours of daylight and birds sporting colorful breeding plumage,” they said.
“Nome isn’t just about birds. It is also known for a Gold Rush, the Iditarod and Muskox.”
They left the camper in a long-term storage lot and flew home in mid-June.
“In mid-August we reversed our course and flew to Anchorage, picked up our camper, and headed toward Fairbanks to explore,” the couple said.
”We next flew to the Inupiaq village of Kaktovik to watch polar bears. After Kaktovik, we celebrated Labor Day weekend with spectacular Northern Lights at Teklanika River Campground in Denali National Park before heading south, finally on the Alcan Highway.”
Before returning home to Sequim, they took one last side trip.
“In Vancouver, B.C., we parked our truck camper and flew to the Spirit Bear Lodge, an Indigenous-owned lodge in the Great Bear Rain Forest.
“The three days we watched black bears, grizzlies and spirit bears were amazing and a wonderful finale to our summer adventure.”
The Pheaners have become avid travelers since retirement and have explored many places in the U.S. and Europe as well as Papua New Guinea, Patagonia, and South Georgia Island.
They also enjoy such hobbies as birding, volunteering, woodworking, gardening and dog sports.
For more information about the Traveler’s Journal, email Arvo Johnson at amjcgj@gmail.com.
