What a year! We travelled to the Arctic Circle and back in 2015.
Be warned, this is a looooong post. But we hope you enjoy a quick tour back through this most wonderful year with some of Hector’s favorite images.
Island Girl traveled a total of 12,345 miles.
We stayed in 88 campsites (29 of them were overnights and 61 were dry camping).
Visited 10 States, 2 Canadian Provinces and 1 Canadian Territory. And 6 veterinarians in 5 states and 1 Canadian Territory.
January
We began the year in Yuma with friends Doug and Trish and Tim and Becky. And a day trip to Mexico for a root canal.
Then headed to Anza Borrego for the “Pachanga” in the desert.
On to Quartzite and more friends: Mike and Linda, Todd and Russ, Mike and Kelly and Vince and Spencer.
After the desert we headed to the ocean.
February / March
We made a second winter stop in San Diego and met more friends.
Took a day trip to Mexico with Michael and Gloria.
While on a follow-up visit to the veterinarian we discovered that Angel needed to have surgery. She gave us quite a scare when she had to spend nine days in the hospital due to post-surgery complications. But she made it and is doing great.
We met friends Dennis and Jeanette in Encinitas and went to the Love Fest.
And we continued to have fun with friends in San Diego.
April
We had an alien encounter in the desert near Dulzura. And more fun with friends at the Sweet Oasis.
Then drove up US Highway 395 to the Alabama Hills.
And took a quick day trip to Death Valley National Park. It was a bit late in the season to visit and very, very hot.
Then a moving visit to the Manzanar Japanese internment camp.
Followed by a few days by the amazing Mono Lake with Paul, Nina, Todd, and Russ.
And a day trip to Bodie, a ghost town.
Then we explored beautiful Lake Tahoe from our base in Carson City, Nevada.
And drove across the Loneliest Highway in Nevada. A fitting warm up for the remote roads ahead.
And ended the month with an all too quick visit to remote Great Basin National Park.
May
We started heading north with purpose and covered a lot of ground.
Across Utah with a stop at the Golden Spike where the transcontinental railroad was completed.
Then a short but entertaining stop in Idaho.
Then an astounding springtime visit to Yellowstone National Park, which we planned early in the year. Spring is a great time to see wildlife in the park.
Quickly across Montana.
To Alberta to start the long journey across Canada. First a stop in Calgary to see friends Doug and Trish and Jim and Barb and meet new friends, Fernando and Diana and their daughter Elena.
And to do a little kayaking.
A long drive just to get to mile zero of the Alaska Highway. Then miles and miles of interesting stops.
A highlight of the drive on the Alaska Highway was Muncho Lake in British Columbia where we kayaked several days and hiked a bit with Angel.
June
We enjoyed soaking at the Liard Hot Springs.
As we entered the Yukon Territory the wildlife became more abundant.
We added our homemade sign to the >70,000 others at the Signpost Forest.
Sitting in the Parks Canada red chairs by the SS Klondike. They put these all around in the national parks, sometimes in really remote surprise places.
And stopped in Whitehorse, Capital of the Yukon Territory.
Then another stop at Kluane National Park to enjoy its spectacular scenery.
And a joyous and colorful First Nations gathering in Haines Junction.
As we continued deeper into the remoteness of the Yukon and towards Alaska.
1700+ interesting scenic miles after entering Canada we arrive at the 49th U.S. state.
First stop … Tok.
Then down the Richardson Highway towards Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska
Where we had unseasonably dry weather and enjoyed the abundant marine life. 
Saw the amazing Columbia Glacier.
Admired our national bird, there were lots of them around.
After Valdez we visited the Kennecott Mine ruins in Wrangell St. Elias National Park.
July
We made an early detour to Anchorage for a new clutch on the Subaru. From there we went to the Turnagain Arm of Cooke Inlet.
You never know who you might run into. We first met Chris and Cherie in Southern California, and here they were camping next to us by total coincidence. 
Our good friend Joyce joined us in Anchorage for a fun visit.
We continued with Joyce to Seward, the gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park.
A boat cruise to the Kenai Fjords is an absolute must. The wildlife and scenery were just incredible. 
We were lucky to see a large group of humpback whales bubble net feeding. 
We toured the beautiful area around Seward.
And saw even more of nature’s show.
We went out twice more on Prince William Sound to see MORE wildlife. Jaw dropping.
Looks like a sea monster …
Homer is on the other side of the Kenai Peninsula. We camped right by the ocean and were treated to bald eagles on the beach. Friends Jack and Karen camped nearby. Dan and Amanda, who were our neighbors in San Diego were working in Alaska for the summer and joined us along with their friends Lauren and Chad.
A fun day cruise to Seldovia on the Rainbow Connection treated us to the perhaps once in a lifetime sight of a whale spouting a rainbow. You can’t make this stuff up!
It was also Angel’s third time out whale watching! In both oceans no less. Last time was in Nova Scotia.
August
We headed inland towards Denali National Park.
Stopped in Funky Talkeetna, where the mayor is an old cat named Stubbs. Definitely a worthwhile side trip just south of Denali.
Then on to an almost overwhelming twelve nights in Denali National Park, seven of which we enjoyed the privilege of a pro photographer’s special access pass. MAGIC.
Denali left us pretty pooped … but many miles were ahead. We blew thru Fairbanks and Tok and headed east toward the Yukon. For the return we decided to take the northern route back up the scary Taylor Highway to the Top of the World Highway.
Island Girl rode a little ferry boat across the mighty Yukon River to reach Dawson City, site of the Klondike Gold Rush.
The signs are a little scary
Before heading south we made an unplanned turn to the north along the Dempster Highway to visit Yukon’s Tombstone Territorial Park. We heard it was beautiful and being late August we hoped the tundra would be turning autumn colors. 
Our most magical sunrise of the entire year happened on the day we struck out early to explore the Dempster Highway up to the Arctic Circle. Watercolor pastels over Two Moose Lake (alas … no moose).
Followed by a looooong drive across the most remote wilderness to the Arctic Circle. Stunning and desolate terrain. 
We spotted three Peregrine Falcons on the road with a fresh kill. They weren’t amused when we interrupted their meal.
Just a little mud was involved in our awesome little side trip up the Dempster.
With autumn getting underway it was time to head south in earnest.
We headed to Haines, Alaska along the incredibly scenic Haines Highway (another slight detour).
We enjoyed quirky Haines with its interesting characters and dramatic waterfront location. 
And made a quick day trip via ferry to Juneau. Not a very nice weather day but we saw some cool stuff nonetheless.
A very special treat while in Haines was our first ever sighting of the Aurora Borealis. Nature’s bounty in overdrive.
The Chilkoot River nearby was home to many bald eagles and coastal grizzlies. A momma bear and her two cubs provided hours of entertainment over the multiple times we spotted them.
