Definitely go for it, but my suggestion would be to go earlier in the season. I didn’t arrive until mid-August, and the rain started within a week or two of that. I think June and July might be less rainy, especially in the interior.
Thank you, CB! I don’t mind the occasional rain shower or gloomy day (the better for writing!), but weeks and months on end of rain is tough when the outdoors is your living room.
I'm so sorry you endured so much rain in Alaska. I suppose we lucked out on our trip there. We had more sun than rain. I sure hope things get better for you in the Baja. My cousin is making her way down there from British Columbia the beginning of November in her Westvalia and her 4 dogs.
We received your postcard just the other day. Thank you so much. I'm really enjoying your posts and looking forward to reading more. Safe travels!🐶🐕
I think that’s where I went wrong, arriving too late in the season! Next time I go north, I’ll aim to arrive in May or June and enjoy the whole summer.
My Baja plans are on hold for now... stay tuned for my next essay!
I adored reading this and - your words brought your journey to vibrant life. As someone who is also solar charged I felt a lot of resonance with how the climate around us impacts on our whole selves. Thank you for sharing your travels with us.
Thank you, Helen. I think I knew in my body but not yet in my brain how deeply the weather affects my mood. The stark contrast of two months of rain juxtaposed with my sudden arrival in the desert made this fact very apparent!
Loved this post. Gorgeous photos. I'm forever astounded by the distances Americans travel, and are prepared to travel. Here in Britain if we have to drive more than 100 miles we pack flares, extra supplies, and make sure our Last Will and Testament is in place. By the way, my ruminations about pre-and post-internet writing, which you expressed an interest in, are here: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/start-the-week-44
Terry, you always make me LOL! 😆 How interesting to consider the ways in which our geographies constrain or liberate our travels. After I’d driven 5000 miles in two weeks (which I wrote about here: www.lizexplores.com/p/i-have-arrived), a detour of several hundred miles felt like a walk around the block. Europe is indeed on an entirely different scale, though how lucky you are to be able to visit entire different countries and cultures in an afternoon train ride!
As someone who was born and raised on the south coast of Alaska in one of the rainiest towns in a state full of very wet places, reading your perspective of this was very fun and made me laugh to myself a little. Did you ever see little kids in those full body rain suits with the zipper down the side? They’re very cute. Also glad you made it to the Sea Life Center in Seward. I hope you picked up a pair of Xtra Tuffs when you were there!
Angie, please tell me: HOW DID YOU SURVIVE so many days and months without sun?!!! Are rain-suited toddlers enough to life one’s spirits amidst all the wet, gray days?
I tried to buy an ankle-high pair of those boots in Skagway, because I could no longer stand the FOMO, and I was tired of wet socks in Crocs. I wanted the real thing but decided there was nowhere to store a pair of tall boots in my van. Now that I know the brand name, I am going to order a pair of pink and teal ones on Amazon! I’ll buy the tall brown ones when I move to Alaska, I promise.
Haha honestly the darkness in the winter was very hard. I used to need like 10 hours of sleep a night during the winter and still felt tired all the time. And the rain does get old. I think most of us cope by finding things we can do indoors when it’s bad. Now that I live somewhere warmer and very dry, I miss the rain and the storms with intensity.
Nice! The little ankle height ones are pretty cute. Local tip, you can roll the tops of the tall size down so they’re half height, or fold them down over themselves twice so they’re even shorter for storage. It also helps the insides dry out more effectively if you’re like me and your feet sweat.
I think it definitely is. I wrote a little piece about that a while ago that’s somewhere on my Substack actually. I also think that if I moved back and tried to be there long term, I would change my mind haha. It’s easy to romanticize these things when we don’t live with them every day.
Haha there you go!! Get some Grundens rain gear and some carhartts and nobody will ever know you’re not from there!
I think the piece you are talking about is the one that first connected me with you. I thought it was brilliant! I loved hearing a real Alaskan’s perspective on the weather. And thanks for the wardrobe tips!
Liz, this post makes me homesick for my home state of Utah. Spending time under those big blue skies, and sleeping under the stars amidst those incredible red rock formations, always makes me feel both safe and strong. I'm thrilled to be able to follow along with your journey of liberation and adventure during this season of your life, and to see how much your readers are engaging with it. Cheering you on!
I had no idea you were from Utah, Ryan! Where do you live now? Do you get back to visit much? It is such beautiful country. I am grateful that you’re following along on my journey!
I have lived in Alaska for 43 years. This summer, while not the rainiest on record (at least in Anchorage), had the greatest number of rainy days. Even by Alaska standards, it was pretty awful. We finally got a bit of sunny breaks in late September and October, though yesterday I shoveled 25 inches of compacted, heavy, wet snow that had fallen over the last three days. We had an incredibly snowy winter last year, reminded me if where I grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! While I long for some sun, the days grow shorter and shorter (another thing they don’t tell you about is the flip side of the “midnight sun”.) Winter, which lasts six months, is always a struggle due to the lack of sunlight, the weather being a rather minor inconvenience--nearly always!
My husband worked on the trans-Alaska pipeline in the mid to late 1970s. After he was laid off he returned to his hometown in northern Wisconsin. I met him at a restaurant where both his mother and I worked when I lived across the border in upper Michigan. We married in 1980 and moved to Anchorage as job prospects and opportunities were pretty bleak in our part of the country.
Oh wow! I keep trying to convince my husband to look for work in Alaska so we can return for a longer stay. He spent 10 years offshore in the Gulf as a commercial diver, and has done rigging and construction since he moved to New Hampshire, so I’m sure he could find something to do up there!
That was epic! Thanks for bringing us along, Liz! Alaska is still on our bucket list but oh, what an adventure you are on--kudos! Mud rooms in Alaska; makes sense!
Rain is for sure a tough challenge in the road
You’d know better than anyone, Gila, living for so long out of your vehicle!
I’m so sorry you had so many rainy days. Your experience puts a question mark on my thoughts about exploring Alaska.
Definitely go for it, but my suggestion would be to go earlier in the season. I didn’t arrive until mid-August, and the rain started within a week or two of that. I think June and July might be less rainy, especially in the interior.
This sounds like such an incredible adventure, but the rain would get to me, too. Thanks for the update!
Thank you, CB! I don’t mind the occasional rain shower or gloomy day (the better for writing!), but weeks and months on end of rain is tough when the outdoors is your living room.
Hi Liz
I'm so sorry you endured so much rain in Alaska. I suppose we lucked out on our trip there. We had more sun than rain. I sure hope things get better for you in the Baja. My cousin is making her way down there from British Columbia the beginning of November in her Westvalia and her 4 dogs.
We received your postcard just the other day. Thank you so much. I'm really enjoying your posts and looking forward to reading more. Safe travels!🐶🐕
Darlene Gregory
I’m glad your postcard arrived, Darlene! What time of year were you in Alaska? I need to know when is the sunny time to visit!
We arrived in Alaska the beginning of June. We even swam in a lake there on the 11th of June. We lucked out I suppose. 🤗
You must be looking forward to the Baja.
I think that’s where I went wrong, arriving too late in the season! Next time I go north, I’ll aim to arrive in May or June and enjoy the whole summer.
My Baja plans are on hold for now... stay tuned for my next essay!
😊
I adored reading this and - your words brought your journey to vibrant life. As someone who is also solar charged I felt a lot of resonance with how the climate around us impacts on our whole selves. Thank you for sharing your travels with us.
Thank you, Helen. I think I knew in my body but not yet in my brain how deeply the weather affects my mood. The stark contrast of two months of rain juxtaposed with my sudden arrival in the desert made this fact very apparent!
Loved this post. Gorgeous photos. I'm forever astounded by the distances Americans travel, and are prepared to travel. Here in Britain if we have to drive more than 100 miles we pack flares, extra supplies, and make sure our Last Will and Testament is in place. By the way, my ruminations about pre-and post-internet writing, which you expressed an interest in, are here: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/start-the-week-44
Terry, you always make me LOL! 😆 How interesting to consider the ways in which our geographies constrain or liberate our travels. After I’d driven 5000 miles in two weeks (which I wrote about here: www.lizexplores.com/p/i-have-arrived), a detour of several hundred miles felt like a walk around the block. Europe is indeed on an entirely different scale, though how lucky you are to be able to visit entire different countries and cultures in an afternoon train ride!
As someone who was born and raised on the south coast of Alaska in one of the rainiest towns in a state full of very wet places, reading your perspective of this was very fun and made me laugh to myself a little. Did you ever see little kids in those full body rain suits with the zipper down the side? They’re very cute. Also glad you made it to the Sea Life Center in Seward. I hope you picked up a pair of Xtra Tuffs when you were there!
Angie, please tell me: HOW DID YOU SURVIVE so many days and months without sun?!!! Are rain-suited toddlers enough to life one’s spirits amidst all the wet, gray days?
I tried to buy an ankle-high pair of those boots in Skagway, because I could no longer stand the FOMO, and I was tired of wet socks in Crocs. I wanted the real thing but decided there was nowhere to store a pair of tall boots in my van. Now that I know the brand name, I am going to order a pair of pink and teal ones on Amazon! I’ll buy the tall brown ones when I move to Alaska, I promise.
Haha honestly the darkness in the winter was very hard. I used to need like 10 hours of sleep a night during the winter and still felt tired all the time. And the rain does get old. I think most of us cope by finding things we can do indoors when it’s bad. Now that I live somewhere warmer and very dry, I miss the rain and the storms with intensity.
Nice! The little ankle height ones are pretty cute. Local tip, you can roll the tops of the tall size down so they’re half height, or fold them down over themselves twice so they’re even shorter for storage. It also helps the insides dry out more effectively if you’re like me and your feet sweat.
How funny that despite the challenges, you long to return to the rain! The climate of where we grow up must seep into our DNA somehow.
Thanks for the pro tip about folding down the rubbers! I am going to look so legit the next time I’m in Alaska. Maybe I’ll even bring a flannel shirt.
I think it definitely is. I wrote a little piece about that a while ago that’s somewhere on my Substack actually. I also think that if I moved back and tried to be there long term, I would change my mind haha. It’s easy to romanticize these things when we don’t live with them every day.
Haha there you go!! Get some Grundens rain gear and some carhartts and nobody will ever know you’re not from there!
I think the piece you are talking about is the one that first connected me with you. I thought it was brilliant! I loved hearing a real Alaskan’s perspective on the weather. And thanks for the wardrobe tips!
Your descriptions take me right there as if I'm on the journey next to you. Blessings to you and your full -in on being real!!
Thank you, Meg! I appreciate knowing that my writing paints a picture for you. 🖼️ I’m happy to take you along on my journey!
I love your journey! And the wisdom accompanied! Travel safe!
Thank you so much, Deb! I’m glad you’re enjoying reading about it. 😄
Liz, this post makes me homesick for my home state of Utah. Spending time under those big blue skies, and sleeping under the stars amidst those incredible red rock formations, always makes me feel both safe and strong. I'm thrilled to be able to follow along with your journey of liberation and adventure during this season of your life, and to see how much your readers are engaging with it. Cheering you on!
I had no idea you were from Utah, Ryan! Where do you live now? Do you get back to visit much? It is such beautiful country. I am grateful that you’re following along on my journey!
I live just north of NYC now, but lived in UT until I was 15! This post has a bit of that backstory -- complete with tales of camping on BLM land. :)
https://ryanroseweaver.substack.com/p/passing-on-an-ethics-of-permission
Somehow I just saw this comment, Ryan! Thank you for sharing your piece about growing up in Utah. I look forward to reading it!
I have lived in Alaska for 43 years. This summer, while not the rainiest on record (at least in Anchorage), had the greatest number of rainy days. Even by Alaska standards, it was pretty awful. We finally got a bit of sunny breaks in late September and October, though yesterday I shoveled 25 inches of compacted, heavy, wet snow that had fallen over the last three days. We had an incredibly snowy winter last year, reminded me if where I grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! While I long for some sun, the days grow shorter and shorter (another thing they don’t tell you about is the flip side of the “midnight sun”.) Winter, which lasts six months, is always a struggle due to the lack of sunlight, the weather being a rather minor inconvenience--nearly always!
Just my luck that I picked one of the rainiest years to visit! It sounds like the sun returned as soon as I left.
It’s on my bucket list to spend a winter in Alaska. I know the daylight will be a struggle, but I’d love to see the northern lights!
I’d love to hear, why did you move there?
My husband worked on the trans-Alaska pipeline in the mid to late 1970s. After he was laid off he returned to his hometown in northern Wisconsin. I met him at a restaurant where both his mother and I worked when I lived across the border in upper Michigan. We married in 1980 and moved to Anchorage as job prospects and opportunities were pretty bleak in our part of the country.
Oh wow! I keep trying to convince my husband to look for work in Alaska so we can return for a longer stay. He spent 10 years offshore in the Gulf as a commercial diver, and has done rigging and construction since he moved to New Hampshire, so I’m sure he could find something to do up there!
That was epic! Thanks for bringing us along, Liz! Alaska is still on our bucket list but oh, what an adventure you are on--kudos! Mud rooms in Alaska; makes sense!