From Northern Alaska to North Carolina's Crystal Coast

It's 4405 miles from Fairbanks, AK to Cedar Point, NC.  That's a long way to travel by highway and thankfully Ronnie was able to drive from Fairbanks to my Mom's in Coats with out any issues.  In fact, Ronnie drove the entire 10,288 mile round trip drive from Coats with out any major problems with the motorhome.  The Jeep even did well!  We are very grateful for a smooth trip and also thankful that the few complications we did encounter were easily solved.  After 2 weeks at my Mom's to enjoy time with her (and Ronnie spending several days cleaning the "nass-tee" motorhome as well) we're now experiencing some great summer-like weather here at the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. We plan to spend the fall staying in southern NC, being flexible with our schedule as the weather and our notions dictate.

Here's a few animal pictures from our last days on the Alaska Highway.

Tundra Swans

A buffalo herd lounging beside the road in British Columbia

A little further down the road, Stone Sheep licking salt from the pavement.

On our journey back to the lower 48 United States, we planned a four day stop in Edmonton, Alberta to visit the West Edmonton Mall. 
It is the largest mall in North America with an ice skating rink, water slide with wave pool, an indoor lake with a trained seal show, a huge roller coaster and amusement park plus 800 stores!  We walked the entire mall in about 4 hours.  We didn't ride the roller coaster or go to the water park and the ice skating rink was closed.  Instead, we just got some walking exercise that day and stayed in constant  amazement at an enclosed mall of this size.

This large indoor lake offered a pirate ship and a couple of trained seals putting on a show for school kids.

The indoor water park had a multi-tiered water slide complete with twisting tubes.

This is the wave pool section of the water park.

The ice skating rink was undergoing a million dollar renovation.

The indoor amusement park reminded us of the North Carolina State Fair!

We were shocked to see this huge indoor roller coaster and even more amazed to see it in action.  No Way!!

To compliment this unusual mall experience was this Chinese Grocery Store also located in the mall. We had never been in such an establishment, we were just fascinated by all of the different unusual foods and the array of brilliant colors drawing our attention every which way.  There were many different kinds of foods, most we had never seen before!

Here's an entire isle of soy sauces.

Whoa, look at all these different kinds of noodles..

This dessert display reminded me of  American artist Wayne Thiebaud's Cut Meringue Pies.

Who knew you could eat sweet potato leaves?

..and you could eat lotus root??

These must be the longest string beans I have ever seen!

Ahh...there is something soothing and relaxing while enjoying the familiar Crystal Coast of North Carolina and it's secluded, quiet Cedar Point Campground in the Croatan National Forest.  What a great place to wind down from our long distance trip.  We found familiar foods, familiar camping and we also got to revisit familiar friends from our time at Page Place RV Park.  (So good to see Ron&Barbara, Tammy, Johnny, Helen and Dean)

Finally, an all clean and shiny motorhome.

And familiar beaches too..a view of Emerald Isle from the Bogue Pier.

More Later..