Alaska boondocking paradise by the river and then off to Chena Hot Springs Resort

[@TheSassySpoon]

What a great campsite on the river! Maggie and Amber sure had a great time! We are definitely putting this route on our Alaska list! The hot springs look awesome and I am looking forward to one of those martinis in an ice glass!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

It was a great stop, the hot springs felt wonderful and the ice sculptures and the martinis weren’t bad either. I good stop for sure.

[@lorrainequigley8313]

You two are adorable. ❤

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

That is so nice of you to say.

[@TeachandTugTravels]

Wow, you are making my list get longer for our second driving trip to Alaska. Y’all are finding the coolest Boondocking places. I’m taking notes! We are loving your videos and we are sharing them with our club members. Thanks for the videos. If you ever get to Clarksville Tennessee please look us up because we would love to meet y’all. We have hookups.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Our kind of friends. Has hookups 😂😂😂. Glad the videos are helping. Lots more to come. Tomorrow's video is of us going on the Dalton Highway. Talk about boondocking spots. 😂

[@WingsandWheelsAlaska]

Only one thing describes this video: ❤️. Miss you guys so much!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Soon. ❤️

[@lorenenoe4472]

Maggie has never looked so bright eyed as after swimming endlessly with her friend in the river...quick friends, long memories, thanks folks, stay safe! 🐕🐾🐾🐕

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

She absolutely loves Ember. She hasn't has not had that mwhybdog friends but Ember has been good for her. Maggie loves the water for sure. We are so glad you're part of this channel. Thank you! ❤️

[@spellmadam2947]

This was absolutely fabulous. My favorite so far. That still photo of Maggie on the river rock was a frame worthy shot. Spectacular.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank you! Maggie is a pretty easy photogenic subject who was very, very happy for this episode and what we were doing and the fact that she had her buddy Ember with her. Glad it’s your favorite and really glad that you let us know so we know what our viewers really like seeing. Much love from the 3 of us!

[@sharontaylor6286]

I just left there Saturday. Was there all summer with my daughter and granddaughters. Explored everything Did get to China Hot Springs too.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We may have passed you along the way. I hope you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for watching.

[@lindajoplin8054]

Awesome!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks, we appreciate you watching.

[@carolwerner4521]

You were lucky to be here this year. Perfect hot weather.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We did have wonderful weather, not at all what we expected. Thanks for watching.

[@ftkinsella]

From kids to big kids there is nothing like skipping rocks. That was an amazing spot to camp right on the river. The hot springs looked very relaxing. You made lifelong friends there with Wings and wheels. So cool to see a mother and baby moose. Such a memorable experience so far. You are blessed. Cheers!!!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

That spot was awsome for sure. Skipping rocks brings out the kid in all of us. The moose family added smiles to our drive away from our friends. Cheers dear friend.

[@davidzimmer2694]

So glad you had some good company to share that experience with. It's alway going to be tough saying good bye but the friendships and memories will last forever.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I agree. The pain of goodbye is proportional to the friendship and memories gained.

[@thoughtsinpassing2968]

It appears that it wasn't just Maggie who found their sweet spot on the river's edge. New friends along the way make sharing memories even more special, gone separate ways, but won't be forgotten. Thank you for sharing .

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Yes we all loved that spot. We have found so may like this one here in AK you guys are going to get tired of watching smile. Our best friends are made while camping and exploring. Thanks for making us smile.

[@sheilaqualls3148]

Awesome video! Looks like you made some life long friends! Very special. The hot springs looked very relaxing & the metal sculptures were very cool. Not as cool as the ice sculptures though. 😉😂😂 Skipping rocks! That brought back lots of memories of skipping rocks along the Mississippi River growing up. I think my record was like 7 or 8.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We loved the sculptures too. Skipping rocks never gets old. 7 is hard to beat 👍

[@Thesaltymedic36]

I like all the features of the Trevato Over the Revel but that ground clearance and 4wd is nice. Love the river camp spot, yeah Walmart is nice if you have to stay there but why when you can stay by that river. Nice video. 👍🏼

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We will always pick a river spot over Walmart any day. But sometimes a Walmart works too.

[@lustraveller717]

Wonderful video Beautiful campsite right on the river and then hot springs. You ARE living the life. It's always so sad to say goodbye to friends but I'm sure you'll see each other again. Safe travels!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

That campsite was one of the best for us so far. Goodbyes are hard but worrh it to have good friends. Thank for for watching and being so connected with us on this journey. 👍

[@HenryNotaro1]

I love it when Maggie gets the zoomies!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Zoomies! ❤️ We have a new favorite word for her. Thank you.

[@hebguy07]

Thanks for taking me along.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We are lucky to have you.

[@lindasaunders9893]

Made the same trip 12 years ago in a Dodge conversion van pulling a 16' 1959 Clip that we refurbished. The 2 month trip was our last before my Joe passed away. So glad we didn't put it off. Enjoy your travels and each other.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Linda we are glad you made the trip. Sounds fun pulling the Clip. We try to not put off things for the reason you said. You never know what tomorrow holds. Sad to hear your loss but we are so glad you're riding along with us and hope our paths cross soon.

[@lindasaunders9893]

@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle actually my daughter Leslie has just started her adventure in a Travata 59gl. Her adventure can be followed under The Ginger Walkabout. Having never rv'd before and a solo female she is learning as she goes. Happy trails.

[@Miss7971]

Some like it hot and some like it cold. Very cool. Waiting for Maggie to catch her fish though. Thanks for sharing and be safe my friends. Happy Trails!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

That was my grandfather's favorite saying/song. Really miss him. Still loving Alaska. Are you guys back in Florida this year?

[@ncdean62]

That perfect spot by the river looked like prime grizzly habitat! I am thoughly enjoying all the beautiful scenery any wildlife. Owens music isn't half bad either!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Well the music might be half good. 😂 We constantly had our heads on a swivel for bears. None showed up though. Did get a moose in camp though.

[@algray2604]

Am truly enjoying our trip thank you for some beautiful high lights it looks like you all are having a great time.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thank for for watching and being so connected with us on this journey. 👍 We are having the time of our lives on this trip. Glad it shows.

[@WhoaNellieRVAdventures]

Wow! Lots of amazing experiences! And you made some great friends. What more could you ask for? I'm thrilled you got to do this! ~Lucy

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Thanks sweet Lucy! It has been the trip of a lifetime for us.

[@maureentweedly]

Maggie definitely had her camouflage on at the river. Lovely spot.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

She did. She seems to blend in outside a lot. She loved that spot and her sweet friend.

[@actionnowoutdooradventures7937]

We made a lot of new friends traveling as well fishing still talk to most. Professor in new Mexico, retired admiral from Florida, and a bunch of Alaska natives.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Almost all of our best friends, other than lifelong friend, have come from camping. We meet the nicest out here exploring. Thanks for watching and commenting and beng connected with us. it means a lot to us!

[@jeanjoo1920]

I’m not entirely convinced you need 4WD, but you could have your van converted if you really wanted it. It’s not cheap, and you will take a hit in your fuel economy. You all look like you’re in your elements outs there. Love the footage of Maggie and Ember playing. Wonderful to have found such great travel companions.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I'm with you. Not sure it's necessary until it is 😁. I think our next van will have 4WD... maybe. Maggie loves Ember. It is good for her to have an active dog as a friend. It's made her more curious about a lot of things. Thanks for watching!

[@jeanjoo1920]

Lol. I’m not convinced a more curious dog is a good idea in Alaska...

[@constantcomment1954]

So you slept like babies by the river. You woke up crying every 2 hours? Great video!

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Yeah I don't why folks say that. 😂 Guess it means we didn't need a diaper all night huh? 😂

[@bobbidulanski2092]

Sweet home Alabama is the movie

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

You are correct. Thanks for watching.

[@charlescartwright71]

Raising a Travato by 1 1/2 to 3 and 1/2 inches for extra ground clearance might be a good intermediate step b/4 adding the extra cost of 4 w.d.

[@aaronstone4719]

Question on the Lp tank it seems small can you a week of cooking and hot water out of it

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

I guess like everything the answer is it depends. For us we seem to be refilling the LP about every 5-6 weeks. It has never run out and we don't know how much longer we could have stretched it. We keep water on LP/hot setting most of the time and rarely turn it off. We cook with LP 3-4 nights per week. And believe it or not we have turned the heat on at night 2-3 nights per week. We don’t worry too much about the LP as you can see. Fresh water and black tank size seem to be the limiting factors for dry camping stays. Hope this helped.

[@williamhope1327]

If you had it to do again would you go 4 wheel drive. What did you think of Jims Revel?

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We love Jim's Revel. Smaller than our Travato but awesome. Like the cassette toilet and bed setup. Not a fan of the bathroom though/yet. We talk about the need for 4WD a lot and to be honest we aren't sure yet. It's cliche but we really do love our Travato. For the money and the way we travel it's hard to beat for us. But you wouldn't believe how many Revel videos I've watched 😂

[@newhampshirejoe5975]

@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle I can see it for Alaska but in the lower 48 I think front wheel drive is fine.....just my thought

[@williamhope1327]

@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Thank You Big price difference between the Travato and Revel

[@aponoypi]

how long was the trip from crossing to Banff canada to the top of the world then to Homer..nice video.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We have lost track 😂 Banff to AK was about a week. We have been on this trip for 7 weeks now. 5 have been in AK. Everything that you can drive to here is less than 8 hours apart but we never drive that much while we are here.

[@aponoypi]

@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Thank you. Trying to convince my wife. Took her to kenai and homer to go fishing. Love the views there

[@sajithomas3627]

Could you send the exact location, we’re going in August

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

It’s been so long ago I don’t think we could find the exact location, and we don’t want to steer you wrong. We did use the iOverlander app to find most of our boondocking spots. We hope you have an awesome trip.

[@newhampshirejoe5975]

Always so hard to say good bye.....being in the military for many years I've had to say it many time but the worst time when when I left for Nam and had to say t to my mom .....ever sense then I only say see ya later .....

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Hey Joe! Thank you for your service our friend. Missed that one by just a few years. We have started saying see ya' later too. That's what we said to our friends in the video and you'll learn later that we actually had dinner with them that night. They were going to stay out on the road that night while we went on to Fairbanks to prepare for our Dalton Highway trip. They sent a text message to say meet us at a restaurant we love there. So it was see ya' later. BTW... See Ya' Later too our friend.

[@John-de8xs]

Was the movie you quoted “Sweet Home Alabama “ ?

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

+John Grant You, sir, get the prize. Not sure what it is. But glad someone knew the right movie. Thanks for watching and commenting and being connected with us. It means a lot to us!

[@anijohnson8082]

What we natives call Indian TV

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

Love it. Thanks for watching.

[@BillSprague]

I don’t think God counts time fishing or skipping rocks against our allotted time on earth.

[@VANTREKKINGlifestyle]

We feel the same way. 👍