For years I have been reading descriptive accounts and journals that I found on the Internet of RVers that have made recent trips to Alaska. One that I found helpful was Barb and Dave Mohr's Trip in 2004. Although 6 years old, Libby's Letters is an interesting journal of their Alaska trip

Last November, I ordered two books that many RVers say are essential - The Milepost and Traveler's Guide To Alaskan Camping by Mike & Terri Church. Lots of good information in both books.

The only flat tire I have had on my RV occurred in my driveway and I have yet to have a breakdown while RVing. But, for peace of mind on this Alaska trip, I purchased a one year Good Sam Emergency Road Service for $80.

Good check lists are indispensable. I have one that contains a list of items that we take with us. Since we are not fulltimers, things move back and forth between the house and RV. Over the years we have tweaked this list which is also used when we return from a trip and unpack the RV.

Another list reminds me of the things I need to do prior to a long trip. Some of the items on this list remain the same from trip to trip. I also have a checklist for getting underway which keeps me from riding down the road with my TV antenna extended.

Carol made some dark curtains for the RV bedroom windows and we covered the shower skylight and ceiling vent to block out the light. Actually, we did this a long time ago because Carol likes total darkness at night and it stays real dark in our bedroom even during the day. So, hopefully, we are ready for those 20-22 hour Alaskan days.

I carry my RV spare tire in the bed of my truck along with three 5 gallon fuel containers. It is nice knowing that there is an extra 15 gallons of fuel when I need it. Also, when traveling around the USA, we can often predict where fuel will be less expensive. Flying J, GasBuddy.com, and others post fuel prices online. With this information and the three 5 gallon jugs, we can often bypass the expensive places and arrive at the less expensive places with empty fuel jugs and save enough on fuel to pay for the cost of the jugs over a 4 month trip.

Here is a photo of my forward RV compartment. On long trips, I carry my toolbox and my Honda EM 3000 generator. There is enough room behind the Honda 3000 generator to store my Honda 1000EU generator, I rarely use my Honda 3000. When dry camping, it is there when we need to run the A/C, the microwave, or a hair dryer.

Behind the toolbox is my battery box which contains two Sam's Club golf cart batteries. I have considered increasing that to 4 batteries but I will wait until it's time to replace the original batteries. Just above the battery box is a 1750 watt inverter which I rarely use. It will run the microwave (but not for long). I use it primarily to watch TV when dry camping.

I installed this bicycle rack soon after I purchased this RV two years ago. It slides into a 2" hitch receiver which was fabricated and installed by a local welding shop. I like this hitch because I can easily move it to my tow vehicle which also has a 2" hitch receiver.

My RV doesn't have a bumper which is where a lot of RV owners attach their bike racks. Only one negative about my installation - I have to really watch out for places where the road makes abrupt changes in angle because the end of the bike rack will drag the pavement in those situations.