Today was the start of our great Alaska RV adventure. We took a 9AM flight from Seattle to Anchorage. Penelope did very well in the airport, and she was very excited when we told hr that we were going on an airplane. One advantage of Penelope being older is that we could put her down while we went through security and she will stay by our side (well, at least for now). She is also in a "helpful" phase, which means most of the time she is helpful. Having a seat for Penelope on the plane was really nice. We had a lot more room and were mucm more comfortable. The only problem was that Penelope was sitting in her car seat, which meant she could kick the seat in front of her, which she did a lot. Unfortnately, discipline doe not work well in confined places. After about 1 hour in the car seat, Penelope got bored and we played with her on our laps. Then she spent the last 45 minutes of the flight in her seat again. Overall, it was a lot better than before, but we're not sure about using the car seat again.
Once in Alaska, we went to pick up our RV. We were early for our reservation , so we had to wait. Then they showed us a how to use and not break the RV video. Penelope was very tired by this point (it was an hour past her nap time), so she went a little crazy during the video (crawling on things, rolling on the floor, banging the walls, and generally making a mess). After the video, it was time to meet our new temporary home. We rented a 28 foot RV with a sliding section. It is cozy but comfortable and fits us well.
Since Penelope was so tired, we got on the road as fast as we could. We drove down the Seward Highway, around Turnagain Arm, to Seward. Penelope fell asleep instantly and slept the whole way, about 2.5 hours. The scenery was amazing, and it was a very pleasant drive. The RV is a bit of a monster to drive, but I've gotten the hang of it. It really catches the wind, though, so going straight is surprisingly difficult. And it sure is wide. It pretty much takes up the entire lane, so you really have to pay attention to stay in the lane.
Once in Seward, Penelope woke up and we stopped to get groceries. We got all the food and supplies we will need for a week on the road, since we are not sure what will be available the rest of the trip. Then we drove to a waterfront campground in "downtown" Seward. It is a lot different than tent camping in the forest, but we have nice parking spot along the water with a great view of the mountains.
It has been a long, full day, so time for bed. We wake up early tomorrow for our boat tour of the Kenai Fjords.
Oh, one thing I forgot to write about. RVs are definitely not toddler friendly. In the course of about an hour in the campground, Penelope fell down three times in the RV. First, she fell down the stairwell (the door was closed, so she fell down, not out). Then she fell off the step from the bedroom to the rest of the RV. Then she fell of the bed!! This one was really surprising, because at home she is very smart when she is on our bed and stays away from teh edges. I think she was mostly tired, but she was sitting on the RV bed and dropped a piece of paper over teh edge by accident. She went to see where it landed, then for some reason, she reached for it. Well, before I could stop her, her giant head pulled her over the edge and on to the floor (yes, head first). It was pretty scary to watch, but other than some crying she was fine. She seems to be built well. The other problem with RVs and toddlers is that everything is within reach. The cabinets, the stove nobs, the door handles, everything. It is just too small of a space to keep thinks out of reach. We are dealing pretty well, and Penelope hasn't been too much trouble, but it is all so tempting for her. So, yeah, RVs and toddlers were not really made for each other.
Ok, now it's off to bed for real.