Today is ANZAC Day,  a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in wars, conflicts or peacekeeping missions and recognizes the contribution and sacrifice of all who have served. Anzac Day was originally established to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in World War I.

My friend, Bill McKenzie, is the great-grandson of Salvation Army Chaplain, William McKenzie, who ministered to the soldiers at Gallipoli. This recent biography tells the story of "Fighting Mac".

 

 

To celebrate these service men and women, here is the recipe for ANZAC BISCUITS -

 

A crisp tasty treat with good keeping qualities. Often sent to Australian soldiers at Gallipoli by loving families. The quantities given will make about 5 dozen biscuits.

           ½ cup butter

            1 Tbsp. golden syrup (such as Lyle’s, or substitute Agave syrup)

            ½ tsp. baking soda

            2 Tbsp. boiling water

            1 cup uncooked rolled oats

            1 cup desiccated coconut

            1 cup flour

            1 cup brown sugar

            2 tsp. ginger

 

Melt butter and golden syrup in a large pan over a low heat. Add baking soda mixed with boiling water. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then pour melted mixture into the center and mix to a moist firm consistency. Drop slightly rounded teaspoonful of mixture on to a cold baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cook for about 15 minutes at 350. Cool on a wire rack.
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The McKenzie family carries on the tradition of service in the Salvation Army. Our friend Bill's brother, Ian, is Executive Director of the Salvation Army Whitehorse Corps in the Yukon Territory. We look forward to meeting him on our trip

 

 

With less than two weeks until we depart, we've begun to organize our packing. Our route will be close to 4,000 miles and requires quite a few maps.

 

 

Our notebook has potential RV park stops along the way so we can avoid taking the three inch thick guide from "Good Sam". On our first Alaska trip, we found Traveler's Guide To ALASKAN Camping very helpful, and The Milepost has a vast amount of information and even tells where pull-outs along the highway occur - a great plus for picture taking.

 

We have clothing lists and a grocery list too. Our first day on the road will include a stop at the grocery store to stock our traveling kitchen. I'm sure we'll forget things and be stopping again on day two or three.

Which boots?

Here is the line-up of my hiking boots. The oldest are on the left, the newest on the right. We plan to do quite a few day hikes so the choice is an important one. The oldest pair are beginning to fall apart. They have taken a lot of punishment in New Mexico and west Texas. I could take them and ceremoniously discard them in Alaska. I'd have a bit of room in my suitcase for a souvenir or two.

The second pair have made three trips to the Grand Canyon and have seen both the North and South Rims. Maybe they need a long road trip.

Both the third and fourth are newish, replacements for the boots lost in our luggage in Santiago, Chile. Maybe one of these should have another tryout before our trip to Peru and Machu Pichu.

 

Which boots?

Counting down

We are beginning the countdown to our Spring Adventure. In a short couple of weeks, we'll fly to Chicago and take the chartered bus to Wakarusa, Indiana where we pick up our RV to drive to Anchorage, Alaska.

This isn't the RV, but it will be pretty much like this one. We've opted for the smallest we can get. Our theory is that the smaller the RV, the easier it is to drive. Norman has driven every single mile of our previous RV experience. Now he says, "It's your turn to drive."

Stay tuned, and we'll take you along on our trip.