Up and Down and all around...

October 4^th.

We got up and packed the rest of the van. Stopped at the Cup and got our coffee from Ann and Tony. They made us a little “travel” bag. Super sweet and appreciated. Stopped at the Pit and said goodbye to Shelly and Suzie.

The drive to Anchorage was quite amazing. Beautiful fall colors. Leaves were yellow as mustard, orange as flames and red as apples. The mountains look like someone freshly sprinkled powder sugar on them. Highway so much emptier, peoples paces seemed much slower. Maybe the highway being empty just made it feel more relaxed. Or maybe we are just like all those summer travelers with not a lot to do, so we are taking our time and enjoying it all. As the sun beats against my pale face and rain drops tap the window I am reassured that this was and is a trip/adventure that is much overdue. The music is so low it’s almost silence that fills the van. A peaceful silence that makes me take in so much more of the beauty that surrounds us. I am in some cases the luckiest girl to have a boyfriend so tranquil and peaceful, who reminds me that there is no need to be “chatty.” I really think I’ve learned more so to appreciate it, most of the time.

We stopped in Anchorage and had lunch with Madison at Gallo’s. As always it was super delicious and wonderful to get to say goodbye to her. Although, Freddy said he had dishwater iced tea.

The mountains in Alaska are pretty much amazing everywhere in Alaska. How do you pick a favorite or say that one has more beauty than another? They are all pretty splendid. I was good to see them outside of Chickaloon all lit up by the sun that was shining over them. We stopped along the road by the Matanuska River because we were all so breath taken.  I was reading the Milepost starting in Anchorage so knew that the Matanuska Glacier wasn’t far up the road. Another pit stop. J Apparently, some 18,000 years ago reached all the way to Palmer. It spans 2 miles wide and some 27 miles long.  It was then that I asked “does it bother you that I’m reading all this stuff out of the Milepost to you?” To which he replied, “You don’t have to read me the entire thing.” I then kept most of what I learned to myself. Except the really cool things. I’ve learned more about Alaska and Canada on this trip then my entire time in Alaska.

We made it to Tok. It was kind of snowing on the way in. Stopped at an RV park and of course they were closed.  We were going to see about parking at Chevron but Freddy said that it looked like a scene from Deliverance inside. So we went to Fast Eddy’s and asked to stay in the parking lot of the motel/restaurant. The teenager behind the counter said; go for it, so we did. So it was our first night of popping the top, moving everything up top and rolling out our sleeping bags. I had a grumpy boyfriend who needed to eat and eventually at 2 not so great peanut butter sandwiches. I just went to sleep. Woke up a couple time to very cold weather. Tucked myself deeper in my sleeping bag and slept some more.

October 5^th

 The morning was definitely not like a Folgers commercial.  7:15 A.M. alarm, cold, numb hands and had to put the top down and all the gear away. Ugh!

Note: Rico asked to drive, I was a little bummed. But I agreed.

 By 8:15 or so we were on the road. Not a latte in sight. (Ann and Tony, we miss you!)

The only thing that I could think when we left Tok was that there were so many trees. Not even Bob Ross could have painted that many “friends.” The snow started flying and gradually gained more momentum as we kept trekking on. Then on top of the snow, it was like riding a buckin’ bronco through the not so nice roads in the final miles of Alaska and into the Yukon. The snow is attracting to the windshield wipers like lint to a roller. Stopped 3 or 4 times to clean them off. It was a full blown snow storm. Oh, happy day.

Note: So happy I’m not driving!

Snow abruptly stopped and the sun decided to grace us with its presence. We stopped in Burwash Landing. Still no latte or shower for the matter. Drove down the hill to the lodge by the lake, Super beautiful, windy, but beautiful. Got gas from an old man back up the hill (that Rico swears ripped us off.) I think gas is just more expensive in the middle of nowhere.  Little did we know that Destruction Bay was just up the road? Gas was probably cheaper but I didn’t actually look. They had hot showers though.  They were in the laundry mat that smelled like a big fart but they were hot. So we took advantage and washed the days road funk off. Had a good meal and continued on our voyage.  

Saw a huge pack of caribou. It's so neat to watch them. They were very kind and waited to cross after we went by.

Snow continued on and off. Mostly rain though.  We made it to Whitehorse! Due to all of my hearty reading about Canadian towns and provinces, I found an awesome campground/rv park with a power hook-up. It is called the Tahkini Hot Springs (yes, pronounced just like Matt’s last name J.) We pulled in to see a building with the pool attached and steaming. It’s a beautiful setting. It's a very wooded and secluded area to camp. We pulled the van and Hoku’s truck to our spot and Hoku and I b-lined it to the pool and soaked the “being in a car” feeling away. No one can stop this girl from enjoying a natural hot tub. This place was amazing if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend staying. Or at least stopping for a nice soak. Rico said that he didn’t really want to swim, the woman behind the counter piped up and said, “It’s a hot tub, you don’t swim in a hot tub, you relax.” It was kind of funny. I guess she was right. It was very relaxing. It was lit up in the dark night by rope lights and a few lamps. It was great just to do nothing.

Before we got back, Rico had the top popped, everything put away and had already made Top Ramon on the stove. This is the first time that the stove had been used by either of us. He then volunteered to cook Mac and Cheese for Hoku and I. Oh what a magnificent ending to a great day. I was eating Sponge Bob Macaroni out of the pot.

10/6

Early Rise again. Who knew waking up early could be so fun? Went and gassed up. The guy behind the counter gave me crap and I think had drunk too many Red Bulls or coffee. He was pretty funny though. Hoku had wanted to stop at a Wal-Mart so I asked where it was, he laughed and when I asked why, his response was, “everyone knows how you Americans love Wal-Mart.” I guess he’s right, not that I really like it too much. We have become a Wal-Mart-McDonalds kind of society. He mentioned going to Canadian Tire instead, to which I replied that I didn’t want tires. I’m sure he thought I was a real idiot. I later saw that it is like a Wal-Mart. Who’d thunk it? Stupid name for it anyways. It was déjà vu though going to the Wal-Mart there. It was the same one that Katie and I had stopped at the first time we drove up and all the alarms were going off and people were running out. Still not sure what that was about. Weird.

Heavens almighty we found a latte! Even though it was a Starbucks, last resort people. We both agreed that it’s pretty bland. (We still miss you Tony and Ann.)

Hoku needed an ATM so we ventured downtown. I snapped a few photos. Kind of wanted to walk around a bit but the boys aren’t quite as spry and adventurous as I am in the wee hours of the morning. So here we are on the road again. I decided that I would try to type while sitting in the passenger seat. Might be easier to do it this way, than try to write it all again when I find internet access.

My battery just died and guess where I charged it? In Hoku’s truck! It’s the strangest thing, I never would have thought. He has a mini Radio Shack in there. A plug, switch, adaptor or cable for everything.

We just ate at a little place called, Rancheria. It was pretty tasty. We all learned what “add poutina” meant. It’s when they put gravy and cheese on your fries or potatoes. Hoku and I both tried it, it was pretty alright. It’s so very, very Canadian. And Rico and Hoku saw their very first peanut butter packet on the table. Ah, the little things.

We are on our way to Watson Lake and Liard Hot Springs. We're going to camp there for the night. And of course soak. Fill you in on how it went.

10/7

Happy dividend day Alaska!

We entered beautiful British Columbia with the sun wanting to shine on us. And, of course, fresh buffalo poop along the road. Or I assume that is whose poop it is.

We stopped at the famous Watson Lake Sign Post Forrest. It was a cool, drizzly day but still wonderful to walk through and see that people from all over the world left their mark in this small Canadian town. It started in 1942 by a lonely soldier, Carl K. Lindley. He was doing construction on the Alaska Highway at the time. People are still adding their signs and they say that there are more than 61,000 signs there now. I had a Sharpie and left a few messages there.

Dude at the gas station informed us Liard is 2 ½ hours away. On the road again…

We hit the mother load of buffalo. So it must have been their poop after all. There were dozens of them. I always think I’m more ballsy than I really am, we pulled pretty close until one started to walk towards us, I got a bit freaked. They are amazing animals, very intriguing to me.

The sunset is wonderful tonight. The clouds are as pink and fluffy as cotton candy. The reflections of the sun and clouds on the river running through the valley below are not the shabbiest of sights.  It seems that the clouds change color every time I look up. Simply amazing.  Remember when you were a kid and you would fill those cheesy plastic bottles up with layers of different colored sand? That is what the sky above me looks like now. I was layered in pinks, blues and peaches.  Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for a good sunset.

We arrived at Liard Hot Springs around 8 P.M. give or take. We pulled in to a wooded area, passed up the shack that we should have paid because no one was in it. (If the camp host should ever read this, I’ll send you a check, if you let me know what we owe you.) It was kind of confusing in the dark. Finally Rico asked some people and they said the guy would come around and showed him the boardwalk to the springs.  We pulled into a camping spot and grabbed our stuff and we were off. Imagine walking down a long unknown boardwalk with frost starting to accumulate in spots and not really knowing where you are going.  Rico is in front of me with a flashlight, I have my headlamp and Hoku is heard from behind only by the winding of his flashlight. Its pitch black and a steady mist were falling in front of my headlamp. The water on the sides of the walk was actually gurgling and signs warn of wildlife that may be out there. The smell of eggs tells me that we are getting close and then I see the steam.

Before going into the changing room I walked towards the pool area and I didn’t see anyone or anything. I said, “Hello,” in a funny voice and a man answered me, telling me that the water was nice, to come in. It kind of caught me off guard.  I changed and got in, didn’t even know my boyfriend was in until I heard him talking to someone. Sitting in the dark pool surrounded by trees that have probably been there for generations and generations, looking up to the clearest starlit sky I may have ever seen. It felt like we could see every star up there in that big black sky. Rico and Hoku were on the hunt for UFOs of course. They swear they found some. It was so unexplainably beautiful.

The alarm went off at 7:30 AM this morning and packed up. Rico woke up with a warm shirt to put on, he had a plan to sleep with the next day’s shirt so he would have it warm when he put it on. It worked! He’s a smart fellow. Not disgustingly cold like a couple nights ago. But the sweet, sweet van wasn’t ready to get up and conquer anymore highway. She must not have slept long enough. We tried to jump ourselves, we have 2 batteries in the van but due to not plugging in they weren’t charged.  She was not having it. Hoku pulled up beside us and jumped the battery, when that wasn’t working he plugged in our oil pan. Still no go. Finally, unloaded everything and popped the hood and there was something unplugged. I won’t even try to explain, I’ll end up using words like, thingy and do-dad. I am not engine savvy nor will ever claim to be. After the “thing” got put back on she fired right up. This seems like it went very quickly but actually took an hour and half or so.  Hoku came up with a quote during this time, “let out all that anger to make room for patience.”

It’s a cool, brisk and foggy fall morning in B.C. The fog has started to ascend and lay like a sheet over the mountain tops and sides. The odds of seeing a tree with more than a dozen leaves on it now are slim to none. Even the bare trees up against the evergreens and pines have a beautiful maroon glow.

We stopped at a pull out to enjoy the green and blue shades of Muncho Lake. This is one of the most alive lakes I’ve ever seen. It looked like it was breathing, blowing teal and turquoise bubbles. We stopped at the lodge right up the road from the pull out to get gas. It was awesome but the price of gas was not.

It seems so desolate in most stretches of the roadway here. A lot of decrepit and abandoned businesses and houses that have had their old exterior paint replaced with the new artistic paint job of the graffiti artists passing by.

I think I would like the solitude of living in the middle of nowhere, where your nearest neighbors are miles away from you. But I am no wilderness expert and should probably join a Girl Scout troop to learn the basics before trying any Into the Wild crap. Anyone want to buy some cookies? J

There is bare birch as far as the eye can see. We just passed through the Canadian Rockies according to my handy Milepost. It sure is beautiful.  It’s also kind of funny to look back and see the uphill curvy roads that the van had to endure. She sure is a trooper. I say she but still haven’t actually decided on a name for her. Blue must be the new pink when it comes to the sex of a van. I’m leaning towards Gertrude, Gertie for short.

Hay bales with a mountain backdrop. Farming up North sure has a different view than South Dakota.

Fort Nelson has a coffee shop!! Not as good as the Cup but it was still good. Such a quaint little town, seems like it is growing a lot. There is new stuff everywhere.

It’s us and about a thousand truckers on the road today. The roads are getting curvier, the rain is pitter pattering on the windshield and we are headed to Dawson Creek to stay at an RV park there.  I think it has internet, showers, an arcade and laundry. This is going to be pure bliss.  

I’m posting this from Dawson Creek. I don’t know where the arcade is but the pressureless shower was splendid. I feel like a new person. We are waiting on our laundry and debating on what to have for dinner, chilie or Top Ramon. Oh, what decisions…