Awesome Day!

This will be a long post because today was a really big day. I've split it up into semi-sections.

No Mans Land

The Alaska Highway goes through a whole lot of nothing. Between Fort Nelson (where I started this morning) and Whitehorse (where I am now) all of the towns, or whatever you call them, are unincorporated, except for one which was incorporated in 1986. When you pass through one of these communities it's just a few buildings along the road. They're like highway services compounds. In one pull-off you get an Inn, RV park, gas station, cafe, gift shop, bathroom, phone and maybe more, and sometimes all in one little building. One of them even had a makeshift post office and Greyhound bus station while another had a museum. They all also seem to have a resident old dog that lays around in front of the door. Every single one I went to had extremely nice people.

Since there is so little around and it's all very far apart, seeing animals along the Alaska Highway is really common. Today I saw deer, caribou, buffalo, stone sheep, mountain goats, swans, ducks, a beaver and some really big mosquitoes. I want to see a moose!!

The Road

There are a lot of pull-offs and rest areas along the highway. They seem to be pretty good about putting one where there is some really good scenery. The further north I get, the more primitive the bathrooms at the rest areas get. In the beginning it was nice visitor centers and now I'm down to these little outhouses (gross) that don't have doors! they have three walls then where the door should be is a little alcove which is solid wood on the botton 1/3 and trellis on the top! I had to go to the bathroom, but I took one look inside and walked right back to my car. I've used outhouses before, so that wasn't really the problem. I'm just not too keen on being able to wave to truckers as I relieve myself.

The road conditions have been really good. I was expecting some trouble with the roads because it's such a huge road through nothingness. I figured they wouldn't be overly concerned with making it really nice. The only trouble I've had is occasional construction (which usually means a gravel road for a bit), a few potholed and patched areas (which they clearly mark with little orange flags), and a few frost heaves. I thought I was lucky and wasn't going to see any frost heaves until. . . I went over one going about 70mph. There's a good possibility I caught air. I laughed to myself for at least a mile after that. I'm sure all the people at the rest area right next to where it happened laughed for a good bit, too.

Before anybody tells me to drive safe/slow down, let me just tell you I'm the slowest car on this road. There pretty much isn't a speed limit. They're posted, but they mean nothing. There aren't police. Period. They use community policing, which is pretty much citizens looking out for each other. I've seen one police officer today and it was in Whitehorse (which is actually a REAl city). People go as fast as they feel comfortable unless they're in a town or construction zone where they always obey the limits. That's the way it should be I think. Everyone passes safely and they'll even move over as much as they can to the right and let off the gas when you're approaching to pass to give you an easier time. People don't really pay much attention to the yellow lines, they just pass when it makes sense.

I, of course, was tooling along at a somewhat slow pace for most of the day. I was really enjoying the drive and didn't see the point in zooming through it. The views were incredible. Before I left for this trip I had a few moments where I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing and was almost certain I was going to lose my mind driving so much. I've found the exact opposite is true. Today I was enjoying my drive so much that I went a lot further than I expected to go because I didn't want to stop for the night. This morning I left at 7am and stopped driving at about 10:30pm. I could have gone a lot further in that time If I wanted to, but I stopped a LOT.

The Stops
Liard Hotsprings
Very cook. Because of the year round warmth from the springs, the area developed its own strange ecosystem. There were all sorts of weird plants and biotics, most of which were pretty vile looking. There is a network of boardwalks through the springs. They eventually lead to two pools that you can swim in all year round. The warmest one is a bit over 120 degrees! Just like in Yellowstone, the boardwalks in no way suggest you're not in a wild area. The GIANT, probably 10X6ft, sign at the entrance really lets you know that. The sign pleads with you be weary of and not feed bears, stating, 'a fed bear is a dead bear,' and that any bear that has been exposed to human food 'will have to be destroyed.' Most visitors probably look at that sign with careless abandon, strolling past it the same way you might speed by a deer (or insert any other thing native to your area, like a train, or pedestrian) xing sign. Not me. I'm a researcher by nature. I knew all about this place before I left home and in my reading I found that two tourists were actually killed by a bear on those boardwalks a few years ago.

Being the researcher that I am, I also looked into bear behavior and how to deal with them. One of the best things you can do is to make your presence known long before they see you by making human noises, like talking. The reason most bears attack is because they're startled by a person. Bears really don't care about humans and if they hear you they'll keep out of sight and out of your way. There were only a few other people at the park and they were all in first pool you reach on the boardwalks. I wanted to see the second pool, which was a 5 minute walk away. I was alone for the walk and a little freaked out about the bear thing, so I sang and whistled the entire way. When you're alone with nobody to talk to and be human with, it seems to me to be the best thing to do. If anybody heard me I'm sure they were really amused by my horrible singing voice. At least I didn't get eaten by a bear.

Watson Lake. The Signpost Forest!! I planned on going there, but I didn't realize how cool it could be. It sounds kinda boring. a bunch of signs nailed to stakes, right? No. a TON of signs nailed to stakes. There are rows and rows of them, enough to get semi-disoriented in the 'forest.' I found a few MA towns I'm not familiar with and I found a Manchester, NH sign. There are signs from all over the world. There are also license plates and other random items.

Something or other Falls. I forget the name. There was a sign pointing me toward a sightseeing area. I went because why the heck not? It was a little 2 km dirt/gravel (NONE of the side roads are paved) road that eventually led to a perch above a river where a waterfall was visible. The visibility wasn't great because there were trees all around, you kind of had to peek through the trees to see the falls. I was the only person there. It may have had something to do with the access road, which was a piece of junk. I was glad it wasn't a popular area because the last thing I wanted to do is run into a car on my way out. There is definitely only room for one car on this stinky potholed road.

Something or other whirpool river thingy. Yeah, I'm not good with names. This area was pretty neat. There was a great view of a river bend where I suppose a bit of swirling action goes on? There wasn't an information plaque, but I'm assuming that's what the whirpool part is. The thing that made this area cool to me was that off to one side was a receptacle of dead trees. It looks like every dead tree that floats down the river ends up in that one big pile. I have video and possibly pictures that will describe it better than I possibly could. The media I took of it may be a little choppy, there was a bug chasing me while I was trying to do it that I thought was a bee. You know how I feel about bees; If a bee comes around, I'll be gone before you know it.

Blueberry rapids. A great view of rapids from really high up. It was a huge area. HUGE.

Okay, I'm falling asleep. More tomorrow morning. Possibly pictures, too. I'll either add to this post in the AM or I'll just start another.

I'm in Chicago!

4 energy drinks, 6 bathroom breaks, 4 gas ups and 16 hours later, I'm in Chicago. I left tuesday night at 9pm, so I've been here since yesterday afternoon. I was without internet yesterday, so I'm a little delayed.

I made good time, I like to think because of the nerd chart I made to avoid major cities during rush hour. I was traffic free (even in Chicago) minus some brief light traffic outside of Cleveland. It was just the truckers and me, which was nice. Having the road to yourself is awfully nice and made the driving really easy. Even if I didn't have the road to myself, I wasn't in Massachusetts at that point so people understood the concept of the highway which means I wasn't ever stuck behind any idiots in the passing lane. Despite the ease of owning the road the entire way, I have to admit that I was a little excited when I was driving around in downtown Chicago. You could say that I like a little challenge added to driving. This is why I like city and snow driving. I suppose the reason I didn't hurl myself off a bridge halfway through this too easy drive I had was because there was a challenge - to stay awake!

One of my favorite parts of the drive was a sign I saw about an animal testing area - the wording was strange and I was a little horrified. I understood once I saw a sign that said "ANIMAL PRESENT WHEN FLASHING," and of course it was flashing. Turned out Indiana is testing a new system which places sensors along the highway to warn drivers of animals in the road. The testing didn't seem to be going well. Out of maybe 15 signs (at varying increments anywhere from 1/2 mile to 2 miles apart), two were flashing and I saw Zero animals. Soon people will look at the flashing lights the same as they do those deer crossing signs. I bet the signs are cheaper. . . nevermind.

Bank of America put a hold on my account (fortunately right after I had made a purchase, and not before) due to unusual activity. Happy to see they're looking out for me, though. I had to call them and answer all sorts of questions. what amount was my last deposit, where did I buy my last coffee, what was my total at borders books etc etc. I mixed up most of my answers, giving totals slightly off on all counts. I'm good like that. I was in the ballpark, though. She asked me where I buy gas and I said, "well, let me think for a second. Last night I drove to Chicago from Boston, so I'm thinking I bought gas in MA, NY, Ohio and Indiana. She was instantly relieved because the gas buying was what tipped them off in the first place. Turns out buying gas in 4 states overnight isn't normal. She told me I should give them a call when I plan on doing anything like that in the future. I proceeded to tell her there will be plenty more gas purchases.

I'm planning on staying in Chicago with my friend for a few days. I didn't plan on staying so long because he's usually really busy, but he has some time off for a night out on friday, so I'm staying for that. Why not, right? The last time I was in Chicago I was a kid, so it's neat to see it through adult eyes.

Food

One of my true life loves is food. I have a lot to say about food. Always.

While I'm on the road I'm not going to be doing any five star dining, that's for sure. I'm perfectly okay with that, but I dread almost all fast food. The other day Leah and I were on our way to visit Ian, my cousin, and we were both starving and unsure of the dining plans for the night, or if there even were any. We decided to stop somewhere to get a quick something before we got to his place. After missing a few exits we ended up at Burger King. I pointed at the "chicken fries" on the menu in disbelief - of course we had to get them to figure out what the heck they were.

We found out what they were: disgusting. I figured it'd be breaded and fried chicken cut into strips to resemble fries. I was half right - Only the chicken didn't seem to be cut into that shape, rather, they seemed to be molded into that shape. I took one bite and looked down at the exposed 'chicken' and wondered if I'd be able to take another bite. The best word I can use to describe what I saw is 'sponge,' I suppose. Everything about it was horrible, and I'm going to spare you further details. I will, however, tell you that the container they came in was cupholder-shaped and there was a little pop out on the top where you could insert your dipping sauce. The french fries were in a similarly shaped container, as well. And we wonder why americans are so fat.

I won't even explain how I ended up doing this, but I googled those horrid chicken fries, and what I found was truly hysterical. This is a direct quote from Wikipedia:
" . . .these products are intended to bring in a larger, more affluent adult audience who will be willing to spend more on the better quality products."

There is so much wrong with that statement. So much. If this is what they call quality and if this is what they're using to lure in a more affluent crowd, I don't want to know what they had on their menu before this! I know where I won't be stopping on my journey.

Damn you, Canada.

I've spent the last two days online trying to plan the Canadian leg of my journey home. Like I said, I want to get Canada out of the way before I fly home for the wedding, so I figured I'd speed through Canada and fly home from Seattle. On this home trip I will most likely be driving through Canada by myself and I won't be camping. I've had a lot of trouble planning for two main reasons:
1. There is very little civilization in Canada
I'd love to just tear through Canada and get it over with, but the logistics are a nightmare. I wouldn't be able to drive, drive, drive until I can't see straight and just stop where I am and spend the night. When I reach the point where I want to stop for the night, I might be 4 hours from civilization! Don't even get me started on gas stations.
2. There are very few roads in Canada
The roads are a laugh! There are two whole roads up through British Columbia. One of the roads is the Alaska Highway and the other one is, well, The Other Road. The Other Road isn't paved in spots and is strewn with one lane bridges. That's right, ONE LANE BRIDGES. Google estimates it takes about 20 hours to drive 460 miles on this Other Road. This is also only about half of the road through BC. To put it in perspective, that would be about the same distance as driving from Boston, MA to Buffalo, NY, which is estimated to take about 7.25 hours!

So, Alaska Highway it is. . .

Even South Park makes fun of the roads in Canada.

Getting There

I can now say that I've explored every possible way of getting out to Alaska. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. I need to arrange to have a car while up there and I need to be there through August, then I need to be home to be in a wedding on September 7th. Tight time frame, but I would not miss this wedding for the world.

I've looked at every possible combination of flights, drives, ferries, rentals and shipping. This is my plan:
Drive like crazy to Alaska in late April/early May to hopefully arrive there by May 8th. It will be a horrible, horrible drive. All I have to say is CANADA. I will be driving at least 11 hours a day, but it's supposed to be a really beautiful drive, so I'll be okay. I'm going to try to camp most of the way up because camping is fun and camping is cheap! Plus I'll be in some amazing wilderness which I really shouldn't pass up.
For the way home I'm going to drive to Seattle, leave my car there with a friend while I fly home for the wedding etc for a few weeks, then fly back to Seattle to pick up my car and do some exploring on my way home.
Let me know if you want to join me for any leg of the journey back or have any suggestions as to where I should go.

Now all I have to figure out is how I'm going to get my bridesmaid dress tailored while I'm in a place where dresses are practically forbidden. I'd probably get laughed at if I attempted to bring it to a tailor there. Things aren't so formal there. I requested a visitor/transplant guide from the closest city to get an idea of what the area is like. The most telling part of it was this ad that a mortgage guy had in there. Usually mortgage and real estate brokers have professional pictures taken to go on business cards and ads, as I'm sure you've noticed. Well, this guy had a picture of himself squatting on a riverbed showing off a fish he caught! That is his 'professional' picture?! I'm entering a whole different world.

INAUGURAL POST

I will be heading to Alaska this summer.  I plan on driving out there at the end of April/beginning of May to arrive around May 8th.  I will spend most of May exploring the state before I settle in on the Kenai Peninsula for the rest of the summer.  I'll be living in a cabin on the Kenai River in the small town of Sterling, AK.  

So, those are the major details.  At the urging of a smart family member (thank you, Phyllis) I've decided to keep a blog of my Alaskan adventures.  I'll plan on posting nearly daily for my drive up there and for my stay.  I'm also going to get a few posts up before I head out there to detail my preparation and a little bit of info about where I'll be and what I plan on doing.  I'll also be able to post slideshows.  I plan on taking a LOT of pictures while I'm there.  Until then, I've posted a few pictures of where I'll be.

If all goes as planned, in addition to being a family and friends updater, this should become a good little diary of sorts to keep for my memory.  I'm going to enable comments, so feel free to leave me comments, ask questions or make suggestions if you have them.