Day 7: Bellingham and Vancouver

I still feel like I am on a boat.  It might have something to do with only sleeping 2 hours last night.  It might also have something to do with having been on a boat for the last 4 days.  However, most of you don't know much about the boat yet.  Don't worry, you will!  I just have 4 days to write about and I want to sleep!  I was hoping these were going to get shorter but I don't see that happening.

So I awoke this morning at 7:30 am after having slept for about 2 hours.  My boat friends had wanted to stay up late since we kind of figured we will probably never actually see each other again. Sad, but probably true.  I wake up miserably and shower and put on some clothes and try to make myself not look I have been on a boat and been wearing the same pants for the last 4 days straight since I am going to the real world.  I probably failed in that mission.  I wander out on deck to call my mom.  We are now out of Canada and I won't get a million dollar phone bill now that I am back in the US.  I go outside and see the sun for the first time in days.  It was a rainy and cloudy trip. (not that that was unexpected)  It was even a sunrise and I never see those.  I thought the ferry was docking at 9.  Turns out I woke up earlier than I needed to since that did not account for the time change.  We actually docked at 10.  This was nice since it gave me some time to admire the ocean and wildlife and talk to random (and not so random anymore) people. I stand on the dock and watch the ferry get pulled in.  It was pretty impressive.

I then realize I need grab my stuff and should have been on the car deck 10 minutes ago getting loaded up.  I rush to the car deck and find my friends from the boat getting into their car.  We had planned to stop for breakfast before we go our separate ways.  I yell the name of a place that I had gotten from a friend of mine (Berit) that used to live in Bellinham to them.  "Just go to Skylark, it's close!" "Sky whatt???" "Skylark!" "Skypark?" "NO! Skylark! I have to get my shit in my truck and fast! Because I got distracted by the boat docking when I should have been down here!"  I am almost the last person off the boat.  I was one of the first ones on so that makes sense.  Despite no one's iPhone or GPS being able to figure out that we are no longer in Alaska, we all somehow end up at the right place.  We have a nice breakfast and talk about how fun the boat was and whatever.  Then it's time for all of us to get back to real life.  William and his Uncle John are headed back to California, Matt is off to pick up his friend and drive to Florida, Oceana is going to meet up with some family nearby, and I am going to Canada.

So I say goodbye and jump in my truck and take off.  I then realize that I want to see some of Bellingham and I am driving in an unfamiliar town with no destination and no idea how to find it if I did have one. I cruise through downtown and then part of the college campus before remembering a trail that Berit had suggested.  I pulled over since my voice command on my GPS was not cooperating and find trailhead on my map and head off that way.  I soon find myself in a very nice neighborhood.  I cruise around this neighborhood completely lost; my GPS says I should have reached my destination a while ago. I look up and see a deer standing in someone's front yard. I stop in the middle of the road and whip out my trusty iPhone and take some pictures.  I can't zoom so they aren't great but I was excited.  I mean I see moose all the time.  Who cares about seeing a moose anymore.  But a deer, now that is just shocking.  Amist the deer excitement, I decide a new plan of attack is needed to find a proper trail head. I find a map of the system on Google and successfully navigate to a legitimate looking place to park.

I have a really nice walk around the area.  There is a creek, lake, waterfall, and a few playgrounds.  The whole place is really pretty.  It just feels old and ancient.  The vegetation seems like something you should see dinosaurs walking around in.  There are also numerous structures that just look old.  Not a bad old (personally, I usually like nice new looking things myself) but a well seasoned ancient old with a good history behind it.  It is really peaceful.  There are a couple of cool bridges along the trail.  The coolest thing is a piece of an old wooden railroad bridge.  Don't worry, I have attached pictures!  At this point, it is about 2 and I realize that I am really tired and still need to drive to Vancouver.

I head back to T Rex and punch in the address of my hotel (before I start driving this time) and am excited to see I should be there in about 45 minutes. (This is not accounting for a line to get across the border or rush hour of course) I go along my merry way and am waiting at the stoplight to turn onto the highway when I forget to shift into first.  When the light changes, I stall (WTF, I am a better driver than that!).  I get the truck restarted before it even stops rolling from its momentum and head toward the highway.  I try to merge and the asshole who was behind me when I stalled is now driving in my blindspot, going just fast enough that I can't merge into the lane. Great.  My truck is twice the size of your car.  I really don't want to hurt it but if we run off the road, this isn't looking good for anyone, especially you. (if you believe the laws of physics would govern in a more or less ideal manner in this situation) So I cruise down the highway and call my mom before I cross the border. (My awesome GPS lets me make phone calls through it.  So it is all legal!!!)  I talk to her and I hit the customs check point before I know it. 

I sit in line for about 20 minutes to get through.  This is nothing like the ones coming into or out of Alaska.  Those had 2 lanes and probably saw a car every half hour if they are lucky this time of year.  The officers asked me the questions they had to but seemed friendly enough.  This checkpoint has 12 lanes and is full of cars.  (though it could have been much worse)  I scoot along, resenting my insistence upon purchasing a truck with a manual transmission.  I make it to the window and the officer just stares me down. "Identification," he says.  I hand him my passport.

"Where are you headed?" "Vancouver"

"Why?" "It's pretty and I want to ski...Well to be more specific, I came through here with my brother on my way to Whistler last year and wished I had more time to see the city itself" He looks slightly amused.

"Where do you live?" "Anchorage." 

"Where did you come from most recently?" "Belingham.  Actually, I just got in on the ferry." 

"Wait, the ferry this morning?" "Yes." 

"So, you just got down here and you are already leaving." "Ummmm.  Yes." (this isn't looking suspicious at all)

"Where else are you planning to go?"  "I am taking a road trip; I am traveling the West"

"Do you own the vehicle?"  "Yes."

"What is your profession?" "I'm a civil engineer-I just graduated!!!"

"Are you employed?" "Yes, by the State of Alaska. I work seasonally in construction." (I am used to this question by now they always ask why I am not working right now)

"How are you funding this trip?" "I saved money I made this summer."

"How much did you save?"  "3 grand-I am staying with lots of friends along the way." (Uhhh, excuse me? I guess it is legit, but still) He looks satasfied.

"Any drugs, alchohol, produce?" "Nope." 

"Planning to sell anything here?" "No...."

So he lets me go. About a mile down the road I remember that I had somehow ended up with someone's 2.5 oz bottle of Captain Morgan's from the ferry.  Shit. I totally forgot about that.  I guess that will need to be disposed of prior to my passing through customs again.  I continue on my way.  I find myself stopped on a very steep hill.  (like a, woah, is this grade even legal? kind of steep) The car behind me gets far too close for comfort.  I let up on the clutch and stomp on the gas and T Rex roars VVRRROOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!  Great.  Thanks.  I need help drawing attention to myself in my big black truck with a pink big dipper on it and a license plate that says T Rex. I get stared at by a bunch of high schoolers.  Hey, don't be jealous of my sweet truck you punk kids!

I find the location of my hotel. It is in the same giant building as a market.  I think this is pretty cool.  I then realize I need to park.  I pull a U turn and park in a tug boat repair facility.  I get out and follow the arrow to the hotel.  I walk into the market.  WTF?!?!?! I know the hotel is here somewhere.  I walk outside.  I walk around the very large building.  I admire the beautiful view across the water of the rest of downtown Vancouver (I am in Northern Vancouver)  I walk with purpose back to where I was thought the (nonexistent?!?) hotel entrance was.  I decide to try the elevators. I stop at every floor just to make sure I don't miss it.  Floor 3 is a win.  I walk in. I check in and I ask the desk lady about parking.  She responds with a very thick accent and a poorly labeled map. I get the general idea that there is a parking garage under the building and that I need to turn around to get to it.  I go back to the truck to park.

I pull yet another U turn and find a parking garage that looks about right. As I pull in, I do a double take to make sure I clear the ceiling. I do with inches to spare.  I conclude this place is not very truck friendly.  The corners are ridiculously tight, the spots are short, and when parked I have a few inches to spare on either side. (sorry T Rex, but the Beast would have done way better here.) All of the spots are labeled "reserved for IBEW"  and there are multiple levels to this garage.  I end up parking on a level that is the same height as the second floor of the market. (the hotel is on floors 3 and 4 of this place)  I think this is odd since she said something about the parking lot being below the building.  The entrance seemed in the right place though.... I unload an obscene amount of luggage considering I will be here for only 3 nights. (I packed all of my clothes for the entire trip in one bag.  And currently have an extra bag from the ferry trip that I need to deal with)  I walk a long way around the parking lot and into the building.  I then open the next set of doors which lead into the the middle of the market.  I wander through all the people and finally get to the elevator and make it to my room.  I go back to the desk to get the internet passcode and again ask about the parking.  (at this point, I just want something to eat and to sleep) "I'm really sorry ma'am, I just wanted to check about the parking again.  It doesn't seem right.  I am sorry this is so hard for me, I got 2 hours of sleep last night (completely my own choice and fault of course) and am just not getting it."  She smiles and explains again. 

I am in the wrong parking lot.  I take the elevator to the correct parking garage this time and walk out the entrance so I know where it is.  It is right next to the one I drove in.  They aren't even 5 feet apart.  So I walk to the truck and drive out of the parking lot.  I have to do yet another U turn to get back to the parking lot (Stupid medians) but it is now rush hour and there is way too much traffic for that kind of driving.  So I take the scenic route all over town before finally making my way back.  I finally get parked.  I stop by the market and get a smoothie and some dinner.  I also go to the ATM and get some Canadian money.  Hopefully I got enough so I will only be charged the international exchange fee thing once.  Twice at the worst if I underestimated how much I need. 

I take it back to my room and eat on the deck while admiring the Vancouver skyline.  I skype my mom, text some people who have iMessage (I don't want to use the network; I have to do it through the wireless)  This hotel is awesome.  The view is amazing.  I have a lot of entertainment (and food) very close by.  It has robes in the closet.  They will even do my laundry for me for a (hopefully) small fee. I don't need my laundry done that badly, but it is still cool. And the mattress is awesome.

So now it is time for some sleep (finally!).  I am going to do some skiing tomorrow! sorry these posts are so long. The skiing one should be shorter! (the ferry one will be horrible probably)

Anddd pictures!

Sunrise on the Ferry

The old train bridge

A rustic bridge along the trail

I always love waterfalls!

Cable-stay bridge in Vancouver!!!

Downtown Vancouver! from my room!

Days 4 to 6: The Ferry

I will update these days.  Its going to be long and I am tired.  I'll make another post about these days soon! With lots of details!  And pictures. 

The ferry was a blast!  I met some cool people and we just hung out and had a good time. :)  And I read a lot of my book.  Don't worry... details to come!

Here's a video in the meantime :)
(the boat is 408 feet long btw)

Also, I am very very very pleased that Google Maps acknowledges sea routes as well as roads.  It let me trace them on my map :) As concerned as I am that Google is taking over the world (or already has), at least they know there are other ways to travel than by road.

Day 3: Haines

So I have no internet connection tonight but I don't want to leave you all hanging and I have time so I am using my spiffy phone app to update. So my capitalization and spelling might have some issues. I was correct in my thinking that Haines is beautiful. And it seems to be content with my being here. After all, I leave tonight.

So I am currently at the pioneer bar (which is empty because it is 5 on a Monday night) watching the Alabama v. LSU (I really do not care about football but being a supposed Alabama fan my whole life, I feel obligated to care a little) game and drinking the local Amber beer. (which isn't bad). Oh and i look like a total cool person staring at my phone and typing furiously. I am also wearing my "I am a southeast Alaskan" disguise. Which has yet to fool anyone. :(. So this is what I will be doing until I go to the ferry in a few hours. I will probably be MIA for a few days with no cell service and no internet.

Back to this morning. I wake up at 6 am. It would seem that in 2 days I have managed to train myself into waking up early. This is something I have been trying to do for years. But I manage to go back to sleep until 9. My hotel room is freezing and the bed covers are not exactly warm so I decide that the shower is the best place for me. I am excited because my quick glance out the window revealed that it might be a pretty day. So I shower and get ready to check out. I am having problems getting used to my new hair straightener and I do something weird to my bangs. Oh well, I am not trying to impress anyone anyway. I pack up all my stuff and check out. It is snowing like crazy. Again. I pack up my truck and drive around until I find somewhere to eat.

I find a place called "the Bamboo Room". I walk in and there is absolutely nothing about the place that makes me think of bamboo. However, the food is good once I find something on the menu they are not out of. It would seem their last shipment of food was a while ago since this is a common issue. I am the only person there and get my food quickly. Great, this was supposed to take at least an hour to kill time. I did have a conversation with the lady about going to engineering school in Alaska. Her son is thinking about doing it. So that killed an extra 10 minutes. She asks if I am catching the ferry later. Apparently I look like a tourist. She tells me that the library is a good place to hang out and they have WiFi. I see people walking around in xtratuffs. So I decide that I should put mine on to blend in better. I hate looking like a tourist.

I leave (wearing my disguise) and take off diving aimlessly. I find a really cool place to take a picture of Haines but it is snowing too hard for the picture to be worthwhile. I decide to go to the hammer museum, but it is closed for the season. So I go to the natural history museum and look at and read about Alaskan animals for a few hours. The lady there asks if I am catching the ferry tonight. Sad, my southeastern, I am not a tourist disguise is totally failing. Anyway, I walk outside and the weather is clearing! So I drive back to my picture spot and take some sweet pictures. I spend the next hour taking pictures of pretty things and wandering around on the beach. When I say "I like long walks on the beach", this is not what I have in mind. The stairs down to the beach are so icy and treacherous that I make my own path down to the beach. This results in me standing in thigh deep snow. Good thing I have my southeastern disguise on. My boots keep me mostly dry. And allow me to walk in the ocean almost like it is a warm beach! I check the time and it is not even 3 yet. The ferry does not even arrive until 8 and doesn't leave until 10:30. So I get some gas (since my gas light was on) and decide to drive the other way and see the sights. They are again beautiful. The sun sets a little after 4. The same time as I find another beach! Yes! Beach sunset shots. Unfortunately, the mountains block the best of the sunset.

It is now dark. So I decide to go to the library for some free WiFi. I walk in purposely and find myself a table. I set up my computer and there is no WiFi. I decide to ask the librarian and she explains the situation and ends with "welcome to Southeast Alaska". Great, not only do I not look like I am local, I don't even look like I am from the region. So I go back to my computer and purposely click away like that was my plan all along. At exactly 5, I leave. (the pioneer bar opens at 5).

This brings me to now! Roll Tide! And they are talking about the Honey Badger youtube video on the game. (one of my favorite viral videos).

Well my food will be here soon so I think I will end this!! I will update in a few days. :). And I hope I am not lrone to sea sickness :).

I cant put captions on my images so here they are: (they might be out of order... My phone has a mind if its own...Here is a matching game for you!! :]) o

1. Welcome to Haines!

2. Not my idea of a long walk on the beach

3. Well maintained stairs...

4. Main street!

5. Failed sunset picture :(

Day 2: Tok to Haines

So I think Haines might be a beautiful place.  If it was day time and I didn't have such an overwhelming feeling that it does not want me to be here at all.  

Today started off pretty well.  I got up nice and early (I was proud of myself) and showered (the shower head was really weird, I got more misted than showered, but oh well.  I got clean and it was warm so I was happy) and used my spiffy new hair straightener (which specifically says to not use while sleeping... uh, I'll try not to).  And I packed and started T Rex, who despite a slow turn over, started right up.  I took some stuff out and loaded it up and came back to grab a few more things and discovered I had locked myself out.  So I wander through the gusts of wind and subzero temperatures to the office and wake up the lady who works there (the one I impressed with my intelligence so much yesterday) "Uhhhh I locked myself out"  And got a new key.  I finally left around 8 am.  I stopped by Fast Eddy's and had breakfast (yum) and hit the road.  Upon hitting the road, I was instantly reminded that I had failed to fix my roadtrip playlist that I had annoyed me all day yesterday.  Somehow, the majority of my playlist was mash ups.  I distinctly remember choosing to not put mash ups on my playlist.  I mean mash ups are great, but I probably had 2 mash ups for every normal song that came on.  Mash ups have their own playlist.  They don't need to ruin my roadtrip playlist that was specifically created not to have them on it. I was irked by that, and the ceaseless rattling caused by all the ice all over poor T Rex.

Other than the music issue, the Alaskan part of the Alaska highway was great.  The road was well maintained and I saw a heard of caribou.  I got gas in Alaska so I wouldn't have to stop in Canada and passed through the Canadian border with no problems. The sun came out and I saw a wolf, a fox, and a moose along the way.  The road has has some serious frost heaving issues.  I might have been speeding (just a little), but I think I may have managed to make T Rex fly.  And might have bottomed out the shocks a time or two.  He took it well and I felt like I was driving a Ford Raptor. I got to the Haines cutoff feeling pretty good.  A little over 100 miles left and what I thought was going to potentially be the most dangerous part of my trip was behind me without major or life threatening mishaps.

So there I am cruising down the Haines Cutoff (still not speeding of course) and notice the light is a little flat.  I think about getting my contrast enhancing ski goggles out to wear but decide that is a little weird and unnecessary. It wasn't that bad.  It starts to flurry a little.  No big deal.  I'm am Alaskan, pffttt a little snow.  I see a snow plow coming toward me. Oh, nice to see they maintain the road so well here.  It starts to snow a little harder and the visibility drops.  I then catch up to a snowplow with two cars behind it.  It is going slow and is ruining the awesome time I was making so I of course become annoyed.  It stops and pulls over to the side.  I have seen a few snowplows do this in the past two days and they seem to just be polite so I can get by.  The other two cars don't go around. I do.  I am not waiting for no snow plow.  I instantly regret it. (this is about 90 miles out of Haines.  I have not eaten all day, and I ran out of water before I got into Canada) The wind has blown the snow into incredibly irregular drifts on my side of the road. I get pulled all over the road in a dangerous manner and the visibility continues to drop.  I slow down and decide that it is safer to drive on the wrong side of the road since it has just been plowed. After all, I had only seen one car and a snow plow using that lane anyway. So I drive like this for probably about 20 miles.  During this 20 miles, the situation is further complicated by the onset of nightfall.  I am really happy that someone decided to put reflective markers every 100ish feet along the road.  At some points, I am driving based solely on those.

After that, the area opened up. (I did have mountains close on either side, now, I was in a sort of wide valley) This was good and bad.  I could drive on my side of the road since the wind had blown the road clean.  However, as the wind picked up, and visibility further decreased. This was some serious wind too.  And then the snow picked up too, making for whiteout conditions.  Looking out the side windows was creepy; I couldn't see a thing. I could see just enough of the road in front of me that I could keep going.  (I figured stopping could potentially cause someone to hit me). This continued for a really really long time, probably 20 of the slowest miles of my life.  By the time that the visibility got better, I was so disoriented that upon seeing actual contrast on the mountain beside me, I thought that there was an avalanche.  I was moving at such a speed that it looked like the rocks were moving down the mountain. I did actually stop to make sure it was just me going crazy and that there was not an actual avalanche. Somewhere in this time, I decided maybe I should check the radio for weather reports.  No reception at all on AM or FM.  So I put my Ipod back to Lady Gaga, the afore mentioned offending mash ups, and the rest of my road trip artists. I really just wanted to make it to the US border alive (and not in a ditch or stuck in the snow somewhere).  So I crept along and finally it starts to clear up and I enter snow tunnel land.

Apparently, there is a 15 mile stretch where it snows a lot and they plow a "tunnel" through it.  My thought when I entered it was "sweet, at least if I go off the road I will have something softish to catch me"  Shortly after, the snow let up.  It then began to torrentialy downpour.  I have never seen it rain this hard in Alaska before.  I guess it is the southeast.  The formerly snowy roads are now soaked and it is insanely slippery.  However, I finally made it to the US border in one piece.  They decide to let me back into the country. (yay) Also, the roads got less icy so I was pretty happy again.  As I neared Haines, it got really really windy.  And for some reason the roads again became icy. And that is my first impression of Haines: Dark, icy, rainy as hell, windy, and has a road that doesn't want people to see where they are going leading to it. 

I found a place to stay and then got a cheeseburger.  It was awesome.  I am now happily blogging and fixing my stupid playlist. 

Tomorrow, I get on the Ferry at 10:30 pm.  So I will entertain myself being a tourist in Haines.  Hopefully, it will be more cooperative than it was yesterday. I don't know what kind of connectivity I will have on the ferry or if anything worth talking about will even happy.  Soooo it could be a few days before I update this.

Anddd Pictures!!

A couple of caribou wanted to cross the road.  They didn't because they were scared of T Rex. So I missed my photo opportunity :(

Nice blue skis in Canada

Can you see the road?  I barely can.

Snow Tunnel!!!

For reference... T Rex in the snow tunnel! (yes I stopped in the middle of it and got out to take pictures... it was a straight stretch so I could see what was coming)

Day 1: Anchorage to Tok

Soo this is going to be a long one.  Sorry.  I will try to break it up into organized paragraphs to make it better :)

So I start the day waking up from a super realistic seeming dream.  Here it is:  I went to breakfast with my family (Like I was planning to do in real life, hence my confusion.) and decided for some reason that I really wanted beer with my breakfast.  (great idea dream Anna.....)  So I have my breakfast and beer and say goodbye to everyone and head out.  And then rear end someone in Wasilla. (Even though I should have been in Palmer...) Well, they were super cool about it and say "its all good, here, let's celebrate your trip, have some champagne!"  So I agree. While I am drinking the champagne, I decide I should call in the accident to the cops.  Which I attempted to do while drinking and choking on my champagne.  Soooo they show up. And immediately test us for alcohol.  And I am wayyy over the limit somehow.  Not just a little over, but like I should be dead or poisoned... though I am convinced I am not that drunk.  So I try to explain to them that I didn't get that drunk until after the accident.  Which they believed because they were super cool, but they still arrested me and charged me with a DUI.  With my DUI, I can no longer drive through Canada... which ruins my whole trip. So I beg them to believe me and the agree...if I will fill out evaluation forms for them that will get the promoted.  So I get the forms and they are the most confusing forms I have ever seen... anddd then I wake up, completely panicked because I thought it was real.

Sorry for all that. That was long.  Anyway.  So the real story.  I go to breakfast, have coffee (not beer) see my family, say goodbye and hit the road.  I get gas in Palmer and don't stop until I get to Tok.  I go to get gas and swipe my credit card and the thing starts beeping at me.  The display is broken so I assume it is an angry "go away use another one beep"  So I try to find another pump.  Half of the credit card scanners aren't working sooo I drive in crazy looking circles in the parking lot.  The manager of the store comes outside "uh, pump 7 did take your credit card...."  Oh.  All of that for nothing.  Long story short, I get gas.  And look like an idiot.  Sooo I drive next door to the motel.  I can't say I have ever showed up to a motel without a reservation.  So I did not know what to say.  I walk into the office, "Uhhhhhhh, can I stay here tonight???"  The lady looks at me funny and says yes. Special.  So I am now in a hotel, it's -9 out with some wind.  Ew.  It could be worse.  And T Rex is plugged in so he should be happy tomorrow morning for our adventure into Canada.

So that was the story part, now for the reflections!  For the most part, everything went as expected.  I did not expect the winds though.  They made driving interesting.  My truck got pulled all over and the blown snow made visibility bad. But overall, the weather was very very cooperative. Also, I wish that someone would read the guardrail handbook (like I had to as an intern!) and put some damn guardrail up.  It is scary in the summer and even moreso in the winter.  I had the thought "So, if my centripetal acceleration is greater than the coefficient of friction between my tires and the icy road, there is a nice 500 foot drop and no guardrail waiting for me"  multiple times on the road. On the plus side, I did not see any evidence in the snow of anyone going over.  So maybe the road has been perfectly engineered to prevent that and guardrail is just for everyone else's piece of mind.  I can't say I am convinced of that.

This whole trip is kind of emotionally weird.  I spent months stressing about it.  The days leading up to it lacked the apprehension that I usually feel about trips.  Aside from the feeling of forgetting something packed and being sad after saying goodbye to everyone, I have been pretty excited.  Which is weird to be experiencing without the usual apprehension that usually accompanies it.  At the moment I am just feeling bored.  Because I am in Tok and it is cold out.  And I am hoping tomorrow goes smoothly.

What did I learn?  A few things.  First, I need to keep my bed cover locked.  Not for the obvious reason to keep people from stealing my stuff, but because when driving on roads with wind and snow blowing all over and huge dips and bumps, the cover will open just enough to let snow in.  All of my stuff is snowy.  Luckily it will melt (and hopefully dry) on the ferry before I actually need any of it.  Second, it is great to put your shampoo in a bag to prevent it making a mess on everything in the case of an explosion.  However, the bag is useless if it comes open too.  I had shampoo all over everything.  All I had to clean it with was toilet paper and a towel.  I wanted to use the towel for a shower... So I found how how unideal toilet paper is as an explosion cleaning up device.  Last, I brought some canned food with me.  I was too lazy to go driving around looking for food.  So I pull a can out of the bed of my truck, take it inside, and open it. It is frozen.  Great.  So I got to thaw it in the sink.  At least it worked :)

Sorry for the length!  For reading this far (or not) here are some (kind of lame and not so exciting) pictures!!! (that you definitely won't see on Facebook as well...)

Well, at least there was guardrail here

The last 200 miles were mostly flat! :D

T Rec at the motel.

Thawing dinner.....

 

Securing the cabin for take off...

So my attempt at a witty title is lame. Oh well. Stop making fun of it. I think almost everything minus some laundry and other things I still need to use are ready to go! And shoes. I have thus far forgotten to pack any shoes.

I have checked 5 sources for the weather in Tok, which I am hoping is going to be the coldest place I have to deal with. Every forecast is different. Drastically so. Low temps range from -3 (I can deal with that... Not to bad) to -24 (well this has the potential to be bad....I don't know how T Rex feels about this...) some say snow showers constantly, some say snow only at night, and some say no snow at all. My conclusion: no one has any idea what the hell the weather is doing in Tok, Alaska. Well this is inconvenient. I guess I will just have to do what I always do... Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

At least when I make it to Haines it will be in the 30s. It's going to feel like summer!!!!

Packing!

I figured I should probably start packing prior to the day before I leave like I usually do.  Since the magnitude of this trip is a little more than I usually do, I figured preparation might be critical this time.... It is coming together.  I think.  I need to get a few things at the store, do some laundry, and check my list but I think its almost there :)  I have all my ski and snowboard gear (the important stuff) together and checked for completeness. Hopefully I am not missing anything for camping.  I still need to figure out how I want to organize and what I want to separate out for the ferry! (I won't have access to my truck on the boat).  The weather is lookin not too bad so I am officially leaving Saturday.  The ferry does not leave until 10:30 on Monday so I am hoping if something holds me up I will still have that whole day to get there!

Some pictures :)

Ski gear!  With my super sweet ski pass

Well, its coming along... :)