The Local Antique Car Museum...a good way to pass time...

  ...especially when you don't really want time to pass.

Recently, we dropped Phillip off to where he had to meet the bus, that took him to the plane, that took him on the adventure, that he was scheduled to go on.

You'd think that with this being our 5th major separation (we count 4 months of additional training), that I'd be a Pro at this.  I'm not.  I think that the pain that I felt that day was the worst yet.

The last days leading up to the time to say goodbye are so hard.  You don't want them to go, yet you want them to go, because you're so sick of that black cloud looming over.  Phone calls telling you that the plane has been delayed are bittersweet.  Let's get this crap over with!

So, on the day that we said goodbye, we had lunch and then went to the Antique Car Museum to help pass the time.  I'd been curious.  And to tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much.

I was wrong!  If ever you are in the area, it's worth the trip.

Below are some pictures that I took that day with my phone (I plan to go back with a better camera).  If you want to see more, I've added some pictures to the Alaska Bound album in our photo collection.  I only wish that you could hear the mood music that was playing in the background; it reminded me of Main Street USA at Disneyworld.

I LOVE this dress!

Sarah

My favorite car.  It had a single seat in front, and a single seat in the back.  I'm sorry that I can't tell you what it is, though.

Hipstamatic image from iPhone.

Sarah (with an attitude).

A child's play dress.

Where is he?

This sign is just a mile or so from my house, and every time I see it, I imagine a moose to be looking both ways, waiting patiently to cross the road not far from the sign.  Maybe he'll give me a nod as I pass, and mouth something like "How ya doin', eh?".  I'm actually disappointed when I don't see him.

On a more serious note, someone in the family (not me) was recently pulled over by a state trooper not far from this sign, because the speed limit on that road is 40 mph.  If you hit a moose, it can be a pretty nasty thing indeed; for you, your car, and the animal.  The good thing though, from what I understand, is that if you do hit a moose, you or the local food bank gets a freezer full.  I think (almost positive) that it's against the law to hit one, and not salvage the meat.

And this is another reason why I like living in different parts of the world...because you learn something new everyday.

J~

Shorts to String You Along...Episode 4

We've got lots going on right now (normal everyday living stuff), but I'm uninspired to write about it at the moment, so I'm posting a really short "short" for you.

The above video was taken at the World Eskimo Olympics 2010.  The competitions are cool, but I think my favorite part of the whole experience is watching the native dances.

 If you're ever in Fairbanks, it's a must see if you want to get some culture in the brain.

Enjoy!

There's a hole in the...

...ice.  

Seriously, I didn't know what else to title this post.

Yesterday, Gabe and Phillip went ice fishing with the Cub Scouts at Chena Lake.

They didn't catch anything.

The End.

Playing Paparazzi with Sarah Palin, and the Iron Dog 2011

Yesterday, we went into downtown Fairbanks to get in on some of the Iron Dog 2011 action. Before the Grande Finale, the Tired Iron 2011 (races with antique snow machines, things for the kids to do,etc.) was doing it's thing.

Gabe was so excited to do the Kid-a-Pult. He'd been talking about doing it for a couple of weeks.


We put Sarah in a bucket, but I call her a "dud", because she didn't go very far; they didn't want to give her whiplash, so they didn't pull the band back too much.

After the kids had fun for a while, we realized that we needed to go inside for a bit to warm up (it was near zero in temp), so Phil and the kids went off to get hot chocolate while I went to a nearby favorite store to get some more hats, mittens, etc.

I'd forgotten to put some items in our "warm extras bag". Darnit, where's that matching mitten?!

When we got back to the River, I set up camp on the foot bridge to try to get pictures of the winners of the race as they came in. Sarah Palin's husband, Todd, was racing. As I was standing there, and waiting, the lady next to me started making small talk, and I asked if there had been a Sarah Palin sighting. The lady next to her then said, "I don't know where she is, but she'd better get here!", then looked at us and whispered, "I'm her Mom.". No doubt, it was because of the resemblance and the voice! We talked to her for a small while, and in conversation, after I mentioned the Kate Gosselin episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska", Mom rolled her eyes and said "What a Loon!".

Now as all this is going on, I text Phillip down below to tell him that the lady next to me was Sarah's Mom. And while we were talking (Mom, the other lady, and I), we saw Sarah's Dad and in a joint effort tried to call out to him and get his attention (for Mom, she wanted him to know where on the bridge she was). I look down a little later at Phillip, and he waves at me and points...he'd been talking to SP's Dad!

You may be thinking "What luck. What are the chances?". At this time in the day, there was a crowd, but it was still small enough. Get it? People began to trickle in as the finish got closer, which was about 1 hr-45 minutes after I first talked to Mom.

To make a long story short, I say goodbye to the two ladies (Mom and the other), and make my way to the finish line and Phillip/Sarah's Dad so that I could take better pics of the finish.

Phillip had a better perspective from where he was, so I figured that I'd get better pictures...of the winners...and of Sarah, who had by then made her appearance. While we were talking to Mom, I think she called Sarah to tell her that she'd better get out to the finish or she'd miss it (I could hear her end of the phone conversation).

So, anyway...here's a picture below of the Winners of the Iron Dog 2001 race. And a, kind of long video, of Sarah, Piper Palin, and Todd Palin's team mate's wife waiting for their team to come in 2nd.

All in all, it was quite a fun and interesting day. You can see more pictures of the day, and of course, lots of Mrs. Palin, if you go to the Alaska album in Photo Collections. Oh, and the guy standing behind me said "She's a lot hotter in person.". I have to agree, she is tiny...and quite pretty.




What you are seeing in the video is everyone waiting for the 2nd place team (Todd Palin and team mate) to arrive. We'd been out all day, and I had to take off a glove to operate my camera, so my fingers were really not feeling like normal fingers should; I needed to put my glove back on, and we all needed to get to some place warm.

The toughest sled dog race in the world...

...is the Yukon Quest. They say that the Iditarod is for sissies.

At the beginning of this week, I had the intentions of spending lots of time in downtown Fairbanks on Saturday watching the mushers come in from their 1,000 mile trek from White Horse, Yukon Territory all the way to the finish. I saw on the calendar of events that there would be an awards banquet on Saturday evening, so I figured that we could see some action at the finish on the Chena River downtown.

Boy, was I mistaken! I told you that I have a lot to learn. And that's what I get for assuming.
They don't all come in at one time, and they definitely don't wait til Saturday to finish. It takes days for them all to arrive.

On Tuesday evening at about 9 pm, I was checking Facebook status' when I noticed on the Yukon Quest's page that they were anticipating who this year's winner would be and they would know in a couple of hours.

I looked at the live tracker on the official website...then over to Phillip and the kids, and said "The first place guy just passed {a location near our house}!". Phillip then asked about the other mushers...We got that crazy look in our eyes (it was a school night)...threw our snowsuits on over our pajamas...and hauled booty over to {the location near our house}.

By the time we got there, there were a two other people waiting, and after some conversation, we learned that the area had been pretty busy earlier with lots of people wanting to see Mr. 1st Place (Dallas Seavey) pass by. We learned that if we waited, we'd see Mr. 3rd Place (Ken Anderson). It was about 11 pm when we finally saw a lone headlight come around the corner of the Chena, and so we went out onto the river (it's frozen solid) to cheer him on.

As we were waiting, the father of #4 had driven over to where we were. He'd just seen his son at the Two Rivers checkpoint. We had a nice conversation with him. He travels from Minnesota for about 3-4 month every year to support his son.

Mr. Anderson (#3) stopped long enough to adjust something on the dogs, and ask if we knew anything about how far behind Brent Sass was (#4). We were able to help him out with some information, and congratulate him on a good race.

My camera died just as I was trying to get a pic; I was only able to get him leaving. He had about 20+ miles to go before he finished.

We got home at about 11:30 PM (remember...school night). But hey, don't judge! It's reason's like this that we love being able to live in different places.

Next year, I'll be more prepared.

We took these pictures earlier today of a musher loading up to go home, and of the tear-down of the finish line.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Yukon Quest, then click on these links:
http://www.yukonquest.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon_Quest

Frozen landscape.

My friend, Charlaine, took this picture this morning. She was on a nearby hill, looking toward the Alaska Range. Check out the ice fog at -43 degree temps! (Click on the picture itself to get a better view.)

You can see more of her talent by clicking on Simply Charlaine on the blog roll on the right side of this page.

This morning...

I was at my kitchen window this morning, when I saw movement over the fence and in the neighbor's yard.

I got Phil's attention, and then went outside with my camera....I walked slowly up towards the fence...Phillip says sternly "That's far enough."...and then I shot this video. And then...she saw me and started walking...I didn't want to stick around to see what might happen next.

I ran outside with just a light jacket, and it was also about 8 degrees above zero.

We don't see her very often, so this morning was a real treat for us.



PS. I noticed and realized after a while, that this wasn't the moose that I thought it was. It may have been her baby. I'm not sure that the baby was a female either. I have a lot to learn.

I think...

...that I owe Alaska an apology.

I realize that in an earlier post, I may have painted a minor dismal picture of the life out here. And for that, I apologize. Especially to those fellow military wives whose husbands have dreams of dragging them out here.

Big, FAT, snowflakes fall as I type. I look out of my window, and I see a postcard come to life before my eyes. I never get tired of the view from my windows, and it would only get better if I lived high on a hill somewhere, so I could see a snowy forest below me (which is really weird, because I'm a "city girl"). I do a daily "track check" in the snow, to see what animals have come to visit recently. And where else can you eat breakfast on a Saturday morning, and look out of your back door to see a moose standing just 15 feet away? I've seen a fox carrying off some small animal for a snack; we have a snowshoe hare living in our yard.

It is quite peaceful out here. The only sound from where I am is a near silence. I check my news apps everyday, and I'm kinda thankful that we are apart from the bad news coming from the Lower 48. Over here, there is not much need to lock your doors (though we do). I feel safe here. There is no traffic, no fuss to get somewhere.

At first, one of the things that annoyed me about moving out here was that there seemed to be no places to shop for the things that we're used to, or that there weren't any good restaurants to eat at. As I've mentioned before, Amazon.com has become a great place to find things, and there are quite a bit of unique specialty shops out here. A major problem to me was that there was nothing to do! I came from the Austin area, where if you were bored, then you had a problem. The new way of life out here has forced me to look at things from a different perspective, and to use my creativity more. As far as the restaurants, well, I can only think of one nice chain eatery here, but we tend to favor going to the local places. We have our favorites; lots of them. When it comes to choosing a Thai or Asian place to eat, we've got lots of DELICIOUS choices, and the Italian, Greek, and Mexican places are really good as well.

Still, I had to laugh this morning when I went into Gabe's room to wake him. He was talking in his sleep, and asking his school teacher where the Olive Garden was!

We do have to deal with such things as extreme cold, snow, critters in the woods, the whole day light/night time thing. Really though, a person just adapts. I'm all cozy and warm in my house right now. Driving in the snow is like driving on gravel (I've learned to pull out and stop slowly). And yes, I do worry about what will happen in the spring, when our neighborhood moose and her new baby will be out looking for food; it's a dangerous thing to come between them. But, all I can do is teach the kids to be aware, and to always make some sort of noise (as Gabe walks through the woods on his way home from school) so as not to sneak up on them. But really, it's kinda a unique thing to have to worry about. Don't ya think?

The people out here are also really wonderful people. The majority are so helpful and welcoming. I say this, because there are a few that like to keep to themselves (mostly the natives or long-timers). Everyone, I can truly say, is GENUINE. And I like that.

I can also say that I'm happy to live, and raise children, in a place that people sometimes save up for their whole lives to see. I mean, this is the Last Frontier and it certainly feels that way. Summer time is approaching, and the cruise line tour buses will soon be out (and then we'll have to fight a tourist for a space in line for a cookie from The Fudge Pot).

I've realized that I've become a bit of a different person since I've been here. The very things that depressed me and had me wanting to run South when we got here, are the same things that I'm going to miss when I leave (I didn't want to mention my negative thoughts to any of my fellow military wives, because I wanted to give it a fair chance first). Always looking for something to do, I've slowed down a bit. I can go days without feeling the need to leave the house now. I read more. I cook more. I exercise more. I've learned that I don't need my husband to teach me how to survive my first winter here; I did it all by myself.

They say it takes up to a year to see if how you really feel about Alaska (and to get over the initial culture shock); it took me 3-6 months.

Overall, I like it here. Not enough to retire here, but enough to look back on this experience with fond memories.

And to my Husband's and Brother's disbelief, I'm a little excited about the snow that will have to be shoveled (I like doing it) after we're done with this latest shower...

A little shopping and Seasonal Affective Disorder...

I feel the urge to shop for semi-needless things. Well, I can't spend too much money since I did the major once-every-few-months grocery/supply shopping on Monday. And we did spend a good amount of money on our trip home to Louisiana last month (though the money we spent there on all sorts of needless stuff was still less than the cost of living out here).

I've been saving money and snow-balling bills since we've moved to Alaska, and it feels good, so every bit of extra money that I do spend, sends me down a guilty path. But, right now, I'm thinking that I "need" to go onto Amazon.com (Sarah needs a new pair of Keds). FYI, there are not many places to shop out here for the things that we were used to in the Lower 48, so Amazon.com becomes another best friend to a lot of people who end up living out here.

I'm in a funky mood this week. If you refer to the post below this one, you'll know a major reason why. Phillip is out of town for a few days, and I'm having deployment flashbacks (I hate it when he's not home). I'm also starting to look forward to the Spring/Summer.

My close friend, CW, calls this the "frozen hell I live in". To me, it's not so bad. I almost prefer the winter here, because the snowy scenery is absolutely beautiful, and you have genuine darkness to sleep in (getting up to use the bathroom at 2 am to see sunny bright sky can freak a person out). As for the cold, you just have to dress warmly, and give yourself time to adapt (to the cold in general, but I don't suggest standing out in subzero weather to try to get used to it!).

But then, if you talk to a lot of people here, they will gladly admit that they are more than ready to get out of here. After 3 years here, I'll be ready to leave too, but for now I can live with it. Still, even though we just came back from a wonderful trip back home, I hear of people going off on vacation to all these interesting places, and I get a wee bit jealous. Hey, I LOVE to travel!

One downer is that because there is not much sunlight at this time of year, we are all pale like vampires, and all we want to do is sleep. I'm always tired (for numerous reasons). Gabe and Sarah are always tired. How much Vitamin D can you pump into a system without overdosing?

This won't last too much longer though (4-5 months, but I'm trying to be optimistic), and then we'll have so much sunlight that our body clocks won't want to shut us down until about midnight.

C'est la vie. It is what it is. I'm still glad to be able to say I've "been there and got the t-shirt".

At 40 degrees below zero, you find a new appreciation for staying home (and other news).

It's COLD today. I think it's the coldest that we've had so far, and just like you may guess, it's not fun to have to go out in it. This is our first winter here in Central Alaska, and I'm learning new things by the day. I absolutely LOVE to stay home now. Housework, reading, playing with toys, and trying to empty the DVR cache is our fun for the moment. (But, we do try to get out for a little while to prevent the winter blues.)

I've been bringing Gabe to school lately. Usually, he walks; but with the sun rising at around 10:30 a.m. now, the short walk to through the woods is a bit scary for him. I have him properly armed with a flashlight, cell phone, and enough winter gear to keep warm, but I can understand that bringing him the short distance in the car will put less stress on both of us if I continue to do it for the next month or two, or until we see daylight at the beginning of the school day again. I also see that a pair of snow shoes for him might be a smart purchase in the near future.

The kids and I were supposed to fly out to Lafayette tonight, but with Phillip coming home any day now from his latest mission, I decided that it was better to get our tickets changed so that the four of us can fly home together. Because Sarah and I have been a bit sick this week, I'm very glad that we're not leaving tonight!

In the past 12 days, someone over here has either gotten spayed, de-clawed (leather couches, and I can only put us both through the torture of nail trimming so often), micro-chipped, had a double-ear infection, sinus infection, a hole under the tongue where exposed salivary glands were inflamed, stuck his tongue to a basketball goal to see if it's true (and it is) that your tongue will freeze to it, caught the common cold, or had strep throat.

It's time for the husband to come home. Thank Goodness that this was only a short deployment (about 4 months). It seems as though it never fails that when he's due to come home, someone is on their last leg. I imagine it as a jet coming in for a landing with only one wheel down. When there is only one parent around, the kids need extra reassurance and attention, and I'm the one to provide it; after a while, that can take it's toll on me.

I do my best to stay positive, and not complain. I know that my situation could always be much worse. If I were not the wife of such an awesome man, I'm not sure what life would be like, but I know that I wouldn't have what I have now...and it is a beautiful life.

We all can't wait to have Phillip home. The weather and landscape sure have changed! And, in just the short time that he's been gone, Sarah has begun to hold complete conversations with us. Her vocabulary amazes me on a daily basis. And she is Conais (Cajun for mischievious) with a capital C! Gabe has gotten so much more mature. He and I had a short conversation last night about how when he was a "little" boy, he wanted so much to be a "big" boy, and now that he feels that he's there, he wants to be "little" again (that's how he put it). I had to remind him that he shouldn't want or need to grow up too quickly; his job is to be a kid, and he should leave the grown-up stuff to me or Dad. I do NOT want him to grow up too quickly...a kid should be a kid.

Oh, lovely...just got a call from the doctor, and this morning's strep swab on me came back positive. Well, that makes two of us since Saturday. Welcome Home, Babe! Here's a Z-pack!

I've been busy with lots of different things lately. I made some major changes to my blog. I've felt for quite a while that I needed a change. We needed a new look. And I wanted to do as much as I could to prevent certain invasions of privacy. Although I put lots of personal information on here, I do try to be discreet and not lead the common criminal, etc. to our front door, so I deleted some things.

Also, I've come to the realization that there comes a time in deployments (when I know the end is near), that I do extra things around the house to keep busy to make the time go faster. I also get into a sort of a "nesting" mode. And then I get tired and frustrated from the extra work, and then the kids get sick...

The roller coaster never ends!

Until next time,

Winter time is coming up on us!

Winter time is coming! Winter time is coming! Winter time is coming!
(now, ask me in a few months how I really feel about it...)

For now, the kids are excited, and I'm liking the difference in the landscape. The lowest temperature that we've had so far is about 17 degrees, and would you believe me if I said that it really isn't so bad? It's not like the Louisiana, bone-chilling, damp cold that you experience there. It's more of a "dry cold", and I can go outside for a few minutes wearing a t-shirt and I'm fine with it.

It's starting to get darker earlier, and waking up at 7:30 am in the dark is a bit weird. At night time, when the sun is completely down, it's darker than a witch's lair out here!

As for the Aurora Borealis, I've only seen it once, though my neighbor texted me at 10:30 last night to say that she could see it outside of her bedroom window (which faces our house)....I peaked out of my window, and didn't see what she was seeing. Gabe was upset that I didn't wake him up to see it last time...I must not forget to wake him on the next time I see it. I hope it makes an appearance next week for Pa-Paw and Ya-Ya, who are flying in tomorrow night (we're so stinkin' excited...our first visitors!!!).

In other news:

• Rumor has it that Phil and his friends MAY be home for Christmas, but like anything in the military way of life, we don't count on it, but hope it happens.
• The kids and I are flying home to Lafayette for 3 weeks around Christmas. I purposely scheduled a red-eye flight; we get to Houston in time for lunch, and then board a plane for Lafayette. WhooooHooooo! There's so much I want to see and do while we're there.
• And if Phil is able to come home for Christmas, he may be flying out to "Laffy" on a separate flight...we'll cross that ticket-buying bridge when we come to it.
• Gabe is doing well in school. Making friends; and one of his best friends is our neighbor, Rebecca...they walk to and from school together and she usually stops off at our house for an afternoon snack and playtime.
• Sarah is good friends with Rebecca's little sister, Kendra. They play so well together! Sarah also goes to daycare for about 5 hours on Mondays and Fridays to play with her friends there, so I can run errands, etc. She loves it! Such a social butterfly, she is.
  
• And Pichou the kitten is spoiled...that's all I have to say about that!

Take care, everyone!

Lazy Saturday...

Phillip has to work today. He is preparing to leave on a short humanitarian mission, so the kids and I decided that we would go explore a place that we've had on our to-do list for a while now.

We went to the Fairbanks Ice Museum! Cool! (no pun intended)

And to prepare for the cold weather that is slowly creeping upon us, I will have an auto-start installed on my car this upcoming Thursday (about $600, Thank Ya very much) and will have it winterized (block engine heater, etc...another $350) on the 27th...FUN! FUN!

You can see more pics of the museum if you go to my Alaska photo collection to the right of this page.

Updates and Notes...

We've been in our new house for about a month and a half now. Like any new place, the surrounding area and the house itself is taking a little time for us to get adjusted to.

Here's the lowdown:

• The restaurants around here are mostly non-chain. Our favorites so far are The Base Camp, The Cookie Jar, Mambo Grill, Sunday brunch at The Pump House; all have something unique that make it a special place. There are many more restaurants in the area, these are just a few of our favs.
• We got a new kitten! The guy who owns the house that we're living in, found some strays. We've chosen a female creme colored kitten with Balinese markings. Her eyes are the most beautiful blue! And she's soooo tiny. I'm guessing that she's about 8 weeks old at the most. I truly believe that she is an angel in disguise; she's playful, cuddly, and she purrs! (our old cat, Pandora, did not)
  
• I think I've mentioned before that things happen around here at a much slower pace. I'm still waiting on some service people to give me a call back...
  
• If one more person says "Welcome to Alaska!" (if there is a problem with something, like waiting for service) or "Have you been salmon fishing yet?", I'm gonna scream at them.
• Gabe participated in Cub Scout camp a couple of weeks ago at Birch Hill recreation area. It was a cowboy themed camp and I think he loved every minute of it. Camp gave him the perfect opportunity to make new friends.
• I put Gabe in another camp this week; a non-denominational Bible camp with a high reputation for fun. We pick him up tomorrow after having dropped him off on Monday. He said that he'd sleep over on the first night to see how it goes...so far, we've not heard from him...I think he's having way too much fun to miss us or his new kitten!
  
• Sarah had her first Alaskan ear infection in both ears a couple of weeks ago.
• Both of the kids' allergies have gotten 100% better since we left Texas! No more allergy meds!!!
  
• I'm ready to get back to work. I think it will be the best way for me to adjust to being here, and it will be nice to get out of the house. Fortunately, one of the little scouts from BSA Camp has a mom that is the recruiter for one of the local hospitals, and after we got to talking....well, you know.
• Living here after being in Texas is like going from 90 mph to nothing...it is a whole new lifestyle that can really be lonely and isolating. We are all trying to get used to it, yet glad that we will be able to tell stories in years to come about living here. As the days go on, it gets easier to adjust to the slower pace, but I admit that in the beginning, it was a shock to my system.
• The weather has been a bit dreary and rainy...the locals are calling for a harsh winter.
• We still need to winterize our cars and were told that we need to "jump on it".
• On Tuesdays, we go swimming with Ruthanne and Katie (her grand-daughter)...Ruthanne is a total sweetheart and really energetic...we look forward to spending time with her. If I haven't mentioned her already, she and her husband, both retirees from Pennsylvania, spend the summers here with her daughter...then they go back to PA for a couple of months and then winter in Florida. I met her while she was watching Katie take soccer practice in the schoolyard...and now, when Katie has practice, Ruthanne will walk on over to the house to visit, and drop off homemade cookies.
• Gabe will be able to walk to school from our house in about 30 seconds.
  
• I've posted some new pics in the "Alaska Bound" album to the right of this page...look for the link and click on it.
• We've been doing some exploring when we get the chance; last weekend, we went to the World Eskimo Olympics hosted every year in Fairbanks.
• I have been asked to post pictures of the inside of our house, and I will do that as soon as I get a chance to take the requested pictures...I'd like to clean up a bit first. We were lucky enough to find a nice two-story to rent out here in North Pole, AK.
• Berry picking seems to be a huge thing out here.
• So far, we've only seen 2 moose...one in the schoolyard and another bathing in a creek on the way to Chena Hot Springs.
• I've already warned Gabe on what to do if he sees a moose while going to or from school. Encountering one who is protecting her babies would not be a good thing...at all.
  
• Haven't seen any bears yet, and that's fine with me!
  

How to Pan for Gold!

We went to the El Dorado Gold Mine just north of Fairbanks this past weekend.

If you look to the right of this post, you can find pictures from our trip to the Mine in the collection of "trip to Alaska" pictures.

I'm really glad that we took the tour, because it was quite informative and just plain fun. We spent some money (it wasn't cheap) to tour the Mine, but got it all back when we panned for our own gold. Phillip and I had so much fun during the panning process, that we used our pans to scrape the bottom of the panning troughs to get more residue to look through, and sure enough, we found more gold!

Enjoy the video below!

Alaska Bound: We are DONE!

Well, here we are...in Fairbanks, Alaska!!!

We got here a little after lunchtime (we stopped in North Pole, AK to eat), went straight on Post to see if we could get lodging there, but we couldn't, soooooo we're staying at the Holiday Inn for...I don't know how long.

Tomorrow, we go back to Post to sign into Fort Wainwright, and then sign into Housing to get onto the waiting list for housing. Phillip doesn't have to sign into his company until after he "in-processes".

So far, we like what we see. (There's a Barnes and Noble here, so I'm happy.)

As far as the drive....We're TOTALLY glad we did it, because we saw so many beautiful things and got a whole new perspective on the lay of the land, and life in general, but next time...I'm flyin' out! Two weeks in the car to ANYWHERE is just a little too long for me!

Thanks to all who've wished us well, and a safe journey.

We are safely...home.

Central Texas to Fairbanks route (maybe...most probably...I dunno. Ask my husband.)

I'm posting this for a couple of reasons:

1. To give a visual on what route we most probably will take to get up to Fairbanks; many have asked about it.
2. To get my husband interested in stopping by a few places (since we'll be in the area).

We really haven't decided on a final route to take. We could take any number of routes to get up there. I mean, Las Vegas and Seattle are possibilities. So is the Grand Canyon. I'm reaching far on that last one.

All in all, it's about a 4200 mile trip that would take us about 9 days straight, of 8 hours a day, driving. But we really don't want to do that, because driving without long breaks to stretch our legs and rest our numb behinds, would be torture on all of us. And when would we ever be able to see some of these places again?

Here's a small rundown:

• We first have to stop off in Dallas to bring my car to the port that will ship it up to us in AK. We'll make time to say goodbye to family in that area.
• Then we stop off near Denver to spend some time with friends; it's a definite stop that's been planned for a while.
• We could make a stop off in the Jackson Hole/Yellowstone National Park area.
• We see that Montana doesn't have much to offer (that wouldn't take us too far off of the path). I had a doctor's appointment this morning and my doc said that Glacier National Park is really nice. He's the hunter/cowboy type and he got a little giddy telling me about how much he loves Wyoming and Montana.
  
• Then we get to the Calgary/Edmonton, Alberta area. Edmonton has the largest shopping mall in North America with a water park and amusement park inside. WhooHoooooo!!!!!
  
• We then head on through British Columbia and the Yukon territory along the ALCAN highway.
• There's too many things to mention on what we could possibly see on the ALCAN (different mining towns, etc.)
  
• And eventually, we reach Fairbanks.

Knowing us, we'll just start driving North and start and stop at will....go with the flow, take it as it comes. Stay tuned; because during the drive, I'm sure I'll have lots of cool things to talk about, and show you. I just hope that after all of that time in the car, any one member of our little family doesn't threaten to run-away.

Just a few more weeks here in Texas!