North to Alaska!

Left You Hanging!

I'm about to give this blog address to another family who will be making the trip to Eielson in the summer and realized that I left everyone hanging in Colorado!

Obviously we made it to Virginia (on the 15th of July of last year), lived in a rental for awhile, met some nice neighbors, started the kids in school (6th and 9th respectively), Steve started his new job, moved out of the rental, went to visit Belchertown at the end of November, moved into the new place in December, Mom came to visit and help with the move, Katelyn started basketball, Steve's parents came to visit and help do some setup, I went back to Belchertown for my best friend's wedding, my younger sister came to visit, everybody left, basketball season ended, we settled in, Katelyn started softball and volleyball, and I emptied the last boxes yesterday (April 16).  Whew!  That's the last nine months in a nutshell.

Photos to follow.

Ahhh...Colorado

We're on our last day in Colorado Springs, then we'll head to visit with Steve's parents in New Mexico.  We've been able to visit with some friends, take in a Sky Sox game and the longest Rockies game in team history.  Today we'll be repacking the car.

Stopped in Flagstaff

We've made it to Flagstaff after trips to the Giant Sequoia National Park and the Grand Canyon.   We drove through the Mojave Desert without overheating.  We didn't notice any Hondas among the vehicles along the side of the highway!

Tomorrow we hope to fit in visits to the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the Meteor Crater and Four Corners.  Sounds a little ambitious to me!  I'm still working on downloading photos, so I probably won't post any here tonight.  Hoping to have the opportunity tomorrow.

Attention-getting License Plates

Our Alaska plates are drawing attention.  First from some Japanese tourists who were talking and pointing at the van and then asked me "How far to Alaska?!"  Very far, very far, yes, yes.

I was welcomed to California in last night's hotel parking lot by a man with a Brooklyn accent who was pointing out to his son the engine block heater poking out from the front of the van.  He struck up a conversation and then asked what room I was in.  I've been in a remote area too long, because the room number was on the tip of my tongue.  I changed my answer just in time--and I'm wondering who thinks asking people their room number in the hotel parking lot is a good idea!

Crater Lake

I'm working on downloading and putting the trip pictures so far into folders so I don't have a jumbled mess at the end of it.  I wanted to post these Crater Lake photos from today on the blog now, though.  They are too pretty not to share right away!

These are shots from the Rim Trail.  We were debating whether to make the trip as it was about an hour's drive off of the Interstate.  I'm so glad we decided to do it--the views were breathtaking!

The blue in the background of the chipmunk picture is from the water.

More Canada Construction

We came through more construction in Canada during today's drive.  We've come to the conclusion that the country may only have funding for certain construction positions.  The positions are:  The guys/gals who hold the signs that say "STOP" and "SLOW", the folks who drive the pilot vehicles to safely deliver drivers through construction zones, and the three guys who stand around shoulder-to-shoulder wearing hard-hats and looking at the ground.  We saw these folks in each construction zone we went through.  (We usually see them when we drive in Connecticut, too.)  The people who operate the machinery were not in attendance.

Overheard from the Back Seat

Robert:  (Reading a marquee outside Seattle) "Styx is coming."

Katelyn:  "What is Styx?"

Robert:  "A really old band.  You know, the ones Mom and Dad like.  From the '80s"

First Few Days

Well, we left Fort Greely at close to 4:00 p.m. on the 18th, after the change of command ceremony.  It was a nice ceremony.   I was proud to hear some of the things that were said about Steve's two-year tour.  I've known he's a pretty good guy for the last 22 years, but it is nice when those qualities are recognized by others. :) 

We drove until about 3:00 a.m. and stopped in Whitehorse at the Best Western Goldrush Inn.  A very nice hotel if you have occasion to stop in Whitehorse. 

The roads in Canada, especially in Yukon Terrtory and the beginning of British Columbia, are pretty bad.  It appears that, instead of actually fixing the roads, crews are sent out to place orange flags with a reflective stripe on both sides of the road in areas where there are big bumps, rollercoaster quality hills, and damaged pavement areas. 

We're now passing through British Columbia.  We stopped in Watson Lake and then in Fort St. John and we'll continue through Dawson Creek for a photo op at the 0 Mile Marker for the Alaska Highway. 

We're still a party of six...dogs are hanging in there.

Directional Clarification...

So, I mentioned today that I had posted that I should call this portion of our trip, "Down and to the Right to Virginia".  Steve said, "What do you mean?  We're going to the left."  So, I guess since he and McD are thinking the same thing, we'll call it "Down and to the Left"--although I was looking at the map where Alaska is up on the top left, not the way we were actually traveling.   There you go.

A Drum Roll, Please...

The packing and loading is done.  We arrived with sixteen crates two years ago.  I got rid of several boxes of toys and kitchen items and many bags of clothing.  My efforts paid off.  Today they pulled out of Fort Greely with our belongings contained in a grand total of...seventeen and one-quarter crates! I am the master de-clutterer.