Missoula, MT(plus Idaho pit stop)

Date:13 July 2008
Mileage:44938
Gas Price Per Gallon:$4.08

On our way to Montana, we scooted for a few miles through Idaho. Another state that I highly underestimated. It was rugged and gorgeous. The girls thought it would be fun to stop somewhere in Idaho and eat some potatoes, so we did! The quick stop lasted about an hour and then it was on to....

Montana. Montana. What can I NOT say about Montana. I just wish I could remember more. It seemed to have the perfect blend of mountains and plains. I tell you, as a child raised in the great plains of Missouri, I love the big beautiful sky. But to have these mountains/hills to occasionally break it up. Wonderful. Again another place I think I could live forever. Absolutely gorgeous.

We stopped in Missoula, MT at a KOA campground. Wait, let me properly reference it.

Missoula, MT KOA


Much to my delight and Tim's dismay, this KOA is located off a main strip of town. We literally camped behind a TJMaxx. AND they had wi-fi, so we could check our email and surf the net. That, my friends, is my kind of camping.



I am proud to say, based on our AK tags and our slightly obnoxious AK2VA window, we were well known on the campground.(not our first or only recognition) But we enjoyed a certain amount of anonymity amongst our fellow Americans and french speaking Canadians while at the KOA HEATED pool.

Alas, our stay was a quick overnight and then onto Yellowstone National Park...and I won't mention the ill fated picnic stop along an "idealistic rivers edge"....or the onslaught of mosquitoes...

Spokane, WA

Date:12 July 2008
Mileage:44732
Gas Price per Gallon: $4.13

I guess I didn't technically finish the Seattle to Spokane post.

Yes, we left Seattle early afternoon and headed toward Spokane. The drive was so beautiful. It was really neat to see it go from a lush, nearly tropical environment to a near desert. I found it interesting that Washington deemed it necessary to tell us mear(?) traveling mortals what all the crops are. And I loved it. Haven't you always wondered what the fields of stuff stretched before you contained? Of course, months later I can't recall what those fields of stuff were, but, well...I appreciated it at the moment.

None the less, we hit Spokane and found an Air Force base near by. It didn't have any open rooms, but we found a perfect suite/room for less than $100 a night. 2 rooms, a kitchen, living room with leather sofa and recliner AND FREE LAUNDRY. Ahhhhhh heaven. It wasn't until the sun went down we realized the nice, well lit area behind us was a penitentiary(yeah, had to spell check that one 4 times). But we kept the windows shut, prayed for protection and woke up all the better the next morning.

Oh, as we crossed over the mountain into the "desert" we came upon a surprise sculpture of wild horses on the Columbia River. Tim insisted I stop and I'm so glad he did. What a view. What a moment.






The next morning we headed into Spokane for a quick look/see. First on the list was stop at Caterina Winery and then onto the giant Radio Flyer Wagon,





a "stay and play water fountain",


and a gorgeous Spokane water front. We had a serious conversation about whether or not the B-52 community(airplane. not band.) would benefit from an Armor officer among their ranks. What a great city.

So, after Spokane it was on to Missoula, MT!

Playing catch up. Or Ferry to Spokane, WA

Date: 11 July 2008
Mileage:4446
City: Seattle
Gas price per gallon:$4.33


Let's see. I left off at the ferry ride...and there is so much I should add to that, but I need to finish this trip up already!

So we hit Bellingham, WA around 8:30 in the morning. The ferry fairies wasted no
time in kicking us all off the boat and sending us on our merry way. We headed onto Highway 5 towards Seattle on a beautiful sunny Friday morning. When planning this journey I told Tim one thing I wanted to see was the guys throwing the fish at The Fish Market. I know, beyond cliche, but like the Eifel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it's just one of those things.

First and foremost, a pit stop on the edges of Seattle. After the hasty ferry farewell, we all needed a potty break...and convienently there was a TARGET right off the highway(and to the left about 5 miles and then a right and another left just past Kohls...)anyhooo an hour or so later we finished our trek to the center of Seattle.

Now, let me just take a moment to tell you...Alaska has the best, most wonderful fresh fish and game. Seriously, I LOVE reindeer sausage. However, the food I missed most was tomatoes. I would have given the world for my grandpa's big juicy tomatoes, still warm from the sun, right from the garden. That said...

We found The Fish Market, but parking was a little tight.



Then the people...ohhhhhh sweet lord...allllllll the people. Tim, having been around massive amount of people in the last 3 years didn't seem to be as affected. However, it was overwhelming for the rest of us. Again, the people, the fresh flowers(never have I seen so many, so fresh and so CHEAP!), the sunshine, the everything!!!!

After watching the anticlimatic fish throwing, we ducked into a small crepe restaraunt/cafe. There we all had just what we wanted and needed. It goes without saying the kids had some kind of Nutella on their crepes, while Tim and I were more creative...and I got my fresh, wonderful tomatoes with goat cheese and basil. It was so fresh and summer'ish. I don't think we talked to each other for a good 10 minutes. Everyone was in absolute heaven.


However, back to reality. And all the humanity. It was just too much--so, after just 2 hours, we all happily hit the road to Spokane....

For Kristen...

who has given me more than a few of one and has been eating a sandwich of another lately....and sorry mom...

First off, sorry I haven't posted any pics. We are now going on week 6 of no cable which also means no computer. However, I'm currently leeching off a random neighbor who is kind enough not to put a password on their wireless router. I don't feel bad checking email, but downloading and uploading have been kept to a minimum around here.

Sooo....in the meantime, I thought I'd tell a funny.

The day before we left for Virginia, Tim called to see what he could pick up and have waiting at the hotel for us. Snacks...a few juice boxes...a magazine or two...just something to help us settle in after our 9 hour drive from KY to VA.

Of course, after NINE hours on the road with 3 kids, a large dog and a pissy cat, I realized a juice box was NOT going to cut it for this moma. AND the cat needed a place to relieve herself once we got in the room. Knowing Tim was at work and not wanting to disturb him too much I simply texted him the following:

SMSDona to SMSTim: Forgot to add to previous list
SMSDona to SMSTim:...need kitty litter and wine...
SMSDona to SMSTim: ...for shits and giggles...

Oh my gosh! I laughed for a good 50 miles on that one.

They did come lay some cable today so hopefully we will be up and running full speed sooner than later.

3 and 1/2 days on a ferry...

So, for me, so far, the most difficult time was the time between our 11am check out in Haines to our 6:30pm showtime for the ferry. First off, being a man without a home is never comforting...then to not be sure of all that the next 84 hours holds is just down right miserable. Of course, once we pulled the car into the belly of the boat and got our stuff into our cabin, I was just fine.

The cabin was a bunk bed with a couch that turned into another single bed. Above it was yet another single bed that could sort of fold into the wall a la murphy bed style. In addition to that we had a small tiny sink , toilet and shower. None the less, there was just enough floor space for the additional family member to sleep on the floor.

The main observation area was a true study in the sociology. Ya know what? I'll spare you the details for now, but we saw enough whales to partially soothe my great whale spotting desire...and enough rain that we were looking for Noah...or...a typical day in the Alaska banana belt.

Here's the quick pics before I head to my sleeping bag somewhere here in the middle of the Badlands in South Dakota. Who knew campgrounds had wi-fi!

Here's a little guy waving at me...



And my fav...moma and her babies...

Beaver Creek, YT to Haines, AK

We left Beaver Creek on the morning to Tim's 38th birthday. I had purchased a cinnamon roll and birthday candles so we could celebrate first thing in the morning, but Betty won out on breakfast yummies, so we headed out with just a "Happy Birthday, Daddy".

The trip across Canada was rainy, cloudy, sunny and quiet. Not many people were on the road...or possibly in the whole territory.

I wish I could describe the beauty...and the variations. We passed a few incredible lakes. Absolutely pristine. Not a boat in sight. Then we climbed a mountain and I seriously thought it was going to snow on us. We were so high, it was only the road, some rocks and the marmots.

Ascending was another tiring, windy trek, but the reward was to cross the border back into Alaska. Funny how being on American soil just makes you feel more comfortable.

Into Haines we went. I was hell bent for election so there were no side treks at "scenic outlooks". We arrived and easily found the hotel Brandon had recommended. "Captain's Choice" was right on the water. It was the best view in the whole town. Huge props to Brandon!!!!!!


After a yummy meal, some quiet time for everyone and a stroll on the rocky beach, we remembered to pull out the birthday roll for Tim. Yeeeahhhh....think this birthday calls for a "do over"...

Eagle River to Beaver Creek, YT

I'm currently sitting in a Holiday Inn in Spearfish, SD. The kids are with Tim swimming in the indoor pool and I am freshly showered and ready to conquer wet sleepy kids whenever they should walk in.

As tempting as it is to start from this point of our journey, I'm going to force myself to go back to the beginning...



We left July 5th and drove out of Alaska and into Canada. Our sleep-over was in Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory. Jamison was NOT happy and whined to go back home for the whole 6 hour journey, but all and all, the promise of another adventure spurred us on.

The Alaskan portion of the journey was pleasant. It was hard to drive past places I never went to...reflecting on the 3 years and feeling like I hadn't really gotten to know all the wonders in my own back yard.

Mountains, rough roads and frost heaves (that means bumps in the road) slowed our journey more than I expected, but I felt fortunate that the weekend prevented construction from adding to delays.

The border was uneventful, in spite of the time, effort and money I invested in passports. They didn't even check them. Ironically, Tim's civilian passport expired that very day-not to worry, he had an "official" one too!

Beaver Creek was exactly what one would expect in the middle of the Yukon Territory. A short strip of road with some weather worn buildings. We stayed at the Westmark. Not much to look at, and very, very small, and no T.V.-much to the kids dismay. However, all we needed was a place to rest our head. Oh, and I should mention...we actually saw a beaver in a creek!


We ate breakfast at Buckshot Betty's. I can't begin to describe the near junk yard ambiance outside her building, but when we walked in, ol' Betty welcomed us, told us to grab our own coffee and set to work on our orders. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what our meal cost, but I can say it was delicious and exactly what we needed to get us on to Haines. Thanks Betty!

Full Circle

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but after Christmas we found ourselves picking up an old high school wrestling teammate of Tim's from the airport. Pat and wife and 4(!!!) kids had come from Hohenfels (via a 11 month stop in Kansas) so Yumi and I had many shared experiences. Her youngest daughter (as well as mine) was born at the Regensburg Hospital.

Much like so many other duty stations, it's always so hard to meet a great family only to then say goodbye so soon. Add to it the small world of the Army in that Tim knew Pat from Heidelberg...and then lived 6ish houses down from us 20 years later in Alaska.

All that to say, they were our final Eagle River farewell and Yumi sent us off with 2 delicious meals for the road....and some great pictures of the gaggle of kids.

The obvious...and a point of 'buziness'

The obvious? We are outta Eagle River and on our way to VA. I have window paint on the back window "AK2VA". After driving 16 hours, we are still in Alaska. Unreal.

The business? If you look to the right of this screen you see "Follow me on Twitter". Twitter is a program that allows you to use text messaging to communicate. Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a stretch...I know you all love us, but do you really want a minute by minute update? Well, if you are dying to know, here's the place to check it out. I have found it to be nice to be able to stop and text a quick note. You can get really crazy and have the texts sent to your phone, but I don't recommend....but it allows me to update when I don't have internet access.

however! Along those lines...please do not hold me responsible for misspelled words on my Twitter. The combo of sending out a quick message while surrounded by yelling children and an impatient husband equals poor elementary skills.

OK, enough business...will post pics soon.

Paybacks

Someone asked me today, what was my top Alaskan 5? I have to say...

*seeing a black AND brown bear (along with a few dozen moose) in my back yard rank pretty high
*Northern lights from the bathroom window...
*watching the (ceremonial)start of the Iditarod...
*driving deep into Denali National Park...
*sending my girls to ski on the only mountain where you can see the ocean as you swish down the slopes...
*ahhh-can't forget ice fishing!!!!
The list of what I did/experienced is diminished only by what I wanted to do during our extended Alaskan Cruise.

None the less, one of my greatest hopes has been to see whales...big beautiful whales-in their own enviroment. Well...

Tim went fishing with the next door neighbor on Saturday. Now don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for Tim...my only disappointment/regret is not sending my camera with him. None the less, in the exact same area we went on a "whale cruise" with my dad nearly 3 years ago, Tim went fishing and caught a few photos of some Orcas-along with some yummy halibut!

Tim won't be able to BEAR it!!!

As I write this, Tim (who has yet to see a bear) doesn't know that 3 hours ago SarahBeth, Jamison and I went to the Eagle River Nature Center and hung out with a young and very curious black bear. Have I mentioned how much I love my new lens?

Mama Moose

We were headed downtown to the Oceans Festival around noon today when we spotted a Mama Moose and her newly born calf running along side the Fort Richardson fence line and the Glenn Highway. We drove a hundred feet or so ahead of them to get some pics. As you see, ol' mama zoned in on Tim standing just outside of the car. By the time she and baby got nearly parallel to us, she stopped and stared Tim down. Being that he was looking thru the view finder, he was unaware how close she was...and that it was in fact HIM she was staring down.

Downtown Fishing

The whole lot of us made it out to Ship Creek to fish. Nobody caught a King Salmon-and Jamison said he doesn't like fishing because he's "always loses!". However, it was still a nice enough day and it was fun to just hang out for a couple of hours.

Well that was cool...

There was a bit of a brush fire near the river the other day. Once we found out that no homes or lives were involved, we headed down to gawk a bit. Watching helicopters dump water was a lot of fun!

Jamison's Preschool Field Trip

What could this sweet baby be looking out at intently?


His ride to the playground in Wasilla...





Obviously he was in hog heaven for the whole ride.




And we saw 2 bears!!!!!

Train Time!

Updates!

Well, there was the Father-Daughter Dance.




Went to a BBQ at a house at the top of Eagle River-literally. Stunning views and a scary drive back down!



A Tax Day snow.



A spring time visitor.



Another snow.



School plays.



Choir concert solos.



And the usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich faces...


We are heading out of AK in July via the ferry. Then a cross country journey through Yellowstone, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and then on to Kentucky. Tim is going to head to Virginia to get started at work and try to find us a home.

For now we are just trying to finish up school, work, sell a house, and grab a few last bits of Alaskan sun and fun.