Looking back: One year ago

Chapter One: Southern California

It was just one year ago today that we turned the page ending Chapter One of our life in this rig. This cozy little spot. Our new place of abode. This little space where we've lived for over twelve months now.

Bob had come to the end of his first work-camping commitment. Life in the Santa Clarita Valley was good. The little town of Fillmore, California, was a fun place to land for five months. The lovely fertile valley is such a contrast to the surrounding drought-stricken area. What fun to live and work and walk among the groves of oranges and avocados. We were intrigued by the history and culture of our quaint little town, but also thrilled to be near the ocean and near some of our family as well. We wished to be even closer - both to the shore and to the kids, but what a blessing to at least be involved in their lives a bit. 

Our new life on the road was off to a good start. Chapter One had been good. We were grateful for the opportunities of the previous months and excited for the journey ahead. As we turned the page from our time in southern California we also turned the corner to head north up the West Coast for Chapter Two: the highway to Alaska.
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And now a year later, I notice a bit of irony.  Something different between last year and this year. Last year on this date, we were glad to be done with the five-month stint that had kept us tied down in one spot. We were getting antsy. Ready to be on the move. When campers pulled out from Kenney Grove after camping for a few days, we began to wish that we could hitch up and join them.

This year is almost the opposite. Since we seem to be still recovering from the winter and spring in the South and up the East Coast we are pretty content to stay put for the next few months. When the Memorial Weekend crowd started to thin out earlier this week and the campground emptied out, we grinned at each other as we noticed how quiet it was. This time we are feeling glad that we get to stay put.

Five-minute Friday and the word is FINISH

Five-minute Friday.
That's when you set the timer for five minutes and just type. No editing. Just type.
Then you are supposed to link to the Five-Minute Friday web page, but my computer has not been cooperating lately. But at least I write...
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Today's word: finish

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I'm not a good finisher.
Actually I'm a terrible finisher.
I'm a good starter or even a dabbler, but I'm not a good finisher.
I get lots of grand ideas and I start some of them, but they seldom see completion.
I seem to run out of steam.

It happens in lots of areas of life, but particularly with writing. I have ideas, I start gathering notes, I may write a lot of words, I might even get it mostly done, but I seldom actually finish.
So too with big projects in the rest of life.

Why am I so likely not to finish? What things contribute to my not finishing? I suppose there could be lots of reasons. Sometimes it may simply be that the task is too complex. That I don't know how to finish - or that it may be too difficult and I don't have the determination or the follow through.
And what are the consequences of not finishing? Well, I have this huge collection of unfinished projects. All kinds of loose ends. And they tend to cause me to feel crappy about myself.

• A famous person once said that incompletions are great stressors.

Well, I really hope to finish something today. Something big. Yep, yep. Today I hope to finish the Alaska Highway. And what an accomplishment it will be - even though I am not the one to really get the credit. My hubby is the one who has driven all those miles. My major credit comes from not gasping too loudly about the latest scary curve as I clutch the door handle a little tighter and my knuckles get a little whiter...

Nope; my man gets the credit - for hanging tight to that steering wheel as he guides those seven tons of steel around the steep narrow curves, for such sensible engine braking, for his calm demeanor, and for his patience with my tension. And I get to just ride along.

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And you? How are you at finishing?

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By the way, we made it. We finished the Alaska Highway! Both ways!!!
Now let's see what else I can finish...

Campsites I have known

The campgrounds are different. One night we will be lined up with other campers in a grassy field. The next night we might have a lovely spacious wooded campsite with pine-needle-covered trails leading here and there. And then we may revert back to the truck stop style line-up on stony gravel without enough room to even open our slider.

These were in fact our first three nights of this leg of the journey.

But there is one really good thing about these different campsites: the fact that it we only have to step inside to be at home. What a blessing! Especially on nights like this when my body is so exhausted and restless and desperately needs to crawl into my own bed.

So here I go...

At home in the Yukon Territory...

Good night.

Heading north to head south

First night on the road: Mountain View RV Park, Palmer, AK - where Bob was able to explore a gold mine and where we very much enjoyed shopping in a real grocery store with somewhat reasonable prices.

Yesterday we began the journey south - and east. But today we must go north to go south - and still east. We will angle up toward the Alaska Highway today.

We were talking these week with our girls about how different it is in the mountains as compared with the gridwork of one-mile squares that we are used to in the agricultural valleys of Michigan.

So today we drive north so that we can go south.

Time to leave; I wonder what I'm forgetting

Today is the day we pull out from Denali. Unbelievable. These five weeks have flown by so fast.

I wonder...

I wonder what else I need to do this morning.

I wonder if I can really be ready by 10 a.m. so that I can have time to hang out at the Black Bear before we have to pull out.

I wonder if I am remembering everything we need to stow away before hitching up.

I wonder what I'm forgetting to do here in the canyon.

I wonder how many tears I will shed today.

I wonder how many days it will take us to get to the Alaska Highway by going the south route and how many days to drive the length of the Alcan this time.

I wonder if I have enough Xanax for the mountain roads.

I wonder if we'll be able to get internet in tonight's camping spot. I wonder how long it will be before we can get internet along the highway.

I wonder when we will be able to wear short sleeves for most of the day.

I wonder when we will pull away from all the rain.

I wonder when I will be able to pack away my winter coat.

I wonder if we'll ever come back to Alaska. If so, I wonder where we would stay.

I wonder how many years the kids will keep working here.

I wonder if I will keep in touch with any of the people I have met here.

Of all the cool stories I've heard and want to write about, I wonder how many I will actually get written and posted. I know my pattern of good intentions and eventual lack of follow-through.

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Yep, I wonder about lots of things this morning. This kind of wondering is pretty typical for me on a travel day - particularly the first day of travel after being camped for a few weeks. I guess that's the way I process my pre-travel anxiety.

Thankful Thursday in the middle of a fun week

I'm feeling very thankful to have so much time with a couple daughters this week. Such fun to hang out with them.

And today I am actually thankful for a "day off" from all the fun while the sisters and their dad are traveling deep into the national park for hiking. Actually the road goes only 93 miles road into the six-million-acre park and their bus route covers only 60-some miles of that road - so maybe I shouldn't say that they are deep in the park. Deciding not to go with them today was a no-brainer for me because I can't keep up with their long legs and I knew I probably wasn't up for some of the scary mountain roads. Besides I needed a day to catch up on lots of things - so I was more than happy to stay home.

And speaking of being at home...
I'm also thankful for the extended time here in Denali to get acquainted with Wendi's world. I can hardly believe that it is winding down in just a few more days. These five weeks have flown by so quickly! It some ways it seems like we've been here just a short time while in other ways it feels like a wonderfully long time. It turns out that I love it here and feel at home - as if I'd been here awhile.

Raindrops and other morning sounds

Lazy morning.

It's raining again.

Snuggle a little deeper under the covers and listen to the rain on the roof.

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Sounds

Besides the raindrops...

Raindrops and other morning sounds

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The world outside is slowly waking up - as evidenced by sounds.

Lots of sounds.

As I listen, I realize that I recognize many of them...

The low rumble of the train in the mostly still quiet morning air and then the long whistle as it approaches the crossing and then comes into the station.

The big trucks hauling super long loads rolling through the canyon... when the stoplight is green. The deep growl of their engine braking when the light is red.

An airplane overhead. I guess the "Fly Denali" aerial tours have begun for the day.

Closer to our walls, I hear the first traffic within the park. Huge fancy rigs roaring to life to get an early start on the day's journey.

The garbage truck stops all along their route through this back alley followed by huge delivery trucks bringing supplies to the various restaurants and stores.

Suddenly the very loud Chinese-language conversations just under our window. Startling. Once that subsides, I hear another deep voice at the other end of our home. Must be one of the Bulgarian students who works at the ice cream store on his cell phone.

Now there's the big white van flying by - rattling on the bumps - presumably off to shuttle another load of tourists to the attraction they've chosen for the day.

And in between the rattling and roaring and rumbling, the steady sounds of raindrops.

Lazy morning.

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Unspoiled

The overlook

Unspoiled by men

Untouched

Untamed

Not colonized, not commercialized, not civilized

Just natural beauty

Pristine

Wild

No sign of humans

No roads, no railroad tracks, no pathways or trails

No buildings, no bridges, no power lines, no cell towers

Nothing to interrupt or interfere with the beauty of nature

Simply unspoiled

Life on the road, life at Denali

Location: Rainbow Village RV Park, McKinley Park, Alaska

Outside: Raining. Again.

Miles traveled: None today or this week. We are just parked behind the shops along the boardwalk.

Walked: Here and there and everywhere in the canyon and in the national park

Hubby is: typing

Milestones:

• Two weeks ago today we arrived at Denali
• Four weeks ago we were camped by the ocean in sunny southern California just heading out on this middle stretch of our epic journey
• Six months ago we were starting to move into the RV and preparing for the big trip

Recent happenings: Copious amounts of rain resulted in mudslides and flooding yesterday. One slide here just above the canyon brought a tree down on power lines cutting off the electricity all along the boardwalk for 3 1/2 hours. Flooding in the national park washed out chunks of the road leaving tourists and staff stranded in buses at the end of the remote highway until helicopters could rescue them

Unexpected: so much rain and such cold temps. Not sure why this surprised me - except that it is late June

Other surprises: Lots of snow on Mt. Healy

Discoveries: the General Store that carries lots of little necessities - for a price!

Makes me smile: Hearing the train as it comes through the canyon

Makes me sad: Such limited internet access

Makes me drool: pulled pork at the Black Bear

Blessings: my winter coat found in the cargo hold - which makes a great raincoat, our cozy rig, close proximity to the Black Bear where I can get internet access AND see my daughter

Reading: History of Alaska - Land, People and Events.  (Thanks, Karina!)

Watching tonight: Probably nothing much. Maybe a little channel surfing. My excitement last week about finally having TV reception after four years without has quickly dwindled into disappointment at the lack of anything worth watching.

Considering: whether to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Fairbanks for supplies or just get by with what we can get here in the canyon and give up an arm and a leg to pay for it.

Accomplishments: I finally took time to find the addresses and write little notes on that pile of postcards I've been collecting. AND I took them to the post office!

Lessons: People are often more interesting that they might originally seem.

Looking forward to: Stacy coming in two weeks!

Tourists and schedules

Thousands of tourists come to Denali. Most of them will be here for two or three days - or maybe a week. There are lots of things to do and see around here. You can take a flightseeing tour to Mt. McKinley or you can even land on a glacier. You can go white-water rafting or ride horses. You can hike for miles in just about any direction. You can shoot pictures of amazing wildlife up close and personal. You can walk the boardwalk and stop at all the gift shops finding the perfect souvenirs and trinkets. You can try a variety of menus if you care to go out for dinner - or attend one of the dinner theaters in the canyon.

The typical tourist has to keep moving - in order to see and do all that he/she wants to see and do - and in such a short time.

But it's raining again today. Not great weather for being a tourist. Especially if you spent all those dollars and traveled all those miles to see the tallest mountain in North America, which happens to be obscured by clouds two days out of three.  However it might not be raining down there at the mountain. It is, after all, over 60 miles away - so it could be clear there. So maybe don't rule out the idea. Besides the other tourist-y stuff is not quite as much fun in the rain either.

But when you have only three days, you need to do what you came to do, rain or shine.

We, on the other hand, aren't really tourists. We can afford to relax because we don't have to see it all and do it all today and tomorrow - or even by the end of the week. We will be here awhile. So when it starts raining again, we can just curl up on the couch with a book and enjoy the cozy sound of the rain on the roof of our trailer. Ahhh...

We have the luxury of time. We might not have the luxurious accommodations at the resort lodge nor do we even have a fancy campsite. But we have our home on wheels and we have most of the conveniences that we really need. (See what I did there: equating convenience with need - as good Americans tend to do?) We have options. We can dig out our rain gear and go for our walk in the rain if we choose to - or we can just stay inside and enjoy the raindrop symphony.

We made it to Denali!

Oops; I haven't posted here yet - since we arrived at Denali. I guess I made good on my promise to take a few days off and not feel responsibility for anything. And they have been good days. We were able to park our rig right outside the back door of the Black Bear Coffee House where Wendi works. What fun to be able to pop over here and see her face anytime when she was on duty. I quickly got in the habit of bringing my computer over here for my early morning writing. Wendi supervises the morning shift so it has been great fun to watch her in her world. It was really special to be close enough that she could step over to our trailer for her lunch break.

Alas; that was only for the first few days and now we have had to move a few sites farther down the street - in order to get a long-term discount on the lot rent. It is not quite so handy nor as much fun but still pretty convenient and easy to get to the Black Bear.
Now that we are settled in for the next month we can figure out our schedule for our time here. Each new place invites a new normal.

Thankful Thursday... What a day!

A momentous day. A day of accomplishments and gratitude.

First, we drove 50-some miles through horrible road conditions including bucking-bronco-bumps and roller-coaster-dips and cavernous potholes - as well as sitting for large chunks of time waiting for the pilot car to come and lead us through the muddy yucky construction zones. I'm thankful that nothing in (or on) our rig seems to have been damaged through the turbulence.

Then we made it to the American border and were welcomed by a very cheerful and friendly border official. Once we had cleared customs, we were immediately thankful for the improved road conditions. Smooth pavement. Bona fide guard rails. How comforting.

Next we made it to the official end point of the Alaska Highway, Delta Junction. What an accomplishment. Mostly I am just thankful to have survived that. So much of it is breathtakingly beautiful, but so much is also just plain breathtaking scary and downright dangerous. I really wish I never had to go on that highway again. *Sigh.* I guess we'll have to see about that.

Last but not least, this day is momentous because it marks 43 years of marriage. I'm thankful for my amazing man and for the adventure of these years together. By the way, it doesn't always have to be fun to be an adventure so I am all the more grateful that so many of these have been wonderful and fun.

One evening during college Bob told me he thought he could be happy with me in Alaska. To my ears that seemed like a significant moment in our relationship - because it seemed to imply that we could be happy anywhere. Well, here we are. Celebrating 43 years together. In Alaska. And he says he is happy with me in Alaska. I guess he was right those many years ago. And I'm happy about that.

And so very thankful.