It's a Bust!

Well this whole day was a waste!!!! I wish I could just fast forward the remainder of the day and be done with it.
My "second" interview was terrible. I had a sneaky feeling that this company was trying to get sales people and I ended up being right. In fact, I nearly skipped the entire thing but Sgt Dad talked me into going anyway. When I got there I felt as though I was sitting in an Amway or Mary Kay presentation. Finally at the end of the "interview" they covered the "positions" they were "filling". EVERYONE they hire- to include "office staff" must get insurance licenses and do field work which means going to peoples homes to sell them supplemental insurance and working "retail hours". At the end of their multi-media presentation I was mad! What a phenomenal waste of my time. I told the guy in my first "interview" that I wasn't interested in a stressful job and wanted to be available for my children. What part of that sounds like I want to go into people's homes to sell them insurance and work until 9 pm???? How would that make me available for my kids??? So when they pulled each of us aside to ask us more in depth questions I let them know how irritated I was and informed them that I had NO interest in sales nor in working until 9pm. GRRR!
Then when we went to housing today (as we were told to do) the woman we were working with was in training. So, the manager "helped" us and of course had no information and told us to come back in the morning. I'm sure had we spoken with the woman who knew our case we would have had a more fruitful meeting.
The one bright spot today is we are planning on furniture shopping this evening. Some of you already knew that we discarded our sofa and loveseat before leaving NY and need replacements. We also need a computer desk or two. For those I will check thrift shops and yard sales. The sofa and loveseat need to be new. I wouldn't want to get home with one infused with cat urine- or worse. We'll soon see how bad sticker shock is up here.
Speaking of sticker shock- I spent over $17 buying lunch for Oldest Son and myself at Arby's last week! Yikes! Things are not cheap up here. We haven't shopped for vehicles yet. We are thinking that we'll make what we have last or buy clunkers. We are strongly considering a vehicle purchase for the boys to use. It would be nice if they had their own wheels.
Time to attempt the crossword for the day. See ya!

Breaking In

Well, Oldest Son endured his first practice. We had to stop and buy Aleve and Icy Hot. His pointer finger is either jammed or broken and this is just the first day. Hopefully it's just jammed. A broken finger would be the end of his football season I think. I'm glad to see him getting involved though.
Tomorrow I go for my second interview with the insurance company. Hopefully I'll know more about the position after tomorrow and whether or not I want to pursue it further. We also should get a solid move-in date for our home! I can't wait! I'm so ready to get to "normal" life
That's about it for the day- no big news.
See ya!

Fishing is to Alaska as Sunbathing is to Hawaii

My family attempted salmon fishing this evening. Oh those wily fish! We could see schools of them taunting us but they wouldn't oblige us by biting our lures. Oh no! They teased and jumped and swam but no biting. I guess we probably looked much like the cast of City Slickers out there attempting to fish. I found us under dressed- all the other fisher people were wearing rubber waders while we were wearing jeans and sneakers! After about two hours of unsuccessful casting we joined the ranks of those leaving without fish. We'll try again and as God as my witness (to quote one of my favorite heroines) we shall catch a fish! (hopefully it will be a keeper)
During our unsuccessful attempts at fishing we spotted a bald eagle! That was very exciting. I was amazed at how large it was and I have to admit that while I was quite thrilled to see it in it's natural environment, I was jealously watching the fish and wanting it to stay away from my fishing spot! Unfortunately in the rush to leave for our fishing attempt I had forgotten to grab my camera. So- no pics! If only there was a way for me to upload my memories as photos...
In other news, I bumped in the woman from the housing office at the shoppette this evening and she told me that she checked on our house today and to come see her Tuesday! Yippie! And what a sweetie that she is staying on top of that for us! Such a rarity to see someone who really enjoys her job! I will be running into her quite often over the next few months as her son is also a football player.
Speaking of football, Oldest Son is all set to start practice on Monday. We ran around today getting all the gear from his school, purchasing his cleats and other protective gear. So, he's all set and now he's got something to do and will be making new friends before school starts. I'm sure this will be quite beneficial to his mental well being.
No news on my job-hunt as yet. I'm not terribly worried. I don't really want to start working for another two weeks anyway. I'd like to be all moved in before I have to start putting my mind into a new job. I'm still hoping to hear back from UAA. I think I'll send a follow up email. Maybe initiative will put me over the top.
That's all she wrote for today!

Getting Settled

Well yesterday I got Oldest Son registered for football and practice starts Monday. All of the coaches seem very experienced and happy to have him join the team. I have to admit I was much relieved that these boys didn't look like NFLers already. Those southern boys were HUGE! Of course the last time Oldest Son played football he was a freshmen so he was quite a bit smaller. Today we have to go back to the school so he can be issued his equipment and Monday he starts twice a day practices. I am hoping that getting involved will pull him out of his self-inflicted doldrums. I am loathe to see him so sad.
Last night we had dinner with our friends from Japan. It was SO nice to be in a home again and eat a home cooked meal! It was also very nice to rekindle an old friendship. It's always a nice to suprise to run into someone you once knew- and liked! How dreadful it would be to run into someone that you had gladly left behind! Happily there are very few people that fall into that category.
Today we are going to attempt silver tail salmon fishing. Sgt Dad and I have no clue on what to do with the fish once it's caught. I hope the gentleman escorting us will be able to show us how to clean a fish. Alaska has some complicated and rigid regulations regarding fishing so I hope this guy knows the rules pretty well also. I sure don't want to pay a steep fine for ignorance. Hopefully I'll have some great fishing pictures to post tomorrow.
If all goes well, next weekend I'll be posting from my new home. I guess I better start figuring out where to get internet access. We tossed our sofa and loveseat before leaving NY so sometime this week we need to find a replacement. It's nice to get new stuff but shopping for large ticket items is such a pain because you always have to go to more than one store. I do realize I'm a woman and should love shopping- and I do but not shopping all day for one specific item. I can window shop and browse all day long but if I have something specific to purchase I don't enjoy going all over for it. Strange?? Someone should explain that to me.
That should cover all the news. I've got to get the boys up and showered we have lots of errands to run before fishing this afternoon.
See ya!

Civilization

Well, Anchorage is civilized after all. I found the "real" mall! Yeah! It's called the 5th Avenue Mall. It has all the stores one would expect from a major shopping mall. The only drawback I guess is parking. It's a big parking garage that is not free. Oh well, it will be nice in the dead of winter not having to hike a mile in the elements! It's probably as big or bigger than Marketplace but it goes up instead of being spread out. I know it seems simple and materialistic but I feel so much better knowing there is a "real" mall. I generally do most of my shopping at the PX and Commissary but it's nice to just go and shop sometimes. I also discovered all the tourist shops today. I can't wait to go exploring those.
I'm sure you're all on pins and needles waiting to hear the results of my interview. Well, I wasn't hired on the spot but that rarely happens. I guess I did very well and actually would not be surprised to be offered the position. I would think that unless someone with a background in an educational environment had interview I would be the top candidate. I am certainly well qualified for the position. We'll see how it goes. If it's the right job for me, I'll get it.
I totally lost my train of thought so that's it for today. See ya!

I Return to the Land of Muggles

Well I have a confession to make. I am a Harry Potter fan. I dragged my middle son, in the dead of night, to Borders to await the release of the final book in the Harry Potter series and waited and hour and 45 minutes for my turn to purchase the book. I was surprised that the majority of fans were college age. I thought from the media reports that it would mainly be youngsters around the age of 13. I was number 755 to purchase the book from this borders. I was surprised that there were so many fans. Not that I thought Alaskans didn't read, just that they wouldn't be interested in this book. When I got home at 2:20am from purchasing the book, I went straight to bed. I figured I would enjoy the book more after sleeping. When I awake after noon on Saturday, I dug right in and a mere 26 hours later I had finished the entire novel.

The book was excellent. I am amazed that any person could plan out 7 books with such intricately intertwined story lines! I will not post any spoilers here but I should warn you readers that there is alot more death in this volume and about half a dozen curse words. Nothing shocking and with parental guidance there shouldn't be a problem for children who are fans of the story. I must say this also- God bless JK Rowling for the epilogue. I'm sorry that the ride is over but it is a complete and whole story now. Everything comes together beautifully in the end.

Jumping tracks now- I have an interview tomorrow morning and I'm a bit nervous. I really didn't expect to start interviewing and looking in earnest for a job until I got moved into my new home. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.

So we have to "move" out of the hotel tomorrow unless someone checks out unexpectedly. Then we have our next reservation from Saturday all the way through to our (hopeful) move-in day. If all goes well we will move into our home here on the 1st of August. I am so ready to get settled.
In other news, I have an interview with the University of Alaska on Monday for an admin assistant position. Since I am hoping to continue my own higher education I am very interested in working for the university. I'll let you all know how it goes. I think I need to buy a pair of shoes and I'm debating whether or not slacks are a good image for an interview. I may purchase some kind of casual business suite for interviews. I guess it all depends on how rich I feel when I go shoe shopping.
I posted a couple pictures today. One is a cute one of Lexi all curled up with Sgt Dad. She looked so cute all cuddled up under the covers. The other is of the scarf I managed to knit. I need to add the tassles to complete it. It's not perfect which you all know drives me crazy but I think it's good enough and will keep me warm this winter.
The boys have school physicals on Tuesday and football practice should start on the 30th. Next week should be very busy with all kinds of paperwork and finalizing our move in dates. I guess I need to get serious about figuring out our telecommunications needs.....

Lazy Days

Well it's almost 10am here and I am the only one up! It's amazing how one will stay up later and later consequently sleeping later and later when there is no schedule to follow. We've got to start making ourselves stick to a schedule or we're gonna be sorry when we get back to real life. Sgt Dad has effectively been on leave for almost 2 months now. I have been "not working" for over a month now as well. I'm ready for routine. Which reminds me- I need to attempt to make appointments for the boys' school physicals. I'm sure they are going to love a full physical two years in a row now. School starts here August 22nd. Poor boys- they have a short summer this year.
Speaking of summer- we hit 75 yesterday. It felt so good! We went swimming last night and because of the "heat" the pool was packed! The gym here on post has a really nice pool with a high dive and water slide. We've been going quite frequently. Last night there were alot of teenage girls at the pool oogling my boys. All of the sudden Youngest Son wants to work out- coincidence? I think not!
No plans for today other than miscellaneous phone calls and grocery shopping. I've been "cooking" here in the room frequently. Microwave meals- delicious...
That's about it. No fantabulous pictures lately.

Holy Sunbeams Batman- What Is That Bright Orb?

So this evening the sun came out and nearly blinded me. The ENTIRE time we've been here it has been cloudy. I heard that we are running about 10 degrees low this summer. I wonder if anyone has told Al Gore that global warming has missed Alaska...
While Sgt Dad and I made a run for the border (at 11pm this evening), we passed a park full of youngsters playing baseball and saw kids out riding their bicycles. What an interesting way of life.
Well, we are in Army Lodging until the 20th and then from the 21st through Aug 1st. We're only short one day now! Yeah! They've been very helpful and patient with our frequent calls checking on availability. So now, worst case scenario is only one day "on the economy". Another plus to staying in lodging is the option to wait to pay them until we are reimbursed from the Army. We already owe them about $1500. Not cheap- huh?
I guess that's all the news. Nothing exciting going on. Next week we are going to try to do some sightseeing.
Oh yeah, and those darn moose have been hiding again. I haven't seen a single one in over a week now.

Check Out/Check In

Well we checked out of army lodging by 11 yesterday. Then we went and had lunch. After that we shopped Wal-Mart for an hour. Which I have to say was surprising because this wasn't a super Wal-Mart but we had time to kill. We spent quite a bit of time in the sporting goods section because we all want to attempt Salmon fishing and we need equipment. LOTS of equipment. I'm not sure if we should invest in our own or rent it. Probably we'd only have to go about 3 times for it to pay for itself. But will we go more than once? Even in the middle of summer the water here is quite cold....
At any rate, after Wal-Mart I spied an antique shop and spent a fair amount of time in there while Ken and the boys waited in the van with the dogs. I was amazed that it was more than 30 mintues before someone came in the store to drag me out. I found a printers tray for $52 and an old laundry board for $32. The store is closing so she quoted me an additional 25% off. I just gotta convince Sgt Dad that we "need" that stuff!
So, we had an appointment at the bank at 2. We opened a local checking account and got a "free" cooler. It took an hour in there. After the bank we went bowling. Sgt Dad had an off day and Oldest Son and I killed him! We all had a good time though. By the time we were finished bowling it was time to see if army lodging had a no show and if we could get back in there. Low and behold- we got back in- for two days anyway. So, just keep praying and maybe we wont have to check out this time. Our next reservation for here begins on the 20th. We've almost got it covered.

See ya when I post again!

Eviction!

Well, our reservation has run out and they are all booked so tomorrow we must find another hotel. GRR. What a pain to pack all our STUFF up again! I had really hoped there would be some no-shows and we could extend our reservation and stay put. Fortunately, I do have another reservation for here starting on the 21st. Hopefully we'll be able to get back in sooner. We shall see. So, keep praying for us as it's also expensive to change places as most of the hotels charge a "cleaning" fee when you have pets.
In other news, the Army is about 1 month behind in reimbursements this summer. Needless to say we are living on a shoestring until we get paid back. Not fun. Ken and I are both not working now and it would be great if we could afford to do some sightseeing while waiting for our home to be ready. As it stands, we are entertaining ourselves with cheap (read free) activities such as working out, napping, and swimming. I have also taken up knitting. I've finally figured out how to turn each row and am nearly 2/3 of the way done with a scarf. I may even try a hat. Although I'm not sure I can manage that. I've read a book and started on my second. I'll also pick up the latest Harry Potter when it hits the bookstore next week. As for the boys- I think they would sit in front of a computer or tv all summer and not get bored.

Housing Woes

So, remember last week the housing office told us it would be 6 months to a year for base housing? Well, since then we've been crazy looking for a place to live and debating renting until post housing is available against purchasing a home. We looked at one 3 bedroom condo, 1500 square feet listed at $245,000! That's twice as expensive as our home was in SC with just a bit more than half the square footage. We briefly discussed the home but when the agent informed us that the home owner's association fees were $140/month-- Yikes! That made that home too expensive. So we have been getting pretty stressed out about finding a suitable rental. Finally we found a rental in the right price range, right school but it was a bit small- 1400 sq ft, and only 3 bedrooms. The landlord was a bit hesitant to rent to us because of the size of our family and our two dogs until they spoke with our previous landlord who gave us a glowing recommendation. After that they were happy to rent to us. Of course we needed about $3000 in deposits and first months rent. Sgt Dad and I decided we had better talk to housing before signing a lease because, with us being in the number two spot on the waiting list, we thought that the wait time we were told seemed extreme. So, we go to the housing office, and spoke to a different clerk who promptly told us that there was no way we should sign a lease. After about 10 minutes of her searching her system, she found a home for us on base! Apparently there was a freon spill that has to be cleaned up in the garage but it should be ready by the end of the month. Yeah! Our household goods should arrive on the 27th, so it will all work out perfectly. Now- to find a job and get the boys registered for school.....
Here is a picture of the front of our "new" home.

Moose Come Out

Yesterday we saw two different sets of Mama and calf Moose. One of them was grazing in the back of our hotel while we were grilling our dinner. I was taking pictures when Sgt Dad pointed out that she kept looking at me and back at her calf. So, I decided I had enough photos. If you've never seen a moose up close before- they are HUGE! I've seen videos of what they do to a person if you spook them. So, I didn't want to give her a reason to charge at me. The other set was just grazing along the side of the road. I guess the moose is not so elusive after all. At least not on the base. I heard that bears have been sighted on base which made me nervous grilling steaks so close to the tree line. Believe me- I kept my ears alert for the sounds of crashing foliage. I was prepared to leave my food and run if necessary!
We took the boys bowling yesterday. I won the first two games. Of course Sgt Dad couldn't let that stand. The third game he beat me. By then my thumb was hurting so Youngest son and I went to play pool.
When Sgt Dad and the other two finished their final game all four men played pool together. After that Sgt Dad, oldest son, and I all went to the gym. All in all it was a good day.

Snag and What a Small World!

Well, we hit a snag with the housing situation. Apparently, although so much new housing is opening up, we have a 6 month to 1 year wait for government quarters! Ugh! So that means finding economy housing which is not plentiful and quite pricey! We found GOBS of 2 bedroom apartments! I'm sure you all realize that a family of 5 will NOT work in a 2 bedroom apartment. At least not when the children are as old as mine. Then there is also the pet issue. Many, many landlords do not like pets. It's so frustrating as a potential tenant. Then again, as a person who at one time considered becoming a landlord, I would prefer to rent to those without pets as well. We also need to keep our kids in the same school district that they will attend after we are assigned post housing. These factors greatly diminish our chances of finding appropriate housing. I'm sure we'll find something but the looking is not fun. Especially since we hadn't prepared ourselves for this possibility. We may end up purchasing a home and just declining government quarters when they do become available. These are all things we are currently mulling over.
We missed the fireworks here. I guess there aren't any done on base here which is totally weird. Then there is the sun issue. One of the local townships hold a fireworks display but they do it at 12:01 on the 4th. So the 4th came and went without any kind of celebration by this family. Bummer.
A very nice thing happened today though. While walking Sgt Dad through all his in processing paperwork, I spotted someone we had lost touch with after Japan (8 years ago!). He is here with his wife and kids. I was so happy to see a familiar face! Additionally, his oldest son was one of Oldest Son's Clique!! Yippie so now he has a friend here, albeit one he had lost touch with but one who was one of his best friends for four years! I think it will go a long way for helping both boys adjust to this move for the all important senior year. Old Friend confessed that his son was also VERY unhappy with the move. In alot of ways it is worse for them as they had been in Japan all this time. But now they have each other to at least get the year started.
We've had a few paperwork snafus with this move, one of which we are still attempting to correct. Of all our PCS moves this one has been the most trying. I think it's a good thing we've been around the block a time or two or I may very well still be back in NY waiting for Sgt Dad to get this stuff straightened out. Although, with housing in short supply, it may have been a good thing.
What's done is done though. We're here and sooner or later we'll find an acceptable place to live. I just need to chill! I'm so anal though! I can't stand not having all the ducks in a row! In fact just this afternoon as I was making the bed, middle son was helping me and I told him it didn't have to be perfect, but I couldn't stand it- I had to make it perfect. That's my weirdness. I'll leave the bed unmade all day or make it. It either has to be perfectly made or perfectly unmade. I can't just do a half-way job of it.

Moose Sighting

That ever elusive moose has decided to show his face! I woke up early this morning. Thanks in large part to the wonderful bugle calls that blast through my open windows at 6 am, then at 7:30. So, since I was awake and the sun was up, though muted through the heavy cloud cover,(Which made me think, "Is Alaska so different from Rochester? Cloudy days without end and cool summer days....")I decided to get up, get dressed and walk the dogs for the boys. Just as I was walking out the door, Youngest Son awake and asked me to wait so he could go with me. Aww how sweet! So, we walked our dogs through the woods, cough, sneeze, and slap at mosquitoes! We saw quite an impressive pile of moose droppings- wet! Ick! Of course Youngest Son asks me how I know they are moose droppings. I'm such a woodswoman you know! I confessed it was only because we had seen some as a gag gift in a gift shop. Yes, you read that right, there was a cheesy gift shop item called moose chapstick. It was a plastic coated moose dropping place in a tube. The package read, "it won't heal your chapped lips but it will keep you from licking them". So, who wants to order one??
So, my dogs had decided that they were done and we were walking back towards the lodging entrance, when what to my wondering eyes should appear? One long-legged moose! And me without my camera! I boogied upstairs, dropped Lexi off, and ran back down to snap my pictures. Of course after two or three bad shots my batteries died. Youngest son ran upstairs for the van keys to retrieve my camera bag from the van for me. Of course all those batteries were dead as well. Curse Sgt Dad for being cheap and not buying me a nice new camera battery! Fortunately one set had enough juice for me to snap one final picture. It wasn't a great one but good enough. Apparently moose sightings on post are fairly commonplace so I'm sure I'll get another opportunity over the next three years! I hope you enjoy this one.
So, backtracking a bit, Sgt Dad signed into post yesterday and stopped by the housing office. There is a good chance we'll get housing right away and brand new quarters on top of it! There is all kinds of construction going on here right now and the quarters are quite nice- two car garages even! The woman who assigns housing was out yesterday so we have to wait for today to get solid information. Sgt Dad, oldest son, and I went to the post gym yesterday. It's a really nice facility and all free! Yeah! We only have to pay if we want to attend aerobics classes on a per class basis. There is a pool, hot tub, great cardio equipment, sauna, tanning beds, free weights, circuit room (aka nautilus), racquetball courts (all equipment available to check -free), even free fitness evaluation. Needless to say, no excuse not to work out. Especially right now while I have no home and no job! I need to get my resume in order and stop by the post employment office. Since we'll be living on post, I'd rather get a job here than have a commute. Especially with the weather here. I'm so nervous about winter driving after last year. I'll keep you posted. :-)

Fort Richardson, AK

When we got up yesterday morning, we were all tired, cranky, and ready to get off the road. We left the hotel by 8am and were on our way. We had decided to drive a bit before getting breakfast. After an hour, we found a tiny convenience store open and we bought a healthy breakfast of bear claws and soda. ;-) The remainder of the drive into Fort Richardson was mountainous and rugged. There was alot of frost heaves, loose gravel and the road alternated between steep incline and declines. I caught a glimpse of a glacier! It was an awesome site. Unfortunately, due to the road conditions, I was unable to stop to snap a photo. At some point during our stay here I'll take a tour and get good ones.
We rolled into Fort Richardson about noon yesterday. It's right off the highway which is always nice. We couldn't sign into our guest quarters (aka hotel) until 3pm, so we explored the base and got some lunch.
This is a very large base- geographically anyway. One thing I wasn't aware of before arriving here is the Elmendorf Air Base is actually connected to Fort Richardson. These are "twin" bases. In fact, there is a joint BX/PX and of course it's on the Elmendorf side. So, it's a 15 minute drive from here to the PX and Commissary. Not a big deal but not as convenient as I'd like.
While shopping at the PX the fire alarm went off. It appeared to be a fire drill. I was separated from my family at the time in went off though and it was frustrating trying to find them in the crown outside. Fortunately, there weren't many groups of men and my two tall boys are fairly easy to spot in a crowd.
After the all clear we ate lunch at the PX and headed back to Richardson side to sign in to the hotel. It's $93 per day and the Army covers that cost. What they don't cover is the $20 per day we have to pay to have our dogs here. It's not the easiest thing to own pets while in the military but we've always felt it was worth the frustration. At any rate, it's still less expensive than a kennel and better for the dogs.
We got a three room "suite". It feels huge after days on the road in the van and one room hotels. As you enter the room, to the left is the master bedroom sans tv! What? No TV in the master room? Sgt Dad about signed us out of here! Straight ahead is the bathroom. To the right is the living/dining room w/ a pull out sofa bed (littlest son claimed that one) and to the right of that is another bedroom with two twins and a TV. What? TV in the living area and kids but not the master???? Sgt Dad wants to MOVE THE FURNITURE in order to have TV. I told him to dig our TV out of the trailer. However, it appears that there may not be cable and it's satellite TV out here. One must have a decoder box for satellite. You cannot splice cable with satellite like you can with cable. I'm not sure what we'll do about this but I'm not into moving furniture. Also notably missing is air conditioning. For most people this isn't a problem but for me, with my hay fever, it is. Already I'm itching all over and having some difficulty breathing. Whatever this is bothering me here fortunately isn't making my eyes itch and water but giving my skin that crawling feeling and the tickle in my throat. I'm not sure how I'll handle 10 days of open windows. Especially since the weather is like spring here. In fact at one point driving down the mountains I thought it was snowing but it was white fuzzies. I thought it was cottonwood like back in RaChaCha but my guide book said it was Willow and Poplar. I don't recall being tested for an allergy to those trees but since I was allergic to every one they tested me for, I would hazard a guess that those will do me in as well. At worst, I'll end up in emergency and begging Lodging for a window air conditioner or sweltering in a hot room to keep the pollen out.
(Don't you love my rambling??) After settling into the room, Sgt Dad and I went out for a few groceries. We have a mini fridge here and microwave so we are attempting to eat in more. While driving we saw a mama moose and her calf running across the road. Apparently, wildlife is common on the base too. Which made us wonder- do we have to worry about bears????
All in all, it's good to be at our new home. Hopefully today Sgt Dad will get some information regarding the availability of housing. Keep checking back- I'll keep you posted.

Glenallen, AK

What would a day on the road be without some kind of mishap? I'll tell you about yesterday in chronological order:
We started off well, I was determined not to get a late start. The hotel, though expensive, was not very clean. I didn't even want to take my shoes off in the room, much less the shower. Right across from the hotel was the Signpost Forrest. This was started by a US Army soldier during the original build of the Alaska Highway. Now travellers stop and add their own signs. I wish I had known and had managed to appropriate a sign of my own to add. However, I do have to wonder and the wisdom of a town promoting the theft of signs..... At any rate, we left about 7:30 am and had to drive 30 minutes for breakfast. I'll have to make note of that place because the food was fantastic! My toast was homemade, whole wheat bread and the best I'd ever eaten. From there we drove over to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory for lunch. So far the day was going quite well. We started some laundry at the laundromat then went to McDonalds while the clothes were washing. We saw the news of the terror attack in Glasgow and were glad we hadn't been transferred to England. (We do have bases over there) After eating, Tater and I went back to finish the laundry while the rest went to Wal-Mart for more movies. While driving into Whitehorse we saw the S.S. Klondike. I didn't read up on it but it appears to be an old steam boat. What I do know is that area had some of the worst rapids in Canada until the river was dammed for hydroelectric power. When I have time, I'll read on on the history of that ship.
Finally, we got back on the road again. I was on driving duty for this segment and this is where the fun began. Right around this part of the drive we started running into highway with frost heaves. Meaning it's like driving on a roller coaster. The road is all fine and smooth then suddenly there are "waves" in the road. There were random patches with loose gravel. However, this is some beautiful country. I saw a black bear boogie into the woods, too fast for me to grab a photo. Next thing, my older two boys are telling me they hear "a sound". So, I pull over, and what do you know- one of the trailer tires has lost about a six by three inch section of rubber tread. Fortunately, Sgt Dad had the fore site to purchase a spare tire for the trailer. So, he and the boys changed the tire and we were off once again.
It was rough driving all day. When we finally stopped for dinner at the only place in town open, Buckshot Betty's, we nearly fainted when the bill for this Mom-n-Pop was $84. We were pretty tired, however, we soldiered on because our goal was to reach Tok, AK and spend the night in the USA. Again we had no difficulty crossing the border. They also didn't ask to see our animal's documents. Of course, had we not been fully prepared I'm sure we would have needed every single document that I had brought with us. At any rate, Canada is a beautiful country and the people were wonderful but it was nice to be back in the USA! (I'm such a partriot!)
We finally reached Tok about 10:45 local and there was only one hotel room available in town and it wouldn't take pets. Since we didn't want to leave the pups in the van over night, we drove on. This was tough driving. Sgt Dad laid down for a nap and I was fighting sleep, rain, and frost heaves. Additionally, we had forgotten to get gas and I was getting low. Around here, there aren't a whole lot of 24 hour places. It was approaching midnight, yet it looked like 8:30 because of the sky. The sun doesn't really fully set this time of year.
We finally got to Glenallen, paid $150 for the room and slept. Whew! I'm glad that day over.
We should reach Anchorage in 3 hours. I'm hoping for smooth highway for the remainder of the trip.
I'll keep you posted!