Day 15: The Last Leg

From: Tok, AK

To: Anchorage, AK

Well we did it! We arrived in Anchorage, AK 15 days after setting out from Asheville, NC. Total millage was about 5680 and we have seen more than we could have ever imagined!

We got up this morning in Tok, AK and ate at the Grumpy Grizz, one of two eateries in “town.” We’d have to say though, it wasn’t far off from the Country Kitchen in West Asheville and was quite fantastic.

On the road we went, bellies full and happy. The drive south toward Anchorage was to re-use an over-used word, BEAUTIFUL. It lasted about 6 hours; but in that time we saw another mountain range, at least two glaciers and the sun move mostly sideways through the sky. The sun in the “high-noon” position doesn't happen after the summer here.

For most of the drive we could look, literally, in any direction and see huge mountains. Snow covered most of them, and on some mountains they were snowy on the shaded side and green on the sunny side. This was a cool effect. The highest peak around was completely white, more so than any other. Between two mountain ridges we noticed what looked like a motionless river flowing, but not moving, through them. It was a glacier. We stopped to take some pictures and take in the wonder of it all.

We also learned about a new kind of glacier: a rock glacier. One information sign pointed us toward the side of a mountain that appeared to have suffered a landslide. In actuality, underneath the over grown moss and dirt was a hidden glacier. Ice mixed with rock and soil was slowly moving down the mountainside seemingly underground. It was some fanciness!

From here, Heather took over the helm, driving the second leg of today’s journey into our destination city. We entered Anchorage around 5pm local time and began the daily hotel hunt. With a little advice from Kenny (Momma T's cousin who lives in Anchorage) we headed toward the airport and found prices to be much better than in Canada. Microtel was our choice, which turned out to be a good one, because they have a laundry facility in house (something we’ve been needing).

We tried to find a pharmacy for Heather, but that became frustrating on a Sunday so we moved on. McDonald’s served us our three course meal for dinner and Walmart provided us cash out of our own account with which to exchange for laundry quarters. While out, we drove by one house for rent to get a look-see. On our way back we stopped in for a quick gas station style laser wash and got Jayne a much needed bath. He was so dirty that when Heather walked out of one hotel into the parking lot she couldn't tell Jayne was the truck right in front of her.

It already looks like we are getting a grasp of how the city is set up. Navigation should be no problem in the days ahead. Next task: find a place to live.

For two weeks and a day we’ve been driving, sight seeing and having our hair blown back by all kinds of God’s creation, wildlife and general awesome-ness (for which there is no charge). From our home state, North Carolina, Alaska is like a different world. It was a trip of a life-time and will be unforgettable. We left North Carolina, homeless, with our destination in sight, declaring, “Alaska, here we come.” It’s hard to believe the trip is over and that we’ve made. But, believe it or not, we’re finally able to say to our new home state, “Alaska, here we are!” 

Day 14: Welcome Home: Alaska Hwy part 3; Yukon part 2

From: Whitehorse, Yukon

To: Tok, AK

We left Whitehorse around 10:30am this morning. Nathan drove the first leg. We filled up with gas on the outside of town and hit the road. The road traveled almost directly west until we crossed into the Yukon where the road changes from route 97 to route 1. Further west we ran into the edge of Kluane National Park. Never heard of it? Neither had we. But this was possibly the coolest place we passed by in over five thousand miles.

Kluane Lake is huge and, snowcapped mountains in every direction surround it. The road took us between the foot of mountains and the edge of the lakeside. Breathtaking views caught our eyes every which-a-way we looked. Hannah-banana recently asked us what our favorite part of the trip has been. Kluane National Park may be our answer.

Further down the road we stopped for gas in a little town thingy called Destruction Bay. Strange name. Come to find out it is so named because the high winds actually destroyed the first colony that came to live there. Destruction Bay sat up against Kluane Lake and was a beautiful spit on the map of nowhere.

At the lake, the road turns definitively northwest. There were no towns for quite some time. However, the scenery this day was the mostest bestest of any single day. We took more pictures today than any other of the gorgeous mountain views and lookouts. The snow peppered the trees and capped the mountains making the scenery more majestic and enchanting. Heather is now ready for Christmas.

Just before the USA border there are a few stops, gas stations and houses that are called Beaver Creek, Yukon. Our original plan was to make it to Beaver Creek and stay a night. We’re glad we didn’t. We stopped to use the bathroom (in Canadian it’s called a washroom) and continued the final leg toward the boarder. From here the road quality declined considerably. I suppose this is because the only thing it goes to is the USA, and they don’t deem it worthy to keep up this road. There was also quite a bit of snow covering the road, but thinly enough so that we could proceed at about 50mph (in Canadian its 80 kph). There were ruts, huge bumps, dips and divots. It was basically one notch above 4-wheel off-roading.

Finally, we made it to US Customs and crossed into our homeland (the mother-country). The customs agent made us feel good by simply saying, “Welcome home.” The roads after that, though still snowy were infinitely in better condition. (Silly Canadians and their bad roads.) It did feel like home being back in the states.

When we crossed the border into Canada, it was a whole rigamorow. We had to dig out the gun case from the back, fill out forms, get a gun license, pay a fee, and even temporarily quarantine the dogs. We’d also always heard that the hard part is getting back into the US. But, not so. Today, the agent simply asked us a few questions and sent us on our merry way. He inquired about firearms, and we said, yes, we had some. But he had no interest in seeing them. We mentioned the dogs and that we had the paperwork to show him. “Nah, you’re good,” he basically replied. When we said we were from Asheville, NC, another agent came to the window and was like, “Hey, I’ve got a son in Asheville. Billy Joe Jenkins, do you know him?” Really? How are we supposed to know one guy in all of Asheville? Anyway, all this is to say that crossing the border back into the US was easy as pie. (Mmmm.....I could go for some pie right about now...)

Ninety miles later we entered Tok, AK (pronounced ‘toke’) and found a cheap little hotel for the night. We ate at one of the two restaurants in town for dinner. For breakfast, we’ll probably eat at the other. Good night.

Day 13: Alaska Highway part 2; Yukon part 1

From: Muncho Lake Provincial Park, BC

To: Whitehorse, Yukon

We got up bright and early to the sun rising over our beautiful mountains. We had breakfast in the lodge restaurant with huge windows overlooking the compound, lake and mountains. Come to find out, this place is quite a resort. You can charter flight-seeing tours, fishing trips, and combinations that last all day or just a portion. There’s tent campsites, RV spots and glaciers nearby.

Before leaving we strolled the grounds and waterfront once more to take in the views and smell. The pups wore their vests outside for the first time, and they needed them as Jayne informed us that it was 17 degrees outside (we haven't found puppy boots yet).

Not ten minutes on the road we spotted up ahead something Nathan has been itching to see this entire trip: a bear. It was a medium sized black bear running across the road. Too far away to get a good picture, Heather didn’t want to get any closer thinking that this was a cub and momma wouldn’t be far away. Nonetheless, it was a fun sighting, and watching it run was exciting. (Heather thought it was fluffy and cute as it hopped across our path.)

The Alaska Highway’s beauty continued to unfold beyond our windshield (which was cracked a little today by a rock thrown from an 18-wheeler) throughout the day. We happened upon a few more buffalo today. Some congregating in bunches alongside the road, and a few lying alone on a random scrap of nowhere beside the road. Lola wants her a buffalo to play with.

It was another absolutely beautiful day. The temperature got above freezing only for a little bit. Mostly, it was cold, the road was dry, but the snow on the side of the road wasn’t melting anytime soon.

We drove through a random river of fog between some mountains. It hovered slightly above the trees creating a cool canopy effect. Other than that, the sky was clear and we could see for miles.

The driving continued with occasional stops for gas or to snap a quick picture. We also had to make a quick stop so that Heather could pull off the road and finish laughing at Nathan before she drove off the side of the mountain. See what had happened was…Nathan was trying to read The "Voyage of the Dawn Treader” out loud during the drive. He had been having a little trouble getting tongue tied and in an announcing tone he started reading the third chapter which begins “Land in sight…”. Well, instead of reading what was on the page Nathan (in a very enthusiastic voice) read “Land and shite…”. There was a second of silence followed by hysterical laughing. Heather was laughing so hard she was crying and Nathan laughed even more as she made it known that she was laughing so hard her “cheeks were making her eyes close!” This is indeed why she felt it necessary to pull over. It seemed that driving the Alaska Highway with ones eyes closed was not the best idea. After this moment of hysteria we regained composure and continued on. Ahh, good times.

We arrived just before dark in Whitehorse, found another Best Western (the Gold Rush Inn) and made camp for the night (even got a Milepost discount). When we say, “made camp,” we actually mean it. We ate hot dogs and beans from our camping supply (room had a microwave) followed by a cup of hot chocolate, Mmmm.

Day 12: Alaska Highway part 1

From: Dawson Creek, BC

To: Muncho Lake Provincial Park, BC

The first sight we saw was in downtown Dawson Creek. It was the mile marker post for “Mile 0” of the Alaska Highway. This highway begins in Dawson Creek and runs NW all the way to Fairbanks, AK. It was built in 1942 taking just 8 months to complete through a combined effort of US military workers and Canada providing supplies.

Heather, once again, took the first leg of the drive. The weather began foggy and overcast, but quickly cleared up becoming one of the prettiest days we’ve had.

Today was the first day we saw snow up close. We’d seen it on mountaintops previous days, but it was now situated sporadically on the side of the road. Later on, we began driving over shady portions of road which were covered with compacted snow and some ice.

We drove over a mountain pass during which the temperature dropped several degrees quickly. We passed through Summit Lake, where a lake is sitting at the top of several mountains. There was snow everywhere, and everything was white and beautiful. Back down from the pass the temperature went back up to upper 30s.

As dusk approached, elk started appearing all over the road. We stopped 5 or 6 times to view or to let them pass. Elk are far smarter than dear. The difference in brains is similar to the brain difference between our dogs. Elk see a car coming and run away. Dear just run: at the car, away from the car, who knows. Dakota sees food and goes for it with tenacity. Lola sees food, whips her head around, knocks it on a table, and the table says, “ouch.”

The mountain views are so different when they’re covered in snow. Definition between peaks becomes clearer, but the sky can sometimes smear into the mountaintops blurring the lines. When snow is on the mountains the sky seems bluer and crisper. We’d better get used to snow; we’re going to see lots of it in the next years of our lives. So far, we love it. One of the coolest parts of the day was driving along a lake surrounded by mountains shooting straight up. 

Our original destination for the day was Watson Lake, Yukon. However, near dusk we passed Muncho Lake and a little log cabin hotel called the Northern Rockies Lodge. It overlooked the lake and the wonderful mountains beyond. Heather’s heart was captured. We drove past but she kept talking about it and quickly turned around. She wanted the check their rates and pet policy to investigate the possibility of changing our plans for the evening. Nathan had no objections.

We calculated that stopping short wouldn’t really affect the trip as a whole, and Heather was excited about staying in a remote, romantic place on a whim. A few moments later we were checked into our room for the night at the lodge and excited about seeing the crystal clear lake provide foreground to some of Canada’s most awesome Rockies. Turns out, this lodge is probably one of the most desirable vacations spots. Hopefully, we will return.

Before bed, we took a short midnight stroll down to the water. The moon lit up just enough to see the white snowy ridges of the nearby mountains. Across the water, the sky was so clear we could see the outline of the entire range behind the cabins. It was lovely.

Day 11: British Columbia part 2

From: Prince George, BC

To: Dawson Creek, BC

Knowing that our drive time would be less today, we set out to find in Prince George doggy jackets and tire chains. We found a pet store called Pet Land that, much like a Super Pets or Pet Smart, had what we needed. We found some stylish winter vests for the bubbies that accentuate their individual brown coloring. (Of course, our dogs wouldn’t be caught barking in something that wasn’t stylish.)

Next objective: tire chains. It wasn’t until after driving all over Prince George due to more bad Canadian directions (Cynthia please explain this phenomenon) that we found one of the coolest stores we’ve ever been in: Canadian Tire. Imagine the best parts of an Advanced Auto Parts (with a garage), a Home Depot and a Walmart all combined in one building. That’s Canadian Tire. Here we bought tire chains, bungee chords, a sponge thing, and some winter rated windshield washer fluid. We noticed lots of people buying the anti-freeze washer fluid stuff so we knew we were doing right. After that we filled the gas tank, got some lunch and ice cream at Dairy Queen (our first stop for ice cream the whole trip…not bad for us) and got on the road. Dawson Creek was about 5 hours away.

The light rain from the night before continued throughout the entire day. Overcast and hazy, the drive included fog and limited visibility especially of the mountains. However, it didn’t take away too much from the sight seeing. Because, the fog wrapped the mountains ranges like a scarf and added a beautiful effect we would’ve never imagined. Once again, the mountains and clouds seemed to join together seamlessly.

There were also several small waterfalls and one considerable waterfall along the way. If it wasn't raining we didn't think we would have been able to see as many so well.

About and hour still outside of Dawson Creek, we drove

through Chetwynd, home of the Annual Chainsaw Carving Championship (random, we know). Throughout town we saw dozens of large intricate woodcarvings and snapped a few photos. Mostly, we were just taken aback by the detail with which these carvings were crafted.

When we finally entered town we must have stopped at 8 or 10 hotels inquiring about dog fees and nightly rates. We decided on the Comfort Inn for the night. Who'd of thought this middle of nowhere place would be so busy?

The days seem to be getting just a little bit shorter (getting dark around 6pm), and the snow is quickly inching down the mountains. We expect to see some very soon.

Day 10: Beautiful British Columbia Part 1

From: Vancouver, BC
To: Prince George, BC

We got going around 10am after another good breakfast. We fueled up and filled the extra gas can, ready for anything. It took us a solid hour to get through and out of Vancouver. More than once did we somehow find ourselves no longer on the main route we needed, and we then had to re-find it. Again, Canadian signage could use some American pizzaz, we think.

After the city, Heather took over driving along the Sea to Sky Highway. And from our pictures we now understand why it is titled so. This road winds with the mountains that shoot right down into the ocean. Every picture was beautiful, as mountains in the distance seemed to serve as connectors between sea and sky. Many of the mountaintops were not visible, because they jutted up right into the low-hanging clouds.

This route was the slower of the two routes north; however, we’re convinced it is superbly more gorgeous. At times we were slowed to 20 kilometers/hour (feels like walking speed) just to make the hairpin turns, but scaling the mountains and seeing the incredible sights, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, mountains and did I mention mountains, was worth the extra time. Eventually, our scenic road joined with the main road to the north. This main road was also very pretty as it took us past rolling hills and Canadian countryside.

The temperature has continued to be perfect. Driving north during the day was mid 50s and at night mid to low 40s. This was the first day we’ve gotten to see snow capped mountains. We even saw a glacier beautifully capping one mountain but our picture of it is not that great.

At night we ran into a little drizzling rain and fog. Nathan sped through the night following two other fast moving cars as they lit the path ahead of us. We stopped for the night at the Travel Lodge in our destination, Prince George. We got a little worried searching for a hotel. The Travel Lodge seemed to be the only place left that accepted pets and had open vacancies. The next day would be on to Dawson Creek, BC.

Day 9: Vancouver Fun!

We spent all day in Vancouver.

We woke up, after having gone to bed at 2:30, tired. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel pub and hit up the front desk man for tips about where to go in Vancouver. He gave us great advice on a sweet sounding urban park and how to find the 2010 Olympic Torch. Naturally, the next thing we did was to go back to our room and take a nap.

We finally rolled out of the hotel parking lot around 2:30pm to tackle this famed city. We haphazardly circum-navigated our way into downtown Vancouver and discovered something we didn’t think was possible: parking is more expensive here than in Seattle. For less time than we parked in Seattle we paid more money in Vancouver. In one parking garage, ½ and hour of parking was $3.50 with a daily limit of $23.50! Robbers. Nonetheless, we parked and went for a walk around Canada Place: the two convention centers used as a hub for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We strolled out onto a pier-like deck and saw the bay for a while before finding a quite impressive visitor’s center. They instructed us where to exchange for some Canadian dollars. We did so, and while meandering downtown we stopped at a little restaurant called the Bread Garden: Bakery/Café. We shared a quiche and continued on to find the Olympic Torch.

The torch was a lot of fun to see knowing that only months before had this city been swarmed with athletes, coaches, media and tourists. There was also this killer whale statue thing made out of cubes so that from a distance it looked pixeled even though it was 3-D.

After that we went back to our car. I turned in my left leg as payment for parking. We drove down the way to Stanley Park, one of the great urban parks of the world. We took the puptons out of the car and Nathan hopped on his good leg as we strolled the water-line and let the doggies run and play. Lola spotted the huge flock of geese and had a flash back to the wild turkey at our first campsite. All we needed to do was unleash her and it would’ve been Canadian goose for dinner! (Canadians not happy.)

At one lookout point Nathan was leaning on the 3.5-foot high cement wall and Lola suddenly leaped up onto it as a midway pause before attempting to get to the water 15 feet below. Luckily, Nathan was able to react and close-line the crap out of her back to the ground. One second later and Nathan would have been soaking wet and furious as he retrieved Lola from the beach and water. For the next few minutes, it was game over for puppy #2.

Back at the car, we drove for another 15 minutes through the enormous park to get a glance at the rest of it before heading toward Top of Vancouver Restaurant where we had dinner reservations.

Much like the Seattle Space Needle this facility had a revolving restaurant and an observation level. We made it to our 7:30 reservation and got a table right next to the angled windows. The view of the city and bay was beautiful. Lights were on everywhere, and we spun around two full times during dinner. The most expensive dinner we’ve ever paid for ($150 Canadian), we had a great time and enjoyed the food.

With full bellies we attempted to find our way back to our hotel. Eventually, we found it only after driving (as they say) around our butt crack to get to our elbow. Our friend Cynthia is known to have an innate sense of direction. This must be a feature of all Canadians, because we have found thus far their “mappage” and signage to be sub-par.

This was the first time we’ve stayed in the same place two nights in a row, and I must say, it was nice. Not having to pack/unpack was a load off and the down comforter and pillows at this Best Western were delightful. We went right to bed, happy and ready to tackle driving north in Canada.

Day 8: Seattle fun

From: Seattle, WA, USA

To: Vancouver, BC, Canada

After a lovely night’s sleep at the Day’s Inn, we got up, had breakfast and headed into downtown Seattle. Landry had warned us about the ridiculous cost of parking, so as we were leaving the hotel we asked the lady at the front desk about parking and if she knew of any good spots. She directed us to the one parking deck near Pike Place Market that offered free parking. After driving around for half an hour trying to get situated in downtown Seattle, we finally found the deck. However, as luck would have it, Jayne was too tall to clear the entrance because of the height restriction…uhg. So we found a lot a little closer to the market with average prices. We paid a whopping $17 to park for about 5 hours! Wow it would have cost only a couple of dollars in downtown Asheville. Oh well, big city.

We got the puppies situated and headed to the first point of interest for the day, Pike Place Market. It is a public market that was quite large and offered anything from crafts and jewelry to groceries, fresh fish and flowers. It was a very busy place with lots of hustle and bustle.

We soon met up with Landry and Carrie who had driven up from Olympia, WA to meet us for lunch. We wandered around for a while until we found a little sandwich shop completely open to the street called Three Sisters (which was funny because it was ran by two dudes). We ended up sitting and talking for several hours just catching up on each other’s adventures. We had the best time!

After lunch we walked down the street until coming upon a cinnamon shop that was selling sticky buns, cookies and other baked goods. It took all of a half a second to decide it smelled too good to pass up. After purchasing our terribly delicious, amazingly unhealthy treats, we went a little further down the street to the original Starbucks. We had not previously known that Seattle was home to the original shop and of course we had to stop so that Heather could get a pumpkin spice misto. Mmm…yummy.

Following all of our fun eating and drinking coffee, we walked back to the truck to let the pups out to pee and love on Landry and Carrie. Dakota was not fond of the noise of the big city and it made her timid, she is really more of a quiet country girl. Lola didn’t seem to take much notice to the big city, although, we are not sure how much she ever really notices.

To wrap up our fun with our awesome friends we went up to a small grassy park with a view of the bay to take some pictures. Landry and Carrie we loved seeing you and had the best time bumming around Pike Place with you.

From Pike Place it was off to the Seattle Space Needle, which was awesome! We could see the whole city from the top. It was still daylight when we went up, but the sun soon set and we watched the whole city come alive with lights. It was beautiful. From the Space Needle we had a great view of Mount Rainier (Washington’s highest mountain and an active volcano) and the Olympic Mountains: all very gorgeous.

We spent about 1.5 hours up in the Needle taking in the city view. But, eventually it was time to move on, head’em up, move’em out (raw hide) toward that foreign land we often refer to as Canada. It was about a 2 hour drive to the border after we stopped to make sandwiches and buy a few supplies at Wally-world. 
 At the border, everything went smoothly. However, Nathan did have to dig out the gun case from the very back of the camper which took more than a little effort and struggle. Twenty minutes later, we were entering Vancouver, a city about which we have lots of excitement.

Finding a hotel, though, was difficult. We stopped at one that didn’t take dogs, but the attendant gave us easy sounding directions to one Best Western, which gladly took pets. Nathan is still not sure whether the fault in our not finding the Best Western lies with bogus directions, too thick of an accent or simply poor direction following. So we drove around some area of town for 10 minutes till we saw another hotel. They didn’t take dogs either, but recommended a nice Best Western that did. Nathan confirmed with the receptionist that he’d heard the same and asked how to navigate there. Again, we ran into the problem of shotty directions or faulty interpretation of said directions, because 10 minutes later: no Best Western.

Third time must be a charm. We stopped at a third hotel which clearly from it’s outside appearance would not house pets, but Nathan inquired once more about the mysterious Best Western (Did it actually exist? Was it a mirage? Or was this a common joke Canadians play on southerners?) Leaving the third hotel Nathan could do nothing but laugh at the attempt at directions he had received from the greeter. More confused, he had no idea how to reach the coveted pet-friendly lodging but he did finally obtain an address. The Best Western was on a road we had seen a number of times in our wanderings. About 1.5 seconds after getting in the car from the third hotel we had arrived at a beautiful hotel with a sign outside which read: Best Western. FINALLY. The conclusion and lesson of this story is: Canadians are horrible at giving directions. (We’re gonna need some comment/input from our Canadian friend, Cynthia, on this one).

We had the opportunity of quickly meeting three interesting people today.

We had found a place to park near the Space Needle and I was walking to the little kiosk for which to pay $10 dollars for two hours of parking (unbelievable), when I was approached by a man telling me not to put in any money. This man was no stranger to the streets. He told me that there’s a free parking place on the street just next to us. “Show me,” I said, so we walked to the sign, which in fact indicated that parking places on the street side were no charge on Sundays. The deal, for some reason, still seemed shady (also indicated by the concerned look on Heather’s face as she walked across the parking lot toward us). “Come on man, don’t wanna miss it, free parking, I’jus’ saved you som’money,” he said. My rational mind said that the deal seemed solid, though I was skeptical as I imagine most people would be having been solicited by strangers off the street. “I tell you what, I get this space, I’ll hook you up,” I said to him as he smiled and made his way to stand in the road blocking anyone else from taking our spot. Now that’s service, I thought to myself. Here’s a guy just trying to make a few dollars and he wasn’t just asking for free money like most whom I’ve come across. My heart went out to him and congratulated him on finding an inventive way of making some cash. Upon parking, he asked for five bucks, which I gladly gave him. He brightened up so much, asked me my name and then started calling me Nate Dog. This made me smile. I thanked him and told him to take care of himself. We shook hands, completing our business deal, and I said, “Keep an eye on it for me." “I gotchu brother,” he replied as we parted ways.

Pulling away from a gas station, which didn’t take credit cards, we stopped at a stoplight. The car next to us honked and the man motioned to roll down the window. “Your gas cover is open,” he said. “Oh, thanks,” we responded knowing it wasn’t a big deal as we were turning then into a better (credit card accepting) fuel station. “What part of North Carolina are you from?” he asked. “Asheville,” we both yelled back with enthusiasm. The light turned green and the man smiled. “Greenville,” he said before hitting the gas and driving on with a wave.

And lastly, as we were paying Canada Customs $25 for a temporary gun permit, the cashier, a young twenty something like myself, looked at my driver license address and said, “Wow, you are from Chapel Hill!” Heather responded, “Yep. We both graduated from there.” “I hate Duke,” responded the Candian Carolina fan.” “And I’m liking you more and more,” said Nathan, both us with a grin on our faces. Some how, all of the sudden, I didn’t feel like I was in another country anymore. I felt right at home.

Day 7: On the Road Again

From: Missoula, MT

To: Seattle, WA

Somehow we got up and going so late this morning that we missed the continental breakfast at the hotel which ends at 10am. We ate McD’s next door and tried to post blogs on the hotel’s super slow internet. Finally, we gave up and left. 

Heather drove the first leg out of beautiful Montana, through Idaho and on to Spokane, WA. We drove for about an hour through Idaho, which at some points looked much like the Appalachian Mountains. We found a Cabella’s store at the boarder of Idaho and WA. We went in searching for dog sweaters and came out with a new fleece for Heather so she would have more options. (Every understanding and loving husband needs to know that a woman has got to have options.)

When we reached Spokane, we found Riverside State Park and stopped there for lunch to eat by the river and play some Frisbee with the pup-pups. This was a nice break and opportunity to stretch our family’s long legs.

Nathan took over driving from there. Washington has a wide array of different types of scenery. From boring flat straights, cornfields, to rolling hills, beautiful rivers, forests and mountains (we saw Mt. Rainier from a distance), the terrain changed often. As we neared Seattle (about an hour away) more cars joined us on the road to tackle the final mountain pass before the city.

And they don’t waste anytime moving along. Twisting and turning through the hills we drove 75 mph just to keep up with traffic. The mountains were amazing. We found a good ol' Days Inn to stay for the night, ate Chinese takeout and made plans to see Landry and Carrie. The big Seattle day is next!

From one coast to the other: Update

Well it has been 1 week since we embarked on our cross-country adventure. In 7 days we made it from the mountains of North Carolina to the NW coast of Washington. It has been a blast so far and we have seen so many incredible things. We are doing great, no sickness, Heather's feet don't hurt too bad, we haven't frozen, and we are just loving each other and the trip (and do not fear sweet Anna, we have not traveled much in the DARKNESS). We could not have asked for more perfect weather. It has been running on average 50-60 degrees in the days and around 30 at night, no rain and clear skies (we will see how that changes over the next week).

Dakota and Lola (because lets be honest, they're really who you wanna know about) are doing great. We stop about every 3 hours on our long drives and let everyone stretch their legs and play a bit. They have adjusted to being in the car a lot, though some days they seem to get tired of it. But, overall they are quite happy with their new doggy beds in the truck and Dakota passes the time in our hotels rooms by beating up on Lola.

Jayne and Gunter-gunter are getting along well. Jayne has had an oil change, and we keep his tires checked. He has loved all the winding roads and continues to run well. Gunter-gunter has taken a bit of a beating, because every time we get out of the car the dogs walk all over him while climbing into our seats (and occasionally he gets drooled on). But he has been our trusty guide.

We miss everyone and love you very much. We are having the time of our lives and love that you guy have all been following along with us. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as you are in ours.

Canada here we come!