Tuesday, September 4
We left Muncho Lake and continued wending our way through the Yukon. And while, yes, it was still outstanding scenery, this was the first day that I can say that all the driving was really starting to get the better of me and I just zoned in and got focused on the road. Point A meet Point B.
I got myself locked into podcast mode and chewed up some tarmac. Which actually brings up the interesting point of what Ursa and I listened to in order to remain entertained for this trip. For most of the drive time, when the road doesn't require a lot of attention, I like something mentally stimulating, like podcasts. A few of my favorites are The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe which is a fantastic, science based podcast hosted by Dr Steven Novella, who, along with his panel of fellow skeptics, dispel and debunk everything from myths to pseudoscience by using facts, data, and good, old fashioned logic; another favorite is Answer Me This!, a light-hearted show where the hosts, Helen and Olly, answer viewer's questions about nearly anything. Really it's just good chat. The Smartest Man in the World featuring comedian Greg Proops (from the TV show "Whose Line is it Anyway") was another staple of our road trip. Fantastic, hilarious, and enlightening; I love Greg Proops' worldview. Chris Hardwick's podcast The Nerdist is another good listen.
There was, of course, a few exceptions to my driving hypnosis where I got snapped back into consciousness from my podcast induced haze. Mostly those moments came from the wildlife; a herd of buffalo, some wild horses, and a surprisingly fat grizzly bear who jogged across the road too fast for me to get a decent picture, but Ursa got a couple of nice shots.
We finished our day by checking into a hotel in Haines Junction, and had dinner at Restaurant Mozart which featured some very good European cuisine. The food was great, but, as luck would have it, the internet service at the restaurant went down so we couldn't pay with our card, which was unfortunate as that we had already made a point to spend the last of our Canadian currency, so we had to drive down the street to find an ATM and get cash then go back to the restaurant and pay for our meal, which was inconvenient but it was obvious that the owners were far more embarrassed about it than we were. I figure that if a petty hassle like that is the worst thing that happens to us on a road trip, then we did pretty good.
Wednesday, September 5
The terrain surrounding Haines Junction is fascinating because to the east you can see the soft, tree and grass covered mountain tops of Canada, then turn and face west to see the sharp rocky crags of the Alaskan mountains jutting up from the forest like teeth. It's a beautiful, visual juxtaposition that is impossible to capture on film. Seeing the mountains of Alaska was also a stark reminder that this would be our final day of driving, and tonight we would be sleeping in our own, comfortable bed.
As far as the driving went, we were both engrossed in the notion that our two week road trip would be coming to an end, and we just wanted to knuckle down and be done. Yes, there was some wonderful scenery, and yes, there were a few photo stops, but mostly our day consisted of monotonous wheel time, and trying to avoid tearing up the car's suspension going over the uneven pavement between Haines Junction and the American border. Once back in the USA the roads cleared right up and we were able to make good time again, which is funny because when we made this same drive a couple of years ago the exact opposite was true, the roads in Canada were good but turned to shit once you crossed the border.
We made it back to Anchorage at around 7 pm and got the car unpacked, and wanted to order pizza but found that we couldn't because large sections of town were without power, it wasn't until the next morning that we found out why.
Thursday, September 6
After spending two weeks on the road all I really wanted to do at home were a few little things to establish that feeling of normalcy. The biggest one was to take a walk. There are a couple of very nice little walking trails right around the corner from our condo, where I can go stretch my legs and let my mind go blank. Just a little while where I can rejuvenate and get my mind right before going back to work tomorrow. As I stepped out the door I, for the first time, started noticing the signs of property damage around our neighborhood. A few doors down from us, the neighbor's fence, which they just finished rebuilding about three months ago, had been knocked back down and was laying in the lawn; on the next block a tree had been blown over, branches in the road, another tree snapped at the trunk; and another, this one a BIG tree! What the hell had happened here? Thank's be to the google gods and the power of the smartphone, because I was able to find an article in the Anchorage Daily News about an unseasonable windstorm with gusts over 100 miles per hour and unconfirmed reports of 131 miles per hour, that had ripped through the Anchorage bowl. Throughout the remainder of my walk, I found more and more downed trees, some twisted and broken, some torn out by the roots entirely!
I spent the remainder of the day running errands and getting ready to travel to work in the morning.
Friday, September 7
Well, all of my fun time is over, and it's time to catch another early morning charter flight back to the oil patch. It's always easy to try and bemoan going back to work but the truth is that I'm frankly ready to go back, to feel useful and productive again. Besides that, it's still not a bad time to be in Prudhoe Bay; it's fall up here, the tundra grass has gone brown and there are occasional snow flurries that melt immediately away, it's a little muddy but at the end of the day that's all pretty good by North Slope standards. Also, I'm only going to have a short hitch this time; in two weeks I'll be off again and Ursa and I will be travelling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to our friend's wedding. Congratulations Liz and Joe, we are so excited for you both.
After the wedding we will have a whole new adventure in store, so stay tuned! See you all in a couple of weeks, Bye!
We finished our day by checking into a hotel in Haines Junction, and had dinner at Restaurant Mozart which featured some very good European cuisine. The food was great, but, as luck would have it, the internet service at the restaurant went down so we couldn't pay with our card, which was unfortunate as that we had already made a point to spend the last of our Canadian currency, so we had to drive down the street to find an ATM and get cash then go back to the restaurant and pay for our meal, which was inconvenient but it was obvious that the owners were far more embarrassed about it than we were. I figure that if a petty hassle like that is the worst thing that happens to us on a road trip, then we did pretty good.
Wednesday, September 5
The terrain surrounding Haines Junction is fascinating because to the east you can see the soft, tree and grass covered mountain tops of Canada, then turn and face west to see the sharp rocky crags of the Alaskan mountains jutting up from the forest like teeth. It's a beautiful, visual juxtaposition that is impossible to capture on film. Seeing the mountains of Alaska was also a stark reminder that this would be our final day of driving, and tonight we would be sleeping in our own, comfortable bed.
As far as the driving went, we were both engrossed in the notion that our two week road trip would be coming to an end, and we just wanted to knuckle down and be done. Yes, there was some wonderful scenery, and yes, there were a few photo stops, but mostly our day consisted of monotonous wheel time, and trying to avoid tearing up the car's suspension going over the uneven pavement between Haines Junction and the American border. Once back in the USA the roads cleared right up and we were able to make good time again, which is funny because when we made this same drive a couple of years ago the exact opposite was true, the roads in Canada were good but turned to shit once you crossed the border.
We made it back to Anchorage at around 7 pm and got the car unpacked, and wanted to order pizza but found that we couldn't because large sections of town were without power, it wasn't until the next morning that we found out why.
Thursday, September 6
After spending two weeks on the road all I really wanted to do at home were a few little things to establish that feeling of normalcy. The biggest one was to take a walk. There are a couple of very nice little walking trails right around the corner from our condo, where I can go stretch my legs and let my mind go blank. Just a little while where I can rejuvenate and get my mind right before going back to work tomorrow. As I stepped out the door I, for the first time, started noticing the signs of property damage around our neighborhood. A few doors down from us, the neighbor's fence, which they just finished rebuilding about three months ago, had been knocked back down and was laying in the lawn; on the next block a tree had been blown over, branches in the road, another tree snapped at the trunk; and another, this one a BIG tree! What the hell had happened here? Thank's be to the google gods and the power of the smartphone, because I was able to find an article in the Anchorage Daily News about an unseasonable windstorm with gusts over 100 miles per hour and unconfirmed reports of 131 miles per hour, that had ripped through the Anchorage bowl. Throughout the remainder of my walk, I found more and more downed trees, some twisted and broken, some torn out by the roots entirely!
I spent the remainder of the day running errands and getting ready to travel to work in the morning.
Friday, September 7
Well, all of my fun time is over, and it's time to catch another early morning charter flight back to the oil patch. It's always easy to try and bemoan going back to work but the truth is that I'm frankly ready to go back, to feel useful and productive again. Besides that, it's still not a bad time to be in Prudhoe Bay; it's fall up here, the tundra grass has gone brown and there are occasional snow flurries that melt immediately away, it's a little muddy but at the end of the day that's all pretty good by North Slope standards. Also, I'm only going to have a short hitch this time; in two weeks I'll be off again and Ursa and I will be travelling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to our friend's wedding. Congratulations Liz and Joe, we are so excited for you both.
After the wedding we will have a whole new adventure in store, so stay tuned! See you all in a couple of weeks, Bye!
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