UPDATE: The kids and I are thawing out from our recent visit back to Alaska. We spent about three weeks there. I already miss friends and family, however, must say that the fall season here is BEAUTIFUL! We are parked in the Jacksonville area near Medford, Oregon. Matt is loving his new job and the kids and I have had a great time adventuring to new places over the past couple of months. It is hard making friends with new people but I am hoping to meet some families at homeschool activities. Homeschool people should be weird like us, right?! It is nice to have familiar faces (Grandparents, Aunt & Uncle and Cousins) somewhat close to us in California.
I haven't really shared a lot about our August drive from Alaska to Oregon. Probably because I am still emotionally recovering from it. Seriously, an adventure of a lifetime!
Here is a some of a journal entry from the day we left Alaska "August 18. We'd been counting down to this day. Until it came, excitement outweighed any other emotions I had about leaving. We continued to pack and I tried to avoid my Mom because she would cry whenever she looked at me. At that point the only thing I could think of was how much moving away from home sucked. As we said goodbye to the rest of our family I held in the breakdown as best as I could. I asked Matt to let me drive the first part just to keep my mind busy. I drove about 30 miles before we had to stop due to a SECOND flat tire. The first was in the driveway before we even left! After weighing our options and realizing how painful it would be to go back and have to say bye again we decided to press on without a spare tire. The kids asked about 42 times if we were almost there yet. We stopped at dinner time to eat, we made coffee and drove on trying to make up time we lost from leaving late. We talked about adventures that we looked forward to. We talked about how great having this time together would help our marriage. Moving IS good for us, even if it hurts so badly right now."
I haven't really shared a lot about our August drive from Alaska to Oregon. Probably because I am still emotionally recovering from it. Seriously, an adventure of a lifetime!
Here is a some of a journal entry from the day we left Alaska "August 18. We'd been counting down to this day. Until it came, excitement outweighed any other emotions I had about leaving. We continued to pack and I tried to avoid my Mom because she would cry whenever she looked at me. At that point the only thing I could think of was how much moving away from home sucked. As we said goodbye to the rest of our family I held in the breakdown as best as I could. I asked Matt to let me drive the first part just to keep my mind busy. I drove about 30 miles before we had to stop due to a SECOND flat tire. The first was in the driveway before we even left! After weighing our options and realizing how painful it would be to go back and have to say bye again we decided to press on without a spare tire. The kids asked about 42 times if we were almost there yet. We stopped at dinner time to eat, we made coffee and drove on trying to make up time we lost from leaving late. We talked about adventures that we looked forward to. We talked about how great having this time together would help our marriage. Moving IS good for us, even if it hurts so badly right now."
The next day the dash lights were acting funky but we didn't think anything of it. Maybe we should have...because a day or two later the alternator failed. Luckily, my Dad and brother were driving behind us in my car. They jumped the truck until we could safely pull off. We charged the battery at a very, umm...interesting establishment and drove on even though we shouldn't have. (We weren't about to spend the night there!) We barely made it into Watson Lake. By barely I mean we drove into town with no headlights, in the dark, trying to follow my dad by the light of a headlamp I held out the window! It was pretty smokey too from a wildfire. The fire wasn't as close as I thought it was at the time but it was still pretty terrifying!
The auto shop didn't have the part we needed so we would have to wait a few days for it to be bussed in. My dad decided to drive back a few hundred miles and retrieve the part himself. The next morning we were back in action. Driving, driving, driving. We hadn't made it very far but that drive makes you feel slightly insane! I tried to make a routine for the kids so they know what to expect each day. They did extremely well considering everything.
I don't remember where we were but Matt shouted out, " Buffalo! Not beefalo or zoofalo Real buffalo!!!" We stopped every time we saw some to take pictures. It was one of my favorite parts of this trip. I'm excited my brother was taking pictures of us too. Things went smoothly for a day. That was about it.
I don't remember where we were but Matt shouted out, " Buffalo! Not beefalo or zoofalo Real buffalo!!!" We stopped every time we saw some to take pictures. It was one of my favorite parts of this trip. I'm excited my brother was taking pictures of us too. Things went smoothly for a day. That was about it.
There were some water leakage issues that we should have addressed before leaving but in the time crunch we were in they were ignored. So when we encountered rain the floor and walls inside got a good rinsing. I was super stressed at this point and literally took all my clothes and dumped them onto the floor to soak up the water. My Dad found us a place to stop that had laundry facilities. At this point I think we had thoroughly freaked him and my brother out. They were great sports though :) I tried my best to not yell or cry even though most everything about this trip had gone wrong.
Aside from literally running out of money, the last few days went a little better. I am so thankful my Dad was able to get us all the way to Oregon. I didn't keep exact mileage but the trip was about 2,800 miles, took us 10 days and cost more money than I ever thought possible.
Right now I have no desire to drive down the Alcan again, but deep down I know that I'm probably crazy enough that it'll happen.
Aside from literally running out of money, the last few days went a little better. I am so thankful my Dad was able to get us all the way to Oregon. I didn't keep exact mileage but the trip was about 2,800 miles, took us 10 days and cost more money than I ever thought possible.
Right now I have no desire to drive down the Alcan again, but deep down I know that I'm probably crazy enough that it'll happen.
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