Day 14 Breaking Up is Hard to Do

See you soon Denali

Leaving Cantwell and Denali today was difficult. Denali is a healing place. The people are friendly. The place, the land is alive, even if you can’t see all of the lives it holds. The "great one" left an imprint on my soul. I already know I must, I want to come back and embrace this place again. I may have reached my destination however, the journey never really ends.

Good bye Cantwell

I got a late start this morning-11:30- because a group of RVers were filling up the RV park and were quite talkative. One of them was originally from Sedro-Woolley and still has family in Skagit and Snohomish County. We reminisced about the old days growing up in logging towns (I spent several years in Granite Falls which I will not reveal the goings on in this blog). Plus, the RV park owner wanted photos of me and Temp before we left. What a great place. Although, I’m a bit glad I left before the place filled up with a bunch of old people. LOL.

Train on its way to Denali

There wasn’t a lot of stopping today so I drove 339 miles from Cantwell RV park to Moon Lake campground just north of Tok. The campground is small and cozy, and my site is right on the lake. The sunset was amazing unlike the Aurora Borealis which didn’t do much. There is a sign warning folks that the lake is very popular with motorized craft. Why in the hell would you want to ruin this serene wilderness lake with all of that noise and water pollution? Fortunately, none showed up.

"Freeway" outside of Fairbanks

The drive today was through a lot of human presence. I wouldn’t say development because that sounds like there would be lots of homes and businesses, although Fairbanks is a city of 32,000+ and three times that when counting the borough (like a county) population. The drive outside of Healy is through a steep canyon which then levels out into a lower elevation and driving through miles and miles of birch-dominated forests. Miles and miles… In some places the birches were changing to a golden hue although many appeared to be brown. It isn’t quite as spectacular as the bright yellow and pink leaves I enjoy. Much more subtle. There were giant hillsides covered in the changing birches, though.

My second sighting of the pipeline

Somewhere past Denali National Park I did a slow swerve and horn honk at a ptarmigan trying to walk across the busy Parks highway. Honking worked, I noticed in my side mirror it flew safely across the road. Silly chicken.

I didn’t like the Fairbanks area. The energy was different, more like the frenzy of the Puget Sound area. Certainly not friendly like everywhere else I’ve been. Maybe it’s the military base. Besides I held out to gas up there and found that they have no signs letting drivers know what services are available at the freeway exits. The highway turns into a two-lane freeway just before, and up to, Eielson Air Force base. Low on gas, I finally stopped at a place quite a ways out of town called 12 Mile Roadhouse to ask for help. It brought back some interesting memories with its smoke-filled and beer scented barroom. They were very helpful in telling me where the closest gas station was located. The bartender even asked if I would make it to the station. I told her yes, I’d be okay. Who does that? Most of the people I’ve met in Alaska. I then found myself in North Pole Alaska at the gas station. I didn’t stop to see the giant Santa and candy canes or other tourist traps. I just got my gas and ice and hit the road. 

Road trip scene

The roads were good today, for the most part, so I managed to travel quite far. There were some fantastic views here and there but not continuous. It took a long time after leaving Fairbanks before I felt like I was back to wilderness.

I have a beef with the Alaska roads department. They put up these tiny little signs for vistas or parking areas with a 1,500 foot warning but then no sign at the entrance to these places. I constantly fly by them, especially since some are next to other gravel roads or driveways. They put out entrance signs for the rest areas so I can’t figure out why they don’t do it for these spots, too. Rant done.

The end of the Alaska Highway at Delta Junction

YES!!

I made it to Delta Junction which is the official end of the Alaska Highway. I arrived here in a roundabout way since I took a detour down to Wrangell- St Elias National Park on my way up. I had my photo taken and my official certificate that I survived. Ain’t that the truth! Now I just have to make it home in one piece. Although, I’m detouring again down the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. I have a couple of stops I want to make along the highway and it’s a shorter way home.

My Moon Lake camp site

Driving along this trip has enlightened me to just how many people rent RVs! There are 100s of them which may also mean they have no idea what they’re doing. Be careful when traveling up here.

Sunset photos over Moon Lake

Waiting up for Aurora Borealis again tonight. It wasn’t as spectacular this morning at 1am but I still love it!

Wildlife- pretty slow day with eared grebe and red-necked grebe on Lost Lake, northern goshawk, magpies, heard a great horned owl at lake.

Moon Lake Reflection

Lesson #14 Following your instincts instead of planning every detail for places to stay- priceless.

My Route and My Wild

My Route
The yellow lines are my planned routes- one way up and another way back. From Washington State, up the length of British Columbia, through a corner of the Yukon, all the way to Denali National Park. The route leads over 2,200 miles one way through near-wilderness from temperate forests to boreal forest to tundra. How much wilder can you get? 

Where will I stop? Who will I meet? How long will it take? What amazing sights will I see? What amazing experiences will I have? How will this solitary trip shift my spirit? So many exciting questions.

Wild Woman
I'll be off to the wilds for 3 weeks in about 3 weeks! I've been pondering that much time alone. I know what happens to me when I camp alone for many days. The wild woman emerges. I become one with the air, the water, the forest, the soil. I become the wolf, the bear, the raven, the salmon, the frog. My hair tangles and my scent becomes earth. I feel things not seen and hear the tiniest of sounds not heard. I can taste the air and smell the wild scents. My heart opens-I become feral. My spirit soars to new heights and my intuition strengthens. I feel stronger and wiser, wilder and bolder. I shift to me again.
Three weeks- the biggest question is will I civilize when I return?

Financing a Long Road Trip

follow the tracks to adventure!

So  how does one finance a long road trip? Save up for years or fly by the seat of your pants and just go?! Well, I haven't saved up so it's just go for it. I've spent quite a bit upfront over the last several months getting my trailer ready to go and making sure I'll be pretty self-sufficient.

I believe my primary costs will be:
showers and laundry
camping
gas
groceries
souvenirs
pet sitting while visiting Denali National Park
emergency- credit card

It appears that gas is around $1.15 a liter. 3.78  liters equals 1 US gallon. The trip is around 2,300 miles one way and my truck only gets around 15mpg with the trailer. I'd say gas will be my biggest ugliest cost! Camping fees will likely average around $20 (many are $12 plus I hope to find free spots), with an RV park a couple of times at $30 or $40 a night. Meals are groceries with very little eating out. With my new health issue I'll need to watch what I eat as much as possible. Showers and laundry should be pretty cheap- when I can find them. Lastly, souvenirs. I am a sucker for souvenirs! I love visitor centers and all of the wonderful items they carry. I plan on picking up some jewelry, t-shirts for family, books (after all I am a book addict), couple of coffee mugs, and other items that either bring me or another person  joy. And don't forget pet sitting is $30 or $40 a day and I plan on spending 2 full days on the bus in Denali National Park (an 8-10 hour ride!). No frills such as plane rides or boat tours since I have Templeton with me. That's for another day.

The other issue is how much money in Canadian vs US I should carry. I'll need to decide how much Canadian money I'll need and stop by a bank for the best exchange rate. I'll be looking for credit unions that reciprocate with other credit unions. I plan to use my debit card a lot because I'll get the exchange rate and avoid extra charges. Credit cards give the exchange rate but charge a fee however, I'll utilize them from time to time. I'll inform my bank and credit union plus phone carrier about my trip to avoid any surprises.

So many items to think about when you are towing a trailer, taking a dog, have a health issue that affects meal planning, haven't saved up for, and on the road for 3 weeks in near wilderness. I can't wait!!