August 11, 2010

Just executing the plan.  I think that describes our current state.  We have these moments of doubt that get quickly swept under by the busy-ness of the day.  When we do find the time to reflect, we are greatly looking forward to what lies ahead even though we know we are leaving behind an environment that was very conducive to our lifestyle of the last five years.  The rest of the time, we continue executing the plan.

We finished in Anchorage with a few odds and ends.  We took the cat to the vet for a health certificate, a requirement for border crossings.  We spent a ton of money at the bookstore, buying a set of French language CDs to replace our online version that has been constantly interrupted by the lack of internet access, and a couple of books to help us with our travels.  Then we had lunch with Kris’ friends, an unlikely group of women who have formed a powerful alliance.  They are amusing in their diversity, yet there is a commonality in something beyond their brief period of working together; perhaps it is attitude.  I enjoyed watching them interact again.  After lunch, we had an hour to kill before our dentist appointment so we walked around Goose Lake.  It was an odd place for our last walk in Anchorage, a place that we had passed through a couple times on bicycles, but never really stopped to visit.  It holds no significant memories for us, but we both needed to get out for a walk and it was there.  We finished our day in Anchorage with the joy of getting our teeth cleaned.  Back at the trailer, we prepped for departure.

Tuesday was the start of our new life.  We both drove the 390 miles that we covered.  It was a pleasant drive, even though a few stretches were typical Alaska roads.  We arrived around dinner at Deadman Lake in the Tetlin NWR.  We were tired, but after dinner I managed to get the energy to go kayaking.  Travelling must not interfere with our adventures and our physical activity.  It turned into a late evening on a beautiful lake.  We saw numerous ducks, a couple of beavers, and a pair of swans as we paddled most of the perimeter of this lake. 

I tried a couple times to cast for northern pike, but decided that the water might be too warm for them to be feeding on the surface in the shallows.  I decided that fishing success was unlikely, so I focused on enjoying the kayaking.  When we arrived at a relatively weed free part of the lake, I trolled a huge spinner behind my kayak on the off chance that I might find a big pike.  When the rod tip bent, I suspected it was weeds.  I put down the paddle and grabbed the rod.  The force of the line began turning me around and a small pike leaped clean out of the water.  It wasn’t much of a battle with my relatively heavy gear.  I quickly landed the 18” toothy critter and debated my options.  It was a relatively thick northern who inhaled this monstrous treble hook, so I quickly realized that it was best if I kept it.  I threaded a stringer through it and stabbed it with my knife to finish it off.  I continued dragging the big spinner and was rewarded with a second pike of similar size.  We ate them for dinner tonight and it made me wish I had pursued pike more in my time in Alaska, even if they are a challenge to filet.

Today was mostly a travel day.  Our goal was only around 200 miles, so we weren’t in a hurry to get started after being up so late kayaking.  We will soon miss the option of starting some interesting activity late in the evening.  We crossed easily through the Canadian border, but our progress was painfully slow.  The roads in Canada were in worse shape than the worst of Alaska.  Roads built on permafrost tend to warp.  Often the warp is simply perpendicular to the road.  These dips and jumps are harsh and make me wonder if the van needs new shocks.  The spring bars that are part of the weight distributing hitch rebound and send the rig porpoising down the road.  It is a frightful experience when you don’t see it coming and slow down.  Sometimes, and often in today’s stretch of road, the warping occurs parallel to the road, creating splits in the road that are never quite straight and often quite deep.  These trenches grab the rig and try to divert its course.  They tip the rig as the wheels dip on one side.  I hope the roads get better from here because today’s progress was painful and slow.  Even Kris had a difficult time driving the car in this stuff, and the car is well equipped with a soft long travel independent suspension.

We enjoyed a nice hike along Kluane Lake this evening.  It was a dramatic sky in the dramatic landscape along the largest lake in the Yukon Territory.  We strolled along the shore, skipping stones until the wind kicked up enough to generate some small waves in the previously glassy surface.  On the return, we found some recent and large bear prints up higher on the shore to add to the drama.  It still feels like an adventure even though we are in a travelling mode for a few days.