Monday
We left the Bitterroot Valley at about noon but had to run errands in Missoula before we could truly hit the road. After getting the transmission flushed and oil changed, we stopped for some ammo for Garrett's rifle and a dog bed for Remy then grabbed some lunch. The drive to Bellevue seemed to take forever but there was a gorgeous sunset to guide us. Craig and Michael had a delicious dinner waiting for us despite it being so late and Remy and Jasper played for a while.
Tuesday
Craig had already left for work when we rolled out of bed at 8:30 but we got to chat with Michael and plan our route while Remy played in the yard to burn some energy. Somehow Remy magically escaped from the yard and we thought we were going to have to spend the next few hours searching through the neighborhoods for her, but luckily she came running when Garrett called for her. WHEW. We stopped at a grocery store to stock up on snacks and such and finally rolled out of town toward Vancouver at about 1:00. Getting over the border was kind of a pain because we had to declare Garrett's rifle and for some reason it was some huge ordeal. We had to wait inside the building for almost an hour as they slowly searched our car and trailer for who knows what. We had to pay $25 for some temporary permit and were finally free to go, but discovered that they had really dug through the trailer. Stuff was unzipped and unfolded and boxes were shifted around so that was annoying. Vancouver was kind of disappointing because of all of the traffic and we didn't really get to explore, but at least we can say we've seen it! It was way bigger than I thought it would be. We cruised through and continued on our way to Whistler which was BEAUTIFUL! The fall colors were just beginning to change and the sun was barely setting so we definitely hit it at a great time. The actual town of Whistler was crazy - mansions upon mansions. It reminded me a lot of Park City, UT but with WAY more trees and WAY more money. It would've been cool to get out and explore the tourist downtown area but it was getting dark fast and having never taken that route before, we didn't really know what we were getting into. We hit a pretty gnarly pass in the dark and it was slow going for quite a while, especially with the trailer. I'm sure the area was gorgeous but we unfortunately didn't get to see much of anything since it was so late. We pulled into a little town called Clinton, BC even though our goal destination was more than six hours away. We slept in the car in the parking lot of a little hardware store on the edge of town and it was surprisingly comfy! Garrett had fashioned little curtains for the windows and we had a blow up mattress that fit perfectly in the back. It was a little cold but we had plenty of blankets, and Remy acted as a pretty nice foot warmer.
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| Vancouver BC |
Wednesday
We woke up early and scooted out of the parking lot before the store opened so as to avoid trouble. There was an RV park in town but they wanted $20 and we thought that was just plain silly. We grabbed some nasty gas station coffee and secretly brushed our teeth in the restrooms before hitting the road once more. It was another day of beautiful views and we were excited to be taking a route that was unfamiliar. We listened to podcasts and to some old CDs from when we first started dating which is always a treat. Remy slept the entire day except for when she wanted to stick her head out of the window for short stints. We finally found the Cassiar Highway turnoff but once again, we were hitting the scenic stint in the dark. We drove a ways but decided to stay overnight at a rest stop so we could see the pretty stuff in the daylight. I was a little hesitant about it because it was SO dark and SO remote and right next to the forest so all I could think about was enormous grizzly bears waking me up in the middle of the night trying to reach inside and eat my face. But Garrett loaded his rifle and we had Watch Dog Remy so I managed to fall asleep just fine. It was cold again but not unbearable, and the slight drizzle of rain in the night was really relaxing.
Thursday
We slept until about 7:30 and just hopped over the seats to continue driving since it was so wet outside. I later realized that I hadn't stood upright for almost 24 hours because I never got out of the car! Weird. We saw a few bears but that was about it for wildlife. We eventually ran into the Al-Can just west of Watson Lake and were sad because that marked the end of the path we hadn't yet traveled. Gas was ridiculously expensive - almost $6.50 a gallon - so that was fun. With the trailer we were averaging about 13 miles per gallon and I counted that we stopped for gas 21 times - not always to fill up, though. We drove all the way to Whitehorse YT which went a lot quicker than Google Maps told us it would. We had PB&Js for dinner, brushed our teeth in the WalMart bathrooms, then set up camp in the parking lot with about 40 other travelers. I felt like I was part of some gypsy camp except everyone was wearing sweatpants. Another semi-comfortable night's sleep.
Friday
We actually got to stop at a Starbucks for coffee and a quick splash of water on the face before we began the worst day of the drive. The stretch out of the Yukon, over the boarder, and into Alaska is horrible because of all the frost heaves and road damage. It's like riding a terrifyingly unpredictable rollercoaster that goes 55 mph for seven hours. Such fun. Remy was not enthused and sat on my lap for stability for most of the drive. We crossed into Alaska with ease and were relieved to be back in the US. We were determined to make it to Houston even though it was going to take 14 hours. Right outside of Palmer, only a couple hours from mammaw's, we hit rain and fog. We went down a pass right by the beautiful Matanuska Glacier and drove right through a cloud. It was kind of spooky not being able to see more than ten feet in front of us! The pass is steep and only one lane in both directions and the trailer added a little more tension to our already exhausted nerves. It was so colorful driving into the Mat-Su Valley, though, and I felt my heart lift a little at the excitement of arriving in our new home. We made it to Houston by about 9:30 and mammaw had spaghetti waiting for us which was just what we needed. Remy remembered the house and wouldn't stop singing and prancing around! We were so happy to get to sleep in a real bed and stretch out - especially Garrett - and got to be lulled to sleep by the sound of rain on the metal roof just like we love. We're so happy to be here!
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