Friday,
Day 13
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| real mountains |
And
thus became the true Marathon Day. It didn’t start out that way but hey, shit
happens. The goal was to reach Tok, Alaska – 90 miles after crossing the US
border. In total about 450 miles from Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory. After doing 600-700 miles per
day, that was too short a day so we continue on to Glennallen, another 130
miles, bringing the grand total to approximately 580 miles on this Friday
afternoon, give or take a mile. I am back in US cell phone range and enjoy
talking to friends while driving. Reaching Glennallen is a disappointment
because well, there is nothing open. I want a beer to celebrate reaching Alaska, plus I want dinner.
Only one restaurant open in town, the Caribou Inn and they don’t sell alcohol.
What? After all this way I can’t enjoy a beer? Guess not, but I do have to eat.
I order a chicken salad and catch up on some emails.
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| Goodbye Canada, once again |
The
one option for sleeping here tonight is the parking lot of the restaurant. It
is extremely cold with a chill factor of 8 below, and the wind is rocking Dora.
This will never do, so we get back on the road hoping to make Wasilla tonight
rather than tomorrow as originally planned – another 150 miles in search of
warmer weather. We
set out at 9 PM in what becomes a marathon with the mantra “are we there yet?”
It is not only completely dark, but the road is dreadful. There are no lines
indicating the center or the edge of the highway. Because of the huge frost heaves, we are only able to go 35
MPH otherwise Dora will be airborne. After $2,600 for a transmission I
definitely don’t want to damage the suspension going too fast. Did I mention
how dark it is out here?
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| he always hogs the seat! |
There
are few cars and we are in the wild, cautious of any large animals that might
cross our path. My body aches and my eyes are seeing double. But, there is no
place to pull off. Finally the frost heaves ease up and we are able to speed up
to 60 MPH safely, but then comes the construction! OMG, road equipment is
parked everywhere, and side
barriers create an obstacle course on the highway. Another 20 miles at 30 MPH,
are we there yet? Finally I reach Sutton, the town just north of Palmer and
things are looking up. I must stop at the first place I see. I text the Wasilla
connection to say we can’t make it after all, even though we are only 25 miles
out. I need sleep. We see a gas station, I run in and ask if I can sleep in the
parking lot and he said sure, have a nap. I told him I need a big sleep, not
just a nap. And so we curl up for our long winter nap in temperatures that are
definitely warmer than in Glennallen. And the good news? There is no wind.
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| Hello Alaska! |
We
were on the road approximately 18 hours today, entirely too long. But, we are
in Alaska and will be back in Homer town in a few days after spending the
weekend resting up with family. This enormous 5,000+ road trip is finally
behind us and we are happy and sated to be back in the Greatland, albeit at a
gas station somewhere near Palmer where six snoring dogs keep a blonde
wanderlust warm and sane for yet another night. Being responsible for these
adorable wigglebutts makes it impossible to wig out at any given time even when
the urge is sometimes there.
Namasté
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