…And Miles to Go
Today we had a long drive to go from Valdez to Fairbanks, so we needed to get an early start on things. We double checked to see that the alarm was set for 7am. Somehow, the alarm was disabled, and so when Les and Pat knocked on our door at 8 to go down for breakfast, we were all still sleeping. Emma and I threw some clothes on and went downstairs to eat. Carrie had a quick shower then joined us in the breakfast room.
Though things started off a bit rough, we did end up on the road only 5 minutes later than our original plan. We started out on our long drive with really nice weather. We got an entirely different view of the landscape between Valdez and Glenallen, as the perspective showed features that weren’t obvious when we traveled the other direction.
As we approached Thompson pass, the weather turned. The fog got so thick, I could only see 3 dashes of the road striping ahead of me. As we neared the top of the pass, the clouds parted, angels sang, and the mountains exploded into view. In case you think I am exaggerating, I believe we all gasped at the change in view (well, all except Les…he would typically just say - “that’s nice”).
In Glenallen, we stopped for fuel and facilities. I got some coffee to help maintain my alertness, and Carrie found some more knickknacks. When mapping the next phase of our trip, Apple Maps wanted us (desperately) to go through Tok. Google Maps offered a shorter option, continuing on the Richardson Highway, which was supposedly a more scenic option - not to mention 2 hours shorter.
We figured out probably why Apple Maps didn’t offer that route, as there was some heavy construction which necessitated completely stopping on the road for multiple tens of minutes. After we finally made it through the construction, we did see some awesome scenery, and did end up saving most of the 2 hours we were supposed to save by taking this route. Thankfully, once the diverging paths rejoined, there was a good restroom option, as most of us were in dire need.
We also found some moose right near the road, and after a few u-turns, were able to get some good pictures. Our next stop was in North Pole, just before Fairbanks. We stopped at the Santa Clause House and got some christmasy things, and more coffee for me.
As we got closer to Fairbanks, we started seeing fighter jets circling. We were getting closer to Eielson Air Force Base. Carrie started taking pictures of the jets and, once we were closer, the runway with all the different planes there. I saw a warning sign, and told her to stop taking pictures. What followed was an interchange worthy of Abbott and Costello, in which I tried hard to convince her that there was clear language that prohibited photography there. Her disbelief turned into paranoia that one of the many cars exiting the base were, in fact, chasing her to arrest her for violating some national secrets act. Emma announced her total willingness to pull the whole “she’s just in our car, officer…she’s not with us” mom-under-the-bus routine. We made it through Fairbanks without arrest…so far.
We found our Air Bnb, though it was quite a challenge, as there was no street number, and this was definitely in the sticks. At least Carrie had a photo of the house, so we knew we were in the right place. I guess, the code let us in the house, but its possible we are in someone else’s house. So, if we end up in some Alaskan jail, or a shallow grave, you know what happened to us.
Wow, that got dark really fast.
This is a really nice place, and we all have our own spaces again, so I know Emma is glad. She even has a private space with a desk to do her homework. We had some take and bake pizza and salad for dinner. The pizza was take and bake, not the salad, btw. Not to mansplain or be patronizing - just to be clear. In case you don’t know, mansplaining is…just kidding ;). We have some nice room to relax, and even did some laundry. It is still so bright, but it is after 10 at night. I am still not used to this.
We have some good things planned for tomorrow, but I think we don’t have to get going too early. It has been another good day.
