I think Alcan, I think Alcan...Alcan Alcan Alcan:

....a feat beyond our fondest expectations. When we chitchat with the locals about how gravel spewn by passing cars cracked our windshield in two places, they chuckle. As we explain how our wheel fell off, they yawn. And when we frantically motion with our hands to depict the roadway flight of the caribou, their eyes glaze over and they mumble something about killin a moose and cutting it in four pieces to lift the 500 lb animal into their truck for dinner.




Yes, we've finally arrived in Alaska! We're getting hopped up on free coffee right now in Fairbanks- home of the Aurora Borealis and mosquitos the size of small bats. We've set up camp and breathed a heavy, collective sigh of relief that we reached one of our most remote destinations.


For those who haven't been, Alaska is gigantic. Seriously, everything about it is massive. The horizon stretches for 720 degrees with mountains straight out of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The sun never ceases and the beard to bear ratio is off the charts. Besides marveling at the picturesque drive up, so far we've visited the Museum of the North (a lovely and informative taxidermy graveyard), made the best home cooked fajita burritos in Alaska's history, and watched migrating cranes glide with grace over a sanctuary that permits hunting and trapping.



It's strange, but it's as if the moment we arrived the pressure had been lifted. As much as this trip has involved abandoning our careers and social responsibilities, we still felt pressured to reach Alaska before the end of August. It's the metaphorical stamp to legitimize this grandiose ruote. Well, 2 vans and 3 tires later we can quote Dubya in saying, "Mission Accomplished". On second thought we still have 20,000 miles to go, and Dubya still has a war to win.


Regardless, it feels like we can finally relax. We're going to chase the remaining "summer" weather, down through Denali, to Anchorage, and south to the Kenai peninsula to catch the tail end of the salmon run. BTW if you get a huge cold package from Alaska over-nighted, open it sooner rather than later.

PS. We are finally back on the grid so we uploaded photos from our past posts. Also we are back in cell phone country for those that would like to reach out and touch us.