The Road Home

 Emile was not the only one eager to finish traveling and finally get to Anchorage. Even after a perfect little stop in Dawson, we still had an entire day of driving before we arrived at our new home. I was beginning to feel extremely anxious for Anchorage.

 We (really Jeff) drove for hours on the Top of the World Highway before we reached the US border. 

 The scenery was endlessly beautiful, but the road itself was covered in foot deep pot holes and often unpaved.

 Oscar was so over it.

I was especially anxious, because the vibe's gas light came on when we were almost 40 miles from Tok (the next gas stop). I tried to remain calm, but Jeff kept saying it would be fine.

"If we run out of gas, we'll just flag someone down and they'll get us to a gas station. No big deal." No big deal? That sounds a big deal. We are in a disgusting car, and none of us have showered in days. And a stranger on a quiet road in Alaska? Um, no thanks.

With each mile, I grew more uneasy. We reached what we thought was the turn off to Tok, but it was really just a turn off with a sign that said, "16 miles to Tok." Uh oh. We were really in trouble. This was definitely the longest ride on the journey. We barely breathed as we saw the Tok city limits ahead, and I spotted a gas station. I had to keep myself from jumping out to get gas, but right as Jeff clicked the turn signal for the gas station the car started puttering. We looked at each other in fear, and I shut my eyes and hoped the car would simply pull into the gas station, so I wouldn't have to get out and push. Luckily we made it, and Jeff filled the tank. He was surprised to discover that the tank held more gas than he thought, and together we couldn't believe that we'd made it to Tok safely.

But the vibe was so over it.

  When finally reached Anchorage, we arrived at our new home so quickly. We were relieved to discover that our little, cheap apartment we found on Craigslist was even better than we expected. 

And the sun shines at midnight in Anchorage, too.

Happy to be home.

xo

Alli

Dawson City

Dawson City was the home of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898. Like Skagway, it is full of history and it draws loads of tourists every summer. Unlike Skagway, it hasn't prescribed to a colorful, sort of movie-set version of the rugged Gold Rush. Dawson still has dirt streets and most of its buildings are dilapidated and mysterious. But, I am sure there have been some restoration attempts on the historic buildings. 

 As evidenced by the side of this building-notice the two layers of fake brick siding?

 I appreciated the understanding of the hard ships that many faced during the Gold Rush. There was a little window museum at an old mortuary that show-cased supplies of turn of the century morticians. I was fascinated.

 The death business was huge in the far north during the Klondike Gold Rush.

 I was also delighted at some needlework supplies of the time. These were made of bone. I would love a little velvet case just like this one.

 The masonic lodge. I don't know if this building was there in 1898, but it stood shining and huge in the wee town. This picture was taken around 10pm.

 A trip to Dawson City would not be complete without attending the old time dance hall show.

 The can-can dancers were i n c r e d i b l e. I was stunned at how flexible they were, and obviously well trained. I was a little embarrassed, because I could not dance nearly that well when I was in the Days of 98 Show. I was comforted to discover that the perfect dancers couldn't sing. They were strictly dancers. 

 "Gertie" (the supposed "madam" of the show) was the only female singer. And she was dang good. I was proud of her for belting out song after song, and not being a wimpy dance hall girl like some supposed dance hall starlets (yes, Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge-I'm talking to YOU).

 After our night on the town, we ventured back across the river to our perfect campsite on the banks of the Yukon.

 We asked a local if it ever gets dark at night in Dawson City. She smiled and shook her head. 

"Won't get dark until August."

Oscar needed his sunglasses at night.

Next stop Anchorage!

xo

Alli

The Dawson Ferry

As we rolled into Dawson City, Yukon, we looked for a cheap hotel that would accept dogs. I was tired, and wanted a shower. There was a perfect little information center, with helpful women in some sort of 1898 costumes (I'm guessing). They had cute Canadian accents and they told us about all the over-priced hotels. At this point in our journey, I was perfectly willing to spend a million dollars for a shower. But Jeff (aka Captain Frugal) queried campsites. The helpful ladies told us about a couple in town, but the real nice site was "across the river" in West Dawson.

There is no bridge to West Dawson. When I found out that we had to take a ferry across, I immediately rolled my eyes and said, "No way." I thought we'd have to wait forever, pay an ridiculous fee, eat gross ferry food. I mean, I like taking the ferry, but I was tired from a long day of driving. I just wanted the dang hotel.

Jeff was intrigued though. He persisted. 

"So, how does the ferry work?" he asked the nice information lady.

"Oh, it's just like every other ferry. It runs all the time. It's fast. It's free. You can always get on." she replied.

Us-STUNNED

What? Lady, that is not like every other ferry! You ever hear of AMERICA?! Yeah, that's right-land of extravagance and inconvenience. Now, we had to go across to the West Dawson camp ground. If only just to check out the "unbelievable" ferry. :)

The Yukon River ferry ride was about five minutes, and Jeff declared that "it was the coolest thing he has ever done." He said that about a thousand times in that little five minute ride.

I thought it was pretty cool, too. I decided I could wait a day for a shower.

Check out the waiting line. No frills. No pavement. Just waitin'. 

God bless Canada.

xo

Alli

PS-Check out this rig on the ferry...!

P R E T T Y awesome.

Skagway to Dawson

I know I should have finished up blogging about my journey long ago, but I finally got the internet at home! So now, I can give you a continual peak. Yay!

After our perfect little perfect play time in Skagway, we hit the road toward what was going to be Tok, Alaska. But, Jeff decided that we only get a few opportunities to travel along these historic Alaskan roads, so we should push our journey a little further and camp a night in Dawson City. I didn't mind the three hour detour, to the land of the gold, and the drive was gorgeous the entire way there. 

We listened to lots of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ariel, and our anthem for the trip was Cee Lo Green's "Forget You."

Jeff picked some wildflowers to decorate the car. 

The vibe held up perfectly. We got gas at every opportunity.

And Emile and Oscar found a way to get comfortable for the trip. They don't usually like to be so close to each other, but they had no choice.

Next stop Dawson! 

To be continued...

xo

Alli

Skagway Bella

When Jeff and I landed in Skagway, after our long ferry ride, we went immediately to the annual solstice party at Jewel Gardens. It is always thrilling driving through that tiny town. It brings back so many memories. When we parked at Jewel Gardens, I was alarmed at how many people were there. We walked through the gates, and I saw hundreds of familiar faces and facebook friends from spending seven summers in Skagway. I was breathing through my mouth and squeezing Jeff's hand, until everyone else became a blur-and I saw my dearest friend, Meredith.

Once we hugged, it was on. Together we navigated the crowd under the midnight sun, and saw some more dear friends-like Margeaux and Charity and even some new sweet madams. I was still overwhelmed with faces from summers past, but I was only in town for day-and chose to focus on m'dears.

Charity, Meredith, and Me

After the party, Jeff and I set up camp in Meredith's "yard." She lives in a cabin by the Skagway River (Meredith and I lived in that cabin-known as "The Cowboy Condos"-in summer of '08). Jeff, Oscar, and I fell asleep to the sounds of mosquitoes and the Skagway River.

Meredith, parked on her porch.

Saturday was a day of friends and food. We spent the morning on the porch of the cabin, watching Oscar play with Margeaux's dogs. We ate some incredible crab eggs benedict at the Fish Co with Aaron, Meredith, and Margeaux. We were even lucky enough to snag Cori, Daniel, DonNelson, and Liz for some added love. Jeff and I checked into our hotel, rested, then spent the afternoon at the Red Onion with the addition of Charity. We ate dinner at the always delicious Stowaway with Aaron, Mer, Ray, Char, and Liz. Then I finished off the evening at Margeaux's with the female heroes of Skagway, while Jeff and Aaron duded it out at the Cowboy Condos.

Emile greeted us back at our hotel, and after an amazing day of laughing with friends in my first Alaska love, we all drifted happily to sleep in our comfy hotel bed.

Oscar, perched on the top of the spiral staircase at the Cowboy Condos.

xo

Alli

Father

Grandpa James with grandson James.

It's difficult to identify what makes my dad so wonderful, because in my eyes-he's simply perfect.When I want to brag about him, I am halted by his modest example. But Father's Day is a day to brag about dads, so here goes!

Top Ten Things I Love About My Dad

10. He is the most successful person I know, and I only know that because other people have told me his accomplishments. He's one of the top air quality attorneys in the west, but he shrugs off work saying, "It's just nerdy."

9. He is always game for a good joke. I love making my dad laugh. We have identical senses of humor-personifying animals, puns, and good ole political humor.

8. He is a quiet genius. He taught himself Latin, French, and Greek-and he is fluent in Spanish. He always has a stack of books next to him, and he relaxes by learning.

7. Whenever he needs to give his name to a cashier to call when his order is ready, he will always tell them his name is either "Biff" or "Ralph." And when the name is called, my mom will always slap him on the chest, and yell "JIM!"

6. He is open minded and always pointing out a different perspective. I can be adamant and immovable in my point of view, but when I get heated about a subject-he will often remind me of the other side. Whether it's politics, religion, sports, or personal relationships, he's the perfect example of an open mind.

5. He gives himself completely to anyone in need. I've heard him finish short phone calls after long work days with, "I'll be right there."He is a quiet hero.  He just gives, and serves, and loves, and listens.

4. He is modest. He never gives himself credit. When he is honored with an award or recognized for his unending achievements, he will often hand off the credit to someone else or down play his own accomplishments.

3. He is a bit of a hippy at heart. He loves the earth, bugs, snakes, nature, and even the Grateful Dead (it's true).

2. He loves my mom. He is purely chivalrous-dropping her close to the door in the rain, buying her flowers every week, and always abiding to her needs. She knows she's a pretty lucky lady. :)

1. He has dealt with trials and adversity that I cannot even begin to comprehend. But he fills his days focused on others' needs, that (in my opinion) barely come close to his. His selflessness is palpable.

I love you, Dad!

xo
Alli

Ferry Ride

We made it! We are officially living in Anchorage searching for furniture, getting to know our way around, and enjoying "city life."

Our road trip was so relaxing and enjoyable. We started with a six hour ferry ride from Juneau to Skagway.

 Jeff had the good sense to bring up our sleeping bags, thermarests, and pillows. We sat up top on the deck, and remained nice and toasty during the sunny and brisk journey.

 Knitting with a view.

 I didn't get much knitting done, because the whales and sea-mammals were putting on too good a show. Sorry-no pictures of the orcas this time round.

When we docked in Skagway, we went straight to the Jewel Gardens Solstice party. We were greeted by some of my best friends, and specifically m'lady-Meredith. I was overwhelmed with love in Skagway, and that whole experience deserves a separate post.

xo

Alli