Calgary, Alberta (Day 3)

It's late. It's really late. We only put in 50 more kilometers today than yesterday, but somehow it ended up taking us 50% longer to travel that distance. As you might have already concluded, we had a few setbacks today,  but let's start at the beginning and, more importantly, with some pictures.

From Sitka to Prince Rupert on the M/V Matanuska

M/V Matanuska (at 2am)

Kids in the cabin, snuggling up before crashing.

3-berth cabin.

Seren using her camera.

At the on-board play area.

Petersburg

Some guy fishing in Petersburg.

Another fisherman.

Zonked.

Rainbow!

Waiting to go down to the car deck.

Yes, but where does it end?

At the playground in Wrangell.

"Do I look like a movie star?"

Narrow channel.

At last!

Beautiful British Columbia

Mudflats.

The Canadian Rockies, Alberta

Glaciers in the Ice Fields.

Mountain goat!

Gravel slides left behind from glaciers that have long since melted.

Off-road trolley?

More glaciers.

It's true, we've encountered some pretty breathtaking views along the way, but as mentioned before, we've had our share of setbacks. Porter is toilet-training while we are on the road and he is doing a super job. The only trouble is that he still has a sensitive stomach from all those allergies and we've had to deal with not one but two cases of spontaneous diarrhea. We've made several wrong turns, resulting in an hour or so of back-tracking (total), and there are frequent pit stops with two little ones in tow. Over all, though, it's been a pleasant drive. We've managed boredom and frustration with remarkable ease and the kids are enjoying all of the scenery and wildlife along the way.

Speaking of wildlife, just today (yesterday?) we saw several black bears, some white-tail deer, moose, a coyote, caribou, mountain goats, and a rabbit. It's almost always too fast to get a picture, but Seren really enjoys seeing the animals that she is learning about in her books.

That's all for tonight. It's after 3am here and we need to get out on the road early in the morning. We're hoping to reach Regina tomorrow night, but we'll have to see how the day goes.

Prince George (Day 2)

You may note that we have missed posting about Day 1. This is a sort of placeholder post, actually. We are safely (and exhaustedly) in Prince George, BC, having traveled from Sitka to Prince Rupert on the M/V Matanuska. We landed at about 11:30am BC time, were through Customs by noon, and got into the hotel room at about 11:15pm. There will be a post including pictures from the ferry and the car as well as a post including pictures and thoughts from Seren, but those will both come on a day when we're less exhausted. It's been a long day, but there've been some highlights.

1. Porter made it the entire day wearing underwear with only one accident (too long between towns and he peed himself, but it was a long day with a lot of fluids and he did a great job).
2. We saw a ton of wildlife. In order, a black bear, a moose, a deer, two more meese, and then, as dusk settled in, a lot more deer. Also, a beautiful old pickup truck for sale that I really wanted to stop for and I'm considering changing our return itinerary in order to go past it again...

Now, time for sleeping, as we'll lose an hour to the time zones tomorrow. It's been a good trip so far, and everyone's holding up well and having a great time!

getting close!

We're getting close to our departure now. About a week from now, we'll be in Canada, starting the driving portion of our road trip. Jo can't wait.

Today is Seren's last day of school. It seems so far away that I can't even remember how it felt, but there was a time when I dreaded letting someone else near her mind. Instead, we found a school that perfectly suits our daughter and a pair of teachers who understand and adore her.

The car has been prepared. Meds have been gathered. Maps came in a few weeks ago. Arrangements have been made for the cats. Netflix has been altered. Our phone plan now includes Canada. Our debit cards won't be flagged for fraud when we go through Canada. The internet will be off while we are away.  We mailed four boxes to Cleveland yesterday and the kids are almost completely packed. We still need to get Nika in for grooming and I still need to suspend our newspaper subscription and we still need to finish cleaning a bunch of things. The parents need to get laundry and packing done, we have a final run or two to make to SeaMart (I intend to get a nice steak so that I can make jerky before we hit the trail), and then we should be done.

Tomorrow, we're scheduled to have Jo's brother and sister-in-law visiting us! They're taking a cruise through Southeast and spending a day in Sitka, and it should be nice to see them. It's a very busy time to be visiting, but if the weather is at all like today, they should fall in love with this place.

Finally, for those of you getting excited over the Copper River salmon that are now being delivered anywhere that Alaska Airlines flies, this was the price board at one of our local processing plants yesterday (and yes, they will ship anywhere that FedEx goes, which is a bit more inclusive than Alaska Airlines). Note that there is plenty of salmon on this board, but also plenty of other delicious stuff - dinner last night was yelloweye, which is as tasty as it is getting rare.

checking under the hood...

We're going to get this blog rolling again in the next few weeks!

For those who don't know, my grandfather died about two months ago. In the intervening time, it was decided that, instead of spending a lot of money to fly one or two of us to Cleveland in order to attend a funeral and then turn around and come right back to Alaska, we would save up our money a bit and make a family road trip this summer. Our plan is to load the car up with four humans and a dog and ferry to Prince Rupert, BC, then to drive across Canada to Niagara Falls, ON, where we will meet up with my parents and sister for a couple of days. This will mark the first time in two years that all four of us have left Sitka at the same time and also the first time that more than two of us have visited any family members outside of Sitka since we moved here. Our plan for the month or so following our time in Niagara Falls is to help sort through my grandfather's house, preparing the estate for its final resolution and preparing the house to change hands. We also intend to take some time to visit with family and friends in the Midwest. We will then get back on the road in order to return home with a bit of time before school starts back up for everyone.

While we are away from Sitka, we will be taking pictures and video to share here. We will also be posting daily updates from the road and occasional updates while we are in Cleveland and visiting with loved ones.

Over the next week or two, look for some cosmetic changes to occur on this blog! We'll be giving it a bit of a facelift and getting everything ready for a new travel adventure!

trip to Michigan/Ohio part 2

In this post: visiting with college friends, some of whom I haven't seen in six years, rehearsal dinner for Kubby and Rachael's wedding, and the wedding, reception, and bridal party.

I flew into Detroit Thursday morning. I was scheduled to land at 6am, but we got in twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Kyle was nice enough to pick me up and let me stay at his place even though he had a full-day interview. I also got to meet his girlfriend, Amy! Having met every other girl he's seriously dated in the past decade, I've got to say that I'm really happy with the way they treat each other. A bunch of other great people showed up for drinks at Ashley's in Ann Arbor, where I got to try an Oberon (not the best one I've ever had) and a Midas Touch from Dogfish Head (holy hell, that's a good one!). Around the table: me, Andy Dill (Sinfonian), Charlie Dwyer (Sinfonian), Jeff Jia (Albionite), Master John Voorheis (economist), RoB Murdock (Albionite), RoB's girlfriend (!!!) Laura, Amy's friend Dana, Amy Latham (Kyle's girlfriend), Kyle Koehs, Beau Truex. Beau is a friend of Kyle's going way back, and we've had some good times hanging out in the past. All in all, a great night.

Friday night was the rehearsal. This is the first picture that was taken of Kubby and his groomsmen: Russell Van Vlack, Kub, Kurt Koubal, Kyle, and me. Over the next 30ish hours, Kyle, Russell, and I would get to know Kurt very well and raise some serious hell.

Kubby's uncle managed to embarrass the couple a great deal at the rehearsal dinner. It was awesome.

Getting dressed on Saturday and trying out the heavy equipment.

It didn't work anyway, but Russell was set to get a face full of bubbles.

After the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Kubby and the other eight of us set out in a party bus to take pictures all over southeast Michigan. I'm not saying it got ridiculous, but it WAS hot and there WAS a cooler full of beer.

Slim Pickens ain't got nothin' on Kub.

Remember what I said about the party bus?

Inside the rehearsal hall, the view from the head table over the dance floor. It was a really nice place.

Way off in the back corner, there was a pair of tables full of Sinfonians. Somebody planned that well! I was really happy to see so many brothers I haven't seen in a while, especially those who are now in good relationships. Bean and Victoria look happy, Dave and Abby are great together, Russell and Laura seem to be a perfect match, Divo and Lauren, Kyle and Amy, Dave Friday and his libertine... I'm a bit sorry I didn't get pictures of all of these people, but it was really satisfying to see so many of my brothers doing so well and pleased with their lots in life. I got to have good talks with most of these guys and with Kris Arseneault as well (he came solo), and then we serenaded Rachael together and I got a pretty good Sinfonian fix!

Once the dancing started, the lights went down and I couldn't get good pictures. When the wedding photos are posted, I'll try to share some of those here. It was a great wedding for a great couple, and they looked happy, exhausted, and giddy at the end of the night. I hope they get a lot of space to recover and I know they're on a great start to the rest of their lives.