Finally moved!

I'll try to do another post after Thursday but felt the need to at least write some about the last few weeks.

So it was 2 weeks driving and then last week we attacked the basement at Doug's dad's house right away. We hoped to get it all done by Friday but by Thursday everything was catching up with us. So we finally started working on some things again yesterday and have all the books up on the shelves. There's still so much to do. But first the trip.

So we left Fairbanks on Monday, July 19th. The hotel in Anchorage was amazing! The company Doug worked for in Alaska owned it (Courtyard) and so we got a killer discount. Prices were usually close to $200 and we paid $40. After 2 weeks on an air mattress that mattress was heaven. I just wish we got to spend more than one night there! Tyler arrived late that night, with some delays in his flight. Of course we hit up Arby's on the way to the hotel and then Wendy's later. We hoped the Wendy's there would be good because the one in Fairbanks was just awful, but no. It must be an Alaskan thing. Tyler was amazed at the cost!

Tuesday we drove down to Portage Glacier, about an hour south of Anchorage. I was somehow under the impression, even after research, that we would be able to walk on the glacier. Instead it was across from us on a lake. It was dreary and rainy and cold at around 50 degrees, so we didn't get to see the pretty water. It was still a nice experience though. Originally the plan was to drive through a wilderness preserve and see a bunch of Alaskan animals but we decided to go gold panning instead. That was the neatest side of the road place ever! They are a functioning claim still and had a list of recent finds they had some over $7,000. Then we headed north and finally got on the Alaska-Canada highway around 11 pm.

I had told Doug how rough the road was for me last year and it seems that he didn't quite believe me. In addition, while we would have still had some daylight (between June and December you actually LOSE daylight versus gaining it from January-June). When I drove last year I had about 24 hours of day light versus the 4 hours of nightfall that northern Alaska gets in July. And it was so cloudy. Tyler and I dozed off before we reached the Canada border. Doug said he had to go about 15 mph, which is why we didn't reach the border until 2 am. Crossing into the Canadian border there is a joke (as is coming the other direction) than it is at the other cross points in Montana and Washington that I experienced.

The next few days are practically a blur. Towns with hotels and restaurants are hundreds of miles apart. I had to meticulously plan gas stops as well. The places in the tiny settlement are often abandoned now, insanely expensive, and often times watered down. We had 10 extra gallons of gas with us, just in case, and we did use it once. I spent a few hours researching gas prices online, where I could find them listed, the week before we left to have an idea of how much we'd be spending at each place. We actually got really great gas mileage, sometimes around 24 mpg, versus the estimated 15. That saved us a bundle even though prices had gone up in some places. We drove the entire 1,390 miles of the Alcan in about 28 hours. Tyler had horrible jet lag and it turns out that my feet decided to swell the ENTIRE trip so we only drove a few hours. Doug drove most of the way and we did have to pull over at a "rest area" for a few hours.

About the rest areas. Unlike in the US, they are just gravel lots where you can park, with some trashcans and latrines. Doug corrected me, they're not even portapotties, as they have tanks and these were just ditches. There are no lights and it's just concrete walls with a pitched roof and some narrow windows for the scent to flow out of. Doug checked them to make sure there were no "pedophiles" which I had to remind him that I probably look a little old for them now, haha. I guess he meant rapists. Then we found out that if you're over 6 feet tall you can peer in the windows, without the other person noticing usually. There were times there were not toilet paper and definitely no sinks or soap. As awful and primitive as all that sounds, there were times when there was nothing and I literally had to pee on the side of the road. Turns out my experiences in China and the squatting potties there came in handy. And again, all of those situations were better than the bathrooms in China!

Then we had to drive the still other 900 miles to Seattle. The distance between Anchorage to Seattle is 2,300 miles and from coast to coast it is 2,700 miles. Essentially, we drove cross country twice on this trip! There were definitely some beautiful places along the way and it would be wonderful to travel again in an RV (so we can sleep, eat and pee in one place!) and stay at some of them for awhile. I'll load pics on Facebook soon!

We waited in line for nearly 2 hours to cross the border. So we decided not to try to attend Bro. Ed Byskals' morning service on Sunday. We were so exhausted and would then be driving over night on Sunday again so it just wasn't going to work out for us to plan the extra 4 hours to cross the border twice. In addition to the fact that Tyler didn't want to go and there was no where to leave him. We were literally in line so long that I was able to leave the car, walk across the street to the tax free shop and use the bathroom and come back, with the car moving a total of 10 feet. Which that alone is amazing considering before then we had not moved in 30 minutes.

The hotel in Seattle was pretty nice and it was so nice to just unwind for a few days. On Saturday we had plans to go to the Museum of Flight, but they had a power failure and were running on emergency power and couldn't operate the simulators. So we came back on Sunday and it turns out that Doug and Tyler weren't able to go on them anyway. They had weight restrictions, which they were fine on, but then also restrictions on the difference in weight between two people, which would then put Doug and a stranger over the limit. But that's ok because they would have cost extra and there was more than enough to keep us occupied for 5 hours! We got to tour the Air Force one used by Eisenhower (the first jet one) and then JFK used it briefly. After that it was demoted to the VP ride and it's actually the one that Lyndon Johnson flew on to get to Dallas after JFK was assassinated. Though it's not the one that he was inaugurated on. The current Air Force One is much more luxurious than this one was as can be expected in the time of 50 years, but it was still neat. We also toured the Concorde they have on exhibit. The seats and things are inclosed in this rounded glass that I could barely fit through. Seriously, the world conspires against pregnant women!

After the museum we headed out for Yellowstone National Park, about 13 hours away without stops. We decided to eat farther on the road which blew up in our face. Turns out there weren't a lot of towns for the first 4 hours and we were starving! We even got faked out by a decoy Pizza Hut sign but never found it. :( We finally ate at Denny's in Montana around 10 pm.

Yellowstone was overrated. We were exhausted from driving overnight. Well, Tyler slept but he was still suffering from jet lag (first time ever flying) and some allergies, and the fact that his body was not used to real food versus protein shakes for the last year. People were pulling over because they saw trees, streams and deer. By this point we had seen buffalo, a black bear cub, stone sheep, moose, deer, and a few others that I can't remember right now. The whole point was to see Old Faithful and then get back on the road. We arrived and had to wait 40 minutes for her to erupt. Then it was pretty neat, followed by the sulphur smell which Tyler and nearly everyone else was not expecting, and we got just a little mist on us. Honestly, I think it would have been easier to watch it online. Originally going through Yellowstone was going to save some time compared to wandering very north in Wyoming (until you pass the Mississippi you basically have to go where the roads are and there are hundreds of miles of land bipassed). But there were huge bluffs and it was 105 degrees. Our Durango was pretty weighted down and filled with winter weight coolant still so she was not so happy and almost overheated a few times!! Thank goodness for our vehicle expert Tyler.

We finally got to Denver around 6 pm. Just in time to visit Chris, and the drama that comes with it. We dropped him off at work the next morning and then got the oil changed, then on the road to Hutchinson, Kansas. We were off the interstate for the last hour or so which slowed us down as there were tons of little towns on the way. Then we somehow got lost in the town, possibly because NO ONE would give me my aunt's address and instead kept trying to give me directions from where they THOUGHT I was. Sigh. But once we got there it was quite enjoyable. Wonderful Tex-Mex food and some time with family. Doug and Tyler enjoyed talking with Papa and Uncle Mark about cars while I got to talk with Nana, Aunt Jera, Aunt Jill and my cousin Kristin. Her daughter has grown so much in the last year but is still so beautiful and I even got to sneak a peek at my cousin Saana for the first time. Around 10 pm we finally left for our hotel in Hesston. A little too close to Mennonite college territory for comfort, lol!!

Up and at it again in the morning to visit my aunt and her family in Jay, OK. It was the first time I had seen them in 18 years! It was really nice to see my cousins all grown up, and with children of their own and talk with my aunt. I really wish this part could have been longer! They treated us to some amazing Italian food. I didn't get a chance to tell them, but they cook like my Nana which of course makes sense but is neat to enjoy so far from her!

We stopped somewhere in Missouri for the night and then continued to our good friend Briana and Michael Priester's home in Bloomington, Indiana. On this day we passed through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It really makes a difference going through that many states comapred to travelling 500 miles in the Yukon. And each state looked a little different versus the Yukon and British Columbia for the most part looked the same. Anyway, wonderful evening and morning at B and Michael's!! B told me "We're just doing some easy grilled food" which I knew could not be true. B's mom is an entertainer extroadinare and the apple didn't fall from the tree at all. They had steaks, barbecue chicken, an amazing antipasto salad, gourmet olives, baked potatoes, and I can't rember the other thing but it was amazing as well. Their guest bedroom is just perfect with the most comfortable bed I may have ever slept in. A great breakfast of sausage, eggs, cinnamon rolls, pancakes etc. Just the perfect hosts. Haha, maybe Doug and I can do that some day, but I doubt it!

Then we drove a few hours to Doug's Uncle Junior and Aunt Polly's house in Centerburg, Ohio. That was the neatest house! They expanded a 100 year old farm house and there were antiques everywhere. You could look at the walls for hours before you could really take it all in. He also has a clock shop as he collects clocks, and also a workshop as he does car restoration work. Their landscaping was amazing and they even had a cute little cabin for guests too. Oooh, and I'm sure it's haunted! When I first got in bed I felt a tingle on my leg, sort of like someone unexpectedly touched it, but I excused it away. Then after a bathroom trip I got back in bed and felt it again, but with more pressure on my spine. There was no way it was just the sheet rubbing me or something. I turned over expecting to see something, but no. :( It wasn't scary or anything, seemed playful like. It was pretty cool. They were so sweet, I hope Doug and I can be like them when we're their age. And Aunt Polly treated us to some good country cooking. Ham, sweet corn, garden tomatoes, mashed potatoes, amazingly sweet blueberry cobbler. In the morning a good breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast and juice. And before we left they loaded us up with sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, ham sandwiches, jerky, oreos and chips.

The last and final stop was at Aunt Katie and Uncle Joe's in Alexandria, VA. They're such a neat couple and had some lovely pot roast, corn, mashed potatoes, veggies and bread for dinner. Katie is an expert at using her slow cooker. We didn't get to stay very long, as we were all exhausted and anxious to get on the road to the Valley.

We arrived in Harrisonburg around 2 pm on Monday, August 2. We had to get some gas so Doug took a pit stop at his old Sheetz store. I had to grab some cheese fries and an oreo creme drink. Amazing! We had dinner at my Mom's that night and crashed on our old leather couch/futon that we bought shortly before moving and had sold. Well, we sort of sold it. She was a co-worker and was going to spend most of the summer in China, but had already paid for it. She was supposed to contact my father-in-law to arrange picking it up and the oversized red chair (she was able to leave that day with the ottomon). They playd phone tag some but somehow she never came and got it. I even talked to her about it back in October and she was supposed to get it that weekend. I was never able to get back in touch with her and don't have her number now, so I guess it was our gain. I'll try seeing if my old boss has her information (she may have moved for all I know!) to give her money back as I can't imagine she still needs the items a year later. It's kind of weird that she didn't keep in touch with me about it. I'd hate to scam her out of her money.

Anyway, the next day we decided to tackle the main room we'll be using in the basement and even some on the nursery. Our friends Jon Jon Correa and Jonathan Huffman came by with some Domino's to help and my mom tackled the bathroom for me. Wednesday we worked some more on it and as I said practically crashed by Thursday. So hopefully we will finish this week and of course I have mounds of homework to do!

Teddy is doing great. I didn't feel him move too much while we were on the road, I guess it put him (and me!) to sleep. I felt my first outside movement at Junior and Polly's though. Sunday night at church he was kicking up a storm and after service Doug was even able to feel him (finally)! Yesterday and today he's been pretty at it. I've even felt a few up near my ribs so I'm sure I'll be like all the other moms and end up trying to dislodge a foot from my ribs soon! Oh, and shortly after I felt my first outside kick, he discovered my bladder! Thank goodness it was on that end of the trip where there were plenty of places to stop. And my feet have finally stopped swelling! So, as I said at the beginning, more on Teddy later. Well, I guess I avoided homework long enough!