ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus
AK= Alaska journey
November 2, 2017
Road trip Alaska 1.
I'm still having trouble getting reactivated/ re-grounded back in the South. This Odyssey to Alaska and back was the mother of all road trips. It may be the longest journey I've taken.
A driving road trip to Alaska is not for the faint of heart. It is an ordeal. Yes it is fun, at times, most of the time. Sometimes it's headaches of having to get repairs done because of bad roads. Sometimes it's uncertainty of supplies due to the remote wilderness.
A town on a map looks like a town and when you get there it's an outpost store. All in one room, one building, food store, laundry, no Pharmacy, Cafe, and upstairs is a motel called a lodge, with 30 year old mattresses, all of it anywhere from 30, ...40, to 50 years old and never any maintenance or paint or anything since. Outside is a gasoline pump and a diesel pump. You're lucky if there's a propane tank over on the side... and THAT is a town; An outpost town.
We go up through the Dakotas, up through Devil's Lake Graham's Island, up to Rugby North Dakota, the geological center of North America. Turn due North and on up into Canada through Manitoba, turned west across the plains through Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
I've seen the energy fields and the fracking trucks around Grande Prairie Alberta and seeing an energy boom under way. Crossed over into British Columbia at Dawson Creek. Which should have been named Dawson sough. Very disappointing.
Drove the Alcan Highway, some parts of the old original Alcan Highway, like the Kiskatinaw bridge. Ribbon up on through and driven on through to Fort Nelson . Up through Toad River, Swift River, Five fingers,... through Muncho Lake and the Canadian Rockies. Teslin River...
I've refreshed in the hot springs at Liard, pronounced - Lee- ard- River, camped below glacier mountains and woken up to 39 degree mornings with frost on my breath and socks in sandals to the pit toilets to keep your feet warm in July. I've seen the North and South peaks of Denali Peaks before wall clouds moved in and blocked the view. The same day seeing grizzly bear, caribou, and a rare sighting of a wolf, a gray wolf.
I've walked on the Rock Pebble Beach of Homer Bay and looked across the bay to Glacier snow capped mountains, Hooked salmon at Whittier, and let me tell you there's nothing like getting a 9 Pound salmon on the line and bring it in, and netting it in. Caught salmon at Valdez again 9 to 10 Pounders on the line, Reeling, fighting them in, heading them, landing them. It's the old man, the Old Marine and the sea. it just don't get much better. Broke 2 rods trying to bring in big salmon; you take backups..
I've been wind burned, Frost burned, from riding the Lulu Belle out of Valdez 80 miles down into the Columbia glacier icefield, wind burned from being up on the bow at 36 degrees and 25 knot winds. I've heard floating ice bump the hold of the ship as we navigated through the ice field waters to get up to 400 to 500 yards from the face of the glacier. After the “boom” like a shotgun blast have seen and heard chunks of ice the size of a bus Calving off the face.
I've seen Cannery Row at Valdez, and actually been at sea and seen the fishing boats net in tons of salmon. I've seen sea lions, sea otters, Orca dolphins, and seeing salmon spawning on that amazing 3 year journey back up to where they were born where they were hatched.
I've seen the Portage glaciers, a stunningly beautiful site and driven through the longest railroad tunnel that doubles for car traffic to Whittier. I've seen moose walking around in downtown Homer. I've seen wood buffalo, herds of Wood Buffalo/ bison in British Columbia and Yukon.
I've walked the streets of gold mining towns, Klondike Gold Rush territory. I've seen real gold prospectors working claims in Dawson, The City, the real Dawson's. I've taken a ferry across the Klondike, Yukon River and driven the “Top of the World” Highway 9 into Alaska, the only way to enter into Alaska for a real pioneer. To go into Alaska and see it the way the pioneers did 120 years ago when men went to the gold fields to strike it rich in Dawson..
I didn't think you could get tired of eating salmon but you can.
I've been to Haines and camped at Chilkat under the glacier and walked on the soft Tundra ground... soft as a sponge. I've camped it Chilkoot on the North End of the bay/ sound and fished in the lake where it goes to sea, and seen grizzly bears 100 yards away also fishing for salmon. I fished at Chillkat Bay at Haines and caught salmon. 9 and 10 pounders ‘til I had to stop. Broke 2 rods even after re-stringing with 20 lb line.
Rode the Alaska Marine Ferry Highway, on the MV Fairweather from Haines to Skagway Alaska. At Skagway camped at Dyea, THE trailhead of the famous Chilkat Trail the gold miners and Prospectors hiked up into the Klondike gold fields of the Yukon in that iconic picture of holding onto the pack of the man in front of them.
From Skagway I've driven North along that Chilkat trail to White Pass Yukon, and seeing the Beautiful Glacier Lakes, Beyond description, 38 degrees wind 25 +. A uniquely beautiful pass. This is in my top 10 list of best RT drives.
Been to Whitehorse, the Yukon Territory, and Miles Canyon.
And nailed a Marine Corps license tag auto tag at the sign Forest at Watson Lake in honor of my Dad, a WWII Marine, Career Marine Col David, and Somalian 2/9 Marine Lee, all US. Marines, in their honor.
This was The Mother of all Road Trips. Thank you for all the abundant blessings. One of the best roads is the road that takes you home! On this AK journey there were many days where the only focus was what was up on ahead… what is next… There was no looking back. It was to forge ahead on this expedition to Alaska.
And after months of camping in the wilderness forests of The Yukon, and the vast wilderness of BC- British Columbia,... then to Alaska, the last frontier… of wilderness, of wildness, of the wild west… after months of forging ahead…
And after a month of winding your way back down from the American West, turning east across the plains and prairie… into the South, … Ah… back into the South. Arkansas,... where people greet you and are glad to make you welcome.
The hospitality of Mississippi folks offering you some coffee while you pit stopped to take a break.
And your begin seeing the rolling hills back to Alabama and you begin to think …. I;m coming home. This looks like what I remember of home. For months I’ve been forging ahead into the northwest and now back toward home. I think there is this real place I call home… and we’re going to make this happen today.
It’s been so long since I’ve thought about home. This RT was an expedition, not a vacation. You stayed focused every minute, every day of maneuver; route, time, obstacles, supplies, daily destination plan, availability of fuel. There are places in ALaska and the Yukon if they have fuel it will be twice the price. You don’t have time to daydream about home. You forget about home. At times there is no direction home.
Driving into Birmingham..., begin to realize that I’ve been halfway around the world and this odyssey is hopefully … about to get home. I think of the quote; You search the world over and come back home to find what you need.. George Moore.
Thank you Lord for all the abundant blessings. I did not waste this time of life. Thank you.
You never drink twice from the same stream.
Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost.
Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents
Have Bear,
Will Travel
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