The Big Drive to Alaska

Well we made the trip, however, not without problems. Nothing serious or life shattering.

It started on Tuesday morning September 9th, arrived Anchorage Wednesday September 17th.

On the road about an hour when I looked up from the back seat and said, “Weren’t we supposed to turn in Conway?”

Oops, they, my wife Lee and brother-in-law Pat were so wrapped up in conversation that they missed the exit. So now we are some 30+ miles beyond our first exit. Okay, maybe from here all will go well.

First night was spent in a Platt City, MO Comfort Inn only 400 miles from home! Of course the day included stopping at a Russell Stover Chocolate outlet, yum-o! Woke up had breakfast and hit the road by 10:00 a.m. enroute to Anchorage Alaska.

Day two: The day was pretty good, weather fine; I’m driving, yee-haa! Ran into a little weather late in the day, but nothing too bad. Wanted to spend the night in Fargo, ND, I mean like doesn’t everyone want to stay in Fargo!!!! If you don’t understand this, you haven’t seen the movie “Fargo.”

Anyway, we ended up driving an additional 60 miles or so to Grand Forks making a day of 652 miles. Oh, why didn’t we stay in Fargo? Well they were having a Big Iron Farm Show, who knew! Guess this is a BIG attraction as all the hotels, motels etc. were booked. The Big Iron Farm Show connects over 800 agricultural exhibitors and some 70,000 attendees for the purpose of advancing agriculture!!!!

One neat part of the day was stopping in Elk Point, SD at a place called “Cody’s Homestead.” A neat little rustic restaurant with easy on and off access. We were greeted and seated by none other than Cody himself. Dressed in a white chef’s coat he handed us menus and proceeded to tell us his suggestions. How can you go wrong, the chef himself telling you his best!!!!! Was it the best food in the world, no, but the hominess made up for any flaws. And how many people do you know that have had the dining experience of Cody’s Homestead!

Day three: Onward to Canada. Got to the Canadian border and stopped at customs. After several questions and producing our documentation we were directed to pull over in one of the inspection stalls. After a few minutes of waiting, we were approached by two young Canadian Borders Guards, both dressed neatly and wearing flak jackets (body armor). They asked for our documentation and asked us to please step out the vehicle and directed us to a waiting area away from the car. They then proceeded to search the car. They inspected door panels, the glove box, under seats and dash. They removed our luggage from inside the car and the trunk. They went through everything and did a pretty good job at repacking. When they were satisfied we weren’t terrorists or drug smugglers, they directed us inside to Canadian Immigration!!!! More questions, took our documentation and politely told us to have a seat. Several minutes later, we were finally cleared and on our way!!!!
Not sure why we had to go through all that, maybe it was due to our crossing on 9-11; or was it because my brother-in-law hadn’t shaved; or maybe the combination of one female and two males! Who knows! Probably took the better part of an hour, maybe a bit more, to finally be on our way. Of course my lovely wife found all this customs stuff to be “so exciting” and wanted to take pictures!!! Ugh! A quick stop at the Canadian Welcome Center and we were on our way. Destination today was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Crap, how far is a kilometer? Well we found Saskatoon to be some 600+ miles away and it was already close to noon. On to Winnipeg where we stopped for lunch. Back on the road creeping along at 100KPH, that’s like 62 MPH. No speeding in Canada, they don’t mess around and there is no allowance over the speed limit. So at this point 600 miles seems like days of driving. We opted to stop in Yorkton for the night. Not a bad little place, a lot more impressive than Winnipeg. Ate at a place called Harvest Pizza Family Restaurant and Licensed dining room! Hmm, licensed? Found out that meant they had a full bar. Yorkton had a casino as well, The Painted Hand, not Vegas, but not bad. I was fascinated with the 7 cent slot machines. Never did figure out how they paid. Lee sat at a Texas Hold’em table. And had she remembered the song by Kenny Rogers she would have done well. Oh yeah you know that song, …… know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…..! Yep, hind sight usually leaves your money at the table!!!!!!
My days here are now running together. I cannot remember if it was day two or three that the “open door” alarm started dinging. I think it was day four or five that my brother-in-law reached over and turned the radio off and said “listen.” Okay, for what! No ding!!! Yee-haa! However, that was short lived, 10 miles down the road and the ding was back. In Dawson Creek my BIL was bound and determined to fix it, success. Well for a whole day anyway! So for the remainder of the trip that quaint ding ding ding chimed. One would have thought that after 3 or 4 days the damn thing would have burned out!

Day four: On to Alaska. Made Saskatoon for lunch. A little Greek place named Stella’s, was our choice. Nothing to write home about. The burgers were okay. This place had a casino and bar, I just told Lee not to look right!!!! Then on to Edmonton. Stayed in a really nice Comfort Inn. Lee and her brother went to a place called Characters for dinner. I opted out of dinner and I think I may have missed the best dining experience on the road. But I was beat and needed the quiet and rest.

Day five: Dawson Creek. Kind of a short driving day only 360 miles. We opted to stop here because of time. It was approaching the 5 or 6 o’clock hour and we wanted to experience the Kodak moment at mile marker zero of the Alaskan Highway! Lee’s brother opted out of dinner so he could do laundry. Lee and I went to a place named Solas. A restaurant connected to the Super 8 motel, don’t you know we were excited!!! The place was packed and the food was really great. Our fun was our little waitress. We ordered “top shelf” margaritas on the rocks no ice! She had no idea! Yep she was blonde!!!!! Lee went through the litany of what a top shelf margarita consisted of. Our little waitress’ response was “no flavor?” Poor Lee fell victim to this little ditzy blonde’s lack of bar skills. I interrupted and asked “what flavors do you have?” A smile came over her as if to say, ahh, now you are talking my language. So she rattled off the usual, lime, mango, strawberry, hmm there was a fourth and I can’t remember it. So I said to her that we wanted lime flavored margaritas with either Grand Marnier or Countreau, on the rocks no salt. Her little eyes glistened. Back she came, proud as a proverbial peacock. Popped our drinks down and asked us to taste them. Lee looked at her and said, “On the rocks!” Poor girl, wilted like a roasted flower. “I forgot that part!” Finally she got it right, returned with our on the rocks margaritas. They really weren’t bad, however, we really think she forgot the tequila!!!!!! Lee ordered wine!
Done with dinner, we headed to a little souvenir shop. This is where we noticed a headlight was out. Met Pat when we got back and we all walked over to the Wal-Mart, right across the street from the hotel, to buy a new one. Pat changed it out in the morning before we left. This was our day sans the ding ding ding. Originally our plan was to spend night six at Fort St John.

Day Six: Headlight changed, ding ding ding fixed we drive out of Dawson Creek. Decided against staying at Fort St John as that would have made for a very short day of driving. We really did want to eventually make it to Anchorage. Lee played tour guide and hotel reservationist! So we stop in Fort St John, no cell service, so bold little Lee walks into the hotel we made reservations with and asked to use the phone! She called the Northern Rockies Lodge in Muncho Lake , British Columbia some 430+ miles from Dawson Creek. They had room so she booked us. Hung up and cancelled our reservations in Fort St John.
The Northern Rockies Lodge, what an amazing place. A huge log structure, gorgeous décor and a wonderful restaurant. Probably the niftiest place we stayed. Google it to find out more.

Day seven: A great breakfast at the lodge. A misty dreary day. Packed up the car, Lee’s turn to drive, the ding is back! Just a few miles down the road and we met up with some mountain goats. Onward. Several more miles down the road and from the back seat Lee’s brother yells, “Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo.” To our right in a small ravine was a herd of buffalo. Probably 40 or so. Lee stops the car and we walk back to the herd. Snapping pictures and watching them as they protect the young. Lee was worried about them charging us!!!! Silly girl!
Lee I think had the worse conditions to drive through. The road from Muncho Lake to Whitehorse had much to be desired. Gravel and potholes and rain and fog. I think she was driving when we hit Destruction Bay as well. Miles of following the pilot car through the construction areas.
Stopped at Watson Lake for lunch. I have to admit Lee has done a great job finding us places to lay our heads and to satisfy our palates. The Chinese place we stopped at was packed and it was owned by an oriental woman. How could we go wrong! You guessed it, we went wrong. Maybe we were just not used of the way the locals like stuff cooked, or not cooked! Pat ordered sweet and sour pork; Lee ordered a chicken something dish; and I got chicken chow mein. We ended up eating the noodles and veggies. The sweet and sour pork came out drenched in a sauce, nothing worse than soggy crispy fried stuff. The chow mein was served with ramen noodles and raw, well maybe not raw, but under cooked chicken; and Lee’s dish was equally as gross. Our suggestion and recommendation is to bypass Watson Lake. Take a bite out of the beef jerky you brought and continue to drive!
Arrived Whitehorse some 422+ miles down the road. I know it looks like our driving days were short, miles wise yes, road wise no. Many of those miles were driven at 50mph or less. Yukon Territory!!!! Woo-hoo! Whitehorse was a nice town We spent the night in a West Mark Inn. We ate at a little Italian place called G&T Steakhouse & Pizza; Mediterranean, Italian, Seafood, smoked BBQ Ribs and Chicken! Not quite the restaurant marquis one would expect in the Yukon Territory. The restaurant has been in the family for twenty-five years. The food was great and the portions very large. Tummies full we headed back to the hotel.

Day eight: Breakfast at the West Mark Inn restaurant. Nothing to write home about, but it was breakfast. Next stop Tok, Alaska. Tok was only 390 miles down the road, but we knew we couldn’t make it to Anchorage 710 miles away and there really wasn’t much between Tok and Anchorage. Tok proved to be an experience. We stayed at Young’s motel and ate at Eddy’s restaurant, both an experience. The motel basically catered to hunters, fisherman, and road construction workers. The restaurant on the other hand appeared to attract all the above as well as the locals. Our morning waitress was a transplant from somewhere in the lower 48. She came to Tok to attend I think, the University of Alaska Tok Centre!!!! Our questions here were, first, how in the hell does one find such a remote place to attend school and second, what in the hell possesses a young person to want to attend such a school! Population around 1300 in the area of Tok; population of Fairbanks roughly 83,000; population Anchorage roughly 262,000; damn right I’m picking Tok!!!!!
I have to address Young’s motel. No amenities at all. Two beds, a TV with no more than 5 channels, a bathroom, a couple of lights and that’s it. Poor Lee had to dry her hair next to the TV because there were no outlets in the bathroom. So she used the TV screen as her mirror. I was so proud of her!

Day nine: Onward to final destination Anchorage. Oh did I mention at this point, the ding was still with us; brake light is out; and now the engine is missing! Clogged injector, fouled plug who knows. Nope we’re not stopping and do you think there might be, I mean even a remote chance, that Tok has a Volvo dealer!!!!!! NOT!
So Anchorage is our next real stop. Between Tok and Anchorage we stopped at a few places to eat and use the restrooms. Finally Anchorage and the Mangy Moose Bed & Breakfast. Pat and his wife are renting a little apartment here and we will be staying in the Royal Alaskan room.
The Mangy Moose B&B is run by Sally Imdieke and her 7 year old daughter Patricia. We cannot say enough about this place. Sally was the most gracious hostess. Funny how you meet strangers and they immediately feel like family. I could probably write volumns about Sally and her daughter and the Mangy Moose, but I won’t. I will, however, suggest and recommend that if you are ever in Anchorage and need a place to stay, the Mangy Moose is the place to stay. Sally makes a dynamite breakfast and keeps fresh coffee on all day.

Among the splendors of majestic mountains, free flowing water falls, and the beauty of snow capped mountain tops, we witnessed much animal life along the way. A lone Bald Eagle majestically perched upon a evergreen top in Canada; uncountable Hawks; Canadian Geese too many to fathom; herds of Wild Buffalo; a mother Caribou and her two babies; a small herd of Caribou; Elk; a small herd of Mountain Goats frolicking near the road; and distant sheep, possibly Mountain or Dahl Sheep spotting the mountain sides like cotton balls scattered about.

Highlights of Anchorage: The Army Navy Outlet Store had their yearly tent sale. Four days straight we went. The owner kinda befriended Lee. Seemed like each day we got a better deal. We bought shirts, coats, thermal undies, socks etc. Heck I got a Columbia Waterproof Parka for like $15, a Columbia shirt for $10. Lee got an HH, Henley and somebody, parka for $30. Even her brother Pat and Pat’s wife Suzanne found some good deals. I really think the owner was humoring us, "had to come all the way from Arkansas to find a good sale!!!!"

Ate at some really good restaurants and Lee took a fondness to Halibut. First time in our 12 years together that she actually ordered fish off the menu!
Took some nice sightseeing trips. Went to Girdwood and rode the Aleyeska Ski Resort Tram to the top of the mountain. Hiked up to Table Top mountain. Saw salmon in their spawn run at Campbell Creek. Saw Moose, Bison, Bears, Eagles and Elk at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. And finally Lee got to see a Moose; yep after we paid $15 at the conservation center, we were headed to dinner and a moose sauntered across the main roadway. Next day, our B&B hostess Sally comes running up the stairs after dropping Patricia at the bus stop, yelling “Lee, Stan moose, moose, moose.” A huge bull moose escorted Sally home! Very elusive, but we managed to get a couple of pictures. Wish I were an artist so I could paint the picture. Lee in her pink pajamas, wearing hiking boots, walking around the neighborhood trying to sneak a peek of this huge moose!!!!!

One thing Lee got to see that many folks never get to see and that is Denali. Denali meaning the Great One. Clear as a bell, covered in snow, standing against the blue sky, a picture few get to witness.

We went to Talkeetna a tiny remote little Alaskan town. Got some good pics by the river and had a great lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Lee ordered a half Boca burger, it was the biggest half of anything we had ever seen.
At this point I know I am missing much. We had some great lunches and some great dinners. Oh gosh, almost forgot Granny B’s. Pat brought us here for lunch. Enjoyed a wonderful navy bean soup with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Lee enjoyed a half order of a Granny Nelson. Basically that was a cheeseburger without the bun! Let’s see, I’d describe it as a bed of lettuce topped with tomato, onion, burger and cheese. Went to a neat little Bistro, this is where Lee actually ordered Halibut. I was so proud of her. And she ate it all to boot!
We ate at the Moose’s Tooth, and the Bear Tooth, which is a sister restaurant of the Moose’s Tooth. Food was good in both, better at the Moose’s Tooth. Had King Crab at the Mining Company and were treated to a wonderful Italian dinner at Little Italy Restaurant. Oh and lunch at Sack’s, Snow City Café and Kaladi Brother’s. I cannot forget Café Savannah, a little tapas restaurant, awesome food. Needless to say I have missed listing many places. I can say we did not ever go hungry!!!!

We flew home via Alaska Airlines and American. This is a trip that we actually packed to enable us not to check any baggage which was pretty cool. Only screw up was our landing in Chicago. I reached up into the overhead bin, grabbed my blue bag and Lee’s green bag, so I thought! Got all the way into the walkway when Lee said, “you grabbed the wrong bag.” Well it was green; I didn’t realize that someone had pushed our two bags apart so they could fit their bag in. No big deal, the guy that owned the bag came out, I gave him his bag, and one of the workers went and got ours. When we landed in Chicago, we ended up at Gate L something and had to make our way to gate G-11. Plenty of time. Then they announced we were to fly out of
G-5, so down to G-5. No sooner got there and sat down when they announced we would be flying out of G-9, due to “equipment” failure!!!! Sheesh you would have thought the folks at G-11 would have known the plane was broke at G-5!!!!!

Finally home! Home sweet home. Great adventure with plans to return in June or July to fish!!!

Here is the link to my photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/568579132KvLhhM