Going to Alaska, We are Headin North Today

We have both dreamed of the far north since we were little children. The thoughts of bears, birds, rocks, gold, and salmon have been in our thoughts  but little did we think it would take us so long to head for the country.  We even contemplated moving there in the seventies, as I started my teaching career, but I couldn’t afford the cost of a plane ticket and so I cancelled the interview and took a teaching job in Wyoming.

So here we are,  ready to cross the border.  The checklist has been substantial but it is almost completed:

Inspect brakes and repack wheel bearings

New tires to replace the damage from the suspension failure (set of four)

Guidebooks for Alaska, Milepost and the Church’s Guide

Planning for bear encounters,(basically make lots of noise while we hike)

Ac/dc freezer for fish storage

Dog’s health certificate and proof of rabies vaccination

Truck Oil and Lube

Rotate truck tires

Border forms for long guns

New fly rod and salmon flies

Storage of all of our rock collection and jewelry items, (It has come to our attention that we would have to pay a tariff for taking our stuff across the border)

Appointment and checks for our doctors and cardiologist,(done, done, and done!)

New bike tire and tube

Route planning, 2800 miles from Pinedale, Wyoming to Fairbanks(We have already driven 1500 from Texas)

Cleaning and organizing the fifth wheel and truck for the anticipated hassles and inspections, relating to crossing back and forth from the US to Canada and to the US

Truck and Car insurance verification

General repairs to the fifth wheel, (in other words I am finally doing most of the honey do list items)

New plates for the truck

Funding by withdrawing money from our IRAs

Landscaping our lot, notice the rock pile from the back of the truck

New cooler that doesn’t  smell like shrimp/fish and attract bears, we will buy this before we cross the border)

Fix windshield chips

Putting our Etsy shop in vacation mode, actually we had to close it but they are reserving our name and item descriptions for us.

So we are  ready. Our plans are to cross the border around the second of June and to return to the lower forty eight around September first,(my drivers license expires and we have to show all kinds of proof that we are Wyoming residents for homeland security requirements). We do plan on keeping the blog entries as current as possible, all though it will be in spurts as we can’t afford to access the internet while in Canada, using our Verizon wifi. We also plan to keep our budget and trip logs, as usual, and publish them on line.  Renita  says this trip is more like a vacation then our normal travels and I agree so we will buy lots of t shirts! The excitement is almost unbearable and we will leave this morning!  Clear skies