July 12, 2009

Today we got horrible news from my mom. Elvis, our beloved cat of almost 15 years had to be put to sleep. Diabetes, keytosis, and old age finally got the better of him. We shared many highs and lows of our lives with him. He was a great companion to both of us and we will miss him forever. The worst part of it all was that we were not able to be with him at the end. Thank you Mom Koeferl for holding his paw for us through the last minutes of his life. Rest in peace our "Little Buddy". After shedding many tears, we headed south of Whittier to Granite Creek Campground. We got a beautiful site surrounded with mountain views. After we set up, Mike crossed the creek and explored. Then we set up a campfire on the rocky shore of the creek. We made good friends with Steve the campground host. He came over and we drank a few beers, roasted hotdogs, and chatted until 3:00 in the morning. This was the first time we had seen the moon and a few stars in Alaska! We have never been awake long enough for darkness to fall on this equisite northern wilderness.

July 10 and 11, 2009

Mike and I decided to expand our stay at the hotel for a couple nights. We did laundry, shopping, and explored the city of Anchorage. We rode our bikes, visited the information center, and planned our upcoming days. Afterwards, we got fancied up and went to dinner. We had a glorious feast of salmon, crab, and halibut. The seafood is so amazing here. It is so fresh it will pinch you in the but when you walk in! We also visited the local pubs and indulged in the local beers. It was well deserved after our long trek.

July 9, 2009

Today we headed to Anchorage. Mike drove 400 miles and I navigated. We passed a blue and green Westy on our way. Amber just hummed smoothly along. She took quite a beating on those last miles into Alaska, yet she gracefully continued on through mountains and valleys as if she couldn't wait to be home (the previous owner had her registered in Alaska). We checked into a hotel, took a much need bath, visited with the locals, ate dinner, and went to bed. Tomorrow we are staying one more night so we can do laundry and go to the visitor center to find information on camping, biking, hiking, and kayaking in Anchorage and the surrounding communities. Then we are headed into the Alaskan wilderness for a while!

July 8, 2009

Mike and I liked our spot so much we decided to stay one more night at Deadman's Lake. We woke up, had pancakes and coffee, and relaxed. Mike worked on Amber and I read my book. Then it started to rain so we finished up our beers and played cards in the van. Later we hiked to explore the area and went to an informational discussion on Carribou. Then we headed back to our site, toasted a bottle of champagne (Thank You Mom Koeferl), had cheese and sausage, and cooked up some Dutch oven loven (Thank You Mom and Dad Hamberger). It was a much needed day of play and relaxation. Tomorrow we head to Anchorage!

July 7, 2009

Today was another beautiful day. We started our day off by viewing a gorgeous sow moose and her calf grazing in the field. The last 300 miles of Canada were brutal roadwise. It was mostly gravel and the few paved spots were a nightmare of potholes and frost heaves. Amber is now a beautiful shade of gravel brown. Border crossing into the US was a breeze. We were very prepared this time and Mike claimed everything down to our last two slices of turkey. The customs guy laughed, congratulated us on our engagement, and waved us on our way. After crossing back into our wonderful country (I really mean this, I am truly proud to be an American!!!), we bought Alaskan Amber (which our Westy is named after) and Alaskan summer beer. Ice was thirty miles away so we said forget it and decided that we would just drink warm beer to celebrate finally arriving in Alaska. Mike and I then found a FREE campsite at Deadman's Lake that was absolutely breathtaking. In all of Canada we spent well over $200 on campsites that had more to be desired. This one was located in a forest of tall spruce trees, private, lakeside, and all you heard was silence. It even had a spring pond which we used as our cooler. We took a swim, a bike ride, and had a fire. This is what our trip is all about. The best things in life really are free!

July 6, 2009

Woke up nice and early today. Usually it rains in the early morning and is cloudy. Then it clears up and is beautiful. Today was another one of those great days. We had a much needed shower and some cinnamon buns from the center of the galactic cluster (whatever that means). Then we were off. We entered Yukon Territory today. This day could also be called wildlife day. We saw lots of mountain goats and stone sheep, wild mustangs, 2 black bear cubs, 3 mother black bears, buffalo, and another magnificent moose! We also stopped at Liard Hotsprings for a swim. It was amazing! We got some beer ($50 for an 18 pack) and got a site in Watson Lake. We also stopped at the signpost. It is a collection of signs from people all over the world who have traveled the Alaska Highway. An airforce officer from WWII started this trend. We did find several signs from Wisconsin there! We ended our day by riding our bikes to the only pub in town. Canadians don't drink like us Wisconsinites. The bar closed at 11:00. We did not even need to use our headlamps. We are well on our way now-only 1000 miles to go until we hit Anchorage!

July 5, 2009

Today we passed through Dawson Creek. It is the 0 mile mark on the Alaska Highway. We also entered the Milepost book and map today. We passed some more Westy's as well, maroon and silver. Amber slowly drove us up into the Canadian Rockies. We stopped at the Sasquatch Crossing Lodge and ate Alaska Highway Sasquatch burgers. Mike bet me that if I could eat the whole thing he would buy. Needless to say, I have earned my right to be part of the Hamberger family! We saw our first black bear today. We had a quarter of a tank left and decided to fuel up at the next station. Unfortunely this gas station was closed on Sunday! We were just coasting down the hills trying to save as much diesel as we could to make it to the next station (100 Kilometers away). There is absoulutely nothing but trees in between and Mike was figuring out how he would strap his gas tank to his bike and make a run for fuel when we ran out. We were about 15 miles from the next station when a huge black bear decided to cross the road in front of us. Mike slowed down and the bear turned toward us and decided to charge Amber. OK, as I said the bear was big, but Amber weighing in at over 4000 lbs is much bigger. The bear realized this when he/she got closer and decided to dart away into the woods, so much precious diesel was wasted during this wierd game of chicken! The fuel gauge was hanging below E when we coasted to the next station on fumes. What a miracle! 1200 miles to go.