Day Ten.5 - Alaska Backpackers Inn

I arrived in Anchorage last night and stayed at the Alaska Backpackers Inn, a Hostel downtown. I made it

Day ten: Back in the USA

Gagona, AK: it's four something in the afternoon here. Last night, there was only three hours and change of non-sunlight (it never really got dark, more dusky, then light again.) I already have a sunburn. far out. So I'm about 150- some odd miles outside of Anchorage, and I'm almost ready to make a Bushian assertion to successful completion of my first objective. Now, all I have to do is actually GET to Anchorage, then make it to Americorps headquarters tomorrow morning and finish the semesters studies from 5500 miles away. No problem. I don't have a whole lot of pictures, my camera's battery has been dead for the better part of the weekend. The pics I have are pretty dark, but I'll go through them to make sure there aren't any winners. Next stop, Anchorage!

Day Nine - is it really nine? damn.

Day nine: Whitehorse, Yukon. The Alcan is the craziest thing ever. Adjectives can't describe. No guard rails, 200 ft drop on either side, giant pot holes, one lane in either direction. I have no pictures, as the camera battery died right after I left Fort Nelson. Canada is a funny place. Funny as in they charge for water, there are few public restrooms and nothing is open after 10pm. As I drive around at 1:30 am looking for gas, I notice about a dozen other wayward vessels locked in a similar persuit. They all have American plates. The canadians all went to bed.... also, if you're in a very beautiful town, marred only by the pressence of a giant oil refinery right to the south which periodically sends large streams of foul air through the southern half of town, you'd expect gas to be the cheapest. Why is gas more expensive here than anywhere else I've been? gotta get back on the road. Next stop, Tok, Alaska. Camera charged, onward ho!

Day Eight: Yukon Ho!

So, "What happened to day seven?" you say? Yesterday, I drove about a thousand miles in just under twenty-four hours. Right now, I'm in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, the last stop before the Yukon, from there to Tok, Alaska and Anchorage. I probably won't make it all the way to Whitehorse, Yu today, it's another 900 miles, but I'll atleast shoot for Watson Lake. I saw my first bear yesterday, it must've been a cub as it was only about my size (a safe distance was maintained). Last night, I officially got on the Alcan Highway and this morning I got a chance to go running on it. Pretty badass. I have pictures, but I need to get back on the road and there's no power outlet here, so more later at the campgrounds.

Day Six: I'm the Guest star on this episode of Northern Exposure

On the Road Again. Northern Exposure is my one of my favorite TV shows. Almost everyweek, a wayward traveler stops in or gets stuck in the small town, offering some contrast to the regulars and rocking the boat a little, then taking off. I've been the guest star for the last few days. Onward to Canada.

part three: back to the road, then not

So, this pattern of drive, construction, explosion, mountains, beauty continues for another 90-odd miles, then I arrive in the settlement of cabins and campgrounds at the far north of the park, Mammoth Hot Springs:





it's at this point that a friendly rodent joins our ragtag menagerie of wayward sojourners.

these are deposits of various minerals and things by the water, the lava and the general seismic activity of the park, they call it "Palette Springs":


after this, is the exit to the park, followed by this little tributary of the Snake River. Kathy told me that this river, formed by mountain run-off, is actually really warm due to the hot springs. Someday, I'll be back to check it out, but it was 40 and recently had snowed, so not on this occasion. Literally 100 feet later is the Montana border and my onward trek North. I drove through the lower third of Montana, which looks just like Nebraska, but with shorter grass and less water and it's all 4500 feet above sea level. When I stopped to get gas at the town of White Sulfur Springs, my axle snapped. Here I am currently. It's kind of a cute town, incredibly similar to Cecily, AK of Northern Exposure. One general store, one hardware store, three cafes and a pizza parlor. A beloved camp ground and a small park, where I sit writing this right now (thank you, magic of the internet).


Tomorrow, the new axle should arrive via UPS, and the Northern voyage will (hopefully) take a distinctly Canadian flavor.

part two: Beanie is my copilot

After spending a few minutes consulting my map, Beanie, my hemp bag full of bean sprouts, and I have hatched a pretty solid plan for Yellowstonage.


the park Rangers would have us know that the danger is greater than simply Suicide Wings:There is an incredible volume of construction, including crappy roads (thanks for the warning, Clare and Paulo), bumps, and twenty-minute delays.

I also see the buffalo they warned me about in the flyer in the manner they warned me about on the sign. Pictograms, they're not just for the illiterate anymore.


here's some of those things blowing-up I mentioned.


....And then, on to more heart-breaking natural beauty....


some twists and turns through mountain passes:



and then some more crazy vistas: