The plan is to fly to Florida and pick up the new Expedition Vehicle (which still needs a name) and then spend about six weeks driving to Halifax.  Mark is in Florida right now doing some needed work to the new EV.  Making sure the roof is not leaking, replacing the three-burner stove and the weird little convection/microwave oven with a real oven and a 4 burner stove.  We are keeping the weird little oven, just adding one big enough to bake a cake.  The rest of the work will take place at the end of August when we retrofit the bedroom with bunks.

In the meantime, it is the Tanana Valley State Fair and the Blue Van and the camper II will be there for the whole nine days!

But we cannot afford to do that.  We have been living pretty basically for a long time, how hard can it be? The United Nations international standard for extreme poverty is living under $1.08 a day.  We have tried to live like this in Canada and have failed every single day, just including food.  $1.08 is really hard to live on. But it is interesting to try and really gives you a good perspective on cost of food.  Much harder here in North America.  It seems like you can only do this if you live only on the cheapest ramen – although you would think that we would have a better chance with 8 people pooling their money.

We are hoping to make it all the way to Whitehorse by Friday.  Friday is payday so then we can make it the rest of the way to Alaska.  We have a tight budget because we don’t know how much diesel will be in some of the more remote places and the van + camper gets about 10 miles to the gallon.  So every 10 miles costs us $5 or more.  We had some necessary (but expensive) repairs in Yakima and we lost two tires which we needed to replace so we were overbudget for our Friday arrival in Whitehorse.  It looked like we might be short by $60, depending on the price of gas.  We needed to get back in time to get the kids to 4H camp, the ONLY deadline we had to meet.

Two days ago, we camped at a snowmachine trail head and hiked up a trail.  There was a creek that flowed close to the path and and at one point, the kids were throwing rocks into it and trying to build a rock bridge across it (for some reason, this is a favorite DeCorso child stream activity, can’t explain that).  Max reached into the stream to better position a rock and found a wallet.  It was soaking wet and muddy and buried under leaves but it was complete and intact, with all the identification and cards and $65.  The kids were very excited about this and looked all through the wallet, noting the guy had a Safeway card and  later, when we drove by the Best Western in Grande Cache, Sylvia pointed out that the man must have stayed there, as there was a Best Western card in the wallet.  We took the wallet to the Mounties in Valemount, right before the border with Alberta.  The Mounty took down all of Max’s information, noting the location of the wallet and telling Max that if no one claimed the wallet in 90 days, the wallet would be mailed to Max.  When we left the station, there was some discussion about maybe the guy wouldn’t claim the wallet and then Max would get $65!  Mark and I pointed out that, while getting the wallet back would be cool, the guy getting his wallet back after so much time with everything in it was far cooler.

The next day, we were driving down the highway in Alberta in near Jasper National Park when we passed a Volkswagon Camper Van with Chilean license plates and a sign on the back that said Patagonia to Alaska – so of course, we had to stop.  Stopping is no small thing for us, as in this situation, we had to find a place to turn around.  The VW was indeed heading to Alaska from Chile and while we talked to the couple driving, it became clear they did not have and had never heard of the Mile Post.  Without even thinking about, Mark and I offered them our Mile Post at the same time.  Now our Mile Post has been there, done that in a big way.  It was missing it’s cover and the pullout map and looked like it had traveled to Patagonia, sailed across two seas and was now on its 6th trip up the Alaska Highway.  We were not offering them anything new or fancy but the Mile Post is kind of essential and as soon as we returned to the van, we both wondered if we would need the Mile Post now that we had given ours away.

The kids were all like you gave away our Mile Post?  What if we need it?  And we were all like come on, we have driven to Alaska 6 times.  To which the kids replied yeah, but not on the Bighorn Highway!  And we could only say that it was the right thing to do at the time, we both felt that, and we would be fine.  Playing it forward!  Something we had tried to do as much as possible on this trip.  This was accompanied by some eye rolling.

The next day, we spent the night in Grande Prairie and got a late start.  We didn’t leave until about 4pm and we were only headed to Fort Saint John, which is about 100 miles up the road.  We stopped to get gas and a man wished Mark Happy Father’s Day! as all 6 kids filed out of the van for a bathroom break.  Mark chatted with the man for awhile, which is not new.  Alaska plates always = questions and most people we meet seem to be chatty.  The man asked us where we were heading that night and Mark said FSJ.  We knew FSJ pretty well, as we had broken down here in 2011 on the return home of Big Trip I and had to wait a week for a starter to arrive.  We had a camping spot in mind — I mean, a parking overnight spot.  The man said he lived in FSJ so maybe he would see us there.

We left and headed on down the road.  We got a flat tire and Mark had to change it, which makes me nervous in spite of the mandatory South American Safety Triangle and flares.  We had to stop for another bathroom break at Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway. We arrived in FSJ and were just pulling into the camping spot when the man from the gas station showed up in his pick up truck.  “Follow me!” he said.  “I have the perfect place for you to camp.” He went on to sort of explain that he travels for his job and he had a reservation in Grande Prairie but decided to drive home and he still had the credit for his job so he used it at a hotel here in FSJ for us.  He had the keys, he already checked us in, there was plenty of space to park the camper, he told them we had 6 kids — we just needed to follow him.  So we did.  And here we are, in a fine hotel in FSJ with a stocked kitchen and two bedrooms and cable tv and wireless.  He must have been waiting for us for over an hour.  And that was that, no strings attached, just pure niceness, a sincerely nice thing to do.

That man made our night and we always remember it.

And that is my post on karma.  It came nicely illustrated and in a way even a kindergartner can understand.

We tried to get through Canada as quickly as possible.  We’ve driven it before so it’s a little long, and we had to be in Denver by October 27thfor Ryan to take the ACT.  The weather did not cooperate.

Driving to the border in Alaska from Fairbanks was not much of a problem.  Everyone was happy to be on the road.  I think there was much Taylor Swift singing, but I could be wrong.  We pulled in to Beaver Creek late and could not get gas to continue until the morning.  It started snowing as we were waking up.  I installed the new car stereo we bought in Fairbanks before we left.  Unfortunately, it made the speakers pop with any volume.

It snowed all day as we were driving.  I have never driven towing the trailer in the heavy snow we were experiencing or any winter weather.   By the time we reached Destruction Bay, there were 5 new inches on the ground.    Towing a 30 foot trailer takes quite a bit of focus to begin with.  Needless to say, driving was pretty intense.  There were some pretty good grades we drove up, and the rear tires slipped a couple of times.  Thanks to our Quigley Super Trac Van, we could turn on 4 wheel drive and easily continue on.

We spent the night in Whitehorse and bought new speakers in the morning.  The old ones were the original Ford ones installed in 1992, so we thought an upgrade would improve the popping situation.  That didn’t work so we returned the speakers and headed to Watson Lake.  The driving conditions continued to be pretty bad all the way to Fort Saint John and beyond.    Ice, snow, freezing slush and cold weather.  It was pretty tiring.

In Fort Nelson, Michelle and went on a date!  This is one of my favorite things to do, at home or on the road.  It always wonderful to spend some time with just her and it’s really fun to go to new places while we travel.  We try to find interesting places wherever we are at.  In Fort Nelson, we went to Dan’s Neighborhood Pub.  It was a really nice place. Stop there if you get the chance.

Michelle and I went on another date at Liard Hot Springs.  I have been wanting to go here with her for several years.  We had been here before with the kids, but it was really nice to go the spring with just her.  It was cold and there was snow covering everything.  Truly a beautiful experience.  It was really nice sitting in the springs with Michelle in the crisp, clean air with snow blanketing everything.  Two dates so far!  And this one a dream come true!

From Dawson Creek on, things were pretty easy going.  In the early part of the trip, we can’t stop as often or for as long as I would like.  I am looking forward to slowing down a little after Denver and spending a little more time in more places.

We spent a couple of days in Vancouver.  Ryan really likes Vancouver and we are trying to visit as many places that he wants.  He headed into town on public transportation.  The rest of us went into town in The Blue Van together a little later and walked around Granville Island.  Then we went downtown to get Poutine, which is French fries and cheese curds smothered in brown gravy. There are lots of toppings you can have put on, from bacon to lobster and beyond.  So obviously, Poutine is really really good. And healthy, too!!

The next day, Ryan, Jack and I went on a very nice tour of Simon Frazer University in the morning.  I left them there and went back to the RV park to pick up everyone and the camper and go meet  Michelle’s old friend Lee who lives in Vancouver.  HEY LEE, IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE YOU!!!  I hope we meet again in Santiago!  Ryan and Jack took the bus from SFU to the park we were.   Back on the road…..

All right.  That’s enough for now.  Next post  brings us “Flat Tire in Everett” and “Zombies in Portland.”  Tune in then!    Mark

The next day I had to walk a dog or two and I discovered a park that had a stream running through the center. Salmon were spawning in the stream which was pretty cool. When I got back Ryan and I went to tour SFU. Almost the entire campus was covered and the architecture gave it a scary look. The dorm rooms were singles and seamed a decent size, also the floors were coed. The campus seemed really nice actually.  All in all Vancouver is a very fabulous place with interesting places.
~Jack

We have driven down the gray ribbon of highway that stretches into horizon disguised by the pearly gray ice fog that drifts in long tendrils, ensnaring the beautiful overcast Canadian skies. It is only disturbed by the sun-shiny yellow line that separates the gray pavement of the road.

Lake Kluane stretched across an unknown amount of terrain, overlapping land with its blue gray tides. Rain is pelting down and causing the H2O to shiver and shake, looking as if the entire earth in moving.

The Wal-Mart sign shines gold in the oncoming sleet, like a beacon to wary travelers such as us. The gray concrete box light store seems to glow with the promise of heat and shelter from the cold Canadian weather. A McDonalds is within the sanctuary, making the already holy store more god like. Car lights shine red in the velvety blackness, interrupting it. Five trailers are already camped there for the night, people already looking to get away from the hellish road conditions.

We bought a *new* stereo.  The last new one we bought in Fairbanks 4 days ago was the last one and in a damaged box but they guarenteed it worked fine  — but it did not work fine.  We had to listen to Billboards Top 100 for 1971  and 1972 very quietly. 

Headed on down the road to Dawson Creek.  We have no service here but oddly can receive texts.  Dawson Creek is the end (or begining) of the Alaska Highway.  We camped in a parking lot by Safeway – there is a closed store with a big parking lot.  The wind was gusting to 79 km and it was shaking the camper so Mark moved us in the middle of the night.  It was next to a bike path and in the morning while Mark installed the new stereo, we walked the bike path.  The path led to a cemetary.  It was a little unsettling, many fresh graves and wind chimes hung on crosses and the wind blowing trash across the graves.

Left Dawson Creek with a new stereo and Stevie Ray Vaughan breaking it in.