Martinez Family Back In Alabama

I’ll interrupt the story of Bruce and I to bring you all into the here and now a bit.  Suzanne, the kids and I are all in California for a visit.  We spent 6 hours on a plane and then 3 more hours in a car and the kids held up surprisingly well.  We all made it to Kingsburg in one piece, but were completely wiped out.  The kids were just happy to not be in a vehicle any more and we were glad to let them be. 

 Currently, we are gearing up for a trip to Prescott, AZ for my graduation ceremony.  For those of you who don’t know, I am graduating from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with a BS in Professional Aeronautics.  It sounds pretty fancy, but I am having trouble coming up with what to say when people ask me what that degree does for me.  How do you respectfully say ‘it was the fastest way to get a bachelors degree so I can go on and work on a masters program?’  Here is what wikipedia says about aeronautics:

             Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacture of  flight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft.

 So based on the definition I can now get a job studying, designing or manufacturing flight capable machines.  Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?  As it stands, I am open to any and all suggestions as to how to answer the question:  “What does one do with a degree in professional aeronautics?”  According to my wife, I can now be a professional aeronaut.

Captains Log Star Date Tax Day!  The Quality Inn in Hope was the oldest hotel we have stayed in so far.  That seems a bit odd considering the fact that we are now actually in civilization.  Going to bed as tired as I was last night made for a poor sleep.  I thought that since I was pretty tired I would sleep well, but no such luck.  I woke up around 5am with an upset stomach.  The lesson learned here is not to eat dinner at 11 o’ clock at night.  We were planning on having continental breakfast at the hotel, but the spread left much to be desired so we decided to have breakfast on the road. 

After sleeping in a bit late (relatively) we got on the road about 8:05.  Just like expected the roads were great and the weather was perfect.  Apparently they have had quite a bit of rain the past few days, but we seem to be bringing good weather along with us as we go along.  It only took us about 45 minutes to make it to the border town of Sumas WA.  We snapped a quick picture of the border crossing.  Luckily they didn’t question why we were taking pictures.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Bruce had his passport and I was sporting a military ID. 

From the border we sort of took the back roads that Brad suggested.  We passed through some beautiful farm land where a lot of the crops were right up to the edge of the road.  I suppose they don’t have a lot of people throwing trash out on the side of the road.  A lot of the barns were also accompanied by large silos.  After pressing on for a while we made it to Bellingham for breakfast.  We found an IHOP and it was nice to be back to familiar restaurants.  We were seated and ordered coffee; which turned out to be pretty weak but perfect for Bruce.  As we sat waiting to order we noticed something strange.  We have grown accustomed to eating in small restaurants/cafes that have only a few locals in them.  IHOP on a Sunday morning was brimming with a few more people than we are used to and the dining room was painfully loud and bright.  I turned out the bulb above our table and put my fingers in my ears to drown out the noise.  I think it will take some time to get used to civilization and actually being around people. 

Traffic is another unfamiliar phenomenon.  Once we were back on the road and on our way back south we met traffic as we approached Everett, WA and it only got worse as we proceeded closer to Seattle.  Once we reached downtown Seattle it seemed to thin out as if everyone was on their way downtown. 

We arrived at Tacoma, WA right at noon and beat Brad and Jamie back from church so Bruce and I took this opportunity to unpack/repack/muck out the car.  It feels good to get things reorganized.  We took off the top carrier as we could was the car.  My poor truck has 4 days of Canada/Alaska all over and the battle-scarred windshield to tell the tale.  Brad took us out to lunch at Steamers which is a fish and chips place right on the waterfront.  Suzanne and I have been there before and the food was just as good as I remembered and it was accompanied by a great view of the sound. 

We headed back to the house and settled in to watch the Mariners game on TV with our eyes half open; a classic Sunday afternoon activity.  Then Brad and I set off to get the car washed, the oil changed, and tires rotated.  It took a couple of hours and it wasn’t how we had planned to spend the rest of the afternoon, but it needed to be done.  Then we came back to get ready for a little bike ride.  It’s been a while since I’ve dusted off my road bike and Brad was ready to ride, so he took me on a little loop from his house out to Point Defiance.  Tacoma is a tough place to ride with the poor roads and all of the hills.  None the less, we had a great time.  It was my chance to get back at Brad for torturing me on a swimming workout a couple of years ago.  I pushed him harder than he is used to and I am a little more accustomed to going fast on a bike.  It was sort of poetic justice that the tables were turned.

Jamie made a nice home-cooked meal for us of pork tenderloin, salad, potatoes, and broccoli.  It was delicious and when I asked her how she made it she gave away her secret and told us it came from a store called “Dinner’s Ready.”  I was prepared to be impressed with her culinary skills, but she was honest about and we all had a good laugh. 

Jamie had small group here at her house and Bruce Brad and I ended up having to entertain ourselves.  We headed out to try and find our Alaska brew.  As it turns out, Safeway carries it.  I guess it isn’t quite as authentic, but at least it’s the beer I was looking for.  I plan on sharing one case in Cali w/ friends and family and the other with former Sugarbears when I get to Alabama.

14 April 2007 I slept horribly last night.  I can’t tell if it was the hard bed or the margaritas, but none the less, it wasn’t a good night.  I woke up around 1am and then again at 5:30 but did my best to just go back to sleep.  Breakfast at the hotel consisted of your typical continental flare.  I had oatmeal and toast and made sure to fill up my Nalgene with orange juice to get my money’s worth and Bruce had some yogurt and a muffin.  The coffee tasted like it was from 3 days ago and was poorly reheated and was had only out of necessity.

The weather this morning is beautiful; clear skies with a few good weather clouds.  I’m not used to seeing the sun this early in the morning and with the poor sleep and leftover effects of 2 adult beverages last night I am feeling right at the top of my game (please note the sarcasm).  Departure time was 7:15 and the roads from town were very smooth and seemed to be nice and straight.  It seems that we will make excellent time today.  We still have no cell phone reception but are hoping that will change as time passes.  Our next destination is Prince George and we plan to be there early evening.

Our first wildlife sighting of the day was found in a pair of wolves on the side of the road and one of then was….well, let’s call him indisposed.  We figure today will be a pretty sparse day for the animals compared with yesterday.  We did see an actual lama today but it wasn’t wild (like my wild BC lama I saw yesterday).  It was just hanging out by the fence waiting for us to go by and see him/her.

At around 11:45 am today we made it to the southern end of the Alcan in Dawson Creek BC and took our ceremonial pictures.  It turned out to be the same sign I’ve seen in all of the pictures on the internet; imagine that.  None the less, we put on our tourist faces, clicked away, gave our congratulatory handshakes back and forth and set back off for the rest of our journey.  We have been making great time today and I decided we would get gas, and drive thru for lunch and be back on our way.  We found McDonalds and they have a different menu here.  Bruce ordered a bacon BLT and I stuck to my old standby #2 (Quarter-pounder w/ cheese meal).  In Fairbanks, all of the McDonald’s offer a military discount so I figured I would try my luck and request that discount here.  I asked the cashier “Do you offer a military discount” the boy in the window looked at me a bit confused and reluctantly said “sure.”  Instead of a 10% discount when we looked at our receipt found that it was a 50% discount and it was the employee discount.  I guess the lesson in all of this would be if you ask for an employee discount there may be someone out there apathetic (or stupid) enough to give it to you. 

Leaving Dawson Creek the weather was still gorgeous, dry roads and clear skies.  However, the wind had picked up and was making for some interesting driving especially at Martinez speeds (usually in excess of 80mph when I can get it, and I think I’m starting to win Bruce over on it as well).  The top carrier on top of the car we have learned likes to start howling at us at speeds in excess of 85mph.  It’s usually an indicator that we are making great time although it gets pretty loud and means that there isn’t much interesting conversation going on.  So, other than trying to keep the control the drive has been fun.  Outside of the town we also came up on a moose along the side of the road that was trying to cross but decided against it when it saw us and turned the other way and leapt over the cattle fence with ease and trotted off into the distance.  I think we may have gotten a south-end photo of that one as it kind of surprised us. 

We were also fortunate enough to cross over the Continental Divide one more time, only this time was even more of a disappointment than the last.  There were no markings and if it hadn’t been for the map we probably wouldn’t even have known it was there.  What a bummer!  Just prior to the divide we passed along side McLeod Lake which housed some unverified wildlife that only Bruce saw.  It was a series of ducks and we have decided that if we don’t both see it then it doesn’t really count.  However, I did see one duck so I can verify at least one.  McLeod Lake was really just a widening of the Pine River, but it was still pretty impressive.  The scenery has gotten progressively more unimpressive each day and it makes me think of Fairbanks.  I can imagine people traversing the Alcan enroute to Alaska’s Golden Heart City in awe of all of the majestic ranges, breathtaking lakes and intriguing wildlife and thinking “if it’s this great here, imagine what it will be like when I get there” only to have their hopes and expectations shattered when they finally reach the Tanana Valley.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice place, but it is nothing compared to what I’ve seen the last few days.  It kind of makes me sad that we didn’t venture out more while we were there and experience more of the wonders God laid out for us in southeastern Alaska.  I guess that means that we will just have to come back and visit again, possibly when the kids are old enough to enjoy it more. 

We made it to Prince George BC around 3:30 way ahead of schedule.  The AAA map says it should have taken a little over 10 hours and we did it in just over 8!  So, being that it’s early in the day and I have a spare driver with me I decided to pass over the reigns and press on and see how far we can get.  Civilization has picked up and the towns are beginning to come together more.  Also, we are finding fewer and fewer establishments open on a seasonal basis the further south we go. 

We pushed on out of Prince George and I let Bruce take the reigns.  While he drove, I decided I would rest my mind and sleep.  So I put a movie into our newly acquired kid-appeaser, laid my seat back and cuddled into my pillow for a little snooze.  I ended up having to use my hat to obstruct my view of the road; otherwise, I kept looking up to make sure we weren’t going to crash.  Once I did that, I became entrenched in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and began to drift off.  I ended up getting about a half hour nap, which was more than enough to recharge and get me ready for the rest of the road.  Bruce told me that I missed some nice lakes and some interesting towns along the way, but you’ll have to ask him about them because I was sawing logs.  Zzzzzzzz

It is currently 6:42pm and we are still on the road.  We’ve seen many more verified ducks since our last mention of wildlife.  Our destination for the day has come and gone and I am looking to get as far as humanly possible tonight before it gets dark.  I think Bruce is starting to grow weary and I will need to feed him soon if I want to get any more miles out of him.

We made it to Cache Creek around 8:00 pm and were thinking about stopping for the night, but with my nap and the little bit of daylight we asked the gas station attendant how far to the next hotel.  She told us that there were places to stay in Lytton about an hour away and also in Hope which is 2 hours away.  So, off we went and decided to at least make it to Lytton; although we didn’t really have a choice since there was nothing in between.  Bruce tells me that there is some beautiful scenery that we are missing by going it at night, but that’s the price you have to pay sometimes and by now I’m about all sceneried out.  Night driving took a little while to get used to, but in time it became like second nature and we were cruising right along. 

We came across a little bit of rain along the way and a lot of rain just before making it to our stopping place for the night; Hope BC!  Arrival time 10:30 pm.  That means that after 15 hours on the road and 745 miles (give or take), we finally get to stop.  I’m glad we came this far because that means we have a very easy day tomorrow.  The only place in town for dinner was a Greek restaurant called Papa Andreas so we drove on down and enjoyed some great Greek food.  I had the souvlaki and Bruce had a huge helping of Lasagna (maybe the Greeks had some Italian cousins).  We called the family to let them know we made it safely and proceeded back to the hotel for some well deserved rest.

Captain’s log, Star date 13 April 2007.  Bruce and I have now both switched to Pacific Time, however we forgot to set our phones ahead and since we were using them as alarm clocks this morning they didn’t go off at 6:30 like we had planned.  Luckily for us, I am the fine tuned physical specimen that I am and my internal clock woke me up at 6:34 and we kept on schedule.  Breakfast was had at the hotel diner where we found out that today is Friday the 13^th.  For those of us that are superstitious that may be a concern, but for us, it’s just another day.  I have to explain that when I am traveling, I like to get up and go.  Actually, that’s sort of the way I like to do most things; not a lot of wasted time when it comes time to hit the road, so naturally when breakfast came I began to scarf my food down while Bruce told me a story.  I was about halfway finished with my food before he took his first bite, but I think he caught on to my sense of urgency and picked up the pace. 

We left the hotel and set off on a mission to find fuel.  We stopped just up the street at Petrol Canada and began pumping gas.  I looked up at the total and saw that after about a minute and a half that the total was already up to $43 or so.  This had to be a mistake!  Maybe the pump hadn’t reset when I turned it on, maybe these cheeky Canadians were trying to get the better of me.  So, naturally, I marched in to tell the attendant that there must be something wrong with his pump because there was no way that I could have pumped that much gas so quickly.  He said that he had no idea why it would be wrong and that the amount can add up quickly and I told him I didn’t think it was right, but paid the amount in protest feeling incredibly cheated by this establishment.  Just down the road I found a Shell station and decided to finish filling up there and as it turned out, the problem at the first station wasn’t that his pump was off.  The problem was that gas along the Alcan is outrageously expensive.  So feeling a bit foolish I paid the attendant and we were on our way; lesson learned. 

Departure from Whitehorse was approximately 7:50 am and the weather in was overcast.  The forecast was for snow, which we had a bit of before we even got out of the city limits.  However, it was a very light dusting and didn’t hinder the driving conditions one bit.  The snow was sticking to the roads in some places but not all and it made for a nice little layer to grip.  The roads out of Whitehorse were considerably nicer and much smoother that the roads yesterday.  Thanks to this our average speed was much greater today, which means less time on the road. 

We resumed our wildlife count and started with a clean slate as we saw the first bird of the morning.  Once we got into British Colombia and crossed the Continental Divide (which, by the way, was extremely anti-climactic with not even a sign signifying the landmark) that is when the wildlife began to show itself.  Let me paint a picture for you. It was a lovely spring morning along the Alcan.  Low clouds provided a nice dusting of snow and two valiant souls were soldiering along the highway enjoying a lively morning of intriguing conversation.  “I think I’d like a new CD in the player if you wouldn’t mind” Chris says to Bruce.  “Why sure, let me see what I can do about that” says Bruce.  “That sounds jim-dandy, how about a little…..oh crap! There is something in the road…..get the camera, GET THE CAMERA!!!!”  “What?!” says Bruce looking up and he begins to fumble for the camera  and as Chris slams on his brakes attempting so slow down from his leisurely 80mph we come upon a herd of caribou standing in the middle of the road doing who knows what.  As they see me come up on them they immediately turned and high-tailed it off into the woods and all we ended up with a picture of was caribou butts.  This obviously left us feeling very disappointed and we figured we had missed our chance to get a picture of some real Canadian wildlife, but oh no!  The animal kingdom that was to ensue was abounding. Just after the caribou butt incident we came upon a bird feasting on some road kill.  At first we thought it was a vulture but it turned out to be a bald eagle; what a majestic little scavenger.  About 20 minutes down the road we came up on 2 more caribou walking along the road so we slowed down as to not scare them and snapped some pictures of them.  About an hour later we came upon a stump on the side of the road; that is until we got closer and realized that the stumps head was moving around and looking at us.  It was a moose that was lying down in the snow along the tree line.  I guess he was just watching cars go by.  So Patti, we have seen your moose.  He was about 750 miles south of Fairbanks.  Maybe he left a bit early.

As we continued on our route I noticed that every little town/establishment along the way claims to be the “Gateway to the Yukon.”  Now I think there can be only one true gateway.  How can they all be the true Gateway to the Yukon?  Maybe they all want to make sure that you know that you are not officially in the Yukon just yet.  Who knows?

We made it to Watson Lake right at lunch time and had lunch at a little diner/hotel/truck stop.  We’ve found many establishments along the way here are multifaceted. The Laundromat/RV wash, the Apparel/Toys/Crafts/Bed &Bath, the Liquor/Firearms store.  Actually, that last one was made up, but all of the others were real stores.  Lunch was had with a friendly crowd of locals and it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a while.  They put mayo and relish on their hamburgers and if you combine that with a little mustard (or moutarde as the French would say) it actually makes for a pretty good combo.  Before we left town we filled up on gas and had a conversation with another stranger who asked us what the roads were like going north and he gave us a road report for our direction.  “All clear and smooth” he said.  When we told him where we were headed he told us that he had just hitch hiked from California and spent some time along the coastal towns where the people were very friendly and had a small town feel.  He said he had this pre-conceived notion of California being somewhat like the show Cops with everyone wearing no shirt and being on drugs.  We laughed and refrained from telling him our pre-conceived notions of what people would be like along the Alcan for fear that he wouldn’t find the same humor in it that we have. 

Just outside of Watson Lake the wild kingdom of the wild wild north began to reemerge.  The first thing we came upon was a herd of buffalo.  There were about 4 of them just hanging out  and lying down in the grass along the side of the road.  Wow, they are pretty big animals and don’t seem to be very active.  About 10 miles down the road we came up on a much larger herd of buffalo, and the next herd was even bigger.  Before we left Fairbanks my friend Shawn told us that we would see a lot of wildlife including buffalo and I thought he was full of it, but by the time we were about halfway between Watson Lake and Ft Nelson I was tired of seeing buffalo.  We found some familiar faces along the road stopped to look at buffalo; it was the Oregon-bound people from the day before.  I stopped and asked them “what happened to driving all the way through?”  They said they got tired last night, and I can’t say I blame them for stopping.  I would not want to make this trip marathon style.

More wildlife along the way included many more caribou and some animal that I thought was a lama, but I don’t think lamas are indigenous to the Canadian Rockies.  Bruce thinks it was an elk, but I think I’ll just hold on to my lama theory.  We also came upon another moose just past Testa River just standing along the road.  He wasn’t spooked by us and we were able to get a pretty good picture of him/her.

The scenery this morning left much to be desired, especially since the cloud cover/fog provided very little range, but even when the clouds cleared there didn’t seem to be much to look at.  That was until the weather cleared up and we made it to the Canadian Rockies.  Now I’ve never seen the American Rockies, but if they are anything like the Canadian ones, we need to take a little trip to Colorado.  Snow capped peaks with large rock formation provided for some more spectacular views.  Munch Lake was a huge body of water nestled in the Rockies that the road traveled right along for about 10 miles.  Frozen lakes and steep mountain ranges made for some postcard worth imagery.  We figured that if Muncho Lake was this spectacular that Summit Lake (which is supposed to be one of the highest passes on the Alcan) should be even more spectacular.  Sadly we were mistaken.  They should have named Summit Lake Summit Puddle.  None the less we stopped and took a picture more out of obligation than anything as the views left much to be desired.

One thing I forgot to mention was that my windshield has now earned its first real battle scars from the Alaska Highway.  One rock hit the windshield so hard that it began a running crack in the windshield that began to spread and is now about 10” long starting from the right edge of the windshield.  We’ve also gotten a few little (and I use the term little loosely) chips in the glass as well.  After 2 days on the road my truck is definitely showing the signs of a roughly traveled road.  We may have to have the windshield replaced before we leave California. 

We made it to Fort Nelson, BC right around 6:00pm which put us on the trail for 10 hours including our lunch/gas/stereotyping with the locals stop in Watson Lake.  Ft Nelson is not what I would call picturesque in any sense of the word.  It seems to be a community centered around the oil industry.  It’s dirty, rugged and riddled with oil field workers.  We found a nice hotel that has only been open for 3 months.  It was so new that the parking lot was not yet finished.  Usually new hotels equal nice well maintained rooms since they haven’t had a chance to be trashed yet and my assumption was correct.  The bed however was a little more firm that I would prefer, but overall a very nice place to stay. 

We filled up with gas before dinner and I headed in to the convenience store to check for my Alaska brew once again.  When I asked the attendant if he sold beer there he laughed and said “you must be from the east coast, we only sell beer in the liquor stores here.”  Me, being the ignorant American I am, informed him (without thinking about what country I was in) that you can buy beer in convenience stores in California.  By the time I realize I’m in Canada I won’t be anymore.  He pointed out to me that I must be from the states and then laughed at me some more.  Then he directed me to the liquor store down the street and told me which one had the cheapest beer.  I think it was a knock-off of Labat Blue; which I didn’t think beer could get any cheaper than Labat, but apparently I was wrong.  I suppose with my 2-day Alacan beard I looked like someone who might be looking for cheap beer.  Mission accomplished! 

The lady at the front desk suggested Dan’s Pub down the street for dinner and we set off to find it.  Most things just down the street are just that as the whole town is really just down the street since the whole is pretty much laid along the highway.  Dan’s turned out to be the local watering hole and was your typical pub with lots of locals and the hockey playoffs on multiple screens.  Neither Bruce nor I are all that interested in hockey, but it gave us something to do.  Bruce had the French Dip and I had the NY Steak and it was outstanding.  I’m kind of a steak snob every since I was spoiled in Germany but this one was definitely up to snuff.  Bruce ordered a Michelob and the waitress looked at him like he had an ear coming out of his forehead.  Then she suggested something they had on tap and it turned out to be great.  About an hour outside of town I began to have a taste for a margarita so I ordered one at Dan’s and they brought it to me in a daiquiri glass.  I guess there aren’t too many oil field workers who order margaritas.  It wasn’t the best one I’ve had but it fit the bill and I ordered a second (a move that I would regret the next morning).