Leaving Town

Remember that time I said I was going to be in town a bunch more and therefore updating this a bunch more? Turns out that might not happen for a while. I'm headed to Gustavus, AK tomorrow where one of our main kayaking branches is, and from there will start a 24 Day Sea Kayak trip for IWLS in Glacier Bay National Park. Then, what I found out yesterday, is that after that trip I'll be staying in Gustavus to do another 8 day trip in Glacier Bay starting on June 22nd. So I won't be back in Haines until June 30th! Kind of crazy logistics, but that's life in the guiding world!

Life here in Haines is good, the last two days have been pretty crazy busy with day trips and with the cruise ship season getting started in southeast AK. I had some great guests with me out on the water and we chatted all about the types of trees in this area, and the wild life, as well as the native people that live in the area. Yesterday we even saw a whale breach, which something you always see pictures of but rarely get to see in person. It was awesome!

I'm off to bed, early morning tomorrow running errands and getting ready for a 3pm flight over to Gustavus!

Life in Haines

First full day in Haines! As per usual, it rained all day and never got warmer than around 45 degrees, but I still love being here. In stark contrast to last season, things are ramping up slowly around here for me. I don’t leave to go out on trip until the 24^th, which gives me about a week in town to get my feet underneath me and move into my place.

Speaking of my home, I’m all moved in, and finally got this place clean. After sitting for the winter the trailer had gotten pretty dirty, and so I spent a good part of my morning with a bottle of bleach in one hand and a sponge in the other. I finally got the place clean and got everything out of the car and into the trailer. Living in a camper trailer I am constantly amazed by the people who design these things. There is no shred of space that goes unused in these things. As I kept cleaning I kept finding all sorts of places around the trailer to store things and different amazingly smart ways to use this space. It’s starting to feel like home, which is good seeing as that’s what it’s going to be for the next few months before I head down to Utah.

All is fabulous here on the far northern front! But if someone has some sunshine in their part of the world and wants to send some this way we’d all really appreciate it up here!

Oh Canada

Ah! Finally some time to write! We’re in Calgary right now, and Andy is driving and so I get to chill out in the front seat, check out the sights and catch up with you all.

One of the things I love about this drive is the ability to have 1/3 of the mileage done on the first day, so that for the rest of the drive through Canada you can slow down and a bit and enjoy the scenery. Honestly, the southern part of Alberta after you cross over from Montana is less than exciting. Andy commented that it looks like “SimCanada” where you just have these huge stretches of open, flat and empty land and then out of no where someone just dropped this small village somewhat randomly on the plains.

Calgary, as always, was a pain in the ass to navigate. I suppose part of the problem might be that we went a little bit further into town than we wanted to to try and find lunch, but still, the highway systems are not the easiest things to figure out in that city. There are however two very nice things about leaving Calgary, one: is that the roads open up and all the cars disappear, and two: is that it means you are headed toward Banff!

We stopped and did lots of fun stuff in the park today, all of which I have pictures for. But with all the stopping to see things and dinner with a friend in Jasper, I'm totally zonked and need to get some sleep before we keep driving up to Laird Hot Springs tomorrow.

Pictures of the drive when I get to Haines on Friday, I promise!!

Playing Catch Up

Sorry, this is left over from yesterday:

Today was eventful and uneventful all at the same time. We got up and left Mankato early, (around 5) and drove through western Minnesota and North Dakota. The real fun started somewhere around central North Dakota when the car top box suddenly flung itself open and tossed two bags and two jackets into the road (honestly, I’m surprised more didn’t come flying out). Andy ran back and picked up everything that had fallen out and I climbed up on the car to fix the box. It seems to be working fine now, but there is a crack in it along the side. No major damage, but I’m really glad that REI has such a great return policy. I don’t care what they say, car boxes should not open by themselves.

Other than that we got to Great Falls without incident and went out for some awesome greek food before settling in at the hotel for the night. As I was falling asleep I was thinking about how this would be the first of a series of new places that I would be sleeping in the next 6 months. I’ve taken a new job, in a new state, and having to start a life that is very different from what I have been doing for the last two years. It felt like my heart was breaking to have to say good bye to so many people who have become so dear to me over the last two years, and knowing that some of them I might not see again for a very long time. I guess the best way to put it is that I love to go, but I hate to leave.

I’m so excited for tomorrow though, driving up through Banff to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway is beyond beautiful. Rumor has it that there has been lots of snow still falling in the mountains up here, so we should have some great views of the snow capped Canadian Rockies.

Great Falls and Tumbles

Great Falls, MT
Miles: 1,108
Drive Time: 16.5 hours

What a long day, thankfully this will be the longest day of driving that we will have as we head up north. It was pretty windy and rainy most of the day, which didn't seem to put too much of a damper on the drive.

We're totally zonked and need to get some sleep. I'll try to write a better update in the car tomorrow and post it when we get to Jasper!

Side Note: calls to/from canada on the cell phones are expensive! So if I don't answer the cell for the next few days, please leave a message and I'll call you back when I get to AK on Friday.

Driving North

I had every intention of posting the itinerary for the trip before we actually left, but its been a crazy week here trying to get everything ready to take off. Andy and I are leaving in a few minutes to start the drive, so I'll have to wait and update y'all from the road.

We'll be driving from Today, May 12 til Thursday, May 15! Catch us on our cell phones on the road!

Packing

I always find it interesting that your last few days in any place where you have lived seem to be the busiest. You need more time at home and to yourself to be getting organized and getting packed and reconciling yourself to the fact that you're leaving. Yet at the same time all the people you love and care about want to spend as much time with you as possible before, in my case, you disappear into the woods. I think I've managed to work out a pretty good balance between these two things, but it still means that the last week here is going to be fairly crazy. A great crazy though.

The apartment here in Mankato is about half packed up. I'm making piles of stuff that are getting stored in MN for the summer and early fall, and then other piles of things that are going to be making the trek up to AK with me. Knowing that I could be in AK until as late as October and probably spending more time in town than I did last season means that I'm taking more stuff than I did last year, so I think the car is going to be pretty full. I'm trying to pack carefully and strategically.

It's definitely a tearing situation I find myself in these days. Mankato has become my home, and I love my community here and it breaks my heart to have to leave it. But at the same time I love being in Haines and what I do up there. I'm getting really excited for the first trip (24 day Sea Kayaking course in Glacier Bay that goes out on May 24th!) and just to be back in ALASKA!

I'm working on finalizing the itinerary for the trip north and should have it posted soon. As of right now I'm leaving Mankato on May 12th, which should land me in Haines on May 16th!