T minus 2

Place: Pasco
Miles Traveled today: about 80
Highlights:  Introduction. Wrapping up Ritzville necessities, saying goodbyes, finalizing lists

I find the idea of blogging my adventure to Alaska is irresistible.  If you like it, feel free to comment.  If you don't, whatever.  No one is going to quiz you on this.  Yes satire and puns are bound to creep in.

In roughly 36 hours, I will leave Ritzville and drive the Alcan highway to Alaska.  It has been a dream, a thought in the back of my head, a bucket list item or whatever to do this, for as long as I can remember.  Maybe it was alll the times I sang along with Johnny Horton on "North to Alaska".  Maybe it was listening to my aunt and uncle's stories of their trips.  Or reading Jack London or Robert Service.  It satisfies my sense of adventure and it seems 2012 is the year to do it. 

I am taking Adam and Michelle for a safety net - and companionship.  They will do the lifting and setting up and reaching and chopping.  Adam will help drive and allow me to sightsee.  I have read some guidebooks, ordered maps, studied the weather and road conditions, and made lists.  We intend to drive up through British Columbia and along the coast route northward and return through Alberta.  We have allocated roughly three weeks for the trip and it is something over 5000 miles.  The van has been thoroughly checked out and brought up to peak condition.  We will camp most of the time, and use motels occasionally. We are packing some version of meals with us and will try out new foods where possible.  We have the Manifold Destiny cookbook used by my sister Mary and husband Dave  many years ago.

On the list of things to see:  Ketchikan, glaciers, bears, museums, Anchorage, Fairbanks, gold museums, salmon, moose, caribou, Northern lights, Valdez, Homer, Denali, icy ocean, Tim Hortons.  We'd like to get to the Arctic Circle but still haven't solved the logistics.  The Marine Highway turned out to be quite expensive so is off the list.

Tomorrow is final shopping day to fill out the list.  Then up to Ritzville to pack and finish getting things wrapped up.  And search for alternate routes to avoid wildfire closures and landslide blasting in Snoqualmie Pass.

I am going to try and write every day, although I may not be able to post every day. I welccome comments and suggestions.  So all you peeps reading this, get ready to roll with me!
Jane, the crazy camel lady