Happy Mother's Day, first to my amazing mom. But also, to your mom, the mom's reading this, and to those who will live on forever in your memories. In honor of Mother's Day I've got a double feature lined up. Enjoy....
Double Feature!!!
The Road
On May 4, I decided to take a little drive out of Fairbanks north, to the Arctic Circle. The drive is (only) 197 miles each way, but it turned into an all-day event. Eleven miles north of Fairbanks, you reach the town of Fox. The road quickly changes north of Fox into semi-paved rough ride for the next 66 miles over numerous mountains, this is the Elliott Highway. Several times, I considered heading back, not sure if my 10-year old car could handle the road conditions. The road then branches, given you the option to turn west, continuing on the Elliott, or to continue north onto the Dalton Highway. As, some of you may know, the Dalton Highway is featured on the show Ice Road Truckers, like the Elliott it is not your typically highway.
There is barely enough room for two semi-trucks to pass each other, yet they find a way to at speeds of 60 mph. Each truck is equipped with protective steel around its grill, I assume it’s to protect the truck should they hit a moose at those speeds. Although vehicles are few and far between, as you approach a vehicle, you must ultimately decide whether to slow down to slow down so that you can maintain some visibility from the amount of dust that is being kicked up, or try to pass the vehicle. I found the best place to pass the trucks while they were slowly going uphill. When the trucks crested a hill/mountain, I think they put their rigs in neutral and sometimes would pass me at speeds far behind by comfort level. Keep in mind, the entire time you are being bounced around and trying to avoid the potholes, some of which you simply can’t avoid.
A few times I would hit a bump so hard I would watch the items in the back of my car fly up and hang for a split second, weightless before crashing back down including my Coleman camping stove, backpack, and duffle bag. As expected, the stove protested the loudest, each time crashing back down with all the enthusiasm of Tommy Lee drumming during a Mötley Crüe concert.
Thirty miles in, I came up to a sign saying “BE PREPARED TO STOP.” A few hundred feet later, I came upon a creek overflowing onto the highway and down the other side. I pulled over and got out of my car to walk over and inspect it. I poked around the water with a stick and began to take a few steps into it. On the other side, about 20-30 feet an Alaska DOT dump truck appeared, and emptied a pile of gravel, before disappearing and returning with a another load. I figured that that they would fill some gravel over the water and traffic would continue like normal. Not thinking anything more of it I passed over the water, without incident and contained on my way.
Another thirty five miles down the road I crossed the Yukon River and pulled into the only business I would pass. I took the opportunity to take a break from the bumps and to enjoy a soda. The clerk who rung me up asked where I was headed and inquired if I had passed the portion of the road where the creek was overflowing. Confirming we were talking about the same creek, I said, “The one 30 miles back?”
After a quick nod, the clerk said “Yep, the road washed out about thirty minutes ago. Alaska DOT has closed the stretch and expects to reopen it around 5:00 tonight.”
Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was 12:30. “It should be fine by the time you get back there.” It wasn’t until after I left and continued heading north until I calculated that I crossed the creek about 15 minutes before it washed out.
The remainder of the trip up to the Arctic Circle went without incident. Literally, all there is at the designated coordinates is a turnout for parking, the sign, and a couple of restrooms. I stayed there for about thirty minutes, without a single vehicle passing by or stopping at the turnout. It truly was the most isolated I have ever been from another human. So there I sat making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and enjoying the most remote meal ever. Fortunately, the weather was clear, and I was able to enjoy the scenic mountains and music of tiny songbirds in the trees. It was possibly the most peaceful moment of my life.
Eventually, I decided that it was time to turn back around, and for the first time since my trip began, head south, back to Fairbanks to get a good night’s rest before my drive to Anchorage. Stopping at the same store, I filled up my gas tank and inquired about the road ahead. The clerk said that he had not heard of any updates on the time, and that 5:00 was still the projected time for it to open.
Onward I traveled, until I was a mile from the washed out part of the road. There a barricade covered the road, blocking four cars in front of me, all with their vehicles off. Looking over, the clock on the dashboard read 3:45. So, I turned off my car, rolled down my windows, reclined the seat and relaxed. Over the next hour the sound of several semi-trucks could be heard pulling up behind me. Around 5:00 a DOT truck approached from the creek, stopping at each car. The driver explained that the repairs “should take about a two more hours.” Fortunately, I was in my own vehicle, stocked with all of my food and beverages from my trip.
As time passed, I did not worry about the cold (I had my heavy coat), food or drink, the length of time I was there or even my comfort. In fact, it was both the longest and most relaxing traffic jam I ever sat in.
My only concern was the increasing line of trucks behind me who, I’m sure were behind their schedule and more comfortable on the road in the dark. By the time the road was repaired, it was nearly 9:00 and forty trucks were behind me. Expecting the 100 miles of unpaved road ahead of me to take two hours to complete, I knew the sun would dip behind the mountains before I reached Fox. I briefly contemplated, pulling over and sleeping in either my car or my tent.
The vehicle in front of me was a pickup truck pulling a large closed trailer which contained a large ATV among other things. After carefully crossing the repaired road, everyone began to pick up speed – cue Tommy Lee. Three miles later, through the dust, I saw the trailer door swing open wildly, the ATV bouncing around. I began to back off while honking my horn wildly and flashing my bright lights. There was not response from the pickup. Behind me the semi could not see what was going and drove closer to me, puzzled as to why I was slowly down and swerving into the oncoming lane whenever I could see clear enough to know it was safe for a few seconds. After the tensest three minutes of driving I’ve ever had, the pickup finally pulled over.
Over the next two hours the rock concert in the back of the continued its crescendo as the daylight faded. As the semis passed me the traffic began to fade out, allowing me to focus on the road ahead of me instead of my mirrors. Although the sun did disappear behind the mountains, enough residual night remained to illuminate the road. All of the sudden the sound changed, the tires were on pavement. Most of the restaurants were closed, it was 11:00 after all, forcing me for the only time on the trip to eat McDonald's bfore turning in for the night.
The drive to Anchorage the next day was long, but relatively uneventful. I was fortunate enough to see the snowy summit of Denali. May 6 – I made a quick run over to the outdoor store REI to grab some last minute items, but otherwise – I did a quick nothing!
The Road (2009) - Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Plot: In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Training Day
The morning of May 7, I gathered some groceries drove east from Anchorage 102.5 to my new home for the summer. About 3 miles out I caught my first glimpse of the Matanuska Glacier sandwiched between the Chugach Mountains. It was a welcome sight, signaling the end of this part of my journey and knowing the next chapter was about to begin. Although I did not official start until the 10th, I jumped on a few projects around camp to help get thinks ready for the season. One service the company offers is preparing and packing food for climbers of Denali. This entailing both portioning and packaging several meals that the climbers can just add boiling water to – including pasta with dehydrated tomato sauce and oatmeal. In addition to helping with that, I worked with the owner to repair a temporary heating system for the wooden hot tub.
May 10th marked the official first day, after completing the routine morning chores around the camp, some of us began to breakdown the cardboard boxes from Costco that once held the pallet of food that had been ordered for the Denali climbers. The first instruction that was given was “Rule one: Don’t get hurt.’ Four boxes later the blade on my new knife rips through the cardboard box and the knuckle of my finger. Although not seriously injured, it was a little embarrassing, but after finding a band aid, I was back at it. That afternoon, I went out on the glacier with the guides who were determining the trekking route for the season and practicing their safety speeches. On the 11th, I spent the morning learning the various computer programs and systems that the team for reservations and to communicate with one another. In the afternoon, we put up the yurt, my office for the next four months (when I’m not at the zipline or at the coffee bar). I had Saturday off, allowing me to go into town, take a hot shower, catch up on laundry and restock my groceries.
Yesterday was opening day for our glacier activities, officially making me be Kurt in a Yurt for the first time.
The yurt going up
Training Day (2001) - Stars: Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Plot: On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.