So here we are, all settled in. The idea of leaving makes me very sad. This small town in the middle of the mountains has stolen my heart.

For some reason, I am having a hard time with my words tonight, so let me share some pictures of our home here, and the town and trails. We rented a small house about a mile out the highway from town. It has a private yard, and even a salmon smoker that Jacob brought back to life.

Girdwood is small, and riding your bike is a great way to get around. The bike/foot path goes along the highway into town, and the slope is just enough to not be daunting, but to get the heart rate going. We scored a sweet ride at the Salvation Army, with a trailer that will ride 2 kids. We have been having fun taking turns using it, and are looking for another one, with another trailer, so we can ride all together.

There are a ton of kids here. Seems a baby boom occured at some point, and they are everywhere. The park downtown has a skate area for the older kids, and a sprawling playground for the little ones. The river area is where they have Forest Fair, which happens next weekend. We went down there for the Summer Solstice with some friends and had a really great time.

We have also taken a couple of really amazing hikes. The area surrounding is National Forest, and  Girdwood itself is actually a rainforest. The trails are inspiring and invigorating. Even in the rain (usually just a misty rain), the cool air makes it easy to push on where we might have stopped in the relentless TN heat.

So Alaska has proven to be the promised land that Jacob spoke of. We miss our Tennessee family and friends intensely though, and having heard of the heat wave going on right now, we wish you would all come up here and have a break from it all.
Maybe words will come better for me another night soon, but at least Grannie and Paw Paw have some pictures in the meantime. Much love going that way, we'll see you soon!

The last leg

So we’re on the Alaska highway, also known as the Alcan. The stories I’ve heard made me wary of it, but the road itself is not to be feared. Sure, there are some patchy places, some bumps and a few short sections of gravel, but all in all the road is in good condition, and totally wide enough with plenty of shoulder. So at first I was like “what’s the big deal about the Alcan?” 4 days in I get it. While the scenery is astounding, and I mean ASTOUNDING, with mountains and valleys, turquiose blue lakes and wildlife everywhere, there is no room for error here. It’s an average of 100 miles between service stations, so you’d better hope nothing goes wrong too far from a town. Sometimes gas stations are closed, so you have to fill up at every opportunity. Yesterday, our daily miracle was picking up a screw in our tire, and discovering the gushing leak 2 miles before we got to the next station. Jacob got it plugged and filled, and also topped off our spare, which was pretty low in and of itself. Phew!
Liard hot springs was everything Jacob told me it would be. We went down all 5 of us the cool end when we first got there. We stripped the babies naked and put Cloe in some shorts. As we were going down the steps into the water, each holding a baby, while Cloe held onto Jacob, I was wondering how we were going to manage. Enter an Angel here, in the form of a middle aged kid’s swimming teacher, who was on vacation with her husband. Within seconds of us entering the pool, she swept in, taking Cloe and smiling broadly. She stayed with us the whole time, switching back and forth between holding Cloe, Ruby and Wyatt. We were so grateful, and she seemed to be grateful also. She missed her grandkids and ours were good stand-ins for her.
Later, after we had dinner, and got the kids to sleep, we took turns going down to soak in the hot parts of the spring. Jacob went first, and like he tends to do, he had soon befriended the whole pool. I sat outside the camper and wrote in my notebook, and as people were walking by our campsite from the water, they would smile and wave. I knew  he had told them all about me, sitting back with the kids, waiting for my turn.
When he got back, I went down by myself. It was nice to take the long, leisurely walk down the boardwalk through the marsh all alone, and soak in the scenery around me. When I got there, I started at the cool end, and made my way up, sitting for a while under the man made waterfall, letting the water hit my shoulders and take all the stress from the trip right away. I got to the middle part, which was probably around 104 degrees, and sat on a bench in the water and soaked. There was a guy there who started talking to me, and he told me that up at the REALLY hot end, the waterfalls coming in were cold water. I love hot and cold together, sort of like sweet and salty, so I toughed it out and made it to them. It was worth it. Jacob had made it to the hottest part of the pool, and placed a rock on the wall, a right of passage for the springs. I attempted once, but couldn’t find a good rock, and then decided I didn’t need to do it, I was happy just to be there, relaxing in nature’s hot tub. Soon the mosquitos proved to be too much (they are practically the size of swallows here), so I headed for the steps. On my way out I met a lady who was studying acupuncture, so I stayed in a while longer and talked with her about natural, intuitive medicine. The air was cool when I got out, but I didn’t feel it at all. My body stayed good and warm for the rest of the night, and I was even able to sit outside when I got back without a sweater.
Yesterday was a lot of driving, with a stop at Teslin lake for the night. I am loving the people we are meeting out here. It takes a certain kind of person to travel this road, so we are getting to know some really neat folks.
Believe it or not, we reach Girdwood in 2 days! I am looking forward to meeting Jacob’s friends, and forging some new and lasting relationships with the people there. I will continue to blog, and share what we encounter. The trip back may change a bit. We may take the marine highway to Seattle, go visit some folks in California, and have me fly back with the kids from LA, while Jacob books it home by himself. We shall see. We shall see.

Playing catch up

In the interest of my dear readers, and myself, I am not going to overwhelm us all with the prospect of telling every last story between now and the last blog post. Spotty internet, cranky babies, and tequila shots have all played a part in my not writing until now. Since that last post, we have been to Yellowstone National Park, where we had a close encounter with a Bison, Cloe entertained the masses at Old Faithful, and we drove through a snowstorm. After we left the park, we traversed the scariest mountain road imaginable while pulling a trailer, visited friends in Idaho, crossed the border into Canada, hung out with some very generous Nova Scotians, and entered the Alaska Highway. It's been quite a trip.
We have come to wonder what the daily miracle will be. Each leg, it seems that something happens that is so highly unlikely, with such perfect timing, that it seems this trip is not ours at all, but has been orchestrated by an intelligent, loving, and humorous higher power. Today our miracle was Jacob noticing uneven tread on one of the trailer tires, that lead him to find the shackles of the axles had worn and cracked to the point of near collapse. Luckily, there was an auto store here in Fort Nelson, and after much tugging, sawing, and cursing, he had it fixed up good as new. They could have gone at any minute, but the miracle came through, and we can continue on our journey.
The mountains have made me very contemplative. For the first time in 4 years, I have had the better part of the afternoon to just sit and stew. Riding in the car, while the babies sleep and Cloe plays quietly, I watch the amazing scenery go by, and think about all the things that have brought me here.

 Hindsight, turns out, is not always 20/20. There's no way to understand it all, but in my seat, gazing at the snow capped peaks, and dense evergreen forests, I feel like I have gotten a good glimpse of my life, and I am glad to be here. Glad to be living to the fullest and not taking it for granted. Sure, we're a bit burned out today, but we still have a long way to go. I have faith that the miracles will continue, and I think that's the secret. It is what it is, and I am freaking tired. But tomorrow is Liard River Hot Springs, and we can rest our weary bodies in it's thermal goodness. Don't know if we'll have internet, likely not to, but I'll do my best to describe it in a timely manner. Until then, send us your good energy and your prayers, and we will do the same for all of you.