I feel as though all of the joy and excitement has been ripped out of my chest! We just got a call saying that our ferry for tomorrow has been CANCELED!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! This is one of those moments I have talked about before, where God must have a pretty good sense of humor, and gets huge laughs out of my life.
I know, I know... it's not the end of the world, but with how ready I am to get there already, this is a low blow. Now we wont arrive in Kodiak until Saturday night. Okay, okay.... I know you are thinking "Seriously? It's just one day!" but the fact that we would have been "enroute" tomorrow was just so exciting. The ferry has been rescheduled to leave Saturday morning at 9:45 am and will arrive in Kodiak that same evening at 7:30 pm. But the most irritating thing of all is the fact that now the earliest we can even talk to the housing office is on Monday! Which in turn means... another 4-5 nights in a hotel at minimum. I just pray that maybe God isn't being such a joke-ster, but it helping to lay everything out, so that there will be the perfect house ready for us on Monday. (please please please!!!)
So now Kevin and I are stuck in Homer, AK with nothing to do for another 2 full days... No clue how to kill this much time anymore!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
THANK GOD IT IS WEDNESDAY!! Okay okay... Friday would be a little more ideal, but I'll take what I can get. You want to know the reason I am so excited...The end is in sight! Tomorrow night at 10:30 pm (1:30 am in Texas) we will board the ferry, which is the last stretch of our move! Friday morniing at 11:30 am (2:30 pm in Texas) we will be taking our first steps onto Kodiak Island.
All of this probably sounds a little repetitive, but you have no idea how SICK of this move I am. We left Texas and "hit the road" on March 14th... which was 18 days ago! By the time we get to Kodiak it will have been nearly 3 weeks of driving, ferry-ing, hotel hopping, suitcase living, and fast food eating. For anyone who has ever taken a trip/vacation, I am sure you know the feeling you get when it's time to pack up and head back...sad the trip is over, but so ready to get back home, sleep in your own bed, cook in your own kitchen, do your laundry in the comfort of your home, etc. Well take those feelings, multiply them by about 1000, and you've got what I'm feeling at this very moment. And the worst part of it is, even though we may arrive in Kodiak on Friday, it may be another month before we are able to move into our house! Please please please say some MAJOR prayers that there is the perfect house waiting and ready for us when we get there! We may not have any of our furniture for another couple of weeks, but we would have a kitchen and washer/dryer, which seem to be the items I am missing the most at this point.
In other non-moving news... I've got nothing! My life has been so consumed by this move that I don't have anything else to think/talk about. How sad is that? (Another reason I will be so thankful when all of this is over!) I have been checking online for jobs any chance I get, and I've found a few that I will apply for once I can gain access to a printer. None of them are anything special or that I am in love with, and the majority of them are just little part time jobs, but I guess something is better than nothing.
I guess the most exciting part of this move is that Kevin and I get to almost "start over". We are in a new place, where we don't know anyone, and it's like we have a clean slate. I know I have learned from expereince, and will take my time and choose friends a little more wisely this time around. I will get more involved, be more active, and have more fun. So get ready... there is going to be a new and improved Lindsey with LOTS of really fun/cool stuff to talk about in the near future!
All of this probably sounds a little repetitive, but you have no idea how SICK of this move I am. We left Texas and "hit the road" on March 14th... which was 18 days ago! By the time we get to Kodiak it will have been nearly 3 weeks of driving, ferry-ing, hotel hopping, suitcase living, and fast food eating. For anyone who has ever taken a trip/vacation, I am sure you know the feeling you get when it's time to pack up and head back...sad the trip is over, but so ready to get back home, sleep in your own bed, cook in your own kitchen, do your laundry in the comfort of your home, etc. Well take those feelings, multiply them by about 1000, and you've got what I'm feeling at this very moment. And the worst part of it is, even though we may arrive in Kodiak on Friday, it may be another month before we are able to move into our house! Please please please say some MAJOR prayers that there is the perfect house waiting and ready for us when we get there! We may not have any of our furniture for another couple of weeks, but we would have a kitchen and washer/dryer, which seem to be the items I am missing the most at this point.
In other non-moving news... I've got nothing! My life has been so consumed by this move that I don't have anything else to think/talk about. How sad is that? (Another reason I will be so thankful when all of this is over!) I have been checking online for jobs any chance I get, and I've found a few that I will apply for once I can gain access to a printer. None of them are anything special or that I am in love with, and the majority of them are just little part time jobs, but I guess something is better than nothing.
I guess the most exciting part of this move is that Kevin and I get to almost "start over". We are in a new place, where we don't know anyone, and it's like we have a clean slate. I know I have learned from expereince, and will take my time and choose friends a little more wisely this time around. I will get more involved, be more active, and have more fun. So get ready... there is going to be a new and improved Lindsey with LOTS of really fun/cool stuff to talk about in the near future!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A Little Update on Everything (Tok & Anchorage)
I realize I have been slacking a little in the updating department, but nothing very excited has happened to us since we were in Haines. We left Haines yesterday, March 27th. We were told to expect for the drive from Haines to Tok to take anywhere from 7-12 hours, all depending on how the roads were. We made it in about 8, and the roads for the most part were easy to drive. We hit a spot where there was a lot of snow/ice on the road and did hit one spot of black ice, which was scary, but other than that, the drive was great. It was absolutely beautiful! When I have the energy I will upload some pictures, but this whole trip is really starting to wear on me! We crossed into Canada, where it was white as far as you could see! We saw a group of people skiing down the mountains, with a snowmobile taking them up instead of a ski lift (pretty hard core!). All through out Canada we hit these insane bumps/potholes, which we later found out are called "freeze waves". We tried so hard to miss them, or slow down as much as possible, but we still bottomed out several times! Once we crossed back into Alaska, we were about 90 miles from Tok.
In Tok we stayed at Burnt Paw Cabins, which is the cutest place ever! We had our own individual log cabin (I could kick myself in the butt because I never got a picture of it!). The theme of it was very "Alaskan" and had moose stuff all on the walls. Bill and Nancy are the owners of Burnt Paw, and were some of the sweetest people I have ever met. There was a little gift shop, which is where we also had our breakfast. In there, there was a bulletin board, which explained how Bill, Nancy, and their two kids built that buildings themselves! From cutting the logs down, the putting on the roof, they did it all by hand back in 1977! They have only have to replace the rood once, back in 2005, and it actually has grass on it! They have a picture of someone actually mowing their roof! Bill was a big time sled dog racer, and a lot of the decor was based around this. Sadly, there were not any puppies when we were there, but they will be having some in May. There was a big sled dog race in Tok that weekend which they were super excited about, and I was so disappointed it started the day we left. While we were there is was VERY cold! The first night they were anticipating for it to get to about -15 degrees! When we woke up Friday morning it was 9 degrees, and the warmest it ever got was 18!
We left Saturday, March 28th to head to Anchorage. It took us about 5 hours to get there, and sadly, that was not a very pretty drive compared to everything else we have seen. I've been pretty disappointed that we haven't seen any wildlife yet! We did see a Caribou on the side of the road, but we passed it by so fast we didn't get to really enjoy our "first"!
We checked into our hotel, relaxed a little, then went and had dinner at a restaurant that several people recommended to us. It is called Moose's Tooth, and it is a pizza place and pub. They only serve Alaskan made beers, which Kevin was super pumped about. The pizza was awesome, so much so, that we ended up eating WAY more than we expected we would! Other than that, it has been a pretty relaxing time. We ventured out to Target and the movies today, and hope to do a few more "big city" things tomorrow before we head to Homer. It's crazy to think that tomorrow will be the last day we are able to go to any sort of large corporate store (with the exception of Wal-Mart).
Thankfully the end is in sight! It still seems unreal that we will FINALLY be in Kodiak this week!! Can it be Friday already, PLEASE!! Although the majority of the driving is over, these days in between where we have nothing to do, are getting really old! We are trying not to spend a lot on touristy stuff, since we know there will be a ton of things we need to get once we move into our house, so we really have been bored out of our minds! We plan on calling the housing office tomorrow to see if they can give us any sort of idea on how long it will take to get into a house, but I'm expecting the worst (which will be about a month). I'm so tired of living out of a suitcase! And all of the eating out is killing me! I never would have thought I would be so ready to eat healthy and to COOK! I can't wait to get to Kodiak, where I can go to the gym and try to work all this off, since I know I have gained probably 10 pounds! Kevin and I have been talking, and I think we are going to finally bite the bullet and buy P90X. We have heard nothing but good things about it, so once it comes in I will probably start a separate blog that will follow my progress throughout those 90 days! :)
In the TTC world, this month is pretty much a bust. I took ovulation prediction tests the first week Kevin was back from A-school, since this was when my anticipated ovulation was. I never did see a positive, but was hoping that maybe somehow I ovulated before/after my 7 tests ran out. My period was due Thursday, March 25. I took a home pregnancy test the Wednesday prior, and one today...both came out negative. I think I knew this would be the result, but my body was giving me some hints that really had me convinced that we had some luck this month. I still haven't started my period, but I have a feeling that between the stress of getting everything together for this move, and the move itself, my body is all out of whack. It's frustrating because without a period this month, I will have no clue when to expect ovulation next month, so the possibility of getting pregnant in April is somewhat shot too. So for right now I'm trying to stay positive, and just focus on getting to Kodiak and getting settled in.
I will try to get the pictures posted tomorrow, and let all of you know if we hear anything exciting from the housing office! Have a great week!
In Tok we stayed at Burnt Paw Cabins, which is the cutest place ever! We had our own individual log cabin (I could kick myself in the butt because I never got a picture of it!). The theme of it was very "Alaskan" and had moose stuff all on the walls. Bill and Nancy are the owners of Burnt Paw, and were some of the sweetest people I have ever met. There was a little gift shop, which is where we also had our breakfast. In there, there was a bulletin board, which explained how Bill, Nancy, and their two kids built that buildings themselves! From cutting the logs down, the putting on the roof, they did it all by hand back in 1977! They have only have to replace the rood once, back in 2005, and it actually has grass on it! They have a picture of someone actually mowing their roof! Bill was a big time sled dog racer, and a lot of the decor was based around this. Sadly, there were not any puppies when we were there, but they will be having some in May. There was a big sled dog race in Tok that weekend which they were super excited about, and I was so disappointed it started the day we left. While we were there is was VERY cold! The first night they were anticipating for it to get to about -15 degrees! When we woke up Friday morning it was 9 degrees, and the warmest it ever got was 18!
We left Saturday, March 28th to head to Anchorage. It took us about 5 hours to get there, and sadly, that was not a very pretty drive compared to everything else we have seen. I've been pretty disappointed that we haven't seen any wildlife yet! We did see a Caribou on the side of the road, but we passed it by so fast we didn't get to really enjoy our "first"!
We checked into our hotel, relaxed a little, then went and had dinner at a restaurant that several people recommended to us. It is called Moose's Tooth, and it is a pizza place and pub. They only serve Alaskan made beers, which Kevin was super pumped about. The pizza was awesome, so much so, that we ended up eating WAY more than we expected we would! Other than that, it has been a pretty relaxing time. We ventured out to Target and the movies today, and hope to do a few more "big city" things tomorrow before we head to Homer. It's crazy to think that tomorrow will be the last day we are able to go to any sort of large corporate store (with the exception of Wal-Mart).
Thankfully the end is in sight! It still seems unreal that we will FINALLY be in Kodiak this week!! Can it be Friday already, PLEASE!! Although the majority of the driving is over, these days in between where we have nothing to do, are getting really old! We are trying not to spend a lot on touristy stuff, since we know there will be a ton of things we need to get once we move into our house, so we really have been bored out of our minds! We plan on calling the housing office tomorrow to see if they can give us any sort of idea on how long it will take to get into a house, but I'm expecting the worst (which will be about a month). I'm so tired of living out of a suitcase! And all of the eating out is killing me! I never would have thought I would be so ready to eat healthy and to COOK! I can't wait to get to Kodiak, where I can go to the gym and try to work all this off, since I know I have gained probably 10 pounds! Kevin and I have been talking, and I think we are going to finally bite the bullet and buy P90X. We have heard nothing but good things about it, so once it comes in I will probably start a separate blog that will follow my progress throughout those 90 days! :)
In the TTC world, this month is pretty much a bust. I took ovulation prediction tests the first week Kevin was back from A-school, since this was when my anticipated ovulation was. I never did see a positive, but was hoping that maybe somehow I ovulated before/after my 7 tests ran out. My period was due Thursday, March 25. I took a home pregnancy test the Wednesday prior, and one today...both came out negative. I think I knew this would be the result, but my body was giving me some hints that really had me convinced that we had some luck this month. I still haven't started my period, but I have a feeling that between the stress of getting everything together for this move, and the move itself, my body is all out of whack. It's frustrating because without a period this month, I will have no clue when to expect ovulation next month, so the possibility of getting pregnant in April is somewhat shot too. So for right now I'm trying to stay positive, and just focus on getting to Kodiak and getting settled in.
I will try to get the pictures posted tomorrow, and let all of you know if we hear anything exciting from the housing office! Have a great week!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Haines, AK Day 3 (Our Last Day Here)
Winston and Charlie enjoying the snow! Poor Charlie had to "jump" everywhere since it was too deep for him to walk through it all!
We were taught the "locals" way of removing snow off vehicles... use a broom! HA!
Knee deep in snow with our new necessities ( snow shovel and broom!)
Charlie all bundled up after a day playing in the snow!
Winston wore himself out...Today is our last day in Haines, AK and I can actually say I will miss this little town. I hope Kodiak is as friendly and quaint as it has been here. Everyone has fallen in love with Charlie (poor Winston... but he is rather grumpy) and continuously offer us tips (like using a broom) and keep calling to check customs and road conditions for us.
We ate at the Bamboo Room again today for lunch, and it was just as good as breakfast! I had a BBQ bacon burger that was delicious and Kevin had a halibut taco salad...I had one bite of his and wished I had chosen that instead though! We walked down to the general store again to stock up on more soup for the next few days, and are waiting to call the auto part store to see if they received tire chains that will fit our car.
It has stopped snowing and has warmed up to a whopping 37 degrees! All of the snow is starting to turn to slush, but it should stay warm enough the next few days that it wont ice over. So here are the plans for the next few days, hoping that all goes well with the weather...
We are both so ready to get to Kodiak already, but it has been nice having a few days to just relax and have some fun on this journey. I probably wont be able to post again until we get to Anchorage,but I will keep track of everything (just like on the ferry) so I can fill you in on anything exciting that happens (and with our luck, I am sure that something interesting will happen!)
We ate at the Bamboo Room again today for lunch, and it was just as good as breakfast! I had a BBQ bacon burger that was delicious and Kevin had a halibut taco salad...I had one bite of his and wished I had chosen that instead though! We walked down to the general store again to stock up on more soup for the next few days, and are waiting to call the auto part store to see if they received tire chains that will fit our car.
It has stopped snowing and has warmed up to a whopping 37 degrees! All of the snow is starting to turn to slush, but it should stay warm enough the next few days that it wont ice over. So here are the plans for the next few days, hoping that all goes well with the weather...
- Tomorrow we will leave Haines and drive to Tok, AK. It is about 443 miles, but we have been told to expect for it to take anywhere from 7-12 hours. Unfortunately we were not able to get reservations at Caribou Cabins, which is where we had heard such wonderful things about, but instead we are staying at Burnt Paw Cabins. I am actually a little more excited about staying here because they raise sled dogs there, and we are allowed to see/pet/hold the puppies! Plus we get to watch the grown up dogs practice, and even take pictures on a sled with them!! :) We will be staying here March 25 and 26th.
- We will wake up the 27th, and drive to Anchorage, which is a 4 1/2 hour drive. We will be staying at the Microtel Inn and Suites March 27, 28, and 29th. The hotel looks pretty nice online, and we will have WiFi and a gym (I have been dying to get some sort of physical activity in... I'm starting to feel huge again!) We plan on figuring out where we will stay in Homer once we get this far along...
- March 30th we will wake up and drive to Homer, which is another 4 hour drive. This is where we will stay until April 1st, which is when we will get on the ferry that will take us to Kodiak!!!
We are both so ready to get to Kodiak already, but it has been nice having a few days to just relax and have some fun on this journey. I probably wont be able to post again until we get to Anchorage,but I will keep track of everything (just like on the ferry) so I can fill you in on anything exciting that happens (and with our luck, I am sure that something interesting will happen!)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Haines, AK Day 2...
The boat docks in Haines, AK
Treking through the snow in Haines, AK
My new snow boots hard at work!!! (I think I need some skinny jeans, since my regular jeans look pretty silly tucked in!)
Kevin LOVES his new boots!As you can see, this morning we woke up to a rather big surprise...SNOW! And lots of it... Yesterday was such a beautiful day, I was sure we would not have any issues with driving, but we were thrown a little curve ball today. It is days like this that makes me think that God is a pretty good jokester... and he must get ALOT of laughs out of my life. Not that this is a huge disaster since we have 10 days (well 9 now...) to drive the 1000 miles to Homer, but it has put a little kink in our plans.
But to make the best out of everything, we woke up this morning and walked down to the general store and bought New Moon! :) We are holding out on watching it until tonight, and I am so excited! After the general store, we stopped and ate at this cute little restaurant called The Bamboo Room, and their breakfast was phenomenal! We met another guest at our hotel who is in the military as well. He is in the Air Force and is headed to Anchorage. We sat and chatted about what our plans were as far as driving in the snow, and talked him into waiting until at least tomorrow. I'm hoping we can maybe caravan with him in case anything happens to either of us. Kevin and I decided to walk down to the auto part store to see about getting some tire chains. I am not the best with directions and took us in the completely opposite direction, but we did get to see the famous Haines Hammer Museum (oh wow...) and we saw the boat docks, which was an amazing sight to see with everything covered in snow! Once we did make it to the auto part store we found out that they did not have any chains that would fit our car. We decided we would wait and see what the weather is like, but we will more than likely end up staying here one more extra night to be on the safe side. Once we got back to the hotel, we were notified that the auto part store had called to let us know they would be receiving a shipment tomorrow, and might be getting chains that will fit (thank goodness!!) Everyone here has been extremely friendly, and very helpful!
So for the bulk of the afternoon we were outside walking around in our new snow boots! I'm so glad we got them yesterday, because they were very handy today! It is about 30 degrees, and with how bundled up we were, we were actually hot and sweaty! But we are under a winter storm advisory, and have been dealing with snow all day! The snow in some parts is up to our knees! But I figured everyone would get a kick out of the advisory that is posted on the weather channel, so here it is...
Issued by The National Weather Service
Juneau, AK
11:50 am AKDT, Tue., Mar. 23, 2010
... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKDT WEDNESDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JUNEAU HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKDT WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* SNOW AMOUNT: 5 TO 9 INCHES TODAY AND ANOTHER 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW TONIGHT. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION OF 10 TO 19 INCHES.
BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES ALONG LYNN CANAL.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WARNING MEANS THAT A WINTER STORM IS ALREADY OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. THIS STORM COULD POSE A THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.
It sure has been an adventure so far... and a trip that we will never forget! I will make sure to keep everyone updated while we still have internet access!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Haines, AK
The view from our hotel room in Haines, AK
As the ferry approached Haines this morning, we were shocked in the change of scenery. For the most part, everything had been green along the way, but this morning everything we saw was covered in snow. Kevin made the comment that as soon as we got off the ferry he was going to throw a snowball at me, and I went on to say, "oh there wont be snow on the ground!" Yea right... when we drove off the ferry my mouth hit the floor. Everything was covered in snow, and people were throwing snowballs for their dogs, as if it was a tennis ball!
We drove into town, which was about 4 miles from the ferry dock. Haines is a very small town, but has a gas station, a general store, and a few specialty shops. We checked into our hotel (Captain's Choice Motel) and unloaded our stuff. The first thing we did was give the dogs a bath. They were filthy from running around in the snow and mud, plus they smelled like pee (since they had to pee on the concrete it got all over their little paws). Once we got them all cleaned up, we drove to the general store to buy laundry detergent and to see if they had New Moon on DVD (they had received the shipment of DVD's today, but wouldn't be putting them out until tomorrow). We came back to the room, and decided Haines is small enough that we could just walk everywhere. We decided that it was time to buy some snow/rain boots since we couldn't find them anywhere in Texas and didn't want to order them online without trying them on. We found a cute little shop, where we each got our snow boots and a pair of wool socks. The woman who helped us was so sweet and helped us pick out the perfect boots (even though they are hideous) and even helped comfort my worries about driving the 400+ miles to Tok, Ak in one day.
We walked back to the hotel, pretty excited about our new purchase. We keep just looking our our window at the mountains and saying, "Can you believe we are in Alaska?" At this point in time, there is about 12 hours of light, and 12 hours of darkness. As the spring/summer progresses there will be more light and less dark, but we should have some time to slowly start adjusting to that. It has been pretty cloudy today, but no rain/snow and the wind hasn't been to bad. It has been about 38-40 degrees, so not too miserable, but still pretty chilly! Our plan for tomorrow is to get all of our laundry done, and to readjust the car since everything was just thrown in this afternoon (oh, and to go buy New Moon!) We will be in Haines tonight and tomorrow, and early Wednesday morning we will be driving through Canada to Tok, AK. Our plan is to stay there a few nights, drive to Anchorage and stay there a few nights, then drive to Homer, which is where we get on the next ferry, for a night or two. We will get on the next ferry April 1st, and will arrive in Kodiak on April 2nd! I'm so ready to be there already, to move into our house, and for all of our belongings to arrive... then it will feel like home!
The Adventure Has Begun!
It has been much more difficult than I anticipated to attain internet access to keep everyone up to date on our journey, so I have been writting in Microsoft Word to make sure I didn't forget or leave anything out. So this post is going to be rather long, but it covers nearly 8 days worth of traveling! So here goes, and I hope you enjoy!!
Day 1 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 19, 2010)
Today is the first day we boarded the ferry to Alaska! We will be on this particular ferry until Monday, March 22, 2010 and will arrive in Haines, AK. It definitely makes the “journey” to Alaska seem so much more real finally being on here. Here is a brief synopsis of what our journey has been like thus far.
Sunday, March 14, 2010 we left Huntsville, TX and drove to Albuquerque, NM. It is roughly a 12.5 hour drive from Huntsville. Our expected arrival time was 11:30 pm. As we crossed into New Mexico, we hit a lot of rain, which eventually turned to snow. Neither the roads, nor the drivers were prepared for this weather. Most cars and semi-trucks were pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and were camped out there for the night. Some found gas stations to park at, while others (like ourselves) toughed it out until we made it to a hotel. Thankfully we already had reservations, because every hotel/motel was full in the area. When we hit the bad roads we were driving maybe 20 MPH. We finally reached a point where traffic had been stopped to let the roads get plowed and salted. We sat there for over an hour. Once traffic resumed, we still had 80 miles to go until we reached out hotel, which was the closest place for lodging. We finally arrived at our hotel around 2:30 am, which added 4 hours to our drive! We were exhausted, and still had to wake up early the next morning to continue our drive.
Monday, March 15, 2010 we left Albuquerque, NM and headed to Las Vegas, NV. As we drove into town and down the strip, our mouths just dropped. Las Vegas has always been one of those places where I dreamed of going, but never thought I would ever have the opportunity to. We enjoyed Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville a lot! The food was great, the atmosphere was priceless, and the drinks were strong! Right next door was the Flamingo. We did all of our gambling there. I won $75 on penny slots (and made the mistake of gambling it all away) and Kevin won $225 on roulette. We were pretty proud of ourselves. We stayed at the Trump Hotel, and I must say, if you ever have the opportunity to stay at one of the different locations (they are going to be opening several, one in New Orleans!) it is a must! It was gorgeous, the people were outstanding, and they were even pet-friendly! It was in a decent location in Las Vegas, still on the strip, but a little further down so it wasn’t in all of the craziness. They had a shuttle that took you to the corner where the strip began, right next to Treasure Island. We didn’t have the opportunity to walk through any of the other casinos, but just seeing them from the outside makes me want to go back and stay a longer amount of time (although that could be VERY dangerous!)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 we left Vegas and drove to Petaluma, CA. This is where Kevin had been the past 5 months, and we had to take care of shipping his truck out. The hotel we stayed out was AWFUL and VERY scary! We were already a little worried about it when we pulled in, but the next morning when we saw the police talking to some of the people staying at the end of the hall, we knew we had not picked a very good hotel! (America Best Value Inn = JUST SAY NO!)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 we drove to Eugene, OR. Driving through California was pretty dull. Oregon was beautiful and very curvy!
Thursday, March 18, 2010 we drove to Bellingham, WA (we actually stayed in Mt. Vernon, WA). By this point we were sick and tired of being in the car! We were sleep deprived, cramped, grumpy, and ready to be done with this whole dang trip!
And that brings us back to today…Friday, March 19, 2010. We woke up this morning and made a trip to Wal-Mart. We had to get an oil change (3,200 miles in 5 days!) and a few things for the ferry. We stocked up on snacks, bottled water, and DVD’s. It only took us about 20 minutes to drive from our hotel to the ferry dock. We arrived early, like we were told to, and then had to sit around and wait for hours! We were told we would start boarding at 4 pm and were supposed to depart at 6 pm. It was all a little behind schedule, but not by much. Once we were on the ferry we hauled all of our stuff to our room and went and sat on the deck. It was a beautiful day- sunny and the perfect temperature (jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt). We finally came back in once the ferry started moving, and decided to explore a little and get something to eat. We poked our heads out after we ate, to see what things looked like, and it was FREEZING! It was like out of nowhere, the temperature dropped and the wind really picked up. We decided it would be a good time to go lie down and watch a movie and relax. And that is where we are right now…
**Here is a little insight to the ferry itself. Our poor little furbabies have to stay in our car the entire time! It breaks my heart to know they are just stuck down there, not knowing what is going on. They already seem so stressed out with being in the car so much, I know this could push them over the edge! And it’s not like we can just go down there whenever we want (the car deck is at the bottom of the ship). They have calls 3-4 times a day where you can go check on them and let them out (they have to pee/poop on the concrete and we clean it up). The ferry also makes port calls (like a cruise ship) where we are allowed to get off the ship and walk around with the dogs. We pulled our car onto the ferry and left poor Winston and Charlie around 4:30 pm. At 8:30 pm we were able to go down and let them out of the car for 15 minutes. They both peed on a tire (they have experience peeing on whatever they can find thanks to the lack of grass in Baltimore) and were ready to get back in the car since it was so cold! It makes me feel like such a bad owner having them locked up like this, but at least I know it is only for two full days (and then they get to deal with riding in the car with us for another 1000 miles!)**
Day 2 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 20, 2010)
Today is the second day we are on the ferry to Alaska, and the first full day we have experienced being out at sea. They call this trip the “Inside Passage” since we really aren’t in open water much, but rather a small passage way through the mountains. (remind me to post a picture of a map to help you visualize). The boat itself isn’t as bad as I was imagining. It is kind of a mix between a cruise ship and the boats you see on Whale Wars (I LOVE that show!). Here is what the layout of the ship is like. 1.) The first level is the Car Deck. This is at the bottom of the ship, and where all of the cars are parked (duh!). 2.) This second level is called the Cabin Deck, and this is where our stateroom is. There is also a Purser Desk, which is where you get your room keys, they make announcements on what is going on, and have books you can check out. 3.) This level is called the Boat Deck, and is where the majority of “things to do” are found. There is a bar, gift shop, movie theater, and the dining room. 4.) I believe there are more staterooms on this level, but we haven’t explored that far yet! By no means is this ship as nice as a cruise ship, and everything is rather old and worn out (which is where the Whale Wars ship comes to mind).
So, I’m sure you are wondering what in the world did we do with ourselves today?!? Well, this morning when I woke up and realized we were actually on the ferry, everything slowly started to sink in. I said a quick prayer for the opportunity to see some whales today, and got out of bed around 8 am (we are on Alaska Time, which is 3 hours behind Texas). The first Car Deck call was at 8:30 am, so we were waiting by the stairs to rush down to tell our furbabies good morning and to let them potty. Once our 15 minute visitation was over, we went back to our room and got dressed for breakfast. We sat outside for a little while, just taking in the scenery while we waited for them to start serving the food. Once we finished eating we sat outside a little longer, and then decided it was “nap time” (hey…after all the driving we have been doing, we deserve to be extra lazy!) At this point in time we hit a spot of open water, and were warned to use hand rails, etc. My worry wasn’t falling down, but rather throwing up all over everything! I felt awful, and lying in bed I felt like I was on a see-saw! First my head would go way down and it felt like my feet were in the air, and then is would alternate. Kevin loved it, and kept saying “it’s like getting rocked to sleep!” I doubled my dosage of sea sickness meds, and when I woke up from my nap I felt so much better!
After our long, but much needed nap, we had another Car Deck call around 2:30 pm. This time when we were finished and went to sit on the deck again, the weather felt amazing! It was sunny, and warm! I had on jeans and just a short sleeve shirt. We went by a lighthouse (I couldn’t tell you the name of it), but we were told it is one of the most photographed lighthouses. We decided to watch this afternoon’s movie, which was Disney’s Old Dogs (the one with John Travolta and Robin Williams). It was pretty good, when all of a sudden they announce over the loud speaker they had their first whale sighting! I jumped out of my seat and ran outside. I was so disappointed I had missed out! Then as I started saying my little prayer to see a whale, I saw the water from his blowhole shoot out of the water! Although I didn’t get to see the actual whale, it was breath taking to know that it was right there. You see, to me there is a huge difference in seeing a whale at Sea World, and seeing one in its natural habitat. They are these huge, beautiful, magnificent animals that not many people are lucky enough to see in the wild. I’m going to say another little prayer tonight and in the morning, and will hopefully have the opportunity to see the whale and not just his blowhole! Kevin was a little disappointed we missed the end of the movie, so I guess we will be renting it once we arrive in Kodiak. By this point, it was getting a little chilly again, and I had to get my jacket. Once we were too cold, we went inside and sat in the dining room and played Farkle. Of course Kevin blew me out of the water (he has such good luck, which is not fair at all!) and then we ate dinner. Now we are just waiting for the next Car Deck call in about 30 minutes, and then plan to watch The Blind Side at 9:30 pm! Tomorrow we will have our first round of port calls, so we will be able to take the dogs for a nice long walk, and I will hopefully be able to take some good pictures and make some phone calls/ texts!
Day 3 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 21, 2010)
Today was by far, the least exciting day we have had so far. It consisted mostly of sleeping the afternoon away. We did have our first set of port calls today though. From 7-10 am we were docked in Ketchikan, AK. We were able to take the dogs off the boat, and took them for a nice long walk. It was pretty cold (Charlie had to wear his jacket), so we didn’t keep them out for too long. We sat by the car and let them eat and drink and just loved on them for a while. Once we put them back in the car, we went and sat on the deck and called our parents. A two days doesn’t seem that long, but when you don’t have a cell phone or internet, it can seem like you fell off the face of the earth! We had breakfast, then came back and watched Heavyweights (Thanks Kelli!) and took a LONG nap. When we woke up we played some more Farkle, and then we had out next port call at 4 pm. This was in Wrangell, AK and we were only there for 45 minutes. We took the dogs off, let them potty and stretch their legs, then it was back to the car. After this we decided to explore a little more, and found a small arcade. We played Buck Hunt for a while, and then headed to dinner. They were serving grilled salmon, which was delicious, and made me realize this could possibly be what we will be eating a lot of! After dinner we had our last port call in Petersburg, AK. We only have 20 minutes at this port call, so we literally ran off and ran right back on. We headed back to our room and had a bejeweled contest (and I must say… that game gets really addicting!!) Currently Kevin holds the highest score in both the normal mode, and the timed mode. We finally called it quits, turned on Friday Night Lights, and fell asleep.
Day 4 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 22, 2010)
I can’t believe it is already our last day on the ferry. In roughly 45 minutes we will be getting off the ferry in Haines, AK! I can’t believe we are on day 8 of our move… and still have 11 more days until we step foot in Kodiak. When we get off the ferry in Haines, we will be staying at the Captain’s Choice Motel for 2 nights. They have WiFi and laundry facilities, which are both things we are desperate for. We plan on mapping out the remaining 11 days once we have internet access so we can check the weather/road conditions, and book hotel rooms.
Today is the first day that the majority of the mountains we have passed are covered in snow. We haven’t had the guts to see how cold it actually is outside yet, but when we get off in Haines I will be sure to let you know.
As I lay in my bunk, staring out the little window at what is now my “home state” I can’t help but get a little choked up. Not because the beauty is so breathtaking, but because it has finally completely sunk in that this is where Kevin and I will be living the next 3 years. This will be our home. It will be here that I will get pregnant (hopefully…), have a baby, and watch that baby grow into a toddler. I realize now, more than ever, that we are worlds away from everyone we love. I know that we will make it a point to visit at least once a year, but that’s just it… once a year. Thankfully Kevin already has Skype on the laptop, so now I just need to persuade everyone into getting it as well so we can talk “face to face” every once in a while. But what is keeping my nervous/homesick feelings at bay is the feeling of excitement/change/adventure, and most of all… family. Although Kevin and I are far away from our families, we have each other- our own little family. We’ve been through this before, and just like with Baltimore, I know it will take some time to adjust, but soon enough we will make lifelong friends, and will think of Kodiak as our new home.
And don’t worry, just because we are getting off the ferry, I will make sure to keep an ongoing “journal” so that I can keep you in the loop, even if it takes a few days to post it online!
Day 1 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 19, 2010)
Today is the first day we boarded the ferry to Alaska! We will be on this particular ferry until Monday, March 22, 2010 and will arrive in Haines, AK. It definitely makes the “journey” to Alaska seem so much more real finally being on here. Here is a brief synopsis of what our journey has been like thus far.
Sunday, March 14, 2010 we left Huntsville, TX and drove to Albuquerque, NM. It is roughly a 12.5 hour drive from Huntsville. Our expected arrival time was 11:30 pm. As we crossed into New Mexico, we hit a lot of rain, which eventually turned to snow. Neither the roads, nor the drivers were prepared for this weather. Most cars and semi-trucks were pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and were camped out there for the night. Some found gas stations to park at, while others (like ourselves) toughed it out until we made it to a hotel. Thankfully we already had reservations, because every hotel/motel was full in the area. When we hit the bad roads we were driving maybe 20 MPH. We finally reached a point where traffic had been stopped to let the roads get plowed and salted. We sat there for over an hour. Once traffic resumed, we still had 80 miles to go until we reached out hotel, which was the closest place for lodging. We finally arrived at our hotel around 2:30 am, which added 4 hours to our drive! We were exhausted, and still had to wake up early the next morning to continue our drive.
Monday, March 15, 2010 we left Albuquerque, NM and headed to Las Vegas, NV. As we drove into town and down the strip, our mouths just dropped. Las Vegas has always been one of those places where I dreamed of going, but never thought I would ever have the opportunity to. We enjoyed Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville a lot! The food was great, the atmosphere was priceless, and the drinks were strong! Right next door was the Flamingo. We did all of our gambling there. I won $75 on penny slots (and made the mistake of gambling it all away) and Kevin won $225 on roulette. We were pretty proud of ourselves. We stayed at the Trump Hotel, and I must say, if you ever have the opportunity to stay at one of the different locations (they are going to be opening several, one in New Orleans!) it is a must! It was gorgeous, the people were outstanding, and they were even pet-friendly! It was in a decent location in Las Vegas, still on the strip, but a little further down so it wasn’t in all of the craziness. They had a shuttle that took you to the corner where the strip began, right next to Treasure Island. We didn’t have the opportunity to walk through any of the other casinos, but just seeing them from the outside makes me want to go back and stay a longer amount of time (although that could be VERY dangerous!)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 we left Vegas and drove to Petaluma, CA. This is where Kevin had been the past 5 months, and we had to take care of shipping his truck out. The hotel we stayed out was AWFUL and VERY scary! We were already a little worried about it when we pulled in, but the next morning when we saw the police talking to some of the people staying at the end of the hall, we knew we had not picked a very good hotel! (America Best Value Inn = JUST SAY NO!)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 we drove to Eugene, OR. Driving through California was pretty dull. Oregon was beautiful and very curvy!
Thursday, March 18, 2010 we drove to Bellingham, WA (we actually stayed in Mt. Vernon, WA). By this point we were sick and tired of being in the car! We were sleep deprived, cramped, grumpy, and ready to be done with this whole dang trip!
And that brings us back to today…Friday, March 19, 2010. We woke up this morning and made a trip to Wal-Mart. We had to get an oil change (3,200 miles in 5 days!) and a few things for the ferry. We stocked up on snacks, bottled water, and DVD’s. It only took us about 20 minutes to drive from our hotel to the ferry dock. We arrived early, like we were told to, and then had to sit around and wait for hours! We were told we would start boarding at 4 pm and were supposed to depart at 6 pm. It was all a little behind schedule, but not by much. Once we were on the ferry we hauled all of our stuff to our room and went and sat on the deck. It was a beautiful day- sunny and the perfect temperature (jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt). We finally came back in once the ferry started moving, and decided to explore a little and get something to eat. We poked our heads out after we ate, to see what things looked like, and it was FREEZING! It was like out of nowhere, the temperature dropped and the wind really picked up. We decided it would be a good time to go lie down and watch a movie and relax. And that is where we are right now…
**Here is a little insight to the ferry itself. Our poor little furbabies have to stay in our car the entire time! It breaks my heart to know they are just stuck down there, not knowing what is going on. They already seem so stressed out with being in the car so much, I know this could push them over the edge! And it’s not like we can just go down there whenever we want (the car deck is at the bottom of the ship). They have calls 3-4 times a day where you can go check on them and let them out (they have to pee/poop on the concrete and we clean it up). The ferry also makes port calls (like a cruise ship) where we are allowed to get off the ship and walk around with the dogs. We pulled our car onto the ferry and left poor Winston and Charlie around 4:30 pm. At 8:30 pm we were able to go down and let them out of the car for 15 minutes. They both peed on a tire (they have experience peeing on whatever they can find thanks to the lack of grass in Baltimore) and were ready to get back in the car since it was so cold! It makes me feel like such a bad owner having them locked up like this, but at least I know it is only for two full days (and then they get to deal with riding in the car with us for another 1000 miles!)**
Day 2 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 20, 2010)
Today is the second day we are on the ferry to Alaska, and the first full day we have experienced being out at sea. They call this trip the “Inside Passage” since we really aren’t in open water much, but rather a small passage way through the mountains. (remind me to post a picture of a map to help you visualize). The boat itself isn’t as bad as I was imagining. It is kind of a mix between a cruise ship and the boats you see on Whale Wars (I LOVE that show!). Here is what the layout of the ship is like. 1.) The first level is the Car Deck. This is at the bottom of the ship, and where all of the cars are parked (duh!). 2.) This second level is called the Cabin Deck, and this is where our stateroom is. There is also a Purser Desk, which is where you get your room keys, they make announcements on what is going on, and have books you can check out. 3.) This level is called the Boat Deck, and is where the majority of “things to do” are found. There is a bar, gift shop, movie theater, and the dining room. 4.) I believe there are more staterooms on this level, but we haven’t explored that far yet! By no means is this ship as nice as a cruise ship, and everything is rather old and worn out (which is where the Whale Wars ship comes to mind).
So, I’m sure you are wondering what in the world did we do with ourselves today?!? Well, this morning when I woke up and realized we were actually on the ferry, everything slowly started to sink in. I said a quick prayer for the opportunity to see some whales today, and got out of bed around 8 am (we are on Alaska Time, which is 3 hours behind Texas). The first Car Deck call was at 8:30 am, so we were waiting by the stairs to rush down to tell our furbabies good morning and to let them potty. Once our 15 minute visitation was over, we went back to our room and got dressed for breakfast. We sat outside for a little while, just taking in the scenery while we waited for them to start serving the food. Once we finished eating we sat outside a little longer, and then decided it was “nap time” (hey…after all the driving we have been doing, we deserve to be extra lazy!) At this point in time we hit a spot of open water, and were warned to use hand rails, etc. My worry wasn’t falling down, but rather throwing up all over everything! I felt awful, and lying in bed I felt like I was on a see-saw! First my head would go way down and it felt like my feet were in the air, and then is would alternate. Kevin loved it, and kept saying “it’s like getting rocked to sleep!” I doubled my dosage of sea sickness meds, and when I woke up from my nap I felt so much better!
After our long, but much needed nap, we had another Car Deck call around 2:30 pm. This time when we were finished and went to sit on the deck again, the weather felt amazing! It was sunny, and warm! I had on jeans and just a short sleeve shirt. We went by a lighthouse (I couldn’t tell you the name of it), but we were told it is one of the most photographed lighthouses. We decided to watch this afternoon’s movie, which was Disney’s Old Dogs (the one with John Travolta and Robin Williams). It was pretty good, when all of a sudden they announce over the loud speaker they had their first whale sighting! I jumped out of my seat and ran outside. I was so disappointed I had missed out! Then as I started saying my little prayer to see a whale, I saw the water from his blowhole shoot out of the water! Although I didn’t get to see the actual whale, it was breath taking to know that it was right there. You see, to me there is a huge difference in seeing a whale at Sea World, and seeing one in its natural habitat. They are these huge, beautiful, magnificent animals that not many people are lucky enough to see in the wild. I’m going to say another little prayer tonight and in the morning, and will hopefully have the opportunity to see the whale and not just his blowhole! Kevin was a little disappointed we missed the end of the movie, so I guess we will be renting it once we arrive in Kodiak. By this point, it was getting a little chilly again, and I had to get my jacket. Once we were too cold, we went inside and sat in the dining room and played Farkle. Of course Kevin blew me out of the water (he has such good luck, which is not fair at all!) and then we ate dinner. Now we are just waiting for the next Car Deck call in about 30 minutes, and then plan to watch The Blind Side at 9:30 pm! Tomorrow we will have our first round of port calls, so we will be able to take the dogs for a nice long walk, and I will hopefully be able to take some good pictures and make some phone calls/ texts!
Day 3 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 21, 2010)
Today was by far, the least exciting day we have had so far. It consisted mostly of sleeping the afternoon away. We did have our first set of port calls today though. From 7-10 am we were docked in Ketchikan, AK. We were able to take the dogs off the boat, and took them for a nice long walk. It was pretty cold (Charlie had to wear his jacket), so we didn’t keep them out for too long. We sat by the car and let them eat and drink and just loved on them for a while. Once we put them back in the car, we went and sat on the deck and called our parents. A two days doesn’t seem that long, but when you don’t have a cell phone or internet, it can seem like you fell off the face of the earth! We had breakfast, then came back and watched Heavyweights (Thanks Kelli!) and took a LONG nap. When we woke up we played some more Farkle, and then we had out next port call at 4 pm. This was in Wrangell, AK and we were only there for 45 minutes. We took the dogs off, let them potty and stretch their legs, then it was back to the car. After this we decided to explore a little more, and found a small arcade. We played Buck Hunt for a while, and then headed to dinner. They were serving grilled salmon, which was delicious, and made me realize this could possibly be what we will be eating a lot of! After dinner we had our last port call in Petersburg, AK. We only have 20 minutes at this port call, so we literally ran off and ran right back on. We headed back to our room and had a bejeweled contest (and I must say… that game gets really addicting!!) Currently Kevin holds the highest score in both the normal mode, and the timed mode. We finally called it quits, turned on Friday Night Lights, and fell asleep.
Day 4 on the Ferry Malaspina (March 22, 2010)
I can’t believe it is already our last day on the ferry. In roughly 45 minutes we will be getting off the ferry in Haines, AK! I can’t believe we are on day 8 of our move… and still have 11 more days until we step foot in Kodiak. When we get off the ferry in Haines, we will be staying at the Captain’s Choice Motel for 2 nights. They have WiFi and laundry facilities, which are both things we are desperate for. We plan on mapping out the remaining 11 days once we have internet access so we can check the weather/road conditions, and book hotel rooms.
Today is the first day that the majority of the mountains we have passed are covered in snow. We haven’t had the guts to see how cold it actually is outside yet, but when we get off in Haines I will be sure to let you know.
As I lay in my bunk, staring out the little window at what is now my “home state” I can’t help but get a little choked up. Not because the beauty is so breathtaking, but because it has finally completely sunk in that this is where Kevin and I will be living the next 3 years. This will be our home. It will be here that I will get pregnant (hopefully…), have a baby, and watch that baby grow into a toddler. I realize now, more than ever, that we are worlds away from everyone we love. I know that we will make it a point to visit at least once a year, but that’s just it… once a year. Thankfully Kevin already has Skype on the laptop, so now I just need to persuade everyone into getting it as well so we can talk “face to face” every once in a while. But what is keeping my nervous/homesick feelings at bay is the feeling of excitement/change/adventure, and most of all… family. Although Kevin and I are far away from our families, we have each other- our own little family. We’ve been through this before, and just like with Baltimore, I know it will take some time to adjust, but soon enough we will make lifelong friends, and will think of Kodiak as our new home.
And don’t worry, just because we are getting off the ferry, I will make sure to keep an ongoing “journal” so that I can keep you in the loop, even if it takes a few days to post it online!
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