Sunday, May 15, 2011

What does it take to plan a trip where you’ll be on the road for 3 months? Lists! Lots and lots and lots of lists.  Lists for the  motor home, lists for the Tracker, lists for the house , lists for us, lists for the dog, lists for everyone who will be responsible for taking care of things while we are gone. It is amazing how much is involved  before we can start that engine and get out of here. We can’t wait to get on the road and not worry about what we forgot!

We have traveled the Alaska Highway twice before—in 1973 in a Chevy van on a vacation and in 1974 in a Ford pickup dragging a Volkswagon Squareback on our way to moving there. (We lived in Alaska for 2+ years, but that’s another installment) In both instances the road, about 1300 miles of it, was nothing but gravel and dirt. Now it is supposedly “paved”. We encountered everything from a snowstorm in August to road washouts where we were stranded in Ft. Nelson, BC for 10 days. We saw a small plane land on the highway and lagged behind caravans of Airstreams. Each time was an adventure. We camped at campgrounds along the way, in Provincial Parks in Canada and along the side of the road when there was no other option. Our “conveniences” were a Coleman stove and lantern, a tent for the kids and food. Bottled water came only in 5 gallon containers in those days. We filled up and showered at campgrounds. We also carried a spare tire and 2 filled gas cans in case of emergency. There were no cell phones. Life was simple.

Getting Ready to Go 1973

Now, we will be driving a self contained home equipped with kitchen, stove, microwave, bathroom (toilet, sink and shower), a gas generator, water tanks, TV, stereo, a desktop computer that Michael built for me, a laptop and all the exigencies of home. So how complicated can our sojourn be? To begin with, we are no longer in our 20’s and 30’s. We are no longer encumbered with 2 children though we will be traveling with a dog. We own a home that has to be taken care of, mail that has to be forwarded and a lawn that has to be maintained. So, we made the lists, suffering sleepless nights configuring the logistics of it all.

Thus one turns to the internet. Every purchase has to be planned  for arrival prior to departure.  So starting about 2 months ago we began—books, medicine for the dog, cables, electronics equipment, photo equipment, parts for the motor home and the Tracker, tools—you name it, we ordered it. Every day we waited patiently for the mail and the UPS truck to arrive.

Then we had our individual lists. Michael took care of anything dealing with the vehicles. I took care of items we would need for travel—first aid kits for us and the dog (yes a first aid kit for the dog), legal paperwork to get through  Canada (passports, health certificate for the dog), medications, setting up necessary appointments, getting the mail forwarded and the newspaper stopped, getting the family together to go over their “chores” while we are gone and so on. It all seemed endless. Somehow I don’t recall preparation this extensive for our last 2 visits to Alaska.  Then again, our life was fairly simple.

Since photography is my primary goal on this trip, I had to anticipate exactly what I would need. I already had my cameras (a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 7 D), my lenses (17-40 mm, 24-70 mm, 100-400 mm and a close up lens—all Canon) and a tripod I hated. So I invested in a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball head and a side kick for shooting birds. I purchased 2 more 16 GB memory cards which gave me 4. My problem was how to be sure I was going to be able to get that distant bear or moose or eagle. Do I purchase a 500mm lens at $6,000-$9,000 or do I get an extender. I opted for the 1.4x extender in hopes that it will do the job. I guess we’ll see.

In the days before we leave, I will stock the kitchen and pack the clothes for all kinds of weather. This will include everything from shorts to long underwear, light jackets to winter coats, gloves and hats. You never know what Alaska or the highway will bring you. We learned that the hard way on our past trips. Though it has been more than 30 years since we’ve been there, Alaska does not change.

I think we are ready. If not, there are always WalMarts and Costcos along the way. We have maps, campground books, The Milepost for Alaska and Canada, cell phones and a GPS. We know we will be in places where we will not be able to communicate electronically. Then again, we lived for 2 years in Alaska with no phone, no electricity, no running water, and no inside bathroom.  We survived quite well.

One more week to go. I am looking forward to this journey and hope you all will follow us along the way.