Tuesday, September 30, 2008

What does Wendell Think about the Snow?

Up early today to take the Explorer in to get "winterized"--an engine block warmer, a transmission warmer and a battery warmer. For those of you not familiar with a winter climate, the vehicles look odd with these extension cord/plugs hanging out of them. We're also having an auto-start installed. You wouldn't catch this Texas gal going out to warm up a car an hour before having to leave for work!

They said it would snow again today. Wendell and I waited all day. It finally started about 4:30, just as a mist. By 5:30 you could definitely see the snowflakes!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Are We Ready for This?

Rumor had it--we might see snow this weekend. As I booked Nic's return trip to Texas, I joked with him that he'd miss the snow this weekend. We both agreed he'd probably see it while boarding the plane--which he tells me he did! No sooner had we seen Nic thru security and gotten back to the car and on the road when we noticed very small, light snow flurries! However, the show was quickly over. At the time I wondered if that qualified for the first snowfall recorded date.

Ray and I ventured out yesterday to have lunch at Gamberdella's. Our friend, Kathy Deaven Uriarte, went to high school here in Fairbanks with Lisa Gamberdella and so we knew eventually we'd try it out. It was one the restaurants Ray had printed info on before we knew about the Kathy-Lisa connection.

It was a cozy place, our waitress' name was (is) Erika. She's from Germany. Hmmm...what a Godincidence...today would have been Ray's mother's 70th birthday. For those of you who don't know, her name was Erika, too. She died in 2002 and it has happened that at significant times of the year (his birthday, her birthday, the anniversary of her death, etc.) Ray will cross paths with an Erika. So, he believes that's Erika's way of saying, "Hello."

Anyway, the real point of the story is that as we sat waiting for our food it began to "snow" again. This time the flurries were a bit bigger, but still nothing significant to write home about. Although, I did call Texas to let them know!

About midnight last night I noticed someone had spread salt...or whatever that "don't slip" stuff is...about the sidewalks around the apartment complex.

Well, I'm here to report that this weekend will now take the honors of the earliest recorded snowfall date for Fairbanks!! Here's what we awoke to...
View outside our front door.
View outside our back door.
Another backyard view.
Ray and Wendell decide to investigate.
Our car!
We're heading out this morning to worship at University Community Presbyterian. I, for one, will be giving thanks for indoor heating and thermals!! When we return, we'll be celebrating Erika's birthday by eating German Chocolate cake and watching the Cowboy/Redskins game!! How 'bout them Cowboys!!
Congratulations Rev Shannon Pappas who is being installed at FPC, San Mateo, this morning! We wish we could be there!! Praise God for Nic's safe return. Please keep our friend, Frank Lynn, (FPC, SA chef) in your prayers as he faces surgery tomorrow. And for the homeless and those less fortunate (especially here in Fbks) who don't have the luxury of heat, warm beds or clothing.
This is the day the LORD has made. Let's rejoice and be glad today! Psalm 118:24
Yvonne

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Getting Settled

Fairbanks is a community of approximately 30,000 people. 80,000 if you include the entire North Star Borough. I'm grateful that God didn't call us to a big city as I'm feeling comfortable finding my way around here, just fine! Yep...I've gotten turned around, already.

We've met a couple of our neighbors. Greg lives to the right of us (different bldg). He & his wife, and their 6 yr old son, are leaving tomorrow morning. She's a travel RN. They have been coming to Fbks for the past 3 summers and are now heading back to southern CA...via Austin.

Marcia, who lives two apartments to the left of us, just relocated from Nome. She's a medical technologist. She's been in Nome for 14 years and has a home she's trying to sell there. Luckily, she works days and I've conveniently been able to pick up her wireless signal for our laptop.

I've shared with some the fact that the apartment is just as small as the city. I'm not so sure I'm grateful about that. Although, for free--we won't complain! Ray and I are making do in the space as we make our way around the kitchen as well as sharing a bathroom--something we haven't had to do in the 18 years our marriage.
Here are a few photos to show you around our humble abode.

Front door


Artic Entry
It's keeping Ray's 8 month supply of Big Red nice and cold.!


I'm not sure what this space is called...but it's come in really handy!
I think in most homes it's known as the foyer. You just hang what you need to grab on your way out--including Wendell's elusive leash.

The cozy kitchen in it's entirety! It is furnished nicely with a microwave, coffee maker, toaster, pots/pans and dishes. What it doesn't have is a dishwasher!! Thank God I have YEARS of experience.



Here's the living room. Considerately decorated in Cowboy colors! There's Nic in the corner working on getting our desktop computer hooked up to our own wireless router. The floor heater is all along the front of the living and dining rooms, thus eliminating one whole wall to work with. Same goes for both bedrooms.

The dining room that is presently serving as my unloading table. We have managed to have a couple of sit down dinners! Check out the 'pass thru'.


Here's the "laundry area" at the top of the 2nd floor landing. It's also home to Wendell's kennel.




One of the two bedrooms.



Our quaint bathroom!

Really--that's all of it!!
Oh, we do have a small deck out back. If we planned to be here thru the spring it would probably come in handy.


1623 22nd Ave, Apartment E
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Note...here's the phone number to the apartment: 907-374-8945

I passed the test and got my Alaska drivers license today!! It was a good day. Glory to God!! and Peace be with each of you.
yt

Friday, September 19, 2008

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

4,300 accident/incident free miles! Halleluia!! We arrived alive. Tired, weary, but happy to have finally arrived.



Ray did a GREAT job in getting us here and enjoying the trek. His prize was to FINALLY get to see a moose. In fact, several moose. But it didn't happen until we'd gotten thru the American checkpoint and into Alaska.



Let me share what happened before all the excitement in spotting the moose. Wendell was nice and cozily dreaming about the Alaskan snow...


But once the moose was spotted, he placed himself on alert! Just as he had done when we saw Bison along the way.



As we approached the border checkpoint, and I was reading the "traveling" section of THE MILEPOST [Note to self--do this BEFORE you get to the border!!] I informed Ray that he was only allowed to bring in 12 bottles of beer, 1.5 liters of wine, and 5 Cuban cigars. We were ok with the Cuban cigars because we didn't have any. The beer and wine was another story. Ray actually had brought his wine club bottles with him (probably 15/20) and had picked up 24 bottles of beer at Yellowstone. So, we hurriedly decided that the one who could drink 12 beers the quickest would be Wendell. We had purposefully not given him too much water as we didn't know what arrangements we could make to get him out of the vehicle to relieve himself.

He's definitely gotta have some German in him (like Ray). He had NO problem downing 12 bottles of beer. Check it out!!







Ok, so we NOW know it wasn't the brightest or best idea. But, it beat Ray being pulled over and getting a DUI!! If you're going to get upset with anyone, let it be Nic. It was totally his idea!! Now today, all Wendell is doing is laying around the apartment complaining about the bright light, noise and asking for pain relievers!!


The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful but beautiful, nonetheless. The first thing we saw were the Kluane Icefield Ranges. They are Canada's highest and the world's largest nonpolar alpine ice field.







In Haines Junction we stopped to see Our Lady of the Way Catholic Mission. It was built in 1954, using parts from an old Army Quonset left from Alaskan Highway construction days.




At the next town, Ray saw the World's largest gold pan (Burwash Landing). He wasn't impressed enough to stop and take a picture. (Nic & I again were napping and missed it!) We stopped in Beaver Creek for gas and a quick bite. 3 ham & cheese sandwiches and 3 sodas for $30!! Toto...we weren't in Kansas anymore...

Next up was the International boundary marker at the Alaska-Yukon border and the next stretch of driving was along the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established in 1980. The complex association of lakes, ponds, marshes, streams and rivers provide habitat for 143 nesting species and 47 migrants.

Beyond that were the towns of Northway (very small) and Tok. Tok (rhymes with poke) had it's beginnings as a road construction camp on the Alcan Highway, in 1942. It's believed the name was derived from Tokyo camp and was patriotically shortened to "Tok" after WWII. Because Tok is the major overland point of entry to Alaska, it's primarily a trade and service center for all types of transportation, especially for summer travelers. It's also known as the "dog sled capital of Alaska" because so many residents are involved with dog mushing. (Alaska's official state sport.)

At this point of the drive it was evening and too dark to take landscape photos. The last pic we took was at the Visitor Center in Delta Junction--95 miles outside of Fairbanks--and the official end of the Alaska Highway.

We got to the apartment about 10:30 PM. It's a two-story townhouse. 2 bedroom, 1 bath. We unloaded the UHaul this morning and the unpacking begins...
Stay tuned. YT
"Follow your dreams, be kind and always remember to enjoy every day of your life."
Douglas Richard Twiss II (Dec. 13, 1982-June 3, 2005)
Destruction Bay, Yukon Territories, Canada
The story posted about Wendell is just a joke! As I took the photos of him--it was as if he was mugging for the camera--Nic & I cooked up the story to post. Peace to all. YT

Thursday, September 18, 2008

On the Road Again...

Today, Wednesday (Sept 17, my brother Ben's 49th birthday!) is our fourth day traveling in Canada. Just to recap...we crossed the border into Alberta, and have now traveled thru British Columbia and today Yukon Territory.


Now, I've been to a few countries--Germany, France, Dominican Republic, even Russia--and I can tell you that these Canadians aren't the warmest, friendliest bunch I've come across. Do you suppose it could be the lack of sunshine?!



We've made it to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory this evening. After having dinner at the Wolf's Den (schnitzel and spaetlzi) we're bedding down at the Yukon Inn. We spent last night at a cozy lodge located in Muncho Lake. [It reminded me and Ray of the Agape Dome, up in the hill country!] We met the lodge mascot, Muncho, who looks alot like this guy.

[Here's a stock photo since we didn't take an actual one of the lodge.]



Part of the excitement for yesterday and today was seeing wildlife on the road--finally!! No tigers or bears, but plenty of caribou and bison. Ray saw a red fox today, but Nic & I missed it while we were napping.



I'm pretty sure we'll see bears and moose as we either get closer to Alaska or once we're there.

Another quick and fun highlight for today was checking out the Watson Lake Signpost Forest. It was started in 1942 by a homesick US Army GI working on the Alaska Highway. The GI put up a sign with the name of his home town and the distance. Others apparently followed suit and according to the 2008 edition of THE MILEPOST, as of 2007 there are over 61,000 signs posted. If you're traveling this way--be prepared--I wish we had been!!






(That's alot of Texans who have come along this way!)

Tomorrow is our long stretch--600 miles to Fairbanks. We continue to be blessed with good health and a safe journey...but it's not over, yet.

Bonne Nuit, Gute Nacht, Buona Notte, Buenas Noches,
R, Y, N & W

P.S. Interesting to note...I'm not too sure what all the talk about "a recession" and "the high price of gasonline" is about. There's plenty of construction going on in every state we've been thru [much of it in downtown/urban areas]. Not to mention the HUNDREDS of recreational vehicles we've passed on the roads and seen in the campgrounds!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Crossing Another Border



If you're following us on a map, we began Monday morning in Hinton, which is in Alberta, Canada. The KOA was located about 1 km from the scenic route to Alaska, "Alberta 40." I don't know what their highway system uses...interstate? highway? route?





We crossed over into British Columbia in the afternoon, coming into the town of Dawson Creek. It's where one will find the "start of the Alaskan Highway, Mile Marker 0."




As God always has it when Ray is traveling...we ran into a tour group that originated in Minneapolis. They rode by motorcoach to Vancouver where they boarded a 7 day Alaskan cruise, ending in Anchorage. They took the train to Denali Park and came into Fairbanks. We met and spoke to the Arnolds, a couple from--where else?--San Antonio! 45 people on the bus and there'd be 1 couple from San Antonio!! What were the chances of that? 100% when God's involved!! We lucked out because the Dawson Creek tour agent took a picture of all of us.
[Now, the other "goosebumps" to this chance encounter is that our son-in-law, Phil, has a job interview on Friday in Minneapolis!]






After spending a comfortable night at a "pet-friendly" Quality Inn in Fort St. John, we're heading out early. We hope to make 500 miles today. Our continued route is: Fort Nelson, Watson Lake (which should put us in Yukon Territory), Whitehorse, Haines Junction, then Tok before arriving in Fairbanks. We estimate about 1400 miles or 3 more traveling days.


It was great talking to everyone yesterday!! Thanks for the phone calls, encouragement and continued prayers!!

We love and miss you all,

R, Y, N & W


Monday, September 15, 2008

MY TURN! WOOT!


Ok..so... Mom & Ray said it's my turn to blog!

Yesterday, hmm, well let's see.

Oh yeah, yesterday started bright 'n early in Lethbridge Alberta at a Canada's Best Value Inn. We left for Calgary...I was hoping to find a longboard from a local company, Ground Control Longboards. Ray was pretty valiant in his quest to help me find a skateshop in town to buy one, that didn't really happen. We found a shop but the guys running the skateboard section hadn't ever heard of the company!


Anyway, we headed out Candian Highway 1 which took us out to the Canadian Rockies. Yes, the Canadians have a section of the Rockies that is unlike the rest down in the US of A. The difference lying in, "...The treeline seems lower than in Colorado, I mean here it's BAM! right there..." from Ray and "The peaks are just more...jagged and rough, they're just BOLD" as my mom said.

My perspective is--it amazes me at how the same Hands that mold us like clay, are the same Hands strong enough to carve these mountains out of the ground. These are the same Hands that are gentle enough to catch our tears.


You wanna see? I'll stop typing here and put some pics up.






Wendell likes 'em.














Here is Ray infront of the Crow's Foot Glacier

















We missed going to Lake Louise and the Fairmont Hotel. So we stopped in at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge at Bow Lake.














We had some good food. Mom had halibut, Ray had beef tenderloin, and I had some awesome Orange Ginger Duck. Afterwards, we shared slices of pecan pie and vanilla cheesecake, again AWESOME!











Finally, we had to leave to make it to the Hinton KOA. Mom is ECSTATIC not to have to stay at anymore KOA's for the rest of the trip. Here are some pics as we left the Lodge.

(Sun setting)


(Two dudes enjoying the scenery.)


(Night fall on the River)


Good night to All! Nic