scout

3 Months in Baja: Bahía de los Ángeles to Guerrero Negro

This is the story of all Amy’s dreams coming true.

Ok—again, not all of them, and not just mine either. A whole literal boatful of people’s dreams came true in this portion of the trip! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

We left Bahía de los Ángeles via the long, bumpy dirt road that for a long portion of the drive follows the route that the Baja 1000 drivers take. We had full-blown off-road-racing fever, so it seemed like a great idea the moment we had it.

We had conquered the jarring Mex 5 and felt confident about our ability to manage this stretch of road. Our friends from Bahía had assured us that it wasn’t too much worse than the Mex 5, and as long as we were fully supplied we should be fine. The only difference between the two drives was the amount of road between towns.

So in order to continue having stories to tell, the Turtle decided to wait until we were just far enough away from Bahía that going back wasn’t an option, and that’s when it began leaking fuel. I had been smelling gas for a while, but it was just faint enough that we thought it could be burn-off or something non-troubling. But soon the smell was overwhelming and it was necessary to stop and have a look.

After a few minutes diagnosing the problem, Andy began unloading his tools.

From underneath the Turtle Andy explained to me that the fuel pump was leaking, squirting fuel out all over the undercarriage. We had a long distance to go until the next gas station, so losing any amount of fuel was a problem. He continued poking around while I took the pets out for a walk along the Bahia 1000 track.

When we came back to check on him, I noticed Andy had been digging around his storage space under the bench seats inside. I asked him how everything was going, and he asked me if I remembered what we’d purchased at the Auto Zone a week ago in San Felipe. Because we’d looked up and memorized the words “bomba de combustible” especially for that visit to Auto Zone, I also of course remembered what they meant.

Fuel pump! Andy had just bought a spare. He’s a real wizard, that one.

So despite the fact that we would have been in a real jam out there in the desert alone on a dirt track nobody uses, in about an hour we were back on the road! I love how he’s able to turn disaster into mere inconvenience with a wave of his wrench. I never take for granted Andy’s mechanic skills and his Eagle Scout level of preparedness. We’re able to take risks and see portions of the world that few others get to see because we’re not as worried about being totally stranded (see: Dalton Highway). He’s the best!

We continued on, driving through stunning desert landscapes, surrounded by cacti of all shapes and sizes.

Our unplanned stop to replace the bomba de combustible meant we were in a race against the sun to reach our boondocking site before dark. As we wound around the curves leading up to San Rafael, we were slowed down further by this hilarious herd of cows who were apparently doing a slapstick bit for our enjoyment and exasperation. They could easily have exited the road on either side, but trotted ahead of us for about a mile, weaving back and forth and giving us annoyed looks over their shoulders as they went. And stopped. And then went again.

We made it to our site just as darkness swallowed up the roads, and went in to fix up some fancy clams we’d brought with us from the beach of La Gringa.

Since we almost never drive at night we were curious to see what our new front yard would look like in the morning.

It was awesome! We were the only humans as far as the eye could see, on a low bluff overlooking our private beach.

The animals were safe to roam freely, so while they did I happily took lots of photos of them. The beach looks really good on these two.

I took Scout down to the beac to play in the surf and read for a while. He just kept digging his face in my bag for the frisbee so I didn’t get much reading done, but when you’re on a private beach there’s really no wrong way to spend the day.

We stayed a few days before getting back on the bumpy road that would reconnect us with the Mex 1. Where it connects, we’d originally planned on heading south and visiting Guerrero Negro in a month or two on our way back up north, but as we drove and I read about the whale watching season, we thought we’d go right away in order to hit peak whale season.

This road was another long stretch of slow going, surrounded by every flavor of cactus.

It was so beautiful that we didn’t mind it too much, until we’d reached hour seven and our brains couldn’t take the jolting back and forth for one more actual minute. The only vehicle we’d seen on the road in days was a truck hauling eight cows and traveling at about 80kph as they passed us. This isn’t a road for the faint of heart.

I began researching places to boondock for the night. iOverlander works offline, which was a lifesaver throughout our entire time in Baja! I saw a little ranch up ahead called Rancho Piedra Blanca that has room for campers for about $10 a night, and even had snacks and showers.

We sat on the porch and chatted with the caretaker in Spanish until bedtime. It was a lovely relaxing evening, watching the sun set and enjoying the pace of life out in the middle of nowhere. We discussed life in Baja, family and travel in as many words as I could recall, we learned that the cows who had passed us in a blur had been on their way to Rancho Piedra Blanca and were now residents, and I fell deeply in love with this tiny lady:

The next day we steeled ourselves for more bumps and after many more hours we saw pavement and cheered! We turned right on the Mex 1 to go just a bit out of our way up north to Guerrero Negro and after driving through the entire town we decided the best spot to camp for the night would be an RV park. Two nights in a row paying for camping! What are we, the Rockefellers? Is that a reference the kids are using these days?

We sat on the patio and I began researching Guerrero Negro’s famous whale watching opportunities in earnest.

Here’s what I learned: half an hour south of the town is the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, which is a popular calving spot for grey whales traveling their 6,000 mile journey from the Bering Sea. From January through April they come by the thousands to this lagoon, which is warm and protected from predators. The mothers feel so protected there that they seek out and enjoy the company of humans, and are even known to push their babies up to the surface with their noses to show them off and let them be petted. The height of the season is late January through late March, so our early February timing couldn’t have been better.

We met two awesome couples on the patio at El Malarrimo and spent a few hours hanging out over some beers and sharing stories. Marcus and Doria were planning to take a tour from Guerrero Negro the following day on a large tour boat with many passengers, and we met when I told them they might consider another tour. I’d just read on a website (because we got a wifi signal there!) that there are tours you can take on smaller 10-passenger panga boats that get you much closer to the whales, but I wasn’t sure where to go. As fate would have it, Di and CR had just taken a tour a day or two ago and they highly recommended that we drive the half hour south to a camp spot on the beach at Ojo de Liebre instead. They said the tour boats out of Guerrero Negro weren’t authorized to travel in the portion of the lagoon where there are the most whales, and because the boats are larger you don’t get a chance to touch them either. And I needed to touch a whale (now that I knew that was an option). They gave us directions and we started getting super excited.

The next day we ran around Guerrero Negro, eating as many tacos as we could manage.

With hard work and dedication, Andy was able to reach a daily total of seven tacos, giving rise to our new expression, “It really was a Seven Taco Day.” This can be used in any application as an equivalent to “best day ever.” And the tacos adobadas at Señor Taco were in the Top Three Tacos we had on the entire peninsula, so that was icing on the cake. The taco cake.

Later that day we followed Di and CR’s directions down to a campsite right by the lagoon, with huge round palapas at each site that basically doubled our living space. Fancy!

We walked down to the restaurant at the entrance for dinner and big icy margaritas with Marcus and Doria and a handful of other travelers who were all going out to see the whales the next day as well.

When we woke up the next day, it was pretty overcast and chilly. We optimistically mused that since it was only 7 a.m. maybe it would burn off, but the impression we got from the staff on the patio as we drank our coffee and watched the sky told us that what we were seeing is what we’d get. Oh well, we were going to see whales!

Marcus and Doria were as excited as we were.

We sped out to open water on our little 10-person panga boat and breathlessly watched the horizon for spouts.

It only took about 10 minutes before we saw not only spouts in the distance, but the whales themselves, and close up!

When we first began seeing the whales, a little girl on our tour was pointing each one out, saying, “There’s one!” “There’s another one!” until after a while we were seeing fifteen at a time, and she turned from the bow, threw out her arms and happily shouted, “We’re surrounded by whales!” It became the group’s catchphrase for the next few days.

It was a fun tour, but we all suspected that the overcast weather may have had something to do with how mellow the whales were. We decided not to be terribly disappointed since we just had a miraculous day seeing grey whales from 10 feet away, and we reminisced with Marcus and Doria at their palapa as the boys fixed a broken oil pan (not the Turtle’s injury, for once!).

Scout was no help at all, and silently criticized Marcus and Andy for misusing their frisbee time by working on the Golf.

Gracie oversaw the project from on high.

We considered the tour company’s policy of giving a discounted rate for a second day out on the boat, dropping the price from $45 to $20 if you wanted to go out again. We decided we couldn’t pass it up, and made plans with our new friends Ransom and Casey to meet up for coffee early the next day to try to get on the same boat.

The next day was absolutely perfect. It was warm and sunny, and we were able to get all our friends in one boat. Everyone felt positive about our chances to get closer to a whale on this gorgeous day.

Though the tour began at the same time as the previous day, it was clear that the whales were feeling much friskier; they were swimming right up next to the boat in no time!

I didn’t take many photos because I wanted to be present and experience the trip firsthand, but I did take some videos at chin level while I watched so I could relive it later.

It was a magical and deeply moving experience. These magnificent creatures were both enormous and gentle, and it was clear that they really did want to interact and play with us. The “little” 1,000 lb. babies followed their mothers right up to our boat, and flipped around onto their backs as they passed underneath us!

We watched these videos again after the tour, and Andy commented that I was grinning as widely as I had been when I witnessed it in real life. And now as I uploaded these I just realized I’m doing it again! It was a life-changing experience.

And then I GOT TO PET A WHALE!

I actually got a little teary-eyed afterward and had to sit back for a moment to take it all in. It’s hard to explain, but I felt tremendously close to nature and a part of another world that seemed so remote just an hour before. What’s another word for magic? Because I want to keep using that word as I describe the experience. I got to pet a whale!!!!

Almost everyone on our boat got to touch one at least once, which is why we looked like this on the way back:

What a day.

We got back to our mansion after a big celebration lunch at the restaurant patio just as the coastal clouds were beginning to roll in.

Luckily our suite had walls all around, so while the wind picked up and the rain began, we were all very cozy as we read books and watched the birds flying over the water in the distance.

Before we went to Baja, I didn’t know that one of my biggest dreams would be getting to pet a whale. Rarely do we get to realize a dream exists while it’s happening, and I’m so grateful I got to experience it. When we talk about our best days in Baja, this one always tops the list.

It really was a Seven Taco Day!!!

3 Months in Baja: A Photo Snapshot

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since our last blog post, and we’ve been busy since our adventures at RTR in Arizona last January!

We’ve spent the last three months in Baja, making our way slowly to the farthest point at Los Cabos and then back up again, doing exhaustive research on where to find the best tacos on the peninsula. (We have the reports and will be happy to share our findings at your request.)

During our travels I tried a handful times to upload pictures to the blog, but the internet down there was virtually nonexistent so a photo could take around 40 minutes to upload and we’d get impatient and put the computer aside and head to the beach. We quickly fell into the rhythms of an outdoor lifestyle without the trappings of technology, and enjoyed the absence of the distraction.

I have so much I want to share about our adventures in Baja, but for the time being I thought I’d post a whole bunch of photos—in mostly chronological order—to give a general sense of the trip. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I can’t wait to fill you in!

So there you have it! Three months of fun, lots of sunshine, a thousand seaside frisbee sessions and maybe 500 tacos later, we’re back in the U.S. and ready for whatever the road brings our way.

(Hopefully more tacos.)

Mojave National Preserve: Kelso Dunes

Everyone has heard me say it over and over—whether in defense of my inability to supply Turtle arrival dates and destinations or even just to tell stories involving unexpected delights and trials—and just in case you haven’t heard me say it lately, I’m here today to say it again! When you travel full time and are regularly on the move, there’s not a lot of time to make future plans. We’re always in the middle of an experience, so not only do we not have time to sit and research, we also could change course at a moment’s notice and then all the time we spent planning would be for nothing. So we just wing it, and more often than not we’re pleasantly surprised!

There was a whole lot more to Mojave National Preserve than we’d imagined, and the next stop was the Kelso Dunes on the south side of the preserve.

Just a little ways past the Kelso Dunes Trail parking is a free dispersed camping area, where we found a nice spot against the dunes, had some lunch, and let the animals out to play in the sand.

While Andy sat outside the Turtle, basking in the sun and sanding a car part to artistic perfection, Scout and I embarked on a hike up the dunes.

The dunes give the landscape no sense of perspective, but if you can see the line where the light sand meets the darker shade, just to the right of the green swath in the middle is the lighter dirt of the parking area, where a teeny tiny turtle sits almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

After a few hot hours of slow and steady climbing, we got nearly to the top when we were faced with a nearly vertical wall of sand. I tried scrambling up at top speed, but the moment my hand dug into the sand, this happened:

My hands and feet would get buried in the sand avalanche and I’d slide right back down! After some serious top speed climbing and a ton of grunting and a few requests to Scout to stop making it look so easy, we made it to the top.

Totally worth it!

A wonderfully long hike is not its own reward in Scout’s opinion, so I had to make the journey worth his while by playing a little frisbee with him on top of the world.

When the day began, I couldn’t have anticipated that this would be my backyard vista. Another pleasant surprise for the books.

A Sun Story: Canyonlands National Park

Both Andy and I grew up in Montana, and later lived in Seattle and Portland for the better part of our adult lives. This was mostly a coincidence, as we didn’t meet until we were both living in Portland, though early on we discovered that our paths had crossed many times over the years. We joke that our first concert together was The Pixies at Bumbershoot years ago, despite the fact that we didn’t know each other at that point.

We love Montana and the Pacific Northwest dearly, or we wouldn’t have stayed so long! But I think we can all agree that none of these places are known for an abundance of warmth and sunshine. Which is why, as we get farther and farther south, we’ve been amazed at the effect the sunshine has had on us. We’ve been infused with energy and feel so ready to take on the day each morning, and it only occurred to us after a few weeks in Utah that the sunshine may have something to do with it. We’re not used to all this vitamin D and the great feeling of sunshine warming our toes in their flip flops.

Luckily, we made it out to some seriously wide open spaces that can accommodate our ebullient sunshine-infused energy. After exploring Arches, we stayed one last night at our great BLM site north of Moab, then drove the short distance to Canyonlands National Park.

It’s big.

The park is divided into four sections, with no continuous road connecting them due to the paths of the Green and Colorado rivers.

The districts are:

Island in the Sky
The Needles
The Maze
The Rivers

They each have separate entrance points and every area offers a unique park experience. We were closest to the Island in the Sky, which is one of the more developed portions of the park, with hiking trails and a designated campground.

Right away we decided to drive straight through to the end of the road, at Grand View Point.

There’s an overlook with an incredible view, and an easy walking trail that follows the rim of the Island in the Sky for about a mile out one way.

The viewpoint at the end of the trail is 360 breathtaking degrees of, well, canyonlands! It’s hard to grasp the scale of it.

On the walk back we wandered off the main trail to check out the landscape a little farther from the rim. It’s a great playground, and we ran and climbed around the smooth rock formations under the sunshine.

When we got back to the Turtle, the sun was beginning to go down. We drove out to the Green River Overlook to watch it slide like melting butter across the rolling hills below.

The view in the other direction wasn’t bad either! The saturated evening sun lit the rocks and bushes, painting everything in rich golds.

Near the Green River Overlook is the Willow Flat Campground, where we decided to stay for the night. There’s a lot of room to walk around there too, so we took Scout out to explore while we watched the rocks change colors. (As we walked he was on his leash per park rules, but I liked the backdrop so I took it off for the photo. He’s getting a lot better at having his picture taken and didn’t move an inch the whole time. Good boy!)

The sunset was as grand and spectacular as the canyon views.

The next morning we got up before the sun rose to walk up to Mesa Arch, which the ranger recommended we see at sunrise. Apparently it’s the most photographed spot in the park, as the rising sun illuminates the underside of the arch beautifully.

He was right!

We drove around the park afterwards as we drank our coffee and looked at the map to find one more hike before leaving. We decided on Whale Rock, which was a moderate hike with a cool name. I loved this hike.

The views were expansive from way up on the huge smooth rock dome that actually did feel like walking on a whale’s back. We played with shadows in the crisp morning light and tried not to blow off the edge as the wind picked up.

We left the park glowing with happiness and moved west until we reached a dispersed camp area outside St. George. Scout and Gracie were ready to get out and play too, and this spot was perfect for us all to hop out and run around.

I looked out the back window after the animals had been out for a bit and caught them in a sweet moment.

I guess all this sunshine is really working wonders for everyone! I think we’ll stay down here a while.

All Kinds of Parties: Billings & Bozeman, MT

As October neared its end, we found ourselves back in Bozeman, MT to visit my family as we continued our journey south. It’s still beautiful there!

The weekend before Halloween, we drove over to Billings to spend the weekend with our good friends Blake and Martha. (Martha is taking this photo, so she is not pictured. Sorry Martha.)

We were excited to have time this year to make Halloween costumes, and while we stayed with Blake and Martha we’d planned to dress up and go out with some friends. Andy was a steampunk mad scientist, and after he put the outfit on I realized that this isn’t too far a cry from his real persona.

I was a steampunk mechanic, and the moment I put on the bustle I’d made (from curtains at Goodwill) I decided it was the one thing that’s always been missing from my daily wardrobe.

Once the group arrived at Blake and Martha’s, Martha unveiled the snacks that she had prepared (with some help from Andy and Blake, they’ll want you to know). Aren’t they adorable?

And isn’t the group adorable?

Off we went to a local pub downtown, where the Halloween party was just beginning. (Wonder Woman did not join us on this portion of the outing.)

We had a blast! It was a fun night, and a super-fun weekend hanging out with good friends. We watched a couple World Series games, ate some Chalet Market sandwiches (my favorite), Blake, Andy and Harper carved pumpkins. . .

And then suddenly Blake had to go back to work. BOOOOO!

He was probably relieved.

It was still sunny in Billings when we pulled away.

And no sooner were we in Bozeman than the snow began to fall.

Though Gracie enjoys snow as much as any adventure cat, she preferred my mom’s warm bed. And when it wasn’t available, she’d wait outside the door for her turn.

The rest of us enjoyed playing outside.

Then we’d come back inside to visit Gracie.

The last time we visited Bozeman, we made good use of my mom’s kitchen and cooked up a number of tasty feasts for the three of us. Andy and I both love to cook, and do quite well with our three small burners, two pots, one small pan, and limited counter space in the Turtle. (We had authentic Pho while cozied up inside our tiny house in Deadhorse! It was pretty fancy.) But a complete kitchen with lots of space and a full sized oven is a treat we can’t resist. Andy had his heart set on cooking a turkey, and if you’re going to cook a turkey, you may as well make stuffing, and if you’re going to make stuffing, you ought to make mashed potatoes and gravy and also bake a pie, right?

It was weeks until Thanksgiving, but it seemed like the plan was shaping up into a real party. We christened it Fall Feastival, and invited my sister’s family and a few friends over, and Andy spent all day carefully preparing the turkey.

Meanwhile, Clive and Scout and I played in the snow. That boy can really throw a frisbee, even with winter gloves on. Scout was very impressed.

My sister and I contributed to the meal a bit, but mainly it was Andy’s show and he was happy to have full reign over the kitchen. He made stuffing and gravy so good we all considered drinking it straight out of mugs.

It was a genuine feast! The turkey was without a doubt the best I’d ever had. Andy really knocked it out of the park! I made a pumpkin pie cheesecake and hot chocolate for dessert, just in case we didn’t feel we’d spoiled ourselves enough already.

Afterwards we played a little Pin the Tail on the Turkey, which Liam, Clive, and Bella all helped put together.

It was a wonderful celebration! Maybe the First Annual? Any excuse for a feast.

The Fall Feastival marked the end of our visit to Bozeman, so on we traveled toward our next stop: Spearfish, South Dakota. It’s always so hard to leave my people, but we’re grateful to see them as often as we do these days.

I mean, if we didn’t live in the Turtle, I may have never seen this work of art:

Liam made The Eye of Sauron’s girlfriend.

Like I said—my people.

Jasper National Park and Banff, AB

Happy Halloween everyone!

If you’ve been in touch with us over the last month, you’ll know that despite what the blog might lead you to believe, we’re not in Canada anymore! We got back to the states about a month ago, and are currently visiting my family in Bozeman, Montana after a really fun few weeks in Great Falls visiting Andy’s family.

But so many people had told us how much we were going to love Jasper National Park and Banff, Alberta, and we really, really did. So I’ll catch up with a quick photo-heavy post to share the beauty! It was cold and overcast as we drove through, but that couldn’t stop the views.

Neither of us knew that the town of Jasper was right in the middle of the park, which was a fun surprise.

We stopped for pizza. . .

We stopped to watch this handsome fellow for a while. . .

And admired these sweet little deer until they hopped back into the forest.

The sun set before we made it through the park, so we stayed the night at the only spot that was still open for the winter on the south side of the park. The Columbia Icefields National Park Centre keeps the lower parking lot open for overnight campers, which was around $15 a night. A little spendy for a parking lot, but we really didn’t want to miss the views!

When we woke up the next morning, we discovered that we’d been parked right across the street from two glaciers!

The rest of the drive was so beautiful that the $15 camping fee seemed like a really good investment.

After exiting Jasper National Park, we were immediately in Banff National Park. Another gorgeous drive! One of my favorite things about this stretch of the highway was the wildlife bridges. There are fences all along the road to prevent animals from wandering out into traffic, so in order to allow safe crossing they built these tunnels covered by dirt and grass so the animals can access the whole park safely.

Soon we’d passed through Banff as well, and by mid-afternoon we were back in Montana.

When we got to Andy’s dad’s house, we were exhausted from three months of nonstop action. We slept like logs, relaxed, and visited with Andy’s dad and mom over some IPA’s and home-cooked meals, ate Howard’s pizza more than once, and slept some more . It was exactly what we’d been waiting for.

We also took some time to reorganize and assess the state of the Turtle. Andy looked in one of the compartments and found that it was filled with hunks of the Dalton Highway! Hilarious.

We got the famous vacuum sealer out and sealed things up for winter storage. . .

Andy fixed up our front brakes. . .

And then we slept some more!

Yukon Gold

The first thing I said as we drove back into Yukon was, “Wow, the skies are just as big as when we left!” Yes, it’s the same sky as everywhere else, but somehow in Yukon I was constantly aware of the magnitude above me more than other places. It’s beautiful.

It was an exciting time to be my camera, because I had that thing working full time during our drive through Canada. The fall colors were really beginning to explode, and I filled up the camera to capacity every day. I’m sure if Andy asked you to quote me on the trip it would be a three-way tie for, “That YELLOW!” “That RED!” and “That ORANGE!” And that’s only if gasps don’t count.

After spending a few weeks high up in wintery weather, the temperate fall was a welcome change. Scout and Gracie also got to spend more time outdoors, so everyone was enjoying Yukon to the fullest.

On our original trip through Yukon, Andy had mentioned wanting to pan for gold, and as we drove farther through the province, we realized we still hadn’t tried our hand at fortune-hunting yet. We found a nice spot to pull out by the river, took our pot lids, food scoops and a very excited doggy down to the water, and got to work.

It was a lot of fun and pretty exciting, even though we didn’t see any sparkly signs that we were in a good spot for panning. We wished we’d started sooner in the trip, because I could have panned for hours and hours in any river around.

Scout had other plans for our time outdoors and tried all his best methods to convince us to throw all the sticks he found by the river.

So on the walk back to the Turtle, we threw sticks, played hide and seek behind the trees, and then on the last leg Scout just bounded up and down the path with general Border Collie joy.

Farther down the road Andy wanted to check something under the hood, so we pulled over for a riverside picnic. Though the Yukon is so wide it looks like a lake!

We panned for gold again after lunch, but no luck. We did see a fresh bear paw print in the mud near us, so we decided to make it a quicker stop and get back on the road.

We could see some storms ahead, which made the light moody and surreal.

When the most spectacular rainbow poured out of the sky, we followed it for a full 15 minutes before it evaporated back into the air.

The storm moved all around in the distance, and when we stopped outside Taro for the evening, we could actually see the sheets of rain traveling east along the riverbank.

It never hit us directly, so we basked in the after-storm light and played outside until the sun went down.

Everyone had a successful day, I think.

We had to try one last gold panning session before we left, so we played outside for a bit before packing up.

As I put the panning implements in the Turtle, I laughed at how instantly messy it gets in there, between the toys we keep out to use later, the mud we inevitably and consistently track in, the rocks I can’t stop collecting and have no room for, the boots laying on the floor that we removed to change into “gold-panning shoes”, the travel pamphlets shoved into the front console, among the other regular chaos specific to Turtle life.

I decided to take a picture for posterity, since in 20 years we’ll want to remember the reality of our lives and not just the pretty pictures immediately post-clean-up. Right as I took out my camera, Scout came running to the door to see what I was up to, and the smile on his face and mud on his paws inadvertently made the photo complete: the reason we live this lifestyle, messy as it may be. At the end of the day, we all have that goofy smile on our faces.

There weren’t many gas stations around, so we stopped in Taro for a fill-up and an ogle at this awesome orange beast.

Then back onto beautiful Highway 4 toward Watson Lake, which we’d be passing through one more time on our way into British Columbia and Alberta. But first we had to stop at what was to become our Favorite Campsite Ever, a free pullout on postcard-worthy Finlayson Lake.

Due to the burn ban, we hadn’t been able to have a fire for months, and it seemed like fate that the ban had been lifted right as we came upon this site, complete with cut firewood scattered around for the taking.

We were sitting just a little elevated from the water, overlooking the lake. There was no one around except the two people flying sea planes nearby. It was crisp, cool and clear, and we were on cloud nine that we got to live there for a whole day.

It was such a perfect spot that I took a quick video of the fire so that in future years we can relive the moment.

If we didn’t have the winter weather nipping at our heels, we would have stayed for days. But that chill wasn’t far behind, so we moved on toward Watson Lake.

We thought it would be fun to go visit our signs at the Signpost Village, especially because it’s not too often these days that we’re somewhere familiar. There they were!

Then on we drove into the endless green and gold mountains and valleys of British Columbia.

We had a garbage bag to toss, so we pulled over at a viewpoint to use the waste bins, and accidentally stumbled across this vista.

And this was the view from the other side of the parking lot! Beautiful British Columbia, indeed.

And then to add even more icing to the British Columbia cake, we stopped at Liard Hot Springs and accidentally had the time of our lives. We’d read about it over and over while researching the area, but didn’t think much more of it than “Sure, we could stop at a hot springs; that sounds nice.”

It was wonderful. It’s a provincial park and not privately-run, so for starters it’s really affordable. The day use fee is just $5 per person, but the hot springs fee is waived if you’re camping, which is $26 a night. That’s actually a little on the spendy side for boondockers, but it’s also really nice to have water and garbages at your disposal now and then, in addition to the free hot springs. So we paid for our site, got settled and then went straight to the hot springs.

It’s a beautiful walk down the boardwalk to the springs, over the warm marsh that is very popular with the wildlife, especially during winter.

For a developed hot springs site, this one is surprisingly untouched in all the best ways.

There are bathrooms, changing rooms, and a deck, but other than those few comforts it’s just a lovely pond that’s a piping hot 110-120 degrees at the source and then cools the farther away it travels from there. So the upper pool stays super toasty, and the lower pool is a perfectly warm and slightly deeper swimming pool.

We loved it so much we spent a few hours there on our first trip before going back for dinner and some travel planning.

The Anti-Project always has other plans, but luckily she has a short attention span and was soon on the prowl for buggies while we got a little work done.

As we planned we decided we weren’t ready to leave the hot springs already, so we decided to stay another day, then went back for our night soak. Liard doesn’t have closing hours since it’s a natural springs, so we got to soak until late when we were ready for bed.

The next day was another sunny fall day, perfect for multiple trips to the hot springs.

That night as we splashed around the warm lower pool and visited with some other travelers, the Northern Lights came out in enormous green flickering bands that twisted and arched from one side of the sky to the other over our heads. We laid on our backs and floated in the steaming water, watching the lights and laughing out loud at how perfect it all was.

When we got back to the Turtle, it was late and we were all warm, cozy and ready to snuggle up. While we got ready for bed, Gracie crashed out under her own personal quilt that my niece Ava made for her before we could even make it up to the loft!

With plans to return as soon as possible—especially in the snowy winter months—we got everyone ready to move on.

Gracie’s preferred and self-appointed travel spot is in a clothes bin in the closet, which is kept open for her as we drive. Usually when it’s time to go she hears the engine start and hops into her spot, but if she doesn’t sometimes we have a conversation about it to give her a chance to get in before we start moving. And it’s adorable.

And with the huge skies of the Yukon in our rear view mirror, we set our sights on the road ahead.

On Top of the World: North on The Dalton Highway to Deadhorse, AK

Andy loves maps. So when we got our Milepost to plan our trip up to Alaska and it had a big Alaska map included, he was super excited. He unfolded it and we started pointing at places we would visit, and finding new places we didn’t know existed, like Chicken, Alaska. I noticed the Deadhorse dot way at the top of the state and said, “So are we going to the top of Alaska too, then?” Immediately I could see Andy’s wheels turning. We did a little quick research. And thus began our two-month-long back-and-forth decision/indecision about making the drive up the Dalton High to Deadhorse, Alaska.

The reason the decision wasn’t obvious is that the Dalton Highway has a bit of a reputation. It’s been featured on BBC’s World’s Most Dangerous Roads, America’s Toughest Jobs, and was the focus of four seasons of Ice Road Truckers. It’s a beast.

Here’s the rundown:

It’s a 414-mile road between Livengood and Deadhorse.
Nearly the whole route is dirt and gravel and in rough condition, with grades up to 12%.
It is one of the most isolated roads in the US, with only three towns along the route: Coldfoot (pop. 10), Wiseman (pop. 14), and Deadhorse (permanent pop. 25-50 but there are several thousand workers living there at any given time).
As the longest stretch of unserviced road on the North American continent, the Dalton is totally remote and has no cell service along the entire route until Deadhorse.
There is one gas station in Coldfoot and one in Deadhorse.
It gets cold up there. In 1971 it was the location of the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America at -82 degrees.
Atigun Pass through the Brooks Range is at elevation 4,739 feet and is considered quite treacherous, especially in unfavorable conditions.
It was built as a service road during the construction of the Alaska pipeline and is still used primarily by supply trucks—about 160 daily in the summer and 250 daily in winter and they’re all driving at top speed and have the right of way.
Travel tips on various sites include bringing two spare tires, plenty of extra fuel, survival gear, and your own surgical supplies.
The road ends at Deadhorse, which is not a town in the traditional sense but an industrial camp in the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. So there’s not much to do once you get there.

According to a NY Times article, “In addition to these numerous privations, there is also no good reason for a nonprofessional driver to drive the Dalton Highway.” When we asked around, most Alaskans and fellow travelers we talked to about making the drive told us emphatically that it was a bad idea and just don’t do it.

So there was that.

You’d think that would be enough to make the decision quick and easy. Buuuuuut. . . we were also feeling compelled by the other characteristics of that most remote wilderness. For example:

Just south of Coldfoot you pass into the Arctic Circle!
We’d get to see arctic tundra and (hopefully) arctic wildlife.
The Arctic Ocean is just beyond Deadhorse, and though the area is blocked by security, there is a tour company that will take you right to the ocean, after you pass a security check and pay them $70 a person.
Gates of the Arctic National Park sits on the west side of the highway, and though you can’t access the park by car, you can hike in on foot from a few parking areas.
The terminus at Deadhorse is the farthest north you can drive in North America. And we have plans to drive to Chile one day, so it would be pretty freakin’ cool to have driven the continents from top to bottom.
Apparently it’s really, really beautiful up there.
It’s almost completely wild.
Adventure calls!

I think by now you have a pretty good idea of where we landed on this one, especially if you read the title of this post. (We decided to go.) A few final pushes in that direction came from our friend Sam, who is a native Alaskan and knows all the information contained in both above lists and said that he wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone, but he knows the Turtle is capable and so are we, and that we should definitely do it. That’s all Andy needed to hear, so he was locked in. I was at 98% until my friend Lexie sent me a video by a pair of overlanders who had made the trip just a week earlier in their truck camper, and the scenery was more beautiful than I’d even imagined, and also they saw a baby grizzly bear. So I was locked in.

We got to Fairbanks, got all our supplies in order and bought a CB radio so we could communicate with the truckers as an added safety measure. We got up early the next morning and began our northward journey to the top of Alaska.

The first thing we noticed was the Alaska Pipeline, which was to be our one constant over the next few days, as it parallels the Dalton all the way to Deadhorse.

Also notable was how much more it felt like fall! It was much colder and the colors were gorgeous.

The pavement soon ended and we began the brain-rattling portion of the journey across the pitted, wash-boarded and pot-holed dirt road that would continue all the way to Deadhorse. It was a really beautiful drive, and we still felt pretty fresh when we saw the Arctic Circle sign and pulled over to take a few pictures.

The Turtle still looked blue at this point, too! We continued on to Coldfoot, watching the lovely scenery as well as the gas gauge.

We weren’t sure what to expect when we finally reached Coldfoot after 8 long hours, and were pleasantly surprised to discover the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center tucked away on the west side of the highway. The facility is a cozy spot to learn about the Northern Lights and the flora and fauna of the area, and they have maps available and flyers with information about Coldfoot, Wiseman, and Deadhorse since there’s no cell service all along the highway.

They also print out the weather forecast for the towns and the Atigun Pass, which on our visit showed snowflakes in the next day’s box. We’d already made it halfway there, so there was no turning back. We filled up with gas across the road and had a surprisingly top-notch dinner buffet at the restaurant/bar/gift shop/one building in the town that felt kind of like a church basement but really served up a mean meal. Then we drove just a bit north of town to a nice little turnout for the night.

As predicted, the next day was super cold and foggy and the snow loomed on the horizon.

We could barely see the scenery behind all that fog!

There were huge mountains on all sides but after a while we couldn’t see them even a little. It was just a blank white backdrop in every direction.

As we gained elevation approaching the Atigun Pass, the snow set in so suddenly that we were climbing the pass before we realized it and it was too late to chain up. If there were any turnouts we couldn’t see them at all, and there was barely enough room for two cars to pass one another, much less to pull off enough to not get hit by other passing vehicles.

We climbed and climbed, following the guard rails since that’s all we could see, and hoping against hope that the speedy ice road truckers wouldn’t blast by us.

At least we could read the road signs. . . what does that one say? Avalance Area? Oh good.

Andy handled that Turtle brilliantly, and I alternated between nervous picture taking and looking at the sky so I wouldn’t have to look over the dropoff into the white abyss. We finally made it through, and amazingly encountered no trucks. But even after the pass, the roads were so slippery that we pulled over on the road that leads to Galbraith Campground to chain up as a precaution.

On the return drive, we noted this spot was where we’d pulled over and were shocked to discover that there had been mountains surrounding us the whole time, but we had no idea.

Scout loved this stop. He’s a real snow hound, and he bounded through the snow and grazed on it and tried to get me to run with him, but it was too slippery. We did get an arctic frisbee session in though.

Soon the snow lessened, so we asked a driver on the CB if there was any more snow between us and Deadhorse. He said it was nothing but mud, so we removed the chains and bumped lurched down the road the rest of the way through the arctic tundra. It felt like being on another planet. It’s completely flat as far as the eye can see!

From the literature we took from the Visitor Center, I learned that because the ground is all permafrost beneath the top layer, there is a lot of standing water in the tundra because it has nowhere to go. Seeing little puddles and lakes everywhere wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was really interesting and beautiful.

After 10 exhausting, jarring hours, we made it to Deadhorse!

We really felt like we were on top of the world. I put on 10 layers and Andy put on his one extra layer so we could examine the Turtle and let the animals out. Gracie hopped out, felt the cold, and jumped right back in. Scout was unfazed and just wanted to play frisbee again.

We were thrilled and amazed that the only part that had come off the Turtle had been removed intentionally—as we drove with the chains on, they were slapping into the corner of the running board on Andy’s side, so he just took it off. Otherwise, we’d made it in one piece!

We were worn out by the drive, so we hopped back in to cozy up for the evening and admire the view out our living room windows.

We’re all good at getting cozy, but Gracie is the professional. She zonked out so hard that when I jokingly put my hat on her head, she just slept right through it. We all could relate, and the whole gang slept like logs that night, excited to explore the northiest north the next day!

The Road to Alaska – Part 7: Anchorage, AK with Family + The Kenai Peninsula

When we planned our road trip to Alaska, we wouldn’t have anticipated that we’d be spending so much time with familiar faces, but after our super enjoyable visit with friends in Anchorage, we still had more fun coming our way!

Knowing we were spending some time up north, Andy’s mom Genie had planned a trip with Andy’s nephew Will to visit Alaska while we were in the area. Will loves to fish, and the Kenai Peninsula has been on his list for some time now. So they flew in to Anchorage, where we kicked off the trip by catching up, having dinner, and witnessing the beginning to Will and Andy’s very promising career as meat smoker models.

We drove down the Kenai Peninsula and stopped at Deep Creek, a fishing spot that had been recommended to Will by a fellow fisherman back home. We stayed a few hours, enjoying the sun and scenery as we watched other people catch our fish.

After a few hours with no luck, we decided to head into Homer to check into the house Andy’s sister had rented for the travelers. We parked the Turtle in the driveway, and were instant neighbors! I’ll under-exaggerate here and say it was a beautiful spot.

The next day we tried another fishing spot, this one just as scenic as the last. We’re beginning to see a trend in our Alaskan fishing spots: so picturesque you’d go there even if there weren’t any fish.

Except this time, there were!

A number of locals mentioned how sparse the fishing was this season, and it seemed like a pretty big deal when even the seasoned fishermen caught anything. So we felt very pleased that by the end of the day, all four of us had a caught a fish! Andy, Will and I all got humpys, and Genie got a nice big silver (gifted to her by some boys fishing next to us, but we all agreed it totally counted).

Afterwards we went down to the spit, which quickly became one of my favorite spots on our Alaskan journey. The whole spit is lined with funky shops and restaurants built on piers or decks or just smashed up against one another, people are filleting huge halibut and salmon right on the walkway, and the whole place is set against a backdrop you just can’t believe.

As we walked down the beach to get pictures of the rainbow, we took what will go down in history as The Greatest Photo of Us Ever Taken.

Sunglasses for the win!

The others did a much better job modeling and nailed it on the first try.

When we got home, Andy began preparing the fish for our big dinner.

We got so involved with preparations for a banquet, that by the time the meal was finished, it was midnight. (We didn’t know yet, but that would become kind of our thing during this trip.)

Even Scout had given up on us and went to sleep on the futon before we finished. Of course he woke up ready to play as soon as I tried to take the picture, but that’s to be expected with this one.

We still had three pink salmon on deck for us to enjoy, so before leaving for our third day of fishing Andy began experimenting with some new recipes and preparation methods. The night before he’d brined some for smoking, using the recipe given to us by Sam’s mom, and here he is removing it and readying it for smoking later in the day.

Here he is with his partner in mischief, who did not find Andy’s obsession with the new vacuum sealer strange in the least, and in fact suggested they try vacuum sealing the vacuum sealer bags.

I continued to find other goody bags stashed around the house, including this battery and handful of dried garlic chips. Also, all the dinner knives in a pouch, not pictured, but one of my favorites.

We packed up with discussions about how one might vacuum seal the vacuum sealer, and went back to Deep Creek to try a new spot this time. Unfortunately the weather had lived up to the rainy forecast, and as we fished it got colder and colder, until we finally had to admit defeat. Luckily, we had smoked salmon linguini on the evening’s menu, so we were excited to return to Homer and prepare it.

On the way, we saw more rainbows! Alaska makes really nice rainbows.

That last one is the view from the house, so we had that rainbow to admire out the big square windows as we made dinner. It really was an amazing spot. Will created a few antipasto platters that were as delicious as they were beautiful.

It was a good thing he did, too, because once again dinner wasn’t on the table until midnight! I think it must have something to do with the long daylight hours up here, but either way we partied into the A.M. every day. Andy’s smoked salmon linguini was better than any I’ve ever had in a restaurant, and fully worth the wait. Another fine fresh Alaskan fish meal!

The view from the rental house changed daily, each time a surprise and delight. The morning we left was another hit.

We took advantage of the scenery by taking a few group shots on our way out.

I had to get a photo of Scout and Will, the two best buddies you’d ever hope to meet. Scout is crazy about Will, who very generously spent much of his time playing outside with him and throwing the frisbee in the back yard. Nothing beats a boy and his dog!

We left Homer mid-day, and had planned on stopping to fish one last time on the way back to Anchorage, but the Turtle had other plans. We broke down (Andy easily agreed this one was official) and immediately got towed by a good Samaritan to a spot just up the road, which turned out to be a great place to be broken down.

Andy had no idea what the problem was. I said maybe we’d run over a lawn mower, because that’s what it sounded like, but he thought he’d investigate further despite my diagnosis. After a bit, this wizard not only figured out what the problem was, but also happened to have the spare part that we needed on hand!

Remember that time we broke down at Mike and Becky’s house in Bend, OR? While that problem was being investigated, Andy had bought a distributer to see if that was the problem, which we all know now it wasn’t. (It was Becky pulling fuses out.) So we had an extra!

While Andy pulled the Turtle apart and worked his magic, Will and Genie went fishing, and I used the time to run Scout and let Gracie play outside for a while, cleaned up the Turtle, and read my book in the sun with the animals. It was actually a very nice afternoon for all involved!

When we got back to Anchorage we decided to have an early dinner, so at 10 p.m. we stopped by 49th State Brewery to have huge delicious reubens and play with WikiSticks.

We still had a full day left in Anchorage before Genie and Will had to fly back, so we visited the zoo. . .

And saw the world’s largest chocolate waterfall at Alaska Wild Berry Products.

The candy store also had huge chocolate bars that Andy really, really wanted to touch but he obeyed the sign anyway, and a polar bear.

After a delicious Italian dinner, this time at a much more reasonable hour due to Will and Genie’s 3 a.m. wakeup call, we said our goodbyes.

The trip was unforgettable, and we’re so glad you guys came up north to meet us. Alaska isn’t the same without you!

The Road to Alaska – Part 6: Anchorage, AK with Friends

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times (I may have actually said it a thousand times): one of the best things about Turtle Life is the flexibility and freedom to visit our friends and family. And during our time in Anchorage, we were lucky enough to be able to spend quality time with both friends and family!

First we spent a week with Andy’s longtime buddy Sam and his wife Sara. Sam is a professor and has the summer off, so we took full advantage of his schedule by having a full week of fun.

Andy and I had caught some salmon in Valdez and kept two to bring along, which Andy prepared in his famous marinade and Sam grilled up for us.

*A tip if you like delicious things: Sam also BBQ’s up frozen seasoned hashbrowns as a side dish, which were so good I just got jealous of myself when I saw this picture of the hashbrowns I was about to eat when I took the photo.

Sam took us on a field trip to the fish hatchery, where we saw loads of spawning salmon! Pictured are only two, so please just take my word for it that there were a bunch.

Sam, Sara, and their son Oliver took us for a crisp and refreshing rainy-day walk up to Portage Glacier.

We hadn’t seen snow in a while, so we had to take advantage of the wintery playground and make ourselves a slide. I paved the way with the classic bum slide, and Andy immediately took it to the next level, as he is wont to do.

On the way home, all our dreams came true when we spotted a moose grazing right by the road in town!

We were really beginning to believe the area moose were a rumor created by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce.

And luck was really on our side—or else the COC had gotten wind that we were on to them and planted that moose in two spots so we wouldn’t spread the conspiracy theory around—because a day later we saw another one!

This one was on a walk through a beautiful park on the way to the beach. She had been grazing on the trail blocking hikers, and the locals who warned us about her presence smiled curiously when I threw up my hands and cheered about a moose on the trail. Somehow they could tell right away that we weren’t from around there.

We stood up the hill from her to admire her moose-y cuteness, then walked on to the ocean since it’s weird to stare at a moose all day. And what a day for the beach!

Another highlight of the trip was the delivery we had waiting for us at Sam and Sara’s place! After catching so many fish in Haines and Valdez, we decided we should spring for a vacuum sealer so we can pack more of our fresh fish and berry picking surpluses into the freezer and keep them for even longer. I was super happy about our newest purchase, and Andy was even a little more so. (Sam and Sara, I’m aware that I’m grossly underselling Andy’s excitement about this purchase, but if I did his joy any justice everyone would think I was exaggerating.)

Well of course we had to test the thing out. An hour and 50 vacuum bags later, Andy had made it as far as testing out vacuum sealing tortilla chips just to see what would happen, and suddenly it was bedtime.

When we got back to the Turtle for the night, we found that someone had caused a little trouble back at home. The culprit still remains at large as we try to gather more conclusive evidence.

On Monday Sara was back at work, so Sam took Andy and me on a beautifully sunny and very fun walking tour of Anchorage.

I’ll have you know that we had way more than a week’s worth of fun that week. Sam and Andy are two peas in a pod, and it’s awesome to see your sweetheart having fun like the old days with his buddy.

Although we tried our best to convince Sam to blow off another week’s commitments to goof off with us some more, he somehow decided to take the responsible road. Go figure!

Before we moved onto the next leg of the Anchorage Adventure, we needed a little battery-recharge, at which point it became apparent which of our friends are helpful when it comes to naps . . .

And which aren’t so much.

Oh, and in case you’re still wondering what happened to the vacuum-sealed tortilla chips . . . they were all ground to corn crumbles, except for one, which stayed completely intact!

Weird and worth the suspense, right?

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