Day 9
Nancy Trips
This morning we woke up and met Betty and Nancy who were also staying at the Kaleido Lodge. Friends from Alaska who have been doing a motorcycle trip every year together for 20 years. They were the cutest! We sat and talked for a good while this morning and let me take a selfie with them. Sweet ladies! Betty said she called them her “Nancy Trips” and looked forward to it every year. Mackenzie had the best time sitting and talking with them. They became fast friends over breakfast. I had to snap a quick picture through the window.
Aimee Herbert - now that we’re adults and *cough cough* mature (stop laughing!) we need to do A-Squared trips once a year together! We’ve done Girls Camp, EFY, and college together… I think we’re ready for a yearly get away as suave adult women! (Heaven help the locals wherever we go! 😂)
Frost heaves
This section of the trip is where you deal with the most frost heaves - I know "frost heaves" sounds completely made up but it’s a real thing. These are sometimes referred to as “nature’s speed bumps”. They happen when temperatures fluctuate. The snow and ice trapped under the pavement expands and contracts as the temperature changes and it causes wrinkles and cracks in the road. It basically turns a smooth and flat section of road into a rollercoaster. And I mean almost literally. If you’re not careful you can catch a teeny bit of air in your car. When you have a bunch all together your tummy gets that rollercoaster tickle in it and you go up and down and up and down… It’s can be really fun or really nauseating. Lol - luckily no one felt sick this trip although the frost heaves were pretty bad. (Jane - this is a GREAT 5th grade science phenomenon to start a discussion with!)
On a slightly funny note, because of the first heaves, my Apple Fitness+ activity ring showed completion because my phone thought that I was being active. Haha! Little did Apple know that I wasn’t walking, I was in a car during frost heaves! Haha!
Front seat buddy
We also had to stop for construction a few times. This is super common since summer is really the only time to work on the roads. Winter is not realistic because of the amount of snow and the temperature drops. When that happens you just turn off your car and take a quick stretch break outside of the car. When everyone starts moving you hustle back inside, buckle, and get going! Poor Mackenzie. She is so tired of driving. When we stop for construction and turn the car off she unbuckles and jumps into my lap in the front seat. Poor honey. Only one more day!
Beaver Creek, Yukon
We stopped at Beaver Creek to gas up and get some ice cream. Except they no longer serve ice cream! 😢 I was SO bummed! I loved their ice cream! We got snacks instead but it was a tad bit of a letdown. There was a super nice biker sitting on the porch eating something and, as Mackenzie walked up and said hi, he responded, “Hey little bit. I’m taller than you sitting when you’re standing!” She thought that was hilarious and just giggled and giggled. She kept saying, “Little bit!”
In the store, there was this display that had a random assortment of items: board games, utility lighters for fires, sparklers, streamers, candy, baby wipes, small firework packages, post cards, etc… just sort of random. I think it was related to celebrating Canada Day and 4th of July but a few of the items didn’t mesh well. It was kind of an odd mix. I turn around to talk to Mackenzie when Jessica yells, “MOM!” I turn back around and Skyler is holding the utility lighter and had STARTED THE FLAME! He was grinning madly with the flames just coming out while he waved it slightly AROUND THE AREA WITH THE SPARKLERS AND FIREWORKS!!! Oh. My. Pyro. Maniac. 11-year-old. BOY!!! Needless to say, we had a very serious conversation about fire safety. In a store. In a foreign country! 🤦🏻♀️
Goodbye Canada!
Here we are, coming back into the US! (Of COURSE I had us sing the National anthem! And all the 4th of July songs I could think of!) Goodbye Canada, you beautiful country! Until we meet again!
Billy Bob Joe
Once you leave the port of entry into Canada, there is about a 10 mile section called The Corridor that is between leaving Canada and entering the United States. Really, it is mostly part of Canada (until you come to the country line - more in a minute) but it’s kind of an in-between zone. While we were driving my kids started freaking out. A moth had gotten into the car and was just hanging out. Then, the moth got into my hair. And they named it Billy Bob Joe. Freakout was over and they decided to bring Billy Bob Joe to Alaska as their temporary pet. In my hair. 😂😂🤣🤣
International Divide
We released Billy Bob Joe, our temporary moth pet, into the wild when we came to the International Divide Line. It’s so cool that you can see the literal line they’ve created between the countries. You can stand in Canada and the US at the same time! 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 (And, yes, we took a picture. Haha)
Fast Eddy's
We ate at the only restaurant in Tok called Fast Eddy’s Restaurant. It doesn’t look all that fancy on the outside but it was really good. A HUGE selection (chicken, burgers, seafood, pizza). I (FINALLY) ordered some halibut. I am a fish snob in Utah (only with halibut and salmon) and rarely eat those while there. This halibut was heavenly. So, so good. Jessica ordered the Captain’s Platter which ended up being ginormous! It had shrimp, halibut, mussels, clams, and onion rings. Jessica was in heaven. :) (Isn't she just the cutest?!?)
Tok, Alaska
Bearberry Lodge in Tok, Alaska - SO CUTE!!! This is my new favorite place to stay. Seriously, this cabin was ADORABLE! We got in and my kiddos still wanted to hang out and play. They wanted to watch something or play on the iPads. I convinced them instead to make rock cairns. They actually had a pretty good time with it. It was really fun to see them do this. I also made a rock flower with Mackenzie. She came up with the idea of finding a stick to make the stem. It turned out really cute.
All in all this day was really good and it was great to be back in the U.S.!